The U.S Open begins Monday at the tennis capital of America, Flushing, New York. Scotland’s Andy Murray is slated to appear in his fifth U.S Open, and is coming off his finest performance at the Grand Slam event in 2008. Last year, Murray was a Flushing finalist for the first time ever. He whipped through Rafael Nadal in the men’s semi-finals to play the pinnacle performer, world number one, Roger Federer. The Swiss swingman stuffed the Scot in straight sets.
Murray made headlines in Montreal at the Masters event against Juan Martin del Porto as a precursor to the big stage in New York. Cincinnati was also triumphant for Murray, where he made a methodically run to the semifinal round. After suffering a setback in the Wimbledon semis, Murray validated his number two ranking by defeating the 20 year old Argentinean 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 6-1 in a gritty final match. Murray wore his opponent out by constantly changing the direction of the ball and the length and placement of his shots. Murray moves well on the firm hard surface and mixes his slice into his arsenal of shots. The ball is able to get a good jump, making Murray an excellent hard court player with quickness, perfect balance and rhythm. The Rogers Cup win was the first by a British male and Murray’s fifth ATP Tour title this year. He is matched only by Nadal in that category. The first player to post 50 match wins this season, Murray is on pace and poised to potentially prosper at the U.S. Open.
In April, Scotland’s favorite son coasted through Miami, cruising to his third Masters 1000 title. The win over Novak Djokovic was the first title taken by a British in tournament history. Clearly, Murray is making his mark in every major tournament this season, and expects to mimic the moves at the Grand Slam events. The U.S Open is undoubtedly Andy’s best chance of winning a slam. Since he holds the number two ranking, he has the probability of only having to face Federer or Nadal once rather than having to get past the two mammoth monsters during the two week competition. Men’s tennis is stronger than ever but Murray has the tools to raise his game and achieve the highest level. It will be hugely tough to stop Federer from defending his 2008 title. But Murray has been building momentum all year and nothing would cap off the summer better than his first grand slam title in New York. Murray is physically at his peak and his fitness has been a priority throughout his successful season. The Scotsman added former Spanish tennis professional, Alex Corretja, to his support team. Corretja is best known for his epic five set match against Pete Sampras. Murray’s stellar summer campaign will wrap up next month as he will utilize his slice and to finish the year where he left off. In January, the Brit accomplished the unthinkable by winning back to back titles over Nadal and Federer. Now he joins the top stars at the only three ATP players to qualify for the prestigious Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. The event takes places in London during late November and features eight elite tennis players.
Murray’s crowning as the number two player on Monday snapped the four year period of domination of Federer and Nadal as the top two players in the world. The 22 year old tacked on a career-best performance at Roland Garros this year when he reached the quarter-finals. He became just the ninth British man to reach Wimbledon’s wonderful semifinals and shows no signs of withering. Andy arrives in New York anticipating a memorable grand slam event and is the feel-good favorite phenom. His accomplishments at the tennis center next week could hinge on his seeding. Seeding is usually a determining factor in a player’s success at any tournament, but should not be the main focus. Murray has the skills and the recipe to succeed no matter who he faces or when. His fitness level and hard court game make him a leading contender. The implications of not having to face Nadal and Federer are important. But don’t discount the player who set the benchmark on how to play tennis (Federer) and the gutsy comeback king of clay (Nadal). Murray’s smart enough not to discount anybody. That is why is still considered the modest underdog to bigger names. Even his namesake, Andy Roddick, is more endearing to fans and has higher expectations placed on him. Flying under the radar may be the best thing going for Murray. And the fact he is playing just as well as anybody under the radar is huge.
Parting points: Mark Sanchez will start for the Jets, the Rockies are on a roll, and Rick Pitino is still talking. Happy Hump Day!
Showing posts with label Andy Murray. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Andy Murray. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
Feature Files From France
Roger Federer is favored to win the French Open after a significant sendoff by Robin Soderling Sunday shattered the reigning champion, Rafael Nadal. Nadal’s disintegration interferes with the illustration of the tournament draw. The four-time Roland Garros winner was ousted in four sets. Soderling accomplished what no other men’s player on tour could do in 31 previous attempts. Nadal ruled the red clay for 31 matches until Soderling’s 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 7-6 (2) victory stopped his surest surface success.
Federer can consummate his resume by winning the title in France. The French Open is the only Grand Slam Roger has not claimed in his historic career and now the door is open for him to capture. Nadal was the shield preventing Federer from a clay championship. Roger can still lose to a remaining contender, but has the best chance to compensate for his only career glitch without Nadal in the picture.
The fearless Swede, Soderling won the 3 ½ hour grudge match with his assertive and active play yesterday. Nadal won all three previous meetings with the 24 year old, including 2007 at Wimbledon. He dominated Soderling 6-1, 6-0, a month ago in Rome on clay. Until Sunday’s stunning showing, sprightly Soderling never reached a third round match in any major tournament. He finished with a fancy 61 winners against a weighed down Nadal. Rafael came up on the short end of the winners, a rare occurrence. The 23rd seed showed fortitude, never lost his edge and did not fold, even when he committed six unforced errors to lose a second set tiebreaker. Nadal dropped the first set by twice being broken on serve. Robin’s booming serves were enough to take the third set off the mistake-laden Nadal. Rafeal lost two sets for the first time in a French Open match when Soderling closed out the third. Soderling’s serve startled and stood in the way of Nadal leveling the score in the fourth set too. The Spaniard was troubled by the 140 mph rips and could not advance to net to crush winning volleys. Nadal was able to battle back to even the set score and force a tiebreaker. To beat Nadal, you have to hit through him, and Soderling took it to the ace this time. He fought off match points at 6-1 in the tiebreaker but an ensuring volley landed wide and the defending champion was tapered.
Nadal made his Roland Garros debut in May of 2005. You have to give him kudos for going undefeated and winning four consecutive titles there. It is one of the bigger upsets in tennis history because no one expected a Nadal departure this early to a much lower seeded underdog.
Reigning French Open women’s champion, Ana Ivanovic, also had an early exit on Sunday. She lost a two-set shocker to the number 9 seed, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus. The former number one struggled to grind out games in a 2-6, 3-6 falling at the French with a fuss. She called for her trainer during the match and felt dizzy in the first set. Azarenka broke Ivanovic’s serve in the first and third games to take a 4-0 lead. The 19 year old played to her strengths aggressively to hold on for an easy 6-2 win. The Serbian made 20 unforced errors during the match and only mustered three games in the second set. Ivanovic has been somewhat of a comeback story in 2009, but endured a disappointing conclusion to the year’s second Grand Slam yesterday afternoon. She was stretched to a tie breaking win in the opening round against Italy’s Sara Errani. Then, she advanced through the next two rounds with relative ease by executing well. Ivanovic lost just five games during those two matches. The 21 year old faced a motivated, better opponent in Azarenka yesterday. The calm Azarenka will now play her first career major quarterfinal match.
Maria Sharapova’s latest three-set victory is a comforting one for the Russian coming off shoulder injury. The jovial Maria is unseeded but pulled out another close contest in this French tournament. Her fourth victory of the Grand Slam scored 6-4. 0-6, 6-4. It occurred against 25th seeded, Li Na. The Chinese sensation could not contend with Sharapova’s physical play and mental strength. Maria was bageled in the second set but managed to pull herself together to win the third outright. Li was up a break in the final set, 4-2, before she lost her concentration. The 22 year old Sharapova redeemed herself on her way to compiling the necessary four games for the victory. She reaches the quarterfinal round on clay for the fourth time in her career at the French Open. It’s questionable how much Sharapova can endure with her ailing shoulder and thigh. But it will be charming to see how she fares in the semi-finals should she reach that round.
Dinara Safina needed only 13 games and 53 minutes to reach the elite eight of the women’s draw in France. The world number one has only lost five games en route to the quarterfinals. It will be disappointing if she doesn’t lift the championship trophy in a week. Safina annihilated Aravana Rezai 6-1, 6-0 on Sunday. The French native Rezai left the court wide-open for a salivating Safina slugfest. The Russian shrugged off two break points in the third game of set and struck and sliced her way to the opener. Dinara unsettled Rezai and allowed her just nine second set points. Safina mixed a whipping fast forehand and slice backhand against her 57th ranked opponent. She pocketed the second set on her first match point chance. Azarenka is Safina’s next obstacle in her pursuit of the red court title. Tennis fans were looking forward to a Safina-Ivanovic rematch but the draw was vanished with Victoria’s victory.
The men’s third seed, Andy Murray, crushed Croatian, Marin Cilic to reach his first quarter-final at the French. Murray’s defeat of Cilic 7-5, 7-6, 6-1, was also the first time a British man has advanced to the quarter-final round since Tim Henman. Murray is playing excellent clay court tennis. He can seriously contend now that some of the top seeds are out and reach his peak of the clay court season by upstaging at Roland Garros. Murray and Cilic traded breaks and off-shots during the tentative, trying first set. The 22 year old Murray looked more controlled than his 20 year old foe in the next set. Cilic made 40 unforced errors to Murray’s 14 and surrendered the second set tiebreak with a forehand wide. The Scot was powerful in unleashing a 4-0 lead in the third and forced Cilic to misfire for the match sweep. Murray made the key shots and Cilic made the most errors. Cilic was bothered by pain throughout the match, looked beaten from the baseline and encountered a slick clay court specialist in Murray. Andy survived the three-set clobbering by moving the ball around and wearing down his opponent. His solid ground strokes and hard work should result in more wins. There is no reason Murray can’t set his eyes on the finals of the French.
Another Andy, Roddick, reached week two for the first time in his career at the French. The number 6 player in the world rubbed out a win over Marc Gicquel of France 6-1, 6-4, 6-4. Roddick is only the second American man to advance this far since Andre Agassi six years ago. Andy had seven aces to go along with a modicum 11 unforced errors and is playing his best clay tennis ever. He is moving better on the surface and sliding into his forehand, rupturing remarkable hits. The possibilities were limited of Roddick winning a French Open with Nadal and Federer. The 26 year old has just as good a chance as anyone else with the way he’s playing tennis. The third round snubbing of Gicquel will be followed today with a challenging match against the talented Frenchman, Gael Monfils. Monfils reached the Roland Garros semifinals a year ago but if the Texan adheres to his dependable backhand slice and consistent serve, he can win this round. Roddick looks more comfortable shifting his feet on the clay. He is serving smart and clocking cross-court shots with effective placement. The key to Roddick’s wins has been getting guys out of position on the receiving end of his straight-forward serve to effortlessly set himself up for winners. Roddick is picking his times wisely to approach the net and has improved his volleying vastly. (Update: I just learned Roddick was thumped in straight sets to 11th seeded, Monfils, this afternoon; the score was 6-4, 6-2, 6-3; so much for my theory on the American)
The Nadal tumbling wasn’t the only upset on the men’s side. Novak Djokovic had a faulty third round performance in bowing to 29th seed galloping German, Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday. The fourth-seed, Djokovic, didn’t get many chances against the clay court specialist. He played too passively instead of seizing control of the match. Kohlschreiber was incredibly solid from on all his strokes, who will join countryman, Tommy Haas in the quarter-finals. It was the first time the German has reached the French Open third round and he came ready to play against the former two-time semifinalist, Djokovic. The Serb could not get into his usual rhythm. He was playing for the third time in three days after completing a suspended three-set win on Friday. Djokovic had 16 more unforced errors than Kohlschreiber, to finish with 38 total.
Finally to Federer. The racquet master conducted a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 shellacking on Paul-Henri Mathieu to deal the Frenchman a stretched-out loss. Roger faced a few nervous moments but navigated past Mathieu in the second by racing out to a 3-0 lead. The local favorite, Mathieu, pounced on some opportunities to take advantage of Federer. The disciplined Swiss did not afford his opponent those chances when it mattered most, however. Roger next plays the 16th seeded Haas in a great men’s quarter-final match-up. (Update: Roger won in a five set thriller over Tommy) Soderling meets Nikolay Davydenko and will be a slight underdog. Federer was in the same draw as Djokovic and the two were destined to be semifinals opponents before Novak was walloped over the weekend. If they meet, it will be really interesting to see if Soderling can beat Federer. Roger has all the pressure on him now and the situation at the French got a lot more fascinating with Soderling’s upset of Nadal. Typically, I would say Roger is unbeatable, but he just has not proven anything on clay yet. His superior skills are enough to win the title in Paris. But he is destructible and especially vulnerable this year. Whatever the outcome, Nadal’s exit has injected new life into the tournament. The French Open is unfurled for anyone’s taking.
Parting points: Florida State upended Ohio State 37-6 in the NCAA baseball regional tournament. At least it wasn’t in football, and at least FSU was the number one seed.
Federer can consummate his resume by winning the title in France. The French Open is the only Grand Slam Roger has not claimed in his historic career and now the door is open for him to capture. Nadal was the shield preventing Federer from a clay championship. Roger can still lose to a remaining contender, but has the best chance to compensate for his only career glitch without Nadal in the picture.
The fearless Swede, Soderling won the 3 ½ hour grudge match with his assertive and active play yesterday. Nadal won all three previous meetings with the 24 year old, including 2007 at Wimbledon. He dominated Soderling 6-1, 6-0, a month ago in Rome on clay. Until Sunday’s stunning showing, sprightly Soderling never reached a third round match in any major tournament. He finished with a fancy 61 winners against a weighed down Nadal. Rafael came up on the short end of the winners, a rare occurrence. The 23rd seed showed fortitude, never lost his edge and did not fold, even when he committed six unforced errors to lose a second set tiebreaker. Nadal dropped the first set by twice being broken on serve. Robin’s booming serves were enough to take the third set off the mistake-laden Nadal. Rafeal lost two sets for the first time in a French Open match when Soderling closed out the third. Soderling’s serve startled and stood in the way of Nadal leveling the score in the fourth set too. The Spaniard was troubled by the 140 mph rips and could not advance to net to crush winning volleys. Nadal was able to battle back to even the set score and force a tiebreaker. To beat Nadal, you have to hit through him, and Soderling took it to the ace this time. He fought off match points at 6-1 in the tiebreaker but an ensuring volley landed wide and the defending champion was tapered.
Nadal made his Roland Garros debut in May of 2005. You have to give him kudos for going undefeated and winning four consecutive titles there. It is one of the bigger upsets in tennis history because no one expected a Nadal departure this early to a much lower seeded underdog.
Reigning French Open women’s champion, Ana Ivanovic, also had an early exit on Sunday. She lost a two-set shocker to the number 9 seed, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus. The former number one struggled to grind out games in a 2-6, 3-6 falling at the French with a fuss. She called for her trainer during the match and felt dizzy in the first set. Azarenka broke Ivanovic’s serve in the first and third games to take a 4-0 lead. The 19 year old played to her strengths aggressively to hold on for an easy 6-2 win. The Serbian made 20 unforced errors during the match and only mustered three games in the second set. Ivanovic has been somewhat of a comeback story in 2009, but endured a disappointing conclusion to the year’s second Grand Slam yesterday afternoon. She was stretched to a tie breaking win in the opening round against Italy’s Sara Errani. Then, she advanced through the next two rounds with relative ease by executing well. Ivanovic lost just five games during those two matches. The 21 year old faced a motivated, better opponent in Azarenka yesterday. The calm Azarenka will now play her first career major quarterfinal match.
Maria Sharapova’s latest three-set victory is a comforting one for the Russian coming off shoulder injury. The jovial Maria is unseeded but pulled out another close contest in this French tournament. Her fourth victory of the Grand Slam scored 6-4. 0-6, 6-4. It occurred against 25th seeded, Li Na. The Chinese sensation could not contend with Sharapova’s physical play and mental strength. Maria was bageled in the second set but managed to pull herself together to win the third outright. Li was up a break in the final set, 4-2, before she lost her concentration. The 22 year old Sharapova redeemed herself on her way to compiling the necessary four games for the victory. She reaches the quarterfinal round on clay for the fourth time in her career at the French Open. It’s questionable how much Sharapova can endure with her ailing shoulder and thigh. But it will be charming to see how she fares in the semi-finals should she reach that round.
Dinara Safina needed only 13 games and 53 minutes to reach the elite eight of the women’s draw in France. The world number one has only lost five games en route to the quarterfinals. It will be disappointing if she doesn’t lift the championship trophy in a week. Safina annihilated Aravana Rezai 6-1, 6-0 on Sunday. The French native Rezai left the court wide-open for a salivating Safina slugfest. The Russian shrugged off two break points in the third game of set and struck and sliced her way to the opener. Dinara unsettled Rezai and allowed her just nine second set points. Safina mixed a whipping fast forehand and slice backhand against her 57th ranked opponent. She pocketed the second set on her first match point chance. Azarenka is Safina’s next obstacle in her pursuit of the red court title. Tennis fans were looking forward to a Safina-Ivanovic rematch but the draw was vanished with Victoria’s victory.
The men’s third seed, Andy Murray, crushed Croatian, Marin Cilic to reach his first quarter-final at the French. Murray’s defeat of Cilic 7-5, 7-6, 6-1, was also the first time a British man has advanced to the quarter-final round since Tim Henman. Murray is playing excellent clay court tennis. He can seriously contend now that some of the top seeds are out and reach his peak of the clay court season by upstaging at Roland Garros. Murray and Cilic traded breaks and off-shots during the tentative, trying first set. The 22 year old Murray looked more controlled than his 20 year old foe in the next set. Cilic made 40 unforced errors to Murray’s 14 and surrendered the second set tiebreak with a forehand wide. The Scot was powerful in unleashing a 4-0 lead in the third and forced Cilic to misfire for the match sweep. Murray made the key shots and Cilic made the most errors. Cilic was bothered by pain throughout the match, looked beaten from the baseline and encountered a slick clay court specialist in Murray. Andy survived the three-set clobbering by moving the ball around and wearing down his opponent. His solid ground strokes and hard work should result in more wins. There is no reason Murray can’t set his eyes on the finals of the French.
Another Andy, Roddick, reached week two for the first time in his career at the French. The number 6 player in the world rubbed out a win over Marc Gicquel of France 6-1, 6-4, 6-4. Roddick is only the second American man to advance this far since Andre Agassi six years ago. Andy had seven aces to go along with a modicum 11 unforced errors and is playing his best clay tennis ever. He is moving better on the surface and sliding into his forehand, rupturing remarkable hits. The possibilities were limited of Roddick winning a French Open with Nadal and Federer. The 26 year old has just as good a chance as anyone else with the way he’s playing tennis. The third round snubbing of Gicquel will be followed today with a challenging match against the talented Frenchman, Gael Monfils. Monfils reached the Roland Garros semifinals a year ago but if the Texan adheres to his dependable backhand slice and consistent serve, he can win this round. Roddick looks more comfortable shifting his feet on the clay. He is serving smart and clocking cross-court shots with effective placement. The key to Roddick’s wins has been getting guys out of position on the receiving end of his straight-forward serve to effortlessly set himself up for winners. Roddick is picking his times wisely to approach the net and has improved his volleying vastly. (Update: I just learned Roddick was thumped in straight sets to 11th seeded, Monfils, this afternoon; the score was 6-4, 6-2, 6-3; so much for my theory on the American)
The Nadal tumbling wasn’t the only upset on the men’s side. Novak Djokovic had a faulty third round performance in bowing to 29th seed galloping German, Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday. The fourth-seed, Djokovic, didn’t get many chances against the clay court specialist. He played too passively instead of seizing control of the match. Kohlschreiber was incredibly solid from on all his strokes, who will join countryman, Tommy Haas in the quarter-finals. It was the first time the German has reached the French Open third round and he came ready to play against the former two-time semifinalist, Djokovic. The Serb could not get into his usual rhythm. He was playing for the third time in three days after completing a suspended three-set win on Friday. Djokovic had 16 more unforced errors than Kohlschreiber, to finish with 38 total.
Finally to Federer. The racquet master conducted a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 shellacking on Paul-Henri Mathieu to deal the Frenchman a stretched-out loss. Roger faced a few nervous moments but navigated past Mathieu in the second by racing out to a 3-0 lead. The local favorite, Mathieu, pounced on some opportunities to take advantage of Federer. The disciplined Swiss did not afford his opponent those chances when it mattered most, however. Roger next plays the 16th seeded Haas in a great men’s quarter-final match-up. (Update: Roger won in a five set thriller over Tommy) Soderling meets Nikolay Davydenko and will be a slight underdog. Federer was in the same draw as Djokovic and the two were destined to be semifinals opponents before Novak was walloped over the weekend. If they meet, it will be really interesting to see if Soderling can beat Federer. Roger has all the pressure on him now and the situation at the French got a lot more fascinating with Soderling’s upset of Nadal. Typically, I would say Roger is unbeatable, but he just has not proven anything on clay yet. His superior skills are enough to win the title in Paris. But he is destructible and especially vulnerable this year. Whatever the outcome, Nadal’s exit has injected new life into the tournament. The French Open is unfurled for anyone’s taking.
Parting points: Florida State upended Ohio State 37-6 in the NCAA baseball regional tournament. At least it wasn’t in football, and at least FSU was the number one seed.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Fine-tuning For France
Clay-court king, Rafael Nadal, won his fifth straight Monte Carlo Masters title Sunday. The world’s number one, Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic 6-3, 2-6, 6-1. The Serbian Djokovic is third ranked on the ATP tour and gave Nadal all he had in the second set. It was only the first time in three years Rafael dropped a set in the Monte Carlo tournament. Novak put pressure on Nadal, who struggled with an accurate serve all day. Djokovic won the second set by succeeding at net. He came up with huge shots and winners in the third set, but fell short when Nadal rediscovered his serve. Djokovic made several unforced errors, hitting shots out while striving to put them away. Nadal was able to salvage the win and survive the match.
Novak reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open this year, the semis in Sydney and Marseille, and the finals in Miami to go along with his Monte Carlo appearance. He was the tournament winner in Dubai and a threat to advance in the remainder of the major 2009 tournaments. The 2008 Olympic bronze medal winner can beat anyone on the ATP tour and is still very young. He reached the semifinals in the 2007 French Open and Wimbledon before winning his first Grand Slam, the 2008 Australian Open. In Paris, he will look to return to the semifinals, hopefully in the opposite bracket as Nadal.
Nadal is an expert on the clay surface but he could be challenged in the French Open by Djokovic or Scotland‘s, Andy Murray. Murray rallied back from 2-5 to force a semifinal tiebreaker against Nadal. Murray lost in two sets, 6-2, 7-6 (4), but was aggressive and showed precision on his backhand. He held serve in the second set only to fall behind three games. The surge back from 2-5 occurred because the Scotsman reeled off a set of winners Nadal couldn’t chase down. Rafael is a speed specialist but Murray kept him scurrying behind the baseline. The tiebreaker featured two long rallies, including one with 29 strokes. At 6-4, Murray’s backhand went into the net and Nadal prevailed. The semifinal was the first one for Andy on clay. Murray’s plays a different style and brand of tennis than Nadal and it’s hard to see it working in any major event. But he has officially arrived as a genuine, reasonable pick for a title.
If anybody is planning on winning Roland Garros, they should expect to get past Nadal. He has four straight titles there, and has yet to lose a match on the French clay. Nadal is a left-handed unique player with a punchless serve but riveting offensive game. He doesn’t have a classic shot in his arsenal but uses many different weapons to confuse opponents. Even the immortal Roger Federer failed to figure him out on his best surface. Roger’s four set loss in Paris a year ago was frustrating for the classy, crisp professional.
Federer flopped in Monte Carlo, losing to fellow countryman, Stan Wawrinka. He played sloppy against his Olympic doubles partner despite winning 9 games. The 6-4, 7-5 drubbing was Roger’s first since getting married last week so perhaps he has a legitimate excuse. He didn’t many opportunities to practice on clay courts before the tournament. Federer needs to find his rhythm if he intends on competing in the French Open with the terrific Spaniards and Nadal. Forehand and footwork are the features of Federer’s game. He’s best at his vintage self. Ragged Roger should be able to work out the kinks by June, but I don’t see him winning his 14th Grand Slam then. Nadal is the heavy favorite and anything short of a championship will probably leave him disappointed. His clay court display this season is only an indication of things to come.
Nadal’s clay court play overwhelms the opposition. The pace is slower but his quick racquet erupts, unloading laser shots that are difficult to return. His crude drop shots and spinning forehands reach the sidelines and die in the red clay. Nadal knows just how to work the surface. His fancy footwork flourishes as he slides sweetly through the unforgiving slosh. The 22 year old Spanish phenom whizzes by like a fluorescent blur in his cropped pants and sleeveless shirts. Nadal could well be the best ever player on clay. Bjorn Borg won six French Open titles and deserves higher praise at this point, but if Rafael continues to be dominant, he could surpass the tennis great.
Parting points: A’s vs. Yankees, Andy Pettitte vs. Dana Eveland tonight at the big ballpark in the Bronx is looking good.
The Detroit Lions are “transforming their brand”. Will it work? http://www.detnews.com/article/20090420/SPORTS0101/904200404/1004/Lions++new+logo+has+fangs++flowing+mane
Novak reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open this year, the semis in Sydney and Marseille, and the finals in Miami to go along with his Monte Carlo appearance. He was the tournament winner in Dubai and a threat to advance in the remainder of the major 2009 tournaments. The 2008 Olympic bronze medal winner can beat anyone on the ATP tour and is still very young. He reached the semifinals in the 2007 French Open and Wimbledon before winning his first Grand Slam, the 2008 Australian Open. In Paris, he will look to return to the semifinals, hopefully in the opposite bracket as Nadal.
Nadal is an expert on the clay surface but he could be challenged in the French Open by Djokovic or Scotland‘s, Andy Murray. Murray rallied back from 2-5 to force a semifinal tiebreaker against Nadal. Murray lost in two sets, 6-2, 7-6 (4), but was aggressive and showed precision on his backhand. He held serve in the second set only to fall behind three games. The surge back from 2-5 occurred because the Scotsman reeled off a set of winners Nadal couldn’t chase down. Rafael is a speed specialist but Murray kept him scurrying behind the baseline. The tiebreaker featured two long rallies, including one with 29 strokes. At 6-4, Murray’s backhand went into the net and Nadal prevailed. The semifinal was the first one for Andy on clay. Murray’s plays a different style and brand of tennis than Nadal and it’s hard to see it working in any major event. But he has officially arrived as a genuine, reasonable pick for a title.
If anybody is planning on winning Roland Garros, they should expect to get past Nadal. He has four straight titles there, and has yet to lose a match on the French clay. Nadal is a left-handed unique player with a punchless serve but riveting offensive game. He doesn’t have a classic shot in his arsenal but uses many different weapons to confuse opponents. Even the immortal Roger Federer failed to figure him out on his best surface. Roger’s four set loss in Paris a year ago was frustrating for the classy, crisp professional.
Federer flopped in Monte Carlo, losing to fellow countryman, Stan Wawrinka. He played sloppy against his Olympic doubles partner despite winning 9 games. The 6-4, 7-5 drubbing was Roger’s first since getting married last week so perhaps he has a legitimate excuse. He didn’t many opportunities to practice on clay courts before the tournament. Federer needs to find his rhythm if he intends on competing in the French Open with the terrific Spaniards and Nadal. Forehand and footwork are the features of Federer’s game. He’s best at his vintage self. Ragged Roger should be able to work out the kinks by June, but I don’t see him winning his 14th Grand Slam then. Nadal is the heavy favorite and anything short of a championship will probably leave him disappointed. His clay court display this season is only an indication of things to come.
Nadal’s clay court play overwhelms the opposition. The pace is slower but his quick racquet erupts, unloading laser shots that are difficult to return. His crude drop shots and spinning forehands reach the sidelines and die in the red clay. Nadal knows just how to work the surface. His fancy footwork flourishes as he slides sweetly through the unforgiving slosh. The 22 year old Spanish phenom whizzes by like a fluorescent blur in his cropped pants and sleeveless shirts. Nadal could well be the best ever player on clay. Bjorn Borg won six French Open titles and deserves higher praise at this point, but if Rafael continues to be dominant, he could surpass the tennis great.
Parting points: A’s vs. Yankees, Andy Pettitte vs. Dana Eveland tonight at the big ballpark in the Bronx is looking good.
The Detroit Lions are “transforming their brand”. Will it work? http://www.detnews.com/article/20090420/SPORTS0101/904200404/1004/Lions++new+logo+has+fangs++flowing+mane
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