Tag: andy murray

  • US Open Day 7 Schedule of Play / Scores: Sunday, Sept. 1

    US Open Day 7 Schedule of Play / Scores: Sunday, Sept. 1

    [Scores added as known.]

    Arthur Ashe Stadium – 11:00 A.M.

    Men’s Doubles – Round 3
    Bob Bryan (USA) (1) / Mike Bryan (USA) (1) d. Daniel Nestor (CAN) / Vasek Pospisil (CAN) — 6-7(1), 7-5, 6-2

    Not Before: 1:00 P.M.

    Men’s Singles – Round 3
    Andy Murray (GBR) (3) d. Florian Mayer (GER) — 7-6(2), 6-2, 6-2

    Women’s Singles – Round 4
    Serena Williams (USA) (1) d. Sloane Stephens (USA) (15) — 6-4, 6-1

    Not Before 7:00 P.M.

    Men’s Singles – Round 3
    Novak Djokovic (SRB) (1) d. Joao Sousa (POR) — 6-0, 6-2, 6-2

    Women’s Singles – Round 4
    Na Li (CHN) (5) d. Jelena Jankovic (SRB) (9) — 6-3, 6-0

    [divider]

    Click here to discuss the Men’s matches in our discussion forum.

    Click here to discuss the Women’s matches in our discussion forum.

    [divider]

    Louis Armstrong Stadium – 11:00 A.M.

    Men’s Singles – Round 3
    Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) (9) d. Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) — 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(1), 7-6(7)

    Women’s Singles – Round 4
    Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) (18) d. Angelique Kerber (GER) (8) — 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(3)

    Men’s Singles – Round 3
    Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) (21) d. Tommy Haas (GER) (12) — 6-3, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3

    Women’s Singles – Round 4
    Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) (24) d. Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) (3) — 6-4, 6-4

    [divider]

    Grandstand — 12:00 P.M.

    Men’s Singles – Round 3
    Tomas Berdych (CZE) (5) d. Julien Benneteau (FRA) (31) — 6-0, 6-3, 6-2

    Men’s Singles – Round 3
    Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) d. Evgeny Donskoy (RUS) — 6-3, 7-6(5), 3-6, 6-1

    Men’s Singles – Round 3
    Marcel Granollers (ESP) d. Tim Smyczek (USA) — 6-4, 4-6, 0-6, 6-3, 7-5

    [divider]

    Court 17 — 11:00 A.M.

    Men’s Doubles – Round 3
    Leander Paes (IND) (4) / Radek Stepanek (CZE) (4) d. Michael Llodra (FRA) (14) / Nicolas Mahut (FRA) (14) — 7-5, 4-6, 6-3

    Men’s Singles – Round 3
    Denis Istomin (UZB) d. Andreas Seppi (ITA) (20) — 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 3-6, 6-1

    Men’s Doubles – Round 3
    Jamie Murray (GBR) / John Peers (AUS) d. Brian Baker (USA) / Rajeev Ram (USA) — 5-7, 7-6(2), 7-6(4)

    Women’s Doubles – Round 3
    Nadia Petrova (RUS) (3) / Katarina Srebotnik (SLO) (3) d. Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) (14) / Galina Voskoboeva (KAZ) (14) — 4-6, 6-2, 6-3

    [divider]

    Court 11 — 11:00 A.M.

    Women’s Doubles – Round 3
    Sania Mirza (IND) (10) / Jie Zheng (CHN) (10) d. Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER) (6) / Kveta Peschke (CZE) (6) — 6-2, 6-3

    Not Before: 12:30 P.M.

    Mixed Doubles – Round 2
    Hao-Ching Chan (TPE) / Martin Emmrich (GER) d. Lisa Raymond(USA)(6) / Jean-Julien Rojer(NED)(6) — 6-4, 7-5

    Women’s Doubles – Round 3
    Ashleigh Barty (AUS) (8) / Casey Dellacqua (AUS) (8) d. Liezel Huber(USA)(9) / Nuria Llagostera Vives(ESP)(9) — 6-4, 6-3

    Mixed Doubles – Round 2
    Abigail Spears (USA) / Santiago Gonzalez (MEX) d. Alize Cornet (FRA) / Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA) — 7-5, 6-2

    Mixed Doubles – Round 2
    Liezel Huber (USA) (8) / Marcelo Melo (BRA) (8) d. Raquel Kops-Jones (USA) / Treat Huey (PHI) — 4-6, 7-6(4), 10-5

    Credits: Cover Photo: skittlbrau (Creative Commons License)

  • Imagine That

    Imagine That

    US Open, Second Round Recap

    The second round of this year’s US Open is now complete, which, until tonight, was about all that usefully could be said about it. There was plenty being said, of course, but little of it was specifically about tennis. It’s always revealing when the controversy centres around those parts of the tournament that don’t involve players hitting balls at each other. Often it reveals that there’s not enough transpiring on court. What is it they say about devilry and idle hands?

    For some among the idle-handed this has provided further opportunity to wax righteous on Andy Murray’s behalf. It has been another wearying reminder that burning indignation is a bad state for weak writers to find themselves in, made worse by the fact that for too many of them it is also their default state. In any case, justifiable concern at Murray’s very late first round finish has given way to disgruntlement at his second round relegation to Louis Armstrong Stadium. Rightly or wrongly, placement on the second court was held to be a slight on the defending champion’s status. Murray himself has previously made his distaste for the venue plain. That’s fair enough – he doesn’t have to like it.

    More problematic, apparently, was that by playing third today his match wouldn’t see completion before deadlines expired for the attendant British press corps. The USTA was taken to task for this oversight, most notably by Neil Harman of The Times. Some responded that it isn’t the job of the US Open to worry on behalf of the English press. It was pointed out in turn that with newspaper revenues collapsing it was incumbent upon premium events such as this to ensure that newsprint journalists are given every advantage. While I certainly agree that the death of print journalism is deplorable, I’m not convinced it is the task of tennis tournaments to nurse it along more than they already do. Print outlets are already given preference over online interests, including priority seating for late round matches with limited capacity. Print journalists are often the keenest advocates for the suppression of interview transcripts.

    Amidst all this, it’s worth remembering than Murray did actually win today in four sets over a surprisingly gallant Leonardo Mayer. Ivan Lendl is doubtless earning his salary by ensuring his man isn’t distracted by all this subsidiary nonsense, although I don’t doubt he’ll have some stern words about today’s third set letdown.

    Of course, the United States has its own issues on the home front. The enemy is within the gates. Many of them were in the Louis Armstrong Stadium crowd last night, watching John Isner play Gael Monfils. Television viewers were presented with the unusual spectacle of an American crowd showing vociferous support for a guy who wasn’t born in the same country as them, as opposed to the guy who was. Much has been made of this; rather too much, in fact. It was no coincidence that Monfils, who is immensely popular everywhere – except, often, with his own fans –gained favour when he picked up his game while trailing by two sets to love. This change in sympathy was briefly noted on Eurosport, afterwards regretted by Isner himself, and dissected exhaustively on ESPN. Really, the crowd just wanted a few more sets, and appreciated the things Monfils was doing with his body and the tennis ball. He still couldn’t serve, and Isner often did little else, but it nonetheless transformed into a very entertaining match. The crowd got its wish, which I suspect always included eventual victory for Isner. The American was afterwards equally lavish in praising his opponent.

    In other results, both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were  imperious and utterly untroubled against Carlos Berlocq and Rogerio Dutra Silva, respectively. There’s a real chance they will actually meet in the quarterfinals, although it’s possible they’re just lulling us into complacency. Stan Wawrinka started slowly against Ivo Karlovic, but was quite excellent once he regained the break in the first set. Novak Djokovic also took an age to get going, and almost dropped the first set to Benjamin BeckerMarcos Baghdatis, on the other hand, began superbly and stayed that way until the end against Kevin Anderson. For all we know Baghdatis’s brilliance didn’t abate once he left the court. His momentum was such that he’s probably doing a first-rate job with his dinner even as I write, delivering bon mots that have the table on a roar.

    Dan Evans’s excellent New York adventure continues. He beat Bernard Tomic quite comfortably to reach the third round, although his understandable elation at this accomplishment was tempered by the sobering discovery that the result came too late for British print deadlines. For his part, Tomic was typically frank in assessing his own shortcomings: “I think I get lazy on the court, my tennis sort of comes a bit slow. I don’t really know how to put guys away.” I imagine a proper coach could help with that. No one is sure where Tomic’s game is, but his capacity to make the right noises after losses has nearly matched Ryan Harrison’s.

    The delightfully articulate Dmitry Tursunov remains a fine advertisement for the sport, and for my powers of prescience: I suggested he’d be the one to emerge from David Ferrer’s quarter, and he has now reached the third round. Even if he somehow loses to the eighth seeded Richard Gasquet, I still get to be half-right. Meanwhile, Tommy Haas moved another round closer to a return to the Top 10, defeating Yen-Hsun Lu in straight sets. As far as I can tell he’ll need to reach the quarterfinals at least, which means he’ll have to beat Mikhail Youzhny in the next round, unquestionably the pick of the round.

    Lleyton Hewitt tonight recovered from two sets to one down to defeat Juan Martin del Potro in five sets on Arthur Ashe Stadium, entirely justifying the primetime scheduling. Del Potro has notoriously never recovered from a two set deficit, and for a time appeared fortunate that he didn’t have to put that record to the test. The Australian led by a set, and served for the second at 5-4, but didn’t acquit himself well on either of the set points he gained. The Argentine broke back, broke again to take the set, then again to open the third. He took the third, and then emphatically failed to gallop away with the fourth. Instead Hewitt pressed, and broke again. Again he failed to serve out the set. Del Potro, capricious in his way, defied every assumption that he’d again make Hewitt pay once more. The tiebreaker was all Hewitt, except for the errors, which were all del Potro’s. From there Hewitt went on with it, and broke three times in the final set, which ended with a double fault.

    It was a strange match, the type of upset that resists easy categorisation. The quality varied immensely, especially from del Potro, whose left wrist inhibited his backhand, and who sometimes grew oddly fearful when he wasn’t behind. Still, the overall inconsistency of momentum guaranteed consistency of drama, further heightened by the occasion and the venue, and only slightly marred by the heroic sequence of toilet breaks enjoyed by both men. Hewitt is fond of saying that it is for occasions such as these that he still plays, even if he is earning fewer opportunities to say it as the years advance. It is his first victory over a Top 10 opponent in over three years. Whether he’ll go on with it is a nice question, although even wearied he must fancy his chances against Evgeny Donskoy in the next round. After that he might face Haas. In the fourth round of a Major. In 2013. Imagine that.

  • US Open Day 5 Schedule of Play / Scores: Friday, August 30

    US Open Day 5 Schedule of Play / Scores: Friday, August 30

    [Scores added as known.]

    Arthur Ashe Stadium – 11:00 A.M.

    Women’s Singles – Round 3
    Na Li (CHN) (5) d. Laura Robson (GBR) (30) — 6-2, 7-5

    Not Before: 1:00 P.M.

    Men’s Singles – Round 2
    Novak Djokovic (SRB) (1) d. Benjamin Becker (GER) — 7-6(2), 6-2, 6-2

    Women’s Singles – Round 3
    Sloane Stephens (USA) (15) d. Jamie Hampton (USA) (23) — 6-1, 6-3

    Not Before — 7:00 P.M.

    Men’s Singles – Round 2
    Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) d. Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) (6) — 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-1

    Women’s Singles – Round 3
    Serena Williams (USA) (1) vs. Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ)

    [divider]

    Click here to discuss the Men’s matches in our discussion forum.

    Click here to discuss the Women’s matches in our discussion forum.

    [divider]

    Louis Armstrong Stadium – 11:00 A.M.

    Women’s Singles – Round 3
    Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) (3) d. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) (32) — 6-4, 7-6(1)

    Men’s Singles – Round 2
    Tomas Berdych (CZE) (5) d. Denis Kudla (USA) — 7-6(3), 7-6(3), 6-3

    Men’s Singles – Round 2
    Andy Murray (GBR) (3) d. Leonardo Mayer (ARG) — 7-5, 6-1, 3-6, 6-1

    Not Before: 5:30 P.M.
    Men’s Doubles – Round 2
    Bob Bryan (USA) (1) / Mike Bryan (USA) (1) d. Eric Butorac (USA) / Frederik Nielsen (DEN) — 6-3, 6-2

    [divider]

    Grandstand — 11:00 A.M.

    Men’s Singles – Round 2
    Tommy Haas (GER) (12) d. Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE) — 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3)

    Women’s Singles – Round 3
    Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) (24) d. Sabine Lisicki (GER) (16) — 6-4, 7-5

    Men’s Singles – Round 2
    Florian Mayer (GER) d. Donald Young (USA) — 7-5, 6-3, 6-4

    Women’s Singles – Round 3
    Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) (18) d. Jie Zheng (CHN) — 6-2, 6-4

    Mixed Doubles – Round 1
    Raquel Kops-Jones (USA) / Treat Huey (PHI) d. Victoria Duval (USA) / Donald Young (USA) — 2-6, 6-4, 10-6

    [divider]

    Court 17 — 11:00 A.M.

    Men’s Singles – Round 2
    Marcel Granollers (ESP) d. Rajeev Ram (USA) — 3-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5

    Women’s Singles – Round 3
    Jelena Jankovic (SRB) (9) d. Kurumi Nara (JPN) — 6-4, 7-6(5)

    Women’s Doubles – Round 1
    Sara Errani (ITA) (1) / Roberta Vinci (ITA) (1) d. Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) / Martina Hingis (SUI) — 6-3, 7-5

    Men’s Singles – Round 2
    Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) d. Kevin Anderson (RSA) (17) — 6-2, 6-2, 6-2

    [divider]

    Court 13 — 11:00 A.M.

    Women’s Doubles – Round 1
    Andrea Hlavackova (CZE) (5) / Lucie Hradecka (CZE) (5) d. Kimiko Date-Krumm (JPN) / Arantxa Parra Santonja (ESP) — 6-0, 6-3

    Men’s Singles – Round 2
    Julien Benneteau (FRA) (31) d. Jeremy Chardy (FRA) — 6-4, 6-3, 6-4

    Men’s Singles – Round 2
    Andreas Seppi (ITA) (20) d. Somdev Devvarman (IND) — 7-6(8), 6-4, 7-5

    Mixed Doubles – Round 1
    Hao-Ching Chan (TPE) / Martin Emmrich (GER) d. Sloane Stephens (USA) / Jack Sock (USA) — 6-4, 6-4

    [divider]

    Court 11 — 11:00 A.M.

    Women’s Doubles – Round 1
    Melanie Oudin (USA) / Alison Riske (USA) d. Lauren Davis (USA) / Grace Min (USA) — 6-2, 6-4

    Men’s Singles – Round 2
    Tim Smyczek (USA) d. Alex Bogomolov Jr. (RUS) — 3-6, 7-6(6), 2-6, 6-4, 6-4

    Women’s Singles – Round 3
    Angelique Kerber (GER) (8) d. Kaia Kanepi (EST) (25) — 6-0, 6-4

    Men’s Singles – Round 2
    Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) (9) d. Ivo Karlovic (CRO) — 7-5, 7-6(8), 6-4

    [divider]

    Court 4 — 11:00 A.M.

    Men’s Singles – Round 2
    Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) (21) d. Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR) — 7-5, 6-1, 6-3

    Not Before: 12:30 P.M.

    Men’s Doubles – Round 2
    Treat Huey (PHI) (16) / Dominic Inglot (GBR) (16) d. Daniele Bracciali (ITA) / Lukas Dlouhy (CZE) — 6-3, 6-3

    Women’s Doubles – Round 1
    Sandra Klemenschits (AUT) / Andreja Klepac (SLO) d. Vera Dushevina (RUS) / Heather Watson (GBR) — 6-1, 7-5

    Mixed Doubles – Round 1
    Lucie Hradecka (CZE) / Frantisek Cermak (CZE) d. Nuria Llagostera Vives (ESP) / Colin Fleming (GBR) — 6-2, 7-5

    Mixed Doubles – Round 1
    Yung-Jan Chan (TPE) / Robert Lindstedt (SWE) d. Martina Hingis (SUI) / Mahesh Bhupathi (IND) — 7-6(5), 7-6(5)

    [divider]

    Court 6 — 11:00 A.M.

    Women’s Doubles – Round 1
    Jill Craybas (USA) / Coco Vandeweghe (USA) d. Alexandra Cadantu (ROU) / Simona Halep (ROU) — 2-6, 7-6(4), 6-4

    Not Before: 1:00 P.M.

    Men’s Singles – Round 2
    Joao Sousa (POR) d. Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) — 1-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4

    Mixed Doubles – Round 1
    Andrea Hlavackova (CZE) (7) / Max Mirnyi (BLR) (7) d. Kaitlyn Christian (USA) / Dennis Novikov (USA) — 6-1, 6-1

    Women’s Doubles – Round 1
    Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) (2) / Elena Vesnina (RUS) (2) d. Shuko Aoyama (JPN) / Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) — -6-4, 6-1

    [divider]

    Court 7 — 11:00 A.M.

    Women’s Doubles – Round 1
    Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) / Samantha Stosur (AUS) d. Yvonne Meusburger (AUT) / Paula Ormaechea (ARG) — 6-3, 6-0

    Women’s Doubles – Round 1
    Sharon Fichman (CAN) / Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) d. Allie Kiick (USA) / Sachia Vickery (USA) — 7-5, 4-6, 6-1

    Men’s Singles – Round 2
    Denis Istomin (UZB) d. Tobias Kamke (GER) — 6-4, 6-2, 6-2

    Men’s Singles – Round 2
    Evgeny Donskoy (RUS) d. Peter Gojowczyk (GER) — 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3

    [divider]

    Court 8 — 11:00 A.M.

    Women’s Doubles – Round 1
    Polona Hercog (SLO) / Lisa Raymond (USA) d. Petra Martic (CRO) / Andrea Petkovic (GER) — 6-2, 3-6, 6-4

    Not Before: 1:00 P.M.

    Men’s Doubles – Round 1
    Rohan Bopanna (IND) (6) / Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA) (6) d. Bradley Klahn (USA) / Sam Querrey (USA) — 6-2, 6-4

    Men’s Doubles – Round 2
    Michael Llodra (FRA) (14) / Nicolas Mahut (FRA) (14) d. Fabio Fognini (ITA) / Albert Ramos (ESP) — 6-3, 6-4

    Mixed Doubles – Round 1
    Alize Cornet (FRA) / Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA) d. Sabrina Santamaria (USA) / Jarmere Jenkins (USA) — 6-4, 6-1

    Mixed Doubles – Round 1
    Abigail Spears (USA) / Santiago Gonzalez (MEX) d. Julia Goerges (GER) (3) / Rohan Bopanna (IND) (3) — 6-7(1), 6-2, 10-6

    [divider]

    Court 9 — 11:00 A.M.

    Women’s Doubles – Round 2
    Ashleigh Barty (AUS) (8) / Casey Dellacqua (AUS) (8) d. Petra Cetkovska (CZE) / Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) — 6-3, 6-4

    Not Before: 12:30 P.M.

    Women’s Doubles – Round 2
    Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) (14) / Galina Voskoboeva (KAZ) (14) d. Kiki Bertens (NED) / Johanna Larsson (SWE) — 7-5, 7-6(9)

    Men’s Doubles – Round 2
    Daniel Nestor (CAN) / Vasek Pospisil (CAN) d. Albert Montanes (ESP) / Tommy Robredo (ESP) — 4-6, 6-2, 6-1

    Mixed Doubles – Round 1
    Janette Husarova (SVK) / Filip Polasek (SVK) d. Yasmin Schnack (USA) / Eric Roberson (USA) — 6-4, 7-6(3)

    Mixed Doubles – Round 1
    Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) / Daniel Nestor (CAN) d. Casey Dellacqua (AUS) / Scott Lipsky (USA) — 6-3, 6-3

    [divider]

    Court 10 — 11:00 A.M.

    Women’s Doubles – Round 1
    Vania King (USA) / Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) d. Karolina Pliskova (CZE) / Donna Vekic (CRO) — 6-1, 6-0

    Men’s Doubles – Round 2
    Colin Fleming (GBR) (12) / Jonathan Marray (GBR) (12) d. Ryan Harrison (USA) / Robert Lindstedt (SWE) — 6-3, 6-4

    Men’s Doubles – Round 2
    Jamie Murray (GBR) / John Peers (AUS) d. Feliciano Lopez (ESP) / Andre Sa (BRA) — 6-7(7), 7-5, 7-5

    Mixed Doubles – Round 1
    Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) (5) / Bruno Soares (BRA) (5) d. Melanie Oudin (USA) / Austin Krajicek (USA) — 7-5, 6-2

    Mixed Doubles – Round 1
    Ashleigh Barty (AUS) / John Peers (AUS) d. Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER) (1) / Alexander Peya (AUT) (1) — 4-6, 6-3, 11-9

    [divider]

    Court 14 — 11:00 A.M.

    Women’s Doubles – Round 2
    Cara Black (ZIM) (13) / Marina Erakovic (NZL) (13) d. Varvara Lepchenko (USA) / Saisai Zheng (CHN) — 6-1, 7-6(5)

    Men’s Doubles – Round 2
    Ivan Dodig (CRO) (10) / Marcelo Melo (BRA) (10) d. Andre Begemann (GER) / Martin Emmrich (GER) — 7-6(5), 6-3

    Mixed Doubles – Round 1
    Katarina Srebotnik (SLO) (2) / Nenad Zimonjic (SRB) (2) d. Cara Black (ZIM) / Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi (PAK) — 6-3, 6-1

    Mixed Doubles – Round 1
    Liezel Huber (USA) (8) / Marcelo Melo (BRA) (8) d. Sania Mirza (IND) / Horia Tecau (ROU) — 4-6, 7-6(10), 10-4

    [divider]

    Court 15 — 11:00 A.M.

    Men’s Doubles – Round 1
    Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) / Daniel Gimeno-Traver (ESP) d. Florin Mergea (ROU) / Lukas Rosol (CZE) — 4-6, 7-5, 6-0

    Not Before: 12:30 P.M.

    Women’s Doubles – Round 2
    Anna-Lena Groenefeld(GER)(6) / Kveta Peschke(CZE)(6) d. Timea Babos (HUN) / Francesca Schiavone (ITA) — 6-4, 6-4

    Men’s Doubles – Round 1
    Christopher Kas (GER) / Oliver Marach (AUT) d. Pablo Andujar (ESP) / Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) — 6-2, 6-4

    Women’s Doubles – Round 1
    Su-Wei Hsieh (TPE) (4) / Shuai Peng (CHN) (4) d. Eleni Daniilidou (GRE) / Alexandra Panova (RUS) — 6-3, 6-4

    [divider]

     

    Credits: Cover Photo: wchuang (Creative Commons License)

  • You Know You Made It When…

    You Know You Made It When…

    Hours before Andy Murray opens his 2013 US Open title defense campaign, there seems to be an unusual — but welcome — air of tranquility surrounding him, or more accurately, surrounding his critics, supporters, and tennis pundits in general. Sure, there is no escaping the clichéd narrative of “defending champion pressure,” as it seemed to become the de facto question mark once the media ran out of reasons to doubt the Brit, but that almost seems like a compliment when compared to years of harsh assessments, inaccurate labels, and false predictions of a gloomy future following every loss. In the span of twelve months, Murray went from everyone’s obligatory choice on a “best player never to win a Slam” shortlist, to the heaven-sent savior of British tennis and a multiple Grand Slam champion.

    [divider]

    Click here to discuss “You Know You Made It When …” in our discussion forum.

    [divider]

    For years, Murray was impatiently crucified for every high profile loss, every shocking defeat, and yes, even every Masters 1000 event tournament win because “if only he can do that in Majors.” At times, he was given a few deserved passes due to competing in an era where three of the greatest ever to play the game happen to dominate, but he was ultimately a victim of his own success: He had proven he could beat them on more than one occasion, but had yet to do so when it mattered most. Of course, in an ever fickle tennis world, failing to string together two consecutive wins over Nadal and Federer in your first ever Major semifinal (and final) appearance, losing to Novak Djokovic on his beloved Australian Open turf, and succumbing to the Swiss master on the Centre Court of Wimbledon dubiously brings your mental toughness into question.

    If the general consensus was to be believed, every Slam was Murray’s last chance to win a Major, and every Grand Slam final loss somehow meant his chances of finally snatching one were decreasing, despite the fact that he was continuously putting himself in a position to do so. Murray’s years of unfair media treatment were largely a result of him not winning a Slam as early as most predicted. Typically, he was quick to be put on a pedestal only to be shot down once he didn’t immediately meet the needlessly inflated expectations.

    In hindsight, Murray’s career has been far from unusual. In fact, its evolution makes sense, once one looks at the tennis aspect of his game, what he lacked, what he excelled at, and what he has managed to improve. If experts simply distanced themselves from the fanfare and unreasonable demands of immediate glory, the reasons behind Murray’s “failings” were fairly evident, especially once contrasted with his subsequent success in winning Grand Slams.

    Murray was long chastised for his inability to play aggressively in key matches or moments, but this was hardly a mental block that he was somehow unable to overcome, or an elusive strategy he had yet to comprehend. From a pure tennis perspective, Murray’s forehand was letting him down against the game’s elite. That is not to suggest that he had never approached a match the wrong way, implemented an ill-advised strategy, or remained too content to stay within his comfort zone. In fact, those factors definitely contributed to many of his defeats. Likewise, while he was never nearly as shaky between the ears as many would have you believe, the Scot didn’t always have the most exemplary attitude facing adversity (a semifinal match with Nadal at the 2011 US Open particularly stands out), and he was obviously nervous in his first ever Grand Slam final appearance against Federer.

    However, for the bulk of his career, Murray’s forehand was what was stopping him from employing the aggression many urged him to, while the improvement he later made to that very shot (helped immensely by the partnership with Ivan Lendl) turned him into the champion many predicted he would become. Heartbreaking as it must have been, Murray’s 2012 Australian Open semifinal loss to Novak Djokovic was the definite sign of things to come. Up until that point, Murray had been routinely dominated in forehand-to-forehand crosscourt exchanges by Djokovic, Federer, and even by Nadal’s crosscourt backhand. That Djokovic semi marked the first time since his brilliant 2010 Australian Open performance against Nadal that Murray used his forehand with authority against one of the game’s “Big 3” in a Major. The Lendl partnership was immediately paying off.

    Looking back at the pre-2012 US Open phase of Murray’s career, you can pinpoint four crucial matches that perfectly capture his development. Often, a player turns in an eye-opening performance (even in defeat) that earns him premature predictions of guaranteed greatness by trigger-happy fans and pundits, only to spectacularly fail to live up to the hype. Murray, on the other hand, is a rare case of a player whose defining matches were corroborated by his career trajectory.

    Murray had shown flashes of his future brilliance in a five-set loss to David Nalbandian at Wimbledon in 2005, and a straight-set upset of Roger Federer at the 2006 Cincinnati Masters. However, his real “take notice” moment, at least as far as I’m concerned, was his five-set loss to Rafael Nadal at the 2007 Australian Open. A more fit version of Murray would have more than likely emerged victorious, but the Brit looked noticeably winded in the deciding set. Nevertheless, Murray’s talent was on full display, as he handled Nadal’s spin with crosscourt backhands all day, toyed with his opponent with silky-smooth drop shots, and showed incredible hands at the net. While injury would soon derail his momentum that year, it remains the match which gave us the first glimpse of Murray against a future rival, and one of the sport’s giants on the Grand Slam level.

    Eighteen months later, Murray got his shot at redemption, this time producing what was the most sensational tennis of his career to topple Nadal in 4 sets at the 2008 US Open semifinal. Murray had just broken into the Top 10, and cemented his status as a legitimate threat at Majors by eliminating the Spaniard in the midst of the hottest run of his career. The match remains among Murray’s finest hours, as his serve, aggression, and forehand looked near unplayable. Despite a disappointing outing against Federer in the final, Murray would build off that monumental win over Nadal with an impressive fall indoor season, winning his second Masters 1000 event in Madrid (his first was at Cincinnati earlier that summer), thus officially becoming part of the sport’s “Big 4” (when the term was first coined).

    If the two Nadal matches were turning points as far as Murray cementing his status among the sport’s very best is concerned, his aforementioned semifinal with Djokovic at the 2012 Australian Open was the turning point with regards to his eventual Grand Slam triumph. The Lendl partnership was still in its early stages, but the intent was clear. Despite the loss, there was an overwhelming amount of positives for Murray to take. The match saw him combine his variety, defense, and aggression to deliver an absolute classic that would have been even more fondly remembered had it not been for a rough opening set and the subsequent Djokovic/Nadal final.

    Murray built off that match to take himself all the way to his first Wimbledon final, where he was once again toppled by his Grand Slam final tormentor, Roger Federer. However, a few weeks later, Murray would gain revenge in one of the greatest moments of his career, and his ultimate pre-Grand Slam win turning point, when he beat Federer in the final of the 2012 Olympics in London. From a tennis perspective, the performance itself may not have been as telling as Murray’s aggressive outing against Djokovic in Melbourne, but it finally gave Murray a satisfaction that rivals winning a Major, and the emotional boost he needed on his way to realizing his dream. It took him mere weeks to do so, as Murray once again used  that career exemplifying match against Federer to win the US Open crown by beating Novak Djokovic in five windy sets.

    Almost a full year later, Murray revisits the ground that provided him his first taste of Grand Slam glory, and walks in as the Wimbledon champion to boot. There are no talks of last chances,  mental obstacles, “first British man since…”, or the need to adopt a more aggressive approach. In fact, there have been no overreactions to his now-customary post-Slam final lulls when he surprisingly loses early in Masters 1000 events. There is only “Andy Murray: US Open and Wimbledon champion.”

    You know you’ve made it when the media manage to keep a level head after you lose, and still pencil you in as one of the favorites for a Major, instead of using said defeat as a sure-fire sign of a tennis apocalypse. Only a few players are offered this luxury. Andy Murray, you have officially made it.

    Credits: Cover Photo: anonlinegreenworld (Creative Commons License)

  • US Open Day 3 Schedule of Play / Scores: Wednesday, August 28

    US Open Day 3 Schedule of Play / Scores: Wednesday, August 28

    [Scores added as known.]

    Arthur Ashe Stadium – 11:00 A.M.

    Women’s Singles – Round 2
    Na Li (CHN) (5) d. Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) — 6-2, 6-2

    Not Before: 1:00 P.M.

    Men’s Singles – Round 1
    Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) (6) d. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) — 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(7)

    Women’s Singles – Round 2
    Serena Williams (USA) (1) vs. Galina Voskoboeva (KAZ) — Canceled

    Not Before 7:00 P.M.

    Men’s Singles – Round 1
    Andy Murray (GBR) (3) d. Michael Llodra (FRA) — 6-2, 6-4, 6-3

    Women’s Singles – Round 2
    Sloane Stephens (USA) (15) d. Urszula Radwanska (POL) — 6-1, 6-1

    [divider]

    Click here to discuss the Men’s matches in our discussion forum.

    Click here to discuss the Women’s matches in our discussion forum.

    [divider]

    Louis Armstrong Stadium – 11:00 A.M.

    Women’s Singles – Round 2
    Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) (3) d. Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor (ESP) — 6-0, 7-5

    Not Before: 1:00 P.M.

    Women’s Singles – Round 2
    Jie Zheng (CHN) d. Venus Williams (USA) — 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(5)

    Men’s Singles – Round 1
    Ivo Karlovic (CRO) d. James Blake (USA) — 6-7(2), 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(2), 7-6(2)

    [divider]

    Grandstand — 11:00 A.M.

    Men’s Singles – Round 1
    Kevin Anderson (RSA) (17) d. Daniel Brands (GER) — 7-5, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3

    Men’s Singles – Round 1
    Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) d. Brian Baker (USA) — 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4

    Women’s Singles – Round 2
    Jamie Hampton (USA) (23) d. Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) — 7-5, 6-4

    Women’s Singles – Round 2
    Angelique Kerber (GER) (8) vs. Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) — Canceled

    [divider]

    Court 17 — 11:00 A.M.

    Women’s Singles – Round 2
    Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) (18) d. Coco Vandeweghe (USA) — 6-3, 6-4

    Men’s Singles – Round 1
    Tim Smyczek (USA) d. James Duckworth (AUS) — 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-1

    Men’s Singles – Round 1
    Rajeev Ram (USA) d. Fabio Fognini (ITA) (16) — 6-1, 6-2, 6-2

    Women’s Doubles – Round 1
    Sara Errani (ITA) (1) / Roberta Vinci (ITA) (1) vs. Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) / Martina Hingis (SUI) — Canceled

    [divider]

    Court 13 — 11:00 A.M.

    Men’s Singles – Round 1
    Somdev Devvarman (IND) d. Lukas Lacko (SVK) — 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4

    Men’s Singles – Round 1
    Alex Bogomolov Jr. (RUS) d. Benoit Paire (FRA) (24) — 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(5)

    Women’s Singles – Round 2
    Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) (24) vs. Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) — Canceled

    Women’s Singles – Round 2
    Jelena Jankovic (SRB) (9) vs. Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) — Canceled

    [divider]

    Court 11 — 11:00 A.M.

    Men’s Singles – Round 1
    Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) d. Go Soeda (JPN) — 6-4, 6-3, 6-1

    Women’s Singles – Round 2
    Laura Robson (GBR) (30) d. Caroline Garcia (FRA) — 6-4, 7-6(5)

    Men’s Singles – Round 1
    Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) (9) d. Radek Stepanek (CZE) — 7-6(2), 6-3, 6-2

    Women’s Singles – Round 2
    Sabine Lisicki (GER) (16) vs. Paula Ormaechea (ARG) — Canceled

    Women’s Singles – Round 2
    Sorana Cirstea (ROU) (19) vs. Kurumi Nara (JPN) — Canceled

    [divider]

    Court 4 — 11:00 A.M.

    Men’s Singles – Round 1
    Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) (21) d. Nicolas Mahut (FRA) — 6-4, 6-4, 7-6(4)

    Men’s Singles – Round 1
    Peter Gojowczyk (GER) d. Igor Sijsling (NED) — 7-6(7), 2-6, 6-4, 6-1

    Women’s Singles – Round 2
    Kaia Kanepi (EST) (25) vs. Anna Schmiedlova (SVK) — Canceled

    Women’s Singles – Round 2
    Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) vs. Patricia Mayr-Achleitner (AUT) — Canceled

    [divider]

    Court 6 — 11:00 A.M.

    Men’s Singles – Round 1
    Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR) d. David Goffin (BEL) — 6-2, 6-4, 6-4

    Men’s Singles – Round 1
    Leonardo Mayer (ARG) d. Victor Hanescu (ROU) — 7-6(4), 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4)

    Men’s Doubles – Round 1
    Rohan Bopanna (IND) (6) / Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA) (6) vs. Bradley Klahn (USA) / Sam Querrey (USA) — Canceled

    Women’s Doubles – Round 1
    Vania King (USA) / Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) vs. Karolina Pliskova (CZE) / Donna Vekic (CRO) — Canceled

    [divider]

    Court 7 — 11:00 A.M.

    Women’s Singles – Round 2
    Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) (32) d. Ashleigh Barty (AUS) — 6-4, 6-0

    Men’s Singles – Round 1
    Andreas Seppi (ITA) (20) d. Xavier Malisse (BEL) — 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, 7-5

    Mixed Doubles – Round 1
    Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER) (1) / Alexander Peya (AUT) (1) vs. Ashleigh Barty (AUS) / John Peers (AUS) — Canceled

    [divider]

    Court 8 — 11:00 A.M.

    Women’s Doubles – Round 1
    Liezel Huber (USA) (9) / Nuria Llagostera Vives (ESP) (9) d. Nina Bratchikova (RUS) / Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) — 6-1, 6-1

    Women’s Doubles – Round 1
    Kiki Bertens (NED) / Johanna Larsson (SWE) d. Shelby Rogers (USA) / Maria Sanchez (USA) — 7-5, 6-4

    Men’s Singles – Round 1
    Marcel Granollers (ESP) d. Jurgen Zopp (EST) — 6-1, 3-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4

    Women’s Doubles – Round 1
    Melanie Oudin (USA) / Alison Riske (USA) vs. Lauren Davis (USA) / Grace Min (USA) — Canceled

    [divider]

    Court 9 — 11:00 A.M.

    Men’s Doubles – Round 1
    Albert Montanes (ESP) / Tommy Robredo (ESP) d. Frantisek Cermak (CZE) (15) / Filip Polasek (SVK) (15) — 6-4, 6-0

    Women’s Doubles – Round 1
    Katalin Marosi (HUN) / Megan Moulton-Levy (USA) d. Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU) / Klara Zakopalova (CZE) — 6-3, 7-6(4)

    Women’s Doubles – Round 1
    Su-Wei Hsieh (TPE) (4) / Shuai Peng (CHN) (4) vs. Eleni Daniilidou (GRE) / Alexandra Panova (RUS) — Canceled

    Men’s Doubles – Round 1
    Ryan Harrison (USA) / Robert Lindstedt (SWE) vs. Steve Johnson (USA) / Michael Russell (USA) — Canceled

    [divider]

    Court 10 — 11:00 A.M.

    Men’s Doubles – Round 1
    Colin Fleming (GBR) (12) / Jonathan Marray (GBR) (12) d. Carlos Berlocq (ARG) / Eduardo Schwank (ARG) — 4-6, 6-3, 6-4

    Men’s Singles – Round 1
    Evgeny Donskoy (RUS) d. Jurgen Melzer (AUT) (29) — 7-5, 6-3, 7-6(3)

    Mixed Doubles – Round 1
    Victoria Duval (USA) / Donald Young (USA) vs. Raquel Kops-Jones (USA) / Treat Huey (PHI) — Canceled

    Women’s Doubles – Round 1
    Sharon Fichman (CAN) / Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) vs. Allie Kiick (USA) / Sachia Vickery (USA) — Canceled

    Women’s Doubles – Round 1
    Alexandra Cadantu (ROU) / Simona Halep (ROU) vs. Jill Craybas (USA) / Coco Vandeweghe (USA) — Canceled

    Women’s Doubles – Round 1
    Petra Martic (CRO) / Andrea Petkovic (GER) vs. Polona Hercog (SLO) / Lisa Raymond (USA) — Canceled

    [divider]

    Court 14 — 11:00 A.M.

    Mixed Doubles – Round 1
    Kveta Peschke (CZE) (4) / Marcin Matkowski (POL) (4) d. Anastasia Rodionova (AUS) / Mariusz Fyrstenberg (POL) — 6-2, 2-6, 10-8

    Women’s Doubles – Round 1
    Nadia Petrova (RUS) (3) / Katarina Srebotnik (SLO) (3) d. Elina Svitolina (UKR) / Renata Voracova (CZE) — 6-2, 6-4

    Men’s Doubles – Round 1
    Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) / Daniel Gimeno-Traver (ESP) vs. Florin Mergea (ROU) / Lukas Rosol (CZE) — Canceled

    Women’s Doubles – Round 1
    Julia Goerges (GER) (12) / Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE) (12) vs. Olga Govortsova (BLR) / Mandy Minella (LUX) — Canceled

    Women’s Doubles – Round 1
    Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) (2) / Elena Vesnina (RUS) (2) vs. Shuko Aoyama (JPN) / Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) — Canceled

    [divider]

    Court 15 — 11:00 A.M.

    Mixed Doubles – Round 1
    Kimiko Date-Krumm (JPN) / David Marrero (ESP) d. Saisai Zheng (CHN) / Lukas Dlouhy (CZE) — 2-6, 6-0, 10-4

    Men’s Doubles – Round 1
    Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) / Mikhail Elgin (RUS) d. Marinko Matosevic (AUS) / Grega Zemlja (SLO) — 1-6, 6-3, 6-2

    Men’s Doubles – Round 1
    Santiago Gonzalez (MEX) (11) / Scott Lipsky (USA) (11) vs. Jonathan Erlich (ISR) / Andy Ram (ISR) — Canceled

    Women’s Doubles – Round 1
    Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) (11) / Lucie Safarova (CZE) (11) vs. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) / Monica Niculescu (ROU) — Canceled

    Men’s Doubles – Round 1
    Austin Krajicek (USA) / Denis Kudla (USA) vs. Martin Klizan (SVK) / Michal Mertinak (SVK) — Canceled

    [divider]

    Court 16 — 11:00 A.M.

    Men’s Doubles – Round 1
    Pablo Cuevas (URU) / Horacio Zeballos (ARG) d. Max Mirnyi (BLR) (13) / Horia Tecau (ROU) (13) — 6-2, 7-5

    Women’s Doubles – Round 1
    Mona Barthel (GER) / Liga Dekmeijere (LAT) d. Alexandra Dulgheru (ROU) / Eva Hrdinova (CZE) — 6-3, 6-4

    Men’s Doubles – Round 1
    Jaroslav Levinsky (CZE) / Jiri Vesely (CZE) vs. Lucas Arnold Ker (ARG) / Juan Monaco (ARG) — Canceled

    Women’s Doubles – Round 1
    Vera Dushevina (RUS) / Heather Watson (GBR) vs. Sandra Klemenschits (AUT) / Andreja Klepac (SLO) — Canceled

    Men’s Doubles – Round 1
    Pablo Andujar (ESP) / Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) vs. Christopher Kas (GER) / Oliver Marach (AUT) — Canceled
    Credits: Cover Photo: jpellgen (Creative Commons License)

  • Luck of the Draw: US Open 2013

    Luck of the Draw: US Open 2013

    The draw for the US Open has been released in the traditional fashion, which is to write the names of every eligible player on little slips of paper, place them all in an antique cannon in the middle of Arthur Ashe Stadium, and fire them straight up. From there the strong prevailing winds take over, and a player’s placement is determined by where in the tri-state area his name flutters to rest. It is for this reason, one presumes, that the year’s final Major is always contested during hurricane season. Sadly, the USTA has announced that in 2017 there will be roofs over the main stadiums at the Billy Jean King National Tennis Center. The US Open will have to find a new way of conducting the ceremony (since it is unthinkable that something as momentous as populating a tournament draw could be achieved without due pomp). It’s always a shame when old traditions disappear.

    [divider]

    Discuss this article, the match and lots more with fellow tennis fans in the forums.

    [divider]

    Of subsidiary interest, the placement of the very highest seeds is decided by where their names fall in relation to David Ferrer’s. As it happened, Rafael Nadal was the luckiest one. We can safely ignore scurrilous rumours that the slips of paper bearing the two Spaniards’ names had been stuck together with adhesive. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic’s name turned up in Stamford, Connecticut. It could have been worse, I suppose.

    Once again we’re invited to marvel at the vagaries of the ATP rankings, especially the situation whereby Andy Murray, reigning US Open (and Wimbledon) champion and eternal saviour of British tennis, is ranked number three in the world. This is one place lower than Nadal, who holds only a single Major (Roland Garros), lost in the first round at Wimbledon, and didn’t even play at the others. It is two places lower than Novak Djokovic, who holds only the Australian Open. As a result the Scot is seeded lower than both those men at the upcoming US Open. As far as the population of the small island positioned off the extreme western coast of the Eurasian landmass is concerned, this is nothing short of a cosmic injustice.

    Although Sky Sports have never attained the febrile derangement of their compatriots at the Daily Mail, they have nonetheless elevated cheerleading on Murray’s behalf into something of an art form, and will reliably ascend to heights of outrage when they feel he’s been hard-done-by. While raucous advocacy presumably doesn’t reflect management’s official position, it certainly isn’t discouraged, and any failure to address Britain’s top player in sufficiently rapturous terms presumably results in disciplinary action. (This policy, incidentally, isn’t limited to Sky: word is that John McEnroe received a stern talking-to from ESPN after he repeatedly excoriated American players on air during last year’s US Open. He and his brother really did go to town on Donald Young one evening. Here in Australia, failure to sing the praises of either Lleyton Hewitt or Bernard Tomic will earn the offender a baleful visit from John Newcombe.) Anyway, Peter Fleming pronounced the latest rankings to be “crazy”. Marcus Buckland suggested it “seemed unfair”. Others were less circumspect, in each case betraying a deliberate ignorance of how the rankings actually work. It is understandable that the average punter’s knowledge of the sport ends with the Majors – we shouldn’t necessarily be thrilled at this, and American coverage in particular can grow pathetically grateful at any public interest at all – but for those paid good money to follow professional tennis from week to week, the Majors should merely be the start. There is no mystery why Nadal is ranked higher than Murray: there’s more to tennis than Grand Slam events.

    Anyway, the reason why the second and third seedings matter so much at this US Open is that David Ferrer is seeded fourth. There are probably kinder ways to say it, but the reality is that even when Ferrer was in decent form he represented a more benign semifinal opponent than whomever the alternative happened to be. Right now, however, he is in execrable form, and still troubled by a lingering injury. Not only that, but these are the potential quarterfinal match-ups based on seedings:

    • Djokovic – del Potro
    • Murray – Berdych
    • Nadal – Federer
    • Ferrer – Gasquet

    Which of these is not like the others? Any one of Berdych, del Potro, or Federer could have fallen in Ferrer’s quarter, and in each case would have been favoured to reach the last weekend. Alas, it wasn’t to be. So it goes. Let’s just call Ferrer’s quarter a grand opportunity for someone. There are nine qualifiers in this quarter, and four of them are facing each other. I’m going to venture out on an especially shaky limb, and suggest that Dmitry Tursunov’s time has arrived. Seeded thirty-two, the Russian won’t encounter anyone ranked higher until the third round at the earliest. By wisely choosing to be drawn in Ferrer’s quarter, he has ensured that he won’t face anyone truly terrifying until the semifinals. So pencil him in for that. Gasquet is in there, too, of course, seeded eighth. I could pencil him in for a quarterfinal, but history suggests that would be a waste of graphite. On the small chance that Tursunov doesn’t push all the way through to Super Saturday, I suspect either Milos Raonic or Jerzy Janowicz will. Or Ernests Gulbis, who is now seeded and can thus stop thinking of himself as the world’s most dangerous floater, since it was frankly getting him nowhere. But really it’s anyone’s guess.

    Ryan Harrison’s appalling luck at Grand Slam level continues. He has once again drawn a lofty seed early on, in this case Nadal in the opening round. Last year in New York he faced Juan Martin del Potro in the second round. The upshot is that even last year’s modest points will almost certainly go undefended. It’s rotten luck, undoubtedly, though one shouldn’t pretend there aren’t other reasons why Harrison isn’t ranked high enough to elude this kind of misfortune. It’s bound to be a featured night match, and thus a test of McEnroe’s generosity. It’s hard to imagine either Nadal or Federer will suffer upsets before they meet in the quarterfinals, unlike at Wimbledon, where I totally foresaw those early losses to Steve Darcis and Sergiy Stakhovsky, but didn’t want to spoil the surprise.

    Only one first round match really stands out – setting to one side the possibility that those qualifiers will entertainingly pulverise each other in fifth set tiebreaks – which is the one between Lleyton Hewitt and Brian Baker. Joints creaking and metal pins clanking, they’ll contest the chance to play del Potro. Whoever comes out of all that, it’ll be a triumph for medical science.

    Credits: Cover Photo: Wallyg, (Creative Commons License)

  • Strong Believers

    Strong Believers

    Western & Southern Open, ATP Third Round

    [1] Novak Djokovic def. [Q] David Goffin 6-2, 6-0
    [5] Roger Federer def. [11] Tommy Haas 1-6, 7-5, 6-3
    [2] Andy Murray def. Julien Benneteau 6-2, 6-2
    [4] Rafael Nadal def. Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 5-7, 6-2

    ESPN, Inc., formerly the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network Rulers of the Universe, has a way of making its fellow cable network, The Tennis Channel, look like it has the earnings potential of an independent bookseller—an independent used-bookstore with a leaky roof and a big CD section. I could watch Cincinnati tennis on two different ESPN stations today, while the Tennis Channel was stuck re-airing the Kooyong Classic from 2004. But, I could watch ESPN today, because today was a happy work-at-home paperwork-day. (This is a special kind of day, similar to a holiday. Sadly, it is also a type of day that has become all too rare in recent months.)

    Aside from making the Tennis Channel feel bad about itself, ESPN also has a way of reminding American tennis fans exactly how unimportant their sport-of-choice is in the grand scheme of chosen sports. Today they managed it by regulating Rafael Nadal and Grigor Dimitrov to ESPN3, an online stream, while airing Little League on television. Yes, a 1000-level ATP tournament contested on U.S. soil (specifically in the Western & Southern portion of the U.S.) took a back seat to eight-year-olds standing in a meadow chewing bubble gum. A match featuring one of the best players in tennis history versus the only active player on tour to be nicknamed after one of the other best players in tennis history was shunted aside by actual baby athletes.

    But I digress. Hmm. Why was I telling you about the ESPN programming schedule? Oh yes, for metaphorical purposes! And I’ll come to those in a moment, I promise. Everybody loves a metaphor. But first, since I’m on the subject of ESPN, I want to say a few words about ESPN commentator, Darren Cahill.

    In fact, you can consider this post my formal petition for Darren Cahill to take full coaching responsibility for Marion Bartoli’s post-retirement commentary career. Because, really, with Cahill in the booth, the video stream is almost optional. It isn’t simply that Darren Cahill mostly confines his commentary to the match at hand; it’s that his comments are so sensible. Indeed, when he has nothing sensible to say, he seems to say nothing at all. (Psychotherapists love this trait in their sportscasters.)

    For instance, during set one of Roger Federer’s three-set victory over Tommy Haas, Cahill wasted little time in the usual speculation about whether Roger was actually Federer, or if this Roger might not be an imitation version of the Swiss who had never learned to play tennis. Instead, he commented that Federer was more than typically nervous, rushing himself into poor decisions, mostly involving losing points at the net. Cahill also noted that Tommy Haas’s court position on the return was taking the out-wide serve from Roger forcing him into uncomfortable choices, and that Haas’s returns—flat and hard, down the middle of the court—were the best strategy to draw errors from Papa Fed.

    At some point in the middle of Nadal/Dimitrov match— the point when the Bulgarian ran down a drop shot, hit a winner, and then jumped into the air with glee—Darren Cahill chortled warmly, saying, “Goodness me, he’s fun to watch.” With Cahill in the ESPN booth, it’s also fun to listen.

    OK. That turned out to be an official second digression, which might be some type of digressive record, if such records were tracked. (I tried to keep track once, but I kept getting distracted.) So, without further ado, the metaphorical section of the post, wherein I compare the Big Four—defined herein as Djokovic, Nadal, Murray and Federer*— to ESPN, or perhaps Amazon.com, and their opponents to a cross between the Tennis Channel and various indie booksellers.

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    Novak Djokovic d. David Goffin 6-2, 6-0

    The first men’s match on Center Court today was Novak Djokovic versus David Goffin. During Djokovic’s match, morning-time for me, I listened to my voicemail, ate a bagel, and blinked, twice. By the time I’d finished, it was all over. The second set took approximately five minutes and Goffin won exactly zero games. Djokovic, on the other hand, won six. Every time I had the opportunity to glance at my monitor I was treated to the sight of a blonde Belgian standing roughly fifty feet behind the baseline, and lunging in the general direction of a tennis ball.

    Goffin made his way to the third round via a 6-1, 6-1 win over Mackenzie McDonald, who is the first non-ranked ATP player to qualify for the main draw in Cincinnati. Ever. Mackenzie hails from Piedmont, California, an American hill-town so wealthy that it seceded from its surrounding city-state, which is a rough-and-tumble place called Oakland. Piedmont has a very tidy set of public courts. It is doubtful Mackenzie makes much use of them. In the second round, David Goffin bested last week’s Rogers Cup semifinalist Vasek Pospisil, 7-5, 1-6, 7-6. Neither of these victories offers exquisite insight into Goffin’s current form. Nor did today’s loss. Djokovic didn’t let him near the tennis ball. The Serb is looking fearsome.

    Djokovic has never won the Western & Southern Open. Conquering Mason, Ohio, would make him the only ATP player to win all nine of the Masters titles. I Googled No. 9 and it turns out to be – according to the internet’s most reputable numerology sites — “the number of destiny.” Wikipedia also defines nine as the number that follows eight and precedes ten. Make of that what you will.

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    Roger Federer d. Tommy Haas 1-6, 7-5, 6-3

    Given that Federer spent a goodly portion of his third round match looking as if he were concerned that sustained rallies might damage his antique tennis racquet, you might be surprised that I’ve listed him among the metaphorically ESPN-esque players of the day. But—and I think I’m right about this—part of the reason Federer was able to come back and win the match from 1-6, 1-3 down is precisely because he is Roger Federer, or RF, Inc., for short. No matter how low the RF stock plunges, there is always a chance that his opponents will remember that they are up against a 17-time slam champion. (Sometimes, there is even opportunity for Federer to remember this, too, especially when he’s not wearing his special “warming shirt” and is therefore capable of hitting serves.)

    In Tommy Haas’s case, he must have also been aware of his 3-11 (now 3-12) career head-to-head against Federer. A tennis fan doesn’t need a numerology site to tell her that numbers like that can get in a player’s head. Nonetheless, the German got off to a stellar start, and looked as if he could continue being outstanding all day. Meanwhile, Federer proceeded to go from OK, to distinctly not OK, to much worse than that. By the end of the first set even his serve had abandoned him, protesting its owner’s wild net-rushing ways.

    But, midway through the second set the Cincinnati fans got to witness one of the marvels of today’s interdependent tennis economy. At very nearly the same moment in time, Federer began to produce his money shots, while Tommy’s currency took a sudden nosedive. Haas started his descent by re-gifting an early break back to Roger, leveling the set at 4-4. Federer consolidated, making one small fist pump in the process. Haas then gave away three straight points, which turned out to be set points, so he changed his mind and took them back. The set was still level at 5-5, but the momentum now rested with Federer.

    By the time the No. 5 seed closed out the match—an excellent drop shot to bring up match point, and a forehand winner to end it—Roger Federer looked like he had some measure of his aura back. (If you looked closely, you could even see it, shimmering in the Cincy sun — a pretty cornflower blue.) After the match, Federer was quoted as saying he is a “strong believer” he’s on the right path. Should Federer lose in the quarters, there’s still no proving him wrong. Even the most vintage version of Roger Federer could be excused for losing to Rafael Nadal at his most passionate™.

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    Andy Murray d. Julien Benneteau 6-2, 6-2

    OK, I admit I did not see one ball of Murray’s win over Julien Benneteau. (I had to do some actual work today.) Andy Murray had to do some work, too — exactly one hour, nine minutes, and two seconds’ worth. Since I have no observations to make about this match, I’ll guess (blogger prerogative): the Scot is much improved this week from last. He is also the reigning Wimbledon Champion and the defending US Open Champion. He is a factor, whether he is happy about it or not.

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    Rafael Nadal d. Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 5-7, 6-2

    Nadal’s three-set defeat of Grigor Dimitrov was an exciting match, or might have been if I weren’t watching it while also trying to cook dinner for four. It is not easy being a Rafa fan, chopping vegetables, and watching a 6-2, 5-3 lead slip entirely away. In such moments one needs to be especially careful not to accidentally include small pieces of oneself in with the chopped kale and beans. (It’s what people like to eat in Northern California, I swear.)

    At some point during the first set, Darren Cahill said (sensibly), that, under pressure, Grigor Dimitrov had a tendency to abandon a winning strategy. As if Dimitrov knew he was being discussed, he demonstrated the truth of Cahill’s observation by gaining a hard-fought advantage in a long rally and proceeding to back it up by backing up, way up—deep into Goffin territory—losing the point because he couldn’t track down an inside-out forehand from Nadal. Case in point.

    However, when the Bulgarian made a mighty last stand, which came, as last stands will do, near the end of the second set, it turned out to be Nadal who abandoned his winning strategy. Instead of aggressively going for winners off his forehand, backhand, serves, and volleys, he mostly did not go for winners off all those same shots. When he did, he missed. Grigor, meanwhile, became good fun to watch.

    Fortunately for Rafa, he is, at the moment, well in touch with his trademark inner-passion for the game. As with Federer, you can see it in his aura, which shines bright yellow, and looks not unlike an incandescent tennis ball in the shape of a T-shirt. Even at night, the brilliant glow helps Rafa find anything from a moth resting its wings on the service-line to an aggressive baseline strategy. Having located his strategy Rafael Nadal, being Rafael Nadal, broke to open the third set. There were close games and see-saw moments in Set No. 3, but Nadal never relinquished the break. Why should he? He’s Rafa.

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    At the beginning of Roger Federer’s match he was pronounced by many (many times over) to appear “not at all like Federer.” By the time he won, his play was dubbed “vintage Federer.” True Federer. (Though he was still far from full-flow-Federer, which is even truer than truth.) It fascinates me how often top players are defined as playing “like themselves.” It isn’t just linguistic laziness, or I don’t think it is. The technique is descriptive. If you tell me Djokovic was playing like Djokovic, I don’t picture baseline errors. No, I think it’s to do with how frequently the Big Four are able to channel their best selves, which — and this applies to all of us — is the truest version of the self. I am a strong believer in that.

    And because I’ve used up my entire allotment of words, including half my allowance for next week, I’ll end with mentioning players who deserved more mention: John Isner, Dmitry Tursunov, Juan Martin del Potro, and Tomas Berdych. Each man won a match today, and tomorrow they play Novak Djokovic, each other, and Andy Murray, respectively. I wish every one of them strong belief. I also wish tomorrow were another special stay-at-home-paper-work-day. So I could watch.

    *The Top Four (as opposed to the Big Four) includes Djokovic, Murray, Nadal, and David Ferrer, who is having a terrible time moving around tennis courts lately. I have to think it’s at least partly due to the damage done to his ankle at Wimbledon. The Spaniard tried so hard to give his second round match away to Ryan Harrison, but the American refused to take it. (Respect for his elders, and whatnot.) As a consequence, David Ferrer has now been Tursunoved twice this season. But it’s worth noting that last time he lost to the Russian was in Barcelona, mere weeks before he reached the French Open final.

  • Visual Depiction of Big Four (+2) Dominance

    Visual Depiction of Big Four (+2) Dominance

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    Click here to discuss this with fellow tennis fans in our discussion forum.

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    Note: I received a couple requests to post this to the blog – which I’ve neglected thus far – so I thought I’d take the opportunity to get the gears turning and post some entries. Expect more of the same – statistical analysis and historical surveys. 

    I thought it would be interesting to create a chart that depicts the levels of dominance of the “Big Four” over the last decade. With apologies to Tomas Berdych and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, I’ve included David Ferrer and Juan Martin Del Potro to flesh it out a bit with a couple from the next tier of players.

    The graph might be a bit confusing at first but I think the key is to focus on each player’s line to see how it changes, then go to the next player, etc, and then put it all together.

    What do the numbers mean? They are the average of how many matches a player won per Slam played in a particular year. This does NOT include Slams a player didn’t enter, nor does it include qualification victories or take note of walkovers. The key is simple: 2R = 1, 3R = 2, 4R = 3, QF = 4, SF = 5, F = 6, W = 7. So, for example, Andy Murray was in the Final at the Australian Open (6), missed the French Open, and won Wimbledon (7). I am not penalizing him for missing Roland Garros as that would inaccurately reflect his actual performance, so the total of 13 is divided by 2, for an average of 6.5.
    It should go without saying that not all Slam rounds are equal, which this method implies. But this system is not an attempt to measure overall greatness via Slam results – I’ve done that in past forum posts and may resuscitate my methodology here in the future – but to look at the players relative to each other.

    So here’s the chart (click on it to make it large enough to decipher):

    20130709051732

    A few things pop out to me:

    • Notice that Andy Murray (green) is the only player to equal or improve his results from each year – his line just keeps getting better and better.
    • We can see that Roger Federer’s phase of dominance is quite clear: 2004-2009, with Rafael Nadal equaling him in 2008.
    • The downward trend for Roger and Rafa is alarming. Obviously it is skewed by their early exits in Wimbledon, but I don’t think we can discount that as an anomaly. This strongly indicates that both players are in decline – yes, Rafa as well as Roger.
    • Contrary to a view I hear occasionally, Novak in 2012-13 is not the same player he was before 2011; he isn’t quite as good as in 2011, but he’s definitely a notch above 2010 and before – at least according to his Slam results, which I think is the single most important indicator of a player’s level.
    • It is interesting to note Ferrer’s dip in 2009-2010, and then his resurgence in 2011 until the present – his best tennis so far. A rare career trajectory.
    • As for Del Potro, we can see that in 2009 he surpassed Andy and Novak and then dealt with injuries. Hopefully he can get back there, although it may be too much to expect a truly elite season (which we could define as >5, or averaging more than a SF in each Slam).

    What does this chart tell us in general? It supports what we all likely already know, that the “Fedal Era” is over and has been over for a couple years now – at least in terms of their shared dominance. It also suggests that Andy Murray – at least in 2013 thus far – is right there with Novak Djokovic. If we consider the “Fedal Era” to be 2005-2010, given the age of “Djokurray” (both 26), it seems unlikely it will last as long, but we can say it is 2011-13 so far, with possibly another year or two ahead.

  • GREAT SCOT! British Drought Ends – Andy Murray Wins Wimbledon

    GREAT SCOT! British Drought Ends – Andy Murray Wins Wimbledon

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    Click here to discuss the Murray/Djokovic Final with fellow tennis fans.

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    Seventy-seven years after Fred Perry last brought the men’s title home, and 36 years since Virginia Wade did it, Great Britain has a home-grown champion at Wimbledon.  Andy Murray beat the Serbian Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 6-4, to take the trophy he has long been pressured over.  It was a hard-fought match, and while a straight-sets affair, it took over 3 hours to complete.

    Djokovic did not look at his best today, perhaps suffering a bit mentally, if not physically, from his longest-ever semifinal match against Juan Martin Del Potro on Friday.  Murray, however, seemed determined from the start to finally bring the title home, and get the monkey, and the press, off his back.  The last game, with Murray serving for it was especially dramatic, with Djokovic fighting back from 0-40 to have a couple of break points.  When the Scot finally closed it out, the collective cheer of a nation may well have been audible from France.

  • Men’s Final – Wimbledon Day 13: Sunday, July 7 – Order of Play & Scores

    Men’s Final – Wimbledon Day 13: Sunday, July 7 – Order of Play & Scores

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    Click here to discuss the Djokovic/Murray Men’s Wimbledon Final with fellow tennis fans.

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    [Scores will be added as known.]

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    Centre Court – 2:00 PM

    GENTLEMEN’S SINGLES – FINAL
    Andy Murray (GBR) (2) d Novak Djokovic (SRB) (1) — 6-4, 7-5, 6-4

    MIXED DOUBLES – FINAL
    Daniel Nestor (CAN) (8) / Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) (8) d Bruno Soares (BRA) (1) / Lisa Raymond (USA) (1) — 5-7, 6-2, 8-6