Friday Links – February 3rd Edition

Posted on February 3, 2012 by

Obviously there is quite a bit out on the old interweb with regards to Australian Open wrap-ups, grades, etc etc etc…I’ll do my best to compile them (along with some other goodies) below. Happy reading & have a great weekend everyone, go Pats!

It's the best football/tennis image I could find!

Here is an article for all tennis & math lovers about the Nadal-Djokovic epic battle.

Wozniacki loses the top ranking…and fires her coach.

Peter Bodo on the effect of a SINGLE point.

The amazing Aussie Open might be setting all us fans up for disappointment.

Looks like their time down under took its toll on Djokovic & Murray.

Howard Bryant on the silver lining for Nadal.

Jim Courier looks back at the Australian Open, and ahead to the Davis Cup.

Jon Wertheim’s latest (mostly Aussie related) mailbag.

Love this piece on TV coverage from Steve Tignor.

50 random Australian Open thoughts from Wertheim.

Ok, that should be enough to take you up til kickoff of the Super Bowl. On a related note, if the Patriots lose…don’t expect a blog for a couple of weeks!

 

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2012 Australian Open Finals Review

Posted on January 30, 2012 by

I guess I owe you an apology, especially if you had such faith in my finals preview that you decided to take my predictions and gamble with them.

First off, I picked Sharapova to beat Azarenka in a close three set match. And, um, the Russian definitely disappointed. I’d be lying if I told you I saw that match, but a 6-3, 6-0 final is something I’m glad I didn’t wake up for. I suppose I should take solace in the fact that I did predict it would be ugly at times…

None the less, our congratulations go out to Victoria Azarenka on her first Grand Slam title and #1 ranking in the world! Now, since they played about an hour and the men played about 6, I’ll devote a bit more space here for them.

Somehow I forced myself to wake up at 7am Eastern Standard Time on Sunday morning after a long ski day, and even longer apres ski evening. I was hoping to catch the last few games, not the last two sets of what is easily one of the greatest tennis matches ever played. The fact that it went a whopping 5:53 is not what really amazes me, it’s that they both played at such high levels in the 6th hour of the match. Read that sentence again, they played for 6 hours…thats 2 viewings of ‘Braveheart,’ or 12 episodes of ‘Seinfeld’ (including commercial breaks). That is insane…even more insane is that besides the last few games of the 5th set (when they were both visibly exhausted), the level of play seemed to increase as the match went on.

I guess I feel bad for Rafa, he choked on an easy backhand pass that would’ve given him a 4-2, 40-15 lead on his own serve, and from that point on pretty much fell apart. Of course, the phrase ‘fell apart,’ is relative – when I fall apart on the tennis court I double fault games away and look like I just watched highlights of the David Tyree ‘Helmet Catch’ for an hour straight. Rafa, on the other hand, grinded like only Rafa does and came up just short. The only reason I hesitate to feel worse for Nadal is that he still deposited a check for over $1.2 million today.

A few sentences now on 2012 Australian Open Champion, Novak Djokovic. For a moment, forget about him ripping off his shirt, or his excessive fist pumps to the crowd and his box at the end, or his excessive ball bouncing, or pretty much anything else about him that annoys you, and just appreciate what he is doing as a tennis player right now. It’s not quite as dominant as what Federer was like in his prime, but in a way that makes it more fun. The man just played two five-hour matches in a 2.5 day span against two of the top four players in the world, and had to fight back in both to come out victorious. It’s all simply remarkable. But then again, so was Nadal yesterday…

Djokovic was wrong about one thing, though, in his post-match speech when he said it’s a shame there couldn’t be two winners…because anyone on that court, in the arena, or watching on TV became one. And at the end of the day, the sport of tennis was the real winner.

 

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2012 Australian Open Finals Preview

Posted on January 27, 2012 by

Ok folks…I’ll be completely honest, it’s nearly impossible for me not to think of the upcoming Superbowl, but I’ll do my best to put those feelings aside and focus on the matches this weekend. Both of which should be pretty spectacular.

Maria Sharapova vs. Victoria Azarenka

In a match that if I am awake to watch I will almost certainly do so on mute, expect a close fought battle that will most likely go the distance. What is so intriguing about this match is that not only is the year’s first Grand Slam Title on the line, but WTA #1 as well. No matter who wins, she will replace Wozniacki as the top ranked player in the world, putting to bed (for the time being) the whole “can you really be #1 without a slam title” debate. What I like about this matchup is like I said, it will be close and probably filled with drama. What don’t I like? Close & dramatic does not always equal good tennis.

Sharapova, especially her serve, has gotten the proverbial “yips” on numerous big occasions throughout the years. And then you’ve got a first time Slam finalist in Azarenka, would anyone be shocked if the moment got to her? I know I wouldn’t be. Perhaps her experience as a three time doubles Grand Slam runner-up will help her out somehow. Prediction: In what I expect to be a three-setter, and possibly ugly at times, I’ll go with Sharapova to win her 4th Grand Slam.

Roger Federer vs. Andy Murray

Oh, wait…my bad. I forgot both of these guys blew pretty good chances of making it to the finals.

Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal

Let’s face it, this is really, really intriguing on so many levels. Is Djokovic 100% or will he struggle with his breathing again? How much will a full extra day of rest benefit Nadal? Is Djokovic still in Nadal’s head after winning all six of their matchups in 2011? What’s up with this injury Nadal had before the tournament?

These questions and more make it an absolutely fascinating final. It will really set the tone for the year for both of these guys. If Djokovic wins, he is telling the world that the end of 2011 was just an aberration, and to look out for another 8 months or so of complete dominance. Should Nadal take the title, I’d expect these two to battle it out all year…and no way will this rivalry be so one sided going forward.

Prediction: I really have no rhyme or reason for this, but I think Nadal is going to win in four close sets. I just hope the loser doesn’t immediately bring up some sort of physical ailment…

Happy watching everyone!

 

 

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Australian Open Links

Posted on January 20, 2012 by

I have a confession to make: I’m getting old. So old in fact that it’s hard for me to make it past 11pm most nights, meaning of course that it makes it extremely difficult to partake in too much Australian Open viewing. As a result, all I’ve got to offer you is the thoughts of others. Enjoy, happy reading, happy watching, and go Pats!

Greg Garber on Roger Federer & good ole’ motivation.

So, lots of anger & fines going on Down Under!

Speaking of anger…I can watch this clip of Marcos Baghdatis multiple times and not get tired of it. I know it’s not the best example, but it’s entertaining!

Five takeaways from Day 4…including the rationalization of racquet smashing.

Peter Bodo on the Big Men of Tennis.

Great piece on the psyche of Victoria Azarenka.

A recap of some 1st week highlights from Steve Tignor.

Latest Wertheim mailbag.

Finally, the new head of the ATP apparently understands the complaints from his players…question is, will he eventually do something about it?

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2012 Australian Open Preview

Posted on January 13, 2012 by

Who will be holding this in 2 weeks?

So, I face a bit of a conundrum with this blog. Most weeks, Friday is the only day where I have enough time to write. Stupid things like google adword campaigns, emails, banner ads, and social media get in the way. Oh wait, those things are my job…I hope my boss doesn’t read this. Back to my point – by Friday my brain is mushy enough that it’s difficult for me to form a coherent blog post. As a result, you get a bunch of random thoughts in random order. I hope that’s ok with you. If it’s not, feel free to tell my boss and maybe I’ll get to skip the whole adwords thing so I can blog better. With that out of the way, here are my thoughts on the Australian Open Draws.

- #1 Seed Novak Djokovic can’t be thrilled with his draw. He should breeze through the first 2 rounds, and then might face a minor speed bump in the 3rd against the likes of Stepanek. In the round of 16, he’ll most likely face HUGE serving Milos Raonic or BIG serving Andy Roddick. He’d obviously be a heavy favorite against either, but with their serves, along with both players having lots to prove (Raonic that he is here to stay, and Roddick that he is not done yet), look for a dogfight. Following that, his 1/4 final would be against fellow Serbian Tipsarevic or the always dangerous David Ferrer.

- On the other hand, #2 Seed Rafa Nadal has about an easy a draw as a high seed can have in this day and age. His quarter is filled with talented players who routinely come up short in big situations – Lopez, Almagro, Berdych, Wawrinka are the biggest names there. While they all have the potential to challenge Rafa, can any of you see them beating him in a best of 5 set match? Didn’t think so.

- Federer should have little trouble (maybe a 4 setter against Melzer in the 3rd round) until the round of 16, where he’d face last year’s Australian Open surprise Alexandr Dolgopolov. If he gets through that match – top seeded American Mardy Fish or Juan Martin del Potro will most likely await him, neither of which will be an easy task. However, like most places he goes, Federer will be the “hometown” favorite and have the crowd supporting him just about the entire way through. Unless of course he plays Aussie Bernard Tomic instead of Dolgopolov.

- I’d discuss Murray more, but I think we all know he will most likely do what he does best: get through his quarter with a couple of exciting matches (especially against Tsonga in the quarters), and then lose in the semifinals to Djokovic.

- 1st Round Match to watch: 22nd seeded Fernando Verdasco vs. Bernard Tomic. Tough draw for the seed here – Tomic is ranked just outside the seeds at 37th & will have his home country behind him. This could go the distance…

- The top quarter of the Women’s Draw might be the most intriguing in Grand Slam History. Highlighted by two Grand Slam winners – Clijsters & Li Na, as well as the current #1 Wozniacki, and former #1 Jankovic. Your guess is as good as mine as to who comes out of this alive.

- Everyone’s favorite, or least favorite, American Serena Williams is in the 3rd quarter, and unless something freaky happens early, she looks to have a relatively clear path to at least the quarters. Looming there is likely to be Zvonareva. If that matchup occurs, I’ll stay up all hours of the night to make sure I get to watch it. Sharapova is the top seed in that quarter and if she makes it through, would play the Williams-Zvonareva winner to advance to the final four.

- Finally, the bottom quarter of the Women’s Draw holds the potential quarterfinal matchup between heir apparent to the throne Petra Kvitova & Sam Stosur. I think I speak for most when I write that I’m really looking forward to that battle and will be kind of disappointed if it doesn’t happen. To do so, Stosur will have to overcome the pressure she feels in her home country, as her best appearance down under has only been the 4th round. Hopefully this is the year she does it.

 

 

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