2017 Wimbledon Championships...ATP 2000...London, Great Britain

[stroke]

Federer, Berdych, Cilic and Querrey. Those are your Wimbledon semifinalists.

This is Federer's to win, but that semi-final opponent could be tricky. Berdych one of only 6 men to have beaten Federer multiple times in a grand slam. The others being Djokovic, Nadal, Nalbandian, Corretja, Tsonga.
There is no fear factor that Berdych has of Federer. He knows he is human. With that said, it will still take a herculean effort for my boy to take down my #2. Friday will be bittersweet either way for me. Very happy for the winner but saddened for the loser.

Cilic and Querrey is the opening act. I don't particularly care who wins as long as they exhaust each other and make the going easy in the final for the other semifinal winner. Cilic is in great form and he was a dark horse for me this year.

Querrey scares me for the fact that he seems to play almost too loose, aloof, a complete lack of awareness for the magnitude or significance of what lies before him. He showed it in his match vs. Murray. Just a southern California kid that was out whacking some shots on a regular day, except it was not a regiular day and he was playing against the Great Britain's favorite, world #1 and defending Wimbledon champion. And yet Querrey looked as though he was having a hit around with buddies and had plans for a post play meal at In-n-Out Burger. Give me a double-double with animal style fries. That is the type of attitude and swagger that scares me. Querrey capable of beating anyone and has. No pressure, just swinging and swatting away. See ball, hit ball.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

nice thoughts on Sam. I am a little surprised that Cilic is about a 1/3 favortie in that match. I would have thought the odds would have been closer, but as Stotty has said, these oddmakers are a savvy bunch. I will defer to them.

[don_budge]

Berdych has the absolute perfect attitude going into tomorrow's match with Roger Federer. He talked about their last two meetings...in Australia Federer played like God and in Miami Berdych had a match point on him. Their head to head is 18-6 advantage Federer. But when they go on the court tomorrow they will start the match at love-love. Berdych has played solid tennis in beating the up and coming Dominic Thiem. But the fact remains is Roger is playing unbelievable tennis. If he continues to serve well and I anticipate that his serve is going to get better and better as the tournament progresses. This is his game plan. As goes his serve...so goes the rest of his game.

Federer finds ways to motivate himself for each and every match. For every point of every match for that matter. Against Raonic he only had to remember that it was last year at Wimbledon where Milos dashed his hopes. Now against Berdych he will make something up in his head or use Miami as his motivation. He will imagine that Berdych is hot on his heels...hunting him like a mad dog. He envisions that he will have to play his absolute best to have any hopes of defeating him. Then he will go out on the court with a steely faced grin/smirk and try to make Berdych wish his mother never had him.

With regards to Sam Querry and Marin Cilic...America comes first. MAGA Sam. You can do it.

[stotty]

I think Berdych needs to go for route one. He cannot win this match save for doing something slightly outrageous. There must be no rallies above four strokes. If he hasn't won the point by then, he won't win it at all most of the time, and even if he occasionally does, he will be feeding Roger with rhythm and feel. Better to hit balls into the stadium than allow Roger to take him apart like he did Raonic, which he will.

arturohernandez and I have seen Roger's recent form firsthand. It's frightening. Berdych doesn't have a hope in hell if Roger continues in the same form he has so far. Once he gets behind Berdych's serve he will pull the big lug around from pillar to post and make look like a stranded whale.

So, yes, no rallies. Let the ball roll by on the fourth or fifth stroke, don't even attempt to play it. That might freak Roger a little. Berdych needs to get 72% first serves in at least, and go for hefty second serves too.

It's all or nothing for Berdych and hope Roger doesn't hit top form.

I am sure arturohernandez will say the same; that Roger is in almost unplayable form. And arturohernandez is right on another point: it is pretty boring watching Roger hang, draw and quarter other ATP players like hapless fodder. Everyone surely likes to see a contest and not a one horse race.

But sod America, sod Britain for that matter. I want the best game to watch, please. For me that's a Roger v Cilic final.

[klacr]

First American in any Grand Slam semi-final since Andy Roddick in 2009. Great interview...great smile. Nice guy. What a great thing for Sam...very happy for him.

Only 2,933 days since the last American male semifinalist. But hey, who's counting?

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/a-long-sad-american-tennis-drought-is-over/

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[klacr]

Berdych has the absolute perfect attitude going into tomorrow's match with Roger Federer. He talked about their last two meetings...in Australia Federer played like God and in Miami Berdych had a match point on him. Their head to head is 18-6 advantage Federer. But when they go on the court tomorrow they will start the match at love-love. Berdych has played solid tennis in beating the up and coming Dominic Thiem. But the fact remains is Roger is playing unbelievable tennis. If he continues to serve well and I anticipate that his serve is going to get better and better as the tournament progresses. This is his game plan. As goes his serve...so goes the rest of his game.

Federer finds ways to motivate himself for each and every match. For every point of every match for that matter. Against Raonic he only had to remember that it was last year at Wimbledon where Milos dashed his hopes. Now against Berdych he will make something up in his head or use Miami as his motivation. He will imagine that Berdych is hot on his heels...hunting him like a mad dog. He envisions that he will have to play his absolute best to have any hopes of defeating him. Then he will go out on the court with a steely faced grin/smirk and try to make Berdych wish his mother never had him.

With regards to Sam Querry and Marin Cilic...America comes first. MAGA Sam. You can do it.

Here are the facts:

There are only 6 players that have ever beaten Federer twice in a grand slam
Nadal
Djokovic
Corretja
Nalbandian
Tsonga
BERDYCH

There are only 5 current players on tour that have beaten Roger Federer 6 times or more
Nadal
Djokovic
Murray
Tsonga
BERDYCH

2 players now retired that have beaten him 6 times or more (Henman, Hewitt)

No doubt Berdych has a big test tomorrow. But he has to think that Roger does as well. I'll be watching.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

2017 MEN'S Semifinals...Wimbledon, Great Britain. Roger Federer and Sam Querry and the Tolling of the Bell.

I think Berdych needs to go for route one. He cannot win this match save for doing something slightly outrageous. There must be no rallies above four strokes. If he hasn't won the point by then, he won't win it at all most of the time, and even if he occasionally does, he will be feeding Roger with rhythm and feel. Better to hit balls into the stadium than allow Roger to take him apart like he did Raonic, which he will.

arturohernandez and I have seen Roger's recent form firsthand. It's frightening. Berdych doesn't have a hope in hell if Roger continues in the same form he has so far. Once he gets behind Berdych's serve he will pull the big lug around from pillar to post and make look like a stranded whale.

Roger is in almost unplayable form. And arturohernandez is right on another point: it is pretty boring watching Roger hang, draw and quarter other ATP players like hapless fodder. Everyone surely likes to see a contest and not a one horse race.

But sod America, sod Britain for that matter. I want the best game to watch, please. For me that's a Roger v Cilic final.

Interesting proposal vis-a-vis Berdych's standard fare. This goes against the very grain of a player like Berdych. It isn't advisable under these extreme conditions but I can understand the desperate nature of Berdych's predicament. I remember Mats Wilander proposing something similar to Roger Federer versus Novak Djokovic when Novak was riding supreme. But this is not time to panic.

Berdych has to play that hand he has been dealt. He has to somehow play within himself yet at an accelerated pace. As if he was on steroids or something that will allow him to play over his head. Don't forget his predicament was even worse in the round before...his lifetime head to head against Djokovic was 2-25. He found a way to get it home. A long shot granted...but he had won the first set.

Tomas has beaten Federer 6 times and he has to analyze what it was that made him successful on those occasions and I suspect it was a combination of him being sharp and Federer not. Maybe it had something to do with the occasion. Federer has been riding a crest but nobody has been able to put pressure on him and sustain it. They say in the course of a five set match there are going to be ebbs and flows and you have to ride the wave. Berdych has to go out and not give an inch. Not give anything away. He has to do something with the service return. Maybe on the first point he has to go aggressive...at any costs. But at the same time he has to play it smart. What Berdych has is a truly a dilemma.

It is imperative that Tomas serves well. A high percentage of first serves will perhaps keep Federer at bay a bit on his service game. If there is a change in tactics for Berdych it may be that he resolves to attack on the short ball. Something basic...something fundamental. But he cannot afford to do anything ridiculous because if it doesn't work the first couple of times he will lose confidence and Federer will be off to the races. Time to man up Tomas Berdych. You are going to have to look this one in the eye and be resolute.

That being said you always must come back to step number one. Federer is riding a wave like he has never experienced. There are ebbs and flows in matches, in points even in life. Roger must not wake up and question himself. He must not ask himself why is it he is playing so good. He must not doubt that the first serve is going to be pouring into the court like a hot laser of a cream tea. His fate is in his own hands and he cannot afford to doubt what he is sure of.

As for Sam Querry and Marin Cilic. For me it is all about being an American. Sam looks to be a nice enough guy. All American even. But that is not what is driving my interest in seeing him win. It is American tennis and all of the boys and girls in America that are playing this wonderful game. It is all about those vacant tennis courts that are not being played on. It is about the economy that is restricting the leisure time to do something that is healthy and actually good for you. Anything to get the motivational spirit moving the youth of today and to do something to divorce them from their love affair with that stupid cellphone, computer and surf platter. The same goes true for Great Britain and Australia. These were the Big Three for many years producing tennis and they knew how to do it. What we have now is a dumbed down version of the game...which is what happens when you leave it up to you know who. Come on Sam...your country is calling on you. Ask not for whom the bell tolls...the bell tolls for thee.

[don_budge]

I am sure arturohernandez will say the same; that Roger is in almost unplayable form. And arturohernandez is right on another point: it is pretty boring watching Roger hang, draw and quarter other ATP players like hapless fodder. Everyone surely likes to see a contest and not a one horse race.

Nothing will make me happier than to watch Roger Federer hang, draw and quarter two more ATP players for the title. There is more than tennis riding on this. It's about tradition. Three grown men playing the junior game...and Roger. Not one of these guys needs that other hand on the racquet to hit a backhand. Roger is going to exploit that as not one of the three plays the whole court with any natural flair. Court conditions hopefully will dictate that this must be the case. Remember...if they just speed up the courts if only incrementally.

#19...what about that number. What is the address at Wimbledon? Roger Federer Avenue? You want to come to Wimbledon? You gotta come down Roger's way.

[don_budge]

Sore Losers Really Piss Me Off...Greg Norman

I certainly admire the old Aussie fighting and competitive spirit. This is why Harry Hopman is the coach in my teaching paradigm. Winning is instilled in the player...even if they lose. I will never forget Greg Norman losing this golf tournament way back in 1996. I was only two years into my golf odyssey. He was so philosophical about a professional catastrophe that it made a deep impact on me. Not that it is one that I could ever live up to. But it is important to understand that you are on the world stage and people are watching. This is why for me it is important that the Americans, Australians and British get their acts together...to show the leadership that is so desperately lacking today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-zgr31q5F4

Greg Norman is a flawed human being just like the rest of us...but on this occasion he stepped up to the plate. I remember he said something to the effect..."well, you know, to us Australians winning isn't everything. There are other things in life just as important."

It's all about attitude in the end.

"The longer I live, the more I realize that the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts... The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and this is our attitude." -Charles Swindoll

Over the entrance to Wimbledon...I am told are the immortal words of Rudyard Kipling:

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same

Four players are going to take the courts at Wimbledon today and two of them are going to be losers. We are all losers in the end...nobody here gets out alive. It's how we live...and compete that make all of the difference.

[don_budge]

Fatal Distraction...

Sam Querry takes the first set in a tie-breaker...7-6 (8-6). After a rather bizarre incident at 6-all in the tie-breaker. A woman apparently passed out and the players had to wait. Cilic had missed a first serve so he got to play a let. He made his first serve but pulled Querry's return wide with his backhand. Querry served it out with a second serve...Cilic missed another backhand. Big first set for Sam as Cilic looked to be visibly miffed at the delay.

[stotty]

A good first set by Querry. The man is a donkey round the court but his big hitting is preventing that aspect being exposed....for the moment.

[don_budge]

Maintaining Pressure on Your Opponent...Roger Federer

Roger Federer has made Tomas Berdych work like the dickens on his first service games. The result is a break on the third try...Federer maintaining tremendous pressure on Berdych. If he can sustain it...goodnight Irene.

[stotty]

Roger is unstoppable this year. His form is out of this world. He can hit a winner off anything he can get a racket to....he's absolutely deadly,

[don_budge]

But Berdych is hanging tough. He has broken back and now it seems that there is a bit more pressure on Federer. Headed for a tie-breaker if Federer holds at 5-6.

[don_budge]

3-4 to Federer...Berdych to serve. The boys are going toe to toe. To his credit...to his great credit Berdych is not backing down an inch.

[klacr]

2nd set tie-break. It's now or never Tomas.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton