This was a bit late, but a mix of preview and matches that have happened. Not the best nor the worst.
Estoril
The week of Estoril and Munich, just simmering before the stupid scheduling of Rome and Hamburg back to back and the ATP aren’t known for their brains and this is just another example of it. No Nadal this week, as he is off playing a Mickey Mouse joke of an exhibition with Federer on a half grass/half clay court. Yeah what an innovation that is, it will revolutionise the game of tennis.
Usually the courts at Estoril play very slowly and the conditions are heavy, but according to reports thanks Sylvester from MTF, the weather has been warm and dry so the courts were playing a lot faster than usual and for some reason they started the event on a Sunday.
Lucho Horna made his comeback to the tour after injury and he lost to the young American Sam Querrey 7-6 6-4 who is definitely not at his best on clay. Lucho has always struggled against the guys with big servers and he has a shocking return, he either hits them metres out or they bounce three times before they hit the net. Lucho was serving for the 1st set at 5-4, but lost it and was ahead 4-2 in the tiebreaker and failed to get it done. To be fair Querrey played well against an in form Starace and has been prepared to come over to Europe and work on his fitness and improve his overall game from playing on the clay and that can only be commended unlike some of his other countrymen who seem to hide from it except Spadea and Russell.
Calleri comes here after a big week in Barcelona and gets some more match practice. The PMK has won here before and loves his small events. Robredo is chasing another optional before he falls out of the top 10 with Hamburg coming up. Russell has a tough one here, but can make the quarters if he can get past Garcia-Lopez.
Andreev lost another tough match in a tiebreaker in very windy conditions against Djokovic. Yes, it was a tough draw, but that is life and he has to deal with that and he is someone that needs a lot of matches, it’s that old situation, losing matches and then playing more events to get the wins and then the form can get worse. Good for Djokovic to win in the tough conditions and should make the quarters here.
Münich
Baghdatinho wins his 1st match for a while against Hartfield and he is back with his childhood coach Yiannos and that can only be a good thing and hope he can enjoy his tennis again. Yiannos knows him so well and he is a very good man and has a good influence and Baghdatis could use that at the moment.
Koubek back after an injury break and lost to Youzhny in 3 sets, that’s a good sign and it’s not easy to win matches after beating out injured, but Koubek is so up and down, so it’s never easy to tell when the good form is coming or the run of about 10 1st round losses in a row.
Berdman plays the geeky German Mayer who could easily frustrate him with the 15 minute forehand swing, the 70km/h second serve and the two handed dropshots of the backhand. It will be intriguing to see whether he kills Mayer or gets the shits and lose.
Come on Hajek win a match on the main tour it’s about time.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Monday, April 23, 2007
Lionel Messi, Camp Nou, the home of Spanish tennis and welcome back Felix Mantilla in Barcelona and Allez Younes and Chucho at Casachallenger
Barcelona / Casablanca
The week of Barcelona and Casachallenger, well I will be previewing both tournaments and for once the field in Casablanca isn’t as bad as usual, but it will still always be Casachallenger in my heart.
Nadal, will be back here playing again trying to make it a hat trick of titles, but the real story of this week is the return of the forgotten Spaniard and warrior Felix Mantilla to the main tour after having a battle with shoulder problems and skin cancer. I am so happy to see him back and I imagine the Catalans will give him the ovation he deserves. In fact I will do a separate entry on Mantilla tomorrow, because he deserves that.
The question is whether Nadal will be stopped here, it wasn’t like he had to sweat too much in winning in Monte Carlo. The fact is that he is beatable and he has to lose at some point, the question is when this day will be.
Gaudio has an interesting match with the Toad Söderling. In normal times this would be a beatdown, but these aren’t normal times for Gaudio on clay and the fact that the Toad is inconsistent on this surface and rarely has 2 good events in a row, this could help Gaudio along with the fact this is where he won his 1st title and made a final as well. It always helps returning back to places where you have had some good memories, just hope to see more of the 2nd set performance against Djokovic, than the other matches. If he is patient, then the Toad can self-destruct.
Safin and Nalbandian are both in the same section as Nadal, but the chances that either of them will go through and play Nadal are about as predictable as a baby arse. Safin, he seems to be a bit slower these days and is a big match player, but he needs to win the early matches to play the big ones. Wow! that was profound wasn’t it. Nalbandian well he has a rally to go to after this event, a few wins would be good for him, but he is more likely to be having a few empanadas instead.
Calleri and Cañas return to the tour as well, after a break with leg injuries and also tiredness in Cañas’s case. Calleri has so much potential to do well on the clay, but he just keeps getting injured and he tried to come back too soon after Acapulco. He got a good 1st rounder against the very likeable Marc Lopez, too bad Marc had to get Gordo, though one can’t be sure how fit Calleri is at the moment.
Cañas has an interesting match with big Max, they have only played on fast surfaces on the tour, though Willy schooled him in Bermuda on the green clay. I think he should be able to handle Max here, but with big Max on clay he has beaten some very good players, then he lost to Gineprick on clay.
The King Oscar Hernandez and Mucho Almagro, well along with Mantilla will provide the entertainment as well.
If Vicente loses to Goldstein, he should think of another career.
Casachallenger
Well Hrbaty is the number 1 seed, this alone says what you need to know about Casachallenger. At the same time it has some good players there, who are either out of form, coming back from injury or enjoy the Moroccaan ambience.
Chucho Acasuso is the 2nd seed here and really needs some wins to gain some confidence in what has been a disappointing start to the year for him, after such a good 2006. The draw has been kind to him for sure, playing Devilder who flew from Bermuda after making the QFs and then the winner out of Tipsarevic and Llodra. The others in his section are his best friend Vassallo Arguello and his pigeon Mathieu, just hope he can get some confidence.
Mike Russell is back in Europe as well and there were some duds in this draw, but he got Hartfield, aka baby Gaston, though not as temperamental as Gaston and this will be a tough one, but whoever wins that match, has a very good chance of making the quarters.
Roitman is playing Massu again, just hope he doesn’t break down like he did when he was beating him up so badly, but Roitman’s nickname is Escopeta. He hits the ball like a rifle, but the rifle can misfire at times as well, he needs to get some more consistency on the ATP, but there is some potential for growth there.
Too bad Casachallenger and not Barcelona is on the Betfair live stream, but we can’t have it all in life.
The week of Barcelona and Casachallenger, well I will be previewing both tournaments and for once the field in Casablanca isn’t as bad as usual, but it will still always be Casachallenger in my heart.
Nadal, will be back here playing again trying to make it a hat trick of titles, but the real story of this week is the return of the forgotten Spaniard and warrior Felix Mantilla to the main tour after having a battle with shoulder problems and skin cancer. I am so happy to see him back and I imagine the Catalans will give him the ovation he deserves. In fact I will do a separate entry on Mantilla tomorrow, because he deserves that.
The question is whether Nadal will be stopped here, it wasn’t like he had to sweat too much in winning in Monte Carlo. The fact is that he is beatable and he has to lose at some point, the question is when this day will be.
Gaudio has an interesting match with the Toad Söderling. In normal times this would be a beatdown, but these aren’t normal times for Gaudio on clay and the fact that the Toad is inconsistent on this surface and rarely has 2 good events in a row, this could help Gaudio along with the fact this is where he won his 1st title and made a final as well. It always helps returning back to places where you have had some good memories, just hope to see more of the 2nd set performance against Djokovic, than the other matches. If he is patient, then the Toad can self-destruct.
Safin and Nalbandian are both in the same section as Nadal, but the chances that either of them will go through and play Nadal are about as predictable as a baby arse. Safin, he seems to be a bit slower these days and is a big match player, but he needs to win the early matches to play the big ones. Wow! that was profound wasn’t it. Nalbandian well he has a rally to go to after this event, a few wins would be good for him, but he is more likely to be having a few empanadas instead.
Calleri and Cañas return to the tour as well, after a break with leg injuries and also tiredness in Cañas’s case. Calleri has so much potential to do well on the clay, but he just keeps getting injured and he tried to come back too soon after Acapulco. He got a good 1st rounder against the very likeable Marc Lopez, too bad Marc had to get Gordo, though one can’t be sure how fit Calleri is at the moment.
Cañas has an interesting match with big Max, they have only played on fast surfaces on the tour, though Willy schooled him in Bermuda on the green clay. I think he should be able to handle Max here, but with big Max on clay he has beaten some very good players, then he lost to Gineprick on clay.
The King Oscar Hernandez and Mucho Almagro, well along with Mantilla will provide the entertainment as well.
If Vicente loses to Goldstein, he should think of another career.
Casachallenger
Well Hrbaty is the number 1 seed, this alone says what you need to know about Casachallenger. At the same time it has some good players there, who are either out of form, coming back from injury or enjoy the Moroccaan ambience.
Chucho Acasuso is the 2nd seed here and really needs some wins to gain some confidence in what has been a disappointing start to the year for him, after such a good 2006. The draw has been kind to him for sure, playing Devilder who flew from Bermuda after making the QFs and then the winner out of Tipsarevic and Llodra. The others in his section are his best friend Vassallo Arguello and his pigeon Mathieu, just hope he can get some confidence.
Mike Russell is back in Europe as well and there were some duds in this draw, but he got Hartfield, aka baby Gaston, though not as temperamental as Gaston and this will be a tough one, but whoever wins that match, has a very good chance of making the quarters.
Roitman is playing Massu again, just hope he doesn’t break down like he did when he was beating him up so badly, but Roitman’s nickname is Escopeta. He hits the ball like a rifle, but the rifle can misfire at times as well, he needs to get some more consistency on the ATP, but there is some potential for growth there.
Too bad Casachallenger and not Barcelona is on the Betfair live stream, but we can’t have it all in life.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Monte Carlo the Tax Haven, home of ATP Europe, tacky casino, Jimmy's Bar and Fifi the Poodle and some wonderful tennis history
Monte Carlo
It’s that time of the year again where the tennis circus returns to Europe for the big clay events leading up to Roland Garros.
The lead up events well he Nico “Superstar” Almagro defending his title in Valencia and he played well at last years TMS events and in Barcelona losing to Nadal and Federer, while giving them something to think about. He is a very talented player and his nicknmane is “Mucho”, though this is for his ego as much as his talent.
Then clay god Ivo Karlovic winning his first ATP title and clay is a good surface for him as he can get even more bounce on his serve and he is fragile physically so it’s easier on his knees and he knows how to move on it.
Monte Carlo has been in the news lately as Mr. Disney is wanting to downgrade its TMS status, so he can give that event to his puppet master and mafia don Ion Tiriac in Madrid and there is a law suit more on that later.
As usual there are the American withdrawals from Monte Carlo, but lets be honest are they really missed? The answer to the question is far from it or as much as rancid meat left in the sun for about 3 weeks or as much as Gaudio, Puerta, Muster, Behrend are missed from Wimbledon.
This being said the overall depth of claycourt tennis isn’t very high at the moment (another entry there) and so time to preview the matches. Of course they are starting on a Sunday, which is as stupid as Mr. Disney reducing these finals to the best of 3 sets. It doesn’t matter James Blake you are still not winning one of these events.
There some intriguing 1st round matches like:
Moya vs. Youzhny: I think Charlie should be too strong here and he has won this event before and Youzhny doesn’t always adjust well to clay straight away and it’s on a TV court, so I could be fortunate to see some of this. Moya, I see getting some good wins , but for him to win another TMS event, he would need a few things in his favour.
Almagro vs. Berdych : This will be a match between two very likeable guys, well I don’t have a problem with Berdych except he is a tactical gnat and as for Almagro well I have spoken about him already.
There are a few variables here, it depends on how tired Almagro is from Valencia, though to be fair it looked like the Copa Empanada there, so he should be Ok. As for the Berdman it depends on which one shows up. He can play very well on clay, but like his poor loss to Roddick and losing to the Srich as well show he is just as capable as losing to anyone as well. I hope this one is on a TV court.
The other matches well Chucho Acasuso is back as well, but he always struggles first match back from a spell and hope his back is fine. Luckily for him he is playing Andreev who he hasn’t lost to in 3 matches and Igor hasn’t been winning matches since his Davis Cup heroics in Chile and Andreev needs a lot of matches before he gets into form, that’s the way he is.
Gaudio and Tursunov: Well, well, well there could be some comedy here for sure. Gaudio in such poor form, though he has Martin Jaite back in his career and he was with him when he showed his talents in 2002 when he went back to back in Barcelona and Mallorca. Tursunov is a bit of a clay clown and has wrist problems, so anything is possible here.
They have Safin/Nierminen as a 1st round match and then we have Lee in the 2nd round defeating clay giant Bjørkman and a match between Benji Becker and Thomas Johansson which will be a feast of clay court clownishness, but as we all know life isn’t always fair is it.
Blogger favourite and AC Milan fan Seppi made the main draw and while Seppi is mellow his opponent is the mad Georgian who plays for Russia and lives in Spain Gabashvili and that’s a contrast of temperament for sure. If Seppi keeps his errors down and breaks down the backhand then he can win this match and meet up with Federer.
Preview is over for now and please comment it makes me feel important and I will be talking about the matches I have seen in the comments section, it’s just easier that way and welcome back to the clay.
It’s that time of the year again where the tennis circus returns to Europe for the big clay events leading up to Roland Garros.
The lead up events well he Nico “Superstar” Almagro defending his title in Valencia and he played well at last years TMS events and in Barcelona losing to Nadal and Federer, while giving them something to think about. He is a very talented player and his nicknmane is “Mucho”, though this is for his ego as much as his talent.
Then clay god Ivo Karlovic winning his first ATP title and clay is a good surface for him as he can get even more bounce on his serve and he is fragile physically so it’s easier on his knees and he knows how to move on it.
Monte Carlo has been in the news lately as Mr. Disney is wanting to downgrade its TMS status, so he can give that event to his puppet master and mafia don Ion Tiriac in Madrid and there is a law suit more on that later.
As usual there are the American withdrawals from Monte Carlo, but lets be honest are they really missed? The answer to the question is far from it or as much as rancid meat left in the sun for about 3 weeks or as much as Gaudio, Puerta, Muster, Behrend are missed from Wimbledon.
This being said the overall depth of claycourt tennis isn’t very high at the moment (another entry there) and so time to preview the matches. Of course they are starting on a Sunday, which is as stupid as Mr. Disney reducing these finals to the best of 3 sets. It doesn’t matter James Blake you are still not winning one of these events.
There some intriguing 1st round matches like:
Moya vs. Youzhny: I think Charlie should be too strong here and he has won this event before and Youzhny doesn’t always adjust well to clay straight away and it’s on a TV court, so I could be fortunate to see some of this. Moya, I see getting some good wins , but for him to win another TMS event, he would need a few things in his favour.
Almagro vs. Berdych : This will be a match between two very likeable guys, well I don’t have a problem with Berdych except he is a tactical gnat and as for Almagro well I have spoken about him already.
There are a few variables here, it depends on how tired Almagro is from Valencia, though to be fair it looked like the Copa Empanada there, so he should be Ok. As for the Berdman it depends on which one shows up. He can play very well on clay, but like his poor loss to Roddick and losing to the Srich as well show he is just as capable as losing to anyone as well. I hope this one is on a TV court.
The other matches well Chucho Acasuso is back as well, but he always struggles first match back from a spell and hope his back is fine. Luckily for him he is playing Andreev who he hasn’t lost to in 3 matches and Igor hasn’t been winning matches since his Davis Cup heroics in Chile and Andreev needs a lot of matches before he gets into form, that’s the way he is.
Gaudio and Tursunov: Well, well, well there could be some comedy here for sure. Gaudio in such poor form, though he has Martin Jaite back in his career and he was with him when he showed his talents in 2002 when he went back to back in Barcelona and Mallorca. Tursunov is a bit of a clay clown and has wrist problems, so anything is possible here.
They have Safin/Nierminen as a 1st round match and then we have Lee in the 2nd round defeating clay giant Bjørkman and a match between Benji Becker and Thomas Johansson which will be a feast of clay court clownishness, but as we all know life isn’t always fair is it.
Blogger favourite and AC Milan fan Seppi made the main draw and while Seppi is mellow his opponent is the mad Georgian who plays for Russia and lives in Spain Gabashvili and that’s a contrast of temperament for sure. If Seppi keeps his errors down and breaks down the backhand then he can win this match and meet up with Federer.
Preview is over for now and please comment it makes me feel important and I will be talking about the matches I have seen in the comments section, it’s just easier that way and welcome back to the clay.
The Blog has Returned
Return of the blog
Yes, that’s right the blog is back and the question is will it be better than ever, though in reality as to how it good it was very subjective at worst.
Well, the hiatus was for a number of reasons. Once after the Aussie Open, my interest tends to wane in tennis and is only saved by Davis Cup, even then while I have had an active interest in these results. I had other things going on in my life and also didn’t feel like writing about it either.
Then there is the subject of the ATP chairman Etienne De Villiers, otherwise known as Mr.Disney who is intent on creating mayhem on the ATP to get himself noticed and under the illusion of actually doing something when in reality his changes are more cosmetic than a top house Milan fashion show.
I am going to do some more player profile things among the tournament reviews, and I might have a section just for Mr.Disney and his clown like adventures and the demise of Round Robin was wonderful but predictable. When I spoke to some of the players at the Aus Open, they were confident it wouldn’t last, but the way it went down was great.
Ok, if you have any requests for me to profile someone or a subject, then let me know.
Yes, that’s right the blog is back and the question is will it be better than ever, though in reality as to how it good it was very subjective at worst.
Well, the hiatus was for a number of reasons. Once after the Aussie Open, my interest tends to wane in tennis and is only saved by Davis Cup, even then while I have had an active interest in these results. I had other things going on in my life and also didn’t feel like writing about it either.
Then there is the subject of the ATP chairman Etienne De Villiers, otherwise known as Mr.Disney who is intent on creating mayhem on the ATP to get himself noticed and under the illusion of actually doing something when in reality his changes are more cosmetic than a top house Milan fashion show.
I am going to do some more player profile things among the tournament reviews, and I might have a section just for Mr.Disney and his clown like adventures and the demise of Round Robin was wonderful but predictable. When I spoke to some of the players at the Aus Open, they were confident it wouldn’t last, but the way it went down was great.
Ok, if you have any requests for me to profile someone or a subject, then let me know.
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