Federer Outguns Roddick; Nadal, Murray on Thursday in Miami

***“It would have been easier if I had played terrible, but I gave it a go in the third,”***

I don’t agree. The first set was terrible. fed didn’t do anything special to win that set. Fed played very well, but Roddick could have won that match had he not be rushinh it that much. Anytime he was patient with Federer he won the point and he lost every time he rushed to the net. Roddick should watch that tape to realize that match was his as much as Fed’s.

April 2nd, 2009 at 10:55 am

Roddick’s form does genuinely appear to better than it has thanks in part probably to Stefanski. But regardless, Federer’s dip in form in the 2nd set and his consecutive unforced errors were what extended the match to 3 sets.

Djokovic on Federer:
“He’s so consistent on major events. He’s been so dominant the last couple of years.”

Ah the subtle little downplays of Fed’s years of dominance haha. It’s good to hear it though. It’s going to be a great fight to watch.

April 2nd, 2009 at 10:59 am

I agree- in fact, I’d say that that match was Roddick’s to lose; going into the third set he had the momentum and he played very well until that last service game. The victory was brutal to watch imo. It was snatched away so quickly, as the break point came on a lucky netcord for Fed, and then Roddick played one poor point at a crucial moment, and it was over. Most of the second and third sets were entertaining to watch, however. It was a competitive affair which is what we all want to see. It just seemed like one of those matches where but a cigarette paper separated the two. Those matches are exciting but then again it’s tough to see one guy lose when they’re that close. And in my biased opinion, it was tougher to watch Roddick lose because he was so close to the W and to notching another win in that very lopsided H2H. I hope he’ll come away with some positives!

April 2nd, 2009 at 11:08 am

What will be the schedule for Friday?

April 2nd, 2009 at 11:20 am

Sean, why would you “have to think” that? Is it because players who play their matches today won’t have a day in-between? Just wondering. Obviously in that match up day time favours Federer, who’s the favourite going into the match anyhow.

April 2nd, 2009 at 11:40 am

I missed Federer/Roddick match. Can someone tell me if there would be a re telecast and which channel. Thanks

April 2nd, 2009 at 11:48 am

andy and verdasco should be good.

i doubt del potro has the goods to beat nadal right now.

April 2nd, 2009 at 11:57 am

I take your point Sean: makes sense that today’s guys should have the extra rest if both semis are played tomorrow. Well I hope they put Roger and Novak on a little later, maybe 3:00 or 4:00, as opposed to first thing at 11:00.

April 2nd, 2009 at 11:58 am

Q. Talk about Novak. You last played him at the Open. It’s been a while.

ROGER FEDERER: US Open semis?

Q. Yes. That’s the last time you guys played. Can you take anything away from that match, or this just a totally new situation?

ROGER FEDERER: Um, no. Look, I mean, I also beat him in Monaco. He gave up there. But it’s good to have, you know, won the last couple matches against him. In the beginning when he was up and coming, you know, I figured him out pretty quickly, you know. I’m always anxious to play him, especially in the big occasions.

April 2nd, 2009 at 12:03 pm

Nadal and Djokovic playing golf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUwOk0u5sqo&NR=1

April 2nd, 2009 at 12:06 pm

Well, do they traditionally do a semi at noon and the next one at 8pm? or do they do a late afternoon time and and evening one? Maybe they slip in some doubles in the a.m.

April 2nd, 2009 at 12:11 pm

Thanks for the video sar; I had read that they were playing golf together at IW, but hadn’t seen that footage. Very cute.

As for scheduling, yes, they might do some doubles or perhaps the ladies? first. We’ll see. I just hope it’s a good match.

April 2nd, 2009 at 12:17 pm

I hope Novak will take those words Roger spoke at the presser and get pumped up.

April 2nd, 2009 at 12:22 pm

Sar
thanks for the link. Very nice.

I think jelena Jankovic had something to say about Fed’s comments after the AO. Whenever a player needs to attack another one verbally, I sense some insecurity in them. So I give Djoko a bit more chance for the semis.

April 2nd, 2009 at 12:35 pm

“I enjoyed it”
“It was an interesting match”

standard arrogant comments from an arrogant european

cant wait until nadal shuts this jerk up

not even roddick gets that smug when he wins
nor does he make excuses when he loses

April 2nd, 2009 at 2:02 pm

“In the beginning when he was up and coming, you know, I figured him out pretty quickly”

what would the tennis world do if these words were said by djokovic?

get lost, roger.

April 2nd, 2009 at 2:05 pm

anon: Roddick never gets smug when he wins. He’s gracious when he loses also. He doesn’t make statements like “I played an unbelieveable match” or I”I enjoued it”. Federer is arogant and not only arogant, he’s a twit, because he makes smug remarks always with the motive of showung how great he is — only in his dreams and his tards’ dreams too. He prances around the court with that smirk look on his face when he wins a good point, and sometimes he looks as though he’s smelling something putrid, maybe his mind. It wouldn’t look bad if the face was pleasing to look at, but it’s not. He’s so full of himself that he tells the crowd to be quiet and other remarks. His fans are always reiterating and enlarging upon Roddick’s and other players’umpire tiffs, but Federer’s tiffs are swept under the carpet. They pretentd they don’t see or hear, e.g., Wimby 2007, Djokovic at MC, Simon in Toronto, and last night. Could you imagine if oddick did what Federer did last night with a fan how the threads would light up. But not so, it’s craftily ignored.

I enjoy when he leaves with his tail between his legs when he’s beaten by Murray and Nadal and I hope one of them do the honors this time too. I don’t care what anyone says, the draws are manipulated in his favor and this time it was definitely a joke. Look at his draw devoid of anyone who could beat him with Roddick placed there, because of the H2H, to ensure Federer reaches the SFs.

He should follow some of his fans advice, because right now he’s not interested in winning or competing only in the slams, and what he’s doing at the other tourneys is just going through the motions of playing, but is also depriving other players who really care about winning, by beating them and taking away from them a chance to go deeper.

April 2nd, 2009 at 2:25 pm

I found this blog that has Billy Dec (a Chicago celeb) interviewing Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Amer Delic, Bud Collins, Liezel Hubber, and Andy Roddick. from the Sony Ericsson tennis tournament. Check it out!

April 2nd, 2009 at 2:53 pm

oops, i forgot to post the link!

it’s http://www.billydec.com/blog/?p=233

April 2nd, 2009 at 2:54 pm

Sar:

Usually with men only masters one semi is at 1pm and the other is at 7-7:30pm). If the women are playing their final on Saturday, then any semi’s they had left would probably be 1st Friday night. Don’t know when the women’s final is. The OOP will be out tonight – you are planning your Friday?

April 2nd, 2009 at 2:55 pm

anon: Re: “I enjoyed it”. It’s very strange don’t you think that Federer never says “I enjoyed it” when he gets blown away by Murray and Nadal, isn’t it? Instead we hear his sore loser comments on who’s average talent, and who’s improving etc., and the usual crybaby, “boo-hoo, they took away my candy; I want my mommy”. He should be the last to talk about ‘natural talent’. I suppose I’m going to hear that it’s all in my head now, but I’ve read where he stated that he wasn’t going any where with what little he had, so he studied other players’ techniques by videos and began practicing them, incorporating them into his game a few at a time, until they became second nature to him. Yeah, so much for natural talent alright, go take a dip in a lake, Federer.

April 2nd, 2009 at 3:05 pm

Hi Jane,

Congratulations to you and others on your man coming through. I think it was huge that he was able to push through those ongoing issues that surfaced again and pull off that win in straight sets; let’s hope he can make a new trend of overcoming in times like that. I think it bodes especially well considering that the crowd appeared to be eager to kick him while he was down (I know you missed the match, but he comparatively tamely threw his racquet down at one point – 2 all in the 2nd, I think – and the stadium erupted in an apparently unified chorus of boos. Odd how when, say, Safin does the same, half the spectators seem to think it is the coolest thing ever. Personally, it doesn’t really bother me one way or the other when a player does that unless it’s simply an attempt to disrupt the opponent). It seems like his camp has improved their behavior as well, and that’s positive on many levels. It’s got to be huge for him to have that support and for it not to be so controversial as it had been in the past, because it can’t have been any easier for him to cope with the rocky relationship he has had with tennis fans (especially in the US) knowing that the only people in his box are those he is paying to be there (as he was traveling basically alone for a while there).

April 2nd, 2009 at 4:17 pm

Hey Ra,

Thanks for your message. Let’s hope indeed; I’d like to see a good match between him and Roger. They usually have competitive meetings so I am hoping for another.

Oh no, well, on the one hand, the crowd are always ready to hop on Djoko for some valid reasons (he’s clearly earned some of his boos); but on the other hand, for some invalid ones as well: who cares if a player throws his/her racquet in self-disgust. They’re just venting their frustrations. I guess if they’re destroying racquet after racquet, or, as you say, disturbing the match/opponent’s rhythm, then it’s something potentially irksome, but otherwise it’s hardly reason to boo a player, imo. Seems to me most of the players do it, or something else to vent, from time-to-time.

April 2nd, 2009 at 4:28 pm

Ra, congratulations on your post. Clever and balanced one, and true in the first place.

April 2nd, 2009 at 4:37 pm

Tennisbebe, I have a long standing doc appt. at noon that’s why I am so concerned about the time. Guess I’ll have to tape it. arrrrgggggggggh

von:
“I enjoyed it”. Federer never says “I enjoyed it” when he gets blown away by Nadal—-
He is such a King-baby I can’t stand it.

von: Could you imagine if oddick did what Federer did last night with a fan —-
I must have missed it and went to the john, what happened?

Just now Robinson and Slob were licking their chops about how Novak has a hot day match with Federer. Slob said this is a good match up for Fed.How classy he is blah blah. Novak threw up with stomach ailment during/after the match, they said. They also said or Lindsay said that Kuzzy had treatments a few times during her match the other day in the heat.

I hope Djok can summon up all his strength in this heat with his lungs and kick some uppity butt. Then he can get beat by Nadal. LOL

April 2nd, 2009 at 4:39 pm

For Von, unbelievable, from another forum:

Did anyone else notice that Roger had his monogram painted on the court near his chair last night? Isn’t it enough that he has it plastered all over his clothes?

Has anyone seen this before? To me it would be over the top for a World No 1, let alone a World No 2 (and sinking) player. How could he have cajoled the tournament into doing this? Did he threaten one of his trademark hissy fits? Or perhaps he was crying inconsolably in their office until they finally relented?

No wonder Cahill wanted to get the hell out of Dodge — he probably would have had to sport Roger’s monogram on his entire wardrobe.

Arrogance, thy name is Roger Federer.

April 2nd, 2009 at 4:50 pm

Lots of Federer-bashing, most of it uncalled for.

Federer owns Roddick. If you are a Roddick fan, sorry. Yes it sucks for you. Just because it sucks is not an excuse for calling Federer arrogant, crybaby etc.

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:06 pm

Wow -Rafa lost the first set to JMDP. I am missing this match too.

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:07 pm

Yeah – I saw that & thought it was just plain idiotic of the crowd -who cares if a players cracks their racquet? It’s the players loss if they crack it or get a warning, not a sign of disrespect. They were trying to get Tsonga going – whatever.

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:09 pm

Del Potro,

Whoa!

Nadal,

Wha???

Jane,

You’re welcome. I’m hoping they can both find form for us tomorrow as well.

Agreed; I think it’s got its place, although it might be fun for the player who breaks the most racquets in a season to win a humorous “Dumb*ss of the Year” award for destroying whatever number of something most people in the world can’t afford. Seriously, though, it’s unquestionably pathological for some people NOT to express frustration physically and immediately. And what’s the alternative option? If they were to wail balls into the atmosphere, that would be very dangerous and certainly boo-worthy IMO. And they are not exactly in a position to slam a pick-axe into the earth to break ground for Habitat For Humanity, so…

Duro,

Um, thanks, I think. Perhaps I should be congratulating you for a concise, authoritative, yet somehow cryptic post..? Aw, heck, congratulations in any case (as long as they’re going around).

sar,

I hope Djokovic can summon up all his strength too, and if he does he’s certainly got a great shot at making it through to and even winning the final. After all, it’s “always tough against Novak: He’s talented, young, and up and coming; he knows how to win a slam”…

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:14 pm

Sar: Re the Federer and the crowd thing, I think he got angry because someone shouted out to Andy. it wouldn’t have irked him if they said “Come on Roger”. Then he was jawng with the umpire, which he does a lot, but his doting fans never see such. They only see Roddick and Djokovic — selective viewers. some claim roddick doesn’t bully them because he’s afraid of them. The way I see it, Andy doesn’t get into anything, because he needs every ounce of concentration when playing them, but people find foolishness to talk when they don’t like a player.

I suppoe the ankle biters and posting voyeurs will be coming out of the wood works now.

As for the monogram painting, I didn’t see it. To tell you the truth, the man is so darn ugly, that I don’t bother to look at him. I thought to myself last night when he opened his mouth at the crowd and I glanced over at Roddick, I wonder if I was dreaming. It was like looking at the “Beauty and the Beast”. He’ll get whatever he wants because he’s smooching up to Helfant as is evidenced by the draw. Roddick was thrown in his side to ensure his getting to the SF. Andy is s great player, but it makes me sick to see how nervous he gets and makes such silly mistakes giving away the match. Pavlov’s Bell is ringing in his head, and the other one knows it and delights in it. Sometimes I lose my faith when I see such injustice.

With reference to the clothes, I’ve said before, and I’ll say it again, he is the first tennis Christmas tree I’ve ever seen. How much is enough? His clothes are designer made while the other players wear the generic of the brand. I think Berdych looks a lot nicer in his generic Nike outfits than the RF guy. There are times when too much could be gawdy, well that’s him. These guys, had it not been for the sport, would be more lower classed than some of us in terms of status in life, and some of them need to remember that. Take away the money and what are they when tennis is over? People who have a profession and a career can work forever, they are lost after retirement, because their worthiness is gone, since they are so wrapped up in themselves and have no other identity except for tennis.

“Arrogance, thy name is Roger Federer.” You’ve said it. That interview Giner posted, he mentioned his talent and what not, and it’s why he enjoys and looks forward to playing Andy. Smug as a bug in a rug, don’t you think?

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:15 pm

It’s the Federer fans who began bashing roddick to begin with, so a retort is in order. Read, read and read.

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:16 pm

Is anyone watching this match with Rafa and delPo?Rafa just got broken in the 3rd game of the 2nd set, and he really looks out of sorts, to be honest.

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:19 pm

This man is incredible – he’s about to break right back. Backhand winner up the line after 20 strokes.

Amazing.

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:23 pm

MMT,

Yes. Oh, and he breaks back… Rafa looked out of sorts vs Stan as well (I didn’t see him play the round before that); so nice of him to remind us all that he’s human, but it’s definitely uncharacteristic.

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:25 pm

“Just because it sucks is not an excuse for calling Federer arrogant, crybaby etc.”

Nor is it necessary for anyone to call a player a donkey. The stuff about Federer crying is true, the stuff about Roddick being a Donkey is not. And there are many who echo and are delighted by the idiot who writes that. Where is it written that a human-being is a donkey, but the good ole donkey girl scout fans can’t see that — they are only peeved when their guy is not endowed with every descriptive glowing adjective.

It’s historical that whenever Federer beats anyone, his fans can’t enjoy his win without bashing/gloating the losing player. What’s wrong with this picture? Insecurity or an inability to allow joy to be the prevailing emotion? It’s sick and counter-productive. Look first at the moat in your own eye before accusing others of such. Likewise the reverse, when Federer loses his gloating fans recoil and run away en masse with their tails between their legs seeking to avoid the humiliation, but only come out when he wins, as is evidenced in today’s thread.

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:28 pm

omg guys what a match..del potro is not the same player from indian wells last week and rafa isnt as sharp as usual..

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:30 pm

sar:

If you have a noon appt (1pm Eastern) I would definitely plan on taping it.

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:31 pm

MMT, the Admin deleted my post to you regarding your comments on Novak yesterday, so you can imagine what was it like… But you deserved every word of it! Hatred not allowed! Remember it well, miserable hater…

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:33 pm

I wish I knew who Federer scolded. Was it Willie Parker? For awhile there I half expected Roddick to turn around and address Parker himself, like, “Dude, you know I love your support, but you’re gonna get me in trouble!”. That would’ve been classic and possibly appropriate (in keeping with many, many of Roddick’s comments).

Andy Murray wins my award for funniest/most inappropriate on court outburst ever.

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:34 pm

Ra,

“Andy Murray wins my award for funniest/most inappropriate on court outburst ever.”

Gawd over Johnny Mac? Do tell.

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:36 pm

——————————————

anon Says: “I enjoyed it” & “It was an interesting match. standard arrogant comments” This is ARROGANT???? I think not. I have said the same thing after I have won a closely contested match & if you played tennis competitively you probably would have too at some time. This statement is pure stupidity.

“standard arrogant comments from an arrogant european. cant wait until nadal shuts this jerk up”
Don’t know who you are as haven’t seen you post here before but you should think before you post. I believe RAFA IS ALSO A EUROPEAN, so you have just insulted him & ever other European on the planet. Good job.

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:36 pm

Duro: what, may I ask, was so offensive about my comments yesterday?

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:37 pm

“…outburst ever, though” is how I had intended to finish that post.

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:37 pm

Oof…Nadal is on a roll. He’s just won the last 4 games in a row, and handily. delPo is in big trouble.

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:38 pm

del po came out swinging but rafa’s getting fired up! I don’t think rafa looks anywhere near he did in the Stanz match, delpo’s playing very aggressively, serving well and hitting hard, flat & deep to the corners. His height is probably giving Nadal trouble, you think?

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:40 pm

jane (sorry to keep capitalizing your name),

I hesitate to repeat it here for two reasons:

1) I may misquote him slightly since I have no reference.

2) It will inevitably be used to (unfairly) criticize Murray at some point on this very board.

It’s tough to resist, though, so maybe if you really really have to know…

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:41 pm

You guys who are watching the Rafa match – have you got any sound? I haven’t, from Channelsurfing or ATDHE.

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:43 pm

Colin – I’m watching it in the US on the telly. Sound is fine if you don’t mind the announcers… :-)

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:45 pm

Woo hoo – a third set!! Rafa’s serving much mo’ better.

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:46 pm

..very entertaining match…third set we go

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:47 pm

CRAP – we are having a huge thunderstorm and I just lost power. Can someone fill me in on the match until it comes back? Muchas gracias in advance.

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:51 pm

c’mon rafa!!!

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:51 pm

Rafa just broke delPo in the first game of the 3rd set; he’s serving 1-0.

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:53 pm

delPo seems to have picked it up ever so slightly, but it’s amazing: the way Rafa is these days, even a slight dip in form isn’t enough to make you believe that ANYONE can beat him.

He’s making a lot of errors, and seems to be having problems with delPo’s flat strokes. Whereas delPo doesn’t appear to be affected in either wing with the movement on Rafa’s shots.

They’re both serving quite poorly.

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:56 pm

delPo now has 2 break points. This is very strange: if I didn’t know any better, I’d say he was targeting Rafa’s forehand.

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:56 pm

Rafa saved one BP by coming in and hitting an angled volley – delPo gave away the next two points. Rafa’s got game point.

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:59 pm

Game Rafa – delPo’s serving down 2-0.

April 2nd, 2009 at 5:59 pm

delPo’s now hit 4 unforced errors in a row – 21 forehand errors alone in the match. But he’s just won the last 2 points on Rafa errors; and if I’m not mistaken, I think I just saw Rafa yell “PU^A!” in disgust…sorry ladies.

April 2nd, 2009 at 6:02 pm

Beautiful slice approach winner from Rafa – we’re at deuce

April 2nd, 2009 at 6:03 pm

delPo just hit 2 netcords in a row, the second of which Rafa rolled cross court for a winner. I have to say, this man’s serve is not as good as it should be. For christ’s sake he’s 6-5!

April 2nd, 2009 at 6:06 pm

Break point to Rafa. delPO approaches on a slow floating cross court, Rafa belts the pass up the line and covers the angled volley with a comfortable forehand up the line.

That’s 2 breaks to Rafa – game set match, as far as I’m concerned. I’m off to happy hour!

April 2nd, 2009 at 6:07 pm

DelPotro is down 2 breaks. I don’t see him getting up from this one. Nadal wins. Pity Murray wasn’t in the other half of the draw.

April 2nd, 2009 at 6:08 pm

“I think I just saw Rafa yell “PU^A!” in disgust…sorry ladies.”

Pity the English speaking players don’t know another language to curse also.

April 2nd, 2009 at 6:10 pm

To MMT:

Agree with you. I mean, why the hell does JMDP (with all his height) need to toss up the ball that high?

April 2nd, 2009 at 6:11 pm

tennisbebe – sorry about the storm. That’ll teach you to say you’re watching it on TV! I couldn’t get American TV in the UK as far as I know, and anyway, I disabled my TV set 4 years ago and haven’t seen any TV since.
Federer has to fight to beat Roddick. Nadal is not at his very best. Djokovic may not be fit. How about a wild guess that the tournament winner could be the winner of Murray/Verdasco?

April 2nd, 2009 at 6:13 pm

Agreed, he is somewhat arrogant and that is what cuzing him all these late loses, and maybe more… but yesterday he managed to beat A.Rod again so congratulations to him. I think his true ranking is 4th and e also knows it, and this is going to be a fact soon… all he will be able to achieve is SF.

April 2nd, 2009 at 6:20 pm

skorocel:

DelPotro with his height and reach/range should be beating Nadal very easily, but he can’t seem to find the correct range and form.

April 2nd, 2009 at 6:20 pm

Just got home and see JMDP has leveled it. Hmmmm…. interesting.

April 2nd, 2009 at 6:20 pm

Thanks MMT – my power is back on – WOW what a point to break Rafa! That was the first thing I saw after power on.

April 2nd, 2009 at 6:21 pm

Rafa used the slice well to earn break point back; JMDP just whacking the ball meanwhile.

April 2nd, 2009 at 6:25 pm

Rafa’s playing a bit too far back imo; he was doing that a bit against Stan also.

April 2nd, 2009 at 6:28 pm

who got booed for cracking their racket?

how great would it be if the crowds booed Federer, lol.

April 2nd, 2009 at 6:29 pm

Credit it to JMDP – he’s really taking it to Rafa here.

April 2nd, 2009 at 6:30 pm

I may be mistaken but seemed when Rafa picked it up in the 2nd set vs Stanz, he somewhat abandoned his new HC tactics and started hitting with alot of high topspin and stayed back. Did he start doing that here too when I couldn’t see?

April 2nd, 2009 at 6:31 pm

rafa just lost concentration ..never saw him doing that and potro is taking advantage it very nicely..this match can go either way. too bad i have to go work and wont be able to see the end :(

April 2nd, 2009 at 6:31 pm

Whoa – good serving by delpo. Too bad about that call.

April 2nd, 2009 at 6:40 pm

Wow, who would have thought, 2 breaks down and now DelPotro is leading? Nadal is using too much topspin on his shots and making mucho errors. As usual, the umpire mess-up is never-ending. Why should a point be replayed if the other player can’t get to it. Same happenened last night.

April 2nd, 2009 at 6:43 pm

Now I have to confess, I want very bad a Del Potro win! At least once Nadal has to experience some guy beat him when he was leading, 3-0 in the third set and serve. Even if he survives as he is used to I don’t think he will pass Murray nor Verdasco, he is not playing his A game right now. Will see…

April 2nd, 2009 at 6:52 pm

Wow, silly mistake by Nadal to concede match point!

April 2nd, 2009 at 6:57 pm

Daniel Says: “Now I have to confess, I want very bad a Del Potro win!”

Me too!! I am rooting for him too. He’s showing some great form & am getting sick of seeing the top 2 in everything. We’ll see…

April 2nd, 2009 at 6:58 pm

Will Nadal save match points to survive another Argentine?!…

April 2nd, 2009 at 6:58 pm

Who wouldda thunk – Rafa serving & volleying his way out of trouble? Deuce.

April 2nd, 2009 at 7:00 pm

Jeez – double fault then an ace.

April 2nd, 2009 at 7:01 pm

2 aces out of 3 match points. The guy is really something!!!

April 2nd, 2009 at 7:03 pm

yeah – where did those come from? Up his sleeve…

Tie break!!

April 2nd, 2009 at 7:04 pm

Finally!!! Great match! This just prove how scary good Nadal is right now. At least some one different will win a big title now. When the clay season begin, bye, bye titles…

April 2nd, 2009 at 7:15 pm

Well, well, another VERY exciting match for us, much like the twists and turns of the Safin / Monfils match. Uncharacteristic errors from Rafa, but JMDP was so smart to push Rafa back, which is his tendency on hard courts, to play back behind the baseline and scramble. But he has mainly overcome that, until a little against Stan, and definitely today.

Congrats to JMDP for a big win.

Sorry to Ezorra, zola, and other Rafa fans.

April 2nd, 2009 at 7:17 pm

Hot damn!! What a match, what a finish!! MMT, you lush, you missed it. Gotta keep a bottle a bourbon in the sideboard for these long exciting matches.

I kept think Rafa was gonna pull it out – as he has done so many time, particularly after that net cord on delpo’s serve. Wasn’t to be. Auguri Juan!! Sorry to Zola, Erozza, all hard-core Rafa fans. He played his heart out as usual.

April 2nd, 2009 at 7:18 pm

tennisbebe – wanna hear something really stupid? Why was I getting no sound? Well, earlier I’d been using the headphones, and forgot they were still plugged in. Surprise – no sound from speakers! I am definitely getting senile…

April 2nd, 2009 at 7:19 pm

Finally… now we need Verdasco to beat Murray and we can be sure we’ll get someone else to win a title other than Nadal and Murray

April 2nd, 2009 at 7:20 pm

NachoF – Would it be okay if it’s Verdasco or Djoko? ;-)

April 2nd, 2009 at 7:22 pm

Wow, what a match. I think Nadal will remember that drop shot in the breaker where he signalled to DelPotro by opening the racquet face too early, and JMDP was prepared, and the other point he slammed into the net.

DelPotro should thank Stan for softening Rafa in their previous match, so that he could move in for the kill.

I think I know why Daniel wants JMDP to win, because he’s thinking of his player, Federer. With Nadal out of the match, and if Federer gets to the finals, then he’s probably the winner. But ahhh, big mistake, then there’s Murray!! And, with Rafa out of the equation, Federer will be a dead duck playing against Murry, unless ….. Verdasco helps Federer out by beating Murray. What a lovely game of chess! King to …
______________
What’s with DelPotro pants? he’s always pulling up one leg and tucking it in, and then when he lost a point, he reached up under his shirt and pulled down his shorts, keeping it pulled down for a minute or so. I wonder what’s the significance, if any?

April 2nd, 2009 at 7:23 pm

LOL Von “What’s with DelPotro pants?” I was wondering the same thing; i was wondering if he had a bothersome insect bite or something. I didn’t notice the pulling down thing though. Weird.

April 2nd, 2009 at 7:28 pm

Colin Says: “tennisbebe – wanna hear something really stupid? Why was I getting no sound? Well, earlier I’d been using the headphones, and forgot they were still plugged in. Surprise – no sound from speakers! I am definitely getting senile…”

Ha ha, oh Colin, that’s priceless. Sounds like something I would do.

Did you miss the audio on the entire match? Well at least the “problem” is fixed for the Murray match.

April 2nd, 2009 at 7:29 pm

I like Tobasco, but I am hoping for Murray. Will be interesting, since Murray had the virus at the AO and the loss was at least partially ascribed to that. Tonight we’ll get to see how they match up when both are healthy.

April 2nd, 2009 at 7:30 pm

Also, JMDP and Murray have had a barn-burner or two, so it would be good to see them meet again. Then, too, was it JMDP whom Verdasco beat to take the DC title?

April 2nd, 2009 at 7:32 pm

Wow! what a match!

thanks Jane and tennisbebe. I am sorry for Rafa’s loss too. Congratulations to all JMDP fans. What a great win for him coming back from 0-3 to win the set and the match.

I missed the first set and much of the second. The way Rafa played his last two matches, I wasn’t very hopeful. When I saw he was a set and a break down, I thought that’s it. And then he came back and won the set and two breaks and I thought the match was over and yet again, JMDP made his move. He outrafa’ed Rafa. Usually it is Rafa that comes back after a situation like that.

Anyway, disappointing for me, but JMDP played great when needed and Rafa made too many mistakes. He played a much better second set. But in the third he lost concentration and JMDP never went away.

It is not too bad, because this loss gives Rafa a channce to get home earlier and get some rest for the clay season, which starts in a week!

Rafa has tons of points to defend in the coming 203 months. I think even an earlier loss would not have been so bad for him.

JMDP won 4 ATP titles last year but no master shields. If he can manage to win Miami, that will be huge for his confidence. Still, I think he is getting more and more dangerous.

Let’s see who will be his opponent. Either way will be a very interesting semi.

April 2nd, 2009 at 7:32 pm

Jane
I think Verdasco beat Acasuso. But still, I think he will make a point if he can win both Spaniards ( I hope not!!!)

April 2nd, 2009 at 7:33 pm

For those people who count del potro out ! One dimension bla bla bla…now he beat the hottest guy on the tour. Are those people going to eat their rotten eggs ?

Del Potro…a good career defining win. congratulation.

Now I believe you are th real deal !!

April 2nd, 2009 at 7:34 pm

Impressive work by Del Potro (and congratulations to his fans). I wonder about Rafa, though… There were chunks of time when he didn’t seem all that interested in making adjustments to line up the ball before swinging at it. Perhaps it’s a combination of fatigue and looking to the oncoming clay season. I’m curious to read his interview transcript (even though it’s at least as likely as not that he’ll just say his standard stuff).

April 2nd, 2009 at 7:38 pm

Von says: “What’s with DelPotro pants? he’s always pulling up one leg and tucking it in,…”

Von, Von where have you been? Miss you so last night during the Roddick match – thought he had it – but he didn’t go for the kill when he was up love-30 on Fed’s serve in the 3rd – ahhhh – too passive and the opportunity slipped away. Did you get to see the match? I hope so – you would have been very proud of Andy, but probably a little frustrated too :-(

Delpo kept rubbing his thigh throughout the match and then called the trainer for his thigh in the 3rd so I assumed that was the issue. Didn’t see him pulling down his pant leg though, just up. At least he didn’t lose his pants like Djoko in DC – Jane did you ever see that point? God, that was weird and kinda funny.

April 2nd, 2009 at 7:43 pm

tennis bebe,
I remember seeing JMDP do that with his pants ( pull one side up). I think it was in IW.

April 2nd, 2009 at 7:49 pm

Hello Von! :-) You’re right about JMDP, but then again, the same could also be said about Berdych or Tsonga, whose height and powerful shots (combined with their doublehanded BH) should, at least theoretically, cope with Nadal’s topspin better than, say Fed’s game, yet the guy has won the last 3 meetings against the Czech, 3 out of 4 against the Frenchman, and 4 out of 5 against the Argentine… That just shows how tough this guy is these days… You know very well that I don’t like his game that much (well, that would be an understatement), but even I have to say: That guy simply DESERVES some credit! That match against Nalby (who literally beat the sh.t out of him in their 2 and only matches thus far), that was just too much… The guy was literally clueless about how to play the Argentine for (literally) 2 and 1/2 matches, and then he just comes and saves 5 MPs (!) and then almost bagels him in the 3rd… Amwazing! The same today… After Nadal dug out of that early deficit in the 2nd set (and then later saved those 3 MPs in the 3rd), I’ve thought it was virtually over for JMDP, but luckily for him, it wasn’t… Certainly the match of the tournament!

April 2nd, 2009 at 7:50 pm

tenisbebe:

“Von, Von where have you been? Miss you so last night during the Roddick match – thought he had it -”

Thanks for your concern and for making me feel welcome. To be truthful, I took a sabbatical from he who has a crystal ball, and knows anything I write is “all in my head”. At least it’s in my head, I wonder where his is?

Yes, I saw the match, the first set, then went out to the supermarket. Came back, watched the second, and then the third, saw the net cord point and thought, “Oh God don’t let it happen”. But it did, and it was a terrible feeling. I felt that loss more deeply than at the AO. I can’t stress enough, how very mental this is for Andy, and, sadly, it has gone on for too long now, that it won’t be reversed. A memory chip is now deep in his hippocampus/limbic part of his brain and nothing is going to remove that — it’s all so very sad. Anyway, the worst part is reading the nonsensical comments by the Fedtards. I wanted to stay away permanently, and I don’t know why I let curiosity get the better of me, so here I am defending A-Rod as usual, but it’s really not worth it, when I look at the source — nothing but good ole donkey girl scout trolls spewing garbage. Whappa!!

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:01 pm

tenisbebe, yes I saw when Djoko dropped his drawers! Apparently it was a sincere accident but lordy lordy! Did he forget to tie the string? LOL. The way Federer has been fiddling with his belt buckle I’ve been half expecting him to drop his drawers too.

zola says “Rafa has tons of points to defend in the coming 203 months.”

203 month! Girl you obviously have big plans for Rafa’s future.

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:03 pm

Sean

***I think despite the loss this will set up good for Rafa, giving him that extra motivation on the clay.***

Exactly! In fact even an earlier exit would have done him good. It is also less pressure for the next year.

I thought the same about JMDP and he is not even at his best yet. For me this wim pushed him towards the category of Andy Murray. I seriously hope to see both ( and Djoko) on Fed’s side in GS matches ( add Nalby to that group too!)

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:04 pm

Jane,
I am the typo queen! 203 months! OMG!

but maybe unknowingly I made him the future #1 for the next four years. If that happens Rafa and his team have to thank me. I will bookmark this page for evidence!

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:06 pm

Skorocel says “Certainly the match of the tournament!” Did you see Safin vs. Monfils? I would say overall it was better, but the ending of this one was better as Rafa didn’t collapse at the end as much as Safin did. Although Rafa did collapse given that he was also up 1 or was it 2? breaks. Both were fun.

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:06 pm

Jane,
that was not an accident. It was probably an act of frustration or something like that. If you search youtube there are some clips.

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:08 pm

skorocel:

Well, hello Mon ami. It’s so nice to see the lazy one get off the couch, put his fingers on the keyboard and post a few comments. Walla, I don’t have a smiley, so I’ll say, ha, ha. I’m proud of you that you’re motivated enough.

“After Nadal dug out of that early deficit in the 2nd set (and then later saved those 3 MPs in the 3rd), I’ve thought it was virtually over for JMDP, but luckily for him, it wasn’t… Certainly the match of the tournament!”

I was so confident he’d win, I posted he’s 2 breaks up, he wins, match over. And then JMDP did the unthinkable, he broke back, not once, but TWICE. I can’t believe the chutzpah in that guy, not giving up, but breaking twice.

Regarding the match of the tourney, I think we have quite a few. Safin v. Monfils, Roddick v. Federer, and JMDP v. Nadal. Are you watching on Eurosport or the feed I gave you for live streaming? I hope you’ll watch tomorrow, and the finals. Anyway, keep on posting, and I’ll catch ya later and thanks for giving me a shout.

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:09 pm

zola, LOL. I thought it was maybe a Freudian slip / typo. Bookmark it!

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:12 pm

wow! Murray is already 3-0 against Verdasco. Maybe this is going to be his tournament.

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:12 pm

zola, I read somewhere that it was an accident; I did see the clips on youtube.

Looks like Murray is getting some revenge! He’s probably please Rafa is no longer waiting for him.

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:13 pm

Yeah Von; you’re right that Roddick vs. Federer was great too. But the first set wasn’t so good as Andy hadn’t found his best stuff yet, so I didn’t categorize it as highly.

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:15 pm

jane:

“The way Federer has been fiddling with his belt buckle I’ve been half expecting him to drop his drawers too.”

I saw he did that a lot in his match v. Andy, and that tells me he wasn’t just nervous, but very nervous. There were times he actually looked as though he was afraid. Who knows maybe he will drop his drawers if he gets beaten in this tourney, easy draw et al. Ha, ha. This is the laugh of the day. I suppose it’s why I can’t keep away, the laughs are good.

Talking about coming here for laughs, makes me remember Polo who said he came here to laugh, but sadly he left over Dubai/Roddick. Polo come back if you’re reading this, I miss you. That’s a personal invite!!

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:16 pm

NachoF said: “Finally… now we need Verdasco to beat Murray and we can be sure we’ll get someone else to win a title other than Nadal and Murray”

Ha ha, maybe Fed? :-) Well, as weird as it may sound… I don’t even remember what was the last time the Swiss has won something :-) But seriously, now that Rafa is out, this should be Andy Murray’s tournament for the taking! He’s got a positive H2H with all the 3 semifinalists (and against Verdasco as well), so anything other than a title would be pretty much a surprise…

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:18 pm

I hadn’t imagined JMDP progressing through the draw past Rafa, but now that he did I would love to see Verdasco upset Murray again. That would mean that (on hard courts at least) Djokovic will have made it deeper than Murray and will have made steps toward reaffirming his position in the top tier, Murray will still have Fed’s number, the new Verdasco will apparently have the new Murray’s number, and JMDP will have to be taken seriously as a threat to the very best. In addition, Roddick has performed exceptionally so far this year. In my eyes, that all makes for some seriously varied contention and very heavy draw factors (at least on hard court). Exciting times for fans such as ourselves, no doubt.

Was it Sean Randall who predicted the Nadal upset to JMDP? Good call.

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:19 pm

two breaks for Andy , one for Verdasco!

So far 2009 has been a great year of tennis.

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:20 pm

zola;

“that was not an accident. It was probably an act of frustration or something like that.’

Maybe all the guys are going to start dropping their drawers now. My boss just looked into my office and asked me what’s so funny, and I showed him the posts. He’s laughing out loud and his face and my face is hot/red from the laughter. I had better stop before I crease my face and then I’ll have to buy an iron to iron out the creases. Ha, ha.

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:20 pm

Von,
When JMDP brought his pants down I thought of the same thing. Maybe it is the new trend!

You have a great boss!

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:22 pm

zola:

My boss has it made in the shade. I’m giving him 3 hours overt-time tonight without pay since I’m salaried. He has no choice but to be happy. He’s a great guy though and loves to laugh. I’ve become very wicked working with the guys, but it’s GREAT. Time to go home now.

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:27 pm

Botox apparently works well, Von, if you like that frozen look. Ha ha.

What’s with Verd? Kind of boring so far compared to the last match anyhow. Mind you, the AO match between Verdasco and Murray was very see-saw like this.

———————————————–

Ra, excellent post; it’s true there is so much contention right now, so I’d like to see it continue throughout the year. We’re so lucky to never know who’s going to come through at which event, at least to a degree anyhow.

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:30 pm

Great day in the mornin’: lil’ ol’ JPMD pulled it out? I can’t believe it. Well, I guess that whiskey wasn’t worth it after all.

Speechless.

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:32 pm

Von says: “I felt that loss more deeply than at the AO.” So did I – definitely, it was much closer and he was RIGHT THERE.

“I can’t stress enough, how very mental this is for Andy, and, sadly, it has gone on for too long now, that it won’t be reversed.” Von, I am going to disagree with you here. I think Stepanki will sit him down & they will continue to work on his net game but also his decision making at mid-court & hopefully Larry will impress on him NOT to hit a short approach to Fed’s forehand. If he wouldn’t have done just the last one, he very well could have won. I think this will give him heart for 3 set encounters vs Fed anyway because all this stuff is fixable – and Larry’s the man to help him get there. they have only been working together since December and look how far he’s come already. Don’t despair, all is NOT lost.

My more immediate concern is the 200 points b/w he & delpo right now (didn’t realize it til just now).

“Anyway, the worst part is reading the nonsensical comments by the Fedtards.” It is difficult but we must ignore the trolls – that is their purpose – to spew hate – in favor of whatever player they fanatically support. I sometimes fall into this trap too when I see something nasty or incorrectly stated. We all will have to encourage each other ignore it.

Glad you’re back!

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:36 pm

Von

“I think I know why Daniel wants JMDP to win, because he’s thinking of his player, Federer. With Nadal out of the match, and if Federer gets to the finals, then he’s probably the winner. But ahhh, big mistake, then there’s Murray!! And, with Rafa out of the equation, Federer will be a dead duck playing against Murry, unless ….. Verdasco helps Federer out by beating Murray. What a lovely game of chess! King to …”

Even if Fed has to meet Del Potro or Verdasco, he would have beaten two top 10 (Roddick and Djoko) and will need to beat another top 10 to win the title, although he has a great hxh against those two, which will be a good result, not great, that would be beating Nadal.

I personally wanted the top 4 in the semis. I never thought Del Potro as a probem for Nadal, I started to cheer when he recover from the deficit in the third.
Right now I want Murray to be in the final against Fed. As Fed himself always say, in the big occasions he is the favorite, and I think that either, even wiht his recent losses.
A final is a different thing, and his motivation will be huge. He will bring his A game, as he did against Nalbandian in Basel last year. Mark my words!!

– 2008 Fed only lost in finals to Nadal
– 2007 he lost to Djoko in 3 in Montreal and Nalbandian in 3 in Madrid, and Nadal on clay, off course
– 2006, only to Nadal

You see, as much as people try to bash him, he is the man to beat in finals!
Nadal had to beat him to win a third of his titles and 5 out of 6 Slams. If Murray beats him, if they meet in Sunday final, them he gets a problem.

Right now I need to see if Murray can beat Fed in a final.

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:41 pm

Wow, this is hard to watch.

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:42 pm

Ah, now I see that Verdasco may be trying to lull Murray to sleep (and into double faults).

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:43 pm

Tennis!

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:44 pm

Ra, I don’t think you’ll get your wish; seems unlikely that Hotsauce has a hope in hell to pull off the upset; he’s handing Murray the match in some ways. Murray is fully cognizant of that and taking full advantage. Verdasco has played better during Murray’s service games than his own. Go figure.

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:44 pm

seems Murray has not forgotten the AO QF match. But where is Verdasco?

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:46 pm

MMT – you’re back! Thanks for the play-by-play earlier, you should be on radio (although I haven;t heard you’re voice).

Yes, delpo pulled it out in a very heart pumping 3rd. Hope those cocktails were worth it!

This match is boring so far (compared to the last).

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:47 pm

Wow, from love – 40 to Ad Murray. Tobasco needs to go back to the kitchen. Have some chicken wings. He needs something! Well…here’s deuce. Can he get the break back?

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:48 pm

I like Murray but this is b-o-r-i-n-g. Snooze. ZZZZzzzzzz….

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:51 pm

Flashes of brilliance from both sides now…

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:53 pm

This is almost unbearable.

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:53 pm

Verdasco’s serve has completely deserted him.

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:53 pm

I can’t believe I missed Nadal del Potro, and I’ watching Verdasco rub his gludes and grimmacing through ever other shot.

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:54 pm

jane,

I’m glad you enjoyed my post. Yeah, I’m not feeling too hopeful about hot sauce pulling this off.

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:54 pm

What is UP with Verdasco? Murray’s putting him in the sleeper hold or something, and it’s working on me too.

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:54 pm

But hey, at least he got on the board (about 7 hours of boring tennis ago, I think; I see a “1” next to his name, but I really can’t remember how it got there)…

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:56 pm

2 games away from breakfast…

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:59 pm

Seems like Verdasco is following in Troicki’s footsteps :((. What a shame :(

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:59 pm

good evening all.

I arrived home earlier than usual and turned on the TV to watch one of the worst matches I’ve ever seen. Verdasco is nothing short of horrendous and he looks very depressed right now, poor thing.

Von dear, I hope you have recovered some from the horrendous Rod/Fed match. I am still angry about it and hearing Roger’s arrogance yet again is like salt in the wound. I hope Murray (or jane’s Novak) takes him out to the curb!

April 2nd, 2009 at 8:59 pm

LOL – Yes, all blurring through for me now. What day is it? April fools? Oh no. Groundhog day? Oh no. Maybe it’s the Bermuda triangle?

Seriously though; is Murray this good or is Verdasco just horrible at the moment. Murray also beat Troicki like this so I am wondering if it’s a sleeper potion? Can Murray do this to JMDP, Djoko or Fed? Can he get the title and number 2? He’s certainly the most rested one at this point. Sheesh.

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:00 pm

OMG – Verdasco held! Stop the presses. Did the alarm go off and wake him up?

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:01 pm

So much for breakfast…

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:02 pm

Actually, jane, I think Murray fell asleep a little too.

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:03 pm

Scarcely a boo for Tabasco’s broken racquet…

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:06 pm

this is BAD!

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:07 pm

Gosh I just cannot imagine what’s up; is he injured? I heard the commentator say something about and injury, but the most excitement I’ve had watching this is that my streaming keeps cutting in and out.

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:08 pm

This is even more tragic now that Verdasco is finally starting showing some signs of life because it’s surely too late.

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:10 pm

did he break his racquet? I think players should be forced to finish the game with the broken racquet. Then there will be more respect for the poor thing that esrns them millions!

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:10 pm

I have some coverage now. What is wrong with Verdasco’s back? when did he injur himself?

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:11 pm

Anyone catch what Verdasco said to Murray at the net? He was clearly off. I thought I heard Murray say “sorry” in response to what Hotsauce said, and then Fernando said “good luck” to Murray; that’s all I could catch. Well the press conference might tell us more. Nice practice session for Murray!!

Congrats to margot and Colin. Murray was very focused, which is not always easy against a clearly ailing and/or off-form player.

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:15 pm

It is sad to see Verdacso’s face! Oh….
Verdasco was explaining to Murray something over the net, perhaps about his injury.

interesting semis. I hope Murray and Djoko get to the final.

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:18 pm

At least he didn’t lose his pants like Djoko in DC – Jane did you ever see that point? God, that was weird and kinda funny.

yes I saw it, it’s funny. I would tape the match but I don’t know what station it will be on and have to leave 11:30 FSN, FSNS, etc, there are a million FSNs. Sh#t.

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:18 pm

Apparently the injury was to a glute (ouch). I’m sure Murray has the evil eye. How many opponents have got injured playing him this year?
An ugly, scrappy match. Verdasco was making endless errors even before he was hurt. Murray didn;t do anything special, and didn’t need to. Best news is, he wasn’t long on court, and Del Potro must be tired. What’s the betting HE gets an injury tomorrow?

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:18 pm

JMDP’s presser:

http://www.sonyericssonopen.com/3/en/assets/pdfs/interviews/delpotro040209.pdf

Rafa’s presser:
http://www.sonyericssonopen.com/3/en/assets/pdfs/interviews/nadal040209.pdf

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:20 pm

sar, yes, funny you should mention that as zola and I were talking about it earlier. Do you know if it was an accident? I saw the youtube clips and read somewhere that it was an accident, but zola thought Djoko did it on purpose, which somehow seems unlikely! I mean he takes his shirt off from time to time but his shorts?! LOL.

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:20 pm

So, I just thought of a joke/riddle (which I’m pretty sure is unoriginal). First some background in the interest of self-preservation:

I’m a big fan of both Federer and Nadal among others, but I’ll continue to root for Federer above all others for the time being because I still want to see him match and exceed Sampras’ GS total. I hope everyone can see the humor in this and not take it as an attack.

OK, here it is:

Roger Federer is up a set and a break on Rafael Nadal. Nadal is serving at 1-4, 15-40. Where is Roger Federer?

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:22 pm

Ah Colin; I had thought that maybe Murray has some kind of special tennis “sleeper hold” but maybe it IS the evil eye. ha ha. You’re right; he’ll be rested for JMDP. Their USO match was exciting so maybe we’ll see another tight contest there … or not.

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:22 pm

here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tlub0dHtm08&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Edownthelinetennis%2Ecom%2Fsearch%3Fq%3D%2522Novak%2BDjokovic%2522&feature=player_embedded

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:22 pm

Ra,

Lunch?

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:24 pm

Ra,

In the loo?

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:25 pm

Ra,

4-1, 40-15?

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:26 pm

jane,

He’s right where Rafa wants him.

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:27 pm

“In the loo” is funnier to me, though. Ha.

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:28 pm

Sar
thanks for the clip.

Jane
when I saw it live, it was very short and I thought he lost his pants trying to catch the ball. I actually felt sorry for him. But then I saw the clips and it was quite deliberate, which is strange. But people have different habits.

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:29 pm

Jane – do you really think he’d do something like that deliberately at Davis Cup?? I can see at like, Sopot or something, but not DC and not vs Nadal. Don’t know, he seemed to have a hard time getting them pulled back up. Jeez – hopefully he wears underwear in case it happens again. Costume malfunction.

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:30 pm

Ra – duh. I was never good a riddles. My 8 year old is better. ha ha.

—————————-

sar / zola – well from that clip it seems quite deliberate. Like he was so flabbergasted by Rafa’s shot, he just did something silly. I don’t think it is a “habit” zola – LOL! i certainly hope not! I think he was likely trying to inject some humour into a fairly hopeless situation.

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:33 pm

tenisbebe, did you see the clip? It is hard to tell and my initial viewing of what I think was a different clip suggested it was an accident, but in that one it almost looks deliberate?? I didn’t think he’d do something like that, no. But Djoko is nothing if not dramatic and a little unpredictable. I’d like to see the whole thing in context. Clips are a bit like quotes out of context.

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:35 pm

jane,

word. glad you got a little bit of a laugh out of it anyhow.

There’s a new artice/thread/blog thing by the way.

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:38 pm

sar Says: “I would tape the match but I don’t know what station it will be on and have to leave 11:30 FSN, FSNS, etc, there are a million FSNs. Sh#t.” Get on the ATP website, look at the top for the Sony Ericsson “Live Scores, etc” & click on “TV” & then click on the FSN link on the bottom for the schedule. Turn on your set now to see “which” FSN the womens match is airing on and record that channel tomorrow. It’s the best I can do for you. Good luck!

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:38 pm

jane Says: “tenisbebe, did you see the clip? It is hard to tell and my initial viewing of what I think was a different clip suggested it was an accident, but in that one it almost looks deliberate??” I did see the clip the day after it happened and it looked accidental to me but in this clip that Sar posted it’s definitely deliberate. So now I’m confused. Did I see a different clip before? Seems unlikely.

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:45 pm

Zola – thanks for the links to the pressers. I never know where to look for them.

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:47 pm

Nice to see you back too, Von :-) You know, the problem is, I didn’t see the Monfils vs Safin match, so I can’t comment… From what I’ve heard, Safin blew 2 MPs in that one, didn’t he? I know that, at times, these 2 can be pretty hotheaded on the court, so it must’ve been pretty good to watch, but anyway, this one between JMDP and Nadal was indeed one to remember! About that yesterday’s QF between Fed and A-Rod, well, I can only say it was certainly a high quality match, though with a somewhat unusual (and lucky) ending – for Fed, of course… The guy didn’t play anything extraordinary in that 1st set (which Roddick virtually gifted to the Swiss courtesy of his shaky groundstrokes), and even though it appeared as if A-Rod was a bit down in the beginning of the 2nd set, the American then saved those 3 BPs as if nothing had happened and suddenly began playing the way he should against Fed, whereas the Swiss (as is nothing unusual these days) fell completely apart… At that point, Roddick was winnning the vast majority of the long rallies, which, as you surely concur, would be almost unthinkable against Fed some 2-3 years ago, but which clearly shows that the American HAS made some serious progress during his time with Stefanki… The guy drastically cut on the UEs which he made in that 1st set, and oops, suddenly it was Fed who was shanking his groundies! Really, the match was pretty much a toss up in the 3rd, and who knows, had it not been for those unprepared net approaches, the American would come away as the winner… But that’s of course coulda woulda…

But you know what, Von? Even though those bad net approaches were really killing him in that 3rd set, I have to say that I REALLY liked to see him going at the net (which btw he also did a lot against Monfils). Surely, he’s not the best volleyer out there, but I always had the feeling that, with his serve and (now) improved baseline game, it would be a pity if he’d just stay back all the time… I mean, even if Fed had passed him on numerous occassions in that yesterday’s match, the most important thing for Roddick still is that he’s TRYING something out there… In other words, he’s (literally) not standing on the same spot as he did in their past matches, and, despite that awful H2H, is really trying everything that could pose a threat to Fed – which is really the only way for him to beat the Swiss… Fed, btw, is facing exactly the same problem against Nadal, but so far, hasn’t really been able to find anything that would (even partially) solve it… But then again, who has found?

April 2nd, 2009 at 9:56 pm

Sar – they just put the schedule up on the telly screen during this William’s sisters match:

1pm EDT Federer vs Djokovic
7pm EDT Murray vs DelPotro

April 2nd, 2009 at 10:09 pm

Thanks I will check the FSN schedule.

April 2nd, 2009 at 10:12 pm

Skorocel:

You’ve articulated very well what I’ve thought about Andy’s net approaches, even though some make fun of him because of it, but he’s doing it and I’ve got to say, he has heart, and deserves credit. He’ll eventually perfect it, because practice makes perfect and with heart in it too, then there’s no telling what he’ll do when next he meets Federer. I know one thing, that match has to give Federer something to think about when next he meets A-Rod, and he can’t be too happy when next A-Rod appears on his side of the draw.

I honestly feel that if Roddick were to meet Nadal on a hard-court such as Dubai, he could beat Nadal. Andy broke Nadal several times at IW despite the weather and slow court. IW and Miami are not ideal hard courts for A-Rod. Andy has mentioned, and I’ve read this too, that all of the courts have been slowed down, even though some posters deny that fact. Well, I think people should believe it, because it’s coming from the horse’s mouth, a fast-court server. I’ve also read that apparently, ATP is of the opinion that big servers are gaining too many free points off their serve and the courts need to be slowed down, also, fans want to see more long rallies. Wimby has slowed down considerably. This is one of the reasons why Andy has changed his game, because it’s now a legs/running game.

I think when Andy was going to Fed’s backhand, he did very well, but in that fateful game, he went to the FH and got into trouble. they should all use Nadal’s MO, target and pepper the BH. It’s a known fact that 75 percent of the players have a deficient backhand, so Nadal’s strategy is right and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that one out.

Will you be watching the SFs and the finals? I worked late tonight so I could be off tomorrow, which is my regular day off anyway, but I made sure i didn’t have any loose ends to tie up. So tomorrow I can watch as much tennis as i want without feeling guilty. OK, mon ami, I’ll catch ya later, and buh bye.

April 2nd, 2009 at 10:15 pm

Daniel:

“You see, as much as people try to bash him, he is the man to beat in finals!”

I agree Federer smells a blood/win when he gets to a final and he definitely is the man to bet on in that scenario.

“Nadal had to beat him to win a third of his
Right now I need to see if Murray can beat Fed in a final.”

Well, if Murray beats JMDP and Fed edges past Djoko we’ll find out for sure whether Murray can beat Federer in a final. Will Sunday be “D” day? We shall see.

April 2nd, 2009 at 10:19 pm

From Rafa’s presser:

“I think I played really bad all the time. That’s the true of the match….. Yeah, played really bad.”

Well, since people have gotten into picking apart pressers, this would be considered by many to be an unsportsmanlike comment by Rafa – in other words, the only way he beat me is because I playied badly. Now, do I think that was his intent? No, I don’t. But this is the danger in reading to much into the presser quotes (particularly selected quotes).

April 2nd, 2009 at 10:54 pm

This site use to really be a cool place to come and read great post from great people about tennis. Now I see it’s mostly a “Bash Federer” site and I have kind of been turned against even coming here.

You still have some great posters like Zola and others but those “trolls” really makes this site undesirable to really come and read all the time. It’s ok to not like a player but some of these posters really go overboard in their hatred. I hope it gets back to the wawy it was earlier – a great tennis site for posters.

April 2nd, 2009 at 10:55 pm

oops – should be “played” and “too much”. sorry

April 2nd, 2009 at 10:56 pm

tenisbebe I agree with your last posts. I guess I just hate it when some posters take bits and pieces of pressers to form general opinions about players they have never even met. Thanks for your comment.

April 2nd, 2009 at 10:57 pm

FoT Says: “You still have some great posters like Zola and others but those “trolls” really makes this site undesirable to really come and read all the time. It’s ok to not like a player but some of these posters really go overboard in their hatred.”

Yes but the trolls are everywhere on the internet blogs. Check out the entry from Kimmi at 7:34 – no one said anything negative against Delpo (as she claimed) and she has never been here before but I’ll bet she “trolled” to different tennis sites and posted the exact same comments regardless – to get her jollies. You have to ignore the trolls and talk around them or they will just get the reaction they seek – hatred and negativity. The world’s the same all over but “peace & love” will prevail.

April 2nd, 2009 at 11:10 pm

FoT Says:

“I guess I just hate it when some posters take bits and pieces of pressers to form general opinions about players they have never even met.”

Yes, taking bits and pieces from someones comments to “prove” a point is very misleading. We have a saying in my business which is somewhat similar and it goes: Numbers don’t lie but liars use numbers.

April 2nd, 2009 at 11:16 pm

tenisbebe, I hear you. *wink*

April 2nd, 2009 at 11:28 pm

Those who keep comparing the Andy-Roger dynamics to Roger-Rafa cannot be farther from the truth. In Roger and Rafa, you have two of the greatest players ever to have picked a tennis racquet. Nadal is, by miles, the greatest player ever on clay. (consecutive win streak at 81) Roger is the same on grass (65) and hard-courts (59). The reason Roger-rafa is so skewed is that Nadal is way ahead of Roger on clay (9-1) record. On grass and hard-court, they are about even 4-5.

Imagine if Roger and andy played another 20 matches on clay? You can safely bet, the record would be 36-3 or some such in Roger’s favor. There is a huge chunk of daylight between the leagues in which Roger and Rafa prance around and the one where Roddick resides. There is a good chance Roger and Rafa will end up with 15+ GS while Andy will be stranded with the 1 GS title. To compare Andy to Roger or Rafa is a disgrace to 2 professional athletes who transcend their own sport.

It is like me serving an ace in a club match and comparing that to Andy’s serve. I am sure most andy roddick poster girls will have their big girl panties in a bunch if I claimed that.

April 3rd, 2009 at 10:33 am