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Neely · 06-20-2005, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kfh_9118

Neely, you're so lucky to be able to see the match.
Is Kiwi playing poorly throughout the entire match?

Their coverage started in the third set only, before they showed a little bit of Federer vs Mathieu. But since they went to court #14, the match of Kiwi was really nothing special and, as I said, he looked in the fourth and half of fifth set very uninspired, without fire. Thanksfully he yelled out his anger a few times and showed Benneteau a few times his fist towards the end to get himself fired up.

It was absolutely no quality in the three sets that I saw, but I'm just happy for the moment that he won it.

THIS MATCH could have been a horrible and disgusting déjà-vu from last year against ToJo. Same court, same round and another 2-0 set lead. But this time with a won fifth set!

kek · 06-20-2005, 03:31 PM

Could he possibly make it harder for himself by winning these matches in 5 sets? Especially when you are up 2 sets to none. If he had lost this, I would have posted a not so friendly friendly message in his guestbook

However, he fought and did well. Maybe this will spark life into him. He is going have to play much better than this next round.

Neely · 06-20-2005, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kfh_9118

so it's a lucky escape for Kiwi to win this one.

Yes, definitely lucky escape. I think that Kiwi did not win a return point on Benneteau's first three service games in the fifth set. Then finally he found something to fire himself up and also Benneteau's injury timeout to get a massage on his thigh maybe was not too bad for Kiwi either because that was the turning point and after that he actually figured out again how to return.

kek · 06-20-2005, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neely

THIS MATCH could have been a horrible and disgusting déjà-vu from last year against ToJo. Same court, same round and another 2-0 set lead. But this time with a won fifth set!

Thankfully, he won it. Maybe he won it this time because I wasn't in the stands this year cheering him on

kek · 06-20-2005, 03:36 PM

I hope that he doen't take his next opponet too lightly Alessio Di Mauro. I have never heard of him and these guys who qualify can be very tricky.

JMG · 06-20-2005, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kek

I hope that he doen't take his next opponet too lightly Alessio Di Mauro. I have never heard of him and these guys who qualify can be very tricky.

Di Mauro has currently his career highest ranking, which could be a bad sign, but I saw him two years ago against Söderling and he had no powerful baseline shots and only an average serve. He played like a no.200 I think, I wonder how he could improve in the ranking so much. Another good thing is that he is a clay court player. He isn't a qualifier.

JMG · 06-20-2005, 05:30 PM

Maybe it's better that I didn't see it today. I never thought it could take more than 2 hours to win. Now it's only the task to take the 75 points an go home. I expect a triple 6-2 on Wednesday! I hope Högstedt kicks Kiwis ass, he shouldn't tolerate these matches.

sol · 06-20-2005, 06:47 PM

Well done Kiwi

Germany's Nicolas Kiefer shakes hands with Julien Benneteau of France (R) after defeating him in their first round men's singles match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, June 20, 2005. Kiefer won 6-3 7-6(5) 5-7 3-6 6-4. REUTERS/Toby Melville

Germany's Nicolas Kiefer celebrates winning a point in his first round men's singles match against Julien Benneteau of France at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, June 20, 2005. Kiefer won 6-3 7-6(5) 5-7 3-6 6-4. REUTERS/Toby Melville

Germany's Nicolas Kiefer returns the ball to Julien Benneteau of France in their first round men's singles match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, June 20, 2005. Kiefer won 6-3 7-6(5) 5-7 3-6 6-4. REUTERS/Toby Melville

Neely · 06-20-2005, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sol

Well done Marat

wrong forum!

but Marat did also play a good and very solid match!

Sol, thanks for adding these pictures!!

As you see the handshake wasn't too intense between the two

There were quite a few things which Benneteau directed towards Kiefer and Kiefer directed towards Benneteau. Also Benneteau felt cheated at this one point in the last game. Both guys were at the net and as Benneteau's ball was called out, he yelled something like "nooooo, no way!" and Kiwi yelled something back "ah come on, it's out" (I didn't understand it properly though) and Benneteau discussed with the chair umpire but the point was not overruled. After the match was over Benneteau also had a few more words for the Danish chair umpire.

JMG · 06-20-2005, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neely

As you see the handshake wasn't too intense between the two

Can you remember an intense handshake from Kiefer with eye-contact except against Haas?

JMG · 06-20-2005, 07:29 PM

.Kiefer - Day 1
Monday, June 20, 2005

Q. When you see the number of players in the tournament from Germany, France and Spain more than the US, then you see five Belgian men, more than Australia has, do you think there's a shift taking place in the power centers of tennis more to Europe with the men?

NICOLAS KIEFER: Good question. I mean, I didn't check how many Germans are in the draw, how many Swedes.

Q. 10 Germans, 12 French, 14 Spaniards, 9 Americans.

NICOLAS KIEFER: So we beat the Americans?

Q. Yes.

NICOLAS KIEFER: Good. No, I think you say we have 10 Germans in the main draw, it's great for the German tennis. Few times people say German tennis is down. Okay, we have many players around a hundred, but good young ones. I mean, they qualify here. What can I say?

I think it's great we have so many people in the main draw.

Q. Surprised that there are more from all these smaller European countries than the US?

NICOLAS KIEFER: Germany is big.

Q. Not compared to the US.

NICOLAS KIEFER: Well, US is not in the whole world. I mean, US, you have so many sports. You have basketball, you have American football, you have all the other kinds of sports. Germany is soccer and tennis. I don't know if this is the reason.

I mean, still, also players who are injured, who couldn't play for a long time. For example, James, he wasn't that lucky, but now he's on the way to come back.

Q. Do you think the development systems in Europe?

NICOLAS KIEFER: Great. You see we have 10 players. 12 from Spain.

Q. Why?

NICOLAS KIEFER: Why? I mean, I can only talk from Germany. In Germany we have like one center from German Federation in the south of Germany, one in the north of Germany. Of course, if there are 10 players in the main draw, everybody is happy. If there are only six, the question starts, "Where are the rest?"

At the moment we should be happy we have 10, but maybe next year we have 15, or maybe less.

Tricky_Forehand · 06-20-2005, 07:30 PM

His next opponent, Di Mauro, has been winning quite a bit lately. It's been on the clay but I'm sure that he has some sort of confidence. This is definitely not an easy road for Kiwi so far.

Neely · 06-20-2005, 07:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMG

Can you remember an intense handshake from Kiefer with eye-contact except against Haas?

lol, no not really.... but still this one was really one of the "lower intense" category. But IMO also because of Benneteau, not only Kiwi's fault this time

Das war wirklich nur im Vorübergehen

__________

BTW, good to see that finally again an interview of him was posted again! Is is a press conference trascript? I didn't see one of Kiwi for such a long time already!

JMG · 06-20-2005, 08:56 PM

Vielleicht hat Benneteau gedacht, diese mehrfache Zeigefinger-an-den-Kopf-Geste und das Kopfschütteln nach dem Matchball war an ihn gerichtet.

kiwifan80 · 06-20-2005, 09:02 PM

Congrats Kiwi!!!! Please just make it simple next round

Thanx for the pics Sol