Wow. Gotta feel for Gonzo.

Great read, Pete. :)

Yey! I can tell you're in the same time zone as me Pete! FIRST!!!

I watched the tennis thanks to the dear old BBC 'Interactive'. I think that my son sumed it up nicely when he said, after I told him that Gonzo had won the first set, "and then he lost it?".

Seriously it looked like great tennis.

Son and I are off to Queens on Tuesday! Can't wait!

Smokehouse almonds? Wow,you must be flying first class Pete ;)

But seriously, like Tari said, Great read.

Federer played brilliant tennis in the last 3 sets. This is the kind of tennis (in my mind) that could pose more trouble for Nadal if they happen to meet again...

Pete,
Nothing to add except Roger has too much firepower for Gael and it will be evident on Friday. 6-2,6-3,6-1 for Roger.

Hi Pete ....

nooooooooo - dont rain on my parade, its a tradition

ROLAND Garros - second Sunday = rafa + rodge

hey 3rd time lucky may be

Nice post Pete. :)

Alot of breaks in this match - Gonzo broke Roger, Roger broke Gonzo's spirit, Gonzo breaks a racket...

On to Friday! Both of my favorites are still in the tournament - Roger and Jelena. We'll see what happens.

"Hail, everybody (but one) is supposed to lose to Federer, and as Gonzo showed today, that's a liberating condition that enables you to swing from the heels"

Thank you!! Thank you!!! Finally!!! I've been saying for years that most players don't fold when they play the Fed, a hail of a lot of them play out of their minds because they have no pressure!!!

OK Pete - this WAS a great read. Especially like the 'airline attendant' line re the Nike outfits. You nailed it.

Mr. Bodo - this was awesome! It is a privilege to read tennisworld.

Dare you to introduce Rolf Federer! (on other tennisworld comments, someone introduced a character named Rolf Federer, who is the Federer that loses first sets!)

Pete,

Those were some tasty pieces of literary excellence I just enjoyed.

Let's just call him Smokehouse Federer. Choice, tender morsels (of everybody) served daily, with that sweet, savory flavor.

"It should be abundantly clear by now that on any surface, against any man (but one), Roger don't need no stinkin' strategy. He can let an opponent set the table, serve the meal, pour the wine, choose the desert - and guess who ends up getting stuck with the check?"

Amen.

Pete; aw, just a fantastic column and I'm so glad you're out there watching matches.

*Roger don't need no stinkin' strategy. He can let an opponent set the table, serve the meal, pour the wine, choose the desert - and guess who ends up getting stuck with the check? *

Exactly. What a way to put it. Beautiful.

My God, Man, get an editor! You're like the Bill Simmons of tennis, and I mean that in the "Bill after he got a big head and starting writing interminable 30,000 word columns" sense.

You switch metaphors every paragraph, string together run-on sentences endlessly, and feel the need to overwrite every thought with at least one needless colloquialism ("Gosh," this ... "You know, I'm only semi-kidding" that) ... Arrgh! More annoying than Sharapova when she starts squealing on every point in a tight third set.

Remind me to stick to Tennis' great scoreboards and factual reporting and stay as far away from the blogs as possible.

Great article Pete! Now I can't wait to get home so I can watch the match that I taped! (oh god, I hope it taped!)... Sounds like "TMF" actually played in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th set! I've been waiting for TMF to show up! I can't wait to see!

Pete Townsend is still alive? Isn't he like 4000 years old by now?

I kind of knew it was over for Gonzo when he didn't convert those break chances at 0-40 at the start of the 2nd set.

jj....Not very nice of you. You are a guest at Mr. Bodo's blog, after all, as are we all.

As for me, I loved the piece. Thanks for the great photo, too, Pete!

Beautiful writing. you were on fire. say what you will but star power obviously inspire you.

I've been travelling all day and finally logged on to see what happened in this match (also, how about that Safina?)...this result is just awesome. Even better than dominating a weak opponent from the outset. Being outplayed in the first set and then rising up to the challenge is CLASSIC TMF.

16 straight semifinals, baby! That's 4 years of slams!

Can't wait to watch this on ESPN360 tonight.

Just had to react to jj @ 3:45

I used to be an Editor.
If colorless facts are what you are looking for, you should know a blog is not the place to look for them. It's a real pleasure to read Pete's thoughts.

Hey jj--this is a reminder to stay away from the blog.

ouch jj. this is a blog after all...not the Associated Press.

Loved the piece, Pete.

How bout that Monfils!!! Would be awesome if he made it to the finals. Personally I think he's more exciting than Tsonga.

Where's MrsSanta?!

I love Bill Simmons. And Pete Townsend. Pete Townsend has gotten even better with age, like a good bottle of wine. I'm not sure he smashes many guitars these days. But he can play the hell out of them. Great voice too.

Fun read Pete. Eat any good food?

Pete,
Flight attendent outfit? Fly Air TMF then to Number one, :)

I love Fed's outfit. Love the navy and white-Yankee colors! :)

Great post Pete. Just perfect!!!!

Not looking just for colorless facts, nor do I dislike blogs. I just happen to like good writing. Reading this piece was, for me, like being forced to stare at a Bud Collins outfit. But, hey, different strokes I suppose.

Reminder taken, Ryan - tx ;-)

I love the navy blue flight attendant uniforms :-) Great piece, Pete - it seems you really enjoyed your spectating today.

Not looking just for colorless facts, nor do I dislike blogs. I just happen to like good writing. Reading this piece was, for me, like being forced to stare at a Bud Collins outfit. But, hey, different strokes I suppose.

Reminder taken, Ryan - tx ;-)

Great post, Pete!! Loved it, loved it!!

P.S. I'm on board with liking the navy blue outfits (Rogers, and the other women that wore the same color). I'll give Nike a thumbs up for this!

Yes, it gets to be almost too much analysis sometimes too. I caught brief parts of both matches, but hopefully I'm coming back to a full tape and I plan to enjoy the hell out of it.

This was fun to read

So this is Fed's 16th straight GS semifinal. Does anyone know who the next few people down on that record list and how many they have?

ESPN has the list, Christopher...

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/french08/news/story?id=3425715

(see the inset)

Am I the only one who thinks the navy blue outfit that Nike gave Roger to wear for this FO is extremely elegant? (not tux-stripes at the USO elegant, but very elegant)

I realize that this is going to be the wrong thread to make this comment; but it is apparent that Dinara Safina shares some sort of genetic propensity for high drama with her brother Marat. I couldn't believe she pulled out another come-from-behind victory.

16 straight semis is mind boggling...i mean, really.

there were greats before him and i'm sure there will be greats after him but no one has ever been this dominant for such a period of time in the open era.

outstanding.

SwissMaestro,

I agree with you on the outfit! I love it!

Crazyone:

Watch the Monfils/Ferru match also. Roger is going to have his hands full to put it mildly.

No talk of the final until he gets through Friday!

Thanks, crazyone.

Pretty astounding accomplishment by Fed.

I'm with Pete on the outfit. gah.

"16 straight semis is mind boggling...i mean, really."

It is. Even Novak's 5 is really really impressive, but 16 is nuts.

SwissMaestro,

You are not alone. I also think Roger looks very sleek and elegant in his navy blue ensemble. And someone on the Tennis Warehouse blog thought it was the best tennis outfit ever to grace a court.

Sher,

*I plan to enjoy the hell out of it.* lol You will, Sher. Three glorious sets of Fed in full flight.

Count me in on the navy blue. It looks very classic and I just love it! Nike can bury the baby-blue top Roger wore before this one, but the all Navy outfit is top! Thumbs up to Nike on this one!

16 Grand Slams without one hiccup/letdown before the semis is phenomenal, particularly on the men's tour where so many players have the capability to get on a hot streak and upset the top guys. Terrific accomplishment.

And Monfils? wow. Impossible to see this coming. Completely out of nowhere based on what I have seen of his play and his results over the past year or two. The French fans must be so excited.

Syd: I'll try to watch both, but I realized that I can't get ESPN360 in my new place! But never fear, I think I'll park somewhere on campus with my laptop where I know ESPN360 is available. Now I have a TV (no TennisChannel though), so I guess it won't be that bad after all.

Jj,

(Amusingly, in shorthand "jj" expands to, "judge.")

Thank you for your brevity, clarity and unmixed metaphor. Now quit with the buzzkill before we decide not to like you.

Jenn,
True on Gael. Before FO, he won only 5 ATP matches but he won a challenger in Marrakech 3 weeks which had to give him much needed confidence.

Pete,

I could only scoreboard-watch this match, and I so appreciate your artistic take on it. As I watched Gonzo reeling off games in the first set, I could not help but think, "Fed's playing, 'Quien es mas macho?' It's gonna hurt when he quits."

Reading your description of the bag and tag operation, though, is a thorough joy. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I remember Roger doing this to Blake at Indian Wells a couple years ago. James and Roger were trading crackling-hot forehands at each other, and Roger could not "Blake" with Blake. At 1-5 or 2-5 or some such, Federer suddenly took the pace off the ball and started moving it around. He won 7-5, 6-2 or something like that.

Was it Mrs Santa who started calling it, "Playing with his food?"

The man has SOOOO many gears!

Thanks again.

FoT: The navy blue is way better than the baby blue. More of an "I'm here to kick butt" look.

Gael?

The first set is anyone's guess, but as soon as the stress takes hold and he burns through that first burst of good vibes Gael'll start playing from the back wall, and Fed will slice him up.

codepoke: I think it was Matt Zemek who coined the phrase "playing with his food".

I hate how everytime somebody ('jj') in this case makes any kind of criticism about any of the blogs, all you psychos jump on that person and basically pressure them to be quiet. jj had some good points, to be brutally honest... I know this is a blog and peter is free to write whatever he wants, but we are not 'guests at peter's blog' as some idiot put it- HE'S writing this for US. he panders to 'the tribe' (or whatever that is) a little too often and I think you all know it- btw good Bud Collins analogy jj.

Was TMF working for American Airlines today? It took him awhile to get going but was all smooth sailing after that!

Looking forward to your thoughts on Monfils. My wife and I saw him at the FO a couple years ago and were very impressed with his raw athleticism in wins over Murray and Blake. He seems like a basketball player with a tennis racquet and is an incredible defender. It seemed like his win today was celebrated by the crowd today like he just won the championship and it will be interesting to see how he plays Federer on the big stage. Nadal is one of the few players more athletic than Federer and we've seen that hurt Federer on clay so it will be interesting to see how that plays out on Friday. Probably straight sets by Fed on his ride to the Championship match, but that's what most thought in the semis in Melbourne too.......

MA - a CHALLENGER. Exactly my point! Going in 3 weeks from Challenger level competition to a GS Semifinal, particularly with the home crowd pressure, is really amazing.

I totally agree with Pete that killing a racquet is a sign of surrender. That was my exact thought when Gonzo did that. Why send that message to your opponent? I knew then that Fed had the match, as Gonzo no longer believed he could win.

Federer is the first one that does not get ahead of himself like we do. He knows that between the FO trophy and him are still his two toughest matches letf to play. He's got to so a couple of things:

1. Relax and let loose.
2. Strike first.

Everyone is talking about Nadal vs Djokovic and Roger has kind of been flying under the radar. If Federer keeps up his serving he could just be in his most threatening form ever to win this Slam. He has the ambition and the fire, after all, he is a Grand Slam collector.

for some weird reason, Monfils annoys me --- i dont wanna be that way, but he just innately does

i dont know why

Jon,

Your defense of jj is perhaps admirable, but Pete has done something pretty wonderful here. He's made a place for tennis friends, more than tennis freaks. He treats us like friends, and we are overjoyed to return the favor. If Pete were lording his years of tennis experience over us from the Pantheon, jj's decidedly and intentionally mean style would sound fitting. But when Pete's treated us all with dignity and fraternity, jj's boorishness will receive no welcome at all.

If a man would have friends, he must first show himself friendly.

am gonna have to defend Pete here too

its not all about what he writes, been instances where i have agreed and disagreed with him, but he treats us like mates

and its genuine ... and sometimes i say things which arent meant to be offensive, but comes out that way, its just culture, no one better than pete to understand cultural differences

sorry mate - pete does not lord over us, nor he panders, just honest opinions

if i felt that way, i wud not be here .... come back here

am stickin up for my mate here ....

who is jj ?

I dunno if killing racquets is surrender. Kind of feel that, like Stonewall Jackson's "they conquer who believe they can",

"they demolish racquets who have many extra racquets in their duffel bags and several en route from their wealthy sponsor"

I feel like demolishing my racquet sometimes but I have so few. If I crunch it, basically budget times are tough so I cant pull a Gonzo!

I saw Gimelstob bust a racquet during practice and Rios also - now that was gratuitous. Nice racquets too :(

jj-

Pete's freewheeling blog style is exhilarating to many of us. His everything-AND-the-kitchen-sink style conveys the excitement and fun of tennis, which, last time I checked, is a GAME.

If you want something completely analytical and restrained, find another source. Here, we all love Pete's style because it encapsulates our own joy in this game.

(Also, anyone references Pete Townshend and Nigel Tufnel in the same week has my vote!)

blog writing is more conversational, and thus often more enjoyable, than straight up reporting ala the Times or whatever, in case some werent aware of what a blog is meant to be ...

Pieces of Everybody is right, and there'll never be another Rogie, so enjoy him, peeps, the future of the mens' game is Gulbis and Djoker, all power, two handers and textbook strategy...

When jj reads a book or a magazine article that he/she doesn't like, I wonder if he/she feels the need to send a note to the author saying "YOU SUCK." Seems like it would suffice to simply opt not to read that author anymore.

Tim: While Gulbis is a two-hander, I find his style more enjoyable than Djokovic's (he's more aggressive, though he currently has more weaknesses than Djokovic). I think Gulbis has a good up-down transition, while Djokovic's great strength is his side-to-side transition.

I dont mind Gulbis, but i think that type of player is where tennis is going, big hitting, traditional shots, the m ale version of big babe tennis ... even Nadal will seem unique in future years, as most others will be flatter, harder, etc.

how many men even pretend to serve and volley these days? it will just get more and more about big hitting from the baseline, as Roger tries to somewhat keep the old style alive...

I think we're seeing and will see this year and next the new and improved TMF model 2008, better even than '05-'06. Better serve, improved attacking net game and volleying, custom added drop shot component, Jose Higueros precision GMS, Perfect for high performance solution to RN's clay game at last.

And I love the navy blue with white trim colors. So much better than the aquas and pastels of previous RG entries. So perfect for holding at last the gleaming silver RG trophy on Sunday.

Gulbis approached the net quite a bit during the match with Djokovic.

I disagree with what you're saying--men like Djokovic and Nadal, among others (Davydenko in Miami) have pretty much been forced to improve their net play in order to keep the top.

The reason why serve-and-volleyers are going extinct these days is that serve and volley isn't enough--to be great, you have to be adept from the baseline AND at the net.

I don't see this happening in the womens' game, at least not yet. Several of the top womens' players, from what I've seen, seem uncomfortable with overhead smashes and non-swinging volleys and other shots which are fairly standard on the mens' tour.

Not that I need to defend Pete, he can do that himself. Whether I agree or disagree with his opinions, I enjoy the way he "paint us a picture" with words to tell the story.

oops that's "paints"

Again I love Fed's outfit!!

Nice article, Pete. And I love this outfit. Love the navy blue color and the white trim makes it look simple and classy. Plus these new RF-logo shirts and shorts are nicely fitted - none of that 'baggy' look.

I'm not a fan of Sharapova, but I liked her Nike ensemble too.

Not so much a "flight attendant uniform", more like a Little Lord Fauntleroy outfit - the prim white collar. Those Nike guys are deep.

And yes, an overly rich mixture of metaphors in the article. But people tend to look at Bud Collins outfits. Most informative comments as well.

Wow, that was a great article Pete. Really enjoyable and funny!

jj,

Last but not least, if you don't like Pete's posts, well ... just don't read it. You can comment facts, criticize opinions, but writing style is just an image of personality.

Nice post Pete

Clever title. Nice reference to a small sf film classic. And a great, great read. More like a "you are there" than "First this, then this, and then this happened...."

Which was the point this time out, no? Thanks.

To jj and jon: ever try writing 1000+ words and posting them for semi-commercial consumption within hours of the events you're commenting on, as opposed to reporting? I have. It's tough, and lends itself to a style that isn't as formal as writing for print media, or even a weekly journal. If this style doesn't please you, you're entitled to your opinion, but until you get the E.B. White honorary chair for pithy web writing no one's waiting for your literary criticisms. Read and enjoy, or not, and get out of the way.

And Who's nostalgic?

i thought fed's outfit was a take-off/homage to Gene kelley's An American in paris outfit...? Would make sense, in the sense that Fed dances around the tennis court and is so graceful... JMO

A Gonzo review of a Gonzo match. Co-starring Gonzo. Hunter S. Thompson would be proud. As a pure tennis fan I simply must add my review of the new Nike ensemble: it sucks. Doesn't matter what he wears though, TMF is one classy guy. Hopefully the final will be Nadal-TMF and I predict #4 for the King of Clay.

On my TV sets, from Day 1, Fed's shirt looked dark (or navy blue) and the shorts dark green. I thought that was an odd combination. Do I need new TV sets or new glasses or what?

Ruth: I recommend a nice big HDTV, if you don't already have one. ;-)

wow, bodo, you're in love, again.

maybe he sometimes doesn't need no stinkin' strategy (except that constantly exploiting fernando's super-backhand in last three sets) but some zantac in the pocket for sunday would be good for pain from traditional suddenly peptic ulcer attack he suffer in that situation...
yes, too shame that fedman doesn't like (well, actually he can't stand at all) majorcan cuisine...
but some people even hope that nadal would get some stomach troubles from serbian hot bean soup on friday dinner... who knows, than maybe fedman can show that appetite again.

Ruth, I think the shirt and shorts are both the same shade of dark navy blue. It's such a dark shade that various commentators have referred to the outfit as black.

Sam,

Are you sure you don't sell HDTVs for a living? Maybe all that engineering talk is just a ruse. :)

LOL tangi!

bodo, breaking a racquet is a sign of surrender?
what if one try to broke it on his head (and broke, hmm, something) and even win after that? was that a racket who waved the white flag?

oh, i only hope that mono will not relapse again on that bloody sunday afternoon...

good question , tangi!
Sam :P
anyway - I really enjoyed reading this Pete
and I agree - those navy outfits do look like flight attendants
The green and tan ones look like camouflage - so I am not sure I really love either one

jj: um, OK. Please stick to Tennis' great scoreboards and factual reporting and stay as far away from the blogs as possible. Does that help?

Haven't seen the match yet. Was doing my own version of the Schrodinger's cat experiment earlier this morning.

Pete writes "Gosh it was nice watching two terrific players hitting the ball without inhibition, picture-perfect placements pouring off each of their rackets, leaving you free from having to figure out just who was trying to do what, and with what degree of success, like some freakin' tennis expert or something."

Yes. That is nice to think of - picture-perfect placements from two men playing freely. To me, tennis at its highest level involves two players who can do this. The rest of it - the press conferences, the families - be damned.

Pete also writes "He took command of the pace, and stepped up to challenge Gonzo to beat him at his game, rather than his own." Not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but this is something Federer has never been able to do completely with Nadal for an entire match, while Nadal has been able to force Federer to play long stretches of matches on his, Nadal's terms. Should the two meet again on Sunday, the whole story is in that sentence. And Nadal, obviously, is much harder to force out of his comfort zone.

Still got to get there first, of course.

Pete's piece fit the match beautifully; they were both rollicking good fun.

Novak is going to do his best to keep Nadal from the final... whether it's enough? And Monfils will need to change the game he played against Ferrer or Fed will eat him alive.

They still gotta get there, but it looks like both may make it.

One more comment on the outfit. I was reduced to listenng to the French Open Radio while at work and they kept referring to his outfit as "Black". It's a pretty navy blue.

great read pete. merci beaucoup

i'm sorry JJ but i enjoyed it a lot and not just because it was about roger, niether. who wants to just read boring facts. pete is not Sargeant Friday after all ("just the facts, ma 'am"). so you sorta hafta come here expecting, well, humor.

there is a gianormus fan base here, i wonder why that is? hmmm, curious, huh?

swiss maestro--i absolutely ADORE roger in anything dark (navy, black)i don't care. but then he looks good in anything as far as i am concerned.

My vote: the navy blue is classic and classy. I love it and not just on TMF.

I love watching Federer play such beautiful tennis. However, against Nadal, he's got to serve well to get some cheap points. It's harder for him on clay. Also, if you notice, he chips his backhand to start some points. Against every other player, this doesn't hurt him. Against Nadal, he attacks these soft shots with extreme spin and pace and immediately puts Roger on the defensive. Roger can sort of feel his way into points to start rallies. On clay, against Nadal, he cannot get away with this strategy.Nadal rarely hits these soft shots. His shots on clay have pace, spin, extreme placement, and lethal purpose. That is why Roger looks uneasy on clay against him. He has to attack him with effective serving, sharp angles, and take the net. If he makes to the Final against Nadal, I don't think he will feel tight. This time, he has to play with abandon and attack. He can't wait for Nadal to make errors. Nadal usually doesn't. He proved in Hamburg and Monte Carlo, his smart attacking game can be effective.

OK - Pete - I think I have to echo someone (i forget who...) who declared they just flove when you travel - so much good reading for us!

Though I expect that Lisa and Cowboy Luke mite feel differently about it... :)

the description was of the match was great - i'm watching the repeat now.

Great win for young Gael also not sure how much of that I'll get to see...

Just for the public record, I can't take credit for the "play with your food" reference.

Don't remember who coined that here.

Could have been Juan Jose, but I'm not sure. Beckham, maybe...

I would have rather faerer won his match, he gives more rythem the molfis.

I read some really stangs coments about molfis in the other post,

some said molfis doesn't have fiar power, what?

he doesn't know how to use is talent (like other 2 stupid players: murray, bgdhadia) he plays defansive teenis insted of attacking tennis but he sure does have fiar power.

when he decided to hit the fh, or go with the bh, omg.

he has 1 of the best kick serves on the ture, and that serve trubles fed.

and he moves great, and unlike Mc, he will have a lot of space to move and to run, so it will be hard to put the ball away as he will be runnung all over, and you know how fed gets when a ball that should be a winner comes back.

the drop shot will be very importent in this match, fed will have to be in the net.

but their last match when molfisd saw fed is going to the net and it is hurting him, he started going himself to the net and with his serve is worked and he played batter.

o I wish that faerer would have 1 his match.
the worst player fed could have gotten in this point.

fun read

play with your food is old old old, pre beckham i believe.

sigh, trying to watch this match - and apparently ttc didn' manage to show any of Fed actually breaking Gonzo.

mici, so what do you think is going to happen on Friday?

I not going to talk about who would lose.win or score, but

If molfis or his coach learned anything from their last match in Mc,

the match should look like a grass court match.

serve, volly, drop shots is going to be very importent.

it very tricky match, if it sunny, it will give molfis serve and shot a lot more power and he has alredy very strong serve.

and that kick serve is going to truble fed.

if it rainey day, fed shots arn't as strong and molfis is very fast so shot that should be winner could comeback and fed doesn't like that.

he probly will be in the net more in this match.

oh dear, mici...poor Fed... should he even bother to show up, or just concede to Gael now?

My goodness... I fully agree that young Gael is a dangerous player and for sure one of those players who can get on a run and trouble anyone...but I trust it is not as bad as all that for Fed. There must be a few things HE can do that will trouble Gael? Or perhaps that is what you meant by the "serve volley, drops shots...going to be very important"? Fed's S&V and drop shots?