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Murray and Roddick Sent Packing At Queens
31 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Articles, Scoop
Oh dear, Andy Roddick has gone down in flames to Edouard Roger-Vasselin at Queens Club. Roddick has won the title there four times but has struggled mightily this year to mount any kind of win streak. Vasselin, of France, played at Newport last summer and was competitive at the tournament. I saw him play former ATP newcomer of the year Tobias Kamke and it was a close match. But this is a dreadful defeat for Roddick, which will dampen his spirits as he hopes to make one last hurrah Wimbledon. At this rate, Roddick, the former Wimbledon finalist, might be lucky to get through to the second round at the All England Club.
Vasselin said in the post-match interview that this win over Roddick was the best win of his career and he received some helpful advices from his friend and doubles partner Nicolas Mahut, who conquered Roddick in four sets at Roland Garros.
Another stunner today was the following match on center court, seeing Andy Murray knocked out of Queens by Mahut, in a third set tiebreaker. Mahut jumped to a 5-0 lead in the breaker but it was hardluck for Murray who had four misses in those points by just a margin of an inch or two, as one cross court forehand into the open court missed the corner by an inch and three others hit the net tape. Mahut, #64 in the world, has had success at Queens, making the finals once, and even beating Rafael Nadal.
Little known Frenchman KO's A-Rod
Mitch · June 13, 2012 at 7:02 pm
Looks like Roddick will go into Wimbledon unseeded now, which doesn’t bode well for him. If things keep going this poorly for him, you have to wonder if he’ll pull the plug on his career after the US Open.
Harold · June 13, 2012 at 7:29 pm
Will Wimby break with the rankings and seed Roddick? Is he still worthy?
Not a big Roddick fan, but I think they should..
Scoop Malinowski · June 13, 2012 at 7:32 pm
Agree Mitch, the writing is on the wall. Roddick could very well lose to a qualifier or lucky loser next week, with how match rusty he is right now. Can’t see them giving Roddick a seed, not after a loss like this. Yes maybe if he wins a few rounds in Queens but they’d be doing him a big favor if they seed him.
Andrew Miller · June 14, 2012 at 12:04 am
Wimbledon should definitely seed Roddick, three time finalist.
Steve · June 14, 2012 at 2:01 pm
Might be too soon to judge the Murray/Lendl alliance but so far he hasn’t gotten better. I wonder what Ivan is advising him to do. On the other hand, Mahut is a dangerous player and maybe Murray is still absorbing a new attitude and approach to the game.
Scoop Malinowski · June 14, 2012 at 2:11 pm
Andrew should they seed Hewitt, he’s a former champion.
Scoop Malinowski · June 14, 2012 at 2:14 pm
So far Lendl isn’t making a difference. They came close in Australia in the SF but it’s been downhill since. That loss to Djokovic was a heartbreaker. It just doesn’t appear that Murray has the belief that he can overcome the top 3. Maybe it’s just physically and mentally impossible for Murray to go up another level.
Mitch · June 14, 2012 at 3:37 pm
Murray beat Djokovic in Dubai. He can beat the top 3, but hasn’t done so in a big match in a long time. He definitely seems to be drifting farther away from winning a slam, though there’s still plenty of time for him to get it together. Between him and Fed, I wonder who will be next to make a slam final?
Scoop Malinowski · June 14, 2012 at 4:50 pm
Yes but I wonder if Djokovic wasn’t conserving for the bigger events, like Sampras once said, Nobody remembers who won Philadelphia. Murray is in need of a monster win, in the form of an upset of one of the big three in a slam. Anything else is what’s expected. That’s an awful lot of pressure to have to deal with year after year.
Steve · June 14, 2012 at 5:34 pm
Murray should have stuck with Glbert.
Scoop Malinowski · June 14, 2012 at 6:21 pm
Steve do you really think BG could have made a difference and lifted Murray to slam titles? What could he have said or done? Not sure if any coach has the solution. Fed, Djok and Nadal are just too tough for him in the majors. He needs a lucky break, like a default or two, or a shock upset. But even then he could choke against someone like Berdych or Cilic or Delpo or Fish.
Dan Markowitz · June 14, 2012 at 7:24 pm
I think Murray is a headcase and needs a more communicative coach than Lendl. Gilbert would’ve been better. But Murray abused him too much. Murray has become too comfortable playing a defensive game and he needs to go on the offensive big time to beat the top 3.
Steve · June 14, 2012 at 9:17 pm
The legendary players from the 70s/80s don’t seem to gel with younger players as coaches. When coddled millionaires meet bitter competitors the results are mixed at best.
No, BG won’t win a slam for you but at least his style of play was more similar to Murray’s. I’m sure he understood his game and would come up with new game plans. Lendl’s style of play was very different than Murray’s but I was hoping he could instill some focus and maturity into his psyche.
I agree, Murray is going to need luck to win a single slam.
Steve · June 14, 2012 at 9:20 pm
I think if he figures out how to beat someone like Berdych consistently that would be a sign of massive improvement.
Steve · June 14, 2012 at 9:21 pm
Concerning Roddick at Wimby, if they could put Sampras on the graveyard of champions he should be happy to be playing there on any court.
loreley · June 15, 2012 at 7:10 am
Almost no seeded player left at Queen’s.
I was not surprised that Murray lost against Mahut. Tsonga lost yesterday too. He injured himself very bad. Slipped on the grass like so many others. He thinks his finger is broken.
The players have not enough time to prepare on grass. Even Roger slipped in Halle. For a moment I thought he twisted his knee.
Did you hear what Tommy Haas said about Murray?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-2158424/Tommy-Haas-accuses-Andy-Murray-exaggerating-court-injuries.html
Scoop Malinowski · June 15, 2012 at 12:59 pm
Steve at the rate Murray is going he might get surpassed by Berdych. Not sure if Murray can establish dominance over players like Berdych, Del Potro or Fish. You’re right though, that’s what he needs to do.
Scoop Malinowski · June 15, 2012 at 1:06 pm
Loreley; Those were strong comments by Haas but very fair comments. He seems to be a player rep informing Murray that all the players know what he’s doing and it’s almost like a gentle warning to cut it out, before the union really unloads on him. It’s been a strange Queens, we might get a big surprise winner this year. Everyone slips on grass, I remember even Sampras would take a few tumbles now and again. Saw Dimitrov wipe out but still make a winning forehand volley vs. Mahut. I’ve played on grass a couple of times and when you run fast and have to make quick shifts, it’s inevitable that you’re gonna hit the deck. Those grass stains on your shorts don’t come out either )
Steve · June 15, 2012 at 2:02 pm
Murray had toned it down for a while but now playing possum us back.
Scoop Malinowski · June 15, 2012 at 2:11 pm
Give Murray credit at least he’s trying new approaches and tactics, even if they aren’t well received or popular, but they are calculated attempts to win that elusive first major title.
Steve · June 15, 2012 at 3:46 pm
Playing possum is way more annoying than Nadal asking to stop play due to rain.
Scoop Malinowski · June 15, 2012 at 4:05 pm
Steve, Did you see Nadal vs. Petszchner at Wimbledon when Nadal was down 1 set to 2 and struggling in the fourth, when he suddenly had a knee problem, called a timeout and then after the near ten minute delay which iced the German, Nadal played and ran the court like gangbusters, winning easily in five. Petszchner likely was rather annoyed by that episode by Rafa.
Scoop Malinowski · June 15, 2012 at 4:07 pm
Saw the end of Dimitrov’s win over Anderson at Queens. What an entertaining player to watch. Fine win for the talented and tearful Bulgarian. He’s into his first ATP SF.
Steve · June 15, 2012 at 6:10 pm
I don’t see Nadal as a faker. I think his injuries are legit.
loreley · June 15, 2012 at 6:50 pm
Nadal is doing the same sometimes. Maybe that’s why he defended Murray. Said he is a great guy & doesn’t take MTO to disturb his opponents.
Nadal said that Contador is a great guy too. 😉
Murray when asked about Haas’s comment:
“Nothing to say on it. That’s good. Good for him,â€
“The time I have been on tour I’ve been called many, many things. My personality not being exciting enough. I have been called boring. It was said I was unfit, lazy, fake injuries. I mean, all sorts. It’s something that kind of goes hand in hand with playing sport. People criticize you regularly. You need to just deal with it. But I don’t care for his opinion.”
I dislike him even more now. Haas is not just “people”. Murray should listen to his peers. I guess he is aware now that they think he isn’t fair.
Scoop Malinowski · June 16, 2012 at 1:36 pm
It’s no big deal. If everyone thinks Murray is faking then they should just play on. Or challenge him on it on the court. Or fake back. I think this drama will add some good controversy to the sport. The sport needs more of this kind of bickering, like from the days of McEnroe, Connors, Nastase. Murray has every right to fake injuries if he wants to, he just better be good at it, or he’ll have to deal with the blowback. The quality of tennis is great enough but this sort of thing adds to the overall theater of the show. Even if Murray is totally faking, I don’t mind it at all and don’t respect him any less. Tennis is a tough sport with a ton of pressure to win and Murray must do what he has to do. Boxers play possum and fake their opponents all the time, trying to lure them in or bluff them. Vitali Klitschko said Lennox Lewis faked like he was hurt a few times setting a trap and then when Vitali went on the attack, Lewis was waiting and stunned him. Muhammad Ali did this all the time. For tennis players to be complaining about fakery and playing possum could add the generality that tennis players are wimpy. Just suck it up and tough it out Tommy!
loreley · June 16, 2012 at 3:55 pm
Murray likes boxing. Maybe he learned it there.
Haas would beat Murray easily right now. They should play against each other in first round Wimbledon. 😉
Scoop Malinowski · June 16, 2012 at 8:43 pm
Yes that would be a mouthwatering matchup Loreley, let’s hope the draw coincidentally and magically works out that way to pit Murray vs. Haas. Would love to see that battle, and the drama that would surely go with it.
Andrew Miller · June 16, 2012 at 11:09 pm
It takes some time to get used to a new coach. First there’s the honeymoon – everything’s probably pretty great. Then, they find out each other, and the party is getting worse. It probably hits pretty low. And finally there’s a breakthrough.
That’s what happened with team Agassi. It was like re-learning how to play tennis. Agassi had to learn how to play simple and win lots of free points. Murray’s certainly intelligent enough to practice and play a style that brings him better results. By right, he should be challenging Federer for #3 and Nadal for #2. Instead, he’s in a funk-fest. And it hasn’t ended.
Murray usually has awesome results at Wimbledon, the summer hard court swing, and the U.S. Open. This year he’ll even have the Olympics, which for a young guy will be pretty darn exciting. The Americans seem to play better at the Olympics, and I’m sure Andy Murray will also play a solid game come London.
Andrew Miller · June 16, 2012 at 11:14 pm
I can’t say I’m Andy Murray’s biggest fan, or even a fan. I admit I pull for other players when they face off, like Dolgo. But Murray’s a better player. He’s consistently better than Nalbandian, despite Nalbandian’s limitless talent. He also seems to like working, which means that sooner or later he’ll have a better result than the vast majority of his peers will ever experience.
Bottom line is that Andy Murray is an exceptional player. He’s not Djokovic and he’s not Nadal, and he’s not Federer and he has a problem in best of five matches at the most important stages.
All of that could change if Murray wins a slam. And he certainly CAN win a slam. It doesn’t mean he will – it’s just such a hard proposition. But on any given Sunday Murray might get luckier and play more like a warrior. Will it happen? Unlikely. Could it happen?
Yeah I think it could happen. Odds are against him but he’s more consistent than Del Potro and Berdych, and plays too meekly against Tsonga. But if he takes care of those guys in a significant way, I think he’ll have his chances for a slam trophy in the singles.
Steve · June 17, 2012 at 12:07 pm
Murray is more about tactics and building points which I normally would love.
I love when Berdych beats him. He just kind blasts through Murray’s tricks.