Ricky, Nalbandian isn't going to make the quarterfinals.

cheryl-what makes you think gulbis is going to make the quarters. If gulbis plays nalbandian,i have to give the edge to nalby due to the fact that nalby rarely has problems dealing with ballbashing players.(altho if nalbys tired,then gulbis has an excellent shot for sure)

The reason is because I saw him in Cincinnati. He looked TERRIBLE. Tired, listless and uninspired. He'll be lucky to get to Gulbis in the first place. It's such a pity, really. I wish he would peak at a slam for once, but he never, ever does. :(

QF:
Rafa over Ferrer in 4 (if Ferrer can get past Dolgo boy, ha ha)
Berdych over Murray in 4
Sod over Fed in 4
Nole over Davy in 4

SF:
Rafa over Berdych in 4
Nole over Sod in 4

Final:
Rafa/Nole = 50/50, can't pick a winner.

My picks:

Federer over soderling in 4-Soderling's game is vulnerable on a fast hard-court because of the quick bounce and skid of the surface, and he won't have the luxury of taking roundhouse cuts at his forehand the way he did against Federer at the French Open. Furthermore,if conditions happen to be windy on the day of the 1/4 final(if they face off) then soderlings high ball toss will be exposed immediately.

Murray over Berdych in 5-
If Berdych and Murray do face off, it will be interesting to see if Murray is willing step out of his comfort zone and hit his groundstrokes with conviction, or, will he allow Berdych to control the tempo. Something tells me he has no choice in the matter. However,Murray should be able to break down the big mans demeanour,and avenge his FO defeat.

Nadal over Nalbandian in 4-Nalbandian just isnt going to lasy 5 sets against Nadal.
'
Fish over Roddick in 5- I've enjoyed watching Fish find his potential after a long time on Tour, and his time appears to be now or never for a big result. the American is playing with a greater sense of urgency these days, and he's not backing off from bringing his heat on the big points.

Semis:

Murray over Nadal in 4- To be blunt,Murray is simply too good for nadal on a fast hard court. Nadal will put up a fight like he always does,but murray should come out on top.

Federer over Fish in 4- Federer would likely have shifted things into top gear at this point into the tourney. Fish will put up a fight,but I think the swiss comes out on top.

Final:
Federer over Murray in 5- This ones a toss up,but I think Federer has a few more offensive weapons than Murray,and in the big clutch moments,its the more offensive player that usually has the advantage.

Sod did come close to forcing a fifth set last year against Fed. If Sod can play as well as last year, there is a 50/50 chance of him beating Fed. I'm sure he won't come out panicking like last year and lost a set 6-0 (I think) to Fed.

Fish over Nole provided the match is played in the heat of the day; if late evening or at night, Nole will prevail. Over five sets, Nole is the better player. Murray/Rafa = 50/50 as if Rafa is able to get to the semi, that means he has already fixed his problems. He won't be beaten easily by Murray, don't rely too much on that match in 2008 USO, the Rafa then was mentally fried.

Cheryl and Ricky,

It's remarkable that you two picked a 90% identical scoreline for a possible Murray Nadal match:

6-4 5-7 7-6(4) and last set 6-4 or 6-3.

QF:
Rafa over Nalbandian in 3 or 4 (depends on how Rafa serves)
Berdych over Murray in 4
Sod over Fed in 4-5
Roddick over Djokovic in 4

SF:
Rafa over Berdych in 4
Roddick over Sod in 4

Final
Rafa over Roddick in 3

Final:

I didn't notice that, Chlorostoma. wow! LOL.

Ha ha ha ha ha, Murray is just too good on fast h/c, and has only managed to make the qtrs ONCE at the USO, then beat a totally spent Rafa, who had won just about everything up till then in the SF, making the final, where Roger showed him how it's done?

Last year, Murray didn't even make the Qtrs, at least 'rubbish on fast h/c' Rafa has made the SF twice in a row, inspite of injuries and fatigue.

VAMOS Rafa!

luckystar-if soderling plays as well as he did last yr,AND fed has an off day he might win. But soderlings game is vulnerable on fast outdoor hard courts for a few reasons.(its why hes never won an outdoor hard court title in his career) And if he somehow beats federer,I think he beats djokovic if he plays him. But he will lose to fish or roddick if thats who progresses. And i would still give the edge to murray against nadal on a fast hard court.

nadline-
I totally agree with you.
Lets not forget that 'Rubbish H/C Rafa' also won the AO 09 after playing 5 sets in 5hrs and 40 mins against Verdasco to make it into the final giving Fed a 24hr recuperation head start and then beat Federer on his best surface in another 5 sets in over 4 hours.

Yes Rafa is Rubbish on hard courts...pfft...yes winning the AO and making it to the semis of the US Open when he is injured and fatigued is a poor effort...bwahaha!!!!!!

Yes it may not be Rafas best surface because it doesnt come naturally to him but thats as far as it goes!

Vamos!!!!!!!!

isabeau, I'm glad someone else can think rationally.

tj, you'd pick anyone over Rafa on any surface, let's face it.

VAMOS!

tj, actually it depends on the weather conditions for both Sod and Nole, not so much for Fed. Nole won't lose to Fish/Roddick if it is a night match. As I said, Rafa/Murray is a 50/50, so I'm not going to argue about it. We shall see what happens for these top players, early days now, the matches have to be played. I'll keep my fingers crossed and see how well or how poorly I've predicted the outcomes. Good day/night wherever you are from (for me its night time now).

nadline-uh,no i wouldnt. if berdych plays nadal in the semis for example,i would be predicting a nadal win in straights.

luckystar-yes. Nole obviously prefers the night matches. As for Soderling,if he plays Federer,he needs to pray for calm conditions. Because if conditions are windy(which they are quite often in NY),soderling will go down,and it will be an ugly match. The reason being that soderling will be struggling to put first serves in due to his high ball toss.(its the reason his best results come indoors.) As for Murray,if he plays nadal in the semis,i give him the edge due to his superior form,but Murray needs to get there first. The berdych match is a danger match for him,as the czech can outhit him from the baseline,and has enough variety in his game to cause Murray some serious problmes. I think that match is a 55-45 match in favour of Murray(as he is in better form). Btw,its night time here in Oz as well.

chloro - good catch, and WOW that is pretty incredible. Did not notice we had the EXACT score for Nadal-Murray aside from ONE GAME.

Either Andy or RAFA.
it is difficult to beat RAFA in this year's SLAMS.

Cheryl and Ricky must have been shopping in the same place for their crystal ball.

If Murray got any better on Fast H/C, he would be lethal, he might even make the Qtrs. more often.

QF:
Nadal over Nalbandian in 5
Murray over Berdych in 4
Fed over Sod in 4
Djokovic over Roddick in 3

SF:
Murray over Nadal in 3
Djokovic over Federer in 4

Final
Djoker over Murray in 4

Er..bjawad, while I think your prediction of the final is interesting, I find that you put Murray over Nadal in 3 is a bit er..strange. Murray couldn't blow anyone off the court the way Delpo does, so it is unlikely that he'll beat Rafa in 3, their matches have always being close, safe for the recent one at Toronto. If Rafa can make it to the semi of USO, that means he can get pass one of Verdasco/Ferrer/Nalby/Gulbis, which means Rafa is playing well, so I don't think Murray can blow Rafa off the court in 3; Murray himself has Berdych to take care of and that won't be an easy match. I foresee Rafa/Murray, if they meet, will go to five sets.

The thing, nadline, is that Rafa hasn't beaten Murray on hard courts since 2009 -- and that was in Indian Wells on a court that suits Nadal better and in high wind.

That's a refreshingly different prediction, bjawad! While I agree that the winner of this USO could be a huge surprise (not Roger/ Rafa/ Muzza), I wouldn't pen Djokovic down to win the whole thing yet. Can't wait for some matches to start so that we can see how they are all playing. And I hope you're right!

The thing, nadline, is that Rafa hasn't beaten Murray on hard courts since 2009 -- and that was in Indian Wells on a court that suits Nadal better and in high wind.

cherylmurray , 8/30/10 4:42 PM


Yes, of course cheryl, and why did a windy h/c at I/W suit Rafa better, is it a SLOW h/c. The semantics are just getting better.

VAMOS!

luckystar, winning in 3 straight doesn't mean that it's a blow off. 3 really tight sets is my prediction (7-5 7-6 7-6), but could even be a 4 or 5 set match..

Stu, of course Djokovic is not a safe bet, but he has the potential (and has proven) to beat anybody of the top contenders and might surprise us all to do so! The HC is his best chance. It's time for him to win another slam and why not doing it by "stealing" it in front of Murray!

most of the experts picked either murray or nadal as the favourite to win us open..

only few of them picked federer (bodo, tignor, ubha..). if any of u want any proof u can look at eurosport, espn, tennis.com. all most all picked either murray or nadal as the favourite

So bjawad you think out of three tight sets, Rafa won't be able to win one? I said Rafa can push it to four or even five sets, and I think Rafa can win too! So I seriously don't think Murray will beat Rafa in 3. We shall see but I'm confident that I'll be right!

Stu, it is possible that Nole wins the whole thing. Why think so lowly of Nole's chances? If Nole is to win it, I hope he meets Rafa instead of Murray in the final. Of course I hope for a Rafa win to complete his career slam. I won't be upset if Nole beats Rafa to win it, to me I rather see Nole winning it than say Fed or Sod. Also, not that I don't like Murray or Berdych, but Murray/Berdych winning it will mean that Rafa still cannot get to the final, which is even more upsetting than him losing the final (in my opinion).

haha luckystar, looks like you and I want the same eventual result at the USO. I am trying not to predict outcomes until the second week, when we have been able to assess the players' level.
"Why think so lowly of Nole's chances?" - because of the way he played set 1 against Fed at Toronto, and his uninspired performance at Cincy. He's been great in spurts, but needs to prove that he can focus over 5 sets. Just being realistic.

Korolev has 2 breaks back against Nishikori

Davydenko has the break back against Russell

Gasquet won his first set, as did Ferrero

Cilic down a break to Marchenko

stu - Nole did fight in 5 sets matches, one example was that QF in RG this year. Though he lost in the end, at least he tried and fought hard. Of course he was being criticized for losing it when he was two sets up against Melzer but back then, he had his serves problems. Also it was on clay; on fast hard court, I know he can perform better. He is slowly but steadily getting back his good form in time for the USO, and I think he likes the USO and he performs well at the USO every year since 2007. To me I think its a matter of time that he wins it. I'm more forgiving towards Nole, recognizing the weight on his shoulders, from his countrymen and from his family. Its not easy having so much pressure on his young shoulders but so far he did well and stayed in the top three for three over years now. His pressure is not much lesser than that faced by Murray, another young guy that I feel sorry for, with all the expectations of a slam win rested heavily on his shoulders.

My picks

Rafa over Nalbandian in 4.
Murray over Berdych in 3.
Djoker over Roddick in 4.
Federer over DE BAKKER or GONZALEZ, Fernando ( I dont think Sod will make it to quarter, I wish he plays Fed in quarter and looses in straight sets, but i dont think it is possible at this time).. This most unpredictable quarter ??????

Semis
Murray over Nadal in 4 (Better win in four, nadal wont allow murray to win in fifth)
Federer over Djoker in 4

Final
Federer over Murray in 4(this time murray will take a set off :) )..

LOL

Actually, nadline the reason the courts in IW suit Rafa better is because they're really gritty and the grit causes the ball to kick up more. It doesn't have all that much to do with the speed of the court. Miami is slower, but very low-bouncing. That's why Rafa doesn't perform as well there.

söderling will beat fed in qf, finally succombing to murray in the title match

cheryl, I have to take your point on the technicalities of the court surfaces, because you know more than me on this subject, having said that, do you really believe that Rafa is so bad on fast h/c that it's a foregone conclusion that he will never beat Murray at the USO? Murray himself hasn't done that well at the USO, apart from 2008, when he had lost in the 1st round at the Olympics, and had weeks to acclimatise before the others, who did well at the Olympics, arrived in America. Rafa was worn out, he had played more matches than anyone else up to that point, because he had won just about everything up to then.

I like Murray, and I am British, so I would like Britain to get a champion, but I don't agree that he is that good on fast hard courts that Rafa is a sitting duck for him. He's only made the qtrs once. As for Murray beating Rafa in Toronto, it was obvious that Rafa was not playing well there, he was working his way back after his long break, whilst Murray had played LA just before. In fact I read that Rafa was toying with the idea of skipping either Toronto or Cincy, so he wasn't that pumped up to win either. Even in his match against Baghdatis, his serve was off, so were his b/h and f/h, so he lost that match because he was rusty.

It's just frustrating that Rafa is just not given credit for all he has achieved, whilst others only have to win one tournament to be put on a pedestal.

nadline, i find that I'm a tad confused. How is picking Murray to beat Nadal at this year's US Open not giving him credit for all he has achieved? Or more to the point, how is picking Murray to win the tournament putting him on a pedestal? Nothing about Nadal's hard court play this summer has been impressive.

I realize, of course, that Nadal has a hard court slam and Murray doesn't...but if we are to base our predictions solely on prior results, every single one of us would be obliged to pick Federer to win all of the hard court slams.

cheryl, we'll see.

stu, something just for you ;). i know it means little but ...

http://www.menstennisforums.com/showthread.php?t=167664

confirms what i was saying, rfzr - the talent is unquestionable, but he does not deliver when he needs to the most.

it did raise a glimmer of hope tho, so thanks :)

croc,

Have you seen the first round match of Soderling ???

I belive he will be out sooner..

Luckystar - great prediction, hope it comes true!

And us Nole fans don't wanna predict a win because then we are often disappointed. Just going with the flow produces far more satisfaction :)

thanks champ. yeah i saw the last three sets. söderling was certainly not impressive. but it was impressive he won in the end. haider-maurer was really playing well except for that lone game where he faltered. i still have hopes söderling will get used to the court and move better. he showed last year against federer he can play really well here.

I am looking forward to a Cilic/Sod match, hope it happens and Cilic gets the better of Sod this time round. If Cilic can beat Sod, at least he gets to retain his points; Cilic vs Fed will be interesting for a change, and who knows what the outcome will be?

QF:

Gulbis over Rafa- I believe this is gulbis year
Berdych over Murray - (berdych is far too aggressive to let murray dazzle him with his intelectual playing, even thought thomas is rather irregular, he is like Fed in a 5 sets match)

Federer over Cilic ( Soderling wont get to a 3rd straight QF) Cilic has 0-1 Head to head with Roger, and Roger will run over him
Fish ( or Nole) over Davydenko ( Roddick has many obstacles this year and Nikolay is a first class artist)

SF

Gulbis over Berdych (this is Gulbis year)
Federer over Fish/Nole

F
Federer over Gulbis in straight sets

2 words: Richard Gasquet

It's HOT in NY, so not good news for Nole today.

Where are the other 2,500 people who take part in the TT poll, why aren't they posting here?

QF:
Rafa d Ferrer
Murray d Almagro
Roddick d Nole
Federer d Dent

Semis:
Rafa d Murray
Fed d Roddick

Final
Rafa d Federer.

Cheers!

Report: Nadal?s Richard Mille Watch Allegedly Stolen in Toronto

August 30, 2010
NEW YORK - AUGUST 25: Rafael Nadal serves during The Nike Primetime Knockout Tennis Event at Pier 54 on August 25, 2010 in New York City.

Rumors have been circulating that Rafael Nadal?s $525,000 Richard Mille 027 Tourbillon watch was stolen during the Toronto event in Canada.

Nadal was not seen wearing the watch during the following Cincinnati tournament, but did sport the expensive timepiece during the recent Nike Primetime Knockout Event in New York.

Nadal has yet to comment on whether or not his watch was stolen.

Gulbis has lost the first set, so as Baghdatis..

Gulbis doesn't look fit at all.

Gulbis doesn't look fit at all.

nadline , 8/31/10 6:47 PM

that means the people who are rooting for gulbis for QF will have to choose Nalby ??????

Chardy is now 2 sets and a break up.

Gulbis is out in straights - 2.6 6.7 4.6

Gulbis is out... still waiting for his breakthrough
berdych over Rafa/ferrer (?)
I would love to see a Fed / Nadal match on the arthur ashe

no surprise. I had Chardy, which is why i picked Gulbis to lose to Nieminen!

Good win by Chardy. Gulbis is far to inconsistent, that's why most people don't pick him to win anything.

Rafa will beat Berdych if they meet. Those big hitters can no longer trouble Rafa, he has found a way to beat them. Murray on the other hand can be vulnerable to big hitters if he is not careful. However if he at the top of his game, he can beat them, just like the way he beats Delpo every time they meet, except that one match on the clay court in Madrid 09.

How come there isnt a thread for the Djokovic-Troicki match thats due to start in a couple of minutes?

there is no way roddick will make the final of this tournament, the quarters are the farthest he may go

lets just hijack this thread and talk about the Djroicki match mriiidula....

I too looked for a pre-match thread for the Djoko/Troicki match, and wondered why there isn't one for the world No 3.

lets just hijack this thread and talk about the Djroicki match mriiidula....

Hes always overlooked. What else is new.
I think Nole's improved from Cincinnati, much better groundstrokes.

Cheryl, what do you think of Djoko's outfit.

groundstrokes are working, too early to say about the serve...

Waiting impatiently for the Baghdatis-Clement match to finish so that I can watch this on TV instead of live streaming.

break :)
on a completely different note, i hope Nole's night outfit has the white and black swapped.

yes, mriiidula, thats exactly what i imagined his night outfit to be :D

Baghdatis is out in 5.

There's the first set! Serving's pretty good methinks. His groundstrokes too, except he should watch his UE count. And I'm gonna really like that night outfit stu :D

Yep Baghdatis is out. Didnt expect him to lose tbh.

Poor Baggy, obviously played one tournament too many. But who'd of thought Hewitt would not survive round 1?

oh not the heat again...isn't this getting a little old?!

he's losing concentration..did he give the impression its because of the heat? Coz I didnt get that..

that's what the commentators say there's a "heat rule" in effect, whatever that is. i can't watch too much im at work...but it doesn't seem like a very exciting match...

Hi everyone... nice hot day in NY.. isn't it... and normally Novak is scheduled in a midday!!!
He will win... but somehow I am getting sick of tournaments managements ... always the same story...

Yea you'd think the schedulers care a little bit and have his match later on. If he was fed he wouldve gotten away with it. Oh well.
Yea heard about the heat rule. But Nole hasnt complained (yet) so I dont see why we should. Maybe he can handle it.

can't keep making excuses, zare. the roddick played at the same time yesterday. murray will prolly play at the same time tomorrow. heck, im sure novak has played at the USO at this time before...

Nole needs to win 5 games in a row now. This better end in straights, its 1 am and I dont think I can stay up much longer for just a first-round match.

I find it odd the way Nole has disappeared from the radar as far as the press are concerned. He has been No.3 or 4 continuously for three years for goodness sake.
He does seem to be struggling though with some issues and I'm not just talking about his breathing problems. It's like he has lost interest in whether he wins or not.

maybe these 2 had decided beforehand that viktor would get a set

1 set each. Eeesh, Im off to bed. Hope I wake up to good news.

dont blame ya mriiidula.....doesn't seem like a match worth staying up for....almost another break of serve? dya see nole going out in R1 of the USO? wow, how depressing would that be!

dont say it! dont even think it!

global warming against nole ;) he looks like he won't be able to finish the match.

lordy. a break in set 3. im in shock.

"If he can consolidate this hold, Djokovic could be in a bit of trouble here". Really, I'd never have noticed :S

is troicki playing the match of his life? he is great!

Troicki has been playing extremely well and looks bigger (is he?) and Djokovic looks ... well a little thin (in many respects).
C'mon Nole ... you have many talents ... try to embrace the heat.

I've never seen Troicki play this well, his serve is out of this world. But this is tennis, there is always a chance to recover, but Djoko has to do it in this 4th game, or it will be too late.

If this were Rafa, I'd have no doubt that he would pull it off. I guess that's what separates the champions from the also-rans.

W A K E U P ! ! ! NOLE!!!

BREAK BACK....... GOOOO NOLE!!!

zare, maybe he heard you :)

Djokovic looking a little fresher!

no tiebreak please. break him now!

Is it only me or did he lost some weight... he looks thiner to me??

roddick looks much bigger than nole on this pic:

http://novakdjokovic.rs/news.php?akcija=vise&id=711&jezik=2

definitely lost weight, zare....ive been saying this since the HC season started...

will this second wind last till the end of set 5 if he wins set 4?

viktor is really pouncing on his 2nd serve...

I'm so proud of Nole for fighting back. In fact I have faith in him throughout the match that he'll come back and level the match. So Nole please continue from here and win the match!

Yes, Nole looks thinner. He was obviously bothered by the heat. Also Troicki was serving unbelievably well, and at all the crucial moments. You can imagine how frustrating it was for Nole, yet he hung in tough and he actually outlast the hottest period of the day. I believe now the weather condition should be cooler, now that it is late afternoon. Oh he just lost his first service game in the final set, I hope he carries on fighting and gets a win in the end. Go Nole!

one thing in nole's favor is that troicki is not the strongest player out there emotionally. he needs to put the pressure on...

What an amazing match, Djokovic pulls it off! Wow!

Good fight back from Nole !!

Viktor has been excellent.

why does he thank god? that is ridiculous?! does he think god cares about who wins a tennis match? would god take sides in a tennis match?

Yes, so happy for Nole. Congrats Nole and his fans, for his win today, well done Nole! Commies to Troicki, good effort and poor guy, also endured the heat for three over hours. Nole please go and rest well and prepare for the next match - will not be easy as this Petzschner guy is one big serve big hitting fella, who gave Rafa so much problem at Wimbledon this year.

stu - see, Nole can fight. I think he is one proud fella; he loves to win and would try his best to fight for the win.

I take back what I said earlier. He wanted, and needed, that win badly - enough to battle his way through the heat exhaustion. Poor Troicki looked shattered and bitterly disappointed at losing.

Is it my imagination, or are there a lot more five-setters than usual for the 1R?

croc, it is a question of choice; you don't believe, you don't thank; you believe, you thank.

why does he thank god? that is ridiculous?! does he think god cares about who wins a tennis match? would god take sides in a tennis match?

croc , 8/31/10 11:44 PM

You cracked me up with this, so funny.

i'd love to be proved wrong and for you to be proved right for the rest of the tournament, luckystar :)

ed, yeah i agree about the five-setters. good thing they are modern here and use tie-breakers in the final.

rfzr, to me it looks arrogant when he thanks god. but maybe he is thanking for being healthy enough to fight, i hope he does it for the good reasons. but i don't like when people do religion in public, it should be a personal issue.

smoking is forbidden in public places, religion not yet.

come on, he just did the sign of the cross after a 4-hour marathon 5-setter in the heat! id be thankful for a number of things - mainly the fact that it was finally over! cut the guy some slack, he's not the first one to do it on a tennis court!

it just tells me he is not secure in his faith or in himself if he needs to express it so explicitly. after all, he is just a kid who plays tennis...

belief can do miraculous things for you, tho am not advocating religion.

God not only cares a lot, but he's a big tennis fan. He has every tournament planned from now to the end of the world, but he's willing to make a few adjustments here and there so fervent prayer is not a total waste. You can train all you want, but if GOD wants you to lose, you're toast, so you better get on his good side.
Things God likes: Kittens, children, one-handed backhands, white gear, Mary Carillo.
Things God Dislikes: Wasps, Bums, two-handed backhands, ugly prints, Gimelstob.

So be sure to say your prayers, eat your vitamins and pray for Mary!

i dont know whether it is appropriate to do a religious sign on a tennis court But i am sure of one thing,it is NOT appropriate to fake fun of religion no what what ur personal belief is.If a player is thanking God after a gruelling 5-setter its something inside him that propells him to thank God, it can be anything ...i dont know, may b he is thankful that he was in good health and that enabled him to compete so hard and train so hard.

*make (2nd line)

You either believe in God or you don't.If you believe in God,you think that God cares for you and so you pray for whatever it is you want.if you get it,you thank God.What's wrong with that?

If a player has the right to display his religion in public (which is OK by me), someone else has the right to joke about it. It's called "freedom". Look it up.

not blaming you or something mate but dont u think its better to avoid saying things that may not sound pleasant to some people even though we have freedom ?
anyway, glad rafa won the 1st set tie breaker :)

of course vamosrafa you are right ... but still grafight and rfzr made me giggle a little.
and yea! Rafa won first set.

um, Rafa doesn't believe in god...enough said.
BTW am with grafight on this one.

Rafa does believe in the Gods - why else is he so manic about the alignment of his water bottles?

.........and come to that, his underpants :-)

..........and that wisp of hair behind his ears :-)

BTW: doesn't he look seriously cute with the even shorter hair cut?

Players who believe that God helps them to win are entitled to do so if it gives them reassurance. I wonder what they think when they lose.

Rafa brings a whole new dimension to the all black kit,..............cute is the word I'm looking for............... he just makes other players in black look like they are wearing a bin bag.

ed: gods are different from God....I certainly believe in the gods of scheduling and they sure don't shine on Novak or Andy.

Rafa's interview:
About playing at the USO, this is what Rafa thinks, nothing about fast h/c:

Q. Are you as comfortable at this Grand Slam as you are at the others?

RAFAEL NADAL: Is the more difficult for me, especially I think because the ball. The ball is the more difficult thing for me because the ball I think is more easy to play that ball for the players when they have the flat shots, no? That's much easier for them than for the topspin players. That's the only thing.

But I won Olympics with this ball. I won in Beijing in 2005 with this ball. I can do it.


All the talk about fast h/c is just speculation. I'm glad he says he can do it, because he's done it before with similar conditions. He is obviously not influenced by people talking his chances down.

vamosrafa: congrats on Rafa's win! You are a nice person, not wanting to offend people and all. That is commendable, but in this world, if you are to stand for something you will eventually and inevitably offend someone.
nadline: I hope Rafa said "2008"

graight, that was a direct copy of the interview transcript, and it's not an error, he won Beijing (outdoor/hard) in 2005, then won the olympics in 2008.

@grafight, u are a nice person too and I respect your opinion :)
@duece, rafa was once asked about his opinion regarding God and he was not willing to reply in detail , he just said that its hard to believe there ISNT God . so like his uncle rafa is not an atheist i guess. anyway we are here to discuss tennis :)

congrats to all rafans and good luck duece, lets hope andy settles himself well into the tournament by making a sharp start :)

vamosrafa: thankyou, and he did :)

Here goes Cheryl's finalist.

Ricky 1-0

up to now berdych and roddick lost their matches.
Roger Federer and Andy Murray will be in the final. And I think Andy will win this if He serves good .

pnp: yep, that's the key when he serves good, no-one can beat him! Come on!

@vamosrafa , 9/1/10 5:14 PM
"rafa was once asked about his opinion regarding God and he was not willing to reply in detail , he just said that its hard to believe there ISNT God ."

Rafa said it's very difficult to believe that God exists !
<<Q: Do you believe in God? We see football players crossing themselves. You don't do that. Do you do praying?
Rafa: It's hard to say, "I don't believe in God." I would love to know if God exists. But it's a very difficult thing for me to believe. I don't know. It's private and I don't want to speak about it, but I say, "If God exists, you don't need [to cross yourself] or pray." If God exists, he's intelligent enough to [do] the important things, the right things. >> / Jon Wertheim, July 16, 2010/

on the plane to New York

will be blogging at night every day, most likely via the TT magazine

@augistina, thanks for corercting..memory didnot serve me correctly so thanks for pointing out the right thing :)

Apart from Ricky who has picked him to reach the SF's, nobody mentions Mardy Fish. I rather fancy his chances of getting there - he is unflashy but rock steady.

With Roddick out, my prediction falls appart. I had him going all the way to the semis.
I still think Taylor Dent is going to be the surprise of the tournament. He will be if he can beat Soderling next and carry the US flag at least to the Quarters, where he will meet Roger Federer, and that should be the end of his run.

With the results so far, Nadal and Murray have cupcakes till the semi, Fed has it easy till the QF where he will run into big problems (Söderling), and Djokovic will run in to trouble already in the 4th round with Fish.

My prediciton for the ladies' title is:

Murray over Clijsters

Why not? He is the favourite for every thing else isn't he?

LOL... nadline... you are queen!!!

nadline, you are so funny!!! :)) genius at work...;)

nadline: u said u liked Andy, well god help us if u don't like somebody...

back to religion ;)

rfzr: nice :)

deuce, you can't deny that Murray gets picked for every title, under any circumstances so why not the ladies' singles?

I just think it's funny.

nadline: as I had to keep pointing out to pennster, Roger was the bookies favourite not Andy. Do u watch "university challenge?" One team sometimes gives the same answer for all the questions. Nine out of ten they hit lucky once. Us Andy fans will hit lucky one of these fine days.

deuce, I have no problem Andy being picked to win, sometimes I feel that if Rafa loses to someone, it's held against him for ever, and it means he'll never beat that person again, or win on that surface again, whilst if other players including Andy win one tournament, they are crowned king of tennis, and tipped to win everything coming.

Of course people feel that Andy is bound to win a GS one day, so they keep picking him hoping it will be this time, if not it will be next time. It's like playing the lottery and expecting every week that you will win next week. There is nothing wrong with a gut feeling or a desire, but it's when other players are unjustifiably put down to back it up that it seems unfair to me.

However, as was proved at Wimbledon, people can pick who they like, it doesn't make any difference to the results.

May the best man win.

Murry is out. My condolence to the experts!

for me nadal is the favorite now, followed by RF ..this is rafa's best chance ever to win the open..

i wish he makes my dream come true by beating RF in the final, if he does so .he will then have the FEDERER-SLAM (beating fed in the finals of all 4 slams) .surely the debate for greatest player of this generation will heat up very much if that happens.

I would prefer a Nadal Djoko final.

vij,
That would be a very exciting final, and unexpected at US Open.

But I would rather see a Fed Nadal final at the US Open this time. Because as unlikely as it is to happen any year, this year it has a chance of happening. Rather see it once than never. Nadal Novak final at the US Open has more chances of somehow happening in future years. In the meantime we are looking at more and more unlikely slam finals between Roger and Rafa.

Fed and Rafa can always meet in the semifinals in future, not necessary to be in the final. It is time for other players, like Nole, Murray and Delpo, even Sod and Berdych, to step it up and break the dominance of Fed/Rafa. What happens at the FO and Wimbledon this year are signs of things to come.

To me, I rather see a Rafa/Nole or Rafa/Murray final in any of the slams, as these guys when they meet in the semis, they'll kill each other and then will be left with depleted energy for the final. Nole and Murray seem to play their best when they face Rafa and they really go all out to try to beat Rafa, so I think that will make some interesting finals.

Strange thing is Fed had never met Nole or Murray at the FO and Wimbledon, even though sometimes, the draw did allow them to meet. I would like to see Fed/Nole at FO and Fed/Murray at Wimbledon, and I think Nole can beat Fed at RG; and Murray may be able to beat Fed at Wimbledon. (I think Murray can play better on grass than on hard; and I think Fed can play better on fast hard court than on grass).

Ricky's picks have pretty much been reduced to rubble - by the end of 4th [I'm being kind here :)] round - Berdych, Nalby, Roddick & Murray have been ousted :) . Cheryl's have not fared any better - Gulbis, Murray, Fish, Roddick all gone :).
Slam's throw up so many - gosh I don't believe he's out - sort of stories or - is he really in the quarters? - type of thing. One thing is for sure, the cream is rising to the top as expected.
It takes more than talent to win a slam. Fish didn't give any sort of challenge to Djerk - at all. He never had the belief in himself and his game and that was it. Melzer put up a bit more of a fight but duly got ousted. Sometimes it seems it's going to be a new storyline, but then it turns out it is the same, old story.
Love means nothing? So right!

Being a favourite doesn't mean anything - look at Murray for heaven's sake - he is the favourite for everything it seems and doesn't deliver - what's worse is he doesn't seem to understand why.

Djerk is being completely ignored by all the pundits and yet he's playing much better - playing himself into form as it were. Rafa is playing well, which seems to surprise many, which shows how many people don't understand tennis, even though they profess to love it.
Yes I want Rafa to win it all, but I do realise that he's still 3 games away from the final and might not get there. There are a lot of very good players left, but for now, Lopez is the one Rafa [and me] is focused on.
And before anyone goes - oh but they can't trouble Rafa, well he doesn't believe that and I certainly don't - this is a slam, anything can happen and sometimes does :(. One game, set and match at a time.

Blessed-
Thank you for calling it as it is.
People dont read things on here and make comments when they know nothing about the game.

I am clearly a Rafa fan, but on another article I made a comment about Federer, sticking up for him and defending him from his own fans who somehow think because he is 29 they are surprised he is still playing beautiful tennis.

I got told to stop my hatred for Federer.

Well if sticking up for my main man's rival is hatred, then I dont know what is going on in some Fed fans heads.

Isabeau: That was funny -- you got told off for being a decent person and stating the truth.

I'm of the opinion that Blogging is somewhat of an art form. People have got to learn to work the bloggers so to speak. If one can't do that, then they are in the mnority, and totally ignored by what I call *cliques*. On most forums, it's sort of a popularity contest, where the most popular blogger, gets to set the tone of what can, cannot, should, and/or shouldn't be said. Truth and reality is shoved in the garbage can -- phoney talk reigns supreme. There's very little truth one is allowed to speak. And, if one is not the type to go along with the clique and/or be a back-scratcher, then one is shunned and/or becomes the recipient of all sorts of ridicule folr venturing to speak their views which is their entitlement when posting on a forum.

Nowadays, just speaking the truth or one's perspective on a match -- simple match play, causes an attack, if one does not lie, (or abstain from posting) by stating the group's fave played spectacular tennis. To me that's stagnating the blogs, because people stop posting just for the sake of peace. Some posters seem to forget that a forum is the place where everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. That being the case as I see it, why bother to write an opinion, unless it's a phoney one, with the express intention of just trying to please the clique and/or masses.

I see people going after some posters because they want to be part of a group who roots for a certain player, albeit they really aren't interested in the player at all, and the player is not their fave or close to being a second fave. The politicking is nauseating. There isn't realism is what's written, just scratch the back stuff. To reiterate, why bother.
__________________
IBlessed: "It takes more than talent to win a slam. Fish didn't give any sort of challenge to Djerk - at all. He never had the belief in himself and his game and that was it."

To begin with, it takes a user-friendly draw, and luck. Some players from round one draw horrible opponents, and before we know it, they are knocked out.

With respect to Fish not giving the Joker any trouble, well there are many reasons for that. The most important one being, Fish played a lot of tennis, too much IMO, coming into the USO. He also had to play quite a few 5 setters, which is indicative of a player being tired. Mardy would normally finish off Clement in 3 sets, and he should'nt have had so much difficulty in the next match either. Therefore, when Mardy faced Djokovic, who's had easy opponents, except for Troicki, who let the match get away from him, Mardy was all out of gas. Additionally, he's been having some knee problems with that knee he's had surgery on, and as a result, the Joker was able to dictate play, thus making him appear to be playing super, terrific tennis. The same happenend last year at the USO vs. Stepanek. Steps had a problem with his eye, and the Joker was able to boss him around. Come the SFs vs. Fed, the Djoker looked like an amateur. It's easy for an opponent to appear as if he's playing great, when the guy on the other side of the net is completely out of energy or has a problem coming into the match. Fish had only 3 aces in that match, doesn't anyone think that's an indication that something was amiss with Fish? I think so, but I'm sure the Joker's fans will put my comments down to being that of a jealous/hateful person. I'm sure I'll be hearing from the irrascible one very soon on this, as she's more pro-Joker than his fans. There's nothing worse than a phoney convert , who's suffering from hysterical blindness.

With respect to the Fed/Melzer match, well that's what I call a mis-match, but at least Melzer tried, and that's the best we can expect from any player -- that is he tried, even though he was totally not a formidable opponent.

While I do agree that Fish was burned out, Djokovic has proved before that when he's at his best, he has the game to beat Federer in a slam. While he's not quite at that level, neither is Federer the player he used to be - so there should be a realistic chance of Novak defeating Fed, even though Roger is the overwhelming favourite. His head has to be in the right place; he showed that recently in Toronto, and from what I saw against Fish and Blake, he was clinical in that aspect.

Yes, the Fed/Melzer match was a mismatch. I totally expected the result to be as it is. Melzer with his game, simply cannot beat Fed. Why? Because Fed simply moves better than him, strikes the ball better than him and has some clutch serving when needed to save him out of trouble. I'm only disappointed that Melzer did not even get a set, given so many break points chances that he had.

Fed's game still has some flaws, and players like Sod and Nole at the top of their games may be able to expose and capitalize on them. Fed has to play better when facing Sod.

someone uses every possible chance to take a stab at novak, pathetic and immature.

+1

:P

rfz: Am I missing something but who has taking pot shots at Nole? It strikes me that the majority of people here are sympathetic to the problems he has had this season, are pleased to see him doing well again and hoping to see him in the final.

Von: I found your last post fascinating and very perceptive. I've long thought there was a thesis to be written on the pyschology of blogging and have to admit to being puzzled by the dynamics at work sometimes. I put a lot of it down to the generation gap - in my case a gap of several generations :)

@ samprallica:

Im not quite sure if Fed is 'no longer the player he used to be' or is it the case that the players now have gotten a lot better and have managed to catch Fed off-guard! I think players, esp Rafa, have work extremely hard to improve their games while Fed has remained stagnant, deluding himself that he is soooooooooo damn good that no one can beat him...........even if they do!!!!

There are times, like every other player, that Fed loses his form. It would happen, i think form can be tempremental. But i dont think Fed's form on his best day is any worst than it used to be!

Its time that people stop this: Fed is suddenly a lesser player when someone (esp. a certain someone) beats him, but when Fed wins.................oh, he's the greatest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Monalysa, what?
Roger Federer is 29 years old ... in todays game that is near the limit of what most would consider a tennis career. I don't think you can call Federer's game stagnant ... he has just taken on a new coach; one can only assume he will be looking at new things.

Monalysa, I think you are right, Fed is as good as he's ever been, but others have got better. If Rafa had stayed where he was in his glory days of 2008, many more players would be able to beat now.

Well smr, maybe stagnant is perhaps too severe, BUT what I really meant to say is that Fed has not moved his game at the same rate at which Rafa and others have done, simply bcos Fed has been too stubborn in thinking that he needs not improve bcos he is 'the greatest'!!!! I strongly believe this!

I don't think this is the case at all ... but you are entitled to your own opinions, of course. :)
Rafa needed to improve in many areas of his game to become the player he is today (and he has done so beautifully and with grace), but so did Federer when he was much younger. I think there is a point when only very small changes can occur in an athletes repertoire.

Yes thats true, but there comes a time when ure game is not as effective as it once was and u need to revise and modify it to meet the challanges of new players. Fed lagged on his decision to change things and hence the reason why he was losing more often than not to lesser opponents..........made even worse by the blow to his confidence.

Only now Fed has, hesitently I might add, sought the help of a coach and it seems to be paying dividends. All this time Rafa and the others are improving themselves. Fed would be lucky if his decision may not have come a tad too late!!

I think Federer is doing qiute well ... so far this year he has won a grand slam and a masters title and earned (purely from playing) over $3.5 million. ;)

Well, not bad for a days work....eh?

ed: Thank you. I'm happy to know my thoughts on the matter enlightened someone, and that someone is you. IMO, you are one of the most fair posters on this site,. so keep up the good work. I find you fair to those you don't support, and that, to me, is refreshing.
___________________

rfzr and stu: Did you both read my post? Well, if you didn't, I'll repeat a part of it here. I suggest you read it and digest it. Also, do not take it personally regarding my perspective on the Joker's match vs. Fish, as I write without any bias, believe it or not, on the match I saw. In essence, the Joker played a very tired Fish = he got LUCKY. Like it or not, that's my view, but you guys can't seem to handle honesty. I'll add something else, do you think Blake was any match for the Joker? He's not even a match for Ryan Harrison, so in that respect, how wonderful is the Joker playing? He's played not one player who could trouble him thus far. I suppose you'll understand what I'm saying later on in the tournament.

I can do some maxi for you, and be a perfect hypocrite, but that's not my style as I don't need attention from faceless people. I receive tons of compliments in my personal life, which makes me confident and self-assured.

Maxi comes on here and pretends she's this noble person, who does not bad mouth any player, an d then she goes on tennis.x, and lashes out at Nadal, but she's oh so nice to the Joker. Do you honestly believe her Joker allegiance? Gawd, you really are delusional if you believe that she's genuine. She just wants attention, and to be popular = control freak, and she has enough street smarts on how to manipulate people into giving her the attention she seeks, Get real will ya.. Would you prefer me to do that and say phoney stuff about the Joker? and will that make you happy? It's a lot easier to kiss up than to be truthful, because when one is truthful, they open themselves to tons of abuse, and when one is phoney, then they receive support and compliments from those who can't see beneath the facade. The truth is, I don't like back scratching and I don't care to be a wannabe in a group. I have enough strength of character, (even though Maxi tries to tear me down at every turn) commonsense, book-knowledge and experiential learning /wisdom, to able to to see through what goes on on these forums, e.g., the games that are played. I don't think 10 percent of the posters on most forums speak freely and/or the truth. If they did, there would be wars upon wars. so for peace sake, they either join in the phoney back scratching, or they remain quiet. I don't like it at all.

BTW, stu, weren't you insulted when Maxi made that nasty comment about TT today on Tennis.x, and the other nasty comments she makes pertaining to TT on Tennis.x (her home when she can't control things over here)?? I would be insulted if I were a full-time poster on this site, because it shows her utmost disrespect for ALL of the posters on this site. She badmouths this site continuously.

Here's the portion of my post I'd like you to read and maybe you'll understand what I'm saying:

"Nowadays, just speaking the truth or one's perspective on a match -- simple match play, causes an attack, if one does not lie, (or abstain from posting) by stating the group's fave played spectacular tennis. To me that's stagnating the blogs, because people stop posting just for the sake of peace. Some posters seem to forget that a forum is the place where everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. That being the case as I see it, why bother to write an opinion, unless it's a phoney one, with the express intention of just trying to please the clique and/or masses."

In other words guys, I'm not going to say the Joker played a great match vs. Fish, because to me, there was a reason Fish couldn't play his usual game. It was obvious that fish was both tired and suffering from his leg. BTW, didn't I say that the Fed/Melzer match was a mismatch? It was, and that's how I saw it to be. Melzer tired, but he does not have the weapons to deal with federer who's a 16 GS winner. That match was like taking candy from a baby. So was the the Dabul match.

I'm not looking for friends on this or any site, because I don't scratch other people's back -- I'm too prideful for that nonsense, so you have a choice, don't read my comments on anything that's Joker related, or better still ignore all my comments, and that would be fine with me. However, I'll not change my perspective just to gain a few faceless acquaintances, sorry.

Relax, Von - I think its alright to like or dislike a player :P

But regardless of whether Fish would have played a good game or not, Djokovic has too much for him - that's my opinion.

@Monalaysa, while I agree that Federer hasn't declined much, he obviously isn't the player he was from '04 to '06. While I've never warmed to Federer because of what he says in press conferences, his game in 2004/05 was a thing of beauty. But then again, a teenage Nadal was beating him quite regularly at the time, so yes - it is also possibly true that the competition now is a lot better than during that period; especially given that Safin and Nalbandian were perenially hibernating.