That’s so *$#$@ ! Nadal always has bad luck with the rain. He’ll have to play 3 days in a row if he is in the final.

September 11th, 2009 at 1:33 am

And now Ladies and Gentlemen
Be ready for all the nadalophiles to keep bragging abt rigged schedule, rigged weather(perhaps Fed fans have prayed to God too much)

Its a win-win situation for Nadal fans

If he wins…the argument goes this way - Despite the bad weather, schedule, abdominal pain, knee injury (which part is left??) He conquered the maestor

and If he loses the weather and schedule is there to save..

Bottomline - Nadal never loses on his own..He is unbeatable..Its nature, destiny and/or torunanment organisers that make him lose matches!!!!

And what abt Fedex ? - Well he is the luckiest player of all time…. 22 semis. 15 grandslams - There is no debate on who is the luckiest player of all time!!!!

Amen!!!

September 11th, 2009 at 1:49 am

Yep, too bad that Nadal and Gonzalez could not finish their match. It puts a damper, ahem, on things. Nadal does seem to have some crap luck when it comes to weather delays at slams - can think of 3 off the top of my head: Wimbledon 2007, USO 2008, USO 2009.

Hopefully they get the match finished early tomorrow.

——————–
““Our goal is to get the match completed,” US Open tournament referee Brian Earley said in a stunning news development.”

LOL Staff!! Stunning, indeed. he he.

September 11th, 2009 at 1:54 am

Remember all, it was Nadal who requested that he start this tournament as late as possible, hence he got the Wednesday start while Federer started 2 days earlier. The weather breaks could have gone either way.

I don’t think it matters - Del Potro, if he can avoid those slow starts he is famous for, should find himself in the final on Sunday - if it is on Sunday.

September 11th, 2009 at 2:01 am

Once again, Fed Allstop rruly deserved the title The Greatest Luck Of Alltime. He is having two days off for the semi on saturday.

September 11th, 2009 at 2:04 am

Here’s a tenative schedule for tomorrow’s matches:

http://www.usopen.org/en_US/scores/schedule/index.html?promo=topnav

Gordo,
Late schedule or early schedule: it makes little difference in this situation, imo. The point is that Rafa just has bad luck with weather during the slams (at least that is the point I wanted to make).

As for who will be in the final, I’ll wait another round to find out. Just for the heck of it. :)

Cheers.

September 11th, 2009 at 2:05 am

Nadal also would beaten Fed Allstop in three sets Wimbledon last year. If the rain didn’t stalled, he was leading 2 sets. And was leading in the third.

September 11th, 2009 at 2:06 am

Gannau, you’re paranoid ya know? I am a Murray fan!

September 11th, 2009 at 2:08 am

And Fed Allstop won his previos slams. In eras, when there were noone there to challenge him. Marat Safin was the saviour, and my favourite player back then. Love his semi-final win over Fed Allstop at the Aussie Open 05. Fed was hitting in between the legs in the tie-break. Then he went on to lose that set. Agassi was on his way retiring. And Hewitt just couldn’t hurt Fed with his defensive game.

September 11th, 2009 at 2:13 am

Del Potro could be in the final, it would be great if he will be playing Djokovic in the final. I don’t mind if Nadal being in the final, too. But it is just getting so bored of Fed being in the final. I haven’t watched Wimbledon or the French this year. Because I know that Fed would be taking advantage of the draws. He makes tennis boring.

September 11th, 2009 at 2:17 am

the most important thing is that nadal takes the toe break and doesnt use up too much energy. Playing Del Potro is not going to be fun.

September 11th, 2009 at 2:33 am

*tie break.

September 11th, 2009 at 2:33 am

The winner of Djokovic verus Federer match could be champion of this US Open. If Nadal is in the final, he would be really really tired. And if it is Del Potro. He would loses the final like Murray did last year. Because the nerves of being in the final of a major would takes it toll. They are in a pretty tough draw.

September 11th, 2009 at 2:35 am

Del Potro is a pretty talented young gun. But he is not yet ready as a Grand Slam champion yet.

September 11th, 2009 at 2:51 am

Hey Rick
if anyone deserves some luck it is the FED Express
Why not he is number #1. He has had to do similar things to Nadal in other tournaments
if he loses to Novack then he really is going down.
He should win I say in 4 sets

September 11th, 2009 at 3:01 am

Gannu
I loved your comment…it really made me laugh hard..its so true…the luckiest player of all time..great stuff!!

September 11th, 2009 at 3:04 am

Also that Nadal/Gonzalez match was started midnight! What’s with the schedule. And they are going to put them on different court Friday. I could understand why Nadal fans are making their complaints.

September 11th, 2009 at 3:06 am

Gannu, we’re all care about you! Even we know that you’re a paranoia! :)

September 11th, 2009 at 3:08 am

For the record I love Del Potro and would love to see a Del Potro Fed final and even though I love Fed. I think its good to spread the grand slams around a bit, why Not Del Potro get his first in a 5 set marathon, I think that would be great for the Tennis world, that’s of course after he dispatches with Nadal in 4 sets in the Semis..

September 11th, 2009 at 3:09 am

Its true Rick the schedule sucks for Nadal but if you really great you need to play under any circumstances that’s what shows that you have endurance and stamina. Lets see if he can handle it.

September 11th, 2009 at 3:11 am

Gannu Says:

“And now Ladies and Gentlemen
Be ready for all the nadalophiles to keep bragging abt rigged schedule, rigged weather(perhaps Fed fans have prayed to God too much)

Its a win-win situation for Nadal fans

If he wins…the argument goes this way - Despite the bad weather, schedule, abdominal pain, knee injury (which part is left??) He conquered the maestor

and If he loses the weather and schedule is there to save..

Bottomline - Nadal never loses on his own..He is unbeatable..Its nature, destiny and/or torunanment organisers that make him lose matches!!!!”

I think that’s a bit of a straw man. No one is saying it’s rigged (unless it’s rigged by god) or that he never loses on his own / is unbeatable. Well ok, maybe fed is afraid might say that, but you’re grossly misrepresenting everyone else.

You do have to admit he’s been less lucky than Fed when it comes to this stuff. Especially at Wimbledon, which thankfully is no longer an issue. Wimb 07 really stands out. Everyone in the latter stages had to play week 2 back to back, while Fed got about 5 days off before the final (thanks to a walkover), and always had his matches done before the rain.

Was lucky again in Wimb 08, and then AO 09 where he had the 2 nights rest before the final while Nadal had one night after playing the longest AO match ever in the semi. If not for a 5th set choke from the Swiss, he would have lost that, and should have.

September 11th, 2009 at 3:33 am

“AO 09 where he had the 2 nights rest before the final while Nadal had one night after playing the longest AO match ever in the semi. If not for a 5th set choke from the Swiss, he would have lost that, and should have.”

I always thought that the top half (with the #1 seed) plays day 1 on the slams, and the bottom half plays day 2, giving the top half finalist an extra days rest before the final. That’s how it always seemed to be, but the AO did it the other way around this year for some reason.

This time around at USO, Nadal didn’t get his start until day 3 (kinda sucks how USO splits the first round into 3 days). Players who begin on day 3 have a more packed schedule at the tail end of the tournament and get less rest when it matters most.

Not sure how they will do things on saturday but Fed will more than likely be first out on court.

September 11th, 2009 at 3:42 am

Rick

Your are the most insecure person in this world.. and guess ur posts speaks volumes abt that… I know your aree going through the toughest period of your life as a Fed hater…May your misery prolong further … The attitude is terrible… Every body wants their favourites to win…. but to desire for some one’s loss is the worst thing.. So i guess you need to change that.. There is a diff… I want fedex to win and not nadal to lose…Its a matter of way you look at things

Giner

I dont buy the argument of tough schedules etc.. This French open Fedex played two 4 set matches and one five set match before facing Del Potro.. and it was Del Potro who got tired in the Semis when it went to a 5th set… Have you ever seen Fedex struggling in a match due to fitness…

What gets underappreciated is the amount of hardwork that goes beyond buliding such a fitness.. Unfortuantely his grace and his gliding on the court masks that hardwork and people think ist too easy..Just because Nadal jumps up and down deosnt necessarily mean that he has played tough schedules longer matches etc and hence he deserves to be tired…

As far as Nadal’s schedule is concerned I for one will never agree that this year’s US Open has been harsh on him.. He sadly is responsible for making it so tough.. Who asked him to play on Wed his 1st round? He demanded despite knowing what could happen in 2nd week… So he partly responsible for what has happened…
That doesnt mean he cant go and win the US Open.. He has shown that in AUstralian Open.. He by far is the most physically fit player (I know that sounds a bit irnonical considering his knee issues which tend to flare up more after a match especially when he loses) to pull this out over three days…

September 11th, 2009 at 4:20 am

I don’t understand why every time people talk about Federer or Nadal, they always relate them one to another. IMO, If you want to praise Federer, just praise him and don’t bad mouthing Nadal, and so vise versa.

September 11th, 2009 at 5:04 am

Here we go again. Draw, schedule complaints and excuses. Maybe a bit premature?!?

Who knows what will happen these next couple of days? What if Rafa wins the 2nd set tiebreak and then bagels Gonzales in the 3rd. You can then hardly call it a physical work out. Yes; it could go to five sets. That would be somewhat bad news, but partly it will be Rafa’s own fault, should it happen.

Who knows? Maybe there will be some serious rescheduling. Weather forecasts are not looking too good for the coming days…

The only valid complaint could be when they force a player to play 2 best of 5 set matches in the same day.

September 11th, 2009 at 5:22 am

Well, well for the second year running the weather gods do seem to have favoured Fed, and I’m not talking conspiracy here guys, just coincidence.
jane, von and any other interested fans out there: the beeb is now saying Andy M. “sustained a wrist injury at the US Open” This has come out becos of the Davis cup commitment. Am not offering this as an excuse, but a possible explanation. If true, hope its not serious as in 2007 he had a long time out with a wrist injury.
skorocel: you may have been right when you said that he looked as if he couldn’t get off the court fast enough.
von: in interview Johnny Mac said he thought Andy trained too hard and ought to be more like Fed who paces himself so well. Was thinking about your comments about his physique/genes. He’s obviously has a traditional athletic build like Walander(spelling?) Perhaps he shoud’ve been a short distance sprinter? Whereas Rafa could easily have been a fiercesome boxer!

September 11th, 2009 at 5:37 am

margot: I read something about the wrist somewhere else, can’t remember where. Did he mention it in his post-match interview or something? Anyway, I do remember the wrist injury in the past. And then didn’t he tweak it at Queens this year or last? Or maybe that’s where/when he sustained it in the first place. But I do remember it being an issue for him before. Shame, that. Hope it’s nothing serious.

September 11th, 2009 at 5:48 am

jane: good morning! No he didn’t mention it post match and all credit to him if it’s true and wasn’t offered as an excuse. He’s refusing to comment on it at the mo. anyway. However, did read a match write up that said he was “favouring” his left wrist so could well be true. Absolute bummer!

September 11th, 2009 at 5:56 am

Does anyone here really think that Nadal can beat Del Potro on surface of this speed? Don’t you guys know anything about tennis, apart who you like or dislike? Just how is he supposed to beat him? Not a single shot to really hurt him, and court to fast to return enough. One a good player with strong 2 handed backhand shows up, Nadal is finished in the US open.

As far as Nadal is concerned, this whole disccusion is irrelevant…but the fact remains the US open should quit the ridiculous SF - F over weekend policy untill they get a roof. No other slam is more sensitive to weather.

An got forbid US Open made a decision to put the matches on eariler, as all reports were saying rain in the evening. This whole thing could’ve been avoided fairly simply.

As for the finales, Federer beats Del Potro, Del Potro beats Djokovic. Or is there anyone here who thinks Djokovic can possibly play 2 though matches with less then 20 hours rest?

No wonder US Open hasn’t had an epic final in ages, one player is always seriuosly handicaped. But they presist in their “super saturdays” policy, as they apparently don’t mind the “lame sunday” as long as saturday is so super.

September 11th, 2009 at 5:59 am

margot - cheerio! Oh, then I must’ve read it in an article too. And yeah, nice that he didn’t really raise the issue and is keeping mum about it just now. But like I said before, I hope it’s not too serious. We know he’s strong, so he’ll recover and be well to play the season out. As for Davis Cup, that might be another matter.

September 11th, 2009 at 6:02 am

In our household, my wife is a big Nadal fan while I am for Federer. But my wife has nothing but praises for Federer and is always amazed when he sees him play. She says his movements seem effortless and very well thought of. She says Federer knows when he could get to the ball and hit it back to where it would matter. Otherwise, if the effort is just likely to go to waste, he just lets it go and saves his energy to where it would be more effective. She says that is why he does not even sweat when he plays. She wishes that Nadal would play like that so that he could save his body for a longer career. She volunteered that information when I praised Nadal for going all out all the time.

September 11th, 2009 at 7:25 am

Rafa has not proven he can beat DelPo on this surface - unfortunately true. What can he do?

If Rafa (or Gonzo) make it to finals, whomever will it is have to play 3 days in a row?? Unfortunately not true. It would be 4 days counting Thursday. Hopefully today’s resumption will be short and Fed/Djoko will be a long match to even out the fatigue factor.

Regarding unnecessary vitriol among some of you who post here: What is to be gained from such low-brow behavior? What makes the sport so great are the terrific shots/rallies and the fact that each are different yet there is more than one whom is terrific.
I used to be amused by the arguments on here but it has gotten to the point of being absurd.

You remind me of some of the troglodytes at the U.S. healthcare townhall meetings.

Thank you to those with insightful comments.

A big BOO! to those of limited evolution.

September 11th, 2009 at 8:01 am

I would love to see sonic proved wrong (e.g. djokovic v rafa final). Anyone who knows anything about tennis should know that a top player has the ability to beat another top player on any given day.

September 11th, 2009 at 8:09 am

Bravo ferix! Exactly. Proven 13 times in Novak’s case, 10 times in Murray’s, 34 times in Nadal’s and 18 times in Fed’s.

Anyone knowing anything about Babolat pure drive, I mean experiences with it? I ordered one for myself, hopefully a good choice.

September 11th, 2009 at 8:43 am

If Gonzo wins this match everything will be okay. If Nadal wins we will continue to have problems. So it really isn’t the rain, it is Nadal who is the problem.

If Nadal would just go away, that would be the end to a lot of our worries.

September 11th, 2009 at 8:55 am

What an interesting assessment of the situation, Polifka. You should sporadically give us your evaluation of how things are going in the tennis world to lighten up the mood here. Sometimes it gets very intense especially when Federer and Nadal get deep into the tournament.

September 11th, 2009 at 9:18 am

Did you guys watch ESPN talk to Uncle Toni after during the final rain delay? He said Rafa was having real bad issues with the stomach, especially the 1st set and now he has to win this set to not aggravate it!

If it is as serious as it sounds, wonder how it’ll hold up for tomorrow (and possibly day after) if he wins today.

September 11th, 2009 at 9:20 am

Going through the blogs that are written here, I always wondered why a lot of writers complain about Federer and his favorable draws and favorable weather, and favorable whatever. There are always complaints about how everything is so conspired for Federer to win. What does Federer have to do with those? He just plays who is put across from him and in any weather that it may be. If he wins because he deserves to win. The same way that if he loses, he deserves it just as well, not because of any contrivance by anyone, least of all Federer’s.

September 11th, 2009 at 9:26 am

For those who do the not know the schedule of play today:

TV coverage will be on CBS starting at 12:30 PM. The first semifinals will be Serena vs Kim. Nadal and Gonzalez’ match will follow that and starts at 2 PM. If the women are not done yet, Nadal’s match may be moved to the Louis Armstrong stadium. They will probably stick to the schedule and play it at 2 PM.

September 11th, 2009 at 9:35 am

The stupid TV schedule of “Super Saturday” is usually in favour for the draw of the seeded one player. Otherwise, that semi-final would be on today. Instead of saturday. Fed Allstop had been playing sluggishly in this tournament. Having troubles with players who are allergic to his game. Namingly Hewitt and Soderling. So Djokovic has a pretty chance against him. And this is the first time this year, since Fed Allstop plays a top 4 player in the grand slam since the Australian Open final. I think they should introduce the round robin format into the grand slam events. lol Like what happened in the ATP final last year. When Federer had to played the best on the tour. He was beaten by Simon Gillies and twice by Murray. By the way, when the new ranking release on monday, Del Porto would moves to 5 in the world.

September 11th, 2009 at 9:37 am

Also, what’s with the midnigt session of that Nadal/Gonzalez match? Aren’t they supposed to be in bed or partying during those hours?

September 11th, 2009 at 9:45 am

And the officals are treating tennis players like garbage men. Because they work at midnight, they come to you with their garbage trucks during those hours. lol

September 11th, 2009 at 9:50 am

Rick, have you ever heard of time zones?

Also, I was just on the phone with Roger and he told me about an amazing machine he bought that allows him to make rain.

I know you have your issues and, being a decent human being, I respect that but honestly, do you really not know/understand that the draws are random?

September 11th, 2009 at 10:29 am

Raar, do not question Rick. I think he is a genius.

September 11th, 2009 at 10:46 am

Very bad weather predicted for the entire day.

http://www.weather.com/weather/hourbyhour/USNY0998

September 11th, 2009 at 10:50 am

“If Nadal would just go away, that would be the end to a lot of our worries.”

What a strange thing to say. Just because the weather has been unfavorable in the Rafa/Gonza match, you say this? No matter which one of them win, it’s still crappy they couldn’t finish their match and have to come back today. It’d be crappy for ANY of the players since they get less rest/recovery. I think it was mentioned that Rafa has had some crap luck with weather delays at slams; this has nothing to do with Federer. It has to do with weather.

September 11th, 2009 at 10:52 am

Blank, thanks for the weather update. It looks like they have to have a delayed final at this rate.
—————————

BTW, congrats to Djoko for qualifying for London; I like the “Abbey Road” photo at the ATP website.

September 11th, 2009 at 10:59 am

Jane, do not quote Polifka’s message out of context. If you read the whole thing, it was rather humorous, a satirical comment which she did probably in response to all the messages which talk about even the weather conspiring against Nadal.

September 11th, 2009 at 11:03 am

Will this idiot named Rick ever stop?

September 11th, 2009 at 11:05 am

Giner on Fed: „Was lucky again in Wimb 08, and then AO 09 where he had the 2 nights rest before the final while Nadal had one night after playing the longest AO match ever in the semi.“

Can this get any stupider? Giner, please tell me, how on this f.cking earth can Fed influence how quickly Nadal’s gonna end his matches?! It’s not his fault that Nadal had to wait for 5 hours to finally see Verdasco choke with that doublefault, so PLEASE deal with it. You people are on nuts!

September 11th, 2009 at 11:08 am

They should change the name of US Open to Wee Hours Open or The Midnight Show! lol To Skorocel, the idiot! Well, do you know that in countrie like Australia, New Zealand. If you don’t talk, people would had thought that you’re smart! BOO!

September 11th, 2009 at 11:11 am

To Skocerel: No, idiots never stop because they are so stupid that they do not realize how stupid they are. That is why they keep on going because they are so stupid that think they make sense because they cannot distinguish between the senseless and sensible. That should explain why stupid people continue to be stupid.

September 11th, 2009 at 11:14 am

Also countries other than Australia, people sleep in the different time zone. And people there don’t work in the wee hours of morning. That’s called midnight shift. And you get pay extra pay for work during these hours.

September 11th, 2009 at 11:15 am

No problem Jane. Looks like it’s going to stay like this up until Sun morning.

Interesting to see how this will pan out and how it will affect the players.

September 11th, 2009 at 11:16 am

Re blank@9.20am: uncle Toni should stop with all the injury talks. if he thinks it’s all that bad, then perhaps he should advise his nephew to withdraw?….though that would be difficult considering it’s a GS final. I’ve watched a few of Nadal’s matches & his movement, etc seem fine. But it is such talk from uncle Toni that makes people doubt, e.g. some BBC commentator whose name I forget, question the extent of the injuries. Obviously, he’s in pain, but he’s not the only one. Gonzalez says he’s got knee issues & Verdasco braved stomach problems through his matches. Davydenko had a sudden injury during his last match & withdrew. My point is that not many players are ‘100%’ healthy at all times & most carry one form of injury or the other.

Nadal is a great champion & tries to play it fair, injury or no & has refused to talk about it; but uncle Toni need to shut it. But then again, being family must occasionally cloud his judgement & he’s only being protective of his nephew.

September 11th, 2009 at 11:23 am

All this talk about Nadal having bad luck with the weather, that he has to play for xy days in a row whilst Federer is always lucky to finish his matches just before the rain starts falling, etc. etc. etc., is just ONE STUPID HOGWASH! Oh, poor Rafael, he now has to play for 3 straight days if he wants to win the title here! How could they do this to him? He will surely lose at least 10 years of his life during those 3 days of unbelievable physical and mental stress, won’t he? How can he cope with that? How can he overcome such a big hurdle? He surely isn’t trained for that, is he? He can maybe tire out players like Monfils or play (and win) a 4 hour 5 setter just 24 hours after he played another 5 hour 5 setter, but this surely would be too much for him… How can he?

September 11th, 2009 at 11:26 am

I agree the 2009 Aussie and Madrid semifinals were tough grueling matches, but the time elapsed during the matches were not solely a function of how close and hard fought the matches were. Nadal plays slowly. It is my only gripe with him, but his three set one sided win over Almagro was a 3 hour match. If he played faster the match time would not be as long, but I am not sure how fatiguing standing around between points is for a world class athlete. Djokovic also plays slowly so Madrid dragged on even longer. Why they play so slowly is hard to answer. I think Nadal in a sense is the best at concentrating on tour so the longer the match goes the more his concentration advantage kicks in as a factor. Djokovic has asthma so I think he wants to breath as much as possible between points. Those are my best guesses.

September 11th, 2009 at 11:27 am

been there, done that: I agree. I believe Nadal is a great guy. At times I just wonder, being so close, why uncle Toni’s ways of airing his opinions hasn’t rubbed over on to him! But it’s so nice to see someone at such a young age, with so much success show such class and respect.

September 11th, 2009 at 11:29 am

Or maybe it’s just that Nadal just can’t finish his matches quickly enough because of the way he plays long rallies and ends up wasting precious energy and degrading his health? LOLOL.

September 11th, 2009 at 11:30 am

My worst fear is crappy TV channels will show the women’s trash instead of Nadal’s match if it starts simultaneously on Armstromg. Anyone would want to see Nadal vs Gonzalez then but their obligatory women’s crap coverage (2nd semifinal) will take over. 1st women’s semifinal is gonna be awesome.

September 11th, 2009 at 11:32 am

before our doctrinaire posters respond Almagro-Nadal went 2 hours 39 minutes and if you subtract the trainer’s 5 minutes it was 2 hours 34 minutes.

September 11th, 2009 at 11:33 am

Jane @10:59:

I took one look at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals photo of the top4 on the ATP website & the first thing that came to my mind was human evolution!

http://hydrodictyon.eeb.uconn.edu/courses/EEB210/evolution.jpg

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/human-evolution-t10176.jpg

There are similarities, only that the tools of trade is a racquet instead of spears! naughty, naughty ATP website. lol

September 11th, 2009 at 11:35 am

Rsutherland Says:
“Rafa has not proven he can beat DelPo on this surface - unfortunately true. What can he do?”

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Not quite right. Nadal did beat Del Potro at Indian Wells in a Quarterfinal Match this pat March, and fairly comfortably, 6-3, 6-2. When Nadal returned in Toronto, again they met in the Quarters where Del Potro won 7-6; 6-1. But nadal actually had chances to take the tie break. Considering he’d been off 10 weeks it wasn’t a bad match. One thing I did notice atthis US Open was the ball is getting up pretty high. Nadal was able to get Monfils to start jumping up off the court on his backhand side to meet the high contact point. If anything will help him that should.

And agree that Toni Nadal is the one who fuels the injury talk ad infinitum about Rafael and he needs to shut up. In fact they should never let him talk to the press at all. He’s infamous for throwing Red Herrings everywhere. You never know if what he says is totally true, mostly true, a half truth, partly true or a total fabrication. I think Rafael’s old enough now, and enough of a breadwinner, to get over the Family Hierarchy thing and keep Toni Nadal on a short leash and a big muzzle.

September 11th, 2009 at 11:43 am

Polo - Just to add fuel to the flames, Mats Wilander openly criticized the USTA for it’s favoritism toward Federer regarding the draw AND scheduling (Lindsay Davenport agreed). Assuming this is true, it is of course is not Fed’s fault but the USTA’s.

Naturally I tend to give the players, both current and former, comments on these matters greater attention than posters. They live(d) the tour after all.

September 11th, 2009 at 11:45 am

Blank,
I agree Re: Nadal’s handling of the situation & general manners. However, in my eyes, Nadal is no longer a young boy. He is now an 23 yr adult & being the one actually playing, anything that comes from his camp is said to be from him. He must now find a way of making sure that the communication from his team is in sync. Nadal can’t be saying one thing, only for uncle Tony to be saying the opposite.

Only people who closely follow tennis throughout the year will see it as Nadal & uncle Toni being two different people. Otherwise, what uncle toni says is a direct reflection on Nadal, especially being his coach. Not to mention the pundits who are out for a quick story. it is reported as ‘nadal’s camp….’

He is now an adult & not a teenager (for me anyway, anyone above 21 is able to make their own decisions)….him saying one thing & uncle Toni another is not helping his PR at all…not that it matters to how he’ll swing the raquet…just a bad image. All the way from the FO, uncle Toni is not keeping quiet.

he is an adult & must not let uncle toni handle everything. But then again, being family, if Nadal (even if an adult) doesn’t agree, it would just makes it awkward for him. I know it would for me…it’s always difficult to tell off a family member, especially one whose helped you so much.

September 11th, 2009 at 11:49 am

Dory - Read the Order of Play please. The 1st women’s semi is 1st, Nadal/Gonzo not before 2pm, then the 2nd women’s semi, then the women’s doubles final. If the weather had cooperated, only the women would be playing today but… They have to give Serena time to recupe before the doubles final so I can’t see it being played concurrently with the Men’s Qtr match.

September 11th, 2009 at 11:50 am

Oops - guess the Men’s Double Final is today - not the women’s. So they could air Men’s qtr and Women’s 2nd semi if they move one to Armstrong due to incoming bad weather (a la last year) but I don’t see them doing it - the broadcasters (CBS) will push to show those 3 matches and dump the doubles.

September 11th, 2009 at 11:56 am

I think they should get rid of “Super Saturday” that’s half the problem in a way because things are already backed up at the end of this slam. Both men’s semis should be played on the Friday and the final on Sunday - just like the other slams. Why take away the “day of rest” at the slams between the two most important matches - the semi and final? Doesn’t make sense.

As for weather, it doesn’t favor ANY player obviously; it’s an uncontrollable issue - unless the event has a retractable roof. It just sucks for whomever gets pushed back because of it.

Agree re: Uncle Tony. He should let Nadal or PR people handle the press and just stick to coaching.

————————

Dory, others - based on the forecast Blank kindly posted for us, the schedule may not matter whatsoever. It looked like rain all day. Sigh.

September 11th, 2009 at 11:59 am

Does it really matter what the commentators say? or the fans? or the coaches? or the weatherman? They all do that for personal reasons. The TV commentators to generate interest and viewership. The fans to hype their favorites. The coaches to shield their athlete from media scrutiny so the athlete can just focus on his game. About weather? Well, ask God.

All I want is to see a good tennis match. If my favorite wins, I feel happy. If he loses, I am not so happy but I move on. The player moves on. Life moves on. Rain or shine.

September 11th, 2009 at 12:00 pm

I agree Dan. Look at the difference in time played between ‘08 Wimby final and ‘09 Wimby final…

And can someone tell me why Rafa has been playing USO ‘08 and Ozzie Open ‘09 slams as the number 1 seed after Roger, who was seeded 2nd, and at the French Open this year he played before number 2 seed Fed?

September 11th, 2009 at 12:10 pm

USO weather update - it’s a little vague, but it sounds not so great:

http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/articles/2009-09-11/200909091252536962750.html

September 11th, 2009 at 12:11 pm

Its funny all this talk about Rafa and the scheduling, sure its not Feds fault that the organizers are biased toward him, however it does seem to happen more regular than not. I am sure if this were to happen to Roger we would read loads of complaints from his fans, being the fanatics that they are. Also at the A/O when Rafa had to play for sooo many hours it was his own doing but he sure pulled it off didn’t he!
The problem at the USO is the night matches. If they know that rain is predicted then they should make the necessary arrangements, they are soo unfair to the players I feel, its like the money is all that matters and the players aren’t considered at all unless you are called Roger Federer!

September 11th, 2009 at 12:17 pm

Jane - here’s the weather forecast for LaGuardia (very near by):

http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/hourbyhour/graph/LGA:9

Sigh….

September 11th, 2009 at 12:18 pm

I agree Rafa is slow between points/changeovers, but he also wins less points off his serve, so he also tends to play longer points, which means his playing style -not only his habits- leads to longer matches. And of course in 08 Wimby there were 2 (or 3) rain delays too. But for sure Roddick plays way faster than Rafa. Andy R’s even on the fast side.

September 11th, 2009 at 12:19 pm

ugh, doesn’t look good :(

September 11th, 2009 at 12:20 pm

Veno says: “And can someone tell me why Rafa has been playing USO ‘08 and Ozzie Open ‘09 slams as the number 1 seed after Roger, who was seeded 2nd…”

?????? Am I missing something here. Rafa was #1 for both of these tournaments so he should be seeded #1 over Fed. But you know this Veno.

September 11th, 2009 at 12:21 pm

I wonder what they’ll do tenisbebe, especially if, as I think Blank mentioned, this weather is forecasted until Sunday! I guess the finals could end up being played in the middle of next week.

Does anyone know when the most delayed USO final was played? Was it on a Monday night or later…?

September 11th, 2009 at 12:21 pm

An interesting & short article on the importance of “momentum” in tennis:

http://straightsets.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/11/the-importance-of-momentum-in-tennis/

September 11th, 2009 at 12:32 pm

Both men’s semis may be pushed to Sunday:

http://www.tennis.com/news/news.aspx?id=184832

September 11th, 2009 at 12:34 pm

“I agree Rafa is slow between points/changeovers, but he also wins less points off his serve, so he also tends to play longer points, which means his playing style -not only his habits- leads to longer matches.”

Yeah, but that’s Nadal’s problem, not Federer’s or anyone else’s. If he can’t finish the match within 4 hours, then too bad. If he can’t win his matches by doing something different than firing those 5000 rpm forehands and making the opponents miss, then what the hell? It’s Nadal’s fault, not Federer’s. End of story.

September 11th, 2009 at 12:35 pm

Jane - they mentioned 2 days ago that, given the weekend forecast, they might indeed have to delay the men’s final until Monday night and in that case it would be aired on ESPN2. Now, given the updated forecast, it could be many more matches than just the men’s final. Yuck! Who know, after last years issues and now potentially this years, perhaps this will be the impetus to put a roof on Armstrong as the technology is not there yet to put one on giant Ashe stadium - why in the hell did they feel the need to build such a large tennis venue?

September 11th, 2009 at 12:36 pm

JMac said the tourney’s first and foremost priority is to get Rafa/Gonzo’s match completed today BEFORE the women get on court. Amen. The wind is blowing over 30mph - lordy.

September 11th, 2009 at 12:40 pm

tenisbebe, that link I posted above about pushing the semis to Sunday says that getting a roof is not a matter of “if” but a matter of “when”.

Skorocel @12:35. To me, it’s not even a “fault” or blame issue. It’s simply a fact. That’s the way he plays; others play differently. So it’s just a difference. Not a fault or a problem. Just a reality.

September 11th, 2009 at 12:44 pm

what does fed have to do with rain? how can he be linked to rafa-gonzu match suspension?
a kind of surrender?
maybe the Alibi Epidemic suddenly boomeranged, one after another, first draw, then luck, now rain? what’s next?
conspiracy theories are for comic relief?
the fear of fed winning again???
semifinals have not been played yet. i’ll stay tight until then.

September 11th, 2009 at 12:55 pm

Jane - yes I read the “when not if” comment in the article you posted after my post LOL (thanks for that btw) but still you are talking minimum $200 million to put one on Ashe (without the development costs) - in this economy, who is going to pay for it? The USTA uses the proceeds from the USO to fund its programs throughout the year & they just can’t suddenly cut those programs by that amount. And I don’t see Chase or JPM picking up the tab. How much was it to put the roof on Centre Court (fantastic job they did with that)? $80mm or so? I can’t remember but anyway, I just think Armstrong is a much better alternative for the realities of today.

September 11th, 2009 at 1:09 pm

Btw Mats Wilander is a former great but I think everyone knows (no?) that he still believes that he himself and he alone was the greatest player ever and can’t acknowledge anyone else, *especially* Federer. Hence the bitter taste in his mouth. Lindsay Davenport also had no right to even speak about RF looking at her own record and performance in later years.

September 11th, 2009 at 1:12 pm

Damn it! As of this writing, they’ve scheduled all the matches at the same time on Arthur Ashe, Louis Armstrong and Grandstand. I HATE THE USTA. These are the quarters and semis DAMN IT!!

September 11th, 2009 at 1:24 pm

tenisbebe says: “How much was it to put the roof on Centre Court (fantastic job they did with that)? $80mm or so? I can’t remember but anyway, I just think Armstrong is a much better alternative for the realities of today.”

It cost 100 million pounds aprox. 160 million dollars putting a roof over centre court at SW 19….

But remember, the tennis tournament of the Olympics will be held at SW 19 in 2012.

bebe, you lost me on your reply concerning Nadal’s seeding….

Nadal was seeded nr 1 at USO ‘08 through French Open ‘09, yet in 2 of those he played in the half with the later schedule…..Only at the French this year did his half have the starting schedule….

September 11th, 2009 at 1:32 pm

Question. Last year the mens final was played on Monday, right? Do you guys know what time it started?

September 11th, 2009 at 1:37 pm

@blank, they started play at 5 pm on the Monday

September 11th, 2009 at 1:41 pm

This page: http://www.usopen.org/en_US/scores/schedule/index.html?promo=topnav says 14:00 and http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/articles/2009-09-11/200909091252536962750.html says 14:30. They’re never saying the same thing.

September 11th, 2009 at 1:42 pm

Thanks Veno. But that’s darn unlucky for me. I am traveling to California this Sunday. I am starting as early as 4am that day (thinking earlier I’d make it on time for the mens final).

Too bad…Monday I’ll be at work when I should be watching the finals, if the weather continues to play spoilsport.

September 11th, 2009 at 1:46 pm

Has the wind really died down by the way?

I don’t mean to stroke the fed people too much, but the only guy of the 8 that played well in the wind this last round was Roger. Played 2 sets of unbelievably good tennis, and 2 sets of very good tennis.

I think the delay last night helped Nadal (med treatment), but the extra day to rest, regroup, and possibly re-think his plan (and especially if the wind died down) favors Gonzo for sure.

Monfils definitely wishes he had had a rain delay after set 2. Maybe even after the first set.

September 11th, 2009 at 1:50 pm

I’m really excited about today by the way. 3 possibly good matches simulcast, I’m ecstatic. Unexpected.

Maybe Dick Enberg caught a cold as well! I can hope!

September 11th, 2009 at 1:51 pm

Against my better judgement, I came back here to read the comments about the rain delay with Rafa’s match. Unbelievable is probably the most polite word I can manage!

What on earth is going on with some of you people? But of course we have Dan Martin saying that it’s all Rafa’s fault, because he plays SO slow! This is what I have come to expect here. It has nothing to do with the dumb tournament officials who didn’t listen to the weather report and manage to get the men’s quarterfinal matches started earlier in the day. Why make them responsible? Much better to blame it on Rafa’s slow play and of course, take a few shots at his Uncle Toni.

I have never complained about any of these so-called conspiracies in favor of Fed. I have never complained about Rafa always playing the later matches. But now I am going to sound off on all of this. I believe that when you are playing for the championship in a grand slam, that both players should come in with the same amount of rest. It’s all about fair play. I have never said that Fed won his matches due to favorable scheduling. I don’t go there. But neither do I think that he needs a few extra days rest over Rafa. The fact that Rafa has managed to prevail in the past is due to his enormous determination, will to win and sheer heart and courage. But I know that he will never, ever get credit for that on this site.

As far as Rafa’s injury, well you don’t see him complaining about it. If Uncle Toni is concerned, that’s his right. Honestly, every little thing with Rafa is rife for criticism here. Every time Rafa aggravates that abdominal injury is difficult. But he still plays and manages to win matches. I don’t know how he does it, but that’s one of many qualities that makes him great.

I didn’t read a lot of the comments here, because I feel my blood boiling already. The bias towards Fed is painfully obvious. That’s why there aren’t a lot of Rafa fans here. Why should we subject ourselves to the biased comments of those who unabashedly fawn over Fed? Guys like Dan and Sean set the tone for it with their own comments about Rafa.

But when I see the love for Rafa from the likes of Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe, then I realize whose thoughts and feelings are important. These are the great players who know what it means to go out there and have to win these grand slams. They see the same special qualities in Rafa that I do. I have never been more proud of Rafa than I am right now, when everything is against him and he keeps on persevering. He never gives up, never makes excuses, never stops fighting. That is a champion in my book.

September 11th, 2009 at 2:37 pm

Mindy, Rafa is -NO DOUBT- a great champion. I admire him tremendously, and his style of play is fun to watch, imo. He brings a lot of excitement to the court. I hope he and Gonzales can finish their match as soon as possible.

September 11th, 2009 at 2:52 pm

Mindy — I’m sort of late to the thread but here’s my take:

1) Rick is prominently involved in this thread. When that happens, you need to filter out a lot of nonsense he’s going to bring up. (Fed is Afraid is another fan favorite as well.) A lot of the rabid federer responses are from folks that continue to respond to this clown.

2) Dan’s comment was fair, I don’t think he was blaming Nadal’s play style for the weather delay where it happened, or anything like that. I thought one fair point of his was that in the novak/nadal match that took an astounding 4 hours, there was a lot of downtime. That’s been echoed by a lot of people. His almagro straight set win is another good example: the match wasn’t particularly high quality, though there were some very long rallies; it just went very slowly. (If you actually read Dan’s comment, he clearly praised Nadal’s mental toughness there. He’s got an advantage if he grinds out the match, both within points or between.)

The USO takes their orders from CBS on scheduling. They’re the ones to “blame” for Nadal’s match not being completed: they wanted a night match for TV ratings reasons.

Also MUCH more likely to fill Arthur Ashe on a thursday if you start later — I would know, I took the 7 train to about 30 mets games two years ago, and if you can believe it the mets any year but this one are a MUCH bigger draw than the USO quarters.

3) I don’t really understand the victim mentality with regards to Nadal and his fans. He’s struggled with some injuries this year and come through farther than I thought he would here (I thought he’d be out last round), but this has nothing to do with his relationship vis a vis other competitors. Like he fights through all these “obstacles” that are thrown his way and … somehow this makes him a better person/player/champion than anyone else?

Look I love James Blake. A few years back he dealt with a career threatening neck injury going after a ball. HE’s been through more injury-wise than any of the top guys that I know of (far worse than Nadal, seriously). But while it makes me a little more sympathetic towards him, I don’t think that makes him a better person or player than what he is based on his game. Playing through injuries isn’t a notch on your belt in individual sports, no absolutely not.

4) As for Federer/Novak having multiple days of rest between the semis and the final…that’s extremely unlikely unless a delay happens during the second semi. Both semis will deal with the super saturday gauntlet, whether it starts on saturday or not. I would like them to play both matches simultaneous perhaps, but at the end of the day the bottom line is dollars.

Federer plays no role in this calculus except that he is the biggest draw on tour. I’m not happy about it either, but what caused the Federer fans to come out defending him was that people were giving him credit/blame for stuff like the draw and the weather (previous thread as well)… that can’t be right.

September 11th, 2009 at 3:10 pm

Shakey,

Thanks for your comments. It’s funny, but I am really getting it on one of the Rafa forums. I got sick and tired of reading all of the ridiculous and nonsensical conspiracy theories, so I posted my own thoughts. I told them that I wouldn’t even discuss any conspiracy theories. I told them it was a total waste of energy. Needless to say, I won’t be hugely popular there, either. But I speak my mind and say what I think, even if other Rafa fans don’t like it.

It’s embarrassing to read some of the shameless comments by fellow Rafa fans. I have told them what I think about all this carping and complaining. But let me make a few things clear once and for all - I do NOT subscribe to any of the Federer conspiracy theories, none! I respect Federer’s record and considerable accomplishments. I congratulate him on becoming a father and wish only good thing for him and his wife and two little twin girls. I do not have any hatred for him. I have issues with some comments he has made about Rafa and that’s it.

I know that there are a few Rafa crazies here and it’s too bad, because they do not do justice to him. Rafa would not like comments disparaging Federer’s greatness. Federer didn’t win all those grand slams through sheer luck. So I want to make that perfectly clear, once and for all.

Now, to expound on my point about Rafa playing slow. If Dan wants to criticize that, then my question would be, how does he feel about the type of antics that Monfils, Tsonga and even Gonzo, have used in matches. I am referring specifically to Monfils and his attempts to rile up the crowd after long points in Tuesday night’s match with Rafa. The chair umpire gave him a warning about using these tactics to delay play. At least Rafa doesn’t resort to that kind of behavior. I think it actually backfired on Monfils, because it motivated Rafa to really raise the level of his game and then mimic Monfils when he pounded his own chest after a big point.

I loved it when Tsonga publicly accused Gonzo of cheating in their fourth round match. Like Tsonga should talk! He is just as bad when it comes to those embarrassing histrionics and shamelessly playing to the crowd.

I think it’s worse when you use these kinds of deliberate tactics to slow down a match. Rafa has been serving more quickly in some of his matches. He saw Monfils sucking wind and he didn’t want to give him time to recover. The ESPN commentators also noted that Rafa was serving much faster in last night’s match with Gonzo. So I still take issue with Dan’s comments, although he is certainly entitled to his opinion.

As I have said, this is not a Rafa friendly site. That’s why I don’t post much here. Someone asked me to stay here at least through the Open. I do more reading than posting. At least there are people here who respect Rafa, even if they are not his fans. There will always be some who will never give him his due and that’s just the way it is.

I am in such an unusual situation, since I am really fed up with the whining on the Rafa forum. I have no patience for any of it. But I still stand by my belief that both players should have the same amount of days off before a final. As far as Rafa being scheduled to be in primetime, well the rain pretty much ruined that.

It’s not about injuries. Rafa fights with all his heart when he is healthy. Let’s not lose sight of that. He never gives up. So let’s forget the injuries for the sake of this argument. What I respect and admire about Rafa is the commitment he gives to every single match. Rafa could very easily have thrown in the towel against Monfils after that tough tiebreak loss in the first set. But he came back and raised his game and kept on fighting. You didn’t see that from Murray in his match with Cilic. John McEnroe mentioned it during Rafa’s match with Monfils. Rafa will fight to the end, never giving up, never quitting. That is the reason I am such a huge fan. He could have quit when Fed evened up the match in that 2008 Wimbledon final. A champion never gives up. Rafa could have given in to exhaustion and lost to Fed in the 2009 AO. But he kept on going and managed to win. Rafa’s accomplishments get demeaned, while Fed’s are raised to exalted heights. That is my issue. It’s all in the perception, how we choose to see things.

We are all entitled to see things and perceive them in our own way. That is what makes for lively discussion. I dislike the Rafa fans who complain about conspiracies and don’t give Fed credit. I also dislike Fed fans who trash Rafa and demean his achievements.

September 11th, 2009 at 5:25 pm

Mindy says: “We are all entitled to see things and perceive them in our own way. That is what makes for lively discussion. I dislike the Rafa fans who complain about conspiracies and don’t give Fed credit. I also dislike Fed fans who trash Rafa and demean his achievements.”

Ain’t that the truth! As a Fed fan I second your opinion here.

September 11th, 2009 at 7:16 pm

“He could have quit when Fed evened up the match in that 2008 Wimbledon final. A champion never gives up. Rafa could have given in to exhaustion and lost to Fed in the 2009 AO. But he kept on going and managed to win.”

Very good points, Mindy!

“Rafa’s accomplishments get demeaned, while Fed’s are raised to exalted heights. That is my issue.”

Whether they’re demeaned or exalted is not important. What’s important is that no one can take them away from Nadal.

September 11th, 2009 at 8:13 pm