US Open (Flushing Meadow)

[qtlaw]

Saw that Nadal was staggering last night (got broken 6 times) and Venus has withdrawn. Would like to see Djoker finish off a fabulous year.

I'm thinking that Serena gets it done, Clijsters is out, Sharapova too inconsistent, Wozniaki has no real weapon except defense (hello Aranxta S-V) and the rest of the Eastern Europeans don't have enough combination of power & movement.

Looking forward to the night matches for the Rd. 16 and Quarters; those are the best matches. My fav. is a Qtr. under the lights in '85 or '86 when some no name was rifling one handed topspin backhands down the line on McEnroe. Some guy named Lendl. There was Connors/Krickstein and Nastase/Connors as well.

 

[Quakes]

Lendl was one of the best players in the world beginning in about '80 or '81, and he finally won his first major when he came back from two sets down to beat McEnroe at the French in '84. So he wasn't a no-name in '85 or '86. (Were you being sarcastic? If so, my apologies.) He won the tournament both of those years, actually, and again in '87. In fact, he reached the U.S. Open final eight years in a row, from '82 to '89, which is a pretty damn amazing feat that doesn't get talked about much.

Anyway, the Open is one of my favorite sporting events of the year. The matches last night were pretty blah, though, and this Roddick match tonight isn't much better so far. It'll get better, though. Djokovic's the obvious pick, and he'd be a good story, but I wonder how healthy he is. I'd love to see Federer get on a roll and win one more major, but I think he's at the stage of his career where he needs help from the draw gods to get through seven matches without a loss. He needs someone to take out Nadal for him. He can beat anyone else on any given day, but I wouldn't feel as good about his chances against a big hitter like Tsonga or Berdych or a healthy Del Potro. As for the women, who knows? I understand why everyone's picking Serena, but I could see her stumbling, given how little she's played in the last year.

 

[qtlaw]

Correction it was Nastase/McEnroe under the lights.

And for Lendl v. McEnroe, it must have been '82, not '85 or '86. I'm getting old.

 

[MileHigh]

Women's side a mess. Three major champs out already. Venus gone.

And big doubles hit today with the Bryan twins going out in the first round -- first time in 10 years they've lost in the first round of a major.

 

[HanSenSE]

Let's hope Venus gets well soon, but how many times have the sisters played the "I have a (fill in the blank), so I can't play" card?

 

[sportsnut2002]

Bumping this back up considering what is going on right now on Armstrong.
After having the delay for two days (except for a few games Tuesday), Roddick and Ferrer come back out and then are sent off because, while the sun is out, water is coming up through the court. People are trying to frantically dry the court to get it playable, and the players have been in the locker room for at least 30 minutes, if not longer.
Can't they just build a roof for the two show courts and get it over with?
Update: Looks like the players are about to get back on court. Have to get all matches in the fourth round for the men in today or there is another Monday final.
Update 2: And it is STILL not ready for play. Roddick looked at it and went off on the directors because it is still wet. Play being shifted to Court 13.

 

[qtlaw]

Shame that its had this hiccup because tournament has had some really good moments; Djokovic v. Bogomolov (sp) 1st set was fantastic, Nadal fighting to stay alive. Quarters are setting up really well with Fed v. Tsonga tonight.

 

[sportsnut2002]

Quarterfinals should be fun, certainly. Could have Roddick vs. Nadal, which would be a fun one to see.
Question to be posed, since there is a chance the men's final could end up being played Monday if there are any more lengthy delays: is there any consideration of putting the men's final permanently on Monday night? I know you'd go up directly with MNF, but if there is never a roof built rain will play havoc with it almost every year, and Monday finals could become something of the norm.

 

[albert77]

Question for you tennis guys: Is Andy Roddick really as big a douche as he seems to be? Every time I see him play, he's bitching about something or another. I know tennis players are by their nature prima donnas, but it just seems like he always carries that attitude to an extreme.

 

[holy bull]

Question for you tennis guys: Is Andy Roddick really as big a douche as he seems to be? Every time I see him play, he's bitching about something or another. I know tennis players are by their nature prima donnas, but it just seems like he always carries that attitude to an extreme.

Interviewed him once. When he was good, he was good; when he wasn't, he came across as condescending, with this little smirk. I know it was a very small snapshot, but siding with the douche vote.

 

[gingerbread]

He can be as condescending as any pro athlete, but he also sticks up for what he believes is right.
He'll always be OK in my book for pulling out of the Dubai tournament after organizers refused to grant a visa to Israel's Shahar Peer. None of the female players refused to play in protest over how Peer was treated (and I realize there were time issues), but Roddick went above and beyond doing the right thing.

 

[MileHigh]

Never been a fan, and had a couple of instances many years ago that led me to solidify that.

 

[Quakes]

Roddick is a thoughtful, funny guy in press conferences, and there's a lot to admire about his career. But on the court, he's too often a douche. (By the way, gingerbread, you're right that none of the top women refused to play in Dubai that year, but Venus Williams won the tournament and then addressed the exclusion of Peer on the court during the trophy ceremony. I think the ADL gave her an award for that.)

Anyone like Federer against Djokovic in the semis? Roger's played really well his last couple of matches, and I'd say he's got a chance, but I'll pick Djoker in four, or maybe three tight sets. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[lisa_simpson]

Quarterfinals should be fun, certainly. Could have Roddick vs. Nadal, which would be a fun one to see.
Question to be posed, since there is a chance the men's final could end up being played Monday if there are any more lengthy delays: is there any consideration of putting the men's final permanently on Monday night?

Move the start up a week, finish on Labor Day, and you eliminate the worry of competing against MNF. Unlikely to happen, though. As to the roof question: Ashe isn't designed to accommodate one, and if you have an idea of where to get the tens(hundreds?) of millions of dollars necessary to undertake the project, I'm sure the USTA would love to hear it.

 

[poindexter]

The men's final at 4:00 eastern on sunday has competed against NFL football for as long as I can remember.

 

[John]

Watching Roddick go after the head referee yesterday about the water on the Armstrong court, all I could think about is what a **** he is. There was zero reason to act like that. What, did he have somewhere else to be?

And what's the deal with his wife? She was the hottest woman on the planet when she walked on the beach in that yellow bikini in that stupid Sandler movie, and now it's like she's trying to look as plain as possible. Maybe that's why Roddick's being such a ****.

 

[ringer]

He can be as condescending as any pro athlete, but he also sticks up for what he believes is right.
He'll always be OK in my book for pulling out of the Dubai tournament after organizers refused to grant a visa to Israel's Shahar Peer. None of the female players refused to play in protest over how Peer was treated (and I realize there were time issues), but Roddick went above and beyond doing the right thing.

Like Gingerbread, I still refer to that Dubai event/Peer situation as a litmus test of character. (It's one of the reasons I bite my tongue when the Williams sisters talk about working to combat discrimination.)

I'll say this about Roddick: he's one of the few players who has a sense of humor and I appreciate his blunt honesty.

 

[qtlaw]

Roddick has always come across from the TV screen as a twit; just watch how he asks for a towel from the ballboy/ballgirl or in an interview. He's so arrogant. He's also got the worst backhand of a big time player I've ever seen. I give him credit for improving his fitness and trying to S&V more. His forehand looks pedestrian now and while he's still getting his aces and service winners, if you get the serve back, he does not have any other real weapons so he can be broken now more than say Djokovic, Nadal, Federer or even other guys who can hit winners.

Fed is looking dangerous especially given the way he rolled Tsonga, that was a surprise. Nadal is finding his range. Djokovic has the best mental game right now, he was getting blasted by Tipsarevic's winners yet he still hung in there and pulled out the 1st set. I'm looking forward to Djokovic v. Fed.

Nadal v. Roddick? Can you say 3, 3 and 3?

Oh yeah, the women? Serena will blast Wozniaki (talk about no weapons, she's Michael Chang/Ferrer Ver.2) and roll over Stosur. Boy the women need to improve.

 

[MileHigh]

Just flipped over to the Federer-Djokovic match. Nearly four hours.

Federer up 5-3 in the fifth (after winning the first two sets) after breaking and serving. Then 40-15. Two match points. Djokovic has an unbelieveable return and eventually breaks. Then holds for 5-5. Then just now broke Federer again and is serving for the match.

Some pretty good stuff -- and it's lost in the college football wash. They need to move this tournament up a week. It's ending on a Monday for the fourth straight year. Might as well just end it on Labor Day.

 

[Elliotte Friedman]

That return down two match points was unbelievable. What a gutsy play. Still can't believe Federer double-faulted to blow that game.