Seen him play twice, lost one, won one. Highly talented, highly inconsistent and lacked match play savvy. Looks as if it’s coming together! GR8!

September 20th, 2010 at 2:20 pm

Not wishing to undermine your scoop, but I think you might be a bit behind the news. I spotted the young man who publicly claims to model himself on the great Roger….back in June 2009.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/196576-grigor-dimitrov-the-young-roger-federer-in-waiting

September 20th, 2010 at 3:09 pm

huh? never seen him play? Rotterdam against Nadal? Winning junior Wimbledon? Queens? … how do they let you near a computer?

September 20th, 2010 at 7:25 pm

I saw Dimitrov against Simon at Queens couple of years ago – and I concur with everything margot says (perhaps we watched the same match?).

With very talented people like that, you never know where they’re going to go, if anywhere. If he has managed to harness his natural gifts – and the signs look good – this will be wonderful for the game, and not just for the obvious reasons.

There was a time when non-Federer fans complained (at the very least) of the boredom induced by Fed winning everything. Sampras, too, had that effect for a while. And now it’s Nadal, and it looks bad, for there seems to be no one in sight to challenge him. Djokovic will always be close – but that may be it, the perennially nearly man. Delpo is, for the time being, an unknown quantity. If Murray can grow up, he’s in with a chance. But the ground looks thin.

So it’s refreshing to see at least the possibility of new blood making its mark. Let’s assume 2011 is a learning year playing amongst the big boys. Will we see a real challenge coming in 2012? Or is it going to be major yawn time for non-Nadalites?

September 22nd, 2010 at 12:03 pm

grendel,

you forget roger federer. The man isn’t done yet.

As for grigor, Peter Lundgren has been touting him as the next best thing since federer – that he was even better than federer – for the last 3 years, and then he stepped down as his coach last year to work on stan and now grigor starts winning! grigor took a set of nadal in 2008, I think in rotterdam, so the boy has talent – but as for ever getting close to fed’s accomplishments, it’s really too early to say, but winnig bangkok is a start – good luck to him.

September 22nd, 2010 at 1:48 pm

i had been checking the challenger results over the summer and by august 30 grigor had jumped 61 spots to #184 after his geneva win, and i thought “what?”

then, i saw lundgren in wawa’s box for us open. *ah haa*

wow, thank god. hopefully, getting lundgren off his back and the weight of being the “next federer” sets grigor free!

maybe he’ll grow another inch while he’s at it too…lol : )

and, make it into the main atp draw for the thai open! go grigor go!!

September 23rd, 2010 at 2:44 am

grendel: yes, Queens. Agree re thin ground too. But that seems to be the way tennis goes?

September 23rd, 2010 at 2:55 am

Grendel says, “…And now it’s Nadal, and it looks bad, for there seems to be no one in sight to challenge him. Djokovic will always be close – but that may be it, the perennially nearly man…”

Do you suppose that Djokovic will be to Nadal what Roddick was to Federer? No wonder Djokovic has been acting weary (until this last Open) and seems not too enamored with Roddick. He probably sees the same tennis future whenever he looks at Roddick.

September 23rd, 2010 at 8:17 am

That’s an interesting thought, Polo. Like Roddick with Fed, Djokovic frequently gets so close, and yet you somehow know he won’t close it out. There is a difference, though – Djokovic is #2, and probably favourite against anyone other than Nadal when he’s playing at his best. So it’s a bit disappointing.

September 23rd, 2010 at 8:46 am

grendel, Polo – it’s worth noting that Nole’s H2H with Rafa is nearly the same as Fed’s H2H with Rafa. Nole is 7-15 vs. Rafa; Fed is 7-14 against Rafa. So far, then, Djoko is the same to Rafa as Fed is to Rafa. Roddick’s H2H is a little more lopsided at 2-19, but there is no doubt that once the losses mount it can become a mental thing, and even when Rod, Fed or Nole are close to closing out the win, they may -deep down- not believe.

September 23rd, 2010 at 11:30 am

Also grendel, for a while during the Fed vs. Rod rivalry (up to late 2007 when Djoko took #3) Roddick was often number 2 or 3 in the rankings so his losses were no less disappointing.

Also imo Roddick’s tennis career is not something to feel negative about, although I understand the point that he’s come up against a wall whenever he’s met Fed — and has been denied a real shot at a few more slam titles. But he’s had a good run, won a slam, a Davis Cup. 5 MS events, been #1, and has been in the top 10 for a very long time barring a couple slips.

September 23rd, 2010 at 11:38 am

yes, but jane we know all about Fed/Nadal. And b.t.w., although the h2h’s are coincidentally almost the same, that just shows how misleading h2h’s can be. To make any sense of them, you have to analyse them – but the Fed/Nadal h2h has been subjected to scrutiny ad nauseam, no need to repeat the salient points yet again.

About Roddick – yes, you’re right, I entirely forgot he was #2 and 3 for quite a while. He’s had, by most peoples’ standards, a very successful career – why would anyone want to be negative about it?

September 23rd, 2010 at 4:40 pm

It’s true, grendel, that H2Hs don’t tell the whole story but they do tell part of it – esp. w.r.t. match ups and/or how often the two players meet. I got the impression that when Polo suggested Djoko is “weary” and “not enamoured” with Roddick because Djoko sees his future as being similar to Roddick’s career, that this was a negative statement – maybe I misread the comment, but the word “weary” made it seem that way.

I point out the H2Hs because the fact that Nole has come very close to beating Rafa on clay and grass and has beaten him 7 times on hard courts suggests that there’s hope Djoko may get more wins and won’t be always just “near” to the W. Nole matches up well with Rafa in some ways, (je doesn’t have the backhand issue Fed has) but maybe the fact that they are peers and Nole has a lot of respect for Rafa makes it more of a mental hurdle? Esp. in big matches? I could see the same with Roddick and Fed, who’re also of the same generation and so maybe there’s a mental block there for Roddick as well?

September 23rd, 2010 at 5:13 pm

“but maybe the fact that they are peers and Nole has a lot of respect for Rafa makes it more of a mental hurdle? Esp. in big matches? I could see the same with Roddick and Fed, who’re also of the same generation and so maybe there’s a mental block there for Roddick as well?”

I agree with this regarding Djokovic towards Nadal. The USO final was a good example where Djokovic just seemed to be content with watching Nadal play amazing. But I’ve never seen Roddick express any emotions that would hint at him being content with his inferiority to Federer’s play. Roddick always, always, always busted his ass. Blake would be guilty of this attitude. He would play well but he seemed pleased to allow Federer to set records. And Djokovic does seem to do the same at times with Nadal, at times.

It seems a little ridiculous, though. Usually when players come up in the same generation they’re at each other’s throats. Roddick hasn’t had a bad career by any means, but I’m sure he wouldn’t have minded if he had been the one to come out on top in his generation of Safin, Federer, Hewitt, etc. (Although he must be considered 2). Djokovic needs his hunger back. He’s getting closer, but as gracious as his smiling was during the final, he probably would’ve been served better without it.

September 23rd, 2010 at 5:31 pm

Nole was like that versus Fed in 2009′s USO semifinal, too, but he was a man on a mission in this year’s semifinal – he was not going to lose. I think he was emotionally at least a little bit exhausted in the USO final this year, not physically. He tried to fight, imo Ben, and until he was broken to open the 4th set, it seemed he was in there with a puncher’s chance. But after that break, it seemed like he gave up the ghost, a little, although he still fought to get one break back didn’t he?

With Roddick, the mental hurdle might be (?) the H2H in a way, if there is a mental hurdle (maybe not, maybe it’s just match up); he definitely is a beacon for his hard work, I agree. What I meant was that during matches, with all the losses he’s suffered, that could act as a motivator on one hand, but as a mental hurdle on the other. For e.g., getting close to a win, after a number of losses, could result in nerves, memories, etc. I remember Roddick talking about his win in Miami, how when he stepped up to the line to serve it out he had to really steady himself – and he did! I wonder if Nole was feeling those sorts of nerves and memories when he went down those two MPs versus Fed? But this time, he stayed focused and went for it. Similarly, at Wimbledon in 2009 Roddick stayed with Fed the whole way and really shoulda, coulda, woulda but for the one break, whereas in other matches between them in the past, Fed had sometimes run away with the win at the end. Not that time.

The history between players must be a factor on some level.

Anyhow I am glad for Polo’s comment because it’s been interesting to think of these match ups and rivalries.

September 23rd, 2010 at 6:47 pm

I am inclined to think that this thing about Blake grovelling to Federer is a bit of a myth. A few years ago, after being bagelled by Fed at the US Open, Blake fought back terrifically, and for a while the result was in doubt. There was one Masters final (Miami? Indian Wells?) in which Blake roared into a 4-0 lead. He just couldn’t keep it up. He didn’t, in any sense, capitulate. Federer gradually gathered himself, launched a counter-attack and Blake was unable to deal with it. What’s surprising about that?

Then of course in the Olympics, Blake actually beat Federer. I don’t recall anything about particular demeanours in these different encounters. Each time, Blake gave his best shot, and on one occasion that did the job.

The fact is, Blake is transparently a nice guy. He smiles a lot, doesn’t pretend to be indifferent to a great shot by his opponent, if anything, that might spur him on to attempt emulation. And after his matches, he has nice things to say about Federer. He genuinely admires him, and has no problem in admitting this. That doesn’t mean to say he won’t do his damnedest to win. On the court’s one thing, off it is another. Shouldn’t confuse the two.

I reckon Blake’s been unfairly maligned.

September 23rd, 2010 at 6:59 pm

grendel: and after all he is half English ;)

September 24th, 2010 at 5:28 am

ahem. about grigor dimitrov….

he is in another challenger final tomorrow. ( bangkok 2 )

can he break into the top 100? go grigor!

September 24th, 2010 at 4:04 pm

hm, boy was blake royally po’d when EG beat him in cincy….i think it was 2008. it’s on youtube.

i don’t recall any bad vibes between blake and federer…sort of think of them as “pals” like i think of rafa and djoko…”pals”

also streamed some tennis from metz! simon beat a fairly fat looking malisse. maybe it was the stream but x man was not looking fit. simon and gasquet in the semi there tomorrow – germany vs france: simon/ kohls and gasquet /zverev

September 24th, 2010 at 4:15 pm

no, definitely no bad vibes between Fed and Blake. But some people have suggested that their palliness meant Blake deferred to Fed on the court – I strongly disagree with this view.

September 24th, 2010 at 4:49 pm

i don’t know how anyone can consciously defer to another player going into a match or while in a match and expect to win? (especially when the chance to have a GS trophy is the prize? )

i suppose it is tough to fight off the idea. all one can do is their best and have belief in that – maybe, kinda, sorta being enough to win. it is lame to think this the way some think but verdasco comes to mind. he is a guy with enough to beat nadal but i will be surprised if he ever comes close again, for the very reason that he openly admits fearing rafa. and i think by “pals” what i meant is too much awe or respect for the opponent on court. definitely think that came into play when soderling met federer in the FO final -plus, of course, it was robin’s first GS final too.

i believe there was none of that palliness in the roddick v federer wimbledon final 09. sheer grit got federer that win. imo

djoko demonstrated none of his previous awe versus federer in the semifinal this year as he did last year. but imo, he did show that submissive, awed demeanor in the final against nadal.

delpo saw federer’s weakness and pounced on him. gotta hand it to delpo, the way he showed killer instinct in his first GS final.

back to metz- also watched cilic lose to kohls. it was an awful performance from marin cilic. anyone know what is up with him?
6-4, 6-1 loss and he can’t serve or keep the ball in the court.

September 24th, 2010 at 5:22 pm

hi ya conty “he did show that submissive, awed demeanor in the final against nadal.” I’d concur that there was some of this in the 4th set after he was broken to begin it. Up until then, to me anyhow, Djoko was in for a fight and believed it was possible. After he lost the 3rd, then I think he capitulated and began to watch a little too much. But I don’t fault him too much for that. He had been stopped by Fed 3 years in a row at the USO; he jumped that hurdled, finally, in a monstrously focused battle. He had not been in a slam final since he’d won the AO in 2008, 2.5 years earlier; again, by beating Fed, he got into another final, finally. But I do think Nole had a pretty tough draw (though some will disagree which is their prerogative) and I think he was probably a little mentally tired by the final. Lots of demons battled through there. Next time, I hope he wins!!!! : (

September 24th, 2010 at 5:49 pm

hiya jane, yourself.

yes you are right. he (djoko) appeared to lose belief while in the final and i saw it the way you did- pretty obvious in the 4th set. however i have to wonder about his self-belief going into the fight.

the way i saw federer this year and the year before in the semi-final was vulnerable. though the trick shot the last year was a distraction from seeing the vulnerable. i guess i just knew federer had spent himself getting through the soderling match in 09, maybe to a degree this year too. then i saw djokovic as too passive last year. ( not that i wasn’t cheering for fed last year )

it was a huge step for nole to fight to the finish and win that semi final this year – good for him. i was hoping that win would fuel his self belief for the fight with rafa. but, who on the planet could wrest that bone from a snarling rafa biting down on his first us open trophy! lol…. sorry…

i do hope nole and murray don’t fade. i want to see them keep fighting, and get over the “awesome” competition if the opportunity presents itself again.

tough draw / easy draw to me it doesn’t matter all that much. in the end one has to face the best on the other side and be ready for the fight-plan for it, schedule their lives for it, be smart about it. both federer and nadal have had it tough or had it easier in their wins upon examination. the thing about goats is that they fight like lions!

next time ( if you get the chance ) yes, i hope nole wins. does he want to be number 1? does murray? these guys are huge talents!

speaking of talents, what in the world has happened to cilic? does superman have the real one held captive in his basement?

September 24th, 2010 at 6:30 pm

conty, I agree with all you’ve written above – in the end, the draw doesn’t really matter, as you say. If you get to the final, you have to fight like it’s the be all and end all because for many it’s not often they’ll get there. I SO HOPE Novak and Andy M can win some slams in the next couple of years. Murray -if he sets his mind to it – can challenge on grass, and Nole, if he’s physically ready, can challenge on clay. And both are great hard-courters, so they should be able to win a hard court slam or two. Does Nole want to be number 1? I think so, but I don’t know if he believes deep down that he’s capable. He’s been hampered by a lot of self-doubt oddly *after winning a slam. If he can get over that he can definitely win another one or two or three. The thing is, Rafa has such a huge lead right now, it’ll take an incredible effort for anyone to take the place of him now. Fed, Murray, Nole and others will all jostle around below.

Cilic? I don’t know. it’s a mystery. I thought after his run at the AO that it was a sign he was ready, but nope.

JMDP is really the one we’re all waiting on … what will he be capable of?? Be interesting to see.

September 24th, 2010 at 7:03 pm

“i guess i just knew federer had spent himself getting through the soderling match in 09, maybe to a degree this year too.” This year? Surely not. It was a stroll in the wind….

September 24th, 2010 at 7:32 pm

jane-was wondering if you might have some doubts too about how driven nole and murray are to snag #1. and both have been close to the top for awhile now. i have my doubts, as life is pretty sweet for them as it is. nole grabbed his opportunity at AO 08 for a GS but federer stood in his way a couple times after and now nadal. murray has been able to beat nadal in GS’s but not take down federer. their stories make me wonder.

nadal has to be seen as beatable not only in lesser tournaments but in a GS final as well. i am not sure who will see him that way atm. his fellow spaniards can’t do it. rafa’s draw this year looked like a team sport to me with rafa as captain. hey, rafa earned it. just saying.

fed has the belief and fought to get to that final but one has to wonder about his psyche as well as physically in a GS final with rafa. ( my stomach can’t take it – i love federer’s tennis too much)

i’m thinking the big boys in the class of 1987 – murray and djoko are overly awed by nadal at this point. prove me wrong, please.

delpo could get the job done. he is the best in the class of 88. rather see him take it slow and launch himself at the AO. cilic, we now know has gone missing and with gulbis the possibility is there but…so are um… issues.

next up: debakker, bellucci ….further out dimitrov…

forgetting the big bombers like soda and berdych. let’s see…both are playing in malaysia this coming week not bangkok. steeling up their nerves for a bigger showdown i hope.

not counting out a stellar run by a roddick, nalby, or bagman, or a frenchie ( don’t know which one ) – involving a lot a luck.

pfft….federer is not out of the question. it depends on how motivated he is to improve and do whatever (only federer knows what) it takes to get another slam. how does he keep wanting more? i have no clue. he is the best. to my eyes, i have seen the best tennis watching him. anything more is bonus. full stop.

tennis view from the top must look heavenly to a nadal fan about now. i do remember what that’s like.

September 24th, 2010 at 8:02 pm

stroll in the wind it was, exactly grendel. : )

but it was an effort – please, his back grendal and all that serving. (i am giggling)

September 24th, 2010 at 8:06 pm

Yes, I think Rafa has a bit of that shiny aura around him now – 3 slams in a row, 24 yrs and a career slam / golden slam, I mean, no wonder, on some level, the peers are awed!! But they need to get over that and fight if they want to get a couple slams each. At least Nole got a set off Rafa. All the other slam finals in 2010 were straight-setters and kind of a drag because of that, imo. At the AO I never felt as though Murray had a spark in the final, although he came to life late in the 3rd set. Maybe if he’d've gotten over that hump of a tiebreaker. Soda and Berdych didn’t seem to have a chance against Rafa, and Nole seemed to believe for a while there, but then faded. Next year I hope we get an epic slam final or two.

I wouldn’t count out Fed, Rod, Nalby or any of those you name for a big run either. Maturity and experience go a long way!

September 24th, 2010 at 8:15 pm

I guess a big question all rafa fans have as many fed fans I’m sure do with their guy is what is left to motivate. In rafa’s case it seems like it came so easy. Got his golden grand slam @ 24 with very little pain and suffering. Federer sweated for years trying to get the french open final.

I guess they need to find different goals. Federer probably wants to beat nadal @ rg, win the olympics get those last two weeks to tie pete.

I hope rafa stays motivated. It seems it all came pretty easy (excepting the eleven month title drought) maybe he needs a rival like delpo to get the juices flowing.he claims he strives to improve his game every day but its got to be tough when you’ve got basically achieved it all relatively easily. Or maybe not. Maybe that’s why he is a champion (and I am not).

Novak should do well in the indoor season but until he sorts out his physical issues I can’t see him dominating the tour. Austrailia, miami, cincinatti,etc too many hot places. I think he’s good for titles especially indoors and cooler places but the allergies/asthma are an issue. Maybe even another gs or two with cool weather and night matches.

Murray is a question mark. I needed an anti depressant after watching his presser. Hopefully he can pull it together.

Delpo could really dominate but that’s a question mark. We will see if he finds the game he had before his injury. Some do and some don’t.

Andy Roddick is strange. He always plays well until the match he loses.kind of like fed at uso this year. I thought fed looked awesome until that semifinal match where his ground game and serve essentially deserted him.

These are my random thoughts.

September 24th, 2010 at 10:56 pm

without a tournament to really occupy us kimberly it’s kinda random thoughts and tennis junkie ramblings…

rating the 2010 GS tournaments…

right. i would rate the us open final a little more of a match than the other 3 finals, even though that 4th set was a bit of an exho and i did watch all of it. i have to admit i hardly watched FO final, watched a bit more of wimbledon final and watched the AO over and over, as a federer fan and curious what happened to murray.

the best matches of us open were fed-djoko and verdasco-ferrer imo.

of course the most memorable match at wimbles 2010 was mahut -isner …lol! neither of them have been in form since. strange match-up if there ever was one. i wonder how eager they are to play each other again or SEE each other again.

muray came to life too late in the AO final. why did he look so lost at the start? i was sure if that match had gone to a 4th set that murray would have won in 5. but fed was able to close – exactly what he didn’t or couldn’t do at the us open with delpo.

i have blanked out the FO for many reasons- none of them having to do with rafa. but soderling was a disappointment or was it berdych…i forget which one lost at wimbles and which lost at FO. not memorable performances. 2 glasses of wine after diner.

where was suitable competition for rafa?

2010 excitement factor was low in all the slam finals, imo. in 2009, 3 of 4 went to 5 sets. and one of those crowned a brand new slam winner. really tough 5 setters-all of them!

maybe tennis will have a new AO winner in 2011. or, nadal will carry on his monopoly and push on to get the calendar slam. which will be “…major yawn time for non-Nadalites,” as grendel put it somewhere above.

but…it wouldn’t surprise me. i am ready for the nadal calendar slam. no one appears ready to stop him and his knees seem to have found the right treatment to keep them going. plus he has tweaked his schedule, improved his serve to get the quick points when he wants them. he could break the sampras weeks at #1 record too. no end in sight.

i’m fired up for the bracket challenges though, Jane.
already know a couple not to pick from watching metz-will be practice picking bangkok and malaysia…getting ready for shanghai!

maturity and experience do go a long way but it was the young delpo and nole who broke through the duopoly for a slam title.

c’mon boys remember who you are and that you dreamed of being #1 and winning slams! talking to murray and nole.

news on grigor dimitrov to pass along:

if grigor wins tomorrow he’ll be in the top 100 http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=120444

he’s not shy- voice is cracking too lol.. very cute

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMUJ1c8VvPY&feature=related

bon nuit ! ( chatting with the frenchies while streaming today )

September 24th, 2010 at 11:43 pm

I think berdych nadal was the worst final of the year. Or best in that I never broke a sweat.

Soderling wasn’t much better but I was very scared before with 2009 memories lingering deep.

Murray looked like he was going to make a charge, but fed closed him out.

Nole gave it two good sets but by the third the writing was on the wall. That was however the most competitive final of the year.

2010 was nice in rafaland but felt deserved after a miserable 2009. And a deep concern that his career was over.
Henin williams was a decent final. The rest do not even merit comment.

I’m pumped for shang hai. Should have a lot of different options with delpo and djoko in the mix. Not sure what ill do with rafa and fed. A lot of people feel rafa won’t really bring it to non clay masters and save it for the slams. Fed used to do this but right now I imagine he’s pretty motivated plus he can equal beat rafa masters record with indoor hc tourneys. I recall nalby and soda play really well indoors. Davy used to but he has not been playing well. I hope jane joins us. She should be able to pick nole to win shang hai and paris. I think its a good pick as any other.tsonga played well indoors but I think he’s injured. Delpo will be a tough one to pick for or against.

On a fashion note maria sharapovas wimby dress arrived and is AWESOME! Keep washing it so I can wear it over and over again. Thinking of getting wozniakis us open dress with the yellow shorts under it but can only wear for evening matches. Black and florida heat don’t mix for me.

September 25th, 2010 at 12:03 am

conty: njoyed your “ramblings” and am afraid 4 me 2, question marks over Nole and Andy. Do they REALLY believe? Can they do it? Are we now, with Fed fading, truly in the Rafa era? Are Rafa fans in for a long period of feasting?
I saw that Djko’s usual coach wasn’t around at USOpen. Has he been ditched, jane?
Will Andy’s new coach sort his head out, or is he gonna be another Nalbandian? Right now he’s got Jamie’s wedding to distract him which is good, help him lighten up. Also appearance at Burberry with Serena, next thing check shorts and an elegant scarf on court ;)

September 25th, 2010 at 2:39 am

Contador – that youtube dimitrov was kind of charming, thanks for posting it. I like his casual table-tennis style. Must be quite old – Lundgren still his coach. When did he switch – and why, if there was such a bond between them?

I was amused by his comment on playing Nadal. “It wasn’t too bad” – as if he’d ventured into the fiery pits and discovered to his surprise that he could more or less handle them. I’m impatient to see him mature, as no doubt are many others. That’s pressure for you.

Have you heard of Keith Miller? He was a great Australian allrounder, probably the greatest(cricket). Very debonair, both on the field and off. Mad on the gee-gees. He was a pilot in World War 2. When he heard about modern day cricketers complaining about pressure, he snorted: “Being up in a Spitfire with three Messersmichts gunning up your arse, that’s pressure!” You see his point, but it’s kind of irrelevant as well as funny. All you can do is attempt to deal with whatever a malign fate throws at you, and whether that’s homicidal Nazis determined to get you or the expectant attention of millions of people – who’s to say which is tougher?

September 25th, 2010 at 11:04 am

LOL margot,”next thing check shorts and an elegant scarf on court ;)” Let’s hope he keeps the Burberry freebies for off court. Haha. Djoko’s coach had “personal problems” during USO and when Djoko gave his speech at the ceremony, he said “I miss you” to Vadja. So I assume he’s not ditched. But erm maybe he should be? That was the best run Nole’s had at a slam since 2008. Also his DC coach was there and he’s somehow spurring Nole to better things. Maybe it’ll be a reno/addition versus an entirely new property? (coaches being real estate – this metaphor somehow popped into head. Need coffee).

Kimberly or Conty, when does the Shanghai bracket start? Maybe I’ll try?

September 25th, 2010 at 11:55 am

jane: if Rafa can have check shorts, surely, surely our Andy can have Burberry check ones….??
cheers for info re Djko, seems like DC coach done good, Gasquet also just changed his coach ….talking of underachievers…..;)
looking 4ward to Dimitrov’s career, saw him interviewed at Queens, I think, and he seemed such a extraordinarily nice, level headed, young man and quite baffled by UK attention, especially as he’d just lost!

September 25th, 2010 at 1:46 pm

Kimberly,

I think Rafa will not lack motivation. He wants to be the best he can be. If you look at his domination on clay, I think we can imagine what he anticipates from himself.

However, his health is always an issue. His doctors said that he needs to take it easier and have a better schedule. So his challenge will be to manage his schecule so that he can stay healthy and win more slams.

One more thing that he wants to win is the year end chamionships. He has never done very well there.

I think Djoko is fine. He re-discovered his game in the US Open. Murray obviously has still some issues.My observation is that he puts too much effort to win the smaller tournaments and then loses in the majors. He needs a good coach.

Federer can never be counted out. He nos has a new coach and I am sure he is also aiming for more slams.

Contador,
Thanks a lot for that video on Dimitrov. he speaks perfect English. Does he train in the USA ?Surely someone to watch.

September 25th, 2010 at 2:34 pm

[...] follow up on earlier in the week, Grigor Dimitrov has continued his winning ways. Yesterday, the Bulgarian teen won his third [...]

September 26th, 2010 at 11:49 am