Bleacher Report - Articles by TheDevilAces

The Roddick Fan: Hearts Shattered Yet Whole at Andy's Wimbledon Defeat

TheDevilAces — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 15:27:47 -0400

"Faith, Andy, faith."

Those were the three words that I used countless times throughout tonight, through every single point, right down to the very last one.

It takes an incredible amount of faith, belief, and optimism to be a fan of Andy Roddick. It takes even more of that to be Andy Roddick. In the age of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, everyone all but writes him off winning another Grand Slam title.

Tonight, against Federer in the Wimbledon final of 2009, it still stands at one title for Andy at the US Open, none at Wimbledon, another defeat at the hands of the player who has now become the most successful in men's Grand Slam history. Yet, no man can walk away from Centre Court the way Andy Roddick did after tonight.

I certainly don't want to use the cliche of, "his head held high", because for one it has got to be the most crushing defeat of his career, and it is a most remarkable feat that he did not break down in tears on his way out, the way Federer did in Melbourne earlier this year after losing to Nadal.

The way the crowd was chanting his name in a standing ovation, bearing in mind that he had very nearly denied arguably the most popular tennis player on the planet at the moment a chance to make history and that he had snuffed out the hopes of their local favorite mere days ago, just tells you everything about the character Roddick has shown himself to be during this epic match.

Written off and criticized before this, the world has now had its eyes opened to the magnificent transformation of a young, hot-headed kid with a peacock strut, big serve and nothing much else about his game to a complete and true man of maturity, grace, desire, passion, will and skill.

What an utter shame it is for him to once again come this close yet miss out on the one title he has been pursuing for so long, the very last lifetime career goal he has yet to achieve after three attempts. He wanted it so badly he gave everything. It wasn't just about what he did this match, but everything he has done over the year for this match. It still was not enough.

I have made no secret about being a fan of Roddick, but like Andy himself who said that he didn't think he would have given himself another shot at winning a Grand Slam I too had doubts before this final. I had hoped he would win, but I very honestly had no great expectations of it.

It was during the match, in which he displayed a masterclass of all-round play, not just on his serves and forehands, but with some immaculate volleys and breathtaking backhand passing shot winners against such an accomplished volley-er as Federer, that I started to believe that he could win this. Desire and form began to click into such a lethal combination for Andy, and it was marvellous to watch.

Never mind fans, even doubters of Andy's talent on court have to stand and applaud the strength of the will he maintained in the face of mounting pressure when he was two sets down, and when he was serving behind throughout the decider.

Never before has Andy pushed Federer to five such tight sets, playing arguably better tennis than the Swiss himself, all fuelled by the immense desire for that trophy, and to see his name on it. You can fault talent, but you cannot fault effort, or in Andy's case this time, you just have to admire it.

If I had not already been a massive Roddick fan before today, I would be now. The sweat off his cap, the concentration in his eyes at every single point, the grim, controlled reactions all embodied sheer focus on that dream that had eluded him and was this close to his reach.

I found myself rooting for Andy during this match like I had never done before. There were times I could barely breathe, my hands cold and shaking just watching him ready his serve, that really magnified the awe with which I looked upon him still firing bomb after bomb down the T, unfazed.

It went right down to that very last point where he whipped and mishit a forehand with the sun in his eyes, and suddenly my heart, which had been pounding almost as fast as his rocket serve, had the strangest of reactions.

Andy's own had probably broken into a million pieces at the very moment, and mine, and I'm sure together with every Roddick fan out there, shattered the same way, but then felt more whole than it had ever been. Our Andy had just come two points away from the title, watched it all vanish so cruelly before his eyes, yet stood up like a man and extended the most gracious of congratulations to the victor.

To all fans of Andy, the pride and love for this man at that herculean effort is just as immense as the heartache at his loss. Everyone had likened the task of an upset to scaling a vertical cliff without crampons or ropes, and yet he had made them eat all their words by reaching the top, one hand gripping firmly to the peak of that cliff, before the rock beneath it crumbled so unfortunately, and left him with nothing.

Roddick has just accomplished the impossible, not by beating Federer, nor winning Wimbledon.

However, he has just gained respect from those who were firmly putting him down. He has caused an elevation of the adoration from his fans, who had just five hours ago believed they could not have loved him more.

MISSING: Arsenal Football Club

TheDevilAces — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:39:04 -0400

Before this Champions League semifinal clash between Man United and Arsenal, I think it's fair to say that we were all expecting a real epic fight between two of the greatest English rivals of late. Arsenal have beaten us once this season already, and there is no denying the mutual hatred of the two camps. Add that to the fact that they are facing each other in a match of such immense scale, we expected no less than a cracker at Old Trafford.

Except there was a problem. The visiting team was nowhere to be seen from kickoff.

For the record, I'm not here to ridicule Arsenal. To be fair, they have had their major injury concerns, and their defence was as makeshift as ours had been for the past few weeks. Maybe they can count themselves unfortunate that their star man of the moment Arshavin is cup tied, and that Robin Van Persie is out with an injury.

But still, is it any excuse for a team boasting the talent of Fabregas and Nasri, the threat of Adebayor, and the genius of Walcott to be completely played off the park? There was really only one player that showed up for Arsenal and that's their man between the sticks, without whom the scoreline might have resembled Roma 2007. Without the one goal against us, at least, because Arsenal really were toothless in attack, and had about what, one shot on target in 90 minutes?

United was brilliant all round, I have to say. We played them off the park and Almunia's excellent goalkeeping notwithstanding should have left with a 4-0 score line at the very least. I don't recall seeing another match where we completely dominated the first 30 minutes of possession and the Gunners never got a sniff at the ball after giving it away from kickoff. We seemed to pick up where we left off against Spurs.

First mention has to go to Darren Fletcher, who was outstanding as he always is against Arsenal, hassling the Arsenal midfield each time they got the ball and nearly always won or helped to win it back. Fletcher has turned into such a big game player. Many United fans used to truly dislike the sight of him on the pitch a few years back, but how he has grown. There were times I had to remind myself that Samir Nasri was even playing.

Anderson and Carrick both had one of their best games of the season, completely dictating play in the midfield, and Ando was unlucky to have been flagged offside despite clearly being on (decisions at OT always go in favour of United indeed) because he was in such a prime position to score then. Still, the United fans chanted his chant, and oh how he obliged!

John O'Shea. Well, he's usually on the end of more criticism than praise, but no one can deny him the plaudits today. He was responsible for a brilliant finish that was United's only goal of the match (although one Mikael Silvestre decided to show up momentarily on our side to aid him in that) and actually looked solid in defence. Of course, that goal made so much more satisfying to watch over and over again because it was symmetrical to what happened at Anfield a couple of seasons ago.

Usual suspects Ronaldo and Rooney ran the Arsenal defence ragged as we had expected them to, Rooney even helping out back defensively, nullifying whatever threat Walcott could pose against Evra. Both arguably should have had their names on the score sheet too, especially when one of Ronny's rockets was unlucky enough to hit the bar. They didn't quite crank it up to Tottenham gear during the second half, but still posed threats down either wing and in front of goal.

Tevez, I thought, deserved a goal. Given the nod ahead of Berbatov, it was probably the first match he has proved to have justified that choice. Ran rings round the Arsenal defence (that, save for Almunia, really wasn't there) all night and for once I was surprised to see him subbed by Berbatov.

Where was Emmanuel Adebayor? Rio and Vidic were a brick wall that he ran himself into, and Van Der Sar had absolutely nothing to do, except for one save from Fabregas. Our concern for the second leg is probably Rio's injury though. He was subbed off after an excellent display with fears of a cracked rib. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping he will be fit to play. Not that I doubt Evans's ability for one minute, that is!

For the sake of football, I hope we don't have to witness another Great Gooner Disappearing Act at the Emirates next week. Sure it's brilliant that we've completely swept one of our biggest rivals aside, but it's no fun when you know there was pretty much nothing to sweep in the first place. Let them turn up, but let us beat them anyway. That's going to be a million times more satisfying.

Enough With The Luck Talk: Man United Deserve The "Moral Right" to Win

TheDevilAces — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 09:38:21 -0400

Put the case that Liverpool plays a team threatened with relegation, struggles to gain control of the first half, and find the breakthrough, despite their opponents putting in more effort and creating more chances than them, in the form of a direct freekick as a result of a foul that never should have been given.

They then have a man advantage when the opponent get a man sent off, and score a second through equally controversial circumstances when the referee fails to spot a handball in the box on the way to goal. They then go on to win the match.

Now put the case that Manchester United, starting later that day in second place, going two goals behind to Spurs by half time for not capitalising on the many more chances they had in comparison. They come out of the break all guns firing, and get a penalty that was not quite stonewall, converted it, and went on to dominate a team that could not find the answer to them. Final score 5-2 and a comfortable win in the end.

The media goes on to have a field day about a comeback that never should have been if that penalty wasn't given. Harry Redknapp thinks that United would never have found a way back if not for Howard Webb. United were oh so lucky that Howard Webb was on our side. No mention of Javier Mascherano's blatant dive to win that freekick, nor Lucas's handball in the box gone unspotted.

Obviously, we completely struggled against Spurs all ninety minutes and were utterly unable to create another chance in that match. Obviously, Howard Webb awarded us five penalties in the match and that was how we got it back. Very evidently, Spurs were having go after go at us during the first half and followed it up in the second, resulting in bribery of Webb the only way we could have clawed our way back.

Oh, and Liverpool were rock solid throughout, as usual.

You could find a team the world hates more than Man United. People all over are blatantly deluding themselves, clinging on to every excuse they have just so that they can have the satisfaction of denying us our 'moral right' to win. United always win titles because they are lucky. Passion, grit, willpower, skill and strokes of genius just seem to be beyond any of them to admit. Those words are reserved for other teams, and strictly not for us on matchday.

First and foremost, the decision itself to award the penalty may have been contentious, but on second look, keeper Gomez might have gotten the slightest of touches to it, but he, knowing he was the last man, collided into Carrick anyway to prevent him from stepping over to get the ball and play it on into the open goal.

Penalty? There is no question about it. Some say red card for the keeper. Most say we were gifted that breakthrough.

Regardless, if Spurs had had the guts or stomach for the fight, we were still trailing 1-2 then, and they could have held on to their lead if they had, as Redknapp felt, been the better team. How is it that one controversial penalty decision led to another four more goals going past them, all in spectacular style?

Why not credit Rooney and Ronaldo for their sheer magic last night? Why not applaud Tevez and the manner in which he injected such energy into the side upon his introduction? How about the kind of steel it takes for Dimitar Berbatov, under so much criticism by his team's fans of late, to produce a magnificent display that was capped by a goal?

I'm so sick of the whole luck talk that our success has been attributed to. Sure, I don't deny for one minute that we have had our fair share of luck sometimes, but last night was definitely not it, and we most certainly have not won 17 English titles being lucky all the way.

Still, it does bring out a really satisfied snigger in me and all Red Devils worldwide, now that we are on the verge of a record-equalling 18, the ABUs are wetting themselves trying to deny that we're simply the best team in England. Maybe they should change their motto.

"Next year is our year."

Man United and Arsenal Complete English Domination of Europe

TheDevilAces — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 23:17:47 -0400

It was the second day of the round of 16 of the Champions League, and after seeing Liverpool and Chelsea see out Real Madrid and Juventus, I knew Man United had to do their job. They obliged, with a final score of 2-0, and with Arsenal winning on penalties as well, four English teams have made it to the quarterfinals.

As a United fan, the Inter match was all the more interesting given that we had a chance to get one back over The Not So Special One, Jose Mourinho. And I am so glad we did. After coming to Old Trafford earlier than the players to be at the centre of attention again, he left with the sourest of looks on his face. Priceless.

So United picked up where we left off in Milan and dominated the first five minutes or so, with Vidic scoring in the 4th after evading former Arsenal boy Vieira for a free header off a corner kick. (Nemanja WHOA-OH! Nemanja WHOA-OH!)

After that it was pretty much an even match, Inter having their own fair share of chances and us having a couple of real scares as well, the biggest of those when Ibrahimovic gained a clear header of the ball but hit it against the post. Don’t ask me what Ferdinand was doing.

John O’Shea committed about five fouls on the same Milan guy (Balotelli) in the first half an hour. I was really surprised he managed to avoid getting a card throughout the entire match.

Later he messed up one of our best chances of the night when put through one on one with the Julio Cesar after a beautiful pass from Berbatov. Let’s hope he’s saving that special goal for the 91st minute if we’re still all square with Liverpool on Saturday.

Berba was guilty of one of those screw ups too. One on one with Cesar as well, you’d think he’d taken lessons from O’Shea from the way he hit that straight at him.

The buildup to the second goal was nothing short of magnificent though. Again, in the fourth minute from the whistle for the second half, Ronaldo got a free header into goal that virtually sealed it for us. We’d been run over by Inter in the three minutes prior to that, but one mistake to give the ball away to us was all we needed.

Giggsy, the legend, who was in one of his brilliant streaks of form again tonight, danced through the entire defence on the edge of the box before passing it to Scholes in the centre who went left to Rooney.

Wazza took his own time to pick out his man for a pass and lifted the ball over oh so sweetly into the path of the onrushing Ronaldo and Ronny made no mistake putting it past Cesar with no Inter defender close to him at all.

The crowd had gone nuts by then, and the VIVA RONALDOs from Old Trafford might have been the loudest I’ve heard all season. Meanwhile, Van Der Sar made some excellent saves and decisive keeping to see us through to the quarters. The curse of the last 16 was broken by us.

Now, can we break the next curse and be the first team to retain the Champions League trophy? Well, to complete that quintuple, sure we’ve got to.

My only complaint now is that we won’t be seeing our favourite Italian team in the competition any longer, now that Roma has been knocked out by Arsenal. I switched channels to watch the penalty kicks and I was just waiting for Gallas to be the one who kicks, misses and sends Arsenal back to London.

That fairytale ending never quite came, though. Tonetto’s penalty for Roma had “Fly Emirates to London” written all over it as he ballooned the ball over the net.

So that's four English teams into the next round. Not exactly what I’d have liked but other than the likes of Barcelona and maybe, just maybe Bayern Munich, it’s probably gonna be a complete English affair till the end.

Manchester United's Carling Cup Victory, Thoughts on the Final

TheDevilAces — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 04:18:32 -0500

Manchester United won the Carling Cup, beating Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 on penalties. I think I'm making it sound more flattering than it really was. The match ended 0-0 and even though the football was entertaining, it was 1 AM where I am, and I wanted United to score.

United's performance as a team was not altogether impressive, to be honest. Danny Welbeck and Darron Gibson, included in the squad as Sir Alex Ferguson promised, could not rise to the occasion, and Spurs gave us a really hard time. I am truly relieved that we won.

Here are some of my other thoughts on the game:

1) Jonny Evans is a world class defender.

I'm not just saying this just because he's one of my favourite players of late, but his recent performances honestly belie his age.

He's so solid at the back, I sometimes think I'd prefer seeing him to Ferdinand up there next to Vidic, if only for the fact that Rio and Vida haven't already formed a brick wall in front of goal. At this moment, Jonny Evans could walk into any other team in the world.

2) $32 Million for Carlos Tevez?

Never mind United fans being divided, I'm divided over this myself. We'll have to make a decision whether or not to pay that kind of money for Tevez at the end of the season.

I love the guy, he plays with every last bit of energy he's got, and he gives his heart and soul to United. I'm also not about to forget the number of times he crucially bailed us out last season when we looked to be heading for defeat.

But of late, most recently in this final, he merely runs around like a headless chicken with no real contribution to the game. I don't want to see him go, especially not to Real Madrid, but Tevez really needs to prove his worth to Sir Alex now, to give us a cast iron reason to hold on to him.

3) Ben Foster will be big.

If he can stay fit that is. Foster's hardly got chances to prove himself because of injuries and the unbeatable form of Edwin Van Der Sar but he did what he was supposed to in the final, making some superb saves that would have otherwise left us with nothing.

Foster saved Jamie O'Hara's penalty really nicely to complete an impressive showing. He's another one for the future.

4) Aaron Lennon, 21 years of age, is the new bright spark for England, tormentor of Patrice Evra throughout the match.

Oh yeah, it's all over the commentaries, papers, the Internet, blogs, whatever. Anyone picked up on how he had to withdraw with major cramps in extra time, while our very own 35-year-old Paul Scholes played through the entire 120 minutes? Talk about the young and fit.

5) Can we win five?

Champions of the World, winners of the Carling Cup. That's two down, three to go. Nothing is going thrill me more than seeing us win the FA Cup while remaining Champions of England and Europe.

At this very moment, we are close enough to the Premier League trophy, and our squad depth should see us through the FA Cup at least. But if there's any team that can do a quintuple in a season, it's got to be us.

6) Some sympathy for Jamie O'Hara.

Penalties are never easy because of the immense pressure, and he had the guts to step up to the spot first for Spurs to take one. Having already tearfully missed the final last year, it must be absolutely devastating for him to see his penalty saved.

Gotta feel for the guy. At least he appeared really gutted. David Bentley looked like he could hardly have cared.

"Man U" A Pet Name? Think Again

TheDevilAces — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 05:33:48 -0500

Before I begin, I would first like to say that this article is by no means intended on offending anyone, but rather to spread a message to the alarming number of fans who still do not know the history behind the term "Man U."

I live in a country far away from Britain, where football is huge with the people as a sport, but not as a culture.

There are many many football fans here who are really passionate about Manchester United, Liverpool etc., loyal as any lad behind their local team, but understand little about the history of their club.

Before any United die-hards gets too critical, I ask for a little sympathy. It is not easy at all to fully feel the tradition and history behind something when one is not immersed in it.

I consider myself a huge United fan who has been behind her club since she was young. But to be honest, it was only a couple of years back that I researched the origins of the term "Man U", only to find out that, ubiquitous as it is here as a pet name by United fans, it is a highly insulting term.

It is what rival fans like Liverpool and Leeds use to jeer at the memory of the great Duncan Edwards and the rest of the Busby Babes who died in the Munich Air Disaster. They called Edwards 'manure,' they mocked us about Munich.

I'm eighteen and I can hardly say I've been around long enough to know personally how the tragedy shocked the world and all United fans. But for all I may not be born and bred in Manchester, I am born and bred a Red Devil, and reading and hearing about the Munich disaster brings more than a tear to my eye.

Reading and hearing about rival fans mocking and laughing at the death of the Busby Babes angers me the same way. Utterly ashamed of my blatant ignorance, that term that was once used habitually is now relegated permanently on my taboo list.

Likewise, for fellow United fans who use it (and for your own sake, please stop), it's probably a case of ignorance, rather than an intention of actually insulting the Busby Babes. While I don't think using the term per se makes one less of a fan than someone who does not, I do not speak up for those who do know, but refuse to kick the habit.

It's terrible enough rival fans use it. Even some of the more mature ones know just how offensive it is, and show some respect to the legends who died tragically by not saying it.

This is to all United fans on the same side of the world as I am, who read the contents of this article with the same kind of realisation that I had, and yet, who felt your hearts grow twice as heavy all the same when remembering the sixth of February 1958 on derby day last season.

Please spread the word to those who still do not know: It's an absolute shame to use "Man U" on the best team in the world.

Dimitar Berbatov: Class Act

TheDevilAces — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 00:50:41 -0500

Dimitar Berbatov was voted Player of the Month for January on ManUtd.com, a sure sign of immense support from the United faithful at last.

It was not long ago that Berbatov came under criticism from fans of Man United for being "lazy", and being bought at a price that was deemed extravagant for the number of goals he returned.

I am proud to say I haven't only just jumped on the Berbatov bandwagon, but I've been a admirer of his since he was at Tottenham Hotspur. The touch and skill that made his play almost seem effortless was nothing less than sheer joy to watch, and it didn't hurt that he took Chelsea apart in the League Cup final either.

When Ferguson signed him at the start of this season after a long drawn out saga (like we needed anymore of that after a summer of The Cristiano Ronaldo Show), I literally jumped for joy and celebrated the Bulgarian officially becoming our player.

Now, it makes me even happier to see Berbatov convert more United fans over to his side. Who in the world (apart from the most bitter of Scousers whose sense has failed him) would have not marvelled at the sublime turn and flick to set up Ronaldo's goal at West Ham earlier this season? Even those who doubted his talent when he first signed must have been questioning themselves at that point.

Along with our Champions League victories and Justine Henin's beautiful backhand, it's one of the only things in sport that I could watch over and over again without ever getting tired.

His form of late that won him the hearts of the United fans included crucial goals at Middlesbrough and Bolton, one against Chelsea, and the winner against old club Spurs. He orchestrated matches against Southampton and West Brom, and every time he's on the ball, you just expect something spectacular to happen.

Goals aside, Berbatov has already got nine assists in the league, the highest number in the entire Premier League so far.

Now, if the combination between him and fellow candidate for POTM Michael Carrick is anything as consistent as it has been for the past month, we're not just going to win the league, we're going to do it with class.

What Delight: Liverpool Out of FA Cup

TheDevilAces — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 05:23:27 -0500

Fernando Torres believed Liverpool's victory against Chelsea spelled the start of a renewed confidence, and wanted to be the hero against Everton again in the Merseyside derby of the FA Cup.

Said Torres: "We knew before we faced Chelsea that we needed to win. We have a lot more confidence now, of course...It was a fantastic day for me that last time I played in a derby at Goodison Park. I was lucky enough to score two goals and we won the game so it was a good moment for us. It is true that Liverpool have not been beaten by Everton since I came here but that does not mean anything in this game."

The Red Devil in me cannot help but laugh. Not only did Liverpool lose to their bitter neighbours in the final minute through a deflected goal (karma, anyone?), the lost in absolute style.

Stevie Me left the field with a hamstring problem after just 15 minutes, Lucas got sent off for two bookable challenges and Torres was just terrible and had to be subbed late on. Oh how they must miss Robbie Keane now.

Dan Gosling gave Everton the win through a deflection off Skrtel/Arbeloa. After winning games through lucky deflections (they've done it against United and Chelski this season now), it was a good time to give them a taste of their own medicine.

As Scott from the Republik of Mancunia says—FACT: The Fat Spanish Waiter has lost the plot.

Rafa's Victory over Federer: Through the Eyes of a Roddick Fan

TheDevilAces — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 05:05:10 -0500

I guess there have been so many match reports with regard to the Australian Open men's final that I need not post another one for the sake of it. Unless you've been somewhere on Pluto and beyond for the past couple of days, the outcome of the match is nearly common knowledge now.

Now, even those who had unfortunately had to miss the final and all its excitement will probably have read or heard about Roger Federer's breakdown during the trophy presentation. The man of 13 Grand Slam titles stood on the podium as he received the runner-up's plate from the legend Rod Laver, opened his speech and choked up with tears in a couple of sentences.

This may not please the Federer fans (and to be honest I have no intention of paying particular attention to doing so), and while I respect what this man has achieved in his career, I've never been a fan of his. The title of this write-up probably says it all.

I am a Roddick fan. A self confessed Roddick fan. A long suffering Roddick fan. A proud and dedicated follower in the Roddick camp who has had to endure her star being labelled a 'one slam wonder' because of his sole win at the 2003 US Open.

As I watched Federer cry on Sunday while Nadal stood to watch in a muted celebration, the very first thing that came to my mind was: Now you know how Andy feels.

Like it or not, I owe grievance to the very man with 13 Grand Slams.It really isn't hard to see why. Twice, Roddick made it to the Wimbledon final, both times, he lost to Roger Federer. In 2006 he made the US Open final, and again it was Federer who thwarted him. Between and beyond, he has had the misfortune of being on the same side of the draw as Federer for Slam after Slam, and the record is now 2-16 against Andy.

And there's more. It was Federer who took away Roddick's World Number One ranking and held it for the next 237 weeks, Federer who whipped Roddick in a humiliating Aussie Open semi two years ago, Federer who outaces the world's fastest server in each of the matches they play.

It is because I'm a Roddick fan, that I am unable to fully and honestly attach admiration to the achievements of this man.

Call me unsporting or bitter, it's the truth, and I'm certain all fans will somehow or rather be able to identify with that. Just ask any Federer fan how they feel about their great champion being reduced to tears after coming so close yet failing once more. Ask yourself, if you've supported Roger all your life, just how you feel about his conqueror, Rafael Nadal.

Just how difficult is it to wish for him to go on and become the Greatest Player of All Time, the very title Federer has been statistically gunning for for the longest time now? It is one thing to admit a rival's superiority, but to celebrate it?

For me, I can never take Federer winning another Wimbledon title without a slight sick feeling knowing very well it is the missing lifelong goal Andy Roddick set for himself.

To be sure, if Federer does indeed win a 14th Grand Slam and equal Pete Sampras's all time record, like he so desperately wants to, I will applaud him.

But I can hardly bring myself to marvel at it, when his greatness has been at the expense of my own hero.

Will and Spirit as Nadal Beats Verdasco in the Match of Australian Open 2009

TheDevilAces — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 09:59:10 -0500

Given the kind of tennis Rafael Nadal played today against an inspired Fernando Verdasco, you would bet his final opponent and three time champion Roger Federer cannot help but break into sweat (figuratively, of course, for Federer does rarely seem to sweat, even in a match).

His only consolation will be that the five hour plus match might have taken a toll on Rafa, and that the young Mallorcan will get a day's less rest than himself.

Not that you could really tell during the final set against Verdasco. The effort both men put in throughout the duration of the whole match was never once compromised. Verdasco fired everything at Nadal, making him scramble across the court countless times. Scramble Nadal did, and got nearly every ball within his reach back within the court to extend the rally.

Verdasco threw in close to 100 winners, making nearly 80 unforced errors in the process, but that go for broke approach made life exceptionally difficult for his close friend and compatriot. Nadal got backhand crosscourt slices back to Verdasco time and time again, and Fernando pounded relentlessly with explosive forehands, almost ala Nadal.

The first set went to Verdasco, with a little help from Lady Luck that gave him set point from a shot that hit the net cord and trickled over. But there was hardly anything lucky about the remaining shot he played and the rest of the winners he hit.

Nadal came back to win the second and third sets, breaking Verdasco's serve at 5-4 in the second. It was only the first break in the match, another indication of the quality of which both men were holding onto their service games.

At some points in time, Rafa did seem the less comfortable of the two, having to cope with the firepower of his opponent, whose flatter ground strokes suited the hard court more than his own looping topspin forehands. But everytime Nadal seemed out of the point, he just seemed to claw back.

"You have to run for every ball" was what the winner of this match said in an interview to TENNIS magazine two years ago. Rafael Nadal is a man of his word. If he was experiencing any form of fatigue, you could hardly know. The only signs in the final game that showed they had been on court for the entire evening was the clock in the stadium, and the sweat that soaked through Rafa's shirt.

All credit to Verdasco, he's won himself a new legion of fans with that performance alone. It was easily the best match he's ever played in his life, and he can take a lot of heart from it. Not everyone pushes Rafael Nadal to the limit like he did, and you'll have to look back to what was hailed as the best match ever in the Wimbledon epic last year for the last time he was.

And such challenges bring out the best in Nadal, as he displayed there, not just through his play during the match, but also from the manner in which he climbed over the net to embrace Verdasco. No doubt he thanked his friend for such a spirited display, because he showed Nadal and the world of tennis such great respect throughout the match by not succumbing, and not fading away.

The final score: 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4 in Nadal's favour, with an unfortunate double fault by Verdasco on match point proving to be the decisive error. Statistics don't always reflect the nature of the match, but there is a lot of truth in one particular one.

Number of points won:

Verdasco: 192; Nadal: 193

Wimbledon final 2008 may have been hailed as the best match ever, but I daresay this came close, if not better.

Right now, Nadal will be aiming to physically recover as quickly as he can before the final on Sunday. But the will of steel and surging spirit do not diminish. Roger Federer had better be afraid.

Rafael Nadal, Jelena Jankovic Top Seeds at Aussie Open, Preview Of Draw

TheDevilAces — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 05:48:09 -0500

It's official. To no surprise, Rafael Nadal and Jelena Jankovic were named top seeds for the coming Australian Open.

I really hope Jankovic lives up to the World No. 1 ranking this year and make it more constantly to Grand Slam finals, hopefully winning one. Starting at the Aussie Open wouldn't hurt, either.

As for Rafa, he's never been past the semis in Melbourne so far. Last year when he reached the last four for the first time, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga thrashed him soundly to deny him a spot in the final.

You could argue that it's the hardcourt factor, and admittedly, he is suffering from a knee problem, but you can never write Rafa out. I mean, who would have thought dear Rafa could take the Wimbledon title, given that he's a clay court specialist?

As for the others, Federer's always a threat, and Nole Djokovic is defending champ, but the bookie's hot favourite is none other than Andy Murray, so it'll be really interesting to see if Murray can handle that kind of pressure against the likes of the top three men in the world.

Tsonga's fifth seed, and Roddick's (Andy, no losing early this year!) down there in 7th, and while they are capable of major upsets, but I won't place any money on that. All eyes on Murray, that means.

On the ladies side, the defending champ is not playing. Maria Sharapova has withdrawn because of injury. I'm no fan of Sharapova by any means, but I do think it's quite unfortunate that she had to miss most of the second half of last year because of her shoulder problem.

The women's side could do with a little more competition; they're boring as hell nowadays. The Williams sisters will always be real contenders, and then you've got Ana Ivanovic, last year's finalist and 2008 French Open champion.

Hopefully they won't let us down and start playing rubbish tennis and get blown off the courts earlier than they should.

Here are the top ten seeds for men's and women's:

1. Rafael Nadal
2. Roger Federer
3. Novak Djokovic
4. Andy Murray
5. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
6. Giles Simon
7. Andy Roddick
8. Juan Martin Del Potro
9. James Blake
10. David Nalbandian

1. Jelena Jankovic
2. Serena Williams
3. Dinara Safina
4. Elena Dementieva
5. Ana Ivanovic
6. Venus Williams
7. Vera Zvonareva
8. Svetlana Kuznetsova
9. Agnieszka Radwanska
10. Nadia Petrova

Meanwhile, because I care, Caroline Wozniacki's in 11th, and Daniela Hantuchova's seeded 19th.

Finally, the draw is out, and can be seen here in full.

It seems Nadal's got the relatively easier draw (save for one Andy Murray lurking in the next quarter), with Gonzalez, Blake, Tsonga, Monfils, Youzhny, Hewitt, Ancic, and Haas all on his side as well.

The pick of the first round would have to be Gonzalez against local boy Hewitt, that'll be really interesting to watch. Now wait till you see the other half of the draw.

Federer's got Djokovic, Roddick (nooooo. not here.), Robredo, Nalbandian, Baghdatis, Del Potro, Lopez, Ferrer, Wawrinka, Berdych and, get this, a possible third round clash with Marat "Great-when-I'm-good, horrid-when-I'm-bad" Safin.

For the ladies, Jelena's got a good draw, I think. Safina and Ana are both there too, but both Williams sisters are on the other side, and the only few real people she'll need to worry a little about are Zvonareva and Petrova.

Wozniacki and Hantuchova are here too. That would make this side the pretty side, I would suppose.

Over on other end, yikes, the two Williams sisters on either side of the same half. The other bigger names to look out for aren't pushovers either.

Radwanska, Mauresmo, Kuznetsova, Schnyder, Dementieva, and even though had a dreadful last year, Nicole Vaidisova are all in the mix as well. Well well well.

Dare I make a prediction? I usually don't like to, because I'm always wrong, but here goes anyway, I'll pick the finalists. I know it's asking a lot for both Nadal and Federer to not make it through to the final on either side, but I'm going for a Murray-Djokovic final.

On the ladies' end, it would be a shame to see Jankovic or Ivanovic have to be eliminated, and much as I want Jankovic to get a first Slam, my heart says Ivanovic for the top half. And one of the Williams sisters for the bottom.

Okay, fingers crossed. See you down under.

Manchester United Outclass Chelsea

TheDevilAces — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 04:24:47 -0500

I'm late with this article, I know that, and it isn't breaking news that Manchester United have trounced Chelsea 3-0 at Old Trafford.

But still, is there anyone not in blue who doesn't wanna keep talking about this match?

I caught the match 'live' on TV at 12am, the kind of unfortunate thing you have to do when you live on the other side of the world. Still, I wasn't going to miss it for the world, and now I'm not just glad I didn't; I'm still feeling high from that outcome.

Even from where I was, though, the chants of Viva John Terry could've made my day. Thankfully, he's got himself back from suspension in time for this game, because it's only right that we thank him for his contribution that allowed us to become Champions of Europe. And thank him we did, deafeningly, from beginning till end.

Straight into the match now. It was admittedly more than a little worrying when Ferdinand was not named on the team, and young Jonny Evans had to fill in his role next to Vidic once more. It's not that I don't trust Evans's ability (his performance against Derby County in midweek was not as disastrous as his older, more experienced teammates), rather, it would have been more assuring to see Rio in that position, having had more exposure and games on big stages like this.

I worried for nothing though. Evans put in such a solid performance, making a couple of important tackles and marking Drogba down, I think Rio himself would have been proud. The memory of getting heart attacks watching Gerard Pique on the ball when he filled in that same postion last season made Evans's play all the more impressive to watch too.

Meanwhile, Evans's defensive partner has not just helped us keep another clean sheet. Vida's got a couple of goals for us this season already, and this time he headed our first past Cech in first half injury time, following a disallowed Ronaldo goal from a corner. Berbatov got the slightest of flicks from Giggs's corner kick and Vidic made John Terry look stupid (again) when he found a way past him to score our goal.

Speaking of the disallowed Ronaldo goal, he actually got two in the match which really should have stood. The first one came from a really cleverly taken corner by Rooney and Giggs. However, Mr. Howard Webb and his linesman, who was standing a foot from the ball when Rooney released it, deemed it illegitimate, and the corner had to be retaken, Ronaldo's header disallowed. Thank goodness Vidic headed home from the retake, or there would be much more going on about this.

The second one came from Ronaldo beating a failed Chelski offside trap, and firing past Cech, but—once again—the linesman got it so wrong. Replays showed he was level, and Ronnie knew he was, for sure, and he wasn't at all pleased that his name still wasn't on the score sheet.

Still, this was probably Ronnie's best performance of the season. Fittingly, too, with the World Player of the Year award coming a couple of days later to our winger. Nevermind that he didn't officially score a goal; he was quite brilliant throughout the game, and he made Bosingwa look like an idiot down on the left.

Two more goals (legitimate ones) came after that, of course. Ronaldo and Evra linked up superbly on the left to show us what we've missed when John O'Shea filled in the last four games (sorry Johnny, but it's undeniable). Our left-back whipped in a brilliant cross that just was just too high for Berba, but fell straight for Wayne Rooney instead. Wazza made no mistake and put away the shot. I loved his celebration, really. Blowing kisses and kissing the United crest on the corner flag.

The third should have come much earlier than it did, but I was delighted to see Berbatov get on the end of a Ronaldo freekick and poking the ball in. Dimitar's been criticised a lot, even by lots of United fans, for being "lazy," but I really beg to differ. I think he is pure class, and scoring against Chelsea like that, I don't think the fans out there will complain.

For those who didn't catch the game, well here's what it was like. We completely outclassed Chelsea, especially in the second half, when they looked like they had after the Champions League final last year.

Terry, Carvalho, and Bosingwa were constantly tormented by our lads. Evra had Bosingwa the whole time; the Chelsea rightback must have been utterly relieved to come off. But I'll bet he must have been cursing his luck, after seeing his tormenter being subbed right after he was.

You'd think a midfield containing Ballack, Deco, and Lampard would easily overrun any other midfield in the world—and we had Carrick and Scholes on the bench too. I thought Sir Alex must have been crazy to drop Carrick and pick either Fletcher or Giggs, but you've got to give it up to the gaffer.

Giggs bossed the midfield and put up such a brilliant performance. He was deservedly giving a standing ovation as he made way for Carrick in the second half. Fletcherinho may not be as much of a legend yet, but he's turning into a fan favorite with the kind of form he's been in this season. Another steady and solid game from him too.

Didier who? Aside from attempting a shot at goal that ended at the other end for a throw in, and completely miscuing another when he had acres of space, he was in Jonny Evans's back pocket the whole time. And Nicholas Anelka, well, was he even playing? Van Der Sar couldn't have wished for an easier match, honestly.

So it's ecstasy for all Red Devils out there; maybe not so from the watching Mourinho, whose team we play next in the Champions League. Nevermind that The Not-So Special One, in typical Mourinho fashion, refused to admit United played well enough to beat any team, let alone his. He probably didn't recognise the side we played against.

Special mention, before ending off, to Carlos Tevez. I think we all fear him leaving the club at the end of this season, and we all don't want to see him go. But even though he was on the bench, and out of favor for the match, he was waving and applauding in front of all of Old Trafford while warming up on the sidelines. Here's one guy who's commitment for the club we love and appreciate.

If ever he goes, we will miss him.

Andy Murray Beats Andy Roddick in Qatar Open Final

TheDevilAces — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 23:52:19 -0500

I just KNEW I cursed it! I'm gonna swear never to preview another Andy vs. Andy tie again; the result always seems to go the way of the other Andy.

I've really nothing against Andy Murray, to be honest, I think he's one hell of a talent, and not to mention Britain's only hope right now.

It's just that it's Andy Roddick on the losing end again. Oh well.

This time, it wasn't even close to the three tight sets that I predicted. I wish I could say "oops," but that doesn't even cover it. Basically, we all knew from the start, Murray is the more talented, all-rounded, and in-form of the two Andys.

He's just won in Abu Dhabi, he's beaten Nadal once this year and Federer twice, so that can't do any harm to his confidence at all.

He was always going to be the favourite, and look at that, he didn't face a single break point in the first set.

That just pretty much sums up how the entire match went. 6-4, 6-2, Roddick with much spirit, guts, but just not enough to get past the Scotsman, who's pretty much got to be the favourite at the Aussie Open right now, if he isn't already.

Any consolation for my Andy? He's put out some decent performances this tournament, and he's had a good run so early in this year.

That's gonna give him some confidence going into the season too. He's got the play to stay close to the top, and for one, it probably won't take much to top his Grand Slam record last season, where the furthest he reached in all four Slams was a Quarterfinal round.

So, all the best to both Andys, and here's to a great season ahead!

Doing a Keegan, Rafa?

TheDevilAces — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 23:39:13 -0500

Following Mr Benitez's outburst at Sir Alex Ferguson, Liverpool were deservedly held to a goalless draw at Stoke City. I don't wanna talk about mathematics, and how, if we should win our games in hand, we'll be leading them right now. It just more than amused me when I found out the score, thinking about how Rafa got just what he deserved for shooting his mouth off like that.

Following that, I went on to the Republik of Mancunia blog and found, as expected, Scott had already posted an article, taking the piss out of them Scousers. I can tell you, nothing cheers your morning up more when you read the comments page, and over 30 comments later, there still isn't a sign of a single scouser defending their team, like they had done so arrogantly on Scott's previous write-ups on Benitez's outburst. Not one comment. All diminishing with their team's title hopes, it seems. Cheers once again, Mr Benitez, see you this May!

As for us, we're gonna have to do our job tonight, eh? I'm really looking forward to see Ferdinand, Berbatov and, most of all, Evra back on the team. Following Evra's suspension because of the rent boys, we can only hope he'll be back with a vengeance. Oh, and then there's the Republik of Mancunia's inflatable banana skins for Tiny Tears. This should be good entertainment anyhow. (VIVA JOHN TERRY!)

Let's overtake Chelski once and for all this weekend and get on with business.

Qatar Open Final Preview: Andy vs. Andy

TheDevilAces — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 09:29:45 -0500

The last time I did a preview of an Andy vs Andy match, the Andy I rooted for didn't win. And it's been the case for more than just a few times now, but I'm still gonna do it anyway.

So Andy R. aka Andy Senior aka Andy Roddick aka the Andy I'm rooting for made it past Gael Monfils, conqueror of Rafael Nadal in the previous round. Monfils's elimination of Nadal made it easier for me to throw my full support behind Andy, because I have the tendency to root for Rafa sometimes.

So Andy made it through in three sets in the battle of big servers (incidentally, Monfils seems to have taken up the Roddick serve, so it was a pretty similar style to watch). His next opponent?

Andy M. aka Andy Junior aka Andy Murray aka the Andy I'll root for against anyone not named Andy or Rafa made my morning by defeating a certain Roger Federer in his own semi, also in three sets. The first set he lost by a close number, the final two he pretty much swept through.

That's twice this year he's beaten Federer already, that's kinda scary to think about, considering the year hasn't actually really begun. So full credit to him (I'm saying this with much held back delight keeping in mind that I have to give an objective report here) and I would suppose he's now the favourite in the final.

But upsets do happen, and I am so crossing my fingers for one. It's been a long while since Roddick last won a title or even made it this far in a tournament that has Rafa and Roger in it, so it'll be great to see him start 2009 on a really positive note. I like his chances because he made it past an in-form Monfils who actually beat Nadal quite comfortably.

But if there's anyone more in-form than the Frenchman on tour right now, it would be Andy the Scot. I would say Roddick needs more than just a very good first serve percentage to beat him now, and while Murray is admittedly more all rounded, you'll never know what's gonna happen.

Since I've got allegiance to Andy Roddick, I'll dare to make a prediction (or please don't say I've cursed it now) and take a victory for the American in three tight sets.

In other news, Rafa hasn't gone home empty handed. He and doubles partner Lopez have clinched the doubles title, beating Nestor and Zimonjic in three sets. Vamos Rafa!