Serena had better switch it into high gear soon! She is not playing her usual game and I don’t think she is going to get lucky with another opponent retiring.
I am hoping Safina can keep her head together and win the whole thing. I really like watching her play. She reminds me of Mauresmo - another great player, but a wicked head case.
It was tough watching the Blake/Tsonga match. I like both of them so much. I would love to see Tsonga go all the way too.
I think Fed is going to be out this round. His match against Berdych was painful to watch. Fed is still an awesome player, and overall I like watching his game the best, but the power hitters are getting so strong and so fast, he just can’t compete.
I know I am in the minority here, but I am looking forward to the day Nadal retires and starts playing soccer. I respect his game and there is no doubt he is a great player, but I find his game terribly boring to watch. Hit the ball hard. Hit the ball harder. Run around and hit an inside out forehand REALLY hard. Sneer. Pick panties out of butt. Repeat.
(Hee Hee When I saw Nadal play in Doha, it was a giggle moment every time he picked his butt. I am so mature;))
I’m glad Murrey is out though. He can’t keep his head in the game. Not saying he isn’t a good player and has some good shots, even brilliance at times, but his drama on the court is getting old. When he wins, IMO it’s when his opponent isn’t playing well.
I agree with you regarding Murray. He is getting a little better, but he still plays like a petulant brat. I have no idea how Brad Gilbert put up with him as long as he did. Gilbert had picked Murray to win the whole thing this year. Guess he was a bit wrong!
I envy you getting to see Nadal play. I would love to see just how fast that ball moves in real time. TV doesn’t do it justice. That, and I would love to mock him every time he picked his butt. I find it particularly funny when he is playing on clay and he leaves a big red skid mark on his ass from the clay on his hands!
I saw about the first two sets of Verdasco-Murray before I went to bed Sunday and wasn’t surprised the lefty pulled that one out. He looked very good. Murray was a favorite this year because he reeled off a lot of very impressive wins after reaching the U.S. Open final in September, including beating Federer a few times. He’s a top player.
The commentators were too quick to talk about a “big four,” though. With the second half of the men’s quarterfinals tonight, it’s Federer, Nadal and the rest of the field again - no Murray or Djokovic.
I didn’t get home to watch last night, but I had a good feeling about Roddick’s chances. I thought Federer would win but didn’t think he’d wipe the floor with Del Potro the way he did. Tsonga-Verdasco should be really interesting tonight. It’s hard to see Simon standing up to Nadal.
…and I don’t know if it was the roof, but she turned things around to come back and win. There’s nobody else in tennis who does this regularly: she can look lethargic and off for half a match and come back from the brink of defeat based on willpower alone, maybe with a little intimidation thrown in. Kuznetsova served for the match at 5-3 in the second and Serena didn’t give an inch. She did play well from that point on. So now she’s the only non-Russian in the semifinals: she’ll get Dementieva, and the other match is Safina-Zvonareva. Won’t spoil the men’s matches (they’re both over) in case anyone hasn’t seen them yet.
I wonder if I can rearrange my sleep schedule tonight and get up for Federer-Roddick at 3:30. I think I could actually do it, although unless Federer wins in a romp I probably wouldn’t see the whole thing.
I got bored watching the Serena match and went to shower instead. I came back and turned the tv on just to see if the men’s match had started. I came back just in time to see Serena win it. I don’t know who lit the fire under her, but what an awesome comeback. Did Serena step it up that much or did Kuznetsova fall apart?
I will be surprised if she can pull that off again. Dementieva is on fire and seems to not be having her usual issues with serving. She is going to be a tough match.
I want to see Safina take the whole thing. (Does anyone really believe Safin is going to retire this year?!)
I don’t think Federer is going to “win in a romp”. He will probably still win, but Roddick has so much more confidence. He has the whole beating Fed monkey off his back and the increased fitness really shows.
Kuznetsova missed some opportunities, but mostly Serena stepped it up.
Yes. I thought he’d retire a year ago or possibly more. He hasn’t won anything in years, and he just turned 29, so in tennis terms he’s close to the end and not likely to improve. And he’s always done things his own way.
Looks like another Rafa - Roger final, should be good.
Can’t really get into the women’s tennis. Whenever it gets good it ends, 3 sets just isn’t enough for a great match. That and they’re all big hitters who are REALLY flaky, seems it’s something of a crapshoot who wins.
Federer looked as good as he did 2 years ago. His shot production is just perfect. The longer rallies go the more he looks like winning each. He gets in defensive positions and just hits the ball harder. He looked just as good in his previous match. Great final coming up.
I might even watch the Fed-Roddick match on replay, it looks like they were both very good. Federer hit 51 winners and made 15 errors, Roddick had 38 and 18.
Very good point about Safin’s age, not many men stay on the tour much past 30. However, Safin has such an ego (and apparently quite the temper too) that I can’t see him staying out of the limelight. In addition, Safina is really starting to come into her own and win some big matches. The focus in the family is still all about tennis. I just can’t see him not wanting to be out there.
Then again, I have been wrong many, many times before!
I like the match ups for the finals. Serena/Safina should prove to be a good match. I’m getting a little tired of the Fed/Nadal final, but at least the tennis is almost always good.
You could say that wasn’t a romp, but it was a very convincing win for Federer.