posted Jan 23, 2008

True enough TennisMasta- don't think Djoko will be able to play out of his skin for 5 or even 3 sets against Fed- plus he will probably find it difficult closing out the match if he has the opportunity.
As for Fed finding his A game- that's what I'd like to see- though I'm not sure he can find his A game against Nadal- those high top spinners against Feds backhand always have a way of taking the shine off the encounter- although the way this court is playing it probably won't be as much of a factor if Fed/Nadal meet in the final

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posted Jan 23, 2008

I'm confused. Can you guys enlighten me? What is it that Tipsarevic can do that Djokovic can't exactly?

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posted Jan 23, 2008

Can anyone explain how the seeding works ? What happened to the good old fashioned method of seed 1 playing seed 4 and 2 vs 3. We now have Federer playing Djokovic giving seed 2 (nadal) an advantage by playing Tsonga or the number 4 seed if he were still in. Confused ? I know I am!

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posted Jan 23, 2008

Sense a note of sarcasm in that question KOTB! Just for the record- although I'm keeping my fingers firmly crossed- I wouldn't be in the least surprised if Djoko came out on top against Fed. It really does depend upon how Federer approaches the game. All I want to see is Fed at his best- then the outcome is not in question.

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posted Jan 23, 2008

You've said it!
I am ready for th Friday feast, and may the younger win!
IDEMO NOLEEEE!

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posted Jan 23, 2008

Its an interesting point what is being made about the number 4 and who it will be going forward. I suppose based on consistency, davydenko has been there for a while but he seems to be losing his way and strangely seems the least likely to cause an upset in the semi final stage.

I think Ferrer is very consistent but again doesnt seem to be able to break through and you never feel he is going to win the big ones.

Roddick is just too one dimensional and is always falling short and federer always beats him. Back when he won the US Open, the field was far weaker, no disrespect to ferrero but that was his opponent in the final and you can face stiffer competition than that.

The most talented of the rest and I think the best of the others is indeed nalbandian. When on form, there is no doubt this guy has incredible talent and is so powerful. He seems to really frighten the top seeds in top form as was seen when he won Madrid and Masters back to back. The key for him is consistency. If he keeps injury free, unfortunately this happened at this aussie open, he is a real threat. If it were Federer, Nadal, Djoko and Nalbandian at semi final stages, it would make for intriguing match ups. For me on their day, they are the best four players in the world. Anybody agree??

It comes down to consistency though.

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posted Jan 23, 2008

"What is it that Tipsarevic can do that Djokovic can't exactly?"

Ok, if I understand your implication, then going by it you would have this argument.

Since Janko is ranked 49, but pushed Roger to 10-8 in the fifth, the guy ranked 48 would push Roger to say 11-9, and by similar logic, perhaps the guy ranked 40 even beat Roger.

Therefore, further extrapolating Janko's match you can firmly conclude that the guy ranked #3 like Novak would beat Roger in straight sets, perhaps with a couple of bagels.

See tennis doesn't work like that.

Every match is different.

I can tell you what Janko did that Novak may not be albe to do:

- Janko had NOTHING to loose and EVERYTHING to gain. Afterall he was ranked a lowly 49, never did much in grandslams, and does not plan to become #1 anytime soon. So his mindset was simply to play and to see if he can cause an upset.

- Novak appears to have been harbouring grand ambitions to become #1 perhaps since he started shaving. So he HAS to win to reach his goal.

- Novak has something to loose. He is ranked #3, so he is not an underdog. Also his mouth tends to race ahead of his matches. So there is pressure on him to back his mouth. Obviously he has been doing well, but as we have seen in Shanghai pressure can get to him. From all his prouncements, it was as much psychological as it was physical.

So, it is more likely for a Gonzales, Berdych, or Canas or a Tipsarevic to catch Roger on his bad day and cause an upset, than for a Rafa or Novak to catch Roger on any day and beat him.

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posted Jan 23, 2008

The US Navy has just renamed their cruise missiles from tomahawk to rogerhawk

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posted Jan 23, 2008

Why can't people like TennisMasta spell 'lose' properly? Is it so hard?

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posted Jan 23, 2008

roger is the one to beat, i think rafa will lose this semi finale

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