Personally I’d rather not place Nadal as the favourite (other than on clay). So far predicted winners have been jinxed when no one expected Nadal to do well (Wimbledon, the hardcourt MS, Olympics). Since I am hoping for Nadal to win the USO, my prediction is that Roger Federer or Djokovic will win it

YY, the problem is that when you win n Toronto and win a Gold Medal you become a favorite. Nadal has not been able to sneak up on anyone for quite some time. I do think climbing the mountain is easier than staying at the top of the mountain so I get the logic of not wanting Nadal jinxed, but I think he will be on top of the mountain for at least 52 consecutive weeks so take heart.

I believe Nadal is the slight favorite to win the US Open because he has a huge winning record over the two players most likely to upset him, Djokovic 10-4 and Murray 5-0. Nadal’s win over Djokovic at the Olympics proves that he can beat even the best players on his worst surface.

Although the big hitters may have the potential to take him out I don’t think that they will. He’s been beating them this year. He won twice over Blake, once over Tsonga, and also Roddick and Karlovic and none of those matches were on clay.

I think that list makes sense overall. I would just say that the top 4 is relatively close. Rafa is clearly the favorite, not because of technical reasons (arguably Djoke has the best game) but because he has so much confidence and seems to be mentally superior to the rest. After the top four, we have a huge drop-off. Del Potro is not close to winning a major and I think this will be apparent after the tournament is over. The improvement during the tournament you mention would have to be something along the lines of develop a monster serve in the next week. Not gonna happen.

Jason,
actually the top 4 are not so close. I posted some numbers on the ranking points earned on decoturf this year, in the previous thread.
http://www.tennis-x.com/xblog/2008-08-17/575.php#comment-45424

It is surprisng to see that Murray has had more success than Fed on the hard courts this year. I can say Rafa and Djoko are very close, with the edge to Djoko. But Murray and then fed have a lower chance if we just look at the numbers.

Of course there is always the possibility of a major upset for various reasons.

Dan,
I think Rafa has some idea of staying at the top of the mountain through his 4 -year domination of the clay season. My concern about him is either injury or fatigue, especially after such a brutal schedule.

we just need to wait and see. I rather not speculate just watch and enjoy the tennis. Rafa has exceeded all my expectations this year. anything extra is just icing on the cake.

Zola,

I think given what Fed did over the previous four years we can’t rate him too low based on a few results this year. I’m sure if we polled the players they’d have him at #2. I put him at #3 but if things fall his way he’s in with a shot. I think someone has to take Rafa out for him and by far the best candidate is Djokovic. If Fed can somehow make the final and he has a tired Djokovic as his opponent he could take the title. I realize my Murray pick is more questionable. But again I can see a scenario for him winning the tournament. Again, Djokovic would have to take care of Nadal for him. But if that happens and it’s a Murray-Djoke final I’d have to like Murray’s chances based on their last two matches.

All that said, Fed and Murray are much more likely to be upset than Rafa or Djoke, imo

Jason,
you are right that those numbers just look at this year’s performance. If we do a summation of the hard court scores in the past 4 years, surely Fed will be the favorite.

I guess, I used the numbers for this year, because things were not the same. Still, we are talking about Federer. So no one can rule out a major come back. there are also possibilities of other upsets, etc.

Why a “major” come back? Personally I don’t think Federer is really playing that much poorer. Not sure if you guys agree with me on this one. Most of the top players are vulnerable at the early stages of tournaments. As each tournament progresses, the top players find their form faster.

My take is that Federer has been really unlucky this year and especially recently at crucial points in the earlier rounds (look at the Ivo Karlovic match for e.g.) and for the matches he did make to the finals, the difference wasn’t that great. Even Wimbledon could have gone either way at the end. Given such a good run over four years, that kind of level and to some extent luck is really hard to maintain.

The most exciting scenario is a Fed-Nadal final…. they haven’t faced each other this year on hard court (Im pretty sure) and the last time they did Federer completely destroyed him…. it would certainly be a proper final chapter of all the finals this year…. then again, the same thing could happen at the TMC…. I just wish they get to face each other on hard court at least once this year

It’s interesting that Roger’s “decline” has been most noticeable on hardcourts. His two titles this year have come on clay and grass, and he reached the finals of the clay and grass slams. Overall, he played well on clay and grass, matching results with his number 2 ranking. However, he was eliminated earlier than expected at the AO and the Olympics, and his results at hardcourt MS events have been uneven - good at the beginning of the season with a semi at IW and quarters at Miami (although an early exit from Dubai was telling), but fairly poor recently, with the R32 and R16 exits at Canada and Cincinnati.

So I think that does affect his chances at this year’s final hardcourt slam.

I like Dan’s guesstimates as to who could win the title, but I think I favor Murray just slightly over Roger based on recent form at the MS events; it’s a tough call, though, because Murray has yet to put in consistent results, whereas Roger, prior to this year, has been very consistent on hardcourts. He did reach the quarters at the Olympics, but the only tough player he faced prior to losing to Blake was Berdych, and Berdych has had a mediocre year, definitely not as good as last year. Djoko had the toughest draw at the Olympics of the “big three”, imho.

That leads me to my main point - so much depends on the draw at the USO that it’s tough to even speculate prior to seeing it.

YY Says:

Why a “major” come back? Personally I don’t think Federer is really playing that much poorer. Not sure if you guys agree with me on this one.

Not at all…. just watch any video of Federer in 2006 or 2007, take special look at his forehand…. it was insane, too damn powerful… his current forehand is just nowhere near.

YY, I agree…all this talk of “Federer’s decline” is exaggerated in my opinion. He’s shown himself to be human, thats all. His results in the majors have been the results of the number 2 player in the world at minimum. The thing is both Rafa and Federer are setting some ridiculously high standards. It bears repeating that Nadal is in a position to produce what could be perhaps the greatest tennis season ever recorded. Now thats going to be a tall order for him given his hard major results but hes certainly positioned himself to do it.

NachoF, the one match I want to see more than any other is as you said Nadal v Federer on hard courts. Certainly with at least 3 or 4 more opportunities we will get to see it at least once this year.

YY,

I agree that the top players are usually more vulnerable during the early rounds and the Wimbledon final between Nadal and Federer definitely could have gone either way but there were other matches where he was clearly outplayed.

1. Nadal vs Federer French Open 2008
2. Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo vs Federer Monte Carlo
3. Djokovic vs Federer Australian Open
4. Nadal vs Federer Hamburg (Huge choke from Federer.)

He’s lost too many big matches this year for it to just be luck.

Based on the stats I posted on the previous thread, Roger’s serve works to his advantage on fast hardcourts - if he can keep his first serve percentage high and serve a lot of aces, that will help him win easy points.

However, he hasn’t been returning as well as in the past, so he’s not having much luck at breaking his opponents. This is something Roger used to always be able to do in the past, and usually at the most opportune times as well.

Measure Roger’s return stats against Djoko’s, Rafa’s, and further behind, Murray’s and he’s at a disadvantage here. These are all players who seem to be able to handle Roger’s serve fairly well, which gives them the slight advantage for getting the break. But they each have to take care of their own serves of course. If they can, they have a slightly better chance because of their good returns, imo.

Again, it’s not like there is miles separating these players; a lot depends on day form. As we know, anything can (and does) happen in tennis.

There’s another dynamic which seems to be under the radar here as far as Nadal and hardcourts go.
Ferrer and Davydenko. These are guys that seem to pose minimal threat to Federer and Djokovic but whom Nadal has a losing record to on hard courts (Davydenko crushed him in the Miami final this year).

I agree with NachoF - Fed’s forehand, previously the best for sure, is no longer the best, in part because it is so errant these days - lots of forehand errors. Look at thefh errors in the 5th set of Wimbledon for instance; they may’ve cost him the match.

People have speculated that what’s going on with Roger’s slight drop in play this year is related to timing, which would or could be impacted on hardcourts due to speed and bounce. I am not sure about this???

I do think he’s moving just a touch slower this year though.

His “decline” (don’t know what other word to use) is miniscule; Vulcan is right. But there is something less potent in his game at the moment. He’s still one of the best players in the world, of course.

Davydenko crushed Rafa in Miami, yeah, months ago, before Nadal put out Djokovic’s fire and lost only two more matches the rest of the way.

Del Potro is another great returner; he’s top 10 in all four categories. So his opponents at the open will have to take real good care of their serves when playing him. He’s not the best server though, so that might be a factor. In addition, he’s not previously performed well at Slams; he lost in the R64 at all 3 this year. So maybe the 5 set format will be a factor for him (or his opponents). Be interesting to see how he does here.

Out of anyone else I would say that Davydenko’s game is probably the closest to Djokovics…with the exception that Davydenko is a just a bit more consistent and a tad less powerful…also Davydenko isnt nearly as good when stretched out wide the way Djokovic is (this has to be one of Djoker’s most unique qualities).

Davydenko’s serve isn’t as good as Djokovic’s either. Djoko’s first serve percentage can be inconsistent, which is something he needs to fix imo, but when it’s clicking it’s a definite weapon. Overall, I don’t think the same can be said about Davy’s serve.

Jane, whose game would you say is the most like Nadal’s?

Jane,
Besides, I think the age is a factor too. I think Davydenko is past his peak, where Djoko’s still ahead of him.

Vulcan,

Rafa’s game is so unique in many ways so that’s a tough call. But in some ways I think Murray’s game is a bit like Nadal’s. Murray can mix up the pace and add spin, he thinks quick on the court, and he’s great at defense. But Murray’s been adding some Djoko-like aggression, hitting flat and deep too. That’s why if Murray’s game clicks, and he maintains consistency, he’s got to be a contender for slams, especially on faster courts, like grass and hard. In some ways, he has more variety than any other player that I can think of currently.

Rafa’s got incredible endurance and focus, which sets him apart. Djokovic has wicked groundies and hits deeper than most and is able to change directions easily; he’s also often very accurate.

I don’t know who’s most similar or who will win but I’ll say this: as a fan of tennis it’s absolutely fantastic to feel confused about all this burgeoning talent!

Two most important shots in tennis - second serve and return of serve. Cliched yes, but it is because it is true.

Vulcan,

I’ve always thought Verdasco’s strokes were the most similar to Nadal of anyone. Nowhere near the defense or mental toughness though.

No Ernest Gulbis? (also known as the prime time upset machine for the last several grand slam tournaments?)

No Davydenko? (also known as the perennial grand slam semifinalist anywhere other than Wimbledon?)

I was hoping these guys would at least sneak in as “capable of making the second week”

If Safina wins I think that would be great. But if it’s anyone other than Dementieva or the Williams sisters, I would say that this year’s tournament fields a WEAK draw. Sorry to say, but outside of Safina’s emergence, the Wimbledon comeback of the Williams sisters, and injuries, this year on the WTA will be known as “retirement happenned, and it was brutal.” The tour hasnt recovered from Henin’s retirement. I love the serbian women (they are beautiful) but I find it hard to find excitement in Ivanovic’s game, and Jankovic just lets me down way too often.

The WTA looks a lot like Jankovic right now: kind o broken, but trying a lot of fancy stuff anyhows.

Jason, I wouldve said Verdasco too…off the top of my head its so hard to come up with anybody even remotely close because first of all I cant think of anybody that hits the “Buggy Whip” forehand as often (or even at all) as Nadal does.

Jane Murray probably has even more variety than Nadal has…I think I would compare him more to Federer than Nadal. However in the mental department…particularly focus…hes not on the same level.

Vulcan
what part of Murray’s game do you think has more variety than Rafa? just curious.

I think Andreev plays like Nadal… people dont notice it cause hes not a lefty

Oh, I think Davydenko and Gulbis are both capable of making the second week. I was just giving a little pre-draw premonition or something of the sort.

Zola, one thing that comes to mind is his ability to change the tempo more often….he tends to hit more backhand slice than Nadal does. He seems to like to slow points down and can then bang winners unexpectedly.

Jane,
Check out the new post on Planet: Nadal Sits on No. 1 Throne With Uneasy Calm. I’d appreciate your comment.

thanks vulcan. I was thinking that he uses the net more often and also changes the pace. He also uses the angles a lot. some of these Rafa does too, but with more power.
Last two tournaments Andy’s game reminded me of Rafa’s a lot. one thing in particular is his defence and getting to each ball which was phenomenal in Toronto and cincy.

Zola, speaking of variety I notice that Nadal has never played Fabrice Santoro (who won Newport again). It would be fascinating to see how the “master of topspin” deals with the “master of spin”. Fabrice wont be around too much longer so hopefully well get to see this matchup sometime in the near future.

Vulcan,

I like Santoro so I’d sort of rather not watch that matchup Unless Fabrice could win a lot of points with his serve and volley, that one might get ugly, sort of like the Santoro-Nalbandian match at 06 AO

LOL, Jason exactly…there seem to be only two outcomes in a Santoro match…either he confounds his opponents or he gets steamrolled (I have fond memories of the confound variety @ 04 Toronto vs Hewitt)

vulcan
that’s one match I would love to see. Is he going to play in US Open? I hope he postpones his retirement.

I think it will be awkward for Rafa to play him. Rafa might win because of his lefty topspin shots, but can be surprised by Santoro’s shots as well. my favorite: The spoon!

Dan,
next time you should try that two-handed racquet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzNr90XZ05A

someone had posted this link in tennis.com yesterday. your prduct review reminded me of it!

Vulcan, yeah I would love to see what Santoro does with that high kicking forehand to his backhand…it would really put his slicing ability to the test.

Zola,

The only question, I’m afraid, would be how many games could Santoro win. I think 10 in three sets would be quite a feat.

Jason,
Blake hits pretty hard and he had a very hard time against Santoro. But the lefty topspin can be a problem. you are right.

maybe they should play an exhibition.

They played a practice set before the FO and I think Rafa won 6-1. Granted, Fed didn’t do much better! At least not this year.

I always forget about Verdasco - but yeah he has some similarities to Rafa. I always had thought in the past Verdasco would break through and be a winner of slams; he has a lot of talent. But he’s never managed to get it all together. Too bad.

And yeah, the buggy whip makes Rafa pretty unique, and well as the fact that he’s a natural lefty and so hits his backhand with so much strength from crazy angles.

Vu8lcan:

“..there seem to be only two outcomes in a Santoro match…either he confounds his opponents or he gets steamrolled ….”

It all depends on which Santoro shows up. If you were to ask Marat Safin, who’s the player on his side of the draw he hates to see, his answer is emphatically, Santoro. Marat said Santoro gives him nightmares.

Strangely, up until ‘07, Blake had never won a 5 setter, and he won his first 5 setter against Santoro, but it was a see-saw match. It seems that Santoro lives by the motto of the point isn’t over, until I say it’s over. He’s quite a character with his bag of tricks, and a joy to watch, if only for his on-court semantics.

Shital,

Thanks for sharing. I like that one even better than the previous one because imo that’s the exciting rivalry to watch at the moment; I liked the predator / prey analogies too. It’s so tough to call right now; I am feeling torn on predicting a winner for the USO as there are plenty of extenuating or exacerbating circumstances this year. I’ll await the draw with bated breath.

But no matter how the draw turns out, I can’t wait to watch it all unfold.

Von,

That Blake vs. Santoro match was INSANE! I enjoyed it thoroughly although I thought Santoro was pulling some gamesmanship. Luckily James kept his head in that match.

It was classic USO late night fodder; the stuff for big bowls of popcorn, that match.

jane:

“I enjoyed it thoroughly although I thought Santoro was pulling some gamesmanship. Luckily James kept his head in that match.”

That’s what I meant in my post about Santoro’s bag of tricks and on-court semantics. In that match with Blake he had trainer calls; he was walking around pulling up one leg of his shorts, shaking out his leg, you name it, he did it, and then, there’s always that beguiling smile. The guy’s one of a kind. I think God threw away the mould when He created him.

One player that has fallen off pretty badly on the North American hardcourts is Feli Lopez. He’s been going out in the second round of his last 3 tournaments. Also, he should have been much higher in the ranking if only for that wicked lefty serve. It appears that he and his talented buddy, Verdasco, are just content to remain in the top 20; too much pizazz and not enough work ethic.

Shital and Jane,

I read that post on Tennis Planet and didn’t the comment “it’s hard to imagine Nadal beating Djokovic at this stage on hard courts” jump out at you? Didn’t that just happen three days ago? Certainly Djoko has some advantages on fast courts but it seems to be it’s going way too far to say a Nadal win against Novak is unlikely. If anything the 3 out of 5 format should make Rafa the favorite if they are to play at USO, imo.

Jason
I think if Rafa is 100% physically and mentally, he can win over Djoko in a best of 5.

jane:

“And yeah, the buggy whip makes Rafa pretty unique, and well as the fact that he’s a natural lefty and so hits his backhand with so much strength from crazy angles.”

I don’t think Nadal is a natural lefty. He’s an improvised lefty — a natural right hander. This is the main reason why his serve doesn’t have the power and impact as Lopez’ who is a natural lefty.

Jason,
I agree that particular statement is a little bit skewed because Djoko fans are the target audience of the piece.
If Djoko is 100%, it won’t be easy to beat him on hard court. I’d probably give Djoko a slight edge.

My official position: the match can go either way, if both Djoko and Rafa are at their best.

Von - thanks for the correction; that’s what I meant to say - because Rafa’s a “natural righty” it makes the lefty backhand that much heftier.

——–

Re: Djoko vs. Rafa on hard court; it is probably 50/50 but a lot depends on if Djoko starts well. If he does, like in Cincy, then he’s the probable winner providing he can keep his level of play up. If he loses the first set, Rafa is way more likely to win the match. Also, night time favors Djoko, day time Rafa, imo.

“If he loses the first set, Rafa is way more likely to win the match. Also, night time favors Djoko, day time Rafa, imo.”

The night time definitely favors Djoko because of his breathing problems, but there are times when the nights can be very humid and that also can be a hindrance. Without a doubt sun/heat favors Nadal because the ball bounces higher. Djoko, like the majority of the players, is a front runner. It’s less stressful to win a match being in front of an opponent, rather than coming from behind. However, there are those who relish the challenge of coming from behind; the adrenalin rush produces a heady sensation. Some people work best by the light of their burning bridges.

Is there any chance of Rafa and Djoko playing at night, provided there’s no rain?

Jason:

“Is there any chance of Rafa and Djoko playing at night, provided there’s no rain?”

Sure, if they are on the same side of the draw. They could meet in one of the SFs matches, which could be scheduled for night.

Zola, wow that is freaky. The racket looks interesting to say the least.

If they send me a free one to demo (grip size 4 3/4″), I would certainly give it a whirl. I will contact them. I doubt I’d get to keep the frame, but it would be fun to hit with one of those. Based upon my left handed shooting in basketball, I doubt I’d be hitting many lefty forehands, but who knows.

Jason,

Obviously a lot of the most exciting matches at the Open are played during prime time, early evening, and sometimes even late evening.

But since these two would only meet in a semifinal or, ideally imo, in the final, the strongest likelihood is late afternoon. US Open Men’s finals are usually scheduled around 4:00 pm, if I am not mistaken. The semis begin earlier, but they usually keep the “marquee” semi for later, and since the women’s final is on the same day too - Super Saturday - the second men’s semi can be early evening sometimes.

A footnote to my 8:13 pm post. Djoko being in the No. 3 spot is always very vulnerable to be placed in Nadal’s half of the draw now that he’s No. 1. This was the same situation Roddick faced when he was No. 3. He nearly always was placed in Fed’s side of the draw, which prevented him from progressing to the finals, and this accounts for the lopsided H@H. unfortunately for Roddick, even when he dropped to No. 4 and lower in the ranking, for some reason he still ended up on Fed’s side. One of those quirks of fate I suppose.

Von,

I don’t think either a semifinal or final would actually be scheduled at night, but chances are, like Jane says, a Nadal-Djoko semi would be the “marquee” match so it would be a fairly late start - maybe 4:00.

Worst case for scenario I would think for Djoko would be if he has to play Nadal at 1:00 start, maybe because the other semi is Fed-Roddick (unlikely given Andy’s current form, by the way)

jane:

“But since these two would only meet in a semifinal or, ideally imo, in the final, the strongest likelihood is late afternoon.”

The only way they can meet in the final is if they are on opposite sides of the draw, but then you’re forgetting Federer, he’s still in the mix, and Djoko will have to go through Fed to get to the final, which can eliminate a Djoko/Nadal final. The scenario that’s a certainty is if they are on the same side of the draw and meet in the semis. Nadal being No. 1 will most likely be the featured evening match.

Jason:

I thought you were speaking in general for most tournaments, not solely the US Open. If it’s just the US Open, then the likelihood of them playing at night, e.g., around 8:00 pm in the SFs would not occur. Early evening yes. The Finals at the Open is always, as Jane stated, around 4:00 p.m.

“Worst case for scenario I would think for Djoko would be if he has to play Nadal at 1:00 start, maybe because the other semi is Fed-Roddick (unlikely given Andy’s current form, by the way)”

If, by some stroke of luck Roddick makes it to the Sfs (and you’re breaking my heart here reminding me of Andy’s poor form), he’s American and will be featured in the later SFs match — Andy’s always a big draw for evening/night matches. My heart wants this to be so, but my head tells me differently. He’s lucky to make it to the R16. So sad.

Von,

But I think the women’s final would be scheduled at night and the 2nd men’s semi would go on just as soon as the 1st semi finishes.

Jason,
I think it was in IW, where they played at noon or 1 pm and I was so happy. Everything was perfect for Rafa to win. He was playing fabulous before that! and guess what! he lost!

So,I am hoping that RAfa is 100% and he is motivated. He took out Djoko in Shanghai inrelatively cool conditions. If they meet in NY, I hope the same Rafa shows up again ( and the same Djoko not the IW one!)

Von,
If Fed happens to meet and beat Djoko at USO, I will be a re-born Fed fan. Fed fans, start praying so that this miracle happens, and I can once again become your fellow Fed fan.

If you asked me, would I want to play Fed or Murray, Tsonga, del Potro, Gasquet, or Monfils at this point, frankly I’d choose Fed.

I still think the more important thing is the draw; if Djoko’s spent, like after beating Scheuttler (coming off semis at Wimby), Youzhny and Monfils (always threats, perhaps especially on hardcourts) in back-to-back matches at the Olympics, whereas Rafa had a relatively easier draw (an injured Hewitt and then Melzer), then that’s a more telling factor than day or night. Similarly, I think Rafa was tired at IW after beating, I think (?), both Blake and Tsonga, both players he’d had trouble with previously.

So like I said before, the draw will mean a lot.

But then again, the draw can always open up and surprise us too.

Forget about me, the greatest Olympian of all time Michael Phelps had always wanted to meet Rafa, and he did.
QUESTION: “Is there anybody you looked up to in Beijing?”
PHELPS: “I went up to Rafael Nadal, I love watching him play tennis, he’s such a good athlete. And I walked up to him and I just wanted to meet him. I told him good-luck and I love watching his matches.”

Jason:

“But I think the women’s final would be scheduled at night and the 2nd men’s semi would go on just as soon as the 1st semi finishes.”

Now you have me completely discombobulated*, shame on you. I originally based my answer on only men’s matches, focusing on other tournaments. I now remember the ‘07 USO which Sharapova won, was at night. I can almost picture her in that Audrey Hepburn black dress under the lights. Forgive me for misleading you. You’re correct, the men’s SFs would be in the afternoon, back to back.

_____________
*NB: JCF take note: “discombobulated” dedicated to you.

Shital:

“Fed fans, start praying so that this miracle happens, and I can once again become your fellow Fed fan.”

You’re kidding!! You’ll become a Fed fan reincarnate and pass up all the controversy? I don’t think so. Then, I’ll be butting heads with you and ???? Lord help me. That’s one way to get me off Tennis.X pronto. A chorus of Hallelulias will be heard around the globe.

Shital,

Given the Phelps P(h)andemonium it makes one wonder how Nadal, Federer or Djokovic would be treated by the U.S. media if any of the 3 were born in the U.S. I get the sense that what Roger has done since July 2003 and Rafa since June 2005 that both would be massive massive stars on the U.S. sports scene if jingoism was not an obstacle for either man to overcome in the U.S. Sampras did mighty things, but kept the media at arms length much moreso than Roger or Rafa. Agassi had a lot of ups, but was never in a sustained 4-5 year run of extreme excellence. Both men could have been bigger than Andre. Novak’s personality and results would have given him a high Q rating if he was a U.S. citizen. Then again with the strength of the Euro, Lebron and Kobe are pondering a move to Europe.

“..if Djoko’s spent, like after beating Scheuttler (coming off semis at Wimby),..”

Come on Jane, Djoko was spent after playing against Schuettler? Rainer is an old man in tennis years. Please tell me you’re joking.

Dan:

“Sampras did mighty things, but kept the media at arms length much moreso than Roger or Rafa.”

You forget the US is only interested in what a player did yesterday or today. If you will go back in time, do you remember how cruelly Sampras was treated by the media during his decline, especially by the ESPN crew. The media had Pete dead and buried/cremated. I saw Pete recently on the Tennis Channel and the mentioned that his primary motivation to win his final GS was to shut up the media. What about Roddick? He’s treated like dirt.

Von you are 100% correct. Andy is not treated well by the non-tennis media. Sampras saw vultures during 2002, but those vultures had tape recorders and memo note pads. Pete got the last laugh for sure.

Karlovic beat Isner in New Haven in one tall match.

Dan,
Fed will certainly be mentioned along side the likes of Ruth, Ali, Jordan, Woods, (and Canadian Gretzky).

Correction: “would”

Von,

“Come on Jane, Djoko was spent after playing against Schuettler? Rainer is an old man in tennis years. Please tell me you’re joking. ”

Not Joking - are you playing with me?

The sentence read Scheuttler-Youz-Monfils in back-to-back matches; so no, he wasn’t spent after playing Scheuttler, but I think after all three, especially the challenge Monfils put up, by then he was pretty tired. It was obvious in the first set against Rafa that he was tired, until he got a second wind, or woke up and smelled the coffee!

Von,
I will keep my word.

Dan:

“Pete got the last laugh for sure.”

He got the last laugh and he also was laughing all the way to the Bank. During the 2002 USO TV broadcast by the ESPN crew, I wanted to strangle both John mcEnroe and Mary Carillo in the worst way. John said Pete did not have a decent chance period. And, mary, well you know Mary is John’s echo. The worst was Greg Ruzedski, the Canadian turned Brit. Anyway, it warmed the cockes of my heart to witness the walloping Pete put on Ruzedski, who later offered a lukewarm apology to Pete. That’s US media for you, one day hero, next day goat.

Oddschecker’s odds:

Mens US Open
Rafael Nadal 7/4 Extrabet
Roger Federer 11/4 Sporting Bet
Novak Djokovic 13/4 Canbet
Andrew Murray 12 Sporting Bet
JM Del Potro 50 Sky Bet

Murray and Del Potro could return some pretty sweet money. Djokovic’s odds are tempting also. I wouldn’t bet money on Nadal. The returns aren’t that great, and he is no lock in for the title. His chances are good on paper (he’s had the best summer season so far), but I’m not confident enough to put money on him. It’s hard to imagine anyone outside of these 5 winning it, but surprises aren’t out of the question.

For the women, it will probably be a Williams or Safina. I am hoping Dementieva can make something out of her gold medal, but I doubt it will happen. She’s good for a few upsets, but eventually someone will dismantle her serve.

Jane
they have a day off betweem matches. I don’t see Youzhny or Monfils taking Djoko to 5 sets and making him tired. Murray/Fed maybe.
Del Potro, I am not sure either.

JCF
I can never predict man’r matches because I am not objective. But in WTA, I just like Safina a lot. I hope she can win this.

jane:

I was kidding around. Schuettler is not a threat, but Youz and Monfils, especially the latter is a tough out.

___________
Shital:

Then you had better make the switch now because I have a stong feeling Fed’s going to win the USO.

Von,

Hmmmm….you think Fed will win the USO; I agree he’s a top contender (in the top 5), but as I posted earlier, his weakest surface this year has been hard. That’s the major reason why my hunch isn’t leaning towards him.

On the other hand, there is no doubt he does not want to leave this year without a slam, so he will be giving it his all and out for blood. And that could make him dangerous - the predator, so to speak, right Shital?

Von (referring to possibilities of a Djok vs Nadal night time match):

“Sure, if they are on the same side of the draw. They could meet in one of the SFs matches, which could be scheduled for night.”

The SF match will be scheduled for day. That would be Super Saturday, where the women’s final is scheduled for night, while the two men’s finals start during the day. All are played in Ashe.

There’s no chance these two play at night unless there are rain delays during the day.

No, I guess in either a semi-final or a final situation, if Nadal-Djokovic meet, it will likely be a late afternoon match.

The first men’s semi doesn’t ever begin before noon, so given that it should take at least a couple of hours, maybe up to 3 hours, the second semi wouldn’t begin until later afternoon 3:00-ish. Often the women’s final doesn’t begin until 7:00 or so.

Jane,
No doubt Fed is hungry and will be “out for blood.” But the predator cannot get past Dutch at the end. Actually, nobody will be playing the roles of Billy, Poncho, Blain, Mac, and Dillion any more. Every one will be seeking immortality, not by winning a slam but by beating the hungry predator. Nobody will be playing the prey anymore. They’ve had enough. Ok, I was talking about the movie.

Back to reality. You could call it another version of fiction. Von’s “strong feeling” can help increase Fed’s chances of winning the USO but, let me add, on the condition that both Rafa and Djoko exit in early rounds. Possible but improbable. If they exit early, I will not have to “switch now” and ever.

Barring major injuries, Federer and Nadal will play for the US Open title on September 7th. One of them wants the No.1 back and the other one wants to keep extending his just commenced reign.

This is the premier rivalry of this decade and both of them will be hungry to bring their rivalry from the red and green to the blue.

Irrespective of which side of the draw, chokovic is in, he will not advance further than the semi-finals. He will not win more than a set in the semi-finals