2013 Wimbledon Championships...London England

[don_budge]

Round of Sixteen...aka The Fourth Round

As usual at the Grand Slam events the men have separated themselves from the boys. Anyone remaining in the draw at this point have withstood some stiff challenges and richly deserve their place in the tournament. Not that the outcome is somewhat predisposed.

Eight matches to be played. How many of them have a clear cut favorite and how many are up for grabs? One never knows...when trying to see into the future. But right at the top of the draw there are two compelling matchups...but are both a bit deceptive in that there is a clear cut favorite. Djokovic versus Haas on paper is really interesting. Haas even has a win over Djokovic recently but is he up for the occasion? Best of five sets on grass? Logic and conventional wisdom tell us that his best years are behind him...but can he mentally convince himself that he can elevate his performance to do what it takes. I don't believe that he can...but he does.

Just below Djokovic and Haas is another really interesting match up. Bernard Tomic and Tomas Berdych. A couple of interesting players that have a big presence here on the forum. Bernard Tomic has a slice backhand video...to which I suggested it would be nice to have a forehand and a serve video as well. To no avail. But it was his underspin backhand that was served up and we analyzed it to death when comparing the "modern" slice backhand to the slice backhand of yesteryear. It looks to me as if the Aussie influence has modified his slice somewhat, as it appears he has changed his technique a bit...it looks to be a bit more Rosewallian. But take a good look at that service setup as well. It looks to be modified too...he looks to be more Samprasesque...what do you think? It would have been nice to have had that service video with the backhand video, you know, just to compare. Perhaps a player of the month as opposed to stroke of the month. What do I know? Just thinking out loud. But I am not complaining...just musing.

I have watched Tomic some against Sam Querry...with whom the question for me was Tomic's intestinal fortitude. Tomic answered that question with a five set victory over bottle's Frankenstein. Then he straight setted James Blake...before taking out the ninth seed Richard "Cocaine Lips" Gasquet in four sets. The kid has game...he even knocked out his excoach to boot...in Spain I think. Mean as a snake...riffs with the police down under and such behavior. He just may be ready for a prime time moment. He is the type of player that may give Tomas Berdych some trouble. Like Stotty notes...he can push and place the ball around the court as well as bang it. But there are some questions about his ability to rise to the occasion...let's see if he can answer some of them.

But now it is Tomas Berdych who is as we all well know...Kyle LeCroix's great hope...probably his great disappointment as well. The collective hopes of Berdych and LeCroix should be kept alive if everything goes to script. Berdych is seeded seventh and Tomic is unseeded. Berdych is coming off of a good win against Kevin Anderson in four sets so his teeth are into the tournament. This could be a tricky match though for the seventh seed. Tomic has everything to gain here and nothing to lose...if he doesn't trip over his bad self.

David Ferrer versus Ivan Dodig...who cares? That is my initial impression about this match and any other match that involves Ferrer. Dodig's best win so far was in the first round against Phillipp "Cabbage Patch Kid" Kohlschreiber in the first round. He has since beaten an American and a Netherlander in subsequent rounds...neither country noted for tennis players currently speaking. But Ferrer is interesting...in that he is so utterly boring, yet so utterly effective. He's a French Open finalist...he gutted out a match against Dolgopolov in five sets in the last round. This guy lives up to his reputation as the "EveryReady Energizer Bunny" time after time. He rarely loses when he is supposed to win. He is supposed to win here but Dodig is rather dangerous. Contrasting styles make this a good matchup...even though it is potentially a snoozer as well. Like any other match that David Ferrer is involved in.

Del Potro versus Seppi. Del Potro. Lukasz Kubot versus Adrian Mannarino. Kubot I hope. I used to have a superviser named Mannarino whom I detested...what a jerk! Hey Mannarino...I am going to skewer you in my epic Ferdinand Cèline takeoff..."Johnny Tango and the Rouge Hotel". You were such a big bellied bag of hot air! But I hope that Mannarino goes down...but then again it doesn't really matter. Not that I believe in revenge. I think that the only revenge in life is success and why try to stoop to be as low as the antagonist...the enemy. They will never stop in sinking to new lows...why bother.

Jerzy "Joe" Janowicz versus Jurgen Melzer. Jerzy! The kid is gaining in valuable experience the deeper he goes in this tournament. If he should make it to the semifinals against Murray he will have built up a nice head of steam. Watch out...his confidence against Almagro was intimidating. Man...was it intimidating. Almagro just hated that ass kicking. It really stung the way Jerzy just kept hammering away...plus the way he was obviously relishing the moment and the attention. Even some of the crappy dropshots that the kid hit messed with Almagro's head. At one point Almago tried to drill one of them through Jerzy "Joe's" midsection...he missed, he lost the point, the match and he looked thoroughly thrashed at the end. Janowicz has two nice matches ahead of him to build upon his confidence and get comfortable with the surroundings...before a potential semifinal with Murray. I wonder why this match is scheduled for court 12 when he is deserving of some rather large attention given his potential to future Championships. He is looking like a thoroughbred positioning himself for the home stretch...chomping at the bit. I like the emotion...but tennis_chiro is absolutely right as usual. He will have to bridle his emotions and keep them in check.

Fernando Verdasco versus Kenny De Schepper. Another unknown Frenchman...where do these guys come from. What are the French doing? QuickStart? Drugs? I doubt it. But it's debatable...contrary to what people may say. These French guys just keep popping out of nowhere. There French names keep multiplying in the draws of the Grand Slams. While the Americans are disappearing. Interesting phenomenon...don't you think so? Never seen De Schepper play but what a draw he has had...Paolo Lorenzi in the first round, walkover Cilic in the second then Juan Monaco in the third. Hardly the stuff of great grass court legend. Verdasco? You guys like his forehand...but I don't think it so suitable for grass court play. On the other hand he took out your darling swimming forehand of Ernesto Gulbis. He probably has one more round in him before...he meets Murray.

Andy Murray...looks to be a "Demolition Man" even without his "RoboCop" Adidas outfit. I think he looks much better in all white clothes and it doesn't hurt his play either. He looks just a bit more dignified. Even the haircut is slightly better...interesting and ironic that he has Ivan Lendl in his corner mentoring him. Lendl also had some problems growing into his role but once he arrived he was there to stay. He was sort of "The Terminator" to Murray's "Robocop". Andy has had a really easy tournament so far and he just may put a real ass whipping on Youzhny...who in turn just may treat us to some realtime racquet smashing fireworks. Wouldn't that be nice to see a couple of nice and new shiny Head racquets going up in smoke...splintering against a chair or maybe even against his own head.

Is it possible to see...Djokovic vs. Del Potro and Janowicz vs. Murray in the semi's. That would be the most entertaining of outcomes...in my humble opinion (just kidding 10splayer!).

[bottle]

During Fascing (sp?) I knew a woman once in Frankfurt named "Sabine"

Chris Fowler could have shown just a little contrition after Chris Evert's prognostication proved more powerful than his.

The better tennis playing Chris suggested that, right after Sabine Lisicki's game declined one more time, she might come back with ferocity.

The other Chris opined at that same moment that he would be "very surprised" if Serena let a 40-15 score slip away again.

Sabine then lifted her game with both mistakes and brilliance to take the match.

One had to feel for the over-hyped Serena, who looked so human and showed everything in her beautiful face. Love ya, Serena.

Sabine also was extraordinarily human, spontaneous, charming, open and genuine in a post-match interview.

And Chris Evert's analysis of this great match's later stages was unbelievably shrewd.

[stotty]

Jerzy

The first thing you notice about Jerzy is that tennis means a lot. He has drive and is very strong willed.

But I can't say I am a fan of his game. He has the big serve and the big forehand so he's bound to do well, but he's basically a slugger. I don't find his forehand as interesting as Nadal's Federer's or Djokovic's. Many of his drop shots are obvious, ill chosen and poorly played at times...although he did hit an exquisite forehand drop shot early in the fifth set against Melzer. Jerzy does move exceptional well for a man of 6'8...never seen anyone that height move quicker or more nimbly. He has a golden opportunity to make the semi from here, and it will be interesting to see how he copes with that opportunity.

But Tomic is a far more interesting player for me. I've watched him a handful of times this Wimbledon and he's someone I really enjoy watching. I like the way he strokes and pushes the ball around...lots of hands and feel....I like that. I hope he can overcome the problems with his manic father. If he had a more settled training and coaching arrangement I'm sure it would help.

[jbill]

Verdasco's forehand on grass

don_budge:

Just curious, why do you suggest that Fernando Verdasco's forehand ism't suitable for grass court play?

bottle:

With respect to Sirena's loss it did seem that Chris Evert's comments were accurate about why she lost. She appeared to have gotten tentative in those last few games of the third set.

To me it also appears that Sirena is maturing somewhat as a person. She was rather gracious to Sabine in her loss. I appreciate that because Sirena generally in the past has tended to forget that without her opponent there is no game. (It takes two to tango and two to play tennis.) It seems she may be learning that she has to always honor her opponent whether it is in victory or defeat.

jbill

[bottle]

Re # 49

I like this, jbill, except you need to get the first "e" in Serena's name correct to make it resemble the word SERENE.

Serena was SERENE, with distance, in her very interesting post-match interview.

Just consider the masterful way she handled the snarky actor playing journalist who wanted to bring in some stupid remark by some worse than stupid person having a stupidissimus moment while representing stupidissimus persons across the globe who always want to say something they think is very original about the muscles in Serena's body.

And I think it's wrong to treat some great sports figure as if she's a patient on a psychiatrist's couch just because we frequently get to see her out in the open-- when clearly most of us are not certified shrinks although certified shrinks can easily be obnoxious, too.

Serena past and present has great personal authority that nitwits may never have wanted to recognize. I refer not just to her tennis-- her first language-- but her French, Spanish and English, all of which she has spoken darn well. And to the maturity which you talk about-- a real positive.

I would just say that this maturity and serenity may have been present in Serena all along whether people wanted to notice it or not.

Doesn't it allow her to play extremely well all or nearly all of the time?

Aretha got it right: R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

P.S. I just re-watched part of the Lisicki-Williams match. Chris Evert was even predicting Lisicki's serve out wide in the deuce court with 100 per cent accuracy. The other Chris wasn't doing that! Nor did he identify the necessary and telling strategy of bringing Serena into the net as Evert did. I think that team reporting-- one person with these strengths, the other with those, can work very well, but when things get really dramatic perhaps one of the two should shut up and in a woman's match that would be the man.

[klacr]

But now it is Tomas Berdych who is as we all well know...Kyle LeCroix's great hope...probably his great disappointment as well. The collective hopes of Berdych and LeCroix should be kept alive if everything goes to script. Berdych is seeded seventh and Tomic is unseeded. Berdych is coming off of a good win against Kevin Anderson in four sets so his teeth are into the tournament. This could be a tricky match though for the seventh seed. Tomic has everything to gain here and nothing to lose...if he doesn't trip over his bad self.

Berdych came through over Tomic. exhausting match for Tberd, more mentally than physically. You could see Tomic's game plan was to junk ball him and give Berdych little pace or opportunity for him to attack. The look on Berdych's face at times during the match was similar to someone trying to figure out a Rubik's cube. In the end, Berdych was successful and his reward is to play Djokovic. TBerd has beaten him before at Wimbledon and has beaten him earlier this year as well. As for the comment that don_budge makes about Berdych being my great hope and great disappointment is 100% correct. Some matches are tougher than others to watch, but I know what he is capable of and if or when he gets a grand slam the joy and appreciation will be that much deeper having gone through the suffering.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[jbill]

The sirens

bottle:

Yeah, I guess I did get Serena's name wrong. I must have been thinking of the Greco-Roman mythological figures, the sirens, who lured seamen to their deaths with their enchanting singing. Maybe "Sirena" fits her better!

jbill

[bottle]

Ha!

[stotty]

Much though I wanted Murray to win, I just loved seeing Verdasco playing that well. That forehand of his is a peach. I watched it up close at Wimbledon last year. His hand sits much higher up the grip than most players...so his palm sits lovely and deep on the handle...the result is lovely. His grip is less extreme than Nadal's which gives him more possibilities...on grass, anyway. He can hit thumpers off lower bounces...a shot that sometimes thwarts Djokovic and Nadal on grass.

He's a lovely player Verdasco. Such a shame he has underachieved.

Jerzy v Murray...interesting.

Sorry Birdy came to an abrupt end, Klacr...he played well for a set and a bit.

[tennis_chiro]

Plan on 7 hours of tennis on Friday

Djokovic over Del Potro
Del Potro allowed just one break of serve on six break chances against his first round opponent, Albert Ramos. Then in the second round against Jesse Levine he dropped another service break on one of three chances in the first two sets of that match. In the third set of that match and the three sets against Zemlja, no break points allowed. Then in the next two matches against sound opponents in Seppi and Ferrer he allowed just 2 break chances each, but he hasn't dropped a service break since the second set of the second round match against Levine; that's ten sets. Cumulative winners to unforced errors is 178 to 61! He had a slight drop off in his third round match stats, but for the other four matches, he is averaging 72% first serves in and winning 87% of those first serve point against a "slouch" like Ferrer! Of course, he is serving easy, averaging just under 120mph on his first serve; he only hit 54 aces. He's hit just one double fault in his last two matches, one in his first two matches and 4 in his third match; six total in 15 sets because of that off day in round three against Zemlja. I think those are the kind of service stats anyone of his height should post routinely, but he is the only one doing it.

I haven't seen any of Juan Martin's matches so far, but he must be playing awfully well. His most recent memory of playing Djokovic at Wimbledon is a good one; beating him for the bronze last summer in the Olympics.

I'd still pick Djokovic, but that should be a very interesting match on Friday.

Murray over Janowicz
Wonderful to see the emotion Janowicz displayed at the end of his match today. But he will have to play the match of his life to beat Murray on Friday. I don't think he is ready to do it yet and Murray has just the tools to blunt and deflect his weapons if they are not really sharp. There will be no room for overuse of the dropshot, energy wasted on histrionics or gift-wrapped double-faults. And he has to bring his skills at finishing in the forecourt to bear! He's showing his weapons are good enough to beat anyone, but his emotional display today, as heartwarming as it was, shows just how hard he was working to maintain his focus against his buddy, Kubot. It's going to be much tougher against Murray. The Scot has been tested enough and he seems to have insulated himself sufficiently from the pressure-cooker atmospherics that plague British hopefuls. His tough match against Verdasco without doing any real physical damage probably makes Andy an even more formidable foe in the semis.

Interesting that there is a 4" differential between opponents in both matches. In both cases the taller man is going to have to keep the points shorter and take the offensive as much as possible to achieve victory. But we can hardly think of either Djokovic or Murray as defensive players; they are two of the most aggressive players in the game.

Should really be fun to watch.

don

[don_budge]

Wimbledon 2013...The Heart of the Matter by Don Henley

The Heart of the Matter...Don Henley

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncF6q3QeltU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEQgkor-jgU

As usual at the Grand Slam events the men have separated themselves from the boys. Anyone remaining in the draw at this point have withstood some stiff challenges and richly deserve their place in the tournament. Not that the outcome is somewhat predisposed.

Eight matches to be played. How many of them have a clear cut favorite and how many are up for grabs? One never knows...when trying to see into the future.

Looking backwards in the rearview is so much easier than the view out in front of us...the one that we cannot see. In front of us are the twists and turns...behind us just the memories.

So I was thinking about the tournament. About each of the players. I mean...it’s not just the winners that make the tournament. It’s the whole thing put together. All of the little scenes wrapped up into one big picture. So I was looking in the rearview mirror this morning...thinking about things. One of those things just happened to be The Championships. It comes and goes too...just like clockwork. They roll out the carpet and the actors and we are blessed with this spectacle to captivate us, to entertain us and in the end...to distract us. From the Heart of the Matter. It seems to me that the heart of the matter occurs right around the round of sixteen. You can clearly see what has transpired and even catch a glimpse of the way forward.

Backing up to the round of sixteen it was Djokovic making hash out of Haas. Djokovic is a spectacle to watch at this point in his career as he is supremely confident and terribly gifted. The thing that makes him unbeatable at times and formidable at all times is his ability to get himself into position and to play intelligently when he is not. Haas had nothing that could put a dent in the armor of Djokovic as all of his shots were absorbed, deflected or otherwise slung back with such unrelenting force that Tommy never had a chance to get his head into the game. He never had a chance to believe that there was any way he was going to beat Djokovic. Only in the last set when he cast caution to the wind did he have a chance. That chance dissipated into nothingness. Djokovic won going away...6-1, 6- 4, 7-6.

Tomas Berdych on the other hand had his hands completely full of an apparently resurgent Bernard Tomic for four sets. Tomic played a sound tactical match and what looked to be to us on television that he pushed the ball around the court. This is a little simplistic to look at his tactics this way as he alternated to placing the ball with the proper spin into the part of the court where Berdych could do the least damage then Tomic went on the attack. An intelligent match but in the end he was perhaps just a tad too tentative against the onslaught of Berdych. He needed to be just a bit more aggressive but Berdych seized the initiative at the precise moment when he had to. One of the best matches of the tournament in my estimation. Berdych nipped him in the bud...7-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4. The pendulum was swinging in both directions. The tournament was an accomplishment for Tomic as well...he is showing signs of maturity. Maybe a little heart too.

David Ferrer over Ivan Dodig 6-7, 7-6, 6-1, 6-1...going away. Much the same with Juan Del Potro over Andreas Seppi. Lukasz Kubot over Adrian Mannarino...serves you right Mannarino! You big bellied bag of hot air! Pompous fool! Not Adrian...I'm talking about Gerry. Talk about a blast from the past...one guy I would have liked to take out in back of the old laboratory and bitch slap him around for a couple of hours. Where was I? Oh yeah...

But back to the heart of the matter. The real heart of this tournament belongs to Jerzy “Joe” Janowicz who is unleashing his feelings and his emotions onto the tennis world. Wearing his rather large heart on his sleeve...Jerzy has treated us to something that the game has been sorely missing for who knows how long...maybe since Federer went comatose. Or just maybe we have to go all the way back to John McEnroe. Passion. Raw unbridled passion. There are those who are critical of this type of player but some of us don’t have a clear choice in life...and this is getting to the heart of the matter as well. Jerzy is what he is and he loves the game of tennis like nobody else does these days. He is not afraid to show it either. The good...the bad...the ugly. He is all in and I hope that he stays that way. Surely there are those that must control their emotions to get the most out of their potential.

But there is the other side of the coin when it comes to human existence, the other side of life...there is passion. Control and passion. A tough combination to beat. And a tough combination to balance or maintain. Jurgen Melzer, himself a former top ten player, gave young Jerzy Boy all he could handle but passion prevailed. Jerzy might have made it a bit easier on himself with more tempered emotions but he doesn’t have a choice...he is what he is. Somethings are not to be changed...not to be altered. He is an emotional tennis player. Which is fun to watch. I see it in myself...we get happy. We get sad. That's life. As a passionate person sometimes you find yourself trapped. When you lead with the heart you care...and in today's world that can be misconstrued as a sign of weakness. It can be disappointing too. But when it's right...everything sparkles!

Sweet Emotion...Aerosmith

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwaydL2MrTQ

Jerzy Janowicz's emotions may cost him a match here and there, even a tournament, but one thing is for certain. He is going to feel it. He is going to help others feel it. He just might annoy some of us who think that going through life masking our emotions and our feelings are some kind of badge of courage and it is possible that they just might be right. In todays world it doesn't pay to advertise what you are thinking...you might just be wrong and therefore subjected to a fate worse then death. Imprisonment! But I can appreciate this young man. He makes me feel it and there is no other player in the tournament that I would wish to see holding that trophy over his head in the end...because I know that he is the one that would feel it and appreciate it the most and most probably he would bring some tears to the eyes of the onlookers who care too.

Fernando Verdasco quietly slipped by Kenny De Schepper, to me an unknown Frenchman who just remain in the future....relatively unknown. Andy Murray weathered a nice display of elegant tennis from Mikhail Youzhny to complete the round of sixteen...and into the heart of the matter. As he would soon find out.

[stroke]

Much though I wanted Murray to win, I just loved seeing Verdasco playing that well. That forehand of his is a peach. I watched it up close at Wimbledon last year. His hand sits much higher up the grip than most players...so his palm sits lovely and deep on the handle...the result is lovely. His grip is less extreme than Nadal's which gives him more possibilities...on grass, anyway. He can hit thumpers off lower bounces...a shot that sometimes thwarts Djokovic and Nadal on grass.

He's a lovely player Verdasco. Such a shame he has underachieved.

Jerzy v Murray...interesting.

Sorry Birdy came to an abrupt end, Klacr...he played well for a set and a bit.

Good call on Verdasco's grip structure. I think Tomic does it about the same way. Verdasco's forehand was clearly the biggest weapon on the court vs Murray. Murray's movement won the match for him. I would have like to have seen the total distance run on that match. Murray's court coverage was stunning. Verdaco's forehand form looks very similar to type 3 fh ideal form of Federer.

[bottle]

For a Better IQ Test

The idea has been advanced that the IQ test which gave Marion Bartoli her 176 wasn't very good.

So let's improve on it. Question 1: Do you ever use the expression "dream come true?" 2: Is your admiration of the actor Pierce Brosnan a bit silly and overdone? 3: Do you ever tell anyone your IQ?

Final score: 42 .

On the other hand, if you can win a second place in a Wimbledon final and make a nice speech afterwards, who needs a high IQ?

But let's give an IQ test to Bartoli's semifinal opponent, Kirsten Flipkens, as well.

Flipkens may have had physical problems that lent themselves to her 6-1,6-2 drubbing but how was her mental game?

This IQ test will consist of a three-part single question: Did you change a losing game and at what point in the two-set match? Did you hit many two-handers since your one-handed slice wasn't doing the job?

Final score: 41 .

[bottle]

Agassi's New Ad: A Review

Why does Gil Reyes look like he's stuffed? Why does Mike Agassi look like a dummy in a wax museum?

Maybe when your boy has too illustrious a career, you yourself become, prematurely, a sitter-upper in an open coffin.

[docjoque]

Why does Gil Reyes look like he's stuffed? Why does Mike Agassi look like a dummy in a wax museum?

Maybe when your boy has too illustrious a career, you yourself become, prematurely, a sitter-upper in an open coffin.

OMG! This commercial BUGS me on so many levels! I just have to FF as soon as I hear it. Even if I'm in the other room I have to get up and change it. OY! It's worse than that Brad Pitt commercial.

As long as I'm ranting: does Chrissie Evert's commentary bug anyone else? I am consistently rolling my eyes at her analysis. Perhaps is goes back to the French Open years ago when Majoli def. Hingis. This gem from Evert: "Majoli is going to have to change her game to win this. You can't just play one dimensional tennis against someone as great as Hingis." All this as Majoli was up a set and a break. Yeah, Chris. Change a winning game because you have a break point against you.

And just from today. Chris: (paraphrased)"Radwanska defeating Madison Keyes was a HUGE win for her. It gave her the confidence she needed to go all the way." Yes, Chris, I'm sure beating the 53 ranked player in the world was a HUGE win for her. I'm sure she went out and celebrated.

This other gem: Fowler: (p) "Aga just broken to go down 3-4 in the match after battling back from 0-40." Evert: (p)"It's the nerves. It's all nerves." Ok, she battles back from 0-40, then the next two points are two let cords by Lisicki...one a dribbler, and the next Radwanska at the net, Lisicki hits a net skimmer that Aga somehow gets her racket on but goes out. Yeah, all nerves Chris. OY!