30
Michael Day 3: “The worst thing you can do at the 2012 US Open is go up two sets to love”
8 Comments · Posted by Staff in Articles
By Michael www.protennisphotos.com
Today a friend came out with his kids so I did some kids things. You know, like eat. First chance I had to check out the new food place on top of the new structure they almost finished by court 5/6. More junk food but with table service and higher prices. I had the “La Frieda blend†cheeseburger with fries ($17) and a beer (forgot the price, maybe $9 ?) La Frieda is a Brooklyn based meat supplier that somehow got it’s own show on the food channel (“I’m telling you cutting up slabs of meat is interesting. Plus someone will lose a finger. We’ll guarantee that in the contract. People will love itâ€.
Probably someone will look back someday and point to that show as the period The Food Channel “Jumped The Shark. †Frankly I think the Cheeseburger at the regular food stand is better and hotter off the grill.
After lunchtime I head over to catch “just a few games of Youhzny†I tell my friend. I always watch MY and he always gets to NY early and practices. And practices. And practices.
My must see match of the day is Grigor v. Paire. I like Grigor and I’ve been watching Paire since his 5-setter against Lopez in 2011. Like all the French players he has flair. Turns out he’s actually ranked higher than Dimitrov.
Well I never get to see a point of Dimitrov’s losing effort because MY goes up two sets to Mueller. Which if you’ve been following along is the worst thing you can do at the USO 2012. Of course, Mueller repeating the effort of PHM, Milos, and Cilic to name those I saw (someone told me at the time of that match there were EIGHT ? in the first two days ??!!!) comes back and levels the match at 2-2. Breaks MY in the 5th and you figure that’s that. But MY breaks back and you figure the momentum is his. Well it’s nice to have a giant serve in a tiebreak.
Mueller must love NY because he always seems to play his best here. I think of him as Rusedski light. Very light. But the same game. Muller upset Roddick in ’05 and in 2008 was the first guy to make the quarterfinals from the qualies since I THINK Escude did it many years earlier.
So I head to 8 wondering where the heck Grigor is. Gone. I come for the Grigor but I stick around for Cirstea. She wins the first set in a tiebreak, I leave and later learn she falls apart and is killed the next two.
I move quickly from court 8 to the other side of the field courts to 17. I’m going to see Haas lose. How do I know he will lose. Because he was up two sets to love against Gulbis. And this will make match number 5 for me and I don’t know how many in total where the player down two sets to none has lost. Someone should check if this is a record for the first round at the USO. It seems like a lot.
Dan mentioned in an older post that Gulbis’ changes his forehand and it’s weird. He wasn’t kidding. It’s totally different. He used to cock his arm on the windup. Now he takes it straight back and finishes over his head. It’s odd. You’ll have to wait for the video. Easier to see than explain. I guess it’s working for him.
I felt I owned Bartoli a look after she was so kind as to entertain me on Saturday. I wind up watching the entire match. After a few games I thought of Scoop’s prediction that she will win the USO. Not a chance Scoop. Her movement is just not where it needs to be to win the USO. She’s a very interesting player though. And very intense on court. There is a substantial French component to the crowd and she gets good support. Her Dad sits there and doesn’t make a peep that I can hear. But I wasn’t that close. Must have gone to a different coaching school then Bernard’s dad. IN any case, Marion doesn’t look toward him much during the match. Most of the French photographers show up near the end as well. Including the one that doesn’t understand a 300/2.8 can’t focus at 5 feet. Either that or she just likes to point it at people to scare them. It was a tough win for Bartoli. From memory I think she went down a break in the third before pulling it out. She’s going to have to improve a lot if she is going to make a run. But I guess that’s what the top players do. Peak in week 2.
For the third night in a row the day session ends on Court 17 with a five setter (technically last night it ended on a field court about 10 minutes after 17 ended but it doesn’t read as well. And another win for a young American. This time NCAA (out of Stanford I think) champ, or so I was told becasue I never heard of him,, Bradley Klahn. Perfect weather again, nice atmosphere (if your name was Bradley) and some drunken frat boys ended the day session.
I check out the scoreboard but the only thing going on was Murray’s route of Dodig. I didn’t stick around.
(Photoman Mike is a distinctly talented camera man and a relentless attendee of the U.S. Open since the 1970’s. Known for iron man ability to log 20 hour work days in the broiling sun without the luxury of a box or press seat, sometimes on less than four hours sleep, Michael has witnessed and photographed just about every match ever played at the National Tennis Center. You name it, he saw it, from Sampras-Corretja on Armstrong to Lendl-Mayotte on grandstand, etc. etc. Yes Michael will be at the Open today, tomorrow and the day after and…)
No tags
Mitch · August 30, 2012 at 2:20 pm
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444327204577617613267103118.html
9 comebacks from 2 sets down in the first round.
Michael · August 30, 2012 at 2:26 pm
Let’s talk “ballkids”.
The term, as far as the USO is concerned, needs to be retired. It hasn’t been applicable for a while.
It seems particularly ill-used this year. For the second time I see the “ballkid” with a prosthetic leg who was working the baseline at the Bartoli match yesterday. I later learn the back story. He lost his leg serving in Afghanistan. I’ve known for a few years another “ballkid” in his mid-forties. He loves the tournament. So he comes back every year to be a part of it. I saw another gentlemen working the qualies that looked in his 60s. Ballperson makes more sense. Note to USTA, if the officials were directed and had no problems learning to refer to Taiwan as “Chinese Taipei,” please put the official word out to use “ballperson.”
But to more gossipy matters. I was chatting with the mom of one of the ballpersons yesterday morning and not unusually the topic turns to which players are nice and which not so much. Roddick first mentioned in the not so nice. But instead of the negatives I want to mention two notable nice guys as far as the ballpersons go. Sam Q says thank you every time a ballperson gives him the towel. Murray she said is another standout. A very nice guy as far as the ballpersons go. The Murray story is consistent with previous stories I’ve heard about Murray from other ballpersons. He’s always very polite and he’s cool off the court too.
I
Steve · August 30, 2012 at 8:18 pm
We must come up with something better than “ballpersons”
Dan markowitz · August 31, 2012 at 2:10 am
Fish looked like he was going down to Davy, but got it together. I wonder how many guys have ever come back from two sets down during a slam and came back to win that slam. Talking to Spadea today, he said he only came back from two sets down to win a slam match twice, once vs. Golmard (talented French lefty) at the Open and Stepanek at Aussie. He said a Djokovic surrogate called him today and wanted to see of Vince would drive up to Jersey from the Hamptons and hit with Novak, but they weren’t going to pay him anything. Can you believe that? Djoko’s got to be awful cheap. As Vince said, the guy makes $20 million a year on the court.
I think advocates for best 2 out of 3 during first week of slams will either point to this as an example of why their right, but I still like best of 5 for these comebacks.
Michael · August 31, 2012 at 3:38 am
“We must come up with something better than “ballpersons—
Yes, it’s not great but what do you propose ?
What about “ball runner” ?
Andrew Miller · August 31, 2012 at 3:58 am
Guess this is it for Andy Roddick. I think champions decide how they want to go out when they can, and I think Roddick has decided to do so.
As this site celebrates tennis thought and writing, I’d like to quote Jon Wertheim on Roddick:
“Players talk about leaving nothing on the court. Roddick’s court is bare.” – L Jon Wertheim
Here is the link if any interested:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/news/20120830/andy-roddick-retires/#ixzz255nc86US
Michael · August 31, 2012 at 4:04 am
That line makes no sense. I would think player’s want to leave everything ON THE COURT.
I’m going to mention it if I see Wertheim, which I usually do. It really doesn’t make sense.
I’m too tired to write up today. Let Scoop do it. He was there.
Scoop Malinowski · August 31, 2012 at 11:14 am
Ball transport system expert