Thoughts on Wimbledon

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer out by the second round.  Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka also.  Serena Williams ousted before the quarterfinals.  The last four days of Wimbledon must have been horrible.

Or maybe not.

Congratulations to Andy Murray especially.  Finally a Brit winning Wimbledon.

Congratulations to Marion Bartoli.  Wins the championship without dropping a set.

The championship matches did not live up to what took place two days prior, respectively.  Murray and Bartoli dispensed of Novak Djokovic and Sabine Lisicki in straight sets.  Props to Murray and Bartoli.  They both played very, very well.

On the women's side, Lisiscki was gassed, both mentally and physically.  A three set win over Serena in the round of sixteen in which she was down 3-0 in the third set only to come back. Then in the semis, she pulled the same trick on Agnieska Radwanska.  Finally winning 9-7 in the third.

One of the most entertaining matches on the WTA we have seen in recent years.

But that was only a prelude to the Djokovic match against Juan Martin del Potro.  A five set insta-classic.

Both gentlemen battled, gutted, dug deep.  The fourth set tie-break, won by Del Potro, should be played on a loop on the Tennis Channel when they are lacking for programming.  We would watch.  It was that good.

Djoker will get another Wimbledon at some point.  Maybe Lisicki will get her first.

The finals were a celebration of Murray and Bartoli, not a referendum on Djoker and Lisicki.

Things just got interesting going into the hard court season.  US Open, we can't wait.

What an Incredible US Open to End the Tennis "Season"

OK, I guess it's official. The "Big Four" that is.

Andy Murray finally won that elusive major.  Each of the Big Four (Murray, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer) won a major title in 2012.  Murray also won the Olympics title.

In the Cheap Seats, we are exhausted, as fans, after a long and exhilarating year.  We cannot even imagine how the players must feel.  But, alas, there is still tennis to be played.  Really, though, tennis should have an offseason  between the end of the US Open and the e start of the Australian Open.  Why not culminate with the last major of the year, then let everyone take a well-deserved break.

Let the players recuperate.  Let the fans catch their breath.  Start back up in late December/early January with Aussie Open tune-up tournaments.  Tennis has never been better world-wide than it is right now.  Let us not run it into the ground.  A true offseason is needed more now than ever before

Personally, we are going to take a break.  We only wish the players could do the same.

Bad Week for the UTSA and US Open

Bad, no awful, few days for the USTA.  First, in an indefensible move, they suspend the number one junior player in world, Taylor Townsend.  Tom Perrotta does a fantastic job of explaining it here and has a great piece with Lindsay Davenport and Martina Navratilova here.  Therefore,  we won't discuss it any further in the Cheap Seats.

But we will expound on the USTA's second boneheaded move this week, well third if you count stretching the first round of the US Open over three days, but that is not pertinent to this discussion.

The men's final will again be played on Monday in 2012.  This has happened way too often recently.  This year it could have been avoided.  Here we pause to give credit to the USTA for getting one thing rioght - suspending play during a severe weather alert.  That, my friends, was a no-brainer.

However, before play was suspended, both men's semis should have been in the books.  When you have a weather window, you get in as many matches as possible.  Simultaneous semis on Ashe and Armstrong was the play here.  You're probably not going to get in the women's final, but that's not a huge deal.  Really, who among tennis fans would not like to see a men's and women's double header final on the last day of the tournament?

I realize there are ticket issues and TV issues at stake when you start monkeying with the schedule, but now there are even bigger issues because they weren't dealt with initially.  I know of at least one market where the men's Monday final was not shown because the local affiliate, either by contract or a local decision.

There needs to be some changes made before the 2013 US Open.

Del Potro Handles a Tough Situation With Class

It had to be tough.  Knowing you were about to end someone's career.  Not only that, but on your opponents home turf.

Such was the task for Juan Martin Del Potro defeating Andy Roddick in his last match.

There are going to be many, many recaps of Roddick's fine career littering the web in the next 24 hours.  Here in the Cheap Seats, we will mostly concur with everything written.  While Andy has not been our favorite, we have always been a fan. He carried the American men's tennis torch by himself for many years.

Here we want to give some love to Del Potro.  After he ended Roddick's career, what ensued was one of the classiest demonstrations I have seen in sport.  DelPo did not fist pump, he did not celebrate. He slowly walked to the net and embraced Roddick, had a brief exchange and took a seat.

By this time, Del Potro had won over most of the crowd with his demeanor.  With his on court interview, we think he won many new fans.

Del Potro could easily have been the villain, just by being the guy who ended Roddick's career.  The way he handled himself at the end of the match quashed any of that.  We have always liked Del Potro.  Now he may have become one of our favorites.

US Open 2012: Roddick survives for another day

Andy Roddick's farewell US Open lives one more day.  With play suspended due to rain with Roddick and Juan Martin Del Potro just starting a first set tie-breaker, the rains came.  Roddick won the first point of the tie-break, so Del Potro will be serving down 0-1 when play resumes.

Who does this favor?  We think both players, to a certain degree.  Roddick alrealy leading the tie-break, has the first set advantage in our opinion.  However, with the urgency with which Del Potro left the grounds at Flushing Meadows, maybe the delay will give him a chance to get himself together.

This match leaves us here in the Cheap Seats somewhat conflicted.  While we are on record as predicting a surprise Del Potro US Open championship, how can we really root against Roddick?  Wouldn't another major title in his final tournament be the ultimate farewell?

Match of the Tournament
Victoria Azarenka's three set victory over defending champion Samantha Stosur in a thrid set tie-break (7-5) was the match of the tournament thus far.  Men or women.  After so many lop-sided matches (especially in prime time) this was a great match.

Rain, rain go away
Where we live, rain and more rain would be a welcome site.  At the US Open, not so much.  And while they  can't control the atmosphere, the UTSA deserves some blame here if the men's final ends up being on a Monday once again.

First and foremost, the idiotic three day first round.  Weather permitting, let's get everyone into the second round by end of play on the first Tuesday.  Give yourselves some leeway for when the almost inevitable weather comes.  I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express at some point in my life.  That makes an expert on pretty much everything.

2012 US Open: A strange first week

The first week (and a little more) of the 2012 US Open is behind us, and, quite frankly, it's been just a little strange.

Not so much the actual tennis, for the most part the usual suspects are still around, but just the whole feel of it.  With this being the last hurrahs of Andy Roddick and Kim Clijsters, the entire event has been a kind of nostalgic, feel-good tournament.  The on-court interviews after every match have turned into a tribute to the two retirees.

Not that it has been a bad thing.  Roddick and Clijsters deserve all the good things being said about them.  It has just brought about a different kind of aura to the event.

Serena is Scary Good
Since Serena Williams surprise dismissal in the second round of the French Open, she has been playing frighteningly well.  I don't know that I have ever seen a player that looks like so outclassed the competition before.  Serena was quoted as saying her opponent on Monday played well.  Her opponent failed to win a game.  Imagine if she had not played well.

It would require a complete meltdown by Serena for her to lose a match right now.  But we have seen that happen before.  However, I would not count on that happening at this point in time.

Isner is what he is
John Isner has a huge serve and huge forehand.  Not much defense.  If a set doesn't go to a tiebreak, one break either way usually decides it.  That is Isner.  A top 15 player.  With that huge serve, probably for long time.  We don't see him ever getting to the point where he can win a major.

Isner will play a ton of matches that go the distance (whether that be three or five sets) against good players. He will lose as many as he wins.  Because it all revolves around one service break or the tie breaker.