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That Tuesday Feeling
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09/08/2009 - 8:05 PM
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Posted by Skw |
09/08/2009 at 08:31 PM |
Good article |
Posted by Matt Zemek |
09/08/2009 at 08:40 PM |
On the Murray side, it's alarming that he'd say "I didn't have it in me," even if he might think that merely means he failed in his comeback attempt; saying "I didn't have it in me" suggests that he lacked the energy, the stuff, to compete at a high level, win or lose.
As for Cilic, he is only 20, but he had knocked on this 4th round door for quite some time. He's young but not "new," much as a 20-year-old Sharapova/Capriati/Hingis/Seles/Becker/Chang/Arantxa wasn't new. I really felt he'd hit something of a ceiling, so this performance today, which involved clutch serving all the way through, could really liberate him. It would be nice if it did.
Thanks, Pete, for the piercing inside angle on this match! |
Posted by tina (ajde, Marine!) |
09/08/2009 at 08:45 PM |
Prvi?
In certain neighborhoods of the Hamptons, this day is known as "Tina's Tuesday" - for locals to celebrate the mass departure of seasonal folks and enjoy the empty beaches again.
Marin has given me even more reason to celebrate my "personal holiday" - even if I'm not in certain neighborhoods of the Hamptons at the moment.
Very excited about Marin's ability to rise to the occasion fearlessly today, hope he continues. |
Posted by Shannon |
09/08/2009 at 09:06 PM |
Great post. I'm so happy Marin beat Andy, he played an excellent match. |
Posted by vetmama |
09/08/2009 at 09:10 PM |
" If you ask me, though, Murray was in the grip of that Tuesday feeling, which, like mold, is all pervasive and potentially lethal."
Excellent, Pete.
I love discovering the little golden nuggets in your posts.:) |
Posted by Ryota |
09/08/2009 at 09:15 PM |
Del Potro is looking like a contender now that Murray is gone. Cilic has underperformed this year so it is refreshing to see him step up in the US Open.
Murray has been overhyped in every slam this year. The Masters isn't a gauge of a player's readiness to win slams anymore now that they've adopted a best-of-3 format. Murray can win all the Masters he wants but until he gets his head wrapped around the best-of-5 format, he'll have trouble winning a slam. |
Posted by Corrie |
09/08/2009 at 09:17 PM |
Yes, Bob Brett is a great coach.
Thrilled for Cilic. He's finally making good on all his potential.
Now, finally, will the so called pundits stop picking over-hyped Murray for every Grand Slam? |
Posted by toonie |
09/08/2009 at 09:22 PM |
Great Post Pete!! I didn't think Cilic looked "prissy" at all though. |
Posted by nora |
09/08/2009 at 10:19 PM |
I think Cilic will be very happy if he achieves even close to what Ivanisevic achieved. You might say, flake is a mistake. He was a great player (unlucky to be) in the era of Sampras: Sampras said as much himself. I think Goran won six tournaments one year. That's not too flaky. |
Posted by Jenn |
09/08/2009 at 10:20 PM |
I did not know until today that Cilic was coached by Brett. Very interesting, given the history and great success of players he has coached. Cilic has a bright future, it seems.
I agree with Matt - disappointing to hear Murray admit that he just didn't have it in him to hang with Cilic in the 2nd and 3rd sets. Surprising in a 4th round of the US Open. If he doesn't have it in him on that occasion, when will he? Sort of reflects what Asad Raza suspects, I suppose. I am not ready to say that Murray is not GS material, but this loss will not be treated kindly back home, I'm sure... |
Posted by Ray T. |
09/08/2009 at 10:22 PM |
Nice post Pete, but you only mentioned Murray's poor stats to excuse his loss when Cilic actually made way MORE errors (41 vs 29), but won the match on his own merit by hitting way MORE winners (35 vs 13). These are the real stats that "tell the story" and Murray's unforced errors did not cost him to lose whatsoever. Cilic went full speed ahead and was fully rewarded for it.
Also glad you referred to him as "prissy", as it confirms my beliefs that Cilic has indeed the intelligence and all the makings of another Federer...thanks, lol ! |
Posted by CL |
09/08/2009 at 11:06 PM |
What's the French for 'mouse'? |
Posted by Ade |
09/08/2009 at 11:07 PM |
Poor guy just had a bad day. Can't win em all. I kind of agree on what Pat Mac said, in that he can't continue to play defensively forever, and hope his opponent makes a mistake. Cilic wouldn't have it.
Kudos to Cilic, and what a nice guy he is too. |
Posted by Sher |
09/09/2009 at 12:36 AM |
Personally, I think this is a very "learning" loss for Murray. He's always come back from such loses a better player and hopefully he will now. A single loss does not a slam failure make. He'll have many more chances. |
Posted by Andrew |
09/09/2009 at 12:40 AM |
Pete, interesting take - seeing Cilic's victory in terms of his long term potential (under the tutelage of Bob Brett for the moment), while Steve Tignor talked more about the match itself.
I haven't gotten onto the Cilic bandwagon yet. I saw him play last year in Toronto, and thought that he didn't do anything special: he seems cut from the same cloth as Del Potro - both players are bigger versions of Novak Djokovic. Maybe it's time for "big boy" tennis in the ATP, just as "big babe" tennis rules in the WTA.
None of these three players brings flair or excitement to their game - quickness, efficiency, power, solid technique, but no elan (Djokovic has retreated into himself in the last 15 months).It isn't winning ugly, but it sure ain't winning interestingly - at least for me. |
Posted by Terry |
09/09/2009 at 12:50 AM |
How long will it take before Murray makes a change though? Federer, Verdasco, Gonzalez, Roddick, Cilic.... all of them went for it and none of them gave Murray what he was looking for. Time to wake up for Murray. And soon. Does he really want to rock up at Wimbledon next year slamless and deal with THAT?
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Posted by ms. tangerine popsicle (tangi) |
09/09/2009 at 12:59 AM |
*today I just didn't have it in me to do it.* What does that mean ... that he was physically spent? That he didn't have the motivation? The Times of London contends that Murray has developed a habit of peaking before the slams. Others have suggested that he's trained too much.
No doubt Murray is disappointed (and perhaps even a bit concerned?) that he wasn't able to equal his '08 feat of making it to a slam final, much less take it a step further as he'd hoped.
The commentators have been telling us for a year that Murray is ready to win a slam. Today's the first time I've heard some doubt creep into their comments. Just before the Tsonga match we were told he had a good chance to win the whole thing this year. Now he's gone, too.
I was impressed by Cilic's performance today and charmed by his on-court interview. It'll be interesting to see if he's able to follow up this big win with a good showing against Delpo. |
Posted by Sher |
09/09/2009 at 01:00 AM |
The only time I've seen Cilic live he lost to Wawrinka playing passive tennis. I haven't completely recovered from that first impression. Granted time has passed. |
Posted by Sher |
09/09/2009 at 01:01 AM |
[None of these three players brings flair or excitement to their game - quickness, efficiency, power, solid technique, but no elan (Djokovic has retreated into himself in the last 15 months).It isn't winning ugly, but it sure ain't winning interestingly - at least for me.]
word, Andrew...this also exemplifies tsonga. |
Posted by ms. tangerine popsicle (tangi) |
09/09/2009 at 01:21 AM |
Pete,
If you can't think of something/someone to write about, how 'bout that Rog? LOL I'll happily read another post about my BFed. :) |
Posted by linex |
09/09/2009 at 01:25 AM |
A very nice post Pete. I loved the poetics in your last sentence.
I very much enjoyed Cilic performance today he was perfect from the baseline and not making the errors most players tend to make when facing Murray who has lost very few hard court matches in the last years.
Nevertheless, as a southamerican, and an argentine resident, I wish Delpo can win on Wednesday. If I compare their performances today I guess Cilic was better. But wednesday is a new day and I am sure the best of these 2 fine players and competitors on that particular day will win. |
Posted by Sher |
09/09/2009 at 01:33 AM |
By the way, what do you guys think about the security (LACK of) at the tournaments?
Granted, it's a good thing these guys are so lovable that even the freaks just want to give them things and hug them, but in the past two months, we've had two crazy fans run up to Roger and Rafa and get close enough that if they weren't harmless things would look a lot different.
Both Roger and Rafa laughed it off, and I'm happy they were able to be relaxed about it. But it is a little odd and a little worrying, still. |
Posted by Alice |
09/09/2009 at 01:38 AM |
Sher, I didn't see the incident with Nadal, what happened? |
Posted by jewell - Make tea, not war. |
09/09/2009 at 01:46 AM |
"When the other guy hits a nice winner, he still can't resist greeting it with an audible "Yup," rather than a snarl and murderous intentions."
This is nice to hear after reading yesterday's constant bashing of Murray's morose, moaning, ungracious on-court personality. :)
*back to read rest of the post* |
Posted by Sher |
09/09/2009 at 01:50 AM |
Alice, see interview:
==
Q. What did you think when the man came out of the stands and came up to you?
RAFAEL NADAL: No, for me it wasn't the problem. The guy was really nice (laughter.)
Q. Did he say anything?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yes. He was a great fan. He said, I love you, and he kiss me. (laughter.)
Q. Was he speaking Spanish?
RAFAEL NADAL: No, in English, but I understand that. (laughter.)
===
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Posted by Alice |
09/09/2009 at 01:57 AM |
Thanks Sher.
Okay that's just disturbing. How many incidents is everyone going to laugh off and say "lucky it wasn't a nutcase"? Good of Roger and Rafa to be so cool about it, but one day it won't be harmless and you can't say the tournaments didn't have warning time to get things tight. |
Posted by Tim (2009 Year of Red Rogie ) |
09/09/2009 at 01:58 AM |
acutually Murray is the one who deserves my wrath today what a hapless performance .. no wonder Fed always plays down his Slam chances, the guy has underperformed over and over in these settings, how can he be considered a favorite?
i might have to google him and see how the Brits are treating him tonight.. |
Posted by jewell - Make tea, not war. |
09/09/2009 at 02:09 AM |
Nice post, Pete, I enjoyed the Bob Brett stuff very much. :)
Fantastic win for Cilic - I hope it lifts him for the future, I like watching him play, boring ugly tennis or not. Sometimes I think I actively hate so-called "beautiful" tennis and the categorisations imposed on players...there's usually something to appreciate in every player, and the negativity that brands some players as "dull" is just so depressing to read day in, day out. /end rant
Hee...with some of these comments, I am not sure Murray needs the British press. I'm detecting a certain amount of glee that he is out? I wonder why?
He's 22. He's still got time. And he'll have to lose heartbreakingly in a Wimbledon SF to an American at least twice more before he gets the full Henman treatment. ;-)
The funny thing is, between tournaments, I always think I don't trust Murray to win in a Slam yet. And then when the thing starts I always think "Maybe, this time..."
If you look at form previous to the USO, you'd probably have Federer as favourite, then Murray, del Potro, Djokovic in the next tier - picking Murray as a potential winner was hardly insane. *shrug* But agree with the general point that MS are not a reliable guide to Slam performance.
As for an early loss and "not having it in me" - sometimes, players just can't do it on the day - they have nothing, for whatever reason. It doesn't mean they're not struggling to make things happen or desperately trying to lift themselves - sometimes, you just get outplayed and you can't do anything about it, for whatever reason. I've seen it happen to Federer, Djokovic, even Rafa...don't think it's necessarily worrying. |
Posted by Beckham (Gulbis, Le Sigh!!!) |
09/09/2009 at 02:12 AM |
I feel bad for Muzz and his fans, especially Pspace...I know everyone is going to diagnose him to death on this performance...maybe just maybe he isn't ready to win a slam and when he's ready he'll take the world by storm, frankly, I think all this doom and gloom is a wee bit to early. It's a step by step process, first he's mastered the masters, up next the GS, no?! |
Posted by Jeu de Paume |
09/09/2009 at 02:17 AM |
"at 20, Cilic is just five days older than the youngest guy in the Top 20 - the man he plays next, Juan Martin Del Potro"
Incorrect:
Cilic is the youngest guy in the Top 20 (dob:9/28/88) just five days after Juan Martin Del Potro (dob: 9/23/88)
Leif Shiras made the same mistake during the Tennis Channel's broadcast and it sounds like you're just repeating without checking as usual, Pete.
Congratulations to Cilic on a well deserved win !
Source:
http://www.atpworldtour.com |
Posted by Ryota |
09/09/2009 at 02:31 AM |
Safin was 20 when he clobbered Sampras. Hewitt was also 20 when he clobbered the same guy. Could Cilic win his bracket and go on and clobber the guy who just passed Sampras? Now that would be something indeed!
I just don't see Del Potro doing any clobbering against Federer. The reverse, though, is a distinct possibility should Del Potro win his bracket. |
Posted by Pspace (Lestat Time!) |
09/09/2009 at 02:42 AM |
"""
If you ask me, though, Murray was in the grip of that Tuesday feeling, which, like mold, is all pervasive and potentially lethal.
"""
I guess Tuesday is as good an explanation as any other for that match. Just so unbelievably bad. 0 breaks of serve. Losing a set 6-2 when the other guy had 25% or so first serves. Atrocious is putting it politely. |
Posted by Ro'ee |
09/09/2009 at 02:48 AM |
Pete, you had to know Cilic was gonna be a party spoiler when he came in wearing white after Labor Day!!!
also, if JMDP plays too conservatively, where does that put Murray, who's rapidly (d)evolving into a junkballer? |
Posted by tina |
09/09/2009 at 03:51 AM |
I think from now on, I'm going to use Marin's expression "I have a blockade in my head". |
Posted by Rebound Ace |
09/09/2009 at 04:01 AM |
Cmon Pete, you dont need to make Cilic look better by making Andy look bad. Or your friend Brett look shinier in the reflected glory of an upset win. |
Posted by JohnC |
09/09/2009 at 04:21 AM |
Murray's failure was exactly that, unfortunately. I wouldn't be writing any big tickets for Cilic on that basis, and I'd be deeply surprised if DelPo doesn't dispose of him fairly handily. Certainly, Federer or Nadal would eat him for breakfast on all but their worst days.
He's only 20, and will probably have another 10 years. But it's hard to see him bagging more than a single slam, if that. However, he likely to be a persistent danger to other top players having a bad day for many years to come. |
Posted by Thomas |
09/09/2009 at 05:10 AM |
Glad to see the passive and uncharismatic Murray lose in a Slam again. He need some media training as well:
80(!!) "you knows" during his short interview!! |
Posted by Fred |
09/09/2009 at 05:43 AM |
Murray went down with the same score as Robredo against Fed:
7-5 6-2 6-2..gutsy play by Marin, shanky stuff by Murray |
Posted by rg.nadal |
09/09/2009 at 07:37 AM |
There goes my title pick- Murray. Saw the first two sets. I thought I would wake up in the morning to see a headline like "Murray rises like a phoenix to thwart Cilic". Kudos to Cilic, nevertheless. He played solid tennis. |
Posted by princepro110 |
09/09/2009 at 07:54 AM |
Nice to hear about the guy behind the player. Watching the last four sets of the Cilic/Levine match on Court 11 Thrs......I saw an American up 2-0 set and 98% crowd behind him get trashed the final three sets with hardly a response. The lefty Levine gave him problems with Cilic not making his down the line shots to Levines backhand.......once he exposed the backhand Levine was toast. It was more of a case of Levine not having an answer............THE RESULT OF CILIC & GOOD COACHING AND LEVINE WITH LITTLE OR NO DECENT COACHING!
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Posted by Todd and in Charge |
09/09/2009 at 09:49 AM |
Great post. I always feel bad when someone upsets a favorite, because the framing is almost entirely focused on what the favorite did wrong, and how badly the favorite was playing that day.
It's also frequently the case -- though never considered -- that when the favorite wins, his or her opponent also may not have been playing at their highest level on that day. This possibility almost never enters the media discussion of the favorite's win.
Clearly Andy had a bad day. As Gilbert said, however, as the match was ending, Cilic also had an amazing day. |
Posted by Pete |
09/09/2009 at 09:55 AM |
Absolutely right, Todd, glad to see you drop by! Someone above noted that both Cilic and DelPotro have (I'm paraphrasing) seamless, smooth, efficient games and yesterday Cilic showed that when you combine that kind of solidity with Big Power and the ability to play inside the court (which I thought was key), the combination can be devastating. |
Posted by Nam1 |
09/09/2009 at 10:17 AM |
Nice post, Pete.
I have to admit I felt bad for Muzz tho' he is not my fav player.
I thought his body language every time he losy apoint was so bad that it gave Cilic hope, not sure why Andy seemed so down, it was as if he had no energy at all...
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Posted by Andrew |
09/09/2009 at 11:21 AM |
I think there's a lot to the question of how we frame results - "X lost, or Y won."
When X is a big name, there's a tendency to write the report as X lost - X is known by the readers, and therefore must have played woefully by his or her lofty standards. Sometimes, of course, Y is an up and coming player - think Oudin, or Nadal in the 2004-2006 period - and this kind of report may undersell Y's part in it.
Second, we tend to say "Y won" when Y hit lots of winners and point ending shots, but not when Y played a lot of shots in rallies that made X hit lots of shots that X finds difficult, or frustrating to execute. This, of course, is Murray's signature game plan - so matches like IW SF 2009 tend to get written as "Federer lost" because we see the mistakes and UFEs Federer made (plus we possibly have higher expectations of Federer) while we tend to lose track of Murray's skill in putting Federer in awkward positions over and again. |
Posted by TennisRone 1000 |
09/09/2009 at 12:04 PM |
Good post Pete....thanks for the insight and the piece about Cilic's Coach. It's good to see that a player is patient with their coach and ackowledges his/her value.
Good luck to WickMayer today and Mellie Mel! |
Posted by Johnboy |
09/09/2009 at 12:05 PM |
Loved Pete's analogies to the end of summer. Great, man.
Was is great to have Nadal back, or what? Best smile in tennis, best scowl in tennis.
Bodo rocks. |
Posted by Or |
09/09/2009 at 12:39 PM |
Pity you can't be at two matches at the same time. I was busy keeping my seat warm for Tsonga-Gonzo, and given up on Murray, as I saw him playing twice already in this open.
I was surprised at the result, unlike Asad Raza.
I would be surprised if Cilic can take out Del Potro, and while I still think Rafa (amazing match yesterday for two sets, people were groaning and awwwing all around me) would get to the final, my money is on Del Potro now, though Gonzo also played well.
Murray needs to realize, first and foremost, that just because X tactic is affective against Roger, who plays his best against attacking players, it doesn't mean it is as affective against the rest of the tour. |
Posted by Tennis This |
09/09/2009 at 02:27 PM |
Poor Murray, I'm sure the tabloids in GB are going to have a field day with him. First it was Wimby and now it's the Open. When I was watching the match, it never really felt like he was in the match. His intensity was low and his strokes were halfhearted. I was hoping he would show up in the Semis but I guess it's going to be a couple of new faces, which is good for men's tennis. |
Posted by marieJ vamos healty rafa ! |
09/09/2009 at 03:01 PM |
hello ! just droping by, because well murray loss was even more surprising than roddick's, no ?
bad bad tuesday feeling for murray ? he felt flat ? he had reasons too, for that, imo.
maybe he played a bit too much during the summer, in a period much closer to the USO than he did last summer... for the record he lost in the first round of the olympics, and came fresher than many of the olympiquers who ran out of gas like djoko and rafa.
fed, djoko nadal, and delpotro did not play that much in the toronco-cincy MS combo... almost everyone of them went out at the quarter's stage in one of them, and del po pull out, which was the wise decision, but murray was too sure of himself of his fitnness to hang on on cincy, and finally got routed in the semis by fed...
even if your fitness is almost on top, the mental aspect of a loss took it's toll on him, and going into th USO with a bad loss to your biggest rival doesn't help to get you in the best shape of mind... suddenly a little doubt can creep into your mind. possible ?
he'll be back, but he has to improve drasticcaly his position on court, against cilic he got pushed back and never found a way back, tactically end mentally.
i'll come back later ! and i don't post too often but i do lurk ;)
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Posted by alizanabet |
09/11/2009 at 01:29 AM |
Hello Pete Bodo..............
I am very excited to be a part of this Forum and look forward to bringing Value to it and very happy to realized your comment about the tennis world you believe me that i like very much tennis.
Stretch Marks |
Posted by alizanabet |
09/11/2009 at 01:29 AM |
Hello Pete Bodo..............
I am very excited to be a part of this Forum and look forward to bringing Value to it and very happy to realized your comment about the tennis world you believe me that i like very much tennis.
http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=1839507 |
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