My pre-tournament tip, Wales, deservedly took their third Six Nations Grand Slam in eight years.With only three players over the age of 30, they could dominate for some years.
England, who I thought would end up in the bottom half, finished up as runners-up; & in Owen Farrell may have found a dead-eyed kicker in the Wilkinson mould.
France will look to rebound next year from a disappointing 4th place.
Federer back in Form
Roger Federer showed he is still a force to be reckoned with, winning Rotterdam, Dubai, and Indian Wells. Until he lost in Miami it looked like he was on track to regain the world no. 1 ranking, amazingly, at the age of 30. It's still possible, as Djokovic has a huge amount of ranking points to defend this season, but the Fed would need to win a couple of tournaments in the upcoming clay court swing. Also, I still think in the best of five sets matches at the Slams, he will come unstuck against a top eight opponent.
Performance of the Month (Feb & March)
Wales.
Honourable mentions:
Federer.
The GB women 4 x 400 m relay squad, who won the 1st ever GB gold in the event, at the World Indoors.
Brad Wiggins, who became the first Brit since Tom Simpson to win the Paris-Nice stage race.
Vika Azarenka, who lost her 27 match win streak to Bartoli in Miami this week.
Quote of the Month
There is no script in sports, you know. I think that's what makes it the best entertainment in the world.
Andy Roddick, after beating Federer for only the third time in 24 meetings.
Showing posts with label Roddick. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Roddick. Show all posts
Saturday, 31 March 2012
Tuesday, 28 September 2010
The End for Fred (& the Fed?)
Sad to see that Flintoff has retired from cricket. When the other England bowlers were being hit all over the park, Flintoff was the go-to guy, who could keep things tight &/or make the decisive breakthrough with a wicket. With his larger than life personality, the Preston lad is truly a cult hero, & apparently a champion of carousing too –most infamously hiding the after-effects with dark glasses for the 2005 Ashes victory open-top bus parade.
US Open Tennis
So much for the theory that hardcourts are Nadal’s worst surface (due to the pounding on his knees). His domination of the big events this year has been astounding. Quarters in Australia, then semis or better in all the Slams & Masters events, except for Cincinatti (QF). In the July blog I tipped the Fed to bounce back in the US hardcout season. He was runner up in Toronto & won in Cincinnati; I expected him to make the final at the Open, but for once Djokovic got the better of him at Flushing. I wonder whether he can still win Slams. Andy Murray’s 3rd round exit was a worry for British fans hoping he can win his first Slam. Every time he seems poised to win a major, he loses a match he’s expected to win-Cilic, Wawrinka, Roddick. Still, I would love him to prove me wrong.
US Open Tennis
So much for the theory that hardcourts are Nadal’s worst surface (due to the pounding on his knees). His domination of the big events this year has been astounding. Quarters in Australia, then semis or better in all the Slams & Masters events, except for Cincinatti (QF). In the July blog I tipped the Fed to bounce back in the US hardcout season. He was runner up in Toronto & won in Cincinnati; I expected him to make the final at the Open, but for once Djokovic got the better of him at Flushing. I wonder whether he can still win Slams. Andy Murray’s 3rd round exit was a worry for British fans hoping he can win his first Slam. Every time he seems poised to win a major, he loses a match he’s expected to win-Cilic, Wawrinka, Roddick. Still, I would love him to prove me wrong.
Saturday, 4 July 2009
1936 & All That
The 73 year wait for a successor to Fred Perry will go on for another year.
As Paul Hayward wrote in the Guardian, "Henman was a possible. Murray is a probable".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2009/jul/03/wimbledon-andy-murray-andy-roddick
Unfortunately for British fans Roddick pulled off an improbable victory.
Roddick was a revelation. This was not the same player whose one-dimensional game the 17-year old Murray demolished in straight sets in the 3rd round in 2006. Roddick's serve & forehand have always been his big weapons. But he had showed in his last match against Hewitt how much his backhand has improved since teaming up with Larry Stefanki. His net play against Murray was also much improved, previously his volleying ability had been suspect.
Murray hit more winners, surprisingly more aces, & made less errors. But he lost the match, with the American winning two of his sets on the tie-break.Perhaps the most important stat was Roddick's 1st serve percentage of 75 %. Murray could manage only 52%.
British fans will hope Murray can make another strong showing at the US Open.
In the other semi, Federer comfortably took out Haas in straight sets. Incredibly, he hasn't dropped a set in any of his Wimbledon semis, & has only been broken twice.
With Roddick having won only twice out of 20 matches with Roger, Fed is 8/1 on to win the final with the bookies. Federer in four.
In the Womens semis, Safina was again a massive disappointment in a major, winning only one game against Venus to make a mockery of her no. 1 ranking. Dementieva v Serena was the best ladies match of the tournament so far, Serena saving a match point before winning 8-6 in the final set.
As Paul Hayward wrote in the Guardian, "Henman was a possible. Murray is a probable".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2009/jul/03/wimbledon-andy-murray-andy-roddick
Unfortunately for British fans Roddick pulled off an improbable victory.
Roddick was a revelation. This was not the same player whose one-dimensional game the 17-year old Murray demolished in straight sets in the 3rd round in 2006. Roddick's serve & forehand have always been his big weapons. But he had showed in his last match against Hewitt how much his backhand has improved since teaming up with Larry Stefanki. His net play against Murray was also much improved, previously his volleying ability had been suspect.
Murray hit more winners, surprisingly more aces, & made less errors. But he lost the match, with the American winning two of his sets on the tie-break.Perhaps the most important stat was Roddick's 1st serve percentage of 75 %. Murray could manage only 52%.
British fans will hope Murray can make another strong showing at the US Open.
In the other semi, Federer comfortably took out Haas in straight sets. Incredibly, he hasn't dropped a set in any of his Wimbledon semis, & has only been broken twice.
With Roddick having won only twice out of 20 matches with Roger, Fed is 8/1 on to win the final with the bookies. Federer in four.
In the Womens semis, Safina was again a massive disappointment in a major, winning only one game against Venus to make a mockery of her no. 1 ranking. Dementieva v Serena was the best ladies match of the tournament so far, Serena saving a match point before winning 8-6 in the final set.
Sunday, 28 June 2009
Wimbledon 2009
Most of the British media seem to think a Murray-Federer final is practically a nailed-on certainty. However, the guys left in the draw are no gimmes. Fed is seeded to meet Djokovic in the semis, & the Djoker has beaten him the last two times they've played. I reckon Roger in four sets though. Fed faces Soderling next up in the 4th round. I was courtside for the Swede's match on Monday, & he played well, but there's nothing to suggest that Roger wont take care of him again comfortably, as he did in the French final. Karlovic is a possible QF opponent, who with his huge serve always a big threat on grass-he hit 46 aces in beating Tsonga on Friday.
Murray plays Stan Wawrinka next, who will be no pushover, although Murray seems to have gone up a level since he was last beaten by the Swiss no. 2. Thomas Berdych was very impressive yesterday beating Davydenko, & next plays Roddick, which looks like a 50-50 match.
On the womens side, the smart money has to be on another all-Williams final. Ivanovic might give Venus a tough match in the 4th round, but the Serb has been struggling with the ball toss on her serve. Sharapova's 2nd round exit wasn't a huge surprise, watching her match on Monday she was struggling with her movement. Having only recently returned from a long layoff with he shoulder injury, her match fitness should improve with increased activity.
Ronster's tips for the championship: Fed & Venus.
Murray plays Stan Wawrinka next, who will be no pushover, although Murray seems to have gone up a level since he was last beaten by the Swiss no. 2. Thomas Berdych was very impressive yesterday beating Davydenko, & next plays Roddick, which looks like a 50-50 match.
On the womens side, the smart money has to be on another all-Williams final. Ivanovic might give Venus a tough match in the 4th round, but the Serb has been struggling with the ball toss on her serve. Sharapova's 2nd round exit wasn't a huge surprise, watching her match on Monday she was struggling with her movement. Having only recently returned from a long layoff with he shoulder injury, her match fitness should improve with increased activity.
Ronster's tips for the championship: Fed & Venus.
Saturday, 5 April 2008
No Country For Old Men
Once you get past a certain age, reflexes & stamina begin to diminish. The tipping point is typically considered to be 30. At the top level of sport, any such weakness is usually ruthlessly exposed. Outfield footballers rarely play on in the top divisions past the age of 35(Stanley Matthews excepted). Ryan Giggs, at 34, is one oldie still going strong having played over 30 times to date this season for Man Utd. One-on-one sports like boxing & tennis are interesting cases. Tennis is perhaps the ultimate example of top level sport being a young person's game. It's rare to win a Slam past the age of 30, and success is possible at a young age- Becker was 17 when he first won Wimbledon, Hingis won there & in Australia at 16. Sampras won his last Slam aged 31, as did Connors (both US Open). Some notable exceptions: Navratilova was 33 when she won her last Wimbledon singles title, & even won the mixed at age 46 ! Agassi was no. 1 in the world at the age of 33, when he won his last Slam in Australia.
Boxing is also generally considered a young man's game.Normally though, it takes time for young fighters to build up their stamina gradually, starting with four-round contests & eventually working their way up to 8, 10 or 12 rounds if they reach championship level. In boxing, a good young prospect on the rise will nearly always beat a veteran who has suffered the effects of too many gruelling ring battles. However, fighters with good defensive skills, who can avoid taking too much punishment, can prolong their careers-Winky Wright springs to mind (age 36, a former champ, currently ranked 3rd at middleweight). Two outstanding champions fight each other in two weeks time. Joe Calzaghe is universally recognised as the best super-middle in the world, Bernard Hopkins is considered by most experts to be the best at light-heavy. Calzaghe is 36, Hopkins is 43.
Roger Federer must be on the slide-he lost to Roddick this week. Before the defeat, Federer had a 15-1 win-loss record against the American. Is this age-related, or just a run of bad form ? Federer is only 26 after all. Probably only with the benefit of hindsight at the end of the season will it be possible to make an assessment of whether its a decline or a blip. I favour the latter.
Man United
Man U are looking ominous for both the Prem & the ECL. Ronaldo must be a leading contender with the likes of Messi & Kaka for the European & World player of the year awards. His scoring record as a winger this season is sensational. No Premiership player has ever won the World Player award, if Ronnie gets the nod it would be further evidence of the growing strength of the world's richest league. Unless Roma pull off a miracle at Old Trafford, their likely opponents in the CL semi are Barca, who looked very shaky in the second half against Schalke. Chelsea should be able to overturn their one goal deficit against Fenerbahce at Stamford Bridge, & Liverpool are slight favourites v the Gunners after nicking the away goal at the Emirates. Liverpool were fortunate not to concede a pen for Kuyt's tug on Hleb, but Arsenal should have created more chances from their dominance of possession.
Boxing is also generally considered a young man's game.Normally though, it takes time for young fighters to build up their stamina gradually, starting with four-round contests & eventually working their way up to 8, 10 or 12 rounds if they reach championship level. In boxing, a good young prospect on the rise will nearly always beat a veteran who has suffered the effects of too many gruelling ring battles. However, fighters with good defensive skills, who can avoid taking too much punishment, can prolong their careers-Winky Wright springs to mind (age 36, a former champ, currently ranked 3rd at middleweight). Two outstanding champions fight each other in two weeks time. Joe Calzaghe is universally recognised as the best super-middle in the world, Bernard Hopkins is considered by most experts to be the best at light-heavy. Calzaghe is 36, Hopkins is 43.
Roger Federer must be on the slide-he lost to Roddick this week. Before the defeat, Federer had a 15-1 win-loss record against the American. Is this age-related, or just a run of bad form ? Federer is only 26 after all. Probably only with the benefit of hindsight at the end of the season will it be possible to make an assessment of whether its a decline or a blip. I favour the latter.
Man United
Man U are looking ominous for both the Prem & the ECL. Ronaldo must be a leading contender with the likes of Messi & Kaka for the European & World player of the year awards. His scoring record as a winger this season is sensational. No Premiership player has ever won the World Player award, if Ronnie gets the nod it would be further evidence of the growing strength of the world's richest league. Unless Roma pull off a miracle at Old Trafford, their likely opponents in the CL semi are Barca, who looked very shaky in the second half against Schalke. Chelsea should be able to overturn their one goal deficit against Fenerbahce at Stamford Bridge, & Liverpool are slight favourites v the Gunners after nicking the away goal at the Emirates. Liverpool were fortunate not to concede a pen for Kuyt's tug on Hleb, but Arsenal should have created more chances from their dominance of possession.
Sunday, 13 January 2008
Up for the Cup
FA CUP
Dig out all the old cliches about the romance of the FA Cup. The Third Round saw its share of shocks. The biggest was third division (League One as its now ridiculously called) Oldham beating Everton away. Championship sides Huddersfield & Coventry also dispatched top-flight opposition. Havant & Waterlooville earned a replay against Swansea, to keep non-league representation in the competition. Incidentally, Sutton United were the last non-league side to beat top-flight opposition- Coventry in 1989 (3rd round). Coventry had been finalists the year before. The most replayed cup shock on TV is probably Motty's favourite, Hereford (Ronnie Radford et al. v Newcastle,1972).
Aus Open Tennis
Justine Henin is the hot favourite amongst the women, & is on a 28 match win streak. I think she will make the final, although Serena Williams should give her a tough match. Venus Williams is in the easier lower half of the draw, from which I would pick only Ivanovic & Kuznetsova as having realistic chances of beating Venus. So my tip is a Venus-Henin final.
In the men's, Andy Murray is in hot form after winning the title in Doha. He faces the big-hitting Frenchman, Tsonga, in the first round. Richard Gasquet is also in Murray's section though, against whom AM has a 0-2 record. I'll pick Federer to win, although some of the chasing pack (Djokovic, Nalbandian) showed last year it's not just Nadal who can beat the Swiss- Federer has lost some of his dominance. Other potential winners then, are Djokovic, Nalbandian & Gonzalez from the top half; Nadal, Gasquet, Murray, & Roddick from the lower half.
Dig out all the old cliches about the romance of the FA Cup. The Third Round saw its share of shocks. The biggest was third division (League One as its now ridiculously called) Oldham beating Everton away. Championship sides Huddersfield & Coventry also dispatched top-flight opposition. Havant & Waterlooville earned a replay against Swansea, to keep non-league representation in the competition. Incidentally, Sutton United were the last non-league side to beat top-flight opposition- Coventry in 1989 (3rd round). Coventry had been finalists the year before. The most replayed cup shock on TV is probably Motty's favourite, Hereford (Ronnie Radford et al. v Newcastle,1972).
Aus Open Tennis
Justine Henin is the hot favourite amongst the women, & is on a 28 match win streak. I think she will make the final, although Serena Williams should give her a tough match. Venus Williams is in the easier lower half of the draw, from which I would pick only Ivanovic & Kuznetsova as having realistic chances of beating Venus. So my tip is a Venus-Henin final.
In the men's, Andy Murray is in hot form after winning the title in Doha. He faces the big-hitting Frenchman, Tsonga, in the first round. Richard Gasquet is also in Murray's section though, against whom AM has a 0-2 record. I'll pick Federer to win, although some of the chasing pack (Djokovic, Nalbandian) showed last year it's not just Nadal who can beat the Swiss- Federer has lost some of his dominance. Other potential winners then, are Djokovic, Nalbandian & Gonzalez from the top half; Nadal, Gasquet, Murray, & Roddick from the lower half.
Sunday, 25 November 2007
Football Failures
End of season WTA & ATP Championships
Henin defeated Sharapova in the WTA Championship final in a match lasting three & a half hours. Henin hasn't lost since losing from a set up to Bartoli at Wimbledon, a 25-match win streak. As well as being arguably the most talented female player, the stats prove Henin is the best too.
The end of the ATP season saw a return to form for David Nalbandian. He showed his potential by reaching the Wimbledon final in 2002, and has made the semis of the other 3 Slams- French (04, 06) Aus (2006) & US (03). He had struggled for form this season, but incredibly he won back-to back Masters titles in Paris & Madrid, beating both Federer & Nadal twice. Andy Murray did very well to be in contention to qualify for the Masters Cup, considering the period he lost to injury (Wimbledon & US Open) & consequent loss of opportunity to pick up ranking points.
The ATP Masters Cup was business as usual for the Fed Express, although Fernando Gonzalez beat Federer in the round-robin stage. When his forehand is in the groove, Gonzo is unstoppable, but he is erratic. End of season tiredness can lead to unexpected defeats in this tournament. Novak Djokovic has had an excellent year, but lost all three matches to be eliminated at the group stage. Federer comfortably defeated Roddick & Ferrer in the semi & final respectively, and the question remains whether Nadal can challenge him for the no. 1 ranking in 2008. I expect Roger to be top of the pile again this time next year.
Euro 2008 qualifying
Scotland coming third in their group was a glorious failure. Not so for England. In a previous post I had predicted Scotland would qualify. Unfortunately their loss 2-0 way to Georgia has proved to be a killer blow. Their qualifying group was an incredibly tough draw, with both France & Italy in the top 5 of FIFA's rankings. Still, they did the double over the French, have improved their seeding for future tournaments, & restored Scotland's reputation in world football.
England got what they deserved against Croatia. The only tactic was the long punt up to Crouch. It was the same old story for England- without Rooney, they struggle for creativity. Wright-Philips did well in the first-half, but then made way for Becks. Joe Cole can beat opponents one-on-one, but he had an off-day. The failure to qualify could be a blessing in disguise though. The FA now have the opportunity to recruit a world-class coach like Fabio Capello, Marcello Lippi, or Mourinho. All are proven winners at the top level. Only Lippi has managed a national side, but the other two have extensive Champions League experience.
So, none of the Home Nations or the Irish will be represented at Euro 2008. Northern Ireland had some excellent results, beating Spain, Sweden & Denmark; & David Healy finished as the top scorer in the entire quaifying competition with 13 goals. Wales & ROI were disappointing, although the Welsh finished with an encouraging away draw against the Germans.
Henin defeated Sharapova in the WTA Championship final in a match lasting three & a half hours. Henin hasn't lost since losing from a set up to Bartoli at Wimbledon, a 25-match win streak. As well as being arguably the most talented female player, the stats prove Henin is the best too.
The end of the ATP season saw a return to form for David Nalbandian. He showed his potential by reaching the Wimbledon final in 2002, and has made the semis of the other 3 Slams- French (04, 06) Aus (2006) & US (03). He had struggled for form this season, but incredibly he won back-to back Masters titles in Paris & Madrid, beating both Federer & Nadal twice. Andy Murray did very well to be in contention to qualify for the Masters Cup, considering the period he lost to injury (Wimbledon & US Open) & consequent loss of opportunity to pick up ranking points.
The ATP Masters Cup was business as usual for the Fed Express, although Fernando Gonzalez beat Federer in the round-robin stage. When his forehand is in the groove, Gonzo is unstoppable, but he is erratic. End of season tiredness can lead to unexpected defeats in this tournament. Novak Djokovic has had an excellent year, but lost all three matches to be eliminated at the group stage. Federer comfortably defeated Roddick & Ferrer in the semi & final respectively, and the question remains whether Nadal can challenge him for the no. 1 ranking in 2008. I expect Roger to be top of the pile again this time next year.
Euro 2008 qualifying
Scotland coming third in their group was a glorious failure. Not so for England. In a previous post I had predicted Scotland would qualify. Unfortunately their loss 2-0 way to Georgia has proved to be a killer blow. Their qualifying group was an incredibly tough draw, with both France & Italy in the top 5 of FIFA's rankings. Still, they did the double over the French, have improved their seeding for future tournaments, & restored Scotland's reputation in world football.
England got what they deserved against Croatia. The only tactic was the long punt up to Crouch. It was the same old story for England- without Rooney, they struggle for creativity. Wright-Philips did well in the first-half, but then made way for Becks. Joe Cole can beat opponents one-on-one, but he had an off-day. The failure to qualify could be a blessing in disguise though. The FA now have the opportunity to recruit a world-class coach like Fabio Capello, Marcello Lippi, or Mourinho. All are proven winners at the top level. Only Lippi has managed a national side, but the other two have extensive Champions League experience.
So, none of the Home Nations or the Irish will be represented at Euro 2008. Northern Ireland had some excellent results, beating Spain, Sweden & Denmark; & David Healy finished as the top scorer in the entire quaifying competition with 13 goals. Wales & ROI were disappointing, although the Welsh finished with an encouraging away draw against the Germans.
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