PARIS — A shotmaking frenzy! What else could you call the two firefights — aka semifinals — that lit up Roland Garros Saturday, leaving Fernando Gonzalez and Juan Martin Del Potro biting the swirling salmon-toned dust. Hail to them. Though defeated, they made a showdown such as this old ball park hasn’t seen in 39 years: a brilliant final four, two heatedly contested … [Read more...] about TUMULTUOUS MENS’ SEMIS DAY IN PARIS
Federer
KOOZY DOESN’T GO WOOZY THIS TIME; FEDERER’S LOOKING LIKE FEDERER
PARIS – It was a good day for the heartbreak kids. The year’s first major, the Australian Open was a crusher for both of them: Svetlana Kuznetsova and Roger Federer. He actually wept, on court, after losing the final to Rafa Nadal. I bet she bawled in the dressing room after blowing a true shot at the title by bungling in her semifinal against Serena Williams, who became the … [Read more...] about KOOZY DOESN’T GO WOOZY THIS TIME; FEDERER’S LOOKING LIKE FEDERER
AN UNFORGETTABLE SHOT KEEPS ROGER ALIVE; NO NEED TO FIGURE OUT NADAL
For weeks people kept asking me, “What does Roger have to do to beat Rafa and win the French Open?” That was the question perplexing journalists and fans. Schemes and theories were set forth with a lot of advice and hope. The Federerians outnumber all other player-followers, and they were suffering. So what is the answer to the question? Nothing. Nothing, as it turns out, … [Read more...] about AN UNFORGETTABLE SHOT KEEPS ROGER ALIVE; NO NEED TO FIGURE OUT NADAL
THERE’S NEW LIFE IN ROGER YET, AND THE FRENCH BECOMES INTERESTING
PARIS — So, does Roger return to his former status as “the greatest player of all time”? Probably, at least with some of his countless idolaters, who took his recent hammerings by Rafa Nadal personally. They suffered. He suffered. The Federer family suffered. But Madrid alleviated some of that suffering. However, Madrid isn’t Paris. Just as Little Rock isn’t Las Vegas. The … [Read more...] about THERE’S NEW LIFE IN ROGER YET, AND THE FRENCH BECOMES INTERESTING
AUSSIE ENDS WITH A LALAPALOOZA – ROUNDHOUSE RAFA CONNECTS
Pete Sampras couldn’t defend himself. But a friend in need turned out to be a young Spanish guy who responded when Sampras screamed, “Stop thief!” The prospective thief, named Roger Federer, had his eyes and grasping hands on Sampras’s treasure, the record 14 major singles championships he earned over 13 years of roaming the world with a dominating tennis racket. Federer … [Read more...] about AUSSIE ENDS WITH A LALAPALOOZA – ROUNDHOUSE RAFA CONNECTS