Mardy Fish is through to the third round after two straight set wins. He says he’s in the best shape of his career coming into Wimbledon, feels great mentally and is playing the best tennis of his career. The #10 seed is looking every bit like a top 10 in the world player.
If any one unexpected player outside of the usual suspects has the arsenal to cause some damage at this Wimbledon, it could very well be Mardy Fish. He is just cruising now, taking out Granollers and today Istomin, using his big serve, machine-like efficient backhand, and underrated forehand. Fish is also using the serve and volley at unexpected moments, to great success.
He looked and sounded like a very happy and confident man – possibly on the verge of the perhaps definitive high point of his ATP career. He says he made the right move by skipping Queens Club for the first time of his career and going back to rest up and train on hard courts. Fish says he feels the best he’s ever felt physically and mentally, at this point of the long, hard ATP season. And he said it with a smile that suggested, he feels even better than great.
We saw how Fish manhandled Murray three times last year. We know what Fish can do and the many flashes of brilliance he has shown. Can he be ready to take the next step – and take down the top three?
Top ten ATP players are capable of winning grand slams, we’ve seen it before. We may see it again.
Marvelous Mardy looks like a title contender
Dan Markowitz · June 22, 2011 at 6:25 pm
Oh, but Mardy has been fortunate, wouldn’t you say, Scoop? He avoided having to play Kohlschreiber and he doesn’t have to play Simon, in third round, who’s a slot above Fish. Instead, it looks like he’ll play Haase, who he beat in Paris, and who is pulling the upset on Verdasco. Speaking of Verdasco, what did he stop taking PED’s in the last couple of years. He has dropped like Jimmy Hoffa in the East River of late.
And how about the player Verdasco came back to beat from two sets down in the first round, Radek Stepanek. Geez, Stepanek is known for dropping two sets to love leads in slams, he lost to Vince in 2009 at Aussie Open up two sets.
How about Tomic beating Davydenko in straight sets!
Michael · June 22, 2011 at 6:35 pm
We saw how Fish manhandled Murray three times last year.”
You still don’t appreciate the gulf of difference betwwen a Major and the rest ?
“and take down the top three?”
At a Major ? Please stop the madness. No one that wears those socks is taking down any member of the Big Three at a Major.
Scoop Malinowski · June 22, 2011 at 8:45 pm
Now now Michael, don’t forget who won the contest, my Wimbledon picks are red hot at the moment and I have a feeling about Fish. Dan knows I have long spouted that Fish has the potential to do some big damage at a major, he might be one of those late bloomer guys (Andres Gomez, Goran, Korda, Johansson, etc.) who put it all together late. Fish is looking really really solid right now. Yes he has underachieved for years but he’s top 10 now for a reason and will be tough to knock off any time anywhere. When Fish was outside the top 30 a few years ago, nobody ever predicted top 10 for him. But he got there. He has the ability to defy conventional expectations. Like I said: Watch out.
Scoop Malinowski · June 22, 2011 at 8:50 pm
Tomic with a shocker, Dimitrov won too, as has Harrison. Looking good for the new guard. Verdasco has had an average season so far just hasn’t been able to get on any kind of roll, those losses to Raonic really hurt him. Fish fortunate? Granollers is now pushover, he is a good player and tough fighter. Istomin is a good win too, he’s taking care of these guys in straights. Did you see Fish’s interview with Tom Rinaldi after the win today? His confidence was extremely impressive. I have never seen him look or sound so confident. We’ll see.
Dan Markowitz · June 23, 2011 at 3:17 am
The key is, Scoop, do you like Fish over Berdych? I don’t, not on grass, maybe a hard court in the U.S., yes, but not at Wimbledon. Fish will probably beat Haase. Fish is solid, but there’s nothing spectacular about his game. And I don’t like the fact that he warmed up for Wimbledon playing on hard courts. He hasn’t served and volleyed a lot and I don’t see him beating Berdych.
Do you?
If you pick Fish and he beats Berdych, I will call you the new Sage of Tennis.
Michael · June 23, 2011 at 3:38 am
“don’t forget who won the contest”
Don’t these contests usually prohibit participation by people that work for the company ?
“my Wimbledon picks are red hot at the moment”
I expect this to kick in, shortly.
https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Regression_toward_the_mean
Beating Istomin was a solid win. And while Dan’s intense bromance with Spadea sometimes clouds his tennis judgement I think he’s right that beating Berdych seems a stretch. Beating Nadal ? Not happening.
Scoop Malinowski · June 23, 2011 at 1:28 pm
Fish can beat Berdych, won’t be easy, but it’s possible. Going to be a helluva match. Fish has serve and volleyed at key moments in tiebreaks and it’s been successful for him. You’re right there is nothing spectacular about his game but it gets results. His serve is very good and his backhand is machine like efficient and dependable. The forehand is very underrated, at one point it was a weakness – during the Todd Martin coaching days — but now it looks very very good to me. As an aside, isn’t odd how such a smart tennis man like Todd Martin has had little success in his two high profile coaching forays with Fish and Djokovic? Hope Martin gets another chance to coach a top player, you just know he has a lot of knowledge and insight to share.
Scoop Malinowski · June 23, 2011 at 1:30 pm
We don’t have many if any rules or boundaries here at T-P but since I already own (and cherish) a copy of Break Point I will most likely put the book up as the grand prize for the next T-P contest.
Tennis_Tipster · June 23, 2011 at 5:40 pm
Re-reading Break Point this week.
Love the Da Vince Code!
Man, he took out some big players – Nadal, Agassi, Federer, Safin.
He is like a poor man’s Nalbandian!
Scoop Malinowski · June 23, 2011 at 6:22 pm
Excellent book and excellent tennis career from Vince. The book is a keeper. Let’s see if Nalbandian is able to have the longevity of Spadea.
Tennis_Tipster · June 23, 2011 at 7:34 pm
That would be nice, since big ole Nails Nalbandian has such a beautiful game.
@Dan Markowitz I think Berdych looks good again. He seems relaxed at Wimbledon and I’m a fan – super nice guy it seems if a little reserved.
If Fish comes to net a bit more, he could win and get to the semis imo. This is his time to do it.
Scoop Malinowski · June 23, 2011 at 7:48 pm
He sure does. When Nalbandian is at his best he can dismantle the very best players and it’s awesome to see. Hopefully his body still has many more miles on it.
Dan Markowitz · June 23, 2011 at 9:56 pm
How about Roddick and Sampras, too, in Vince’s knock-off list. Kafelnikov at the US Open when Vince was 21 and Yvegeny was No. 7. Experts say the one big match that Vince let get away was against Chang the following year at the Open in 1996. Up two sets to one and serving for the match at 5-4 in the fourth set, he let it get away. Pancho Segura said his entire career would’ve been different if he won that match against the No. 3 player.
He beat Kraijcek, Costa and Pioline at the French. Three players he could never beat were Haas (although he did one year at Delray), Korda and Rios. I guess he had a problem against lefties because he also lost to Ricardo Mello one year in the finals of Delray and Rusedski in the finals of Newport, again serving for the match.
Michael · June 24, 2011 at 11:49 pm
“Experts say the one big match that Vince let get away was against Chang the following year at the Open in 1996.”
Am I the only one that heard The Love Boat theme pop into my head when I read that ?
Dan, do experts really analyze Spadea’s career and speak of the one that got away ?
Scoop Malinowski · June 27, 2011 at 6:07 pm
How about that win over Berdych by Fish? Looking like a threat to win this thing? I think so.