2013 Australian Open...Melbourne, Australia

[stotty]

Murray

Murray looked good today...bossed the rallies...looked a lot better off the ground than Federer...should have won in four or even three. Murray's second serve is a weakness going into the final. It really was woefully short and slow at the key pressure moments. His forehand still cracks here and there, also. But boy can Murray cover the court...he shrinks it.

Federer's legs went in the fifth...nothing left to fight with other than the hope Murray might choke, which he can. Lendl looking over him when he plays seems to give him backbone he never had in the past.

I wonder how long Federer can carry on, physically? He cannot play two big five setters back-to-back anymore. That means he cannot win another major without a strong element of good fortune.

Who's your money on in the final, everyone? I'm going to have to go with Djokovic. He'll be fresher and looked awesome against Ferrer.

[tennis_chiro]

I suspect Azarenka's "medical" break which allowed her to stop Sloane Stephen's momentum in the second set of their semi-final.

Although Serena had more severe medical issues, she was a better sport about them, played things out, let that match speak for itself with the chips falling where they might.

Azarenka says she had a problem with a rib, but it seemed like she got a 10-minute break for an anxiety attack. That's simply not fair. Sloan handled it as well as could be expected and said all the nice things afterwards, but it's just not right. As a minimum, when a player asks for that injury timeout, the opponent should be allowed to talk to their coach. That would at least put a little "price" on it.

don

[bottle]

I suspect Azarenka's "medical" break which allowed her to stop Sloane Stephen's momentum in the second set of their semi-final.

Although Serena had more severe medical issues, she was a better sport about them, played things out, let that match speak for itself with the chips falling where they might.

[stotty]

Where did Mats say that? But Mats says plenty of controversial and inaccurate things. Federer is a great match player of course (he's won more majors than anyone!!). But he won't grind like Nadal, Djokovic or Wilander. But that doesn't mean McEnroe, Federer or Laver were/are not good match players.

Djokovic is in favor of blood test, he wants it and doesn't favor the urine test which costs less but misses out on things. And urine test...uh, can be a bit awkward especially if you have a dehydrated female student and waiting to catch a plane. (Yes, that did happen, we waited like an hour!)

Doug

Matts said it today on Eurosport during the commentary in the Tsonga/Federer game. I think Roger is a good match player and quite brilliant at shutting the door on weaker players and denying them even a sniff of winning. Getting to a tie-break doesn't help players like Raonic because Federer will always nick it by the smallest of margins. He always finds that chink in the armour that punctures the defenses of the big serving "lumberjack-type" player hoping to win by getting to a tie-break. I just love Federer for this quality.

As for Djokovic...the guilty often bleat the loudest they are whiter than white. Djokovic may as well shout in favour of blood tests because they are going to happen anyway. Look at Marion Jones, Ben Johnson, Linford Christie and countless others, all of whom before being caught were in complete denial of taking PEDs and publicly welcomed testing. A player saying "bring it on" is someone to be suspicious of when looked in the context of those found guilty in the past.

Djokovic and Nadal may well be as clean as a whistle for all I know. But I'd like to get behind the scenes to find out the training methods by which they are both so much fitter than players like Simon and Gasquet. Simon and Gasquet could just be plain lazy and reluctant to train for all I know. But the fitness gap is vast between Nadal/Djokovic and many other tour players in my opinion....could be down to sheer hard work and/or training methods...could be down to something else.

Borg was superhuman back in the day, but then he had bradycardia and so had a genuine excuse/explanation. He was a one in a million, a freak.

[DougEng]

I watched the first three sets of Federer versus Tsonga. Tsonga looked like he had a great chance to defeat Federer, as Federer was making errors on his forehand in areas of the court where he NEVER misses.

Tsonga's decision making let him down at times. He runs around to hit forehands when it simply isn't on, leaving himself in the trams and a gaping great hole for Federer to hit in. He's not the brightest cookie on the block, is he? He makes awful decisions at the most crucial times.

Wilander doesn't think Federer is a great match player like Djokovic and Nadal, but I find he is when it's critical. Federer is really good in tie-breaks....brilliant at finding that chink to seal the mini-break...seen him do it so many times. It's easier to be focused like Nadal and Djokovic where they only do one thing... and have a more limited repertoire. I do think Nadal is the best match player of the trio, though...as good as Borg and Gonzales...an all time great at playing matches...wish I had that quality.

Where did Mats say that? But Mats says plenty of controversial and inaccurate things. Federer is a great match player of course (he's won more majors than anyone!!). But he won't grind like Nadal, Djokovic or Wilander. But that doesn't mean McEnroe, Federer or Laver were/are not good match players.

Djokovic is in favor of blood test, he wants it and doesn't favor the urine test which costs less but misses out on things. And urine test...uh, can be a bit awkward especially if you have a dehydrated female student and waiting to catch a plane. (Yes, that did happen, we waited like an hour!)

Doug

[stotty]

I watched the first three sets of Federer versus Tsonga. Tsonga looked like he had a great chance to defeat Federer, as Federer was making errors on his forehand in areas of the court where he NEVER misses.

Tsonga's decision making let him down at times. He runs around to hit forehands when it simply isn't on, leaving himself in the trams and a gaping great hole for Federer to hit in. He's not the brightest cookie on the block, is he? He makes awful decisions at the most crucial times.

Wilander doesn't think Federer is a great match player like Djokovic and Nadal, but I find he is when it's critical. Federer is really good in tie-breaks....brilliant at finding that chink to seal the mini-break...seen him do it so many times. It's easier to be focused like Nadal and Djokovic where they only do one thing... and have a more limited repertoire. I do think Nadal is the best match player of the trio, though...as good as Borg and Gonzales...an all time great at playing matches...wish I had that quality.

[stotty]

Yes, stunning that. The world's number one player showing outstanding fitness levels is only tested once in six months. That's a shocking let down for tennis. If ever there was a case for hounding a player relentlessly, Djokovic is it. It's astounding how well he recovers from a brutal match...only to play another one the next day.

The advantage of using PEDs in tennis lies in rapid recovery. You don't need to be ripped to play tennis...it won't help. Sustaining long, brutal rallies and recovering quickly after them will.

The thing is we just don't know. Great physiotherapy and diet could well be playing a significant part. But why aren't Simon and Gasquet using great physios and adapting their diet?

[tennis_chiro]

Blood testing is necessary to detect HGH

Not sure you can pick this link up over the pond, but try it and see if you can.

It's a BBC radio programme about PEDs in tennis. Guy Forget has a strong suspicions there is. Hope you can listen in.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01q1g66

That was a very interesting program, especially the part interviewing ITF manager of Anti Doping, Stewart Miller. Frankly, I think he comes off rather weak in trying to defend the fact that the number of blood tests has dramatically reduced recently. He kind of talks around the simple fact that they have given a lot less blood tests the last year than in previous years. That's lame. Djokovic hasn't been blood-tested in the last 6 or 7 months!

Note this article in the NY Times about the state of the art program in Major League Baseball expanding to include in season blood testing for HGH.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/11/sports/baseball/baseball-and-union-agree-to-in-season-blood-testing-for-hgh.html?_r=0

I'm wondering why they aren't testing hair as well. Foreign substances stay in the hair a long time. The good news seems to be they are moving towards a Biological Passport system which means they will have baseline values for everyone which will make it much more difficult for someone to claim it was just their biological individuality that created the positive test.

Realize that we are talking about substances outside of simple steroids. But HGH, HCG and other more natural substances are more likely to be the culprits in doping for tennis. These substances are terrific for recovery and improving the athlete's ability to extend his training and therefore not only his skill but also his underlying endurance. I'm not sure, but my understanding is that a lot of these things are undetectable in urine testing. Similarly with EPO.

don

[stroke]

The difference seems vast between players in terms of fitness.

Giles Simon with over a days rest had nothing in his legs against Murray today. Gasquet won a five setter with Roddick a few years ago at Wimbledon but then could hardly walk the next day when he had to take on Federer. Djokovic has no such problems. In last year's Aussie Open he was simply incredible. Two five setters back-to-back in sweltering heat with less than 24 hours to recover? Phenomenal. It may be humanly possible to do what he did but it was the one time I questioned whether PEDs could be a feature in tennis.

I've played lengthy spells of matches like tennis_chiro...but not at a rate of knots equivalent to today's top flight players...moving flat out from side to side, grinding out 10, 12, 15 stroke rallies over and over again...leaking fluids and nervous energy along the way. It's very doable "once" but repeating it the next day is something of a feat of fitness.

Massages, intravenous drips, physiotherapy, diet, etc. may make all the difference...who knows...like tennis_chiro says...we don't know what is really going on.

Federer must work hard in the gym because he is certainly very fit. He gets no exercise when he practices on court because he's the most casual player I have ever seen when he trains...quite lazy actually...it's the one area where he's not a great example for kids...better for them to watch Nadal who bombs around like maniac in practice.

Be nice to see what goes on in the gym. I like this idea of stretching every chance you get like Djokovic does...gotta get my students doing plenty of that.

I think this "laziness" in practice(at least the practices we see) are just part of the inimitable seemingly relaxed playing style of Federer.

[stotty]

Not sure you can pick this link up over the pond, but try it and see if you can.

It's a BBC radio programme about PEDs in tennis. Guy Forget has a strong suspicions there is. Hope you can listen in.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01q1g66

[stotty]

Final

Can't see anything other than a Djokovic/Murray final at the moment. You have to fancy Djokovic over Ferrer. Murray versus Federer looks the other likely semi, save a sterling performance from Tsonga. And Murray really believes he's better then Federer these days.

Murray's preparation for big events seems so much better since Lendl has been onboard. Nothing is left to chance anymore.

[stotty]

The difference seems vast between players in terms of fitness.

Giles Simon with over a days rest had nothing in his legs against Murray today. Gasquet won a five setter with Roddick a few years ago at Wimbledon but then could hardly walk the next day when he had to take on Federer. Djokovic has no such problems. In last year's Aussie Open he was simply incredible. Two five setters back-to-back in sweltering heat with less than 24 hours to recover? Phenomenal. It may be humanly possible to do what he did but it was the one time I questioned whether PEDs could be a feature in tennis.

I've played lengthy spells of matches like tennis_chiro...but not at a rate of knots equivalent to today's top flight players...moving flat out from side to side, grinding out 10, 12, 15 stroke rallies over and over again...leaking fluids and nervous energy along the way. It's very doable "once" but repeating it the next day is something of a feat of fitness.

Massages, intravenous drips, physiotherapy, diet, etc. may make all the difference...who knows...like tennis_chiro says...we don't know what is really going on.

Federer must work hard in the gym because he is certainly very fit. He gets no exercise when he practices on court because he's the most casual player I have ever seen when he trains...quite lazy actually...it's the one area where he's not a great example for kids...better for them to watch Nadal who bombs around like maniac in practice.

Be nice to see what goes on in the gym. I like this idea of stretching every chance you get like Djokovic does...gotta get my students doing plenty of that.

[tennis_chiro]

Thanks

Even at my age....just a bit quicker than the coach from Britain. Ha!

Thanks for the link, guys. It was a good interview, but I wouldn't make anything out of his comments on his left arm. Just good self-deprecating humor at his own expense, and the crowd loved it.

As for the 7 5-setters in two weeks comment, I see that as a look into the mind of someone who looks forward to being challenged. He did say he was doing everything he could to avoid that.

As for all the stuff about recovering, the sample size for tennis players recovering from matches is a little small. How about marathoners and triathletes? Do they ever have to do two races in a short period of time. How long do they take to recover from the Ironman? On the other hand, how much do they train on a regular basis, day in and day out. I imagine the actual calorie expenditure in a triathlete's training day is greater than a tennis player's in a 5 or even 6 hour match. Granted, intensity is a non-quantifiable but significant factor.

I remember having to play weekend indoor tournaments that ran Friday night, Saturday and Sunday. You could actually have to play 9 matches from Friday night to Sunday night. We did the same thing in college without the benefit of tie-breakers. I remember getting up to go play those Sunday matches and barely being able to get out of bed, but once I loosened up, and that was not easy, I loved how good my timing was from having played so much the day before. Probably didn't run even half as much per minute as these guys do, but then I didn't train nearly as hard as they do either.

The important difference is when it comes to a 25 year old vs a 30 year old, much less a 35 or 39 year old (Rosewall in 74, Connors in 91). Your body just can't recover as fast. This year, Djokovic's half gets the extra day of rest from quarters to semis. That will help Novak in his general recovery before the semis. Also, remember there are a lot of legitimate and perfectly legal things players can do to help their recovery: massage, better foods, legal supplements to replace minerals and vitamins and electrolytes. At one point, Novak was using an Oxygen tank to help recovery. As a chiropractor, there are a lot of things I can do to help an athlete recover. I'm also an FIACA (fellow of the international academy of clinical acupuncture - I use small caps because I think it's now defunct). There's a lot of reality behind the comical routines for recovery you might see in a martial arts movie. No one is doing all of it, but I get the sense that the trainer's in the camps of the top players are doing a lot more than just give their players a couple of stretches and a rubdown. Berglin was legendary for the massages he have Borg.

Sadly, we don't know what really goes on. I think Murray is very well prepared. I think Federer trains much harder than anyone realizes. And very smart. Finally, I have the sense Djokovic has done the best job of going to the most extreme lengths to put himself in the best position to do well: gluten free diets, oxygen chambers, electrical healers (!?), stretching at every spare moment.

Don_Budge, no, they are not like you and me. And we don't see the signs of big muscles on Federer, Djokovic (and he really let's you see it!), or even Murray (who has gotten thicker). But they all put on 10 to 20 lbs of muscle from 18 to 24.

I just hope we don't find out one of them has been using steroids or blood-doping to get an extra edge. But it is possible to do a lot without breaking the rules. Not easy, but I think they work really hard.

don

[don_budge]

You have to get up early in the morning to beat don_budge...

Here is the interview...

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

Even at my age....just a bit quicker than the coach from Britain. Ha!

[stotty]

Courier/Fed Interview

Here is the interview...

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