Tag Archives: Djokovic
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
Damp Squibs
Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, First Round I am quite taken by the stadium court at the Dubai Tennis Championships. Notwithstanding the fact that it is hemmed in by city, neatly wedged between the airport and a golf course, it … 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
Why Compare?
Following his defeat by Novak Djokovic in this year’s Australian Open, Roger Federer was invited to compare the loss to the ostensibly similar one three years earlier. Baffled, Federer considered the request for a few seconds, then blurted ‘Why compare?’, … Continue reading
Filed under By the Numbers, Players
Luck of the Draw: Rotterdam
Novak Djokovic has pulled out of next week’s ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam. The cited reason is a shoulder strain, although given the absence of both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, is it unreasonable to suggest that his … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
Valuable Lessons
With the year’s first major concluded, the annual diaspora has commenced, with the haves retiring to their palaces, and the hoi-polloi spreading to South America, South Africa, and West Croatia. As an Australian, this signals the end of tennis being … Continue reading
Filed under Grand Slams
A Second Stamp
Australian Open, Final Djokovic d. Murray, 6/4 6/2 6/3 Channel 7 didn’t exactly redeem itself at the eleventh hour – we’re way beyond that – but it could have been worse. Of course there was the usual ear-jarring nonsense – … Continue reading
Filed under Grand Slams
Blinking First
Australian Open, Semifinal Djokovic d. Federer, 7/6 7/5 6/4 Ever since the 2007 US Open final, when Novak Djokovic augmented the biomass at the elite end of men’s tennis by roughly half, the Serb and Roger Federer have constructed a … Continue reading
Filed under Grand Slams
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
A Stuttering Stream
Australian Open, Third Round Djokovic d. Troicki, 6/2 ret. Roddick d. Haase, 2/6 7/6 6/2 6/2 It was really brought home to me today what a lottery buying tickets to the tennis is. At a shade under fifty bucks, a … Continue reading
Filed under Grand Slams