Roger Dodges Dayvdenko, Djokovic Runs, Murray v. Cilic Tonight at Australian Open

by Sean Randall | January 27th, 2010, 9:10 pm
  • 97 Comments

What an absolutely incredible day of tennis yesterday at the Australian Open. In every the match the player who was down ended up winning in dramatic fashion. At times it wasn’t the greatest of tennis – I submit Li Na and Venus Williams – but it sure made for some good old fashion drama. ADHEREL

Roger Federer’s win over Nikolay Davydenko was the match of the day. Federer was getting waxed early and often by Dayvdenko who came out on fire. In blink, Federer was down a set and break with points to go a double break. To say it didn’t look good for Federer at that moment would have been gross understatement.

But this is not best-of-3, it’s best-of-5. This is not Doha, it’s a Grand Slam. Federer knew he had time and he knew Davydenko wouldn’t be able to sustain such a high level, and sure enough he couldn’t. Under the weight of the lead, the moment and perhaps the pressure of now being the heavy favorite to win the match and ending Fed’s reign, Davydenko completely collapsed. Federer did nothing different per se, instead, the “machine” had simply broken. The match was on Davydenko’s racquet, it was his to win, his to lose. In the end, he lost.


Tennis is such a mental game and again we saw more evidence of that yesterday. Dayvdenko was in total command on all levels early on, but something clicked between the ears midway through the second set and that was it.

Did Federer suddenly raise his play? Not really. Did the playing conditions change? It didn’t look like it. What changed was the pressure or the scoreline. Davydenko had the match and he couldn’t handle it. He missed an easy backhand that might have given him two breaks in the second and that was it.

Venus Williams and Victoria Azarenka both experienced similar phenomenons. Venus stood just two points from the match but somehow she couldn’t seal the deal. Credit to Li Na who kept fighting, kept digging and never gave up. Venus didn’t completely fall apart – she had many chances in the third, but she usually closes those kind of matches out.

It was a sign of things time for the matches on Rod Laver.

Azarenka was leading Serena a set and 4-0, and appeared more than ready to reach her first Slam semifinal, but again, between the ears she fell apart. Full credit to Serena for rising up and showing her champions heart but Azarenka has beside herself for letting such a chance slip by.

And in the night match, Novak Djokovic looked in control after busting out to a 2-1 set lead following a 6-1 third set over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. But the Serb who was struggling with nausea and diarrhea issues before and during the match he said, couldn’t sustain it and his body melted down. He won just four more games. Djokovic says he doesn’t know why and from where his stomach problems originated, but some of it has to be mental.

Ah, the pressure of Grand Slam tennis!

Today, the women’s semifinals appear to be pretty straight forward. I think Justine Henin gets through Zheng Jie, while in a struggle Serena beats Li Na. I give Na a better chance for the upset. Serena didn’t look good at all early against Azarenka (she looked injured!) and Na has played her very tough before.

On to the evening match.

Andy Murray v. Marin Cilic
In this one everything is pointing to Andy Murray. The Scot is playing the best tennis of anyone among the last four. He’s looked sharp in every match and played one of his better matches I’ve seen against Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals. Murray comes in fresh, confident and hungry. He’s now just six sets from his first Slam title and the start of that journey first takes him through Marin Cilic.

Cilic has had a great run, but I have to wonder how the Croat’s body is holding up. He’s played three five setters already and even though he’s shown that mentally and physically he’s up to task, his tank cannot be 100% at this point. Cilic did crush Murray in shocking fashion at the US Open and he’s got the potential for a repeat performance if Murray plays like lamb. But I don’t think that happens.

I think that Murray is going to continue the aggressive form we saw from him against Nadal and take it to Cilic. Murray’s also been serving big while Cilic has been struggling with a low first serve percentage, and that will allow Murray to really push Marin in his service games.

Murray also has got to sense that this is his time. Federer has looked very beatable, Tsonga and Cilic may be physically ailing while Murray is playing peak-level tennis. Then again, knowing that this tournament is there for the taking, Murray may mentally breakdown and the growing weight of expectation. But I don’t think that happens today. Murray in three.


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97 Comments for Roger Dodges Dayvdenko, Djokovic Runs, Murray v. Cilic Tonight at Australian Open

Eric Says:

Murray in 3? Really? 5, maybe…

I say Cilic in 4, baby! Unless he’s too tired to play – then all bets are off and you might be right.


puckbandit Says:

Let’s hope history doesn’t repeat itself for Murray. In the USO he played a perfect match against Dent, only to be blown away by Cilic. More expectation on Cilic this time, but also raised expectations for Murray as well.

If he brings his brains and brawn to the court tonight like he did against Rafa, he’ll take the match. If not… could be in for a long night.


jimbojones Says:

Cilic will have to play a lot better than he did against Roddick to have a chance versus Murray. I like Murray in 3. Sean and I agree.


Kimmi Says:

Murray has so many options and I think sometimes he does not know which one to use. I was very impressed the way he played Nadal and it was also impressive the way he played Isner. But from now on he needs to play like the way he played Nadal. All these guys remaining in draw have beaten him, some with humiliating defeats. I hope he can continue his aggressive form…this tournament is there for the taking..


Kimo Says:

I’ll miss the match, but I predict Murray in 4 even though I’d like Cilic to win. I don’t think Marin has enough in the tank, but I think he’ll snatch a set off of Murray.


steve Says:

I give Cilic the edge, assuming he has enough left in the tank.

I don’t see this as some huge breakthrough for Murray. He already beat Nadal at USO. We knew he could do it again on a hard court. The only really new revelation in that match was Nadal’s decision to quit.

Defeating Nadal does not equal winning the tournament. And it matters not how many sets you drop, as long as you don’t drop three during any one match.

Conversely, making it to the semis without dropping a set doesn’t mean a bit if you drop three in the next match.

Cilic has gotten past two very great hard-court players to get to this stage. Both Del Potro and Roddick are very aggressive from the baseline and he handled them both.

Nadal’s spin gave Murray time to play his game and unload on his backhand. Cilic hits flatter and more aggressively and can put Murray on the defensive. And he can deal with Murray’s tricky spins and slices.

Cilic is a very smart player and he’s shown true heart to get this far, as well as a mastery of the best-of-five-sets format. Every time it seems he’s out of it for a couple sets, but he manages to bring his best tennis on the crucial points.

So I’m going with Cilic.


puckbandit Says:

Steve,

I see your point about Cilic and you may be right in picking him.

However the “breakthrough” discussed regarding Murray was not the fact he beat Rafa, but in “how” he beat him. For those of us who are Murray fans and have been waiting for him to pick-up his aggressiveness, it was a great thing to see. Like having our prayers answered.


Kimo Says:

puckbandit, I didn’t see the Murray match, but it seems that everyone is in consensus that Murray was aggressive. Ok, maybe he was, but Cilic by nature is a lot more agressive than Rafa, so I don’t think Murray can be as aggressive as he was in the Rafa match.


Andrew Miller Says:

No predictions from me. My lousy predictions have resulted in a lot of well deserved ridicule! No one I picked is in the tournament anymore.


jimbojones Says:

Was Cilic tired versus Roddick? He did not look terribly fluid in his stroke production or serving in the quarters. Maybe a la Delpo he can be a little stiff on court and still win big (he will need to serve above 50% in the match against Murray), but I thought he had more natural snap in his game than what I saw in the quarters.


fed is afraid Says:

once again, how lucky is fed.
davy choked.


Sean Randall Says:

fed is afraid, it seems that everyone but fed is afraid.


jimbojones Says:

What Fed should say, “I am 150-9 in my last 23 Grand Slams. I have either won the title or lost to the eventual champion at 23 consecutive majors. I have the longest and second longest streaks of consecutive Grand Slam final appearances. This is all the more impressive due to having to overcome fear and anxiety.” Come’on dude no one is that lucky get a new name


steve Says:

puckbandit: Murray played very well against Nadal. But a different opponent means the next match will be very different.

Like I said, I pick Cilic, but I’m sure your man will acquit himself well, win or lose.


O-Kerr Says:

Go Federer-Murray final !
My wishes for both.
I will celebrate whoever wins, one bit more than the other.


puckbandit Says:

Steve,

I agree, and Murray is probably the player most willing/capable of adjusting his game to counter an opponent. However, the added aggressiveness displayed in the match with Rafa will, IMHO, be as important a strategy in defeating Cilic as it was in the Rafa match.
Yes, Rafa ad Cilic are very different players. But they both are able to take over points and dictate play. Cilic, with his power, is more dangerous when that part of his game is on – like at the USO.
That is why I mentioned a similar game plan should be considered by Murray.


Long Live The King Says:

“Tennis is such a mental game and again we saw more evidence of that yesterday ”

>>>> Sean, I don’t think tennis is SUCH a mental game. If that were true, nadal and hewitt would be the all time slam leaders and not RF and Sampras. I mean to say tennis is more physical than mental. Ofcourse roger and pete are not mental sissies like some morons (read it as Fed is afraid) claim, but the point is, conditioning and a smooth, injury-proof style of game counts more than the mental aspect.

Chess, Bridge and scrabble – now those are SUCH mental games. Anyway, I dont disagree with your point in this context, but on a general note i am trying to point out, it may not be the case.


jane Says:

Go Murray, all the way! : )

(I like Cilic but Murray needs a slam win more a.t.m.)

I’d like to stay up, I might, but I am so sleep deprived. LOL. Dang tennis.


Ty Says:

Womens tennis…. hahahahahahahahahahahahah… HAHAHAHAHHA..

… oh oh.. hold on a sec… BWAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAAAA.

Clijsters comes back and beats them all silly, so then Henin gets up off the couch and does the same 3 months later. Pathetic. Who is next? Is Graf gonna dust off the racket and win the grand slam next year?


jimbojones Says:

Ty I think I saw Helena Sukova working out her chip return ….

Sean “Tony” Randall is the best writer on this site

Dean Martin is ok but he needs to post more stuff


Kimmi Says:

Poor Zheng! justine is doing a practise session.


Ty Says:

Lets just stop it. Lets just end the womens game for about 5-10 years and let all these mentally fragile women go do something else for a while and then just pick it up again with new players who aren’t afraid to win and do something other than hug the baseline like a moth on a streetlight.


jane Says:

Yep, a beat down by Henin so far. What can we conclude? Does Henin stand a chance of taking out Serena for a repeat of Clijster’s USO run? That’d be something! The other players might have an epiphany; they might … stop bashing? They might … come to net now and again? Hmmm.


Von Says:

Zheng does not know what to do to fend off Henin’s attacks. OUCH, what a beat down.


Kimmi Says:

If justine beat serena..Oh my! I will be the happy camper for a while! Go justine!


Ty Says:

Jane: Absolutely not silly. They are going to continue bashing against each other and then happily lose to the players who actually mix it up and pick up their overinflated paychecks at the end of the day.


Von Says:

Ty:

“They are going to continue bashing against each other and then happily lose to the players who actually mix it up and pick up their overinflated paychecks at the end of the day.”

do you think the women are really that bad? I agree that they’re overpaid, but I also feel that they like the sport and want to do well, except not many of them are blessed with natural talent.


jane Says:

Wow, a breadstick and a bagel. Poor Zheng; she got schooled.

Ty, At least there ARE some who are willing to mix it up, and players like Wozniacki and Kirilenko and Oudin all have a different game than just straight up “attack”; they are good defenders too. Personally, I think the tour is getting better … incrementally, sure, but it’s not so bad that it needs to be shut down! LOL.


Von Says:

jane: The way Serena has played in her last two matches, coupled with her injuries, I think Henin will beat her. Unless serena is holding back and playing some mind games to keep her finalist opponent guessing about her form.


Kimmi Says:

Why the women did not play this quick yesterday..we had to wait the whole night before the men took the stage! for that reason i have been very tired the whole day today..YAK!

justine C’mon..this AO is there for the taking…WOW!


Ty Says:

Well, what do we have to compare them to? Two players are sitting at home for a year and then come back and one wins one of the biggest tournaments there are and the other is in the finals of her second tournament back with only dropping 1 set along the way including beating some hapless woman 6-1, 6-0. They have power but no strategy and only a handful of them are ever able to mix up their tactics and go to plan B which is absolutely necessary in almost every sport especially sports where it is only you out there.


jane Says:

Yeah Von Serena has looked to be on the precipice of defeat, but then again, with Serena who knows? She’s so fierce. Henin is a pretty competitive one though too. It might be a great final? Hope so anyhow.


Ty Says:

I like Justine though, she is a cool little woman.


jane Says:

Ty, I say we blame the academies who coached these women from when they were young girls to bash the ball, to play a particular clone-like style. The coaches have to be more creative. They have to teach their prodigies to develop an all court game, to think out there during the match, to try different tactics when one thing isn’t working. Like the men, though, the women have probably evolved their games based on the top standard. And because the standard has been Serena, they think hit hard and win. The rest don’t have Serena’s mental toughness though. Nor do they have her serve. That’s another thing – the WTA players, a lot of them, NEED better service games.


Long Live The King Says:

Jane:

Give me your phone no. ;) I will give you a call and wake you up when the match starts :D

Too bad Novak lost. The pressure is on, I must say. I am beginning to believe he’s going down the marat safin way, taking his eyes off the prize, though he still has a little more time to turn things around. If murray wins this, Novak’s no.1 pursuit will take a big blow.

I am going to cut Novak slack this time – diarrhea is, ahem, really shitty! I actutally think Novak did himself proud by going staying on court and not retiring, though I personally would have forgiven him, if he retired. I dont get this arguement about it being a mental thing? Is it like nausea or vomitting? I have always thought its a physical ailment. Not the most pleasant topic to discuss, but wat can you do if you have the “runs” and have to play a pro-tennis match?


jane Says:

LLTK, sweet of you to offer.

Yep, Novak has to step it up; at times I wonder if he’s headed down the Marat path too. I want Novak to get to the top by winning, ideally another slam. That is what I am holding out hope for. I am glad he didn’t retire. I don’t get the “mental thing” either. You got flu? It’s not mental as far as I know. And it is flu season. Both Fed and Serena popped off to the toilet during their matches; maybe a bug is circulating. Anyhow, it’s done. He played it out. He congratulated Jo. End of story.

Hope the semis are good!


Skorocel Says:

“Like the men, though, the women have probably evolved their games based on the top standard. And because the standard has been Serena, they think hit hard and win.”

Good morning and welcome to the world of women’s tennis, jane! ;-)


huh Says:

In case there’s a Henin-Serena rematch, I like Serena’s chances in it. Though it’s worth mentioning that neither are my fave by any means, still I’ve been more impressed by Serena Wlliams. Equally good luck to both.


Ra Says:

Nice to see Cilic establishing himself early on.


Gannu Says:

Some fantastic tennis is murray vs. cilic…and i am amazed at cilic playing so well


Ra Says:

Wow, some impressive points in the 5th game. Is anyone up and watching? Am I posting on the wrong thread?


Ra Says:

Oh, hey Gannu.


jane Says:

I am up, but -good god- why?! I need sleep! I’ll watch for a little longer then revert to taping. Cilic has come out of the blocks galloping. He sure moves and volleys considering his considerable verticality. I tend to forget about his height when I watch him. I wonder why that is? I do the same with Delpo, whereas with Karlovic and Isner, they always seem tall. Is it their games, style of play, level?

Looks like Murray may get the break back.


Gannu Says:

Hi Ra.. i am indeed watching.. Its afternoon time in India.. so enjoying this match ;-)


Ra Says:

Nice to see you, jane. Verticality, indeed. Wow, great point to hold. I think Delpo and Cilic are not only shorter than Karlovic and Isner but are also better movers. The former two seem to me to lower themselves for naturally and stay light on a wider base while the latter often seem to be (comparatively) awkwardly bending over and collapsing into themselves. Cilic, though, moves in an altogether softer manner than the other three. Or that’s what I’m seeing, anyway.


Gannu Says:

thats stunning from Cilic.. he takes the 1st set 6-3 and thats the 1st set Mr Murray has lost in this tournament!!!!


Ra Says:

Nice, Gannu. It’s 4:25am in my world, so I’m a little jealous.

That was impressive.


Ty Says:

ruh roh Murray fans.


Ra Says:

Wow, Cilic just eats up that slice…


george Says:

Hmmm… Murray tends to be too passive at times and seems too enamored of his drop shots. I caught that US Open match and Cilic dominated him on the hard court. I think Cilic will pull off an upset. As for Roger being gifted by Davy, to an extent yes, but there are players that get into patches, even Roger in the first set when he couldn’t find the court while Davy was superb. That level can’t be sustained, especially if the player on the other side starts getting his balls in, which is what Roger did. I think both were more competitive in the fourth set but Roger proved tougher.


tenisbebe Says:

Well, the pundits certainly called his wrong so far. Murray was back to his passive self in the 1st set & Cilic was unfazed. I stayed up for this! C’mon Andy, put some action on those shots.


huh Says:

COME ON MURRAY!!! BEAT HIM!


Kimmi Says:

wOW! murray in trouble..he does not match well with Cilic. the big guy is playing much better today..not many errors as Roddick match, and the serve is way up there..could be the match up thing. C’MON Murray don’t give up!


tenisbebe Says:

Fun, fun pt for 3-2 Murray!


Ra Says:

Alright, there we go. Keeping things interesting…


Kimmi Says:

ha ha ha Cilic got lucky with the net cord but Murray WOW! Lets hope this is the change moment.


Ty Says:

There we go Murray.


tenisbebe Says:

OK – how long has this game lasted?


Ra Says:

Sick hold.


tenisbebe Says:

This Cilic expended too much energy on that last game – his tank must be less than half full.


tenisbebe Says:

Oops = too late for me. s/b just be ” Think Cilic expended…”


Vinod Says:

common CILIC !!!!!


tenisbebe Says:

Jane – are you here?


Ra Says:

Sweet! Yeah, Cilic! Back on serve…


Vinod Says:

way to go cilic !!!


tenisbebe Says:

Hopefully Cilic can take the third and keep himself in this thing.


Ra Says:

Looks like this match is all Murray’s unless Cilic finds a serious 2nd or 3rd wind.


Vinod Says:

no second or third wind i think :(


Shailesh Says:

I guess the match is done and dusted for Cilic!!


Kimmi Says:

YES MURRAY..one more game..


Vinod Says:

murray serving for match …


Ra Says:

Wow, talk about a strong finish serving it out… Good show, Murray. Congratulations to his fans. Also, I am now officially a fan of Marin Cilic.


Vinod Says:

good show murray … and congratulations to his fans !!!


Gannu Says:

Andy won.. but yuck… he has a very very big mouth.. his reaction after that shot was quite annoying and irritating too.. wish federer reaches the final and once again defeats andy…


Cindy_Brady Says:

Andy Murray is very ugly and annoying. His personality offends many people. Can’t stand people like that. Hope he falls apart in the final and loses no matter who he faces.

On another note. Why In Hell is the Federer/Tsonga match begin held in the evening. Why not the day so the finalists both get more rest. Players in the first scheduled semi-final get a definite advantage in terms of rest, and that’s not fair.

I could understand if weather delays events and there is no other choice but this is scheduled that way on purpose. Why?


Colin Says:

Cindy, to judge by the exchanges on this board, Murray is not the only one whose “personality offends many people”!
Are we discussing tennis here, or a parade of male models?
a) if you think he’s ugly, you’ve never seen ugly.
b) watch the TENNIS!


Gannu Says:

Colin.. Its as if you are telling.. ask maria sharapova to play nude and dont watch HER but watch how she plays tennis!!..
some things are quite obvious and you cant dissociate the game from the person.. Its a package and its hard to take off your eye from the entire game (tennis, person, presentation etc)..And Andy’s wide open mouth just couldnt be seen.. It was a ghastly scene to see and it just made me cringe… I was quite neutral towards him despite all the shouts and screams.. but after today’s match i just wouldnt tolerate him against Fed or Tsonga.. I really hope someone teaches him how to win with calm and i guess he can take a page or two from fedex.. come on fedex.. Just shut his wide open mouth!!!


Cindy_Brady Says:

Colin,

Never said he needed to look like a model. Murray can’t help it that he got hit by the ugly stick over and over again while falling down from the tree, branch by branch. Physically, he’s homely. I don’t blame him, only his parent’s DNA.

BUT he can improve his image by showing more class to his competitors. He’s both a bad winner and loser. Sulks and makes weird facial expressions at times. He’s just a turn off.

I can’t route for a player like that no matter what his tennis looks like. Federer all the way.

Please, Fed don’t let the ugly win. Beauty should always prevail.


jane Says:

” Players in the first scheduled semi-final get a definite advantage in terms of rest, and that’s not fair.” Cindy, it has always been this way at the AO, and really, this applies at every slam then right? At least each guy gets at least one day’s rest. It could be considered even worse at the USO! They play the semis on Saturday with the final the very next day, and one of the players -in the 2nd semi- could be playing quite late on the Saturday.


Cindy_Brady Says:

Jane,

It’s not always been that way. The men’s semis have traditionally have been played on the SAME day. Only in recent years has the AO chose to schedule them on successive days. Why?

Why not try and make resting times as equitable as possible and schedule them on the same day?

Am I crazy here?


jane Says:

Do you know when it changed Cindy? I guess I am just thinking off the top of recent semis, like in 08 and 09. Last year, Rafa played second and had that marathon with Verdasco with less than 24 hours till the final. So yeah, it can be tough for the second semifinalist, particularly is it’s a grueling match. But as I say, at least they each get one day off, whereas the USO they don’t.


MMT Says:

“Cindy_Brady says: Why not try and make resting times as equitable as possible and schedule them on the same day?

Am I crazy here?”

Anytime you see something in sports that makes ABOSLUTELY no obvious logical sense, you can be sure money is at the root of it. I’m guessing here that television sponsors in Australia want prime time men’s semi-finals. Of course the problem is if you start both in prime-time (either successively or on different courts) you lose some television audience for the sponsors.

So – the brilliant idea of men’s semi-finals on successive days in prime time. Stupid, but effective.


been there Says:

Yeah, I think MMT is right in that assessment. Otherwise why have the women’s semis on the same day, but the men’s on different days? Having them an hour or so apart like in Wimby, FO & USO is one thing..of course, they can’t play at the same time, but at least on the same day.

Money talks.


been there Says:

@10:40:
*’an hour apart or so’…I guess that should be hours apart depending on how long the first match lasts.


scineram Says:

It is fine the way it is. I don’t have to wake at night now.


Joe W Says:

Cindy – they spread out the mens semis for one reason: ESPN nets more $

Re: Murray, well stated. He’s a complete jerk and I rejoice everytime he loses


David Says:

Jane

Rafa certainly had less rest than Fed before last year’s final, but he had more than 24 hours. His semifinal finished some time in the wee hours of Saturday morning and then I guess the final was Sunday evening.


madmax Says:

I think it just has to be accepted with the time scheduling. We have to also appreciate that these are elite athletes, used to playing long matches, expending energy, it would seem that murray would have the advantage in terms of “recovery time”, but then that’s what psychologists, masseurs, physiotherapists, nutritionists and the other members of the team are there for, to instil that confidence, that belief that no what, it is the “will to win” that matters. I think this helps a lot. And – there is no one out there that comes close (in terms of Grand Slam mentality), to roger federer.

But for tomorrow, to concentrate on the second semi final and for roger to come through that. Concentration is needed on that game, after that -another strategy to adopt.


fed is afraid Says:

why should an american network get
to tell the australian open when
to schedule matches?


tenisbebe Says:

fed is afraid Says:”why should an american network get to tell the australian open when
to schedule matches?” They don’t – some poster was shooting blanks. Tennis Australia would take into consideration ALL the networks desires & their willingness to put up the dough for the broadcast rights. ESPN is showing the evening matches in the middle of the night in the US – can’t imagine they could up their viewership enough at that hour to justify the extra $$ they’d have to fork out. The Aussie broadcasters would have the loudest say in this one.


tennislover Says:

jane Says:

“…..Last year, Rafa played second and had that marathon with Verdasco with less than 24 hours till the final…..”

That is simply not correct. Nadal had about 43 hours between the end of the semi final against Verdasco and the start of the final against Federer. Had Cilic won the semi final against Murray, the extra day’s rest would have meant a lot to him ‘coz of the miles he had logged. Not so much for Murray who has been winning most of his matches comfortably. The other semi finalist can hardly complain ‘coz he is likely to get at least 40 hours before the start of the final.

The US open situation is definitely unfair to both players especially the second semi final winner and simply not conducive to producing a good final match if even one of the semi finals is a long-drawn affair.


jane Says:

Thanks for the clarification tennislover. I was mistaken. But I assume, after playing the longest ever AO match in the semis, and then likely not being able to sleep right after, he wouldn’t’ve had as much rest/prep as maybe would be ideal. But yeah, the USO situation is worse. They should scrap “super Saturday”, at least from the players’ perspective.


Huh Says:

Best of Luck Fed!


Huh Says:

Always much is said of the Scheduling situation but we must realise that not too much mercy should be shown to today’s already pampered players. How can we forget 2005 USO where a 24 yr old Fed played a 35 yr old Agassi? Agassi did not complain then! So why should the pampered players of today? We must follow Fed and Rod in this regards who almost never make much of this ‘less rest issue’, rather the rest thing is raised mostly by the Murray, Nadal and Djokovic fans. A bit unfair to guys like Fed and Rod IMO who hardly seem to complain over this stuff. By the way, yesterday Murray agan talked of playing three consecutive days in 2008 USO, very funny! How about DP of 2009 USO, who was a lot less lucky in terms of getting rest than the Murray of 2008(who atually had to play just 3hrs 15 over two days, a lot easier than DP who had to play first a 2.5 hrs semi and then the very next day had to step on the court to play Federer!), keeping in view his frail physique! And similarly some Fed fans also strangely seem to have complained about Fed getting less recovery time than DP for the US final. Very funny again! For that I’d say to the Fed fans, think about 2005 final where their guy, when so young, faced an injured and aged Agassi with the old guy keeping that final still incredibly competitive and yet never whined about his disadvantages(which were honestly a lot!) in comparison to Fed. Thou never an Agassi lover or fan, I felt for him then. These things must be considered, otherwise it’s grave injustice to everyone.


madmax Says:

Huh,

you are right. I think sometimes people forget that we are talking about elite athletes, used to playing tennis, day in, day out. Mostly, they just get on with it.

No excuses. The best man will win on the day!

C’moon Federer!


Huh Says:

Hi Dear Maxi. :)


Nina Says:

You all Murray haters get used to him winning from now on… Go Andy!

@Cindy… keeping with the shallow comments, don’t we? insert rolleyes

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