UPDATE1: Roddick Blasts Opponent Off Court with Forehands, Obscenities at Indian Wells

by Staff | March 16th, 2009, 12:17 am
  • 186 Comments

When Andy Roddick let out a “Yeah!” followed by a “F**k you!” in the direction of opponent Daniel Koellerer during the second-set tiebreak (in full view of Tennis Channel viewers), it was apparent the Austrian agitator had gotten under the American’s skin.
ADHEREL
Roddick went on to defeat Koellerer 6-1, 7-6 on Sunday night to advance into the third round of the ATP Masters stop in Indian Wells, where he will next face unseeded German veteran Nicolas Kiefer.

Roddick rolled through the first set against Koellerer, but the Austrian bore down in the second set with fewer unforced errors and some mild theatrics that were getting to Roddick. Koellerer, nicknamed “Crazy Dani” by some for his antics, which have gotten him disqualified from matches. In 2005 a group of Challenger tour players banded together to get him disqualified from the tour.

“He plays the dirtiest game in tennis history,” player Tomas Behrend told a Brazilian publication at the time.

One player punched Koellerer in 2004, drawing a suspension from the ATP.

“I have five souls inside me and I have to put it out some way,” Koellerer told a Columbian publication. “If I haven’t been acting like this, I wouldn’t be here. I’m lucky ’cause most of my opponents don’t punch me.”

Other Top 10 winners Sunday at Indian Wells were Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Juan Martin Del Potro.

In upsets Sunday, American John Isner topped No. 9 Gael Monfils of France in three sets, American Sam Querrey beat No. 19 Radek Stepanek in straight sets, France’s Jeremy Chardy ousted No. 20 Mardy Fish in two tiebreaks, Viktor Troicki dropped only four games against No. 21 Tomas Berdych, Nicolas Lapentti upset No. 25 Robin Soderling, Ivan Ljubicic beat No. 28-seeded Croat Mario Ancic when he retired at 3-3 with injury, and Tommy Haas beat No. 29 Rainer Schuettler in an all-German three-setter.

Querrey was forced to keep his temper in check against “The Worm,” the Czech Stepanek, who is also known to delve into mind games during matches.

“Yeah, I mean it was like he gave me an early ‘Come on’ in my face,” said Querrey. “From that point on it was kind of heated. We kind of bumped shoulders in the changeover one time. He kind of went at me on one shot. If a fight had broken out I probably had it covered with the support I had from my buddies up in the stands. But it was getting a little fiery out there.”


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186 Comments for UPDATE1: Roddick Blasts Opponent Off Court with Forehands, Obscenities at Indian Wells

tenisbebe Says:

““I have five souls inside me and I have to put it out some way,” Koellerer told a Columbian publication. “If I haven’t been acting like this, I wouldn’t be here.”

Sounds like he’s possessed. Maybe Andy was trying to perform an exorcism……..


TD (Tam) Says:

I saw some of this on channelsurfing (thanks to the people here who directed me to this link) and I have to credit Andy for waiting until the end of the match to bawl Koellerer out, he had every reason to do so earlier but was wise to hold it in until the end. I agree with the assessment that Koellerer is a dirty -and bad- player. glad its over!


tenisbebe Says:

TD – what happened? I didn’t tune in until after Dani boy’s injury timeout in the 2nd. Please tell.


Von Says:

How many obscenities are we talking about? Sensationalism personified?

Good win for Andy, he was tested in more ways than I can count. I heard Andy let out the “yeah” but I didn’t hear the ‘F-bomb’. Koellerer is the worst I’ve ever heard or seen on a tennis court –many personalities submerged into his body/mind. I’ve never heard such loud grunts and/or seen such behavior, and to top it all off, he had an injury time-out to strap his instep. I think I heard Lars Graf warn Koellerer on his loud grunts, but I can’t say for sure as to the gravity of the warning — only heard a few words.

I give Andy credit for not blowing his cool. What a horrible first round match from hell and back. It was unbelievable.


Von Says:

TD(Tam:

I thought Andy’s demeanor was exemplary considering what he had to deal with on the other side of the net. He has another wacko to deal with in Kiefer.


tenisbebe Says:

Right. “F*ck you” counts as one obscenity. Let’s get the story straight staff. :)


tenisbebe Says:

OK – is anyone going to tell me what happened? Or can it not be typed?

Kiefer is a very strange character. Andy will take care of him.


TD (Tam) Says:

tenisbebe, Koellerer was dreadful, uttering nuisances to Roddick over the net, punctuated with loud screaming and groaning, and smashing his racket on the ground often. There was one moment when Koellerer was aced and did not move to the other side to receive serve, he simply stood there for several minutes making Andy wait. He got a warning for the antics. This whole time Andy said nothing and kept his head down but he finally exploded in the last set tiebreak.

Von, I do believe Kiefer had settled down much over the years and is not as crazy as he used to be. At least for Andy’s sake I hope so, I cant take another match like the one we just saw!


Von Says:

tenisbebe:

It’s difficult for me to explain what transpired. You have to see the match to understand. The guy is just a real whacko and on top of it all, his grunts would throw off even the most tightly-woven minded opponent. I tell you I was surprised Andy didn’t lose his cool, because those were extenuating circumstances under which he had to play. i wouldn’t wish that on the most disliked player on the circuit.

That ‘yeah” followed by the bomb was a sigh of relief. I’d like to see what the other players would have done if they were faced with that situation. .


Von Says:

TD(Tam):

You did a good job explaining Koellerer’s antics. I’ve been trying to block out the scenery in my mind. Did you see his behavior with the racquet where he pushed it cross-court after Andy had blanked him with 4 straight aces? The game where he just stood there after being aced reminded me a bit of Santoro when Roddick nearly drilled him at the USO.

I hope for Andy’s sake Kiefer doesn’t start acting up too. Like you, I won’t be able to handle an encore of what transpired last night.

Anyway, Bob and Mike won their match again st the Swiss team in 20 minutes. What a pity Bob’s right arm wasn’t 100 percent throughout last year.


tenisbebe Says:

TD & Von:

Thanks for the explanation. Like I said, I didn’t tune in til the ITO so missed all the drama. Lordy, I’m glad Andy kept his cool til the end & just focused on winning the match. From the score, looks like the antics were beginning to get to him in the 2nd set. Good win Andy – onto the 3rd round.

Von – I have an idea. Let’s sic Gimelstob on this Dani character. That would get him off the the TC for a while…maybe til the clay season.


TD (Tam) Says:

Now that we’ve gotten the Koellerer-Roddick dirt settled can somebody please tell me what transpired on the Tennis channel during Dokovic’s match today? I read on another board that the commentators were dragging Novak’s name through the mud throughout the entire match! what did they say about him exactly? I hope jane did not have to listen to such tripe.


Von Says:

tenisbebe:

I think Gimelstob pales in comparison to Dani Kroel, but it was a good idea nonetheless.


tenisbebe Says:

Oh no – not more ripping of Novak by the press. I wish they’d give it a rest. I watched the live streaming with 2 Brits commentating. They weren’t impressed with his drop shotting in the 1st set but other than that were respectful. Von has the TC – perhaps she can enlighten.


Daniel Says:

Well, that guy is just a disgrace for my name!

I was expecting Roddick to do a lot more than a little “f*ck you”, he kept his cool and played a very smart match. But regarding the timeout, his foot was ugly, way worst than Nadal’s blister in Rome last year, he was in pain just to remove the bandage. I coud felt the pain!

All the top 8, I mean 7 since Davydenko couldn’t play, went through which is great for the tourney.

The most impressive still remains Nadal, who is finishing off his earlier matches all year. Fed looked good, didn’t face a single break point, sometimes the score doesn’t reflect the reality of the match.

As some mention in the other tread, Djoko needs to hit the ball flatter as he used to, he always was great changing directions (which I think is one of the most impressive part of his game), but with the top spin he is using he will be eaten alive when he faces the other top 4, Tsonga or Roddick, who’s defensve game improved a lot.

Murray for a guy who is recovering his healthy looked good too. Right now I reay can say much but I think Fed is lock in the semis, considering the guys in his draw. Nadal could have a tricky fourth round against Berdych or Nalbandian. Would be great to see Nalbandian playing some good tennis again. Will see, I hope for a lot of greta tennis all week.


Von Says:

TD:

I think the person on the other board was grossly exaggerating. I didn’t hear anything that hasn’t been said or written before by other commentators or writers. They were talking in gist about Djoko’s behavior overall. They also mentioned how hard he tries to be liked but when it’s not reciprocated (these are my words) he becomes angry and shows his displeasure towards the crowd, blah, blah. During Roddick’s match they were speculating about his chances winning another slam and of course, who’s got talent and where Andy lies in that bunch of players. At one point they themselves mentioned they were way off-track and should return to the match in front of them. I told them to ‘shut up’ several times, as if they could hear me. Between the commentators and Koellerer’s behavior, it was too much negativity for the viewers watching the Roddick match, IMO.


tenisbebe Says:

“Nadal could have a tricky fourth round against Berdych or Nalbandian.” FYI – Berdych is out, Troiki won.

“The most impressive still remains Nadal” I thought so to but wasn’t he the only top player playing a qualifier 2nd round (their 1st match)?


tenisbebe Says:

oops – should be “too” as in “also” & Troicki.


Von Says:

Daniel:

I’m glad you saw the match because I found it difficult to explain what happened. I thought he was wincing due to the trainer handling his foot roughly, but I walked away at that point and couldn’t see the blister.

Forget about Berdych, he lost to Troicki, which means that part of the draw doesn’t pose a threat for Nadal.

Why did Davydenko withdraw? I think Djokovic’s timing is off, but that has been an ongoing thing since the second half of last year where his game began dropping off, he lost his effectiveness and began compensating by using the top spin in lieu of hitting the ball flat. If you were to backtrack to Madrid you’d see what I’m talking about. I believe the last great match I saw him play was at Cincy v. Nadal, then he bounced back at the TMC, but it wasn’t as well as at Cincy.


Daniel Says:

My bad tenisbebe, I didn’t check his match but assume he won it. Now it seems that Nadal x Nabandian round 3 is coming.

One thing I thought in case Nalbandian wins it: Who are the active players that has more than 3 wins agaisnt both Fed and Nadal?! I can only think og hewitt, but he is no longer a real threat.


Von Says:

“..but wasn’t he the only top player playing a qualifier 2nd round (their 1st match)? I’m not positive, but I think so too. I remember Federer played against him in a first round match and dispatched him quickly last year also. Roddick also had a match against him and Andy won it. I don’t know if we can absolutely judge the top 4 performances until R16 when they get all of the qualifiers and very lower ranked players out of the way and get down to the real meat in the draw — then we’ll know for sure who’s where in their games.


Daniel Says:

Yeah Von you are right about Djoko! Now that you mention it, Cincy against Nadal was maybe his last really great match!

I think Davydenko are stil lingering from his injury: heel or hip, I don’t know for sure.


Von Says:

Daniel: I knew Davydenko had a heel problem and couldn’t play in a few tournaments early this year, but I thought that was all gone. Poor guy, he must be bored considering how much he likes to play.


tenisbebe Says:

“Yeah Von you are right about Djoko! Now that you mention it, Cincy against Nadal was maybe his last really great match!”

Hope I haven’t posted this before but here goes: Nadal was getting alot of attention (naturally) due to his 30+ match win streak, classic Wimbledon win, & taking over Fed at #1. The press kept asking Djoko about all of this in Cincy: did he see the Wimbledon match; what about Rafa getting to #1, etc & he was getting P.O.’d about it. I remember him at one point saying “Well I am the number 3 player in the world & I did win Rome…” But you all know how insensitive the press can be. To my mind, he was out to prove a point in that match – he walked onto that court all business, and took it to Rafa before he knew what hit him: 1st set 6-1. It was a beautiful thing and the crowd was silenced. It was like the Nole of old – the guy with something to prove.


tenisbebe Says:

“The most impressive still remains Nadal” I thought so to but wasn’t he the only top player playing a qualifier 2nd round (their 1st match)?”

Sorry – I should have made my point more clearly. Nadal seemed to have the least trouble (& therefore looked the most impressive) in his 1st match of the top 4 players; however he played the lowest ranked opponent of them all: a qualifier. So, I’m not putting alot of stock in his form during that match.

Sorry about the confusion of my comments.


tenisbebe Says:

“One thing I thought in case Nalbandian wins it: Who are the active players that has more than 3 wins agaisnt both Fed and Nadal?! I can only think of hewitt, but he is no longer a real threat.”

To my mind, the only players left in the draw that could possibly upset the top 3 or 4 (if their game is on) would be Nalbandian or Safin. And wouldn’t that be a beautiful thing?


Brian R. Kratz Says:

Thanks to all the writers in this thread. It lets me know what happened beyond the headlines from many different people’s views. Have a good year to all and “may your investments increase”.
Good tennis, Brian


Austarlian Tennis Player Says:

His attitude.gamesmanship is questionable, but i think it just pumped Roddick up to play better against him.

If he does it to try and put off his opponents, it didn’t work in this case, as Roddick upped his game.

Roddick will win his next match too, but then come up short, unfortunately.


Twocents Says:

Fed won’t get pass by Ivo the way he returned MG, I’m afraid.

tenisbebe: Yeah, Djork played great at Cincy08 beating Nadal. That win helped prolonged Fed’s consecutive no.1 streak for 2 more weeks. So he contributed to one of most impressive record in pro tennis in his own way. He actually played not bad at all in BJ against Nadal and in NY against Fed, either. I think the 2nd set of his semi against Fed at USO was the best tennis for 2008.

Von, thanks for help me out over the weekend with Ryan. Wish he knew I never meant to judge or acuse any posters…Now I have to bear the guilt of reducing one poster from this site, like it or not.

Good to see Roddick handled that nuiance well.

Mike/Bob’s double game is an absolute beauty! Even with Bob’s injury, they played great in Olympics, losing to Fed/Stan on 1)their singles skills; 2) the draw (Swiss pair had two double matches under their belt before they met the Bryan’s). Also, my dark side suspected they didn’t try that hard to beat Fed/Stan: not even one single US Olympic delegate was there by court side in BJ to cheer up for Mike/Bob — a real gold medal hope. Did the brothers tell them not to come? Sweet revenge now.


Roddick is a donkey Says:

It is going to be so awesome to see novak flog the donkey and put him in his place in a couple of days.

I should change donkey to a foul-mouthed pig. I cannot wait for the jack-ass whipping to begin! Go donkey – get your butt-kicked


Roddick is a donkey Says:

donkey’s fans (they know who they are!) have their heads so far up the donkey’s behind, they would not even know if he stabbed their mom…..

blinded by donkey worship! come on novak, lets kick some donkey ass!


MMT Says:

Apparently this Kollerer is a bit of a hot-head, and while normally I’m critical of Roddick when he lets fly on his opponents, in this case, it seems his opponent more than merited it. In any case, the best tonic for this sort of thing is to, in the words of Al Davis, owner of the Oakland Raiders, “Just win, baby.”

I read that Kollerer lost a couple times in challenger events to Nico Almagro when they were both teen-agers. Boy would I have loved to have been a fly on that wall, as Almagro is not known for his level-head.

Speaking of which, disappointed not to see him in the draw. Oh well…


jane Says:

TD (Tam) – thanks for your concern; I didn’t listen to the tennis=channel – I watched it on streaming. I find the commentators to be much more realistic and unbiased. They mentioned, maybe once, about Novak’s cramping at the AO, and that was it. The press are repetitive and sensationalist. As this article indicates. Good for Andy by putting the whacko in his place at the end of the match. I agree – Kiefer is pretty calm (relatively speaking) these days, so the match shouldn’t be quite as torturous!

Twocents – I agree, in that I didn’t think Fed’s return was notable against Gicquel. His serve was good though, so that’s a good sign as far as his back goes.

I also agree that Novak played better than people imply at the end of last year; there was too much other crap swirling around him at the time. If he can put all that behind him and harness the new racquet, he’ll be back to his old self / play soon enough. We’ll see.

It’s amazing that the Bryans won that match in 20 minutes – what a blitz!


jane Says:

Does anyone know if this is the first time Blake will be playing Gonza since that weird incident at the Olympics? Could be interesting to watch, if so.

Also interesting will be Gasquet versus Verdasco.


MMT Says:

It is the first time since Beijing. Interestingly Gonzalez has won the last 6 meetings in a row dating back to 2005, and beat them the last time they played at Indian Wells, also in 2005.

These two are so similar in both their strengths, tactics and mentality. It seems Gonzalez has the weaker serve, but incredibly Blake is less consistent.

Should be either a rip-roaring match or a major error fest.


MMT Says:

Hey Von:

On another blog I mentioned I’d been watching Pepsi Grand Slam of Tennis matches on TTC, and I thought I’d let you know that TTC is showing 2 hours summaries of Wimbledon’s biggest upsets.

They’re showing Boris Becker losing to Peter Doohan in the 3rd round in 1987 (he was 2-time defending champion at the time) and Arthur Ashe bamboozling Connors in the 1975 final on the 21st and 22nd of March.

I’m looking forward to both of them. I think Becker was a bit before your time, but it’s hard to imagine a bigger upset than that one in 1987. I don’t think there’s ever been a more complete tennis player since Becker aside from Sampras. He could serve and volley with the best of them, but he also had some of the most powerful groundstrokes in the game, with variety and accuracy with his 1-handed backhand, and his return of serve was fantastic.

I think it was a (minor) miracle that he didn’t win the US Open in 1986, falling to that crafty Slovakian Miloslav Mecir in the semi-final. He would have faced Lendl in the final who he really owned for the 5 years between 1986 and their first match of 1991 (he was 10-5 including a Wimbledon final in 1986, and Australian Open final in 1991 – this when Lendl was the 2-time defending champion).

The Ashe Connors final is really a watershed moment in tennis history, and so full of fascinating sub-text with Connors 10-million suit against jointly the ATP and Arthur Ashe who was president at the time. Apparently Ashe got together with all of his buddies before the final to discuss strategy, and they agreed that if he played him straight up, he’d get killed – which nobody wanted to see. Most of the pros couldn’t stand Connors.

So they devised a strategy – junk ball him until his head hurt, and slice ever serve wide in the deuce court until Connors had to stand in the doubles alley to cover it, then blast it up the T for cheap points.

Worked like a charm, and a couple of months later Connors dropped the suit and fired his manager, who was as much to blame for the dispute as anyone, and was starting to cost him money and titles, which was a definite no-no.

It was Ashe’s only victory over Connors in their 6 matches on the ATP tour, but what a time to sneak it in. It was the last Grand Slam of his career and his only Wimbledon. 4 years later he’d be forced to quit the game after having a heart-attack at age 36.

Enjoy it.


Von Says:

TwoCents:

You’re welcome. I don’t think you should feel guilty in any way regarding that situation — the emotions were deeper than your mention of the “paper”. If you were to again read the post you’ll see it was mentioned that his parents are against that sort of living arrangement and he’s upset because of their stance wherein it pertains to him personally. No one could have known it was a matter that’s so close to his heart. Remember, no one is responsible for another’s decision to stop posting — that’s a personal decision. I was upset some months ago and stopped posting for about 10 days, but then I realized I shouldn’t allow anyone to have that much power over me, — hence, I’m still here. Rid your mind of any guilt — posters come and go all of their time, and that’s their choice. Cheer up and no more guilt, please. I like having you around — you’re way too funny.

I didn’t know there weren’t any US delegates cheering on Bob and Mike at Beijing. What I do know is that Bob was struggling with his right shoulder for most of last year, which was one of their worst years, results wise, and if you remember he had to skip DC in Spain. I think they went to the Olympics despite any problems because it would have probably been their last opportunity since they’re already 30.

I don’t particularly like watching all doubles teams play, but Bob and Mike are beautiful to watch. They move as one, because they are one, so to speak — twins.

I don’t know about Dr.Ivo winning that match. He hasn’t been playing very well himself, and you’d have to go with the player who has the better H2H.


Von Says:

MMT:

Thanks ever so much for the heads up on the Wimby upsets. I’m going to check the guide and set my DVR to record that one. Also thanks for the detailed info on Becker (who I never watched), and also the Connors lawsuit. Didn’t know that one also. You’re such a wonderful resource and I’m thankful you’re here.

Was it the 1983 match, Ashe v. Connors match, you’re talking about? I never saw that match, but I’ve watched an interview with Michael Dell, wherein he talked about that match and I’ve also heard Barry McKay talk about it also. According to Barry, Ashe “beat Connors with the wide kick-serve”, which he practiced and perfected, throwing Connors in a dither.

I had mentioned to you in a post several threads ago about the difficulty of a player employing the chip ‘n charge, and what I observed to be a difficult type of playing because of the present day players’ game. Sean gracefully addressed the matter for me, and dubbed it “a death wish” for anyone attempting that type of play. Very interesting since that was Sampras’ bread and butter tactics.

I was watching Tsonga’s match a few days ago and I’ve got to say that he’s very difficult to beat when he’s at the net. He straddles it, being such a big guy, closes it down and because he’s so athletic he also is able to jump up in the air (a Sampras/Blake move) and hit the ball back at lightning speed. It appears to me, that in order to beat him when he’s at the net, his opponent’s only hope would be to employ the use of high and deep overhead lobs, which would prove to be effective as he’d have to run down the lobs. What an athlete!


margot Says:

Hooray! Great to see Andy M. playing so well and great to hear Jason Goodall praising him so much! Not nearly so nervewracking as the previous.
Von, I love to watch Tsonga play, he’s so exciting, he brings such vibrancy to the court. His serve and volley game is one of the few that’ll give Rafa a very hard time, if as you say, he’s on song.


Von Says:

Margot, yes, your/our boy is playing just great. I’m happy for you. I’m happy for him too. I’ll say it again, that imposed rest period was the best thing that could have happened. If you notice even his countenance looks fresh not the tired look he always has. BTW, Jason Goodall always praises Andy M to the hilt. He’s British, so whaddaya expect from a pisan?

I love to watch Tsonga play. Like you I feel that vibrancy he brings to his matches which is infectious. It’s also another of the reasons I love to watch Roddick, whether he’s playing good or not, he has a certain amount of electricity which I feel. But maybe that’s just me, I’m partial/biased. Hey he’s the best we’ve got at the present time so I’m going to enjoy watching him for as long as he’s around.


Von Says:

MMMT:

ref: Blake/Gonzalez, to me they mirror each other – in that they just like to whack the ball without thinking where to hit it, and in the process hope it lands in the court with very little point construction in the process. Gonzalez wins in the clutch situations while Blake falls apart. It’s really weird because Blake has the better serve and more speed so all Gonzalez really does is rip and allow Blake to beat himself by making the mistakes. Unbelievable.

I’m watching their match now and Blake has already been broken, so I’m seeing this woe is me look on his face, and the shoulder slump. Next he’ll have the spaced/fazed look and that will be it for James. Sometimes I see him in Players’ Perspective on TC and all I can say is that he’s incongruent. What, and how, he feels the game should be played with respect to body language, he does the opposite when he’s playing. I can’t believe how mentally fragile he really is. Oy Vey!


tenisbebe Says:

Murray looked good! I was a little concerned when he began complaining to the chair about a spectator sneezing during play – I mean, c’mon? – that he would become distracted & negative. But he didn’t! Good job Muzz!


MMT Says:

Blake’s a head case – always haa been and I’m afraid probably always will be. I’m not 100% certain Davis Cup has been good for him because it seems to confirm the worst characteristics he displays in slams.

Actually, the Wimbledon final between Ashe and Connors was in 1975. Connors was the #1 ranked player in the world, he was defending champion and had won 3 out of 4 GS the year before.

He’d made it to the AO final that January, and lost to John Newcombe in 4 (that was Newcombe’s last GS win – he would lose the final next year to Edmondson). Connors didn’t play the French Open from 1974 to 1978 due first to WTT disputes (of said lawsuit against the ATP and Ashe), then probably out of spite. He would go on to reach the 1975 final of the US Open as well, making the final of each GS he won the year before – this time he lost all 3 finals. With his other results, he was still ranked #1.

Ashe, on the other hand, hadn’t made a GS final in 2 and 1/2 years when he reached the Wimbledon final in 1975. He was still a good player, but not nearly the player he was when he reached the US Open final in 1972 where he blew a 2 sets to 1 lead over Ilie Nastase whose worst surface was grass.

Ashe beat Borg at Wimbledon along the way in ’75, who was seeded higher than him, and would be the last man to beat Borg for 6 years at the Championships the final in 1981. Ashe also beat Brian Gottfried and Tony Roche that year on his way to the final.

The wide serve in the deuce court was the key to that victory, but so too was the junk balling. More than any other player, Connors depended on pace in to generate pace out, and often grew frustrated when fed a steady stream of junk. Borg master this to the extent that he beat Connors 10 (that’s TEN) times in a row before he finally retired with a H2H advantage of 15-8 (14 of their last 16 matches). But Newcombe did it pretty well in Australia. It was particularly effective on grass because the surface deadened the bounce in those days.

You can actually see clips of his final against John Newcombe on youtube and while it wasn’t quite as cerebral as his collapse against Ashe, it did give him a blueprint on how to beat whom at a time when he was considered damn near unbeatable.

In case you’re wondering he lost to Manuel Orantes at the US Open that year which was strangely (1 out of the 3 years in total) played on clay.

Anyway, I’m (obviously) looking forward to it!


Daniel Says:

Wow, Verdasco is playing great, high quality match! If Fed and him meet in the quarters it will be a close one I think.


sar Says:

Doug Adler really was trashing Novak and it was very unprofessional. Especially the part about he thinks it’s “him and his parents against the world.” How can he say such things. Novak’s parents haven’t been a factor for a year. I think Koennig didn’t know what to say about it. What are Adler’s credentials anyhow? I hope he will get a ‘talking to’ about it.


sar Says:

Kleybanova lost the first set. Thankfully we can’t see this match. I nearly upchucked my lunch last time when she twisted her hair and squeezed out all the sweat. arrrrgh


Von Says:

MMT:

Thanks, I’m looking forward to watching the Wimby upsets also. Oh well, I got the year wrong — good you’re here to correct me or else i would have mentioned it again and that wouldn’t be a good thing. Or, maybe Barry McKay got his details messed up.
_____________
Daniel:

Yes, Verdasco is looking very sharp. I like how he broke Gasquet in the last game to win 6-3. If he meets Fed in Fed’s present state, I’d say he has a good chance of pulling off the upset. Fed is scheduled to play later, so you’d know sooner or later.


Von Says:

Adler was in one of his rare moods yesterday. He’s not normally that ebullient with his criticisms. He got me mad when he was criticizing Roddick. I told him to ‘shut up’ several times. It was negativity upon negativity, which took away from the enjoyment of the match. As it is the match was an ugly one to begin with, but with Adler talking so much, it was very painful.


Von Says:

Oh my, Verdasco has got a new girfriend. She’s hot!! Poor Anna, I feel for her. I don’t know if new girlfriends are good or not, because Moya dumped Penetta for a hot redhead and his game began dipping since then. Maybe a case of some retribution?


tenisbebe Says:

“Oh my, Verdasco has got a new girfriend. She’s hot!!” I would expect nothing less from ‘Nando. Hopefully she can convince him to do something about that Woody Woodpecker hairdo.

“Poor Anna, I feel for her.” That relationship was just too “convenient” – the two of them appearing at functions having alerted the paparazzi ahead of time? I suspect the whole thing was contrived for publicity purposes.


jane Says:

MMT – I see Gonza still has the measure of Blake; I had no idea that their H2H was so lopsided until you commented on it earlier. I didn’t get to see the match; was there bad blood?

WOW – Verdasco took care of Gasquet in straights; I had thought he may win it, given his boost of late, but I didn’t think the scoreline would be so straighforward.

Margot – Glad to see that Murray is looking better, more on form today. That bodes well for him going further into the tournament.

Sar – “Novak’s parents haven’t been a factor for a year.” – Nor have his imitations, but people keep bringing those up nevertheless. To me, it’s true that Novak should retire less and fight through matches; that’s a legitimate concern. But it’s also done to death. He’s shown growth in other areas; people could cut him some slack and focus on the good. However, I suppose it’s always nice to have a villain to go with the hero, make for better press and commentary, unfortunately.


Daniel Says:

Fed played an almost perfect first set against a Karlovi that was winning 100 % of first serve until the midle of the set. Fed made just 4 Unforced errors, which is great!

On thing thst occurred to me regarding is that Verdasco is playing just like Nadal, his crosscort forehand is making that odd termination that Nadal does to generate the spin. Maybe he and his camp thought: spanish, left hand, clay “specialist” why not with you too?!


Daniel Says:

“One thing that occurred …”


Ezorra Says:

“On thing that occurred to me regarding is that Verdasco is playing just like Nadal, his crosscort forehand is making that odd termination that Nadal does to generate the spin. Maybe he and his camp thought: spanish, left hand, clay “specialist” why not with you too?!”

I agree with you and I think the only difference between Verdasco and Nadal (which supposed to be a very huge dissimilarity) is the fact that Nadal is a defensive player and Verdasco is an offensive player. I see Verdasco as a new Tsonga who has tremendously developed his game and breach the cocoon and emerge himself as a new butterfly.

In addition, I also believe that he will cause Nadal and Federer more headaches when the clay season arrives.


Daniel Says:

Ezorra,

I agree with you, Verdasco could trouble Nadal and Fed when the cay season start. We’ll find out in one month!


jane Says:

Fed took advantage of Karlovic’s second serve in the second set, which is exactly what he needed to do. The first set was touch and go.

I am kind of surprised Robredo took out Cilic, but experience prevails. Same as in Simon’s match. Feel a little sad for Simon; things just aren’t clicking for him so far this season – as I’ve said, it’s not that he’s doing badly but maybe not winning the matches he should, given his success at the end of last year to climb up the rankings. If he wants to stay there, he’ll have to win more…


tenisbebe Says:

Didn’t catch much of Fed/Karlovic as was watching the Court 2 matches. Roberto came out firing & was tenacious throughout. Cilic gathered himself in the second but couldn’t up his level. It appears that the pressure of expectations for the young up-and-comers (Cilic, Simon, JMDP) is taking it’s toll in ’09.


jane Says:

tenisbebe,

“It appears that the pressure of expectations for the young up-and-comers (Cilic, Simon, JMDP) is taking it’s toll in ‘09.”

Yeah, it does appear so – maybe this is where I can toot Novak’s horn – he won “best improved” two years in a row (perhaps one of the only players to do so). And I think that was because the pressure didn’t hit him as he was climbing the ranks. It seems like it only hit him once he’d WON a slam; then the possibilities started to hit home, the hurdles of the two big guys in front!

But Cilic, Simon and JMDP still have to go that one step – to keep improving.

I think JMDP will do it; he’s really determined. I am not 100% sure on the others. Certainly Simon has done great in reaching the top ten, like JMDP. I wonder if Cilic will go that next step in a year or two. He does seem pretty focused.

Murray is the guy to watch this year, in many ways, as he will have a lot of expectations on him at every slam now, and he is likely to win “most improved”. I hope he can continue to do well.


tenisbebe Says:

“maybe this is where I can toot Novak’s horn”

You read my mind Jane. I was going to add to my post that it makes one appreciate Novak’s perseverance, not caving into the pressure those high expectations brought (pre-AO).

“I think JMDP will do it; he’s really determined.”

I thought so too until that performance in Oz vs Federer – he didn’t believe & just stopped playing. I’m not so sure now that he can overcome the mental hurdles. Cilic looks almost frightened when he gets down in matches.

As for Murray, he doesn’t seem to be intimidated by Nadal, Fed or Novak & feels he belongs among their ranks – I think this was an important step for him mentally. He definitely has & can beat Rafa – on clay is a question mark. Now if he just stay healthy! I think Verdasco looks to have a good shot at RG (uh oh, here come the Rafa fans…).

OK the girls are finished, now time for Tsonga!


Twocents Says:

Wonder why Gasquet collapsed in 2nd set? yeah, Verdasco was good. But Richard should’ve done better.

Von,

Thanks for the boost. I was pondering about changing my posting name to “XX world trash”, just to remind of myself to try harder not to hurt other’s feeling for the fun of arguing. But decide it’s too offensive to xx world and trash. I’ve committed much dumber guilts than this too.

At BJ Olympics, there were polite applauses for the Byan’s good shots. But I just couldn’t find any USA delegate gang to cheer specifically for the brothers, like the Swiss gang did for Fed/Stan. And I did see Kobie Brant/James etc appeared in the stand in one of Fed’s single match. Stardom over patriotism, I guess. But this cute Chinese girl sitting behind me seemed the lone voice screaming ” go Mike, go Bob”. A Swiss guy asked her why (since she seemed to be local, not an American)? She answered “because they’re so good looking”, shamelessly. Very cute.

I’d never forgotten Becker’s 87 upset by Pete Duhan (?sp) as a two-time defending champion. Becker bageled Edberg in 86 WO final and was charged by British press as “defiant of the court”. After the shocking 2nd round loss, the 19 year old red head told the press: “it’s only a tennis match. There’s no war. Nobody died.” That endeared him to many. But looking back now, that might have been the first indication of Becker’s burn out. He only managed one more WO crown after that.


jane Says:

Wow, Tsonga. I really thought he’d be doing better than this. Sure, Andreev can be a tough fighter, and he’s got a wicked forehand! But Tsonga has more variety. Neither one is getting in many first serves tonight; Andreev is at an abysmal 43% first serve percentage and Tsonga is at 56%. Bleck.

What’s with these Frenchies anyhow? If Tsonga goes out tonight, and he’s one game away from that as I write, actually make that 3 points, that means Gasquet, Simon and Tsonga are all out. And what a load of talent in that bunch! Apparently, not nearly enough consistency though.

Make that two points away…


Ezorra Says:

Jane, Monfils as well!


jane Says:

That’s right Ezzora – I knew I was forgetting a Frenchie there…


Von Says:

MMT:

I hope you watched Tsonga’s match? Whew, what a performance by Andreev to take out Tsonga. When Tsongs is off, he’s really off. I think there is one glaring deficiency in Tsonga’s game though, and it’s his return game. He likes to rip, not nearly ala Blake/Gonzalez, but rip he does, throwing caution to the wind and it does get him into the hole. That’s exactly what happenend tonight. Also, he was trying to hit outright winners due to his impatience trying to end the points in a hurry, and it was his downfall. But of course, that was partly due to Andreev’s return game too, and his poundin g of his FH. I hope Tsonga will take something away from this match and work on his return game plus his patience.
______________

Ezorra: I noticed Arsenal played last Saturday at 4:00 pm GMT, did they win? if so, congratulations!


jane Says:

Oops. That’s Ezorra, not Ezzora. Sorry for the spelling error.


Daniel Says:

Tsonga was totally lost with Andreev`s forehand, he couldn’t predict where he’ll hit it. He should pound the forehand instead of going for the backhand, cause Andreev was anticipating Tsonga’s moves and running off to hit forehands all over the court. Since this was their first meeting Tsonga had no feedback on him, maybe next time he will be with a better game plan.

4 frenchman out today, ouch!


Von Says:

TwoCents:

You’re welcome. Been there, done that. Keep your post name — I like it. With so many different personalities on a public forum it’s extremely difficult not to anger someone. Additionally, a lot of it depends on how another person is reading and interpreting the post, hence the difficulty. I suppose all we can do is try, but nothing is fool-proof.

Why didn’t you grab a US delegate badge and start making some noise on behalf of Bob and Mike. Of course, you know if I was there I would have made enough noise for 10 people; security would have probably put me out of the stadium. I don’t understand why James didn’t sit in on the Bryans’ match to give them support because they are good friends.


margot Says:

Hi Guys! Got up at 5am to watch Tsonga match! What dedication, what disappointment!
Von: u were spot on with your analysis of Jo-W. He’s a class act, perhaps we could give him some of Murray’s patience and he could give Murray some of his charisma?
tenisbebe: in nearly every interview Murray says he feels he belongs at the top, he has no fear and self-confidence is so much in this game, isn’t it?
Verdasco looked terrific, but so did your Querry(? spelling) moving so well.
BFN off 2 work.


Von Says:

Oh my, was I wrong in my prediction that Simon would take out Ljubicic, and I was way off. It appears from Ljub’s movement that he has been working on whatever ails him — trying to rise up from the ashes. Of course, Ljub got a retirement from Ancic and Simon is not playing as well as he did last year; he somehow seems out of sorts and is trying to find his game. I hope for his sake he does not become another Davis Cup casualty ala Paul Henri Mathieu, seeing as how he was in tears after losing his second match.


Von Says:

Margot:

Yes a little bit from Murray and a little bit to Tsonga will do the trick for both guys. Maybe Murray’s disposition will brighten up due to his home being in sunny Miami, Florida. Floridians are very warm, carefree, and like to smile/laugh a lot, and studies have shown that sunshine does have an effect on our personalities — it gives us energy, which translates to a more vibrant Andy M. Too much sunshine and he’ll probably become as rambunctious as the other Andy R. I don’t know if you’ll like that, but I do. Nah, i don ‘t think that’s possible.

Sam is a California boy that’s why he’s so warm and laid back — another proof of the sunshine at work.


Von Says:

Margot: “Yes a little bit from Murray and a little bit to Tsonga will do the trick for both guys.”

Should have been: A little bit to Murray from Tsonga and vice-versa will do the trick for both guys. One other thing I noticed Tsonga was sweating bullets. He didn’t seem well, because it’s not hot at IW in the evening to cause so much sweating.

I forgot to mention, you are indeed a dedicated fan! I could stay up late, but if I have to work, I can’t wake up early, that’s a lot. Anyway, fill up on the java and hopefully you’ll make up for the lost sleep tonight. Stay alert!!


Ezorra Says:

Jane: It’s Ok :)

Hi Von. Yes, they won the match against Blackburn Rovers (4-0 to be exact) So happy… hehehe :). Thank you so much for your positive wishes on Arsenal win too. They’ll have another fight (against Hull City for FA cup)tonight which is supposed to be a ‘do or die’ match. Hopefully they’ll win the match.

I also want to tell you that our player (Lee Chong Wei – badminton) has won Switzerland Open last Sunday against his greatest nemesis – Lin Dan of China. He lost to the chinese in Badminton All England last week, so I guess he got some revenge eventually. FYI, we perceive Lee Chong Wei as Roger Federer in tennis because even though he is no 1 player in the world, his record against Lin Dan (Nadal in tennis) is so bad – only 4 wins out of 15 matches.

BTW, thank you again! :)


Ezorra Says:

When I said our player, I mean “my people’s and my player”… sorry…


Von Says:

Ezorra:

Great, I’m happy for you that Arsenal won!! I happened to see the ad for live streaming and made a mental note to let you know but I forgot.

I’m not a soccer fan per se, but my whole family, especially my husband and son are avid fans. My husband coaches/referees soccer on a volunteer basis and my son played under 16 competitive soccer. Even my daughter played. My father-in-law was an international referee. They all did refereeing too. I suppose that’s why I turned to tennis, because soccer was coming out of my ears.

BTW, my husband’s favourite team is: Manchester United. I suppose you’re pretty busy come World Cup time?

Good job by Lee Chong Wei — revenge is always sweet to players whenever they win against a nemesis. That’s not a good H2H, but who knows in time he could make it up. This win could propel him to the next level, and for your happiness, I hope he does.


Von Says:

Ezorra: I know what you mean. Even though we live in the US, as I stated, being of English heritage, my husband still loves his Manchester United, and refers to them as “his team”. We do become possessive of our sports figures, don’t we? E.g., I refer to Roddick as “my Andy”. Catch ya later, – it’s time to get my beauty sleep.


MMT Says:

Von: Missed the Tsonga match, but I knew Andreev was a tough customer. Made it very difficult for Federer at the US Open last year, and Tsonga’s impatience will be his downfall. Going for broke from the back is a recipe for inconsistent results. He must learn if he is to improve.


smile Says:

Tsonga is too cocky, glad he lost


jane Says:

Tsonga is actually much like Nadal in one way: apparently he’s quiet and unassuming off the court, barely speaking above a whisper, but when he gets on the court he transforms: he becomes a fighter, and a gregarious one at that. This is similar to how Nadal seems so self-deprecating off the court, or at least like a fairly low key island boy, but on court he becomes the matador.

I won’t get into what’s real and what’s false, because that’s difficult to know. But they both go through these on/off court changes.


MMT Says:

To be honest, as much as I like his game, I do think Tsonga spends a little too much time in self-congratulatory histrionics, and in my opinion, to his detriment. When he made his run to the AO final last year, he was all business until the moment of victory, and then he let it all hang out. Same thing with Paris. But at Indian Wells last year I felt he went over the line and it cost him the match against Nadal.

That said, I still think he’s the most interesting player to watch on tour.


jane Says:

Yahoo! Novak is playing well right now against Haas, and I am elated to see his good game again: strong serves, keen focus, deep returns, good tactics. He’s even done well at the net a few times in this match. It may not be his best but it’s definitely a step in the right direction! I hope he can keep it up throughout the second set against Haas, who is a little, ahem, tempermental today.


jane Says:

Yahoo! Novak is playing well right now against Haas, and I am elated to see his good game again: strong serves, keen focus, deep returns, good tactics. He’s even done well at the net a few times in this match. It may not be his best but it’s definitely a step in the right direction! I hope he can keep it up throughout the second set against Haas, who is a little tempermental today.

Novak’s been over-hitting a bit in the last two games so I hope he can get that in check soon.


jane Says:

Oops – must’ve hit submit twice, sorry for the (almost) double post…


MMT Says:

Jane, you double faulted.


Von Says:

DelPotro is steam rolling over Melzer. Overall DelPotro has a very easy draw.

It’s amzaing how many older players are in the draw due to IW being 128 players as opposed to the other MS tourneys.

Sam took Haas apart very easily at Memphis, which was an indication of how badly Haas’ game has fallen off. He’s another one of the older group whose one handed BH deteriorates as he gets older. He would probably do better now if he had a two-handed BH.


tenisbebe Says:

Regarding Tsonga’s loss to Andreev, I had bring up the “tired” but feel it has merit here. Tsonga has played almost non-stop since the start of 2009: Brisbane, Sydney, Australian Open, Johannesburg, Rotterdam, Marseille, Davis Cup. going 21-3. He must be starting the effects. Looked like he was going for too much too soon, trying to shorten points & also he was standing 4 feet behind the baseline. All credit to Andreev – despite his serving problems, he had an effective game plan. But I have to wonder if this didn’t contribute to Tsonga’s impatience.


tenisbebe Says:

oops – should have said “I loathe to bring up the ‘tired’ excuse but….'”

“he must be starting to feel the effects.”


jane Says:

MMT – I guess I did, lol.

Haas has picked up his level in this second set; his volleys are better and his first serve % has come up. He’s dangerous; he’s got a good all-court game as the commentators have noted.


jane Says:

Haas’s game has fallen off; it’s true Von. But he’s a dangerously streaky player – remember that last year here he took out BOTH Murray and Roddick!


jane Says:

tenisbebe, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with saying a player is tired from playing a heavy schedule and thus eventually succumbs to a loss. It doesn’t always have to be an “excuse.” Sometimes these players really just ARE tired and so they lose. Now, perhaps they’ve overscheduled themselves then, but that’s another topic. :-D


tenisbebe Says:

Jane:

Novak looked sharp in that 1st set. The crowd wants to see a third set though. Don’t know, Tommy looks to be living on borrowed time.


tenisbebe Says:

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK’S DAY EVERYONE!!


MMT Says:

Anyone from the 1-handed backhand thread see that slice pass up the line from Haas – beautiful. Djokovic had no idea what to do with that and flubbed a drop volley into the net.

Now that’s what I’m talking about.


jane Says:

Well, tenisbebe, Tommy finally held and now Novak’s facing break point so they may see a third set after all.


MMT Says:

Almost did it again on that guess – that stroke is a thing of beauty.


jane Says:

MMT – did you notice that Novak’s has added a backhand slice to his game since the end of last year? I doubt he’ll ever be able to use it sublimely like Haas did there, but I hope he keeps trying, and likewise with his volleys. I hope he just keeps trying to come in when the oppotunity is there so he improves at the net.


Von Says:

jane:

The Tommy Haas I saw at Memphis and the one we’re watching today, is not the same Haas of a year ago. He’s not played for much of this year and the end of last year. I think he’s very rusty and I was very surprised how Sam was able to push him around the court. Haas is frustrated because his game is so way off presently, and I suppose he expects more of himself but can’t rise to the task at hand. Yes, he’s a streaky player, but that’s due to his many, many injuries, but when he’s on song, he’s beautiful to watch.

_______________
MMT:

Whatever has happened to Brian Gottfried? I never hear his name spoken with respect to any comparisons, or other stuff. It’s as though he’s dead.

I was watching Gottfried play last night against Borg in the Pepsi GS, hence my question. You’d probably be interested to hear Michael Dell’s reference to tennis being a “one-arm” game. He said “take a look at Gottfried’s arms, the right is bigger than the left. Tennis is indeed a one-arm sport.” Dell, also elaborated that it’s the reason JMc and Borg have done so much better because they use both arms. I thought that was interesting considering the present discussion on one-hand BH v. two-handed BHs. Additionally, they talked about junk-balls, and our recent discussion on Ashe v. Connors regarding the diet of junk balls Ashe fed to Connors, came to mind.

I don’t’ know if you’ve seen the instruction Jeff Tarrango goes through on ‘junk-ballers’. He references Santoro as a prime example and how Santoro deprives his opponents of rhythm and pace with his use of junk balls. It’s amazing how Santoro has been able to survive on such a strategy for so long even though the sport has metamorphosed so much.


tenisbebe Says:

Von says:

“It’s amazing how many older players are in the draw due to IW being 128 players as opposed to the other MS tourneys.”

Yes, great to see the older players. IW is a huge facility with 8 playing courts (Cincy has 4) and the stadium court is 2nd only to Ashe in size – much too big imo. The grounds are lovely with the mountains in the backround – it’s my favorite US tournament.


jane Says:

Von,

To my eyes, he’s playing pretty lovely tennis in this second set.


Von Says:

Tenisbebe:

Happy St. Patty’s Day to you to!

Are you watching FSN? My TV guide has IW listed at 4:00 pm and it should be broadcasting IW, but they’re showing poker. I tell you that station drives me crazy. Their programming is so off and they never give an explanation. Very lousy, so lousy, the pitts, I tell you, and I’m mad.


tenisbebe Says:

MMT says:

“Anyone from the 1-handed backhand thread see that slice pass up the line from Haas – beautiful.” Yes, I have dreams that my one-hander will someday look like that :)


Von Says:

Melzer has bounced back and won the second set v. DelPotro. I’m watching the 3rd set and I see DelPotro celebrating a point he’s won against Melzer. Gosh I can’t believe Melzer is taking it to DelPotro. They’re like a decade apart in years.


Von Says:

Melzer has just broken DelPotro in the 3rd to take the lead.

It’s good to see the older guys, Melzer, Safin, Haas, Schuettler, et al. give the younger guys a run for their money. There’s life left in them old bones.


tenisbebe Says:

Von says:
“Are you watching FSN? My TV guide has IW listed at 4:00 pm and it should be broadcasting IW, but they’re showing poker.”

I have 2 FSN stations (you may too), one showing poker the other tennis. You may want to check your guide again.


MMT Says:

Von:

Unfortunately Gottfried never won a slam, and the tennis gods have no room on Mt. Olympus for a non-slammer. That said, he had an absolutely beautiful game, very well rounded, well produced strokes, and a natrual volleyer. His only problem was that much like Gerulaitis, whose strokes were a bit choppy by comparison, lacked a match-winning weapon. The serve was good, but not great, his strokes were good, but not better than Borg or Connors, and his volleying was good, but he lacked the tenacity and confidence to attack all the time. He was also prone to errors against top-spinners like Borg, Vilas, etc. In fact, he reminds me a lot of Tommy Haas!

He did reach as high as #3 in the world, won 25 singles titles (quite a haul) and 54 doubles titles – not bad for a kid from Baltimore, which is just up the road from us here in DC. He was a 3-time doubles GS champion, twice at the French and once at Wimbledon. As a junior he was better the Jimmy Connors, winning 14 junior national titles in doubles and singles, one of them with Connors, as a matter of fact. He was also a 2-time all-american in college.

He won a Davis Cup with the US in 1978 under Tony Trabert as captain, teaming with John McEnroe and Stan Smith and Bob Lutz as the doubles specialists. McEnroe was 19 years old at the time and it was the first of 5 titles in 5 years for the US although he won no matches in any championship years after 1978.

Good guy, and good player. Arther Ashe claims he never missed a practice except once to get married and then put in a double shift the next day!


MMT Says:

Correction 4 DC titles in five years between 1978 and 1982 for the US.


tenisbebe Says:

Jane – Novak won – Congrats! He kept his cool when Tommy upped his game. Good win against the streaky Haas.


jane Says:

Thanks tenisbebe – I am happy; I want him to get to the quarters at least, and then deeper in Miami maybe. We’ll see; he’s got some toughies ahead.

Wow – third set tiebreak in the Melzer / JMDP match. Who’d’ve thunk it? I guess Melzer has troubled Murray, who’s troubled JMDP. Maybe it’s a 3 degrees of separation thing?


tenisbebe Says:

Th Brit commentators said that Melzer has played “the more attractive tennis” in this match. Ha – what a diplomatic way of saying this was not a pretty win for Juan!


Duro Says:

Hi girls! My Canadian and my Chicago girl, the biggest tennis lovers on earth!


jane Says:

No offense to any Isner fans, but I really hope Marat wins now! Interesting that he and Safina are playing simultaneously. Be tough for the mum and dad – whom do you watch?


jane Says:

Hi Duro – good win for Nole!


Von Says:

tenisbebe:

Thanks, I’ll check my guide again, however, at 7:00 pm FSN stops broadcasting and then resume at 10:30 pm. Lousy I tell you, utterly unequivocally, without a doubt lousy!!!!

I didn’t have a favourite in that match which is why I would have liked to see Melzer win because he did play a better match than JMDP, who in my estimation is not an attractive player — tennis wise. Melzer’s FH is beautiful to watch, that is if anyone thinks FHs are beautiful, but he has precise timing, with pin-point accuracy when he drives it through the court. Melzer can really drive through the court when he’s on, he’s a true drop shot artist, and a very good clay specialist. Pity he doesn’t have the muscles for clay.

___________
MMT:

Thanks for the excellent bio on Gottfried. I need you around to fill in the blanks for me which you do with grace and all the trimmings. Mazel Tov!! I thought Gottfried was very pleasing to the eye as a tennis player and a very soft-spoken guy too, not like his other American comrade, Johnny Mc. It’s strange how Gottfried went into retirement with nary a hint of participation in anything with regard to tennis.

So you hail from DC? Well, all I can say is enjoy the cold. I ran from the cold up North, NYC, to the balmy days and nights of Florida and am so happy. When asked where I’m from and I say NY, the Floridians usually say to me “But you’re so very young to be retired.” to which I always have to reply that’s another 20 plus years in the making. I like being around the older folks, they’re full of good wisdom and stories.


jane Says:

I tend to agree with you Von; JMDP’s game isn’t super exciting or lovely to look at, but he’s somehow pretty effective nonetheless. I think he’s a bit of a workhorse type, so that certainly won’t hold him back. Sometimes the naturally talented players with the lovely shots are too inconsistent.

I see Isner has already broken Marat! I guess I should get the match on streaming…


jane Says:

Oh wow Marat just broke back – moving quickly here…


tenisbebe Says:

You are such a wealth of tennis information MMT, it’s wonderful. I cannot remember ever having seen Brian Gottfried play – great story, now I’m going to surf him on the internet – maybe there will be a video of one of his matches. Many thanks for the education.


Von Says:

jane:

There will be many breaks in Safin v. Isner. Both are powerful servers, but Marat has the edge because of his all-court game. Isner, unfortunately has only his serve and he’s not a good mover.

DelPotro has never impressed me, hence I’ve never joined the band-waggon, but he seems eager to win, so I give him credit there. I’ve held back thinking that Cilic, JMDP and Simon are the real deal and this year is showing me that I’m not that off in my assessment. We’ll see.


tenisbebe Says:

Jane:

“No offense to any Isner fans, but I really hope Marat wins now! Interesting that he and Safina are playing simultaneously. Be tough for the mum and dad – whom do you watch?”

I don’t care for John’s game. I picked Marat to get to the semi’s so GO MARAT! After getting the early break, Isner has 11 UE’s at 3-all – blehky. I like Marat in yellow….


Duro Says:

Jane, he won but I’m not satisfied at all. It’s just not the Novak’s game that I like. No power, no storming, no convincing impression at all. Damn racket, he’s not comfortable with it. He played better in the age of 16 than he does now. I’m so so angry!


Von Says:

Two interesting matches on simultaneously. Nalby v. Troicki and Safin v. Isner. The old v. the young. Come on old fellas teach the young uns a lesson and put them in their place!


Duro Says:

Von, you wanna bet on that? 50 bucks for the youngsters!


Von Says:

Duro:

I’m not a money better, but I betcha, the old guys will prevail, if not both, at least one. We’ll see. OK Nalby and Marat my fictitious money’s on you!! come on Rover, move your bloomin’ arse.


Duro Says:

Marat won’t for sure, 50-50 regarding Nalby, but I stick to my prediction completely! Accept and raise another 50!


jane Says:

Duro,

I thought the first set by Novak was closer to his old self, but I agree that Novak dropped off near the end of the first, and Haas picked it up. So it’s good in that Novak still came through in straight sets. But he is more tenative with his shots at times, most definitely.

I am hoping for Safin to come back and win it; can he do it in three? It’ll be tough if Isner keeps serving his best. I am ambivalent about Nalbandian, mostly because Nalbandian is ambivalent about Nalbandian. LOL. But sure, I’d like to see him do something.


Von Says:

OK, Nalby just won the first set and did he give Troicki a difficult time to break. $100 imaginary dollars is fine. I’ve already won $50.


tennisontherocks Says:

‘jane Says:

No offense to any Isner fans, but I really hope Marat wins now! Interesting that he and Safina are playing simultaneously. Be tough for the mum and dad – whom do you watch?’

Neither…turn off the TV and open a bottle of vodka…must be tough to watch such hot headed kids.


tenisbebe Says:

Von says:

“DelPotro has never impressed me, hence I’ve never joined the band-wagon….”

Me three, his game is not pretty to watch imo, workmanlike. If he does improve & draws more press attention, it will be interesting to see how he’s portrayed. Apparently he behavior can be quite contemptible & he does not like Murray at all despite his protests to the contrary (that all is well after the Rome incident)- bad blood.


Von Says:

tenisbebe:

All of the above and more. How dare he pick on my Andy M. My God for a young man, he’s borrriingg to watch. He moves like the dead, and lately he’s picked up this strange body language where he struts around like he’s the cat’s pajamas. I’m sorry, I just don’t like the guy, perhaps if he had a little umpf, I would — I like to see players with some life even if their game isn’t all that nice to watch. Personality and charisma, repeat, personality and charisma, personality and ….

Arrighht, is Nalby teaching the young one a lesson. Come on Rover, I mean nalby, let’s do it!!


Von Says:

OK Duro, fork over $50 monopoly money, or better yet, gimme The boardwalk, that’s high price real estate. Nalby just taught the youngster a lesson: 6-4, 6-2.

I won’t lose on the second match. I win either way. I luv Safin but Isner is American, and it’s OK if a young American remains alive in the draw.


tenisbebe Says:

Marat’s going down……. Boo Hoo!!! Von – I can’t get the Nalby match – ahhhh!


Von Says:

Well, too bad for Marat. I really think he had a chance against Isner, but I suppose Isner really came to play today.

Duro: I owe you $25; you can put it on my account.


Von Says:

tenisbebe:

Nalby’s match just ended. I’ve just found a way to watch 2 matches, split screen at the same time on ADTHE. Absolutely wonderful. I think the next match will be Ferrer v. Chardy. The heat was getting to Troicki, he was towelling off a lot, or maybe it was Nalby’s pressure. Today seems to be a hot day at IW 32 celsius.


Duro Says:

Von, fair enough. Regarding Marat I was sure he’s gonna lose, but for Nalby 50-50 was my pic. Anyway, good bet.


Von Says:

tenisbebe:

Are you watching? Here comes Sam the man, and Wawa. C’mon Sam, take it to the Wawa.

What’s this Duro made a bet and now he won’t pay up; he’s disappeared. This is a shifty character. Ha, ha.


tenisbebe Says:

Personality and charisma, repeat, personality and charisma, personality and …. AMEN!

“I’ve just found a way to watch 2 matches, split screen at the same time on ADTHE.” yes but don’t you get the overlapping audio stream? Or did you figure out a way to only get one at a time. Please tell.


Von Says:

I put one on mute and listen to the other. It’s a bit difficult to manage, but I like hearing the comments on both sometimes.

Sorry Duro, I take back my remarks about you absconding. I hope you don’t hold it against me.


Duro Says:

Jane, Novak’s matches hardly have to do anything with his opponents. He wasn’t closer a bit to his old self, only the result looked like it in the first set. If you saw Verdasco, this is something… I’m not afraid of Fed, Murray even Nadal, but Verdasco hits like crazy! All the power to every strike! Like he’s on steroids! Did you see his muscles!!!


Von Says:

Tursunov & Nadal are now playing. Click on the Djokovic match and you’ll see them.


Duro Says:

Von, what’s the problem? You predicted the old ones to win, I predicted the youngsters. It was a tie, right? Did I miss something?


tenisbebe Says:

you’re brilliant! I am doing the same now. Life is good.


Von Says:

Doro: I agree with you on Djoko. He looked good because Haas wasn’t playing near his game. Haas upped his game a little as best as he could in the second set and the results speak for themselves. I was trying to say that, but didn’t want to sound negative about Djoko, hence I used the 2008 comparison on Haas’ game as opposed to present.

I’m amazed at the amount of bulking up Verdasco has achieved in a couple of months, not to mention his power.


Duro Says:

Why is Nalby Rover? What does it mean? I have a car Rover. British.


Von Says:

duro:

No problem at all, you had disappeared for a while, so I was trying to eek a response out of you. I didn’t see your post before I posted. See my post at 8:09 pm. I hope yolu understand it was a joke.
__________
Tenisbebe: when one is quiet, I listen in to the other; this way I get the scoop on bolth matches.


tenisbebe Says:

“If you saw Verdasco, this is something… I’m not afraid of Fed, Murray even Nadal, but Verdasco hits like crazy!” – Yes, Hot Sauce is on fire!

Sam broke!!! GO SAMBO!! This should be a competitive match.


Von Says:

“Come on Rover is a term I use. It was a line from the film “My Fair Lady”. Eliza went to the horse races and in the heat of the excitement watching her horse “Rover” running, not fast enough for her, at which point she said :”Come on Rover, move your bloomin’ arse”. she forgot to be ladylike and reverted to her ghetto speech. Since then I always say that to my fave tennis players. My husband loves the “Rover” car that is, too. Lovely sleek body lines and speed to boot, not to mention the price.


Duro Says:

Verdasco looks strange, aggressive, bewildered! He must be on something!


Duro Says:

Ha ha ha, I knew about the part: move your blooming… The unbelievable line… But, I forgot about the horse!


Duro Says:

People, did you notice that we don’t need an article to chat? We’re just using it. No connection with a subject at all… This is forum, right, not a blog anymore.


jane Says:

Well I disagree about Djoko; I thought he played a very good first set. He was at 81% serves in!! But I agree he dropped off and looked meeker as the match progressed and I agree he isn’t yet at his best.

Good for Sam – he is doing well here. Maybe this’ll be his “coming out” tournament?

I think Verdasco has power and muscles but I won’t accuse him of being on anything until it’s proven. He trained in the off season in Vegas, as has been widely touted, and he’s always been a player that had serious POTENTIAL – now he’s realizing it. Or seems to be …. wait and see.


Von Says:

When matches are showing we don’t need a topic to post on. In some ways we are deviating from the thread’s topic, but since there sin’t an IW thread, then I suppose we’re entitled.

Just for the record, I’m NOT accusing Verdasco of using anything. I’m merely saying that I’m amazed at how much he’s muscled up and the power he’s achieved. This shows how much rigid training can achieve, as in the case of Jankovic. I hope the bulking up Verdasco has achieved does not hamper his movement as it did hers.
_________________
tenisbebe:

Sam is on a roll. If he wins, it’ll mean Wawa has been served by two American consecutively.


Duro Says:

Jane, you know exactly how Nole looks and plays when he’s at his normal, not even best. I only wish that he doesn’t lose too much points so he can compensate it in Miami. This is my only wish. To survive through this rough new racquet period, stays at the number 3 spot, until he regains his old form and confidence. At the age of 23, he can be number 1 in my opinion.


Von Says:

Tursunov is playing Nadal very clolse, even though the score line looks like it’s different. Tursunov has had some breakpoints on Nadal’s games, but of course he couldn’t convert.

In the mean time, Sam’s serve is cooking.


jane Says:

Duro,

I would like to see him stay at #3 too, but if he goes to #4 and he and Murray exchange places it wouldn’t be too devastating. Though I hope he can just go upwards – even with the new raquet.

Wow – looks like we’re going to see Nalby vs. Nadal on hardcourt – should be an interesting match.

Murray’s road to the semis has opened up I think; he should get there and face either Fed or Verdasco.

On the top, it’s tougher to call imo – Nadal could come through but so could Nalby. Isner vs JMDP should be interesting too – two young guns.

On the other side, it could be either Djoko or Querrey; maybe Querrey has more momentum than Djoko.And either Roddick or Ferrer – likely Roddick. Could it be Roddick vs. Nalby in the semis? That’d be interesting…


tenisbebe Says:

Von:

Sam is calm and purposeful – and his FH & serve are cookin! Wawa was an up & comer 2 years ago but is obviously struggling now. The crowd is not nearly as vocal as the were in the Step match.


Von Says:

tenisbebe:

Oh no, Sam lost the second set. He now has to play a third. When Wawa broke into the top 10 I stated it was a fluke and I got hammered, but it now shows that I wasn’t that way off, does it. Anyway, I had better not say too much more before hell breaks loose.

I didn’t see Sam’s match v. Step, would have loved to see it.

Of course Nadal won his match. So it’s a Nalby v. Nadal R16 match.


tenisbebe Says:

Von:

Stans has stepped up his game & Sam’s has come down a notch – he’s making more UE on his FH it seems and he’s not coming in on the short balls. This is killing me!!!


Von Says:

tenisbebe:

that’s for sure. My palms were sweaty in that 10th game which Sam played very loose, if I might add. I’m thankful he got through that one.


tenisbebe Says:

Von:

Also the commentators (Brits) made a big deal about someone’s cell phone going off at 5-6 40-all in the second right at the top of Sam’s service motion. They said it probably cost him the 2nd set. Damn, another crappy line call against Sam that the replay shows was in his favor – that’s 3 now!!!


tenisbebe Says:

3-all. C’mon Sambo!!!


Von Says:

Sam is putting me through the motuions here and i can’t even bear to look. When say the umpires and liknesmen have it out for the Americans some don’t like to hear it, but it’s very true and it’s the reason I feel Andy’s tiffs with the umpires are somewhat justified. Come on, Sam, just do it.


Von Says:

Sit down Wawa, the ball was waaaay out!! Stop with the fist pumps, they’re annoying.


tenisbebe Says:

Von:

I don’t think this guy has it out for American’s or Sam, I just think he’s gutless – he won’t overrule his linespeople even if it’s obvious. Gutless.


tenisbebe Says:

I don’t believe it – an overrule. Can you imagine?


tenisbebe Says:

Dammit!!! Well a good match & Wawa held his nerve. Credit to him. Sack the umpire though.


Von Says:

tenisbebe;

Can you believe it? I don’t understand that stupid drop shot. Gosh was Sam off in that one. Oh well, the R16 is a shoe-in for Djoko now. I don’t se Wawa winning that one.


Von Says:

OK I’m of to see what FSN is showing. I’ll be back if they’re not on.


jane Says:

That was a good match between Sam and Stan; nothing but a “cigarette paper” separated them, as the commentators aptly noted. That’s a hard loss for Sam as he played well but he should take away the positives. I really think he’s poised to do something special in the next year or two. I was sad to see him lose.


Von Says:

These Americans are giving me agita. I lost my dinner appetite.

I see Chardy is already up a break and another possible one is looming.


tenisbebe Says:

I think Sam feel into that trap when you’re playing a higher ranked player of coming out & outplaying them but then not being able to lift your game when your opponent does because it’s already there. Then you just run out of gas. I really hope he can take away the positives & use those lessons to lift his game. He needs to work on fitness to as he was getting tired at the beginning of the 3rd and his game suffered. Too bad, so sad. I had to go make myself a cocktail after that one. I must have jinxed him by picking him for the SF’s.


tenisbebe Says:

Sorry, should read:
“I think Sam fell into that trap, when you’re playing a higher ranked player, of coming out & outplaying”

and

“He needs to work on fitness too”


tenisbebe Says:

Have a question for anyone out there: Does anyone know why Stepanki & Gonzo parted ways? Fernando had real success under his tutelage but I never heard the reason for the split.
——————
Jane:

Would you have believed that of all the talented French players it may be Chardy who makes it to the Q’s?


jane Says:

tenisbebe,

I actually think Chardy’s got some talent too! But it looks like no frenchies after all; the Spaniards continue to dominate – even on hard courts! Hmmmm… wonder what’s up with the French players? Too many crepe suzettes?

4 spaniards (rafa, ferrer, robredo, verdasco)
2 swiss (fed and wawa)
2 americans (isner and rod)
2 argentines (del and nalb)
1 chillean (gonza)
1 serb (djok)
1 german (khols)
1 croatian (ljub)
1 russian (andrev)
1 great britain (murray)

There’s the final 16.


Von Says:

tenisbebe:

Stick to playing tennis, don’t pick the lottery. Yo’ve jinxed two (2) guys already, Sam and now Chardy. Ha, ha. I wonder how my Byans are doing. I just remembered live scores. Bye.


Ezorra Says:

Congratulations Von, your Andy won!!!

“We do become possessive of our sports figures, don’t we? E.g., I refer to Roddick as “my Andy”

I want to say ‘My Rafa’ won but it sounds pretty “man like man” to me, so… RAFA WON as well!!! ;)


tenisbebe Says:

Why isn’t any stream showing the doubles??

Von – I didn’t “pick” Chardy, I said “it may be Chardy who makes it to the Q’s” Gez – I’m in enough trouble for jinxing Sam, can’t handle Jeremys’ fans pain too. But all the same, better keep my day job, eh?


Von Says:

Ezorra:

“I want to say ‘My Rafa’ won but it sounds pretty “man like man” to me, so… RAFA WON as well!!! ;)”

It’s OK if you say that once in a while. Who’s to know if he’s your nephew? I won’t squeal on you. Yes, your Rafa won, and congrats! I can’t pick a winner in that match, because I like Nalby but Nadal has been playing very well on hardcourts. I know some people were looking forward to this match-up on hardcourts for quite a while now, especially Daniel, so I think you’d have to ward off the evil eye, and it’s a tough job. Anyway, may the best man win.

As of this moment your Nadal is playing my Bryans, and I don’t have to tell you who I’m rooting for: (1) Because doubles is their specialty, while Nadal has singles to fall back on, and (2) they need to win to stay ahead of the other doubles players. I hope this sounds fair to you.


tenisbebe Says:

Jane:

Nice summary of the 16’s.


Von Says:

Tenisbebe:

Doubles aren’t ever shown on streaming because not a large percentage of fans watch doubles. Same with TV coverage, except for the SF sometimes, and the finals. Maybe as more people become interested in doubles, we’d see some streaming, let’s hope, for hope springs eternal. Back to watch Ivanovic’s fist-pumps.


tenisbebe Says:

Well I knew they don’t televise them on conventional TV but was hoping live streaming might be different – particularly with the big names in this match – sigh.

“Back to watch Ivanovic’s fist-pumps.” You said it – I am so over her fist-pumping after practically every shot she wins – overkill & unnecessary.


Ezorra Says:

Von, to be honest with you, I don’t even agree Nadal to play double event due to his body condition which is not as concrete as others’. Nevertheless I am nobody to say that so I hope he will survive in this competition or at least reach semifinal to equal his achievement last year (to avoid point’s deduction). Regarding the match against Nalbandian, I agree with you – may the best man win. (Just kidding – of course I hope Nadal will win the match, I’m his fan) but… you know, as you said – may the best man win… ;-)


Von Says:

Ezorra:

I’m not a doctor, but commonsense leads me to think that if someone is doing something that will ultimately cause them pain and it’s not absolutely necessary for them to do it, then walk away from it. Anyway, it’s his business and prerogative to do whatever he wishes. I’m not a Nadal fan and I don’t want to offend his fans, so I shouldn’t even be discussing him.

I just noticed my Bryans won and I’m very happy, which means you’ll get your wish, Nadal won’t be playing anymore doubles at IW.

____________
tenisbebe:
You mentioned earlier about Sam’s fitness. I wholeheartedly agree with you — he needs more fitness. At the beginning of last year Sam worked with Reyes and Cahill for a few weeks, similar to what Verdasco’s doing, and he won the Vegas title. He seemed a bit more centered on his game and even appeared to have gained some weight. However, after a few months it seemed he had reverted back to his former regime. Roddick had taken Sam under his wing a couple of years ago and Sam was doing fine, but according to what I’ve read Roddick said Sam was somewhat like an after-school player, and then they seemed to have drifted apart, but that could have probably been due to Roddick’s budding romance with Ms. Decker.. I hope Sam becomes serious because before he knows it, he’ll be 25 and the good years will have rolled by.

One of the commentators mentioned that Ivanovic loves to fist-pump constantly (not verbatim).


Von Says:

Since this thread was originally about Roddick and his “obscenities” which was only one, I have to mention Keefer was cursing in their match when he misfired on some shots, and didn’t even get a warning. The commentators mentioned he should have, but Lahyani the idiot, just sat there with his dumb smile as usual. He’s so useless — I don’t know from where they find these umpires.

In some ways I agree with the reasoning some players used against hawkeye, which is, the umpires are not doing their jobs on over-rules, etc. However, it might have been worse without it. It’s unbelievable how little the umpires over-rule and or don’t seem to care.


Federer Rules Says:

Mohamed Layhani is the best umpire the ATP has. This from MTF, a few years ago when Layhani, coincidentally put the frat boy in his place. This match is the peak of A-rod’s nasty bullish streak which surfaces only against lower ranked players. This was an year before Tsonga established himself in 2008. Rod and Tsonga were playing an early round match and Roddick brought the bitch out of himself!

Though Roger’s thrashings do a whole lot good and keep the bitch inside A-rod, he always brings it out against lesser players. It is funny to see this nasty guy keep his tail between his legs when he plays Roger or Rafa. He pulled the stunt against Novak last year in US Open and promptly got slammed by him in the next round.

Anyways, Rod fans can keep trying to sling the mud on other people (earlier players, now even chair umpires) to show their guy is a saint, but the truth remains that A-rod is a bully and like all bullies when the Real Deal (Roger/Rafa) hit the town, he folds his tail into his butt (like our own “I like bullies” who shuts his pie-hole when the bully gets slammed. You can check back older blogs and see that the guy had his head up Andy’s butt (much like the posters Von/TD now) but got tired of Roger slamming Andy that he jumped the ship to Rafa who is hardly a bully! but he wanted to get back at all the Fedbots who were slamming him front back and center :)

Here is an old post from MTF which sums up the above said incident.

“Thought he (Layhani) handled that issue with A-Rods challenges like a real pro. He was all over it and stood his ground. I loved his comment, “This is my decision, and my responsibility, now put the challenge on the screen.” Firm and direct and he was right. He does a fantastic job and seems to have the respect of the players, which IMO, is the critical piece for a good ump..”

Layhani is definitely one of the best umpires now on ATP, if not the very best. To accuse him of shunning his responsibility is hilarious and only highlights your I-have-got-my-head-stuck-up-Rod’s butt syndrome!


MMT Says:

Jane: Djokovic’s backhand slice is an interesting stroke – he doesn’t appear to use it to keep him in the point, but he does use it to approach the net, which is good. I’d like to see him drop the racquet head a little lower on it, a la Ken Rosewall – I would say Don Budge, but I’d probably be laughed out of the room!

tennisbebe: Gottfried clips are hard to find – not too many classic matches to speak of in his career, but if you find clips, do let me know, because I really do like his game. I guess you don’t have the TTC – that’s a shame. His match with Borg was the first full match of his I ever saw. I do remember seeing him play in the early 80’s as a kid, but by then he was already 10+ years in the pro game and beyond his best.

Von: in keeping with his workman qualities, Gottfried is a member of the coaching staff at the Harold Solomon academy in Ft. Lauderdale. Actually, most of the pro’s could use some advice from him on their backhands – his was quite effective both coming over it and slicing.

The interesting thing about his slice backahand is that he’s one of the few players to use a delayed “breaking” of the wrist to create racquet head acceleration at the point of contact – it gave his slice a bit more zing that most players today who either don’t break the wrist at all, or do so at or after the point of contact making their slices to slow and spin too much to be effective.

To do this right it takes really good timing and a lot of practice, two things he had in abundance.


MMT Says:

Von: interesting thing about Hawkeye is that it reveals the biggest problem with the overrule – it’s overuse and expectation thereof. The overrule was intended to correct “clear” errors on the part of linespeople, not to correct errors measured in milimeters, which I doubt the human eye can observe from a 10 foot high chair. But for so many years so many players lambasted umpires for not overruling that they began to make quite a few mistakes themselves.

The overrule of Serena Williams shot to Jennifer Capriati at the US Open in 2004, in the first game of the third set was one of the worst calls in the history of the game, landing a couple of inches inside the far sideline. The umpire that day overruled the lineswoman, who had an unobstructed view of the shot and got the original call right. The overrule gave a break point to Capriati who capitalized and went on to win the match on that break alone. It was made worse by the “shot spot” a descendent of the “Mac Cam” and precursor of “hawkeye”, leading to the institution of hawkeye the next year. But I digress…

The overrule, particularly the first game deuce overrule in the Williams Capriati match, revealed that rather than overruling clear errors, umpires felt impelled to play god and overrule whenever they felt an error MAY have been made, rather than on CLEAR errors, which I would guess would require a ball to be out by at least a few centimeters. For years, umpires routinely wouldn’t overrule the far sideline because they were in a worse position to see the ball, and even if the linesman may have made a mistake, preferred to go with the original call. But by 2004, umpires routinely overruled whenever they felt they should get involved, and not necessarily when they observed a clear error.

Federer famously complained about hawkeye at the Wimbledon 2007 final, eliciting quite a few sneers from his detractors. However, he was somewhat vindicated in the 2008 AO when the system was turned off at certain times in the day due to errors resulting from shadows.

My question is, why have linespeople at all? I am a purist, but if hawkeye is right more often than people are, then why have people at all? The linespeople are all volunteers anyway, so it’s not like people are losing jobs over this, and it would alleviate the appearances of matches being determined by officiating rather than the players. The system isn’t perfect, but it seems to be a lot better than the human eye, so why use the human eye at all. But once again, I digress…

While people call lines, I think the overrule is overused, in my opinion. It should be reserved for instances where the linesperson’s view is obstructed or a clear error that the umpire observes only, and not when they “feel” they should get involved. This leads to errors of comission that are much worse psychologically than errors of omission. After all, can the human eye really capture a milimeter of space between the ball and the line when the ball is travelling 130mph? I doubt it.

If not, why would anyone expect an overrule? But if they restrict themselves to calls that are out by centimeters (not milimeters), then an error of omission is more glaring and would likely be more rare.


Von Says:

MMT:

Re: Gottfried, thanks for the info. I’m glad that such a good and solid player is using his talents elsewhere other than playing competitively on the court and giving back to the sport that’s been so good to him. What a pity prize money was so meager in his day.

I saw that match, Serena v. Capriati, and I also watched an interview between Tracy Austin and Serena soon after Hawk-eye’s introduction, in which Austin stated that it was because of Serena, Hawk-eye came into existence. Serena was so angry in her press conference after that match, that she emphatically stated: “I was robbed”.

I think even though some players are resistant to it, it’s been a life saver. The only problem I now see is that players are limited to only three (3) challenges per set. I feel it should be more. That match in Paris, Roddick v. Tsonga, is a prime example. roddick challenged and the hawkeye operators didn’t want to show the challenge, according to them he was out of challenges, then the umpire stepped in and said he’s in charge of the match and Roddick did not use up all of his challenges. He(Lahyani) also asked for them to check their records, but they stalled stating that they couldn’t find the records. What was ridiculous though, some points later, Roddick painted the lines, and the linesman called it out, and the same umpire didn’t over-rule. Roddick didn’t challenge, due to the previous fiasco, I guess, but the commentators did a review of the shot and the review showed the shot as good and beautifully straddling both lines. Andy lost his serve, and Tsonga won the set and match. Just goes to show how much of on and off job the umpires do.

I’m with you, I don’t think some of the lines people are needed. Some of those people are so old, which is ridiculous, because to a huge extent our sight begins to lose its effectiveness as early as our late twenties, which translates to some type of discrepancy in calls. Hawkeye is able to pinpoint even the fuzz of the ball touching the line — that’s incredible. I hope that in the near future the ATP would consider using Hawkeye on all courts and increase the amount of challenges a player can utilize.

MMT, thanks for the discussion. Your insight and willingness to share your knowledge is commendable. You’ve been so nice ad it’s one of the reasons I continue to post here despite the sickness shoveled at me from the garbage dumpers.


MMT Says:

Von – thanks for the info on the Roddick Tsonga match – I hadn’t heard the whole background, but I do remember there was some hiccup. I didn’t realize that the umpire was arguing with the idiots in the booth – that’s ridiculous. Why on earth they felt the right to dispute the umpire is beyond me, and it’s a shame that Roddick has to suffer.

And thanks so much for the kind words – I really enjoy your comments as well, and this is a great place to talk tennis, for sure!

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