Tag Archives: Berdych
Grass-Bound
French Open, Day Two Berrer d. Raonic, 6/4 4/6 6/3 6/4 Darcis d. Llodra, 6/7 6/3 6/3 6/3 As a journeyman drawing a seed first up, you’d rather face Milos Raonic than Novak Djokovic, probably anywhere, but especially on clay … Continue reading
Filed under Grand Slams
Hardcourt Retrospective (Part 1)
As the tour descends with wrathful inevitability upon the dirt of southern Europe, and thence the grass, the time seems apposite to look back at the prolonged hardcourt season just ended, the one that began in Atlanta last July, and … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour, By the Numbers
Game Over: Nadal and the Machine
Miami Masters 1000, Quarterfinals Nadal d. Berdych, 6/2 3/6 6/3 After some encouraging early success, the tennis engineers – or ‘Tengineers’ – who are responsible for maintaining and upgrading Tomas Berdych have had a difficult time of it. There have … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
Vintage Stuff
Miami Masters 1000, Fourth Round Federer d. Rochus, 6/3 6/1 ‘This is looking like a mismatch, as though Rochus has brought a knife to a gunfight. Federer just has too much firepower.’ Robbie Koenig. We don’t expect much from tennis … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
Just Ask Your Pop
Davis Cup, First Round The long crescendo transfiguring a dull murmur into a vast roar, stillness giving way to ripples as an exuberant accelerando tears through the throng. Patriotism granted a throat and a body: this is Davis Cup, in … Continue reading
Filed under Davis Cup
A Betrayal of Egalitarian Ideals
Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Semifinals Federer d. Gasquet, 6/2 7/5 When Roger Federer gifted a break of serve to Richard Gasquet in the second set of their Dubai semifinal, the was a collective worldwide exhalation as tens of thousands … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
Infinite Monkeys
In 2010 Roger Federer was defeated four times after holding matchpoint, an unhappy series of results that strikes many as another sure indicator of his accelerating decline. How accurate is this? The first thing to do is recall the matches … Continue reading
Filed under By the Numbers
The More Things Change
Australian Open, Quarterfinals Rashly, I started this article prior to the last men’s quarterfinal, in which a hamstrung Rafael Nadal was overwhelmed in straight sets by a sporadically inspired and always-solid David Ferrer. Of the four quarterfinals, that was the … Continue reading
Filed under Grand Slams
Overload
Qatar Open Any hope that Doha might provide a clear form-guide ahead of the Australian Open was frustrated by Rafael Nadal’s illness. The tribal zealots are of course over-analysing it, which is a kind way of saying they’re incapable of … Continue reading
With a Bullet
More statistical shenanigans today. Here are the players who have gained the most points in the last twelve months. The usual caveat applies: tennis stats and socialising don’t mix. Rafael Nadal   -3245 pts Tomas Berdych   -2300 pts Robin … Continue reading
Filed under By the Numbers, Players