Hi everyone. Pete is currently on vacation until the 14th, so I'll be commanding this ship in the meantime.
The Olympic draws have been unveiled:
- Men's Singles
- Women's Singles
- Men's Doubles
- Women's Doubles
Some thoughts on the singles draws (men today, women tomorrow):
- Forget his potential revenge match in the third round (against Ivo Karlovic or Tomas Berdych) for a minute. Does Roger Federer escape round one? Dmitry Tursunov is hardly a pushover, and based on Federer's current form, his fans have to be worried. But I wouldn't fear the worst. As has been documented to death, playing at the Olympics tends to operate differently than playing on the normal tour. And I think Federer is one of the players who will benefit most from this change in environment. After three forgettable hard court matches in Toronto and Cincinnati, the Swiss could certainly use some inspiration. Playing for his country may be the tonic he needs.
- One player that I have a good feeling about in the top quarter is James Blake, who should benefit from a wealth of Davis Cup experience. He's had a maddening season so far - no tournament wins, but plenty of deep runs. I think something similar will happen here at the Olympics.
- The Chinese sacrificial lambs (men) were unlucky to draw two top ranked opponents in the opening round. Peng Sun gets Fernando Gonzalez, who's not only a great player, but is an Olympic gold medalist. In the bottom half of the draw, Shaoxuan Zeng, ranked No. 598, faces David Nalbandian, seeded seventh. If you thought Frank Dancevic's upset over Nalbandian in the first round of Wimbledon was a shocker, this one could short out your internet connection. But I kid.
(Right?)
- The most entertaining men's first rounder might be Gael Monfils vs. Nicolas Almagro. This could have been a great match if it were played on clay (both did well at this year's French Open), but even on a hard court, these two ball-bashers should excite those in attendance. Big swings, vocal emotions - nothing will be held back.
- The two hottest players on tour, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, both ended up in the same quarter of the draw. Will anyone stop them from colliding in the quarterfinals? It's unlikely, but their paths aren't free of obstacles. Each will likely face a potentially tricky veteran in the second round: Murray against Ivan Ljubicic and Nadal against Lleyton Hewitt. It's tough to see either youngster getting upset there, but they'll have to be more careful in the third round. Stanislas Wawrinka and Radek Stepanek should await both Murray and Nadal, respectively. But the most challenging opponent that either man will face is an all-court menace: fatigue.
- One last note: I really enjoyed TW buddy Jon Wertheim's well-reasoned thought about this year's Olympics.
-- Ed McGrogan
Note: As always, "Your Call" is the daily thread specifically for the purpose of getting together on the cyber-sofa to discuss or call ongoing matches, or hot tennis topics of the day; it's the "Crisis Center" thread for those weeks when there are no Grand Slams, Masters, or Fed or Davis Cup in progress. You can go off-topic here if you like as well. This makes it easier for you to stay on-topic at "premium" posts. For going off-topic, you also have Monday Net Posts and Deuce Club on a regular basis.