2015 Australian Open…ATP 2000...Melbourne, Australia

[tennis_chiro]

I'm disowning Janowicz

Okay. I've had it. It's not even just frustrating to watch him anymore. It's just boring to see the tactics he employs in his matches. 1/11 in break points at this point in the match down 2 sets to love, on serve 3/4 in the third set. Could it have anything to do with the way he plays those break points. And he's only won 7 of 12 net points; that's one trip to the net every 2.5 games!

don

[vrc10s]

Seppi played well. It was actually a bit scary. he was seeing the ball like a watermelon. He was throwing haymakers and connecting with them. He was so consistent from the baseline I never saw him ever play at that level before. Ever. He deserved the win.

Federer did not play that well however. He just had a bad day at the office. A few tactical mistakes as well. He was content of running around that backhand to hit inside out forehands to the point that it was getting uncomfortable to watch. He was threading the needle quite a bit and when Seppi saw the opportunity he went for the backhand down the line.

Fed gave up too much court for his own good and Seppi was able to make him pay. Seppi also hit lots of balls deep down the middle giving Federer little to work with as far as angles. Would have been nice to see Federer get to the net more but Seppi was lacing the ball so well Fed didn't have lots of opportunities to attack and when he did Seppi would hit a screaming pass and Federer got disenfranchised with the idea.

With all this said, here is an interesting factoid...
Total points won: Seppi-144 Federer-145.

The Simpson's paradox rears its ugly head for Federer once again. I posted a link in the "interesting links" thread about this phenomenon and how Federer has lost more matches than any other player when winning more points in the match. Here it is...

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertain...ederer/283007/

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

I didn't really feel like Seppi played great tennis, he was very solid, lots of balls just hit down the middle to let Fed miss. Seppi did come up with some great shots when he was in trouble.
Fed letting that ball go on break point sort of symbolized how he wasn't at his best either mentally or physically.

[klacr]

It's about time that boy did something. He's good enough. You don't get the same impression on TV as you watching him live. He pops the ball around very slowly a lot of the time then unleashes one, a bit like Mecir used to. Other players cannot always get hold of his slower shots and he seems to survive well in rallies where you feel he shouldn't. That's quite a skill in today's tennis. I found him interesting to watch at Wimbledon a few years ago.

He will do something. But not against Berdych. Tberd playing too consistent. Tomic may steal a set, but Berdych a different level.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[stotty]

Tomic is looking like a dark horse. He has played 2 very solid matches. I like his casual , very compact forehand. It should be a very interesting match vs Berdych, also playing very well.

It's about time that boy did something. He's good enough. You don't get the same impression on TV as you watching him live. He pops the ball around very slowly a lot of the time then unleashes one, a bit like Mecir used to. Other players cannot always get hold of his slower shots and he seems to survive well in rallies where you feel he shouldn't. That's quite a skill in today's tennis. I found him interesting to watch at Wimbledon a few years ago.

[stroke]

Tomic is looking like a dark horse. He has played 2 very solid matches. I like his casual , very compact forehand. It should be a very interesting match vs Berdych, also playing very well.

[klacr]

I agree Phil, But key word is "if"

Didn't happen. Federer never should of let it get that tight or close. He did and he paid for it. He'll get over it. Great champions have short term memory.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[gzhpcu]

Seems to me that the final point was pivotal. If Seppi's passing point had not hit the corner, maybe Federer might have won the tiebreak, then it would have been open...

[klacr]

Seppi played well. It was actually a bit scary. he was seeing the ball like a watermelon. He was throwing haymakers and connecting with them. He was so consistent from the baseline I never saw him ever play at that level before. Ever. He deserved the win.

Federer did not play that well however. He just had a bad day at the office. A few tactical mistakes as well. He was content of running around that backhand to hit inside out forehands to the point that it was getting uncomfortable to watch. He was threading the needle quite a bit and when Seppi saw the opportunity he went for the backhand down the line.

Fed gave up too much court for his own good and Seppi was able to make him pay. Seppi also hit lots of balls deep down the middle giving Federer little to work with as far as angles. Would have been nice to see Federer get to the net more but Seppi was lacing the ball so well Fed didn't have lots of opportunities to attack and when he did Seppi would hit a screaming pass and Federer got disenfranchised with the idea.

With all this said, here is an interesting factoid...
Total points won: Seppi-144 Federer-145.

The Simpson's paradox rears its ugly head for Federer once again. I posted a link in the "interesting links" thread about this phenomenon and how Federer has lost more matches than any other player when winning more points in the match. Here it is...

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertain...ederer/283007/

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[stotty]

Well we won't even get to see if Fed can we three matches in a row against top 10 players as he just lost to Seppi.

Yes, well, it was a big ask anyway. It wasn't a kind draw. Wimbledon is where he still has a great chance I feel. It may even be worth skipping the French to prepare for it.

I didn't see the match. How was it? Did Seppi have a corker or did Roger play badly...or a combination of both? It's hard to imagine Roger losing to Seppi.

[vrc10s]

Fed

Well we won't even get to see if Fed can we three matches in a row against top 10 players as he just lost to Seppi.

[klacr]

Early Match of the day...Dimitrov and Baghdatis. Two awesome ball strikers. Dynamic points. Momentum swings. Aussie crowd backing Baghdatis. Dimitrov's willingness to come to the net to finish points makes me cheer for him a bit more. But love Baghdatis' when he is on, very special to watch.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

Court speed check…the amazing Mr. Monfils

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2015/01/3/Australian-Open-Wednesday-Federer.aspx

Roger says the conditions are playing fast…making it difficult to break serve. He may be up against a big server in the round of 16. Nick Kyrigos. If so…Roger will need to be razor sharp in order to not be dragged down into a "Gael Monfils" type fiasco like he was at the 2014 U. S. Open.

Besides…not getting ahead of ourselves he must take care of Andreas Seppi first who eliminated Jeremy Chardy rather handily. Chardy is normally a pretty good competitor.

Speaking of Gael "Purple Haze" Monfils…imagine my surprise to see that he was still around. His countryman Lucas Pouille had him down and nearly out in the previous round. I was watching a bit…Pouille was up two sets to love and Monfils was fussing with his foot as if he was injured. Unbelievably he resurrected himself and he lives to play tennis_chiro's Jerzy "Joe" Janowicz. Hmm…they are playing now. I think that I will drop in for a gander. The match is even one set all and three all in the third.

http://www.drakulastream.eu/tennis-live-streaming-video.html

[don_budge]

Getting that darned horse in the barn…Swinging volleys are not going to get it done

Watching matches on the Australian Open, I wonder why when most players attack to follow the ball to the net, they play mostly topspin instead of a heavy low slice? Is it because slice is not used much and they don't feel comfortable with it?

Interesting match between Rafael Nadal and Tim Smyczek. Smyczek who is not currently ranked in the top 100 presently took Nadal to the edge…but he couldn't push him over the cliff.

He came so close. At 5-5 in the fifth…at 15-15 Smyczek took a ball that looked like he could have taken as an overhead if he had moved forwards quickly or even let the ball bounce but he elected to topspin volley…the dreaded swinging volley. Predictably it was the kiss of death against Nadal who hammered a backhand on the topspin volley, that landed short, crosscourt for an easy pass.

Two points later Smyczek again approached the net…this time with a forehand topspin approach down the line to the Nadal forehand. Nadal reply was a sizzling, scorching and dipping bullet at the feet of Smyczek that he couldn't handle. Neither approaches fooled Nadal in the slightest. Situation wise…both shots by Smyczek were mental errors. But that being said…Smyczek played the entire fifth set from the baseline and it didn't appear to me that he had a lot of experience playing net approach tennis.

His tactics were more of an indication that he sensed that he really didn't belong out there with Nadal so late in the fifth set at the Australian Open. As a consequence he sort of panicked a bit trying to get the horse in the barn and he tried to rush things just a tad.

[hockeyscout]

The Australian Open is won in December. Off season training.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Its won by the guy who has stayed the course for two decades, or in Federer's case close to three decades. Its a long path. At this high a level a lot of players have peaked out, however, their are a few maniacs in ranks who are on it, and can create that small amount of separation between themselves and their peers. Enjoy this generation, I am not sure if we will ever see a group like this one again EVER. The world is changing, and I don't think we will see a Nadal, Federer or Williams for a VERY long time. We might see flash and bash, however, not much substance. We're all getting lazier, and lazier, and I just can't see this magical run continuing. Such great personalities as well, and now this new generation is just so boring and well rehearsed.

[don_budge]

A gentle breeze in the stifling heat...

The weather is supposed to be mild this year. Give Fed a better chance, but I still wouldn't bet on him.

Roger Federer breezed into the third round…conserving perhaps another ounce of energy to be expended at a later stage in the tournament. His preparation for the later rounds is based on his not becoming depleted before the rest of the field…a precarious balance at his age.

He has to avoid an epic episode of the nature of the Gael Monfils spectacle at the 2014 U. S. Open quarterfinals. Conservation of energy and efficiency of tactics is paramount. He is expedition things with an attacking style of play and he seems to be in excellent form. During the course of a Grand Slam this level of performance is extremely difficult to maintain without a hiccup or two.

He is staying the course and preparing for his next round. Preparation…preparation…preparation. He says to himself as his mantra.