i want some of whatever Cheryl is drinking

Straights. Nole is creaming the ball.

don't tell me to EXPECT Hewitt to win a set, Cheryl!

If Hewitt doesnt get him, ferrer will, If Ferrer doesnt get him, Murray will, If Murray doesnt get him, then he will beat Nadal in the finals to win the slam.

Atul- dont worry.
Fed will stop him for sure in the Finals.

This match : in three , Hewitt will not get more than 7 Games.

Murray or Nadal to stop Nole here. Federer could do it on other surfaces, just don't see it happening here.

The dream run ends here for Hewitt. But I am so happy for him...........I was never a fan of his during his hey-day but I have warmed to his gutsy displays over the tournament.

Well done Rusty...........

haha very funny atul. I bet you said that all season long last year. Djokovic to win AO, and he'll do it without losing a set. The others are good, but Nole is on another level.

I'm not sure Nole is still on another level now as he isn't being tested yet. I see Hewitt taking more than seven games. To me Hewitt moves a lot quicker than he did at the AO 2010 where he lost to Fed there. I expect him to score better now than then.

atul - I don't understand why such pessimism about Rafa. Who knows, he may reach the final and not meeting Nole there!! Stay positive, Rafa can beat Nole this year if they meet.

Today's match will give some more understanding of Djokovic's level...If he wins dropping less than 7 games...well then you know he is on another level compared to the rest of the field and an overwhelming favourite to win the slam.

@lucky - well pessimism is due to past performance just like optimism against Federer is based on past results. Until there is any change, I would onctinue to believe so

Rafa's first serve % has been far superior to Nole's so far, considering that Nole has not played a proper match yet.

Djokovic to win in 3 with at least a break of serve of advantage in each.

Frankly, past performances are just that - past performances. Coming into 2011, people were queueing up to put Rafa on another planet, NO ONE saw Nole coming, so I will wait to see what unfolds this year.

Well said nadline. Until Nole proves that he's really at another level, I'm not going to assume he is. His matches so far, other than against Giraldo, were really too one sided, more because of his opponents than because of him. A good test will be against Ferrer, as Ferrer is playing good tennis here.

both Hewitt and Ferrer are no danger for Nole...there is no way for Hewitt to get a set, that is beyond comprehension...and for Ferrer, well he will have to play his best to take a set from Nole...but Murray will be a different story...he is going to be a real test for Nole...

lucky i agree with you on that. I guess Nole will win but lets not count the chicks before the eggs hatch, things like injuries can deter someones quest to win slams as with Rafas knees in 09, Delpo 2010 etc

I watched Djokovic play, yes his opponents were weak, but I'm not optimistic because of the scores (although 10 games lsot in 3 matches is impressive) but I'm optimistic because of his play in general. His backhand is still dangerous, his serve is somewhat improved, his movement is really good, and his forehand has improved massively. He is also physically fresh and even though he only played at the Abu Dhabi, his doesn't seem to lack match fitness. That's what makes me optimistic about his chances at the AO.

Perhaps, I shouldn't have said he won't last a set, I won't be surprised if the semi against Andy goes to 5. The final as well if he gets there. There isn't a BIG difference between Rafa, Nole, Federer and Andy.

As for Hewitt, it won't be a walkover, if nothing else it's because Hewitt is playing at home. Still, I don't think he has it to take a set from Nole.

OMG Nole looks like a well-oiled machine. The power and accuracy of his ground strokes has me cowering.
Nobody is going to beat him at the baseline, Hewitt certainly can't. Rafa? Andy? You've gotta break up his rhythm..ho, ho.
Hope Mr Lendl is scouting this and comes up with some ideas.

How much more intimidating can Nole get!!

Head-shake...............

Djokovic is sending out a message to the rest of the field.... The player that wants to win this tournament has to go through Djokovic. He's just relentless.....

@Nadline: "Rafa's first serve % has been far superior to Nole's so far, considering that Nole has not played a proper match yet." It isn't about Nadal's first service %, it's how much free points he can create with it. Let's see how effective his serve will be against a Djokovic, Murray or Ferrer, the top returners excluding Nadal.

rafaisthebest, I'm under the sofa already lol, not really lol..:(

As much as I love the ball striking from Nole, I'd like a little more ruthlessness on serve. This set should have been a bagel.

Nole is like a Blackhole now, it will consume anything on its way!

First serve % or second doesn't matter now, handover the trophy pls...

poor Hewitt...I kind of saw this coming...

ooh samps, greedy! Think about us fans of other players, please!

LOL, I dunno if its because I want perfection from Nole, but I'm not liking his first serve yet. There's been a trend of him reaching up for his serve better as the match progresses, but he needs it to work from set 1 against the big guns.

But lovely play from the baseline, a tad overconfident on some shots, but that's just him playing with no pressure. He's sure to tighten those areas when playing better opponents.

Bonker, You said it. Djokovic hasn't played a proper match yet.

Looking at this match nadline... I don't think he'll play another proper one today! Maybe Ferrer is able to push him from the baseline.

16 winners, 5 UE... those are TMF-numbers!!!

that's about it...a few more games for Lleyton (2 max) and he can go home well rested...he will have no time to even consider putting up a fight since Nole is destroying him...as one poster posted tweeted: Lleyton will gain momentum on his way home...lol...

No more big guns, One and only Big Nole Gun!

Well, Ferrer hits the ball with more spin than Hewitt, so I'd be disappointed if Nole found him tough. Still too many errors here from Nole; would have preferred a Del Potro or Berdych in Nole's quarter.

Horrible lop-sided match. Poor Hewitt yet to hold serve :(

I was about to write 'am I the only one who think Djokovic is amazing tonight' and then realized I'm not the only one. Yikes, apart from a few bad shots (that lob for instance, he's lucky Hewitt missed but no one else will) he's in some brilliant form.
Hewitt's playing decently well IMO, making mistakes here and there but certainly a tougher match compared to the past 3 rounds.

No, Djokovic isn't playing amazing. Striking well, but his serve isn't satisfactory.

Oh don't get to watch the match but has it recorded. So Nole is in scary mode again, poor Hewitt. Let's see how much a warrior spirit Hewitt has left in him to fight till the end, or this match will be ending soon, in less than one and a half hours?

Djokovic will win the AO

oh samps, shush ;) it's been much much worse as you surely know!

Cheering up a teeny weeny bit, clutching at teeny weeny straws here, but Nole's serve ain't that great. In fact, Hewitt doing better on Nole's serve than his own..lol

Nole is almost too relaxed.

It's starting to look like a WTA match in the sense that the players are getting broken a lot. Hewitt only won games so far breaking djokovic, lol.

Not reaching up enough on the serve is Nole. This should have been a triple bagel. Or maybe he's just being nice to the Aussies - tank his own serve but give Hewitt no confidence all the same.

ok so maybe i jinxed him, energy's dropping and the match is just not as intense as before :/

samps, "Tanking his serve out of kindness" surely he now rivals Mother Teresa.....;)

^^ :P

I think they sud hand Djokovic the AO trophy as soon as this match ends. No1 is going to beat him. Looks like Rafa in FO 2008 and Fed during his TMF days, unreal

*falls off chair* in shock as Hewitt, after 55 minutes, holds serve! Nole obviously on way out of tourney now...I wish!

Hewitt has done the impossible! And within the hour :-) A decisive shift in momentum :P

What would the bettings odds be on this going to 5 and Hewitt winning?

Bonker, totally agree, think we may be in for djshock exit..;)

some nice points by hewitt.

Deuce, Hewitt is handing him a 2-sets afvantage to make it more interesting ;-) He likes a challenge!

Boker, ROFL. That's it! I get the game plan now.

Well, I'm not sure Nole is mentally at the top of his game. He knows he's going to win this.

2 sets in the bag. first set was better than the first imo, i lost interest halfway.

Let's go Lleyton, Let's go........ home? Deuce, the gameplan isn't working. Djokovic isn't going to lull. Bad Djoker! ;-)

^^^^^Hewitt just broke. Seems the plan is under way.

Wow... for the first time in this match Hewitt has won 2 games in a row! :)

3 games all in the third, oh my! We may be in for a surprise after all!

so, Nole falling asleep during this "highly competitive match" in the way that he seems to lose interest in playing...that is how I explain this re-break of poor Hewitt and making it 3:3 in the third...Nole will have to "up his level" i.e. wake up a bit...he does not need to be fully awake though...some sleepwalking will do...

Hmm, Nole not looking so invincible in third set. *Cheers up.*
Bonker, shock tactics by Hewitt.... winning two games in a row, have worked!

its amazing how djokovic is able to generate so much depth on this groundies even when he is off balance.. hewitt made plenty of good aggressive returns in this game but djokovic absorbed everything. 15-15, hewitt bludgeoned an inside out forehand on nole 2nd serve and nole on ful stretch returned it with good depth ! Good fight from lleyton in this set though. He is stepping in to hit big returns. It will be TOUGH to hold serve at 3-4 IMO

haha, its fun reading some of the above comments but I disagree. Llleyton has UPPED his level considerably in this set. He is hitting his forehands harder and doing more with the returns. Nole did lose concentration early on when he was up 3-1 but credit to lleyton he has not given up and he is playing better now.

vamosrafa, if I wasn't laughing, I'd be crying....;)

Interesting development. The crowd is going to be all over this if Hewitt wins this set.

Hewitt will serve for the 3rd set!!!!

duece,hahahaha :D
oh my oh my , this is how lleyton should have approached the match ! take risks with his forehand , just go for it ! Because if you are not aggressive with your strokes and you lack power in them, NOLE WILL EAT YOU UP. simple. nole=anaconda if the opponent aint playing aggressive tennis. Does not mean attack attack attack, you may mix it up like lleyton is doing here in set 3 or like muzz did in rome.

a real test for hewitt to close out the set now.

maybe Nole just wants to help Cheryl beat Ricky in making good predictions...;)

duece,hahahaha :D
oh my oh my , this is how lleyton should have approached the match ! take risks with his forehand , just go for it ! Because if you are not aggressive with your strokes and you lack power in them, NOLE WILL EAT YOU UP. simple. nole=anaconda if the opponent aint playing aggressive tennis. Does not mean attack attack attack, you may mix it up like lleyton is doing here in set 3 or like muzz did in rome.

a real test for hewitt to close out the set now.

Third set point.

what a big game, 2 set points already gone. Nole playing like a world no.1, making hewitt dig as deep as he can do pocket in this set. and WOW, return winner on set point 3 !

You gotta hand it to hewitt - he still has the biggest bottle (nicer word) in tennis.

Great hands from Rusty. And back to deuce. Lleyton put up a real fight.

Ahhh, Leyton can't get a first serve in to save his life!

cheryl, get that drink ready for Ricky.

wow, just wow...bravo Cheryl!!!

:)

or put another way, he plays with the best tennis balls.

Bonker, where r u? How absolutely killing if we were right! We're half right anyway!
Hooray for Leyton! Giving heart to Andy and Rafa fans!
Congrats cheryl.

hahahahaha, Alex. ;)

alex, lol...:-)

Who said Cheryl got it right. Hewitt may still another set or two. lol

I read the score, so Hewitt wins the third set! Wow, so proud of him, at least he wins more than seven games!

RESPECT for the veteran. From 1-3 down in the 3rd set , he rallies back to clinch the set 6-4 and boy that final game required a MONUMENTAL effort. Lleyton derserved a set, what a fighter. I guess his comeback will be derailed very soon and nole will stamp his authority once again to win in 4. At least the crowd and viewers got an exciting match to watch :)

Deuce, I'm here! A bit shocked.... But still here :) If we'll get this one right, then I'll go to the casino tonight haha! But the gameplan is working... Who thought of that must get a medal! Hahaha

yes, congrats to Hewitt...what a fighter...honorable Australian did not want to go down easily...all respect and honors to Hewitt...

Bonker, our prediction is gr8 fun! Next careers, advising tennis players on strategy ;)
Think as Vamosr says, Nole will wake up and stamp hard now, but Hewitt is such a warrior, am so pleased he's got a set :)

I think they sud hand Djokovic the AO trophy as soon as this match ends. No1 is going to beat him. Looks like Rafa in FO 2008 and Fed during his TMF days, unreal
atul1985 , 1/23/12 1:04 PM

Oh yea???

I think Nole was tentative ion 3rd set because of that left ankle twist............that's not taking anything away from Rusty, what fight!

Nole will still prevail, but Muzza's licking his chops.................

I play tennis and when things are going to easy and I start losing concentration and start to fool around... I find it very though to concentrate again. Plus Hewitt got an adrenaline rush from winning the third.... I don't think Djokovic will stamp hard. He must get back into the match first and find his concentration again. And just as I'm writing this down, Hewitt gets a breakpoint

This is all the more impressive because Hewitt's serve is flipping awful.
rafaisthebest, hope Mr Lendl is watching this and taking copious notes!

Again, hewitt pushing himself to the limit. He ran and ran and ran at that break point but nole was there like a rock ! I think nole has weathered the storm by winning this tough game. YOu never know but I smell a break of serve for nole

Ferrer watching closely I'm sure.

bleck - I think everyone's more happy Ricky was wrong than that I was right. LOL.

You know, Hewitt is the biggest opportunist out there...and Nole let him back in that third set. Rusty IS playing better, but Nole's also playing worse.

Nole will win in the end because I can't see Hewitt winning the next two sets.

I don't know vamosrafa.... It's tougher to server instantly after a tough game which you just lost, than to lose a tough game and you can sit down during the exchange. At least it gives the player to process what happened and get rid of the disappointment.

@Deuce: Should this go to a fifth, the crowd will go into a frenzy...

Hewitt's poor serving is helping Djokovic.

CHeryl is right, nole's level has droppd a little but hey isnt is that when one player starts playing much better the other's level drops a tad? lleyton is taking the ball MUCH earlier now and that is putting more pressure on djokovic. I havent seen hewitt take the ball as early as that in any of his recent matches. But yea nole IS making some unusual mistakes.Not easy when you are up against an inspired local hero

Deucy, I must say I never expected Rusty to put Nole through the wringer like this, I bet you even Nole himself is shocked. Like I said, even if he wins (of which I am still willing to bet a seond mortgage on that he will), this will "lift" his next opponent (s).........the fear factor recedes................

another tough game on hewitt's serve and he survies. @bonker, yeah lleyton managed to survive sumhow :)

End in sight now, bye Hewitt :(

Come on deuce.... It isn't over yet!

at 0-30 , i thought novak had grip to get the break but suddenly hewitt pushed it to 40-30 and i thought he has survived again lol. Nole gets the break and now two excellent points, 15-15 ...good entertainment

It's over, bonker....................

Ferrer watching closely I'm sure.
smr, 1/23/12 2:38 PM

Rafa is watching more closely :P

he will give his austin martin whoever will beat nole before final ;)

When Rafa sees this he will want to beat Nole himself.

mani I sure hope Rafa is watching. ;)

But for Nole to struggle this much against an opponent with a serve as dismal as Rusty has displayed will give him pause...................

I know it's over.... heck, getting that third set was a small miracle! Respect for Hewitt, for leaving everything on the court! :-)

I have to give credit to Hewitt. He totally surptised me. However, I am disappointed in Nole's play. It seems like he didn't come into the match mentally prepared.

Rusty is the first player to have put up a fight against Nole in this tourny. Ferrer is as good a fighter as Rusty but with more weapons.

Nole wins 5-2 in the 4th.

IMO, Rusty lost the match more than Nole won it.

Sorry, 6-2 in the 4th.

So, isn't Hewitt putting up a test for Nole, and not like what some here said, that Nole will have it easy? Ferrer will be another test for Nole before facing Murray, most probably. Just watch this second half of the fourth set, I don't think Nole can play consistently like in the first set I suppose.

And I don't know why people here assume that Rafa would fear facing this Nole. Nole takes four mins short of three hours to finish off Hewitt, and his next and next and next opponents are all fighters. I seriously don't think he's that invincible and he certainly won't have it easy going forward.

Well, rafaisthebest, probably living in a fool's paradise but see a wee chink of light at the end of the tunnel..;)
Whoever plays Nole must be more aggressive and serve blooming better than Rusty.
Agree nadline, Ferrer will be much tougher, plays like Leyton but less ops so rather fitter!

My sense is that Nole came into this match thinking he was going to "walk it" and as Cheryl said, let the 3rd set slip. A little bit of hubris maybe....................I am sure his coach will have seen this and will work on it.

I expect the old (2011) Nole to be back on track in the next match..................

Too bad Deuce... we were so close ;-) But the men's tournament is finally heating up.... Fed-del Potro, Nadal-Berdych, Djokovic-Ferrer and Murray-Nishikori.

Things are getting interesting.... I predict Federer in 4, Nadal in three, Djokovic in 4, Murray in 3.

I was hoping the 2010 rafa would comeback in 2011 whenever rafa used to lose a match . lol. Thats not necessary that djokovic would get back to that level and remember when all eyes are on you (as is the case with djokovic) , players and coaches develop new stratagies and try to exploit the tiny weaknesses (even thought apprarently nole does not have any weaknesses but there are some minor ones) ..

Rafa is playing better than in 2011 , he is yet to be tested though ! I dont think rafa is afraid or anything right now. He should be focused on berdych! Time will tell what is going to happen. Nole remains the favorite for me but againt Muzz it could go either way...lets see how the quarters pan out and then we all can talk about the semis..

ferrer will HARD to put away. he has improved his aggressive play lately. If you notice, he tries to finish off more points at the net now and can volley better. He can play like nole but nole does everything better. Ferrer is an excellent returner so nole will have to look for that because his serve WAS vulnerable tonight. Hewitt ( a good returner himself) broke it 4 times and had the chance to break it again in set 4.

Credit to Hewitt, but Djokovic made it much more complicated than it should have been. He was playing great, 2:0 and 3:0 in the third when he let him back into the match. Very rarely do you see Novak let a lead like that slip. IIRC, he had a similiar match against Tomic at Wimbledon only to school Rafa in the final. So, it doesn't mean much other than lack of concetration. Don't forget he lost a set to Dodig last year.

As I pointed earlier, Rafa is serving miles better than Nole. I know that's not the be all and end all because the guys above Rafa in 1st serve % are Bogomolov, Cipolla, Darcis and Hanescu and they are all out; but pitched against another top 4 player that could make all the difference. Funny, Rafa is above Karlovic and Isner!!!!

haha, cheryl had the last laugh...oh wait, where's ricky? :-)

I am more inclined to agree with nemanja230690, I do not think we should read too much into this "struggle" by Nole.............imo every player has an "off-match" during the course of the tourny, and it only serves to jolt him back to reality................

Sets up the quarters nicely though!!!

^^^Ricky is enjoying his drink.

Rafa is the only one of the last 8 so far not to have dropped a set.

I don't think Fed has dropped a set, has he?

Sorry my post left the building before I finished.

Roger hasn't dropped a set yet but he got a W/O, so I haven't included him.

^^^^^fair

But Nole is not meeting Rafa next, he's meeting Ferrer. Do remember the Rafa that Nole met at Wimbledon last year was not the confident Rafa, after so many losses to Nole before that final! We shall see what will happen in the QF, no point arguing now. What I can see from this match is that Nole can't sustain his high level consistently throughout a whole match. Just hang in tough and wait for your chances, and I believe Murray or the other finalist may be able to do so; so Nole won't have it easy!!

Of course Djokovic won't have it easy.... last year he had a hard-fougt SF win against Fed during the AO, lost at FO against Fed and almost lost in the USO again. He won, but the margin between the top 4 is very small.

At least this was a good test for Djokovic! It surely helps him to prepare for Ferrer

Yes lucky, but nothing changed since then Rafa still didn't beat him. Yes, Novak lost a set today (in which he was up 3:0) but that doesn't mean he can't maintain high consistency. He did it last year almost all year long, one set against Hewitt doesn't change that.

Maybe this was a good thing for Nole. Like a warning sign to focus. When you're winning all the matches as he has, it's easy to lose concetration.

I'm not saying Rafa should be scared of Nole, but this lost set is not any kind of indicator. Last year at the AO, he lost a set to Dodig but still crushed Murray in the final.

Yes, but had Nole walked away with a 1, 2, 1 result in his first 4 matches his confidence would be sky high, this surely must take the sheen off a jot. Last year tis time, Nole didn't have the aura so he didn't have taht to draw on.

Please, he lost to Dodig in an early round, not this time. Nole did not have it easy throughout last year, having narrow escapes so many times, so i don't see him having easy time here, unlike some here believe, that's all I'm saying!! I simply can't stand the smugness of some people here, who think that Nole is invincible! I'm just giving my opinions based on what I've seen, unlike some who think that Nole is from another planet when he isn't even being tested yet.

I wonder if the "lost set" will do more for Ferrer's confidence than anyone else's.

I'll be VERY interested to see what happens with Djokovic and Ferrer. It's actually a pretty good match-up.

Yes, he was conident, he won 2 sets quite easily and was up a break in the third. But then got careless, as if expecting Hewitt to raise the white flag and give up, made a few errors and let Hewitt back into the match which he took advantage of. Credit to him.

However, Djokovic does need to improve the serve.

Nobody is saying he's invincible, don't put words into my mouth. Yes, Djokovic escaped in some tough matches. What's your point? So did Nadal, Federer, Murray (this year at FO against Troicki) That's what makes them the best in the game.
Just because Hewitt took a set doesn't mean it'll be any easier than for Nadal, Ferrer, Fed or Murray. All I'm saying is that people are reading too much into this one lost set while completely disregarding his previous matches or the first 2 sets of this one.

I dont know whether people are blind or what :S yes nole did get a little careless but hewitt won set 3 BECAUSE he started playing much better .He took the ball much earlier in set 3 and took chances with his returns. He danced around his backhand and crunched big forehands to return serves and change the pace of rallies. And of course when hewitt put more pressure , djo's level dropped a little more. So lack of focus+increased pressure from lleyton (the latter being the bigger reason IMO ) cost djo set 3.

I do not think we should djokovic will continue to do what he did in 2011 and as lucky said, he narrowly escaped many times last year . Rafa with some minor adjustments and improvements CAN beat the 2011 nole, not saying he will but surely he CAN, its just the matter of being confident and winning the big points. Moreoever, its silly to say djokovic will sustain the level of play he showed in 2011 every time he steps on court. I heavily doubt it, lets wait and watch.

One more point, yes nole lost a set to tomic but defeated rafa in the final again ! He has showed he can raise his level against rafa , i think it was madrid when he beat ferrer in 3 and we thought he was not in such fine form but he raised his level in the final. We will get all the answers as the tournament moves on

Everyone,
What a match Nole played. I don't see any player left in the draw knocking him off!
Hats off to him!

I agree we shouldn't read too much into this match as it proves nothing of Nole's current level...if this was Rafa or Fed to that effect nobody would be considering it as a big deal... Nole did show some loss of concentration in the third set and he did lose one set but he still is the man to beat and I do not see the reason why would some get frustrated about the fact that Nole is still considered clear favorite as I think he has fully deserved to be the one...If anyone wants to comfort himself/herself by saying that this one set loss is disastrous for Nole so be it...but it is rather foolish to think so...

Nole's level is so high and he is playing well...however, I do think Murray will give him the biggest test and I think it can easily go either way if they get to meet in the semis...I believe so mainly because Andy has Lendl on his side who has seemed to have resolved the biggest question mark on Murray which is his calmness during the match and his confidence issue...

Ferrer will most likely put up a fight as he always does irrelevant of who is on the other side of the net...but Ferrer has no mental strength and his level of tennis is still much lower for him to be able to beat Novak...and I am not one of those who would come to a conclusion that either Rafa or Fed or Murray to that effect would be able to beat Nole just because he lost a set to Hewitt...that is short-sided and wishful thinking...If Rafa gets to the finals to meet this Nole he will still need to play his BEST tennis to beat Nole...at the end of the day that is all that matters...

How on earth can one play tennis like this? This is simply unrealistic!

I don't think I mention any name in particular.

natashao, No, I don't think that because Novak lost a set, the world and his wife would be able to beat him. But..b4 this match v. Andy ( if Andy and he should get to the semis of course, don't want to be accused of hubris) I thought the odds would be 60-40 to Nole. Now I think they are 55-45 to him, is all :)

Not frustrated with how Nole play, please get it right. Rather, frustrated with some comments here, like for example, Hewitt won't get more than seven games or something to that effect. Or, Nole's playing tennis from another planet, etc and etc. Sorry, I didn't see his level from another planet, in fact to be honest, he was better in his 2011 AO. Remember who he beat in the fourth round, QF, SF and Final? Almagro, Berdych, Fed and Murray, without dropping a set. Fingers crossed, let's see whether Ferrer can manage to get a set from Nole.

Murray has certainly improved. But he has to stop choking in the most important matches. Nole-Murray semifinal (should they meet) will be minimum 4 sets.

Agree with everything Vamosrafa and natashao said. And luckystar, I apologise if you weren't talking about me, but I thought you did. No hard feelings? :)

Well, I am putting some importance on the result of this match. Of course, one swallow does not make a summer, aside from that, Hewitt didn't serve that well and he managed to take a set off Nole. If Nole played like this against the top four as they are playing today, he will most likely not walk away with a win. Hewitt didn't win the important points, and he didn't serve well, so he helped Nole along.

It's funny that if Rafa loses a set to anyone, the internet is ful of doom and gloom about his prospects, no one looks at it rationally. I'm sure if Rafa had lost a set to Haas, people would have made far more of it.

deuce, I actually think it's 50:50 between Andy and Nole...remember, Andy almost beat him last year when Nole was on the run and this year I think Andy has even better chance if he is calm and confident of his tennis...I agree that this loss of set will affect a bit Nole's confidence, not much though...but it will sure add to the raise of confidence of his opponents which is a good thing...

and lucky, there is really no need to get frustrated at comments in favor of Nole. He has been the most convincing player so far dropping just a few games here and there and there was absolutely no reason to think that Hewitt would be able to come even close...and if you observe the match statistics Nole still played a great match with 15 aces and 55 winners...he did make a bit more UEs 34 I think, but still overall amazing...People should be allowed to say what they think and to predict things which is why they are called predictions...:-) no need to be upset if someone is giving Nole more credit...he is still the best player out there until he gets beaten and until proved otherwise...

I'm talking in general. It's frustrating to see players other than the top four being given little respect by some people. Hewitt is playing some good tennis, IMO, better than his 2010 AO; he played well against Roddick before Roddick injured himself and retired, and played well against Raonic despite Raonic's big serves. He certainly should command more respect here.

I'm not saying that Nole is not playing well, obviously he is, if not why are we arguing whether whichever player can or will get a set off him? Getting a set is already difficult; we're not even talking about beating him! It's just that IMHO, he's playing better at last year's AO than he is now, unless he proves me wrong by beating the rest of the players in straight sets from now on!

Hewitt was lucky to get set no:3

Nole let him go, otherwise we might have had at least two bagels.
TT and many folks here are trying to belittle Nole, he is the No.1 and that is not without any reason.

I think it's 50-50 if Andy and Nole meet in the semis. As far as Hewitt taking a set off Nole, I don't want to get into a heated discussion, so all I will say is that he has dropped sets in earlier rounds of slams in 2011 and then went on to raise his level in the semis and finals.

I do think Hewitt has been playing some of his best tennis at this tournament. It was good to see him get that set off Nole. I don't think Ferrer needs to look at that to feel encouraged. I actually see him as mentally tough and the guy goes out and gives it his all. He is capable of giving Nole a match if he brings his best game. He is also a very physical player and can take it to his opponents.

I thought Nole came out playing some great tennis at the start of last year's AO. I remember him losing that set to Dodig in the early rounds, but this was the new Nole and he didn't let it distract him. He can keep his calm these days.

The question is, can anyone rattle him and really get him out of his comfort zone in this tournament? I think Ferrer can try, but Murray certainly has the game to do it.

Well, yes I can just refer people to Wimbledon last year. Nole looked ordinary until he reached the semis, not too much to worry about. I didn't see the match post second set, but Hewitt was already playing at a pretty good level in the second.