More practice court action: Watched some of Zvonareva, Wozniacki, Dulko, Raonic, Jankovic, Garcia-Lopez/Chela, Gasquet/Berdych. (If you want more details, let me know!)
Court 8: Robredo vs. Zverev
- Why am I here? Oh right. Robredo, one of "my" guys. And because Beth wants to check this out, too. Everything's better with Beth!
- We chatted with some fans next to us, who were ooh-ing and ahh-ing at all the net play by both players at the end of the first set. Watching a snoozeworthy match is made so much more palatable when joined by others who really seem to appreciate what's happening. Reminds me of the first time I saw live tennis—everything was spectacular.
Don't the ball kids look great this year in their sporty yellow attire? Adorable and sunny. Thumbs up.
Chuckled to myself at the sight of a young fan racing after Na Li’s husband for an autograph.
Stadium 1: del Potro vs. Ljubicic
- Ljub backhand and Delpo forehand are such stunning strokes when they’re on. Ljub also has good hands . . . did I know this?
- You know what I love about Delpo? How demonstrative he is on court. Goes against the argument that he lacks personality. Or maybe just an interesting contrast—you can like the guy and find him boring, all at once.
- Felt my heart warming as I observed all the crowd support for Delpo. Is he back, officially? Who cares, it’s just good to see him.
- Moved on after the second set . . .
Court 8: Simon vs. Schuettler
- Now’s a good time to report that wife Carine and baby Timothée were with Gilles throughout the tournament. Though I wasn’t there to witness it firsthand, I heard that he was quite the doting dad. I’ll let Beth share the hotel breakfast stories.
- Back to the match. Rainer still moves well for an old man.
- Rallies, rallies, and more rallies. A competitive set that ends, disappointingly, on a Rainer double fault in the second set tie-break.
Court 6: Garcia-Lopez/Montanes vs. Kubot/Marach
- I’m guessing none of you saw or scoreboarded this one.
- This is how I love experiencing live tennis: Watching doubles, on an outside court, with only a few other audience members, in the front row.
- Spaniards playing truly mediocre tennis. Montanes, especially. Flubbing every shot! Kubot/Marach picking on him, wisely.
- Kubot stands way too close to the baseline when serving. I noticed it before it was ever called. Later he simultaneously double faulted and double-foot faulted. Anyone have the foot fault stats on this guy?
Passed by that special function with Djokovic, Randy Jackson, and Will Ferrell. Random.
Sunday, 3/13
Court 4: Giraldo vs. Llodra
- Back in the front row! This is spoiling me.
- A clean first set, with some quality offense from both.
- Really intense feeling on the court. Both players treating every point like it’s the last, both showing a lot of emotion.
- Llodra’s hands! Never tire of watching him live. His touch is especially evident from that front row service line vantage point.
- Santi has nerves of steel—impressive. Keeps fighting, fending off set points. Loses the set anyway in a tight tie-breaker. Frustrated, he obliterates a ball. Regroups and holds at love to start the second set. Good recovery.
- I like this Santi. Keeps talking to himself, pumping himself up.
- Llodra challenges a serve—it’s in by a piece of fuzz. Santi reacts: “Good eyes, huh?”
- Ok, maybe I’m not such a fan of Santi, after all. Total hothead. Whacks his hat against the back wall, twice. Nearly hits a ball girl! Llodra wins, 7-6, 6-4.
Chatted briefly with Marcos Gorriz, Giraldo's coach, whom I met in Cincinnati last year. Seems we were on the same page about the match—Giraldo played a great first set but just came up a wee bit short, needs to channel his anger properly. ("Into the ball, not his hat!") Gorriz showed good perspective, though, adding that as long as Santi’s improving, it’s all good. And he is.
Was the sole fan observing a Kohlschreiber practice session. Overheard him saying something to coach Miles Maclagan about "trying too hard," as they discuss his struggles vs. Smyczek. Apparently trying less hard did the trick in his next match vs. Soderling.
Court 4 (again): Granollers/Robredo vs. Dlouhy/Hanley
- Another one of those exquisitely intimate dubs/outside court/front row matches.
- Though one could argue that two top singles players slapped together would have greater success than strict dubs specialists, there is something so much more coordinated? cohesive? well-oiled? about a dedicated dubs team. Thoughts?
Stadium 1: Clijsters vs. Errani (for all of 30 seconds)
- Fun color combo on Kim’s kit.
- I’ve long valued Errani’s scrappy game, even though it doesn’t often translate into wins. She's underrated.
Lunchtime. Sat near Soderling, who was shoveling food into his face. Was like something out of that regular US Weekly feature, “Stars—They’re Just Like Us!”
Stadium 2: Garcia-Lopez vs. Harrison
- Holy cow, Harrison hits the ball hard.
- Garcia-Lopez is another one of “my” guys, but aside from the crisp one-handed backhand, his game is so . . . nondescript.
- There’s an unfinished quality to Harrison’s game. Brings an unpredictability to his matches.
Stadium 1: Federer vs. Andreev
- It’s different watching Federer now—and not in the way you might think. He’s still my #1, still the only player that really affects me, but after seeing him live so many times, I’m not quite as invested in the points or the results. I can't tell if that makes it more or less enjoyable.
- What I saw was what I expected. Nothing new here. Flashes of TMF-ness, mixed with shanks and double faults. And Igor’s always stiff vs. Fed. (Stiff, in wrestling: when someone puts excessive force into his attacks or maneuvers. Appropriate, no?)
Court 4: Gulbis vs. Lu
- Arrived as the third set was starting; since they had just split tie-breaks, I figured it’d be competitive until the end. Not much separating them, even in attire—they were wearing identical Adidas kits.
- Not to be. Lu looked sapped.
- Lack of heart, brains, guts, all of the above notwithstanding, Gulbis hits the ball as cleanly as anyone I've seen live. His shots sound different. And when his serve is clicking, it’s a beaut, as it was at the tail end of this match.
Court 8: Lindstedt/Tecau vs. Knowles/Mertinak (for only a few minutes—dinner took precedence, even over obscure dubs)
- Weird, rowdy Knowles contingent in attendance.
- Lindstedt’s first tournament back since injuring himself at the Oz Open? Seems fully recovered. Moving well.
Monday, 3/14
Watched Granollers, Zimonjic/Llodra, Benneteau/Gasquet, Verdasco, Bhupathi/Paes practice. Was that Verdasco’s new inamorata with him? If so, she was toting a miniature pup and made Verdasco give it a kiss. (Nothing gets by me.)
Stadium 3: A. Radwanska vs. Kirilenko
- One word to describe these two: Fit.
- I always try to catch Agi at every tournament—if only she had the power to go along with all that variety, movement, touch. And hers is the kind of attitude I gravitate toward. No grunting, no premature celebrations, no stalling. No-nonsense. (Ignoring the gamesmanship claims for the time being.)
- Who’s the ump? Lahyani? Love how he rolls the R on Radwanska.
- See-saw match. Agi wins eight straight games, then loses six in a row. Down 3-5 in the third, she reels off four straight games to win the match.
- I guess she hit a tweener early on? When asked about it, she revealed that she’d been practicing this shot for many years with her sister. I bet everyone does but few admit it. ;)
Stayed on Stadium 3 for the sister . . . U. Radwanska vs. Azarenka
- Ula’s even smaller than I'd pictured her. Such a slight frame, yet she packs a wallop, especially on the backhand side. Ah, but it comes and goes . . . she is a Radwanska, after all.
- Sat next to Vika’s very vocal camp, aka cheer section. Something unnerving about being so close to the bias. Left after only a few games.
