This apparently stupid race to come up with unique victory dance is getting out of hand.

 
 

Just wave to the crowd and get the hell out of there. We don’t need each player in a race to outdo the other in producing the next thing in victory dance.

Some of them are painful to even watch. How are these morons able to stand there and go through these ridiculous ‘asking for attention’ motions, when everyone around the world is cringing and wanting the embarrassing moment to get over?

Did you see the latest from Fish? That idiotic embrace. You think you really mean all that? No you don’t. All you want is some attention and press coverage.

Have you noticed most of these morons are the ones who have no chance of getting any limelight due to their performance? It’s called cheapening the act. Except Agassi, all legends of the game had a very humble way of thanking the crowd and quietly moving on.

What’s next after the embrace? Don’t even push me there.

If you are not getting our affection with your game and talent, rest assured that any other attempt will only detract from the goal.

Someone please legislate some laws before this starts to get any more ridiculous and preposterous.

I have to admit, you cheap freaking freaks are really not as dumb as I thought.

Either that or you all are afflicted with some mono that’s has temporarily ‘heightened’ your intelligence.

Why? Because some of your recent analysis and posts appear to have a thin shred of intelligence and knowledge of the game. If you keep it up, I will have to move to my next gear to just keep pace AND survive by ‘making up’ stuff to keep you ‘entertained’.

Don’t strain your brain too much, and stop smoking whatever you are on. You are making me feel insecure. You see I only have a limited knowledge of tennis or for that matter of anything and it’s pretty shallow. So when I start getting flooded with knowledgeable crap you are throwing at me, I start to freak out. And believe me this world doesn’t want a freaked out basement lunatic like me.

So give yourself a pat on the …. for some good OK insights. Like I have said before, I don’t mean all this. This is only for the purpose of this post, so don’t start running around with a bloated head and ego.

Nevertheless, the posts’ quality has improved recently. But then again, that could also be because of improved posts from me. They are contagious, sometimes.

So, you see, you can run but cannot hide. Did that fit in here? Medication!!!!!!!!!!

The ONE component of Djokovic’s game that’s better than anyone on the tour. Yes, even Federer. Can you guess?

 

You cheating cheap freaks, use that little grey matter before you start reading here. Geeeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzz!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Of course, when you are playing like Djokovic is, you can point to many aspects of his game that’s delivering the goods. But if you were to pin point just ONE, what would it be?

Movement, defensive skills, doing everything better than everybody else, what?

It’s this: There is virtually no difference between his forehand and backhand, well, as close you can get to that ideal situation anyway. He is equally strong on his backhand – is that better?

He can not only generate tremendous pace from his backhand, but he can also guide the ball to change directions like he can with his forehand. So there’s no place to go for the opponents. It’s not that either of them are deadly but they are good enough to trouble even the best out there.

 

Bottom line: Djokovic has the most balanced and workable backhand the game has seen in a long time.

Don’t believe it? Why do you think Federer’s backhand is played so consistently by the opponents? Because of the lopsided difference between his forehand and his backhand. It’s huge. That’s one of the reasons he hasn’t won the Roland Garros, because Nadal has exploited it with his high above the shoulder top spin.

Still not convinced? Nadal’s backhand is like water is to milk shake for me. It’s the most ordinary shot in his entire tool shed, unless of course he takes that risky cross-court swing at it to generate extra pace, which of course is a very low percentage shot for him.

Why do you think he runs around the ball to hit his forehand so often? Because he cannot generate his bread and butter top spin AND cannot place the ball as deftly as he can with his forehand. You need to be told this?

Want more? Roddick, Gonzalez, Sampras …….. want me to keep going?

As I have barked many times before, this has to be no brainer for any player and coach. This is the proverbial least travelled road that can produce immense benefits. It’s a classic no brainer. Just develop your backhand to the extent that it comes as close to your forehand as possible. And viola, you are in heaven, instantly.

Analysing Miami draw.

Here are the likely opponents for the top title contenders. Federer is there purely due to his past heroics.

Djokovic clearly has the easiest road to the final. Is he the new cover boy now for these knuckleheads? Federer, on the other hand, will be tested right at the gate. Both Monfils and Isner are dangerous opponent in a regular setting, but with the current state of affairs they will be more than handful for Federer, unless he is going to pull the same ‘destruction of early round opponents and then blowing out as the near big dogs show up’ theatre Federer has been broadcasting so far this season.

It’s hard to imagine Federer surviving the Tsonga, Murray, Djokovic line up under current conditions, if he is able to get there that is. Hewitt must be carrying a perpetual bib to hold his salivating glands from slobbering all over him, in the hope of exacting revenge for all the humiliation he has been on the receiving end of from Federer.

Roddick has got to be in the same state times 100, but he is not getting past Tsonga to get his wish.

Federer-Wawrinka match will be an awkward one, don’t you think? Specially if the mono BS has some connection there. I personally feel, that the almost five years of frantic activity from Federer resulted in weakening of his immunity. The mono bug cannot just catch on so severely unless of course the saliva intake was in excess and in abundance. Just a water bottle sip cannot bring on such a strong reaction from an world class athlete unless the body’s immunity system is on its last legs.

Either that or Wawrinka got in some incredible action for sustained period of time. Or how about Mirka changing lanes for a while. That’s possible too. That Mr. Mary Joe Fernandez guy has been too close to her in the stands lately, with some extra mustard on his Mirka hugs whenever Federer wins.

Anyway, I digress. Nadal has a pretty decent draw too. He won’t hit anything until he faces Blake which is likely to be another battle. And we all know what that means. Another tame performance against Djokovic in the next round, just like it happened at Indian Wells. Nadal had long three setters back to back against Tsonga and Blake before he met Djokovic in the semis. He admitted to being spent by that time.

With an even easier draw here for Djokovic, Nadal cannot afford to expend any meaningless fuel anywhere.

Murray gets a monster right at the gate in Ancic, but from then on he has an easier ride until the big guns appear.

I don’t know how Federer can turn around from the mess he is clearly in. Maybe he should take time off and regain his physical and emotional balance which is obviously way off the mark, before he steps in the jungle again. Otherwise he is just making it worse. Not just the losses but what each loss brings with it from the media, fans and fellow players – a fresh and sharper dagger that pierces even deeper into the confidence shield.

Why step on the court if you are not fully fit? Every freaking cucumber knows you are out of sorts. Just playing and hoping it will bring a different result with the same knife is stupidity. Get off the train, fix whatever is bothering you, whether it’s personal or physical, instead of rubbing the wound and creating havoc with your career and your personal life concurrently.

Even the most die-hard fans don’t give him any chance of winning the title here. He has to win against Hewitt to start earning points towards the No. 1 race. Any misstep before that and you are stuffed deeper in the hole. And it is quite likely that it could happen with Monfils, Isner and Wawrinka in the line up.

Take my advice, Federer, and pack your bags and go home and work on fixing the problem instead of ruining the rest of your career and the chance to place a cherry on the glorious career you have had so far, by surpassing No. 14 and winning the Roland Garros. After all you are still 26, and if you are sensible enough to step back, and not make the No. 1 rank as the end of the world, you can attain what everybody expects from you.

To me it looks like self destruction now. Or should I call self abuse. You are not helping yourself. You may be able to delay the No. 1 rank sure, by these antics, but that will be at the expense of a prize that’s lot more valuable and unique. Your goal should be first to surpass No. 14 and Roland Garros, in that order. No. 1 rank comes a distant third under the circumstances. You still have time and your natural game has no equal on the tour. Djokovic is nowhere near your level. His match against Fish clearly proved that.

Did you notice any ‘out of the world’ shot in the entire freaking match? No, you didn’t. We miss your brilliance and immense talent. Don’t let us down. Put your ego on the shelf and make practical decision with no regard to what the world will think. The eventual is all that matters.

I think you need some time in the basement with me. Please bring along a beautiful 18-year old Swiss girl as I will need assistance getting up early in the morning. Lame!!!!

Round.	Federer	Nadal	Djokovic	Murray
1st	Bye	Bye	Bye	Bye
2nd	Isner	Roitman	Calleri	Ancic
3rd	Wawrinka	Nieminen	Andreev	Monaco
4th	Hewitt	Mathieu	Canas	Davydenko
5th	Tsonga	Blake	Berdych	Ferrer
6th	Murray	Djokovic	Nadal	Federer
7th	Djokovic	Federer	Federer	Djokovic

Miami Draw Single (Women). From Sarah. Thanks.

Sarah |

Miami Draw Single (Women)

http://www.sonyericssonopen.com/draws/wsr1s1.html

Miami TV Schedule. From Sarah. Thanks.

Sarah |

Miami TV Schedule
L) – Live (T) – Taped (D) – Doubles All Times EST
Repeat airings listed in grey

Saturday, March 29
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm Sony Ericsson Open, Miami: Early rounds Fox Sports Net (L)

Sunday, March 30
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm Sony Ericsson Open, Miami: Early rounds Fox Sports Net (L)

Monday, March 31
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm Sony Ericsson Open, Miami: Early rounds Fox Sports Net (L)

Tuesday, April 1
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm Sony Ericsson Open, Miami: Early rounds Fox Sports Net (L)

Wednesday, April 2
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm Sony Ericsson Open, Miami: Quarterfinals Fox Sports Net (L)
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Sony Ericsson Open, Miami: Quarterfinals Fox Sports Net (L)

Thursday, April 3
1:00 pm – 5:00 pm Sony Ericsson Open, Miami: Quarterfinals/Semifinals Fox Sports Net (L)
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Sony Ericsson Open, Miami: Quarterfinals Fox Sports Net (L)

Friday, April 4
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm Sony Ericsson Open, Miami: Men’s SF Fox Sports Net (L)
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Sony Ericsson Open, Miami: Men’s SF Fox Sports Net (L)

Saturday, April 5
12:00 pm – 2:00 pm Sony Ericsson Open, Miami: Women’s final CBS (L)

Sunday, April 6
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm Sony Ericsson Open, Miami: Men’s final CBS (L)

http://www.tennis.com/tvschedule/tvschedule.aspx?id=67

Federer falling from grace? From Sarah. Thanks.

 
 

Sarah | 

Federer falling from grace
TOM TEBBUTT

From Monday’s Globe and Mail

March 23, 2008 at 10:10 PM EDT

They are a category of fan known as the Kool-Aid Drinkers, diehards who admire and love everything about Roger Federer.

The KADS are very restless after their man’s 6-3, 6-2 loss to Mardy Fish in the semi-finals of the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, Calif., on Saturday.

Federer was remarkably passive and showed virtually no appetite for a fight in going down — the first time in 42 matches, dating to a 2003 loss to Andy Roddick in Montreal, he had been beaten by an American.

On RogerFederer.com yesterday, the Federer faithful were fearful about their man’s fallibility.

“Something must be wrong off the tennis court,” was a post from one fan.

Others said:

“Are you having fun playing any more? It does not seem your heart is there.”

“Something is really fishy about this loss to Fish … and why didn’t Mirka [Vavrinec, his girlfriend] turn up?”

“How many times do you have to lose to finally get a coach?”

“Roger is in trouble. He can’t beat Fish, how can be beat Novak [Djokovic]?”

Fish, who was beaten 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 by Djokovic in the final yesterday, had a career week, including wins over seeded players Igor Andreev (31), Nikolay Davydenko (4), Lleyton Hewitt (24), David Nalbandian (7) and Federer (1).

Ranked No. 98, he has long been hampered by injuries, including a problem that required two wrist operations in 2005.

“Let’s not talk about No. 98,” Federer said on Saturday, “we know he’s way better than that.” Continuing, he added, “the guy was on top of his game … took his chances and it was over in a heartbeat.”

The match lasted just more than an hour.

“I couldn’t do much today,” Federer conceded. “These matches sometimes come around. I’m surprised myself it hasn’t happened more in the last five years.”

Given the result, and his defeatist demeanour, speculation will be rife about what is behind such a spectacularly uninspired performance.

It must begin with the mononucleosis that started to affect him in late December and has resulted in two subsequent relapses.

He won his first three matches in Indian Wells with relative ease — Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (6-1, 6-4), Nicolas Mahut (6-1, 6-1) and Ivan Ljubicic (6-3, 6-4) — and seemed to have regained his form after an Australian Open semi-final loss to Djokovic and a first-round defeat by Andy Murray this month in Dubai. But the temperature was more than 30 on Saturday. Was that a factor if he was not feeling well?

Another factor could have been Tommy Haas’s withdrawal (sinus infection) from their Friday quarter-final. That meant Federer played after two days off.

“I was a little deflated yesterday,” he admitted on Saturday. “I think it would have given me great rhythm if I were to win against him [Haas] … and come into the semi-final today.”

A third, and non-tennis related consideration, is the rumour published last week that his girlfriend, Vavrenic, is pregnant. Federer, in a non-English interview, said he did not find it necessary to comment on such stories.

It may be useful to recall that one of his worst losses in 2007 was at the Italian Open, when he was beaten, in a listless effort, 6-2, 6-4 by Flippo Volandri of the host country. A day later, it was announced he had fired coach Tony Roche, a difficult thing for him to do, considering his respect for Australians of that older generation, including Roche and Rod Laver.

For the record, Federer did have Swiss Davis Cup captain Severin Luthi with him in Indian Wells more or less acting as coach.

With world No. 2 Rafael Nadal losing by an identical 6-3, 6-2 score to No. 3 Djokovic in Saturday’s other semi-final, the top two spots in the ATP rankings don’t look as secure as they have for almost three years.

“I hope I can go from here and win Miami and [subsequently] on to the clay,” Federer said.

The Sony Ericsson Open in Miami will begin on Wednesday, with Federer’s first match already scheduled for Saturday.

Alarmists are suggesting that with the European clay-court season looming, if he does not win in Miami, he might not win a tournament until the grass in June-July at Wimbledon.

http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080323.wspt-tebbut-col-23/GSStory/GlobeSportsOther/home

Miami Singles Draw. From Sarah. Thanks.

Sarah | 

Miami Single Draw

http://www.atptennis.com/en/common/TrackIt.asp?file=http://www.atptennis.com/1/posting/2008/403/mds.pdf