Archive for the 'Tennis' Category
04-11-2008
Andy Ascending
This spring has seen the resurgence of Andy Roddick. After winning the Davis Cup in December, Roddick suffered an upset loss in the third round of the Australian Open, and it seemed nothing had changed.
However, Roddick took the SAP Open in February, and followed that up by winning Dubai, beating both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic en route to the title.
You could see how important the win was to Roddick afterwards. He was in tears, reacting almost as if he had one a title.
The question is, can Roddick build on the success he’s had this spring?
As I type this, Roddick has beaten Michael Llodra in straight sets in the first day’s action of the Davis Cup quarterfinals in Winston-Salem. With the Bryan brothers up tomorrow, it appears certain the US will advance to a semifinal matchup against Spain in Spain.
As important as Davis Cup obviously is to Roddick, he is moving into a part of the schedule that has always vexed him: clay court season. In some ways, Roddick has a game that could succeed on clay. Roddick has, in fact, won the US Clay Court title twice, and played some epic matches on clay in Davis Cup.
If Roddick can maintain some success going into Roland Garros, it is possible he could use that as a springboard to get back to the Wimbledon final.
As strong as that performance was, perhaps nothing was as important to Roddick as his win over Roger Federer in the quarters in Miami last week. Forget that he lost in the next round to Davydenko. Roddick had lost 11 straight to Federer, and though he had played him closely in some matches, and even held two match points in Shanghai in 2006, he had never been able to break through.
However, the competition has only gotten fiercer. Nadal has duplicated Roddick’s feat of losing to Federer in two straight Wimbledon finals, and Djokovic is only getting stronger. Davydenko also looked good last week in Miami.
Roddick’s recent success is something he has the potential to build on. Let’s see if he can come through.
Posted by Candace in Tennis | No Comments »
07-09-2007
Wimbledon 2007
Well, another Wimbledon has come and come. We’ll have to wait till next year to listen to that NBC theme song, and hear about strawberries and cream and when will an Englishman win a championship and all other manner of trite cliches that get trotted out every year.
Some observations:
1) Poor Amelie. She is such a talented player, but so mentally fragile. She had Vaidisova on the ropes and let her back into the match and lost. Hopefully she can put something together at the US Open, because she really brings a lot to the game. And of course, I love seeing an out lesbian do well.
2) Andy Roddick looked awesome, right up till he lost the third set against Gasquet. Andy may never win another Slam, but he brings so much fight, so he really disappointed by losing that match. However, Gasquet hit 93 winners. 93!!!!! I didn’t catch their match, but Gasquet must have been on fire. Hopefully Andy can do something at the US Open as well.
3) Roger wins again. At least this time he was really pushed, and it seemed Nadal had him at the start of the fifth set, but he couldn’t get that one break point he needed. I expect Nadal to end Roger’s streak next year.
4) Venus wins. Ho hum. Don’t know what it is about the Williams sisters, but they annoy me.
5) For all of Justine’s reputation as a fighter, she seems almost as fragile as Amelie at times, and completely choked against Bartoli in their semifinal match. Justine has all the talent in the world, and I found myself rooting for her in this tournament, mainly as someone who could stop both Williams sisters. I think I’m finally over her gamesmanship episodes from earlier in her career.
6) Why is the women’s game so fragile? What happened to the mental fortitude that Chris Evert and Tracy Austin used to show? I recently got a DVD of the 85 US Open final between Martina and Hana, and the quality of tennis they played, and their mental strength, stood in stark contrast to that of the current generation of women pros.
7) Of course, I could say the same about the men’s game currently. This final between Nadal and Federer is one of the few in recent memory that possibly matched many of the classic finals from the early 80s. Still, so many current male players seem like they fold before they play Federer or Nadal. It’s so sad.
Can’t wait for the US Open series!!!
Posted by Candace in Tennis | No Comments »
07-21-2006
Andy moves on
Well, Andy Roddick has been having a tough year. He lost in the 4th round in the Australian, the first round of the French, and the third round of Wimbledon. Losing at Wimbledon was a particularly painful one for him, as he made the finals the last two years before losing to Federer and had Fed on the ropes before the rain delay.
However, Roddick has now hired my all-time favorite player, Jimmy Connors, as his coach. His initial work with Connors may have paid some dividends, as Andy avenged himself today against Giles Muller, who knocked him out in the first round of the U.S. Open last year, precipitating Andy’s slide.
Here’s hoping Andy is back on track.
Posted by Candace in Tennis | No Comments »