Indian Wells 2014 - 8 March

First topic message reminder :

Some very good matches to look forward to today.

(Stadium 1 and 2 Schedules only. Full Schedule - http://www.atpworldtour.com/posting/2014/404/op.pdf)

STADIUM 1 Start 11:00 am

[1] Na Li (CHN) v Jie Zheng (CHN)

Not Before 12:30 pm
Lukas Rosol (CZE) v [5] Andy Murray (GBR)

[Q] Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) v [7] Roger Federer (SUI)

Not Before 4:00 pm
[4] Maria Sharapova (RUS)
v
Julia Goerges (GER)

Not Before 7:00 pm
[1] Rafael Nadal (ESP) v Radek Stepanek (CZE)

Not Before 8:30 pm
Ajla Tomljanovic (CRO) v [17] Sloane Stephens (USA)


STADIUM 2 Start 11:00 am
[11] Tommy Haas (GER) v Jeremy Chardy (FRA)

[17] Kevin Anderson (RSA) v Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)

Francesca Schiavone (ITA) v [16] Samantha Stosur (AUS)

[3] Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) v Ivo Karlovic (CRO)

Not Before 5:00 pm

Santiago Giraldo (COL) v [19] Kei Nishikori (JPN)

[1] Bob Bryan (USA) Mike Bryan (USA) v Scott Lipsky (USA) Florian Mayer (GER)

My personal favorite for the day is Hewitt v Anderson (will he get 600 career wins today?).

Enjoy!

Berdych gets his break back. BA is just dying by his own mistakes on his own serve.

Come on Agut, send him home.

But the Spaniard won't be denied and he breaks again to serve for the match at 5-4.

Jahu wrote:Come on Agut, send him home.

Berdych is helping. Can BA hold his nerve?

  Well played Bautista-Agut. He holds his nerve, surviving a break point in that last game, to come through in three sets after losing the first set. This early loss for Berdych could cost him a slide in the rankings dropping down at least one spot if not two.

Berdych.

Well, great for Agut. A good win, and anyway Berdy is a party spoiler

CaledonianCraig wrote:

Rightjugeiam wrote:could be, he is far from his peak level when winning the titles in 2012/13

My worry within Murray is motivation. He strived for so long for a slam and finally got it but then had the motivation to win Wimbledon and did that. Now what is the goal? I say this as since Wimbledon Andy has come out on a couple of occasions and said odd stuff like he doesn't care too much if he never reaches No.1 it is slams that drives him on. I am not sure I agree with that ethic.

I think there's a danger of reading too much into the form of a player, that most of us admitted wouldn't be 'on' until around June

Judging from the way he fought against Dimi, I have yet to see this lack of motivation

Lack of confidence, is probably the key, i.e. until he beats some of his peers, then the doubts about his surgery will remain and hence the performances

Also, Andy always used to be a notoriously slow starter - he's simply gone back to those days. Again, that's someone unsure of themselves

Wouldn't be surprised to see him now getting written off and then coming roaring back next year

Nice upset for Agut he really deserved it. This is what tennis is about when you think about the margins between great players and very good players is extremely thin and I think Berdy took it for granted when he came from behind to win the first set that Agut would just go away and fold. But the kid came back and waxed Berdy in set 2 and had the lead in set 3, gave back the break and still took it. Incredible show of mental fortitude. As a tennis player the only point that matters is the one you are currently playing or about to play. The future and the past does not exist and that was wonderfully demonstrated in this match. If Agut thought about the leads he lost and the opportunities he didn't take he would of lost that match.

socal1976 wrote:Nice upset for Agut he really deserved it. This is what tennis is about when you think about the margins between great players and very good players is extremely thin and I think Berdy took it for granted when he came from behind to win the first set that Agut would just go away and fold. But the kid came back and waxed Berdy in set 2 and had the lead in set 3, gave back the break and still took it. Incredible show of mental fortitude. As a tennis player the only point that matters is the one you are currently playing or about to play. The future and the past does not exist and that was wonderfully demonstrated in this match. If Agut thought about the leads he lost and the opportunities he didn't take he would of lost that match.

This is a very good point. But staying in the moment is one of the hardest things to do in sport. I can't do it even at my lowly level and lofty age. Really difficult.

For me the mental side exceeds the technical side in sport. I grant you that's a sweeping statement. But most sport is played in the mind.

Goodness knows how professionals stay in the moment.

Johnyjeep wrote:

socal1976 wrote:Nice upset for Agut he really deserved it. This is what tennis is about when you think about the margins between great players and very good players is extremely thin and I think Berdy took it for granted when he came from behind to win the first set that Agut would just go away and fold. But the kid came back and waxed Berdy in set 2 and had the lead in set 3, gave back the break and still took it. Incredible show of mental fortitude. As a tennis player the only point that matters is the one you are currently playing or about to play. The future and the past does not exist and that was wonderfully demonstrated in this match. If Agut thought about the leads he lost and the opportunities he didn't take he would of lost that match.

This is a very good point. But staying in the moment is one of the hardest things to do in sport. I can't do it even at my lowly level and lofty age. Really difficult.

For me the mental side exceeds the technical side in sport. I grant you that's a sweeping statement. But most sport is played in the mind.

Goodness knows how professionals stay in the moment.

It sounds like a cliche, but how many times do you see it. A player has 0-40 fails to break and then gives up the break in the very next game. I know this will sound all new age and cliched but I have a mantra when I play. Between points I just repeat "next ball, next ball". I call it next ball thinking. I don't want to think about the score or if it is set point or match point. I just want to put he best stroke possible on the very next ball. In sports, the mental side is huge, but in tennis as a one on one competition it is even bigger. PS Novak I work a lot cheaper than Boris. Seriously, Novak has lost a couple of slams because he has not strictly imposed this next ball thinking.

Tougha mantra to learn though. Hindsight is a lovely place to live in - pity time moves linearly.
I'd suggest Novak play a few cricket matches - no sport to better accentuate the importance of Next ball thinking than one where every ball could literally be your last.

@SoCal.. Djokovic's qtr is losing seeds like flies. He needs a couple of good tough matches.

Btw, very good matches so far for Thiem. I have liked the young man since his junior days. So far so good.

banbrotam wrote:

CaledonianCraig wrote:

Rightjugeiam wrote:could be, he is far from his peak level when winning the titles in 2012/13

My worry within Murray is motivation. He strived for so long for a slam and finally got it but then had the motivation to win Wimbledon and did that. Now what is the goal? I say this as since Wimbledon Andy has come out on a couple of occasions and said odd stuff like he doesn't care too much if he never reaches No.1 it is slams that drives him on. I am not sure I agree with that ethic.

I think there's a danger of reading too much into the form of a player, that most of us admitted wouldn't be 'on' until around June

Judging from the way he fought against Dimi, I have yet to see this lack of motivation

Lack of confidence, is probably the key, i.e. until he beats some of his peers, then the doubts about his surgery will remain and hence the performances

Also, Andy always used to be a notoriously slow starter  - he's simply gone back to those days. Again, that's someone unsure of themselves

Wouldn't be surprised to see him now getting written off and then coming roaring back next year

Yes you make some very good and valid points banbro. But it must be said that Andy, even when in that run of winning slams was still not hoovering up the smaller events.

Murray is on the verge of a big win, I can see it. Showing a few flashes of brilliance. Nadal had the advantage of pretty much being able to win on clay on one leg, so confidence grew quickly. Andy is never going to able to do that on a hard court with so many dangerous players about.

Don't be surprised if he wins Miami, thats my guess

CAS wrote:Murray is on the verge of a big win, I can see it. Showing a few flashes of brilliance. Nadal had the advantage of pretty much being able to win on clay on one leg, so confidence grew quickly. Andy is never going to able to do that on a hard court with so many dangerous players about.

Don't be surprised if he wins Miami, thats my guess

I see you posted this before arguably his most languid, mind numbingly poor performance in his career   

There were still some flashes of briliance

If Murray can play as poorly as this and still win - admittedly against an inexperienced player - then surely that's a good thing.