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Tennisnerd Tweets Today

by TN
written by TN

Been too busy to blog, but still some activity on Twitter! (Check it out and follow). To summarize my thoughts of the day so far:

Have a hard time seeing Murray go very far in Cincinnati. He looks a bit uninterested. Maybe 2012 will be the year he gets it all together.

Most improved player in 2011? @mardyfish – no question about it. Taking your physique and your game seriously is key. A true role model!

Tough loss for Dimitrov against Ferrer, playing well, but forehand is lacking a bit of Federeresque zip. Major talent tho!

Hard to see anyone beating Djokovic this year. 80-1 possible score when it's all over?

Federer and Rafa looks pumped for this tournament. Maybe, maybe, maybe, can they upset the Djoker?

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Master Series: Roger’s Cup – Murray and Nadal out

by TN
written by TN

What happened? Bad day at the office? Rough night? What kind of excuse could Nadal (2 in the world) and Murray (4 in the world) possibly invent to explain such miserable performances away.

Well, in reality they don't need any. We should be surprised that they win as many matches as they do in such a tough, competitive and injury-prone sport such as tennis. We never marvel when they pull off hard-fought wins, but we complain when they are beaten by guys who are good and can play with absolutely no pressure.

Both Ivan Dodig and Kevin Anderson are very competent players that don't need much of an introduction. They have big serves, hit hard, like to attack and are dangerous to anyone, even the likes of Murray and Nadal. Besides, it's the first match in a while.

Nadal fought for three hours and came up short despite being in the lead for most of the matches. He has one of the strongest tennis minds on tour, but on that day Dodig wanted it more, went for more, and was more mentally fresh. No need to over-analyze, these things happen.

For Murray the 6-3 6-1 loss is a bit more of a worry sign. Anderson played great tennis of course, but even so, it's a lot different losing two tie-break sets like Nadal did, then getting four games.

Murray isn' known to have the best tennis mind on the tour and for every year we're reminded of this as much as we're reminded of his brilliant shot-making, excellent thinking on the court, and soft hands.

Sometimes Murray isn't there.

The biggest critique against is game is obvious – he's playing too defensively against guys he should beat. He should let guys like Anderson dictate play so much, because if they get in to the zone, things can go bad quickly.

I've been complaining about Murray's tentativeness for a long time now, but I'm starting to wonder if maybe he doesn't have the game to attack more. Something that seems so obvious for an outsider such as myself.

No matter what his problem his, he needs to get into a better mental shape for the next Masters tournament. Nadal will be there and he will be fighting for the title, Murray I'm not so sure.

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Oh, the joy! The Wimbledon Line-up Today

by TN
written by TN

Here are the amazing matches to look forward to today:

Murray vs Gasquet – I think Murray is too good and Gasquet will surely get a flashback from being 2-0 sets up and serving for the match a few years ago. Gasquet has improved, but Murray looks determined to go far this Wimbledon.

Nadal vs Del Potro – Match-up of the day. Can Del Potro's ball-busting strokes knock Nadal off balance or his the defending champion too strong? If this was hard court I would place a bet on Delpo, but considering his Bambi-like movement on grass, I don't see how he can take more than a set of the Spaniard.

Llodra vs Djokovic – A very tough match for Djoko who really must be alert with his return game against very competent grass courter and net rusher, Llodra. Djokovic has already lost to the Frenchman once recently (before going on his massive streak of course) so this is a red flag match for him. Still, I think Djoko will take it in four.

Federer vs Youzhny – Youzhny is always dangerous, but Federer seems so comfortable on the green grass of home, aka Wimbledon, and I have a hard time seeing him troubled by the Russian. We might see some really beautiful rallies though.

Fish vs Berdych – This is a really potential marathon five setter. Both guys like the green stuff, hit with massive power and possess great serves. Berdych was a finalist last year, so I'll go with him.

Kubot vs Lopez – Kubot is a surprise, but Lopez has a far better game for grass and should win confidently in three.

Ferrer vs Tsonga – Ferrer is a great fighter while Tsonga is playing really well on grass this season. Might go five sets and if it does my bet is on Ferrer for physique. But this match should be a coin toss.

Let's hope for beautiful day at Wimbledon!

 

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My Twitter Rants Today

by TN
written by TN


This video is completely unrelated to what I want to say, so why did I put it here? Reason: it's funny.

If you're not following me on Twitter, I suggest you do so here @tennisnerdnet

Here are some of my tweets so far today…

About Nadal's decline and the state of tennis

The #Nadal decline debate shows the reporters lack of tennis knowledge and skill to find more interesting stuff to write about. Come on!

How can a guy who just won his umpteenth French Open and his tenth grand slam have a decline? Does Djoko decline now because he lost a match

I'll write that story up. @djokernole's first loss of the year and the start of his decline. Ridiculoso…Tennis is at its best time ever.

#Tennis as a sport is flourishing, we have many great players in the top, it's more diverse than ever and gaining more spectators as I tweet

About the WTA

The #WTA needs a mix of interesting players and based on calendar potential but based on a variety of skills and shotmaking abilities.

The problem with the WTA is the lack of player styles and personalities. We need more single-handed backhands and good servers.

I think it's completely the wrong time to start thinking back to the good ole' days. Maybe for women's tennis, because WTA is BORING

About today's matches

So many good matches today, Harrison vs Ferrer finishes, Del Potro vs Simon, Nadal vs Muller, Lopez vs Roddick and Murray vs Ljubicic!

Murray might get some problems with Ljubo, I have a feeling Harrison can beat Ferrer, Muller will take a set against Nadal, and Delpo upset

Watched the new FYB Tennis RX video, interesting stuff but too much talk. Find it at http://bit.ly/mahshr Tennisnerd.net

The good thing about dynamic footwork is that you stay moving all the time and don't get stuck watching the flight of your shot.

 

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French Open Day 12: Real Rafa Returns

by TN
written by TN

People were talking, writing, twittering and commenting on Rafa's lack of confidence in his matches. Balls were landing short, he was making unforced errors, and he looked completely out of sorts.

But not yesterday against Robin Soderling, yesterday we saw the real Rafa, hitting winners of his backfoot, doing bicep pirouettes and forehand winners down the line. He looked super-focused and for the first time this tournament really motivated to play his best. Maybe he got tired of the talk about his lack of form (party spurred on by his own comments), maybe he just dislikes Soderling and wanted to give him another lesson, or maybe he just find it in time for the final three matches. Whatever the reason of his great performance, it was nice to see, because to stop Djokovic this year it will require Nadal being on top of his game.

The second quarterfinal was also a three set affair, although Chela was serving for the first set and did make the first two sets really competitive. Murray is simply too good for Chela on any surface and might feel that he was thrown a nice lifeline after the crazy match against Troicki and decided to go for it.

Now we have the four top players in the world gearing up for the semi-finals tomorrow. Djokovic and Nadal are of course favorites to reach the final, but then again both Murray and Federer have the tools to stop them. If Nadal is a little off his game, Murray can really swing freely and benefit from having nothing to lose and the same goes for Federer. It must be nice for the Swiss not having to be the favorite and he should be able to take to the court relaxed and ready to play and fight hard.

So Friday is sure to be a tennis feast.

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French Open Day 10: Slow Day But Big Match

by TN
written by TN

Today we only have two men's matches to look forward to, the final set of the Murray vs Troicki match and the big excitement and crowd pleaser of the day, Roger Federer vs Gael Monfils.

Monfils might very well be playing the best and most solid tennis of his life, but is it enough against the Swiss maestro who looks more inspired than in a long, long time?

Federer leads their head to head 5-1 but the last match they played was in Paris 2010 (indoors) and Monfils won it in three tight tiebreak sets.

This together with the strong crowd support will make Monfils believe that he can beat Federer and this will in turn increase his chances of course. But I think Federer is in too much of a playing mood and has too much variety to his game to win this match. It won't be without trouble, I think it will go four sets, but he will come through and setup the dream semi-final against Djokovic.

One last comment about the Murray vs Troicki finish. Head to head stats 3-0 in matches, 42-16 in games. Troicki was never competitive against Murray, so this is a big step forward, but on the other hand, will he be able to forgive himself for squandering a 2-0 lead and start with a fresh head?

This set has Murray written all over it.

 

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French Open Day 5: Nadal Pushed Again

by TN
written by TN

Most people probably thought it would be easy for Nadal to beat his compatriot Andujar, but tricky windy conditions together with great resistance and aggressive play from Andujar made the three setter a whole lot tougher than predicted. Andujar was attacking Nadal and although the world number one managed to win the first two sets, he was down 5-1 in the third. Then Nadal launched his famous fighting skills and together with Andujar's nervousness he managed to win the third set in a tie-break.

Nadal has now had to fight quite hard in both his opening matches which should have had a taxing effect on just about anyone besides Nadal. Sometimes this just seems to make him stronger.

Andy Murray was tested against Simone Bolelli, but the Italian has the worst score against top 10 players on tour (0-26!) and even though he has a nice power game on both wings he's probably mentally given up on beating the best players in the world.

It was pretty much business as usual for the rest, Soderling beat Ramos, Verdasco beat Malisse, Fish beat Haase, but then the small upsets started coming (tricky conditions is a great equalizer) with Melzer losing to Rosol, Davydenko losing to Veic, Baghdatis losing to L. Mayer, and F.Mayer losing to Falla.

Today we're all waiting for Djokovic vs Del Potro but there's also a mouthwatering encounter between Gasquet and Bellucci on the menu.

What do you guys think? Can Del Potro take a set or two or even the match against the seemingly invincible Serb?

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French Open Day 4: Federer, Djokovic, Del Potro

by TN
written by TN

It was a bit like the slow start on Sunday and not a very eventful day at Roland Garros, but at least we got to see three of the top names in action.

Federer made it look easy against French qualifier Texeira and after an inspired start from the Frenchman made it clear that he's still one of the most elegant and forceful players. Scoreline: 6-3 6-0 6-2.

Djokovic cruised through Hanescu who had to retire early in the third set. The Djoker will now play Del Potro who also won in three straight sets today. This match will be the most interesting match (Isner vs Nadal was great of course) of the tournament so far  and I think Del Potro poses a very real threat to the seemingly unbeatable Djokovic.

Tsonga also looked impressive today, beating Mr Forehand Whip Cream (clocked 111 mph winner during the match, OMG) Igor Andreev. I think Tsonga might be a dark horse to go far in the tournament.

Tomorrow we have Nadal, Soderling and Murray in action and there are some other interesting matches as well.

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Can Afro Murray Break Djokovic’s Streak?

by TN
written by TN

Yeah, I'm sticking with the afro name until the Scot cuts his hair. And yes, I think there is a chance that with basically no pressure on his shoulders, Andy Murray can be the one to break the seemingly endless winning streak of Novak Djokovic.

He needs to relax, hit out and hope that Djokovic will get tired and irritated. Although the Serb beat Soderling in fine style (the big Swede was from his best) he looked a bit out of sorts at times. His breathing seemed heavy and on one occasion he was kicking at the ball and looked really frustrated.

If Murray can get under his skin – then we might have the end of an amazing streak.

By the way:

Really impressive effort by Gasquet during the first set against Nadal. Could very well be one of the best sets of the year. It wasn't so unexpected that the air went out of him afterwards in his 5-7 1-6 loss. Hopefully this is the start of something great or at least better.

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What’s Going On in Madrid Masters Right Now?

by TN
written by TN

Federer and Nadal on adjacent practice courts. Please put them on a match court as well!

At the time of writing Afro Murray has just lost the first set to Bellucci and we're seeing how Murray's passive playing style can be a problem against guys who can control the court like Bellucci can when he is on his game. Lot of tennis left though of course.

Side note: I think Murray is trying to grow his hair enough to have dreadlocks and become Rastamurray.

On another court the two giant mega hitters, Tsonga and Soderling is battling it out and Soderling took the first set 7-6 after a nail-biting tiebreak. Tsonga fell in the break and it looked pretty bad, but Soderling didn't pay him much mind or ask him how he was. The Swede is likely not the most liked player on the ATP Tour.

Federer had a better day against Malisse beating him handily 6-4 6-3. If the Belgian had a better level of fitness he would probably have been a more dangerous force on the ATP Tour. All the Fedophiles in the world where probably scared that Federer would lose against Lopez, but after throwing up a lob that Lopez smacked one meter out at 2-5 in the deciding set tiebreak the tides turned in Federer's favor and he ended up winning 9-7. Hopefully he can build on the confidence of getting through that close call. But for us fans it's getting more and more obvious that he's perhaps not the player he once was.

Nadal and Djokovic are both streamrolling the field – the Spaniard looking determined to win yet another clay title. These guys are now the main rivalry, that's pretty clear, even for me a diehard Federer fan.

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