Federer Hurt? Sharapova, Clijsters Out, Wimbledon Craziness Continues

I always have sympathy for injured players, even if they are from Switzerland.

July 2nd, 2012 at 11:10 pm

British newspaper: “Even half fit, half firing and playing in conditions more akin to midwinter, Federer is still a sight to behold. The whip he applies to returns, the spin he puts in those chopped backhands, the easy mastery of the serves: he could play with one hand tied behind his back and still provide a succession of shots that make the admission to Centre Court seem the best value in the sporting universe. His issue, though, came not when the ball was available to hit. It was when he was obliged to move or turn. Anything that required a stretch and the characteristic mastery was not available. Malisse, perhaps sensing this was the biggest chance of his career to make a grand-slam mark, tried to move his opponent around court as much as he could. He played the ball long from the baseline, seeking to find the corners, to make Federer move more than he wished. It took him a while to find his range. The stuttering Federer had already ticked off two sets before Malisse finally managed to force him backwards. Three times he broke the great man’s serve, to take the third set 6-4 and send a flurry of excitement through the crowd. Suddenly, it seemed worth dressing up as if for a winter march across Dartmoor if they were about to witness a real shock. That it did not happen is testament to Federer’s extraordinary fighting spirit. He is not only the most graceful, elegant, refined player ever to pick up a racquet. He is also blessed with unfathomable reservoirs of resolve. This is a man who refuses to yield. And in the fourth set he recovered his radar to ease away from his opponent, the swoop and swipe of his shots proving too much for the bearded Belgian. His serve in what proved to be the final game was typical of his skill. The swerve was so extreme an albatross would be unlikely to have the reach to make it. Malisse could only look to the heavens as the ball smacked into the backboards, wondering how a chance which had appeared so clear an hour earlier, had disappeared before his eyes.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/wimbledon/9370715/Wimbledon-2012-Roger-Federer-recovers-from-first-set-injury-scare-to-reach-quarter-finals.html

July 2nd, 2012 at 11:14 pm

Nobody beats Mikhail Youzhny 14 times in a row …

July 2nd, 2012 at 11:17 pm

petra vs serena should be good, If petra turns up ofcourse. She was lucky to win her match against schiavoni today..too many crazy errors but schiavoni was playing well.

Go petra!

July 2nd, 2012 at 11:20 pm

fed needs all the help he can get with that back :(

July 2nd, 2012 at 11:20 pm

Lets go delpo and muzza. I think mayer has a good grass game..though does not have results to prove it. this will be a tough match for gasquet.

July 2nd, 2012 at 11:26 pm

“Federer needed the rare help from a trainer”

Thats what I am talking about. In Feds career, how many times has he called a “Trainer”, or the famous “MTO”?

Face it, he’s a Iron man, pushing 31, and doesn’t whine about it. Played through it, in obvious pain and limited movement, and will be ready STILL to play the younger players next rd. Go Fed, you da man!

Congrats again to a all time record 33rd consecutive Qtr final Slam. Best “Ever”.

July 2nd, 2012 at 11:28 pm

Congratulation, congratulation, till we call grass is blue,,,,,,

July 2nd, 2012 at 11:35 pm

I want a Tsonga-Cilic quarterfinal. And I want Roger to win.

July 2nd, 2012 at 11:43 pm

I guess I won’t get the former, since Tsonga and Cilic aren’t in the same quarter. But I still want Roger to win.

July 2nd, 2012 at 11:44 pm

Yeah, it is in the rarest of rare cases that you see a Trainer coming to Roger on court. But I am worried that this has happened in Wimbledon and it is sure to affect Roger’s serve considering that he has a back problem. Roger must be in the pink of health to have any chance against Novak when they are possibly on a collision course. I hope that things are not as serious. But I did watch in the Roger match yesterday against Xavier that he was not exerting too much on his serve. May be he wanted to conserve his strength for the next battles. But I would say that Roger was extremely lucky against Xavier although he played swash buckling Tennis with little effort. It was pleasing to see Roger play effortless Tennis, the likes of which we cannot see today except from may be players like Del Potro or Gasquet.

July 3rd, 2012 at 12:05 am

Not sure where would you put Malisse in the ranking of poorest movers on the court. For me, he would be the Top guy. Also his quality of play in the 4th round should be the worst possible tennis played in this tournament. He had so much trouble putting the ball in court, wondering which player would have lost against him, what kind of effort would have required to lose the match against him. It was a pity that we got to watch such poor quality tennis in the 4th round of a GS.

July 3rd, 2012 at 12:33 am

Anyone have an idea what is the least number of games won by a player losing in a Wimbledon SF. It would be an interesting stat to keep handy if Novak and Roger meet.

I understand Roger has the record of winning least number of games in FO finals.

Roger may hold this record in 2 surfaces if he reaches the semis and happens to meet Novak.

July 3rd, 2012 at 12:45 am

NK,

Are you sure you are Federer fan:)?

July 3rd, 2012 at 1:11 am

Fed was playing at 60%. He could only win by his incredible variaty and use of the court and above all his mental strength. He will just not give in. He is indeed a romentic person. Playing for the history and the love of the game. trying to make it a little better.

I am afraid that it will not be enough to win the title or even win his quarter or semi. Unless it really was a spasm and het will get fairly good play in his quarters.

But how on earth will he set Djoker aside when he is not able to cover the court?

July 3rd, 2012 at 2:08 am

Nirmal Kumar Says:
Not sure where would you put Malisse in the ranking of poorest movers on the court. For me, he would be the Top guy. Also his quality of play in the 4th round should be the worst possible tennis played in this tournament.

Do not unerestimate Trocki!

July 3rd, 2012 at 2:13 am

Nirmal Kumar Says:
Anyone have an idea what is the least number of games won by a player losing in a Wimbledon SF. It would be an interesting stat to keep handy if Novak and Roger meet.

I understand Roger has the record of winning least number of games in FO finals.

Roger may hold this record in 2 surfaces if he reaches the semis and happens to meet Novak.

July 3rd, 2012 at 12:45 am

Yes Nirmalis a true fed fan!

This can only be put forward by someone who actually hates Federer.

July 3rd, 2012 at 2:15 am

Nirmal,

For all that pretension to be a Roger Fan, you always tend to under estimate Roger and his Class game. You think him as much inferior than to the likes of say Nadal or Novak or even Murray. May be that is your view which you are entitled to hold. But I can guarantee you a well contested semi final if both Novak and Roger manage to reach that stage which is probable. It should definitely be a five setter, if not a four setter. Even if Novak wins, it will be a tight finish. So do not worry about Roger. He will take care of himself. See he is not like Nadal losing to the likes of Rosol. He is a class in himself.

July 3rd, 2012 at 3:22 am

Nirmal,

That French Open final in 2008, was an aberration similar to the thrasing Nadal received in the World Tour finals which I am sure you remember.

July 3rd, 2012 at 3:23 am

Nirmal,

If Xavier is such a bad player according to you, how did he manage to reach the fourth round while Nadal couldn’t ?????

July 3rd, 2012 at 3:24 am

@ Michael. Don’t compare a Grand Slam to the WTF. In a GS you lose a match and you are eliminated whereas in the WTF you lose a match and you can go on to win in the final. Do you really think Rafa was trying that hard when he lost to Fed? I don’t think so. He himself said “there is always the next round”. So don’t attach too much importance to that match. It is what happens in the other tourneys a d GS’s that matter.

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:12 am

Skreeeechapova gone! You bewdy. Woo-hoo. Wonderful.

Now we just need Azagrunta to fall over and I might consider thinking about watching a women’s match.

Oh and yet again we see how adaptable Fed’s game can be. Glorious.

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:36 am

al this feable arguments :0

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:42 am

Mark,

Is it so ? Nadal didn’t take that seriously. May be and that is why he was out of the tournament not even able to reach the semi stage of the World Tour finals which is the second most important and most difficult tournament in Tennis after the Majors. Now do you know why Nadal was not able to win this tournament even once, he didn’t take this seriously. Even Round Robins are very important and you need to win every match to be in recognition. No player wants to lose. Everybody wants to win, except Nadal in WTF.

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:55 am

You think him as much inferior than to the likes of say Nadal or Novak or even Murray.

Michael, It’s true that Roger is inferior to Rafa and Novak, but only in current context, not overall.

People have to understand that Roger’s level has gone down too badly. There are so many parts of his game is not working consistently anymore. I’m not saying he did not have the skill like Rafa or Novak. For me, still he is the benchmark and I don’t think both Rafa or Novak will be able to catchup to his level ever. But this does not change that his level is dropped significantly. Let’s be realistic.

Still he can go onto beat the players below him, but not the ones above him.

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:02 am

Michael: “If Xavier is such a bad player according to you, how did he manage to reach the fourth round while Nadal couldn’t ?????”

Maybe it is because Malisse is a better quality grass court player than some of the other players. Malisse has won more career grass court matches than Djokovic’s opponents, so it is not surprising that Malisse beat two top 20 players (Gilles Simon and Verdasco) to reach the fourth round. Djokovic’s four opponents Ferrero, Harrison, 33-year old Stepanek and Troicki combined won as many pre-Wimbledon grass court matches (6) as Xavier Malisse won by himself at London Queens Club (quarterfinal) and Hertogenbosch (semifinal).

It’s not easy to play against someone who is hurt, and even worse someone who is hut and is as crafty and capable as Federer. In 2003, Feliciano Lopez was potrayed as incompetent for failing to knock off an injured Federer from Wimbledon (see link). But the truth is many players have failed in that situation.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/wimbledon/2406949/Federer-through-despite-back-injury.html#

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:11 am

people who clearly do not follow the game of tennis a long time or are only watching tennis with there ipads concted to Wikipedia to look for former scores in slamfinals will downgrade garros 2008 final as such s Nirmal did an does.

Those whoe really know what went on in that year would certainly know that 2008 probably is fed’s greatest year. Although it was not his most succesfull year it probably was his best performance mentally then all the TMF years.

early 2008 he was diagnosed with mono and the effects to mono are there to be seen at the expense of Soderling. fed is a different animal. He still was able to reach semi, two finals and win the US Open. That sheer mind over body are we witnessing this year again.

This is what sepparates Fed from his fellow elite players and why he is considered the GOAT.

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:19 am

Michael..I don’t understand what sort of argument is this..

If Xavier is such a bad player according to you, how did he manage to reach the fourth round while Nadal couldn’t ?????

Rafa has 11 GS and Xavier has what? Rafa is a 5 time finalist at Wimbledon and Xavier became a better player because he reached 4th round.

I’m not saying Malisse is a bad player, but that does not mean he did not play badly. A good player does have a bad day. Anyway he is an unseeded player, and some of his good results were probably 4-5 years back. I’m not sure what sort of great credential he has to be called a tough opponent. I understand he beat few good players.

But look at Rosol. He beat Nadal in one of the greatest demolition in the 5th set. But what did he do in his next round? That’s what tennis is. Don’t go by reputation or past history. What you do on that day / tournament is what matters. On that day, Malisse played pathetic tennis.

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:25 am

That French Open final in 2008, was an aberration similar to the thrasing Nadal received in the World Tour finals which I am sure you remember.

Michael,

Nadal himself was sarcastic in his interview after his loss against Roger. He clearly noted the result is in a RR match of 3-setter, not even the WTF final.

Ofcourse, I understand it’s an aberration and that’s not going to degrade any of Roger’s unbelievable record. Roger should be credited for getting to final playing probably at 50% of his level.

The reason for me picking up that match is because of Roger’s level now is similar to what he was in 2008 pre wimbledon. But Novak’s level is as good as what Rafa was. So he may win very few games if he happens to meet Novak, even though this is grass.

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:32 am

About Nole:

He played it safe against Viktor Troicki. He didn’t take risks on serve, opting for a high pourcentage of first serves, but didn’t try to hit near the lines, the way he does in recent times, like in his matches against Harrison and Stepanek. Knowing Trocki quite well, he was probably certain VT would falter in the rallies.

His serve and his forehand work quite well, and his CC shots are very dangerous on grass. He made good use of the match against Stepanek and it probably helped him to pass Viktor quite effectively yesterday.

He looks focused and relaxed the way he did last year. If he continues to play like that, I think he has an excellent chance to make the final, especially since Roger Federer looks injured and has problems in his movements and serve. It was already visible against Benneteau, and, of course, against Malisse, a match Roger won almost walking on the court. I don’t feel that Gasquet will be a problem since he doesn’t serve big enough, but Gasquet is a volatile player, able to win against almost anybody.

In the final, Nole could face, in my opinion, Del Potro, Murray or Tsonga. All three could be very dangerous for Novak.

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:33 am

Sienna posts July 3rd, 2012 at 5:19 am :

For a change, I agree to your post here. Roger needs to be credited for what he did in 2008.

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:38 am

Nims,

People have to understand that Roger’s level has gone down too badly.

I would say his level has gone down somewhat and not considerable. If that is the case, he would not be doing what he is doing today. It is only July of this year and he has already won four tournaments – 2 Masters (One mandatory) and two 500 ATP tournaments. He has reached the semi final stage of the Australian Open where he lost to Nadal in a pulsating four set encounter where I would say he was unlucky not to push it into a fifth set. Tell me another player apart from Nadal and Novak who have such record in this year ?? And now here in Wimbledon, he is still fighting despite a severe back problem. You would have seen at the end of the match, Roger expressed to apologies to Xavier for taking treatment during the match. How many players do that ??? Although we know many do that repeatedly which might be genuine or a tactic.

For me, still he is the benchmark and I don’t think both Rafa or Novak will be able to catchup to his level ever. But this does not change that his level is dropped significantly. Let’s be realistic.

I wholeheartedly agree with you on this. Roger is a real genius.

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:53 am

Nims,

Nadal himself was sarcastic in his interview after his loss against Roger. He clearly noted the result is in a RR match of 3-setter, not even the WTF final.

Whether Nadal gives importance or not, it does not take away the importance of World tour finals where every round is important – even round robin. Even if you win three matches, you are not sure to reach the semi final stage because the competition is so tough where the top eight players compete. I would say it is the most difficult tournament to win in Tennis. By the way, Roger beat Nadal very easily even in the WTF final of 2010 where he outclassed him. Ofcourse the match extended to three sets, but still Nadal couldn’t put up a decent fight. Why go to WTF, take the recent Indian Wells where Roger decimated Nadal in the semis which is supposed to be Nadal’s favourite surface – the slow hard courts.

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:57 am

Nims,

The reason for me picking up that match is because of Roger’s level now is similar to what he was in 2008 pre wimbledon. But Novak’s level is as good as what Rafa was. So he may win very few games if he happens to meet Novak, even though this is grass

If Roger’s level is similar to 2008 pre-wimbledon, then he would not be performing so creditably. Let us wait for the semi-final encounter between Roger and Novak if it does take place and see where Roger stands.

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:59 am

He looks focused and relaxed the way he did last year

mat4, I would not say he was this focussed last year. Till he reached semis, he did not look this great. I would compare his current form to the one he showed in AO 11. I thought that was the best tennis Nole played entire year. Same with the Wmbledon now. I believe this is the best tennis he played yet.

But still, it would be good to see him in outdoors and check if he is this good in outdoors too. He played good against Ferrero, but I would like to see his Quarters match played outdoors than indoors.

July 3rd, 2012 at 6:01 am

Rafa has 11 GS and Xavier has what? Rafa is a 5 time finalist at Wimbledon and Xavier became a better player because he reached 4th round.

I never compared Rafa and Xavier. I just wanted to stress the performance of players in this tournament where Xavier has beat some good players on the way. He is a good player.

I’m not saying Malisse is a bad player, but that does not mean he did not play badly. A good player does have a bad day. Anyway he is an unseeded player, and some of his good results were probably 4-5 years back. I’m not sure what sort of great credential he has to be called a tough opponent. I understand he beat few good players

I thought Malisse played a okay match although not upto expectations. The wind factor was troubling both the players and it was not easy to control the shots. Whether he is tough or not, the fact is he was in the fourth round beating some good players on his side of the draw.

July 3rd, 2012 at 6:04 am

Micheal,

While making comment on his level of tennis, I clearly said on current context ie for past 3-4 tournaments. I thought starting Rome, Roger’s level is pretty poor. If you think it’s a minor drop, I would not agree. You think he would be taken to 4-sets by an unknown player in French bu “just dropping a little bit”. That’s crazy.

July 3rd, 2012 at 6:20 am

Whether Nadal gives importance or not, it does not take away the importance of World tour finals where every round is important – even round robin.

Actually WTF is the only tournament where you can g to finals even after losing a match in RR. Roger lost a match in 2007 to Gonzalez, but went on to win the title. He lost a match in 2009 too but still reached semis.

It would be little bit ambitious to compare a GS final result to a RR match result.

Even if you win three matches, you are not sure to reach the semi final stage because the competition is so tough where the top eight players compete.

That’s not true. If you win 3 matches in RR, you are thru to the semis. It means you have beaten others once. So everyone would have less points than you. Only trouble comes when two players have won 2 matches each. That’s where the other criteria comes into picture. But that’s ok. WTF is an important tournament, and it’s the best achievement after the GS.

July 3rd, 2012 at 6:27 am

Why go to WTF, take the recent Indian Wells where Roger decimated Nadal in the semis which is supposed to be Nadal’s favourite surface – the slow hard courts.

Michael, give me some nice examples on GS. Roger is good in 3-setters. But GS are won in 5-setters.

July 3rd, 2012 at 6:28 am

@Nims:

When I wrote that Nole looks focused like last year, I meant in general.

Boris Becker has rightfully remarked that what made Djokovic a better player in 2011 was his improved shots, especially the serve and the forehand. The forehand is clicking now again, he can flatten it out, he has continued to improve his serve, which is now faster and more precise, closer to the lines. He has worked a lot his approach game and feels better when he has to go to the net.

Anyway, after years of waiting, Nole has given his fans so much in the last two years that, whatever the result here, one can only be happy the way he plays.

July 3rd, 2012 at 6:37 am

Is it raining? Outer courts not in play.

July 3rd, 2012 at 6:42 am

Thank god for the sensible fans out there,one or two Fed fans were saying a week ago that Roger was a cert to grab the title and the no 1 ranking,now that hes struggling a bit,those same fans seem to be back tracking,saying i dont think this level will be enough to win the title,for fear of been left with egg on there faces hmm,a word to the wise i dont think it pays to get too ahead of youself,the sensible fans take things one match at a time,anything can happen,a weeks a long time things have a habit of changing veery quickly.

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:01 am

gasquet loses the second set 6-1, now he has to come back in five to beat mayer.

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:11 am

Alison: despite his bad back, I haven’t changed my assessment that Federer remains my favorite to win the title and/or that he will most likely regain the No. 1 ranking by the US Open. I never ‘predicted’ he is guaranteed to achieve both things, just that my analysis of the evidence points to those scenarios happening. In the past, I’ve even explained plausible scenarios where Federer regains No.1 without winning a grand slam or winning just one grand slam. Federer has been planning for what happens over the next few months since at least April 2001.

I’m never afraid of a little egg :)

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:12 am

Its starting to rain again, oh bummer! i am actually surprised they keep putting murray on court no. 1

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:13 am

You start a match on any particular court, I think you have to finish the match on the same court.

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:17 am

@ Michael. Nadal hates indoor tourneys. He has only ever won in his career. I hope things will turn around for him so far as indoor tourneys are concerned but I am not holding my breath.

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:24 am

^ won one

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:25 am

On the Argentine astrology forum Federer is being predicted as the winner. Have to wait for all the predictions to see if all the astrologers/psychics there on the forum agree that it will be Federer. So far ALL are saying Federer. Only Mente Perfecta hasn’t predicted but Mente Perfecta said during RG that Federer would be potentiated/enhanced/boosted after RG.

I wonder how injured Federer will beat Nole?

Also chinese astrology predicted that Fedal would be the winners of the all the slams after AO. With a very small chance for Murray…

Murray has a good chart but not enough to win, I suppose that means he will sh*t the bed for the umpteenth slam final.

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:34 am

If Mente Perfecta predicts Federer, it’s a done deal.

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:39 am

Dave my post wasnt directed at you personally,i completely agree with what you are saying,to me its one thing to have a favourite,but quite another to say that they have already got there hands on the trophy,i know we have had our differences,but you always stand by your desicions,and have the courage of your convictions unlike some people,i dont always agree with what you say,but i do admire you for that.

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:43 am

Mark, I don’t know why you say Nadal does not like indoors. I have never heard Nadal say that. I believe his lack of success is more to do with the schedule of the indoor tournaments. If it happens at the beginning of the year, he would have given it a genuine try.

Post USO he tries to wind down except for WTF. He knows his body needs more rest than other tennis players because what he does in the period of March – August is sort of crazy every year. He almost wins 75 % of his matches during this period. So it’s natural he winds down.

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:44 am

Nims,

It is not as if Roger has not won against Nadal and Novak in majors. He has done it before and will do it again. Please remember it was Roger who ended Novak’s fantastic streak at the French Open which ironically paved the way for Nadal to lift the title. The thing is that he has not been lucky so far. Whether it be the lost matches when he was match points up against Novak at the US Open or even against Nadal at the Australian Open 2011 where I thought he played well and could have taken to a fifth set. Just because for the last two years he has not been able to win a major doesn’t mean he will never win one. That can happen may be even in this Wimbledon or if not the US Open. Now that he is seeded 2, I think he has very good chances at the US Open where he is always more confident than any of the other courts.

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:45 am

jamie, this is a good lesson for you. you should stop wasting ur time looking at these predictions now. LOL.

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:45 am

^Predictions not Descisions DUH^.

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:46 am

Mark,

Nadal hates indoor tourneys. He has only ever won in his career. I hope things will turn around for him so far as indoor tourneys are concerned but I am not holding my breath

You cannot have choices if you are a player. You must be able to play regardless of the conditions. That being said, I do not think Nadal hates indoor courts as you try to portray here. Remember he has reached the final of WTF once. Therefore, he has the material to perform there. But to win everything needs to jell together and that is not happening as of now.

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:47 am

Alison,

There is nothing wrong in having favourites for the title. It is more or less like Astrology. Even Sean here was predicting a Nadal victory at Wimbledon but he was not there even in the second week. Therefore, the predictions can go wildly astray.

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:49 am

Michael, I know he has won. But let’s limit ourselves to present. When Roger was playing at a higher level than what he is playing at Wimbledon, he could not beat his best rivals ie AO, USO.

Yeah, things may change. Like I thought Roger would have beaten Novak at AO 12 if they had met. But it did not happen. Let’s see.

But with the quality of tennis Roger playing now, I doubt he can beat Novak. I hope he does a USO 08. He turned it around at Semis and raised his tennis for the final 2 matches. But for that he needs to improve his net game.

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:55 am

Michael Of course there is nothing wrong in having having favourites for titles,we all have them,you missed the point of my post as i already said to Dave,one thing to have a favourite and quite another to say they have already got there hands on the trophy.

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:57 am

In the meantime – David v Goliath. Who will win? Come on David!!

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:03 am

i dont think delpo has enough variety to beat ferrer. he is down a break already.

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:08 am

Nirmal,

Michael, I know he has won. But let’s limit ourselves to present. When Roger was playing at a higher level than what he is playing at Wimbledon, he could not beat his best rivals ie AO, USO.

True, Roger couldn’t win. But he was very close at the US Open. He lost two semis against Novak with many match points up. You can attribute that to bad luck rather than any going down in level of play.

Yeah, things may change. Like I thought Roger would have beaten Novak at AO 12 if they had met. But it did not happen. Let’s see.

We can only speculate. Nothing can be said for certain. But if Roger plays his “A” game, nobody can beat him and that is for sure.

But with the quality of tennis Roger playing now, I doubt he can beat Novak. I hope he does a USO 08. He turned it around at Semis and raised his tennis for the final 2 matches. But for that he needs to improve his net game

Yeah, I agree, Roger needs to raise his level and take his game to another gear. He can definitely do that. Moreover, he should not stick to just Plan A fighting with Novak from the back of the court, as he should he should come out with Plan B and that is to serve and volley often and also with Plan C frustrate Novak with his dazzling drop shots.

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:09 am

Delpo down a break against Ferrer and flaying errors left right center. If Delpo does not win this match, I am giving up on the gentle giant.. He is one of my favorite players, but he just can’t seem to make the big leap.. It drives me mad when he loses to Ferrer!

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:10 am

@Nirmal Kumar

I hope they are wrong. How on earth is crippled Fed supposed to beat Nole?

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:10 am

Alison,

Of course there is nothing wrong in having favourites for titles,we all have them,you missed the point of my post as i already said to Dave,one thing to have a favourite and quite another to say they have already got there hands on the trophy

I get your point. They have an opinion and it is their right to have that. Only thing that becomes a problem is that when they try to impose their will on others.

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:12 am

Without his 7th heaven in grass Roger is not king of grass, so keep dreaming, Pete pistol is still reigned.

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:13 am

I am quite surprised that Del Potro is struggling against Ferrer and that too on Grass. He has the game to beat him. But it seems that his game is not consistent enough to trouble Ferrer.

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:13 am

@kimmi, when you have as much power as Delpo, variety is not a requirement. The match is on Delpo’s racuet. If he makes errors, he loses, else he wins.

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:14 am

Metan,

Roger has done what Pete has not been able to do on Grass courts. Six straight finals. Has Pete, the so called King of Grass Courts done that ?????

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:15 am

It is not six. It is Seven straight finals.

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:16 am

I hope they are wrong. How on earth is crippled Fed supposed to beat Nole?

You never know. All it would require is Nole to trip somewhere on the court which would hurt him and take him out of the tournament. It’s possible.

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:16 am

@jamie

I’m happy with this prediction. My money is on Federer because of the prediction of Sally Kirkman and I am absolutely confident that mentaperfecta will agree soon

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:22 am

Michael, Del Po is known to be a slow starter. Let’s give him time. But based on his past performance, Grass so far has been his least favourite surface. But it’s too early to judge.

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:23 am

Nirmal,

Grass so far has been his least favourite surface for Del Potro and so it is for David Ferrer too. But I thought Del Potro is improving in Grass courts. The testimony to this was his match against Rafael Nadal in the 2011 wimbledon when he stretched him to very tight four sets.

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:25 am

Roger has done what Pete has not been able to do on Grass courts. Six straight finals. Has Pete, the so called King of Grass Courts done that ?????

So Michael, you are saying Roger is a better player since he reached more finals, but still Pete has won more Wimbledon than Sampras. That’s a crazy thought.

Things were crazy during Pete’s time. The surface was terribly fast. What Pete did with that kind of surface is unbelievable.

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:26 am

Nirmal,

All it would require is Nole to trip somewhere on the court which would hurt him and take him out of the tournament. It’s possible.

I am sure Roger would not like to win in that way. He would need a comprehensive victory against a fully fit Novak. If his back problems are okay, I expect a tough match irrespective of how you think. Still I would give the edge only to Novak in that match barring a Roger special which is always possible.

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:27 am

I think more than anything Delpo struggles with changes in bounce.. Unlike clay, he has less time to adjust here.. When he gets his first sever in, he is in a positoin to dominate.. For his height he needs to have a better serve..

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:27 am

Nirmal,

Things were crazy during Pete’s time. The surface was terribly fast. What Pete did with that kind of surface is unbelievable.

If that is so, then I would rate Borg’s accomplishments better than Pete on Grass and also the fact that he is not a natural volleyer.

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:29 am

hmmm, oh no, hoping ferrer doesnt break here

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:46 am

Michael, it did not mean much during Borg’s time because of the Racquet technology. Tennis changed post wooden racquets.

I would agree with you if Pete and Borg played with same racquet technology. During Borg’s time it was more like a slow motion tennis compared to what it was in 90’s.

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:47 am

Michael, my point on Nole tripping was to mean that’s the only way Novak may lose a match in this tournament. I don’t think Roger’s success is guaranteed even if Novak loses. He struggles against everyone now.

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:51 am

Murray breezing through against Cilic. Up 2 sets and 4-1 in the 3rd.

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:54 am

This is the 1st time I’m seeing Ferrer play in this tournament. Maybe we are looking at Ferrer vs Nole final. It’s crazy tennis he is playing.

Michael..did you say grass is Ferrer’s least favourite surface?

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:56 am

There’s no king without crown, as simple as that

July 3rd, 2012 at 9:06 am

murray 5-2 up. one more game and its over. go murray!meanwhile, ferrer is crushing delpo. 6-3 6-2 wow I didn’t see this one coming.

July 3rd, 2012 at 9:07 am

Tsonga coming back. mayer up a 2 sets to 1. up a break in the fourth. Its is mayer to QF looks like.

July 3rd, 2012 at 9:08 am

MUZZA!! love the variety. The last point was insane. Go Muzza.

July 3rd, 2012 at 9:11 am

Murray through in straight sets. Serve was a dream today. Long may it continue.

July 3rd, 2012 at 9:12 am

I have a feeling delpo will lose this in easy straight sets.

July 3rd, 2012 at 9:13 am

Del Potro really struggling with low balls.. Is it just me or was he playing much better last year? Of course Ferrer is playing very well.. Del Potro absolutely has to fix his first serve.. He is not getting aces and unreturnables that his height would warrant. For Delpo fans, it has been a depressable ride over the last two years.

July 3rd, 2012 at 9:13 am

mayer through. this must be his first QF in any GS I think.

July 3rd, 2012 at 9:14 am

Kimmi,

In 2004 he made it QF too, this is his second one, both at Wimbledon:)

July 3rd, 2012 at 9:17 am

thanks wogboy, I didnt know., I think his game should suit grass. he can volley very well.

July 3rd, 2012 at 9:20 am

Andy through, I don’t see Delpo making it, Ferrer is to good tonight;( Kohls and Tsonga, methinks.
Good night

July 3rd, 2012 at 9:23 am

Kimmi,

No problem.

July 3rd, 2012 at 9:24 am

ferrer run down everything and delpo missing easy balls…ugh!!

July 3rd, 2012 at 9:25 am

When did Ferrer get so good on grass? I would much rather Andy play Delpo.

July 3rd, 2012 at 9:33 am

Del Po played so much better against Nadal last year.. This year has been a bummer so far.. Hope the big man plays better in the summer hardcourt season..

July 3rd, 2012 at 9:34 am

I think ferrer and delpo is a match up thing. Rafa shots sits up a little for delpo methinks. ferrer has always troubled delpo..on all surfaces now. I thought grass would favour delpo but not to be.

Ferrer beat roddick handily too. maybe he has finally learn his grass game.

July 3rd, 2012 at 9:40 am

My bracket challenge is falling apart…

July 3rd, 2012 at 9:45 am

Go Petra!!!

July 3rd, 2012 at 9:50 am

Would normally support JMDP in this one, BUT ferrer is 30 and had never made wimby qtrs- so very happy for David:-)

July 3rd, 2012 at 9:51 am

Hope the SF ends up: federer-djokovic, Murray- tsonga, then we could FINALLY have some blockbuster matches to look forward too. From the qtrs Murray- ferrer is the most exciting, BUT really andy can do what ferrer does plus more- so really favour andy there. JUST hope it’s not a long, drawn out match. Ferrer can do that.

July 3rd, 2012 at 9:54 am

Starting to believe in Murray again. The win over Cilic was a quality win. Marin had been playing very well on grass as late and Murray took control. Tsonga and him should have a nice tussle.

July 3rd, 2012 at 10:00 am

Mat4

Yours?

Lol

Ok, here is my highlight picks to have reached the qtrs.

Roanic, Delpo, Birdsh!t, Isner.

Time for us 2 to hit the Pub?

July 3rd, 2012 at 10:04 am

Brando,

I think that Ferrer is a bit better in court positioning and has a clear conception about what he should do on a court. On the other side, Murray has better shots, a better touch and more power. I don’t see how Ferrer could beat AM, but I was convinced that DelPo’s serve and power would be enough for a win. So…

Anyway, I think that Ferrer will be a higher hurdle than Tsonga, who can be derailed from his course, although he can beat anybody when adrenaline flows. If Murray makes the final, I give him the edge whoever he plays. His worst enemy, from now on, is himself.

July 3rd, 2012 at 10:08 am

@mat4: I disagree- I think tsonga is a tougher opponent than ferrer for andy on grass. He may have matured after FO, where on his weakest surface he rook novak to the brink. Tsonga worries me more. ” His worst enemy, from now on, is himself.” VERY TRUE.

July 3rd, 2012 at 10:12 am

@skeezer: agree- andy was VERY impressive angainst cilic. Hope he keeps it up.

July 3rd, 2012 at 10:14 am

OK, serena is better so far. petra no chance.

July 3rd, 2012 at 10:18 am

DelPo gets absolutely rolled by the bull dog Ferrer. Very impressive performance from him. He is looking really sharp.

@skeezer: bummer for your picks. At the outset, they all looked pretty good (though I wouldn’t have picked Isner to go through that far).

July 3rd, 2012 at 10:19 am

Ok, I believe Novak is currently playing better than anyone else. And it really doesn’t matter who is the opponent, I just like that he’s playing as well as he did last year or even better. BUT, I never give a victory before it’s been played. Florian Mayer beat Gasquet and he looks in very good form, he could also give trouble to Novak if he’s hot on the day. Despite Federer’s back, i don’t trust that he will be done. We always can expect a great performance from him and he might not feel the pain by then. Also Murray is in a good position to win Wimbledon, as is Tsonga. But their part of the draw is very tricky with Ferrer who just demolished Del Potro. It’s gonna be interesting for sure.

July 3rd, 2012 at 10:21 am

Yes, Tsonga could be a tougher opponent. With Ferrer, you know his level and you can presume that, if you play well enough, you’re going to win. Against Tsonga, you can never be certain: he can fade or play sublimely. But the h2H is in Murray’s favour, they have already played on grass and Murray won.

There will be a lot of pressure on both players, the difference being that pressure, the importance of the moment, is likely to influence Tsonga’s game, in a positive or negative way.

July 3rd, 2012 at 10:23 am

@Nina:

Yes, Novak looks good indeed.

July 3rd, 2012 at 10:25 am

In another story WTA announced for an upcoming rule against grunting. Now that is very welcoming. It was so hilarious azarenka was asked this question in her interview and she did not knew about nor had an answer to it.

July 3rd, 2012 at 10:31 am

Well the grunting is really annoying and one of the reasons why i can’t stand to watch WTA. So the rule is welcome imo.

July 3rd, 2012 at 10:42 am

this match is very quiet. even serena is not grunting today

July 3rd, 2012 at 10:53 am

Jatt

There is no answer for it imo. Just waiting now for the screeching to morph into some kind of Bruce Lee sound. Now that would be cooler ;)

July 3rd, 2012 at 11:04 am

So David beat Goliath on grass ! Go David!

July 3rd, 2012 at 11:10 am

I agree Skeezer,

I think most of the people who watch tennis would love to put an end to grunting. Players like sharapova and azarenka, i think they do it intentionally to counter the opposition players concentration while playing the points. It would make WTA matches so peaceful at last :)

July 3rd, 2012 at 11:14 am

Gotta love Daveed making the Qrtrs, even though I am big delpo fan!

July 3rd, 2012 at 11:17 am

oh, error by petra to give the break. serena serving for the match.

July 3rd, 2012 at 11:19 am

Come on Serena!!’

July 3rd, 2012 at 11:20 am

serena serving too good. no chance for petra

July 3rd, 2012 at 11:22 am

WOW! the serve is impeccable. congrats serena. too bad for petra but she was out-served today.

July 3rd, 2012 at 11:24 am

Congratulation david , hope you can do magic again. I am pleased by your performance.

July 3rd, 2012 at 11:39 am

@RafaelNadal
Martes, 03 de julio de 2012
Metan.

July 3rd, 2012 at 11:51 am

http://www.foxsportsla.com/export/sites/fox-latam/img/12/07/03/nadal-ra.jpg_1854542250.jpg. Metan

July 3rd, 2012 at 11:56 am

@Skeezer:

Sorry, didn’t see your post sooner. Missed it somehow. Do you think that Contador has inside informations?

July 3rd, 2012 at 12:09 pm

Don’t worry, Roger Federer Fan is virtually assured last place. I think he has already clinched it.

July 3rd, 2012 at 12:28 pm

For Nole fans:
http://tinyurl.com/83z3rr8

July 3rd, 2012 at 12:46 pm

Did anyone see Mayer/Gasquet? Apparently Mayer hit 60 winners! Also I didn’t know Florian Mayer is a former Wimbledon quarter finalist.

July 3rd, 2012 at 1:03 pm

Glad Murray’s through easily and I think he will be able to handle Ferrer on grass. Also Tsonga is through, and he has a good record over Special K 5-1. It looks like there’s a good chance for a Murray-Jo semi.

July 3rd, 2012 at 1:08 pm

great match with lisicki and kerber, really enjoying it

July 3rd, 2012 at 1:19 pm

jane,

just watched a couple of games of the DelPo-Ferrer match, to see if the big man could get through, otherwise listened radio Wimb.

I have seen the stats of Gasquet/Mayer and I am surprised too. It seems that Mayer didn’t serve out of his mind, and he didn’t rush to the net. Just hope that if he was in the zone, it won’t happen again.

July 3rd, 2012 at 1:22 pm

go sabine! what a comeback. can’t believe angelique let that ball go…..

July 3rd, 2012 at 1:25 pm

Go Sabine indeed – 46 winners to 13 for Kerber. If Liscki were just a little more consistent today, she’d have won. She repeatedly shoots herself in the foot with errors. She just handed the break to Kerber – what the??!! Meanwhile if Kerber were a little more aggressive, she’d have won. LOL.

mat4, yes, Mayer’s stats were pretty awesome! Hope he can’t repeat it against Nole, or that Nole can go one better.

July 3rd, 2012 at 1:28 pm

Btw does anyone know when the schedule for tomorrow will be posted? I need to know what time the matches are. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

July 3rd, 2012 at 1:32 pm

Here are the players with the longest runs at no.1 after taking over the top ranking for the first time:
1. Roger Federer (237)
2. Jimmy Connors (160)
3. Lleyton Hewitt (75)
4. Novak Djokovic (53* through second week of ’12 Wimbledon)
5. Rafael Nadal (46)

July 3rd, 2012 at 1:36 pm

lisicki is hitting as hard as she can, some are going in and a lot are going out.

July 3rd, 2012 at 1:47 pm

BTW, did anybody know that Fed didn’t won against a top 15 on grass since 2009? Read it on Eurosport.

July 3rd, 2012 at 1:57 pm

In this 3rd set neither one can play well when in front.

July 3rd, 2012 at 2:00 pm

until now…

July 3rd, 2012 at 2:07 pm

hmm, lisicki was serving for the match earlier, couldn’t do it. now kerber to serve for the match.

July 3rd, 2012 at 2:07 pm

Lisicki is just soooo much more exciting to watch, but alas, her errors did her in, what a drag. Congrats to Kerber. :/

July 3rd, 2012 at 2:10 pm

ah!!lisicki will kick herself. she had the match. Congrats to kerber.

this was a good match.

July 3rd, 2012 at 2:11 pm

I think kerber will get to the final, she is going to beat a winner of Kirilenko/radwanska, she has more fire power than these two imo.

July 3rd, 2012 at 2:15 pm

Probably Kimmi. Kerber is a consistent player. Not always super exciting, doesn’t have the variety of Lisicki, but she is consistent and have very good defence.

July 3rd, 2012 at 2:19 pm

Fed vs Youzhny and Murray vs Ferrer on cc tomorrow. Nole vs Mayer and Tsonga vs PK on No.1 court. In that order.

July 3rd, 2012 at 2:21 pm

Hopefully if it’s raining they’ll do what they’ve done with the ladies
QFs today and move the matches under cover.

Kerber and Radwanska are 2-2, and Kerber and Kirilenko have never played as far as I can tell.

July 3rd, 2012 at 2:27 pm

jane,

just heard on radio Wimbledon that they have to think about the condition of the central court, so you can’t schedule to many matches on it.

July 3rd, 2012 at 3:07 pm

mat4, that’s a good point: never really thought of that.

July 3rd, 2012 at 3:17 pm

Me neither, although it is quite reasonable.

July 3rd, 2012 at 3:25 pm

Just hope that the WTA will do something about grunting soon, because it’s getting worse each year. Azarenka is unbearable.

July 3rd, 2012 at 3:29 pm

mat4 says:

“BTW, did anybody know that Fed didn’t won against a top 15 on grass since 2009? Read it on Eurosport.”

You should be cautious in reading stats like this because — not surprisingly — they are very limited in scope and meant to portray a very particular picture. In this case, sounds like the picture is that Federer can’t win big matches on grass anymore.

Is it true that Federer hasn’t beaten a top 15 player on grass since 2009? Yes, but he’s also only played one guy in the top 15 on grass in past three years — Berdych (then ranked 13), who beat him in the quarterfinals in 2010. Federer has usually played only one or two opponents in the top 15 during those years when he has won the tournament anyway.

The way any draw works is that, as a top 4 seed, you won’t meet anyone in the top 16 until the quarterfinals at the soonest, so what this stat is telling us is that Federer hasn’t contested a Wimbledon semi since 2009, which we know.

Did you know that from 2003-2008 Nadal beat only one player ranked higher than 15 on clay in Barcelona? Man, that guy must suck on clay. Actually, he doesn’t — he just didn’t really *play* any guys ranked that high to win those titles :) Not a perfect apples-to-apples comparison, I submit, but you see my point.

July 3rd, 2012 at 3:49 pm

in some ways, federer’s legacy doesn’t take much hit even if djokovic wins this wimbledon.

djokovic winning this wimbledon will further strengthen his standing as the 2nd best player of the last decade, outside clay.

as i listed before, djokovic has more AO and year end championships than nadal. he has a better record than nadal @ USO. if he wins this wimbledon, he will match nadal’s 2 wimbledon titles.

nadal’s legacy is more likely to be eclipsed by djokovic’s at this point of time.

it is a very likely scenario that nadal will finish as the 3rd best player of this generation.

me like it :) come on djokovic, let us overtake the beast!

July 3rd, 2012 at 3:54 pm

@the mind reels:

It was just an interesting stat, just like that one about Nadal and Barcelona. There was nothing I wanted to imply or infer. Anyway, the article is interesting and it’s here:

http://www.eurosport.fr/ace_blog18/federer-dans-son-jardin-vraiment_post181373/blogpostfull.shtml

July 3rd, 2012 at 3:54 pm

WHOA, i am still last (RFF doesn’t count, it was a parody bracket) at the bracket!

delpo, mahut, roddick, raonic have done me in

murray and fed to the final, please!

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:08 pm

@ Ray. Did anyone ever tell you that you are a nasty little man full of hate? Enjoy the rest of your miserable life!

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:08 pm

@mat4: didn’t mean to imply that you were making wild claims — I just get a little irked when newspapers and magazines start spouting stats.

Thanks for the link! I’m off to work on my French…

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:08 pm

Anybody got an update on Fed’s back?

Did he train today or all quit on the front?

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:10 pm

I dont need to listen to preachings from rafa tarts like you!

i reciprocate with hatred to people who spread it – like you and nirma kumar and nadline.

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:13 pm

Looks like Azarenka comes through after a shaky end to the second set. But Paszek seems to play her best when she is about to lose.

These last two women’s QFs were entertaining, in my opinion. Sme nice shot making and good serving too.

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:19 pm

On the Argie Astrology forum they predict Federer will be the new #1 next Monday.

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

Starting Monday, I think there will be a new No. 1 ranking. The great Roger Federer, despite his sore back and be on your PS Saturnino, will keep the Wimbledon Open and climb to the top of tennis once again.

THE Swiss have the North Node in the ascending moon and Mercury, ruler of his MC moon, the sun set.

Not how long or if it can withstand several weeks, but starting Monday, the great Roger can again become the 1 in the world.

Mercury is reg ASC and MC your home!

The theme comes straight to Roger Federer.

The fact is that Jupiter is playing the Mercury native of Murray, the problem is that there is the annoying ns.

So here good, you just go to the Swiss. Pabsl, Victory, and MC’s debut on natal Sun.

Similarly, beyond the letter debut at the moon can be seen also the conquest of something big for Roger, it would be Wimbledon and climb back to 1 in the world.

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:20 pm

@Jane thanks for the stats on number 1 weeks at the top, interesting that Nole is doing so well. I hope he can keep it to the end of the year at least.

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:22 pm

@Jamie… I’d like to know how many times your predictions have come true. I suspect not many.

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:23 pm

Nice: they are bringing Aggy and Maria K onto CC so they can finish all the ladies QFs. I think that is both wise and fair.

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:24 pm

Nina, no problem. Yes it would be nice to see him get to the end of the year so he could tie Hewitt, but he still has so much to defend that it will be very difficult. If he loses it he could maybe get it back post-USO, as he has very little to defend at that point.

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:26 pm

Most likely it will be a Federer-Murray final with Federer winning since they are the two players with the best astrological charts for Wimbledon. But Federer’s astrological chart is better than Murray’s.

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:27 pm

good decision to get aggie/kirilenko to finish today that way no one with adv when coming back for semi final.

I was rooting for pazsek, but azarenka was a better player. azarenka/serena should be a good match.

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:27 pm

@Nina these are not mine.

But the psychics on that forum predicted all the winners since I started browsing there after RG 2011.

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:28 pm

They predicted:

Nadal to win RG 2011

Nole to win Wimbledon 2011

Nole to win USO 2011

Nole to win AO 2012

Nadal to win RG 2012

Now they are predicting Federer to win Wimbledon 2012

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:30 pm

Here is the link

http://foro.astrodestino.com.ar/showthread.php/final-federer-nadal-roland-garros-2011-10326.html

They got all the winners right since RG 2011

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:31 pm

I am surprised maria K is pushing aggie so close. The top half is so open for those players to get a chance to reach their first final.

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:32 pm

jamie – great. let it be true.

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:33 pm

I appreciate you today, Jamie lol

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:37 pm

Kirilenko has more power; these indoor conditions might favour her game? Must be difficult to restart when the match is almost over.

LOL, I like the other link you posted jamie, the one about Nole from DNA.

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:37 pm

Kimmi has spoken
Let it be true. !!!!

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:38 pm

Let it not be true!! Nole or Murray for the title! :)

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:39 pm

lol @ dari and jane

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:43 pm

wow, seems like these two are really slowballing after the last three womens matches. lot of variety though.

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:43 pm

Yeah, and Aggy about to serve for it. She is 2-2 versus Kerber.

Does anyone think Azarenka can take out Serena?

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:45 pm

I will take half of that, Jane. They can let it be true for Murray ;)

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:46 pm

I don’t believe in astrology or superstition or God. So may the best man win and I hope it’s Nole or Murray.

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:46 pm

Serena has been in trouble against lesser opponents than vika and pertaining, but that is also when she plays the beat, when she is playing the best.
Hopefully we will get three sets. I am ready for serena’s turn at the full comeback. Maria’s French was amazing and now I’m ready for serena to win.

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:48 pm

Nice run for her. I picked Aggy to get to the final actually, but unfortunately I picked Kvitova to get through on the other side.

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:48 pm

radwanska!! first semi.

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:49 pm

Jamie you do not need to be an astrologer to predict rafa for RG 11 and 12′, Novak for wimby11′, USO 11′ and AO 12′ and be proven right.

For goodness, the majority would have predicted those guys at the time, since its the SMART pick.

However, picking FEDERER is gutsy so let’s see how it plays out….

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:52 pm

Update on rankings:

With Federer’s win yesterday, he has now protected all of his points from last year, which means that he’ll have, at minimum, 9,435 points on Monday. For kicks, some post-Wimbledon scenarios:

#1: Fed loses in QF; Djokovic wins:

1. Djokovic: 12,280
2. Federer: 9,435
3. Nadal: 8,905

#2: Fed loses in SF; Djokovic wins:

1. Djokovic: 12,280
2. Federer: 9,795
3. Nadal: 8,905

#3: Fed loses in the finals and takes out Djokovic in the SF:

1. Djokovic: 11,480
2. Federer: 10,275
3. Nadal: 8,905

#4: Fed wins, beating Djokovic in the SF:

1. Federer: 11,075
2. Djokovic: 11,000
3. Nadal: 8,905

Even with a SF appearance, Federer can put almost 1,000 points between him and Nadal. Obviously, that doesn’t really help him get much closer to Djokovic, but it does ensure that he wouldn’t meet Djokovic before the finals of future tournaments.

Also, while some might think it’s “unfortunate” that Federer didn’t land in Nadal’s half of the draw given that Nadal has now crashed out, the current scenario (i.e., Fed in Djokovic’s half) is the only one in which Federer could overtake Djokovic for the #1 ranking by beating him. Otherwise, they could only have met in the finals, and even then, a victory for Federer would have left him still #2.

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:57 pm

@Brando

Not one tennis pundit picked Nole to win Wimbledon last year.

They all predicted Federer and a few predicted Nadal.

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:01 pm

Sorry — correction to scenario #3 above:

Fed loses in the finals and takes out Djokovic in the SF:

1. Djokovic: 11,000
2. Federer: 10,275
3. Nadal: 8,905

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:01 pm

Well, even if Fed wins the final, he only will have 75 points on Nole, I bet he will lose the top ranking to him pretty soon.

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:07 pm

Before Wimbledon 2011, nobody picked Nole:

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=385019

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:12 pm

thankyou, brando. Finally someone agrees with me. Jamie is some foolish superstitious person as astrological signs are not real. Common sense. Its all based on probability. So retarted. I dont know why jamie posts such stuff on this forum.

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:13 pm

^^Even a couple predicted Murray for Wimbledon 2011.

Nole? Nobody.

I posted here that Nole would win Wimbledon 2011, according to the psychic, just when the tournament began. It turned out to be true.

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:15 pm

Anyway.

All the psychics are predicting Federer.

There must be a reason.

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:16 pm

Nothing would please me more than Nole or Muzza winning.

For some reason it is now written in the stars.

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:17 pm

http://www.astroved.com/special-news/novak-djokovic-in-wimbledon-2012/

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:17 pm

Edit.

For some reason it is not written in the stars.

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:17 pm

http://solarisastrology.blogspot.com/2012/01/andy-murray-could-2012-finally-be-his.html

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:21 pm

Hey I would love to see Nole winning since Fed already has more than enough slams. But most sites predict Fed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c0IRRS5GlM

http://www.sallykirkman.com/blog/who-will-win-wimbledon-2012

http://solarisastrology.blogspot.com/2012/01/andy-murray-could-2012-finally-be-his.html

We will see.

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:21 pm

OK, now a more difficult task: to find an astrologist predicting Ferrer’s victory…

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:21 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c0IRRS5GlM

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:23 pm

http://www.sallykirkman.com/blog/who-will-win-wimbledon-2012

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:23 pm

See, mat4? All it takes is a little digging around. ;)

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:26 pm

Jamie,

Any chance of me winning Wimbledon this year? Uncle Toni keeps saying “Anything is possible”.

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:26 pm

LOL mat4!

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:29 pm

One of the famous astrologist who predicted a Federer victory (there is also a post about a Federer-Tsonga final) predicts the ladies’ winner:

http://www.sallykirkman.com/blog/wimbledon-ladies-final-2012-astrology-prediction

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:29 pm

@Humble ass picker

According to the Argie psychic you will enter a great period from Olympics all the way to the USO. Argie psychic thinks you will win the USO.

Hope the psychic is wrong. Also hope the Federer winning Wimbledon prediction is wrong. Sick of those 2 winning slams. It should be Nole and Muzza now. Capice? Federer winning Wimbledon and Nadal winning USO would be boring. Time for Nole and Muzza to win slams.

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:31 pm

@Humble Rafa:

LMAO- epic post :-)

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:33 pm

@Mat4:

LOL, good research :-)

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:34 pm

On a more serious note: I don’t deny that biorhythm (we didn’t investigate it), planets can influence the way someone feels and plays, but ultimately I believe that sheer craft will decide the winner.

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:37 pm

HR:

LOL. You’re really the best… after the Arrogant One.

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:38 pm

Jamie get out of this forum. No one cares about the junk you post. You are just a pain to everyone posting on here.

July 3rd, 2012 at 5:51 pm

green900

You are just sore because ever single prediction slam wise I have posted here has been right for the past year. Guess was, betch? Wimbledon and USO prediction will be right as well.

Bite me.

July 3rd, 2012 at 6:03 pm

jamie,

if you are not a fake, make a prediction for a future tournament. For instance, wimbledon 2014? That is in a long time and it would be very difficult to predict based on how players are playing at the moment as a lot can change in 2 years. That would be much less based on the ‘SMART’ pick.

Let’s see the luck you’d get with that…

July 3rd, 2012 at 6:09 pm

Jamie the Humble Ass picker winning the USO for the second time,im sure every Rafa fan would be delighted if that were to come true lol.

July 3rd, 2012 at 6:09 pm

What I like about jamie is, he/she is persistent, that reamainds me on one of my friends when I was young, while ago:). He use to go out with goodlooking girls, quite a few of them and you couldn’t really use word “handsome” agains his name. Once I ended up with one of his former girlfriends and couldn’t resist to ask her how is he doing that, having so many nice girlfriends. She answered “he doesn’t take NO for answer and keeps coming back until we give up” :)
So, keep it up jamie;)

July 3rd, 2012 at 6:10 pm

@green900

if you really don’t care for jamie’s comments, just skip over them or ignore them. it’s not for you to tell someone to leave. personally i and many other people feel like jamie adds a lot of excitement to see how the predictions pan out and to see if our favorites have a chance of winning. it adds some spice to this blog…

July 3rd, 2012 at 6:13 pm

@green900

I can predict the last time you got laid was in the past millenium. Seeing what an uptight betch you are. LOL-

July 3rd, 2012 at 6:15 pm

@Jamie:

LMAO- stay, don’t go.

we need people with a different take on thyings around here- EVEN IF others may disagree!

July 3rd, 2012 at 6:19 pm

@Wog Boy:

LOL, nice story :-)

July 3rd, 2012 at 6:20 pm

Jamie

Haha (sarcastic). Looks like we’ve got a joker in town.

U just proved to me that this stuff you do is fake, as u can’t predict in the future where there is no ‘smart’ pick. All based on probability and the odds are the picks you make now, meaning you speak nonsense.

July 3rd, 2012 at 6:28 pm

Astrological predictions confirms the direction of this website. A majority of comments on here are fanatical pieces from people who attach their egos to a player they *know* via television. I.E. “oh I hope player A beats Player B, his career will then be better than the other players!! Then I can smile cuz A is better than B confirming my ego is better than yours” It’s boring and documented on this site as popular discussion. Continue predicting matches, please, it takes zero effort afterall! What a shame it would be if that stopped. Then the discussion might horrifically switch to the game of tennis! Like, how players structure a point, how they played on a given day, strategy, ya know, anything about an actual tennis match. Being a nostradamus or fanatic is a lighter load to carry.

July 3rd, 2012 at 6:30 pm

great win for kohlschrieber! first major quarter final for him, i believe. and ferrer. another guy quietly slipping through the draw. the women’s matches today were all quality. yes, the WTA is unpredictable re: consistency, but it kind of makes it enjoying to watch cos you never know who blows up or plays incredible on the day.

July 3rd, 2012 at 6:34 pm

wow. roger will only be #1 by 75 points if he wins? talk about inching out the #1 ranking if he makes it!

July 3rd, 2012 at 6:37 pm

Jamie, are you excluding french open 2011. Because you assured us Novak would win there, with the photoshop picture and everything. Then when federer hit that ace I’m the semi you disappeared for weeks.

July 3rd, 2012 at 6:38 pm

@Kimberly:

I too disappear for weeks when my fav loses. :-)

I am a sore loser, and since I think that when one’s fav wins his fans HAVE to rejoice, brag and swagger, I let a few days pass to be able to take it with some dignity.

July 3rd, 2012 at 6:44 pm

sorry:

HAVE THE RIGHT and DUTY

July 3rd, 2012 at 6:47 pm

hi alison and WB. Nice you’re here.

July 3rd, 2012 at 6:49 pm

@Kimberly

The FO prediction was mine. I had not discovered the astrology forum yet. I started browsing that forum AFTER RG 2011. I have already said that before.

July 3rd, 2012 at 6:50 pm

If you browse the astrology forum you will see they predicted Nadal to win RG 2011.

July 3rd, 2012 at 6:52 pm

Anyway… a question for Nole fans: do you think he was in love with Maria Sharapova?

July 3rd, 2012 at 6:54 pm

http://foro.astrodestino.com.ar/showthread.php/final-federer-nadal-roland-garros-2011-10326.html

July 3rd, 2012 at 6:56 pm

boss

if u and other people are content with jamie’s posts, then i’ll stop attacking jamie and let it be. I assumed I was talking on behalf of many people.

For those of you who believe in astrological signs, how can u be rational about it. I mean on what basis can u relate it to life and how someone can win a tennis match. Thats why I find Jamie’s remarks absurd. I’ll leave jamie alone, but can anyone explain me the logistics of how some sane person cam believe in astrological signs?

July 3rd, 2012 at 6:59 pm

Intresting how Murray talks about his prediction on the possibility of early upsets of the ‘Top 4’ players….

Murray thinks in near future, the Top 4 will have more upsets in slams….

Murray, why dont you just keep quiet and focus on your game!

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:24 pm

mat4–is your son still checking the standings. Mine is for his own own. But even funnier my mother “grandmajoan” is very into her bracket and is avidly rooting for murray, lol.

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:27 pm

Yes, he is, Kimberly, and he is certain he would have done better than his dad.

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:29 pm

green900–i personally think the astrology is total BS, we make our own destiny but having nutters posting contributes to the diversity and amusement of the forum, so IMO Jamie’s crap is acceptable.

However, the days where the net cords are not going my way I feel the universe is against me. And the days I hit the lines and get the net cords it is all about my play. Lol.

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:29 pm

PEOPLE SHOW HOW MUCH THEY LOVE TENNIS WITH THEIR OWN WAYS , , NO NEED TO DICTATE IT,,,, UNDERSTAND!!

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:40 pm

mat4,
He did not.Jelena Ristic is Nole’s only love.

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:47 pm

I mean:first and last.

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:48 pm

I mean the love for ever.

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:50 pm

@bojana:

Although there are no chances to really prove or disprove… wanna bet?

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:50 pm

BTw, Bojana: are you in love with Novak?

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:53 pm

But Marija is in love with Milan Lucic.

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:55 pm

mat4,

Thanks, now to your question about Nole and Maria, no I don’t think he was in love with Maria. I know she was sitting in his box in 2007, I think, but he was already with Jelena, methinks too. By saying this maybe it was the other way around, maybe Maria liked Nole but he he didn’t realize that. I found, from my personal experience, that we usually don’t see the things until it is too late, or looking for something that it is miles away thinking it is better and not noticing something that is standing next to us until it is too late;( I don’t know if you are with me on this one. This just my thinking, nothing to do with Jelena and Nole. She is great girl and Nole is lucky to have her by his side.
Now about predictions, there are things that happens every day around us and cannot be explained rationally, even Charles Darwin didn’t get everything right, methinks. Why do we we have always to negate something just because we don’t believe in it or more importantlly we don’t understand it.

I am at work, I shouldn’t bee posting:)

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:59 pm

NO,I could be his grandmother,but he is our prince and I like stories about princes and princesses.

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:01 pm

mat4,
You made my day.I am still laughing.

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:08 pm

WB:

Just watch their body language in some of the clips you can find on youtube. Especially Nole’s, but Maria’s is revealing too. Do the same with Ana Ivanovic at the AO 2011.

What made me think about it was a game he played at Roland Garros, choosing the cast for a film. I quote here:

“The good looking hero: Roger; the scary bad guy: Del Potro; the beautiful woman, who turns out to be a traitor: Sharapova…”

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:08 pm

@Bojana:

What love has to do with age?

Anyway, I don’t believe that you could be his grandmother: grandmothers know that the one and only, forever, exist only in novels.

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:09 pm

Anyway, it is a funny topic.

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:10 pm

mat4, re your 8:08 post —

“The good looking hero: Roger; the scary bad guy: Del Potro; the beautiful woman, who turns out to be a traitor: Sharapova…”

What was Rafa in this list :) ?

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:17 pm

@Harry,

no, he wasn’t. The clip is here:

http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/multimedia/index.html

day 5, behind the scenes, “Casting by Novak”. Very funny, BTW.

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:18 pm

Bojana,

“First and last” uhhhhhh, it could be first but how do we know it will be last? I thought the same thing when I was young but it turned out it wasn’t to be. Actually it was few last ones inbeetween then and now. Not that I mind or regret:)
One more thing, Sasa Vujacic is Maria’s love, they are getting married in Istanbul this year and he is fairly big man with some Serbian blood so if I am Nole I wouldn’t try my luck:)

mat4,

I will check those links later.

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:31 pm

mat4,
You are right love has nothing to do with age and I admit I am in love with Nole.I know that I do not have any chance,but it is easier to me when I see to many men on this site in love with Federer.Certainly they have less chances then me.

BTW:what do You think about tomorrow?

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:35 pm

I don’t know. I tried to find highlights from Mayer’s match against Gasquet, but have found almost nothing. So his sixty winners remains a mystery to me.

They have played just once, and Nole needed a set to adjust. So I guess tomorrow will be similar: a tough first set then an easier finish. To sum it up, a tough match, but Nole winning win in three.

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:41 pm

Ooops, forgot to ask jamie what the psychic has said…

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:41 pm

Wog boy, You are right about Milan Vujacic not Lucic.
OK,I said first and last but between them could be many,right?

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:42 pm

I hope You are right for tomorrow

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:46 pm

mat4,
I hope You are right for tomorrow.

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:49 pm

alison: No, I didn’t think your post was directed at me at all. I know why you wrote your post and actually agree with your reasons for doing so. I just wanted to reiterate what I had said about what I felt would happen, as I’m quite happy to let my scenarios play out without making too many match by match adjustments (though don’t hold me to this if I do so in future, haha). Yeah, it’s completely ridiculous to presume that anyone, even Federer or Laver in their heydays, already has their hands on the trophy. The ball is round. I never expected Rosol to make it out of the first round, and having reviewed that decison post-Nadal, still wouldn’t have changed that decision had I not known his latter results.

Dang. After I posted I realized that I forgot to state that I am a man of deep conviction and courage who stands by his decisions, so I thank you for mentioning that :) And the admiration is mutual.

July 3rd, 2012 at 8:58 pm

@mat4, thanks ;) i guess QFs are going to be a bit dull. i dont see any upsets. but who knows? may be a surprise or two in the offing?

July 3rd, 2012 at 9:14 pm

@green900

Yea i get what you’re saying about it not making sense at all…lol doesn’t even make sense to me. But what jamie’s posts do is that they cause discussion and excitement which is what a blog’s all about. And so jamie is welcome here just as you are…nothing against you, just don’t express your thoughts too harshly, aight man?

July 3rd, 2012 at 9:17 pm

bojana,

That is about right, at least in my case.

mat4,

I am sitting in Sydney suburb of Liverpool and guess what I am eating…burek. Very ethniclly diverse suburb, Italians, People from Balkans, Italians, Greeks, Indians, Arabs and some true blue Aussies. There is few good Macedonian bakeries and when ever I feel like a burek or nostalgic I come here, you don’t really need to know english in this part of Sydney. As you are walking down pedestrian shopPing mall, you can see Serbians and Macedonians playing that big chess on the road, few meters away Italians are playing dominos, another few tables Arabs are playing that game with dices and so on. Very multicultural and safe and there is always people on the streets. As soon as you enter any Café, they are mostly ethnic, Srebian one is “Bona Fides Café” you can hear people talking footbal and politics, like back home, not much tennis;( but good food.

Sorry people off topic.

July 3rd, 2012 at 9:20 pm

@ mark, thank you,
I’ll add to my own collection.

July 4th, 2012 at 12:17 am

Nirmal,

About those wooden racquets during Borg’s time. Yes things were even for everybody. True, the game has changed a lot and therefore it would be futile to compare with eras.

My feeling is that if the courts today played as fast as during Sampras time, Roger would have gone on to win about 8 Wimbledons by now. He just plays very well in fast courts which the other top three cannot do and they are mainly retrievers and though Novak is a terrific counter puncher he is much less skilled than Roger.

July 4th, 2012 at 12:30 am

Nirmal,

Grass is least favourite surface for Ferrer

Yes, that is what was thought. But seeing him play against Del Potro, I have to swallow my words. He is playing terrific Tennis and at his age, I am just left speechless.

July 4th, 2012 at 12:32 am

Micahel, Fast courts are like two edged swords. Though Roger is the best fast court player in this generation, chances of him or any player losing in fast court is higher than slower courts. Just look at what Tsonga did to Roger last year. Roger did not even play badly.

Though we never know what Roger would have done, but what we know is what Pete did in fast courts is amazing considering the unpredictability of the matches.

July 4th, 2012 at 1:41 am

jamie..you have comeback with some brave predictions from the astro’s. Picking Roger is a contrarian approach and I like it that they have one prediction and stick to it. No shame if it goes wrong.

What was the success ratio for their predictions before FO 11. I see you saying they were right starting FO 11. Did they get it wrong before that?

July 4th, 2012 at 3:30 am

Ferrer will beat Murray today, he is playing terrific tennis. To down Goliath in straight sets on grass, that took some doing! Go Daveed!!!

July 4th, 2012 at 3:45 am

@Jamie. July 3, 5.23. Didn’t this idiot predict Italy would win Euro 2012????

July 4th, 2012 at 3:52 am

@Dave July 3rd 8.58pm,your welcome and about the last sentence in your post thanks very much.

July 4th, 2012 at 5:40 am

About Jamies pyschic predictions,i have to say they used to annoy me,but ive actually warmed to Jamie now,i think it becomes foolish when people begin to hang there hopes on it,believing that their fav will win the tourney all because Jamies pyschic friend said so,best to take it all with a pinch of salt,great talking point on the forum though IMO.

July 4th, 2012 at 5:56 am

alison Says:
Thank god for the sensible fans out there,one or two Fed fans were saying a week ago that Roger was a cert to grab the title and the no 1 ranking,now that hes struggling a bit,those same fans seem to be back tracking,saying i dont think this level will be enough to win the title,for fear of been left with egg on there faces hmm,a word to the wise i dont think it pays to get too ahead of youself,the sensible fans take things one match at a time,anything can happen,a weeks a long time things have a habit of changing veery quickly.

July 3rd, 2012 at 7:01 am

Alison,

We all have it in us I know and federer fans are very well aware of Fed’s back injury. It is the only time he has ever walked off the court for an MTO. I remember him having a back massage on court in shanghai against murray, I think it was 2009, but Dave will correct me, I am sure.

Federer does not go over and over his injuries, unlike some players. He doesn’t flout the rules. He gets on with it. He has never retired throughout the whole of his career, he must have played near on 1100 matches now. That is just awesome.

I meant to write here something that was written about federer in the paper yesterrday, to say, hey everyone! Federer is human! Believe it or not, we see that more and more now. What a blessing. He is just good at hiding it.

Until this happened with his back, John Mcenroe was waging for Fed all the way. Now, he has switched to Novak and I don’t know how anyone can say that Novak isn’t going to win this tournament.

But one thing is that Fed won’t give up without a fight and if he is injured, then he is the one making the decision to play. So no excuses should he lose.

I just think you need to get over the loss of Rafa and try to not revert to self-satisfying comments. It doesn’t help anyone. How anyone can gloat at someone else’s injury, is beyond comment. (I know you aren’t, but obviously it still hurts that rafa has lost, you can see it). Don’t worry. I am sure he will recover. He is a great champion.

What Federer has given to fans around the world is priceless. I hope for the best for him, a good recovery and that he does not injure himself further.

I wonder whether he would be allowed a back injection to numb the pain? Steroid injections? Would anyone know here if that was allowed?

If stem cell therapy is allowed for rafa’s knees, are steroids allowed for the back?

I don’t know.

Good luck to fed today. I think now everyone will be trying to get into long rallies with him, surely he will be aware of this and try and go for the shorter balls, chance the volleys and come to the net more? What do you think, Skeezer? kimmi?

No hard feelings Alison. I know you must be upset with some of the posters here. I still believe Federer has a chance, but I think it will be tough to get past Novak. He is the No. 1 and has been playing great tennis this week and last week. Has he been battle hardened? Did anyone ever think that Troiki would beat him? I don’t think so.

Wish this weather would improve. I am going to Wimbledon on Friday, semi finals day, so I will post back my thoughts later in the evening/morning.

July 4th, 2012 at 7:50 am

@mat4

This astrology site are not always right because they predicted that Nadal wasn’t going to win many titles. They use VEDIC astrology and they got some of their predictions wrong.
http://www.astroved.com/special-news/novak-djokovic-in-wimbledon-2012/

July 4th, 2012 at 7:51 am

Ray Says:
I dont need to listen to preachings from rafa tarts like you!

i reciprocate with hatred to people who spread it – like you and nirma kumar and nadline.

July 3rd, 2012 at 4:13 pm

Ray Is that nadline from TT?

If so who is it That is one sad mother. Sad fat mother.

July 4th, 2012 at 2:19 pm

Madmax @ 7.50 am July 4th,im sorry if you thought that what i said was offensive in any way,but i think you misunderstood the point of my post,Rafa lost and yeah i was dissapointed at the time,however im not one to dwell on the past,nor am i bitter and twisted,or gloat when another player is in anyway injured,everyone who knows me will realize thats not my style,and deffinetly not in my nature,i say what i mean and i mean what i say,anyway the point i was trying to make is as i said to Dave was believing and backing your favourite to win is one thing,to talk as though they have already got their hands on the trophy is quite another thing altogether,and then start to back track when the going gets a little bit tough for fear of been left with egg on ones face is what i found annoying,you as a fan seems happy to let things unfold and see what happens,Dave has the courage of his convictions and stands by his predictions whatever the outcome,which is also very admirable,anyway no offence was meant in my post,im still enjoying watching wimbledon Rafa or Rafa,and im glad you are dioing the same.

July 5th, 2012 at 6:58 am