Tennis Prose




Mar/14

19

Sony Wednesday, It’s Thiem To Shine Bright

thiems

You know the way we roll here at the Sony, free style observations on Weds, no order, just free flow, here we go…

The Murray-Lendl split seems a shock at first reading on Twitter. I overhear a Brit writer in the pressroom, “Lendl did his job… we may never know the real reasons… Murray is such a complicated person.” I think it makes sense. Murray is complete now after winning Wimbledon, the monkey is off his back, the lifelong goal was achieved. Murray does not have that same freakish burning hunger to be Number One. He needs a new voice, new direction, to shake things up. Lendl leaves on top, he took Murray to the top of the mountain at Wimbledon.

Harrison is playing points in the morning with Klahn – and taking kind of a shellacking. Klahn can really crack the ball, it makes a different clubbing sounds off his Head racquet. Harry just can’t get a good handle on Klahn, same as last year at Sarasota Challenger when they were practicing together. If they play in an ATP draw, my prediction is Klahn, he seems to have some kind of mental and stylistic edge on Harry.

I go to watch some of Peng Shuai vs. Karolina Pliskova. The Czech is up 5-3 30-all but Peng holds for 4-5. Pliskova goes up 40-love on her serve – triple set point. But Peng responds by winning TEN STRAIGHT POINTS. Unbelievable. Of course she broke Pliskova from 30-all to take the set 7-5 – Pliskova missed a forehand wide. Then to add insult to injury the ballkid messed up her umbrella and it opened too far the wrong way. Nothing going right for poor Pliskova who got bageled in the second set. As my friend Kenny Evans says about WTA, “no lead is safe.”

I go into the tennis store here and as I enter Hingis is departing the exit by herself with no bag, just putting on her shades and she’s donning her Sonic gear. Hingis did not buy a bag of Sugarpova candy which sells for $8 a bag. I’d pay $4 not $8. There’s a huge supply of Sugarpova, hundreds of bags hanging from nails, it doesn’t look like they’re selling well, yet.

I see Kimiko Date Krumm getting both of her thighs rubbed on the steps of stadium by player lounge area, just moments before she takes the court vs. young Donna Vekic of Croatia. She looks to be suffering some kind of injury by the way her physio is massaging her inner thighs. Krumm loses to Vekic 67 26.

I meet a woman who came here with her family all the way from Calgary, first day here at Sony Open. Just like my friend Hirono who is here all the way from Japan. Hirono said she fell in love with tennis just two years ago while watching Federer beat Murray at Wimbledon. Now she’s here in Miami for eight days of tennis. She loves Gasquet, Youzhny, Thiem, all the guys with nice one hand backhands.

At the Berdych-Stan Wawrinka morning hit a fan comes over and asks me “Is that Bagdhatis?” I say no that’s Berdych and Wawrinka. But he doesn’t seem to know either of them. I find it interesting that a tennis fan does not know Stan or Berd, two very prominent players now, but he knows Bagdhatis. Just goes to show how popular and beloved Bag is. Hope he can get his game and career back on track, he’s ranked outside the top hundred now. Major struggles for the charismatic Cypriot who is healthy and has no injuries.

Federer hits with Kei Nishikori midday on outer court, while Nadal hits with Ferrer. Far more fans are watching Fed and Kei, informs my source.

Early this morning I bike by the Harbor Drive Yacht Club and spot Srebotnik hitting on the court there at 9:30.

Mats Wilander was watching Mannarino vs. Davydenko and Chardy vs. Monaco from the stadium press box, by himself. Mats gave me some fantastic insights and memories of Hewitt for my Facing Hewitt book. If there’s a better more interesting more engaging and friendly source for a reporter to go to than Mats, please let me know who that is.

Sandy Harwitt is finishing up her new book “The Greatest Jewish Tennis Players Of All Time.” It will be ready later this spring.

The highlight of the day was watching Dominic Thiem take down Lukas Rosol on grandstand. Thiem is the youngest player in the top hundred and he’s qualified at five out of six ATP events this year. This is the first time I ever saw him play live and boy was I impressed.

Thiem was broken in the first game but rebounded. At 3-all I told Hirono that Thiem was going to win. You could see he was beginning to get his feel, he has more shots more variety than Rosol. He won the tiebreaker and then got the break in the second to win 76 64. Gulbis showed up at 4-3 in the second, wearing a NJ Nets baseball hat. Thiem closed the show in style for his pal and his team, not letting Rosol, age 28, mount any kind of comeback. I really liked how mature Thiem plays and conducts himself like a champion. When he gets frustrated and angry at himself, he expresses it in silence, like yelling or talking to himself in mute. And when he does it, it’s done in a gentle nice way.

Even though this is still only Thiem’s first year on the ATP Tour, he plays and carries himself like a veteran. Very poised, focused, smooth, power, changes speeds, spins, net clearance height, can volley and his one hand backhand is beautiful to watch. Also his serve has pop. The sky’s the limit for this young Austrian. We did a Biofile after and it was just a classic, which I’m sure you all will instantly become a fan of him after you read it or see him play live.

Thiem’s next match will be against Tommy Robredo.

Another player who really impressed was Alejandro Gonzalez. He saved three set points in the first set tiebreak to Tunisia’s Jaziri and eventually won it ll-9. Then he rolled in the second. Very very nice player, big physical player with good athleticism and smart style, gets many balls back and can strike when necessary, can also volley. Heavy serve. Just seems to have that good court sense. Also competes the right way, respectful to opponent but with that ruthless intensity at the same time. “Lejo” took a set off Djokovic in Indian Wells, which was one of his first ATP level matches. Very bright future for Lejo who wears all white adidas, shorts, shirt and hat. He just has the look and demeanor of a player who can go far in pro tennis.

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23 comments

  • Mitch · March 19, 2014 at 11:32 pm

    Donald Young plays Berlocq tomorrow in a rematch of their match 8 years ago in Miami. Young was 16 at the time and got double bageled. What’s the over/under this time? I’d say 8 games to Young

  • Scoop Malinowski · March 19, 2014 at 11:35 pm

    DY could win this Mitch. Octavengence.

  • Scoop Malinowski · March 19, 2014 at 11:58 pm

    Forgot about speaking with Korda before Stepanek’s morning hit with Granollers. He didn’t want to tell the story again about how he took over Step’s career and told him when he was a journeyman dubs player, if you listen to what I tell you you will be top 50. Step listened and went even higher to top ten. Last week he gave Nadal a battle in IW. Step is amazing, so is Korda. I said people forget that story about you and Step, he said People forget a lot of things in tennis.

  • Andrew Miller · March 20, 2014 at 1:49 am

    Thiem is ready but I like Robredo in that match.

    Klahn is good! Needs a BH. I think only 4 U.S. mens players have steady BH – Querrey, Kudla, Kosakowski, and JJ. Telling ya, JJ is going to make it. In well under 1 year he’s at 241. He should crack top 150 by U.S. Open time.

  • Dan Markowitz · March 20, 2014 at 3:56 am

    Disappointed in Jenkins, though, this year, Andrew. He’s done nothing except have some success in Futures in Australia. I don’t see how you can think JJ is going to be a factor when he hasn’t even qualied into events like Delray Beach or Indy Wells or Miami.

    Who’s impressed me is Jimmy Wang, the 29 year old former junior star, who beat Daniel Evans to qualify. This guy’s career seemed stalled. He weighs as much as a flyweight prizefighter, but he is ever so game.

    I don’t know why everyone on Tennis-Prose thinks Murray is content now that’s he’s won Wimby and the US Open. The guy just had back surgery. I think you’ve got to give him until the summer and maybe Wimbledon to regain his full fitness and form. The split with Lendl probably came down to money. Lendl is avaricious. I can’t believe Lendl is more concerned with playing senior matches as his girth and the way his strokes have dissembled make him not have nearly the draw or interest as Johnny Mac who at 55 can still put on a show with his nimbleness and artistic style.

    I’ve actually gotten tired or lacking in hope of the young Americans. I don’t see Harry, Klahn, Johnson, Kudla, Sock, Williams or JJ making it big in the Top 50, to say anything of the Top 20 or competing for slams. That type of player might have to wait for Tiafoe or Kozlov or M Mmoh, who’s also in the Top 10 of the ITF junior rankings.

  • Hartt · March 20, 2014 at 10:01 am

    Saw the Thiem/Rosol match on TV and you don’t need to see Theim live to be impressed. As one of the commentators said, Thiem is a good size for a young player (not slender), so that helps. Don’t know the stats but it looked like Rosol was making a lot of unforced errors.

    Agree that Murray will not be satisfied with the 2 GS wins. To go through surgery and the all the work following that to get his game back on form indicates he is not content with his achievements, and wants more.

  • Abe Froman · March 20, 2014 at 10:14 am

    agree with Dan….the truth is not always a pleasant thing….however it is necessary to put things in perspective so the US boys can take their next steps…if any. unfortunately, no american will win anything above a 250 / 500 level tourna this decade (except serena and maybe isner could have a sniff)..

  • Abe Froman · March 20, 2014 at 10:18 am

    but disagree with Dan on murray though….he’s topped out, IMO. of course he’s not satisfied with a meager 2 slam record but to expect more from him is a bit optimistic…he’s not fed, nadal or djoko…..these 3 champs are freakshow candidates for winning. lol

  • Andrew Miller · March 20, 2014 at 1:31 pm

    Dan here’s my method. I looked at all U.S. players who we talk about 8 months out of college or 8+ months of playing the pro tour full time if a junior. Jenkins’ results fall in line with everyone I looked at except for Agassi, Isner, Querrey and Steve Johnson – Isner I think we all know why (you can’t teach a 6’8” 140 mph serve with an attitude), Querrey came out of nowhere and Steve Johnson had been playing a lot more pro-events before he turned pro.

    Jenkins @ 8 months out of college: ranking #235
    Klahn @ 8 months out of college: ranking #226
    SteveJohnson @ 8 months out of college: ranking #138
    Devvarman @ 8 months out of college: ranking #150
    Vahaly @ 8 months out of college: ranking #267
    Isner @ 8 months out of college: ranking #90s
    Querrey @ 8 months into full time pro: ranking #137
    Rhyne Williams @ 8 months out of leaving college: ranking # 368
    Kudla @ 8 months out of turning pro (age 18): #462
    Harrison @ 8 months out of turning pro (age 18): #284
    Sweeting @ 8 months out of college: ranking #265
    Bhambri @ 8 months out of turning pro: #335
    Thiem @ 8 months out of turning pro: #388
    Vesely @ 2 years out of turning pro: #300s
    Chardy @ 2 years out of turning pro: #270s
    Spadea @ 18 months out of turning pro: #230s
    Blake @ more than 1 year from college: #220s
    Fish @ more than 1 year from turning pro: #190s
    Agassi @ more than 1 year from turning pro: #90s
    Todd Martin @ more than 1 year from college: #243
    Mal Washington @ 1 year from college: #199

    So how do you judge Jenkins? I think on game – he has a complete game but he is the same height as Agassi and Mal Washington – under 6′. Unlike almost all current U.S. players, with Kudla, Kosakowski and Querrey excepted, Jenkins has an excellent backhand – his forehand side is also solid but not unlike Baghdatis can either boost him or let him down on big points.

    Anyways, I think it’s fair to say sure, at this moment in time you can’t see anyone in the 200s making a leap. Then again I think in terms of overall game you can look at a bunch of these players and say actually I think they will be there in the main draws of ATP tournaments as soon as 2015. Those guys I think include Kyrgios, Kokkinakis and I will also put Jenkins there and Kosakowski if he’s healthy. They are all complete players and need only pro-level match play, health and confidence to make the leaps – no tweaks here or need to rebuild a backhand etc – just health and match play.

  • Andrew Miller · March 20, 2014 at 1:52 pm

    To me Murray’s a player who needs to be shoved to do anything. I don’t see that part of his personality changing – he’ll be moody Murray and he’ll lose without the winner in the box. Murray without a Lendl is, unfortunately, a lot like other players that start blaming everything under the sun for their bad play.

  • Doogie · March 20, 2014 at 3:12 pm

    @andrew:

    In this list u have to take the age into it.

    Huge difference if u are 8 months on tour at age of 18 or 24 f.e.

  • Dan Markowitz · March 20, 2014 at 4:04 pm

    Let’s take a moment to congratulate Andrew, his question in Jon Wertheim’s mailbox on Si.com was just called “interesting” by Wertheim:

    Here’s the exchange:

    Some Tennis Channel commentators have been lamenting the state of the U.S. men’s backhand, let alone the scarcity of top-100 players. However, the previous generation’s members all sharpened up their weakest link while on tour (the Andy Roddick and James Blake backhands, the Mardy Fish forehand). Are we a Robert Lansdorp clinic away from some backhand drives or are we more like a Mikhail Baryshnikov clinic away, given the need for fancier footwork on tour?
    — Andrew Miller, Chevy Chase, Md.

    • Interesting. Leaving aside the issue of the dearth of Americans near the top of the ATP rankings, it is interesting to note how many of them have a stronger forehand than backhand. You mention backhand drives. But to me the issue is internal drives. And I’m not alone. Here’s USTA director of coaching Jose Higueras to the Los Angeles Times:

    “We are lacking competitiveness in our players. They’ve got good backhands and forehands and serves, but they lack an understanding of how the game needs to be played. We have good coaches, but the culture of our players needs to improve.

    “I won’t use the excuse you hear all the time about all the good U.S. athletes playing football or basketball. Sure, if we didn’t have football and basketball in this country, there would be more guys playing tennis. But it’s an easy crutch.

    “If our players were European, things would be different. Being No. 80 in the world wouldn’t be enough then. … When a high percentage of the coaches want it more than the players, we have a problem.”

    That, as the kids say, is known as “shots fired.”

    And, by the way, Jose, that’s the biggest cop-out I’ve ever heard in my life, saying that the U.S. coaches want it more than the players. Come on, who are we talking about here? Jay Berger, you, David Nainkin, Craig Boynton?

  • Mitch · March 20, 2014 at 4:32 pm

    With Del Potro out and Vasek Pospisil still not match-fit, Ryan Harrison has an excellent draw to make it to the round of 16. It’s sad that that would qualify as a big accomplishment.

  • Doogie · March 20, 2014 at 5:47 pm

    Not a good sign when even the coaches dont see that there are just technique weaknesses in their BH strokes.

    He does see good BH??? Who??

    Young, Klahn, Sock, Harrison, S.Johnson…. on bottom of ATP BHwise.

    He only justify his (lousy) job.

    Sometimes I believe that WE (here on this forum) are discussing more about technique/strokes than players/USTA working on them!!

  • Andrew Miller · March 20, 2014 at 6:42 pm

    Gotta love wertheim. Not sure about higueras answer either as ginepri last player he coached had a solid BH and maybe couriers was better than most u.s. players now? Sad if true.

  • Andrew Miller · March 20, 2014 at 6:51 pm

    Doogie my list isn’t great at all. I put it together just to say that a player who after 8 months on tour is now #235 in world is not bad at all – the u.k. keeps talking about dan Evans and kyle Edmund and someone else all of whom have a shot at davis cup and none of them are doing great in rankings . Canada is different and now has a better the than the u.s. my point is that maybe they are older rookies in the u.s. – recent college players – but that doesn’t mean they have better coaching or training or fitness. They should have more developed games but as you can tell most of them have the same big fh big serve game
    There are only a few exceptions like Kudla and DY when he is playing well. There are some others too but we have to wait for them to break through.

  • Andrew Miller · March 20, 2014 at 6:55 pm

    In other words based on how long they have been on tour they aren’t doing horrible – their rankings look like good development. To get to to big tournaments they need better training and great improvement
    The first one is easier to accomplish than the second as a lot of players have played their style for a long time !

  • Dan Markowitz · March 20, 2014 at 8:34 pm

    Whoa, I know Tomic has been off tour for awhile, but one thinks he’d come back healthy. Instead, he came out and got absolutely trounced by Nieminem, 1 and love. That and the DY 2 and 2 drubbing of Berlocq, who’s really only a clay court player, Spadea beat him once 1 and 3 on clay, were surprising. You’re right, Mitch, if Harry doesn’t make the Rd of 16 by beating Becker and probably Pospisil it would be a disappointment as Pospisil hasn’t won a match in a while.

  • Scoop Malinowski · March 20, 2014 at 10:06 pm

    Hartt I think deep down Murray is satisfied with two and the OLY gold. How hard it was to get those two, with Fed Djok and Rafa around, Two is a phenomenal accomplishment. I don’t see the hunger and burning desire in Andy now. He never talks about wanting to be number one. If two is his final tally, he’s still a legend. To win two with Fed Djok Rafa blocking his path is something no one else will ever do.

  • Andrew Miller · March 20, 2014 at 10:45 pm

    Losing 0 and 0 to berlocq made the macs question dy . to repay the favor must’ve been personal for dy.

  • Scoop Malinowski · March 20, 2014 at 11:06 pm

    6262 is a nice win for DY. But now DY has to tangle with Isner. Not a good matchup for DY.

  • Andrew Miller · March 20, 2014 at 11:57 pm

    Klahn lost in 3 to g Garcia Lopez. Steve Johnson lost in 3 to bautista agut. Back down the ladder…

  • Abe Froman · March 21, 2014 at 10:49 am

    put a fork in tomic lol….shameful, embarassing….took a major turn for the worst after that sideshow drama with his dad slapping around his hitting partner or something lol

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