Help
2009-08-28 20:57:32
This is the third of Ricky's five-part U.S. Open preview series, running through Sunday.
Part 1: Draw preview
Part 2: Draw analysis
Part 3: Top 25 contenders
Part 4: Weekly "Approach Shots"
Part 5: Full tournament predictions
Six players have a legitimate shot at winning the 2009 U.S. Open. So, in ranking contenders 1-6, we’re talking about their chances to win the entire tournament. Beyond No. 6, we’re talking about players who could do well, perhaps reach the quarterfinals or at least the second week, even though they are not going to be around at the very end.
25) Lleyton Hewitt – He has been hampered by a minor knee problem in recent weeks, otherwise Hewitt, who has enjoyed a resurgent spring and summer following hip surgery, would be higher on this list. It also doesn’t help that he is on a collision course with nemesis Roger Federer for the third round.
24) Jeremy Chardy – The Frenchman owns a solid 32-21 match record this season and is currently just two spots off his career-high ranking at No. 34 in the world. Chardy is the underdog in his opener against Gael Monfils, but fast hard courts give him a chance and if he scores the upset, he could make a run to the fourth round.
23) Philipp Petzschner – Petzschner finally seems to be over the wrist injury that plagued him throughout the first half of this year. It’s also no coincidence that he started to heat up as the season turned to fast hard courts. It would take something special for Petzschner to reach week 2 in New York, but nobody in his sixteenth of the draw is unbeatable.
22) John Isner – After making a remarkably quick recovery from a bout with mono, Isner is playing easily the best tennis of his life. The 6’9’’ American is 20-11 for the season (almost all of those wins coming on U.S. hard courts) and ranked a career-high 55th in the world. He should be able to reach the third round—as he did in 2007—before meeting Andy Roddick.
21) Ivo Karlovic – Karlovic has never done much at the U.S. Open, nor had he ever enjoyed much success at any Grand Slam prior to this year’s Wimbledon. Now that he has a quarterfinal appearance under his belt, could he be ready for more? The 6’10’’ Croat should reach the third round, and although his serve gives him a chance to beat anyone, Andy Murray is not a good matchup for him.
20) Radek Stepanek – Stepanek has been dealing with a slight knee issue this summer, but when he was healthy in the early stages of 2009, he was one of the hottest players on tour. He faces a tough opener against Simone Bolelli, but if Stepanek gets past the Italian, his draw opens up and he should be able to reach the fourth round.
19) Tomas Berdych – His talent is undeniable, but Berdych rarely puts it all together at anything more than a 250-point event. He has been in solid form this spring and summer, which suggests it could be time for him to step up at a Grand Slam. But he could run into Fernando Gonzalez in the third round, and while Berdych disposed of Gonzo in Cincinnati, the Chilean is a far different opponent in majors.
18) Juan Carlos Ferrero – Ferrero’s resurgence is even more incredible than that of Hewitt. The former world No. 1 had dropped out of the top 100, but he is playing phenomenal tennis this summer and currently registers at 25th in the rankings. Ferrero, who finished runner-up to Roddick at the 2003 U.S. Open, has a real chance to make the second week before probably colliding with Juan Martin Del Potro.
17) Gael Monfils – The entertaining Frenchman played great at Roland Garros (quarterfinals) despite suffering from knee tendinitis. He has not been able to play much tennis since then (he even missed Wimbledon), but the good news is the lack of matches has meant more rest for his knees. If Monfils can get past Chardy, a fourth-round showing is possible.
16) David Ferrer – Ferrer retired from his match with Rafael Nadal in Montreal due to a knee injury, but the Spaniard bounced back well in Cincinnati and posted two impressive wins (over Wawrinka and Cilic) before leading Federer by a break in the third set. I think Ferrer is the favorite to come out of a tough sixteenth of the U.S. Open draw and meet Nadal in the fourth round; and he has taken out Nadal once before in New York.
15) Robin Soderling – After shocking the tennis world in the form a of a fourth-round upset of Nadal at the French Open, Soderling reached the fourth round of Wimbledon and won a title in Bastad. Since then, however, his progress has been slowed—in part due to an elbow injury. He pulled out of Montreal and lost his opener in Cincinnati to Hewitt, but his big game should work well at the Open and—if healthy—he is the favorite in his section to reach the quarterfinals.
14) Marin Cilic – Cilic’s game has almost disappeared following a great start to the year, but he is only 20 and inconsistency can be expected. It would not be surprising to see the 6’6’’ Croat get back on track in New York, where he won two matches last year before falling to Novak Djokovic in a memorable four-setter. Looking at his draw, Cilic should go one step further this time around en route to a fourth-round clash with Murray.
13) Tommy Haas – Haas was one of the best players on tour earlier this summer, reaching the quarterfinals at Roland Garros and the semifinals of Wimbledon (lost to Federer both times). He made it to the quarterfinals in Washington, but he failed to sustain the momentum in Montreal and Cincinnati. Haas has a tough draw for the Open (potential path: Verdasco round three, Roddick round four, Djokovic in the quarters), but there is nobody in his quarter he can’t beat.
12) Sam Querrey – Querrey won this summer’s U.S. Open Series, and deservedly so with consistent results. Granted, the 6’6’’ American’s best performances came in smaller events (Indianapolis runner-up, Los Angeles champion, current New Haven semifinalist), but he also upset Roddick in Cincinnati. As part of the weakest quarter of the U.S. Open draw, Querrey has a real shot at making it to the quarterfinals before facing Federer.
11) Gilles Simon – In fairness to Simon, his “slump” is being blown just a little bit out of proportion. Keep in mind that by pre-2008 standards, Simon is in the midst of his best season on tour (in other words, this is his second best behind 2008). He recently appeared in the Cincinnati quarterfinals despite not being 100 percent (knee), even scoring a win over Nikolay Davydenko. The Frenchman should be able to reach the fourth round in New York.
10) Fernando Verdasco – For a while it looked like this would be the year of Verdasco. He upset Murray en route to the Australian Open semifinals, lost an instant classic to Nadal, then went on to reach at least the quarterfinals of every single event he entered. Starting with a fourth-round blowout loss to Davydenko at the French Open, however, things have not been the same. Verdasco has a tough draw early in New York, but he still has the talent to make the semifinals out of Djokovic’s relatively weak quarter.
9) Fernando Gonzalez – Gonzalez was positively on fire this spring, and while he has cooled off a little bit, he still reached the semifinals in Washington and the third round in Montreal. He retired due to disinterest in his Cincinnati opener against Berdych (official cause was “knee”—bogus), but you can bet his mental game will return if he goes up against Berdych in the Open third round. A quarterfinal showing is a definite possibility.
8) Nikolay Davydenko – He does not have the firepower—and probably not the belief—to compete for Grand Slam titles, but Davydenko remains a threat to make appearances in final weekends of majors. With Federer in his quarter, Davydenko won’t make it that far this time around, but as part of the weakest section of the draw, he could reach the quarterfinals.
7) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – Tsonga has always been high-risk, high-reward and this summer has been no different. The Frenchman stunned Federer in Montreal with an amazing comeback to reach the semifinals, then promptly lost his opener in Cincinnati to Chris Guccione. If Tsonga is on top of his game in New York, he has a chance in any match—and certainly against Nadal in the quarterfinals on a fast hard court.
6) Juan Martin Del Potro – Like last year, Del Potro is storming into the U.S. Open as one of the hottest players in tennis (of course, this time it was expected). The 20-year-old Argentine defended his title in Washington and finished runner-up to Murray in Montreal before needing a rest and withdrawing from Cincinnati. Del Potro has been dealt a brutal draw at the Open, but he should still be able to set up another quarterfinal showdown against Murray.
5) Andy Roddick – Roddick and Del Potro are neck-and-neck as the fifth and sixth contenders in New York (and as the fifth and sixth best players in the world, in general). Even though Del Potro got the best of Roddick head-to-head in both Washington and Montreal, Roddick has a more favorable draw in New York and will have the crowd behind him. After getting place in Djokovic’s quarter, Roddick now has every chance of making it to the semifinals.
4) Rafael Nadal – Nadal is certainly not 100 percent, but his situation heading into the season’s last Grand Slam is not as dire as it could have been. He got plenty of matches under his belt in Montreal and Cincinnati (including a semifinal finish in Cincy), but his semifinal loss to Djokovic exploited his weaknesses on fast hard courts. Nadal avoided Federer in his half and both Roddick and Del Potro in his quarter, so that will help him make a deep run in New York.
3) Novak Djokovic – With Federer, Murray, and Nadal stealing headlines (albeit for different reasons) this summer, Djokovic had been an afterthought on the tennis scene. That was until he destroyed Nadal in Cincinnati en route to the final. If Djokovic maintains that level of play and does not get caught up in New York drama (like he did last year), the title is within reach.
2) Andy Murray – In search of his first Grand Slam title, Murray hopes to go one step further than he did last year, when he finished runner-up to Federer after ousting Nadal in the semis. Despite an extremely difficult draw, Murray could do just that. The in-form Scot’s most recent three performances are as follows: semifinals of Wimbledon, title in Montreal, semis in Cincinnati.
1) Roger Federer – Federer is enjoying a summer like something from another planet. He won his first French Open, won his sixth Wimbledon title, broke the all-time record with 15 Grand Slam men’s singles titles, regained the No. 1 ranking, became a father of twin girls, and won his final tune-up event for the U.S. Open in Cincinnati. When the draw came out on Thursday, things only got better for Federer. With an unimaginably easy path through the Open, the stars have aligned for Federer’s out-of-this-world summer to continue.
Tell a friend »
I'm pleasantly surprised to see Djokovic at #3! I personally think Roddick has a better shot, considering their recent history and the fact that it is in NY. If Roddick was in Murray's half, I would probably pick him as my second fav for the title after Fed.
Great analysis, very excited to see Chardy make the list! I figure SamQ must be exhausted by now don't you think?!
stu , 8/29/09 6:41 AM
stu - thanks for the comment. If Roddick and Djokovic met head-to-head, this does not necessarily mean I would pick Djokovic to beat him. As I mentioned at the start of this blog, Nos. 1-6 are ranked in order of chances to win the title. I think Djokovic, despite arguably being more prone to an upset than Roddick, has a better chance of going all the way. Roddick's H2H against Federer is tough to overcome and he has not won a Grand Slam in six years. They both have a chance, but I just think Djoker has a slightly better chance. I will, however, admit that it's VERY close.
RickyDimon , 8/29/09 7:18 AM
Djoker needs to summon all of his resouces to beat ARod this time considering that the crowd will be against him not only because of last year's incident but also in support of sentimental favourite ARod who gained a lot of fans for his gutsy performance in WImby.
Djoker can win but it's a wonder sometimes that his level rises so high when he face Fed and Nadal but sometimes against players he's supposed to win against, he gets a lil bit shocked when he's behind.
torres9 , 8/29/09 12:41 PM
Ricky, excellent analysis, we really appreciate the hard work you put in your blog.
In cincinnaty, Federer beat: Acasuso, Ferrer, Hewitt, Murray, and Djokovic, thats a list of very good player to be faced. So maybe its a Little luck that his draw is "easy", but that doesnt take away the danger of any of those players. I think Federer is in the right form right now, and at the right moment to get his 6th NY crown and 16 GS title, but in my opinion, the only big treat to Roger is Andy Roddick. They have face each other many times this year, I think like 4 or 5, and Fed has won all of their meeting. But in Wimbledon, the Final match was very close, and even thou grass suits better Roddick game style, hard courts are also very good for his game. And I think that there is a psicological issue. Roddick will want revenge eagerly, and Federer might think, well is very hard to beat such a good player so many times in a row... I dont know if I explaing myself.
In respect to Nadal, i really dont believe that he is ready to get really far, he might get into trouble against Tsonga, ( althout tsonga is too inconsistent and might not get to the QF), and i believe he will definitley fall in Semifinals, against Del Potro or Murray.
I think Del potro has a very good chance to get to the Final. He got to his first Master 1000 event final, and to his first semifinal on clay. And after geting beaten by Murray, i believe he can actually beat him on QF.
I believe that we may see a heroic Marat Safin campaing, is his last GS, is were he got one of his major titles, he beat Sampras to acomplish that, and last year he got all the way to semifinals at wimbledon... and is New York, the city of opportunities. If he can get pass Del Potro. anything can happen.
About Djokovic`s quarter, i think is almost certaing that he will meet Roddick on QF, and Roddick will win this time.
mdmch , 8/29/09 3:42 PM
mdmch, you seem to have a very low opinion of Rafa, the man who was unbeatable before his knees stopped him competing. Of course Federer will beat all comers, put anyone in his half or qtr or whatever, and the mighty Federer will slay them all except for when he loses a match from 5:1 up in the final set.
What it must be like to be an all conquering Federer, who has lost to Rafa 13 out of 20 times and to Murray 6 out of nine times, or Simon 2 out of 2 times!
carrie , 8/29/09 5:04 PM
Even with those loses, he still won 15 Slams and 4 TMC and 61 titles. Still the best ever.
torres9 , 8/29/09 11:40 PM
hi torres! so glad you are still posting and holding down the TT fort!
Ricky, what another great job describing the main players! appreciate it and can't wait for the next installment.
The only match-up of the possiblities I truly NEVER wish to see again is Roddick attempting to win against Federer in a final, bad enough that my homeboy might lose in the semi but.....that Wimby final was a slow painful agonizing ordeal, the last straw for a Roddick fan, imho.
zoey234 , 8/30/09 12:55 AM
morning zoey! along with 11.2 million views across the world, i watched the federer v roddick final at wimby - and it could have gone either way - fed said so in an interview - also at the time, i remember the crowd got on their feet and applauded andy, chanting his name, RODDICK! RODDICK!, he got up and acknowledged them - a lump in my throat - but i really feel that andy has always had the 'love' coming from the british people - i have always found him highly amusing/it must be great being married to someone with that humour! do you not think it is part of his charm? he is a fighter, and one day i really believe he will win another slam - just a matter of time - he is certainly a reinvented/revitalised player - who is still passionate about winning, similar age to fed, and got the enviable title of being only one of two (him and fed) players who have sustained a top ten position in the rankings for 9 years plus - i mean- that is incredible in itself, dont you think? it may have been a 'slow,painful,agonizing ordeal' for you, but i really think that roddick should have been proud of the way that he played - it was so close - plus, reading the following, i think roddick is actually okay - and great friends with federer - so i think he will be fine!
August 29, 2009, 5:17 pm
No Looking Back for Federer and Roddick
By JOSHUA ROBINSON
It has been almost two months since Roger Federer and Andy Roddick slugged it out in an already classic fifth set of the Wimbledon final. But more than 3,000 miles from SW19, the impact of that afternoon is still being felt, judging by the questions at media day for the United States Open.
But according to the two men who actually played that match, it is ancient history. Asked if they had spoken about the match since Federer lifted the trophy, Federer answered simply that it was not something tennis players did. Maybe, he said, they would discuss it in 25 years when they crossed paths at old-timers? exhibitions.
And maybe by then, Roddick?s disappointment will have started to fade.
?The more you distance yourself from it, you start remembering the better things about it than the more disappointing things about it,? Roddick said.
maxi , 8/30/09 10:45 AM
This part of an article by Steve Tignor............
Semifinals: Federer d. Roddick; Murray d. Nadal
Final: Again, I think Murray will be happy to feel a little less pressure in the second week of the Open than he did in Australia and Wimbledon, and his recent loss to Federer should make him looser. There?s nothing worse, as in the case of Andre Agassi vs. Pete Sampras, than beating a guy in a bunch of second-tier events and then losing to him in the one that counts; now Federer and Murray will come in on fairly even psychological terms. But the Scot, who has won two hardcourt Masters events this year, won?t lack for motivation. He?s been bothered by a seeming lack of respect from Federer in the past. It won?t be easy, though?to win it all, Murray might have to knock off del Potro, Nadal, and Federer in the course of three days. He?s never shown he can go the distance over two weeks?as Federer said in Melbourne, the Slams are a ?different animal? than the Masters. But the same was true for Ivan Lendl and Agassi through the early years of their careers. Murray is going to win a Slam someday, and it?s hard to imagine he?ll ever be more ready than he is right now.
Murray d. Federer
Champion: Andy Murray
Steve Tignor is the executive editor of TENNIS magazine.
carrie , 8/30/09 1:12 PM
carrie - an interesting read - thanks for that - but you know - you might be right - it could be murray's time - he has to win it some time, right? but I dont think so this year. I have been reading some of the articles about murray, prior to AO, FO, Wimby and now USO, and they are all the same, same build up, same expectations - but if he wins, then he is the better man to me on the day.
I still put my faith in federer tho and i like his mindset right now - federer is ready.
Federer, Williams sisters among US Open 1st-day matches
By Jim Slater (AFP) ? 13 hours ago
Federer, who has won the past five US Open men's titles and has not lost at the US Open since the fourth round in 2003, begins his quest for six in a row against 18-year-old American Devin Britton in the second match at Ashe.
"Doesn't matter who you play, where you play. If you think the guy is not going to make a game that's absurd," Federer said. "That's how tennis is. You have to be very careful. I have to make sure I put in a good performance."
Federer recalled being shocked at 17 when he faced Andre Agassi in his hometown of Basel, so he can relate to Britton's situation.
"You try to enjoy it, put in a good fight," Federer said. "Best-of-five-set match is maybe something Britton has never played before, but a good thing in tennis is you always have a chance."
maxi , 8/30/09 2:03 PM
Hi Maxi. Thanks for posting those bits. Roddick is on CBS right now commenting on 'how he is' since the Wimb final.
Admitting it was "disappointing". To say the least, I say!
It's tough watching Maxi, cos of their match history. But my love of RF tennis- his brilliance all those years and the amazing way he now has comeback after the 2008 wimbledon and 2009 AO, back injury, mono, many saying he should retire...I admire Federer. But....also can't help feeling for Roddick who has worked hard to improve his game and nearly....almost....was rewarded for his efforts, while so many were writing his tennis off as deficient, with one Wimbledon trophy. Roddick got to a Wimby final before and Federer beat him but this time it was just plain awful, even for a Fedfan like me. lol...
Cheers
zoey234 , 8/30/09 8:01 PM
Matt Cronin's "first round predictions". Here is an incredibly relevant part of his preview of the Djokovic-Ljubicic match:
Djokovic regrets his behavior after last year's win over Andy Roddick in the quarters, when he wrongly confronted the crowd and all but turned the city against him.
Whether he can regain a fan base in NYC has yet to be seen, but one thing is for sure: if he's consistently calling for the trainer and complaining about injuries, he's not going to earn any new friends. He has to stick his chin out and fight like the former Slam champion that he is.
His pick? Djoker in FIVE.
This is unfair and extremely misleading to the naive reader! ANNOYING prejudiced American!
stu , 8/31/09 2:51 AM
stu...don't be so annoyed. I mean, he still thinks that Nole will win....That is very generous from an American.... :))) Nole will shut Matt's mouth...in 3! ;)
OllyK , 8/31/09 4:56 PM
i know OllyK. Its just that he's already getting so little media attention. The last thing he wants is bad publicity - so that the few NYers who don't know about it yet will! It was instigated by Roddick anyway!
This whole thing too about him saying he was born in the wrong era was taken totally out of context. He was kidding!
stu , 8/31/09 7:22 PM
of course he was kidding ... americans understand jokes about money only ... 5 setts against ljubicic, well, that's a joke, a good non-cash joke :)
posmatrac , 8/31/09 8:04 PM
you forgot to include at least 2 other commonly used anti-american adjectives:
ignorant, ugly.....
sport announcers on espn2 have nothing but compliments for nole
zoey234 , 8/31/09 8:51 PM
rob thomas was on espn2 ...( the pop/rock singer ? doing music for opening ceremony tonight)...thomas is a 'good friend' of djokovic ...
thomas was talking up nole, what a great guy he is, how he hopes nole will win the tourny and in general plugging nole.
the press and talking heads do seem to be roddick-centric but that's nothing new for US Open. has not propelled arod to another win yet.
zoey234 , 9/1/09 1:14 AM
welcome back posmatrac, and just in time too..
stu , 9/1/09 3:27 AM
thx stu, should be interesting.
posmatrac , 9/1/09 3:52 AM
I know how you feel, stu, trust me.. I believe that there is none who is more annoyed with articles like that than me. I was just a little bit sarcastic. :) And about "wrong era"...people here, in Serbia, misunderstood it, too!!!! I couldn't believe my eyes when I was reading comments. So, let's say that Nole's humour is just too complicated for average human being.. :D
OllyK , 9/1/09 8:08 AM
nole is definitely not getting the respect or the kudos he deserves! he is world no. 4! i was watching the interviews on sky yesterday. there was federer, nadal, murray and roddick - they missed out nole entirely! i dont know whether nole gave an interview (may be later), but it certainly wasn't shown at the time of the others. what's going on? I am growing very fond of novak - he is lovely - and i think he will do well in this tournament - but sky is all about murray right now. i know everyone talks about getting bored with federer (but he is my favourite and he is the defending champion), but you would think that it was murray no.1 and defending champion. give a bit of respect to ALL players, including ALL of the top ten!
maxi , 9/1/09 10:16 AM
yes, maxi..I noticed the same thing. He wasn't interviewed. I posted it on thread about Djokovic - Ljubicic match. And one more thing..Does anyone know what happened with Nole on Artur Ashe kids day?!!! I mean, he was on players list!!! And he wasn't there (at least according to "as it happens" on usopen.org)!!! I really don't know what is happening. I'm sure that kids would rather watch Nole than Andy Murray...If they excluded him cause of last year "incident", they really went over the edge. If it was his decision not to be there, I would love to know why? But, of course, there was NO interview so, none could come up with that question.... grrrrr....
OllyK , 9/1/09 11:36 AM
Yeah - why is the world seemingly on the "Ignore Nole" bandwagon?! Hellloooo people, Nole's world #4 and last I check he has a Grand Slam under his belt! Pffft. He was in the finals of Cincy! I am just completely irritated that he was written off just because he didn't do as well as expected in RG and Wimbly.
Nole has grown and mature a lot since that unfortunate incident from last year (where I believe it was heat of moment and maybe some immaturity and anger that caused him to act the way he did) and he is actually really lovely to watch - he's capable of making amazing shots and not afraid to go for them. I'm really all ARGH that there just isn't any attention (interviews etc) given to him.
jyannis , 9/1/09 1:06 PM
Nole defo should not have made that outburst last year but last I checked, Roddick opened his mouth unnessarily and provoked it. Anyway, I just hope the lack of attention means less pressure on him and more chance to focus on his tennis and do well in NY. Vamos Nole!!
jean , 9/1/09 1:34 PM
Nole defo should not have made that outburst last year but last I checked, Roddick opened his mouth unnessarily and provoked it. Anyway, I just hope the lack of attention means less pressure on him and more chance to focus on his tennis and do well in NY. Vamos Nole!!
jean , 9/1/09 1:38 PM
Now im convinced this is being done on purpose. Here's the header for the day 2 preview on usopen.org:
"Watch The Stars Play on Day 2 of The US Open
Women's No 1 seed Dinara Safina opens her US Open campaign on Tuesday along with No. 7 Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, No. 11 Ana Ivanovic, and No. 22 Sam Querrey. Catch all the action.."
NOVAK PLAYS ON ASHE THIS MORNING!
stu , 9/1/09 4:43 PM
he was 21 year old kid last year, so what if he spoke his mind?? he should be respected rather than scorned by who - few tens of rednecks and always spectacle hungry media.
posmatrac , 9/1/09 4:45 PM
geesh...posmatrac and no caps stu, i can understand being dissatified when your fave is not getting the praise and attention deserved but i am now more curious than offended as i was last night. i mean i cant help where i was born, color of my skin, ect and having a job which requires travel, i am acquainted with the stigma of being american someplaces...
but this is TT, can't a girl get a break? i don't expect an a relpy but wonding if where you are from anti-american sentiment is socially the norm and par for course.
as to Nole...rob thomas had a good 5 minutes on espn2 and i'm sure once the matches get going this am he'll get more press and respect. nobody hates world #4, at least they should not.
zoey234 , 9/1/09 5:29 PM
I said nothing anti-American, because I'm from NY. I said Matt Cronin is a "prejudiced American", which he is.
stu , 9/1/09 5:39 PM
And its great the Rob Thomas has an opinion, but the very fact that you bring up his name and not those of the countless people reporting on TV or the website proves my point...
stu , 9/1/09 5:42 PM
stu thanks for your reply. You may hail from NY but that does not mean you are not prejudiced! And it was more posmatracs post in combo with yours that ridicules americans on the whole. it's sad not funny to me. Critic of american media, pop culture is not offensive but believe me if i said something durogatory about serbians on the whole, i would hear about it! Obviously you and posmatrac have reason for your own prejudice and it is accepted...just wondering what made that normal and acceptable, that's all.
certainly do not wish to continue this topic.
I think I get it.
zoey234 , 9/1/09 5:51 PM
He should change his name to roger federer than he'll be treated like royalty!
catch the action of players who are ranked lower and haven't achieved as much as him or even won a slam and ignoring the world no. 4!! what rubbish!!
homos , 9/1/09 5:53 PM
I really don't even know who Rob Thomas is. Could not tell you why he is popular or name any of his music. But the fact is: plenty of naive americans apparently do know, so much so that he got TV time on espn2 to and he put in good words, praise of Nole. It was nice.
hopefully Nole gets much more from someone who meets your superior standard....we soon shall see! action starts very soon and I love watching Nole tennis.
zoey234 , 9/1/09 6:06 PM
oh, stop twisting my words! its not about "superior standards", the point is that my complaint was about tennis reporters, and rob thomas isnt one.
its convenient that you can jump to your own conclusions and then say you don't want to discuss the issue any further. its fine by me too because i think its too trivial to get into an argument about. however, i would like to mention that im not Serbian and i have no ties whatsoever to Serbia, so you're theory is baseless.
stu , 9/1/09 6:31 PM
*your theory
stu , 9/1/09 6:35 PM
stu we are going to adopt you and accept you in our brotherhood :)
posmatrac , 9/1/09 7:32 PM
in that case, i guess i have no option but to go to flushing meadows in a show of support for our guy! :)
stu , 9/1/09 8:11 PM
stu and posmatrac, there are PLENTY of Americans that support and like Nole and realize that he has grown up alot in the last year. On the Rafa boards I visit, tons of them like Nole. Around where I live, there is a large Serbian contingent, so Nole even gets on our local news reports tens times more than fed or Rafa!
fan4tennis , 9/1/09 8:29 PM
fan4tennis thanks, i'm aware of that, i know there are a lot of good and smart americans that don't buy on media hype.
posmatrac , 9/1/09 8:40 PM
ooh, Cronin doing some major damage control -
http://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/articles/2009-09-01/200909011251859 764375.html
stu , 9/2/09 4:15 PM
whether ny crowd can accept nole??? like he is a mass murderer, what a moron. and who the hack is ny crowd (no offense stu), ultimate judge?
posmatrac , 9/2/09 6:14 PM
Mon 14/05 03:45
Approach Shots: Djokovic, Nadal look to rebound on red clay
Sun 06/05 03:03
Approach Shots: Tangled up in blue at Madrid Masters
Mon 30/04 05:57
Approach Shots: Djokovic out, Del Potro starts French Open prep
Mon 23/04 05:29
Approach Shots: Nadal, Murray return to action in Barcelona
Sat 21/04 19:01
Monte Carlo final expert picks: Djokovic vs. Nadal
Mon 16/04 02:46
Approach Shots: Djokovic, Nadal begin clay season in Monte Carlo
Tue 10/04 15:48
Approach Shots: Houston, Casablanca begin clay-court swing
Thu 05/04 18:40
Approach Shots: Davis Cup precedes clay-court swing
Tue 27/03 16:14
John Isner Top 10 tribute
Wed 21/03 05:08
Approach shots: On-fire Federer can pass Nadal in Miami
Thu 08/03 07:03
Approach shots: First Masters event of the year in Indian Wells
Tue 28/02 18:41
Approach Shots: Federer, Djokovic back in action
Mon 20/02 05:10
Approach Shots: Ferrer, Tsonga, Del Potro headline busy week
Sun 12/02 15:44
Approach Shots: Federer looks to rebound in Rotterdam
Thu 09/02 21:21
Approach Shots: Federer headlines Davis Cup first round
View all posts
Scan QR code to access Unibet mobile.
Bet on Sports wherever you are and whenever you like, with Unibet's quick and simple mobile client you can place bets, check results and see live odds.
For more info about QR codes & scanners click here.
Contact us
/ About us
/ Cookies
/ Recommended links
/ Advertise
/ Sitemap
Tennistalk v1.5.0
Disclaimer © 2001-2012, Moneytainment Media Ltd - All rights reserved
Hmm, I liked all of this really. I have no qualms with much at all except I really/completely like Chardy to pulp Monfils if it doesn't happen I would be more surprised. I do question Fed's chances, not because he isn't playing great, or the potential of a walk about. I think is mushy draw might leave him unprepared for Roddick or Nole in the semi's or even, a perhaps confident Davydenko or a certain giant slayer in Soderling. I've put this out there already, but it is worth repeat since it will be near/at the top. If Nole can beat Roddick, do you think this will give him all the confidence he needs to beat Fed after beating Nadal? (I know he has this year but Cincy was rather...disappointing to say the least.) However, I'm not going to be surprised or displeased if Fed isn't hinder by is smooth path or is Nole still loses to Fed if he beat Roddick.
P.S. Totally think Del Po could score the win over Murray, if he plays like he did against Roddick in D.C. Probably not give Montreal, but I think he is a cool cucumber unaffected for the most part by his loses.
Recordbreaks , 8/29/09 4:52 AM