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.

Video: Djokovic Feels Like…

Not leaving anything to the imagination, Novak Djokovic told the Center Court crowd at the US Open yesterday exactly how he felt after defeating countryman Viktor Troicki.

US Open 2010 Day 3 Preview: 1 September

by: Tom Cochrane

It’s been a truly eye-opening start to this year’s US Open. First, Roger Federer pulls off this. Then Novak Djokovic says this. I can’t wait to see what Day 3 holds in store for tennis fans.

Day 2 Recap

World number one Rafael Nadal kicked off his campaign for a maiden US Open title with a win on Day 2, claiming a pair of tiebreakers on his way to a straight sets win over Teymuraz Gabashvili. Forced to work far harder to secure a second round berth was Nadal’s compatriot Fernando Verdasco, a 5 set winner over the pesky Fabio Fognini, and third seed Novak Djokovic, who rallied from a precarious position to defeat fellow Serb Viktor Troicki in 5 sets.

Marcos Baghdatis was the highest profile casualty in the men’s tournament on Day 2, succumbing to the guile of French veteran Arnaud Clement in another 5 setter. Five set matches once again seemed to be the flavour of the day, with David Nalbandian and Mardy Fish also going the distance. Tenth seed David Ferrer had a comfortable straight sets win, while Radek Stepanek, on the comeback trail from injury, went down to Frenchman Julien Benneteau.

If Caroline Wozniacki is feeling the weight of expectation after entering the women’s tournament as the top seed, she sure isn’t showing it yet. The elegant Dane dropped just 2 games in thrashing America’s Chelsey Gullickson. Wimbledon finalist Vera Zvonareva and Belgium’s Yanina Wickmayer also recorded easy wins, while Svetlana Kuznetsova and Jelena Jankovic were extended to 3 sets.

Among the seeds, the news was less pleasing for Na Li, Nadia Petrova and Lucie Safarova, each of whom was bundled out on Day 2. Maria Sharapova looked like she might join them after she lost the first set to Australian Jarmila Groth. But Groth, who was hitting as hard and flat a ball as anyone I’ve seen on the WTA Tour, eventually started misfiring, and Sharapova’s experience led her to a 3 set victory.

Matches of the Day – Day 3

1. Ana Ivanovic vs. Jie Zheng

It was great to see Ana Ivanovic record a win on Day 1, all the more so because the win came against the dangerous Ekaterina Makarova. But there’s another tough foe waiting for the former world number one and French Open champion in the round of 64. Twenty-first seed and Australian Open semi-finalist Jie Zheng is a consistent and competitive player, and she is exactly the sort of opponent that will exploit any weakness or inconsistency in the Ivanovic game. There’s no doubt that Ivanovic possesses greater firepower and also more on-court creativity, but the Serb has become a more defensive and less attacking player in recent times.

In my opinion, Ivanovic needs to come out of her shell and rediscover the attacking game that made her one of the best in the sport. If she can maintain good court position and look to dictate the play, I think the odds are stacked in her favour. But if she retreats far beyond the baseline and engages in long rallies, I think Zheng will have the edge. This one is close to a coin-toss, but I’ll take Ivanovic in 3.

2. Sally Peers vs. Kim Clijsters

It’s the sort of story that sports journalists love: an unheralded Australian qualifier makes the main draw and, in doing so, makes Australian tennis history by emulating the feats of her mother, who played at the US Open several decades ago. Then the qualifier thrashes a solid WTA Tour player in round 1 and is to face off against her childhood idol and the defending champion in round 2.

Yes, it’s been quite the fairytale for Sally Peers. But, while the young Aussie’s main draw debut was nothing short of spectacular, I can’t help but feel that the whirlwind nature of the last few days will take its toll on her performance in this clash. Clijsters is not only a veteran of the WTA Tour, she is also the consummate professional and will be highly focused on honing in on Peers’ weaknesses and advancing to the third round as quickly as possible. Peers has got nothing to lose, but Clijsters will advance with ease. Clijsters in 2.

3. Janko Tipsarevic vs. Andy Roddick

The other day I wrote that Paul-Henri Mathieu was a player who performed much better against high-quality opponents than low-quality opponents. I think that statement also applies to Janko Tipsarevic. The flashy but erratic Tipsarevic came within a whisker of knocking Roger Federer out of the Australian Open a few years back and relishes playing on the big stage.

Tipsarevic won’t be intimidated playing against Roddick in New York – in fact, I think the Serb will thrive on the raucous atmosphere that is likely to be created under lights on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Roddick, who is still recovering from a recent illness, will be aware of the threat Tipsarevic poses and will be intent on producing a high-quality serving display in order to limit the Serb’s chances to break serve. I was impressed by Roddick’s performance in round 1 and, while Tipsarevic will probably get streaky at times during this match, I think Roddick’s serve will eventually help him claim victory. Roddick in 5.

4. Melanie Oudin vs. Alona Bondarenko

It was always going to be hard for young Melanie Oudin to return to Flushing Meadows this year, the scene of her amazing run to the US Open quarter-finals last year. Expectations were high for Oudin’s continued development this year and, although she hasn’t had an incredible year, it’s been a steady season for the American and I sense that she will eventually make it into the world’s top 20 and perhaps the top 10.

But Oudin faces a seasoned campaigner in the second round in the form of Alona Bondarenko. The Ukrainian will no doubt be buoyed by the efforts of her sister Kateryna, who upset eighth seed Na Li on Day 2. As she showed last year, Oudin doesn’t take a back step against anyone, but I think Bondarenko will look to serve up plenty of variety to Oudin, who would probably prefer an all-out slugfest. Bondarenko in 3.

5. Gael Monfils vs. Igor Andreev

Add Igor Andreev to my list of players who rise to the occasion in big matches. I consider Andreev to have one of the best forehands on the ATP Tour and he has shown glimpses of his immense talent at various stages in his career. But it’s been a disappointing year for Andreev who, after pushing Federer in the opening round at Melbourne Park, has slipped to 102 in the world rankings.

After capturing 3 junior Grand Slams in one season, many tennis pundits expected that Gael Monfils would have established himself inside the world’s top 5 by this stage of his career. While the seventeenth seed has yet to do that, he is definitely becoming a more consistent and seasoned professional with each season he spends on the ATP Tour. And the fact that Monfils sits at number 19 in the world is more a testament to the strength of the men’s game rather than a reflection of any deficiencies on the part of the athletic Frenchman.

I’d normally expect Andreev to have a strong chance in a match like this, but at this point in time, Monfils is feeling far better about his tennis than Andreev is about his. Andreev has risen to the occasion in previous high-profile matches, but I can’t see it happening this time. Monfils in 4.

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

USO: Novak Djokovic First-Round Press Conference

Q. When you were talking to Brad on the court afterwards, you alluded to fan support that you received that helped you turn things around out there. Can you comment on that?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, especially from the first couple of rows in the stadium court, you could hear people what they say. Most of the comments throughout the whole match was positive my way. They tried to kind of lift me up. I had, of course, big support from my box. It was difficult for all those people even to sit on that heat. Yeah, I’d just like to thank everybody who was with me, kind of give me strength and wings to turn the match around.

Q. While you were playing, it was 109 degrees on the court. Talk about that experience.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, look, you know, it was very hot. It was just very hot. It’s same for everybody. That’s all basically I can say. You know, heat issue is something that, you know, it’s just there. You cannot affect it. The weather is weather. You just have to try to be patient and wait for the shadows, like I did (smiling).

Q. What is your worst, hottest, most uncomfortable moment out there?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Look, I’ve been in those situations before, played a lot of long matches in very difficult conditions, feeling very exhausted. You know, you kind of start panicking a little bit when you don’t feel great physically. Then your opponent takes the advantage. And it’s not easy. Definitely those moments are very challenging for an athlete. But I overcomed it once again and this is what matters most to me.

Q. When you start to panic, talk about that moment.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I just told you. I mean, I don’t want to get into that too much. I mean, I just talked about heat issues too much. I’d just like to keep it simple.

Q. What was the turning point for you? What did you find that helped you to turn things around out there?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I guess middle of the fourth set is when I started kind of reading his serve a little bit better, especially on the advantage side. When I made the break, it obviously gave me more confidence and I got back into the match. Then I had, more or less his every serve game, chances till the end of the match. I was just trying to tell to myself, Okay, you know, he makes a serve winner. He was serving extremely well. The whole match he was serving unbelievable. I never saw him serve that way, which gave him a lot of free points, a lot of aces, winners, things like that. So I just tried to tell myself, Hang in there, you know, the chance will come. He will get tired, as well. Under those conditions, in a long match, he did. When I got the chance, I used it. You know, I got the match.

Q. How well do you two know each other? What is the history of your backgrounds?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: We know each other for a very long time. We grew up together playing in juniors. We’re practicing together for a long time. We know each other since we were I think nine years old. My first tournament in my life that I’ve played, first match officially, it was under 10. I won my first round and then I played him second round. He destroyed me. We keep on talking about that. But we are very good friends for a long time already. We won many things together with Davis Cup, a lot of matches. We won European team championship under 18 together. So we share a lot of nice moments. It’s never easy to play a good friend on the court. Just bad luck for him today because he’s been playing really well, you know, lately. Today he was the better player on the court for a while. Just too bad.

Q. Is it an added challenge to play with someone you have an emotional connection with?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It is. You try to put the winning attitude when you step into the court. You’re a professional. You have to do what you have to do. You have to try to win regardless of who is across the net. There is always in some moments a little more respect, just better behavior to the opponent because he’s your close friend.

Q. You said you never have seen him serve like that.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yep.

Q. What was different today?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, he made a lot of aces. As I said, he made a lot of free points. I don’t know the statistic, but I’m sure it’s around 80% of the first serve in throughout the whole match. Was incredibly efficient, good angles, giving himself an easy shots after that. It was just a big weapon for him.

Q. Have you seen the Federer video on the Internet when he knocks the can off somebody’s head?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No.

Q. Did you see the replay or the actual live shot of his tween the legs shot last night?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No. I’ve seen it live last year passing next to me (smiling). That’s enough traumatic experiences for me. Today when Viktor tried to do the same thing, I said, No, no, please. He was running for the ball between the legs. Please miss it. Please don’t embarrass me again.

Q. When it happened last year, did you see the moments of your lives pass…

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: They keep on repeating that. I mean, it’s amazing shot. Just incredible. At that stage, as well. It was the last game. You know, once in a while you get that shot.

Q. It had a lot of zip on it. It wasn’t just putting it back in play.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I got to the net. I did what my coach wanted me to do: covered the long line. I was just standing there, following the ball. Okay. Everybody applause. I applause.

Q. As somebody who does very good imitations, is that something you can imitate?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No, definitely not. I am not as good as he is in that. I’d like to be very careful with my racquet (smiling). You know what I mean.

Q. You made a comment about sleeping with your girlfriend out on the court. What was that analogy to?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I don’t know. He asked me for the comparison of the feeling, what kind of feeling was it to feel the shade. The sun came down and I didn’t have any more heat, what kind of feeling was it. It just came up to me. It’s one of the best feelings, I guess, when you’re sleeping with your close one. So I compare it to that.

Q. Must have felt good.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It felt unbelievable (smiling). Let’s get back to tennis now (laughter).

USO Blog: A Tad Too Much

US Open—New York

With record temperatures soaring through the grounds of the National Tennis Center on Tuesday, an interesting question was posed during ESPN’s daytime coverage: “Should the heat rule apply to ATP World Tour, the way that it does to the women of the WTA?”

While the ladies receive 10 minute breaks after each set during extreme heat, the men are only allowed to be treated for heat related issues. Considering that the men are forced to play best three out of five sets, I’d be inclined to support longer breaks for the men during days like today. It wasn’t confirmed if the conditions were the hottest the tournament had ever witnessed, but judging by the difficult matches that Marcos Baghdatis, Mardy Fish, and Novak Djokovic encountered, a further assessment of the men’s heat rules should be considered.

A Long Summer

Marcos Baghdatis’ recent summer of success hit a brick wall today against Frenchman Arnaud Clement. Reaching the finals in Washington, the semifinals in Cincinnati, and the quarterfinals in New Haven, Baghdatis’ heavy legs and his consistent former top 10 opponent would end his event early. Although Baghdatis provided enough charisma to give the Louis Armstrong crowd their moneys worth, it was Clement’s fresher physique, and experience that would prevail.

During his post-match presser, Clement provided—to my mind anyway—the reasons why he became the victor.

“You know, I start my summer, my U.S. summer in Los Angeles, and play like five tournaments before coming here. I won only one match in quallies in Cincinnati, so my confidence is very, very—was very, very low before this match,” said Clement. I didn’t expect anything from this match. In my mind I was—when I went on the court, maybe I have just one percent chance to win this match. He played great in Washington, in Cincinnati, so he’s in good shape. So it’s gonna be very, very difficult for me. Maybe that’s why I was more relaxed on the court in my game and my shots, because for me I have no chance to win before the match. That’s strange. Now it’s a little bit different. Now I played my best match, that’s for sure, for all the summer.”

It sure became “a little bit different” after the Frenchman won his 12th match of the season. Although Baghdatis completely overshadowed Clement in summer results, his poor scheduling—especially by playing in New Haven—severely hampered his US Open chances.

It certainly pays to have matches under one’s belt, but playing too much; a tad too much, won’t pay off in the long run, either.

Two Bagels And A Near Upset

Experiencing the “kiss of death” after winning the first set 6-0, Mardy Fish quickly found himself in the position of playing better, but trailing Jan Hajek by two sets to one. Picking up his fitness level in one of the most incredible stories in the past 12 months, Fish rolled through the fourth set 6-0, and nearly provided his third bagel of the match before capturing the fifth set 6-1.

Stating that the heat in New York was a “cakewalk” compared to what he faced in Atlanta against John Isner, Fish certainly didn’t look like a vibrant player after losing the middle two sets against his obscure opponent.

I appreciate Fish’s newly found fitness, and his ability to take the conditions in stride after the match, but there’s no doubt that he needed a little breathing room before marching to victory. Although he never would have prevailed today by carrying his previous weight and fitness, the 28-year-old American did showcase nerves that he will have to shake off if he intends on moving forward.

Feeling as good as he ever has at the Open, Fish will be a tough hombre to defeat during the remainder of the event.

The Shade Feels Like…

The writing appeared all but written on Ashe Stadium today when Novak Djokovic found himself down two sets to one against countryman Viktor Troicki. Never one to play well in the heat, Djokovic’s serve remained passive, while his inside-out forehand found the doubles alley far too often. Falling down a break in the fourth set, Djokovic began to zero-in on his defensive foundation, while thoroughly embracing the merciful shade.

Pounding his chest, while embracing his player’s box after his win, Djokovic told Brad Gilbert that the welcome shade was “like sleeping with my girlfriend.”

The humorous and brutally honest remark by Djokovic further exemplified his need for cooler conditions.

Make no mistake about it, as much as the pundits discuss Djokovic’s allergies and breathing woes, there has been more than enough evidence provided that the Serb can’t handle the heat, and he could fall earlier than expected in this event if he continues to play under warm conditions.

For now, though, let’s give our kudos to Djokovic and his witty humor. We can’t blame him for telling us how he feels, and I guess we also can’t blame him for feeling the conditions.

***

Two surprising results on the day: Peter Polansky defeated Juan Monaco 6-2, 7-6 (5), 6-3, and Jeremy Chardy upended Ernests Gulbis 6-2, 7-6(1), 6-4.

Talk soon, folks.

Video: Novak Djokovic’s Intensity

In this great video and analysis brought to you by our good friends and GEM Tennis, Serbian star Novak Djokovic is featured at the Rogers Cup against eventual finalist Roger Federer.

For those of you who want to move and focus like the pros, this video is a must see.

The video is provided at the link below.

Enjoy.

Novak Djokovic’s Intensity.

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: 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: Novak Djokovic Quarterfinal Press Conference

Q. Your served looked like it was giving you a little bit more problems than usual today.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: The game overall was terrible. Just played a very bad match, even though it was 6-4, 7-5. Every time I need to do play well, I made some mistakes, especially from forehand side, which is my stronger side.
Supposed to play more winners than unforced errors. But, you know, bad day I guess.

Q. You had 20 winners and 29 unforced errors. Was that maybe being too aggressive possibly?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, I mean, Andy, he was getting a lot of balls back, but he didn’t do anything special. I mean, he was just playing, and he didn’t even play any deep balls.
He was just kind of making me play an extra shot, and I was making unforced errors from all court. It was just terrible.

Q. There’s been a lot of talk about your physical condition. Was that a factor at all today?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No, not at all.

Q. Are you happy with your return game? First returns were really low. Was that a function of Andy’s placement? You both served about the same speed-wise.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Speed-wise?

Q. Yeah. Your returns statistics were low. I was wondering, is that a function of Andy moving the ball around on you?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No. Well, he’s a very difficult server, you know. He’s one of the best server in the game, so it’s hard. Sometimes you got to predict where the ball is gonna go, so you got to move a bit earlier.
I returned well in the second set. I returned okay. I had so many chances in the rallies. As I said, so many unforced errors.

Q. Heading to New York, are you happy with where you’re at?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, I mean, overall it’s been okay two weeks. I know I feel the ball well, I just I guess need to be more stable in the match. I cannot afford so many errors.

Q. Towards the end of the match, right when you broke Andy almost the next to the last game of the set, then you got broken immediately back, what happened there?
NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, four mistakes.

FastScripts by ASAP Sports

Cincinnati Masters: Fish Sinks Murray; Roddick Rolls Djokovic

Western & Southern Financial Group Masters—Cincinnati, Ohio

Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick set up a rematch of their 2003 final in Cincinnati on Friday by defeating Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, respectively.

Fish, who had defeated Murray on two previous occasions earlier this year, rebounded nicely after losing the first set. Taking advantage of the weary Scot, Fish blasted his first serve in relentless fashion, while attacking Murray’s short forehand with his backhand cross-court. Displaying improved court coverage throughout the past year, Fish’s net play was also a critical factor in his 6-7 (7), 6-1, 7-6 (5) victory over Murray.

Entering the tournament ranked No. 36 in the world, Fish will now be seeded heading into the US Open. The 28-year-old, who improved to 4-3 against Murray in lifetime meetings, admitted that his third straight win over the world No. 4 could have gone either way.

“I mean, I won two tiebreakers for the third [one],” said Fish. I’m not sure why. I mean, I clearly feel like I’m playing a lot better than I had in the previous matches that I played against him. I’ve had a lot of trouble with him. He returns so well and moves so well that, you know, he gives players ? aggressive players like me ? a lot of trouble.

“I mean, it’s a great win for anyone. Clearly he’s playing some great tennis that he showed last week and this week. Yeah, it’s a great win.”

Facing Roddick for the 12th time on Saturday, Fish will take a 9-2 head-to-head series deficit against his higher ranked countryman.

Surviving a barn-burner match against Robin Soderling on Thursday evening, Roddick went right back to work on Friday afternoon to defeat his Serbian opponent 6-4, 7-5. Capitalizing on his missile first serve during the first set, Roddick broke Djokovic to lead 4-3 before serving for a one set lead two games later.

Continuing his clean-cut performance in the second set, Roddick broke Djokovic at 2-2 before having an opportunity to serve out the match at 5-4. However, displaying the nerves that came with struggling on Tour since the spring, Roddick double faulted the game way and tied the set at 5-all.

Djokovic, who appeared slightly lethargic because of the hot conditions, couldn’t sustain his momentum and was once again broken to trial 6-5. Roddick wouldn’t fumble on his second chance to serve for the semifinals, and reached the final four after a Djokovic unforced error.

Improving to 5-2 against Djokovic lifetime, Roddick reached his first semifinal of the season since losing to Fish in the final four in Atlanta. Coming in as one of the in form players on the circuit, Fish will be adamant on avenging his 2003 finals loss to Roddick where he held a match point before losing.

The day’s remaining two quarterfinals will feature Roger Federer vs. Nikolay Davydenko, and Rafael Nadal vs. Marcos Baghdatis.

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