Re: DAVIS CUP 2012: THE SEMI-FINALS

by raiders_of_the_lost_ark Sun Sep 16, 2012 7:46 am

Just saw that Delpo is not scheduled to play any matches today. Berlocq is playing Berdy. Its a Czech win almost certain now.

by noleisthebest Sun Sep 16, 2012 9:10 am

I still think that Delpo will play somehow.

by raiders_of_the_lost_ark Sun Sep 16, 2012 9:34 am

noleisthebest wrote:I still think that Delpo will play somehow.

No. He officially has withdrawn.

"Juan Martin will not be in tomorrow's first singles against Tomas Berdych and he will be replaced by Carlos Berlocq," captain Martin Jaite told a news conference.

Del Potro opened up for Argentina with a three-set victory over Radek Stepanek on Friday before world number six Berdych overcame Juan Monaco in five sets to level the tie at 1-1. Berdych and Stepanek then teamed up on Saturday to win the doubles 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 against Berlocq and Eduardo Schwank.
"Juan Martin finished yesterday's match in quite a bit more pain than the previous days. He's not in condition to play," said Argentina team doctor Miguel Khoury.
"He will not move his wrist for 10 days. That's the best decision for Juan Martin and the team."

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/davis-cup-czech-go-21-up-as-del-potro-pulls-out/291952-5-22.html

by raiders_of_the_lost_ark Sun Sep 16, 2012 9:36 am

Is anyone watching Sela-Nishikori match. Very exciting indeed.

by noleisthebest Sun Sep 16, 2012 9:46 am

No, still in bed Winking

by noleisthebest Sun Sep 16, 2012 9:47 am

How"s Nishi doing?

by raiders_of_the_lost_ark Sun Sep 16, 2012 10:04 am

Nishikori won. What a fantastic tennis, great winners and gutsy play. Loved the match. Hard luck for Sela, its not easy serving behind when the whole crowd is up against you. Japan-Israel 2-2.

by raiders_of_the_lost_ark Sun Sep 16, 2012 11:32 am

Haase completely off his game. Can hardly put 2 balls in. Its easy going for Fed who isn't looking very sharp, but atm he doesn't even need to.

by raiders_of_the_lost_ark Sun Sep 16, 2012 11:34 am

Haase breaking his racquet. Yikes

. Never saw that till now.

by noleisthebest Sun Sep 16, 2012 3:02 pm

Delpo not playing, after all.

by noleisthebest Sun Sep 16, 2012 3:10 pm

Berdych striking the ball beautifully from inside the court, making tennis look like played on hard not clay.

by noleisthebest Sun Sep 16, 2012 3:12 pm

Berlocq....how massive can the forehand swing get DAVIS CUP 2012: THE SEMI-FINALS - Page 2 563610107

I can't watch this! Nice backhand, though, looks quite human.

by noleisthebest Sun Sep 16, 2012 3:24 pm

Berlocq already looks half-dead, and he's only serving for 3 all in the first set....

He is about two levels below Bird, but playing with all his limited ability, might and heart, with the crowd behind his as big as they come, it's almost endearing, still ugly most of the time....

by noleisthebest Sun Sep 16, 2012 3:28 pm

Spain beats USA with Ferrer's 4 set win over Isner.

Switzerland through, as well, securing the place in the World Group.

by noleisthebest Sun Sep 16, 2012 3:45 pm

Bird wins the first set, all looking like it's going to be a Spain - Czech Republic final.

BTW, that stadium in Buenos Aires is huge!

Every time the camera pans to Delpo he looks like Argentina is leading by two sets and a double break- all smiles and relaxed...what a guy!

Argentinian women in the crowd look pretty wild and excited...

by paulcz Sun Sep 16, 2012 5:43 pm

Congratulations to Berd, played a great match. Czech with Spain in November in the final, and at home DAVIS CUP 2012: THE SEMI-FINALS - Page 2 3157886161

DAVIS CUP 2012: THE SEMI-FINALS - Page 2 3157886161

by noleisthebest Sun Sep 16, 2012 6:19 pm

paulcz wrote:Congratulations to Berd, played a great match. Czech with Spain in November in the final, and at home

DAVIS CUP 2012: THE SEMI-FINALS - Page 2 4052418255

Paul, you are going to be or live correspondant from the spot, we want to know everything: match reports, tactics, inside stories, local media coverage, gossip, the lot DAVIS CUP 2012: THE SEMI-FINALS - Page 2 364988687

DAVIS CUP 2012: THE SEMI-FINALS - Page 2 364988687

by noleisthebest Mon Sep 17, 2012 12:34 pm

Fed after Davis Cup, wounded, tired and exhausted:

"After leading Switzerland to a Davis Cup World Group playoff win over the Netherlands, Roger Federer tells DavisCup.com that the competiton is not one of his highest priorities. Federer has only played sporadically for Swtizerland.

“Not really a whole lot to be quite honest,” Federer said when asked
about priority of the competition. “For me it’s more about taking part
with my teammates, I enjoy being with them, and that's about it really. I
have a good time and my teammates are all my best friends ... I don't
see them regular basis on tour and we have a great friendship and it’s
always a lot of fun.”

Federer would not commit to playing Switzerland’s next tie in 2013, and said he will now take a vacation.

“I need holiday badly,” he said. “I’m wounded, tired, and exhausted and
need some time off right now and see where I go from here. Nothing has
been decided for the rest of year, even though there is a plan in place,
that plan might change. I need to go back to drawing board to see
what’s important.”

Federer’s upcoming schedule presently includes the Shanghai Masters,
the Swiss Indoors, the Paris/Bercy Masters and the ATP World Tour
Finals."

by Tenez Mon Sep 17, 2012 12:44 pm

That's a way to say he won't be playing SHanghai I guess.

It's amusing how he says he is wounded here while no-one saw traces of it at the USO and DC.

Either he is just finding excuses not to travel to Asia...or he is really "wounded" as he says and that may have affected him in his USO campaign and DC. I think the latter is more likely as his serving was particularly poor in that 1/4F v Berdych.

Fed is really having more and more physical troubles nowadays but I think it's only the back giving him more and more troubl.

Unlikely he'll finish at number one this year.

by noleisthebest Mon Sep 17, 2012 12:51 pm

Tenez wrote:That's a way to say he won't be playing SHanghai I guess.

That makes a lot of sense. I know Novak was grateful for his lat year's injury not having to travel to Asia after the year he had.
It must be a lot of hassle for players who play a lot during the year to have to travel there for the umpteenth time. I can understand Federer perfectly, you just want to wind the season down locally, in Europe, you can't blame him, he's done his due and globe-trotting for the last million years in an admirable and very professional way.

Nole is in the opposite position, so he's going to Beijing to collect his 500 points, thank you very much. I think he will now want that end year number one ranking pretty badly.

by noleisthebest Mon Sep 17, 2012 12:53 pm

A bit of a weird situation from Argentina Czech Republic DC match:

"After falling to Juan Martin del Potro in the Czech Republic’s opening
match of the Davis Cup semifinals against Argentina at Parque Roca,
Radek Stepanek suggests that Del Potro was exaggerating a left wrist
injury. Stepanek told reporters that the Argentine was "absolutely
healthy. Maybe he put together a bit of a stir before the Davis Cup, but
he did not seem injured. He took advantage of all of his chances.”

Del Potro countered: "I think everyone could see how I played, I
couldn't hit winners with my backhand. It's super hard to play like that
but my serve helped me.”

Stepanek also critized the fans in Parque Roca, saying, "It is very
noisy, our fans make noise, but I also think that the Argentines did not
have enough respect to be quiet during out first serves.”

Del Potro, who reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open last week, broke down in tears after the match.

"How I suffer playing, just for you, a lot for you, I played to thank
the fans for their affection, the support they give me," he told the
crowd. "The important thing is for me to be here... We all have pains,
more or less bad... I know the one up there is looking after me…It was
very emotional playing this match. I enjoyed the moment, the decision to
take a risk.”

I am not surprised Stepanek is one of the less popular guys among the fellow-players.

Still, you never know, maybe he was right!

by Tenez Mon Sep 17, 2012 2:21 pm

noleisthebest wrote:
Tenez wrote:That's a way to say he won't be playing SHanghai I guess.

That makes a lot of sense. I know Novak was grateful for his lat year's injury not having to travel to Asia after the year he had.
It must be a lot of hassle for players who play a lot during the year to have to travel there for the umpteenth time. I can understand Federer perfectly, you just want to wind the season down locally, in Europe, you can't blame him, he's done his due and globe-trotting for the last million years in an admirable and very professional way.

Nole is in the opposite position, so he's going to Beijing to collect his 500 points, thank you very much. I think he will now want that end year number one ranking pretty badly.

BUt I doubt it's that actually though it's certainly a factor. He mentioned during the US tour how keen he was to go back to Aisia and play there again and I do believe he wanted to.

Besides he is usually cautious about talking about his injuries and when he does I tend to believe him.

by sphairistike Mon Sep 17, 2012 2:31 pm

I am not sure Fed will not play Shanghai no matter what he says. Maybe he will (at least should in my view) skip Paris (as he already won it anyways). One reason not to skip Shanghai, even though I doubt he'd care much about that one, is that he never won it as a masters (only as YEC). The main reason why I think he will not skip it is that Rolex is one of his main sponsors (maybe biggest after Nike) and he cannot skip both Rolex masters. Last year he already skipped Shanghai but he played Monte-Carlo, this year he already skipped MC, he cannot skip Shanghai, simples.

by Tenez Mon Sep 17, 2012 2:39 pm

Hopefully. It;s 3 weeks away, isn;t it? A good rest should help.

However Has he played that much that summer? Wimby (7) OG (5?) Cinci (5) USO (5) DC (2). That is 24 matches in 10 weeks roughly. 2.5 match/week. Yes, it's quite a bit!

by gallery play Mon Sep 17, 2012 6:28 pm

I don't think Fed will play Shanghai. He said last weekend things like: "i'm more tired than i think" and "the season is still long, even if i'm not going to Asia".

by Tenez Mon Sep 17, 2012 6:51 pm

Ouah...that's an admission from Fed. He needs to try PRP. It does wonders.

by Larry Ellison Mon Sep 17, 2012 6:53 pm

Tenez wrote:Ouah...that's an admission from Fed. He needs to try PRP. It does wonders.

He has a ligament injury? headhurts

by noleisthebest Mon Sep 17, 2012 7:34 pm

Amritia3ee wrote:
Tenez wrote:Ouah...that's an admission from Fed. He needs to try PRP. It does wonders.
He has a ligament injury?

fat in the knee is not a ligament.

by Larry Ellison Mon Sep 17, 2012 7:43 pm

noleisthebest wrote:
Amritia3ee wrote:
Tenez wrote:Ouah...that's an admission from Fed. He needs to try PRP. It does wonders.
He has a ligament injury?

fat in the knee is not a ligament.

I know.

by noleisthebest Mon Sep 17, 2012 11:36 pm

Latest in Davis Cup Delpo saga:

"Juan Martin del Potro comes under criticism by some members of the
Argentine media for choosing to play on Friday in the Davis Cup
semifinals against the Czech Republic, and not on Sunday.

Del Potro has been suffering from a left wrist injury and did not
decide until Wednesday that he was fit enough to play the tie. Instead
of joining the team on Monday, he practiced for two days in Buenos Aires
with his private coach rather than joining the team in Parque Roca.

The Argentine journalist Marcos Zugasti reported that even in Parque
Roca, del Potro insisted that he only hit with sparring partner Diego
Schwartzman, and never interacted with any other player on court and
practically not at all off the court.

The newspaper La Nacion, citing an unnamed source, said that
del Potro told captain Martin Jaite and coach Mariano Zabelata that,
“I’ll play but if something happens to me, it’s your fault.”

by raiders_of_the_lost_ark Tue Sep 18, 2012 4:46 am

gallery play wrote:I don't think Fed will play Shanghai. He said last weekend things like: "i'm more tired than i think" and "the season is still long, even if i'm not going to Asia".

Yes. But I somehow get the feeling he is going to play Shanghai. He hasn't played there last 2 years, so maybe this time.

Shanghai is always marred with players withdrawals. Its a good maters tournament, but its timing it horribly wrong.

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