Tennis Prose




Oct/14

6

Shanghai

2607-142846

Shanghai Masters results:

Dimitrov d. Istomin. (3 and 3, routine)
Gasquet d. Chardy. (65 62)
Yen Hsen Lu d. Granollers (3 sets).
Karlovic d. Cilic (7-2 in third set TB)
Juan Monaco d. J. Sousa (62 76)
John Isner d. P. Andujar (3 sets)
K. Anderson d. James Ward (3 sets)
Sock d. Tomic (Sock was down 0-3 in third, big win)
Jaziri d. Donald Young (6-4 7-6). DY slump continues.
Thiem d. Rosol (Thiem beat Rosol in Miami too)
Kukushkin d. Robredo (Kuku is a dangerous player)
Bautista Agut d. Dolgopolov (Ukrainian struggles continue)

Djokovic vs. Thiem in second round.

Federer vs. winner of L. Mayer vs. Wu. Hey whatever happened to Florian?

Sock vs. new top 5 Nishikori in second round.

Berdych vs. Gasquet in second round. Rematch of Davis Cup rout last month won by Dicky G.

Nadal vs. winner of F Lopez vs. Kokkinakis.

No tags

130 comments

  • Andrew Miller · October 11, 2014 at 11:32 am

    Fed. D. djokovic. Simon d. Lopez. Maybe Simon really is a great player, he has come back again to relevant status at a premier indoors masters, like a french nalbandian. Simon could win this and settle the question once and for all of whether he is a better player than james blake and maybe even vs.
    Even if spanish armada outside nadal is sinking spains players remain tops. No generation next needed, this one still has “it” like bouchard.

  • Andrew Miller · October 11, 2014 at 11:44 am

    Federer was a head case himself. Just directs the inner racquet thrower in a productive for his match kind of way. Im sure Nadal has an inner racquet throwing personality too, but he hides it by taking extra long breaks between points (and if Nadal beat you in an hour your playing time is probably 30 minutes!). Murray deals with his inner critic by moping and used to yell at his mom (now he has mauresmo and no yelling allowed!).

    The racquet smashing is no good. These guys all need a grest sports psychologist. Nadals uncles all basically serve this role.

  • loreley · October 11, 2014 at 12:22 pm

    Djoker & Murray killed some rackets lately. Especially Murray.

  • Rogvolley · October 11, 2014 at 1:18 pm

    Stefan edbergis irrelevent to rogers sucessess so sorry to tell u . Other then hitting with him and maybe some tips on the volley but other then that he is ment too sit there and look cool. Roger is not playing like this because stefan he is playingluke this cuz he is healthier and finally getting used too the new racket on the forehand wing and serve

  • Scoop Malinowski · October 11, 2014 at 1:28 pm

    Rogvolley, Fed is going to the net a lot more this year. His volleying has been superb. I think that’s a benefit of the Edberg influence.

  • Scoop Malinowski · October 11, 2014 at 2:09 pm

    And you know what? I have a feeling Fed reading Facing Federer in the off season might deserve a tad bit of credit for his renaissance this year. I’m almost certain he read it and all the good things the players said about him pumped up and inspired him.

  • Andrew Miller · October 11, 2014 at 6:15 pm

    Annacone clearly was worse! Federer has his motivatin back. He has made it clear like Nadal he prefers to go down swinging. Recovering that mindset came on Edbergs watch. We arent talking about federers loss to Robredo anymore, the change from last year to today is nothing short of brilliance. Not unlike Nadals return to 2013 dominance- if Nadal were 32/33 it would be seen in a similar way what Federer has achieved. It isnt the big four, it is the big three , murray and then the barbrians at the gate like wawrinka and cilic who are winning their slams and not waiting for nadal and djokovic to retire.

  • Dan Markowitz · October 11, 2014 at 7:55 pm

    Federer was amazing today, and you know me, I’ve killed Fed in the past. But his performance today against Djoko was nothing short of superb. Anyone who says Edberg hasn’t had a positive effect on Fed is insane. What he has Fed doing is hitting up the line quicker in rallies to shorten them so he doesn’t get into these long rallies that Djoko/Nadal/Murray and Ferrer love. And Fed’s volleying and movement is a lot sharper. I think Edberg has challenged Fed to play smarter stronger more serve and volley tennis. Also, Edberg practices with Fed. Name one of these celebrity coaches who does that with his charge. Certainly Lendl and Becker, who are both out of shape are not able to hit with Murray and Djoko.

    And Fed’s performance today proves that if you have great movement, quickness and hands at the net you can beat even the best baseliner and passing shot artist.

  • jblitz · October 11, 2014 at 9:29 pm

    Hmmm, interesting that there’s not one single comment about Fed maybe doping. I mean, it’s not normal that someone gets so much better when they turn 33. Right? Plus that male pattern baldness of his! His hairline is really really creeping way up his head. Guess Fed’s PEDs are better than Rafa’s PEDs.

    And by the way, that was snark. I don’t think Federer is doping and my comment is just as absurd as all the ones about Rafa.

  • Dan Markowitz · October 11, 2014 at 11:45 pm

    C’mon, JBlitz, I know you love Nadal, but you don’t find some of his injuries/actions to be suspicious? Fed’s had the same body since he was 18. Nadal was a monster early in his career, now he’s not so monster-ish, but all the injuries and the breaking down of his body could be a sign of PED use and overuse. When you’re taking PED’s and you’ve done it since you were maybe 18, like Alex Rodriguez in baseball, your body breaks down more. There may be a parallel between ARod and Nadal.

  • jblitz · October 12, 2014 at 5:10 am

    No, I don’t find Nadal’s injuries/actions the least bit suspicious. To be honest I find Fed’s and Djokovic’s and others more sketchy. Rafa’s had the same body since he was even younger than 18. At no time was there a sudden change in his body or his appearance and it’s not surprising considering his genetics. His Uncle Miquel Angel is still a beast. Some people are just born with good physiques. My son’s kindergarten teacher laughingly commented about his wide shoulders and cute little tush and by 18, after all the sports he played growing up, he had a great body but he sure didn’t do any drugs to get it.

    It’s Roger who has had the acting out and the temper tantrums, not Rafa who has never had the rage nor the acne that is characteristic of steroids. I explained in my earlier post that the root cause of Rafa’s injuries is the genetic defect of a bone in his foot. Rafa has had injury problems since he was 18 or 19 which is counter intuitive to the idea he’s been taking drugs to enhance his physical abilities. His doctors sure got the formula wrong if his PEDs have been hampering, not helping him all these years.

    I just find all this doping nonsense very tedious and ingenious, especially when guys like, e.g., Djokovic had such an abrupt and sudden change in his conditioning and results four years ago. He keeps his training regimes very secret. It was Novak who read a prepared half hour rant against WADA and their doping policies after his great buddy Troicki got suspended and yet nobody makes all kinds of ridiculous spurious charges against him.

    Rafa started beating top names on the tour when he was 16 years old and hasn’t let up in twelve years. C’mon, all this garbage began when he started beating Fed regularly and Fed’s worshippers searched pathetically for a reason why their idol was getting whomped by this young kid. That site that has perpetuated the ugliness against Rafa was started by a Federer sychophant who was distraught by all the beatings Fed was taking. If Rafa gets over this latest round of problems and comes back strong and gets closer to Roger’s record of 17, they’re only going to shriek and howl more loudly and it diminishes you to be a part of it.

  • Scoop Malinowski · October 12, 2014 at 8:22 am

    Federer’s body has changed. I have the DVD of the match in Basel he played vs. Agassi when he was eighteen or seventeen and Roger was a twig. Who knows what these players are eating for breakfast but one thing is clear, Roger played maybe the best attacking tennis yesterday that we have ever seen from him. Edberg and Federer might have sparked the changing of pro tennis from primarily baseline to now attacking and getting into net. Fed is proving this style can prevail. I really think Fed can beat Nadal playing this quality of tennis. On clay too.

  • jblitz · October 12, 2014 at 8:54 am

    Dream on Scoop. Federer will never been Nadal again. Even Fed pretty much admitted it the other night when he said he had to take advantage of Rafa being injured or sick.

  • Dan Markowitz · October 12, 2014 at 1:20 pm

    Fed can definitely beat Nadal on a hard court. He’s proved that in recent years, but beating him on clay, I don’t see that at the French.

  • Bryan · October 12, 2014 at 2:05 pm

    “And by the way, that was snark. I don’t think Federer is doping and my comment is just as absurd as all the ones about Rafa.”

    JBlitz, your comment about Federer was indeed absurd but not equivalent to the same claims about Nadal. Nadal has been affiliated with a notorious Spanish PED peddler, has had a series of mysterious injuries, taken long absences and rebounded without a blink, and is going bald in his mid 20s. Quite different from a Federer who’s 33 and rebounded gradually from injury, a racquet and coaching change.

  • Andrew Miller · October 12, 2014 at 2:25 pm

    If any of these guys – djok, nadal, fed are doping this sets the sport back a decade at least. Would be worst scandal since the seles tragedy. Tennis would lose all its credibility, and I am pretty sure i would stop following pro tennis.

    In other news Riske beat Bencic for first wta title. Pliskova beat Giorgi also for title. Maybe watch out for these four !

  • Scoop Malinowski · October 12, 2014 at 8:18 pm

    Brutal loss for Giorgi, she had MP, I think she MP earlier this year in the other final she lost. Both of her finals were very very close finishes. Giorgi’s character being tested.

  • Scoop Malinowski · October 12, 2014 at 8:22 pm

    I think Fed is looking so good he can even beat Rafa on clay. But if Fed said that Dan that sounds like he’s mentally beaten.

  • Gaurang · October 12, 2014 at 10:45 pm

    My opinion on PED is simply to let ATP do its job of finding it instead of playing guessing games.

    Federer is playing amazing tennis. He is a tennis genius, and the greatest of all time player. He mostly got set back by Nadal. And whenever Nadal is not around, it becomes difficult to stop Fed. First of all, he becomes more confident, since Nadal is not around; and there’s no other player who can reliably defeat him.

    Ever since Nadal started defeating him consistently even on hard courts, lots of doubts crept up in Fed’s mind, and he started loosing to Murray and Djoker as well (sometimes). Without Nadal, Fed can again think of himself as the best player around.

    When both Djokovic and Fed are playing there best tennis, I would pick Fed to win. Fed’s game just works well against Novak’s. It amazes me to see how Fed looses so consistently against Rafa. I think Rafa can hit passing shots more reliably than Novak or Andy. Perhaps thats the reason.

    Its looking to me, that Roger has a very good chance of finishing #1 now this year. He is just 1000 points behind Novak in the race ranking, and Novak is not playing Basel, but Fed is. So Fed will cover 500 points there. Then they enter Paris with just a 500 point difference. Unless Rafa comes back from the dead very quickly and stops Roger, Novak is done for — he is going to go to #2.

  • jblitz · October 13, 2014 at 1:03 am

    Dan – “Fed can definitely beat Nadal on a hard court. He’s proved that in recent years”

    He has??? Who knew? Because the FACT is that on outdoor hard courts, Fed has only beaten Nadal twice…once in Miami in 2005 and IW in 2012. Rafa has beaten Fed 8 times.

    Fed has the better record on indoor hard (4-1) – it’s Feddie’s favourite surface and Rafa’s worst – but Rafa won their latest meeting.

    “but beating him on clay, I don’t see that at the French”

    Or any other clay court. 😉

  • jblitz · October 13, 2014 at 1:23 am

    Bryan – “Nadal has been affiliated with a notorious Spanish PED peddler, has had a series of mysterious injuries, taken long absences and rebounded without a blink, and is going bald in his mid 20s. Quite different from a Federer who’s 33 and rebounded gradually from injury, a racquet and coaching change.”

    LOL Just as I said, the Federer worshippers are the root of the spurious lies about Nadal and you jumped right in to prove me right. 🙂

    Rafa has NEVER been “affiliated with a notorious Spanish PED peddler”. If you’re talking about Fuentes, he was doing his nasty business in the 90s and early 00s – and was exposed in ’02, so you’re claiming Rafa was on drugs when he was 10 or 12 years old. Okie dokie.

    This going bald claim just makes me laugh. So anyone who’s losing their hair has to be doping. That nasty Andy Roddick must have been doping too according to your logic. Andy Murray must be, Fed too I guess, plus Ljubicic and Gasquet and dozens of other players. It’s just too laughable for words.

  • Dan Markowitz · October 13, 2014 at 2:44 am

    I was at that 2012 IW match between Fed and Rafa and Fed showed me at least that he’s capable of beating Rafa. And if Fuentes was exposed in 02 than how come he was arrested twice, in 2006 and 2010, when Rafa was 20 and 24, respectively?

    Fuentes also said, said that he did not work exclusively with cyclists but had other athletes as clients such as footballers and tennis players. In December 2010, he is quoted saying “If I would talk, the Spanish football team would be stripped of the 2010 World Cup.”

    I’m sorry, JBlitz, but when the good doctor says he’s working with tennis players in Spain, Nadal is the player who comes to mind first, accurately or wrongly. And also, if Fed and Murray are losing their hair the way Rafa is, I’ll take their hairlines and bald spots over Rafa’s. Rafa’s thinning is much more noticeable.

    But it is all speculation now and I doubt it will ever be revealed if any or all or some of these players were taking PED’s. I just think the speculation is more weighted on Nadal’s side because of this Fuentes’ situation, the way his body was so massive early in his career at such a developmental age, his injuries, and lastly his hair loss.

  • jblitz · October 13, 2014 at 6:25 am

    FFS, there was NO Fuentes situation about Rafa. Fuentes could have been talking about a tennis player ranked 200 who wanted to try something for all anybody knows. He was medically practicing mostly in the 90s and it took years for them to decide if there were any laws against what he was doing and then to prepare a case against him, taking depositions and gathering evidence and whatnot, before he was finally arrested but he had been shamed and discredited for years before that.

    For crying out loud, Bosch claimed that he was treating tennis players (besides Odesnik) so does that mean every tennis player based in Florida should be accused of doping or that the Balco scandal in California means that all west coast players should be part of a witch hunt? Of course not but it’s also just as ridiculous to defame Rafa because he’s from Spain.

    It’s not all speculation. It’s scurrilous, defamatory and libelous garbage that has harmed Rafa’s reputation and your ignorance in continuing to post it is contemptibly vile and not worthy of what you’d like to claim is a respectable tennis site.

  • Scoop Malinowski · October 13, 2014 at 8:22 am

    Okay as this site seems to now be evolving to Follicle-prose.com…I think it’s nonsense. Nadal has hair just like his father, thin and fine. Fed is hitting mid 30’s of course he might start to have a receding hairline many men do. Just look at Jose Canseco and Armstrong, two of the most illustrious PED users, both have great heads of hair. To use hair as evidence against Rafa is silly and a reach. Maybe the whole thing is. Maybe it’s not. Until someone comes out with some bombshell evidence it’s all just conjecture.

  • Dan Markowitz · October 13, 2014 at 8:50 am

    Oh, but we love conjecture here, we should change our name to conjecture-prose.com. Look whether you want to call it conjecture or speculation, Nadal to me seems more likely to have doped. And the Balco comparison is weak to Fuentes. Bosch dealt primarily with baseball players. Odesnik was the only player mentioned and he said he’d never met Bosch.

    Not that Bodo is the last word on this matter, but what he said sounds more true to me than that tennis’ only steroid problem is Odesnik.

    “…So, as far as I’m concerned, everyone from Roger Federer on down to the most desperate journeyman is a potential doper…”

    -Pete Bodo, Tennis Sportswriter, 2006

    Finally, I move that Sam Querrey, I can’t call him Q Ball now after his full sweep of the California Challengers circuit, only play challengers in California from this day forward.

  • Andrew Miller · October 13, 2014 at 3:30 pm

    Nadal is a saint. the fact nobody else sees the halo there is evidence enough. Get your eyes checked!

    As for Operacion Puerto, Nadal’s opinion on the 200+ blood bags and who they belong to – no matter the athlete or sport or what not – has always been clear – get Fuentes to release the names, for the sake of Spain and everyone else. Nadal’s always been hard line on this one – cheaters should leave all sports, there’s no dignity in cheating. That’s consistent with what Nadal said about Agassi (even if Agassi took performance-DECREASING drugs) – you do the crime, you do the time. He’s a hard liner on this.

    If you’re a druggie you don’t have an opinion publicly stated on that one or you’d do the Djokovic press conference on Troicki (which is reason enough to test Djokobic and the entire Serbian team then and there!). Or you follow the ATP advice, lay low and then come back somehow, like Odesnik, even though everyone resents you.

    I’ll say it again though – if the big four or big three plus Murray are in any way doping that would be the biggest scandal in tennis history and would be right up there, in terms of its impact on the sport, with the Seles tragedy. Nadal has looked very human this year which is pretty consistent with getting older and getting tired. To reproduce the magic every year is hard so give the man some credit.

    As are so many things the problems aren’t only where you suspect them but often where you don’t. So that would mean that the WTA is ripe with doping. Players suddenly able to go through four consecutive three set marathons? Test em.

  • Scoop Malinowski · October 13, 2014 at 3:58 pm

    Easy to call for the OP names to be released if YOU KNOW for certain that they will never ever be released.

  • jblitz · October 13, 2014 at 6:44 pm

    And how in hell would Rafa know what the judge’s decision was going to be? He and many others were calling for the release of the names to clear up some of the nastiness that is being spewed. I’m disappointed in you Scoop. You make some rational comments and then you say something stupid like that.

    Dan – “And the Balco comparison is weak to Fuentes. Bosch dealt primarily with baseball players. Odesnik was the only player mentioned and he said he’d never met Bosch.”

    And Dan is continuing his quest to prove beyond all reasonable doubt that he has no clue. Bosch primarily dealt with baseball players? Fuentes primarily dealt with cyclists! How is the comparison weak?

    Odesnik wasn’t the only player mentioned. There were apparently tennis playerS, plural, on his list and the speculation immediately went to Odesnik but it could just as easily have been any of the many players based in Florida. It’s just like the situation in Spain and you’re showing your extreme bias by trying to implicate Rafa while you’re exonerating American players.

    And Andrew, your posts make so much more sense when you stick to facts rather than silly speculation. Good to read.

  • Scoop Malinowski · October 13, 2014 at 7:31 pm

    Who made the decision to destroy the records with all the names of the athletes?

  • Andrew Miller · October 14, 2014 at 1:07 am

    Here’s hoping this “Shanghai” posting gets closed given that we’re in another week. Doping will rear its ugly side some other time, who knows who will test positive.

1 2 3

<<

>>

Find it!

Copyright 2010
Tennis-Prose.com
To top