Like he said, he lost some matches that he should have never lost this year. I am going to pick Rodge for the second Saturday final four…and I’ll stop at that. I would be absolutely thrilled if he goes all the way, but I think he’ll pack up on the second Saturday to De-Joker.
P.S.: Being a heavy metal head, am I the only one who is looking forward to that kick-ass ALL-BLACKS outfit this year again? The revival I think truly begins in down under Melbourne 2009, not in New York.
Novak Djokovic (De-Joker): As the phrase goes, he's ‘The Joker in the Pack’. He has been overshadowed by the Rodge–Rafa tussle this year, but make no mistake: De-Joker can turn it on when it matters most.
He is in good form going into the open; the NY crowd loves his sense of humor and extrovert personality. He has one of the most modern, compact, and complete games I have seen until now.
He is in Rodge’s draw, so he has to get through him to reach the final. He will be looking forward to go one better than last year…and am going to say he will. He is my pick for this year.
Andy Murray: He's the hottest player in the tour going around at the moment, if one considers just the North American hard court series. Made the trip all the way to Beijing only to lose in the first round, but that will hardly deter his progress in NY.
Murray, De-Joker, Del Potro and Gulbis are the vanguard of the next generation and they are here to stay. He has a complete game and can turn the heat on when needed, and so expect a very deep run at the open.
Here is the problem, however, with the caveat that he has defeated (or come close to) the above three on occasions, I just don’t see him putting it past Federer, Nadal or De-Joker over a course of three out of five sets.
He is in Rafa’s side of the draw; hence he needs to plays ‘LIGHTS-OUT’ tennis on the second Saturday to reach the final. He then probably has a chance against De-Joker, even lesser against Federer. My call: final four, because I honestly don’t see him getting past Nadal.
Juan Martin del-potro: I am going to throw the Argen-teen’s name in the mix because I believe he is the Dark Horse for the open. For a bloke who is 198 cm tall, his game is fluid; I like his game for its fluidity.
He has been in good knick in the summer too, reaching the final of a series event to actually hold on the baseline and defeating ROD easily.
He is calm, cool and unfazed under pressure and has that air of ‘Try all you want, but I have this one wrapped up’ sensibility when you see him walking on the court. For an Argentine, he can surprisingly play well on hard courts too.
With Rodge, Rafa, De-Joker, and Andy in the field, Danny Ocean has greater odds of breaking Willie Bank’s fortune than del-potro kissing the trophy on the second Sunday, but keep tabs on the Argen-Teen…you’ll love his game.
Long Story Short: It does not get much better than the night sessions at Arthur Ashe; it can be electrifying. Until then, I’ll touch base with you all by mid-first week of the open. Enjoy the Popeye muscles, gorgeous women, a Sam Adams or two, and New York in itself …
It is time to unzip the tennis bags, roll the round optic Wilsons onto the court, Thank You … Quiet Please, Players are Ready … As Rafa would say: ‘Kickin some Butt.’
Welcome to the Big Apple!
15 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete