Nice work, Ed, hope you brought a tatami mat, as you're a tennis monk this week, and by the way, I really enjoyed your grass-court piece. I gotta get me onto the grass!

Hi Ed,

Looking forward to hooking up with you later this morning. I'll be taking in Wawrinka-Bolelli first up.

Tennis Channel coverage of Toronto will start in about 90 minutes with the ATP TV guys doing the commentary.

second

... or not

Ed and Andrew,
Smart planning on covering different matches to start off as I am interested in how Wawi will adjust to HC and if Gasquet can repeat 2006.

what the weather like in toronto today?

Cloudy at the moment, but it doesn't look like it's going to rain right now at least.

Right you are Ed, after that climax of Wimbledon, this feels like a clean slate. Enjoy your coverage as I will enjoy your write-ups about it.

Same with ANdrew, looking forward to your posts. Thanks in advance!

aww, ed. sorry about your accomodations.

i agree with you here:

"I’m really looking forward to a tournament that in one way represents a clean slate for players, and in another way is the start of the final chapter to this most interesting year. Wimbledon’s theatrics gave this summer hard court stretch a shot in the arm, and you can sense the excitement in the tennis community."

i think most tennis fans have noted since the end of last year that 2008 would be a very exciting year. it has lived up to the expectations since the start, and every "season" has just added to that expectation and excitement. this summer hard court season is again a new chapter that would add to the fascinating story of 2008 so far. can't wait for play to start.

looking forward to the rest of your reports. and andrew's and kamakshi's too.

GO MARIO!!! i know most people will be rooting for fancy dancy but here's hoping mario pulls out a win.

and ugh Ed, the dorm room sounds awful. esp. with no one around, that's the worst. but as you said, i'm sure the tennis will more than make up for it.

Did you guys know that Ana Ivanovic spent her vacations in Mallorca, and Rafa as a good "friend", showed her the island, and now she's going to buy a house there....

love is in the air!!!

Ed:

Why didn't you pick winners?

I'm kinda torn.

Mario, whom I like better than Fancy dancy, and has a better chance to upset Djoko.

Or

Djoko vs. the Canadian crowd, that would commentate every extra ball bounce?

Hmmm. Tough choices.

headless at 9:54 AM:

WOW, thats really exciting that Ivanovic is gonna buy a house there, but Rafa already has a girlfriend, Xisca.

I thought last year, and the year before that, etc., was pretty exciting too, abbey. ;-)

Hallelujah, mazel tov.

Master Ace, I believe Wawrinka will adapt pretty well, his stroke production isn't too exaggerated.

I enjoy these Master's Series tourneys the most, because the ATP TV coverage is so rational! Ahhhh!

Asad Raza,
What match are you looking forward to in the first round?

I second that, Asad Raza.

The ATP TV is the best 60 dollars I've spent last year.

Winners? Of those three, Gasquet, Federer/Wawrinka, and Dancevic are my picks. I'll size up the tournament itself a little later.

BTW, I hope you all realize we don't have a snowball chance in hell to watch Roger's match tonight. Unless I've missed something.

Ed, Andrew - sure hope one of you will catch that match.

Why oh why won't the ATP TV showcase doubles? Just this once! It's ROGER!

The only doubles match they've shown was when Roger and Rafa played each other, in Rome last year. Sigh.

M.A.: Frank versus Mario, mais oui. I like seeing Dancevic play, not convinced he has enough to make it to the top twenty, but I root for him and it'll be nice to see the Canadian crowd with someone to support. Also Ancic is usually fun to watch.

How about you?

You know, guys, it's customary to refer to people in conversation by their first name alone ;)

Sorry, LOL. I'm having this debate with myself whenever I 'change' or shorten a member's nickname.

Ivanovic buying a house in Mallorca? Good, they'll be real friends!

Hello all,

I know we are all excited for Toronto but I wanted to throw in some info on the women's rankings. If Jelena can advance to the quarters or better, she will over take ana for the number one ranking because Ana loses all 275 points she earned last year. Also, Serena can put herself withing striking distance at the next tournamnet if she can managed a semi-final or better.

Asad,
Radek Stepanek and Feliciano Lopez match will be of interest. Will F-Lo be able to repeat his USO performance against Roger last year and will Radek net attacking game be effective on HC?

Asad:

Consistency seems to be Dancevic's problem, oui? He has some firepower and some finesse, but can't seem to sustain the level of play. Or, maybe I'm all wrong.

thanks for the weather report Ed,

i see some qualifying matches on my scoreboard.

Under a hour before the gasquet vs llorda match!

DHAMM411,
Jelena will be number 1 if she makes it to the final. Ana points from LA will NOT drop because LA is being held earlier this year. Ana points from LA will drop when Canada is over and the Olympics start.

David Jose,
Who is leading in the 3 qualies match so far?

aww, tari. but the results this year have been different, no? hence, more exciting. ;)

Oh Masterace, you are 100% right. I hate these ranking systems. Well, Ana could potentially lose the #1 spot. Does anyone happen to have a link to the draw for LA

Dancy has also been on again, off again from injuries and such. He's really not had a decent opportunity to prove himself has he?

I can't take another Roddick/Tipsarevic match so soon, so for me, the man of the day is...Nicolas Mahut! S&V his Janko's butt off the court.

Other than that, though I think Dancevic is fun to watch, I'm always rooting for my man Ancic.

Ah, Master Ace, I agree that is a great match. Stepanek is one of my favorite players to watch, for sure. And F-Lo reached a new level in my book with that insane set he took of Roget at the USO.

Syd, I think Dancevic just doesn't have a big enough weapon to differentiate himself from the other top fifty guys.

master ace,

clement vs falla 1-1 with clement serving now

soeda vs young 2-2 with young serving, who just broke back.

bopanna vs golubev 2-1. with golubev serving

"hence, more exciting. ;)"

LOL, abbey. Umm...that would be a "no" from me, but I get you. :)
Just wanted to be heard as a "tennis fan" on this! :)

*And F-Lo reached a new level in my book with that insane set he took of Roget at the USO.*

This match may just be one of my all time favorites, and much of it was do to Feliciano Lopez playing the first two sets like a man possessed.

Evidently Jose is here for the rest of the hardcourt swing (not the Olympics, obviously).

Did you guys know that Ana Ivanovic spent her vacations in Mallorca, and Rafa as a good "friend", showed her the island, and now she's going to buy a house there....

love is in the air!!!

ooh what? andy r vs. janko again? that should be interesting.

i glanced over the draw but didn't look it over keenly. will have to give it another glance.

That ought to make a nice picture from directly over the court by the way.

DHAMM 411,
Los Angeles Draw:

http://tinyurl.com/63w7ec

David Jose,
Thanks for the early scores in qualifying.

abbey.. true - this season has been exciting for sure, but the results have not been (for many Roger fans like me).

And I thought the Canadian Open last year was exciting in terms of competition. The year before was not (except that Roger was @ his peak and it featured the "Fed vs Baby Fed" final)

For Federer fans ... thought you might enjoy this:

http://www.insidetennis.com/YB08_first_serve.html

I have (as usually) miscalculated when the matches start central european time, so I've been watching some videos on youtube. Here is one of Gasquet, I think worth watching:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=qiwO6JU5tiU&feature=related

Generally speaking, I prefer 2HBHs, but his BH is really a sight to behold

Thank you so much for that, highpockets. :) I enjoyed it very much! (Shocker, lol)

Tari, I'm with you. The most exciting time in tennis FOR ME has been 2004-2007! Wonder why! lol! It's all about what makes it exciting. Federer is my favorite, so with him dominating during that time - it was so exciting for me while those who don't really like him said it was boring with him winning everything. It's all about individual taste.

This year has NOT been exciting to me simply because Roger has not had a stellar year like he's had in the past. But I can see how it would be exciting for Nadal and Djokovic fans...

I just hope to it really gets exciting to me again with Toronto, Cincy, the Olympics and the US Open going back to the 2004-07 form. *wink*

Highpockets! Love ya for giving that link to the article! *hug*

thanks for that highpockets, put a smile on my face.

I always thought of Rohan Bopanna as a "young" player, but it turns out he's older than Fed!

Lira:

Thanks. It's early in the a.m. well, relatively, but still, Gasquet, he's something. Wish that he could live up to his talent and reach the top five.

This was a great Roger interview.

This line I found interesting:

When asked whether he thought Lleyton Hewitt, who had lost to him eight straight times, would change his tactics, Fed quipped, “He could, but then again, he could run into the knife more brutally.” (I think this quote was from 05 or 06 or so...)

Sadly enough. I thought this is exactly what happened to Roger in the French this year. He tried a very attacking approach, after the moderated combination worked with only very limited success in the past, and ran into a huge wall.

guys, i think you've confused exciting with fun. ;)

ok, i'll stop with this exciting stuff and let's just enjoy the matches as they come. :)

Highpockets:

Thanks! Saving it for later as a special treat.

Or,
Thats an interesting qoute by Roger you ve posted. Luckily for him Rafa is kinder to his vanquished oppenents

Welcome to the glamorous life of a tennis correspondent Ed:)

BTW, I meant "Roger article", not Interview, of course.

is bopanna playing qualies, crazyone? and no, i can't believe he's older than roger. i don't know if it was him i saw or harsh mankad once. those two always just blend into one person for me.

and main draw play has begun! allez reeshie!

Oh, for goodness sakes...how kind of you in return, bluesunflower!

I read that Fed article a few months back and just LOVE it. I put a link in my AIM profile in the hopes that others would see it and appreciate the wonderfulness that is TMF. :)

Llodra-Reeshie, Simone-Stan, Mardy-Kiwi ... AHHH, so happy Toronto has begun!!!

pre-tournament interview transcripts are now up over at asapsports.com

Asad: thanks. It's unfortunate that Dancevic has to face Mario in the 1st round.

ok (kind of) stupid question: is the canadian masters earlier than it usually is? if yes, is that because of the olympics?

i'm just now starting to realise that it feels like it's very early this year.

Did someone say some time ago that there was a way to avoid having to log in again EVERY time after leaving the ATP Masters Series site for a few minutes? If so, please share again. Thanks.

Here we go,
Vamos Feli
Força Disco Tommy
Ajde SuperMario
Venga Simone
Allez Llooooooooooodraaaaaaaaaaaaaah (Oh I miss you sooooo much Snoo)
Y vamos Chucho

It's certainly about 2 weeks earlier this year.

Syd,
re Gasquet, from your keyboard to God's ears (or should it be eyes?, in any case-Allez, Richie!)

And, thanks highpockets for that link!

i finally have gasquet/llorda on my screen! there already problems with hawkeye and the stadium looks empty.

falla leads clement 7-5,1-1 with clement serving now

young leads soeda 6-3,3-1 with soeda serving

golubev leads bopanna 7-6,1-0 with bopanna serving

Harini,
Yes. Yes.

Where is Rachael? Is she watching Simone?

Man, I knew I would regret noting the comment the moment I posted it. *eyes roll*

I don't think Richard is going to have an easy victory, here.

Hello Tari
How kind of you to remember me!
Have just been reading and not posting

where is Rachael? her bolelli is playing. and he's playing stan the man. this should be a good match.

allez reeshie!

Richie with the sweet DTLBH

Yes, Or....why did you do that? :)) Draw the inevitable comparisions to Saint Rafael?? LOL. ;-)

harini: yes, he's playing qualies, though he lost the first set in a TB to Golubev.

and I can't spell today, it looks like. :)

Er, mayhaps Rachael shouldn't be watching ... Stan just broke.

(But Rachael, if you're out there, show yourself!)

Morning All,
Tari - *Saint Rafael* what? how ?

good morning...finally found a livestream:

http://www.justin.tv/slazenger

llodra v. gasquet

Does anyone have today's order of play for Toronto? I am unable to open the link from the Toronto's page.

Gracias!!

ouch simone. what are you doing??

well donald young is cruising. up 4-1 and serving to get to 5-1 over go soeda (loving the name).

Or, you're right, doesn't look like reeshie is going to have an easy time over llodra. allez gasquet!!

morning Jackie!

Wow Gasquet, on that break point....

Richie with the break...

I hate Steve Ulrich. Well, hate probably is too much but I really dont like this um. I deslike his voice and I cant forget how he stole from Feli a very important point in the TB against Mahut.
And Gasquet breaks with a DTL FH pass. Meh

marta: Ulrich's way of announcing really annoys me too.

yes! Saint Rafael, wouldn't hurt a fly. Will pulverise you and then say you played well

Anyone watching Reeshard v Llodra. He's just broken for a 3.2 lead

"and I can't spell today, it looks like. :)"
Tari: You don't have to, as long as you can come up with lines like these

"Draw the inevitable comparisions to Saint Rafael?? LOL"
Priceless. :)

Highpockets:
late but the latest - Thank you for the link to the Roger article..

grasshopper: I meant it jokingly, as a response to some comments upthread on Roger not treating his vanquished opponents as kindly as Rafa does. :) Just silly stuff.

And I'm cranky this AM!! Sorry. :)

Abbey: Thanks for the link to the interviews.

...and I knew I would do that eventually...call you "grasshopper", greenhopper. Sorry!! :)

Gooood morning, harini! Did I tell you already that I love your pic? And mmmm, that veggie goodness in front of you made my mouth water!

Aw, don't hate on Ulrich. ;)

okay.. gotcha.. didn't see that comment upthread..

Ed,
at least you are out during the day! that's a bonus! good luck for the rest of the week! See, now you feel what a York graduate has been through!

Or,
that was an interesting quote from Roger. Nothing stays forever. someone challenged Borg, Sampras, Mcenroe, now Fed and maybe tomorrow Nadal....that's the sport.
But as a Rafa fan, I felt for Roger in both finals, because of the way he carried himself. trying not to show his sadness, even trying to joke ( It's me , Roger)...I don't know if I would have felt the same if it was another player. Especially in Wimbledon, he lost the match but gained much respect because of the way he fought and the way he reacted afterwards.

oops, good morning everyone...*waves**

Hey, zola! Nice to see you around! :)

Stan the Man facing 3 breakpoints now..

Good to notice Baby Federer doing physically and mentally strong - so far.

Oh Mika! He had an openning at 0-30 but does absolutely noghing with it.
And its a break point for Gasquet now. and a DF to gift the doulbe break. Arrrrrggh
going to switch to the Simone/Stan match!

Tari: you reminded me of that great old Kung Fu series when you mistakenly addressed the poster by grasshopper.

falla leads clement 7-5,2-5 with falla serving now

young defeats soeda 6-3,6-2. young first player through to the main draw.

golubev leads bopanna 7-6,4-3 with bopanna serving

gasquet is fine form and serving for the first set at 5-2.

la Piba!

Many, many, thanks for the link. ATV won't work on a MAC: so, you saved my life.

I wonder why Rafa didn't do an interview yesterday. Hopefully, he'll do one today.

Love the way Roger answered this question:

Q. For a long time, it seemed like Nadal was chasing you. Now world rankings aside, are you now chasing him?

ROGER FEDERER: All depends on how you look at it, you know? I guess I am chasing another Grand Slam title after he snatched the last two. So I'm chasing my next Grand Slam title. So that's sort of what's happening. But in the rankings, he's still chasing me. It depends on how you look at it really.

Good honest stuff from Roger. He seems very realistic and sincere in his assessment of the situation and continues to impress me.

Djoko seems more defensive, but who can blame him? He was the big dog after Australia and now everyone's talking about Nadal/Fed being the greatest match ever, ad nauseum. He's must really be itching to get back out there on the hard courts and remind everyone who he is. He had some serious menace in his eyes during yesterday's interview. Is "The Djoker" morphing into "The Joker?"