Kournikova has trouble tying her shoe laces.

Nadal in Nike commercial. Try ‘circus clown’ career after tennis.

Tracking the three jokers: Micro

Joker	Sets played	Aces	D faults	Ist serve pct.	B pts won	Tie-breaks	Time on court.
Fed	2	11	1	63	25%	1	1:25
Nadal	2	1	0	53	60	0	1:37
Djokovic	3	6	4	54	60	1	2:34
F	2	4	1	63	50	0	0:53
N	2	2	1	68	29	1	2:16
D	3	4	2	60	20	0	2:12
F	2	8	1	59	9	1	1:38
N	2 loss	0	1	66	0	0	1:11
D	2	8	4	54	100	1	1:44
F	2	10	0	67	17	0	1:23
N	out
D	2 loss	9	5	58	0	1	1:45
F
N	out
D	out

For the macro version, click here.

The four quarters: Is there any freaking doubt, as to what’s goin to happen?

1.Federer vs Lopez. H2H: 5-0. I mean, the best he has done is to take the first set, a couple of times, and then just fade away. He expends so much energy to win the first set, that he is asking for mercy, rest of the way, to somehow end the match.

Maybe, that’s what Federer should do, to make it easy on himself. Lopez seems to be physically fresh from his previous 1 hour 23 minutes match against Koubek, to try his stunt in the first set against Federer again.

That is, if he can control the trembling, bladder and anal leakage, Federer’s thumping of Canas, has caused, up and down the draw. Federer has just caught candy in his mouth, and he is riding it all the way. No mercy. Bring out the bagel dish, along with all the jams and butters you like.

That’s what just one match can do. This Canas match has done so much to uplift Federer’s confidence, as much as the FO final did to deflate it. Just one freaking match, has that potential to push you in either direction.

Besides, Federer feels a lot relieved after having won three Grand Slams already. He is coming from a much stronger position, mentally. That makes his game fun to watch, because it is more uninhibited, spontaneous and free-flowing. It is a pure spectacle to behold. He is more willing and able to attempt some absolutely ‘sick’ shots. It is like you playing with a guarantee that you will not loose.

Lopez, just fake an injury, unless you are bent on pursuing a career ending loss. How can you play again, after eating two bagels, if you have any pride?

2. Gonzalez vs Kiefer: H2H:2-0. Kiefer is 30 years old, but Gonzalez is not very far behind at 27. Gonzalez appears to have found his groove. He had a battle against Almagro in the opening round, but he is yet to drop a set, despite playing a hot Monaco and taking him out 6-4, 6-2.

Kiefer has had to play one extra match, since he did not get a bye in the first round. Consequently he has spent a lot more time on the court, not to mention the mental toll, Karlovic’s match must have taken on him. At 30, it is not an ideal scenario going up against the World’s No. 6, who has had an unbelievable year, this season.

Gonzalez in straight sets.

3. Djokovic vs Ancic.H2H: 1-1. Considering Djokovic has been stretched to three sets in each of his two matches, and Ancic has taken out both Blake and Mathieu (who beat Gasquet) in straight sets, this will be a battle.

If Djokovic starts to feel the strain from the last two matches, Ancic will produce an upset. Djokovic’s fitness level will determine the outcome of this match. Ancic’s goal should be extend the match, to bring Djokovic’s conditioning in play.

Djokovic is clearly more talented, but Ancic has that strong chip on his shoulder, from being out for so long. It will be the most interesting match to watch of all four.

4. Nadal vs Nalbandian.H2H: Surprisingly these two have never played each other, which can be a huge advantage for Nalbandian. If he can execute his clever use of the court, he may have a chance of ruffling Nadal. But Nadal is at home, and with impressive wins against Baghdatis and Murray, Nalbandian has to pry it from his hands with a chain saw.

Not likely, unless Nadal’s knees have something to say, midway through the match. Nadal in straight sets.

Nadal is sure to run into stormy weather with these stats, very soon.

He is not getting any free points on his serve. In his two matches, he has served just 3 freaking aces, compared to 14 for Federer and 10 for Djokovic.

With the above, you would expect a higher first serve percentage from Nadal. That’s not happening either. His average percentage is 60, compared to 63 for Federer, and 57 for Djokovic.

He is using a lot more fuel to move and win points, and that will surely become a determining factor, against the big dogs, specially on this surface.

I mean, how freaking dumb do you have to be, to not work on your freaking serve, when these stats are staring in your face, all freaking year. There has not been any improvement from January to now.

You have to be a retard not to see that. Maybe he is. Either that, or his auntie is rolling dubbies, instead of doing her job on the practice court.

How freaking difficult it is to improve your serve? It’s not that you are adding a new dimension to your game. Get freaking real!!!!!!!!!!!!

Djokovic’s next match, is similar to the one, Nadal just finished playing against: Clown on fire.

 

Both Murray and Ancic have been out of commission for a good part of this season. History proves with numerous instances, that a player with those credentials has a huge chip on his shoulder. He will be playing beyond himself to feed many questions in his mind. A dangerous floater, at best.

Djokovic has not had an easy run so far. He has clocked the most time on the court (4:46 compared to 2:18 for Federer), among the top three jokers. He has also played the most sets, having been extended to three sets in both his matches, including a tie-break.

That has to register with his opponents, considering his vulnerability after long matches, demonstrated most vividly at Wimbledon and Cincy.

With almost a certain clash with Nadal in the semis, if he is not able to dispatch Ancic, within two hours, Nadal will certainly have the edge, despite the surface. Whenever, Djokovic has lost to Nadal this year, it has been mainly because of the exhaustion from his previous matches. Conversely, he has won, when he is relatively fresher, physically.

Although Nadal has a 5-2 H2H edge, Djokovic has beaten him twice this year, both in straight sets and on hard courts. In fact, Nadal has never defeated Djokovic on hard courts.

Djokovic has some serious business to take care of, before he can think of Nadal. Ancic and Djokovic head to head is 1-1. Ancic won the last encounter at Wimbledon last year, in five sets.

Interesting match to watch. One that will probably go the distance, maybe five sets and over three hours.

Watch Federer interview, highlights etc.

Click here.

Nadal ends Murray’s mini run in straight sets: 7-6, 6-4.

 

This is an excellent win for Nadal. Murray was playing close to his best, with the extra mustard from being out of action for so long.

Murray not only took Nadal to a tie-break in the first set, but even had a break in the second set. But Nadal erased any doubt, with a relatively quick end to a match, most expected to go the distance.

He certainly has a ‘trap’ match coming up next, against Nalbandian, before he faces Djokovic in the semis. Nadal will have to resist the temptation to look beyond Nalbandian, prematurely. Nalbandian is a veteran, not easily intimidated, and has the goods to move to the next level, if he executes.

Nadal still is the favorite. I am happy to see him, being stingy with his time on the court, despite having some quality opponents across the net, so far. It bodes well for a balanced battle when the top three meet in the semis and the finals. He spent just 2:16 minutes today.

Federer demolishes Canas. Serves just his sixth bagel of the year.

Are you freaking kidding me!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was getting ready to write an obituary. But this proves again, how much of what is going on in the mind, dictates what numbers are put on the scoreboard. You think, we would have had this score, had Canas not defeated Federer twice this year? Not likely.

Talk about an emphatic statement. Just a straight set, 6-3, 6-4 victory would have conveyed the statement. But like Tyson once said, it’s not who is going to win, it’s about how far up, will the nose travel to the brain.

Dishing out bagel at this level is not a piece of cake. Even if Canas had slowed down since February, the result was, more of a result of Federer’s determination to make a statement, than any slippage on Canas’s part.

It was exactly what Federer needed to shirk off the ‘slowing down’ label, with authority. Federer has a history of coming back with a vengeance, when he looses. If you have followed the scoreboard closely, you will notice, whenever he looses a set, the next set will be a bagel or very close to it.

And now we know, what will happen if he looses two matches to a joker.

Has anyone checked Djokovic pants lately? Or Nadal’s knees?

When is this guy going to slow down? Has anyone told him, what is age is lately, or the battering he has been dishing his body for the last four years?

What a freaking match. Jenny’s ‘sleeping giants’ analogy fits perfectly.

Singles match record upto Madrid.

Clown	Singles record	Win %age	Titles YTD	Titles career
Federer	54-6	90	6	51
Nadal	62-11	85	6	23
Djokovic	65-14	82	5	7

Mental games on the tennis court.

 

-Radwanska standing inside the service box, to receive Sharapova’s second serve at this year’s US Open.

-Nadal taking his own sweet time, at the coin toss, service line, changeover etc.

-Nadal jumping up and down in the locker room, right before going into the tunnel.

-Roddick refusing to sit down for changeover. Instead stands at the service line, waiting for his opponent. Like he did against Federer at this year’s US Open. It makes the other guy look like a fool, with all eyes on his every movement, on the chair.

-Bathroom break, right after losing a set, or your service game. Sharapova. Duh!!!

-Picking a fight with the chair umpire, to cause disruption in the momentum and focus of your opponent. John McEnroe?

-Using the crowd to alienate and isolate the opponent. Connors?

-Keep even demeanor irrespective of the score, to mask your desperation on the one hand, and increase desperation for your opponent on the other. Borg, Sampras, Federer?

-Reduce time between points, thereby making the opponent uncomfortable. Agassi, Graf?

-Use media to demoralize opponent. McEnroe, Connors?

-Kill with kind words. Nadal on Federer?

-Posturing and directing fist pumps at opponent, along with direct and open eye contact, to intimidate. Serena against Sharapova?

-Injury time outs, along with protracted massages. Mary Pierce, Djokovic?

-Jump like a boxer at the coin toss, and then make a run for the baseline like a soccer player. Nadal?

-Excessive ball toss. Djokovic?

Federer vs Djokovic: Pursuit of the No. 1 rank. From Anand 101. Excellent work. Thanks.

 

Anand_101 |

Djokovic: Where To Go From Here?
—————————————————

As we all know, Fed got his first Slam in 2003, won the TMC and ended 2003 just missing #1 ranking. The following year
he duly ascended to #1 by early Feb and has stayed #1 ever since.

Let’s take a look at Djokovic’s 2007 so far, and see how he compares to Fed’s 2003, to date (i.e. before start of AMS Madrid).

FED 2003 DJO 2007
———————————————-
AO ……… 4R 150 .… 4R 150
RG ……… 1R 5 ….. SF 450
Wim ……. W 1000 ….. SF 450
USO ……. 4R 150 ….. F 700
———————————————-
Slams YTD … 1305 ……. 1750
AMS YTD …… 845 ……. 1680
Best 5 YTD … 1125 ……. 810
=======================
Total YTD …. 3275 ……. 4240

Titles YTD …… 6 ……. 4

Rank in Jan …. 6 ……. 16
Rank YTD ……. 3 ……. 3
Rank in Dec …. 2 ……. ?

Fed finished 2003 strong, taking 1100 points more (including TMC win) to end at 4375. That was good for #2. Roddick took #1 at 4535.

Djokovic is currently 1000 points ahead of Fed’s 2003, and may easily outdo Roddick’s 4535, and may still have to be the #3…

Djokovic has matured very quickly. A look at his Slam and AMS performance compared to Fed’s in 2003 gives you a hint. Looking at their rankings history, Fed reached the Top 20 in May 2001. By Dec 2002 he was at 6. By the end of 2003 he was 2. Djokovic went from #16 to #3 now well inside a year, and has proved he belongs in Federer and Nadal’s exalted company.

Now the only question that remains is if he can go from 3 to 2 to 1. To do so, Djokovic needs to win a Slam or TMC. Only problem is he will have to beat Fed and Nadal on their own surfaces. And Fed is just about to embark on a Grand Slam hunting spree.

And even if Djokovic doesn’t get to #1, perhaps the star that was born at Miami and Montreal will be extolled as one of the three musketeers of the Federer Era.

Displaced ‘team sport’ and ‘individual sport’ players.

 

Hewitt is lucky he is in individual sport. They would have killed him, long time ago, in a team sport.

Both Federer and Nadal would have done equally well or better, in team sport. Soccer. What else?

Andy Murray would be a road kill by now, if in team sport. I can see Brooke smiling.

Sharapova. Do I really have to say anything. Grave would have been dug, years ago, and both of them would have been buried alive. Remember ‘Casino’?

Kobe Bryant is hurting for choosing a team sport, so is TO.

Some people just cannot get along, as well as it is needed, in a team environment. Doesn’t mean they have no talent. It’s just that they are misplaced.

Pete Sampras would have been a fish out of water in team sports.

John McEnroe. Are you freaking kidding me!!!!!! He couldn’t have made $10 in any other profession, leave alone team or individual.

Lendl would have been a disaster at team sport.

Borg should be thankful, there was tennis. He would have been miserable, if he had to talk or motivate others.

Both Chris Evert and Navratilova would have been equally well adjusted in team sports. Navratilova would have actually preferred it, for a whole other set of reasons, but it was too late, when the surprised dawned on her.

Both Blake and Roddick would have had no problems on the other side.

Safin could have barely made the cut at team sports. He may be tolerated more for his talent than his social skills.