2017 U. S. Open Championships...ATP 2000...New York, New York, U. S. A.

[gzhpcu]

I hope Roger wins the US Open, but even if he doesn't he has won the Australian and Wimbledon, which makes his year a success. Funny how quickly the past is forgotten.... It's always about the next tournament...

[don_budge]

U. S. Open Memory...John McEnroe vs. Ivan Lendl 1982 Semifinal


Interesting third set tie-break between two titans of classic tennis. These were among the last days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-EYkuNBtgs

Just a snippet of what tennis used to be. In these 16 minutes you see clearly how much more interesting the tennis used to be. McEnroe with his Dunlop "Mac" Maxply...made especially for him.

[don_budge]

Gentlemen...Start Your Engines!

Fed is the favorite per oddsmakers followed by Nadal, Zverev, Murray, Kyrgios, Dimitrov, Thiem, Del Potro

Ladies and Germs (bottle)...the draw is in. The draw is in a word...weakened. The MIA's have added up and while they may not have been favored to win the title they surely may have wreaked some havoc. Djokovic, Wawrinka, Nishikori and Raonic. Four top ten players not playing. Forty percent of the upper echelon. That is what you call a depleted draw.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/score...open/560/draws

Perhaps the person most effected by the MIA's is Alexander Zverev and it is a double edged sword for the young fellow. Here he is seeded number four and conceivably he may have been seeded number eight. That is a huge difference if only in the way that it sounds. Being seeded that high in a Grand Slam might not necessarily be a positive thing for Zverev as it might just add to some escalating pressure in the way of expectations. He has been the profiteer of a lot of hype the last couple of years and one can not underestimate the effect this can have on one's psyche. He seems to have been handling it pretty well judging from his results in Montreal but once again these results might be a little questionable given the circumstances. A Grand Slam is another universe of tennis...it is best of five sets. On the world stage no less.

Zverev to me is a questionable entity. It seems to me that a lot of his attention has been hyped by the powers that be that are trying to fool not only the tennis public but quite possibly themselves into believing there actually is a "Next Generation" after Roger Federer. Did anyone else notice how the air went out of the tournament last week at the Western & *!#€;^%? "Southern" being a bad word these days with racial overtones. Didn't know that? Now you do. But once Federer was gone so went the tournament. Who won that tournament anyways? Oh yea...Dimitrov. "Baby Fed". It's only fitting.

There is lots of cat food in the draw this year and the top players still have to be on their toes for each tender morsel and get it done without wasting any undue energy. I only see Roger Federer though...and his path to the tournament. First of all Roger is in the same half as Fafa Nadal. This doesn't mean hill or beans. If they both get through...they both get through and we get to witness the resulting spectacle. Both have a tremendous amount of work to do.

Federer meets Frances Tiafoe in the first round and hopefully he dispatches this one touts suite. Tiafoe just happened to take out the media darling Alexander Zverev last week and his confidence must be soaring. He is asking himself..."I can do the impossible, can't I?" He answers himself in the affirmative. But assuming Roger is who he claims to be....The Living Proof in don_budge's teaching paradigm...he gets through. No muss...no fuss. Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez may be waiting in the round of 32 for Roger. But once again...assuming Federer is Federer and he is once again honing and peaking for this tournament in a carefully orchestrated preparation lead up including a somewhat spotty performance in Montreal...he gets by. Which leads us to the thriller we might just get a chance to see...Nick Kyrgios versus "The Man". Kyrgios has the monumental task of keeping his nose to the grindstone and grinding out several matches of his own but should this match happen to happen...it might very well be a very exciting match and a key to Federer's success this couple of weeks.

The top two seeds in the bottom half are the aforementioned Zverev and the worlds most recent former number one. Boy...that didn't last too long. Thank God. Andy Murray? A bunch of question marks followed by a loud resounding dud. He was a real dud as the number one tennis player too. Once he got there what did he deliver? Answer...nothing. For Andy it was all about getting there and enough is enough. He simply doesn't have the balls to stay there. Staying power. I wonder if his feminist leanings have anything to do with his lack of the necessary cajones. I wouldn't doubt it. Nobody can talk like that and expect to strike fear in the hearts and minds of your opponent. I would want to kick his ass just because of that nonsense.

Good luck Murray. I am very much looking forwards to somebody laying you out flat. But the problem is...there is absolutely nobody home in his section of the draw. At least on paper. Maybe Thanasi Kokkinakis might man up to the job. He's another of those Australians...the "new normal" Australians without the Harry Hopman shine to them. Murray has one of the best draws he could possibly have but there all sorts of question marks hanging over his stupid Scottish head. That dumb look on his face is going to turn into a whining, grimacing expression if I am not mistaken. He isn't match tough and he is not in the same league as Roger Federer in pulling off magic acts. Such as now you don't...now you do. Know what I mean? I hope so.

[stroke]

Fed is the favorite per oddsmakers followed by Nadal, Zverev, Murray, Kyrgios, Dimitrov, Thiem, Del Potro

[klacr]

I hope its going to be a great tournament! Another chance for Federer to add to his total. Raonic and Nishikori weren't going to win this title to begin with so no big deal with them out. Djokovic and defending champ Wawrinka presents an opening an opportunity for someone. Perhaps a Berdych sneaks through, after all, Berdych gave Federer his toughest match at Wimbledon and is physically capable of handling 5 sets.

Big question mark is the young Zverev. He has the attitude, he has the game, he has the look to go deep and possibly win...but can he physically handle the best of 5 set format. Its a difference maker.

Not sure who Nadal could possibly lose to, but I'm sure he will. And If Federer is healthy, why could he not win?

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Boca Raton

[don_budge]

The tournament within the tournament. The qualifying matches this year highlight the prospects of two highly regarded Canadian players that are sure to have a big impact on professional tennis in the near future. Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime participated and Denis "The Menace" remains in the final round of contention for a spot in the main draw. He only needs to beat a seven year journeyman professional by the name of Jan Satral of the Czech Republic. Denis is old enough and savvy enough to know now to not take anyone lightly. He is a highly touted eighteen year old who has taken down a couple of big names and everyone has him on their radar now.

Rafael Nadal is the number one seed from what I understand and I look forwards to his departure from the tournament already. At the hands of anybody...it doesn't matter. Perhaps it would be best if it were Roger Federer doing the honors.

The draw is to be made very soon but here are the top seeds for the men's side. If you are interested in the women's side...start another thread. They are playing best of three sets...another universe.

Men’s Seeds

1. Rafael Nadal
2. Andy Murray
3. Roger Federer
4. Alexander Zverev
5. Marin Cilic
6. Dominic Thiem
7. Grigor Dimitrov
8. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Roger Federer is in the house. This is a tournament. What an amazing difference it makes to have him in the draw. Milos Raonic, Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori have all made it know that they will not be participating. That really changes things and all signs are pointing to Roger Federer. Federer withdrew from the Western and Southern last week. A meaningless tournament. He tanked in the Rogers Cup in Montreal. He put a little tiny feather in Zverev's cap. Just to give the kid the idea that he can possibly beat him. It will be interesting if the two meet in the real thing. The only real thing for Federer these days are Slams. Grand Slam tournaments. He has bagged two this year. Two more than anybody gave him a chance for in the beginning of the year. But we are seeing a pattern emerge. He disappears. He plays a meaningless event where he gets "bagged". Then when the real things comes along he is lights out on his game. Can he do it again? I certainly hope so because if nothing else he validates my tennis teaching paradigm.

William Tilden is the book. Richard Gonzales is the model with the Don Budge backhand. Harry Hopman is the coach. Roger Federer is the Living Proof.