Wimbledon

An annual event in our home in Kuantan occurs every June/July.



Wimbledon.



The mother of all tennis competitions where the sun is all too welcome, the rain too frequent, and the lawns growing browner by the day as they are graced by marvellous tennis athletes.


Since 2003, Roger Federer has dominated on the grass, winning 5 years in a row including his very first Slam in '03, before finally losing to Rafael Nadal in the 2008 final in an epic 5-set, 5-hour battle.

Federer came back in 2009 and won an historic final against Andy Roddick as he became the first ever men's singles player to win 15 Grand Slam titles. (If you love tennis enough to read a match report, then by all means follow this link to read of that amazing match from 2009).


Last year he sadly fell at the quarter finals stage, a back injury limiting his mobility in a 4-set defeat to finalist Tom Berdych.




I'll be shouting from Kuantan for Roger to prevail for a 7th time on the beautiful lawns of Wimbledon this year. (Though not too loud, because a newborn baby will hopefully be sleeping well through the night!)

Has anyone ever had the privilege of watching Roger Federer play live?

Federer Masters His Peers

I know it's a little like 'late news' now, but I've not been online since waking up in the early hours of Monday morning to watch the ATP World Tour Masters final between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. That's because I've been down with headaches and an off stomach ever since this disruption of my normal sleep pattern.

But Roger Federer is worth writing about at any time of the day, week, month or year.

His victory over Nadal, and it has to be said, in the end it was an absolute pasting, was long overdue. Federer's 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 win was a highly significant result at the end of a mixed season for the Swiss champion. After stuttering through the summer with injury and poor form, his Australian Open final demolition of Andy "angles" Murray was almost forgotten about. Nadal went on to win the remaining three slams as Federer's career was being written off right, left and centre.

So this fantastic week of dominant tennis is a great reminder to the world that Federer is still only 29, by no means old, and as he brushed aside so comfortably the other 4 players at the top of the rankings alongside himself, he has laid down a marker for the year 2011. I'm sure Federer would have loved the Australian Open to be this week, but we will have to wait a couple of months to see the genius at work again.

The whole week in London was a huge success and a great way to finish the year. Perhaps for me, the greatest thing of all was the magnificence of Federer's backhand. Touted as a weakness, it was anything but, as he used it to marvellous effect as preparation to set up winning forehands, producing sensational winners themselves either up the line or cross-court, and as wonderful deep, defensive shots to get himself back into rallies.

Long may Federer keep hitting the sweet spot on the backhand, and the forehand. He was also masterful on serve, showing magnificent variety and placement.

Now he has renewed confidence to go and, if necessary, beat Nadal all over again on the biggest stage of all - a Grand Slam.

ATP Tour Masters London Final Line-up

So Rafael Nadal struggled his way through his semi-final with Andy Murray, who blew a 4-1 lead in the final set tie-breaker to gift the Spaniard a final berth.

Meanwhile, Roger Federer obliterated Novak Djokovic 6-1, 6-4 to enter the final, as he attempts to win the end-of-year Masters for a 5th time.

LET'S GO ROGER, LET'S GO!!!

ATP Tour Masters London Semi-finals

So we have arrived at the semi-final stage of the ATP Tour Masters in London. There are no surprises and 2 stand-out players thus far. The semi-finals will shape up like this:

ROGER FEDERER aka the G.O.A.T.    vs     NOVAK JOCK-STRAP

RAFAEL NAYDULL     vs     ANDY "ANGLES" MURRAY

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have both come through the round robin stage undefeated, with 3 wins out of 3. Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic qualified as group runners-up after losing one of their three matches each.

I'm desperately hoping Andy Angles can go against all the odds and beat Nadal because to be honest, I'm scared of Nadal but not Murray. As for Federer, he just has to play to a similar standard as he has in the round robin stage and he should have no problems against Djokovic. Federer is hitting the ball sweetly and most pleasing, his backhand was magnificent in his victory over Soderling. Nadal has not been at his best, doing enough to win, but he did enjoy a 6-1 thrashing of Berdych after he took the first on a tie-break. Nadal dropped a set against Roddick but Federer has yet to lose one, with a perfect 6-0 record in that department.

I hope Murray makes the final, but in my head, where common sense normally prevails, Nadal will slaughter the helpless Scot and enter a mouthwatering final with Federer.

And Federer is due a win over his Spanish rival...

U.S. Open 2010 - The Draw

The Draw

The draw for the U.S. Open 2010 Grand Slam has been conducted. Top seed Rafael Nadal has been paired in the same half as Britain's Andy Murray whilst Roger Federer, the 2nd seed and five-time champion from 2004-2008, joins Novak Djokovic in the other half. That will be great news for Federer, who has struggled in recent times against Nadal and Murray but has basically owned Djokovic.

Potential Stumbling Blocks


Rafa Nadal has a pretty good section of the draw. He lies in the same quarter as Fernando Verdasco, though Verdasco is in wretched form coming in to the U.S. Open and I honestly don't see him reaching the quarter final stage. This is where my tip of the tournament comes in - David Nalbandian. He is the 31st seed. I think he could take care of Verdasco and then easily overcome Ferrer/Gulbis to set up a quarter final showdown with Nadal. Should Nadal manage to win, he is likely to face either Murray or Berdych in the semis. And that's where the first real threat to Murray's challenge will come from - the beast Tomas Berdych. As we saw at Wimbledon, he is capable of beating the very best players.

On the other side of the draw, Roger Federer is on a quarter final collision course with Robin Soderling, who beat him at that stage at the French Open earlier this year. Soderling is one of the most improved players on tour and Federer will have to be at the top of his game by that stage if he is to progress deeper through the draw. Novak Djokovic, the 3rd seed, seems to have a much trickier route to the latter stages with a potential 4th round tie against either Marcos Baghdatis or Mardy Fish (two of the form players from Cincinnati), followed by a possible quarter final with either Roddick or Davydenko. Should the Serb come through those testers, he is most likely to be met by the Swiss 16-time Grand Slam champion in the semis.

Surprise Packages


I really feel good about David Nalbandian. He went on a sensational 12-match winning streak through the hard court tournaments leading up to this event, and seems to be back to his best when he was in the world's top ten and challenging the best players in the world. I think he has a lovely section of the draw and could realistically get through to a tasty quarter final with Nadal. And if he can pull off a shock by claiming Nadal's scalp, he may just have the momentum and confidence to go on to the final.

The only other surprise I can see is Tomas Berdych. He should sail straight through to a quarter final with Murray. I'm sure he would have great incentive to beat the Scot as Nadal would likely be his opponent in the semis, where revenge for his Wimbledon final defeat would be on Big Tom's mind.

Prediction


Roger Federer is in great form coming in to this one. I think the key for his success here will be how he returns serve. In the past he has had the irritating tendency to just slice his returns half way up the court, leaving his opponents an easy put-away, time and time again. If he can read serve well and get some good deep returns in, he has every chance of lifting the title again. I would put Federer in the final to play against either Berdych or Nalbandian. Yes, I think Nadal just hasn't got what it takes to win the U.S. Open, and Murray's serve is far too susceptible to break-down when the pressure is on, and boy can Berdych exert pressure!

So Federer to win with some sharp tennis and good returning.

Roland Garros Finale

Rafael Nadal claimed his 7th Grand Slam title and the No.1 world ranking by out-running Swede Robin Soderling on Philippe Chartrier court yesterday.

It was an interesting final as Soderling controlled the majority of points against the Spaniard, who scrambled around after every single ball and dug them back into play, forcing Soderling into a glut of errors.

It was a shame that Soderling, despite having several opportunities to break his opponent's serve, just couldn't find the breakthrough when it really mattered, as he went down 6/4, 6/2, 6/4 to receive a 2nd consecutive runners-up biscuit tray.

Nadal meanwhile, cemented his legend as the modern-day king of clay; he now lies one more Roland Garros title behind Borg's record of six.

But we can only wait and see how much more rigorous dashing around the court Nadal's knees can cope with as Wimbledon is now fast approaching, followed by the U.S. Open in late August. At the Grand Slam half-way point we have Federer and Nadal with one each - who will edge ahead after Wimbledon?

Roland Garros news

There will be two surprise finalists contesting the women's final match at Roland Garros. Francesca Schiavone of Italy will go head-to-head with Australia's Samantha Stosur. For both, this is a first Grand Slam final. It could be a stepping stone to greater things for Stosur, who has been rapidly improving over recent times. For Schiavone, however, at the age of 29, this could just be the icing on the cake for her tennis career.

I'm leaning towards Stosur for this one, but there have been many surprises already these last two weeks, so who knows. At least it will be something different for the world to watch.

Stosur has beaten three former/current world number ones en route to the final: Henin, Serena Williams and Jankovic

Schiavone has conquered Li Na, Kirilenko, Wozniacki and Dementieva, high quality opponents, to earn her place in the showpiece final

Tonight the men's semi-finals explode with the ever-improving Soderling up against the giant Czech, Tom Berdych. This will be a story of two similar players with quick first serves and rasping forehands. Berdych hasn't been this far before, but it is familiar territory for the Swede, who finished as runner-up last year. Got to go with Soderling for this one. He's in good form and is building some decent momentum.

Then we have Rafael Nadal playing surprise semi-finalist, Jurgen Melzer. This should be a walk in the park for the effervescent Spaniard, but Melzer is a player to be watched carefully. He has seen off David Ferrer and Novak Djokovic already - could he add the scalp of Nadal to his French Open collection?

French Open begins

My apologies if you are not a tennis nut like me. Life in Kuantan has turned to tennis for a fortnight. The second Grand Slam of the year has begun in France on the clay courts of Roland Garros. We are actually in for a sporting triple treat, as the French Open is followed by Wimbledon (24 June - 4 July) and the FIFA World Cup, running from 11 June - 11 July in South Africa.

As for Roland Garros, Rafael Nadal has won this Slam four times in the last five years, Roger Federer snatching the crown in last year's edition. Nadal seems to have hit his best form again, but how long will his knees be able to prop him up in a potential seven best-of-five sets matches? We all remember what happened to him in Australia in January.

I still think this is the year that Federer could win all four Slams. He's saving his best health and form for the showpiece events. If he can win the French Open by beating Nadal or whoever in the final, who's going to say he can't go on to win Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open in August, his two most successful Slams, to complete the calendar set?

It all hinges on these two upcoming weeks.

ROLAND GARROS 2010

Yes, it's tennis time again. The second Grand Slam of the year is under way in Paris, France. However, I am extremely concerned as it is nowhere to be seen on TV here. There have been no advertisements leading up to this important event, but I am hoping that they will start transmission tomorrow. I have been enjoying live scoring on the fabulous Roland Garros website where you can view every match being played, point-by point, and even listen to live radio commentary.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are scheduled to meet in the final again, but they will have to negotiate six matches in order to get there. They renewed their rivalry last week in the Madrid Masters final where Nadal came through a close match 6/4, 7/6 with a little help from Federer looking strangely lethargic on numerous break point opportunities.

I believe in Federer. He is a beast when it comes to Grand Slams and he is the defending champion here, which should give him increased determination to make a successful defence.

Here's hoping for some live coverage tomorrow!

Henin motors on - Day 9

Seven-time Grand Slam champion and returning hero, Justine Henin, beat giant-killer Nadia Petrova in a close quarter-final in which the Belgian came through 7-6, 7-5. The "Roger Federer of women's tennis", as Todd Woodbridge labelled her, is looking better with each match, and will face Chinese Zheng Jie, who beat Maria Kirilenko, for a place in the final.

Andy Roddick got awfully lucky in his last 16 match with Fernando Gonzalez when the most outrageous umpiring decision saw Mr. Molina fail to replay a challenged point when the Chilean had a shot on the questioned ball. Roddick  was resultingly awarded the point, which just happened to be game point, break point and set point at a crucial moment in the match.

He wasn't so lucky against Cilic, when after coming back from two sets down, the young Croat blew him away 6-3 in the fifth.

The amazing run of Marin Cilic has seen him conquer Stanislas Wawrinka, Juan Martin Del Potro and now Andy Roddick, en route to his first Grand Slam semi-final.

There, he will meet Andy Murray who was on top of Nadal from the start, taking the first set 6-3 and then winning the 2nd set tiebreak in a largely impressive performance against the second best player in the world. Murray had an answer to everything Nadal came up with, and with the Briton leading 3-0 in the third, the Spaniard conceded the match, being troubled with yet another knee injury which flared up in the 2nd set.

However, Murray should be cautious of the dangerously impressive Cilic, who could yet spring another surprise at Melbourne Park.

A tennis feast! - Day 7

Marin Cilic and Juan Martin Del Potro put on a monumental show of big hitting in this fourth round match in which the scoreline swung back and forth throughout. I am absolutely delighted and relieved to tell you that the beast Del Potro was beaten, Cilic winning this marathon, 5-7, 6-4, 7-5, 5-7, 6-3. Del Potro was a huge threat to Federer should he have reached the final.

Current Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal faced off against giant-serving Croat Ivo Karlovic in a close encounter. Nadal took the opener only for Karlovic to level in the next set. But nadal began reading the Croat's serve and was totally on top by the fourth set. He won 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Nadia Petrova continued her giant-killing act as she powered past 3rd seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in three sets, the final score reading 6-3, 3-6, 6-1.

Belgian maestro Justine Henin came up against young compatriot Yanina Wickmayer. The youngster had been the surprise package of last year's US Open, and after losing a first set tiebreak, she went on to race through the second set 6-1. But Henin, seven times Grand Slam champion, kept her cool and put on another great exhibition of her skills, winning the decider 6-3 to set up a quarter final with Petrova. As much as Henin insists it is a great physical challenge for her after missing the last couple of years on tour, she nevertheless looks like she's never been away.

In the first match of the day, Andy Murray quite comfortably beat an inept John Isner in three straight sets. While the American has a serve to boast of, he possesses absolutely nothing else based on this performance, and was rather incapable of maintaining, let alone winning, a rally. Where does this leave Andy Murray? He has had four simple matches in which he hasn't been stretched in the least, and now he must be prepared to take on the second best player on the planet in Rafael Nadal. I think we will be seeing the Scot on a plane out of Melbourne in the very near future, perhaps on Tuesday.

Petrova Pulverizes Poor Princess - Day 5

Nadia Petrova stunned the Rod Laver arena audience into silence as she dismantled reigning US Open princess Kim Clijsters, 6-0, 6-1. Clijsters played poorly throughout, but Petrova deserves credit for playing a magnificent match when it mattered most. Nothing seemed to go right for the Belgian and this is a big setback in her climb back into the top ten. For Nadia Petrova, she will now go into a match against Svetlana Kuznetsova in full confidence of causing another upset.

Kuznetsova was a set and a break down in her 3rd round match with qualifier Angelique Kerber, before battling her way to victory in 3 sets, the winning scoreline reading 3-6, 7-5, 6-4. Sweating profusely, she showed why she is a Grand Slam champion by turning around this match as it was beginning to slip away.

In the mens draw, Rafael Nadal encountered an intense match with German Philip Kohlschreiber, who was going for winners all over the court. Nadal fought out the first two sets, but Kohlschreiber's persistence was repayed when he pulled one back. However, Nadal also put on a powerful show and emerged with the victory in 4 sets to set up a clash with Giant Croat Ivo Karlovic.

Andy Roddick and Fernando Gonzalez both won and will meet in a mouth-watering clash in the last 16. Andy Murray enjoyed another easy win and big-serving American, John Isner, overcame the charismatic Gael Monfils of France. Murray and Isner will meet in the last 16 in what should be the Scot's first big test in Melbourne.

Sadly, Britain's Elena Baltacha came to the end of the road when she was comprehensively beaten by Dinara Safina, who herself has been quietly making her way through the draw, as she looks for her first Grand Slam title.

9 DAYS TO GO

Will Nadal run riot again?

Sporting Augury for 2010

As we move into the second decade of the second millennium of the current era, the world of sport is very much centre-stage. And sporting prophecy seems to be all the trend for Arsene Wenger, foretelling the world that eight teams are in with a chance of winning the Premier League this season. Remarkably puzzling. Surely that number can't include Liverpool who are already thirteen points off the pace at the half-way stage. Looking down the current standings, Birmingham and Fulham lie sixth and ninth respectively. No-one in their wildest dreams would imagine these two moderate clubs piling the pressure on Man. Utd and Chelsea in a final push for the summit.

In a mood to portend the future, here is my vision of the near happenings of the Premier League.

Having already lost Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor to Man. City, Arsenal will lose a frustrated Fabregas to Barcelona and replace him with yet another unknown up-and-coming youngster, after yet another trophy-less season. Arsene 'whinger' Wenger will have voiced his final whine about fixture congestion or something as he finally cuts ties 'by mutual consent', or rather, by a boot up the backside.

But it's not any merrier for Liverpool either. After finishing a dismal sixth, Benitez immediately gets the sack, and the club fund in on their top stars. Gerrard is the first to leave in a big-money move to Madrid. Torres is next, moving to Champions League-bound Aston Villa. In an early-season clash at Old Trafford in September against their perennial rivals of Manchester, new boss Graeme Souness decides that the approaching midweek game against Burnley presents a more realistic opportunity of gaining three points. He rests ten first team players as Liverpool begin a relegation dogfight.

Again with just an F.A. Cup to show for a season's work, Carlo Ancelotti is hastily sacked by Abramovich, who then decides that he's fed up with his London toy and walks out.

Ryan Giggs scores the winning goal in the Champions League final against surprise package Bordeaux.

After a second disappointing season at Old Trafford, Berbatov is shown the door, joining Inter Milan. The useless Nani is also evicted as Yoanne Gourcuff and David Villa arrive as repalcements. Giggs and Scholes sign one-year contract extensions and Sir Alex Ferguson says he's good for another five years.

Mark Hughes meanwhile gets the sack from his Arab owners and Carlo Ancelotti is brought in. (Since penning this article, Mark Hughes has been swiftly sacked and replaced by Roberto Mancini. Ancelotti joining next summer still can't be ruled out however!)

Portsmouth, West Ham and Bolton, established Premier League names, make the dreaded drop to the Championship.

England win the World Cup in South Africa, prevailing 4-2 after extra time in the final against old foes Germany. Wayne Rooney becomes just the second player in history to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final.

No African nation advances beyond the quarter finals. A tearful Cristiano Ronaldo bows out at the group stage.

Meanwhile, in tennis, Rafael Nadal shocks the world as he announces his immediate retirement from the sport due to persistent problems with injuries all over his creaking body. (A week later Tiger Woods comes out of hiding and similarly brings to a premature end his golfing career due to long and financially painful divorce proceedings).

Once more, Andy 'never-win-a-major' Murray fails to make the breakthrough with a Grand Slam after hyping himself up all year about his chances. He does reach the Wimbledon final but is comprehensively beaten by Roger Federer, who after his seventh victory at SW19, is given a replica key to the All England Lawn and Tennis Association Club.

Federer himself completes the only thing left to do - winning a single year Slam - bagging all four majors of 2010, taking his Grand Slam tally to 19.

The Last Word on Tennis for 2009

The sound of soles rapidly shuffling into position on the spotlight's surface of the O2 arena has now ceased. The dazzling blue glow has been dimmed for the last time, and a worthy winner has emerged from the group of eight.

London's O2 arena hosted a fantastic ATP Masters year-ending tournament which saw the top five players fall at various hurdles. Nikolay Davydenko outlasted them all to lift the trophy and ascend to sixth in the world rankings, jumping past absentee Andy Roddick.

Robin Soderling's run to the semi-finals saw him finish eighth in the rankings, a career high for the much-improved Swede. Another player who has come on leaps and bounds is finalist Juan Martin Del Potro. It was only January this year when he was given one of the biggest thrashings at the Australian Open by Roger Federer, 6-3, 6-0, 6-0. He ran Federer close in a five-set loss at the semis of the French before triumphing over the world number one to win his first Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows.

Rafael Nadal, plagued by numerous injuries and inconsistent form, finished the year on his biggest ever low, losing his last four matches.

Roger Federer has now been world number one for 258 weeks, 2 weeks shy of Pete Sampras' record of 260 weeks at the very top ranking. By Christmas Federer will be the outright leader. The Swiss ace won his first French Open crown, which equalled Pete Sampras' Grand Slam record and also completed his career Grand Slam. Then a month later at Wimbledon he overcame Andy Roddick in an epic final to stand alone as the all-time greatest player in history with 15 Grand Slam titles. He married long time girlfriend Mirka Vavrinec before welcoming twin daughters into his life. It has been a historic year for Roger Federer.

Finally, tennis will be losing two of its more famous players in Marat Safin and Fabrice Santoro. We will for sure miss Safin's petulance and anger issues as much as his superb tennis, which we must confess was sadly only rarely seen.

The Australian Open is up next in January 2010 and Roger Federer will be as hungry as ever to claim the title he so agonisingly lost this year.

ATP Tour Finals

The tennis tour finals is almost upon us, and the draw has thrown up some tantalizing matches in the group stage. World number one Roger Federer has been paired with Andy 'can't-win-a-major' Murray, Argentine scum-bag Del Potro, and Fernando Verdasco.

In the other group meanwhile, Rafael Nadal is matched up with three players who have all recently beaten him. His rivalry with Swede Soderling continues after he entered through the backdoor due to Roddick's injury. The Spanish bull will also face Novak Djokovic, who gave him a good stuffing last week, and Nikolay Davydenko (Mr. Consistency) who beat him well a few weeks ago.

It all starts on Sunday November 22nd, 2009 and I can't wait. In the back of my mind, I really worry for Rog as he just seems a bit off the pace at the moment, but I am reminded that Rog is a winner through and through, he wants Grand Slams and is not really bothered about inferior tournaments - those are for Andy 'can't-win-a-major' Murray. But on the flipside, I'm hopeful that Federer's period of rest will stand him in good stead and that he will produce his best tennis when it really matters.

The end of year finals is still a good tournament to win, but it doesn't really signify anything special nor accurately predict the outcome of the upcoming year. (Just take Murray's victory in last year's Shanghai finals and contrast that with his performance in 2009)

Anyway, whatever competition he is playing in, I want him to win. COME ON ROG!!!

US Open semi-finals

Waking up this morning I knew that Del Potro had stunned Nadal by taking the first set 6-2. I remember the fist-pump I executed. Just like a traditional Nadal fist-pump, but in favour of the Argentinian. It's not often that I find myself cheering on an Argentinian, but Del Potro was the subject of my very best wishes last night.

Heading straight to Skysports this morning, I was somewhat surprised by the shocking scoreline, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 to the 20-year-old Del Potro! At the same time I was ecstatic that the Spaniard had fallen and wouldn't be in the final against Federer.

For yes, Federer has made his 6th straight final at Flushing Meadows, with a straight sets win over the professional imitator, not so good tennis player, Novak Joker-vic. The final score read 7-6, 7-5, 7-5 in Rog's favour.

Fed is looking in great form and I'm extremely confident that he will sweep aside Juan Martin Del Potro in Monday's final. After all, the Swiss has never lost a Grand Slam final to anyone other than Nadal, and I don't see that record ending here.

Del Potro will have shocked himself by coming this far, but experience, class, talent, and big-match nerves all lie with Federer. I'm expecting a close final at the start, but nevertheless a straight sets victory for the great man.

Here is Federer with a magic moment near the end of his semi-final with Novak Joker-vic...

U.S. Open latest

There have been many surprises and shocks so far in this years U.S. Open Grand Slam. Notable players such as Dinara Safina, Venus Williams, Elena Dementieva, Jelena Jankovic (I detest her), Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova, Andy Roddick (hahaha!), Stanislas Wawrinka and James Blake are all now watching the remaining rounds on TV like me.

I was particularly delighted to see the back of Andy Roddick's latest challenge to win a Grand Slam. He had his chance earlier at Wimbledon and I'm sorry to say he'll never get a better one. He is destined to finish his career as a 'one-slam-wonder'. Maybe 'wonder' isn't the right word. With success being measured by the number of Grand Slam wins, I'm afraid he, Murray and Djokovic have miles to go in order to even be remembered in 10 or 20 years' time.

Novak Djokovic struggled through his 3rd round match with the unknown Witten, whilst Murray, somewhat disappointingly for me, eased his way past Taylor Dent this morning. It wasn't even worth Dent turning up.

I had a great time watching the walking circus known as Vera Zvonareva. Her emotional breakdown after failing to convert zero of six match points was extremely entertaining. She was shouting at herself, hitting herself on the head, smashing her racquet around, messing with these bandages on her knees, ripping it half off, then at the interval having a new one strapped on. Then in the following game off it came again, well part of it at least. Then she was covering her head with her towel, hitting balls against the back wall, and it goes on and on.

Teenager Melanie Oudin has caused quite a stir, eliminating both Elena Dementieva and Maria Sharapova in consecutive rounds with some blinding tennis that has caught many by surprise. She is one to watch for the immediate future, with another possible shock on the cards as she next takes on Nadia Petrova.

Nadal, Del Potro, Tsonga and Gonzalez all made it through and are placed in the same half of the draw along with Murray, making it terribly tough for all of them to fit into the one final berth.

And then we are left with the great man, Roger Federer. He laboured through his match with Hewitt and must have been glad to see Robredo defeat Blake, whom he will be facing tomorrow morning. Federer's half of the draw is much more straight forward though, with a possible QF against Davydenko or Soderling, with Djokovic or Verdasco as his most likely SF opponent, neither of which will give him too much trouble.

So it's looking good for Federer although he really must improve his performance and cut out the errors from now on if he is to triumph for the 6th consecutive time here. On the women's side, Kim Clijsters is in great shape, underlined by her victory over Venus Williams, although she is on course for a SF showdown with sister Serena. Svetlana Kuznetsova is the only big name left on the other side of the draw and must see this as a great chance to add to her Grand Slam collection.

All in all, it's been a great competition so far and I'm looking forward to the thrills yet to come. I'm confident Federer is able to up his game whenever he needs to, and I'm sure he will comfortably make the final. As long as he's not up against Nadal, I feel he will have no problems emerging triumphant again. If Nadal manages to control his knees and reach the final, we could be in for another epic.

Sit back and enjoy the U.S. Open!

Roger Federer

It's been rather amusing sifting through various questions and answers on Yahoo! Answers concerning Roger Federer. There seems to be two camps of loyal die-hard fans: those belonging to Federer and those attached to Nadal. The debate concerning the two of them seems to be brewing warmly. Federer fans show the 15 Grand Slams as evidence that he is better. Nadal's corner draw on their head-to-head record, which shows Nadal as being on top.

Nadal has been the only player to beat Federer in Grand Slam finals. Federer has played in 20 finals, winning 15 of them, and losing to Nadal in the other five. The Spanish player has appeared in 8 Grand Slam finals, winning 6, and losing to Federer in the other 2.

I believe head-to-head records are not so important as trophies won. With a record 15 Grand Slams, Federer is undoubtedly the best at this moment in time, and there's nothing Nadal can do about it. Beating Federer in a few finals doesn't make Nadal better than him. In football, some of the top teams tend to struggle against the same lower opposition each season. That doesn't mean that the likes of West Ham or Bolton are better than Manchester United. In football, success is measured over the entire course of a season, culminating with the lifting of trophies. And so it goes in tennis. Federer's 15 major titles show just how far ahead he is of everyone, and I'm 100% sure that Rafael Nadal himself would be the first to acknowledge that fact. They have a deep respect for each other and their respective achievements.

For me there is no debate. I don't think Nadal will be able to reach double figures in Grand Slams because of his dodgy knees. What do you think? Nadal is like an itch on Federer's back, irritating, but gone when you find the right tool to eradicate it. Feel free to leave your thoughts...