Nadal, Murray Upset in Queens; Federer Having His Way in Halle

well, looks like fed is bouncing back strong after rg while nadal just isnt used to the surface after two years away.. what was murray doing i saw the first set just errors everywhere from him. rafa should take a day off to rest his body since he called a trainer at the end of second set against dennis istomin, wonder what that is about…

June 12th, 2010 at 3:14 am

This loss is good for Nadal, he gets the much required rest and will be ready for Wimbledon. Hope he will be healthy and make the necessary adjustments for grass…

June 12th, 2010 at 3:14 am

Here are the highlights of Fed’s recent win in Halle over Kohls, some of Fed’s shots described as “gorgeous”, “imperious”, “superb”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBHtT6F6T2A

June 12th, 2010 at 3:33 am

There’s been a general slump this year during the clay season. With the exception of Nadal, the top players either were absent (Del Potro, Davydenko) or posted mediocre results (Federer, Murray).

Now the malaise is continuing into grass season, with all the top seeds out of Queens’. Hopefully Federer will make up for them play well.

June 12th, 2010 at 4:01 am

welcome to the grass season, where service games last 1 minute, there is hardly any tennis played besides serving, and matches often hinge on a couple of points making luck a significant factor.

basically no tension in games because breaks are so rare and once there is one, the set is pretty much sealed.

and some idiots actually want to speed the grass up?
you do that, with the rackets and strings now, might as well just forget playing sets and just play tie breaks.

so boring compared to hard court and clay.

June 12th, 2010 at 4:38 am

Madmax, thanks for the link.

Some stats, from ATP site.

FEDERER ON GRASS – Here is a look at Federer’s incredible grass court record (75-1) since 2003:
2010 – 3-0 2006 – 12-0
2009 – 7-0 2005 – 12-0
2008 – 11-1 2004 – 12-0
2007 – 6-0 2003 – 12-0

June 12th, 2010 at 7:35 am

guy said:

“there is hardly any tennis played besides serving, and matches often hinge on a couple of points making luck a significant factor.”

This statement is so wrong on so many levels. So it’s all about luck now? If luck has anything to do with it, how come we had the same finalists at Wimbledon from 2006 to 2008? How come 6 of the past 7 championships were won by the same guy? How come Fed hasn’t lost a match in Halle in 8 years?

I agree that matchs hinge on very few points, but that doesn’t mean it’s about luck. It means that grass is the most unforgiving surface there is in terms of allowing you to make up for your mistakes. So in order to have long stretches of dominanace on grass, it means you make the least number of mistakes on the surface, not that you’re lucky.

Fed is now 75-1 on grass since 2003. No one is that lucky. He’s just that good.

June 12th, 2010 at 8:03 am

guy,

June 12th, 2010 at 8:25 am

whoops, did not mean to submit that…

guy, Kimo pretty much said it all already, but I wanted to add that there is plenty of tennis besides serving. In my opinion, grass rewards skill much more than clay and is definitely more fun to watch. Also I bet if you went and actually did the math, there aren’t any more tiebreakers than on the other surfaces.

June 12th, 2010 at 8:29 am

max, thanks for the link. Is there anything better to watch than Federer on grass? I don’t think so.

June 12th, 2010 at 8:34 am

Guy, your remarks about grass court tennis make me think you cannot have watched anything of Seler or Schuettler.
The German has just taken the first set against Querrey. By the way, I wish Schuettler would not wear that shirt – the narrow stripes create a shimmering effect on my screen.
Concerning Murray, as a fan I must say I’m finally on the verge of giving up on him. I have a horrible feeling he’ll remain a nearly man.

June 12th, 2010 at 9:28 am

Kimo,

I was just about to respond to Guy’s post and saw yours underneath, I was going to say something similar, if not the same.

Guy, really?

I would ask you to watch the link,
and THEN say the following:-

guy Says:
welcome to the grass season, where service games last 1 minute, there is hardly any tennis played besides serving, and matches often hinge on a couple of points making luck a significant factor.

I honestly don’t know how you can say this – some of the shots, not only by fed, but also kohls were NOT based on luck, but beautiful, strategic shot making. Those shots are really gorgeous to watch. You are missing out guy, if you think that grass court tennis is all about luck. It’s just so not true. Go on Guy :), watch the link and see if you change your mind – just a lil bit!

June 12th, 2010 at 9:28 am

Sam Querrey did get to the final in newport last year and appears to be headed to the Queen’s final this year. I think his swings may be too long and ability to deal with low balls too limited to make the second week, but he has done well in his past 2 grass court events and has a huge serve so …

June 12th, 2010 at 10:15 am

Petzschner is playing exactly like federer style…and giving fed a lot of problems right now.

fed in trouble in this first set

June 12th, 2010 at 10:21 am

classic choking from a low ranked player..

June 12th, 2010 at 10:32 am

federer breaks back. needs to hold

June 12th, 2010 at 10:32 am

Kimo said:
“…I agree that matchs hinge on very few points, but that doesn’t mean it’s about luck. It means that grass is the most unforgiving surface there is in terms of allowing you to make up for your mistakes. So in order to have long stretches of dominanace on grass, it means you make the least number of mistakes on the surface, not that you’re lucky…”

Regarding Federer, that’s exactly my worry. Barring a couple of weeks in Australia, he’s been so error prone. I am pained by a number of facts that I see in his game these days:
– the number of break chances he gives his opponents
– the number of times he fails to defend those
– the dwindling number of times he gets break chances on opponent’s serve
– the even more dwindling number of times he takes advantage of them

I hope I am proven wrong at Wimbledon. Let’s see.

June 12th, 2010 at 10:35 am

tie breaker

June 12th, 2010 at 10:39 am

after a long time, fed wins a set through sheer intimidation..

June 12th, 2010 at 10:44 am

Petzschner was a break up twice in this first set..lets federer back and loses the set.

big scrap through by federer. great match so far. very good slice from Petzschner too

June 12th, 2010 at 10:47 am

The only thing that bothers me about Fed’s serve is he never goes into the body on the 1st serve. Petschner was on fire returning serve in the beginning and Fed should have hit a few hard 1st serves into the body. F-Lo did a great job of that yesterday against Nadal.

June 12th, 2010 at 10:49 am

yap NELTA, Petzschner was connecting those returns in the beginning but federer seem to have found better direction as the match goes on.

June 12th, 2010 at 10:52 am

those damping slice return of serve to the net from federer on second serve are horrible to watch. such a bad miss. second serve has nothing on it and he damps in in the net.

June 12th, 2010 at 10:55 am

important break of serve here

June 12th, 2010 at 11:03 am

phew! what a game for fed to hold. saved 2 break points

June 12th, 2010 at 11:10 am

Fed wins – troubling form though!

June 12th, 2010 at 11:29 am

What’s the score guys? I am at a bar with my friends watching football but can’t stay away from feddy bea

June 12th, 2010 at 11:35 am

Kimmi/Andrew/Gannu,

have posted you on the other thread, so just copied it here as I would really like your feedback: (Gannu, enjoy the football, Argentina v Nigeria? -), me too!

I wasn’t able to get the stream for federer’s match, so will have to wait and watch it later tonight and obviously read his interview when it is published on the official site.

Could you give me a “fair” and “rounded” resume of his match play?

He has been playing really well this tournament and played brilliantly against Kohls yesterday, so perhaps he was just one millisecond off focus today (shouldnt be allowed, I know), but I am positive he will regroup for the final tomorrow.

Andrew/Kimmi, I also find that if Fed hasn’t played a player before (which he hadn’t against Pezschner (!)), it takes him a while to “figure out his game plan” –

so I am not too worried that he wasn’t playing perhaps at his very best today – or should I be????

he had no previous match play to draw upon against his opponent today, whereas yesterday, he had played Kohls four times previously.

I am pretty certain this will have had an impact on his game today – do you agree?

Anyway, the main thing is that Federer won. It may not have been the way he has won in his previous matches to date in this tournament, but Kimmi, I think you wrote that he “fought” in the tiebreaker, so he has that fighting spirit. It hasn’t deserted him and I think with his opponent today, should he play him again, he will have some experience of his game to be able to draw upon.

Well done to Federer today. It will be interesting to read his interview – how he saw his game today.

June 12th, 2010 at 11:41 am

7-6, 6-4…he wins but he should have destroyed the opponent. Troubling win.

June 12th, 2010 at 11:42 am

Andrew,

This is what Petzschner said PRIOR TO his match against Fed today.

Your post above “troubling win”, please explain. You said he should have “destroyed” the opponent. I think you are being a bit harsh. Firstly he hasnt ever played P before. Shouldnt rafa have “destroyed” Istomin?, it went to three sets?

Roger Federer is your role model tenniswise?

PETZSCHNER: I think tenniswise he is the role model of every other tennis player. He is just the best ever. He has the most beautiful strokes, moves easily and is the most complete player. If he wins – I don’t want to underestimate ‘Kohli’, he always plays good matches here in Halle, but if Federer wins a small dream of mine will become true. I always wanted to play him. And if this is here in the semis, it’s even nicer.

How are you going to prepare yourself for the match against Federer? Will you watch video tapes?

PETZSCHNER: No, I have watched him often enough and know what to expect. It is evident if he can play his best tennis, I won’t have a chance to beat him. But I have to believe in my chances. I will try everything, fight for every ball and see whether it will be enough.

11.06.2010

June 12th, 2010 at 11:49 am

Madmax
I certainly wudnt read too much from this tough match.. I did see the first set and the german was just blasting the ball like soderling.. And that’s wat is happening these days.. Everyone thinks that they have nothing to lose..just go and blast the ball and hopefully u win.. If u play safe then fed will gobble u ip..fed played a good match in my view.. Its just that german played a solid first set..the imp point is fed gets extra matches under his belt allez federer..

June 12th, 2010 at 11:54 am

gannu,

thanks.

Also, when you consider Federer’s grass court record since 2003. 176 wins. 1 LOSS. THAT is just amazing. If you’re happy. I’m happy!

June 12th, 2010 at 11:59 am

Madmax – i don’t think federer played bad today, he played well, but Petzschner was also playing well. he has a very good slice (like federer), so i thought there games were a little bit similar though ofcourse fed is a much better player.

in the beginning Petzschner was connecting good returns on federer first serves but later fed started to serve better i thought.

the match was well contested. Petzschner should have taken that first set because he was up a break twice even serving for first set but with poor errors coupled with federer good play he let federer back in and federer took adv of it.

tomorrow hewitt vs federer, federer will need his A game. hewitt is always tough.

June 12th, 2010 at 12:01 pm

Hi Madmax, quite a nice statement from Federer’s opponent today – a dream to play Federer! Quite a gentleman Mr. P.

Federer was down 3-5 to P. in the first set, then got to 6-5 Federer (3 straight games, a hold break hold pattern) and then beat him in an ok tiebreak where the opponent suddenly remembered he was playing Federer (that’s what I think anyhows).

Maybe if it went another set Federer would have got him 6-0. Seems federer just wanted the win anyway it came but I feel you are right: he never played him before, so based on the past (no past to base it on) it would take some time to get a sense of the opponent.

Confused about the Queens club results. I like Querrey and Fish and Flopez as players, I just dont understand the results. Queens has one of the best fields in tennis (meaning the best draws, packed with great opponents). And yes, being from the U.S. I am glad to see Fish and Querrey playing very well. But the results shock me – the opponents in the field were better!

Tennis is what it is.

On the WTA side, I think it’s the Williams unless Henin pulls out some miracles, or someone else steps it up! Personal favorite of course, Kirilenko and Pannetta ha (perhaps motivated by Schiavone’s great win!). One player I like a lot now: Aravane Rezai. Her serve is “poor” but those groundstrokes are like lasers. They scorch the earth.

June 12th, 2010 at 12:02 pm

Fish on the roll, beating Lopez easily. WOW! very impressive from fish.

the all american final in queens, who would have thought. would not be surprised if fish wins the whole thing.

June 12th, 2010 at 12:08 pm

Kimmi, commentators here in UK think that it is going to be FISH.

Andrew,

What a win it would be if it were Schiavone. Do you know what seed she will be at Wimby?

I really liked her game at the FO. She was a breath of fresh air. But you know, it would be wonderful to see Justin win, purely because she returned from her semi-retirement to give wimbledon another shot. I am really positive about her play and I would like to see a henin v schiavone final. I think they have a similar game. Their forehands are just brilliant and I know everyone talks about the justin backhand, but schiavone’s isn’t bad either.

I just like both players.

Kimmi, thanks for the commentary.

June 12th, 2010 at 12:13 pm

Kimmi I am shocked to see Fish and Querrey in the Queens final, about as shocked to see Querrey and Isner in the Serbia clay final. That’s a little bit why I’m concerned about the Queens final: because the Euro clay results led me to believe that the Yanks that played well on the clay would play “well” at Roland Garros, and who ended up playing well?

Yep, Ginepri (who had been in quite the slump!) and Roddick (who had not played a minute on clay the whole season!)

June 12th, 2010 at 12:27 pm

(In other words, does the grass pre-sesason mean anything, other than a chance for a higher ranking and a slightly better Wimbledon seeding?) I thought it would mean a lot from a confidence point of view (a tournament win for Federer would surely help his confidence)

But I thought that is what it meant at Roland Garros, and I was totally wrong, the guys that played well in the clay season did not play great at Roland Garros, with the exception of the usual suspects (Almagro etc)

June 12th, 2010 at 12:29 pm

to draw fish in early rounds at wimbledon wont be fun for top guys. he is ranked 90 at the moment, so possibility for first round clash with top guys..hmmmm. murray wont like it for sure.

June 12th, 2010 at 12:34 pm

Kimmi not sure what is going on with Murray!

June 12th, 2010 at 12:35 pm

Andrew – Fish and querrey in the final at queens is surprising for sure. At least there was not many top players in serbia open..only djoko, so the results there is not too surprising but Queens..NO WAY!

Anyways, they have earned it, especially fish who beat murray..Querrey path was kind of made easy for him by other guys.

June 12th, 2010 at 12:43 pm

“Kimmi not sure what is going on with Murray!”

andrew – me too, but Fish now is a bad match up for murray.

June 12th, 2010 at 12:46 pm

I just read S.L. Price’s French Open write-up and was a little dismayed. He keeps asserting Nadal has few points to defend. Rafa only missed 2 events in 2009 – Queen’s where he picked up a few points (but not as many as he dropped at Rotterdam or Indian Wells) and Wimbledon where he can pick up as many as 2000 points. After that, he does have points to defend. I think Rafa has a mathematical lead in 2010 that needs to be respected, but his semifinal showings in Cincy and at the USO match his best ever showings at those two events. He has two other runner-up finishes to defend (one being worth 600 points). The season finale admittedly is another place where Rafa defends 0 points due to 3 losses in pool play, but the tennis writers at the big places seem to miss a few things here and there on this. Roger also had 0 points at Halle last year so he is likely to pick up a few at least from this week’s effort. It does seem possible that upsets will take place at Wimbledon and that many players will have power games ready to at least make key matches close if not ready to do damage at the event. I don’t think Rafa or Roger are “safe” in the first week. Something strange seems to be afoot in tennis. My gut feeling.

June 12th, 2010 at 12:59 pm

Dan,

I concur. Something unusual (compared to last several years) is very likely to happen. We know Nadal is untouchable on clay and Federer pretty much used to dominate everything big outside that. Well, clay season is over. And, we know Fed is not the old Fed…and as much as I hate to admit it, things are not likely to get better for the Fed (though I believe he will win few more GS).

So the field is very open. If they were not playing like crap, this could be a golden chance for Murray and Djokovic to seize on. Hope Cilic, Dimitrov or someone like that will rise up to the occasion and fill the void left by DelPo.

June 12th, 2010 at 1:25 pm

Djoko looking good to win his doubles. Few more points to get there..

June 12th, 2010 at 1:25 pm

Here is a part analysis of fed’s match today, with a comment from Petzschner.

Even Roger Federer looked a bit shocked as Philipp Petzschner displayed a wide grin. The rank outsider became the first to break Federer’s serve in Halle since 2006, and that right in the first game of the first set. “I am rarely nervous, but today was different,” said Petschner. “After the break, I was happy that at least I would not lose 6-0.”

Federer didn’t take too kindly to being broken, though, and he broke back immediately. “He played great from the beginning and the first set could have gone either way,” said a relieved Federer afterwards. He was right because Petzschner broke again to make it 4-3, this time not even dropping a point. “I presented myself well – maybe that was my best game all week,” he admitted. That’s what the crowd thought too. While Federer had treated them to some marvellous shots in the last few days, it was Petzschner who was stealing all the cheers in the semi-final. The 26-year-old Davis Cup player was aggressive, varied a lot and kept the Swiss on his toes. But Federer broke back again and forced the German into a tie-break. Petzschner could not keep it up, though, and Federer won the mini-break to make it 2-1 and he never let this advantage slip.

Not so much changed in the second set. The game remained even. Even when Federer breaked to make it 3-2, Petzschner kept on fighting. There were no gifted points. “I didn’t know whether he was already playing his best tennis or whether he could improve further, so I was a bit scared,” admitted Federer afterwards. He was glad he won such a tight match and did not crash out of the tournament. “Philipp was not far away from winning.”

The world number two is now concentrating on the final against Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt. “We have known each other for years and once played doubles together in Wimbledon and I always looked up to him. It is something special to play against him,” said the grass court king ahead of the 25th clash with the Australian.

Petzschner was still on cloud nine after the match. “Roger Federer is the non-plus-ultra in tennis. It was an honour to play against him.”

June 12th, 2010 at 1:28 pm

“Nadal had come straight to Queen’s with no rest, arriving at Queen’s the very next day after his Sunday French Open triumph.”

Let’s not forget that Federer won two Halle tournaments after he had played the French Open finals (in 2005 he won Halle after he played the French semifinals). I think in the earlier years, Federer did not get a bye and thus had to play his first round on Tuesday. And still won, without rest.

June 12th, 2010 at 1:29 pm

oh nooo! they are letting their opponents back in..now it will be a dog fight.

June 12th, 2010 at 1:29 pm

Djoko team in the final. great practice for wimbledon

June 12th, 2010 at 1:31 pm

Fish is an interesting case. A few years ago, some commentators reckoned he would eventually be more successful than his friend Roddick, that he had more in his armoury. It seems Fish’s relative failure to develop is due largely to a poor work ethic. Roddick, of course, has always been a true pro.

It seems Fish has decided better late than never, and (taking a leaf out of pal Roddick’s book)has recently lost 25 pounds. Today, he looked sharp as a button against a Lopez who hadn’t recovered yet from the shock of beating Nadal.

John Lloyd cautioned that the amazing form displayed by Fish today is not really sustainable. For tomorrow against Querry, yes, but for SW7? For any athlete, so much depends on peaking at the right moment. Even so, as Kimmi says, drawing Fish in an early round could prove a nightmare for any of the top 4 or 5.

b.t.w., John Lloyd, in the same conversation, let slip this little tidbit. “we tennis players are good winners but rotten losers”. Thus a wife/girl friend tries to soothe the feelings of her beaten chap by announcing brightly:”you played well, today!” To be met with the snarling response,”what d’ya mean I played well – I lost, didn’t I?” This suggests what I have always suspected, that those players who appear to take a loss graciously on the chin have a good eye for PR, and are simply saving the tantrums for later. Those, on the other hand, who scowl and offer the most cursory of handshakes, stalk off the court in barely concealed rage, are getting the crap out of their system and in half an hour or so, will likely be more eventempered than those smiling “good sports”……

June 12th, 2010 at 1:32 pm

“Also, when you consider Federer’s grass court record since 2003. 176 wins. 1 LOSS.”

Well, you have padded up that record by 100. Its 76-1 actually.

June 12th, 2010 at 1:47 pm

cannot believe F-lo beat rafa. i am ” flabbergasted” ( i think that’s a word ) shocked. but…the news is:

gubis and nadal now have one thing in common: pulled hamstrings.

truly pulled hamstrings do not heal fast- depending if it’s a “pull” or actually torn; or involves inflammation near sciatic nerve or what.

of course no news on ernie. and i have been looking.

just thought i’d ‘pipe up’ and throw my 2 cents in. wondering if EG will be ready for grass. he did well against nadal in 08.

anyyyywayyys- yay for federer! he eeked by PP.

big shout out to Madmax and Kimmi, Huh, skeezerweezer, and fedfans all!

wow, i hope cilic, murray, nole, roddick all get it together for wimby. let’s have a tournament, k?

June 12th, 2010 at 2:23 pm

doesn’t f-lo get fined for beating nadal? i mean the armada boys gots to stick together, right?

where is mr. dimples? i don’t see him in a draw.

June 12th, 2010 at 2:28 pm

“Concerning Murray, as a fan I must say I’m finally on the verge of giving up on him. I have a horrible feeling he’ll remain a nearly man.”

Yeah, he does tend to drive his fans crazy. It is indeed incredibly frustrating to see him waste his wonderful talent. I guess he is yet to recover from that AO final loss where, by his own admission, he played the best tennis of his life and yet finished second best. He was probably shocked that Federer could still produce such high-level stuff.

It was almost as if he went into the final extremely confident that his time had come and expected to win relatively easily. He played a very good match too and his level would have sufficed against almost any other player. It is just that he had not imagined that he would be unlucky enough to be at the receiving end of one of the finest displays from Federer.

It is difficult to digest two losses, and pretty bad losses at that, in two slam finals when your opponent is supposedly declining and you think you have a very good chance or have a measure of him because of your h2h at smaller events. I suspect this is a problem with Djokovic too. Just when they thought that their time had come with Nadal struggling and Federer apparently losing motivation or declining, they find that these two are not going anywhere. Nadal is even more formidable now and Federer is still a huge contender at the slams at least. Continuously playing second fiddle to these two is not easy to accept for hugely ambitious players like Murray and Djoker and it can be very demoralizing. After all, the window of opportunity to create your own legacy is not open for a very long period.

Apart from this mental or psychological aspect, or maybe because of it, both of them seem to be struggling with their games. If Murray can fix his serve, especially his second serve, he will be a big contender at most events. Ditto for Djokovic. It goes without saying that they must prepare themselves mentally to challenge the duopoly. Both of them could take a leaf out of Nadal’s book.

June 12th, 2010 at 2:41 pm

Fish played against Nadal a couple of years ago at Wimbledon. I thought with his style of play he would give RN some trouble but no. he got rolled. RN really exposed his limitations in movement. also I will never forgive him for beating James Blake at the USO in 2008 ruining an anticipated QF clash btw Blake and Nadal on the fast USO courts. Fish made it to the QFs and then rolled over like a dead dog for Nadal.

June 12th, 2010 at 2:46 pm

Delpo had carpel tunnel repair, which can take time to rehab for someone who needs to have confidence again in his monster forehand.

But i believe in delpo. take your time juan. we all want you back strong.

i agree with Dan, he could have been #1 and think he still can.

also have thought same about murray and djoko. they suffer from defeated hopes. suck it up guys. get your minds “sorted” and compete!

i don’t know about davy on grass but he will be tough later in the season. he has no problem facing rafa and roger.

June 12th, 2010 at 3:27 pm

tennislover, not the information I found on the website nor confirmed by sue barker this afternoon. Fed’s grass court wins since 2003 state very clearly, 176 wins to 1 loss. If that’s wrong, can you name your source? Thanks.

June 12th, 2010 at 6:42 pm

I agree with Dan Martin that there is something going on in tennis – it might be nearing the end of the dynasties Williams and Federer. Federer’s best is still better than everyone else’s…but he has not played his best since January.

Still: the defending champ is near impossible to beat on the green stuff. Nadal’s loss to Lopez was surpising.

The maturation of the “big fellas” continues to take place. Querrey in the Queens final, Isner’s serve always makes him dangerous, perennial underachiever Berdych playing better, diddo Soderling, the consistent play of FVerdasco and now FLopez, Cilic’s rise, Tsonga’s rise – all of these big guys must make Davydenko/Djokovic/Nalbandian etc a little nervous.

June 12th, 2010 at 7:28 pm

madmax,

There aren’t enough matches on grass for Fed to get to that kind of total. Since 2003, he has played 7 Wimbledon (maximum 49 matches) and Halle 6 times, including this year (maximum 24 matches). So his win count since 2003 should be in the 70’s (I am not sure of the exact total since I don’t know if he played all matches, on some occasions the opponent may have withdrawn).

June 12th, 2010 at 8:20 pm

Dan,

I am not so sure about DePo either. He would have had a great chance had he not got injured. But like Nadal, I think he got injured because of the stress he was creating as a result of his game. If that’s the case, it’s a bigger testimony to Fed’s game and fitness.

Cilic has caught my eye now. I think he has the game and the steady head on his shoulders to make a breakthrough. If he does that, it will be like a breath of fresh air again.

June 12th, 2010 at 8:27 pm

Madmax,
Go to Roger’s profile on the atp site and click his match record. It is 88-12 overall on grass with 11 titles. I am not giving the link in this post post because I don’t want it to go under moderation. My next post has it if you are willing to wait a bit.

June 12th, 2010 at 8:36 pm

http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Players/Top-Players/Roger-Federer.aspx?t=mr

June 12th, 2010 at 8:37 pm

“blank Says:
Dan,

I am not so sure about DePo either. He would have had a great chance had he not got injured. But like Nadal, I think he got injured because of the stress he was creating as a result of his game. If that’s the case, it’s a bigger testimony to Fed’s game and fitness.

Cilic has caught my eye now. I think he has the game and the steady head on his shoulders to make a breakthrough. If he does that, it will be like a breath of fresh air again.”

crowning a guy No. 1 based on speculation is just that speculation. Delpo is/was a great player, a GS champion. but No.1 i a level above even grand slam champ. you need 3 things to be No. 1

1. consistency in all events and surfaces.
2. big wins at big times.
3. grand slam wins

delpo had no. 3. he had yet to prove he could master no.1 well enough to be #1.

as for Cilic he is a good player so far. but can he make the leap to the next level. that is always a big if. mentally and physically. he has to be mor ethan consistent. he has to be brilliant. he hasn’t done that yet.

and just as an aside. there is a lot of talk about
points and rankings. let us remember that the rankings that count are those at the end of the year when everything is tallied and we still have a way to go yet.

June 12th, 2010 at 8:57 pm

contador,

Shout out back to you :). Didn’t know Gulbis pulled a Hammy. Any news if he is gonna play Wimby?

June 12th, 2010 at 10:13 pm

tennislover@ 2.14: nice post, good analysis, ta.
I know I’m gonna sound like a whinging Brit, but what the heck?? Andy M often starts matches really slowly, and, with the last two, has been unlucky. Against Birdie he was just getting some rhythm when they had to come off, against Fish the same thing happened again. He wasn’t consulted on that one and was mighty cross, unfortunately he was still cross next day.
He did point out they’d played in far worse onditions at RG. Beeb commentators said just bring in light metres, arguements over.
As tennislover pointed out, Djko and Andy probably started out with such high hopes only to find out that the old glass ceiling remained shatterproof!
Sport is cruel isn’t it? Andy played his best to get to the Australian final, only to get there and lose in front of the world. How tough is that? I just hope that that moment was not the defining one of his career.
skeezer: hi! Don’t post while Rafa-Roger Ranting goes on and on, does my head in.
jane: where are YOU?

June 13th, 2010 at 2:20 am

tennislover.

Thanks. I stand corrected.

I watched an interview yesterday with Sue Barker, John Lloyd and Andrew Castle. Sue Barker mentioned his grass court record (expert), nodded in agreement by both Lloyd and Castle (2 more tennis experts!).

So made a note of it in my catalogue of notes. But thanks to you for clarifying.

(I thought it was MIGHTY AWESOME to have THAT many!).

June 13th, 2010 at 2:43 am

blank,

thanks for that.

June 13th, 2010 at 3:44 am

skeezer, re Gulbis: it looks like he’ll play at The Boodles challange next week.

http://www.theboodles.com/view_players.php

So, I guess, he is going to play at Wimby, too..

June 13th, 2010 at 5:53 am

*and tennislover*, thanks.

June 13th, 2010 at 6:14 am

Here is Fed’s stat factual stat on grass (his losses):
(1) Between 1999 (his debut) and 2002, Fed lost four times at Wimby, to Jiri Novak in ’99 (1st Rd), to Kafelnikov in ’00 (1st Rd.), to Henman ’01 (QF), to Ancic in ’02 (1st Rd.. Between 2003-2009, He lost once at Wimby, to Nadal in ’08 (Final).

(2) Between 2000 (debut) and 20, Fed has lost 3 times at Halle, to M. Chang in ’00 (QF), to Rafter in ’01 (QF), to Kiefer in ’02 (SF). Between 2003-2010, he lost once, to Hewitt in ’10 (Final).

(3) Between 2001 (debut)-2002, Fed lost twice at s-Hertogenbosch (Netherlands),to Hewitt in ’01 (SF) and to a Dutch Schalken in ’02 (QF). Those are the only times he played here.

(4) Fed played Eastbourne (Nottingham) once, lost to Fromberg in ’00 (R32).

(5) Fed played Queen’s once, lost to Byran Black in ’99 (1st Rd).

As for career record on grass, Fed has 92-13 with 11 titles.
Between 2003-2010, 92-2 with 11 titles, i.e. he has lost only twice since his 1st title on grass at Halle in ’03, which he followed with Wimby ’03 title. Prior to ’03, Fed had not reached beyond semifinal on grass.

June 13th, 2010 at 8:38 pm

Correction:
“Between 2003-2010, 92-2 with 11 titles” s/b= “Between 2003-2010, 76-2 with 11 titles.”

June 13th, 2010 at 8:53 pm

Tennislover said this about Murray “It was almost as if he went into the final extremely confident that his time had come and expected to win relatively easily.”

I agree with this, and remember at the time, how there was this groundswell in the media that had all but anointed Murray the AO championship. All the media talk up to the final, from the very beginning of the tournament, seemed to all focus on Murray winning, and I kind of wondered where that all came from seemingly out of nowhere. Perhaps, Andy just couldn’t handle the expectations.

I’m a Federer/Nadal fan, but am kind of hoping for Murray to win Wimbledon, just to get the monkey off the poor chap’s back. I read an article somewhere where Uncle Toni was trying to incorporate aspects of Murray’s serve into Rafa’s game, because they both admire it so much. Perhaps Andy should take note, and try to incorporate some of Nadal’s mental grit into his game.

June 13th, 2010 at 8:54 pm