U.S. Open 2011

NUTZZ

US Open - VIDEO: Nadal collapses with cramp at press conference

_Bella_

The tiebreaker between Dolgopolov and Djokovic was really tense and made awesome viewing. Really nice to see Ivanovic playing much better against Williams and although she lost she showed signs she could return to the world's top 10. Hard choice now whether to continue watching the Djokovic match or to switch over and watch the Tsonga/ Fish match.

dfx-

Decent game between Kuznetsova and Wozniacki, Kuznetsova looks to be out on her feet after being a set and 1-4 up...

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

NUTZZ wrote: »

US Open - VIDEO: Nadal collapses with cramp at press conference

Wozniacki taking the wee wee out of Nadal in her press conference. Some people not impressed it seems.
http://www.telegraaf.nl/telesport/video_telesport/10495611/__Wozniacki_doet_Nadal_na__.html?cid=short

I'm not impressed with the women's draw this year at all. Seeding Serena so low was a terrible decision. It's unfair on her and on the players that got drawn against her so early too. It doesn't seem to have bothered Serena that much, she's ploughed through all of them without dropping a set, but still, poor decision in my opinion.
I honestly don't see anyone beating her. I don't even know if anyone will take a set off her!!
Not to take away from her achievements or success but it is really boring to watch when you know from the start it's hers. As soon as Clijsters pulled out it was hers. I thought maybe Sharapova would challenge if she sorted herself out but she's gotten more inconsistent, even since Cincinnati.

As for the men's, well it's kind of gone as planned so far. I think Federer/Djokovic would have made the best final, but that's not possible with the draw.
Djokovic hasn't really been challenged yet apart from the first set yesterday against Dolgopolov. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing for him? Federer is the same, he's cruised through. Nadal doesn't look great, but you can never rule him out. Murray, I don't like him, but he is a very very good player and I could see him reaching the final.

Really nice to see Ivanovic playing much better against Williams and although she lost she showed signs she could return to the world's top 10.

Agreed. She never really stood a chance against Serena yesterday. She's playing much better and looking much happier than I've seen for quite some time now. She's only been working with Nigel Sears for a little over a month now and sh's improved so much in such a short time. I think she'll be back in the mix next year (if she can sort out that ball toss.)

RosyLily

Federer played great tennis last night to see off Tsonga in 3 sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. Sets up a semi-final clash with Djokovic.
The other men's QFs will take place today; up first on Ashe is John Isner vs. Andy Murray. This should be a good one- Isner has a great serve and Murray has a great return. Could go to 4 or 5 sets. After that is Rafael Nadal vs. Andy Roddick. Roddick played great tennis against Ferrer, let's see if he can keep it up! Nadal is getting stronger and better with each round.

I don't understand why they can't have all mens QFs on the one day and give players a rest day before playing SFs. Personally, I think Wimbledon has it down the way its provisional order of play is set out.

On the women's side of things, Serena Williams had little trouble against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in her QF match. Her serve was a bit patchy in the first set but it was unbelievable in the second set. Really can't see past Serena as the champion!

Her opponent in the SF will be world number 1 Caroline Wozniacki who can through against Andrea Petkovic in straight sets, 6-1, 7-6. Petkovic was awful in the 1st set; errors flew off her racquet. I think the commentators mentioned that Wozniacki had only 2 winners in the first.
Great, tense 2nd set though! But the unforced errors really cost Petkovic the match. She had 44 in the match, compared to Wozniacki's 25. What's more surprising is that Petko had more winners (24-9) and higher 1st serve % (81%-62%).
If Caroline plays like that against Serena she will get eaten alive!

In the other QF, Angelique Kerber beat Flavia Pennetta in 3 sets, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Good match between the two; I thought Flavia would go through but Kerber really stepped up her game.

Her opponent in the semi will be Sam Stosur, who easily dispatched Vera Zvonareva in straight sets 6-3, 6-3. Stosur's serve was good and she hit many more winners than Vera.

TBH, I think it'll be a Williams-Stosur final. Both are playing great tennis and pretty much deserve their place in the final. Would love if Stosur manages to beat Serena- really like her game. Hope to God it is not a straight sets final anyway...bitta competitiveness would be good!

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

This whole tournament has been a shambles. The schedule change means the women have to play their semi's on Saturday night, and then the final on Sunday afternoon!!! While the men get an entire day off between semi's and final?

They could easily have had the remaining men's quarters early Friday, the women's semis on Friday night, men's semi's on Saturday, women's finals Sunday night, men's finals Monday. Fair on everyone.

The planning at the US open is terrible. First round starts on Wednesday, 4th round on separate days, separate night sessions just for TV which often lead to show courts sitting empty for a few hours where day sessions finished up early and then if it rains there's such a massive pile up of matches. They don't even cover the courts when it rains, so then it takes hours for the courts to dry properly!! Some serious rethinking needs to take place before next year.

Johnmb

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

This whole tournament has been a shambles. The schedule change means the women have to play their semi's on Saturday night, and then the final on Sunday afternoon!!! While the men get an entire day off between semi's and final?

They could easily have had the remaining men's quarters early Friday, the women's semis on Friday night, men's semi's on Saturday, women's finals Sunday night, men's finals Monday. Fair on everyone.

The planning at the US open is terrible. First round starts on Wednesday, 4th round on separate days, separate night sessions just for TV which often lead to show courts sitting empty for a few hours where day sessions finished up early and then if it rains there's such a massive pile up of matches. They don't even cover the courts when it rains, so then it takes hours for the courts to dry properly!! Some serious rethinking needs to take place before next year.

And they weren't even going to change the final to Monday, it was only after the players publicly complained that they made that decision. While I actually hope the winner of the Djokovic/Federer match wins the whole thing, it would have been completely unfair to have their opponent have to come through 4 five set matches in 4 days! It's a poor reflection on the organizers that it took a public campaign by the players to get them to accept that and do something about it.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Johnmb wrote: »

And they weren't even going to change the final to Monday, it was only after the players publicly complained that they made that decision. While I actually hope the winner of the Djokovic/Federer match wins the whole thing, it would have been completely unfair to have their opponent have to come through 4 five set matches in 4 days! It's a poor reflection on the organizers that it took a public campaign by the players to get them to accept that and do something about it.

The winner of the Djokovic/Federer match has to be the favourite because they will have had today off, where as the other half of the draw are playing today. Plus, this is the 4th year in a row where they've had to have a Monday final, so it's not just like they've had a really unlucky year this year. Federer said it himself last night, maybe a roof isn't deemed necessary by the USTA but if they don't build a roof they need to change the schedule.

Johnmb

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

The winner of the Djokovic/Federer match has to be the favourite because they will have had today off, where as the other half of the draw are playing today. Plus, this is the 4th year in a row where they've had to have a Monday final, so it's not just like they've had a really unlucky year this year. Federer said it himself last night, maybe a roof isn't deemed necessary by the USTA but if they don't build a roof they need to change the schedule.

They need to do both. Even in the good weather years, that Super Saturday thing was a joke. It was a fairly regular occurrence where there'd be one straight sets semi (often the first one) and one really tight and tough semi over 4/5 sets (often the second one), and the next day in the final you could clearly see one fresh player playing one absolutely knackered player. This year the women will get to feel that. 2 night matches for the ladies semis. What's the betting that one will be a long tough one, and the other will be easy? Okay, Serena being involved means that the final will automatically be relatively one sided, but even if she wasn't in the tournament, the schedule would be likely to contribute to a one sided final.

the_monkey

What a sh*t US Open, Federer on form and will beat Djokovic - but of course he will turn into a great big pussy on Monday and Nadal will win his 2nd undeserved slam of the year.

he is a disgrace to the game - has won 11 slams and deserves maybe 4 of them - the rest were down to luck,cheating and mind games.

RosyLily

The players were definitely right to complain publicly, give their cause more attention in the media. About time they spoke out against the shambolic scheduling by the USTA. I agree with TME who said Federer got it right by saying the roof may not be necessary but they should look into it. I was really surprised when it was mentioned that the courts aren't even covered!!:eek: I know it's a hard-court and all that but jeez!! The lines get notoriously slippy and take much longer to dry than the court. The crack on Armstrong court was unbelievable!! About 6 inches long and water seeping right to the top. It's ridiculous for a Grand Slam event to be this shoddy.
Hopefully the USTA will learn from this and fix scheduling and take better care of the courts! People come to see the players....not 6 people gathered around a crack in the court hoovering out the rainwater! :rolleyes:

Andy Roddick had it right "I'm baffled you have me out here, absolutely baffled!!"

_Bella_

Its quite interesting the dynamic between the top 4. All players will be hoping for a different outcome from the other semi-final. Federer will be hoping for a Murray victory while Djokovic will be hoping for a Nadal victory. Nadal will be hoping for a Federer victory while Murray will be hoping for a Djokovic victory. I wonder if the outcome of semi final 1 will have any influence over the outcome of semi final 2.

Princess07

Anyone know a good link to watch the Federer and Djokovic match on now please?

thanks

MisterAnarchy

Federer looks like he has it in the bag,Djokovic looks tired and lacking belief.

Its funny how Federer is generally full of belief and confidence against Djokovic yet he goes to pieces against his bete noire Nadal.
Nadal on the other hand is confident against Federer but much less reassured against Federer.
Djokovic seems to fear Federer yet is confident against Nadal.

I hope Nadal doesnt win the tournament ,he has played poorly overall and has had a very easy run of opponents.
If Federer plays Nadal in the final ,he needs to find a way to neutralise Nadals primary tactic of hitting to his backhand .

MisterAnarchy

Federer is doing his best to throw the match away ,his first serve has dropped off and the errors are mounting up on the forehand .Same old faults .

Johnmb

MisterAnarchy wrote: »

Federer is doing his best to throw the match away ,his first serve has dropped off and the errors are mounting up on the forehand .Same old faults .

Yeah, it looks like he could be about to blow his second 2 sets to love lead in 2 grand slams!

If he does come through this, he should win it all. Nadal has never had Federer's number in the other Slam events the way he does in the French.

Deeper Blue

Federer should have wrapped this game up by now. Still think he'll win though.

Johnmb

SuperEagle wrote: »

Federer should have wrapped this game up by now. Still think he'll win though.

He seems to be doing his best to get Djokovic into the final!!!

Johnmb

So this'll be the first year since 2002 that Federer won't will a Slam. And it's the 2nd Slam in a row that he has let a 2-0 in sets lead slip, something that had never happened prior to Wimbledon, and now it's happened twice. Definitely the end of his era, although he does still have another Slam in him if he keeps going. The thing is that now if/when he does it, it'll be like Sampras' last one, a surprise that nobody was realistically expecting to happen.

_Bella_

What a rollercoaster of a match! Unbelievable finish. In that fifth set wasn't sure who was going to win, Federer definitely was playing better at the beginning of the set and when Federer broke and had two match points I thought it was curtains for Novak. Fantastic how he turned it around, especially with that forehand return winner!

MisterAnarchy

Johnmb wrote: »

Definitely the end of his era, although he does still have another Slam in him if he keeps going. The thing is that now if/when he does it, it'll be like Sampras' last one, a surprise that nobody was realistically expecting to happen.

I wouldnt write his epitaph just yet ,it took a superhuman effort from Djokovic and a slice of luck to defeat Federer.

Federer played well for 2 sets and had the measure of Djokovic,he was dictating the play.
Then at the start of the third for some bizarre reason he took the foot off the pedal instead of keeping the pressure on .
It was as if he conceded the 3rd and 4th set to save his energy for the fifth ,very strange.

The 5th set was top quality from both players and for Federer to not take 2 match points was criminal.
That outrageous return from Djokovic at 5-3 and 40-15 down was insane and after that Federers body language was awful,he almost gave up .

Very sad to see but credit to Djokovic ,he is some competitor and showman to come back from 2 sets down against a partisan crowd.
You can't but admire the guy.

Federer's main weakness are the demons in his head and while his shotmaking is as good as ever his first serve and forehand desert him on the crucial points these days.He couldnt buy a first serve near the end when he needed it.

Johnmb

MisterAnarchy wrote: »

I wouldnt write his epitaph just yet ,it took a superhuman effort from Djokovic and a slice of luck to defeat Federer.

Federer played well for 2 sets and had the measure of Djokovic,he was dictating the play.
Then at the start of the third for some bizarre reason he took the foot off the pedal instead of keeping the pressure on .
It was as if he conceded the 3rd and 4th set to save his energy for the fifth ,very strange.

The 5th set was top quality from both players and for Federer to not take 2 match points was criminal.
That outrageous return from Djokovic at 5-3 and 40-15 down was insane and after that Federers body language was awful,he almost gave up .

Very sad to see but credit to Djokovic ,he is some competitor and showman to come back from 2 sets down against a partisan crowd.
You can't but admire the guy.

Federer's main weakness are the demons in his head and while his shotmaking is as good as ever his first serve and forehand desert him on the crucial points these days.He couldnt buy a first serve near the end when he needed it.

I highlighted the main reasons I think his era is over, rather than just on pause. It's not just based on this match, but this match proves it is not a one-off when he dropped a 2 set lead against Tsonga, and it proves that Federer is no longer able to raise his game at will in the Slams. If he keeps going, he will win another, but will never be a favorite again. At this rate, Murray will overtake him in the rankings sooner rather than later.

Johnmb

Nadal is cruising now, can't see him dropping a 2-0 lead somehow!

MisterAnarchy

Can anyone tell me why Murray is standing about 8 yards behind the baseline for Nadals serves ????
This match is a big comedown after the quality stuff earlier.

I expect Serena to annihilate Wozniacki later on .

RosyLily

Johnmb wrote: »

So this'll be the first year since 2002 that Federer won't will a Slam. And it's the 2nd Slam in a row that he has let a 2-0 in sets lead slip, something that had never happened prior to Wimbledon, and now it's happened twice. Definitely the end of his era, although he does still have another Slam in him if he keeps going. The thing is that now if/when he does it, it'll be like Sampras' last one, a surprise that nobody was realistically expecting to happen.

Remember this and put a load of money on Fed to win if he's an outside favourite. Ya could be on a winner!:p

Pretty much like last year all over again...terrible deja vu if you're a Federer fan!!:(

Nadal is making mincemeat outta Murray at the moment! Great form from the Spaniard, peaking at the right time in the Slam.

MisterAnarchy

RosyLily wrote: »

Remember this and put a load of money on Fed to win if he's an outside favourite. Ya could be on a winner!:p

Yip,brings back sweet memories.
I had a small amount of money on Pistol Pete to win back in 2002 @ 20-1

Come on Murray !

Arianna_26

I'm delighted to see Nadal reaching the final, hope he can win this one!

steelcityblues

How enjoyable were both men's semis yesterday? Some of the baseline shots in particular were of the highest quality.

The final should be special too.

MisterAnarchy

MisterAnarchy wrote: »

I expect Serena to annihilate Wozniacki later on .

And so she did ,quelle surprise.
Made a few pound on the match,even money on it lasting less than 21 games .:)

Wozniacki managed a whopping zero winners in the first set and 5 in the second.Pathetic.
Makes a farce of the rankings ,Wozniacki is a limited pusher .

Interesting bit of trivia,not since 1995 has the women's final gone to a decider and this one is unlikely to buck that trend.

Johnmb

MisterAnarchy wrote: »

And so she did ,quelle surprise.
Made a few pound on the match,even money on it lasting less than 21 games .:)

Wozniacki managed a whopping zero winners in the first set and 5 in the second.Pathetic.
Makes a farce of the rankings ,Wozniacki is a limited pusher .

Interesting bit of trivia,not since 1995 has the women's final gone to a decider and this one is unlikely to buck that trend.

It's not likely. Since Serena pulled out of Cincinnati the women were only ever going to be playing to get as far as they could before coming up against her. Wozniacki is the deserving world number 1. Over the last 52 weeks she has been the best player on the most consistent basis, week in and week out. The rankings don't lie in that regard. But unless drastic changes are made to the women's game in general, everyone will have to wait for Serena to fully retire, and that probably won't happen any time soon as long as she can get away with a part time schedule.

the_monkey

Arianna_26 wrote: »

I'm delighted to see Nadal reaching the final, hope he can win this one!

Would be a black day for the sport if that cheat and disgrace robbed
another undeserved slam to add to his swag.

Scanlas The 2nd

Johnmb wrote: »

I highlighted the main reasons I think his era is over, rather than just on pause. It's not just based on this match, but this match proves it is not a one-off when he dropped a 2 set lead against Tsonga, and it proves that Federer is no longer able to raise his game at will in the Slams. If he keeps going, he will win another, but will never be a favorite again. At this rate, Murray will overtake him in the rankings sooner rather than later.

It's the consistency that's gone from Federer. As a Federer fan overall I'm actually encouraged by his level of performance in the US Open. He outplayed the number 1 player in the world. I reckon he'll win 2 slams next year.

strawberryb0y

the_monkey wrote: »

Would be a black day for the sport if that cheat and disgrace robbed
another undeserved slam to add to his swag.

Yawn

steelcityblues

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

It's the consistency that's gone from Federer. As a Federer fan overall I'm actually encouraged by his level of performance in the US Open. He outplayed the number 1 player in the world. I reckon he'll win 2 slams next year.

Federer's the greatest, but that is a very bold statement considering Djokovic and Nadal have not shown much complacency, even at the close of the tennis year.

If he wins 1 out of the big 4, that would be good going, at this stage of his career.

the_monkey

strawberryb0y wrote: »

Yawn

yeah yawn, yawn away but it's the truth.

pconn062

the_monkey wrote: »

yeah yawn, yawn away but it's the truth.

Yeah we know you think hes a cheat and thats fair enough, but repeating yourself to us is not gonna change anything.

RosyLily

I agree with Scanlas the 2nd. I was really encouraged by Federer's performance in the first 2 sets; it was like watching him play 5 or so years ago when he was in his prime.

There's talk that he'll rethink his situation more with whispers of him considering retirement. Personally, I don't think he'll retire yet, maybe after the Olympics 2012 but not before then. I can see him playing a smaller schedule of events next year to peak at the Slams.

Johnmb

RosyLily wrote: »

I agree with Scanlas the 2nd. I was really encouraged by Federer's performance in the first 2 sets; it was like watching him play 5 or so years ago when he was in his prime.

There's talk that he'll rethink his situation more with whispers of him considering retirement. Personally, I don't think he'll retire yet, maybe after the Olympics 2012 but not before then. I can see him playing a smaller schedule of events next year to peak at the Slams.

It'll be interesting to see how he deals with no longer being the best. The very thing that encouraged you is what has discouraged me, he only seems to have two good sets in him against the better players (or the good players playing well), he needs three to win in a Slam. He won't win 2 Slams next year, but if he is okay with dropping down the rankings, and hangs around for another 2-3 years, he could very easily pick up another couple of Slams during that period. If Murray successfully defends Shanghai, or wins Paris, Federer will likely end the year as number 4! How much that will hurt him will decide how long he hangs around after the Olympics. In fact, I think that if he were to stay outside the top 3, and win the singles in the Olympics, he'd retire then and there, like Sampras after his last US Open (although he didn't actually announce it for a while).

RosyLily

I reckon you could be right with the retiring after Olympic scenario; Federer would like to go out on a high and an Olympic gold in singles is really the only thing lacking.

I very torn between wanting Roger to continue playing or retire early (on a high) and not see him become a shadow of the player he once was.

I would love to see him play before retiring!!

Johnmb

Wow! Stosur is on fire. Finally doing to Williams what all the top players should have been doing for years, neutralizing the power and moving her around instead of just trying to hit the ball back harder. Can she keep it up for another set though? Hopefully yes, it might make some future top players realize that there is another way to win besides just raw power....

kmart6

What has Serena going mad?!

steelcityblues

kmart6 wrote: »

What has Serena going mad?!

Being a moron before the point was finished.

_Bella_

Disgraceful behaviour from Serena, and the crowd are just as bad. Poor Stosur she hasn't been the same player since that call, really hope it doesn't cost her her first Grand Slam.

digme

What a pig ignorant woman that serena is.
The crowd are behind sam again

jk86

Really hope Stosur pulls this off.

Serena showed a real lack of class today

digme

sams first grand slam title is nearly hers
don't choke sam and keep motoring woogoooooo

kmart6

Well that wrecks the Americans 9/11 wishes!

At least Serena showed some class by going around the net to congratulate her....gas that she ignored the umpire completely!!

steelcityblues

All of the SKY panel predicted Serena in two :P

Johnmb

jk86 wrote: »

Really hope Stosur pulls this off.

Serena showed a real lack of class today

Serena never really had any to begin with, Venus seemed to get it all between the two of them.

Glad I watched that now, Serena didn't play badly, she was her usual powerful self, but Stosur handled the power and the pressure. Great win for her.

digme

over the moon sam won