Djokovic a Winner in Madrid; Nadal, Roddick v. Haas Later

Rafa wasn’t troubled Sean, not even for “a little bit.” The thing is, he just gets stronger as his matches go on, for the most part anyhow. He’s got Khols (who eliminated Cilic) next. Cilic hasn’t done much of note lately has he? Nor has Gulbis. The only one out of those three young guys with any consistency is JMDP. Glad to see Djoko continue; he has Seppi next. Also happy to see Blake hold on and beat Dr. Ivo. I’m looking forward to Roddick’s match as well, and pick him to win.

May 13th, 2009 at 11:27 am

I just got home and checked the scores; looks like Andy’s out of practice, as Von suspected he might be. But he’s playing better already in this second set, by the look of things.

May 13th, 2009 at 5:11 pm

Sean Randall:

Your jinxing powers are awesome! LOL. Roddick is winning alright, in reverse. I expected Andy to lose. It’s difficult for any player to win on their least comfortable surface after being away for close to two months, not to mention playing against an opponent who’s beaten him four (4) times on clay. It’s mission impossible. Go home Andy, and practice, practice, until you feel comfortable to play at the FO.

What is wrong with Lahyani? Another Paris for Roddick with Lahyani in the chair. Lahyani reminds me of these dogs seen in people’s back windscreen that sits there with its head bobbing up and down, but doing nothing of consequence. Lahyani sits there with that infernal grin on his face, and is oblivious to everything on the court. So many wrong calls by the linesman and one would think the umpire would be more alert? Wrong! This umpire is hopeless! sheesh.

I’m curious to see how far Haas will go now that he’s beaten Roddick, his first top ten player in quite a while. I’m sure if he were to beat Davydenko and meets Fed in the QFs, we’d see some illness or a walkover.

May 13th, 2009 at 5:18 pm

I just got in from the gym and saw the score. I’m shocked but he may pull it off in the 2nd.

May 13th, 2009 at 5:23 pm

Von, “now that he’s beaten Roddick” – it’s not over yet! And Roddick is holding just fine now. If he could get it to a third, I like Andy’s chances.

As to your pondering about Haas, my guess is that if he beats Andy he’ll retire next round. LOL.

May 13th, 2009 at 5:24 pm

Von, very disappointing for a die hard roddick fan.

“I’m curious to see how far Haas will go now that he’s beaten Roddick”.

You should not count him to lose until the match point is played.

“

May 13th, 2009 at 5:37 pm

Haas is getting grumpy. hehe.

May 13th, 2009 at 5:43 pm

Too bad, Andy had him on the ropes and missed that pass wide.

May 13th, 2009 at 5:46 pm

Wow – Haas is firing today, ace after ace. He’s up to 11 for the match. Now we have a tiebreak, and at least it’s been a good second set.

May 13th, 2009 at 5:54 pm

Kimmi: I’m not diasppointed. I’m very realistic because I knew Roddick’s first clay match would be difficult.

Hopefully, Roddick can win the set and take it to a third. I like his chances in a third set against Haas.

May 13th, 2009 at 5:54 pm

Ace after ace is a good indication of how rusty Roddick is at the moment. I don’t think he’s hit as many aces as Haas.

May 13th, 2009 at 5:56 pm

Tight tiebreaker, sheesh. Come on Andy; take it to a third.

May 13th, 2009 at 6:02 pm

Good job Andy – and now wouldn’t you know it? I have to go and get groceries so I can cook for my company!! Well good luck Andy. Maybe I’ll get back in time to see him win. ;-)

May 13th, 2009 at 6:07 pm

And he takes the 2rd set. Wow, Hass two match points went begging, how will he react !

May 13th, 2009 at 6:08 pm

Roddick needs to watch out for the down-the-line shots; Haas has been beating him with those repeatedly, to the point that they’re becoming almost predictable, so Andy could try to cut them off.

May 13th, 2009 at 6:11 pm

Oh yeah!! Jason Goodall commented that quite a few of Roddick’s returns demonstrate a lack of match play.

May 13th, 2009 at 6:11 pm

Break point conversion rate is almost like Federer playing Nadal

May 13th, 2009 at 6:29 pm

Congrats Roddick

May 13th, 2009 at 6:49 pm

Sean Randall:

My apologies with respect to your jinxing powers. Hope I’m forgiven. Ha, ha.

Yes, we shouldn’t underestimate Haas’ mental fragility, but considering his H2H being in the positive on clay no less versus Roddick, I’m sure you can understand my train of thought. Roddick is finally turning that H2H around, thankfully.

I see Mutua Madrilena has scheduled Andy to play with 24 hours rest as opposed to last year when he only had approximately 16 hours, after playing until 2:00 am, good job, and I’m delighted.

Robbie Koenig was vocal with some Roddickulous epithets. Good job Robbie and Jason, and thanks.

May 13th, 2009 at 7:05 pm

Interesting article !

Djokovic blasts ‘cruel’ rankings system

MADRID (AFP) — Novak Djokovic blasted the ATP rankings system as “cruel” on Wednesday and vowed to reclaim his world number three spot from Andy Murray.

“It really motivates me even more to get back to the third spot or even go a step further,” said the Serbian, who has reached the last three Masters 1000 finals (Miami, Monte Carlo, Rome) but fell to fourth in the world behind Murray on Monday.

“I try not to pay too much attention to the rankings, but to be realistic, playing three Masters Series finals in a row and winning a 250 event (Belgrade) is incredible success – even if you are dropping a spot down in the rankings.

“That shows how cruel the ranking system is in this sport.”

While world number one Rafael Nadal does not have the same worries as Djokovic, as he enjoys a lead of more than 5,000 points over Roger Federer, the Spaniard admitted to feeling feel the pain of a tour which runs nearly 11 months of the year.

“I don’t want to create any controversy because in the end it looks like I’m the one causing it,” said Nadal, the vice-president of the ATP Player Council below Federer.

“I’ve been saying for some time now that for me, it would be better to have a two-year ranking system; it would be better for the players.”

Nadal, who has on the whole managed to avoid serious injury problems although his knees occasionally become a weak point from the wear and tear his athletic style puts on them, added: “If you have an injury it’s (the absence) not going to hurt you as much. You could also choose a bit more where you play and where you don’t play.

“Today it’s mandatory to play every week and everywhere you are defending and if you lose, you lose lots of points, especially in my case,” said the king of clay now into his fourth event in the last five weeks with just a week off before the French Open should he win the Madrid Masters on Sunday.

“It affects everyone and not just the high-ranked player but any player in the top 100. A two-year ranking would be much more favourable and give some piece of mind.

“It would also help extend the career of the players.”

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jKmzNjZk0sPP_79wGSjHlf_wJYNw

May 13th, 2009 at 7:11 pm

That headline is crappy; Djoko hardly “blasts” the ranking system.

Anyhow, just got home and am pleased to see Andy won – I KNEW he would!

May 13th, 2009 at 7:20 pm

Good to see Roddick pull it out. I picked him to win this round. Haas not as tough as he used to be. He chokes away a lot of matches know. What a shame.

May 13th, 2009 at 7:24 pm

Jane I agree the headline is crapy but everything else is interesting to see how players think of the ranking system.

And for Nadal, I am sure is appreciating the fact Federer was able to do that for over 4 years.

May 13th, 2009 at 7:25 pm

Yes, sorry Kimmi. I should thank you for posting it. There are some interesting tidbits there. It’s just funny how the press try to over-blow everything.

May 13th, 2009 at 7:32 pm

“I try not to pay too much attention to the rankings, but to be realistic, playing three Masters Series finals in a row and winning a 250 event (Belgrade) is incredible success – even if you are dropping a spot down in the rankings.’

I don’t think anyone would disagree with that, but the rankings is what got him to where he is, and I’m sure it was good then, hence, there shouldn’t be a problem if the same ranking is taking him down a spot. Anyway, what’s the big difference between No. 3 and No. 4, NADA.

“Today it’s mandatory to play every week and everywhere you are defending and if you lose, you lose lots of points, especially in my case,”

This is an exaggeration which Nadal has set up in his mind with respect to playing every week and everywhere. He didn’t play in Estoril and Belgrade. Furthermore, he could have skipped Monte Carlo and Barcelona which are NOT mandatory tournaments, but he never does. He repeats this scenario year after year and then complains. It’s now gotten OLD. Nadal’s got a very nice cushion of 5,000 points, and could very well afford to skip defending some of the non-mandatory tourneys’ points he had from ’08, but as usual, he insists on playing and then complains. What’s wrong with this picture?

“I’ve been saying for some time now that for me, it would be better to have a two-year ranking system; it would be better for the players.”

I’ve never heard or read about him saying anything to this effect, but, sure, why not? This way he can remain at No. 1 for two years — smart cookie or is it a very smart Uncle Toni talking through Nadal?

“It affects everyone and not just the high-ranked player but any player in the top 100. A two-year ranking would be much more favourable and give some piece of mind.”

Again, it’s advantageous to his ‘peace’ of mind because he wants to remain at No. 1. On a lighter vein, how many ‘piece'(s) of his mind, he’s talking about. i suppose his mind is compartmentalized into several pieces. LOL.

“It would also help extend the career of the players.”

I doubt he’s thinking of the other players but only his longevity considering the physicality of his game. Some of these guys think the fans are dumb and hang onto every one of their words. LOL. Credit some of us with some intelligence guys, please.

May 13th, 2009 at 7:37 pm

Congrats Von – Andy pulled it off eh? I just knew if he got it to a 3rd there was NO WAY he was losing. He just needed to cut his feet in the dirt and dig in a little. Kudos.

May 13th, 2009 at 7:41 pm

Not really “cut” his feet, but you get the idea. I was trying to go with a variant of cutting his teeth but it sounds rather cruel. haha. Sorry Roddick; take care of your feet and dig into the dirt. You can go deep. I’m hoping for a miracle – a Roddick vs. Djokovic final!!

May 13th, 2009 at 7:43 pm

jane: Whether Djoko blasts the ranking system on a regular basis or not, he’s doing it now, and the article is in the present, yes?. He’s never had to blast it since ’07 when he beat Roddick in Toronto and took the No. 3 spot, because he’s remained there, so why would he complain? Now that he’s lost the No. 3 spot, he has a reason to blast the ranking and it’s obvious why he’s doing so. Reality check.

Kimmi: Thanks for posting that article. I haven’t had a moment to read my emails today, so thanks a bunch! Now, it’s back to work for me.

May 13th, 2009 at 7:45 pm

jane; Thanks, Yes Andy pulled it off, and I must say you’ve got more faith in him than I, at the moment. One match at a time, is all I can see on the horizon. BTW, the commentators said that was the most entertainikng match of the day. WOW. I’m amazed at the amount of support Roddick receives all over the world. The Spanish crowd was very appreciative and cheered loudly for him. I thought I heard someone say a few times, ‘come on Andy’.

May 13th, 2009 at 7:49 pm

Von, I agree. In the few words this author picked, it really sounds like Nadal is more thinking about himself. But hey, who is not! Everyone is gunning for number one ranking, Nadal has to fight hard to hold to it and I am sure this can be mentally draining.

As Von pointed out, 5000 pts cushion is a lot, he can afford to skip some non mandatory events like Barcelona and Rotterdam for example, I still can’t stop wondering why the hell did he play Rotterdam? Anyway back to the point – I think maybe Nadal is trying to pull away even more from everybody else by playing a lot, which I also think is a very good idea, if everything go according to plan he can relax some more ? Nah! I don’t think there is relaxing in this sport – if you snooze you lose.

And what is up with Djokovic talking about winning Belgrade and still go down the ranking? I wonder why he did not mention the fact that Murray was very consistent from end of last year to beginning of this year. Everyone on his/her own.

May 13th, 2009 at 8:03 pm

Well all these guys are “looking out for number 1” both literally and figuratively, and who can blame em? Guess they’re out there competing so I just wish them well. And if they win consistently the ranking will come in due time. I think a three or four, even five way, competition for number 1 would be a hoot. A Battle Royale as they say!

May 13th, 2009 at 8:06 pm

Kudos to Nadal. Even though the whole ranking syetem is mentally draining, he is able to hold up very well. If he wins Madrid, he will make another history – winning all clay tournaments he entered leading to FO. And if he wins FO – will be the biggest clay sweep not done by any man dead or alive I think ?

May 13th, 2009 at 8:29 pm

Monaco continues to impress me. He beat another seed, continues his great run. Tomorrow he plays Verdasco and Jason Goodal l thinks it will be a very good match.

Another one is Ivan Ljubicic, very good performance with Tsonga. Did well in America hard court too. I think he has a chance with Simon.

May 13th, 2009 at 8:44 pm

Von; you are welcome.

May 13th, 2009 at 8:51 pm

how in heck does federer stay at number 2????

May 13th, 2009 at 9:15 pm

Wow wow!!! I cannot believe that Andy won over Haas! on clay! with no preparation either. That is mind boggling. Well well done to our Andy. Long may he continue. :D

Von Says:
“BTW, the commentators said that was the most entertainikng match of the day. WOW. I’m amazed at the amount of support Roddick receives all over the world. The Spanish crowd was very appreciative and cheered loudly for him. I thought I heard someone say a few times, ‘come on Andy’.”

Von that is wonderful to hear! It’s nice knowing our Andy is loved throughout the world not just at ‘home’!

Good luck to everybody tomorrow.

May 13th, 2009 at 11:16 pm

“I wonder why he did not mention the fact that Murray was very consistent from end of last year to beginning of this year”

Kimmie-He has mentioned it many times lately, just not in this article.

http://www.irishnews.com/break.asp?tbrk=brk&par=brk&catid=5834&subcatid=642&storyid=406700
Djokovic said: “If it happens, it happens.
“And it’s going to be deserved. He’s been playing great tennis in the last 10 months and I think we’re going to have a lot of great matches.”

May 14th, 2009 at 12:08 am

Von:

“This is an exaggeration which Nadal has set up in his mind with respect to playing every week and everywhere. He didn’t play in Estoril and Belgrade. Furthermore, he could have skipped Monte Carlo and Barcelona which are NOT mandatory tournaments, but he never does. He repeats this scenario year after year and then complains. It’s now gotten OLD. Nadal’s got a very nice cushion of 5,000 points, and could very well afford to skip defending some of the non-mandatory tourneys’ points he had from ‘08, but as usual, he insists on playing and then complains. What’s wrong with this picture?”

If you’re defending a title, you have to play, or there’s a penalty. You get a 0 pointer and possibly fined. Murray withdrew from some event late last year, and got a 0 for it. When he won Doha this year, the points didn’t count, because a 0 pointer can’t be pushed off, even by a better result. I believe the rule of title defense only began this year, but 0 pointers as penalties have been around for a while now.

He is exagerrating when he says you have to play ‘every’ week though. I doubt he meant it literally. It’s like saying “Give me 2 secs.”

“Nadal’s got a very nice cushion of 5,000 points, and could very well afford to skip defending some of the non-mandatory tourneys’ points he had from ‘08, but as usual, he insists on playing and then complains. What’s wrong with this picture?”

Due to the way the calendar is structured, the optional 1000 should have been Madrid not MC, in order to give players more than a week off before the French. It doesn’t help that the clay season got pushed a week forward either. Playing ‘every’ week is only an issue for the few players who keep making the semis and finals. For most of the tour, it’s not as big an issue.

More of the Masters 1000s should be non-mandatory. Skipping MC doesn’t shorten the season much. You should be required to play any 6 out of the 9, and it’s your choice which 3 you decide to skip. That would be better for the players, and even if some of the top players skip an event, it doesn’t screw the fans over too much, because they’ll spread their ‘sickies’ around. Unless they all happen to skip the same event, but that’s unlikely unless they collude.

Nadal would rather skip a hard court 1000 than MC which he seems to have enjoyed. And the 5000 points cushion isn’t that big. That’s equivalent to 2500 in the old system, and it wasn’t long ago that Federer had that kind of lead. Things can change very quickly with a bit of a slump, an illness, or an early round upset at a Slam. He’s going to lose 800 for the Olympic gold. Queens (450) and Barcelona (600) got downgraded to 250 and 500 respectively, so some more points will be lost there even if he defends those titles.

If he skipped MC and Barcelona, #1 will be within striking distance once again by Federer or even Murray, and he’d rather not take any leads he has for granted methinks. The only reason he has a 5000 cushion is because Federer started sucking. The Fed of 07 would be neck and neck with him, possibly even in front. The Fed of 07 would NOT have lost the Australian Open final to a guy who two days earlier played the longest match of AO history (which was even longer than the longest ever Wimbledon match from 08). If that guy returns..

“I’ve never heard or read about him saying anything to this effect, but, sure, why not? This way he can remain at No. 1 for two years — smart cookie or is it a very smart Uncle Toni talking through Nadal?”

It’s an intriguing thought. The idea was passed around for making Davis Cup either a once per two year event, or an event played over two years. For ranking, it would probably mean business as usual, except the points don’t come off after 52 weeks but 104, meaning you’ve always got the same tournament counted twice. Unless I’m missing something? Perhaps he means that any tournament can only be held once every 2 years (although a tournament will be available every week), and you have a 2 year long calendar? That would halve the amount of tennis being played. The players would like that, but the tournaments (and fans) will not..

Injury and fatigue is something all players will have to get used to dealing with. More so the top players since they get further. He’ll just have to accept that.

“Again, it’s advantageous to his ‘peace’ of mind because he wants to remain at No. 1. On a lighter vein, how many ‘piece’(s) of his mind, he’s talking about. i suppose his mind is compartmentalized into several pieces. LOL.”

I doubt the spelling was his. He wouldn’t be writing this down (not in English anyway). Someone transcribing it made a mistake.

“I doubt he’s thinking of the other players but only his longevity considering the physicality of his game. Some of these guys think the fans are dumb and hang onto every one of their words. LOL. Credit some of us with some intelligence guys, please.”

Whether his reasoning is selfish or genuine, what he says is true. At least in theory.

RE: Djokovic

The ranking system is weird. He made the final of Rome and was displaced in ranking by a guy who lost his opening match in the same tournament. But he was the beneficiary of the same ranking system that gave him his surge last year. Djokovic was the number 1 player of 2008 until after Roland Garros.

May 14th, 2009 at 12:50 am

#$@%^%$%&#$#&!!!!!!!!!!

I said I would never use Internet Explorer again to reply to this blog, but I did without realising it (and forgot to save it before posting). And this time it gobbled up a huge reply I made to Von which I wasted a good 30 mins on.

I give up. Microsoft sucks donkeys balls. I hope they die.

(I did try undoing it as Von suggested, no luck.)

Now I’m furious. On my birthday too!

May 14th, 2009 at 12:56 am

Doh… Happy Birthday, Giner!

May 14th, 2009 at 2:35 am

Happy belated Birthady, Dear Giner!!

Sorry your post got chewed up. Perhaps someone is looking out for me because I’ve a feeling I was somewhat blasted. LOL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKotmKA1dm0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6b65rOP0dTI&feature=related

May 14th, 2009 at 7:23 am

Giner – switch to Firefox. Since it’s free, you won’t lose anything if you decide you don’t like it.
By the way, as I type this, Murray has just beaten Robredo 7-5, 6-1.
The first set was very close, with Andy failing to convert lots of break points. The second set score suggest Murray did what he seems to be good at – driving his opponents nuts and frustrating them. Good going to do it on clay, and to Robredo.

May 14th, 2009 at 8:15 am

Another article on the ranking points. I think it looks weird to Djoko because he won Belgrade and the other MS tourneys he was defending champion for two of them. Had he won the titles again, he would not have slipped in the ranking. The year-end ranking is what counts. Hope this helps to clsrify things.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/14052009/58/nadal-djokovic-slam-rankings.html

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/14052009/58/nadal-djokovic-slam-rankings.html

May 14th, 2009 at 8:30 am

Did Nadal go into detail about how to go about a 2 year ranking system? It seems that Nadal is concerned about the pressure of staying No. 1. I guees Nole is having some problems with not being No. 3. Personally I do not think that the scheduling is that bad. There are 4 majors and 8 1000 tournaments isn’t it? The 1000 are the only ones that are mandated. I guess if you throw in Davis Cup it may be a little more challenging and when they hold the Olympics I can see them modifying the schedules for the Olympic years or cancelling Davis Cup and just doing it at the Olympics. But everything else they do playing lower ranked tournaments, exhibitions it is on them. One thing that I think the top players fail to realize is that there are a whole bunch of journeymen and women players that are just trying too make a decent salary, having all of those tournaments scheduled evey week help them stay afloat. Those guys don’t get any appearance fees. It isn’t just about the top player but all of the players. I wonder if Nadal and Nole spoke to the players in the 50-100 and see what they thought about it. What is so unfair about losing points when you do not do as well as you did in the same tournament last year. That seems quite fair to me.

May 14th, 2009 at 9:42 am

Federer’s through quite easily against Blake, I see. I missed the match but it looks like both were not serving their best, Fed ending with 57% and James 52% first serves, although Fed hit 4 aces and no doubles while James hit 1 ace and 5 (!) doubles.

Murray is also through, again with a tight first set but this time cruising in the second; it’s looking more like we might see that Murray vs. Fed semi, but I depends of course on their next rounds and who their opponents might be.

————————————————-

About rankings, I am not sure a two year system would work; it might be even more confusing than these rolling rankings already are. I think it would be interesting if the old “Race” were the rankings so that at the beginning of each new year, the players began with a blank slate. To me, the race is a little more exciting as people can move more and it reflects more accurately where the players are at for the season. After all, the year end 8 player championship is essentially the “play offs” as far as Tennis goes, and that is based on the race isn’t it?

May 14th, 2009 at 9:58 am

Speaking of which, does anyone know where or how one find the “Race” list on the ATP website? I don’t mean the rolling rankings, but the list of events played / points won year-to-date. Thanks!

May 14th, 2009 at 10:09 am

Hope you had a good birthday Giner.

Rafa would win against either guy in all likelihood anyhow, but I still think he’s sort of lucky that Monaco and Verdasco are squaring off against each off today, as that could be a long and arduous battle (much like Monaco vs. Gonza in Rome). Meanwhile I don’t expect Khols to give Rafa much trouble.

The other match today that could be really good is the one between Roddick and Davydenko. Roddick has a 5-1 H2H with Davy, so he’d seem to be the easy favorite, but this is clay and Roddick has played just one match on it so far this year (at least as far as European clay and non-DC goes). I think this one could be pretty competitive. Hope so. The Fed will face the winner. And I am not sure whose chances are better against Fed at this point…

May 14th, 2009 at 10:52 am

Jane:

I think the ATP has done away with the race this year, as most of the fans are confused with 2 ranking systems (sounds trivial to me, but hey, not all people have an ivy league degree in math, like I do!)

Anyways, this is what my twin brother google tells me :)

http://tenniscorner.net/index.php?corner=m&action=rankings&type=singles&race=yes

hope that helps!

May 14th, 2009 at 10:53 am

“each other” not “each off” – have given up proofreading of late.

May 14th, 2009 at 10:55 am

Thanks Long Live – much appreciated. I think the race is still there somewhere, buried in never neverland on the “new and improved” ATP site; I just can’t find it. I think they’ll still use it to decide the final 8, no?

May 14th, 2009 at 10:57 am

Long Live – you’re a bit ahead of me. My maths teacher at school once remarked that I’d be the death of him, and my maths report once read “seems quite unable to grasp anything”. Actually I was pleased with that because it meant they realised it was not just me not trying.
So Murray gets to play Del Potro again. Andy’s had his measure before, but maybe it’ll be tougher on clay.

May 14th, 2009 at 11:03 am

Finally found a site that was streaming Djoko/Seppi when I couldn’t find it at justin, atdhe and channelsurfing. Here’s the URL in case they are showing other matches you peeps wanna watch (I think they said Hotsauce and Monaco are next….):

http://www.calcion.altervista.org/

May 14th, 2009 at 11:12 am

I think they will display it around or after the USopen. I am guessing after the USopen series gimmick is done!

May 14th, 2009 at 11:41 am

“As part of our changes to the ATP World Tour, we have looked to introduce one rankings system that is as easy to follow as possible. At times, having two, simultaneously running systems – the rankings and the Race – was confusing and difficult for fans to follow. The ATP Rankings represents the sport’s DNA. It demonstrates both a players standing in relation to his fellow pros as well as his position in the ‘race’ to become the year’s ATP World Tour Champion. For that reason we have removed the separate Race points system. It is still being used for doubles because players change partners during the season and because doubles teams can be at different ranking levels, it is impossible to use the ATP Rankings on their own to determine who should qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. For that reason we have kept the Doubles Race for the 2009 season.”
http://www.atpworldtour.com/tennis/en/players/information/rankfaq.asp#pointvalue

May 14th, 2009 at 11:42 am

Colin:

My history teacher loathed me for how bad I sucked at it. It was a mutual feeling, as I still cringe at the mention of history (mostly political and other such fields). I actually enjoy tennis history, but most other history topics would put me to snooze in a minute!

May 14th, 2009 at 11:47 am

NachoF – thanks for the link and blurb.

May 14th, 2009 at 11:54 am

The “race” is still interesting, as it shows how the players are performing **on the season,** which is what it would be in pretty much any other sport. In this case, the “race” is quite different from the rankings; here’s a glance at just the top ten:

Race:

1. Nadal
2. Djokovic
3. Murray
4. Federer
5. Roddick
6. Verdasco
7. Del Potro
8. Tsonga
9. Stepanek
10. Robredo

Meanwhile, here’s the rolling rankings top ten

1. Nadal
2. Federer
3. Murray
4. Djokovic
5. Del Potro
6. Roddick
7. Simon
8. Verdasco
9. Tsonga
10. Monfils

Of the top ten positions, then, only 2 coincide in both “systems”: Rafa at number 1 and Murray at number 3.

May 14th, 2009 at 12:03 pm

Both Davydenko and Kohls pullled out of Madris citing injuries-unblieveable. So Roddick and Nadal moves on.

May 14th, 2009 at 12:23 pm

Al – wow. thanks for the update! Well that’s nice for Nadal and Roddick. Especially Nadal, as he can rest up for what’s likely to be a battle with who’s next, although with Roddick I think a little more match practice /play on this surface would’ve helped him prepare for Federer – and I was looking forward to that match. I guess there won’t be any night matches tonight then since both of them were scheduled to play late.

May 14th, 2009 at 12:26 pm

Both Kohls and Davydenko pulled out of Madrid-unbelieveable. So Nadal and Roddick moves on to the next round. This Madrid is turning into a real nice one for Nadal.

May 14th, 2009 at 12:26 pm

Sorry about the duplicates

May 14th, 2009 at 12:27 pm

I agree with you Jane, Andy needs all the matches that he can get on clay. He needs to get the rust off. I don’t like his chances with Federer though. I hope you can beat him though.

May 14th, 2009 at 12:29 pm

Al, “I hope you can beat him though.” I have no chance against either Roddick or Federer, LOL. :)

May 14th, 2009 at 12:38 pm

Why is everyone so worried about the ranking system? Rafael Nadal will remain the world no. 1 for the next 8 years no matter what ranking system is put in place.

May 14th, 2009 at 12:57 pm

The fact is, ranking system is changed and it did add more confusion than clarity. Tournament calendar was rescheduled, some tournaments are replaced and new introduced, Davis cup is added, and a new point system was introduced…

If you go on ATP site it clearly indicates that Murray is defending last year title?! If that is the case why he is not defending the points earned last year? Instead they will stay up to the mid October, again as result of Madrid being replaced with Shaghai.
On the other side the points from last year are also inaccurate because they were just multiplied by two (someone was lazy to corect them properly) and as a result in a new tournament bracket scale, player will lose point (with the exception of tournament winner).
Does all this make sense? Not for me…

May 14th, 2009 at 1:10 pm

OFLOL!!

I meant to say I hope “he” (Andy) can beat Federer.

May 14th, 2009 at 1:11 pm

Davydenko and kohlschreiber have retired because of injuries…. Nadal and Roddick through..

May 14th, 2009 at 2:01 pm

Just to point something out about the rankings… for the last several years Nadal was ALWAYS at the top of the race at this point of the year cause he did ok at the Australian open and then go on to dominate the clay season… it was always until after Wimbledon (excpept last year of course) that Federer was able to pass him to get the year-end no.1

May 14th, 2009 at 2:04 pm

I agree with “Nadal is the goat” (cant believe I just said that), theres no need to worry about the rankings, Nadal has 3 GSs and Federer has the other one, no.1 and no.2 respectively and fairly.

May 14th, 2009 at 2:07 pm

Jane said: “To me, the race is a little more exciting as people can move more and it reflects more accurately where the players are at for the season. After all, the year end 8 player championship is essentially the “play offs” as far as Tennis goes, and that is based on the race isn’t it?”

I think the problem with the race is that if you do away with the ranking, then how do you derive seedings? Seedings have been based on ranking for 15-20 years now. In the past seedings were very subjective resulting in highly ranked players who gained a lot of points on one surface getting the shaft in seeding at tournaments on another surface, and thus discouraging them from either entering, or even progressing.

There is no seeding in golf, so they don’t need to have dual systems. Team sports are arranged in a league where you play a set schedule (in the US) or every other team in the league(all other team sports around the world) throughout the entire season anyway, and as such gain no advantage/disadvantage from the idea of seeding.

I thought the race was interesting in and only as much as it related to who got to the Year End Championships, otherwise I never paid any attention to it.

I will say that rankings have only come into effect since the creation of the ATP – up until then, the only ranking that mattered was #1 – everyone else was just everyone else. The only thing anybody cared about was the grand slams, but with the ATP tour and its flagship events and the uniformity of seeding at the grand slams, rankings have become much more important.

Personally I could care less about rankings – after all Marcelo Rios reached the #1 ranking and he NEVER won a slam in his career. Becker never ended a year ranked #1 and he won 6 slams, so go figure.

May 14th, 2009 at 2:29 pm

Nadal is the GOAT:

“Why is everyone so worried about the ranking system? Rafael Nadal will remain the world no. 1 for the next 8 years no matter what ranking system is put in place.”

I don’t think anyone on this thread is worried about the ranking system, your guy is the one worried about it, and he’s complaining because he wants ‘piece’ of mind. I’m sure he wouldn’t have complained had he been ranked No. 50-100, because if there was a two-year ranking system as he proposes, he would have been stuck at No. 50, et al. He wants the new system for his own personal rea for two years. His reasons concern only himself, and that is for him to remain at No. 1 for the next TWO years. Should that event occur, Nadal will be free from those haunting thoughts of losing his No. 1 ranking.

It’s funny Nadal speaks of ‘peace’ and ‘peace of mind’, which is telling that he’s really concerned about falling from his No. 1 status. This is the guy who keeps saying that the real No. 1 is Federer? LOL.

I don’t know about the other players, but if I were a player, I’d definitely be concerned about the ATP Council presently and who’s making and initiating changes. It’s funny that the players’ future are in the hands of 3 guys who’ve never as much as walked through the doors of a high school in their lives and here they are suggesting changes only for their personal well-being. These changes, if instituted, could be hurtful to the other lower ranked players. Scary and unbelievable huh?

May 14th, 2009 at 4:10 pm

NachoF:

“I agree with “Nadal is the goat” (cant believe I just said that), theres no need to worry about the rankings, Nadal has 3 GSs and Federer has the other one, no.1 and no.2 respectively and fairly.”

It’s obvious Nadal is worried or else he would not have mentioned the rankings. I think he feels he’s reached a plateau and can’t go higher, hence the worrying part. I’m sure there are several ‘what ifs’ scenarios going through his mind. One of those more or less concerns his longevity in the sport, and for how long he can retain his No. 1 status. He consistently mentions this under the guise of his concern for the other players’ careers. No one else is complaining and talks of ‘peace of mind’.

It’s funny to me that many Nadal fans always talk about Nadal’s humilty, but his wanting to remain at the No. 1 status says he’s not that humble. A truly humble person does not care about status.

May 14th, 2009 at 4:23 pm

with 2 year rolling system, Roger will be lot closer to Rafa in the rankings…as he has won 3 of the last 8 slams and Rafa has won 4 of the last 8. But in last 1 year window, Rafa has 3 to Roger’s 1. (I am including only slam results as they carry max points). In general, longer the ‘ranking window’ period, the ranking changes will slower….so if I was moving up, I want a smaller window…but once I reach the top, I would love a 5 yr window :)

The system I like will be: 1 yr window, but change the weight…so all results in last 3 months are counted 100%, 3 months before will be 80% and so on…but even then we will end up with unhappy players.

Ranking system is numbers game and the players who whine about them are just bad in math…not that it matters, as everyone in top 1000 is a fine tennis player.

May 14th, 2009 at 4:31 pm

AL: “Did Nadal go into detail about how to go about a 2 year ranking system? It seems that Nadal is concerned about the pressure of staying No. 1. I guees Nole is having some problems with not being No. 3. Personally I do not think that the scheduling is that bad. There are 4 majors and 8 1000 tournaments isn’t it?”

I haven’t seen anything as to how Nadal proposes changing the system, nor have I ever heard of or seen anything written in that respect. I think Djokovic is unhappy because of ego — losing the No. 3 spot sounds better to the ear, but in reality, the Nos. 3 and 4 players are just bounced around between the Nos.1 and 2 halves of the draw; on time on Nadal’s side and another time on Federer’s side, and vice versa.

I think Nadal has gotten rich so fast that he’s only playing for points now, but then again, maybe not, he’s playing Thailand for a huge appearance fee. I’d say he’s afraid, and it’s the reason he keeps playing even non-mandatory tourneys to beef up his points lead. Those ‘what ifs’ are haunting him.

I also agree that the other lower ranked, less gifted players need the extra tournaments to make a decent living. They would be most hard hit if the season were to be shortened. The system is a democratic one. Players have the right to pick and choose where they play. They also have the right to ONLY play the mandatory tourneys. The solution is a simple one for Nadal, play the mandatory tourneys and rest during the non-mandatory tourneys. It’s so simple that even an 8 year old can understand its machinations.

May 14th, 2009 at 4:38 pm

Von, I agree with you that Nadal and Djokovic are evidently worried about the ranking system but what Im saying is that everyone needs to calm down about it cause the ranking is very fair… the only reason there have been some discrepancies is because of the schedule change but that will not happen next year and will not matter at year-end….. Djokovic might call it “cruel” but Im sure Murray will call it “rewarding”… the point is that it is FAIR and definitely represents who the players with the best results are in the correct order.

May 14th, 2009 at 4:49 pm

MMT:

I have been wondering about you and whether you’d surface. I wanted to share with you a conversation I heard between two commentators.

The conversation between the commentators was on the topic of the days of yore in tennis, and it’s why I thought of you, especially your ‘back in the day’ comments. Per the commentators, the present players have it very easy, plus they have a lot of down time on their hands. This was countered with their comments that past players had jobs in addition to playing tennis and didn’t have sponsors. They also mentioned the breaks during matches for drinking their special drinks and eating, I suppose, their bananas. I agree with the commentators, and as I’ve mentioned several times, quoting Michael Chang, “The present day players are spoilt.”

I often wonder how the present day players would have fared in the past. I see comments where people are so concerned about the atmosphere and how tired a player would be if they were to play for 4 weeks non-stop, and I often wonder, how the players would manange if they had to work in a regular job, then go home and take care of personal things. Do you think they’d be able to handle an ordinary person’s 16 hours a day schedule? Not likely, and I doubt many of them would be playing tenn is present if they had to deal with the past players travails.

May 14th, 2009 at 4:52 pm

NachoF:
I had mentioned last evening that I’m sure Djokovic had thought the system as fair when he was making his way up to No. 3, beating Roddick to get there. However, now that Murray’s upstaging him, he thinks it’s unfair. But, and there’s a but, Djoko forgot he hasn’t defended any one of his previous year’s titles and it’s the reason why he has dropped to No. 4. Sure he posted good results over the past 2 months, but he has lost valuable points because he fell short defending those titles.

May 14th, 2009 at 5:00 pm

Von:
Exactly, #1 #2 and #3 are the three guys that at least have appeared on the last 4 GS finals… it just couldnt be fairer.

May 14th, 2009 at 5:11 pm

MMT,

Good point about seedings – and this would matter particularly at the beginning of the year I suppose. But wouldn’t it also be kind of cool if the seedings changed more often as well, especially the top ones which matter the most? I guess if, once the year were underway, the seedings were based on current play/form, it could happen that 1 and 2, or certainly 2, would vary somewhat through the year, which could be interesting.

Plus, as it stands now, we’d be less likely to have as many players shafted based on surface, since most of the top players these days can play well on all of the surfaces. Even the Spaniards who used to be known as clay courters can play well on hard courts and even grass in some cases.

I find the discussion over the rankings rather interesting. Although I have watched tennis for close to 30 years, I only began following it closely in the last 3 or 4, meaning paying attention to rankings and whatnot, so I don’t feel “entrenched” in a system.

And it’s still interesting to me to see how well a player does in a particular season, and whether s/he can maintain that form throughout the year.

May 14th, 2009 at 5:13 pm

MMT: Wow, this is a pretty amazing fact “Becker never ended a year ranked #1 and he won 6 slams, so go figure.”

May 14th, 2009 at 5:14 pm

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/14052009/58/french-open-roland-garros-reveal-roof-plans.html

I particularly liked that the roof, even though covered, will have an outdoor atmosphere:

“The goal is to have an outdoor stadium that can be covered, instead of an indoor stadium that can be uncovered,” said Marc Mimram, the architect at the head of the project.

“There is a special atmosphere because of the season (spring). There will be an anti-noise barrier made of glass and will be oriented towards South to keep the daylight as long as possible.”

Mutua Madrilena has a retractable roof on 3 of their courts but the second court has that indoor look with the opening at the top and the rest of the court has a warehouse look. There’s also an echo which I think is very distracting. From the picture in the article RG seems to have found a very nice balance, thankfully.

May 14th, 2009 at 5:16 pm

Personally, I don’t agree with Djoko that the ranking system is “cruel”; it’s true that he hasn’t defended his titles, whereas Murray has had little to defend as he makes his way up. I think it’s even quite fair.

I guess it means that the seeding system stays in tacts, however, so that the top guys get “byes” and so forth.

What interests me, though, is the idea of seasonal results, like in other sports. Who is playing the best “this year”; who has earned the most points “this year”? That’s what I liked about the “Race.” I still think it’d be fun if the players began the season with a blank slate. Maybe they could based the early year tournament seedings on the previous year end results, and thereafter, seedings at events would shift based on results, perhaps allowing a one tournament leeway. I don’t know if this system would seem as fair or whatever, but it would certainly allow for quicker changes at the top.

May 14th, 2009 at 5:26 pm

djokovic complaining again..hilarious.

this made me laugh:

“Other theories, such as Federer losing his mojo because he’s going to be a dad, are about as believable as a Novak Djokovic medical timeout.”

from James Martin – April 15th, 2009.

May 14th, 2009 at 7:10 pm

“Federer or Nadal have been winning four or five grand slams in a row and they haven’t won a single point,” Djokovic added after beating Spain’s Oscar Hernandez in the second round.

Why should Federer and Nadal find it easy to add points? They were/are at the top of the game and dominating. When they continue to keep a consistent level, then their points should be consistent too, No? This ranking system is about consistency, it’s very simple

Murray’s ranking has included poor clay, average grass and great hard court. While Djokovic’s has relied on a great clay season, a not so great hard and a poor grass season. The only reason he’s staying close to Murray is because he’s got a lot of points on clay and Murray hasn’t, if he doesn’t do as well on clay then the gap widens. In this case it seemed an odd way for Murray to overtake, but you have to look at the big picture; Djokovic needs to heavily outdo Murray on clay to make up for Murray points advantage on hard. On the other hand he will not need to do too much on indoor season to pass Murray by a bigger margin. In the summer hard court Djokovic did not perform that bad at all, it’s just that Murray outperform him (Toronto, Cincinnati and US open)

Von: “don’t know about the other players, but if I were a player, I’d definitely be concerned about the ATP Council presently and who’s making and initiating changes. It’s funny that the players’ future are in the hands of 3 guys who’ve never as much as walked through the doors of a high school in their lives and here they are suggesting changes only for their personal well-being. These changes, if instituted, could be hurtful to the other lower ranked players. Scary and unbelievable huh?”

Is it only 3 players in the ATP council? I thought it is top 20 or 50?

May 14th, 2009 at 7:14 pm

Kimmi says “This ranking system is about consistency, it’s very simple”

Yet wouldn’t a yearly ranking system, wherein the players began each year with a “blank slate,” be even MORE about consistency, since the players would begin from ground zero and build from there each year, as opposed to having the “protected” points from previous years? Just curious.

Kimmi, Djoko had “a poor grass season” only insofar as he lost out at Wimbledon early, but he reach the finals of Queens and played a heck of a match there against Rafa.

May 14th, 2009 at 7:24 pm

Why all the kvetching about the rankings? If Nadal wants to take time off then he’s free to do so. No one’s forcing him to play tennis. But he doesn’t get to devise a ranking system to keep his place at or near the top just so he can take a vacation. And his idea of a two year cumulative ranking is grossly unfair to all those not ranked in the Top 5 – it means, in essence that they’d have to play their guts out for two full years before the results bear fruit. They’d have to play lights out for basically nothing. It’s BS. And using “The Race” as a guide to rankings would yield even more ludicrous results. Done this year, the end of the 3rd week in January would have yielded the following Top 5: Murray, Stepanek, Cilic, Del Potro and Nalbandian. Utterly meaningless.

The current system is actually a good one. The 52 Week Cumulative is a good measure of where someone stands in relation to others, since the same tournaments are offered at basically the same time every year. If you’re a great player, keeping your form is reflected accurately by the principle of defending. It’s a system that give the rankings meaning.

May 14th, 2009 at 7:33 pm

Is Roddick playing Federer next? If so, this will be unprecedented. In almost 20 matches, this would be their first meeting on clay.

May 14th, 2009 at 7:37 pm

“Done this year, the end of the 3rd week in January would have yielded the following Top 5: Murray, Stepanek, Cilic, Del Potro and Nalbandian. Utterly meaningless.”

Not “utterly”meaningless – it would mean simply that these guys were the top performers in the first few small events. After the first slam, and especially after the first MS events as well, the rankings would settle into more of the pattern of the rolling rankings anyhow (see my post above @ 12:03) and would *meaningfully* reflect who is playing best on the year and really, who is *consistently* good as well. To me, that’s interesting as it would allow for a little more flux. At the very least, I wish we could still follow both at the ATP site.

But to each his/her own.

May 14th, 2009 at 7:40 pm

Yes Giner – Roddick vs. Fed on clay. I think they are scheduled as the first QF tomorrow.

May 14th, 2009 at 7:41 pm

Ljubicic continues his excellent run of form by taking out another seed. But unfortunately, his run will likely to end tomorrow.

Federer will always have an easy one with Blake. So I cannot really tell where his form is at, but Kudos to Blake for going from not winning a single match to getting to the final last week and reach round of 16 of a MS tournament. Great effort.

ooh noo! davydenko is still struggling with injuries this year. Not looking good for him. What happen here, I hear it is the left knee or leg ? It will be bad if he misses another GS, hope he recovers for paris.

Even though Murray won, I was disappointed the way he played the 1st set, I thought he was very passive, and Robredo just kill himself with errors. The second set though was the opposite of 1st. Very aggressive and this is what he should play.

Wow, delpotro another qtr final. Now he needs that big jump to the semi, but would not count him out here, he came from behind losing the 1st set and was also behind on the 3rd set. I hope Murray does aggressive play from the beginning. This match is difficult to call.

May 14th, 2009 at 7:44 pm

Jane:”Kimmi, Djoko had “a poor grass season” only insofar as he lost out at Wimbledon early, but he reach the finals of Queens and played a heck of a match there against Rafa”

OK Queens, too hard to call grass season since most players play only 2 tournaments. But I was weighing the season with the GS results hence the reference “poor grass season”

May 14th, 2009 at 7:49 pm

Voicemale1:

“Why all the kvetching about the rankings? If Nadal wants to take time off then he’s free to do so. No one’s forcing him to play tennis. But he doesn’t get to devise a ranking system to keep his place at or near the top just so he can take a vacation. And his idea of a two year cumulative ranking is grossly unfair to all those not ranked in the Top 5 – it means, in essence that they’d have to play their guts out for two full years before the results bear fruit.”

There you go, an honest and reasonable Nadal supporter, not a ‘fanatical’ fan.

I agree with the foregoing and have mentioned similar in my posts last evening and today. Nadal is being extremely unfair and I think his position on the ATP Council is damaging to the other players. There is a clearly manifested conflict of interest. He’s watching out for Numero uno, and as a result is causing unnecessary waves. I still blame him and probably Federer for our lack of 5 sets in masters finals.

The current system is a good one, but as Gordon pointed out, the doubling of the points has produced some deleterious effects, in that, the new points awarded for QFs, SFs and finalist are a bit lopsided when it’s time to defend those points. The new points system only rewards the ‘winners’.

I thought about you with reference to some commentators mention of fitness yesterday. In gist, if a player is not confident about his fitness, it makes them mentally fragile as per Federer — in other words, fitness = mega mental toughness.

May 14th, 2009 at 8:01 pm

Von Says:

“Happy belated Birthady, Dear Giner!!”

Hi Von, and thanks! You too Ra. If we are going by American timezones, it is technically still my birthday.

“Sorry your post got chewed up. Perhaps someone is looking out for me because I’ve a feeling I was somewhat blasted. LOL”

Actually, it wasn’t. It was a meaningful discussion I felt, regarding a possible 2 year season, 5000 point cushion over #2, Nadal’s english (I don’t believe he wrote ‘piece’ by the way, it was likely a transcriber’s error), Federer’s recent suckage, the weird ranking system (in Djokovic’s case), the season’s length and probably more.

The moment I hit Submit, it immediately occurred to me that I forgot to save a copy, and it was too late. I was considering for a brief moment never coming back here because of it, but I’d miss you all too much if I did.

Colin Says:

“Giner – switch to Firefox. Since it’s free, you won’t lose anything if you decide you don’t like it.”

I do use Firefox. It’s my main browser. It’s just that every time I open FF, I have anywhere from 30 to 200 tabs to open up from my previous session (session manager is awesome), and I didn’t feel like going through that just to quickly visit this site, so I just did it in IE, which is very slow at loading I must say. There’s either a bug in IE, this site, or something on my end. The problem never happens when I use FF. Microsoft just can’t do anything good these days.

Does anyone else using IE have problems submitting messages to this site?

Regarding the 2 year ranking system, which I’ll only briefly touch on, the idea does sound intriguing (the same idea has been suggested for Davis Cup before). The way I guess it would work is, the current number of events in the calendar would be spread over 2 years, so players would be playing half the amount of tennis they do now. While this may be good for the players (or top players anyway), it won’t be the best for tournaments, fans, and people who make money off the players, so in all likeliness it will never happen.

Players always come second to the tournament. Or third actually if you count fans. Having observed how GS tournaments do their scheduling, the tournament will put itself first before players (e.g. starting matches at AO after 11PM and forcing players and fans to stay up, or refusing to play on the middle Sunday at Wimbledon in spite of many rainy days, and arguably being selective on which matches to close the roof on).

Basically, the order of priority is:

1. Tournament
2. Fans
3. Players’ health and safety

Since a lot of revenue will have to be foregone by tournament organisers and sponsors if the season gets halved, we can safely say it’s unlikely to happen.

May 14th, 2009 at 8:03 pm

Giner:

“Is Roddick playing Federer next? If so, this will be unprecedented. In almost 20 matches, this would be their first meeting on clay.”

I’m debating whether to watch that match tomorrow. Maybe, I’ll just pass on it because if Roddick has failed on hardcourt, I think he’ll need mucho Divine intervention to do anything much v. Fed on clay. Oy Vey!!!! Oh Andy R., how I hurt for you.

May 14th, 2009 at 8:05 pm

Von, is this the same federer that you think..by your own word “In gist, if a player is not confident about his fitness, it makes them mentally fragile as per Federer — in other words, fitness = mega mental toughness.”

Or does this theory only true if he does not play Roddick ?

May 14th, 2009 at 8:14 pm

Giner:

“The moment I hit Submit, it immediately occurred to me that I forgot to save a copy, and it was too late. I was considering for a brief moment never coming back here because of it, but I’d miss you all too much if I did.”

So very sweet, and I mean it. It’s the reason I came back, I miss you guys, and I mean ALL of you, even my nemeses. I love the camaraderie, which at times seems like family. We bicker, fight, want to mangle, but deep down we are bonded, by tennis of course, yes?

Did you like my two YouTube Birthday clips? One was serious and the other I only saw one-half, but I hope it was OK. It’s the thought that counts, and considering I’m not very computer savvy, it was a labour of love. Now that should keep you here forever. LOL.

Thank you for not blasting me, and now I’m very sorry you lost such a meaningul discussion. I would have loved it. I called up HP support and had them check out my computer, IE, and their opinion: It’s this site. My posts get gobbled up very quickly, and I notice that it happens if I leave a post in the comment box for a while. Sometimes I type and move away, and then the problems happen. It’s a pity our comments aren’t saved every 5-10 minutes.

May 14th, 2009 at 8:16 pm

Kimmi; I don’t understand what you’re asking.

May 14th, 2009 at 8:18 pm

Von, I was commenting from your previous post.

Von says ‘I’m debating whether to watch that match tomorrow. Maybe, I’ll just pass on it because if Roddick has failed on hardcourt, I think he’ll need mucho Divine intervention to do anything much v. Fed on clay. Oy Vey!!!! Oh Andy R., how I hurt for you.”

If federer is lacking fitness, then why do you worry Roddick will not have a chance? From your theory Roddick should have a great chance because Federer is lacking the fitness. Hence my question “Or does this theory only true if he does not play Roddick ?”

May 14th, 2009 at 8:25 pm

Giner says, “Basically, the order of priority is:

1. Tournament
2. Fans
3. Players’ health and safety

Since a lot of revenue will have to be foregone by tournament organisers and sponsors if the season gets halved, we can safely say it’s unlikely to happen.”

This is such an interesting point and very ironic, since, without #3 (the players), there’d be no #s 1 and 2! So really, on some level the priorities do seem a little whacked. On the other hand, the players couldn’t do much with 1 and 2, so it becomes a bit of a whirligig. But there’s still some irony there somewhere. :)

May 14th, 2009 at 8:26 pm

Kimmi – I know what you mean. The grass “season” is virtually 1 slam and one non-MS event so it’s difficult to say anything meaningful about it beyond, how did the player do at Wimbledon. Djoko played so great at Queens and throughout the clay season and most of the hardcourt season (minus Miami) last year that it was a shocker at how badly he played against Safin; that was abysmal to watch as it wasn’t even a “great” match, in which case no matter who wins it can be really exciting.

Anyhow, I wasn’t meaning to kvetch about the ranking system; I don’t agree with Djoko that it’s “cruel” nor do I necessarily agree with Rafa that a 2 year system would be good. But I do find the old “race” format more fun to follow since there are more shifts. These days it’s almost pointless to check the rankings on a Monday morning, at least as far as the top ten goes. I mean they hardly change, and if they do so, we usually know about it long before the shift becomes “official” and is posted on the website.

I agree with you, b.t.w., that Ljubicic has been playing wonderfully this season, and I like to watch him. I hope Djoko can win tomorrow, but you never know. And if Ivan pulls the upset I am sure it will be well deserved.

May 14th, 2009 at 8:32 pm

Jane, I don’t think Ljubicic is playing good enough to trouble Djoko. Djoko looks like is on the zone right now. Ljubicic took Murray to two tie breaks in Miami so maybe we might have a tie break tomorrow.

But yes, he is been good and his serve is big and here in madrid the big servers will be rewarded a lot of free points.

Did you watch Verdasco and Monaco? I didn’t. How do you see his chances tomorrow with nadal ? He made good results with Monaco who has been on good form, both sets coming from behind. But Vedasco is already beaten before he plays nadal. He said on his pre-tournament interview that his goal is qtrs..well here he is.

May 14th, 2009 at 8:45 pm

I hope Djokovic wins tomorrow although I do like Ljubicic. I also hope for Roddick, Verdasco and Del Potro.

May 14th, 2009 at 8:48 pm

Vared, how are you ? I hope Murray wins. Who is your favorite player, I asked you this on another thread but you never answer.

May 14th, 2009 at 8:51 pm

Kimmi, for some reason I don’t think a Verdasco win is out of the question here. Rafa has been going long and hard, and Verdasco played Rafa closely in Rome, or was it Barcelona? Anyhow, as you say, he played really well against Monaco from what I’ve read and judging by the stats (no I didn’t see the match), and his serve may (?) function as a weapon. But the “awe” factor might work against him as you mentioned. I other words, it’s probably a 60/40 proposition in Rafa’s favour, maybe 55/45?

May 14th, 2009 at 8:56 pm

Kimmi:

I thought by now that it’s obvious what my concerns are. Roddick is playing clay match deprived as opposed to Federer. Federer knows Andy’s game inside out, so his fitness doesn’t bother him against Roddick. Roddick doesn’t engage Federer in very long rallies as some of the other players, which he should, as happened in Miami where he won a set. Federer’s confidence goes through the roof whenever he sees Roddick on his side of the draw and his confidence, which is mental, can energize his or anyone’s body for a couple of hours. That said, Federer’s fitness only becomes a problem when he plays against the fitter players, e.g., Nadal/Murray.
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vared: I want my Andy R. to win too. Go do a voodoo dance or something will ya. LOL. I absolutely cringe when I see Roddick on Fed’s side of the draw and I despise this seeding by ranking in tourneys.

May 14th, 2009 at 8:59 pm

vared’s star boy is: NADAL!!

May 14th, 2009 at 9:04 pm

vared, if your “star boy” is Nadal, why would you pick Verdasco? Maybe you’d like Rafa to have some downtime?

May 14th, 2009 at 9:10 pm

Von: “vared’s star boy is: NADAL!!”

Strange, he is wishing for Verdasco to win.

Maybe he is playing that game of saying the opposite of what he really want. That said, he could be wishing for a Murray win.

May 14th, 2009 at 9:14 pm

Kimmi, LOL, i don’t think vared would agree with the reverse psychology for some reason!

May 14th, 2009 at 9:21 pm

Vared, how are you ? I hope Murray wins. Who is your favorite player, I asked you this on another thread but you never answer.

Hello fangirl Kimmi
I am so sorry I did not answer you but I am not on the computer 24/7 like you. The better question would be “who don’t you like?” I like almost all players but two. If you look at what I said,”I hope Djokovic wins tomorrow although I do like Ljubicic. I also hope for Roddick, Verdasco and Del Potro.” Try to concentrate now. If I have hopes for tomorrow for Verdasco for example, it does not mean I hate Nadal. I may wish for Nadal next week. My hopes for tomorrow, capiche? I hope that satisfies you.

May 14th, 2009 at 10:00 pm

vared: “I like almost all players but two.”

In other words, he does NOT like Fed and Murray. “Capiche”? Holmes you’ll have Watson confused by switching from English to Italian. you’re being very wicked. LOL.

May 14th, 2009 at 10:42 pm

Sherlock Von,
Nice conclusion.

May 15th, 2009 at 11:07 am

vared: Aha, you like that, eh?
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Giner: I suppose there was divine intervention with that lost post — it surfaced on May 14th, @ 12:50 am. I read it and I agree with you on several points. I still don’t understand why Nadal would want the ranking/points to be spread over a two-year period, even though there was some talk with respect to changing DC to that format.

May 15th, 2009 at 11:22 am

Yes Von I like that. Anybody but those two are OK in my book. Ditto for the women’s side, it would be Safina and Serena. Anybody but those two.

Fangirl kimmi? Are you reading?

May 15th, 2009 at 3:43 pm

Vared, did not see your message earlier.

It’s good to know that you like everybody else but Murray and Federer. But why? I am very curious? As you probably already guess they are my favourites.

Safina and Serena are my favourites too, together with Venus and Mauresmo. I am also curious on why you dislike safina and serena ?

May 16th, 2009 at 9:37 am