Monday, September 14, 2009

US Open Final Impressions

by Savannah

US Open 2009 Champions

Travis Parrot and Carly Gullickson Mixed Doubles Champions

Girls Champion Heather Watson (left) and runner up Yana Buchina

Boy's Champion Bernard Tomic (right) and runner up Chase Buchanan

Men's Doubles Champions Dlouhy and Paes (right) with runner ups Bhupathi and Knowles

Women's Singles Champion Kim Clijsters

Women's Doubles Champions Venus Williams and Serena Williams

Mens Singles Champion Juan Martin DelPotro

I have said it before and I'll say it again. A soft draw does not a champion make. The USTA did everything it could to give Roger Federer a "bye" to the Final while making sure the guys on the other side of the draw would have to fight it out for the chance to take the court against him.

There's an old saying that goes when you dig a grave for someone dig two holes. There were rain delays but this time the Monogram didn't get five days off while everyone else played. The rain mess - starting the second men's quarterfinal knowing that bad weather was coming didn't work out either.

In the end it was injury that prevented the marquee matchup in men's tennis from taking place and an unlikely, gangly twenty year old stood across the net from the man the talking heads were already handing his sixth straight US Open title.

At one point early in the match Mary Carillo made the statement that Del Potro was good "at being tall". When asked to clarify what she meant she said it again. I guess Juan Martin proved he's good at more than being tall.

Congratulations to all the winners. I've listed them in winning order. Many complained that this Open was just "meh" because it seemed as if the ending was preordained. We tennisheads should know better. They play the matches for a reason.

Miscellany

The Wall Street Journal" reports the following:

Look for foot-faults to be included among the calls in tennis that will be reviewable by the Hawk-Eye system at next year's U.S. Open.

Serena Williams was called for a foot-fault just two points from losing her semifinal match with Kim Clijsters on Saturday, and after the call she cursed at the lineswoman, resulting in a point penalty that ended the match. The play is not reviewable under USTA rules, but officials discussed changing that at a meeting Sunday morning, and they plan to revisit the issue in the coming months, said USTA spokesman Chris Widmaier.

Paul Hawkins, head of Hawk-Eye Innovations Ltd., the United Kingdom firm behind the computerized line-calling system, said its digital cameras only track and make animated images of the ball for close line calls. They aren't set up to rule on foot-faults, though he said adding that would be fairly simple. As of Sunday, CBS said it had not found a better angle to show the call than an inconclusive shot from behind the baseline. However, Steve Gorsuch, director of broadcast operations for the USTA, said there is a camera positioned along the baseline of the north side of the court for most prominent matches. Unfortunately, Ms. Clijsters was standing on that side during Ms. Williams's service game.

—Matthew Futterman and Carl Bialik


Everyone is all in Serena's shit but the entire situation arose from a bad call. There is even a post on YouTube with subtitles alleging Serena used an anti Asian racial slur which did not happen.
John McEnroe, who's been threatening and cursing out lines people for about twenty years by the way, said when it happened and repeated on Sunday that you do not make that call at that point of the match. We'd seen Serena come back from being down already in that match so the call, on a match point, was bush league to say the least. Guess that lines person will be doing Futures and satellites although Mariana Alves, the most incompetent chair on the planet is still working majors so one never knows.

With all this carrying on let's look back to earlier this year when Victoria Azarenka had a stunning meltdown at Brisbane. She cursed and carried on something fierce at the chair umpire demanding that the chair agree with her. The chair refused. And let's not forget Yanina Wickmayer's ball toss during a fit of pique that sent a lines person to the hospital. I don't remember anyone screaming "off with their heads".

And just now the Monogram cursed out chair umpire Jake Garner. Dick Enberg says that the Monogram wasn't being "venomous". Mary Carillo reminded him that he still cursed the chair. CBS cut off the diatribe mid way so we really won't know what really got said.

It always amazes me that angry African Americans seem to scare the crap out of people and that the "fullest extent of the law" is always brought against them.

The brothers McEnroe mentioned that the kind folks who run the US Open are now seriously thinking about doing what all the other Slams do and put a day between the semi finals and final so that everyone gets the same treatment. The mentioned that this has been under discussion for thirty years. Guess the roof thing is simply a gleam in their collective eyes...

End Note

Why did Dick Enberg try so hard to stop Juan Martin from speaking in Spanish to his family and supporters?

25 comments:

love40 said...

During the trophy celebration, Dick Enberg didn't allow Juan Martin to make a speech in Spanish. After JMDP's second request, knucklehead said hurry up we're running out of time. HOw arrogrant and disrepectful to other cultures. Mr. Enberg is a D**K!

Savannah said...

Meanwhile Caro spoke three. I'm just saying...

Helen W said...

Why they keep Dickie Poo around is beyond me. His only "contributions" are fatuous recitals of the number of points left in the game, larded with Monogram encomiums, all gushingly delivered.

Ugh.

Anyway, Vamos DelPo! You have arrived!

lynney62 said...

Enberg is as old as dirt. he needs to move to a retirement village!

love40 said...

Maybe he's not white enough for Enberg. It's time for change, Enberg should retire.

Helen W said...

lynney62 Enberg is the same has he has always been -- even when he was younger. I don't think it has much to do with his age. For the life of me I don't understand how he has held down his job for all this time.

Maru said...

I am really trying to not see this as a racial thing but what that properly named Dick didn't let Juan Martín talked and then told him to hurry up, I was very offended.
Could you see the happiness in his voice and eyes when he just told his mom, dad, grandpas and friends those few thanks words in spanish.
Does that Dick think his family must know english and that he talking to them in spanish was not neccesary?
I can tell you I've been very dissapointed by the people who run this Slam, there were too many fishy things going on and I feel like us fan as well as the players were disrespected throught out the tournament.
My chest still hurts for all my screaming! And I admit it, I was very happy for Del Potro but equally happy that Mr.Fuck you don't tell me to calm down I talk when I want to talk, didn't have a chance to wear his Nike 16 embroided jacket.

Christopher Crocker said...

So, Roger Federer made it to the final because the tournament directors orchestrated a dummy-draw - in addition to scheduling around an anticipated rain delay. On the other side, Juan Martin Del Potro mae it to the final because of (i'm reading between the lines here) his semi-final opponents injury. What goes well with that hater-aide your drinking?

Craig Hickman said...

And I admit it, I was very happy for Del Potro but equally happy that Mr.Fuck you don't tell me to calm down I talk when I want to talk, didn't have a chance to wear his Nike 16 embroided jacket.

::

Comment of the year!

Helen W said...

I'm with you 110% Maru. A 20-year-old guy astonishes everyone and wins his first-ever slam against The Monogram (no less) and a fatuous fart like Enberg is even part of the ceremony? And his rudeness -- heartlessnes -- is simply inexcusable.

Helen W said...

But wouldn't you just love to get a glimpse of that jacket? :)

Maru said...

Christopher:
I can't speak for Savannah but I can speak for myself and I do think it was incredibly absurd to scheduele a match when they knew it was going to rain, I don't think these people don't know about the Weather Forecast, so making Rafa play when they made him play was dumb to say the least.

__

Craig and Helen:

And of course I would have loved to have a pick at that jacket!! I'm so sure that it was there and that the nice people of Nike never doubt he was going to rock it that he stood there just in his shirt, he couldn't wear anything because he just had the 16 jacket, I know it =P

And I'm glad that Del Potro insisted and didn't let that Dick guy get his way.

Christopher Crocker said...

Fair enough. But to imply that the reason we didn't see the final we've grown so accustomed to wholly because of Nadal's injury is really sad. Everyone seems thrilled about Del Potro's win, let's at least give him a little credit.

vw said...

Don't tell me to be quiet. Wasn't that what monogram told Djokovic parents? LOL Guess he doesn't like being told off. Kudos to Jake Garner.

Caro spoke three languages because she is the golden girl of this tournament like Murray was. Did anyone notice she had on full makeup like JJ does and no one is complaining about her?

Savannah said...

The make up is very obvious. I think its the kind synchro swimmers wear because Caro wipes her face.

Helen W said...

Christopher most of the folks on this blog thought that DelPo's side of the draw was considerably tougher than Federer's. They also thought that DelPo would be a major threat to Rafa (and how right we were!).

I really think most folks here think DelPo won through his own skill, not because of Rafa's injury or anything else.

Christopher Crocker said...

I too would like to think so Helen. But this comment betrays the consensus opinion:

"In the end it was injury that prevented the marquee matchup in men's tennis from taking place."

Helen W said...

Sorry, I missed that quote Christopher. The injury probably affected Rafa's play, and I had the feeling watching the match that it would not have taken much for it to have been very competitive. So we'll never know. Rafa in his presser and in his blog for the Times Online downplayed the injury and gave full marks to DelPo for his play. So for my part I think we should follow his lead and do the same.

Savannah said...

Christopher, HelenW, here is Rafa himself talking about his injury, why he played, and how it affected him.

"I am very happy how I came back, but, now I had the first problem of the abdominal in Montreal after the match of Petzschner second round. I must gonna explain because I say during the week I prefer to didn’t speak about the injury during the week because I am in tournament right now.

I can say after Montreal I was doing a test. I did a test in Montreal, and the doctor didn’t see a lot, but the pain is still there. Cincinnati, the pain increase a little bit more. After the semifinals against Djokovic, I went to do an MRI, and I had some edema, strained muscle, and I think during these two weeks the strain is converted into a little bit of rupture, no? A little bit break.

Yeah, was tough to play few matches like this. But at the same time, was important for maybe play this tournament, try my best. It’s one of the most important tournaments of the year, and I had to try, no?"

He said the injury made it difficult to deal with the windy conditions during the semifinals, especially on his serve:
"I start to playing well, but when I played against the wind, I can’t serve a little bit faster, no, and I can’t change a lot of directions.

But when I was serving to the middle in the advantage, and I can say I really can’t serve outside in the deuce, no? I only can serve in the middle, because if I serve it outside, the abdominal kill me, no?

So when I play against the wind was very difficult, no?'

posted on http://www.gototennisblog.com

Unknown said...

i just wanted to say... i love you lol... what a great read :)

Savannah said...

Thank you Christian.

Christopher Crocker said...

Savannah, maybe I am misreading what you've written, and I don't disagree that Nadal's injury hampered his play. I'm just saying that to write that his injury was the reason that del Potro made it to the final is an insult to del Potro. Maybe you don't mean to imply that, and maybe what you mean to say is that Nadal's injury prevented, not for certain, but the possibility of seeing a Federer-Nadal final.

Savannah said...

I'm not quite sure what you want me to say Christopher. Rafa himself said the injury prevented him from making adjustments he knew had to be made in order to play not only the conditions but his opponent. That is not insulting to Del Potro. It's just stating what happened.

Anyone who has watched Rafa play over the last few years knew he was not playing the way he could. DelPo played well, no doubt about it, but he was not playing a healthy Rafa.

Christopher Crocker said...

So without injury there is no question that Nadal would have beaten del Potro. I simply don't agree, and, to me, stating such is an insult to del Potro, and his great accomplishment. I guess we will have to agree to disagree.

Savannah said...

Those are your words.