Indian Wells

[yarina]

Mar 14, 2008 12:51:46 GMT 3 Annie said:

yarina, check out page 1 of this thread. Alexandra (Alya10) had posted some livestream links a couple of days ago

Mar 14, 2008 13:14:58 GMT 3 davis said:

It seems there is NO live stream before Saturday - I tried them all, to no avail. First round is not covered. Sorry guys, live with the Scoreboard.

Of course, if anybody finds a loophole somewhere, I'd be more than happy

Thank you both - I'll follow the scoreboard patiently this time - you can see he's not doing well when his last there tournaments had no coverage...anyway, hopefully he'll make it back to the TV/live stream coverage zone soon

[davis]

Peter Bodo - the eternal Safin-fan ;D

Parallel Universe Quarters

Mornin', everyone. This is a Pacific Life Open Crisis Center thread. Feel free to call matches here today; I will also have a brief Crisis Center post up for tomorrow while I supervise DSL installation up at the farm in game-rich Andes. With any luck, I'll be able to post from there tomorrow evening - Pete

Daniela Hantuchova begins her title defense at Indian Wells today, which got me thinking about two things: how much things can change in 12 months, and the degree to which every tournament, every year, is a whole new shootin' match - a parallel universe, compared to the year before. Tennis is full of surprising results that, in retrospect, can make even the most astute fan scratch his or her head. This doesn't even seem unusual, because it happens from week-to-week, and so much happens in any 52 week stretch that we often forget what happened just 12 months earlier. But it's worth pondering.

So this year, instead of handicapping the chances of the top seeds, why don't we look at last year's Top 8 (quarterfinalists) in either draw, and rate their chance of reaching the same round as the previous year (e.g., losing finalist for Djokovic and Kuznetsova) on a scale of 1 to 10 - with ten indicating the greatest probability of duplication. And then let's come up with eight entirely different quarterfinalists, and see if being forbidden to use any of last year's top eight names gives us any less credible a line-up. So let's start with the men:

1. Rafael Nadal (defending champ) - It's funny, but Nadal hasn't really seemed "right" since last fall, even though he's always in the mix and is undoubtedly aware of the threat Novak Djokovic poses to his no. 2 ranking. Jet Boy has two dangerous shotmakers in his quarter: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Jaqmes Blake, and another one, Richad Gasquet, in his half. Still, one consistent quality in Nadal is that he tends to do well at places where he has established a winning tradition, and this one is pretty close to his heart. That bumps him up to a 7.

2. Novak Djokovic (losing finalist) - The Djoker made his big breakthrough in Melbourne, but I've felt since then that he might be feeling the pressure of his newfound status. But remember, the two US hard court spring events last year were his springboard to stardom, and there's nobody in his quarter that he can't handle. That, combined with the rough slog Nadal faces in the same half, earns Djokovic an 8.

3. Andy Roddick (losing semifinalist) - Although the hard courts at Indian Wells will blunt his serve, Roddick has been playing like a house on fire. Tommy Haas looms as a potential early stumbling block, but I like Roddick's form, and give him an 8.

4. Andy Murray (losing semifinalist) - With that big win over Roger Federer in Dubai, Murray will go into Indian Wells feeling confident. But he's been very up and down, and the confidence I once had in him has been shaken. I'll got to 6 but no higher.

5. Juan Ignacio Chela (losing quarterfinalist) - Although he made the semis in Buenos Aires recently, he was crushed there by Tubby Dave (Nalbandian). The rest of his 2008 looks uninspired, and he's in the same section as Gasquet, Dmitry Tursunov, big serving Robin Soderling and Blake. I can't go higher than 3 on this one.

6. Tommy Haas (losing quarterfinalist) - If Haas is playing well enough to upset Roddick, the main obstacle before the semifinals would probably be Andy Murray (who can forget their amazing encounter at Indian Wells last year?). But the way he's started the year, I don't see Tommy Gun getting by Andy and downgrade him to a 2.

7. David Ferrer (losing quarterfinalist) - This guy's a real grinder; you can almost hear him tallying his potential ranking points as he wears guys down, one after another. The seeds in his quarter are mostly soft players (Marcos Baghdatis and Tomas Berdych), so this is the one to take to the bank with a 10.

8. Ivan Ljubicic (losing quarterfinalist) - Credit Ivan for going down to play (and win) a Challenger after a first-round disaster in Australia, and the confidence building trip seems to have helped (he was a finalist at Zagreb last week). But it's not rehab enough to earn him a berth in a Masters Series quarter after the tailspin he's been in; he needs to be particularly wary of Marin Cilic in his first match. Score him a 3.

Parallel Universe Quarterfinalists: Try this out for a 2008 roll of quarterfinalists, featuring no repeats from 2007: Roger Federer, Marat Safin, Nikolay Davydenko, David Nalbandian, Marcos Baghdatis, Guillermo Canas, Richard Gasquet, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. . .

You think Safin is a reach? Okay - sub him out with Fernando Verdasco.


Now, the women:

1. Daniela Hantuchova (defending champ) - A so-so 8-4 for 2008, I don't see another Miracle in the Desert in the offing. I give her a 3.

2. Svetlana Kuznetsova (losing finalist) - Kuzzie has two finals under her belt already this year, and she's much better at getting to them than winning them. Although Sharapova, who towers over the field as a quality competitor, is in her half, we'll give Sveta a respectable 7.

3. Na Li (losing semifinalist) - She's in resurgence, and I've always liked her game on hard courts. The seedings may not uphold this, but she gets a 5.

4. Sybille Bammer (losing semifinalist) - Lightning doesn't strike twice in the desert any more than in the mountains; Bammer had her moment in the sun last year. Give her a 1.

5. Shahar Peer (losing quarterfinalist) - I'm kind of down on Peer; I guess that weak serve is just too much of a liability. She has two dangerous but wildly inconsistent players in her quarter (Sania Mirza and Hantuchova), so her consistency may pull her through. Score it a 7.

6. Nicole Vaidisova (losing quarterfinalist) - With a so-so field (no Justine Henin or Williams sisters), Nicole is a lock with a 10.

7. Vera Zvonareva (losing quarterfinalist): She's 13-4 this year, and made the Doha final. What's she gonna do, lose to Michaella Krajicek? She gets an 8.

8. Tatiana Golovin (losing quarterfinalist) - Those nagging injuries, combined with a history of inconsistency at the best of times, makes it hard to bank on her. She will get to a significant quarterfinal this year, but not at Indian Wells. Stick her with a 2.

Parallel Universe Quarterfinalists: Can it be that neither top-seeded Ana Ivanovic, Jelen Jankovic, nor Maria Sharapova made the quarters at Indian Wells last year? You could bet (that is,if this weren't tennis, of course!) that all of them will make the quarters this year, and still sleep comfortably.

How about this for a quarterfinal line-up featuring no repeats from 2007: Ivanovic, Krajicek, Jankovic, Lindsay Davenport, Sania Mirza, Sharapova, Dinara Safina and Dominika Cibulkova.

Okay, Dominkia may be a reach. We'll just have to see. . .

[safinbgfan]

One more photo with Marat:

[Mrs. Fabregas]

DAVAI MARATIK and UDACHI DINA

Too bad none of the livestreams will work already .... Livescores it is then tonight

[maryb]

The boy lost the first set on the tiebreak (no idea what the score was), but he's 4-2 up in the second.

I think he's pissed off.

Good. ;D

[SAFINNO1]

Well Marat lost to Melzer 6-7 6-2 2-6

Surprising - not really but what can we do.

Off we go to Miami - Wooooooohoooooooooooo

[maryb]

Big Yin, you and I need a chat ...

Signed
Fairy Godmother

[helloticky]

I got some pic from www.gettyimages.com/Search/Search.aspx?contractUrl=1&language=en-US&family=editorial&p=Marat%20Safin&src=standard#
take a look




....I knew how do we feel.....

[helloticky]

and more from sports.yahoo.com/ten/players/37/photos

[justsafin]

oh marat, i don't know what to say.......

hope you still keep the fighting spirits!!

[invincible1]

oh come on...be serious..what fighting spirit?has he ever had it?Since we've been knowing him...he just plays..even if it goes good or bad...He's already 28...i don't think that he'll reach his 30's still on court if he keeps playing like this and losing in the first round to.."the great,magnificent and unstoppable" Melzer..

[maryb]

If there's no fighting spirit in him, he could have quit a couple of years ago when he had the knee problems. He doesn't need the money, so something else must be driving him. And it's not the expectation of a first round exit.

[invincible1]

Well, nobody knows what's in his mind, so all we can do is presume what he's thinking each time he loses or wins. We cannot know if our guesses are right or wrong but there's actually no reason for his losses. Maybe it's not about the injuries, maybe it's about this constant lazyness he has. MaryB is right..he's not doing it for the money, i think that he's still doing it just because he's used to it(maybe it's not that particular pleasure you have to train,or to be out there on the court). I guess he's still waiting for that sparkle, that big boom like AO 2005...but if he keeps playing like this,there aren't many expectations from us,the fans...who will be here no matter if he loses or wins....

[maryb]

Mar 15, 2008 13:36:24 GMT 3 invincible1 said:

... Maybe it's not about the injuries, maybe it's about this constant lazyness he has. MaryB is right..he's not doing it for the money, i think that he's still doing it just because he's used to it(maybe it's not that particular pleasure you have to train,or to be out there on the court). I guess he's still waiting for that sparkle, that big boom like AO 2005...but if he keeps playing like this, there aren't many expectations from us,the fans...who will be here no matter if he loses or wins....

Maybe a bit harsh to say he's lazy - after his injuries, he got out there and trained hard. How many of us could put hand on heart and say that we'd still have the appetite, or the will, to do that? I doubt that it's 'because he's used to it' that that's the reason for driving him on. Why would anyone want the life of a professional tennis player? Endless travelling ... little home life ... the rewards might be good when it's going swimmingly, but what about when your form is off?


I certainly wouldn't write the boy off for losing a couple of matches. I don't think he's waiting for 'a sparkle', I think he's his own worst enemy and convinces himself that it can't last when he's playing well. It's a cycle he needs to break - and I think he will. He's well aware that time is running out, but he's still one of the fittest on the tour and has another couple of years where he could get some good results. It's his mind that he needs to strengthen and focus.

If his fans don't expect much, why should he? A kick up the backside won't go amiss to wake him up though. Maybe Gummy is too kind on him.

I wouldn't be. Fairy Godmother or not. ;D

[maryb]

Did the Big Yin not sign up for the doubles?