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Post by SuperMarion on Feb 24, 2008 17:43:50 GMT
Deleted my post. Too silly and emotional.
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Post by jimm on Feb 24, 2008 19:23:21 GMT
You still made some good points in it though
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Post by SuperMarion on Mar 3, 2008 19:49:42 GMT
Murray beat Roger
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Post by SuperMarion on Mar 3, 2008 19:50:49 GMT
He didnt have to defend a single bp in the match!
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Post by jimm on Mar 4, 2008 0:57:19 GMT
Wimbles is the thing Alice. All else is trivial. He will not win Wimbles. FedExpress is out for the real Tiile.
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Post by SuperMarion on Mar 4, 2008 16:31:01 GMT
True. Was just looking at a Wimbles pic
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Post by jimm on Mar 5, 2008 20:15:34 GMT
Murray struggles through in Dubai By James Standley
Murray failed to hit the heights he managed against Roger Federer
Andy Murray followed up his win over Roger Federer with a nervous victory against Fernando Verdasco in the Dubai Championships second round.
A single break in the sixth game saw Murray take the first set 6-3 but, with Murray struggling on serve, Verdasco won the second set 6-3.
The Scot claimed the initial break in the third and although Verdasco broke back, Murray won the tie-break 7-5.
Unseeded Murray will play fifth seed Nikolay Davydenko in the last eight.
News conference: Andy Murray
The game will take place on Thursday afternoon and will not get under way before 1500 GMT.
Davydenko ensured four of the top five seeds made it into the quarter-finals, following world number one Federer's first-round demise.
Second seed Rafael Nadal swept past Russian Mikhail Ledovskikh 6-4 6-0 and Novak Djokovic saw off veteran Frenchman Fabrice Santoro 6-3 7-6 (7-3).
Nadal will meet Andy Rodthingy who beat Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-3 6-3, while Djokovic faces Igor Andreev, a surprise 6-3 6-4 winner over Richard Gasquet.
Fourth seed David Ferrer booked a meeting with fellow Spaniard Feliciano Lopez with a 3-6 7-5 6-1 win over Belgium's Olivier Rochus.
606: DEBATE Well done AM but that was not very convincing against an opponent who is ranked 30 in the world
prasinethee
Murray - whose serve was so impressive in his win over Federer - struggled on Wednesday in windy conditions.
"I was struggling to find the right shots and was mis-hitting a lot of balls - I'm just glad to get through in the end," he said.
"To play a match after winning against Federer was always going to be difficult mentally. It was really tough because there was no pressure against Federer and today I was expected to win.
"Davydenko is a tough match, he's been in the top 10 for the past few years but I've got a good record against him."
Murray, who beat Federer in three sets on Monday, had won both of his previous meetings with world number 30 Verdasco.
Games went with serve until 3-2 in the first set and, although Murray had to save a break point in the fifth game, he promptly claimed the decisive break in the very next game.
Verdasco saved the first three break points but on the fourth he cracked, double-faulting to give Murray a 4-2 lead.
The Scot had to save two break points in his next service game, some big serving getting him out of trouble, and two games later he closed out the first set in style with his third ace, only to soon find himself in trouble in the second set.
A poorly-executed drop shot at break point down in his first service game, followed by a mid-court lob, enabled Verdasco to claim his first break of the match.
Murray forced two break points in the Spaniard's next service game and although Verdasco managed to fight him off that time, he fell apart in his next service game to gift Murray the break and get the set back on serve.
However, Murray's serve, so impressive in his first round win over Federer, was rapidly falling apart.
He was only making 36% of his first serves, down from 61% in the first set, and Verdasco was immediately able to break back and take a decisive lead in the set.
Murray was looking sullen and frustrated by his inability to impose himself and he had to fight off a break point in the third game of the decider, his serve briefly flickering back into life to save him.
The Scot was fighting himself as much as his opponent but over the next couple of games he showed signs of better form and managed to break in the sixth game, only to immediately hand the break back as his form again dipped.
Both players had brief periods of ascendancy and a nervy Murray was lucky to survive a break point at 5-5 as the match went to a tie-break.
The Scot took an early 3-0 lead in the tie-break and when Verdasco blazed a second serve return yards wide to go 4-1 down the writing was on the wall.
Murray soon found himself with four match points, only to make errors on the first three occasions.
His fourth chance came on his serve and after an agonisingly long rally Verdasco cracked, hitting a forehand yards over the baseline to hand Murray a 6-3 3-6 7-6 win.
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Post by jimm on Mar 5, 2008 20:18:29 GMT
Federer not impressed by Murray Mon Mar 3, 2008 9:17pm GMT By Barry Wood
DUBAI (Reuters) - Roger Federer was beaten by Andy Murray on Monday but believes the Briton's game has not really changed since they first met on the ATP Tour in 2005.
The world number one first met Murray in the Thailand Open final 2-1/2 years ago when the Briton was ranked 109th.
Although Federer won that contest, Murray has beaten him in their other two encounters.
In the last two seasons, the 20-year-old Murray has claimed five titles but Federer was not very impressed by the world number 11's tactics on Monday.
"I don't think he's changed his game a whole lot since I played him in the Bangkok final," the Swiss said after he was beaten 6-7 6-3 6-4 in the first round of the Dubai Championships by Murray.
"Not that I'm disappointed but I really would have thought he would have changed it in some ways."
Federer added that Murray would have to work very hard to sustain a career at the top of men's tennis.
"It sort of works for him but he's going to have to grind very hard for the next few years if he keeps playing this way," said Federer.
"He stands way far behind on the court and (that means) you've got to do a lot of running, and he tends to wait a lot for the mistake of the opponent.
"I gave him the mistakes today but I think overall, over a 15-year career, you want to look to win a point more often than for the guy (opponent) to miss.
"That's what served me well over the years but who knows, he might surprise us all and do it for 20 years."
Murray was surprised by Federer's comments.
"You do different things against different players." said the Scot.
"You go and watch my match against Rafael Nadal at the (2007) Australian Open, and I was playing pretty close to the baseline in that match and taking a lot of risks because I think that's the right way to play against him," said Murray referring to his five-set defeat by the Spaniard.
"Against Federer I don't think that's the right way to play. I'm not going to play that sort of game against someone that defends as well as Federer does."
He also hit back by highlighting the improvements he has made to his game.
"My serve is clearly much better than it was two years ago," he said. "I feel quicker and stronger around the court. Mentally I feel like I'm better.
"But there are still some things in my game that I want to improve and it does take some time to put them into the match court. I feel like I've started to do that this year."
(Editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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mb007
New Member
Posts: 4
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Post by mb007 on Mar 5, 2008 22:59:20 GMT
Sour grapes Roger, or fair comment?
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Post by jimm on Mar 7, 2008 12:22:23 GMT
Davydenko defeats Murray in Dubai Andy Murray lost against Nikolay Davydenko in the singles quarter-final at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships. Andy Murray lost to the world No 5, Nikolay Davydenko, 5-7 4-6 in the quarter-final at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships. The first set went with serve until 5-5 when Davydenko broke and then held – both games going to deuce. However, Murray rallied in the second set and raced into 3-0 lead, only for the Russian right-hander to claw his way back and eventually clinch the set 6-4. In the opening two rounds, Murray impressively defeated the world No 1, Roger Federer, 6-7(6) 6-3 6-4 and Fernando Verdasco 6-3 3-6 7-6(5). Davydenko will now meet Feliciano Lopez who defeated fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 6-4 6-3 in the last eight. Next week, the 20 year-old British No 1 will travel to Indian Wells, California, to compete in the Pacific Life Open Masters Series tournament."
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Post by jimm on Mar 7, 2008 12:45:52 GMT
Andy Rodthingy upsets Rafael Nadal to advance to Dubai semifinals; Connors resigns as his coach DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)—Andy Rodthingy used his strong serve to upset Rafael Nadal 7-6 (5), 6-2 Thursday and reach the semifinals of the Dubai Tennis Championships, and then announced he has split with coach Jimmy Connors. Rodthingy said that Connors resigned about a week ago because he wanted to spend more time with his family. “I still have the utmost respect for Jimmy and thank him for his time,” Rodthingy said. He credited the eight-time Grand Slam champion for having greatly improved his backhand and boosted his “fighting spirit.” The sixth-ranked Rodthingy closed the match with one of his 17 aces, and had numerous service winners against the second-ranked Spaniard. One ace was 149.75 mph, breaking the Dubai serve record he set a day earlier. “I knew I was going to hit it well, from the first point. I kind of let it fly, and that’s what it took tonight,” Rodthingy said. “Anything less than that and I wasn’t going to win.” Rodthingy had several love games in the match, using his powerful forehand to keep Nadal at bay. Novak Djokovic of Serbia gestures after defeating Igor Andreev of Russia during their quarter final match at the Emirates Dubai Tennis Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, March 6, 2008. Djokovic won the match 6-2, 6-1. Novak Djokovic of Serbia gestu… AP - Mar 6, 1:50 pm EST “The way he was serving tonight, it’s tough,” Nadal said. “You feel a lot of pressure when you’re serving.” Nadal said he made too many errors on his forehands on crucial points. “Against a big server you have to put these balls in if you want to win,” Nadal said. “It’s disappointing for me today.” Rodthingy will next face third-ranked Novak Djokovic, who beat Igor Andreev 6-2, 6-1. “It’s going to be a big challenge for both of us,” Djokovic said. “Rodthingy has the strongest and probably the best serve in today’s tennis.” Also on Thursday, Nikolay Davydenko edged Andy Murray 7-5, 6-4 to reach the semifinals. Murray, who had upset top-ranked Roger Federer in the first round, was forced out of his defensive game by the fifth-ranked Russian’s hard serves and quick moves on the baseline. “I played well,” said Davydenko, who trailed 3-0 in the second set. “If you are crazy, you can lose your match. … If you are concentrated you can win every game.” Murray opened the tournament by extending Federer’s losing streak to two matches." “I’m not terribly disappointed with the week as a whole,” Murray said." Great players do not always make great coaches. Andy's problem is he cannot vary his game. Unless Federer is on the slide, Federer will always beat him. I wonder if Rafa has burned to brightly?
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Post by jimm on Mar 7, 2008 12:51:45 GMT
Davydenko beats Murray in Dubai
Murray's frustration got the better of him on more than one occasion
Andy Murray's frustration boiled over as his Dubai run came to an end in the quarter-finals with a 7-5 6-4 defeat by Russia's Nikolay Davydenko.
The opening set was nip and tuck until Murray lost serve in the 11th game to hand Davydenko the chance to go ahead.
The 20-year-old Briton was lucky to escape censure for a string of audible expletives, but he rallied to take a 3-0 early in the second set.
However, Davydenko responded superbly with two breaks to seal the match."
He should have been censured. I am really taking a dislike to Murray. ( a sad statement from another Scot)
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Post by jimm on Mar 7, 2008 12:55:22 GMT
Andy Rodthingy and Jimmy Connors
Rodthingy and Connors had been working together since July 2006 American Andy Rodthingy has announced he has split from his coach Jimmy Connors after beating world number two Rafael Nadal 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 at the Dubai Open.
Rodthingy began working with Connors, an eight-time Grand Slam champion, in July 2006 and blamed "logistical reasons" on the split.
"Jimmy resigned, about a week ago," said Rodthingy, 25. "I think it was tough for him to do it part-time.
"I'm sad but thankful for the time he took out of retirement to give to me."
There had been rumours about the pair's relationship after Connors showed up late to the Australian Open, where Rodthingy lost in the third round to Philipp Kohlschreiber.
Connors is credited with reigniting Rodthingy's spirit and enthusiasm for the game and helping him reach the final of the US Open in 2006.
Under Connors's guidance, Rodthingy also led the US team to victory in the Davis Cup in 2007.
The thing about Jimmy is you don't just learn stuff about tennis
Andy Rodthingy
"When we got together I was as close to down and out as I've been," said Rodthingy, the world number six.
"I really credit him for that spark and getting me back to the top five. He's helped my backhand a ton - it's a lot more solid.
"He maybe did not exactly get the results he wanted, but at the same time he was retired even before we started.
Rodthingy confirmed it was Connors who officially made the split largely because of the pressures of spending so much time on the road.
"You try to understand where someone's head is at, from a distance, as well as you can," said the American.
"But when I am going from Australia to Austria to California to Memphis to Dubai it becomes difficult.
"I really enjoyed my time with him. The thing about Jimmy is you don't just learn stuff about tennis."
Rodthingy intends carrying on without a coach for the time being. He travels with his brother John Rodthingy and former ATP trainer Doug Spreen.
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Post by jimm on Mar 8, 2008 10:55:49 GMT
Lopez shocks Davydenko in Dubai
Lopez has won only one ATP Tour event Feliciano Lopez caused a massive upset when he defeated fifth seed Nikolay Davydenko 6-4 4-6 7-5 to secure his place in the Dubai Open final.
The unseeded Spaniard beat Andy Murray's conqueror to set up a showdown with American Andy Rodthingy on Saturday.
Lopez - ranked 41 in the world - came back from 2-5 down in the final set to secure his victory over the Russian.
Rodthingy beat Novak Djokovic 7-6 6-3 and said: "I'm excited. I played well and I played the right way."
The sixth seed added: "I had to, otherwise I wasn't going to win. He wasn't missing at all in the first set.
"He wasn't missing serves and I couldn't get into his service games."
It should have been my match but he won
Nikolay Davydenko
Rodthingy looked in fine touch against the Australian Open champion, making the decisive break in the eighth game of the second set to go 5-3 up before serving for the match.
"I definitely had to try to stay the course and try and tough out some games before I got the momentum on my side there in the tiebreak," said Rodthingy.
Lopez made the worst possible start against Davydenko, winning just one point in his first three games as the Russian cruised to a 4-2 lead.
But the 26-year-old rediscovered his rhythm and promptly won the next four games to take the set.
The second set was a closer affair, but Davydenko hit back with a break in the ninth game to level the match.
Lopez had looked beaten at 5-2 down in the final set, but completed an impressive comeback by clinching the next five games to win the game.
"It was really good for me because to win a match from 5-2 in the third is tough," said Lopez. "I made it but I think I was a little bit lucky."
A disappointed Davydenko blamed errors at crucial times for his defeat.
"At 5-3 I thought I would win the match," he said.
"It was bad luck. On a few points on my serve I made a mistake and he played pretty well, tried to make no mistakes and pushed the ball back.
"It should have been my match but he won."
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Post by SuperMarion on Mar 8, 2008 11:25:50 GMT
Rodd!ck and Connors split by mutual consent.. Suddenly Rodd!ck reaches a final..
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