xcellent tennis on display from both

Thoroughly enjoyng the match

Atomic reminds me even more of Andy -c*** second serve...rueful lol...
Needs to be more aggressive or it's gonna be over in two tics :(

It would be great if Roger lifts his game , becouse Tomic will do it soon I feel.
Feds footwork is not good at the moment, maybe he saves energy or his back.
Its time to get full controll off the mach or it soon will be too exiting for crowd and Tomic!

Tomic is just playing a slightly better version of himself

Tomic has a bright future

m loving this match..what shotmaking from both..sum kickass rallies

Fed on cruise control now.

A cerebral match from Roger, forehand drop shots from the base line , back hand half volleys.

Federer is playing Tomic with kid gloves because he knows he'll win in the end so why waste energy.

Fed is playing at an amazingly high level, if he meets Rafa in the semi..Rafa has a lot to worry. Feds level at the moment is far higher than Rafa..

his backhand, forehand, serve..its all clicking

Tomic slices 90% of the time.

Isn't it obvious that Tomic has ran out of energy, due to his previous three long matches? Fed need not even play near his best to beat this Tomic. This should be a straight sets win for Fed.

Far too easy for Fed...*yawn*

'yawn' exactly!

sanju, Fed playing at this level is not going to beat any of the other top four guys. Tomic makes Fed looks good here. Tomic is so...SLOW in his movement towards the net that Fed just needs to drop shot him to death!

yes luckystar hes huffing n puffing

but cant deny Feds level is super good too

Delpo-Fed can be a cracker..DElpo has not expended much energy yet..Fed can exploit Delpos horrible court movement though

sanju, if Federer plays like this against anyone in the top 10, he'll lose.

He is on cruise control, he doesn't have to spark all his plugs because his engine is running on idle.

sanju , 1/22/12 10:20 AM

It can all click in this match for him for all he likes, what matters is everything clicking with Rafa across the net, on the day, if they meet at all....................

lucky..I think Feds shot are really clicking..Tomic may be slow..but Feds hardly hitting any UE here, and I think his shots are really working well

To be honest I think of what weve seen Feds level today , atleast I think Fed is at a better level than Rafa..theres no aspect of Feds level thats below par..Rafas backhand still below par

I think Federer is making it into a match for the sake of the crowd and their homeboy.

Doesnt matter what Federer is going to do , Djokovic is going to win this tourney and he will cream anyone in his path. It will be wise for Rafa to lose the semis to avoid have a deplorable record against Djokovic.

I dont know guys what am I seeinf vs what you guys are..I mean I understand its all about who the opponent is, what he makes yo do, how he makes you play..but I mean , I somehow see Feds game at a high level..though I agree Tomic is gifting him a lot by being too slow n rght now he seems mentally checked out

RITB..why if they meet? You think Rafa will be casualty or Fed?

sanju, it's easy to hit winners at will when you are not under pressure. I've seen Federer sai through 6 rounds beating every to 2 and 3 until he comes up against Rafa and loses.

nadline, we got this one right...:)

Tomic is challenging calls he shouldnt too..

What it takes to beat a kid like Tomic and what it takes to beat Rafa, is like a whole other universe. Is anyone really surprised that Fed is winning this with ease?

Tomic did well to get to the fourth round this year. But going up against Fed is stepping way up in class. Fed was always going to pick him apart.

Totally expected.

As far as a possible Rafa/Fed semifinal matchup, I am not even going there. I take it one match at a time. They both have to get there, so it's useless speculating who is playing better that who right now. Great players like Rafa and Fed get better the deeper they go in slams. You can't make any concrete judgments at the moment and I think it's a waste of time worrying about something that may or may not even happen.

sanju, it's easy to hit winners at will when you are not under pressure. I've seen Federer sai through 6 rounds beating every to 2 and 3 until he comes up against Rafa and loses.

nadline , 1/22/12 10:36 AM


Samething i have seen between Djokovic-Nadal match.

deuce, we sure did. Tomic has lost half of the 53 matches he's played in his entire career, so far in this tournament he's won all his matches in 5 sets, how on earth did anyone think he stood a chance against Federer? He may have taken a set of Federer before, but these things do happen, it doesn't mean that he can make a habit of it.

Tomic also has to learn when to challenge.

First, I'm not very impressed with Fed this tournament and I think he isn't being tested yet. He is playing against a 19 yo who is obviously tired from having some long matches innhis previous rounds. His FH and BH are clicking because Tomic allows him to, not posing any threats to Fed. Just imagine a Murray or a Rafa who are so quick to get to Fed's shots, he'll be rushed into making errors.

Second, no way is Nole going to steamroll over everyone. He's also not being tested yet this tournament. Look,Giraldo was hitting hard but Nole simply returned all his shots until Giraldo felt all the stress in his body. He was hiding in the shade as much as possible too during the match, how's he going to challenge Nole?

Hewitt, Ferrer, Murray or Tsonga are all going to put up a fight against Nole, he won't have it easy. He may even have to go to five sets against one or two of them. There's no way that Rafa is going to tank his match to avoid Nole, please stop such insult.

mani4Tennis, you cannobe serious. Lol

How do you guys see Fed - DElpo panning out? Delpo is looking in great touch too

and Rafa - Berdych?

Tomic also has to learn to change tactics during the match when he is losing..............methinks he is too much in awe of his slice shots!!

Fed put him in his place.

It will be wise for Rafa to lose the semis to avoid have a deplorable record against Djokovic.
nirv02 , 1/22/12 10:33 AM

In which case, it would be wise for Fed to lose to Delpo in the quarters to avoid an extension of his deplorable record against Rafa..................

haha RITB..cheeky reply

but me thinks probabilty and surity of Nole beating Rafa is far far greater than Rafa beating Fed

Rafa - Fed today is just even..it can go either way on a outdoor HC and grass..On clay its Rafa..Indoor HC its Fed

Federer hasnt been beaten as many times in a row as Rafa has been by Djokovic. So rafaisthebest your monicker is starting to border stupidity now.

Fed in his courtside interview says he watched Rafa-Delpo Davis cup final ..looks like Fed does indeed watch lot of Rafa playing :-)..he misses Rafa a lot, so keeps catching him on TV too :-)

Never in doubt. Roger in straights.

What matters is to win the match and in 3 sets if possible. Roger doesn't have to play sublime tennis, Roger has to play a level that allows him to win. That's it.

Who cares if djokovic is losing 3 or 4 games per match. What matters is to play well enough to win. And I'm sure Roger will up his level against del potro.

nirv02 , 1/22/12 11:01 AM

Steady on...................your nostrils are flaring.............

This was as good as a first round match, in fact, Roger had more problems with an injured Kudryavtsev.

Tomic talks a lot, so far he hasn't walked the walk. Verdasco was silly handing the match to him. Tomic winds his opponents up by talking tough before the match about what he is capable of. I hope that sooner or later he will live up to the hypw.

Quite frankly I am not enamoured of this Tomic kid precisely because he has this........swagger. I like Raonic better, just gets on with the business at hand.

I am glad Fed shut him up.................

like it or not but he will be in top 15 by the end of this year !!

IMO Hewitt is a perfect opponent for Nole...I can's see Hewitt making it anyhow difficult for Nole...Australian will be happy to make at least one set competitive...Milos was terrible yesterday, his serve was off and he was not moving well which all made it easier for Hewitt...Nole is not going to let Hewitt play any of his all around tennis and it will be again an easy win for Novak... unless, of course, Nole decides to be considerate of the crowd and gives Hewitt a few more games...since it is a night match, Nole will be enjoying it and having fun...Nole in straights...

Fed vs. DelPo IMO will be more competitive and much more fun...as I expected Delpo has improved his game enough to be ready to face Fed and to put up a fight...I still think Fed will win but it sure will be very entertaining match....

Rafa vs Berdy will be more mental than physical...Berdy obviously has some issues with Spaniards...remember, he and Rafa had problems in the past, Berdy just can't control his temper when facing Spaniards...it will be difficult match as Berdy will fire with all his weapons...this will be the time for Rafa to raise his game, to be focused as he was in that Wimby final...Rafa needs to deploy the right tactics and play his best to reach the semis...

Vamos Rafa!!!

natashao..you are sure Fed will beat Delpo but still reserving your opinion on whether Rafa will beat Berdy

I think Berdy for Rafa is as tough as Delpo is for Fed..Both Berdy and Delpo give all sorts of issues to both Fed and Rafa

I somehow think that most of Rafa fans (me included) trust the abilities and competence of his competitors to take out their opponents better than Rafas.

^^^^^^^not me, I fully expect Rafa to make the finals, just do not think he can take out Nole at this tourny, if they meet in the final

DelPo SHREDS Kohli, Fed destroys Tomic.

*rubs hands with glee*

This is shaping up to be an absolutely KILLER quarterfinal round.

Very happy Roger won, and he looks to be in great form.

I still think it's ridiculous that Roger, Rafa, and DelPo are all in the same half. Novak has skated all the way to the quarters.

I don't think Nole is going to take Murray in the semifinal for granted, mind you. But I do think he's striing the ball amazingly cleanly, which bodes well.

Totally unsurprised by fed's win - predicted 4-2-3, just one game out.
Delpo will be a whoooooole different kettle of fish. Looks like he's back onto his big game and he will not be in the least bit intimidated (any more than he was in the USDO final '09).
Everyone talking about how tsonga is the biggest outside chance - but I'd rather muzz have him than delpo.
Of the top 4, fed and muzz now have the 2 hardest routes ahead of them.

From what I've seen, Tsonga plays better then both Delpo and Berdych, I'm not sure Tsonga is a better opponent for Murray than Delpo is. All three big hitters are trouble for Fed, but Delpo has not beaten Fed lately, unlike Tsonga and Berdych, so getting Delpo may be better for Fed, of course if he gets Ferrer, it will be even better.

On this slow court, Rafa can deal with the big hitters better than on the fast courts. He had beaten both Delpo and Berdych lately but lost to Tsonga. However this is slow hard outdoor hard court and there's the wind and the heat, Tsonga won't be a problem like when he was in
2008, IMO because we're seeing a better version of Rafa than the Rafa of 2008 but not a better version of that net rushing, S&V Tsonga.

For Nole, this court favors his style of play, so only the other top four guys can trouble him, and yes that includes Rafa, because Rafa is playing better than in 2011.

lucky..what are your predictions for qtrs and semis?

Predictions? Don't think I'm going to predict accurately, just based on my observations, I think it will be a Fedal semifinal, however, I won't be surprised to see a Rafa/Delpo semifinal. Berdych has played an almost four hours match under the hot sun today, it'll take a lot out of him. Rafa is not Almagro, he can play defence and offence, so as long as Rafa plays well, he can beat Berdych.

Fed and Delpo are not extended much today on the courts, and we know that's important for Delpo as he's known to have stamina problem. I believe both will definitely raise their level of play when they meet, if Delpo plays like his DC matches, then Fed will have his hands full. I think it's 60-40, Fed 60, Delpo 40.

I think Hewitt may get a set from Nole, that's about all. Ferrer vs Gasquet, Ferrer can outlast Gasquet and he's too quick for Gasquet, Ferrer in four that's my take. Murray in three vs Kukushin; Tsonga in four vs Nishikori. Nole in four vs Ferrer; Murray vs Tsonga, 60-40 chances. Nole vs Murray, I'll take Murray in five; Nole vs Tsonga, Nole in five.

I expect Rafa to make the final; 50-50 against Nole and 60-40 against Murray. Yes, I do believe that should Rafa gets to the final, he has equal chances against Nole, simply because Rafa has upped his level this year but I've not seen Nole raised his level yet.

I may change my mind about Tsonga after I see his match against Nishikori. If he dispatches Nishikori easily, then I like his chances against Murray.

sanju
, 1/22/12 1:38 PM

sanju, I simply restrain from predicting Rafa's matches as I do not want to jinx him...that's all...:-)

Thanks lucky.that was detailed

Interesting to see you picking Murray over Nole..quiet a bold prediction. that too Murray in 5..match toughness hasnt been Murrays speciality yet ..and Nole is mentally super strong..

I hope Rafa reaches final..Ill be happy if he atleast does that because I dont think going by what we saw end of last year anyone would have expected to c him that far..so if he makes the final beatng Berdy and Fed on the way..it will be a good result..though I think he will have his hands full with Berdy and Fed both..Fed beating Rafa cannot be discounted either..hes playing at a good level

BTW do you guys realize? Rafas and Feds draws have swapped places this year and 2011..Nole had Berdy in last year qtrs and Fed in semis which Rafa may get now ..Djoko has Ferrer in qtrs this year and likely murray in semis..Rafa was the hot player beg of last year and gong for 4 in a row before he got injured n beaten in qtr final by Ferrer..

And on the lighter side, we have natashaos dream that she saw too to live upto too ;-)

i also want a rafa-nole final to see that would it be really 50-50 ..anything less than 5 sets would not be worth to called as 50-50!!

I've a feeling that's the one we're gonna see.

yes, I agree deuce:-(
my outside hunch nole-delpo.
either way, nole's still the man.
all that said, i reckon if anyone can beat nole it's muzz.
disaster scenario: muzz beats nole to reach final ... but ...

ritb,

Don't worry about someone accusing you of stupidity! If that's all they can do is call you names instead of making an argument, you are doing very well! :)

As far as predictions, I am not going beyond the quarterfinal matches. I think Fed/Delpo could be very competitive. If Delpo continues playing as well as he has, then I see him getting a set off Fed. I like lucky's odds of 60-40 Fed. I will go with that.

As far as Rafa/ Berdy, I think this will be a competitive match. Berdy has the kind of game to trouble Rafa, with his big serve and flat groundstrokes. Berdy could take a set, but I think Rafa will win.

Murray should beat Kukushkin in three sets. I see Tsonga beating Nishikori in three. I do think he is playing extremely well. Gasquet/Ferrer could be four sets, but I also think Ferrer might do it in three.

It's really hard to see Hewitt getting a set off Nole. If he did that would a real accomplishment. I agree that Nole hasn't been tested yet. Hewitt is playing well, but Nole is not Raonic.

I want to see how Rafa handles Berdy before I make any predictions about him getting into the final.

Im surprised they put Fed Delpo on first and Rafa - Berdy second

any reason guys you think for the same?

Usually Rafa has played his matches earlier than Fed?

Im intrigued by the scheduling as Fed - Delpo is a far bigger blockbuster than Rafa - Berdy and deserves prime time .

deuce - your feeling is Nole - Rafa in 5?

Rafa overtook Fed in 2008, beat him in 2 GS in 2008 and gave him a crushing defeat and made him cry in 2009 AO again..3 GS in a row defeat Are we going to witness a rerun ? Hope not (:-

only reason I think for the scheduling is they desperately want a Rafa - Fed semi and they are doing everythng to ensure it :-)

court plays slower at night, slower court will favour Rafa and court relatively faster during day will favour Fed over Delpo plus heat will expose Delpos stamina issues

Sanju,

You are turning out to be a wonderful tennis analyzer.
Never thought of this slowness during night games.

thanks sabs..tennis analyzer and me..far from it..im just picking up whatever i read..i dont actually understand technicalities that much..i just grasp well :-)

Nativenewyorker
, 1/23/12 2:14 AM

I am counting on you to hold my hand (virtually) from about right now to the end of Rafa's match with Berdy! Gosh, I'm sh****ng kittens already! And here I was calm as the word before the tourny and now my nerves are all tangled up..........

Vamos Rafa!!!!!!

I think the advantage Federer has over Del Potro will be purely an issue of fitness if such an advantage exists. Del Potro has beaten Federer twice in much faster conditions - at the USO and WTF in 2009.

Saw this comment thread about Tomic actually being 21 and not 19. Anyone else heard something similar?

samprallica, I've heard that. It's in the Aussie media. Hope it's not true :( Will go off him if it is :(

Sanju, if I'm not wrong, each of the top four guys would have their turn in playing a night match. Fed already had his against Tomic, so now it's Rafa's turn in the QF. Nole is playing the night match today against Hewitt, and so I think Murray will have his night match against Kei in the QF. If I'm not wrong, the semifinals are all night matches, so the top players will be given chances to play at night before the semis.

Let's see whether Murray gets a night match before the semi.

Sanju, I assumed that Rafa would have the night match even before seeing the schedule because he hasn't had one yet.

Here is the quote, there must be something in it:

ABC Online - 1 day ago
On Sunday night, Bernard Tomic will play somebody who already has - but the ... I think it's possible but very, very difficult at this age 19, 20, 21. ...

ritb,

Don't worry! I will be here. It will start at 12:30 am my time, so this is my turn to have a late night. I am not missing this for anything. It's funny but I am usually very nervous for Rafa in slams. I think that here I just honestly did not know what to expect from him, so I tried to be realistic.

First, I wanted him to defend his points by making the quarterfinals. He has now done that. It is usually at this point in slams when I become very anxious for Rafa. For now I am calm,, but check back with me in 24 hours and I will probably have the jitters.

I never take anything for granted, which is why I have not discussed anything past this match with Berdy. I would expect Rafa to go up another gear in this match. This is where he should start peaking, if it is to happen.

I don't know how the crowd being negative will affect the match. It could energize Berdy and make him want to play brilliant tennis to shut them up. That is if they do start booing him. We will see.

Oh and thanks to those who gave the reasonable explanation as to why Rafa is playing a night match. I do agree that they seem to be giving the top four each a chance at a night match in preparation for the semifinals, which will be played at night.

I think Rafa's level is much higher than it was throughout last year. The stats show that his 1st serve % is higher than all the top 4 even higher than Karlovic and Isner, Djokovic didn't even come into the top 20 considering he's had such straight forward victories over nonentities.

NNY, I don't think Berdy needs to draw on crowd hostility to try his hardest, he knows who is at the other end of the court and he knows their history. Still nothing is to be taken for granted.

nadline,

Let me put it this way - do you think the crowd will have any effect at all on the match? I know that Rafa usually is able to handle anything. Do you think they will boo him at the beginning?

I am sure that Berdy knows he has to play his best to take out Rafa. Some seem to think that the crowd will have a negative effect on Berdy's game. It may not matter at all.

Crowd reaction may have a negative effect but I don't think it will have a positive effect and make Berdy play any better than he would have played if the crowd was neutral.

I was responding to you saying: "It could energize Berdy and make him want to play brilliant tennis to shut them up."