Bartoli will never, ever have a shot to win a Slam. She’s just not good enough. Don’t know why she’s become a popular pick this year as a danger player.

Not sure Murray would take down Nadal if they reach the semis, but it’s certainly plausible. I like Djokovic over Rafa in four for the final.

I agree with Sean about Serena on both counts. She’s my pick to win, but I have a feeling she won’t. The problem is figuring out who would beat her and who would win the tournament if she lost. I can’t do it.

Blake has a real shot at the quarters. I follow his career as closely as anyone, and he’s been better this year than anyone realizes without having a single significant run in a tournament to prove it. He’s been mentally there in every match until his loss to Haase last week. He’s never lost to likely second-round foe Ferrer, including a blowout win last year at Indian Wells when he already was in decline, and Ferrer played like crap in Cincinnati. Even when Blake is on, he struggles against big servers, but he won’t play one until the fourth round.

August 28th, 2011 at 11:41 pm

Tough to pick an injured Djokovic against the field. Gutsy call as calls go. I’d like to see DelPotro enter the mix again but it’s probably too early for that. With Novak not a 100% and Nadal seemingly in a bit of a funk, there does appear to be a small window available for Fed to push through and break the Open era record of 5 US Opens held by Connors and Sampras. I’ll go out on a limb and pick Fed. Funny thing is, whenever I pick him to win a slam, he doesn’t.

There is this opinion (that I happen to agree with), that Federer will win another slam or two. This surface is Fed’s best and with Nadal and Djokovic not firing on all cylinders, now seems as good a time as any for Fed to get another major.

August 28th, 2011 at 11:45 pm

Hope the Sean Jinx does not catch up with Djokovic ? Ofcourse given his recent form and the high level of confidence, he stands head and shoulders above the prevailing competition. It would be worthwhile to remember that only Federer’s best display was able to overcome Djokovic at the French which ironically helped Nadal in the finals. Otherwise, I am pretty sure that Djokovic would have beaten Nadal at his favourite surface since he is now more at home on Clay than other surfaces especially against Nadal. Remember the two Masters series finals where Nadal was dispatched in straight sets. If at all, Nadal gave a fight it was in the hard courts. Therefore, to beat Djokovic at the US you need to rely on his shoulder problem or a dip in his level of play (which looks an outside possibility) or a Federer at his very best. Neither Nadal or Murray at their best can give a in-form Djokovic a run for the money. It can only be Federer at his sublime best who can trouble Djokovic.

August 29th, 2011 at 12:20 am

I also completely agree with michael’s post. For me nole has looked best on clay, which I also feel is his best surface. They way he took rafa out in straight sets, was astonishing. I really think had roger not beaten nole then the djoker would have claimed the FO. I think the rest have a chance against him, let’s face it rafa has done his best against him on hard courts, Murray beat him on hard and federer has a strong record at the USO. But for any of them to win nole’s level has to drop in order for them to win. Murray will not win against a on song nole in a grand slam final. Rafa has already mentioned that he feels his game doesn’t bother nole. The ONLY 1 who can beat nole is federer. On top form I think his best can beat this nole. But nole should win, if he doesn’t then it’s federer- provided nadal isn’t in the final:-)

August 29th, 2011 at 1:08 am

Agree with your pick for Novak to win, but, i dont think it will be murray at the other side.
as much as i want murray in the final, i dont really see, he can beat Nadal, especially at semifinal grand slam.
he is a good player, if this is not grandslam, he will win, straigh set,but, we know, his problem with the final big state, and big names.
But, if some one else, who ever, come out to be Murray opponent at the semi, beside Nadal, he will win, and maybe lost to novak for the final stage.

August 29th, 2011 at 1:14 am

There is no aay with Rafa’s “walk don’t run” draw he is not in the final. Custom fit shoe. Sorry Murray fans, and i will gladly eat my hat if Murray makes the final.

August 29th, 2011 at 1:19 am

funches, what do you think about Blake’s loss to Baggy at Wimbledon? I felt like maybe in that match it mentally slipped away from him. He should’ve won that. Anyhow, when I saw him play Delpo in L.A. I was impressed. He did look good. He just needs to get over the “hump” in some matches, if you know what I mean.

August 29th, 2011 at 1:19 am

Dimitrov vs. La Monf and Cilic vs. Harrison could both be good matches tomorrow. Yay, another slam!

August 29th, 2011 at 1:23 am

@ skeezerweezer : rafa has got an ideal draw, as a nadal fan I could not have hand picked a better one for him! However, post Wimbledon he’s looked awful- out of touch, form and confidence. He could play himself into form, then maybe be primed to beat Murray, but to win? I can’t see him beating nole in the final, and for me the real final would be the semi final between nole and federer- whoever wins that 1 wins the trophy I feel.

August 29th, 2011 at 1:28 am

@ jane: who do feel will make it to the final from this draw?

August 29th, 2011 at 1:29 am

This article just came over the ticker @ tennis.com. quite interesting to say the least!

first of all, I’m posting it because when i questioned novak’s gluten-free diet and suggested that i couldn’t see how a diet was responsible for his stamina certain posters quickly responded by outlining all the reasons and technical parts of his games that had improve. at the same time i knew that his game was basically the same as always… despite what reasons given by writers, commentators, fans, etc. i was convinced it was more to Novak’s overnight transformation of stamina and fitness than meets the eye. I knew there was no way a player could recover from back to back matches week in and week out without having some kind of assistance outside the norm. I knew that if he could outlast Nadal consistently and Nadal has worked on fitness his entire career, something wasn’t quite right. all of a sudden a player with a puny, sickly medical history starts to outlast every player he goes up against, in my mind, something isn’t adding up. I never ever believed that his new found stamina was due to a gluten-free diet and two davis cup matches. i’m not that gullible!

if this article is true, this proves that he does have assistance to increase his stamina and to recovered from matches. apparently, it is something that athletes are allowed to do, but that’s not my point. my point is, it explains what has been helping him to beat nadal. i’m certainly not surprised, not at all because i know a sport like tennis is too grueling to do what Novak has been doing without his body involuntarily succumbing to the fatigue and stress sooner or later. i had told family members many times during this eight months that i didn’t know what novak is doing exactly, but he’s doing something to get energy and prevent exhaustion. again, if this information is true, i hope he hasn’t sold his soul to the devil just to get ahead. that would be tragic!

i can’t help but wonder why this is just now being revealed after 8 months of him owning the tour. very strange!

btw, before some of you get the idea that attacking me for posting will make it go away, don’t bother. i didn’t write the article and it wouldn’t do you any good to attack me anyway because i don’t care what you think about me. again, i posted it because i get sick of hypocrites who sweep stuff under the rug when it comes to certain players but when it comes to a player like nadal it’s ok to make unsubstantiated allegations. you guys may dismiss as nothing, i wouldn’t be surprise, but to me, it speaks volumes!

Anyway, the following is the article:

Djokovic using hyperbaric chamber for recovery
Ticker – Sunday, August 28, 2011

Novak Djokovic tells the Wall Street Journal that to recover, he’s been sitting in a hyperbaric chamber that is said to simulate high altitude and compress the muscles at rhythmic intervals.

The machine, which is made by CVAC Systems and called the CVAC Pod, costs $75,000. The company claims that spending up to 20 minutes in the pod three times a week can boost athletic performance by improving circulation, boosting red-blood cells, removing lactic acid and maybe aid in stem-cell production.

“I think it really helps—not with muscle but more with recovery after an exhausting set,” Djokovic said. “It’s like a spaceship. It’s very interesting technology.”

CVAC Systems CEO Allen Ruszkowski claims that the technology may be twice as effective at helping the body absorb oxygen as blood doping, which is banned as a performance enhancement. Other athletes are said to use the pod. Ruszkowski said they do so “because they feel it’s a competitive advantage.”

During the U.S. Open, Djokovic is said to be staying in the New Jersey home of former pro Gordon Uehling, who owns such a machine. Another former touring pro, Geoff Grant, tried the machine and said that that some of his current clients “say it’s like a drug. It’s weird—it’s definitely something from the future.”

August 29th, 2011 at 1:42 am

Brando, I am not sure. i am going to do my bracket picks and then I will get a clearer sense of things. I feel like it’s “open”.

Mem, parts of the article seem to be missing from the post. I read the whole thing, including P-Mac’s comments, and those are not there. The machine helps with oxygen absorption, like going up to the mountains: it is above board.

August 29th, 2011 at 1:56 am

I guess CVAC is used for fibromyalgia sufferers and has been used “for years” by athletes. Here’s a link:

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/space-age-pod-shows-positive-benefits-for-relieving-symptoms-of-fibromyalgia-113348379.html

August 29th, 2011 at 2:04 am

P-Mac said this in the WSJ article:

“Patrick McEnroe, the USTA’s director of player development, says he’s skeptical that any such contraption could have much impact on tennis performance. “I don’t really take this stuff particularly seriously,” says McEnroe, noting that Djokovic has not only improved his fitness this year but has also fixed key problems in his game, revamping his serve and developing a newly devastating forehand. “Maybe there are a few things that have helped (Djokovic) mentally, but let’s remember that before he tried his gluten-free diet or went into a hyperbaric chamber he had already won a Grand Slam and beat Roger Federer.”

August 29th, 2011 at 2:07 am

jane,

i told you my point! it’s clear that the machine helps him recover from matches and as a result he is able to outlast his opponent. now you can phrase that anyway you want or you can coat it with cream and sugar, but it doesn’t change the facts.

once again, doesn’t matter if using the machine is legal or illegal, he’s still gaining an advantage over his opponents, which i believe to be unfair and dishonest. now you guys can see it any way you want, but this is the way i see it.

August 29th, 2011 at 2:12 am

Fair enough mem.

August 29th, 2011 at 2:13 am

Patrick Mcenroe can go jump in a lake with that lame brain crap.

did patrick suggest that what novak is doing doesn’t help his tennis performance. tell patrick to tell that to all those players whom novak has recovered overnight to outlast the next day. funny thing is, if it’s not helping his performance why on earth would he risk his health to go that far to do it? i guess patrick thinks we all are idiots when in reality it’s him who is the idiot for making such a comment! what a joke this guy is!

August 29th, 2011 at 2:38 am

Mem,
Nothing wrong with using hyperbaric chamber,some hockey players and other athletes are using it regularly. Anybody can use it, it’s what you believe in and what works for you. I must say you are way out of line calling Djokovic dishonest and unfair. Do your research first before you judge others!!!

August 29th, 2011 at 2:42 am

King,

which part of what i wrote did you not understand?
why did it take a 57-2 winning streak over 8 months before he revealed what he is doing to win? today is my first time reading about this method he’s using. he was asked months ago by the media to explain his diet and how it contributed to his recent success and he replied “it’s private.”

and just in case you didn’t understand the first time, i’ll say it again, the way he’s winning is UNFAIR AND DISHONEST! are you kidding me? he’s using a machine to recover from matches in order to win and you think that’s fair to other players? do you know anything about integrity in competition or you just don’t care. would it be meaningless to you had it been nadal instead of djokovic using a machine to help him recover in order to keep winning?

so don’t lecture me on research. the article is quite clear. feel free to disagree or to jump un and down if you like, but it certainly won’t change my opinion.

August 29th, 2011 at 3:02 am

I don’t think this is a health risk ( Hope not!) judging from that article / link I posted, as it is used at clinics to help chronic diseases. However, I do not know much about these sorts of devices, other than what I have just read recently w.r.t. Nole.
Obviously ahletes try loads of different things to help improve performance / stamina / recovery: including changed diets, different equipment, new training regimes, cortisone shots, massage, ice baths, etc. I remember during the FO reading something about Muzza having a very expensive ice bath device installed at his home to help quicken recovery. This egg-thingy isn’t banned. Maybe lots of players will use it in the future… Or not. Hard to say. This is the first I have heard of hyperbaric chambers etc.

August 29th, 2011 at 3:07 am

Mem, I dont know about the hyperbaric chamber, but as for your skepticism of the benefits of his gluten free diet. When there was all this talk of novak’s gluten free diet, I went and asked my dad, who is a gastroenterologist and deals with people who have allergies to gluten, and asked what the effects of being allergic are. what he told me is that in your intestines you have trillions of tiny little folds with a total surface area large enough to fill a tennis court. When someone who has an allergy to gluten eats a glutenous product, these trillions of little folds close off and don’t absorb all of the consumed nutrients properly. If all this is true, then it makes perfect sense how his allergy could have affected his performance and stamina in the past. I would imagine if you weren’t getting proper nutrients you would see major problems in athletic performance and if the problem was addressed than it would be logical to assume that he could see major improvements in both stamina and recovery. I was also told however that allergies to gluten are quite rare. I am not questioning what you are saying, just giving you something to consider in his rapid improvement in fitness.

August 29th, 2011 at 3:20 am

Jane,

here’s a link to an article about novak and the hyperbaric chamber. you may have read it already.

http://msn.foxsports.com/tennis/story/novak-djokovic-us-open-secret-egg-pod-082811

Adam,

yes, i am a skeptic but i don’t deny that a gluten free diet may possible help improve stamina to some extent but not enough to reach novak’s level and sustain it consistently.

if you know anything about sports and i do, you would know that stamina and fitness of that magnitude improve over time when done via exercise and diet, not over a few weeks. ask any fitness expert! major improvements are just not achieved over night.

August 29th, 2011 at 3:47 am

reasonably significant strides in fitness can be made in weeks, and that change in diet may have allowed him to improve his fitness quicker and more significantly than others. His improvement is not quite as night and day as people have made it out to be. he did have an offseason before his streak began which was time to put in extra fitness, and like even rafa said in his last interview, its not like novak was some nobody before. He was already a top three player, a grand slam champ, and a huge factor in any tournament. the margin between the top guys is relatively small. sometimes even the smallest adjustments can translate to huge improvements in results. We saw him break down this summer. He is extremely fit, but he still has his limitations.

August 29th, 2011 at 4:11 am

makes me wonder if nadal had not been using all along during his running-like-a-chicken-with-no-head career. mem some players have mental blocks against one another. me personally thinks you have one against yourself. i think you need a serious brain transplant

August 29th, 2011 at 4:21 am

Adam,

sorry, i don’t agree! his stamina/endurance is like night and day since the 2010 usopen. no need to explain it to me, i can see! also, i understand why he felt he had to resort this method. he knows there was no way he could ever beat nadal consistently without help. the article said that he tried this method after the 2010 usopen; so, i guess he made up his mind after another defeat at the hands of nadal, but i’m curious as to why commentators and writers who saw the drastic change in his endurance level, not mention this method during commentary or press conferences. they probably knew about it. if they so thought there wasn’t anything questionable about it, why not tell all of us. they discuss everything else in the commentary booth.

anyway, if novak can live with it so can i. i’m glad to find out what he has been doing to gain the edge. i knew something was going on and i’m sure nadal knows it too now and he can rest peaceably knowing that he was playing a player who actually had some extra help in defeating him. so nadal should feel differently about those losses now. i know i would if i were him! we’ll see how it all unfolds!

August 29th, 2011 at 4:32 am

ding dong,

one thing is for certain your name does you justice. it couldn’t fit you any better. it matches your intellect. need i say more!

August 29th, 2011 at 4:35 am

This is really a matter of abitrary definitions. Some religious groups refuse to use what they regard as unacceptable modern technology, but what is technology? The first crude flint hand-axes were technology; so was the cooking of food.
Mountaineers started using technology when they started using ropes and pitons, never mind oxygen, but as far as I know there is no move to ignore climbs made with these aids.
Any advantage gained by Djokovic from the use of this chamber thingy is not unfair as long as the thing is legal, because if it is legal then everyone would be allowed to use it. What would prevent everyone from doing so? That’s easy – as so often in this world it comes down to money. In that area the top players always have an advantage over the also-rans, and they always will. The only situation where this wouldn’t apply, and talent would be the only criterion, would be one such as existed in the Soviet Union, and we all know some of the horrid results of that sports system.

August 29th, 2011 at 4:40 am

So you have a mind after all mem. not bad to say the least. you’re so cropped up in the nadalogy of tennis that i think you have inherited his entire personality.excuses, reasons why he shouldnt lose, reasons why djoker shouldnt be better etc etc etc. you have now jumped off the federer fans. you are just as pathetic as nadal. get a life

August 29th, 2011 at 5:01 am

Mem, please explain to me how can used that machnine during the masters series 1000 when he played every day and travel across the globe.It is one of only 20 in the world so he can used it only in one town-contry. Nobody complained when he switch rackets in 2009 and his unforced error rose about 40%,the first 6 months in 2010 he was without his serve. It was ok to mock Novak with breathing problems, bad racket, no serve but now when he is winning all you Fedal fans accuse him that he is a deceiver and have no class. Well im glad that the era of “Roger the Party Pooper” and I play good no – “Rafa the Bu** Picker” is over.

August 29th, 2011 at 5:02 am

I suppose ATP and WADA will have to decide whether the use of this pod is in the best interests of the sport or not. According to an article on the matter, the following was stated:

“In 2006 the World Anti-Doping Agency ruled that such oxygen tents enhance performance and violate “the spirit of sport,” but did not add them to the list of banned substances and methods, saying it would wait until further studies were conducted.”

It was further stated: “The company claims that spending up to 20 minutes in the pod three times a week can boost athletic performance by improving circulation, boosting oxygen-rich red-blood cells, removing lactic acid and possibly even stimulating mitochondrial biogenesis and stem-cell production.”

I doubt that WADA would be allowed to ignore this situation on the basis that it could possibly stimulate mitochondrial biogenesis and stem-cell production’ and am sure that they will rule on the matter. Perhaps, the other top players could try the chamber, which would place them all on common ground of competitiveness, if they find the device to be objectionable. But then again, they most probably know about this device and don’t care to be botheredusing it. I suppose it’s all a matter of what works best for each player.

August 29th, 2011 at 5:02 am

@Colin: I’m sure the other players know about this device, and money’s no problem for them. I think it’s all a matter of personal choice. Also, it might not work as well for one player as it would for the other.

August 29th, 2011 at 5:49 am

wow such hatred flying around again,it reminds me of the playground,when i was a kid,my dads bigger than your dad,cant we just talk tennis.

August 29th, 2011 at 8:01 am

@mem:

I don’t know why you are so upset. It is legal, and everybody can use the device. Top players probably all know about it. It is their choice to use it or not. If WADA forbids it, then it will be different.

It is also obvious that you didn’t watch Djokovic in 2007 and 2008.

Anyway, you should go to THASP site, where you can post. You can find also a lot of infos about Rafa there. I am certain you will be pleased.

August 29th, 2011 at 9:01 am

I live in the oxygen tent. Or pressurized egg as some people call it.

August 29th, 2011 at 9:30 am

Choki,

you can paint the picture any color you like and call rafa and roger any name you like if it makes you feel matter. fact is, win or lose, they are not trying to gain an unfair advantage over the opponent. they win or lose the right way and no one has proven otherwise thusly.

i don’t need to explain anything to you. i’m not the one to answer your questions, i didn’t write the article. i stated my opinion in regards to the article and my opinion is that what he’s doing helps improve performance and “violates the spirit of the sport.” i didn’t ask you or anyone else to support my opinion.

bottom line is what i believed all along was true and now i know the little method that you guys call nothing helped novak defeat nadal and other players too and just knowing that is good enough for me. i’m sure it will be swept under the rug and brushed aside as nothing. i expect that and i don’t care one way of the other. i know the truth and that’s all that matters!

August 29th, 2011 at 9:30 am

Memy, you must be in immense pain…

I understand you. Try crying. It helps.

Five times in a row… Huh, brutal…

long live the Egg!!!

August 29th, 2011 at 9:45 am

Humble, and they inject you with these centrifuged blood cells to help cure your tendinitis, right?

Placenta, too?

Keep on going, champ! I support you all the way! You should and you ought to do anything legal!

You are a real champion, take care of your career like one.

Hypocrites down!!! I was sincere all the way, so help me God.

August 29th, 2011 at 9:56 am

duro,

i’m doing quite well, thank you!

i applaud you for trying to put on a brave face, but
i always say things are not always what they seem.
yes, five defeats would be really tough to take if the player who is handing out the defeats was actually doing it all on his own merit. didn’t quite happen that way did it?

August 29th, 2011 at 9:57 am

As usual bunch of f****n morons arguing on this blog. Eveyrybody knows best. Amusing and pathetic.

August 29th, 2011 at 9:58 am

Memy, it did silly!!! Wake up! I know it’s easier this way, but… It’s a chamber only!!! Available if fancied to anyone!!! Are you sure your champ never used it as well? Nole only revealed it, others didn’t yet. Murry with a bath 15000 pounds ice tub, Rafa with famous cocktails and injections, Nole with the egg, diet, mantras and doctors, Alpine cycling and everything, Fed with purest talent etc etc… Come on! Wake up. Top athletes, top technologies. Legality is all that matters.

August 29th, 2011 at 10:03 am

Oy vey, again!

How many faces you have, woman???

August 29th, 2011 at 10:04 am

I thought we all got passed the enhancing stuff. Didn’t this all start with Rafa’s controversial knee therapy?

It’s all legal, so wtf?

August 29th, 2011 at 10:06 am

I may be wrong, but I think the draw has Tsonga and Fish playing in the round of 16, the winner of that would meet Federer in the quarters. So Federer wouldn’t have to get through BOTH.

August 29th, 2011 at 10:08 am

Skeez, Worl Tour Finals? Of course, top technologies there, too!

Bottom line, you know how to play tennis or you do not!

Thousand eggs won’t help most players beating beating Nole, Fed or Rafa.

You’ll have to have finest hands to do the job, among other things…

August 29th, 2011 at 10:25 am

Skeez, I can swear in English, don’t worry. Just kidding ;-).

August 29th, 2011 at 10:27 am

skeezer,

well what a surprise! none other skeezer the master of false allegations rears his head and has the audacity to suggest that we not discuss perfomance enhancers when he is the ring leader behind the campaign to slander nadal without a shred of evidence. you got some nerves!

nadal’s knee surgery was analyzed over and over and finally conclusions indicated that it had nothing to do with enhancing performance, but that that didn’t stop you from lying on nadal, did it? you’re the last person to give advise to anyone. you’re a hypocrite, probably the biggest one on this blog.

you can repeat what novak is doing is legal until you are plaid in the face but whether it’s legal or not it enhances performance by quickening recovering and preventing exhaustion, allowing him to perform better than he would under normal circumstances and that my friend had helped him beat nadal and other players, like it or not!

August 29th, 2011 at 10:30 am

Mem, yes!!! Exactly! It’s only you didn’t know about it until yesterday, right? That’s why it hit you like a lightening.

Players and athletes can use it and they do!!!

Just tell me, if you don’t mind and I’ll leave it there, do you think that your Rafito is not using any help of modern technology or medicine to help his performance legally? Just that and I’m resting my case.

He is and he should! My 100% support to it!

Are we naive here or what?

I want your Rafa to use anything on earth to be as ready legally as possible and confront Novak!

Skills only will decide who can play tennis better then.

And we all know it’s Novak. Only Fed and Nole – the artists in this game. Fed 1, Nole 2. Period.

The ultimate competitor, I’ll give you that. That’s what he is. Respect from me but that’s all.

August 29th, 2011 at 10:44 am

By the way, hyperbaric chambers have been around since the 17th century for medical purposes. They are currently used to treat patients with brain injuries, including strokes. A general search will provide you with more information than you want. But know whereof you speak, please.
Meantime, I’m out on a limb with Federer as my pick. And a dark horse among the women- one of the newcomers (Kvitova,Petkovic, etc.)

August 29th, 2011 at 10:48 am

Skeez, sorry to hump in. I know you’re perfectly capable to answer on your own and you should.

My respect.

August 29th, 2011 at 10:49 am

@mem
You’re twisting the context of the article.
1. Novak is open about using the device: Quote WSJ article:

– He acknowledged using it for the first time last week during a sponsor event in New York after he was asked about it for this article. “I think it really helps—not with muscle but more with recovery after an exhausting set,” he said. “It’s like a spaceship. It’s very interesting technology.”

2. Novak’s aobviouslynot the only one using it, he’s just one of the rare athletes to be open about using it, meaning that he feels there’s nothing to hide. Quote from article:
– CVAC’s Ruszkowski says a slew of other high-profile athletes use the Pod but often insist the company doesn’t tell anyone, “because they feel it’s a competitive advantage.”

3.The use of the CVAC is obviously an experiment – Novak was probably not certain of the effects initially. The article quotes a former top-20 player.

– Spadea says he didn’t dare set foot in the pod himself because he doesn’t share Djokovic’s “daredevil mentality.”

So there is no problem here except in your own mind.

August 29th, 2011 at 10:50 am

Hi EVERYONE!!!!! I am here for the 2011 US OPEN!!!!!! I HOPE NOVAK WINS TO FORGET ABOUT LAST YEAR’S DISAPPOINTMENT!!!

August 29th, 2011 at 10:53 am

I want your Rafa to use anything on earth to be as ready legally as possible and confront Novak!
—
Thanks,

Rafa, from The Egg.

August 29th, 2011 at 11:02 am

mem,

Don’t try to turn the tables of a subject YOU started. I never accused Rafa of using anything. You always try to throw dirty underwear at a wall but it never sticks. The knee thing was brought up along time ago by others, so don’t go there. You decided to bring it up, so now your dealing with it by others.

You are either ignorant or very naive naive to think that ALL players would not go tho the max to search for whatever they can to increase or enhance there performance legally if it is available? Rafa’s knee treatment was/is controversial, but legal. So? And you say you know professional sports?

What matters is if it is legal or not, and frankly it is an outrage to say that Novak has not attained his stature by hard work, dedication, and skill. You can have all the oxygen you’d ever need to run around the world 3 times without stopping but if you don’t have the skill you still can’t win a tennis match.

I am sure you have a explanation for Feds glorious beatdown of the super enhanced Novak at RG this year also. Something Rafa can’t do yet.

August 29th, 2011 at 11:02 am

skeezer,

you are slow in catching on, i’m discussing the impact of what novak is doing on endurance and recovery. a player can have all the skill there is, but if his endurance level is not sufficient, he won’t be outlasting every player consistently, i can guarantee you that.

so your analysis doesn’t mean squat to me!
like i said, you are a hypocrite so i suggest you refrain from giving advise. you have always thrown out allegations about nadal and now you play the innocent card. give me a break!

improved serves, forehands, and backhands don’t increase stamina and prevent exhaustion, so i would say, you are the ignorant one.

August 29th, 2011 at 11:14 am

This whole Djokey- eggy-thingy is tantamount to cheating, in my opinion. Why didn’t he reveal this to the Press earlier this year when he was asked what else he was doing apart from his gluten-free diet? His actual response was ‘it is private’. He is a f….g cheat! End of story!!!

August 29th, 2011 at 11:25 am

Michael, you’re a baboon. End of the story.

August 29th, 2011 at 11:33 am

can i just change the subject for a miute,sorry to interupt everybodys ranting and raving,i would like to wish our young conner nyland good luck in his 1st round match against nole,maybe he will beat nole and all this arguing will be beside the point,yeah i know call the men in white coats,but you never know life is full of surprises lol,but seriously joking aside,i would like to wish conner,andy and all our lads and lasses,good luck for the fortnight ahead,im sure they will make us proud,no matter what happens.

August 29th, 2011 at 11:40 am

mem,

Refrain from advice? How about you refrain from false allegations, your hypocrisy and ongoing accusations about anything and everything not Rafa is ignoramus. Your post borders on insanity, and have no idea what you are talking about.

What you did say was that Novak is beating Rafa by outlasting him.

Ridiculous. Keep dreaming.

“I am sure you have a explanation for Feds glorious beatdown of the super enhanced Novak at RG this year also. Something Rafa can’t do yet.”

Fed must have been in a better “EGG”

August 29th, 2011 at 11:43 am

Allison from Britain that doesn’t know what cohoneless means, your Nyland is 29!!! What’s young about that?

Peace, sister!

August 29th, 2011 at 11:47 am

Skeez, no, Nole is number 1, he has the best egg!

August 29th, 2011 at 11:50 am

rep duro,im 44 so yeah 29 is young to me,peace brother.

August 29th, 2011 at 11:52 am

Duro

Lmao :)

August 29th, 2011 at 11:52 am

Where can I get one of these chambers?

You don’t become a top athlete without using and abusing.

August 29th, 2011 at 11:58 am

Duro,

Meant that funny w/respect, yes he is #1! Wonder if his Egg is for rent?

August 29th, 2011 at 12:01 pm

skeezer,

you actually think i expect you to remember. you always get amnesia when your words come back to haunt you. you are predictable!

i have to admit i can’t compete with you when it comes to fabricating the truth and concocting allegations. you excel in that area!

truth is, in my opinion, what novak is doing is no different from what baseball players have done to increase their strength to hit more home runs than their opponents. the only difference is the method is not the same. so am i really insane or is it that the truth sounds insane.

August 29th, 2011 at 12:01 pm

Alison, I’m a gentleman. I couldn’t possibly say in public what could the only reason for you calling him young be… :-)

Nice to make your acquaintance, my fair lady…

August 29th, 2011 at 12:02 pm

Skeez, how could it possibly be? No room for two number ones! His egg is taken. Sorry. He waited for long enough to enjoy his space ride…

He’ll borrow it shortly 4 years from now to JMDP and take it back again.

He’s waiting for Djordje, you know… Then he’ll let it go to someone else.

August 29th, 2011 at 12:13 pm

Ben Pronin,

i know you are an amateur writer and you don’t seem to have a clue about journalistic principles, what to say and not to say, but i assume you do have proof when you make such a bold statement like “you don’t become a top athlete without using and abusing.” when you make that kind of statement i’m sure you are prepared to support it with some evidence, documentation, whatever.

let me get this straight are you saying that roger federer used and abused to get to the top also? pete sampras? lendl? connors? mcenroe? you got my attention, i want to hear more! did they all have a chamber too?

please indulge and enlighten me!

August 29th, 2011 at 12:22 pm

I don’t know enough about pre2000 except that the drugs weren’t as perfected as today.

I made the mistake of using specific names before, I won’t do that again. You can interpret my statements however you want. In the world of sports today, you don’t and can’t become a top professional athlete without using and abusing.

August 29th, 2011 at 12:25 pm

Now you too can have your own Egg. Priced reasonably and is FDA approved.

http://www.newtownehyperbarics.com/

Remember, its no different than taking Roids in Baseball.

August 29th, 2011 at 12:39 pm

@duro,ok ok,to be honest with you,i cocked it up,i thought he was way youger than that,all this talk about eggs has left my head scrambled,sorry no pun intented,nice talking to you also dear sir.

August 29th, 2011 at 12:42 pm

Jamie predicted Nadal would win Wimbledon. Wrong.

August 29th, 2011 at 12:46 pm

They may as well hand the trophy to EGG-HEAD Podovic now since nobody will be able to outlast him!!

August 29th, 2011 at 12:47 pm

Anywho…

I predicted Nole would win Wimbledon and I was right.

Meanwhile Sean predicted Nadal winning Wimbledon and he was wrong.

Sean will be wrong, again.

Murray will win USO.

August 29th, 2011 at 12:48 pm

Eggs, Eggs and more Eggs!

The meaning of life!

Good luck Federer for later.

Didn’t nadal use a machine a couple of years ago (he said it it in a write up about his recovery..the machine cost something like £35,000 and he was going to have it installed at his home in mallorca)..what’s the difference? (to aid his recovery from tendonitis?) And also he had stem cell therapy injections (which were documented). From what mem has said, I thought stem cell therapy was illegal, but please…put me right on this.

An egg machine? What about Andy Murray’s hot… very hot… sauna pod where he was doing his bikram yoga? which helped him (so he says) improve his performance where he did go on and win 5 masters that year, I think 2009. Should he not have used that sauna? Not all players were doing bikram yoga or having cosmic experiences in saunas!

Like Duro said, it comes down to talent, hard work and training surely in order to beat the best.

No tardis is going to help a tennis player, well, may be a bit, but talent will be 90% of it don’t you think?

August 29th, 2011 at 12:52 pm

They certainly may, baboon-head Michael!

You could use one of these eggs to improve your brain performance, as well!

Out-skill him is what it takes, not outlast him.

He only caught up with others with that. Now when they are all equal pure skill decides who’s the best.

August 29th, 2011 at 12:55 pm

Maxi, dear, your most kind…

Bowing…

August 29th, 2011 at 12:58 pm

You’re most kind, of course…

August 29th, 2011 at 12:59 pm

I’m sorry madmax but that statement just proves you know very little if anything about sports. Talents is only 5% of the equation, Hard work makes up the other 95% it takes to excel in sports (or anything else).

August 29th, 2011 at 1:03 pm

I go with ben on this one. I think it’s mainly about the hard work as opposed to talent. For example, Richard gasquet is more talented than David ferrer and he does put in work but nowhere near what ferrer does and yet look at the rankings, whose is higher? Everyone in life has some sort of a talent but no one can produce results, especially in a competitive field, without hard work.

August 29th, 2011 at 1:13 pm

Mr. Pronin,

How about this: You can compensate a lot the lack of hard work by a talent, but you can’t compensate the lack of talent by no hard work whatsoever…

Is it really 95-5, or 99-1, what many say in the favor of hard work?

That’s just a platitude…

I think talent should be valued more. It deserves so. It’s a rare precious gift given to few only.

What to do with it is another story…

Isn’t your Sensational the biggest proof of that?

I choose to value talent as 99% of the substance that matters.

Results will ask for more, unfortunately…

But it all comes down to a talent when a hard work is put in equally with most of the players.

We want eggs, we want eggs…!!! Just to show our talent, of course!

August 29th, 2011 at 1:20 pm

is anybody out there actually watching the tennis,btw.

August 29th, 2011 at 1:22 pm

Jeez this convo has gotten out of hand. Mem, relax. everyone. chill. No need for name calling and all this garbage.
Mem, thanks for sharing the article. I am glad i read it, I just have to respectfully disagree on your position on the whole thing. Although fitness has played a part in the Rafa-Nole matches, If you analyze the tennis aspect of it, you can see Nole beat Rafa with a lot more than his fitness. Right now he just has a game that matches up badly with rafa and his game is giving him fits. Nole is the best returner in the game and he has exposed the weakness in his serve, and right now nole’s groundstrokes are too steady and impenetrable. Surely this egg had nothing to do with that. I understand your point, but I think everyone is doing their own things to keep them ahead of the game. I just dont think it is fair to write everything nole’s accomplished to some understudied contraption. Tennis is a much more complex sport than that. Any player knows that.

thats just my opinion. maybe we will agree to disagree.

August 29th, 2011 at 1:23 pm

Alison, who’s playing ;-)?

August 29th, 2011 at 1:23 pm

Duroc, you’re wrong. It doesn’t matter what you value, it’s what goes into making a great athlete. The reverse is true of what you said. Plenty of people are talented. But they never realize their potential because they don’t put in the work. You can never substitute hard work with anything, talent included. But hard work can compensate for lack of talent. Obviously you can’t be talentless completely but if you are less talented than someone but work harder you will be better. Talent is trivial in the world of pro sports. They’re all supremely talented. I always believed Djokovic was more talented than Nadal, but it’s debatable and also meaningless Nadal worked a million times harder and was better and is still far more successful. Djokovic upped his level of hard work and here we are. If it was all talent Murray would already have a bunch of slams. It’s not. It’s hard work. It’ll always be hard work.

August 29th, 2011 at 1:29 pm

First of all – Djoko is not outlasting Rafa. No one outlasts Rafa, the Contador of tennis. He beats him fair and square, as we can see analysing the results.

Rafa is the one who has always outlasted his opponents, the one that always wins his fivesetters: Roger in Rome, Verdasco in Melbourne, Novak in Madrid, etc.

Nole played as well as he plays now a few years ago. His slump is due to his change of racquet, then his change of service motion. Those were big mistakes he payed with two years of stagnation.

About the egg: once again, it is legal. Is it efficient? We have the word of the company that produces it. There is no doubt that if the WADA finds it enhances tremendously perfomances it will be banned. Until then, Novak is doing nothing wrong.

August 29th, 2011 at 1:30 pm

Ben,

Disagree me does. Lets just say to be great you need to have a fair amount of both, and you must have both. Talent can be wasted, but it is not given by working hard at it. You can become accomplished at something with little talent and a lot of hard work, but not great. You have to be talented for that.

August 29th, 2011 at 1:32 pm

@Adam: sensible post.

August 29th, 2011 at 1:35 pm

Serena is sitting in the egg next to me. She couldn’t get in. The team pushed her in :)

August 29th, 2011 at 1:35 pm

Seen the last few games of Cilic-Harrison, quality stuff. Harrison is out, first time I’ve seen him, looks like he has a lot of potential. Looked a bit windy out there.

August 29th, 2011 at 1:37 pm

Djokovic outlasted Nadal in Miami.

Skeeze, you are wrong. Do you seriously think any professional athlete isn’t already supremely talented? Especially the top 100 In tennis, thetop 10!!??

It’s not a matter of opinion, if you are an athlete you know it’s 5% talent and 95% hard work. There’s no way around it.

August 29th, 2011 at 1:37 pm

Ben, don’t lose your soul…

I chose to think so. Maybe you should too.

Otherwise, I’ll go watch wrestling instead.

August 29th, 2011 at 1:40 pm

What?

August 29th, 2011 at 1:43 pm

Ben

You telling me that if Ben worked hard enough Ben could compete with Sampras, Safin, adding only 5% talent on to your already talented self?

August 29th, 2011 at 1:44 pm

mat4,

correction, no one use to outlasts rafa until novak became new and improved.

if he didn’t outlasted nadal, what do you call the match in the final of miami in 100 degree weather when nadal all but collapsed in his seat afterwards and novak had energy to spare. not only that, how do you explain the grueling three setter against murray in rome semis that lasted late into the night, but novak recovered in less than 24 hours to beat nadal in straights sets the next day, on clay that is. that’s just a couple of examples. so you don’t need to convince me of anything, i already understand.

legal or not, it has helped novak outlast nadal and a lot of other players. now you can make up all kinds of reasons or excuses for that, i really don’t care. i’m considering the facts!

it’s strange to hear you say

August 29th, 2011 at 1:45 pm

Mem, get over it.

Skeeze you just dont get it.

August 29th, 2011 at 1:52 pm

@duro,well im watching our young,yes young laura robson v morita,5 all 1st set,on interactive thers gasquet v starkovsky,kamke v fish,berdych v youani,tomic v yani,kvitova v dulgheru,so take your pick depending on where you are or whatever your doing the choice is yours,by the way i loved it when you called me my fair lady,i got goose bumps down my spine.

August 29th, 2011 at 1:54 pm

@ Ben, mem:

Yes, you are right about Miami. But it was once, and it could be because Rafa’s stamina was not at his usual level. Then, Novak has about 20 pounds less than Rafa: it should be a big advantage.

August 29th, 2011 at 1:56 pm

Harrison lost to Cilic. Dolgo, Tipsy through in straights.

August 29th, 2011 at 1:56 pm

Djokovic did not outlast rafa in Miami! Both were exhausted at the end. As federer said, rafa played a bad tiebreaker and nole played a better one hence the loss. Rafa lost to the better player on the day- that simple.

August 29th, 2011 at 2:01 pm

@ mem:

In the match against Murray, Novak was clearly tired, and it was obvious in the second and third set.

It was obvious the final: Novak was far from his level in Madrid, or later at the FO. And let’s not underestimate the fact that it was a final, when players usually find the strenght to compete, especially when they see the finish line. They played only one hour and a half.

August 29th, 2011 at 2:03 pm

Rafa outlasted Fed in 2009 AO final 4 hrs 22 min after playng a record long semi against Hot Sauce, 5 hrs 14 min….so? He looked fresh after that match.

Ben

You’re wrong. Get over it :)

August 29th, 2011 at 2:03 pm

The only thing I need to get over is the fact that the majority of commentators here don’t know anything about sports.

August 29th, 2011 at 2:07 pm

Mem, is that a hypocrisy or what? Rafa can outlast everyone for the last 6 years and that’s ok, and when someone finally outlast him, it’s all wrong, cheating and illegal?

And if you only watched Novak more closely as a fan of Nole would do, You would have seen the utter exhaustion in both those matches and only Novak’s will that prevailed.

Rafa was confused after all these defeats and chose a completely wrong tactics, moonballing and such and didn’t take advantage of Novak barely standing on his feet. If it didn’t last for two sets only it would be all over for Nole, but you couldn’t see that from your own preoccupations…

He was not at his best in Cincy too.

The egg is marvelous, but not almighty…

And it doesn’t travel with him unfortunately.

August 29th, 2011 at 2:07 pm

I was talking about semi against Murray and final against Rafa in Rome.

August 29th, 2011 at 2:10 pm

@mat4: Murray should have beat nole in Rome, he even said that he should not have let that 1 slip. He choked, simply put. Nole beating rafa in the final had nothing to do with fitness but I feel more to do with rafa. Rafa was AWFUL in that tourny. He nearly lost in round 1 to an opponent who isn’t even ranked in the top 50! Rafa was lucky to be in the final I feel, he was playing awful. In the final nadal was listless, playing with close to no confidence against an opponent who is in his head and with what can only be described as bizarre moonball tactics.

August 29th, 2011 at 2:10 pm

@ duro: even though I am a nadal fan, I think you got it spot on regarding nole at Rome. Surprising clarity seeing as your a fan of his. It might sound strange but had Murray beat nole I think he would have beat that nadal in the final also. Then I wonder what people would say?

August 29th, 2011 at 2:14 pm

Alison, ha ha ha… Real woman, ha? Respect.

August 29th, 2011 at 2:16 pm

@mem… you sound bitter and looking for excuses to justify Nole’s wins over Rafa, but your reasoning is feble.

Nole said he has used this machine before but not regularly. These machines cost about 75.000$ and only 20 of them exist in the world. Nole tried it first in New Jersey where a friend of him has this pod in his house. To actually gain anything from this machine you should be spending 20 minutes three times a day, which obviously Nole hasn’t done even if he wanted to!

So trying the machine one or twice doesn’t equal to recovering after every match! Get your facts straight before making accusations please….

August 29th, 2011 at 2:22 pm

Brando, didn’t Rafa have flu or fever or something in Rome? I remember reading that. I agree with the idea that Nole has shown fatigue plenty of times this year, but luckily he has got through a lot of his matches quickly, which helped. Early in the year he was serving bagels and breadsticks. His matches were notable for their brevity, not for outlasting his opponents. In fact, some people have said if the Wimbledon final went to five sets, Rafa would have won. I think Nole has just had good tactics this year versus Rafa, plus Nole’s own serve has helped tremendously since he got it back on track. In the past, most of Nole’s losses to Rafa were on clay. But he had beaten him a number of times on hard courts. More to the point, their matches were often close. This year they have been too, but Nole’s movement, confidence, forehand and serve are all better.

August 29th, 2011 at 2:25 pm

Hey, Brando, I was sharpening my eye to a micrometer over these years following Nole…

I see the slightest details regarding him, his mood, body language, will, general condition, exhaustion, physical state, changes in the grip and strokes, everything. I even follow his private situation, like one with his puddle lost for couple of days and his condo robbed in Monaco. All of that matters when you play a match and especially if you’re such a sensitive soul as he is.

I see a lot but don’t reveal everything… ;-)

August 29th, 2011 at 2:25 pm

Trust me Ben, some of us here are qualified enough, almost as well as you.

Brando,

Thanks for posting some objectivity as a Rafa fan. Respect. Rafa has plenty of more trophys ahead I am sure and no one needs to dump on Novak to make that happen.

August 29th, 2011 at 2:27 pm

@2:25 I mean Nole’s serve, forehand, movmement and confidence are better than* his own* were before.

August 29th, 2011 at 2:28 pm

Brando, agree with you re: Murray and Rome, and agree with skeeze that Rafa will win lots more, maybe the USO, who knows.

August 29th, 2011 at 2:29 pm

Nina,

you sound ignorant and naive! feed that to the birds! when will you guys learn you don’t control my opinions. if you have a problem with the article contact the author. you don’t have to read or agree with my comments, but you don’t control what i choose to post or not post. they are appropriate and that’s what matters.

bitter! bitter over what? bitter over a player using questionable methods to help him perform consistently and successfully against his opponents; methods to help him beat a player (nadal) who he has less chances of beating otherwise. are you joking?

August 29th, 2011 at 2:36 pm

Hi, Jane, my old war-friend! Where were you to back me up here? Nole was under fire about some eggs!? Kill me if I know what these eggs are…

August 29th, 2011 at 2:37 pm

thanks duro,im probably not the smartest of women out there,but a real woman never the less.

August 29th, 2011 at 2:41 pm

@jane, skeezerweezer : thank you for the generous comments. Even though I am a nadal fan, I must say I am pleased for nole. It took him 3 years to win his 2nd slam after his 1st one and in all honestly throughout those 3 years he should have won a few more I feel. So no no1 should begrudge him for the success he’s earnt this year. It’s richly deserved.

August 29th, 2011 at 2:45 pm

Rafa was confused after all these defeats and chose a completely wrong tactics, moonballing and such
—-
Hello! Moon balling is the foundation of my game. Run like a rat, moon ball everything in and you will win. So says, Uncle Toni.

August 29th, 2011 at 2:47 pm

Mem, justify Nadal’s prp treatments then moan about Djokovic’s eggs. Everything is questionable. A lot of things are allowed. Protein shakes help recovery, too. So if Murray takes them is he cheating?

Skeeze, clearly not.

August 29th, 2011 at 2:49 pm

Duro, lol. You seem to be holding your own well.

There is tennis on, for anyone who is tired of egg talk.

August 29th, 2011 at 2:52 pm

Humble, play fair…

Rafa deserves the utmost respect. Nice person, great athlete, greatest competitor of all time, nothing but nice words for him.

Respect players, people! Do you love this sport or not? I can’t possibly hate a player. His game and his unfair fans maybe, but a player – never!

August 29th, 2011 at 2:56 pm

I take Vitamin V before bedtime. Great performance enhancer. Is it cheating?

Ben, please post your Curriculum Vitae, and I will post mine. We will duel with Sports knowledge. Forget about posting about your skills on Virtual Tennis on Playstation, I already know that.

August 29th, 2011 at 2:57 pm

What is vitamin V?!

August 29th, 2011 at 3:04 pm

Lol Skeezer. Must take your vitamins.

August 29th, 2011 at 3:11 pm

Ben,

that’s not what you said when it was alleged that nadal did certain things to win. it was all about what nadal was doing, not about murray or any other player. don’t you get tired of being two or three-faced. that’s why your comments are so empty to me.

August 29th, 2011 at 3:11 pm

Ha ha ha ha… The dysfunctional tennis blog!

August 29th, 2011 at 3:13 pm

I’m not two or three faced. I grow and I learn. A year ago I thought it was only Nadal but i was extremely wrong. A year ago I was just treading the water, now I gotta figure out how to get rid of excess vitamin b6 in my blood.

Mem, you claim to know how and what Nadal thinks, I claim to know hiw professional athletes behave, which is more plausible?

Skeeze, I hate typing on my iPad so when I’m at a computer I’ll write it all out for you. But a quick summary, my family is engulfed in tennis, I’ve played it, vigorously for a time, and I have cousins who suroassed me in big ways. Whether from experience or first hand observation, there is. I question that talent is trivial. You have to be supremely talented to get going, but to get to the top you have to bust your ass.

How are you even going to measure talent? Prove to me that Federer is more talented than Nadal, or that Djokovic is more talented than Murray. Then maybe I’ll consider your false assessment.

August 29th, 2011 at 3:19 pm

fish looked pretty impressive in his match against kamke,also great to see him pull of an amazing hotdog shot a la roger/rafa .berdych, cilic,gasquet,dolgo,all looked pretty good too.congrats to laura robson,ok probably not the way she would have wanted to go through,and good luck to heather watson,i hope she gives a good account of herself against sharapova.

August 29th, 2011 at 3:19 pm

We all know djokovic was a moron. i wouldn’t even be surprised if he actually posts on twitter/facebook, a few months down the line that he actually has doped. i am sure some of his “fans” will defend him even then. hell, they would say he is justified even if he stabbed their own mother.

seriously speaking though, as Ben says, top level athletes must be well versed with using and abusing. there are millions of dollars and fame at stake. you’ve got to be naive to think these people will not cut corners when presented a chance.

it is entirely up to the WADA/atp to make what they will out of this. Clearly the thieves are way ahead of the cops at this time, when it comes to doping/enhancing.

Innocent until proven guilty!

August 29th, 2011 at 3:23 pm

Ben

“You have to be supremely talented to get going, but to get to the top you have to bust your ass.”

I apolgize for crossing swords, this is exactly what i was trying to express to you!. Working and reading tennis x causes me brain farts.

I ws shocked you took me seriously about posting your qualies. No need to expose yourself.

Just so were even , I am a dish washer / bus boy at Fedex Deli.

Jane,
Viagra! Viagra! ;)

August 29th, 2011 at 3:33 pm

What is up with Kvitova? She has really struggled since winning Wimbledon and now she is down a set here.

August 29th, 2011 at 3:33 pm

Skeeze, doh! Of course. ;)

August 29th, 2011 at 3:33 pm

Is this a tennis site or a fcuking porno site? Skeezer talking about his dysfucntional member and duro trying blow some air up the ladies’ @$$ with cheesy lines.

talk about the tennis, people.

i guess the battle lines are clear. rafa fans think novak is a cheat. novak fans think rafa is a cheat.

fed fans taking up novak’s side if they hate mem more or taking up rafa’s side if the hate duro more. have i got this right?

August 29th, 2011 at 3:34 pm

Kvitova crashes out! In straight sets.

Poor movement from her, in the commentators’ opinion. But 52 unforced errors in 2 sets will do it too!

August 29th, 2011 at 3:38 pm

talent/hard work is a no-brainer. when you value people because they are born with gifts, you are getting close to becoming a racist/chauvunist.

it is not about what you are born with, but what you make of it.

if you think federer won 16GS because he is most talented – you got that wrong. he has also worked supremely hard for it. if he didn’t he would be touring the world like a zombie like gasquet or safin/rios and the likes.

i have seen talented people make morons of themselves in plenty but very few people who work hard end up in ridicule.

ferrer/gasquet – look no further. who would you respect more?

August 29th, 2011 at 3:41 pm

Rafa deserves the utmost respect. Nice person, great athlete, greatest competitor of all time, nothing but nice words for him.
—
Thanks for the kind words.

Is that all the praise you could fit in a sentence? Come on.

August 29th, 2011 at 3:42 pm

@jane im watching heather watson against sharapova,at the mo,whos gone 4 1 up in the 1st set,god i cant believe what im seeing,i also cant believe kvitovas just gone out,seems like shes suffering a wimbledon hangover,as shes been terrible ever since,its a shame i thought she would do really well this fortnight.

August 29th, 2011 at 3:47 pm

alison, Watson has a good strategy so far of running Maria around. Never know what to think when Sharapova goes behind early in matches because she often comes back. I am happy for Laura Robson! Sad to see Kvitova continue to struggle.

August 29th, 2011 at 3:50 pm

@Cindy Brady:

It’s a porno site. And a joke about it:

What’s the difference between worry and panic?

Worry is the first time you can’t a second.
Panic is the second time you can’t even the first.

August 29th, 2011 at 3:55 pm

Set point for Watson. Another upset?

August 29th, 2011 at 3:56 pm

mat4, it is tough to say. But unless Sharapova finds her serve and hits inside the lines soon, another upset is very possible.

August 29th, 2011 at 4:07 pm

Cinderella, our most precious jewel…

We all missed you badly… Where were you, dear? Escaped from a hospital again?

I would have “blown some air up your @$$ with cheesy lines” if you only were here…

No, you haven’t got it right, as usual. No one hates mem or Duro. We do not hate each other, as well. It’s your department, remember?

And yes, stupid, people are born with gifts and talents. If it’s close of becoming “racist/chauvinist” if thinking so, so be it!!!

Any talent in your tortured soul but the one for hatred?

Nah… Of course, not.

August 29th, 2011 at 4:08 pm

@Jane:

It looks more and more like an upset. Already a break in the second set.

August 29th, 2011 at 4:12 pm

Humble, are you the one (humble) or not? Why do you ask for more?

August 29th, 2011 at 4:14 pm

Duro, I am not one of those morons who started watching tennis only when a player from my country started winning slams. get the drift?

August 29th, 2011 at 4:15 pm

Nadal and Djokovic scheduled for tomorrow. Looks like Murray may start only Wednesday.

August 29th, 2011 at 4:19 pm

That’s a few times I have heard commentators opine that the courts are playing slower than usual.

August 29th, 2011 at 4:19 pm

Angel, didn’t I tell you that I loved Sampras the most? And you were pleased and felt the same…

I wouldn’t care less if he was from my country if I didn’t fall in love with his game! And I fell instantly when first seeing him against Ančić in Wimbledon 2006… His talent stroked me like a lightening!

Secondly, he is not from my country, only originates from it.

If it’s about Serbia, I would have liked the others as well, but I don’t give a dime about any of them. Absolutely indifferent.

Love – you can hardly understand. Hatred, well, perfectly….

August 29th, 2011 at 4:24 pm

OMG, looks like I missed all the drama.

I get what Ben is saying. The margins betweeen these guys are very small. They are all enormously talented. Even Donald Young etc.

August 29th, 2011 at 4:30 pm

@jane delighted watson took that 1st set so convincingly,yeah your right though maria does start slow,and now it looks like shes getting her act together,however only time will tell,looks like this one will go on for a while yet.

August 29th, 2011 at 4:39 pm

wtf, kvotova lost and sharapova losing. Hoping sharapova pulls it out so we have actual people we have heard of in the semi finals.

August 29th, 2011 at 4:41 pm

Kimberly, alison, Watson is playing with composure. To come back from down 1-4 against Maria isn’t always easy. Maria gave her the one break with a double fault though. Coming down to the wire for Sharpie though.

August 29th, 2011 at 4:44 pm

ofcourse, who would support a loser? tell me another GS winner from Serbia in atp? Oops! NONE!

and when the fcuk did you tell me sampras was your favorite player ( is it because you identify with the hanging tongue? like you drool when any woman turns up? dont tell me you would hump a tree if it has a skirt!)

and are you freaking retarded? telling me that i agreed with you regarding sampras? did you blow something up your own @$$ willingly/unwillingly, duro?

let the record state i am a mcenroe/becker/edberg/rafter/federer/murray fan.

August 29th, 2011 at 4:45 pm

I was just thinking tennis-x had been very tame and not very dysfunctional lately. I think we are earning our name back today!

August 29th, 2011 at 4:49 pm

Jane—I will be crushed to lose her in the first round :-(

August 29th, 2011 at 4:49 pm

Maria in a majpr batlle with a youngin! Wow.

August 29th, 2011 at 4:52 pm

yes kimberly very tame. how much i love your updates on your shopping habits or your kids or your husband. please! know something called email? use it sometimes.

i will bet more than 99% of tennis-x can do without your household news. please spare us the nonsense.

August 29th, 2011 at 5:02 pm

@jane and kimberley,the next few minutes will be intersting to see,maria is one tough cookie so it will be interesting to see if she can tough out this 2nd set,and if she does will watson go to pieces in the 3rd set.

August 29th, 2011 at 5:03 pm

Kimberly, at least she took that set; now she needs to up her level. Chris Everet was saying Maria’s 3 set record this season has been great, so that is hopeful.

August 29th, 2011 at 5:05 pm

Cinderella, you are absolutely fantastic, ha ha ha! Relax, dear, why are you so fired up? You might be taken to the hospital again if someone sees you now in that condition…

I am not from Serbia, helloooooooooo!!! How many times do I have to repeat it to break in inside your schizo head?

Serbia is small, with weak tennis tradition and yet has a three times GS champion, number 1 player in the world, two women former number 1s, three mail players inside top 20… Enough from Serbia and about Serbia. You should respect that if you only could…

And what’s that porno continuation again? I can tell you one thing for sure, though… I would rather “hump a tree if it has a skirt” than you sicko.

I told you that 3 years ago, but that was to your other personality, so you might be confused with all these characters you play. And return that honorable name with the dash to its legitimate owner, you trolling sicko mental institution escapee…

August 29th, 2011 at 5:07 pm

@jane sharapova takes the 2nd set,i hope heather doesnt just go to pieces,hope she keeps fighting as this has been an exciting game so far.

August 29th, 2011 at 5:09 pm

Yes, it has alison. It looks like Sharapova has taken the lead in the third, but Watson is a fighter, tactically smart and composed. She could break back.

August 29th, 2011 at 5:17 pm

I dont think anyone has had a tongue up a player’s @$$ like you have for choker, duro.

i know you have been r@ped on these forums by a lot of federer/nadal fans, but trust me, i have no aliases like b@st@rds like you do.

you want to lose 100 bucks to me like you lost to a federer fan in front of everyone? we can check with the moderators if I have posted with any other alias. game for it, or you a chicken like chokovic?

at the sametime we can check with tennis talk moderators about your aliases to badmouth federer fans like madmax and others!

only b@st@rds have aliases. and you definitely are one, duro

August 29th, 2011 at 5:18 pm

i wish sharapova was upset today and kvitova won. when the hell is the WTA/atp going to put a lid on screamers like shriekapova.

nowadays even top players like nadal/chokovic keep grunting like sissies. look at the way borg/federer/edberg played. excellent athletes! definitely not ugly grunters.

August 29th, 2011 at 5:21 pm

@Cindy Brandy… I hope you don’t believe half the BS that you post, I’d be worried.

@mem… whatever you wanna think if you’re inclined to think badly. Here’s what Nole answered in his presser regarding the chamber… take is as you will.

Q. There was a story today about your use of hyperbaric chamber for healing.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, I saw that.

Q. And physicality.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah.

Q. What can you tell us about that?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, all I can say is that I have used it a couple of times last year, and I haven’t used it since. You know, it’s very interesting technology, but I don’t know the effect of it. It has nothing to do with my success that I had in last ten months.

Q. The story said you were using it last couple of days.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, it would be great if that machine had wings so it can fly wherever I am playing.

Q. Where is the machine?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It’s in New Jersey, one of the sports complexes there.

August 29th, 2011 at 5:33 pm

damn it,just as i feared seems as if heather has gone to pieces,still no disgrace heather has played well and done us brits proud,maria has done what all great champions have to do,from time to time,dig deep and find a way through even when not playing your best.

August 29th, 2011 at 5:35 pm

Can you believe this, people! I answered to that sick creature and they put my answer into moderation mode to wait!?

I can’t beat that…

I give up.

Good bye, all.

August 29th, 2011 at 5:37 pm

Nina

Thanks. Put that to bed. Just goes to show you need to fully research something before finding A article on the subject. As we all have found out from time to time on the Internet, anyone can write something about nothing. Notice he said LAST yr, lol.

August 29th, 2011 at 5:40 pm

alison, no shame in Watson’s performance so far. It has been stellar. With Laura Robson and Heather Watson, you have two potentially excellent players.

August 29th, 2011 at 5:40 pm

did pu$$y duro email you por help, nina? STFU!

August 29th, 2011 at 5:45 pm

YAY for robson/watson. hope they do something big for the good old Kingdom.

August 29th, 2011 at 5:46 pm

wow watson breaks back,what a gutsy girl,just when i was begining to think it was all over,hope she holds her next service game.

August 29th, 2011 at 5:50 pm

anyone remember the handle of that federer fan that kicked durrrrrrrrrrrrrrro’s @$$ in a bet about djokovic? happened sometime last year.

August 29th, 2011 at 5:50 pm

alison, you from the UK, too?

August 29th, 2011 at 5:51 pm

What an effort by Watson; she pushed Sharapova to the brink. Great win by Sharapova, too. She had to get it together, and by the third set she was playing better, closer to the baseline, more accurate,etc.

August 29th, 2011 at 5:57 pm

Nina,

I saw the last minutes of the interview on TC, he said he only used the chamber a couple of times last year. he denied using it recently although it was said that he is staying with a man who owns one in new jersey and he is staying there mainly to use the machine for the usopen which makes a whole lot of sense. i can’t think of another reason why he would be staying in new jersey during the open. anyway, he denied that he is using it. personally, i don’t think he’s telling the truth. i was observing his reaction and demeanor when he answered the reporter’s question, but i will give him the benefit of the doubt, we will see! if he’s not telling the truth, it will come out, you can count on it!

August 29th, 2011 at 6:05 pm

What a match, Masha… I don’t usually watch womens tennis but that was an exciting match. Watson is a great promise.

August 29th, 2011 at 6:05 pm

thanks jane for that nice comment,maria looked relieved just to get through,boy did she have her work cut out,im gutted but a player like sharapova can never be written off,intersting that annabell croft doesnt think that sharapova is good enough to win another grand slam judging by that performace,thats her opinion not mine by the way,time will tell.

August 29th, 2011 at 6:07 pm

Great performance by Watson. Kimberly must be relieved. Fish is through and looking good. Fed up next?

August 29th, 2011 at 6:08 pm

Wow, PMac is really taking it to Sharapova and her screeching. He says grunting, a little screeching, is fine, but that Sharapova has “taken it to another level”. He wants a player to get on the court and complain, complain, complain about Maria during a match so someone has to do something about it. Interesting.

August 29th, 2011 at 6:11 pm

Is Nina the poster calle Nole fan at http://www.menstennisforums.com/ ?

August 29th, 2011 at 6:13 pm

I must admit that Cindy Brady entertains me. She may be doing it unitentionally, but nevertheless I can’t stop laughing.

And that insult to Kimberly, out of the blue, is at the Cartman’s level (for those who follow South Park)!

August 29th, 2011 at 6:14 pm

so much tennis to watch. can’t wait for rogi to start off. i hope he doesn’t go slamless this year!

August 29th, 2011 at 6:14 pm

rep cindy,yeah im from the uk too,yorkshire born and bred,but now i live in norfolk.

August 29th, 2011 at 6:16 pm

3 more hours for fed to start his match.

fritz, i am inspired by humble rafa. LOL!

August 29th, 2011 at 6:17 pm

Jane

Saw that. Actually a player has the right to call “distraction” as Pmac was saying. He is right grunting is one thing, screeching screaming is another. Players have historically been pretty tolerant with opponnets habits however, so i guess we will see.

August 29th, 2011 at 6:19 pm

I have a feeling Murray will win this USO.

August 29th, 2011 at 6:19 pm

alison, i am sorry i meant to ask usa too, but got caught up with the uk thing with robson/watson.

i am from the big apple, presently in california. I hope Irene has spared my house. LOL

August 29th, 2011 at 6:21 pm

Cindy Brady Says:
so much tennis to watch. can’t wait for rogi to start off. i hope he doesn’t go slamless this year!

===============

I think Fed is done winning slams. Projected slam tally:

Fed 16(no more slams)
Nadal 11(like Borg)
Nole 8(like Agassi)
Murray 2(like Hewitt)
Del Potro 2(like Safin)
Tomic and others will become slam winners in the near future as well.

August 29th, 2011 at 6:24 pm

A Nole-Murray final with Murray winning. If he blows the final again then Nole wins it.

August 29th, 2011 at 6:27 pm

interesting projection jamie. but i think nadal will overtake sampras for sure. i am thinking 15 slams for rafa.

rogi will win 2 more i feel.

djokovic gets 3 more. murray will atleast get 1 slam.

tomic/others – have to see. delpotro – will have to see him get fit and play for extended times. for now, i have him pegged at 1 slam.

August 29th, 2011 at 6:31 pm

Echoing Shriver, Bartoli has really slimmed down. She looks very fit. She has done well at slams this year, so she likely has a good shot once again to go deep. Not sure that I could see her winning it all though.

August 29th, 2011 at 6:35 pm

wow, i see Maria pulled it out. Hopefully she will continue to improve!

The US Open app for the Iphone is great to keep you posted although sometimes when you are out you can’t bear the bad news so you choose not to look!

I think we are all in suspense on what Venus’s outfit will be tonight!

August 29th, 2011 at 6:37 pm

Great day of tennis. what a way to start. i hope the top 4 get to the semis.

Cindy Brady : You are a character! You are nastier than Irene. Thanks for the laughs.

alison : It must be a great time to be an English sports fan. I will be cheering for murray too.

Skeezer, mad max and the federer fans, keep the RF flag flying high.

Rogi for the 17th.

August 29th, 2011 at 6:50 pm

Jamie :

Nice speculation. I am hoping RF gets to 20 slams. I would be a millionaire if he does so.

I agree with Cindy that nadal will overtake Sampras. I hope he doesn’t over take Fedex!

August 29th, 2011 at 6:58 pm

Aaaargh! Missed the whole day of tennis and some interesting comments here. Do I have time to read 198 comments? lets see..

August 29th, 2011 at 7:07 pm

KVITOVA!!!! No comment!

August 29th, 2011 at 7:08 pm

kimmi—so what’s your guess on venus getup?

I’m going with wildly inappropriate!

August 29th, 2011 at 7:10 pm

@Kimberly 710

that means a good thing. We are talking about Venus, no?

compared with her recent outfits, wildly inappropriate sounds very innocuous.

August 29th, 2011 at 7:14 pm

Bartoli just won. Watched an interview with her at the FO. She seems a nice girl, clever, with a good sense of humour.

August 29th, 2011 at 7:16 pm

What does everyone think of Fish’s chances? He is probably the hottest player besides Nole right now, no? It would make Colin very happy ( not the Brit one )

August 29th, 2011 at 7:20 pm

ha-ha, kimberly!! i actually dont believe I am so anxious to see Venus outfit?%##@!!

Bring it on!!

August 29th, 2011 at 7:23 pm

The Brit Colin will surely not be happy because murray is the hottest player after Novak, presently. Murray beat fish on a faster court in cincinnati.

Fish will not make it to the semi-finals. Take that to the bank.

US open winner will be one of top 4. will be a miracle if all 4 fail.

August 29th, 2011 at 7:26 pm

Skeeze, I just don’t see how Fish could string together W’s as follows:
Tsonga,
Fed
Djoko
Murray/Nadal.

1 yes. 4, uh, not a believer. He would need a no show by one or two of the above.

Swiss Maestro—lol, I am eagerly anticipating the outfit. I think the “illusion” at the FO 2010 might have been the wildest! As her career is winding down her fashion is winding up. But maybe she will surprise us with a vanilla outfit. I, however, am expecting the worst.

August 29th, 2011 at 7:28 pm

I don’t know re: Fish; it may depend on who gets through. Meanwhile Victor is cramping, hard to say if he’ll come through versus Falla..

August 29th, 2011 at 7:33 pm

@Skeezer:

He has the game to beat almost anybody on a given day. But he needs to believe more in his strength and ability, to beat Tsonga, Federer, Djokovic and Nadal or Murray in a row. He has one of the worst draw of the tournament.

He lacks a bit of confidence. But with some luck, he could make the semi. On a normal day, I don’t see him winning against Murray or Djokovic, who put a lot of pressure on the server. But Murray could have a day off. A great serving day and a bold game could give him a win against Roger, who doesn‘t return the way he used to.

But, considering the draw, his chances are rather slim.

August 29th, 2011 at 7:35 pm

Bellucci is about to lose after being up two sets to love. Looks like Troicki is going out with cramping. Oudin bageled in first set. La Monf and Dimitrov just starting; I would love to see this one, might have to find streaming.

August 29th, 2011 at 7:40 pm

@Kimberly 728

” As her career is winding down her fashion is winding up. ”

Thank God for the latter part.

August 29th, 2011 at 7:41 pm

Troicki is choking for the 2nd USopen in a row? Last year he choked against Djokovic.

August 29th, 2011 at 7:42 pm

@Jane:

http://www.sportlemon.tv/v-2/8/180/v-298108.html

August 29th, 2011 at 7:44 pm

wow, troicki lost?

August 29th, 2011 at 7:45 pm

@Kimberly:

I have no doubt he played his usual game – just serving, returning the ball in the court, and waiting his opponent to surrender.

August 29th, 2011 at 7:47 pm

@jamie,i agree i think murray has a good chance at this years us open,if he can get past rafa,i think he could win the final,against nole or roger,im saying this even though i am a rafa fan,i sound like a cracked record but it would be great for us brits,75 years of waiting,fred perry,blah,blah,blah.as for your grand slam predictions,i agree mostly delpo,murray yeah 2,nole yeah 8,providing he can sustain this level,rafa i think has another 2,roger possibly another 1,but i cant see him winning any more than that,just my opinion,only time will tell,anyway i must go to bed its 1am in the morning in the uk,and ive been looking at this forum all day,so goodnight to you all,and ill speak to you in the morning,its been fun reading all your posts.

August 29th, 2011 at 7:49 pm

mat4, troicki is actually amazingly athletic, very natural grace but missing the killer instinct especially in big matches.

August 29th, 2011 at 7:51 pm

troicki and almagro are two players whose games i love, but both def. lacking in the mental toughness dept.

August 29th, 2011 at 7:52 pm

Troicki chokes another one away.

August 29th, 2011 at 7:52 pm

Night alison.

Thanks mat4.

Bellucci went out meekly, a bagel in the 5th. Hmmm, wonder what happened there, after being up two sets. Maybe an injury? Or just Dudi playing hot? Anyhow.

August 29th, 2011 at 7:53 pm

@Kimberly:

I agree with you. But it doesn’t invalidate what I wrote. A pity.

August 29th, 2011 at 7:56 pm

looks vanilla so far, waiting for the jacket to come off

August 29th, 2011 at 7:56 pm

Venus has played only 3 matches this year, wow.

August 29th, 2011 at 7:57 pm

Monfils looking good. Break.

August 29th, 2011 at 8:01 pm

Even though Sharapova is vulnerable these days, I never expected Watson would push her that hard. Heather’s pedigree is, I imagine,an uncommon one. Her father is English and her mother is from Papua New Guinea. She was born in Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands which, if you look at the map, you’d assume to be French.
The “Bailiwick” of Guernsey is not part of the UK, but the inhabitants (fewer than 66 thousand) are full British citizens. I find that rather confusing!

August 29th, 2011 at 8:04 pm

mat4, agree. Like versus Nole at Cincy, he’s coming into the net, and he is deep in Dimitrov’s service games consistently.

Venus’ outfit is not too bad, unless she has the illusion underwear on, ha ha.

August 29th, 2011 at 8:06 pm

Oh no, I guess she has pink briefs. And an exposed pick zipper?? I think I’d like it better if it was all black. But the sleeves and neckline of her dress are nice.

August 29th, 2011 at 8:07 pm

VENUS OUTFIT.
OK, it looks good from the front.But that white lace looks weird!!

August 29th, 2011 at 8:08 pm

It must seem kind of weird for Venus, to be playing after so much time off, difficult to get rhythm I’d imagine. She is still hitting with a lot of pop, though.

Dimitrov’s hair cut makes him look so much more grown up! For the first time he held easily and now he breaks. He looked cat like in getting that break! Great return that caught Monfils off guard.

August 29th, 2011 at 8:13 pm

aaargh, i just saw the zipper jane :)

August 29th, 2011 at 8:14 pm

Lol, Kimmi. It’s not so bad. Overall she looks nice, imo, esp from the front. :)

Wow, the hitting in la Monf versus Dimitrov is amazingly good. You can see the Fed-like aspects of Dimitrov’s game. Monfils breaks again. 3 in a row.

August 29th, 2011 at 8:17 pm

Duro, I hope you dont cr@p in your pants having nightmares about Von.

Go see a shrink. I hope your wife can find an actual guy for an husband and not a wuss like you who gets his @$$ kicked by a woman on an online forum.

August 29th, 2011 at 8:24 pm

Dimitrov breaks back. Four in a row. LaMonf playing just with one half of his tiny brain.

But Dimitrov plays boldly. And, yes, he deserves his nickname of Baby Fed.

August 29th, 2011 at 8:26 pm

Maybe another upset?

August 29th, 2011 at 8:32 pm

Too bad Mchale lost second set tiebreak now she goes to set 3. Oudin out mattel-sands got crushed in set one

August 29th, 2011 at 8:33 pm

Monfils is playing a better tiebreak.

August 29th, 2011 at 8:35 pm

Exciting tennis in Monfils / Dimitrov – tune in people!

August 29th, 2011 at 8:37 pm

@mat4

lol on your 8:26 post Monfils…

August 29th, 2011 at 8:42 pm

Monfils won the first set.

Let’s hope he’ll stop diving. He could hurt himself badly.

But he shows definitely a change of stance: he’s willing to be aggressive, to go to the net. Seems to me (but I can be wrong) that he doesn’t take advantage of the fact that Dimitrov is opening a lot of court to play his FH on his backhand side.

Dimitrov has improved. Now, can he play at this level for three more sets?

August 29th, 2011 at 8:44 pm

Skeezer,

what do you think: Monfils or Dimitrov?

August 29th, 2011 at 8:47 pm

I just want to see Monfils at some point in the tourney go big time vertical on a Overhead smash. Priceless.

August 29th, 2011 at 8:48 pm

Lol mat4 on the Monfils comment

So Venus wins set 1.

August 29th, 2011 at 8:49 pm

Something is wrong with LaMonf.

August 29th, 2011 at 8:50 pm

La monf should win. Can’t see dimitrov sustaining this level

August 29th, 2011 at 8:51 pm

La Monf hurt himself diving I think. : / Kimberly versus Tsonga at Wimbledon Dimitrov played at an incredible level throughout. It was one of the best matches I have seen this year. So I think he is capable. As to whether he will or not… ? But now Monfils is hurt so can he pull through?

August 29th, 2011 at 8:55 pm

As her career is winding down her fashion is winding up.
—-

Honestly, that fashion didn’t have much to wind down. When you dress like a slut, that is the lowest you could go.

August 29th, 2011 at 8:56 pm

Dimitrov isn’t playing with the fire he played with at Wimbledon. And he makes too many errors too.

August 29th, 2011 at 9:01 pm

I got out for five minutes, and when I come back… A more experienced player would have stayed steady and made LaMonf earn his points. And made him run a lot, too.

August 29th, 2011 at 9:06 pm

mchale serving for the match….come on christina!

August 29th, 2011 at 9:08 pm

An injured Monfils is forced to shorten the rallies. Finally! the LaMonf we were waiting for, playing his FH with conviction, flattening his BH, going to the net…

Let’s hope he’ll stay injured.

August 29th, 2011 at 9:13 pm

lol, mat4, but true! Monfils is playing well just now.

August 29th, 2011 at 9:15 pm

@Skeezer:

Overhead is served.

August 29th, 2011 at 9:18 pm

Shriekgate? – http://sports.yahoo.com/tennis/blog/busted_racquet/post/Maria-Sharapova-grunted-her-way-to-a-comeback-vi;_ylt=Aosw9aECuJpqzNbipSCMOus5nYcB?urn=ten-wp2762

August 29th, 2011 at 9:19 pm

venus is misfiring on the return a lot. If she wins and plays Lisicki she will need to return a lot better

August 29th, 2011 at 9:21 pm

La Monf two to the good now.

August 29th, 2011 at 9:22 pm

But now Monfils is with the trainer again. Hmmm.

I agree Kimberly; Lisicki serves well. But Venus is through.

August 29th, 2011 at 9:24 pm

Lets gooo ROGER!!

August 29th, 2011 at 9:39 pm

Skeezer, la Monf just jumped about 4 feet into the air it seemed for an OH smash. ;) Maybe you were watching Roger’s interview. He is on NYC centre court again. I love the colour of his top.

Nice news about Nole, for his fans:

http://www.unicef.org/media/media_59671.html

August 29th, 2011 at 9:43 pm

Looking good too roger

August 29th, 2011 at 9:44 pm

Dimitrov has helped with errors, but Monfils has played really well this evening: focused, aggressive, accurate and athletic tennis.

Look out Giraldo, Fed’s hitting his stride.

The Mac bros also saying the court is playing slower than usual.

August 29th, 2011 at 9:55 pm

c.mon fed

August 29th, 2011 at 9:57 pm

Anna W is there with her daughter, Bee.

August 29th, 2011 at 9:59 pm

that volley was like “c’mon fed stop with messing about!”

August 29th, 2011 at 9:59 pm

where is dari???? fed is playing if you didnt know..

August 29th, 2011 at 10:02 pm

Fed is doing well on second serve returns. Kimmi, I think dari might be AT the USO? I remember she had tickets for day one or two, so look for her in the stands. lol, oops, guess we wouldn’t know what to look for.

August 29th, 2011 at 10:06 pm

giraldo.. excellent dropper lob combo

August 29th, 2011 at 10:07 pm

oh yeah jane, i remember that now! hope she gets to see the fed…

fed is attacking these slow second serves. I hope he is getting good practice for future matches.

August 29th, 2011 at 10:09 pm

ah fed got broken! C’mon, stop messing about fed! close it out.

August 29th, 2011 at 10:13 pm

^ Just took his eye off the ball for a minute Kimmi; no worries. He’s got insurance in spades.

La Monf struggling a little to close this match.

August 29th, 2011 at 10:16 pm

federer is losing conc. he needs to hold here!

August 29th, 2011 at 10:17 pm

oh noooooooooooooo! fed!!!

August 29th, 2011 at 10:18 pm

Oh, la Monf and Grigor kissed! ;) Great match for Monfils.

And oh-oh, Fed is really surprising sometimes these days. He seems to be cruising along, and then all of a sudden, back on serve, from Fed up 4 or 5 to 1. Hmm. Focus Fed.

August 29th, 2011 at 10:19 pm

OK, break here fed!

August 29th, 2011 at 10:21 pm

Well, in the end Fed gets the set. After a blip or two.

August 29th, 2011 at 10:23 pm

The moment I start to watch him, he plays well. OK, enough of ESPN to switch away from fed match :)

August 29th, 2011 at 10:24 pm

Why are so many women screaming and yelling at night? oh! The Arrogant One is playing, I see.

August 29th, 2011 at 10:37 pm

There’s this online psychic that told me a while ago that she doesn’t see Fed’s marriage to Mirka lasting for too long. She actually sees Fed marrying another woman in the future. I wonder if they are having problems already….

August 29th, 2011 at 10:39 pm

Is anyone watching the match via live streaming on usopen.org. HR is having problems.

August 29th, 2011 at 10:43 pm

feeeed!!

August 29th, 2011 at 10:46 pm

fed is unbelievable in this match..he is everywhere..

some great shot and some really horrendous ones

August 29th, 2011 at 10:47 pm

True Kimmi: lots of ups and downs. Very little rhythm.

August 29th, 2011 at 10:49 pm

giraldo is just going for broke on everything..mist of them are going out! he played some stupid shots to be broken again

August 29th, 2011 at 10:52 pm

not broken again here..not again fed

August 29th, 2011 at 10:54 pm

yes! now hold

August 29th, 2011 at 10:54 pm

PHEW! big sigh of relief when he hold now!

August 29th, 2011 at 10:56 pm

not much drama in this set..one more rog

August 29th, 2011 at 11:03 pm

I love Alec Baldwin. Interesting thoughts on sitting with the McEnroe’s papa.

Kimmi, what is your take on Fed’s form?

August 29th, 2011 at 11:09 pm

I dont trust him right now. he is so up and down..I am going to watch him one match at a time. hope he gets far here.

August 29th, 2011 at 11:11 pm

“there is a great volley!” I agree john mac

August 29th, 2011 at 11:14 pm

GREAT GAME THERE! he went for it. no bad errors..everything worked. if only he could be like that all the time??

August 29th, 2011 at 11:15 pm

Fed’s looking to ‘get it done’ now.

August 29th, 2011 at 11:20 pm

great dropper from giraldo. and another! ha ha

August 29th, 2011 at 11:20 pm

Go Fed!

August 29th, 2011 at 11:26 pm

Saved himself from a bagel in any case. :)

August 29th, 2011 at 11:27 pm

PHEW!!!

August 29th, 2011 at 11:27 pm

jane & mat4

Dang. Missed it. was being ala Chef tonight with Chicken Curry and brown rice. Hope there is replays :(

August 29th, 2011 at 11:28 pm

here here fed

August 29th, 2011 at 11:29 pm

well,hope fed can close out out with no drama :) go maestro!!

August 29th, 2011 at 11:31 pm

Giraldo avoids the breadstick too. Boy he really whacks the ball sometimes. Very very uneven match but some exciting moments from Giraldo and of course Fed too. The last set was Fed’s best methinks, which could bode well.

August 29th, 2011 at 11:32 pm

Yap! the last set was better. hope he can play better and better as time goes. Congrats to fed! the serve and volley did not work today but dont give it up.

“Dudi where is my car” next

August 29th, 2011 at 11:35 pm

Fed winning dressed in all dark colors at USO.

Priceless

Fed winning a match at a Slam in less than 2 hrs.

Priceless

Fed hitting a liquid whip FH to win match point.

Priceless

Go Fed!

August 29th, 2011 at 11:36 pm

Surface slower!! hmmm! is it only roger who says that?

August 29th, 2011 at 11:37 pm

Agreed Kimmi. Regardless of the court surface, Fed seems to be hitting through it, this is a good sign for now,

August 29th, 2011 at 11:38 pm

Fed has confirmed the court is slower this year. I wonder what that means going forward for the top seeds? I suppose it’s not great news for Fish, not sure about Tsonga. Maybe a bit slower is better? I think Nadal will like slower conditions, and Murray and Nole both seem to do well on slower hard courts in AO. Fed has done really well on faster at the USO and indoors, but it’s not like he hasn’t had loads of wins in slower hard. I don’t know that I have seen Monfils play much better than he did tonight; he looked sharp for most of that match.

August 29th, 2011 at 11:39 pm

Although Fish was dominant today. Maybe it’s neither here nor there if it’s a little slower.

August 29th, 2011 at 11:40 pm

Slow courts advantage? Rafa by a mile…..

August 29th, 2011 at 11:49 pm

Jane,

getting back to your question near the top. Baghdatis is simply a better player than Blake on grass. All of Blake’s weaknesses (the tendency to play one awful game per set on his serve, his horrendous first-serve return, etc.) are heightened on grass, and he does not move as well there as he does on hard courts.

I watched the entire match on tape, and Baggy should have won in straights. Blake came from a break down in the third set to force a fifth, so he was lucky to still be in the match. Sure, he had a break lead in the fifth, but then Baggy decided he wasn’t going to lose that match and stopped spraying the ball all over the court in the last 20 minutes. Blake had no answer for him once he stopped donating free points. Look at their career records at Wimbledon, and there’s no comparison.

August 29th, 2011 at 11:57 pm

Ben Pronin Says:
I’m sorry madmax but that statement just proves you know very little if anything about sports. Talents is only 5% of the equation, Hard work makes up the other 95% it takes to excel in sports (or anything else).

August 29th, 2011 at 1:03 pm

Ben, can you calm down please. I missed a word out in my final paragraph but if you see the paragraph before you’ll see I said talent..HARD WORK and training…

Seriously Ben, you need to hold on to your brain cells a bit more. You’re becoming testy in your old age.

Novak gave a statement at USO saying the pod machine has had no effect on him. I can believe that after having been no. 4 for so long, then no.3 for a while too..it only makes sense that sooner or later he would improve.

It doesn’t really come as a shock. It is more of a shock that Andy Murray hasn’t broken through yet.

August 29th, 2011 at 11:59 pm

I take your points funches. Very true about their records on grass. I just thought maybe Blake mentally had slipped at the end there, losing his lead, but Baggy probably picked it up. Don’t remember too well the details, to tell the truth. Blake’s earliest test here will likely be Ferrer; you think he’s got a good change there I take it.

August 30th, 2011 at 12:03 am

*Chance not change.

August 30th, 2011 at 12:04 am

By the way Ben, I know ALOT about sports. I just choose not to be so blatantly, ‘I KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT EVERYTHING THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT SPORTS’ – like you.

You may remember about 6 months ago, I posted a whole lotta information about running and age and I think that you liked the post as we had a lot of coversation about it.

Try to be a little less arrogant too when you criticise posters for making mistakes, like missing out words when they type fast.

I forgot. You don’t make them do you,because you know EVERYTHING there is to know about sports.

SO before you become too big for your boots Ben Pronin, rewind a little. I probably know a helluva more about running than you. Why? Because I have run a lot of marathons and have done a lot of training and that’s not to brag, but just to show you that I know a little bit more about recovery than you think.

Talking of recovery, I think you need to go lie down and relax a bit more.

August 30th, 2011 at 12:09 am

Ben, you sound rude, hypocritical and just out there to win discussions.

Seriously, are you part of this site? Even bashing comments here, instead of embracing them. Hmmm… Whatever!

August 30th, 2011 at 12:40 am

Jane,

If Ferrer is healthy and confident, Blake would have no shot in that match. But the Ferrer I saw in Cincy was neither. He almost lost to Dimitrov and went down in two easy sets to Simon.

Maybe Blake is incapable of holding up physically in a best-of-five on hard courts now, but if his body stays strong, his history at the Open is very good. With the exception of every match in 2009, when he almost lost to Young in the first round, got an injury retirement in the second round and went down meekly to Fish in the third round, he’s never played a bad match there.

August 30th, 2011 at 2:01 am

Someone, not me, said: Success is 90% perspiration, 10% inspiration.
Well played Heather, nice to see you fighting. She moves gr8 too. Better than Laura, but Laura has gr8 serve :)
Anyway! Go Andy, go Laura :)
US season so bad for us Europeans :( Can’t stay up into wee small hours :(

August 30th, 2011 at 2:52 am

mem, enough is enough, you embarrassed yourself, I think it’s time to let it go.

August 30th, 2011 at 2:53 am

http://tennisworld.typepad.com/thewrap/

……….trust Tiggy to give an honest, professional take on the “egg” matter…….he does not need insults to get his point across, how grown up…….

August 30th, 2011 at 1:14 pm

king,’

what’s embarrassing is how gullible most of you are!

hold your thoughts about me and we’ll see who is embarrassed when the real truth comes out.

August 30th, 2011 at 2:26 pm

Pmac

” Maybe there are a few things that have helped (Djokovic) mentally, but let’s remember that before he tried his gluten-free diet or went into a hyperbaric chamber he had already won a Grand Slam and beat Roger Federer.”

Oh wait, this is about Rafa.

August 30th, 2011 at 2:41 pm

I just heard Darren Cahill during the Niland/Nole match say he used a machine 25 years ago for knee problems and sees no problem with them.

August 30th, 2011 at 4:01 pm

god im sick to death of the bloody egg talk,enough already people puuurlease.

August 30th, 2011 at 4:06 pm

I do see this as a can of worms for Novak. In light of his remarkable play this year, it’s hard to know just how honest he’s being. Passed this by my college age son and a few friends very casually last evening just to see what they thought. They’re college level athletes, but not
particularly keen on tennis, although they do know the top players. The concensus was that Novak is cheating, that this “egg” actually does give him an edge that other players do not have. I think it’s fair to say that very few players actually have the money to buy an egg. If they had an egg at every tournament sight so that everyone had equal access then it would be
fair. I don’t think the egg can be compared to prp therapy either. Prp therapy is a medical procedure to repair specific damaged tissues. Athletes like Nadal must get approval in advance from the tennis powers that be to get this procedure. In the case of the “egg”, the recipient (player) is recuperating like every other player in the field, but to his great advantage.

August 30th, 2011 at 5:04 pm

Tignor says “That said, it should also be made clear that this was not the reason for Djokovic’s surge over the last year; it’s not a “secret weapon,” as the Journal called it. Uehling told me that Djokovic used it a few times at the Open in 2010, and Djokovic said the same thing when he was asked about it yesterday. It’s not even clear what its effects are; some athletes swear by it, and Grant said he did think he could recover faster after trying it, but CVAC’s claims for it are still just claims.”

Exactly. Thanks for posting that article.

August 30th, 2011 at 5:24 pm

It would be interesting to know what other players think about this. Although I respect Tignor’s writing, I have a feeling there will be much more to come regarding the “egg”. The students I spoke of new exactly what I was talking about, and felt strongly about it being cheating. But it’s just their opinion. I do wish
Nole was staying with someone who didn’t have the egg in their home. It just lends itself to further suspicion.

August 30th, 2011 at 7:13 pm

Anna, perhaps Tignor is right. It is time for the proper governing bodies to look into the use of this device by athletes. But seriously, if you look at Nole’s 2010 and 2011 service stats that I posted on the other thread, if you consider how Nole had already won Masters and a Grand Slam before trying the egg a couple of times last summer (including with several wins over both Rafa and Fed, and several close matches versus Rafa on clay), if you note that his forehands, volleys and movement are all marginally improved, and if you admit that winning begets more winning due to the confidence boost it gives, if you notice that the gluten-free diet seems to have helped with the repiratory issues he used to have, anything that Nole got from trying that pod out can’t be a huge factor in Nole’s success. I think it is being overblown. The NJ complex where Nole is staying is explained in that Tignor article: McHale trains there as does Spadea. It is quiet, there are practice courts available, there is even a fishing pond. I see how the connection breeds suspicion. That’s completely understandable, and for that reason I wish Nole was staying elsewhere too. But I believe he is an honorable and professional athlete, and after following him closely since 2007, it just seems to me that he finally has got it all together. The racquet changes, coach changes, immaturity or inexperience all held him back after he won his first slam, not to mention health-respiratory issues. However, since hiring a new trainer in mid-09, since getting his serve back slowly, since probably around Wimbledon last year, and since the allergy discovery, it seems like things have clicked. It is sad to hear him called a “cheater” and I know Rafa fans have heard it lots too, with the PRP being compared to blood doping etc. So I know you know how it feels. Oh well, people will think what they will, but I have always found you to be a fair and intelligent poster and felt compelled to post because of that. Mostly though I am stopping with the egg talk, and just trusting Nole. As for the pod’s future, I guess we’ll see.

August 30th, 2011 at 7:54 pm

[…] a lot of the data points to another Nadal win, I’m sticking with my pre-tournament final pick Murray […]

September 9th, 2011 at 11:27 pm