USO: Andy Roddick Second Round Press Conference

Q. How surprised were you with his performance tonight? You played him at Wimbledon; played him twice before.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, the Wimbledon match wasn’t that level. I thought it was pretty bad tennis, to be honest, probably by both of us. He played great tonight. You know, on my little cheat sheet that Larry and I put together, I wanted to keep my unforced errors down, which I did. You know, he’s going to take big swings and pot shots at the ball. I wanted to make him do that from stretch positions, maybe on the move; I did that. I wanted to get a very high percentage of returns in play; I did that. I think it was close to 75% of returns in play. You know, I thought I hit the ball pretty well. I thought he played very high risk and executed for four sets. I kept telling myself, You know, this has to have an expiration date on it. Unfortunately, I needed another set for that.

Q. You were very upset with the foot fault call.

ANDY RODDICK: Let’s be fair. I wasn’t upset with the call. I got called for two others which I wasn’t that upset about. I just expect my umpires to know the left foot from the right foot. If I ask, you know, what I’m doing, and she says, Right foot, and I point to my right foot and she says, Yes, that one. So then I let it marinate, and say you had time that’s impossible. So if I’m questioning it and then you’re telling me this and you’re pretty adamant about it, that’s impossible. I’ve never once find me any tape where my right foot has ever landed in front of my left foot on the serve. And just the stubbornness of I let mine get in the way of them not being able to say, Okay, just change your mind. You know what, it was your it never would have stopped. I got called for two others after that, and I had was no issue with it. You know, in the moment, I was just stupefied.

Q. How much did you let it get in the way?

ANDY RODDICK: It wasn’t in the way. I was down 5 2 in the third already. If anything, it kind of shifted the energy a little bit. You know, after that, I played okay actually. But, uhm, I don’t think it had zero impact on the match. It wasn’t like I was up, and after it happened it was a different result. I’m sure a lot is going to get written about it. But the actual impact on the match was probably close to zero.

Q. It seemed like you did get a lot of energy from it, though, a certain edge that was missing early. Did you feel that way or not?

ANDY RODDICK: Well, at that point any change in energy was a good change in energy for me. You know, he was in a groove. He was seeing the ball big and he was taking risky cuts at the ball. They seemed to be dropping, the majority of ‘em. So, yeah, I don’t know. It wasn’t all bad.

Q. When you went for the short change after that set, was that more to get out of there for a moment and have time to yourself or was that a necessary…

ANDY RODDICK: No, it was because my shorts were wet.

Q. I know you’ve said once you decide to play you don’t like to point to excuses. Could you address the energy level in the first two sets? Was there a lingering medical reason it wasn’t where you’d like it to be?

ANDY RODDICK: Like I said, there’s nothing there. You know, we’re not talking about it if I win a match. I’m not going to talk about it because I lost it.

Q. You’re a married man now. Do you feel you kind of curtail your anger when you have situations like this and maybe not go off into a real boil? Is it different now that you’re married in these situations where you feel you have to be more respectable on the court?

ANDY RODDICK: You thought I was respectable tonight?

Q. Could have taken it to Johnny Mac levels.

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I could have. And the fact that I didn’t is because I’m married? That’s the thought process we’re going to go with? No, I think that’s — no. We got to find another avenue for a story, I think.

Q. The replay showed your left foot did touch the line.

ANDY RODDICK: That’s fine.

Q. If she had just said left foot would it…

ANDY RODDICK: There would have been no discussion. There would have been zero discussion. There was two after that. It was the fact that I couldn’t get her to admit that it wasn’t the right foot just infuriated me beyond… The lack of common sense involved in that was unbelievable to me. I just have trouble when they stick to an argument that obviously isn’t right. It’s her job to call it. Like I said, there were two after that that they said front, and there’s no argument there. There’s zero argument there. I mean, we got to be able to maybe have a test, like point to your right foot, point to your left foot; okay, now call lines. I think that would be maybe standard.

Q. Did she have an opportunity to correct herself, though?

ANDY RODDICK: Well, she was talking. She was talking.

Q. She answered the one thing, right?

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah. Then I pointed again. She said, No. Then I said again, Have we thought about this? Do we realize that it’s a physical impossibility? She says, No. I think she was definitely responding, you know, when I was asking questions. None of the responses was, It was your left foot.

Q. In hindsight, did you let it go too far?

ANDY RODDICK: In hindsight did I let it go too far? Yeah, probably. Probably. I think it was a very correctable mistake, and I probably let it get to me more than it should have. Yeah, sure.

Q. Getting to the end of the fourth set, did you expect him to kind of fall out of the zone, or did you think you were going to get him in the breaker, he would get nervous, you have more experience, you could gut it out?

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I mean, that was the plan. There’s a lot of matches that have turned on a set before. But I don’t know if he missed a first serve in the breaker. If he did, it was one. I mean, he kept it up. You know, he played well. He deserved to win tonight. He went out and earned a win.

Q. Was there anything out there you think you could have done differently or you have to say the guy played great?

ANDY RODDICK: Uhm, I’ll put it this way: there’s a lot of matches where I come off the court saying, I did not even come close to the game plan that we were trying to apply or exercise. Tonight I came off and I feel like I hit most of the points. Obviously there’s always things you could do differently. But I’ve definitely been a lot further away from what I was trying to do on a tennis court before.

Q. John and Patrick were both saying in the first couple sets you seemed very quiet, subdued, lack of energy. Do you agree with that, or do you think you came out with the fire you needed?

ANDY RODDICK: I don’t know. I did what I could, you know, out there. I battled the way I could.

Q. Can you describe the conversation you had with your opponent at the end of the match. What did you tell him about how he had played?

ANDY RODDICK: I just said, Too good. You know, he’s a pretty good guy. I just said, The last time you beat me in a Grand Slam second round you lost the next match, so don’t do that, to which he head butted me, which was fun (smiling).

Q. When he approached you at the net, he touched you with the forehead. How did you read this gesture?

ANDY RODDICK: It was fine. There was nothing there. I said something and he responded. There was nothing to it.

Q. What was the feeling like when he was in that zone, when it seemed he kept going big and converting on every big try?

ANDY RODDICK: It’s a lot more frustrating when you’re the one messing up time after time a opposed to someone else coming up with the goods. If you put yourself in position, I mean, the guy came — it was frustrating. At the same time, I was just trying to keep making him come up with it, you know, from all ends of the court just firing, pulling the trigger down the line flat, you know, time after time is not an easy thing to do, and he was able to do it. Kudos to him. He played great. Obviously it’s not fun. I kept thinking there was going to be a Love 30. There was going to be something that was going to make him think a little bit. He stuck to it. He played really well.

Q. You said the loss at Wimbledon was the result of bad play on both of your parts. Taking that into consideration going into the match, was the fact you had lost to him there not really a concern to you because it was identifiable as a bad match for you?

ANDY RODDICK: I was more concerned just because he’s dangerous. He’s got a high upside and he’s got a low low side. You know, he’s capable of playing like he did tonight, yet he’s under .500 for his career. He plays high risk. It’s high reward, but he can throw in some ordinary ones. I didn’t put too much stock in the Wimbledon match. I felt like if you would have showed me these numbers before the match I probably would have taken them not his side, my side.

Q. Do you generally grab a stat sheet and look at it or only after a match like tonight?

ANDY RODDICK: No, they normally hand it to you. I wanted to see it tonight to see if I was going crazy or not.

Q. Is there anything on there that surprised you?

ANDY RODDICK: I mean, you have a rough estimate. But 66 winners versus 30 errors for him, that’s pretty good. I felt like I was hitting the ball pretty firm, too. You know, he played well. I just wanted to kind of validate my own mind. At least, like I said, make sure I wasn’t playing crazy pills.

Q. You love this slam. Every slam loss is an opportunity lost. Do you leave crushed? Could you sleep terrible tonight? Do you understand and just move on?

ANDY RODDICK: I’ll sleep a lot better than I did at Wimbledon, which basically I just, you know, felt like I hand fed someone a win. Tonight I felt like the guy earned it. That’s probably easier to deal it, when you make the guy earn it and he comes up with the goods. Still not fun obviously. I agree with pretty much everything you said in your question. But it’s not the worst that it’s been.

Q. Given how well you played in the spring, you win Miami, you get the mono in Madrid in May, do you feel a little bit snake bitten?

ANDY RODDICK: It’s unfortunate. It’s unfortunate. You know, I feel like when I’ve gotten some decent momentum, I’ve in the last year, I missed the last four months of last year and I’ve been dealing with this for a little bit. It’s been a short year as far as all things being perfect at one time. You know, hasn’t really been that way too often. It’s disappointing. But, again, I mentioned this before, but I always think that I have a pretty good sense of perspective. I mean, you know, mono is the worst thing that can happen to me. That’s not such a bad thing, comparable to most.

Q. Are you still feeling a little lethargic?

ANDY RODDICK: I feel fine. I feel like I’m going to get some rest tomorrow.

Q. Do you feel like you were aggressive in tonight’s match?

ANDY RODDICK: I mean, yeah. A little tough to be aggressive when a guy is hitting every ball as hard as he can. I felt like I was hitting the ball pretty firm. I think I wasn’t aggressive because I got married.

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.

USO: Day 3 Results: Murray, Querrey, and Isner Move on; Berdych Upset

US Open—New York

First-Round Results:

No. 4 seed Andy Murray d. Lukas Lacko 6-3, 6-2, 6-2; Michael Llodra d. No. 7 seed Tomas Berdych 7-6(3), 6-4, 6-4;  No. 12 seed Mikhail Youzhny d. Andrey Golubev 6-2, 6-3, 6-3; No. 14 seed Nicolas Almagro d. Potito Starace 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-6(5); Ryan Harrison d. No. 15 seed Ivan Ljubicic 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-4; No. 18 seed John Isner d. Frederico Gil 6-4, 6-3, 6-4; No. 20 seed Sam Querrey d. Bradley Klahn 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4; No. 25 seed Stanislas Wawrinka d. Mikhail Kukushkin 6-3, 6-2, 6-2; No. 29 seed Philipp Kohlschreiber d. Tobias Kamke 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4; Juan Ignacio Chela d. Yen-Hsun Lu 6-4, 4-6 6-3, 6-3; Sergiy Stakhovsky d. Peter Luczak 6-7(8), 7-5, 6-4, 6-2; Dudi Sela d. Xavier Malisse 7-6(1), 7-5, 6-2; Dustin Brown d. Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo 6-4, 7-6(6), 7-5; Marcel Granollers d. Andreas Seppi 2-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3; Guillermo Garcia-Lopez d. Lukasz Kubot 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(4); Gilles Simon d. Donald Young 6-1, 6-4, 6-2; Marco Chiudinelli d. Jack Sock 6-1, 6-4, 1-6, 6-1; Victor Hanescu d. Carlos Berlocq 6-2, 6-4, 6-3.

Second Round Results:

No. 17 seed Gael Monfils d. Igor Andreev 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.

Matches that are still to come on Wednesday will feature Andy Roddick vs. Janko Tipsarevic.

US Open 2010 Issue 2: 31 August

by: Tom Cochrane

Play is underway in the 2010 US Open and, while the majority of the women’s seeds in action on Day 1 progressed comfortably to the second round, it was a different story for several of the men’s seeds who were forced to go the distance.

Day 1 Recap

Roger Federer’s campaign for a sixth US Open crown got off to a smooth start on Day 1, the Swiss maestro producing a straight sets win over Argentina’s Brian Dabul. Andy Roddick enjoyed his birthday at Flushing Meadows, also advancing in straight sets, but former champion Lleyton Hewitt ended a scratchy North American summer in dismal fashion, going down in 5 sets to the dangerous Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu. Seeds Soderling, Melzer, Monfils and Montanes were also forced to deciding fifth sets, but each managed to eke out a victory.

Rising star Marin Cilic demonstrated his undoubted class with a near-flawless display on Day 1, while Nikolay Davydenko had an easier than expected match against local hope Michael Russell, dispatching the American in straight sets. Taylor Dent restored some American pride by defeating Alejandro Falla, while Janko Tipsarevic saw off the talented Olivier Rochus in a torrid 4 set tussle.

In the women’s tournament, Kim Clijsters started her title defence in positive fashion with a comfortable win over Greta Arn. Melanie Oudin, last year’s US Open golden girl, joined Clijsters in the round of 64 with a 6-3 6-0 victory over Olga Savchuk. Other winners on Day 1 were French Open champion Francesca Schiavone, sixteenth seed Shahar Peer, Daniela Hantuchova, who overcame former world number one Dinara Safina, and Sam Stosur, who came from behind to defeat Elena Vesnina in 3 sets. There was better news for another former world number one in Anna Ivanovic, who saw off Ekaterina Makarova.

Third seed Venus Williams was rarely troubled in her opening match and is on course for a third round rematch against her apparent nemesis, Tsvetana Pironkova. Pironkova, who defeated Williams in this year’s Wimbledon championships and also at the Australian Open a few years back, had a 6-3 6-4 win over Renata Voracova. And finally, a salute to Sally Peers, an Aussie qualifier who made her Grand Slam main draw debut at Flushing Meadows on Day 1. Peers made the most of her first match on tennis’ biggest stage, annihilating Canada’s Aleksandra Wozniak, 6-0 6-1. Now that’s what I call a debut.

Matches of the Day – Day 2

1. Viktor Troicki vs. Novak Djokovic

After beating Roger Federer en route to capturing his one and only Grand Slam title at Melbourne Park in 2008, it’s fair to say that Novak Djokovic’s career has stalled somewhat, although the Serb is a remarkably consistent performer on the ATP Tour who is always near the mark at Grand Slams.

While Djokovic no doubt harbours great ambitions of adding more Grand Slams to his Australian Open triumph, more often than not he has found it hard to match Federer and Nadal at the pointy ends of the Grand Slams. Additionally, rising stars such as Murray, Soderling, Cilic and Berdych have stepped up in recent majors, thus lengthening the list of true Grand Slam contenders.

In this year’s US Open Djokovic has been placed in a tough quarter of the draw, and the tough matches begin with this opener against his compatriot Troicki. Troicki is a good all-court player who has steadily improved over the past few years. Early on in his career I think Troicki would have been overawed playing against his high-profile countryman, but I think Troicki is now a more mature and experienced professional. Look for Djokovic to attempt to gain the ascendancy early; the third seed doesn’t want a gruelling encounter in his first round match. I don’t think it will be as easy a match as Djokovic would like, but I think his class will eventually enable him to prevail. Djokovic in 4.

2. Jarmila Groth vs. Maria Sharapova

There are very few players on the WTA Tour who can claim that they have made the round of 16 at both the French Open and Wimbledon this year, but Jarmila Groth is one of them. The naturalised Aussie has improved her game enormously in the last 12 months and has a sufficiently powerful serve and groundstrokes to trouble the best of them in the women’s game. But for some nerves and some poor decision-making under pressure, Groth could have beaten Venus Williams in their clash at Wimbledon.

Judging by Sharapova’s comments going into this encounter, the Russian is fully aware of Groth’s development and accordingly is wary of the threat she poses. I expect Groth to come out swinging and take the match right up to Sharapova, but I think Sharapova’s greater experience and good recent form will see her prevail. Sharapova in 2.

3. Marcos Baghdatis vs. Arnaud Clement

After a couple of years in the tennis wilderness battling fitness, form and confidence, the super-popular Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis has been enjoying a resurgence in his tennis career this year, having compiled a very healthy 35-20 win-loss record for the year to date and returning to the world’s top 20. Baghdatis is very much a confidence player, but when fit and full of confidence he is one of the purest ball-strikers in the men’s game. The sixteenth seed likes playing on the US hard courts, which are high-bouncing and fast-paced, and I consider him to be very capable of making deep run at this tournament.

French veteran Arnaud Clement is a former Australian Open finalist and top 10 player who, despite being past his best, can still pose plenty of problems for the world’s best due to his immense talent, his quick pace around the court and his strong competitive nature. Baghdatis will need to be switched on mentally for this one, and not let his concentration lapse – something he has been guilty of doing in the past. But if Baghdatis can focus and play his natural game, I expect him to come out on top. Baghdatis in 4.

4. Kristof Vliegen vs. James Blake

Make no mistake, the world of professional tennis is an utterly ruthless one; it’s a sport enjoyed by millions of people who hail from just about every nation on the planet. Everyone wants to make the big time, to enjoy the spoils of fame and fortune that accompany success on the big stage. Unfortunately, there are only so many players who are able to make it to the top, and even then it’s a mighty hard task to stay there.

In different ways, the stories of Vliegen and Blake illustrate this cold hard reality. Vliegen reached a high of 30 in the world rankings in October 2006, with the future seeming to look bright for the young Belgian. Alas, he now languishes at number 321 in the world rankings and sports an abysmal 1-8 win-loss record for the year to date. Blake, a former world number 4 in the twilight of his career, has also plummeted in the world rankings. The American is now ranked 111 in the world, his decline exacerbated by a combination of injuries and inconsistent form.

It’s tough to predict the winner of this encounter, with neither player exactly high on confidence, but this could well be Blake’s last US Open and no doubt the crowd is eager to witness one last stand from the popular American. Blake in 4.

5. Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. Kimiko Date Krumm

After a poor start to the season, former French Open and US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova has worked hard to turn around her form. Flushing Meadows holds fond memories for the eleventh seed and, with Justine Henin and Serena Williams out of the tournament due to injury, Kuznetsova will consider herself to be a legitimate contender for this year’s title.

But in order to make a run at this year’s US Open, Kuznetsova first has to overcome a tricky first round opponent in Kimiko Date Krumm. Soon to turn 40, Date Krumm appears to be enjoying her tennis after rejoining the WTA Tour following her initial “retirement” and, as she demonstrated in her French Open win over Dinara Safina, the wily veteran is capable of causing an upset. The bookmakers have Date Krumm as a rank outsider at around $12, but I sense the match will be closer than they predict. Kuznetsova in 3.

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

USO Blog: Play At Your Own Risk

US Open—New York

Tennis players get four chances each season to show the world, their colleagues, and their fans what they’re capable of. Although the rest of the year can’t be taken for granted, player’s resumes will always be remembered by how they rise and fall at the Majors.

Injury or illness can sometimes prevent a player from participating in an event, but for the most part anything and everything will be done in order for a chance to take part in the field.

Monday’s start to the US Open showcased four high profile men, and their respective but often questionable outlook toward their playing styles. Three of the four men advanced to the second-round, but it became apparent through each of their matches that this year’s Open may not end with the desired result.

Gone-zo

It’s been a difficult year for Fernando Gonzalez. He started the season in middle-of-the-road form, but soon fell victim to the grief of a devastating earthquake in Chile, which was later followed by a pesky knee injury. Never relying on his foot speed as one of his strengths, Gonzalez took to Court 13 during the heat of the day to hopefully swat enough groundstrokes to defeat his No. 148 ranked opponent Ivan Dodig. Capturing the first set with a tight knit tiebreak, Gonzalez’s injury soon became an evident hindrance to his movement and mood.  Displaying very little positive energy throughout the second-set, Gonzalez would pull the plug on his campaign after netting a meek slice backhand to start the third set. Although he’d shown up in an effort to put on a show, his sound shattering forehand, and his clan of devoted followers, were left with little to celebrate after a conceding handshake was brought forth.

There was no famous racket break from Gonzalez—no chi chi chi…eh eh eh from the crowd—only a head down exit from the final Slam of the year.

The Open remains worse off without last year’s quarterfinalist.

In Need Of A Helmet

You gotta love the way Gael Monfils goes about his tennis. He knows that he’s putting himself in harms way each and every time he dives on the court, but for whatever reason (no scratch that, there is a reason), Monfils seems to constantly defy gravity, while delighting a flabbergasted audience. Taking on Robert Kendrick of the US today, Monfils needed five sets, and all of his athleticism to reach the round of 64. Injuring his elbow earlier this summer in Toronto (you guessed it, by diving on court against Andy Murray), the Frenchman entered Flushing Meadows with not a lot to count on. Using his deceptively quick serve to hit 17 aces, Monfils was required to use his backstop positioned passing shots to offset the serve and volley tactics of Kendrick.

I’ve always put Monfils right up there as perhaps the best athlete in the game, but I think it’s safe to say that he’ll never become a serious threat to win a Grand Slam. Choosing to awe the crowd instead of putting forth the point construction and foresight that’s required to hoist the hardware, Monfils will remain a great opening door prize at the Majors, but until he proves that he’s willing to use his strengths for the long-haul, and not for the highlight reel, we’ll have to catch him while we can.

Finding It Haider

Brad Gilbert just came out and said it today during the Robin Soderling vs. Andreas Haider-Maurer match on the Grandstand: “There’s no way you can look at Haider-Maurer and consider him a Challenger player.”

Well, Gilbert was right on the money with that comment, and during the third and fourth set comeback efforts by the Austrian, it appeared that Soderling was in danger of suffering his second first-round hard-court Major loss of the season.

It’s amazing to consider that a player with Soderling’s power quotient struggles on faster courts. His long backswings can’t generate the same amount power that they can on clay or grass, and the outcome often results in mistimed, and framed groundstrokes.

However, Soderling had more than the fast paced courts of the Grandstand to deal with today. His unheralded opponent dropped 34 aces in total, while zipping 58 winners into various corners. Putting the shoe on the other foot for a majority of the match, Soderling was forced to use his improved confidence, and clay-court foundation to squeak into the second-round.

I didn’t like what I saw from Soderling today; I more than enjoyed Haider-Maurer’s desire, and judging by the Swede’s current level of play today, his upcoming “easy” draw will have to be reassessed.

Bday Bashing

Andy Roddick’s 28th birthday brought with it some nervous moments against through-back player Stephane Robert. Leapfrogging to a 5-0 first set lead, Roddick quickly lost the next three games before closing out the set. Although it was tough to assess Roddick’s play based on the non-modern game of his opponent, I wasn’t at all convinced that the American will be able to put forth a sensible title run this year.

Roddick is certainly low on confidence at the moment, and as he regains his energy from a brief bout with mono, he would be better served to give his groundstrokes some more velocity.

Jonny Mac made a great point today in dissecting Roddick’s fourth-round loss to Yen-Hsun Lu at Wimbledon. Stating that Roddick pushed his groundstrokes like an under 12-year-old junior in London, McEnroe highlighted Roddick’s overall problem throughout the past three years. We saw Roddick climb back against Marin Cilic at the Aussie Open in January by giving his groundstrokes a ride; we later witnessed Roddick defeat Rafael Nadal during the Miami event by smoking four forehand winners during the middle of his three set comeback victory.

Aside from Roddick’s tremendous serve, the rest of his game has become extremely timid. He’s too reliant on deep court positioning and defense, and not on exhibiting the lethal forehand he used during his late teens and early 20s.

The one positive for Roddick today was that he did advance in straight sets, and that will aid him in conserving energy for the latter rounds.

He will however need to step up his aggression if he intends on making the second week.

–Nima

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 Masters: Andy Roddick Semifinal Press Conference

Q. How much did the second rain delay affect you?
ANDY RODDICK: Well, I mean, the first one really helped; the second one obviously didn’t. That’s the thing with rain delays. The momentum can shift really fast.
I benefited from it the first time for sure. He came out and served kind of a sluggish game right away, and I kind of matched that. And then once he got back into it, he completely outplayed me in the third set. He was swinging from the hips. Even the breaker, I didn’t play a bad breaker. I made first serves and he played well.
A lot of it comes down to one of the most important points was the ball I missed, the first point of the game where I was serving it out. You know, it was a short ball. I kind of think I hit it — because he had been hitting his passes pretty well, I think I overhit it. I make him play there, it might be a different story.

Q. Did you feel uncomfortable approaching the net today?
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah. I mean, I didn’t — you know, this whole week I’ve kind of been surviving and I’ve been competing real well. Ball?striking has been okay.
Got exposed a little bit today by a player — he’s probably playing a little bit better right now. He’s very confident, and, you know, he has the last five, six weeks to build up on that. You know, he played better than I did at the important moments today.

Q. On your forehand, you had 15 unforced errors. Actually more than your backhand unforced errors, which is kind of surprising. Anything going on specific with the forehand today?
ANDY RODDICK: Just wasn’t falling. I was trying to put good swings on the ball, and it was extremely erratic today. I was pretty happy with almost everything else in my game, even the net stuff. He hit a lot of great passing shots. You know, a lot of times I put myself in positions I wanted to, and he came up with the goods.
My forehand was something that I was in complete control of, and donated a little bit. So that’s something that I need to work on. But, you know, ten days ago I feel like every shot I had felt that way. Now we’re down to one, so it’s a good thing.

Q. Not a lot of aces today. Do you attribute that to him knowing your serve a little bit and knowing where you’re gonna go?
ANDY RODDICK: Possibly. I don’t know. My percentages weren’t where I wanted them to be all week. You know, as far as the other thing, he was doing a good job of — he wasn’t really being aggressive on first serves. He was putting ball in play.
I think more so than that was he was hitting the second ball real well from a defensive position and he was neutralizing really well. I think more so than the serve or the return or anything like that, I think he was — the part of his game that’s changed the most is his ability to neutralize off that second ball and really dig in and then get back to even terms.

Q. How do you feel health-wise going into the Open? I know you were suffering from a little bit of mono.
ANDY RODDICK: I feel okay. You know, to be honest, I came here and I had no expectations. For me to get in five really tough matches is more than I could’ve asked for going into the Open. Honestly, when I came here I was thinking maybe two matches we’ll see. I hadn’t really put too much time in.
So beyond the disappointment that’s gonna linger for the next couple of hours, I think this week has been a complete positive considering how I felt and kind of where I was at 11 or 12 days ago.

Q. You mentioned his first serve wasn’t doing anything much, but you only won four points on his first serve all day. What was going on with that?
ANDY RODDICK: Well, you know, a lot of times that’s a credit to him. You know, he’s mixing it up well and he wasn’t real patterned. I didn’t do that well against his first serve in Atlanta when we played either, so that’s something that I probably I need to look at.
But he’s doing a good job controlling that first ball, also.

Q. In terms of your game, what do like about what you’re doing into the Open, and what do you need to improve on?
ANDY RODDICK: Well, I can improve on a lot. I won a big number of second serve return points this week. If I can get my serving numbers where I want them to be and kind of just maybe tighten up the errors a little bit, I feel like I’ll be playing real well.
I feel like I took a lot of good strides this week, but there’s just a couple fine details now that I think can turn from playing good to playing really well.

Q. What do you do during the one-hour delay?
ANDY RODDICK: Sat in the locker room.

Q. Was Mardy there with you?
ANDY RODDICK: No. I made him get out.

Q. Is the fan support you get here consistent with what you get around the U.S. and around the world?
ANDY RODDICK: I think this is up there with the most that I get. The fans are so enthusiastic here about the sport, and really get behind their countrymen. You know, it’s a place I’ve certainly always appreciated playing, and always look forward to coming back, too.

Q. Del Potro pulled out of the Open today. How do you see the field heading into the Open? A really wide open field this year.
ANDY RODDICK: Um, everything is different at a slam. Everything is different. You’re gonna have the normal cast of characters as the favorites, and then that next kind of tier of four or five guys — I think Mardy has played himself into that discussion, and I think with this week I’ve kind of put myself back in that discussion.
Obviously you’ve got to favor the guys that have been there and done it before. A slam is a little bit of a different animal. So Del Potro pulling out, I don’t think that has much emphasis. It would have been a pretty tall ask for him to come back and his first tournament be a major player. That’s something that’s built up over time.
So I don’t think it’s that much different than what we’ve seen over the last year or so.

Q. On a positive side, you only had four double faults the whole match. That has to make you pretty happy.
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, that’s…

Q. Timing may not be great.
ANDY RODDICK: I normally keep my double faults pretty low. I’ve actually double faulted probably a little bit more this week than I normally have.
Bu, again, overall I’m a lot further ahead than I was 10, 11 days ago where I didn’t know what the hell was going on with myself. Mentally, when you have that many questions, physically, whenever else, it’s kind of a miserable spot to be in.
So to kind of come here and actually be talking about how I let a final slip away is a position I didn’t think I would be in. So I’m gonna have to try to have a positive perspective about things, because I’m a lot further ahead than I was this time last week.
I’m disappointed that I let this one get away today. Overall, I feel like it was a very positive week.

FastScripts by ASAP Sports

Cincinnati Masters: Fish Overcomes Deficit to Defeat Roddick

Western & Southern Financial Group Masters—Cincinnati, Ohio

Former finalist Mardy Fish advanced to his fourth final of 201o on Saturday by defeating his good friend and fellow American Andy Roddick 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-1.

In a match that was interrupted by rain on three occasions, Roddick took advantage of the sluggish serving of Fish when the players returned to the court. Breaking Fish to take a once set lead, Roddick’s form appeared unbreakable. Rain halted play once again while Roddick was leading 3-1 in the second set, and forced yet another trip back to the locker room.

Trailing 5-2 in the second set—with no hope in sight—Fish would begin to mount his comeback over his fatigued opponent. Serving for the match at 5-4, Roddick would lose his delivery for the first time in the encounter to level the set at 5-All. Showing visible signs of frustration throughout the remainder of the set, Roddick would miss two crucial backhand volleys in the tiebreak, while losing total momentum in the match.

Suffering from a mild case of mono throughout the summer circuit, Roddick dropped his serve immediately to start the third set, while displaying slow footwork and little leg use on his serve.

Gaining some pride by holding his serve to trail 5-1, Roddick lost his second straight match against Fish this season, and only his third in 12 career meetings.

Never giving up throughout the two hour and 17 minute battle, Fish blasted an impressive 17 aces and won 91 percent of his first serve points. Misfiring on his forehand to begin the contest, Fish found the rhythm on his weaker groundstroke to reach his second career final in Ohio. Falling to Roddick during the 2003 final, Fish held a match point in that contest before losing in a third set tiebreak.

Upsetting three top 10 players this week en route to the finals, Fish will next face either Roger Federer or Marcos Baghdatis in Sunday’s championship match.

Cincinnati Masters: Day 5 Photo Gallery

Pictures from day five action at the Cincinnati Masters are once again brought to you by GEM Tennis. Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Andy Roddick highlight the day in photos.

Enjoy.

Cincinnati Masters: Order of Play for August 21, 2010

Saturday’s order of play at the Cincinnati Masters will feature Andy Roddick vs. Mardy Fish, and Roger Federer vs. Marcos Baghdatis.

For the complete order of play for Saturday, click the link below.

Order of Play for August 21, 2010.

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