and don't forget. Roddick is not a good returner. When he returns everyhing, your serve is puny. Now Rafa has to win every baseline rallies. So much pressure.

Great shot making Rafa you have woken up a bit great foot work too

Andy dont get into long rallys with Rafa

:((

Andy again showing great hands

Old Man Fed/Puny Server Rafa fan:, geez that's a lot to type :). I think there are a couple factors at play. Since Rafa hasn't played much since the Asian swing, he's probably a wee rusty. We all know Rafa is at his best the more matches he plays. Also, he maybe using the old school serve for now, since he had to withdraw from Paris with a touch of shoulder tendonitis.

Not to take away the fact that Randy is probably playing the better match so far.

As long as Rafa can get a rally going, he'll be fine. I'm not saying this is a great strategy, but still... Andy's no match got him from the baseline....

Rafa can easily lose this match in straight.

Andy's only made 3 of 11 FS, Rafa really should have found a way to break

Great hands Andy

Rafa Andy hasnt been getting his 1st serves in

make that "match for him..."

This point showed how Rafa's timing is off. He got to the half volley on time, but did not make it past the net

go randy!

what is the score now?

Yes that is what Rafa is hoping for to lose in straight sets

He wants to keep his record intact.

I like Andy too, but I do want to see Fed-Nadal. Sigh... well, I also hope they finish the set before I have to go to the airport.

2-5, so we can now assume that it's 96% likely that it'll end up 3-6 1st set. The other 2% will be 2-6. ha.

sf, 5-2 andy - rafa to serve...

Brad Gilbert tweeting on espn.com about Nadal's color of choice:

"@bgtennisnation AR: Takes some risks on the FEARhand. RN: take off the magenta shirt and switch to black asap. Pink is a bad memory for you!"

This ain't no carpet.

imjimmy, Rafa doesn't need the extra mph. What he needs is a higher %.

I guess we will see 4th blowout.

LOL AM, why mess with perfection?!?!?

I mean is the disco lighting really adding anything to the experience....?

Feel free, neilintoronto. Its an original as far as I know.

Hopefully they have Agassi's book in the players' lounges. That'll scare them off of weaves and pieces. Could cost you a major! :)

sigh

checking in to see score, shouldnt have bothered;

why Rafa why? Please win just one match please.

Roddick is now mocking Rafa's puny serve with that mock yell for one 128mph serve. Get angry, Rafa!

NP: In the UsOpen, Nadal got both: extra mph and a decent percentage. Today he can't seem to get either. This is even worse than the post UsOpen Asian Swing. He's back to the '09 pusher tennis..

nicely done by Andy...... 30-30

CherryNYC I agree with you about the "disco lights' well Kylie is in the stands maybe they are over doing it for her

thanks cherryNYC and old man fed.

break him again, randy. please.

30-15 sorry, now it's 40-15

Master Ace
I'm with Gilbert, get rid of the pinks Rafa
we get it, pink can be masculine too

He's only down a break, donating a game in which he DF'd twice.

RAndy is the worst returner of the top 8. Even rusty Rafa is not out of it.

imjimmy Hmmm Rafa's rhythm of his serve I agree is way off at the moment

He is just pushing in it.Though his kicker serve is working

"Andy again showing great hands"

YF, it's almost funny to see the words "Andy" and "great hands" in the same sentence, but I agree, that was an impressive half-volley by Rod. Too bad his volley itself isn't quite up to par.

Gah, back at deuce:((

Deuce -- good low slice return from Andy. It seems like the low bounce is giving Rafa fits....

Thank goodness Rafa has good 2nd serve and his stats usdually show that

"Mardy Fish has the best year-to-date tiebreak record while Rafa is the only player with a positive record after losing the first set."

A ray of hope for Rafa.

imjimmy, yes. agreed. back to '09/early '10 puny version. If you can't even win a set against Roddick, you don't deserve n. 1. Bring back your serve, at least the Tokyo version, or else! oh ha.

At least he held.

Nam1: I'm starting small and hoping for a set

Rafa holds -- Andy to serve for the set 5-3.

They both look OK to me... Rafa's service motion looks better -- sometimes you just miss.....

It's no secret Rafa should do the loco motion to get Andy out of his head, if he should be so lucky.

now it's 99.9% likely 3-6 1st set.

And Rafa loses his 9th consecutive set at the WTFs:((( Good times.

Roddick is defiant. very in-your face against Rafa. Why can't he be like this against Fed is beyond me. He only gets mad against ump and lineswoman when playing against Fed.

3-6 done.

imjimmy, only time will tell if those USO stats were an anomaly or the start of a trend, but it's really a lot to ask of any1 to bring both to each and every match. Even Roddick's not impervious to the difficulty.

I think Rafa's been pretty decent. Def looking better than his '09 "pusher" self.

Old man Fed: In all fairness, Nadal has looked similar/worse before. Most recently in Toronto and Cincy. That didn't prevent him from winning @ NY.
He's gotta look at the big picture, and AO '11 is really what matter for him. If he does well there, he gets to keep his #1..

there it is... 6-3 Andy. Brooklyn looking very pretty...

Good 1st set by Andy 6-3 he has a good game plan agasint Rafa at the moment and its working well

Rafa you have to use those b/points? hmmm do I need to remind you about the Asian swing?

NP
it's funny how reflex shots work but, when a player has more time (like that historic high volley at wimbledon) a player can shank away the shot.
Roddick played a strong set, even after getting burned on some of his net approaches, he stuck with the game plan, pressured Rafa on his serve and won his service games fairly comfortably

Well at least Rafa has the advantage of serving 1st in the 2nd set

i think it'll be 5-7 or tiebreak loss for Rafa here. As long as Roddick keeps on helding his serve, Rafa won't win even a set.

is it true ? Rafa has lost every set he's played in this arena? 0 for 7!?

crazy df:((

Hmmm another d/fault Rafa well you were 40 love up

Andy's 'damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead' strategy is a good on IMO...

yes, he made a couple of bad approaches and got passed, but that's going to happen no matter what, and Andy's got zero chance if he allows himself to get stuck at the baseline... Honestly, Fed should try this more against Rafa.......

make that "good one" Jeezus, I can't type today.....

YF, so you expect this to be Miami redux?

I'm so glad Andy seems defiant. Yes where is that attitude against Fed?

Now, will Rafa regroup?

Great, now Rafa's hitting himself in the head after he misses the easy shots. Yet another memory from last year's WTFs

NP: I'd think that Nadal should be able to keep up the UsO serving. He's just changed the motion and it's not like he's going for too much. Someone with such a great overhead and ability to handle high balls, should've had a much better serve in the 1st place.

On another note, I'm just amazed at how Nadal has ZERO read on Roddick's serve. He literally has no clue which way it's going, and he's often caught with the wrong grip, thereby pushing at the ball as opposed to hitting it.

BTW..If Nadal loses this in straights, he's out in the RR stage..right?

Kristy, he's had years of mental anguish against Roger....that's why it's not there. He doesn't believe he can beat Roger.

Fantastic piece Gauloises (or should that be Hannah) I was there and you have captured the feel of the occassion perfectly! Thank you!

I can only add that when Andy Murray was introduced as the 'wily veteran' my son collapsed in giggles as he had heard 'whiny veteran'. What can I say!

Just to add that the ceremony to say farewll to Carlos Moya was rather touching..especially when you see the high esteem he was obviously held in by the other players.

Thank you again!

Rafa play the cross court pls wrong shot selection there.pfft,

:((((

NP
if Rafa doesn't start to make a dent ,consistently, on Roddicks serve, keeps DF-ing and missing the fearhand
meanwhile, Roddick is showing nice variety and power

Great point!!

I didn't know this was "carpet"?

imjimmy, yes, if Rafa loses this match in stragith, he's basically out again since I can't see him beating Djoker. More I watch this match, more it appears that Rafa will end up 0-3 again. Maybe he'll beat Berdie for the pride, but it's highly likely that he won't advance to SF again.

Great f/hand by Andy there and he won a long rally against Rafa

Roddick breaks well done.

Oh boy --- there's the break. You've got to hand it to Andy ... no fear....

:(((( I don't see Andy getting broken from here.

okay, I overhyped Rafa, it seems. He can't even push to 5-7 nor tiebreak. Now down early break again after continuing puny serve and lousy play, he will be lucky to push to 4-6. geez!

AM -- are you OK -- have you emptied the bar yet???

OK. Nadal chooses not to go through Roddick in a short ball rally, biffs it long. Then on BP in game 3, Roddick does go through Nadal, and breaks. 2-1 Roddick, with a break. Long rally in the last game, ending with Roddick's first GS winner. I would say it's indoor clay tennis, but then I'd be surprised if Roddick took one set, let alone two.

Gee I love the Roger fans that come out to play when Rafa plays

"BTW..If Nadal loses this in straights, he's out in the RR stage..right? "

I thought everyone got 3 matches

Roddick is a new man against Rafa and Djoker (and maybe Davy D.). Against Muzz and Delpo, not so much. Against Fed, he's eh... you know.

No, it's all about match-ups. Rafa is a better match-up for Roddick than Roger.

Good to see Rod playing as he should. Defensive tennis doesn't suit him.

And he earns a well-deserved break. His coming match against Nole should be interesting.

imjimmy, perhaps. Let's wait and see.

The RoS has always been a relative weakness of his, particularly against big servers. Don't think this was so unexpected.

As to your Q, Berd also lost in straights today, and this is just the 1st day for Group B (or is it A?). Nobody's done yet.

CherryNYC LOL! not yet.Though this dosent surprise me with Rafa.He is a player that needs match practice.Also Andy has a lead over him on the hard courts.Andy deserves to win this match

Oh I know, Heather - my question was more rhetorical. He got so close to beating Roger at Wimby that I don't know why he never draws on that.

Anyway, this is very exciting and I def didn't expect it. Yay.

Rafa, please somehow take that gift and break back, FFS!

Good comeback from Rafa.

well, look at that. Back on serve.....

Woo Hoo

Andy blows it...you can't let Rafa back in the match.
now Rafa, hold!

Oh sorry, Kristy! :)

Andy was broken?! Really wish I was watching this.... :(

Vamos!!!! Please find a way to build some momentum Rafa!

Hell Rafa your foot work pls

So roddick got tight there for sec. So what. Unless Rafa start playing during her service games, this match is over in straight.

Old man Fed: Yep. This is indoors, and Nadal really hasn't done well on this surface. He looks out of sorts today. Earlier this year in Miami, he played better on a surface which suited him a lot more. Still got beat.

Roddick should win this anyway, notwithstanding Nadal's break back. I was expecting Nadal to do a much better job at reading Roddick's serve and while attacking with his forehand.

YF, dig that "fearhand."

"I didn't know this was "carpet"?"

sisu, it's not. Dunno where that came from.

I don't need to be looking at Pat Cash right now

geez Pat Cash is looking kinda old

Haha, it's okay Heather! (: Oh g_d don't you wish we could watch this match??

Pat Cash always looks like he's stuck in the'80s.

Yes, Kristy I sure do! I'm supposed to be leaving work in 2 minutes but it's going to take me two hours to get home and I'll be more antsy because I won't know the score...ahhhhh do I stay and do some work, or leave?! Decisions, decisions! :)

He's hardly turned the set on its head, Jason. It's only on serve.

At least he's won as many games as Berdy now

maybe Roddick needs to scratch the magic balls to get his mojo back
strangely, this match has been bereft of all the OCD itching and adjusting

Ah. I check upthread and find despair and ZOMG is he out if he loses in straights?

a) Nadal breaks back, and we're back on serve at 3-2 Nadal
b) No. You can qualify for the SF stage with 4 points, or 2, depending on the rest of the results.

Sheesh.

Rafa needs to be lucky and somehow hold his serves and break Roddick one more time to win this set since I don't see Rafa winning in TB. His serve is not good enough, so Roddick is returning 99% of his serves in play and that's a disaster in TB.