Andy got the first set!

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 11:26 am

Now Andy’s got a break in the second set - wow. Good for him.

Are you watching this Von?

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 11:42 am

And in the 2nd set, Andy just broke Nadal 3-1 and held on to his serve . He has a chance. But it will be unfortunate for a guy who is inching in for No. 1 position. I like both players, though. It is hard to take side except that Andy is from my home state.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 11:47 am

Andy is cruising now…

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 11:52 am

Now, Andy breaks him 2n time: it’s 4-1. Wow !

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 11:52 am

I know what you mean Shital; I like both a lot too. But it would be nice to see Andy take out a top five player and shut up some of his critics. It would also be great for his confidence. After all, he knows he doesn’t have to play Federer here so he has a real shot to win it all.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 11:53 am

watching the game on Eurosport.

this is some heavy ass-kick by Roddick… haven’t really saw Nadal playing so low lately.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 11:53 am

Roddick beats Nadal 7-6, 6-2. Cpngrats to him and Jane, too. I am happy the way Rod played.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 12:05 pm

The desert is treating Andy well!

Other than a tight first set, an easy win really. And now onto the semis - will Andy beat the Djoker (presuming he is not upset)? Tough to say, but this is a good win for him no matter what.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 12:05 pm

To Jane,

Were you able to log in and watch the game?

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 12:21 pm

Hi Polo -

Nope and I MSN’d some friends here in Canada and they were getting soccer at the “Dubai Tennis” link at channelsurfing.net too.

The eurosport link wouldn’t work either: it kept saying “that clip is currently unavailable” when I tried to get to the streaming live video.

Very maddening, as they’re still showing soccer at channelsurfing so I will only get to follow Djok’s match online at the ATP scoreboard as well.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 12:25 pm

Jane,

I saw your blog in the other article. Sorry about that. Keep trying, though. Djokovic is due to play in a few minutes. Lots of luck to you.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 12:26 pm

“jane
Now Andy’s got a break in the second set - wow. Good for him.

Are you watching this Von?”

No, I just watched the live scores, but I am happy to see Andy doing so well. His game has improved since the TMC and Davis Cup finals. It was very noticeble. He even got the Mercedes Benz play of the week when he beat Stepanek in San Jose.

“But it would be nice to see Andy take out a top five player and shut up some of his critics.”

Absolutely, after all the hell he went through over the last 3 weeks. He owns Davydenko, 5-0 Roddick, and has a good H2H against Ferrer. He has only played Djokovic once in Montreal. Overall, I’m happy, happy, happy! I guess he probably is wondering why didn’t he play in Dubai before. I hope he travels more this year.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 12:26 pm

Sean,
Djok and Andy have played only once, on hard, during Djok’s incredible run here in Canada. And that was a tight match (7-6; 6-4).

Andy would have to play like today and Djok would have to be slightly, for sure, because both of them love and excell on the hardcourts.

That said, this will be a boon to Andy’s confidence, a win he’s really needed. It might affect his play. Andy can be pretty intimidating (I don’t mean with smack talk) on court when he’s on his game.

It might just depend on how well Djokovic reads / returns Andy’s serve. Djok and Andy, interestingly, both have great tiebreak records. It would be fun to watch them hit it out. I hope Djok gets through today and we get to see it.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 12:32 pm

Well, I think this tournament is Feliciano Lopez’ for the taking now!

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 12:32 pm

sorry re: typo - should be “Djok would have to be slightly off”

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 12:33 pm

diego,

“Well, I think this tournament is Feliciano Lopez’ for the taking now!”

Lopez has been rolling through under the radar, and as he showed against Federer at the USO last fall, he has an utterly wicked lefty serve when it’s on. He’s a dark horse, no doubt.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 12:35 pm

Von, I’m happy for you; I know you’re a diehard Andy fan. ;-)

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 12:36 pm

I have not seen Andy play and move so well in a while. Good for him. Hopefully, he can keep this up and give him more confidence when he plays Federer. Now is the time to get Roger whose vulnerability has now come to light. This should inspire other players tohave more confidence next time they play him. This promises to be an exiting tennis year.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 12:42 pm

ooops…exciting… not exiting. But you all know that.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 12:43 pm

As per the ATP website:

“It was [Andy Roddick's] the American’s first victory over a player ranked No. 2 or higher in four years. ”

That’s gotta feel good; no wonder he was soaring in his post-match interview.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 12:54 pm

I see that Djokovic’s is cruising past Andreev now, having just won the first set at 6-2, so it’s looking like we’ll get to see Andy and Djok play. Good stuff.

That channelsurfing site had better be working tomorrow or I’ll have a conniption!

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 12:57 pm

You are not missing much Jane. The Djokovic match is not so exciting. He won the first set 6-2 in 29 minutes.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 12:57 pm

Although Andy is serving as he should, I don’t see him passing Djoko who is returning really aggressively.

I think Djoko will get this one, winning both tournaments Fed won last year. That will give something to Fed think about, and be more determined to play well again and restore that comfortable difference of last years as number one.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 1:00 pm

Sean:

“Obviously he’s found some rythym with his serve and forehand again, and if he can get it going no telling how many matches he’ll win.”

His bck hand has been re-invented too, coupled with some good net play. he has now learnt to come to net on his own terms. His hard work is paying off.

Jane: Thanks for your kind words. I hope Andy gets through to the final. If he does, he has a good H2H against both Lopez and Davydenko.

Come on Rover move your bloomin arse!

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 1:05 pm

Daniel,

A lot rests on the next two MS tournaments in America, especially going into the clay season. If Rafa and Djok can play like they did last year, then who knows? According to the ATP, Rafa could take over in Miami:

http://www.atptennis.com/1/en/2008news/federer_no1race.asp

But, of course, Federer doesn’t have much to defend, as we all know. If he gets managable draws, he stands to gain points. Which means, as someone said before (can’t remember who), if number one is to change hands, it’s unlikely to happen before the French Open. People like Djokovic or Nalbandian could be real threats to Rafa and especially Federer at the dirt slam.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 1:09 pm

Jane:

“It was [Andy Roddick’s] the American’s first victory over a player ranked No. 2 or higher in four years. ”

These ATP stats are funny. The only other player ranked higher than No. 2 is Oo. 1, Federer. Andy beat Nadal at the ‘04 US open, it more like 3 years, 6 months.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 1:12 pm

Guess they’re rounding up?

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 1:13 pm

Roddick can sure light up the threads; 36 comments in 2 hours. WOW.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 1:14 pm

Sean Randall: diego, off the top of my head has Lopez ever won a title?

Yes, a handful, and he was runner-up in Dubai once…

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 1:16 pm

Sean,

I just read that about Roddick / Connors. Interesting! What’s next for him I wonder. A new coach or stick with bro only?

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 1:17 pm

I expected this to happen sooner or later. i presumptuously emailed Andy stating that he is wasting his time with Jimmy. I mentioned he would do better with Darren Cahill and have his brother John as his traveling coach. Talk about nerve!

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 1:19 pm

Guess he says he’ll stick with John for now, and if it’s working great. But I think he could benefit from a different coach, unrelated. Don’t know why, but I just do.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 1:21 pm

Von - maybe Cahill is the answer. Andy should ring him before Fed does!

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 1:21 pm

Djok’s win a veritable walk in the park: 6-2; 6-1. Clearly, no breathing problems today.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 1:23 pm

jane:

“Von - maybe Cahill is the answer. Andy should ring him before Fed does!”

I hope he does contact Cahill who is in Vegas rhis week. I think if Fed does get a coach he’ll get Annacone. He’ll follow in Pete’s footsteps.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 1:25 pm

Million thanks to Andy for keeping Fed’s No. 1 ranking for (at least) another 7 weeks :)

But seriously, this is surely one of Andy’s biggest wins - and frankly, he totally deserved it! I was going nuts when he missed that Sampras-like smash at 4-3 in the 1st set, which, if he hadn’t missed it, could’ve brought him his 8th (!) breakpoint… But luckily, at 5-5 in the breaker, he produced that fantastic crosscourt forehand and then served it out, so all those unconverted BPs were irrelevant… Clearly, that forehand was a match-deciding shot!

Though he still has a lot to work on in the fitness & movement department, this win will only help him - there’s no doubt! But to be honest, I just can’t believe what the hell was this guy doing in these last 3-4 years?! Why he started to play those “moonballs” on his (once very dangerous) forehand? Today it was evident that, if he plays it a bit flatter, it can still cause a great damage (just think of that aforementioned point at 5-5 in the 1st set breaker), so I just can’t understand why this change? Did he fear some kind of wrist injury or what? And also that fitness - though Andy certainly isn’t the fastest mover on the court, I just can’t believe why he couldn’t work a bit more in this department?! It’s clear that it let him down in many of his matches (especially against Fed)… He’s still only 25, so if Agassi could do it at 35, why not him?

Anyway, this match also proved the known fact that, if the opponent doesn’t stay near those “Dubai sign areas” (as Sean pointed out) and isn’t afraid to impose his OWN game on Nadal (instead of vice-versa), the guy is VERY vulnerable on hard-courts… That Tsonga AO semi was a perfect example - the Frenchman simply didn’t allow him to dictate play with those 5000 rpm topspin forehands - and that’s how it should be on hard-courts! Simply, keep the rallies as short as possible and didn’t give him the time to generate that wicked spin! The other thing is, of course, that Nadal is slowly but surely becoming a little slower to retrieve those seemingly impossible to return balls - partly due to all those injuries and partly due to wear and tear… Will be interesting to see how he fares on the American MS events, but anyway, the guy’s certainly the man to beat on clay - there’s no doubt!

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 1:51 pm

Jane,

Yes, Nadal has one chance, really small. Next week Fed will be 350 points ahead of Nadal, so Rafa will have to defend IW and win Miami, in order to get plus 375 pts. In the same time Fed will have to maintain last year performance in both tourneys (which means gain no points) or loose earlier in Miami, loosing his 75 points. It’s like one in a million chances!

“as someone said before (can’t remember who), if number one is to change hands, it’s unlikely to happen before the French Open”.

Me again! I am kind of chocked with this number one rank change speculation because it is really a remote chance. I guess this happens because we don’t see a possibility like this in 4 years!

If Fed wins IW or Miami, the whole scenario changes and he will be again +700 pts ahead.

Changing subject, looks my predictions will come true, Djoko is in a divine form. Very anxious for tomorrow match!

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 2:01 pm

Don’t think Fed/Cahill is likely. Cahill made a rather pointed reference to rumors that Fed/Roche fell out over money by saying Fed would be able but probably unwilling to afford him!!

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 2:06 pm

Skorocel

Excellent post!
Sometimes for us outside it’s so simple to see the flaws, and we kept thinking: why the hell did he not do it earlier? Go figure!

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 2:06 pm

Hi deb:

“Don’t think Fed/Cahill is likely. Cahill made a rather pointed reference to rumors that Fed/Roche fell out over money by saying Fed would be able but probably unwilling to afford him!!

How do you like our Andy’s result. I’m happy for him.

You seem to know about that money thing with Roche. I mentioned this and Polo wanted some more info. Do you remember where you read it? It would help because I can’t remember exactly where. Thanks.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 2:13 pm

Btw, on the ATP website they claim that Nadal was within 350 points of Federer going into today’s quarterfinals, but I guess it should be only 325. As far as I know, Fed had a 400 points of a lead when the rankings were issued this Monday (with the Dubai points being already subtracted, of course), so if he lost his 1st round match (which means zero points) and Nadal lost in the quarters (75 points), it should be only 325 points, isn’t it?

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 2:14 pm

Skorocel:

“Million thanks to Andy for keeping Fed’s No. 1 ranking for (at least) another 7 weeks>”

So Andy made your day, eh? I told you to stop moping, now you have something to be happy about. Keep smiling. :)

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 2:15 pm

Skorocel:

I think the rankings are done early Monday morning, that would be before Fed lost. His loss of points will be reflected in next Monday’s new ranking points.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 2:18 pm

To Von:

I’m smiling, you can bet on it :)

But seriously, as far as I know, the Dubai points were ALREADY DEDUCTED when this week’s rankings were issued (because of the fact that the last year’s edition took place one week sooner than this year’s one), isn’t it? Fed had a 650 points of a lead after the AO, so if Nadal (who, same as Fed, didn’t play any tourney between AO and Dubai last year) gained 25 points in Rotterdam, Fed’s lead in this week’s rankings should be 400 points.

In short, 650 (his lead after AO) MINUS 300 (the points for winning Dubai last year) MINUS 25 (the points gained by Nadal in this year’s Rotterdam tourney) PLUS 75 (the points deducted from Nadal for his quarterfinal effort in Dubai last year) = 400 point of a lead in this week’s rankings, isn’t it?

I’m just looking at the official ATP site and the Dubai tournament’s profile, and it says that the player receives 75 Entry points for reaching the quarters, whereas if he loses in the 1st round, he receives zero points, so if my math is correct, 400 - 75 = 325, isn’t it?

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 2:43 pm

Great win for Roddick, but I don’t think he has any chance against Novak.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 2:51 pm

Skorocel:

I forgot about the tournament starting a week later this year. Then you’re correct in your calculations. Something more to smile about. :)

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 2:52 pm

Sean, very nice of you to give link to my post. Thanks a lot.

well, Rafa lost and Roddick won the match. Of course I am not very happy for RAfa but congratulations to Andy and his fans ( Von?).

He played very well. Served 18 aces I think. RAfa played great the first set. Even though he lost the tie-break, I was hopeful he would come back in the second set, but it was Andy who played more aggressive. Rafa has a few too many unforced errors. That break from 40-15 was just horrible.

But all in all, I think Rafa played great. He did not lost any points and will be 350 points behind Federer. Now to IW and Miami. Let’s see what happens.

I want either Andy or Feli to win this tournament!

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 2:53 pm

Zola:

“well, Rafa lost and Roddick won the match. Of course I am not very happy for RAfa but congratulations to Andy and his fans ( Von?).”

I’m happy Andy won. Sorry both Rafa and Andy had to be in the same quarter.

“I want either Andy or Feli to win this tournament!”

That would be great.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 2:57 pm

congrats also to Jane.

I was just looking at the comments. why couldn’t you see the match?
Channelsurfing.net has a few links. The first two were from eurosport and they work better with internet explorer.

the dubaisports link did not work for me either.
the direct eurosport link works. sometimes you have to try it a few times.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 2:57 pm

zola,

I think I tried pretty much every link known to tennis kind (thanks to you) but to no avail.

Could be a) due to my Mac? or b) due to being a Canadian. I had local friends who also couldn’t pick up any of the live feeds. It was strange, too, because it has been working all week for me. Oh well. On to the next match.

Sorry about Rafa. I hope he gets at least as far as he got in America last year; he deserves a little time at no. 1 as far as I’m concerned.

Of course, I am (paradoxically maybe) really, really happy that Andy won here as he needed the confidence boost. Maybe with the “Jimmy-pressure” relieved AND the reality that Federer can be beaten we’ll see a different Andy now?

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 3:08 pm

Sean,

“He should focus on doing what he does best, crush serves, crush forehands. And see how far it takes him.”

This is almost exactly what Johnny Mac said at the USO when Andy was playing there; he predicted that with Andy’s serve and forehand, he should be able to win another slam. We’ll see.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 3:09 pm

Von,

I am moving my comments to this newer thread. Thanks for trying to look for the source of the “fat check” comment. I did find something in an SI article where Roger was complaining about the sudden “firing” of Tony Roche and how seldom he and Tony communicated. It did not mention the money deal but it is entirely plausible. I have a feeling the press has been very soft on Roger because he was (is? am not sure of what tense to use)and his good play has sort of covered up his rather ungracious comments about other people.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 3:15 pm

Djokovic has been improving so fast! He may overtake both Federer and Nadal very soon. I wish Nadal could have a taste of being number 1. He has been good for so long and should be rewarded somewhat. Roddick, hopefully, will continue with his good form and make it even more interesting. He could put a merry mix to the chase for number one this year. That will be good for all of us, lovers of the game.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 3:19 pm

Jane
I think it is because you are using a Mac!

check this site too:
http://www.tennisform.com

I think you can register at bwin or one of the other betting sites. You have to deposit 5 bucks and that allows you to watch the video. but perhaps you should e-mail their tech-support and see if you can watch it on a Mac.

well, I think it will be tough for Rafa to win the IW back to back. But I hope he does and if he can get more points in Miami, that would be great.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 3:20 pm

Skorocel,

“Btw, on the ATP website they claim that Nadal was within 350 points of Federer going into today’s quarterfinals, but I guess it should be only 325. As far as I know, Fed had a 400 points of a lead when the rankings were issued this Monday (with the Dubai points being already subtracted, of course), so if he lost his 1st round match (which means zero points) and Nadal lost in the quarters (75 points), it should be only 325 points, isn’t it?”

Nadal points were taken too in the beginning of Dubai, so as he made QF again he will win 75 points. These points will substitute Rotterdan points, so Nadal will have 50 points more than he has now.

Monday Nadal will be 5980, the same he was last week when he enters the tourney, once he made the same stage, QF. Fed was the one who lost 300 points, so the difference between them changes over 650 to 350. Got it!

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 3:24 pm

polo:

Well the fact that Cahill mentioned the money also and Roche, I know that I’m not dreaming. I’ll find it, and when I do I’ll post it to you.

BTW, did you watch the Vegas matches on the Tennis channel?

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 3:31 pm

Nice to wake up to this Roddick news! Thank you for the running updates.

This tournament demonstrates that even the best have to worry about dust on the racquet. As I have said before, we will see where they all stand by mid-year.

Von - smile on your face?

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 3:46 pm

To Daniel:

I’m sorry, but I just can’t understand this… I mean, what do you mean by saying “These points will substitute Rotterdan points”?

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 4:03 pm

To Von,

Re: Vegas matches on The Tennis Channel

I have not tuned in to that Channel in 3 days. It just raises my blood pressure. I have already memorized all the lines that Murphy says and I can quote verbatim what are in those players bag checks.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 4:24 pm

Von,

To be honest, I have not tuned in because I cancelled the Tennis Channel already. When it gets better which is easy to check by looking at their programming on the internet, maybe, I will re-subscribe. It can be reinstated in a jiffy.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 4:27 pm

Great win for Roddick, but I don’t think he has any chance against Novak.
———

They said the same thing about Nadal!

hope Roddick wins the whole thing now

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 5:50 pm

Sean Randall, I believe Djokovic lost to Federer in QF of Dubai last year. 6:3, 6:7, 6:3.

Andy is a great player. Great serve, aggressive, but Djokovic is really great on the hard court (as you mentioned). You can’t beat him with aggressiveness, you can only defend and hope he will start making UEs. He gets frustrated when he gets a lot of balls back which he thinks it should have produced a point for him. He tries then to hit it even harder. Ana Ivanovic on the women side is almost the same. Now Roddick is almost the same type of player as Djokovic, with better serve, but in every other department Djokovic has an edge, so I predict very tough match for Roddick.
I just hope that Andy doesn’t end up like Murray in Miami last year.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 6:02 pm

Skorocel,

For the ATP rankings the tournaments that count are the last 18 including the 4 GS, the 9 MS and 5 other tournaments.

If you look in the ATP ranking points of Nadal, you will see that his worst event is Rotterdam, with 25 points. Next week he will have the points of Dubai, 75 instead of the 25, the 5 best results. Rotterdam will pass to the bottom of the page with the non countable tournaments. To compare, look at a player who plays a lot, like Davydenko. You will see that some tourneys are in the bottom of the page with fewer points than the 5 under the MS. If a player skips a MS, he can’t replace it for a result in a “small” tourney. Check out Riddick’s points, who skip some MS, and you will see it.

I hope I was able to elucidate it to you!

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 7:46 pm

Diego was being a trifle generous, Sean, or else he lacks some fingers on that hand he uses for counting!

Feli López has won 2 ATP titles. In his career he has won one singles title - in Vienna in 2004, beating Guillermo Cañas in the final - and one doubles title - in Stockholm also in 2004, with Fernando Verdasco. It was in 2004 that he reached the final in Dubai, too.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 8:31 pm

Dr. Death:
“This tournament demonstrates that even the best have to worry about dust on the racquet. As I have said before, we will see where they all stand by mid-year.

Von - smile on your face?”

But of course. Isn’t there one on yours? I’ll send you one. Here it is. :)

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 8:33 pm

TD:

Are you awake? If so, how do you like Andy’s Dubai debut so far? I guess you’re smiling? :)

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 8:36 pm

To Daniel:

Thanks for clarifying the whole thing. A bit complicated, but I finally understood it:-)

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 8:42 pm

Roddick beat Nadal this is his first top three win since 2003. That’s gotta be huge for Andy. He played exactly the way he needed to play. No excuses about how terrible Nadal played, that is the result of Roddick playing very aggressively and putting so much pressure on Nadal.

Wouldn’t it be fabulous if Roddick could repeat this success and upset another top three player tomorrow? Can another miracle occur so soon after the first or are we asking for too much?

I hope somebody will put match highlights up on you tube.

Quote-”And as is often the case in tennis, on court success can come from an off-court move, and for Roddick he may have found it by splitting with Connors last week.”

Sean, that is a very true statement which most people don’t think about. I wonder if the inevitable split had something to do with Andy’s outbursts at the San Jose tournament?

Quote-”Roddick can sure light up the threads; 36 comments in 2 hours. WOW.”

Von, tenns-x has found their bread and butter lol.

Quote-”TD Are you awake? If so, how do you like Andy’s Dubai debut so far? I guess you’re smiling?”

You betcha! :D :D :D

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 9:45 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpEKAxMy6PA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxDPQTVuEjo

The first link is to the 1st set tiebrreak and the 2nd link is to Andy’s final point, winning the match.

Enjoy

(there are a few other vids on youtube - I love youtube - but I think these are the best quality).

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 9:58 pm

TD,

In case you haven’t checked yet, there are plenty of you tube highlights of the Andy / Rafa quarter.

The best are the eurosports highlight reel; the first set complete tiebreak; and the one titled Andy’s last point.

Enjoy them…

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 10:16 pm

Oops I think I just duplicated myself - apologies for that.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 10:17 pm

Thanks for the tip jane I will go look for them now.

Posted March 6th, 2008 at 10:47 pm

I’m not gonna lie, Andy Roddick just made this year that much more exciting. We all expected Nadal and Djokovic to stir things up against Federer. Tsonga kinda made a statement at the AO, and Murray’s been expected to make great things happen for a long time now. Even Nalbandian was expected to be a legite contender. Roddick was pretty much completely out of the conversation. But this win is HUGE on so many levels. It’s great for Roddick, true, but it’s also great for tennis, especially american tennis. The top ranked american has just proved that he’s still a top player, not just someone who beats everyone below him. I don’t expect him to be a threat for the number 1 spot, but now I will consider him a legite contender. If he can play like this all year, at least on hard and grass, there’s no reason he can’t post more wins over the top 3 players. I hope he plays like this against Djokovic. I watched how he played against Nadal and it was just fantastic. Pure power and ball bashing, some of the most fun tennis to watch, imo. I hope he plays well against Djokovic, a win would be great but if he can atleast keep it close and prove that his win over Nadal was no fluke, that’d be great, just great.

Posted March 7th, 2008 at 12:16 am

sensationalsafin
I hope Andy keeps playing at the same level and can win over Djoko tomorrow. Djoko almost lost to Santoro. Roddick needs to keep focused and be as aggressive as can be. Those Aces won’t hurt of course.

Posted March 7th, 2008 at 1:38 am

Branimir Says:
Great win for Roddick, but I don’t think he has any chance against Novak.
————–

I am not so sure. Saying that he has no chance against N. is odd. He seems to be on a roll and surely has great motivation.
It’s gonna be a great match. Let the best win ;). Too bad I can’t watch it :(

Posted March 7th, 2008 at 2:52 am

Not a surprise that Roddick did well here. the ATP Calendar lists Dubai’s surface as Carpet - that’s ideal for Andy’s huge serve. The surfaces at Indian Wells and Miami are sandier and therefore slower, and it gives the grinders a little more time to get set up. It’s no surprise Nadal would be less effective on this super slick carpet type hard court (even though he won here before, and beat no less than Federer to do it).

For all the talk about Nadal’s vulnerability on hard courts, it’s worth remembering that at age 21, he’s played in The Championship Match of every Masters Series Event except Cincinnati. He’s won the title at Indian Wells, Canada and Madrid - and was the runner-up in Miami (to Federer) and Paris (to Nalbandian). There are a lot of guys whose best surface is a hard court that would kill to have a record like that.

Posted March 7th, 2008 at 9:18 am

Hi Von

Great result for Andy and he looked so happy. Nice that he saved his celebratory fist pump until after shaking Rafa’s hand.

I heard Cahill make the Fed/Roche reference when he was commentating. I’ll see if I can find any other evidence.

Posted March 7th, 2008 at 9:24 am

Come on Djokovic! Take out the bully Roddick.

Voicemale:

Interesting points about Nadal. It is very easy to forget how young Nadal and Djokovic are. They have achieved so much at such a very young age. That said, they have to space themselves like Federer did the last 4years (He might be resting himself a little too much right now but we will have to reserve that verdict for the end of the season). That is especially true for Nadal whose game is way too physical. Djokovic is really getting dominant on the hard courts. If he keeps up this pace of growth/progress he will start putting up the numbers (on hardcourt) that Federer did during his dominant times.

The match looks like a straight setter for Joker with at most 2 breaks of the ace-serve. It is going to be a very close match but it would be great to see the younger “I can stand up to any one” Djokovic win rather than “I will bully the lower ranked players but have my tail between the legs when I play Federer” Roddick

Posted March 7th, 2008 at 10:45 am

I just have to applaud Roddick. What a match!

In the beginning Djoko was serving better, confirming his service easier and I thought he deserved the set. But Roddick play a very smart game, knocking down Djokjo’s confidence which reflected in the second set, when he made 0 aces.
He made traps attracting Djoko to the net and making that Federer like passing shots. What was that?!

Lopez has no chance against him tomorrow!

Posted March 7th, 2008 at 11:52 am

A-Rod played a really good game. Some unbelievable shots. Absolutely great serving. Only Sampras and Becker have served better than this, in the last 20 years of my tennis-viewing. F-lo is a huge underdog tomorrow. You can safely mark A-rod as the new Dubai Champion.

I hope people who criticize the Fed-era as being weak are watching tennis right now. It is like when the cat is away the mice will play! I mean this is the same A-rod who is 1-15 against Fed and look how he whipped these two young champions.

On another front, I am just glad A-rod treated Djokovic with respect. It is unbelievable how obedient he becomes when he knows the player at the other end is capable of whipping his behind.

Posted March 7th, 2008 at 12:06 pm

Hard to believe Nadal was really that close to being number one in the world, prior to losing to Roddick (as if he would have beaten Djokovic anyway). The guy lost in the the semis in Montreal to Novak, in the 2nd round in Cincinnati to Monaco, in the quarters at the US Open to Ferrer, in the quarters at Madrid in straight sets to Nalbandian, in the final in Paris in straight sets to Nalbandian, in the round robin in Shanghai to Ferrer, in straight sets to Federer in the semis in Shanghai (4 and 1), got crushed by Youzhny in the final prior to the Australian, crushed in the semis by Tsonga at the Australian, beaten by Seppi last week, crushed by Roddick this week, and THAT’S what was in danger of supplanting the magnificent Federer at the top of the rankings?

Posted March 7th, 2008 at 1:21 pm

deb:

“I heard Cahill make the Fed/Roche reference when he was commentating. I’ll see if I can find any other evidence.”

Thanks deb. Andy won again today. I’m happy for him.

If you can find that Fed comment easily, thanks. If not, I’m sure I’ll remember sometime in the future where I read it.

Posted March 7th, 2008 at 2:29 pm

Well, another post disappeared!
first of all
Voicemail:
****For all the talk about Nadal’s vulnerability on hard courts, it’s worth remembering that at age 21, he’s played in The Championship Match of every Masters Series Event except Cincinnati. He’s won the title at Indian Wells, Canada and Madrid - and was the runner-up in Miami (to Federer) and Paris (to Nalbandian). There are a lot of guys whose best surface is a hard court that would kill to have a record like that.
****

great point about Rafa.

Djoko is regarded as one of the best hard court players, yet Rafa had more break points against Roddick. Djoko’s loss is a good reminder of how well Rafa played yesterday. Roddick was too good for both of them.

Glen,
that was a desparate comment revealing how much you really worry about Fed losing his No 1. So much that you need to be sarcastic towards Rafa. Well, Rafa is now about 350 pts less than Fed and Djoko is 800 pts behind Rafa. Too bad he lsot to Roddick and could not close the gap to 500!

Fed’s no 1 is safe at least till the clay season and unless someone knock him down in the openning round of RG. Fed can earn 1000 points in IW and Miami and have a 5th year as No 1. So, you don’t need to panic yet!

Posted March 7th, 2008 at 5:05 pm