2012 U. S. Open Championships...New York, New York

[stevenmila]

Adam...

Steve Johnson... maybe Adam Sandler -

John McEnroe (USA) /
Adam Sandler(USA)
vs.
Jim Courier (USA) /
Kevin James(USA)
its the warm up for the main event - joker- delpo

[klacr]

T-Berd Bandwagon. Plenty of room left. Been here since the IPO

Murray will be pleased he doesn't have to play Federer. He will still have to get through Djokovic, though, and that won't be easy. Murray will be hoping Del Potro can pull of an upset today.

Am I the only crazy one that thinks Berdych has a chance?

Murray still has to play Berdych. Let's not overlook a man that can beat Federer. In Federer's career at Grand Slams, there have only been 4 men that have beaten him 2 times or more, they are Nadal, Djokovic, Nalbandian and Berdych.

At the end of the day, Berdych has just as many grand slams as Murray.

Guess I'll just stick with T-Berd. Loyal to a fault. I'll go down with the ship. Been on the bandwagon long enough. Not getting off now or anytime soon.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

Would have...and could have?

Am I the only crazy one that thinks Berdych has a chance?

At the end of the day, Berdych has just as many grand slams as Murray.

Guess I'll just stick with T-Berd. Loyal to a fault. I'll go down with the ship. Been on the bandwagon long enough. Not getting off now or anytime soon.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

Nothing wrong with loyalty in my book Kyle LaCroix. Go down with the ship and be the last one to leave...we are short on heroes these days. Real heroes. Just one last comment about things here...at the U. S. Open.

Right now I am watching some of the Berdych takedown of the Swiss Maestro and a couple of things occurred to me. Number one and foremost...Roger wore the white socks with the dark blue outfit and matching shoes. Fashion faux pas Rog...big mistake and The Big Bird capitalized on your judgement, your lack of color coordination.

Number two Mr. Federer...is the racquet. Would somebody at Wilson please send this guy something that will prolong his career another year so that I might remain interested in the professional game of tennis. Without this guy things seem a bit drab in the Big Apple now.

Lastly...it's the draw. Perhaps a few of you now will tend to agree with me and my complaint about the seeds not being awarded their just rewards for earning their seed position. Things may of been different if Roger had been slated to play Tipsarevic in the quarters and then Ferrer in the semis. Even the other semi with Murray and Djokovic would of been more compelling.

So I am with you Kyle...why not Tomas Berdych. And doesn't he have one Slam and Murray has zero? But on the other hand...if Murray should take the whole thing I would be most pleased for our good friend in the UK...licensedcoach.

[stevenmila]

a poor sportsman

Congratulations Andy - Tomas - received his comeuppance - glad to see his arrogant smile was wiped off his face - all that gloating and smiling during the fed match such poor gamesmanship - Break a leg Novak...

[stotty]

Murray...maybe Djokovic.

I agree with don_budge about the seeding issue. We're on the same page with that one.

Good to see Murray come through against Birdy. He nearly slipped up in that third set...got a little careless.

It's very windy in that big arena today. That could act as a leveller in the Djokovic/Ferrer match. But Djokovic will take some stopping. He's looked brutally efficient in every round so far. Has there ever been a better player on hard courts than Djokovic? I can't think of one. His movement is so good he makes the court shrink. He is so strong on both wings, where Nadal and Federer are only that strong on one wing. Djokovic does have inexplicable lapses, though. He nearly always has them...but then surges back with exceptional play. It's when his back is to wall that he plays the most incredible tennis.

Murray is in the final now. If Djokovic defeats Ferrer as expected, Murray will have to play game of his life to lift the title.

[klacr]

Could it be?

On this very day, September 10th in 1933...

Fred perry won his 1st ever major as the #3 seed at the US Open.

Could this be a sign?

I don't think so. I like Djokovic in 4 comfortable sets.

But for Murray's sake, if he wins, he's earned it.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[klacr]

Over/Under

If Murray is unable to beat Djokovic today, what is the over/under for the amount of times he pulls on his hamstring, grabs his back, or makes a grimace as if he's passing a kidney stone. anyone?


Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[stotty]

Finally...

Finally, my man comes through.

The wind played heavily in Murray's favour. I came to the conclusion that Djokovic is not a lover of playing in the wind. Conversely, Murray used the wind to good effect.

Though the match ebbed and flowed unpredictably, Murray looked incredibly good for periods of time. It's not easy to knock Djokovic from pillar to post as he did at times. Murray is the cleanest hitter ever when he has those spells.

I am so pleased Murray has finally won a slam. He deserves it. I've seen Djokovic play better, but over here in the UK we'll take victory any way we can get it.

[klacr]

Murray did it. All the credit in the world. Awesome performance. No one said it would be easy. Murray played a smarter match and handled the wind like a champ. He deserves it. I love when someone proves me wrong. Murray's victory is great for tennis.


Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

licensedcoach...

The only joy that the results gave me...is knowing that our friend licensedcoach aka Stotty is happy today. Happy for you my good man!

[stotty]

Sliced backhands...

Being a Brit I am naturally delighted Andy Murray won the US Open. He definitely succeeded in neutralising Djokovic in a way no one else has managed to to date. Not only that, he brutally dominated rallies and even got Djokovic to retreat well behind his baseline at times. Djokovic had no answers and even started to panic early in the second set. It was looking like a rout in the first half of that second set.

But I was amazed, amazed that Djokovic was electing to hit sliced backhands instead of his pulverising drive. He opted for sliced backhands way too often and for no good reason. Djokovic's sliced backhand is a woeful shot. There is seldom a situation where his sliced backhand will serve him better than his drive. He can't hit effective sliced backhands like Murray and Federer, sliced backhands that are difficult to deal with and that will change up play.

Djokovic has been edgy and nervous in the big matches since the end of his stella year in 2011. I'm worried he's lost his nerve somewhat.

[stevenmila]

Sir Andy.

What an incredible win for Murray - as an Ex Brit I was - thrilled to pieces -
I think Novak went to the slice out of fatigue - not to mention in a way similar to the French It appeared that he is using the inside out/ in - considerably less and opting to go with backhand - thus conserving all that mileage - also I think he was tempting Murray to come to the net with that short spineless slice - but Murray was way more selective on the net approaches.

It is hard to see Fed beating these guys in a meaningful way on a hard court - their game is so much more complete, at least in today's terms of slow play grind-outs - In particular both Murray and Novak's backhand on the run does not result in a slice but an open stance drive - no doubt to be competitive in the future a slice on the run just won't cut it - the sheer athleticism of these games is quite something.

I believe that Murray's win has finally ushered in the end of the Fed era - sad as it is to say this - and a transitional period where there are a few leaders in the pack.

I wonder when he'll get his knighthood.

[nikae]

As a Serbian, I must admit that I am glad that Murray won. He simply played way better then Djokovic and deserved the win.

[GeoffWilliams]

Too much fear and he was hurt or cramping. Never seen him hit so many slice snots that layed up for M. to crush. Bad choice tactically. Sad to see such rotten strategy.

[bottle]

My Take

I’ve described before my meeting with Luke Jensen. We were on the opposite sides of a chain link fence in Michigan so we couldn’t shake hands but does that matter?

The 2012 U.S. Open had a spectacular ending, what with its high winds, its last instant choke by Victoria Azarenka, and its non-choke victory by a Brit for the first time since 1936 when Fred Perry won it.

The high winds of New York city meant that the men’s final was held on Monday, so that the usual broadcasting team of John and Patrick McEnroe was unable to come via television into the house where Hope and I live.

Instead, like thousands or millions, I sat at my computer and watched the Open website feed complete with high definition panoramas of the packed Arthur Ashe Stadium, the biggest tennis venue in the world.

Commentary was by Luke Jensen and Al Trautwig.

Here is a video of Trautwig’s coverage of Luke Jensen jumping into the Flushing fountain a few years before just so you can see what they look like in case you didn’t already know.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDjcP_NNmMc

Jensen began by noting how many times Novak Djokovic was falling down. In fact Djokovic skinned both knees. Later, he changed his shoes which seemed to help. But in the first set Andy Murray went to 4-0 . Of Novak, Luke said, “He’s going for big shots too much, he doesn’t have a plan, he isn’t putting the ball in play, his second serve isn’t working.” Then, “Djokovic has to decide what he’s going to do with this effort...How much does this match truly mean to Djokovic?...He needs focus, toughness and mad dog meanness.”

Despite the truth of all this, Novak drew close. The scores for the first two unbelievably long sets were 7-6, 7-5 .

In the third and fourth sets, which Djokovic not only won but won easily, the scores were 6-2, 6-3 .

Tennis fans are aware of the 6-2 fifth set blowout, so my true goal is not to re-cap the match.

Rather, I wish to uphold my general philosophy of tennis, which is, that, once one has completed a bit of boot camp at the very beginning, tennis should always be personal.

And so, since I’ve met Luke Jensen but not John McEnroe, I have some degree more interest in what Jensen has to say—this just seems natural to me. Also, I think that Jensen, the Syracuse University women’s coach and regular World Team Tennis announcer, is the closest successor to Vic Braden in the lighthearted way he conducts clinics and relates to broad swatches of the tennis public everywhere.

This was another side of Luke Jensen though, as he tried to delve into the psyche of both players deeper than any sports announcer ever has. Just as he criticized Djokovic in the early sets, he now pointed to Murray’s easing up in the third and fourth. “Is this going to be like the women’s final yesterday? When Azarenka was ahead but didn’t have the nerve to get across the finish line?”

If I make it seem that Luke Jensen never had a positive thing to say about either player, I apologize, that simply isn’t true. Of a Djokovic shot Jensen said, “I’ve never seen the ball hit there.” And a lot else about both.

The trouble is that the positive comments that any announcers make about top players sound alike. Announcers might compare Federer’s movement separately to Nureyev, Baryshnikov, Astaire or Nijinsky but the basic idea would remain the same.

Being negative in a constructive way of course, the same announcer can become more individuated quickly if he is an effective coach to begin with.

“In the first two sets we had a sleepy Novak Djokovic. But Murray just doesn’t have it to maintain the doubt at the back of Djokovic’s head—because Murray’s nervous. But when you’re nervous you’ve got to hit out and not just for the added topspin that increases your margin of error. If you don’t do it, you put yourself into a bad emotional place.”

Trautwig: “But Djokovic is in a good emotional place.”

“Sure. He’s used to this. He’s capitalizing on the pressure.”

Al Trautwig: “Murray just can’t make it easy for himself. He almost has to have adversity.”

Not all the talk was tennis analysis though. The two discussed potholes in New York city. Trautwig described how a pothole between two Bureaus gave him a sudden flat tire and how, when he made it to the side of the street, he found seven other drivers who had just suffered a flat tire from the exact same hole.