Rogers Cup Tennis Preview; Olympic Wrap

Murray, Djokovic or Del Potro as possible winner of the Canadian Masters

August 5th, 2012 at 11:50 pm

Nah, it’s gonna be Tsonga.

August 6th, 2012 at 2:26 am

The title might be for a first time masters winner
Djoker losing to DelPotro was not expected especially after the match DelPotro just lost.

Murray might have a mental lapse after everything kicks in. He probably would love to stay in Londen for a few more days….

But only Tsonga is a past masters winner in the current draw back in 2008
The tourney have pretty much been dominated by the current top 4
Thismight be the chance.

August 6th, 2012 at 3:53 am

Are you kidding me? This is the “olympic wrap”? I can only imagine the headline and lines of praise had Federer won. First no story on the Murray/Djoko SF and now nothing on the Final. This website needs a name change, something like TennisFed-X.

August 6th, 2012 at 5:28 am

There is 48 hours mourning period :)

August 6th, 2012 at 7:53 am

Can’t believe that Andy is flying off to Toronto today and will play Wednesday. Surely he should get some r & r and pace himself for Cincinnati and the US Open.

August 6th, 2012 at 8:03 am

I agree, DA. If you bought a wrap that empty in a fast food outlet you’d complain to the management pretty darn quick.

August 6th, 2012 at 8:12 am

I agree with colin and DA. There should be a full thread on Andy Murray victory, the match, and what might the victory mean for Andy. He and his fans certainly deserve it.

August 6th, 2012 at 8:19 am

Last chance on the bracket, the submisssion deadline is 11 EST I think

August 6th, 2012 at 8:25 am

I will give it a miss Kimberly, I am in mourning too, though I did try to check brackets today but I cannot enter any more and I got no idea what was my pasword and how I did it first time. I enjoyed comments and it is nice social/tennis group:)
Good luck to the leader :) and rest of you.

August 6th, 2012 at 8:52 am

Lol if Roger had won the gold, I’m sure there’d be a 23 page eulogy up by now.
Dan, where r u? I know u have a soft spot for Andy.

August 6th, 2012 at 9:18 am

Margot yeah completely agree,does seem a little unfair,forget the rest Murrays actually the man of the moment.

August 6th, 2012 at 9:26 am

OK, I cut my mourning short, I am in.
Margot , I don’t think you will like my bracket but I am sure you will forgive me:)

August 6th, 2012 at 9:39 am

Wog Boy, I’ve done bracket too but I can’t believe Andy, Nole or Delboy will have anything left in the tank. Long flight plus high emotion = early exits
Of course could have big egg on face…
Darling, am not a bracket fascist, lol
I agree with Eric and have gone for Tsonga.

August 6th, 2012 at 9:44 am

“Delboy”, I like that one:)

August 6th, 2012 at 9:50 am

“There is 48 hours mourning period :)”

Good one, Wog boy :-)

August 6th, 2012 at 10:48 am

Agree with the DA. Murray played perhaps the match of his life, yet there’s absolutely nothing written about his phenomenal performance except the result…

August 6th, 2012 at 10:52 am

^ agree with you all, should be a write up here about Murray, maybe one is still coming…….

August 6th, 2012 at 10:59 am

well since there is no wrap, perhaps i’ll provide it.

that wasn’t just a win, it was a destruction.
a destruction i haven’t seen over five sets since nadal embarassed federer at RG 08.

but this was even more punishing.
consider murray was a few points from handing federer a bagel on grass.

murray won 30 more points, 30% more points or some such.

what we saw was something that has been clear for some time: when federer cannot get substantially more free service points, he is clearly outplayed by the other members of the big four.

today federer couldn’t serve out of trouble and he was destroyed, on a surface that gives him the best advantage on serve.

but for any murray fans this victory should come with a lot of frustration. this is how murray should have played in the 4 slam finals, instead of playing like this all tournie then capitulating.

here he was together mentally, and look what happened.

in no slam final did he play the level he was playing throughout. including wimbledon where he was horrible after the first set.

i don’t believe he would have won all of the slam finals without the mental choke, you can throw him the inexperience bone for the first one and federer and djoker are tough opponents. but they all should have been close matches at least instead of lopsided losses.
and i think murray could/should have taken a couple of those slams.

as for federer. this was handed to him on a platter. a surface he has the most experience on out of any of the top players, is most comfortable on. nadal was out. he didn’t have to play a top four player in the semi. and he played a guy in the final he’d beaten 3 times in slam finals including a few weeks ago right on that very court.

that was hands down the luckiest set of circumstances ever played out in tennis history, outside of federer being born 5 years before nadal/murray/djoker and mopping up slams while they learned how to shave.

August 6th, 2012 at 11:22 am

roy,

Looks like you consulted with Humble Rafa before writing your “write up’…hehe

August 6th, 2012 at 11:29 am

One factor is the roof was open. with the roof closed Roger may well have had the precision he relies on to make the shots he missed? Or no difference. What do you guys think.

August 6th, 2012 at 11:34 am

anyone ever tried to play with Rogers racket. I tried once out of curiousity and have never shanked so much in my life. I am quite enjoying Sharapova/Berdych Head Instinct. Lots of power and much more control.

August 6th, 2012 at 11:40 am

roy @ 11.22. Sorry but that report is sooo yesterday. Andy is transforming his game, his mental state, his behaviour on court and his self-belief in front of our eyes.
I’ll write the report shall I?

August 6th, 2012 at 11:50 am

^ Go for it margot! You been cheering Andy all along! :-)

August 6th, 2012 at 11:54 am

K,

Tried Dkokers racket, actually not a bad stick. Feds racket is not for the faint at heart. Tried the Instinct, but the sweet spot is to high for me…..POG has been my life long go to racket…control, power and spin….still the best!!

August 6th, 2012 at 11:57 am

K @ 11:34

No gas in the tank left. Simple as that. That day didn’t matter if roof was open closed, he needed to be fresh and have his “A” game. Didn’t happen. Knew when he won that match against Delpo he had won the day but very possibly lost the war. That said, Andy admitted he was fresh, he played great, earned it, and had to play through the draw just like Fed. Looking back, it was on Fed to not get in a extremely long tussle with Delpo, but he did, and in the end he paid for it. It was destiny for Murray also, big disappointment at Wimby, he knows he is playing for country at that tourney no matter what anyone says, and he really did get one for his country here. Really happy for the guy!

August 6th, 2012 at 12:05 pm

Murray played great. No question about that. And played great clutch points against Djoker.

August 6th, 2012 at 12:15 pm

@skeezer, The Wilson Juice is a good power/control racket, good for consistency but my shots seem penetrate the court more with the Head Instinct. I am liking it a lot. Maybe I’ll try Djokers for fun. A lot of the pros at the club and 5.0+ guys try to play with Feds racket simply to show they can, as you walk out with it and people know its a “players” racket.

August 6th, 2012 at 12:24 pm

Just because fed lost 2-6,1-6,4-6 haters started to criticize his game more roughly. Now he can’t be called the goat, king of grass etc. But why is that? This man is 31 and at this stage most players goes for retirement because of their lesser success on tour compared to their prime. But look at him! He has been playing some great (not his best) tennis in the past 12 months which is really incredible!

I don’t want to take away the credit from murray. He definitely played his best tennis on grass in the final. But if federer hadn’t played that marathon sf against del potro, the scorecard wouldn’t be the same for sure. I’m not saying fed would’ve won, but there would’ve been a great contest, I guarantee. I hope anyone who understands tennis will agree with this

August 6th, 2012 at 12:27 pm

Most definitely there should be a write up! Murray cruised to victory. It could be a defining moment for him. For Murray fans, Tignor’s summary was lovely. Here are the last couple of lines:

“At 40-15, Murray said he could feel the adrenaline pumping everywhere in the building, and that it added “a few miles per hour” to his final serve. He looked once more at Federer, a player who had stood in his way so many times in the past, and tossed the ball. When it thudded against the purple back tarp a second later, it was all chalk, and pure gold.”

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Wog Boy, “mourning period” – LOL.

I missed the draw challenge! Bummer. I didn’t know when they were due and I slept in – was at the beach all day after the tennis yesterday. Hopefully I can still log in & join the conversation on there anyhow. Will miss being a bracketeer. Have not missed a challenge all year. : /

August 6th, 2012 at 1:14 pm

murray definitely deserves a write up.

Let’s face it, had fed or any of the other big 2 won, not only would there be a thread but also 100 plus user comments on what this means for the tour now.

but like wog boy mentioned, maybe we are in the middle/ end of the 48 hour mourning period. :-)

August 6th, 2012 at 1:40 pm

OK, here’s a write up:

Murray Masters the Maestro

Many fans had given up on Andy Murray. The gifted player had shown time and again he had the game to disrupt tennis’ royalty, but he had as often demonstrated an inability to bring all that game, and the right attitude, to bear at the biggest moments.

But he was getting closer: he played brilliantly in a losing effort to Federer at Wimbledon last month, though even then he’d only had to face one, not two giants.

At the Olympics he faced two giants and felled them both, world #2 and recent world dominator NOvak Djokovic first in the semis, and Roger Federer in the finals.

Against Federer, Murray touched perfection. His game, his fitness, his attitude, his tactics, all peaked, all worked together. Federer was helpless in this match.

To start, Federer showed his own unmatchable form with several jaw dropping groundstrokes in the first games. Murray kept pace, and the two challenged each other with deuces and break points piling up in the first several games. Then Murray raised his game and it was Federer who cracked.

For the next 2 and a half sets, Murray played the match of his life. Federer did not rise to the challenge this time. He did not play badly; his effort would have been enough against any player outside the top ten, possibly a few of the weaker top tenners. But it was nowhere near enough for Andy Murray.

Critics have always wondered what Andy Murray could do with more aggressive tactics (as against Nadal in the Australian Open semifinal 2010). For himself he has bristled at the suggestion, often insisting he knows his game best and that he trusts his defense first. All that changed this month, first at Wimbledon, now here. At Olympian Wimbledon. The first match gave Murray the confidence that when he plays offensive minded tennis, good things happen. This Olympic Gold will sear in his mind that when he plays this way, he is more than a great player, he is a true contender for the best in the world.

This match, if it changes Andy’s attitude towards his own weapons, could change the power structure of tennis.

Federer is not going away. He still has the best season so far. He is a silver medalist and Wimbledon champ.

Novak will not go away, and I assure fans and haters, Rafa will come back with force and surprises. But now Murray may be an equal, and Juan Martin Del Potro has his fingers over the pedestal too.

The next question is, just how much can Andy Murray achieve with belief? Can he knock the others off that perch, or will he share it?

We’ve waited a long time for a more open game, as one dominant rivalry gave way to another. This year, the Trivalry became more than hype as Federer proved himself again. With his Double WImbledon success, Murray has to be given equal respect in the conversation.

August 6th, 2012 at 2:52 pm

Echo everyone here, WHERE’S THE MURRAY GOLD
ARTICLE?!

HaHa thanks, TV.

August 6th, 2012 at 2:58 pm

^ bravo! Well written.

August 6th, 2012 at 3:15 pm

After the dust of olympia settles it will just be the olympic gold he won.
In tennis olympic gold is regarded below wtf title.

The sooner everyone face that the easier it is to accept.
It obviously didnot hurt murrays selfbelief but in order toplace himself on parwith the otherd he will need a slam win.

However I think with the decline ofNadal and the well below 2011performing djoker he can finish second in ranking.

August 6th, 2012 at 4:30 pm

Why you all wonder why no Murray ‘right-side-up’?

If I won Olympics, there would not be right-side-up, astrologist would be up-side-down.

Tennis X only like a non-boring player. Like watching Federer win all tournament known to man not boring. Heh.

August 6th, 2012 at 4:35 pm

tennis surely give us surprises, good surprises.
2008 who would expect federer fall
2009 who would expect federer return, even less after the australian defeat
2010 who would expect nadal best year, when he had a full year without title entering clay season
2011 who would expect djokovic rise, this one was huge surprise
2012 who would expect all the top 4 getting a good year, djokovic getting his australian and a chance to hold all 4, nadal resurrection in clay and that lucky 7 french, federer from nowhere taking wimbledon and number 1 ranking, murray olympic glory at wimbledon, and we still had 1/3 of the year to play
WOW tennis is just a beautiful sport, damn i only start watching it a few years ago, i missed all federer domination era.

August 6th, 2012 at 7:24 pm

Sadly several major British newspapers gave front page coverage to Usain Bolt’s 100 meters gold rather than Andy Murray’s gold.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2012/aug/06/national-newspapers-olympics-2012

August 7th, 2012 at 2:13 am

Yes so terribly sad. He must be distraught.

August 7th, 2012 at 6:00 am

Hmm. Think I’ve had a comment removed…?
So resuming: Tennis Vagabond u receive my gold star :)

August 7th, 2012 at 6:24 am

Thanks Margot- and by the way, that was from the heart of a diehard Federer fan.

August 7th, 2012 at 10:22 am

berny @ 7:24pm

well put

August 7th, 2012 at 11:20 am

Suddenly the silver medal will take on a whole new importance.

August 8th, 2012 at 4:43 am

Is it only me or some posts this thread keep appearing and disappearing?
I have to see my GP, this is serious.

August 8th, 2012 at 5:22 am

Should say “some posts ON this thread”

August 8th, 2012 at 5:23 am

Me too Wog boy *puzzled face*
Tennis Vagabond @10.22. It’s so easy to be magnanimous in victory and so difficult to be magnanimous in defeat and therefore I salute you.
No, this victory is NOT a grand slam and hardly carries any points BUT no-one should underestimate its effect on Andy’s self belief. To beat Fed in 3/5, on grass, on centre, in a final, after all those heart breaking losses, is enormous. The door has opened at long last.

August 8th, 2012 at 5:35 am

Margot, I think this tournament in particular was very close to a Slam. All the top players took it seriously, even the manner of Rafa’s withdrawal and his dejection over it speaks to how much bigger this was than any Masters event.
This was a big win for Andy, and I really believe it will cement in him the understanding that we’ve all urged on him for so long: offense, not moonballs, wins championships*. I believe that attitude can make him a #1, though certainly he’s got three all-time greats still to contend with.

*OK, its true Rafa and Novak win championships with defense, but what can one say except that their defense is almost superhuman.

August 8th, 2012 at 8:35 am

Wogboy August 8th 5.22am, no its not just you,i posted about 3 different posts,not only on this thread either,i posted one to you on this thread,one to Courbon and one to Ray on the Roger Federer Goatness thread yesterday and all 3 posts have vanished,i thought i was going mad ha ha,so glad im not the only one.

August 8th, 2012 at 11:30 am