Soooooooooooo that's another ATP tour season over with as today the World Tour Finals drew to a close with a showdown for the third week running between Roger Federer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
The match itself was one that we would hope would live up to its billing, and thankfully it did as Federer had to battle with Tsonga in order to get his hands on another finals title. Tsonga in the first set came out firing well, but was in trouble after broke at 3-3 on Tsonga's serve and took the set at 6-3. The second set also threatened to be a similar affair as Federer again broken server early on, however on serving out for the championship at 5-4, Federer uncharacteristically dropped his own serve, to let Tsonga back in the match, which lead to a tense tiebreak, which Tsonga won to take it in a deciding set. But in the final set, it was Federer who delivered the goodies and broke Tsonga at 4-3, and had no such trouble closing out the match this time, winning his record 6th ATP world tour finals title in 6-3, 6-7(8), 6-3.
For a year end championship this was a really good match, and Tsonga deserves a great deal of credit not only for his contribution to the match, but also for his great achievement in getting to the final of such as big title. Tsonga really has proved that he is a special talent, and while he had his chances in the match, he did really well to push the Swiss maestro into a decider, and for another thing it certainly was a better match than last year's final with Nadal and Federer. Tsonga is also back where he belongs in the top 10, and if he carries on like this, he could even break into the top 4, so Andy Murray better watch himself. As for Federer, while he didn't play his best, he certainly showed once again that he is a real champ and has what it takes, even when he is under the cosh, although it was surprising that he dropped his serve in the second set, as normally its something Fedora wouldn't do, even on a championship serve. Regardless Federer has ended the year as the world number 3, and unfortunately for Andy, who worked really hard to try and finish at that spot, its kind of backfired for him, however Federer definitely deserves credit for making such a solid comeback, picking up an impressive hattrick of titles himself on the way.
On a side note regarding Djokovic and Nadal, I was quite surprised to see the manner in which they exited the tournament, as Rafa just struggled right through as did Djokovic. I think their season really came to an end after that US Open 2011 final, as after that they never really recovered, physically or emotionally. And its amazing the difference between Djokovic at the beginning of the year and at the end, at the start he was invincible, and by the end he was fatigued, exhuasted and burnt out. The same with Rafa, who has been on the receiving end of Djokovic, six times over, and has since struggled badly to win any titles since the French Open. But I'm sure next year the two of them will be back strong as ever, but it was ironic to see the world's top two players play so badly. But as I said I'm sure that next year Djoko and Rafa will gear up for action, I also hope the same for Andy too. Andy of course has at least not ended the year burnt out, quite the opposite, just injured, which was a great shame, as I really think he missed a trick by not taking time out for Basel and Paris, as he could have used that time to really get ready for the year end finals. But what's done is done and 2012 is not far away, and I hope next year that Andy will make that breakthrough, whether it be in Melbourne, Paris, London or New York.
Soooooooooooo while ATP tour season has finished, there is still the Davis Cup final between Spain and Argentina, with Rafa and David Ferrer up against David Nalbandian and Juan Martin Del Potro in the singles. Its on the clay in Seville, so hopefully going back to his favourite surface might inspire Rafa, if he wins, maybe he can have another great year next year.
Anywayyyyyy that's the 2011 ATP tour season over with, which again ended with Federer as the year end champion, with 70 titles and counting. It was a great year for tennis and no doubt 2012 will provide more great stuff to come.
So that's it for now, adios.
Sunday 27 November 2011
Saturday 26 November 2011
I'm gonna Kill Bill!!
OK time for another change of post, after all that sporty yellow balls bouncing around a square court game taking up too much blog space (almost 85% I'm sure!). This one is about another modern day classic: Kill Bill Volumes 1 and 2, but for the sake of argument its all the same film, so I'm covering them together, so none of this, vol 1 is better than vol 2 because they are both the same film! And forgive me but THIS DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS!
Anyway with that out the way here's a bit more about the plot, which starts with the blood spattered "bride" (Uma Thurman) who lies on the floor of a church in El Paso Texas, after her groom to be and her friends have been ruthlessly gunned down, by her former lover Bill (David Carradine) and his team of assassins, the Deadly Viper squad (Lucy Lui, Vivica A. Fox, Michael Madsen and Daryl Hannah). Just before Bill puts a bullet in his bride's head, she tells him that she is pregnant with his baby. The bride however miraculously survives the bullet, as she lies in a coma for four years in a hospital where one night just after that, she finds a big redneck trucker straddling her. The bride instantly kills the trucker and then kills the hospital worker "Buck" who has been pimping her out during her comatose state to people he knows for money. The bride then travels to Okinawa to find the legendary swordsmith Hattori Hanzo (Sonny Chiba) and she asks that he make her a sword, which he eventually does after she drops Bill's name. After a month or so, Hanzo finishes the sword and the bride leaves with it, to start her bloody revenge against the Deadly Viper squad, starting with O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu) who is by now the leader of the Tokyo yakuza. What ensues is a very bloody (not to mention very spurty!) fight sequence as the bride takes on O-Ren's bodyguards, her crazed 17 year associate Gogo Yubari (Chiaki Kuriyama) and also the "crazy 88" who are O-Ren's hit squad, and ultimately O-Ren herself. So cue part two....
And the bride carries on in the second part of the film in her journey to kill bill, where she seeks out Bill's brother, Budd (Michael Madsen), who shoots her full of rock salt and buries her alive in a coffin. But of course with the luck of a handy straight razor tucked away in her boot, and her incredible punching skills she learned from her former master Pai Mei (Gordon Liu), the bride manages to break free of her coffin and crawl her way up out of the earth back up to the surface, ready for more revenge. After this Budd calls up one of his ex-viper squad members Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah, complete with cool eye patch) and asks if she would want to trade the bride's Hanzo sword for a million dollars. Elle comes along to Budd's cabin the next day and secretly stashes a black mamba snake in the suitcase of money, which kills of Budd. Then the bride, who by now, Elle has given away her real name as Beatrix Kiddo, confronts Elle in an intense fight, which Beatrix eventually wins by plucking out Elle's only remaining eye (the other one was plucked out by Pai Mei during her instruction). This now only leaves Bill and well you can imagine what goes on there........
For me Kill Bill has to be Quentin Tarantino's best film, as it is such a brilliant combination of different styles of film, from action to thriller, to western, to eastern to anime and so on. And at the centre of it is a terrific performance from its lead actress Uma Thurman, who plays the part of the Bride (or Beatrix) so brilliantly. In fact one of the interesting aspects of the film is how the character of the bride develops, as in the first volume, we see her as a remorseless killing machine, who is purely on a mission of revenge, but in the second film, we get to see her become more human as a person. And in a way if I had to pick a favourite part it would be volume 2, simply because it is more character driven, and it helps to humanise Beatrix as well as rationalise Bill as a person too (well perhaps not rationalise but we do get where he was coming from in his actions). But both volumes add up to the same film and overall it is some achievement from Quentin Tarantino.
On a technical level I don't think Tarantino has made a better film either, as his mix of skilfull camera work, and brilliant use of Japanese anime, and superb photography from Robert Richardson all add up to a visual treat for the viewer as well. And without a doubt, his choice of soundtrack is as ever terrific, especially in volume 1 where it opens up with Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang", the cheesy but highly effective use of the theme from "Quincy", and in volume 2 his effective use of Ennio Morricone's western music, and "About Her" by Malcolm McLaren which is used to great effect also. I also can't forget to mention the infuriatingly catchy 5, 6, 7, 8's "Woo-hoo" which is annoying but at the same time you can't help but listen to it. In general Tarantino has a like for 1970s funk music, and plenty of it permeates throughout the whole film, abd he uses it very well, especially tracks like Ray Fan Ray by Isaac Hayes in the anime scene with O-Ren killing one of her targets as an assassin. I also love the way Tarantino particularly in the scene where Beatrix receives the cruel instruction from her kung-fu master Pai Mei, how uses the typical camera zoom-ins like you get in the old martial arts films. Its a great touch.
The film also has several harrowing scenes which stick in the mind also, and while the over the top bloody scenes in Volume 1 are never disturbing, in fact they are quite silly if nothing else, its the scenes where we see Beatrix suffer so much herself. A couple of scenes in particular are firstly the one where she wakes up from her coma, she looks down at her stomach at a wound where presumably her aborted child was taken from, and she screams and sobs uncontrollably. Its a great moment in Uma's performance, and for that brief moment she has to deal with her grief all at once, before she is interrupted, by the scumbag hospital worker, who has used her inert body for sex. Which I have to say is one of the film's more disturbing aspects is the misogyny that it occassionally displays particularly in this scene, it reminds me of the scene from Pulp Fiction where Marcellus Wallace is being raped in a basement by hillbillies. Its almost like Quentin is going for the shock effect once again, just by making you think of the unthinkable. Another harrowing moment is when the bride, after she has been put in a coffin by Budd, we see her reaction from the inside as her coffin is trundled into the grave, and we hear the heavy sound of the dirt crash against the outer side of the coffin itself, with Beatrix panicking and crying each time she hears the dirt being shovelled on top. Its probably the film's most potent and distressing sequence, and it definitely captures that sense of intense claustrophobia too. One of Uma's best scenes though is when she enters Bill's house near the end of Volume 2, armed with a gun and she finds Bill, much to her amazement with their daughter, she almost falls to her knees, with shock, its a great moment in her performance.
But that's not to say that Kill Bill doesn't have any fun moments in it, of course it does, its a Tarantino film! The action sequences in particular a spectacular to watch, especially the bloody showdown at O-Ren's House of the dead leaves, with Beatrix/The Bride slicing and dicing her way through her enemies, and her fight with Elle in the second film is a particular highlight also. Another favourite for me is Beatrix's training under the cruel old Kung-fu master, Pai Mei, as he rides her hard in instructing her on the ways of kung-fu. There are some amusing characters along the way and plenty of enjoyable and crude dialogue, one of me favourite lines from the Bride is "As I sat in the back of Buck's truck, trying to will my limbs out of entrophy I could see the faces of cunts that did this to me and the dicks responsible!".
Performance wise there are plenty of good ones, David Carradine is especially good as Bill, the man himself, who has a world weary charm but also shows that he's a killer and a vicious bastard through and through. Michael Madsen puts in a decent performance also as Bill's younger brother Budd, who once a high paid assassin, is now subjected to working in a third rate strip bar as a bouncer. And Daryl Hannah also is very good as the evil and sly Elle Driver, and after seeing Daryl give some pretty so-so performances in films from the 1980s such as Roxanne, and Wall Street, what she does do really well in this film is ham it up, and shows that she is a capable actress. Lucy Liu is also great as the deadly and foxy O-Ren Ishii, and her best scene is where she stampedes down the table in her conference room and beheads one of her impertinent associates (complete with blood fountain spurting!) and calmly tells her people that if you have problem with her, tell her so, before she shouts "so if any of you sonsabitches has anything else to say NOW'S THE FUCKING TIME!!!". Sonny Chiba's cameo appearance is also very entertaining as Hattori Hanzo, once a great swordswith, who vowed never to make another sword again, and now spends his time as a Sushi chef, arguing with his suborindate employee ("lazy bastard, get your ass out here!").
Perhaps though the only poor scene in Kill Bill is the end credits with Robert Rodriguez's fairly annoying Mexican music playing in the background, and how it shows all the character's over the music and his final caption for Beatrix's charcater that says "Beatrix Kiddo, aka Black maba, aka the bride, aka Mommy". Its just a bit cheesy. But its just one scene out of the film, the rest is grand.
However Kill Bill is definitely one of my favourite films and one of the best films in recent times of modern cinema. Tarantino has definitely contributed a great deal to American cinema over the years and here he gave it his masterpiece.
Anyway with that out the way here's a bit more about the plot, which starts with the blood spattered "bride" (Uma Thurman) who lies on the floor of a church in El Paso Texas, after her groom to be and her friends have been ruthlessly gunned down, by her former lover Bill (David Carradine) and his team of assassins, the Deadly Viper squad (Lucy Lui, Vivica A. Fox, Michael Madsen and Daryl Hannah). Just before Bill puts a bullet in his bride's head, she tells him that she is pregnant with his baby. The bride however miraculously survives the bullet, as she lies in a coma for four years in a hospital where one night just after that, she finds a big redneck trucker straddling her. The bride instantly kills the trucker and then kills the hospital worker "Buck" who has been pimping her out during her comatose state to people he knows for money. The bride then travels to Okinawa to find the legendary swordsmith Hattori Hanzo (Sonny Chiba) and she asks that he make her a sword, which he eventually does after she drops Bill's name. After a month or so, Hanzo finishes the sword and the bride leaves with it, to start her bloody revenge against the Deadly Viper squad, starting with O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu) who is by now the leader of the Tokyo yakuza. What ensues is a very bloody (not to mention very spurty!) fight sequence as the bride takes on O-Ren's bodyguards, her crazed 17 year associate Gogo Yubari (Chiaki Kuriyama) and also the "crazy 88" who are O-Ren's hit squad, and ultimately O-Ren herself. So cue part two....
And the bride carries on in the second part of the film in her journey to kill bill, where she seeks out Bill's brother, Budd (Michael Madsen), who shoots her full of rock salt and buries her alive in a coffin. But of course with the luck of a handy straight razor tucked away in her boot, and her incredible punching skills she learned from her former master Pai Mei (Gordon Liu), the bride manages to break free of her coffin and crawl her way up out of the earth back up to the surface, ready for more revenge. After this Budd calls up one of his ex-viper squad members Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah, complete with cool eye patch) and asks if she would want to trade the bride's Hanzo sword for a million dollars. Elle comes along to Budd's cabin the next day and secretly stashes a black mamba snake in the suitcase of money, which kills of Budd. Then the bride, who by now, Elle has given away her real name as Beatrix Kiddo, confronts Elle in an intense fight, which Beatrix eventually wins by plucking out Elle's only remaining eye (the other one was plucked out by Pai Mei during her instruction). This now only leaves Bill and well you can imagine what goes on there........
For me Kill Bill has to be Quentin Tarantino's best film, as it is such a brilliant combination of different styles of film, from action to thriller, to western, to eastern to anime and so on. And at the centre of it is a terrific performance from its lead actress Uma Thurman, who plays the part of the Bride (or Beatrix) so brilliantly. In fact one of the interesting aspects of the film is how the character of the bride develops, as in the first volume, we see her as a remorseless killing machine, who is purely on a mission of revenge, but in the second film, we get to see her become more human as a person. And in a way if I had to pick a favourite part it would be volume 2, simply because it is more character driven, and it helps to humanise Beatrix as well as rationalise Bill as a person too (well perhaps not rationalise but we do get where he was coming from in his actions). But both volumes add up to the same film and overall it is some achievement from Quentin Tarantino.
On a technical level I don't think Tarantino has made a better film either, as his mix of skilfull camera work, and brilliant use of Japanese anime, and superb photography from Robert Richardson all add up to a visual treat for the viewer as well. And without a doubt, his choice of soundtrack is as ever terrific, especially in volume 1 where it opens up with Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang", the cheesy but highly effective use of the theme from "Quincy", and in volume 2 his effective use of Ennio Morricone's western music, and "About Her" by Malcolm McLaren which is used to great effect also. I also can't forget to mention the infuriatingly catchy 5, 6, 7, 8's "Woo-hoo" which is annoying but at the same time you can't help but listen to it. In general Tarantino has a like for 1970s funk music, and plenty of it permeates throughout the whole film, abd he uses it very well, especially tracks like Ray Fan Ray by Isaac Hayes in the anime scene with O-Ren killing one of her targets as an assassin. I also love the way Tarantino particularly in the scene where Beatrix receives the cruel instruction from her kung-fu master Pai Mei, how uses the typical camera zoom-ins like you get in the old martial arts films. Its a great touch.
The film also has several harrowing scenes which stick in the mind also, and while the over the top bloody scenes in Volume 1 are never disturbing, in fact they are quite silly if nothing else, its the scenes where we see Beatrix suffer so much herself. A couple of scenes in particular are firstly the one where she wakes up from her coma, she looks down at her stomach at a wound where presumably her aborted child was taken from, and she screams and sobs uncontrollably. Its a great moment in Uma's performance, and for that brief moment she has to deal with her grief all at once, before she is interrupted, by the scumbag hospital worker, who has used her inert body for sex. Which I have to say is one of the film's more disturbing aspects is the misogyny that it occassionally displays particularly in this scene, it reminds me of the scene from Pulp Fiction where Marcellus Wallace is being raped in a basement by hillbillies. Its almost like Quentin is going for the shock effect once again, just by making you think of the unthinkable. Another harrowing moment is when the bride, after she has been put in a coffin by Budd, we see her reaction from the inside as her coffin is trundled into the grave, and we hear the heavy sound of the dirt crash against the outer side of the coffin itself, with Beatrix panicking and crying each time she hears the dirt being shovelled on top. Its probably the film's most potent and distressing sequence, and it definitely captures that sense of intense claustrophobia too. One of Uma's best scenes though is when she enters Bill's house near the end of Volume 2, armed with a gun and she finds Bill, much to her amazement with their daughter, she almost falls to her knees, with shock, its a great moment in her performance.
But that's not to say that Kill Bill doesn't have any fun moments in it, of course it does, its a Tarantino film! The action sequences in particular a spectacular to watch, especially the bloody showdown at O-Ren's House of the dead leaves, with Beatrix/The Bride slicing and dicing her way through her enemies, and her fight with Elle in the second film is a particular highlight also. Another favourite for me is Beatrix's training under the cruel old Kung-fu master, Pai Mei, as he rides her hard in instructing her on the ways of kung-fu. There are some amusing characters along the way and plenty of enjoyable and crude dialogue, one of me favourite lines from the Bride is "As I sat in the back of Buck's truck, trying to will my limbs out of entrophy I could see the faces of cunts that did this to me and the dicks responsible!".
Performance wise there are plenty of good ones, David Carradine is especially good as Bill, the man himself, who has a world weary charm but also shows that he's a killer and a vicious bastard through and through. Michael Madsen puts in a decent performance also as Bill's younger brother Budd, who once a high paid assassin, is now subjected to working in a third rate strip bar as a bouncer. And Daryl Hannah also is very good as the evil and sly Elle Driver, and after seeing Daryl give some pretty so-so performances in films from the 1980s such as Roxanne, and Wall Street, what she does do really well in this film is ham it up, and shows that she is a capable actress. Lucy Liu is also great as the deadly and foxy O-Ren Ishii, and her best scene is where she stampedes down the table in her conference room and beheads one of her impertinent associates (complete with blood fountain spurting!) and calmly tells her people that if you have problem with her, tell her so, before she shouts "so if any of you sonsabitches has anything else to say NOW'S THE FUCKING TIME!!!". Sonny Chiba's cameo appearance is also very entertaining as Hattori Hanzo, once a great swordswith, who vowed never to make another sword again, and now spends his time as a Sushi chef, arguing with his suborindate employee ("lazy bastard, get your ass out here!").
Perhaps though the only poor scene in Kill Bill is the end credits with Robert Rodriguez's fairly annoying Mexican music playing in the background, and how it shows all the character's over the music and his final caption for Beatrix's charcater that says "Beatrix Kiddo, aka Black maba, aka the bride, aka Mommy". Its just a bit cheesy. But its just one scene out of the film, the rest is grand.
However Kill Bill is definitely one of my favourite films and one of the best films in recent times of modern cinema. Tarantino has definitely contributed a great deal to American cinema over the years and here he gave it his masterpiece.
Friday 25 November 2011
An actual job, whoddaa thunk it???!!
Well some good news to post to myself as this week I went for an interview with Virgin Media out in Airdrie, and after a group assessment, I got news back that I passed, and then I got another call asking if I would like to come in and do a test for another job, which is more techy based. So on Wednesday there I went back over to Airdrie, took the IT tech test, which was basically 10 questions, 2 or 3 of which were pretty tricky, and today I finally got word that I passed the test, and I can start on Monday!!!
So very good news, as it will be the first proper job I will (or attempt to at least!) hold down since Clydebank College, as Whitebox Digital was only for 6 months it doesn't quite count. So I'm looking forward to getting started, the only snag though is the location, as its out in Airdrie, its not exactly close by for me. But the train ride is quite direct so that's so much a problem, although there is quite a long walk to the actual building (which is owned by the company Teleperformance) from the station, so all in all it might take me about 1 hour and 10 minutes to get to the front door, also getting up early in the morning is bound to be a bit of a killer, as there are shift patterns, with two shifts between 8am and 4pm and 2pm to 10pm (so I will get both extreme ends of the spectrum!). So naturally it will take some getting used to, and my body clock will be well out of kilter for a while.
But on the upside it is a job in IT, which is something I've been trying to get into for ages, and another plus is that there is no strict dress code, so I can go in casually dressed (no nipple tassels allowed I'm sure though!). It will also be good to be back in paid employment again, although it will be a bit duff having to wait a full month before I get any wages! (no advances of course lol!). However it is a real opportunity to finally get my foot in the door and get some experience in the industry, so I'll see how it goes from here.
So I might as well try and enjoy my last weekend of freedom before I start the early morning rises, which means I will need to get to bed early from now on (after midnight will be no more during the week :-().
Aaaaaannnnd well there is not much more to say than that so more will follow once I get a feel for the job and what its like, although I will try not to say too much just in case.
OK the end.
So very good news, as it will be the first proper job I will (or attempt to at least!) hold down since Clydebank College, as Whitebox Digital was only for 6 months it doesn't quite count. So I'm looking forward to getting started, the only snag though is the location, as its out in Airdrie, its not exactly close by for me. But the train ride is quite direct so that's so much a problem, although there is quite a long walk to the actual building (which is owned by the company Teleperformance) from the station, so all in all it might take me about 1 hour and 10 minutes to get to the front door, also getting up early in the morning is bound to be a bit of a killer, as there are shift patterns, with two shifts between 8am and 4pm and 2pm to 10pm (so I will get both extreme ends of the spectrum!). So naturally it will take some getting used to, and my body clock will be well out of kilter for a while.
But on the upside it is a job in IT, which is something I've been trying to get into for ages, and another plus is that there is no strict dress code, so I can go in casually dressed (no nipple tassels allowed I'm sure though!). It will also be good to be back in paid employment again, although it will be a bit duff having to wait a full month before I get any wages! (no advances of course lol!). However it is a real opportunity to finally get my foot in the door and get some experience in the industry, so I'll see how it goes from here.
So I might as well try and enjoy my last weekend of freedom before I start the early morning rises, which means I will need to get to bed early from now on (after midnight will be no more during the week :-().
Aaaaaannnnd well there is not much more to say than that so more will follow once I get a feel for the job and what its like, although I will try not to say too much just in case.
OK the end.
Wednesday 23 November 2011
Rrrrright who's it gonna be????
Although the AWTF is far from over yet, I'm already wondering just who is going to be in with the biggest show of winning the event, so here is some of my thoughts on the matter, and on each of the remaining players in the groups:
Tsonga - it has to be said that without a doubt that Tsonga has had a great season this year so far, having made the Wimbledon semis, defeating Federer in the process, and reaching the US Open quarter finals (but losing to Federer in that one!). And his match against Federer on the first day at the o2 was quite a good one, but he dropped the ball and serve at the crucial moment, so I don't know how his chances will stack up. But when he's on top of his game, he is very tough to beat, and right now he is on top of his game. Next up for Tsonga will be Rafa, does he stand a chance? Actually yes he does, because he beat Rafa back in June at Queens, and Rafa hasn't been a 100% at all this season, more like 60% there ever since losing at the US Open. But do I think Tsonga will win the title????? To be honest no, I think there are a couple of players in there that could definitely get past him, but then there is always a chance.
Berdych - Berdych has just won his first match against Janko Tipsarevic who filled in the for injured Andy Murray who pulled out of the tournament, so that will give him a much needed boost after suffering such a defeat at the hands of Djokovic in a very close match. Next up for Berdy will be David Ferrer, who plays Novak Djokovic later on, but what chance does he stand against Ferrer when they meet?? Welllll actually I'm surprised in a way to learn that Ferrer actually leads their head to head, 5-2, so it really will be a tough one to decide, based on that I'd have to go with Ferrer. But overall how does Berdy's chances stand???? Overall I'd say not too good, he's a contender and a dangerous player, but again he always falls that little bit short against the very top players.
Ferrer - without a doubt Ferrer is a really talented player, and probably one of the gutsiest fighters in the sport, who has incredible stamina and athletic prowess on court, and while he has no big weapons in his game, he knows how to punish players into playing long rallies and his return game is virtually second to none. So far Ferrer has beaten Andy Murray in his only match, and next up he has Berdych and he leads the head to head as stated above, but does he stand a chance of winning the ATPWTF??? Again no, because while he is a terrific player, he lacks the big serve, the weapons and ability to outfox the big three guys left in the draw. But..... tonight's match against Djokovic showed a different player altogether, as Ferrer took a lacklustre Djokovic apart in straight sets 6-3, 6-1, if he carries on like that there is no reason he can't get to the final.
Nadal - well last year I would have said that Rafa would have been the flat out favourite to win this event as he had such an incredible year, just like Djokovic has had this year. But that was last year, and this year Rafa has had to endure defeat many times, particularly at the hands of Novak Djokovic, who has beaten him six times in a row now, and if they were to meet in the final here, I'm positive it would number seven. Rafa who was once like a feral lion, is now like a neutered dog, who has lost his bite, and coming into this tournament he has played very poorly by his standards, narrowly avoiding defeat at the hands of the now out Mardy Fish, and getting crushed by Federer in his second match. But Rafa still stands a chance of staying in as he faces Tsonga next, and while it will be no easy match, if he can defeat Tsonga then it will give his confidence a big boost, so its way too soon to write him off yet, but to ask if I see him as the overall winner of the title, I'd really have to say no.
Djokovic - what can you saw about the Djokster???? He has had the year of his life on the tennis court and most very likely off the court as well in 2011. Three grand slams, five Masters titles, and wins in Dubai and Serbia, has seen Djokovic put on a winning streak that ranks as one of the most impressive in the modern era of the game. Earlier this year Djokovic was indomitable, however as the year has gone on after having played so many matches, fatigue and injury have caught up with him a bit, and his level had dropped a little somewhat. Regardless of his level Djokovic can still dish out the winners when he really needs them, and with an amazing win loss match record of 70-4 so far this year, is quite something in itself. So the question has to be asked, does he stand a chance to win the title and end his year's achievements in style????? Absolutely yes, but he will be most likely up against one man who will prove to be the sternest test in the event, and more on him in just a bit. But to dismiss Djokovic's chances would be insane, he is the current World No.1 and with very good reason, and if anyone knows how to win a match and overcome adversity, its this man.
However.... tonight, his match against David Ferrer was a real shocker, as Djokovic tonight played what was easily the worst match of his season, with Ferrer gubbing him in straight sets 6-3, 6-1, which marks his 5th defeat of the year. This again raises the question of Djokovic's fitness, and it looks like his possible shoulder injury has come back to haunt him, even Djokovic himself said in his post match press conference that he felt tired and drained, due to the long season he has had, and judging by this performance, its tough to see him come through, but then again it was just one match, maybe Djokovic will yet bounce back (no pun intended).
Federer - I left Federer to last because to be quite frank, he is the absolute favourite to win this title, after coming back into the game after taking time out last month, Federer has displayed some incredible tennis. Despite the occassional dip here and there, Federer's level of tennis has been quite extaordinary and he is currently stuff that belongs to his heyday back when he was unstoppable, and that's the way I see him in this tournament. The same as last year, Federer was utterly incredible at the o2 arena, in fact I think he only dropped one set against Rafa in the final, and in that final Federer taught the Spaniard a lesson in how to play. So this year he has done the same and then some, as he crushed Rafa in their match last night, putting on a masterclass display. But for my money, Federer is already the champion of the ATP World Tour Finals, he's saved his best for last and is peaking just at the right time. And if Djokovic can beat him then I'd be very impressed, he's about the only one who can, but it most likely will be the Swiss maestro who will use his Fed express powers to pick up that nifty trophy on Sunday.
So that's it for now, more posts to follow on this subject, oh and I will finally post up some entries that are nowt to do with tennis. Its long overdue!!
But toodly pipsky for now.
Tsonga - it has to be said that without a doubt that Tsonga has had a great season this year so far, having made the Wimbledon semis, defeating Federer in the process, and reaching the US Open quarter finals (but losing to Federer in that one!). And his match against Federer on the first day at the o2 was quite a good one, but he dropped the ball and serve at the crucial moment, so I don't know how his chances will stack up. But when he's on top of his game, he is very tough to beat, and right now he is on top of his game. Next up for Tsonga will be Rafa, does he stand a chance? Actually yes he does, because he beat Rafa back in June at Queens, and Rafa hasn't been a 100% at all this season, more like 60% there ever since losing at the US Open. But do I think Tsonga will win the title????? To be honest no, I think there are a couple of players in there that could definitely get past him, but then there is always a chance.
Berdych - Berdych has just won his first match against Janko Tipsarevic who filled in the for injured Andy Murray who pulled out of the tournament, so that will give him a much needed boost after suffering such a defeat at the hands of Djokovic in a very close match. Next up for Berdy will be David Ferrer, who plays Novak Djokovic later on, but what chance does he stand against Ferrer when they meet?? Welllll actually I'm surprised in a way to learn that Ferrer actually leads their head to head, 5-2, so it really will be a tough one to decide, based on that I'd have to go with Ferrer. But overall how does Berdy's chances stand???? Overall I'd say not too good, he's a contender and a dangerous player, but again he always falls that little bit short against the very top players.
Ferrer - without a doubt Ferrer is a really talented player, and probably one of the gutsiest fighters in the sport, who has incredible stamina and athletic prowess on court, and while he has no big weapons in his game, he knows how to punish players into playing long rallies and his return game is virtually second to none. So far Ferrer has beaten Andy Murray in his only match, and next up he has Berdych and he leads the head to head as stated above, but does he stand a chance of winning the ATPWTF??? Again no, because while he is a terrific player, he lacks the big serve, the weapons and ability to outfox the big three guys left in the draw. But..... tonight's match against Djokovic showed a different player altogether, as Ferrer took a lacklustre Djokovic apart in straight sets 6-3, 6-1, if he carries on like that there is no reason he can't get to the final.
Nadal - well last year I would have said that Rafa would have been the flat out favourite to win this event as he had such an incredible year, just like Djokovic has had this year. But that was last year, and this year Rafa has had to endure defeat many times, particularly at the hands of Novak Djokovic, who has beaten him six times in a row now, and if they were to meet in the final here, I'm positive it would number seven. Rafa who was once like a feral lion, is now like a neutered dog, who has lost his bite, and coming into this tournament he has played very poorly by his standards, narrowly avoiding defeat at the hands of the now out Mardy Fish, and getting crushed by Federer in his second match. But Rafa still stands a chance of staying in as he faces Tsonga next, and while it will be no easy match, if he can defeat Tsonga then it will give his confidence a big boost, so its way too soon to write him off yet, but to ask if I see him as the overall winner of the title, I'd really have to say no.
Djokovic - what can you saw about the Djokster???? He has had the year of his life on the tennis court and most very likely off the court as well in 2011. Three grand slams, five Masters titles, and wins in Dubai and Serbia, has seen Djokovic put on a winning streak that ranks as one of the most impressive in the modern era of the game. Earlier this year Djokovic was indomitable, however as the year has gone on after having played so many matches, fatigue and injury have caught up with him a bit, and his level had dropped a little somewhat. Regardless of his level Djokovic can still dish out the winners when he really needs them, and with an amazing win loss match record of 70-4 so far this year, is quite something in itself. So the question has to be asked, does he stand a chance to win the title and end his year's achievements in style????? Absolutely yes, but he will be most likely up against one man who will prove to be the sternest test in the event, and more on him in just a bit. But to dismiss Djokovic's chances would be insane, he is the current World No.1 and with very good reason, and if anyone knows how to win a match and overcome adversity, its this man.
However.... tonight, his match against David Ferrer was a real shocker, as Djokovic tonight played what was easily the worst match of his season, with Ferrer gubbing him in straight sets 6-3, 6-1, which marks his 5th defeat of the year. This again raises the question of Djokovic's fitness, and it looks like his possible shoulder injury has come back to haunt him, even Djokovic himself said in his post match press conference that he felt tired and drained, due to the long season he has had, and judging by this performance, its tough to see him come through, but then again it was just one match, maybe Djokovic will yet bounce back (no pun intended).
Federer - I left Federer to last because to be quite frank, he is the absolute favourite to win this title, after coming back into the game after taking time out last month, Federer has displayed some incredible tennis. Despite the occassional dip here and there, Federer's level of tennis has been quite extaordinary and he is currently stuff that belongs to his heyday back when he was unstoppable, and that's the way I see him in this tournament. The same as last year, Federer was utterly incredible at the o2 arena, in fact I think he only dropped one set against Rafa in the final, and in that final Federer taught the Spaniard a lesson in how to play. So this year he has done the same and then some, as he crushed Rafa in their match last night, putting on a masterclass display. But for my money, Federer is already the champion of the ATP World Tour Finals, he's saved his best for last and is peaking just at the right time. And if Djokovic can beat him then I'd be very impressed, he's about the only one who can, but it most likely will be the Swiss maestro who will use his Fed express powers to pick up that nifty trophy on Sunday.
So that's it for now, more posts to follow on this subject, oh and I will finally post up some entries that are nowt to do with tennis. Its long overdue!!
But toodly pipsky for now.
Tuesday 22 November 2011
Is it over???? It is now.
OK the title of this post is a little misleading, the world finals is far from over yet, but unfortunately for one man it already is, and that one is the British number uno, Andy Murray, who regretfully withdrew from the tournament today due to a groin injury.
Andy already said that after his loss to David Ferrer that he had injured himself prior to coming into the event, a few days after the Paris Masters he pulled a groin muscle while training. And even when he reached the o2 and practised on the Sunday there, he still said he didn't feel good on court, so it was a bad omen for sure. In retrospect it seems to be a bit of a mistake for Andy to have aimed to finish as the World No.3 this year, as it looks like the hard work he put into that, especially during his success on the Asian swing of the tour, has been in vain. Because with Federer still going strong at the o2, who is also with a strong shout of getting to the semi finals, if he does get to that stage, he will reclaim his World No.3 ranking, and if he wins the title he will almost certainly get it back. So it feels like Andy once again has peaked at the wrong time of year, as he really did play some great tennis during the Asian leg of the tour, its a shame he didn't hold back a little and try and make sure he peaked at the right time.
Andy even admitted himself in the press conference after his announcement, that perhaps he should rethink his schedule for next year, and it would be a good idea to definitely prioritise around the big events and miss out on some of the smaller ones, so that way he will be in good shape for the year end championships next year. But he did make the right decision in withdrawing as he said himself that he still felt sore in the morning, and there is no way he could have gone out on court and taken on Tomas Berdych in that condition, it would have been a write off. Andy also wisely made the decision so it would allow him ample time to recover for next year, as he has already put his name forward for the Brisbane Open in Australia at the very beginning of next year (starts on New Year's day of all days!) and he will need that crucial time to get ready for Melbourne.
Soooo that is the end of Andy Murray's 2011 season, sadly it ended on a sour note, with a straight set loss, unlike last year where he played one of the best matches of his career despite losing to Rafa also at the o2. But overall he has had a great year and he has reached all four grand slam semi finals, and one final for that matter, won 5 titles, beaten Djokovic, beaten Rafa, not Federer however, as they never played each other this whole year, for once! And yes ok he still hasn't won that elusive major, but as 2011 has been Djokovic's year, just maybe 2012 could be Andy's year. But next year, you get the feeling that things have to happen for him, and it is crucial that he tries his absolute best to win in Melbourne for starters. However that's a bit off yet, for now, Andy, take heart in that you've had a great season, regardless of how its ended, and all the best to you for next year.
And just briefly an update on tonight's match between Roger and Rafa, which was another hugely anticipated showdown, but once again it didn't live up to its hype. So far to my knowledge this year, Roger hasn't beaten Rafa, but Roger drastically turned that around and made mince meat out of the Spaniard, by producing an exceptional display of tennis of the likes that heralds back to his glory days, crushing the World No.2 in 6-3, 6-0. Even I was surprised to see just how little Rafa got involved in this match as Roger ruthlessly dismissed virtually every shot he made, it wasn't that Rafa played bad, it was just the Swiss maestro was on absolute fire. In that regard I think Andy totally made the right decision to withdraw, as there is no way he could have lived with Federer in that mode, nor anyone else! So that is Roger safely through to the semi finals, and if I were Djokovic, I would be quaking in my tennis shoes by now, cos Roger means business!
But I have to say I do have a bone to pick regarding Federer, as he made a comment in the press about how Andy overtook him in the rankings, and depsite his impressive run in Asia, the only reason he won there was because he and Djokovic weren't playing there. Which basically is Roger's way of saying there is no way Murray would have beaten me if I was playing. This again really does bring up what I dislike about Roger Federer, that he can be an arrogant egotistical twat at times, and he can also be a sore loser when he loses out to some players too. Mind you after winning 16 grand slams I guess your ego inflates until its the size of a zeppelin, and then you almost look down upon everyone else. It doesn't take away from the fact that the man is a magnificently talented player, one of the all times greats without question. But when Federer makes comments like that, that's when I'd like to see Andy stick it to him, and it would be great to see him gub Federer sometime next year in a slam. Andy also wisely refused to rise to the comment as he simply said he doesn't pay much attention to stuff like that and he'll let the tennis do the talking (unfortunately though Andy as we know didn't get that far). Further to Federer's comment Andy also said "Well for Roger in Paris, I was injured, Rafa didn't play, Novak withdrew, and at the end of the day, you can only play against what's in front of you." Very well said. And that's the great thing about Andy Murray, he is reassuringly down to earth, and he doesn't have the arrogant ego of some other players (one of whom I just mentioned!).
Anyway more will follow on the remaining ATP World Tour Final matches, and with Andy now gone, Janko Tipsarevic takes his place, so again we have two Serbs in a big event, and yes they shall meet, and lets hope this match is another cracker, like the one they had at the US Open. One thing is for sure, that match is getting taped!
Aaaaaaand that's it for now.
Andy already said that after his loss to David Ferrer that he had injured himself prior to coming into the event, a few days after the Paris Masters he pulled a groin muscle while training. And even when he reached the o2 and practised on the Sunday there, he still said he didn't feel good on court, so it was a bad omen for sure. In retrospect it seems to be a bit of a mistake for Andy to have aimed to finish as the World No.3 this year, as it looks like the hard work he put into that, especially during his success on the Asian swing of the tour, has been in vain. Because with Federer still going strong at the o2, who is also with a strong shout of getting to the semi finals, if he does get to that stage, he will reclaim his World No.3 ranking, and if he wins the title he will almost certainly get it back. So it feels like Andy once again has peaked at the wrong time of year, as he really did play some great tennis during the Asian leg of the tour, its a shame he didn't hold back a little and try and make sure he peaked at the right time.
Andy even admitted himself in the press conference after his announcement, that perhaps he should rethink his schedule for next year, and it would be a good idea to definitely prioritise around the big events and miss out on some of the smaller ones, so that way he will be in good shape for the year end championships next year. But he did make the right decision in withdrawing as he said himself that he still felt sore in the morning, and there is no way he could have gone out on court and taken on Tomas Berdych in that condition, it would have been a write off. Andy also wisely made the decision so it would allow him ample time to recover for next year, as he has already put his name forward for the Brisbane Open in Australia at the very beginning of next year (starts on New Year's day of all days!) and he will need that crucial time to get ready for Melbourne.
Soooo that is the end of Andy Murray's 2011 season, sadly it ended on a sour note, with a straight set loss, unlike last year where he played one of the best matches of his career despite losing to Rafa also at the o2. But overall he has had a great year and he has reached all four grand slam semi finals, and one final for that matter, won 5 titles, beaten Djokovic, beaten Rafa, not Federer however, as they never played each other this whole year, for once! And yes ok he still hasn't won that elusive major, but as 2011 has been Djokovic's year, just maybe 2012 could be Andy's year. But next year, you get the feeling that things have to happen for him, and it is crucial that he tries his absolute best to win in Melbourne for starters. However that's a bit off yet, for now, Andy, take heart in that you've had a great season, regardless of how its ended, and all the best to you for next year.
And just briefly an update on tonight's match between Roger and Rafa, which was another hugely anticipated showdown, but once again it didn't live up to its hype. So far to my knowledge this year, Roger hasn't beaten Rafa, but Roger drastically turned that around and made mince meat out of the Spaniard, by producing an exceptional display of tennis of the likes that heralds back to his glory days, crushing the World No.2 in 6-3, 6-0. Even I was surprised to see just how little Rafa got involved in this match as Roger ruthlessly dismissed virtually every shot he made, it wasn't that Rafa played bad, it was just the Swiss maestro was on absolute fire. In that regard I think Andy totally made the right decision to withdraw, as there is no way he could have lived with Federer in that mode, nor anyone else! So that is Roger safely through to the semi finals, and if I were Djokovic, I would be quaking in my tennis shoes by now, cos Roger means business!
But I have to say I do have a bone to pick regarding Federer, as he made a comment in the press about how Andy overtook him in the rankings, and depsite his impressive run in Asia, the only reason he won there was because he and Djokovic weren't playing there. Which basically is Roger's way of saying there is no way Murray would have beaten me if I was playing. This again really does bring up what I dislike about Roger Federer, that he can be an arrogant egotistical twat at times, and he can also be a sore loser when he loses out to some players too. Mind you after winning 16 grand slams I guess your ego inflates until its the size of a zeppelin, and then you almost look down upon everyone else. It doesn't take away from the fact that the man is a magnificently talented player, one of the all times greats without question. But when Federer makes comments like that, that's when I'd like to see Andy stick it to him, and it would be great to see him gub Federer sometime next year in a slam. Andy also wisely refused to rise to the comment as he simply said he doesn't pay much attention to stuff like that and he'll let the tennis do the talking (unfortunately though Andy as we know didn't get that far). Further to Federer's comment Andy also said "Well for Roger in Paris, I was injured, Rafa didn't play, Novak withdrew, and at the end of the day, you can only play against what's in front of you." Very well said. And that's the great thing about Andy Murray, he is reassuringly down to earth, and he doesn't have the arrogant ego of some other players (one of whom I just mentioned!).
Anyway more will follow on the remaining ATP World Tour Final matches, and with Andy now gone, Janko Tipsarevic takes his place, so again we have two Serbs in a big event, and yes they shall meet, and lets hope this match is another cracker, like the one they had at the US Open. One thing is for sure, that match is getting taped!
Aaaaaaand that's it for now.
Monday 21 November 2011
Oooooohhhhh dear
Well this isn't the news I wanted to open this post with, as its to do with the ATP world tour finals matches that have taken place so far.
Quickly an update on the first day's matches, which featured a brief but entertaining 3 setter between Federer and Tsonga, who after a set apiece, Tsonga had a chance to take things further, unfortunately however he dropped his own serve at 4-4, and handed Federer the break to take the match. On the other match of the day (or evening) was a real battle between an ailing Rafa Nadal and the American No.1 Mardy Fish. Rafa right from the start didn't look right, as he apparently had struggled with an upset stomach after apparently having salmon pasta (I must admit I wouldn't like to try that!) prior to the match. Despite that Rafa managed to take the opening set easily, but in the 2nd that's when Fish mounted his fightback, pushing the World No.2 to a decider, which had its share of breaks, but in the end it needed a tiebreak to separate the two men, which Nadal won 7-3. So the final result was 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(3).
It has to be said that Rafa definitely does not appear to be in good form, struggling with a bad stomach isn't the way to come into a tournament, but he did get the win, even if it was by the skin of his nads. And his next match will prove to be a real test as he faces Roger Federer on Tuesday, but it all depends on how well Rafa is feeling, hopefully he will get better and be prepared to give us a really good match. But Roger could definitely have the upper hand, but time will tell on that.
Now onto today's opening match which was between Britain's Andy Murray and Spanish No.2 David Ferrer. By reputation we knew that this would be a tough match, but Andy was straight off pegged to be favourite to win it. Unfortunately however things didn't pan out that way, as Andy from the start looked quite drawn and tired, and despite gaining a break of serve early in the first set, he struggled really badly with his own serve and at one point had a medical timeout for his hip. This ultimately allowed Ferrer to break back and before we knew it, the Muzza was a set down. In the second set, Andy started off better with a break, but again he squandered it and let Ferrer back into the match, and toward the end at 6-5, Andy failed to hold serve once more, letting Ferrer win his first match of the group in 6-4, 7-5.
This certainly wasn't the result that we were all hoping for, and I am myself pretty disappointed for Andy as well. After the match Andy revealed that he sustained a groinal injury in training a few days after the Paris masters tournament, and that if it wasn't the season end championships, he would not have played. Andy also has stated that he will decide on Tuesday (22 Nov) whether or not he will quit the event, and given the nature of his injury, it might regretfully be the right decision to withdraw. I sincerely hope he doesn't withdraw as despite his loss, he could still be with a chance, but it is a very very slim one, as he will have to play the loser of the next Group A match, Djokovic vs Berdych, which most likely could be Berdych. And Berdych himself defeated Andy the last time they met in Paris, and it would seem given his current condition far more likely that Berdych would beat him again. But it would all hinge on Andy preparing and getting better for the next match, and it may well be unlikely that he could do so, however it would be great to see if Andy could get revenge on Berdych for his loss in Paris, but again if he does play Berdy it will be a real physical match, and he may just not be up to the task.
Speaking of which as an update Djokovic did indeed defeat Tomas Berdych but it was a very very close match, and Djokovic himself saved one match point before taking the final set to a tiebreaker, which he won. So it will be Berdych, after all, that Andy is scheduled to face, but judging by Berdy's current form, if I were Andy I'd probably save any humiliation, pain and hassel and quit now! As Djokovic had a narrow scrape there, and if Berdych can push the World No.1 that far, then he is sure to punish Andy physically and mentally even further!
So it all hangs in the balance for Andy Murray at the ATP World Tour Finals, and it would be a great shame and a big disappointment if he decided to withdraw, so a big question mark hangs over the Muzza's bonce on this one. But in the end, health has to come first and if Andy has to withdraw, then that's what he'll have to do, and its a great shame to see what has arguably been his best season so far, end on such a sour note. However time will once again soon tell all.
Aaaaaaaaaaaannd I'll leave it there the now.
Quickly an update on the first day's matches, which featured a brief but entertaining 3 setter between Federer and Tsonga, who after a set apiece, Tsonga had a chance to take things further, unfortunately however he dropped his own serve at 4-4, and handed Federer the break to take the match. On the other match of the day (or evening) was a real battle between an ailing Rafa Nadal and the American No.1 Mardy Fish. Rafa right from the start didn't look right, as he apparently had struggled with an upset stomach after apparently having salmon pasta (I must admit I wouldn't like to try that!) prior to the match. Despite that Rafa managed to take the opening set easily, but in the 2nd that's when Fish mounted his fightback, pushing the World No.2 to a decider, which had its share of breaks, but in the end it needed a tiebreak to separate the two men, which Nadal won 7-3. So the final result was 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(3).
It has to be said that Rafa definitely does not appear to be in good form, struggling with a bad stomach isn't the way to come into a tournament, but he did get the win, even if it was by the skin of his nads. And his next match will prove to be a real test as he faces Roger Federer on Tuesday, but it all depends on how well Rafa is feeling, hopefully he will get better and be prepared to give us a really good match. But Roger could definitely have the upper hand, but time will tell on that.
Now onto today's opening match which was between Britain's Andy Murray and Spanish No.2 David Ferrer. By reputation we knew that this would be a tough match, but Andy was straight off pegged to be favourite to win it. Unfortunately however things didn't pan out that way, as Andy from the start looked quite drawn and tired, and despite gaining a break of serve early in the first set, he struggled really badly with his own serve and at one point had a medical timeout for his hip. This ultimately allowed Ferrer to break back and before we knew it, the Muzza was a set down. In the second set, Andy started off better with a break, but again he squandered it and let Ferrer back into the match, and toward the end at 6-5, Andy failed to hold serve once more, letting Ferrer win his first match of the group in 6-4, 7-5.
This certainly wasn't the result that we were all hoping for, and I am myself pretty disappointed for Andy as well. After the match Andy revealed that he sustained a groinal injury in training a few days after the Paris masters tournament, and that if it wasn't the season end championships, he would not have played. Andy also has stated that he will decide on Tuesday (22 Nov) whether or not he will quit the event, and given the nature of his injury, it might regretfully be the right decision to withdraw. I sincerely hope he doesn't withdraw as despite his loss, he could still be with a chance, but it is a very very slim one, as he will have to play the loser of the next Group A match, Djokovic vs Berdych, which most likely could be Berdych. And Berdych himself defeated Andy the last time they met in Paris, and it would seem given his current condition far more likely that Berdych would beat him again. But it would all hinge on Andy preparing and getting better for the next match, and it may well be unlikely that he could do so, however it would be great to see if Andy could get revenge on Berdych for his loss in Paris, but again if he does play Berdy it will be a real physical match, and he may just not be up to the task.
Speaking of which as an update Djokovic did indeed defeat Tomas Berdych but it was a very very close match, and Djokovic himself saved one match point before taking the final set to a tiebreaker, which he won. So it will be Berdych, after all, that Andy is scheduled to face, but judging by Berdy's current form, if I were Andy I'd probably save any humiliation, pain and hassel and quit now! As Djokovic had a narrow scrape there, and if Berdych can push the World No.1 that far, then he is sure to punish Andy physically and mentally even further!
So it all hangs in the balance for Andy Murray at the ATP World Tour Finals, and it would be a great shame and a big disappointment if he decided to withdraw, so a big question mark hangs over the Muzza's bonce on this one. But in the end, health has to come first and if Andy has to withdraw, then that's what he'll have to do, and its a great shame to see what has arguably been his best season so far, end on such a sour note. However time will once again soon tell all.
Aaaaaaaaaaaannd I'll leave it there the now.
Wednesday 16 November 2011
The ATP finals clash
Just when you thought you wouldn't see yet ANOTHER tennis post, another one creeps along and here it is!! Just a quick one about the ATP World Tour Finals, which is coming up next week in London, as the draw for the event has been announced this week and it looks like quite an exciting set up (well we know that anyway).
The format of the event is pretty much the same as the WTA, as there will be two groups, and four players in each group, and it has been announced that in Group A there will be Djokovic, Murray, Ferrer and Berdych, while in Group B we will have Nadal, Federer, Tsonga and Fish. So its a mouth watering set up and without a doubt each player will have their hands full with whoever they play at each stage. But the big question is, who out of those eight players stands the best chance of winning the title? Its a tough one, but for me personally I think the two players that have best chance are Djokovic and Federer, and if I was a betting fella I would probably wager on Federer. I say Federer because since he has come back into the tour, he has been playing some incredible tennis reminiscent of his glory days, and on that kind of form, he is impossible to beat. But on the other hand, Djokovic has had the best year of his life on the tennis court and has played tennis that has been at times out of orbit, especially earlier in the year when he was on that amazing 41 match winning streak. So to dismiss Djokovic would be insane, and if he has recovered sufficiently from his shoulder injury he would be an utterly formidable opponent.
Then we have Rafa, who has taken some time out from the game to get himself prepped for this event and the Davis cup, but I have to say I wouldn't rate his chances quite as strongly as the other two guys, simply because Rafa for one has been beaten by Djokovic six times in a row now, not only that he was defeated by Roger last year. But however given that extra training time, Rafa might just be in with a shout all the same of lifting that elusive year end championship trophy.
Now we get on to Andy Murray, and overall Andy has had a great season, 5 titles, one slam final, and three semi finals, he is also the home favourite, and will get the best support, but can he win what would be the biggest title of his career???? Hmmmmmmmmm, against these other guys it seems doubtful, he can do it for sure if he serves and plays well enough, but it is a mighty big ask. Andy also has to contend with Djokovic and Berdych in his group, and depending on how Djoko is, he could again prove to be very tough. Also there is Berdych who last week defeated Andy in Paris, who again could prove to be a tricky customer, so there is a danger that Andy could go out early from the tournament. For Andy's sake I hope he doesn't and hopefully he will get revenge on Berdych for his loss at Paris, it would also be perfect place to do it. In fact out of those players, Ferrer should be the easiest for Andy to play, but having said that, Ferrer is no pushover either, so all round it will be tough for him. But just maybe with the home crowd behind him, it might prove possible for Andy to move to those later stages.
After that we also have Tsonga and Fish, but I have to say I don't rate either of those players chances quite as much, particularly Fish, who despite being a very talented player, hasn't quite got the chops to win a big title. Tsonga on the other hand does have the chops, but he can appear to fall that bit short on the big occassions, regardless though, he could do very well as he has already beaten Federer and Rafa this year, but with the year end championships, it is a bigger deal, and the big guys will bring their A-game to the proceedings.
So there's not long now before the event starts, its going to be a great one, and plenty of terrific tennis awaits, till then that'll do for now.
The format of the event is pretty much the same as the WTA, as there will be two groups, and four players in each group, and it has been announced that in Group A there will be Djokovic, Murray, Ferrer and Berdych, while in Group B we will have Nadal, Federer, Tsonga and Fish. So its a mouth watering set up and without a doubt each player will have their hands full with whoever they play at each stage. But the big question is, who out of those eight players stands the best chance of winning the title? Its a tough one, but for me personally I think the two players that have best chance are Djokovic and Federer, and if I was a betting fella I would probably wager on Federer. I say Federer because since he has come back into the tour, he has been playing some incredible tennis reminiscent of his glory days, and on that kind of form, he is impossible to beat. But on the other hand, Djokovic has had the best year of his life on the tennis court and has played tennis that has been at times out of orbit, especially earlier in the year when he was on that amazing 41 match winning streak. So to dismiss Djokovic would be insane, and if he has recovered sufficiently from his shoulder injury he would be an utterly formidable opponent.
Then we have Rafa, who has taken some time out from the game to get himself prepped for this event and the Davis cup, but I have to say I wouldn't rate his chances quite as strongly as the other two guys, simply because Rafa for one has been beaten by Djokovic six times in a row now, not only that he was defeated by Roger last year. But however given that extra training time, Rafa might just be in with a shout all the same of lifting that elusive year end championship trophy.
Now we get on to Andy Murray, and overall Andy has had a great season, 5 titles, one slam final, and three semi finals, he is also the home favourite, and will get the best support, but can he win what would be the biggest title of his career???? Hmmmmmmmmm, against these other guys it seems doubtful, he can do it for sure if he serves and plays well enough, but it is a mighty big ask. Andy also has to contend with Djokovic and Berdych in his group, and depending on how Djoko is, he could again prove to be very tough. Also there is Berdych who last week defeated Andy in Paris, who again could prove to be a tricky customer, so there is a danger that Andy could go out early from the tournament. For Andy's sake I hope he doesn't and hopefully he will get revenge on Berdych for his loss at Paris, it would also be perfect place to do it. In fact out of those players, Ferrer should be the easiest for Andy to play, but having said that, Ferrer is no pushover either, so all round it will be tough for him. But just maybe with the home crowd behind him, it might prove possible for Andy to move to those later stages.
After that we also have Tsonga and Fish, but I have to say I don't rate either of those players chances quite as much, particularly Fish, who despite being a very talented player, hasn't quite got the chops to win a big title. Tsonga on the other hand does have the chops, but he can appear to fall that bit short on the big occassions, regardless though, he could do very well as he has already beaten Federer and Rafa this year, but with the year end championships, it is a bigger deal, and the big guys will bring their A-game to the proceedings.
So there's not long now before the event starts, its going to be a great one, and plenty of terrific tennis awaits, till then that'll do for now.
Back and to the left
I thought its time to continue my little selection of movies to critique and look at, and this time I chose rather appropriately on as its nearing the anniversary of the JFK assassination (on 22 November) so I'm going to have a look at Oliver Stone's acclaimed epic drama JFK. JFK is a dramatisation of the events that surrounded John F. Kennedy's assassination that took place on 22 November 1963 in Dallas, Texas and the aftermath of its investigation. So here's a bit more about the storyline of the film:
On the day of the assassination, in New Orleans, District Attorney Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner) is informed by one of his staff Lou Barnes (Jay Sanders). After Kennedy's death is announced officially on television, the suspected assassin Lee Harvey Oswald (Gary Oldman) is arrested and taken to the station for questioning. Garrison then plans to investigate any suspects and associates of Lee Harvey Oswald's that might be under his jurisdiction in New Orleans, however before he can do that, Oswald is assassinated live on TV by Dallas mob man Jack Ruby (Brian Doyle Murray). Regardless of Oswald's shock assassination, Garrison brings in one of Oswald's alleged known associates, David Ferrie (Joe Pesci) who naturally denies he ever knew Oswald. However Ferrie gives a very shaky account of his activities on the day of the assassination which Garrison quickly disbelieves and has Ferrie detained for more questioning by the FBI, regardless of this though Ferrie is let go, after which Garrison decides not to continue investigating any further.
Three years later in 1966, after sharing a conversation with a senator (played by the late great Walter Matthau) on an airplane, Garrison starts to have serious doubts and suspicions about the events of the assassination and that Oswald was the lone gunman. After more digging around, and reading over the 26 volumes of the official assassination investigation, published by Warren Commission and conducted by chief judge Earl Warren, Garrison decides to re-open the investigation of the crime. With his small team of staff, Garrison questions many different witnesses to the shooting, and potential suspects that may have been connected to the assassination. As Garrison and his team investigate further, a name that keeps popping up is Clay Bertrand, who is later revealed to be Clay Shaw (played by Tommy Lee Jones) a well respected businessman and entrepeneur. However on bringing Shaw in for questioning, Shaw categorically denies any knowledge of Oswald, Ferrie or any one else potentially involved in the conspiracy, as well as denying his Clay Bertrand alias. But soon after their meeting, Garrison's investigation is made public and soon the press and media come down hard on him. Now forced to operate out in the open, Garrison faces tough choices ahead of him in carrying out his investigation, after receiving various death threats, crank calls, and narrowly escaping frame ups to discredit him. Eventually after rigorous investigations, including a discussion with an ex-military figure who simply calls himself "X" (Donald Sutherland) who provides him with important background knowledge to the events surrounding the assassination, Garrison decides to arrest Shaw and prosecute him for his possible involvement in the alleged conspiracy to assassinate Kennedy.
JFK is without a doubt a great achievement in its own, as Oliver Stone took a controversial subject and turned into a film that is fascinating, intelligent and gripping. If you look at the events and evidence that are presented in the film, it certainly does a great job at convincing you that there was a possible conspiracy involved. Jim Garrison himself showed tremendous moral courage and character in bringing such a trial to the public eye, as he himself faced great danger in pissing off the government and endangering his own life in the process. But Garrison is never potrayed as anything else other than a very decent man who in reality at first was never really keen on Kennedy at the time, but during his investigation came to admire him for what he stood for and tried to do in the United States.
But whether or not a conspiracy took place in Dallas that day or not, no one really knows, but I do think there was potentially enough evidence to point towards one. One of key aspects of the assassination as highlighted in the film was that it seemed highly unlikely that Oswald could have fired 3 shots that from the book depository window, at a moving vehicle with trees and heavy foilage in his way, especially considering the poor quality of the firearm. It would seem more likely that a team of riflemen could have had a much better chance of killing Kennedy from fixed positions. Another crucial crux of the film and the case was, there had to be more than just 3 shots, as if for no better reason, there were four known wounds, three to Kennedy (in the throat, back and head) and one to Governor Conally (one in the back). This is where the Warren Commission presented the ridiculous "magic bullet" theory that one bullet accounted for the wounds between Connally and Kennedy. It also seems unlikely that if after Oswald committed the crime, that he would be able race down the stairs in about 90 seconds, only to face a police officer who was checking out the building, to ask whom he was, and appear not to be out of breath, which the policeman testified later that Oswald was absolutely not out of breath.
And overall too much evidence points toward the possibility of a conspiracy, with so many witnesses later on dying in mysterious circumstances, or being bribed in order to be kept quiet, the events after the assassination regarding the car also appear strange, as the car is washed and rebuilt before any forensics can be taken. There were also many different documents, interview notes from suspects that were also either torn up or burnt. But the one piece of evidence that does remain however is the film footage, taken by an onlooker Abraham Zapruder, which shows the assassination itself, and gives possible clues of the direction of where the bullets came from. The footage itself is terrible to watch, as it signified the start of several public assassinations (Oswald, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy followed), and Garrison himself later subpoenaed the Zapruder film for his trial (the footage itself was later televised for the first time in 1975 on American television). Another key point was surely, if Oswald was even the lone gunman, he would not have acted alone, as he must been acting on behalf of powerful people behind the scenes, in this regard Oswald himself could well have been a sleeper cell, who was set in motion at the key moment, but again this is just a bit of speculation.
But back to the actual film, JFK is without a doubt fascinating to watch, and features so many great performances and cameos from its a big cast. Kevin Costner, while not the best actor in the world, does give a fine performance as the DA Jim Garrison, who takes on the massive task of bringing the JFK assassination to trial, he also shows Garrison as being a man of moral decency, as well as being very strong and stubborn in the face of adversity. Joe Pesci also probably gives the film's best performance as Dave Ferrie, the crazed suspect (replete with a ridiculous wig and eyebrows!) who later admits to his involvement with Oswald, as he shows a mixture of malice and remorse. Tommy Lee Jones gives an excellent performance also as Clay Shaw, and he depicts as a very sly businessman, who is clearly also very manipulative. The other smaller character roles are equally impressive, with fine stuff from Michael Rooker as Bill (one of Garrison's staff), Laurie Metcalf as Susie, another staff member, and of course Jay Sanders as Lou Barnes, who was in reality one of Garrison's key members of staff (although the film depicts Barnes as quitting the investigation, in reality he didn't). Also Kevin Bacon, is excellent as the homosexual Willie O'Keefe (who in reality was based on one of Garrison's key witnesses, Perry Russo) who claimed to have known and had sexual relations with Shaw. Donald Sutherland is similarly great as the mysterious "X" who delivers a very lengthy 17 minute dialogue giving Garrison the background info surrounding the events leading up to the assassination. Also there is the superb Jack Lemmon as Jack Martin, who worked for another one of the possible key people behind the assassination, Guy Banister (played by Ed Asner) who died shortly after in 1964. And last but by no means least, there is Gary Oldman as Lee Harvey Oswald. Oldman is great as Oswald, and potrays him as a complex and private man, who remained a mystery even after his death. Gary Oldman also facially resembles Oswald a fair bit, and does an excellent job at reproducing his unusual American accent, which had a tinge of Russian to it.
Overall the film moves at a great pace, but also is on the verge of bombarding you with too much information at times, so it definitely takes a few viewings to get the gist of all the details. The only other thing I would say about the film that probably lets it down slightly is the melodrama of Garrison's home life, as he argues with his wife Elizabeth (Sissy Spacek) who is frustrated by the amount of time he devotes to the case. It is however key to the film as well I guess, as it is important to show how the events of the investigation impacted on Garrison's personal life, and later in reality, his first wife Elizabeth did divorce him. But not to take away from Sissy's performance, as she herself does very well with her role in the film, for her all she wants to do is get her normal life back. Another slight problem with the film, and probably the case in general is there is not much evidence that cold links Shaw to knowing Oswald, as it ultimately is just the word of people who have witnessed seeing Shaw and Oswald together in the past. But it was later revealed in 1978, four years after Shaw's death, by the at the time CIA director, Richard Helms, that Shaw did actually work for the CIA as a contractor. And based on the Richard Helms testimony, it proved that Shaw was guilty of perjury. But as Garrison in the film says people like Shaw can "walk between the rain drops" and indeed get away with murder (or assassination in this case).
However Garrison's trial definitely did raise enough questions about the dubiety of the Warren Commission's conclusions and of the many loose ends that peppered the investigation. And as portrayed in the film, a key moment where Clay Shaw gives away his alias as Bertrand to a police officer after his arrest, the officer in question Aloysius Habighorst's testimony wasn't allowed and was ruled inadmissible by the judge. This in itself seems very peculiar that the testimony wasn't allowed, and as the film almost shows that even the judge and court system was corrupt enough to cover things up. In the end of course, Clay Shaw is acquitted of the charges and found not guilty and allowed to go free, once again to "walk between the rain drops". It also does raise that Clay Shaw could also been as Ferrie in the film states as being "untouchable, with the highest clearance". Whatever way it was, Shaw was also an enigma and in the end he got away, guilty or not.
Soooooooo after that rather exhaustive entry, JFK is definitely one of my favourite films and its great to revisit it once in a while, kind of like a fine wine (don't buy (or watch) it too much in other words). And if you haven't seen it, then it certainly will be an eye opener behind the events one of America's most disgraceful crimes.
So that is that.
On the day of the assassination, in New Orleans, District Attorney Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner) is informed by one of his staff Lou Barnes (Jay Sanders). After Kennedy's death is announced officially on television, the suspected assassin Lee Harvey Oswald (Gary Oldman) is arrested and taken to the station for questioning. Garrison then plans to investigate any suspects and associates of Lee Harvey Oswald's that might be under his jurisdiction in New Orleans, however before he can do that, Oswald is assassinated live on TV by Dallas mob man Jack Ruby (Brian Doyle Murray). Regardless of Oswald's shock assassination, Garrison brings in one of Oswald's alleged known associates, David Ferrie (Joe Pesci) who naturally denies he ever knew Oswald. However Ferrie gives a very shaky account of his activities on the day of the assassination which Garrison quickly disbelieves and has Ferrie detained for more questioning by the FBI, regardless of this though Ferrie is let go, after which Garrison decides not to continue investigating any further.
Three years later in 1966, after sharing a conversation with a senator (played by the late great Walter Matthau) on an airplane, Garrison starts to have serious doubts and suspicions about the events of the assassination and that Oswald was the lone gunman. After more digging around, and reading over the 26 volumes of the official assassination investigation, published by Warren Commission and conducted by chief judge Earl Warren, Garrison decides to re-open the investigation of the crime. With his small team of staff, Garrison questions many different witnesses to the shooting, and potential suspects that may have been connected to the assassination. As Garrison and his team investigate further, a name that keeps popping up is Clay Bertrand, who is later revealed to be Clay Shaw (played by Tommy Lee Jones) a well respected businessman and entrepeneur. However on bringing Shaw in for questioning, Shaw categorically denies any knowledge of Oswald, Ferrie or any one else potentially involved in the conspiracy, as well as denying his Clay Bertrand alias. But soon after their meeting, Garrison's investigation is made public and soon the press and media come down hard on him. Now forced to operate out in the open, Garrison faces tough choices ahead of him in carrying out his investigation, after receiving various death threats, crank calls, and narrowly escaping frame ups to discredit him. Eventually after rigorous investigations, including a discussion with an ex-military figure who simply calls himself "X" (Donald Sutherland) who provides him with important background knowledge to the events surrounding the assassination, Garrison decides to arrest Shaw and prosecute him for his possible involvement in the alleged conspiracy to assassinate Kennedy.
JFK is without a doubt a great achievement in its own, as Oliver Stone took a controversial subject and turned into a film that is fascinating, intelligent and gripping. If you look at the events and evidence that are presented in the film, it certainly does a great job at convincing you that there was a possible conspiracy involved. Jim Garrison himself showed tremendous moral courage and character in bringing such a trial to the public eye, as he himself faced great danger in pissing off the government and endangering his own life in the process. But Garrison is never potrayed as anything else other than a very decent man who in reality at first was never really keen on Kennedy at the time, but during his investigation came to admire him for what he stood for and tried to do in the United States.
But whether or not a conspiracy took place in Dallas that day or not, no one really knows, but I do think there was potentially enough evidence to point towards one. One of key aspects of the assassination as highlighted in the film was that it seemed highly unlikely that Oswald could have fired 3 shots that from the book depository window, at a moving vehicle with trees and heavy foilage in his way, especially considering the poor quality of the firearm. It would seem more likely that a team of riflemen could have had a much better chance of killing Kennedy from fixed positions. Another crucial crux of the film and the case was, there had to be more than just 3 shots, as if for no better reason, there were four known wounds, three to Kennedy (in the throat, back and head) and one to Governor Conally (one in the back). This is where the Warren Commission presented the ridiculous "magic bullet" theory that one bullet accounted for the wounds between Connally and Kennedy. It also seems unlikely that if after Oswald committed the crime, that he would be able race down the stairs in about 90 seconds, only to face a police officer who was checking out the building, to ask whom he was, and appear not to be out of breath, which the policeman testified later that Oswald was absolutely not out of breath.
And overall too much evidence points toward the possibility of a conspiracy, with so many witnesses later on dying in mysterious circumstances, or being bribed in order to be kept quiet, the events after the assassination regarding the car also appear strange, as the car is washed and rebuilt before any forensics can be taken. There were also many different documents, interview notes from suspects that were also either torn up or burnt. But the one piece of evidence that does remain however is the film footage, taken by an onlooker Abraham Zapruder, which shows the assassination itself, and gives possible clues of the direction of where the bullets came from. The footage itself is terrible to watch, as it signified the start of several public assassinations (Oswald, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy followed), and Garrison himself later subpoenaed the Zapruder film for his trial (the footage itself was later televised for the first time in 1975 on American television). Another key point was surely, if Oswald was even the lone gunman, he would not have acted alone, as he must been acting on behalf of powerful people behind the scenes, in this regard Oswald himself could well have been a sleeper cell, who was set in motion at the key moment, but again this is just a bit of speculation.
But back to the actual film, JFK is without a doubt fascinating to watch, and features so many great performances and cameos from its a big cast. Kevin Costner, while not the best actor in the world, does give a fine performance as the DA Jim Garrison, who takes on the massive task of bringing the JFK assassination to trial, he also shows Garrison as being a man of moral decency, as well as being very strong and stubborn in the face of adversity. Joe Pesci also probably gives the film's best performance as Dave Ferrie, the crazed suspect (replete with a ridiculous wig and eyebrows!) who later admits to his involvement with Oswald, as he shows a mixture of malice and remorse. Tommy Lee Jones gives an excellent performance also as Clay Shaw, and he depicts as a very sly businessman, who is clearly also very manipulative. The other smaller character roles are equally impressive, with fine stuff from Michael Rooker as Bill (one of Garrison's staff), Laurie Metcalf as Susie, another staff member, and of course Jay Sanders as Lou Barnes, who was in reality one of Garrison's key members of staff (although the film depicts Barnes as quitting the investigation, in reality he didn't). Also Kevin Bacon, is excellent as the homosexual Willie O'Keefe (who in reality was based on one of Garrison's key witnesses, Perry Russo) who claimed to have known and had sexual relations with Shaw. Donald Sutherland is similarly great as the mysterious "X" who delivers a very lengthy 17 minute dialogue giving Garrison the background info surrounding the events leading up to the assassination. Also there is the superb Jack Lemmon as Jack Martin, who worked for another one of the possible key people behind the assassination, Guy Banister (played by Ed Asner) who died shortly after in 1964. And last but by no means least, there is Gary Oldman as Lee Harvey Oswald. Oldman is great as Oswald, and potrays him as a complex and private man, who remained a mystery even after his death. Gary Oldman also facially resembles Oswald a fair bit, and does an excellent job at reproducing his unusual American accent, which had a tinge of Russian to it.
Overall the film moves at a great pace, but also is on the verge of bombarding you with too much information at times, so it definitely takes a few viewings to get the gist of all the details. The only other thing I would say about the film that probably lets it down slightly is the melodrama of Garrison's home life, as he argues with his wife Elizabeth (Sissy Spacek) who is frustrated by the amount of time he devotes to the case. It is however key to the film as well I guess, as it is important to show how the events of the investigation impacted on Garrison's personal life, and later in reality, his first wife Elizabeth did divorce him. But not to take away from Sissy's performance, as she herself does very well with her role in the film, for her all she wants to do is get her normal life back. Another slight problem with the film, and probably the case in general is there is not much evidence that cold links Shaw to knowing Oswald, as it ultimately is just the word of people who have witnessed seeing Shaw and Oswald together in the past. But it was later revealed in 1978, four years after Shaw's death, by the at the time CIA director, Richard Helms, that Shaw did actually work for the CIA as a contractor. And based on the Richard Helms testimony, it proved that Shaw was guilty of perjury. But as Garrison in the film says people like Shaw can "walk between the rain drops" and indeed get away with murder (or assassination in this case).
However Garrison's trial definitely did raise enough questions about the dubiety of the Warren Commission's conclusions and of the many loose ends that peppered the investigation. And as portrayed in the film, a key moment where Clay Shaw gives away his alias as Bertrand to a police officer after his arrest, the officer in question Aloysius Habighorst's testimony wasn't allowed and was ruled inadmissible by the judge. This in itself seems very peculiar that the testimony wasn't allowed, and as the film almost shows that even the judge and court system was corrupt enough to cover things up. In the end of course, Clay Shaw is acquitted of the charges and found not guilty and allowed to go free, once again to "walk between the rain drops". It also does raise that Clay Shaw could also been as Ferrie in the film states as being "untouchable, with the highest clearance". Whatever way it was, Shaw was also an enigma and in the end he got away, guilty or not.
Soooooooo after that rather exhaustive entry, JFK is definitely one of my favourite films and its great to revisit it once in a while, kind of like a fine wine (don't buy (or watch) it too much in other words). And if you haven't seen it, then it certainly will be an eye opener behind the events one of America's most disgraceful crimes.
So that is that.
Sunday 13 November 2011
The Fed express returns
All things come to an end, and that is nearly the end of the ATP tour season, as the final 1000 Masters series event has come to a close at the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris. In the final Roger Federer took on the previous champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for a chance to lift his first Paris trophy.
So more on the actual match, in the first set, Federer proved once again to be totally dominant, as he raced past Tsonga, breaking early on and winning the set in 6-1. The second set was however more tightly contested as Tsonga held serve, and also had a chance to break Federer at 4-3 on Fedora's serve, however Tsonga overcooked his shots and missed the boat. Tsonga continued to hold serve and push the set to a tiebreak, but in the tie, it was the ol Swiss maestro that came out on top, as he won the tiebreak, set and match to clinch his first Paris Masters title (well there is a first for everything!), the final score reading 6-1, 7-6(3).
You could tell right from the start of this match that there really would be only one winner as Federer, having come back into the game after his rest, has been on top form, and the rest has left him fresh and fit, as well as giving him a chance to play some of his best tennis. Tsonga however did well to take the second set to a tiebreak, but ultiamtely he had no stanglehold over Federer, and when it came to the break points, Federer was able to save them. Regardless of the loss though Tsonga has had an excellent season and return to form as well as to the top 10, where he belongs and he has opportunity ahead of him at the o2 arena next week. And it was good to see how much the win meant to Federer also, as he nearly shed a tear after the win, and its also his biggest title win this year. So big well done to Fed, and its good to see him back into winning in the big tournaments again this year, even though the BNP Paribas Paris Masters trophy is an ugly looking thing that resembles a black spider on a brick!
And with that, all is left for the season is the ATP World Tour Finals, which takes place next Sunday at the o2 Arena in London, and there is a very strong set up for the top 8, as we have Djokovic, Nadal, Murray, Federer, Ferrer, Berdych, Tsong and Fish. Its quite a list of players and it promises to be a great finale to a terrific year of tennis. Out of that lot you really would have to favour one of the top four to lift the title, but you can never write off the bottom four's chances either (just look at Delpo and Davydenko two years ago who both got to the final two years ago, with Denko winning as none of the other top guys had a look in). And its hard to call a favourite to win, as I said Federer in his current form stands a strong chance, and with the extra preparation and time out, you can never dismiss Nadal either, and there is also that Serbian chap who has had the year of his life, and has been lifting nearly every trophy in sight. And of course there is Andy Murray, who has so far only got as far as the semi finals at the ATP World Finals, like he did last year in that amazing match against Nadal when he fell in a nail bitingly close battle. It would also be the biggest title of his career if he can win, and I hope he does, but the field is so strong, I have to say the other three guys might stand a better chance.
But we'll soon find out, and it promises to be a great end to a stellar year in the sport.
That's it for now.
So more on the actual match, in the first set, Federer proved once again to be totally dominant, as he raced past Tsonga, breaking early on and winning the set in 6-1. The second set was however more tightly contested as Tsonga held serve, and also had a chance to break Federer at 4-3 on Fedora's serve, however Tsonga overcooked his shots and missed the boat. Tsonga continued to hold serve and push the set to a tiebreak, but in the tie, it was the ol Swiss maestro that came out on top, as he won the tiebreak, set and match to clinch his first Paris Masters title (well there is a first for everything!), the final score reading 6-1, 7-6(3).
You could tell right from the start of this match that there really would be only one winner as Federer, having come back into the game after his rest, has been on top form, and the rest has left him fresh and fit, as well as giving him a chance to play some of his best tennis. Tsonga however did well to take the second set to a tiebreak, but ultiamtely he had no stanglehold over Federer, and when it came to the break points, Federer was able to save them. Regardless of the loss though Tsonga has had an excellent season and return to form as well as to the top 10, where he belongs and he has opportunity ahead of him at the o2 arena next week. And it was good to see how much the win meant to Federer also, as he nearly shed a tear after the win, and its also his biggest title win this year. So big well done to Fed, and its good to see him back into winning in the big tournaments again this year, even though the BNP Paribas Paris Masters trophy is an ugly looking thing that resembles a black spider on a brick!
And with that, all is left for the season is the ATP World Tour Finals, which takes place next Sunday at the o2 Arena in London, and there is a very strong set up for the top 8, as we have Djokovic, Nadal, Murray, Federer, Ferrer, Berdych, Tsong and Fish. Its quite a list of players and it promises to be a great finale to a terrific year of tennis. Out of that lot you really would have to favour one of the top four to lift the title, but you can never write off the bottom four's chances either (just look at Delpo and Davydenko two years ago who both got to the final two years ago, with Denko winning as none of the other top guys had a look in). And its hard to call a favourite to win, as I said Federer in his current form stands a strong chance, and with the extra preparation and time out, you can never dismiss Nadal either, and there is also that Serbian chap who has had the year of his life, and has been lifting nearly every trophy in sight. And of course there is Andy Murray, who has so far only got as far as the semi finals at the ATP World Finals, like he did last year in that amazing match against Nadal when he fell in a nail bitingly close battle. It would also be the biggest title of his career if he can win, and I hope he does, but the field is so strong, I have to say the other three guys might stand a better chance.
But we'll soon find out, and it promises to be a great end to a stellar year in the sport.
That's it for now.
Digging deep in Paris
Well the ATP Paris Masters grows ever closer to an end, as today we had the two men's semi finals matches, as the four remaining players had it out to see who would get through to the final.
In the first match of the day, Federer took on Tomas Berdych, who previously had beaten Andy Murray, in what promised to be a tight contest. However Federer as he proved throughout the week, continued his dominant form as he didn't allow Berdy into the match at any point, as he broke the big Czeck early on in the 1st and again in the 2nd, as he closed out the match in straight sets winning 6-4, 6-3. In the last week or so, Federer definitely has re-announced his arrival as a player, who after having taken some time out to deal with some nagging injuries, is fresh as a daisy and looks to be as in good form as he has ever been. This also marks Fedora's first Paris Masters final, so it would be fair to say he stands a good chance of lifting the title there.
The second match of the day was however, by far the better of the two, as the home favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga took on the gentle giant John Isner. And straight off Isner came out on form, breaking Tsonga's serve in the first set, and his own serve was inpenetrable, allowing him to take the first set. However in the 2nd and 3rd sets, there was nothing to separate the two men except the tiebreaks, with Tsonga winning the 2nd set tiebreak, he was in danger of losing the match at 5-6 on his own serve, but Isner gifted him a few get out of jail cards, which Tsonga finally took to push the match to a final tiebreak. And in the tiebreak, Tsonga once again bossed Isner to seal it and win the match, earning him a place in his second Paris Masters final, digging out that win in 3-6, 7-6, 7-6.
This was a terrific match throughout and featured plenty of great tennis from both players, Tsonga in particular thrived off the energy he got from the home crowd, whom provided a great atmosphere in backing their native player. The match also marked the 2nd biggest match of John Isner's career, the biggest of course being the US Open quarter final earlier this year, as it was a chance for the big guy to reach his first 1000 Masters series final. But there were honestly times in the match I thought it would go Isner's way, and he had a few opportunities, but ultimately he didn't take them. Regardless of his loss, Isner put up an incredible fight and a formidable display of serving throughout the tournament, and the fact that his serve wasn't broken once throughout the match was quite remarkable. Isner as a player has also undoubtedly come on in leaps and bounds this year, having already reached the quarter finals of the US Open, nearly defeating Nadal at the French Open (in the 1st round), and having picked up two titles, he is fast becoming a nightmare for the other players on the tour. And it was a bit of a pity that Isner didn't make it to the final as he played so well, and it would have been a fine end to an excellent season, but I'm sure we will see more from the big fella next year.
So that's the final set up tomorrow between Federer and Tsonga, which promises to be a really good one, although its hard to tell which way it will go. My money is on Federer to lift the title, although how easy the match will be is not certain, I'm hoping it will go the distance and Tsonga has already defeated Fedo twice this year, but its not beyond the Frenchman's abilities to win either. Tsonga has already won in Paris 3 years ago, having defeated David Nalbandian in the final back in 2008. And if you ask me who is the better French player between Gael Monfils and Tsonga, there is no comparison, as Tsonga is by the far the better player. Not to take away from Monfils fine achievements of reaching the Paris Masters final the last two years running, but Tsonga has the talent to make the push and take it that bit further, and he deservedly is the current No.1 French player, as he was three years ago at this time too. He is for my money also one of the special players out there who deserves to be in the top 10, just like Juan Martin Del Potro, and this year has been a great one for him, so we will see if he can lift that 2nd Masters title.
Right so more will follow tomorrow after the much anticipated final is over. Should be a good one!
In the first match of the day, Federer took on Tomas Berdych, who previously had beaten Andy Murray, in what promised to be a tight contest. However Federer as he proved throughout the week, continued his dominant form as he didn't allow Berdy into the match at any point, as he broke the big Czeck early on in the 1st and again in the 2nd, as he closed out the match in straight sets winning 6-4, 6-3. In the last week or so, Federer definitely has re-announced his arrival as a player, who after having taken some time out to deal with some nagging injuries, is fresh as a daisy and looks to be as in good form as he has ever been. This also marks Fedora's first Paris Masters final, so it would be fair to say he stands a good chance of lifting the title there.
The second match of the day was however, by far the better of the two, as the home favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga took on the gentle giant John Isner. And straight off Isner came out on form, breaking Tsonga's serve in the first set, and his own serve was inpenetrable, allowing him to take the first set. However in the 2nd and 3rd sets, there was nothing to separate the two men except the tiebreaks, with Tsonga winning the 2nd set tiebreak, he was in danger of losing the match at 5-6 on his own serve, but Isner gifted him a few get out of jail cards, which Tsonga finally took to push the match to a final tiebreak. And in the tiebreak, Tsonga once again bossed Isner to seal it and win the match, earning him a place in his second Paris Masters final, digging out that win in 3-6, 7-6, 7-6.
This was a terrific match throughout and featured plenty of great tennis from both players, Tsonga in particular thrived off the energy he got from the home crowd, whom provided a great atmosphere in backing their native player. The match also marked the 2nd biggest match of John Isner's career, the biggest of course being the US Open quarter final earlier this year, as it was a chance for the big guy to reach his first 1000 Masters series final. But there were honestly times in the match I thought it would go Isner's way, and he had a few opportunities, but ultimately he didn't take them. Regardless of his loss, Isner put up an incredible fight and a formidable display of serving throughout the tournament, and the fact that his serve wasn't broken once throughout the match was quite remarkable. Isner as a player has also undoubtedly come on in leaps and bounds this year, having already reached the quarter finals of the US Open, nearly defeating Nadal at the French Open (in the 1st round), and having picked up two titles, he is fast becoming a nightmare for the other players on the tour. And it was a bit of a pity that Isner didn't make it to the final as he played so well, and it would have been a fine end to an excellent season, but I'm sure we will see more from the big fella next year.
So that's the final set up tomorrow between Federer and Tsonga, which promises to be a really good one, although its hard to tell which way it will go. My money is on Federer to lift the title, although how easy the match will be is not certain, I'm hoping it will go the distance and Tsonga has already defeated Fedo twice this year, but its not beyond the Frenchman's abilities to win either. Tsonga has already won in Paris 3 years ago, having defeated David Nalbandian in the final back in 2008. And if you ask me who is the better French player between Gael Monfils and Tsonga, there is no comparison, as Tsonga is by the far the better player. Not to take away from Monfils fine achievements of reaching the Paris Masters final the last two years running, but Tsonga has the talent to make the push and take it that bit further, and he deservedly is the current No.1 French player, as he was three years ago at this time too. He is for my money also one of the special players out there who deserves to be in the top 10, just like Juan Martin Del Potro, and this year has been a great one for him, so we will see if he can lift that 2nd Masters title.
Right so more will follow tomorrow after the much anticipated final is over. Should be a good one!
Saturday 12 November 2011
Dum dum dum dum dum dum
Since I've overstuffed this blog, which to my knowledge has largely been unread by most of the Western civilisation, with tennis posts, here's a different one this time, once again about a classic movie, last time it was Pulp Fiction, this time I thought I'd look at Jaws, the old Spielberg classic, which I saw recently on TV.
Jaws is without doubt an absolute classic thriller, and is easily one of Steven Spielberg's best films, it was the film that announced his career and he effectively invented the summer blockbuster with this one film as well. However as time has gone on its interesting to be able to pick out some of the film's lesser aspects and while it is a great suspense film, it does have quite a few cheap thrills and Holywood cinematic devices to get more of a reaction out of an audience. But more on that soon, to start with, why not have a look at the plot of the film.
Soooo, it starts in the quiet seaside down of Amity Island (ficitional in case you wondered) where a rouge great white shark swims the waters, and a young girl Chrissie Watkins (Susan Backlinie) is killed by the shark while take a dip in the water. After this the town chief of police, Martin Brody (Roy Schneider), alerts the town mayor Larry Vaughan (Murray Hamilton) of the danger, who is largely uninterested as he is more concerned that the tourists come to town as they are town's main source of income, and also goes as far as asking Brody to cover his autopsy report on the girl as a "boating accident" rather than a shark attack. Despite Brody's warnings and the mayor's negligence to do anything about it, a young boy is killed in the water by the shark, after which a bounty is put out, which brings in a whole bunch of greedy fishermen who want the prize money for killing the big fish, but despite their best efforts, they fail to kill the shark they were looking for and instead catch a "tiger" shark as identified by an expert from the Oceangraphic institute, Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfus) called in by Brody, who helps him try and locate the shark. But despite their best efforts, on 4th of July, their busiest day of the summer, the mayor insists the beaches stay open, which leads to yet another shark attack, where a young man is killed in a boat. Finally Brody convinces the mayor to hire local veteran fisherman, Quint (Robert Shaw) to hunt and kill the shark. Brody also persuades Quint into bringing along Hooper to help out in their quest, but of course Quint being a stubborn old school guy takes umbrage to the young college boy upstart in Hooper. And the rest of the films sees the men embark on their dangerous journey to find the rouge great white shark.
Even after 36 years, Jaws is still as effective as ever, as a piece of suspense it is nearly second to none, Spielberg adds in as many cheap frights as he can, and I'm sure the audiences back then would have been jumping out of their seats. But the film definitely works best when we don't see the shark, particularly early on in the film in the opening scene where the first victim Chrissie Watkins is being violenty pulled back and forth in the water by an unseen force, as well as the scene with the two fishermen using a pound of roast to attract the shark to shore, which it takes as bait and attacks the men.
However as soon as we get to the three mens journey to catch and kill the shark, we get to see the shark in the flesh, so to speak, and its a totally unconvincing rubber creation, as the shark is clearly too big in proportion, and it looks beyond fake, although Spielberg does make very effective use of the underwater footage of real sharks. In fact it really is the shark that lets the movie down in places, and toward the end it shifts from being a gripping thriller to being ridiculously over the top, with the shark blatantly rising out the water to crash onto the boat's transom, so it can eat Quint and Brody. In reality of course, there is no way sharks would ever behave in such a way, as they are largely terratorial creatures who stick to their own environments, and despite the fact that yes there have been many shark attacks over the years, sharks themselves largely life off a diet off sea lions and they don't deliberately hunt out people in the water! But of course with people in the water and in a close proximity, sharks will be dangerous, and if they swim from below and see human flesh they could mistake it as their diet of fish or sea lions, or the scent of blood could be enough to attract a shark. (OK that's enough on my shark lesson!).
Depsite all that though, one of Jaws main strengths definitely lies within its writing, as the characters in the film as so well written, particularly the three men, Brody, Quint and Hooper. Brody is the decent police man, who has the most common sense in the island, and who also gets some of the best dialogue in the film "You're gonna need a bigger boat!" and "Why don't we get another drink and cut that shark open" his wife says "can you do that?" and Brody replies "I can do anything I'm the chief of police!". Hooper is also great as he is young guy who could almost be spoilt and bratish in his manner, as he comes from a wealthy background, but ultimately Hooper is far more sussed than just about everyone else in the film, and his line after he gives up trying to convince the mayor is class "Right that's it, Martn, I'm not staying here listening to a man, lining up to be a hot lunch, I'll see you later!". And Quint is a great character, being the old veteran seaman, who almost instantly takes a disliking to Hooper "you've got city hands, Mr Hooper, you've been counting money all your life!", but despite that, he shares with the men his stories of being at sea and "here's to swimming with bow-legged women!".
And its the relationship between the three men that really drives the film, and how they adapt to the situation, particularly Brody who has a fear of water, and in a way he goes out there determined to prove he can face his fears and deal with the town's problem. Hooper and Quint's mutual dislike for each other, adds a nice element of competitiveness to the film, as no one wants to see three guys get along fine on a boat when they have a crisis! :-) But one of the film's main highlights undoubtedly of course is where they sit around at night in the cabin of the Orca (Quint's boat) sharing jokes, and Quint gives his chilling account of his experience of being one of the crewmates onboard the USS Indianapolis, during the Second World War, which was attacked by the Japanese, which left the survivors in the Pacific ocean at the mercy of sharks.
But as I said earlier the ending is a weakness, as Spielberg at the time wanted a big ending that would have the audiences screaming and on their feet, and the idea to actually blow up the shark was and is quite ridiculous. There is no doubt the fact that while the end is farcical it is also quite entertaining, and yeah ok you can't but help feel when Brody finally shoots the compressed air canister the shark has in its open jaws, when the sharks explodes, it is a crowd pleaser. The film also probably didn't do the species a favour itself, if anything it demonised sharks in the public, and it would take many years later before the myth behind sharks, being monsters, would itself explode.
But despite all that, Jaws still stands as one of the most entertaining and thrilling films from the 1970s, and for better or worse, it helped change cinema, by introducing the summer blockbuster to audiences, as it remains one of the highest grossing films of all time. And I can't forget to also mention John Williams unforgettable score, which he literally tinkled out on the piano one day to Steven Spielberg, and its funny how two musical notes could prove to be so memorable. Jaws also stands head and shoulders over its naff sequels, which by the time we reached the truly God awful Jaws 4: The Revenge, the sharks suddenly took on the concept of revenge and that they had to hunt down the rest of the Brody family! Yeahh ok!! Surely by then they should have taken note of the concept of horror-thriller sequels is not a good idea! Although Michael Caine has frequently since said he only took up the part in Jaws 4 in order to help buy a new house for his grandmother (so at least his fee to use!).
So that's my critique on Jaws, also finally I'd like to say the film ends with one of my favourite pieces of ending dialogue, which is between Brody and Hooper, as the two men paddle to shore, Brody says "I used to hate the water" and Hooper replies "I can't imagine why!".
Dum dum dum dum.
Jaws is without doubt an absolute classic thriller, and is easily one of Steven Spielberg's best films, it was the film that announced his career and he effectively invented the summer blockbuster with this one film as well. However as time has gone on its interesting to be able to pick out some of the film's lesser aspects and while it is a great suspense film, it does have quite a few cheap thrills and Holywood cinematic devices to get more of a reaction out of an audience. But more on that soon, to start with, why not have a look at the plot of the film.
Soooo, it starts in the quiet seaside down of Amity Island (ficitional in case you wondered) where a rouge great white shark swims the waters, and a young girl Chrissie Watkins (Susan Backlinie) is killed by the shark while take a dip in the water. After this the town chief of police, Martin Brody (Roy Schneider), alerts the town mayor Larry Vaughan (Murray Hamilton) of the danger, who is largely uninterested as he is more concerned that the tourists come to town as they are town's main source of income, and also goes as far as asking Brody to cover his autopsy report on the girl as a "boating accident" rather than a shark attack. Despite Brody's warnings and the mayor's negligence to do anything about it, a young boy is killed in the water by the shark, after which a bounty is put out, which brings in a whole bunch of greedy fishermen who want the prize money for killing the big fish, but despite their best efforts, they fail to kill the shark they were looking for and instead catch a "tiger" shark as identified by an expert from the Oceangraphic institute, Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfus) called in by Brody, who helps him try and locate the shark. But despite their best efforts, on 4th of July, their busiest day of the summer, the mayor insists the beaches stay open, which leads to yet another shark attack, where a young man is killed in a boat. Finally Brody convinces the mayor to hire local veteran fisherman, Quint (Robert Shaw) to hunt and kill the shark. Brody also persuades Quint into bringing along Hooper to help out in their quest, but of course Quint being a stubborn old school guy takes umbrage to the young college boy upstart in Hooper. And the rest of the films sees the men embark on their dangerous journey to find the rouge great white shark.
Even after 36 years, Jaws is still as effective as ever, as a piece of suspense it is nearly second to none, Spielberg adds in as many cheap frights as he can, and I'm sure the audiences back then would have been jumping out of their seats. But the film definitely works best when we don't see the shark, particularly early on in the film in the opening scene where the first victim Chrissie Watkins is being violenty pulled back and forth in the water by an unseen force, as well as the scene with the two fishermen using a pound of roast to attract the shark to shore, which it takes as bait and attacks the men.
However as soon as we get to the three mens journey to catch and kill the shark, we get to see the shark in the flesh, so to speak, and its a totally unconvincing rubber creation, as the shark is clearly too big in proportion, and it looks beyond fake, although Spielberg does make very effective use of the underwater footage of real sharks. In fact it really is the shark that lets the movie down in places, and toward the end it shifts from being a gripping thriller to being ridiculously over the top, with the shark blatantly rising out the water to crash onto the boat's transom, so it can eat Quint and Brody. In reality of course, there is no way sharks would ever behave in such a way, as they are largely terratorial creatures who stick to their own environments, and despite the fact that yes there have been many shark attacks over the years, sharks themselves largely life off a diet off sea lions and they don't deliberately hunt out people in the water! But of course with people in the water and in a close proximity, sharks will be dangerous, and if they swim from below and see human flesh they could mistake it as their diet of fish or sea lions, or the scent of blood could be enough to attract a shark. (OK that's enough on my shark lesson!).
Depsite all that though, one of Jaws main strengths definitely lies within its writing, as the characters in the film as so well written, particularly the three men, Brody, Quint and Hooper. Brody is the decent police man, who has the most common sense in the island, and who also gets some of the best dialogue in the film "You're gonna need a bigger boat!" and "Why don't we get another drink and cut that shark open" his wife says "can you do that?" and Brody replies "I can do anything I'm the chief of police!". Hooper is also great as he is young guy who could almost be spoilt and bratish in his manner, as he comes from a wealthy background, but ultimately Hooper is far more sussed than just about everyone else in the film, and his line after he gives up trying to convince the mayor is class "Right that's it, Martn, I'm not staying here listening to a man, lining up to be a hot lunch, I'll see you later!". And Quint is a great character, being the old veteran seaman, who almost instantly takes a disliking to Hooper "you've got city hands, Mr Hooper, you've been counting money all your life!", but despite that, he shares with the men his stories of being at sea and "here's to swimming with bow-legged women!".
And its the relationship between the three men that really drives the film, and how they adapt to the situation, particularly Brody who has a fear of water, and in a way he goes out there determined to prove he can face his fears and deal with the town's problem. Hooper and Quint's mutual dislike for each other, adds a nice element of competitiveness to the film, as no one wants to see three guys get along fine on a boat when they have a crisis! :-) But one of the film's main highlights undoubtedly of course is where they sit around at night in the cabin of the Orca (Quint's boat) sharing jokes, and Quint gives his chilling account of his experience of being one of the crewmates onboard the USS Indianapolis, during the Second World War, which was attacked by the Japanese, which left the survivors in the Pacific ocean at the mercy of sharks.
But as I said earlier the ending is a weakness, as Spielberg at the time wanted a big ending that would have the audiences screaming and on their feet, and the idea to actually blow up the shark was and is quite ridiculous. There is no doubt the fact that while the end is farcical it is also quite entertaining, and yeah ok you can't but help feel when Brody finally shoots the compressed air canister the shark has in its open jaws, when the sharks explodes, it is a crowd pleaser. The film also probably didn't do the species a favour itself, if anything it demonised sharks in the public, and it would take many years later before the myth behind sharks, being monsters, would itself explode.
But despite all that, Jaws still stands as one of the most entertaining and thrilling films from the 1970s, and for better or worse, it helped change cinema, by introducing the summer blockbuster to audiences, as it remains one of the highest grossing films of all time. And I can't forget to also mention John Williams unforgettable score, which he literally tinkled out on the piano one day to Steven Spielberg, and its funny how two musical notes could prove to be so memorable. Jaws also stands head and shoulders over its naff sequels, which by the time we reached the truly God awful Jaws 4: The Revenge, the sharks suddenly took on the concept of revenge and that they had to hunt down the rest of the Brody family! Yeahh ok!! Surely by then they should have taken note of the concept of horror-thriller sequels is not a good idea! Although Michael Caine has frequently since said he only took up the part in Jaws 4 in order to help buy a new house for his grandmother (so at least his fee to use!).
So that's my critique on Jaws, also finally I'd like to say the film ends with one of my favourite pieces of ending dialogue, which is between Brody and Hooper, as the two men paddle to shore, Brody says "I used to hate the water" and Hooper replies "I can't imagine why!".
Dum dum dum dum.
Friday 11 November 2011
No Eiffel tower for you then
Its getting closer to the end of yet another ATP tour event, this being the penultimate one at the BNP Paribas Paris Masters event, which is the last ATP 1000 Masters series event of the year. In the entrants we seen Djokovic, Murray, Federer, Ferrer, Berdych and Fish all take place in the fight to take the Parisian trophy home (but if memory serves its a right ugly looking thing like a big spider!). And already there has been some surprise exits so more on that below.
To begin with Djokovic came into the tournament fresh after his shock defeat at the hands of Kei Nishikori last week in Basel and managed to get the first two matches under his belt. However Djokovic was still fighting the pain of his shoulder injury which had returned, and yesterday (Thursday 10/11) he announced his withdrawal from the tournament as he sighted his shoulder which was getting worse. Well you can't argue with Djokovic's decision as his body has been hurting ever since he played in Cincinnati, and after such a physically punishing US Open campaign, I think Djokovic's body started to wave the white flag. Which means he now has more time to prepare for the ATP World Tour Finals at the o2 in London, which is something Nadal has been prepping for ever since having decided to not participate in recent tournaments. But I'm sure that Djokovic (and Nadal for that matter) will do everything they can to make sure they are fighting fit for the o2 Arena next weekend.
Now onto other matches of today, starting with David Ferrer who took on the American giant John Isner, who previously had never recorded a win against the Spaniard. And this really was a case of David and Goliath (well we have a David for once! :-)) as the 5 foot 9 inch Spaniard found himself dominated by the massive Yank, who had a virtually impenetrable serve, as Isner took the first set, in the second set Ferrer broke Isner and took that, but by the third, Ferrer again struggled to hold serve and ended up handing the match to Isner. This was Isner's first victory over Ferrer, and it really has to be said that Isner has really come on as a player this year, as in the past he was going out early on in tournaments, but this year he has already won 2 titles, made the US Open quarter finals, and now he has made his first ATP Masters series semi final. And Isner faces Tsonga next, the home favourite, I don't know what the head to head there is but I'm sure it will be a good match.
Next onto Federer who took on the Argentine, Juan Monaco, who actually despite facing inevitable defeat, acquitted himself quite well and put on a decent display of tennis before falling to the Swiss maestro in straight sets 6-3, 7-5. This gives Federer another semi final opportunity and a shout to get ot the final, but more on that in a minute.
Which brings us to the last match (well actually it was the first of the day!) between Andy Murray and the tall Czeck Tomas Berdych, who has come into this tournament on a good run of form. And right from the start we could see Andy was going to have a tough time with Berdych, who made Andy run from pillar to post (or from net to chairs). After winning the first set, Andy was made to suffer by Berdych in the second set, and despite being 4-2 down, he managed to break back to make things even, but after it went to a tiebreak that's when Andy started to show signs of losing control of the match when Berdych took the 2nd set. And in the 3rd set, Andy handed the crucial break to Berdych at 4-4 all on his serve, as he double faulted, but despite a thrilling last game, it was the big Czeck that cashed in (bad bad joke!) which saw him record his 3rd win over Andy, winning 4-6, 7-6, 6-4.
Despite Andy's loss however, this was an excellent match and both players played high quality stuff for the riveted Parisian crowd who were shouting for more near the very end. Berdych also deserves a great deal of credit for his performance in this match as well (well he won it!) as he stuck in there at the crucial moments, especially when it looked like Andy had a chance to break back in that final game. Andy himself however said after that he wasn't happy with his performance, and that he felt his serve and his backhand were particularly poor, and while that's true I think Andy once again showed what an incredible fighter he is on the court, win or lose, the guy gave it his all. And despite that little incident with Andy getting annoyed at the umpire over the unscheduled change of balls, it seems largely irrelevant to the outcome. The media would of course use that as an excuse for it affecting Andy's mood, which contributed to him losing the match, but I think that's a lot of crap really, as it didn't really make much difference, Berdych held well in the tough moments and that was it.
So despite the disappointment of losing, it does allow Andy more time to recharge his batteries before he gets to London, which he badly would need to do should he have managed to win the title. But with the way Federer is playing, its hard to see anyone else winning in Paris, except maybe Berdych, given his current form, is the only possible player that can beat him in the tournament. Although lets not discount Tsonga either, who already has beaten Federer twice this year, the most notable victory being at Wimbledon. But first things first, tomorrow promises two very good semi final matches between Federer and Berdych, and Tsonga and Isner, so its going to be intruiging to see who will win. My money is on Federer and Tsonga in the final, or maybe at a pinch, Berdych and Tsonga, although Isner leads the head to head against Tsonga, so it could well be Isner that final! Its going to be good whichever way it goes.
Right that'll do it for now....
..
.
...
. Finished..
.
To begin with Djokovic came into the tournament fresh after his shock defeat at the hands of Kei Nishikori last week in Basel and managed to get the first two matches under his belt. However Djokovic was still fighting the pain of his shoulder injury which had returned, and yesterday (Thursday 10/11) he announced his withdrawal from the tournament as he sighted his shoulder which was getting worse. Well you can't argue with Djokovic's decision as his body has been hurting ever since he played in Cincinnati, and after such a physically punishing US Open campaign, I think Djokovic's body started to wave the white flag. Which means he now has more time to prepare for the ATP World Tour Finals at the o2 in London, which is something Nadal has been prepping for ever since having decided to not participate in recent tournaments. But I'm sure that Djokovic (and Nadal for that matter) will do everything they can to make sure they are fighting fit for the o2 Arena next weekend.
Now onto other matches of today, starting with David Ferrer who took on the American giant John Isner, who previously had never recorded a win against the Spaniard. And this really was a case of David and Goliath (well we have a David for once! :-)) as the 5 foot 9 inch Spaniard found himself dominated by the massive Yank, who had a virtually impenetrable serve, as Isner took the first set, in the second set Ferrer broke Isner and took that, but by the third, Ferrer again struggled to hold serve and ended up handing the match to Isner. This was Isner's first victory over Ferrer, and it really has to be said that Isner has really come on as a player this year, as in the past he was going out early on in tournaments, but this year he has already won 2 titles, made the US Open quarter finals, and now he has made his first ATP Masters series semi final. And Isner faces Tsonga next, the home favourite, I don't know what the head to head there is but I'm sure it will be a good match.
Next onto Federer who took on the Argentine, Juan Monaco, who actually despite facing inevitable defeat, acquitted himself quite well and put on a decent display of tennis before falling to the Swiss maestro in straight sets 6-3, 7-5. This gives Federer another semi final opportunity and a shout to get ot the final, but more on that in a minute.
Which brings us to the last match (well actually it was the first of the day!) between Andy Murray and the tall Czeck Tomas Berdych, who has come into this tournament on a good run of form. And right from the start we could see Andy was going to have a tough time with Berdych, who made Andy run from pillar to post (or from net to chairs). After winning the first set, Andy was made to suffer by Berdych in the second set, and despite being 4-2 down, he managed to break back to make things even, but after it went to a tiebreak that's when Andy started to show signs of losing control of the match when Berdych took the 2nd set. And in the 3rd set, Andy handed the crucial break to Berdych at 4-4 all on his serve, as he double faulted, but despite a thrilling last game, it was the big Czeck that cashed in (bad bad joke!) which saw him record his 3rd win over Andy, winning 4-6, 7-6, 6-4.
Despite Andy's loss however, this was an excellent match and both players played high quality stuff for the riveted Parisian crowd who were shouting for more near the very end. Berdych also deserves a great deal of credit for his performance in this match as well (well he won it!) as he stuck in there at the crucial moments, especially when it looked like Andy had a chance to break back in that final game. Andy himself however said after that he wasn't happy with his performance, and that he felt his serve and his backhand were particularly poor, and while that's true I think Andy once again showed what an incredible fighter he is on the court, win or lose, the guy gave it his all. And despite that little incident with Andy getting annoyed at the umpire over the unscheduled change of balls, it seems largely irrelevant to the outcome. The media would of course use that as an excuse for it affecting Andy's mood, which contributed to him losing the match, but I think that's a lot of crap really, as it didn't really make much difference, Berdych held well in the tough moments and that was it.
So despite the disappointment of losing, it does allow Andy more time to recharge his batteries before he gets to London, which he badly would need to do should he have managed to win the title. But with the way Federer is playing, its hard to see anyone else winning in Paris, except maybe Berdych, given his current form, is the only possible player that can beat him in the tournament. Although lets not discount Tsonga either, who already has beaten Federer twice this year, the most notable victory being at Wimbledon. But first things first, tomorrow promises two very good semi final matches between Federer and Berdych, and Tsonga and Isner, so its going to be intruiging to see who will win. My money is on Federer and Tsonga in the final, or maybe at a pinch, Berdych and Tsonga, although Isner leads the head to head against Tsonga, so it could well be Isner that final! Its going to be good whichever way it goes.
Right that'll do it for now....
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. Finished..
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Wednesday 9 November 2011
Fav ATP Matches of 2011 Part 3: The hard court season
I decided I couldn't put this off any further as I really wanted to list some of my favourite ATP tour season hard court matches from this year, and since hard court takes up the bulk of the tennis season, its been fairly tough to pick out the best ones, but I've made a stab at it here and chosen 5 since there are so many. Here goes....
Number 5: Australian Open Semi Final, Andy Murray d. David Ferrer, 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-1, 7-6(2).
There a few things that are really bad for the central nervous system, and one of those things is watching Andy Murray play a very tightly contested match in a crucial grand slam match. And this match certainly fitted the bill, as Andy had to grind out a win against the gritty, dogged and agile spaniard David Ferrer. The match itself was overall pretty high on quality, despite a few dips from both players, in the first set, there were a share of breaks, but it was ultimately Ferrer that took the set. Again more breaks of serve followed in the 2nd, with Andy at one point in real danger of going two sets down, but he broke back and took it took a tiebreaker, which he won. In the 3rd Andy took control and breezed through, however he let his form dip again in the 4th, letting Ferrer right back in, and before we knew it, it was another tiebreak, but again Andy dominated the breaker with his serve to secure his place in a career 3rd grand slam final. Both players definitely deserve a lot of credit as they brought some terrific play to this match, even the ladies World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki, who was out of the tournament at this point, took a seat in Andy's box to watch. And it was unfortunate for Ferrer, who played a gutsy match to lose out, however it was even more unfortunate for the Muzza to go on and face an invincible opponent in the final, but that's another story. But overall a very fine match and one of the highlights of the season.
Number 4: Regions Morgans Keegan Championships Memphis Final, Andy Roddick d. Milos Raonic, 7-6, 6-7, 7-5.
As another switch up, here's a match with none of the top 4 players involved, as Andy Roddick early on in February this year took on the rising Canadian star and very talented player Milos Raonic. And both of them they put on a very entertaining, high quality final, and between them they must have served up at least 60 aces (Roddick alone served 32!) as they are both big servers. Both players also provided some incredible points and Raonic particularly hit some superb clean winners on both sides of the court, and throughout the match the big Canadian (6 ft 5) proved to be a real threat to Roddick's calibre. And the fact that all three sets were very tight made it for a very gripping match as well, and the match is also very noteworthy for Roddick's remarkable championship point, as he had a break point on Raonic's serve at 6-5(30-40) and sealed the title with an incredible dive, as he raced to the return Raonic's shot and dove on the court, with the ball speeding over the net clean into the court. Remarkable stuff. It also was the only title Roddick won all year, and sadly for him his year took a bit of a downturn after this, however this match was one of the highlights of his career and of the year.
Number 3: BNP Paribas Paris Masters, Semi Final, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga d. John Isner, 3-6, 7-6(1), 7-6(3).
Here is another match where there are none of the top 4 players in this choice, as this match was between the World No.7 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and the American John Isner (ranked No. 25) in the Paris Masters semi final. John Isner came into this match leading the head to head against Tsonga 2-0 in their previous meetings, but this time he would be playing on Tsonga's home soil at the Bercy in Paris. For nearly 3 hours both players put on an absolutely superb display of tennis for the cheering French crowd, who naturally were right behind their man, Tsonga, who came under threat from the in-form giant American Isner, who's serve itself is the stuff that nightmares is made of for tennis players (remarkably Isner never had his server broken once in this match). In the first set Tsonga dropped his serve to allow Isner take it, but in the second and third sets there was nothing to set the two men apart, and in a thrilling game at 5-6 on Tsonga's serve in the 3rd, where Tsonga faced three match points, Tsonga saved them all to push the match to a tiebreak, which Tsonga closed out to reach his 2nd Paris Masters final. For most of the top players such as Murray, Djokovic or Nadal, you almost get a routine feel when they get to a Masters final as they have won so many, but when on this occassion between Tsonga and Isner, it really does feel like a big match you are watching. And this match definitely had that feel to it, as the French crowd provided a great atmosphere for the two tennis players who played some of their best stuff, with the whole crowd cheering Tsonga on to victory. John Isner also deserves a lot of credit for this match, and this year he has come forward and leaps in bounds. So in my humble opinion this was definitely one of the best matches of the hard court season.
Number 2: Sony Ericsson Open Final, Novak Djokovic d. Rafael Nadal, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4).
This match took place early on in the ATP tour season back in March when the world's two best players had it out for the second time that year, with Djokovic already having gained the upper hand against Nadal in Indian Wells, Rafa was determined to prove by the looks of thing that it was just a fluke. Despite coming out as the stronger player at the beginning, Rafa soon once again found Djokovic to be a formidable opponent who just wouldn't go away. This match was undeniably one of the highlights of the season as it featured some of the best tennis you will see in 2011, with both players just hammering it out for the crown in Miami. After his level dipped in the 2nd set, Rafa regrouped in the 3rd set as both men fought hard to keep their serve, and in the end it took a tiebreak to separate these two guys. But by then Djokovic had gotten firmly into the habit of knowing how to win a match and played the crucial points, and ultimately sealed Rafa's fate with a forehand winner down the left hand side. This was definitely when Rafa realised he was about to be replaced in the World No.1 spot by the Serb, and we clearly saw him slump in defeat in his chair at the end of an exhaustive and quite incredible match.
Number 1: US Open Final, Novak Djokovic d. Rafael Nadal, 6-2, 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-1.
There are so many superlatives you could throw at this match and they still wouldn't be enough to describe just how utterly remarkable it truly was, as the 2011 US Open men's singles final wasn't just in my opinion the Number 1 match of the hard court season, it was the best match of the year: period. After losing to Novak Djokovic 5 times in a row, in 5 finals, Rafa was determined to set the record straight by trying his damndest to hold onto his New York crown, and by God did he try. Right from the start, with Rafa coming out so strong and bossing the play, you could see you were in for a treat, and before you knew it, Djokovic had not only broke back, but also bagged the first set as well as the 2nd. And the scoreline totally belies what the two men had on the court, as this was one of the most physically intense matches that has ever been played on any surface, and both men produced tennis of the highest quality you will probably ever see, that at times stopped being tennis and became more like two heavyweight boxers trading blows (well across a net!). And two of the most remarkable things about this match (of which there were many!) where that one, Rafa despite being broken at 5-6 in the 3rd set, was able to break back and take the set to a thrilling tiebreak which he won, and the second, that in the 4th set Djokovic despite suffering from back pain, was able to defeat Rafa from the back of the court, get his first serves in, and defeat Rafa 6-1!!! So in the end after a brutally exhaustive and absolutely stunning 4 hours and 10 minutes of play, Djokovic hit a forehand winner, which saw him fall flat on his back in delight as he won his 4th grand slam title. And right throughout the New York crowd, produced an utterly electrifying atmosphere as they screamed and shouted out in joy, amazement, wonder and sheer utter awe at what they were witnessing. And if there is to be a better grand slam final in the immediate future, its going to have a hell of a job outdoing this one. Just spectacular.
So that's itttttt!!!! If the ATP World Finals brings up an amazing match there will be room for it here. But that's it for now, more to follow on Paris Masters soon!
Number 5: Australian Open Semi Final, Andy Murray d. David Ferrer, 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-1, 7-6(2).
There a few things that are really bad for the central nervous system, and one of those things is watching Andy Murray play a very tightly contested match in a crucial grand slam match. And this match certainly fitted the bill, as Andy had to grind out a win against the gritty, dogged and agile spaniard David Ferrer. The match itself was overall pretty high on quality, despite a few dips from both players, in the first set, there were a share of breaks, but it was ultimately Ferrer that took the set. Again more breaks of serve followed in the 2nd, with Andy at one point in real danger of going two sets down, but he broke back and took it took a tiebreaker, which he won. In the 3rd Andy took control and breezed through, however he let his form dip again in the 4th, letting Ferrer right back in, and before we knew it, it was another tiebreak, but again Andy dominated the breaker with his serve to secure his place in a career 3rd grand slam final. Both players definitely deserve a lot of credit as they brought some terrific play to this match, even the ladies World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki, who was out of the tournament at this point, took a seat in Andy's box to watch. And it was unfortunate for Ferrer, who played a gutsy match to lose out, however it was even more unfortunate for the Muzza to go on and face an invincible opponent in the final, but that's another story. But overall a very fine match and one of the highlights of the season.
Number 4: Regions Morgans Keegan Championships Memphis Final, Andy Roddick d. Milos Raonic, 7-6, 6-7, 7-5.
As another switch up, here's a match with none of the top 4 players involved, as Andy Roddick early on in February this year took on the rising Canadian star and very talented player Milos Raonic. And both of them they put on a very entertaining, high quality final, and between them they must have served up at least 60 aces (Roddick alone served 32!) as they are both big servers. Both players also provided some incredible points and Raonic particularly hit some superb clean winners on both sides of the court, and throughout the match the big Canadian (6 ft 5) proved to be a real threat to Roddick's calibre. And the fact that all three sets were very tight made it for a very gripping match as well, and the match is also very noteworthy for Roddick's remarkable championship point, as he had a break point on Raonic's serve at 6-5(30-40) and sealed the title with an incredible dive, as he raced to the return Raonic's shot and dove on the court, with the ball speeding over the net clean into the court. Remarkable stuff. It also was the only title Roddick won all year, and sadly for him his year took a bit of a downturn after this, however this match was one of the highlights of his career and of the year.
Number 3: BNP Paribas Paris Masters, Semi Final, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga d. John Isner, 3-6, 7-6(1), 7-6(3).
Here is another match where there are none of the top 4 players in this choice, as this match was between the World No.7 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and the American John Isner (ranked No. 25) in the Paris Masters semi final. John Isner came into this match leading the head to head against Tsonga 2-0 in their previous meetings, but this time he would be playing on Tsonga's home soil at the Bercy in Paris. For nearly 3 hours both players put on an absolutely superb display of tennis for the cheering French crowd, who naturally were right behind their man, Tsonga, who came under threat from the in-form giant American Isner, who's serve itself is the stuff that nightmares is made of for tennis players (remarkably Isner never had his server broken once in this match). In the first set Tsonga dropped his serve to allow Isner take it, but in the second and third sets there was nothing to set the two men apart, and in a thrilling game at 5-6 on Tsonga's serve in the 3rd, where Tsonga faced three match points, Tsonga saved them all to push the match to a tiebreak, which Tsonga closed out to reach his 2nd Paris Masters final. For most of the top players such as Murray, Djokovic or Nadal, you almost get a routine feel when they get to a Masters final as they have won so many, but when on this occassion between Tsonga and Isner, it really does feel like a big match you are watching. And this match definitely had that feel to it, as the French crowd provided a great atmosphere for the two tennis players who played some of their best stuff, with the whole crowd cheering Tsonga on to victory. John Isner also deserves a lot of credit for this match, and this year he has come forward and leaps in bounds. So in my humble opinion this was definitely one of the best matches of the hard court season.
Number 2: Sony Ericsson Open Final, Novak Djokovic d. Rafael Nadal, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(4).
This match took place early on in the ATP tour season back in March when the world's two best players had it out for the second time that year, with Djokovic already having gained the upper hand against Nadal in Indian Wells, Rafa was determined to prove by the looks of thing that it was just a fluke. Despite coming out as the stronger player at the beginning, Rafa soon once again found Djokovic to be a formidable opponent who just wouldn't go away. This match was undeniably one of the highlights of the season as it featured some of the best tennis you will see in 2011, with both players just hammering it out for the crown in Miami. After his level dipped in the 2nd set, Rafa regrouped in the 3rd set as both men fought hard to keep their serve, and in the end it took a tiebreak to separate these two guys. But by then Djokovic had gotten firmly into the habit of knowing how to win a match and played the crucial points, and ultimately sealed Rafa's fate with a forehand winner down the left hand side. This was definitely when Rafa realised he was about to be replaced in the World No.1 spot by the Serb, and we clearly saw him slump in defeat in his chair at the end of an exhaustive and quite incredible match.
Number 1: US Open Final, Novak Djokovic d. Rafael Nadal, 6-2, 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-1.
There are so many superlatives you could throw at this match and they still wouldn't be enough to describe just how utterly remarkable it truly was, as the 2011 US Open men's singles final wasn't just in my opinion the Number 1 match of the hard court season, it was the best match of the year: period. After losing to Novak Djokovic 5 times in a row, in 5 finals, Rafa was determined to set the record straight by trying his damndest to hold onto his New York crown, and by God did he try. Right from the start, with Rafa coming out so strong and bossing the play, you could see you were in for a treat, and before you knew it, Djokovic had not only broke back, but also bagged the first set as well as the 2nd. And the scoreline totally belies what the two men had on the court, as this was one of the most physically intense matches that has ever been played on any surface, and both men produced tennis of the highest quality you will probably ever see, that at times stopped being tennis and became more like two heavyweight boxers trading blows (well across a net!). And two of the most remarkable things about this match (of which there were many!) where that one, Rafa despite being broken at 5-6 in the 3rd set, was able to break back and take the set to a thrilling tiebreak which he won, and the second, that in the 4th set Djokovic despite suffering from back pain, was able to defeat Rafa from the back of the court, get his first serves in, and defeat Rafa 6-1!!! So in the end after a brutally exhaustive and absolutely stunning 4 hours and 10 minutes of play, Djokovic hit a forehand winner, which saw him fall flat on his back in delight as he won his 4th grand slam title. And right throughout the New York crowd, produced an utterly electrifying atmosphere as they screamed and shouted out in joy, amazement, wonder and sheer utter awe at what they were witnessing. And if there is to be a better grand slam final in the immediate future, its going to have a hell of a job outdoing this one. Just spectacular.
So that's itttttt!!!! If the ATP World Finals brings up an amazing match there will be room for it here. But that's it for now, more to follow on Paris Masters soon!
One pass no fail!!!!
Well I am delighted to report to myself (on this blog) that today I managed to pass my Microsoft 70-680 Windows 7 exam, as the last two weeks or so have been pretty intensive on the study front, so I was hoping to get a pass and so it was great to get one today.
Questions wise though I was surprised to see so many turn up that appeared in some of the practice test questions one of my colleagues on the course gave out to us all, in fact it proved to an invaluable tool for passing the exam, so I he deserves a pint for sure! :-) But the main thing is that I got the pass, I was also quite surprised how well I scored, as I got 945/1000, which is not too shoddy, I mean I could have done better of course! So I am well pleased to get this exam out the way as it has been a real bugger and now it is, we can concentrate on the next exam the Windows 7 Troubleshooting exam 70-685, which is supposed to be a fair bit easier than the previous one, and also probably about half as long.
The only problem of course now is studying for this exam while looking for work at the same time, as from now on in the course we are to get into the nitty gritty of job hunting once again, so it will be updating CVs time etc. My experience of these training courses however in the past haven't been terribly great as they have always lead to nowhere and I am concerned that at the end of this I could be back on the dole again, but there is plenty of time left and while we are coming up for Christmas, its definitely a good idea to start applying straight away.
Anyways in the meantime I'm taking a well earned (well at least in my opinion) rest from the study tonight and tomorrow before we crack on to the next one.
Questions wise though I was surprised to see so many turn up that appeared in some of the practice test questions one of my colleagues on the course gave out to us all, in fact it proved to an invaluable tool for passing the exam, so I he deserves a pint for sure! :-) But the main thing is that I got the pass, I was also quite surprised how well I scored, as I got 945/1000, which is not too shoddy, I mean I could have done better of course! So I am well pleased to get this exam out the way as it has been a real bugger and now it is, we can concentrate on the next exam the Windows 7 Troubleshooting exam 70-685, which is supposed to be a fair bit easier than the previous one, and also probably about half as long.
The only problem of course now is studying for this exam while looking for work at the same time, as from now on in the course we are to get into the nitty gritty of job hunting once again, so it will be updating CVs time etc. My experience of these training courses however in the past haven't been terribly great as they have always lead to nowhere and I am concerned that at the end of this I could be back on the dole again, but there is plenty of time left and while we are coming up for Christmas, its definitely a good idea to start applying straight away.
Anyways in the meantime I'm taking a well earned (well at least in my opinion) rest from the study tonight and tomorrow before we crack on to the next one.
Monday 7 November 2011
The Pizza King
So that's another couple of ATP men's tournaments over with as the men's tennis season is growing closer to an end this year, with the ATP 500 series events in Basel and Valencia.
In Valencia briefly, the top seed David Ferrer who was the defending champion from last year unfortunately was unable to make it to the final as he was defeated by Marcel Granollers, who went on to take the title himself. And in Basel there were one or two surprises this week, the main one being that the World No.1 Novak Djokovic, who has recently come back into the game after a month's absence, was handed his 4th defeat of the season, from an unlikely opponent, the Japanese player, Kei Nishikori, who put in a great performance against the Serb. Despite showing a dominant display in the 1st set, Djokovic went a break down in the 2nd, but broke back, however Nishikori held on and took it to a tiebreak, which he won. And in the 3rd set, Djokovic was nowhere, as his shoulder injury appeared to have resurfaced as he struggled to hold serve or do anything, and he was handed a shock defeat at the hands of the talented Japanese player, who won in 2-6, 7-6, 6-0.
This raises a concern about Djokovic, while his ability is undeniable, his injuries this year, especially since losing to Andy Murray in Cincinnati have really hampered him, as we seen at the end of the US Open with his back trouble, and at the Davis Cup where he collapsed in pain again from his back. And it could be difficult for Djokovic to hold on to the top spot if he ends up having to continually drop out of tournaments due to injury. Djokovic has already said he wants to play at the Paris Masters, which is coming up this week, but given his shoulder is it a good idea??? Probably not, however its up to Djokovic, but if I were him I would give Paris a miss and get ready for the o2 in the London, but we will soon find out if he takes part or not this week.
Anyway onto the Swiss Indoors final at Basel, which was between Federer and Nishikori, and as expected in the match Federer dominated it pretty much from the start, and didn't allow Nishikori into the match at all, and went on to win the match in straight sets in 6-1, 6-3, in just over an 1 hour and 12 minutes. This was only Federer's second title of the year, and on paper it sounds ridiculous but that's the way of it, and there has been a certain other player who has been hogging them this year. But Federer having taking that extra time out, looks like he is in really good form once again, and I think this week in Paris and especially at the o2 in London he will again pose a serious threat to everyone else on the tour. But its good to see Federer back in the winning circle for this first time in 10 months since Doha back in January, and it was a nice touch that he gave the ball boys a couple of pizzas to dig into as a post victoy celebration!
So this is us getting that bit closer to the end of the 2011 ATP tour season, next up is Paris, which promises to be really good, although Nadal won't be playing as he is also taking time out to prepare for the World Finals at the o2 in London, and of course the Davis Cup final. Andy Murray however will be taking part in the Paris Masters, which is great as he had a slight scare with pulling a muscle last week in Basel, which forced him to withdraw at the last minute, but hopefully it looks like Andy will be back on tour. And it would be great to see Andy lift the Paris trophy, and interestingly enough neither he or Federer have ever won in Paris, and should Djokovic not play or retire during play, it will give them the best chance of winning. Of course the biggest deal left is the ATP World Tour Finals in London, so if Federer wins in Paris, here's hoping that Andy can win in London instead (although it could be the other way round!).
So plenty more good tennis will follow soon enough, until then that is all.
In Valencia briefly, the top seed David Ferrer who was the defending champion from last year unfortunately was unable to make it to the final as he was defeated by Marcel Granollers, who went on to take the title himself. And in Basel there were one or two surprises this week, the main one being that the World No.1 Novak Djokovic, who has recently come back into the game after a month's absence, was handed his 4th defeat of the season, from an unlikely opponent, the Japanese player, Kei Nishikori, who put in a great performance against the Serb. Despite showing a dominant display in the 1st set, Djokovic went a break down in the 2nd, but broke back, however Nishikori held on and took it to a tiebreak, which he won. And in the 3rd set, Djokovic was nowhere, as his shoulder injury appeared to have resurfaced as he struggled to hold serve or do anything, and he was handed a shock defeat at the hands of the talented Japanese player, who won in 2-6, 7-6, 6-0.
This raises a concern about Djokovic, while his ability is undeniable, his injuries this year, especially since losing to Andy Murray in Cincinnati have really hampered him, as we seen at the end of the US Open with his back trouble, and at the Davis Cup where he collapsed in pain again from his back. And it could be difficult for Djokovic to hold on to the top spot if he ends up having to continually drop out of tournaments due to injury. Djokovic has already said he wants to play at the Paris Masters, which is coming up this week, but given his shoulder is it a good idea??? Probably not, however its up to Djokovic, but if I were him I would give Paris a miss and get ready for the o2 in the London, but we will soon find out if he takes part or not this week.
Anyway onto the Swiss Indoors final at Basel, which was between Federer and Nishikori, and as expected in the match Federer dominated it pretty much from the start, and didn't allow Nishikori into the match at all, and went on to win the match in straight sets in 6-1, 6-3, in just over an 1 hour and 12 minutes. This was only Federer's second title of the year, and on paper it sounds ridiculous but that's the way of it, and there has been a certain other player who has been hogging them this year. But Federer having taking that extra time out, looks like he is in really good form once again, and I think this week in Paris and especially at the o2 in London he will again pose a serious threat to everyone else on the tour. But its good to see Federer back in the winning circle for this first time in 10 months since Doha back in January, and it was a nice touch that he gave the ball boys a couple of pizzas to dig into as a post victoy celebration!
So this is us getting that bit closer to the end of the 2011 ATP tour season, next up is Paris, which promises to be really good, although Nadal won't be playing as he is also taking time out to prepare for the World Finals at the o2 in London, and of course the Davis Cup final. Andy Murray however will be taking part in the Paris Masters, which is great as he had a slight scare with pulling a muscle last week in Basel, which forced him to withdraw at the last minute, but hopefully it looks like Andy will be back on tour. And it would be great to see Andy lift the Paris trophy, and interestingly enough neither he or Federer have ever won in Paris, and should Djokovic not play or retire during play, it will give them the best chance of winning. Of course the biggest deal left is the ATP World Tour Finals in London, so if Federer wins in Paris, here's hoping that Andy can win in London instead (although it could be the other way round!).
So plenty more good tennis will follow soon enough, until then that is all.
Sunday 6 November 2011
Ahhh resits resits....
So I've got my Microsoft Windows 7 Configuration 70-680 exam resit coming up again this week so I'm hoping this time to get a pass. Whether or not I do is another matter, but I have been going over some next study materials given out by our tutor and by some of the guys in the class who have been downloading other study stuff (such as practice questions, which hopefully may turn up in the exam???).
But I have to say I have been really disappointed and annoyed at Microsoft in how they make up their exams and the official study guides they release, which I said before are next to useless in guaranteeing you a pass. To pass you have to use several different study guides and sources, as I found straight away in one of the other books such as Microsoft Self-Paced Training Kit, it contained so much more information that was not in the official Microsoft guide we were given. I also have been using other books and sources, so I hope this time I can at least scrape by and get a pass, although a really good pass of 800+ would be great, as the score system for the exam is out of 1000 marks I think.
However if I fail the exam this time I'm not sure what I will do after this, if I should consider just giving up the course and doing something else, but I guess I will worry about that one when I come to it. Its the same for everyone else in the class too, as six of us have already failed the exam, but this time I do at least feel I am going into it a bit more prepared and with a more positive attitude (even if it is positive ignorance! ;-)).
The other problem though of course I have found with IT in the past is getting the work experience, and regardless of how many courses you do, unless you get that foot in the door, the qualifications don't mean as much. So whether or not I will be able to get any IT work experience as a result of this course remains to be seen, and one of the guys in the course has already managed to get a job, which involves travelling by car. I also have a driving licence myself but I don't have a car, and I'm not so confident on the road as yet, so when it comes to travelling IT jobs, it would be a barrier to travel. But if there was any chance I could end up getting a cosy IT office job then that would better than travelling around!
But first things first, the resit is on Wednesday morning so I will keep the studying going for now, and see how it turns oot on the day. So more will follow on Wednesday, here's hoping....
But I have to say I have been really disappointed and annoyed at Microsoft in how they make up their exams and the official study guides they release, which I said before are next to useless in guaranteeing you a pass. To pass you have to use several different study guides and sources, as I found straight away in one of the other books such as Microsoft Self-Paced Training Kit, it contained so much more information that was not in the official Microsoft guide we were given. I also have been using other books and sources, so I hope this time I can at least scrape by and get a pass, although a really good pass of 800+ would be great, as the score system for the exam is out of 1000 marks I think.
However if I fail the exam this time I'm not sure what I will do after this, if I should consider just giving up the course and doing something else, but I guess I will worry about that one when I come to it. Its the same for everyone else in the class too, as six of us have already failed the exam, but this time I do at least feel I am going into it a bit more prepared and with a more positive attitude (even if it is positive ignorance! ;-)).
The other problem though of course I have found with IT in the past is getting the work experience, and regardless of how many courses you do, unless you get that foot in the door, the qualifications don't mean as much. So whether or not I will be able to get any IT work experience as a result of this course remains to be seen, and one of the guys in the course has already managed to get a job, which involves travelling by car. I also have a driving licence myself but I don't have a car, and I'm not so confident on the road as yet, so when it comes to travelling IT jobs, it would be a barrier to travel. But if there was any chance I could end up getting a cosy IT office job then that would better than travelling around!
But first things first, the resit is on Wednesday morning so I will keep the studying going for now, and see how it turns oot on the day. So more will follow on Wednesday, here's hoping....
Thursday 3 November 2011
Fav ATP Matches of the Year Part 2: Doing it on the grass...
So now onto Part 2 of my favourite ATP matches of the year, which is all to do with the grass court season, again pretty short but there was plenty to choose from so here goes.
Number 4: Wimbledon Championships, 3rd round, Novak Djokovic d. Marcos Baghdatis, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
On entering the Wimbledon championships, Djokovic naturally looked a hot favourite to win as well as Nadal, the ultimate crown in tennis. And after a couple of easy matches, Djokovic met his first match of the tournament in the very talented Cypriot, Marcos Baghdatis, who pushed Djoko around the court in a highly entertaining match. Baghdatis was again also the first person to take a set off Djokovic in the tournament, and above all else, he was the first player to really make Djoko lose his rag on court, as in the second set when facing a break point in an exciting rally, which Djokovic lost the point, he proceeded to smash his racquet into the ground. It was the first time we had seen Djokovic lose his temper this year on court, as being a champion and in control so much this year it was something he hadn't needed to deal with. But Baghdatis despite his defeat took everything in his stride and delighted in playing to the big audience at SW19, and it certainly was one of the most crowd pleasing matches of the year.
Number 3: Wimbledon Championships Final, Novak Djokovic d. Rafael Nadal, 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3.
Well the ultimate showdown between the world's tour best players doesn't feature in this one, that would be at the US Open, but until then this one would do. While the 2011 Wimbledon final didn't scale the heights of the legendary 2008 final (or 2009 for that matter) it certainly was a highly watchable and also historical match as for the first time since 2002 another player won at SW19 rather than Rafa and Roger. Right from the start we could see that Djokovic was intent on playing his best tennis, and utilising his prior victories against Rafa, he managed to get off to an excellent start as he broke Rafa at 4-4 and took the first set, the 2nd set was a scoosh, but in the 3rd Djokovic let his level dip and Rafa walked away with the set. However in the 4th, it was even pegged up until Djoko broke Rafa at 3-3 all, and on Rafa's serve at 5-3, Djokovic broke again to close out the game, set, match and his first Wimbledon title.
Depsite the scoreline and relatively short length of the final, there was certainly plenty of fine quality tennis on display, especially in the 1st and 4th sets from both players, and Djokovic's dominance in the 2nd was quite incredible. The fear of a straight set victory really did set in at the beginnig of the 3rd as it looked like Rafa was getting whitewashed but it was a crucial break that gave Rafa an extra lease of life and took us to that welcome 4th set. But in the end, it was a culmination of sheer hard work, talent, confidence and self belief that took Djokovic to that place where he not only took that dream trophy in his hands, but also pinched the World No.1 ranking from Rafa. As Djokovic himself put it in his post match interview to Sue Barker "A couple of good days at the office!". Indeed.
Number 2: AEGON Queens Club Championships Final, Andy Murray d. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-4.
It was the second time at Queens that Andy Murray had reached the final and this time he played to a jam packed crowd on a Monday afternoon after a day's delay of heavy rain (some of which Andy apologised to if they had to bunk off work to go to!). And in the final Andy couldn't have asked for a tougher opponent than Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who came into the final in great form, having dispatched Rafa earlier on in the tournament. In the first set Tsonga broke early on and took the set, but in the 2nd it was a more even affair, although at 5-5 all, Tsonga did have a chance of a break point on Andy's serve, which could have gifted him the match, but Tsonga couldn't quite take it as fate took over the control of the tennis ball as it refused to go over the net! After dominating the 2nd set tiebreak, Andy went on to break Tsonga in the 3rd set, and at this point the two men were almost trying to outdo each other in the cheeky tennis department as Tsonga kept diving on the grass and making every shot, while Andy played a couple of between the legs shots (one of which paid off!). But in the end Andy managed to serve it out to love and held his arms aloft in delight as he won his first title of the year, and the first British man in over 70 years to win at Queens twice. So all in all the Queens final made for one of the most enjoyable matches of the year.
Number 1: Wimbledon Championships 4th round, Rafael Nadal d. Juan Martin Del Potro, 7-6, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4.
In a match anticipated 4th round match at Wimbledon, Rafa took on the former US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro, who made his comeback to the game this year after taking last year after wrist surgery. And the match didn't disappoint as Del Potro gave Rafa one of his sternest tests of the tournament, as his serve was almost inpenetrable for most of the match and it took till the 4th set for Nadal to finally get a break on Delpo's serve. In fact for most of the match it seemed like it was Delpo that was in control, as Rafa was fortunate enough to win the tiebreaks, but apart from that it took almost everything for Rafa to get that crucial break in the 4th set. The match also wasn't short on drama as Rafa complained to the umpire at one point about something, and he had to take a medical tiemout for blisters on his feet just prior to the tiebreak, which pissed off Delpo, which showed after the big Argentine lost the first set. But it ranks easily as one of the main highlights of the grass court season and it also showed just what an impressive comeback Delpo had made in 2011, that he pushed the then World No.1 and defending Wimbledon champion so far.
Part 3 beckons..... soon......
Number 4: Wimbledon Championships, 3rd round, Novak Djokovic d. Marcos Baghdatis, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.
On entering the Wimbledon championships, Djokovic naturally looked a hot favourite to win as well as Nadal, the ultimate crown in tennis. And after a couple of easy matches, Djokovic met his first match of the tournament in the very talented Cypriot, Marcos Baghdatis, who pushed Djoko around the court in a highly entertaining match. Baghdatis was again also the first person to take a set off Djokovic in the tournament, and above all else, he was the first player to really make Djoko lose his rag on court, as in the second set when facing a break point in an exciting rally, which Djokovic lost the point, he proceeded to smash his racquet into the ground. It was the first time we had seen Djokovic lose his temper this year on court, as being a champion and in control so much this year it was something he hadn't needed to deal with. But Baghdatis despite his defeat took everything in his stride and delighted in playing to the big audience at SW19, and it certainly was one of the most crowd pleasing matches of the year.
Number 3: Wimbledon Championships Final, Novak Djokovic d. Rafael Nadal, 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3.
Well the ultimate showdown between the world's tour best players doesn't feature in this one, that would be at the US Open, but until then this one would do. While the 2011 Wimbledon final didn't scale the heights of the legendary 2008 final (or 2009 for that matter) it certainly was a highly watchable and also historical match as for the first time since 2002 another player won at SW19 rather than Rafa and Roger. Right from the start we could see that Djokovic was intent on playing his best tennis, and utilising his prior victories against Rafa, he managed to get off to an excellent start as he broke Rafa at 4-4 and took the first set, the 2nd set was a scoosh, but in the 3rd Djokovic let his level dip and Rafa walked away with the set. However in the 4th, it was even pegged up until Djoko broke Rafa at 3-3 all, and on Rafa's serve at 5-3, Djokovic broke again to close out the game, set, match and his first Wimbledon title.
Depsite the scoreline and relatively short length of the final, there was certainly plenty of fine quality tennis on display, especially in the 1st and 4th sets from both players, and Djokovic's dominance in the 2nd was quite incredible. The fear of a straight set victory really did set in at the beginnig of the 3rd as it looked like Rafa was getting whitewashed but it was a crucial break that gave Rafa an extra lease of life and took us to that welcome 4th set. But in the end, it was a culmination of sheer hard work, talent, confidence and self belief that took Djokovic to that place where he not only took that dream trophy in his hands, but also pinched the World No.1 ranking from Rafa. As Djokovic himself put it in his post match interview to Sue Barker "A couple of good days at the office!". Indeed.
Number 2: AEGON Queens Club Championships Final, Andy Murray d. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 3-6, 7-6(2), 6-4.
It was the second time at Queens that Andy Murray had reached the final and this time he played to a jam packed crowd on a Monday afternoon after a day's delay of heavy rain (some of which Andy apologised to if they had to bunk off work to go to!). And in the final Andy couldn't have asked for a tougher opponent than Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who came into the final in great form, having dispatched Rafa earlier on in the tournament. In the first set Tsonga broke early on and took the set, but in the 2nd it was a more even affair, although at 5-5 all, Tsonga did have a chance of a break point on Andy's serve, which could have gifted him the match, but Tsonga couldn't quite take it as fate took over the control of the tennis ball as it refused to go over the net! After dominating the 2nd set tiebreak, Andy went on to break Tsonga in the 3rd set, and at this point the two men were almost trying to outdo each other in the cheeky tennis department as Tsonga kept diving on the grass and making every shot, while Andy played a couple of between the legs shots (one of which paid off!). But in the end Andy managed to serve it out to love and held his arms aloft in delight as he won his first title of the year, and the first British man in over 70 years to win at Queens twice. So all in all the Queens final made for one of the most enjoyable matches of the year.
Number 1: Wimbledon Championships 4th round, Rafael Nadal d. Juan Martin Del Potro, 7-6, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4.
In a match anticipated 4th round match at Wimbledon, Rafa took on the former US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro, who made his comeback to the game this year after taking last year after wrist surgery. And the match didn't disappoint as Del Potro gave Rafa one of his sternest tests of the tournament, as his serve was almost inpenetrable for most of the match and it took till the 4th set for Nadal to finally get a break on Delpo's serve. In fact for most of the match it seemed like it was Delpo that was in control, as Rafa was fortunate enough to win the tiebreaks, but apart from that it took almost everything for Rafa to get that crucial break in the 4th set. The match also wasn't short on drama as Rafa complained to the umpire at one point about something, and he had to take a medical tiemout for blisters on his feet just prior to the tiebreak, which pissed off Delpo, which showed after the big Argentine lost the first set. But it ranks easily as one of the main highlights of the grass court season and it also showed just what an impressive comeback Delpo had made in 2011, that he pushed the then World No.1 and defending Wimbledon champion so far.
Part 3 beckons..... soon......
Fav ATP matches of the year Part 1: The red dirt
Ok now as the men's tour isn't quite over yet I thought I'd leave out the men's hard court season matches in this list for now, but I couldn't resist listing my favs from the other surfaces, clay and grass, and I thought I'd start with clay so here goes....
Number 5: Mutua Madrid Open, 2nd round, Roger Federer d. Feliciano Lopez, 7-6, 6-7, 7-6.
This match proved to be quite an incredible encounter between the greatest player of all time and a player showing great form against the Fed express. Right from the get go we saw both Federer and Lopez produce some absolutely terrific tennis for the Spanish crowd, and in the 3rd tiebreak Lopez came within two points of defeating Federer, but at the crucial point he couldn't take it. Regardless of that though, this match was quite extraordinary in a few ways, but the main one was between the two men they served up almost 50 aces! Lopez however despite a great effort, failed to capitalise on his chances against Fedora, and he has struggled to do so since against the top 10 players. But this match was top drawer in its quality, and if you are looking for a match where there is nothing in between both players, then this is the one.
Number 4: French Open, 1st Round, Rafael Nadal d. John Isner, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 6-2, 6-4
The phrase David and Goliath has never been more appropriately been used to refer to a tennis match than it is here (well Rafa and Goliath (well ok big John) as Rafa, the king of clay took on the giant yank, John Isner. On paper it sounded like it would be a straight sets match, but it proved to be anything but as it was a titanic struggle for a struggling Rafa, who after losing to Djokovic four times in a row, found his confidence waining and it showed in this match. Rafa won the first set fairly comfortably, however in the 2nd set, after going a break down, Isner broke back and pushed it to a tiebreak, which he won, and he won the 3rd set tiebreak. Fortunately for Rafa however, he broke Isner early in the 4th set to level the match. In the 5th set, Rafa came under pressure from Isner again but thankfully for the Spaniard, after nearly 4 hours, fatigue and exhaustion set it in for Isner, who finally lost to a mightily relieved Nadal. For a first round match in a grand slam it was quite incredible, and it was also a testament to Rafa's determination that saw him through a brutal match, only to show again his champion qualities. In fact it signalled a tough campaign ahead of Rafa but despite it all he still came through as the champion in the end. Great stuff.
Number 3: Rome Masters semi-final, Novak Djokovic d. Andy Murray, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(2)
This is a very noteworthy match indeed, not only was it a cracker in its own right, it also saw for probably only the second time in his unbeaten run that Djokovic came under serious threat of his winning streak finally coming to a halt, as Andy Murray laid it on the line in an incredible battle that lasted 3 hours. After being whitewashed in the first set by an imperious Djokovic, Andy fought back and broke Djoko in the 2nd set and soon took it. However in the 3rd set it was all to play as there were breaks aplenty and a match this good had to end on a tiebreak, but once again Djokovic refused to succumb to defeat and prevailed once again as we saw the frustrated Scot try to reach a signature Djoko drop shop only to hit the net, then he swiped the ground angrily with his racquet while Djokovic roared with delight. The high quality play of this match from both players was exceptional, and despite having an opportunity to end Djokovic's run at 5-4 on his serve, Andy dropped the ball and let his chance go. But in that whole tournament where no one could touch him, Andy came the closest, and once again it showed his special talent as a player, to produce some terrific tennis under pressure. Win or lose it was quite a match.
Number 2: Davis Cup Final, Rafael Nadal d. Juan Martin Del Potro, 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-6
In what proved to be the very last match of the men's season, it promised to be a thrilling match between two of the world's very best players, and it sure didn't disappoint as Rafa and Delpo provided some incredible tennis for the Spanish crowd in Seville. Despite the scoreline in the first set, again, just like the US Open final, there were plenty of very tight deuce games between Rafa and a very determined Del Potro. It was definitely like a rematch of their excellent match at Wimbledon, as the two men traded some amazing points and great rallies, especially with Delpo hitting so many flat and clean winners. But soon enough, Rafa showed just why he has the mantle of the king of clay, as he fought his way back in the 2nd set and secured a break at 5-4 on Delpo's serve, to make it a set all, and after that, there was no real doubt, despite a thrilling 4th set, which had breaks aplenty, that Rafa would emerge victorious, which he did, and celebrated in traditional style by going flat on his back. The crowd also played their part in the match, providing an amazing atmosphere for both players, and is as usually the case with the Davis cup, it felt more like a football atmosphere, with the Spanish and Argentine fans wearing their football strips. At times play had to be halted due to the fans calling out, even so much that the players themselves had to motion them to calm down. But overall this was one of the best clay matches of the year and a great one to end a great season.
Number 1: French Open, semi final, Roger Federer d. Novak Djokovic, 7-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6.
While I consider Djokovic and Nadal's US Open final this year to be greatest match of 2011, this match was undoubtedly the second greatest. In this match Federer played some of his absolute best tennis as he succeeded where everyone else had failed, including Rafa, in ending Djokovic's 41 match winning streak in 2011. Both players in this match produced play of the highest quality you will ever see this year, with Federer in "God" mode who was virtually unstoppable in the first two sets. In the 3rd set however Federer let his level dip, which let Djokovic back in the match as he took the 3rd set, but in the 4th set it was back on even terms as the two men hammered it out, which lead to a nerve shredding tiebreak, in which Fedora sealed Djoko's fate by serving an ace down the T. Throughout the French Open you could see just how well Federer was playing and he confirmed it with an outstanding display in this match. And if you want to scout for the highlights of this match you might as well just watch it all, it was that good, just utterly astounding stuff. In the end it was a pity for Djokovic, who had worked so hard all year up until then to try and win his 2nd grand slam of the year and keep his run going, but all good things sooner or later come to an end.
Sooooo onto Part 2.......
Number 5: Mutua Madrid Open, 2nd round, Roger Federer d. Feliciano Lopez, 7-6, 6-7, 7-6.
This match proved to be quite an incredible encounter between the greatest player of all time and a player showing great form against the Fed express. Right from the get go we saw both Federer and Lopez produce some absolutely terrific tennis for the Spanish crowd, and in the 3rd tiebreak Lopez came within two points of defeating Federer, but at the crucial point he couldn't take it. Regardless of that though, this match was quite extraordinary in a few ways, but the main one was between the two men they served up almost 50 aces! Lopez however despite a great effort, failed to capitalise on his chances against Fedora, and he has struggled to do so since against the top 10 players. But this match was top drawer in its quality, and if you are looking for a match where there is nothing in between both players, then this is the one.
Number 4: French Open, 1st Round, Rafael Nadal d. John Isner, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 6-2, 6-4
The phrase David and Goliath has never been more appropriately been used to refer to a tennis match than it is here (well Rafa and Goliath (well ok big John) as Rafa, the king of clay took on the giant yank, John Isner. On paper it sounded like it would be a straight sets match, but it proved to be anything but as it was a titanic struggle for a struggling Rafa, who after losing to Djokovic four times in a row, found his confidence waining and it showed in this match. Rafa won the first set fairly comfortably, however in the 2nd set, after going a break down, Isner broke back and pushed it to a tiebreak, which he won, and he won the 3rd set tiebreak. Fortunately for Rafa however, he broke Isner early in the 4th set to level the match. In the 5th set, Rafa came under pressure from Isner again but thankfully for the Spaniard, after nearly 4 hours, fatigue and exhaustion set it in for Isner, who finally lost to a mightily relieved Nadal. For a first round match in a grand slam it was quite incredible, and it was also a testament to Rafa's determination that saw him through a brutal match, only to show again his champion qualities. In fact it signalled a tough campaign ahead of Rafa but despite it all he still came through as the champion in the end. Great stuff.
Number 3: Rome Masters semi-final, Novak Djokovic d. Andy Murray, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(2)
This is a very noteworthy match indeed, not only was it a cracker in its own right, it also saw for probably only the second time in his unbeaten run that Djokovic came under serious threat of his winning streak finally coming to a halt, as Andy Murray laid it on the line in an incredible battle that lasted 3 hours. After being whitewashed in the first set by an imperious Djokovic, Andy fought back and broke Djoko in the 2nd set and soon took it. However in the 3rd set it was all to play as there were breaks aplenty and a match this good had to end on a tiebreak, but once again Djokovic refused to succumb to defeat and prevailed once again as we saw the frustrated Scot try to reach a signature Djoko drop shop only to hit the net, then he swiped the ground angrily with his racquet while Djokovic roared with delight. The high quality play of this match from both players was exceptional, and despite having an opportunity to end Djokovic's run at 5-4 on his serve, Andy dropped the ball and let his chance go. But in that whole tournament where no one could touch him, Andy came the closest, and once again it showed his special talent as a player, to produce some terrific tennis under pressure. Win or lose it was quite a match.
Number 2: Davis Cup Final, Rafael Nadal d. Juan Martin Del Potro, 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-6
In what proved to be the very last match of the men's season, it promised to be a thrilling match between two of the world's very best players, and it sure didn't disappoint as Rafa and Delpo provided some incredible tennis for the Spanish crowd in Seville. Despite the scoreline in the first set, again, just like the US Open final, there were plenty of very tight deuce games between Rafa and a very determined Del Potro. It was definitely like a rematch of their excellent match at Wimbledon, as the two men traded some amazing points and great rallies, especially with Delpo hitting so many flat and clean winners. But soon enough, Rafa showed just why he has the mantle of the king of clay, as he fought his way back in the 2nd set and secured a break at 5-4 on Delpo's serve, to make it a set all, and after that, there was no real doubt, despite a thrilling 4th set, which had breaks aplenty, that Rafa would emerge victorious, which he did, and celebrated in traditional style by going flat on his back. The crowd also played their part in the match, providing an amazing atmosphere for both players, and is as usually the case with the Davis cup, it felt more like a football atmosphere, with the Spanish and Argentine fans wearing their football strips. At times play had to be halted due to the fans calling out, even so much that the players themselves had to motion them to calm down. But overall this was one of the best clay matches of the year and a great one to end a great season.
Number 1: French Open, semi final, Roger Federer d. Novak Djokovic, 7-6, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6.
While I consider Djokovic and Nadal's US Open final this year to be greatest match of 2011, this match was undoubtedly the second greatest. In this match Federer played some of his absolute best tennis as he succeeded where everyone else had failed, including Rafa, in ending Djokovic's 41 match winning streak in 2011. Both players in this match produced play of the highest quality you will ever see this year, with Federer in "God" mode who was virtually unstoppable in the first two sets. In the 3rd set however Federer let his level dip, which let Djokovic back in the match as he took the 3rd set, but in the 4th set it was back on even terms as the two men hammered it out, which lead to a nerve shredding tiebreak, in which Fedora sealed Djoko's fate by serving an ace down the T. Throughout the French Open you could see just how well Federer was playing and he confirmed it with an outstanding display in this match. And if you want to scout for the highlights of this match you might as well just watch it all, it was that good, just utterly astounding stuff. In the end it was a pity for Djokovic, who had worked so hard all year up until then to try and win his 2nd grand slam of the year and keep his run going, but all good things sooner or later come to an end.
Sooooo onto Part 2.......
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