Playing Malisse is the ideal opener for Djokovic to ease himself back into match play before he meets, one presumes, Bagdahtis in the QF.

Is it just me or does Malisse look kinda fat?

Yes. He is definitely overweight. I always thought he bore a marked resemblance to Marlon Brando when he was in his thirties. Just hope he doesn't end up at the same weight.

Well, no straight sets win for Nole here. I think he's a bit rusty but he should be able to get into better form with a few matches.

Oh, and Malisse is definitely chubby by tennis standards. That's not helping his game.

Malisse takes the 2nd set. Now we'll see Djokovic step up a level. Cant say there are any signs of him being rusty but his concentration wandered in that last set.

fatso almost turned the third set.

Novak is really rusty... no stamina at all... barely able to catch breath for interview... I think he won't be threat to top players in Basel. Hope he will be back in form for Paris and London

Nothing that a few minutes in the podcant handle. He'll be fine.
He overreacts like this in every tourne/ Remember him having a hard time against Tipsarevic? (not)

Is Rafa on his way to Basel yet? Too late for a WC?

dreadful stuff

Some sloppy play by Djokovic and 40+ UOs but he got the job done.

Man, you guys are BRUTAL. :D poor X-man getting called "fatso" :(

I called Malisse "chubby" and ed said "overweight". I don't think that's so bad, just the truth. But I wouldn't use the term "fatso".

I agree I am sorry for the term.
Taylor Dent was a fatso not Malisse.

Years ago it was Richard krajicek who made a faux pas about hte heavy weight girls on tour! They were at the time claiming equal pay (I am pro) but he made a comment about fat and pigs. He sure was told be Martina at the time. (Navra)

But now the woman are in very good shape. And the men are I feel physically reaching as good as it can get with so it is strange to see a player with weight problem. They play and train so much it is almost not possible to get heavy.

They say the camera makes you gain 20llbs perhaps thats the case with Malisse, lol!

Is Rafa on his way to Basel yet? Too late for a WC?
numero, 11/1/11 9:17 PM

Are you missing Rafa already? i'm not surprised because a tournament without Rafa is like a picnic short of the sandwiches. Lol

Who or what is Rafa where some of you are talking about? It sounds like he is some toyboy from cougartown. anywayz tennisis what makes us tick andplenty of it the next week.

Djokovic's draw went from the easiest of them all to just a plain joke.
He will play a qualifier next round. After that he may play baghdatis which is the most difficult player he may meet until the finals. In the semis he will play one fo these players: Seppi, Nishikori, Kukushkin or Blake.

See you in the finals djokovic even if you make +40UE per match.

11/1/11 11:51 PM
'They play and train so much it is almost not possible to get heavy.'

I've also often wondered how the excess flab can accumulate. Look what it did for Lardy Mardy's game after he shed the pounds. Nalbandian is another whose results might have been even better had he signed up with WeightWatchers.

So Sienna already has the pod excuse out just in case Nole chooses to turn up and beat Federer in the finals. Very proactive.

Don't think Fed would have liked it if Rafa was in Basel, because the way the seeds have been placed, it would have been a terrible situation - being beaten again (Yet Again!) in the semifinals.

Excess flab could be due to health problems as well - as has been the case with some very famous athletes over the years.

"Don't think Fed would have liked it if Rafa was in Basel, because the way the seeds have been placed, it would have been a terrible situation - being beaten again (Yet Again!) in the semifinals."

What makes you think nadal would have beaten Roger in Basel?!
They met 3 times in indoor hardcourts and Roger won all 3 so...

It's a shame nadal is so bad at this surface and doesn't make it further in a lot of tournaments (unlike Roger who reaches lots of finals in clay tournaments).

So I think Roger would have liked it if nadal was in Basel because it would be a good chance for him to beat nadal.

Yeah but I wouldn't go by those results, to be honest - two of those victories came when Nadal was not great on anything outside clay. I'd go by percentages - big match, they haven't played in a while, Nadal more often than not wins. Nadal has eventually gotten the upperhand of Federer on all surfaces, so i think its only a matter of time indoors as well.

We'll see. Maybe they'll meet in the WTF.

They will meet @ WTF theyll be in the same group for a change I'm sure.
Good News Fed and Novak fans!
Murray is out with an injury!
Just as well I think, for ya'll that is
he-he-he...

The strong field of Basel soens't look so strong after the frist round. Murray 2nd seed, Berdych 4th seed, Fish 5th seed, Tipsarevic 6th seed, Troicki 8th seed are all out. 5 of the top 8 seeds are out.

We might as well skip all the tournament rounds to the final: Federer vs Djokovic!!!

Pity. Had been looking forward to some exciting matches too. Hopefully Djokovic will warm up durng the rest of the week to make it a good final.

Looks like Murray bit off a little bit more than he could chew. Oh well better luck next time. Nole looking shaky. Time for Roger to win another title here hopefully. I hope Roger has used the last 6 weeks to be effectively his end of the season break. In some ways it feels like 2012 has begun because he won't have much of a break before end of December exho in UAE.

You totally understand the gameplan numero. Last year he played a lot of tennis leading up to WTF . Now he has taken some of. It makes him very dangerous for AU Open.

I don't have a clue as to why anyone would be discussing the 2012 AO now. A lot can happen before then. Also, it's not like Rafa, Nole and Murray are going to just fall apart and then Fed can miraculously be resurrected. The idea that he is the only one who will be dangerous at the AO, is positively bizarre.

For Murray, I think his body has told him to take a break. He has played a lot of tennis lately and it's a good time to get a little rest before Paris and London.

NNY it is just the same as stating that he is not a contender at AU Open.
So I do justthe same thing others do but they deny Fed and you make a point about it. You take it all a bit to serious.

You say Fe dneeds resurrecting? Why He has done pretty well at slams and with some luck he'll do even better.

Sienna,

Just to make sure that it's not about bias or favoritism, I will be sure to call out anyone else who starts making predictions about the 2012 AO. We still have some tennis to be played this year - Basel, Paris and WTF in London. Oh, and for Rafa there is the DC final against Argentina.

I am not demeaning Fed's results this year. It's the new normal. All I have said is that he won't dominate and win slams the way he used to when he was in his prime. He had a long run at the top and it's not a tragedy for him to be in this position. He is still going deep in slams and even made the FO final. So he certainly is not through at all by any means. I have complimented him several times this year on the quality of tennis he has played at times. The only thing is that now he can't sustain it as consistently as he did in previous years.

It's great to see him being competitive at his age. I respect his desire to still go out there to win and his love for the game. I am sure he will be considered a real contender for the 2012 AO, but I think Nole will go in as the clear favorite. Murray and Rafa will also be in the mix as contenders.

My intent was not to dismiss Fed. I just thought we were getting a bit ahead of ourselves.

NNY It must be frustrating when you are playing catch up that most people in Europe are asleep so there is a long time lag for you (9 hours where I am)
See you are taking a new approach. lol.

ed,

Yes, the time difference is hard because I either have to be up in the wee hours of the morning or catch up the next day. I am not watching the matches live, because they start at 6:00 am here in L.A. I can record them or just get up and watch the reruns without checking the scores online. It has to be a big deal for me to be up till all hours or Rafa has to be playing!

Oh, as far as my new approach let's just say that I am being diplomatic. I don't have any personal animosity towards Fed, so that part isn't hard. If his fans wish to think that he will somehow start winning slams again or get back to #1, I guess that's their business. I don't think it's a bad thing when other players step up and start to win slams and come into their own.

My point was really about how risky it is to project ahead a few months. Honestly, at this time last year who here would have predicted that Nole would have that winning streak, win the AO, beat Rafa in four Masters events, two of them being on clay, have his winning streak finally broken by Fed at RG and then win Wimbledon, be the new #1 and then win the USO! That's really what I was trying to say. Anything can happen in 2012.

NNY
Yes there is a lot of tennis to be played before AU. But I feel that Fed has taken those 6 weeks as his yearend. Last year he had played much more leading up to WTF. I see the thre remainding tourney now as a steppingstone leading up to AU Open. I just think his mindset is already getting his body in order for the start of AU Open.
Djokovic did the same. Their 2012 season starts now.

Sienna: You have a point there. He is targetting Djokovic. He knows the stress of being the 'hunted' rather than the 'hunter' syndrome could take its toll on Djokovic who will be under huge pressure to defend all those points accumulated in 2011. Who knows - it might not be an impossible dream if he strikes early and is able to string together a run of big titles. But dont bank on Rafa, Andy, or any of the other big boys, rolling over to smooth the way for him! But first things first - O2 beckons.