Important News Update
Yes, there haven't been any updates for a while, but that's partly due to laziness and a lack of interest, which happens now and then, but fortunately I have a few things that will deserve some individual attention, whereas this entry is just a general summary.
The Argentines have decided to appoint Modesto Vasquez as Davis Cup captain, which is totally against the wishes of the players, but this is not a surprise considering the AAT (Argentine Federation) aren't exactly competent. Martin Jaite should have been appointed, he actually has the respect of the players and can even keep the peace between del Potro and Nalbandian, which will be interesting to see what happens comes the 2nd round of the Davis Cup.
Hopefully at the AO, I will be able to get some interviews, but one can dream about these things, yes I will be writing reports from the event and they will start from qualies and this will lead into my next point.
This is something I shouldn't have to say, but will anyway. If anyone at all wants to use my reports elsewhere please ask for my permission, it won't take long and if approved then credit the source. The reason for this last comment was something that I discovered on Tennistalk in relation to an interview Gaudio gave to an Argentine newspaper. I had translated the article into English and all of a sudden this basically word for word translation appeared on their site as if it was written by another journalist, the issue is not the translation itself. In other words it was plagarism and very shoddy journalism, not crediting the original source in this case Ole Clarin. The offending article was taken down, but it should have never got published in the first place, so if there is anything you want to use, then ask me directly.
It's very basic and simple journalist practices to follow these rules, it also helps solidify reputations of the publication, if they don't take cheap shortcuts and invent quotes that weren't there in the original translation.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Yannick Noah vs. Kent Carlsson Roland Garros 1987
This was a brilliant contrast between the serve/volleyer Yannick Noah and the Swede Kent Carlsson. The tennis was fun to watch and the fashions were very sexy as well.
Del 2
Del 3
Del 4
Del 2
Del 3
Del 4
Monday, October 27, 2008
Last Chance Saloon in Bercy
Bercy
Here it is the last TMS event of the year in Bercy, which used to suffer from chronic withdrawals, but this hasn’t been as bad as in previous years. This is possibly due to the finals being reduced to the best of 3 sets, the changing of the surface from carpet to an indoor hardcourt, but the most important thing is that there is a financial reward for competing in all of the TMS events.
Gasquet has withdrawn from this event, this isn’t a surprise and probably a wise move, no point going through the motions especially in front of the French crowd, who don’t need any reason to boo. Time to fuck off for the year and come back next year, as for Richie, well the boulevard of broken dreams and shattered potential is a busy one, not saying he has prime real estate on that street yet.
Federer and Davydenko have been rumoured to be withdrawing from this event, though the financial incentive might be enough to prevent this.
This event pretty much is Last Chance Saloon to get a gig at the TMC, luckily Federer, Nadal, Murray, Djokovic and Davydenko don’t have to worry about this, so that leaves players like Ferrer who not surprisingly hasn’t been playing as well as last year. Roddick who will probably sneak in, the TMC wouldn’t be any poorer for his absence, except that Federer wouldn’t have the chance to extend his head to head record against him.
Del Potro has been the form player along with Murray in the second part of the season, it would be good personally if he made Shanghai, but looking ahead to the Davis Cup, it might be beneficial, if he didn’t go to Shanghai.
As for what will happen, probably a strange finalist, but as long as Simple Simon doesn’t make Shanghai, then all good.
Here it is the last TMS event of the year in Bercy, which used to suffer from chronic withdrawals, but this hasn’t been as bad as in previous years. This is possibly due to the finals being reduced to the best of 3 sets, the changing of the surface from carpet to an indoor hardcourt, but the most important thing is that there is a financial reward for competing in all of the TMS events.
Gasquet has withdrawn from this event, this isn’t a surprise and probably a wise move, no point going through the motions especially in front of the French crowd, who don’t need any reason to boo. Time to fuck off for the year and come back next year, as for Richie, well the boulevard of broken dreams and shattered potential is a busy one, not saying he has prime real estate on that street yet.
Federer and Davydenko have been rumoured to be withdrawing from this event, though the financial incentive might be enough to prevent this.
This event pretty much is Last Chance Saloon to get a gig at the TMC, luckily Federer, Nadal, Murray, Djokovic and Davydenko don’t have to worry about this, so that leaves players like Ferrer who not surprisingly hasn’t been playing as well as last year. Roddick who will probably sneak in, the TMC wouldn’t be any poorer for his absence, except that Federer wouldn’t have the chance to extend his head to head record against him.
Del Potro has been the form player along with Murray in the second part of the season, it would be good personally if he made Shanghai, but looking ahead to the Davis Cup, it might be beneficial, if he didn’t go to Shanghai.
As for what will happen, probably a strange finalist, but as long as Simple Simon doesn’t make Shanghai, then all good.
The Week that was (Federer, Nalbandian, Söderling and Luczak)
The Week That Was
Onto the stuff that happened on the court this week. I am not really sure about writing something like this, but anyway here goes.
The indoor season isn’t a personal favourite, but it has its own mystique and differing conditions. Indoors definitely helps the brainless ball bashers, because they are able to get into a rhythm a lot easier and don’t need to worry about the wind and the sun or other elements getting in their way.
The race for the Shanghai Surprise in other words the Tennis Masters Cup is on, so that aspect where the players are whoring themselves out and playing too many weeks in a row to get those final few spots is amusing enough, at the same time being an alternate for the event does have an excellent payday.
Roger Federer won Basel for the third time, never in doubt that he would be peaking for Basel and yes while it has less points than Madrid or Bercy, there is no doubt that he values Basel higher than the 2 indoor TMS events. This will always be a factor, especially since he is a local boy, FC Basel fan ( they got smoked badly by Barca, King Oscar would have loved that) and that he was a bellboy at the event.
Federer should withdraw from Bercy, he has had enough matches for the year and should be ready for Shanghai, though he could always be a mercenary, take the cash for appearing at all 9 TMS events and then tank, unlike Davydenko he wouldn’t get fined for that, well not now.
Losing finalist David Nalbandian, who is getting ready for the Davis Cup final and has his sights focused on that and using these events as a way of getting some rhythm for that event. Federer and Nalbandian matches have an interesting dynamic, there is a respect there, at the same time Nalle doesn’t kiss Federer’s arse and asks for an autograph while he is on the court, that attitude has helped him in their matches.
Federer hasn’t forgotten leaving the court in Basel in tears when he Tim Henman and Nalbandian defeated him there, that alone will spur him on to peak for Basel, though he should focus on Davis Cup a bit more.
In Lyon Robin “the Toad” Söderling finally a broke a title drought of a few years, by winning in Lyon, it’s the second time he has won there and the other was in Milan. He lost finals to Llodra and Darcis when he was clearly the favourite.
The Toad has been working with Magnus Norman since he and Peter Carlsson went separate ways, it seems to be working quite well at the moment. Norman has a very good eye for the game and was definitely a hard worker, something that Söderling needs. There have been suggestions that he is a cheaper and uglier version of Thomas Enqvist. I can see the similarities, both hit the ball hard off both sides, have slightly unconventional strokes, love playing under a roof, lacking in mobility and also variety in their games, it’s pretty obvious what is coming, but the skill is to be able to adapt to it. The differences are Söderling is better on the clay and gives his forehand more topspin, but Enqvist was better at Grand Slam level.
Söderling has become a member of the top 20, it was never about the talent and the ball striking for him, it’s more about the poor mental toughness he has shown at times, when things don’t go his way.
Murray defended St. Petersburg, which is a Challenger field with almost a million dollars.
Vassallo Arguello won the Buenos Aires Challenger over Ramirez- Hidalgo and is back in the top 100 with that victory. Sergio Roitman finally won back to back matches for the first time in ages and needs a good result before he can make Melbourne.
Last of all congrats to Peter Luczak for an excellent run of form, this is a guy who deserves it, one of the hardest workers and even more important he is a great individual and that is something that the ATP ranking doesn’t measure.
Onto the stuff that happened on the court this week. I am not really sure about writing something like this, but anyway here goes.
The indoor season isn’t a personal favourite, but it has its own mystique and differing conditions. Indoors definitely helps the brainless ball bashers, because they are able to get into a rhythm a lot easier and don’t need to worry about the wind and the sun or other elements getting in their way.
The race for the Shanghai Surprise in other words the Tennis Masters Cup is on, so that aspect where the players are whoring themselves out and playing too many weeks in a row to get those final few spots is amusing enough, at the same time being an alternate for the event does have an excellent payday.
Roger Federer won Basel for the third time, never in doubt that he would be peaking for Basel and yes while it has less points than Madrid or Bercy, there is no doubt that he values Basel higher than the 2 indoor TMS events. This will always be a factor, especially since he is a local boy, FC Basel fan ( they got smoked badly by Barca, King Oscar would have loved that) and that he was a bellboy at the event.
Federer should withdraw from Bercy, he has had enough matches for the year and should be ready for Shanghai, though he could always be a mercenary, take the cash for appearing at all 9 TMS events and then tank, unlike Davydenko he wouldn’t get fined for that, well not now.
Losing finalist David Nalbandian, who is getting ready for the Davis Cup final and has his sights focused on that and using these events as a way of getting some rhythm for that event. Federer and Nalbandian matches have an interesting dynamic, there is a respect there, at the same time Nalle doesn’t kiss Federer’s arse and asks for an autograph while he is on the court, that attitude has helped him in their matches.
Federer hasn’t forgotten leaving the court in Basel in tears when he Tim Henman and Nalbandian defeated him there, that alone will spur him on to peak for Basel, though he should focus on Davis Cup a bit more.
In Lyon Robin “the Toad” Söderling finally a broke a title drought of a few years, by winning in Lyon, it’s the second time he has won there and the other was in Milan. He lost finals to Llodra and Darcis when he was clearly the favourite.
The Toad has been working with Magnus Norman since he and Peter Carlsson went separate ways, it seems to be working quite well at the moment. Norman has a very good eye for the game and was definitely a hard worker, something that Söderling needs. There have been suggestions that he is a cheaper and uglier version of Thomas Enqvist. I can see the similarities, both hit the ball hard off both sides, have slightly unconventional strokes, love playing under a roof, lacking in mobility and also variety in their games, it’s pretty obvious what is coming, but the skill is to be able to adapt to it. The differences are Söderling is better on the clay and gives his forehand more topspin, but Enqvist was better at Grand Slam level.
Söderling has become a member of the top 20, it was never about the talent and the ball striking for him, it’s more about the poor mental toughness he has shown at times, when things don’t go his way.
Murray defended St. Petersburg, which is a Challenger field with almost a million dollars.
Vassallo Arguello won the Buenos Aires Challenger over Ramirez- Hidalgo and is back in the top 100 with that victory. Sergio Roitman finally won back to back matches for the first time in ages and needs a good result before he can make Melbourne.
Last of all congrats to Peter Luczak for an excellent run of form, this is a guy who deserves it, one of the hardest workers and even more important he is a great individual and that is something that the ATP ranking doesn’t measure.
Federico Luzzi dies of leukemia
Federico Luzzi dies of leukemia
In some very sad news Italian player Federico Luzzi died at the age of 28 on Saturday night. Luzzi thought he had bronchitis, but when the doctors did tests on him, he had a very advanced form of leukemia, which could not be treated and he died after playing his last match in Sardinia 6 days ago.
Luzzi was definitely a character, he did things his own way. He was suspended for betting on matches, by the ATP, these weren’t significant amounts of money, it was over a sustained period of time, where the ATP was all smoke and mirrors. In other words making out like they were trying to do something about the gambling problem, but the reality is they weren’t.
Then there was the fight he and Daniel Koellerer had at a Challenger after the match. Both of these guys were fairly feisty on court and would express themselves and sometimes wind up the opponent, but that is professional sport. Unlike many others, they continued it after the match, then both of them were suspended.
Luzzi mostly played on the Challenger circuit, but played a few times on the main tour. He played against Gaston Gaudio in Buenos Aires in an entertaining match and he was appreciated by the crowd on and off the court for his interview after the match.
28 years old is too young to leave the world and hopefully his best friend Potito Starace can remain strong in these difficult times. It’s important for the family and friends of Luzzi to remember the positive moments and memories of his life, and that he isn’t in any pain.
RIP and condolences to the family and friends.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Madness in Madrid
It’s the second last TMS event of the year in Madrid and hopefully there will be some fan reports, as we know this is the best way to appreciate any event.
As for Madrid, there is always some form of controversy, and this one is no different, the whole models as ballgirls is one such caper, that irritates people. Then again with the mafia don Ion Tiriac in charge, this means controversy isn’t far away. This is the kind of man, who if he shook your hand, then you would check to make sure your fingers were there.
This years controversy is the non-awarding of a wildcard to Juan Carlos Ferrero, the former world number 1 and in fact the first Spanish player to achieve this and he won the title in 2003. Ferrero had been out with injury and he was just outside the Entry List, with the ever popular Moya getting a wildcard from Marca, there were still 3 wildcards available. Marat Safin got a one in Rome and of course Tiriac had to do a deal to get him one there, therefore an Italian had to get one at his event. Ferrero was pissed off that he wasn’t awarded a wildcard and he has some justification for that. The other side to this is that, when one became available due to a withdrawal, he chose not to take it. One could say, it’s good that he stood up for himself and saw the offer as an empty one, or the other side to that, is that he should have taken the wildcard and win some matches to show up Tiriac. The irony is that Safin has withdrawn from the event.
Onto the event now, well they had 2 Stupid Sunday matches and Thunder Lips thumped Monaco and will play Federer, it would be great for the event, if both he and Nadal lost in the 1st round. Then the Latvian Gulbis defeated Kiefer and will play Nadal. Rafa got his number 1 presentation at his home event, but he definitely got a testing first rounder. Gulbis has a lot of talent, but erratic. The altitude in Madrid is negligible really, the way some people talk about it, they make it’s like playing tennis at Base Camp on Mt.Everest.
Some interesting qualifiers, very surprising that Granollers qualified in the process defeating Ljubicic, who really struggled since coming back from a back problem. Gineprick has done well in Madrid before and will fancy his chances against Llodra. Stevie Darcis will like his chances against “Fisker med Mardy Fish”.
Tonight the “South Tyrolean stud” Andreas Seppi will be playing Boredo. Seppi hasn’t had a great start to the indoor season, two losses in straight sets, but with Andy, one can’t tell when he can play well. He has done well against Boredo in the past and won their last match at the Olympics, hope he can something positive from that and take out the win here and then play Roddick in the next round, who has never done well in Madrid.
Igor Andreev is playing Simple Simon as well today. Simon hasn’t done much in the big events this year apart from in Canada. He won their only match in Sopot last year. It will be interesting to see what tactics Andreev uses, he really should use his serve to open the court up and hit behind Simon, because Gilles has excellent anticipation and covers most shots in the open court and has a good 2 hander down the line, which can expose Andreev when he is in the Calderon stadium trying to hit off forehands.
The Nalbandian/Berdych/del Potro section of the draw is by far the most interesting section. It would be good if Berdych wins tonight and not play a dumb match like he is very capable of doing in losing Schuettler. It would be good to see a rematch of the Nalle and Berdman Madrid match again, especially as it was the one where Nalle down a set and 4-0 and he wins, then the big indoor run happened after that. This is where he was the only guy to beat both Federer and Nadal in successive events. As for Nalle, he won in Stockholm, but his main goal is Davis Cup for this season, this series of matches in this section should give him a good test.
Not sure who will win this event, though someone else besides Federer and Nadal would be good.
P.S The Berdych write up will be done next week, as there is a lot of info to write.
As for Madrid, there is always some form of controversy, and this one is no different, the whole models as ballgirls is one such caper, that irritates people. Then again with the mafia don Ion Tiriac in charge, this means controversy isn’t far away. This is the kind of man, who if he shook your hand, then you would check to make sure your fingers were there.
This years controversy is the non-awarding of a wildcard to Juan Carlos Ferrero, the former world number 1 and in fact the first Spanish player to achieve this and he won the title in 2003. Ferrero had been out with injury and he was just outside the Entry List, with the ever popular Moya getting a wildcard from Marca, there were still 3 wildcards available. Marat Safin got a one in Rome and of course Tiriac had to do a deal to get him one there, therefore an Italian had to get one at his event. Ferrero was pissed off that he wasn’t awarded a wildcard and he has some justification for that. The other side to this is that, when one became available due to a withdrawal, he chose not to take it. One could say, it’s good that he stood up for himself and saw the offer as an empty one, or the other side to that, is that he should have taken the wildcard and win some matches to show up Tiriac. The irony is that Safin has withdrawn from the event.
Onto the event now, well they had 2 Stupid Sunday matches and Thunder Lips thumped Monaco and will play Federer, it would be great for the event, if both he and Nadal lost in the 1st round. Then the Latvian Gulbis defeated Kiefer and will play Nadal. Rafa got his number 1 presentation at his home event, but he definitely got a testing first rounder. Gulbis has a lot of talent, but erratic. The altitude in Madrid is negligible really, the way some people talk about it, they make it’s like playing tennis at Base Camp on Mt.Everest.
Some interesting qualifiers, very surprising that Granollers qualified in the process defeating Ljubicic, who really struggled since coming back from a back problem. Gineprick has done well in Madrid before and will fancy his chances against Llodra. Stevie Darcis will like his chances against “Fisker med Mardy Fish”.
Tonight the “South Tyrolean stud” Andreas Seppi will be playing Boredo. Seppi hasn’t had a great start to the indoor season, two losses in straight sets, but with Andy, one can’t tell when he can play well. He has done well against Boredo in the past and won their last match at the Olympics, hope he can something positive from that and take out the win here and then play Roddick in the next round, who has never done well in Madrid.
Igor Andreev is playing Simple Simon as well today. Simon hasn’t done much in the big events this year apart from in Canada. He won their only match in Sopot last year. It will be interesting to see what tactics Andreev uses, he really should use his serve to open the court up and hit behind Simon, because Gilles has excellent anticipation and covers most shots in the open court and has a good 2 hander down the line, which can expose Andreev when he is in the Calderon stadium trying to hit off forehands.
The Nalbandian/Berdych/del Potro section of the draw is by far the most interesting section. It would be good if Berdych wins tonight and not play a dumb match like he is very capable of doing in losing Schuettler. It would be good to see a rematch of the Nalle and Berdman Madrid match again, especially as it was the one where Nalle down a set and 4-0 and he wins, then the big indoor run happened after that. This is where he was the only guy to beat both Federer and Nadal in successive events. As for Nalle, he won in Stockholm, but his main goal is Davis Cup for this season, this series of matches in this section should give him a good test.
Not sure who will win this event, though someone else besides Federer and Nadal would be good.
P.S The Berdych write up will be done next week, as there is a lot of info to write.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
There is a Choupi in Metz, which might not seem much because she is not in Tokyo Fan Reports
Metz kicks off the indoor season
The first European indoor event of the year in Metz, located in the north east of France. The usual thing of the titleholder not coming back here to defend the title has happened again, at the same time not exactly how many people will miss Tommy Robredo to be honest.
It’s not a bad field and I have decided to focus on this event, because Choupi will be going to Metz for a few days and we (the readers) love fan reports that tell us more about what’s going on at the event, then the stock standard press release.
Some interesting first round matches for sure. Big Karlovic and Baghdatis, who is trying to finish off the year without more injury problems. He definitely won’t be getting any rhythm in this match, but he can practice his returns of serve.
Acasuso and Cañas, this one is very important for Davis Cup, as Chucho needs to get something out of this season, plus he can play quite well indoors and Willy isn’t at his best at the moment.
Ljubicic is making his comeback from back problems and he loves a roof. Ancic and Gulbis is an intriguing match, Ancic could be too steady for him.
Seppi and Calleri are there as well, hope for some good results in this event and even more so the fan reports.
The first European indoor event of the year in Metz, located in the north east of France. The usual thing of the titleholder not coming back here to defend the title has happened again, at the same time not exactly how many people will miss Tommy Robredo to be honest.
It’s not a bad field and I have decided to focus on this event, because Choupi will be going to Metz for a few days and we (the readers) love fan reports that tell us more about what’s going on at the event, then the stock standard press release.
Some interesting first round matches for sure. Big Karlovic and Baghdatis, who is trying to finish off the year without more injury problems. He definitely won’t be getting any rhythm in this match, but he can practice his returns of serve.
Acasuso and Cañas, this one is very important for Davis Cup, as Chucho needs to get something out of this season, plus he can play quite well indoors and Willy isn’t at his best at the moment.
Ljubicic is making his comeback from back problems and he loves a roof. Ancic and Gulbis is an intriguing match, Ancic could be too steady for him.
Seppi and Calleri are there as well, hope for some good results in this event and even more so the fan reports.
Welcome back to the tour Stefan Koubek
Welcome back Koubek
Stefan Koubek has recovered from the back surgery and will be returning to the tour next week in the Mons Challenger and then like I wrote in my previous entry on him, he got the expected Wild Card into the Vienna.
It’s going to take him a bit of time to get back into the swing of things naturally and as he said in his last blog entry, that he is hitting the ball well, but lacking in conditioning. Well, one can always get fitter and two no matter the amount of training and rehab is done on the courts, it doesn’t beat match practice. He should be able to play some challengers at the end of the year as well and he will play in Melbourne with his protected ranking.
The most important thing is that his back surgery was successful and that he doesn’t feel any pain when he is playing, so I don’t expect too many big results straight away, but that it’s irrelevant compared to his health. I am just happy that he is back on court playing again.
Davis Cup Aftermath. Telenova where will Argentina play the final
Davis Cup
Huge surprise in the Davis Cup semi finals, well more so that Argentina needed the 5th match to defeat Russia, but doesn’t matter how the win happens, as long as they won. After Nalbandian carried the Argie team for many matches, it was great to see del Potro step up to the plate and play two outstanding matches crushing Davydenko and Andreev.
Spain won easily, but this had as much doubt as the next Pope being Catholic. Nadal toying with Roddick was top quality entertainment.
The real fun is now where the AAT will hold the final. The players and captain want to play indoors on a carpet or a fast hardcourt in Cordoba, which would be the preferred option. The crowd will be crazy there, starting early with the Fernet and Cola, but the venue is under the 14 000 the ITF want for a final, but there are ways around this. Other contenders are Luna Park in Buenos Aires and Mar del Plata.
It will be interesting to see what decision that clown Morea will come up with, the fact Mancini and the players were adamant the conditions they want to play in, has forced him to think about this more than he would have previously.
Huge surprise in the Davis Cup semi finals, well more so that Argentina needed the 5th match to defeat Russia, but doesn’t matter how the win happens, as long as they won. After Nalbandian carried the Argie team for many matches, it was great to see del Potro step up to the plate and play two outstanding matches crushing Davydenko and Andreev.
Spain won easily, but this had as much doubt as the next Pope being Catholic. Nadal toying with Roddick was top quality entertainment.
The real fun is now where the AAT will hold the final. The players and captain want to play indoors on a carpet or a fast hardcourt in Cordoba, which would be the preferred option. The crowd will be crazy there, starting early with the Fernet and Cola, but the venue is under the 14 000 the ITF want for a final, but there are ways around this. Other contenders are Luna Park in Buenos Aires and Mar del Plata.
It will be interesting to see what decision that clown Morea will come up with, the fact Mancini and the players were adamant the conditions they want to play in, has forced him to think about this more than he would have previously.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Davis Cup World Group Semi Finals
Argentina vs. Russia
This will be the competitive tie of the weekend and how it ends on Day 1 will be crucial. The Argentines have gone for experience in the form of Calleri and Cañas, something about the Davis Cup atmosphere brings the best out of Calleri and especially Nalbandian.
Del Potro’s huge improvement has come at the right time for Mancini when it comes to second singles options in this case, there was no real other option , if they were to make the final like I believe they will, then del Potro could be the number 1 ranked Argentine and that would make things interesting for the final.
Nalbandian is the glue of this team and has been for the longest time. This is the event, where he turns up to play, no shenanigans and thrives in this environment. His match with Andreev will be pivotal to how the tie goes. If it’s first match, it would be better, because del Potro would be more relaxed in his match with Davydenko, assuming that he plays on Day 1.
The Russians without Safin and Youzhny still bring a good team to Buenos Aires. It wouldn’t surprise if somehow Safin came out of nowhere and played in this tie. The crowd will be very hostile, but Andreev has had experience of this in Chile and will be the teams’ translator as well. The doubles could throw up a multitude of combinations, this will be dependant of Day 1 results as to what the captains will use.
With all these possible scenarios, the Argentines are favourites, though apart from del Potro, they aren’t in great form, but the home ground advantage and Nalbandian’s consistent play should get them over the line
Spain vs. USA
Only doing a preview of this tie for comedic purposes, because the only way Spain loses this, if their whole team is wiped out by some mysterious illness that only Boredo and Feli Lopez are immune to and they must play the tie.
Watching Roddick move on claycourt as effortlessly as an elephant on ice skates. No matter, how many times you see it, the viewer is bamboozled by the brilliance of the graceful movement, there should be warning before his matches “Please kids, don’t try this at home”.
At least big “Sam the studmuffin” Querrey is included in the team and will probably do better than the other guys in the team. He looks goofy and ungainly, but kudos to him for having a go on the clay last season and this season, he isn’t afraid of the clay unlike some of the Yanks.
Mardy Fish is there to be Roddick’s sidekick, clean his shoes, trim his nasal hair or others would say be his bitch, because he is definitely not going to star in a movie “A Fish called Mardy”, maybe he can come to Scandinavia and go a TV program “Fisker med Mardy Fish”, which means “Fishing with Mardy Fish”. Not sure whether he knows the true meaning of tackle in this case, and no, this does not mean huge men, wearing helmets and sniffing jockstraps running into each other, trying to prove some archaic form of manliness.
Hope the US enjoys their stay in Madrid, it’s quite a party city.
This will be the competitive tie of the weekend and how it ends on Day 1 will be crucial. The Argentines have gone for experience in the form of Calleri and Cañas, something about the Davis Cup atmosphere brings the best out of Calleri and especially Nalbandian.
Del Potro’s huge improvement has come at the right time for Mancini when it comes to second singles options in this case, there was no real other option , if they were to make the final like I believe they will, then del Potro could be the number 1 ranked Argentine and that would make things interesting for the final.
Nalbandian is the glue of this team and has been for the longest time. This is the event, where he turns up to play, no shenanigans and thrives in this environment. His match with Andreev will be pivotal to how the tie goes. If it’s first match, it would be better, because del Potro would be more relaxed in his match with Davydenko, assuming that he plays on Day 1.
The Russians without Safin and Youzhny still bring a good team to Buenos Aires. It wouldn’t surprise if somehow Safin came out of nowhere and played in this tie. The crowd will be very hostile, but Andreev has had experience of this in Chile and will be the teams’ translator as well. The doubles could throw up a multitude of combinations, this will be dependant of Day 1 results as to what the captains will use.
With all these possible scenarios, the Argentines are favourites, though apart from del Potro, they aren’t in great form, but the home ground advantage and Nalbandian’s consistent play should get them over the line
Spain vs. USA
Only doing a preview of this tie for comedic purposes, because the only way Spain loses this, if their whole team is wiped out by some mysterious illness that only Boredo and Feli Lopez are immune to and they must play the tie.
Watching Roddick move on claycourt as effortlessly as an elephant on ice skates. No matter, how many times you see it, the viewer is bamboozled by the brilliance of the graceful movement, there should be warning before his matches “Please kids, don’t try this at home”.
At least big “Sam the studmuffin” Querrey is included in the team and will probably do better than the other guys in the team. He looks goofy and ungainly, but kudos to him for having a go on the clay last season and this season, he isn’t afraid of the clay unlike some of the Yanks.
Mardy Fish is there to be Roddick’s sidekick, clean his shoes, trim his nasal hair or others would say be his bitch, because he is definitely not going to star in a movie “A Fish called Mardy”, maybe he can come to Scandinavia and go a TV program “Fisker med Mardy Fish”, which means “Fishing with Mardy Fish”. Not sure whether he knows the true meaning of tackle in this case, and no, this does not mean huge men, wearing helmets and sniffing jockstraps running into each other, trying to prove some archaic form of manliness.
Hope the US enjoys their stay in Madrid, it’s quite a party city.
Davis Cup World Group Promotion Round Preview and Match Reports
Yes, it’s back after a long break, got to deal with those motivational problems and no going down the pub and sinking a few brews isn’t always the best thing either, but enough of this.
It’s Davis Cup weekend, so as there are playoffs as well World Group semis for the big prize, so I will divide these entries into their respective sections. Because I am too lazy, I will be posting news of the ties in the respective posts, instead of writing new posts, because that requires effort.
Looking at the respective playoff ties, most of these have a very clear favourite, the only differences are the respective surfaces and what the scores will be.
Chile vs. Australia
It’s very disappointing that Hewitt isn’t available for this Davis Cup tie as he has had hip surgery and out for the rest of the season. He loves the team environment, which goes back to his days as a youngster in Adelaide, loving his Aussie rules football, plus he has had some great wins in DC over Guga Kuerten in Florianopolis and Albert Costa in Barcelona. The more hostile the crowd, the more he loves it and missing out here means, he hasn’t had the joy of being the away player in Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Spain, where the crowds can get enthusiastic at worst.
Onto the tie, the Chileans will make it back to the World Group, just on the back of Fernando Gonzalez, who can carry a poor Massu, especially with the withdrawal of Hewitt. I wonder if Gildemeister will play Capdeville against the Gooch on Day 1 or will he stick with Massu.
The Aussies have a depleted team, with “Big Red” Guccione leading the team, sure he doesn’t mind a claycourt, but he’d would rather it be 2000m+ above sea level. Peter Luczak coming back after a stress fracture with the pelvis and not having much tennis in his system is another drawback for them in addition to the hostile environment.
The doubles will be funny with Gonzo and Massu slapping groundies from the baseline and”Big Red” with the “Blond Bomber” Sam Groth doing everything but hitting groundies.
Chile will win this easily, unless disqualified, but it will be a good experience for the Aussies.
UK vs. Austria
This won’t be pretty for the Austrians, though in Melzer and Peya they have two cats who don’t mind the grass courts, but both have an aversion to winning big matches, especially Melzer in Davis Cup.
Koubek is a big loss for the Austrian team, even on grass, because he has the capability of winning a match, at the same time he can lose to anyone anytime, get well soon Stef.
The British team has 2 Scots and a Serb, then again if it was all English, then they wouldn’t make the World Group consistently. Andy Murray should win his matches comfortably and if the Austrians get it to a live match on the 3rd day, then they will have done well.
Switzerland vs. Belgium
Superman Federer decides to pull on his cape and save Switzerland from going back through the playoffs again. He has done this many times before, last year it came unstuck against the Czechs and it was great that it did, maybe not for the Swiss tennis.
It would be good if he actually would play the 1st round matches of the World Group, but lets see what happens with that. No excuse about Wawrinka not being a good enough number 2 player, in fact he is the real Swiss #1 according to the masses.
The Belgians are just going over to Lausanne for a holiday, bring back some quality cheese and then they show the Swiss Frenchies how to make proper beer, that will be the best they can hope for.
Switzerland back in the World Group, but a guess whether big Fed will do something rare and play a 1st round match.
Croatia vs. Brazil
This is a good way for the Brazilian players to earn some more frequent flyer points with the trip to Zadar. It’s very generous of the Croats to host them there instead of Zagreb. It’s a nice walled city on the coast, they should be able to enjoy the off court action though not exactly about on court.
No doubt the Croats will have a very slick and fast surface to favour their tall timber in Karlovic, Ancic (if he plays) and Cilic. The best chance the Brazilians have of winning a match in Zadar is through the doubles with Melo and Sa.
The Croat fans should be prepared for the loud decibels of the Thiago Alves grunt, hope it doesn’t shatter the windows of homes in Bosnia and Montenegro, not sure if they have their windows double glazed. It will be interesting to see the mishits on the Bellucci groundstrokes with the ball coming through low and fast.
Israel vs. Peru
Peru will need Lucho to be at his very best to have a chance in this tie, especially as Chino Miranda has been ill lately and not had the match practice, though with his killer slice he isn’t afraid of the hardcourts. In addition to this Lucho has been in average form, but he lifts for Davis Cup and this is what is left in the 2008 season for him.
Dudi Sela, small in height, but big on courage really should get 2 wins here and the Erlich/Ram combination should be too solid for the Peruvians who will be brave, but ultimately outgunned, it would be good to be proven wrong.
Netherlands vs. Korea
The Dutch back to the WG in this one, sure Lee is a very seasoned and tough customer with calves like medicine balls, but it won’t be enough to get over the Dutchies, Huge preview there, but sometimes less is more.
Romania vs. India
This has the potential to be the sleeper tie of these play offs. The lack of Andrei Pavel is a big setback for the Romanians, with his experience in these situations, it would have been easier for the Romanians. Now Hanescu has the responsibility of getting the team through to the WG.
While clay is definitely not the Indians best surface, they have the youngster Somdev Devvarman who doesn’t mind playing on the clay and has been in good form this season. He is very steady and consistent, and I’d back him in a live 5th rubber to win it for India. As per usual Day 1 will be the key in this tie, especially if Somdev can upset Hanescu.
Slovakia vs. Serbia
The Serbs will be the only away team to win a tie during this weekend. They have a better all round team and not sure if even some Hrbaty heroics can stop the Serbs this time around from making the World Group.
Hopefully there are some close ties, this weekend, but the majority of them will more than likely be completed by the end of the doubles.
It’s Davis Cup weekend, so as there are playoffs as well World Group semis for the big prize, so I will divide these entries into their respective sections. Because I am too lazy, I will be posting news of the ties in the respective posts, instead of writing new posts, because that requires effort.
Looking at the respective playoff ties, most of these have a very clear favourite, the only differences are the respective surfaces and what the scores will be.
Chile vs. Australia
It’s very disappointing that Hewitt isn’t available for this Davis Cup tie as he has had hip surgery and out for the rest of the season. He loves the team environment, which goes back to his days as a youngster in Adelaide, loving his Aussie rules football, plus he has had some great wins in DC over Guga Kuerten in Florianopolis and Albert Costa in Barcelona. The more hostile the crowd, the more he loves it and missing out here means, he hasn’t had the joy of being the away player in Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Spain, where the crowds can get enthusiastic at worst.
Onto the tie, the Chileans will make it back to the World Group, just on the back of Fernando Gonzalez, who can carry a poor Massu, especially with the withdrawal of Hewitt. I wonder if Gildemeister will play Capdeville against the Gooch on Day 1 or will he stick with Massu.
The Aussies have a depleted team, with “Big Red” Guccione leading the team, sure he doesn’t mind a claycourt, but he’d would rather it be 2000m+ above sea level. Peter Luczak coming back after a stress fracture with the pelvis and not having much tennis in his system is another drawback for them in addition to the hostile environment.
The doubles will be funny with Gonzo and Massu slapping groundies from the baseline and”Big Red” with the “Blond Bomber” Sam Groth doing everything but hitting groundies.
Chile will win this easily, unless disqualified, but it will be a good experience for the Aussies.
UK vs. Austria
This won’t be pretty for the Austrians, though in Melzer and Peya they have two cats who don’t mind the grass courts, but both have an aversion to winning big matches, especially Melzer in Davis Cup.
Koubek is a big loss for the Austrian team, even on grass, because he has the capability of winning a match, at the same time he can lose to anyone anytime, get well soon Stef.
The British team has 2 Scots and a Serb, then again if it was all English, then they wouldn’t make the World Group consistently. Andy Murray should win his matches comfortably and if the Austrians get it to a live match on the 3rd day, then they will have done well.
Switzerland vs. Belgium
Superman Federer decides to pull on his cape and save Switzerland from going back through the playoffs again. He has done this many times before, last year it came unstuck against the Czechs and it was great that it did, maybe not for the Swiss tennis.
It would be good if he actually would play the 1st round matches of the World Group, but lets see what happens with that. No excuse about Wawrinka not being a good enough number 2 player, in fact he is the real Swiss #1 according to the masses.
The Belgians are just going over to Lausanne for a holiday, bring back some quality cheese and then they show the Swiss Frenchies how to make proper beer, that will be the best they can hope for.
Switzerland back in the World Group, but a guess whether big Fed will do something rare and play a 1st round match.
Croatia vs. Brazil
This is a good way for the Brazilian players to earn some more frequent flyer points with the trip to Zadar. It’s very generous of the Croats to host them there instead of Zagreb. It’s a nice walled city on the coast, they should be able to enjoy the off court action though not exactly about on court.
No doubt the Croats will have a very slick and fast surface to favour their tall timber in Karlovic, Ancic (if he plays) and Cilic. The best chance the Brazilians have of winning a match in Zadar is through the doubles with Melo and Sa.
The Croat fans should be prepared for the loud decibels of the Thiago Alves grunt, hope it doesn’t shatter the windows of homes in Bosnia and Montenegro, not sure if they have their windows double glazed. It will be interesting to see the mishits on the Bellucci groundstrokes with the ball coming through low and fast.
Israel vs. Peru
Peru will need Lucho to be at his very best to have a chance in this tie, especially as Chino Miranda has been ill lately and not had the match practice, though with his killer slice he isn’t afraid of the hardcourts. In addition to this Lucho has been in average form, but he lifts for Davis Cup and this is what is left in the 2008 season for him.
Dudi Sela, small in height, but big on courage really should get 2 wins here and the Erlich/Ram combination should be too solid for the Peruvians who will be brave, but ultimately outgunned, it would be good to be proven wrong.
Netherlands vs. Korea
The Dutch back to the WG in this one, sure Lee is a very seasoned and tough customer with calves like medicine balls, but it won’t be enough to get over the Dutchies, Huge preview there, but sometimes less is more.
Romania vs. India
This has the potential to be the sleeper tie of these play offs. The lack of Andrei Pavel is a big setback for the Romanians, with his experience in these situations, it would have been easier for the Romanians. Now Hanescu has the responsibility of getting the team through to the WG.
While clay is definitely not the Indians best surface, they have the youngster Somdev Devvarman who doesn’t mind playing on the clay and has been in good form this season. He is very steady and consistent, and I’d back him in a live 5th rubber to win it for India. As per usual Day 1 will be the key in this tie, especially if Somdev can upset Hanescu.
Slovakia vs. Serbia
The Serbs will be the only away team to win a tie during this weekend. They have a better all round team and not sure if even some Hrbaty heroics can stop the Serbs this time around from making the World Group.
Hopefully there are some close ties, this weekend, but the majority of them will more than likely be completed by the end of the doubles.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Choupi in Stuttgart with reports on the King, fun in Båstad, snow in Gstaad
Choupi in Stuttgart with reports on the King, fun in Båstad, snow in Gstaad
Well once again Fearless Leader Mr.Disney is at. The genius idea of having 4 events in one week and also making them 28 player fields, it's moronic then and it's moronic now, plus the old chestnut when in doubt blame the Olympics is always used.
Stuttgart
Nadal was meant to be the big atttaction at this event, but he has withdrawn and this is no surprise. At the same time the Stuttgart owners were able to use his name to get some ticket sales. The true attractions of Stuttgart are not the 28 player field, the fact that there will be a roving reporter there from tomorrow, to get some of the action.
Baby Gordo Schwank is playing the weasel Coria, at least it will be a Germany vs Argentina second round match. Nice to see Calleri in Stuttgart, just hope he sticks around long enough so that he can be seen by Choupi and also he will play Cuevas if he gets past pretty boy Melzer in the 1st round. Almagro is the highest seed in this section, though little Richard Gasquet is the 2nd seed and should have a tough one against the Bye and then both qualifiers.
Results so far del Potro and Cuevas won their matches. Once again Acasuso from a break is rubbish and he lost to Fat Albert Montañes, who now plays the real headliner of Stuttgart King Oscar Hernandez, who handled Santi Ventura very easily. These guys are friends and the King needs the points, so I think Montañes will do the right thing and bow down to the King.
Båstad
The field isn't as good as it usually is, but with Disney doing this to the summer clay events, then this is not likely. Crazy Dani Koellerer qualified and he will play Darcis, this will be interesting to see how he acts, how he plays and also what the Swedes will think of this unstable cat.
Nieminen and Roitman, both of these guys need a good result and quickly, though Boredo is lurking and he wants to peak at this event. Moya is back here and has won Båstad before, but he is using this practice to peak for Umag next week. Great to see Marc Lopez in a MD, very humble and nice guy, just not strong enough to compete regularly on the tour, and Safin will be too busy fucking to concentrate on the tennis.
Berdman is another one who needs to get it back on track, he will hope that the wind stays away, but this isn't very likely in Båstad, being on the ocean will do that. I think it will be a Ferrer-Berdych final, just hope there is some good tennis and Volandri losing early would help.
Gstaad
The mountain and exclsuive air in Gstaad, one of the more scenic places on tour, well both the finalists are here again. Mathieu has to play Cilic again, well I think they should be familiar with each other now. Stani is the number 1 seed at home for the first time in his career and he should have had enough time to adjusted to the altitude and looks like a strong favourite here.
Lucho Horna fresh from qualifying for and winning the Lugano Challenger is in a tough section with Karlovic and Seppi. Ivo likes playing here, his serve is even more effective. but with him one can never tell. Seppi is playing a big server in Meffert, it's just the usual take care of your own service game and concentrate hard on the big servers, he should do enough and make it through to the next round.
Andreev finally won a match and hope he can finish the clown Serra as he needs to get back on track, since dumping Altur as coach, though at least he has Kirilenko, so not everything is going against him at the moment.
Newport
Just a total Mickey Mouse event, hope old man Santoro defends.
Well once again Fearless Leader Mr.Disney is at. The genius idea of having 4 events in one week and also making them 28 player fields, it's moronic then and it's moronic now, plus the old chestnut when in doubt blame the Olympics is always used.
Stuttgart
Nadal was meant to be the big atttaction at this event, but he has withdrawn and this is no surprise. At the same time the Stuttgart owners were able to use his name to get some ticket sales. The true attractions of Stuttgart are not the 28 player field, the fact that there will be a roving reporter there from tomorrow, to get some of the action.
Baby Gordo Schwank is playing the weasel Coria, at least it will be a Germany vs Argentina second round match. Nice to see Calleri in Stuttgart, just hope he sticks around long enough so that he can be seen by Choupi and also he will play Cuevas if he gets past pretty boy Melzer in the 1st round. Almagro is the highest seed in this section, though little Richard Gasquet is the 2nd seed and should have a tough one against the Bye and then both qualifiers.
Results so far del Potro and Cuevas won their matches. Once again Acasuso from a break is rubbish and he lost to Fat Albert Montañes, who now plays the real headliner of Stuttgart King Oscar Hernandez, who handled Santi Ventura very easily. These guys are friends and the King needs the points, so I think Montañes will do the right thing and bow down to the King.
Båstad
The field isn't as good as it usually is, but with Disney doing this to the summer clay events, then this is not likely. Crazy Dani Koellerer qualified and he will play Darcis, this will be interesting to see how he acts, how he plays and also what the Swedes will think of this unstable cat.
Nieminen and Roitman, both of these guys need a good result and quickly, though Boredo is lurking and he wants to peak at this event. Moya is back here and has won Båstad before, but he is using this practice to peak for Umag next week. Great to see Marc Lopez in a MD, very humble and nice guy, just not strong enough to compete regularly on the tour, and Safin will be too busy fucking to concentrate on the tennis.
Berdman is another one who needs to get it back on track, he will hope that the wind stays away, but this isn't very likely in Båstad, being on the ocean will do that. I think it will be a Ferrer-Berdych final, just hope there is some good tennis and Volandri losing early would help.
Gstaad
The mountain and exclsuive air in Gstaad, one of the more scenic places on tour, well both the finalists are here again. Mathieu has to play Cilic again, well I think they should be familiar with each other now. Stani is the number 1 seed at home for the first time in his career and he should have had enough time to adjusted to the altitude and looks like a strong favourite here.
Lucho Horna fresh from qualifying for and winning the Lugano Challenger is in a tough section with Karlovic and Seppi. Ivo likes playing here, his serve is even more effective. but with him one can never tell. Seppi is playing a big server in Meffert, it's just the usual take care of your own service game and concentrate hard on the big servers, he should do enough and make it through to the next round.
Andreev finally won a match and hope he can finish the clown Serra as he needs to get back on track, since dumping Altur as coach, though at least he has Kirilenko, so not everything is going against him at the moment.
Newport
Just a total Mickey Mouse event, hope old man Santoro defends.
Wimbledon Review
It's time for the Wimbledon review and since I couldn't be bothered writing a preview, because the expected finalists were known before the event and this came true, but more on the final later. This was quite an enjoyable Wimbledon event, any time that Andy Roddick loses early, then it's a good event. His victor Janko Tipsarevic is the man who plays well against the big players, but struggles against the players he should beat, and he ended up losing in the 4th round to Rainer Schüttler who saved his singles career with this result in making the semi finals. The likable and hard working German had suffered from glandular fever and he came back too soon, which put him further behind than he would have been initially, but I'm happy he did well here at the veteran stage and after the 1st set against Nadal, while outgunned, he played a tactically sound match.
The enigmatic volcano Marat Safin making the semi finals of Wimbledon, if someone said this before the start of Wimbledon, then it would be a trip to the special place where they like to keep people away from the general population. The big man played very well and he is thankful that the surface has been slowed significantly for him to win this many matches in a row on grass. He made Djokovic look fairly pedestrian and followed it up some excellent wins. The match against Seppi was of a high standard, though it should have been suspended or at least, the players given high visibility wear, it's very hard to play tennis when you can't see the ball. Marat also handled Wawrinka and LaLo who has always been a very tough opponent for him, he must get freaked out by LaLo's serve or the sexy backhand.
Good results for Andy Murray, Cilic once again made a 4th round of a Slam, but losing to Clement easily, is never a good thing. Martin Vassallo Argüello winning a match on grass is something that should be marked down in the calendar and it doesn't matter that he was donkey punched by Kiefer in the next round. Ernests Gulbis took out the serving tree Isner and gave Nadal, plenty to think about. Just hope he can continue to develop and progress and start giving the big players something to think about.
Onto the final now. It's better to get this out of the system now. It's interesting how the slowing down of the grass courts has impacted on tennis. I could probably do a separate article on this, but would require more work, so it will just be a summary. What was happening in the 80s and 90s, it was serve and volley tennis, this was the case when Edberg, Cash and Becker were playing, but as they were leaving the game this evolved into what became the hideous serve tennis. Just hitting bombs to the corners on bowling greens and blind monkeys could make those volleys, it was the equivalent of watching a football match and going straight to penalties. Understandably they slowed down the courts to create more rallies, but grass rewarded specific skills, encouraging the serve/volley, but as technology advanced it became, biff, bang, wallop, boom tennis and this was problematic for the fans. At the same time the glaring hypocrisy is that the clay courts have been sped up and they are using a lighter ball, yes but nothing is said about this at all. The overall homogensiation of the game in relation to surfaces is a greater factor, but if you want me to go into it further, then I will try and write something more on it.
The final, well it had plenty of drama and was good to watch, more so the last 2 sets, the first 3 sets weren't of the highest quality. Nadal was just solid and Federer a mix between good, tactically inept and woeful esepcially with his backhand. Federer's serve had been the best thing about his tournament so far and he wasn't serving that well, he lead 4-2 in the 2nd set and had numerous chances to break, but of course the relentless Nadal took his few chances and then wins the 2nd set 6-4.
Pretty much most people watched this match and as an overall match to say it was the best ever final is hyperbole at its best. Yes, it had drama, but that was it, plus the 4th set had 2 classic shots, not sure how this makes an all time classic match. As for the result, it was well deserved for Nadal, in the way, that his mental strength and his excellent break point conversion, were the keys to this match. Federer dumping backhands into the net on break points on second serves, which weren't that menacing, the fact he wanted to hit topspin backhands and approach the net, when it goes straight into Nadal's strike zone.
Time for Federer to learn something from this defeat and push forward and Nadal to be a factor at hardcourt Slams.
The enigmatic volcano Marat Safin making the semi finals of Wimbledon, if someone said this before the start of Wimbledon, then it would be a trip to the special place where they like to keep people away from the general population. The big man played very well and he is thankful that the surface has been slowed significantly for him to win this many matches in a row on grass. He made Djokovic look fairly pedestrian and followed it up some excellent wins. The match against Seppi was of a high standard, though it should have been suspended or at least, the players given high visibility wear, it's very hard to play tennis when you can't see the ball. Marat also handled Wawrinka and LaLo who has always been a very tough opponent for him, he must get freaked out by LaLo's serve or the sexy backhand.
Good results for Andy Murray, Cilic once again made a 4th round of a Slam, but losing to Clement easily, is never a good thing. Martin Vassallo Argüello winning a match on grass is something that should be marked down in the calendar and it doesn't matter that he was donkey punched by Kiefer in the next round. Ernests Gulbis took out the serving tree Isner and gave Nadal, plenty to think about. Just hope he can continue to develop and progress and start giving the big players something to think about.
Onto the final now. It's better to get this out of the system now. It's interesting how the slowing down of the grass courts has impacted on tennis. I could probably do a separate article on this, but would require more work, so it will just be a summary. What was happening in the 80s and 90s, it was serve and volley tennis, this was the case when Edberg, Cash and Becker were playing, but as they were leaving the game this evolved into what became the hideous serve tennis. Just hitting bombs to the corners on bowling greens and blind monkeys could make those volleys, it was the equivalent of watching a football match and going straight to penalties. Understandably they slowed down the courts to create more rallies, but grass rewarded specific skills, encouraging the serve/volley, but as technology advanced it became, biff, bang, wallop, boom tennis and this was problematic for the fans. At the same time the glaring hypocrisy is that the clay courts have been sped up and they are using a lighter ball, yes but nothing is said about this at all. The overall homogensiation of the game in relation to surfaces is a greater factor, but if you want me to go into it further, then I will try and write something more on it.
The final, well it had plenty of drama and was good to watch, more so the last 2 sets, the first 3 sets weren't of the highest quality. Nadal was just solid and Federer a mix between good, tactically inept and woeful esepcially with his backhand. Federer's serve had been the best thing about his tournament so far and he wasn't serving that well, he lead 4-2 in the 2nd set and had numerous chances to break, but of course the relentless Nadal took his few chances and then wins the 2nd set 6-4.
Pretty much most people watched this match and as an overall match to say it was the best ever final is hyperbole at its best. Yes, it had drama, but that was it, plus the 4th set had 2 classic shots, not sure how this makes an all time classic match. As for the result, it was well deserved for Nadal, in the way, that his mental strength and his excellent break point conversion, were the keys to this match. Federer dumping backhands into the net on break points on second serves, which weren't that menacing, the fact he wanted to hit topspin backhands and approach the net, when it goes straight into Nadal's strike zone.
Time for Federer to learn something from this defeat and push forward and Nadal to be a factor at hardcourt Slams.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Horsti Skoff dies at 39 because of heart attack
Horsti Skoff dies at 39 because of heart attack
This is always a tough thing to write about it, especially coming the day after such a surprising win by one of my favourite players. It definitely gets things back to earth very quickly.
Just before the mens final at Roland Garros, the news came through that Horsti Skoff, the very controversial and cantankerous Austrian who was always at loggerheads with Thomas Muster had died at age 39 of a heart attack. It was definitely too young for him or anyone to die, but he lived the fast life and enjoyed himself, though towards the end of his life, he was having weight problems and this will be shown by the pictures that have been posted.
Skoff was original for sure and definitely not the most popular guy around with his peers. He’d talk to them, laugh at them, clown around and entertain the crowd with the antics, albeit getting under the skin of the opposition players.
Off the court he didn’t mind the party life at all, he and Muster were so diametrically opposed in temperament and in game style. Horsti was talented, but didn’t train as hard as Muster, whereas Muster didn’t have a great degree of natural talent, but an outstanding work ethic. In football terms, Horsti was the talented midfielder with the skillful feet, but moody and would drift out of games and Muster was the guy who did the hard work, while valuable tended to be looked down upon.
Horsti’s memorable matches were the 1988 Vienna final when it was the first ever all Austrian final at the event and he defeated Muster in 4 sets and that defeat still bothers Muster. At the event, the crowd used to chant Horsti’s name, but it will be interesting to see what happens now he has passed on. Also the 6 hour match with Wilander in Davis Cup that didn’t have advantage sets and I was there for that match, it was a very brave effort, but he didn’t have anything left in the tank the next day.
Davis Cup also had its lowlights for him. When they made the semi finals in 1990 after Muster thumped Agassi, it came down to Horsti and Chang in the 5th rubber. This was played in the Ernst Happel Stadium in Prater Park Vienna, the crowd was signing and Horsti was so inspired and took the first 2 sets, but the daylight faded and the match was suspended, he had to come back the next day. The chance was lost, Chang changed his tactics and was able to get the job done.
Then the one in Graz, where Muster and Stich had a great battle, with Muster winning in 5 sets and the match went 5 and a half hours, but Goellner served out of a tree that day and Horsti wasn’t able to play well enough to get the victory for Austria.
Once he retired, he would make the odd appearance around the traps. Actually just recently I had wanted to interview him, but obviously that chance is gone now. He was opinionated, arrogant at times, very friendly, depended on his mood and was a ladies man, doing well in marrying a former Miss World.
He had his own academy set up in Carinthia and was hoping to bring through some players to improve Austrian tennis.
Many people forget before Muster and Horsti there was no Austrian tennis. Then these two came through at the same time and while they fought and couldn’t stand each other, as Muster said “Horsti was there for a lot of my career and he pushed me very hard”. These two came through without the help of the tennis federation and then put it on the map.
RIP Horsti and hope the academy can still continue on in your name.
Luis Horna and Pablo Cuevas provide the real surprise of Roland Garros and show that dreams can come true in unlikely circumstances
Luis Horna and Pablo Cuevas provide the real surprise of Roland Garros and show that dreams can come true in unlikely circumstances
Yes, this has been a bit late, but better late than never as they say in the classics. Unlike Rafael Nadal, who donkey punched his way through the field to win the singles in a very brutal and yet predictable manner. Also Ana Ivanovic who while very attractive, does not need to fist pump after every point won the womens event, but this wasn’t a surprise, especially since JuJu Henin decided to retire from tennis, whether it’s permanent or not, we’ll see.
Now onto the fun part of this blog entry. If someone had told me at the start of the doubles that Horna/Cuevas would the Roland Garros doubles champions I’d have asked “hey what are you smoking and where can I get it from”. The great ride started when they played the French duo of Clement and Llodra in the first round, an excellent combo and competent at singles as well, so they definitely aren’t doubles specialists. They were handled with ease, then took out Nieminen and Lindstedt in the next round and after this they took out Dlouhy/Paes in the 3rd round. They made the quarter finals taking out 2 seeded combinations.
The boys reached the quarter finals and then the fun with the Bryans began. The Bryans were huge favourites obviously for this match, but luckily the conditions were very heavy and it rained as well, making the court heavier and better for the South Americans to return serve and they took advantage. The 3rd set tiebreaker was hilarious when Ceuvas jumped the net and it was clearly nowhere near the Bryans, but after the match when Lucho and Cuevas won, the Bryan bitches refused to shake Ceuvas’s hand. There was no need for that, next time boys you have to get the rattle yourself from outside of the pram, you crybabies.
The semi final against another unseeded team Soares/Vemic was their most difficult match, as they got closer to the final, they blew match points, but managed to make it through to the final.
As we know the Cinderella tales don’t often come true, but this one was special. A Peruvian and Uruguayan making a GS final in doubles, the fact that Horna and Cuevas are singles players and don’t take doubles too seriously, in the process they knocked out three seeded teams and were big underdogs against Nestor/Zimonjic the number 2 seeds.
Lucky the conditions were quite heavy and it suited Lucho and Cuevas for sure and they came out on fire slapping returns that the doubles specialists weren’t used to handling at all. Lucho ripping on the forehand side and Ceuvas with the single hander, these devastating shots were too much for Nestor/Ziki who looked all at sea out there under the onslaught. The first set was over quickly and the second was slightly more competitive, but the same pattern continued the South Americans won 6-2 6-3.
It was great to see 2 singles guys show the doubles specialists how to get it done. They had not been used to such hitting from the baseline and service returns, yes it wasn’t conventional doubles, but it’s not important, they are out there to win.
The after match scenes were wonderful, as there weren’t many people left in the crowd, but Mastelli and Orsanic the coaches were there along with friends and family members, celebrating the win. Lucho started in English and then he switched to Spanish, too bad the Aussie commentators who were as stunned as most people talked over them.
One could see they couldn’t believe that they won and Cuevas said afterwards “we weren’t expecting to get that far”. Taking out four seeded players, showing that the doubles specialists, really should play more singles as it would help their overall games.
Lucho become the 2nd player from Peru to win a Slam and Cuevas the first Uruguayan to do it, so it was a very special achievement and one that was such a surprise made it even better that it was my personal highlight of Roland Garros.
Neither of then will be going to the Olympics, but that’s not such a big thing. Lucho has take some positive momentum from the success and the time is now to rebuild Lucho’s ranking in singles and Cuevas to establish himself in the singles top 100.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Roland Garros: What's going to stop Nadal winning a 4th title in a row?
Well, the hopes of the scenario that I painted in my last post about Nadal playing average and winning Roland Garros is likely, so the take on this entry, will focus on who else can do well in this event and this is relative compared to their draws and rankings.
Federer got quite a comfortable draw, but that is to be expected. The 3rd round he will more than likely play the winner of Andy "South Tyrolean maestro" Seppi and Mario Ancic. Normally it would be that Ancic is the seeded player, but Seppi's excellent run in Hamburg and Ancic's recovery from glandular fever have changed that. Last time they met it was on a fast indoor surface that suited Ancic, this time on clay it will suit Seppi more, especially if there is the scheduled rain that has been forecast.
Pico Monaco got the Toad Söderling in the 1st round and as tough as this looks on paper. The Toad doesn't normally bring it in the Slams and whoever wins this match would have to fancy themselves a shot at making the 4th round. Monaco's better clay pedigree will get him over the line.
Stani Wawrinka newest member of the top 10 plays German Kohlschreiber. One thing for sure there will be some quality single hand backhands in this match. This one could go either way and Stani played a lot of tennis recently and had last week off from playing 4 weeks in a row, he should be refreshed and as long as he can keep relaxed with the foot movement. He'll get the W here.
Andreev and Starace, this will be a long one and now Andreev like Chucho is coachless and he has QF finals points to defend, but if he is able to defeat the tall Italian, then he is in a good position to defend those points and at the same time if Napoli's finest Starace can get the W, he'd fancy his chances in an open section as well.
Lucho Horna replaced Tsonga as a LL and has a good chance to make it through a few rounds as long as his calf injury holds up. At the same time he plays Jenkins who has a big serve and Lucho doesn't play those guys too well, just hope it's heavy and that will help him. The other seed is Ferrero, if fit he should be good enough to make the 3rd round, but this depends on his hip problem. Big Luczak is here as well and he has been having some issues with the hamstring, just hope he is healthy.
Calleri will never have a better chance to make a 3rd round here again than this time. He plays Fish out of clay and then he'd take on Hewitt or Mahut, that should be Hewitt, the only problem over Hewitt is his hip problem and he is probably using Paris as fitness for the grass season.
Berdych will be looking atone for his poor RG showing last year and will have a kind opening 2 rounds, but with the Berdman anything can happen. Good to see del Potro back on tour and the back seems fine so far and will play Baghdatis or ball bashing Bolelli in the next round, this one is tough for Baghdatis no form going into it.
The King and the protege (Marcel Granollers) are playing at the same time. Oscar Hernandez is playing Minar again and as long as his foot is alright, he should be able to win and get enough balls head high to Minar. Granollers plays the tank Berrer and like his 2nd round opponent Schwank, he has played a lot recently, but has had a bit of rest as well, big opportunity for both. Cañas and Odesnik definitely won't be one that will be a short match and one that Willy needs to win, to get his season back. Odesnik is the one American besides Russell that can actually play on this surface.
Nieminen and Marc Lopez, someone I like will at least make the 2nd round. Guccione is playing Devilder and it would be great if he won because he'd be playing Nadal in the 2nd round. Seeing the massive Guccione on a big serving day against Rafa on clay, will be different, though at the same time there is some comedy potential for sure, which is always good to see.
Federer got quite a comfortable draw, but that is to be expected. The 3rd round he will more than likely play the winner of Andy "South Tyrolean maestro" Seppi and Mario Ancic. Normally it would be that Ancic is the seeded player, but Seppi's excellent run in Hamburg and Ancic's recovery from glandular fever have changed that. Last time they met it was on a fast indoor surface that suited Ancic, this time on clay it will suit Seppi more, especially if there is the scheduled rain that has been forecast.
Pico Monaco got the Toad Söderling in the 1st round and as tough as this looks on paper. The Toad doesn't normally bring it in the Slams and whoever wins this match would have to fancy themselves a shot at making the 4th round. Monaco's better clay pedigree will get him over the line.
Stani Wawrinka newest member of the top 10 plays German Kohlschreiber. One thing for sure there will be some quality single hand backhands in this match. This one could go either way and Stani played a lot of tennis recently and had last week off from playing 4 weeks in a row, he should be refreshed and as long as he can keep relaxed with the foot movement. He'll get the W here.
Andreev and Starace, this will be a long one and now Andreev like Chucho is coachless and he has QF finals points to defend, but if he is able to defeat the tall Italian, then he is in a good position to defend those points and at the same time if Napoli's finest Starace can get the W, he'd fancy his chances in an open section as well.
Lucho Horna replaced Tsonga as a LL and has a good chance to make it through a few rounds as long as his calf injury holds up. At the same time he plays Jenkins who has a big serve and Lucho doesn't play those guys too well, just hope it's heavy and that will help him. The other seed is Ferrero, if fit he should be good enough to make the 3rd round, but this depends on his hip problem. Big Luczak is here as well and he has been having some issues with the hamstring, just hope he is healthy.
Calleri will never have a better chance to make a 3rd round here again than this time. He plays Fish out of clay and then he'd take on Hewitt or Mahut, that should be Hewitt, the only problem over Hewitt is his hip problem and he is probably using Paris as fitness for the grass season.
Berdych will be looking atone for his poor RG showing last year and will have a kind opening 2 rounds, but with the Berdman anything can happen. Good to see del Potro back on tour and the back seems fine so far and will play Baghdatis or ball bashing Bolelli in the next round, this one is tough for Baghdatis no form going into it.
The King and the protege (Marcel Granollers) are playing at the same time. Oscar Hernandez is playing Minar again and as long as his foot is alright, he should be able to win and get enough balls head high to Minar. Granollers plays the tank Berrer and like his 2nd round opponent Schwank, he has played a lot recently, but has had a bit of rest as well, big opportunity for both. Cañas and Odesnik definitely won't be one that will be a short match and one that Willy needs to win, to get his season back. Odesnik is the one American besides Russell that can actually play on this surface.
Nieminen and Marc Lopez, someone I like will at least make the 2nd round. Guccione is playing Devilder and it would be great if he won because he'd be playing Nadal in the 2nd round. Seeing the massive Guccione on a big serving day against Rafa on clay, will be different, though at the same time there is some comedy potential for sure, which is always good to see.
Goodbye Gustavo Kuerten, Sunday Starts suck, but glad to have Michelle and other friends in Paris at the moment
Yes, I know this is a bit late to start writing this, but there were other things that had to be attended to and also the fact I personally can't stand Sunday starts, it's not about the fans and it never has been about fans, it's about the corporation and the cash, where the lines between the business and sport become even more blurred than before.
At the same time, is there a point to writing a Roland Garros preview considering that the likelihood of Rafael Nadal winning his matches easily and playing at an average level, which will still be too good for an inept Federer in the final. Yes, this is something we have not seen before. This is likely to happen, but onto the fun stuff.
Guga Kuerten was competitive in his last match and it's disappointing to see one of the greatest clay court players of all time retire because his body gave out, but he achieved a lot and gave a lot of people happiness. He was able to remain an excellent sportsman and be respected all over the world. He was unique and sadly it seems Brazilian tennis was not able to get a boom after his success, but all the best in life away from tennis.
Nalbandian did what he needed to do against Berlocq. Acasuso without a coach now managed to beat Hrbaty and plays Murray in the next round and this is a big chance for Chucho. Whether he will take it or not remains to be seen, he does not have a great record in Slams and also as much as I like the man, he has been struggling, at the same time that is the case for Murray as well.
Almagro took out the racist Pashanski, though not sure about how his wrist is holding up. Big win baby Gordo Schwank over Moya in 5 sets. Schwankster has been playing a lot of tennis lately and was involved in the hotel fire in Bordeaux.
He looks like a bit like Lapentti and plays a bit like Zabaleta except with more power and he will the play the winner of Granollers or Berrer in the next round.
The warrior Nico Lapentti took out Tipsarevic, which was not a surprise really. Of course it took a while, but Lapentti does not mind the long matches, in fact he really enjoys them. This and his game can upset the rhythm of Tipsarevic who does better when he is not favourite.
Lapentti has a chance to make the 4th round and believe he will do it. It will be a pleasant change to see some different faces in the last 16 or last 8.
At the same time, is there a point to writing a Roland Garros preview considering that the likelihood of Rafael Nadal winning his matches easily and playing at an average level, which will still be too good for an inept Federer in the final. Yes, this is something we have not seen before. This is likely to happen, but onto the fun stuff.
Guga Kuerten was competitive in his last match and it's disappointing to see one of the greatest clay court players of all time retire because his body gave out, but he achieved a lot and gave a lot of people happiness. He was able to remain an excellent sportsman and be respected all over the world. He was unique and sadly it seems Brazilian tennis was not able to get a boom after his success, but all the best in life away from tennis.
Nalbandian did what he needed to do against Berlocq. Acasuso without a coach now managed to beat Hrbaty and plays Murray in the next round and this is a big chance for Chucho. Whether he will take it or not remains to be seen, he does not have a great record in Slams and also as much as I like the man, he has been struggling, at the same time that is the case for Murray as well.
Almagro took out the racist Pashanski, though not sure about how his wrist is holding up. Big win baby Gordo Schwank over Moya in 5 sets. Schwankster has been playing a lot of tennis lately and was involved in the hotel fire in Bordeaux.
He looks like a bit like Lapentti and plays a bit like Zabaleta except with more power and he will the play the winner of Granollers or Berrer in the next round.
The warrior Nico Lapentti took out Tipsarevic, which was not a surprise really. Of course it took a while, but Lapentti does not mind the long matches, in fact he really enjoys them. This and his game can upset the rhythm of Tipsarevic who does better when he is not favourite.
Lapentti has a chance to make the 4th round and believe he will do it. It will be a pleasant change to see some different faces in the last 16 or last 8.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Michael Russell returning to tour and thanks the readers of this blog for the support
Michael Russell returning to tour and thanks the readers of this blog for the support
Sadly, once again Michael Russell’s year has been derailed by injury problems. After winning a GS match against Fognini in Melbourne, he was in a position to rebuild his ranking and finally take the next steps and make the quarter finals of ATP events, something which surprisingly hasn’t happened for him as of yet.
For those who haven’t read the article, though I know the good readers of this blog are literate and can appreciate quality journalism, well maybe not from me. The article linked below Perseverance paying off for Michael Russell reveals quite a lot about the man’s struggles and qualities, which make him among one of the more likable tennis professionals who survive in a very selfish and closed world.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2978555&type=story
The latest problem is a torn rotator shoulder cuff, of which there were signs of it in Delray Beach, but manifested itself in Memphis when playing his friend Sam Querrey. He was serving for the match against Big Sam, but wasn’t able to do win.
Mike is entered the Carson City and Yuba Challengers in the US and this week it’s ironic, the tournament where he gained the greatest notice against Guga Kuerten in 2001 Roland Garros starts this week and also Guga’s retirement as well.
A personal message from the man himself. “Thank you so much for their support and that I will be back soon fitter and stronger then before”. This shows what a positive attitude he has considering all the injury problems and also that appreciates our support.
If there is a man that deserves some good fortune it’s Mike Russell.
Sadly, once again Michael Russell’s year has been derailed by injury problems. After winning a GS match against Fognini in Melbourne, he was in a position to rebuild his ranking and finally take the next steps and make the quarter finals of ATP events, something which surprisingly hasn’t happened for him as of yet.
For those who haven’t read the article, though I know the good readers of this blog are literate and can appreciate quality journalism, well maybe not from me. The article linked below Perseverance paying off for Michael Russell reveals quite a lot about the man’s struggles and qualities, which make him among one of the more likable tennis professionals who survive in a very selfish and closed world.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2978555&type=story
The latest problem is a torn rotator shoulder cuff, of which there were signs of it in Delray Beach, but manifested itself in Memphis when playing his friend Sam Querrey. He was serving for the match against Big Sam, but wasn’t able to do win.
Mike is entered the Carson City and Yuba Challengers in the US and this week it’s ironic, the tournament where he gained the greatest notice against Guga Kuerten in 2001 Roland Garros starts this week and also Guga’s retirement as well.
A personal message from the man himself. “Thank you so much for their support and that I will be back soon fitter and stronger then before”. This shows what a positive attitude he has considering all the injury problems and also that appreciates our support.
If there is a man that deserves some good fortune it’s Mike Russell.
"El Fashionista” Stefan Koubek has back surgery
“El Fashionista” Stefan Koubek has back surgery
After a good finish to 2007 and a strong showing at this years Australian Open where he lost to Paul-Henri Mathieu in 5 sets in a match that he shouldn’t have lost.
Koubek has had some back problems that flared up in Zagreb and then decided to try play in Sunrise and Miami which made the problem worse. He tried resting and getting treatment, but this was not successful and last week Koubek had surgery in Vienna to correct the problem.
There is a chance that it could end his career, but Stefan sounded confident that this would not be the case and he will back on tour in his home event the Vienna Indoor. At that time, he will able to have a protected ranking which will be in the 60s.
Hopefully he can come back tour without further back problems and be able to play tennis and be involved in some of the more memorable matches like the famous Sopot 2007 match with Agustin Calleri where he was down 6-0 4-0 and Calleri served for the match twice in the 2nd set before losing 6-7(3). In addition to this Calleri lead 5-3in the 3rd and lost it 7-5.
Nearly as important as health, it would be great to see the yellow shorts make a return to tour.
After a good finish to 2007 and a strong showing at this years Australian Open where he lost to Paul-Henri Mathieu in 5 sets in a match that he shouldn’t have lost.
Koubek has had some back problems that flared up in Zagreb and then decided to try play in Sunrise and Miami which made the problem worse. He tried resting and getting treatment, but this was not successful and last week Koubek had surgery in Vienna to correct the problem.
There is a chance that it could end his career, but Stefan sounded confident that this would not be the case and he will back on tour in his home event the Vienna Indoor. At that time, he will able to have a protected ranking which will be in the 60s.
Hopefully he can come back tour without further back problems and be able to play tennis and be involved in some of the more memorable matches like the famous Sopot 2007 match with Agustin Calleri where he was down 6-0 4-0 and Calleri served for the match twice in the 2nd set before losing 6-7(3). In addition to this Calleri lead 5-3in the 3rd and lost it 7-5.
Nearly as important as health, it would be great to see the yellow shorts make a return to tour.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Hamburg, no more trips to the Reeperbahn, matches played in 12 degrees and bye to slow and heavy clay Preview and Discussion
This is what possibly could be the last Hamburg event, after Fearless Leader aka Mr. Disney otherwise known as Etienne de Villiers the head of the ATP. The man who has 2000 ideas a day and 2001 of them are bad, but the ongoing lawsuit with the ATP over the downgrading of its status is among the many problems associated with the game at the moment. It won't be long, before he leaves and if he had any sense, he'd leave gracefully, though if he had any sense then he would not have introduced Round Robin play into regular tournaments.
Will this event have another nauseating and tedious Nadal and Federer final on clay, where Nadal doesn't have to get out of neutral to win or will something different happen? This time last year Nadal had won the big 3 events before playing Hamburg for the first time in a while and he was very heavy legged in the final and Federer played well and still could only win in 3 for his only win on the surface. Federer loves the Hamburg clay, it's slow enough, that the ball doesn't kick up as much and that helps him and Nadal, will be that bit better for having the week off, but enough of these two.
We already have 3 winners because another ingenious Mr. Disney idea is start events on a Sunday, so there is no TV coverage, but they only show minor matches, the winners were Ljubicic who got revenge on Darcis, with Ivan saving match points and Darcis served for the match, while Karlovic in a huge shock won 7-6 7-6 and Simple Simon beat Malisse.
Onto the good stuff, well depending on results. Nieminen has a chance to win a match against Schuettler, though if he does, he plays Federer and sadly for the Finn, he is cannon fodder for Federer, the second serve gets too easily exploited. Andreev and the Toad is the interesting match, as to whoever wins this one, will be favoured to make the 3rd round against clay clowns Mahut or Tsonga.
"Colonel" Youzhny makes a comeback after suffering some injury problems, he has played well in Germany in the past, but Verdasco is not an easy opponent, but can play quite well after a break. Cañas will be looking to get back on track here, though slow hardcourt is his preferred surface. David Ferrer should be freshened up after his early loss in Rome and has a comfortable 2nd rounder against LaLo or Minar.
Davydenko and Ljubo in the 2nd round could produce an upset. Ljubo is not in great form, but he knows how to play Davydenko, at the same time with all the negativity around the ATP and with Ljubicic's role as the main players representative have impacted on his tennis.
Monaco should be able to get the better of Volandri, he needs some more matches and this section of the draw is good for him to do that as Gasquet is the other seed. Marcel Granollers qualifies for his first TMS and will fancy his chances against free swinging Bolelli, he should get enough balls back on this surface to frustrate the flashy Italian. Seppi has a kind draw, but he had that and lost to Querrey and turned in a woeful performance against Blake, as to Gasquet, not sure what mood he will be in.
Almagro not sure about the status of his wrist and Acasuso is lacking confidence, but they had an exciting tussle in Acapulco with Mucho getting it 7-5 in the 3rd, whoever wins, will be relishing a 2nd round match with Montanes or Fish, as they both can hit through them and heavy games, that match up well on this surface.
Former champ Boredo and Kohlschreiber, will be a classic one aggressive player against a passive one, it all depends on whether Kohli can use his backhand well to dominate and expose Boredo and make less errors in doing so, if not then Boredo will get the cash, though big Karlovic is waiting and Robredo doesn't like him playing him anywhere.
Welcome back to tour for Berdych, after his ankle problem, not sure how he'll perform, but that's not unusual. He will either play Safin or Cilic, the revenge factor with Safin will be there, just hope his ankle is fine.
Last of all the Lucho Horna qualifies and plays Starace in the 1st round, just hope it's on a TV court, it will be tough either way and whoever wins will play Nadal in the 2nd round. Lucho gave him plenty to think about in their last match and also loves playing the top 10 players and it will be a better match up than Starace who has been handled easily by Nadal in their 3 matches.
Lets hope for a non Federer-Nadal final, well hope is free.
Will this event have another nauseating and tedious Nadal and Federer final on clay, where Nadal doesn't have to get out of neutral to win or will something different happen? This time last year Nadal had won the big 3 events before playing Hamburg for the first time in a while and he was very heavy legged in the final and Federer played well and still could only win in 3 for his only win on the surface. Federer loves the Hamburg clay, it's slow enough, that the ball doesn't kick up as much and that helps him and Nadal, will be that bit better for having the week off, but enough of these two.
We already have 3 winners because another ingenious Mr. Disney idea is start events on a Sunday, so there is no TV coverage, but they only show minor matches, the winners were Ljubicic who got revenge on Darcis, with Ivan saving match points and Darcis served for the match, while Karlovic in a huge shock won 7-6 7-6 and Simple Simon beat Malisse.
Onto the good stuff, well depending on results. Nieminen has a chance to win a match against Schuettler, though if he does, he plays Federer and sadly for the Finn, he is cannon fodder for Federer, the second serve gets too easily exploited. Andreev and the Toad is the interesting match, as to whoever wins this one, will be favoured to make the 3rd round against clay clowns Mahut or Tsonga.
"Colonel" Youzhny makes a comeback after suffering some injury problems, he has played well in Germany in the past, but Verdasco is not an easy opponent, but can play quite well after a break. Cañas will be looking to get back on track here, though slow hardcourt is his preferred surface. David Ferrer should be freshened up after his early loss in Rome and has a comfortable 2nd rounder against LaLo or Minar.
Davydenko and Ljubo in the 2nd round could produce an upset. Ljubo is not in great form, but he knows how to play Davydenko, at the same time with all the negativity around the ATP and with Ljubicic's role as the main players representative have impacted on his tennis.
Monaco should be able to get the better of Volandri, he needs some more matches and this section of the draw is good for him to do that as Gasquet is the other seed. Marcel Granollers qualifies for his first TMS and will fancy his chances against free swinging Bolelli, he should get enough balls back on this surface to frustrate the flashy Italian. Seppi has a kind draw, but he had that and lost to Querrey and turned in a woeful performance against Blake, as to Gasquet, not sure what mood he will be in.
Almagro not sure about the status of his wrist and Acasuso is lacking confidence, but they had an exciting tussle in Acapulco with Mucho getting it 7-5 in the 3rd, whoever wins, will be relishing a 2nd round match with Montanes or Fish, as they both can hit through them and heavy games, that match up well on this surface.
Former champ Boredo and Kohlschreiber, will be a classic one aggressive player against a passive one, it all depends on whether Kohli can use his backhand well to dominate and expose Boredo and make less errors in doing so, if not then Boredo will get the cash, though big Karlovic is waiting and Robredo doesn't like him playing him anywhere.
Welcome back to tour for Berdych, after his ankle problem, not sure how he'll perform, but that's not unusual. He will either play Safin or Cilic, the revenge factor with Safin will be there, just hope his ankle is fine.
Last of all the Lucho Horna qualifies and plays Starace in the 1st round, just hope it's on a TV court, it will be tough either way and whoever wins will play Nadal in the 2nd round. Lucho gave him plenty to think about in their last match and also loves playing the top 10 players and it will be a better match up than Starace who has been handled easily by Nadal in their 3 matches.
Lets hope for a non Federer-Nadal final, well hope is free.
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