2012 Wimbledon Championships...London, England

[klacr]

Rosol vs. Nadal

Wow! This match was incredible. Rosol played at such a high level throughout the match. He never once wavered or dropped his level. He went for every shot and never lost confidence.

This match had the feel of the 09' French Open when Nadal played Soderling.

Rosol, bit of an unknown journeyman. Big guy. Flat ball. Gave Nadal no rhythm

Nadal was hitting the ball short. Not service line short, but well inside the service box short. Last time I remember him hitting it that short was against Soderling at French Open. Rosol was quick to attack on every short ball. Didn't seem to care about missing shots. Just had to play hard flat mindless unconscious tennis with no regard the moment.

Here's the stats...

Lukas Rosol (CZE) Rafael Nadal (ESP)
22 Aces 19
3 Double faults 2
92 of 137 = 67 % 1st serves in 93 of 139 = 67 %
76 of 92 = 83 % 1st serve points won 73 of 93 = 78 %
26 of 45 = 58 % 2nd serve points won 29 of 46 = 63 %
134 MPH Fastest serve 130 MPH
124 MPH Average 1st serve speed 118 MPH
101 MPH Average 2nd serve speed 95 MPH
22 of 28 = 79 % Net points won 14 of 21 = 67 %
4 of 8 = 50 % Break points won 3 of 4 = 75 %
37 of 139 = 27 % Receiving points won 35 of 137 = 26 %
65 Winners 41
29 Unforced errors 16
139 Total points won 137


This match was a classic. I was confident that although Rosol had a good start to match, those missed set points in the 1st set tie-beaker would be enough to spur Nadal on to a higher level. Rosol was not emotional after losing crucial points and stuck with his game. Rosol saw that Nadal was having to step up his game, not him. He was a high level throughout.

I'm a big Berdych fan, but crushed when he lost 1st round to Gulbis. Perhaps Lukas Rosol can help sooth that hurt. Another tall, big hitting Czech. 26 years old and finding his game. Better late than never. Wimbledon just got good!

Sincerely,

Kyle LaCroix

[don_budge]

There is a God...The Big Surprise

Time certainly marches on doesn't it. Round and round we go...where we end up nobody knows. One thing is for certain. There will always be a Wimbledon.

Speaking of marching on, this tournament is marching on. Nothing of much notice has transpired yet...no surprises, no shocks, no net play. But now there is a match or two or three within the marching draw where things begin to get a little dicey...sometimes a little quirky. There could be a surprise or two in store for us. Wouldn't that be nice for a change?

Well other than that...the tournament is marching on. To it's inevitable conclusion. The Big Four in the semis...then the next heavyweight championship bout for the title...Djokovic and Nadal. The rest of this is only foreplay.

Well...there you go. The Big Surprise! The one that we have all been waiting for. Well, at least me at any rate. I know something of surprises...just ask me, I'll tell you. This was an upset. A complete unknown to me...Lukas Rosol. Never heard of him. The Grim Reaper met his match. Vanquished to next year. He wasn't too happy about it? Why should he be? He's not used to being treated like that. Like a red-haired, freckle-faced step child. With such utter disrespect. Not to mention contempt. Imagine that...the nerve of Rosol to step up and knock the crap out of the Spanish Stallion. Personally...I don't give a flying fuck. Sullen...who cares? Welcome to the reality of things Rafafafafafafafa...the tournament will go on without you whether or not your exit was graceful. The sport is bigger than any one individual. Even Roger "The Man" Federer knows that. Good bye Fafaphooey. Until next year.

The Big Surprise. Now the Aftershock. The one that has been lacking for so long. Things get to be so predictable in the higher echelons of modern tennis. It's boring. Maybe this will liven things up a bit. What am I saying...it already has. It's got you guys talking! Great! It makes sense...even though I did not see the match and have no idea who this guy is. But against a lot of spin what is the answer? Less spin. It's right out of Tilden...if you use your imagination. Hit the ball flat enough and hard enough...the spin meister is going to be a bit more out of position and the racquet head is going to come over the ball a bit more quicker putting more spin on the ball and it is going to land shorter enabling the opponent to take it earlier...voila. Long live the new King! For the moment.

It's simple. In theory that is. But Nadal has become so good at what he does. Even though to me he is unorthodox in a sense. But he is strong as a bull and fast as a thoroughbred. Let's not be remiss and forget about the equipment and the string. Why bother to mention the possibility of ped's...it's 2012 for God's sake? He covers a lot of ground with brute strength...a difficult match for anyone. But somehow Rosol found the intestinal fortitude (the balls) to stand up to him and put him in his place. Look at those statistics...thanks to Kyle. What the hell do you make of them? 24 more winners. 13 more unforced errors. Everything else virtually dead even. The kid was going for it. Simple as that...I don't need to see the match. From your descriptions and those numbers. Don't spare the horses! Tennis needs this kind of stimulus. The sport is lacking in the upstart. The Quixotic. The impossible dream. Just when you think there is a vacuum...someone steps in to fill the void. Life's funny like that...don't you think so?

Alright...alright. Move on don_budge. Let it go. What does it all mean? The tournament is marching on. It isn't going to end here. No, no, no...it is early and consider this. Our amazing Brian Baker. The Original Comeback Kid now. He plays some French dude, Benoit Paire, in the third round and if he gets through here...well this is a real chance for something good to happen in this sport of ours...this could be a vehicle for change...if and only if...where the hell was I going with this. I forget. Oh yeah...now I remember. A dream quarterfinal...for us Americans abroad...Fish vs. Baker.

This could get interesting...IF. Federer really has his eyes on Djokovic now and is salivating in anticipation. Gearing up. Licking his chops. Like an old lone wolf he is sizing up his prey with his cunning eyes. He cannot afford to come out flat like he did in the French. He has got to start mowing people down...now! Starting with Benneteau. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (Counting Out Time)...Genesis. He has to have Lamb chops on the brain...the old wolf counting down sheep to put himself to sleep. He's got the whole thing down by numbers. Counting down time. He's been resting for this testing. No more Nadal...for the moment.

[don_budge]

Bing...

I enjoyed this match so much, especially the last game: three clean aces and a forehand winner. But I think Djoker and Fed enjoyed it, too.

Bing...Bang...Bye. See you never!

[stevenmila]

feds chances

you see fed. with a chance against djok.- i don't know - not unless the grass picks up more speed, maybe a bit more rain would help him - the moisture on the center court when they close it must help - have to wait and see - finally some video on youtube on brian baker

[don_budge]

Federer soldiers on...to the round of 16.

Federer showed up but he seemed to be in the same mood that he was in when he played Djokovic at the French. He lacked conviction. His opponent did not. Julien Benneteau got out of the gates quickly and found himself on the verge of another major upset at these 2012 Wimbledon Championship. While Federer’s eyes may be on Djokovic...he cannot afford to take anyone for granted from here on out if he wants to lift the trophy a week from tomorrow.

Even though he lost the first two sets he never blinked and kept that same unfazed expression on his face the whole time. Only at the end of any given match does Roger give any hint of emotion. Then it is only a brief glimpse and what you see is rather guarded. He always looks so composed and never ruffled. Yesterday was a prime example of his cool and collected exterior as Benneteau had him on the ropes but Federer managed to dodge the bullet and he lives to play another day.

At two sets to love Federer woke up from his bit of a slumber and started to get cooking on the Frenchman. He grabbed the third set in a flourish, then hung around in the fourth until the tie breaker which he gutted out, then he closed it out in typical Federer style...he got on top and just pummeled the weary Benneteau into the next week...or rather into the locker room with his tail between his weary legs. Overall a fine match by the Swiss Maestro...but the problem is the rest of the draw smells blood after the Nadal upset. It is a feeding frenzy because now these other guys think that they can do the same thing. Send one of the big fish to Davy Jones locker. He’s got two matches to get ready for a big fish of his own...the biggest shark in the waters lately. Novak Djokovic.

Novak Djokovic has been taking care of his own business in style at the Championships this year. But in the next round he has a bit of a conundrum...he has a fellow countryman who probably is a little tired of being used as a punching bag. Viktor made the unfortunate mistake of beating Djokovic in their first meeting in 2007 which only succeeded in pissing off Djokovic as he has pounded his fellow countryman eleven straight times...not to say they have not had some good matches.

It’s the round of sixteen now and there are no weak sisters left. The only other match that I got to see yesterday was Florian Mayer aka “The Quirk”. The nickname is for the quirky way that he approaches the game. The key to the quirk is change of speed, spin, placement and tactics for that matter, which keeps his opponents off balance just enough to prevent them from blasting Florian to smithereens. He has enough quirk to throw any but the top four off their game...but sometimes he lacks the knockout power that the modern game of tennis demands in the top echelons. Yesterday he outlasted a journeyman Pole in five sets with an impressive display of quirkiness. The question now is...is quirkiness enough as he meets another French Musketeer, Richard Gasquet. Gasquet has been quite impressive...particularly in his elimination of Nicolas Almegro. This tournament is really taking shape...there are some serious questions to be answered.

Some serious questions indeed. Particularly for American tennis when it comes to the bottom half of the draw. There is one in every one of the final foursomes in the bottom half. Andy Roddick, Sam Querry, Mardy Fish and our Comeback Kid Brian Baker. There are some really compelling match ups in the bottom half and we may be in for some more surprises...which wouldn’t surprise me. But Brian Baker alone really has my attention. This guy could become the story of the tournament if he gets a couple of breaks. Mardy Fish too is a guy that we would like to see make a move. With the slaying of the Spanish Stallion the bottom half of the draw is in a bit of disarray. Which is a nice surprise in itself. This tournament is really shaping up in sharp contrast to the French Championships which really lacked drama until the final and even then the rain robbed us of probably one of the most spectacular finishes of the year.

[don_budge]

The Round of 16...Wimbledon Style

Here we go...hold on to your strawberries and cream! The bottom half of the draw has been completed and lo and behold there are three and a half compelling matches. Murray and Cilic should be a cinch for the Brit...but who knows...that's why it still gets a half for compelling nature.

Ferrer vs. Del Potro...very interesting don't you think so? Take your pick. Go down a bit further and it is Tsonga vs. Fish. Didn't they just go five sets someplace recently? Oh yes...it was the US Open last year with Tsonga hanging on for a five set victory. He is 2-0 over the Mardy "Pancho" Fish. If anything the grass might just give Mardy a bit more of an advantage...especially if he gets it into his noggin that going to the net is the thing to do against the French Baby Bull. Tsonga has a bit of a baby face but the new do sort of renders him to be a bit spaced out. No matter...no points won or lost on the haircut.

Then we come to my favorite match up in the tournament and that is because I don't think Brian Baker is done or finished in this round. Kohlschreiber is a really solid, possibly underestimated player but Baker is not to be denied. He has destiny and it appears his karma is written...in the stars and the moon. I hope that he is up to the task because the next round would be even more compelling than the previous. But let's not get ahead of ourselves here.

It was a real solid showing yesterday for American tennis and it was sorely needed. This should be something to build on. It should pull some of the kids off those freaking ipods and other electronic gizmo's and onto the courts. I swear they care more about their ipods than they do the people in their lives. Getting cute with each other! This world is just plain messed up. It's just a shame that Sam Querry didn't hang on and finish Cilic...he would have enjoyed a day in the sun against Britain's finest. We would have too.

This tournament is really taking shape. It is only the round of sixteen and the action has been terrific. There was the Big Surprise when Nadal exited the stadium...isn't it a bit odd how quickly the guy that vanquished him disappeared. The top half has some really good match ups and it couldn't get any better in the bottom at this point in the tournament. There is something for everyone here...we have classical and the modern, even a little quirkiness. It is sort of hard for me to believe the contrast between this tournament and the French Open. One would of thought that the French Open would of been a bit sexier...but here it is that the staid and conservative Wimbledon has all of the pizzaz that the French lacked.

[don_budge]

Roger Federer...Listen up! It's don_budge calling!

I have a couple of bones to pick with Roger Federer. Just a few things that come to mind when I watch him struggle with players that I think he should routinely beat.

Number one is the equipment. The racquet that Roger is playing with is at least 10% smaller than most of his competitors. As far as I can tell his racquet is 90 square inches and the competitions are for the most part 100 square inches. This is too much precious area to give up in a game that has an electronic eye discerning if balls that are flying zillions of miles per hour are within millimeters in or out. That 10% difference in area is really huge in the hands of trained professionals.

When you see the statistics of these matches you realize that during the course of some five set matches this week the players are sometimes deadlocked in the number of points won. At one point near the end of the fourth set with Benneteau after 194 points played...Roger had won 97 and his opponent had won 97. Come on...in a sport that is being played so fast and so close you must make certain that your equipment is up to the task and that you are not losing points in the course of the match because of it. That racquet that Federer plays is costing him millions. It would be impossible to ascertain just how much it has cost him over the course of his career...how many more Grand Slam titles he may of won if he had just paid a bit more attention to his choice of equipment.

The second thing that sort of makes me wonder about his judgement is his play on the grass when it comes to approaching the net and when it comes to volleying. Early on in Federer's career it looked as if he would follow in Pete Sampras' footsteps to become a great serve and volley player...especially on the grass of Wimbledon. But as Stotty has informed us there has been much engineering on the lawn at the All England Club and serve and volley has been delegated to a less frequently used option...to say the least. But when Federer is volleying he certainly does not have anywhere the comfortable look that Sampras had for instance. Too often...when the ball is at waist level or higher Roger chooses to use a full swing rather than classic volley technique. The problem is not that he misses balls at these higher heights...the problem is that he does not look as comfortable on balls that he must use the classic volley motion. By swinging at the high balls he has lost his touch on the more feathery of volleys. Furthermore...I must question his choice of approach shots as well as he opts frequently to use topspin to approach the net when conventional wisdom used to say that underspin or sidespin was the percentage play. Too often his ball will set up or land short because of his choice of topspin for him to effectively get into position to volley. That being said everything in the game has been engineered to the detriment of the volleyer in modern tennis.

Finally...there is this thought about the Federer backhand. Since Roger is playing the one handed backhand we must give a bit of thought about what he is doing with it tactically as well as technically. Most of the time...in modern tennis the guy on the other side of the net is going to be playing a backhand with two hands. The backhands on tour are most impressive these days in the sense of power and the ability to repeatedly get the ball in play. The one question that I have for Federer is his choice of tactics. Too often he plays his topspin right into the teeth of his opponents two handed backhands which is giving them the ball they want to hit...waist high or higher. Right in their strike zone. Benneteau in particular looked to be very comfortable in handling the Federer topspin drive but when Roger started to mix in the slice it seemed to upset his comfort zone just a bit...it seemed to have him just a bit off balance.

Federer used to make his living using the slice to set up the two handed competition. I remember in particular...for instance, how he used to own Söderling on the backhand side by employing the slice. Slice, slice, slice...until he got the two hander to drop to the one hand slice themselves, then he had them...or he sliced until he got the ball he could run around and pound it into either corner with his Federfore. The Federer we have seen in the last couple of years seems to be too prone to predictability as he drives his backhand over and over. Traditionally the big advantage of the one hand backhand is its flexibility...its versatility. Arm in arm with the comments about his approach game go with this observation that he should be approaching more often with underspin off the backhand wing. What you lose in overall power with underspin you gain in versatility of placement as in depth or angles...particularly when you are close to the net. Plus...don't forget disguise as in the ability to mix in the drop shot. He must use all of the tricks in his bag as at this point in his career he is going to be hard pressed to out gun...the big guns.

So Roger...just a little friendly advice from yours truly, don_budge, I think that if you beef up your equipment a bit and supe up your approach and volley game and mix up your play on the backhand side. You might win a couple of key points to get you over the hump...against the likes of Djokovic and Nadal et al.

[stotty]

Wimbles

You're right, don_budge. Federer set out as a serve and volleyer in his early days at Wimbledon. He was showing signs of being a decent one too. But then he abandoned the idea and spent the rest of his career on the baseline. I'm puzzled why he stopped approaching the net. It was a mistake. He is less comfortable at the net now than he was then...sheer lack of familiarity and practice, nothing else...a wasted opportunity in my view. How handy would that have been against Nadal as Nadal improved and surpassed him.

Very true about his sliced backhand, too. That shot has saved him from losing at least one of those Wimbledon crowns to Nadal in the past. He plays the shot cleverly...it's been useful.

Wimbledon made a terrible mistake some years ago. They asked the players and coaches how they would like to see the grass courts play to be more entertaining and better to play on. Being as the majority of the players on the tour by that time were baseliners, and most coaches were coaching baseliners, the players and coaches thought it would be a wonderful idea if they could have a higher bounce that was a little slower. No problem, said the Wimbledon committee, we'll change the grass seed to a 100% rye to produce exactly the playing service you want. The rest is history...serve and volley swiftly became extinct and we have "green clay courts" as Michael Stich put it.

The grass these days is also more resilient, and sometimes watered overnight to maintain its greenness. There are no brown patches on the approaches to the net or in any other areas other than the baseline. It was those brown patches that produced the fastest bounces. The bounce becomes higher as the grass browns and much, much quicker. Bjorn Borg, years ago, was very vulnerable in the first week of Wimbledon because of the low, shooting bounces. By the second week, when the bounce became higher and faster, he became lethal and the favourite to win the event. But even Borg had to serve and volley to win Wimbledon. He could never have done it purely from the baseline ... impossible ... courts were just too quick and strongly favoured good volleyers.

Nowadays we have a higher and slower bounce...baseline grass court tennis...I'm not a fan...it's not how it should be.

[stotty]

Djokovic looking good...

Djokovic is now looking really good. Federer isn't. I'm worried about Murray.

Murray has the ability to win the tournament but I'm not sure he has the nerve to win it. He was poor against Baghdatis. He admitted being nervous during the match, and boy did he look it. He really needs to get it into his head that he has to be assertive and play at full throttle if he is to have any chance of winning this title. Even with Lendl (who likes the Terminator, doesn't he?) in his camp he struggles to be aggressive in key matches. If anyone knew how to take a match by the balls it was Lendl...yet he's finding hard to convey the same metal to his protege...it needs to happen right now. The match against Cilic is a cinch, but the next match won't be. It's now or never..."step up to the plate, Murray"

Del Potro looks a reasonable outsider if he can string his biggest game together.

It's been an interesting Wimbledon so far....

[tennis_chiro]

Ditto

I gotta say I'm pretty much right in line with Licensed Coach and Don_Budge. Hate to be so agreeable, but I think they are right on.

Here are my picks for the Round of 16 (note: I did turn them in Sunday night)

http://www.10sballs.com/2012/07/02/round-of-16-picks-for-10schiro/

My week is CT was terrific. Check the link.

don

[don_budge]

The sound of one hand clapping....in the forest

A round of applause for the dear tennis_chiro. What an effort...you are an inspiration! Much love Big Brother! From all of us.

Great article and great to hear from you!

[don_budge]

The Full Moon over Wimbledon...Nature’s call to karma

I gotta say I'm pretty much right in line with Licensed Coach and Don_Budge. Hate to be so agreeable, but I think they are right on.

don

I almost hate it too, tennis_chiro. When you are agreeable, that is. OK my friend...try your best to agree with this little piece of Moon Madness.


The Full Moon...the Madness within me

Yesterday the rain fell down on our favorite parade...The Wimbledon Championships. Nature was playing with us again. That’s ok...we live to play another day. It’s all we can do. There is another factor that is a bit less obvious to the rest of you...but those of you that know can feel it. You can feel it in your pounding heart...in the middle of your chest. The brain feels like it is on fire...white light igniting and illuminating the mind. Weird scenes burst from deep down inside of the gold mine. The full moon comes out tonight...playing havoc with sensitive souls and wolves. I knew there was something mysterious at work during these championships. I could feel it. The action and the drama has just been too good. Anybody else out there feeling it? Anybody out there think that I am crazy? A lunatic? If you do you are not alone...my wife does.

Ahem...we as a race of people sure do have it figured out don’t we? We've got it all down by numbers. We've got mobiles, ipods, skype and facebook...who needs to look each other in the eye anymore? We can avoid eye contact with gizmo's. Just send a text. It's easy. Who cares? It's obsolete. We've sort of grown pretty smug in general. Just take that amazing work of man...the roof over centre court at Wimbledon. What an engineering marvel. We have all of the answers, don’t we? Or do we?

The pitter patter of the rain danced on the retractable roof as Novak Djokovic tap danced all over his compatriot Viktor Troicki in three straight and unbelievably succinct sets. That’s twelve straight poundings and it is certainly no way for you to get out of that looming shadow, Viktor. Stand up. Be a man about it. Djokovic’s next rival is either Florian “The Quirk” Mayer or Richard “That Girl had Cocaine Lips” Gasquet. Mayer quirked out the first set against Gasquet in their quest to meet “The King”...the current King that is. I can almost hear Gasquet snorting in disbelief.

Roger “The Man” Federer did a nice little piece of work on Xavier Malisse, another alleged drug user...another alleged cheater. Roger hurt his back in the first set, went into the locker room for treatment...then came out a bit gingerly at first but he proceeded to pound Malisse back to Belgium...back into the night. After coming out of the locker room Roger appeared to be significantly hampered by a back problem, most noticeably on his serve, but he seemed to work out the kinks and shifted his game into full throttle. I liked the way he played after he came out of the locker room after his treatment. He used a full assortment of shots against Malisse to hold him at bay and keep him off balance until he could feel confident of his tender back and get his feet back under him...his dancing feet. Don't forget to click below.

http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/music_videos/federer_fh_not_gone/index.html

This guy is poetry in motion. An impressive match at less than 100% capacity but he needs to step it up a notch against Mikhail Youzhny...not so much that the Russian is set to press him after 13 straight defeats. But it is the next round that is looming in the light of the night, under the full moon in London, for the Swiss Maestro. It is you know who. The Werewolf of London?

Mardy Fish did himself a huge favor by taking the first set against the Baby Bull from France...Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Nature then did him a solid and stopped the match so now Fish needs only to win two of the remaining four possible sets. This is a big break for Fish as this is apparently his first tournament since April...according to tennis_chiro. His endurance may be suspect at this point. His capacity for a fifth set may be suspect. Scooting into the quarter finals at Wimbledon would be a big feather in his cap at this point of his season. He looks fit for a fight too. He was aggressive and tactically aware against his beefier opponent. He deserved that first set and if he comes out and gets the next set he is in the driver’s seat.

What can I say about the last match in the bottom half. Well as it turns out I have quite a lot to say. This is about the underdog. The down trodden. The boy who would be King. This is where the full moon is in play. That shining orb that rules the night. Brian Baker’s karma has brought him here...to this point in time and space. This is fate...this destiny. Forget about luck or coincidence. He’s got the moon and the stars in his corner...they are all lined up. What other explanation is there for it? It’s the metaphysics stupid. Stick that one in your craw...all of you technique gurus. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. This is what “the game” is all about. I am not talking just about tennis here. This is the game of life being played right before your very eyes. Life and Death, that is. You think I am joking? Keep an eye on this one folks. Boys and girls. There is some magic in the night here. Do you believe? In the Impossible Dream? I do...I humbly do. Don Quixote lives...I refuse to believe that he ever died. I refuse. Come on Brian...come on. Come on baby. Come on Mr. Moonbeam.

I know that you can be beaten to an inch of your life, to the very brink of existence, to an existential moment...but if somehow you can get back on your feet and grin maniacally at the devil staring at you in the face and start to fight back with all your might...you are still in the game. You do know what an existential moment is don't you? You still have a chance. It’s not over till it is over. Until the last point has been played. Until the fat lady sings. Your last dying breath. Baker knows this. This kid has some fire burning deep inside of him. He got it through pain and suffering. Just as you and I do. It is the fire that is built on disappointment after bitter disappointment. Facing defeat after defeat...then all of a sudden you are back on your feet again. You are back in the game. It doesn’t seem real at first...you may sit up and ask yourself “is this real” at some point. You look around you. You shake your head. You feel yourself over all over. But be assured this is real. Be advised that this is real. This is reality. This is no time to be afraid...of what is before you. Are you a squirrel or are you a lion?

Moonbeams dancing on his brain, pounding in his heart and in his soul, his moment has arrived. Today it is Phillipp Kohlschreiber who stands in the way of his destiny. Brian has some brilliant light in his eye. Like the glowing coals of a fifteenth century Italian poet...it is his time to shine. Whether or not he wins is of no consequence and he knows this. Win or lose...what the fuck does he care? What do I care? This is his advantage. It’s one thing not to care in the first place. Not giving a shit is the human condition. Look around you. Look inside of you. But to arrive at the conclusion that you don’t care after fighting for your life, for everything that you hold dear to you...that is quite a different thing. That is quite another thing altogether. I will guarantee you this...this kid knows what I am talking about. Whether he knows it or not. It is a full moon tonight and Brian is dancing on moonbeams. Me too. My pounding heart is with you...kid. A primal scream in the dead of night! A howling wolf in a Swedish forest. Unbridled passion! The dog fight of life. I know what you have been up against kid. All of you. All of us. No surrender! No prisoners! Defeat is not an option. It's a full moon tonight.

[don_budge]

The Results are in...The Quest in the Quarterfinals

Yes, I'm being followed by a moonshadow
Moonshadow, moonshadow
Leaping and hopping on a moonshadow
Moonshadow, moonshadow -Cat Stevens

Alright...first things first. Brian Baker was in a little over his head at this point. But the possibilities were too good to pass up and as it turns out, too much to hope for. But...it gave me hope...it should give all of us hope. What we would all do for just a little hope. Know what I mean...bottle. Personally...he inspired me. To once again to do my best. No matter the circumstances it is only important that I do my best. It is the meaning of life. It is vitally important. There's no point in giving up...at any point. Anything is possible if you live to play another day. Lose a match...there's another to be played. Lose at love...well you get the picture. One never knows. Brian wakes up today knowing he did his best...this often is the only consolation in life. It may not seem like much at the time...but if you can just establish a pattern in your life. Something that successfully repeats itself. Well...the chips are going to fall where they may anyways. Tennis players suffer from the same inevitable fate that we do. But it's ok. That's life.

If only he had won that second set tie-breaker. Who knows? He could of turned it into a donnybrook. A dogfight. But alas...like all good dreams it came to an end. At the hands of the "cabbage shredder". Kohlschreiber is a solid player and his match up with Tsonga appears to be too one sided. Tsonga is a bit too powerful for anyone using one side of the racquet to play against. This is going to be extra interesting because of that little factoid...and the food for thought that geoffwilliams has fed us via his article on how to weaponize your backhand. I tried it for two minutes and drove everything into the ground. bottle...you the expert on experimentation...how long to stick with something before you give up? I just automatically reverted back to what I can trust. If you cannot trust it...you must discard it.

At any rate...thanks to you Brian Baker. What you did for American tennis if anyone was paying attention...and that is a big "if" these days...cannot be duplicated. It is too bad that Mardy Fish didn't have it in him against the Baby Bull either. Just imagine what an all American quarterfinal would of meant to the drought of tennis in the States. On the fourth of July no less. Sadly...as reality sets in after the full moon in Capricorn...the reality is all of the Americans have been sent home packing. Good bye. Happy fourth of July! Enjoy the fireworks!

In the top half it looks like Djokovic against Federer. How much of a serious chance can you give a quirky player like Florian Mayer against a wrecking machine like Djokovic. Not much unless you have had a lot to drink...or smoke. One thing that "The Quirk" may have going for him is that he and Djokovic have only played once...with the predictable result, a "W" for Djokovic. Whereas familiarity may breed contempt...unfamiliarity breeds the element of surprise perhaps. It is the only chance for quirkiness to prevail at this stage of the game...at this stage of the tournament. Quirkiness and gimmicks tend to be either gone or going home at this stage of Wimbledon. The unorthodox has normally hit the highway at this point. Nothing quirky about Djokovic however, he only possesses big bombs under both wings...the forehand and backhand sides. His serve is a bit of a missile as well. Florian may make it interesting...he is capable of muzzling the big guns on any given day. I am very curious as to what kind of tactics he will employ against an opponent that he is obviously outgunned against. When technically inferior it is paramount to have a tactically sound game plan. Perhaps using a combination of subtlety and counterpunching. Slicing to the Djokovic backhand? A combination of high and soft or low and wide? What is the weakness in Djokovic's game that Mayer perceives where he can begin to whittle away with his "quirkiness" at the nerves and confidence of such an impeccable and devastating machine? If you cannot "knock" him off balance is it possible to subtly do it with spin and change of pace? Good question at any rate. This isn't completely outside of the realm of possibilities but it must be viewed at least as a very rare event. Something that may possibly occur once in a "Blue Moon". I saw Mayer reduce Robin Söderling to a puddle of tears in Stockholm a couple of years ago. Robin who?

Federer is sort of our glowing question mark these days. He will hopefully come out and show Mikhail Youzhny who is boss early on and give him a quick heave ho. He needs to get down to business and get ready for the human wrecking machine. He is going to need his full repertoire against Djokovic and he may as well tune all of it up against the Russian. Slice backhands and some stellar net play will greatly contribute to any hopes that Roger will have in unseating Novak. On the other hand...he better not lose sight of Youzhny. This guy is solid. Lots of knowledgeable people have been predicting good things from this complete player for years. If he puts all of his eggs in one basket for three or four hours against The Fed Express...he is capable of eliminating him despite the fact he has never beaten him in thirteen tries. He's only won three sets to boot. There is always that first time though...and an upset here will kill the tournament. There can be a big let down after the craziness and insanity that the full moon instigates. It can feel like the air going out of a balloon...very quickly.

http://www.tennisplayer.net/members/music_videos/federer_fh_not_gone/index.html

David Ferrer vs. Andy Murray is actually the question of the day. To be or not to be...that is what Andy has to asking himself here. In fact...he should of been asking himself that the whole time, his whole life. His existential moment may very well be here at hand. It may all be resting on this match. Even his girlfriend may leave him if he loses yet another winnable big match. But he has his hands full. David Ferrer has all along in his career demonstrated that he is a guy who is willing to pay the price. He is willing to gut it out. Against any and all comers. It appears that he manhandled Del Potro...who is no weak sister. Murray is his type of opponent particularly when it is for all of the marbles. Nobody will question Ferrer's intestinal fortitude whereas there are few that will validate Murray's. I even wonder if Ivan Lendl would at this point. How much can he be expected to take? That is a tough match up as player and coach goes...a classic underachiever and the hell bent over achiever. That being said in a big match like this with all of the pressure that is being put on Murray to live up to his reputation...it may be another sad and disappointing day for the Brit's. This has the potential of being the match of the tournament so far.

The "cabbage shredder" and the unigrip. That aspect of the match up with Tsonga is the fascinating thing due to geoff's article on this particular peculiar technique theme. Pay attention to his ability to how he handles balls that stay low and close to the "cabbage velcro" that is Wimbledon grass these days.

[stotty]

Fed and Murray

I think Federer must be the greatest ever at beating lower ranked players. Anyone below a certain standard he simply takes apart. Straight up and downers with little variety to their game like Youzhny are made to look nothing, like they can't play the game...I mean, it's embarrassingly easy.

He'll have to serve well on Friday against the Serb, though. I don't think they've met on grass so it will be intriguing to see what Federer can do. That sliced backhand should come in handy...might be the only way to negate things...stop Djokovic becoming overly dominant in rallies. I hope Federer can play intelligently with his slice...he'll need to.

I missed the Murray/Ferrer game. I taped it...will watch it tonight. The scoreline suggested it was a tight game. I expected that. Murray must have played well on the big points...encouraging if he did.

Tsonga's not going to be easy for Murray but it is a very winnable match. I just hope Tsonga is not going to have one of his wonder days.

Just get to the bloody final, Murray!...Stotty and tennis_chiro believe in you even if you don't believe in yourself.

[stevenmila]

on the money

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304141204577508703013750414.html

doubt he can bluff it
steven