did anyone notice federer's speech at the end of his match, he just HAD to mention that he was fatigued when he lost to Murray in the olympics, as if to say, murray you were lucky this time i am after you
god i dislike that bloke
Right then, game on! That's exactly the sort of challenge Andy will enjoy, and so will I.
There is no way in hell Federer was fatigued against Andy at the Olympics, and if he was then it is time he stopped. Actually I think it's time anyway, but there we are.
I've said it once and I will say it again. I think people should stop dramatising Andy's form. You don't get through any decent player on the pro tour in straight sets by playing rubbish tennis, whoever you are, unless you happen to be Federer, who merely dazzles opponents into submission with the glare from his ego.
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What Andy has done so far is exactly what he has had to do, and it has been more than enough. Andy can't help the fact that his draw has been fairly kind, and that Delpo, who I still believe he would have beaten anyway, is long gone. The fact is that Andy hasn't really had to shift up a full gear yet, but when he has had to lift his game a bit, it has been there to go to. I think that is encouraging for the business end. Andy is certainly going to have a lot in the tank, he's got through his matches quickly, very little messing. Even the Berankis match was only two and a quarter hours.
I should also say that if he does it, Andy wouldn't be unique in being not at his best through the tournament (it's just his timing has been a bit off) but winning matches and then going on to win the tournament. Nadal has done it more than once at the French. Two or three years back Nadal was woeful, and I do mean woeful, until the quarters, and then hey presto, come the quarters onwards out came the magic.
As for Chardy, which is the point after all, I don't see him going the distance with Andy over five sets. No way. Andy moves vastly better than Delpo, so Chardy won't be able to push him around. I also think five setters with the top players is a mind game as well. I just don't think Chardy will go the distance against an Andy who is awake (he wasn't in Cinci) and hungry. Chardy might nick a set, but that will be his lot if you ask me. Forget the one match Chardy has won in the head to head, and think of the FOUR Andy has won.
Must say that Lendl is a clever man. I think it's great that he's got Andy to practice on a court where the conditions are similar to Laver. I think the Mail story also says Andy was up early yesterday, practising on Laver, getting his rhythm back. I like it, not that I'm in the least surprised.
I'm delighted this issue has been raised about unfairness though. It's really not on. In a way I'm glad, assuming it is the case, that Andy's team are being low-key about it, not discussing it in public too much, but they are right to take it up. If I was Lendl I'd be giving them merry hell. Andy won the last major of 2012 and Olympic gold. He also got to the Wimbledon final last year, and pushed Djokovic all the way (okay, we'll ignore the 4th set
) in the AO semi's. He is consistently right in the mix in the majors, and yet whilst he is dumped out on Hisense in the day, God Almighty himself gets to Lord it in the night match. Cheek! People need to remember that Federer won one major last year on his best surface and in his favourite conditions, under the roof at Wimbledon. Previously to that he hadn't won one for two and a half years. The argument would be that the schedule is all about TV ratings, but stuff that. It's sport, not bloody reality TV. There should be an element of fair play, and someone playing all day matches until the semi's, whilst another gets all night matches, is patently not fair.
Mind you, the best reply that Andy could give is to get rid of Chardy in record time and then give Federer a right belting in the semi's. Something tells me he might just do that.
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