Face Of The Day

by Craig Hickman


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Another emotional victory for a woman on the mend. Another great match under the roof on Centre Court. The slugfest between Sabine Lisicki and Li Na didn't have quite the variety from both sides of the net as did the Venus Williams Kimiko Date-Krumm instant classic, but boy were the rallies scintillating.

The woman who was carried from the court in a stretcher in Paris outlasted the woman who won the whole thing 3-6, 6-4, 8-6 after saving two match points on her serve. Li served for the match twice. Like Serena Williams, Lisicki cried in her towel on the sidelines when it was all over.

Another player the WTA needs to keep it real is back and taking names.

Standing O.

Match Of The Day

AP


I wasn't able to see most of it, but from what I saw and the match reports that followed, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's four-set defeat of Grigor Dimitrov was a high-quality, dramatic affair that the crowd lapped up like cream.

Surprise Of the Day


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Robin Söderling rallied from two sets to love down to defeat Lleyton Hewitt. The result wasn't exactly a surprise, but the path to victory certainly was. Surely Hewitt wouldn't squander such a big lead. Surely Söderling wouldn't dig deep to beat a former Wimbledon champion on a surface he's not particularly fond of. They did. My eyebrows rose.

No Country For Old Men

by Craig Hickman


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I know that Lleyton Hewitt, a man who bears the weight of a nation on his shoulders every time he steps into Rod Laver Arena, and David Nalbandian, a man whose body has betrayed his gifts more times than the sport ever needed, are not old, actually.

But by the end of their intense, though sometimes devoid of energy, first-round battle under the lights at Laver Arena last night, the 29-year-olds looked decrepit. Once the match entered overtime at 6-6 in the fifth, after Hewitt failed to hold his fourth-set lead to close out the affair in four; failed to convert 4 break points that would've allowed him to serve for 5-1; after Nalbandian failed to serve out the set at 5-3 taking it instead in a lopsided breaker; failed to serve for the match at 5-4 in the fifth; one thing became clear: whoever prevailed wouldn't live to fight past the third round.

Age isn't really the factor. After all, it was just day before yesterday that world No. 2 and defending champion Roger Federer looked as lithe as a prepubescent school boy. His post-match interview in ESPN's studio revealed an animated, almost agitated demeanor I've never seen from the great champion. Never. It was as though he'd just ingested a pound of sugar, ready to play his second round match right then, right there.

But I digress.

The man who bears the weight of a nation of his shoulders and the man whose body has betrayed him too many times have both had hip surgery at least once. Remember how we lost the great Gustavo Kuerten to such deterioration? It was a long and painful departure from the sport and both of last night's warriors, no matter what they might say, are clearly on their last legs.

They both know it.

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Which is why most of the tennis late in the match, despite the costly coming-in-patches mental lapses, displayed some of the biggest gonads you'll ever see from both sides of the net. Angles. The match was all about angles. Nalbandian and Hewitt can create them out of almost nothing, especially with their backhands, but it was the serve and return angles that predicted the perfection of a point. I can't describe it any further. Perhaps a highlight video will emerge to show you exactly what I'm talking about.

When Nalbandian, who had saved two match points at 5-6 in the fifth, one with a ballsy serve and drop volley, hit the final topspin lob winner that shattered the hopes of a nation, a family, and their aging son, 9-7 in the fifth, no less, we knew we had witnessed a classic.


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Federer Defends Cincinnati Title Over Fish

Roger Federer won his first non-major final of the year after losing 3 finals in a row (on 3 different surfaces: Madrid to Rafael Nadal, Halle to Lleyton Hewitt and Toronto to Andy Murray) in Cincinnati on Sunday over American Mardy Fish. The title was his 53rd overall, tying Bjorn Borg on the all-time list at 5th. It was Federer's 17th ATP Masters series title, tying Andre Agassi but still one behind Nadal's 18.

Federer has now won the Cincinnati title in 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2010. Next year it will become a combined male-female 8-day event (immediately following simultaneous men's and women's tournaments in Toronto and Montreal).

The match with Fish was a close, high-quality 3-set affair featuring 2 tiebreaks, one break of serve and only 6 breakpoints between the two players. The final score was 6-7(5) 7-6(1) 6-4. In the first set, Federer had 4 breakpoints and failed to convert any of them due to brilliant serving by Fish. Federer faced one breakpoint in the second set but was able to get through to a tiebreak. In the first set tiebreaker Federer held a 5-4 lead, but Fish played a brilliant point to even the breaker at 5-all and Federer played a loose point to be down 6-5. Fish won the first set on a service winner. In the second set tiebreaker Federer was much sharper, jumping to a quick 4-1 lead and never looked in danger of losing that breaker. The only break in the match came in the 9th game of the third set where, for once, after facing a break point Fish was unable to make a first serve and eventually lost the breakpoint and the game, and eventually the match when Federer served it out pretty easily on his second match point.

WIMBLEDON 2010: Men's Quarterfinals Preview

Here are my predictions for the men's quarterfinals at the Wimbledon Championships for 2010.

(By the time you read this I will be in the air from LAX to London Heathrow on my way to Wimbledon. Depending on the vagaries (and expenses) of internet access, I may or may not have semifinals predictions for the men's and women's draws tomorrow.)

Roger Federer SUI (1) vs. Tomas Berdych CZE (12). The 6-time champion had started off his quest for a record 7th title weakly but in his last two matches his game has looked strong. Berdych is a very talented, huge serving, huge hitting 6'5" Czech player who has already beaten Federer once this year (even though he needed 5 match points to do it). He is a very similar player to Robin Soderling who beat Federer at this same stage of the tournament at the French Open a month ago, although possibly Berdych is not as good a mover as Soderling (which he demonstrated by beating Berdych in Paris). Before beating Federer earlier this year in Miami, Berdych had lost 8 straight times to Federer, including once at the 2006 Wimbledon. The Mighty Fed will find a way to win. PREDICTION: Federer in 4 sets.

Andy Roddick USA (5) Yen-Hsun Lu TPE vs. Novak Djokovic SRB (3). This is Novak Djokovic's dream draw and Andy Roddick's nightmare. Roddick lost to the unseeded player from Taipei despite losing his serve only once, a repeat of what happened in his loss last year inthe thrilling final against Federer. This time, however, Roddick was much less aggressive at attacking his opponent's serve and mentally was only able to hold his serve until the 16th game of the 5th set, not the thirtieth game like last year, nowhere near the amazing 138th game thatNicolas Mahut was able to do in his jaw-dropping performance against John Isner. Some wags were flogging Lleyton Hewitt's chances of penetrating deep into the draw, since the Aussie had finally ended his 16-match drought against Federer last week by winning the grass court title in Halle. I was not one of them. Djokovic is the #3 best player in the world, and made sure that Hewitt knew it. By the end of this match, Lu will know it as well. PREDICTION: Djokovic in 3 sets.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga FRA (10) vs. Andy Murray GBR (4). This match should be the highlight of the 2010 Men's Quarterfinals. Tsonga and Murray have only played three times, with Murray leading 2-1. That one loss came at the 2008 Australian Open, where Tsonga made his breakthrough to his first major final, eventually losing to Djokovic. There's no question that Tsonga has the weapons to beat Murray. This match should come down to the intangibles, which for Murray at Wimbledon are always difficult to evaluate. Does the fact that the British crowd will be overwhelmingly in his favor help him over the hump to victory, or will their outsize expectations smother his chances? I think it is no coincidence that the two places that Murray has reached major finals (Melbourne 2010 and New York 2008) were in cities where he does not carry the weight of a nation on his shoulders. Last year, he was curiously flat against Andy Roddick in the Wimbledon semifinals. I had picked him to win that match last year but this time I think if the match gets "complicated" it will be the Frenchman who will come out on top. Murray is the only player in the draw not to drop a set and it's possible (but unlikely) that this will happen again. PREDICTION: Murray in 3 sets or Tsonga in 4 or 5 sets.

Robin Soderling SWE(6) vs. Rafael Nadal ESP (2). This is a repeat of the 2010 Men's Final at Roland Garros where Nadal did not lose a set for the entire tournament. There's no question in my mind that the Spaniard is the greatest clay court player of all time. But this match-up is on grass, and of course, these two have a troubled history at Wimbledon. In 2007 the two played a much-delayed 5-set match over 5 days where Soderling made a fool of himself by mocking Nadal's quirks. He has since apologized. Up until his previous round's 5-set match against David Ferrer, Soderling had not dropped a single set in this tournament, the only top player (besides Murray) to have done so. Another problem for Nadal is that he has been troubled this tournament by two youthful, big servers in Robin Haase of the Netherlands and Philipp Petzschner of Germany. Soderling can not only serve regularly in the 130 mph range but he can back it up with power on both wings. But then again, if Ferrer gave Soderling that much trouble and his game is really a weak imitation of Nadal's then surely Nadal will give Soderling trouble as well. Out of the Top 4, I think Soderling (and Tsonga if he can stay healthy) are the most likely to break through to a major title in the near term. Here is where Sodelring will need to show if he can get through Nadal (and later, possibly Federer) to do it. I think he has a fairly decent chance of succeeding. PREDICTION: Soderling in 3 or 4 sets, Nadal in 5 sets.

Lawn Champions

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Li Na of China celebrates with the trophy after defeating Maria Sharapova of Russia in the Women's Singles final during the AEGON Classic Tennis at the Edgbaston Priory Club on June 13, 2010 in Birmingham, England.

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AP

Australian Lleyton Hewitt kisses the trophy after he won the final match against Switzerland's Roger Federer at the Gerry Weber Open ATP tennis tournament in Halle , Germany, on Sunday, June 13, 2010. Hewitt won 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4.

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Sam Querrey of US holds the trophy after winning his match against Mardy Fish of US, 7-6, 7-5 during the final singles match on the seventh day of the AEGON Championships tennis tournament at Queen's Club, in west London on June 13, 2010.

Americans In London

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Mardy Fish and Sam Querrey emerged from a strong field as the last two men standing at the AEGON Championships, Queen's Club. The clay season gave us an All American final in Europe and now the grass season repeats the endeavor. Querrey won the match on clay. Can he repeat on the lawns and beat Fish for the first time?

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Across the Channel, Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt will face off in their first ever grass court final. Federer always plays Halle, Hewitt always played Queen's until this year. What's old is new. Does Hewitt have a chance to win their 25th meeting and end a 15-match losing streak?


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Back in Birmingham, Li Na will face Maria Sharapova to crown the first grass court titlist of the WTA this season. Will Maria exact revenge against the woman who sent her packing in the semis here a year ago?

Australian Open 2010 Awards

by Craig Hickman

The Uluru/Ayers Rock Award
For the player who emerged almost out of nowhere and glowed red at sunset



Nicolas Almagro for his late-match, red-hot surge against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the fourth round.

The Red Kangaroo Award
For the player who made the biggest leap



Marin Cilic finally jumped over Juan Martín del Potro at a Slam and landed in his first major semifinal. Too bad all his five-setters caught up with him after winning the first set against Andy Murray.

The Twelve Apostles Award
For the player who rose up to produce the most rock solid game amidst the imminent threat of being washed away



Serena Williams for yet another ledge-end-ary comeback Down Under against Victoria Azarenka in the quarterfinals.

The Koala Award
For the player you just wanted to pick up and hug



Zheng Jie after being stampeded by her idol in the semifinals.

The Great Barrier Reef Award
For the player who created the largest tectonic uplift in the draw



Nadia Petrova for severely eroding Kim Clijsters in the third round.

The Aboriginal Award
For the veteran player who achieved the most success with his native talents



Roger Federer's movement throughout this fortnight was surprisingly efficient. Wasn't that long ago I thought he'd lost a step. If his training regimen doesn't include some combination of ballet, tango/mambo, waltz, tap or Tai Chi, I'd be shocked.

The Tasmanian Devil Award
For the player who delivered the best nocturnal performance



Jo-Wilfried Tsonga against Tommy Haas in the third round.

The Outback Award
For the wildest match of the fortnight



Li Na def. Venus Williams 2-6, 7-6(4), 7-5, Quarterfinals

Venus opened as though she'd run through the match like a river. But the last set and a half was one exhausting expanse of barren terrain. How many times did you think it might never end? Arguably the ugliest televised match of the fortnight, it becomes an early frontrunner for worst match of the year.

The Three Dingoes Award
For the players who fell prey to their own hunting



Igor Andreev and Nikolay Davydenko for their gigantic chokes against Roger Federer in the first round and quarterfinals, respectively, and Alisa Kleybanova for her total collapse against Justine Henin.

And for a few of our more traditional awards:

Best Dressed
Lleyton Hewitt and Samantha Stosur, Australia

Reuters

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Best WTA Match
Serena Williams def. Justine Henin 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, Final

Reuters

I didn't realize how riveting was this tug of war between two of the tour's most decorated champions till watching it a second time.

Best ATP Match (Tie)
Juan Martín del Potro def. James Blake 6-4, 6-7(3), 5-7 6-3 10-8, Second Round

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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Nicolas Almagro, 6-3 6-4 4-6 6-7(6) 9-7, Round of 16


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Both featured one tiebreak and went into overtime in the fifth set. Both featured surprisingly exquisite performances from the losing warriors. Both could have continued for another hour. The electrifying tennis sticks in my memory like good preaching.

Speaking of preaching.
I need a day of rest.
At least.

See you when I see you.

Australian Open 2010 Day 8 Order Of Play

AP

Rafael Nadal of Spain signs autographs for fans after beating Ivo Karlovic of Croatia during their Men's singles fourth round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday Jan. 24, 2010.

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Can today's matches hold up to yesterday's? Um.... No. This is the boring half of both draws, relatively speaking.

I suppose the most intriguing matchup is Fernando Verdasco and Nikolay Davydenko. I suppose. Folks on Twitter have taken to calling Kolya XBox360 because he never misses. I haven't seen him strike a single ball at this event. Nor have I seen the swollen-faced Spaniard. But I suppose, based on current form and past history, it could be a barn burner. But I'm going with XBox360 in straights.

For the rest, I'm picking Venus Williams in straights, Serena Williams in straights, Roger Federer in straights, Vera Zvonareva in straights, Li Na in three, Novak Djokovic in straights, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straights.

Schedule for Day 8: Monday, 25 January 2010

Rod Laver Arena 11:00 Start Time

1. Women's Singles - 4th Round
Francesca Schiavone (ITA)[17] v. Venus Williams (USA)[6]
2. Men's Singles - 4th Round
Fernando Verdasco (ESP)[9] v. Nikolay Davydenko (RUS)[6]
3. Women's Singles - 4th Round
Serena Williams (USA)[1] v. Samantha Stosur (AUS)[13]

Rod Laver Arena 19:30 Start Time

1. Men's Singles - 4th Round
Roger Federer (SUI)[1] v. Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)[22]
2. Women's Singles - 4th Round
Vera Zvonareva (RUS)[9] v. Victoria Azarenka (BLR)[7]

Hisense Arena 11:00 Start Time

2. Women's Singles - 4th Round
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)[4] v. Na Li (CHN)[16]
3. Men's Singles - 4th Round
Novak Djokovic (SRB)[3] v. Lukasz Kubot (POL)
4. Men's Singles - 4th Round
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)[10] v. Nicolas Almagro (ESP)[26]

Faces Of The Day

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Casey Dellacqua of Australia celebrates winning her second round match against Karolina Sprem of Croatia during day four of the 2010 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 21, 2010 in Melbourne, Australia.


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Australia's Lleyton Hewitt celebrates match point over Donald Young of the U.S. at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 21, 2010.


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Bec Hewitt watches her husband Lleyton Hewitt of Australia in his second round match against Donald Young of the USA during day four of the 2010 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 21, 2010 in Melbourne, Australia.


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Australia's Samantha Stosur waves after defeating Kristina Barrois of Germany at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 21, 2010.


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Argentina's Juan Monaco reacts after winning the third set against Michael Liodra of France during their Men's singles match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010.


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Gisela Dulko of Argentina reacts after defeating Serbia's Ana Ivanovic at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 21, 2010.


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Columbia's Alejandro Falla gives a thumb's up to the crowd after winning his match against Marcel Granollers of Spain at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 21, 2010.

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Italy's Alberta Brianti celebrates a point won against Germany's Sabine Lisicki. during their Women's singles match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010.


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Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus celebrates after winning his second round match against David Ferrer of Spain during day four of the 2010 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 21, 2010 in Melbourne, Australia.

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Men's Singles - Second Round

[1] R Federer (SUI) d V Hanescu (ROU) 62 63 62
[3] N Djokovic(SRB) d M Chiudinelli (SUI) 36 61 61 63
[6] N Davydenko(RUS) d [Q] I Marchenko (UKR) 63 63 60
[9] F Verdasco (ESP) d [Q] I Sergeyev (UKR) 61 62 62
[10] J Tsonga (FRA) d T Dent (USA) 64 63 63
M Baghdatis (CYP) d [17] D Ferrer (ESP) 46 36 76(4) 63 61
[18] T Haas (GER) d J Tipsarevic (SRB) 46 64 63 16 63
[20] M Youzhny (RUS) d J Hajek (CZE) 62 61 61
[22] L Hewitt (AUS) d [Q] D Young (USA) 76(3) 64 61
[26] N Almagro (ESP) d B Becker (GER) 64 62 36 46 63
[30] J Monaco (ARG) d M Llodra (FRA) 36 36 76(5) 61 63
[31] A Montanes (ESP) d S Robert (FRA) 46 67(3) 62 63 62
A Falla (COL) d M Granollers (ESP) 64 61 63
L Kubot (POL) d S Giraldo (COL) 64 36 63 61
[Q] S Koubek (AUT) d [Q] I Dodig (CRO) 76(4) 61 62
D Istomin (UZB) d M Berrer (GER) 75 63 64

Women's Singles - Second Round

(1) Serena Williams (USA) d. Petra Kvitova (CZE) 62 61
(4) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) d. Julia Goerges (GER) 63 61
(6) Venus Williams (USA) d. Sybille Bammer (AUT) 62 75
(7) Victoria Azarenka (BLR) d. Stefanie Voegele (SUI) 64 60
(9) Vera Zvonareva (RUS) d. Iveta Benesova (CZE) 60 63
(10) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) d. Alla Kudryavtseva (RUS) 60 62
(13) Samantha Stosur (AUS) d. Kristina Barrois (GER) 75 63
(16) Li Na (CHN) d. Agnes Szavay (HUN) 36 75 62
(17) Francesca Schiavone (ITA) d. Julie Coin (FRA) 63 64
Gisela Dulko (ARG) d. (20) Ana Ivanovic (SRB) 67(6) 75 64
Alberta Brianti (ITA) d. (21) Sabine Lisicki (GER) 26 64 64
(22) Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) d. (Q) Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) 64 61
(29) Shahar Peer (ISR) d. Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) 61 64
(32) Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP) d. Andrea Petkovic (GER) 61 64
Tathiana Garbin (ITA) d. Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) 67(5) 62 60
(WC) Casey Dellacqua (AUS) d. Karolina Sprem (CRO) 76(4) 76(6)

Men's Doubles - First Round

[3] L Dlouhy (CZE) / L Paes (IND) d L Friedl (CZE) / D Skoch (CZE) 63 61
M Kohlmann (GER) / J Nieminen (FIN) d [4] M Bhupathi (IND) / M Mirnyi (BLR) 64 64
F Gonzalez (CHI) / I Ljubicic (CRO) d [6] F Cermak (CZE) / M Mertinak (SVK) 63 76(7)
I Karlovic (CRO) / D Vemic (SRB) d [9] C Kas (GER) / D Norman (BEL) 64 36 64
[11] S Aspelin (SWE) / P Hanley (AUS) d M Daniel (BRA) / D Koellerer (AUT) 61 62
J Benneteau (FRA) / S Darcis (BEL) d [13] M Llodra (FRA) / A Ram (ISR) 75 36 75
[14] M Damm (CZE) / F Polasek (SVK) d [WC] M Matosevic (AUS) / B Tomic (AUS) 62 61
J Isner (USA) / S Querrey (USA) d J Coetzee (RSA) / R Wassen (NED) 64 61
C Ball (AUS) / S Huss (AUS) d B Becker (GER) / F Mayer (GER) 76(6) 76(3)
E Butorac (USA) / R Ram (USA) d T Bellucci (BRA) / A Sa (BRA) 63 64
I Andreev (RUS) / E Korolev (KAZ) d S Stakhovsky (UKR) / M Zverev (GER) 61 76(6)
F Lopez (ESP) / R Schuettler (GER) d F Gil (POR) / K Vliegen (BEL) 63 62
F Fognini (ITA) / P Starace (ITA) d J Chardy (FRA) / M Gicquel (FRA) 51 ret. (Chardy - wrist)
S Bolelli (ITA) / A Seppi (ITA) d L Lacko (SVK) / M Russell (USA) 64 62
I Kunitsyn (RUS) / D Sela (ISR) d M Chiudinelli (SUI) / V Troicki (SRB) 64 62

Women's Doubles - First Round

Dushevina/Rodionova (RUS/AUS) d. (5) Petrova/Stosur (RUS/AUS) 36 64 61
(7) Kleybanova/Schiavone (RUS/ITA) d. Brianti/U.Radwanska (ITA/POL) 46 75 76(3)
(9) Vesnina/Zheng (RUS/CHN) d. Cornet/Fichman (FRA/CAN) 75 63
(10) Mirza/Ruano Pascual (IND/ESP) d. (WC) Basuki/Date Krumm (INA/JPN) 64 62
(12) Chuang/Peschke (TPE/CZE) d. Senoglu/Shvedova (TUR/KAZ) 60 75
(13) Dulko/Pennetta (ARG/ITA) d. Bondarenko/Bondarenko (UKR/UKR) 64 26 63
(14) Groenefeld/King (GER/USA) d. (WC) Golds/Mirkovic (AUS/AUS) 60 61
(15) Kirilenko/A.Radwanska (RUS/POL) d. Cirstea/Pavlyuchenkova (ROU/RUS) 60 67(4) 62
(16) Benesova/Zahlavova Strycova (CZE/CZE) d. Errani/Suárez Navarro (ITA/ESP) 62 61
Azarenka/Kuznetsova (BLR/RUS) d. Kanepi/Woehr (EST/GER) 76(5) 64
Olaru/Savchuk (ROU/UKR) d. Amanmuradova/Tanasugarn (UZB/THA) 46 61 62
Peer/Voskoboeva (ISR/KAZ) d. Rybarikova/Voracova (SVK/CZE) 62 75
Szavay/Vinci (HUN/ITA) d. Govortsova/Poutchek (BLR/BLR) 75 64
Jankovic/Perry (SRB/USA) d. Cibulkova/Krajicek (SVK/NED) 61 64
Czink/Grandin (HUN/RSA) d. Lisicki/Rezai (GER/FRA) 63 62
Razzano/Wickmayer (FRA/BEL) d. Kondratieva/Sevastova (RUS/LAT) 75 36 62
Gullickson/Uhlirova (USA/CZE) d. Dulgheru/Gallovits (ROU/ROU) 63 36 63
Borwell/Kops-Jones (GBR/USA) d. Hercog/Martic (SLO/CRO) 64 76(3)
Baltacha/Dekmeijere (GBR/LAT) d. Safarova/Wozniak (CZE/CAN) 75 62
(WC) Peers/Robson (AUS/GBR) d. Craybas/Spears (USA/USA) 63 75

Face Of The Day

Reuters

Lleyton Hewitt of Australia reacts after losing a point against Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus during the Sydney International tennis tournament January 14, 2010.

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Singles - Quarterfinals
M Baghdatis (CYP) d [4] L Hewitt (AUS) 46 62 63
M Fish (USA) d [WC] P Luczak (AUS) 76(5) 62
R Gasquet (FRA) d P Starace (ITA) 63 76(7)
J Benneteau (FRA) d [Q] L Mayer (ARG) 64 67(5) 60

Doubles - Quarterfinals
[1] D Nestor (CAN) / N Zimonjic (SRB) d C Kas (GER) / D Norman (BEL) 62 46 10-5
S Aspelin (SWE) / P Hanley (AUS) d [WC] C Ball (AUS) / S Huss (AUS) 36 76(5) 10-8
I Andreev (RUS) / E Korolev (KAZ) d [Alt] B Becker (GER) / S Lipsky (USA) 75 10 - ret. (Becker - arm)

Women's Singles - Semifinals
(1) Serena Williams (USA) d. Aravane Rezai (FRA) 36 75 64
(5) Elena Dementieva (RUS) d. (6) Victoria Azarenka (BLR) 63 61

Women's Doubles - Semifinals
(1) Black/Huber (ZIM/USA) d. Granville/Spears (USA/USA) 61 61
Garbin/Petrova (ITA/RUS) d. (4) Groenefeld/King (GER/USA) 63 75

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Heineken Open

Singles - Quarterfinals
J Isner (USA) d [1] T Robredo (ESP) 76(5) 36 64
[5] P Kohlschreiber (GER) d M Gicquel (FRA) 63 61
A Clement (FRA) d [6] J Melzer (AUT) 62 75
[8] A Montanes (ESP) d [Q] M Lammer (SUI) 63 63

Doubles - Semifinals
M Melo (BRA) / B Soares (BRA) d T Bellucci (BRA) / A Sa (BRA) 75 63

Doubles - Quarterfinals
M Melo (BRA) / B Soares (BRA) d R Wassen (NED) / H Zeballos (ARG) 61 75

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Hobart International

Singles - Quarterfinals
(1) Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) d. (8) Gisela Dulko (ARG) 61 57 61
(2) Shahar Peer (ISR) d. (5) Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP) 46 76(4) 75
(4) Alona Bondarenko (UKR) d. (7) Zheng Jie (CHN) 75 75
Sara Errani (ITA) d. (Q) Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) 63 64

Doubles - Quarterfinals
Chan/Niculescu (TPE/ROU) d. (3) Dulko/Zheng (ARG/CHN) 63 64

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The Privilege Of Pressure

by MMT

Billie Jean King once said that pressure is a privilege.

Aside from reading like a catchy psychological reversal, intended to make players embrace pressure, rather than wilt under it, there may be a whole lot more truth to this.In light of the fact that Roger Federer has, in the span of two weeks accomplished everything in 2009 that seemed so far from his grasp in 2008, the question becomes two questions: will he play the remainder of his career without pressure, and more importantly, is that necessarily a good thing?

When he won his maiden French Open, Federer was quoted as saying that he could play the remainder of his career pressure free because nobody would be able to say that he never won the French Open. I had my doubts – I thought he could play the French Open pressure free… maybe... but until he reached that magical number 15, the one that ends his obligation to anyone who was withholding his place in tennis history, I felt there would always be huge pressure on him to go 7 and 0 over a fornight just one more time. The plot thickened when his nemesis, exited stage left before the curtain raised – after all, if Darth Federer couldn’t dominate the tennis galaxy when his personal Luke Skywalker was off in the Dagova system, then when would he?

Pressure indeed.

But what happens to a great champion when the pressure is off – when the peaks have been scaled, the quiet questions answered loudly, and his face on Mt. Rush-the-net-More sculpted. On this question, history is a dark and murky water way of let downs.

When Pete Sampras won his 13th Grand Slam at Wimbledon in 2000, he appeared to collapse emotionally under the weight of expectations and the knowledge of the struggle and sacrifice his success required. For the first time that I can remember until then, Sampras cried at the victory ceremony. For a man who scarcely showed his emotions (and when he did, seemed to do so begrudgingly) it seemed the last finger in the dyke just couldn’t resist, and when it broke there was no turning back. It would be another 2 years before Sampras won his 14th – along the way he showed some flashes of his former self – that 2001 US Open quarterfinal with Andre Agassi comes to mind, only to then lose rather tamely to Lleyton Hewitt in the final. When he finally got to number 14, there had been questions for 2 years of whether he still had the game, but more tellingly, it had to be asked whether he still had the heart. He had both, apparently, because he won – so what was the difference?

That damn record, that’s what.

With his white whale slaughtered, Ahab ceased to exist as he had. Sampras made no secret of his love for the history of the game, and never shied away from number 13. Having achieved it, he seemed less than enthusiastic about the daily slog that is the ATP tour, and with a wife and baby on the way, who could blame him. But most importantly – every question had been answered, and but for one moment of defiance when the press began to target his wife with their cynicism, Sampras had little to prove, and very little pressure and his results showed it. Interestingly, 2002 was the first year that the US Open went to 32 seeds, and as a result the 17th ranked player in the world happened to be Sampras. Had seeds been capped at their traditional 16, he may have faced Hewitt in the first round, rather than Albert Portas. Maybe he would have won anyway, but it's interesting to ponder.



John McEnroe went 74-2 in 1984. He reached 3 Grand Slam finals, including his only final in Paris, obliterated Jimmy Connors at Wimbledon, and then ran through the field at the US Open. With the exception of a late-night semifinal, also against Connors, that ended Sunday morning, his path to the final was fraught with potentials for Herculean collapses. In the end, he returned promptly dispatched Ivan Lendl in the final, the only player who had beaten him that year, who himself had struggled to a 5-set win over Pat Cash on the last truly Super Saturday, and was in worse shape than McEnroe. He held the No. 1 ranking for another year until he lost the US Open final in 1985 (also to Lendl, starting a string of 3 victories in a row at Flushing) but that would be his last Grand Slam final – afterwards family put the pressure of a tennis match in its proper perspective and lo and behold, McEnroe was never the same mentally. He didn’t turn 30 until 1989, and his run in the Australian Open in 1990 made it clear that he was still capable of brilliance, but when the pressure of expectation disappeared, so too did his results.



Mats Wilander reached the No. 1 ranking in 1988 by winning 3 out of 4 slams that year – the only crown missing from his cabinet was Wimbledon – an irony probably not lost on him given that he won 2 Australian Opens on grass. But after reaching the end of the rainbow that year, with his beacon obscured by the haze of success, his accomplishments did more than dwindle – he never won another tournament, let alone a Slam, and only briefly ever moonlighted in the top 10.

There is a huge psychological component to tennis – and players talk a lot about dealing with the pressure. It’s fascinating because of all the factors involved in a tennis match, pressure is the only one that it totally intangible, and as such, only exists in the mind if the player allows it to. What’s even more fascinating is that pressure appears to be an essential element to keeping a player sufficiently sharp and motivated to succeed, and yet, it is most often cited as a reason a player fails.

In the Wimbledon final this year, it was clear that in a couple of key moments in the match Andy Roddick succumbed to the pressure – namely that backhand volley that floated wide at set point in the 2nd set tie-break. Both players would have been forgiven for feeling the pressure at the moment, and apparently Federer handled it better. It would seem to follow logically that a player playing without pressure would play more freely and presumably achieve more success.

But ask yourself this – when you’re playing tennis are you sharper and more accurate when you’re just hitting, or when you start keeping score? Sure you'll hit a couple of bombs that you wouldn't hit in a match, but you're probably just that little bit more precise when it counts - and it only counts in your head unless you're a pro, so imagine what they're feeling.

I certainly hope that Federer will prove me wrong – perhaps he will prove the anomaly that the absence of pressure makes a great champion even greater, but somehow it doesn’t seem intuitive to me. Now that he has his 15th grand slam, he will be without the privilege of pressure, but will he succeed?

It seems BJK, in this and many other ways, is onto something.



Postscript: Speaking of BJK, if you have a chance, take a look at the Tennis Channel's broadcast of the 1971 US Open semi-final between her and Chris Evert - aside from being a political pioneer, she was one hell of a tennis player.

5 Ending In 3

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This is uncharted territory for me. I have no idea how to navigate it.

You see, back in 2004, when Andy Roddick lost that heartbreaking Wimbledon final to Roger Federer, a match which defined the trajectory of their respective careers -- someday I hope to write that essay with as much objectivity as a Roddick fan can muster -- I wasn't writing a tennis blog. Yes, I was commenting all over the internet on various message boards, but people weren't coming to my "house" to read what I had to say about that match.

I wasn't going to write anything today at all. I made it clear after Roddick's victory over Andy Murray a few days ago that I took it personally. I doubt anyone who reads here regularly has to imagine what's going on with me today.

But I'm going to do the best I can and that is all I can do. Dapxin is the one to blame.

::

It was an unexpected yet familiar turn of events.

I remained glued to my couch, laptop on my lap, although I couldn't bring myself to type a single word to anyone anywhere while the action unfolded. I told my husband before the tournament began that this was Andy's year, it was in the numbers, that he was going to win this title no matter who he faced in the final, including the man that has ruined too many of my Sundays. No. I never wrote that out on the blog, because whether I can or not, I didn't want to jinx my guy. I'm superstitious that way.

So when Roddick held 6-2 in the second set tiebreak, I took deep breaths, held my husband's hand, and prayed.

Didn't turn out quite like I wanted it to.

But as Roddick said after the match, he decided to keep going and I kept on praying. I didn't quite expect what happened next. In past matches, an early Federer break in the following set would set the stage for a runaway train.

Not this time.

And so when Roddick got it to another tiebreak, my hope was restored. My prayers answered with a resounding Yes. That is, until he fell behind by a large margin. Still, he battled back and dropped another set by the closest score a set of tennis has to offer.

Hubby, who is not exactly a fan of Roddick but, to my disbelief, was more wound up than I was, decided to return to the kitchen to watch the rest of the match. That's where he watched the first set. The set Roddick won behind a single a break of serve. And sure enough, like magic, Roddick won the fourth set behind a single break of serve.

He didn't move from the kitchen for the rest of the match

Fast forward to 14-14 in the final set. If someone had told me Roddick would be at 14-14 in the final of Wimbledon against Federer without having dropped his serve, I'd have told you to get that nonsense out of my face. But there we were. I couldn't breathe. Surely serving second in the final set would take it's toll, but he'd overcome that giant barricade in the quarterfinals against Lleyton Hewitt. And who can forget him overcoming that giant barricade in the 2003 Australian Open quarterfinal against Younes El Aynaoui that MadProfessah and Matthew referred to during the match? (Yes, Matthew, I love that shot, too!)

Who would blink?

I've never seen Raja serve so many aces to stay in a match. When people diminish Andy's game for being just a serve, they seem to forget it's a shot, just like a forehand or a backhand or a volley. It remains the best shot in the game, and it served him well all fortnight.

But what failed him in the final set was his return of serve. He refused to cheat to his left in the ad court to make Federer serve up the T. Federer served exactly two first serves in the latter stages of the final set up the T in the ad court. At least that's all I remember. Mostly, he fired his flat serve out wide, no matter the score. And Roddick stood by and watched the ball go by so many times I lost count. And I was counting. I'll never watch this match again, but if I did, I probably wouldn't be surprised to see half of Federer's aces came in the ad court. Out wide. As Roddick stood by and watched the ball go by.

Larry Stefanki is clearly a good fit for Andy. But if he didn't talk to Andy about Raja's flat serve out wide on the big points....

No, I'm not blaming the coach. He's working his magic. That much is clear. Roddick participated in the longest Wimbledon final in the number of games played and certainly by the fifth set, he ought to have gotten the picture. But alas....

When Roddick got those two break points at whatever juncture he got them, Raja first served outwide in the deuce court to the forehand, got a meek reply and put away the winner. Even though Andy got his racquet on the flat serve out wide in the ad court on the next point, it was a one-hand stretch return which took awhile to come down through the shadows, but it was still so short, Raja was able to hit another winner.

Clearly, Andy had gotten over the 6-2 lead in the second set tiebreak, and so had I. Too bad John McEnroe couldn't. For my money, Andy lost the match when he failed to place either of those two returns deep enough in the court to get a neutral rally started.

That's what lawn tennis is really all about. The return of serve. The grass helps a mediocre serve like Hewitt's win lots of cheap points. But it always helps a good return push a player back and start a rally at neutral. That is why Raja has had such success on grass. Despite his career-high in aces today, his return of serve won him the match, while Andy's lost it.

That's what the entire dramatic, exquisitely played match was reduced to. The return of serve in the high-stakes final games of the fifth set.

As everyone has guessed, I'm wiped out and didn't think I'd even have it in me to write this post. Not sure when I'll write another one. But I will.

Enough has already been said about Raja's piss poor judgment after the match so I'll follow Roddick's classy example and just leave it be.

For now.

I will say, though, that Savannah has not deleted a single comment from this blog. I have. I do it rarely, but I do it when I don't like the tone, not the content, of the comment. That's my prerogative. I could turn on comment moderation and not allow any comment to go live until I read it, but that takes too much work, and I'm not interested in that kind of control. And open threads would be useless.

There is no Orwell here. Disagree without being disagreeable and without calling other posters names or characterizing their frame of mind. I'm just not interested in reading any of that on this blog, so I won't allow it to stand. Like it or lump it. I really can't bring myself to care today.

Andy played an amazing match. Of course I was proud of what I saw from him -- there was blood in the blades -- but that doesn't make me feel any better. He lost. His dream will have to wait for another time. Raja played an amazing match as well. He always does at this event. And once again, he was better between the lines than his opponent, but only slightly.

Still, it was enough to hoist his sixth Wimbledon trophy and break Pete Sampras' record. Nope, I can't stomach Raja, and after today's post-match behavior, I doubt I'll ever watch another one of his matches again. But this result is what it is. And what it is stands as a remarkable achievement in this sport I love so much.

Now if only he would... Nah. I can't wish him any harm.

::

So close. So far.

I said that this year's Wimbledon was all about the numbers three and five. And it was. Even though today's result didn't turn out quite the way I wanted. But the fifth set ended with 30 games and in numerology, 30 becomes 3.

5 sets ending in 3.

A final I may never get over and certainly never forget.

And I will continue to pray.

Day 9: Surprise, Surprise

While there was only one upset, there were many surprises.

Novak Djokovic had no passion today. None. Even his expressions of frustration were meek.

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Tommy Haas, the old unmarried dude, didn't completely melt down and lose a two set-to-love lead.


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Lleyton Hewitt, clearly in pain, played his best tennis in the fifth set and almost won the match.

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Andy Roddick lost a 22-point tiebreak after being up 5-2; he won the match serving second in the final set; he out-gutted Hewitt in a five-setter in the quarterfinals of a Slam.


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Juan Carlos Ferrero, the other old unmarried dude, didn't win a set.

Andy Murray held up in the heat beautifully.

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Ivo Karlovic didn't chip-and-charge much at all on second-serve returns.

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Roger Federer broke Karlovic twice, striking clean winners off first serves both times.

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