I've gone for Murray in 3. I think he's got a few more weapons than Volandri but he might start slow again.

Copying my post from the ATP Rome thread:

What a horrible draw from Andy, getting drawn in the same section as Nadal for the 2nd time in this year's clay-court season. However, it's by no means absolutely certain that he'll face Nadal in rd2 - Nadal has close friend, compatriot and former french open champion and former world no 1 Carlos Moya in rd1 - that's a really tricky draw though I'd still be very surprised if Nadal doesn't win in straight sets.

Looking ahead to Murray v Volandri:

Volandri is 24, ranked 45 in the world with a career high of 28 which was reached in May 2005. His 2006 win-loss record is 14-11. Volandri also took a break from tournament action last week. He's played 6 clay tournaments so far this year. His best performance of 2006 came in Bueno Aires in Feburary where he reached the final losing to Moya, he lost in rd2 of Salvador and rd1 of Acapulco. In April he reached the quarters in Valencia before losing to rising Spanish star Nicholas Almagro, he lost in rd1 of Monte Carlo to hard-hitting Argentinian Jose Acasuso, and he reached rd2 of Barcelona beating wildcard Andrea Stoppini before losing to Radek Stepanek. In 2005, he was very impressive on the clay reaching quarters in Monte Carlo and Hamburg and reaching ATP semis and finals on clay. I've seen Volandri play once before [at Wimbledon against Ivanisevic,] Volandri lost and he's a hard hitter from the back of the court and very consistent but he didn't seem to have any major weapons. He's also part of the new breed of clay-court specialists who are decent volleyers.

My prediction: It'll be a tight one, definately 3 sets so hopefully Murray's suspect stamina will have improved and his back problems will have benefitted from nearly 2 weeks rest. On top form, I'd be confident that Murray would win as he's got more variety in his game than the Italian and also I reckon he's got the weapons to hurt Volandri from the baseline while I'm not convinced that Volandri can hit through Murray. However, Murray hasn't yet produced anything like his best tennis so far on the clay.


I'm not particularly worried about Andy having no coach, I'm sure that Judy will help him a lot with her excellent analysis of his opponents as she did at Queens and Wimbledon last summer. It's far better for Andy to go out on court with a clear mind, playing how he wants and and with a game style which feels comfortable and natural then to go out on court being not sure whether to attack or defend and feeling annoyed that he's being made to play so many tournaments as he feels he needs a break.

I've gone for Andy in 3. I think he should be able to beat Volandri.

As for the coach situation, I think he needs to find one as soon as possible but the worst thing he could do is rush into the decision and find it doesn't work for him so at the moment I'm happy to see him carrying on without one. Of course if he does badly for a couple of tournaments I might change my opinion!

I doubt I'll do that!

Has my level changed? I can't remember where I was!

LTA preview of this match:

If rankings are anything to go by, Rusedski faces the most arduous task as he takes on Spaniard Tommy Robredo who may be seeded 12th for the tournament but this week stands proudly in tenth position on the Indesit ATP world rankings and has won both the pair’s previous confrontations on the American cement of Cincinnati.

However both Murray and Henman will not only have to confront Italian opposition but also the fiercely patriotic Roman crowd. Murray, hoping to feel revitalised after opting to miss last week’s Portuguese event in Estoril in order not to aggravate a back injury, must take on Italian no.1 Filippo Volandri who is placed just two spots below the Scot in 46th position.

Volandri may have slumped a little after being ranked inside the world’s top 30 this time last year but the 24 year-old from Livorno was still adept enough on clay to reach February’s final in Buenos Aires where he lost to former world no.1 and French Open champion Carlos Moya. More recently the Italian was a quarter-finalist in Valencia and won both his Davis Cup rubbers against Luxembourg without losing a set on the clay of Torre del Greco. Should Murray be successful he will face either Moya or second seeded Rafael Nadal in the second round.

Tough match so I'll say Andy in 3 but I can see it going either way. After recent results Andy could really use a good start.

Andy plays tonight 9pm local time on the central court.

(Tim plays first up at 1pm local time on the central court).