Australian Open- Page 4

[DG]

Posted: 1/24/08 at 7:12pm

"He glides, he waits, he pounces. He can change pace so efficiently that you don't notice until he has blasted the ball past the unlucky guy still standing flat-footed behind the baseline."

Excellent description, Hep - and lucky you for getting to see him do it live (more than once!) He hadn't registered on my radar, either, but he sure has now! Whatever the outcome of the other semi, the final ought to be some great tennis.

I do wonder about those injuries (leg oriented, if I remember correctly) - that could pose major issues.

And Javero - please don't mention JCap where I can read it

Smarty - try and catch the final to see Tsongas, if nothing else. Quite invigorating, to say the least!

[cturtle]

Posted: 1/24/08 at 9:45pm

please, god, don't let me miss the men's final!

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 1/24/08 at 10:38pm

DG- I have every intention of catching it! I may have to dvr it, but I will see.

The women's final I will be watching intently as well.
It is an exceptional "pairing".

Sharapova with her head on straight would be great for the game though, she has the talent to be a very special player, and her looks certainly don't hurt at all, but there is more to her potential appeal than that.

Of course it is nice that the "looks" idea really does cut both ways in Tennis, the men and the women. An attractive face on that tremendous body a great tennis player has to have, I mean either sex here, that is just an unbeatable combination.

[DG]

Posted: 1/25/08 at 12:12am

Why Smarty, I have no idea what you mean . . .



I'm feeling sleepy, but there's NO WAY I'm missing the semi tonight!

[gettinhep]

Posted: 1/25/08 at 12:17am

Just a few more hours, dear.

[DG]

Posted: 1/25/08 at 12:21am

I know!

It really could go either way. Djokovic beat both Roger and Rafa - in a row! - late last year, so his confidence isn't an issue. And Roger STILL has settled into any kind of groove through the last week-and-a-half.

I like the way they play each other, though, so I'm just hoping for a good match.

[gettinhep]

Posted: 1/25/08 at 12:25am

The tummy bug didn't help Roger. He wasn't able to ease into the tournament with a lead in event.

While Djokovic is playing some lovely tennis, I still worry about his stability on court. He has a tendency to tighten in clutch situations. Just count the number of pre-serve bounces. That says everything. That and the muttering.

[DG]

Posted: 1/25/08 at 12:28am

Hep - I wonder about his stability OFF the court!

But he's SO damn CUTE

[gettinhep]

Posted: 1/25/08 at 12:30am

And, his Sharapova is better than the original.

[DG]

Posted: 1/25/08 at 6:28am

Well, that was just ridiculous - Djokovic completely outplayed Roger, if you could call what Roger did 'playing'. He was listless and uncommitted through the entire match. Honestly, there was NO spark of life at all - to the point that it was almost insulting to Djokovic.

Hopefully, the final will involve two players who actually WANT to be out there competing - and hopefully, Roger will spend some serious time figuring out where his head is. This whole tournament has been haphazzard at best for him. He claimed to be healthy and ready coming in, and the first two rounds seem to bear that out. But it seems as if the moment it got somewhat competitive, he just didn't want to put out the effort - culminating in this incredibly poor showing.

Congrats to Novak - he played cleanly, very well AND with intent. I'll be looking forward to the final - and hopefully a return to form by Roger.

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 1/25/08 at 8:51am

That was quite a non-performance from Roger.
I was rather convinced he would turn it around, but he never came close.
I'm really excited about the final though, both guys are really playing intense tennis, I'd love to see a good one.

[javero]

Posted: 1/25/08 at 11:04am

Irrespective of the outcome, we'll have a new Oz Open male champion for the 1st time in 4 years. Well done Tsongas and Djokovic!

On a similar note, from the Sharapova-Ivanovic battle of babes, a new champion will emerge.

I'm going with the Serbs in both contests. I'd like to see Djokovic turn the men's tour into a 3-man race akin to Borg-Connors-McEnroe, Connors-McEnroe-Lendl, Lendl-Edberg-Becker in years past.

The thing that amazes me is how civil today's male champions (and contenders) are. There appears to be no real animus between Federer, Nadal, Roddick and Djokovic. Things were so different in the past though. Connors and Agassi still hate each other; Connors still hasn't forgiven Guillermo Vilas for clocking him at the last US Open contested on clay; Connors and Lendl still hate each other; McEnroe and Lendl won't be tossing a few back together anytime soon and so on.

Updated On: 1/25/08 at 11:04 AM

[DG]

Posted: 1/25/08 at 11:19am

Javero - I was actually thinking about that very thing myself yesterday. When I look back through the years at the players I really have admired and been a fan of, it has as much to do with their personality as it does their tennis. Roger, Rafter, Sampras, Edberg, Bjorn and Ashe. All were 'gentlemen', and in their own way embodied 'elegance'. I NEVER liked the 'in-your-face' aggressiveness and vitriol embodied by Conners, Vitas and, of course, the spoiled brat himself, McEnroe. I could appreciate the talent, but the personalities turned me off COMPLETELY.

I feel more than ever that Roger needs an outside voice. I've always questioned his commitment to his physical being - he trains at playing the game, but not really as an athlete in general. He's had a tremendously fortunate run of good luck with his health, but I think last night showed what happens when that luck isn't with him. He could take a pointer from Aggassi on that - who truly rewrote his legacy when he embraced overall fitness training.

[MotorTink]

Posted: 1/25/08 at 11:23am

sorry, DG, I waws pullin for him. He still looked good at least, and that is ultimately the most imporant factor!

[javero]

Posted: 1/25/08 at 11:53am

DG wrote: "He could take a pointer from Aggassi on that - who truly rewrote his legacy when he embraced overall fitness training."

Man do I agree. I was slow to warm to Agassi but after his rededication to fitness and the sport I've been onboard since. The thing that wows me about Agassi's game is how balanced his forehand & backhand are. Both are weapons and the guy can place the ball on a dime on the opposite end of the court. Also, in his prime I believe that Agassi's serve was only surpassed by Sampras' on the men's tour. People rarely speak of Agassi's serve but it was virtually unbreakable and his placement was impeccable. I really enjoy watching players like Agassi & Federer who were obviously coached well growing up. As much as I love the Williams sisters, it pains me to watch their technique on certain strokes, but who can argue with their success.

I digressed...Federer needs to approach the physical aspects of his sport as a boxer would.

Updated On: 1/25/08 at 11:53 AM

[vbplayer]

Posted: 1/25/08 at 1:46pm

Sorry DG. He is still number 1 as far as I'm concerned.

[gettinhep]

Posted: 1/25/08 at 3:59pm

DG, for what it's worth, Roger looked sick last night. One of the first things to disappear from your game in that situation is the footwork. Last night, his footwork let him down. He has not been the same ol' Roger this Open. I do think the tummy bug of two weeks ago left his body less than perfect for a Slam fight. The usual combination of smooth movement and inate shotmaking has been missing from all but one of his matches. So, while disappointed for you, I was not particularly surprised that Roger fell at the second last hurdle. For me, the larger shock was that Djokovic could hold it together.

My mother thinks Djokovic is nuts. She took one look at his fist to his chest and his mad stare and yell across the net and declared that she took an instant dislike. Hehe.

Will await the Final with interest.

[DG]

Posted: 1/25/08 at 4:45pm

Hep - I actually agree with you, but that kind of goes back to what we've mentioned concerning his physical training. I realize a virus is something outside of his control, but I think an increased focus on his overall health couldn't hurt (any of us, actually )

I know he had to miss the warm-up event - but I'm still not sure it's wise to come back after so many weeks 'off', and expect to only play one warm-up before a full-blown major. Especially one in which the top 125 ranked players in the world are participating in.

I DO still think he's the best all-around player (with a couple of chinks in his armor,) but he needs to re-evaluate his situation and move forward with a slightly different focus. He might seem very young, but he's actually in full-blown middle-age as far as a pro tennis player is concerned.

You all KNOW I still love him, though. I just think he needs a little comforting, that's all

[gettinhep]

Posted: 1/25/08 at 5:36pm

Tough competition on several fronts should help him. As long as the desire still burns, it should provide ample motivation for him to work on his game and his fitness.

As for the lead-up events, Roger's pattern has been to only play the Kooyong exo before the Open. It has a round-robin format that gives players three matches, guaranteed. The field is always of a high calibre. The other possibilities include an ATP event in Sydney, or different event in Dubai. The problem with Sydney is that the fields have been decreasing in significance in recent years. The problem with playing in the Middle East is that the players come to Australia late, so their acclimatization is compromised. Actually, I don't think Roger's schedule is the problem. I think that the field is getting closer.

[cturtle]

Posted: 1/25/08 at 6:56pm

bravo djoko!!

[DG]

Posted: 1/25/08 at 11:28pm

Justine was right, apparently.

[gettinhep]

Posted: 1/26/08 at 12:24am

Yep.

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 1/26/08 at 12:38am

I know what happened, but I missed Justine's comment, what did she say?

[gettinhep]

Posted: 1/26/08 at 12:46am

She said that Sharapova had the mental toughness and game to take the title.

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 1/26/08 at 12:54am

Hard to argue with that in hindsight.