US Open: Wherefore Art Thou, Rafa?

Hey Y'all. Galileo here.

It still feels early in the slam. It feels strange that Rafa is not here. Wherefore means why not where. In the Shakespeare play which made that line famous, the question posed is, "why did you have to be a Capulet?" The question I pose to the Tennis Gods is, "Why Rafa?" I mean, of course, why did Rafa have to be injured?

It is a little odd for a Federer fan to be sad that Nadal is not here due to another injury. It would be like Todd being a Sharapova or Henin fan and being sad that Williams is out due to another injury. Rafael Nadal should be discounted from the greatest of all time simply because he cannot stay fit. Would Michael Jordan be the greatest if he could not condition himself? Would Joe Montana be up there if he had missed seasons and playoff games? Would Babe Ruth? The reason Rafa is not the greatest is the same reason that Manning is not close. They both have a long injury history. Never mind the fact that Manning has only won one Super Bowl. It is injuries. Injuries stop sports players from achieving their full potential.

Think of, if you will, the slams Nadal has missed, the slams he has lost early in and all the other events he has struggled in. Since the start of the 2009 season only twice has he played all four slams. Yet from the seventeen he has played he has won eight. He has also lost several Australian Open matches [to choose but two] due to injury. Throw in that French Open in 2009, as well, where he was definitely not at 100 per cent. In fact, the last three Wimbledons he has played have gone disastrously for him. Injury affected him there.

I think the Nadal question is a big one, just like the Seles question. What if Nadal has been fully fit? What if Nadal had had Federer’s longevity? What if Nadal had not been so injury prone? What if...?

Well, I haven’t much else to say so let’s crack on...

ARTHUR ASHE: ISNER d. GIRON
...Isner was the first men’s match scheduled on Ashe. I disagree with the scheduling. I think that there were bigger matches on the men’s and women’s side. I think this belonged on Grandstand. If Isner is seeded top eight I am happy to let this slide. Isner is seeded thirteen. Isner is not even a dark horse to win the thing. Isner is a nice guy and a pretty handy player, but to stick him on Ashe? Really? I don’t mean to disparage such an event or to belittle it, but sometimes you have to put your own players on a slightly lower court. It’s give and take. I like Gasquet and Federer but I don’t make them the centerpiece of every single post I do. I try my hardest not to. It’s different and, of course, the slams want their guy to do well. And the other slams also do it. Still I think sacrifices do need to be made. The crowd paid for a serving exhibition, one they were expecting. Isner hit 26 aces and no double faults on his way to a 7-6 [5], 6-2, 7-6 [2] victory in precisely two hours. The greenhorn was shown the meaning of aggression by the veteran. Isner conceded just 14 points on serve. This will surprise you but Isner faced no break points. Overall Isner had 60 winners and just 17 errors. His opponent managed 41-24. There was just one problem with Isner’s otherwise flawless performance -- he had fourteen break chances and took two. But we already knew his return game needed work. So it remains the same old with Isner. The man who has the fourth most aces [joint] in the tournament must now face Struff of Germany. No doubt that will be on Ashe and no doubt I will get annoyed then, too.
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ARTHUR ASHE: FEDERER D. MATOSEVIC
...Matosevic actually did give Federer a bit of a match in the end. No, seriously. Matosevic only won his first slam match this year. He also won his second. It was always going to be a struggle for him playing against Federer. Marinko broke Fed's serve once in the match. Federer broke three times [though he had fourteen chances] in the 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 victory. Federer had 41 winners, including ten aces, but did have 28 errors. If he cuts the errors out, then he looks to be in fine form. He has not hit top gear yet but surely that is coming. Federer won 78 per cent of serving points and 42 per cent of receiving points. It was a dominant display from the Swiss star. Something telling is the net points from Federer. Federer came to net 30 times and won the point 22 times. That points towards the fact he is in form. Federer is easy to find in the draw. It certainly makes my life easier. He plays another Aussie, but this time Groth. Groth has a big serve and can certainly give it back to Federer. Federer will still have too much game for his opponent.
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LOUIS ARMSTRONG : QUERREY D. GONZALEZ
...I am a fan of Querrey and I have been since 2009. I like Querrey and I like how he plays. But to stick him on Armstrong was a bit cheeky. In any case it did turn into a classic, so I can forgive the US Open for this one. Wimbledon has put some lower tier players on the higher court, as well. That is forgivable because they aren’t ever around for very long. The American’s have got some quite good players who will stick around for a couple of hours. Far be it for me to tell the Americans how to run their slam [although someone should -- Wimbledon misses a day and always finishes on time] but perhaps all unseeded American players should play on Grandstand. That way you get the crowds and the television people are happy. Anyway, moving on to the actual match is what I should do now. In a surprisingly quick five setter, Querrey won 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. It’s not often a three setter goes under three hours, but these two are big hitters. Sam lost serve just thrice and that was due in part to his 30 aces and 66 winners overall. His opponent could manage only 32 winners and hit 40 errors [Sam himself hit 53 errors] but still managed to take it to five. Despite being such a huge server, the man who once hit ten aces on the trot won just 69 per cent of service points. Querrey has been up and down over the past few years but he appears to be finding some form now. It goes slowly for him but small steps must be taken before large ones. Querrey gets to play Garcia-Lopez. That is going to be a great match. Please put that on Ashe under the lights. The winner of that gets a great reward -- they get to play the world’s best player over five sets on his best surface.
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LOUIS ARMSTRONG : FERRER D. DZUMHUR
.... Ferrer has lost a set to a player ranked barely inside the top 120 in the world. That is perhaps the biggest upset we have had so far. Damir was born in Sarajevo and he was born during that big war they had over there. He is a big fan of Rafter and is also an actor, or has been. In addition to this he is studying Political Science at Sarajevo University. He has won bronze at the 2010 Youth Games. He also made the third round of a slam. I have now introduced you to Damir. Let’s hope that name isn’t cursed. Damir lost 6-1, 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 to Ferru. His US Open journey lasted two and a half hours. He didn’t play very well for most of it but his opponent was not perfect, either. The players combined for a 55-77 winner error deficit. Damir lost his serve eight times and should have been out way sooner. Ferrer is a better fourth seed than Radwanska [already gone, but more on that tomorrow] but he also looks very shaky. Ferrer has at least been given warning. It is surprising how far Ferrer has fallen in form since last year. His ranking remains similar but it feels like someone is missing. Up next for Ferrer? A horrible match is what’s up next. He must face an opponent with no fear, an opponent who is unpredictable and an opponent who is red hot. Ferrer is definitely there for the taking but he does have the advantage over five sets. Who is it? You’ll find out soon.
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Grandstand Selection: MONFILS D. DONALDSON
...Sock retired and left this as my only choice for a Grandstand match. Monfils is an entertaining player to watch. Sometimes he will drop a set just to make us all a bit more nervous. Yesterday, however, he was all business. Monfils does actually have the ability to thrash players. He just doesn’t usually use this ability. In fact, Monfils usually battles himself and his opponent. This time he conquered both the voices in his head and his opponent. He needed just two hours to get past his American opponent 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. It wasn’t even that he out-hit his opponent [he went 29-34 on winners to unforced errors] but more that his opponent was inexperienced and could not find a way past Monfils. Monfils only lost serve once and won 67 per cent of first serve points. He broke five times. It was a complete performance from Monfils. Alejandro Gonzalez is the next man to face Monfils. After that, Monfils will almost certainly have to play Gasquet.
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OUTER COURT SELECTION: TOMIC D. BROWN
...This was always going to be a candidate as my choice for a match on the outer courts I enjoyed. Two players with enormous talent, big wins under their belts and in need of serious psychiatric help representing two different countries but born in two different countries from the one they represent did battle on a court way out in the so called back of the US Open. Now how could I not cover that? Tomic played a fantastic match throughout and prevailed in less than two hours 7-6, 6-4, 7-6. He lost just five points in those breakers. As the scoreline suggests, Tomic got the only break of the match. He did have nine break points, however, three times the amount his opponent had. Tomic hit no doubles and 21 aces. A set of aces is very impressive going. Throw in 49 winners overall and the fact he won 75 per cent of his serving points and you have something that adds up to a very good day at the office. Tomic did find it hard to break, but the chances were there and he is hitting some serious form at the right time. Up next is Ferru. That has to be on Arthur Ashe. If it isn’t I will complain.
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Any other notes?

* - Serena wore something outrageous. Who’s surprised? Not I. Still I thought it looked quite good and, let’s be honest here, she has worn worse. I don’t need to put up a picture. We all remember it just fine.

* - Federer does like his tweeners. He has single-handedly turned it into a used shot. As in it is at its zenith of popularity and it is the Swiss' "fault."



* - We have had no big upsets yet. On the men’s side this is especially true.

* - I think that Hewitt is a good commentator. He really knows the game. I would like to see Gulbis commentate, too. Wouldn’t that be excellent?

* - Did Cibulkova just lose to a fifteen year old?

* - I like Federer in black. He looks good in black at the US Open. I wish I could pull off that headband.

* - I have another Kuznetsova clip for you. Watch to the end of the highlights reel and you’ll see a classic Sveta moment.



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