Did Nalbandian win in a loss to Nadal or was it the other way around?

Even though a come from behind win rarely fails to add that extra shine on the confidence shield, that response is not reserved for all such wins.

Not being broken by Nadal in the first set must have pleased Nalbandian and his team. The juice extracted there may have thwarted all that pressure resulting from being broken twice in each of the remaining two sets to enable Nalbandian to move up – emotionally – albeit insignificantly.

Have we, all of sudden, moved from treetops to ‘in the grave’ mode to define the latest grain of the ATP tour? Haas may have chosen just the right time to injure himself as the worse you are the better your chances of making good on the tour get.

Nadal’s superior conditioning more than his skill got him through this match with a ‘win’. Coming on the heels of a painful loss to an aging Ljubicic, this could have turned into a major hole if Nadal may not have salvaged it in the last two sets with four breaks of serve.

The win may not have moved Nadal in the direction he wants and needs today but it achieved something even more remarkable under the conditions: Not letting him slide back. He may have just held his ground with this.

That in today’s world is hell of a lot better than a loss – to tomato cans and almost nearly dead people. For rock people, Murray and Djokovic have already been eliminated by clowns competing against each other for a ‘worser’ tomato can status.

With Federer and Nadal the only top dogs left and an eternity to go till the finals, will this turn into another senior moment on Sunday? It sure won’t be a surprise, at least.

Space for UM17′s updates from Miami.

LATEST UPDATE

Since the first match isn’t until 1pm today, I finally got to sleep in! Excellent. It’s really gotten pretty quiet around the park, so I’ll probably be brief.

One story I’d like to share: since the start of the tournament, there’s been a set of brother-sister twins and their father floating around as hitting partners for the players. Nobody seems to remember how they got the job, but every time a player is looking for someone to practice with we offer them up as a suggestion. Over the last two weeks they’ve probably had 30 or so sessions, and since the review usually comes back positive they go out again and again! Most of the time, it’s the boy that gets the job (even with female players); yesterday he hit with Virginie Razzano, Mikhail Youzhny, and finally Robin Soderling. Incredible, considering they just turned 17 two days ago!! Funniest thing was his reaction at the end of the day – Razzano=no problem, Youzhny=no problem, Soderling…just could not keep up. Apparently that man hits balls like bullets. Anyway, with the practice these guys are getting, I’ll be looking for them on the pro tour aaaany minute.

I watched both the Youzhny and Soderling practices for a bit – night and day. Youzhny seems like one of the chillest guys around, and his practice was that way too. He would hit some balls, chat with the coach, hit a few more…smile every now and then. His coach is a really friendly little guy. Robin, on the other hand, was all business. He had two guys (his coach and the 17 year old kid) across the net, and would fire off 30 shot rallys with them each time. It seems like the ultimate practice – all the balls come back! (I think they said Clijsters does the same thing.) The player has to keep getting to them, and the reaction time is like in doubles – lightning fast. I don’t think I heard Robin say 2 words in 15 minutes out there.

Got to see the Armada play their doubles for a while. It was great! I’ll share some pictures if I can. I’m not usually a doubs fan cuz it’s just a bunch of treetops serving and sticking their arms out, but these four really played tennis out there. Tommy and Nico were on fire! Feli and FeVer were alright, but didn’t seem too much in control out there, would miss a bunch of easy net points. It’s great to see guys moving around in doubles, makes it exciting!

One last tidbit – Rafa practiced for an hour before his match (most guys do half an hour). And, he didn’t get his favorite court. Apparently he doesn’t like practicing on the stadium, but whenever he goes out to the side courts the mobs are insane. I think they kept him corralled yesterday for crowd control. The change in ritual didn’t seem to put him too far out of his rhythm!

Well, that’s about it. I’m going back in a bit cuz I wheedled my way into an excuse to show up to “work,” so I can have access to the matches. In a strange turn of events, I really want to see how Berdych does this afternoon… Peace out, my faithful readers!

Oh yeah, two other tidbits from the Berdych-Verdasco match, that maybe you guys saw on TV:
- First, Verdasco randomly took off one of two socks he was wearing on his right foot (the innermost layer). Did anybody know these guys wore two socks? Then, he had a broken shoelace to attend to…hm. Costume malfunctions?
- Rafa came to watch the match for like 15 minutes from the players lounge. People threw him more balls to sign while he was there.

UM17 THURSDAY UPDATE

Since the first match isn’t until 1pm today, I finally got to sleep in! Excellent. It’s really gotten pretty quiet around the park, so I’ll probably be brief.

One story I’d like to share: since the start of the tournament, there’s been a set of brother-sister twins and their father floating around as hitting partners for the players. Nobody seems to remember how they got the job, but every time a player is looking for someone to practice with we offer them up as a suggestion. Over the last two weeks they’ve probably had 30 or so sessions, and since the review usually comes back positive they go out again and again! Most of the time, it’s the boy that gets the job (even with female players); yesterday he hit with Virginie Razzano, Mikhail Youzhny, and finally Robin Soderling. Incredible, considering they just turned 17 two days ago!! Funniest thing was his reaction at the end of the day – Razzano=no problem, Youzhny=no problem, Soderling…just could not keep up. Apparently that man hits balls like bullets. Anyway, with the practice these guys are getting, I’ll be looking for them on the pro tour aaaany minute.

I watched both the Youzhny and Soderling practices for a bit – night and day. Youzhny seems like one of the chillest guys around, and his practice was that way too. He would hit some balls, chat with the coach, hit a few more…smile every now and then. His coach is a really friendly little guy. Robin, on the other hand, was all business. He had two guys (his coach and the 17 year old kid) across the net, and would fire off 30 shot rallys with them each time. It seems like the ultimate practice – all the balls come back! (I think they said Clijsters does the same thing.) The player has to keep getting to them, and the reaction time is like in doubles – lightning fast. I don’t think I heard Robin say 2 words in 15 minutes out there.

Got to see the Armada play their doubles for a while. It was great! I’ll share some pictures if I can. I’m not usually a doubs fan cuz it’s just a bunch of treetops serving and sticking their arms out, but these four really played tennis out there. Tommy and Nico were on fire! Feli and FeVer were alright, but didn’t seem too much in control out there, would miss a bunch of easy net points. It’s great to see guys moving around in doubles, makes it exciting!

One last tidbit – Rafa practiced for an hour before his match (most guys do half an hour). And, he didn’t get his favorite court. Apparently he doesn’t like practicing on the stadium, but whenever he goes out to the side courts the mobs are insane. I think they kept him corralled yesterday for crowd control. The change in ritual didn’t seem to put him too far out of his rhythm!

Well, that’s about it. I’m going back in a bit cuz I wheedled my way into an excuse to show up to “work,” so I can have access to the matches. In a strange turn of events, I really want to see how Berdych does this afternoon… Peace out, my faithful readers!

TODAY’S UM17 UPDATE

So I’m running late to what will most likely be my last day at the Open, but things are quieting down as it is anyway. Fewer players means less work for me, more time watching, but also possibly less to say. I had a wonderful day of tennis yesterday, evening upset notwithstanding…

I was in the front row for Gonzo-Sod – that was an odd match! Fena was really off, as we know, in that first set. Nothing he tried seemed to work, whereas Sod was on as usual. The stadium was mostly full of Gonzo supporters, but a few would yell silly things like “Vamos Argentina” or cheer for “David,” “Alejandro” or even “Rafa.” At some point they got a talking to. Gonzo’s first staredown with the ref was pretty great – he just stood there glaring for what we all thought would be forever – so I told him, “No te preocupes!” Don’t know if anyone heard me, and it probably didn’t help too much. Either way, some huge hitting there.

Watched Rafa vs. Ferrer from the players’ box. Those were monsters out there, just insane amounts of power! I felt David needed just a little bit more to take control, he worked so hard it was really too bad only one guys won. About 15 minutes after the match, his coach came by to book a practice court…I really hope he didn’t feel bad about the loss – it was so tight, I hope he can take it in stride.

- Overheard Youzhny/Andreev and his buddies (they always seem to have buddies around) jokingly trying to figure out the rules of golf. I’m not sure they all got it…
- Was in the lounge before Fed and Berdy went out for their matches. Never appreciated how HUGE they both are. I’m not that tall of a person, maybe, but I think TV really masks how giant these people are.
- Spent the nearly 3 hrs of the last match with one of Fed’s Nike reps. Really nice guy, and a Fed fan. Confirmed that Roger really is a great guy, and that all the nice things we hear him say in the media are exactly how he thinks.
- Saw Mirka again, and for everyone’s reference: She is not fat. She was wearing some very very skinny jeans, and let me just say, she is a curvy woman, but not much more.

Now I’m really late! Uhoh…

LATEST UM17 UPDATE

I am taking up so much space on TP! I hope y’all aren’t sick of me yet… If nothing else, these posts will help me remember every juicy minute here. I was afraid I’d have nothing to say tonight, because the rain this morning was horrendous. I left my house around 11:00 (sunny) and by the time I got to the tennis center (11:30ish) it was raining again. Practices had been scheduled since 9ish, nobody had been on court in the morning and wouldn’t be until nearly 3pm! They tried to dry the courts 3 or 4 times before giving up (I helped!) and waiting for the radar to say it was clear for good.

As soon as the new schedule was out it was a mess of players renegotiating their courts and not understanding that they’d be given warm-up times after the first set of matches was under way. Those who were on first had an extended on-court warmup (10 minutes) instead of the customary 1/2 hour or more with their team. So just subtract their first few games – I’m sure nobody was ready to play.

“Keeping up with the Kardashians” was filming in the players’ lounge this afternoon. Perhaps, if you ever see this episode, you’ll catch a glimpse of a bunch of people in blue tshirts and khakis with ultra-confused faces half-glaring at the crowd busting through the doorway. I’m one of those people. Once the rain let up, there was so much great tennis going on at once that I missed a bunch of it. But, you can’t look a gift horse in the mouth: Fed, Wawrinka/Youzhny, Venus/Hantuchova, Radwanska/Shvedova, Gonzalez/Monaco, and finally in the wind and the cold (and in the 3rd row), Henin/Zvonareva. Pictures will follow at some point. Feds match was pretty “meh,” Wawri/Youzhny was intense except when Stan started running amok, Gonzalez/Monaco was well fought (and full of Chichichileans), and Henin/Zvonareva were actually quite awesome. I’ve never really appreciated women’s tennis before, but these girls hit HARD. And Henin’s backhand is a thing of beauty. Wowz.

Notables:
- Apparently Fed, Rafa (and probably others) have had just about enough of our fans down here. We know how gracious they usually are, but I guess folks in Miami barely let them walk.
- I went out for a second to watch Rafa practice. I’ve never seen anyone hit anything so hard. I feel sorry for those balls. He also didn’t stop scowling at his shots – I don’t know if he was really frustrated, or if that’s just his style.
- During the aforementioned practice, he popped a ball out of the court and people started grabbing at it. He asked for the ball back (“La bola, por favor!”) but I don’t think he got it back. You’d think it wouldn’t be a big deal, right? However: we ration the balls – only two new cans per practice. Hehe…
- The same time Verdasco was getting back from his match, the new schedule came out and the phones were off the hook. His crowd was so loud, we had to close the door. I’d just hung up on a call, when who bursts through the door, and asks me for a pen to sign a ball? Fernando himself. I handed it to him, personally.
- Ferru called again. The man speaks like a rain of bullets! I can barely say “Practice Courts!” before he’s asking to sign up for his warm-up before Rrrrafa Nadal.

Alright Teepsters, I’m exhausted. Pictures will follow at some point…good night!

It’s kind of embarrassing to have to scroll through so much of my blabber to get to the reply link…but I’m glad you guys seem to be enjoying it, so I’ll do one more. “After suitable rest,” I made it over to the stadium for the final day of men’s quarters and the women’s semis.

Venus was her usual self (those serves are nuts), Marion tried her best, but it really wasn’t enough. (Also, the Williamses have a bit of a bad reputation around here for traveling with a giant entourage.) Serena was around today, looking classy, but barely able to walk on her 6-inch chopstick heels. They did some photoshoot with her and what looked like giant football players trying to play tennis. Serena was on the sideline calling shots and giving pointers. I have a pic or two, which I’ll post if they don’t show up elsewhere.

I know you all will be annoyed with me, but I was quite happy with Mr. Berdman this afternoon. For someone reputed to be mentally fragile, I think he kept it together quite well. As his serve got better, and FeVer’s got worse, you could see the match turning around. Anyway, he’s been working hard for these wins, and I’m hoping he goes to the final. I stuck around for the Youzhny-Soderling match, and although I wasn’t terribly partial, I figured I’d go nationalistic – some of the random Russian shrieking from the nosebleeds was from me. I guess it didn’t help. Soderling dismantled poor Misha…

…which is really too bad for my 17 year hitting partner buddy. Youzhny had scheduled him to practice today, and turned down another kid offered to him by Federer’s agent! Too bad he probably won’t have another chance tomorrow.

I was trying to make my way out of the players center this afternoon, when the guy guarding the gate says to me, “Watch out, or you’ll get run over!” It was Rafa and his mob. I stood quietly by as he signed a last autograph or two and grudgingly posed for a picture. I’ve never seen him so exasperated…pobrecito. He turned around as quickly as he could, and beelined it to the door. Before this tournament, I may have been in that mob. Now that I’ve seen it from the inside, I think I’ll leave them alone. I love talented people as much as the next fangirl, but in the end I’d rather find some way to have a normal interaction.

For example: Lindsey Davenport has been around for the last few days doing something for TV, and has come by to chat and to book practice courts. She and Justin Gimelstob have just been hitting balls for fun – isn’t that nice? They wouldn’t have to lift a finger if they didn’t want to! She’s insaaaanely tall (compared to me) and incredibly friendly and down to earth. HEAR THAT TP? SHE’S A VERY NICE PERSON. And, she had funny stories to tell, including one about the time she and the Bryan brothers were in Beijing for the Olympics and had to find their way to the hotel without money, a cell phone, or a word of Chinese. Can you imagine what the three of them would have looked like, running around town?

Can’t think of anything else for the moment, but I’m grateful for my early night. I might just have to go back tomorrow to see Berdych-Soderling…that should be interesting.

Oh yeah, two other tidbits from the Berdych-Verdasco match, that maybe you guys saw on TV:
- First, Verdasco randomly took off one of two socks he was wearing on his right foot (the innermost layer). Did anybody know these guys wore two socks? Then, he had a broken shoelace to attend to…hm. Costume malfunctions?
- Rafa came to watch the match for like 15 minutes from the players lounge. People threw him more balls to sign while he was there.

NEW update from UM17

Wow, I’ve got quite a spotlight here! Glad you’re all enjoying the scoop…I had to go and check my paperwork to make sure I didn’t sign something that would get me in trouble for sharing. Oh, and, if you’re one of the people I’ve mentioned – and by some petrifying chance you’re reading this – sorry! You know where to find me.

Started my day off with a tour of the practice courts: Cilic and some guys I recognize but couldn’t name, Cibulkova, Azarenka, Kuznetsova. Headed over to Verdasco/Lopez v. Llodra/Ram – I guess the Armada won, but there were a few pretty silly net balls from FeVer for sure. Don’t know much about doubles, but it must be hard to switch to that kind of lightening rhythm! I didn’t realize Kim Kardashian was there, but after the match here is what I saw: a crowd of people around Verdasco, and a very large video camera. Now that I know who she is, here was part of their conversation – Fever: “So, what did you think?” Kim: “I loooved it! It was sooo exciting!” According to the body guards gossiping after they had all left, they’re hooking up now. Apparently this time last year, it was Wozniacki – did we know this? Another funny story: a girl walks up to my doorway, looking lost, and asks for a restroom. Assuming that she would have the same access I do, I used it as an excuse to take her up to the players’ lounge, but apparently she wasn’t allowed in there (I am, haha). On the way, I make conversation. “So have you seen anything you liked today?” “Um…yeaaaaah.” (Really? I see you’re a huge fan.) Google images makes me suspect that was Kourtney Kardashian.

Stan Wawrinka came by to watch our TV again – first set of Rafa v. Nalby. This time, I was bolder: “So, got any commentary for us?” He didn’t, but at least I got a smile. Also, when the screen showed Rafa taking about 48 seconds between points, Stan’s coach started to complain about it. Wawrinka says he wouldn’t mind the break, if he were playing. I understand now that the TV in the office is my greatest asset – later in the day, David Ferrer made it as far as the doorway, but turned around because my supervisor was switching over to the closed-circuit update screen. *Ack! So close!*

I used my break to go up to the stadium for Nadal/Nalbandian. I got there about halfway through the tiebreak, saw the second set, and was there again for the end of the 3rd. So yeah, wow. I think these guys move faster than I can think! TV just doesn’t do them justice. Miami is always packed with Latin Americans, so the tennis fans are a funny bunch. With Fed v. Lapentti, there was definitely more “Vamos, Nicolas!” than there were cheers for Roger; I’d say the Spanish/Argentina fans were about evenly split. Loved watching Ferrer and Karlovic on the side court – it’s pure insanity to be so close to the action! When I watch these guys on video, it seems like they’re putting on a show for the camera. But out there, especially in that gigantic stadium, they look so lonely and small. The evening matches (Jankovic vs. Vesnina, Tsonga vs. Kohlschreiber) weren’t full and were very quiet; I can’t imagine feeling all those silent stares on my back! Crazy stuff.

So that was my Sunday. The woman who takes care of the seeded players’ practice courts came by a bunch of times in the evening to negotiate, and it was a little disappointing to hear about some of our favorites being picky. Some players just won’t budge from their favorite courts, absolutely need a certain time even though they’re not playing that day, or are annoyed having to go through crowds on their way. It’s also fun listening to the background stories and politics in the tennis world from the people who’ve been in the industry for a while. Sorry, but if I write everything, I’d probably miss today’s action.

The weather Monday morning is terrible. We were spared yesterday, but it looks like rain at least where I am. Wish us luck! Pictures following in a separate comment.

Well it looks like the sun is out again – you never know in this town!! Here is my photographic evidence from Sunday! Until next time…

UM17

Miami update! It’s totally surreal, this brush with celebrity. The funniest thing is when I think about how many hours I’ve devoted to watching these people on video, analyzed what they’ve done, come on here and discussed, their personal lives, their careers…and there they are just walking around as if they were regular people. Sigh.

So I spent the day assigning practice courts and handing out balls to the players – sadly, the top seeds are handled by a special office, so I’m not likely to do business with any of them. I might have a chance to work a different position later, but probably not. We’ll see. Even so, my eyes were the size of dinner plates. From my desk, I have pretty much a straight shot of all of them as they go out to play on any of the courts (not stadium). I deal with their coaches a lot – Zeballos’s guy kept losing things and coming back to us. I started the day eavesdropping on Youzhny and his buddies, then FeVer stood outside the window chatting and posing for photos for about 1/2 an hour…who else? Caught a glimpse of Rafa, his partner and Bryans heading out for their match, oof, the list really goes on. Ivanovic, Kuznetsova, Simon (poor thing), Henin, De Bakker (love him!), tons of doubles people.

Spoke to Ferrer on the phone, was too scared to whip out the Spanish. What if I said something wrong?!? One player was very rude and demanding when I told him some courts were not available…not going to name any names, don’t worry, it’s nobody we love around here. Wawrinka stepped in for about 5 minutes to watch the Murray-Fish match on our screen…I racked my brains for something to say – fail. When some guy called him “Stan the Man” and informed me that Stan had just had a baby, all I could manage was “Oh, I know!” Sigh #2.

But here’s what really gave me a heart attack: so I go upstairs to the players’ lounge, and who is sitting there, bold as brass, with his team? Roger Federer – comfy red and black warmups, wet hair, clean shave, and all. I did the most awkward thing I possibly could have: I turned right around and nearly headed out of the room. Then, I took a deep breath, grabbed a chair about 15 feet away from his table, and tried not to stare. I can’t remember the last time I was that nervous. When I came back later, Fed had left but Mirka was there with Mary Jo Fernandez & her kids. Mirka’s gorgeous, by the way.

Watching the match live was wonderful, but we know how that is. Here are some pics to prove I was there!

Roger’s sweetest fans. From Leachim. Thanks.

LEACHIM

Who I want for this ‘Chile’ fundraiser.

For rock people, Roddick and Gonzalez are organising one.

With the previous fundraiser for Haiti such a resounding ‘success’, you cannot now slip back to mediocrity.

Here are some characters who SHOULD be on the court AND in ‘action’ for my wallet to open:

Serena and the foot-fault lady.

Federer and Wilander.

Nadal and Soderling.

And shouldn’t Sampras and Agassi show up again to ‘finish’ the job?

Djokovic working on a Career Slam of his own?

Djokovic just lost to the shortest player on the circuit, Oliver Rochus right after losing to the oldest player on the tour (Ljubicic). Who will complete the Slam? Nalbandian and Karlovic?

This kind of inconsistency from practically every freaking seeded player for the past fortnight or so makes these clowns inevitably think of ONE inexplicable or explicable fact: The run Federer’s been on and counting.

Not only has Federer had just a handful of losses to the caliber of players who are taking out these ‘top’ dogs from Djokovic to Murray to Nadal to Roddick to….., his record against the top dogs too has been near impeccable – comparatively.

And that ‘age’ grace is over by a mile now – that they haven’t matured yet etc.

Even if ‘weak competition’ theory is taken into account just the immensely disproportionate ‘bad’ days Federer has had comparatively is astounding.

If you are one of the seeded player facing above, you cannot help but think of how some guy has been able to do it – for six freaking years.

In Djokovic’s case he seriously needs to get his head examined as anytime there’s a legitimate shot of him moving up in the rankings, he tends to fall apart. It’s now happened what four freaking times.

This was his yet another ‘handed on the platter’ opportunity to gain some massive ground on Federer’s lead for the top rank. Not only has he failed at it he has also jeopardized his current ‘by default’ No. 2 rank.

Murray may not be too far from that psychiatric ward either. The AO loss in humiliating straight sets with the whole nation watching back home has tunnelled deeper into his psyche that anything on the practice court can now remedy. He lost to Soderling in straight sets at Indian Wells and now this loss to Fish&Turtle, of all the freaking people – in straight sets again.

Closest Federer ever came to that, barring last season, were those back to back losses to Canas.

One after another every hope of ‘new balls’ has fallen by the wayside from Delpo to Murray to Djokovic to Nadal to Cilic to ……Soderling?

Every great in any game reaches that ‘fatigue’ plateau where fans begin to get restless in complete absence of any new viable threat to liven up things, not to mention the drama of ‘regular’ routine.

Sampras and Agassi heard those bells loud and clear as they virtually became a couple popping up at every event finals. Federer may not have completely exhausted that ‘capital’ but the regularity with which he is running deeper into every freaking draw the inevitable may not be too far, if it’s not already here.

All this has to be God send for Nadal. If things would have held their own, Nadal would have been a foregone conclusion long ago. But now he is still hanging around. Heck, he has just reclaimed the No. 3 spot from Murray.

Nadal is not the one you want to offer second chances for anything leave alone the No. 1 rank. Nadal must be drooling right about now with road to recovery at least less hazy largely from factors beyond his control.

All he has do now is just do his part and it could happen lot sooner than even he expected. I think, the most effective carrot Nadal can use to motivate himself should be the possibility of being at the top against after being written off by most. That story line will get more mileage than reclaiming the top spot, number of Slams, career Slam etc.

Does that mean Federer-Nadal rivalry receives another shot in the arm? Or is it Federer’s turn to now not show up?

Either way the predicted prospect of an interesting season largely predicated on the bunched up top five appears to be fading faster than expected.

Photos.

For rock people, that’s Wade and Roddick. Geeeeeeezzzzzzzz!!!!!!!!!

Something’s fishy here. Withdrawal symptoms?

Photos.



And why would you freaking do that on an internationally televised broadcast? Where are you going next?

We have a cartoon network already, you know.

Now that he has retired who gets his girl friend?

Could it be your inability to see the ball that you are not No. 1 – because of that beak?

Can this be the closest we can come to declaring a true GOAT.

Racket technology, nutrition, training regimen / equipment, depth in competition etc. etc. make it virtually impossible to definitively determine a true GOAT despite overwhelming stats and numbers.

Even though Federer has already, at age 28, churned out ample evidence to claim the GOAT title, there are still cynics who hold the ‘different era’ card apart from weak competition and Nadal, against Federer to take away the unanimous vote.

But can the ‘skill challenge’ BS I suggested earlier narrow down the ambiguities far enough to arrive at the closest spot to the unanimous threshold? It should at least remove the ‘weak / strong competition’ log from the fire-place once and for all, don’t you think?

For mentally challenged freaks this is what I am freaking barking about. Geeeeeeezzzzzz!!!!!!

You hold a skills challenge every year. It tests how accurate a player can be with all his strokes. Stay on the ball here you freaking freaks. Don’t let the word ‘strokes’ distract you.

The result from this challenge every year should clearly and unequivocally produce the most skilled player for the year independent of the competition.

So if we had a similar scorecard for Sampras of all his years on the tour and of Federer now, we could easily determine without debate who IS a better player.

Since the technological and other discrepancies have been minimal between their two eras, the result can be as purist as possible.

If you go past that and include people like Borg etc. then racket, court surface and other BS may invalidate the score to a greater extent. Nevertheless, it should still be able to clear the ‘weak competition’ card from the table.

And yes, if you are still down there, other strokes and everyone named Wawrinka should not be included in this study.

Are you freaking getting this? No, you are not!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

German tennis worse than US tennis in terms of fan interest and sponsors?

Click here.

What’s motivating Nalbandian most?

Reason Baghdatis lost the very next match after beating Federer.

Duh!!!! To him and his country that was like winning the Slam forget the title in contention. That win may end up being his sole legacy – for his entire career life. Same for Cypress?

Didn’t someone leave a message that there’s been some crazy celebrations in Cypress already?

He may have expended serious energy while beating Federer but the emotional toll is being felt even right about now.

Isn’t that pretty much an established pattern by now? If you are not amongst the top five or ten and you beat Federer, you are going down in the next round?

The higher percentage of these jokers now beating Federer is fueling an all-out effort by these tomato cans. Its like a lowly NBA team playing against the, say, Lakers when the game is being televised nationally.

You are in the spotlight with millions around the world watching. Add the ‘complacency’ Federer has to fight against a tomato can / his recent troubles and you have a perfect storm.

Expect more and more of these jokers to play way above their potential when facing Federer for above and more reasons. Even though this scenario was always in force the ONE factor that’s changed and is spurring this activity is Federer’s recent record of falling to these flies.

Translation: Baghdatis may even consider retiring / jumping off the cliff as he already has attained the most he will EVER from his life.

Live streaming possibilities for Miami. From Rafafan. Thanks.

RAFAFAN

Hi folks, here are some live streaming possibilities for Miami:

http://channelsurfing.net/
http://www.fromsport.com/c-4.html
http://myp2p.eu/competition.php?competitionid=&part=sports&discipline=tennis
http://atdhe.net/index.html
http://www.livescorehunter.com/Livescores/Livescore-Tennis.html
http://www.bet365.com/home/

http://www.tennistv.com/page/Home/0,,11444,00.html?WT.mc_id=goto
Official site; ++quality?, men’s annual pass $84.95

Have fun!

Here’s another proof my BS works – sometimes.

XERES (on ‘Did you know’ posts).

I love such posts..I tried out the one where you told us to have papaya for a wee I think and it really worked . Thanks a bunch TP ! It’d be great if you can create a “Did you know” tag..easier for us to look into such posts.

Photos.

WOW. I had to take a ‘break’ for this.

Gum surgery prospect?

What the………?

Heard of ‘Camel getting close to a mountain’ for the first time?

Imagine you are thoroughly convinced that you WILL be the greatest player to ever play the sport and your stats appear to testify to it.

Smack in the middle of your ‘basking in the sun’ comes along a player who not only is CLEARLY better than you but already at a young age is SHATTERING records you were so proud of.

With today’s technological and other related advancements and the absolute likelihood of them getting even better tomorrow, ALL camels will one day face the mountain.

The latest camel to face the mountain has been Kobe. Kobe was the youngest to reach 15,000 baskets in the NBA. Well, LeBron not only just eclipsed it he annihilated it by over TWO freaking years.

Yeah, LeBron did it at age 25 and change to Kobe’s 27 and change. Now that’s a statement.

Shouldn’t Ljubicic be screened for something?

How often does a 31-year old going on 99 beat 20 something year-olds so convincingly back to back to back?

If Davydenko can be fined for ‘lack of effort’ why shouldn’t the pendulum shift to the other side too to ensure everything is on the up and up? Or did three youngsters make some serious money – without winning the title?

Either way, anytime such uncharacteristic and out of whack BS happens shouldn’t there be some rule in place to ensure that somebody verifies, investigates and rules? If ALL the top dogs are falling to ONE aging cat with lopsided scoreline, isn’t there enough fodder there for a thorough check up?

If not why shouldn’t the mob feel emboldened?

Who’s next? Haas on a hospital bed with IVs?

ONE shot that can win you a tennis match with minimum effort.

By minimum effort, I mean, the shot is much easier to master comparatively. For instance, if it takes two years to straighten out your backhand, this could probably be done in one year, I think.

It’s so lethal that even Federer will have trouble with it and HAS.

Instead of channeling all your energy into placing the shot past your opponent’s reach or lacing it with some nasty pace or top spin etc. it may be far better to attempt to make the ball REAL deep on the court – with or without placement / pace / spin you name it.

The ball landing dead center on the court with enough depth to nearly hug the baseline will do the trick. Sure it’s not a high percentage shot given the slim margin you have to play with but so are other shots, aren’t they?

With this one, the skill required is miniscule compared to everything else not to mention needing far less time on the practice court to perfect.

Not only does it push your opponent back it cuts down on the angles available to him – significantly.

Miami party photos.

Click here.

Photos.

Pacing the ATP schedule. From Jenny. Thanks.

JENNY

Much has been said about players, eg Nadal, to schedule wisely in order to reasonably protect themselves from injury, illness etc. However, the top 30 players are REQUIRED under ATP rules, unless sick or injured, to compete in a certain number of tourneys over a calendar year which includes 250’s, 500’s, 1000’s series, and of course the four slams. Some events have been upgraded, others downgraded. The top 30 are all court players these days, some are more proficient on clay, others on hardcourts. It’s only natural for a player to compete more on their favourite surface in an effort to defend/gain points. It’s understandable to me that, eg Roddick and others, won’t choose to compete against the top clay court boys on the red dirt in Europe [other than Masters] or South America, what’s the point. It doesn’t make them lesser player, neither does it make the elite clay boys lesser players either.

It should also be noted that an additional 1000 series event, Shanghai was added in 2009, yet another top heavy hard court tourney, I’m sorry, but that was a decision I personally didn’t agree with, apart from watching fine players having to compete in a near empty stadium for most of the week. Hopefully, that situation will improve in time, because last year it was grim and lacking in warmth and atmosphere and once my players crashed I was off. I would support a 1000 series in South America. There are still no 1000 or even a 500 series on grass!

Source: ATP Site
http://www.atpworldtour.com/Rankings/Rankings-FAQ.aspx

Life lesson from Obama’s ‘win’ on health reform.

You see, no matter what kind of activity you are involved in, it carries within its fold a spark that far exceeds the bang for the buck theory. I mean, there’s a task that can potentially bring you most glory with minimum effort.

Here’s a way I can probably make you toddlers get this: Even though many players during a NBA game hit spectacular shots, the player who hits the buzzer beater gets the most accolades. And if you manage to hit that shot consistently the leverage you get is not even close to the effort you put in. It’s as insanely disproportionate as it can get.

Besides, it also provides enough juice to carry you over through many bad games where you may have been benched under regular conditions.

Every activity has one such spark. Find it, have the balls to go for it and you will have cashed the most bang for the buck – in loads.

What’s that act in tennis? How about going for the career Slam – first – before anything else? Even if you end up with a measly six Slams you will have made your mark with minimum effort. Nadal with four Slams with a career Slam will look far better than six Slams (four of them FO).

While it’s difficult, it’s still lot easier than bagging 17 Slams considering the effort involved.

Did you get that? No, you didn’t!!!!!!!!!!!

Shouldn’t Roddick be crowned as the ‘King’ of one-Slam wonders?

And what is the most distinguishing trait he owns that separates him from other one-Slam wonders to justify the title – through the history of the sport? Have a clue?

Can it be his consistent stay amongst the top five / ten in the world for a decade? Absolutely. No other ‘wonder’ has done that and it carries more merit than any other BS. How else can you sift through others to arrive at a ‘real’ king? How each won their individual Slam or the adversities they faced in that final to be a winner? Don’t think so.

Additionally, Roddick came close to breaking the mould more often than any other wonders of the past. He reached four other Slam finals (three of them at Wimbledon) losing to some guy named Federer every freaking time.

I think, this is Nadal’s truest admission of what’s REALLY bothering him now.

“I need to play consecutive matches and play knowing that nothing will happen to me if I push myself to the limit.

“Subconsciously I have more fear now and I don’t know if the limit I am setting is the real one, the one from before.”

“If you think about it, you are not only fighting against your opponent but also against yourself,” he said. “And that kills you and affects your mind.”

Did the AO title help or harm Federer in the short run?

The win must have evoked a massive sigh of relief for Federer for many reasons with a final straight set win over Murray coming at the bottom of the heap. Federer had not won a title in his last six events starting with the US Open – US Open, Basel, Paris, WTF, Abu Dhabi and Doha.

That’s a pretty decent line up bringing up the ‘beaten to death’ complacency rumors after having bagged No. 15 and the FO last year. But knowing Federer you have to assume these six straight losses must have made some kind of dent in that ‘complacency’ shield.

You can take only so much before bursting. AO seemed a perfect set up for Federer to break out from the funk and send a message. Matches against Davydenko and Murray must have achieved that and more with title as the cherry on top.

Slam win under ANY circumstances is bound to dump you in that complacency boat knowing the truck load of juice the win carries. But if you are Federer under current conditions with a whole spectrum of distractions to fight through it can only get worse.

You have to reach a point sometime where you start to question the need for it all in your mind even though your heart has other intentions. It’s quite similar to your body not responding to your mind BS. There HAS to be a disconnect with new logs being added to the fireplace by the minute.

I feel if Federer had failed to win the AO the focus and desire would certainly would have been far more heated compared to where it’s now. Losing to Baghdatis when you had him on the ropes throughout the match has a very rude and stark contrast to the losses Nadal, Djokovic and Roddick suffered at the hands of an aging Ljubicic.

The difference: Existence and an absolute absence of a rationale substantiating the eventual outcome. Baghdatis lost in the next round to a sickly Robredo who was bageled in the second set while Ljubicic won the title in straight sets against a home boy.

The absence of the killer instinct to close the match already been dished on a platter cannot be explained any other way. It had the markings of the AO win and current conditions all over it – with lung infection not even on the chart.

It may now take another string of some damaging losses to rekindle that fire again unless the last spark just went out in Australia.

Bottom line: Any further losses to journey men incapable of sustaining an out of characteristic run should find their root in Australia.

Miami weather.

Tonight
Mar 23

Clear

N/A
57°

0%

High not valid after 2pm

Wed
Mar 24

Partly Cloudy

77°
62°

10%

77°F

Thu
Mar 25

Partly Cloudy

80°
67°

10%

80°F

Fri
Mar 26

Scattered T-Storms

81°
63°

40%

81°F

Check Flight Delays

Sat
Mar 27

Isolated T-Storms

80°
62°

30%

80°F

Sun
Mar 28

Partly Cloudy

82°
65°

20%

82°F

Mon
Mar 29

Scattered T-Storms

77°
59°

40%

77°F

Check Flight Delays

Tue
Mar 30

Cloudy

76°
59°

20%

76°F

Wed
Mar 31

Partly Cloudy

76°
61°

10%

76°F

Thu
Apr 1

Sunny

76°
61°

0%

76°F

Last Updated Mar 23, 5:58 PM ET

Printable Forecas

Did Nadal’s drop to world No. 4 hurt him more than the previous drops?

Once you are out of the top spot specially due to nothing you did on the court, the dreams of getting back there only intensify as just one taste of the delicacy is never enough. Add the injury and the young age and you are already ordering drapes for the top mansion.

But if the injury is recurring and to around the same part of your anatomy the enthusiasm takes a hit which in turn rationalizes further slippage. So the slide to No. 3 may not have been as shocking given the conditions.

However, any time your move on the ranking scale is predicated on ONE match the body gets in sync physically, mentally and every other ally to ensure a victory. The only way this scenario will not exist in such magnitude is when both players’ ranking will move to where it will matter like the one match Nadal had against Djokovic where Nadal was to lose his No. 2 rank to Djokovic.

In that set up, ‘who wants it most’ trumps any adrenaline pump physically, mentally etc.

Nadal must have been aware of the rank move BEFORE the Ljubicic match kicking in the first scenario from the above paragraph since Ljubicic’s rank shift was not one of any worth. Even though Nadal played reasonably well, the intensity he brought to his match against Murray at the AO and the Berdych match just a day earlier was more than conspicuously missing.

If that wasn’t enough to feel bad for losing the match and the No. 3 rank there was an even sharper dagger making this latest trip southwards more painful. Have a clue? No, you don’t!!!!

You see the two previous bumps were to bona-fide players who had come close numerous times even when Nadal was at his best. But to now get booted out by a 31-year old on life support and Viagra, despite his title win here, has got to feel immensely deflating specially when you are busting your chops to get back on the track.

Only Rosie O’Donnell can now make the shift to No. 5 worse.

Whose Slam win will create the biggest uproar today – back home and worldwide?

Photos.

You know we have another sport for that. Circus clown. Geeeeezzzzzzzzzz!!!!!

This has to be for Navratilova.

Spot the ‘natural’ contest?

Why is ‘domestic help’ in the picture? Geeeeeeezzzzzzzz!!!!!!! And pushing it out won’t make it any more attractive.

UM17

UM17

I don’t have a mailbox because…I didn’t ask for one? And I didn’t think anyone had anything to write in it? Hey, TP, if you’re out there…can I have one?

Indian Wells classics: Federer vs Agassi.

Click here.

IWs finals shot of the day.

Click here.

My girl friend will be in theatres soon. And why is she looking older?

Click here for trailers.

Did you know?

………that the dealer you bought your car from has installed a black box in the car? If you fail to  make the payment, he can now remotely disable the car. He has been doing this for the last ten freaking years.

Don’t believe it?

Click freaking here.

Thoughts on Ljubicic-Roddick final.

First off, who freaking advised Mrs. Lube to wear that hat/cap/contraption. Isn’t blocking the sun from the face the main purpose of anything on your head? Well, this one covered everything but the face and it looked like she was about to get wheeled in for a sex change operation.

This was a match that Ljubicic really won instead of the expected Roddick losing. Roddick did play some of his best tennis bolstered by him being home and a 31-year old senior citizen across the net. But he was the one who seemed more rushed.

Either it was the anticipation or the suddenly improved movement spurred by Viagra in some way, Ljubicic seemed there with way more time to set up and execute a calm and collected shot. Conversely, Roddick appeared running all over the place and doing very little when he did get the ball in his wheelhouse.

Beating Nadal, Djokovic and the guy who beat the guy who beat the guy who beat the guy who beat Federer on way to his first freaking ATP title at this advanced age has got to get him some extra time and tricks in the bedroom. Or does that qualify for a new model just one time – and more?

It was good that Federer lost early to Baghdatis for losing to Ljubicic would have sparked a whole new kind of waterworks, horse faces, pressers and award ceremonies. Or did Ljubicic miss out on making this one even more memorable with Federer’s head to top it all?

So was this the syndrome Cljisters faced before everybody woke up to the threat to eliminate her in straight sets with a bagel? This could get even worse with all kinds of senior moments, lotions, medications, walkers and IVs.

Ljubicic’s Miami draw pits him against Robredo then Roddick then Djokovic then Nadal and Federer. Shouldn’t part of Indian Wells trophy and prize money be revoked if he bombs out against Robredo or earlier?

Roddick failed to capitalize on the errors flowing from Ljubicic’s backhand specially when Roddick was able to hit his low slice deep in the court. The temptation and comfort of firing his forehand loaded with pace against a slow Ljubicic jarred his judgement to not only not win but to make the loss so close further exacerbating the pain.

Maybe Brooklyn needs to go back to sitting next to Stepanski again to provide the added motivation to close the match early. OK, that’s lame.

And why was that lady with huge jugs given the front row? I need prove of her making the payment – in cash – for that seat. Either that or I need to have a talk with her – at my basement – after 11:00 pm.

And why is that foot fault lady calling men’s matches now? Because if she messes up here, ALL her openings may receive more than just the threat. Or is that why she is there?

Bryan Bros. story on 60 minutes. From Gracie. Thanks.

Did you know their father made a prediction in his high school days that one day his son will be the No. 1 player in the world? He just didn’t know there will be two of them. Another Agassi(s) in the making? Geeeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!!!!!!!!

Click here.