- Fed defeated Harrison in straights to set up a R3 with Roddick. The match seemed to go in straightforward fashion, until a crowd interference disturbed Fed’s rhythm. Fed was broken as he was serving for the match and he had to close it out in a TB. In any case, Fed’s presser after the match was nice reading, as he was asked about the younger generation (Raonic, Tomic, Harrison, etc). He was also asked about his prior illness at IW and what he had done to take care of his family — here’s a funny quote:
When they’re sick I take care of them, yeah, like and I take the germs and I give them cuddles and I try to make them feel better.
If I get sick, as well, that’s too bad, you know. But I’m not gonna just sit on the balcony and look inside, you know, and feel bad for them. (Smiling.)
I am cracking up at the thought of Fed sitting alone on a hotel balcony, selfishly peering in on his family — I’m glad to hear that was not the case!
- In upset news, Grigor Dimitrov (the “Baby Fed,” so adored for his 1HBH and style) pulled his first win over a top 10 player, when he beat Berdych. There’s a widespread perception of Dimitrov as someone who’s incapable of closing out big matches, but this win seems a huge display for his potential/skill. The joy on his face was palpable:
(Images from Getty)
- In other matches, Tipsy defeated Dolgo and Gillou defeated Melzer. Gillou faces a R4 with Muzz, who advanced when young prospect Raonic withdrew with an ankle injury. In slightly concerning news, Gasquet had a slight injury to his left thigh during his 3-set win over Stebe. It will be curious to see how he fares in his next match against Ramos (who upset Feli). Gilles Simon, (who just defeated Melzer) also has a few injury concerns, which favors Muzz.
- In doubles, Verdasco paired up with Marrero to defeat the Spanish Lopez (Feli and Marc) team. Verdasco does better in doubles with Marrero than with Feli. Hmm…
- Here’s an interesting post about the DelPo-Cilic match being scheduled at the main stadium tomorrow. Due to the large South American population in Miami and the crowds that turn out to support their players, tourny organizers apparently decided to schedule DelPo’s match on center court. Mardy Fish was not pleased at having to play a smaller court. It’s sad Fish has been overlooked, but he has his chances to play on center courts at Cincinnati and perhaps the USO, later this year. There actually is a very simple solution to this scheduling dilemma — just take Roddick, now ranked no. 34, off center court and replace him with top-ranked Fish. I’m guessing that’s not going to happen though. Rock and a hard place, Mardy. Wasn’t Mardy the one who berated the umpire last week in Indian Wells, with the line “Do you know where you are right now?” That makes it difficult for me to sympathize with his scheduling plight — although perhaps my heart-of-steel feels one (just one!) ounce of sympathy for him.
- Florian Mayer defeated Isner, 6-4 6-2. Flo can be a dangerous player and he has a unique but pleasant style. This is a good win for him, and it’s, selfishly, for me, a great way to stop the full-on momentum train that Isner seemed to be travelling on. If anything, I hope it puts a halt to the “Isner will win a GS and be top 5” story lines.
- In some gossip-y news, Tomic lost in straight sets to Ferru. During the match, he asked the umpire to eject his father (John Tomic, who is also his coach) from the stands. He told the umpire that his father “was annoying [him],” and he thanked the umpire when a coaching violation was issued. Afterwards, in his post-match presser, Tomic claimed it had been a mis-understanding, and that he had only wanted to ask his father to have his racquets re-strung. While I am certain by now that Tomic is a brat-of-sorts, I can’t help but also feel a bit of sympathetic curiosity. At 19-years old, he is an adult, but the ties to his father (who’s coached him since the start) must present a dilemma that is at odds with his still-perceived-to-be-rising-star. Whether or not he continues to repulse us with his off-court antics and general shenanigans, I hope the coaching situation doesn’t catapult his tennis career into tragic territory.
mariposaxprs 