Del Potro Overpowers Federer in Five-Set Thriller for US Open Title

put a photo of Delpo on this one! you know, cause he won…

September 14th, 2009 at 9:48 pm

When is the last time Federer and Tom Brady have both lost on the same day?

September 14th, 2009 at 9:48 pm

Fed on Delp at the AO:

You want to almost put him out of his misery because you know how tough it is for him to come back.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-1129806/Federer-thrashes-Del-Potro-reach-record-19th-consecutive-Slam-semi.html#ixzz0R8UEA8Oy

September 14th, 2009 at 9:50 pm

Also, I would not say Nadal’s lost is a humilation like Fed did in Roland Garros last year. Fed was the number one player in the world for that match. But Rafa is injuried. And he did not have days off like other players did the previous days. And congrats to Del Potor for his first grand slam! He is real sheriff of this tournament. Have to thank him for keeping peace and restoring the world order. lol And Federer choked against him, he was meaning to be winning it. I don’t know why he didn’t get a warning when he argued against the umpire.

September 14th, 2009 at 10:01 pm

wow, andy murray must be going crazy w/delpo winning uso. everybody said murray, murray, murray. i am a loyal fan of federers, but am happy delpo won. he seems like a nice kid. murray, in my opinion, started letting things get to his head, w/hype of he would win australia, then wimbledon and then uso. this certainly changes the landscape for tennis. new kid in town and i think delpo is #1 material. he doesn’t let pressure of moment get to him. djokovic did and murray, in my opinion, got caught up in the hype. truth of matter, there are lots of great mens tennis players. obviously this win for delpo makes him a fvt going into australian open, along w/nadal, murray, et al. as for my guy federer, i hope he can win at least one major a year, b4 he retires. we thought 2009 was going 2b interesting, lookout 2010–federer, nadal, del potro, murray, djokovic, roddick, cilic, tsonga–wow-who knows who will win what? one last comment: i couldn’t believe dick enberg wouldn’t let delpo speak in spanish to the crowd. that was tacky & classless. finally after asking for a second time, delpo was given the mike. also, didn’t care for patrick mcenroe bringing up incident w/serena @ acceptance of dbls championship. venus put him in his place, however. i dvr the final from cbs, but chose not to watch it because i can just imagine what john mcenroe was saying about federers loss. the media is so quick to dump a player when they lose. they did it w/murray, because they were so embarrassed w/all the hype they gave him. they gave federer all the hype, and the nonfederer fans right away think hes arrogant, when in fact it is the media that builds him up to such a high standard and then when he loses they rip him apart. it boils down to we all have our fvt player. mines roger federer and i’m proud of it. go roger in 2010

September 14th, 2009 at 10:01 pm

Ooh that’s devious of you Staff. My first post was a correction to your scoreline which you misreported. So you quickly corrected it and then deleted my post.

I know, it’s kind of embarassing but it’s okay to make mistakes you know. We’re all human. I wasn’t berating you for it.

September 14th, 2009 at 10:03 pm

Perhaps if you proof read your work in future, readers wouldn’t be pointing them out to you. For the record, there are grammatical errors is your report which I didn’t even bother reporting because I came to expect them anyway. You still haven’t, so I guess you didn’t re-read it and simply fixed the error I reported. In other words, you would have left it had no one pointed out your 3-6 6-7 4-6 7-6 6-2 score.

That’s professionalism.

September 14th, 2009 at 10:06 pm

YAY DEL PO!!

He did awesome and I’m so glad that he won!

September 14th, 2009 at 10:13 pm

Nevermind, Tom Brady didn’t choke and came through like a champion.

September 14th, 2009 at 10:14 pm

WOW – didn’t think the lad had it in him but it’s beyond great to see someone else step up to the plate against Fed at last. Congrats to Del Potro – a very worthy champion.

September 14th, 2009 at 10:16 pm

You know what? Gwen Stefani should never be invited to Federer’s grand slam final. Whenever she is there! Federina gets beaten, she was there at the Wimbledon 2008 final too! And Fed was feeling his mono today! lol

September 14th, 2009 at 10:21 pm

Thank you Delpo and Kim for salvaging the 2009 US Open.

September 14th, 2009 at 10:24 pm

sheila, “lookout 2010–federer, nadal, del potro, murray, djokovic, roddick, cilic, tsonga–wow-who knows who will win what? ”

Fully agree! Lots to which to look forward in 2010.

September 14th, 2009 at 10:33 pm

Rick Allstop: “And congrats to Del Potor for his first grand slam! He is real sheriff of this tournament.”

Just wondering if you would’ve said the same in case he had lost that match…

September 14th, 2009 at 10:40 pm

I agree, but Gavin Rosdale was there for this years Wimby so he is alright. Just not Gwen.

September 14th, 2009 at 10:40 pm

From a Fed fan, Congrats to DP, A great win, well deserved! A great run in the tourney also! You da man! Hope to see more of your great fighting spirit in the future! Thank you DP and Fed for a great final. It would great to see more guys who carry a big stick but are gracious as DP. No excuses, none needed.

September 14th, 2009 at 10:46 pm

To Rick,

Or should we call you “Rick Rafa”? Please put away the “Rafa” excuses already. Even his own fans on this site are getting tired of it. He got a beatdown, DP would have won that match regardless of any excuse Uncle Toni gives, as he usually does, and he went on to beat the GOAT. Give DP the utmost credit, he was hot, on, and has we all look back destined to win. He outhit everyone, and that is why he won. I’m out

September 14th, 2009 at 10:52 pm

I love Rick. Please, keep posting. You are very funny.

September 14th, 2009 at 10:57 pm

I am a fed fan, and I congratulate JMDP. He played a great match. Fed had a lot of pressure going in , and he fought hard. Please give him credit for what he has done and what Delpo without demeaning the moment. May be Fed choked, may be th pressure got to him, or he was simply oitplayed, but kudos to him for what he has accomplished. ROger is without doubt, one of the best tennis players we have seen. He has accomplished quite a few milestones in the past few months. So he lost today, he was gracious even though it hurts to lose. He knows the score about playing and he will get over it and come back as strong as ever.

September 14th, 2009 at 10:59 pm

Polo and Rick need to exchange e-mails addresses.

September 14th, 2009 at 11:01 pm

Federer never chokes. Nobody with 15 majors chokes. Federer fought to the last point. He tried as hard as he could in spite of his serve going AWOL on hin. He just happened to lose to somebody who played better. del Potro won because he played better, not because the guy across the net choked. That loss may even serve Federer well. He does not like to lose and I am sure he will try to improve his game even more. Remember how relatively bad 2008 was for him? Looked what happened this year. He got his French and edged Sampras’ majors record. That loss will guarantee at least another major for him next year. I will remind the non-believers about that next year.

September 14th, 2009 at 11:06 pm

JMDP willed his way into the match. Neither guy played perfectly and each could have realistically won the match before the 5th set. Still, JMDP holding at love at 5-6 in the 4th and then winning 5 of the first 7 points in the tie breaker was the difference in my mind. He was 2 points from defeat at 4-5, 15-30 in the 4th held and then from 5-6 he won 9 of the next 11 points. Federer was a little punch drunk after the first 3 games of the 5th. Each guy hit some amazing shots and won points that looked lost, but Delpo kept his focus even after bad things happened. A well deserved win. The computer may say #5 but in the locker room in terms of respect and intimidation I would guess JMDP is #3.

September 14th, 2009 at 11:07 pm

Polo: “I love Rick. Please, keep posting. You are very funny.

Are you and Rick are an item? LOL. Be careful about the emails. LOL.

September 14th, 2009 at 11:07 pm

Skeezerweezer, you did not get what I meant with my post about Rick, did you? How can anybody in his right mind ever like that guy?

September 14th, 2009 at 11:09 pm

You too, Von. And I thought you were smart.

September 14th, 2009 at 11:09 pm

Well as a Fed fan I’m sad he lost but I’ve also been a fan of DelPo for a while now and I’m only slightly sad Fed lost. What a great match. He deserves the win for sure. Fed had it 2 points to win and couldn’t get it done. So it was his loss. JMDP played amazing. I’m glad he was the one to beat Fed. I’m really not sure how this will affect Fed. I have a feeling we are seeing a change here. Fed will still win some tourneys and maybe a few more majors but his reign of 2009 is over and I doubt 2010 will be as good for him.

I loved the Fed interview. He took his loss like a champ and praised DelPo. He’s genuinely happy for it. That’s so nice to see. What a great attitude.

As for JMDP, way to go kid. Awesome stuff and this is definitely not the last we will see him win a slam. Been a great ride this summer and 2010 looks to be even better for tennis.

September 14th, 2009 at 11:10 pm

Polo: I knew you were being sarcastic and it’s why I asked if you two were an item. LOL.

Here’s something for you on your new fave:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/jon_wertheim/09/14/fifty.things.open/index.html

September 14th, 2009 at 11:14 pm

Scottish,

I doubt Federer has many more multiple slam years, but I think any player who puts himself into the final 8 and final 4 consistently will have their chances. JMDP has reached the final 8 or better at 4 of the past 5 slams. A player has to put himself into position to win the event and be prepared to do so. Skipping Cincinnati looks pretty smart right about now.

September 14th, 2009 at 11:16 pm

Von, I still think you are smart is spite of our opinions being on opposite poles of the equator most of the time.

September 14th, 2009 at 11:19 pm

Von, I don’t know who is my favorite anymore. I prefer Federer to win all the time but when he loses, I curse him (quietly, of course) and blames him for the loss and cheer for his conqueror. I have cheered for all of Nadal’s wins over him and then this one by del Potro. Does that make me a bad fan? Should I be ashamed of myself? I just think that Federer is very hard to beat and anybody who beats him must be playing really well and deserving of the victory. Not to open old wounds but had Roddick beat Federer at Wimbledon, I would have applauded him too.

September 14th, 2009 at 11:24 pm

Hey Polo: Opposites attract. LOL.

September 14th, 2009 at 11:25 pm

Dan, I agree and that is why I think he might have a few left in him but not much more. You never know, he’s only 28 and others have won slams into their early 30s. He’s still so impressive to watch. That first set was all Fed and it was so enjoyable. He has such an amazing talent. To me it all came down to desire. It seemed JMDP wanted it more this time. Maybe Fed has lost a bit of his edge cuz he’s won so many times. Even in his interview he didn’t seem that let down.

September 14th, 2009 at 11:25 pm

OK Von, very we get too syrupy and send everybody here gagging, let me say goodbye. Let’s fight again in the next major. Sleep well but do not dream of me.

September 14th, 2009 at 11:27 pm

Polo,

J/K about the post. Just trying to some humor in here. Agreed, Von IS one smart post-er, and being on both sides of the equator, doesn’t that make the world go around? I’m out

September 14th, 2009 at 11:27 pm

Polo I feel exactly the same way. I love watching Fed win but am impressed when someone beats him. The only disappointment about today was that Fed was not on serve. I really think that if Fed had served his usual 60+% he would have won. He really didn’t play his best and therefore JMDP was given the chance. But give the kids credit eh? He stepped up and made it count. Good for him.

September 14th, 2009 at 11:29 pm

Last goodbye to skeezerwee… too hard to spell without looking. Take care.

September 14th, 2009 at 11:29 pm

Polo: Von, I don’t know who is my favorite anymore. I prefer Federer to win all the time but when he loses, I curse him (quietly, of course) and blames him for the loss and cheer for his conqueror.”

I call Roddick all types of names when he’s playing and if he loses, I tell him that’s it, I’m not rooting for you anymore.

“I have cheered for all of Nadal’s wins over him and then this one by del Potro. Does that make me a bad fan? Should I be ashamed of myself?”

No, it’s a self-preservation defense mechanism kicking in whereby you try to insulate yourself from the pain. Believe me, it’s normal and nothing to be ashamed of at all.

“I just think that Federer is very hard to beat and anybody who beats him must be playing really well and deserving of the victory. Not to open old wounds but had Roddick beat Federer at Wimbledon, I would have applauded him too.”

I would have applauded Roddick also and you would have heard my applause in your house. LOL. Don’t be unhappy, there will be other times and that’s what I keep telling myself.

September 14th, 2009 at 11:30 pm

Yeah, Federer was still happy. Which is good, because he’s gonna keep playing and showing off his great talents. At the same time, maybe if he doesn’t fight as hard, there will be more new champions.

September 14th, 2009 at 11:32 pm

What does ‘Allstop’ mean? I keep hearing this word thrown around but I’m puzzled.

September 14th, 2009 at 11:32 pm

Bye Polo, and keep on sneaking a read of the gossip rags. I’ll remember you the next time I’m doing so. LOL.

September 14th, 2009 at 11:33 pm

Giner: do you mean ” all stop” as in wanting a group of people to stop doing something?

September 14th, 2009 at 11:34 pm

When is the last time the ATP had a no. 3 player who had yet to win any slams?

Just joking.

September 14th, 2009 at 11:36 pm

Another update from Wertheim:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/jon_wertheim/09/14/delpotro.federer/index.html

September 14th, 2009 at 11:39 pm

So what are the point standings now? I can’t wait till tomorrow. :-)

September 14th, 2009 at 11:39 pm

Congrats to JMDP.
What a great match. Del Potro’s got some mental toughness, hanging in there through a real nail-biter of a match. It was interesting to see that Del-P’s chances actually improved the longer the rallies went on, and there were quite a few long rallies. Good show!

It’s always a shocking to see Federer beaten, patricide of a sort, but Del P was gracious in victory and we all know the Fed will be back.

Yeah, CBS is a real money grubbing outfit. It was painful to watch the emotions on Del-P’s face after he was 1st denied the opportunity to say a few words in spanish.

“Hey Dick, I just beat the Fed, you think maybe I can say a few words in my native tongue?”

“Sorry Del-P, haven’t got the time, gotta let my boss LEXUS talk, and then after that we gotta get right into the show HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER. We can’t have you holding things up my friend.”

Amazing.

I’m so glad Del-P persisted, it would have been sad if the Victor’s emotional release had been thwarted in the midst of his victory. I don’t understand spanish, and yet his speech moved me.

September 14th, 2009 at 11:44 pm

If JMDP can beat Lexus, he can beat anyone!

September 14th, 2009 at 11:46 pm

finally saw the whole match including the ‘testy roger against the umpire’. that was classic. it was kind of funny to see him so belligerent. his old temper tantrum self is just barely under the surface. reminds a little of andy murray.

roger and the challenge system are not a match made in heaven!

September 14th, 2009 at 11:49 pm

Von thanks for the Wertheim stuff – he is a good guy and I am not just saying that because he took time to talk to me in Cincinnati. He genuinely gets the good and bad of the sport and does a great job reporting on tennis and this helps the sport on a whole.

September 14th, 2009 at 11:50 pm

Dan: You’re welcome. I love to read Jon’s take on the sport. Jon’s a regular in my email box.

September 14th, 2009 at 11:53 pm

Scottish I agree and what I am writing up does have a section on hunger

September 15th, 2009 at 12:01 am

“Yeah, CBS is a real money grubbing outfit. It was painful to watch the emotions on Del-P’s face after he was 1st denied the opportunity to say a few words in spanish.”

The networks make their money from advertising in prime-time. Unless the network has an agreement with their affliliates(which may be in the hundreds) to allow a sporting event to run into prime time, the network has to switch over

September 15th, 2009 at 12:01 am

Delpo was great in this match. Federer had plenty of chances and couldn’t pull it out. What I couldn’t believe was how Dick Enberg/CBS didn’t want to give Del Potro a chance to speak in his native language and then shoved the trophy at him. Very disappointing. He just won his first grand slam at the age of 20. Doesn’t that earn him the right for 5 minutes in the lime light? I guess not in CBS’ mind. The final went too long for them.

September 15th, 2009 at 12:03 am

Scottish:
The numbers

federer 11240
Nadal 8845
Murray 8390
Djokovic 7480
Del Potro 6825
Roddick 5310
Tsonga 3950
Davydenko 3535
Verdasco 3430
Simon 3095

Nadal move ahead of Murray, Del potro ahead of Roddick and Verdasco above Simon

http://www.pointsspy.co.uk/

September 15th, 2009 at 12:12 am

Thanks Kimmi for the numbers. So Fed pulls out even more in front. How does it look for the rest of the year for Fed and Nadal. Is it realistic that Nadal or Murray could take over #1?

September 15th, 2009 at 12:17 am

congrats to my man dePo once again. it was fabulous. he made my day. my happiness knows no bounds. i have firm faith in this kid he will produce some great results in the future.

thanks to every one who supported my man. esp. those who raise hands yesterday and made commitment to throw their support behind dePo, esp. blah, jane, tennis bebe, ShayHay, and those fed fans who were happy at dePo’s first Slam, esp. veno, maso, dan, kimo, grendel, Tejuz, and sensationalsafin and all others.

thank you Huh for adorning me with the badge of honor, dePo’s no. 1 fan.

it was indeed the best US Open final of the decade.

September 15th, 2009 at 12:17 am

roger really should have won that match
horrible serving and many mishits.
finally delpotro said ok, if you don’t
want match i’ll take it.

September 15th, 2009 at 12:31 am

i am it Says:

congrats to my man dePo once again. it was fabulous. he made my day. my happiness knows no bounds. i have firm faith in this kid he will produce some great results in the future.

thanks to every one who supported my man. esp. those who raise hands yesterday and made commitment to throw their support behind dePo, esp. blah, jane, tennis bebe, ShayHay, and those fed fans who were happy at dePo’s first Slam, esp. veno, maso, dan, kimo, grendel, Tejuz, and sensationalsafin and all others.

thank you Huh for adorning me with the badge of honor, dePo’s no. 1 fan.

it was indeed the best US Open final of the decade.
————————-

I’m really glad he won. He’s one of my faves. Of course Nadal will always be my number one, but it’s nice to see some of the younger guys doing big things.

However, I’m extremely PISSED at DICK Enberg right now!!! UGH….

September 15th, 2009 at 12:34 am

terrible trophy ceremony, poor delpo barely got to say anything, roger talked more.

September 15th, 2009 at 12:35 am

Scottish Says:

“How does it look for the rest of the year for Fed and Nadal. Is it realistic that Nadal or Murray could take over #1?”

Not very realistic. Fed doesn’t defend much points. He’ll have to tank while Nadal/Murray wins everything. There’s 2000 points available in two events and 3000 for the WTF if you win the title undefeated. It’s possible. There are enough points available to do it, but it’s unrealistic that one player will win them all when it’s this competitive, and it’s also unrealistic for Federer to not show up.

Mary Says:

“Giner: do you mean ” all stop” as in wanting a group of people to stop doing something?”

No, ‘Allstop’. Someone just keeps using that word, e.g. Fed Allstop. It’s confusing me.

Mary Says:

“When is the last time the ATP had a no. 3 player who had yet to win any slams?

Just joking.”

If you said ‘just djoking’ you would have answered your own question, with a pun.

September 15th, 2009 at 12:36 am

polo-roger has choked to nadal a number of times.

September 15th, 2009 at 12:46 am

i find dicky’s commentating generally quite grating and mistake laden . . . but the way he handled the awards ceremony was “undelicious” if i may say so. :P

September 15th, 2009 at 12:50 am

FIA: “terrible trophy ceremony, poor delpo barely got to say anything, roger talked more.”

Well, that’s US Open. The only grandslam which has the 1st round stretched to 3 days, men’s semis played on Saturday, tiebreak in the 5th set, and a predetermined time for the trophy ceremony. And it all has a common denominator – TV companies’ monetary interests.

September 15th, 2009 at 1:13 am

I should have congratulated DelPotro on this thread, but did so on the other thread, per my p;ost @8:24 pm, anyway, again my congrats to him and his fans for a well deserved win.

Von Says:
And, DelPotro wins!!!!

Congrats to Juan Martin DelPotro a very deseving winner and congrats to all of his fans.

Posted September 14th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
___________________
ShayHay & Scottish: a special congrats to you both! you must be proud of your new champ.

September 15th, 2009 at 1:34 am

Well, we’ve got to excuse poor Dick Enberg, he’s more talk and less action. I think he’s unable to engage in multi-tasking, which at the time, entailed finishing his sentence a little faster and handing over the mic simultaneously to DelPotro. That’s a lot of thinking and work for Dick in the matter of a few seconds. LOL I’m positive DelPotro will have his moment in the spotlight tomorrow on Good Morning America, which IMO, is much better than having to rush for two seconds, but the joy of the moment does matter most, than a later talk session.

September 15th, 2009 at 1:41 am

Also, even though the TV coverage was cut, I’m sure there’s some additional footage of the final moments of the ceremony. Perhaps a YouTube search might be helpful to those interested in same.

September 15th, 2009 at 1:43 am

For DelPotro fans, a very nice article on his win. The comments following the article are very insightful, enjoy!!:

http://msn.foxsports.com/tennis/story/10065062/Del-Potro-upsets-Federer-to-win-U.S.-Open-title

September 15th, 2009 at 1:46 am

Here’s a link for some pictures:

http://msn.foxsports.com/tennis/pgStory?contentId=10071894

September 15th, 2009 at 1:49 am

Von, it was pretty much a win-win situation for me today but I really was pulling for Fed and I was annoyed greatly that he lost the 2nd set when he was 2 points from it. He also lost the 4th with 2 point to win it and that’s just not good enough.

But I was also happy for JMDP who is now my co-#2. I am sure he will win many more slams and is way ahead of Murray imo. I am sure Murray will probably win a few as well but I’m glad JMDP got there first.

September 15th, 2009 at 1:58 am

ShayHay: I just got through watching the match on the Tennis Channel. DelPotro was given a few seconds to address the crowd in Spanish while Guillermo Vilas watched beaming with pride. In view of what I saw, I don’t think we can blame Enberg too mcuh as he had to allow the sponsor, Lexus to do their presentation. anyway, all’s well that ends well.

September 15th, 2009 at 2:10 am

Scottish: “He also lost the 4th with 2 point to win it and that’s just not good enough.”

Isn’t this the same that happenend with Roddick vs. Isner? I kept thinking for a few hours later, two measley points, two measley points. I said to Veno before the 2nd tiebreak that DelPotro would win the breaker, but Veno felt Fed would win it, and it turned out that DelPotro won it.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, the taller, huge servers have a great advantage in the tie-breaks due to their serve and reach. I’m beginning to dislike tiebreaks when a tall server is in it. When you think of it, all that separates the winning shot is sometimes just one stroke of the ball. sheesh.

September 15th, 2009 at 2:16 am

Yeah true Von but Fed should never have dropped his server at 5-4. I’ve never seen Fed’s serve desert him so badly for the entire match. In some ways it shows how well Fed played to even take it to 5 sets. He was playing a good game. I still think he’s accomplishing some amazing things with his 7 in a row finals (second to himself at 10) and 22 semis. Those numbers are unreal.

September 15th, 2009 at 2:21 am

Some more slideshows for DelPotro fans:

http://straightsets.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/14/live-analysis-the-mens-final/

NY Times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/15/sports/tennis/15open.html?ref=tennis

September 15th, 2009 at 2:21 am

Scottish: I think that drop shot in the second set was a bad decison and it’s what cost Fed the second set and ultimately the match. Roddick’s second set mishap came to mind when I saw that game and I thought it’s almost as if they both paralleled each other. Anyway, it’s nice that JMDP, your second fave got the win, so it was indeed a win, win situation for you.

September 15th, 2009 at 2:25 am

Yeah I thought about the Roddick match as well as being so similar. This time Fed was on the wrong end. Like he said, he can’t win them all. He’s really past his time of dominance and I feel it will be a struggle for him to really stay at the top for any length of time. There’s just too much young fire power in the mix which is great for tennis. It will be interesting to see just how much drive he has left in him to win any more majors.

I think Roddick will do well at the AO in 2010. He’s going to have some fire in his belly. JMDP, Nadal and Djoko will be big contenders again too. An exciting time for tennis.

Hope you stick around the blog as the season ends. Always enjoy your thoughts. Nite nite.

September 15th, 2009 at 2:34 am

i am it Says: “thanks to every one who supported my man. esp. those who raise hands yesterday and made commitment to throw their support behind dePo, esp. blah, jane, tennis bebe, ShayHay, and those fed fans who were happy at dePo’s first Slam, esp. veno, maso, dan, kimo, grendel, Tejuz, and sensationalsafin and all others.”

It certainly was a great final and DelPo deserved this victory more than Fed.. the way he hung in there when he was down and later out-played Fed. He was just smoking his forehands.. 35+ forehand winners, and dunno how many forced errors.

My favs have always been Fed, Safin… and have always liked watchin Delpo, Tsonga, Baghdatis.. Now with Safin in his last year, seems like Delpo chose the right time to enter the fray and be reckoned as one of the fav for the next few grandslams ahead of Murray and Djok.

One thing i like about him is he genuinely respects his peers and seniors… doesnt look like a fake… is humble and doesnt at all sound arrogant. I liked his speech. He has similar charm like Safin and can be a crowd puller in future.

Am really glad he won, just cuz he deserved victory in Paris and had he lost another 5-setter here.. it would have been very heart-breaking. Fed got too many of his wishes fulfilled this year (and a few heart-breakers).. so he certainly can wait.

Somehow i dont see Delpo being a one-slam wonder or turn out to be head-case and inconsistent like Safin or Tsonga. He is quite consistent.. and when he is on a roll, he goes out to win matches in long streaks like what we have seen last year and this year. He might not have the same career as Fed or Nadal.. but am sure he will win a few more slams in future. I can see Cilic joining him at the top there. Both have similar game and physical attributes.

September 15th, 2009 at 2:36 am

I really got pissed off at Enberg today. When Del Potro, being the champion, requested him if he could say a few words in Spanish.. he clearly refused him at first saying ‘we have very little time’ and went on to introduce some sponsors..what was he doing? Do they have stop-watches or is the trophy ceremony timed? He just asked a few questions to Delpo who answered back in English even if he wasnt so comfortable expressing his feelings in that language. Atleast give him a moment to thank his family and friends. I really felt for DelPo at that time. I am glad he requested again and Enberg had to give the mike to him. You could see how his speech touned out to be very emotional for him and even Fed patted his back at the end of that speech.

September 15th, 2009 at 2:49 am

They were targeting the wrong guy to wear out before the final. Had they known Delpo would be facing Federer in the final they would have given him the drill they gave Rafa instead.

September 15th, 2009 at 2:57 am

I still remember seeing this kid thrash Moya in Mumbai 3 years ago, and knowing even then I was witnessing the birth of a future star of the game. Boy was this match worth the sleepless night. I thought for sure – the way he was berating himself for all his thrown-away chances – that he was done and dusted after that 3rd set. That his spirit was broken. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one. How wrong I was. This is not a spirit that gets broken easily. What a great new champion this sport has. And what a FAB time to be a tennis fan! Fed is back, DelPo has “officially” arrived, Rod’s playing better than he ever has, Rafa will – hopefully – be fully fit again. Muzza & Nole can’t ever be counted out. Tsonga, Gonzo, Nando, Cilic are all lurking dangerously on the sidelines. We are certainly spoiled for choice aren’t we.

PS – I hate to take any limelight off DelPo, but like a couple of other posters, yeah, I have to point out too, that Dick Enberg really lived up to his name.

September 15th, 2009 at 3:06 am

fed is afraid Says:

roger really should have won that match
horrible serving and many mishits.
finally delpotro said ok, if you don’t
want match i’ll take it.

Posted September 15th, 2009 at 12:31 am

So why should he have won it in spite of horrible serves and loads of mishits. The better player on the day won it, full stop.

September 15th, 2009 at 3:08 am

Juan Martin DEL POTO finally delivers Argentina another Grand Slam glory. It was a thriller game in my opinion one that will go down as one of the best in Grand Slam history. Roger FEDERER who was forced to play a fifth set in a US Open final also deserve my respect for putting up another amazing performance.

Juan Martín DEL POTRO has always said his favourite tournament was the US Open and tonight he made the miracle happen against the toughest possible rival who, as expected, didn’t make his life easy. The Argentine took the last two sets and won his first Grand Slam title to make the whole country celebrate.

We salute the brilliant Juan Martín DEL POTRO on the biggest day of his professional career (and probably his whole life). The big question remains will Delpo continue this fine form that has taken him this far? Only time will tell. In the meantime, appreciate your thoughts about him and the final overall.

September 15th, 2009 at 3:15 am

Ok, just woke Up and I have a couple of remarks:

1- Delpo was the best player in this US Open. and the fact that he managed his nerves at the final to play like he did in the previous 6 matches is a testament to his mental fortittude.

2- Could Fed have won the match? I must say yeah, he could have. At 5-4 in the second set all he needed was a few good first serves and the match would have been practically over. But for the whole match, his 1st serve was just not there, and the fact that he managed to stretch Delpo to five on almost only his 2nd serve is also a testament to his toughness.

3- Delpo got double-bagled in the AO quarters by Fed, took Fed to five at the RG semi, and beat Fed at the USO final. You can almost gauge Delpo’s remarkable improvement over the year just by his matches against Roger at slams.

4- Even before he won the US Open, Delpo’s atittude and his demeanor truly set him apart from the rest of the up-and-comer crowd. Remember Djokovic after the AO 2008? He was kinda cocky back then (he’s imrpoved a lot). Even though Tsonga is 4 yrs older (I think) he’s no where near as consistent or as mature. And it must be killing a certain player that he is now the only man in the top six without a major to his name. Being a brat can only take you so far.

4- Compared to Fed’s losses earlier at slams, Fed fans are taking this one pretty well. That’s partly because Fed has achieved the two most important milestones or winning RG and getting to no. 15 already, and partly because we, well, like Delpo.

5- Fed should really stay clear of Gwen Stefani. She cursed him at Wimbledon 2008, and now at the US Open 2009. She doesn’t even look interested in tennis!!! Stop inviting her and her husband. If they really wanna see the match, let them buy their own tickets.

September 15th, 2009 at 3:48 am

Long time lurker, first time poster. This was indeed a great match. Reminds of AA 2005 match against Fed. Of course the difference is that Fed was a multiple slam winner but you get the feeling of a change of guard. The end of Fed’s great run at the top.

September 15th, 2009 at 4:15 am

Hey John! But Roger was supposed to be winning this, because he is the goat and the number 1 player in the world. Did you read about how happy he is for getting(falling)back into his number 1 ranking? But last year he said that, he doesn’t really care of his number 1 ranking. Such a hypocrite! Because with Roddick, Blake and Soderling being in his draw. And he didn’t even has to deal with Roddick himself. There isn’t any real challenge or danger for him in his draw, except his semi-final match against Djokovic. And with the luxury and rest that he had in his hotel the last few days. He might starting to think that he has another slam in his pocket. And he invited all these friends to his guestbook to show of another glory of his. But instead, he lost the final. And did you read about how nervous Del Potro was? He said that, he can’t sleep last night. I am so won that he won. Finally there is another sheriff in town to stop the grand slam thefts from Federer. lol

September 15th, 2009 at 4:53 am

Hilarious Rick !!

September 15th, 2009 at 4:56 am

Gwen Stefani prevented Darth Federer for his sixth Wimbledon title. And prevented him for his sixth US Open again. Federer should always invites Gwen Stefani to his guestbox in every slams he play. lol That’s embrassing! And Federer would had get thump, too! If Del Potro was able to sleep last night for being in his first slam final.

September 15th, 2009 at 5:03 am

Btw.. Rick.. i never heard Fed saying he doesnt care abt the ranking. Ever since he bacame No 1 in 2004 he has always maintained that ‘Being No 1’ is one of his goals for every year along with winning Wimbledon. This year after the Australian Open, he probabaly did not have high hopes of reclaiming the No 1 ranking.. and he mentioned that his main priority was to win the French and reclaim his Wimbledon crown. If No 1 rnaking comes along with that.. its just an added bonus. He did not play extra tournaments just to add up points in order to reclaim his ranking.

He has played the least amount of tournaments in the top-5.. so go figure.
1 Federer, Roger (SUI) 11,240 0 17
2 Nadal, Rafael (ESP) 8,845 1 17
3 Murray, Andy (GBR) 8,390 -1 19
4 Djokovic, Novak (SRB) 7,480 0 22
5 Del Potro, Juan Martin (ARG) 6,825 1 23

September 15th, 2009 at 5:03 am

Lol. why is it still a pic of Federer instead of the U.S. Open champion and the winner of the match- Del Potro?

September 15th, 2009 at 5:06 am

The only grandslam matches that Fed lost since french 2008 (or his mono) were all 5-setters.

September 15th, 2009 at 5:07 am

How is Novak still that high up? He got beaten by Roddick at AO, didn’t have strong showings at wimbledon or french, and only won one title so far this year; shouldn’t Del Po have jumped him already, and Roddick should be close behind?

September 15th, 2009 at 5:08 am

Good point Tejuz. It shows that if you wanna take a slam from Federer, you have to earn it.

September 15th, 2009 at 5:09 am

or you have to be Nadal playing at the FO against Fed.

September 15th, 2009 at 5:10 am

Couple of years ago, the question was whose half was Djoko going to land

Last yeat after Murray, it dint matter much cuz top-4 would definitely play each other in Semis

i guess in future Grand Slam, if Del Po is still not in top-4 by then, the most primary concern would be whose quarter is he going to land on.

September 15th, 2009 at 5:11 am

I would love to see Cilic and Tsonga picking up their game and challenge the top-6 in the Grand Slam(Including Roddick there cuz he is really there in the mix, cud have made a diff had he not met Isner).. that will be a super-8.

September 15th, 2009 at 5:13 am

The YEC is now gonna be a really tough tournament to win, which is exactly the point of having the top 8 play there. Gone are the days when Ljubicic, Blake, Robredo and Nalbandian can make the cut.

This year it will probably be Fed, Rafa, Murray, Djoko, JMDP, Roddick, Tsonga and ?. Who knows who the 8th guy will be!!!

September 15th, 2009 at 5:28 am

It is pretty obvious that roger is not as good as he used to be and that mentally he is really weak,how can a correct overrule bother someone so much,especially a multiple slams winner,roger got scared and started playing defensive tennis,no down the line forehand all he did was play cross court topspin forehand to a guy that is 6ft 6,if there is any sense into that.

People now know his weaknesses,backhand and soon as he can’t hit that down the middle serve he is lost,roger has been pushed to so many 5 setters this year,you have to say he ain’t going to hammer people anymore and now he is starting to get blown away by big hitters,something that never used to happen but i guess he has lost a step.

Roddick his favourite meat took him to five sets at wimbledon and roger almost lost to him in miami if it wasn’t for that bad net cord,hewitt who people thought was finished took a set off him,berdych should beaten him but was too weak mentally and physically,roger is starting to build a pattern to his loses,tsonga stayed with him and got a win but in all of his loses people have just gone to his backhand and he has had no answers whatsoever.

I remember someone said that he saw federer when he was young and he talked about how awful his backhand was at a young age already but it seems that roger must have thought he could mask it very well with a good serve and his maasive forehand but now his strength the forehand is becoming a liability aswell as he knows he cannot rely on that crappy backhand so has to go for too much on his forehand wich brought so many errors yesterday.

I see a lot of people doing to roger what del potro,nadal,murray and tsonga were able to do and if roger wants to win more slams he better work on his backhand but more importantly make his forehand become even more consistent or at least as consistent as it was in 2005 to 2007.

September 15th, 2009 at 5:36 am

Sheila, I do wish you, and others, would not mix up media hype with the thoughts and statements of actual players. Murray always undersells his chances before a tournament or an individual match. He is very obviously a self-contained person who pays little attention to what others say about him. Even his critics admit he has the talent; now he needs to release it on court. Maybe he will, maybe not. WAIT AND SEE!
In a way, I think Del Potro’s win helps Murray and others. Facing him across the net, other young players will be looking at a terrific player and an imposing physical specimen, but not
a man with the intangible aura of endless titles and GOAT credentials.
By the way, on BBC Radio, Jeff Tarango said he believes Del Potro is not 6’6″ but closer to 6’8″.
Is that just Jeff being eccentric?

September 15th, 2009 at 5:42 am

Rick, you are a Murray fan at heart, coz you talk as much as he does, ha ha ha!!!

September 15th, 2009 at 5:44 am

Nice to see Fed hater Vared searching for Fed’s articles to show us!

September 15th, 2009 at 5:52 am

Skorocel, let Rick enjoy attention for all trhe wrong reasons, he loves it just like his fave Murray, ha ha! ;) But the only thing is Murray at least might be willing to learn something while Rick may not!

September 15th, 2009 at 5:58 am

Now Rick seems interested to put some more asterisks on Del Potro’s win vs Rafa at US 09, just like he’s been fruitlessly trying to put asterisks over all the GS triumphs of Fed! Hilarious!

September 15th, 2009 at 6:03 am

zinaldo.. agree that Fed is not the player he used to be…has a crappy backhand and a forehand which is a liability.. Hence i guess we need to give him all the more credit for reaching all the 4 Grand Slams this years, losing two 5-setters.. and missing out on a calendar year Grand Slam by a mere 2 sets (same as 2006 and 2007 and better than 2004, 2005)

In your terms:
Blown-away = Losing deciding sets (5th or 3rd) .. got straight setted only once this year in all his ATP matches. Check similar starts for rest of top-5.

Regarding big-hitters targetting Fed’s crappy backhand.. what do u say abt Rafa then.. these same big-hitters attack Rafa’s strength.. which is his forehand..and pull out easy wins.

September 15th, 2009 at 6:21 am

Before it was balls with topspin high up above his shoulders that bothered roger but tsonga and del potro have shown that actually going flat out on to that wing also works if that isn’t a mental fragility i don’t know what that is,it seems as if roger just panics whenever he has to hit a backhand these days.

His ground is definitely not what it used to be so whenever his serve is off the way it was yesterday we can now expect roger to be in big trouble,but the funny thing is roger was serving amazingly but then that call happen and it was like a kid that has always his way,suddenly didn’t and started moaning about it and mentally he went,the so called goat,please give it a rest.

I hope to see nadal and roger very soon as to see where roger is mentally to prove to people that whenever they meet in a grand slam final,roger will always be having fits.

September 15th, 2009 at 6:31 am

But i doubt you would see rafa choke the way roger did after that call,it is called mental fortitude something that roger doesn’t seem to have,he has been able to mask his weaknesses with his amazing forehand and athleticism but now he has lost a step but players are actually taking it to him and he is the one crumbling if that isn’t being weak.

And if rafa had roger’s serve he would definitely win the us open,all that rafa has to do is play aggressive,roger actually has started to defensive tennis wich have brought him losses at the australian 09 look at the number of times he even tried to run around his backhand on rafa’s second serves,wimb 08 same as in aus 09,dumping slice second serve returns into the net,instead of going after them,playing way to passive on numerous break points chances yesterday against martin d.

To me there is a pattern building up,roger is playing like someone that is afraid to lose,whereas in the past he would play to win.

September 15th, 2009 at 6:39 am

zinaldo, you’re just dumb. I bet you thought Sampras was a mentally fragile when he lost US Open finals in back to back years to Safin and Hewitt.

“it is called mental fortitude something that roger doesn’t seem to have”

You know what? You’re right. A guy who loses 2, 2 and 2 is mentally tougher than someone who loses in five sets. Or maybe, the guy who has 6 slams is tougher than a guy who has the all-time record of 15 and a career slam. Or maybe, a fragile mentality is just what Roger needed to be no.1 for 237 consecutive weeks and then get it back after a disappointing year. Heck, nothing says “scared and weak and fragile and crappy” like 5 consecutive Wimbledons and 5 consecutive US Opens. And how inconsistent of him that he only managed a laughable 22 slam semis in a row and 17 of the last 18 finals?

You know what, while we are at it, why don’t you just put the cherry on the cake and say “Roger is a mediocre talent.”
____________________________________

Del Potro was awesome last night, and what you’re doing is only diminishing his great accomplishment.

September 15th, 2009 at 7:15 am

Hey ‘ i am it’, don’t be so cruel to me!;) Look what I’ve written in the other thread, I’m quoting below here;

“huh Says:
CONGRATULATIONS TO DEL POTRO, CONGRATS TO FEDERER AND CONGRATS TO ‘i am it’- the Del Potro fan no.1 ! EPIC FINAL, MEMORABLE ONE! AND PROUD TO BE A FEDERER FAN. I ALWAYS SAW CHAMPION’S MATERIAL IN DEL POTRO, I’M HAPPY!

Posted September 14th, 2009 at 9:41 pm”

AGAIN CONGRATS ON DEL POTRO’S VICTORY to ‘i am it- THE DEL POTRO FAN NO.1’, ha ha! :)

September 15th, 2009 at 7:22 am

On timesonline:

From Times Online September 15, 2009

Juan Martin Del Potro tailor-made for Wimbledon success
The Times Tennis Correspondent says the Argentinian will be feared on every surface after upsetting the world No 1 to win the US Open

(Charles Krupa/AP)
Sweet taste of success: Del Potro savours the moment
Neil Harman, Tennis Correspondent

Recommend? (1)
Go, go Delpo. A US Open championship that took a lot of time to take flight saved its finest cameos for the last two days as Kim Clijsters offered a whole dimension to Mummy Power and Juan Martin Del Potro, a gentle giant of a young man, stole Roger Federer’s thunder in the men’s final, cementing his place among the legends.

To beat Federer you have to prove you mean business. After one and a half sets, Del Potro looked forlorn, angry, downcast and well on his way to being beaten, quite probably in straight sets. That was how it appeared from the outside. On the inside, he had never given up the fight and that, against Federer, is very much half the battle.

Last year at the Open, Andy Murray defeated Rafael Nadal of Spain in a semi-final that stretched over two days because of atrocious weather and did not have it in the legs to compete against Federer – over whom he had a 2-1 head-to-head advantage at the time – the next afternoon.
#################

Now will the excuses for Murray stop at all? Come on now, Murray played just 195 minutes in his semi vs Rafa last year spanning over TWO freaking days, and then faced Fed in the final and was literally schooled by Fed! And here Del Potro played two days back to back, just being 21 years old and yet bull dozed Rafa and outplayed Fed in a 4 hrs+ 5-set match to win thew USO! Thus the above statement by the timesonline correspondent, whoever it is, is totally devoid of any substance! Last year lots of dumb@$$ arguments were cited to divert attention the lack of ability from stopping Fed from getting his butt kicked! Inexperience was also cited as a factor going against Murray! But by winning , Del Potro has proved that everything pales in comparison the will to perform and willingness to exercise the ability to maximum extent! Murray’s a greatly talented player, I hope he has realised it already and so should the people giving excuses on Murray’s behalf! But if Murray has still not realised it, then other guys would make Murray and Murray’s pleaders realise this truth the hard way!

September 15th, 2009 at 7:40 am

“were cited to divert attention the lack of ability from stopping Fed from getting his butt kicked”……………………….

From my last post, this must be read as “were cited to divert attention from the lack of ability of Murray from getting his butt kicked by Fed”

September 15th, 2009 at 7:45 am

Mental fortitude is about not letting a little thing get to you the way roger did with that call,after that he just played rubbish, we all know roger has never been that strong mentally,nadal is a great player and yes him being left handed bothers roger a hell of a lot but nadal doesn’t make roger put slices second serves into the net,or decide to run around his backhand twice out of 15 chances.

Roger is a midget mentally and has always been but it is only nadal who had been able to make him show it to us but now almost anyone that stands up to him makes him mentally fragile again like he was when he was younger,because someone wins all the time doesn’t mean they are strong mentally,his game was that good that he never needed to be that strong mentally and i feel that could be his downfall from now,of course luckily for him he has achieve everything already.

I am not a federer basher but someone who baffled to how can someone so good be so weak mentally and that he can go off so easily even when everything is going smoothly is really nightmare to see.

September 15th, 2009 at 7:45 am

For roger to get so easily nervous even when he is comfortably ahead says a lot about the guy mental fortitude for me,yes del potro played well but roger let him play that with his passive plays and uncalled for mistakes.

September 15th, 2009 at 7:50 am

zinaldo, if getting troubled by good shots is mental fragility, then everybody is mentally fragile! By the way, commiserations to you on Rafa getting crushed by the young Del Potro, but don’t don’t be ashamed of it! It was not the first time Rafa has been demolished at a slam and it won’t be last time either! So you’ce got to be stronger emotionally to stop from venting out your frusration against Fed and sound crazy that way!

September 15th, 2009 at 7:53 am

zinaldo, after all even ‘the mighty Fed’ was crushed last year by this very Rafa, no? And see how things have changed since then! ;) So don’t lose hope, no?

September 15th, 2009 at 7:56 am

Hey Zinaldo, we all have also seen how well Rafa has done when things’re not going his way( just look at this year since Madrid open ;) ), so you need not elaborate it!

September 15th, 2009 at 8:01 am

Del Potro was deadly in yesterday’s US final, he would have beaten whoever he faced there! There’s hardly anything much better anyone could have done to stop Del Potro, Fed included! Now Zinaldo, have you even watched the match or are merely interested in giving excuses for players’ losses just to suit your fancy? ;)

September 15th, 2009 at 8:11 am

here’s my sixpenneth, to those of you who are using Delpotro’s fantastic win to knock Andy M., which seems churlish to say the least, the Rafa and Roger JMDP beat are not the same Rafa and Roger as last year…excuses…moi…?

September 15th, 2009 at 8:15 am

Some say that Rafa doesn’t choke actually, he perhaps flees as soon as possible, to prevent humiliation, by tanking his matches, whenever he sees any good player overpowering him, for a set or two. Just look at any of his matches in slams, whether it’s vs Gonzo in AO 07 or vs Tsonga in AO 08 or vs Del Potro at US 09. Anything to say about this dear Zinaldo? ;)

September 15th, 2009 at 8:21 am

Hi Mrs. Margot, nice to see you back! :) I posted you something on another thread as you were telling about how upset you were about Murray not winning a slam this year. I’m also very upset with Murray not winning this USO as I was totally rooting for him, his passive play however disappointed! Though Cilic is a good player, Murray should not have lost to him. And I was unhappy seeing you sad coz you’re so nice! :) However I’ve gotta say that I won’t be rooting for Murray at the AO 10, there I’d wholeheartedly root for Federer! But I’d surely and first of all root for Murray at the Wimbledon and the US and the FO, whichever God willing he wins next year!

September 15th, 2009 at 8:29 am

I was in tears for Del Potro winning. It was a very moving experience witnessing it. He is a gentle giant. Not at all full of himself or arrogant.

Del Potro’s forehands are like rockets. TV doesn’t do them justice. Federer did not choke. He was over powered in the later stages of that match. In the beginning Juan’s inexperience and nerves were showing. I’m so glad he got over the jitters and started playing his heavy game. It wore down Federer. Not the other way around. His composure during those two tie breakers were the stuff of champions.

Hey, Djokovic, Murray, and Roddick –

That’s how it’s done.

Del Potro’s only hurdle now is to over come grass. He’s a contender on everything else. In the early stages of Lendl’s and Agassi’s careers they despised grass too. I think JMDP 6-6 frame, serve and movement can conquer it as well.

And Federer did cuss at the umpire. I laughed. Thought a Serena moment was going to happen. Fed was pissssed. I don’t blame Federer, though. That umpire was a prick. Did tell Federer to shut up. Fed definitely had a point about the time and replay thing. The umpire looked confused. The powers at be need to get together with these umpires and figure out a way to enforce these rules uniformly, across the board.

Anyways, that had nothing to do with ultimate outcome of the match. Just a side note of drama. Juan Martin Del Potro was the better players on this day.

September 15th, 2009 at 8:40 am

Here’s for you Mrs. Margot:

1. Your post margot Says:
Mary: in the dark night of the soul, which is where Andy Murray fans live at the moment, your blog made me laugh and laugh. Thanks. And you’ll be no doubt glad to know, I’ve got no idea what Andy thinks…

Posted September 15th, 2009 at 4:19 am

2.My reply:

huh Says:
Hi Mrs Margot, I hope Murray lights up your world by winning next year’s WIM/US! :)

Posted September 15th, 2009 at 5:48 am

3. Mrs. Margot, though it may appear to you, if at all, that I’m knocking down Murray but someone else who’s all out to knock down Fed. Unfortunately he’s a Murray fan saying crap about Fed, thus I am trying my best to irk him in my style. Believe me, Mrs. Margot, i’ve nothing against Murray, I’d love him to win as many slams as possible, my liking to him is just natural like my love for Fed, it ain’t and won’t ever be change! Sorry and my sincerest apologies if I hurt you too much :(, but that wasn’t my intention :). Anyway, talk to you later, I’ve to further blast the anti-Feds! Wish me all the best in my mission, ha ha ! ;)

September 15th, 2009 at 8:42 am

Oh my God, so many printing and grammatical errors in my post to Mrs. Margot, sheesh! What’ll she think! Uh.. oh!!!

September 15th, 2009 at 8:46 am

Loss to Del Potro will help me improve my game

Rafael Nadal

Hello and goodbye to all,

It has been great being able to be with you all these past two weeks. In the end I left NY on the final Sunday but unfortunately it was not after playing the final. The semi-final match was not the best I’ve played and that loss will help me think about some things and hopefully keep improving. I wasn’t really there yesterday. The other guy simply played much better than me and I feel I am not playing at that level needed to win a major.

Lots of people asked me about my injury and also if that affected my game. The truth is that I didn’t play well and there is no excuse whatsoever for the defeat. He played better and deserved to win. Now I am flying back home and also would like to get my abdominal muscle checked. It doesn’t look too good since I am in pain when serving but hopefully it is nothing serious.

I didn’t want to talk about the injury during the US Open. There were several reasons for that: 1) I didn’t want to give any extra information to my rivals. In the end I am playing, I knew I was going to go out and compete and there was no reason why to say I’m injured. 2) for respect to my opponent. I wouldn’t feel too good if someone who says publicly that he is injured beats me and 3) I didn’t really want to stop and wanted to play no matter what. I didn’t want it to be checked after I did the last one a week before the tournament started.

Now I am back and will do everything to get it checked.

Once again many thanks for this opportunity of writing the blog and I hope to be back with you all soon.

Rafa

September 15th, 2009 at 8:46 am

However Mrs. Margot, I believe that the Rafa Murray beat on 2008 was a bit better than the Rafa of this year whom Del Potro, but the Fed who defeated Murray in US 08 was worse than the FED of 2009, whom Del Potro beat in the final! I really think so!

September 15th, 2009 at 8:50 am

margot said:

“here’s my sixpenneth, to those of you who are using Delpotro’s fantastic win to knock Andy M., which seems churlish to say the least, the Rafa and Roger JMDP beat are not the same Rafa and Roger as last year…excuses…moi…?”

You are absolutely correct. Rafa is not a good as he was last year. Roger is better than he was last year but not as good as he was three years ago.

But…..Rafa and Roger still won Slams in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. Your Murray is still slam-less.

Look, maybe I’ll warm up to Murray the way I warmed up to Djokovic, but I just don’t see it happening. Djoko was a popular kid who loved doing impressions who got a little cocky. That’s understandable given that he was only 20. He didn’t know how good Rafa and Roger were to come back year after year, final after final, and come through to win. Now he does. Maybe Murray will get a wake-up call like that someday, but I just have the feeling that in his core, he’s not a very nice guy. But hey, Connors wasn’t a nice guy and he won 8 slams.

But that’s not to say he doesn’t have game. Clearly he’s a good tennis player, although his game is too defensive for my taste.

September 15th, 2009 at 9:01 am

Sensationalsafin said: “Yeah, Federer was still happy. Which is good, because he’s gonna keep playing and showing off his great talents. At the same time, maybe if he doesn’t fight as hard, there will be more new champions.”

http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2009_07_01_archive.html

September 15th, 2009 at 9:34 am

Scottish said: “I’ve never seen Fed’s serve desert him so badly for the entire match.” I think there were some technical problems on Federer’s serve – he didn’t seem to be getting the same extension on serve, hence all the faults into the net – I think it was a problem with his toss, which coincidentally is exactly what I think is plaguing all the top women with serve problems.

http://tennis-column.blogspot.com/2009_09_01_archive.html

September 15th, 2009 at 9:49 am

Good bye all….

My posts are now being censored and my voice silenced.

Von gets her way. What a shame this forum is not diversified enough to handle varying opinions.

September 15th, 2009 at 10:07 am

It was fixed.

September 15th, 2009 at 10:30 am

Like you wrote it was a great game. After 32 years a player from South America was able to win the US Open Gran Slam. Very upset though the presenter denied Delpo the chance to say a few words in Spanish. Did you notice Delpo face? He was so ofended. Delpo finally could say a 20 second speech in Spanish after he realized he was the fu#@$% Champion for God sakes. The looser in the Womens final gave thanks in three languages. Very disappointed in this presenter. I hope he realized he was f#$#%@ rude.

September 15th, 2009 at 10:38 am

Federer lost because his first serve did not kick in throughout the match. Despite the first serve handicap,he still took the game to 5th set.

Del Potro won because he played well. He kept his cool. For a 20 year old to be able to keep his cool is maturity. In the 5th set, he did not allow the opportunity to win US open get to his head and so did not get ahead of himself. We have seen many players get dismantled by Federer in the fourth or fifth set, because they lose their cool. Congratulations

As far as Federer; he is content after winning French Open. He will win several more grand slams
He will still play very good tennis for 2 to 3 more years. We will see him enthral us many more times

Hawk eye: There must be ruling that, challenge must be done immediately ( within 2-5 seconds)by a player. The decision must be of the player. Players must not be allowed to consult with anybody ( umpire, coaches, etc). Any consultation be it verbal or in gesture must be seen as coaching and so penalized

Dick Enberg and USTA: Winning player must be given 10 minutes to speak. Del Potro won US Open for the first time. This was his moment in history. It was bad choice by Dick Enberg to initially not allow him to speak. Too bad.

September 15th, 2009 at 10:59 am

Kimo Says: “Look, maybe I’ll warm up to Murray the way I warmed up to Djokovic”

Ditto for me too.. i dint used to like Djok early on cuz of arrogance and cockiness.. but he seems to have matured a lot now. Nowadays i dont mind seeing him win a few titles. Cant say the same about Murray. Dont know if it is his fault or all the hype generated abt him by the british press. Also as you said, his game is too defensive.. though i know he is quite capable of attacking tennis… but thats not his natural game.

September 15th, 2009 at 11:02 am

as if those instances were a voice. as if they mattered in a positive way.
learn the lesson: diversity does not mean racial slurs. one person’s wrong doing does not give another person the right to racism.
it is not about who gets what. it is not about personal vendetta.
it is about which opinions are more acceptable and which ones are harmful.

September 15th, 2009 at 11:09 am

“don’t be so cruel to me:)”
kidding, right?

September 15th, 2009 at 11:14 am

blah – I don’t know if anyone answered your question from above “How is Novak still that high up?” but I think his loss at the AO was balanced by the title in Dubai, finals in Miami, and that he earned extra points during the clay season, getting to finals and winning in Belgrade. Then, he his early loss at RG was balanced by a deeper run at Wimbledon this year (got to quarters in 09 but had lost in second round in 08). On the summer hard-courts he did alright too, matching all of his results from last year (quarters and finals in masters events, semi-final at the USO), so he didn’t lose any points.

The rankings are sometimes deceiving because when a player is moving up he/she is only accumulating, like Murray last year and some of this year, and JMDP last year and some of this year. Once they get up there, it’s the defending or at least maintaining of points that matters. As we could see from how far Rafa feel from his injury time off.

But I wouldn’t be surprised to see JMDP leap further up the rankings if he continues to play like he did in that final!

September 15th, 2009 at 11:29 am

I was shocked when this guy didn’t let Del Potro speak in Spanish. What’s wrong with him? He’s been around for a while and he should know that that was so unfair and rude. I don’t want to go into this but that sounded a bit racist to me. I admire JMDP reaction, very classy, not like Serena.

September 15th, 2009 at 11:41 am

huh: nice to have you back, honey! I was just unhappy because JMDP had a fantasic win, no question, but some bloggers were using it to whack Andy M instead of just celebrating it.
kimo: have no problem at all with you criticising Andy’s game, would probably join in….but…..as for knowing about his “core” ooh dear, isn’t that the same as those weird fans who seem to think they have a direct line to their favourite’s inner being….

September 15th, 2009 at 12:06 pm

I’m amazed that people constantly try to draw grand predictions and conclusions from just one match. DelPo played better on the day. Fed did not have his best day. He seemed lethargic, even in the first set. That’s my honest call, and the call of several people I know who are not Fed fans. One person I know even commented that he thought that Fed just gave away the match (not intentionally, of course.) I don’t know about that, but it was just not his day. I think he will still win many more slams (he’s just too good not to, and DelPo will be in contention as well.

September 15th, 2009 at 12:08 pm

margot, as I said on the other thread, I hope Murray doesn’t take JMDP’s win as added pressure (no doubt, on some level, it will be, whether in the media, from coaches, or self-imposed), but instead I hope he either ignores it or uses it as incentive to buckle down and work hard at making his game more aggressive (I still believe he can be aggressive, and is, just maybe not as much as he needs to be at times). I know he has the quality to win a slam.

September 15th, 2009 at 12:16 pm

jane: it might help Andy if he goes down the ranking so that the pressure isn’t coming from two directions. He’s beaten JMDP so I don’t think he’ll feel too badly, more likely he’ll be kicking himself!

September 15th, 2009 at 12:30 pm

margot – “more likely he’ll be kicking himself!” – LOL, yes, and that’s good I think. That’s what he should do to get motivated. As for going down the rankings, I know what you mean. I think it’s better the guys focus on winning than on being #1,2,3, 6 whatever. Maintaining top level performance is key and more important for now. The rankings should just come but shouldn’t be the goal; winning tournaments, esp. the biggies, should be the goal.

September 15th, 2009 at 12:33 pm

margot, I’m not saying I “know” Murray’s inner being, that’s just how I see him.

September 15th, 2009 at 12:39 pm

Although I am an anti-Federer tennis fan, hats off to a spectacular year for Federer. Makes all 4 slam finals, and it takes 2 top players to go the distance (both his losses at AUS and the USO were 5 sets) and play the match of their lives to beat him. And this when critics were pulling him down and questioning if he could ever win any more majors at the start of the year. 2010 should be a great year for tennis if Nadal stays fit (and Djokovic gets back his fire and Murray or Roddick break their Slam jinx).

September 15th, 2009 at 12:56 pm

Thank you Nik, always nice to have rational anti-Fed fans.

September 15th, 2009 at 1:05 pm

Frankly, I don’t find words to describe the extent of the rudeness of Dick Enberg, he’s such a dirty-minded nasty fellow, a villianous racist and what an idiot!!! How nice it’d have been if he allowed DP to speak in Spanish, but he didn’t! Shame on Dick Enberg! But God’s punished Dick in a way now. Guess how? We all know what a bad person he’s!

September 15th, 2009 at 1:25 pm

How nice it’d have been if he allowed DP to speak in Spanish,
————–
Yeah,amazing isnt’ it? But they let the PR golden girl Wozniacki speak three languages.

September 15th, 2009 at 1:28 pm

I mean we all know only NOW (as I hadn’t much idea about his true personality as I didn’t know that man!) what a bad person Dick Enberg really is!

September 15th, 2009 at 1:28 pm

“Nik Says:
Although I am an anti-Federer tennis fan, hats off to a spectacular year for Federer. Makes all 4 slam finals, and it takes 2 top players to go the distance (both his losses at AUS and the USO were 5 sets) and play the match of their lives to beat him. And this when critics were pulling him down and questioning if he could ever win any more majors at the start of the year. 2010 should be a great year for tennis if Nadal stays fit (and Djokovic gets back his fire and Murray or Roddick break their Slam jinx).

Posted September 15th, 2009 at 12:56 pm”

Nik, kudos to you coz you’re a true tennis fan who understands the importance of players’ achievements and that makes me happy! Thanks for your kind words for Federer! You’re rational, as Kimo said, and I say you’re gracious too!

“Kimo Says:
Thank you Nik, always nice to have rational anti-Fed fans.

Posted September 15th, 2009 at 1:05 pm”

KIMO, YOU’RE A GREAT FED FAN, SO NICDE TO HAVE YOU HERE ALWAYS FOR DEFENDING FED! :) I’d also try to share your burden whenever possible! We are, I think lucky to have loved Fed from the beginning and to have become his fans! We can be proud of Federer , always and forever……….

September 15th, 2009 at 1:38 pm

jane: did you see on another thread, I gave you and me a pat on the back for backing a winner at last… KIm Cljsters! Hooray to us! PS thought Serena got far too much stick BTW.

September 15th, 2009 at 1:40 pm

vared, it’s hard to believe that Wozniacki was allowed to speak in 3 languages, but JMDP wasn’t!!!! It’s just ridiculous!

September 15th, 2009 at 1:41 pm

Caroline is the “it” girl this year like Murray was the “it” boy this year. JDMP wasn’t even on the radar so tough luck, he had to beg for his native language.

If Caroline doesn’t produce, next year they will annoint someone else, maybe Sorana.

What’s Simon Reed saying nowadays?

September 15th, 2009 at 1:51 pm

Don’t take it as an excuse but Fed looked a bit too calm during yesterday’s match, sort of tired probably if you’d describe it that way. I think age’s finally starting to tell on the GREAT OLD DOG Roger Federer, wish him super best at next year’s AO and would be totally rooting throughout for him in 2010! This is coz FoT suddenly made me type of realise that Fed better stalk up as many slams as he can while he really can! Admittedly, even though Fed’s broken Sampras record, he might have aspirations to win a couple of or more slams to breathe a sigh of relief and go out with his head held high!

Honestly, Fed has done GREAT service to tennis, he’s given tennis a huge surge in terms of popularity through his hard work and incredible consistency. Tennis’s popularity these days’s almost a mathematical relation and function of Fed’s popularity, which can be more or less compared with the popularity of the GREATESTs like Mohammed Ali/Tiger Woods/Schumacher/Michael Jordan. Every sport and every game needs a man to change its dimension and to take it to the zenith of popularity. The man must be incredible and almost irreplaceable! Fed through his extraordinary run from 2004-07 gave to tennis a higher place in the sports hierarchy! For the first time, people got into tennis crazily just like they follow football and stars like Beckham! Fed proved to be the CHOSEN ONE to elevate the status of tennis as a sports! It’s coz of Fed that Rafa was revered and was marvelled at on his defeating Fed! Fed’s the reason to create the great divide in world tennis and people as tennis fans got so passionately involved in the game for the first time ever, probably! And this is the biggest achievement of Fed! This achivement far outweighs his achievement of no. of slams.

Popularity is the thing needed in sports and it can only be provided throug an almost other-worldy and marvellously unreal performer. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that Fed has fit into this role for the sake of upsurge in tennis’s popularity! What more people need to acknowledge about Fed, just this much!

September 15th, 2009 at 2:15 pm

huh said:

“KIMO, YOU’RE A GREAT FED FAN, SO NICDE TO HAVE YOU HERE ALWAYS FOR DEFENDING FED! :) I’d also try to share your burden whenever possible! We are, I think lucky to have loved Fed from the beginning and to have become his fans! We can be proud of Federer , always and forever……….”

That’s the least I could do for the G.O.A.T.

He’s my favorite player for life. :)

September 15th, 2009 at 2:24 pm

It’s totally my personal opinion but contrary to what many others may think, I feel this USo win by JMDP would motivate to give his all in the next year’s slams and he’d finally win one next year. The British dream shall be fulfilled, I guess, in 2010 !

September 15th, 2009 at 2:29 pm

It’s totally my personal opinion but contrary to what many others may think, I feel this USo win by JMDP would motivate Murray to give his all in the next year’s slams and he’d finally win one next year. The British wait ends in 2010, I guess.

September 15th, 2009 at 2:31 pm

“Cindy_Brady Says:
Good bye all….

“My posts are now being censored and my voice silenced.

Von gets her way. What a shame this forum is not diversified enough to handle varying opinions.

Posted September 15th, 2009 at 10:07 am
*************

Brady: Sorry to disappoint you, I don’t have the power to have your voice silenced. You did that all by yourself.

Whatever has been done with respect to your posts is due to your ‘racial slurs’, and that topic has been your undoing. Maybe you’ll learn a lesson in the future that some topics are not up for discussion on some public forums, especially not a tennis forum. I’m surprised your posts didn’t get nixed from the inception and you were allowed to hurl so many racial slurs, not to mention your persistent harassment of me pertaining to a vendetta you’ve been carrying since the AO, because I dared to call you out on one of your predictions that ‘Federer will never win another GS’ after his loss at the AO, and your change of position after he won the FO. I Hope you remember that one. And, after that incident, the harassment began in full swing. The saying: “Oh what a tangled web we weave, when at first we practice to deceive”, is very appropos to you. Learn from it and remember, that: you can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people, all of the time, that kind of behaviour usually backfires.

Below is a post by ‘I am it’s’ which spells it out for you, and I hope you’ll use it as a learning tool in the future:

http://www.tennis-x.com/xblog/2009-09-14/2357.php#comment-100509

**************
I am it: Thank you for spelling things out for Brady, and taking a stance on such a very ugly situation — kudos to you.

September 15th, 2009 at 3:08 pm

Great match by DelPo to hang in there and win. But how good is Roger Federer? The guy plays as bad as we’ve ever seen him in the past few years (except a few of his chokes against Nadal) and still makes his opponent go to 5 sets!

September 15th, 2009 at 3:13 pm

huh: hope so! Incidentally, how did those exams go?

September 15th, 2009 at 3:27 pm

Mrs. Margot, exams were fine, ha ha! :)

September 15th, 2009 at 3:56 pm

They are replaying the men’s final on ESPN Classic right now

September 15th, 2009 at 9:06 pm

Well Enberg certainly does justice to his first name. Sponsors are important to events like this but Dick Enberg certainly left his humanity at home before the presentation. This is an important moment for Delpo– he just claimed the crown from a 5 time champion after an epic match and he can’t even say a few words of thanks? Did Enberg not see how badly he fought for this? Or how much it took for someone to beat Nadal and Federer back to back? Have some modicum of respect for the winner, please.

In the end, we find out that CBS was rushing it because they had to show a re-run of How I Met Your Mother after the match.

Bottom line: CBS and Enberg are both responsible for the highly unprofessional handling of the awards ceremony.

September 16th, 2009 at 2:23 am

Aplaus for Del Potro. He wanted earn US Open trophy.
But I think he will be the best, when Roger stops play.

LOL

September 17th, 2009 at 7:43 am

Roger Federer is the best !
The most successful tennisplayer in the history. Go Roger. Your fans are with you !

September 17th, 2009 at 7:48 am

What happened to rogers first serve

September 17th, 2009 at 10:20 am

JP Says:

Bottom line: CBS and Enberg are both responsible for the highly unprofessional handling of the awards ceremony.

Enberg snubbing Del Potro’s request to make a statement in Spanish wasn’t the only example of a lack of civility.

After Nadal’s loss to Del Potro Pam Shriver was sent on court to ambush Nadal and ask him how he fealt about the loss. Absolutely disgusting.

September 22nd, 2009 at 1:40 pm

huh Says:

vared, it’s hard to believe that Wozniacki was allowed to speak in 3 languages, but JMDP wasn’t!!!! It’s just ridiculous!

Make no mistake, had she been Hispanic and wanted to speak in Spanish she would have received the same treatment as Del Potro.

September 22nd, 2009 at 1:53 pm

I love How I Met Your Mother. But a re-run is not worth half of as much as Del Potro’s reactions. And they Dick cut them short. Unbelievable. Unacceptable. Del Potro shoulda punched Dick in the face.

September 22nd, 2009 at 2:11 pm

JP: “In the end, we find out that CBS was rushing it because they had to show a re-run of How I Met Your Mother after the match.”

Ouch!

September 22nd, 2009 at 2:17 pm

Del Potro, being from Argentina, perhaps doesn’t understand the tension that exists in this country when it comes to Spanish culture and language.
He likely naively was unaware of the xenophobia that exists and just assumed he could say a couple of words given that it was his moment. Enberg on the other hand likely had visions of sponsors boycotting CBS as a result of his allowing Del Potro to speak in his native language.(however exaggerated his reaction may have been)

September 22nd, 2009 at 2:19 pm

About the match itself, its pretty rare to see Federer unable to neutralize a power game. He usually feeds off of power with his lightning fast reflexes and incredible half volley winners off of the baseline…aside from the obvious plethora of shanks and weak serving it was quite unusual to see him overpowered and unable to come up with a solution to Del Potro’s ground game.

September 22nd, 2009 at 2:55 pm