The guys at the park I play at were talking about Gael Monfils after he lost to Roger Federer in straight sets. They are frustrated by the perpetual underachieving of the super talented and athletic Le Monf and suggested he needs to take a much more disciplined approach to competition and that he should cut off his hair and change his attitude to be more “boot camp” oriented.
I still can’t forget that epic failure by Sabine Lisicki, blowing the leads, match points and ultimately the match to Vera Zvonareva, and then collapsing and laying on the ground sobbing and crying, completely and utterly devastated. This was painful and sad to watch her being carried off the court on a stretcher. The pressure of the moment seemed to overcome Lisicki more than any apparent injury. Tennis can be a cruel and brutal sport sometimes, and this match portrayed that side of it. It would be nice to see Lisicki learn from and come back from this but it won’t be easy. The other competitors now know that a breakdown like this can happen again. But full credit to Zvonareva who showed she is a tremendous fighter on the court.
The ESPN and Tennis Channel coverage is excellent, the only complaints I can think of are those excessively overplayed commercials by Lacoste, the one with the three models, and the Tennis Channel French Open theme music which just does not capture or do justice to the essence of the event. It really is a pleasure and privilege to listen to Darren Cahill, Cliff Drysdale, Brad Gilbert, Patrick McEnroe, Mary Joe Fernandez, Martina Navratilova, Justin Gimelstob, Leif Shiras, Chris Fowler and Pam Shriver.
Nadal sure did not look like a guy lacking confidence or self-belief in his win against Soderling. He is stepping it up at the right time.
Did you hear that Austrian fringe player and renowned bad boy Daniel Koellerer was suspended for life for attempted match-fixing, and also fined $100,000?
It’s impossible to understand how the French crowd does not warm up to a guy like Rafael Nadal. Sure, they do respect him but he is clearly not a big favorite of the French people, like Kuerten and Agassi were, despite all his class, achievements and tremendous efforts at their tournament. I just don’t understand it. Maybe they won’t embrace Nadal because Federer is their man.
That was a very strange moment in the Troicki-Murray match when the ballkid ran onto the court during the point. Something like this would never happen in New York, Wimbledon or Australia. And it’s still hard to believe Troicki could blow that match, being just two points away from victory at 30-love. Troicki played such an excellent match to clinch the Davis Cup final vs. Llodra and France, so he has the experience to come through under extreme pressure. Maybe it’s a testament to how well Murray is playing now and how confident he is that he came back and overcame Troicki.
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Dan Markowitz · June 2, 2011 at 8:11 pm
I think it’s more true that Troicki lost the match rather than Murray won it. Murray is not playing as aggressively with his down-the-line backhand and in general, he hasn’t been putting his opponent away. Troicki almost beat Djokovic last year in first round of Open. He seems to be a talent who gets to the verge of beating a Top-4 player in a big event, but can’t go the full ten yards.
Why do you say a ball kid couldn’t run on the court in the middle of a point the way one did at the French? Seems like an honest mistake. Or maybe the kid had some money on Murray and wanted to impede Troicki.
Come on, Scoop. It is a pleasure to listen to Chris Fowler or Mary Joe Fernandez, Navratilova and Shriver? I like Gilbert the most, Johnny Mac is beginning to bore me even though his enthusiasm and detail for the proceedings is always impressive.
Warming to Nadal might just be a French-Spanish thing where the French won’t root for a Spaniard. But Nadal is not so easy to warm to. He doesn’t play to the crowd. He’s kind of an insular player in the mode of Johnny Mac, who’s all caught up in his own quest for greatness. There’s not a lightness or openness to him.
Yes, Li Na-Schiavone is an interesting final, but Schiavone-Bartoli lacked big match cache.
Scoop Malinowski · June 2, 2011 at 11:32 pm
Dan it seems the ballkids in Paris are younger than the other slams. Really do enjoy all the commentators now even Shriver who was previously very annoying in how she would always try to say Hantuchova had an eating disorder and this is why she was so thin. The girl just has a model’s body and world class talent, she has always looked the same and never once showed fatigue problems for being weak from any eating disorder. But Shriver is good now, she can be edgy at times but she and the rest all bring something to the broadcasts.