Indian Wells 2014 - 14 March

STADIUM 1 Start 11:45 am

Roger Federer (SUI)
Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)
v
[2] Alexander Peya (AUT)
Bruno Soares (BRA)

Not Before 1:30 pm

Julien Benneteau (FRA)
v
[2] Novak Djokovic (SRB)

Not Before 3:30 pm

[12] John Isner (USA)
v
[20] Ernests Gulbis (LAT)

Not Before 6:30 pm

[6] Simona Halep (ROU)
v
[2] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)

Not Before 8:30 pm

[1] Na Li (CHN)
v
[20] Flavia Pennetta (ITA)

STADIUM 2 Start 4:00 pm

[1] Su-Wei Hsieh (TPE)
Shuai Peng (CHN)
v
[WC] Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)
Samantha Stosur (AUS)

MotD - Gulbis v Isner (Prediction - Gulbis in 2 close sets).

Enjoy!

Fedrinka out of doubles, beaten by Peya/Soares 6-4, 6-1.

It was a good run.

Interesting listening to Novak speaking on hiring Becker. I still believe problems in his game are by his own creation and only he himself can rectify.

Benneteau is playing like an absolute handshuffler.

Djokovic will breeze through this.

legendkillarV2 wrote:Interesting listening to Novak speaking on hiring Becker. I still believe problems in his game are by his own creation and only he himself can rectify.

To rectify the problems, he needs a whole new temperament and character.

And that's not going to happen.

There will again be times where he is unplayably good and has huge winning streaks. There will also be times where he completely blows some big opportunities to win slams. That's just the way he is.

Whatever his problems I just can't see any solution to anything that involves Becker. It mystifies me.

bogbrush wrote:Whatever his problems I just can't see any solution to anything that involves Becker. It mystifies me.

I'm doing my best to keep an open mind about it... but it's a position that is becoming increasingly hard to maintain.

Djokovic the GOAT, he just proved it   

Benne is fine on indoor HC, in the sun, not really.

HM Murdoch wrote:

bogbrush wrote:Whatever his problems I just can't see any solution to anything that involves Becker. It mystifies me.

I'm doing my best to keep an open mind about it... but it's a position that is becoming increasingly hard to maintain.

I am mystified on the Vajda departure/exit. I wish he had stayed in control. He managed to undo Todd Martin, perhaps he can come back and undo Becker as well.

This is a very biased opinion on my part, but Vajda probably had the more intimate cultural nuances than Becker does.
Just because Murray/Lendl and Federer/Edberg partnered did not imply Djokovic/Becker had to. If I had my choice for Djokovic, I would get Muster or Higueras to start coaching Djokovic. If Ferrero is willing to come back, then perhaps he is another choice.

LF, the Vajda departure was driven by Vajda himself rather than Novak. He wanted to be with his family more which he obviously couldn't do if he had to travel to Novak to every tournament.

Becker is a surprising choice in some ways but there is a logic to it. Becker was a good in the pressure moments and that's what Novak wanted to improve.

I don't think Novak's recent travails are due to Becker though. I think Novak is just not really that focused. His wedding is on the horizon which may be a distraction. I also saw this interesting quote in a recent interview Novak gave. Speaking about being today like he was in 2011:

"It's not possible, I'm a different person. I have different obligations in life, different priorities in life."

I agree with that Murdoch - Becker is quite blameless in Djokovic's travails (if you can call them that), but thwts why didn't understand the marriage in the first place. Nole's problems aren't technical, and I couldn't for all the money in the world understand how Becker could mentally tighten up Noles game.

That last sentence sounds like Graeme Smith's words in the months before he retired.... Marriage is an evil which destroys man eventually...

We must keep in mind though that even Murray-Lendl took a while to click.

Andy was no great shakes in 2012 until Wimbledon and even then he lost in the final. It wasn't until the Olympics that everything came together.

I share most people's surprise at the Becker appointment but it is still very early days (and Becker isn't even in IW, this is one of the tournaments that Vajda is there for).

And yes, I agree with you on that quote. Difference is that Smith was saying it at the end of his career after years at the top. Novak is saying it when he is supposedly in his prime.

Well it must be remembered that Murray was not at the level that Djokovic was when Lendl came calling. Besides, Lendl arrived to oversee Andy almost topple Rafa in the Australian Open where he lost in five sets in the semis. Djokovic is already a multiple slam winner.

As I see it there was a purpose to Lendl coaching Murray as both suffered a number of losses in slam finals so Andy was tapping into Ivan's experience of dealing with such crushing defeats. Roger, I feel is using Stefan in a similar type of way - to sort out the mental issues and fine tune his game in the correct area. What does Becker offer Djokovic though? Not words of wisdom that is for sure. I can only think of perhaps improving the serving action and stats but is that really necessary? Novak won slams with his own style of serving and for me it is the confidence and mental department he has slipped in and I don't see Boris as a cure to those.

I think Federer uses Edberg the way I'd put Bernie Eccleston on my Board; there's not much really he can actually help on, but there'd be some really cool conversations about stuff he did and you might pick up some insights.

I don't think there's much wrong with Djokovic really, except perhaps a bit of distraction from getting married. That might eventually finish him, especially if kids come along - very few have the focus or organisation to handle that (Nadal would collapse because of the demands of his focus  I think and I doubt he'll marry before retirement).

I just don't see Boris as an answer to anything at all really, not even gaps in the commentary booth.

bogbrush wrote:I think Federer uses Edberg the way I'd put Bernie Eccleston on my Board;

I hear this song right now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqdtzJvliMk

bogbrush wrote:I just don't see Boris as an answer to anything at all really, not even gaps in the commentary booth.

  You're not enlightened by such insights as "now it's a case of who wants it more" then?

CaledonianCraig wrote:

bogbrush wrote:I think Federer uses Edberg the way I'd put Bernie Eccleston on my Board;

I hear this song right now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqdtzJvliMk

Not really. I tried to think of a business figure I'd be interested in meeting to illustrate my post and couldn't think of anyone else. 99% are such unimaginative figures, very good at managing and operating! but very few have the depth of creativity and taste for risk taking & brinkmanship he has.

I know you don't like him. I just take it those qualities don't appeal to you.

Prefer spring and warmer weather for fishing myself.

Hold a different opinion if you like, but trying to duck the existence of opinions like that is just lame.

Becker is there purely for marketing, image and extra sponsorship enhancement.

Vajda will be in major masters and GS anyway to help him, emotionally.

And sorry BB but you are fishing for a bite. You admit you know I don't like Ecclestone and follow a post from myself and introduce someone not connected with tennis into the discussion in hope of a bite. Sorry no luck this time.

HM Murdoch wrote:We must keep in mind though that even Murray-Lendl took a while to click.

Andy was no great shakes in 2012 until Wimbledon and even then he lost in the final. It wasn't until the Olympics that everything came together.

I share most people's surprise at the Becker appointment but it is still very early days (and Becker isn't even in IW, this is one of the tournaments that Vajda is there for).

And yes, I agree with you on that quote. Difference is that Smith was saying it at the end of his career after years at the top. Novak is saying it when he is supposedly in his prime.

Actually the AO2012 was the first time in years Murray 'turned up' in a slam match against one of his big rivals. In that semi against Novak he played extremely well. I thought he was better in that match than the USO final later that year which he won!

But you are right, the Becker appt needs time. I was one of the (very) few that thought it might work out. Just because I thought the only real problem with Novak is that he wasn't as solid mentally or strategy wise in the big points in the big slam matches as he once was, something Becker was known for being very good at.

... I am starting to doubt my faith in the partnership though, to be perfectly honest.

CaledonianCraig wrote:And sorry BB but you are fishing for a bite. You admit you know I don't like Ecclestone and follow a post from myself and introduce someone not connected with tennis into the discussion in hope of a bite. Sorry no luck this time.

I don't want to upset you, but really you don't occupy the centre of my plans. Bernie Eccleston is the most fascinating and creative character and I'd be delighted to know him. I doubt he'd be much help for my business but he'd be most interesting to talk to, unlike many corporate bores with thorough competence in other matters or other people with tedious, externally-informed conventional attitudes.

And I thought this section was about tennis.   

It was, until you went off on one.

Why would you not like Bernie CC? Not someone to be loved, but hes a business legend. I've stopped him once on Belsize Park, shook hands and quite a smooth operator he is.

Well back to tennis then

Eh no. Get your facts straight eh? Bernie Ecclestone has naff all to do with tennis. Who brought him up first? You did. Before that the discussion was tennis-based. Anyways off to watch the dog. TTFN.

bogbrush wrote:I think Federer uses Edberg the way I'd put Bernie Eccleston on my Board; there's not much really he can actually help on, but there'd be some really cool conversations about stuff he did and you might pick up some insights.
.

That's the context in which I mentioned him. Tennis.

Then you got thinking everything was about you.....   

If I were you I'd hurry up in meeting him - how old is he again?