ATP Miami

Michael · Pro player

RE: ATP Miami

eblunt · Club Coach

indiana wrote:

I agree with you re what Andy's potential first 4 rounds' opponents are. I'm not sure there would be a 5th round if he got as far as meeting Nadal ! However, I'd certainly take getting through 3 rounds and then a chance to match up with Nadal. Yeah, Henman's draw . Think this could be the last Masters Series tournament that he gets automatic entry to for a while. If he loses to Safin, he'd probably drop to a mid 60s ranking and I think the European clay Masters Series tournaments have fields of 64, so once you subtract for WCs and qualifiers, it doesn't look good. I'm presuming the automatic entries for these will not be decided until after Miami.

I wonder if Tim would play qualies anymore ? Can you really see him struggling away in qualies for tourneys he's played as a seed for the last 8 years or so ? Thats what really makes me wonder why folks are so optimistic about Tim getting back to the top 20. As things stand he won't get an automatic for any Masters after Miami, so he'll me dependant on GS and ordinary ATP tourneys to get the points to come back up. Without a real good run in a GS I can't see a whole load of points coming back, and RG and the clay season won't be prime hunting ground either.

I may be completely wrong, just my personal opinion of course

aria81 · Club Coach

Tim will get WC's from loads of tournaments. Despite what the BBC board likes to think, most real tennis fans love Tim's style of play and I bet there would be plenty of tournaments willing to give him wildcards. Just look at the number of wildcards Phillipousis has had this year.

stagger · Club Coach

eblunt wrote:

I wonder if Tim would play qualies anymore ? Can you really see him struggling away in qualies for tourneys he's played as a seed for the last 8 years or so ? Thats what really makes me wonder why folks are so optimistic about Tim getting back to the top 20. As things stand he won't get an automatic for any Masters after Miami, so he'll me dependant on GS and ordinary ATP tourneys to get the points to come back up. Without a real good run in a GS I can't see a whole load of points coming back, and RG and the clay season won't be prime hunting ground either.
I may be completely wrong, just my personal opinion of course

I'm not a henman-basher, i love to watch him play and i think, unfortunatley, he is of a dying breed of players. however, unless he receives enough wildcards to keep him going, i dont think we will be seeing much more of him. now he has dropped out of the top 50, retired from DC, produced a couple of hen-kids and begun the slide down the rankings, i predict a post-wombledon retirement announcement. i just cannot see him languishing around with the journeymen in the lower ranks after what has been a good, if not brilliant, career. back in the top 20? no way.

Rusedski, on the other hand, is much more of a scrapper. he has the guts and the attitude to get back a few points here and there and work his way up again. i'd give him another year or two.

-- Edited by stagger at 07:52, 2006-03-22