Here’s a little discussion concerning off-court talk.

First, there was the remarkable comeback by Bernard Tomic over Verdasco.   Aussie commentator Darren Cahill felt like Verdasco’s fitness would be too much especially as he went up two sets to none.  Cahill was very impressed by Tomic’s ability to hang in which Tomic attributes to playing possum.  Rather than go for bigger shots, Tomic slowed it down and made it seemed like he was even more tired than he was hoping that Verdasco would not up the level of his game.  Verdasco himself blamed stomach ailments which he experienced after the second set for his ebb in play level.  He said he felt better by the fifth set, but by then, Tomic’s confidence had grown.

Oh yes, the heat.  The day was fairly hot and windy making playing conditions a challenge.  Tuesday is expected to be even warmer and that’s when Djokovic plays.  We’ll see how he handles the heat, but his first round opponent is not expected to give him much trouble.  He’ll be eager to win that match quickly to conserve energy.

There’s been a bit of a spat between Nadal and Federer.  Back during the US Open when the rains were causing delays and tournament organizers were suggesting that players should play four days in a row (which can happen in Masters 1000 events, but those are best of 3 sets), players like Nadal, Murray, and Roddick complained that tournament organizers were not putting their needs first.  The US Open has traditionally played the semis and finals back to back on Saturday and Sunday to maximize viewership.  However, with the game as physical as it is, this puts tremendous demands on the players.  The organizers relented and had a Monday final for the fourth year in a row.

At the time, there was some discussion whether players should organize and make their demands known.  Andy Roddick was a bit skeptical.  He says players complain, but unless they were willing to do something, the organizers didn’t have to listen.  Even so, Roddick, now more a senior statesman was willing to help in the process.  Andy Murray’s name got attached to this when he suggested pros might boycott events to get what they want.  The players were to meet at Shanghai or talk over the phone to discuss the issue, but with Federer and Djokovic skipping Shanghai, this idea apparently got shelved.

Nadal recently brought this up at the Australian Open saying that Federer refuses to join in on the talk so he can appear above the fray.  Basically, it would seem like Nadal, Roddick, and Murray appear like whiners and Federer comes out looking dignified by not participating in the process.  Federer basically tiptoed his way around this by essentially saying nothing.  He said he understood Rafa’s position, they get along fine and that he understands they might differ in their outlook.  Federer seemed keen on avoiding much discussion on the the topic, though this may be a topic as players get through some easy first round matches.

Although they questioned Federer on this matter, Nadal was asked about his knee brace.  Basically, Nadal said he had a week of good practice with no pain, then all of a sudden, his knee hurts him and he’s wondering why.  He got a bunch of tests done, but nothing conclusive.  He thinks something got pinched.  Afterwards, they talked about his comments about Roger and Nadal tried to play it down somewhat.

Ryan Harrison discussed his upcoming match with Murray.  He first expressed disappointment with his Louisiana teams (he’s from Shreveport) with the Saints losing to the 49ers and LSU being flummoxed by Alabama.  He seemed to see the Murray match as a learning experience.  Although he didn’t say he thought he’d lose, he didn’t sound like he felt confident he would win.  That is, frankly, being realistic.  Harrison has not had a top ten win.  He has played David Ferrer and Robin Soderling tough as well as Mardy Fish, but has yet to have a breakthrough win.  Harrison was mostly concerned with playing his game and not getting overly panicked and over hitting.  He also said that he wants to stress positive emotions as he’s inclined to get a bit negative.  He feels he can’t play good tennis without emotions, so he’s not going to bottle it up a la Federer.