2008 US Open: What I Learned From The 2008 US Open

September 9, 2008
Federer Runs New York, Son!

Federer Runs New York, Son!

- Roger Federer didn’t go anywhere. His critics just happened to have someone else to take up some ink for a while. Nothing feels better than being the one to have the very last say. Just ask Pete Sampras six years ago when he won his fifth US Open. And the true champion’s heart is one who, despite all the naysayers’ constant use of energy to bring you down, you turn a deaf ear, concentrate and get in the last word.

- Rafael Nadal is human (plus, one heck of a summer season doesn’t make a fully realized legacy.) Roger Federer has had four of the most dominant seasons of tennis ever in the open era and this year when he had to overcome a few sudden obstacles, everyone’s breath and ink was used to basically write him off. Despite Nadal’s incredible four consecutive French Open titles, this is only one (hopefully of many) great season that exceeded Nadal’s favorite clay. Then what happened? He burned out.

Nadal is still a young guy with several more years left in him. But like I’ve said so many times, it hurts me just to watch Nadal run with those heavy steps and taped knees. Those have a much shorter shelf life than we probably realize.

- The immediate future of men’s tennis seems to remain in the European nations. Despite a fairly impressive showing by Donald Young, he’s still got a ways to go and definitely too young in his career to know if he’s in it for the long haul. But Gael Monfils, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal… these guys will be battling it out for the next few years.

- The World Series of Poker and Grand Slam Tennis. Both will be on ESPN starting next year and both will be heavily watched by CAP.

- Just like the last four years, the grand slam season officially comes to an end with another Federer grand slam win. Suddenly you stop hearing about all this “end of an era” BS.

cap

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2008 US Open: Roger Federer in the Finals Again! Rafael Nadal Hangs on by an RCH

September 6, 2008
Gracias, Dios!

Gracias, Dios!

With Rafael Nadal down two sets to none in his semi-final match against the Scotsman Andy Murray, the rough and tough Spaniard and the “Grapple in the Apple” dream re-match hangs on by the thinnest of RCH.

CAP’s Notes:

- With his win today against Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer is one match away from giving the last word to all his critics. Though Federer has yet to play the kind of match that has made him look invincible on a tennis court for the past four plus years, I believe his champion spirit returned to it’s brightest point in his match against the Serbian Terminator, Novak Djokovic.

- Speaking of Novak, not only did he come off sluggish and without spark during his match against Federer, I truly believe that his misunderstood comments from the other night after defeating Roddick which saw him get booed off court really deflated the young player. It never feels good to get booed anywhere. But add to that the fact that Djokovic is still young, impressionable, generally a class act and booed in front of a global audience, I challenge anyone to prove to me to not be affected and deflated by that. The last couple of games of the match, he just wanted to end it all and go home with his parents. End of story. It was a great learning experience though.

- Andy Murray not only is looking for his first win over the world’s number one player but going up two sets to none in his best grand slam showing sure isn’t a bad way to make your mark. Showing all the talent, speed and total youthful disregard for the magnitude of the moment, Murray is growing into a champion before our very eyes. I think when the dust settles, five years from now he, Djokovic, Gael Monfils and hopefully our own homegrown Donald Young will be battling it out for future US Open titles.

- Rafael Nadal looks like this dream year has finally worn him down a little. Perhaps the combination of the humidity, the summer wear & tear and the talented Scotsman across the net may prove to be too great a combination to overcome. But if anyone knows how to recover from a much needed rain delay, it’s got to be Rafa. I think that there is every reason imaginable that Rafael can come back to win in five tomorrow. It would be great for tennis.

By the power of Grayskull, bitches!!! I have the power!!

(sniff sniff) Is that an "F-U Haters" I smell in the air?

to be continued…

cap

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2008 US Open: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray Set Up Final Four

September 5, 2008

Plus, for all you fiber conscious fans out there, the final four players all share their “poo face” (yes, the faces they make when they poo).

First things first:

CAP Notes:

- Well no one can say that the top four players in the world at this moment didn’t make it to the final weekend. Despite the seedings before the tournament started, when all the dust settled the top best players in the world made it to the final four. Unless I’m mistaken by the calculations, I believe that these four guys will be ranked one through four in the world when the new rankings emerge.

- The Grapple in the Apple remains alive. Not only for the hardcore tennis fans but for sports fans alike and for the sport itself. A Federer vs. Nadal final post “The Match” would really help our favorite sport out tremendously gain more fans. Everyone wins.

- There truly are so many variables in the air that will make this Saturday truly “Super Saturday”. Anything can happen and anyone can win to find themselves playing in the Sunday final.

- Based on the quarterfinal matches, I would say that Djokovic looked the most confident and dominating in the end but man, he really pissed off a lot of folks with his post match interview.

- Murray certainly has the least to lose as he’s gotten further than he’s ever before in any slam. That’s what might just make him go for broke and play some fearless ball on Saturday.

- Nadal has had maybe the only single season that may be better than any of Federer’s previous years simply because of the Olympic gold medal in singles’ competition. The cherry on top to go along with his first Wimbledon and first Gold would be his first US Open.

- And Federer… more important than his fifth consecutive US Open title, more than his first slam of the year would be the last word he gets to have on this year’s dialogue regarding his current status as potentially history’s greatest tennis champion. This title would mean more than many many previous grand slams in my opinion.

To borrow a phrase from Jimmy Connors a few years ago: “This is what they came here for. This is what they want.”

And now… Poo Faces!!!

AHHHHHHH!!! YES, MATE!!!

AHHHHHHH!!! YES, MATE!!!

COME ON!!!! POO COME OUT!!!!

COME ON!!!! COME OUT, POO!!!!

A Triumphant... Poo!

A Triumphant... Poo!

WHEW!! I thought that last cling-on would never release!

WHEW!! I thought that last cling-on would never release!

to be continued…

cap

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Andy Murray Beats Novak Djokovic, Wins First Masters Title

August 3, 2008
"Hey man, you smell that back there? Yeah give it a second, mate. You will"

"Hey, you smell that back there? Yeah give it a second, mate. You will"

In a tournament filled with a lot of torch passing moments, it’s only fitting to see it end with another unexpected winner standing tall at the end as “The Scottish Bulldog” Andy Murray beats favored Novak Djokovic 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) in the Cincinnati Masters Tournament final.

Maybe it’s too early to say now but this may be a very significant tournament in the grand scheme of modern day tennis as we saw quite a few key indicators of where the game may be headed in the months to come:

1) Roger Federer loses again early. No one can doubt that it’s a little more than mere coincidence to see Federer lose early again so soon after “The Match” in July and the French Open thumping back in June. Hopefully the Olympics will reawaken the Swiss Express back to his top form. Only time will tell.

2) Rafael Nadal takes the World’s Number One for the first time. With that official ranking coming at August 18, 2008, it also simultaneously brands a target on his back as the guy to beat now. This is very new territory for him and it’ll be interesting to see how he handles this new moniker. So far he’s already lost his first match soon after gaining this impressive ranking.

3) Novak Djokovic regains some momentum heading towards the final leg of the 2008 season. So The Serbian Terminator lost two weeks in a row to Andy Murray but the fact that he’s made the finals of another Masters is still a huge feat that he can take with him heading towards the US Open. By the way, he’s still the only other guy to win a slam this year… on a hard court.

4) Andy Murray emerges. It’s still far too early to say where this kid’s career is headed in the long run. Is he one of the favorites at The US Open? Not really. He’s a threat. He’s a guy who can take out one of the clear favorites. But Murray’s journey is still quite young and he won’t be a serious contender for a major for at least another two years. There’s a world of difference between five best of three set matches and seven best of five set matches both physically and mentally.

cap

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Novak Djokovic Beats Rafael Nadal; Nadal Still Accomplishes Becoming World Number One

August 2, 2008
"Don't you forget about me"... Djokovic does a pretty good Judd Nelson pose circa "The Breakfast Club"

"Don't you forget about me"... Djokovic does a pretty good Judd Nelson pose circa "The Breakfast Club"

In what has to be a bitter sweet pill to have to digest, Rafael Nadal’s incredible summer tennis run has finally come to a halt at the hands of “The Serbian Terminator” (I’m coining that shit. You hear me, Brad Glbert! I’m coining it!) world number three Novak Djokovic 6-1, 7-5 in the Western and Southern Cincinnati Masters Cup semifinals.

Displaying a kind of ironic twist to the Summer of Nadal 2008, Djokovic ran Nadal around like the last remaining member of a loser dodgeball team ducking bullets. Using a pretty spectacular ground and pound game on his favorite surface, Djokovic basically made Nadal look and feel like all the victims Nadal had damn near embarrassed all summer long on clay, grass and the first part of the hard court season so far.

Adios, Muchacho!

Adios, Muchacho!

So what does this mean?

Well, as Dave Matthews says in one of my favorite tracks: “The Deed Is Done”.

After holding the Number Two position for a record 158 consecutive weeks, on August 18, 2008 “Rafa” will be the World’s Number One ranked tennis player bumping Roger Federer down a notch to Number Two, or as Andy Roddick calls it: “Man, I’ll never get there again either”.

I think this is good for Nadal (Rest up for the US Open. Calmate, Foolio Iglesias! Take in what you’ve accomplished this incredible season.). I think this is good for Djokovic (Now go avenge your last loss to Andy Murray on Sunday). This is good for Federer (See, he’s just a man. Now get your ass back out there and make sure Apollo Creed didn’t die in vain to Drago… what?… huh?… The hell just happened?)

But above all that, this is good for tennis. In all this crazy hoopla over Federer and Nadal in the last few weeks people quickly forgot about the not so distant supporting cast of Novak Djokovic and a rising Scot named Andy Murray. They’ll be playing for the last Masters Cup of the season played outdoors tomorrow morning. Djokovic will probably win.

Then it’s off to the Olympics.

I can’t stress this enough. Federer’s time to salvage this season is running out quick. The momentum is not with him. No matter what he says in public about early exits this wek and the week before, his confidence is shot. He’s in some serious pain. And it’s not the kind that can be fixed with a bottle of Robitussin (can’t just pour some ‘Tussin on it to make it all better). I don’t believe for a New York minute that Federer is mentally okay right now. But I do believe when he says that the Beijing Olympics is very important to him. It’s a tournament that is only played once every four years. The next time it’s up, Federer will be 30. This will be his best opportunity to win the Gold Medal. And because of this scarcity it carries the weight of a mini slam.

I still believe that if Federer can take the Olympics Gold, his fifth consecutive US Open title and the year end Masters title, he can still end the year as the Number One and end the year fine.

To borrow a phrase from a good friend of mine: Federer? Make it happen, captain!

Seriously, Brad Gilbert… “The Serbian Terminator” is mine.

cap

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Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic all set to go at Canada’s Roger’s Cup

July 20, 2008

Novak Djokovic beat Roddick, Nadal and Federer to win The 2007 Roger’s Cup

The draws are set for the 2008 Roger’s Cup and we’ve got five former champions in the running for the first major hard court title of the summer season.

Some of the potential match ups in the latter part of the week include a potential quarterfinal meeting between Federer and Roddick.

But once again, according to the draws it looks like Rafael Nadal might be the one who has to go through a more established draw in order to get to the final Sunday match up. Andy Murray, Marat Safin and last year’s champion Novak Djokovic are all expected to play deep into the week in Nadal’s half of the draw.

Obviously it’s a no-brainer that everyone in the tennis world is hoping for yet another Federer vs. Nadal final on Sunday. With the Olympics, US Open and the year end Masters championship still left to play, there will be plenty of upcoming opportunities to watch another clash of the top two tennis players in the world.

cap

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2008 Wimbledon: Federer Has a New Challenge - The Next Level

June 14, 2008

The Championships are Eight Days Away

Roger Federer has something to prove to himself. Despite all his public comments dismissing any shake up on his confidence, I don’t buy for a moment that this last year hasn’t gotten to him in some way. Most other world class athletes would be quite proud of the stats Federer has accumulated in 2008 but this is certainly not just another athlete. This is Roger Federer — world’s number one and potentially greatest player to ever handle a racquet.

When the 2008 Wimbledon Championships commence in just over a week, Roger Federer will be two weeks removed from his most memorable loss. The one where Rafael Nadal truly displayed to the world just how human Federer can be. It’s kinda like that scene in Rocky IV when after taking a flurry of hard shots from Ivan Drago, Rocky finally threw up a haymaker left hook and cut open the fake Russian boxer.

The only solace Federer has is the fact that if he had to lose big, he might as well lose big on the one surface that has given him the most trouble adapting to, against the one man who history may call the greatest clay court tennis player of all time.

This will not be the case at the 2008 Wimbledon Championships.

Bring it on, bitches.

Wimbledon is Federer’s house. He’s owned it for the past five years. But this year is different. This year he’s had to endure a very disappointing title record for Federer standards. He’s had to deal with losing to players who previously wouldn’t have qualified to be his hitting partners. This year, he’s had to endure journalists publicly wondering if he truly is the greatest of all time. And this has all culminated in a performance at the 2008 French Open that has all but drained Federer of all his confidence going into the next tournament with his greatest nemesis. The same guy who took him to a scary five setter final just last year at his favorite tournament.

I’m no one surface pony! Er… Spanish guy.

And forget the fact that grass may just not be Nadal’s best surface. Not only has he reached the Wimbledon finals two years in a row, it looks like both he and Federer will win their warm up tournaments leading up to Wimbledon. Clay may be Nadal’s favorite surface, but it most definitely is not the only surface he can rock.

And what of the other “potential threats”?

There is nothing to note from the past that either Roddick or Djokovic will get past the quarters. As a two time finalist, Roddick has a decent chance of making it to the semi-finals but no further. Djokovic has a better chance on the hard courts of the US Open then the quicker, low bounce grass of Wimbledon.

Sundays? Yeah, Sundays are usually good for me. I have lots of free time on Sundays now.

Shit ninja, the only grass I smoke got nothin’ to do Wimbledon, son!

This is Federer’s favorite surface, his favorite tournament, his favorite court, his favorite ambiance, his favorite time. The 2008 Wimbledon could be the turning point for not only the remainder of Federer’s 2008 season but for the remainder of his career. Win here, and it shifts the momentum away from Nadal’s dominant clay court season back to Federer’s record breaking legacy.

Lose Wimbledon and it may just turn out to be the last catalyst that starts a downward spiral for Federer in the upcoming few months.

The Championships begin Monday, June 23rd, 2008.

cap

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