Tom-

thanks for uploading the highlights and this roddick interview.

i love it that he basically says how great it was to get a win over the 23 yr old “legend,” rafa. then goes on to say okay but; he’s not done yet and he’s impressed but not too impressed with his win today- however today’s win was not the “culmination,” there is still one match to go.

this is the “all business roddick” interview. good thinkin’ andy!

April 3rd, 2010 at 1:17 am

Nadal is not the same, the robot power is over, now he is only a good player, 4th position is good for him.

April 3rd, 2010 at 7:40 am

NELTA.

One of the GOAT of posts :)

April 3rd, 2010 at 8:36 am

April 3rd, 2010 at 11:14 am

LOl “23 year old legend” who btw has how many grand slams? 6 ..and how many roddick has? oh yeah 1..i hope he does not disappoint tomorrow and gets it done..cause he so far is considered a big shocker when it matters the most. i like roddick but come on cross the finish line first and then you can talk all you want..he played a great game yesterday ..very smart..that’s the roddick i wanna see tomorrow and for nadal the kid will do just fine. Cant wait for the clay season to start :)

April 3rd, 2010 at 12:43 pm

I didn’t notice before, but after that long point where Rafa misses the between the legs shot the commentator(Robbie Koenig I think) yells out ROOODICKULUS!!!!! at the 4:43 mark.

April 3rd, 2010 at 1:54 pm

The match turned during the 3-3, 2nd set game didnt it? At 3-3 in the 2nd set Roddick won a big point that put him up 40-15 and allowed him to win the game and give confidence during the 4-3 game with Nadal serving. In the 3-3 game it seemed Roddick hit a lot harder – in the 2-3 game also.

The “rodddickulous!” comment was great from the announcer! I like it too!

April 3rd, 2010 at 6:18 pm

A translation of the thigh slapping incident.

http://www.nadalnews.com/2010/04/03/miami-thigh-slapping-moment-translated/comment-page-1/#comment-30535

April 3rd, 2010 at 7:19 pm

rose @ 12:43 pm you sound very bitter. Roddick is not the one writing the article, so why the angst and incidental stuff about him winning tomorrow? If he wins fine, and if he should lose, he’ll take it like a man, and I can assure you he wouldn’t make excuses nor whine — trust me on that one.
__________________
From the comments in the blog following the video clip posted by Clay, there is speculation from the bloggers that Nadal’s knees allegedly caused him to have a dip in his performance vs. Roddick, and not Roddick’s upping of his match play, that made Andy win the match.

Does anyone know whether Nadal is playing doubles at Miami? And if so, maybe he should not be playing both doubles and singles on HC. He did it at IW and that may be the reason why his knee problem is surfacing again?

April 3rd, 2010 at 8:23 pm

NELTA:

Robbie Koenig has been using the “Roddickulous’ comment when Roddick gave Robredo a good whipping on clay at Rome.

I happen to like Robbie’s and Jason’s commentating very much. They do a very good job at the Masters tourneys.

April 3rd, 2010 at 8:52 pm

Roddick beat Nadal because Roddick figured out what he had to do during the match. Nadal lost because he didnt.

That’s tennis!

April 3rd, 2010 at 8:56 pm

Roddick played very well..but that final game where Roddick broke rafa to win the match, imo was a very strange game from rafa. Roddick played some good shots but Nadal seem not to fight much (like the nadal we know) on that game.

If nadal is still bothered by knees (as what clay posted above – which I hope not again) then I am afraid it is a big problem. And I hope he is smart enough on his schedule.

I agree with Von..why does he play doubles as well..though in miami he only played one match.

April 3rd, 2010 at 9:00 pm

Kimmi that’s what I was saying before. Nadal gave in that last game because Roddick applied some pressure. That’s something I’d expect from a Robredo or someone lower like that, but not Nadal. Very strange, indeed.

April 3rd, 2010 at 9:10 pm

Von,

I also like Robbie and Jason. That’s the first time I’ve heard the ‘Roddickulus’ comment. I thought it was great. He does like to say ‘ridiculous’ when there’s a great point played so I guess I just didn’t catch the play on words the 1st time.

April 3rd, 2010 at 9:11 pm

all i can say about that link is, i doubt rafa would have been cursing his knees had he won in straight sets easily;and won that second set as he did the first, you know?

but andy changed. andy upped his game, it’s very clear. once he unleashed the first forehand winner in the second set, two more forehands winners followed. rafa could not get to them.

Andrew Miller-

was that first forehand winner, followed by two more to break rafa or holding rafa off BEFORE the game he broke rafa? i think it was his own service game. those winners seemed to come out of nowhere. then he broke rafa.

i definitely remember that andy struck no forehand winners at all in the first set. rafa dictated play.

sure, rafa had to try and respond, maybe in doing so, he had to exert himself, run faster, change directions and he was no longer able to stand in the middle of the baseline and work roddick around like a puppet on a string, as he did in the first set.

we all know rafa’s knees are vulnerable, especially on hard court.

a match with roddick pushing rafa around on hard court and ljubicic doing the same at IW, isn’t worth blowing the knees before clay season, is it? and it does make one wonder why rafa is also playing doubles on hard court so much, as Von points out.

and if the knees are bothering him and his wisdom teeth need to come out…..sheesh….give federer needs rafa’s monte-carlo spot. federer looked rusty. or maybe federer is wise, pacing himself to avoid the old back issues. pacing himself, using masterful caution, discretion.

scheduling is tricky, indeed. getting through an entire tennis season without injury is an accomplishment in itself.

what do i know? are rafa’s knees really bothering him? or was he cursing the fact he wasn’t keeping up with roddick’s sudden aggressive play and finding the right counter response.

was soda the soderling doing his old routine of getting close to winning but not quite? or did his strapped knee a play a part in going down so easily to berdych.

back to rafa-

in his pressor, rafa plainly said roddick “surprised” him.

so i hope it’s just that; not the the knee problem the bloggers on Clay’s video link fear.

back to roddick and berdych. the betting sites are not giving berdych much of a chance. GO RODDY!

Von, i’ll be cheering for “puddle duck.” i’m a little nervous though if berdych gets on a roll. it will be tragic if andy makes it to another final and doesn’t win. i was happy for old lubie…

but i really want AR to win this one! or i’ll cry and throw a tantrum

April 3rd, 2010 at 9:55 pm

NELTA:

You should have heard Robbie when Roddick beat Robredo at Rome on clay. It was a great match and Roddick was zinging winners from all over the court, hitting supreme angles. One could say Andy was in the zone. Robbie and Jason loved it, but as you know, Robbie is the more effervescent and vociferous of the two, thus, the ‘Roddiculous’ exclamations were uttered constantly. For me, a Roddick fan, I was so elated to hear him getting so much praise. OOOLALA

April 3rd, 2010 at 10:00 pm

contador:

I have doubts about Roddick vs. Berdych, as it seems Tomas has found his groove and boy is he grooving — he’s got the rhythm, alright.

I’m not going to let the doubts creep in, and I’m going to state emphatically and positively that Roddick WILL win tomorrow. I’ve cried enough, and I still can’t watch last year’s Wimby. No more losses from AR. C’mon Andy, you can do it!!

____________________
Kimmi: The last game, I think Nadal was totally kafuffled, and he probably felt that it was no use fighting.

April 3rd, 2010 at 10:08 pm

Von,

i have not been right at all, in fact picking a winner has been impossible since all the injuries last fall. seems there is no order anymore. LOL..

i rather like the unpredictability, up to a point. it’s very cool that tomas got himself to a atp 1K final again…last one, only one was in Paris in 2006? i just looked it up and already forgot. anyway…

good for him but ANDY will win!!

April 3rd, 2010 at 10:22 pm

contador Says:

RE: April 3rd, 2010 at 9:55 pm post

Totally agree. If ( there was not ) ANY knee problems that would jeopardize his “King of Clay” season, why even play doubs at IW AND Miami? IF his kness were still not up to par why even play hard courts and go to Europe and start playing on the clay earlier, the more forgiving surface on your body?

I understand Rafa fans want to come up with reasons why is not winning YET, but hey, Rafa is not saying anything about his knees. I am sure some other posters can bring up lots of quotes from him about how WELL he felt his game is and how he is improving.

Ya know, sometimes, you just have to give credit to the other player, no? I mean, was Rafa GIVING away mutiple points, double faulting all the time, calling for an injury time – outs? Did he look like he wasn’t moving well throughout IW and Miami?

I mean I thought I saw Andy blasting balls out winners, like a lot of them? WTF?

I don’t know how many times it needs repeating, but…if you go into a Tourney hurt, and play….no whining. Otherwise., don’t play. IF you get hurt during the match,,,,,,well that is what trainers and injury time-outs are for and if you have to quit you get well deserved sympathy, cause you got hurt DURING the match.

This is such a frustrating thing to keep talkin about AGAIN…I’m out……

April 3rd, 2010 at 10:27 pm

Ben @ 9:10pm, maybe Nadal is experiencing the same problems federer had, breaking down in final (3rd or 5th)set when facing top players.

His match with davydenko in doha was kind of the same.

definetly strange to even think something like this would to happen to nadal, who has a reputation of being the most mentally strong player on tour.

April 3rd, 2010 at 11:23 pm

okay skeezerweezer. you are out…..

and i am filing the same complaint about a player entering a tourny injured or ailing: no whining.

end of story. but i love those MTO’s, don’t you? get to watch a knee, foot, shoulder massage …..i’m out.

kimmi-

it’s appears all the top 4 players are having their problems:

1) federer’s problems are not clear, he said, “I should never be in a tie breaker,” after losing to baggy. meaning he should finish of a set before getting to that point, right? but what does he do? gets himself in a tie breaker with berdie, just like he did with baggy, c;mon feddy!

2) nole is in love with life and golf-maybe he was just taking a mental time-out for R&R. he’ll come back on clay with a reliable serve and desire to fight. please.

3) murray has fallen outta love with tennis for the moment apparently, so he says. and i hope somebody helps him turn that around.

4) and maybe rafa is still having some insecurity over what happened to his knees last year and is afraid to push himself too hard. makes sense, no? it’s sort of an adjustment disorder, unresolved, uh…

what does Von think? rafa had some personal and physical losses last year. he’s not quite over them? so, a winning clay season is what the doctor orders for rafa. presently, when a match gets intense, the stress manifests itself immediately in his knees…

i have no idea….just talking….

good night, people. hope i can watch the final but not sure where i have to be tomorrow. C’mon Andy

April 4th, 2010 at 1:05 am

i didn’t see any sign in the match that Nadal had any problem w/ his knees. I don’t really think doubles puts that much stress on the knees. I just think Nadal was sick of losing against top 10 players. he wants to be the monstr he was in 2008 again.

April 4th, 2010 at 2:11 am

conty – loved your “just talking” post @ 1:05 am – it is awesome speculation! :)

Good luck to Andy R in the finals – sure hope he wins! And I hope that T-Berd puts up a fight too. I wanna see some gooooood tennis.

April 4th, 2010 at 3:35 am

Isn’t Rafa playing doubles to sharpen up serve and volley points in order shorten his singles match play and reduce all the running around he’s doing at the mo and so protect those knees?
Bit of a catch 22 though.
Stay POSITIVE von. Andy’s playing brilliantly and using that most important weapon all sportspeople have-his brain.

April 4th, 2010 at 4:54 am

Margot,

Rafa doesn’t serve and volley in doubles. I watched the IW final against Nestor/Zimonic. He does everything just like he is playing singles. This unorthodox style for doubles gave Nestor/Zimonic some problems because your return game is different vs a serve and volleyer. With Rafa/Marc there was always one person at net and one at the baseline when either Rafa or Marc is serving, never 2 at net together. Also, the whole thing about getting more practice volleying is a myth. He only hit a handful of volleys the whole doubles match because he never serve and volleys and rarely poaches. Also, his opponents almost never hit at him when he is at the net. They would rather go to his weaker opponent at the baseline.

April 4th, 2010 at 9:11 am

Oops. The last sentence should say ‘weaker partner’, not ‘weaker opponent’

April 4th, 2010 at 9:14 am

i’m proud of Andy too. Especially his ability to flex his game, change pace. He’s learned a hell of a lot from those Federer losses and now he’s turning the tables and using a lot of class strategy to up his game. I’m not sure he has enough of a repertoire for the clay, but I’d put him as odds on fav for Wimbledon this year and the US Open too. Larry Stefanki has done a fantastic job and we know what Brooklyn is doing for Andy’s game nudge, nudge

April 6th, 2010 at 2:29 pm