Topic: ATP - 2008 AO Thread

[JadeFox21]

Dang, Fed's draw does not look easy!

You always say that.  His quarter is a piece of cake.   Dream draw pretty much until the semis.   The only concern is he might have it too easy until the semis and not be as match sharp.

agreed. i was thinking the same way. its almost too easy. #13 is in the bag. you can make book on it. newer surface makes him even more formidable here.

Oh please!  Djoker's quarter is the toughest with Roddick's and Rafa's the easiest.  No denying that.  #13 is hardly 'in the bag'.  Still, it is a draw that Roger can get through if he plays well.  But based on the fact that Roger has not played any matches since November, this draw is tough.  Something like the Rafa/Roddick quarter would have been desired.  But such is life.  You can only play the draw you're dealt.

[Clay Death]

Dang, Fed's draw does not look easy!

You always say that.  His quarter is a piece of cake.   Dream draw pretty much until the semis.   The only concern is he might have it too easy until the semis and not be as match sharp.

agreed. i was thinking the same way. its almost too easy. #13 is in the bag. you can make book on it. newer surface makes him even more formidable here.

Oh please!  Djoker's quarter is the toughest with Roddick's and Rafa's the easiest.  No denying that.  #13 is hardly 'in the bag'.  Still, it is a draw that Roger can get through if he plays well.  But based on the fact that Roger has not played any matches since November, this draw is tough.  Something like the Rafa/Roddick quarter would have been desired.  But such is life.  You can only play the draw you're dealt.

yeah real tough. i can see how one could almost go into mourning and vast depression over this. how many wimbledons, u.s. opens, australian opens, and masters cups has he won in a row now? his only rival of any note the last 2-3 years has trouble winning titles 10 months at a time.

how dominant has Fed been for the last 4 years again?

fed`s game is as vastly superior to those around him as living are to the dead.

please.

[kittens25]

Federer's draw is not tough, and to suggest it is, is a case of paranoia from the Fed fanatics on here.    The overrated one trick pony Isner, or Santoro who he always handles easily, in the 2nd round.   The unforced error machine Verdasco in the 3rd round.   The ridiculously overrated Berdych or clay court specialist Monaco in the 4th round.    The quarter probably against some non or low seed as both Gonzalez or Blake get upset, but even if one of them makes it not too tough, Gonzalez's win over Federer in the Masters Cup was the fluke of all flukes, would never happen in a best 3-of-5, and Blake, ROTFL!!!!

Nadal and Roddick's draws are not as easy as made out to be.   I would rather the ridiculously overrated Berdych in the 4th round, then dangerous Mathieu or vily slam veteran Moya.    Potential Roddick opponents like Young and Korolev are more dangerous in the 2nd or 3rd rounds then someone like the overrated Isner.     I would rather Gonzalez or Blake in the quarters, although probably someone else altogether since likely neither make it, then what Roddick and Nadal have which is each other if both make it there.

[Clay Death]

Federer's draw is not tough, and to suggest it is, is a case of paranoia from the Fed fanatics on here.    The overrated one trick pony Isner, or Santoro who he always handles easily, in the 2nd round.   The unforced error machine Verdasco in the 3rd round.   The ridiculously overrated Berdych or clay court specialist Monaco in the 4th round.    The quarter probably against some non or low seed as both Gonzalez or Blake get upset, but even if one of them makes it not too tough, Gonzalez's win over Federer in the Masters Cup was the fluke of all flukes, would never happen in a best 3-of-5, and Blake, ROTFL!!!!

Nadal and Roddick's draws are not as easy as made out to be.   I would rather the ridiculously overrated Berdych in the 4th round, then dangerous Mathieu or vily slam veteran Moya.    Potential Roddick opponents like Young and Korolev are more dangerous in the 2nd or 3rd rounds then someone like the overrated Isner.     I would rather Gonzalez or Blake in the quarters, although probably someone else altogether since likely neither make it, then what Roddick and Nadal have which is each other if both make it there.

well put and perfectly articulated. overall picture is equally impressive for fed as well. nadal is still hobbling and he has to put a good spin on his health for sooner or later, he may get dropped by nike which placed a huge bet on him. there is tremendous talk in the tennis circles now about his health and fitness. and nadal cannot play on hard courts anyway.

fed owns roddick like never before. the ownership is much more complete now. nalby has back issues and his going the distance in a 2 week slam is something that remains to be seen. djokovic had all kinds of chances on his favorite surface at the u.s. open and choked against fed who was only playing about 65% capacity.

this leaves just ferrer who was raked over the coals in shanghai by fed. gonzo never did have a prayer against fed. like kittens says, his win over fed in shanghai was once in a lifetime freak occurence. he owns them all and with the faster surface, it becomes even more academic for fed.

there is really only one way to slow fed down. that is to throw 2-3 really tough matches at him before he hits the final. i see no chance of that happening. here is my prediction: he gets #13 and never loses a set.

[pawan89]

Federer's draw is not tough, and to suggest it is, is a case of paranoia from the Fed fanatics on here.    The overrated one trick pony Isner, or Santoro who he always handles easily, in the 2nd round.   The unforced error machine Verdasco in the 3rd round.   The ridiculously overrated Berdych or clay court specialist Monaco in the 4th round.    The quarter probably against some non or low seed as both Gonzalez or Blake get upset, but even if one of them makes it not too tough, Gonzalez's win over Federer in the Masters Cup was the fluke of all flukes, would never happen in a best 3-of-5, and Blake, ROTFL!!!!

Nadal and Roddick's draws are not as easy as made out to be.   I would rather the ridiculously overrated Berdych in the 4th round, then dangerous Mathieu or vily slam veteran Moya.    Potential Roddick opponents like Young and Korolev are more dangerous in the 2nd or 3rd rounds then someone like the overrated Isner.     I would rather Gonzalez or Blake in the quarters, although probably someone else altogether since likely neither make it, then what Roddick and Nadal have which is each other if both make it there.

Ok, just a few things cleared out. I agree with you in that Fed's draw isn't "tough" but it's somewhat interesting to say the least. Has Fed really handled Santoro easily? I dunno about that, 2005 USO, Fed was up like 5-2 first set.. and he was playing pretty well, scoreline was 7-5 7-5 7-6. Last time they played in Doha it was 7-6 7-6. But yeah after that its pretty easy, at least matchup wise. Still saying you'd rather have an overrated Berdych than a people like Mahut and Moya is pretty funny. Berdych is ranked close to the top 10 for a reason and Mahut and Moya are not for a reason too. Young and Korolev more dangerous than Isner? How do you say that? Inser has a weapon, what does Young have? What has Korolev done so far to make him more dangerous than Isner on any given day?
But yeah overall Federer's draw isn't that hard, its just hard enough that if he isn't playing his best he might drop a few sets on his way.

[kittens25]

Santoro is not that tough an opponent for Federer.   If he were he would be winning sets, once in awhile some close sets does not constitute a tough opponent.   I have seen their matches and Federer is firmly in control the whole way.   

Berdych is not ranked much higher then Moya at all, Berdych is #14 and Moya #18, there is a mere 100 points, the equivalent of the difference between a 4th round and quarterfinal at one grand slam, or between a semifinal and quarterfinal at one Masters event, difference between them only.   Moya is a big event player, he is most dangerous in a big match even at this stage in his career, Berdych shines in smaller tournaments to get his ranking, he is a big time woose in a big event especialy vs a top player.   Mathieu also seems to up his game and shine vs a top player quite often.    Yes I do think Moya or even Mathieu are tougher to play for a top player in a grand slam then the big event wimp Berdych.    Federer wont be sweating over the prospect of the overrated Berdych, I can gaurantee you that much.

Isner is overrated.  His results since the summer have tailed off.  I dont think he would even do nearly as well vs Federer if they play as he did at the U.S Open.    He wouldnt sneak out a set or hold serve for a full set, that is for sure.   Young is a more solid player overall with more potential.  If you get Isner's serve back he looks like a college player.   

[Clay Death]

Santoro is not that tough an opponent for Federer.   If he were he would be winning sets, once in awhile some close sets does not constitute a tough opponent.   I have seen their matches and Federer is firmly in control the whole way.   

Berdych is not ranked much higher then Moya at all, Berdych is #14 and Moya #18, there is a mere 100 points, the equivalent of the difference between a 4th round and quarterfinal at one grand slam, or between a semifinal and quarterfinal at one Masters event, difference between them only.   Moya is a big event player, he is most dangerous in a big match even at this stage in his career, Berdych shines in smaller tournaments to get his ranking, he is a big time woose in a big event especialy vs a top player.   Mathieu also seems to up his game and shine vs a top player quite often.    Yes I do think Moya or even Mathieu are tougher to play for a top player in a grand slam then the big event wimp Berdych.    Federer wont be sweating over the prospect of the overrated Berdych, I can gaurantee you that much.

Isner is overrated.  His results since the summer have tailed off.  I dont think he would even do nearly as well vs Federer if they play as he did at the U.S Open.    He wouldnt sneak out a set or hold serve for a full set, that is for sure.   Young is a more solid player overall with more potential.  If you get Isner's serve back he looks like a college player.   

isner has been doing poorly at some challenger events. he was not able to win a ncaa singles title as most know. great kid and a great attitude but he really has trouble with such a high center of gravity. karlovic seems to handle his height a little better and he also has a much more menacing serve. based on last year`s stats, he hold his serve 94% of the time which is the best in history.

[JadeFox21]

yeah real tough. i can see how one could almost go into mourning and vast depression over this. how many wimbledons, u.s. opens, australian opens, and masters cups has he won in a row now? his only rival of any note the last 2-3 years has winning titles 10 months at a time. how dominant has he been for the last 4 years.

fed`s game is as vastly superior to those around him as living are to the dead.

please.

Well if you think that Roger is so vastly superior to every player out there and will always have his 'A' game and always annihilate his opponents, then his draw will always appear EASY to you, no matter what.  I'm a little more realistic than that.  And I never mourn or get depressed over a damn draw.  Like I said, such is life, you play the draw you are dealt.  Geez...

[gm3106]

Dang, Fed's draw does not look easy!

You always say that.  His quarter is a piece of cake.   Dream draw pretty much until the semis.   The only concern is he might have it too easy until the semis and not be as match sharp.

I think one of the biggest talking points from the draw should be Djokovic's draw - it's pretty nasty. I think he can come through to the SF but it'll be damn tough. Fed's draw looks okay, but there'll be a few more doubts than usual given his lack of match play. I think Nadal got a very nice draw (but will he make the most of it?) and Murray's looked nice too, barring his opening match vs Tsonga - that will be a tricky one but I think he'll be OK. Roddick could also be a bit of a darkhorse here - I can see him going far in the event by "sneaking under the radar"............

[Clay Death]

yeah real tough. i can see how one could almost go into mourning and vast depression over this. how many wimbledons, u.s. opens, australian opens, and masters cups has he won in a row now? his only rival of any note the last 2-3 years has winning titles 10 months at a time. how dominant has he been for the last 4 years.

fed`s game is as vastly superior to those around him as living are to the dead.

please.

Well if you think that Roger is so vastly superior to every player out there and will always have his 'A' game and always annihilate his opponents, then his draw will always appear EASY to you, no matter what.  I'm a little more realistic than that.  And I never mourn or get depressed over a damn draw.  Like I said, such is life, you play the draw you are dealt.  Geez...

Of course, the way you guys (Herc and Kittens) are going on about how easy Roger has it just means that if Roger doesn't play perfect tennis and win his 13th GS...then we'll get to listen to you guys going on and on about how pathetic Roger is.  If that happens, then his past 12 GS and his domination won't mean anything.  I can hear it already...

there is nobody here who shares your brand of realism here. check the above posts again. kittens spells it out.

and you best wake up and smell the coffee. i am hard on my player--nadal--but never on fed. guess why? the guy is just too good relative to his competition.

here i will repeat it again since you seem to be having trouble with english today: he is the most complete player in the game. he is most dominant in the game. he is the most dominant ever relative to his competition.

he has won 5 wimbledons in a row
he has won 4 u.s. opens in a row
he has won 3 australian opens and the last 2 in a row
he has won 4 masters cups and the last 2 in a row
he is #1 for the last 4 years in a row
he is only 26
he is healthy and fit and has no injuries
he is surrounded by players that he owns completely
so easy is his competition that he just skates to the finals where it is just a matter of formality.
his closest rival is nearly useless on hard courts now. once again he is on a 10 month/no title plan.

in his 12 slam wins in the finals, he has been pushed only once. he has made a complete mockery of men`s game. he just cannot find a formidable rival anywhere.

translation: he simply towers over his field at 75% of the slams. the new surface here makes him even more formidable.

how dominant is he? i did not bother to watch the u.s. open final after the first set and instead went on a bike ride. i was not the only one. tele revenues and ratings, worldwide, were down significantly as lot of people did not think djokovic would have much of a chance. they were right.

please. save the paranoi for somebody else. he has #13 in the bag and he loses 1 set at best and that is pushing it. now that is being realistic and calling it like it is.

[gm3106]

[

please. save the paranoi for somebody else. he has #13 in the bag and he loses 1 set at best and that is pushing it. now that is being realistic and calling it like it is.

No way does he have this in the bag, and it would be foolish for him to think so. Fed's going to lost at AO/USO one day, and given his lack of preparation, I think it could well be at this AO. He can't keep this level up forever. Of course, you can accuse me of just predicting something that I know I will be right about one day, but no way is this already in the bag and I'm willing to say that he will definitely drop more than one set during this AO.

[JadeFox21]

Well, I'm not going to get into any kind of big argument over this.  I hope Roger's draw turns out to be as easy as you guys think.  I would love that.  But I'm expecting a tough tournament for him especially since he was sick and missed Kooyong.  I expect him to be very rusty and not have his 'A' game to start.  Hopefully he won't come up against someone having 'the match of his life' early.

Putting Fed's draw aside, I think we can all agree that Djoker's quarter is the toughest...too bad for him since he got the toughest quarter at the US Open too.  Rafa and Roddick got a really good draw.  I'll be surprised if they don't make their QF showdown.  

Anyway, I'm ready for the tournament to start.

[JadeFox21]

[

please. save the paranoi for somebody else. he has #13 in the bag and he loses 1 set at best and that is pushing it. now that is being realistic and calling it like it is.

No way does he have this in the bag, and it would be foolish for him to think so. Fed's going to lost at AO/USO one day, and given his lack of preparation, I think it could well be at this AO. He can't keep this level up forever. Of course, you can accuse me of just predicting something that I know I will be right about one day, but no way is this already in the bag and I'm willing to say that he will definitely drop more than one set during this AO.

Agreed qm.

[Clay Death]

[

please. save the paranoi for somebody else. he has #13 in the bag and he loses 1 set at best and that is pushing it. now that is being realistic and calling it like it is.

No way does he have this in the bag, and it would be foolish for him to think so. Fed's going to lost at AO/USO one day, and given his lack of preparation, I think it could well be at this AO. He can't keep this level up forever. Of course, you can accuse me of just predicting something that I know I will be right about one day, but no way is this already in the bag and I'm willing to say that he will definitely drop more than one set during this AO.

all objective probability is based on past occurences. absolutley nothing has changed except for one thing: it has actually gotten little easier for him this year for the following reasons:

1. the surface is faster
2. both nalby and nadal will not be able to mount a challange here. nalby has back issues and nadal has major fitness issues now. and also does not have the right game for hard courts. he is also on a 10 month/no title plan again.
3. roddick is now much more completely owned than ever before. all his statements suggest that he has completely thrown in the towel. results say the same thing. he has lost 15 times out of last 16 matches against fed.
4. djokovic may take a set at best but that will be pushing it.

translation: this will be an easy slam for fed. he also comes in with ridiculous amount of confidence. he again won 75% of the slams last year and he destroyed them all in shanghai.

please. next topic.

[conchita]

Matches underway at Flinders Park!
Qualifying Final Round, 16 matches!

[Dallas]

Matches underway at Flinders Park!
Qualifying Final Round, 16 matches!

I understand Robby lost  pretty bad in the qualifying round?  And this is the guy Roddick and the US Davis Cup team went to bat to try to get him a wild card?

[conchita]

Matches underway at Flinders Park!
Qualifying Final Round, 16 matches!

I understand Robby lost  pretty bad in the qualifying round?  And this is the guy Roddick and the US Davis Cup team went to bat to try to get him a wild card?

Wednesday, Day 1, 1st Round, Court 6, Alex Bogdanovic GBR df. Robby Ginepri USA 6-3, 6-1!!!

[Dallas]

Matches underway at Flinders Park!
Qualifying Final Round, 16 matches!

I understand Robby lost  pretty bad in the qualifying round?  And this is the guy Roddick and the US Davis Cup team went to bat to try to get him a wild card?

Wednesday, Day 1, 1st Round, Court 6, Alex Bogdanovic GBR df. Robby Ginepri USA 6-3, 6-1!!!

So he's officially out!  Well... he is one player that had a lot of potential during that hot summer run a couple of years ago - then just simply went away!

[conchita]

Matches underway at Flinders Park!
Qualifying Final Round, 16 matches!

I understand Robby lost  pretty bad in the qualifying round?  And this is the guy Roddick and the US Davis Cup team went to bat to try to get him a wild card?

Wednesday, Day 1, 1st Round, Court 6, Alex Bogdanovic GBR df. Robby Ginepri USA 6-3, 6-1!!!

So he's officially out!  Well... he is one player that had a lot of potential during that hot summer run a couple of years ago - then just simply went away!

World number 15 (26 Dec 05), rignt now number 132.
last year he was defeated in 3rd round at Flinders Park (Blake) and Flushing Meadows (Wawrinka), Carrer Win/Loss 133-131.

Today's action includes:
Kevin Kim USA vs Amer Delic USA (20)
Scoville Jenkins USA vs Harel Levy ISR (30)
Wayne Odesnik USA (11) vs KJ Hippensteel USA
Rajeev Ram USA vs Danai Udomchoke THA (28)
Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr. UKR vs Sam Warburg USA
----
Robin Haase NED (1) vs Simon Stadler GER

[kittens25]

No way does he have this in the bag, and it would be foolish for him to think so. Fed's going to lost at AO/USO one day, and given his lack of preparation, I think it could well be at this AO. He can't keep this level up forever. Of course, you can accuse me of just predicting something that I know I will be right about one day, but no way is this already in the bag and I'm willing to say that he will definitely drop more than one set during this AO.

I am 80% certain Federer will win and if someone beats him I gaurantee it will be in the semis.   There is 0% he loses to anyone in his quarter, and 0% he loses in the final to anyone who is in the bottom half.   The semifinal opponent, whoever that is, is his only danger after seeing the draw, but I would be surprised if he didnt come through that.

I also think there is a good chance he will drop only 1 set.   If his semifinal takes 4 sets that will probably be the only set he will lose since his only real threats are in the bottom quarter of the top half anyway.