USO: Unteachable Talent

US Open—New York

It’s often difficult to understand the genius or the questionable choices of an elite level athlete. Whether it’s a reverse inside-out forehand, or a back-pedaling overhead into the corner, the seemingly unthinkable appears like a walk through Central Park for the pros.

Entering tonight’s Louis Armstrong match between James Blake and Peter Polansky, I certainly had my fare share of reservations towards the potential winner. I knew that Blake would be coming in slightly injured and not confident, while Polansky was in the best form of his career, defeating Juan Monaco and Jurgen Melzer in recent outings.

Knowing Polansky quite well from his junior days, I thought that he held a more than even shot at victory. His forehand contained enough juice to penetrate the slick court, and his foot speed and athleticism allowed him to complete with the best players in the world.

Beginning the contest locked in a servers duel, neither player would manage to dent the others delivery, while marching forward to an inevitable tiebreak. Unleashing a picture perfect backhand return to take a 5-1 lead, Polansky would gain a first set advantage after 38 minutes. While Blake remained suffocated in his go-for-broke game-style, Polansky continued to display his ever improving game.

Fast forwarding to the end of the match for a moment, Blake told the supportive crowd that “I played a pretty passive, not-so-spectacular first set, especially in the tiebreaker. But I turned it around and played great.”

I’ll touch on how impressive Blake performed after the first set shortly, but I would certainly disagree that he played passive in set one. Sitting front row for the entire match, I witnessed a fifth gear Blake right from the first point. Taking full cuts at Polansky’s serve, the American’s mind set was ultra aggressive, but his accuracy and shots were far from consistent. Finding the green area of the blue hard-court at inopportune moments, Blake’s “passive play” won him 80 percent of his first serve points, while racking up 17 winners and committing 10 unforced errors. Still sound like he was holding back?

However, with the beginning of the second set came the Blake of old. Connecting on numerous clean return winners, and spectacular running forehands, Blake displayed his best ball-striking of the season. Short-hopping forehands off the baseline, Blake annihilated his first serve, and even struck his predominately flat backhand with precise sharp angles.

While Polansky continued to play at a high standard, Blake’s speed of shot, and his ability to pound away from the back-of-the-court, kept him in line for the victory.

Blake to my mind has always been the epitome of a microwave player. When he’s on he can bring forward lights out tennis, but when he’s off he can lose love and three like he did to Denis Istomin a few weeks back. Within the good, the bad, and the blistering velocity, Blake has always remained a player that can hit some miraculous shots.

Most of what Blake can do with the ball was never taught. His fast twitch muscles were a god given trait, and his quick split step—which has decreased in recent years—remains admirable.

There was a point in particular in the middle of the forth set when Blake was forced to hit a cross court passing shot. Becoming wrong footed by Polansky’s forehand down-the-line, Blake changed his grip to a continental forehand and slapped the ball cross-court for a winner. Glancing over at Polansky’s player box, Blake provided a rye smile of disbelief. Although he was aware that his shot was aided by good fortune, a part of him also acknowledged that he knew exactly what he was doing.

After losing a double break lead in the fourth set, Blake would once again break Polansky to lead 5-4. Serving the match out with purpose, Blake provided an encouraging sign that he may be on the rebound before the final point. Walking over to receive his usual selection of three balls before choosing his desired two, Blake murmured a strong “this is my house” under his breath.

Striking a power slice serve down the tee, Blake dusted the hopes of the young Canadian, while setting up an intriguing third-round match with Novak Djokovic.

There’s no doubt that the challenge of Djokovic will be difficult to combat come Saturday. But the unteachable talent of Blake; a talent that deservedly brought a smile to the former top four player’s face, was more than worth the price of a so-called passive start.

–Nima

US Open 2010 Day 4 Preview: 2 September

by: Tom Cochrane

After a fresh air swing when serving and an on-court collapse shortly thereafter, tournament organisers and tennis fans held grave concerns for Victoria Azarenka. Thankfully, the tenth seed is on her way to recovery, with reports suggesting a concussion at training earlier in the day was to blame for her collapse.

Day 3 Recap

While Azarenka’s collapse and consequent defeat to Gisela Dulko was all the talk on another warm day at Flushing Meadows, she was not the only seed to fall on Day 3. Also exiting the year’s final major was Jie Zheng, who was thrashed by a rejuvenated Ana Ivanovic, Tsvetana Pironkova, who missed the chance for another clash against Venus Williams, and Marion Bartoli, who lost out to fellow Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano.

Aussie teenager Sally Peers met her match against defending champion Kim Clijsters, and Melanie Oudin was unable to recapture her form from last year’s US Open, going down to Alona Bondarenko in a sloppy match. There were wins for seeds Schiavone, Hantuchova, Stosur and Peer, but Alisa Kleybanova was not so lucky, defeated by Italy’s Sara Errani.

The biggest casualty on Day 3 in the men’s tournament was Andy Roddick, who succumbed to the dangerous Janko Tipsarevic in 4 sets. There was better news for the host nation in other matches, with Sam Querrey and John Isner progressing. Another high-profile casualty was Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych, who was unable to combat Michael Llodra’s energetic serve and volley game. Fifteenth seed Ivan Ljubicic was comprehensively beaten by young American Ryan Harrison, but among the seeds successful on Day 3 were Monfils, Wawrinka, Kohlschreiber and Youzhny.

Andy Murray has enjoyed plenty of support from punters and is one of the title favourites. The Scot did his chances no harm with an emphatic straight sets win over Lukas Lacko. Also impressive in recording a straight sets win was Gael Monfils, who disposed of the talented Russian Igor Andreev.

Matches of the Day – Day 4

1. Philipp Petzschner vs. Novak Djokovic

Once the dust has settled on a tournament, it’s easy to focus on the winner and to forget the struggles that the winner had to endure en route to the title. Many forget that Philipp Petzschner not only extended Rafael Nadal to 5 sets at Wimbledon, he also held the ascendancy for much of the match, taking a 2 sets to 1 lead before Nadal squeezed out a victory. Although he lost the match, Petzschner will take a lot of confidence from his performance at the All England Club and will sense an opportunity here against Djokovic.

Djokovic was extremely lucky to survive an energy-sapping 5 setter against Troicki and it was clear that the match took a lot out of the third seed. Djokovic will be hell-bent on making this a quick match, in order to restore his energy levels for later in the tournament. If Petzschner can get on top early, Djokovic may struggle to go the distance, but I suspect the Serb will be more focused than he was against his countryman Troicki. Djokovic in 4.

2. Jelena Jankovic vs. Mirjana Lucic

Jelena Jankovic is a former US Open finalist who probably plays her best tennis on hard courts. She’s come to close to claiming a Grand Slam on a number of occasions, without truly getting within touching distance of a major trophy. To my mind, that’s due to some mental frailties, but we are too early in the tournament for those to come into operation.

It’s been a strange life for Mirjana Lucic. After bursting onto the tennis scene as a teenager and claiming her first tournament win as a professional at just 15, Lucic had to suffer injuries and, according to certain reports, an abusive father. After falling down the ranks, Lucic was forced to play second-tier tournaments for many years. But Lucic had a good win over Alicia Molik in the first round and has nothing to lose in this encounter. I think Jankovic will be the steadier player in this clash, but it would be great to see Lucic progress further in the tournament. Jankovic in 2.

3. Nikolay Davydenko vs. Richard Gasquet

I expected Nikolay Davydenko to struggle in his opening round match at Flushing Meadows, as a result of some patchy form following a long injury lay-off. The Russian proved me wrong, dispatching journeyman Michael Russell in straight sets. That was a good performance, but I sense Davydenko’s luck could run out against Richard Gasquet.

Gasquet may be best-known in the United States for his positive drug test for cocaine, which was recorded in Miami and was allegedly the result of a kiss. But Gasquet, whose suspension due to the drug test was later dismissed, is a seriously talented individual who has been inside the world’s top 10. It’s taken Gasquet a while to find his feet again after the cocaine episode, but I reckon Davydenko is ripe for the picking and Gasquet is exactly the sort of player who can seize such an opportunity. Look for Gasquet to get well inside the court and dictate play with his stunning one-handed backhand. Gasquet in 5.

4. Robin Soderling vs. Taylor Dent

American journeyman Taylor Dent always seems to come up against good players early on in Grand Slams. First it was Robin Soderling in Paris, then Rafael Nadal in London. While Soderling thrashed Dent in the French Open, Dent performed better against Nadal at Wimbledon.

Soderling had a scare in the first round of this tournament, forced to go to 5 sets against a qualifier. He’ll be hoping for less court time in this encounter, but I expect Dent to give Soderling more of a challenge than he did in Paris. Dent’s poor court movement was exposed on the clay, but the fast hard courts of Flushing Meadows and a home crowd will make life more difficult for Soderling. Still, it’s generally taken a lot to beat the big Swede in a Grand Slam in the last couple of years, so I’ll back Soderling to advance. Soderling in 4.

5. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez vs. Patty Schnyder

It’s been a good year on the WTA Tour for twenty-second seed Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. The Spaniard teamed with Tommy Robredo to win the Hopman Cup in January, then pulled off the biggest win of her career by winning the Italian Open in May. Martinez Sanchez’s game is quite different to the majority of those employed on the WTA Tour, full of chips, touch shots, and slices, with some serving and volleying thrown in for good measure.

Such a touch game is hard to execute when one is nervous or low on confidence, but Martinez Sanchez appears to have faith in her game plan and her results are a testament to that game plan. Schnyder is a WTA Tour veteran who was once ranked inside the world’s top 10. At her best, she would pose a big threat to Martinez Sanchez, but I think the Swiss player’s best days are now behind her. Martinez Sanchez in 3.

That’s it for today. Enjoy the tennis and I’ll be back with another serve tomorrow.

Radio Podcast: Aug 31, 2010, US Open Preview

Nima and Dan sit down and discuss the final Grand Slam of the 2010 season.  Who looks good, who’s already out, and what you can expect for the next two weeks.

As always, you can alternatively listen to the #1 tennis PodCast via iTunes and never miss another episode. It is very easy and completely free.

Official Nike Photo Gallery and Kit Availability for Nadal and Federer’s US Open Apparel and Shoes

With the US Open starting on Monday, Nike Sports has released high resolution pictures of both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer’s day and night session kits  on their Facebook page.

All of the below apparel and footwear can be purchased through our sponsor TennisWarehouse.com, by clicking the link at the right side of the page.

Enjoy.

Nadal and Federer’s US Open apparel and shoes.

Rafael Nadal: Asphalt Ambition

Rafael Nadal could not have asked for a cleaner bill of health heading into this year’s US Open.

His knees have been tape-less for the entire hard-court season, and his abdominal issues of a year ago have completely heeled.

In a strange sort of way though, it’s odd to see Nadal with no niggling injuries heading into the year’s final Major. But to his credit, he’s planned his tournament schedule accordingly this year, and his body is reaping the rewards.

However, with that being said, Nadal’s summer results in Toronto and Cincinnati were pale in comparison to previous years where he was injured and torn. If anything, Nadal’s clean bill of health this summer has been more of a hindrance than a helping hand.

Now, it’s important to hear me out on this one before conclusions are drawn from an injury-free Nadal. With the Spaniard in full working order, his shot-selection has suffered to a greater degree because he’s not forced to step up his game in the same manner that he would if he was forced to conserve energy or protect an injury.

Sitting court side for his four matches in Toronto, I witnessed an erratic and confused Nadal, one who was reluctant to win with his weight of shot, and relied more on his sheer will to defeat his opponents. Crashing out to Andy Murray in the semifinals, Nadal later mentioned that his serve was “horrible,” and that his game would have to become more aggressive if he was to have a realistic chance at winning the US Open.

There’s no doubt that Murray remains a serious contender to capture his maiden Slam title starting next week, and his triumph in Canada backed up his proficiency on hard-courts. Even an ultra confident Nadal has previously struggled against Murray on the harder surfaces, irrespective of being injured or 100 percent healthy.

Nadal’s form would turn from bad to worse in Cincinnati, further magnifying his troubles on hard-courts, while highlighting his uncharacteristically poor body language . Breezing past an overmatched Taylor Dent in his opening contest, Nadal had all sorts of difficulty with No. 32 ranked Julien Benneteau. Trailing by a set and having to save a match point in the second set tiebreak, Nadal persevered into the quarterfinals on the strength of his fitness, and the heat in Cincinnati. A 28-year-old Benneteau had given Nadal a serious scare, but his lost opportunity in the second set was enough to end his tournament.  Although Nadal had managed to reach quarterfinals, his memorizing clay and grass-court form had yet to make an appearance during the summer circuit.

Matching up with a spirited Marcos Baghdatis in front of a packed Friday night crowd, Nadal continued to display his late contact point on his forehand return, and his lack of pace and movement on his first and second serves. Where Baghdatis smoked 18 aces and achieved 87 percent of his first serve points won, Nadal was substantially less productive on his delivery. Winning a mere 71 percent of his first serve points (a respectable percentage on clay-courts), Nadal hit four aces and committed three double faults.

The top seed was able to scrape through the second set and force a deciding set against the Cypriot, but his inability to find the range on his forehand—his best shot by a long way—cost him a crucial break of serve in the eighth game of set, and ultimately the match. Walking off the court with his racket and clothing bags hanging off his shoulders, Nadal employed a dazed and resentful look on his face: He knew that the seven matches that he had played leading into the US Open were by no means convincing, and that his form would be difficult to improve on with no tournaments left before New York.

When asked if he thought his matches in Toronto and Cincinnati were enough preparation heading into the Open, Nadal provided perhaps the most unsure answer of his rock solid career.

“I hope so. (Smiling.) What I can say? I don’t know. I don’t know. We will see in two weeks the result in New York.”

That is about as unsure of an reply that you will ever hear from the eight-time Slam champ.

Could the pressure of a culminating Open victory be preventing Nadal from playing his best tennis? When thinking that one through, I would be more inclined to say that the Spaniard is struggling to find the penetration off his forehand more than anything else, and the fact that his best shot continued to land short and wide of the sideline through the North American events left him perplexed.

Nadal has seldom had timing or movement issues on clay and grass because the sorter surfaces accentuate his devastating spin. The result of the spin friendly surfaces allow Nadal to catch his return of serve in a better contact point pocket, which results in his point construction becoming more lethal.

Warm up events can only tell part of the story leading into Major championships, but Nadal’s erratic play during the first part of August (especially the 40 plus errors that he committed against Baghdatis) were certainly the entire concern for the Spaniard’s Flushing Meadows march.

Nadal spoke about his forehand errors after losing to Baghdatis, and although he mentioned that his backhand was the problem, I would tend to disagree.

“Sometimes. I think I have to play aggressive, but sometimes I am playing too aggressive with the forehand, no, trying to have more winners too fast. So that’s another thing that keep improving. But maybe it’s because I wanted to protect the backhand, no?”

If there was one stroke that I thought Nadal hit well throughout his two events this summer, it was his backhand. He didn’t rip it cross-court like he has at the French Open, but his ability to sneak a slice down-the-line, or loop his two-hander cross-court, was evident throughout his seven matches.

There’s no secret that the courts in New York are some of slickest and fastest battle fields in the world. The forehands of Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, and most recent winner Juan Martin del Potro have found ease and efficiency when attacking and transitioning to victory. However, Nadal’s asphalt ambition for this year Open will have been slightly derailed by his lack of reaching a warm up final, and more importantly, not playing anywhere near his highest level.

There certainly remains a lot of work for Nadal to do heading into New York next week. His willingness to fight through seven best of five set hard-court matches is a trait that he’s had from his early teens. His meticulous rituals and training regimes will continue to stay intact, while the crowd will be by his side for the duration of stay in the Big Apple.

If this summer has taught us anything about Nadal it’s the following: Regardless of injury, lack of match play, or his discomfort towards the hard-courts in New York, the spin oriented Spaniard will give everything he has to not only complete his Grand Slam collection, but further add to a tremendous year for Spanish sports.

I honestly can’t recall a year where I’ve seen Nadal struggle more than he has coming into the Open, but if there’s one player who can summon the ability to turn around his luck and achieve the seemingly impossible, it’s Nadal.

by: Nima Naderi

Radio Podcast Aug 23, 2010. Cincinnati Wrap Up

Movers and Shakers: Federer Finding his Form; Nadal Finding it Difficult

With another exquisite week of Masters action in the books, let’s now spare a few thoughts on those players who excelled last week in Cincinnati, and a few words for the not-so-successful.

Roger Federer: Is Federer back? Well, the all-time Slam champion proved that with a little bit of luck, and some fined-tuned all-court play, that he still had the goods to capture a Masters title. Leapfrogging into the quarterfinals after his early round opponents either couldn’t take to the court or retired with injury, Federer was fresh for the weekend’s action.

Dismantling Nikolay Davydenko and Marcos Baghdatis, Federer stepped up his court movement and backhand from his trip to Toronto. Dropping the hammer on his serve when he was in trouble, Federer will enter the US Open with the renewed confidence that his year will include a second Major title.

His Australian Open victory does seem like a long time ago, but a potential seventh straight final in New York could become a vivid memory for months to come.

Mardy Fish: The veteran American kept his chin up and socks low for another spectacular showing this summer. Defeating a cast of the who’s who on the ATP World Tour, Fish solidified himself as a conversation player heading into the Open. Continuing to improve on his forehand wing, Fish pounded his serve and backhand on countless occasions, and almost had enough to oust Federer in the final.

With a good draw and continued belief heading into New York, Fish could find himself fighting for the grand prize on the final weekend.

Marcos Baghdatis: The shot-making Cypriot added to his wonderful form in Washington by upsetting Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals, while pulling in his best performance of the season. Baghdatis’ second serve was questionable—the reason that he hasn’t won a Slam to date—but he did prove that his first serve was almost unreturnable.

Proving that his early ball-striking can rival anyone in the sport, Baghdatis might be pushing his luck by playing in New Haven this week, but he’ll still be a legitimate dark horse at Flushing Meadows.

Andy Roddick: Blowing the lead of leads against Fish in semifinals, Roddick will leave Cincinnati with many positives to draw off. His competitiveness appeared to back on track (that seemed to be an issue during his loss to Gilles Simon in Washington), and his on-court energy lasted through the heat and humidity of Ohio.

Roddick’s ground game was a little passive for my liking throughout Cincy, but his serve was razor sharp for the most part. Competing under best of five set matches will be a totally different story, and Roddick’s energy level will be tested from the get go. I don’t think Roddick will win in New York this year, but he could make a few night matches memorable.

One final note on Roddick: He jumped back into the top 10 this week.

Rafael Nadal: A frazzled Mallorcan (not a description that usually goes hand-in-hand with the world’s top ranked player) was evident throughout the event. Nadal never looked comfortable in Mason, and his practice time heading into New York will have to be increased if he’s to bag the final link in his Major collection.

The trouble for Nadal heading into the US Open could be that he’s completely healthy. I know that may sound strange, but it’s a scenario that he’s not accustomed to feeling. Having his knees in working order, Nadal seemed to be overthinking his shots for the second straight week, and that could hurt him at the year’s final Slam.

His backhand was hit into the net; his forehand was either struck long or too short, and although his serve improved from Toronto, it appeared slow compared to his competition.

I’ll provide more thoughts on Nadal in the coming days, but the Spaniard’s chances at the Open are definitely not the best.

Some final thoughts on Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic.

Murray was grumpy when he was losing, but I wouldn’t take his loss to Fish as an alarming concern. Murray has logged a lot of court time this summer, and his game will be ready to go come New York. The heat could be a factor for him, and if he can fight the urge and not resort to playing predominate defense, he remains a top three favorite for the event.

Djokovic remains a question mark from many standpoints. He didn’t play poorly in either Toronto or Cincinnati, but he did suffer from the heat at both tournaments, and his serve and forehand continued to misfire. The Serb’s inability to find the court or his fitness heading into New York can’t be good for his confidence, and although I don’t think he’ll crash out early, I can’t in good faith pencil him in as a top tier favorite.

Enjoy New Haven this week, and I’ll be back with some US Open thoughts in a few days.

Nima

Cincinnati Roundup: Federer the Favorite?

Roger Federer: One could point to Federer’s easy start to the week, with Denis Istomin quitting in the first set and Philipp Kohlschreiber not even picking up a racket, and call it luck. But, as Thomas Jefferson said, “I find the harder I work the more I have of (luck).”

With a runner-up performance in Toronto and the win in Cincy, The Great Swiss has put forth his best pre-US Open summer hardcourt season since 2007, when he achieved the same results. He has not looked quite as dominant as then, when he steamrolled through Cincinnati and Novak Djokovic needed a third-set tiebreak to beat him in Canada, but he continues to compete well.

Despite losing the first set against Mardy Fish in the final, Federer managed to hold serve throughout the match before finally breaking the big-serving American in the second to last game.

He isn’t winning as easily as during the middle of the decade, but with Rafael Nadal playing uninspiring tennis at the moment, Juan Martin del Potro injured and Andy Murray yet to prove he can win 21 sets, competing well may be all he has to do.

Mardy Fish: And that fact that Federer had to turn to those competitive instincts to win on Sunday showed how far his opponent had come. Now 29 (less than a month younger than the Swiss), Fish lost their first five meetings, taking just one set. But in Cincinnati he not only pushed the most decorated player of the Open Era deep into a third set, he improved to 3-0 against Andy Murray this year and 2-0 against Andy Roddick.

Fish has always had the serve, the backhand, the return and the volleys of a top flight player, but in a game where top 10 players must erase all weaknesses, he had three: his movement, his fitness, and his forehand.

Having lost 30 pounds since last year, Fish is now moving and striking the ball better than ever, and may have emerged as the best chance, not only for American tennis at the Open, but for attacking tennis in general. This is happening just in time, too, with the major with the slickest surface just ahead.

The trouble with Fish, though, is that he’s gone into majors with momentum before. In 2003 he also reached the finals of Cincinnati. Earlier this year he got to the last round at Queens. In the majors that followed, Fish could only convert that momentum into second round losses to Karol Kucera and Florian Mayer.

He should go further this year, and reach the second week. The trouble is, his next trip to a major semi will be his first.

Andy Roddick: The American’s return to the semis of Cincy this week brought good signs, particularly with his narrow defeat of Robin Soderling, his second win over the big Swede this year.

This was enough to end his brief stay outside the top 10, something that hasn’t happened to him in eight years. His 6-1 third set loss to Fish, though, doesn’t leave many encouraging indicators. Another sign of trouble: He hasn’t been past the USO quarters in four years.

For now, his fans should be hoping he matches last year’s fourth round appearance, keeping his points and staying in the top 10.

Marcos Baghdatis: Like with Fish, the Cypriot with prior fitness issues seems to have regained form, and was rewarded with a win over Nadal, an opponent whose game once left him flummoxed.

Unlike Fish, though, Baghdatis was unable to impose any kind of pressure on Federer in the next round. The 6-4, 6-3 scoreline doesn’t really tell the tale of their 70-minute semi.

Will Baghdatis be a consistent presence from here on? He’s come a long way since last fall, when he had to play Challengers to get his ranking up, but all that effort seems to have put him in a position where he can be simply brushed aside the game’s best.

Rafael Nadal: The world No. 1 is, frankly, not playing like it on the asphalt. Despite coming in with plenty of confidence from a stellar European summer, he has not duplicated his form from 2008 and 2005, when he won titles in Canada.

The good news is that he had less momentum last year and still made the Open semis. The bad news is that that result won’t be good enough for a player seeking to capture the only major he hasn’t won yet, and who ought to do so now that he’s in his mid-20s and is at the summit of the sport.

His best hope is that, like at Wimbledon, he can face a tough match early to play himself into shape. We’ve seen him do that on the grass more than once, but not at the US Open yet, so I remain unconvinced that he can.

Andy Murray: The Toronto champion appeared fatigued from his run there, so his loss to Fish in Cincy wouldn’t be that discouraging. With his play in Canada still a fresh memory, Murray makes the shortlist of Open favorites, but I can’t place him above Federer.

Not until proven otherwise.

Federer Captures Fourth Cincinnati Title Over Fish

Western & Southern Financial Group Masters—Cincinnati, Ohio

No. 3 seed Roger Federer defended his title in Cincinnati on Sunday with a tough three set win over American Mardy Fish.

Needing two two hours and 40 minutes to dismiss his unseeded opponent 6-7 (5), 7-6 (1), 6-4, Federer won his second title of the season, and fourth in Ohio.

With the players splitting the first two sets on the strength of their strong serves, Federer finally broke through and captured the lone brake of the match during the ninth game of the third set.

Winning 77 percent of his first serve points, Federer was out-aced by Fish 17 to 11. Using his net game and his vicious forehand down-the-line to capture the second set tiebreak in easy fashion, Federer continued to dominate the baseline rallies with his loose hit forehand. While Fish struck the hardest serve of the match at 135 MPH, Federer’s second serve provided more bite off the court, while winning 68 percent of his second serve points.

Fish’s excellent week of action ended after defeating Gilles Simon, Fernando Verdasco, Richard Gasquet, Andy Murray, and Andy Roddick en route to the finals.

Exhibiting his improved fitness throughout the event, Fish will now be considered a top 10 favorite to capture the upcoming US Open.

Fish will also be a seeded player heading into New York.

For Federer, his victory became the 63rd title of his illustrious career, and his 17th Masters event overall. Needing a boost this week after falling short in the Toronto final to Murray, Federer picked up his second title of the season since capturing the Australian Open in January. Federer’s title defense will also put him back as the No. 2 seed entering the US Open.

Fish is scheduled to take part in the New Haven event next week, but he will likely withdraw in order to conserve his energy. Federer will finish off his press and sponsor obligations in Cincinnati before traveling to New York early next week.

Federer, who is a five time US Open champ, lost in last year’s final to Juan Martin del Potro.

Radio Podcast Aug 17, 2010. Rogers Cup Wrap Up & Cincinnati Preview

The Rogers Cup has wrapped up and the men have headed to Cincinnati this week for the second leg of US Open Series Masters Events.

Nima and Dan preview and wrap up the action from Toronto and make some bold predictions as to what they think will happen this week in Cincinnati.

This week’s show will also feature American Sam Querrey.

As always, you can alternatively listen to the #1 tennis PodCast via iTunes and never miss another episode. It is very easy and completely free.

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