You don't quit when you're down...
[1] R. Federer d. [3] N. Djokovic 63 32 Ret.
Down a set and a break against Federer, Djokovic retired, for reasons as yet unknown (EDIT: acute exacerbation of mild cold that never bothered him while he was bagelling Andy Murray and Sam Querrey. Pretty disappointing behaviour from a guy who's very likely to stay in the mix for top dog for the next few years). He didn't seem to have any problems coming into this match, dispatching his first three opponents with impunity, so it's probably something that came up in the last 24 hours or so (EDIT: 3 days, actually). I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt here, as health issues are health issues and he didn't really need the extra points by this stage (early exit last year yadayada). Still, quitting when the chips are down naturally opens a person to criticism; whether or not this is warranted is another issue altogether. The internet will be abuzz with speculation in the next few hours.
I'm (judiciously) overjoyed at this result. By getting into the final, Federer has successfully defended his points from this tournament last year. Better still, he seems to have found himself again, from what I saw of the first set (first time I've watched him play this week). It seems that staring down the barrel of the gun against Ramirez-Hidalgo on Wednesday did him a world of good; since that match, he's fought back after being a set down against Nalbandian, and fought back against the people who believed he was out for good (I ashamedly admit to toying with that possibility, but am too much of a fan to ultimately be anything other than hopeful). No quitting for this chap, it seems. Here's to the rest of the season. I'm not suddenly expecting great things, but remain my usual self: cautiously optimistic.
[2] R. Nadal d. [4] N. Davydenko 63 62
Kolya fought with a buzzing insect before serving for the first point of the match. I suspect he felt like that insect today against Nadal. Neither player was at his best, but Nadal dispatched Kolya without much difficulty at all despite not cranking it up. Nadal reaches the final not having dropped more than 6 games in a match.
----- Predictions for the Monte Carlo final -----
[1] R. Federer v. [2] R. Nadal - Nadal
Who would've thought? It's been a long time since this happened last. A Fed-Nadal final. I hope to see Federer try out some of Higueras' ideas tomorrow, and make it a good match. Ultimately, though, I expect that Rafa will win, since clay season = Rafa season. There's still a month to Roland Garros, though, and lots of tennis to be played...
Meanwhile, though, I'm really kicking ass with the Challenge Bracket this time. By picking all the usual boring suspects for the semifinals and finals (yes I called the Fed-Nadal final in a fit of unusual clairvoyance), I am now 623rd out of a field of 6953 with 120 points.
Down a set and a break against Federer, Djokovic retired, for reasons as yet unknown (EDIT: acute exacerbation of mild cold that never bothered him while he was bagelling Andy Murray and Sam Querrey. Pretty disappointing behaviour from a guy who's very likely to stay in the mix for top dog for the next few years). He didn't seem to have any problems coming into this match, dispatching his first three opponents with impunity, so it's probably something that came up in the last 24 hours or so (EDIT: 3 days, actually). I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt here, as health issues are health issues and he didn't really need the extra points by this stage (early exit last year yadayada). Still, quitting when the chips are down naturally opens a person to criticism; whether or not this is warranted is another issue altogether. The internet will be abuzz with speculation in the next few hours.
I'm (judiciously) overjoyed at this result. By getting into the final, Federer has successfully defended his points from this tournament last year. Better still, he seems to have found himself again, from what I saw of the first set (first time I've watched him play this week). It seems that staring down the barrel of the gun against Ramirez-Hidalgo on Wednesday did him a world of good; since that match, he's fought back after being a set down against Nalbandian, and fought back against the people who believed he was out for good (I ashamedly admit to toying with that possibility, but am too much of a fan to ultimately be anything other than hopeful). No quitting for this chap, it seems. Here's to the rest of the season. I'm not suddenly expecting great things, but remain my usual self: cautiously optimistic.
[2] R. Nadal d. [4] N. Davydenko 63 62
Kolya fought with a buzzing insect before serving for the first point of the match. I suspect he felt like that insect today against Nadal. Neither player was at his best, but Nadal dispatched Kolya without much difficulty at all despite not cranking it up. Nadal reaches the final not having dropped more than 6 games in a match.
----- Predictions for the Monte Carlo final -----
[1] R. Federer v. [2] R. Nadal - Nadal
Who would've thought? It's been a long time since this happened last. A Fed-Nadal final. I hope to see Federer try out some of Higueras' ideas tomorrow, and make it a good match. Ultimately, though, I expect that Rafa will win, since clay season = Rafa season. There's still a month to Roland Garros, though, and lots of tennis to be played...
Meanwhile, though, I'm really kicking ass with the Challenge Bracket this time. By picking all the usual boring suspects for the semifinals and finals (yes I called the Fed-Nadal final in a fit of unusual clairvoyance), I am now 623rd out of a field of 6953 with 120 points.