8. July 2008 by admin.

Had a few more thoughts about the tournament that was Wimbledon:

When did the British tennis fans become so rude? During the men’s final you would have thought they’d never seen a heavy topspin shot dip down and hit near the baseline - or a sharp angled shot during a rally. The constant ‘oooohing and aaaahing’ didn’t affect the outcome of the match (although King Roger did ask the chair to ask the fans to ’shut up’), but it did demonstrate a lack of class and tennis knowledge.

Sure, next year Center Court will have a retractable roof - so those fortunate souls who have tickets will get some tennis every day. But what the tournament really needs is an earlier start time so more matches can finish on the same day they start.

Will Roger modify his schedule to help his chances of winning the US Open. Or is winning the gold in Beijing his goal to salvage this year? If the points race is tight in October, will he pull a Sampras and play more tournaments to try to hold onto the year end #1?

Of course Rafa received a hero’s welcome back home in Manacor…

Photo courtesy of Yahoo! Sports Tennis Gallery

And here’s the picture of the day - the ponytail is back! Anna Kournikova looking quite lovely in gray at an exihibition in Stuttgart:

Photo courtesy of Yahoo! Sports Tennis Gallery

Posted in Wimbledon, all england club, anna kournikova, WTA Tour, rafael nadal, ATP Tour, roger federer, Women's Tennis | No Comments »

6. July 2008 by admin.

The five year stranglehold Roger Federer had on the Wimbledon title came to an end a little after 9PM in London today.

 When the telecast came on and umbrellas were being turned inside out by the wind, AngryBackhand thought ‘advantage Nadal’. And sure enough Roger got broken in his first service game and lost the first set.

 Throughout the match Rafa was the master of slowing things down when serving - sometimes he bounced the ball 3 times, other times a dozen. All the while Fed had to wait crouched in the return position. And Rafa also used his vocals wisely. For most of the match his exhale when striking the ball was hardly audible. But magically on important points and late in the match he sounded more like an honorary member of the Williams family.

 But at the end of the day, King Roger can only blame himself. He allowed Rafa to hold serve over and over by refusing to shield his backhand by modifying his court positioning - and by hitting more high percentage backhand slices, instead trying to match topspin power shots with Rafa.

Photos courtesy of Yahoo! Sports Tennis Gallery

 In the Ad court Rafa routinely pulled him wide, leaving the court wide open. And Roger shanked too many shots, particularly off his backhand.

To his credit,  after gifting the 2nd set to Rafa, after losing a 4-2 lead, Roger stormed back to win two tiebreakers to even the match and set up the agonizing 5th set. 16 games later, the title streak - 5 - consecutive Wimbledon match streak - 40 (one short of tying Borg) - and grass court wins - 65 - were all history.

This certainly makes things interesting going into the 2nd half of the season. Can Rafa match Roger’s previous best years with 3 majors? Can Roger win the US Open as a consolation prize? Will Roger hold onto the #1 ranking? 

Posted in all england club, Wimbledon, rafael nadal, roger federer | No Comments »

5. July 2008 by admin.

The matchup most tennis fans wanted is almost here. In about 7 hours, if the rains stay away in London, King Roger will once again try to repel the challenge of Rafa Nadal and secure his title for the sixth straight year.

Photos courtesy of ATPTennis.com

Some think Rafa’s efforts last year, taking it to 5 sets, and his recent win against a good field, including Roddick and Djokovic, show that he’s ready to win it this year. Problem with that logic: a) close doesn’t count, except in hand grenades; b) Roddick and Djokovic have never won Wimbledon, let alone 5 straight years. And nothing King Roger has done this year should make anyone think Rafa stands a chance. His service games has been almost flawless. His forehand is evil - first short ball to this side and he’s hitting a winner. His slice backhand has neutralized the two handed backhands of a number of opponents. Sure, Rafa has been solid. But solid won’t get it done. Rafa has to hope that nerves get the best of Roger - and I don’t see that happening.

Fed in 3 sets, 4, 4, and 3.

Posted in all england club, Wimbledon, rafael nadal, roger federer, Misc. Pro Tennis | No Comments »

4. July 2008 by admin.

Men’s semifinal day at Wimbledon. The weather cooperated - and the crowds were out. I don’t think these gentlemen are members of the All England Club…

 First up was Roger Federer against the Comeback Kid, Marat Safin. Safin quickly found out - in his first service game - that while his 5 match run was fun - he was in against a much better opponent.

 After being broken in that game, he hung around, took Fed to a tiebreak in the 2nd set, but didn’t have any answers to King Roger’s serve and forehand and went down 3, 6, and 4.

 In the 2nd semi, Rainer Schuettler came back about 24 hours after finishing his quarterfinal marathon against Arnaud Clement, and tried to give Rafa Nadal a match. In the first set, he was tight as a drum, only won 10 points and 1 game and looked to be headed for an early shower and flight back to Germany. Rafa was jumping all over any short balls and punishing them.

Photos courtesy of Yahoo! Sports Tennis Gallery

The 2nd set was a lot more competitive. Schuettler got his serve going, started hitting with depth, and got the first break. He served for the set at 5-4 - but Rafa wasn’t going to concede the set, got the break and then dominated the tiebreak. And like Fed, he made no mistake and got the break in the 3rd and served out the match.

 So the Sunday dream final is on - Fed - Rafa III - weather permitting Sunday…

Posted in arnaud clement, all england club, rainer schuettler, Wimbledon, marat safin, roger federer, rafael nadal, ATP Tour | No Comments »

3. July 2008 by admin.

Nine years ago Mark Philippoussis was up a set on Pete Sampras in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, outplaying the defending champion. Serving in the 4th game of the 2nd set, he went for a volley - and his knee blew out.

Photo courtesy of ATPTennis.com

He did rebound from that injury and eventually made it to the finals at the US Open. But one has to wonder what would have happened if his knee had held up and he’d upset Sampras and gone on to win the title in ‘99. Would it have been followed by a flurry of Slam titles? Could he have broken the winless streak of Aussie men at their major? Or would it have mattered? Maybe he still would have become an embarrassment, starring on a ridiculous reality show (picked the 20-something over the Cougar - what a shock!) and spending a lot of time surfing. And that’s why I’m writing this - instead of being at Wimbledon - he’s only 31, I read that he was nearly getting killed in rough surf near his home in Adelaide.

Photo courtesy of News.com.au

Instead of taking the advice of others, Flip decided to go out and got his surfboard crushed and his hip and ego bruised.

Full story on News.com.au

Posted in adelaide, mark philippoussis, pete sampras, Wimbledon, ATP Tour, Misc. Pro Tennis | No Comments »

2. July 2008 by admin.

Despite the crazy weather - very dark and rainy followed by bright sun and big puffy clouds, they were able to finish 3 of the 4 mens’ quarterfinal matches.

First up was King Roger vs. Super Mario Ancic. But after 20 minutes he may have been downgraded from Super to Ordinary as Fed mauled him 6-1.

The serve was on for Fed - 69% of 1st serves in and 15 aces - and won 88% of 1st serve points. And he returned well enough to get 10 break chances, cashing in 4. Ancic is still waiting for a sniff of his first break chance.

 Fed even smiled once - after he almost scalped Mario with a blazing forehand passing shot. Mario got out of the way in time (see pic above) - and with all his follicles intact.

Next up on Center was Marat Safin vs. Feliciano Lopez. Lopez won the 1st set but Safin did not let it phase him. He came back with a strong serve and return game and swept the last 3 sets.

Safin has now made the semifinals or better in all four of the majors. Now we have to wait until Friday to see if he can repeat the magical performance he came up with to beat Roger in the semis at the Australian Open in 2005.

AngryBackhand knows how to take credit when it’s right on it’s predictions - but it also knows when to take the fall. And will now - it was obviously the worst thing in the universe for AngryBackhand to pick Andy Murray to upset Rafa. Rafa was on him from the start and 3, 2, and 4. And it wasn’t that close.

 Photos courtesy of Yahoo! Sports Tennis Gallery

Rafa never let Murray get comfortable, hitting his groundies hard and deep and coming up with passing shots from almost any position. And just like Fed, Rafa did have to face a break point and won 88% of his first serve points - and broke Murray 4 times in 10 tries.

Due to the rain delays and length of the Safin - Lopez match, Rainer Schuettler and Arnaud Clement did not finish and will pick it up and one set each Thursday on Court 1 while the ladies play the semis on Center. Weather permitting of course.

Posted in mario ancic, Australian Open, feliciano lopez, arnaud clement, rainer schuettler, all england club, Wimbledon, WTA Tour, ATP Tour, Women's Tennis, roger federer, andy murray, marat safin, rafael nadal, Misc. Pro Tennis | No Comments »

1. July 2008 by admin.

Here is the AngryBackhand view of the 4 quarterfinal matchups. And let’s hope they get them in - the forecast doesn’t look promising.

CNN.com Weather for London

 Some of the TV and press talking heads are making a big deal about the fact that Ancic is ‘the last man to beat Fed at Wimbledon.’ Yeah, in 2002. Fed is a slightly different player. And his trophy case is a little fuller since 2002. Ancic is certainly having a great tournament. But he hasn’t faced anyone with Roger’s grass game. Unless Roger has a really bad day this should be over in straight sets. Maybe 4 if Roger has a ‘walkabout’ (as the Aussies say) and gets careless in one set.

 Two guys who flew into Wimbledon WAY under the radar. Both have made the quarters at Wimbledon before. Safin has two major titles under his belt - but that was a long time ago. In this tournament, Safin has had the much more difficult draw. Based on that I see Marat pulling this one out - but I doubt it will be easy and won’t be surprised if it takes 4 or 5 sets.

 This is a brutal match to predict. Both have had to be some quality players to get here - Schuettler got Blake in the 2nd round and Tipsarevic in the 16’s - Clement beat two serve and volleyers in Bjorkman and Melzer, and a young up-and-comer in Cilic. You have to figure this one will go to whoever plays better on the given day - and I’ll predict (guess?) that will be Schuettler.

Photos Courtesy of ATPTennis.com

 And now for the Main Event. Rafa and the native son, Andy Murray. The Murray - Gasquet match attracted 10 million UK viewers (a 44.6% share) - who knows how high this one will go. Rafa has won all their previous matchups:

Head to head from ATPTennis.com

 The two matchups on faster courts were close. And this is a new Murray. He’s happier, healthier, and fitter than he’s ever been. Rafa’s saying all the right things about his knee, but one has to wonder given the way he was looking at it today during practice.

Photo courtesy of Yahoo! Sports Tennis Gallery

 Maybe it’s a great act. Maybe not. The damp weather won’t help it and Rafa only knows one speed - full bore. I’d expect Murray to go behind him early and often. I’m going with the upset - Murray in 4!

Posted in arnaud clement, marin cilic, jurgen melzer, all england club, rainer schuettler, janko tipsarevic, jonas bjorkman, feliciano lopez, mario ancic, roger federer, james blake, andy murray, rafael nadal, richard gasquet, marat safin, ATP Tour | No Comments »

1. July 2008 by admin.

Nike just released a new commercial featuring Roger Federer in time for the 2nd week of Wimbledon. And, as opposed to Andy Roddick’s ill-fated ‘mojo’ ad for American Express, Roger’s still around. Hats off to the team who put this one together - I laugh every time I see it.

King Roger’s New Nike Commercial 

Posted in american express, nike tennis, Wimbledon, andy roddick, roger federer | No Comments »

30. June 2008 by admin.

More great weather - and tennis - from London.

Three players who many people expected to make the quarters came through today. Of course that starts with King Roger who made short work of Lleyton Hewitt in straight sets. And Rafa Nadal never let Mikhail Youzhny think he had a chance to pull the upset, also without dropping a set. Andy Murray joined them - but took a much more dramatic route. He lost the first two sets and Gasquet was serving for the match in the 3rd. But Murray didn’t fold and zoomed back to win in 5 in the fading light, to the delight of the home crowd.

 Mario Ancic, who most probably considered possible danger in the Federer half, also earned a quarterfinals berth. He too lost the first two set, then fought back to win the next two. Then he and Fernando Verdasco slugged it out for 24 games, with Ancic finally winning 13-11 in the 5th.

Photos courtesy of Yahoo! Sports Tennis Gallery

 And if you had Marat Safin, Feliciano Lopez, Rainer Schuettler, and Arnaud Clement making the quarters in your fantasy draw, you’re probably already planning how you’re going to spend your winnings. Safin took care of Stan Wawrinka; Lopez took out 10th seed Marcos Baghdatis 8-6 in the 5th; Marin Cilic, who was the trendy upset pick before the tournament started, suffered a ‘junior moment’ (let the occasion get the best of him) and got an old school whooping from grizzled vet Arnaud Clement. Finally Rainer Schuettler, ranked 94th coming into the match, took out Janko Tipsarevic in 4.

 So Wednesday’s matchups are:

• Federer - Ancic
• Safin - Lopez
• Schuettler - Clement
• Murray - Nadal

Obviously the matches featuring the top 2 seeds will merit the most interest - can Ancic, the last man to beat the 5-time champ, repeat the feat? And can Andy Murray handle the pressure and derail Rafa’s run to the another final’s berth? But the other two matches have their own intrigue too: can Safin continue his improbably run? And which European journeyman will great a slot in the semis, Schuettler or Clement?

Posted in mikhail youzhny, stan wawrinka, mario ancic, feliciano lopez, fernando verdasco, all england club, arnaud clement, marin cilic, marcos baghdatis, Wimbledon, andy murray, roger federer, ATP Tour, rafael nadal, marat safin, lleyton hewitt, richard gasquet, Misc. Pro Tennis | No Comments »

28. June 2008 by admin.

Another great day of tennis from the All England Club in SW19 in London. #2 seed Rafa Nadal, after a tedious 1st set where he couldn’t break serve, won in 3 straight sets over Nicholas Kiefer. Kiefer doing his usual fold-job after losing the 1st set tiebreak.

Brit Andy Murray took care of business against the dangerous game of Tommy Haas. 

Murray displayed a solid all-court game and hit some evil passing shots in getting through in 4 sets.

But the best match of the day was Mikhail Youzhny getting past Radek Stepanek 6-4 in the 5th set.

Both players came to the net, played great defense, and hit unbelievable passing shots - and threw in a lot of fist pumping and a little racket abuse. Youzhny got the break in the 9th game of the last set, then won it on serve, surviving a few break points.

Shame on ESPN! After taking back the coverage from NBC, they chose to show the 3rd set of the Nadal - Kiefer match instead of showing the entire 5th set of Youzhny - Stepanek. Pathetic. Kiefer did win 3 straight games - after losing the 1st 5! - to make it a little interesting. But there’s no excuse - another example of ESPN catering to the casual fans (and overweight single women) who would rather see Rafa for a few more minutes, than switch to the exciting match between two lesser knowns. If the Tennis Channel had the coverage I’m sure they’d have gone with the better match, not the marquee name.

Other winners:

• Clement over Melzer in 4
• Cilic over Mathieu in 4
• Gasquet over Simon in 4
• Tipsarevic over Tursunov in 3
• Schuettler over Garcia-Lopez in 3

Weather permitting, Monday will be an incredible day of tennis with all the round of 16 matches on.

Posted in paul-henri mathieu, radek stepanek, nicholas kiefer, dimitri tursunov, jurgen melzer, all england club, arnaud clement, marin cilic, mikhail youzhny, tennis channel, rafael nadal, andy murray, ATP Tour, richard gasquet, espn, tommy haas, Wimbledon, Misc. Pro Tennis | No Comments »