Wimbledon Day 3: Tommy Rides Again

Hey Y'all. Galileo here.

And the big news here is that Tommy is not a Haasbeen. He is the bridge, the link between the 90's, the 00's and the 10's. He has been relevant in all three decades. He's played against Sampras and Agassi. He has played against Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. He has played against Hewitt and Roddick, too. And he has beaten all of them except Nadal, who he didn't play until Nadal's heyday. But the players on the ATP tour know him and his game. They know what he can do. He made his slam debut in 1997 at the US Open. Players here at Wimbledon weren't born yet. They weren't even in the womb. And gosh I don't think that's a word we'll hear too much on any part of Backspin.

Connors played his last slam in 1992. Haas played his first in 1997. That is ridiculous. That we have a player today who played just after Connors retired. In fact Haas was the oldest man since Connors to win a match at Wimbledon. And to play Raonic, a young rising star, well, it was poetic. Todd and I are supposed to be roughly neutral, something he is better at than I am, but I will confess I wanted him to convert on his set point up 6-5 on the tiebreaker. It was a little like this.



And the score line is one you could not make up. 6-0, 6-2, 6-7, 7-6. It was like veteran witchcraft. Veteran witchcraft winning over youthful exuberance and power. Tommy Haas may have lost, but there will be a final appearance from him at least once this season.

Question: When did Haas reach his first major semi-final?

*Suicide Picks*
Well I blew the Barthel pick which is frustrating but I survive in the men's singles.

MS 1st Rd: Dolgopolov d. Edmund (W)
MS 2nd Rd: Lopez [15] d. Basilashvili
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WS 1st Rd: Wickmayer d. Kulichkova (x)- Wickmayer lost 3-6, 7-6, 10-8. Well, that did not go as planned.


CENTRE COURT: DJOKOVIC D. NIEMINEN
...This is Nieminen's last ever Wimbledon match. And he broke to go up 3-1 but after the fast start he was overmatched. And so the Finnish number one bowed. In fact, the Scandinavian number one of so many years bowed out. It feels as if this Wimbledon we're bidding the past farewell. And that's a little sad. After the first half a set, everything else was routine. `Nieminen had Djokovic on the ropes but as soon as the top seed broke back the rest of the match went quickly. Djokovic came through 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. In 90 minutes he went 38-13 on the winners front and had 14 break points. He only converted 5. His opponent went one from one. A solid match from Djokovic and there is now little to work on except for converting those break points. Tomic is up next for Djokovic. And Djokovic will have to be wary. Tomic took him to four, almost five, back in 2011 when Novak was at his peak. Tomic is so dangerous on this surface. The weapons at his disposal are formidable. And as far as raw talent goes, Tomic may have the upper hand there.
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CENTRE COURT: CILIC D. BERANKIS
...Sometimes these matches come alone that you look at and think this, this should be on a show court. This should not be on Court 15. This is a match that should be on a big court. And Cilic/Berankis was put on Centre Court. Nishikori has withdrawn. And that means the path is open for Cilic to make the quarters. But it looked like he wouldn't. He needed everything in his limited arsenal to get by the determined Lithuanian number one. Cilic edged through 6-3, 5-6, 7-6[6], 4-6, 7-5. He won on a double fault. But for over three and a half hours these two did battle. Cilic hit 66 winners to his opponent's 50. Incredibly there were just six breaks total in the match. Cilic was not the better player but once again he escapes. But Berankis can take confidence from this. Cilic has booked a date with Isner next. That will have over 70 aces. That will have two tiebreakers. That will be an unwatchable match. The quality is going to be good but the match is going to be a server's match. Break points are like Arabian oil in that match. Rare and very hard to convert into profit. [From an American point of view, anyway. I mean Dick Cheney had to fake a whole war just to get some oil that one time. Cost lives and everything. But this is a tennis blog, not a political one. Still, they never did find those weapons of mass destruction, did they?]
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COURT ONE: RAONIC D. HAAS
...And it is a moral victory for Haas. Haas nearly dragged it to a fifth. And if he had then Raonic may well have just imploded. But Haas and Date continue to show that age is just irrelevant. Of course Black/Raymond are incredible, but the fact Haas can do that in singles beggars belief. Raonic showed how mentally strong he was. He never panicked no matter how easy it would have been to do so. Raonic and Kyrgios is part two of their Wimbledon rivalry. That will be an ace fest. The key could be how physically fit Raonic is. Kyrgios' forehand is also a key element. He has a better game around the serve than Raonic does. He has the drop shot and the other weapons. Raonic has weapons but his game is so built around his serve, and I think the variety of Kyrgios should see him through.
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COURT ONE : WAWRINKA D. ESTRELLA BURGOS
....Everybody knows the VEB story by now. Everybody knows how great his story is and the things that he has achieved. He is a great example for young tennis players. It is never too late. It is never too late to come back and have a good career. But against Wawrinka, Victor always looked a little overmatched. Wawrinka never lost his serve in a 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 victory. His opponent had just two opportunities to break and took neither of them. And that really says it all. It's not about his opponent; it's about Wawrinka. 15 aces and 39 winners complimented what was overall a scratchy, tight performance. And winning over 80% of first serve points is just too good. Wawrinka is surely bound for another slam at some point. Fiery Verdasco awaits Wawrinka next. And Ferver could win, he could just serve big and win. If he can find Wawrinka's forehand enough and attack the second serve he may be able to take it. This is the kind of match where we get to see the title credentials of Wawrinka. Straight sets and he is ready.
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COURT TWO: DIMITROV D. JOHNSON
...Guess who got their mojo back! For those who answered Bouchard, yeah right. For those who answered Kuznetsova, she never lost her mojo. And for those who perhaps answered American men's tennis, the answer is can I borrow your time machine. Because you're either twenty years ago or you're twenty years into the future. The answer is Dimitrov. Dimi blew by Delbonis but Johnson managed to slow him down though he could not stop him completely. The fact, Johnson is ranked 52 and is the American number four is a shock to the system. Anyway, Dimitrov was too good in a 7-6[8], 6-2, 7-6[2] victory. Dimitrov was never broken and showed he still has the beating heart of a champion. He is a great grass court player. And if there was going to be any place where he would lose the rust, it would have to be here. Dimitrov now plays Gasquet. And that is more than just upset alert, that is a match where the favourite isn't clear. Gasquet is heating up while Dimitrov is just coming out of a slump. Gasquet is playing sharp tennis, while Dimitrov is still shaking off the rust. It's going to be a fascinating match.
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OUTER COURT SELECTION: VERDASCO D. THIEM
...Not really an outer court, this was nonetheless a three hours, five set thriller in what the British called a heat wave. Thiem and Verdasco's contrasting styles clashed, though the elegance in their games made sure the image they created was a beautiful one. Verdasco upset the seeded Austrian 5-7, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4. Ferver's 12 double faults and 36 errors were not enough to see the Spaniard go out. Thiem played a fantastic match but was undone by a great opponent. He's learned an important lesson. Sometimes you get a rough draw. It happens. Thiem was seeded for the first time at a slam and he has acquitted himself brilliantly. He will continue to be seeded for a while now. Seeded 32 right now, do not be surprised if he is seeded in the 20's at the next slam.
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Any other notes?
* - Djokovic was very classy when talking about Neiminen. Good to see there's real respect.
* - I am loving the new website. It is literally just better than the Roland Garros one.
* - The tenth seed plays some qualifier on Centre Court. Ridiculous. Oh it's Nadal. Well then, carry on.
* - Will Bouchard be seeded come the US? Will she have merited it?
* - Casey Dellacqua plays 17th seed Svitolina. If she wins Australia have two men in the third round and two women guaranteed. That would be a really good result. Svitolina has reached the final of the girls singles but in the Women's she is not at her strongest on grass. And then either Tomljanovic or Radwanska awaits.



Haas looking young in 1999. Imagine a young Haas. It's like a Nadal who isn't injured. Unheard of.

ANSWER: Haas made the Australian Open semi in 1999. He would make two more. They would be in 2002 and 2007.

Well, I'm out for now.

Thanks all and visit WTA BACKSPIN please.

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