So we meet again…

One week after their clash in Monte Carlo, the two players meet again in similar conditions in Munich, where the clay is heavy and the altitude differs from Monte Carlo, which is at sea level, meaning the ball travels through the air more here. Is that a big advantage for the Frenchman? Not necessarily. There’s a significant gap in terms of average level on clay. It’s hard to imagine the Frenchman beating the Brazilian. However, he did bother the Brazilian in Monte Carlo with his playing style, which doesn’t look like typical clay-court tennis. He’s going to keep applying the strategy that worked against the Brazilian, that is, putting him under pressure and offering him something unusual. We can especially think of repeated drop shots, alternated with big serves and powerful arm shots. In general, people say that the player who lost has gathered information and will play better in the next encounter. I rather feel that it’s the Brazilian who has picked up information about the Frenchman’s atypical clay-court game and has adapted to better anticipate certain trajectories. So I’m not very optimistic for the Frenchman. I don’t think he’ll do better than in Monte Carlo, and with the current odds, there’s not much for me to hope for.