Davis Cup Semifinals, Playoffs Preview

poor israel they have no chance.

September 18th, 2009 at 10:11 am

Israel was comprehensively beaten. Ferrer/Levy – 1,4 & 3; Ferrero/Sela – 4,2 & 0. They did their best but sadly it wasn’t good enough.

September 18th, 2009 at 2:11 pm

I think Israel/Spain is a big mis-match, especially on clay. The only two players of any merit Israel has, are Ram and Sela. Spain, on the other hand, has so much depth in their team which causes the tie to be a lopsided one, IMO.

September 18th, 2009 at 2:26 pm

Forget the Rogers, Nadals & Roddicks of this world. We have a new contender of ‘match of the yr’. So the story goes that Radek Stephanek has just defeated Dr.Ivo in a 5set ‘thriller’ 7-6,6-7,6-7,7-6,16-14!!(yes, 16-14 in 5thset.)in 5hrs, 59mins!!, with Karlovic setting a record breaking 77aces!!! (If only Roger could have borrowed this serve on Monday. lol)

Is that the longest match or what? I only caught it towards the end, so don’t know how much of a thriller it was…..but kinda feeling sad for Dr.Ivo….really wanted him to win this one if it went to 5th…he had two match points…couldn’t convert….then makes an UE volley to give Stephanek a break a 14all.

I belong to the rear breed of fans who support Dr.Ivo even though he can be so boring…guy’s just making use of his ‘limited’ talent. Better luck next time. One thing is for sure….his serve’s never going to fail him. lol

>>On a side note, probably been covered before, but why no hawk eye on clay? I know that with clay, the marks can be seen, but sometimes they can spend up to 2mins debating if it’s out or in…leading to some embarassing displays (read Gonzo vs Soderling @FO)

September 18th, 2009 at 2:28 pm

Can someone explain the davis cup to me..how come spain/israel/croatia and czech republic are playing the semifinals and there is another group called world group???.. just a little confused..thanks for your clarification in advance.. ;)

September 18th, 2009 at 3:38 pm

Holy crow been there, done that – sounds like quite the match! 16-14. Also astonishing is that anyone who hit 77 aces in one match was actually defeated – phew! Wish I could watched that one.

September 18th, 2009 at 4:17 pm

correction: it’s actually 78 aces….77 of 1st serve!! & 1 on 2nd serve. pheux!

September 18th, 2009 at 4:24 pm

been there: I responded to your comment @2:28 pm on another thread, so i’ll just move it over here, as follows:

**************
“Von Says:
been there: “Forget the Rogers, Nadals & Roddicks of this world. We have a new contender of ‘match of the yr’. So the story goes that Radek Stephanek has just defeated Dr.Ivo in a 5set ‘thriller’ 7-6,6-7,6-7,7-6,16-14!!(yes, 16-14 in 5thset.)in 5hrs, 59mins!!, with Karlovic setting a record breaking 77aces!!! (If only Roger could have borrowed this serve on Monday. lol)”

I think Roddick’s match at the AO vs. Younes el Ananoyoui was a longer match.

“I belong to the rear breed of fans who support Dr.Ivo even though he can be so boring…guy’s just making use of his ‘limited’ talent. Better luck next time. One thing is for sure….his serve’s never going to fail him. lol”

I like Dr. Ivo as well. He’s the gentlest of all the giants, not to mention the tallest. I have a feeling that DelPotro is taller than 6′6″. I think Federer is 6′2″, yes? However, when he stands next to DelPotro it looks like DelPotro’s about 6 to 7 inches taller, which would put DelPotro around 6′8″. Brad Gilbert initially pointed out DelPotro’s height a few months ago, and having made a mental note of it, my mind was drawn to it during the presentation ceremony whereby it was evident to me that DelPotro could in fact be taller than 6′8″. if that’s so, then it’s more Oy Vey for the other guys with respect to that serve. LOL.

Posted September 18th, 2009 at 3:43 pm

September 18th, 2009 at 4:49 pm

Von says:
“I have a feeling that DelPotro is taller than 6′6″. I think Federer is 6′2″, yes?”

Fed’s 6’1″…a shortie. lol. Rodick’s 6’2″, Murray 6’3″ & the Sod 6’4″. All websites list Del.P as 6’6″ (wikipedia, ATP,)….probably true ‘coz I suppose the ATP officials actually measure & weigh them? Probably so ‘coz there’s a young 15 yr old British girl (Laura Robson) whose height is updated after every few months ‘coz she’s still growing. At 20, Del Potro may still be growing….men can increase in height up to age 21 compared to girls who more or less stabilise by 18….so we’ll probably know for sure when he’s 22. But I doubt he’s above 6’8″ ‘coz Isner’s 6’9″ & looks way taller than Del.P, imo. In the qtr, Del.P vs Cilic (whose also listed 6’6″), they did look quite similar height, only that Cilic has a slump gait while Del P stands & walks straight, like a champion. (hehe…I had to add that)

What needs to happen is for the giants to play each other, then we can better compare their heights visually. For me, when I watch them stand next to the ‘normal’ players, my mind can’t really compute the height…’coz it’s not something I come across everyday. When I first heard that Karlovic is 6’10”, I took out a tape measure & found out that he’s about 5 inches taller than the doors in my house, which are average like those found anywhere. I’ll be on the look out for extra-tall people in the streets from now on to better comprehend these heights. lol.

September 18th, 2009 at 5:37 pm

been there:
“But I doubt he’s above 6′8″ ‘coz Isner’s 6′9″ & looks way taller than Del.P, imo. In the qtr, Del.P vs Cilic (whose also listed 6′6″), they did look quite similar height, only that Cilic has a slump gait while Del P stands & walks straight, like a champion. (hehe…I had to add that)”

To me all the giants slump, except for Dr. Ivo, who stands tall. DelPotro slumps forward from the shoulders while Cilic seems to do it at the waist.

I think the age young people stop growing is around 25. They can still spring a few more inches between 18 and 25, but most of them plateau out at 21. Are you an Aussie?

September 18th, 2009 at 6:13 pm

Hi all!!!!!!

Just back after drinks after a great first Davis Cup day!!!!

We’re tied with France(against Monfils and Tsonga!!!)

Woohooo….

Great to see those guys, was a tremendous atmosphere, the whole stadium dressed in orange!!!

Was sitting with my nose on the court!

Tsonga is a big guy, almost has my frame. Monfils is a lot slimmer but an amazing athlete too.

Von, did you see Brady’s alias GOAT girl’s ridiculous post on the other thread? Made me laugh a little! Then it made me sad as it seems that all she does is try and take a swing at you for no other reason as her own amusement.

Regarding DelPo: I think he’s taller than 6’6″ Looks a solid 6’7″ to me, dunno he reaches 6’8″ quite, but could be. I’d say, comparing him to Cilic who is a legit 6’6″, he’s a full inch taller, but surely smaller than Dr. Yvo and Big Johnny I!

September 18th, 2009 at 7:00 pm

as m/b than
take a swing m/b take swings

September 18th, 2009 at 7:01 pm

Veno:
“Just back after drinks after a great first Davis Cup day!!!!”

“Swigs” or “swings.” ;>

September 18th, 2009 at 7:07 pm

Rose: I have no idea how to explain it any better than what Wikipedia has for the structure. There is a pic chart on the Wikipedia site(it’s much nicer than the one on the official site).
Here is the website, :
http://www.daviscup.com/about/index.asp

Wikipedia has a copy of the DC structure (also available on the above site)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davis_Cup_structure
The Davis Cup tennis competition is structured around a number of groups, with promotion and relegation between them.

At the top is the World Group, which competes in a knockout competition. Below that it becomes regional, with an American Zone, Euro/African Zone and Asia/Oceania Zone. Each of these zones contains four groups. The upper two groups play a knock out competition, while the lower two groups play a round robin competition. The winner(s) of each group are promoted to the one above, while the losers are relegated to the one below. There are two exceptions: Group Four countries are not relegated (as there is nowhere for them to go) and Group One winners play-off against losers of the World Group first round to decide who will be in the World Group next year.

September 18th, 2009 at 7:13 pm

Mary: I’m a moderate drinker, so I’ll keep it at swings :)

September 18th, 2009 at 7:35 pm

Veno:

Hello, mon ami. I’m so glad you were able to see the DC matches and found them enjoyable. Which players were in the ties for the Netherlands? Was the stadium packed? Are you going to all of the matches?

“Von, did you see Brady’s alias GOAT girl’s ridiculous post on the other thread? Made me laugh a little! Then it made me sad as it seems that all she does is try and take a swing at you for no other reason as her own amusement.”

Goat girl claims she’s NOT Brady. If she’s not Brady, then she’s another Fed fanatic, along with a few other Fed fanatics, who I recall have targeted me when I initially began posting here. It used to be a predominantly Fed site here, and if another poster was not a Fed fan, they’d be put in the dog house and held up to ridicule.

I know for a fact that the name “Goat Girl’ only surfaced after the FO when she joined forces with grendel in attacking me, and all the GOAT talk began. a poster only has to be on the bad side of one Fed poster for SOME additional Fed posters to join in and keep on stirring the pot. However, I’m yet to find out what I’ve done to Goat Girl, except for her perception that I’m a ‘liar’.

I also know for a fact that she’s very jealous with respect to our interaction, so I think it would help if you were to throw some je t’aime her way and let her feel some brotherly love. LOL. Our discussions are now called *flirting*, but I’ve been told that before by my other critic, which means Goat Girl is just an extension of some others here. LOL. It’s laughable that these people are so incensed about my interactions even though I could care zilch about theirs, and even scroll down post their posts unless my name appears. Anyway, jealousy causes people to do weird things, so it’s understandable why Goat Girl is targeting me. I don’t know if you noticed her entire post is about me and what she thinks I do. The obsession is absolutely laughable. But to reiterate, the majority of my attacks have come from the Fed TARDS or fanatics. I’m glad that you’re a very balanced Federer poster, along with a few others on this site. I know that Goat Girl would like for me to quit posting, as she’s upset that I post “all day” according to her. But again, that’s nothing new, as my regularity of posting seems to upset a few others as well. LOL. I’m famouzzz!!!

With respect to DelPotro, I think he is taller than 6’6″, and maybe ATP should do a revision as to his weight and height, as I think he’s put on some extra pounds as well.

September 18th, 2009 at 7:36 pm

Mary: In other words, Veno swigs and swings. Get it? LOL.

September 18th, 2009 at 7:42 pm

Von:

Thiemo de Bakker(Who?) beat La Monf in 4….La Monf looked uninterested and Tsonga beat Jesse Huta Galung(Who?) in straights, but with 2 breakers.

Stadium was full(not too big though) but great atmosphere!

Saw Sjeng Schalken too, talked to him a little because he’s from near where I grew up :)

September 18th, 2009 at 7:48 pm

Veno: Who, Jesse Huta Galung? I suppose La Monf does not want to upset his holiday plans, because the next tie is played sometime in December.

You know Sjeng Schalken, cool. Didn’t Roddick save his in Rome during a fire, or something like that?

September 18th, 2009 at 8:19 pm

Isner serves and volleys also, but it depends on whether his opponent allows him to get to the net.

September 18th, 2009 at 8:21 pm

Von:

You’re right, it was at the Italian Open in Rome in ’04:

“Both have spoken of the bond that now exists between them following the incident in which three people died. Roddick, 21, helped Sjeng Schalken and his wife, and other guests, down onto his balcony after they became trapped on the seventh floor. “Anytime you share an experience that’s pretty traumatic, there’s always something there,” Roddick said.”

Sjeng(a typical prename in my geographical area) and his wife got nothing but love for andy Roddick

September 18th, 2009 at 8:33 pm

Von Says:
been there: I responded to your comment @2:28 pm on another thread, so i’ll just move it over here, as follows:

Oh, oh better watch that Von..that could be construed as stalking. hehe

September 18th, 2009 at 8:55 pm

Thank you very much Mary…the website was really helpful..thanx a ton again :)

September 19th, 2009 at 1:36 am

jane, von: Andy M has won his Davis Cup match but in so doing has “aggravated” the wrist injury he apparently suffered at Cincinatti. What a bummer. In Guardian interview says it may take ” months.” Obviously a lot worse then he’s been letting on and a factor in his defeat by Cilic. I think he needs Uncle Toni figure to give us updates on his injuries cos then people might be slower to say he can’t hack grand slams. Also in interview John LLoyd is quoted as saying Andy “would have to come here on a stick if he isn’t going to play.” Gosh, that made my blood boil! Have always disliked John LLoyd, now it’s positively hatred. Andy has enough pressure already.
Honestly with Andy’s wrise, Rafa’s abdominal, Andy R’s shoulder, Verdasco’s foot, etc etc looks as if Fed could be the last man standing!

September 19th, 2009 at 5:11 am

margot, that’s sad news! I had heard a little about the wrist after the Cilic match but not too much. And that he was playing in Davis Cup seemed positive in terms of the injury’s seriousness. But now you say “months”? oh no! I hope he can at least play at the YEC. On the other hand, really want him to get well of course, so he can play his best next year. Bummer. As for this Lloyd fella, ssheesh. If a player risks exacerbating a serious injury by over-playing, imo, they shouldn’t play and should take the time to heal. Tennis has one of the longest seasons of any sport. These guys need to take care.

September 19th, 2009 at 12:42 pm

margot, why isn’t Jamie Murray playing doubles with Andy? I just googled and it sounds as though Andy is going to play the doubles tie, but where is his bro?

September 19th, 2009 at 12:47 pm

jane: don’t know why Jamie not playing, except there was a falling out with John LLoyd at last Davies Cup when Jamie was dropped and felt it was unjustified. Was shocked to see Andy playing. Commentators are going on about his wrist and will he be fit tomorrow etc and NOW they’ve lost anyway so really crucial matches coming up. Just feel too much pressure has been put on Andy. When I see depth in Spanish team, just wanna cry!

September 19th, 2009 at 1:08 pm

78 aces? LOL! Federer with his record of 50 (which he hit in that recent Wimby final) looks like an amateur next to Ivo :-)

September 19th, 2009 at 1:35 pm

Spain Vs Czech Republic..Spain are looking Good to defend their title..the strongest davis cup team.

September 19th, 2009 at 1:51 pm

Does this article give del Potro enough credit for beating Federer? Was Federer the better play in that match?

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-22652-Pro-Tennis-Examiner~y2009m9d19-Roger-Federer-fooled-around-too-much-in-US-Open-final

September 19th, 2009 at 2:04 pm

funches,

Yeah, I think it takes away from Delpo’s win somewhat, because the write makes the assumption that Fed would’ve won had he won the second set, and/or, that Fed would’ve won the second set if he wasn’t too “casual”. I also take issue with the comments about the drop shots and serve/volleys Fed used. The writer implies these are rarities for Fed and that it’s surprising he used them. But anyone who’s watched Fed play this summer has seen him deploy more and more droppers and come into the net more than he has in the past. So these didn’t seem like “casual” or “exo” plays; they are par for the course from this summer and they’ve been working.

Perhaps Delpo had more to do with their not working than the writer implies here.

Also to this point the writer makes:

“It was the first time he lost a Grand Slam match from a winning position since the 2005 Australian Open semifinal, when he tried a low-percentage between-the-legs shot while holding a match point in the fourth set against Marat Safin. That decision did not become a YouTube sensation like his ‘tweener screamer against Djokovic at the U.S. Open. ”

I brought up the same point about the tweener the day of the semi-final on these boards. Yes, Fed pulled it off this time, but there are other times, it’s been the worst decision ever, like in that match with Safin. The tweener is much like the dropper. Jaw droppingly great, or awful, as the case may be.

September 19th, 2009 at 2:26 pm

margot, shame GB didn’t win the doubles tie, as that would’ve alleviated some pressure, for sure. I hope Andy does what’s best for him/his wrist!

September 19th, 2009 at 2:30 pm

Margot: I’m so happy to hear Andy M. won his DC match, but, am very sad that he’s provoked his wrist injury again. What a coincidence, as I mentioned his wrist a couple of days ago while commenting on DelPotro’s FH, per my comments below. I suppose this wrist aggravation injury will change his ranking since he’s got a lot of points to defend by the end of the season.

What’s wrong with John Lloyd? It’s not like he was a DC stalwart and/or a great champion, so why the criticisms? I mentioned yesterday that the older players should encourage the younger and present day players instead of criticizing them, which they do to the point of ad nauseam. I’m hoping that Andy M’s wrist will heal quickly and he’s be able to play at the YEC and the AO in ’10. I don’t think he should risk any further injury by continuing to play in DC tomorrow, but I suppose John Lloyd will blow his stack if Andy doesn’t play.

http://www.tennis-x.com/xblog/2009-09-15/2373.php#comment-100846

September 19th, 2009 at 5:06 pm

@2:04 pm, funches: In that article the writer appears to be somewhat frustrated and angry by Federer’s demeanour and what the writer perceives to be his *casual* approach to the match. I agree with the writer in some instances that Federer seemed to take DelPotro for granted, especially when Federer employed the use of the drop shots so many times in the second set, (even though DelPotro showed Federer he could get up to the drop shots) but Federer did it one too many times, which ultimately caused his undoing, losing the set and letting delPotro back into the match. I doubt if Federer had won that second set, DelPotro would have been able to make a comeback and win the match. After winning the second set, DelPotro slowly started to regroup his nerves and began imposing his game more on Federer, he didn’t go away, and most probably at that point in time, believed he had a shot at winning the match, which he did. And, all credit to DelPotro for hanging tough, bouncing back from what seemed to be a done deal and playing with determination and belief.

Also, from what I’ve been able to deduce from that article, I don’t think the writer is implying that Federer does not use the drops shots as part of his shot execution/arsenal, but only the S&V tactic which he used earlier in his career. Federer used S&V vs. Sampras in their Wimby match, but that was in the early part of his career, so the writer to me, is correct in his assumption with respect to the S&V MO.

I don’t like post-mortems, because it could get ugly at times, therefore, it would be best for the tennis writers and pundits, fans, et al., to accept that DelPotro was deservedly the better player on key points in that match and in the final analysis, is the deserving winner.

September 19th, 2009 at 5:51 pm

Screw John Lloyd. Too bad about Jamie Murray, I like him. He should start playing doubles/mixed doubles all the time. I also heard/read that he and Andy don’t/didn’t get along too well.

He got that trophy with JJ. Maybe they should team up again. It would help both of them.

September 20th, 2009 at 12:36 am

vared: agree, agree re John Lloyd and Jamie too! re JJ he wanted to, but she wanted to concentrate on singles.
jane ,von : thanx

September 20th, 2009 at 2:40 am

von @6:13pm….”Are you Aussie?”….No, Finnish-Jordanian nationality…..though would be nice to be Aussie for Wimbledon fortnight just to join in the crazy Aussie Hewitt fan chantings…they come with drums & extra vocal chords. lol.
———————————————-
Re Murray: I think Llyod was making a joke (which maybe failed) after Murray said that it’s pathetic how he’s not left alone for three months whenever he misses a Davies cup tie.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/sep/18/andy-murray-wrist-pain-pathetic-pressure

At the end of the day, Murray is an adult and responsible for his own health & safety. No one can force him to play, injured or not. If he’s going to allow himself to be pressurised by the media, LTA & the public, then he’s got a long tiring career ahead. The majority of British public is never satisfied….they do it to all their sports-people…be it in cricket, football/soccer or track & field events. Media sweetheart Beckham has been a villain or hero depending on how England is performing at national events. It’s how it goes in Britain, hype, hype & more hype from the media when things are going good & then torn apart at the slightest loss or mistake. Unfortunately for Murray, he aiin’t Swiss or Spanish….GB media will never be his friend….they are self-serving. Being British, Murray should have learnt this by now & let such things roll over….though it must be difficult….for all he says, from a human level, it’s probably very difficult to ignore the media & public.

Now that GB has been relegated in Davis cup, hopefully he heals fast, otherwise come the masters, it’ll be more shredding. He’ll be built up before AO 2010 & should he not win, then even more questions to answer from the ‘pathetic’ media & public. No one will think ‘oh, but he played Davis Cup with a wrist injury…he’s so wonderful’. Just the way it goes….comes with the job.

September 20th, 2009 at 12:57 pm

margot, good for Murray to win his rubber, but pity Evans couldn’t get the last win to keep GB in their current group. : (

On a more positive note, this may mean the end of Lloyd as captain? Found this article just for you:

http://www.morethanthegames.co.uk/summer-sports/206277-lloyds-future-doubt-british-davis-cup-team-relegated

September 20th, 2009 at 12:57 pm

jane: thanx for that, which I’ve just read. Another reason I don’t like LLoyd is he sits there grim faced, never smiles, doesn’t seem to encourage, reminds me of Safina’s coach, Honestly that man has the charisma of a slug. I know Andy was playing a 17 year old kid but he played well and actually came to the net and did some volleying! Wow. Think he wanted to keep the points short.
been there: hmm, well we all know about so-called “jokes” don’t we? Quite often hostile in intent. I take all your points on, but still v. v. difficult for Andy to resist almighty pressure. Time for all that money the LTA has invested to bring some rewards. Interestingly, Andy himself not a product of LTA scheme. Did it himself with huge parental suport. Tennis still hopelessly upper middle class in UK, I’m afraid.

September 20th, 2009 at 1:50 pm

Von says:

“I think Roddick’s match at the AO vs. Younes el Ananoyoui was a longer match.”

I believe the Karlovic match is the longest in hours spent on court. The Verdasco-Nadal semi-final in 2009 was actually the longest match ever played at the AO, which would make it even longer than the Roddick-El Aynaoui match. Fewer games were played in this match, but the points were longer because both Rod and El-A were big servers who finished their points quickly.

It’s shocking that Karlovic lost the match though. Of all the record-holders for highest number of aces served in a match (and he is not the only one, but he has held the record a few times now), more often than not they end up losing the match. Just shows that they can’t do much else other than serve aces.

September 20th, 2009 at 2:50 pm

Aces In A Match

Men

59 Ed Kauder (lost to Ham Richardson, 1st. rd., US Championships, 1955)

55 Ivo Karlovic (lost to Lleyton Hewitt 6-7(1), 6-7(4), 7-6 (4), 6-4, 6-3, 1st round 2009 French Open)

54 Gary Muller (d. Peter Lundgren Wimbledon qualifying, Roehampton, 1993)

51 Joachim Johansson (lost to Andre Agassi, Australian Open, 4th rd., 2005)

51 Ivo Karlovic (lost to Daniele Bracciali, Wimbledon, 1st rd., 2005)

——————-

Note that in only 1 of these 5 matches, the guy who hit 50+ aces actually went on to win the match.

When you include the stats for 45+ aces, the trend continues, with the ace leader losing the match. If these guys could learn to break serve, the matches would be over so much quicker. Their opponents who have far inferior serves should not be holding as often as the big server can.

September 20th, 2009 at 2:56 pm

It appears we’re both wrong Von. There are longer matches however, some of these matches were before the tie breaker was introduced. If Ivo didn’t have tie breakers (and he had the the inhuman endurance needed to complete them) he would most certainly be in the longest matches ever played. That 16-14 5th set would be a routine set for him.

From the same article (link is in my name):

—————–
Also according to THE BUD COLLINS HISTORY OF TENNIS, the distinction of the longest match of all-time in terms of time goes to Frenchmen Fabrice Santoro and Arnaud Clement, who during the 2004 French Open played for six hours, 33 minutes (played over two days due to a match suspension due to darkness). Santoro won the first round match 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (5), 3-6, 16-14.

The longest match of all-time in terms of games played goes to Roger Taylor of Great Britain and Wieslaw Gasiorek of Poland, who played 126 games in the 1966 King’s Cup in Warsaw, Poland – Taylor winning 27-29, 31-29, 6-4.

The following are the lists of longest matches in time and games in the history of tennis, according to THE BUD COLLINS HISTORY OF TENNIS.

Longest Matches — Time

Men’s Singles

6:33 Fabrice Santoro d. Arnaud Clement 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 3-6, 16-14, 2004 French Open first round

6:22 John McEnroe d. Mats Wilander 9-7, 6-2, 15-17, 3-6, 8-6, 5th rubber, Davis Cup Quarterfinal, St. Louis, Mo, 1982

6:20 Boris Becker d. John McEnroe 4-6, 15-13, 8-10, 6-2, 6-2, Davis Cup, Qualifying Round, Hartford, 1987

September 20th, 2009 at 3:01 pm

See if you can dig this one out, Giner. John Newcombe defeated Mike Sangster, an English tennis player who had a fearsome serve and little else. Certainly Sangster outserved Newcombe (a formidable server himself, but who could do lots of other things too) on this occasion. For some reason, the number 48 aces sticks in the mind, but that’s such a flimsy memory that I doubt it deserves to be called such. The ATP site, which does these h2hs, doesn’t recognize the name Mike Sangster for some reason.

September 20th, 2009 at 6:27 pm

Fed said after helping the Swiss win “I have to go on holiday badly. I have a problem with my leg, I have a problem with my arm — everything is hurting. And I’ve got to do some baby-sitting.”

LOL. It’s from the ATP website.

September 20th, 2009 at 7:57 pm

See you all in a few weeks when the Asia tour starts.

September 20th, 2009 at 9:00 pm

Jane, I saw that too. The guy must be tired to go play just 4 days after the USO final. All the disappointments of losing the final and the Jetlag must have made things worse..but I commend him for playing the tie and help his country to qualify again.

I think the Davis cup schedule is too tough for guys who plays deep at the two majors (Wimbledon and USO) IMO.. The grand slams are not easy and some players play grueling five setters to reach the final….in this case the final was played on Monday, which make it even worse….its another reason those players decide to pull out because of injury or just fatigued.

Anyway, he has few weeks to relax and recharge the batteries again until he plays in Beijing I think.

September 20th, 2009 at 9:17 pm

interesting line up for the next 5 events, leading to shanghai masters, and in a way early prep for tmc as most of these events are played indoor.
(1) metz 250 (indoor) 9/21: monfils, kohls, gasquet, mathieu.

(2) bangkok 250 (outdoor from this year) 9/28: rafa, tsonga, simon, querrey, safin.

(3) malaysia 250 (indoor, new event) 9/28: more prize money than other two attracts davy, hot sauce, sod, gonzu, monfils, ferrer,
berdych, hewitt.

(4) beijing 500 (indoor) 10/5: rafa, djokovic, roddick, davydenko, verdasco, gonzu, soderling

(5) tokyo 500 (indoor) 10/5: fed, murray (?), delPo, tsonga, simon, monfils, stepanek, berdych

(6) shanghai (outdoor) 10/12: all top 30 plus 26 others

September 20th, 2009 at 11:40 pm

before shanghai, soderling is almost certain to replace simon in the top ten.

dePo will further distance from roddick, if roddick does not defend beijing and dePo defends his tokyo’s finalist points.

a week after shanghai when st. petersburg points drop off, djoko is likely to reclaim no. 3 from murray, again if murray does not win shanghai and st. petersburg titles.

September 21st, 2009 at 12:24 am

rafa has pulled out of bangkok, citing stomach muscle problem which will require 2-3 weeks to get healed.

September 21st, 2009 at 4:52 pm

For anyone who is interested:

deciding to follow up my own hazy memory of the ace ridden Sangster/ Newcombe match, I googled Sangster, and had the unnerving experience of being refered back to my own post on Tennis X. Talk about being trapped within ever decreasing circles….

However, it turns out my memory was every bit a faulty as I had suggested it might be. It wasn’t Sangster/Newcombe, it was John Feaver/Newcombe.

Feaver, in the course of his 5 set defeat by Newcombe, set what was apparently then a Wimbledon record of 42 aces. Feaver did indeed have a fearsome serve and not much else.

I gave this description to Sangster, clearly both unfair and incorrect. It seems that Sangster reached the semis in 3 grand slams. The only Englishman (as opposed to etc) apart from Henman to have done so since Fred Perry, although Roger Taylor also reached a semi I think.

Sangster died, incidentally, of a heart attack at the age of 44, which seems a bit young. He had a serve recorded at 154 mph – recording technology iffy, though.

September 22nd, 2009 at 7:35 pm