Which monkey is devouring these tennis clowns?
Posted by tennisplanet on December 9, 2007
Federer: French Open? You think!!!! Tied to that is the calendar Grand Slam. He knows, all this domination and fanfare, falls a little short, without at least one calendar Grand Slam.
Mirka issue is starting to get prickly. If he has made up his mind against the union, he is running out of time, to continue to push it away. It has to be weighing heavily on his mind, as it has gained momentum and ‘weight’ with every year. It’s freaking what eight years?
Nadal: How to take the No. 2 monkey off his back? Being so close and so good without reaching the peak is painful. Knees are becoming his bigger obstacle than Federer, in getting there.
There is another: Clay court monkey. How to master other surfaces, without relinquishing the clay throne? It is difficult to be counted among the greats with just the clay court theatrics.
Djokovic: Is there any other way, other than the blatant goatee to mask the ever expanding chin? Master fitness to win against Federer, despite being on a string from one corner to another. Overcome ‘big stage’ nerves that showed up at the USO final. Get McEnroe on his side.
Roddick: One word – Federer. Or is it two – Room Service?
Nalbandian: Just ONE freaking Grand Slam, please. He is on his knees, with a bowl, ppplleease. Finals at Wimbledon and all those semifinals are just too much to swallow.
Jill said
Nalbandian won a grand slam? I didn’t know – whIch one?
Jenny said
Jill,
No he hasn’t – many of us have been waiting for years! I’m fed up with the tag ‘the best player never to have won a slam’.
I still think 2008 will be the year for Roger’s French.
Eva said
Didn’t Nalbandian win once at the Austsralian Opne.? I know there was one year –2003? when Fed didn’t comptete because of an exercise injury; his foot was in a cast.
Eva said
Federer is the One, : it is for him to figure things out. And not for us to balance his personal life. What he can just display with the seemingly greatest of ease is just incredible. Nadal, I think, has gone as far as he can, and Djoko, well, at most I think he could replace Nadal ina back and forth way.
Nalbandian it’s hard to say. He’d been around with Federer since juniors, wo what has he been doing? He can get up to 2 or 4 for a while, but I don’t see him as a dominating player, except in spurts.
Eva said
T.P.–a note at the end for you, please.
P.S. Roland Garros, get ready! Roger Federer is coming. It is his year, all around, and let’s face, these are his times for quite a while yet.
The thing about outstanding talent, the unusual kind, is that it doesn’t come around every generation at all. Sometimes there are long stretches in between.
There can still be good tennis to play, but the “AHH” of Fed’s play is on the Olympian Plane.
T.P. YOu showed annihilation–in boxing–in a post the other day. How about ancient Olympic wrstling, where it went on all day, and one of the parties had to die, otherwise his village would kill him for his disgrace?
matt said
Uuuuaahhh WHO CARES whether Mirka & Roger wed?! Their relationship is not “made for tv viewing”. For whatever reason they aren’t yet married, why turn the issue into a big deal? only the gossipmongers would care… it’s not on his professional agenda.
chieko said
Poor Andy !! I do hope he has a better year in 2008.
I agree with Jenny san. I do not believe in Nalbandian.
Jenny said
Eva,
Nalbandian never won a slam. As a junior player, he won the 1998 Junior US Open singles against Roger Federer and the 1999 Junior Wimbledon doubles titles.
I agree with you, he’s one of these guys with the ability to dip in and out of the top ten at will – more interested in other pursuits such as rally cars etc.
Eva said
Thanks, Jenny, Matt. Jenny, for the date re Nalbandian. I thought that he had won somehwere, and now you set that to rest with the juniors. Didn’t Roddick defeat Fed also at the world junior champs? Things don’t go the way they appear at first blush.
Matt, I am in full agreement with you regarding Fed and MIrka. It is personal, and Roger is very protective of his personal life, I think, other than brief glimpses here and there.
I think it is just TP trying to keep us going luntil Koyoong, and especially the Australian Open. Nobody else seems to be so het up about it.