Good Times Bad Times an Interview with Taro Daniel

Hello readers, yes, it has been a while and we are living in very strange times.

Today I completed an extensive interview with the cosmopolitan Japanese player Taro Daniel who has an American father and Japanese mother born in New York City, moved to Japan and then Spain. Taro was very generous with his time for which I am thankful for as he spoke eloquently about many different subjects.

2020 was a strange year and 2021 has continued on the same path. You had to play Australian Open qualies in Doha and now have a 14 day quarantine. How has the experience been for you so far?

It’s been very interesting to go through a time like this. Good or bad times are changing and we have to accept certain things and let it be unless it is under your control.

How have you managed your time in quarantine?

My time in quarantine has been going well for now. I've been keeping busy with training and talking to a lot of people.

How old were you when you started playing tennis?

I was 7 in Saitama Japan.

Did you play another sports? If so, when did you decide to focus on tennis?

I only played a little bit of soccer in kindergarten but nothing else really. I wish I had played more other sports when I was younger.

Do you thinking playing different sports as a kid before focusing on tennis would have helped your career?

Yes, for sure. Most top players played something when they were kids.

How old were you when you moved to Spain and how was the culture shock arriving from Japan?

I was 13 and I struggled in the beginning because people in Europe were not very friendly at first sight 15 years ago. They become great friends once you get to know them and that was a difficult part in the beginning.

How long did it take you to learn Spanish and feel comfortable using the language?

It took me about 4,5 months and once I was at conversational level, it went very quick.

How beneficial was it for your tennis career and development as a person by moving to Spain?

Even though I struggled in the beginning, it was definitely the most enriching experience of my life. I was able to experience the Spanish culture and learn tennis from many quality coaches. Being able to speak Spanish is a very big bonus as well for being on the tour.

There are many Futures events in Spain how advantageouswas it for you to have access to so many tournaments?

It was great to have so many of those quality futures driving distance from Valencia. The quails were 128 draw always and there was a year when I passed every single one of them. It definitely made me tougher.

When did you think you would be able to make it as a professional?

I always believed in it or knew that it was what I was going to do. Even when I was a kid. I was not that worried about what I had to do if I didn't make it.

You won your first Challenger event in Vercelli against Pippo Volandri. What do you remember about that match and the week?

I remember that I had a massive argument when my coach at the time before the tournament started. I went through some tough matches and played a great final against a great player. I do not remember too much of the details though.


Do you enjoy playing in Italy?

It’s a love and hate for me in Italy. I have great weeks there but also bad ones. I love it because of their passion and food but also there are many times when things are not well organized. So, it is a mix.

What have been your experiences on the Futures and Challenger tour. Do you have any funny stories you can share?

There are many little stories that are fun. But I will share the craziest one that I had. I was in Shenzhen China and I was on my way to Japan after I finished. As you know, China is massive and even if you are in the same city you need to leave 4-5 hours before your flight to get to the airport. My taxi driver got into a car accident with a massive truck and made me miss my ferry to get to the airport in Hong Kong. I had to negotiate with some black market taxi drivers to get me to the Hong Kong airport as soon as possible and I barely made the flight



In 2018 you defeated Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells. What do you remember about the match and your feelings afterwards?

It was a great moment where I know I did something special for my career. I remember being happy but also, I knew that he was not nearly at his best. I was able to take advantage of that.

Also, in that year you won your first ATP 250 in Istanbul. You were down 0-4 in the 3rd set vs. Dutra Silva. What do you remember about that match and the week?

I remember that Dutra was playing great tennis that match. I just went point by point when I was 40 down and before I knew it, I was 64 up. That week was more of a relief since I felt that I really felt that my level has the potential to go higher in the rankings.

Taro Daniel wuith ATP Istanbul 250 title

How disappointing was it that you were unable to defend the title?

I did not mind it that much. It actually happens a lot with titles that I have won. Vercelli, Furth, Yokohama, Istanbul a lot of those tournament did not get repeated.

Futures prizemoney has hardly changed the since 1980s. Challenger prizemoney at its worst had decreased 30$ from 1995 relatively. Before the pandemic it has increased slightly. What can be done to readdress some of the balance?

It is very difficult to see what is necessary to have prize money increases in Challengers and futures. I think the approach for each circuit will be different because challengers are run by ATP and the futures by ITF. The challengers perhaps will benefit more from better quality streaming since I know that many people enjoy watching it. That might increase stream flow and bring in more money. For the futures, I think take some of the money from Grand Slams and trickle it in down there. I think that these futures players should be getting more as well,

You said " When money or sponsors come into your life, they bring new problems. Sometimes I feel almost guilty for having them. You'd have the players around my ranking struggling financially sometimes I feel the pressure to keep on improving my ranking in order to maintain status I have gained in Japan". Can you explain the new problems that have increased and how you are dealing with them?

I think I am passed that stage of feeling guilty right now. I am simply grateful of the support I receive and also am aware of my value. I am working to let things be and not desire anything too much. Keep being in the moment in order to enjoy whatever that is in front of me.

The ATP is meant to be a joint union between players and tournament directors, but it seems to favour the tournament directors. Are there ways to improve the organisation to have better representation and reputation among the players?

I think the representation of the players need to improve drastically and also; we have to get rid of obvious conflicts of interest within our player board reps. We deserve representatives that their sole purpose in tennis is to represent players interest without having to work for TV channels and data companies. We also need a better structure within the player council. Currently it is very top heavy because of the allocation of the seats. We need more seats outside of the top 100 and 200 so that we can have the voices of all the members heard instead of only the top 50.

Willy Cañas said “The ATP practices discrimination from an economic standpoint, like any multinational corporation. It’s 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”. Do you believe that Willy is correct on this particular issue?

Players from Latin countries are very misrepresented despite being a very strong tennis community. Grand Slams have too much power over what tennis does and I think players need to have some of that power by having a strong representation within the ATP and outside of the ATP.

How can the current ATP Player Representatives ensure that the players who earn the vast majority of revenue through prizemoney and not sponsorship are able to survive in the sport?

I think to fight for a bigger piece of the pie in the Grand Slams? But this is difficult since money is a tough topic right now with so many people suffering from COVID-19 and business closures.

What do you think about the Professional Tennis Players Association? Has this been put on hold due to COVID-19?

The PTPA is being established right now I believe. In the US Open players simply showed up and supported the creation of the organiz\sation. I believe the PTPA can be great for the players especially if they set up the representatives correctly.

What is the purpose of ATP University?

ATP University is to educate the players on basic things that ATP provides in terms of medical, integrity, doping, media etc., but I think they need to focus a lot more on player representation and how the ATP structure is set up because I do not remember learning too much about that.

What do you think of new format of Davis Cup?

I have mixed feelings about it. There is no doubt that it is easier on the schedule and the money is better but on the other hand there were barely any crowds in the stands. Playing home and away had a special feeling but it took a very heavy toll on our body and the schedule.

One of the things the sceptics were questioning about the new event was the lack of crowds for matches not involving Spain. For the other semi final not involving Spain there were many empty seats which was unheard of during the previous format. It was not a good look and how can they resolve that going forward?

I have no idea how they can resolve it. I was very surprised myself that not many people came to watch especially in the later rounds. I know that in the round robin, the tickets were sold per tie so maybe that was the reason. Also, I think that the people were confused with the new rules and the format. This Covid timing is not positive for the flow of the new Davis cup either.

Your first Davis Cup win was a World Group promotion tie away in Colombia defeating Falla with Japan coming back from 2-1 down to win the 5th rubber. What do you remember about the match, the atmosphere and the feeling of winning an away tie in front of a tough crowd?

It is a great memory. One of the more exciting ties I played in my Davis career. The atmosphere was against us but very energetic with Colombians. I also felt for the first time that things were up to me for Japan to pass to the World Group and I played a great match dominating him. I enjoyed it a lot.
Daniel winning in Colombia


The new format has killed the points of difference that Davis Cup had from regular events. Players going to places where they normally wouldn’t play. Playing in front of partisan crowds with some players rising above their normal levels and vice versa. Was the decision to change just based on financial consideration, or were there any other alternatives discussed for example moving to a Ryder Cup format playing it every 2 years in a non Olympics year?

Well, the old format was great. It is hard to beat the honorable feeling of playing at home or the energetic against crowd. The thing was that we could not fit that much Davis Cup every single year. So, I think either played it every 2 years or playing it over 2 years was a valid option. The financial compensation was very poor for being such an important event. So, for a lot of players, it felt like the negatives were too great even though they wanted to keep playing. In my opinion, the old format played over 2 years would be the best!

What do you think of the ATP Cup? Can the ATP and Davis Cup co-exist or will the ITF and ATP negotiate a compromise between the events?

Co-exist is what we want. But I think it is very complicated given the relationship that the ITF and the ATP have. I hope they come up with something because I thought the ATP Cup was great. It had the crowd and the energy that the new Davis Cup did not have.

What do you think about the length of the tennis season?

I was actually talking about this with my coach. If points lasted 2 years instead of 1 year the way it is currently, players could choose to play less tournaments. The reason is because you can be more selective with the weeks that you are more likely to earn points and not play the weeks where you did well last year. I hope this will be something that is considered in the future So instead of playing 30 weeks a year, we could play anywhere from 20-25.

What solutions would you propose besides a 2 year ranking system in relation to the schedule?

I would like more space between swings. Something like 3-4 tournament swings and 2 weeks off but this is impossible due to the high demand of tournaments.

How widespread do you believe doping is on the tour and have you ever been tested at an unreasonable or ridiculous hour?

I really doubt that doping is wide spread. In this day and age, I find it impossible for someone to successfully dope because of the amount of times we get tested. I have gotten tested in my home in very early times of the morning yes.

How widespread is match fixing on the tour. Are there any solutions to minimise the impacts of corruption?

I know that match fixing definitely exists in the futures levels. You only hear stories about it but I can image that it is very scary once you get into it. I think only way to get rid of it completely is to ban betting on tennis I believe.

With the rise of social media one of the negative aspects are the small percentage of idiotic gamblers who send abusive messages to players who have lost a match. Are the tennis authorities or social media platforms taking this problem seriously enough?

I find it impossible to completely eradicate these messages. How do you know someone will send an abusive message before he or she does it if they just created a fake account? Because most of the times they come from fake accounts that they don't mind having it banned.

What are your favourite tournaments?

I don't have favorites because it depends many times on organization and how you do in that tournament!

Where is the worst place you have ever stayed on tour?

There was a tournament in Suzhou, China. That was tough. It was very hard to reach and the courts were in the middle of a chicken farm.

Who are your best friends on tour?

I would say all the Japanese guys, some of the Spanish players, Millman, and JP Smith,

Can you name the best and worst matches you have played?

I think the best tennis I have played was against Nadal in US Open and the worst probably 2 years ago in Milan against Musetti.

You have played Djokovic and Nadal, what was it like playing them?

They have a special quality to their ball. They also have a presence that not many other players have. I really enjoyed feeling the speed and the quality of their ball. Especially Djokovic's backhand down the line really stretches like crazy.

You played your best tennis against Nadal in the US Open but you didn't win. What did you take away from that match?

I hit so many winners that night it was a strange feeling for me. I never swung so freely in a match before. I also felt that in order to beat Rafa, you have to play perfect for 3-4 hours straight.

You have never played Federer, is he the one guy you have never played but would like to before he retires?

Yes, Federer is on my bucket list haha

Are you still a fan of Movement Culture? Can you explain what it is and how you got into it?

Yes definitely am. It is a practice of endless movements deriving from countless practices. It really opens up your mind to new possibilities your body gives you. I got into it because of my father. I am certain that exercises and the discipline I gained from this practice has kept me off injuries.

How long have you been doing it and how does it benefit you?

I do not practice as much anymore but I have been involved in it for over 2 years now. There are many prehab exercises that are extremely tough and tests your joins and ligaments. You learn how to do them with calculated risk and that makes you have more bulletproof joints.

How important is nutrition and are there any foods that you can’t resist even though they are not good for you?

Nutrition is extremely important but I do not have hardcore restrictions. I am pretty healthy by nature. I try to eat as many things as possible. I do like pairing beer and wine with food so I only do that once in a while.

What are your favourite cuisines?

I like anything. It is about quality.

What is the one food you never tire of? On the flipside the worst thing you have ever eaten?

I never get tired of bone broth. Worst thing is probably some type of sweets. Not a huge fan of sweet stuff.

You went to Iceland in 2019. How did you rate your Icelandic experience and your best memories?

Iceland was amazing. There was one hike I loved which had a natural river hot spring at the top. It is called Reykjadalur. The nature is completely different over there and I also enjoyed the cold.

Taro in Iceland

Did you enjoy the anonymity in Iceland?

Definitely. The culture was very interesting as well. Very progressive in a way but also felt like I went back few hundred years in time.

How would you sum up the 2020 season?

2020 was a strange year for everyone. I think I learned a lot and made a lot of progress as a person and also as a tennis player.

How did the partnership with coach Sven Groeneveld begin? What are the areas where Sven can help you maximise your potential?

I knew him from few years ago but my dad connected me to him. My dad was living in Amsterdam and that is why they were able to connect easier. Sven is helping me maximize on every area of the game. I do not want to get too specific on that.

What are your goals for 2021?

To keep raising self awareness and live in the now. There are obvious goals like going back in top 100 and making Olympics but that is out of my control.

It’s time for word association

Paella-Valencia

Millman-Respect

Melbourne-Australian Open

Sushi-Best in Japan

Dani Gimeno-Great Guy

Anime-Demon Slayer

Airport-Singapore

Hakarl-Odour

Led Zeppelin-Best band ever
Once again I must thank Taro Daniel for his time in giving such an extensive and enjoyable video.

Australian Open : Closing Time

Yes, my time at the Australian Open is over and this summary has been a while coming. Life and other things have got in the way which happens to all of us except the most privileged on the planet.

Even now unsure as to how to describe my experience at the tennis year. Looking at the overall, it was mixed. There were some good moments, some disappointments and there’s always the positive part of meeting new people, sharing experiences and learning from each other.


Qualifying

One thing that has been reassured over the many years of attending the Australian Open is that the qualies are the best time to go. Yes, it’s free for the first few days but they now they’re charging for Kids Day on the Saturday which is just another money making opportunity for the organisation, more on that later.

The beauty about the qualies you get to see a great mix of players, the youngsters just starting out the tour, the ones who have had success on the Challenger Tour like young Finn Emil Ruusovori who won’t be needing to play these in the near future. The players who were top 100 previously who have dropped down whether to injuries, loss of form or a combination of both and the guys who make their living on the Challenger Tour hoping for a big break to main draw in the terms of ranking points and finances.


Is the tennis as polished as the main draw, no of course not but it’s of a high standard and considering what is on the line makes it interesting to follow. Yes, I remember a skinny 17 year old Serbian kid with a very long neck making the main draw from qualies, in addition to a fun loving Cypriot who had some rowdy fans and the charismatic Canadian who looks like Chief Wiggum from The Simpsons achieving it.

There was Bananagate which was expertly filmed from the man Alex Theodoridis from Tennisportalen. This was the entitled French clown Eliot Benchetrit who requested a ballkid to peel a banana for him. Umpire John Blom laid the smackdown on him for that request or also telling him off for being rude to ballkids.



The best match in qualies for sure was Peter Gojowczyk vs. Blaž Kavčič in relation to quality of tennis, though not the result. The best thing about the qualies, the people who are there are the ones who are definitely not gloryhounds, of course free is never a bad thing and there are gamblers there who are either punting or the smart ones doing research.

Main Draw

This is where the least enjoyable parts of the tournament come into play. The price of the ground passes has doubled in 4 years. It used to be around $30 and was fantastic value for the first 4 days as there are plenty of matches to watch. Though tennis fans aren’t exactly revolutionary, definitely couldn’t imagine fans staying away because of the price of tickets.

Tennis has always been a middle class sport at the best and totally upper class at worst. The vibe of the event has changed and not for the better. That’s the joy of progress, it’s not possible to take the best stuff and dump the rest. Every time progress happens, it creates a different set of problems and yes that includes surface homogenisation which has not been addressed. The big cheese Roger Federer acknowledged this

“Anyway, every surface is very similar today, otherwise we couldn't have achieved all these things on all these different surfaces so quickly, like him and myself”. This was said in 2012 about him and Nadal, yes this would now include Djokovic. Anyone with a functioning brain cell would be able to see this

The event has now become increasingly corporate in a blatant way. Naturally, the event is there to make money and all that filters into Tennis Australia. Yes, they have provided more shade, building a new show court which will have further increased ticket prices. I mean when there are courts that are 20 deep to get in when most of the punters don’t know who the players are, then it’s a problem.

Kudos to John Blom telling off the Greek fans who were just waiting on court 8 for Schwartzman and Davidovich Fokina to finish so they could cheer for Sakkari. He told them to go somewhere else if they weren’t interested in the match and to shut up as they were annoying everyone. To be fair the Greek fans complied.

Bogan Saturday they had over 90 000 people on the grounds. The ground passes should be crapped and most of the people who are attending main draw are there to be seen, just to say they went to the tennis and couldn’t tell you who they watched.

To finish off on a positive note. The Seppi and Millman matches are enough disappointment for a while but for very different reasons.

Cilic and Bautista Agut was the match of the tournament. I was surprised at how Cilic played, but based on that he should still have some good performances in him. Bautista Agut is an example of persistence and maximising his potential.



Alejandro Tabilo from Chile qualifying for his first main draw playing against the Colombian Galan late at night on Court 5. The atmosphere was fantastic with the Chilean and Colombian fans chanting loudly for their guys and it went the distance. Nico Massu the Davis Cup captain was there supporting Tabilo, the ecstasy on Tabilo’s face when he won the 5th set. His first ever win on the main tour, definitely could use the points and the money. The question is now can he build on that for the rest of season.

On that note thanks to Sam, Alex, Kristen, Peta, the Craven and all the other people who I interacted with who left a positive impression on me, despite the increasing issues and accessibility of the event.

Now Dominic Thiem please win the event.

Chances : You Got To Take Them

Apologies for not blogging yesterday but that was due to a combination of feeling a bit crap. Takes longer to recover and too many 5th set tiebreakers.

Gulbis vs. Bedene

The enigmatic Latvian Gulbis qualified for the main draw and upset the Canadian upstart Felix Auger-Aliassime in the first round whereas the Slovenian formerly British, now Slovenian Bedene defeated the double barrelled chested Aussie Duckworth in 5 sets.

Gulbis is a cat who definitely dances to his own tune. Some find it refreshing and others irritating. The knock on Gulbis was never about his ability, but his lack of work ethic which many of his critics believed is due to the fact he is from a very wealthy background. Yes, it may be true but this doesn’t explain the desire of Rafael Nadal who came from money, it all comes down to individuals.


Gulbis

Play was delayed due to rain and a bad dust storm last night. Once play got under the way Gulbis started well and was able to move Bedene around the court with ease forcing the Slovenian into mistakes. The forehand has been modified and not looking as ridiculous as usual, the backhand is still world class which he was using to pin Bedene back behind the baseline and then fool him with the dropshots.

Gulbis took the 1st set and this was pretty much the match as a whole. Bedene looked flat and after the 3rd set called for the trainer to do some work on his hip. Lord Gulbis moved him side to side and then Bedene would provide the error on cue. This was done in straight sets and for the most part Lord Gulbis behaved very well.

Seppi vs. Wawrinka

This was a match where I thought tough draw but there is a chance to win it as Wawrinka while still having some of his peak tennis in him, he’s more vulnerable these days. They have played a lot over the years and not too many secrets out there.

Seppi lost his first service game and Wawrinka jumped to an early lead. Once Seppi took his first game he was able to get into a rhythm moving the big Swiss around the court. Seppi gets the break back and on serve to 4-4 where Seppi breaks and takes the 1st set.

There were a couple of major turning points in the match. The second set continued with extended rallies with Wawrinka volleying and defending well, whereas Seppi was moving the ball around the court controlling the points. Seppi served for the set at *5-4 but played an awful game where he hardly made any first serves, as Seppi doesn’t have a Berrettini like monster kick serve, at best it’s a flick with not much work from the legs. If it’s not placed correctly, then it’s fodder for the better players. This plus a couple of cheap errors gave Wawrinka the break back, then he got his confidence to start winging hard which was successful for him to reel off the next 3 games to get the set.


Seppi got to take the chances

1 set all Wawrinka was serving well and not threatened at all was able to play his game and broke Seppi taking a 2 sets to 1 lead. Wawrinka has his patches in matches where he is average and makes a lot of errors, just a question of whether he is on song enough to win or the opponent can ride out the storm.

Seppi is finally returning better and putting them in difficult spots where he is getting the better of them. He manages to break the big Swiss and successfully serve out the 4th set, of course this was not done without some problems.

Now into the 5th set where both players are playing well with plenty of extended rallies side to side. One thing Wawrinka did very well was not give Seppi opportunities to hit his backhand down the line. The final nail in the coffin comes after Seppi breaks for 4-3 he’s 40-30 up went for a big first serve and just missed. As per second set he was unable to confirm the break of serve, a couple of passive shots and Wawrinka sniffed the opportunity out became more aggressive again, not losing another game to win 6-4 in the 5th.


Wawrinka

In this case it’s easier to be chopped 2, 2 and 3 as that’s a clear defeat whereas this leads to more frustration and devastation after the end. The opportunity to take a 2 sets to 0 lead, another to go to 5-3 in the 5th on your racquet. As was stated the other day tennis is a cruel beast, can play well and lose, then play shit and win on others. At the end of the day, just got to take your chances.

As for Seppi he’ll be a dad in March and will be interesting to see how he performs in the North American circuit, but as long as he makes a couple more trips Down Under then all is good.

Random Stuff

Micke Ymer lost a very tough 5th set tiebreaker which is an abortion on the sport of tennis. At majors you break serve to win matches. I blame John Isner for all this madness.

Kevin Anderson continues to have a poor record in Melbourne losing from 2 sets up.
Massu and Muster aren’t going to be happy with Domi Thiem going 5 sets but to be fair the 3 sets he won were easy. He is the best hope to stop Nadal making the final.

Once again there were too many people on the grounds during the day, but thankfully at night it seems a lot easier to get seats at matches outside.

Only a couple more days and the adventure will be over.

1st Round: You Never Forget Your First

Today was a long day but that was bound to happen when you had most of the matches cancelled yesterday due to rain. The unfortunate flipside to this, was that the venue was very full today with the vast majority of the crowd being the types who go to be seen and not actually care about tennis. You know this is the case when the Ito vs. Gunnesawaran match was full and the audience wasn’t just the coaches, friends or fans from the respective countries.

The Mailman and Schwartzman were on at the same time but very difficult to get a seat. So yes, the day started at Court 11, someone has to cover the marquee matches.

Davidovich Fokina vs. Gombos

Gombios had qualified for the event whereas Foki has not won a match this season as of yet. First set started Gombos was hitting the ball well with Foki a bit unsettled and making errors. Gombos was too solid and took the first set. In the second Foko was able to move the big man around using his variety of spins and angles to keep him off balance to take the second set.

It’s not a Davidovich Fokina match without some swings in momentum from the glorious to the ludicrous. Gombos kept it at a steady level and out of nowhere Foki plays the dumb service game to get broken and the Slovak takes a 2sets to 1 lead.


Davidovich Fokina

Turning point of the match was at *2-2 with Foki serving , he saved a multitude of break points and ended up holding serve. The next game Foki broke Gombos to love with some excellent strokes and drop shots to move the bigger man around. The changes of pace was contributing to Gombos being out of position and heavy legged. Foki levels at 2 sets all.

Foki breaks Gombos first service game in the 5th. Of course he went down 15-40 but managed to hold on. From there he gained confidence with drop shots, lobs and moving serve around as Gombis was gassed and Foki got the double break and comfortably won his first ever match at Slam level. The joy was there to be seen and enjoyed he now plays Schwartzman who chopped Lloyd Harris big time.

Mayer vs. Paul

There is one player who is in form and then there is Leo Mayer. Paul has started the season well after rebuilding in 2019. Mayer has been in his down part of his up and down like career,

Big Mayer took the1st set but managed to go down an early break in the 2nd which he never recovered from. Turning point of the match midway through the 3rd set was 30-30. Mayer manages to serve two double faults in a row into the net to give the Paul break. Once Paul had the break he never felt threatened as Mayer was too erratic to sustain and create chances to put pressure on the American. A comfortable win for Paul.

Micke Ymer vs Uchiyama

Speaking of comfortable, this was the way to describe this match. After a semi competitive first set. Ymer lost 3 games in the last 2 sets, he was hardly making an errors on the backhand side. The forehand has more loop and the side he needs to be more aggressive on if he is to progress up the rankings.


Micke Ymer

What Micke Ymer has is an understanding of the game, well that’s natural when you can’t brainless ballbash like the bigger guys.

Seepi vs. Kecmanovic

For some reason Kecmanovic was a huge favourite over the King off South Tyrol who normally plays well in Melbourne. They have never played each other, so the first set was the feeling out process.

Seppi was serving well hitting the spots and striking the forehand cleanly to keep the Serbian off balance. Seppi had many chances to break in the 1st set but only needed one to take the set.

The 2nd set continues in the same pattern with Seppi not making errors from the baseline and moving the serve. Kecmanovic was not serving that well, making a lot of forehand errors but showing that his double handed backhand is world class.


Seppi

In the 5th game of 2nd set Seppi breaks and hold serve to go 4-2 up. At 5-4 30-30 when Seppi doesn’t challenge an out call but thankfully Kecmanovic makes another forehand error and Seppi takes a 2 set to 0 lead.

Seppi takes an early break in the 3rd but gives back the break with some loose errors. The Serbian is serving better and making some forehands. The King doesn’t panic while not serving as well as previous 2 sets and a few poor drop shots he is doing enough to keep holding serve. Both hold serve to the tiebreaker,
The King of South Tyrol played a quality tiebreaker as Kecmanovic made a few forehand errors for Seppi to win in straight sets. It was an excellent and solid performance from the King of Kaltern.

Sinner vs Purcell

This was a continuation of the match yesterday. Sinner aka the Prince, he will only be the King when Seppi retires from the sport. Sinner is a big talent when you start from outside 1000 in 2019 and end up in the top 100 that speaks for itself. Sinner is a tall guy but he plays tennis whereas other big guys hit tennis balls there is a difference.

The timing on the Prince’s groundstokes is crisp and very little difference between forehand and backhand side which along with court intelliegence make him a forimidable opponent already. He lost his serve in the 1st set and Purcell served for it 5-4 30 all had a very easy mid court forehand, missed it and once that chance was gone. There was only one winner.

Match finished very quickly today but not before Sinner tubed Purcell. The tube otherwise known as drilling the ball hard at the net player. There’s nothng wrong with it as it’s the easiest way to win the point.

Martinez vs. Koepfer

Another straight sets win for Pedro Martinez. That’s 3 qualie matches and this today, that’s 9 sets in a row. Coach Daniel Gimeno Traver might need to take this up full time.

Martinez plays the percentages very well, will defend if necessary but no problems going to the net to finish points off which is never a bad thing. Koepfer served for the 3rd on the ad side tried the left handed swinging serve but not could not get it wide enough where Martinez hits a backhand return winner. Koepfer dropped his bundle and Martinez does it again.

Cuevas vs. Simon

Cuevas wins at life.

Tablio vs. Galan

Quailifer vs. Qualifier can be very fun matches at best with so much on the line for these guys in relation to points and money.

The crowd for this was fantastic with duelling chants from Chilean and Colombian fans creative a festive atmosphere where both players were trying their hearts out. That’s what the Challenger tour is about grinding, courage and waiting for the moment to shine on the big stage when it happens.

Tablo ended up breaking to win the match and what a celebreation the raw emotion was someone who won their first ever match on the main tour. Yes, he never won one at ATP level. Tablio hugged the Chilean fans, took plenty of photos and got an interview with the king of ESPN Latin America Miiguel Simon.

As they say you never forget your first.

Day 2/3 Qualies; You Just Got To Better On the Day

We’re back again, thankfully after the rain has cleared most of the smoke haze where something more than 10cm can be seen. Some results were better than others, then if I liked tennis players for results then I’d be a Fedalovic which is a very special species of gloryhound

Daniel vs. Milojević

This resumed from 5-5 in the first set. The first 10 games were a lot of long rallies in difficult conditions. It’s always tough to start suspended matches, but it’s part of the sport which players should have coping mechanisms for it.

Daniel started slowly and dropped his first service game and the Serbian took the 1st set 7.-5. The second set started like it was going to be a comfortable game for Daniel who was 40-0 up, then through a combination of errors and solid play from Milojević he manages to break.

The pattern of the 2nd set continues with Milojević just being consistent, not making any errors and while not having a big serve was placing it very effectively. It got to the point he was hitting more lines than a cocaine dealer which lead to extreme frustration from Daniel.

Daniel was late on his forehand quite often and while Milojević’s groundstrokes don’t have much power he moved the ball around effectively. Daniel really has to become more aggressive, perhaps this is what new coach Sven Groeneveld will be looking to add to his game. It was a disappointing loss for Daniel but Milojević was just too solid and deserved the win.

Ruusuvuori vs. Mena

This was the first time watching Ruusuvori live and I do like what I see. This was one of those matches where the result was never in doubt at all.


Ruusovori

The young Finn was a class above Mena. He moved the ball around well, took his opportunities to come to the net which is a good thing in a young player, there needs to be a point of difference. At the same time, he’d normally coming in off good shots and not junk.

Ruusovori should be qualifying here and he won’t be needing to qualify for Slams anymore.

Martinez vs. Villaras

Gimeno Traver’s protégé against the Peruvian Villaras who is definitely more comfortable on the clay and had the crowd behind him, especially this one very vocal ginger Peruvian lad. Martinez had an opponent who was not as awful as Lienz, but continued where he left off in the last round.

Varillas, hasn’t quite worked out how to play on hardcourts as of yet. Martinez was placing the serve well, using angles to open up the court as he doesn’t have the most powerful game. He is a smart player, knows his limitations at the moment and plays within them. Once he got the first set, there was only one winner as Varillas wasn’t playing well enough to change the momentum and put pressure on Martinez.

Rosol vs. Lorenzi

Not enough these days where Rosol is the younger player. This was the classic difference in styles which made this intriguing. Lorenzi, the man who is all heart, endeavour and willing to come to the net whereas Rosol is more see ball, hit ball. Character wise Lorenzi is well respected and admired, grinding all these years on the lower level winning his first ATP title at 34 now still going at 38. Whereas Rosol isn’t the most loved out there, personally I enjoy both cats for different reasons.

Rosol took an early break was looking fairly comfortable in the 1st set, then as he is known to do he threw his one dumb service game and Lorenzi broke back. The match is pretty much as expected with Rosol hitting big from the baseline and Lorenzi scrapping throwing in some off pace balls and sneaking to the net. Rosol was the better player in the 1st set but that’s not how tennis is, got to win the points that count and Lorenzi did that to take the 1st set.

The second set pretty much has exactly the same pattern as the 1st set where Rosol has an early break, but manages to lose it not long afterwards. Rosol going for big forehands and Lorenzi scrapping to another tiebreaker. The buster for the first 5 points all points went against the server. Lorenzi has match points but unable to convert. Rosol takes the buster and it’s 1 set all when he should have been in the locker room.


Onto the decider, the match is definitely on Rosol’s racquet as he’s the more aggressive player but the question is whether he is patient enough or not make donkey errors at the wrong moments. No early breaks but Rosol was down 0-40 and manages to hold service which was a big moment in the match.


Rosol

Good old Rosol he was at his niggling best, just before Lorenzi serving tapped the racquet on the ground, screaming out yes in Italian after he hit a winner. At 6-5 was thinking hope this doesn’t go to a 3rd set buster, as players should be breaking serve to win matches and thankfully this was the case. Rosol was able to break Lorenzi to win the match and he was very emotional after the match, as he knew it was a very difficult match. He ran over to his friend/coach and shared a warm embrace.

Kavčič vs. Gojowczyk

This was probably the best match in terms of quality I’ve seen so far. Kavčič got an early break was unable to hold serve, but broke again. He was playing well and Gojowczyk was making too many errors, as Kavčič was able to take the 1st set.

In the second set the Slovenian lost his serve early and Gojowczyk was making less errors than early in the match. He was playing on and near the baseline making Kavčič going coast to coast who was defending very well but willing to have a go when the opportunity was there. Gojowczyk started placing the serve better leading him to dictate the match with his flat shots taking the 2nd set.


Kavčič

Kavčič dropped serve early in the 3rd set just made some backhand errors and a couple of short second serves. The 3rd set is still Kavčič fighting manfully, hitting well but mostly from a defensive position and the German working the ball around. Unfortunately for Kavčič he was unable to put enough pressure on Gojowczyk’s serve during the 3rd and the German closed it out.

Even though Kavčič lost there were some very good signs for 2020. He has started the season well, it’s a question of being injury free for a year and the results will come. There is still some life in the legs. Tennis is a funny sport, some days you play well and lose, others you play like a drunk donkey but still get the win.

Day 1: Smoke On The River The Aus Open Qualies Report

Yes, it’s that time of the year where I actually write about tennis. Well it has been an interesting start to the year with the ATP Cup which already has more credibility than the Pique Cup in spite of the huge disparity in ranking points and players who can count an additional event.

Now, let’s get on with the real stuff aka the Australian Open qualifiers. Today was an experience for sure. It was warm, humid and the air pollution was disgusting to the point of dangerous. Play was initially meant to be start at 10 am but it was suspended for an hour, whether this was a good thing or not, who knows.

Rosol vs. Lamasine

Naturally the day started at Court 22 aka the car park. The organisers have expanded seating capacity and provided more shade which is a good thing.


Skyline

As for the match itself it was played in awful conditions with the smoke haze. Rosol was class above Lamasine who had nothing at all to hurt him with. He wasn’t able to hit with enough depth and penetration to get Rosol on the move. That’s the thing even at his best Rosol was never the quickest, but he has a lost a step. The serve and the groundstrokes still have pop, but a lot more vulnerable these days.



Today, Rosol was very comfortable and never looked like losing. He was serving well and dominating with the forehand. He found it very difficult to breathe but apart from that, said it wasn’t too bad. He will need to improve to beat Lorenzi in the next round, but tennis is a funny sport.

Martinez vs. Lienz

Pedro Martinez is coached by Daniel Gimeno Traver who has not retired from tennis. He is currently injured with a knee problem. He will continue to work with Martinez while he is injured.

What can one say about a 6-0 6-1 score in around 45 minutes? Lienz was handing out the errors like Santa Claus on speed at Christmas, he probably should have gone to Lienz instead.


Pedro Martinez

On the other hand, Martinez played a very smart match with hardly any mistakes. In the rallies he was 2-3 metres behind the baseline, but he did move into the court when he had a short ball to put it away. At the same time based on what was seen Martinez he is a bit passive, but classic Spanish stubbornness, definitely needs a bit more stick on the groundstrokes though there is potential for improvement.

Kavcic vs. Clarke

This was definitely a unique match in many ways. They played last week in Noumea where Kavcic won in straight sets and was hoping for more of the same.

In the 1st set both guys were struggling in the conditions Kavicc couldn’t get into any rhythm on serve especially. He was serving so many faults into the net, just not getting enough leg drive. Clarke was playing a mixture of good shots and some tripe. They traded breaks, but neither player played well at the same time.


Kavcic

Clarke broke for 6-5 and was 40-0 up, but through a combination of tightness from Clarke and Kavcic playing the break points intelligently and managed to break to get to the tiebreaker. Kavcic plays an excellent tiebreaker to take it.

The match continues with the same pattern as the previous set. Kavcic lost serve again but this time Clarke was able to hold serve throughout to take the 2nd set. Nearly every time Kavcic had a break point Blue Jay Way was hitting the lines with the serves or a good forehand.

There was an unfortunate incident just behind the court. A ballkid has collapsed outside of the court. Both Kavcic & Clarke went over gave them drinks, checked on their welfare. The child has wet towels on them, they were able to walk away after about 10-15 minutes. They had assistance and people checking on her. There was a lot of heat and humidity with the lack of air didn’t help at all.



Kavcic loses serve at 2-1 but Clarke is gassed big time. He is cramping and had the physio out in the 2nd set. In the 4th game Clarke could not drive up on his serve was just using his arms and some underarm serves. Kavcic was able to break back and able to maintain his focus against a very fatigued opponent. The Slovenian did not lose another game in this match to win in 3 sets.

After the match Kavcic was debating with the umpire about the tine violations both players got during the match. He said you’d never do this to Nadal or any of the top players, well he is not wrong. If these conditions were for main draw, then they wouldn’t have played but since they are qualifiers they are too low on the totem pole of significance to worry about.

The Random stuff

Stakhovsky vs Rola : Stakhovsky has not served that well in 5 years, played well from the back but Rola really didn’t change his positioning on return to give a different look but well played Stakhovsky.

Spoke with 2 guys from Spain, one from Madrid and the other from Barcelona. The Barcelona man is an Espanyol fan, yes we spoke about La Liga for about 10 minutes thinking what a shady club Barca are and growing up an Espanyol fan in Barcelona was living on the edge.


View from the courts

Nicola Kuhn had some great shorts but he was swinging so hard and Viola just kept getting the ball back that Kuhn ended up retiring in the 3rd set.

Umpire Mo Layhani noted that he was feeling it in the voice with all the smoke. My shirt smells like smoke. On that note from a smoky Melbourne, until tomorrow and the show must go on.

Closing Time : Final Australian Open report

My Australian Open adventure is over, yes I do watch matches where Andreas Seppi is not involved. At this stage most of the matches are moved to the major courts so there is less to report.

As this is the last report. Today history made at both ends of the spectrum. We have three new quarter finalists, two at the beginning of their careers the young American Francis Tiafoe aka Big Foe this is a man who never missed a day of bench press and Stefanos "El Greco"

Tsitsipas who eliminated the defending champion Roger Federer. El Greco took his chances and unlike his peers Tsitispas is not afraid of the net. He now plays Roberto Bautista Agit aka Bautigol who has come through 3 5 set matches to make the quarter finals deating crowd favourites Andy Murray, the Mailman and today was too good for the 2018 finalist Marin Cilic.

Bautista Agut

Bautigol is very underrated, his main goal was to make a Slam quarter final a goal he has finally achieved at 30 years ago. He is very unusual for a Spanish player his best surface is hardcourts, doesn't have the heavy spin, solid serve, very understated and non flashy game which makes it easy for him to be forgotten when compared to his countrymen.


Bautista Agut

He could have been a footballer as he was on the books of Villarreal who have an outstanding youth academy. Bautigol used to be a forward but he chose tennis at 13 because he was playing a year above his age group, he was unable to connect with his team mates and chose tennis instead. He is undefeated this year winning Doha defeating Djokovic and there is a massive opportinity ifor a semi final spot, the question will be who can play the match and not the occasion.

Big Foe

Frances Tiafoe who has made the quarter finals defeating Big Kevin Anderson, my man Seppi and pretty boy Grigor Dimitrov today. Big Foe is box office, he is very entertaining, huge forehand with its own unique technique, reasonable hands, even hititng some reasonable volleys this tournament.




As for why the Foe is over, his background is very interesting. His parents won the green card lottery from Sierra Leone, his dad got a job as a construction labourer that built the Junior Tennis Champions Center. He and his brother were living there with his dad who was given a room at the club. Tiafoe took advantage of the situation, thankfully his raw talent was spotted early by a coach. It's very unlikely if not for the living conditions as a child that he would not have been playing tennis.




What happens against Nadal who knows, but he has a lot to build on. His background won't allow him to change in spite of any success as he has good people around him. The thing I noticed there were a lot of kids of African descent more than usual, they were there supporting Big Foe. This is a n excellent thing especially when you are a member of a minority group when you see one of your own succeeding, doing it in their own style is definitely an inspiration.

Talking Points

People at the tennis who take selfies while the match is going iare totally disrespectful and deserve kidney punching.

Friday night and Saturdays are the worst days to go to the tennis if you actually want to watch the sport. Unfortunately it's the old classic go there to be seen, most could not tell the difference between forehand and forehead.

The venue is expanding at a great rate hopefully some of the money they are generating is going to the expansion. It's not like the players are getting a fair slice of the pie which leads to the latest stuff with the ATP and Chris Kermode. The North American faction and Djokovic want Kermode to be gone, but most of the players are happy with Kermode. Yes, he has been far from perfect but there have been significant improvements.

Qualies are free which is the only Slam which is the case and is a fantastic time to go. It's definitely a very different feel before the main tournament it consists of family, friends, tennis nuts and intelligent gamblers. The results were shit but still recommend going to qualies.

Jose Acasuso and Igor Andreev were there still look like they are in playing shape. Ryan Harrison confirmed what most people know that he is very unlikeable. Andreas Seppi is still the man. Stephane Robert had a successful start to the coaching career and yes he's still on the tour, not leaving us yet.

The best part thanks to one of my best friends Sammy who is such a tennis but, very knowledgeable who managed to help me through some shit days with his enthusiasm.

My younger sisters from another mother yes that is Kristen and Peta, met them years ago and they've not changed at all. Tennisguru Phil Mardh who is top quality, thanks for the Berlocq atory which almost made me spat out my water. The 2 Maltese brothers of destruction who are entertaining as hell , plus my very niche audience who I appreciate

Last of all the players I happen to support. Sure it's great when they win, but tennis is like life sometimes you play like shit and get away with it and others you do well without getting the rewards.

On that note we need a Tiafoe and Bautista Agut semi final and the Aus Open is over for another year.

Frances Tiafoe : It Can Be That Good

Thankfully after the rain the weather was much cooler which was needed after the awful humidity.

Seppi vs. Tiafoe

This was an intriuging match with the raw power of Tiafoe against the guile of Seppi. The first set was the feeling out the process both were holding serve easily. Unsurprisingly the 1st set went to the tiebreaker which Seppi took.

Big Foe has definitely not missed chest day at the gym, he definitely has a unique technique but generates so much power it's always a question of how the technique holds up under pressure. The crowd was very much pro Foe the spectacular will always get the people on side as they want to be entertaining.

Tiafoe took advabtage of a poor service game from Seppi and took the 2nd set, there was so little between these guys with the match played in a fun atmosphere and court 3 is easily the best show court at the Aus Open.

Seppi is a calm character, continues to serve well and use his forehand to open the court and expose the Foe forehand on low balls. Seppi served for the 3rd set at *5-3, anyone who follows the sport knows Seppi serving out sets and matches is akways interesting.. The Foe breaks serve and then plays a very loose game to lose the set 6-4.

This is the point where Seppi needed to be at his strongest mentally but was broken in the opening game. Tiafoe isn't missing much on the backhand side, he used some short shots which Seppi made easily but unusually did not make the next shots. Big Foe is starting to get into the groove while Seppi is getting further behind the baseline and Tiafoe levels 2 set all.


Tiafoe

Deservedly this match is going 5 sets, the one lowlight was Sharapova screaming so loud from Rod Laver Arema that everyone heard it on the court, they really should put a muzzle on her it's fair for nearly everyone.



Seppi started serving first and he went down 0-40, saving 2 break points and then the dead let cord. Big Foe breaks and is down 0-40 but the American was serving very well especially body serves and huge kickers on the ad side. With all that strength not a surprise he can generate that power.

Tiafoe is riding the momentum train which was definitely express using the huge forehand to slap winners once Seppi was unable to break back straight away. Tiafoe was clearly dominant there was a very small window of opportunity where Seppi got a bit passive. The Foe ran with that opportunity and broke for the match.

Excellent and hard fought match with Taifoe a deserved winner, the Lebron James celebrations at the end was quality. As they say in the pro wrestling Tiafoe is well over the crowd. Now take out Dimitrov


Bautista Agut vs. Khachanov

After 2 big 5 setters the question was how would Bautigol pull up against an opponent who has the power but lacks variety. The conditions were much cooler and with these balls fluffing up, Bautigol dialled in the radar and was his usual accurate self.

Khachanov needed it to be slightly quicker with his very heavy forehand to get more pop off the court. Bautista is undefeated ths season and it's easy to see why. He is not the most powerful but places the serve well, hardly misses backhands and yes for a Spanish player he hits very flat anf his timing is exceptional.


Bautista Agut

Bautigol takes the frist 2 sets and as per previous matches against Murray and Millman went down an early break in the 3rd set. Thankfully for Bautista he was able to break back with his solid play while the big Russian was trying to dominate with the forehand.

Khachanov definitely has a lot of hype, but this is a match where he didn't deliver especially as Bautista Agut has had 2 previous 5 set matches and didn't make him work him hard enough. A very delighted Bautista Agut wins in straight sets this was a case of brain over brawn.

Talking Points

Got to see some points of the Dream Team of Taro Daniel and John Millman having a hit of doubles. Great to see the brothers from another mother having a great time. Even Taro Daniel called Millman a machine when it comes to his subjects, but we know the Mialman is a man of the people.

Friday nights are not always fun at the tennis as the non tennis people who have been on the sauce with their expert commentary on matches and trying to get themselves over, they can get lost.

Day 4 : João Pedro Coelho Marinho de Sousa this is your day

Yes, it's Day 4 from a very humid Australian Open which was lacking air like Andre Agassi is lacking hair.

Sousa vs. Kohlschreiber

This was the highlight match of the day, the classic match up between the shotmaker and the grinder in very hot and humid conditions. In the previous round Joao Sousa played a very tough & high quality match with Guido Pella overcoming him in 5 sets. I thought this one would be a 4 setter but this was proven to be incorrect.

Kohli rocking the purple shoes think I may have to get a pair is a little bit off not passive but not aggressive , he was struggling to impose himself on the match. Sousa has dialled in 1800 time to grind, placing the serve well and looking to extend the rallies working Kohli side to side using the off forehand pinning Kohli deep in the corner. Sousa takes the 1st set, there was very little between them.


Sousa

The 2nd set continues along the same way as the opening set, the difference was that Sousa played a sloppy game and was made to pay for it. Kohlschreber breaks and able to take the 2nd set. In such a close encouter the 3rd set was going to be key especially in the heat, there weren't many opportunities to break. They get to the buster where Sousa was just more solid using the off forehand to dominate and takes a 2 sets to lead.



In the 4th set Sousa just dropped the level a bit, though he had a great serve for an absolute idiot who was walking in to the court in between points this was at *5-6. Sousa did not miss and it's something that has become plague like, then again at the US Open they will either call the police or shoot you. Kohli finally breaks on the 9th break pont to take the set 7-5.

At the start of the 5th set Kohli has a bit of a letdown and Sousa breaks serve. From there Sousa who is tougher than $2 steak was using his off forehand tempting to Kohli hit the backhand down the line which he wasn't able to hit often enough. Sousa did not lose serve for the rest of the match and a well deserved celebration at the end.

Shapovalov vs. Daniel

This was quite a fun match the young Canadian Shapovalov playing some aggressive tennis and flashy shots against Taro Daniel who was serving well & attempting to use his forehand.

The main take away from this match is that Shapovalov is just a better player on a quick hardcourt than Daniel. There was some stop start with the annoying rain drops which get the lines all wet, it was difficult to get momentum. Shapo had one break point in the 1st set and was able to take it with aggressive play.


Shapovalov


In the 2nd set, Daniel forced break points but was unable to convert due to some excellent play from Shapo along with not making a few returns. Daniel needed to win the 2nd set tiebreaker to have any chance in this match as the only way he could turn this around was Shapo making a lot of errors which did not happen in the tiebreaker. Shapo takes a 2 sets to 0 lead.

The 3rd set was pretty much the same as the 1st, Shapo just needed the one break and was able to run the match out comfortably. Daniel was 0/7 on break points and Shapovalov was 2/2 that's efficency.

Good for Taro D to sign autographs after the match even though he lost, most players tend to get off the court as soon as possible.

Talking Points


Fognini

The Fog won easily against the Alligator Leo Mayer and had an interesting outfit. I don't mind but there are others who disagree.

Danil Medvedev the less douchey racist routinely took out Ryan Harrison which is always a good day for the sport.

Pouolle and Marterer was an entertaining match wth both guys going for it. Pouille was very generous with the fans after the match, plus he hates the Pique Cup so points for him.

Alex Bolt is somehow in the 3rd round that's tennis for you. Gilles Simon that is one of the worst losses of his career.

Spoke to the ESPN Latin American guys, they interviewed Pablo Cuevas last night and stated that was the most downcast they've seen him after a loss in a long time. That's the thing about the sport, some days you will play well and not win, others you play like crap, yet get the W. Well it's a bit like life isn't it

Day 3 : Too good Seppi and the Mailman delivers the effort but not the victory

Sorry for the no report on Day 2, there wasn't that much though the best match I've seen was on this day and will include it in the talking points.

Definitely didn't expect 4 from 4 today but one can only do their best. The two expected winners got up but the other two were defeated but put on excellent performances.

Seppi vs. Thompson

There isn't much to say except this was routine, expected and never in doubt. Seppi started off with a double break to jump out to a 3-0 lead, then Thompson double break back to get to 3 all. Seppi steps up and takes the next 3 games to win 6-3.

The second set just went aloing very comfortably until the 10th game where Seppi breaks to take the second set and the third set was exactly the same.


Seppi

This match showed a clear difference in class between the two players. Thompson is a solid player at Challenger level but how will get more aggressive from the baseline to survive at tour level, whereas Seppi is a very solid professional who has maximised his talent though some would argue that he could have more titles. The match was very comfortable for the South Tyrolean and another 3rd round in Melbourne.

Schwartzman vs. Kudla

Was following this on the scoreboard seen Schwartzman was up 2 sets to 0, then seen he dropped the 3rd and 4th set. The court was packed and could smell the pig sweat in the air but was able to see the last set.

Topsy turvy and breakathon describe this perfectly. Schwartzman up a double break in the 3rd, loses was 5-4 40-0 up on serve in the 4th set and doesn't get the job done. Kudla dances to his own tune , turned the match around with free hitting.


Schwartzman

Kudla gets an early break in the 5th which didn't mean much in the context of the match. After the 4th game the super journalist, shrill & individual who thinks Slams should be best of 3 sets for the man aka Benjamin Rothenberg decides to leave the media room for the match. He could not even wait for the change of ends, definitely should know better.

Schwartzman kept fighting hard and Kudla started to think about what was happening on the court which is not his strong point. Schwartzman was able to turn the match around and sent the crowd home happy. Coming back from 2 sets down and losing in 5 must really suck.

Cuevas vs. Dimitrov

This was always going to be the toughest of the 4 for my guys to win. It needed Cuevas to play very well and Dimitrov to be a bit off. The court was packed with mostly drunk bogan, a few Bulgarians, fangirls and the odd tennis fan which made it an interesting mix.Unfortunately I had this older Andre Agassi fangirl behind me, yes it was as awful and they marked out when they saw his sanctimonious bald head in the player box.

Cuevas started slowly and dropped his first service game and was unable to get into Dimitrov's service games and the Bulgarian ran out a comfortable first set winner. In the second set Cuevas started serving better, though his usual quality kick serve on the ad side due to the cooler conditions was not jumping up and out as much as usual giving Dimitrov chances to return effectively.

In the second set Cuevas had 2 break points, one was saved by a good serve and the other was a passive return. No breaks of serve before entering the tiebreaker. Cuevas was able to play some quality tennis mixed in with a double fault frm Dimitrov, not long after Cuevas levels at 1 set all which shut the bogans and fangirls up.

The match was pretty much Dimitrov serving like Karlovic hitting the corners and Cuevas working the angles to open up the court. The Uruguayan was more aggressive from the baseline as in the first set and a half he was too passive and pushed around. The one break in the 3rd set was due to three double faults from Cuevas that is Christmas in January, players generally aren't getting away with 3 doubles in a game which was the case here.



Dimitrov took a 2 sets to 1 lead and the familar pattern continues with Dimitrov serving very well, playing some fine shots. Cuevas attempting to be more aggressive but unable to make any inroads into the Dimitrov serve. In the fourth set it was exactly the same pattern until the 11th game Cuevas was leading 40-0 up, served a double and then proceded to get broken. Dimitrov served out the match and continued the usual of winning matches when you don't want him to do and vice versa.

Based on what was seen here Cuevas should be fine for the clay season as long as he keeps fit.

Bautista Agut vs. Millman

This was the classic of watching one match and following the other at the same time. Bautigol was his usual solid self and Millman was a bit off, but anyone who has a clue about tennis knows what a great fighter Millman is.

With the local crowd driving Millman on he was able to take the 3rd set. The grinding continues and Bautigol had 4 match points in the tiebreaker but was unable to take then with Millman levelling at 2 sets all.



The question whether Millman train was powering through or Bautista Agut like he did against Andy Murray troll the crowd favourite to let them get back even and step up the pace. Unsurprisingly this match was about extended rallies and Bautigol was able to get the decisive break and was able to run out the match, letting it rip with an almighty roar.

Bautista showed great mental strength that's what confidence does to an individual when in difficult moments they're able to come through. The main difference between Bautista Agut and Millman is that Bautigol can flatten the ball more consistently which he did to get the break in the 5th. The embrace at the end made it worth it.

Day 1 Main Draw : Tennis wins when Tennys loses & the Mialman delivers another win

To use a wrestling analogy the pre show has been done and today was the start of the main PPV. For those who don't get that it means it's Day 1 of the Aus Open Yes, it was very warm and not much breeze around, as per usual it was a mess with the accreditation and picking up tickets that were being left for pick up was a sham.

Caught up with the main man Sammy and lookiing at the order of play it was pretty easy to see which matches I was going to be out and surprise surprise that's where I went.

Cuevas vs. Lajovic

Thankfully the first WTA match did not last too long, once the Seppi and Mackenzie McDonald finished their hitting session went over to court 20 to watch Salto's finest Cuevas against Lajovic. Cuevas hasn't been in good form for a while this is due to some injury issues and playing through them.

Cuevas started well got an early break in the 1st set. He was down a break point and Lajovic got a dead letcord to break back. Cuevas handled the setback, he kept hitting good length on the groundstrokes, moving Lajovic around to expose the movement and the backhand. Cuevas broke and served out the 1st set.


Cuevas backhand

The 2nd set was a familar pattern Cuevas serving well moving it around the box to open the court from where Cuevas was able to dominate from the baseline using quality angles with the forehand to set up the signature backhand down the line. The match was progressing comfortably on serve for both until the 11th game where Cuevas stepped it up and broke.

After taking a 2 sets to 0 lead in the searing heat Lajovic was demoralised. Cuevas sensed it and made very unforced errors which lead to an easy 3rd set win for Cuevas who got out of the heat with a straight sets win. The best match of the year for the Uruguayan and there were a couple of times where Cuevas hit kick serves to the ad where it bounced out of the court, too bad they were wide.

Schwartzman vs. Molleker

This match followed Cuevas on court 20 aka the car park as it's away from the main courts and suffers from a lack of shade. Schwartzman aka "The Big Man" with Chubby Chela in his corner started very well and showed Molleker what the main level tour is about.

The Big Man got into the groove early on serve and making very few unforced errors pressing Molleker into errors and frustrating the hell out of him. Schwartman took the first 2 sets easily and it looked like a routine straight sets win for the Big Man.

At the 3rd set had a couple of Gremio fans sit next to me and they were fans of Schwartzman which is always a good thing. Yes, Gremio is a football team in Brazil, they said when there no Brazilians they will support other South Americans which is a good thing. Molleker starts hitting better length while holding serve with more ease. The Big Man is crusiing along until the 10th game where plays an absolute stinker of a game and gets broken to lose the 3rd set.


Schwartzman

Schwartzman goes for a toilet break and gets cheered by the Argentine fans as he comes past them. That was the thing which annoyed me during this match there were people taking selfies with the tennis going on in the background. These are the people who go to a gig watching the whole thing through their phones or the ones who complain about 1 gram over on food at the deli.

After the break Schwartzman gets focused after the 3rd set lapse, becomes the human backboard and hitting the corners with the groundstokes. He easily takes the 4th set and was mobbed by fans after the match. If you get a chance to watch Schwartzman do it.

Seppi vs. Johnson

Of course what is this blog without a Seppi report. It's like a pizza without cheese or having a 20 year single malt whisky with coke. This was a tough match for Seppi as he was 0-3 in head to head meetings and only arriving in Melbourne yesterday afternoon.

The key to this match was Seppi attempting to break down the Johnson backhand. Johnson is a good fastcourt player serves well and a good forehand but the backhand is mostly slice. Seppi was a bit sluggish at the start which was understandable but was able to dig in and dominate from the baseline especially the backhand to backhand rallies.

It's not easy to back up after a big week previously especially when losing a final where Seppi let the occasion get better of him anf not play the match. Seppi was able to get the break and managed the serve the 1st set out comfortably which is something Seppi doesn't normally do.

The 2nd set continues on in the same manner. Johnson using his serve and forehand to get on the front foot. Seppi having some issues on serve but once the point was starting working Johnson side to side going to the forehand to expose the backhand. The match was progressing along comfortably until Seppi lost his concentration made a game of errors where Johnson broke and took the 2nd set.

Even afer 1 set all the match feels like it's Seppi's to lose. Johnson does not have a great Slam record and his return game is not a strength. Seppi was hitting well off both sides, got an early break and ran out the 3rd set fairly easily using his groundstokes to keep Johnson pinned on the baseline.


Seppi

We begin the 4th set which continued in the same as the 3rd. Both were holding serve fairly easily, Seppi grinding away and Johnson hitting the spots on serve until a controversial moment in the game where Johnson was broken.

At the first point Johnson cleans the line with a first serve which was an ace. Seppi was walking to the other side and gestured Johnson to challenge. Hawkeye showed it was on the line and the umpire called first serve. Johnson was very pissed off with the decision and debated with the umpire which is like arguing with a female, even when they are wrong, they are right. Seppi returned well after the first point and was able to get the break point where Johnson was being pushed around who floated a slice backhand long for Seppi to break.

Seppi having a few hiccups on serve but these were not fully exploited by Johnson who was making some poor errors especially on the backhand, In that rare moment Seppi served out a match easily and got the W.

After the match Seppi was delighted that the match did not go too long as he said he was feeling flat. He was grinding and Johnson made a lot of mistakes on the backhand after 3 or 4 shots, which Seppi said was unsuual for Johnson as he normally hits it well and keeps it deeps. Now, Seppi is going to enjoy his day off and have a very gentle hit with the coach.

Talking Points

The Mialman delivered with the effort and the victory over Delbonis in 4 sets. It was impossible to get a seat on the court which was way too small for Millman. He should have been placed on court 3 but Millman does not have the right management company, more on that later.

Millman was fantastic as per usual with the fans aftet the match. It's interesting as anyone who has followed this rather strange blog that I have been advocate for Millman. He is a hard and fair competitor but more importantly a fantastic individual. After defeating Federer last year at the US Open, there has been a bandwagon of course, but definitely a sense of happitness that there are more people realising what he's about.


Millman

After the match Millman spent at least 40 minutes taking photos with and signing autographs for fans making sure no one missed out. It's genuine and not done for PR purposes which will give fans fantastic memories. He will go on to play one of his friends Bautista Agut in what will be a big grindfest in the next round.

Roberto Bautista Agut is definitely playing the villain role this week. He played the dry witted Scot Andy Murray who announced that he will be finishing his career due to injury. The fact a player can't retire on their own terms is one of the worst things for a pro sportsman. Bautigol took the first 2 sets, then Murray came back taking the next 2 tiebreakers but once Bautista Agut saw Murray getting fatigued, he got focused.

Now to end this entry with some controversial comments from Nard Dogg Tomic. After losing straight sets to Marin Cilic. Tomic came out and made comments about Lleyton Hewitt's role within Tennis Australia and a conflict of interest. Hewitt is the Davis Cup captain, has a say in who gets the wildcards and in addition has a management company. When there are a multitude of hats being worn, the potential for perceived conflict of interest is clear, especially when Hewitt is still playing doubles when he has been retired, giving himself wildcards to the Australian events and his playing partners are part of the management company. In addition to that, while getting a salary from TA, he is getting prizemoney for the doubles which is double dipping and the fee from the clients.


Tomic on Hewitt

As for Tomic he is not the brightest or most articulate individual. He's definitely a character who manages to divide people, thankfully he doesn't give a monkeys and will answer questions without fake palatitudes or cliches. In the above comments, which have been discussed the issue seems to be the messenger in this case and not so much the content. As they say in the classics a broken clock is right twice a day.

On that note time to end this successful tennis day especially as the big 4 won and Trimp lover Tennys Sandgren lost.

Two for the Price of One : Qualifying Reports

Robert vs. Kuhn

The battle between the teenager and the man known as Stephane Robert who is almost old enough to be his dad. As for Kuhn he's a German-Russian born in Austria who plays for Spain, who said tennis wasn't an international sport.

Kuhn can tell he has been in the Spanish school of tennis, where there is a lot of work, work and a bit more work it's a tough system whereas Robert is on the eccentric side which is great in a sporting world with increased homogenisation which is what happens when big business gets in the way.


Nicola Kuhn

Kuhn was moving Robert around in the rallies and Robert wasn't able to change the direction often enough. The only break in the 1st came when Robert was up 40-30 had Kun wrongfooted and missed a forehand wide from there.

Robert starts playing better in the 2nd set able to get the rallies on his terms and exposing Kuhn on the backhand side where he has to run. The turning point was Robert was up a break and two opportunities for the insurance breakm but failed to make the returns. Kuhn held

Both are holding serve comfortably enough until they hit the tie breaker. Robert was up a mini break but Kuhn got a couple of miss hits go his way and Robert made errors. Possible missed opportunity but Kuhn was too good.

Gimeno-Traver vs. Davidovich Fokina

This match DGT was waiting for about 5 minutes and I was thinking can he Davidovich be timed out if he doesn't get there in time. Well he' s from Malaga via Russian and Swedish parents so he was on Malaga time.

DGT is never good early in the year as he needs matches and I've only seen Davidovich on a computer screen, it's always so much better to watch live as there aee more nuances you can see.

Gimeno Traver broke serve, then decided to hand the break back due to a multitude of errors. He broke leading 4-2, then at 4-3 plays a game of errors hands it back to the Malaga man who was playing very intelligently working the ball around. Gimeno Traver after hitting the big forehand as soon as he leant back, Davidovich got him with excellent drop shots. When serving to stay in DGT, continued to serve poorly and got broken to lose it 7-5. Can't be winning matches with a first serve percentage of 35%.


Davidovich

In the 2nd set DGT starts serving better and able to use his massive forehand and even the backhand was reasonable when at times it resembles a club player. Davidovich was getting his foot looked at by the physio kept good length on the groundstrokes, defended when necessary and hit winning drop shots. The set went along comfortably a the end DGT had to save some match points got to the tiebreaker. A bit like the first set DGT up a mini break, unable to consolidate the youngster kept fighting and took his chance and put away the veteran.

Davidovich Fokina isn't the tallest but he has good court sense, solid and uses the dropshot well. He'll get stronger for sure but have to get the balance right where it doesn't take his speed away.

Brown vs. Arevalo

Another slow start for Brown who was getting pissed off with the people walking in during the point when they are in their own world holding up the players. Arevalo was solid hardly making any errors as Brown was happy to provide them . The El Salvadoran took the 1st set.

Brown become more aggressive, because he needed to and also due to agitiation with those fans and some poor linecalling contributed. Brown wasn't serving and volleying as much, he stayed back a bit more and ripping forehands which pressured Arevalo into hitting shorter balls which Brown took advantage of breaking serve. From that point on Brown was serving better and took the ride on the momentum train taking the 2nd set.


Dustin Brown

The Brown Expreess was travelling and he never looked his losing in the 3rd, yes anything can and will happen in a Brown match but this had a feeling on inevitable about it. Brown into the final qualie round.

Rola vs.Polansky

Polansky was his solid self just putting the ball into the court and letting Rola self destruct. In the first set a bit Rola was moving like a slow Karlovic, there was no energy from his end, not getting to the ball and just making very cheap errors. Polansky did not have to do much and these are the days which one has to take advantage of.

Halfway through the second set Rola realises he can move his feet and geting more pop on the groundstrokes though not serving as well as Tuesday. There was too much of the same serve, not enough body serving whwich when he did was successful every ti.

They manage to get to a tiebreaker where Rola was more the proactive , though there was hilarious incident amoing many average calls in the match at 6-6. The linesperson forgot to change sides, Rola served and the first serve was 1m long, Polansky hits it and Layhani then calls fault before Rola hits it and Polansky is urined off. Rola takes the set.

Polansky must have had a shit and a shower since his toilet break was 10 minutes plus. It was good enough as Rola lost momentum and started playing like he did early in the set. Polansky broke and then Rola broke back, the standard of tennis wasn't great from either guy. The 6th game where Polansky broke was 4 gifts rom Rola, yes there is Christmas in July. Polansky couldn't believe his luck, while he struggled to serve out the match, his running forehand pass to take the match was excellent which could not be said about this match.

Rosol vs. Troicki

The match started in cool and overcast conditions with no sun which Rosol was enjoying. The big Czech was playing well hititng the ball cleanly, got an early break and had chances for double break but was unable to convert due to a mixture of good play from Troicki and gifts from Rosol.

Rosol served for the set at 5-4, but got tight as a drum and forgot what he got him into the lead. Troicki is a very good albeit a threatrical competitor who is not going to give anything away and broke back. Both held serve until the tiebreaker, then at 1-0 when Rosol steps up for his 2 serves he throws up 2 double faults. Troicki can't believe these presents and gains confidence to take the teiebreaker.


Troicki

In the second set Rosol is just making errors, going for winners at times when not in position to do so. Troicki is defending well and while not being passive, he essentially let Rosol self destruct which he happily obliged.

Not sure if the conditions changing threw Rosol's timing out, my Czech isn't good enough to get the mutterings. Coming back from injury isn't easy, getting the confidence back and that impacts on movement while Rosol was never the quickest, he looked a bit slower which of course means the crisp shots aren't going to be as effective.

Troicki is back with Jack Reader the supercoach. It will be a long way back but Troicki as long as he stays fit should be back in the top 100.



Talking Points

Mo Layhani did not damage any more eardrums with the screems of "correction the ball is good". He is very approachable and has plenty of fans.

Daniel Evans was being Daniel Evans pretty much saying in these exact words Australia is full of pussies.

Rosol against Bellucci he was so rubbish in the 1st set, then took a toilet break which lasted more than 10 minutes. He must have had the mother of all dumps, but as they say in the classics better out than in. Thge dump break worked as he was moving and hitting better.

Jurij Rodiinov is from the Jurgen Melzer school of left handers and not Thomas Muster. Lots of attacking tennis though definitely doesn't havet the hands of Melzer.

There is a big upside to Davidovich Fokina and Kuhn barring injuries

Darian King is a great guy.

All Beginnings Are Difficult: Day 1 Australian Open Qualies

It's that time of year where the Aus Open qualies and for the first time there was a lack of anticipation but was hoping that would change once I entered the grounds, alas this did not happen.


2018 was a pretty poor year besudes John Millman beating Roger Federer at the US Open to make the quarter finals. The overnight success where his father Ron The Fox Millman cemented legendary status fielding all the media requests. It hasn't changed John and it won't, he has solid people around him.


John and the Fox

The coolest Japanese man of all time Taro Daniel won a title out of nowhere in Istaanbul doing a Marvel celebration and coming back from 04 in the 3rd against Rogerio Dutra Silva in the quarter finals. Diego Schwartzman was just being Diego Schwartzman.


Schwartzman

Changes

Before we start on the qualies action these are the lowlights. Davis Cup has ended and what has been put in its place is an absolute joke. Can't say Davis Cup is special when all the special elements have been taken away. If they agreed to paly it every 2 years in odd years, it would not clash with the Olympics which the ITF make a big deak out of. The Pique Cup is a joke, just a cash grab which needs to fail.

This leads into my next point the players are not consulted at all about these changes. The vast majority are against the Pique Cup. The Australian Open decides to have a 5th set tiebreaker which is garbage. In a major players should be breaking to wn a 5th set in a major not rely on a crapshoot. Then the organisers have a Champions Tie Break which is rubbish, sure Wimbledon had a hybrid solution but it's better than what's on offer. The mental aspect is takem away, as they know the end is coming and the fitness is part of this great sport.




Qualifying for some reason was changed from Tuesday to Friday for reasons that are unknown just like the extensive consultation about the tiebrakers that allegedly that happened from the tournament organisers. None of the players were asked yes that includes Sascha Zverev, Nadal and Severin Luthi stated Federer was not asked. Who was clamouring for the change it was definitely commercial interests, this is where you need an organisation that has the skill to balance the interests out. With the qualifying finishing on Friday, some will play their next match on Tuesday, they will be able to go to Phillip Island and back, then off on the Great Ocean Road return and still have time to prepare. So, no the organisers did not stop, collaborate and listen to all parties necessary.

Day 1 qualifying

Rola vs. Pavlasek

Rola who is coached by Grega Zemlja one of the blogger's favourtires. In the past year he has opened up an academy where Rola is playing out of. Looking to turn promising juniors into pros but of course getting better facilities is a challenge.


Rola

Rola served well , moving the ball around the service box and using his forehand to attack Pavlasek's backhand which is mostly slice and not of the Estrella Burgos kind. He is most notable for being an ex of Petra Kvitova, not that this is a bad thing in itself.

Pavlasek was very passive but holding comfortably as well as Rola was serving in the 1st set, he was returning like Karlovic and not on a good day. In the 12th game with Pavlasek serving to take into the tiebreaker. Rola starts hitting some solid returns, waiting for the inevitable short ball from Pavlasek and took the set 7-5.

The 2nd set begins in the same way but Rola is returning better overall. Once they get into the rallies the greater weight of shot from Rola exposed the Czech's backhand and ran out a comfortable winner in the end with a small wobble while serving it out.

Brown vs. Berlcoq

Total contrast between the flair of Brown and the grinding of Berlocq. In his first service game, Brown was not switched on and got broken. For the first 5 games Berlocq hardly made an unforced error and Brown was getting frustrated but was getting more balls into the court. Berlocq deservedly took the 1st set which lead to Brown being more aggressive and not necessarily in ballbashing mode.

In the 2nd set Brown gets on a roll, not missing many serves, dominating with the forehand and moving forward to knock the volleys off. Brown is tough to stop when he is riding that momentum train, whereas Berlccq the level between best and worst isn't as extreme as Brown who takes the 2nd set.


Dustin Brown

Brown got an early break in the 3rd and was sailing along fairly comfortably on serve, while playing way too many dropshots and not having a great success ratio. Berlocq is tougher than $2 steak and gives nothing away, manages to break back. The match is Berlocq's grunting and grinding against Dreddy's serve/colleying, 200km/h forehands, slice and drop shots.

Berlocq serving at 5-5 40-0 up. Brown hits the backspin drop shot one bounce on Berlocq's side & bounces on Brown's side, from there Dreddy rides the momentum train breaks Berlocq and serves out the match. There was a proper warm embrace at the end of the match.

Talking Points

Good to see Steve Darcis back around the courts he was at the De Greef match.

Janko Tipsarevic sighting has been confirmed and Viktor Troicki smiling they were watching the Serbian derby.

Chris Eubanks saw the last set of his match and like his game. His forehand takeback is similar to Lukas Rosol, apart from that he is a lot quicker and doesn't have Rosol's on court temperament.

Domi Thiem was watching his compatriot Ofner win his match.

Casper Ruud played an absolute shit match today, pretty much it was just cheap errors and most of them were rally balls. Laaksonen was solid, but he did what was necessary since Ruud thought it was still Christmas with all the presents he was handing out.

The final set champions tiebreak is rubbish as witnessed with the initial one played in the Jung match. It was dumb then and it's dumb noiw.

Tomorrow will be a fun day have Robert, Lorenzi, Dutra Silva, Gimeno-Traver, Baghdatis and Rosol all gracing the courts at some stage.