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Post by annie on May 16, 2005 9:20:26 GMT 3
rotflmao lau!!!!!!!!! that's a great one, thank you!!!!  |
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Post by jewell on May 16, 2005 12:20:39 GMT 3
i hope marat does well RG, but i don't really care about this tournament.the one i would dearly love to see him win is wimbledon.i don't why but he doesn't seem to take this tournament seriously.he should start to because i think he has a better chance there than at RG.
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Post by lau on May 16, 2005 16:43:14 GMT 3
No, Lau...it's fine!  it would be great to see a real one in a couple of weeks though...  who's that supposed to be anyway? Albert Costa, 2002 |
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Post by tall_one on May 17, 2005 2:33:43 GMT 3
i think he has a better chance there than at RG. what makes you think that? Marat has gotten to the semis of RG, he wants to win this tourney, he doesn't even want to show up at Wimby |
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Post by annie on May 17, 2005 7:40:56 GMT 3
what makes you think that? Marat has gotten to the semis of RG, he wants to win this tourney, he doesn't even want to show up at Wimby Yeah!!!! Wimby is for cows ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry, couldn't resist..... |
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Cassie
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Post by Cassie on May 17, 2005 8:22:10 GMT 3
I hope Hewitt pulls out. Marat being a 3rd seed would be easier for him. First, he won't have to face Nadal until the finals. Secondly, JCF may get a seed and I don't want them to meet like in the 1st round. And Thank God, Gasquet is seeded.
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Post by annie on May 17, 2005 8:47:56 GMT 3
It was on the news today that Marat is now 4th in the ATP Race after Hamburg and....Kolya Davydenko went up to the 10th place!!!! GO RUSSIA!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL Gasquet did an amazing breakthrough after Hamburg and rose 22 places to number 15. Let's wait for the draw and the seeds now. Fingers crossed.  |
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Post by annie on May 17, 2005 10:12:15 GMT 3
Clay court strongmen flex their muscles
By Guillaume Baraise
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Rafael Nadal
Aged just 18, Rafael will be the hot favourite for what is his first outing in Paris. The kid is enjoying the kind of clay court form which Thomas Muster boasted prior to his triumph in 1995. Supremely dominant, the Majorcan has netted five titles in 2005 on his favourite surface, and comes to Paris on the back of a sensational Monte-Carlo-Barcelona-Rome treble. In the final of the Italian event, "Rafa" overcame Guillermo Coria in a marathon 5 hour 15 minute clash which is already being dubbed a "classic" (6/4, 3/6, 6/3, 4/6, 7/6). Wisely, he has heeded the advice of his uncle and coach, Toni, and drawn the line at contesting the Hamburg ATP Masters Series. The breather is sure to do him the world of good in the run up to Roland.
Guillermo Coria
Devoid of titles going into the Hamburg ATP Masters Series, the Argentine’s clay court season has been disappointing yet encouraging, as the 2004 French Open finalist has managed to reach finals in both Monte-Carlo and Rome, where only the stunning form of Rafael Nadal denied him his first silverware. But these failures have clearly taken their toll on his confidence levels and he has begun to show signs of nerves in certain matches. Nevertheless, his game is still rock-solid and due to his increased physical strength, he is perhaps even better equipped than last year.
Roger Federer
Going into the Hamburg tournament, which he has won for the last two years, the world number one will be looking to get his clay court season going, having only competed in Monte-Carlo so far this year, where he lost out in the quarter-finals to Richard Gasquet. Slim pickings indeed. After being forced to give Rome a miss because of a foot injury (inflammation of the plantar arches), Federer’s preparations will be greatly dependent on the German tournament. Premature elimination in Hamburg would reduce his clay-court warm-up to the bare minimum, on a surface where his reign has never been quite so assured.
Gaston Gaudio
From good… to not so good. Gaudio’s recent results on clay have been quite respectable. He has already clinched three titles (Viña del Mar, Buenos Aires and Estoril), but has also suffered two one-sided defeats at the hands of Rafael Nadal in Monte-Carlo (6/3, 6/0) and David Ferrer at Rome (6/0, 6/1). These losses have undoubtedly sapped his confidence, but they’ve also offered him a breather. As is often the case with Gaudio, it’s the mental aspect that’s decisive, but one thing’s for sure: the reigning title-holder will be ready for Roland-Garros.
Andre Agassi
Now aged 35, he remains an accomplished performer on clay and has been in decent form of late. In Rome, he reached the semi-finals by offering Richard Gasquet a tennis lesson, then gave Guillermo Coria plenty of food for thought. In Hamburg, he’ll be looking to fine-tune his preparations, which are sure to be more meticulous than in 2004. No one knows if the American will be saying his goodbyes at Roland, but he’s certainly capable of enjoying a triumphant swansong in Paris.
Andy Roddick
In beating Albert Costa in Rome, Andy Roddick claimed one of his finest wins on clay, but failed narrowly to repeat his feat against another specialist on the surface, Fernando Verdasco, against whom he spurned four match points. A winner in Houston, the American is showing real signs of progress on a surface he has traditionally found problematic, and his participation in Rome and now Hamburg has left no one in any doubt of his desire to do well.
Marat Safin
What’s happened to the Australian Open champion? Since his coronation in Melbourne, the Russian has reeled from one poor performance to another, reserving his worst displays for what is probably his favourite surface, clay. For with the exception of the Monte-Carlo tournament, where he prevailed over two players ill at ease on the dirt, he is yet to get past the second round. In Rome, most worryingly, he allowed unsuspected physical limitations to be exposed by the young Spaniard Nicolas Almagro. Perhaps he will be stirred in Paris by the stature of the event…
Lleyton Hewitt
Whatever happens, Lleyton Hewitt will be short of match and competition practice in Paris. At best, he will have taken part in just one clay court tournament before Roland-Garros, after being absent since his final at Indian Wells in early March with a toe injury. History has shown that Lleyton needs to get plenty of matches under his belt to be effective on clay. His mind may be elsewhere too – he has just announced his intention to remarry and become a father again!
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Post by Chachou on May 17, 2005 21:00:19 GMT 3
Today, Marat trained twice on Court 1 and the second time, it was with Jean-René Lisnard, a french tennisman. It's great to see Marat motivated for French Open |
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Post by lau on May 17, 2005 21:43:04 GMT 3
Today, Marat trained twice on Court 1 and the second time, it was with Jean-René Lisnard, a french tennisman. It's great to see Marat motivated for French Open Thanks for the information, Chachou!!!!!!  Did you see him??!! |
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Cassie
Junior Member
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Post by Cassie on May 18, 2005 2:53:37 GMT 3
Weather forecasts for RG predicts lots of rain. How does that affect Marat? I think it's bad b/c he's a hard hitter and the rain would cause the clay to be slower, right? Also, does anyone live in the States like me? Most of the RG coverage is on ESPN Classic which I don't have.   I guess I'll ask my friends if they have them and beg them to tape the matches for me. |
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Post by Teresa on May 18, 2005 4:34:35 GMT 3
Thanks Chachou  Cassie, lets not think about rain please.... only postive vibes to be honest though I am worried how cold it is, I just hope its not too cold for Marat when he has to practise. I am not sure what affect rainy weather will have on the clay?? Lets just hope for now, for good weather, so Marat can continue to practise twice a day until he has to actualluy play. I feel for you on the coverage, but are you sure you wont get any coverage? I am sure ESPN 2 will be bring matches, but maybe only in the second week? Keep checking. Lucky for us our cable includes ESPN LA, so we get the matches with spanish commentary, which is just fine. I hope one of your friends will be able to tape for you. |
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Post by Teresa on May 18, 2005 4:35:53 GMT 3
Marat has gotten to the semis of RG, he wants to win this tourney, he doesn't even want to show up at Wimby Hahahha.........so true |
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Post by Teresa on May 18, 2005 4:36:34 GMT 3
rotflmao lau!!!!!!!!! that's a great one, thank you!!!! "ditto" jajaajajajajha ;D |
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Post by annie on May 18, 2005 7:59:08 GMT 3
Re: cold, don't forget the guy is Russian LOL We're waaaaaaaaay too used to cold. Considering it was freezing in Hamburg, it didn't seem to affect him really. Re:rain. You can look at it both ways really. It might cause trouble for the reasons you guys stated above, because he is a hard hitter, etc. But then again, he had had sooooooo many close hitters, which were JUST out, that a slow court might do us a good deed LMAO I am sooooooo bad. DAVAI MARATIK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OLEEEEEEEE OLE OLE OLEEEEEEEEEEEE MARAT CHAMPION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;D ;D ;D |
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it would be great to see a real one in a couple of weeks though... 
I guess I'll ask my friends if they have them and beg them to tape the matches for me.
