Category Archives: ATP Tour
Hardcourt Retrospective (Part 1)
As the tour descends with wrathful inevitability upon the dirt of southern Europe, and thence the grass, the time seems apposite to look back at the prolonged hardcourt season just ended, the one that began in Atlanta last July, and … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour, By the Numbers
A Mind Free From Doubt
Miami Masters 1000, Final Djokovic d. Nadal, 4/6 6/3 7/6 It is a curious and mutable nothing, that gap between success and failure. The margins on a tennis court are notoriously minute, but the margins in the mind are vanishingly … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
Aura of Invincibility
Miami Masters 1000, Semifinals Nadal d. Federer, 6/3 6/2 Of the four guys who contested the semifinals of the Miami Masters today, only one of them played to his abilities. Unfortunately for Roger Federer, that exception was Rafael Nadal. Consequently, … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
Game Over: Nadal and the Machine
Miami Masters 1000, Quarterfinals Nadal d. Berdych, 6/2 3/6 6/3 After some encouraging early success, the tennis engineers – or ‘Tengineers’ – who are responsible for maintaining and upgrading Tomas Berdych have had a difficult time of it. There have … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
Vintage Stuff
Miami Masters 1000, Fourth Round Federer d. Rochus, 6/3 6/1 ‘This is looking like a mismatch, as though Rochus has brought a knife to a gunfight. Federer just has too much firepower.’ Robbie Koenig. We don’t expect much from tennis … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
A Real Mouth Opener
Miami Masters, Third Round The commentary gem of the day arrived courtesy of the ever-reliable Jason Goodall: ‘For lovers of talent, it’s an eye-watering prospect!’ He was spruiking the up-coming clash between Alexandr Dolgopolov and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, whose skills are … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
The Whiff Of Gotterdammerung
Miami Masters 1000, Second Round The seeds continued their jolly tumbling today at the Miami Masters 1000. Of the 32 who slugged their way past first round byes, 14 have failed to progress past actual opponents. As attrition goes, it’s … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
Candles To The Sun
Miami Masters 1000, Second Round Bogomolov Jnr d. Murray, 6/1 7/5 As he did last year, Andy Murray made it all the way to the second round in Miami, but no further. Today he fell in straight sets to Alex … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
Scary Canary
Miami Masters 1000, First Round Del Potro d. Mello, 6/4 6/4 Insofar as anyone can look ominous in canary yellow, Juan Martin del Potro is looking ominous at the moment. Thankfully, he is, like Roger Federer, favouring Nike’s more appealing … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
An Imperial Victory
Indian Wells, Final Djokovic d. Nadal, 4/6 6/3 6/2 Is it fitting, or merely coincidental, that the last two men to defeat Novak Djokovic in a tennis match were Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal? Perhaps it’s both, or maybe it … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour