Tag Archives: Murray
A Second Stamp
Australian Open, Final Djokovic d. Murray, 6/4 6/2 6/3 Channel 7 didn’t exactly redeem itself at the eleventh hour – we’re way beyond that – but it could have been worse. Of course there was the usual ear-jarring nonsense – … Continue reading
Filed under Grand Slams
A Tennis Player
Australian Open, Semifinal Murray d. Ferrer, 4/6 7/6 6/1 7/6 The crowd in Rod Laver Arena was particularly rowdy this evening, a fact I quickly surmised from the noise they were generating, which was considerable. Lest I misinterpreted it, a … Continue reading
Filed under Grand Slams
The More Things Change
Australian Open, Quarterfinals Rashly, I started this article prior to the last men’s quarterfinal, in which a hamstrung Rafael Nadal was overwhelmed in straight sets by a sporadically inspired and always-solid David Ferrer. Of the four quarterfinals, that was the … Continue reading
Filed under Grand Slams
Officially On Notice
Australian Open, Fourth Round Full steam into Day 8 of the Australian Open, where a titanic whirlpool of predictability threatened to suck us down. A still-recovering Rafael Nadal would be pushed by Marin Cilic, as would Andy Murray by the … Continue reading
Filed under Grand Slams
A Clear Way Forward
Australian Open, Third Round Nadal d. Tomic, 6/2 7/5 6/4 Bernard Tomic was not good enough to beat an out-of-sorts Rafael Nadal tonight, but there was no shame in it. It has been years since any teenager could have, the … Continue reading
Filed under Grand Slams
Overload
Qatar Open Any hope that Doha might provide a clear form-guide ahead of the Australian Open was frustrated by Rafael Nadal’s illness. The tribal zealots are of course over-analysing it, which is a kind way of saying they’re incapable of … Continue reading
Ponderous Levity
Hopman Cup Murray d. Mahut 7/6 7/6 Lleyton Hewitt was back in the commentary booth last night, and so was ‘tremendous ball striking’. But that wasn’t the strangest thing he said. Invited to analyse his loss to Novak Djokovic – … Continue reading
The Comet from Laputa
There comes a time in the life of even the most brilliant extended metaphor when you run into trouble. In my last entry, I compared Novak Djokovic to Gulliver in Lilliput, which led me to the useful idea that Rafael … Continue reading
Filed under Players
Unforgettable Memories
ATP World Tour Finals, London The ATP World Tour Final redeemed itself at the eleventh hour – of course it would – and a hasty re-relocation to Shanghai probably won’t be necessary. That’s the good news. Actually, it’s all good … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
A Seductive Metonymy
Nadal d. Djokovic, 7/5 6/2 When the draw for the ATP World Tour Finals was released last week, and we shyly confessed our relief that the Big Four were evenly split between the two groups, there was immediate anticipation of … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour