Running Aussie Open Thread...

Consider mine raised. Surprised it took him that long.

 

The Gonzalez-Nadal match was stunning. Nadal looked clueless last night (which I rather enjoyed since I'm not a fan), while Gonzo was nearly flawless. I would love to see a Gonzo-Federer final, with both at the top of their games.

Question for Nadal: After a dozen kick serves out wide in the deuce court have given you major problems, why not try stepping inside the baseline and catching the ball on the rise, before it has a chance to pull you way off the court?

Oh, and ditch the fucking skin-tight capri pants already. We're tired of seeing you pick at your ass before each serve.

 

That's why the Brits call him the "knicker picker". (I'm not sure it's worse than Roddick "readjusting" after just about every point, something I never noticed until my husband pointed it out. Now, it's somehow so compelling I can't take my eyes off of it )

It was a matchup of inside-out forehands to each other's forehand (because of the lefty-righty thing). Gonzalez's forehand is one of the best in the game. He's also just as fast as Nadal.

The guys who can get to Nadal on a hard court are the fast guys who run down all that topspin go for a lot on their shots.

Nadal doesn't step inside the baseline or take the ball early. It's just not what he does.

But the guy's a competitor. Now that his obvious weaknesses anywhere other than the dirt are being exposed, he'll adjust.

But the new and improved service motion he displayed in earlier rounds disappeared in this match. He was tight as a drum.

Gonzalez was more fun when he had a gut, and when you never knew whether he'd hit a screaming winner or a hit a screaming baby in the stands. But it's nice to see a guy in mid-career rededicate himself to being the best he can be.

It's a short career, and goes by so quickly. Shame to waste a moment of it.

 

So "6-1, ret." is fine, but "6-1, 2-0, ret." is a gross breach of sportsmanship, etiquette and all that is good and decent?

That's really nitpicking, IMO.

 

Ok, who's going to be part of the 3:30 a.m. crew? I'm actually going to bed in an hour so I can sit up and watch it.

 

I am not going to miss this one.

I just hope it's over before I have to leave the house at 7 a.m.

 

I will be here. I cannot miss Roddick-Federer.

 

Ahh, this is why I love the West Coast. The match is on at 12:30 here. I'll book it straight home after deadline, and be good to go.

 

It'll come on about half an hour after I get home. Gives me time to eat and feed the cats. I can't last through a 5-setter, however. I crash about 4 a.m. my time.

 

Early predictions...

I say R-Fed wins 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (9) and 6-1. Really tough for three sets until Roger decides to stop playing barefoot . Seriously it's tough for three sets until Roddick's serve weakens a bit and Feds starts hitting the lines better than Lawrence Taylor in the 1980s.

 

Not a bad call, naf.
But the two have been closer than that lately. Roddick had three match points before going down 7-5 or 6-4 in the third set at the year-ending championships in late November.

Tough one. Roger's had his cranky moments the last two weeks, too. The Americo-centric ESPN coverage hasn't shown him much, but there it is.

Put me down as one of those who's going to try to go the distance.

At least they're showing the end of the men's doubles between two great teams, even for 5 minutes, instead of talking about Serena some more.

 

And Serena gets broken in the first game.