Week 40 - Challenger ($100,000) - Sacramento, USA (Hard)

plankton · Social player

RE: Week 40 - Challenger ($100,000) - Sacramento, USA (Hard)

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

I don't think that it had any real impact on yesterday's game but Dan has been complaining off and on about toothache recently and his last tweet says that it's driving him mad, he's now on medication but it's no better.

Salmon · Tennis legend

Perhaps A1 can suggest some better medication?

bartman2099 · Lower Club Player

No big deal, should be chalked up to the wind.
Playing in windy conditions, 10mph or even 15mph, is something but anything above 20mph is a nightmare, it's not really tennis anymore because you lose so much control of where the ball is going to be.
I actually think there should be a rule to delay a match in high winds as they do when it rains. It's just a different game.

indiana · Tennis legend

Yes, it's no great shock given Evo's record in high winds. But it could happen again and at an important time so it would be some time potentially well spent analysing what he does wrong in very / extremely windy conditions and seeking solutions.

Interesting one re delaying a match in extreme winds. I admit I didn't actually witness yesterday, but it appears an acceptable tennis match took place. I would be reluctant to effectively penalise the player who has got a better game for such conditions.

I don't know how it compared to Andy's US Open SF last year, but I would say never have delayed that.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

I agree. It was very windy but there wasn't any debris flying onto the courts or anything to make it dangerous.

There are a couple of clubs on the south coast in France where it's often extremely windy off the sea AND, because it barely ever freezes, you play outside nearly all the year (clay courts obviously).

These guy (male and female) are absolute demons at playing in the wind - known for it. They use an enormous amount of top-spin to control the ball, have grips that are so extreme that they're practically holding the racket the wrong way round.
And so unlike most players, who're told to go to the net when it's windy (to shorten the point and make the ball have less trajectory, less time to be 'caught by the wind', they happily trade ground shots in the most horrible winds.
It's what they've grown up with, what they've learnt to do. Everybody has strengths and weaknesses.

Dan's thing with wind may have become a bit of a vicious circle now - i.e. he hates wind because he loses and so when it's windy he loses.

stevemcqueen · Futures qualifying

Actually, there was debris being blown onto the court - thats why they had to get out those petrol powered blowers.

Dan really needs a good week in Tiburon. I wonder how hard he will try in the doubles tomorrow? On the subject of doubles, did anybody see Brian Martinez and Robert Kendrick with their match against Krajcek & Kudla? Brian Martinez is the head pro at the club where this event is being held, and he was given a wildcard. Brian is 34 yrs old and would make Marcus look skinny! As far as I can make out, he's never won ant points in either single or doubles. Kendrick played a blinder, Brian was competent and now finds him self with a cheque for $1k and 35 points! He be ranked in the top 900!!!! What a great story!! His kids and grandkids will get sick of it!

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Del Potro ? Really ? Gosh, I don't see him like that at all - to me, Nick is a jumpy, fast player, with lots of spin (and a dodgy mental focus). He should have lost his match three times over to Thanasi (although he did well to up the ante in the third).

I've been watching Jenkins' game on and off this evening - quite fun, he certainly has a different approach to the game. I don't really see him as top 100 either but he has amassed a lot of points in just three months and now, at challengers is close to making the semis, so he;s obviosuly very much on an upwards trajectory and may well have a bit more power but not be too confident about using it yet - he's SO inexperienced at this level.

-- Edited by Coup Droit on Friday 4th of October 2013 10:17:04 PM

steven · Tennis legend

korriban wrote:
It's easily forgotten, but Andy Murray is a master at playing the conditions, and there are times in tournaments where he abandons his preferred game in favour of simply making life as horrible as humanly possible for the opponent until they eventually capitulate....he plays the percentages. This is particularly the case in difficult conditions such as gusting winds or where the opponent has a particular weakness (eg movement).
Mr Murray doesn't, I'd suggest, consider it a blow to his pride when he doesn't just blast an inferior opponent off the court as Novak or the Fed will often do, and that he often concedes more games that the other big 4 greats. All he cares about is winning.
From what I saw today, my take is that Dan didn't really give anyway near enough respect to his opponent or to the awful conditions - in other words pride or over confidence may have got in the way - he thought he could win playing however he wanted because he's a much better player. If only matchplay worked like that.

I'm sure you are correct in thinking That Dan would probably have won had he taken more account of the conditions and his opponent's strengths and weaknesses, but maybe it will have been a worthwhile learning experience. I mean, you say Andy is a master at playing the conditions, and he certainly is good at that now, but I can well remember that Indian Wells final (2009, I think) when Rafa handled the strong wind much better than Andy did and thrashed him 1 & 2. Maybe Andy's improvement at dealing with different conditions was partly prompted by the embarrassment/frustration of that loss.

Julia Carrot · All-time great

Dan tweeted 50 mins ago

'At dentist about to have the tooth out wowwwwwwww #numbbbbbbb'

Poor Dan

stevemcqueen · Futures qualifying

He has pulled out of the doubles. Wise move!

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

stevemcqueen wrote:
He has pulled out of the doubles. Wise move!

Yeah, and doubt Nick will not be too upset - he's already got his work cut out trying to win his singles and not just throw away the second set . . .

Julia Carrot · All-time great

stevemcqueen wrote:
He has pulled out of the doubles. Wise move!

'pulled' being the operative word !!!

Well, had been looking forward to watching that, but in truth glad to have an early night !

stevemcqueen · Futures qualifying

Klahn v. Krygios is an entertaining match. They are going into the third set - Krygios had a bad lapse of concentration. He has a monster forehand! My money is on BK though - he is more consistant.

steven · Tennis legend

stevemcqueen wrote:
Klahn v. Krygios is an entertaining match. They are going into the third set - Krygios had a bad lapse of concentration. He has a monster forehand! My money is on BK though - he is more consistant.

For a moment, I thought Calvin was having a good week and somehow I hadn't noticed ...