2015 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters…ATP 1000…Monte-Carlo, Monaco

[don_budge]

It reads like a script. The ATP Tour is granted a one year reprieve and we the tennis public are "blessed" with another real tennis tournament. A real tennis tournament is defined as one that includes Roger Federer in the draw.

It isn't the same without him. Witness the display in the finals of the Miami Open last week with Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray trying to carry the load. Somewhat unsuccessfully I might add. There was the shenanigans by both players in the final…plus the general dull play creating a vast lack of interest for those even remotely interested in the pro game.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/Share/Event-Draws.aspx?EventId=410&Year=2015

So there is the draw and by the luck of the draw we have both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in the top half to fight it out leaving Roger Federer to provide all of the entertainment in the bottom half, hopefully fighting it out with the likes of Stan Wawrinka and Tomas Berdych. What we really need now is for Roger to make it to a rematch with Wawrinka and hopefully another rematch with Berdych. Tomas still has to be smarting from that bagel in the second set at Indian Wells.

Luckily we are spared the Andy Murray traveling circus as he got married this past weekend (in a skirt)…ok it was a kilt. Plus the coach Amelie Mauresmo has found out that she is pregnant…something akin to the "immaculate conception" as stories go. Modern love. Relax…it's all ok. It's a joke. According to Joan Rivers shortly before she unfortunately died during a routine medical procedure. Shortly after making some rather controversial comments about some very powerful people.

But Florian Mayer is back in action. He had been out for over 12 months due to a groin injury…which sounds pretty serious. He beat Mikhail Youzney in the first round and faces Marin Cilic in the next round. There are very few "entertaining" players on the tour but Florian "The Quirk" Mayer is practically an exemption. He's quirky in his technique (not to be misconstrued as unorthodox which he actually is) because bottle doesn't like that word. I made the mistake of calling Marion Bartolli that…unorthodox. It's another joke. bottle, Florian Mayer and Marion Bartolli at the same dinner table talking tennis over a bottle of wine…or two. Wouldn't you like to be a fly on the wall? No?

[klacr]

The most beautiful backdrop and stadium court in tennis. Monte Carlo Country Club. Marvelous stuff.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[stotty]

The most beautiful backdrop and stadium court in tennis. Monte Carlo Country Club. Marvelous stuff.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

I watched the golf at Augusta on TV last week. I don't follow golf as a rule but I always watch Augusta. I find the setting so incredibly beautiful. I find it the most amazing setting for a sport I have ever seen. It inspires me to give golf a go one day.

Shame our Rory Mcllroy got off to such a poor start. Your guy did well, didn't he? Kept his nerve so well...and he's so young.

[klacr]

I watched the golf at Augusta on TV last week. I don't follow golf as a rule but I always watch Augusta. I find the setting so incredibly beautiful. I find it the most amazing setting for a sport I have ever seen. It inspires me to give golf a go one day.

Shame our Rory Mcllroy got off to such a poor start. Your guy did well, didn't he? Kept his nerve so well...and he's so young.

Not a golfer. Don't watch golf. It's like watching grass grow to me. Sorry. Augusta is nice...but I'll take the super yachts, beautiful women, mediterranean sea and quality tennis.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

It's time for GOLF…Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden

I watched the golf at Augusta on TV last week. I don't follow golf as a rule but I always watch Augusta. I find the setting so incredibly beautiful. I find it the most amazing setting for a sport I have ever seen. It inspires me to give golf a go one day.

Shame our Rory Mcllroy got off to such a poor start. Your guy did well, didn't he? Kept his nerve so well...and he's so young.

Great Stotty. I hope that you start to play golf soon. Maybe you would like to hop over to Sweden and attend my golf school with my partner and I. It's great fun…a nice peaceful place. A nice place to begin to learn to play golf…with yours truly of course. Ten years ago on a magical January night with snow softly falling from the sky my wife and I had our wedding dinner out at this hotel in the Swedish countryside.

It was one year to the day since the Ford Motor Company Steel Division let me go without any warning or notice after 25 years of loyal service. You see…the next day the division was being sold to a Russian steel company and some of my "friends" in higher places of management found a loophole to get rid of me. Two of the "bitches" had me in a room to themselves giving me the bad news. I was under the weather as it was so it seemed to be a bit surreal especially when they asked me at the end if I had anything to say. I remember my exact words…"would it make any difference if I did?" That's all I said. I swear to God. Joke 'em if they can't take a fuck. Hahaha…that's my play on "fuck 'em if they can't take a joke".

The two bitches looked at each other…they knew who they were fucking with and I was unfazed. I woke up the next morning and said to myself…"thank God I never have to go back to that Godforsaken place again". I still have nightmares that somehow I have found my self gainfully employed with that miserable outfit. That ship of fools…luckily I wake up and get my bearings and realize that I am safe in my bed here in Sweden. One year to the very day after that disgraceful event in American history I was married here in Sweden on a small mountainside church over looking the nearest town to my home. The place still has some of that magic…I'm talking about the hotel here in Sweden...that is.

One year to the very day. The earth had returned to the exact point in it's orbit around the sun…I had gone from down and out to the king of my world. The hapless and miserable steel division was recently sold again. The Russians have since left the place with the recent hysterics in the Ukrainian episode. They probably don't feel so welcome anymore. I would have warned them if they had asked me. It's probably why I was unceremoniously shown the door in the first place. What an outfit. What a disgrace. What a truly shining example of what we have become. It's only business…you and I don't count. The place was corrupt from top to bottom when I got there in 1978 and they dressed it up with smoke and mirrors to make a go of it. They should bull doze it under the ground. The sons of bitches. Karma is going to come down hard. Ferdinand Celine made a stop there in his "Journey to the End of the Night". I strongly recommend you read it. It's a map of where we are headed…from where I came. The End of the Night.

The funny thing is…I am not angry or bitter in the slightest. In fact…I am thankful. It was the best thing that ever happened to me…as it turns out. Fate is a funny thing. When I woke up that morning after the meeting with my supervisor and the two-faced bitch from IR…I KNEW God had a plan for me. I had FAITH. I never gave up and I never flinched. I never for an instant felt afraid. Of course it was just me and my three dogs. My pack…I packed us up and we left the country. If I had had the traditional wife and kids it would have been a different matter. But then again they wouldn't have felt the need to get rid of me…I was having too much fun. I wasn't miserable like the whole of them. I was changing cars and girlfriends every two years…or so.

The Master's was an amazing tournament this year and this kid Jason Spieth made it something special. For a new kid to come on and just dominate the tournament from start to finish was a wonderfully entertaining bit of sport worthiness. A nice quiet unassuming kid from Texas. Tiger Woods played some great golf as well which is nice to see. Some would have him banished to hell or worse for his sins…but who are we to judge? The Masters is a tournament steeped in tradition. Those good old boys down in Georgia know how to make things stick.

This tournament in Monte Carlo is shaping up as well. It really helps to have one Roger Federer in the draw and he dispensed with the hapless Jeremy Chardy in quick fashion. I never saw any of it and it happened very quickly and then it was over. Next up…Gael Monfils. The Amazing Mr. Monfils had the great misfortune of beating a less than 100 percent Federer in the Davis Cup Finals at the end of last year. He also gave Roger a desperate run for his money at the U. S. Open last year and cost Federer his next match against Marin Cilic in the quarterfinals. It's not nice to fool with Mother Nature and it isn't nice to get Roger's dander up.

Gael, as usual, hot dogged his way past his Ukrainian foil in the second round and he better have his head on straight if Roger comes to play today. Roger is looking to set the record straight and I really hope that he does because then we have a match between him and the winner of Stan Wawrinka and Grigor Dimitrov. Which of these two possible match ups would you like to see? Roger and Stan would be great…don't you think so? Last year Stan bounced Roger in the finals of the Monte Carlo tournament for his second win against his boss in fifteen tries. Since then Roger has reminded him who is boss with really great performances at Wimbledon and at the Barclay's World Tour Finals. The Barclay's final was truly one of the best matches of the year and it was highlighted with the participant's women getting particularly catty and the boys had to get busy sorting things out between themselves…which they really did very nicely to team up and defeat the French in the Davis Cup final the very next week. Great stuff…as I remember.

On the other hand we have the potential matchup with the clone and the real thing. The Real Thing has prevailed all three times but the match up is intriguing all the same. Wawrinka and Dimitrov are 2-1 head to head and look for Wawrinka to make it 3-1. Dimitrov has had a nice tournament so far as he has beaten a resurging Fernando Verdasco and "Fabulous" Fabio Fognini so far. A win over Wawrinka would be a huge step forward of the Bulgarian ladies' man…if you consider Serena and Maria ladies. But nonetheless…both of these matches have some rather interesting entertainment value…as modern tennis goes. Dimitrov versus Wawrinka has a couple of fine one hand backhands on display and the Federer versus Monfils matchup has it all going on.

The rest of the draw is playing itself out quietly but interestingly enough…all of the match ups are at least somewhat entertaining on paper. It is only when you begin to watch the tennis that it gets to be so tedious. The endless backcourt rallying and jockeying for position. The monotony of the ball going back and forth with little or no variation of play. Even the big guys play the strong gripped runaround the forehand into the baseline doubles alley and two-handed defence backhand game. John Isner, Tomas Berdych, Jose Tsonga, Marin Cilic…all of them. I guess you can admire the athleticism…if you can stay awake.

The lack of net play and forecourt play is strikingingly obvious to anyone that truly understands the game…or at least who understands what the game used to be. Without Federer in the draw this tournament becomes yet another dud. It's only a matter of time before it all comes crashing down. The only thing that could possibly save it is somehow a link…a missing dot in the three dots…suddenly emerges like Jason Spieth has emerged in the Kingdom of Golf. Someone to save the day…otherwise…well let's just see how it goes today. One day at a time.

[stotty]

The labyrinth...doors opening and closing.

Great Stotty. I hope that you start to play golf soon. Maybe you would like to hop over to Sweden and attend my golf school with my partner and I. It's great fun…a nice peaceful place. A nice place to begin to learn to play golf…with yours truly of course. Ten years ago on a magical January night with snow softly falling from the sky my wife and I had our wedding dinner out at this hotel in the Swedish countryside.

Sounds amazing. One day I will take up golf...for sure. I find Augusta inspiring. Every year it makes me want to play.

It was one year to the day since the Ford Motor Company Steel Division let me go without any warning or notice after 25 years of loyal service. You see…the next day the division was being sold to a Russian steel company and some of my "friends" in higher places of management found a loophole to get rid of me. Two of the "bitches" had me in a room to themselves giving me the bad news. I was under the weather as it was so it seemed to be a bit surreal especially when they asked me at the end if I had anything to say. I remember my exact words…"would it make any difference if I did?"

That's quite a story. One many others have experienced also. It's cut throat world we live in...jostling for position for what amounts at the end of the day to be a tiny morsel...is it worth it...probably not. You are better out of it. We all are. My father lived in a world like you described for over 40 years. He ended up in a good position and very well paid. When I asked him if it had all been worth it he said: "definitely not". He was pleased I was treading a different path from him, albeit with far less pay.

I woke up the next morning and said to myself…"thank God I never have to go back to that Godforsaken place again". The funny thing is…I am not angry or bitter in the slightest. In fact…I am thankful. It was the best thing that ever happened to me…as it turns out. Fate is a funny thing.

When one door closes another one opens...sometimes a better door. If only we had known it in the first place.

Ferdinand Celine made a stop there in his "Journey to the End of the Night". I strongly recommend you read it.

I will...

[klacr]

Bad day for the Swiss in Monte Carlo.
Wawrinka gets trounced by Dimitrov and Federer loses to Gael Monfils in straight sets.

Guess we have no one else to root for...or do we?

Berdych into the quarterfinals with a win over Roberto Bautista Agut! Just sayin'

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[bottle]

Great Stotty. I hope that you start to play golf soon. Maybe you would like to hop over to Sweden and attend my golf school with my partner and I. It's great fun…a nice peaceful place. A nice place to begin to learn to play golf…with yours truly of course. Ten years ago on a magical January night with snow softly falling from the sky my wife and I had our wedding dinner out at this hotel in the Swedish countryside.

It was one year to the day since the Ford Motor Company Steel Division let me go without any warning or notice after 25 years of loyal service. You see…the next day the division was being sold to a Russian steel company and some of my "friends" in higher places of management found a loophole to get rid of me. Two of the "bitches" had me in a room to themselves giving me the bad news. I was under the weather as it was so it seemed to be a bit surreal especially when they asked me at the end if I had anything to say. I remember my exact words…"would it make any difference if I did?"...

The two bitches looked at each other…they knew who they were fucking with and I was unfazed. I woke up the next morning and said to myself…"thank God I never have to go back to that Godforsaken place again". I still have nightmares that somehow I have found my self gainfully employed with that miserable outfit. That ship of fools…luckily I wake up and get my bearings and realize that I am safe in my bed here in Sweden. One year to the very day after that disgraceful event in American history I was married here in Sweden on a small mountainside church over looking the nearest town to my home. The place still has some of that magic…I'm talking about the hotel here in Sweden...that is.

One year to the very day. The earth had returned to the exact point in its orbit around the sun…I had gone from down and out to the king of my world. The hapless and miserable steel division was recently sold again. The Russians have since left the place with the recent hysterics in the Ukrainian episode. They probably don't feel so welcome anymore. I would have warned them if they had asked me. It's probably why I was unceremoniously shown the door in the first place. What an outfit. What a disgrace. What a truly shining example of what we have become. It's only business…you and I don't count. The place was corrupt from top to bottom when I got there in 1978 and they dressed it up with smoke and mirrors to make a go of it. They should bull doze it under the ground. The sons of bitches. Karma is going to come down hard. Ferdinand Celine made a stop there in his "Journey to the End of the Night". I strongly recommend you read it. It's a map of where we are headed…from where I came. The End of the Night.

The funny thing is…I am not angry or bitter in the slightest. In fact…I am thankful. It was the best thing that ever happened to me…as it turns out. Fate is a funny thing. When I woke up that morning after the meeting with my supervisor and the two-faced bitch from IR…I KNEW God had a plan for me. I had FAITH. I never gave up and I never flinched. I never for an instant felt afraid. Of course it was just me and my three dogs. My pack…I packed us up and we left the country. If I had had the traditional wife and kids it would have been a different matter. But then again they wouldn't have felt the need to get rid of me…I was having too much fun. I wasn't miserable like the whole of them. I was changing cars and girlfriends every two years…or so.

Nice biography. My partner Hope was one of the last to be let go from KMart. She had been a consultant for the Ross Perot org and done car-related stuff too. Amazing how many people there are in Detroit constantly working to re-invent themselves. In the meantime I'm wearing really nice clothes of four dead guys, one of them the former police chief in Grosse Pointe. One of our friends is head of the Chamber of Commerce of all Detroit. He's Indian but adores anyone named Bush unlike me who dreads such persons but gives me a little respect because of a dinner party set-to we once had over philosophy of education. (He forced it. He stared at me and said, "I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HE THINKS.") And I give him a little respect since he owns a fat cat named "India"-- great name for a cat. His step-son did a little professional gardening with Hope and me.

[gzhpcu]

Not a golfer. Don't watch golf. It's like watching grass grow to me. Sorry. Augusta is nice...but I'll take the super yachts, beautiful women, mediterranean sea and quality tennis.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Hey, Kyle, you forgot the great mediterranean food! Not like you at all...

[klacr]

Hey, Kyle, you forgot the great mediterranean food! Not like you at all...

How could I forget!? Nice catch Phil. Yes, and the food. Oh, the food.



Monte Carlo Quarterfinals
Djokovic vs. Cilic
Nadal vs. Ferrer (Ferrer beat him last year in quarters)
Dimitrov vs. Monfils (Showtime! Expect some great shotmaking in this one. Grab your popcorn.)
Raonic vs. Berdych (Winnable match for Berdych. He's arguably the best clay courter in this half of draw. Big opportunity for him)

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[klacr]

Sleeper of a day in Monte Carlo.

Raonic retires against Berdych
Monfils blows out Dimitrov
Djokovic Demolishes Cilic
Ferrer and Nadal are just starting so perhaps that can be competitive.

Berdych has 5-1 head to head vs. Monfils. Liking his chances. But Monfils has capability of red lining his game and being the best on the court against anyone.
In my gut, I feel Berdych's steadiness and discipline will guide him through.

Djokovic playing at a different level than everyone right now. Whether he meets Ferrer or Nadal, Dokovic will move onto finals.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[gzhpcu]

Incredible that Dimitrov wipes out Wawrinka and then gets wiped out by Monfils. Guess it shows that the 2nd tier players lack consistency.

[klacr]

Incredible that Dimitrov wipes out Wawrinka and then gets wiped out by Monfils. Guess it shows that the 2nd tier players lack consistency.

Yup. So it makes you wonder when Monfils will come back down to earth. For the sake of my boy Berdych, let's hope it's tomorrow.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[gzhpcu]

Did anyone notice that Nadal seems to have changed the backswing on his serve? Seems much larger than it used to be, less abbreviated...

[stroke]

Monfils goes down to Berdych. The Nadal/Djokovic match should be very revealing as to where Nadal is at. Oddsmakers have made Nadal and Djokovic co-favorites for the French Open title. That is something as Nadal has won 9 of the last 10 titles there, which to me is the most impressive achievement ever in sports.