Andy Roddick has done it! He has just beaten the defending champion Novak Djokovic and advanced to the semifinals of the Australian Open. Roddick was up 2 sets to one and a service break when Djokovic broke and retired. This is a huge moment for Roddick, who has dropped off most tennis radars, and he did it under some pretty extreme conditions.
The needle on the thermometer was off the edge, the temperature on court was 142 degrees, and Roddick was scrambling around like there was nothing to worry about. Hard to believe what he was able to do under such appalling conditions, which makes it so amazing. Not an ounce of sympathy for Djokovic either, who retired in the fourth set but was clearly out of gas in the second set.
Roddick came into this tournament as something of an afterthought, but after a winter spent putting in roadwork and losing 15 pounds, he's clearly brought his fitness, confidence, and aggressiveness to a new level. He's also still got one of the greatest serves the men's game has ever seen. Now that he's got his fitness up to a world class level, and Djokovic has let his drop to where he can't finish matches, it's gonna be fun to see how this season goes.
As these two slugged it out in the heat, ESPN's crew of Patrick McEnroe and Dick Enberg in the booth, with Cliff Drysdale at courtside provided a fabulous telecast. There was a great sense of the ebb and flow of the match as Djokovic came out strong, then Roddick upped his game along with the temperature. Lots of fun to watch a match like this with such solid commentary.
No way I can stay up to watch the next quarterfinal, but Roddick will face the winner of the Juan Martin Del Potro-Roger Federer match on Wednesday.
Showing posts with label breaking news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label breaking news. Show all posts
Monday, January 26, 2009
The Tennis Equivalent Of Ultimate Fighting (And Breaking News)
First, a bit of breaking news: Andy Murray just got knocked out of the Australian Open by Fernando Verdasco in a brilliant 5 setter. Murray was a popular pick to win the whole event, but Verdasco was fitter, tougher, and your winner. Now back to the post I wrote a couple hours ago.
Monday night we get to check out tennis' version of Yankees-Red Sox, Browns-Bengals, or USC-UCLA when Andy Roddick and Novak Djokovic square off in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
Why is this going to be gripping competition? Because these two just plain don't like each other.
It started at last year's US Open, at least in public, when Roddick called Djokovic onto the carpet over his continous and variegated ailments. (funny clip here) Djokovic, who is rapidly accumulating the world's largest collection of irritating habits (read: ball bouncing before serves, awkward hugs after wins, and hypochondriasis) took a trip to crazytown after beating Roddick in the US Open quarters. He decided the right way to respond was to rip both Roddick and the New York crowd while standing on the court surrounded by drunk and disappointed Bronx-dwellers.
These two sluggers get to start this year off with an early airing-of-grievances, and we get to watch. Probably somewhere around 7 PM PST on ESPN2.
No fun watching Victoria Azarenka walk off the court in tears twice, then having to default her match against Serena Williams despite having won the first set. Not a great way to go out, and if you've ever had food poisoning, you know how she feels.
Very fun watching Jelena Dokic storm back into the tennis consciousness, not only with her courageous 4th round victory on a bad ankle or her ranking of 187 in the world, but with her honesty about how hard the last few years have been for her.
Between severing ties with her overbearing father, battling depression and financial problems, it's a wonder she's still playing, let alone winning. Could Dokic be the shot in the arm the women's game needs? If she wins tomorrow, she'll be well on the way.
Real quick, before we go today, here's my cousin Guy doing color commentary on Sky Sports. So cool!
Monday night we get to check out tennis' version of Yankees-Red Sox, Browns-Bengals, or USC-UCLA when Andy Roddick and Novak Djokovic square off in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
Why is this going to be gripping competition? Because these two just plain don't like each other.
It started at last year's US Open, at least in public, when Roddick called Djokovic onto the carpet over his continous and variegated ailments. (funny clip here) Djokovic, who is rapidly accumulating the world's largest collection of irritating habits (read: ball bouncing before serves, awkward hugs after wins, and hypochondriasis) took a trip to crazytown after beating Roddick in the US Open quarters. He decided the right way to respond was to rip both Roddick and the New York crowd while standing on the court surrounded by drunk and disappointed Bronx-dwellers.
These two sluggers get to start this year off with an early airing-of-grievances, and we get to watch. Probably somewhere around 7 PM PST on ESPN2.
No fun watching Victoria Azarenka walk off the court in tears twice, then having to default her match against Serena Williams despite having won the first set. Not a great way to go out, and if you've ever had food poisoning, you know how she feels.
Very fun watching Jelena Dokic storm back into the tennis consciousness, not only with her courageous 4th round victory on a bad ankle or her ranking of 187 in the world, but with her honesty about how hard the last few years have been for her.
Between severing ties with her overbearing father, battling depression and financial problems, it's a wonder she's still playing, let alone winning. Could Dokic be the shot in the arm the women's game needs? If she wins tomorrow, she'll be well on the way.
Real quick, before we go today, here's my cousin Guy doing color commentary on Sky Sports. So cool!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Quick Vice-Presidential Debate Thought Pertaining To The Civil War
While speaking about Gen David McKiernan, the new commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, Governor Palin accidentally called him General McClellan.
Just imagine Little Mac riding into the desert astride his horse "Daniel Webster" to take command of an American army again! Perish the thought!
Just imagine Little Mac riding into the desert astride his horse "Daniel Webster" to take command of an American army again! Perish the thought!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Breaking News On The Cocktail Front!
Dinner is almost ready, and The Jess mentioned that she had fresh-squeezed, unpasteurized OJ in the fridge. Duly prompted, I sprung into action, and here's what we're drinking as I write this, and it's really good!
Tipsy Orangeade
1.5 oz Tanqueray Ten gin
1.5 oz fresh-squeezed OJ
juice of 1/4 lemon
one teaspoon simple syrup
Schweppes tonic water
Pour gin, OJ, and syrup into rocks glass. Squeeze in lemon juice. Fill glass to 3/4 full with coarsely crushed ice. Top with tonic water and stir gently with bar spoon. Garnish with lemon wedge.
This one is winner-winner-chili-dinner!
Tipsy Orangeade
1.5 oz Tanqueray Ten gin
1.5 oz fresh-squeezed OJ
juice of 1/4 lemon
one teaspoon simple syrup
Schweppes tonic water
Pour gin, OJ, and syrup into rocks glass. Squeeze in lemon juice. Fill glass to 3/4 full with coarsely crushed ice. Top with tonic water and stir gently with bar spoon. Garnish with lemon wedge.
This one is winner-winner-chili-dinner!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
US Open 2008: Andy Roddick and Ana Ivanovic In Different Directions!
Before we begin our post, here's another breaking news bulletin from the Tipsy Historian: Women's number one seed Ana Ivanovic has just been upset by Julie Coin, currently the 188th player in the world, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. This literally just happened, so you know where to turn for your breaking news! Now back to your regularly scheduled US Open post.
It all comes down to the US Open for Andy Roddick this year, that's for certain. He crashed and burned in Flushing last year and this year has been one struggle after another: changing coaches, the sore shoulder, the Wimbledon loss to Tipsarevic, the decision to skip the Olympics. About the only thing going right in his tennis life right now is Davis Cup. His seed for this year's tourney has dropped to 8, and he's just about off the radar as a title contender.
Which also makes it the perfect time to make a move, and he sure looks ready to do it. Last night, with Davis Cup coach and erstwhile mentor Patrick McEnroe in his box, he came out blazing against Fabrice Santoro and rolled to a quick three set victory. Santoro is the sort of player who could have driven Roddick nuts with his mixture of spin, consistency and fitness. Roddick was unfazed as his serve was enormous (up to 147 mph) his forehand was dialed in, and his backhand was solid. This last issue is certainly huge for Andy, because opponents know to pick on that wing whenever possible. If it's going to be up to the challenge, then Roddick may be poised to make a run.
This would be the perfect time for it, with American tennis in the doldrums and interest waning, not to mention the fact that this ex-champ has become something of an afterthought in the world of Nadals, Federers, and Djokovics. He certainly has his work cut out for him in the second round, with everyone's favorite up and coming player Ernests Gulbis waiting for him tomorrow night.
Today is a big day for another Andy, last name Murray, who not only moved into the third round with a tough 4-set win, but finally got his nickname! I dub him "The Jilted Kilt", and he will henceforth be referred to as such in this space. Congrats to Mr. Triathlon, who will get a stash of home-roasted coffee as his prize.
It all comes down to the US Open for Andy Roddick this year, that's for certain. He crashed and burned in Flushing last year and this year has been one struggle after another: changing coaches, the sore shoulder, the Wimbledon loss to Tipsarevic, the decision to skip the Olympics. About the only thing going right in his tennis life right now is Davis Cup. His seed for this year's tourney has dropped to 8, and he's just about off the radar as a title contender.
Which also makes it the perfect time to make a move, and he sure looks ready to do it. Last night, with Davis Cup coach and erstwhile mentor Patrick McEnroe in his box, he came out blazing against Fabrice Santoro and rolled to a quick three set victory. Santoro is the sort of player who could have driven Roddick nuts with his mixture of spin, consistency and fitness. Roddick was unfazed as his serve was enormous (up to 147 mph) his forehand was dialed in, and his backhand was solid. This last issue is certainly huge for Andy, because opponents know to pick on that wing whenever possible. If it's going to be up to the challenge, then Roddick may be poised to make a run.
This would be the perfect time for it, with American tennis in the doldrums and interest waning, not to mention the fact that this ex-champ has become something of an afterthought in the world of Nadals, Federers, and Djokovics. He certainly has his work cut out for him in the second round, with everyone's favorite up and coming player Ernests Gulbis waiting for him tomorrow night.
Today is a big day for another Andy, last name Murray, who not only moved into the third round with a tough 4-set win, but finally got his nickname! I dub him "The Jilted Kilt", and he will henceforth be referred to as such in this space. Congrats to Mr. Triathlon, who will get a stash of home-roasted coffee as his prize.
Friday, August 1, 2008
A Changing Of The Tennis Guards
As I write this post, Rafael Nadal is serving for the match at the Cincinnati Masters against Nicolas Lapennti. Why does this Friday evening clash deserve special mention? If Nadal closes things out, he will be the new number one player in the world, ending Roger Federer's 4.5 year reign.
We could see this coming after Wimbledon, but the last few weeks have shown serious chinks in Federer's armor, losing his first round match in Toronto and his second match in Cincy. Rafa meanwhile carried his Wimbledon...
I pause because Rafa is now the number one ranked tennis player in the world. Good for him!
...momentum and won the Toronto tourney and is now rolling towards the finals of Cincy.
There can be no debate on whether Rafa deserves to be number one in the world; last year he began closing the gap, this year he has flown into the limelight with his incredible wins at the French Open and Wimbledon. He is clearly playing incredible tennis and it will be great fun to see how long his time on top will last.
For Federer, there is obviously much mental turmoil going on. No doubt the Wimbledon defeat is still on his mind and now after losing matches to Gilles Simon and Ivo Karlovic, it will be a massive challenge for him to regain his top form. He absolutely has the game to do it, but as I've preached here from the beginning, tennis is mostly played above the shoulders. Right now, Roger's head is clearly fogged up with negativity and self-doubt.
On the women's side, there is just ridiculous turbulence as no one seems to want to take the number one mantle. Yesterday it was Jelena Jankovic losing a match that would have given her the top spot. Today, Ana Ivanovic gakked away her shot.
Worse yet, Maria Sharapova announced that her ever-balky right shoulder will keep her out of both the Olympics and the US Open. There is no bigger draw or brighter star on the women's side, especially in New York, and this is a huge loss.
This year continues to gather momentum as one of the most fascinating in tennis memory; we've got an ascendant number one, a legend on the ropes, and a women's game where no one seems to want to take charge. If there has ever been a tennis summer with more riding on it, I'm not aware.
Oh yeah, my tourney is 3 weeks away and I'm trying to get ready. Played really well on Monday evening, have been working really hard the last few days and the rackets have stayed in the closet. Next week should feature much training, and I'm looking forward to it.
We could see this coming after Wimbledon, but the last few weeks have shown serious chinks in Federer's armor, losing his first round match in Toronto and his second match in Cincy. Rafa meanwhile carried his Wimbledon...
I pause because Rafa is now the number one ranked tennis player in the world. Good for him!
...momentum and won the Toronto tourney and is now rolling towards the finals of Cincy.
There can be no debate on whether Rafa deserves to be number one in the world; last year he began closing the gap, this year he has flown into the limelight with his incredible wins at the French Open and Wimbledon. He is clearly playing incredible tennis and it will be great fun to see how long his time on top will last.
For Federer, there is obviously much mental turmoil going on. No doubt the Wimbledon defeat is still on his mind and now after losing matches to Gilles Simon and Ivo Karlovic, it will be a massive challenge for him to regain his top form. He absolutely has the game to do it, but as I've preached here from the beginning, tennis is mostly played above the shoulders. Right now, Roger's head is clearly fogged up with negativity and self-doubt.
On the women's side, there is just ridiculous turbulence as no one seems to want to take the number one mantle. Yesterday it was Jelena Jankovic losing a match that would have given her the top spot. Today, Ana Ivanovic gakked away her shot.
Worse yet, Maria Sharapova announced that her ever-balky right shoulder will keep her out of both the Olympics and the US Open. There is no bigger draw or brighter star on the women's side, especially in New York, and this is a huge loss.
This year continues to gather momentum as one of the most fascinating in tennis memory; we've got an ascendant number one, a legend on the ropes, and a women's game where no one seems to want to take charge. If there has ever been a tennis summer with more riding on it, I'm not aware.
Oh yeah, my tourney is 3 weeks away and I'm trying to get ready. Played really well on Monday evening, have been working really hard the last few days and the rackets have stayed in the closet. Next week should feature much training, and I'm looking forward to it.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Breaking French Open News
OK, so if this post was on TV right now, you have to imagine intense bass-centric music, colorful graphics moving and twirling around your screen, and a severe-looking announcer telling you "We have breaking news..." because The Tipsy Historian has BREAKING NEWS!
Today at the French Open, Serena Williams lost her third round match to Katerina Srebotnik 6-4, 6-4. Williams had been many pundit's choice to win this Justine Henin-free event.
"So what, Tipsy Historian" you might be saying. "I already saw that news on ESPN.com"
Yeah, well, here's the (cue music, lights, and graphics) BREAKING NEWS! Venus Williams just lost as well, 7-5, 6-3. This news is so fresh, I don't even know the first name of the woman who beat her, so for now it's F. Panetta of Italy. This news is so brand-spanking new, Venus has barely made her way off the court. So hot I can barely touch my keyboard!
Stay tuned here for further bulletins, and talking heads discussing the potential names for the woman who beat Venus, because if it's Frank, Fred, or Fabricio (thanks, Jess), we've got a scandal on our hands!
Also, anyone know the last time both Williams sisters lost on the same day at a Grand Slam?
Today at the French Open, Serena Williams lost her third round match to Katerina Srebotnik 6-4, 6-4. Williams had been many pundit's choice to win this Justine Henin-free event.
"So what, Tipsy Historian" you might be saying. "I already saw that news on ESPN.com"
Yeah, well, here's the (cue music, lights, and graphics) BREAKING NEWS! Venus Williams just lost as well, 7-5, 6-3. This news is so fresh, I don't even know the first name of the woman who beat her, so for now it's F. Panetta of Italy. This news is so brand-spanking new, Venus has barely made her way off the court. So hot I can barely touch my keyboard!
Stay tuned here for further bulletins, and talking heads discussing the potential names for the woman who beat Venus, because if it's Frank, Fred, or Fabricio (thanks, Jess), we've got a scandal on our hands!
Also, anyone know the last time both Williams sisters lost on the same day at a Grand Slam?
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