2018 U. S. Open Championships...ATP 2000...New York, New York U. S. A.

[don_budge]

The draw has just come out for the US Open and it isn't a good one for Roger. He's had sublime draws in the last handful of slams but not this time. He could face Kyrgios in round 3. Djokovic, Zverev and Cilic are also in Roger's half. Djokovic and Roger could potentially meet in the quarters.

Get it going db. It is time.

https://www.atpworldtour.com/en/scores/current/us-open/560/draws?matchtype=singles

Well...excuuuussssseeee meee. Ahem. Better late than never. Pardon my retardedness. At any rate...gentlemen start your engines.

Picking up where the conversation left off in Cincinnati at the Western and Southern Open. Where were we? We trying to decide just what the deal is with Roger Federer. Well he's in town so there must be a tournament going on. Lo and behold...he is looking at Nick Kyrgios in the third round followed up by Mr. Djokovic. What are the odds he is playing in the tournament after that? If Kyrgios doesn't nip him in the bud it will be mop up time for Novak Djokovic. Unless Federer has something in the tank we are not aware of. Something high octane. Something really strong.

Good draw? The kid Federer plays in the first round has been seeing some real good results lately. He's had some big fish on the brink and just short of landing some good catches. If Roger gets by the Japanese fellow then he could be looking at "slash and burn" Benoit Paire. So nothing is going to come easy for Roger during this fortnight. If he is injured or otherwise not feeling up to paying the price we shall be looking for alternatives early on.

Speaking of underdogs this will be the first appearance for Stefanos Tsitsipas on the radar at the U. S. Open. I don't know if he made it in the main draw last year but he has got himself in a position where he could get some early experience at Flushing Meadows. I wonder how he is going to take to New York. It's not for everybody. I find it to be a tad busy for my tastes although I did have a couple of nice adventures there. I remember driving up to the Big Apple the first time...I said a line out of a song by Stevie Wonder's "Inner Visions". "New York...just like I pictured it. Skyscrapers and everything."

Come on guys. Now talk it up. Sorry I was late but I was and have been playing golf. Practicing a minimum of three hours a day. Picked up some used equipment on eBay. A new driver. I smashed it down the fairway yesterday for 13 holes. Ten pars. It's all coming back to me now. I am having visions of my own. It's coming. You know what I say...tennis is golf on the run!!!

[stotty]

I attach a PDF of the draw, which I find easier to scroll up and down.

http://www.protennislive.com/posting/2018/560/mds.pdf

Roger's half is tricky if it all transpires and goes according to plan. I really hope Kyrgios makes it through and plays Roger. That will be a hell of game because Kyrgios would love to cause an upset, and he's very capable of doing it. Roger will really have come out of the blocks sharp for that one.

Over here there is talk of Murray hopefully making the second week. I say no chance, not with Del Potro in round three. Murray needs to worry about making round two after a year out of tennis.

Rafa's half looks the easier side of the draw to me. Any potential threats will be knocking each other out before they get to Rafa in the second week.

Wawrinka v Dimitrov would seem a harsh first round draw to put it mildly!

[don_budge]

The First Round at the 2018 U. S. Open Championships...Men's Draw (Ladies Forbidden)

Wawrinka v Dimitrov would seem a harsh first round draw to put it mildly!

I meant to mention this first round anomaly. Considering that it is the second time in two Grand Slam events that they have been pitted against each other in the first round borders on a serious mistake. Stan has been injured and therefore not seeded but he has shown that he is rounding into form so he definitely should have been seeded ahead of some of the other yahoos. The same could be said for Andy Murray although his comeback is somewhat more in process. Still there probably should be more credit given to possible contenders based on past performance and history. Even Djokovic at number six is playing havoc with the tournament. Nishikori too. Throw in Raonic. Houston...we have a problem.

I watched a great qualifying match last night. There was almost a buzz in the surprisingly lively crowd for the court 11 match between Felix Auger-Aliassime(FAA) and Chris Eubanks(who played #1 singles a Georgia Tech for 3 seasons). I work at Tech and just spoke to Chris last week when he was at campus working out before the US Open qualies. I talked some tennis with him. He is a really personable guy and a real tennis fan. He told me all the players he has talked to told him Nick Vanilla Ice has the hardest serve to return because it is so unreadable(along with the obvious attributes of it). Chris played a very good match losing to FAA in 2 sets. Chris has a lot of firepower, but FAA, who is 18 years old, looks like a player who could make a real impact in tennis soon.

Interesting. If you liked that qualifier match you are certainly going to like Felix Auger-Aliassime's first round. None other than fellow Canuck Denis "The Menace" Shapovalov. Look for Felix to give Shapovalov all that he can handle. Denis seems to have caught the "Alexander Zverev" disease in that his press clippings and promotion may have gone to his head somewhat. It's normal to have this happen too. It takes a lot of maturity and experience to handle success. Some guys just seem to go with the flow more. Both Denis and Alexander look to be wound pretty tight if you ask me. Sensitive sorts. Stefanos Tsitsipas appears to go with the flow a bit more easily. He really competes too on a point by point, match by match basis. The other two have a bit more fits and starts. Hot and cold.

A big tournament for Alexander Zverev. As the number four seed he has an "excellent" draw. Excellent on paper. But as Zverev has shown he is vulnerable. He might be better off unseeded and having to claw his way through. As it is the pressure just seems to be mounting. He has a huge target on his back as a relative newcomer enjoying a huge amount of success...or rather a huge amount of publicity. I say that as his hype is sort of outpacing his performance. His performance has been very good...don't get me wrong. But such lofty expectations seem to be weighing on him in that he is having a difficult time putting players "away" that he should be dispatching with prejudice according to his seed and buildup.

Well, well. Read 'em and weep. Soon the play will begin and there is probably no better matches to watch than the Grigor Dimitrov versus Stan Wawrinka or Denis Shapovalov versus Felix Auger-Aliassime. Let the games begin. Meanwhile back at the ranch don_budge is headed to the golf course. Practice makes perfect you know. Even in a game where everything is usually as far from perfect as it gets. It's about making the best of any given situation. Sort of like life...and tennis.

[gzhpcu]

Federer in an interview said he really played badly in Cincinatti and was rather tired. He is confident he will play well in New York. Says he feels fit again.

[don_budge]

Wawrinka v Dimitrov would seem a harsh first round draw to put it mildly!

Wawrinka prevailed in the first round clash at Wimbledon by the way after losing to Dimitrov four consecutive times...1-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4.

Federer in an interview said he really played badly in Cincinatti and was rather tired. He is confident he will play well in New York. Says he feels fit again.

I am rooting for the Swiss all the way. Nothing would make me happier than an all Swiss final. The chance of it happening are remote. Maybe stranger things have happened...maybe not.

[stroke]

Tough out there. Stan and Grigor, Denis vs FAA, 2 very interesting 1st round matchups. 3rd round if Vanilla Ice gets there as DB said, even if Roger wins, he is set up for as bad a draw for him as I can remember. Zverev I still think is on the verge of a major breakthrough win, and his draw looks very good.

[stotty]

I will be watching Zverev with interest. As don_budge has suggested in the past, he needs to curb his petulance at times. Novak has outbursts, as did McEnroe, but they channel their anger. Zvarev tends to lose control of himself and his game when he flies off the handle...big difference.

I would pick Wawrinka over Dimitrov in their first round encounter, but it's one hell of a first round match.

Other than the first round, none of Roger's matches will be easy if he is a little off form like in Cincinnati.

[klacr]

Nadal playing Ferrer in 1st round is also an interesting match. Ferrer is a shadow of his past self but no doubt he will give everything he's got for one last battle. Wawrinka and Dimitrov will be a joy to watch. I ran into DImitrov's coach Daniel Vallverdu yesterday on W 57th street outside the Park Hyatt in NYC. I wished him and his player good luck but my heart is with Wawrinka. Dimitrov has the good looks and the Hollywood vibes, Stan is a blue collar kind of guy.

On another note, check out two female players that have been working with a coach on my staff (Julian Alonso) and myself at my club in prep for the US Open. One girl Georgina Garcia Perez lost in final round of qualies in 3rd set and the other one Arantxa Rus is playing Cibulkova in the first round.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

I will be watching Zverev with interest. As don_budge has suggested in the past, he needs to curb his petulance at times. Novak has outbursts, as did McEnroe, but they channel their anger. Zvarev tends to lose control of himself and his game when he flies off the handle...big difference.

I would pick Wawrinka over Dimitrov in their first round encounter, but it's one hell of a first round match.

Other than the first round, none of Roger's matches will be easy if he is a little off form like in Cincinnati.

Alexander is turning into a head case if you ask me. Not that there is anything really wrong with him other than he needs help. Probably an intervention of some type. Maybe he needs to break free from the family shackles or turn more to big bro than papa bear. Zverev is having enormous difficulty staying in the moment. He worries about the outcomes on the court on a minutia scale. The big picture has become unrealistic. His expectations are exceeding his performances now and have been for some time. Too much pressure on the young man and not enough attention being paid to the root cause of his problems...inadequacies in his game. Weaknesses. Word travels fast on the tour and his forehand is being exploited by some rather cagey opponents.

Trust me...I have nothing against him succeeding. He needs an attitude adjustment. It might be difficult for Dad to do this at this point.

[don_budge]

Nadal playing Ferrer in 1st round is also an interesting match. Ferrer is a shadow of his past self but no doubt he will give everything he's got for one last battle. Wawrinka and Dimitrov will be a joy to watch. I ran into DImitrov's coach Daniel Vallverdu yesterday on W 57th street outside the Park Hyatt in NYC. I wished him and his player good luck but my heart is with Wawrinka. Dimitrov has the good looks and the Hollywood vibes, Stan is a blue collar kind of guy.

On another note, check out two female players that have been working with a coach on my staff (Julian Alonso) and myself at my club in prep for the US Open. One girl Georgina Garcia Perez lost in final round of qualies in 3rd set and the other one Arantxa Rus is playing Cibulkova in the first round.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

I saw that one too. Nadal versus Ferrer. I can't imagine it amounting to much other than a good sound shellacking of the "EveryReady Energizor Bunny". Ferrer doesn't have what he used to have in infatigueable stamina. Nadal on the other hand appears to be in absolutely top form.

Playing one's own countrymen can be a bit tricky but it won't get in the way of the deeply experienced Nadal. Shapovalov on the other hand just might find he has his hands full with Felix Auger-Aliassime if Felix can bring inspiration into the equation and Shapovalov gets tentative. That would be a recipe for trouble for Denis "The Menace". Feliciano Lopez versus Fernando Verdasco is another case of national versus national. While Lopez actually owns a 5-4 advantage head to head Verdasco has the 31st seed. Lefty versus lefty is always interesting...to bad we cannot watch this one in the mirror.

Daniil Medvedev versus Evgeny Donskoy pits a couple of those pesky Ruskies against one another. Medvedev is a streaky player and is fresh off of an ATP tournament win in Winston Salem. The winner plays the winner of Tommy Robredo and none other than "Kid Galahad" Tsipsipas. The plot subtly develops. Such as it is with these things. You know every picture tells a story. The draw sheet at the beginning, right from the very beginning to the bitter end tells a huge story. Triumph and disaster throughout. Smiles and tears. The two masks of great drama.

Scroll down a couple of matches or if you are in PDF mode just peer down. It is John Isner and Bradly Klahn out to make America great again...on the tennis scene. I just past Wawrinka and Dimitrov on my way down...a donnybrook in the first round. Unbelievable it has occurred in two consecutive Grand Slam events. Next ultra national matchup is little, tiny Diego Schwartzman against fellow Argentine Federico Delbonis. A couple of Spaniards go toe to toe in another first rounder in Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and Jaume Munar. Looking further it is Yannick Hanfmann and Phillip Kohlschreiber slugging it out right in the beginning...probably on some back court with a handful of Germans watching for good measure.

There seems to be a move towards more nationalistic views these days. In Europe you here a lot of politicians talking about the "Trump Effect". It's probably nothing...certainly nothing with these first round match-ups. I could live with an all Swiss Final in the end. The odds on that...are probably astronomical. But first Stan must club the Bulgarian Playboy into submission. Grigor is currently dating a gal a bit older than him. A good choice after the female fiasco's in not so Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. At least it is probably quieter in the bedroom as the two former girlfriends have quite a reputation for screaming you know.

[don_budge]

Federer in an interview said he really played badly in Cincinatti and was rather tired. He is confident he will play well in New York. Says he feels fit again.

His game had a really funny look to it against Djokovic. A possible semi-tank. Tired? Possible. How does one ever get used to the ever changing time-zones? Hope he gets his beauty rest because there isn't going to many breaks at this point forwards. The possible third round match with Nick "Vanilla Ice" Kyrgios is a fascinating prospect. But both players are going to have to get there first. But if they get there...can you see five tie-breakers?

[stroke]

Watching the match, it sure did seem to me that Roger was reallly invested in trying to win it. I also think Roger would have really enjoyed denying Novak the last crown of his now completed Masters 1000 titles set.

[stotty]

Watching the match, it sure did seem to me that Roger was reallly invested in trying to win it. I also think Roger would have really enjoyed denying Novak the last crown of his now completed Masters 1000 titles set.

I felt the same. He wanted it all right. The standard Novak played at was higher than any of Roger's other opponents that week. When I say say higher, I mean not just in quality of shot, but in matchplay. Everything came back, most of Roger's serves were returned and many of his best shots came back too. Novak was relentlessly consistent and that's what breaks opponents down. Above all, Novak controlled his own service games beautifully and his second serve was a revelation. Roger just folded under the strain in the end.

But Roger was a tad off all that week. Normally his basic form hardly alters, but not that week. I just got the impression his best days might be over.

This US Open will tell us more. But I have this feeling Roger could exit early.

[arturohernandez]

It looks to be a great first week. Lots of questions:

1) Was Roger just saving himself? Most importantly, can he save himself and peak in the best tournaments?

2) Is Djokovic all the way back? He peaked for Wimbledon, can he peak again?

3) Nadal looked great against Ferrer (sad the way the match ended). Will he defend his US Open trophy?

4) Another big unknown is the Stanimal. He looks to be hitting heavy ground strokes again. The surface is playing slow. Maybe it will be Stan that repeats?

5) Can someone finally breakthrough and win one at a younger age? Tsitispas, Zverev, someone else?

[stroke]

Novak seems to be in quite a match vs Fucsovics, ranked 41 in world. Fucsovics has a big forehand and seems to not be intimidated playing Novak.