His draw leading up to the semis is a joke.

Nadal's draw leading up to the semis is a joke. Fish, Querrey, Troicki, DeHeart, Phau? And yet he is struggling. Way to go, Rafa.

I believe that 3 top players are quite exhausted physically and mentally, season has been quite long and their struggle is understandable. Djokovic is probably the first one to drop out, Nadal the last one. Murray who has had mediocre season until before Toronto including Olympic games will probably pick up low hanging fruits which is quite sad.

I agree RNG20. AGonzalez, Alves, Stepanek, Andreev, Muller.. are you freaking kidding me? Both Nole and Rafa got the toughest draws. Isn't it funny how Federer always gets the cupcake. Either way I expect both Rafa and Roger to make the final (even though Andreev is giving Rog all he can handle). Nadi, Rafa was coming off of his GOLD MEDAL win in Beijing, of course he isn't going to be sharp :P

For the past week it appeared Roger was back on track at last and even showed signs that he might fulfiil his dream of another Slam title. True the competition was not that tough but he looked in complete control until this match with Andreev.
But 60 unforced errors! Without his years of match experience, and those aces when they were most needed, he would not now be in the quarters.

He should be able to deal with Muller but I can't see him holding out against the A-Rod who I am betting on to bring Djokovic down.

roddy commited only 6 unforced errors against errors against Gonzo, and Gonzo had no break points. Phenomenal. I used to think Andy's game was a bit one-dimensional but he's certainly improved other aspects of his game I think after Connors became his coach, but I read somewhere he's since fired Connors, is that right?

Yes. Last year he was courtside for nearly every match Connors played but then suddenly they split. I remember noticing how often Roddy looked to him during matches, and how often Connors looked pissed off! Official statement cited Connors wanted to spend more time with his family...... Pull the other leg!

doesn't it frustrate you how they always give the most polite reasons for these splits - hewitt-rasheed, federer-roche, etc. I wish there was a way to get the inside facts behind the split. I don't buy sports mags but sordid details are never reported in mainstream media. Wouldn't that make a good mag. talking about which - it occured to me that Popeye's Olive is certainly more goodlooking than the cartoon version.

He split with conors around March this year I think. There are few stories floating around: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/7282253.stm
http://seattlepi.n wsource.com/othersports/377247_ravi01.html
Went with John Mc for a time til just before USO then Pat Mc.
6 UF errors - that's impressive. Hewitt-Rasheed was by no means polite, media jumped on it from the start. LH was losing a match and looked very 'accusingly' at RR, they then had a heated row in the locker room after LH lost and Rasheed quit on the spot, stunning the aussie. It was just before the AO, one of the warm up turnaments, which is why Draper came to his rescue just for the AO. You could see it coming actually, the media anticipated it after Cahill left and LH promoted RR to be his coach, biggest mistake spliting from DC.

Tenstar - Goodness, gracious me - you are a mine of information. At the time it seemed an unlikely liaison when AR and JC teamed up. I assumed JC was doing it for the money! I bet there were a lot of spats between them. Isn't it time Roger found somebody who can help him weather the choppy sea he is in? Or is he too proud to accept help from others? I am intrigued by how many top players have family members as their coach. Normally one rejects any parental advice on principle!

I'm not sure Fed needs a coach. He has the Davis Cup captain and he has Hingarus. Not to mention Mirka who has done wonders for his game. The man is a tennis genius, he knows what hes doing wrong and he knows how to fix it. Its completely mental at the mo. I mean sometimes when I hit a shot wrong I know what I did wrong and how to fix it, so I'm sure Fed knows what it is. I believe the commentators when they say its his confidence affecting his footwork. Hes still capable of the amazing shots and has the motivation, its just the pressure. Proof? The way he played in doubles. No pressure... beat no.1 seeds. I mean whats a coach gonna tell him, "hit your forehand in, Roger, not out"?

He could do with letting go of his stubborness on the way he plays Nadal and study his game a bit more than he says he does- but Jose and the Davis Cup guy can do that job with him. His game works fine against everyone else when its on.

Maybe he could do with the psychologist, but I'm not jumping on the "Roger needs a coach bandwagon" just yet.


Ya know- I really enjoy these mature discussions, particulary with sstay, ed, and tensta. Its such a refreshing change from the player-bashing fan -bashing sites I've recently quit.

You crack me up kaitepal. "hit your forehand in, Roger, not out"? That is lovely. Perhaps he should write that on prompt cards and read it between games like S or V Williams - I forget which of them used to do that. Before I connected with you lot, I posted once or twice on Eurosport until I cottoned on that it was a site for fanatics, bigots and hooligans.

I noticed that a new poster joined in earlier pointing out that we were being unkind to Nole but she seems to have gone away again - probably back to Eurosport. Come to think of it, quite a few people have disappeared. Is it something we said?

Haha could be but I don't mind. I like Novak... no I think Novak is Ok. I mean hes a good player but hes... hes a bit. Well c'mon, how can you like two top three players?? I don't see how anyone can do that! I mean I like Rafa for who he is, but part of me dislikes him as well! Just because I'm a Rog fan. That doesn't mean I'm stupid enough to go Rafa bashing, I just find it hard to not want him to lose for Roger's sake. Same with Novak. Its easier to like the guys like Roddick whom Fed has a huge winning record over.

Speaking of the Williams girls- did you just see that match!!! What a great game, much much better than the Murray Del Potro show - seriously, that was quality. Pleased Serena won - man those two hit the ball hard!

O and I think I just explained myself, ed, about wanting Rafa to lose. Sorry... I can't help it! Like I said, I like the guy... I liked him a whole lot more before 2008 RG and Wimby tho... I'm sure Rog did too :)

Not really. Caught a few moments while surfing to find out where the Men's QF had got to. I am allergic to watching these two play each other. I subscribe to the school of thought that believes they have already agreed who will win in advance and therefore all we are seeing is a masterclass on how hard you can hit a ball.

I've just caught up with this. For the record I also thoroughly enjoy the discussions with you guys. I did wonder why others haven't joined in. Hope we haven't formed an elitist club making others feel excluded :( Kaitepai, I fully understand your feeling about Nadal, I feel exactly the same way about Roger. BTW, I'm glad serena won too. Ed, do you really believe it's pre-meditated? They were asked that many years ago in an interview and (naturally) said no. I find it hard to believe they would do that given the stakes. Kaitepai, your comment about the hardness of ball hitting reminded me that when Hewitt was no. 1 and so were the Williams, the women's no. 1 serve was more powerful than the men's no.1 (Hewitt) serve. My bro noticed it one day and we had a good laugh.

i just hope federer reaches the final atleast...or it wont be long before he slips further in the rankings.....liked nadal's performance though..was superb against Fish...