AMS Toronto

If it isn't obvious enough our entire team is pretty damn lazy and is working a ton, except for Drysdale, that son bitch. Anyway I just felt like giving some input on the latest Masters Series tournament in Toronto, a tournament that finally includes the top two players in the world. That being said, from what i've seen Nadal is looking damn good and I really think he has a solid shot at making the final in the US Open. Nadal may need to steer clear of one James Blake in order to do this, but I feel like they will not meet or Nadal will take Blake down. Not to discredit Blake but Nadal has this knack for not getting down on himself or his game in any situation, whether he has a winning record (against Federer) or a losing record (against Blake). Federer was apparently looking good today as well, serving 14 aces in only 2 sets. This may not be a milestone for someone like Ivo Karlovic but Federer is not usually known for banging out such a large number of aces, it was nice to hear about. Who knows when someone will find some time and post again, until then I hope somebody reads this so that our site doesn't completely go to shit.

Sincerely, Mary Joe

Where's 1 and 2?

During the exciting "road trip" known as the US Open Series two things, or people, are missing. These people/players are none other than Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, of whom are scheduled to play only 2 USO Series events as far as I know. I'm going to go out on a limb and inform everyone that I love both players but wtf? Just because they don't need the extra prize money that is offered because of the series doesn't mean they shouldn't play, if they are featured in the shitty commercials maybe they should also play a bigger role in the tournaments. You would think that Federer might like to play more in the series as well seeing ast he man has not lost on American soil in quite some time. You might also think that since Nadal has been beaten on hardcourts this year by both James Blake, who also beat him down last year at the USO, and Carlos Moya, he would want to improve and get some solid practice and confidence on the hardcourts. Apparently this does not matter much to either player, as they are both taking huge breaks from competition until the Masters Series tournaments in Toronto and Cincinatti respectively. Of course it must also be mentioned that they deserve a solid break after each guy made the finals of both Roland Garros and Wimbledon. I guess what i'm trying to say is that I would be a lot more into this shitty ass road trip, aka the US Open Series, if at least one of the two best players in the world were in more of the tournaments. No matter what happens i'm looking forward to seeing both of them in Toronto and I am definitley rooting for Gonzales in the most current tournament, the Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles.

Forehand

Yes, the picture is completely and utterly inappropriate. This is why I chose it $:-)

If you can have any pro player's forehand whose would you pick?
	Roger Federer
	Maria Sharapova
	Rafael Nadal
	Andy Roddick
	Ivan Ljubicic
	Amelie Mauresmo

Alllllllleeeeeeeeez!!!!

If you don't know already Roger Federer has just captured his 4th consecutive Wimbledon championship, his 48th consecutive grass court win, his 2nd win over Rafael Nadal, and his 8th overall grand slam title. In my opinion this particular match displayed why Federer is the champion that he has become, not because he won, but how he won. As an avid Federer fan I have seen nearly all of his matches, whether they are crappy quality, he loses, wins, etc. The point is that I have seen him play his best tennis on all different surfaces and the tennis he played today in the final was not his best tennis. Sampras did it numerous times, winning big matches on big stages despite not performing at the top of your game. Federer had a little slip in the second and third sets but still managed to pull out his 4th Wimbledon title.

Although it is quite a milestone for Federer to pass the halfway mark to Sampras' 14 grand slams, credit must also be given to the other finalist Rafael Nadal. We have already heard so much about it, the fact that everyone doubted Nadal and didn't think he would make anywhere on grass. Nobody believed he could do it, he proved them wrong, blah blah blah. People who thought he would do well can rub it in all they want the fact of the matter is that most of us don't care, Nadal has proven himself on grass and it is good for him and good for the sport. After getting steamrolled in the first set Nadal pushed Federer to the limit in the second, at one point even serving for the set before he faultered and Federer took advantage. Nadal then proceeded to do the unthinkable and steal a set from the reigning champion, so much credit must be given to Nadal for hanging in there and not throwing in the towel as many others do vs. Federer (cough, Roddick, cough). Finally I have to point out something I love about Nadal and something that Federer will never have on him, his fight and his will to give everything in a match. As seen in the French Open final Federer pretty much sucked and played with "no balls" as Mats Wilander pointed out. It's not like he does that all the time but Federer does slip up under pressure at certain moments during certain matches. On the other hand Nadal is always guaranteed to play a great match and never give up hope. He could be down a bagel set and still go for winners and play with conviction, Nadal simply never seems down or depressed in any match. I found it unbelievable that although he was down 2 sets to 0 against the world number one and 3 time champion Nadal was still pounding backhand winners and playing in a positive matter.

So comes the end to a fairly high quality Wimbledon and a final that blew the French Open final out of the water, believe it or not i'm not just saying that because Federer won. No hard feelings about that crappy prediction eh Drysdale <:-)

Wimbledon Final: Rafa vs. Roger

This year's Wimbledon final is a repeat of the Roland Garros final that took place about a month ago, except this time the final is played on grass. The final pits the two best players in the world against each other, as many of the big finals this year have turned out. Of course these two players are Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Nadal has a distinct edge against Federer and has won the last 5 of their total 7 meetings, Nadal also won their last meeting on the big stage at Roland Garros. Everyone expected Federer to make it to the final round, although I'm not sure anyone expected him to do it in the fashion he did. Federer has yet to drop a set in this year's Wimbledon and has played utterly dominant tennis in his last 6 matches, the question is can he keep this performance going? On the other side of the draw no one expected Nadal to even make it to the quarterfinals. Many spectators, including myself, claimed that Nadal would not even have an appearance in the 4th round. Little did we all know that Nadal can play pretty damn well on the grass despite having a fairly lucky draw.

No matter what happens I can't think of anyone who would not be excited to see this final because again, like at Roland Garros, there is a lot at stake for each player. Roger Federer bids to win his 4th consecutive Wimbledon title and his 8th grand slam title, putting him more than half way to Sampras' record 14 slams. Federer also wishes to keep his grass court winning streak alive, he now owns the record for most consecutive grass court victories once possessed by none other than Bjorn Borg. Nadal desperately wants to win a title on grass, especially the big one at Wimbledon. He has stated that this is the tournament he wants to win now, he has an undeniable will to be the best at all surfaces and to keep improving no matter who he plays or what he plays on. Nadal already has proven everyone wrong, but I think he wants to push the limit by winning and allowing all naysayers to see what he is capable of on the grass.

Time will only tell and this blockbuster final takes place Sunday at some time in the morning, any tennis fan of any sort should be watching. Below are our predictions as to how the match will play out.

Mary Joe: I am as surprised as anyone to see that Rafael Nadal is in the final of Wimbledon this year and I must give credit where it is due, Nadal does have a decent grass court game even if he had a somewhat easy draw. That being said I know that Federer has this in the bag, he has won three times in a row and is desperate to record a second win over the Spaniard. A final note before the score is that although I am picking Federer to win I believe that Nadal wants the title more than Federer does. Roger Federer defeats Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.

PMac: I didn't expect Nadal to make it to the final, but I did think he would do decently and not just because of his easy draw. Nadal has the skill to challenge most players on grass, he's proven that already. Although Nadal's grass game has developed well, he still doesn't have the game to take Federer out on Sunday. I'm expecting Federer to win in straight sets; he's looked strong throughout the tournament and I can see him winning his fourth title at Wimbledon without dropping a set. The random score: 7-5, 6-4, 6-4.

Drysdale: Wow, I can't believe the disrespect that you two are giving to Nadal. I mean even if you think that Federer is going to win, at least think that Nadal is going to take at least one set. Frankly, I think that the only person who has the slightest chance against Federer at Wimbledon is Nadal. I also think that Federer has a mental problem with Nadal, and I know that Nadal has a favorable record vs Federer (5-0 over the last few matches). Granted, that was mostly on clay but I believe that at least one of those was on a hard court. Everyone knows that Nadal can beat Federer; on clay or other surfaces, it was always just a problem of if Nadal could get to the final to get a shot at him. Well, he's accomplished that this year (maybe through some luck of the draw) and I think that Nadal is going to take Federer. Prior to the tourney, the "classy" Federer said that Nadal didn't stand a chance in this year's Wimbledon. I think that Nadal is going to make him eat his words. I predict a Nadal victory. 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4. (sorry bout the score prediction before, I wrote it at like 4:30 AM).

Sharapova Sucks

Yeah, the title comes right out and says it, I think Sharapova sucks. I cannot say that she is bad at tennis, because she is not, but I dislike her because of her Hewitt like attitude on court and her incredibly loud and unnecessary grunting. Back in the day when I was fortunate enough to visit the US Open I saw a younger Sharapova and I must admit I became a fan of hers because of her good looks and of course also her good looks. Maria may not have been the force she is today back then, but she was also not as painful to watch as she is now. Maybe I am wrong and she hasn't changed but I feel that the success she has had has caused her to become the annoying and somewhat hated player she is today. If it weren't for her self cheering in Spanish, a language she surely is not fluent in, or her decibel topping screams I may still like to watch her for her excellent tennis and her decent looks. For the record I say she has decent looks now because when a girl exhibits that kind of attitude and manner on court she becomes less attractive, although still nowhere near Mauresmo status.

In the quarterfinal match played today against Elena Dementieva, Sharapova annihilated her Russian compatriot in straight sets. Dementieva felt that Sharapova may have been pushing the limits with her excessive grunting yet she did not speak up about it because she is a good sport. It does seem like she would be making an excuse to complain about grunting when she is down by a set and a break, but I think that a complaint may have been appropriate and other players should do the same. Some may say that the Williams sisters grunt loud as well, the thing is they just aren't as annoying and bitchy as Sharapova is so most people let it slide. Basically Sharapova needs to shut the hell up, and someone also needs to taker her out of the tournament because I am sick of hearing her deafening grunting and her cries of Vamos!

Below is the solution to the Sharapova noise problem, yeah I know the score doesn't make sense but that's not the point.

Nadal On Grass?

It's been said many times before, Nadal isn't a solid grass court player. In fact it's been said that Nadal is horrible on grass which may be true. He wasn't expected to get to the fourth round, but now that he has, is it time to rethink Nadal's skills on grass? With the top seeds falling out of Wimbledon at such a quick rate, can Nadal make it to the finals? Will Nadal's dream of winning at Wimbledon be achieved sooner than thought possible? Will I keep asking retarded questions?

More to come. By the way, I am sorry for the lack of postings. I have too many weak excuses I could use to explain myself.

Toys 'R' Us,
PMac.

Sorry, I just can't resist...

In a shocking upset today at Wimbledon, Argentina's David Nalbandian suffered a straight set loss to the #28 seed Fernando Verdasco of Spain, 6-7(9), 6-7(9), 2-6. Nalbandian just never seemed to be into the match. He began the day by complaining about the time of the match. In the World Cup, Argentina was playing Germany during the match and he wanted to watch it. Perhaps that was why his game was so hapless. On that note, the Argentine soccer team ended up losing to Germany in a shootout 4-2. It was a sad day for Argentina, and I just can't resist: Don't cry for me Argentina.

All I can say is....holy crap, wtf?

Bethanie Maittek played Venus Williams today and Miss Williams won 6-1, 6-0. But that's not the issue here. The issue here is, what the hell was Miss Maittek wearing? It was some weirdass, 70's, Austin Powers type, British get up. It was strange and disturbing, and not suitable for younger viewers (well it wasn't revealing or anything it was pretty creepy). This crappy weird fashion by the women on tour has got to stop. It should have been nipped in the bud when Serena came out in her catsuit a few years back. But no, we had to let that one go and look what's happened. It's ridiculous. Where does the madness stop?