It was a tough loss for crowd-favorite Andy Roddick.
Coming back after two sets down to take the third 6-3, Roddick double faults twice at 5-4 in the fourth set, nets a drop shot volley in the tie break and sends a return long to lose his quarterfinal match 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 to Novak Djokovic.
But that's not the end of it. To add insult upon injury, in the post-match interview in front of 20,000 deflated New Yorkers Djokovic refers to beating Andy on his own turf and comments, "I know they're already against me because they think I'm faking everything. Andy was saying I have 16 injuries – obviously I don't."
The crowd responded with loud boos and obvious rejection of the self-proclaimed new king of tennis.
Djokovic was refering to comments in a press interview where Roddick jabs at Djokovic's injuries, roughly saying: "Yeah, something like 16 injuries. Neck, back, Anthrax, SARS, the common cold."
It's one thing to come into a match obviously pi$$ed at your opponent for off-court comments, but to take the matter public after just deflating the guy is down right childish.
If Djokovic is the new king of tennis, I demand a recount.
(Photo: AP/Charles Krupa)
2008 US Open
13 Posts
Apparently the risky decision to skip the Olympics has paid off for Americans Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick, both having reached the quarterfinals at the 2008 U.S. Open.
Although seeing mediocre returns at the tournaments leading up to the Open, both players are making their final stands and bold statements in New York.
27-year-old Mardy Fish overran Paul Mathieu, James Blake and Gael Monfils for his best showing at the U.S. Open to date, losing only two sets in the tournament.
Following a five-set struggle against Ernest Gulbis in the second round, Andy Roddick breezed into the quarterfinals overcoming Andreas Seppi and F Gonzalez in straight sets.
Both players relied on big serves and aggressive net play to make short work of the overtaxed field, primarily due to the arduous pro season, which was extended this year due to the Beijing Olympics.
For these two aging players, it looks like a short nap before a Slam is a recipe for success.
(Photo: AP/Ed Betz)
Andy Roddick and Ernest Golbis have a lot in common.
They share the same birthday, Aug. 30, they both have a big serve and a big forehand. They both wanted to win their second round match at the U.S. Open on Friday night.
The difference being Roddick turned 26 on Saturday, Golbis 20.
After losing the first set, 6-3, in under 30 minutes, and slamming his racket into the ground half way through the second, it appeared Roddick was well on his way to ceding his crown to the next generation of big-serve tennis.
Or maybe the release of aggression was just what he needed to wake him up to the calling. Holding off Golbis' charge toward a two-set lead, Roddick reversed his fortunes in the second half of the set, breaking Golbis' serve twice to take the set and level the playing field.
It's a classic reversal of fortune that is characteristic of champions: coming back when a set down to summon the mental fortitude to overcome.
After failing to convert on two opportunities, Roddick found himself in the fourth set receiving serve for the match. In a climatic finish with Golbis putting a forehand into the net, Roddick clinched a hard-fought win, 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 7-5.
At 1:34 a.m. New York time, Andy Roddick proved to the world, and probably himself, that this old pro was not ready for retirement.
(Photo: AP/Elise Amendola)
Looks like Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is back in action.
The 23-year-old from Le Mans, France advanced at the U.S. Open following a first-round win against Santiago Ventura, needing four sets for the win, 6-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.
Tsonga stunned the tennis world (and Rafael Nadal in the semis) at the Australian Open with an unstoppable aggressiveness and uncanny ability to make impossible shots.
While not quite recovered from recent knee surgery for an Olympic appearance, Tsonga makes his official return to tennis. He missed the majority of the clay and grass seasons due to the operation and wasn't able to return to the practice courts until the beginning of August.
Tsonga withdrew from Monte-Carlo in May due to the recurring knee injury, which stems from either his hard work on the courts or his hard play in the clubs.
Wild card Asia Muhammad may have lost in the first round of the U.S. Open, but not before her 15 minutes in the sun.
Aravane Rezai, a French-born player of Iranian descent ranked 74 on the WTA tour, defeated Muhammad 6-2, 6-4 on Monday.
But an interesting report in the NYTimes chronicles Asia's beginnings at Agassi's Boys & Girls Club in Las Vegas.
"Eight years ago, Asia's father Ron Holmes took his children to the corner of Washington and Martin Luther King in Las Vegas, eyeing the basketball program for his sons. Asia’s cousin, Jasmine Muhammad, was already in Agassi’s tennis program, in the process of hitting her way to Howard University.
"Asia hit a few balls at a tryout clinic; that was good enough. A couple of years later, she was on her way to being nationally ranked as a 13-year-old, to a slew of tournament victories and by March, still an amateur, to the final of a $50,000 tournament in Las Vegas."
While not the best start at the Open, chances are we'll be seeing a lot more from this talented 17-year-old in the future.
(Photo: NYTimes.com/Marilynn Yee)
Like having a birthday just before Christmas, you kind of get overlooked.
Marin Cilic captured his first career ATP title with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 victory over Mardy Fish in the Pilot Pen Tennis in New Haven last Saturday.
While all the major media sites were preparing for the US Open, there was still a battle to be one in the last US Open Series tournament before the Open, the Pilot Pen Tennis.
But you wouldn't know it from the front pages of ESPN Tennis, Tennis.com and Sports Illustrated, which had large, blaring images of Rafael Nadal with headlines like, "Can Rafa Handle No. 1?" Even the tournament's own site, pilotpentennis.com, didn't refresh their front page at all during the small Connecticut tournament.
Just as all God's children go to heaven, all children of tennis deserve a headline. Sorry, Cilic, your first ATP title went hardly noticed in the shadow of the last Slam of the season.
(Photo: AP/Fred Beckham)
TV Schedule
As usual, CBS and USA will own the Open. USA network's extensive coverage is great if you subscribe to anything other than basic cable. Otherwise you're stuck with some semi-final action and the main quarterfinals and finals on CBS. Can't complain too much, though. The way things are going with TV and tennis, we're lucky to have any coverage at all.
USOpen.org Radio
During the 2008 US Open, USOpen.org Radio provides continuous live coverage, including a daily talk show, live match calls, and player interviews.
IBM SlamTracker
The US Open SlamTracker offers live scores and an interactive draw in a convenient micro-site package. For following matches at work or in conjunction with US Open Radio, this is the next best thing to watching the Open live. Visit USOpen.org and select "Interactive Draw" on right rail.
Live @ the Open
Click and tune in LIVE at the top of every hour from 11am to 7pm Eastern time for a five-minute recap of scores, expert analysis, interviews, features from around the ground and more on "Live @ the Open presented by American Express." The show originates from various locations around the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Latest News
For a more traditional approach, this page offers capsules of the day's action plus links to extended articles showcasing results from the daily rounds.
Mobile Texts
Get real-time information from the US Open on your mobile phone. Enter your phone number to get access to the US Open mobile site which has news, schedule, live scores and player updates. Subscribe to mobile alerts for SMS messages tailored to your interests whether breaking news, TV schedule updates or specific details on players.
NYTimes.com US Open Blog
New York Times reporters and editors will be following every serve, volley and replay challenge of the 2008 United States Open. They will provide updates, insights, links, analysis and scenes from Flushing Meadows through the close of the tournament..
Rising stars Demi Lovato, Colby O’Donis and Menudo will team with tennis superstars Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic for the 13th annual Arthur Ashe Kids Day.
The popular full-day tennis and music festival for children and families – including interactive games, musical entertainment, and tennis clinics – will be hosted by MTV’s Susie Castillo and Nickelodeon’s Quddus.
The festivities are set for Saturday, August 23 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y., from 9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. The full-day tennis and music festival kicks off the 2008 US Open.
This year's special guests include:
Colby O’Donis - At the age of 19 and signed to Akon’s KonLive label, Colby is generating a great deal of excitement with club DJs, on the radio and internet with his first single, “What You Got” featuring Akon, taken from his debut titled, Colby O.
Menudo - Coming out of Puerto Rico in the 1970s, MENUDO was the first, and the greatest, of a wave of talented singing and dancing groups that's still relevant 30 years later. Two generations later, a new, updated version of MENUDO is back, with a contemporary sound and look, and the same universal appeal.
Demi Lovato - 15-year-old Demi Lovato stars as Mitchie Torres in the Disney Channel Original Movie "Camp Rock." Her television credits also include a starring role as Charlotte in the Disney Channel short-form series "As The Bell Rings," where she also showcased her singing talents, a lead role on Nickelodeon's "Just Jordan" and a guest appearance on 20th Century Fox's "Prison Break."
General admission promenade tickets are $10, and loge tickets are $20.
Admission is free for the interactive games and clinics, which will take place on the outer courts from 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Visit usopen.org for more information and tickets.
RadioTennis.com will be offering free four-day coverage of the US Open Men's and Women's Qualifying events.
The web cast will take place from the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center - home of the 2008 US Open Championships.
The web cast schedule is as follows:
- Day 1: Tuesday: August 19: 7:00 AM (USA Pacific Time)
- Day 2: Wednesday: August 20: 7:00 AM (USA Pacific Time)
- Day 3: Thursday: August 21: 7:00 AM (USA Pacific Time)
- Day 4: Friday: August 22: 7:00 AM (USA Pacific Time)
"It should be four tremendous days of world-class tennis from the greatest tennis tournament in the world. I would like to invite the international tennis community to log-on and enjoy this free web cast from New York," said RadioTennis.com's Ken Thomas.
As always, RadioTennis.com will read all incoming e-mails over the air. If you would like to forward a question or comment, e-mail TennisQuestion@gmail.com.
RadioTennis.com provides live streaming audio play-by-play of professional and top-level tennis from around the world, via the Internet. Visit RadioTennis.com for more.
Photo: (Courtesy of RadioTennis.com)
There's a new king in town.
22-year-old Rafael Nadal put an end to Roger Federer's 237-week run as No. 1 to claim the top spot in tennis.
It's been a three-year goal for the Spaniard, who has a child-like gaiety off the courts, and a focused intensity on the courts. His all-out athletic style harkens back to the bull fighting days of Spain's yesteryear, transforming the tennis courts to a life-and-death arena where a battle waits to be won.
Coming off a Roland Garros win, a four-hour marathon victory over Federer at Wimbeldon and a freshly minted gold medal from the Olympics, Rafael Nadal is definitely the man of the hour in the 2008 US Open.
The hardcourts in New York, however, have not been kind to Nadal in his career – as he has never advanced past the quarterfinals and lost in the fourth round to buddy David Ferrer in 2008 after suffering from an injury to his left knee.
"I'm not so concerned about the way he hits ball, it's the way he moves and body type he has,'' said Paul Annacone, the men's head coach for Great Britain's Lawn Tennis Association. "He's a big, huge, strong athlete, but there's a lot of muscle mass to carry around. Like Boris Becker, he's big and he's doing all that stopping and starting, pounding side to side.
"The guys that reach that level the most efficiently and easily tend to have the longevity. That's Roger and Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, to an extent. Rafa can play at really high levels. But it takes more out of him to do so. I'd say he is incrementally more vulnerable than someone like a Federer."
Nadal has proved this year he is a threat on all surfaces. Now he needs to prove he has the athletic and mental ability to remain at No. 1.
Photo: (Clive Brunskill/Getty)
After opting out of the Olympics in favor of preparation for the US Open, you would think the No. 8 player in the world would have the house to himself, so to speak.
The top players in the world would be making the grueling trek to Beijing to compete for the gold, leaving the US Open Series playing field comprised of less-than-top-20 players.
The titles should have been Roddick's for the taking.
But with most things in life, there are ways you plan it and the way it actually happens. That, and who could have accounted for the four-in-a-row winning streak of 19-year-old Juan Martin del Potro.
First, Roddick was ousted in the second round of the Rogers Masters in Toronto. Following Roger Federer's stunning exit the day before, Roddick went out to talented teen Marin Cilic. The sixth-seeded Roddick was upset by 44th-ranked Cilic 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
Roddick then suffered a "neck injury" that kept him out of the Western and Southern Classic in Cincinnati.
Scoring 0 for 2, Roddick made it to the final of the Countrywide Classic in LA only to be smoked in the final to a white-hot del Potro, seemingly without much struggle on the Argentine's part. The 6-foot-5 teenager rolled to a 6-1, 7-6(2) victory over Roddick.
At the Legg Mason, Roddick was upset by Viktor Troicki 0-6, 6-2, 6-4, in the quarterfinals, the same day second-seeded Del Potro won his 17th straight match, a 6-4, 6-4 victory over John Isner.
Now it appears Roddick won't be appearing at the Pilot Pen, the final event before the US Open begins on Aug. 25.
While Roddick won't be a favorite in Flushing Meadows, you would think by staying at home he would have positioned himself for a good run at the US Open. For Roddick's sake, I hope he's saved the best for last. At the rate he's going, though, this won't be good enough.
Photo: (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
While the top-ten players were busy slugging it out in Beijing (except for Andy Roddick, of course), 19-year-old Juan Martin del Potro was busy state side racking up the wins.
Del Potro won his fourth straight tournament Sunday, beating Viktor Troicki 6-3, 6-3 to take the Legg Mason Tennis Classic championship. The No. 19 player in the world has won his last 19 matches since June 25.
“I feel confidence,” del Potro said. “Because when I go to the court, and the other players know I beat 19 players in a row and nobody can beat me, it is good for me.”
In addition to the $80k pay out from the Legg Mason win, del Potro ousted Andy Roddick in the Countrywide Classic, won the Austrian Open and took the Mercedes Cup along with a SLK 350 to increase his year-to-date prize money to $679, 890.
Not bad for not yet 20.
Del Potro could add one more title before the U.S. Open late this month. He said he will fly to New Haven, Conn., on Monday, then make a decision on whether he will play in the Pilot Pen Tennis event.
Either way, del Potro's white-hot winning streak makes him one to watch at the 2008 US Open.
Photo: (AP Photo/Daniel Maurer)
Legend
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Amateur: 40 - 199 pts
Rookie: 0 - 39 pts
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