Decided to combine the 2 days reports into one, mainly because I am lazy and also because I was drunk from last night or lacking sleep, choose whichever version you prefer to believe.
Koubek vs. Calleri : Calleri was already pissed off in the 1st game with umpire Molina, who Peta actually watches instead of matches, not totally true. Koubek started well like he did in the Moya match and was hitting good length on his groundies and Calleri was still pissed off from before and was spraying it everywhere and Koubek ran off to a 5-0 lead. Then Calleri settled down and was able to break Koubek once and hold, then had chances to break Koubek to get it back to 5-4, but failed.
The second set was very close and both players were playing quite well. Koubek was more defensive in this match, but this is to be expected considering Calleri has more firepower off both wings than Moya, but also less patience as well as he always wants to rip that big shot and early as well. It went pretty much point for point and it came to the tiebreaker and in the context of the match, this was huge. Koubek winning it would sour Calleri's mood even more and if Gordo wins it, then he will have more confidence and be able to extend the match.
Calleri was playing the better in the early part of the breaker and had 3 set points, there were so many netcords in this breaker, Calleri was hitting flat and Koubek gave it a little bit of air and was varying the position of where he was hitting the ball. Calleri went for a backhand down the line on set point and just missed, but he believed it was in and dwelled on it and Koubek eventually took the breaker 8-6.
The third set was similar to the second in that the points were close and the rallies hard fought, with Calleri trying to push the pace and Koubek using the angles to open the court. It was a good standard of play and once again they came to the tiebreaker and Koubek played it better and was also able to use the wide serve to Calleri's backhand effectively and that won him a lot of cheap points, which were key and Koubek won in 3, though Calleri's play was worth a set at least, but got to take it when it counts.
Youzhny vs. Seppi : Tough draw for Seppi here, as the Colonel has been in good form and gave Nadal an absolute slapping in Chennai, so he is hitting the ball well. At the same time Seppi had chances to compete well, but for the upset to happen he had to take them and it has not been his strongest point.
The overall standard of the match wasn't great, both guys can and will play much better than this. The rallies were competitive and Seppi wasn't getting outhit at all and was holding his own well, but wasn't converting the chances when he had them and was passive on too many of the big points and not getting over his forehand when he needed to.
Youzhny lifted the game when he had to and when both players aren't playing near their best, then usually the more credentialed one is going to win most of the time and this was the case here. It wasn't a case of an opportunity lost, but more like not performing well on the big points and missing too many 1st serves as well. For Youzhny, he did what he needed to do to get the result.
Andreev vs. Vliegen : Igor hasn't started the year very well, but he managed to get through Pavel and was the strong favourite to get through Vliegen here. This match was close for the first 2 sets, but the feeling was Andreev was never going to lose this match, and if he did he would have to play poorly.
For the first 2 sets Igor just did enough and was able to break Vliegen in the 11th game of the 1st and 2nd sets easily and then hold. The 3rd set he showed some more quality with some huge forehands and serving quite well, but he will get better during the clay season.
Berdych vs. Oscar Hernandez : With the huge expectations of the King after his crushing defeat of Minar. The Berdman was put on notice and he realised that he had to lift his game when playing the great Oscar.
This was a very good match from Berdman overall in relation to his winners/unforced error ratio, which was quite good. It helped for sure that Hernandez was outclassed on the surface, no matter how hard he battled. He looked good as usual and he didn't play that badly, it's just the surface wasn't for him and the Berdman was able to hit it deep and through the defences and the King made unforced errors more than usual.
One funny incident the King and Berdman were 1 all on the dropshots and Berdman has Oscar about 7m behind the baseline. He sets him up for the dropshot and he is inside the service line and it bounces twice before it hits the net. Good to hear the Berdych army in full force.
Monaco vs. Delic : This was a match that went longer than it needed to for sure, but on this occasion result wise it worked out, it doesn't always happen like that. Monaco had this match in control and the court was packed with fans from Bosnia supporting Delic and while they were loud, they were fair and a few random Argies cheering on Monaco.
Monaco was too solid and consistent from the baseline and moving Delic around and exposing his movement and lack of a backhand. He served for the match at 5-3 and forgot how to play and lost 4 games in a row and then lose the initiative which Delic then took. Big Amer started serving better and doing well in the rallies as Pico Monaco was hitting short balls and not using the angles as he was earlier and Amer got confident was able to take the 4th set and had a break in the 5th.
Delic served for it, but Monaco is a fighter and needed all of that to come through, and was able to run out the winner 8-6 in the end. The court was very packed, it was funny seeing Argie players standing on the side of the court where you could only get a limited view, but a fun atmosphere for sure.
Nalbandian vs. Luczak: Looch started very well and was able to hang with Nalbandian in the baseline rallies and used his serve well to get the 1st set.
After the initial shock, Nalbandian was able to lift his game to another level, it wasn't the sublime tennis he can play, but there were less errors than before and Luczak was having to work harder to hold serve.
Nalle was able to use the angles and proved to have too much variation for the very gritty Luczak, who if he can perform like this on the tour, should be able to have some good results during the year and maintain a top 100 ranking barring injuries.
Gremelmayr vs Spadea: Sammy was at this one, as we were for the Gremlin and Roitman match which was an exercise in frustration.
Spadea was the heavy favourite, but the Gremlin had chances to upset him, just depended on which Gremelmayr showed up. Spadea doesn't have many weapons apart from a good return and he fights very hard and this has got him success to where he can make main draws of most events.
Gremelmayr blew this one in the 5th set and after the match his coach screamed out in German and then Vinnay Ice was high 5ing the crowd, like it was Davis Cup and showing his street cred. He will be just another victim of the Ferrer machine.
Querrey vs. Tursunov : Big Sam and Tursunov this match should have been about plenty of massive hitting, but the reality was very different.
The officiating was shocking here and the umpire the legend of Khader Naouni he of the great voice and even cooler afro had a lot of work to do and it seemed Tursunov was getting the majority of the shit calls. Yes, he got the shit calls, but that doesn' t matter when he can't hit the ball into play consistently and he made so many mistakes.
Big Sam decided to play a smart match and just hit the ball up the middle of the court and get it back with not much on it and let Tursunov make the mistakes. Dima went into his shell and still missed a lot of shots, this is one performance he won't be too happy with.
Blake vs. Russell: Russell started off well with a 2-0 lead, then it all changed from there sadly for Russell fans.
Blake was on fire for the whole match and everything he did was coming off, he was swinging hard and it went it and didn't open his eyes to after the match. The court was packed and Blake is very popular with the ladies here and had 99 percent crowd support.
Mike made a lot of errors, partly he didn't move as well, but also because of the pressure from Blake. When he is like this, he is very hard to beat. Cut down his angles as he loves running, hit balls up the centre of court and change the pace of the rallies can throw him off his rhythm, hence why he does well against Andreev and Davydenko and poorly against Fed. All three hit the ball very well, the first 2 don't have much variation, but Federer does and can execute.
Blake was volleying like Stefan Edberg in this match and even Russell knew it wasn't happening for him that day. Of course we stay to the end, because just cause a player you like is getting thrashed, doesn't mean you turn on them, like I have seen in other sports. It's always easy to support winners on the field, but it's better to be a winner away from the court and that is something Russell truly is.
Doubles moments : Doubles can be funny, but only when there are singles players playing it and their reactions are definitely interesting after they lose.
The King and Montanes were playing doubles together and it was hilarious, they were laughing the whole time while on court. Thinking about what they are going to do for dinner or which bar they will go to.
Oscar was winning some points in fact 96 percent of his team's points as big Al was missing return after return. I said to Hernandez. "Thanks for the laughs in doubles, but man you were carrying Montanes out there". He didn't want to agree, but he knew what was going on and it was true, but it was good training for singles.
Chucho and Roitman lost to the sexy team of Eschauer and Flo Mayer, maybe it was their sexiness that put them off and they couldn't win.
Brzezicki and Calleri defeated the Twin Towers of Karlovic and Isner and the sad thing is that Brzezicki let himself get broken by these guys, but at least the tennis players beat the servers and too bad I didn't see any topspin lobs over their head.
Massu/Almagro and Berlocq/Seppi: Berlocq what a guy, he was definitely the weak link here and Almagro looked bored and always looking in the crowd and still has a big head, but Peta loves him. Massu you can hear grunt from 2 kms away, but his shots don't have the same force they used to.
Seppi was trying to carry Berlocq, but it's like taking a one legged man in an arse kicking contest and the result was the same. Seppi loves doubles won 2 matches all year and one with the King.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Day 2 the Day of King Oscar Hernandez as the man makes history
Day 2 of the Aus Open was a special one indeed, for a few reasons, there was Michael Russell's first win in a Slam for ages and even more significant was that Oscar Hernandez after going 0-17 on hardcourts, was able to win his 1st match on the surface and it was a historical day to mark down in the calendar.
These will be done in random order and some of these matches were watched by known associates Jimbo, Sammy and others and they will get credit for their work.
Santoro vs. Isner : I didn't see much of this match, but what I did see was hilarious. Isner was poor and was moving slower than a Jamaican ambulance with a driver stoned on 20kg of pot. The rallies were so slow and Isner's volleys were junior standard and Santoro was breaking at will, he got bored and lost a service game in the 3rd set, then broke again to make it count and put Isner out of his misery. Sammy and Jimbo loved this result and a good triumph for artistry over serving.
Monaco vs. Berlocq: This was a comfortable match for Pico Monaco and his lovely other half is here as well. Berlocq surprised me, he actually played well for parts of the match and hitting some good backhand down the line winners and in the second set he served for it at 5-4, but it was always on the cards that Monaco would break back and therefore he did so and then stepped it up to run away with the 3rd set. Will need to improve his serving in the next match against Delic.
Nalbandian vs. Smeets : Smeets had said the player he didn't want to draw was Nalbandian and sadly his wish didn't come true.
Not really much to say about this match, except that Nalle was in total control moving the ball around easily and breaking serve at will leading 6-1 6-1. The 3rd set well it was just an extended training run and he won the breaker easily enough, it will help his back and he doesn't need to have too many hard matches early in the event.
Luczak vs. Zabaleta : This was one of those matches that I couldn't really lose as I happen to like both players. It was good that it went to a 4th set, but Luczak winning was expected. He is at home, he is fit and has match practice something that Zabala is lacking a lot of at the moment.
Luczak started strongly in the 1st set, then Mariano fought back with some strong serving and good forehands and took the breaker. Then Luczak was making his mark with the drop shots especially on the backhand side and was grinding well took the 3rd easily and lead 5-1 in the 4th, but Zabala showed his fighting spirit to make it 6-4, but it wasn't enough and now Luczak has to play Nalbandian in the next round.
Gremelmayr vs. Roitman : This match was an exercise in frustration and the end result was a clear expression of this.
Gremelmayr hasn't played well for years, well since the last time at the AO when he made the 3rd round. He just started swinging with his eyes closed and wins the 1st set 6-1 and then when he opens them the 2nd set was 0-6.
The match settles down in the 3rd and there was some quality hitting from both players, the Escopeta (shotgun) forehand of Roitman was firing well at times, though he did go for some silly shots as he can do now and then. Gremelmayr was running hard and making lots of huge winners from tough positions was able to take the 3rd set after a loose service game from Roitman.
The 4th continued on the same path with Roitman getting more and more pissed off with one his mistakes at crucial points and two Gremelmayr saving 15-30 or bps with unreturnable serves or clean winners. They swapped breaks until 5-5. After a big extended rally with Roitman running "the Gremlin" side to side, then he attacks the net and Gremelmayr at full stretch on the fence hits a slice backhand that floats in over Roitman's backhand and he breaks.
At 15-15 Roitman is trying to hit a forehand, but the linesperson gets in the way and it becomes 30-15 and Sergio gets pissed off even more. Gremelmayr serves it out and then Roitman absolutely smashes the racquet after the match.
Russell vs. Fognini: This match started out comfortably enough with Russell getting a 5-0 lead and Fognini looking like he wanted to be somewhere else even more than usual.
After an easy 1st set, the 2nd set was a much closer affair with Fognini cutting down the errors and showing his outstanding court speed, which can match Russell's though the way they move is very different. Fognini starts going for more shots and they go in and was able to break once to level the match at 1 set all.
Russ seizes the initiative again and is able to hit the ball well to the corners and Fognini's manner is still the same "I don't give a shit look", at the same time he is just randomly slapping winners now and then from difficult positions. After Mike takes the 3rd set easily, then Fognini is making less errors from the ground and running lots of shots down and Russell is a bit sluggish, which he takes advantage of and levels the match at 2 sets a piece.
The dreaded 5th set, the feeling of watching a 5 set match with a player you like at the end it's either great joy or emptiness depending on the perspective and result.
Fognini takes a 3-1 lead and Russell is feeling sluggish, but he has the superior heart and fitness to Fognini, so he was always a chance as long as he believed in himself. With a solid support group Mike cut down on the errors and was moving better and was able to get it back to 3-3, then Fognini's flashy play wasn't working under pressure, the opportunity at 5-3 to serve it out for Russell was there. In the final game he led 40-0 couldn't buy a first serve and missed an easy smash at 40-15, but was able to come through and win his 1st match at a Slam for a very long time and what a relief it was.
Oscar Hernandez vs. Minar : This was the match and the result of the day without a doubt. The man who is 0-17 on hardcourts finally wins a hardcourt match and plays very good tennis to do so as well.
Oscar couldn't hit a thing in at all in the 1st set and it went very quickly, looked like the same pattern as always on this surface. He did say it wasn't so quick and I thought that would have had to have helped his confidence that he could play his game and maybe do Ok here.
The second set was the key here and Minar had chances to take it, but Oscar served well and placed it well and he was fighting with himself as always and is a great source of Catalan expressions. Once they got it to the tiebreaker, he dug his heels in and was not going to miss from the back and force Minar to hit through him which he was unable to and then the King took the 2nd set.
This was the turning point of the match and Oscar got very confident and was playing from quite close to the baseline and not 5km behind it. He was able to dictate the rallies on his serve using the angles to open the court up and hitting heavy forehands and Minar looked like he was in the pub after 3 games in the 3rd set, getting run ragged. The King ran to a 4-0 lead and was able to win the set 6-2 and the confidence was growing.
The 4th set started the same way as the 3rd set with Oscar getting everything back and the length was very hard to attack off for Minar, who in the heat didn't have the style or the patience to last with Hernandez in the baseline rallies and the King showed some good volleying skills as well to run to a 5-0 lead. The majority of the crowd wanted a bagel, but Oscar was generous and allowed Minar a game before serving it out with no problems.
After the match, there were many youngsters who became fans of the King and he signed for all of them and he was elated that on the small court there was a good turnout to watch the talent and also see the piece of history that was created on this day. Does it matter that he will more than likely lose to Berdych, no not really.
This day was all about King Oscar Hernandez.
These will be done in random order and some of these matches were watched by known associates Jimbo, Sammy and others and they will get credit for their work.
Santoro vs. Isner : I didn't see much of this match, but what I did see was hilarious. Isner was poor and was moving slower than a Jamaican ambulance with a driver stoned on 20kg of pot. The rallies were so slow and Isner's volleys were junior standard and Santoro was breaking at will, he got bored and lost a service game in the 3rd set, then broke again to make it count and put Isner out of his misery. Sammy and Jimbo loved this result and a good triumph for artistry over serving.
Monaco vs. Berlocq: This was a comfortable match for Pico Monaco and his lovely other half is here as well. Berlocq surprised me, he actually played well for parts of the match and hitting some good backhand down the line winners and in the second set he served for it at 5-4, but it was always on the cards that Monaco would break back and therefore he did so and then stepped it up to run away with the 3rd set. Will need to improve his serving in the next match against Delic.
Nalbandian vs. Smeets : Smeets had said the player he didn't want to draw was Nalbandian and sadly his wish didn't come true.
Not really much to say about this match, except that Nalle was in total control moving the ball around easily and breaking serve at will leading 6-1 6-1. The 3rd set well it was just an extended training run and he won the breaker easily enough, it will help his back and he doesn't need to have too many hard matches early in the event.
Luczak vs. Zabaleta : This was one of those matches that I couldn't really lose as I happen to like both players. It was good that it went to a 4th set, but Luczak winning was expected. He is at home, he is fit and has match practice something that Zabala is lacking a lot of at the moment.
Luczak started strongly in the 1st set, then Mariano fought back with some strong serving and good forehands and took the breaker. Then Luczak was making his mark with the drop shots especially on the backhand side and was grinding well took the 3rd easily and lead 5-1 in the 4th, but Zabala showed his fighting spirit to make it 6-4, but it wasn't enough and now Luczak has to play Nalbandian in the next round.
Gremelmayr vs. Roitman : This match was an exercise in frustration and the end result was a clear expression of this.
Gremelmayr hasn't played well for years, well since the last time at the AO when he made the 3rd round. He just started swinging with his eyes closed and wins the 1st set 6-1 and then when he opens them the 2nd set was 0-6.
The match settles down in the 3rd and there was some quality hitting from both players, the Escopeta (shotgun) forehand of Roitman was firing well at times, though he did go for some silly shots as he can do now and then. Gremelmayr was running hard and making lots of huge winners from tough positions was able to take the 3rd set after a loose service game from Roitman.
The 4th continued on the same path with Roitman getting more and more pissed off with one his mistakes at crucial points and two Gremelmayr saving 15-30 or bps with unreturnable serves or clean winners. They swapped breaks until 5-5. After a big extended rally with Roitman running "the Gremlin" side to side, then he attacks the net and Gremelmayr at full stretch on the fence hits a slice backhand that floats in over Roitman's backhand and he breaks.
At 15-15 Roitman is trying to hit a forehand, but the linesperson gets in the way and it becomes 30-15 and Sergio gets pissed off even more. Gremelmayr serves it out and then Roitman absolutely smashes the racquet after the match.
Russell vs. Fognini: This match started out comfortably enough with Russell getting a 5-0 lead and Fognini looking like he wanted to be somewhere else even more than usual.
After an easy 1st set, the 2nd set was a much closer affair with Fognini cutting down the errors and showing his outstanding court speed, which can match Russell's though the way they move is very different. Fognini starts going for more shots and they go in and was able to break once to level the match at 1 set all.
Russ seizes the initiative again and is able to hit the ball well to the corners and Fognini's manner is still the same "I don't give a shit look", at the same time he is just randomly slapping winners now and then from difficult positions. After Mike takes the 3rd set easily, then Fognini is making less errors from the ground and running lots of shots down and Russell is a bit sluggish, which he takes advantage of and levels the match at 2 sets a piece.
The dreaded 5th set, the feeling of watching a 5 set match with a player you like at the end it's either great joy or emptiness depending on the perspective and result.
Fognini takes a 3-1 lead and Russell is feeling sluggish, but he has the superior heart and fitness to Fognini, so he was always a chance as long as he believed in himself. With a solid support group Mike cut down on the errors and was moving better and was able to get it back to 3-3, then Fognini's flashy play wasn't working under pressure, the opportunity at 5-3 to serve it out for Russell was there. In the final game he led 40-0 couldn't buy a first serve and missed an easy smash at 40-15, but was able to come through and win his 1st match at a Slam for a very long time and what a relief it was.
Oscar Hernandez vs. Minar : This was the match and the result of the day without a doubt. The man who is 0-17 on hardcourts finally wins a hardcourt match and plays very good tennis to do so as well.
Oscar couldn't hit a thing in at all in the 1st set and it went very quickly, looked like the same pattern as always on this surface. He did say it wasn't so quick and I thought that would have had to have helped his confidence that he could play his game and maybe do Ok here.
The second set was the key here and Minar had chances to take it, but Oscar served well and placed it well and he was fighting with himself as always and is a great source of Catalan expressions. Once they got it to the tiebreaker, he dug his heels in and was not going to miss from the back and force Minar to hit through him which he was unable to and then the King took the 2nd set.
This was the turning point of the match and Oscar got very confident and was playing from quite close to the baseline and not 5km behind it. He was able to dictate the rallies on his serve using the angles to open the court up and hitting heavy forehands and Minar looked like he was in the pub after 3 games in the 3rd set, getting run ragged. The King ran to a 4-0 lead and was able to win the set 6-2 and the confidence was growing.
The 4th set started the same way as the 3rd set with Oscar getting everything back and the length was very hard to attack off for Minar, who in the heat didn't have the style or the patience to last with Hernandez in the baseline rallies and the King showed some good volleying skills as well to run to a 5-0 lead. The majority of the crowd wanted a bagel, but Oscar was generous and allowed Minar a game before serving it out with no problems.
After the match, there were many youngsters who became fans of the King and he signed for all of them and he was elated that on the small court there was a good turnout to watch the talent and also see the piece of history that was created on this day. Does it matter that he will more than likely lose to Berdych, no not really.
This day was all about King Oscar Hernandez.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Chucho, Koubek, Lucho, Seppi show at Day 1 of the Aus Open
Finally after all the pre qualifying and the business has begun and overall apart from one result today with Chucho losing in 5 sets, but more of that later and at least it wasn’t carnage like there was for me last season and that is a bonus.
I saw the start of the Nieminen and Dancevic match and Jarkko was handling business very well and won the 1st set very easily, so I decided to wander around the grounds as you do to get some atmosphere of the place as you do and it was fucking packed initially, but such is life.
So on my wanders I saw a bit of Paul-Henri Mathieu playing against Lurch Hanescu. Luckily the few bits I saw of the match were close, but Mathieu was just too powerful and showed his greater degree of skill on the surface.
On the adjacent court was big Boris Pashanski and Mardy Fish, not two of the most likable guys on tour, but from what I saw it wasn't a great match as Boris definitely doesn't like the hardcourts, though his game shouldn't be too bad for it, it's not like he hits massive moonballs like Vassallo Arguello who was very poor against Levine. Boris lost in 4 sets and in the 2nd set he had a break, then loses serve twice, best thing about Pashanski is Voinea.
As I was on my way back to the other side I passed Lucho Horna and Mastelli, the old man Mastelli who happens to coach Monaco, looks like the guy who is in the corner of the cafe having a cigarette and playing cards and has forgotten more than most people know about tennis.
Then I saw Safin and Nalbandian training together and I paused for a little while, which pretty much confirmed what I knew. These courts were packed and Safin has a ridiculous amount of fangirls, most of them would spell forehand like 4hand and that is being kind. Nalbandian was quite popular as well, but the majority of people who appreciate tennis weren't there to watch Nalbandian.
After that I saw arse picking Nadal hitting with Calleri and was more interested in seeing how Calleri was hitting the ball than Nadal. It's funny Gordo walks through the crowd hardly being hassled and then there is bicep boy who has to push his way through.
Went back to the other side of the complex to see the Nieminen vs. Dancevic match and I thought what the fuck this has gone to the 5th set. I found a place to stand next to these Finnish fans and then all of a sudden Nieminen starts playing well again and is making Frankie look ordinary. From reports Frankie started to lift his game and Jarkko had one of his lapses, but as soon as I turned up again for the 5th set, he was in good form from both sides, he only hit one of his 10km/h second serves. Good result there and never in doubt.
Decided to go and watch the Pavel vs. Andreev match, this one could have gone either way, because with Pavel while not at the peak of his powers can pull off a good performance now and then, plus Andreev has had a shocking start to 2008.
This match went to the expected pattern with Andreev hitting massive off forehands and Pavel trying to get to the net and using his backhand. They split the first 2 sets and it's good watching these players in isolation, it's like Andreev just throws the ball straight up when he serves and sacrifices power for spin. The 3rd set was the key here, while Andreev was dominating the rallies, he still wasn't playing that well and Pavel was still in the match and the tiebreaker was the key and once that was sorted then you knew who would be the winner of the match and it proved to be Andreev.
One funny moment this silly Russian girl who was the whole time saying "davai Igor", even if he farted, she'd have said that. There is cheering and then it goes over the top and Voinea watching Pavel came out and told her to "shut up". She was holding up play and Pavel just stopped. He said something like "hey I am blinded, I can't play , I am in love" looking at the fangirl and she handled it well enough. He had a foot problem before match point and called the trainer and Igor thought what the fuck was going on here, but they were waiting and waiting for the trainer, so after 5 minutes they decided to play and then Andreev closed it out. It might be last time I see Pavel in Australia as a singles player for the last time.
Acasuso vs. Mahut : This match had tough one written all over it and it was that for sure and a very frustrating result under the circumstances. There was the contrast in styles, with big Acasuso hitting hard from both sides and Mahut just scrapping in the rallies, but moving to the net as often as he could behind the big serve.
The first 2 sets were split and Mahut played a very good tiebreaker, serving big when he needed to and Chucho who was mistiming a lot of shots throughout the match, did it quite a lot in the tiebreaker, but was able to not to dwell on the lost tiebreaker and finally take a break point chance and win the second 7-5.
Instead of maintaining his level, Acasuso went off to Chucho land with the fairies and was down a double break and that set was a write off. Chucho is there trying to play tennis and all Mahut is doing is just serving and getting the big one when it counted, Chucho stopped misfiring and took the 4th set.
Mahut started serving in the 5th set and Chucho had break points in the 1st game, but failed to capitalise and after that Mahut was never troubled at all on serve and Chucho was just hanging on. Then at 6-5 I had to duck off and do some business, then I thought to myself he will lose this 7-5 and when I get back I hear the dreaded Game set Match Mahut. In a way it was good to miss the end of the match, as it was frustrating to watch Acasuso lose, but if you can't get a bunch of 1st serves when serving to stay in the match and not take your chances then this will happen sadly.
Seppi vs Levy : Seppi starts like an arse clown or someone who only won 3 points in a set against Hugo Armando and was down 4-0. Then I decide to go courtside and tell Seppi to lift his game and then he started to do so and won the next 6 games in a row to take it 6-4. He actually seems to be hitting the ball harder than usual, sure it's not Tursunov hard, but for Andy an improvement.
After the 1st set, then Seppi just cruised the last 2 sets and it started towards the end of the 2nd set of the Acasuso match and it finished before the end of the Acasuso match, though this result was better.
I saw the start of the Nieminen and Dancevic match and Jarkko was handling business very well and won the 1st set very easily, so I decided to wander around the grounds as you do to get some atmosphere of the place as you do and it was fucking packed initially, but such is life.
So on my wanders I saw a bit of Paul-Henri Mathieu playing against Lurch Hanescu. Luckily the few bits I saw of the match were close, but Mathieu was just too powerful and showed his greater degree of skill on the surface.
On the adjacent court was big Boris Pashanski and Mardy Fish, not two of the most likable guys on tour, but from what I saw it wasn't a great match as Boris definitely doesn't like the hardcourts, though his game shouldn't be too bad for it, it's not like he hits massive moonballs like Vassallo Arguello who was very poor against Levine. Boris lost in 4 sets and in the 2nd set he had a break, then loses serve twice, best thing about Pashanski is Voinea.
As I was on my way back to the other side I passed Lucho Horna and Mastelli, the old man Mastelli who happens to coach Monaco, looks like the guy who is in the corner of the cafe having a cigarette and playing cards and has forgotten more than most people know about tennis.
Then I saw Safin and Nalbandian training together and I paused for a little while, which pretty much confirmed what I knew. These courts were packed and Safin has a ridiculous amount of fangirls, most of them would spell forehand like 4hand and that is being kind. Nalbandian was quite popular as well, but the majority of people who appreciate tennis weren't there to watch Nalbandian.
After that I saw arse picking Nadal hitting with Calleri and was more interested in seeing how Calleri was hitting the ball than Nadal. It's funny Gordo walks through the crowd hardly being hassled and then there is bicep boy who has to push his way through.
Went back to the other side of the complex to see the Nieminen vs. Dancevic match and I thought what the fuck this has gone to the 5th set. I found a place to stand next to these Finnish fans and then all of a sudden Nieminen starts playing well again and is making Frankie look ordinary. From reports Frankie started to lift his game and Jarkko had one of his lapses, but as soon as I turned up again for the 5th set, he was in good form from both sides, he only hit one of his 10km/h second serves. Good result there and never in doubt.
Decided to go and watch the Pavel vs. Andreev match, this one could have gone either way, because with Pavel while not at the peak of his powers can pull off a good performance now and then, plus Andreev has had a shocking start to 2008.
This match went to the expected pattern with Andreev hitting massive off forehands and Pavel trying to get to the net and using his backhand. They split the first 2 sets and it's good watching these players in isolation, it's like Andreev just throws the ball straight up when he serves and sacrifices power for spin. The 3rd set was the key here, while Andreev was dominating the rallies, he still wasn't playing that well and Pavel was still in the match and the tiebreaker was the key and once that was sorted then you knew who would be the winner of the match and it proved to be Andreev.
One funny moment this silly Russian girl who was the whole time saying "davai Igor", even if he farted, she'd have said that. There is cheering and then it goes over the top and Voinea watching Pavel came out and told her to "shut up". She was holding up play and Pavel just stopped. He said something like "hey I am blinded, I can't play , I am in love" looking at the fangirl and she handled it well enough. He had a foot problem before match point and called the trainer and Igor thought what the fuck was going on here, but they were waiting and waiting for the trainer, so after 5 minutes they decided to play and then Andreev closed it out. It might be last time I see Pavel in Australia as a singles player for the last time.
Acasuso vs. Mahut : This match had tough one written all over it and it was that for sure and a very frustrating result under the circumstances. There was the contrast in styles, with big Acasuso hitting hard from both sides and Mahut just scrapping in the rallies, but moving to the net as often as he could behind the big serve.
The first 2 sets were split and Mahut played a very good tiebreaker, serving big when he needed to and Chucho who was mistiming a lot of shots throughout the match, did it quite a lot in the tiebreaker, but was able to not to dwell on the lost tiebreaker and finally take a break point chance and win the second 7-5.
Instead of maintaining his level, Acasuso went off to Chucho land with the fairies and was down a double break and that set was a write off. Chucho is there trying to play tennis and all Mahut is doing is just serving and getting the big one when it counted, Chucho stopped misfiring and took the 4th set.
Mahut started serving in the 5th set and Chucho had break points in the 1st game, but failed to capitalise and after that Mahut was never troubled at all on serve and Chucho was just hanging on. Then at 6-5 I had to duck off and do some business, then I thought to myself he will lose this 7-5 and when I get back I hear the dreaded Game set Match Mahut. In a way it was good to miss the end of the match, as it was frustrating to watch Acasuso lose, but if you can't get a bunch of 1st serves when serving to stay in the match and not take your chances then this will happen sadly.
Seppi vs Levy : Seppi starts like an arse clown or someone who only won 3 points in a set against Hugo Armando and was down 4-0. Then I decide to go courtside and tell Seppi to lift his game and then he started to do so and won the next 6 games in a row to take it 6-4. He actually seems to be hitting the ball harder than usual, sure it's not Tursunov hard, but for Andy an improvement.
After the 1st set, then Seppi just cruised the last 2 sets and it started towards the end of the 2nd set of the Acasuso match and it finished before the end of the Acasuso match, though this result was better.
Horna vs. Calleri : While I was watching the Chucho match, the Horna match was on the next court, where I could see the score and from reports the 1st set was a very tight affair, with Calleri hitting his big backhands and Horna being his usual aggressive self and Lucho played one bad game and got broken.
Got there at the start of the second set and this kind of match is difficult in one way and good in another. Difficult in the context that it's hard to cheer for anyone as I like them both and good in the context that at least one of them will make the next round.
Horna had a multitude of break points and was hitting his forehand well, but wasn't able to take advantage of this, whereas Calleri wasn't making too many errors, but wasn't able to impose his game in the 2nd set. It went to a tiebreaker where Lucho had 4 set points, but took it on the 5th and I was content that it was going to be a 4 setter minimum.
The rest of match was a fairly good standard with some big hitting from both guys, as usual Calleri with his big backhands down the line and Horna with his crazy sliding on hardcourts and launching into forehands. The main difference was that Horna played 2 poor service games, one in each set and hardly was able to get a first serve in and Calleri punished that and was able to break and run out a comfortable winner in the end.
One hilarious moment in the match was they were rallying and Calleri hit a short ball and Lucho ran in and drilled it right at Calleri and Gordo stuck his racquet in the way to protect himself and it went over Lucho's head at the net. Lucho was just shaking his head and Calleri couldn't believe it himself, it was one of those very funny moments, especially as they get along quite well. The good start to the year for Calleri continues and Lucho needs some good results soon.
Koubek vs. Moya : This was a very winnable match for Koubek and he believed it as well, as he has said that he enjoys playing Moya and his game suits his very well.
Moya served for the 1st set, but Koubek broke and took into the tiebreaker and was able to take it. I started watching from the start of the 2nd set and Stef was hitting the ball very well and his defensive skills were very strong when they needed to be, getting the ball back into the corners and then not being passive and stepping into the court to crack winners of both sides.
The 2nd set was a strange one as Koubek lead 4-3 with a break lost it, then broke again for 5-4 and couldn't serve it out and lost the tiebreaker easily. Moya probably should have won the 1st set and Koubek the 2nd, but they are 1 set all.
The third set the pattern continues with Moya running around his forehand and trying to dominate and Stefan defending very well and then hitting clean winners, when he got the chance, this was not a get the ball back and hope he misses like Mahut did against Acasuso. When Koubek had the chance to step in, he took it, especially in the last 2 sets with the backhand down the line Rios style with the leg in the air, he nailed about 4 of those in a very short time.
He took the 3rd set and had quite a bit of crowd support and was able to use that to keep his intensity level up. Koubek when he is concentrated on his game, is fun to watch and yes, he has the explosive side, but we are wired all differently.
Koubek continues on from the 3rd set in the same vein and in Moya's face it was clear to see that he knew it was done for him and Koubek was the better player and this was a very high quality match, with some good hitting, defensive skills and now he plays Calleri in the rematch from Sopot.
Sorry for the delays, but the King's report will be done later.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Final Round Qualies: Dani Koellerer falls short again and random moments
Final Round Qualies: Dani Koellerer falls short again
Dropshot Dlouhy stopped deciding to continue his mucking around and thrashes Chen, which makes for all the foibles in the previous 2 rounds and now plays Roddick who once again peaked for Kooyong.
Sam “Donny” Warburg made the MD defeating Dolgpolov Jr 14-12 in a thriller and he was down a break in the 3rd and almost went down a double break, he seems like a good guy and I am happy he qualified.
Rajeev Ram made it for the 1st time in Melbourne as well, fighting hard and was on fire initially steaming to a 4-0 lead and everything was working for him, then Udomchoke took it in a breaker and was up 4-1 and ended up losing the set 7-5 to Ram. Rajeev was on fire in the 3rd set taking a 4-0 lead and didn’t let it slip this time. The elation when a player makes it through the qualies is always good to see, especially if you like the player.
Dani Koellerer once again fell short in the final round of qualifying for a place in the main draw of a Slam, this time he fell to Scotsman Jamie Baker who was playing very well throughout the event and handled the shenanigans from Koellerer very well to win 6-4 6-4.
Lets see, there was the underarm serve, a bit of timewasting, calling for the trainer and then not bothering when he got there, the usual screams, but it wasn’t enough and after the match it seems Egli the man who looks like an over attentive parking inspectior was having some words with him.
The King’s protégé Marcel Granollers-Pujol got the money against Kunitsyn 8-6 in the 3rd and it was a surprise for sure, as Mr. Kremlin Cup Kunitsyn seemed to be that much better overall, but Marcel was fighting hard and after going down a set, he levelled at 1 set all with some good play.
Marci was under hammer from Kuntisyn basically from the 1st game of the 3rd set and put plenty of pressure on his serve, but even the unconventional backhand was holding up quite well and the forehand was deep, which kept him in the point. After saving all the break points and at 7-6, then with some good play, he gets a 2nd match point. I called the serve to Marci backhand and it was there, except the net got in the way, then on the 2nd that Marcel should belt the forehand and he did and got him the win.
Odesnik and Big Kon moved safely through to the MD, not the best qualies ever, but I had a lot of fun at the courts.
Random stuff
Well this is the fun stuff, that isn’t part of the tennis per se. My friends and I have decided to find which court Oscar is playing on and dump clay on there.
Hartfield seems like a pleasant guy and it’s disappointing that he has to play Federer twice at GS level in the 1st round and yes he does look like Gaudio. Speaking of Argies, Charly Berlocq doesn’t have the mullet anymore, but has managed to get himself a decent looking woman.
Seeing Sam Querrey being dwarfed by John Isner and Sam is 196cm is hilarious for all the wrong reasons, though at least Sam is quicker than Isner, it might be close.
Oscar Hernandez is a very humble king and is prepared to talk with the masses and show his talents to the world and you know when he says a surface isn’t quick, then there is a good chance it isn’t.
Berdych wasn’t happy, as he was given the wrong info about a practice court. Well they had the chicks on there and they should have been sent to the carpark to train. Berdych’s coach Jaro Navratil is a very funny guy with a dry wit and wearing these loud yellow and red shirts, best of all he still has the great mullet. He was very relieved that Tomas was finally able to beat Simple Simon.
Mike Russell bought his wife down and she understands that he can’t go shopping with her when he has to train. He has a good draw against Fognini and was not happy about playing in Auckland when it rained against Kohli, not that he would have won the match.
Massu is still a surly vampire and Almagro has a head the size of Saturn. Peta feels bad she took photos of Cilic, when she has to boo him when he plays Almagro.
Joakim Nyström is coaching Melzer now, and Melzer would love to have 1/30th of tennis brain , at the same time Melzer does very well off the court.
Greece vs. Chile match between Economidis and Gonzo should be fun and saw Larry Stefanki putting Feña through these backhand return drills and it was good to watch him show Gonzo where his feet were and why the ones he was missing were crap.
Malisse has some strapping on the middle finger of his hand and a knee problem, plus in another huge surprise he has a new coach. He and Melzer lost to Lucho and Monaco in Auckland. He laughed when I told him my stringer friend said he was their best customer and even Horna during training said “Hey man, who many strings do you break on average”.
Seppi chucked his racquet over the fence after a hitting session with Klein in which he was awful, but he will still get to R2. The daughters of the coach are growing very fast and Seppi was more interested in talking about how AC Milan are so poor in the Serie A.
Andreev was actually hitting backhands in one of the sessions and has been quite pissy and his coach Altur said, “This is what happens when you play shit for 3 months, except Davis Cup”. He plays the cheery Pavel and at least one player I like makes it through there.
Acasuso just rules, the languid manner and he now has fans in Kristen and Peta, good to see that even after a while that class can be appreciated. Hope he has a good year, but playing Lizard Lips won’t be easy. His coach Orsanic is a River Plate fan, but we can’t have everything.
Koubek had this faded orange shirt, lets get the real stylish shirt happening.
Jamie Murray has great hair, too bad he supports Man Utd.
Adrian Voinea is a very cool guy, so why the hell does he train Boris Pashanski?
Nieminen is still very professional and he is a genuine class act, when that term gets thrown too loosely.
Acasuso and the King training was such quality stuff and the shoulder turn is still there for all to see.
Roitman had a big ice pack on his elbow, but that was precautionary. I am going to have words with him to export these shirts, he also trained with the King as well.
Del Potro has a new team down with him or maybe Eduardo and Cristian aren’t here as of yet.
Mats Wilander is busy with Mathieu and also good to see the legends of Jaite, Gumy and Mancini.
Well got a big day tomorrow and have to enjoy it hopefully.
Yes, Volandri’s serve still sucks.
Dropshot Dlouhy stopped deciding to continue his mucking around and thrashes Chen, which makes for all the foibles in the previous 2 rounds and now plays Roddick who once again peaked for Kooyong.
Sam “Donny” Warburg made the MD defeating Dolgpolov Jr 14-12 in a thriller and he was down a break in the 3rd and almost went down a double break, he seems like a good guy and I am happy he qualified.
Rajeev Ram made it for the 1st time in Melbourne as well, fighting hard and was on fire initially steaming to a 4-0 lead and everything was working for him, then Udomchoke took it in a breaker and was up 4-1 and ended up losing the set 7-5 to Ram. Rajeev was on fire in the 3rd set taking a 4-0 lead and didn’t let it slip this time. The elation when a player makes it through the qualies is always good to see, especially if you like the player.
Dani Koellerer once again fell short in the final round of qualifying for a place in the main draw of a Slam, this time he fell to Scotsman Jamie Baker who was playing very well throughout the event and handled the shenanigans from Koellerer very well to win 6-4 6-4.
Lets see, there was the underarm serve, a bit of timewasting, calling for the trainer and then not bothering when he got there, the usual screams, but it wasn’t enough and after the match it seems Egli the man who looks like an over attentive parking inspectior was having some words with him.
The King’s protégé Marcel Granollers-Pujol got the money against Kunitsyn 8-6 in the 3rd and it was a surprise for sure, as Mr. Kremlin Cup Kunitsyn seemed to be that much better overall, but Marcel was fighting hard and after going down a set, he levelled at 1 set all with some good play.
Marci was under hammer from Kuntisyn basically from the 1st game of the 3rd set and put plenty of pressure on his serve, but even the unconventional backhand was holding up quite well and the forehand was deep, which kept him in the point. After saving all the break points and at 7-6, then with some good play, he gets a 2nd match point. I called the serve to Marci backhand and it was there, except the net got in the way, then on the 2nd that Marcel should belt the forehand and he did and got him the win.
Odesnik and Big Kon moved safely through to the MD, not the best qualies ever, but I had a lot of fun at the courts.
Random stuff
Well this is the fun stuff, that isn’t part of the tennis per se. My friends and I have decided to find which court Oscar is playing on and dump clay on there.
Hartfield seems like a pleasant guy and it’s disappointing that he has to play Federer twice at GS level in the 1st round and yes he does look like Gaudio. Speaking of Argies, Charly Berlocq doesn’t have the mullet anymore, but has managed to get himself a decent looking woman.
Seeing Sam Querrey being dwarfed by John Isner and Sam is 196cm is hilarious for all the wrong reasons, though at least Sam is quicker than Isner, it might be close.
Oscar Hernandez is a very humble king and is prepared to talk with the masses and show his talents to the world and you know when he says a surface isn’t quick, then there is a good chance it isn’t.
Berdych wasn’t happy, as he was given the wrong info about a practice court. Well they had the chicks on there and they should have been sent to the carpark to train. Berdych’s coach Jaro Navratil is a very funny guy with a dry wit and wearing these loud yellow and red shirts, best of all he still has the great mullet. He was very relieved that Tomas was finally able to beat Simple Simon.
Mike Russell bought his wife down and she understands that he can’t go shopping with her when he has to train. He has a good draw against Fognini and was not happy about playing in Auckland when it rained against Kohli, not that he would have won the match.
Massu is still a surly vampire and Almagro has a head the size of Saturn. Peta feels bad she took photos of Cilic, when she has to boo him when he plays Almagro.
Joakim Nyström is coaching Melzer now, and Melzer would love to have 1/30th of tennis brain , at the same time Melzer does very well off the court.
Greece vs. Chile match between Economidis and Gonzo should be fun and saw Larry Stefanki putting Feña through these backhand return drills and it was good to watch him show Gonzo where his feet were and why the ones he was missing were crap.
Malisse has some strapping on the middle finger of his hand and a knee problem, plus in another huge surprise he has a new coach. He and Melzer lost to Lucho and Monaco in Auckland. He laughed when I told him my stringer friend said he was their best customer and even Horna during training said “Hey man, who many strings do you break on average”.
Seppi chucked his racquet over the fence after a hitting session with Klein in which he was awful, but he will still get to R2. The daughters of the coach are growing very fast and Seppi was more interested in talking about how AC Milan are so poor in the Serie A.
Andreev was actually hitting backhands in one of the sessions and has been quite pissy and his coach Altur said, “This is what happens when you play shit for 3 months, except Davis Cup”. He plays the cheery Pavel and at least one player I like makes it through there.
Acasuso just rules, the languid manner and he now has fans in Kristen and Peta, good to see that even after a while that class can be appreciated. Hope he has a good year, but playing Lizard Lips won’t be easy. His coach Orsanic is a River Plate fan, but we can’t have everything.
Koubek had this faded orange shirt, lets get the real stylish shirt happening.
Jamie Murray has great hair, too bad he supports Man Utd.
Adrian Voinea is a very cool guy, so why the hell does he train Boris Pashanski?
Nieminen is still very professional and he is a genuine class act, when that term gets thrown too loosely.
Acasuso and the King training was such quality stuff and the shoulder turn is still there for all to see.
Roitman had a big ice pack on his elbow, but that was precautionary. I am going to have words with him to export these shirts, he also trained with the King as well.
Del Potro has a new team down with him or maybe Eduardo and Cristian aren’t here as of yet.
Mats Wilander is busy with Mathieu and also good to see the legends of Jaite, Gumy and Mancini.
Well got a big day tomorrow and have to enjoy it hopefully.
Yes, Volandri’s serve still sucks.
1st and 2nd Round Qualies the Fun begins
1st and 2rd Round of Qualies
This year the great Aus Open organisation decided to start the mens qualies early on Wednesday and it was good as it was only mens matches and didn't have to hide to get away from the rubbish womens matches, which was the thing to do in the last 2 days and how I do these reports, will be in order of how they went in the draw and not in how I saw them, so deal with it.
First of all the tennis wouldn't be the same without the usual characters and there would be some that I think I am part of the furniture, well they would have a case at the Aussie Open. So I will make reference to some of them now so people can get used to when I make reference to them later.
Two of my favourite ladies and yes they are ladies, though I tend to think of them as my kid sisters who amuse me no end, without trying and no this does not mean laughing at them with them. They are Kristen and Peta, who are both funny in different ways. Kristen got called Justine Henin again, yes she is small and petite, but much prettier, though JuJu isn't as bad as some people think. She loves anything Swedish or Austrian, unless that Austrian is Dani Koellerer ( more on him later). Peta on the other hand has problems handling her feelings to Koellerer as a piece of meat and something to perve on, she loves it, but doesn't always appreciate the nature of Crazy Dani. The old car crash syndrome, you know you shouldn't look, but you do anyway.
Kristen manages to embarrass herself in front of players and does it in such style and Peta besides liking Koellerer is a fangirl of Andrei Pavel, who infamously told her once when asked can I have a photo and said "NO", then a few seconds later smiled and called her Petea. I have been known to take the piss out of umpires and most of them do a good job, but Peta has a fascination with the fave umpire of "The Poo" Enric Molina. So if the match is boring then she will go and watch Molina and drool. More characters to come during the blog and now onto the tennis.
Round 1
Bogdanovic vs. Ginepri
Great result this was, even though it was Bogdanovic that did the job. The highlights of this were that the legendary Sundsvall man and super coach Peter Lundgren is back in the land Down Under and this should mean some quality partying to be done. He is getting paid well to do a difficult job working with British tennis besides Andy Murray, but it's far from an easy job.
Ginepri is just lacking confidence in addition to a lack of brains, so he was cannon fodder and at least he didn't retire when he was getting slapped around like the clown that he is. Ginepri is an academy/factory player. He has muscles, can run, but has the feel for the game of a luimberjack, he hits tennis balls, when he plays well it's effective, when it's off, he is worse than hakarl ( go to Wikipedia or do a Google search it's an Icelandic dish). Good to see the back of Ginepri and Bogdanovic looked like Korda against this piece of fodder.
Dlouhy vs. Niland
The Irishman was the 2nd alternate here after the big Belarussian beast Max Mirnyi withdrew from qualies at a very late stage and he put up a very good show against dropshot Dlouhy. It was the first time I have ever see Niland play and he seemed to play at quite a good game and his forehand was working quite well.
Match was cruising along on serve at 4 all and then dropshot Dlouhy played his usual moronic service game in a set and got broken easily and then Niland served it out for 6-4. Then Michael this crazy Austrian guy who has been coming for years rocks up and thinks Niland will win in 2 and I told him he was kidding and Dlouhy has this match in the bag. He is one of these guys who is fine for the first 5 minutes, but 5 minutes and 1 second is too long.
Dlouhy starts to refocus and then keeps the errors down and takes the 2nd set easily and we are into an expected 3rd set. Niland playing well from the baseline and Dlouhy mixing up the rallies with some junk, dropshots and good moves to the net and he had plenty of break points in the service games, but Niland took the first break and served for the match at 5-4, but the choke was as obvious as night follows day and Dlouhy levels and his greater experience was the difference in this match.
Groth vs. Moodie
Didn’t see too much of this match, but as expected there were huge amounts of rallies with 3m clearance over the net and for once I was being sarcastic. It was a good effort from Groth to come back and win 6-4 in the 3rd, coming back from a break down against big Wes, who has a big serve himself. Groth pretty much is all serve and looks different from the last time I saw him, with a haircut and less bleach in the hair.
Tomic vs. Wang
Bernard Tomic the huge massive hope of Aussie tennis took a WC and was trying to break Hewitt’s record of the youngest qualifier in the main draw. He got Jimmy Wang the Taiwanese who doesn’t have much power, but just hits a flat ball and would have expected him to have too much experience for Tomic.
Wang had 5 match points in the 2nd set breaker and lost it 15-13 and Tomic kept fighting hard, maybe he learnt something from the enforced holiday after tanking a junior event. He got the late break in the 3rd and held onto serve and win the match. Surprisingly the press didn’t go overboard with the win as they usually do when an Aussie wins.
Koellerer vs. Ungur
Ungur was utter garbage in the 1st set and anyone could have beaten him, but Dani played and behaved well throughout the match, that apart from taking the piss out of the ballboys in this match, it was just good play from the crazy one.
Odesnik vs. Prpic
Big Wayne was just too strong here, hitting heavy for the most part and then putting away the short ball when he needed to so and Prpic was outgunned. Prpic is a very likable guy and has a very hot girlfriend and it’s good to see when this happens, though I want to ask Stepanek for some lessons. Odesnik and Haase are the 2 best qualies here.
Evans vs. Beto Martin
This one was a very hard fought match and the umpire was getting the treatment from both players for some poor calling. Evans was playing the power game with the big serve and Beto was doing what he normally does, runs and fights hard and tries to win through consistency.
They split sets and then the 3rd went to 11-9 and this was after Beto had to save a lot of break points. He got pissed off with the umpire for not overruling a call in front of him. He says “what are you doing, you can see clear on the far line, but you miss them right in front of you, get some new sunglasseman”.
Evans was getting aggro as well, he was giving it to Beto by saying “keep swinging and all your mishits will hit the line and there was a massive double fault missed by the officials, and Evans went off. After not taking his chances and losing 11-9, then he went on a tirade to the umpire.
“Don’t talk to me, you have done this to me three times once in Kyoto, somewhere else I didn’t hear and now in Melbourne, you are unbelievable, you should pay me money”.
Round 2
Dlouhy vs. Greg Jones
Dlouhy had this match, but as usual had his lapse of concentration, but this was a safe bet and should make it through to the MD.
Koellerer vs. Oger
Dani to some people is Oger like and this is a very interesting French name must be from Alsace. Dani was much better than this guy and it showed in the 1st set which he took easily. Then after that it got interesting. It seems Oger had Jean Rene Lisnard in his corner and they were giving Koellerer crap, heckling him and Dani didn’t take it that well. After the match he screams “salut, ca va” and gives them the glare.
Andreas Egli, the former top umpire seems to be a supervisor these days and whenever there is a Koellerer match, he wasn’t far away at all. Vamos Carlos Ramos and Dani had an interesting debate, where he told Dani, that his attitude doesn’t exactly make it easy on umpires and people alike and they will react negatively in some cases.
Granollers-Pujol vs. Galvani
Galvani started the better, but Granollers was fighting hard and he has a very unconventional backhand, doesn’t seem to swing through it properly, but his forehand is the main shot and from his game it’s obvious that clay is his surface.
He takes the 2nd set and then with some excellent defence, mixed in with attacking at the right moment races to a 5-1 lead in the 3rd and looks safely in hand, but we know strange things can happen in this game. Galvani holds for 5-2 and then Granollers tries to serve it out, but fails to get the job done. He missed all his 1st serves and Galvani just tries to get the ball back into play and Granollers was getting nervous.
Marci Granollers is coached by Marcus Roy, who coaches the King Hernandez and Oscar was there supporting his colleague. One hilarious moment came when on the 3rd match point for Granollers, when after a long rally Galvani gets a dead netcord that lands on the line. Roy, The King, myself and this guy all chucked the head back at the same time, looked very silly, but after 6 match points he managed to get over the line.
The Big Greek Economidis was solid and untroubled, plus the Ram known as Rajeev and Warburg coming back after an ankle problem at the AO last year all through to the final round of qualies.
This year the great Aus Open organisation decided to start the mens qualies early on Wednesday and it was good as it was only mens matches and didn't have to hide to get away from the rubbish womens matches, which was the thing to do in the last 2 days and how I do these reports, will be in order of how they went in the draw and not in how I saw them, so deal with it.
First of all the tennis wouldn't be the same without the usual characters and there would be some that I think I am part of the furniture, well they would have a case at the Aussie Open. So I will make reference to some of them now so people can get used to when I make reference to them later.
Two of my favourite ladies and yes they are ladies, though I tend to think of them as my kid sisters who amuse me no end, without trying and no this does not mean laughing at them with them. They are Kristen and Peta, who are both funny in different ways. Kristen got called Justine Henin again, yes she is small and petite, but much prettier, though JuJu isn't as bad as some people think. She loves anything Swedish or Austrian, unless that Austrian is Dani Koellerer ( more on him later). Peta on the other hand has problems handling her feelings to Koellerer as a piece of meat and something to perve on, she loves it, but doesn't always appreciate the nature of Crazy Dani. The old car crash syndrome, you know you shouldn't look, but you do anyway.
Kristen manages to embarrass herself in front of players and does it in such style and Peta besides liking Koellerer is a fangirl of Andrei Pavel, who infamously told her once when asked can I have a photo and said "NO", then a few seconds later smiled and called her Petea. I have been known to take the piss out of umpires and most of them do a good job, but Peta has a fascination with the fave umpire of "The Poo" Enric Molina. So if the match is boring then she will go and watch Molina and drool. More characters to come during the blog and now onto the tennis.
Round 1
Bogdanovic vs. Ginepri
Great result this was, even though it was Bogdanovic that did the job. The highlights of this were that the legendary Sundsvall man and super coach Peter Lundgren is back in the land Down Under and this should mean some quality partying to be done. He is getting paid well to do a difficult job working with British tennis besides Andy Murray, but it's far from an easy job.
Ginepri is just lacking confidence in addition to a lack of brains, so he was cannon fodder and at least he didn't retire when he was getting slapped around like the clown that he is. Ginepri is an academy/factory player. He has muscles, can run, but has the feel for the game of a luimberjack, he hits tennis balls, when he plays well it's effective, when it's off, he is worse than hakarl ( go to Wikipedia or do a Google search it's an Icelandic dish). Good to see the back of Ginepri and Bogdanovic looked like Korda against this piece of fodder.
Dlouhy vs. Niland
The Irishman was the 2nd alternate here after the big Belarussian beast Max Mirnyi withdrew from qualies at a very late stage and he put up a very good show against dropshot Dlouhy. It was the first time I have ever see Niland play and he seemed to play at quite a good game and his forehand was working quite well.
Match was cruising along on serve at 4 all and then dropshot Dlouhy played his usual moronic service game in a set and got broken easily and then Niland served it out for 6-4. Then Michael this crazy Austrian guy who has been coming for years rocks up and thinks Niland will win in 2 and I told him he was kidding and Dlouhy has this match in the bag. He is one of these guys who is fine for the first 5 minutes, but 5 minutes and 1 second is too long.
Dlouhy starts to refocus and then keeps the errors down and takes the 2nd set easily and we are into an expected 3rd set. Niland playing well from the baseline and Dlouhy mixing up the rallies with some junk, dropshots and good moves to the net and he had plenty of break points in the service games, but Niland took the first break and served for the match at 5-4, but the choke was as obvious as night follows day and Dlouhy levels and his greater experience was the difference in this match.
Groth vs. Moodie
Didn’t see too much of this match, but as expected there were huge amounts of rallies with 3m clearance over the net and for once I was being sarcastic. It was a good effort from Groth to come back and win 6-4 in the 3rd, coming back from a break down against big Wes, who has a big serve himself. Groth pretty much is all serve and looks different from the last time I saw him, with a haircut and less bleach in the hair.
Tomic vs. Wang
Bernard Tomic the huge massive hope of Aussie tennis took a WC and was trying to break Hewitt’s record of the youngest qualifier in the main draw. He got Jimmy Wang the Taiwanese who doesn’t have much power, but just hits a flat ball and would have expected him to have too much experience for Tomic.
Wang had 5 match points in the 2nd set breaker and lost it 15-13 and Tomic kept fighting hard, maybe he learnt something from the enforced holiday after tanking a junior event. He got the late break in the 3rd and held onto serve and win the match. Surprisingly the press didn’t go overboard with the win as they usually do when an Aussie wins.
Koellerer vs. Ungur
Ungur was utter garbage in the 1st set and anyone could have beaten him, but Dani played and behaved well throughout the match, that apart from taking the piss out of the ballboys in this match, it was just good play from the crazy one.
Odesnik vs. Prpic
Big Wayne was just too strong here, hitting heavy for the most part and then putting away the short ball when he needed to so and Prpic was outgunned. Prpic is a very likable guy and has a very hot girlfriend and it’s good to see when this happens, though I want to ask Stepanek for some lessons. Odesnik and Haase are the 2 best qualies here.
Evans vs. Beto Martin
This one was a very hard fought match and the umpire was getting the treatment from both players for some poor calling. Evans was playing the power game with the big serve and Beto was doing what he normally does, runs and fights hard and tries to win through consistency.
They split sets and then the 3rd went to 11-9 and this was after Beto had to save a lot of break points. He got pissed off with the umpire for not overruling a call in front of him. He says “what are you doing, you can see clear on the far line, but you miss them right in front of you, get some new sunglasseman”.
Evans was getting aggro as well, he was giving it to Beto by saying “keep swinging and all your mishits will hit the line and there was a massive double fault missed by the officials, and Evans went off. After not taking his chances and losing 11-9, then he went on a tirade to the umpire.
“Don’t talk to me, you have done this to me three times once in Kyoto, somewhere else I didn’t hear and now in Melbourne, you are unbelievable, you should pay me money”.
Round 2
Dlouhy vs. Greg Jones
Dlouhy had this match, but as usual had his lapse of concentration, but this was a safe bet and should make it through to the MD.
Koellerer vs. Oger
Dani to some people is Oger like and this is a very interesting French name must be from Alsace. Dani was much better than this guy and it showed in the 1st set which he took easily. Then after that it got interesting. It seems Oger had Jean Rene Lisnard in his corner and they were giving Koellerer crap, heckling him and Dani didn’t take it that well. After the match he screams “salut, ca va” and gives them the glare.
Andreas Egli, the former top umpire seems to be a supervisor these days and whenever there is a Koellerer match, he wasn’t far away at all. Vamos Carlos Ramos and Dani had an interesting debate, where he told Dani, that his attitude doesn’t exactly make it easy on umpires and people alike and they will react negatively in some cases.
Granollers-Pujol vs. Galvani
Galvani started the better, but Granollers was fighting hard and he has a very unconventional backhand, doesn’t seem to swing through it properly, but his forehand is the main shot and from his game it’s obvious that clay is his surface.
He takes the 2nd set and then with some excellent defence, mixed in with attacking at the right moment races to a 5-1 lead in the 3rd and looks safely in hand, but we know strange things can happen in this game. Galvani holds for 5-2 and then Granollers tries to serve it out, but fails to get the job done. He missed all his 1st serves and Galvani just tries to get the ball back into play and Granollers was getting nervous.
Marci Granollers is coached by Marcus Roy, who coaches the King Hernandez and Oscar was there supporting his colleague. One hilarious moment came when on the 3rd match point for Granollers, when after a long rally Galvani gets a dead netcord that lands on the line. Roy, The King, myself and this guy all chucked the head back at the same time, looked very silly, but after 6 match points he managed to get over the line.
The Big Greek Economidis was solid and untroubled, plus the Ram known as Rajeev and Warburg coming back after an ankle problem at the AO last year all through to the final round of qualies.
Monday, December 31, 2007
The 2008 season kicks off in 2007
2008 season has kicked off
Well the short and not long enough break from tennis is over, sure some tennis addicts might disagree with that comment, but the off season is too short, though this won't change in a hurry, especially "Fearless Leader" Etienne DeVilliers in charge, the guy who doesn't a give a fuck about tennis and seems hell bent of making unilateral decisions and everything to please Tiriac. He still hasn't admitted he got it wrong with Round Robin, this clown needs to taken away from his duties and someone who doesn't need the headlines to do the job and get things done.
Onto the good side things the tennis. This time of year, well we don't know what to expect, who has been enjoying their break and taking this trip to Australia as a holiday or who is interested in setting a good platform for the season and training hard. We have 3 circuses going on at the moment, the cash and oil backed Qatar Open, just like Dubai without the fun, and more sand. Then there is Adelaide which has been around for years and is moving to Brisvegas in 2009 and it's going to be a mixed event. Sorry ladies, I love them as company and among other things, but watching them play tennis isn't on my priorities, well I can always go and do other things when they are playing. Last of all is Chennai, which is one of the big Mickey Mouse events on tour and has been for a while, but it's good that the people from India can see some tennis.
Adelaide
One of the blog favourites Michael Russell started the season very well by upsetting del Potro 6-3 6-3, according to the wonderful Kristen it was 42 degrees there today and that is not court temperature and Mike is based in the southern parts of the USA and so he is used to the heat and good that his recent marriage hasn't impacted on him negatively. Now, he has to play the erratic Benji Becker and if it's this warm it will help him as long as he can keep the ball deep, then Becker can self destruct.
There were wins for Llodra over Simple Simon and big Sam Querrey took out Steve Darcis who is not a heat lover at all. Radek "Thunder Lips" Stepanek had to retire from his match with local warhorse Joe Sirianni, who has been in great form and deservedly got a wildcard into the AO and will build even more on his ranking. An Acasuso vs. Russell final would be ideal, but not very likely and Chucho has a tough one against Falla first up and he is never good after a break.
Doha
Home of the bizarre trophies, oil and buying athletes from other countries to win gold medals and pay them a lot of cash, not much honour, but that has concept in pro sports is as dead as wooden racquets. This event has the best overall field and some tight 1st rounders, well he have big Ljubo playing against Austria's most fashionable dude Stefan Koubek, both have won this event before, both have points to defend from last season, it would be good if Koubek can get the W.
Calleri plays Boredo and if Calleri plays to his potential then he has the weapons to hit through Boredo, but he needs to wait to pull the trigger and then nail him with backhands down the line as Boredo loves the off forehand, I want Gordo to win, but think Boredo will get it sadly. Seppi and Santoro this one should be quite a tricky match for Seppi, hope he can make it. Big Oscar is saving it up for the Aus Open and Andreev has a tough one in Johansson.
Chennai
Not much to say, except the Sunrise Challenger was stronger, hope Malisse and Baghdatis can do well here, but Moya will win off the court as he usually does.
Sidenote: Good effort from Peter Luczak against the Berdman, why wasn't Berdych sick when he played him instead of retiring the match against the clown Fish, lucky it's just the Hopman Cup.
Well the short and not long enough break from tennis is over, sure some tennis addicts might disagree with that comment, but the off season is too short, though this won't change in a hurry, especially "Fearless Leader" Etienne DeVilliers in charge, the guy who doesn't a give a fuck about tennis and seems hell bent of making unilateral decisions and everything to please Tiriac. He still hasn't admitted he got it wrong with Round Robin, this clown needs to taken away from his duties and someone who doesn't need the headlines to do the job and get things done.
Onto the good side things the tennis. This time of year, well we don't know what to expect, who has been enjoying their break and taking this trip to Australia as a holiday or who is interested in setting a good platform for the season and training hard. We have 3 circuses going on at the moment, the cash and oil backed Qatar Open, just like Dubai without the fun, and more sand. Then there is Adelaide which has been around for years and is moving to Brisvegas in 2009 and it's going to be a mixed event. Sorry ladies, I love them as company and among other things, but watching them play tennis isn't on my priorities, well I can always go and do other things when they are playing. Last of all is Chennai, which is one of the big Mickey Mouse events on tour and has been for a while, but it's good that the people from India can see some tennis.
Adelaide
One of the blog favourites Michael Russell started the season very well by upsetting del Potro 6-3 6-3, according to the wonderful Kristen it was 42 degrees there today and that is not court temperature and Mike is based in the southern parts of the USA and so he is used to the heat and good that his recent marriage hasn't impacted on him negatively. Now, he has to play the erratic Benji Becker and if it's this warm it will help him as long as he can keep the ball deep, then Becker can self destruct.
There were wins for Llodra over Simple Simon and big Sam Querrey took out Steve Darcis who is not a heat lover at all. Radek "Thunder Lips" Stepanek had to retire from his match with local warhorse Joe Sirianni, who has been in great form and deservedly got a wildcard into the AO and will build even more on his ranking. An Acasuso vs. Russell final would be ideal, but not very likely and Chucho has a tough one against Falla first up and he is never good after a break.
Doha
Home of the bizarre trophies, oil and buying athletes from other countries to win gold medals and pay them a lot of cash, not much honour, but that has concept in pro sports is as dead as wooden racquets. This event has the best overall field and some tight 1st rounders, well he have big Ljubo playing against Austria's most fashionable dude Stefan Koubek, both have won this event before, both have points to defend from last season, it would be good if Koubek can get the W.
Calleri plays Boredo and if Calleri plays to his potential then he has the weapons to hit through Boredo, but he needs to wait to pull the trigger and then nail him with backhands down the line as Boredo loves the off forehand, I want Gordo to win, but think Boredo will get it sadly. Seppi and Santoro this one should be quite a tricky match for Seppi, hope he can make it. Big Oscar is saving it up for the Aus Open and Andreev has a tough one in Johansson.
Chennai
Not much to say, except the Sunrise Challenger was stronger, hope Malisse and Baghdatis can do well here, but Moya will win off the court as he usually does.
Sidenote: Good effort from Peter Luczak against the Berdman, why wasn't Berdych sick when he played him instead of retiring the match against the clown Fish, lucky it's just the Hopman Cup.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
The Argentine Legion speak about the other side of the professional tour
This is a very well written piece about the side of the tennis tour that most people don't see and it gives a great insight into what the players are feeling and it's not always a good thing, though many of us would love to play on the tour.
Best of all these are written in their own words and that is rare these days and this was a good sample of opinions there.
Thanks of all thanks to Michelle and Em for translating this excellent piece.
http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/news/story?id=628128&s=ten&type=story
The Legion talks is the new book of Ediciones Al Arco in which 12 of the best Argentine tennis players surprise all with their confessions.
Says Gaston Gaudio: "For a tennis player, family is the worst to have." For Jose Acasuso: "Tennis is an ambience of egoism and much jealousy." Juan Monaco continues: "You always hope that something happens to your rival, even if it were your friend or the one that you shared a room with the night before."
The book of journalists Ignacio Uzquiza and Fernando Bianculli consists of a series of interviews with Jose Acasuso, Agustin Calleri, Guillermo Cana, Guillermo Coria, Juan Ignacio Chela, David Nalbandian, Juan Martin Del Potro, Gaston Gaudio, Juan Monaco, Mariano Puerta, Martin Vasallo Arguello y Mariano Zabaleta.
"If the books serve to illuminate, La Legion habla enlightens one about the most valuable surface (aspect) of tennis: the experience of the players. I have read practically every book regarding the theme: some seemed good, others not as good, and the rest not worth anything. The value of La Legion habla resides in the WORD of the players. They tell their stories, offer up their opinions, transmit to us their (life) experience," opinions Guillermo Vilas, author of the prologue.
As Vilas indicates (signals,) the book trides to show, from the mouth of the protagonists, that tennis isn't just prestige, fame and money. It is also egoism, extreme competition and almost constant loneliness.
These 12 Argentine tennis players leave no theme without discussion and also expound up on their visions of the work of the Argentine Tennis Association and the conclusions that came about following the series of Argentines sanctioned in doping cases.
The following is a selection of some of the most compelling fragments from the interviews.
"What is tennis?" Its my way of life, my job, even though I have had the privilege of doing so because I like it. When I had to leave school to dedicate myself fully to tennis I began to take it more as a job than as a pleasure. With time I came to believe, that even if i like it, I am not passionate about the tennis." (Jose Acasuso)
"Did the Association give you a hand when you were an amateur?" In this moment, no. To the contrary. The boys from the Interior (of Argentina) have always been treated with prejudice. This (current) leadership, I don't know how it treats them because since I have been with Morea I have not been an amateur so I have not really been involved, but I can assure you that it used to be that the boys from the Interior were always screwed (treated like shite.) (Agustin Calleri)
"Is the ATP discriminatory?" Its discrimination from an economic standpoint, like any multinational corporation. Its just another of millions that there are in the world. Point being that I accept it, but I'm not buying into it that it is a group of players that decide (players union) because it isn't like that. (Guillermo Cañas)
"What are the pros and cons of being a professional tennis player?" "The main con is the falseness of your surroundings, not just from the players, but from everyone. In tennis, it's very normal to go from being the worst to the best and vice versa. In Argentina you're either God or you don't exist. When you're doing well, everyone surrounds you, and if you don't get the results, you're left all alone, or in other words, surrounded by the people who really care about you. That's why sometimes I may have been aloof or conceited because I never let anyone enter my circle of trust. You know how it goes and that there are heaps of people who latch on to you during the good times and then disappear". (Guillermo Coria)
"Is the Davis Cup one of your goals?" "Yes, for me, yes, it's one of my goals. But, I mean, there are lots of things...you might go and play Davis Cup and earn 10 000 dollars and you go to a tournament and earn 50 000, that's why it's difficult and I understand those who refuse to play a tie. I understand them and I have also sometimes said no. People don't see that side; you say no and they accuse you of not playing for your country. I have put aside a lot of things for the Davis Cup and nobody knows that. When I played in Canada with el Gordo (Agustin) Calleri, several guys had said no, and we weren't even in the World Group. I lost money for playing that tie because we didn't earn a cent in prize money and I travelled with my coach and had to pay for everything - his hotel, his fare. I remember that the captain at the time, Franco Davin, had to pay the meals with his own credit card. There are heaps of cases like this. I was always the alternate and I never complained. Another time, I was on my way to Punta del Este and they paged me at the airport because Cañas had got injured. And then I refused the call-up to play in Belarus because the clay season was approaching and it was just one week before, and they killed me!" (Juan Ignacio Chela)
"At one point you said you felt like giving up. Why?" "Because there started to be pressure, sponsors; I was 16 and people considered me to be a rising star, they started talking about me and that scared me a bit. Giving up school was also quite hard for me because I started to miss my friends, and the long trips made me miss my family a lot, we only spoke once a week. So I started to think: "What am I doing distancing myself from everything I love at such a young age?" and I stopped playing for a month. But that period made me realise that tennis was for me and that, since I had the opportunities, I couldn't waste them." (Juan Martin Del Potro)
"Are there schools of ideology in tennis like there is in football, for example?" "I, in particular, am of an ideology which I'm not sure is good for tennis. In footballers terms, it's closer to Menottism than Bilardism. (Menotti, the beautiful game and Bilardo played a more structured and pragmatic style for the non football lovers in here.)
When Nadal beat Federer in the 2006 Roland Garros final, he said later in the press conference: "I didn't play well but I knew that if I was courageous and strong, I could win." I don't believe in that, and it's bad. But it's an ideology that is so deep within me that I can't get rid of it. It's even a point of permanent discussion with my coach. He says to me: "there'll be thousands of times you won't play well" and now, after a ten year career, I realise I probably played well ten times in my whole life." (Gaston Gaudio)
"Did you ever have to share a room with someone you had to play against the next day?" "At a professional level, no, we each have our own room. But at a Challegers and Futures level, I often had to sleep in the same room as the guy I had to play against the next day. I wanted to kill him! It's a really weird feeling because, if nothing else, you think: "I hope this kid sleeps badly so I have more chances of winning". And you think that even if they're your friend. You always hope something happens to the other person". (Juan Monaco)
"There is often criticism towards you because of your approach to tennis: always professional but perhaps a bit too relaxed". "I live life. I think that helps but anyway, there are people who don't think so..." (David Nalbandian)
"Why did you come back to play?" "Because I wanted to end my career on the court, I deserve it, and to do the impossible to finish with a good ranking. I had dreamed of it since I was a young boy. I always wanted to be the one who stopped the tennis, and not have the tennis stop me. That's why I fought so much for all this. And I came back to play to be up there. Because I always felt I was going to come back and play". (Mariano Puerta)
"What does Guillermo Vilas mean to you?" "Guillermo is a role model we all had at one time or other, which has been torturous for many people, including me. He was the best at everything, as a role model and professional. He trained eight hours a day. His image is so deep rooted that at one point, I ended up hating him because all my coaches would tell me I had to train longer and not just four hours." (Martin Vassallo Arguello)
"There are some things which are normal, much more so than for other people. For example? The facilities you have to be able to get anything. From things to do with money to celebrities. For example, I remember once I was practising in Madrid and they invited me to the Real Madrid training session. I think that would be a dream for a lot of people, and I, thanks to tennis, had the chance to be with all the Argentinian and foreign players from the team. You might think that this is normal, but when you stop and think about it, you say: "What am I doing here eating with Ronaldo or Beckham?" I even played tennis with the prince of Monaco. I was training in Monte Carlo one day and they came and told me he wanted to play, so he came and we played for a bit. Over time, these things become so normal that they end up being insignificant. In any case, they're things that happen to elite tennis players, there are heaps of players who don't even come close to experiencing these situations..." (Mariano Zabaleta)
Best of all these are written in their own words and that is rare these days and this was a good sample of opinions there.
Thanks of all thanks to Michelle and Em for translating this excellent piece.
http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/news/story?id=628128&s=ten&type=story
The Legion talks is the new book of Ediciones Al Arco in which 12 of the best Argentine tennis players surprise all with their confessions.
Says Gaston Gaudio: "For a tennis player, family is the worst to have." For Jose Acasuso: "Tennis is an ambience of egoism and much jealousy." Juan Monaco continues: "You always hope that something happens to your rival, even if it were your friend or the one that you shared a room with the night before."
The book of journalists Ignacio Uzquiza and Fernando Bianculli consists of a series of interviews with Jose Acasuso, Agustin Calleri, Guillermo Cana, Guillermo Coria, Juan Ignacio Chela, David Nalbandian, Juan Martin Del Potro, Gaston Gaudio, Juan Monaco, Mariano Puerta, Martin Vasallo Arguello y Mariano Zabaleta.
"If the books serve to illuminate, La Legion habla enlightens one about the most valuable surface (aspect) of tennis: the experience of the players. I have read practically every book regarding the theme: some seemed good, others not as good, and the rest not worth anything. The value of La Legion habla resides in the WORD of the players. They tell their stories, offer up their opinions, transmit to us their (life) experience," opinions Guillermo Vilas, author of the prologue.
As Vilas indicates (signals,) the book trides to show, from the mouth of the protagonists, that tennis isn't just prestige, fame and money. It is also egoism, extreme competition and almost constant loneliness.
These 12 Argentine tennis players leave no theme without discussion and also expound up on their visions of the work of the Argentine Tennis Association and the conclusions that came about following the series of Argentines sanctioned in doping cases.
The following is a selection of some of the most compelling fragments from the interviews.
"What is tennis?" Its my way of life, my job, even though I have had the privilege of doing so because I like it. When I had to leave school to dedicate myself fully to tennis I began to take it more as a job than as a pleasure. With time I came to believe, that even if i like it, I am not passionate about the tennis." (Jose Acasuso)
"Did the Association give you a hand when you were an amateur?" In this moment, no. To the contrary. The boys from the Interior (of Argentina) have always been treated with prejudice. This (current) leadership, I don't know how it treats them because since I have been with Morea I have not been an amateur so I have not really been involved, but I can assure you that it used to be that the boys from the Interior were always screwed (treated like shite.) (Agustin Calleri)
"Is the ATP discriminatory?" Its discrimination from an economic standpoint, like any multinational corporation. Its just another of millions that there are in the world. Point being that I accept it, but I'm not buying into it that it is a group of players that decide (players union) because it isn't like that. (Guillermo Cañas)
"What are the pros and cons of being a professional tennis player?" "The main con is the falseness of your surroundings, not just from the players, but from everyone. In tennis, it's very normal to go from being the worst to the best and vice versa. In Argentina you're either God or you don't exist. When you're doing well, everyone surrounds you, and if you don't get the results, you're left all alone, or in other words, surrounded by the people who really care about you. That's why sometimes I may have been aloof or conceited because I never let anyone enter my circle of trust. You know how it goes and that there are heaps of people who latch on to you during the good times and then disappear". (Guillermo Coria)
"Is the Davis Cup one of your goals?" "Yes, for me, yes, it's one of my goals. But, I mean, there are lots of things...you might go and play Davis Cup and earn 10 000 dollars and you go to a tournament and earn 50 000, that's why it's difficult and I understand those who refuse to play a tie. I understand them and I have also sometimes said no. People don't see that side; you say no and they accuse you of not playing for your country. I have put aside a lot of things for the Davis Cup and nobody knows that. When I played in Canada with el Gordo (Agustin) Calleri, several guys had said no, and we weren't even in the World Group. I lost money for playing that tie because we didn't earn a cent in prize money and I travelled with my coach and had to pay for everything - his hotel, his fare. I remember that the captain at the time, Franco Davin, had to pay the meals with his own credit card. There are heaps of cases like this. I was always the alternate and I never complained. Another time, I was on my way to Punta del Este and they paged me at the airport because Cañas had got injured. And then I refused the call-up to play in Belarus because the clay season was approaching and it was just one week before, and they killed me!" (Juan Ignacio Chela)
"At one point you said you felt like giving up. Why?" "Because there started to be pressure, sponsors; I was 16 and people considered me to be a rising star, they started talking about me and that scared me a bit. Giving up school was also quite hard for me because I started to miss my friends, and the long trips made me miss my family a lot, we only spoke once a week. So I started to think: "What am I doing distancing myself from everything I love at such a young age?" and I stopped playing for a month. But that period made me realise that tennis was for me and that, since I had the opportunities, I couldn't waste them." (Juan Martin Del Potro)
"Are there schools of ideology in tennis like there is in football, for example?" "I, in particular, am of an ideology which I'm not sure is good for tennis. In footballers terms, it's closer to Menottism than Bilardism. (Menotti, the beautiful game and Bilardo played a more structured and pragmatic style for the non football lovers in here.)
When Nadal beat Federer in the 2006 Roland Garros final, he said later in the press conference: "I didn't play well but I knew that if I was courageous and strong, I could win." I don't believe in that, and it's bad. But it's an ideology that is so deep within me that I can't get rid of it. It's even a point of permanent discussion with my coach. He says to me: "there'll be thousands of times you won't play well" and now, after a ten year career, I realise I probably played well ten times in my whole life." (Gaston Gaudio)
"Did you ever have to share a room with someone you had to play against the next day?" "At a professional level, no, we each have our own room. But at a Challegers and Futures level, I often had to sleep in the same room as the guy I had to play against the next day. I wanted to kill him! It's a really weird feeling because, if nothing else, you think: "I hope this kid sleeps badly so I have more chances of winning". And you think that even if they're your friend. You always hope something happens to the other person". (Juan Monaco)
"There is often criticism towards you because of your approach to tennis: always professional but perhaps a bit too relaxed". "I live life. I think that helps but anyway, there are people who don't think so..." (David Nalbandian)
"Why did you come back to play?" "Because I wanted to end my career on the court, I deserve it, and to do the impossible to finish with a good ranking. I had dreamed of it since I was a young boy. I always wanted to be the one who stopped the tennis, and not have the tennis stop me. That's why I fought so much for all this. And I came back to play to be up there. Because I always felt I was going to come back and play". (Mariano Puerta)
"What does Guillermo Vilas mean to you?" "Guillermo is a role model we all had at one time or other, which has been torturous for many people, including me. He was the best at everything, as a role model and professional. He trained eight hours a day. His image is so deep rooted that at one point, I ended up hating him because all my coaches would tell me I had to train longer and not just four hours." (Martin Vassallo Arguello)
"There are some things which are normal, much more so than for other people. For example? The facilities you have to be able to get anything. From things to do with money to celebrities. For example, I remember once I was practising in Madrid and they invited me to the Real Madrid training session. I think that would be a dream for a lot of people, and I, thanks to tennis, had the chance to be with all the Argentinian and foreign players from the team. You might think that this is normal, but when you stop and think about it, you say: "What am I doing here eating with Ronaldo or Beckham?" I even played tennis with the prince of Monaco. I was training in Monte Carlo one day and they came and told me he wanted to play, so he came and we played for a bit. Over time, these things become so normal that they end up being insignificant. In any case, they're things that happen to elite tennis players, there are heaps of players who don't even come close to experiencing these situations..." (Mariano Zabaleta)
Saturday, December 08, 2007
Edgardo Massa: The Forgotten Argentine on the Eternal Comeback
This one is about Yayo Massa, this is man who has been injured for almost 6 years in total and if he plays a full season he will make the top 100. These were in Clarin and La Nacion the Argentine papers.
http://www.clarin.com/diario/2007/11/15/deportes/d-06701.htm
Massa, the talent so badly struck by injuries
At the age of 20, he made good progress. Today, at the age of 26, he doesn't want any shocks.
Exactly seven years ago, triumphing at the Ericsson Cup, Edgardo Massa created excitement which, over the years, has been gradually diminishing. Throughout his career, Yayo has had as much talent as he has injuries. Too many for a professional tennis player who had made such good progress. Today, a far cry from those semifinals reached in 2000 - he was only stopped in the semifinals by an exceptional Guillermo Coria - the Formosa native seeks to relaunch his career at the Copa Petrobras, where he yesterday reached the second round after beating American Hugo Armando 6-3 6-3.
"I'm gradually feeling better. I'm happy to be back on court and be able to finish matches", the world number 674 told Clarin at the Vilas Club. Massa, now coached by Francisco Yunis, must hold the world record for longterm injuries. Naming the most recent ones, he mentions: surgery on both shoulders in 2005, hip surgery last year, and a stress fracture in his right hand this season, which sidelined him for almost eight months.
So, what does the blonde think of his career at 26? His reply: "I try to say, well, from now on I want to have a normal year. The results will speak for themselves. And if I want to go fishing for a month, I hope it's because I've chosen to do so. I want to be the one who decides to stop, I don't want it to be because of injury".
"It was amazing. If I look back, I feel like killing myself," he says of his past. "Every time I got injured, I tried to be optimistic. I surrendered 100% of my life to tennis. I hope I have a normal year", he adds. "For me, tennis is a job and I try to make it as good as possible. This is a solitary, selfish sport and I try to do my own thing, I don't screw with anything and I try to be as professional as possible", he says, summarising his relationship with tennis.
When asked whether this will be a good chance to get back into the main circuit, Massa says "I hope so. But now I'm taking it match by match, and just thinking of finishing them. I'm starting to feel nervous, not being able to sleep the night before, like what used to happen to me". Towards the end of the interview conducted next to the gym, Clarin asked him what he thought of the controversial issue of betting. And Massa, more serious now, was curt in his reply: "I prefer not to speak about this. I don't want to add more fuel to the fire".
http://www.lanacion.com.ar/deportiva/nota.asp?nota_id=962341
The eternal comeback
Cursed by injuries, Edgardo Massa returned once again to the circuit and hopes this time it's for good.
He kept getting injured, and kept coming back. Edgardo Yayo Massa was a member of a golden generation which catapulted players like Nalbandian and Coria. But a career plagued by injuries prevented him from asserting himself on the circuit. Three shoulder operations, one hip operation, multiple joint strains and injuries are part of his unfortunate CV. He's had so many injuries, he's even stopped counting them. But every time life dealt him a blow, he got back up again with strength and dedication.
Now, the strapping 26 year old from Formosa, ranked 674 (he was 91 in 2005), is trying again for the umpteenth time. He came back two months ago in Quito, and yesterday for the first round of the Copa Petrobras (his fourth tournament), at the Vilas Club, defeating American Hugo Armando 6-3 6-3 and hoping for a definitive comeback.
- What goes through your mind when you see how far Nalbandian and Coria have gone?
- I've known them both since we were nine or ten. We travelled a lot together in juniors, we did millions of tours together. I think about everything that happened and can't believe it. It seems like just yesterday, but it's been 15 years.
How did you overcome so many setbacks?
- It's very difficult. There were days when nothing happened, weeks which never seemed to end. The hardest part is the recovery. I didn't even feel like getting out of bed. All the time I would ask myself what the hell I had done to deserve this.
What was your worst injury?
- Just after I had got into the top 100, I had two shoulder operations. Another time, at an indoor exhibition, I moved awkwardly and I felt a dreadful pain in my hip, and it was back to the operating theatre. So it makes coming back harder, because when you recover, there are joint injuries, strains. It's like it will never end.
- What motivated you to keep going?
- The support from my family, friends and work group helped me a lot. There's no way in hell I would go out by myself. Now, I have Francisco Yunis, the coach that I want; Dario Lecman, the physical trainer that I want; and Carlos Musis, the manager that I want.
Did you ever consider yourself to be an ex-player?
- Yes, very often. Many times, I would spend three or four months without touching a racquet. I was a player off and on for a long time. I threatened to quit millions of times, and not as a whinger. I really had a tough time.
And what did you do when you weren't playing?
- Luckily, I was supported in everything I did. If I decided to study, travel, train, I had support. But in the end, it always ends up getting to you. And I didn't want to feel like I hadn't tried.
What do you think of the players who are already retiring at your age?
I can perfectly understand their decision. The life of a tennis player is very sacrificed. It's tiring and does your head in.
- What's your next goal?
- I've already taken the first step, which was to hold a racquet again. Now I want to have a good ore-season to be back on the circuit again.
Is this your last try?
- I don't know. I always say: "This is the last year." I want to stop playing at my own choice and not because of something beyond my control.
Emiliano Massa, another injury victim Yayo has a tennis playing brother: Emiliano. He was the Orange Bowl champion (2002) and the Roland Garros junior doubles champion (2005 and 2006). He is also troubled by injuries: he is currently recovering from a shoulder operation. "I try to give him advice, but I let him decide what is best for him," says Edgardo.
http://www.clarin.com/diario/2007/11/15/deportes/d-06701.htm
Massa, the talent so badly struck by injuries
At the age of 20, he made good progress. Today, at the age of 26, he doesn't want any shocks.
Exactly seven years ago, triumphing at the Ericsson Cup, Edgardo Massa created excitement which, over the years, has been gradually diminishing. Throughout his career, Yayo has had as much talent as he has injuries. Too many for a professional tennis player who had made such good progress. Today, a far cry from those semifinals reached in 2000 - he was only stopped in the semifinals by an exceptional Guillermo Coria - the Formosa native seeks to relaunch his career at the Copa Petrobras, where he yesterday reached the second round after beating American Hugo Armando 6-3 6-3.
"I'm gradually feeling better. I'm happy to be back on court and be able to finish matches", the world number 674 told Clarin at the Vilas Club. Massa, now coached by Francisco Yunis, must hold the world record for longterm injuries. Naming the most recent ones, he mentions: surgery on both shoulders in 2005, hip surgery last year, and a stress fracture in his right hand this season, which sidelined him for almost eight months.
So, what does the blonde think of his career at 26? His reply: "I try to say, well, from now on I want to have a normal year. The results will speak for themselves. And if I want to go fishing for a month, I hope it's because I've chosen to do so. I want to be the one who decides to stop, I don't want it to be because of injury".
"It was amazing. If I look back, I feel like killing myself," he says of his past. "Every time I got injured, I tried to be optimistic. I surrendered 100% of my life to tennis. I hope I have a normal year", he adds. "For me, tennis is a job and I try to make it as good as possible. This is a solitary, selfish sport and I try to do my own thing, I don't screw with anything and I try to be as professional as possible", he says, summarising his relationship with tennis.
When asked whether this will be a good chance to get back into the main circuit, Massa says "I hope so. But now I'm taking it match by match, and just thinking of finishing them. I'm starting to feel nervous, not being able to sleep the night before, like what used to happen to me". Towards the end of the interview conducted next to the gym, Clarin asked him what he thought of the controversial issue of betting. And Massa, more serious now, was curt in his reply: "I prefer not to speak about this. I don't want to add more fuel to the fire".
http://www.lanacion.com.ar/deportiva/nota.asp?nota_id=962341
The eternal comeback
Cursed by injuries, Edgardo Massa returned once again to the circuit and hopes this time it's for good.
He kept getting injured, and kept coming back. Edgardo Yayo Massa was a member of a golden generation which catapulted players like Nalbandian and Coria. But a career plagued by injuries prevented him from asserting himself on the circuit. Three shoulder operations, one hip operation, multiple joint strains and injuries are part of his unfortunate CV. He's had so many injuries, he's even stopped counting them. But every time life dealt him a blow, he got back up again with strength and dedication.
Now, the strapping 26 year old from Formosa, ranked 674 (he was 91 in 2005), is trying again for the umpteenth time. He came back two months ago in Quito, and yesterday for the first round of the Copa Petrobras (his fourth tournament), at the Vilas Club, defeating American Hugo Armando 6-3 6-3 and hoping for a definitive comeback.
- What goes through your mind when you see how far Nalbandian and Coria have gone?
- I've known them both since we were nine or ten. We travelled a lot together in juniors, we did millions of tours together. I think about everything that happened and can't believe it. It seems like just yesterday, but it's been 15 years.
How did you overcome so many setbacks?
- It's very difficult. There were days when nothing happened, weeks which never seemed to end. The hardest part is the recovery. I didn't even feel like getting out of bed. All the time I would ask myself what the hell I had done to deserve this.
What was your worst injury?
- Just after I had got into the top 100, I had two shoulder operations. Another time, at an indoor exhibition, I moved awkwardly and I felt a dreadful pain in my hip, and it was back to the operating theatre. So it makes coming back harder, because when you recover, there are joint injuries, strains. It's like it will never end.
- What motivated you to keep going?
- The support from my family, friends and work group helped me a lot. There's no way in hell I would go out by myself. Now, I have Francisco Yunis, the coach that I want; Dario Lecman, the physical trainer that I want; and Carlos Musis, the manager that I want.
Did you ever consider yourself to be an ex-player?
- Yes, very often. Many times, I would spend three or four months without touching a racquet. I was a player off and on for a long time. I threatened to quit millions of times, and not as a whinger. I really had a tough time.
And what did you do when you weren't playing?
- Luckily, I was supported in everything I did. If I decided to study, travel, train, I had support. But in the end, it always ends up getting to you. And I didn't want to feel like I hadn't tried.
What do you think of the players who are already retiring at your age?
I can perfectly understand their decision. The life of a tennis player is very sacrificed. It's tiring and does your head in.
- What's your next goal?
- I've already taken the first step, which was to hold a racquet again. Now I want to have a good ore-season to be back on the circuit again.
Is this your last try?
- I don't know. I always say: "This is the last year." I want to stop playing at my own choice and not because of something beyond my control.
Emiliano Massa, another injury victim Yayo has a tennis playing brother: Emiliano. He was the Orange Bowl champion (2002) and the Roland Garros junior doubles champion (2005 and 2006). He is also troubled by injuries: he is currently recovering from a shoulder operation. "I try to give him advice, but I let him decide what is best for him," says Edgardo.
South Tyrol's finest tennis player Andreas Seppi off the court
This was in the Italian tennis magazine and translated by the great Genci, who is Albania's finest tennis player and polygot.
Andreas Seppi
Kaltern– Cimitero Street [Cimitero means graveyard in Italian]. Well, Andreas lives here. And knowing his passion for horror movies we might think that his choice of the street where he lives was not casual. In reality our Davis Cup man doesn’t have anything to do with it, the foundations of this beautiful house were made by his grandfather years ago.
We are in Alto Adige, more precisely in Kaltern, a small village of 7.000 inhabitants 15 km far from Bozen. Here the people live – and well – on tourism and agriculture, especially vineyards and apples but also handicrafts. The sport that is more frequented is ice hockey and obviously skiing. It’s whole other story how did grow up here two tennis players that are among the top 50 (besides Andreas also Karin Knapp lives here). It’s here that “Seppio” – the nickname that his coach Sartori gave him – comes to recharge his batteries after the fatigues in the tournaments around the world.
He did that even after the nice semifinal reached in Vienna where, after beating with a clear score a top player like Baghdatis and eliminating from the tournament Ivan Ljubicic (a win that has the taste of a feat, since the Croat was undefeated in the Austrian capital in 2 years), was beaten in a well-fought match from the number 3 in the world Novak Djokovic. And that’s how Andy returned home with the number 55 in the ATP ranking in the bag and for someone that before Wimbledon was number 112 it’s not a small achievement.
After a trip of around 4 hours from Milan here we are in Seppi’s house. Andy comes to greet us – in tennis wear – and shows us his house and every room. Then we sit in the living room and, while the TV shows images from the satellite in German language, he talks us of his life outside the Tour. In the morning he never wakes up before 8.30 and he doesn’t like having breakfast. Sometimes he has a little bread, but rarely, because he’s never hungry in the morning.
The first challenge of the day is exactly the one with the alarm clock. It rings and he shuts it off…continuously. Till – but never before the fifth ring – he gives up and gets up. Second thing to do: going to take the coach with the car and going to TC Kaltern [Tennis Club Kaltern] for the training. “I play tennis for a couple of hours and then I return home, where fortunately there is my mother that cooks the lunch for me”.
His mother is called Maria Luisa and “tries to help me in everything”. His father, Hugo, on the contrary is a silent man “but when he talks you’d better open well your ears because he’ll explain things only once…”. Hugo used to play hockey and football, Maria Luisa was a good skier; none of them knew tennis. To close the family circle only the sister Maria is missing, she’s 20 years old and doesn’t live home because she works in Bozen. “After the lunch I never sleep – adds Seppi – otherwise I become lazy; I prefer to watch a little TV and then around 15.00 I return to tennis where Lisa is waiting for me”. Lisa is not his girlfriend but his fitness coach and the wife of his coach at the same time. So it’s gym till 17.30 and then tennis again before returning home.
“During the week I don’t go out in the night. I stay with the computer: messenger (nickname: andyseppi), I listen to songs, watch clips on youtube and then some movies; “Do you want to know who is the best Blockbuster ( movie mogul) of the circuit? Potito Starace. Do you ask yourself how did I manage to lose in the Kitzbuhel quarterfinals after being 6-1 5-3 ahead? Easy: if I beat him who would have supplied me with movies for the whole season?”.
We ask him how is life in a place where everybody knows about you and expect big things from you: “It’s nice although there are some complications. For example, if I want to go across the village it could take me even one hour because I always meet someone, friends or acquaintances of my mother, people that want to know how things are going. Because of this I usually go on bike, full speed, and this way I go quicker”.
While we’re talking the doorbell rings: it’s Karin Knapp, 1m 80cm of pleasant shyness, 20 years old (Seppi is already 23) and already number 57 of the WTA ranking. “She knew you were here and came over to greet you. Karin lives in the ground floor of a lodge, two minutes on foot from Seppi’s house. She lives alone and she takes care herself of cooking: “Mostly pasta – she tells us smiling – in fact I’m not a great cook”. “Between us there’s a nice friendship – adds Andreas – sometimes in the evening we go out to have an ice-cream together, especially in the winter during the 2 months were the Tour stops, because during the rest of the year we rarely happen to be home at the same time”.
It’s funny the rivalry between the 2 stars from Alto Adige. There are precise rules: who is ahead in the ranking chooses the court for training in the club. We ask Andreas if the advent of Karin has made him a little jealous…”No…on the contrary it’s good for me as we can share the pressure from who expects big things from us. Often we laugh on the fact that she is ahead in the ranking and I need to go and chase her. Fortunately now I have settled things again.It’s late, we need to say goodbye, there’s only time for one last secret at the front door…”Everyone talks well about girls like Kirilenko. She’s pretty of course, I don’t doubt it, but to celebrate an important win I prefer Karin”.
Andreas Seppi
Kaltern– Cimitero Street [Cimitero means graveyard in Italian]. Well, Andreas lives here. And knowing his passion for horror movies we might think that his choice of the street where he lives was not casual. In reality our Davis Cup man doesn’t have anything to do with it, the foundations of this beautiful house were made by his grandfather years ago.
We are in Alto Adige, more precisely in Kaltern, a small village of 7.000 inhabitants 15 km far from Bozen. Here the people live – and well – on tourism and agriculture, especially vineyards and apples but also handicrafts. The sport that is more frequented is ice hockey and obviously skiing. It’s whole other story how did grow up here two tennis players that are among the top 50 (besides Andreas also Karin Knapp lives here). It’s here that “Seppio” – the nickname that his coach Sartori gave him – comes to recharge his batteries after the fatigues in the tournaments around the world.
He did that even after the nice semifinal reached in Vienna where, after beating with a clear score a top player like Baghdatis and eliminating from the tournament Ivan Ljubicic (a win that has the taste of a feat, since the Croat was undefeated in the Austrian capital in 2 years), was beaten in a well-fought match from the number 3 in the world Novak Djokovic. And that’s how Andy returned home with the number 55 in the ATP ranking in the bag and for someone that before Wimbledon was number 112 it’s not a small achievement.
After a trip of around 4 hours from Milan here we are in Seppi’s house. Andy comes to greet us – in tennis wear – and shows us his house and every room. Then we sit in the living room and, while the TV shows images from the satellite in German language, he talks us of his life outside the Tour. In the morning he never wakes up before 8.30 and he doesn’t like having breakfast. Sometimes he has a little bread, but rarely, because he’s never hungry in the morning.
The first challenge of the day is exactly the one with the alarm clock. It rings and he shuts it off…continuously. Till – but never before the fifth ring – he gives up and gets up. Second thing to do: going to take the coach with the car and going to TC Kaltern [Tennis Club Kaltern] for the training. “I play tennis for a couple of hours and then I return home, where fortunately there is my mother that cooks the lunch for me”.
His mother is called Maria Luisa and “tries to help me in everything”. His father, Hugo, on the contrary is a silent man “but when he talks you’d better open well your ears because he’ll explain things only once…”. Hugo used to play hockey and football, Maria Luisa was a good skier; none of them knew tennis. To close the family circle only the sister Maria is missing, she’s 20 years old and doesn’t live home because she works in Bozen. “After the lunch I never sleep – adds Seppi – otherwise I become lazy; I prefer to watch a little TV and then around 15.00 I return to tennis where Lisa is waiting for me”. Lisa is not his girlfriend but his fitness coach and the wife of his coach at the same time. So it’s gym till 17.30 and then tennis again before returning home.
“During the week I don’t go out in the night. I stay with the computer: messenger (nickname: andyseppi), I listen to songs, watch clips on youtube and then some movies; “Do you want to know who is the best Blockbuster ( movie mogul) of the circuit? Potito Starace. Do you ask yourself how did I manage to lose in the Kitzbuhel quarterfinals after being 6-1 5-3 ahead? Easy: if I beat him who would have supplied me with movies for the whole season?”.
We ask him how is life in a place where everybody knows about you and expect big things from you: “It’s nice although there are some complications. For example, if I want to go across the village it could take me even one hour because I always meet someone, friends or acquaintances of my mother, people that want to know how things are going. Because of this I usually go on bike, full speed, and this way I go quicker”.
While we’re talking the doorbell rings: it’s Karin Knapp, 1m 80cm of pleasant shyness, 20 years old (Seppi is already 23) and already number 57 of the WTA ranking. “She knew you were here and came over to greet you. Karin lives in the ground floor of a lodge, two minutes on foot from Seppi’s house. She lives alone and she takes care herself of cooking: “Mostly pasta – she tells us smiling – in fact I’m not a great cook”. “Between us there’s a nice friendship – adds Andreas – sometimes in the evening we go out to have an ice-cream together, especially in the winter during the 2 months were the Tour stops, because during the rest of the year we rarely happen to be home at the same time”.
It’s funny the rivalry between the 2 stars from Alto Adige. There are precise rules: who is ahead in the ranking chooses the court for training in the club. We ask Andreas if the advent of Karin has made him a little jealous…”No…on the contrary it’s good for me as we can share the pressure from who expects big things from us. Often we laugh on the fact that she is ahead in the ranking and I need to go and chase her. Fortunately now I have settled things again.It’s late, we need to say goodbye, there’s only time for one last secret at the front door…”Everyone talks well about girls like Kirilenko. She’s pretty of course, I don’t doubt it, but to celebrate an important win I prefer Karin”.
US Davis Cup Champions 2007
The USA won their first Davis Cup title in 12 years at home. They took advantage of their fortune when Stepanek didn't play for the Czechs in Round 1. Nadal was missing for the QFs. Söderling, the Swedes best player missing for the semis and a disjointed Russian side in the final.
Like all good teams do, they took their chances and with an excellent Bryans doubles team. The Russians needed to win a match on Day 1, but James Blake was too good for Youzhny and Roddick took out Tursunov.
Congrats on the victory they won't defend next season.
Like all good teams do, they took their chances and with an excellent Bryans doubles team. The Russians needed to win a match on Day 1, but James Blake was too good for Youzhny and Roddick took out Tursunov.
Congrats on the victory they won't defend next season.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Where's the beef in Montevideo
Montevideo has faded over time and Uruguayan tennis hasn't been the same since the days of the legendary Marcelo Fillipini and Diego Perez, but Pablo Cuevas is trying. Uruguay is more known for its beef and it's footballers usually nasty defenders and the odd skilful forward. The Copa Petrobras series has moved on here which as the name suggests is supported by a Brazilian oil company and they run these South American challengers.
Now the 1st round has been completed and saw the return of Roitman who is defending some points this time around, also Zabaleta and Horna coming back from injuries to try and gain some confidence before the 2008 season starts.
Too bad Yayo Massa failed to qualify for this event, but at least he will get in directly in Asuncion and should get a WC to Buenos Aires. Andre Ghem the Brazilian gaucho and one of the best friends of Tomas Ugo Behrend who has sadly decided to retire finally won a MD match after a lot of recent close losses he defeated the "Maxi Lopez" lookalike in a 3rd set tiebreaker and now plays Roitman in the 2nd round. Ghem has had a difficult year, just hope he can pull off the upset here and try and get some momentum for next season. They say winning is a habit, which it is, so is losing and more matches lost in a row, the harder it becomes to win.
Lucho made a good comeback to win 6-2 6-2 over Maxi Gonzalez the Mexican who had been in good form in the year, but has tapered lately and now he plays Villagran in the next round who was the beneficiary of a retirement by Puerta (The Door) at 4-4 in the 1st set. Maybe "The Door" was afraid of Lucho and decided to retirement was the best option for him. He is in a good section and would play the winner of Cuevas and the midget from Tandil Junquiera who upset Brzezicki in 3 sets. I need Brzezicki and Guzman to win some matches, so at least one of them makes the MD at the Aus Open.
Zabaleta lost his comeback match to the champ from last week Devilder in straight sets, just hope that he is healthy that is more important than results at the moment. The bottom half lost both seeds Berlocq lost to the Portuguese Federico "Gilberto" Gil and Hartfield lost to the youngster Belucci from Brazil who seems to have a good future. This event does have more interest for me than Bercy.
Now the 1st round has been completed and saw the return of Roitman who is defending some points this time around, also Zabaleta and Horna coming back from injuries to try and gain some confidence before the 2008 season starts.
Too bad Yayo Massa failed to qualify for this event, but at least he will get in directly in Asuncion and should get a WC to Buenos Aires. Andre Ghem the Brazilian gaucho and one of the best friends of Tomas Ugo Behrend who has sadly decided to retire finally won a MD match after a lot of recent close losses he defeated the "Maxi Lopez" lookalike in a 3rd set tiebreaker and now plays Roitman in the 2nd round. Ghem has had a difficult year, just hope he can pull off the upset here and try and get some momentum for next season. They say winning is a habit, which it is, so is losing and more matches lost in a row, the harder it becomes to win.
Lucho made a good comeback to win 6-2 6-2 over Maxi Gonzalez the Mexican who had been in good form in the year, but has tapered lately and now he plays Villagran in the next round who was the beneficiary of a retirement by Puerta (The Door) at 4-4 in the 1st set. Maybe "The Door" was afraid of Lucho and decided to retirement was the best option for him. He is in a good section and would play the winner of Cuevas and the midget from Tandil Junquiera who upset Brzezicki in 3 sets. I need Brzezicki and Guzman to win some matches, so at least one of them makes the MD at the Aus Open.
Zabaleta lost his comeback match to the champ from last week Devilder in straight sets, just hope that he is healthy that is more important than results at the moment. The bottom half lost both seeds Berlocq lost to the Portuguese Federico "Gilberto" Gil and Hartfield lost to the youngster Belucci from Brazil who seems to have a good future. This event does have more interest for me than Bercy.
Whoring for the last places in Bercy
Bercy hasn't had all the usual withdrawals as previous seasons. Seems that Federer and Nadal wanted the surface changed and the divas got that, plus there was a bonus pool as well for playing all 9 TMS events, ah money the cure of all evils. Of course the stupid Sunday starts where fans aren't allowed in for some reason, well at least they have good officials and ballkids, plus the plant watering system doesn't leak unlike Madrid.
Federer has to play Karlovic in his 1st match and then plays the winner of Nalle and Moya. I hope Nalle wins and then he can beat Federer again, which is always a good thing to see when big Dave can feel bothered and I think Moya has had a long year and wants to do something else now and rest for 2008.
Seppi finished his year quite well by qualifying and defeating Big Sam Querrey before losing to Canas in straight sets, he had a strange year, but more about that in another entry. Just hope Willy can take out Boredo who defeated Simple Simon in a very very nauseating match at best.
Melzer losing 6-0 to Volandri indoors is hilarious for so many reasons, maybe Pippo bought out that lethal serve which stunned Melzer, though he can always go back and fuck Vaidisova which wouldn't be a bad thing.
Berdych and Baghdatis were very impressive in their performances and hope they can continue on that vein during the week.
Federer has to play Karlovic in his 1st match and then plays the winner of Nalle and Moya. I hope Nalle wins and then he can beat Federer again, which is always a good thing to see when big Dave can feel bothered and I think Moya has had a long year and wants to do something else now and rest for 2008.
Seppi finished his year quite well by qualifying and defeating Big Sam Querrey before losing to Canas in straight sets, he had a strange year, but more about that in another entry. Just hope Willy can take out Boredo who defeated Simple Simon in a very very nauseating match at best.
Melzer losing 6-0 to Volandri indoors is hilarious for so many reasons, maybe Pippo bought out that lethal serve which stunned Melzer, though he can always go back and fuck Vaidisova which wouldn't be a bad thing.
Berdych and Baghdatis were very impressive in their performances and hope they can continue on that vein during the week.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Tomas Berdych returning to the scene of the "ssssssssshhhhhhhh" in Madrid the 8th TMS of the season
First of all it was a disgrace that Oscar Hernandez didn't get a wildcard to the singles in Madrid, then again when it's Santana and that crook Ion Tiriac involved in the organisation then this is not exactly surprising. The model ball girls are there to see, but fortunately I am more interested in the tennis, at the same time maybe it could inspire Safin to play better.
Monaco and Andreev, these guys have played plenty of 3 setters in their match ups and Andreev wasn't really there today. Monaco was up a break in the 1st, but couldn't hold it and for a change Andreev won a tiebreaker, then it's usually the final set tiebreakers that he loses. Igor should have been favoured here as he is better indoors than Monaco, but Pico has been improving off the clay and was able to hold his level of play for longer and let Andreev implode with errors everywhere. Definitely not the prettiest match, but got to take a victory anyway you can. Next up for Monaco is Haas, who would be very happy that he isn't playing Andreev.
Murray was impressive over Thunder Lips, he lobbed and passed very well and was able to keep Stepanek from closing the net with his varied play and the continental forehand of Stepanek broke down under pression and I like Murray's style of play and it will be interesting to see how he goes against the very solid Chela. He beat him last time at the AO in straight sets, he will need to exploit Chela's lack of forward movement.
Baghdatis vs Pavel: As usual Marcos is shit after a break and it was good for Marcos to get the win and the last set he played very well. The 1st set was tight and Pavel played one poor service game and Marcos converted and today he was serving well especially in the 1st and 3rd sets, the 2nd set was poor serving and Pavel maintained a good level from the 1st set and was able to convert his chances. Pavel's backhand wasn't as good as it usually is and Marcos kept attacking it. Hopefully he can play better against Nadal than he has in the past.
Good win for Koubek against Nieminen and he will need to be sharp to take out Ljubo. Del Potro did the expected job on Starace and now he has big chances against Boredo provided he serves well.
It will be interesting to see what reception Berdych gets from the Madrid crowd this time around. Nalbandian will be on as well against Clement and thanks to deivid for the background with Mucho Almagro being pissed off with Santana for not giving him a WC last year, he could use this as motivation to play with more discipline than usual. Having something to prove can do funny things to people.
Monaco and Andreev, these guys have played plenty of 3 setters in their match ups and Andreev wasn't really there today. Monaco was up a break in the 1st, but couldn't hold it and for a change Andreev won a tiebreaker, then it's usually the final set tiebreakers that he loses. Igor should have been favoured here as he is better indoors than Monaco, but Pico has been improving off the clay and was able to hold his level of play for longer and let Andreev implode with errors everywhere. Definitely not the prettiest match, but got to take a victory anyway you can. Next up for Monaco is Haas, who would be very happy that he isn't playing Andreev.
Murray was impressive over Thunder Lips, he lobbed and passed very well and was able to keep Stepanek from closing the net with his varied play and the continental forehand of Stepanek broke down under pression and I like Murray's style of play and it will be interesting to see how he goes against the very solid Chela. He beat him last time at the AO in straight sets, he will need to exploit Chela's lack of forward movement.
Baghdatis vs Pavel: As usual Marcos is shit after a break and it was good for Marcos to get the win and the last set he played very well. The 1st set was tight and Pavel played one poor service game and Marcos converted and today he was serving well especially in the 1st and 3rd sets, the 2nd set was poor serving and Pavel maintained a good level from the 1st set and was able to convert his chances. Pavel's backhand wasn't as good as it usually is and Marcos kept attacking it. Hopefully he can play better against Nadal than he has in the past.
Good win for Koubek against Nieminen and he will need to be sharp to take out Ljubo. Del Potro did the expected job on Starace and now he has big chances against Boredo provided he serves well.
It will be interesting to see what reception Berdych gets from the Madrid crowd this time around. Nalbandian will be on as well against Clement and thanks to deivid for the background with Mucho Almagro being pissed off with Santana for not giving him a WC last year, he could use this as motivation to play with more discipline than usual. Having something to prove can do funny things to people.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Oscar and Luczak doubles maestros in Stockholm oozing style. Koubek and Seppi in the city of Falco and rah rah Rasputin in Moscow
Vienna
The indoor circus moves to the stately Austrian capital Vienna. Where it's not hard to get a good coffee, beer, schnitzel and some great cakes, but enough of the promotion. Mr Vienna Ivan Ljubicic is back on tour after having problems with the kidney stones and it wouldn't surprise if he defended his title again for the 3rd time. He loves the court, just feels at home and then he becomes very hard to beat, especially since his serve has been broken only once in 3 years. He defeated Haider-Maurer and not that isn't Jorg Haider and he was the one to break Ljubo's serve and then Ivan had some problems with "Fisker med" Mardy Fish but he got over the line.
Calleri continued to struggle in his comeback in singles and he lost with Seppi in the doubles 10-7 in the champs TB against Damm/Paes. Gonzo was kidding himself losing a set to Volandri indoors, but came through and is in the quarters against Ferrero, who is hard to pick when he is going to play well or going to be shit and he defeated Canas who lead 5-3 in the 3rd and couldn't close it out and Benneteau. Nalbandian made a successful comeback and has a tough one against Wawrinka next time around.
Local hero Koubek defeated Moya in an impressive performance and he is keen to put behind the shenanigans after the ludicrous disqualification in Metz last week, seems that the umpire Steiner Recliner has problems in France and with Grosjjean. Good that he is using it as a positive and has a tough match against LaLo, but if he makes it he has a good chance of making the semis here, but with Stefan expect the unexpected.
The South Tyrolean Seppi has made the quarters for the first time in an indoor event on the main tour. He has won without losing a set in taking out Baghdatis easily 6-2 6-2, this is no surprise that he lost because he doesn't play well after a break, thescore was a definite surprise. Andy didn't blow the chance against Haase, hope he can win the event, but this is unlikely.
Stockholm
The news of this is that the King and Luczak are playing doubles and won their 1st match. Both had to travel from Spain after playing on the heavy clay to a fast indoor surface. Luczak was able to win and will now play Nieminen for a place in the quarters. Just hope Frankie "goes to Hollywood" Dancevic can end the James Blake streak, so we can have a finalist that is different. Welcome back to the tour for Pim Pim and his second round match should be the epitome of baseline tennis.
Here is a Luczak article in the main Swedish-language paper in Finland.
http://hbl.fi/text/sport/2007/10/10/d6477.php
Australian happy about the income
It should have been Benji Becker, but Jarkko Nieminen’s opponent today in the Stockholm Open is Peter Luczak.
In Finland the 28 year old Australian of average heigh is known for his finalist appearance in the Tampere Open this summer.
Luczak isn’t a player that Nieminen needs to fear. His latest assignment was made easier that Becker lost 2-6 6-3 6-4 to the “Aussie”.
Luczak is married to a Swede. This is his first year in the top 100 and he is unusual that he is reaching the peak of his career at an older age.
“Of course I have been trying to reach there for 6 years and it feels good. But also enjoy the effects. Now all of a sudden I am among the top 90, lately in the 80s. Luczak is now ranked 84th, his best ever.
The Australian who plays with steadiness and placement is unusual among the Australians who is at his best on clay. 19 out of his last 20 events have been on clay, except for the US Open on hardcourt, which strongly indicates a Nieminen win.
“I was actually in a Challenger final in Spain last week and played 5 Spaniards on slow clay. After a long trip here on Monday morning I had no absolutely no expectations. It was my first hardcourt event in ages and I could only hit one ball, but the following time it got better and yesterday I hit with “Pim-Pim” Johansson and it already felt decent.
Met twice
Jarkko Nieminen is familiar with Peter Luczak. “We are good friends and I have respect or him as a player, he is a good fighter” says Luczak.
“We have met twice. It was a long time ago in Sydney 2003. It was my first ever match on the ATP tour and I was so nervous that I lost the 1st set 6-0. But I was able to get it to a 3rd set and Jarkko successfully won 7-5.
In a Czech Challenger on clay in 2005 Niemien won 6-4 6-4.
Luczak is so far satisfied with the Stockholm Open. He has made the 2nd round in both singles and doubles. Better than he expected.
“Good money for me about 15 200 euro. Now I can provide food towards the baby for a week”, smiled the fair haired Aussie who was born in Poland.
Moscow
Vodka, mafia and hot women at the Kremlin Cup. Kunitsyn fucked up this time around. Safin/Andrev is an interesting 2nd round match and Russian will win the event.
Thunder Lips Stepanek is in the quarters with wins over Gabashvili and Tursunov, he will swoon the women with the moves and the swinging of the hips, though his game is definitely worth watching.
Chucho came through unscathed and that's a good sign.
Yayo Massa made a comeback to tennis, he lost 7-6 7-6, but he is back and that's good for me.
The indoor circus moves to the stately Austrian capital Vienna. Where it's not hard to get a good coffee, beer, schnitzel and some great cakes, but enough of the promotion. Mr Vienna Ivan Ljubicic is back on tour after having problems with the kidney stones and it wouldn't surprise if he defended his title again for the 3rd time. He loves the court, just feels at home and then he becomes very hard to beat, especially since his serve has been broken only once in 3 years. He defeated Haider-Maurer and not that isn't Jorg Haider and he was the one to break Ljubo's serve and then Ivan had some problems with "Fisker med" Mardy Fish but he got over the line.
Calleri continued to struggle in his comeback in singles and he lost with Seppi in the doubles 10-7 in the champs TB against Damm/Paes. Gonzo was kidding himself losing a set to Volandri indoors, but came through and is in the quarters against Ferrero, who is hard to pick when he is going to play well or going to be shit and he defeated Canas who lead 5-3 in the 3rd and couldn't close it out and Benneteau. Nalbandian made a successful comeback and has a tough one against Wawrinka next time around.
Local hero Koubek defeated Moya in an impressive performance and he is keen to put behind the shenanigans after the ludicrous disqualification in Metz last week, seems that the umpire Steiner Recliner has problems in France and with Grosjjean. Good that he is using it as a positive and has a tough match against LaLo, but if he makes it he has a good chance of making the semis here, but with Stefan expect the unexpected.
The South Tyrolean Seppi has made the quarters for the first time in an indoor event on the main tour. He has won without losing a set in taking out Baghdatis easily 6-2 6-2, this is no surprise that he lost because he doesn't play well after a break, thescore was a definite surprise. Andy didn't blow the chance against Haase, hope he can win the event, but this is unlikely.
Stockholm
The news of this is that the King and Luczak are playing doubles and won their 1st match. Both had to travel from Spain after playing on the heavy clay to a fast indoor surface. Luczak was able to win and will now play Nieminen for a place in the quarters. Just hope Frankie "goes to Hollywood" Dancevic can end the James Blake streak, so we can have a finalist that is different. Welcome back to the tour for Pim Pim and his second round match should be the epitome of baseline tennis.
Here is a Luczak article in the main Swedish-language paper in Finland.
http://hbl.fi/text/sport/2007/10/10/d6477.php
Australian happy about the income
It should have been Benji Becker, but Jarkko Nieminen’s opponent today in the Stockholm Open is Peter Luczak.
In Finland the 28 year old Australian of average heigh is known for his finalist appearance in the Tampere Open this summer.
Luczak isn’t a player that Nieminen needs to fear. His latest assignment was made easier that Becker lost 2-6 6-3 6-4 to the “Aussie”.
Luczak is married to a Swede. This is his first year in the top 100 and he is unusual that he is reaching the peak of his career at an older age.
“Of course I have been trying to reach there for 6 years and it feels good. But also enjoy the effects. Now all of a sudden I am among the top 90, lately in the 80s. Luczak is now ranked 84th, his best ever.
The Australian who plays with steadiness and placement is unusual among the Australians who is at his best on clay. 19 out of his last 20 events have been on clay, except for the US Open on hardcourt, which strongly indicates a Nieminen win.
“I was actually in a Challenger final in Spain last week and played 5 Spaniards on slow clay. After a long trip here on Monday morning I had no absolutely no expectations. It was my first hardcourt event in ages and I could only hit one ball, but the following time it got better and yesterday I hit with “Pim-Pim” Johansson and it already felt decent.
Met twice
Jarkko Nieminen is familiar with Peter Luczak. “We are good friends and I have respect or him as a player, he is a good fighter” says Luczak.
“We have met twice. It was a long time ago in Sydney 2003. It was my first ever match on the ATP tour and I was so nervous that I lost the 1st set 6-0. But I was able to get it to a 3rd set and Jarkko successfully won 7-5.
In a Czech Challenger on clay in 2005 Niemien won 6-4 6-4.
Luczak is so far satisfied with the Stockholm Open. He has made the 2nd round in both singles and doubles. Better than he expected.
“Good money for me about 15 200 euro. Now I can provide food towards the baby for a week”, smiled the fair haired Aussie who was born in Poland.
Moscow
Vodka, mafia and hot women at the Kremlin Cup. Kunitsyn fucked up this time around. Safin/Andrev is an interesting 2nd round match and Russian will win the event.
Thunder Lips Stepanek is in the quarters with wins over Gabashvili and Tursunov, he will swoon the women with the moves and the swinging of the hips, though his game is definitely worth watching.
Chucho came through unscathed and that's a good sign.
Yayo Massa made a comeback to tennis, he lost 7-6 7-6, but he is back and that's good for me.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Reporter Choupi in Metz cheering on her faves and booing Boredo
Since this event has already started, it would be stupid to write a preview and best of all we will have some fan reports from Metz and we all know that is the best way to see things. It's much better getting directly than through some propaganda network.
Flo"The German Gigolo" Mayer once again lost a match after having match points for the 3rd time this season against Boredo who is vulnerable indoors. Boredo escaped, but he might not be so lucky next time. Paulo Mathieu after a great run of form is in a mini-slump at the moment and lost to the "Chicken Man" Benneteau in straight sets and can't seem to find his game. Korolev defeating Starace was a huge upset and the only thing Calleri did in his match with Kohli was upset Choupi.
Tuesday was a great day with "El Fashionista" Koubek laying the smackdown on Simple Simon 6-2 6-1 and there was some excuse of a knee injury, if it was that bad, then no shame in withdrawing from the event or retiring in the match if it was legit. The day got better when Andy "the South Tyrolean sex machine" Seppi decided to dump Clement the arse clown in straight sets out of the event without facing a break point. It's a great day when Clement is eliminated from an event, at least the ballkids will be happy because they are spared the poor treatment from him. Seppi now plays Boredo and if he knocks him out, then losing in the quarter-finals isn't bad.
Lapentti was 3-5 down in the 3rd set against Massu, but Massu is in horrid form and couldn't stop his losing streak and Wawrinka lost to Tsonga as well leading a break in the 3rd set. Tsonga is a tough guy to play indoors, especially if his serve is going well.
Tokyo, well I hope Russell or Berdych can do well in this event and they don't retire in their matches at 3-5 down in the 3rd set like del Potro because he was having a bad day.
Flo"The German Gigolo" Mayer once again lost a match after having match points for the 3rd time this season against Boredo who is vulnerable indoors. Boredo escaped, but he might not be so lucky next time. Paulo Mathieu after a great run of form is in a mini-slump at the moment and lost to the "Chicken Man" Benneteau in straight sets and can't seem to find his game. Korolev defeating Starace was a huge upset and the only thing Calleri did in his match with Kohli was upset Choupi.
Tuesday was a great day with "El Fashionista" Koubek laying the smackdown on Simple Simon 6-2 6-1 and there was some excuse of a knee injury, if it was that bad, then no shame in withdrawing from the event or retiring in the match if it was legit. The day got better when Andy "the South Tyrolean sex machine" Seppi decided to dump Clement the arse clown in straight sets out of the event without facing a break point. It's a great day when Clement is eliminated from an event, at least the ballkids will be happy because they are spared the poor treatment from him. Seppi now plays Boredo and if he knocks him out, then losing in the quarter-finals isn't bad.
Lapentti was 3-5 down in the 3rd set against Massu, but Massu is in horrid form and couldn't stop his losing streak and Wawrinka lost to Tsonga as well leading a break in the 3rd set. Tsonga is a tough guy to play indoors, especially if his serve is going well.
Tokyo, well I hope Russell or Berdych can do well in this event and they don't retire in their matches at 3-5 down in the 3rd set like del Potro because he was having a bad day.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Davis Cup World Group Semi Finals : News and reports from these matches welcomed in the comments section
Russia vs. Germany
The Russians are strong favourites for this even without Marat "Reinhold Messner" Safin who is off to Nepal climbing mountains and also he has a wrist problem as for the view on this choice. Well good for him and if he is not enjoying playing tennis and can't do it, then climbing a mountain on the Nepalese-Tibetan border isn't such a bad place to be.
There seems to be news from the Russian camp that the PMK has picked up a wrist problem and it's a question of how serious it is. If so, then he would miss the season, but this is not likely and wouldn't surprise if this was a move from the Tsar Russian Davis and Fed Cup captain Tarpishev to throw some confusion into the German camp. Andreev is playing first against Haas and then Davydenko has been named to play Kohlschreiber. Haas has been bitching about the court, but this is not a surprise and I expect Igor to get the money here and as for the second match well the PMK has never done that well in surface transition and Kohli has been the best German player on clay this season and it should be interesting to see how he handles this challenge.
The Germans have the advantage in the doubles, but it will need Haas to win both his matches to give the Germans a victory in this tie. It's not very likely, but anything can happen. The best thing is if the Germans won and the Americans did, then the final would be in Germany. Personally I think the Russians with their depth and ability to rotate their squad is a big advantage and will get them to another final.
Sweden vs. USA
The other World Group semi final between the Swedes and the Americans, who have done battle a few times in the past in the Scandinavium and the Americans have lost every time. The usual happens the Americans have the individual stars and the Swedes are better as a team and the Swedes have won these matches. 1984 was famous in Swedish tennis history and the team of Wilander, Sundström, Edberg and Järryd defeated John McEnroe, Connors and Fleming which was the Dream Team as names go, but they behaved like absolute arse clowns and were a disgrace to the sport.
Wilander is now the captain of the Swedish team and maybe he could use that as a motivational tool for this team, and they will need it especially since their best player and the key to this tie Robin "The Toad" Söderling is out for the rest of the season with a wrist problem. Toad wanted them to choose clay, but with hindsight it was good that they stuck with the ice rink they used against Argentina.
The Swedes have Pim Pim Johansson coming back from another shoulder problem, sure he is lacking matches, but this is their best chance of Sweden winning and there won't be many rallies at all and if he beats Roddick on Day 1, then it could set things up. Thomas Johansson will need to play out of his skin and at home in Davis Cup is the best possible time. The serve is going to be a huge factor, so the ability to concentrate and take those half chances are the key for the Swedes. It will be a difficult task with Roddick and the Bryan Bros, the Swedes have to get it to a 5th match and James Blake isn't necessarily the guy you want to play away from home to win a vital 5th match.
Looks like a Russia vs. US final lets hope that is not the case.
The Russians are strong favourites for this even without Marat "Reinhold Messner" Safin who is off to Nepal climbing mountains and also he has a wrist problem as for the view on this choice. Well good for him and if he is not enjoying playing tennis and can't do it, then climbing a mountain on the Nepalese-Tibetan border isn't such a bad place to be.
There seems to be news from the Russian camp that the PMK has picked up a wrist problem and it's a question of how serious it is. If so, then he would miss the season, but this is not likely and wouldn't surprise if this was a move from the Tsar Russian Davis and Fed Cup captain Tarpishev to throw some confusion into the German camp. Andreev is playing first against Haas and then Davydenko has been named to play Kohlschreiber. Haas has been bitching about the court, but this is not a surprise and I expect Igor to get the money here and as for the second match well the PMK has never done that well in surface transition and Kohli has been the best German player on clay this season and it should be interesting to see how he handles this challenge.
The Germans have the advantage in the doubles, but it will need Haas to win both his matches to give the Germans a victory in this tie. It's not very likely, but anything can happen. The best thing is if the Germans won and the Americans did, then the final would be in Germany. Personally I think the Russians with their depth and ability to rotate their squad is a big advantage and will get them to another final.
Sweden vs. USA
The other World Group semi final between the Swedes and the Americans, who have done battle a few times in the past in the Scandinavium and the Americans have lost every time. The usual happens the Americans have the individual stars and the Swedes are better as a team and the Swedes have won these matches. 1984 was famous in Swedish tennis history and the team of Wilander, Sundström, Edberg and Järryd defeated John McEnroe, Connors and Fleming which was the Dream Team as names go, but they behaved like absolute arse clowns and were a disgrace to the sport.
Wilander is now the captain of the Swedish team and maybe he could use that as a motivational tool for this team, and they will need it especially since their best player and the key to this tie Robin "The Toad" Söderling is out for the rest of the season with a wrist problem. Toad wanted them to choose clay, but with hindsight it was good that they stuck with the ice rink they used against Argentina.
The Swedes have Pim Pim Johansson coming back from another shoulder problem, sure he is lacking matches, but this is their best chance of Sweden winning and there won't be many rallies at all and if he beats Roddick on Day 1, then it could set things up. Thomas Johansson will need to play out of his skin and at home in Davis Cup is the best possible time. The serve is going to be a huge factor, so the ability to concentrate and take those half chances are the key for the Swedes. It will be a difficult task with Roddick and the Bryan Bros, the Swedes have to get it to a 5th match and James Blake isn't necessarily the guy you want to play away from home to win a vital 5th match.
Looks like a Russia vs. US final lets hope that is not the case.
World Group Playoffs Part 1 including Chile, Brazil, Peru and Aussie matches
Israel vs. Chile
Fernando Gonzalez returned to form at the right time with a title win in Beijing and will want to atone for the disappointment against Russia in the 1st round, when he lost to Andreev on Day 1 and that cost Chile a chance to make the Davis Cup final and we know how much Gonzo and Massu both love playing for their country. Massu has been in woeful form of late and there were some calls for Capdeville to replace him, but Gildemeister made the call to stick with Massu and he opens up the tie against "the Dude" Dudi Sela and the hardcourt surface should be fairly fast. It wouldn't surprise if 'the Dude" beats Massu. The doubles will be interesting with Erlich/Ram against Gonzo/Massu, one team being of doubles specialists and the other one have known each other for years and play very well as a combination when playing for Chile. Though the Chileans should be too strong overall and will return to the World Group.
Serbia vs. Australia
The shenanigans started early in the week with the Aussies complaining about the state of the court in Belgrade with Hewitt making comments about craters. Temporary courts need time to be ready and to be played on before they can get to an acceptable standard. The Aussies should know this when they use the drop-in grass courts and there have been problems with that in the past. The ITF referee would have the option of cancelling the tie if the court was unplayable and too poor to play on.
Onto the tie now and the Serbians are big favourites and are very confident about their chances. They have not been shy in stating this and they have good reason to as well. Novak Djokovic is on fire at the moment, plus Janko Tipsarevic is another guy who lifts his level for Davis Cup play, plus the very likeable Nenad Zimonjic, who happens to be one of the worlds best doubles players and the Serbs have a good foundation. They are both very comfortable on the clay and they will have 20,000 Serbian fans cheering them on in a hostile atmosphere for the Aussies.
The Aussies of course are dependant on Hewitt and have been for a while. He has bitched about a lot of things, but he needs that so he can fire up and function on court and he loves the hostile environments, actually I think he gets a hard on when he plays in places he is hated. I mean he has played in Guga land and came out the winner, he played in Barcelona and defeated Costa, when the whole crowd wanted to have his head on a platter. Last year he was in Argentina where he isn't exactly loved through his previous confrontations with many Argie players, but he has shown he can handle hostile environments.
Peter Luczak, one of the best guys on tour has been selected for the second singles and will have the task of playing Djokovic in the 1st match. It will be tough for Luczak, but just hope he can put on a brave performance and if Djoko is going to beat him, then he keeps him out there for as long as it takes. Luczak loves the clay and he could get the ball into uncomfortable areas for Djokovic shoulder and head high and he can run all day, plus he loves the DC environment, but it will be a tall order and the Aussies will be fortunate if they can get it to a 5th match.
Austria vs. Brazil
This tie is looking ugly for Brazil either way you look at it. They will be playing on carpet away from home, in addition to the fact that they have lost Saretta and Melo part of the excellent Brazilian team of Melo and Sa. Guga is in the team, but is only fit enough these days for playing doubles. They will take in Mello, Sa, Guga and Belucci the youngster as their team and they will do well if they win a match this time around. Belucci is a youngster with promise, but he is definitely going to be a steep learning curve in this situation.
Melzer, El Fashionista, Eschauer and Knowle will be playing for the Austrians and they should be able to preserve their World Group status by the 2nd day and this will give Eschauer an opportunity at 34 to play Davis Cup. This will work for Koubek as well, he can get a flight to Mumbai earlier if they win on Day 2 as expected.
Peru vs. Belarus
Unlike the previous tie previewed this one is very difficult to call for a few reasons. Peru if they win achieve WG status for the first time in a long time and at home they should be favoured to do so, which brings a lot of different pressures in itself. Last time Peru were in the WG they had the man Jaime Yzaga as a top player and now he is the captain and this tie will depend on Lucho Horna for sure. He loves the DC and to lead his team to WG status would be a very big moment for him. He will be under pressure and expected to win both his singles matches, this leads to where the other win will come from. Chino Miranda will have to play the tennis of his life to help Lucho out and his match with Mirnyi could set the mood for the tie on Day 1.
Belarus have the beast Max Mirnyi and the vodka loving Voltchkov, who only plays DC these days and not on the tour. He has been playing clay Futures events and maybe laying off the vodka as well. It would be interesting to see if the Belarussians would put the French Open junior champion Ignatik in a live singles match.
Horna has had some problems with his back, but he wouldn't miss this unless he couldn't walk and Mirnyi has been suffering from very poor form lately. Max has a 3-0 lead over Horna in their matches, but none of them have been in South America and Lucho finally beat him in a qualie match in one of the TMS events. He just has to stay calm and pin Max on the baseline in his service games and then watch the ball and not the man at the net. Not sure about this one, but it would be great if Peru could make the World Group, need to see some other countries there.
Fernando Gonzalez returned to form at the right time with a title win in Beijing and will want to atone for the disappointment against Russia in the 1st round, when he lost to Andreev on Day 1 and that cost Chile a chance to make the Davis Cup final and we know how much Gonzo and Massu both love playing for their country. Massu has been in woeful form of late and there were some calls for Capdeville to replace him, but Gildemeister made the call to stick with Massu and he opens up the tie against "the Dude" Dudi Sela and the hardcourt surface should be fairly fast. It wouldn't surprise if 'the Dude" beats Massu. The doubles will be interesting with Erlich/Ram against Gonzo/Massu, one team being of doubles specialists and the other one have known each other for years and play very well as a combination when playing for Chile. Though the Chileans should be too strong overall and will return to the World Group.
Serbia vs. Australia
The shenanigans started early in the week with the Aussies complaining about the state of the court in Belgrade with Hewitt making comments about craters. Temporary courts need time to be ready and to be played on before they can get to an acceptable standard. The Aussies should know this when they use the drop-in grass courts and there have been problems with that in the past. The ITF referee would have the option of cancelling the tie if the court was unplayable and too poor to play on.
Onto the tie now and the Serbians are big favourites and are very confident about their chances. They have not been shy in stating this and they have good reason to as well. Novak Djokovic is on fire at the moment, plus Janko Tipsarevic is another guy who lifts his level for Davis Cup play, plus the very likeable Nenad Zimonjic, who happens to be one of the worlds best doubles players and the Serbs have a good foundation. They are both very comfortable on the clay and they will have 20,000 Serbian fans cheering them on in a hostile atmosphere for the Aussies.
The Aussies of course are dependant on Hewitt and have been for a while. He has bitched about a lot of things, but he needs that so he can fire up and function on court and he loves the hostile environments, actually I think he gets a hard on when he plays in places he is hated. I mean he has played in Guga land and came out the winner, he played in Barcelona and defeated Costa, when the whole crowd wanted to have his head on a platter. Last year he was in Argentina where he isn't exactly loved through his previous confrontations with many Argie players, but he has shown he can handle hostile environments.
Peter Luczak, one of the best guys on tour has been selected for the second singles and will have the task of playing Djokovic in the 1st match. It will be tough for Luczak, but just hope he can put on a brave performance and if Djoko is going to beat him, then he keeps him out there for as long as it takes. Luczak loves the clay and he could get the ball into uncomfortable areas for Djokovic shoulder and head high and he can run all day, plus he loves the DC environment, but it will be a tall order and the Aussies will be fortunate if they can get it to a 5th match.
Austria vs. Brazil
This tie is looking ugly for Brazil either way you look at it. They will be playing on carpet away from home, in addition to the fact that they have lost Saretta and Melo part of the excellent Brazilian team of Melo and Sa. Guga is in the team, but is only fit enough these days for playing doubles. They will take in Mello, Sa, Guga and Belucci the youngster as their team and they will do well if they win a match this time around. Belucci is a youngster with promise, but he is definitely going to be a steep learning curve in this situation.
Melzer, El Fashionista, Eschauer and Knowle will be playing for the Austrians and they should be able to preserve their World Group status by the 2nd day and this will give Eschauer an opportunity at 34 to play Davis Cup. This will work for Koubek as well, he can get a flight to Mumbai earlier if they win on Day 2 as expected.
Peru vs. Belarus
Unlike the previous tie previewed this one is very difficult to call for a few reasons. Peru if they win achieve WG status for the first time in a long time and at home they should be favoured to do so, which brings a lot of different pressures in itself. Last time Peru were in the WG they had the man Jaime Yzaga as a top player and now he is the captain and this tie will depend on Lucho Horna for sure. He loves the DC and to lead his team to WG status would be a very big moment for him. He will be under pressure and expected to win both his singles matches, this leads to where the other win will come from. Chino Miranda will have to play the tennis of his life to help Lucho out and his match with Mirnyi could set the mood for the tie on Day 1.
Belarus have the beast Max Mirnyi and the vodka loving Voltchkov, who only plays DC these days and not on the tour. He has been playing clay Futures events and maybe laying off the vodka as well. It would be interesting to see if the Belarussians would put the French Open junior champion Ignatik in a live singles match.
Horna has had some problems with his back, but he wouldn't miss this unless he couldn't walk and Mirnyi has been suffering from very poor form lately. Max has a 3-0 lead over Horna in their matches, but none of them have been in South America and Lucho finally beat him in a qualie match in one of the TMS events. He just has to stay calm and pin Max on the baseline in his service games and then watch the ball and not the man at the net. Not sure about this one, but it would be great if Peru could make the World Group, need to see some other countries there.
WG Playoffs Part 2: The Czechs, Brits, Swiss and Romania
GB vs. Croatia
The Brits are the favourites for this tie considering what they could have been facing. This is a depleted Croatian team guys like Ancic missing cause of a shoulder problem and Karlovic still seething over the shabby treatment he received in 2005 when it came to finances and pulled the plug when his team needed him this time around. The Croats have big Ljubo who basically won the DC for Croatia in 2005 with his strong performances throughout the year and the talented youngster Marin Cilic who has already played a DC tie and it will be tough on the grass this is for sure.
Henman in his last Davis Cup tie will want to go out on a high and Andy Murray will want to salvage something from a difficult season and both are better on the grass surface than the Croats, though some rumours are flying around that this could be moved indoors and we know that big Ljubo would rather that than on the grass, where his poor returning can get exposed. If they play on grass, it will be interesting to see and the Croats have to be at 1-1 to at the end of Day 1 to have any chance of preserving their status in the World Group, that was a very profound statement for sure. I think the Brits will win if it's outdoors, if there is a roof, then Croats chances are much higher. We do know Henman has had some big chokes at Wimbledon before.
Czech Republic v Switzerland
This tie will be held indoors on a fast surface and the teams are quite evenly matched and if a couple of players one each on both sides played in their 1st round ties, then they wouldn't be in the position of fighting for World Group status, yes this means Federer and Stepanek especially. They had their reasons no doubt, but that's for another time.
The Swiss have Federer, Wawrinka, Allegro and Chiudinelli. The Czechs have Berdych, Stepanek, Dlouhy and Damm in their team more than likely.
This tie is actually more interesting that the WG semi finals in a lot of ways and the doubles will be key. Stepanek and Federer will be starting off this time around and Federer has said that "Thunder Lips" can be a bit annoying with the antics, but he will need to be vigilant as Stepanek while having a poor DC record, enjoys the low bouncing fast carpet surface and will use his variation and antics to try and upset Federer who has lost a DC match since 2003 against Hewitt, but then again he has probably played 3 of them. Berdych will need to put the Ostrava nightmare behind him losing to Roddick on clay and he loves playing indoors and Stani Wawrinka is no easy match either way and how Stepanek plays as much as the previous result could impact on how Berdych plays against Wawrinka. He could relish the challenge and turn on a good show or he could freeze and then the Czechs be down 0-2.
Personally I'd like to see the Czechs win, mainly cause the Federer superman come to save the Swiss World Group status is a bit much and it would be good to see that get punished, but the feeling is here that they will get the job done, though it would be good to see Berdych play a blinder and liven things up.
Romania, even though they are away from home, they should be too strong for the Japanese, though Suzuki can definitely cause some problems with his kamikaze game and has to many players, even though he is on the decline.
Slovakia have a very young team and the Koreans have the veteran Lee and not much else to back him up. I think the Slovaks will get the job done and Miloslav Mecir should come out of the retirement and play in the singles.
The Brits are the favourites for this tie considering what they could have been facing. This is a depleted Croatian team guys like Ancic missing cause of a shoulder problem and Karlovic still seething over the shabby treatment he received in 2005 when it came to finances and pulled the plug when his team needed him this time around. The Croats have big Ljubo who basically won the DC for Croatia in 2005 with his strong performances throughout the year and the talented youngster Marin Cilic who has already played a DC tie and it will be tough on the grass this is for sure.
Henman in his last Davis Cup tie will want to go out on a high and Andy Murray will want to salvage something from a difficult season and both are better on the grass surface than the Croats, though some rumours are flying around that this could be moved indoors and we know that big Ljubo would rather that than on the grass, where his poor returning can get exposed. If they play on grass, it will be interesting to see and the Croats have to be at 1-1 to at the end of Day 1 to have any chance of preserving their status in the World Group, that was a very profound statement for sure. I think the Brits will win if it's outdoors, if there is a roof, then Croats chances are much higher. We do know Henman has had some big chokes at Wimbledon before.
Czech Republic v Switzerland
This tie will be held indoors on a fast surface and the teams are quite evenly matched and if a couple of players one each on both sides played in their 1st round ties, then they wouldn't be in the position of fighting for World Group status, yes this means Federer and Stepanek especially. They had their reasons no doubt, but that's for another time.
The Swiss have Federer, Wawrinka, Allegro and Chiudinelli. The Czechs have Berdych, Stepanek, Dlouhy and Damm in their team more than likely.
This tie is actually more interesting that the WG semi finals in a lot of ways and the doubles will be key. Stepanek and Federer will be starting off this time around and Federer has said that "Thunder Lips" can be a bit annoying with the antics, but he will need to be vigilant as Stepanek while having a poor DC record, enjoys the low bouncing fast carpet surface and will use his variation and antics to try and upset Federer who has lost a DC match since 2003 against Hewitt, but then again he has probably played 3 of them. Berdych will need to put the Ostrava nightmare behind him losing to Roddick on clay and he loves playing indoors and Stani Wawrinka is no easy match either way and how Stepanek plays as much as the previous result could impact on how Berdych plays against Wawrinka. He could relish the challenge and turn on a good show or he could freeze and then the Czechs be down 0-2.
Personally I'd like to see the Czechs win, mainly cause the Federer superman come to save the Swiss World Group status is a bit much and it would be good to see that get punished, but the feeling is here that they will get the job done, though it would be good to see Berdych play a blinder and liven things up.
Romania, even though they are away from home, they should be too strong for the Japanese, though Suzuki can definitely cause some problems with his kamikaze game and has to many players, even though he is on the decline.
Slovakia have a very young team and the Koreans have the veteran Lee and not much else to back him up. I think the Slovaks will get the job done and Miloslav Mecir should come out of the retirement and play in the singles.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Bizarre Bucharest in the honour of such legends as Richard Fromberg, Joan Balcells and Franco Davin. This is the end of the clay season
Yes, the crazy event of Bucharest where seeded players never win or haven't won the event since the Muster days. There have been some great winners of this event aka Franco Davin, Richard Fromberg, David "Pics" Ferrer and Jose Acasuso spring to mind and they weren't seeded at all.
Monfils asked for a WC, but that was reserved for local heroes Pavel, Lurch Hanescu and Santoro, this was a good choice and also Monfils needed the match practice and he got that and made the main draw and should cause some problems to any of the players he faces.
Fat Albert Montañes and Che Vassallo Arguello have already made the second round with wins over Devilder who struggles to win at main tour level and Eschauer respectively and this is the big career year for Werner, but in all likelihood, there will be a huge fall in the ranking.
Last clay event of the year sadly and there will be many players who need to do well here before they move onto their weaker surfaces like Starace, Roitman and the King who has a tough match against local Pavel and will be on centre court for sure.
Bad day for the Aussies and the battle between Luczak and "Ronald McDonald" Guccione for the last Davis Cup spot, well isn't clearer now as both of them lost today to Andreev and Navarro Pastor respectively. Luczak lost to one of the best players in this event in a tight 3 setter, but he needed to play a bit above himself to take out Andreev and losing 6-4 in the 3rd is respectable, though having a 30-0 lead in the 10th game on serve has to hurt a bit. As for the Gooch, he isn't in great form at the moment, but I think he will get the nod, more in the DC preview next week.
Blogger favourite Seppi won a wonderfully entertaining match which you wouldn't say was serve dominated 4-6 7-5 6-4. The first set there were around 6 consecutive breaks of serve, uintil Melzer decided to hold in the 10th game.
The second set, something happened and they held serve all the way to the last game and then Seppi broke to love.
Seppi gets the break then at 4-2, Melzer restarts the breakathon and it continued all the way through to the end, where Seppi breaks serve for the match after failing to serve it out to 6-4
Monfils asked for a WC, but that was reserved for local heroes Pavel, Lurch Hanescu and Santoro, this was a good choice and also Monfils needed the match practice and he got that and made the main draw and should cause some problems to any of the players he faces.
Fat Albert Montañes and Che Vassallo Arguello have already made the second round with wins over Devilder who struggles to win at main tour level and Eschauer respectively and this is the big career year for Werner, but in all likelihood, there will be a huge fall in the ranking.
Last clay event of the year sadly and there will be many players who need to do well here before they move onto their weaker surfaces like Starace, Roitman and the King who has a tough match against local Pavel and will be on centre court for sure.
Bad day for the Aussies and the battle between Luczak and "Ronald McDonald" Guccione for the last Davis Cup spot, well isn't clearer now as both of them lost today to Andreev and Navarro Pastor respectively. Luczak lost to one of the best players in this event in a tight 3 setter, but he needed to play a bit above himself to take out Andreev and losing 6-4 in the 3rd is respectable, though having a 30-0 lead in the 10th game on serve has to hurt a bit. As for the Gooch, he isn't in great form at the moment, but I think he will get the nod, more in the DC preview next week.
Blogger favourite Seppi won a wonderfully entertaining match which you wouldn't say was serve dominated 4-6 7-5 6-4. The first set there were around 6 consecutive breaks of serve, uintil Melzer decided to hold in the 10th game.
The second set, something happened and they held serve all the way to the last game and then Seppi broke to love.
Seppi gets the break then at 4-2, Melzer restarts the breakathon and it continued all the way through to the end, where Seppi breaks serve for the match after failing to serve it out to 6-4
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