The picture will be explained (somewhat) below. I used to ask myself that question when Federer had his golden years between 2004-2007. Was it even fun to watch unless Nadal was on the other side of the net? I think many people thought no, too many matches were a given for the Swiss, but personally I thought his graceful style of play compensated that. We were watching a maestro, someone who had elevated himself and his tennis beyond competition and the sport itself. It was more an exhibition of extraordinary skill than sports at times. I didn’t mind that. And …
I haven’t been posting of late due to other writing commitments, work, family, you name it. I’ve even started playing more myself again and the game is coming along decently – with the only worry being the body holding up. But I’m going to try to get back to the blog and Twitter and follow it until the end of 2013. At least a chunkier post every week. And as an add-on I’m going to write a newsletter where you who subscribe get something a little bit extra from time to time. Match predictions, gear reviews, tips and tricks for …
The battle that was on display between Nadal and Djokovic yesterday and which ended in the fifth hour with: 6-4 3-6 6-1 6-7 9-7 in the favor of Nadal – is hard to put into words. The match had everything. Fantastic points, high drama, nerves, comebacks, and brute physicality. It was another classic in their rivalry. In the end, Nadal had the edge of being (almost) unbeatable at Roland Garros and he managed to qualify for yet another final. Who awaits there? His good friend Ferrer. It’s a bit of anticlimax with an all-Spanish final, but at least we had …
It was close, kind of, but Federer got back in his usual stride and managed to beat Simon from 2-1 in sets with the final scoreline: 6-1 4-6 2-6 6-2 6-3. Next up is Tsonga. Federer winning the match helps him maintain his amazing streak of 36 straight Grand Slam Quarterfinals (or further of course) – a record that will be close to impossible to break. Tsonga will be a tougher challenge for Fed. He has an even stronger following in France and when he’s on a roll like he seems to be now, he can beat pretty much anyone. …
Being spoiled with the era of Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray – I’m worried that the coming generation won’t be up to the same standard. I know it’s almost impossible to reach the drama of the last 8-9 years, but I want to keep watching tennis and I want to enjoy it to the max. Federer drew me back to the game after a stint of disenchantment and I would hate to lose that passion again. So I keep hoping we get another back of truly great players to keep the sport alive and kicking for many years to come. …
Thanks to Tennis Express I found this really funny video of Josh Berry imitating the top four players in the world, in order of appearance: Nadal, Federer, Murray and Djokovic. (Please note that the featured pic is something different. Very different.) Well done, Josh! Made me laugh. On another completely unrelated note, Matt Cronin of Tennis Reporters shared this photo of Djokovic, Sharapova and De Niro in a New York bar. Tennis players have a good life. At least if they’re top 10 :)
It was never in doubt was it? (Okay, maybe at 15-30 against Ferrer). Rafa was going to take his fifth title of the year in seven tries (two finals) since his injury time-out. The king of clay was simply too good against a slightly nervous or tired Stan “the Man” Wavrinka today in the Madrid Open final and rolled over the Swiss by 6-2 6-4. Going into Rome and then Roland Garros, it’s hard to see who’s going to challenge Rafa with the form he’s in. Federer? The only one who is even remotely close to his clay court game …
David Ferrer played a great match against Rafael Nadal yesterday in the quarterfinals of Madrid Open. He hit the ball aggressively, used his backhand up the line to great effect and managed to get a lead of 6-4 4-2. Then something happened. Nerves, doubts, you name it. Nadal broke back to love and managed to level the match at 4-4. Nadal then broke Ferrer and was serving for set at 5-4. But Ferrer broke back and then held his serve. 6-5. You couldn’t help but think that Ferrer could win the match. It was definitely there for taking and Nadal …
I don’t want to be a grouch, but the above is not really the most exciting line-up for the Madrid Open Quarterfinals. The absence of Djokovic and Federer stand out as glaring holes and personally I would have liked Haas and Dimitrov to beautify the draw with their all-court games and one-handed backhands. But enough whining. We still have some great matches to look forward to. My pick for the Madrid Open Semi-finals: Nadal, Nishikori, Murray, and Tsonga. Some thoughts on the separate matches: Nadal vs Ferrer. Ferru is a runner, a terrier, but how is he going to beat …
What a line-up we have at Madrid Open (formerly Madrid Masters) today. We have lots of top players in action, Nadal, Federer, Murray Ferrer, Berdych, Tsonga, to name a few. The most interesting match-ups in my mind is another battle of the double-handed backhanders (yesterday we had Tommy Robredo vs Tommy Haas in a well-played match) with young hot-shot Grigor Dimitrov taking on Stanislas Wavrinka, in-form Tommy Haas playing clay-demon David Ferrer and hard-hitters Verdasco and Tsonga pairing up in a heavyweight contest. Federer and Nadal are also playing of course, but as a heavy favorites. Murray and Simon will …
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