Down goes Rafa, for the second time in a row to his former pigeon Verdasco. If this is not a sign of a decline in Rafa, I don’t know what is.
There is a minute decline. Rafa dominated Verdasco over ten times in a row and now has lost two in a row to the Madrid lefty. But Rafa was very honest and elaborate in his post match press conference. He admitted he was tight and that he is missing confidence. Also that he’s won so much and doesn’t need to win anymore but he still WANTS to win more.
Serena put a whipping on young Ci Ci Bellis but admitted she was impressed by the fifteen year old’s progress which she said surpassed her own. At fifteen Serena turned pro but was not playing big events like Miami. Serena also admitted she lost one and one early in her career to Annie Miller so this kind of loss should not be taken too seriously by Bellis.
Bellis handled the domination with a great attitude, she was in high spirits on court and also in the post match press conference, smiling and laughing, as if it was a wonderful, fun learning experience for her, which it will be. Surely some of the greatness of the greatest female tennis champion of all time will rub off on young Bellis.
CiCi said: “I was pretty nervous, she’s the number one player in the world and like the best of all time for a reason. I think it was just a really good experience for me for the future and I’m glad I got to do it. But she’s a lot better than me for right now.”
Serena: “I remember playing Steffi, Monica was amazing to play (when I was very young). But I wasn’t fifteen. I never played that well at fifteen, to play the professionals. I think I was at school. I wasn’t good enough. So I mean, she’s doing really great.”
Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares are back together after a two year separation but it’s only for this event. The Brazilians bested Klizan and Giraldo with some stellar play before a pro Brazil crowd which clearly inspired both especially Melo who was making some McEnroe-esque volleys. An odd thing happened early in the second set. Klizan started on the deuce side but in the second return game, down 0-2, he tried to start the game over on the ad side. Alertly, the chair ump noticed and told Klizan just before Soares served, “You started the second set on the forehand side.” I wondered what would have happened with the set if the ump didn’t notice and they started play? DQ?
It reminds me of a funny thing that happened in the Bryans match last night vs. Lipsky/Becker. In the first game with Lipsky serving, Bryan paused the serve because a fan behind Lipsky was “flashing a red light.” Lipsky, without missing a beat said, “I told him to do it.” Funniest, quick witted line of the tournament by a player goes to Lipsky.
Oh, another reminder about doubles. A big crowd formed by the players lounge fence calling for a player to come over and sign. The crowd was passionately calling this player. I looked over, expecting to see Nadal or Djokovic or some huge star. But it was Horia Tecau they wanted. Romanian fans are quite passionate.
Simona Halep enjoyed very good support today vs. Camila Giorgi. A small but vocal group of Romanians constantly shouted Come on Simona. They were wearing yellow Romania shirts with Halep inscribed on the front. Killer Cahill was in the box with her other two coaches but he came to the court by himself a couple of minutes earlier. Halep plays with a very relaxed demeanor. Giorgi is far more intense and high strung. On the changeovers, Giorgi’s legs are practically vibrating. Her coach Andrei Kozlov told me “it’s her style…(like) Nadal.” But I told him she’s too extreme with it.
I spoke with Stefan Kozlov about playing Giorgi in practice and he said she hits the ball really hard and he lost a set to her last year 36. Remember, Stefan also beat Harrison in a practice set last April 62. Stefan said if Camila can eliminate her double faulting flaw – she had twelve today – she can be a top player. It’s funny, Giorgi had some good service games to start the match, then suddenly it would go off.
Halep said after: “She hits very strong and fast, she takes the balls fast and I didn’t have time sometimes to adapt. I’m happy I won. She’s a tough player, tough opponent to play against.”
Giorgi flies back to Italy tomorrow.
I watched a lot of Sock vs. Thiem. Thiem is a nice player to watch, he has a complete game, moves like a cat, and can zap you win either a forehand or backhand winner at any time. He has a nice fluidity to his game and he can ratchet up the intensity when he needs to. I also like the sounds he makes striking the ball. It’s a growl which turns into a grunt. For what it’s worth, it’s the most impressive sound effect in pro tennis. I can’t imagine any player imitating it. Next time you see Thiem play, try to listen to it.
Sock hung with Thiem by saving many break points over two service games but the pressure eventually wore on him and he buckled at the end of the first set with a netted inside out forehand on the first ball. Thiem just grinds you down. Stefan Kozlov watched the match with Gullickson and Jay Berger.
Kuznetsov and Kerber waged war for around three hours with Kuz eventually escaping with the 63 in the third win.
That Monfils is a smart fella. He ran to his practice court through the food court area, because if he walked he would have got besieged with selfie and autograph requests. He’s the only player I saw run to practice, all the others walk. Just a few steps away from Monfils was Kuznetsova, who was unnoticed. But of course Monfils is the most recognizable player in tennis with his big hair, bright colors, and tall body.
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CoachSkelly · March 29, 2015 at 11:56 pm
Great stuff Scoop!Wish I was there!Great memories!!!