Technically, Soderling wasn’t upset since Davy’s the higher ranked, but given form, yeah it was an upset alright. Davydenko knows precisely when to fight for a win; Soderling, meanwhile, totally lost momentum after losing the second set. I hope Verdsco wins the title – anyone know his record against Davydenko?

As for the other upset, I am not so surprised; Tsonga has been pushed to 3 sets in most (all?) of his matches here, and I commented yesterday on Troicki’s potential. Victor dispatched Isner relatively easily. Simon is another kind of animal altogether though – he may be the victor here.

October 3rd, 2009 at 10:45 am

Just checked: it’s 5-1 in Davy’s favor. They played only once this year, on clay, and Davy won in straights. They’ve played only once on carpet and Davy won easily – in 2004.

I am wondering something else; given that they got rid of the “race” are they going by the rolling rankings for the top 8 YEC spots, or are the race points still noted somewhere and being used for these spots.

I hope they’re still using the race, because the YEC really should be about who were the best/most successful players on *that* year.

October 3rd, 2009 at 10:56 am

Seems like Soderling will have to wait for his #top10 dreams a little bit longer :( ‘coz Gilles Simon has reached the final in Thailand. So near yet so far….not sure if this will happen any time soon though ‘coz everyone in #top15 is fighting hard for their positions.

Re Davydenko: As far as am concerned, unless he says so or is injured, the guy is always on form, especially in smaller events. He manages to do well or win the 250s & 500s quite frequently. This is how he maintains his top10 position despite not performing so well in slams…..it’s all about consistency….he doesn’t have ‘hot’ & cold’ runs ala the tsongas, soderlingss. Each yr, there is a new player making a point on ATP tour due to his good run, yet Davy is always just there. In all slams, whatever the surface, he’s almost always out in rnd3, rnd4, & if he does well, qtrs….while in the smaller events, he manages semis & finals thus maintaining his ranking points. so imo, his ranking is more or less influenced by how well or badly the players around him do…’coz his are more or less the same…rarely loses or gain too much by his performance. Going by his talent & fitness, he is as consistent as a player can get.

October 3rd, 2009 at 11:19 am

been there says “the guy is always on form, especially in smaller events.”

Well, I see what you mean. But it hasn’t been a stellar year for him; he was out with an injury for a while and since he’s come back his results haven’t been anything to write home about. Meanwhile, Sod has had breakthroughs 3 slams and has won at least one title, right? Anyhow, that’s what I meant.

But I agree with you: Davy is nothing if not consistent at smaller events. He’s always picked up a lot of points that way. Last year he was in the final at the YEC, so he also seems to do well on indoor hard/ carpet.

October 3rd, 2009 at 11:47 am

been there Says:

“Re Davydenko: ….Going by his talent & fitness, he is as consistent as a player can get.”

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Absolutely right. Davydenko may have accomplished a lot more in his career except that it seems the stage or the moment is what gets to him mentally. He’s be a Semi Finalist at The French twice. He lost a brutal 5-Setter to Mariano Puerta in 2005 before losing the fifth on a higher than usual number of errors, and in 2007 he actually had Federer on the ropes that day before his throat started tightening up on him. Nikolay was up a break in all three sets that afternoon; in fact was a point away from going up a Double Break in the opening set. At the moments he was leading – the rash of unforced errors cropped up every time to swing the momentum back to Federer. Had he deeply believed he belonged on the big stages at the big moments, his incredible consistency would have netted him a Major or two before he decided to hang it up. But aside from all that – he’s still a formidable threat to anyone out there today.

October 3rd, 2009 at 11:50 am

The way Nadal plays is the reason why he has more and more injuries. He has to work to hard. Eventually nobody can keep that up.

But I hope he keeps on playing for much longer and keep breathing down the neck of Federer.

October 3rd, 2009 at 11:51 am

I find Davydenko’s game irritating to watch. Particularly his forehand. He looks kind of jammed up when he hits the ball. Federer, Nadal & Verdasco look so free when they hit their shots.

October 3rd, 2009 at 12:09 pm

Davydenko’s serve can be a liability. It’s one aspect of his game that is not always consistent.

October 3rd, 2009 at 12:32 pm

jane says:
“….But it hasn’t been a stellar year for him; he was out with an injury for a while and since he’s come back….”

I think we are saying the same thing. I said that unless he’s injured, he’s always on form by his standards….I don’t expect him to post Federer like results, but in my eyes, he’s also a pretty consistent player. He’s actually won two straight tournaments this year: the International German Open & Studena Croatia Open Umag….so more tournament wins than Soderling. I’ve checked out his 2008 performance (via wikipedia) & his overall results, e.g.(Rnd1 loss @Wimby) were much worse than this yr. It actually says that after winning a title at Warsaw after FO 2008, ‘he did not win back-to-back matches until the US Open’…imagine that…as bad a performance as it can be for a top10 player ….meaning between the FO & US Open ’08, he either lost in rnd1 or rnd2….he still qualified for YEC 2008. What this tells me is that last yr was a slump, but this yr a big improvement….Soderling has made big noise, but overall, Davy has posted better results. Should davy qualify for YEC 2009, it will be his fifth consecutive yr at the TMC, furter underlining his consistency in the top10.

October 3rd, 2009 at 2:03 pm

jane says:
“Sod has had breakthroughs 3 slams and has won at least one title, right?”

Yes, by Soderlings standards, it has been a great year for him…..the player making some noise on tour this yr…next yr, it will be someone else. Yet with Davy, despite injuries which forced him to miss AO, his performance has been pretty good & consistent…both at remaining slams & masters. By making rnd4 & qtrs in most big events, & reaching semis & finals of the smaller ones, you find that he’s actually had a better year than Soderling….hence his #8 ranking. I believe he had dropped to around #14, #15 at some point this yr due to injuries …but ‘coz of his consistency, despite not having big wins, he’s now in the top10. Sure, Soderling has had a good run at the slams, but this is cancelled out by first round loses at masters (e.g. cincinatti) & other rnd 1,rnd2 loses in other events. A top5 player can afford such loses (i.e Davy 2008 & Federer in late’08-early’09) since there’s a cushion of points to protect him from dropping out of top10, but for Soderling, this is not the case.

It’s very easy to jump from #20s to 12 by one fantastic run (Soderlings run at FO),…yet it is quite a different matter once in the top 15….very difficult to squeeze in the top 10 ‘coz ranking points between the players are so tight. Despite winning the Swedish Open, rnd4 @wimby, qtrs@ flushing meadows & reaching semis in Malaysia, his ranking has only improved by one position since the FO…from #12 to #11. Since the FO, he’s always been between 100-200 points into the top10, yet he still can’t break in. Just 70 points now separating him from Simon (& probably widening a bit on Monday depending on Simon’s finals performance). To get into the top 10 & stay there, he’ll need better performance than a good run at slams (which next yr will have to be at least qtrs). And as he’s probably quickly realising, even a semi (depending on the event) is not good enough when the competition is so intense.

Hopefully, the Sod does well in the upcoming tournaments. A #top10 in still in the cards but the more I think how everyone ranked between #7-#12 is working hard, & the #top5 back as from next week, for now, I’ll assume that YEC is out for him.

October 3rd, 2009 at 2:19 pm

Talk about a shock attack, well Soderling got one from Davy. I liken Soderling to Murray at times. Soderling also seems to go away mentally during one set and he did that in the 3rd set by having a mental walk-about. Davy is definitely increasing his chances of obtaining one of those coveted 3 remaining spots for the YEC.
***********
been there: I agree with you that Davy is epitome of consistency, which is really the name of the game, isn’t it? I think he’s done well since returning from his injury (he’d fallen out of the top 10) and he’s once again worked himself back into the running.

“A #top10 in still in the cards but the more I think how everyone ranked between #7-#12 is working hard, & the #top5 back as from next week, for now, I’ll assume that YEC is out for him.”

I see you’ve forgotten there’s a No. 6 player. where do we place him? LOL.

October 3rd, 2009 at 3:42 pm

I think Gonzalez/Ferrer is a tough first round match for both guys. How did that happen? The Cilic/Davy quarter has some very tough players, followed by the Roddick/Soderling quarter, in terms of toughness. I don’t see Baghdatis and/or Blake posing any problems for Nadal. In the Djokovic/Verdasco quarter, Verdasco has one player that can possibly bother him, Juan Carlos Ferrero, but highly unlikely. Djokovic’s only possible threat could be Troicki, whom he has beaten several times, and who could also be tired considering he’s in the finals at Malaysia. Aside from Troicki, Djokovic should make it easily to the QFs where he’ll face Verdasco, who could also be tired.

October 3rd, 2009 at 3:56 pm

Von says:

“I see you’ve forgotten there’s a No. 6 player. where do we place him? LOL.”

huh? :S How do you mean? I think it’s pretty much a forgone conclusion that Roddick is qualifying for the YEC. Just a question of time….just like all top5 players qualified at different times of the year. Nadal early in the season, followed by Fed, Murray & Djoko, while Del potro just after his US open win. So no need to mention them…also, imo, no need for me to mention Roddick. But since you bring it up…..

The current ATP ranking points are as follows:

6. Roddick = 5050
7. Tsonga = 3655
8. Davydenko=3535
9. Verdasco =3430
10. Simon = 3090
11. Soderling =3020
12. Gonzalez =2805

Unless you can explain, from the above, with 1395 points clear from his next opponent, I see no conceivable way that Roddick is not gonna qualify for the the TMC….so no need for me to mention him in my post. The ranking #7-#12 is very tight(Verdasco & Simon are separeted by the most points…just 340, followed by Sod & Gonzo..215…the rest are separeted by only between 70- to 120 points). #7-#12 clearly does not include #6; and with some top5 players back in play, it is obviously going to be more difficult for the #7-#12 to semis & finals to gain points to either enter top10 or qualify for TMC.

Perhaps your main issue is that I mentioned #top5 & not top#6?…(since if I’m correct you’re a big Roddick fan?). I wouldn’t know, but if that is the case, well, that’s a matter of interpretation & for a reader to make what they want with it….I adore #13 Monfils, yet I also don’t mention him because he’s not relevant to the point I was making. In the past, it has been the big2 (fed & nadal )…then big three…expanded to big four…& now, depending on how well Del Potro maintains his game, it might be big5 or if he yo-yos, we’ll remain with ‘big4’.

So in answer to your observation, no, I haven’t forgotten a certain #6…just don’t see need to mention him in my post because he’s not relevant to the point I was making.

October 3rd, 2009 at 6:03 pm

Wow, if Nadal can play China a month after the US Open, either his ab injury was not as serious as claimed or he’s doing something really, really dumb. It takes a month for a muscle tear to heal, to come back into top level athletics immediately, for a small tournament to boot, would make no sense.
I’m a big Nadal booster, but I’m getting more and more tingly spider senses about impending train wreckage.

October 3rd, 2009 at 6:15 pm

been there: I was being facetious. I thought you’d see the humor considering I wrote *LOL*.

I know it’s just a matter of weeks before Roddick qualifies. All he’s got to defend is 500 points from Beijing and QFs points at Bercy = 750 points, which will give him a cushion of approx. 700+ points over Tsonga, who, as I mentioned previously has 1,000 points to defend at Bercy. Therefore, regardless of who wins what from Nos.7 though 10,and considering only a few more tournaments are left to be played before the YEC, I’m positive Roddick’s place among the top 8 is assured. I’m not at all concerned.

I’m not one likes the emphasis that’s placed on the so-called *big four*. I don’t know how things got so turned around, but I remember a few years back, it used to be the top 10, or to be more specific the top 8 that mattered, and it’s the reason ATP has made that distinction with respect to the YEC. I believe the emphasis on the *top 4* began with some fans who wanted to make their players appear extremely special, as it seems to them that those are the only players who matter, or around whom tennis revolves. That terminology is more pronounced on this site.

October 3rd, 2009 at 6:21 pm

@ 6:21 pm: “I’m not one likes the emphasis that’s placed on the so-called *big four*.”

s/b: I’m not *one* who likes ….

October 3rd, 2009 at 6:23 pm

Von,
From what I’ve noticed, the sayings “big three” and then “big four” came from the media; I read those phrases in articles all the time. But basically they are meaningless (the sayings), and even the rankings don’t matter too much except in draws. But even then, all sorts of things like nemeses, and match ups and upsets come into play. If a player stays in the top ten echelon, then he is pretty “big” in tennis.

October 3rd, 2009 at 8:37 pm

So glad that Troicki actually got to a final.

October 3rd, 2009 at 9:22 pm

I didn’t know this thread was going on, I post on onother thread what was aready been discussed here. The attached site has a list of race to the Championships points and from what a saw, from position 7 downwards there is a big difference between the race and ranking points.

As what Jane pointed out ATP site have removed the race points but at this time of the year the race points become very important and I am hoping ATP site bring it back..the 52 week rolling points system still has points to drop out which does not give a good indication.

1. Federer……9840
2. Nadal……..8065
3. Murray…….6040
4. Djokovic…..5730
5. Del Potro….5700
6. Roddick……4410
7. Verdasco…..3135
8. Soderling….2670
9. Gonzalez…..2635
10. Davydenko….2505
11. Tsonga…….2240
12. Robredo……2095
13. Simon……..1865

http://www.tenniscomp.com/race/playerpoints.php
(I hope this attachment is accurate)

From the list, Verdasco is actually closer to qualify than say Davydenko and Tsonga, definitely a win in Malasya will improve his chances but even if he loses tomorrow he will still be ahead. It’s a very close race and gives better indication than the ranking system.

October 3rd, 2009 at 9:48 pm

s/b…. from position 7 downwards there is a big difference between the race and ranking points positions….

October 3rd, 2009 at 9:53 pm

Kimmi, thanks for posting that; this is why I was wondering whether or not the “race” is still being used to determine the “final 8” for the YEC, or whether the ATP is now using rolling rankings to determine the “final 8” – which I hope is not the case. As I said, since it’s the “year end” championships, I think the best players *on the year* in question should be in competition.

October 3rd, 2009 at 10:22 pm

Jane, you are welcome.

The rolling ranking system and race points should coincide at the end of season when all tournaments are played. So I believe the race is what will give a better indication for the final 8, it does make sense that way.

Something else that is interesting, Del Potro is very close to overtake Djokovic for # 4 and maybe Murray for number 3 if he goes better than Murray in the remaining tournaments…how is that for a close race !

October 3rd, 2009 at 10:39 pm

Viktor has a really nice looking model girlfriend.
Suncica Travica.

October 3rd, 2009 at 10:50 pm

Yep, I noticed Delpo’s leap up the ranks Kimmi; he has a good shot at getting to number 3, considering Murray’s out for a bit with a wrist injury and Djoko has YEC points from last year to defend. So who knows, maybe he’ll do it!?

October 3rd, 2009 at 10:50 pm

the list appears to be inaccurate. i only checked 3.
fed’s 9855.
tsonga’s 2105.
Sod’s 2145.
the old race point system does not quite work because it does not account penalties (suspensions).
for instance, the old race point system would include Soderling’s Båstad points. that seems to be the case in kimmi’s list.
in this sense, the ranking point reflects the correct race point in the new system.
i.e. race to YEC at this point= ranking points minus points to be defended in the remaining events except YEC points minus penalties (the last one is crucial).
so, i’d rather follow the current ranking points and wait how it plays out in the remaining events.

October 3rd, 2009 at 11:23 pm

I did notice the humour. It came across as sarcastic humour….hence my reply…needed to make myself clear. Maybe that’s not how it was intended, but that’s what I took from it. And as you may know the term ’lol’ has lost its real meaning over the years in internet lingo. Someone can blast/’attack’ or whatever else, then write ‘lol’ at the end…not that this is what you were doing!!…but people do it all the time…so rather impossible to tell whether it was sarcasm or just pure humour…so I cleared it all up in my reply.

October 3rd, 2009 at 11:52 pm

*post @11.52 is in response to Von says: ‘I was being facetious. I thought you’d see the humor considering I wrote *LOL*.’
————————————————— ——-
Jane says:
“From what I’ve noticed, the sayings “big three” and then “big four” came from the media”

Agreed. It all began with the dominance & rivalry of Fed & Rafa….the media called them ‘big2’ & fans obliged….then Djokovic won a slam , dominated the #3ranking & threatened the top2 position (both when Rafa & Fed were ranked as no2)…so it became ‘big three’….then Murray made major inroads this year, & commentators & media said ‘big4’…& so we have big four. The term ‘big2’ in reference to Nadal & Federer has actually been used by the ATP main website at various times. I also notice ‘big4’ highly pronounced on all tennis websites, not just this one. After Del. P won his US open title, the commentators went on & on about ‘now we have the ‘big5’…or statements similar to that. Even some players, during the height of the Fed-Rafa rivalry ‘08- early’09 were referring to them as ‘big2’. lol. or something like ‘ …you know, with Fed & Rafa….’. when asked a question. So it’s not only a fans thing. It’s media driven, the fans eat it up; but unfortunately, many players believe in this, hence losing before even walking on court.

Obviously, all participating players are important (even Devin Britton who is ranked 1000+), & anyone can win, but imho, some players ARE actually more important than others…it’s the nature of life in general. The Montreal tournament director claimed to have been sleeping with his phone in his hands waiting for a call from Switzerland after Fed’s twins were born…. & Nadal missing Wimby required a whole press conference….I doubt he’d have done the same & updated the media daily, for let’s say a Monfils, Del.P or Soderling prospect of missing a tournament. When other players miss a tournament, only keen observers notice…when it’s the top4, ‘everyone’ knows.

The ‘big4’ are expected to make semis & finals…& so far, in the past 5 yrs, at least one or two have made it that far in all slams. This yr US open, only Murray missed out on a semi spot. The same is true in all sports having names bigger than their fellow competitors…Arsenal & Manchester united for English premier league….. Usain Bolt, Tyson Gay & Asafa Powell in 100m sprint…., in Formular1, the Ferraris & McLarens…..no disrespect to other teams or players, but it’s just how it is.

Part of the reason why such terms are coined is to promote the sport. Tennis is now a commercial sport like any other and everything is being done to bring it in line in terms of popularity…so the ‘big4’ is being bandied around because more people will tune in when they play. I don’t follow golf but I & many others are aware of whom Tiger Woods is & due to him, I occasionally tune in if he’s on TV. The same is true for tennis where people who do not otherwise follow tennis tune in to watch a Federer or Nadal match simply because they’re such big names….the prospect of Fed vs Rafa at next yr’s Davies cup is already creating a bit of excitement, despite it being a mere possibility. No other match-up creates as much news. The ‘big2’ has been a great commercial success for the ATP, Nike & Wilson…..not to mention computer games & other merchandise being sold to young kids.

So in essence, ‘big2/3/4’ etc is just a fancy way of saying ‘top2/3/4’….only that e.g.‘top4’ sounds quite boring & ordinary & doesn’t create that rivalry or aura effect that’s needed to market the sport to the masses. Not to mention giving us tennis junkies something to talk about. lol.

October 4th, 2009 at 12:05 am

No problem on my end. It was not meant to be sarcastic, but will make a note in the future that you’re one who reads a lot more into things than they really are — your words not mine. Not to worry though, I will refrain from indulging in such comments with you. Thanks for apprising me of your thoughts.

On the LOL, since I’m not one who indulges in the use of monikers and Internet lingo, except for a few acronyms here and there and only when blogging, I wouldn’t know about the LOL. Again, thanks for enlightening me, and I’ll refrain from interacting with you on that level in the future. All points are well taken, and my apologies for the mistakes. i can assure you it won’t happen again, period.

October 4th, 2009 at 12:09 am

I am it: you brought up a very good point re: penalties not excluded and also the fact that the list is not accurate, thanks for that… I also wondered since it was not done by ATP site I also questioned its accuracy.

But to follow the race to final 8 thru the 52 rolling ranking is very confusing for a fan like me. There is a lot of points that needs to dropout which does not give a good indication. ie Verdasco is behind Davydenko and Tsonga in the rolling ranking but is ahead in the Race (# 7 currently)…the ranking system makes you believe he has to work harder to get there while it is the other way round.

As I said, confusing. I personally prefer the race.

October 4th, 2009 at 12:16 am

jane: Yes, now that you’ve mentioned it, I suppose it’s the media that’s responsible for the *big 4* talk. I’m not surprised considering their penchant for flair and sensationalism. What I don’t understand is why then there’s mention of the top 10, if only the top 4 is what matters in their eyes. To me it’s very contradictory, and if it’s only the top 4 that matters, then why is there so much importance placed on a player becoming a top 10 player by the media? Does that make sense to you? Also, isn’t it the top 10 category that the players aim to get into? The whole thing is becoming very confusing. Initially, it was top 10, then it was top 8, then top 5, now it’s top 4 and sometimes we hear it’s only Nos. 1 and 2 that’s important. In the past, a player who was in the top 10 was considered *elite*, now the only elite players are those in the top 4. OY

October 4th, 2009 at 12:23 am

“but will make a note in the future that you’re one who reads a lot more into things than they really are — your words not mine…..”

LOL!! being a little bit over-sentive there. whoa! No need for this Von, really, you’re taking it further than it is. This is a public forum & we’re all from different countries, cultures speaking different languages….with some people writing in English as a 3rd/4th language. Also some posters are in their teens, twenties, while others are aged 50+. All these, & also, simply due to the fact that this is written text, as opposed to spoken words, makes it impossible to tell what someone always means….especially when observing something that wasn’t in the original point of discussion.

And as I said, in my post at 6.03pm, written words are a matter of interpretation & for a reader to make what they want with it. So if you feel that by me taking what you wrote as sarcastic humour (by the by, I see see nothing wrong with sarcasm) warrants a “.and I’ll refrain from interacting with you on that level in the future. period”, then by all means, it’s your prerogative. LOL.

For me, since this is a public I’ll continue responding to your posts, whether it’s directed to me or to another poster. Luckily for me, I don’t keep note of who said what on whichever website, so either way, my posts will be present.

October 4th, 2009 at 12:31 am

vared: I mentioned Viktor’s GF a while back, because I was struck by her beauty, and was told by another poster, at the time, who’s Serbian, that she’s a model, but I didn’t know her name, so I couldn’t check her out. Is she famous, because I’ve not heard of her? Anyway, now that you’ve provided her name, I’ll certainly google her, and get the inside scoop.

BTW, don’t know if anyone has heard tat Chris Evert and Greg Norman are heading for splits-ville, after only being married for 15 months.

It’s funny, I thought of Ivanovic after she lost in the first round at Tokyo, and pondered whether Adam Scott was a good match for her, as her tennis began going the other way after hooking up with him. I don’t think golfers and tennis players are a good match-up. ha ha.

October 4th, 2009 at 12:31 am

Wow, that’s surprising that Troicki beat Tsonga.

Anyway, I’m glad to hear that Nadal has been cleared to play next week. He’s got some really tough competitors lined up, for Beijing, but I don’t expect him to lose, at least not before the finals.

October 4th, 2009 at 12:40 am

Well, it’s certainly your prerogative to do as you please, and considering that this IS a public forum, you’re entitled to that right.

I’m not being overly sensitive I can assure you, but when someone takes a simple question as the one I asked and attaches sarcasm to it, then that poses a problem for me whenever interacting with that person, in this case, you. In other words, there’ll be a bit of uncertainty emanting from me as to what will or will not be construed by you as sarcastic, and that’s something I’d like to avoid happening in the future. I hope I’m being clear here.

October 4th, 2009 at 12:49 am

does anyone know at what time (USET) the two final matches will be played?

October 4th, 2009 at 1:15 am

Von, as I said, imo, you’re being over-sensitive….but you do as you wish. I was not offended by anything, so no need for an apology @12:09am. Also, even if I was offended (which I must stress I wasn’t…I can’t be offended by what someone who I don’t know writes….more so by something as simple as sarcasm…if it was a verbal abuse, I see the big deal, but sarcasm???…really…anyhow) as soon as I switch to another website or turn off my computer, I won’t remember you tennis-x name or what you’ve written, simply because I visit too many sports, news & miscellaneous websites to be able to remember. So personally, I won’t notice whether you stop answering my posts, or if you answer them differently. When I log on tomorrow, the only way I’ll know this conversation took place is if I re-read the posts.

I was simply answering your question, whether it was a sarcastic, sarcastic humorous or simply humorous question. Now, you’ve taken it to a whole different thing.

“Well, it’s certainly your prerogative to do as you please, and considering that this IS a public forum, you’re entitled to that right.”

I’m total agreement & bounce the statement back to you. Just to add that should you decide to respond differently or stop all together, do this for yourself, to make your blogging experience better, & not trying to project what I may or may not construe because as I said, I won’t even notice. On my part, I really don’t care. :)

October 4th, 2009 at 1:22 am

been there: I’m going to leave this alone because I think this has the makings of a long drawn out thing, and I’m not interested in that kind of scenario. Case in point, the following is somewhat contradictory:

“…because as I said, I won’t even notice. On my part, I really don’t care.”

If you didn’t notice, and also didn’t care in the first place, why did you even mention it? Hope you get my drift. Anyway, that’s it for me.

October 4th, 2009 at 1:34 am

“If you didn’t notice, and also didn’t care in the first place. Hope you get my drift.”

Von, seems like you’ve now become over-heated & misreading what I’ve written. Breathe in….breate out….there….aaahhh. lol. In response, I do not get your drift…please re-read my post. I’ve clearly said that as of tomorrow, and/or after I switch to another website, I won’t remember this conversation….& certainly won’t notice whether or not you DO NOT reply to my post. Unlike you, I’m not going to ‘make a note in the future that you’re one who reads a lot more into things than they really are’. Clearly, I’m *presently blogging on the tennis-x website, so it’s not the future. Also, I’m not blind, so I do notice if you (or any other poster) responds to a post.

I will not notice if you (or anyone else for that matter) DO NOT respond to my future posts…..too many bloggers posting to notice if a single one is absent or not responding. Too trivial a matter for me….also too many websites analysing tennis to care. I certainly don’t care whether or not you (or anyone else) responds to a post I’ve made…that you can be assured of. I certainly hope I’ve made myself clear.

Please do not read too much in my reference to your question as sarcastic. You’ve certainly blown this waaaaaay out of proportion.

October 4th, 2009 at 1:59 am

Congrats to Simon and Davydenko for their title wins.

October 4th, 2009 at 11:00 am

Davydenko continues his domination of Verdasco, with easy straight sets win.. bringing their H2H to 6-1 Ouch !!

While Simon brings his best tennis in the final. Injury ? what injury ? Troicki said he could not do much…Simon was just too good.

Now to Tokyo and Beijing.

October 4th, 2009 at 11:15 am

Roddick is pairing up with Mark Knowles in doubles. Isn’t Knowles the top ranked doubles player ? Good one for Roddick.

October 4th, 2009 at 12:48 pm

Good wins for both Davy and Gilles!

I wonder how fit Rafa is in Beijing. Let’s see if Novak has made further improvement and how DelPo does in Tokio. Going from the field there he’s the odds on favourite. But maybe he’s been partying too hard….

Von, I agree with you on the whole “big two, big three, big six or big one thousand three hundred and seventy four”
I never follow that journalist’s linguistic mumbo-jumbo and crazy terminology.

In one of the first comments I ever wrote on tennis-x.com I mentioned the fact I find the overwhelming majority of writings on tennis to be subjective, error-prone, written reactively through backward fact checking.

And don’t get me started on all the prognosticators and often self-proclaimed experts using data, past results and “common sense”(whahaha) to write (what they call analytical) predictive articles in which they are much more often wrong than right.

October 4th, 2009 at 2:05 pm

Oh, and for anyone who likes the kinetics of tennis see below:(yes, sorry it’s about Fed again…..but it’s an interesting showing…Djok and Murray should take notice, it would improve their game)

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/08/31/sports/tennis/20090831-roger-graphic.html

October 4th, 2009 at 2:07 pm

Congrats to Davy and Simon on their title wins! Both guys are maintaining their ranking and have a shot at a spot at the YEC.

****************
Blah: Your guy, Simon,did it, tendinitis at al!! Congrats to both of you. Where are you?

October 4th, 2009 at 2:12 pm

Veno: What perfect timing! I just got on line and there you are, mon ami — talk about synchronizaition.

I know I sound like a violin, but I absolutely dislike the *big* designation. To me every player in the Top 10, is a *big*. I feel the media’s singling out of the players ranked 1 through 4, and calling them “big” is somewhat humiliating to the other top 10 players. If the Nos.1-4 are “big”, then should we call Nos. 5-10, “little” or “small”, or “petite”? sheesh Yes, I know my designations of “little”, “small” and ‘petite” sound silly, but that’s how ludicrous the press/media makes stuff out to be — just insanely LUDICROUS, when they write that ridiculous stuff and hang those handles on them.

“And don’t get me started on all the prognosticators and often self-proclaimed experts using data, past results and “common sense”(whahaha) to write (what they call analytical) predictive articles in which they are much more often wrong than right.”

One only has to go to ITF and SI.com vault, where that information is at one’s fingertips. That’s some of the same information the pseudo-experts use to embellish their articles, thereby making themselves appear as “brilliant”. It’s easy to do that if one has the time to visit multiple websites, unfortunately not many of us do.

How ya doin’ mon ami? Are you going to be able to watch Beijing? I’m hoping that A-Rod goes deep as he has winner’s points to defend.

DelPotro has lucked out with respect to Tokyo. With the withdrawal of Federer and Murray, I’d be very surprised if DelPotro does not win the whole thing, as there’s no one else to challenge him there. I don’t know why Roddick elected to play only Beijing this year. Andy played both Beijing and Tokyo last year — winning Beijing and getting to the SF in Tokyo. With the present field in Tokyo, I’m sure Roddick would have probably gone deep there. Oh well, no one has a crystal ball, so there’s no way he could have known that the field would have become so depleted in Tokyo.

Take care, mon ami, je t’aime bien. BTW, I was fortunate enough to watch both Rush Hour 2 and 3 last night. I laughed till my sides were hurting. I think No. 2 is even funnier than No. 3.

October 4th, 2009 at 2:35 pm

Hey Von!

I’ve been very busy and haven’t had much time to watch the tennis. Saw some and there were some entertaining matches among them.

I love Rush Hour 2, that one was great through out and 3 was hilarious and top class through the first halve, but got a little less towards the end.
Carter directing traffic is sublime!!! And the scene at the Shaolin Dojo HAHAHAHA Absolute classic!!!!

“Carter, wait for the master!”
(Carter walks through the slide door and bumps into Ming-Ming)”Whoa! Damn! I’m sorry man,(chuckles) I thought this was the bath room, I’m sorry…
Lee! I got a big problem here, this boy’s on steroids, he got a head like Barry Bonds!”

October 4th, 2009 at 2:52 pm

And Andy couldn’t play both Beijing and Tokio as they are both this week :-)

I hope he does well in Beijing and Shanghai! Would be good for his confidence and I would like to see Andy get a big win!!! Go Andy!!!

You know who I root for when my man’s not playing :)

October 4th, 2009 at 2:56 pm

Veno: Yes, I know whom you root for when Fed’s not playing, it’s my Andy, and thanks for the support.

You’ll find this somewhat funny — I registered to blog on USA Today and I was told that my name ‘Von’ was already taken. At that point I was stumped for a new name, and then I remembered your nick for me “Vonnie” so I used that, and walla, I’m now Vonnie on USA Today. If someone were to yell out ‘Von” or ‘Vonnie” on the road, I’d never know it was me and/or respond, because no one calls me by those names in my personal life. A little trick Law Enforcement uses if they want to smoke out someone who’s using a pseudo name, and would like to identify them, they’ll yell out the correct name and the impersonator always responds by turning around when their real name is uttered. Crafty eh? Talk about force of habit.

October 4th, 2009 at 3:51 pm

Von:I just like watching him play, always have. Go Andy!

Veno is my nickname, however, everyone who knows me by Veno does not know my real name and vice versa….So let the cops try and smoke me out hahaha

October 4th, 2009 at 4:21 pm

Thank you Von. I’ve been busy recently and have been taking somewhat of a break from watching tennis after the uso. I’ll start posting more towards the end of the season. Hope your Andy does well in Beijing.

Good to see Simon grab a title. Don’t know much about his current form/injury status but this win will help him stay on the map. Don’t know if he can stay in top 8 though. Guess it will come down to the last couple of master series just like last year.

October 4th, 2009 at 10:59 pm

I was on US Open with my friend, goregeous serbian supermodel Stanija Dobrojevic. I feel so bad for Nadal than he plays so bad! Im his big fun evan I m from Montenegro.

October 5th, 2009 at 1:15 am

Hey nesa! Finally someone from Montenegro! Where are you from? I’m Nole’s fan so hopefully lets get ready for their encounter in Beijing finals!

October 5th, 2009 at 3:49 am

What’s wrong with talking about a Big 4 or 5? The Top Ten is one thing, & it’s a reasonable aspiration for a talented professional tennis player to want to be in the Top 10, i.e., to be one of the 10 best in the world. The Big 5 is informal & temporary and nobody embarks on a professional career wanting to be in the Big 5, but it simply reflects the reality that, whether you like it or not, only 5 players currently have a realistic chance of winning a slam. Tsonga & Davydenko are Top 10 players, but I’m afraid with Federer, Nadal, Murray, Djokovic, & Del Potro around, I just can’t see them winning a slam. Can you?

October 5th, 2009 at 7:46 am

Tennis Vagabond:
I don’t think Nadal ever mentioned the injury being serious, did he? In fact in his last tournament he categorically said he did NOT think it was too serious, or that it would keep him out for long.

Von, Jane & Hadrien:
Yes, this Big so-and-so-number was a media creation, but it wasn’t altogether unwarranted when it was the Big 2 & the Big 3. Because, let’s face it, there was a while there when Fed, Rafa & Nole were a HUGE points leap ahead of the rest of the Top 10. However, I do agree that right NOW, things are too close to really separate the Top 10 into 2 tiers.

October 5th, 2009 at 8:50 am

Things are too close in the top 10? Maybe in the top 5 (or 6 for Von’s sake), but not in the top 10. We have a Big 6 if you wanna call it that.

October 5th, 2009 at 10:36 am

When Rush Hour 2 was on paperview for the first time when it was still free and they’d had like 3 channels devoted to showing it over and over again, I’d watch it over and over and over again. I remember I was sick for a week and stayed home and watched it atleast 3 times a day. By the end of the week, I could write out the entire script without even looking at a TV. Great movie. Rush Hour 3 was a bit rushed, imo. One fight scene and it was over. I was hoping there was more. But the first Rush Hour is a classic, too. Back when Jackie Chan barely spoke english, great times.

October 5th, 2009 at 11:25 am

As I said previously, even the players do separate themselves in tiers. Here’s an interesting quote today by Nadal:

“If you are not fit and your body is not in a good condition, it’s impossible to spend five years in the top two,” said the 2005 China Open champion.”
http://sports.yahoo.com/ten/news;_ylt=AvR7QV9CvXeqJC2RtNDKNsw4v7YF?slug=reu-chinanadal&prov=reuters&type=lgns

Notice how he specifically says ‘top2’ & not top5 or top10. For Rafa & Roger, top2 is what is important…hence all the hullabaloo when they fall to #3rd. For Djoko & M/andy, being in the top5 is paramount…hence if they talk, they’ll speak of top5…for someone like Roddick, it’s top10, hence the many references to ‘Roddick’s been in the top10 for many years’..or statements to that effect, even by the man himself.

All are important but tiers do exist within the top10 simply because as much as each has a shot, some ARE consistently better than others….at least for now & definititely in the past five years.

>>Del.P is doing a good job at drawing further & further away from Roddick. Roger seems to be safe but will be interesting to see what happens between Rafa & Murray…and Djokovic & Del.P….both pairs can easily swap positions.

October 5th, 2009 at 1:56 pm

You know what would be cool, if there was rankings for each season. Kinda like the power rankings thing ESPN does, only with actual points. That way people could say look how well he did in this part of the year and have something solid to refer to.

October 5th, 2009 at 2:22 pm

dePo has distanced himself from rafa, by beating him 3 times in a row in the past 6 months. after fed, dePo is my no.2 power player for the remainder of the season.
Beijing and Shanghai are real test for rafa. if he cannot win both, in the absence of fed, he is no. 3 (or 4?) in the power ranking, depending on how he fares and how the rest of the top 6 fare. if rafa does well in both and also wins Paris, he is back to no. 2.
however, with respect to YEC power ranking, meaning his chances of winning YEC, rafa ranks somewhere around no. 4.

October 5th, 2009 at 3:05 pm

Poor Viktor but maybe next time he can get his first ATP title. Viktor has an exotic background in that he is descended from “the Whites,” Russian emigrees to Belgrade in 1917. After the czar was killed by Bolsheviks those Russians who could, began to leave. Many went to Paris, London but Belgrade welcomed many of them. Russians felt a kinship with Serbs in ethnicity and religion. Viktor’s mother works at the US embassy in Belgrade.

October 5th, 2009 at 6:23 pm

“>>Del.P is doing a good job at drawing further & further away from Roddick. Roger seems to be safe but will be interesting to see what happens between Rafa & Murray…and Djokovic & Del.P….both pairs can easily swap positions.”

Roger is not that safe as you think. He is not playing in Asia, Nadal can close the gap if he does very well in Beijing/Shanghai and make it a dog fight between the two for number 1 position.

October 5th, 2009 at 8:30 pm

SS: “Maybe in the top 5 (or 6 for Von’s sake), but not in the top 10. We have a Big 6 if you wanna call it that.”

Aww, you’re being too nice to me. Thanks for the sweet thoughts.

I’m not concerned about Roddick’s ranking. He’s been Nos. 1 through 8, and has remained consistently in the top 10 for 10+ years. The only other player who has done that and is still on the tour is Federer. Therefore, lets’ divide the Top 10 players into longest period in the top 10 and we’ll get two (2) players. A tier within a tier, par excellence.

I agree DelPotro is distancing himself presently from Roddick this season, but we have to wait and see if he can defend those points next year. Accumulation is easy, it’s the defense that’s the problem.

******
I liked Rush Hour 1 and 2. Rush Hour 3, was a bit too short and lacked the humor, as compared to the other two. I think Chris Tucker is one heck of a hunk. Did you see the scene in Rush Hour 2 where the black guy with the pig-tail referred to Carter as 7-11? LOL. Carter’s mouth is open 24 hours like the 7-11 stores. LOL.

October 5th, 2009 at 10:02 pm

‘Big-6’ is right for me.

October 6th, 2009 at 5:38 am

But Murray has not won a slam. So my designation to the achievers (of slams of course!) is ‘Great-5’ consisting of Fed, Rafa, Djoko, Roddick and Del Po. End of story.

Add Murray to the mix and we have to settle only for the Big-6 and not the ‘Great-5’. If Murray wins a slam, we can change it to the ‘Great-6’, no problem.

October 6th, 2009 at 5:45 am

@Von:

That’s Don Cheadle….He only wanted to be in the movie if he could fight Jackie Chan and speak Chinese. For him, that was a deal breaker.

Chris Tucker is hilarious. “gefilte fish” lol
And when he’s dancing like Michael Jackson, he always kicks with the wrong leg hahaha

I find Rush Hour 2 the best, by far!

October 6th, 2009 at 12:12 pm

Veno: Just saw your post. I didn’t know that tidbit; thanks for sharing.

October 7th, 2009 at 1:16 pm