2015 Miami Open…ATP 1000…Miami, Florida USA

[don_budge]

No rest for the wicked…except for Roger Federer of course. He wisely is taking off the week to mend his wounds. To steel his nerves for the next fight.

But here is the draw which has a sense of emptiness because Roger is not in it. Nevertheless…it is what it is.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/share/event-draws.aspx?year=2015&eventid=403&draw=ms

All eyes on Rafael Nadal…and Novak Djokovic. klacr in the house I am sure. Live…2live crew.

[klacr]

I will be there. Have tickets to the men's final. Taking one of my students because he's never seen tennis at that level, well, except for hitting with me, which he thinks is the same. LOL.

Also doing some work for ATP/WTA Tours on the education side. Should be a fun event.

Too bad Roger won't be there. One less stallion for Berdych to face on his way to the title. Optimism in abundance!!!

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

The Argentinian Slice…Juan Martin Del Potro

Too bad Roger won't be there.
Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Yeah…I couldn't agree with you more. I haven't seen much in the way of interesting matchups.

But I didn't happen to mosey in on the Juan Martin Del Potro loss to Vasek Pospisil. Juan sure hit a lot of slice backhands in this loss. What if he had hit just one topspin one-hander?

The sheer audacity would have shaken the tennis world. Why doesn't he just relearn the game one-handed? He just needs to get used to the grip…I would recommend a strong eastern. Based on his height and natural proclivities.

Here's another example of a guy who should have been playing one-handed the whole time.

[don_budge]

The Miami Open…ATP 1000 early rounds…yawn

Perusing through the early rounds on the computer last night I stopped in to watch just a bit of Gilles Simon playing Mikhail Kukushkin. Even though it was apparently a close match it failed to get my interest in the slightest so I moved on to Kei Nishikori playing Mikhail Youzhny.

This was even more boring if that would be possible so hung in there and tried a little of Andrey Rublev and John Isner. Rublev as you remember was the subject of a thread earlier in the year or maybe it was last year. He was featured on a video practicing with Fafa Nadal. It was slightly interesting as I had seen Rublev playing at the French Open in Paris this year against Stefan Koslov. But this match also fell flat as far as being captivating or compelling in any sense of the word…or words.

The American hopeful Jack Sock defeated Fabulous Fabio Fognini. Fab Fognini appeared to be more interested in getting the match over with to get a taste of the Miami night life. I can't say that I blame him. I remember dancing with this Nicaraguan Lady at some Tiki Bar drinking a Gumba Smash back in 1987…on my 33rd birthday. She was wearing a bikini. It was a full moon…a blue moon as I remember. But I digress. Jack Sock is one ugly tennis player and I am not talking about his haircut. But modern tennis is lacking in style overall so Jack doesn't necessarily stand out in this regard. He could do more with his hair though.

I tried to find something of interest. There wasn't much to do after a tough day working out in the farm. I have a break from the tennis for a week. A much needed rest. God knows that I need it. But still…it gets under your skin. The tennis does. All I needed was a little fix. Something good to watch…to keep me from searching for something good to eat. Lo and behold…I found something rather compelling. Even though it wasn't in the positive sense.

Guess who? Serena Williams of all people…she was playing the unusual and "quirky" Monica Niculescu. I wanted to say unorthodox but hesitate to use that word. Still smarting from the dressing down bottle gave me when I call Marion what's her name unorthodox. That was years ago. But I haven't forgotten…the mind is like a "steel trap". Even if the body isn't what it used to be. What is her name anyways…its Bartolli. That's who it is…she is considering a comeback from what I hear. But anyways…I digress again. Back to Serena…where to start?

The first hour or so was a taped match of her return to Indian Wells. She must have begun with some sort of standing ovation and it all went downhill from there. I hate to do it but you simply couldn't get past the wardrobe. In a word…hideous comes to mind. All pink…right down to the shoes and socks. Was it a joke? An oxymoron? Worse? The Nike dress was a cutaway that exposed more than half of her back…could it get any worse? Will she ever forgive me? Do you think she really cares? Do you think that I do?

Once you got past the wardrobe…if that is ever possible. You had to watch the behaviour. Now this was just after the huge show of affection for the returning daughter after the supposed whatever happened so many years ago. Serena was showing off her all-forgiving policy of never letting a wrong go unforgiven…if there was a million bucks involved. How simply huge of her. Speaking of huge…she is by far the most muscular athlete on the professional tennis tour. Male or female. I can mention that…can't I? Observationally speaking. Ok…that might be an exaggeration…but only a slight one.

Monica Nicolescu plays a very strange game. She actually plays a "body fly" underspin forehand. Plenty "quirky" alright. I want to say unorthodox…but there's bottle and his anger. So Serena is dumping balls here. Dumping balls there. She's having fits all of the time. Screaming. Fisting. Acting positively homocidal. Apparently unable to control herself. Or is she hamming it up? She's a queer one. The behaviour certainly didn't match the demure pink teddy that she was wearing in lieu of a real tennis dress. It certainly didn't match the "cute" pink sneakers that she had color coordinated with her inestimable fashion sense of…well I am not certain how to put it. But the behaviour was really strange all things considered. It was afterall a "coming back" party (not a coming out party) to Indian Wells…the supposedly scene of the crime. Benevolent and demure Serena.

She did manage to win her match in Indian Wells. She managed to win last night in Miami as well. But I wonder…how does the general public consume this show. As I watched it kept occurring to me that I have been repeating that professional tennis is beginning to resemble "Big Time Wrestling" more and more. That shouting. The curtain calls. The screeching faces howling like monkeys…or worse. The clothes…the costumes. The unisex play…standardized play (sounds like standard-eyesd not standard-iced) The lack of one hand backhands and general all-court play in general. What is holding this fiasco together? That pink dress?

But it is early. Its only the round of 32. There's better days ahead. There's Rafa…there's Djoko…there's anybody else? Too bad John McEnroe isn't in the house. Or Ilie Nastase. Somebody…please! At least if Roger Federer was here there would have been something resembling the "real thing". But then again…he is the last of the "Living Proof".

But please tell me otherwise. Correct me if I'm wrong. I want to be wrong…trust me. Even though I tell my students…"I'm always right". They smile at each other. At me. They know I'm joking. At least they think I am. Maybe they aren't too certain.

[bottle]

No, Marion is unorthodox and quirky. I always said so. The "dressing down" must have been about something else, probably your spelling of the possessive pronoun "its." I can't help my being overly influenced by a slim book all about pandas and called EATS, SHOOTS AND LEAVES by Lynne Truss.

I was drawn precisely to the same portion of this tournament and in fact witnessed by TV the week ago meeting between Serena and Monica at Indian Wells.

I like Serena just fine, but one of my two sisters doesn't and always starts talking about muscles in a to me too strange a way (hasn't Serena said definitively that she loves her body?). This is the sister who identifies with Lindsay, the announcer. Me, I wouldn't say that Lindsay is a commentato, but she just isn't my favorite. As for Paul Annacone, I usually like him, but in the case of Serena and Monica this time both he and Lindsay pulled their punches. (Sorry, Steve, you probably watched the match on some other channel by computer.)

Paul did say by the end of the match that he thought that Serena probably wasn't afraid of any female player in the world OTHER than Monica. In any case I adore Monica just as I do Marion because of the quirkiness in both cases.

I think a lot of the tennis writing I do is to make up for things I wish that other persons had said but didn't.

Here, it's the fact that the number one player in the world can not deal with another player's forehand slice. Serena didn't miss all of them but enough so that she could have lost if she hit over there more.

That is what I wanted to hear Paul and Lindsay say, that Serena was avoiding
Monica's poofie-poof forehand with all the concentration available to her in the world-- quite a lot.

It was hilarious, but Paul and Lindsay refused to convey that. Someone may have been laughing but if so it occurred off-screen.

It's okay to laugh at Serena. She herself did so a bit after the match. She is hilarious when she tries to hit the Niculescu forehand slice. She runs here, sets up there, tries to be especially careful then hits it over the fence exactly like an intermediate, novice, or me.

This is truly why tennis is such a great game. That one clever stroke can throw anybody-- even the world's number one player-- into a complete tizzy. Probably much lesser players can handle it better although as Monica Niculescu herself has pointed out not many players want to hit with her, so she just puts her name at the top of a practice sheet and anyone can sign up if they want.

I'm good with Serena winning this match but wow did she avoid that one stroke and will the next time she plays Monica too.

[klacr]

Rafa is out. Splendid play by Verdasco to take out his fellow Spaniard in three sets.
Also love to see the fight from Tomas Berdych. Down a set and 0-4 my boy showing some real toughness and coming back to win 6-1 in 3rd set. Even after fighting off 4 match points. This may have been a mach Berdych would lose before. Not this year though. Looking at the draw, and I hate o look ahead, but Berdych is highest seed in his quarter now with Rafa out. Tberd would have to face Murrray in semis.

Wawrinka loses in two tie-breaks to Adrian Mannarino. Wawrinka losing his way just a bit. Bottom half of the draw features Murray and Berdych as the two big stallions. Let's see what happens.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[stotty]

Rafa is out. Splendid play by Verdasco to take out his fellow Spaniard in three sets.

I watched this until 2-1 in the third to Verdasco. It was a great first set from Verdasco but Nadal was hitting so short and mistiming so many forehands. He really is all over the place at the moment, and vulnerable.

Nadals' mentality has changed over the last couple of years and he looks increasingly miserable. He cannot take triumph and disaster in his stride quite the way Federer has learned to. I much prefer the way Federer'e mentality and character has evolved compared to Nadal's. At this stage in their careers I thought it might be the other way around, but it turns out not the case. Federer's approach to triumph and disaster is hard to fault while Nadal's is questionable...going back a few years I never thought that would be the case.

[don_budge]

Rafael Nadal vs. Fernando Verdasco…the ritual gone from the 2015 Miami Open

Nadals' mentality has changed over the last couple of years and he looks increasingly miserable. He cannot take triumph and disaster in his stride quite the way Federer has learned to.

I watched up until the same point as you did. Much of Nadal's natural advantage may be lost on left handed players. Not all of it…but certainly his biggest weapon for instance against Roger Federer is the much ballyhooed crosscourt topspin forehand into the Federer backhand which up until this point has been into at least 12% less racquet face surface.

Interesting to note how many of these undefeated head to heads are starting to fall to the wayside. Case in point…Nadal vs. Verdasco. Although in their last meeting Verdasco did beat Nadal after thirteen straight times taking it on the chin. He beat him on clay too…2012 in Madrid of all places.

Verdasco battled some nerves in the end of the second and the beginning of the third but he was determined to not be pushed around by the bullying Spaniard. Verdasco hit a couple of first serves that barely made it to the bottom of the net but he steadied himself and closed out the seemingly vulnerable Nadal. Fafa also seems to be losing his head of hair and one wonders if this is a possible "Samson" effect.

But my goodness…what a ritual before each and every serve on Nadal's part. What a burden if one finds themselves struggling in a match such as this. Don't you just love Roger Federer's pre-serve ritual simple and understated…the way it should be compared to this gigantic hotdog. One has to be very self-involved to carry out such a monstrous, repetitious, retarded quirk before putting the ball in play every single time. Pick the butt…continue bouncing the ball with the racquet hand while at the same time tugging on each shoulder, wiping the left side of the nose and then tugging or something on the ear, then moving over to the right side and repeating the exact same ritual. Bounce the ball eight or nine more times as if all of this crap wasn't enough to make you puke.

Talk about fragile nerves…how does one keep up this totally obsessive nonsense when you are getting your ass kicked? When you are winning the stupid fans are only there admiring what they think is the fastidiousness of their beloved hero…but when he is losing doesn't he himself have to ask himself…what the hell am I doing all of the retarded stuff for? Doesn't he at some point want to change the pace of things or change the pace of his deliveries in the hopes of throwing his opponent off instead of he himself holding onto a ritual that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever? Big Time Wrestling…I'm telling you. Utter nonsense.

It will also be interesting to see how far Fernando Verdasco will be interested in capitalizing on this win or if he finds his celebrity status in Miami too much to ignore…as in the nightlife. Juan Monaco is next and he should be doable.

[gzhpcu]

I watched this until 2-1 in the third to Verdasco. It was a great first set from Verdasco but Nadal was hitting so short and mistiming so many forehands. He really is all over the place at the moment, and vulnerable.

Nadals' mentality has changed over the last couple of years and he looks increasingly miserable. He cannot take triumph and disaster in his stride quite the way Federer has learned to. I much prefer the way Federer'e mentality and character has evolved compared to Nadal's. At this stage in their careers I thought it might be the other way around, but it turns out not the case. Federer's approach to triumph and disaster is hard to fault while Nadal's is questionable...going back a few years I never thought that would be the case.

Agree completely, this is why I have transitioned from a Nadal fan to a Federer fan...

[stotty]

Long live the King...

Agree completely, this is why I have transitioned from a Nadal fan to a Federer fan...

There is a kind of bitterness (cloud hanging over) about Nadal which has developed over the last few years that I cannot quite put my finger on. I think it was always there perhaps but it seems to have become more prevalent.

His OCD which so irks don_budge has remained precisely the same over the years, his character however has changed.

I think Federer has become the finest example of a tennis player that I can ever remember. He deals with things and moves on. His attitude to tennis both in victory and defeat is precisely that....deal with it and move on.

Like yourself I am a Federer convert. I was far less impressed at the start than I am now. I have since change my mind and use him as an example for just about every child I teach.

[GeoffWilliams]

That's why I call him: The Butt Pick Kid

Too many peds, creates ocd syndromes like anti depressants create suicidal thoughts/actions.

[bottle]

Pick the butt…continue bouncing the ball with the racquet hand while at the same time tugging on each shoulder, wiping the left side of the nose and then tugging or something on the ear, then moving over to the right side and repeating the exact same ritual.

As good as Novak Djokovic's pantomime from back in the days when Novak was funny. Poor Novak. He's like the King Henry in Shakespeare who was really cool when he hung out with Falstaff as a youth but then became a big stiff as a man even if he was an effective king.

The trouble with a kitten is that eventually it becomes a cat.

[don_budge]

Tomas Berdych and Carla Suarez Navarro

Also love to see the fight from Tomas Berdych. Down a set and 0-4 my boy showing some real toughness and coming back to win 6-1 in 3rd set. Even after fighting off 4 match points. This may have been a mach Berdych would lose before. Not this year though. Looking at the draw, and I hate o look ahead, but Berdych is highest seed in his quarter now with Rafa out. Tberd would have to face Murrray in semis.

Wawrinka loses in two tie-breaks to Adrian Mannarino. Wawrinka losing his way just a bit. Bottom half of the draw features Murray and Berdych as the two big stallions. Let's see what happens.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

It just so happens that Tomas Berdych gets my nod for the match of the day. But he is tied…with a woman.

Berdych doesn't necessarily get the nod on his own…he is paired with the rather amazing Mr. Monfils. Gael is amazing because he may or may not give a shit about the tennis on a given day…but he is one of the most interesting, if not entertaining players on the tour. At first glance Berdych seems to be way to solid to have any problems with Monfils…but on any given day in a two out of three match if the "amazing" one shows up instead of the "entertainer" it could be a good show.

I watched some of Carla Suarez Navarro play her match yesterday against Agnieszka Radwanska. Navarro is ranked #12 in the world at the time being and she is in a league of her in the sense that she is playing with a one hand backhand…on the women's tour. Venus is currently ranked #16 and she is looking every bit of that as she pretty much "man handled" Caroline Wozniacki.

I'm pulling for Navarro for a number of reasons. Usually the woman's game has very little interest for me. But the idea of a woman using a one hand backhand these days is remote. She is 2-2 with Williams head to head and I hope she goes up 3-2. This match has a lot of potential to be rather entertaining. Too bad it on so late.

The "other" Williams sister bullied her way past Svetlana Kuznetsova. Serena. I saw just a bit of it yesterday. It's the spectacle, you know. I cannot believe my eyes. I don't think that I could ever like this one…even if it is mandatory some day in the future. It almost hurts to watch.

[stotty]

Nice match yesterday between Djokovic and Darcis. I thought Darcis neutralised Djokovic really well with his rather lovely sliced backhand and how he employed it. That could be an interesting match up on grass.

I like Darcis...he's the real deal...bit of old school in him. He's tactically decent because he has to be to survive.

[klacr]

Berdych get by when Monfils pulls up lame. Didn't matter. Berdych was going to win anyways. Monfils was not in the mood to deal with the Berdych power and weight of shot.

Berdych plays Monaco next. Possible meeting with Murray in semis. Get through that and we have ourselves one happy ticket holder as I will get to see Tomas on Sunday during the men's final.

It was meant to be...

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton