Davis Cup Final 2014

[klacr]

Sadly, I've seen zero of this Davis Cup. I've been out of town on business. Tennis politics in Orlando. Nothing too exciting.

But I did receive updates on my phone. Looks like the Swiss took the all-imporant doubles point. Confused as to why France didn't play the reigning French Open Champs Benneteau and Vasselin or even Michael Llodra. Sadly for the French, Richard Gasquet's picture should probably shown up on the side of a milk carton because he and his skills disappeared in that doubles match.

Swiss are in command and will lift the trophy today. Federer will add another feather to his cap unless something catastrophic happens.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[gzhpcu]

Tsonga just pulled out! Federer will face Gasquet! This will show if his back is OK and he has gotten used to the court, and the state of Gasquet's nerves... Go for it Roger!

[don_budge]

Disappearing onto the side of a Milk Carton…The 2014 Davis Cup Final

Sadly for the French, Richard Gasquet's picture should probably shown up on the side of a milk carton because he and his skills disappeared in that doubles match.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Don't expect to see a disappearing act by Roger Federer today similar to the one against Gael Monfils the other day. You see…it is all about preparation. Friday's match against Monfils was not an attempt to secure a point so much for the Swiss as it was to get Roger's boots on the ground and to begin the process once more in that attempt to achieve peak performance. He used that match in his words…"he felt better as the match went on".

That was the whole point of Friday…to gage the merit of the doubles point. The verdict was he felt good enough to go there with his longtime friend and doubles partner Stan Wawrinka. To participate in the doubles was an announcement that he was fit for fight and his performance very early on verified this. He is ready. The preparation always changes depending upon the circumstances. This time it was resting and nursing a "niggle" and getting ready for showtime.

Showtime began yesterday with the doubles and both he a Stan gave their collective karma's a boost as they shared the same cosmic umbilical cord in their doubles match against the "Milk Carton Kid" and the "Absent Backhand Volley Kid". The French team assumed the nickname "Lackluster Team". Stan and Roger were pounding it…they were pounding it down the middle and they were pounding it right at them. When they had it set up…they pounded it at Benneteau's backhand volley and came up with spades….a goldmine.

Preparation. What a word. These two guys are as prepared as it gets. With that supreme battle against themselves on last Saturday in the semifinals of the Barclay's under their belts they cruised into France to resume their march to the Davis Cup. Who know's? It may all be orchestrated. A default to get an early start on the preparation for the finals…the Davis Cup finals. Afterall…he had nothing left for Novak on Sunday. There was nothing really at stake exempt another tournament title. The world's number one ranking for the year was already settled. Was priority number two the Davis Cup?

So the preparation is complete no matter the conspiracy theories or wives tales and rumour mongering. None of it matters now…it was all foreplay. Today is the consummation…the act itself. The Swiss have positioned themselves perfectly. They are match tough and the French are not. It's a two man game now and the two from Switzerland are poised with Swiss daggers ready to settle the score.

Roger leads it off against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Richard Gasquet) and I don't expect it to go any further than this. Judging from what I saw Roger has what it takes to put on a classic performance. If he is injured he isn't going to feel it this afternoon. He is too juiced up and he knows he has a rest period coming up until next year. Look for Tsonga (Gasquet) to feel his wrath. He has the new piece of equipment in his hands. He has a stretch of unbelievable preparation behind him. He is poised to take the one prize that he doesn't have. The Davis Cup.

It wouldn't be enough for him to win it cheering on his partner in the final match. He has it in his hands and he won't let it go. Today we see this modern day hero execute one of his final displays. One of his finest. The only question will be how much fight does Tsonga (Gasquet) have in him. He didn't have the belly for the doubles when he could have stepped up for his country. Nope…he couldn't find it inside of him no matter how long or how hard he looked. He declined and passed it over to Richard Gasquet who predictably came up missing against the battle tested and hardened duo of Batman and Robin.

Somehow I don't think I would want to be in Tsonga's (Gasquet's) shoes. Roger is feeling as mean as a snake…you could see that sneer in the doubles. That's a good sign for Switzerland.

[don_budge]

Previous post stands…Gasquet for Tsonga

Tsonga just pulled out! Federer will face Gasquet! This will show if his back is OK and he has gotten used to the court, and the state of Gasquet's nerves... Go for it Roger!

Just substitute the name Richard Gasquet for Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Roger to make Richard wish his mommy never had him.

[don_budge]

An early Impression...

Just substitute the name Richard Gasquet for Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Roger to make Richard wish his mommy never had him.

Roger looks as intent on destroying his opponent as I have ever seen him. He smells blood and he is going for the kill. He just broke Gasquet for 2-1 in the first set…first blood.

[don_budge]

Switzerland 2014 Davis Cup Champions...

Congratulations to gzhpcu and Switzerland for a great tennis victory!

[bottle]

Hop Swiss

[klacr]

federer played wel. Gasquet with no answers, hope or heart.

Going into this Davis Cup final, I think it was safe to say that Switzerland was going to win no matyter what team colors came through victorious. All the members of the French Davis Cup team are legal residents of Switzerland. Shows you their true French loyalty.

Congrats to Roger, Stan, Marco and Michael and Captain Luthi. Another Feather in Federer's cap.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[gzhpcu]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnXdlDD5y5Y

[GeoffWilliams]

He will never get an olympic gold singles medal. So sad.

[klacr]

Keeping it real.

Adding a little levity to the situation.

Tomas Berdych still has twice as many Davis Cup titles as Roger Federer.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[johnyandell]

I love Roger Federer.

[klacr]

I love Roger Federer.

Ditto.

If you are a fan of tennis, a teacher or coach in this sport, it's almost a given that you should like, if not at least greatly respect and appreciate Federer. An incredible player.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

2014 Davis Cup Champions…Roger and Stan Being a Man About Things

We won't know the status of his back until Sunday. Roger Federer will have had a full week to recover and just might have some Davis Cup heroics/magic up his sleeve. Stan Wawrinka will have to do his part as well.

Wonderful to see the boys put the nonsense behind them…afterall in life sometimes you just have to be a man about it. As my good old friend Leon once said to me. It's a team effort for the Davis Cup. These guys will put any girl troubles behind them…trust me. They aren't worth it and it shouldn't get in the way of the things that men have to do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gH6ToWYLMg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnipO0GGkb4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSSYbmVYUIE

Let this be a lesson to all of you real men out there…that includes me. Put the girl thing on the back burner whenever there is business to take care of. Leon was always right about this one thing. Be a man about it. Be a man about it DAMN IT!

The thing about Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka is that they made me so proud to be a man. That's a good thing. In today's world it is all about girl's and women. It's all about their frail rights and dainty little ways. Boys take a back seat these days. They play second fiddle. Except now it has taken a turn south and the girls are morphing into something other than women…right before our very eyes. I mean…in some circles I could get in trouble for saying that the boys made me proud to be a man. I'm not buying into it…phooey. Take the bull by the horns.

I've had a pretty good run here on the keyboard as of late. Chronicling the resurgence of Roger Federer and writing about tennis in general the past three years and something. Not bad for a poor Columbian Kid trying to make a living. But Roger is the Living Proof and he was ready to prove it all night on Sunday if needed…because he was prepared. He was prepared as only the finest athlete that plays our beloved sport of tennis can be. He has the genes and he has the experience. He somehow had the motivation. God knows he has the bucks to get it done.

Sunday "The Swiss Maestro" came out to play. He had a look on his face the was truly scary if you happened to be one Richard Gasquet on the other side of the red clay court in Lille, France. It was the last place on earth that you would prefer to be if you are a tennis player…unless you are a glutton for punishment. The look on Roger's face was one of pure ferocious concentration. It was the product of weeks and months of preparation. There is that word…preparation. Prepare for the shot at hand…prepare for those tournaments in the future…prepare for any and all eventualities in life. Roger just handed us a lesson. I spoke to my students about it yesterday.

The final match on Sunday was a foregone conclusion as far as I was concerned. From what I saw in the doubles there was absolutely no possible way for Gasquet to make any kind of impression on Federer. Roger was running and sprinting around the doubles court and commandeering the whole match. What's more he had his boy Super Boy Stan Wawrinka steadfastly in his place at his side. Two men both knowing their roles and thinking about only one thing…a successful mission. This is what separates men from women. Men from boys.

Roger looks as intent on destroying his opponent as I have ever seen him. He smells blood and he is going for the kill. He just broke Gasquet for 2-1 in the first set…first blood.

I posted this early in the match. From this point on I did nothing but watch Roger Federer. I didn't watch the ball. I paid very little attention to Gasquet. I kept my eyes on Roger because I knew this was going to be special. He played so beautifully…so eloquently. So deadly.

The first set was over before you knew it. At the beginning of set two I didn't think that Roger would lose a single game the rest of the way. He was contesting every single point as if his whole reputation as a professional tennis player was on it. It is remarkable that a man with so much success behind him could be so inspired by such an occasion. Gasquet did manage a couple of games but they were mute in the big picture. The big picture was a victory for Switzerland in the face of much speculation about the state of Roger's health…in the face of much speculation about the health of Roger's and Stan's relationship. Any questions? They laid it all to rest.

When it was over it was Roger laying down face first in the red dirt…I don't know if I have ever seen him do such a thing. So overcome was he. Then it was Roger on the microphone with some retard interviewing him. Over and over Roger kept saying that, "this one is for the boys". Over and over the idiot was asking him what it meant to him. This one was for the boys. Roger has won so many titles that he alone realized how important it was to share such a huge prize with his buddies…for his country. For the team. An admirable state of mind considering the conditions and you know what…I believe him. In his euphoric state he was incapable of deceit. He was happy for Stan most of all.

I have been preaching this word "preparation" for quite a long time now. Ever since Roger switched to the new and bigger equipment I have sensed some sort of change in him. A man on a mission. The impossible dream. Slaying dragons. This man has worked and he has prepared. He added a couple of new little puppies to the den yet he has been undeterred. Remarkable feat of concentration as well. A team effort as well as his wife has accepted her role in the supporting role. But he has made a statement regarding the equipment…the playing field has been level ever since even though it is not. He is well past his prime.

The preparation saw him toiling on the hardcourt swing in the summer. He had done his duty on the clay swing as well. His plans were temporarily derailed by Gael Monfils at the U. S. Open who beat Federer every bit as much as Marin Cilic did. But Roger soldiered on. In Asia he took up the torch once more and he was kicking butts and taking names. He rode into Europe like Napolean…an emperor among knaves and he did some serious battle there too. His preparation was constantly being gaged and monitored and when it came to playing Milos Raonic in Paris it appeared to take a bit of a dive. Not so…say I. It was a calculated loss. It had no bearing on the big prizes to come. A meaningless loss. Totally. Rest was the key variable in the equation of preparation.

He came into London absolutely fit for fight. Perhaps the best stretch of preparation in his career. Certainly because of his age you could make an argument for this. But it was meticulous…and he peaked against Andy Murray one night and actually made Murray wish his mother had never had him. So the stage was set for the Swiss Semifinal and it did not disappoint. The best tennis match of the year and there were no losers as we can all see now. Stan Wawrinka hung on and actually had four match points to put the Magician to rest but he couldn't get the job done.

But there is no shame in this. Remember how Gael Monfils had match points in a similarly important occasion at the U. S. Open. There is something about Roger these days. Something that is glowing like red coals in an open fire. It's in his eyes. So Stan learned the hard way again just what it is like to be Roger Federer. What it is like to wear the mantle and not be deterred by the pressure of wearing the bulls eye on the back. Stan took something away from this bitter loss…something that just might buoy him in the future when he has his back to the wall. At least that bulls eye won't be showing.

Stan took his lesson with him down to Lille, France and he unleashed it on Jo Wilfried Tsonga. In defence of the French there is absolutely no way they could have prepared for the match toughness of the Swiss. In the doubles it really showed. Roger has schooled his protege in London but now they were on the same team. He merely transformed his personna into the leader…the captain of the ship. He showed Stan the way and Stan by now was fully on board. The two of them back to back…sword play against the Musketeers of France. It was really a spectacle in the lopsidedness of it all. Truly a masterpiece. Touché.

Stan Wawrinka played such a huge role in this Switzerland Davis Cup win. He went out and led the charge against Tsonga…dismantling the disgruntled giant. Then he had his heart and soul into the doubles match with Roger…the two of them married in their quest for the Cup. There he was on the bench rooting with all of his little boy's heart for his hero…and our hero…to seal the deal. There was Roger on the microphone insisting that this one was "for the boys". The boys in the club. The boys on the team. Men…playing like boys. Yet showing us all how "to be a man about it".

Not letting the trifles and the gossip ruin a partnership. Not sweating the small stuff. Letting their play do the talking. All of the trials and tribulations of the past just steeling their hearts, their minds and their bodies to the task at hand. It was all in the preparation. Roger's injured back became a distant memory. Afterall…somehow in his hand of cards he had the trump for that too. Somehow in all of his meticulous preparation it came down to this…the 2014 Davis Cup Final was more important than the finals at the Barclay and it was more important than the number one ranking for the year. Somehow it was more important "to win one for the boys". I feel tears…because I am proud to be a man today.

What a story. I hope that Stan is a better man for all of this. He should be. He was so close to the fire the whole way.

[gzhpcu]

Switzerland Rules!

Nice of Roger to give credit to Stan, saying he was the strongest in the tie, and opting to celebrate in Lausanne, instead of Basle! Classy...