Caro parts ways with Piotr.

World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki and her father, Piotr, have ended their coaching relationship, Ekstra Bladet reports. The father and daughter apparently discussed her moving in another direction after Dominika Cibulkova upset Wozniacki at Wimbledon. The Wozniackis are said to have hired a new private coach to travel with Caroline, but he/she has yet to come on board, so Piotr went with Caroline to Toronto and Cincinnati.

Wozniacki fell in the opening round of both tournament, to Roberta Vinci in Toronto and to Christina McHale in Cincinnati. Piotr was heard yelling at the slumping Caroline when he came on court during her loss to McHale.
The identity of the new coach is so far unknown but is said to be a former touring pro.

Wozniacki's agent, Lagardere's John Tobias, confirmed to TENNIS.com that Piotr is stepping back, but said that no definitive hire of a new coach has been made yet.

Wozniacki has also worked with adidas Player Development coach Sven Groenefeld. Piotr Wozniacki, a former soccer player in Denmark, is said to have encouraged his daughter to try someone else out. Wozniacki, who has yet to win a Grand Slam, has been criticized for playing too defensively.

"We've heard from morning to night how Caroline should play," Piotr told the newspaper. "So now she tries something else. It is intended that she should be a very aggressive player. But as you can see, she cannot win matches right now, because she does not know how she should play. But whatever, I'm Caroline's father, and I will always support her."

She is scheduled to play in New Haven next week.

-- tennis.com

A few comments:

1) The Cibulkova “upset” at Wimbledon?

These are some of the players Domi’s beaten this year: Goerges at Wimbledon (R32), Sveta at Madrid (R64), Masha at Madrid (R32), Bepa at IW (R32).

Three of those have come in the last four months. You’ll note that the Wimbledon match in which Domi’s purported to have “upset” Caro was preceded by a win over Goerges– was that also an upset?

And here some of the players she’s lost to: Petra in Madrid (QF), Masha at Wimbledon (SF), and Marion in Stanford (SF).

We all know what a nutjob Domi can be and still is. There’s no point in defending her on that front – I think I might even prefer it that way.

But she’s also a top 20 player who’s reached the R16 or better at every Slam playing some of the best tennis of her life. Reading of her “upset”  above you’d think Caro had been routined by Christina McHale.

There’s getting defensive, and there’s putting your head in the sand.

Caro’s problems, whatever they might be, began well before Wimbledon with those consecutive losses she suffered to Goerges. Unless, of course, that too was an upset.

2) Not completely sure this is entirely a good or a bad move.

It’s certainly clear this is the first major crisis of her career. Not responding proportionally wouldn’t be wise. She’ll likely benefit from hearing a new voice. And that’s not even a knock on Piotr.

What’s not clear is what direction that new voice will take her in. Her stated ambition is more aggression. Much as the world has been calling for this, is that even possible? Probably, but to what degree?

Tennis is a game of organic growth –  with very few exceptions, you don’t suddenly wake up one morning and remould your groundstrokes. Doing so usually (and sometimes irrevocably) turns you into a different player and mostly proves counterproductive.

But there’s a bigger issue at stake. Much as aggression is being touted as her Holy Grail (and it is precisely that), the fact remains she was winning these types of matches just six months back. Whatever the issue is it may run deeper than any single technicality can account for. Whilst it’s simply indisputable that Caro will benefit from more aggression, she might still wind up losing matches, whether that’s under Piotr, Navratilova or the Cookie Monster.

3) Piotr’s Piotr..

Whatever your thoughts him (of which there are many) or on her game (of which there are also many), the fact remains she made world #1 under his tutelage.

Personally, I don’t think the very intense image of him hollering at her, comparing her to a “junior”, with her staring vacantly off into the distance during her loss to McHale, did anyone much good.

But they do seem to have a good relationship – and if they don’t, the fact is we simply don’t know any better. She may simply have come as far as she can with him. They may even be parting to preserve/strengthen that familial bond. Easy to forget that during the inevitable snarkfest that this episode will inevitably provoke.

Cincy: Noticeboard

Cincy last year…



May we NEVER forget

Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4
Nole	Fed	Simon	Fish
Gael	Berd	Murray	Rafa

Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4
Petrova	Peng	Sam	Dani
Petko	JJ	Pova	Bepa

 

Legend

Hoity-Toity

Upwardly-Mobile

Sympathy Vote

Ideas above their station

Stacked

Cincy: Third Degree Burns.

 

There’s to be no getting around it: it would have been a consummate disaster for him not to win this one given the industrial-grade hydraulic leg-up he had received.

 

 

There were retirements: Istomin’s foot deprived us of what could have been a telling match either way (I’ve been following Dennis since he almost put Rafa out of Queens and, if you aren’t already, I suggest you do the same).

 

There were walk-overs: though for all we know, Kohls injured his shoulder falling off a bar stool in convulsive fits after viewing a scratchy DVD labelled ‘GiggleFest’ someone had sneakily slid under his hotel door overnight.

 

And he didn’t even display the sense of fair play or good breeding by “manning up” to  face a top five player now, did he?

 

Personally, I don’t think Muzz and Djoko were ever a factor last week.

 

And whose fault is it that Rafa went out to Baggy anyway? Or that “Baggy-was-as Baggy-usually-is” a mere twenty four hours later?

 

There were, believe it or not, other talking points. There’s to be no getting around that either:

 

-- Fed’s kamikaze chip-and-charges; they got him burned at the net so many times I almost expected to hear of skin grafts being applied during a carefully screened MTO. And yet he persisted. Occasionally it paid off. Some even went as far as to suggest the match went on for as long as it did because he was “trying out stuff”.

 

I doubt that very much.  Mardy was simply serving too well.

 

 

Though there’s no question he’s been experimenting and, quite evidently, has been since Toronto: those opening sets he played against Djoko and Berd were so suffocatingly swift, so intoxicating in their intensity that had he polished up any sooner, would likely have been called up for a false start.

 

Though you get a sense that none of that somewhat dismissive brilliance would have been possible were it not also accompanied by it’s evil twin: those macabre, episodes of fug we saw later - so “neuerratic” in nature they might almost have been born of a dysfunctional aura and under a full moon.

 

“Cincy Tennis”, on the other hand, was a whole lot more straightforward. Where he might once have swung he sliced, where he might once have shanked he held back. And when he did deem it appropriate to end the rally, did so knowing he could end it on his terms either with either a very dressy drive volley at the net or a more routine forehand belted crisply from the back of the court.

 

I like what what I’m seeing – whether or not and however we choose to credit Annacone’s involvement is, at this stage, almost irrelevant.

 

 

 

 

-- Fish lost this on a single break deep in the final set. The previous two sets went to lengthy tie breaks. Fed wasn’t holding back one bit. All of which speaks volumes for a guy everyone seems so keen to hurl pejorative shit at (myself inc.).

 

It’s completely disingenuous to suggest that the match went on for as long as it did because of Fed’s ambivalence at his own play – almost as disingenuous as it is to harp on about Fed’s crappy breakpoint conversion rate without once giving a nod to the Mardy serve.

 

So now, if you don’t mind, I intend to give that nod.

 

And now, if you don’t mind, I intend to go back to hurling pejorative shit.

 

-- ARod posted back to back wins over Djoko and Sod. Ok, so it didn’t end the way he wanted (he only narrowly avoided a final set bagel against Fish)  and he really should have known better than to come down on the ump in the way he did – an act that is now as hammy as it is bedraggled.  But his last comparable spell was back at IW/Miami.

 

All things considered, an uplifting week not least in terms of his #9 ranking. That’s right, that great American rankings crisis was….not quite the subprime credit crunch we thought it was.

Four Weddings and a FeduNadal

 

 

getty

 

We can be jovial about this.

 

I went to bed - on a Friday night,

With Nadal-and-Baggee on ma teh-lleee…

 

When I woke up,

The whole world was shook up,

 

And Fed and Nadal but a storeeee….

 

 

…or we can wallow in our grief over one of W. H. Auden’s lesser known works:

 

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,
Pour away the ocean and paint your house grey,
Throw out the face-paint; there’ll be no Fedal today

 

 

 

Although, hand on heart, how many of you can really say you wanted it this soon?

 

I know many will disagree, but for me their last meeting drew a blank. Like two drunk and disorderlies forced to patch up their differences at a makeshift charity do no one wants to attend.

 

They’re both inching towards finding their form. Feds shown more flourish but also more confunktion. Rafa was roundly outplayed last night but is also the more steadier of the two.

 

Give it another week I say, let them play themselves into more affable spirits before we once again force them upon one another.

 

As for Baggy, you’d be a fool to ever doubt him. You’d be a fool to bet the house on him too but that’s part of the deal and, I daresay, the appeal. For some people.For others, just like that recent Fedal fail, he too draws a blank.

 

Me, I’m in the middle. I don’t think his smile is tennis’s solution to world peace (Franny’s is) but I do enjoy his groundies and elephant-on-ice dance moves as much as I enjoy Nalbandian’s.

 

 

It’s not often such impeccable timing, efficient weight transfer and fluid movement unite in one player. When that player looks more like a Highland Caber Tosser than a tennis player, it makes the spectacle more-peculiar still.

 

Federer was sublime over Kolya. To be fair, in the first set they both were.

 

The surprising thing this time, however, was Fed’s defence – if I didn’t know any better I’d almost believe he’s found the patience to sustain rallies under pressure. As I say, I know better.

 

With that single break and that first set gone, Kolya began a spraying spree that almost certainly prevented this from going into a third set. Twas a shame because for one set we had the makings of what could have been the match of the week.

 

No one should be surprised at Nole’s and Muzz’s departure. The only amazing thing is how long Muzz ,in particular, lasted in the heat.

 

The good: He’ll get plenty of time to rest up ahead of Flushing.

 

The bad: Mardy Fish might win the US Open Series.

 

The ugly: CazWoz is seeded #1 at the USO (don’t expect me to ‘drop it’ any time soon).

“Sun is Energy”, remember? Turns out it’s also plain hot.

 

It’s that ‘pit-sniffing’ forehand again.

 

 

“The heat here is important,” Nadal said. “It’s not easy to play here.”

 

You know it’s been bad when “the solar-powered one” declares it unfit for purpose.

 

He wasn’t the only one.

 

“The conditions are tough here,” Murray said. “I’ve played seven matches in nine days, and every one was between noon and 3 o’clock, when it’s warmest. I think anybody would be feeling (tired) in my position.”

 

Both toughed out three setters over Ernie and Benneteau respectively.

 

It wasn’t USO winning form. Few expected it to be.

 

Benneteau, in particular, seemed set to repeat the kind of upset he pulled off in Paris against Fed last year – ya know, when he turns into that nutter at the net.

 

Unfortunately, in doing so, he also succumbed to a bout of muscle cramp allowing Rafa to meekly close it out 5-7 7-6 6-2.

 

Djoko had what, perhaps on paper, seems the easier 6-1 7-6 win over Daveed.

 

Anything but, as it turns out: as has been the case all too often recently, he found a way of making things more difficult for himself and when he did finally make  his victory wave, did so looking scrawnier than usual and with his eyes bulging out a little more than usual.

 

Heat? Clearly not an issue.

 

Roddick won over Sod in three, but not before being dragged kicking and screaming into a 2nd set tie break, in which he blew match point and then went all “fire and brimstone” on the ump for allowing Sod to challenge what he presumably thought was well outside the scope of time allowed either by the rulebook or umpire’s discretion (also, funnily enough, part of the rulebook).

 

Roddick’s version of events:

 

 

 

Discretion: Can’t live with it, can’t live without it….

 

Love you Andy, but a piece of string is as long as discretion says it is.

 

Robin didn’t hear the call and the ump obviously exercised discretion in allowing him to challenge once he had realised the true score.

 

It’s the very same discretion that allows Rafa to habitually creep over the unofficial 25 secs allotted to complete your serve.

 

In either case, no malice is involved and so, well, it should be ok.

 

It was very close, but ARod would likely have gone on to lose that set anyway: Sod seemed to have picked up his game and was crunching those groundies in the way only he can. He saved match point by finishing at the net – do we need further proof he was in the zone?

 

It’s become increasingly difficult to stomach the patronising way in which Roddick takes aim at officials: it’s both insulting and counterproductive – berating an ump with poor English about his communication skills makes for a far uglier spectacle.

 

In other news Brad Gilbert almost got arrested by a rentacop and was practically frogmarched out, after demanding access to the locker room on the back of his “former champ” status:

 

 

 

 

“Commentating Ugly”. Look out for the forthcoming book.

 

Why is it that all the best shit seems to go down when I’m tucked up in bed dreaming about jellybeans?

 

When TopSpin’s away, the mice will play…

Pull yourself together….or not.

 

 

Darned if I know what’s come over Reeshie recently.

 

Putting together consecutive wins and knocking out Misha the #12 seed ?

 

Pull yourself together man.

 

Describing the incident as “unacceptable”, Reeshie has reportedly apologised, takes full responsibility and has vowed “to never allow that to happen again”.

“Sorry”, no apology necessary.

 

 

Falla d. Monfils 6-3 6-4

 

Really?

 

Someone obviously forgot to ‘CC’ Gael in: Losing to Falla no longer merits an apology.

Apocalypse Now.

 

 

 

 

 

I can live with the occasional rain delay (I dare say after the Toronto final we all can).

 

I can -- just about -- live with Masha welching on three Championship points, allowing an erratic Kimmie back into playing a final set she should have had no hope of being involved in.

 

Filthy, dark clouds brewing up apocalyptic storms and other variations on the Doomsday scenario during those Championship points, however, make me wonder whether something more malevolent is involved.

 

Whatever the case, when they returned from the rain delay,it was Kimmie, now miraculously free of the serving problems that had plagued the first set, firmly in charge.

 

No Photoshopped night necessary

 

All of that took place before my Sky Box went on the blink, which meant I was reduced to watching Masha suffer problems with her foot and Kimmie mop up a largely one-sided final set on a grainy internet stream that’s probably only reserved for UFC.

 

Conspiracy, much?

 

Yeah, I was probably in a fouler mood than whatever malevolence lay within those dark clouds. And there’s a small chance I may have been a little ungracious about the whole Kimmie situation who now, quite deservedly, shoots up to world #4.

 

Hearty Congrats Kim. No agenda. Promise.

 

 

Does that make her a USO contender? Is any top ten player not named Serena a contender?

 

Masha, as expected, is out of Montreal.

New rule: Doubles clearly matters, when it’s as cute as this.

 

“The Art of Joy”.

 

 

It’s a little difficult to tell with her back being turned and I’ll admit she’s got nothing on MariKiri (no one has), but if anyone tells me Vika is “joyless” again…

 

Vika (muffled): “…can’t breath….cannnoot breath…”

 

 

 

The trophy in case you were wondering what all the fuss was about.

(Blimey, did someone just tell Kiri that she doesn’t get to keep it?)

 

A week ago, Kiri also picked up the doubles title in San Diego with Zheng Jie and..er…. Rafa/Djoko were ejected out of the first round of Toronto.

 

New rule: Doubles clearly matters, when it’s as cute as this.

 

(Images: Getty)

There’s always Orkney…There’s always Soda Bread.

 

This.

 

I’ve been paying far too little attention to Cincy over the past two days considering how invested in a certain player I am – you have the man in pink to blame for that.

 

That serve may never again be what it once was – but in all other departments Masha’s  rapidly approaching pre-injury levels of performance and, should she walk away with the title later today, will be back at #9. It’s been too long…….FAR too long.

 

 

Kimmie overcame a tearful hobbly Ana Ivanovic after the latter was forced to pull out after only four games with what sounds to be a torn muscle:

 

“It sounds very similar to what I had with my left foot,” said Clijsters, who tore a muscle in her foot last April and missed nearly two months, including the French Open. “I hope it’s not that bad.”

…

“All of a sudden on that one shot, I felt something, you know, crack a little bit,” Ivanovic said. “I was very scared.”

Ivanovic straightened up, cupped her hands behind her head and winced. She walked gingerly to her chair and took a medical timeout, removing her shoe. A trainer rubbed the inside of the foot and taped it so Ivanovic could try to continue.

d

After the second point - a serve that Ivanovic didn’t even bother to chase - the match was over.

“I tried bit of tape, but I could not put any weight on it, and there was no point in me continuing,” she said

-- tennis.com

 

To be honest, I doubt she’d have had much success against Kimmie, but to be robbed of the chance of even trying? After her best week of tennis since…….yeah, how does that sentence end?

 

Greek Tragedy. In every sense of the word…well, except in Ana not actually being Greek. Wishing her a speedy recovery.

 

So there it is. Masha takes on Kimmie. Masha wins or I move to the Orkney Isles, turn recluse and bake soda bread for my remaining days.

Monty really did pi*s her off.

 

 getty

Nothing like publicly played out acrimony to kickstart an ailing career (Did I say kickstart? Ok, but that’s not the same as ‘resurgent’ or ‘comeback’).

 

Speculation’s rife on whether the whole experience will transform her from Little Miss Sunshine into Cruella Deville.

 

But we don’t start using the “R” or the “C” word until she either comprehensively pushes or – eek – gets past her first real opponent of note, Kimmie, whom she plays next.

How soon before we start calling this a comeback?

getty

 

6-1 7-5 over Shvedova, who, by anyone’s estimation, is no slouch.

 

I daren’t even use the word ‘resurgent’.

 

Whatever might be happening off court…..

I’m OK with this.

getty

 

 Sharapova d. Kuznetsova 6-4 1-6 6-2

 

I was always on to a winner with this one.

 

As with Sod, I never root against Sveta for anyone. It’s just not the done thing round these ‘ere parts.

 

That is, unless she’s playing a resurgent Masha – now firmly part of that USO conversation everyone’s having -- and might (like Nalbandian) benefit from the down time.

 

Know what I’d benefit from? A live Cincy stream.

 

So far I’ve missed Ana over Vika, Masha over Sveta and, I fear, Kimmie over Dina.

Ok so there *might* have been some twirly fist-pumping.

 

No, I actually have evidence there was.

 

But…are you kidding me? Ana beat Vika.

 

getty

 

Not only that, but Ana came back from a set and 2-4 down to beat Vika.

 

NOT ONLY THAT, but Vika wasn’t injured, traumatised or in any way affected that might compromise her ability to win.

 

In other words, an unqualified win over a top tenner who’s only outside of the top ten because she’s been struggling with injuries of her own.

 

That, me-dearies, is worth celebrating. And I’m not even a fan.

Cincy, Toronto Roundup...

(Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Well that was altogether too efficient dontcha think?

Sure, Djoko seemed sapped of the intensity that carried him to the final and Murray seemed sapped of that and just about everything else.

But the way in which Federer seems to have upped his game in those last two matches in particular means he may have come out on top whatever the standard and form of the competition. Top four or top seventy four.

Equally revealing has been the way in which Federer executed two related but otherwise different gameplans against the second and fourth best players in the world.

The Murray match was almost a distilled version of the US Open final last year, with Federer's net rushes and unwillingness to get involved in those frustrate-the-hell-out-of-ya rallies Murray's used to such good effect over the years.

With Djoko, I'd say he knew he could outplay him at his own game, and elected to play clinical, aggressive tennis from the baseline.

Both those performances also had an almost unrelenting uber-aggressive snarkiness about them as he assumed what he presumably thinks of as his rightful position atop the ATP food chain.

You might go as far as to say that he's surpassed anything he produced both at RG and at Wimbledon.

But that as they say, is the nature of the beast.

Slams are won with a quieter and more measured intensity nurtured and then sustained over the course of two weeks.

It's been the shorter, sharp bouts of unremitting intensity that have been missing over the last year or so. Which unsurprisingly coincides rather well with his two year drought at the Masters level.

***

You might say that this last week has promised much and delivered little.

With a top four semi final line up at Cincy, and Elena, Shaza and a seizure-inducing cameo from Serena at the same stage over in Toronto, I think it's fair to say that this hasn't been the US Open Preview it could have been.

Novak Djokovic

Fascinating. I thought he was almost back in there in the early parts of the second set. Too many half court balls and too many at the bottom of the net. After a very worthy semi final performance that promised us so much.

Shame. But also, unfortunately, fast becoming an all too familiar story.

Andy Murray

Too much tennis. That's what I put his semi final blowout down to. That win in Montreal, though impressive, meant that Murray had played more tennis in the last two weeks than anyone else.

del Potro, now wisely it seems, elected to pass.

Bloodied in Battle

It wasn't just the fact that he put about as many first serves in as I might have done. Or that he looked like he'd gone without sleep for a week. Or that he played with about as much flair as a heatproof mat.

His shots lacked bite and purpose, and let's just say I've seen actual slugs slithering down my garden path less sluggishly.

Don't think punching your strings will help though. Time for a good lie down.

Rafael Nadal

Can we really fault a semi final showing? After a quarter final showing the week before? I think not. There were unmistakable signs of rust, and I'm not at all surprised by the way in which Novak overpowered him. But the signs are that he'll be in fine fettle in New York.

Just don't go expecting him to win it.

Elena Dementieva d. Sharapova 6-4, 6-3

OK so let's just forget that final. For half of it no one seemed to want to serve. In the other half Shaza's arm appeared to give way. Elena should have put her away sooner, instead managing to somehow prolong that second set.

(Photo: AP)

There's been a largish debate about whether this win increases her chances at the Open. I'm thinking not. The serve's not in the same place it was at Wimby. I'd say it's regressed.

And not even the fact that she's probably my second favourite player will sway me from that opinion.

But equally I'd say her situation is more hopeful than the Vikas, Wozs and Dinaras of this world. In fact I rather fancy her chances against Serena after Wimbledon.

Sharapova continues to impress. In every respect except that serve, which unfortunately still has some way to go. It made pretty painful viewing watching her flounder away that first set.

Will the serve ever be restored to it's former glory? Probably a safer bet to say no. But that shouldn't prevent her from turning it into something more functional. Those groundstrokes are still as scary as ever.

(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

One other thing. Did anyone else pick up on her insisting that Joyce (her coach) shush up about her 'arm hurting' during the on court coaching session? They're presumably both aware that the entire conversation is broadcast. Except that Joyce didn't seem to think much wrong with it, making reference to the fact that the arm had been talked about before.

It just concerned me a little. The last thing she wants after what by anyone's standards is an electric comeback, is a flare up. And it was very evident in the second set, with the way in which she played almost every stroke like she was wielding a 200 lb racquet, that something was up.

2Hander's Take: The shape of things to come...?

Federer def Djokovic 6-1 7-5

The result as I had predicted. However, I missed the first set, which I guess Federer dominated with at least a couple of breaks.

The second set Novak came to life, rather like Murray had done the previous day. I think Fed's got some crazy 'shock and awe' tactics deployed as opposed to these two kids not firing properly, as Top suggested. Federer got broken early for Djokovic to take a 0-3 lead. Then Fed broke back to make it 2-3. Fed almost broke once more with about 3 or 4 break points at 5-4, but the Serb held on. Then Federer broke once more to make it 6-5 before holding serve after the changeover to clinch the title.

Now, once again there were moments where one felt it could go to a tiebreak that the Serb would clinch and the same Fed that shanked his racquet in Miami would re-emerge. However, his nerves of steel held out particularly at breakpoints against his serve. Djokovic jokingly (NOT yokingly!) remarked during the presentation ceremony that he was "born in the wrong era" - which I disagree with. He has the potential to win any tournament he plays in. If he's on his game (the stick is NOT an issue now!) and if the top 3 are slightly off their guard, he can beat anyone deservingly. He has been one of the players to keep Federer on his toes.

I know I have been quite a harsh critic of Nole in the past. I think he has done some growing up off the court more than on, tho I think his volleying needs to be excellent to win Slams these days - which is definitely achievable. His groundstrokes have a lot of venom off both wings. He has a very good serve. Don't lose heart, we are expecting great things from you, Nole, and soon at that.

I think we are back to Slams and Masters 1000 events being 4-horse races once again. This is not a bad thing as we have a few not too distant outsiders like A-Rod, Del Potro and Tsonga (Fernando V, where have you gone?!?) to cause a few upsets along the way.

Question is, will the imminent US Open be the same? I have a sneaky suspicion it will. I think Federer will take heart from beating Nadal on clay earlier this season in Madrid. Is Nadal up to the task? Put it this way, I wouldn't be too surprised if he doesn't get past the semis. However, I want to him to play Federer, which he may do if he's in Fed's half of the draw. I want Fed to be back at his best but I also want the rest to be on their game as well, otherwise it will be back to the old days of Fed winning Slams without having to play his best tennis.

However, I think we actually have a competition on our hands this time round...here's hoping!!

"Pay no attention?" "Pay no attention?"

"Pay no attention to the title of the YouTube clip. It was 53 shots, not 58."

(Yahoo! Sports)

Huh!

That just happens to be MY Murray youtube video that's doing the global-rounds, I'll have you know.

Yahoo! Sports pinched (sorry embedded) it, and then had the gall to question my 58-ball rally count.

I'm not the 'blow my own trumpet' type, which you clearly need to be if you're serious about promoting your blog and youtube channel, but you might want to take cover as I hire the services of Britain's best Brass Band.

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Not to mention the multitude of embeddings and referrals.
Not bad for a relative youtube fledgling.

And ok, it was only 57 strokes rather than the 58 I titled the video with. It happens to be a lot closer than the 53 stroke miscount the peeps over at Yahoo! Sports would have you believe.

"Pay no attention", yourselves.

2Hander's Take: Cincy Semis

I know, it's another of my rare cameo appearances but I thought I'd take some of the load off Top.

Federer def Murray 6-2 7-6(10)

Well, going into the match the Scot was 6-2 ahead in the head-to-head matchup and there was an element of 'exorcising the demon' as Murray had won the last three matchups between the two. The first set was a mixture of Federer being on form, particularly the forehand and Murray getting off the blocks late. Federer broke him twice and was hitting brilliantly off both wings, but the forehand was connecting like the good ole days.

The second set was more of a matchup, there were no breaks of serve. In fact, Murray didn't have a single breakpoint in the entire match. It went to a tiebreak which saw Federer surge ahead initially, then Murray caught up and then it was ding dong til the end. Without wishing to tempt fate, but one does wonder if this match would have gone down the same line as previous encounters Fed would win the first set, lose the second in a hotly contested battle, then fade away in the third. He is coming up to a Slam with best of 5-set matches...mind you, he has played and won more Slams than I've had hot dinners, so I'll leave it in his more than capable hands.

Another way of looking at it is that he is getting better at closing out matches...

Djokovic def Nadal 6-1 6-4

This match was no different to previous matchup between these two over the past 18 months. The scoreline no way refects what actually happened in the match. It was another hotly contested, intense encounter at the start of which I thought Nadal would prevail. However, I soon realised that either Nole was playing a blinder, Rafa was out of sorts or a bit of both. You see, usually what has tended to happen was that they would be playing neck-and-neck with Nole just lacing each and every ball. Rafa would be playing around 90% with a little extra in reserve if need be. Rafa would usually take the first set either from a breaker or a cheeky break towards the end. Nole would then lose the will to live in the second and hence lose the match.

Not to be this time. He got broken twice in the first set and all through the match, most of Rafa's service games would give Nole a breakpoint at the very least. Which suggests his serve is quite a weakness. Mind you, if you have Nole trying to pound each and every ball, something is bound to give. Now, I am never one to give up on Nadal, he has shown in the past that he can come back from a set or two down - it is never over until it's over! That said, Nole was probably just as cautious as I was if not moreso - judging by the sheer relief on his face when he finally won the match.

Tell you one thing, if Nole could volley like Haas or Federer, he'd have probably won with the same scoreline but also with a lot more ease. I'll say it for the umpteenth time, the best way to beat Nadal is from the n-e-t...and I don't mean one's computer either!! However, he did the job quite well from a selection of sick groundstrokes from both wings.

As for the final, I think that Djokovic can actually cope better with high, loopy balls, even if they are deep. Federer's shots tend to be flatter, as do Murray's. Though Fed's shots can tend to kick away from his opponent quite early, especially on the forehand. In light of this, I would pick Federer in two quite close sets at the very least.

Cincy Open: Are you counting?

58 shots.



That's what it took Murray to break back against Julian Benneteau in the second set of their quarter final match.

Bison Stampede on the Plains of the Serengeti

This is not the first time I've heard this.

With a proliferation of abbreviated service motions on tour recently, I sometimes question how much of it is a knee-jerk reaction prompted by the need to be seen to be doing something different, and how much is the result of diligent biomechanical research.

'M-ROD'
(Photo: AP)

I've heard mixed views on shortened takebacks. Conventional wisdom says it's driven by the need to reduce shoulder strain. But it's critics argue that the over compensation sometimes required to muscle the ball over the net in the latter half of the motion, actually attracts a greater risk of injury over the longer term.

I have to say though, that not every shortened takeback ought to be likened to Andy Roddick's service motion, nor was it the first thing that came to mind when I reexamined Shaza's serve today, although there are some similarities.

My view on Roddick's service motion is that it should be viewed in the same way you might admire a herd of elephants in the Serengeti: safely from a distance and with some awe - not used as a template for advancing your own technique.

As for Shaza's 'atrocious' motion, it's true that without her old serve, she's a fraction of the player that won those three Slam Titles. But is it not just a teensy-bit unfair to set the tone for the remainder of her career on the basis of what's transpired in just three months, and what is after all a work in progress?

***

Federer battled past Ferrer yesterday ... eventually. With Ferrer being one of the founding members of the 'eight-and-oh' club, and with him still nursing those knee complaints, I was expecting this to be over in straights.

I saw parts of the match, and couldn't understand why it was taking so long, nor what Ferrer was doing differently, if anything.

Turns out I was right first time, for Ferrer never really does anything differently, and simply adjusted better to the windy conditions.

That probably means Federer's still a little limp going into the quarters. Which should be of some concern to his fanbase, as this might be the first week on tour, since prior to the French Open that he's had to take on both Muzz and one of Rafa/Djoko back to back.

That'll do away with my tennis apathy quite nicely thanks.

Things are hotting up on the womens tour too. I always thought that Clijsters' reintroduction would throw the cat amongst the pigeons; I did not however expect the bison stampede that's seen many failing causes falling over each other in an effort to shape up.

-- Serena has reached the quarters of a Premier for the first time since records in my memory-banks began. Ok that was a slight exaggeration. But seriously now, was it not Venus wearing the 'Premier' hat up until this week? I haven't seen a single match of Serena's, and intend to keep it that way, at least until she takes on Dementieva in the semis, assuming Elena makes it past Stosur. If they can both put on a repeat of the Wimbledon Semis, apathy will have all but been swept away. And if Serena can somehow win this event, almost all will have been forgiven.

-- You know what else has been good about Kims comeback? How she's had to suffer the odd loss to the players we really ought to consider the tour's top performers. Dinara may be on the slide, but there was something almost righteous and ordered about her win over Kim last week. And if Jelena's managed to rediscover her form at Kim's expense, you'll not find me complaining much either. That said, if anyone was still nursing any doubts about the legitimacy of Kim's comeback, have another look at the way in which she dismantled Azarenka. The one early round ladies match I did manage to catch, and more than glad I did. A harmonious symmetry of an exhibition on both the absorption and injection of pace against perhaps the tour's most intense game face.

-- Meanwhile the Sharapova comeback continues, more or less unabated. I don't want to get into questions about 'where she is'. That discussion is as stale as it is meaningless. But it's very 2007 to have Jelena, Elena, Shaza and Serena contesting quarter finals once again.