Federer Gets a Win over Rafael at Beijing Olympics

by Sean Randall | August 12th, 2008, 12:34 pm
  • 91 Comments

Okay. So it was the wrong Rafael. It wasn’t Rafael Nadal that Roger Federer beat 6-2, 6-4 earlier today at the Beijing Olympics second round. It was Rafael Arevalo. You know him. 22-year-old from El Salvador. Just under six feet tall. About 170lbs. Ring a bell yet? How about a former junior Top 10? Still no? Fair enough. I have no idea who the heck he is either or really how the guy is even in the Olympics. ADHEREL

Point is, Federer’s through to the third round and so too are many of the other top names in tennis. Nadal, who will officially take over the No. 1 ranking come Monday, won easily today over Lleyton Hewitt. Novak Djokovic also has had little resistance in navigating the first two rounds, and my man, Gael Monfils, has set himself up with a third round encounter against David Nalbandian. Good stuff!

The only real early causality was Andy Murray, who having just come off a tough win in Cincinnati, probably wasn’t physically up to the Beijing heat and humidity, not to mention the air pollution.


As I said before – and apparently Andy’s mum, Judy, also agrees – I don’t see a player winning both the Olympics and the US Open. It’s a real longshot. It’s a pick one, but not both situation. So maybe for Murray, who’ll have an even bigger, more meaningful Olympics come 2012 when it’s held in his backyard at Wimbledon, probably better to focus on the here and now, and that’s the US Open and worry about the Olympics later.

Plus, if the rains do return to Beijing and the schedule gets pushed back, that’s not going to the help the guys still left in China in terms of their US Open preparation.

So advantage to early losers like Nikolay Davydenko, Murray and even another Andy, Andy Roddick, who bypassed the Olympics to concentrate on his hardcourt game and the US Open, which by the way begins in just 13 days!

Roddick’s prep, however, took a bit of a hit this weekend when the surging Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro really took the wood to the American. I watched the match and was absolutely impressed with just how well JMDP played that first set, crushing Andy 6-1 behind three breaks. Roddick wasn’t at his best perhaps, but credit to JMDP for hanging in there and delivering the knockout punch in the second set tiebreak.

The 19-year-old has won 14 straight matches, and he’ll bring that streak into Washington tonight against American Jesse Levine.

So add Juan Martin’s name to the growing list of young guys that now need to be feared. And as these guys like JMDP, Monfils, Richard Gasquet, Gilles Simon, Marin Cilic, Marcos Baghdatis, Andy Murray, JW Tsonga, Stan Wawrinka, and the many others, mature and improve, the circuit is going to be that much tougher in the months ahead. As ESPN’s Darren Cahill hinted, this class of 19-22 year-olds we have right now may very well turn out to be the greatest group ever.

Remember the New Balls campaign with Federer, Hewitt, Safin, Kuerten, Roddick, Haas, etc? I think as a group this pack is better. Time will ultimately tell of course.

Back to the Olympics.

Federer now gets a long-awaited revenge match with Tomas Berdych, the man who sent the Swiss packing in the Athens 2004 games. And it’s a big step-up in class from the aforementioned Arevalo, so Fed’s going to have to be on his game to beat the big Bird.

Meanwhile, Nadal now plays Igor Andreev, Djokovic gets Mikhail Youhzny, Blake faces Simon and my darkhorse pick, Nicolas Kiefer, meets Chilean flag bearer Fernando Gonzalez.

So in all we are starting to see some really great match-ups as the big names have come through.

And unlike the earlier rounds, many of these contests are actually worth watching. Unfortunately, at least here in the U.S., I’m at a loss as to when, where and if the Olympic tennis is even televised. And I’m not really taking a shot at NBC for not televising any tennis during their primetime this far, they really shouldn’t. As I’ve said before we get Olympic Tennis every week thanks to the pro circuit, so watching Beijing tennis really is no different than most other events. But I just wish there was some sort of schedule telling me when tennis would be on exactly and on what channel.

And I couldn’t forget to send congratulations to Jelena Jankovic for officially becoming the No. 1 player on the WTA rankings yesterday. Jankovic of course reached that top spot without ever having reached even a Slam final. That can never have happened before.

We sometimes get players without a Slam title getting to No. 1, but not even a Slam final? Simply amazing, and I love it. What a joke women’s tennis is. I just hope Jelena can keep it going by not getting to the US Open final and by finishing the year No. 1. So go Jelena, I’m now your biggest fan unless of course you are in the US Open final four.


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91 Comments for Federer Gets a Win over Rafael at Beijing Olympics

LordMcGregor Says:

So in 2012, you get wimbledon and 2-3 weeks later, it’s gonna be London Olympics at Wimbledon.
I can’t imagine it won’t be played on lawn. So how are they going to have neat court ?
Anyhow, 2012 is tennis year in London, you will have :
– Queen’s
– Wimbledon
– Wimbledon/ Olympics
– Master cup.


Shital Green Says:

Jane,
Ref: “Judging by your above summation (11:22 post), you expect Rafa (#1) to go home with Gold? or at least Silver?”

Nothing is certain about the medal yet. I was only talking about the matches leading to semi.

I think a semi final birth for Rafa looks to be more or less certain. Rafa’s medal hinges on Djoko’s performance. Djoko definitely has the toughest opponents in the next 2 rounds. By the time he gets to semi, if he does, I am not sure how much will be left of him when he faces Rafa. The temperature will stay under 80F until this Friday, another factor favoring Rafa more than others. Over all, Rafa is in a better position to deal with a spent opponent, be it Djoko or Nalby, Monfils, or Youzhny. If Rafa were playing Youzhny Nalby/Monfils before coming to the semi, I’d expect Djokovic to fare better. We all know, on their best day, any one of the four can take out the other.

Sean,
Breaking the 20 year trend could be compared to a player winning both Olympic Gold and USO.


Fedex Says:

http://www.nbcolympics.com/tennis has live streaming. NBS has so far been good (except for that brilliant decision to have the opening ceremony taped!)

Their live streaming is really good and makes you wonder if they can do for FO and wimbledon. Instead of their effed up service now with tape delays! The streaming is quite clear (much better than espn 360) but it maynot be as “available” as ESPN 360. Nevertheless live tennis of clarity is always welcome.

Another solution for tennis viewers might be if wimbledon can have a few kenyan runners running around the stadium all day (and maybe phelps doing some swim in the Thames). Then maybe NBC will throw the tennis into livestreaming and we might luck out.


andrea Says:

the olympics on TV is fine if you have ADD – five minutes of rowing, 10 minutes of kayaking, 8 minutes of gymnastics. i’d love to watch an event uninterrupted.


Mary Says:

Is it possible to add this photo to your wonderful creepy photo collection?

http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/mkRPuY3JNnc/Olympics+Opening+Ceremony/f_rSE7l9eZw/Roger+Federer


I like tennis bullies not tennis sissies Says:

nalbandian will win the gold


Shital Green Says:

Mr. Bully,
Historically, No. 8 Nalby is the safest call. Yet, nothing can be said about him. We may see TMC-2005-Paris-Madrid-2007 Nalby or Queens-Wimby-2008 Nalby.


Maverick Says:

Can some one let me know if any television in USA are showing tennis at olympics on a regular basis. Thank you


Dan Martin Says:

A Federer-Nadal bronze medal match is possible. That would be crazy in a sense.


JoshDragon Says:

It’s nice to see Federer, finally getting back on the right track. Still, he didn’t play a real good second set against imposter Rafa. He’ll have to raise his game to make sure that he makes it past Bird man in the next round.


Von Says:

Mary:

Thanks for shatring. Those were nice pictures!! I didn’t see Sarah Brightman though. She’s one of my favourite singers. A little tid-bit, when she performed at the Tampa Performing Arts Center in Tampa, Florida, her high notes broke the speakers and/or PA system.
_______________
Maverick:

“Can some one let me know if any television in USA are showing tennis at olympics on a regular basis. Thank you”

I posted on the other thread concerning Olympic tennis broadcast on the TV. Early this morning NBC showed some of Serena Wiliams’ match, and that’s the only time I’ve seen a TV tennis broadcast. On the other hand, if you like volleyball, soccer, kayaking, gymnastics and swimming, then you’re in luck. NBC is treating tennis in the same shoddy manner as they always do.


Mary Says:

Hey Von, NBC has to show endless hours of America’s favorite sport: Beach Volleyball!
I have seen most of the matches on the NBC cable stations, but it is kind of hit-or-miss.

In regards to the pic I posted, look at the camera wielding woman about five or six people behind Federer.


FoT Says:

Well guys I have seen just about every tennis match that I wanted to see, even saw some twice! Get with the program! As the poster said above, the Olympic site at NBC.com is great. You have multiple courts you can switch back and forth too. And if you don’t want to stay up late or get up early, they have a lot of these matches on ‘rewind’ so you can watch them all over again.

MSNBC broadcast taped matches, mosely the ‘big names’ like Roger, Nadal, Venus, Serena… So you can even view the matches there.

I have nothing bad to say about their coverage of tennis because knowing that they were not going to take a lot of air time with live tennis, they did make a way for us to view the matches via on-line.

So I’m happy.


jane Says:

Mary,

It’s interesting that Mirka is down there; is she Swiss? I wonder why she was in the Opening Ceremony? Didn’t know they let spouses or partners in; did she walk the whole way? I also wonder why she’d need to take pictures, since there’d be a gazillion photos by media outlets, which I am sure Roger and Mirka could get their hands on with a simple dial of the phone.

Oh well – thanks for providing the link.


jane Says:

Rafael #2, whom Roger beat, is ranked #477 on the tour – a far cry from the other Rafa, #1.


jane Says:

Shital, You’re right on about Djoko’s draw – it’s a killer. He’ll have to get by Youzhny, who has a 2-1 H2H with Djoko and beat him twice on hardcourts last year. Then, if Djoko should make it through, he’s gotta face Monfils or more likely Nalbandian. And all that just to probably face RAFA! Yikes. I don’t think Djoko will be winning here.


JCF Says:

When I first read the headline, I thought Rafa had lost to Hewitt, while Fed moved on, since I knew Fed couldn’t actually have defeated him literally, unless it was a final. That’s the only way I could imagine you meant by “gets a win over”. But you had me. Genius.

“We sometimes get players without a Slam title getting to No. 1, but not even a Slam final? Simply amazing, and I love it. What a joke women’s tennis is. I just hope Jelena can keep it going by not getting to the US Open final and by finishing the year No. 1. So go Jelena, I’m now your biggest fan unless of course you are in the US Open final four.”

WTA without my girl Henin, is a chance for everyone to be #1. Sveta will get her shot next. There is depth in the women’s field, not because they are all good players, but because there just aren’t any standouts like in the men’s game.


JCF Says:

“Shital Green Says:

Mr. Bully,
Historically, No. 8 Nalby is the safest call. Yet, nothing can be said about him. We may see TMC-2005-Paris-Madrid-2007 Nalby or Queens-Wimby-2008 Nalby.”

He should play doubles with Safin some time…


JCF Says:

“It’s interesting that Mirka is down there; is she Swiss?”

She’s more Swiss than Martina Hingis. I would like to see Mirka get in shape and play some tennis again.


FoT Says:

Mirka is Swiss. Her family moved from Czech when she was 2 years old. She is a Swiss citizen and she marched with the Swiss as part of their delegation. Coaches, and other delegates can march with their country. That’s why she was there. She has the credentials and as a former Swiss Olympian, she can march. Heck, they only had about 90 athletes/delegates, they needed everyone they could get! lol! Not like some nations with over 400-600 athletes.

So leave Mirka alone!


Noel Says:

FoT,
I wonder if former Olympians can march just like that even if they are not entered in any event.As far as I know,only players who have qualified to enter various events and the accredited officials and coaches can march in the parade.I wonder what capacity Mirka was there in.She is not a coach for any athlete and players’ private coaches-even if we presume that she is ‘acting’ as Fed’s coach- are not allowed unless they also happen to be ‘official’ coaches of some other athletes in the contingent.I am extremely surprised about her presence in the parade although I must admit I don’t know all the technicalities and how strictly they are enforced.I’d love to leave Mirka alone. :) However,I’d like to be enlightened by you or any other member on this matter.


jane Says:

FoT,

I wasn’t not trying to bother (?) Mirka; I just didn’t know she was Swiss. Moreover, I wasn’t sure why she’d be in the march. Noel’s post makes me even more curious; admittedly I know little of the ins-and-outs of Olympic rules but was just surprised to see her in the mix.

The comment about her taking photos was a bit of a joke really; it’s not like she needed to take any photos of Roger as there’d be millions available! That’s all.


Mary Says:

Seeing Mirka in that pic, right up front, just creeped me out in a SWF way. It was just my kneejerk WTF reaction.
She should get together with Richard Williams and do a show in NYC during the USO.

I cannot tell by the schedule, but do the players play each day until the finals?
Here is this morning’s schedule:
http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/Schedule/TE_2008-08-13.shtml


Noel Says:

Jane,
I was shocked when I first saw the photo.I couldn’t believe it.In fact I thought it was some athlete/official resembling Mirka.It really has turned my perceptions about the eligibility for the parade upside down.
I am also a bit surprised that a person as knowledgeable as you didn’t know about Mirka’s nationality.It was in Sydney 2000 Olympics that they met while representing Switzerland in the tennis event.She was a decent enough player and apparently some injury and lack of ambition put paid to her tennis career.Fed has very fond memories of Sydney not only because of the brilliantly organized Olympics but also because he found his love there.He has talked about it on a number of occasions.


jane Says:

I knew they met at the Olympics, Noel (though I didn’t know for sure whether it was the 2000 or 2004 version – thanks for clarifying), and I also knew that she was a talented tennis player when they met (I’ve seen videos of them playing doubles on youtube – quite cute actually); however, I didn’t know she was Swiss, and that’s the truth. Call me clueless, but I’ve never really followed tennis player’s love-lives too closely – only what I catch from the commentators or in interviews, and that’s mainly it. So anyhow, that’s why I was curious.


2008 is the year of Nadal Says:

Sean wrote,

“my darkhorse pick, Nicolas Kiefer, meets Chilean flag bearer Fernando Gonzalez”

Correction please: Nicolas Kiefer will play 3rd round with paul-Henri Mathieu and Gonzalez will play with ROCHUS Olivier in 3rd round. Thanks.


The Ghost Says:

To Sean Randall:

“I have no idea who the heck he is either or really how the guy is even in the Olympics”

Could u be more offensive? Stop talking about someone u dont know!!! Shame on you…


Noel Says:

I am not all that interested in players’ love lives either.It is just that the Fed-Mirka story has been so much in the public gaze-for obvious reasons-and it has been pretty well-documented over the years.Hence my surprise.I was pretty clueless myself about the girlfriends of Rafa and Nole until this year.The post-wimby pics showing Rafa and his girlfriend on the beach were the first pics that I had ever seen featuring her.Similarly,it was during this year’s European season that I came to know that Nole actually had a girlfriend and that she was studying in Milan.I presume she is Italian but I am not hundred percent sure of her nationality/origins.So there you go.. :)


Shital Green Says:

Jane,
I wrote a response to your query about tennis and floating signifier, but due to some technical problem, I could not save it or submit it. All I can say is it was a lengthy one. Sorry I lost my work!


Von Says:

Mary:

“Hey Von, NBC has to show endless hours of America’s favorite sport: Beach Volleyball!
I have seen most of the matches on the NBC cable stations, but it is kind of hit-or-miss.”

You’re right it is a hit or miss. NBC’s Olympics programming description sometimes mentions tennis, but unless someone is willing to devote several hours viewing other sports while waiting for tennis to be shown, it will be a hit or miss. I neither have the time nor the patience. I’m sure the SFs and final will be shown on TV, and if that happens, I’ll be happy.

I again looked at the pictures and saw Mirka with her camera. She must have a huge collection of pictures; maybe enough to open a gallery. Zero interest on my end.

_____________
“Get with the program!”

No need to. I prefer watching live TV than sitting for endless hours in front of a computer screen. Different strokes for different folks!!


Fedex Says:

FoT:

“Get with the program!”

Wise words. Sometimes you just have to let people wallow in their stupidity. For the wiser, more adaptable people, good uninterrupted live coverage is just a few clicks away. You have a choice of 3 courts to choose from. Just awesome.

It is going to be fun watching Nadal take care of business and then youzhny screwing the jokerbich. (hopefully)

Then watch King Roger grace the court.


Von Says:

“For the wiser, more adaptable people, good uninterrupted live coverage is just a few clicks away.”

Self-appointed wise men? You wish!!

“Then watch King Roger grace the court.”

Who’s he? Never heard of him.


Fedex Says:

You will if you come out of the cave in which you live.


zola Says:

FoT,
**waves** nice to see you here.
I didn’t know Mirka was Swiss. Just read hr bio in Wikipedia and found out that she got her first racquet from Navratilova!

I guess she might have been in the March as part of Roger’s team.

Fedex,
lol. :)

***For the wiser, more adaptable people, good uninterrupted live coverage is just a few clicks away****

for the rest (there is always mastercard!)
the daily schedule can be found here:
http://www.itftennis.com/olympics/event/scheduleday4.asp

http://www.nbcolympics.com has great coverage with excellent quality.


Ryan Says:

Federer gets his revenge on berdych……..


JCF Says:

Federer always gets an easy draw! Even at the Olympics, Nadal has to plays Djokovic again. I am glad that, Roger won’t be seeded 1 at the US Open.


Shital Green Says:

Von,
I thought you’d avoid bullish/sadist/delusional psychopaths and schizophrenics. You fell for the bait again? You’re on your own.


Shital Green Says:

Hey, my boy Djoko took care of Youzhny.
I am happy Blake won but not so happy Simon lost.

For those who come here to check scores/results:

Mathieu – Kiefer 6-3, 7-5
Federer – Berdych 6-3, 7-6
Gonzalez – Rochus 6-0, 6-3
Melzer – Lu 6-2, 6-4
Djokovic – Youzhny 7-6, 6-3
Blake – Simon 6-4, 6-2

As far as I know Monfils-Nalby match has not taken place until now.


Shital Green Says:

Missing above:
Nadal-Andreev (6-4, 6-2).


jane Says:

It’s nice to see Gonzalez doing so well again; his year has not been as good as 2007, but maybe he’s coming around again.

Good for Djoko to even up with Youzhny, who’s a tough player on fast courts.

Fed will play Blake, which means he should get to the semis; Rafa will play Melzer, so he should get to the semis too. Djoko will play either Nalbandian or Monfils – if it’s Monfils, Djoko should get to the semis, although Monfils can be dangerous, as we saw at RG; if it’s Nalby, then it could go either way. If Nalby is on form, like end 07, then I give him the slight edge. The other quarter is Gonza and Mathieu, and I’d think Gonza should come through there. So the Djoko quarter, imo, is the least predictable one.

If Nalby gets through there is a nice spread of countries in the men’s quarter finals. I guess Melzer is the surprise guy there (though he took Monfils to 5 sets at the French) – all the rest of them are top contenders.


Sean Randall Says:

LordMcGregor, indeed. 2012 a busy tennis year for London. I’d imagine the event will be on grass a month or so after Wimbledon.

FedEx, thanks for the link. Works great, problem solved!! Just wish I was in a more favorable time zone to catch the early morning matches.

Andrea, live streaming is your answer.

Bully guy, David’s been surprising this week.

The Ghost, what was so offensive? Do you know Arevalo? Who is he? How did he get in??


Shital Green Says:

Weather in Beijing:
It’s raining right now, due to which all matches are rescheduled (Nalby-Monfils match is one such victim).

Tomorrow: A few showers early in the day (till 11:00 am). Isolated thunderstorms developing in the afternoon until 5:00 pm. Hazy. High 87F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.

Tomorrow Evening/ Night: After 6:00 pm, partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.

Friday: Partly cloudy. Temp. low to mid 70sF.


Are you delusional, Sean? lol Says:

Talking to the ghost? What’s next? Michael Angelo’s ghost? lol Actually, Fed is ok! Just don’t like him earning what he doesn’t deserve! Everyone should has a fair go!


Andrew Miller Says:

According to Sean Randall: “As ESPN’s Darren Cahill hinted, this class of 19-22 year-olds we have right now may very well turn out to be the greatest group ever. Remember the New Balls campaign with Federer, Hewitt, Safin, Kuerten, Roddick, Haas, etc? I think as a group this pack is better. Time will ultimately tell of course.”

I think the “Time will ultimately tell of course” comment is correct. We may be heading into a brief, fragmented period of tennis (remember 1990? AO Lendl, FO Gomez W Edberg US Sampras – wins by one steeled veteran, one journeyman top 10, one proven top 10 grand slam champ, and one out of nowhere new balls please player for that moment). 1990 seemed to be the breaking year for the entry of the new guards that dominated tennis until 2000, when Safin announced the next gen of new guards.

But, I think Mr. Randall is correct – the barbarians are indeed at the gates of the top 10 and they are restless, and in the meantime their powers and games have grown. That’s going to create pressure, but the proof is in the pudding. In tennis as Agassi said, players cant phone in the results.

That said, at this year’s Olympics, the old guard and its now veteran and at the same time young guards, Nadal and Djokovic, are holding court just fine (thank you very much!). Additionally, the semifinalists for grand slams this year have shown some new guard making good on their talent (Tsonga, Monfils) but the old guard continues to rule.

So – there is a chance tennis’ ruling class might fragment briefly – I am not sure how Djokovic’ game will hold up personally to an assault by other players whose weapons are equally fierce – but restlessness alone wont win grand slams. Talent on paper is meaningless without day in, day out results, and I dont know about the work ethic of the barbarians at the gate.

One thing is for sure – they injure themselves way more than those who they want to dethrone.


Andrew Miller Says:

Also: I want to believe that skipping the Olympic games will put Roddick in the driver’s seat at the US Open, but I dont think so.

Once the players get through the first week of the US Open, all bets are off. Olympic tennis is over soon, and now the players leave not only with match practice but with urban conditions similar to the US Open.

Sure, New York has better conditions – that only means that the players at the Olympics are OVERPREPARED! Or the fact that the courts are super similar to the US Open courts.

Sorry, the only thing, and this I’m convinced of, that the Olympics will do for players who are still in it, is improve their competitive positioning for the US Open in New York. They’ll get over the long flights. They get a day between matches at the US Open and just need to survive the opening rounds. If they make it to week two, all bets are off.

Roddick, on the other hand, is almost relearning the game of tennis since his performance (which was excellent) in Rome on clay this year. I thought Roddick was really coming into his own again, just in time to accomplish his goal of winning a 2nd grand slam tournament. Meanwhile, it’s apparent that James Blake is BENEFITING from the Olympics, where Davis Cup like conditions (hostility in the form of weather and fans from other countries cheering on their countrymen) and shoring up someone who doesnt respond all too well to high amounts of pressure (who does? Nonetheless, that’s what tennis is all about).

So: really hard to say if the olympics will put a dent in the US Open draws. I think the impact will be minor, but in a wacky year perhaps I am mistaken. I dont think so.

I think Roddick is vulnerable – that injury has taken some oomph out of his game, and given his game’s deficiencies, that missing oomph is the difference between beating opponents with better groundstrokes and losing to them. Roddick has to fire on all cylinders to get through grand slam draws (often in bloody fashion). The bottom line is that he isnt getting that job done completely – he is about 75 percent to that goal. He has to make up at least 15 percent and be at 90 percent full strength to make a dent at the US Open.

His experience alone wont get him through the fourth round of the US Open. He has a battle ahead of him and I hope he is up to the challenge.


Andrew Miller Says:

And you know who also looks bad? The WTA. Their players are injured. This is a never ending story.

Those constant injuries are making Venus and Serena Williams look like geniuses. They have taken more time off and played fewer tournaments (probably fewer in four years than Jankovic plays in one year) and they are outlasting their competition – even the youngest of them.

(Clijsters – gone. Henin – gone. Sharapova – injured. Ivanovic – injured. Davenport – on the outs, has been for a long time, even before she retired the first time. Dementieva – good player, wont get the job done. )


Dan Martin Says:

I give Hewitt some credit for managing to partner with Gucione downing Nadal and Robredo in doubles the day after Nadal thrashed him. I know doubles is a different animal but I would not even want to see Nadal on a court for a few weeks after the beating he dished out in singles. Federer vs. Blake to get to the medao round, but getting to the final is the only way to ensure a medal as the semifinal loser will likely face Nadal or Djokovic in the Bronze Medal match.


sar Says:

So glad Djokovic won. Is there a way to see the Youzhny match?


Shital Green Says:

Sar,
If your cable service is listed in the NBC Olympic site, you should be able to watch the past matches. After you select the video, it will ask you to choose the cable service provider. Try this link: http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/share.html?videoid=te1h-bj-sd25-081108-102803


Shital Green Says:

Mr. Bully,
Monfils defeats Nalbandian in straight sets(6-4, 6-4), and this completes the final quarter final spot.
Now, it will be my man vs. Sean’s man in the Qtr.


Shital Green Says:

Mr. Classy got lost in translation, in the post-match interview after his win over Tursunov. At times he and the interpreter would speak simultaneously. At other times, he would speak before the Chinese interpreter finished translating the question. After one question, Federer feigned speaking into the microphone as the interpreter began. And after the interpreter was done with translation, “he let several seconds pass in silence, then looked at her with a grin.” “Just giving you time,” he said (Paraphrased from AP news via Yahoo Sports).


zola Says:

Sean
thanks for deleting the double post, but why my comment is still awaiting moderation? How long the “awaiting moderation ” usually takes?

So NAlby out?
I wanted to see a Nalby-Djoko match. I don’t think Monfils is a match for Djoko. ( as much as i love Monfils!)

I was able to watch a bit of Rafa-Andreev and Djoko-Youzhny. Both had no trouble putting their opponent away. Rafa looked good against Andreev. Djoko had more problems with Youzhny, especially in the first set.

***For the wiser, more adaptable people, good uninterrupted live coverage is just a few clicks away****

for the rest, there is always the jumbled program of NBC! I have seen more beach volleyball in the past two-three days than my entire life!


JoshDragon Says:

NBC doesn’t even show all of the Olympic sports on TV. I looked up their Olympic schedule and they don’t have boxing, tennis, and hardly any table tennis during their time slots. It’s all cycling, swimming, or beach volley ball.


Mary Says:

Shital Green, I saw most of the press conference. It’s nothing like you describe it. It was lighthearted. It takes forever to translate something into Chinese and it’s hard to tell when a translator is finished.
I call Fed on many things, but not on this.

Andrew Miller:
“One thing is for sure – they injure themselves way more than those who they want to dethrone.”

I call BS on many of those “injuries” suffered by the new guard on both the ATP/WTA tour. Sad to say, I think there is one or two of the new guard that owe their success to “science,” just like the old guard.

I’m really suprised to see the players sticking around to play their doubles matches– and actually play for real. I wonder how much it has to do with the very pissed off IOC.


Vulcan Says:

When was the last time the Olympics or Masters Cup were held on a surface other than hard courts?
It would seem in the interest of fairness the court surface should be rotated between the major surfaces for these events.


Shital Green Says:

Mary,
I was not the eyewitness of the interview. I read it on yahoo. I did not alter anything except “Mr. Classy” in my paraphrase, which keeps most of the descriptive words as they are. Compare it with the AP article.
Here is the link: http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/tennis/news?slug=ap-ten-federer&prov=ap&type=lgns


Andrew Miller Says:

Mary – intrigued by the note about some players owing their ranking/success to “science”

Do tell!


Shital Green Says:

Vulcan,
Since 1988, only twice Rebound Ace has been used (Seoul and Sydney), and for all other years it has been DecoTurf II, for Olympic.

About the Masters Cup, with the new name ATP World Tour Finals (WTF), it will continue to remain indoor hard, as it has always been.
I don’t know how practical it is to rotate the surface for the Olympic because it comes only once in 4 years, but it might be possible to rotate for the WTF. But ATP’s argument is that since Indoor Hard is a different surface and does not have a Slam on it, it deserves something near equivalent like TMC/WTF.


Noel Says:

Vulcan,
You will have to wait till 2012.Afaik,the London Olympics’ tennis event will be played on a different surface i.e. grass.


Shital Green Says:

Noel,
Can you provide a link to the ITF-Olympic document that says Olympic 2012 tennis will be played on grass, please?


JCF Says:

JCF Says:

Federer always gets an easy draw! Even at the Olympics, Nadal has to plays Djokovic again. I am glad that, Roger won’t be seeded 1 at the US Open.

———

I would like to bring to your attention that the person who posted this is not me. I did not write this, and it wasn’t written on my computer either. Someone is an impostor here.

This is completely uncharacteristic of me, as I wouldn’t say a thing like this about Roger Federer. While I do like Nadal, I’m not ‘happy’ that Fed isn’t seeded 1. If I were to say something to this effect I would have framed it differently, such as ‘I’m happy for Rafa that he will be seeded 1’, but this really is a trivial matter for me, and not one I would have bothered mentioning.

Please go away. Find another hobby ‘JCF’.


Mary Says:

You got me curious Shital. All I came up with is this: http://www.london2012.com/sports/olympic/tennis.php
Considering it took them how long to get a roof, I cannot see them ripping up the lawns.

Andrew Miller: I shall claim the American way of just throwing out general accusations in an effort of not opening up a can of whoop ass.


Shital Green Says:

Mary,
That’s not ITF-Olympic document. Thanks for the effort !


Shital Green Says:

Mary, Noel, and Vulcan
You guys are right. I found the ITF document. It says, “it will be fantastic to have the Olympic event on grass again, the first time since 1908.”
Here is the link:
http://www.itftennis.com/olympics/news/newsarticle.asp?articleid=18852


Noel Says:

Shital,
I am afraid my ‘info’ is not based on anything I have read on the ITF or IOC sites.Mary was kind enough to go to the official website of the London 2012 games and the info provided there should be reliable enough.
My info is based on what the London bid committee presented to the IOC while campaigning for having the 2012 games allotted to them.Wimby was a notable highlight of their presentation due to its history and tradition as a tennis venue that would be used for the 2012 tennis event.I don’t think the new (then upcoming)O2 indoor arena was even mentioned as a possible venue.Besides, Fed has talked several times about playing at least until 2012 because the Olympics would be played at the Wimby grass.I presume he must be pretty sure about it.Anyhow,my conclusions about the grass surface are based primarily on these two ‘sources’.I will let you know if I find this info on an ITF or IOC page although I think there is no reason to doubt the authenticity of the info provided by Mary’s link imho.


Noel Says:

Shital,
I see that you have found the document.My post therefore becomes irrelevant.


jane Says:

I just checked the Olympic schedule: they’ve scheduled Federer vs. Blake on Center Court at 4:00 pm and Federer/Wawrinka in a doubles match on Court 2 at 4:00 pm. I wonder how Federer will swing that?


Shital Green Says:

Jane,
If you look at the court number, it is on Show Court 2, which means Fed-Wawrinka vs. the Indians is after the Russians vs. French is over on the same court. The latter doubles begins at 4:00 pm. So Fed will play the singles at 4:00 pm on Center Court and walk to the Court 2 to play the doubles. In all cases, if there is a schedule conflict, the doubles will wait until the singles is over.


Noel Says:

Jane,
Court two has two matches to be finished before Fed plays his doubles.He will be in trouble only if his singles match stretches long and the ladies’ singles and men’s doubles matches on court two get over pretty quickly.
Btw,check the schedule for the i5th August.There is no mention of Men’s doubles semi-final and the bronze medal match is scheduled instead!!??The scheduled Men’s doubles semi-final matches have vanished in thin air.I am surprised they haven’t noticed this error for so long.


Noel Says:

i5th august should be read as 15th august.sorry for the typo.


Mardo Says:

Allow me to enlighten you a bit. Who is Rafael Arevalo? He´s the best ranking-position tennis player out of all Central America, ranked 447th just now. He´s also a proud native Salvadorean who made a pretty decent stand against his lifetime hero, the No. 1 ATP ranking Roger Federer from 1st world Switzerland in a match many have not failed to noticed, Rafael did even better in number of games alone, than even far more reknowned players. As for how he got to the Olympics, well, he was invited to come by use of a so called “wild card” and pretty much demonstrated his worth in the previous match against no other than the present No. 97 ATP ranking player who in his best streak, has been able to hike up to be No. 48.

Oh, and there are a couple more things that Rafael also is. He is the promise of our country, an inspiration to his fellow Salvadorean Tennis Association players and a big, big balls David who made his stance agains Goliath. That´s who the heck he is for you Mr. Randall.


Ezorra Says:

Sad to know that nadal lost in double since I know that he seriously played for his country. However, its still a huge advantage for him since he is now can focus more in the single event (in terms of energy saving; as oppose to federer who has to continue in double right after finishing his single against blake).

As he said, “”I find it a little bit ridiculous; I don’t understand why we don’t play such a big tournament over 10 days maybe. I think this is asking just a little bit too much.”

* Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka won their doubles match, which finished at 11 p.m. Federer then complained about a schedule that will require him to play 11 matches in seven days if he keeps winning.

Hope he can do it!


Sean Randall Says:

Mardo, I love it. Thanks for the information. All things considered he did really well in beating Lee in the first round and then getting six games from Roger. I’m sure it was a moment he’ll never forget.


Von Says:

Shital Green:

“Von,
I thought you’d avoid bullish/sadist/delusional psychopaths and schizophrenics. You fell for the bait again? You’re on your own.”

You seem to be pretty upset at me. Sorry to have let you down. What can I say, I goofed up big time — I’m sleep deprived. I have been pulling a few all-nighters within the past 2 weeks, in an effort to meet a deadline for a case on which I’m working, and necessitates writing Some very lengthy documents. If you noticed the time of my post, which was early morning, I wasn’t thinking clearly. Subsequently, I let some nonsensical comments get to me, resulting in an angry moment, and falling for a bait. My simple comment on NBC’s coverage of the Olympics, which is true BTW, from reading a few posters’ comments, did not warrant the unkind remarks made by some. Fortunately, I’m not the only one that’s unwise about the Olympics TV coverage or dissatisfied — I have company. Unfortunately for me, I’m a proletarian who has to earn a living, and as such, I don’t have the luxury of dedicating several hours per day watching live streaming videos and/or researching tennis facts on various websites. I do research on the computer, but it’s for my job.

Thanks for the timely reminder and keeping me in line. I’ll try to be more careful in the future. :)


zola Says:

Mardo,
thanks for the info on Rafael Arevalo.He played well aginst Fed, but now I am even more interested to see him play again.

Ezorra,
i find the olympic format crazy as well. They need to do something about the format. Where is ITF?
first of all, with this singles format, it is more of an individual competetion than one between countries. Second, if player wants to play singles and doubles, he needs to get some bionic parts. add to that the rain delay, pollution and humidity and I say, either ITF oficials are as ignorant as ET or they were asleep when the format was getting printed.

I think the early rounds can be played beforehand and the players could play QF, S and the final during the Olympoics. That can allow one day of rest between the matches. I am sure it will not sell as many tickets as it does now.

Also a davis cup format, in which the capitan cn choose the players for each match will be great too.

Anyway, I can’t say I am sad RAfa lost his doubles match. He can use the extra rest.


Von Says:

Mary:

“I shall claim the American way of just throwing out general accusations in an effort of not opening up a can of whoop ass.”

Yeah, go girl. Take the Fifth; it’s the safest and dignified way to go. BTW, I know you mentioned previously that you live in New York, so did I. What’s the correlation here? Most New Yorkers are very out-spoken, calling a spade a spade. We’re both similar in that respect; I’m sure you notice how much contoversy I generate from being outspoken. I love it. How’d ya like them apples, huh? :)

____________
Re: “As he said, “”I find it a little bit ridiculous; I don’t understand why we don’t play such a big tournament over 10 days maybe. I think this is asking just a little bit too much.”

The complaint is without merit. Why choose to play singles and doubles at such a special tournament, where a singles player needs to be fresh by conserving his energy. Most of these players have, on several occasions in the past, played singles and doubles in the same tournament, hence, they are without a doubt, aware of the stress both mentally and physically playing in both tournaments will place on their bodies. No one bent their arms to do this; they chose to play fully well aware of the consequences.

In view of the foregoing, I feel that it’s ridiculous to blame the IOC and/or ITF for the stress a singles player is feeling due to playing both singles and doubles. Everything in life is about choices, and playing singles plus doubles is the athlete’s choice. Moreover, there are doubles specialists who only play doubles, why not allow them the opportunity to compete and win a medal in their field of expertise.


Ezorra Says:

Von says:

“The complaint is without merit. Why choose to play singles and doubles at such a special tournament, where a singles player needs to be fresh by conserving his energy. Most of these players have, on several occasions in the past, played singles and doubles in the same tournament, hence, they are without a doubt, aware of the stress both mentally and physically playing in both tournaments will place on their bodies. No one bent their arms to do this; they chose to play fully well aware of the consequences”

In my opinion, that is what we call “patriotisme.”
People will do whatever it takes for their country. :)


zola Says:

Ezorra,
For some people, who think the world should revolve around them, it is very difficult to comprehend why people would put themselves through hardship to win a medal for their country.

Federer is 27. he knows he may not be able to come back at 2012. so he maximized his chances by taking part in both singles and doubles. I hope he wins the gold in doubles.

I also hope for the next olympics they change the format and make it easier for the players to compete.


NachoF Says:

I never thought I would ever see the day Blake beat Federer…. hell has frozen confirmed.


JCF Says:

NachoF Says:

“I never thought I would ever see the day Blake beat Federer…. hell has frozen confirmed.”

For me, it froze when he won a 5 set match.

But no one would have expected Fish or Roddick to beat him this year either, so I’d say it’s more Fed than Blake.


Von Says:

Ezorra:

“In my opinion, that is what we call “patriotisme.”
People will do whatever it takes for their country.”

I believe you wre being facetious here, but if you don’t mind, could you please elaborate some more, so that your comments will not be misconstrued. Thanks.


Von Says:

JCF: “But no one would have expected Fish or Roddick to beat him this year either, so I’d say it’s more Fed than Blake.”

Are you saying Blake’s win over Fed is due to Fed playing badly, rather than Blake playing good tennis? Why?

A month ago there were some who were emphatic this would never happen by stating “Blake would never beat Federer”. To which I replied, Blake will beat Fed. Now that it’s happened, you’re finding an excuse for Fed? That’s unfair. In the past Blake has had some very close matches with Fed except he choked. For Roddick, it was just lack of self-confidence. Roddick had match points at the TMC in ’06, but he hit a stupied overhead and let Fed back into the match, which he subsequently lost. The problem with the players in the past was lack of belief and self-confidewnce that they could beat Federer. When Djoko beat Fed at the AO, all of the players who lost to Fed began believing they could beat Fed and they did just that. I’m happy for Blake. I hope he can stay focused and win the gold. He’s never won a big tournament, hence, the gold will give him the jolt he needs to remain positive and acquire some substantial results for the years he has left to play tennis.


jane Says:

In the very recent past – the AO quarter final between Blake and Federer was very close, even though Fed won it in straights. It was 2 breaks and one tiebreak that decided it, as well as Blake’s mental inconsistency. I beleive it was also the USO in 2006 when Blake stretched Fed to 4 sets. So this win should not take away from Blake’s talent; when he harnesses it, he’s great. It’s just that he plays unevenly a lot. But he still top ten, so hey.

I’ll admit that I wouldn’t have predicted a Blake win; however, I wasn’t shocked when I woke up to the throes of the match.

I am very happy for James too Von; I really want him to take home a medal (whatever color) – as I mentioned elsewhere, Gonzalez has two already; let the other players take home Olympic glory!!


Ezorra Says:

Come on Von, my statement before was clearly a ‘straight to the point’ statement. Olympic should be perceived differently from other tournaments like grand slam, master series etc. Everyone knows that tennis is an individual sport. However, in Olympic (as well as Davis cup and Hopman), players perform for their country more before themselves (at least in theory because I cannot read people’s mind and intention). In addition, players are not wearing shirt that represents their country, other than those 3 events, right.

So, in my opinion, Federer is playing in both single and double events because he wants to do something for his country, that’s all. But if you think I’m faker or something, I got no problem with that too. Having said that, sorry for having an opinion.


NachoF Says:

Von Says:

“Are you saying Blake’s win over Fed is due to Fed playing badly, rather than Blake playing good tennis? Why?

A month ago there were some who were emphatic this would never happen by stating “Blake would never beat Federer”. To which I replied, Blake will beat Fed. Now that it’s happened, you’re finding an excuse for Fed? That’s unfair.”

Why is it unfair?? A month ago we were saying we were still very far from Blake beating Federer simply because Federer wasnt playing that bad…. but it turns out he is (and probably was)…. the thing is, he might not ever get his game back…. the excuses are over, Federer is just playing terribly, even worse than Roddick, even worse than Blake, than Karlovic, etc…. he does not deserve the #2 rank at all…..what seems unfair to me is to think that everyone that beats Federer is now somehow a super-awesome player that beat the best in the world when in reality its an average player that just beat a player that is nowhere near a shadow of his past of greatness.


Von Says:

Ezorra:

“So, in my opinion, Federer is playing in both single and double events because he wants to do something for his country, that’s all. But if you think I’m faker or something, I got no problem with that too. Having said that, sorry for having an opinion.”

Thanks for the reply. Perhaps I wasn’t clear in my remarks, it’s just that I didn’t understand or have never heard that word “patriotisme”, and then you had a smiley, so I couldn’t tell whether you were kidding around or you were serious. I don’t believe I’ve stated anywhere that you’re a faker. If you think I did, please show me. I mentioned I thought you were being facetious, which neans joking, that’s all. So sorry to have offended you.


JCF Says:

Von,

“A month ago there were some who were emphatic this would never happen by stating “Blake would never beat Federer”. To which I replied, Blake will beat Fed. Now that it’s happened, you’re finding an excuse for Fed?”

Not quite. Remember the post when the draws came out and everyone was mentioning how easy Fed’s draw was compared to Djokovic and Nadal’s? When I gave my take on it, I was probably the only one who thought it was ‘relatively balanced’. I did not think his draw was going to be easy, and even there I thought Blake had a good chance of beating him. My comment was that given two Americans he never loses to — Fish and Roddick — have beaten this year, maybe it’s Blake’s turn. I too have been a skeptic of Federer lately (though an optimistic one) and really did think that if he played Blake he’d lose.

However, you are right. Without seeing the match I still think it was Fed who lost. With an 8-0 record of tough matches, he always pulled through when it mattered most. No one can deny he isn’t playing to his usual high standards at the moment. The Federer of 06 would have won those tie breaks and 6-4 or 7-5 sets.

I’m not trying to take credit away from Blake for the win. He is a good player and has shown that every time he plays Federer by coming close. But the old Federer would have won when it was close.

“In the past Blake has had some very close matches with Fed except he choked. For Roddick, it was just lack of self-confidence. Roddick had match points at the TMC in ‘06, but he hit a stupied overhead and let Fed back into the match, which he subsequently lost. The problem with the players in the past was lack of belief and self-confidewnce that they could beat Federer. When Djoko beat Fed at the AO, all of the players who lost to Fed began believing they could beat Fed and they did just that. I’m happy for Blake. I hope he can stay focused and win the gold. He’s never won a big tournament, hence, the gold will give him the jolt he needs to remain positive and acquire some substantial results for the years he has left to play tennis.”

That’s been the difference between Federer of 04-07 and Federer of 08. When it came to crunch time, Federer would more often than not, deliver the goods. Now he’s losing when it gets tight. James would always have chances to beat him but lose points when it mattered most, and this is what you would have expected to happen again on paper at least. James Blake played better on the day. I don’t dispute that. But my point is that Federer post-Wimbledon isn’t half the man he used to be (to borrow a line from a Beatles song) and thus didn’t play on paper.

Unless you disagree on that point, I’m not really making excuses for Federer. He was still playing great up until Wimbledon. He was losing the big matches all year, but it wasn’t until after Wimbledon that he fell off completely. Maybe that epic loss to Nadal really hurt him mentally a lot more than any other loss. Physically he should be okay. Maybe even his confidence wouldn’t be as shattered had he just lost in straight sets at Wimbledon. Losing 9-7 in the fifth after saving 4 championship points always hurts.

I don’t have much faith in Federer, but I’m just wary about writing the guy off. You’ve probably noticed me being erratic in my opinion of him.


Ezorra Says:

Its ok von. sorry to you too. i thought factious means fake… (my english isnt that good)… anyway, thank you for your clarifications…


Ezorra Says:

facetious… spelling error…


Von Says:

Ezorra:

“Its ok von. sorry to you too. i thought factious means fake… (my english isnt that good)… anyway, thank you for your clarifications…”

You’re welcome. You might find the following interesting. After my post to you, I searched in Encyclopedia Brittanica and found out that ‘patriotisme’is a word used in the Norwegian, French and Indonesian language. As I previously stated, it is not a word I’m familiar with, because it’s not in the English dictionary.


Von Says:

JCF:

“Not quite. Remember the post when the draws came out and everyone was mentioning how easy Fed’s draw was compared to Djokovic and Nadal’s? When I gave my take on it, I was probably the only one who thought it was ‘relatively balanced’.”

That’s true. I remember that post because a Nadal fan disagreed with you stating it was an easy draw for Fed and Nadal had the toughest draw. You also stated that Fish and Roddick have both beaten Fed, so now it’s Blake’s turn. This is why I didn’t understand how you could say the match was more of Fed losing it, than Blake winning it. But you’re right the Fed of yesteryear, would find a way to pull off a victory; the present Fed looks as though the fight has left him. So sad.

“Unless you disagree on that point, I’m not really making excuses for Federer. He was still playing great up until Wimbledon. He was losing the big matches all year, but it wasn’t until after Wimbledon that he fell off completely.”

I agree that after Wimby ’08, Fed began losing earlier in more tournaments and to guys who didn’t have a chance to beat him in prior years. However, even though it’s true for this year, Fed’s slide really began in the second quarter of ’07, when he had back to back losses at IW and Miami to Canas, and then Volandri at Rome. He got back on track after Rome ’07 and played well until Bercy where he was again knocked out. Presently, Fed is showing signs of mental and physical tiredness and a lot has changed for him, but whatever it is, only he knows, and he’s not saying. Maybe Fed will get back on track, and then again maybe not. If it’s the mono that’s recurring, then what we’re seeing now will be the pattern in the future. He’ll have some good months, and then he’ll have a relapse, similar to Ancic. What’s happening now that he’s losing early in tourneys, his side of the draw is really opening up and players who would normally not get far in a tournament are reaching the SFs, and there isn’t any more predictability in tennis. However, the other players should not take Fed for granted, because he’ll have good periods in between, when they least expect it, and he’ll swat them. And, that’s another episode in the days of our lives. That’s a soap opera BTW. :)

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