Gerry Weber Open...Halle, Germany & Aegon Championships...London, England (ATP 500's)

[don_budge]

Two grass court tournaments...one with Roger Federer and one without. Advantage Halle...Gerry Weber Open. That being said there seems to be a lot more activity at the net and this is a good thing. The long mind numbing baseline rallies aren't going to cut it on the lawn. My only hope is that the lawn is not playing like velcro this year and our boy Roger has the advantage in that case.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/scores/current/london/311/draws

The Aegon Championships has Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka, Milos Raonic and Marin Cilic as the top four seeds. I watched the first set tie-breaker go to Donald Young over Nick "The Unpredictable" Kyrgios. Note the upgrade from "The Jerk". I just don't care anymore. Fafa Nadal won his tenth French Open. Another sign it is over...for me. Roger is leaving and I am biting my tongue about Nadal. Let me just say this. I was watching some track and field on Eurosport yesterday and I was watching the men and women throwing the discuss. The thing that struck me was how quickly they got the stupid thing airborne. I don't know how much time they are allowed but every single competition got in that circle and just got straight down to business. I was on the golf course playing some golf with some guy named Frederik and we both just got up to the ball and got it done. I'm biting my tongue.

Match of the day at The Aegon...Kyle Edmund versus Denis Shapovalov. I've had my eye on this kid now for a while. He's got the look.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/scores/current/halle/500/draws

Roger Federer, Dominic Thiem, Kei Nishikori and Alexander Zverev are the top four seeds at the Gerry Webber Open. I watched Zverev lose to Gilles Muller the other day and he wasn't that impressive on grass. It will be interesting to see how he reacts. He may be on the fast track learning curve as one cannot argue against the talent. He looked as if he wanted to bust his racquet a number of times but he appeared to resist. But then again it was only a highlight video so if he did bust a move it probably didn't make the highlight reel.

I just watched "Downtown" Dustin Brown take out Vasek Pospisil 7-6 in the third. Mostly I saw the final set tie-break. Dustin made a serve and "swing volley" point deep in the tie-break. John would have loved that. He was barely a meter in from the baseline so I don't think it was choreographed as such. He made a diving drop shot volley to set up the match point...that should make the shot of the day on the ATP website. Dustin could also be known as unpredictable like Nick Kyrgios...but in a different way. I wonder how much the dreadlocks weigh. They look pretty massive and heavy. They sure are very hot to carry around. Is he smoking the ghanga? Just a question...perhaps it is considered medicinal in the Rastafari crowd.

If Roger Federer and Mischa Zverev both win their first rounds they are going to meet in the second round. That could get interesting. I wonder how deep Roger is planning on going in this tournament.

[don_budge]

T
Match of the day at The Aegon...Kyle Edmund versus Denis Shapovalov. I've had my eye on this kid now for a while. He's got the look.

It was a good one...Shapovalov in three. I took away something from Kyle Edmund...this guy is a fighter. Not the most talented...not the sharpest tool in the shed. But this guy just fights relentlessly. Keeps his mouth shut. No nonsenses...just gets to work. Outstanding. Shapovalov versus none other than klacr's boy...Tomas Berdych. Berdych might want to take a deep breath and get down to work himself here. It should prove to be interesting. If nothing else...Denis Shapovalov is there to make it interesting.

[stotty]

I took away something from Kyle Edmund...this guy is a fighter. Not the most talented...not the sharpest tool in the shed. But this guy just fights relentlessly. Keeps his mouth shut. No nonsenses...just gets to work. Outstanding.

Yes he is all of those things. He's still not the best mover you will see, but his forehand is massive. He's a workhorse. He just keeps at it day in and day out. No one thought he would get this far. Sometimes players surprise you and go further than you ever thought possible. Kyle is one of those players.

[don_budge]

Yes he is all of those things. He's still not the best mover you will see, but his forehand is massive. He's a workhorse. He just keeps at it day in and day out. No one thought he would get this far. Sometimes players surprise you and go further than you ever thought possible. Kyle is one of those players.

Grit is a massive asset for a tennis player. Not being afraid of getting your hands dirty goes a long way. Roger Federer has tons of grit although it is well disguised or somehow well incorporated within the whole paradigm of being the living proof. Richard Gonzales was the epitome of grit the same as Roger although it was more easily identifiable when Gonzales was getting "gritty". It was tough to watch for the feint of heart. Kyle needs some work on that service motion which will make him at least half a point better on his service games.

But back to the rest of the rest. I watched Federer pound the "lucky loser" into next week...the next tournament. A good match for Roger to warm up on because he is going to need it in the next round. I've been watching Mischa Zverev getting steadily more comfortable with the various opponents the past six months or so. Ever since I watched him have Novak Djokovic on the ropes last year in China somewhere. The lefty serve seems to be improving and he quickly moves in to "put and maintain pressure on his opponent". Federer played him at the Australian Open I believe and got on top of him right away...it looks like he had better show Mischa who is boss right away on the grass before he gets too comfortable. Mischa beat the same Tommy Haas who defeated Federer in Stuttgart in the same tournament. He then lost to another rapidly improving Feliciano Lopez.

I watched Florian "The Quirky One" dismantle a sometimes dangerous Benoit Paire a bit. Paire seemed to be tanking the first set when I was tuned in...logged on. I missed Nishikori and Verdasco...Verdasco is a first round nightmare for these guys and he gave Nishikori a solid run for his money. I think I mentioned watching "Downtown" Dustin Brown dust off Vasek Pospisil on Monday...Pospisil a recent conquerer of Andy Murray. One of several as a matter of fact. Briefly saw Alexander "Little Bro" Zverev take his victory bows after he dispatched another apparent clay court specialist. He's getting a lot of practice with this bowing procedure. A couple of points here and there from Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils. It looked as though Gael should and would win...but alas it was not meant to be. The rest...the rest...it's all the same. Dominic Thiem in the bottom half. God please...can we just have an all one-handed backhand final. Dominic Thiem versus Roger Federer. I promise to never ask for another thing. How many times have we heard that?

Then there is the other tournament. The one without "The Living Proof"...Roger Federer. The one without his Swiss compatriot as of yesterday as well. Feliciano Lopez looked to get another level more comfortable on the moss as Stan looked to be a fish out of water. Speaking of fish out of water...the number one seed and number one player in the world looked lost and forlorn as he went down to Jordan Thompson this time. The number 90 ranked player in the world. Speaking of comfortable...Andy is the antithesis of comfortable. His clothes don't seem to fit. His own skin is like an itchy rash. The number one position in the world was more "fun" when he was chasing it but now that he has it he doesn't know how to wear it. I don't think I have ever seen a player look so bad trying to play the role.

There is some interesting matches on paper developing although watching them is quite another thing. Some of the announcers are warbling about all of the serve and volley and net play. But it's more or less futile chatter. In most instances the play is rather spotty and mediocre. It reminds me of the era after classic tennis on tranquilizers. The big racquets give the players a chance to utilize the formality of practice they have been doing on their volleys and the all court game but nothing is going to change the state of the game in the foreseeable future. The service motions for the most part are not designed to propel the players forwards and this is a large hindrance to the big picture. I don't find the hyped play so entertaining although I know some are encouraged by the change of pace. One of the announcers used the word "old school" but perhaps he didn't realize that this was the post classic paradigm we are witnessing...not "old school" classic tennis. Only one thing is going to cure the current game of its doldrums and that would be a return to where it all began. Much as Putin is advocating in Russia.

The match of the day occurs at 5.30 today. The match between Tomas Berdych (klacr's boy) and Denis Shapovalov is looming. This may be Shapovalov's coming out party. If he can just get a few matches under his belt here in London he might just feel like he belongs on the hallowed grass at Wimbledon. Check it out. Dominic Thiem plays Robin Hasse at 5.30 as well. This is a great warm up for Thiem and will give us a barometer on his comfort on the grass. I can see him getting through the bottom half unscathed on route to the final.

Keep an eye on these lefties with the capacity to volley. It's a formula that can work during this grass court season. Roger has given the game the impetus recently since he switched the equipment and the need to end points quickly becomes more necessary. Guys like Mischa Zverev, Gilles Muller, Denis Shapovalov, Feliciano Lopez and possibly even Donald "The Donald" Young. One of the bigger question marks is Grigor Dimitrov? What is his role in these proceedings. If I had my way we would see Gilles Muller and Donald Young in one semi and Dimitrov and Feliciano Lopez in the other at The Aegon Championships. At Halle it would be Roger and Dominic in the finals. Let's just see what transpires.

[klacr]

Yes he is all of those things. He's still not the best mover you will see, but his forehand is massive. He's a workhorse. He just keeps at it day in and day out. No one thought he would get this far. Sometimes players surprise you and go further than you ever thought possible. Kyle is one of those players.

Thanks for the compliment stotty!
Just kidding, of course the subject was Kyle Edmund. He gave Rafa a good fight this year early on in the clay season. Kid has some toughness to him.


In Halle, Federer eased past Sugita. This could be Roger's week as he gets the engined primed for Wimbledon. The Stuttgart loss was simply an exhibition of sorts where he lost to a friend and home crowd favorite Tommy Haas.

At Queen's Club, Murray, Wawrinka and Raonic all lost. Raonic only player who had decency to come forward consistently enough. ill be interesting to see if Murray does anything less than a title at Wimbledon where that puts the Murray-Lendl coaching relationship.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

klacr...your call on the upcoming match? You know...Berdych versus Shapovalov.

[don_budge]

klacr...your call on the upcoming match? You know...Berdych versus Shapovalov.

Berdych in a down to the wire finish. Denis Shapovalov...the next. He plays beyond his years. He plays all over the court. Good luck trying to glue him to the baseline. Refreshing to see.

[stotty]

Berdych in a down to the wire finish. Denis Shapovalov...the next. He plays beyond his years. He plays all over the court. Good luck trying to glue him to the baseline. Refreshing to see.

#4 was a great post. Thanks for those lowdowns and updates.

I will make a point of watching Shapovalov when I get the chance. I'm worked off my feet right now...seems every Tom, Dick and Harry wants to take up tennis. I dread picking up the phone in case I have to fit yet another student in. I really must get younger. Have they invented an get-younger pill yet?

But I hope Shapovalov is the all court player you say he is. The game needs it so badly right now.

[bottle]

Only one thing is going to cure the current game of its doldrums and that would be a return to where it all began. Much as Putin is advocating in Russia.

He is? The evidence? Advocating a return to God-fearing folk in America? And to God-fearing folk in Russia? With him, Putin renouncing his private holdings and donning clerical robes?

Do you really think I'm going to let you get away with looney-tunes blather like this?

Good on the tennis though.

[don_budge]

The White Knight Is Talking Backwards...

I will make a point of watching Shapovalov when I get the chance. I'm worked off my feet right now...seems every Tom, Dick and Harry wants to take up tennis. I dread picking up the phone in case I have to fit yet another student in. I really must get younger. Have they invented an get-younger pill yet?

But I hope Shapovalov is the all court player you say he is. The game needs it so badly right now.

I looked for the highlights video on youtube and strangely it isn't there. It speaks well of you that you are in such demand. They do have the youth pill only it isn't available to you and me. But ask Federer...or go ask Alice. Whichever you think will give you the pill.

White Rabbit...Jefferson Starship (1967)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WANNqr-vcx0

One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small
And the ones that mother gives you, don't do anything at all

Go ask Alice, when she's ten feet tall

And if you go chasing rabbits, and you know you're going to fall
Tell 'em a hookah-smoking caterpillar has given you the call

And call Alice, when she was just small

When the men on the chessboard get up and tell you where to go
And you've just had some kind of mushroom, and your mind is moving low

Go ask Alice, I think she'll know

When logic and proportion have fallen sloppy dead
And the white knight is talking backwards
And the red queen's off with her head
Remember what the dormouse said
Feed your head, feed your head

I think I will go ask Alice...I think she'll know.

[don_budge]

When logic and proportion have fallen sloppy dead
And the white knight is talking backwards

And the white knight is talking backwards...what a line. When logic and proportion have fallen sloppy dead...sort of reminds me...I can't put my finger on it. Somebody...something from the past. A blurred memory. Self induced. Thank you Lord.

Speaking of giving thanks...Roger might just cast a not to the heavens. He managed to eek out the first set tie-break against an ever improving genuine serve and volley player. Mischa Zverev. Something is missing thought. Sustainability? We'll see. He's solid with the serve and he is backing it up with ever increasingly solid volleys. If "lil' Bro" added this chapter to his book perhaps the "Next Generation" wouldn't look so bleak.

Set number two. From Federer's point of view can he begin to maintain some sort of consistent pressure on Zverev. With Zverev serving at 4-5 to stay in the set Federer pressed him into a service game that was over ten minutes long. Even though he didn't win the game he put a lot of pressure on Zverev and it all adds up in the end. Zverev was a touch shaky in the tie-break and he didn't volley with the same decisiveness. Federer capitalized.

[klacr]

klacr...your call on the upcoming match? You know...Berdych versus Shapovalov.

I was confident Berdych would take out the young gun but it was closer than it needed to be. Impressed by Shapovalov.

Berdych now must play another lefty in Feliciano Lopez. A rematch of last week's Stuttgart quarterfinal. Let's see what he's learned.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

Set number two.

Logic and proportion fallen sloppy dead. I meant to say set number one. Mushrooms...white knights...queens...chess pieces telling me where to go. I love that song. But anyways...Roger cleared the board and served out just a tad tepidly but he moves on to play Florian "The Quirk" Mayer.

The second set was even steven until four games all when Roger turned up the heat. Zverev was sort of dictating play...at least on his serve. He never made much of a dent in Federer's. Not that Federer served all that great...the best is yet to come I am sure. But at four all Roger sort of came alive and broke Zverev and then he served it out.

It's a tournament. Roger is alive...warming up for Wimbledon.

[stotty]

I managed to watch the last four games of Cilic v Koslov.

I see Koslov is still underpowered comparative to most tour players. I wonder how he is going to resolve that. He hit a poor length in the games I saw and was relatively easy fodder for Cilic. I notice Koslov had changed his service motion a little. I cannot tell exactly how, I just know it's not how it was a few years ago. His first serve percentage was woeful from what I witnessed. He was still in the match at 3-3 in the second set and needed to serve well to try and find his way into a tie-break. Anything is possible once you reach a tiebreak. A bit of luck and roulette and the set can be yours...against the run of play.

I still like Koslov. His temperament is terrific. It was always going to be interesting to see how things panned out with him. Compared to Zverez and Kyrgios he's struggling. Let's see what the next two years bring.

[klacr]

I managed to watch the last four games of Cilic v Koslov.

I see Koslov is still underpowered comparative to most tour players. I wonder how he is going to resolve that. He hit a poor length in the games I saw and was relatively easy fodder for Cilic. I notice Koslov had changed his service motion a little. I cannot tell exactly how, I just know it's not how it was a few years ago. His first serve percentage was woeful from what I witnessed. He was still in the match at 3-3 in the second set and needed to serve well to try and find his way into a tie-break. Anything is possible once you reach a tiebreak. A bit of luck and roulette and the set can be yours...against the run of play.

I still like Koslov. His temperament is terrific. It was always going to be interesting to see how things panned out with him. Compared to Zverez and Kyrgios he's struggling. Let's see what the next two years bring.

How many more years can Koslov keep getting wildcards from USTA? In the states, we have been force fed him for years. He has been given wildcards for years. He has 5 wins on tour in his career...all on grass. He has a smooth game and great tennis IQ, but that is not translating to any long term progressive development. Will be interesting where he ends up and if that game can be injected with any more power.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton