Cannot believe I am first...wohoooo....nice post Steve.
Fed-Santoro will be fun to watch

>>If you're out at dinner past 10 (which is pretty much a given in New York), you’ve missed a good three hours of banter between Martina Navratilova and Bill Macatee.

Steve, missing the banter could be a plus, esp. with Gimelstob added to the mix. All the AO coverage has been very disruptive to my life, but must say I love seeing all the tennis, if not listening to the banter! Esp. like the live coverage of night matches on ESPN2, which we had much less of in previous years. Can still remember that ESPN2 failed to cover the great Fed-Safin SF live in 2005, since it didn't involve any American players. Whatever ESPN2's faults, it's come a long way with its coverage in the past few years.

Steve,
With you saying that Ana and Maria can win the AO if they avoid a Williams Sister mean that you think a Williams Sister is going to win 2008 AO? If Sam Q can get past Tursunov today, expect high expectations for him in 2008.

Federer over Santoro in straight sets. The first close (7-5 or even a tiebreaker) then Federer figures Santoro out and mightily erases him from the face of the earth...

I think it will be Safin over Baghdatis.

I like the blue courts myself.

>The one problem is the odd differential in color between the surface inside the lines and the surface outside. There’s something off about that.

Well it's better than having the same color everywhere, isn't it? Makes it easier to see where the court ends.

>As for the replay of his Sharapova impersonation show, my first reaction was negative: Enough, Novak

Actually now that it's public that Sharapova doesn't mind him doing it, it's not producing as negative reaction in me (I was really pissed when he did it about the two people no-longer in the tournament. It felt cowardly). But I don't understand if he's really that naive when he says in press conference that "people made him do it". How childish can you get? It's not like he's a teenager anymore, he's turning 21 already and people make him do it? Puhlease. I'd like to see him own up to it, at the very least.

I expect straight sets for Federer, but I expect some amazing shotmaking from both players. I am so glad that Fabrice is still competing at this level.

I think Sharapova can beat anyone presently, except perhaps Henin, and regard her as Henin's main competition. Last year is over. Whoever wins that quarterfinal is my pick to win the tournament.

Ivanovic doesn't move well enough to win this event. Her serve is very good, but not a decisive weapon against a great returner like Venus or Henin. Venus didn't come in much against her in the USO, which is indicative that Venus is confident she can simply beat her from the baseline by moving her around. Venus changed tactics totally against JJ and Henin, knowing she could not beat them from the baseline.

I wsa really impressed with Cirstea. She has a monster serve to go along with that great backhand. She has real potential, since she really has weapons, unlike Paszek, who doesn't have a serve. Whether she reaches her potential is another matter, but she gave Ana all she could handle, and should have won the first set. Her net game was full of mistakes, but that she came in indicates to me that she must have a decent net game, but could't execute under slam pressure.

Sher, I agree 100% - Djoko's "people made me do it" excuse is a lame one. I think Djoko is a pretty nice and likable kid in many ways, but his parents probably don't set much of an example for him - they always seem to be rabid cheerleaders more than parents. Last year, when Papa Djokovic tore off his shirt to celebrate a Djoko victory, I found that particularly cringe-worthy...

Steve: I like the blue courts as well. Regarding Ivanovic, I like that she is moving forward more (saw that against Henin in Sydney too), but I think that her movement remains a liability.

Impressions are great---in the locker room. They don't belong on a stadium court in front of millions of people. They certainly did put absurd pressure on Djokovic when he told them he didn't want to do one, and he cut it short. I don't see him doing Nadal again. It's typical TV media that they'd rather concentrate on that nonsense than the tennis. It's the fist pumps and histrionics which they love, even saying nonsense like "She's showing her opponent that she's serious!" The other player could care less about how big a fist pump the opponent makes. Talk about meaningless.

">As for the replay of his Sharapova impersonation show, my first reaction was negative: Enough, Novak

Actually now that it's public that Sharapova doesn't mind him doing it, it's not producing as negative reaction in me (I was really pissed when he did it about the two people no-longer in the tournament. It felt cowardly). But I don't understand if he's really that naive when he says in press conference that "people made him do it". How childish can you get? It's not like he's a teenager anymore, he's turning 21 already and people make him do it? Puhlease. I'd like to see him own up to it, at the very least."
Ditto Sher.

"Last year, when Papa Djokovic tore off his shirt to celebrate a Djoko victory, I found that particularly cringe-worthy..."
Lol Liz, I would've have liked to have seen that. But it seems you're right and Djoko's parents are a joke...just going by what you said because I've never seen them yet.

I also think that he should stop doing them, even if people don't mind it. On the practice court like he did at Wimbledom is fine, but not after a match on national television...seems like he is making a fool of himself. But since he doesn't care too much how people will take it, I'm not Too concerned for him or his rep. He is good for the game and has great spontaneity...impersonations aside.

I saw Blake-Russell at US Open, and it was Blake in 3 tight sets. Yet I wasn't ever really convinced that Russell would win. So we'll see how it goes tonight -- both looked good so far.

I agree, enough with the impressions by Djoko. I don't think
it's amusing. I've been watching tennis for years and I have
never seen anything like this.

Steve,

I just read your post here and at ESPN. I usually see eye to eye with you, but this time, I must beg to differ with your assessment that the Djokovic imitation is harmless, entertaining, and an homage to Shriekapova. I would find his act more amusing if he were to mock his own ball-bouncing tic. Like his Serbian compatriot Jankovic, Djokovic is overly dramatic and is an exhibitionist. Enough already, Novak. You're a tennis player, not a clown!!

I'm glad someone finally called out Martina N. on her commentary style. She's a great champion, no question, but she is hypercritical and does not seem to be having fun. As I quadruple-arrowed my DVR to speed up some matches, I noticed she had an uncanny ability to always be talking whenever I returned to normal speed. Then I realized it's because she is talking incessantly. Is she getting paid by the word?

Venus seems ill or something. She's not moving consistently and is not hitting the ball hard or well very often. This is a strange match. She should blow out this player easily. She just seems listless. I expect her to break back and take this match in two, and it looks to me like she needs some air conditioning and rest.

Bob,
That was very ugly by Vee : 44 errors, 6 DFs, 6 times losing serve.

"The genius and the magician match wits one more time. Tennis may never be this fanciful again." -- nice touch, Steve!

Also, your ESPN.com blog post was spot on. To paraphrase a wise saying: Ya gotta give a little love now and then to get a little love in return.

Years ago a friend contended that J. Geils was a pretty good band. Much dismissive commentary ensued from the gallery. When we were cruising in a Geils detractor's car later the same day, and the driver/detractor was found tapping his foot (while driving) to "First I Look At The Purse", the Geils devotee pointed out the irresistible infectiousness of the music, and the argument was over and done.

Not that Geils works for tennis, but I was reminded of the story.

Federer is playing pretty scary right now. If he plays like this...who can take him out? I doubt even Nadal, although Djoko might put up a tough fight with his huge groundstrokes on Djoko's serve.

Federer always plays scary in the slams. He could care less about exhibitions, and can lose focus in Masters events, perhaps because of mental fatigue, but when the YEC comes along, he is very serious. He wasn't entirely healthy when he lost to Nalbandian a few years ago. And when the slams roll around he is rested and totally focused, and you can forget about beating him, or even challenging him, unless you are Nadal on the clay. Lopez was playing surreal tennis at the USO, but Federer at one point won some impossible number of service points in a row. He was serving and playing so well that it was some incredible kind of number, but I forget what it was. Then when he lost one, he went on another roll.

Roddick played great, and got taken out easily. Federer played pretty mediocre for awhile against Djokovic, but great on some huge points, and once he got going, that was it. He's the best player in history by an appreciable margin. We've never seen anyone like him. It's not likely that he'll suddenly drop in quality. He's not only the best player by far, but he has the most experience, so when it gets tight, it doesn't bother him as much as the other players, which gives him an additional advantage, should the rare occasion arise when something is tight. Although I'd have liked to have seen a more competitive match, it did display what he can do against a player who can drive powerful players nuts.

2008 is to see who will be #3. Djokovic will have everyone gunning for him, and I'm not sure he'll keep #3, but he has a good chance. I think he's the best after Federer and Nadal, but he'll have lots of challengers. Nobody can truly challenge Federer, and only Federer is any kind of challenge to Nadal on the clay, and so far not at RG.

At some point Federer will lose in a slam, but he's so good that it will be a shock when it happens. We've never had anything like that perception with any other player in history. Not even close.

Bob, good post. I agree about Fed, though it will be more interesting to see him come up against someone who can at least challenge him. right now he's not getting into any dogfights and just cruisin'. Nalbandian, when he's 'on' and fit and ready to go is obviously up there with Fed and Nadal; I think he's more gifted than the Joker.

i'm actually hoping that my insomnia will return so i can catch some of the 3:30am matches...

the first time i saw djokovic play, it was against monfils, at the Open a couple of years ago, when he started hyperventilating... i had never seen anyone look like that on the court--different from struggling with cramps or another injury, which is terrible enough...it was really unnerving. as he was settling down, the commentators launched into the "is it an injury or is it a conditioning issue, i think this is a conditioning issue..." debate, play resumed, and then i blinked, monfils was completely rattled, djokovic won. and i kept wondering, how much was this kid faking? seemed suspicious, and i soured on him quickly.

but a year or so later, i read a few features, saw a few interviews, and thought, eh, ok, he's good, maybe he's a nice kid, seems like he's "maturing"...but i still didn't like him.

then i saw the impressions live at the US Open--night-time drama at the open is amazing enough, but it was truly bewildering how it unfolded from an exceedingly long post-match interview. impressions were spot-on. the crowd was bananas. that it was an "unscripted" moment made it even more entertaining. i was completely won over.

the kid's a born entertainer, but, at this point, i hope they all just stop the dog and pony show. the on-court interviewers should really just leave it alone. and if they don't, i think djokovic should start politely declining.

Bob, as usual right on. I am not sure why people keep expecting Federer to fall off at 26 given how well he has taken care of himself and the ease with which he plays. Sure, he will lose sometime, but even if he somehow goes without a slam this year, I would not be surprised to see him with 3 or 4 next year.

I kind of like Martina announcing. YOu can hear she is looking at the key players as if she were their coach (or them). Basically she is being critical of their weaknesses or sloppiness just as she would demand of herself. Does it get a bit grating at times? Sure, but I would rather she be candid than kiss everyone's tail end. For example, Venus was in denial in her interview (much like some presidential candidates after primaries without going into details) when she had served horribly against a middle of the pack player. Sure she won, but if she does not know she has some things to sharpen up before tougher matches, she is fooling only herself. Yes, in some sense, the top players have to have a short memory, but most of them go right to the practice court when they have been missing serves or something like that even in a win.

In any case, it is obvious, Venus would become better with Martina as her coach than her father, at least for her serve. Martina also points out how few women really get much topspin on their serves. Occasionally you see that some of them have speeds on first serves approaching some of the men. But you see the big dropoff on second serves. More importantly, it has been shown that Sampras not only had a fast serve (not the fastest) but the heaviest due to high rpms on even his first serve. Difference is in position of the toss, and few women get in the checkmark position on their serves.

You also see Dementieva actually falling back (her backside) in the middle of serve and coming almost sidearm in her delivery. Not a good way to hit hard and keep the ball in. Even Henin has some problems with ball toss as Martina points out. Serena has far and away the best serve in women's tennis on all accounts. She may be awkward on some of her backhands, but her serve is a model, first and second.

To be fair, I think I 'hear' what Djokovic is saying when he says so-and-so "made me do it." At some point, someone 'caught' him yukking it up in practice. Word spread, and someone asked him to do it on-court at the USO. Now, it's, like, a THING (with a life all its own). As Steve said, he did a rather half-hearted repeat, on-demand performance after his last win. Sure, Djokovic could dig in his heels and refuse, but when someone asks you to do it, and then a many-thousand-strong crowd urges you on with applause... aren't you kind of in a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation? Personally, I think it's clear Djokovic himself is 'over it' and just doesn't want to be a stick-in-the-mud (for the sake of the crowd. I daresay that's more thoughtful of the crowd on Djoko's part than many other players might demonstrate). I don't think he ever meant to be condescending -- he's just picked out and imitated trademark moves of players we've all noticed and commented upon. Djokovic SHOULD stop it, for his own sake, IMO. But it's really not his fault if some people haven't tired of it.

I'm not interested in seeing Federer challenged, unless another superstar emerges, like Nadal is on the clay. With the current players, he's only challenged when he plays poorly, and I don't want to see that. I'd rather see incredible tennis than a close match, if a close match means mediocre tennis from either player. When Federer is playing at his best, he's just too good, and I don't see anything which is likely to change that. We'd have seen it by now. The incredible players burst forth in their teens, especially if they have the standard double-handed game. Federer has a complex game which took a bit longer to mature, but even as a teenager he beat Sampras at Wimbledon, so we knew he would be very special. Nadal exploded onto the scene at 17. Djokovic is 20 now, and he's not going to improve much. Roddick is getting old now, as is Hewitt, Safin, Ferrero, Ferrer, Blake, and many others. That's what makes Santoro so amazing, at 35. I just feel privileged to watch Federer play tennis when he's really on fire, and could care less about how close the match is. I feel the same way about Henin by female standards of shotmaking. Seeing these two players at their absolute best is just a joy to watch.

Steve, o nobody can do anything if they face a Williams sister? Or are you just so sure they are going to be in the finals? Maria has beaten both Williams sisters before you know, and after watching that debacle of a match Venus just played vs Pin, alot of people would take Venus out right now unless she steps it up ALOT ........

"Martina also points out how few women really get much topspin on their serves. "

She pointed this out during the second set of Henin's second round match, when she was having service issues. I like that Martina points things like that out - she has wonderful insight into the game.

I also enjoy Martina's comments, but don't always believe them. She too often says things which I know are not true, so that makes me skeptical of many things she says. Henin doesn't put much topspin on the serve because she's too short, and a topspin ball sits up too much. with Henin's talent, you can be certain that she can put any kind of spin she wants on a serve. She will put it on the second serve sometimes to the ad court serving wide, since that's hard to attack, but her height gives her unique serving problems, and I don't think Martina's comments are accurate about her serve.

Serena has a great serve, but her second serve is often attackable, particularly when she gets nervous and hits it short or softer. Henin really obliterated it in the second set at the USO, once she got attuned to it and Serena got tight. Henin did the same thing to Maria's second serve at the YEC. Venus has a very weak second serve. Henin really teed off on that at the Open. Henin does miss a lot of second serve returns, but that's because she is trying to hammer them, not because she can't return them. I can see her getting ready for them, and know that it's likely she'll hit a winner or near-winner, or hit it out. That's just her strategy when she's playing well and dialed in on the opponent's serve.

Why in the world Venus didn't crush Pin's serves (both first and second) was totally beyond me. There is where Martina was right on. These were nothing serves, ready to be blasted back. Now and then Venus would seem to wake up and hit the ball hard, but I was just amazed that she almost never attacked those serves. Venus was in denial about that match, but on the other hand she didn't talk about how horrible she played, which has often been a criticism of both sisters when they have a close match. She's damned if she says she played lousy, and damned if she doesn't, so I thought she handled it pretty well.

So although I do think Martina bring a great deal of spontaneous insight into the match, I do take what she says with a grain of salt. I particularly like her discussion of how certain grips prevent players from getting certain shots over the net in certain scnearios. Nobody else ever discusses this kind of stuff, and it often does explain some of these errors, particularly with netted balls.

Hey, Steve - I chuckled when I read Cahill's comment that Darcis has "got all the shots, but lacks a major weapon." - Isn't that the way half the tennis world used to describe Cahill's former charge, Lleyton, about five years ago? Seems like Lleyton's getting a good second-round workout.

We only got to see all of five minutes of the Hantuchova/Cornet match.
I hope Daniela Hantuchova makes a night match. She seems to be a crowd favourite Down Under.

er, make that a BAD second-round workout - Istomin just took the third!

Hej Steve,

thanks for mentioning Belgian Steve Darcis in your post. In Belgium we talk about him as our next talent (along Malisse and Rochus), waiting to break through in the ATP-circuit. Too bad he was very nervous in his first(!) grand slam match against Hewitt. Can't wait to see him play in the next grand slam...

Oh, i love Spoon as well :D

Sam Querrey upsets Dimitri Tursunov ... that's one less Russian and one American managing to stay alive in the AO. The Russians are lording it over the rest of the field with 13/21 players remaining, followed by France with 9/29, the US with 8/26, Spain with 5/16 and Serbia with 4/6.

For Venus Williams, its about getting into the next round and winning, and not dropping a set. The errors happens, and she'll play better aganist a better match in Mirza, who doesn't move as good as Pin, at all, and whose serve is still poor for all the power she has in her right arm.

Bob, I have to disagree with you again in regards to Sharapova, and in fcat, I relaly think Shahar Peer can cause her problems in the fourth round if it happens. Davenport lost a half step and didn't have any balance at all, tho the serve had pace. And right now for Sharapova, but Venus and Serena are bad match ups, even with Venus's form today. Mentality, she just doesn't believe in her shots and her good serves come back with force aganist them right now, especially after last year's demolitions. It's truly a mental thing there right now. With Hnein, its different because Henenin ha snever blown out Sharapova like the both the Williamses

Speaking of which, Venus and Serena are a threat for the doubles here.

And I think Rezai, especially with how she handled Golovin, can give Henin a bit of a match tomorrow. Boy, Golovin, just know how to disappoint.

And Federer wants to get Nalbdanian badly. I don't know what has happened over the years but Federer doesn't like Nalbandian, at all. But with the way Nalbandian is serving these days, even with Federer playing like he did today, Nalbandian can still beat anyone, including the incomparable Swiss.

Agreed on all Fed comments Bob.

Jerell,
Williams Sisters have a tough 2nd round match against the number 2 seeds(Srebotnik and Sugiyama) but if they get thru that, a QF apperance against (most likely) Yan/Zheng.
At the moment, Golovin comes up small in Slams.

The way Fed played last night, I do not see him losing at all on HC or grass this year. IF he brings last night game to the clay season, watch out.

Day 5 AO schedule:

http://tinyurl.com/2su82d

Re: the Baghdatis comment to Chris Fowler: Am I missing something? 'Does he follow you around everywhere? No.' Is that exchange funny?

@Donal

I guess you had to be there because I don't get it either*shrugs*

why are federer matches always so boring? thank goodness we have fun charismatic players like baghdatis and safin to watch. unfortunately one of them had to lose :(

Perhaps, dry humor eludes you.

ks

Steve:

Del Potro - Ferrer was just as you predicted. A lot of balls played. I watched it through ESPN Latinamerica There was excellent shotmaking from Del Potro and the ususal defense and super agressive counterattack from Ferrer. It is a pity that Del Potro had to retire and that he was not able to serve properly due to his back injury.

Changing topics, Nalbi started very slowly, but served well throughout the whole match and ended it on a high note. Let us see what happens against Ferrero. For sure there will be a lot of balls played also. And it will provide both players with excellent rythm. The survivor will be more than ready to address the match against Ferrer afterwards.

Posted by SwissMaestro 01/16/2008 @ 5:28 PM

Federer over Santoro in straight sets. The first close (7-5 or even a tiebreaker) then Federer figures Santoro out and mightily erases him from the face of the earth...
___________________________________________________

Well, I gotta recognize I fell a little too short with my comment thinking Santoro was going to make the first set close as he got blown away from the very first point.

I honestly don't think the best of Nalbandian can beat this Federer, nuh uh... not when the Swiss is in this kinf of form. The tough part is actually keeping it up but credit has to be given where credit is due and Nadal has been much closer to beat Federer on Wimbledon than Federer has been to beat the Spaniard at FO, hope the pattern changes this year for the Golden Slam sake...

D-Wiz, do you know those magical words: just say no.

What's up WTA fans-

A few thoughts on tonight's matches, for there should be some real tests for the first time in the tournament. I think Victoria Az will be all up in Serena Williams business tonight, and better come in ready to play from the beginning. JJ will have her hands full too with Razanno. Even Justine should be made to fight her first battle against Schiavone. Ultimately Justine is just to good and has to many weapons for Francesca to hang with, but Fran will make her work for it, 6-4 6-4 there.

M-Life, agreed except for Serena's match. Never heard of this girl before.

How many celebrities have a problem with late night shows doing impersonations of them? And that question was not meant to imply they don't, because I don't know if it annoys them or not. But if they reach a certain leve of notoriety they must at least EXPECT it.

Tennis stars are no different to me. Yes, the impressions from one of their own, but I'd think the impersonations are even more likely to be in good spirit than from a random comedien who doesn't have to hang around the people s/he ribs a lot of the time.

Honestly, I think part of the problem is with the people insisting that he must act their way or else he's wrong. (Disclaimer: that wasn't a sweeping indiction of everyone on the opposite side of the argument. But I've read discussions like this since the USO last year, and I'm just saying statistically speaking, somebody is not going to be altruistic about it, just like some people are going to be defending Djoko for no other reason than they like him.)

Federer played a great match to dismantle Santoro. This came when Santoro himself did not play a bad match ( according to his own admission too ). Santoro poses problems to most players.

On the other hand, Federer has not yet faced a steady baseliner so far. It will be interesting to see what happens when that matchup takes place.

Bob
Martina isn't very tall and neither is Billie Jean King. I think she ment those type of players(Rosie Casales,etc.)hitting topspin on their second serve. But of course today the players would try to kill them not slice and come in.

M-Life,
Indeed WTA has some good 3rd round matches. Agree that Serena needs to be ready from the first ball today or Victoria will be causing problems.
In these 2 matches, the winner will have a lot of publicity since no one thought they would make it this far : Hsieh/Rezai and Lisicki/Wozniacki.

Top half(bottom tomorrow)predictions:
Henin in 2 over Schiavone
Rezai in 3 over Hsieh
Peer in 3 over Dementieva - Elena serve lets her down
Sharapova in 2 over Vesnina
Jankovic in 3 over Razzano
Mauresmo in 2 over Dellacqua - Casey will be in awe of the moment
Vaidisova in 2 over Sugiyama
S Williams in 2 over Azarenka

I don't know much about Rezai, and see she's never played Henin. She's actually smaller than Henin. First Justine has to be Schiavone, who gave her some problems in Fed Cup, but she should win in straight sets. None of the players are immune from upsets at this point. They are all playing inconsistent tennis, and anything can happen in a slam early round.

Martina was tall for her era, at 5'8", much taller than the average player. In the old days, tennis players pretty much reflected the average person's height, or a bit taller. Laver was only 5'8", Connors 5'9" or a bit taller. Borg and McEnroe were 5'11", taller than normal, but not like modern players. Billie Jean, Evert, Austin, and most of them were pretty average for a woman. Graf, Sabatini, and Seles brought the big players to the game.

Jerell: We disagree on this one. I think Maria is playing incredible tennis and will have no problems until she plays Henin, but we'll have to see. She was awesome at the YEC, and seems to still be in that form. I frankly think the winner of that quarter will win the AO.

No one in his(her) sane judgement would bet against Henin in this Aussie Open, she is just too good of a mover and a much better shot maker than Sharapova though the Russian gave her all she could handle at the YEC in Madrid, the match of the year in the WTA by far, too bad we had to wait too long to see it...

My guess is that Henin takes the whole thing but if she looses to Sharapova then I am going with Venus as Maria cannot handle either one of the Williams sisters...

Sharapova is a great striker of the ball, but someone who moves well and gets the ball back can pose problems to her. She is still favored to beat Peer, but Peer can certainly ask her a few tough questions.

Nalbandian when he is playing well will always pose problems to Federer. Nalbandian's weaknesses are - forehand can break down, his movement and his mental lapses - the latter in my mind the most glaring weaskness.

Nalbandian is great at changing the direction of the ball and moreover it is difficult to get a read on which way is he likely to go, whether down the line or crosscourt. As good and versatile as Federer's backhand is, Nalbandian's is more consistent and the longer the rally, the greater the chances of Federer's backhand breaking down.
Nalbandian's forehand remains the weaker wing, but on his day, if it remains consistent, then he can hurt off that wing too.
Moreover he seems to have improved his serve to get a few more free points.

A telling stat in their last 11 encounters since the 2003 YEC at Houston is that Federer has won 8 of those, whereas Nalbandian leads 7-3 when percentage of points won on second serve is considered. One of these 11 matches has them tied on this stat.

Nalbandian leads 12-3 on this stat if all 16 of their matches are considered (tied in one match).

In case the two happen to meet at this year's AO, Federer will be considered the favorite, but Nalbandian definitely has the game to ruin the script.

Federer will have to serve well, keep his unforced errors down ( which is true for every player ) and take the initiative in opening up the rally. One way is to bring Nalbandian to the net which is not his forte.

As well as Federer has played in his first two matches, he is yet to play a steady baseliner. He is still favored to win the whole thing though.

have there been any comparisons made between baghdatis and agassi (the early, "tortured soul" years)? talented showman, out of shape, coasting a bit on talent?

Gasquet vs Andreev, anyone?

I go with Gasquet. He is an all-around player and o me this guy is going to start going deeper and deeper into slams in the foreseeable future as he will start to gather his mind and his talent together. Gasquet showed us what he is capable of at Wimbledon, he is an all-surface player but grass is his best by far, eventhouhg Bodo does not like him I think he resembles Federer's game a lot (hey! he is not called Baby Federer for nothing). Good serve, good groundstrokes (specially his backhand which he can land on a dime) and a great volley.

I pretty much doubt Richard will transform his gifts into Federer-like sucess but in my view, by the time he hangs the racquet he will have 3 or 4 majors under his belt (maybe all of them on different surfaces). Watch out if he reaches those boiling levels he has been famous for and that bring the best Gasquet in him. If he does reach those levels, even for a few games, you can see a flurry of winners from every possible angle and side of the court, shots maybe only Federer can match.

Remember that quarterfinal agains Roddick at Wimbledon? Gasquet had 93 winners and only 29 unforced errors, simply unheard of!

I'm not so sure Maria can't beat Serena and Venus. I would have agreed before the YEC, but if nerves dont' get to her serving, she has the serving and shotmaking to beat them. I really don't know. Nobody has been tested yet. I've not been impressed with Serena and Venus, but expected them to be mediocre in the first few rounds, so they'll get much better. With the depth these days, even some third round matches can be touchy, but will force the players to get some consistency on their shots. Henin has't been consistent, but she should get lots of rallying tonight.

Nalbandian certainly isn't showing the form he did in those Masters events. He's in a really rough quarter, with Marcos, Hewitt, Ferrer, and Djokovic. That's a tough one to pick.

SwissMaestro,
Add broke Roddick 18 game win streak in breakers by winning the breakers in set 3 and 4. Fed had 58 winners in just 3 sets last night which is insane. If Fed was pushed to 5, he may have over 100 winners.

Patrick,

I bet!! Too bad we would rarely see that... but in Wimbledon against Nadal he hit 65 (aces counted) in total...

On that 5 set semifinal against safin, these were Federer's stats. Roger "only" had 72 winners (including serve)...

Federer-Safin match stats

Match statistics from Marat Safin's 5-7, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (8-6), 9-7 win Thursday against Roger Federer in the semifinals of the Australian Open:

Stat Safin (Russia) Federer Switzerland)

First-serve percentage 59% 57%
Aces 16 22
Double faults 1 8
Winning% on first serve 91 of 123 74% 88 of 107 82%
Winning% on second serve 44 of 84 52% 41 of 81 51%
Winners (including service) 65 72
Unforced errors 60 59
Break-point conversions 4 of 13 31% 4 of 14 29%
Net approaches 45 of 61 74% 52 of 68 76%
Total points won 194 201

Match duration: 4 hours, 28 minutes

Gasquet has similar variety of Federer, so he still has room for improvement. I'd like to see him improve his consistency, since he'll have the only one-handed game near the top once Federer is gone. If he plays well, he should win his next two matches.

Hey guys, I think all of the stars will come through. Have to disagree M-life, I don't think Victoria can handle Serena's serve or her groundstrokes. Go Justine!

I think if the Williamses are off their game like Venus was last night, yes Maria can beat them, but if Sharapova plays her best and Venus and Serena are playing at their best, then they do the thing which they have done in the last 4 matches, wipe her off the court in two easy sets. Her last win against Serena was over 3 years ago, a very long time in tennis.

Exactly Bob, consistency is what sets Federer apart from the pack, maybe this is the most difficult "ability"(?) to develop? It is impressive Federer works at a 90% of efficiency 93% of the time...

Swiss: Federer's offense is simply phenomenal. These days offense is everything. Offense is the only defense, because of the power everyone has. When Federer loses, it's because he's not hitting his winners. Same with Henin. When he's hitting them, you can forget about beating him. He needs to be off his game for anyone to have a chance, and that almost never happens in the slams. Had he converted his match point against Safin in 2005, he'd be going for his 5th straight AO and USO this year, and 6th straight Wimbledon. That's just beyond belief, and were it not for the emergence of Nadal, he'd almost certainly be going for his fourth straight calendar grand slam, and be on a 14 slam winning streak, with 16 overall, and the possiblity of 20 at the end of the year, with 18 straight slams. To contend any player in history is remotely close to him is frankly silly. He's one match point and one Spanish bull from that kind of career, at the age of 26.

The most focused among the women on tour is Serena as reflected through her new philosophy: that she has nothing to prove to anyone. She has finally matured and its reflective of her game. If she remains like this, there is no doubt that she's going home with the bacon!

Many of you are giving Nalbandian too much credit. If he does meet Fed, you can bet on Federer putting the hammer down. Nalbandian doesn't want to meet the Swiss in a Grand Slam. Nobody does. Fed will not be denied here.

nobody seems to have mentioned Ferrero - who's playing like a demon at the moment. Barely recognizable. Got to give him a good chance against Nalbandian. In my uneducated opinion, if nalbie gets to the semis, he has a legitimate chance against the Fed - REGARDLESS as to how well the latter is playing. The fact that Fed is greatest in history and all that, certainly the most amazing record, is actually irrelevant. Nalbandian was asked last year, amid the flurry of his late successes, if he thought of challenging for #1. He said that would entail keeping up his current high level over an extended period over all surfaces. Only Federer could do that - and I don't think he was referring specifically to Fed's gifts, they'd be part of the package of course, but the essential thing was his mind. Federer can just go on and on and on; it is of course extraordinary, and we all get used to it, and scratch our heads when a workaday player like Canas topples him twice, and assume the end must be near. Such is the mesmerising effect. And then normal service is resumed, and we forget the human failings, and look forward again to endless success - except for that rotter Nadal on clay, but we have sort of got used to that, and can almost discount it, as if it were a regrettable lapse in taste which apparently can't be helped.

But Nalbandian is not like that. His record is nothing special, he can be beaten by almost anybody, and he looks a bit funny, and there's this suspect temperament, suspect forehand, suspect serve, suspect everything really. And yet. On his day, this man can beat anybody, including the mighty fed at his imperious best. If Nalbandian happens to be on song, Fed's record counts for nothing; Nalbandian fancies Fed; he doesn't care about the history; he just knows he's got the game to beat him. And Fed knows that, too. Personally, I think he relishes this fact, he's insanely competitive and wants above all to impose his will. If he knew he could just roll him over, summon the Fed armoury you know, there'd be no sweetness in it. The respect Fed and Nalbie have for each other is palpable, primitive - and all about equals. History counts for nothing down there in the dirt.

Incidentally, people don't necessarily just stand still. Just because the Williams sisters have, of late, consistently thrashed Sharapova doesn't mean that they always will (assuming they're in form). Sharapova is a tough, tough lady. She can take a whipping. She can take two whippings, as many as in fact as she has to endure. And all the time, she is learning, learning. If she can, she'll turn the tables. Given the punishment she has absorbed, this is unusual and slightly scary. What kind of a person is she, really? To assume she cannot succeed, I think that is mere wishful thinking. That's not to say she will succeed; but she might. It is legitimate, given the evidence, to say that she might. And that's quite a story.

Great stuff to watch in the first set of Henin's match. She absolutely needs to serve better, though. Her problem is that her serving problems come in bunches, and she has such trouble serving out a set. That's okay against these players who don't have monster serves, since she can break back pretty often, but against a Maria serving at 75% that's going not going to win the match. It's enjoyable to watch these two play. Schiavone is like a Henin with less power. Very enjoyable to watch this kind of tennis with both players. My confidence in Justine is not getting higher though. She was also not hitting hard enough. Schiavone was dictating play; then Henin started hitting out on her shots, and took the set. She should always hit out on her shots.

I don't know about everyone else but I'm definitely cheering- er "Vamos!"-ing, for Ferrero. The problem is that the TV doesn't play him, so it's hard to personally judge how's he's doing, and everything else seems to either be hype or rather vague analyzations.
Nalbandian comes across increasingly as a player with a milder case of Safin Syndrome. Except that, for Marat his fluctuations between awe-inspiring tennis and self-destructive tennis happens from set to set or even game to game. For Nalbandian it is more along the lines of week to week or match to match.

Either way, I'm hoping for a Ferrero win. (AND I think between Djokovic and Ferrer, Nalbandian isn't likely to have a chance to go all the way to the semis- yeah, if he did he'd be on the high of some amazing victories, and give Roger a run for his money, but Federer will still win in the end- because, after all, this is a Grand Slam, not a Masters, and this is where Roger demonstrates again and again why he's TMF or the King or even "Federer".)

Whew. I'm glad that's over. 48% serving, in not that much wind. She did have some great shots, as did Schiavone. I like Schiavone, even though she can engage in a bit of gamesmanship now and then. I haven't seen any in a long time. She's fiery and feisty, and a very talented shotmaker. She must have broken Henin 4 times or so, and had double break point in the last game. When Serena, Maria, or Venus serve for a set, it's pretty much a done deal. When Justine does it, it's an adventure. Schiavone gives her some of the same problems she gives to other players, with all the variety and good net play. So does Amelie. These are the last of the complete players.

I saw what I don't like in the Vaidisove match. Down 0-30, she blasts in three big unreturnable serves. I understand that many people enjoy that kind of tennis, but I don't. I find it boring. It's not a tennis match, but a serving match, to too large a degree for me. I like to watch the play of the game, and we had really enjoyable stuff in the Henin match. It's not often that the fast athletic one-handers meet these days.

I see Henin was serving at 108/89 mph, which might be part of the problem. That's Venus/Amelie/Serena like speeds on the first serve, and only Amelie serves faster on the second serve. I suppose the adrenalin gets to her.

I get so tired of these TV commentators. Fowler and Mary Jo are talking about how JJ needs to improve her serve. She's almost 23 years old. Her serve is never going to get any better. This reality of tennis history seems lost on them, in match after match after match. Her game is what it is always going to be, until it gets worse, like almost everyone else who is 23. The 10-30 players often do improve after that age, but not the top players. Henin does seem a bit better in the last year, but she does have a complex game, and some of that is perhaps mental, and thus consistency, or strategy. By the time a top player is 23, (s)he's at the peak.

"When Serena, Maria, or Venus serve for a set, it's pretty much a done deal. When Justine does it, it's an adventure."

Yeah, that's Justine. (wry smile). But a tactical Justine by the end of both sets did it for her.

Couldn't watch the match, had to make do with AO Radio. Schiavone is a very fit player and can run an opponent ragged. Lucky for Justine to get away in 2 sets. She will have an easier round next with either Hsieh or Rezai, who seem to be having an interesting 3-setter 158th ranked Hsieh up 4-2 now.

I like the schedule so far. I don't like to see players I enjoy in the featured night matches, since I can't watch them. That's 3 AM here, and I rarely watch a match where I know the result. Tonight is Amelie and Roddick. I like Amelie, but she's not been playing well, and I don't mind missing Roddick. Henin will get in a night match pretty soon, and probably her match with Maria will be at night, for the AO crowd, so I won't even get to see it. I don't know if they do the semis at night, or the final, but it wouldn't surprise me, and I won't see them. Last year I watched almost none of the AO, because it seems to me that live TV coverage at reasonable hours wasn't as good as this year. It's a miracle that I've gotten to see some of each of Henin's matches. That takes random scheduling which avoids competing matches from TV media favorites. It helps that she's #1, since she gets Laver arena almost all the time, and the first or second match.

There are doing a short on Serena talking about her backhand, and showing slow-motion, and this was very interesting. instead of much of the nonsense we see, I'd like to see more of this kind of stuff. I don't agree with Serena (or anyone) that the legs are important in generating power, and regard that as a total myth in golf and tennis, without any empirical evidence whatever to support it, nor any logical or physiological evidence, but all the players have always grown up believing it, and everyone still does, and I suppose always will.

Azarenka is a bit overwhelmed by the occasion. Too many unforced errors, but she's young and all in all is playing pretty well. It will be straight sets, but not bad for a slam match against Serena, who is playing much better tonight. I never thought anything could stop a fourth round match between Serena and Vaidisova, and nothing will. I see Rezai is about to lose and has 57 unforced errors. Statistically, I don't see anything about Hsieh's game which should trouble Henin. She's only 5'4", and her average serve speed today was 88/70 mph. Justine will crush returns on both of those serves, especially the second one. 70 mph is just ridiculous at world class levels.

When Serena gets a lead, she's pretty amazing to watch. She relaxes on her serve, and is serving at over 65% with great placement. The way to force errors is to hit it very deep. She stands at the baseline and isn't good in hitting shots hit deep at her, but to do so, you really need to play too high risk a game.

Well, Hsieh won which is good for China and Asian tennis, but that's about the end of her run - the 4th round.

Very impressive from Serena. Not one break of serve from her alleged replacement. Yes, Serena is done, put a fork in her.

Elena Dementieva just took the first set 6-2 vs Shahar Peer. ZERO DFs!

"58 winners in just 3 sets last night which is insane"

patrick: And they only played 21 games, so he averaged over 2.7 winners per game!

Today was a prime example of how Serena Williams is still a supreme server than Justine Henin when operating on full form.

The younger Williams is probably the best I have ever seen at hitting all four corners, with different pace and spin, and she played an intelligent match aganist a talented young opponent. With how Azarenka played today, she would have challenged Henin, or Sharapova, and even Venus (especially with how Venus played in the last round) on this day.

Once again, people don't understand this, David Nalbandian is equal head to head with Federer, in their history.

I think a defining moment for this "rivalry" (Fed fans are going to hate this one) for the moment is really back in Madrid, as Federer dismantled Nalbandian in that first set 6-1. You thought, once again, Nalbandian, is choking in the big match again. But the way he responded in that match, and served and volleyed well was something I never saw from the Argentine before. Federer tried to imposed his will on him and keep Nalbandian down, just like he does against the other players. But Nalbandian refused too and really stood up to Federer that day, and consolidated that with an even more impressive win in Paris.

So what if it wasn't a Grand Slam? A win is a win. Ask Sveltana Kuznetsova and Jelena Jankovic if they would take any win aganist Henin for their confidence purposes?

And Nalbandian played well aganist a game opponent in Peter Luzcak last night (or yesterday afternoon), before he simply kept his level as the Aussie's went down. Juan Carlos Ferrero is playing well, but I believe Nalbandian is played so classy with no injury, that he is will win that one with ease, well, 4 sets at the most.

Also, Bob, you must hit cross cout shots deep at Serena, with good angles, because if you don't, it won't work if she is on form. When she moves her feet on the baseline and maintains balance, that is when she is operating at max ability, as well as being enschoned and placid.

Disappointing from Rezai today and it makes you wonder about her and Golovin. These two "girls" have Top 10 ability to me, and Golovin definitely has Top 5 in her racket. France better keep on respecting Mauresmo, because with the way Bartoli, Golovin, and Rezai handled themselves in this tournament, France is not the favorite for the Fed Cup, nor harboring future Grand Slam winners at the moment.

Serena is a better server because of placement and obviously percentage. Henin actually served slightly faster on the first serve, and a bit faster on the second serve. 108/89 to Serena's 107/88.8. Both are very fast serves, probably the fastest today. Vaidisova was 104/87, and Maria at 106/88.8. Henin is limited on placement though, and obviously her percentage was horrendous, at 48%. The larger women have serves which bounce higher, too, but I don't think that's necessarily an advantage. One reason Henin doesn't use as much topspin is to keep them low, so they can't be attacked. She can jump on the second serves of nearly all of the tall players, since they bounce up with all that spin, especially when they get nervous and leave them shorter and/or softer. You don't see Serena and Maria serving near 89 mph on the second serve when they are in a tight match. Serena served at 106/84 against Henin at the USO, to Henin's 105/90. Tight matches lower the first serve percentage, too. Serena was at 56% against Henin in the Open. There is so much pressure on her serve that it drops. Serena was at 64% tonight, and Maria was at 66%. If a match gets tight against Henin, you probably won't see those kind of percentages. Maria served at I think 84% in the first set of the YEC final, but once Henin took the second set, fatigue and nerves lowered that quite a bit, though Maria did serve at 75% in the final game. (But might have taken off pace since Henin was crushing Maria's second serves).

Henin has pace plus huge topspin on her forehand and backhand to drive these players off the court, which gives her an advantage other players don't have, and also those angles she can hit with her one-hander.

Maria looked very good tonight, and so did Serena. We really do have depth. There were never any good fourth round matches back before about 2001. In this event we really have some tough matchups. Henin doesn't have one, but Serena does against Vaidisova, Elena can get to the stuff Maria hits (but shouldn't trouble her much), and JJ might get Amelie, who is a better player than JJ, if she's playing well. Venus will have Le Na, Anna will have Dani, and Kuz will have Petrova. These can all be dangerous players.

The tournament will start in the round of 16 for the women. It's already tough for the men.

This doubles irks me. Nadal is playing, Gasquet is playing, but we're watching Serena and Venus blow out another team in doubles. I loved to play doubles, but find it boring to watch, and so do most people, which is why they had to invent that tiebreak to get the matches over with more quickly in lesser events. I just can't imagine that even Americans would rather watch some doubles match than Nadal or Gasquet playing singles.

I find the antics of Djokovic irritating. Just go out and play and prove yourself on court.

MAria vs elena in d 4th round...elena been played very well against peer...i wondering who wil get thru to QF where justine is waiting...and my instinct said its maria..but my brain said dont kn0w...ahahaha

Bob,
Jelena has to play Dellacqua. Will Casey be in awe of her accomplishments or give JJ a match Saturday? Casey beats Amelie in 3

Patrick: I don't know anything about Dellacqua. She's been around for a few years, and hasn't done much, and is only 5'5", so I'd be surprised if she gave JJ much trouble. Amelie isn't playing well, and is old now. She'll be 29 in July, so beating her and Patty isn't that big a deal, though shows she's playing well, but I'd pick JJ.

This Roddick match is really tense.

Kohlschreiber took it. Roddick is just too much of a one-trick pony. Once the ball is in play, he's sometimes lost out there. That's my comprehensive comprehensive match analysis from watching 4 games. I was up too late watching it last night. Both seemed to be hitting the ball very well, for those last games.

@Bob

I thought Henin was a little grouchy last night. I've never seen her that irritated before. Although the match had some great points the crowd just didn't seem that into it. She doesn't seem to be a fan favorite in Australia. Not to mention she didn’t seem so happy on the court. Do you think it is because of her understated personality or something else?

With Roddick out Nadal is through to at least the semis where Youzhny, Gasquet or Davydenko could pose a serious threat for him. Federer vs Nadal in the final day anyone?? Rafa had to battle it out last night against Simon but once he got he;s beloved rallying going he wore the Frenchman down. Watch out for Kohlschreiber flat and deep inside-out forehand to Nadal's backhand side in their potential quarterfinal showdown...

@Bob: Henin was often irked at her errors, but she doesn't make the wild gestures and verbalizations that many players do. She just rolls her eyes or frowns, and moves on. The Sidney crowd was very supportive of her, so I think she's pretty popular in Australia, but don't know. She's not demonstrative, positive or negative, and perhaps some fans like more of that. I don't. I like the way she reacts, and Federer, and Simon. Play the point and move on, win or lose. Too many of the women are too demonstrative on the court, in my view. They seem to start talking and gesturing almost on every shot they miss. Vaidisova is one example. Simon was amazing in his calmness, with some of the ups and downs he had. It seems to be like Nadal has really turned down the histrionics. I don't think they can help it when it's a really huge point or a really great shot, and it's appropriate then to a degree, but otherwise I prefer a lower-key approach to tennis and sports. ESPN has fostered it. I saw so many instances in the bowl games where players would do flips into the end zone, to get on ESPN highlights, even though they know 100% that it will penalize their team 15 yards on the kickoff. It's a dumb rule, but they really enforce it, and for a player to showcase himself, knowing it will cost his team 15 yards, is anathema to team play and sportsmanship, in my view.

There is so much pressure that we don't see much smiling from anyone out there. Federer was laughing at some of Santoro's stuff, but they are good friends, and Fabrice is funny, and it was a blowout.

Schiavone can really put spins and variety on the ball, and Henin was serving horribly, so she didn't have much to be enthusiast about, though she hit some great passing shots. Francesca wasn't exactly happy during the match either. She wears her heart on her sleeve, but doesn't take much time with it, so I kind of enjoy it, whereas Vaisisova will go on for ten seconds, venting at her box, etc.

Neither of them are whiners. I didn't care for Roddick whining over Kohlschreiber's challenge, on the basis that "he hit the ball". That's absurd. You have to hit the ball most of the time, since you are already in your swing when it hits, and you hit it a fraction of a second later. Then you stop immediately. You can't stop a swing at that point, when you see it's out, or think it is. Kohlschreiber lost that challenge, but it was a proper challenge.

I don't think the players care how popular they are. They can't control that, except by winning and being sportsmen. Looks and nationality are a huge part of popularity.

Bob,
A friend came by last night not knowing the score of Vaidisova/Sugiyama match thought Vaidisova was losing by her body reactions but she was up a set and a break late in that match.
Fran made Justine hit extra shots last night but that is what Fran does best and is very comfortable at net and constructing points. On 2 occasions where she had no winning options, Justine dipped a shot below her feet once she saw Fran approach the net at the last second. In both instances, Fran constructed a winning point.

Patrick; I really enjoyed the Henin match, except for her serving. I love tennis like that, with two fighters with all court games. There was some great shotmaking by both of them, though some dumb errors by both of them. Henin really did come up with a couple crucial dipping shots.

I enjoyed Martina's commentary in that match. I agree with her that the players often overhit when they get the short ball. Schiavone overhit a shot when she could have hit it 5 feet safer for a winner, but that's easy to say, sitting here watching a point. The pressure in these slams is just immense. Simon should certainly have won the first set against Nadal, but under pressure Nadal plays safe and deep and makes you hit rockets to beat him, and his movement is just incredible.

I think you need to take the ball early when you play Nadal. His balls go so high that if you are tall, you can get a good crack at it as it rises and put it away without so much risk. You can't let it come down, since then Nadal is ready for anything and you are farther back in the court. Perhaps that's why Berdych has beaten him a couple of times. You need to hit flat shots, since when you slow them down with topspin, he can get to almost anything.

One reason Maria is so tough is that she hits flatter shots. Her height lets her do that and still keep them in. Henin does it on many of her winners, but has to hit the ball from shoulder height, since she's more than 8" shorter. She usually has topspin on everything except her inside out forehands when she's going for winners. That's the only way she can keep it in the court. I've seen her overhit on many inside out forehands, but they all do that. The topspin on her inside in forehand and crosscourt backhand really can drive the other player off the court.

The tournament is really starting to get going now. Serena-Vaidisovs should be a good match. I'd have to pick Serena after watching her last match. Before that, she wasn't playing that well, and I'd have picked Vaidisova.

Hey guys-

Big win for Dellacqua huh? Biggest of her career. Until MoMo can show she really belongs in the big spotlight again, we can't consider her among the elite anymore. As for tonight what catches my eye is Sebotnic vs. Ivanovic. Sebotnic much like Schiavone is an athlete, Ivanovic, far less so. If Katarina can return Ana's heavy forhand with some authority and get her big body moving, she could cause Ana all kinds of problems. It's the same bluprint for playing Davenport. If you can keep Ana from winding up and steping into her shots, she's just average. Still I pick Ivanovic in 2 tough sets. Mirza has got a punchers chance against Venus only if Venus comes out tonght with her C+ game and makes 40 ufe's and 12 df's. Otherwise to much pace and all court abilty for the slow footed Mirza to handle. Straights for Venus there. And of course, the battle of the little hotties, my Chaki against Kirilenko, I'll just say, the better player will win this.

After that- Kuzster should be able to overpower Radwanska. Daniela over Pascual who's been playing well, so I expect that to be more of a fight than Dani would like. Don't know a thing about Makarova and Petrova can still at times be a 2nd tier top player, so don't see any surprise there. Na li advances with reletive ease. Wozniacki over the German girl.

Catch you all later, g'day mate.

I'm re-watching the Roddick match. If I coached him, I'd try to get him to hit flatter shots and on the rise. His topspin slows down his groundstrokes so they rarely are winners. It probably wouldn't work, but he needs to try something. He's hit a wall. He can always go back to what he does now. He's so strong, as we can see on his serve, that he should be able to crush flat shots on the rise from both sides, and he's pretty tall. Once the ball is in play, he really doesn't have any killer shots. Connors hit very flat shots, and for awhile it seemed to me like he was having Roddick flatten out his backhand, but lately it's the same old stuff.

I don't see Ana being challenged. Srebotnik is almost 27. She's past her prime, and although she's lighter than Ana, she's still 5'11", and not that great a mover. I think Ana has too much power for her. Ana moves really well for her size. It's only when she plays the big hitters who can really move her, and can move well themselves, that she has problems.

Bob, once again, you are looking into those serve percentage too much, especially if you are neglecting first serve percentage and points won as well, which is more important.

Also, at the US Open aganist Serena, though Henin jumped on those second serves, Serena wasn't serving well enough on the first as well. That second set she played was terrible because she had no movement and was out of shape.

IN addition, if Serena's on form, 66% aganist Henin she can do, because her kick serve is also the best I seen in the game when it works. She hits it on the line and the ball takes a funny kick high projection, truly a definition of a "slider" in tennis, especially when she is on the "Ad" side of the court. Whosew to say that she can't maintain those percentages, because when she is playing well, at leats on her serve aganist anyone, the serve is on her racket.

And the same goes for Sharapova when she serves well, and that includes aganist both Venus and Serena, because its like the men's game. If the server is serving well, you can't break them all the time at will. They have the first strike, that's the power of effective serving.

Did anyone happen to notice that both Sugiyama and Likhovtseva had played the last 54 consecutive GS singles events? Likhovtseva didn't play this event, so Sugiyama is at 55 and counting. Wonder if that's a record for consecutive appearances?