Richard,
I think Andy Murray may have had the most sensible response—he won his match as quickly as possible, then said that tennis doesn't need to risk something awful happening to a player. I agree: That kind of heat makes the tournament feel less like tennis and more like plain survival. There's nothing unmanly about not wanting to fall over and become delirious when you play; competition doesn't have to be, literally, last man standing. Of course, the Aussie way is usually the macho way. Rod Laver said that the country's famous coach, Harry Hopman, "trained us to run through a desert."
As for Delpo, you're right, what a stunner. I walked away from that one when he won the third set. Del Potro said afterward that Bautista Agut was just too good over too long a time, and that he had an answer for everything he threw at him. And from what I watched, Delpo's not wrong. The guy hit 72 winners, and he’s not a nobody—we’ve been hearing about his exploits on the Challenger circuit for a while now, and he improved in 2013.
But it’s still true that Del Potro lost, and traditionally, the guys who he wants to be like, the Big 4, don’t lose to guys like Bautista Agut at Slams. Yes, the Spaniard played well, but Del Potro had no way to take him out of his game, no variation, nothing other than hard-hit baseline drives, which by the end were like batting practice for Baustista Agut. I feel like each of the Big 4 would have been versatile enough to adjust. Playing Sydney may have been a mistake for Del Potro, but he said that wasn’t why he lost—it’s not like he had an exhausting final against Tomic there. Like Delpo said, it’s just one match, and the other guy was on fire. But it’s still a surprise and a disappointment—table all of the “Del Potro is going to win a Slam” stories one more time.
Regarding the ATP coaching “ledges,” I was part of a media scrum that tracked Stefan Edberg down on his first day. He seems, if anything, cooler than ever in his shades, even on the hottest of days. I can see where he would exude an appealing air of calm and confidence if you were a player. But I think the guy who is most in his element down here is Ivan Lendl—the old Foreign Legion hat is back in action on the practice court.
A question for you, Richard. In the press room, I occasionally flip past a channel that carries ESPN. I'm amazed by how much chatter I see there; I see more of Chrissie and Pat McEnroe than anyone playing. It's more noticeable when you're here, and you know that matches are being played all over the grounds. Does that bother you, or do you like the talk? I know ESPN likes to create story lines, and I understand the reason—to draw in casual fans and put the matches in context for them. But I've always believed the only thing that viewers—whether they're hardcore or casual fans—really want to see when they tune in is live tennis.