never in doubt Murray and Nadal would be on same side

surprised Davydenko isnt with Fed

surprised Verdasco is with Nadal

most likely Murray will land in Nadal's half.
rfzr, 8/26/10 4:16 AM

rfzr - everyone knew that

why do we need this sham, pardon, draw ceremony?

rfzr: that was my point too.

i agree too.

Why Nole always end up in Fed's half of the draw? For three consecutive years now (from 2008-2010) Nole is in Fed's half at the USO! And from 2006-2008, 2010, Nole was in Rafa's half of the draw at the FO. Poor poor Nole, no wonder he didn't make the finals of most of the slams!

And why don't they spread the qualifiers out evenly?

FO 2010 Murray was on Nadal's half, so Nole was on Fed's half last FO.

deuce, luckystar - its all random (especially with qualifiers)

I cannot believe that Thiemo De Bakker and many other lower ranked players are playing qualifiers in the first round, but not the top 4 - weird. Surely they could arrange the draw to spread them more evenly.

luckystar, you are right, Nole was on Nadal's half last FO.

So Murray was drawn in Rafa's half, so was Nole, who's been drawn in Fed's half on all slams of year 2010 ... WHY LIKE THAT?

Well it's 50-50.

Murray is the favorite AGAIN. Year after year, GS after GS. People, he lost his last two finals in STRAIGHTS.

Correction:

2010 AO, W, USO Murray/Nadal on same half and Federer/Djokovic on the other half
Only at FO where Murray and Nole switched their draws.

pennster: we know you hate Andy, we get that. But why do you just spend your time here posting nasty things about him? What's the fun in that? Why don't you try posting nice comments about players you like? Why live on the negative? Is not life good? Is not tennis a beautuful fascinating game? For goodness sake try enjoying for once.

nadline - qualifiers are often way better than unseeded players

for example, Federer naturally gets to play Brian Dabul, who is probably the worst player in the field

It is 'interesting' that Nadal and Murray are again in the same half. Yes the draws are random (supposedly) but I assumed that it usually goes with the odd and even nos on opposite sides. One could take the cynical view of luckystar's point that things are again geared towards Federer (a la Wimbledon) as he will nearly always beat Djokovic whilst Murray is now more favourable in a hard court match against Nadal. However another look suggests a good draw for Rafa. Soderling, Cilic & Davydenko are avoided. The likes of Ferrer, Lubijic & Kholscrieber may take the 1st set but wont be able to sustain form over 5 sets. The first threat may be Gulbis as Nalbadian will likely tire from the amount of matches played. Murray could also get outgunned by Querrey again and Berdych would also be a hard task. Considering he reached the semis last year with knee and abdomen issues, this could yet be Rafa's year as long as he serves well.

I am no longer surprised by Federer's 23 match semi final streak in GS tornaments. If Djoko had this kind of support ,he would have probably met Nadal in several FO finals.
Anyway ,I hope Rafa,Djoko and Murray do well.Although Rafa is my fav,I would be happy even if one of Djoko and Murray won.They certainly deserve some grand slam glory.

Ricky, if Rafa is seeded 1, shouldn't he be playing the worst player in the field?

Here we go again. Ricky, can you explain why (except for the FO - Murray's not that good on clay)), Murray has never been in Federer's half for the last 3 years??? That's nine slams in a row each of which there was a 50% chance of Murray and Fed being in the same half. Statistically, the chances of that happening randomly (the draw is supposed to be random, right?), is 1 in 512 (0.2%). Hmmmm....

(By random, I mean with regard to the chances of Murray falling into Fed's half)

dont really believe in conspiracies ,lol..but these things really are interesting :S

anyway, rafa's draw is decent but still very tricky ! he has the toughest first rnd opponent ! gaba can hit the ball really hard and rafa is always rusty in rnd 1 of slams so may be a tough match there...istomin gave him in a real test at queens ,rafa will get through that one but could be a test. simon or kohli in the 3rd rnd could also prove to be TOUGH ! after that , i expect some one other than nando to meet rafa ! rafa will move to the semis where may b andy will face him...

From a purely probability viewpoint,the draws are highly unlikely to be random.In other words,they are almost certainly fixed to a large extent.A pity the media is silent on this issue ,appearing to collude with the tennis establishment.Of course they also have a vested interest in Federer winning,more viewership,more readers,more hits throughout the tournament and thereafter!

Conspirator, if you consider that getting Muzz in his half for the FO is also advantageous to the Fed (Djok >> Muzz on clay), that would make it 11 consecutive slams (I'm ignoring 2008 coz Muzz was not ranked #4 then) for a probability of 0.05%! Surely a conspiracy.

Personally, I'd have rathered see fed in muzz's half of the draw as if muzz is going to face him I'd prefer it not to be in the final. Either way, I think muzz has the beating of him this time.

deuce - re pester, my sentiments entirely.

What conspiracy nonsense are you guys talking about.. Nadal is no1, Fed 2, Djoko 3, Murray 4.
1-4 in 4 groups and then randomly each following 4 seeds distributed in these groups


It's done like this in 2010:
Group A:1, 8, 10, 15
Group B:4, 7, 12, 14
Group C:3, 6, 09, 16
Group D:2, 5, 11, 13

the winner of the Rafa-Andy semi wins the Open.

We all know how it is supposed to work, BigL, but don't you question that "randomness" when Roger, Novak and AndyR end up in the same half of the USO draw for 3 years in a row? We are just calculating the odds of Roger and Novak meeting in the semis (vs Rafa and Novak) at 9 slams.

BigL, no, only seeds 1 and 2 are placed in separate halves. Then 3 is randomly placed in one half (separate quarter) and 4 is put in the other half (again, separate quarter). Then one of seeds 5-8 are randomly put in each quarter and so on up to the first 32 seeds.

stu, good point - I thought the same thing. I just thought I'd keep it simpler.

I'd just like to see Nole vs Nadal in a slam semi for a change. Is that so wrong? ;)

Big shocker not seeing Berdych in Fed's half also. Soderling's in a slump so why not put him in with Fed. Also, doesn't it always seem that Roddick and Nole are frequently in the same quarter? I haven't looked it up but in non-FO slams I'm thinking around 75%.

I smell another upset by Soderling in the quarter finals.


Murray is the big, BIG, favourite to win this slam.

Hey all. long time TT lurker with a question...
How exactly do they make the US Open draw? I watched the draw ceremony for seeds 1 - 32, so I get that part, but is the unseeded portion done similarly (i.e. random chip drawing in front of the press) or is it behind closed doors/done by computer?
I'm mostly just curious as to what methods could possibly be used to rig the draw to favor certain players.

yudude - it's all supposedly random and to my knowledge NOT in front of the press, the thinking being that the press is probably not interested in what section somebody like Frederico Gil is in.

My guess is that the rest of the draw is computer randomized.

It?s going to be tough for Rafa...his early rounds opponents are the most difficult of all top 4. He cannot afford the luxury of being rusty in the early rounds and will have to display some of his best tennis to be sure to avoid long, exhausting matches from the very beginning of the tournament... I hope he and his team come up with a good game plan...IMO Fed has an easy draw...I see him reaching quarterfinals without a sweat...

natashao - Nadal's early rounds arent difficult

I just prefer to be cautious when about Rafa as I want him to take every opponent seriously...Gabashvili is going to be pain in the * given he did outplay Rodick at FO so he has proved to be able to beat a top 10 player! I would rather see Rafa facing Dabul to that matter ;) And Istomin has gained some confidence from his recent performances (let?s not forget he is ranked 46) and will not be as easy as someone may think...it is not that I expect any of them will be able to do any harm to Rafa?s game but I simply do not see them as a walkover... Kohl is always a tricky one unless he is still affected with that injury...

Vamos Rafa!!!

Deuce.
Murray is the favorite again and again and has never, ever won a GS AND the ones he came close to he had a 3 set beat down. That is pointing out facts. You have a problem with that?

Yes I think Rafa has a tougher 1st two round opponents compared to the other top four guys. However knowing Rafa, he'll go all out to beat them. Rafa's is not an easy quarter, if Nalby perform well, he may beat both Verdasco and Ferrer and meets Rafa in the QF. I'm
confident though that Rafa will beat Nalby should they meet. I expect
Rafa and Murray to meet in the semi; Rafa will think of a way to win, as he desparately
wants to get his first USO title, and beating Murray along the way and avenging his loss in 2008 will make victory taste even sweeter.

I expect a Fed/Rafa final, though I personally prefers and waiting for so long for a Rafa/Nole final.

The fan of Nadal is always?annoying.

Nadal is the easiest draw.


Roger, third round. Hewitt. QF. Soderling. Tough as such draw


Murray is the most tough draw.

And, Djoko---


Severity of Murray's draw

Possibility that Murray doesn't win through. that it is large.

The fan of Nadal is always annoying. Nadal is the easiest draw.

Roger, third round. Hewitt.QF.Soderling.
Tough as such draw

Murray is the most tough draw.
Djoko..??

Severity of Murray's draw
Possibility that Murray doesn't win through. that it is large.

Fed's fanatic fans are ever so annoying, calling Hewitt in Fed's draw as tough is simply annoying as Fed beats Hewitt each time he met Hewitt in a slam, since becoming TMF! Tennisnba pls tell me when was the last time Hewitt beat Fed in a slam? What an insult to Fed! Yeah Sod had beaten Fed only once in a slam, so that make him dangerous for Fed and he'll beat Fed each time they meet? So I can say the same for the other top players too!

So Nole has the toughest draw as he may face Roddick and then Fed, both had beaten him in slams; Rafa has the second toughest draw as he may face Ferrer and then Murray, both had beaten him in the USO before! Is this reasoning correct??

hey nadfan.
This year. Lleyton of Haalle. Robin of RG. Roger was defeated by them. A disease and injury of influence. But, The biggest cause is his age. Roger is old. Even if it is still the top. Champion is not possible all the time. like in the heyday. Now, not possible.

By the way
Murray. I want to his win. Murray win the championship. Because he does not have a title of GS. Because there is the talent to him obviously (not fan)
Roger win the 6th us open champion. I do not expect it so much

I am not a fanatic fan. A fan of Nadal is clearly fanatic. Even a forum of here is the same. everytime everytime everytime.. sigh..
I hope that Nadal does never win the us champion.
If, his won. The arrogance of the fan of Nadal increases more

I have to admit, I am really impressed by the Nadal fans for their love for RAFA.
They are quite true to him and most of them are in love with him personaly!
So any challenge or hurdle for RAFA seems to be the hurdle for them too.

Obviously Roger will play the role of villian here, I dont think RF can influence all GS associations for his benefit(draw rather).USO10 draws are not against RAFA, it appears to be balanced.
RAFANs should relax and back their man to the last, anyway to win USO he has to beat either Murray or Fed.

Strange, pot calling the kettle black here. If Rafa fans are arrogant so are the Fed fans. Rafa fans love Rafa and stand by him, so do Fed fans who love Fed and stand by Fed. Why point fingers at others.

Tennisnba, whatever you hope that's your business, Rafa will do whatever to win the USO. If non Fed supporters are immature enough, they may also wish that Fed will never win any more. Slams. Anyway why wish for bad things for others?

pennster: I have just googled "favourite to win USOpen" and up came Fed at 11-4, so your comment is inaccurate. If this was your first comment about Andy I would have let it pass, but EVERY time his name comes up you take the opportunity to write something nasty, hence my response.

tennisnba, you are probably not a fanatic fan, but absolutely you are a nadal hater... by hoping that nadal not to win the US open ever is clearly a sign of a hater....

tettylds,

don't get fooled, tennisnba is a blind fanatic of federer...she is a fedFART. Maybe you forgot it already but we encountered her during Wimbledon. The Rafans are pretty much aware how the fedfard brains work, its like a toilet bowl.

These draws mean nothing. If Nadal meets Murray he will beat him in straight sets and go on to win the title. The guy is a beast, he's well rested, he's calm after regaining FO and winning Wimbledon. This is all gravy for him now, and did I mention that the guy is a beast? Who is Murray in comparison? What has he done to compare witht the Mallorcan Monster? Nadal is gonna want to rip his head off and will come out like a raging inferno. And who's to say big Sam or Berdy won't knock him out first?

Yes, Federer got a stupid draw, AGAIN, but he still won't win the title. Novak has got to start showing that he's got balls one day, and will beat Federer if they meet. I mean the bugger is a SERB for craps sake!! Fighting is in their blood. That's what they like to do. Gonzo once said he never played anyone like Novak, after losing to him in 5 at FO in 06. But recently, he has been turning into a push-over. Well, he's got to end that weak streak sometime.

thanks, sabs
many seen. insult to The Roger's great achievement
This year. Roger's sickness and injury. Injury of Del potro. Davydenko's injury. Djokovic's allergy. Murray's slump (a cause.Bashing from the mass communication) A many player injuries and slumps.

what lucky nadal year. Especially, Del potro and Davydenko's injuries. The chance of nadal decreases more if they are healthy.

Have it in mind. Stop the writing always arrogantly. nadfan

this year RG. Nadal is the easiest stupid draw, too. sigh

Your are right raindrops.

Federer still has the best achievement in the tour so far, but clearly Nadal is the best at the moment. Healthy Del Potro or Davydenko or whoever will not beat healthy Nadal for sure yet... If someone said Nadal lucky year, can we tell that Roger also was lucky to win FO and Wimbly last year???? make up your mind nadal hater... Just like the idol, Nadal fans are far away from arrogant... we say the truth

Only idiots saying that beating Zeballos, Hewitt, Bellucci, Almagro, Melzer and Soderling are the easiest way to win Rolland Garros?. Let?s just compare with Federer?s draw?.. Falla, Reister, Wawringka, Soderling?.. Omg, please learn tennis more before give comments?. Belluci, Almagro, Melzer play their best in clay.... last year Soderling reached final....

Sigh...having tennisnba as a fan is an insult to Fed. Insulting his abilities when even with Davy and Delpo out of competition, Fed still couldn't win a thing after the AO until Cincy, when in the past he did relatively well during the clay season. With or without Delpo or Davy, Rafa still won the FO and Wimbledon in the past, I see nothing surprising about Rafa winning them this year.

Ok...I am sorry, now i am pissed, I have just seen the draw and yet again Federer has NO legit competition until the quarters! I am done pretending its is fair because it happens time and time again! The rest of the top 4 have loose cannons floating around on top of legit competition.
Hewiit is the only one with anything in this section that could remotely challenge Roger, but that isnt going to happen unless Roger plays the worst match of his life.

Federer weak quarter includes
Melzer
Tursunov
Qulaifier?
Sweeting?
Phau?
Mello?
Qual ifier?
Ferrero
Hewitt
Mattieu
Mayer?
Ruffin ?
Berrer
Beck?
dabul?

quarter = to section.

so?


There are Lleyton and Robin in Roger's draw.

Then, you said that Roger's draw is easy.

arrogant nadal fan


insult to the other players' great achievements

Be a little conscious of your own arrogance.

so? There are Lleyton and Robin in Roger's draw. Then, you said that Roger's draw is easy. arrogant nadal fan. insult to the other players' great achievements

Be a little conscious of your own arrogance.

My point is Nadal's draw in RG this year was not the easiest.... in clay absolutely Almagro is far way better than Hewitt... moreover Nadal beat Soderling in the final... that's the perfect win.... if for idiots the truth is arrogance... what we can say...

I'd say both Fed and Rafa have easy draws pre-quarters, while Murray has some opposition in Querrey or Almagro, and poor Nole has Baghdatis or Fish to deal with. At quarters, Fed, Rafa and Murray each have a powerful but inconsistent opponent looming (Soderling, Nalbandian and Berdych) while Nole has Roddick or Davydenko(but probably Roddick). I feel for Nole though; he seems to have gotten the short end of the stick in this draw.

Why is always insulted?
other players' great achievements

Is the draw a conspiracy ?
Joko defeated Roger and won the championship (au open 2008) Roger was defeated QF this year,again

a conspiracy ? ha?

Nadal fan of arrogance and prejudice

Someone does not know the different between arrogance and truth....

I cant believe this. The tournament has not even started and yet fights have already broken out discussing the draw. Sigh....................

All of you who are discussing a draw "conspiracy", it's really pathetic!

Poor Djokovic.

Here is a theory of mine. Would people be yelling conspiracy or highlighting the constant luck that federer has with the draws if it wasn't a common occurrence?
The answer is no, because you wouldn't notice.
That is all I am saying.

Fact is fact people not arrogance. I will be the first to say that djokovic and Murray as well as rafa have hard luck where draws are concerned.
I have nothing against fed other than the constant favoritism I see for him, time and time again. I want fairness for all!

So Hewitt and Sod are difficult draw for Fed, according to tennisnba. If that is the case, I think Fed is not the favorite to win the USO. So Nole had beaten Fed only once at the AO 08 but Fed had beaten Nole three times in a row at the USO, from 07-09 and Nole is difficult draw for Fed? I see, so tennisnba wanted Murray in Fed's half as Murray was beaten twice by Fed in the slam finals. So Fed has to have all those that he had beaten before to be in his draw then his draw is considered OK, and then he is considered the favorite to win? I see now where tennisnba is coming from!!

Federer got none of the dangerous floaters who have been making a name for themselves in the last few months, but who are low-enough ranked to meet Federer in the 3rd or 4th rounds. Like Baghdatis, Fish, Nalbandian and Querrey (L.A.). He keeps getting the same tired old fools - sometimes he gets different names, but always the same kind of hacks. I'm sick of the favoritism that this ugly bugger keeps getting. How is the draw decided anyway at USO? I know at RG certain players draw names out of a cup - IN PUBLIC.

samdaman, sports without favoritism will be less interesting... feel sorry if you get sick of it, but we do it enjoy it....

So in your "conspiracy" opinion:

Federer gets Djokovic => lucky draw because Fed has beaten Djoker in GS
Federer gets Murray => lucky draw because Fed has beaten Murray in GS
Federer gets Nadal on NY HC => lucky draw because Nadal is not at his best on HC or injured
Federer gets Nalbandian => lucky draw because Nalby is tired from all playing
Federer gets Söderling => lucky draw because Fed has 12-1
Federer gets Roddick => lucky draw because Fed always beats Roddick
Federer gets Berdych => lucky draw because Berd is not consistent and could choke
Federer gets Baghdatis => lucky draw because Baghdatis has played alot before the USO

Federer gets other seeded players => lucky draw because they just roll over and die before him
Federer gets unseeded players/qualifiers => lucky draw because they are too easy


PATHETIC!

+1


imo ... Draw is balanced !

samdaman - Actually they drew names out of a cup in front of the press for the US Open too. Unless they're calling out names in a preset order while deliberately disregarding the names they're drawing (it would be hilarious if the chips in the cup were actually blank), I'm pretty sure at least the seeded section is entirely random.

pester writes ...

"Murray is the favorite again and again and has never, ever won a GS ... That is pointing out facts."

To call that exaggeration would be too kind. It's just wilful ignorance.

Would someone with a bit of knowledge (i.e. other than pester) correct me if I'm wrong, but there was, to the best of my memory (which I admit is not great) ONE slam - AO 2009 - where a small number of British bookmakers made muzz the favourite and, as I remember, were internationally sniggered at for doing so.

The FAR MORE WIDELY published caricature of muzz is of someone who "promises much but never delivers" or even "a bottler who cannot cut it at the very highest level" or "another British heroic failure, inventing new ways to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, ultimately a disappointment - HE'LL NEVER WIN ANY SLAM, LET ALONE THIS ONE ..." etc.

As far as I'm aware muzz has only two out-&-out fans on this site - deuce and myself - and both of us have been far from blinkered to the realities of muzz's weaknesses. In fact, I have just been (understandably) reprimanded by deuce for backing muzz to win a slam FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME.

pester, you confuse people (mainly Brits) hugely wanting muzz to win a slam, with huge numbers actually believing it. Many people would really like him to do it for a) the fresh and different thing he has brought to the men's game, and b) the historic significance for Britain, the birthplace of tennis, after such a huge wilderness period ("70,000 years", as fed puts it) ...

Anyway, I've already given pester more time than he deserves. Unlike the great majority on this site who have 2 ears and 1 mouth, pester is all talk and no hearing and I am quite aware that nothing I have just written will have any effect on him whatsoever, so there ends our conversation.

[U.S. Open men's preview: Federer's road to redemption is bumpy]

Nadal gets as favorable a quarter as he'll ever see at an Open. On his side, he gets three seeded Spaniards (David Ferrer, Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco), none of whom are built for the hard courts of New York. David Nalbandian, who started the month at No. 117 but is now No. 31 seed at the Open, lurks on the bottom half of the quadrant and could provide an interesting quarterfinal test for nadal.

On the other half of Nadal's side, Andy Murray must be breathing a huge sigh of relief that he doesn't see Mardy Fish anywhere near him on the bracket. (Fish has defeated Murray three times this year on hard courts.) Not that paths to the semis are ever clear in a Grand Slam, but Murray doesn't have too many potential roadblocks in his way.
The same can't be said on the other half of the draw for No. 6 seed Nikolay Davydenko. The Russian could potentially face Richard Gasquet in the second round and a recharged Andy Roddick in the fourth. If Marcos Baghdatis can still stand after playing 19 matches in the last 30 days, he could see Mardy Fish in a marquee third round tilt. Novak Djokovic rounds out the quarter.

Roger Federer's rout to the semifinals could go through Lleyton Hewitt (third round), Jurgen Melzer (fourth round) and Robin Soderling (quarterfinal). It would be the first Grand Slam semifinal for Federer since the Australian Open.

ttp://sports.yahoo.com/tennis/blog/busted_racquet/post/U-S-Op en-men-s-preview-Federer-s-road-to-redem?urn=ten-265402

Hello. arrogance nadfan

bjawad , 8/27/10 1:10 PM

well put,
+ 1,

:)

Well I have not posted in a long time. I guess busy with life..... Anyway, I've beeen reading posts, although not many posts on Nole lately!!!! I see a lot of people missing??? Looks like not much love for Nole nowadays??? Yes his brain has been in cloud nine and you never know what to expect from him, but I still have hope that he will show his fire, talent and ambition..... I hope he gets rid of all your demons!!!!!" His draw is very tricky, but it is a draw and he has to deal with it!!!!!! So I refuse to be negative from the start. There is no hard draw for Nole when he is on!!!!! Will he be on???? That is a million dollar question?????

Anyways, on a different note, looks like he was suppose to be the players representative in the draw ceremony, but he never made it to the draw ceremony (see Bodo's article below on http://www.tennis.com). Anyone knows what happened????? Was he stuck in NY traffic or something else? Furthermore, due to personal problems, Vajda will not be with Nole in New York this year. Bogdan Obradovic, Serbian Davis Cup Captain will replace him!!!!!

Well, let the tennis ball roll and may the games begin!!!! Whatever happens happens! At least we get to see GS tennis for the next two weeks in the Big Apple!!!!! Cheers!!!!!



by Pete Bodo

New York?The USTA conducted the U.S. Open draw this morning, sans Novak Djokovic. He was supposed to join Kim Clijsters (right) as a player representative, but was last heard from while lost on the Sheridan Parkway or the Cross Bronx Expressway en route to the ceremony.

I know the highway system in the New York boroughs, and trust me, if you're from Serbia, you don't want to have to find your way around out this way. Even if you're from Connecticut, you don't. And the tournament gave Djokovic a courtesy car of his own to use during the event. Like giving a toddler a loaded gun. Good luck, Novak, you could make Pittsburgh by nightfall.

(I will not copy and paste his draw analysis because I don't really care about his predictions......If you care: go to http://www.tennis.com and read)

When Roger is No 1 he gets a cupcake draw, when he is No 2 he gets a cupcake draw - what a coincidence.............not.

Hello arrogant tennisnba. Where in the article did it mention that Fed has a tough draw? Oh well if you said so, then OK. I didn't realize that Fed has gone down so much that he couldn't even handle Hewitt, whom he had beaten each time they met IN A SLAM, since Fed became TMF. He also couldn't handle Sod, who had NEVER beaten Fed in a hard court slam. The only time I remember Sod beating Fed on the hard court was at the Abu Dhabi exhibition match at the beginning of this year.

[U.S. Open men's preview: Federer's road to redemption is bumpy]

Nadal gets as favorable a quarter as he'll ever see at an Open. On his side, he gets three seeded Spaniards (David Ferrer, Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco), none of whom are built for the hard courts of New York. David Nalbandian, who started the month at No. 117 but is now No. 31 seed at the Open, lurks on the bottom half of the quadrant and could provide an interesting quarterfinal test for nadal.

On the other half of Nadal's side, Andy Murray must be breathing a huge sigh of relief that he doesn't see Mardy Fish anywhere near him on the bracket. (Fish has defeated Murray three times this year on hard courts.) Not that paths to the semis are ever clear in a Grand Slam, but Murray doesn't have too many potential roadblocks in his way.


The same can't be said on the other half of the draw for No. 6 seed Nikolay Davydenko. The Russian could potentially face Richard Gasquet in the second round and a recharged Andy Roddick in the fourth. If Marcos Baghdatis can still stand after playing 19 matches in the last 30 days, he could see Mardy Fish in a marquee third round tilt. Novak Djokovic rounds out the quarter.

Roger Federer's rout to the semifinals could go through Lleyton Hewitt (third round), Jurgen Melzer (fourth round) and Robin Soderling (quarterfinal). It would be the first Grand Slam semifinal for Federer since the Australian Open.

ttp://sports.yahoo.com/tennis/blog/busted_racquet/post/U-S-Op en-men-s-preview-Federer-s-road-to-redem?urn=ten-265402

I TOLD YOU SO! Look at how the fedfarts conduct theirselves in the public forum? This particular fedfart, tennisnba, flooded all TT threads with the same identical message?

This was happened not so long ago when Roger was not winning any, there were several posters flooded the TT with unrelated to tennis posts just to disrupt peaceful conversation here. The pattern is the same with what this tennisnba just did, the only difference this time is, what she posted on all thread is related to tennis, but still the point is, SHE IS flooding TT with no relevant reason and it is ABNORMAL.

sorry.
This year. Lleyton of Haalle. Robin of RG. Roger was defeated by them. A disease and injury of influence. But, The biggest cause is his age. Roger is old. Even if it is still the top. Champion is not possible all the time
If Roger does good usual play though it is likely to win. However, his play is still unstable. It is not easy.

tennisnba,

Being a Fed fan I dont think this is a tough draw for him..

Hewitt (who knows) may lost earlier so as Sod.

Even if Soderling make it to QF , I would love to watch Fed showing him what Fed can do with him even if he is not 100% of the FEd express..

Fed was not playing that good during March to july..Now he is playing more aggressive..He is playing with the confident that he can win the tournament..

So Soderling and Hewitt should not be considered as a big threat for Fed(If Fed plays well)..

"All of you who are discussing a draw "conspiracy", it's really pathetic!"

i'm not going into conspiracy domain, but this simply is no argument at all. just calculate the binomal distribution of past draws (coin toss for example) and ask yourself why end result doesn't follow it?

alex: look up Bleacher, article by Beckley Mason, has horrible title but gr8 artcle, talks about Andy's "dizzying display of weapons." nice...
Andy is NOT bookie's fave, wrong info., yet again. I suppose us fans aren't now allowed to have him as OUR fave.

Hello every1...
Looks like we gonna have gooooood old AO... with Fed's name already written on trophy... lucky, lucky... well this is definitely more than luck. You must simply feel sick, after tournaments and tournaments... opening the road for ExFed...
Pathetic... and destructible for tennis sport...
If I want to see fixing, bad acting I will watch football!
AJDE NOLEEEEEEEEEE!!!! VAMOS RAAAAAFAAAAAA!!!! GO MUZZAAAAAAAAAA!!!
...I mean...anyone, anyone but that baby pink cry lady!

We have seen in previous Slams that regardless of which side of the draw Fed is on Nadal stili wins.......and the US Open 2010 is no different!!!!

Over and Out!!

VAMOS!!!!!!!!!!

hey deuce - brilliant article. No genuine lover of tennis artistry can dislike muzz.

Yes,the more the draws,scheduling,courts etc are made to favor Federer,the more things go wrong for him.
Man proposes ,God Disposes!
Go Rafa Go!

I absolutely agree with bjawad. Federer's draw is always said to be easy,simply because when he is at his best,he owns most players. Soderlings a lot tougher than most people think. he might not be able to beat fed at his best,but he can definitely push him to 4 or 5 sets. (last year fed was actually playing well,and soderling was one point away from taking it to 5 sets,and who knows what would have happened there) As for Nadals quarter, I expect him to make it to the semis,but its very possible that if gulbis catches fire, that he can blow nadal out of new york. I think Murray will get through berdych in the quarters(he has the toughest 5-8 seed imo),and I think that he beats nadal in the semis. Djokovics quarter is the most wide oppen. Anyoen can progress through that section.

The idea of Gulbis supposedly "blowing nadal our of new york", would be funny if it wasn't so incredibly insulting. Talk about disrespect! Yikes!

It won't happen. I don't even think Gulbis will get to meet Rafa. If he does, there is no way he can outlast him in a best two of three.

Sorry, but when I get really excited, the typos are all over the place.

My previous post should read "blowing nadal OUT of the new york".

Also the last line should read - no way he can outlast him in a best THREE out of FIVE. I said exactly the opposite of what I meant.

If ever there was a player who has gotten the benefit of so much undeserved hype, it has to be Gulbis. Yes, the kid has talent but mentally he is just not even close to having what it takes to beat Rafa in a slam.

I really wonder. How Roger done bad play of this year? Age. Injury. Pneumonia.

His play has already fallen after it becomes a MONO.
The perfection of the heyday is the past.
Therefore, it was defeated QF. Even if Roger is defeated at which player, I am not wondered.

I want Roger to win the championship. However, it is considerably hard.

I think Gulbis can't get past Ferrer.(sorry are they scheduled to meet). Agree with NNY that Gulbis blowing off Rafa is simply ridiculous and wishful thinking. Maybe tj hopes that to happen so that Fed won't have to face his nemisis in the final. I did predict that Fed will be in the final but now I starts to waver a bit and feels that should Nole navigate past his quarter safely and meets Fed in the semi, then I'll foresee a Nole victory over Fed.

Nole's groundstrokes are more solid than Fed's (judging by their Toronto match) and if Nole is at the top of his game, he can have good passing shots to pass Fed at the net, that's why that match was close despite Nole losing in the end. Fed has to get pass Sod first and we do not know how Sod will play this time. When Sod is on he can do some damages.

One more thing to add, I think Fed played better last year at Cincy compared to this year. The way he dispatched off Murray and Nole and the way he moved around the court were really impressive. However, at that time, I did question whether he could sustain that over five sets and true enough, when he faced a top class opponent in the final, he melted away in the fifth set, just like he did in the AO that year. Will he do better this year than last year at the USO? I guess we have to wait and see.

poor AndyR.. Game of AndyR vs Novak in cinci. AndyR won straight

Cincy and USO are two different things. If not why Fed won Cincy last year but lost in the USO?

right. It is different. Naturally.should be able to be said in all. you are ardent to the game of Roger and Novak in Toronto. hahaha

Why laugh tennisnba? I watched many matches, those of Fed, Rafa, Nole, Murray, Berdych, Fish etc. I simply like watching tennis. I saw how Dolgo and De Bakker played too, two of the young guns whose games l like a lot. Poor Dolgo, he gets Ferrer in the first round at the USO.

luckystar-mark my words. dologopolov will be in the top 5 in 3 years.

wonderful. haha. The result is not understood if it doesn't do. Roger's SF advancement record broken. Andy Murray was defeated of third round us open last year. AndyR defeated Novak straight in cinci this year. Roger defeated Novak in the 3 set in toronto this year. There is a possibility of defeating Novak again if Andy is good

Yes tj, if Dolgo keeps improving, I wont be surprised that he can be in the top ten soon. His game is truly special, very hard to read. Those who played against him would tell you so, the likes of Rafa and Llodra. Rafa played Dolgo in his opening match at Madrid this year, though Rafa won in straight sets, I saw him having some problems with Dolgo. Rafa remarked after that match that Dolgo's game was difficult to read. Llodra played against Dolgo at the Eastbourne semifinal this year. Llodra won that match, but commented too that Dolgo's game was hard to read, he was able to mix things up so well. Llodra had to be at the top of his game to beat Dolgo; Llodra went on to win the Eastbourne title.

At Wimbledon this year, Dolgo really gave Tsonga a run for his money. They went to the fifth set and Tsonga had to defeat Dolgo 10-8 in the final set, at one point I really thought that Tsonga would lose. In Cincy or Toronto this year, Dolgo pushed Ferrer to three sets before losing. So this Dolgo guy really can play on any surface - clay, grass, hard. My goodness, scary thoughts of what this guy can do in the future, I hope though Ferrer can beat Dolgo this time at the USO. Dolgo has plenty of time in future but I really hope Ferrer can do well and stay in the top ten for the rest of this year. This may be his last chance, as Delpo and Tsonga will be back.

Talking about Llodra, I really like his S & V game. In fact one of the best matches I've seen in this year's Wimbledon was the one between Llodra and Roddick. I thought Llodra would win, but once the match went to the fourth set, I know Roddick would prevail. Credit to Roddick for hanging tough and waited for his opportunities to come; knowing that Llodra won't be able to sustain that kind of level. At that time, I really hoped that Llodra could win, so that I could watch more of his matches as I like to watch him play. Sorry to Roddick and his fans; though what I wished for didn't happen then.

tennisba...wat happened to ur previous accout as rogerLove??

luckystar, 8/28/10 7:04 AM You have put your finger on the problem: I'm not sure if it is physical or mental but Roger definitely has trouble going to five sets in a slam. I dont know how many 5-set matches he has played in total but Wimbledon 2007 was the first Slam final he ever played which went to five. And since 2008 he has lost 3/5 finals - all in five sets. He once said: "it's not always the best man who wins the fifth set".

Yes ed, Fed may have a problem going to five sets but I must emphasize that his problems are with the top players who can sustain their high levels over five sets. We saw how Berdych melted away over five sets against Fed in AO 09.

Ps. I hope the new version Berdych wouldn't melt away in a five set match anymore. I have high hope of him reaching top five by end of the year. I rate him a better player than Sod.

I couldn't agree more...Berdy is much more complete player than Sod...Sod heavily relies on his serve and if it happens his first serve does not work he is in trouble...by the way, Istomin is in the finals of NH beating Troicki, and there he has a big chance to win it...so, Ricky, he is still considered as an EASY opponent?!!

Vamos RAFA!!!

Quite right. You can count the players on the fingers of one hand with the stamina to stay the course!

I am watching the 2010 Wimbledon final now, and it's clear that when Rafa is in full flow, not only is he great to watch, but he is amazing, and impossible to beat.

Nadal and Nalbandian practising:

http://www.fuebuena.com.ar/?p=9475%3C/div%3E

nadline - that was on grass

Yes Ricky that was on grass, but not so long ago, Rafa was not supposed to be good on grass; and don't tell me that you were not impressed with him at the AO in 2009 - that was a masterpiece, no?

Oh, I forgot, that was on SLOW hard court.

wow rafa was beating nalby 6-3 5-2 before sharapova intervened :P

luckystar,

I am also not penciling in Fed for the final just yet. From what I heard about that match in Toronto between Fed and Berdych, that raucous crowd had a lot to do with what happened at the end. Yes, one may argue that Berdych should be immune to what the crowd does, but I heard accounts from some people who were there and they said it was horrible. The chair umpire didn't do enough to shut down the crowd. I think that cost Berdych the match. He is definitely talented enough to do even more in this sport. Now he has the confidence and belief. Maybe he needs to get just a bit tougher and hold his concentration in moments like the one in Toronto.

I also have said that Djoker gave Fed as much as he could handle in the semis at Toronto. I am speaking as someone who does not like Djoker and how he has this habit of just going away mentally in matches. However, I have to respect the quality of the tennis he played in that match. I just don't know why he can't be more consistently good. To come out and play such a bad first set and then somehow do a complete aboutface and come out pounding shots all over the place, is mind boggling.

I don't know if Djoker will get through his part of the draw to the semis. I am not sure of that either. One just doesn't know with him. Roddick could be a real threat if he is up to these longer matches.

As far as Sod, he has been so inconsistent lately that I just don't know what to expect from him at the USO. I think Fed will be determined to get revenge for RG, so Sod will have to be at his best. He certainly is capable of pulling it off if he plays his best tennis.

I just don't feel comfortable giving anyone a ticket to the finals or even the semis before I have even seen them play. There are a number of players who could pull off a big upset.

NNY - Yes nothing can be taken for granted. On the hard courts, there are simply too many good players who on their day, can take out anyone, be it the top ten or twenty players or even the top four players. I just want to see a fit and healthy Rafa competing and doing his best at the USO. When it is time for him to win the USO, I believe the stars will align for him to win it, just like last year, the stars aligned for Fed to win his FO title.

I won't worry for Rafa, I think we should take it one match at a time. I'm looking forward to some interesting matches at this USO, though I have to make some adjustments to my sleeping pattern, as living in Singapore, our time here is twelve hours ahead of New York. I'll sleep earlier in the evening and wake up at 11pm our time for the matches.

I think I actually prefer Murray than Djokovic in Rafa's half, except that when their matches clash, Sky tends to show Murray instead of Rafa.

To me:
Rafa / Murray - 60/50

Rafa/Djokovic - 50/50


VAMOS!

I would go so far as to say that Rafa's chances of winning the USO are not as high as they are at RG, but equal to everyone else apart from Federer.


VAMOS!

I hear that the weather in NY has not been good. Rafa has said that he has ONLY been able to get 1.5 hours training in INDOORS on certain days. Can anyone confirm this?

It's not good for both of stars Nadal and Murray are in same draw, unlucky for both of them Berdych will be one who'll made final from this draw :)))

hmmm. Looks like most of the experts and majority of tennis fans picked Federer to win the US Open. This can only be good for Rafa, Nole, and Andy. The pressure is off them while the heat is onto Federer. If he wins, it's expected, no story there. But if he loses, he will again experience humiliation and his fans will again disappear from this site. :-)

Isa: Here's the answer:
Hot but dry at least until the end of the week.
http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/USNY0996

ed251137-
Thanks. I was just concerned that they were unable to train outdoors and that is vital.

full tournament picks - http://www.tennistalk.com/en/blog/Ricky_Dimon/20100829/2010_U.S._Open_ picks:_Murray_over_Federer

phoenix. Look at the this site. The journalists' expectation
http://espn.go.com/sports/tennis/picks/_/tournament/3

Number of people in which the Roger's victory is expected here. It is only one person. It is expected that most is Murray. I think that this is a very adequate expectation. I am Roger's fan. I want him to win the championship. But, it doesn't expect it so much. if when he wins the championship, of course, it is great.
http://sports.yahoo.com/tennis/blog/busted_racquet/post/U-S-Op en-men-s-preview-Federer-s-road-to-redem?urn=ten-265402
By the way, Does Roger's fan disappear? From this site? How much do a many fans of him exist all over the world. Other players' fans are also the same. Many are quiet calm fans. laugh at the annoyingness of the fan of nadal

Rafans,

No doubt, this is the best year for Rafa. No one can equal the determination of a healthy/fit Rafa to win 2010 US Open, this is the perfect time.

The oppositions has to exceed 110% of their usual game to beat Rafa, but I don't see anyone of them can shut him down, not even Roger Federer. Rafa will eat him alive.

Vamos Rafa !!!

Raindrops,

Does tennisnba remind you of someone?

Hint: It was a rabid Fed fan who wrote crazy poetry before the RG final, saying over and over endlessly that Sod would beat Rafa. It was bad poetry, but it was repetitive and annoying!

tennisnba,

YES! Fedfans (maybe i should qualify to Fedtards) disappeared from this site after eating a lot of humble pies re: Wimbledon results. They just begin trickling back after the Cincy win.

can't believe this - a 125-post thread in the run-up to a slam on RAFA AND MUZZ !

Eh'mm, isn't SOMEBODY missing ::::))))

The times they are a-changing ...

Nativenewyorker. Poetry? lol. It is awful. another person from checking ID. And, it ends.

NNY,

tennisnba, Rogerlove and maxi are the same person hiding in 3 different alias. Maxi has tried to write bad English (bad grammar) using tennisnba but her vocabulary is good. I know someone with bad Grammar should have bad vocubulary too, just like me hehe...so maxi no matter how you tried to coumaflage, your ugly identity can not be mistaken. You can't fool a single Rafan because most of us are sane and realistic.

alex: Macenroe has said he thinks Andy will win USOpen next year. Perhaps he knows something we don't? All I hope is new coach sorts out Andy's serves, cos when that happens he's gonna be UNBEATABLE! Yay!

hi deuce. yep, serve is a worry, but I'm counting on him to serve big at the right time this year.

alex: it's just so much harder for him when that serve is malfunctioning and..if he gets to that final, he needs to be fresh as a daisy! And let's pray there's no rain this year and no dodgy wrist either. Exciting times, yes :)

Maybe JMac was hoping that Rafa can win the USO this year and complete his career slam, that's why he says Murray will win next year!!?? Ha Ha, JMac loves Rafa, since the AO 2004 when he saw how Rafa hit his forehand! He even predicted that Rafa would win the AO two years from 2004, too bad Rafa missed the AO 2006 and took a longer time, till 2009, to win his first AO title.

Good old TT. Here we are, with a few hours to go, and still no draw showing on this site. Sigh. It is such a pain having to keep checking back to ATP for the info. Is it too much to ask for the technical people to sort out the problem? It's not exactly rocket science!

ed, or anyone else out there in Europe, who doesn't have sky or eurosport, how might u be watching?

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..

luckystar, speaking on the BBC on the evening of the Wimbledon final, Mac picked Rafa to win the Open this year. Given that the BBC is obliged under the terms of its charter talk up Saint Andrew of Scotland even on the days he isn't playing (or so this viewer is given to understand), I think Mac's prediction was both bold and diplomatically put. And, obviously, I am hoping that it will prove to be correct, too!

gorafago, I think Mac is bored of picking Murray, he has picked him for the last two years at every GS, in vain. Of course, Mac has a crush on Rafa, but I hope he does not transfer his jinx to him, I am happy for him to keep picking Murray.

Not everyone on other forums is as pessimistic about Rafa's chances as TT, so there is hope. Obviously Rafa doesn't have to tick every box twice as demanded by TT to be given a look in.

VAMOS!

nadline-
I am under the sneaking suspicion that people like Mac have picked Rafa to win after seeing him in practice.
There have been many commentators and sport writers who have commented about the level that Rafa has been showing and in training. Apparently he left Nalbandian for dead, making him look slow and a lesser player.
His been spot serving very well and hitting all marks and his movement and shots seem to be on and second to none.
The 'rumours' are that he is looking that good.

We will have to wait and see though as first matches are always tricky, unless of course you play someone like Dabul and can afford to pull off mighty trick shots between your legs.

Gabreshevelli (however you spell it) on the other hand, is no push over and when on, he is dangerous. So we will have to wait and see.

There is more to these "experts" picking Nadal than we know, unlike us who are guessing or using our instincts.

Despite Rafa's "lackluster" showing in both Toronto and Cincy, I have never waivered in my faith in him. I know that he will peak just in time.

Rafa being healthy/fit is enough to counter all those overhyped analysis/prognosis.

Put a healthy/fit Rafa on any court and he will demolish all of them.

Just watch naysayers/nadal haters, you will see an ominus Rafa at this event, you have no idea how well he prepare his self for this tournament and I am confident that he will succeed this year.

Be afraid, be very afraid !!!

Vamos Rafa.

Raindrops-
I agree he may be shaky the first few matches as Gabreshevelli is not someone anyone wants to meet in the first round, but he will peak at the right time.

Rafael Nadal was thinking about the US Open after he won the French. He has put in more work into winning the US Open than anyone is aware.

Rafa haters...just you watch!!!!!!

@isabeau77 , 8/31/10 1:56 PM

Yes I heard Mark Petchy say the same on SKY that Rafa was running Nalby all over the place in practice, so obviously he was taking his time to get into the h/c season.

I just hope that he does the job this year at FM, because we used to have to defend him on h/c and grass years ago, but once he conquered those, his detractors moved the goal post to FAST HARD COURTS, so once he conquers that we can all move on.

He doesn't have a smooth draw like you know who, but if he comes through those, it will stand him in good stead if he meets the smug one in the final.

VAMOS RAFA!

deuce, 8/30/10 3:00 PM: Sorry to take so long to answer your question. For some reason I could not connect to TT for 24 hours. Had begun to think the whole site had gone down (trying to find a way to update the 'draw and results' panel tee, hee) but apparently not so must have been a problem at my server's end.

Anyway, try these:
http://lsh.livescorehunter.com/live-streaming-video-tennis/
Y ou sometimes have to try several links to find one that works for you but the big advantage is you can follow several different matches at once. Have been known to have tele on and at least two matches on livestreaming!
Another pretty reliable one is http://www.atdhe.net
Good luck

ed - the entire site WAS down for a long time

I had trouble connecting yesterday and today as well, and I kept clearing my caches and history, thinking there was something wrong with my laptop.

So that explains it. I was puzzled because some people had managed to post comments at a time when I couldnt make a connection.

Yeah, I tried to connect yesterday but i thought that I was barred from visiting the site @ work! So that explains it!!

By the way is anyone going to London in November for the World Championships? I am planning on going, just curious to know if anyone else has the same plans!

ed u r a star!! Thanks so much :) :) :)

My pleasure deuce.

Monalysa: I am terribly tempted but it is a big investment for me to go to London on top of the price of seats - it's a bummer they split the day and evening sessions.
I seem to recall Deuce went last year.

Monalysa - I'm planning to go :) Though I hve no idea whether the seats will be sold out or not by the time I get to London end of this month.

Mri, last year I waited until they published the schedule of play so that I could choose which match I went to, and was able to buy a front row seat to see Rafa and Sod almost the day before. Sadly Rafa lost, then I went down with some virus or swine flu the next day which laid me up for a couple of months, and was too ill to even watch the rest of it on TV.

You should still be able to get tickets.

Its great that some of you are planning to go...........a friend "promised" me some tickets but Ill still try to go an dat least visit the place even if i dod not get tickets.

Ed, I know seats are expensive but im going on vacation and i thought why not try to indulge myself. If i get to go i hope it will be as exciting as when i went to the US Open in 2008!

mriiidula and nadline, lets hope we do get tickets!!!!

Nadline - wow really? Well that makes sense, I wouldn't want to spend so much money to watch Fed, for example. Great, I've got time then. But the ticket prices don't increase drastically if we wait til the last minute though?

Ed - yea prob really expensive, which is why I will prob just go for one or two matches. Hopefully a Nole-Rafa one.

the question is:

is anyone going to the US OPEN!?!??!

it is too hot Ricky, not worth risk :)

... the risk ...

Monalisa: Went last year and am going this. Am sure you'll get tickets but get as close to the action as are available/you can afford. It was a brilliant experience and I'm going again because it's only in London for a limited time but have got to say many of the players seemed tired!

mri, the tickets stay the same price, if you buy direct from the 02.

The other thing is, I wanted to avoid the night session, because I don't live in London, although within commuting distance, but late at night, I don't fancy travelling by train. Before you get your tickets, make sure you know how you'll get home, because even in you are staying in London it could be tricky, so the day session is ideal.

I wont be living in London either, so I agree, the day session seems the best. I was looking at their website right now, to get an idea of how much the tickets cost, and I wasnt able to get any of the lower tier tickets i.e. right beside the court. The ones that showed up were the high seats far away from the court. Maybe I'll have to go there and get the tickets instead of online..

nadline: yes and last year the tubes weren't running at the weekend! Quite bonkers.

The transport situation is a major problem. With 20,000 odd spectators, O2 should run their own shuttle service to get people back to central London. I recall reading last year they promised to bring the start time forward for the evening session this year. But for the sake of the players they should also put the singles on before the doubles matches. As I was saying on another thread, the problem is the tournament organisers are under huge pressure to synchronise marquee matches with peak TV viewing times worldwide - in particular the US.