Mardy would've gotten direct entry into Rome b/c of others' withdrawals, but is playing an indoor green clay challenger instead. I'm not sure what to think.
Re: Mardy's not playing Rome - he's playing Tunica Challenger instead.
hmm i can't decide if thats a good thing or not, i want to say! what the hell are you doing? but at the same time i thin it could be a good move, get a few wins in and build his confidence back up! but if he loses in a challenger i hate to think what would happen to his confidence
Re: Mardy's not playing Rome - he's playing Tunica Challenger instead.
Yea, but the reverse is that indoor green Har-Tru clay is really NOTHING like outdoor slow European red clay and that if he is getting direct entry into Rome that he should really be going there and playing. he could always play challengers in Europe on red clay in between but for him it's the matches on red clay that he really needs. Sigh.
Re: Mardy's not playing Rome - he's playing Tunica Challenger instead.
Debstah said:
Yea, but the reverse is that indoor green Har-Tru clay is really NOTHING like outdoor slow European red clay and that if he is getting direct entry into Rome that he should really be going there and playing. he could always play challengers in Europe on red clay in between but for him it's the matches on red clay that he really needs. Sigh.
Re: Mardy's not playing Rome - he's playing Tunica Challenger instead.
he doesn't have to go through qualifiers. he's in directly because people have pulled out. if he plays rome, he'll be in the main draw. Somehow, his ranking is a lot higher than Robby's.
Caro, the only reason he would play is for confidence.
Re: Mardy's not playing Rome - he's playing Tunica Challenger instead.
Debstah said:
he doesn't have to go through qualifiers. he's in directly because people have pulled out. if he plays rome, he'll be in the main draw. Somehow, his ranking is a lot higher than Robby's.
Re: Mardy's not playing Rome - he's playing Tunica Challenger instead.
Yeah, when his Halle final falls off in a few weeks.... BUBYE MARDY!!!!!!!!! *plop* that'll be the sound of his ranking falling off the face of the earth.
Re: Mardy's not playing Rome - he's playing Tunica Challenger instead.
Debstah said:
Yeah, when his Halle final falls off in a few weeks.... BUBYE MARDY!!!!!!!!! *plop* that'll be the sound of his ranking falling off the face of the earth.
Re: Mardy's not playing Rome - he's playing Tunica Challenger instead.
uh, yes, it's been the consensus for many months.
You'd think the Olympics would've been a turning point in a positive way, but considering he hasn't won 2 matches in a row since, I guess maybe it was a turning point in a bad way.
Re: Mardy's not playing Rome - he's playing Tunica Challenger instead.
i think it's all mental! maybe we should just start lying to him and tell him it's an exhibition game, he seems to do alright then. "yes mardy roland garos is an exhibition tournament"..."no mardy it's not the french open it's a charity event"....."yes it's french for charity"..."honest"
you never know it could work. maybe i'll try that on him at queens!
Re: Mardy's not playing Rome - he's playing Tunica Challenger instead.
I wonder why Mardy chose to play Queens instead of Halle... the field is much tougher.
This is in Tennis-X's latest barbs... ouch.
"Is anyone playing worse than Mardy Fish this year? What's up, Super-Coach Todd Martin? Double what's up, traveling coach Scott Humphries?"
Anyway, I guess we'll find out tomorrow if Mardy's playing Rome or not - but that means he probably didn't leave until late Thursday or later, which means his preparation is next-to-nothing. Blah.
Re: Mardy's not playing Rome - he's playing Tunica Challenger instead.
Debstah said:
uh, yes, it's been the consensus for many months.
You'd think the Olympics would've been a turning point in a positive way, but considering he hasn't won 2 matches in a row since, I guess maybe it was a turning point in a bad way.
I hope he pulls out of it. I know Taylor Dent was shaken up for a few months when he got schooled by Roddick at the Australian Open, 6-0,6-0,6-0 or whatever.
Re: Mardy's not playing Rome - he's playing Tunica Challenger instead.
huh? Mardy wasn't beaten like that, he lost a tough, winnable 5-set match. That happens to players all the time. You get SMASHED by your countryman like Taylor did, well ok I understand that would be tough and take some of your confidence away. Nope, the Olympics loss isn't a good enough excuse for me. Plus it was many many months ago and he's made a lot of changes since then. nope, not an excuse.
Re: Mardy's not playing Rome - he's playing Tunica Challenger instead.
What I find interesting (and some may have forgotten) is that right after the Olympics Fish played in the US Open and lost in the second round from two sets to one up again, this time versus Tabara. That really seemed to be the killing blow, he completely crumbled after that in the indoor season - 3 points won in one set against Ancic but he somehow managed to come back and win, then he lost to Pavel 7-6 in the third after having served for the match. It's become obvious that he was massively overrated - not his talent level, but the amount he could achieve with that talent was severely overestimated. Two or three good tournaments a year will not get it done, and of course he has these continual injury problems.
The idea of playing a challenger isn't that bad in itself, but playing it on green clay and moreover on indoor green clay makes no sense as a preparation for playing on outdoor red clay. He could at least enter an event where conditions are similar to the major tournaments, but playing against inferior opposition on what is virtually a different surface will be of very little use, methinks.
Re: Mardy's not playing Rome - he's playing Tunica Challenger instead.
It's not often this happens, but Sjengster I totally agree with you. And some of us have definitely not forgotten his ridiculous capitulation at the USO.
But regardless, this was so long ago that I feel like with a new coaching team and stuff, he really should be beyond this mentally.
Re: Mardy's not playing Rome - he's playing Tunica Challenger instead.
Don't worry Deb - we'll agree again, don't know where, don't know when, but I know we'll agree again some sunny day...
I almost wonder whether the clay season is even worth bothering about for Fish - he doesn't have the pressure on him to perform on all surfaces as Roddick does since he's not in the same elite bracket, and he could almost adopt the same approach that old serve-volleyers like Rusedski do, ie use this period to train and build up strength for the grass season. If you wanted to devise the perfect anti-clay player then Fish is surely it, I still can't work out why PMac insisted on playing him in the DC final just to keep the young team dynamic going when everyone's favourite grinder Vinny Ice handed him and Roddick a lesson in practice sessions leading up to the tie.
There are some players who are limited by weak mental strength, some players limited by poor movement and fitness, some players who don't know how to co-ordinate the various elements of their game effectively - but I can't think of many who combine all three of those problems like Fish does. I was rooting for him in the Olympic final to stop the Raccoon claiming gold, and he's the only American who tries to play all-court tennis, but I prefer the kamikaze no-groundstroke approach of Denthead instead.
omg, I still have Mardy's Olympics final and second-round dismantling on tape somewhere. I find it really hard to watch Mardy's matches lately. Not because he loses, but it's the WAY he loses that really gets me (and everyone else too, I assume).
Throughout the entire second-round USO match, all I remember is Johnny Mac trashing Mardy the whole time. And Mardy deserved it. Remember all the trashing Andy got after that biazarre AO loss to Hewitt? Andy took it to heart and learned from it.
But everyone gets on Mardy--we all see and KNOW that he's squandering his talent--and you never get the impression that any of the well-meaning criticism is sinking in with him, or even if he really cares. He is so frustrating. :banghead:
Re: Mardy's not playing Rome - he's playing Tunica Challenger instead.
tangerine_dream said:
I find it really hard to watch Mardy's matches lately. Not because he loses, but it's the WAY he loses that really gets me (and everyone else too, I assume).
The photo of Todd Martin (in the Memphis locker-room earlier this year) that appears in Deuce is not a picture of a happy coach. He's lurking in the background while Fish is joking around with Blake before their match. Even though Fish went on to win that match (by the skin of his teeth), that photo of Martin is one of the most telling I've ever seen.
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