OH, THE INHUMANITY: Just when the compelling Andy Roddick vs. Marin Cilic quarterfinal was peaking for a clear dramatic turn at the very beginning of the fifth set, ESPN went to their outer broadcast booth for some mid-match chatter, missing the first two key points of the first game (which Roddick won).
COULDA, WOULDA, SHOULDA: What if Roddick were able to convert one of his three break points in the first game of the decisive fifth set?
THE STEFANKI INDEX: No other coach has tried to guide a more wide-ranging assortment of sweet-and-sour pupils than Larry Stefanki. Here’s our index of his feistiest and most benign players: 1. Marcelo Rios 2. John McEnroe 3. Fernando Gonzalez 4. Andy Roddick 5. Yevgeny Kafelnikov 6. Tim Henman 7. Jonas Bjorkman.
NOT SUITABLE FOR PRIMETIME: Roddick’s newest tactical wrinkles – using the slice backhand and going to his lower (dirtmeister) gears to hang in points – seemed to work well for the early rounds. But deep into a major, does it cut it against the very top players?
THE NEW INTIMIDATORS: Now that there’s a sense that even Roger Federer is beatable, is the Venus and Serena Williams doubles duo the most intimidating opponent in tennis? Just check out this take by Liezel Huber (who, with Cara Black, is seeded No. 1 in doubles at the AO): “The Williamses are strong, hit the ball so hard. But if we play our best, it’s not impossible for us to beat them.”
SOUND BYTES: As part of Australia Day, loud cannons went off just as Justine Henin and Nadia Petrova were playing their first-set tiebreaker in the quarters. The Australian Air Force circled around again and again during both women’s quarterfinal matches. Of course at the French Open on Kids Day, dozens of young kids create an almost non-stop racket. And about the worst distraction at ever-serene Wimbledon are the odd sounds of garbage trucks and compactors. In contrast, anything goes at the U.S. Open (clanking subway trains, thunderous LaGuardia/JFK planes, the howls of Heinekenized fans, etc.).
THE HARDEST GAME TO WIN IN TENNIS: According Martina Navratilova, the toughest game in tennis to win is to hold your serve to solidify a break once you’ve broken a top player.
SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL: In an era of giants, the women’s semis will feature 5-foot-5 Henin and 5-foot-4 Jie Zheng.
BREAKTHROUGH PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT (MEN): Even if Croat Marin Cilic goes down in flames against Andy Murray in the semis, he’s already the breakthrough player of the tournament.
TIMEKEEPER: When Pam Shriver was bemoaning how much time Maria Kirilenko was taking between points, she quipped, “[Umpire] Lynn Walsh is glancing down [but] I’m not sure if it’s at a stop watch or a calendar.” Shriver also claimed when the Australian Air Force flew exceptionally low during their Australia Day flyovers because they “wanted to see Kirilenko’s ball toss.”
THE BATTLE OF THE DREARY STATS: In her first-round loss, Maria Sharapova had 77 unforced errors. While going down to Nikolay Davydenko, Fernando Verdasco gifted the Russian 20 double faults.
THE ANTI-HENIN: For all her grandeur and grit, AO lovers still recall that Henin gave them a wretched “no mas” moment in the ’06 final against Amelie Mauresmo. (Somehow, we sense that the brave battler Roddick would never do that.)
CRUSHING FOREHAND RETURNS-OF-SERVE, DELICATE HALF-VOLLEYS AND FLATTENED FOREHANDS: A streaking, go-for-broke Roddick in the third and fourth sets against Cilic.
BORN-AGAIN BASHER: ESPN’s Darren Cahill reflected on Roddick’s extraordinary all-out play in the third and fourth sets against Cilic, saying, “I’ll tell you what – I haven’t seen Andy hit like this since he was a junior. He’s crushing the ball. This is as big as I’ve seen him from the back of the court. All the inhibitions are gone…He’s trying to keep the points short. He’s unpredictable and giving this guy no rhythm.”
SAY WHAT?: When Cilic was floundering midway through his match against Roddick, the usually flawless Dick Enberg said, “He’s completely ‘befaffled.’”
SAY IT AIN’T SO: Roddick has now fallen short in 25 straight majors since winning the USO in ’03, and has been knocked out of three straight Slams with dreary five-set losses (to Federer at Wimbledon, John Isner at the USO, and now Cilic in Melbourne).
NO RUSSIAN TO JUDGMENT HERE: Davydenko’s semi-grim march through the draw at last drew some attention. Cliff Drysdale said he’s the “most expressionless player on tour,” and The Tennis Channel noted that, like his idol, Ivan Lendl, the Russian has a “no-frills game based on repetition and hard work.”
POLE POSITION: Lukasz Kubot is the first Pole since Wojtek Fibak to reach the AO quarters.
GO FIGURE: Spaniard Nicolas Almagro played his fourth-round match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga with a broken wrist (and still managed to push the Frenchman to five sets)…At least one Spaniard has reached the AO men’s quarters for the past 16 years…After Verdasco offered up yet another double fault at a key moment against Davydenko, Justin Gimelstob noted, “This is just a donation to the Bank of Russia.”
THE CREATURE FROM THE LAGOON: After ESPN referred to Melbourne’s Yarra River, Brad Gilbert cautioned not to swim “in that thing. I took a swim in there once after Andre [Agassi] won one time and I looked like the creature from the lagoon when I came out.” Cliff Drysdale then joked, “You still look like the creature from the lagoon.”
MUMMY DEAREST: After noting how bandaged Serena was, Dick Enberg said that “Venus fashioned a nude look, while Serena went for the mummy look.”
REALITY CHECK: Reflecting on her time away from tennis, Heinin told the USA Today’s Doug Robson, “It shocked me a little bit to see real life and how selfish and focused people are. It’s the same everywhere, not just tennis. It’s the way the world is going. I wasn’t really open to this before. My trips for UNICEF were very difficult for this reason, but I discovered many things. I started to trust myself much more as a person. I’m more positive than in the past.”
