On Saturday night I went to see Rush with my bro Steven, my cuz Dale, and Steven's friend Dazza (or Darren) and it really was a fun night.
To be honest my attention to the Rush gig did somewhat wonder due to a certain match in progress, which I have went into too much detail about already! But I definitely did get into some of their songs. Rush played a fine set but not one of their best at the same time, in the first half of the show they played too much of the newer stuff, some of which wasn't as good as their old classic tracks. However in the second half they did play more of their old school Rush tracks, not to mention the whole of the Moving Pictures album, so it was great to hear the classics such as "Tom Sawyer" and "Red Barchetta", and of course "YYZ" as well as "Vital signs" which is very Police-esque sounding.
Some of the other standout tracks on the night for me were "Far Cry" great song, replete with big firecrackers going off, the instrumental track "Leave that thing alone" which is one of my favourite instrumentals of theirs as well as "La villa strangiato" which is one of their most complex tracks. "Subdivisions" was a real good one, and of course we couldn't go without some "2112" which is of course just legendary Rush. Unfortunately though they still don't play the the second half of the first side of the album, just the Overture and Temples of Syrinx, I guess Geddy's voice just doesn't reach those high notes anymore like it used to!
But they did omit some of their best tracks though such as "Cygnus X-1" which they played a tiny 5 second snippet from before they went off stage! "Natural Science", "Digital Man", "Analog Kid", "Between the wheels", "Dreamline" the list could go on. They have of course a massive repetoire of songs and they can only play so many in three hours, and yes I have heard some of these at their previous gigs, but it would be nice to hear them again.
Another couple of gripes about the gig were that well first of all the tickets were rather extortionate at £60 each, yes you do get three high quality hours of Rush time, and yep the comic videos they play on the massive backscreen projectors are somewhat amusing, but I still think its a bit on the dear side. Not to mention the amount of money they must make off merchandising, as my brother Steven spent an amount I won't utter here on merchandise alone!
The other gripe was about the sound, again the sound at the SECC isn't the best, and whoever took care of the sound did a poor job that night, as straight from the get go, things did sound muffled, the songs lacked clarity. Mind you there are far worse venues in Glasgow for sound, one of which was and probably still is the O2 Academy, which had the most dreadful bass acoustics you will hear in one hall! Some venues are on the other hand not too bad such as the ABC which generally has quite a decent sound, and the Clyde Auditorium which has a terrific sound, but the last gig I saw in there was Tori Amos and that was over 13 years ago, so things might have changed.
But regardless of any of my gripes aside and lapses in concentration on the gig, it was a great fun night and it was good to see Rush return to the UK after a near four year absence. I think Rush are recording a new album soon, so I'll imagine another tour will be not far around the corner.
So that's it fer now. Time fer bedddd....
Monday, 16 May 2011
Rome Part 6, you will never guess?????????
OK its the end of another ATP/WTA tournament at the Italian Open in Rome and the outcomes were well... predictable. Well kind of.
Starting with the WTA tour, I was actually pleased to see Maria Sharapova come through and win against Sam Stosur in the final, although it was a fairly straightforward win in 6-2 6-4, nothing too tasking for Maria. Despite it the brevity of the match, which was in itself about only 1 hour and 22 minutes, it did have some good stuff in there, the last game of the match was particularly good, albeit a bit too short. But it was her first clay court win at Rome, and naturally she was delighted, and it will give her much confidence going into the French Open. It always struck me though about how contradictory Sharapova is in her nature on court, in between points and games, she is very calm and composed, even if she makes an unforced error or a fault she holds it together. However when she serves or returns shots she screams at the top of her lungs, or rather she starts off softly and as the match progresses she gets louder and louder! To be honest I don't mind her grunting so much, as Sharapova does grunt more out of sheer effort than anything else, but I wouldn't want to be sitting in seats close to her, because I think I wouldn't have any hearing left! In fact her grunt was once recorded at a peak volume of about 101 decibles, that's almost as bad as being at a Who concert!
However on the ATP tour side of things, there was a real upset, something amazing happened. I mean just didn't see this coming!!! Wow!!! I swear I wouldn't have thought this would have happened! Oh wait, it already has. Yes Novak Djokovic, the unstoppable machine, lived up to his recent reptutation and sealed another victory over Rafa in a rather underwhelming final, in which the Djokster defeated Nadal with a fraction more comfort than even last time in 6-4 6-4. It was obviously quite a predictable result because Djoko had beaten him the weekend before quite convincingly, so I didn't see any live text on the BBC website for it which meant they obviously knew what the outcome would be!
To be fair, congrats to Djokovic, the guy has pulled out all the stops and made this year his own so far, its the impossible dream come true. When you think of it, I think when Djokovic won his crucial rubber round match in the Davis Cup last year, you could see a look of new found confidence in him that wasn't there before then, and its then when he thought he can beat anyone, and well the rest is history. But I am getting tired of listening to him constantly roaring with joy when he wins a title, yeah well done, but he just can't resist broadcasting it!!
But I kind of am worried a bit for Rafa, the king of clay is no longer going out there like a raging lion, he's now out there more like a neutered dog. But with the French Open now only a week away, can Rafa really try and hold onto his reputation as the king of clay or will he truly let it fall by the way side. Time will tell. It does seem based on tonight's performance more likely that the mighty Serb will claim his throne in three weeks time at the final. I hope at least by then Rafa gather his might and take Djokovic at the final if they should meet. Being a grand slam it will also give him an advantage, if he does drop the first 2 sets, he can cushion himself by trying to win in the 3rd, and when it comes to a slam I don't think Rafa will give up his throne without a fight. Perhaps that's what Rafa has been doing, just biding his time, savouring his best for Roland Garros. I sincerely hope so, in the past he has always brought his best to the majors. But who knows?
I just hope when we come to the French Open it will make a for a great final and not a straight set washout. But perhaps Rafa has been doing a rope-a-dope with Djokovic in Muhammad Ali style, then at the final in Paris he will turn round and say "Is that all you've got Djkoy???". From what I've read in the news it does appear that's what Rafa might be doing for Roland Garros, biding his time, learning from his previous defeats and working out just how to beat Djokovic. Remember when it comes to the grand slams, the real pressure is on, maybe then Djokovic really might feel the heat and in that regard Nadal has had more experience of coping with that pressure. Grand slams are gruelling and far more physically demanding than any events on the ATP tour that's for certain, particularly the French Open on clay, so we will see how the Serb responds.
One man that might go far for sure in the French Open will be Andy Murray (I don't mention him much really) who not only played the match of the tournament at Rome, he also proved to be the one of only two or three men that could defeat Djokovic. He was so close, but again that's one thing with Andy, its always been a case of so near yet so far, and it could be his epitaph. But his confidence has definitely grown, and he said he feels great going into Roland Garros, so I wish him all the best, he's had a terrific start to his clay season, the best yet in fact, having taken a set each off both of the top 2 world players. This guy has real talent and class, anyone on the tour has struggled to even get near taking a set off Djokovic, and in one match Andy nearly had him beat. No one else did that except Nadal. That says an awful lot about his ability. And if he can just sort out that serve of his then Andy himself would have beaten Djokovic that night not only that he would be winning slams by now.
So for the rest of the week there are no big ATP titles for Djokovic to steal and stash in his growing trophy cabinet, its the second slam of the year up next in a week's time. For the rest of the players on the tour they might as well just consider going into any tournament that doesn't involve Djokovic!
But the French is going to be exciting and plenty of potentially great matches coming up. The men's title might be a three-way horse, but the ladies title could be anybodys, which actually helps make the ladies tour that bit more unpredictable and exciting just now. Not only that but the BBC will be doing full coverage of the French Open too so that's great! :-)
Speaking of the next WTA Premier event this week is from Brussels, which doesn't see all the top seeds in play, but does feature quite a few of the main ones including Caroline Wozniacki, Francesca Schiavone, Jelena Jankovic and Vera Zvonareva, so it will definitely make for compelling stuff. Especially as Wozniacki and Schiavone are particularly so eminently watchable. Francesca for me is possibly my favourite player on the tour ladies tour just now, I just love her shots, even her grunt is so unique, her style of play is almost like Roger Federer, and she brings so much entertainment to the game through her own flamboyance. While Caroline Wozniacki isn't so flamboyant and I must admit her game isn't as exciting, but what I do like about her game is for the most part it is rock solid, and she has the will and stamina to go deep into rallies and how much she loves her sport. I also like to see how she reacts to being put under pressure from her opponents, but she can also show vulnerability and can be beaten, like Rafa, she's not invincible but she is interesting in terms of her career pattern and where it could go.
Also its great preparation for the French Open too just before the clincher, and it will be very interesting to see how the defending champion Francesca Schiavone will perform not only in Roland Garross but at Brussels too. On the tour this year I have to say Schiavone hasn't been overly impressive, she has been in and out of form, she has had some great matches, but hasn't pushed often beyond the third or fourth round. However at the Australian Open she was incredible in her epic 4 hour and 44 minute match against Svetlana Kuznetsova, and almost as impressive in her quarter final match against Caroline Wozniacki. I don't really see however Wozniacki winning at the French, she will hopefully get to the quarter or semi finals, but I think this title could well have Sharapova's name on it.
Anyway its all in the future, waiting to be mapped out. I'll be back with a bit on the Brussels Open WTA event in the week.
Tara!!
PS The next post will have nothing to do with tennis. Promise!
Starting with the WTA tour, I was actually pleased to see Maria Sharapova come through and win against Sam Stosur in the final, although it was a fairly straightforward win in 6-2 6-4, nothing too tasking for Maria. Despite it the brevity of the match, which was in itself about only 1 hour and 22 minutes, it did have some good stuff in there, the last game of the match was particularly good, albeit a bit too short. But it was her first clay court win at Rome, and naturally she was delighted, and it will give her much confidence going into the French Open. It always struck me though about how contradictory Sharapova is in her nature on court, in between points and games, she is very calm and composed, even if she makes an unforced error or a fault she holds it together. However when she serves or returns shots she screams at the top of her lungs, or rather she starts off softly and as the match progresses she gets louder and louder! To be honest I don't mind her grunting so much, as Sharapova does grunt more out of sheer effort than anything else, but I wouldn't want to be sitting in seats close to her, because I think I wouldn't have any hearing left! In fact her grunt was once recorded at a peak volume of about 101 decibles, that's almost as bad as being at a Who concert!
However on the ATP tour side of things, there was a real upset, something amazing happened. I mean just didn't see this coming!!! Wow!!! I swear I wouldn't have thought this would have happened! Oh wait, it already has. Yes Novak Djokovic, the unstoppable machine, lived up to his recent reptutation and sealed another victory over Rafa in a rather underwhelming final, in which the Djokster defeated Nadal with a fraction more comfort than even last time in 6-4 6-4. It was obviously quite a predictable result because Djoko had beaten him the weekend before quite convincingly, so I didn't see any live text on the BBC website for it which meant they obviously knew what the outcome would be!
To be fair, congrats to Djokovic, the guy has pulled out all the stops and made this year his own so far, its the impossible dream come true. When you think of it, I think when Djokovic won his crucial rubber round match in the Davis Cup last year, you could see a look of new found confidence in him that wasn't there before then, and its then when he thought he can beat anyone, and well the rest is history. But I am getting tired of listening to him constantly roaring with joy when he wins a title, yeah well done, but he just can't resist broadcasting it!!
But I kind of am worried a bit for Rafa, the king of clay is no longer going out there like a raging lion, he's now out there more like a neutered dog. But with the French Open now only a week away, can Rafa really try and hold onto his reputation as the king of clay or will he truly let it fall by the way side. Time will tell. It does seem based on tonight's performance more likely that the mighty Serb will claim his throne in three weeks time at the final. I hope at least by then Rafa gather his might and take Djokovic at the final if they should meet. Being a grand slam it will also give him an advantage, if he does drop the first 2 sets, he can cushion himself by trying to win in the 3rd, and when it comes to a slam I don't think Rafa will give up his throne without a fight. Perhaps that's what Rafa has been doing, just biding his time, savouring his best for Roland Garros. I sincerely hope so, in the past he has always brought his best to the majors. But who knows?
I just hope when we come to the French Open it will make a for a great final and not a straight set washout. But perhaps Rafa has been doing a rope-a-dope with Djokovic in Muhammad Ali style, then at the final in Paris he will turn round and say "Is that all you've got Djkoy???". From what I've read in the news it does appear that's what Rafa might be doing for Roland Garros, biding his time, learning from his previous defeats and working out just how to beat Djokovic. Remember when it comes to the grand slams, the real pressure is on, maybe then Djokovic really might feel the heat and in that regard Nadal has had more experience of coping with that pressure. Grand slams are gruelling and far more physically demanding than any events on the ATP tour that's for certain, particularly the French Open on clay, so we will see how the Serb responds.
One man that might go far for sure in the French Open will be Andy Murray (I don't mention him much really) who not only played the match of the tournament at Rome, he also proved to be the one of only two or three men that could defeat Djokovic. He was so close, but again that's one thing with Andy, its always been a case of so near yet so far, and it could be his epitaph. But his confidence has definitely grown, and he said he feels great going into Roland Garros, so I wish him all the best, he's had a terrific start to his clay season, the best yet in fact, having taken a set each off both of the top 2 world players. This guy has real talent and class, anyone on the tour has struggled to even get near taking a set off Djokovic, and in one match Andy nearly had him beat. No one else did that except Nadal. That says an awful lot about his ability. And if he can just sort out that serve of his then Andy himself would have beaten Djokovic that night not only that he would be winning slams by now.
So for the rest of the week there are no big ATP titles for Djokovic to steal and stash in his growing trophy cabinet, its the second slam of the year up next in a week's time. For the rest of the players on the tour they might as well just consider going into any tournament that doesn't involve Djokovic!
But the French is going to be exciting and plenty of potentially great matches coming up. The men's title might be a three-way horse, but the ladies title could be anybodys, which actually helps make the ladies tour that bit more unpredictable and exciting just now. Not only that but the BBC will be doing full coverage of the French Open too so that's great! :-)
Speaking of the next WTA Premier event this week is from Brussels, which doesn't see all the top seeds in play, but does feature quite a few of the main ones including Caroline Wozniacki, Francesca Schiavone, Jelena Jankovic and Vera Zvonareva, so it will definitely make for compelling stuff. Especially as Wozniacki and Schiavone are particularly so eminently watchable. Francesca for me is possibly my favourite player on the tour ladies tour just now, I just love her shots, even her grunt is so unique, her style of play is almost like Roger Federer, and she brings so much entertainment to the game through her own flamboyance. While Caroline Wozniacki isn't so flamboyant and I must admit her game isn't as exciting, but what I do like about her game is for the most part it is rock solid, and she has the will and stamina to go deep into rallies and how much she loves her sport. I also like to see how she reacts to being put under pressure from her opponents, but she can also show vulnerability and can be beaten, like Rafa, she's not invincible but she is interesting in terms of her career pattern and where it could go.
Also its great preparation for the French Open too just before the clincher, and it will be very interesting to see how the defending champion Francesca Schiavone will perform not only in Roland Garross but at Brussels too. On the tour this year I have to say Schiavone hasn't been overly impressive, she has been in and out of form, she has had some great matches, but hasn't pushed often beyond the third or fourth round. However at the Australian Open she was incredible in her epic 4 hour and 44 minute match against Svetlana Kuznetsova, and almost as impressive in her quarter final match against Caroline Wozniacki. I don't really see however Wozniacki winning at the French, she will hopefully get to the quarter or semi finals, but I think this title could well have Sharapova's name on it.
Anyway its all in the future, waiting to be mapped out. I'll be back with a bit on the Brussels Open WTA event in the week.
Tara!!
PS The next post will have nothing to do with tennis. Promise!
Sunday, 15 May 2011
Rome Part 5, in one word WOW!!!!!!!!
Jeeeee whizzzzzzzzzz!
Wow, tonight's much anticipated match between the current hottest player in the world, Novak Djokovic and British No.1 Andy Murray feared to be a big blowout with another crushing straight sets defeat to the Muzza, just like Robin Soderling did last night. But tonight was anything but, tonight was one of the most outstanding displays that Andy Murray has ever produced on a tennis court. It was an epic match, truly worthy of ATP World Tour Finals match he played against Nadal last year. It proved what I said about Andy being a better player than Soderling, he's miles above him.
And yeah ok as predicted Djokovic did prevail, but he did so by the skin of his teeth. Andy after a crushing first set, fought back to produce some simply phenomenal tennis in the second and third set, as he took the second and pushed Djokovic to the absolute limit in a tiebreaker in the third. However the Serb came through and defeated the Scot in the 3rd, the final result being 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(2) in Djokovic's favour. Its only the second time this year that Djokovic has been pushed so far in a match. And to be pushed by his rival in the Australian Open final it made it even more remarkable. It was the Aussie Open final that should have been. Not only that, despite his loss, he handed Djokovic the toughest test of his unbeaten record so far, bar none (well except for Miami). Just great.
Despite Andy who fought so hard against Djokovic losing, it showed nothing but positives against the world's top player, Andy went toe to toe with him, while so many other players struggled to even take a set off him. Andy tonight proved emphatically that he is a threat to the Serb, and just maybe he will seriously have his hands full going into the French Open. That shows what serious talent Andy has at his disposal, he can even challenge the inevitably new World No.1 player. In the past people have said that Andy has what it takes to be a grand slam champion and tonight I think he almost proved that. Without a doubt even if Andy fails to win a slam this year, he has proven to be a true threat to Djokovic tonight. I think come if not the French Open, then at Wimbledon, Andy will be a serious danger to Djokovic. He surely is hot on Djoky's heels and Andy might just become the new World No.3 before the end of the year.
I knew that Djokovic winning in the end would be inevitable but I'm just astounded at how far Andy pushed him, it was beyond my expectations, especially after such an awful first set. So my thoughts of Andy would be, first off, well bloody done, and take that performance and use it in the French Open. And it also proved what I said tonight, well almost, that Andy Murray is one of the few people that can potentially defeat Novak Djokovic, he's not quite ready to do that yet, but its only a matter of time. Tonight was an utterly outstanding display of perserverance from the Briton, just a shame about the outcome. But as far as I'm concerned its all good and there so many positives for Andy to take away from that match.
Tomorrow Djokovic again for the fourth time will face Nadal, and naturally the Serbian is the hot favourite to win, but Andy pushed him to his limits, so just perhaps maybe Nadal can utilise that to beat him. However even in times of sheer pressure this year Djokovic has managed to produce some reserve energy when he really needed it. But to be fair to Djoky I do have to take my hat off to him, its quite an achievement, win or lose today, his run is an incredible feat, how long it will last is not certain, but he could go unbeaten all year! But in the meantime another intruiging final awaits.
So on WTA side tomorrow its Sam Stosur vs Maria Sharapova, who both took out Li Na and Caroline Wozniacki respectively, both of these players really have made an incredible return to form so tomorrow should make for an exciting match. But I remember Stosur saying that Sharapova had always beaten her in the past so I would say that Maria is the favourite, but who knows, this tournament has really been topsy turvey, and by God it has produced some exciting tennis. So hopefully tomorrow will prove to be no exception.
And that's it for now, can't wait!!
Wow, tonight's much anticipated match between the current hottest player in the world, Novak Djokovic and British No.1 Andy Murray feared to be a big blowout with another crushing straight sets defeat to the Muzza, just like Robin Soderling did last night. But tonight was anything but, tonight was one of the most outstanding displays that Andy Murray has ever produced on a tennis court. It was an epic match, truly worthy of ATP World Tour Finals match he played against Nadal last year. It proved what I said about Andy being a better player than Soderling, he's miles above him.
And yeah ok as predicted Djokovic did prevail, but he did so by the skin of his teeth. Andy after a crushing first set, fought back to produce some simply phenomenal tennis in the second and third set, as he took the second and pushed Djokovic to the absolute limit in a tiebreaker in the third. However the Serb came through and defeated the Scot in the 3rd, the final result being 6-1, 3-6, 7-6(2) in Djokovic's favour. Its only the second time this year that Djokovic has been pushed so far in a match. And to be pushed by his rival in the Australian Open final it made it even more remarkable. It was the Aussie Open final that should have been. Not only that, despite his loss, he handed Djokovic the toughest test of his unbeaten record so far, bar none (well except for Miami). Just great.
Despite Andy who fought so hard against Djokovic losing, it showed nothing but positives against the world's top player, Andy went toe to toe with him, while so many other players struggled to even take a set off him. Andy tonight proved emphatically that he is a threat to the Serb, and just maybe he will seriously have his hands full going into the French Open. That shows what serious talent Andy has at his disposal, he can even challenge the inevitably new World No.1 player. In the past people have said that Andy has what it takes to be a grand slam champion and tonight I think he almost proved that. Without a doubt even if Andy fails to win a slam this year, he has proven to be a true threat to Djokovic tonight. I think come if not the French Open, then at Wimbledon, Andy will be a serious danger to Djokovic. He surely is hot on Djoky's heels and Andy might just become the new World No.3 before the end of the year.
I knew that Djokovic winning in the end would be inevitable but I'm just astounded at how far Andy pushed him, it was beyond my expectations, especially after such an awful first set. So my thoughts of Andy would be, first off, well bloody done, and take that performance and use it in the French Open. And it also proved what I said tonight, well almost, that Andy Murray is one of the few people that can potentially defeat Novak Djokovic, he's not quite ready to do that yet, but its only a matter of time. Tonight was an utterly outstanding display of perserverance from the Briton, just a shame about the outcome. But as far as I'm concerned its all good and there so many positives for Andy to take away from that match.
Tomorrow Djokovic again for the fourth time will face Nadal, and naturally the Serbian is the hot favourite to win, but Andy pushed him to his limits, so just perhaps maybe Nadal can utilise that to beat him. However even in times of sheer pressure this year Djokovic has managed to produce some reserve energy when he really needed it. But to be fair to Djoky I do have to take my hat off to him, its quite an achievement, win or lose today, his run is an incredible feat, how long it will last is not certain, but he could go unbeaten all year! But in the meantime another intruiging final awaits.
So on WTA side tomorrow its Sam Stosur vs Maria Sharapova, who both took out Li Na and Caroline Wozniacki respectively, both of these players really have made an incredible return to form so tomorrow should make for an exciting match. But I remember Stosur saying that Sharapova had always beaten her in the past so I would say that Maria is the favourite, but who knows, this tournament has really been topsy turvey, and by God it has produced some exciting tennis. So hopefully tomorrow will prove to be no exception.
And that's it for now, can't wait!!
Friday, 13 May 2011
Rome Part 4 the foreboding of defeat.....
Ohhhhhhhhhhh jeeeeeeeeeez!!! Yep more T.
Welly well, Novak Djokovic cannot stop winning just now, that's another one under his belt (he must need some big belt by now!!!!). As he has just blown the World No.5 Robin Soderling off the court in straight sets 6-3, 6-0, a quite convincing defeat. To be fair to Robin the outcome was probably also not helped by the fact he had sustained a leg injury during play in the second set, but it wouldn't have made a blind bit of difference to the outcome.
So that's Djokovic through to the semis and Andy Murray awaits him. The funny thing about this tournament is there has been a lot of rematches from previous grand slam events with different players, Schiavone vs Stosur, Li Na potentially vs Wozniacki, and now Andy vs Novak. After tonight's performance I'm starting to grow more doubtful that Andy can pull through this one. But in all honesty he is a much better player than Robin Soderling is, and he is capable of beating Djokovic, but not right now, the guy is just too good. But I sincerely hope the best for Andy tomorrow and hope he can push Djokovic as far as he can. The dangerous thing with Djoko now is, the more he plays on each surface, the quicker he can adapt to it, which means it'll be quicker for him to finish off matches. But rewatching the Australian Open footage of the final, I actually thought Andy didn't play at all badly, the first set showed great promise, and in the second he lost the plot, but in the third he pulled it back a bit. But what he needs is his absolute best form tonight, of the world tour finals Nadal match quality, but inconsistent sums up Murray lately, and Djokovic has been nothing but consistent.
However it all remains to be seen but I don't see the young Scot pulling through this one, or if he does I'd be very very impressed. But if he can at least take a set off him, it would make for a very impressive result too. Andy has said in interview he feels he is confident for tomorrow and he thinks he can beat Djokovic, but there is a big difference between thinking it and doing it. Ah well, time will tell.
Either way I think it will be a very intruiging (and potentially very frustrating, infuriating and disappointing) and perhaps just maybe the match of the tournament, or just another Djokovic demolition and total wash out. I'm out to see Rush at the SECC tomorrow so I'll checking the results on my phone furiously (and probably getting annoyed, frustrated, deflated and just maybe excited in between songs lol!). In fact I'm glad I will be out as if I saw it at home I'd be just a bag of nerves! But I do sense something different this time, I might be totally wrong here, but I don't think its going to be a pushover for Djoko, I just don't.
In fact a wee paragraph about Rush, one of the best rock bands that came out of Canada or anywhere else. This will be the third time I will have seen them play at the SECC, and every time their shows are great, which feature a nice mix of animation and great lighting effects (not to mention some vending machines or washing machines in the background, yes those crazy Canadians and their sense of humour!!). Rush's music has always been second to none and they have over 20 albums out so plenty to choose from. Perhaps the only bad thing about them is the amount they charge for each ticket!! (£45-60 coh!!). But I'm looking forward to seeing them play for sure. I will try and smuggle in my camera so plenty of high quality pics can be taken, cos my mobile phone isn't too great for that! Also I will post up an entry on the blog about them.
And also I will post up another entry on the Doctor Who Mannequin mania box set which I hope I will get in the post tomorrow (yeah c'mon the post!) as it features the double bill of Jon Pertwee's first and fifth stories, Spearhead from Space and Terror of the Autons. Both of the stories features the creepy plastic baddies, the autons (with their concealed hand guns, i.e. their hand drops out to reveal the gun!) as well as the introduction of the Doctor's arch nemesis, the Master. It will also feature a generous collection of extras documentaries and commentaries etc. The great thing about the DVDs of the old Doctor Who series is that the documentaries for each tend to be great, with plenty of good interviews from the cast and crews. It is also amusing to see just how old some of the cast members have got also.
On a sad note on Doctor Who, earlier this year saw the passing away of two of Doctor Who's most memorable actors Elisabeth Sladen (as Sarah Jane Smith) and Nicholas Courtney who played Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart. So its quite poignant when you hear them on recorded DVD commentaries, to know they've passed away since then is a shame, as well as the likes of Barry Letts former producer and director David Maloney.
But anyway despite that cheery note I'll look forward to getting the box set, and yes as I said a blog entry will be up about it soon enough, as it has been tennis overload of late and more of that to follow.
And back to that quickly, predictions for tomorrow: Djokovic will win in 3 sets (hopefully pushed very far!!! Or just a straight set destruction, but hope not!!).
On the woman side of the tour: Wozniacki and well Sam Stosur got through, and wow is she playing well just now!
And to win the titles: Probably Stosur because she is really on form and most likely Djokovic, but I want revenge for Rafa!!!
And on that note, tttttthat's alll!!!
Welly well, Novak Djokovic cannot stop winning just now, that's another one under his belt (he must need some big belt by now!!!!). As he has just blown the World No.5 Robin Soderling off the court in straight sets 6-3, 6-0, a quite convincing defeat. To be fair to Robin the outcome was probably also not helped by the fact he had sustained a leg injury during play in the second set, but it wouldn't have made a blind bit of difference to the outcome.
So that's Djokovic through to the semis and Andy Murray awaits him. The funny thing about this tournament is there has been a lot of rematches from previous grand slam events with different players, Schiavone vs Stosur, Li Na potentially vs Wozniacki, and now Andy vs Novak. After tonight's performance I'm starting to grow more doubtful that Andy can pull through this one. But in all honesty he is a much better player than Robin Soderling is, and he is capable of beating Djokovic, but not right now, the guy is just too good. But I sincerely hope the best for Andy tomorrow and hope he can push Djokovic as far as he can. The dangerous thing with Djoko now is, the more he plays on each surface, the quicker he can adapt to it, which means it'll be quicker for him to finish off matches. But rewatching the Australian Open footage of the final, I actually thought Andy didn't play at all badly, the first set showed great promise, and in the second he lost the plot, but in the third he pulled it back a bit. But what he needs is his absolute best form tonight, of the world tour finals Nadal match quality, but inconsistent sums up Murray lately, and Djokovic has been nothing but consistent.
However it all remains to be seen but I don't see the young Scot pulling through this one, or if he does I'd be very very impressed. But if he can at least take a set off him, it would make for a very impressive result too. Andy has said in interview he feels he is confident for tomorrow and he thinks he can beat Djokovic, but there is a big difference between thinking it and doing it. Ah well, time will tell.
Either way I think it will be a very intruiging (and potentially very frustrating, infuriating and disappointing) and perhaps just maybe the match of the tournament, or just another Djokovic demolition and total wash out. I'm out to see Rush at the SECC tomorrow so I'll checking the results on my phone furiously (and probably getting annoyed, frustrated, deflated and just maybe excited in between songs lol!). In fact I'm glad I will be out as if I saw it at home I'd be just a bag of nerves! But I do sense something different this time, I might be totally wrong here, but I don't think its going to be a pushover for Djoko, I just don't.
In fact a wee paragraph about Rush, one of the best rock bands that came out of Canada or anywhere else. This will be the third time I will have seen them play at the SECC, and every time their shows are great, which feature a nice mix of animation and great lighting effects (not to mention some vending machines or washing machines in the background, yes those crazy Canadians and their sense of humour!!). Rush's music has always been second to none and they have over 20 albums out so plenty to choose from. Perhaps the only bad thing about them is the amount they charge for each ticket!! (£45-60 coh!!). But I'm looking forward to seeing them play for sure. I will try and smuggle in my camera so plenty of high quality pics can be taken, cos my mobile phone isn't too great for that! Also I will post up an entry on the blog about them.
And also I will post up another entry on the Doctor Who Mannequin mania box set which I hope I will get in the post tomorrow (yeah c'mon the post!) as it features the double bill of Jon Pertwee's first and fifth stories, Spearhead from Space and Terror of the Autons. Both of the stories features the creepy plastic baddies, the autons (with their concealed hand guns, i.e. their hand drops out to reveal the gun!) as well as the introduction of the Doctor's arch nemesis, the Master. It will also feature a generous collection of extras documentaries and commentaries etc. The great thing about the DVDs of the old Doctor Who series is that the documentaries for each tend to be great, with plenty of good interviews from the cast and crews. It is also amusing to see just how old some of the cast members have got also.
On a sad note on Doctor Who, earlier this year saw the passing away of two of Doctor Who's most memorable actors Elisabeth Sladen (as Sarah Jane Smith) and Nicholas Courtney who played Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart. So its quite poignant when you hear them on recorded DVD commentaries, to know they've passed away since then is a shame, as well as the likes of Barry Letts former producer and director David Maloney.
But anyway despite that cheery note I'll look forward to getting the box set, and yes as I said a blog entry will be up about it soon enough, as it has been tennis overload of late and more of that to follow.
And back to that quickly, predictions for tomorrow: Djokovic will win in 3 sets (hopefully pushed very far!!! Or just a straight set destruction, but hope not!!).
On the woman side of the tour: Wozniacki and well Sam Stosur got through, and wow is she playing well just now!
And to win the titles: Probably Stosur because she is really on form and most likely Djokovic, but I want revenge for Rafa!!!
And on that note, tttttthat's alll!!!
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
Rome Part 3 Its dicy
I'll start with some of my thoughts on today's results at the Italian Open in Rome from the ATP Masters/WTA Premier 5 events.
To start with Djokovic breezed through his 2nd round opener match against an unseeded player Lukasz Kubot in 6-0, 6-3, although tomorrow he will face Swedish No.2 Stanilas Wawrinka, which could be a tricky match for him if Wawrinka plays well. However I get the feeling after Madrid Djokovic has started to really adjust well to the clay so a demolition might be on the cards, I hope not, because Wawrinka is a really strong player so hopefully it will be a good one. Federer eased through too against Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in straight sets 6-4, 6-2. Rafa however in his 2nd round match had a real scare as he played against an unseeded player Paolo Lorenzo who pushed him to a 3rd set, after Nadal lost the first set tiebreak, however he did come through it in 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-0.
This is a concern because normally Nadal never drops a set in an opening round on clay, so I do think his confidence has been shaken by his defeat to Djokovic last week. Rafa said that himself as he was not playing his best because he felt a bit tired, drained and a bit sad that he lost the Madrid title. The worry here is the tougher the players get will Rafa be able to maintain his concentration? As this means he will need to work harder. His next opponent will be fellow native Feliciano Lopez, which could be another really tough match, as Lopez was on form of late and took Federer to a 3 set tiebreak in Madrid, and even Djokovic to a 1st set tiebreak in Serbia.
I think like Andy Murray, Nadal has also been a bit shaken by his defeats from Djokovic, as he no longer appears so confident on the court as he plays him, after pushing him all the way in Miami and still not coming through, must have made Rafa realise how much he is up against it with this guy. And losing to him in Madrid slammed that home even more so. I think he will pull through his matches till the final, but I don't predict he will win against Djokovic this time either. And if Nadal loses before reaching the final he will lose his World No.1 ranking to Djokovic, but I think its inevitable that he will lose it. No doubt unless Rafa can pull off a surprise defeat on Sunday and end Djokovic's winning streak, we will see the Serb scream out in joy, holding his hands up in glee (as he does!).
No offence to Djokovic, his winning streak is highly impressive but I think its a case of one man with an excess of good fortune. It also leaves no room for unpredictability with Djokovic winning all the time either, some of Djokovic's clay court matches have been quite tough so far, but if he gets into a rhythm of winning matches quickly it can get tedious real quickly. Hopefully Djokovic can continue to be pushed more on the clay like he was last week, and to be fair to Djokovic the challenge for him I'm sure is just as enjoyable for us to watch as it must be for him, as I'm sure he feels more satisfaction coming through a tough but good win.
Anyway moving onto the Muzza, who faces his next opponent tomorrow, the italian Petito Starace, who defeated the Serb Victor Troicki tonight 6-4, 6-4. This again could be a potentially dangerous match for Andy, Starace is a good clay court player and he also has the home advantage, so it could work against him. However Andy has played and beaten Starace in the past so he does at least know this time who he is up against unlike with Thomaz Bellucci (who has been put out!) who he never played before. So hopefully we will see Andy come through this won, or maybe not, but it would be great if he can.
That's it the now!
To start with Djokovic breezed through his 2nd round opener match against an unseeded player Lukasz Kubot in 6-0, 6-3, although tomorrow he will face Swedish No.2 Stanilas Wawrinka, which could be a tricky match for him if Wawrinka plays well. However I get the feeling after Madrid Djokovic has started to really adjust well to the clay so a demolition might be on the cards, I hope not, because Wawrinka is a really strong player so hopefully it will be a good one. Federer eased through too against Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in straight sets 6-4, 6-2. Rafa however in his 2nd round match had a real scare as he played against an unseeded player Paolo Lorenzo who pushed him to a 3rd set, after Nadal lost the first set tiebreak, however he did come through it in 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-0.
This is a concern because normally Nadal never drops a set in an opening round on clay, so I do think his confidence has been shaken by his defeat to Djokovic last week. Rafa said that himself as he was not playing his best because he felt a bit tired, drained and a bit sad that he lost the Madrid title. The worry here is the tougher the players get will Rafa be able to maintain his concentration? As this means he will need to work harder. His next opponent will be fellow native Feliciano Lopez, which could be another really tough match, as Lopez was on form of late and took Federer to a 3 set tiebreak in Madrid, and even Djokovic to a 1st set tiebreak in Serbia.
I think like Andy Murray, Nadal has also been a bit shaken by his defeats from Djokovic, as he no longer appears so confident on the court as he plays him, after pushing him all the way in Miami and still not coming through, must have made Rafa realise how much he is up against it with this guy. And losing to him in Madrid slammed that home even more so. I think he will pull through his matches till the final, but I don't predict he will win against Djokovic this time either. And if Nadal loses before reaching the final he will lose his World No.1 ranking to Djokovic, but I think its inevitable that he will lose it. No doubt unless Rafa can pull off a surprise defeat on Sunday and end Djokovic's winning streak, we will see the Serb scream out in joy, holding his hands up in glee (as he does!).
No offence to Djokovic, his winning streak is highly impressive but I think its a case of one man with an excess of good fortune. It also leaves no room for unpredictability with Djokovic winning all the time either, some of Djokovic's clay court matches have been quite tough so far, but if he gets into a rhythm of winning matches quickly it can get tedious real quickly. Hopefully Djokovic can continue to be pushed more on the clay like he was last week, and to be fair to Djokovic the challenge for him I'm sure is just as enjoyable for us to watch as it must be for him, as I'm sure he feels more satisfaction coming through a tough but good win.
Anyway moving onto the Muzza, who faces his next opponent tomorrow, the italian Petito Starace, who defeated the Serb Victor Troicki tonight 6-4, 6-4. This again could be a potentially dangerous match for Andy, Starace is a good clay court player and he also has the home advantage, so it could work against him. However Andy has played and beaten Starace in the past so he does at least know this time who he is up against unlike with Thomaz Bellucci (who has been put out!) who he never played before. So hopefully we will see Andy come through this won, or maybe not, but it would be great if he can.
That's it the now!
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
Rome part 2 this time its error strewn
Well the second round of the Italian Open is well on the way now and Andy Murray has finished his first match of the tournament against Xavier Malisse, which he came through after a real struggle and an error strewn performance against the spirited Belgian in 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. In a way it was a miracle that Andy managed to pull through this match as his performance was pretty poor, to be fair his return game was for the most part really good but his service game was terrible, as he dropped so many first serves, with it down as far as 50%. First serves has always been Andy's main achilles heel in tennis and today was a bad one, however where he won was mostly on attacking Malisse's service, and Andy did produce some excellent shots, as did the Belgian. In the first set Andy did play quite well, but in the second he lost control of the match letting Malisse in to take the second set, but in the third Andy pulled it back despite making more errors, but he did at least serve out the match in style with 3 much needed aces. And yes he has finally trimmed his barnet hairdo a bit!
So again it wasn't a pretty win by any means, but Andy is once more through to the 3rd round, but the worrying thing is he really needs to improve his game this week otherwise he will be out early again like last week in Madrid. At least in his post match interview he admitted his game was too much up and down, so he was honest, which again is one of Murray's best traits, being honest and not giving any excuses. His next opponent will be either the Serb Victor Troicki or Potito Starace, either one could be troublesome for Andy so he really will need to step up his game if he wants any chance of getting through. One thing is for sure if he maintains this form he won't, and even if he did, he would get torn apart by Djokovic in the semis. So c'mon Muzza, pull it together lad! At least he has the day off tomorrow to concentrate on his game more, just hope it helps.
In another match Robin Soderling saved a match point against Fernando Verdasco in the second set to take it to a 3rd set, where Verdasco double faulted three times to hand Soderling three match points in the 3rd. In a way another good comeback, well better than Murray's for sure.
On the WTA side of things Francesca Schiavone advanced through the third round after a convincing defeat against American Christine McHale in 6-3, 6-1, as did Maria Sharapova who took out fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova in 6-1, 6-1. The rest of the top players will play tomorrow also on the ladies side we have Caroline Wozniacki, Sam Stosur and Victoria Azarenka. On the ATP side we have the top 3 out with Rafa, Djokovic and Federer all starting their blanket massacre campaigns. ;-)
More to follow!
So again it wasn't a pretty win by any means, but Andy is once more through to the 3rd round, but the worrying thing is he really needs to improve his game this week otherwise he will be out early again like last week in Madrid. At least in his post match interview he admitted his game was too much up and down, so he was honest, which again is one of Murray's best traits, being honest and not giving any excuses. His next opponent will be either the Serb Victor Troicki or Potito Starace, either one could be troublesome for Andy so he really will need to step up his game if he wants any chance of getting through. One thing is for sure if he maintains this form he won't, and even if he did, he would get torn apart by Djokovic in the semis. So c'mon Muzza, pull it together lad! At least he has the day off tomorrow to concentrate on his game more, just hope it helps.
In another match Robin Soderling saved a match point against Fernando Verdasco in the second set to take it to a 3rd set, where Verdasco double faulted three times to hand Soderling three match points in the 3rd. In a way another good comeback, well better than Murray's for sure.
On the WTA side of things Francesca Schiavone advanced through the third round after a convincing defeat against American Christine McHale in 6-3, 6-1, as did Maria Sharapova who took out fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova in 6-1, 6-1. The rest of the top players will play tomorrow also on the ladies side we have Caroline Wozniacki, Sam Stosur and Victoria Azarenka. On the ATP side we have the top 3 out with Rafa, Djokovic and Federer all starting their blanket massacre campaigns. ;-)
More to follow!
Monday, 9 May 2011
When in Rome
Guess what??? You will never guess what this post is about. Never. Give up??? Ok. Yup its more of the T word!
The ATP 1000 Masters and WTA Premier 5 (worth 900 points) series Italian open in Rome (or the Internazionali BNL d'Italia) has gotten underway already this week, with yet another opporunity for the top seeds to take on each other and try and battle for supremacy. So it promises to hopefully be another fine tournament just like the Madrid Open which was so far the best clay court tournament of the season. Again the draw has been shaken up with some players in different sides of the draw, Federer and Nadal are still in the same draw (well they are the odd numbered players so usually it works that way odd draw and even draw) and Murray and Djokovic are in the same draw too.
Which brings me once again onto the young Briton who has struggled this year to win a title so far. But so far apart from Djokovic, Andy's draw doesn't appear to be too bad, as his first opponent is Xavier Malisse whom he has previously beaten before twice in their last two meetings. But again its easy to suppose he will win the match, but hopefully he should, all good and well and as long as his elbow doesn't trouble him and he can adjust well to the court conditions, which Andy has said in the past were quite well suited to him. Anyway he faces Malisse tomorrow evening so I'll be watching that one with keen interest, after that match should he win, he'll go onto possibly face Victor Troicki and Jurgen Melzer in the quarter finals before facing the mammoth test in Djokovic.
I hope Andy does well and gets to the semis as if he is on form this week then it will make for a potentially exciting match, but again he could just get a straight set ass handing (to coin a phrase!) from the Djoker, but I think he still has plenty left in the tank and he ain't done yet. The Muzza also said he aims to win the Rome tournament, from here I don't see it, but I admire his ambition at least, and should he pull off such a miraculous event, it would certainly stand him in good stead as a possible contender for the French Open. Not to mention it would make for a great birthday present as he will turn 24 on the day the Rome tournament ends on15 May. But there is also the problem of his elbow injury, which could flare up again at some point, and it would be really crap for him if he had to retire during the French Open for example, but he'll just have to stay fit and healthy to try and avoid that.
On the WTA side of the Italian Open, all the top seeds are pretty much playing, although Madrid Open ladies winner Petra Kvitova isn't playing, so just maybe that might give the Madrid finalist Victoria Azarenka a chance of winning ths time. Of course there is also the home favourite and last year's French Open champion, Francesca Schiavone (Dave Grohl lookalike!) who also might stand a chance, but she has really been up and down in her performance since the Australian Open where she put in an impressive run up until the quarter finals against Caroline Wozniacki. In fact since watching her on the WTA tour on Eurosport I haven't seen her win a single match every time I watch her! Caroline Wozniacki might have an outside chance but she's not the best clay court player, as was clearly displayed last week when she went out in the 3rd round against semi finalist Julia Goerges who beat her for the second time. But its all to play for.
So anyway another tournament is on the go, so I'll be watching intently once more. Will Rafa win? (hope so! Cmon the Rafa!!!) Will Djokovic? (most likely!), will Andy beat Rafa or Djokovic? (Naw!! But would be great if he gets to face Djoko, cmon Muzza!!) or will Federer makes a miraculous victory? (bigger hmmmm!). Will Caroline Wozniacki win her first red clay title? (Hmmm) Will Azarenka get there first? (probably) Will Schiavone win instead?? (Yahheeee! No sure) Am I doing too many of these questions??? (Yup!!!)
Once more we shall see whit happens.
The ATP 1000 Masters and WTA Premier 5 (worth 900 points) series Italian open in Rome (or the Internazionali BNL d'Italia) has gotten underway already this week, with yet another opporunity for the top seeds to take on each other and try and battle for supremacy. So it promises to hopefully be another fine tournament just like the Madrid Open which was so far the best clay court tournament of the season. Again the draw has been shaken up with some players in different sides of the draw, Federer and Nadal are still in the same draw (well they are the odd numbered players so usually it works that way odd draw and even draw) and Murray and Djokovic are in the same draw too.
Which brings me once again onto the young Briton who has struggled this year to win a title so far. But so far apart from Djokovic, Andy's draw doesn't appear to be too bad, as his first opponent is Xavier Malisse whom he has previously beaten before twice in their last two meetings. But again its easy to suppose he will win the match, but hopefully he should, all good and well and as long as his elbow doesn't trouble him and he can adjust well to the court conditions, which Andy has said in the past were quite well suited to him. Anyway he faces Malisse tomorrow evening so I'll be watching that one with keen interest, after that match should he win, he'll go onto possibly face Victor Troicki and Jurgen Melzer in the quarter finals before facing the mammoth test in Djokovic.
I hope Andy does well and gets to the semis as if he is on form this week then it will make for a potentially exciting match, but again he could just get a straight set ass handing (to coin a phrase!) from the Djoker, but I think he still has plenty left in the tank and he ain't done yet. The Muzza also said he aims to win the Rome tournament, from here I don't see it, but I admire his ambition at least, and should he pull off such a miraculous event, it would certainly stand him in good stead as a possible contender for the French Open. Not to mention it would make for a great birthday present as he will turn 24 on the day the Rome tournament ends on15 May. But there is also the problem of his elbow injury, which could flare up again at some point, and it would be really crap for him if he had to retire during the French Open for example, but he'll just have to stay fit and healthy to try and avoid that.
On the WTA side of the Italian Open, all the top seeds are pretty much playing, although Madrid Open ladies winner Petra Kvitova isn't playing, so just maybe that might give the Madrid finalist Victoria Azarenka a chance of winning ths time. Of course there is also the home favourite and last year's French Open champion, Francesca Schiavone (Dave Grohl lookalike!) who also might stand a chance, but she has really been up and down in her performance since the Australian Open where she put in an impressive run up until the quarter finals against Caroline Wozniacki. In fact since watching her on the WTA tour on Eurosport I haven't seen her win a single match every time I watch her! Caroline Wozniacki might have an outside chance but she's not the best clay court player, as was clearly displayed last week when she went out in the 3rd round against semi finalist Julia Goerges who beat her for the second time. But its all to play for.
So anyway another tournament is on the go, so I'll be watching intently once more. Will Rafa win? (hope so! Cmon the Rafa!!!) Will Djokovic? (most likely!), will Andy beat Rafa or Djokovic? (Naw!! But would be great if he gets to face Djoko, cmon Muzza!!) or will Federer makes a miraculous victory? (bigger hmmmm!). Will Caroline Wozniacki win her first red clay title? (Hmmm) Will Azarenka get there first? (probably) Will Schiavone win instead?? (Yahheeee! No sure) Am I doing too many of these questions??? (Yup!!!)
Once more we shall see whit happens.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)