It's early in the day, but they're already rolling on the clay in Rome - can Juan Monaco really be up a set on Novak Djokovic?
I last saw Monaco in Miami, where the 29-year old neighbor of Juan Martin del Potro in Tandil, Argentina, had a great run - falling to the selfsame Djokovic in the semifinals. Undeterred, Monaco "moved on" as they say, to Houston - and won that clay-court event, surviving two of the great servers in the ATP today, Kevin Anderson and John Isner.
The only thing that has stopped Monaco this spring - and boy, did it stop him short - was the ankle injury he sustained at Monte Carlo, and which kept him off the tour until this event. Monaco is ranked no. 15, but if they were ranking by disposition and manners, he would be right up there at or near the top. I sure hope he's deep-sixed that orange outfit he wore in Houston (see pic). Enjoy the tennis today, whether your guy or girl wins or loses.
- Pete Bodo