How I Learned to Stop Hating and Love the Federer

One of these days, I'm sure, we're going to learn. We keep lining them up, and they keep getting knocked down. Maybe we're trying to manufacture drama, or maybe we're just hoping for it. But we keep saying that someone is going to challenge Federer, that someone is going to touch him, and all Roger does is go out and destroy his opposition.

It's incredible, really. Gasquet performed at an incredibly high level yesterday. And you'd think that would be cause for concern. Nope, not for the Swiss master. Once again, he comes out of the gate cocked and locked, blowing his opponent away. I thought yesterday that Gasquet stood a fighting chance... well, that was just like my idea that Safin could give him a run.

Tomorrow is Federer-Nadal in the finals of a Grand Slam tournament for the fourth time in two years. And this time, I've learned my lesson. I won't think that Nadal can challenge Federer. Not now, not on this court. It could be a very short affair for Breakfast at Wimbledon tomorrow.

But Rafa deserves all the credit in the world for getting this far, beating quality competition in the process. He may have lucked out a bit, though, as Djokovic clearly had nothing left in the tank after some marathon matches this fortnight. The Serb has had a breakthrough year, but he's had to retire a handful of times the last two years. His conditioning needs to get better if he wants to be reach Nadal and Federer's level. I have no doubts he can do it, though, considering the improvement he's shown in his game and his fitness in the last year alone.

Blowing a Gasquet

I said before the tournament that this was the time for Richard Gasquet to step up and make a statement at a major. At 21, he needed to make his move now. A couple days ago, I said a quarterfinal contest with Andy Roddick was the perfect opportunity. I had no idea he would seize the moment, and I could not have imagined that he would do so in such a spectacular manner.

And boy did he ever. After losing the first two sets, he broke Roddick's tiebreak streak and charged to a win in the fifth set, a remarkable and amazing turnaround. It looked for all the world that Andy was headed for another straight set victory, but Gasquet found a level he never has before at a Grand Slam event and felt him behind. The third set was almost like the butterfly emerging from the cocoon, as the Frenchman started ripping backhands, gliding around the court with ease and finding an answer for every move Roddick had. It was a display I will not soon forget.

To his credit, Roddick did not go away or allow his frustration get the better of him. He clearly was frustrated, but unlike a certain Davis Cup teammate, he channeled his frustration and joined Gasquet in battle. By all accounts, he played winning tennis: 22 aces, 60 winners, won 59% of his points at net, only 29 unforced errors (a differential of +31, hardly a small number). Gasquet, quite simply, beat him: 23 aces, 90 winners with 29 unforced errors (a staggering +61 differential), and won a tidy 70% of his net approaches.

It was surprising how quickly Roddick got worried. Typically, someone who is up two sets to one wouldn't be so upset. But when Gasquet ran through that tiebreak in the third set, Andy had the "uh oh" look on his face. And rightfully so, because everyone could see that he was in for a battle.

Once again, Roddick's lack of versatility was thrust into the spotlight. As the commentators noted, there simply isn't a plan "B" for him. He's like the Mike Tyson of tennis: If his haymaker doesn't knock you out, he doesn't know what to do. He lacks the nuance and the moxie to scrap out victories. He's going to simply keep doing what he's doing and hope it works. This is why he kept going to the Gasquet backhand, even as those backhands were screaming past him, out of reach. For most people, it's inexplicable that a guy wouldn't figure out how to adjust like that. For Roddick, though, it's par for the course. It's surprising that with a coach like Jimmy Conners, he can't figure out how to be headier on the court.

And so Gasquet moves onto the semis and faces Federer. If he plays like he did today, he can absolutely beat him. Playing at such a level for two straight days, though, might still be too much to ask. And Roddick has deal with a stinging defeat. With Djokovic winning today, he'll also lose his #3 ranking. This could be danger time for him; if he wants to be a factor in major tournaments going forward, something clearly has to change. He's still a world-class player, but more people are starting to pass him. Federer is past him, Nadal is past him, Djokovic is past him, and now, it seems that Gasquet is past him.

The Fantastic Four

Perhaps we can fit this tournament in on time after all. The London clouds have decided they've screwed with us enough, and the men were able to complete the quarterfinals today. And, oddly enough, the person who had the easiest time of it today was Rafael Nadal.

Yeah, Nadal, the same guy who needed five sets in each of his last two matches, had a surprisingly routine straight sets win over Berdych. Many thought the Czech had a great shot at knocking Rafa. Berdych, after all, was the greatest beneficiary of the sort-of subjective seeding. Nadal had racked up considerable court time his last two times out, and there was still doubt as to his prowess on grass, and... well, so much for that. Nadal breezed past Berdych in progressively easier sets.

What wasn't easy was his semifinal opponent, Novak Djokovic's, victory. In what was probably the match of the tournament, he emerged from a titanic, five set, five-hour slugfest with Marcos Baghdatis. Indeed, the audience of Court 1 had a great day of tennis play out in front of them with this match and Gasquet's ascention (which will be addressed in a separate post). But this had it all (except serve-and-volleying): Competitive sets, grinding, battling points, comebacks, momentum swings, explosions of emotion, two men that both wanted it badly... what else could you want? The first three sets going to tiebreaks, Baghdatis coming back from down two sets to level the match, Djokovic finally trimphing at the end. 413 total points played, and Djokovic only won seven more than Baghdatis. That's a pretty competitive contest, don't you think? Ultimately, Novak's superior serving- he served at 70% to Marcos' 50%- carried the day.

And hey, waddaya know... it turns out not playing for a week can leave you rusty. Federer dropped a set to Ferrero, but rebounded to win the next two without much trouble. He'll now face Gasquet, a prospect much less appealing than getting to whip Roddick around again.

Nadal Must Hate the Locker Room

Apparently Rafa missed the memo that you're allowed to win a match in less than five sets. In an apparent effort to make up for his lost time on court the last week, he's labored for the maximum sets in his last two encounters. This time, he looked to be on the ropes against Mikhail Youhzny, then sorta just ran him over after Youhzny's back stiffened up. The first two sets took 81 minutes; the final three 104. Maybe the Spaniard forgot to warm up and used the first two sets to take care of that for him.

Nadal now faces a tough challenge from Tomas Berdych, who had only a little trouble in ending Bjorkman's tournament. The highlight of that match? Bjorkman giving the chair umpire the business in Swedish. Bjorn Borg would be ashamed.

Novak Djokovic, a potential semifinal opponent, gave only slightly less effort in defeating Lleyton Hewitt in four tight sets, including three tiebreaks. He'll take on Marco Baghdatis, another fantastic match that won't be shown in the US because nobody at the TV networks has any idea what fans want to see. The Cypriot took out Davydenko, who played surprisingly well at SW 19 after only winning one match in his career there before this year.

Also, I couldn't help but notice that in the men's invitational doubles, Ilie Nastase and Stan Smith were paired together. Can you imagine a more disparate team? That's the oddest pairing since Dennis Rodman and Jean Claude Van Dam.

Finally, it's about time Roger Federer caught a bad break from the weather. The dude doesn't need any more help in winning this thing. He now needs to win three matches in three days, just like everyone else.

It's Almost Like a Tournament!

Wow, we actually got through a day! Who woulda thought? Nice to see a full day's worth of matches. It's still a little unclear what to expect going forward, though. Heck, Federer hasn't even been seen on court for a few days now. You have to think he'll be a little rusty tomorrow. It must be noted that Rafa finally got through to the fourth round, ridding himself of Soderling 7-5 in the fifth set.

Roddick scored another quick win, disposing of Paul-Henri Mathieu in straight sets. He's looking like he's in top form as he stares another crack at Federer in the face. He only needs to get past Richard Gasquet- who ended the run of countryman and qualifier Jo-Wilfried Tsonga- in the quarterfinals. I wrote previously that now is the time for Gasquet to make the step up to the next level, and he has a perfect opportunity against Andy to prove himself on the big stage.

Novak Djokovic is continuing his great year, advancing past Keifer in four sets. He now takes on Hewitt. History demonstrates that the person who eliminates the Aussie tends to win in major tournaments. Could this be a portent of Sunday? Probably not, but it's fun to think about.

Sadly, it's also worth noting that the top-seeded pair of Mike Bryan and Lisa Raymond were dumped from the mixed doubles on Centre Court by the British pair of Alex Bogdanovic and Melanie South. Doubles doesn't make it onto Centre Court often. It would've been nice for a Bryan to show off his skill better.
On a similar note, the Williams sisters withdrew from the doubles today. After Serena's calf adventures, this seemed like an inevitable decision. Still, it saddens me. How do we know which sister will scream louder now?
The Bryan brothers, however, eased into the fourth round of the men's doubles with a straight set win.

The rest of the picks

I'm going to pick (explanationless) the rest of the tournament, match-by-match from here on out.

Men's singles:
3rd round - Djokovic over Kiefer; Soderling over Nadal
Round of 16 - Roddick over Mathieu; Tsonga over Gasquet; Davydenko over Baghdatis; Hewitt over Djokovic; Berdych over Bjorkman; Youzhny over Soderling
Quarterfinals - Federer over Ferrero; Roddick over Tsonga; Hewitt over Davydenko (in 5); Youzhny over Berdych
Semifinals - Federer over Roddick; Hewitt over Youzhny
Finals - Federer over Hewitt (in a good match)

Women's singles:
Round of 16 - Sharapova over V. Williams
Quarterfinals - Henin over S. Williams (I'm only going back on my past prediction because of the calf strain); Bartoli over Krajicek (how did this happen); Vaidisova over Ivanovic (either a letdown for Vaidasova, or she is playing the best tennis of her life); Sharapova over Kuznetsova;
Semifinals - Henin over Bartoli; Vaidasova over Sharapova (but only if she gets this far. I'll take Sharapova over Ivanovic, who I genuinely like, just not on grass)
Finals - Henin over whomever gets here

OK. So I didn't get through without comments, so what? Henin gets her slam; Fed continues domination. Though I will say that Henin is lucky and will benefit from that injury.

This is Getting Ridiculous

Rain has shortened play yet again! What do we have to do to get a full day of play in? We're still not through the third freaking round. Really, this is borderline comical at this point.

But hey, at least Hewitt got through in a relatively routine two sets today. Ferrero also scored a straight set win over Janko Tipsarevic. That's about it, though. Nadal, mired in the third round, didn't even get onto the court today. If he manages to get to the finals, he'll be playing every day from here on out.

Oh Look... Rain

It's a good thing that there was play yesterday, because today's shortened play could have really logjammed the... oh, wait. There wasn't any play yesterday, and we're looking at a serious backlog. And wow, how charmed is Roger? He gets a walkover on Tommy Haas, so he doesn't even have to worry about any of this. We're into Tuesday now and the men aren't even through the third round. I mean, how insane is that? I don't think Federer really needs that much help to tie Borg.

It's a real shame, because this could've been the best day of the tournament. After Henin dispatched a weak challenge from Schnyder, we had the Serena saga. When the cameras focused in on her calf, I had to cringe. I've never seen a muscle bunch up like that before. That had to hurt. Most every athlete has had to deal with cramps at some point, and everyone who has knows how much they suck. I don't believe Serena for screaming out in pain or her overtures to delay... but I do blame Hantuchova for her butter-like mental toughness. It's pretty pathetic to see your opponent get hurt bad... then roll over. Her killer instinct is as sharp as satin.

Nadal is going to have to wait yet another day to try and get into the fourth round. What looked like a potential routine finish has turned into a fifth set and a serious problem for Nadal in his quest to get back to the finals. He's up 2-0 in the final set, but he needs to finish Soderling off as quickly as possible, as Youhzny had an easy time of it on court and won't be afraid of the bull.

Djokovic and Keifer are locked up in a tight affair, with Djokovic up a set and 6-5 in the second. I love to see the German giving Novak all he can handle; he's a game player. And you gotta love seeing Jonas Bjorkman advancing to the final 16 again, beating Wayne Arthurs in a match you could see in a few months on the senior tour. It's nice to see a guy having his greatest success late in his career.

Hewitt and Canas are locked up in a very non-grass court type of battle. It's bound to be entertaining, but you'll never get to see it in America. Go USA! And Gael Monfils is getting whipped by Davydenko of all people. As if we needed more evidence of the decay of grass tennis, that is further evidence.

But, once again, the combination of rain and poor decision-making have really made getting through this tournament by Sunday a real problem. Could we see another People's Monday? That would make up for everything.

Then Again, Maybe Not

Well, Thursday's action is in the books, and I pretty much feel like an idiot. I don't think I hit on anything except for Gasquet moving into the final 16. Just how wrong was I?
Firstly, I said Safin would give Roger a match. That turned out to be false, as Federer brushed the Russian aside, 1, 4, and 6. Safin didn't even look like he was on the came court until the final set, when he finally started to go blow-to-blow with the Vogue coverboy. Roger, though, was locked in from the first point. His focus was a stark contrast to Safin's wandering temper (and racquets). By the time Marat finally got into the match, it was already too late. Federer put on a clinic, winning 88% of points on his first serve. He continues to not be interested in volleying, only going to the net 16 times. However, he won 13 of those approaches. Once again, people think someone will step up and challenge the king, and he merely swats them away. It's incredible. He hasn't even had to breathe hard in years in England.

Also, I thought Blake would have gotten by Ferrero, but that didn't turn out as well. On one hand, it's nice to see JC really playing well again, but it's just as dismaying to see Blake lose the way he did. Once again, James moped around the court during the last two sets, basically giving up. You'd think a guy in the top 10 would hold himself higher, but confidence deficeits have plagued James forever. Patrick McEnroe rightfully called him out on ESPN. James has absolutely no reason to act like that on the court, especially when he could have won the match. He's never been a big factor outside of hard courts, but that's not an excuse.

Remember when I said Roddick/Verdasco had five sets written all over it? Yeah, didn't happen. Impressive display from Roddick in that match. Janko tipped (pun intended) Gonzalez in five, setting up an interesting affair with Ferrero in the next round.

And lastly, Feliciano Lopez got waxed by Tsonga. I did not see that coming at all. I'm almost afraid to see how wrong I can be tomorrow.

So Far, So Good

The first four days of The Championships featured little in the way of surprises, and that's just the way I like it. Some people have been complaining about the lack of upsets and compelling first round matchups, but who wants the appetizer to be the best part of the meal? With the first weekend coming to a close, we're just now getting to the juicy steak of the competition. It has shaped up to be an exciting third round. Let's look at what we have.
Firstly, I'm getting what I wanted when the draw came out last week: The Feder-Bear versus the mercurial Marat in the third round. Safin has not looked overly impressive in his first two matches, even though they were both straight set affairs. Federer, meanwhile, really looked locked in against Del Potro, who I thought could give the #1 seed problems. And he really looks spiffy in that white and gold shirt Nike is outfitting him in.

These observations notwithstanding, I still think Safin can give Federer a run for his money tomorrow on the roofless Centre Court. At this point, Marat is the kind of guy that needs external motivation; he can't get himself up for matches. Roger in the tennis cathedral is going to get him going. He plays Federer very tough, and even Roger acknowledged that he has the ability to hit the Swiss off the court. Needless to say, I'm excited. I don't expect Marat to win- he hates grass enough it provides a convenient excuse for a loss- but it wouldn't surprise me.

James Blake is on track to get waxed by Federer in the quarters; he's looked solid thus far and shouldn't have too much problem with Ferrero. Provided he doesn't, he'll face the winner of Tipsarevic and Gonzalez. I originally thought Gonzalez would take care of Janko easily, but I've since changed my mind. It is, after all, the year of the Serb, and Gonzalez is as unpredictable as anyone. I still think Gonzo will win, but it could be a tight affair.

Andy Roddick has a pretty tough pairing with the lefty Verdasco. This has five sets written all over it. And there could be 100 or more combined aces. Fernando will be a good early test for Andy, but the winner of Mathieu-Ljubicic won't be (I like the Frenchman in that one).

There's a lot of French guys in the remaining 32 in the men's draw. Has anyone noticed this? We can't be OK with this. Two of them, Richard Gasquet and Edouard Roger-vasselin, square off on Court 3. First of all, Edouard has one of the weirdest names I've ever seen. Seriously, his parents should be fined. That's terrible. But hey, maybe Gasquet is finally going to make a major move like everyone has been waiting for. He is 21 now; it's time for him to step up if he's going to. He should be able to get past Edouard.

Finally, the bane of the United Kingdom, Feliciano Lopez, takes on yet another Frenchman, Jo-Wilifred Tsonga (what is with the French names?). I gotta take Lopez in that one, and I'm officially giving him "darkhorse" status. He's one to watch.

Saturday's matches look even more enticing, but this ain't a bad first Friday at all. The expanded seeding has done just what it is supposed to, protecting the better players longer in the tournaments. We all benefit from this in the long run. Of the final 32 players, 22 are seeded. The cream is rising to the top.

Henman's marathon win

I noticed something today while watching the first round match between Tim Henman and Carlos Moya. Tim Henman looked good.

He beat the No. 26 seed Moya, which might sound decent for an aging Henman, but remember that Moya is a dirt baller who wasn't really expected to do well on the grass courts. On the other hand, Henman has always player well on the surface, especially at the Slam known as Wimbledon.

The statistics, though, show an almost dead heat between the two players in the four-hour 11-minute match, which had a nearly two-hour fifth set that ended in a 13-11 triumph for the Brit.

Both men had the same first serve percentage and nearly won the exact same percentage of points, whether on first or second serve. Henman had fewer aces and more errors.

But with the Henmaniacs at Wimbledon rooting him on, he has nothing to lose, and two other statistics show it.

He had three aces in one game of the fifth set at 11-11, escaping two break points with aces; he finished with 10. He turned it on when he had to, which he's done remarkably for years when he was England's only hope to win Wimbledon.

What is even more impressive is the how well the 32-year-old Henman can still move. While he and Moya both won only 59 percent of their net approaches, Henman seemed to be comfortable there, and that can make a huge difference, especially when it comes to winners totals. Henman went to the net 100 times in match, almost 30 percent of all points. this serve-and-volley style is what many multiple title winners such as Borg and Sampras have done to win. Amelie Mauresmo did it to win last year.

The main thing isn't that Henman will win Wimbledon (though he has two possible wins coming up against Feliciano Lopez and either Nicolas Lapentti or Jo-Wifried Tsonga). What we know is that when likely faces Richard Gasquet in the round of 16, he will be able to play winning tennis on the grass how it's supposed to be played, with a calm look and a nice net return for a winner.

Murray Out

Andy Murray has withdrawn from Wimbledon with his wrist still bothering him. This is sure to go over horribly in Britain, but Andy made the right choice here. You don't want to mess around with the wrist, and the risks far outweighed the potential benefits here. Look for him to have a strong summer hardcourt season, as he'll be fully healed. Either way, Kevin Kim, who replaces Andy in the draw, owes him a fruit basket.

The Federer Invitational

Did you know? This tournament used to be called Wimbledon. Now a mere 21 sets separates Roger from Bjorn Borg's five consecutive titles at the All-England Club. Seven men stand in his way to try and derail him. Will the Swiss star stake a further claim to history at The Championships? Can Novak Djokovic continue his ascent in the men's game? Will Roddick finally break through? Let's wade through the men's draw.
Color me disappointed Roddick drew Federer's half of the draw. I can't be the only one that wanted to see a Nadal-Roddick showdown on Centre Court. We all know the tune of a Federer-Roddick match. And I promise, you won't hear any "This is Roddick's best chance to beat Federer" claims like you do everywhere else if Andy rolls through his quarter of the draw (Well, maybe Ben might. He keeps telling me Andy is going to do it). Roddick's quarter is relatively harmless; Ljubicic lurks as a possible fourth-round opponent, and Gasquet could finally get it together at a major and reach the quarters. However, Roddick should have little problem getting to another Wimby semifinal in his quest to lose as many times as possible to one guy.

Speaking of Federer, interestingly, some possible early-round match ups could present more trouble than later ones. Rising Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro could wait in the second round. You may remember him as the guy who served for the first set against Nadal in the opening round of the French Open. Don't let his country of origin fool you- he's a big boy and a thumper who is likely to have greater success on faster courts. The 18-year-old has risen to 55th in the rankings and has never faced Federer. Roger skipped Halle this year to pout, so he could very well catch a rusty Roger at the perfect time. And maybe Bjorn will have a dog bite him.

And look who is a possible third round obstacle: Marat Safin! It's just as likely he loses as it is he makes to the third round, but he always brings it against Federer, and you can bet Roger was not happy to see the Russian Roulette so close to him in the draw. Marat has the best chance of anyone to beat Federer at this tournament. If he feels like it, that is. The rest of the quarter looks completely nonthreatening to Federer.

Dynamic Serb Novak Djokovic has the hardest quarter of the top four seeds. Ivo Karlovic could wait in the third round, and that's a guy nobody wants to face on the sod. If not Karlovic, it could be Nicolas Kiefer, who gives top players fits. It doesn't get any easier. The fourth round includes Hewitt, Canas, and Max Mirnyi as possible opponents. He could see former finalist Nalbandian or Marco Baghdatis in the quarters. Novak has some choppy waters to navigate if he wants to climb into the #3 ranking.

With Roddick on the other half of the draw, things are shaping up nicely for Rafael Nadal to position himself for another run to the finals. He could run into Sebastien Grosjean in the third round, who can test him. Youzhny is little threat as a possible fourth round match. Berdych in the quarters could be a very entertaining match.

Tough luck draw: Robby Ginepri getting Fernando Gonzalez. The 2005 US Open semifinalist has really fallen fast and hard (injuries haven't helped). He could be headed for another quick exit. But Gonzo is just as likely to implode as to explode...

First round match I really want to see: Fabrice Santoro vs Ivo Karlovic. If you want a contrast in styles, you won't find a bigger one. Fabrice is a tricksy hobbit with every shot in the book (and a few that aren't in the book), while Ivo is a towering figure with one shot only. Of course, living in America, there is approximately -500% chance I'll get to see this.

Upset Alert: Mardy Fish vs Rafael Nadal. Yes, I'm really going out on a limb here, especially after Mardy found a creative way to miss the French, most likely costing himself a seed in the process, and Nadal looked pretty good at Queen's Club (remember, he lost in the quarters there last year, too). But hear me out: I think Mardy can pull this off he gets to the net as much as possible and exposes Rafa's backhand, which is anything but steady on this surface. If his serve is working, he's slicing a lot, and he's moving forward, he can make things very uncomfortable for Rafa.

Breakthrough player: Gael Monfils. Why not? He's been to the third round at SW19 before, and his draw is quite friendly. He has a solid chance of making it to the second week, maybe even the quarterfinals.

Bold prediction: I'll be annoyed with NBC approximately 16 seconds into their first broadcast when Jimmy Roberts shows his face.

Planting the Seeds

The seedings for Wimbledon were announced today, and they bear a striking resemblance to the ATP rankings. The top three remain unchanged- I'm sure Andy's thrilled- and Tomas Berdych made the biggest leap of anyone, jumping from 11 to 7. Yep, the biggest move was a whopping four spots. Nikolay Davydenko, with his career 1-5 record in the tournament, is ranked sixth.
Once, the releasing the seeds for the tournament was actually kind of exciting, because we could expect to see some different numbers next to some people than we normally would. The radically different seeds are part of what made Wimbledon stand out in the tennis world. No longer is this the case.As we're so often told, grass is different. It's a one-month anomaly, an odd transition from the crushed brick to the painted asphalt- and an abrupt one at that. Big men with big serves cut a swatch through the draw on a regular basis, a shooting star never to be seen again (remember Vladimir Voltchkov?). Ivo Karlovic makes ranked players sweat in their sleep.

And it really is different. As well-manicured as a grass court can be, it's still the most inconsistent surface on the tour. Balls can bounce in unpredictable ways. They skid. They slide. They rarely reach your shoulder off a bounce. Slice becomes a bigger weapon, topspin a weaker one. So yes, the All-England Club is absolutely right in adjusting the seeds. Roddick deserves to be the second seed, for instance.

And a few years ago, he probably would have been. But for whatever reason, the club caved to the Spanish-speaking complainers and started making compromises. Why would you listen to the demands of a group of players that didn't stick around past the first week if they even showed at all? What sense does that make? Taking the top 32-ranked players and guaranteeing them seeds is a good compromise. But they've watered it down to some formula that really doesn't make much of a difference anymore. I'm sure Lleyton Hewitt is really thankful his past success bumped him up to the 16 spot. He must be thrilled.

The subjective seeding should return. And if some players don't like it, they should try and overcome their grass allergies. Players who have been successful on grass should be rewarded, and players who suck on it should be punished. I should note that I am of the opinion that all of the Grand Slam tournament should seed subjectively, but it seems easiest to institute it at Wimbledon.

Scud Locking On

Don't look now, but Mark Philippousis is looking like yet another comeback is bringing him back.

After dispatching the crafty Sebastien Grosjean (one of the more underrated players of the last decade) in three sets, the Scud has a date Thursday with Fernando Gonzalez. That's a perfect matchup for Mark, as Fernando is a guy who has none of the skills necessary to win on grass, nor the restraint to do anything but hit the ball as hard as he possibly can or keep his temper under control. Heck, he barely squeaked by Antony Dupuis in two breakers. After that, though, it gets a bit tenuous. Roddick most likely awaits in the quarterfinals unless Srichaphan can summon some of that 2002 magic again.

Don't forget about the other Aussie, Lleyton Hewitt, either. He's always played well at Queen's Club (three titles), and he's looks to be in fine form and healthy now. If he can get by the Beast, which is no small task, he'll have himself setup for a quarterfinal date with Nadal.

Speaking of Nadal, he was able to prove me wrong and beat Mardy Fish in straight sets today. I don't know if that means Rafa is finding his grass feet or if Mardy's still not at the level he can be, but it has to be an encouraging win for the Spaniard. He did lose with Feliciano Lopez to the dynamic duo of James Auckland and Jamie Delgado in doubles, but he's in this for the experience, not the dubs title. It's a disappointing result for Fish. I want him to succeed because of his committment to serve-and-volley and the fact he's coached by Todd Martin, but the man has some game to justify it. I refuse to believe he peaked in 2003. He won this year in Houston, and if he can produce some encouraging results in the hardcourt season (he's always played well in Cincinnati), he might have a breakthrough at the US Open.

The draw at the Stella Artois (say that five times fast) is holding up very nicely. We could have a quarterfinal of Nadal-Hewitt, Tursunov-Henman, Philippoussis-Roddick, and Blake-Ljubicic. If you're in the London area, I'd be getting tickets if I were you. It's going to be a good weekend.

Federer, meanwhile, continues his stampede to the consecutive grass court record and a fourth title at the Gerry Weber with a win over Rohan Bopanna. Not much to say here. Meanwhile, Kiefer withdrew with a wrist injury (presumably the same one that caused his retirement in France), allowing hanger-on Arnaud Clement to advance into the second round. Safin seems to be playing well; we'll see how his doubles adventure goes.

Meanwhile, Maria Sharapova is looking very much like the favorite for the ladies' title at Wimbledon. Her breezy win over Ahsha (gezundheit) Rolle gives her 11 straight victories in Nottingham. Most importantly, she's healthy right now, which is something most of the contenders can't claim.

Halle-ujah

With a snap of fingers, it's grass court season.

Argentines won't be seen for a month, half the Spanish Armada are on vacation, and otherwise obscure Croatians are suddenly major threats. It's a magical time of the year, when the tennis world gets turned on its ear. In grass world, those old-fashioned net rushers (when they remove the antique dust) will beat the baseline bashers. Breaks of serve usually mean the end of a set. Diving is safe and encouraged. Andy Roddick has reason to live.

And, of course, the Roger Federer mystique grows and begins anew. Apparently nobody wants any part of this guy on sod, judging from the disparity in quality between the Gerry Weber and Queen's Club. The Stella Artois Championships is a veritable murderer's row of big names: Nadal, Ljubicic, Roddick, Blake, Ancic, Hewitt, Agassi, Grosjean... the list goes on. This is a Masters Series-quality draw. The Halle entry list, on the other hand, is a bit more lacking. There's Federer, Nalbandian, Kiefer, Baghdatis, Haas, Safin... that's about it. We don't know if Baghdatis is a factor on grass, and Haas and Safin probably aren't going to get especially far (but they could). Aside from a possible finals matchup against the crafty Keifer, Roger should steamroll this field (though a Santoro-Federer matchup on grass would be a lot of fun to see). People are simply afraid of Roger on grass and they'll do anything they can to play him. That or the fact Queen's Club is a stone's throw away from All-England... but that reason isn't as fun.

Agassi made his return to the ATP after skipping the clay court season (a wise decision, seeing as he can't play on clay without hurting himself these days) in a 6-4, 6-4 loss to Tim Henman. First, it's great to see Henman playing well and winning; I'd love to see him make a deep run. Andre- as usual- was disappointed in the loss, saying he hoped to play better. I'm not sure what planet AA has been living on, but when you play three tournaments since the US Open and you're against one of the most celebrated grass court players of the last decade, 4 and 4 is pretty good. You got a pretty crappy draw, sure, but you're simply too rusty. Send some flowers to the draw committee over at Wimbledon so you can get a couple matched under your belt before playing anyone threatening. Sorry, but you just can't take a virutal nine-month layoff and expect to jump back into it, especially when that's your first match on grass since 2004 (a loss to Igor Andreev), even if you did practice with Andy Murray. I don't know how he'll fare at Wimbledon. It really depends on the draw.

Nadal is entered into the singles and doubles for Queen's Club, a move I really like. That's going to force him to work on the volleying and get him more match play. All players under 21 should be playing as much dubs as they can, it's a great way to get better quickly. That said, I like Mardy Fish's chances against him Wednesday.

There are a lot of interesting doubles pairings in this tournament as well: Blake/Fish, Grosjean/Murray (does the French Federation know he's working with a Scot? Is this allowed?), Mathieu/Monfils, along with many of the usual suspects. That's one of the benefits of the truncated grass season; you see more players playing doubles. Maybe Johnny Mac can be convinced to play in Nottingham next week; I bet he'd show some players how to do it on grass.

Wayne Arthurs lost in the first round of qualifying Saturday. I remember when he was a guy people didn't want to see because of his height and his serve... now he can't qualify for Queen's Club. It's amazing how quickly some people fade (I'm talking to you, Rainer Schuettler).