This week, for the duration of the Madrid Masters tournament, I'll be joined by a very special guest, Juan José Vallejo (you may know him as J.J. from Pete's Tennis World). He's watching the event with the aid of some outstanding coverage on ESPN in Argentina, and will give us his expert opinion on everything from ballgirl outfits to Van Morrison records.
J.J.,
Are we looking at the same ball-models? The clothes aren’t bad, in my opinion. I wouldn’t mind seeing them experiment without the hats, but they don’t ruin the overall effect. I see they’re doing Federer’s match right now—just one match per session, is that how it works? Now that could probably be expanded, don’t you agree?
OK, tennis. Quite a match between Federer and Soderling. Proof again that the giants—Johansson, Soderling, Berdych, Safin—thrive indoors, where conditions are perfect for them to pound their serves. But the Swede couldn’t follow it up when it counted. Not one, but two folds in tiebreakers! Did you see Federer just belting his forehand late in the match and changing directions with it at will on crucial points? That's pretty ridiculous confidence. Good Hawk-eye drama at the end, too. One thing about the system, though: the mark on the replay occasionally looks like it’s not even in the vicinity of where the ball landed. Ever notice that?
Now down the list:
Nadal: I thought he played well against Fish (who looked like he was dressed for a public park, if that). Nadal hit through his backhand well, which is always the sign of confidence with him. When he does that, everything else takes care of itself. He says he’s made some adjustments on his serve, and it did look stronger. One other note: He has really slowed down his play in the last year. I happened to catch a few points from last year’s Madrid final the other day, and he wasn’t doing that bounce-bounce-bounce, stare vaguely in his opponent’s direction, pull hair back, bounce-bounce-bounce thing before he served. He was much more enjoyable to watch when he just stepped up and hit it. I’ll pick him to win two close sets against Haas; should be a good match, though.
Safin: What do you guys call him, Cap’n? I’m not even going to ask why. As in 2004, he looks like he’s going on a late-season roll. That year it took him all the way to the Aussie title the following January. He loves to play indoors, I’m guessing because there are fewer things bothering him, and he can use his fantastic timing to full effect. Safin’s also been pretty focused this week, and he changed his game a bit in the end to beat Acasuso, finishing more points at the net. He’s got the winner of Henman-Nalbo next. I’d take Safin in that one, and then look forward to a showdown with Federer. Have they played since the Aussie semi in 2005?
Ginepri: Against Robredo, he looked like the Ginepri of 2005, very patient, solid, balancing offense and defense, running his opponent but never trying to do too much, even on passing shots. He’s hardly a charismatic guy or stylish player, but I like to watch him play when he’s in this mode. Can he give Fed a run? Uh, probably not. Robredo’s loss means Nadal is the last Spaniard standing. I don’t mind losing Robredo, though; standard game without much explosiveness or flair, bad hair these days, and he wears a watch on court. Are you a fan?
Berdych: Wow, against Roddick he hit what must have been the most effortless-looking 20-odd aces I've ever seen. He’s amazingly smooth for 6-foot-5—I’d say he’s the tallest natural baseliner in history. But he can go way off, as we know—his loss to Blake at the U.S. Open can only be described as unsightly. We could get a Nadal-Berdych rematch next—how much do you think RN will want to win that one, in Madrid? Should be some scary intensity out there if it happens.
Murray-Djokovic: This will be interesting—a first meeting between two potential Slam winners and Top 5 players. I’ll take Murray, only because he was so sure-handed in the crucial moments against Ljubicic. You’re obviously a Djokovic fan, J.J. What’s the appeal that I’m not seeing? I respect the guy’s game for sure, but find him a bit hard to warm up to.
TV coverage: Ours comes via the Tennis Channel, which means we get a trio of announcers. (1) The great John Barrett, a veteran Brit journalist who tends to say things like “Oh, dear,” after particularly bad errors. He’s like a more with-it, less-intrusive Cliff Drysdale, if that means anything to you, J.J. A colleague thinks he would make an ideal reader of the Lord of the Rings for the audio book. (2) Doug Adler, a generally aggravating American who spends the bulk of the time scolding the players and even the linesman. (3) Jason Goodall, a Brit given to excruciatingly detailed descriptions of individual points, and even shots, after they’re played: “And here Safin comes under the ball, swinging low-to-high to achieve the requisite topspin that will bring the ball down safely within the confines of the court and give him the point.”
Nalbo’s blog: Well, now we know Agustin Calleri has a bad memory!
