Federer Gunning For ATP No. 1 in Rotterdam

[britbox]

Scoop Malinowski writes:

Duke, Tomic said with rock solid concrete certainty that he stands by the nuclear bomb accusations that he unleashed on Tennis Australia and most likely Hewitt. He did not flinch. Obviously he has the information and the dirt and he intends on using it to his advantage. I'm sure he will eventually get his way, if he can regain his fitness and confidence and top 20 results. Which I believe he has made clear he is going to work hard to do. And he did it once before falling to around 150 then fighting back to top 18. So Tomic has done it and he can do it again. I think there are some major tensions between Tomic and Hewitt and from what I could detect in this interview by Tomic, Tomic is going to be a tough man for Hewitt to get rid of. Gonna get very interesting this Tomic vs Hewitt feud.

I think Hewitt wins the feud. Despite the loss to Germany (and let's not sugar-coat it - it was a bad loss), he's fostered a real team spirit in Team Australia. Tomic isn't a team player - he's totally self-absorbed.We need to put Tomic in perspective also - he's a big name without the results to back it up. He got to a QF at Wimbledon in 2011... he's hardly the titan of the game he thinks he is. It's a long trek back for Tomic to get in the Top 20 or even top 30.

 

[scoop]

Scoop Malinowski writes:

Britbox; Tomic will definitely have to change and mature and show that he can be a more reliable, tenacious, consistently driven competitor. He showed that to reach into the teens of the rankings. He can do better, he said he would like to be top 5. So it's doable. i would not count him out. But he will have to change and mature. The tanking and the rubbish attitude must be eliminated for him to be taken seriously. I believe Tomic's best days could be ahead. Up to him to prove that. Right now, in the court of public opinion Tomic's image has no chance against Hewitt's image. Unless Tomic has some potentially devastating information of corruption linked to Hewitt. I doubt that but Tomic's tone in that interview was matter-of-fact, rock solid, self-assured, kind of the smug cat who just ate the canary kind of grin.

 

[scoop]

Scoop Malinowski writes:

Duke, I think Hewitt wants to be captain for a long time. He loves Davis Cup and it still gets his juices and passion flowing. Not sure Hewitt will be happy as just a coach and TV commentator. He still loves to compete and Davis Cup is his only outlet for that. I agree, Hewitt better be careful with his relations with Hewitt. If Hewitt alienates Kyrgios as he apparently did with Tomic (he coached Hewitt at the 2016 US Open) then Kyrgios has the power and influence now as the Aussie top player to run Hewitt out of town. Kyrgios says all the right things about Hewitt but their chemistry did not look good at all when Kyrgios lost the second set to Zverev and then offered little resistance in the third. Kyrgios lost and left the court immediately without Hewitt and I did not see any words spoken or eye contact in that third set. It's unbelievable that Hewitt, one of the great champions of modern tennis history, might need to kiss the ass of Nick Kyrgios to keep his job.

 

[10isfan]

Gimelstob on tv said Fed’s camp was already crunching the numbers the day after AO to see how he can get the number one ranking. This is a record he wants and I don’t blame him. I wouldn’t support his playing if it could mess up a major like last year, but with FO far off, it would be great to see him get a record that likely won’t be surpassed.

 

[scoop]

Scoop Malinowski writes:

Federer downplayed no.1 at the end of last year after he missed it but I think that was PR lip service. He wanted no. 1 and his actions this week by accepting the WC into Roggerdam prove it. I mean who wouldn't want to be No. 1? I'm sure Fed is going to get huge HUGE bonuses from Nike, Wilson, his sponsors for regaining no. 1 but it's unlikely the media or TV commentators will discuss that.

 

[Busted]

Kyrgios is one player who could potentially stop Roger before Roger reaches SF (as he needs to get to #1), especially as Kyrgios is not a top 8 seed in Rotterdam. However, Kyrgios withdrew from Rotterdam today due to Elbow injury.

How is that a 22 year-old has so damned many injuries? Elbow, shoulder, knees, head...

 

[Busted]

I can take crying by winner by and large. I can understand and sympathize with the crying of loser (my only problem is that it
may spoil the mood for the winner and his team) and I agree that it shows how much they care.

But, one crying I cannot take is the crying during the match (like Sabine Lisciki did in Wimbledon finals). Come on, please
cry before or after the match. Please focus on playing the game during the match.

Well, I for one can understand crying during a match IF you're injured and you're watching the dream you've worked hard for your whole life go up in smoke - ie, Cilic at Wimbledon. Especially less talented "journeymen" players. They don't know if they're ever going to have another opportunity to be in a Slam final. Some people cry when they're frustrated and angry. Add that on top of watching your dreams go up in smoke? Crying is a natural response to the stress of it all. Now...that's a grand slam...Stan crying at IW last year is another story entirely...

 

[Busted]

Not really Djokovic has only one major injury He's got at least 5 more years left , Murray might not make to 36 but will get close. Nadal we don't know how long he will play could be just 3 more seasons or it could be 6 So well will see in time.

LOL! Djokovic's "one major injury" is his elbow. His RIGHT ELBOW. I hate to be logical here...but...unless he's going to start playing left-handed...that whole not being able to swing a racket thing is kind of a HUGE problem for a tennis player. :lulz2: The fact of the matter is - he's played too many 3-5 hour matches. That's a lot of forehands, backhands and serves. He said the elbow bothered him for 2 years before took time off. Now he's had minor surgery of some type. If that doesn't fix his issue, then he'll be playing in a lot of pain the rest of his career IF he can even continue playing.

Nadal? Listen...he can't seem to go more than a few months without injuring something .

As for Murray? He may play until he's 36...but how many former #1's - or even top 5 players - have come back from hip surgery to regain their previous highest ranking? Kuerten couldn't do it and neither could Hewitt.

 

[Busted]

Scoop Malinowski writes:

Duke, Tomic said with rock solid concrete certainty that he stands by the nuclear bomb accusations that he unleashed on Tennis Australia and most likely Hewitt. He did not flinch. Obviously he has the information and the dirt and he intends on using it to his advantage. I'm sure he will eventually get his way, if he can regain his fitness and confidence and top 20 results. Which I believe he has made clear he is going to work hard to do. And he did it once before falling to around 150 then fighting back to top 18. So Tomic has done it and he can do it again. I think there are some major tensions between Tomic and Hewitt and from what I could detect in this interview by Tomic, Tomic is going to be a tough man for Hewitt to get rid of. Gonna get very interesting this Tomic vs Hewitt feud.

I really am not buying the Tomic has evidence of anything. He's sour and bitter and talking smack. He's the Trump of tennis - always accusing everyone else of being corrupt or being out to get him when HE is his own worst enemy. If he had evidence of Tennis Australia corruption then he'd have made it known when he leveled the accusations instead of saying, "I know it's there." It's "alternative facts" unless he provides "real facts" as proof. It's like Trump claiming Obama was secretly taping him at Trump Tower and the intelligence community saying it never happened and it's not something a POTUS has the right to request. As they used to say in the old Wendy's commercial, "WHERE'S THE BEEF?"

 

[scoop]

Scoop Malinowski writes:

Would not be surprised if 75% of Kyrgios's injuries are fake. In Brisbane in the first round he acted like he had a bad knee. He won the match in three sets and then won the title. So Kyrgios is a tricky, deceptive player who probably uses injuries or injury illusions to his advantage.

 

[scoop]

Scoop Malinowski writes:

Martin earned it. Moutet could have won it but he looked annoyed early and maybe drained from the tough three setters vs Menendez Maceiras and Karlovic. Moutet fought hard and saved MPs but couldn't get over the hump. Martin, wearing his hodge podge Australian attire and Head shoes, probably was more desperate to get to the SF as he has to be mid 20s with a sub journeyman status.

 

[Busted]

Scoop Malinowski writes:

Would not be surprised if 75% of Kyrgios's injuries are fake. In Brisbane in the first round he acted like he had a bad knee. He won the match in three sets and then won the title. So Kyrgios is a tricky, deceptive player who probably uses injuries or injury illusions to his advantage.

How is that any different than Andy Murray constantly grabbing body parts like he's injured when he's not?

 

[scoop]

Scoop Malinowski writes:

Busted, injury faking or exaggerating is commonplace in tennis on all levels. Murray is a master at it. As is Nick.

 

[herios]

Scoop Malinowski writes:

Would not be surprised if 75% of Kyrgios's injuries are fake. In Brisbane in the first round he acted like he had a bad knee. He won the match in three sets and then won the title. So Kyrgios is a tricky, deceptive player who probably uses injuries or injury illusions to his advantage.

I know that Kyrgios has now bad reputation after not putting all the time full effort, however, as far as injuries, I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Why?
Because he has a history of injuries which goes back to his junior years when he was not as much in the spotlight.
He is more fragile than he looks.