U.S. Open Tennis

[matrixman]

Anybody been following the action at this year's U.S. Open?

I've caught some seriously good matches on the tube so far. Just watched from start to finish an amazing 5-set battle between sentimental favorite Andre Agassi and underdog James Blake that ended at 1:15 am New York time! Agassi eventually prevailed in a very intense 5th set tie-breaker, after coming back from losing the first 2 sets! This was one of the greatest comeback victories I've seen, and one of the best U.S. Open matches I've ever seen on television.

The women's matches weren't too shabby either, like the fantastic 3-setter in which Kim Clijsters defeated Venus Williams. The arrogant Williams sisters needed to be taken down a notch, and I'm glad Clijsters was the one who did it (especially after Venus's insinuating comments about Kim at an earlier event).

I love the U.S. Open. I think it's the greatest tennis tournament in the world, even more so than Wimbledon. And as a TV sporting event, I also think the U.S. Open rules. There is just something magical about nighttime tennis in New York City. It's like everything in the stadium is seen with more brutal and acute clarity under the lights: every explosive serve, every laser-like passing shot, every stinging net volley, is imbued with greater intensity.

My passion for big-time tennis had gone into a black hole for a long time after the stabbing of Monica Seles in '93, who had been my favorite tennis player in the world at the time. My enthusiasm for the sport had recovered enough for me to enjoy Lleyton Hewitt's terrific Sunday win in 2001. Unfortunately, it was two days after that when Sept. 11 happened, so that last peaceful Sunday has become a kind of bittersweet memory of the calm before the storm.

After 9/11, I was simply not in any mood to watch anything as seemingly trivial as a mere sport event for a long time. But at last my love for the game of tennis has come back strong--no doubt helped by seeing the incredible quality of play at the 2005 U.S. Open. I'm very much looking forward to next weekend's championship finals.

I don't expect much response to this topic, as tennis is not something of great interest here at the Watch, but that's all right. I've said my piece, and that's enough for me.

[Nathan]

I always enjoy it when Wimbledon comes round each year.

With Roger Federer being completely unstoppable (he really is an amazing player) it's great to watch him seemingly breeze through, crushing anyone in his path, even Roddick (who, I must say, I really like, what a great sense of humour that guys has).

It's also nice to see a young new face playing for Britain, he looks like a promising talent. He beat Stepanek (14th in the world I think) 3 sets to nothing, then went up 2 sets before becoming exhausted against Dave Nalbandian. I think he'll be truly great in the future, Tim Henman can pack his things up and go home. I never really liked him anyway.

[matrixman]

Wow, interesting that you say you don't like Tim Henman much. I had the impression he was something close to a national tennis hero in the UK. Maybe that's just the hyperbole of the media?

Watched last night's match between Federer and Nalbandian, and you're right: Federer looks unstoppable! He was just too much for Nalbandian to handle. Federer's game has the kind of pure, effortless power about it that reminds me of Pete Sampras at his best (and maybe a couple others). I have no doubt that Federer will get to the final. If Agassi makes it to the final as well, I'll be rooting for him (as he's the smaller guy, heh), but even I don't see much hope for Agassi against Federer.

On the other hand, I'm not really a fan of Roddick. To me, his game seems to be all about the monster serve and nothing much else, but admittedly I haven't watched enough of his matches to get a real good sense of him.

[danlo]

Is Hewitt still alive? If so he could be a dark horse. I heard that Clijsters absolutely leveled Sharpova in their 1st set today...

[matrixman]

The schedule for Super Saturday:

Men's Semifinals (afternoon)

Andre Agassi vs. Robby Ginepri
Roger Federer vs. Lleyton Hewitt

Women's Final (evening)

Kim Clijsters vs. Mary Pierce

I'll be rooting for Agassi, but I won't be too shocked if he gets upset by Ginepri. Depends on how well Agassi's 35-year old body has recovered from his 5-set epic match against James Blake. Agassi may not have enough left in him to take down the younger Ginepri if it goes to another 5-setter.

I don't have any strong feelings for either Federer or Hewitt, but I do expect a very high quality battle between the two men. It's a matter of Hewitt's speed versus Federer's power. Hewitt might give Federer a run for his money, but Federer's game just looks too good to be beaten right now. I'll be very surprised if Federer doesn't prevail.

Kim Clijsters also looks strong. The way she held her ground and defeated Maria Sharapova was impressive, especially after Sharapova had won the 2nd set in a tie-breaker. I'll be rooting for Clijsters over Mary Pierce in the final. Hopefully, Kim won't be distracted by the mind games Pierce likes to play.

[danlo]

I've heard Clijsters name alot over the past 2 years, has she ever won a major?

[matrixman]

No, Clijsters has never won one. She's right now considered the best women's player without a Grand Slam title. Hopefully, she'll rectify that tonight.

[danlo]

It's going to be a hell of a match on either side. Anyone who survives James Blake or Taylor Dent is going to be damm tough.

[matrixman]

The match between Agassi and Ginepri today was fabulous!

I'm happy that Agassi won, but I still don't think there's much chance of him beating Federer in the final tomorrow. Federer actually lost a set to Hewitt, who played with a lot of heart and threw everything he could at Federer. But in the end Hewitt just didn't have enough firepower against Federer. And neither will Agassi, I'm afraid. He does have a more efficient and deceptive serve than Hewitt, so that will help against Federer. I think Agassi should manage to at least take a set from Federer, but there would have to be a serious breakdown in Federer's game in order for Agassi to win. Or unless Agassi plays superhuman tennis.

Yay, the monkey's off her back: Kim Clijsters has won the Women's Championship! In straight sets, too. She ran down just about every shot Mary Pierce threw at her. That's how fit and strong Clijsters is. She really prevented Pierce from getting into any comfortable rhythm in the match.

[matrixman]

It's that time of year again! Two weeks of New York tennis!

Roger Federer breezed through his opening match. He's looking to become the first man to win 4 straight US Opens since the start of the modern open era (1968).

Justine Henin won her first match, too. She lost badly to Maria Sharapova in the championship match last year, so it'll be interesting to see if the two meet again this year.

[Phantasm]

Andy Murray, the Scottish (and UK) No.1 breezed through his first round match against Uruguayan qualifier Pablo Cuevas, straight sets, 6-2, 6-3, 6-0.

I'm hoping he has a good tournament, cos he's been out with a wrist injury for a few months.

[matrixman]

Yesterday's match between James Blake and Tommy Haas was a terrific 5-set battle. Almost wished I had recorded it.

And Roger Federer...he was freakishly flawless against Feliciano Lopez after dropping the first set. Now looking forward to Federer vs. Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals. But I think the only way Roddick's going to win is if Federer doesn't show up.

Meanwhile, I'm disappointed that Maria Sharapova got eliminated so early on. I was hoping for a re-match between her and Justine Henin. Now I just hope Henin beats Venus Williams in her match today. I can't stand the Williams sisters.

[Dromond]

I loved tennis growing up in the seventies and into the eighties. I just slowly lost my desire to watch or even follow it over the last 15 yrs. or so.

The rackets got so big and powerful I don't think it's the same game it once was. And of course the personalities aren't the same. That may have something to do with it. As far as the men, anyway.

The women are almost the same, but not quite. The power game is lacking enough to see some long volleys and actual strategy within a volley. I'm with ya on the William sisters, though, MM, I casually root against them when I do see a match playing, at the local tavern, or espn highlights,wherever. Simply because of the powerful,almost manlike strength they have. Don't care much for their dad, either.

EDIT

Just read in brief that Serena didn't go down quietly or gracefully... I'll withold judgement until I see more. (Sportcenter)

[matrixman]

I think I understand your position, Dromond. I began seriously watching tennis in the mid-'80s, so I caught the likes of McEnroe, Connors, Evert and Navratilova when they were still a force in the game. But I completely missed Bjorn Borg.

McEnroe was my favorite player of that era to watch. Here was this sort of odd, not-quite-athletic looking guy on court, but whose game was mesmerizing. Connors I liked, too, though I missed him during his prime in the '70s. What was inspiring about Connors for me was his tenaciousness and longevity in the sport. He was still strong in the '80s and even in the '90s could still beat guys half his age (his amazing run at the '91 US Open comes to mind).

Unfortunately, I still remember McEnroe and Connors more for matches they lost than ones they won, because by the mid-'80s the likes of Lendl, Becker and Agassi had come into their own, bringing with them the devastating power game that you're talking about. Just as Steffi Graf shook things up in the women's game when she came along. I'll agree with you that the personalities at the top (aside from Agassi) seemed distinctly lacking. But in the case of Graf, just watching the awesomeness of her power was enough for me. Then when Monica Seles arrived, she became my favorite player to watch, male or female. Her shotmaking was terrific stuff.

Through the years, I've gotten over the men's power game. Yes, a lot of the top players did seem like robots who were content to whack the ball from the baseline (Lendl being possibly the worst offender), but there were exceptions like Stefan Edberg, who was a great serve-and-volleyer in his own right. Then baseliner Andre Agassi developed into an incredible all-around player whom I loved to watch, second only to Seles. And of course, there was Pete Sampras, who had great touch as well as power. Edberg and Sampras maybe never got fans into a match with their personalities, but at least they weren't robots like Lendl. (Yes, I've used "robot" in conjunction with Lendl twice in one paragraph.)

Did I mention I thought Lendl was robotic?

Today, the top players that I've seen do show a decent amount of variety in their game - even Andy Roddick, whom I dismissed at the beginning as just a big server. Then you've got Roger Federer, who can do just about anything. He is maybe the most fluid player I've ever seen - male or female. Even smoother than Sampras. I wouldn't say Federer's serve is huge the way Sampras's was, but it's very effective all the same. But it's the rest of Federer's game that makes him my favorite player to watch now. His personality? He's all right. You could do a lot worse than having a gentleman as No. 1 in the world.

Agassi, Edberg, Sampras, and Federer: really, they were and are all classy guys. In the '70s and '80s, you had the antics of Illie "Nasty" Nastase, the sometimes dubious conduct of Connors, and of course, the cosmic tantrums of McEnroe. I guess those were the wild 'n' crazy heydays of tennis and I acknowledge that it made for good television. But I just don't think modern tennis looks that bad in comparison - except for that stretch in the late '80s. And yes, the horrible stabbing of Seles in '93, which did turn me off tennis for a long time. But I wouldn't give up all the excellent modern matches I've seen involving Seles and all the other great modern players.

...and I just finished watching Federer defeat Davydenko to get to his 10th straight Grand Slam final. How good is Federer? He didn't have his "A" game, and Davydenko was working his ass off, but Federer still beat the Russian in straight sets.

I'm happy that the Williams sisters are gone. It tickles me that Henin defeated both Venus and Serena in the same tournament (apparently the first time that has happened since Martina Hingis did it back in the 2001 Australian Open). I just hope the women's final tonight will be a good one between two former US Open champs, Henin and Kuznetsova.

[Dragonlily]

I'm reviving this thread because we just had another US Open. I am a fan of Nadal, but I also want Federer to get his 15 grand slams. The way it happened turned out to be the only way I could have it both ways. Nadal down in the semis, beaten by the fast-rising Andy Murray and his own exhaustion, and Federer's skill and experience taking him past Murray for a 5th US Open title, his 13th grand slam.

Nadal has played about 20 more matches this year than anybody else, because he keeps getting into the finals. Even someone as superbly fit as Nadal has limits. And now it looks like Federer is recovering his health at last. So Djokovic and Murray can sit in the 2nd tier and battle each other -- it will be good for them. (another way of saying they are brats who deserve each other)

Did anyone watch Juan Martin del Potro, while the Olympic teams were on the other side of the world? 4 US tournaments in a row and going strong. It took Andy Murray to beat him at the Open. Very promising indeed. And Sam Querrey is looking like the next US #1, within the next few years.

I noticed comments earlier in the thread about people skipping decades of tennis. I did the same thing. After Borg was gone, I stopped watching. I didn't much care for the personalities in the Sampras-Agassi era, so they couldn't pull me back, but at the 2007 Wimbledon there was Nadal, chasing down every ball as if nothing else existed, before, after, or around the court. And there was Federer, his antithesis, floating everywhere effortlessly and performing magic with the ball.

And there were Venus and Serena Williams. It took me a while to warm up to Serena, but Wimbledon was the best possible place to meet Venus. I'm satisfied now to see Serena at World #1, the most credible of the women who have held that position since Henin.

<putting on a tape of the Nadal-Federer 2008 Wimbledon match>

[matrixman]

I'm reviving this thread because we just had another US Open. I am a fan of Nadal, but I also want Federer to get his 15 grand slams. The way it happened turned out to be the only way I could have it both ways. Nadal down in the semis, beaten by the fast-rising Andy Murray and his own exhaustion, and Federer's skill and experience taking him past Murray for a 5th US Open title, his 13th grand slam.

I wasn't really a fan of Nadal, until that incredible final against Federer at this year's Wimbledon.

I was rooting for Nadal in his match with Murray, hoping for another Federer-Nadal final. I just couldn't believe how good Murray was against Nadal. After that, I was expecting a great showdown between Murray and Federer, but it was all Federer. I was shaking my head at how easily Federer dismantled Murray's game. Federer basically did to Murray what Murray had done to Nadal (though at least Nadal fought harder in his match).

Nadal has played about 20 more matches this year than anybody else, because he keeps getting into the finals. Even someone as superbly fit as Nadal has limits. And now it looks like Federer is recovering his health at last. So Djokovic and Murray can sit in the 2nd tier and battle each other -- it will be good for them. (another way of saying they are brats who deserve each other)

Yes, it's scary how fit Nadal is.

I'm aware of Djokovic's antics, but didn't know Murray was a brat as well.

Did anyone watch Juan Martin del Potro, while the Olympic teams were on the other side of the world? 4 US tournaments in a row and going strong. It took Andy Murray to beat him at the Open. Very promising indeed. And Sam Querrey is looking like the next US #1, within the next few years.

Afraid I'm not familiar with del Potro. As for Querrey, I agree with your assessment. His game impressed me very much.

I didn't much care for the personalities in the Sampras-Agassi era, so they couldn't pull me back, but at the 2007 Wimbledon there was Nadal, chasing down every ball as if nothing else existed, before, after, or around the court. And there was Federer, his antithesis, floating everywhere effortlessly and performing magic with the ball.

It's like Borg and McEnroe all over again, eh? (Minus McEnroe's fits.)

<putting on a tape of the Nadal-Federer 2008 Wimbledon match>

I had watched the whole thing, but neglected to record it. Aaargh!

[Dragonlily]

I'm campaigning for a DVD that contains the 2007 and 2008 Wimbledon finals. That would be a tennis showcase indeed!

I'm aware of Djokovic's antics, but didn't know Murray was a brat as well.

Until a few months ago -- Wimbledon, in fact -- Murray used to either lose his temper or go into depressions on the court. He's also the one who, about a year ago, said "everyone knows" there's matchfixing going on in pro tennis. Federer and Nadal, the game's foremost gentlemen, both rebutted this indignantly, but it was part of what triggered a huge long investigation that may have ruined Davydenko and certainly hurt his play, before he was officially cleared a few days ago. I hope this talented player is able to recover and move past it.

Murray is watching his mouth now, and sometimes Djokovic is, but it's still a learning process for them.

Here is an entertaining article about Murray written in early 2007. tennisworld.typepad.com/thewrap/2008/09/scot-of-potenti.html
Quite a few changes since.

[matrixman]

Thanks for the link, Dragonlily. Good article!

I remember the tv commentators mentioning some sort of investigation involving Davydenko, but didn't know Murray was the instigator of that whole affair. You can tell I really don't follow tennis news "off the court."

It certainly is a serious thing to charge there is matchfixing. Next time Davydenko and Murray square off against each other, I will follow with interest.

[Dragonlily]

I finally followed the link on my email alert and read this, a month late! Sorry. It wasn't actually Murray who instigated it, he simply provided support for the betting company that found a suspicious betting pattern and refused to pay out.

Turns out Davydenko was talking to his wife during the match, about his pain and considering whether to default. Anyone who understood Russian could have heard him and bet accordingly. I have no idea why they don't shut down betting once a match starts.

I have to admit to being impressed with the way Murray finished off the final in Madrid. If Djokovic doesn't get his head together Murray is going to pass him in the rankings. That's quite a good young group moving up right now and passing some of the older ones. Del Potro is very promising, and Simon's recent success has been almost as much of a shock as del Potro.

[matrixman]

No problem...tennis dropped off my radar after the US Open. Happens every year. I wouldn't mind following the top players more regularly, but it doesn't help that TV coverage of tennis basically sucks, even with the Grand Slams - unless I pay premium for some specialty channel. (My sister had HBO back in the 80's and I remember they had very good Wimbledon coverage.)