del Potro keeps getting closer to beating Federer. Federer started the match not playing his usual strategy. He hit off-pace shots, and shots up the middle. For a big guy, del Potro moves awfully well. He hits a great running forehand. He defends his backhand well. del Potro took the first set when Federer had
"C'mon, Almagro!" "I'm not well!" Some time between the end of the first set and the start of the second, Nicolas Almagro called for a trainer. His shoulder, which had been giving him problems, perhaps due to the sheer amount of tennis he plays had flared up. Suddenly, it was Federer vs. Malisse, part 2.
As they say, stats lie. Andy Roddick's head-to-head with Novak Djokovic showed a 5-3 lead for the American. However, the two hadn't played each other since 2010 prior to Djokovic's breakout year in 2011. And Roddick's ranking has taken a tumble to roughly 30, before his recent success at Eastbourne and Atlanta which has elevated
When Roger Federer was slated to play Julien Benneteau in the third round of Wimbledon, few expected that the journeyman Frenchman would push the Swiss maestro to the brink coming within 2 points of the upset. After all, Federer rarely loses to players his age. So when Benneteau was slated to meet Federer after his
The last time Andy Murray played Stanislas Wawrinka, Switzerland's number 2 and flag-bearer for his country this year, it was 2009 in the fourth round. 2009 was the first year that the Wimbledon roof made its appearance, and this was the first men's match that the roof was used. 2009 happened to be one of
Roger Federer knows how dangerous it can be to play Alejandro Falla. Back in 2010, Federer was pushed to the brink, nearly losing to Falla in the first round of Wimbledon. Falla plays close to the baseline, has a pretty flat style, returns well. Basically, Falla plays a bit like Federer. Federer says that he
Belgians seem to produce these short stocky players. The Rochus brothers, Oliver and Christopher, are about 5'6". Such heights were more common 40 or 50 years ago, but as taller players have become more athletic, being short has become a liability. Steve Darcis, had he been playing in the 1970s, would have been at a
Newport is the only remaining ATP grass court event that's held in the United States. Once upon a time, the tour primarily consisted of grass, but grass is expensive to maintain, and unlike clay, it needs to be grown and maintained. Unlike golf, this grass is on a small area, so scuffs can be problematic.
It's rare for a match to end in a default. Even the famous Serena blowup incident where she threatened to shove a tennis ball down a ball-lady's throat in a semifinal against Kim Clijsters was not ended by a default (it was a point penalty that lead to a break of serve which ended the
Few people, outside the US, realize just how long the clay season is. The clay season begins just after the Australian Open with a swing through South and Central America. There is a small break as the two US Master 1000 hard court events are played in Indian Wells and Miami in consecutive weeks. Then,
