OT: Pro Tennis Thread

[10spro]

Love the atmosphere of the US Open. RF has been almost untouchable in NY, he's my favorite to win the Open. But he's going to have to play Hewitt, Djokovic, the big Swede who finally beat him this year and of course Nadal will have something to say about that.

[rhymes450]

Love the atmosphere of the US Open. RF has been almost untouchable in NY, he's my favorite to win the Open. But he's going to have to play Hewitt, Djokovic, the big Swede who finally beat him this year and of course Nadal will have something to say about that.

I'd go along with Fed as favourite. Despite the loss to Del Potro last year, this is his court and he showed in Toronto and Cincinnati that's he's not about to fade away.

Nadal hasn't looked happy on the hard courts thus far and has hinted that he's having difficulties on the backhand wing in particular.

Haven't had much chance to really dissect the draw but Nadal looks to have a possibly tricky enough 2nd round meeting with Istomin, who's got good results recently and then a 3rd round against either Simon or Kohlschreiber (the Simon/Kohlschreiber match would be well worth catching in itself if it materialises). A meeting with Simon could actually benefit Nadal, in that the Frenchman likes to engage in longer rallies (da ritmo, as they say in Spain), which would give Rafa plenty of opportunity to get used to the court. Simon is coming back from a very troublesome injury and might not be moving as well as in the past but this link gives an idea of what he's capable of at his best. He actually won this match in the semis of the Madrid Masters Series 2008 against Rafa.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be6eMF7pkEo

[wco81]

They have an iPhone app. out so it'll be interesting to see how well you can follow the tourney through the app. during the work day.

[rhymes450]

They have an iPhone app. out so it'll be interesting to see how well you can follow the tourney through the app. during the work day.

I don't have an iPhone but I was listening to US Open radio last night, which I guess is the same or at least some of what you get on the iPhone. IMO, those guys do an excellent job on the radio commentary, with lots of useful insights into player form going into the tournament etc.

Meanwhile Fed is up to his old tricks again, in round 1 of the tournament! Last year we had to wait till the semis. The trick shot for the commercial might have been stage-managed but this is for real.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZnC6jcR ... r_embedded

[rhymes450]

"The dumber you are on court, the better you're gonna play" is a quote attributed to Jim Courier. Watching tennis in recent years, I'd say Fernando Verdasco is a fully paid-up member of that school of thought. Plan A: blow the opponent off the court and if that doesn't work, there's also plan B, which is to lose the run of yourself a bit and then blow the opponent off the court. It nearly cost him the match against Fognini. Mind you, the guy is so good at tennis that maybe one day, he'll prove Courier right.

Contrast that approach with the you-can't-play-the-first-round-like-it's-the-final attitude of Nadal in the excellent interview on the official site following his first-round win:

http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/articl ... 12536.html

That boy is anything but dumb.

[10spro]

Djokovic definitely was flirting with disaster.

[rhymes450]

Djokovic definitely was flirting with disaster.

He was very close to going down a 2nd break in the 4th and I guess that would have been curtains. Looking at the scoreboard, Nalbandian struggled too. That Fish scoreline was odd. I caught most of the 5th set and at that stage he looked very good and was moving very well. With Bagdhatis out, he looks a pretty good bet to get to a possible 4th round match with Djoko.

[10spro]

Tipsarevic looked comfortable in the big AA stadium and took care of a confused and helpless A. Roddick who continues to struggle. The Serb served well even though he lost a set and I felt that he was in complete control throughout the match. Was a that a head bunt at the end of the match?

Scary moment in the ladies draw with Azarenka collapsing in her match with a mild concussion.

[rhymes450]

Couldn't believe that Roddick had lost this one when I woke up this morning. I fell asleep after listening to, rather than watching, the 1st set. The commentators on the live streaming I picked up were totally confident that he would come through. Apparently, Tipsarevic had come on court with what looked more like a suitcase than a conventional tennis bag and they were speculating on whether he was planning a swift post-match exit to the airport. They even checked to make sure he was out of the doubles to confirm the theory! Who knows? Maybe Tipsarevic was scrambling desperately after the match trying to get a hotel reservation. I did wake up briefly at some point of the match to hear Roddick vehemently questioning a foot fault called against him. He didn't go as far as Serena last year but he was anything but happy. His season has really come off the rails after his win in Miami.

After his 1st round match, Nadal was asked if the conditions in New York were more difficult for him than at other Grand Slams and he said that the biggest problem for him were the balls, that they were too soft and better suited to players who hit flat. On US Open radio over the last few days, I've heard a commercial for Wilson tennis raquets more than a few times, saying how great they are etc. But yesterday, for the first time I heard an ad for Wilson tennis balls, emphasising their superior quality etc. Maybe a coincidence but I couldn't help wondering if Nadal's comments might have provoked a corporate reaction.

Anyone see anything of this guy Harrison? Pretty good win for a teenager.

[rhymes450]

James Blake put in an excellent performance against a very good Polansky (very complete player IMO). They say this could be his last US Open so let's see what inspiration he draws up for the Djoko match. I'm gonna try to catch that one.

Davydenko played like a bucket of sh*t against Gasquet. Weird how he does that from time to time. I still can't believe how he went AWOL against Fed in Melbourne just when he looked to be set for the win of his life. This time he has the excuse that he's coming back from injury, but even still...it was a pretty shocking performance.

Fair dues to Cilic and Nishikori. That was a war. Nishikori was the last man standing but Cilic lost no respect in defeat.

Speaking of warriors, Gilles Simon is in action today. Hopefully his knee will hold up. It won't be easy against Kohlschreiber.

[10spro]

James Blake put in an excellent performance against a very good Polansky (very complete player IMO). They say this could be his last US Open so let's see what inspiration he draws up for the Djoko match. I'm gonna try to catch that one.

The Canadian dude didn't disappoint as Blake just played better the pressure points. He looks a bit heavier than usual but his forehand remains lethal and his serve is much improved. Thought Polansky could stretch it to five sets when he broke Blake and tied things at 5 in the fourth but lost the momentum immediately on his serve. It was a good battle.

Gasquet has one of the most beautiful one handed backhands in the game, he was solid but Davy just seemed to tank the match too.

For a wild card entry, I was pulling for the veteran Blake last night, he may take a set from Djokovic who pulled a stretch that made my groins hurt, but the way the Serb played yesterday, was rather impressive.

Fish could potentially meet these guys in an interesting match.

[rhymes450]

James Blake put in an excellent performance against a very good Polansky (very complete player IMO). They say this could be his last US Open so let's see what inspiration he draws up for the Djoko match. I'm gonna try to catch that one.

The Canadian dude didn't disappoint as Blake just played better the pressure points. He looks a bit heavier than usual but his forehand remains lethal and his serve is much improved. Thought Polansky could stretch it to five sets when he broke Blake and tied things at 5 in the fourth but lost the momentum immediately on his serve. It was a good battle.

Gasquet has one of the most beautiful one handed backhands in the game, he was solid but Davy just seemed to tank the match too.

For a wild card entry, I was pulling for the veteran Blake last night, he may take a set from Djokovic who pulled a stretch that made my groins hurt, but the way the Serb played yesterday, was rather impressive.

Fish could potentially meet these guys in an interesting match.

Yeah Blake looks a few pounds heavier. Think I heard something about him being unable to train due to injuries. His best bet against Djoko might be a daytime schedule with high temps etc. Djoko should take it but presuming Fish gets past Clement (who's an old fox and deserves respect) then a match-up against Mardy could be a different kettle of...oh no!

Take your point about Gasquet and his backhand was hot in patches yesterday but in the end all he really had to do was be solid.

Caught the last four games and the tiebreaker of Harrison's match. Heartbreaking loss for him and he probably won't sleep tonight thinking about the match points. I was really impressed with his movement and he'd been on court for the best part of 4 hours when I tuned in. Pity. Fair dues to Stakhovsky. You could see why he was a tournament winner in New Haven last week.

[10spro]

Caught the last four games and the tiebreaker of Harrison's match. Heartbreaking loss for him and he probably won't sleep tonight thinking about the match points. I was really impressed with his movement and he'd been on court for the best part of 4 hours when I tuned in. Pity. Fair dues to Stakhovsky. You could see why he was a tournament winner in New Haven last week.

Nice to see a nice mix up in his arsenal. This kid is going to be good and with Nick's influence, he should be in the top 25 next year. Had his chances for sure, but the cheap tricks by Stakhovsky at times, the constant whining to the ump seem to have thrown Harrison's game.

Look forward to Rafa tonight.

[rhymes450]

Caught the last four games and the tiebreaker of Harrison's match. Heartbreaking loss for him and he probably won't sleep tonight thinking about the match points. I was really impressed with his movement and he'd been on court for the best part of 4 hours when I tuned in. Pity. Fair dues to Stakhovsky. You could see why he was a tournament winner in New Haven last week.

Nice to see a nice mix up in his arsenal. This kid is going to be good and with Nick's influence, he should be in the top 25 next year. Had his chances for sure, but the cheap tricks by Stakhovsky at times, the constant whining to the ump seem to have thrown Harrison's game.

Look forward to Rafa tonight.

Tuned in late and my live feed didn't have commentary (good or bad depending on the quality of the would-be commentators) so I didn't catch Stakhovsky's ups and downs with the umpire apart from on one occasion where he hit a ball onto the baseline which was called out and then the umpire over-ruled and ordered the point to be replayed. It was a good decision but I could understand Stakhovsky's frustration as Ryan had very little play on the shot. When you hit a shot onto the baseline and it's called out, even if the point is replayed, you know you're getting shafted, especially if the other guy is serving.

It would be good to see this guy coming thru' cos even in the bit I saw you could see he had a nice range of shots and great footwork.

[rhymes450]

I was a bit freaked out yesterday when Matt Cronin on US Open radio said, "in that first set, Youzhny's backand was a thing of beauty", because I used almost the exact same words describing the shot to a friend after seeing the guy in Madrid and in a post of mine on the Toronto tournament a couple of pages back, the word "beauty" slipped off my keyboard again in reference to the Youzhny backhand.

Guess the big news yesterday was Murray's loss. Apparently, he's been very downbeat about it. It took him a good few months to recover after losing in the final of Melbourne. Maybe, just maybe, he should have taken a leaf out of Delpo's book (last year) and skipped Cincinnati, where he looked out on his feet. Not the worst news in the world for Querrey, who'll probably fancy his chances better against Wawrinka, tho' it's a very tough match. Querrey looks to be in great form.

Rafa hasn't dropped his serve in 3 matches and is serving at the highest speed of his life. Simon had only one break point yesterday and he's no mean returner. That quarter of the draw looks like the Spanish Closed.

Moment of truth for Mardy Fish coming up in a couple of hours. I think the daytime match might suit him better (or Djoko worse), though I think temperatures have dropped in New York.

[10spro]

Match of the day yesterday rhymes, as Wawrinka beat the Scot. These guys were slugging it out pretty well, and the game was much closer that the score. In fact Wawrinka had to call for medical assistance as he was getting some cramps. And as you know, anything can happen in a fifth setter especially in NY with a loud crowd. But Wawrinka simply played the closer points better and took more chances than Murray. To be fair to Murray, he didn't played badly, his opponent just had more winners.

As I was dozing off last night, I couldn't help but finish watching the ladies match between Stosur and Dementieva who had 4 match points and simply...choked the match away, 5 games after. I think they called it the longest night match for the US Open.

So many French and Spaniards in the tournament, we'll see one less Frenchman today as Gasquet battles Monfils now.

[rhymes450]

I think it was a good day all round for Rafa yesterday. I kind of had Nalbandian and Murray down as the two big danger men to him in that half. The Spanish players have a poor record against him. I always think Verdasco has the potential but he must be about 0-10 against Rafa at this stage.

[10spro]

Match of the day: Verdasco-Ferrer. It was a war out there, it took five sets and 4 and 1/2 hours before Fernando pulled an unbelievable winner down the line in the tie breaker.

[rhymes450]

Match of the day: Verdasco-Ferrer. It was a war out there, it took five sets and 4 and 1/2 hours before Fernando pulled an unbelievable winner down the line in the tie breaker.

Must've been some match. Meanwhile Rafa serenely reaches the same stage with zero sets/breaks against. Verdasco's a great athlete but so is Nadal and the lack of wear and tear thus far must give him a physical edge to add to the overwhelming h2h count. That said, Verdasco's got a huge game that could hurt any player if he manages to roll it out on the day. A repeat of their classic 2009 AO meeting is probably asking a lot but it would be awesome.

[rhymes450]

Anyone just twiddling their thumbs at home might want to tune into the Fed-Djoko match. In the 5th right now.

[10spro]

It should be Nadal first US Open. Dude has been so consistent without dropping a set so far. Djoko just went for it, did he? He just kept telling himself, this is the match that I'll turn my fortunes against RF and if I lose, well Federer has been that dominating at the Open. He deserves to be in the finals.

[kevinpars]

What a great match! I am not even that big a tennis fan, but this match kept winning out over the football games and the Braves. Great stuff.

[rhymes450]

Fabulous match. Djoko deserved the win. He was better for long spells tho' Fed raised his level at crucial points to stay in it and then had those match points. The shots Djoko played on those were candidates for shot of the season. Complete change of scenario now. I think Djoko feared Fed more than Rafa. To me Rafa never looks comfortable on hard against Djokovic. Maybe cos Djoko is so comfortable playing out of the backhand side, be it with the two-hander or with inside outs/in. Most of the times I've seen them play on hard, Djoko has looked in control. It's true that Rafa has looked very good in this tournament but he hasn't met anyone who'll test him as much as Djokovic tomorrow IMO. Great match in prospect.

[10spro]

There were amazing rallies in this match. Djoko saved two match points which were just high reels stuff. The swinging volley from high in the air is much harder to execute than what it looked and often ends in the net if not hit perfectly. The second match point saved had the Serb hit an incredible forehand winner that left RF defenseless. I just hope that he's got enough energy for tomorrow, because Rafa has been simply on cruise control the entire tournament.

[rhymes450]

The swinging volley from high in the air is much harder to execute than what it looked

Yeah. Boy was that a tough shot to have to take on at match point down!