2012 Wimbledon Championships...London, England

[don_budge]

To Be or not to Be...that is the question

HAMLET:
To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscover'd country from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action.--Soft you now!
The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remember'd.

[don_budge]

Hej Roger...hej Andy!!! Your destiny awaits you.

I love that soliloquy, don't you. Hamlet is merely musing whether it is better to live or die. He is contemplating suicide...and all of its residual ramifications. You know...life is no picnic sometimes, that is why so many people drink or take drugs. But guess what...the alternative isn't a lock either. One never knows.

Well...that is a bit heavy for a tennis match. But don't be so certain. These guys are dead serious. Federer and Murray in particular are staring at existential moments of their own. Both boys are so young. Give them a few years...then they will really understand what an existential moment really is. But for now these moments will do...for us to contemplate, as tennis is a metaphor for life.

I discussed Roger earlier in a post in this thread. I just love this guy...his attitude, his tennis game, his history and development...even the way he moves. i love even his antiquated choice of racquets...it shows he has a heart. A conscience. This video kills me. Johnny Yandell...you are a beautiful guy...an artist. Living the dream. Even the words of the song keep hammering home to me...on my brain. Like glowing coals. Weird scenes from deep down and inside the gold mine. Life is a series of existential moments, especially for the have not's...it is only that we have been lulled to sleep by all of our gizmo's and gadget's. Run Roger...run. Dance little Brother! Dance! It is time to Tango. It is time to tangle. Does this guy move like a big cat or what? He is so...poetry in motion!

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

So Roger Federer goes up against arguably the reigning King in tennis. Certainly the most consistently hottest player on the tour for the past year and a half or so...The Meteoric Djokovic. Remember when I coined Djokovic meteoric on March 30 of last year. I hate to say it...I told you so. So what is Roger to do? To be or not to be. Should he live to play another day in the final or should he commit suicide and go out with his tail between his legs in the semi here...as Hamlet contemplates in his soliloquy.

Well in my estimation...he should live. Live to play another day is my motto. The point is that as discussed in my previous thread...it will be suicide for Roger to continually pound his one handed backhand drive into the teeth of Djokovic's two hander. Novak will eat him for lunch picnic style on the lawn of the All England club should he decide to try and outslug the Serb from the backcourt, particularly trying to match backhand for backhand drive will be suicidal. So what to do? Take a page out of the quirky Florian Mayer's book...when outgunned by a superior opponent try to outsmart him. Out think him. Maneuver and manipulate...it's the art of war. Much as the article suggests that stevenmila has posted. Bluff him? It's only a poor choice of words. Play it smart is a better way of putting it. You have undoubtably heard the expression...fuck 'em if they cannot take a joke...well I have my own take on things and I say...joke 'em if that cannot take a fuck. OK...with me so far? Not with me? Hang in there, I will try and make it crystal clear.

Djokovic is virtually impregnable on the forehand side. There lies all kinds of trouble for the unsuspecting fool that would try to dismantle this side of the Djokovic equation. Tilden would have to think twice here trying to dismantle the Serb's nuclear forehand...attacking the opponents strength first in the hopes of neutralizing it so that the rest of the dominoes fall in line. So now we are left to contemplate the backhand side. I have seen numerous players play change of pace and variation of placement to Djokovic's backhand with limited levels of success. The big reason that they cannot pull it off for the entire course of the match is that they lack either the talent, the full complement of shots or the general wherewithal to carry this cerebral tactic to completion...to fruition. It will take a lot more than joking around on the backhand side of Djokovic...you have to have the other guns in your pocket to take advantage of the tiny opportunities that will emerge from such a tactic...from such a strategy. Roger has those guns. His forehand and his serve are lethal weapons and he needs to properly set the table to put them into play at their most effective best.

This business of bluffing in the Xavier Malisse match is a poor choice of words...but of course the interpretation is left to the reader to choose. I put it this way in this thread:

"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."

When Roger was injured and feeling uncertain he was temporarily outgunned by an inferior opponent and what he did is what all decent tennis players worth their salt should do...he played the ball in a manner that kept him in the game, in the point until he was able to take matters into his own capable hands. He lived to play another day, so to speak. Instead of recklessly playing overly aggressive when his back was feeling a bit gingerly...he merely played the ball to Malisse where he knew that Malisse could not hurt him with a lethal return. It is possible that this sort of tactic may be employed by a healthy Federer against a healthy Djokovic? I will say this...in order for Roger to win this one he will have to find a page out of the tactical book. And of course we all know what the book is...the book is Tilden. Federer must keep Djokovic at bay and off balance...then apply the stiletto or the stake to the heart as the opportunity arises. Or whatever he can get his hands on.

To solve for "x"...we must first balance the equation. That is, we must thoroughly understand how Roger's relative strengths and weaknesses stack up against the relative strengths and relative weaknesses of Djokovic in the above and following analysis. Roger is strongest when he is serving tough and hitting his forehand aggressively...and at the same time trying to conclude things at the net when possible. When approaching the net I recommend thoughtful and stealthy approach shots and not the typical topspin that is going to stand up and give Djokovic a big swing at. The Federer backhand is not weak by any means or any stretch of the imagination but in the chain that makes up the total tennis game of Federer...it is certainly the weak link. The question then is how to maximize the effectiveness of this relative weakness in the big picture of the match. The answer to that is to intelligently employ the slice and the chop when called for. Put the ball in a place with spin where Djokovic will be less likely to conclude the point. Perhaps the biggest question though is ...within the Federer camp...with the Federer brain trust is can they come up with a tactic or a strategy that will work against the Serb tennis demolition machine? This is a big if...isn't it? It seems that a big chunk of the Federer tactical acumen left and departed with Tony Roche. It's too bad...because he will definitely have to "think" this one through.

Plus there is another very important factor here...how will the Fed Express feel on this particular day. At thirty one he is anything but washed up but on the other hand he feels more like performing on some days compared to other days. Let us hope that this is one of those days when he recalls the power of the dragon...from his legendary and mythical days as the once and future King of tennis. My sword and my wand are with you...Roger.

Murray on the other hand...not so much needs to be said. He is a simple lad, even unable to grow a decent beard as my best friend from Hawaii pointed out to me from the other side of the world this morning. He could play Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest in a remake of that classic...if and only if he does not have to speak too much. Perhaps Andy has missed his calling. Maybe he should of been an actor...another type of pretender. He just hasn't demonstrated the intestinal fortitude that these other two have...or the charisma for that matter. As Stotty suggests...just get to the damned final Andy. Then we can start on him...and ask him some existential questions. That being said...he has gotten a huge break in the draw...right? Better to face the "Baby Bull" Tsonga than the "Spanish Stallion" Nadal in the semis.

[stevenmila]

such drama

Don - I don't think that bluff is the way to go - merely the article posts the well known stats. that show feds. decrease in net inclination over the years - and implies that his back is not helping him flex down to the low net balls - needless to say feds chance lie in the heavens - let it rain - how bout some indoor tennis - can he join the 2nd act crowd - I sincerely hope so.

[don_budge]

Heaven...can wait. Meatloaf

- needless to say feds chance lie in the heavens - let it rain - how bout some indoor tennis - can he join the 2nd act crowd - I sincerely hope so.

Heaven is listening...the roof is closed.

Heaven can wait
And a band of angels wrapped up in my heart
Will take me through the lonely night
Through the cold of the day
And I know
I know
Heaven can wait
And all the gods come down here just to sing for me
And the melodies gonna make me fly
Without pain
Without fear
Give me all of your dreams
And let me go along on your way
Give me all of your prayers to sing
And I'll turn the night into the skylight of day
I got a taste of paradise
I'm never gonna let it slip away
I got a taste of paradise
It's all I really need to make me stay-
Just like a child again

[stotty]

Federer is 2 sets to 1 up...can he keep it up?

[stotty]

I'm pleased...seen the wrecking machine play better but Fed was immaculate. I think Fed's form took Djokovic by surprise. He really wasn't expecting him to play that well.

[stevenmila]

and the forecast...

http://www.weather.com/weather/weekend/London+UKXX0085:1:UK

60% chance rain -
as an ex brit i'd love to see murray/fed - win,win - come on murray!

[stotty]

The question is how can Murray overcome a scintillating Federer?

He has to serve well, hug up to the baseline, and be really aggressive...that's what I think. But will he? Has he got the metal? Will he go all passive on us again? If ever Lendl was needed it's right now...this is why he was hired. Will having the terminator in his corner make all the difference

What's you take, don_budge...stevenmila, tennis_chiro, John Yandell? Can Murray do it? What will he have to do to win?

[don_budge]

The Bluff...know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em

Know when to walk away...know when to run. Kenny Rogers..."The Gambler".

I watched the Federer match yesterday on Hunter Live Score. John and Patrick McEnroe commentated on the match. At least I think it was yesterday...right now it is 4 AM in Sweden. The wife is going to a horse show...leaving me alone in the Swedish countryside with the dogs, the dog and the wolf to be more correct. But what a match...the tennis court is a stage where yesterday we saw one bull rage. The Swiss Maestro in all of his glory...wearing those Wimbledon whites like no other player today can. He provided us with yet another memory before he too becomes a blast from the past. He fulfilled his destiny. He took the bull by the horns. He seized an opportunity by the balls. He left no doubt about it. He decided that it was nobler to be.

There is something about Roger. All of the current players pale in comparison to him. He has his history of course but there is something else...it's his personna, something unmistakably Federer. There had been some conversation about using "The Bluff" at these championships and John McEnroe brought it up in the course of conversation prior to the match. He noted he had never once seen Roger summon the trainer to the court to tend to him as he did in his match against Xavier Malisse. He was slightly insinuating, ever so slightly suggesting that perhaps Roger was engaging in some sort of gamesmanship. That perhaps Roger was giving Djokovic a little something to think about in the buildup to their faceoff.

"Like an old lone wolf he is sizing up his prey with his cunning eyes." That was my comment back on the 29th of June. It's frightening how much McEnroe and I think alike sometimes. A little leery in the department of human character it seems. Just a touch of cynicism. Johnny Boy touched on the same suggestions that I was making to Federer in my imaginary conversation the other day...he talked about the slice backhand being an effective weapon and he mentioned that coming to the net behind typical topspin groundstrokes may not be in the approaching players best interests these days...unless they like to volley dipping bullets. The old bad boy recommended mixing up the depth and spin on those approach shots to throw the opposition off just a bit as they attempt to get set up to hit the passing shot. You know...for a raging lunatic this guy makes a lot of sense.

It was a great program that I was watching yesterday. There was a prematch chat with Darren Cahill and Brad Gilbert where they were adding up the relative strengths and the relative weaknesses of the two combatants (they were balancing the equation and solving for "x" as it was) and the final category they discussed was "intangibles". Roger scored high here with all of his experience but the one thing that they may of neglected to mention was that Djokovic was suffering from a cold. Now that may not sound the alarms in your noggin but it does in mine. Something like that may account for the one sided pounding that Federer administered to Djokovic...it doesn't take a whole lot to swing the pendulum to decidedly one side at that level of the game. The amazing thing about Björn Borg's run back in the 70's was that for five consecutive years he never caught a cold or perhaps even more importantly never had a fight with his girlfriend during the Wimbledon fortnight leaving him to do what he did best...serve up "toonder" balls. Djokovic's cold plus the fact that the old wolf had been sizing up his opponent for a week, especially when he knew that Nadal had been given a one way ticket back to Majorca...may of swung the pendulum to Federer's favor.

Federer came to play yesterday. He was fit as a fiddle. That was one of the big factors that I thought about it when I was mulling over Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy. I asked myself...what are the odds of Federer delivering a virtuoso performance at the ripe old age of 31 since the modern game is unforgiving in its tolerance of age...in maturity. He answered that question resoundingly with his match yesterday. He was fit for a fight. Perhaps Djokovic was just a bit "down" due to some kind of cold but that only incited the old wolf to further rip him to shreds. The Meteor's light sort of blinked...and he got KO'd in the process. Roger used the slice backhand to good effect. I still think that he could use it even more as I don't recall Djokovic ever hurting him when he used that shot. Roger's drive backhand was also very effective as he was driving it very deep into the Djokovic court consistently. But the keys to success were not only in minimizing the weakness but in maximizing the strengths. The forehand and the serve served "The Man" in good stead. You see...it is a bit like linear algebra with all of the permutations and combinations.

Then Andy Murray took the stage and defeated Baby Bull Tsonga in four sets. Yawn. The last vivd memory that I have of Roger and Andy playing at a Grand Slam event was in Australia where Roger beat him so badly...that he made Andy cry. Lendl will not permit crying I can guarantee that. But he cannot guarantee that Murray has changed either so what will Murray have to do to beat Federer...Stotty? He might take a page out of Tanya Hardings book and hire some thug to pound on Roger's knees between now and Sunday. Tanya used this "technique" to render Nancy Kerrigan unable to perform back in 1994 and it seemed to work out pretty good. That is...until she was apprehended by the authorities.

This is a dream match up in the finals for everyone involved. There are no losers here. The game of tennis wins one more time to have its Noble Knight once more questing for the crown but Britain herself has their only hope in the mix so everybody wins. Murray is not expected to triumph tomorrow so if he does...London will be rocking!

[stotty]

Murray

If the roof goes on (the forecast is poor) this will swing heavily in Federer's favour. If not, and Murray can truly find his best form, then the odds are actually slightly in Murray's favour.

Federer's backhand was amazing yesterday. It was equal to his forehand, and even more secure. It won him the match. He slugged it out toe-to-toe and backhand to backhand at key times with Djokovic...something I never thought was possible on his backhand wing. That's the wonder of being a genius...he can always come up with something you've never seen before. That backhand was a revelation against Djokovic.

But don't underestimate Murray. He may be dull, monotone, boring...but simple he isn't. He's probably the smartest of the four top players.

Another thing about Murray being a passive player: It's part of his tennis character. He is a stroker, not a slugger. He times the ball exquisitely well. He is not the sort of player you can ask to out and be aggressive from the get-go. He has to wait for the moment to come, the moment when he becomes more relaxed, unfettered and flowing, the moment when his timing does the work. When he played Tonga, it was there from the get-go, but that's unusual, usually it takes a little longer, or sometimes it never happens at all.

It's important to understand this feature of Murray's game and temperament because if you don't you will misinterpret his sometimes passive play as being a lack of guts, lack of metal. Not all players are obvious…sometimes you have study the causes…sometimes you have to look deeper.

Much though I love Federer and his game, I will be hoping it's Murray's day on Sunday.

[stotty]

Radwanska

I thought Radwanska was great in the women's final. She reminds me of Martina Hingis. I saw her play on court 3 when I was at Wimbledon in the first week. She places the ball into awkward places and makes it difficult for opponents. She is also very consistent and has a great temperament...she didn't panic at a set and 4-2 down...she was looking for a way into the game....I really like that...

I'm glad she didn't get blown away...I enjoyed watching her play.

[don_budge]

Federer vs. Murray...The Once and Future King

What a dream come true for Roger Federer. He gets to play the most "vulnerable" of the Big Four in the finals of the 2012 Wimbledon championships. Not only that but he gets to play him in his own backyard. Centre court at Wimbledon is like Roger's playpen isn't it? How much weight will his experience pay off here...I suspect huge dividends. With the roof closed and the pitter patter of rain falling overhead. This is his home away from home. Much like it was Björn Borg's back in the seventies. This man has a lot of incentive too. This one is for the record books...to tie Sampras with seven.

Big moments are what a champion is about. How he handles those moments determines his legacy...this is how he will be defined. This is a great match on paper...Murray actually owns an 8-7 win and loss record against the aging Swiss Maestro, but even that is a bit deceiving. Roger has won five of the last seven meetings and he owns Andy 2-0 in Grand Slam matches, both of which were finals. On the other hand Andy is the first Brit to play for the championship in how many years, since 1936...essentially forever. How bad is the hometown crowd going to be pulling for him? But doesn't that also work against him...that is a lot of pressure to deal with if you are the least bit vulnerable. That is sort of like Djokovic having a cold in the semi's...Murray starts each game down a point. That is pretty tough road to hoe...maybe insurmountable. Particularly when the guy on the other side of the net is Roger Federer.

Forget about wishful thinking...Stotty. And I hate to say this to you...there won't be much luck involved in this match...once again it is all about destiny. The quintessential "To be or not to be" moment. That is the question. The existential question that we all ponder in our quieter and more thoughtful moments...is it fate or is it chance. Federer looks poised and as lean and hungry as a wolf. He will leave nothing to chance. Nothing in Murray's demeanor looks to be very imposing at this point...before the match has even started. Murray must learn to be more "fatalistic". But all that can change and he would be well advised to not lolly gag around before he works up the balls to be aggressive because once "The Man" gets on top you will have to drag him off his victim because he will not stop pounding on him until it is over.

This is part of the beauty of Federer...he may struggle when he is losing but he rarely does when he is winning. Particularly against vulnerable foes. Murray has to come out at the first bell swinging. He will have to surprise "The Once and Future King" at the opening bell and cold cock him at the get go. Murray must grab the first set and do it resoundingly. There won't be any time to work his way into this match. If Roger gets motoring he is going to be like a bulldozer...hard to stop. Federer's confidence is going to be awfully hard to dent at this point in the championships, he has been working himself into a fine lather...and this is what this match is all about. Confidence.

[stotty]

Here we go....no roof, a good start.

[don_budge]

Nerves...

I am afraid that Andy has Wimbledon Center Court nerves. Energy up in the head...footwork suffers and shortness of breath. Failed to consolidate the early break. We shall see.

[stotty]

4-4 no nerves that I can see, from either player. Standard is high.