c1, annie and ros
thanks for the info about the wawrinka siblings. I found someone named Jonathan W who had played 3 futures in 2007.

Stan's volleying has improved so much in the last year.

Twist in the tale: Wawrinka breaks Rafa and leads 2-1. Bad game by Rafa. Had a bit of hard luck when he missed a dh backhand narrowly. A shocking fh miss at 15-40 to hand the game to Wawrinka. 2-1 Wawrinka serves to consolidate.

wow, Rafa's baseline positioning has become so much more defensive now.

peanut: i saw jonathan too. maybe a brother? at this rate we might have a 3 setter.

Beautiful DTL shot. Come on, Stan! Do it for your brotha!!

Overflow2 was so hard to find despite being in big blue friendly letters on Overflow1. Pavlov would've been proud of me.

Yeah, although it was not so hidden it felt like I found a secret passage.

OK - crazyone gets the award for being the first to find the overflow.

ok I think I've typed this a million times, but Stan the Man's volleying? Wow.

ptenisnet I don't know why but I found your random ? about stan having a brother funny. I thought you might like to date him.

CL I don't mind if players want to choose different balls but when it comes to Towelgate (are you listerning Berdy) that is too much.

Nice clutch service game from STM.

God I am so slow it has taken me ages to find the new overflow. Smacks head.

Glad to see STM broke Rafa and has held his serve.

Rosangel: This is brilliant!

angel - funny.

lol - the overflow was too obvious - felt a bit like alice in the looking glass getting here!

geesh - we may have a 3 -setter here. and dang it, there's no way i can stay up for it.

that backhand shot there was just crazy good. give nadal an angle, he'll shoot it back at an even sharper one and make you go.. wtf - how does he DO that?! :)

I have this horrible vision of the rest of the TW posters buzzing around like bees in a hive trying to find the overflow after the last post died on us. I even went back and increased the size of the link, just in case it wasn't obvious.

Rafael Nadal! Focus goddamit!

Ros,
A comment in the Tennis Player post might be helpful as well, no?

It's quite obvious that this is the overflow; just, well done.

Good idea.

Stan, Fed called and he wants his serve back after this match.

In case anyone was wondering about the conversation between Rafa and the umpire, Rafa asked the ump if he thought the ball was more wide or long. When the umpire said wide, Rafa said he wanted to challenge -- so obviously Rafa was unsure of the length, but not the width of the shot. :)

And I've missed much of this match so can anyone quickly summarize for me what's happened? Much appreciated! :)

Thanks amylu. That was a very nuanced challenge.

Gosh, I love to watch Rafa hit passing shots.

yo, it's Paganini with Zavialoff. I think Fed and Stan share him.

Watching Rafa's face is like a Kurosawa movie. I have no idea what any of the expressions mean, sort of.

i know rafa will win the match its just nice to see waw has belief...i wish more players have that when they play rafa.

So, length (of the shot) has become the preferred word, instead of depth? I've always preferred the latter. I dunno why.

Very impressed with Stan the Man's play here. Surprised to see some negative emotion from Rafa. He does not seem happy out there with a number of factors, including, most prominently, his own play.

Hmm, I am revisiting my "Rafa doesn't like to play at night" theory in my head....

Pspace: I think of a "long ball" as a ball that's out, a "deep ball" as a ball that's in but is close to the baseline and makes life difficult for the opponent.

Well, crap. It'd be nice to get one of those break points sometime in the next hour or so.

Again a bh error by Rafa at 15-40 break point opportunity. These misses might come back to haunt him. Wawrnika holds. Good stuff from him.

I think that because Rafa changes so often from dh bh to slice bh, it seems to put him off leading to a overhit bh.

wow that was a terrible slice attempt by Rafa, not just because it went into the net but the way he slumped his head while hitting it.

the more seasoned players I have played usually say "deep" when the ball goes long.
but whatever. as long as you know that your opponent is calling the point and not appreciating your shot.

I love the way SW is gutting this out; if only he wasn't playing Rafa I'd be cheering him on for the win. He was fun to watch in Davis Cup matches but wow, this match is really showcasing his talent! What a nice player - hope he makes his way back into the top 10. He's fun to watch.

crazyone, great line about Fed calling SW for his serve back!

I just came back and Rafa is down a break????????

There's nothing wrong with the SB is there? Its been almost 2 hrs..

Hi Sherlock and Amy! Amy, get your shoes ready, we may need them here. Rafa started off slowly, missing a lot of forehands. Seemed to get into the flow of the match and played well through much of the first set, but Stan really hung tight, saving numerous break points. Rafa played a good tiebreak, forcing errors from Stan, but could not capitalize on the momentum and he got broken early in the 2nd. He has had 4 or 5 changes to break back now but keeps mishitting. Stan is struggling at only about 50% first serves here, but keeps being able to save BP. Rafa's body language has been unusually negative and he does not look like a happy boy at the moment.

c1, I dunno. While playing, ppl use deep or long interchangably for shots that are out. But, they usually use depth for the shots that are good. Since Muzz, everybody is calling it length. Just want y'all to know...I _hate_ it.

Wow! Nadal will be practicing his forehand in his next practice. It's all over the place right now.

Dear lord, I've been listening for all of ten minutes -- has Doug Adler been beyond grating and negative for this entire match?

Jenn, he's definitely annoyed with his play. The thing is, I think his strategy has been correct -- moving Stan is the way to win, but he's not executing well enough -- he can't keep the ball in play for long enough for this to actually work. And after mis-hitting, he then stops trying to change the direction of the ball, because he doesn't feel comfortable doing it, and then gives Stan the chance to take the initiative. Or at least that's what I've gathered from watching several games of the first set and the last 20 to 25 minutes.

ahhhh...here it is! I admit I buzzed around for a while. :-0

So proud of Stan in this set. Even if he ends up losing it. Those were some gutsy holds.

AmyLu, that's why I turned off the commentary even *before* starting the match...he was beyond intolerable during the Fed match.

Well I am disgisted with Rafa's play what the hail?

get back to playing percentages ok

This game reminds me of all the b/points rafa had aganst Simon?

Brain Sanp tennis Rafa you are playing like a Z grader.

Full marks to Stan,great serving when needed,also great anticipation at the net well done,though aided by that idoit at the other end.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks Jenn. :) Penn State's baskteball team was put ahead of Rafa, but I'm here now!

On that first point, I really, really think Stan should have come into the net. He volleys well, and off some of those slices from Rafa, I think he'd have had the chance for a pretty easy volley.

LOL Pspace @ "Watching Rafa's face is like a Kurosawa movie"!!

This is a really fun match to watch- I like both players and don't have much of a preference either way, so I can just unwind and watch good tennis to end the day! I hope Rafa fans are hanging in there, I think he will pull this one out (and if he doesn't, some of you mentioned at the beginning of the tourney that he could use the rest before the clay season starts anyways!)

I know that I will be frazzling tomorrow with Rod/Fed Take 19. Not that I actually expect Roddick to win...it's like a car crash that you can't turn your head away from.

Rosangel, this overflow post is great, thanks again!

Nooooooooo STAN....please don't get broken....HOLD PLEASE!

Amy, yeah. You've got it. With all of this said, one BP converted and this set would be his to win. He has had many chances despite some suspect play. I get the feeling Stan is playing the points (after serve) about as well as he can.

I can more easily ignore these commentators on TTC because they just blather. Justin Gimelstob on Fox is so intent at making every match call about him that I find him more distracting and annoying even if I sometimes agree with his analysis.

This is a 0-30 opportunity for Rafa... Vamos!

wow...so proud of stan's effort!!!

Oh my goodness!!! How did Nadal get to that volley? How did Wawrinka get to the response? Amazingly great point from both players!!!!

there's the break.

DANG. that was a great game by rafa to break.

sigh - poor stan, he's worked so hard.

What an amazing point by Nadal!!!!! I haven't seen him vamos like that in a long time.

OMG!

Nice to see Rafa celebrate like that...it meant so much to him!

even though stan will probably end up losing he played great! and he continues to fight.

Not yet a break....

just nice to see that beside rafa someone else shows "heart"

Finally Rafa breaks! A very gusty point at 15-30 to get 2 bp's. Unbelievable get from Rafa towards the net. The celebration, I guess, was a bit too animated. Rafa needs it. You need all the help you can on a tough day. 4-4. On serve. Rafa to serve.

What just went on between Stan and Damien?

Well lets see if Wonder boy can hold his serve?

Bad luck Stan!

I was impressed by Wawrinka at the DC tie, and this effort has made me even more impressed by his play. How is he not ranked higher?

yeah, I don't think I had ever seen Rafa pound his chest before...my feeling is that he's been a bit out of sorts in the past few days and needs points like that to pump himself up.

I am wondering whether Rafa is drawing on the memory of the Stuttgart final these two played. He needed to come from behind in both sets.

The linespeople have really sucked this match. They're not going to get their free meal tickets.

Ros, was that Stuttgart match in 07? I barely recall that.

I can't believe that Stan tossed his racket before the ball landed -- that would have been hilarious if the ball had landed in. :)

Very nice serve from Rafa to close out that game.

Stan gets so much credit for the gorgeous BH, but he has been KILLING that forehand inside out this set.

5-4 Rafa. Finally, a lead in the set! [since 1-0]

karin - he cracked the top 10 - but i think he had some niggling injuries end of last year, (shoulder?) that effected his ranking.

I thought of all the guys at the DC tie, he played the best, most consistent tennis until he ran out of steam on sunday.

ok - now we'll see if stan can hold to stay in the match...

Gee, Stan deserves at least a set, he's worked so hard and served so well...

karin- Wawrinka seems like a player that can really suffer from a lack of energy at times. When he's focused and fired up he is really impressive (like now, and against Blake at DC), but I happened to see his match vs. Murray at the US-Open last year live (it was actually my first live ATP match), and I have never seen such listless and flat tennis. He just doesn't seem to have the fire to be a constant presence in the top 10.

That "Player's Perspective" commercial about who the players admired growing up is very cute. I love that Serena liked Monica (my fav!) and who would have thought that Moya grew up admiring Edberg!

gee Wonders never cease Rafa holds serve.

Yes, 07. I remember it well, because it was the first time I'd been there in person to see Rafa lift a trophy. I can still recall the smell of champagne around the arena afterwards.

>>""my feeling is that he's been a bit out of sorts in the past few days"">>

I think Rafa's really been out of sorts all through from the 3rd round of Indian Wells to this tournament. He's never really looked as fluent as he did in Australian Open.

Makes me wish, that he loose and then takes time off and come back with all guns blazing. He does need a break.I think he's been involved in too many close matches : Verdasco SF, Nalbandian match. All this stuff takes a considerable mental toll. Eventually the percentages and the law of averages catches up with you.

BTW, the score that day was 7-5, 6-4.

Syd, he has worked hard but not served well and been down break points in nearly every game this set. The break was probably inevitable.

Syd Not a set the whole match as far as I am concerned.

Jenn, I'm actually not that impressed with Stan's FH this match. It's very variable, and a lot of the time he ends up hitting it short even on not that good shots from Rafa.

Why is Rafa looking so angry?

Looks like Rafa wants to end this quickly. Stan is playing really well but Rafa is upping his game now. Looks like that Vamos was what he needed.

Crazyone, I just feel like he has hit some great inside-out forehands, and he is not really known for that. Overall its clearly not the most steady shot.

ok, you guys have a point.

more than 10 aces.

that was impressive play though, to save match points.

Now hold!

WOW Stan is serving well on break/match points. Incredible.

Three great points by Stan. Well done!

Come on Stan! Aces please...

Gosh, I miss the days when Fed would get into a hole and summon up 4 straight first serves...

see that forehand Jenn?

crazyone...I know...seems like a long time ago,no?

though there's not much you can do when that happens.

Wawrinka could not have played that any better. Amazing stuff from Nadal to set up Match point #4.

Loving all the emotion from both of them.

I can't believe Stan hit that volley, and then I can't believe Rafa got to it. What a point.

Stan is showing a lot of resolve here and coming up with some very clutch serves. He's also shown a lot of composure -- doesn't seem unnerved by the moment. It's nice to see.

Nadals best shot of the match

Ok, so here's my interpretation of Rafa's expression:

"""
Oh c'mon Stan! Freakin' hell. I want to be in the locker room eating my cookie.

But, goal is for try best, no?

Hmm..I actually love competing more than winning or eating.
"""

A complex expression for a complex emotion?

No matter what happens, Stan has shown real heart. He honestly puts players like Monfils, who are so willing to give up early, to shame.

what a gutsy hold.

wow. WHAT a game.

Nice hold by Wawrinka. Not many people could have faced 4 match points against Nadal, being down 0-40 and still win the game. Wawrinka has nerves of steel.

Dang - gutsy play from stan to hold there.

and crap - i swore i'd go to bed at midnite. tennis is just BAD for my health!

Stan has really impressed me with his mental ability today

Crazyone, stop proving me wrong! lol
Well, heck of a hold there. I admire this match play from Stan.