2012 Miami Open…ATP 1000…Miami, Florida

[nickw]

Bellucci, Stakhovsky, and Bedene all retire mid-match too, must be brutal. Wawrinka also beaten. Not quite as bad as the luck that befell Rotterdam this year, but getting there.

Good story Stotty, I can only admire the level of fitness players have today, to be able to endure some of the conditions they get. Hottest I played in was 36 middle of day and clear. Only went 80 mins or so, but clothes totally drenched after half hour.

[johnyandell]

Hey it's hot just walking around down here.

[klacr]

Bellucci, Stakhovsky, and Bedene all retire mid-match too, must be brutal. Wawrinka also beaten. Not quite as bad as the luck that befell Rotterdam this year, but getting there.

Good story Stotty, I can only admire the level of fitness players have today, to be able to endure some of the conditions they get. Hottest I played in was 36 middle of day and clear. Only went 80 mins or so, but clothes totally drenched after half hour.

There is a flu bug going around the locker room as well. Ram said he had the flu before the Berdych match. Fed with a "stomach bug"Was walking around practice courts and some players were discussing it, many had coughs, sniffles and congestion. The tennis courts were like a giant petri dish.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

The Curse of Ray Moore...

There is a flu bug going around the locker room as well. Ram said he had the flu before the Berdych match. Fed with a "stomach bug"Was walking around practice courts and some players were discussing it, many had coughs, sniffles and congestion. The tennis courts were like a giant petri dish.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal both out…it was only a few days ago that Ray Moore suggested that women tennis players might get down on their knees and give thanks to GOD for the day that they were born. There is something strange going on here…it's probably just a coincidence. It's not a sign don_budge…it isn't karmic.

I thought that Roger's retreat was particularly strange. His whole knee surgery escapade has some rather Naldian attributes to it. The strange explanation of the injury itself and why did it take some months for that story to come out. It was a simple explanation yet not a word about it. It was very mysterious…it remains so. Now his withdrawal from Miami when it looked like he was all set to go…in record time recuperating from knee surgery.

Rafael Nadal succumbing to heat was even more bizarre. The tennis world is getting wackier by the tournament. Nadal's explanation was sketchy at best.

What is it these days? I don't remember this type of mass exodus from tournaments. So many are saying how the sport has become so much tougher…the physicality is so much greater. That's a great word by the way. It seems that it was invented specifically for modern tennis. It is right up there with "point construction". Reinventing the wheel.

Just think if they didn't have the tie-breaker. Just ask Stotty. The women will really be earning their equal pay this week. Let's hope they are up to it. Without Roger and Rafael it's up to Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. There is only a handful that can carry the tournament…everything being equal. Which it never is…in real life.

[gzhpcu]

This would have been a big chance for you Kyle, had you gotten a wild card: you are used to the heat...

[klacr]

This would have been a big chance for you Kyle, had you gotten a wild card: you are used to the heat...

Haha. Sure Phil. That would have been nice. I embrace the heat as much as I embrace the net. My ideal conditions. But I was more than happy to watch from the sideline.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[gzhpcu]

I was surprised that the heat even affected Rafa...

[don_budge]

Thomas Berdych versus Steve Johnson…2nd set

I'm watching a little of Berdych and Johnson before dinner. Johnson is very effectively playing a slice backhand to Berdych and varying the depth. Berdych seems to have trouble with the one that lands short and skidding low. He doesn't seem to have the game in the middle of the court…the in between game. The tweener.

Johnson is fighting to get into a tie-break to stay in the match. Berdych is trying to close him out. It's an interesting psychological point in the match. It's a tie-break now.

Where's our "WildCard Kyle"?

[stotty]

Berdych seems to have trouble with the one that lands short and skidding low.

They all do, all the two-handers that is, even Djokovic. They can play the shot okay but can't seem to do much with it. Generally speaking, the short, skidding ball the two-handers' achilles heel. At Wimbledon I would love to have seen Federer use this strategy more over the years, particularly against Djokovic.

[gzhpcu]

Thiem wins again, easy opponent though. Djokovic looks very impressive. He is in another league...

[stroke]

I am in Miami. Just watched a very good, to me typical ATP Masters event 2nd round win by Batista Agut over Tsonga. All 3 sets contested, no one went away. Batista Agut earned the 3rd set tiebreaker win. It was on the Grandstand and I was able to watch it from a very good seat. Looking forward in a couple of hours to seeing Kyrios on the same court followed by the Bryan brothers.

[klacr]

It's Berdych's time.

'Nuff said'

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[stotty]

I am in Miami. Just watched a very good, to me typical ATP Masters event 2nd round win by Batista Agut over Tsonga. All 3 sets contested, no one went away. Batista Agut earned the 3rd set tiebreaker win. It was on the Grandstand and I was able to watch it from a very good seat. Looking forward in a couple of hours to seeing Kyrios on the same court followed by the Bryan brothers.

I saw the third set. It was decent. I like Agut's forehand. What is it like live...up close?

It's great when you buy a ticket to see live tennis and get treated to a hotly contested game. Keep me posted on Kyrgios if you get the chance....

[stroke]

I saw the third set. It was decent. I like Agut's forehand. What is it like live...up close?

It's great when you buy a ticket to see live tennis and get treated to a hotly contested game. Keep me posted on Kyrgios if you get the chance....

To me, his forehand was like the rest of his game, just so solid. His fh, bh, movement, serve, mentality, add up to a gatekeeper top 15/10 player. I just watched the Sock warm up for his match vs Raonic. Sock hits hits fh in practice just as he does in match play. To me, Agut's fh is nothing near that impactful. Kyrios is who I am looking forward to seeing up close. I see a guy there with the most potential.

[stotty]

To me, his forehand was like the rest of his game, just so solid. His fh, bh, movement, serve, mentality, add up to a gatekeeper top 15/10 player. I just watched the Sock warm up for his match vs Raonic. Sock hits hits fh in practice just as be does in match play. To me, Agut's fh is nothing near that impactful. Kyrios is who I am looking forward to seeing up close. I see a guy there with the most potential.

Thanks...

Murray just won the first set versus Dimitrov. In the tiebreak Murray just shut up shop and made no errors. Murray is great when he does that.