Tennis-X: Federer, Djokovic Struggle at Aussie Open; Nadal on Sex During Events

Good for tomic as australian tennis has been awaful and they need somethng to cheer for. Roddick looked great. Rafa probably has lots of sex during australian Open. Poor Ana is not herself. I hope federer and Safin make the next round and play each other.

January 19th, 2009 at 9:49 am

Roddick lost 15 pounds – wow. That’s quite a lot. He definitely looked on target in this first round match.

January 19th, 2009 at 10:21 am

You really tried hard for a striking title didn’t you? :-)

January 19th, 2009 at 11:07 am

Let’s hear it for Roddick and Dokic. I would be pleased with (1) a Grand Slam win from Roddick this year (who can argue with an attitude of trying to prove something, every day?) and (2) a QF here in Australia from Dokic.

January 19th, 2009 at 11:16 am

despite being pushed in the third set, djokovic to me looked strong. his serves seem to be getting better. did not stay up to watch fed but will see it on PVR later.

too bad for the rest of the american men; so many gone in th first round.

can you believe muller and lopez? we went to bed when it was 10-10 in the fifth….

January 19th, 2009 at 11:48 am

I know andrea – that Muller J-Lo marathon was too much, but I stuck it out for the end. I told myself: “if it gets to 20-20 in the 5th I don’t care who wins!

I did think Novak’s serve looked okay yesterday, except at the start of the 3rd when he kind of disappeared for a couple of games to go down love-4.

I didn’t stay up for Federer’s match either, but Seppi can be a tough customer, so I don’t know how much can be taken out of their match up. Either way you slice it, it’s a straight set victory in the end.

January 19th, 2009 at 11:59 am

That Lopez Muller match was about the worst thing I’ve ever seen. The camera angle was horrible, and the pace of play was like watching to players train. Awful.

Roddick looked great – first of all, let’s just congratulate him on finally getting some clothes that appear to fit him properly – that alone is a reason for renewed interest. After years of looking like a kid wearing his older brother’s hand me downs, finally he’s dressing like a tennis player. Now if we can just get rid of that ridiculous baseball cap.

But seriously – Stefanki hit the nail on the head with the weight thing – he looks fit and quick, and he’s focusing on his footwork which is always a problem for americans, and one reason they struggle so much on clay. I’m looking forward to a good showing form him.

Federer looked rusty, which is strange considering all his run up to the tournament this year. But he didn’t look that great at the US Open last year either, and look what happened.

Mardy Fish dodged a bullet – he was playing like an idiot from the back, even though he had so much success last year coming to net. If that Australian kid hadn’t gone off the boil in the second set, he’d probably have been another American on his way back to the northern hemisphere.

I thought the announcers were hard on Djokovic, who looked pretty good until the 3rd set. Even though he wasn’t playing well, he found a way to get the hell out of dodge in straight sets. He looks moody and out of sorts, but I’m sure he’ll be fine.

Finally, I’m curious to see how Nadal and Murray fare today, but to be honest, I think Roddick looked the best. Good for him.

January 19th, 2009 at 12:06 pm

[…] Tennis-X: Federer, Djokovic Struggle at Aussie Open; Nadal on Sex During Events If working your way into a Grand Slam is the norm du jour, then former No. 1 Roger Federer and world No. […]

January 19th, 2009 at 12:42 pm

Rod should try to perform well, if he does this much, the results’d follow automatically. And I’d be happy too !
Cheers for Rod !

January 19th, 2009 at 12:42 pm

MMT: Did Roddick win the US Open in 2003 because he was quicker (able to keep up with Nalbandian) and lose 2004 Wimbledon because he was “slow” (or in part, because he was slow?)

January 19th, 2009 at 12:46 pm

I’m pleasantly surprised to know about what this Bernard Tomic did today ! A BIG CHEERS FOR BERNARD TOMIC !!!!

January 19th, 2009 at 12:50 pm

Everybody’s betting or either Murray or Federer, but I like Rafa’s chances as well as anybody’s.

That’s one heck of a forehand.

http://www.christconnection.net

January 19th, 2009 at 1:18 pm

Andrew Miller “MMT: Did Roddick win the US Open in 2003 because he was quicker (able to keep up with Nalbandian) and lose 2004 Wimbledon because he was “slow” (or in part, because he was slow?)”

Good questions – I have always felt that Roddick’s failure to progress as a player were technical, and not psychologlical as seems to be the consensus. I think they main issue technically is his ability to control points against the top players, which he was able to do in the past, but today, his movement has limited his ability to position properly to take control of points.

So yes, I do think his movement and footwork were problems that being lighter on his feet will faciliated. You’re right – it’s not the answer to everything, but it’s good start.

January 19th, 2009 at 1:42 pm

Roger played fantastic in the first set. In the 2nd, his service percentage dropped and he had a harder time. But about the draw. Federer definitely has/had the harder FIRST ROUND draw of the top players:

Nadal plays Rochus – Ranked #75
Murray plays Pavel – Ranked #1141
Roddick played Rehnquist – Ranked #191
Djokovic played Stoppini – Ranked #220
Federer played Seppi – Ranked #35

So for the FIRST round, Roger – by far – had the toughest opponent. Seppi was a little unlucky too because he just missed out being seeded and if that had happened, he wouldn’t have drawn Roger in the first round. So for the opponent that he played, I’ll take a hard straight set win any day

January 19th, 2009 at 2:15 pm

May God help Dokic get back the love and affection of her family ! Amen !!

January 19th, 2009 at 2:17 pm

FoT, I was thinking of you since yesterday and was missing your expression of Fed-fancy ! God heard me and you’re here again! I’m surely gonna have a good time here. And please don’t disappear! Keep posting whenever you can.

January 19th, 2009 at 2:24 pm

FoT, your point that out of the top-4, Fed has the toughest first round player pitted against him, is absolutely true ! Totally agree with you ! Seppi was really unlucky to face Fed in the beginning.

January 19th, 2009 at 2:31 pm

One of the biggest and most alarming news for the Fed fans today is- Fed had just 43 % 1st serves in !

January 19th, 2009 at 2:33 pm

Poor Seppi was just too unlucky, he couldn’t even push Fed to a 4th set ! Though Fed winning in 3 sets in 1st is always desirable, still his rival fought not badly & must be very disappointed right now for being unable to take even 1 set from Fed .

January 19th, 2009 at 2:40 pm

Ok ok Fed was playing rash shots, but the good shots weren’t missing either! Fed was playing some shots which were FANTASTIC AS WELL AS LETHAL !!!!!!!!!

January 19th, 2009 at 2:50 pm

GO GO GO FED-EXPRESS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

January 19th, 2009 at 2:54 pm

Hey gulu. I’ve been around reading the post but I’ll try to post more here as well. By the way, where is Zola? She still around?

January 19th, 2009 at 2:55 pm

One thing I noticed about Roddick’s game is that he reduce his unforced errors, a lot! In Doha he was also almost not missing anything. His defensive game is much better, a result of improving his shape, foot work and “foccus”, new coach is performing wonders…

Fed, as the article pointed, looked passive sometimes. Seppi was missing a lot at forehand side, and Fed was expecting him to miss instead of going for his shots. But that first set made me come closer to the tv more and more, a feeling of: Yeap, he’s there!

January 19th, 2009 at 5:20 pm

Daniel, what struck me about Roddick this year, was his readiness to come to the net, and his surprising touch when he got there. He hadn’t usually been reckoned much of a net player, had he? He’d come in because he ought to, but not know what to do when he got there. Now, he looks more confident.

January 19th, 2009 at 5:58 pm

FoT raises a good point. Federer’s opening round match was a little tricker; Seppi is no qualifier (though sometimes qualifiers are tricky too, match grooved and better than their rankings suggest; plus, being “unknown” gives them a sort of “x factor”).

A win is a win at the end of the day, whether it was a struggle or not. And straight sets too.

January 19th, 2009 at 6:01 pm

Poor Pavel has to retire in the second set against Murray (who won the first 6-2). He was clearly suffering with his back and the heat. A gentle workout for Murray, and no energy wasted.

January 19th, 2009 at 8:14 pm

If you have direct tv, there is a decent match(for a change) between Gajodosov(Aussie) and Razzano(France). I have no idea who they are but it is a good match.

January 19th, 2009 at 8:57 pm

“Roger Federer is a No. 2 seed for the fourth time in his career at the Aussie Open. The last two times he won the title (’08 US Open, ‘04 Australian Open)…”

Really? I can only count two: 04 and 09. Oh you meant at slam level, not just AO. I still count only 3 not 4.

“Intrepid tennis reporter Matt Cronin says Ana Ivanovic has broken-up with ATP boyfriend Fernando “Hot Sauce” Verdasco…”

Well that was quick.. only days ago the papers were still reporting that she was head over heels for him.

“Rafael Nadal is blogging for the Melbourne Herald-Sun newspaper, taking questions on topics from motivations to whether he has sex during a tournament. “Every player should know the best way to be ready to play next day. So it is up to the player,” Nadal writes…”

That was a non-answer, and this is a non-story. I read his first Q&A, and he is a man of few words. His answers were almost always shorter than the question and in most cases didn’t even answer it. He was asked why he picked his undies, whether it was a ritual, habit, or some way of focussing himself, and he just said, if I could stop doing it, I would, I hope people focus on my game instead of that.

The questions were pretty good, but his answers were not.

Pretty disappointing so far. I actually don’t like when players blog or do Q&A daily. If they lose early or mid-way, then it becomes embarrassing to continue looking important by keeping it up, but not having any part left to play.

I just learnt that Toni Nadal doesn’t get paid a single cent for his services. Rafa’s family tried to pay him but he refused it because being employed by Rafa would mean that Rafa is his boss, and he didn’t want that kind of relationship. Toni has a joint business with Rafa’s dad who manages the place on his own while splitting the proceeds.

January 19th, 2009 at 9:36 pm

Giner

Very true, rafa’s blogs in general are pretty lame, and he offers little insight and is loaded with banalities. That might partly be due to his relative lack of command in the language and perhaps more importantly, because he tends to play it safe in terms of what he says – exactly opposite of his on court persona. Strangely enough, though the conditioned responses (because of his ‘good upbringing’) annoy me no end, its perhaps not a bad thing having a vanilla sportsman on top of the game as far as being a good role model is concerned, in times where wild behavior is a default standard.

Fed is far more interesting with his choice and content of words which often seems to be an honest appraisal of things. But of course that sets off the odd controversy like the comment about Djoker’s racquet , though it was completely true.

January 19th, 2009 at 11:57 pm

Rafa’s blog “lame”? I think not.

The Nadals are from Mallorca. Mallorquins keep everything close to the vest. On that magical island It’s considered vulgar to process one’s life in the town square.

Rafa’s forays into the worlds of publicity & fashion are fascinating. He once was a gentle kid who loved to fish & dream. He is the nephew of a famous pro athlete, so sport was a realistic profession to him. Prodigious talent and mental drive [even Uncle Toni is stupefied by Rafa’s focus] created a legendary champion. And he’s only 22.

So, Rafael does not want to blab and blog personal anecdotes & gory details? Drink some cava & enjoy his matches. That’s all that matters.

January 20th, 2009 at 2:18 am

I cannot understand why some people keep arguing about Nadal being careful in his choice of words. Is it a bad thing in the first place? Is it a crime to have a strategic PR planning? Is he hurts any other players or anybody? In fact, if they do feel annoyed / distracted by Nadal for talking nice, is it rational to put the blame on him?

To me, it’s simple. If you don’t like the blog, don’t read the blog! I believe that the blog is designed specially for those who really admire him and will mostly accept everything of him no matter what he is saying – which what we normally call FANS. If you’re not his fan, why you should bother to even type his name in your search engine and click at his blog’s link? It’s ridiculous!

January 20th, 2009 at 2:41 am

I quote myself again for the linguistically challenged:

“its perhaps not a bad thing having a vanilla sportsman on top of the game as far as being a good role model is concerned, in times where wild behavior is a default standard.”

glo

His blog Is lame. And yes I think his game is super and I really enjoy his matches. I don’t see how they are in conflict. I say it as I see it.

You see, all human language is not divided into “gory details” and banalities. You can be insightful without being wild.

Ezorra

First :
“I believe that the blog…”

“I believe” is correct. Funny how blogs world over are a relatively common conduit for disseminating ideas and thought (yes Intelligent thought) so pardon me for expecting that from an intelligent tennis player, heck the No. 1 tennis player.

Second
“If you’re not his fan, why you should bother to even type his name in your search engine and click at his blog’s link?”

I think you are lacking some sense of linguistic logic here. Precisely, the structure of the “If….Then it must be true that…” statement that you are implying. I searched the names of six tennis players (on Google news) and Nadal’s blog was the least interesting of all. So I am a fanboy because I searched his name? Or a fanboy of all the players? I am a fan of the game and I am interested about things the players have to say About the Game. If Murray hadn’t come on the scene, Rafa would probably have been peddling the “Fed is the greatest in history and always the favourite” line still…

Just so you know, I enjoy Nadal’s game the most.

January 20th, 2009 at 3:50 am

Kroll, I’ve no intention to provoke you what so ever. I’m just sick of the people who still keep saying that Nadal is faker for talking nice.

Kroll, I’m sorry for that.

January 20th, 2009 at 4:28 am

Broadcasting complaint: I do not want to hear about Obama and all his greatness when a point is being played. I don’t care if he’s black. I don’t want to hear about politics when I watch tennis. kthx.

January 20th, 2009 at 5:10 am

Nadal seems to be playing great til now… he is hammering Rochus. I like his new look… with half-sleeved shirt and short …looks quite different. I guess he’z changed it since he became the No 1.

January 20th, 2009 at 7:11 am

Nadal is a very good tennis player, a gentleman and all around nice guy based on what I see on court and what I hear and read in his interviews. It is quite irritating when here is one good man who plays good tennis and behaves in a good manner yet there would be people who who throw aspersion on him. When somebody calls another a “vanilla sportsman”, I am not too “linguitiscally challenged” to not know that such praise is wrapped in contempt.

January 20th, 2009 at 7:23 am

Daniel:

“One thing I noticed about Roddick’s game is that he reduce his unforced errors …”

Keeping unforced errors to a minimum is one of the most overlooked aspects of Roddick’s game. He plays clean matches, except on those occasions when he’s a bit frazzled, then the UEs increase, but the same can be said for most of the players when they are feeling pressured.

______________
Kroll:

Welcome back!! I’ve missed your controversy — which is the main reason we come together on a tennis forum to air our likes and dislikes, isn’t it?
______________
Tejuz:

I don’t like first round matches for the main reason that the lower ranked players are so badly beaten up by their higher ranked opponents. It’s probably a horrible feeling for the qualifiers to know that they’ll be eliminated in their first match, and it’s back to the challengers again until another GS rolls by, and then the grind begins all over again. I often wonder how those guys survive on the pittance they’re paid.

January 20th, 2009 at 1:28 pm

MMT:

“Roddick looked great – first of all, let’s just congratulate him on finally getting some clothes that appear to fit him properly – that alone is a reason for renewed interest. After years of looking like a kid wearing his older brother’s hand me downs, finally he’s dressing like a tennis player. Now if we can just get rid of that ridiculous baseball cap.”

I’ve heard ikt stated that the reason he wears his shirts so loose id due to th fact that he needs a lot of space to serve. tightness aroun d the shoulders inhibit free arm movement. What the clothiers should have done was custom make his shirts with enough shoulder space then a graduated tapering from the under the arms to the waist.

Have you seen Nalby’s new outfit? The boxy yellow shirt is gone and is replaced by a Navy/black ensemble, which makes him appear to belook slimmer, or maybe he’s lost some weight. The downside is the new shoes. they’re a strawberry red/fuschia color and his racquet is trimmed with the same color. I like the color of the shoes, but not for a male. Anyway, it’s good to see him in some new duds. Perhaps JMDP will follow suit soon.
______________
Mary; Hello and welcome back!!

January 20th, 2009 at 1:45 pm

Von

My controversy? I am shocked! I always thought of myself as plain and vanilla….:)
I see Roddick is still the center of your world. He looked good in the opener and I think might do pretty well at the AO.
Also you said

“I often wonder how those guys survive on the pittance they’re paid.”

I think you are talking about “most tennis players”. Its btw, the story of the world, not just tennis.

Polo

Ok the only player I was a fan of – Sampras, I worshipped him and he was super cool on and off court but always interesting off it, because he did voice what he felt. I don’t think Nadal is faking it, which in fact makes no sense. I just think he plays it safe All the time to avoid ANY sort of controversy which is not something I favor. One can be well-mannered, respectful And vocal, there is no oxymoron there.

January 20th, 2009 at 3:15 pm

Ezorra

Sorry, as in the last post, I dont think he is faking, just Too careful to the point of annoyance. I am just saying that he doesn’t Have to be…

January 20th, 2009 at 3:20 pm

Kroll:

You plain? I’d say a mixture of fireworks and nuclear explosions!! Ha, ha.

Yes, A-Rod’s still my guy. What can I say, I’m an old-faithful and a die-hard fan.

So you loved Sampras also, eh? Same here. I cried when he retired and didn’t watch tennis for a couple of years until Andy won the USO, and then you know the balance. I’ve held on and won’t let go.

Hope you’ll stick around and won’t disappear again for several months. Catch ya later.

January 20th, 2009 at 3:30 pm

Kroll,

Take note also, that Nadal’s command of the English language is very limited. He can only say so much because that is probably all he knows in English. I wish I could get hold of his Spanish interviews. I may have to comb the internet for that to see if there is anything juicy…

January 20th, 2009 at 4:06 pm

Congratulations! Murray beat a guy from the senior’s tour. lol

January 20th, 2009 at 4:52 pm

“Take note also, that Nadal’s command of the English language is very limited. He can only say so much because that is probably all he knows in English. I wish I could get hold of his Spanish interviews. I may have to comb the internet for that to see if there is anything juicy…”

His spanish answers are more detailed than his english answers, but he says more or less the same thing, in the same style. So he’s still as polite in spanish as he is in english, so if you’re irritated by his english answers, you’re not going to find much improvement there.

It’s a tough balancing act. If the truth is not nice, you can either be blunt about it and say something not nice, or you can be polite but insincere, or you could just not comment. I think a guy like Blake is super polite and modest not unlike Nadal, but he is easier to listen to because his english is better. Even Roddick is. He rarely says anything bad about anyone in an interview. They still sugar coat their criticism (except when Roddick took a jab at Djokovic’s injuries). They just have a better grasp at the english language than Nadal does. Nadal sounds like a broken record because he uses the same words every time (due to his limited vocabulary) and that is probably what’s annoying people. They’ve heard it all before.

January 21st, 2009 at 5:15 pm

Giner,

I am not irritated by Nadal at all. This was in response to Kroll who resents Nadal’s good behavior and in his roundabout pedantic way called him a “vanilla sportsman”.In fact, I had an earlier post praising him without any reservation. I did see one Spanish interview after his win at Wimbledon and you are correct, he was the same. He was pleasant, courteous and polite.

January 21st, 2009 at 6:30 pm

Yeah I know. It was more directed at him than you.

I’m in two minds about Nadal’s press room skills. He’s not the most entertaining person to watch (Roddick wins that award). He is boring, but at the same time I think he says the smart thing. People generally don’t pick on him because they know his english is very limited. He does his best to not make enemies, because the media will sensationalise anything even mildly controversial you say.

In order for him to not be boring, he needs to find better ways of answering questions and that would require a significant improvement in his language skills which is unreasonable to expect. Federer has been under the microscope since he become #1, and the media will pounce on any choice pearlers he leaves.

Both Fed and Djokovic get a lot of attention from the media for what they say, but Nadal does not. Nadal doesn’t like that kind of scrutiny and just tries to offend the least people he can in order to avoid it. Those who complain about his over-modesty are likely in the minority anyway. Like someone else suggested, it might be a Mallorcan thing, and all people are respectful like that where he grew up.

January 22nd, 2009 at 12:04 am