[partygirl]

Originally Posted by debra ¡|:!

he's just got to be really aggressive and that means standing on the baseline. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Andy just do it.

already.

[Golfnduck]

Originally Posted by debra ¡|:!

yeah, his BH was surprisingly consistent yesterday and he went down the line a pleasantly surprising amount. But the defensive positioning will simply kill him on grass. I mean I think this goes without saying but he's just got to be really aggressive and that means standing on the baseline. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Andy just do it.

His BH was good yesterday. I agree with the court positioning too, it left something to be desired. He did hit a few FH's inside the baseline, but not enough. Hopefully John will work on that.

[Deboogle!.]

There was that one point late in the 2nd set, Andy was just smashing these shots from the FH AND BH running little Martin from side to side and then he finished it with a huge FH. I was on MSN with Amber freaking out about it being the best point I've seen him play in like 2 years, after which PMac was gushing that Andy needs to freeze that point and watch a tape of it, that's how good it was. Andy's getting it back, little by little. Yesterday, his court positioning wasn't great and obviously he had other problems that were out of his control, but I don't remember thinking "omg his shots are all landing so short" - and that is a REALLY good sign.

[acoffeygirl]

I thought that too Deb when I got home and watched the match. Maybe it was because Martin seemed to be really far behind the baseline...so in comparison Andy didn't seem to bad. I noticed too that his shots didn't seem to be landing short. That point in the second set was just beautiful.

[Fumus]

Originally Posted by debra ¡|:!

There was that one point late in the 2nd set, Andy was just smashing these shots from the FH AND BH running little Martin from side to side and then he finished it with a huge FH. I was on MSN with Amber freaking out about it being the best point I've seen him play in like 2 years, after which PMac was gushing that Andy needs to freeze that point and watch a tape of it, that's how good it was. Andy's getting it back, little by little. Yesterday, his court positioning wasn't great and obviously he had other problems that were out of his control, but I don't remember thinking "omg his shots are all landing so short" - and that is a REALLY good sign.

I watched that point online and it was something to be seen. Nice backhands down the line, and nice forehands deep and powerful. Andy worked the point, then smacked and inside out cross court forehand winner, which Martin just stared at and brought applause from the crowd.

[Deboogle!.]

Too much practice making Roddick far from perfect
TENNIS

BY JAMES BECK
The Post and Courier

I've just figured out Andy Roddick's problem this year. He's having too much time to practice.

That may sound foolish, but it's probably right, because his match competition has been so limited. Of course, Roger Federer doesn't have that problem. Even if Federer loses to Rafael Nadal, it's usually in a final. There goes the extra time for practice.

Roddick can't seem to break his recent habit of early-round losses. He's at it again. Wimbledon won't start for nearly four weeks. So, Roddick has the better part of a month to agonize over his loss to Alberto Martin (who?) on Tuesday in the first round of the French Open.

This loss is a little different in that Roddick was forced to retire after losing the first two sets. The extra time off should give Roddick's sore ankle time to fully recover. If there is such a thing, this loss could turn out to be a good one for Roddick. Wimbledon is his tournament . . . and now he has plenty of time to prepare.

Grass tricky

After a recent vacation stop by the Crandon Park Tennis Center in Key Biscayne, Fla., I now understand a little better why only a select few players consistently fare well on Wimbledon's grass.

The reason why some players perform better on grass usually starts out with a big serve such as Roddick's or Pete Sampras' or someone with extraordinary hand-eye coordination such as Federer or Andre Agassi, or a simply brilliant volleyer such as Stefan Edberg, or someone as versatile, talented and quick as Bjorn Borg or Federer.

Crandon Park is a vast layout owned by Miami-Dade County. It has a wonderful stadium that can be seen worldwide each March during the Nasdaq 100, usually regarded as pro tennis' fifth major event. Other than the sprawling stadium where the 13,400 seats all are chair-backed, the complex is rather plain when compared to our own Family Circle Tennis Center.

Located just a few hundred yards from the excellent Crandon Park beaches, the complex has a world of potential. It has every type of surface imaginable, including two grass courts.

Having been exposed to grass courts only through TV viewing, I couldn't resist driving around the complex until I located the grass courts. Although numerous juniors and others were in training about the USTA training facility, the grass courts sat idly on the edge of the property.

The serve effect

Luckily, we had taken a few tennis balls and a couple of rackets with us on vacation. Although obviously not in top condition like the lawns of Wimbledon, it didn't take long to realize just how different playing on grass can be.

Balls hit down upon, such as serves, skid across the grass once they make contact with the surface, while softly hit balls have very little bounce in them. That explains perfectly why Roddick's booming serve is so difficult for everyone other than Federer to return. Or why one-dimentional players such as Roscoe Tanner and Goran Ivanisevic were able to ride their serves so well at Wimbledon.

Plus, if you can serve like Sampras, and knock off volleys with such ease, the task is further aided.

At least the volleys are usually predictable. It's just when the ball makes contact with the surface that predictability can go out the window.

With that in mind, Roddick now has some extra time to work on a serve-and-volley game. Hopefully, his ankle will heal quickly.

[nisha]

so is andy in england or has he gone back to the us....the weather is crap here!!

[acoffeygirl]

He is staying over there I believe. I don't think we know if he is in England yet. He needs to rest his ankle for a few days, so I guess it is ok that the weather is crap right now.

[Golfnduck]

Originally Posted by debra ¡|:!

There was that one point late in the 2nd set, Andy was just smashing these shots from the FH AND BH running little Martin from side to side and then he finished it with a huge FH. I was on MSN with Amber freaking out about it being the best point I've seen him play in like 2 years, after which PMac was gushing that Andy needs to freeze that point and watch a tape of it, that's how good it was. Andy's getting it back, little by little. Yesterday, his court positioning wasn't great and obviously he had other problems that were out of his control, but I don't remember thinking "omg his shots are all landing so short" - and that is a REALLY good sign.

I wish I had that point on tape, it was a GREAT point

[Carito_90]

Alberto Martin (who?)

I don't care what the guy wrote, that WINS.

[Deboogle!.]

Obviously he reads what we say here

[Jennay]

Originally Posted by debra ¡|:!

There was that one point late in the 2nd set, Andy was just smashing these shots from the FH AND BH running little Martin from side to side and then he finished it with a huge FH. I was on MSN with Amber freaking out about it being the best point I've seen him play in like 2 years, after which PMac was gushing that Andy needs to freeze that point and watch a tape of it, that's how good it was. Andy's getting it back, little by little. Yesterday, his court positioning wasn't great and obviously he had other problems that were out of his control, but I don't remember thinking "omg his shots are all landing so short" - and that is a REALLY good sign.

I remember that point, he was striking the ball sooo well. I wish he would do it consistently. I agree with PMac - he needs to watch that point on tape.

[Deboogle!.]

Andy's in London. Already. Wow. Speechless.
============
http://www.latimes.com/sports/tennis...-sports-tennis

Andy Roddick's agent, Ken Meyerson, said his injured client traveled to London instead of going home to rest his left ankle and would probably resume training in a few days.

Roddick retired in the third set of his first-round match against Alberto Martin of Spain, marking the third time he has lost in the first round here. In his last three Slams, he has gone out in the first round twice and the fourth round once.

"He's won five tournaments on clay," said Meyerson, who added he would like to see a little more swagger from his client. "I'd like him to come in with a mind frame that he can win this tournament."

Two British newspapers raised the possibility of Hall of Famer Jimmy Connors working with Roddick, but Meyerson said he had not heard of such a scenario until asked by a reporter on Thursday. Roddick is coached by his brother, John, who took over from Dean Goldfine after the Australian Open.

[Jade Fox]

He's already in London? Damn. Where's a faint smilie when you need one?

[Caren]

NEWS ALERT!!

ANDY RODDICK ACTUALLY DID SOMETHING WORTHWHILE