And Roger Federer of course insisted on Sunday that his three-set loss to Lleyton Hewitt at the Brisbane International was not a setback to his Australian Open preparations! :)
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/s...w/28438541.cms
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And Roger Federer of course insisted on Sunday that his three-set loss to Lleyton Hewitt at the Brisbane International was not a setback to his Australian Open preparations! :)
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/s...w/28438541.cms
32 vayasula velayadaradhe peria vishayam. Let me see how many cross 30 in the 1st place. :)
Stan, the biggest problem I see is he started worrying about results. During Brisbane finals most of time he was angry, frsutrated, less confident and forseen the loss.
Its high time to reduce chip return of service. If Chardy/Hewitt could easily convert those chip returns to winners then it will be cake walk for top players.
I think Fed is still coming to terms with his new racquet. He looked reasonably good in the initial 2 rounds then started shanking all around in the next 2. The biggest plus I see is that his serve is much better (except the first set in the final) which does seem to have a bit more pop (atleast in the first 3 rounds when he was able to touch 200kmph pretty consistently). He did serve somewhat well in the final but his average speed was in the 170s' though, which again makes us think if it had anything to do with the back??
I think he needs more practice time with the new racquet along with 100% fitness... Its a 50/50 right now. Will see how the draw pans out & how his initial rounds go at AO. Hope Stefan can regain his confidence and bring back his calmness..........Still a beauty to watch though. Can't get enough of him!!
With 7 month break every other year, I think people may very well..............strategy strategy you see!!Quote:
Originally Posted by ajithfederer
New year brings new challenges for Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and the players chasing them
http://www.oregonlive.com/the-spin-o...hallenges.html
ATP Rankings (January 6, 2014)
1. R. Nadal(ESP) 13,130
2. N. Djokovic(SRB) 12,260
3. D. Ferrer(ESP) 5,800
4. A. Murray(GBR) 5,560
5. J. Del Potro(ARG) 5,255
6. R. Federer (SUI) 4,355
7. T. Berdych(CZE) 3,180
8. S. Wawrinka(SUI) 3,890
9. R. Gasquet(FRA) 3,140
10. J-W.Tsonga(FRA) 3,065
11. M. Raonic(CAN) 2,860
12. T. Haas(GER) 2,435
13. N. Almagro(ESP) 2,290
14. J. Isner(USA) 2,150
15. M. Youzhny(RUS) 2,145
16. F. Fognini (ITA) 1,930
Nadal, Federer and Murray have all been drafted in the same draw with Nadal having the chance of facing either of the other two in the Semi finals. Djokovic's got an easier draw one would think.
Nole has got a cake walk & his only challenge could be Stan in QF....Quote:
Originally Posted by Arvind Srinivasan
Nadal's half is loaded with Tsonga/Delp/Federer/Murray & he opens it with Tomic (not a serious threat, but still).
May be another GS where Federer will not even make the QF. Hope if he could somehow gets red hot & win the top 3 back to back (Wishfull thinking!!)
Tomic can beat Nadal: Del Potro
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/spor...1226799311629#
I can knock off Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, says Roger Federer
http://sports.ndtv.com/australian-op...-roger-federer
Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer ring in big guns for help
http://sports.ndtv.com/australian-op...-guns-for-help
Rafael Nadal to test Novak Djokovic, star coaches at Australian Open
http://sports.ndtv.com/australian-op...ustralian-open
கேட்கவே பாவமா இருக்கு! அய்யா! நடத்தி காட்டிட்டு பேசுங்கய்யா!Quote:
Originally Posted by raagadevan
Ditto.Quote:
Originally Posted by venkkiram
Q. Most pundits have talked up Novak and Rafa's chances at the Australian Open. Is there still belief in you and other members of the top 10 that you can knock Novak and Rafa off their perches?
ROGER FEDERER: Well, I think it's normal that they are considered, you know, the one and two favorites for the tournament. Of course, we do believe we can knock them off, yes.
=====================================
I don't see anything wrong in it.....
Brand new year More whining as usual from you know who. I told you so guys last week that a roundd of complaining is due.
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/a...3548--ten.html
Australian Open - Nadal fumes at changed Australian Open courts
Spain's Rafa Nadal is furious at the new courts installed at the Australian Open.
The world number one, who opens his tournament with a very tough match against local hope Bernard Tomic, is not happy that the resurfaced hardcourts are faster than previous years.
"The conditions of play are very different from the ones I remembered in this tournament. Many things have changed," he said.
"I think that the court is faster and so is the ball. So it makes a of it a different tournament for me. I didn't remember it like that. It's a little bit a pity for me.
"In the first round, I will play against a home favourite [Tomic], who is a great tennis player. And what's more, he is in great shape because he reached the final in Sydney.
"So it's tricky to think beyond this match. I will try to give my best in this first match and if I get through this opening match, I will try to improve my play day after day."
Nadal also disagreed that Novak Djokovic is his chief rival for the coming season.
"A very important player like Murray comes back to the circuit. Del Potro finished very well last year and he started very well this one by playing the final in Sydney. [And] Federer found good again tennis last year so he will try to start again with energy.
"Afterwards, we'll see how players like Tomic, Dimitrov, Raonic, Janowicz are developing themselves. They should go on better this year.
"There are also the players who are always there: Berdych, Tsonga, Wawrinka, Monfils, David Ferrer. In the end, you never know what could happen with all these players and you have to keep a look on them to get an idea of what rank you will finish the year at.
"At the beginning of the year, I respect everybody, I put all these players on the same level. Then, at mid-season, we will have abetter idea of who could be the most dangerous rivals."
Brisbane was fast. This is medium quips Roger. He also says that you can still play from baseline and do long rallies as French Open(well, that last bit about FO i added) :)
Quote:
Nadal's assessment was not shared by Federer, who played on Rod Laver Arena in an exhibition match last Wednesday night and considered the court slower than Brisbane last week, where he began his Open lead-in for the first time.
''I think … we'll see long rallies,'' Federer said. ''We're not talking about a lightning-speed court. In Brisbane, it was fast but it wasn't lightning either. This is like medium, if that.
''I don't know what the big problem is. You really can still play from the baseline, no problem. You can stay back, return from the back. You can do all that stuff if you want to. It's not like it's impossible.''
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/tennis/r...#ixzz2qGMBhLPP
Quote:
Originally Posted by crimson king
“You can speed up the balls as much as you want, they’re going to be so fuzzed up after two games that it’s just going to be hard to hit winners and service winners,” he said. “If that’s what people want to see, just rallies, rallies, rallies all the time, then it’s good to have a slow court. If you want a bit more even ground for everybody, even the lower-ranked guys and more danger for the top guys, you go with a faster court. Maybe we’ll get more serve-and-volley back into the game or more of the unknown, which I think is nice.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/13/sp...ed13.html?_r=0
Nadal camp must be seriously trolling out there..........
Melbourne show courts if anything looks slow & bouncier as ever since the plexi has been laid.
Typical Nadal camp trying to give false hopes as if he is going to struggle out there....
Seems to be tailor made conditions for Nadal to get the double career GrandSlam...
Roger Federer beats 133rd ranked James Duckworth 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 in the first round.
Bernard Tomic retires after the first set (4-6) due to an injury, allowing Rafa Nadal to enter round #2. Roger Federer was right; it looks like the the Rod Laver Arena court is "slower than Brisbane last week". Don't know why the Nadal camp is complaining!
Quote:
Originally Posted by omega
If players play over aggressive tennis under the false hope that it's fast, he can save himself some trouble. :D After all, it IS very hot this year in Australia. Definitely not anywhere near as fast as Brisbane from what I have seen so far. One of the smaller courts looked fast but not Laver or Hisense. Maybe the balls come on a tad faster after bounce than before but nothing that would be difficult for the problem solver.
Speaking of which, if players want to rant against the torrid, 'inhuman' conditions, how about supporting the Tour organisers in moving back to faster courts and lighter balls? Australian summer has always been hot, we just saw the Poms collapse in a heap in the Ashes. But playing slow, heavy balls over long rallies doesn't help. Players can't have everything, they have to compromise somewhere. There was a reason why the spectacle of long rallies used to be reserved for the French summer earlier. ;)
Yesterday a Canadian player and a a ball boy fainted during play.
Nadal / Federer into 3rd round.
Didn't watch the match today, but seems like Fed had some better play today. Hope he improves.
With Verdasco going out, it would be Fed vs Gabashvili in the 3rd round.
Nadal's only possible threat DelP goes out to Spaniard Bautista-Agut in 5 sets.
Nadal faces Monfills in his 3rd Round match....
Federer looks very slow out there. His shots have no zip at all, falling very short most of the times.
He seems to hit with more top spin with his new racquet which doesn't seem like a good strategy at all...
Tsonga to take Fed in straight sets to become another player to beat him in 3 different grand slams...
Nammalunga Federer-ayum vidurathu illa :lol:
http://www.orkut.gmodules.com/gadget...24137434_n.jpg
Woo hoo, Serena loses her rhythm yet again in the round of 16 at Aus Open, this time losing to Ivanovic who has tremendously improved her backhand and RoS. Third time running...wonder if Serena is no longer able to handle the Aus heat because she has been winning almost everything for the most part since last two years.
Seems she had bad back.
Its Ivanovic who stolen the show completely. Even she lost the first set, the way she carried the whole game plan against Serena was commendable. Each of her winners were absolute treat to watch. Its a watching a final match. Its very very rare opportunity for us to witness someone really dictating Serena and take the control of the match that too being lost in the first set.Quote:
Originally Posted by crimson king
No doubt Ivanovic played brilliantly. It's amazing how much she has improved. She was net rushing after returns like Edberg (Edberg disciple, please take note) and was so agile around the court. But the way she stood right in to Serena's serves also suggested to me that Serena was 'off'. Serena's serve, even the second serve, is not that weak that somebody can take it out from almost near the service line. Not to take anything away from Ivanovic, again...she played superb tennis against Stosur too.
Stanislas Wawrinka's powerful, elegant back hand winners continue to rule here. His bad luck he meets with Djoko at QF. Let us wait whether he also like Ivanovic surprises us or not.
Never Give Up guy "Ferrer" (Current era Michael Chang!) also moves to QF. Another notable Spaniard in any Grand Slam who guarantees his spot in QF. His consistency mostly ends in QF or SF. I wish he holds one GS! All the best!
I dont think this time Stan can delay Nole's victory. Ippothaiku Nole ah NAdal aala mattum thaan jeyika mudiyum NAdal ah Nole aala mattum thaan jeyikka mudiyum.
I dont buy this kind of equation. If any good day, Andy Murray and Stan have the elements in them to surprise these two. But its not that easy.. Let us see.Quote:
Originally Posted by VinodKumar's
மனசு ஃபெடரருக்கும் , புத்தி சாங்காவிற்கும் அலைந்து கொண்டிருக்கிறது. ஆறைக் கடக்குமா பத்து? பத்தை விழுங்குமா ஆறு?
^^^^ Please you support Tsonga itself ;)
:rotfl:
What a forehand to grab the second set! Bliss to watch!! I think, this is the first match of the tournament where Nadal is being challenged! Good work from Nishi!
Federer beats Tsonga- 6-3 7-5 6-4. Will meet Andy Murray in the SFs.
Dint expect this :|.
Arvind, did u watch the match ? If yes, how did he play ?