n.b. di Ubs: grazie ad amici benemeriti di buona volontà aumentano le rubriche. Qui a lato, fra le pagine, troverete a cura di MrKramer, il calendario aggiornato dell’ATP e tutti i tornei Atp 2007. Oltre a classifiche, albi d’oro etc. Piano piano…
Avete notato che qui, a destra fra i servizi, sotto pagine e categorie, ci sono tutti i risultati live, quelli di Davis compresi (e da poco compaiono anche gli accoppiamenti delle qualificazioni nei tornei, comprese quelle degli italiani?). La Safarova ha battuto la Henin a Parigi (e la schiavone che per aveci perso pensava al ritiro…), mentre la Petrova ha fatto fuori la Mauresmo (va tutto a favore della Sharapova, sempre più n.1) e i doppi di Davis stanno dando vita a risultati in parte sorprendenti

Israele ha già praticamente vinto il confronto di Davis con Lussemburgo, vedi qui a lato nella pagina della Davis. Quando Muller ha perso da Sela il confronto è praticamente finito. In Svizzera-Spagna beffa agli spettatori: non hanno giocato nè Nadal nè Wawrinka. Quasi quasi ha fatto meglio Federer, che almeno non ha mai detto che sarebbe stato presente. Presi in contropiede da Nadal, che aveva detto di star benissimo, parecchi giornali. Chi la fa l’aspetti: in Australia Federer aveva fatto capire all’inizio che, chissà, se avesse perso nella settimana, magari si sarebbe presentato ad affrontare Nadal. Gli spagnoli non si erano fidati del suo forfait e hanno fatto di tutto per portare Nadal…poi Rafa non ha giocato. E se agli svizzeri non si fosse fatto male Wawrinka, dopo la vittoria di Chiudinelli sulla riserva di Nadal Verdasco, la Spagna avrebbe rischiato la clamorosa esclusione che non è, tuttavia, ancora impossibile.
Mi ha meravigliato in parte il 2-0 dell’Argentina (senza Nalbandian) in Austria, ma Acasuso e Canas sono più forti di Koubek e Melzer. Soprattutto bravi i russi a condurre 2-0 in Cile, e per Safin che ha steso Massu ma soprattutto per il redivivo Andreev che ha fatto fuori Gonzalez, il finalista dell’ultimno Australian Open. Andreev dimostra così _ dopo un anno di infortuni _ di aver ritrovato quella verve che gli ha consentito di essere l’ultimo giocatore ad aver battuto, 63 partite fa; nadal sullla terra rossa (di Valencia). Uno a uno sulla terra di Ostrava fra Cechi e americani dopo che Berdych ha fatto fuori in 4 set Blake. I cechi una volta avevano buoni doppi, ma oggi non mi sembra che li abbiano, soprattutto dopo che Stepanek ha deciso di non giocare più in Davis (tutta colpa della Hingis?). Con i Bryan e Blake in terza giornata, anche se Roddick dovesse perdere anche lui da Berdych, penso che gli Usa passeranno il turno. Bella battaglia anche a Krafeld fra tedeschi e croati. Ljubicic, battendo Becker, ha vendicato la sconfitta patita da Ancic con Haas. 2-0 invece per il Belgio sull’Australia: che Rochus battesse Guccione me l’aspettavo, che Vliegen (uno dei tennisti meno considerati tra i top50) avesse la meglio al quinto set su Hewitt (per quanto in declino) francamente no. Gli svedesi vincono 2-0 con i bielorussi: insomma i quarti secondo me saranno Francia- Russia, Belgio-Croazia-Usa-Spagna, Argentina-Svezia.. ammesso e non concesso che l’Italia superi Israele in trasferta, nell’eventuale spareggio di settembre per salire nel World Group, il fatto che possano capitarci nazioni come l’Australia, l’Austria, la Germania, il Cile e la Cechia non ci può lasciare troppo tranquilli. Ma inutile preoccuparsi di settembre finchè non avremo superato l’ostacolo di aprile, vero?
Al termine della prima giornata della sfida valida come primo turno del Gruppo I di zona Euro-Africana di Coppa Davis, Israele conduce per 2-0 sul Lussemburgo. Dopo la netta affermazione di Noam Okun sul lussemburghese Gilles Kremer (60 60 61 lo score), il secondo singolare tra Dudi Sela e Gilles Muller è stato vinto dal padrone di casa in quattro set, con il punteggio di 46 64 62 76, dopo una lunga sospensione. Il vantaggio, insieme alla consapevolezza di poter contare su una fortissima coppia di doppio (Jonathan Erlich e Andy Ram, contro i modesti Laurent Bram e Mike Scheidweiler), potrebbe permettere agli israeliani di chiudere la pratica già nella seconda giornata. La sfida in corso al Canada Stadium di Ramat Hasharon, interessa da vicino la nazionale italiana in quanto stabilirà i nostri avversari nella sfida che il prossimo aprile potrebbe aprire le porte per il World Group. L’Italia, accreditata della quarta testa di serie dopo Repubblica Slovacca (1), Olanda (2) e Serbia (3), giocherà in ogni caso in trasferta.

Questo, nel dettaglio, il programma della sfida:

Venerdì 9 febbraio
Noam Okun (ISR) b. Gilles Kremer (LUX) 60 60 61
Dudi Sela (ISR) b. Gilles Muller (LUX) 46 64 62 76
Sabato 10 febbraio
Jonathan Erlich/Andy Ram (ISR) vs Laurent Bram/Mike Scheidweiler (LUX)
Domenica 11 febbraio
Noam Okun (ISR) vs Gilles Muller (LUX)
Dudi Sela (ISR) vs Gilles Kremer (LUX)

In Cechia ecco l’intervista di ANDY RODDICK

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Must feel good to get the first point, especially on clay, on the road?

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, it does. I didn’t know this fact before the match, but I guess we had been down 1‑0 eight out of nine times, something like that. So it’s nice to have that be a little bit different, especially in a tough match.

I mean, at one‑set‑all, it was looking a little dicey. It was nice to come through in those last two sets.

Q. Did Minar surprise you, how he played? There were no surprises for you?

ANDY RODDICK: I knew he played very aggressively. I knew he was going to play high‑risk tennis. I felt like maybe that was his best chance to win. You know, when you’re playing a big match like that for the first time, in those circumstances, you’re either going to play really well or very badly. It’s rare that you kind of play in the middle.

I thought for the first two sets he played very well. I felt like I was putting him in some difficult positions. He was coming up with some good shots.

Q. Thank God for your mighty serve today. That’s what made the difference?

ANDY RODDICK: Was that a question or a statement (laughter)?

Q. The second part was.

ANDY RODDICK: Okay (laughter).

Yeah, I mean, I thought I’ve been hitting my serve really well during the week ‑ probably as well as I have since last summer. Even in Australia I don’t feel like I served that well. You know, it was good. It got me out of some tough situations today definitely.

Q. How was your footing out there? Looked a lot better than it was in Moscow.

ANDY RODDICK: I think the court is in a lot better shape here than it was in Moscow. Moscow was disappointing, to say the least, as far as the condition of the court. It was a lot better here. The grip was a little bit better. You weren’t taking huge chunks out of the court.

You know, a couple bad bounces, but that’s normal on clay. I think you just hope you don’t get them on big points. So kudos, I guess, to the court crew.

Q. Have you noticed that one of your aces or hard hits, you hit the Czech president?

ANDY RODDICK: I didn’t notice that. I actually said in warmup, because most of the time they have a net behind the ball, and I saw that this one didn’t, so I said, Uh‑Oh, someone might be dodging some tennis balls today.

I promise you it was nothing personal.

Q. Were you in a sense frustrated that you couldn’t dominate more in the rallies against a player who is ranked so far below you?

ANDY RODDICK: I don’t know if I really saw the match like that. I still don’t know if I saw the match like that. I think a lot of his shots, he was serving well early on, but a lot of his shots came from difficult positions where he was trying to force the ball into some tight spots and making it.

I think even as the match went on I felt like it would be very impressive if he was able to keep that up over five sets. Fortunately, he wasn’t.

Q. Did you count on the situation Minar couldn’t be ready physically for a five‑set battle, concerning the state of game he was playing?

ANDY RODDICK: I think I was conscious of it in the first set. I was trying to make him move a lot. Also when you’re on a big stage, you use a lot of extra energy and adrenaline. You’re feeding off the crowd. I think maybe I had an advantage there where I’ve been in those situations a little bit more before.

I was conscious of that.

Q. (Question regarding the crowd.)

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, it was great. Regardless if the crowd is for or against you, it’s always nice to see an enthusiastic crowd. It’s nice to see not a lot of empty seats. You know, I thought the crowd was very respectful. It was good to see the fans come out for this tie.

Q. Looking into the future, after today’s match, do you feel even more confident before your match with Tomas Berdych? How do you see this match? Will it be different than if you had started?

ANDY RODDICK: Personally I like the fact I’m playing him second. I’ll probably feel a little bit more comfortable on the clay after that. You know, it’s tough. He’s played well on clay in the past. There’s no doubt, I said it the other day, he’s one of the young stars in the game. He’s only going to get better.

It will definitely be tough.

Q. Didn’t come to net a lot. When you did, you were effective. Do you feel confident with your game up there?

ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I think early on I was actually waiting back, like I said. I had him running a lot early in the first set. I liked the way the points were being constructed there. Later on in the match, I tried to come forward a little bit more and maybe he wasn’t in the positions that he was in in the first set.

Overall, I felt great up at net. I don’t know what my conversion rate was up there, but I’m assuming it was pretty high. That was definitely much needed today.

An interview with: JAMES BLAKE and CAPTAIN PATRICK McENROE

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. James, what was the discussion with the chair umpire about? Did you feel he should have replayed the point that looked like a double‑fault?

JAMES BLAKE: No, I felt like it was my point. He missed the serve. The umpire admitted he missed the serve. I was still playing at deuce. To me that seems wrong. I went to hit the return with a reflex shot, but then stopped. Apparently I didn’t stop enough. Maybe next time I’ll sit down on the court Indian style and raise my hand.

Seems silly to me. Obviously a very important point in the match. Could have completely turned the match around to get an early break in the fourth set. But he admitted he made a mistake, which is rare for an umpire. That mistake cost me today, which I don’t know what the ramifications are for an umpire, but…

Q. What is the issue? Is the issue that you reacted to play the point? In that sense, what would have been the error of the referee?

JAMES BLAKE: Well, in my opinion he made two errors. In his opinion he only made one.

The ball was out. He agreed that the ball was out. Then on clay you’re allowed to reflex a ball back, which is always a case with the return, I guess the balls are coming so fast. So I reflexed it back, looked at the mark, heard my bench say, It’s out. I looked at it, it’s out. I stopped. I stood there and didn’t move. I didn’t take one step.

He says that I didn’t stop fast enough. In his judgment I reacted to the ball, so I lost the point because of that.

Q. If I’m not mistaken, you still had four breakpoints in that very same game.

JAMES BLAKE: Yeah, I still had four breakpoints. I think he made first serves on all the others, played well. I mean, I can’t fault the umpire for those. When he makes a clear mistake, I can fault him for that.

You know, I’m doing my best on those other breakpoints. I’m going to give Tomas credit on those. When he does make a mistake, he double‑faults, the umpire doesn’t call it, then I can’t credit Tomas with that, I got to call it as I see it.

It was out. I mean, I should be sitting on the bench up 3‑2 at that point. Instead we’re at deuce. Then he played well. He served great. He deserved credit for the rest of it. I’m not saying that he didn’t play well, he didn’t deserve to win or anything. He played great and served well when it counted.

At that particular time, I should have been on the bench at 3‑2 serving.

Q. Patrick, 1‑1 after the first day. You still have to like your chances? Top‑ranked doubles team, then Roddick first up on Sunday, right?

CAPTAIN McENROE: Yeah, I mean, I would prefer to be out there in the fifth set right now, which probably should have happened. But it was a very well‑played match by both guys. I thought James played very well. Andy did, too, in particular the last two sets.

I think overall it was a positive day for us. Could have been a lot better. We feel good about our chances. James will just put this behind him, know he played well, be ready to potentially play a fifth match if it gets to that. With the Bryans in the doubles, we know they have a good doubles team, as well, but these guys are used to being in this situation.

Q. What do you say about the atmosphere in the arena?

JAMES BLAKE: For the most part it was a good crowd. Try not to let a few bad apples spoil it. There were definitely people talking in between first and second serves, calling out. I hoped the umpires could do a better job of controlling them. For the most part, they’re a good crowd. Had a lot of team spirit and patriotism. That’s what Davis Cup is about. Then just controlling maybe the ones who don’t watch tennis very often and don’t know how to act.

Q. For long stretches, it was really thrilling tennis on clay. Despite the setback, do you come away with a sense of added confidence?

JAMES BLAKE: Right now, 20 minutes after the match, I’m not feeling great. But I do know that Tomas is an excellent player. He played well on clay today. It’s not my favorite surface. I always do feel like I’m getting better on it.

So, yeah, looking back I’m sure I will think about the fact that I still played a pretty good match on clay. But I’m also encouraged by the fact that it could have been a lot better. I felt like my serve let me down at times. I wasn’t hitting my backhand as well as I could have.

So, yeah, with time I think I can continue to improve on clay. The main thing is to improve on clay by Sunday. If I need to, I’ll play even better on Sunday I hope.

Q. Was the first set due to being tired or for less time adapting or just coincidence?

JAMES BLAKE: I don’t think it was either. Tomas played unbelievable. He hit six, eight lines, aced me probably six times. I guess he would have made 75% of his first serves. Just played great.

If you’re a top 15 player in the world, you have that ability to just play unbelievable tennis and blow your opponent off the court. He did that in the first set. I kind of caught it in the second set. We both had the ability. We both played pretty darn well in the third and fourth.

I don’t think it was any reason of me getting here late or anyone being tired. It was

Questo articolo è stato pubblicato Sabato, 10 Febbraio 2007 alle 02:16 e classificato in Coppa Davis, Interviste. Puoi seguire i commenti a questo articolo tramite il feed RSS 2.0. Puoi inviare un commento.