U.S. Open Diary - Day 9
If you needed any more proof that the best time to come to the U.S. Open is during the first week, you just needed to look at today's day schedule. The only three men's matches for the day were Moya/Gulbis, Chela/Wawrinka, and Djokovic/Monaco - hardly captivating stuff. Also consider that this is still very early in the second week, and the matches only get more infrequent from here on out. To any readers who haven't yet been to Flushing Meadows, I would urge you to go during the first or second rounds of the opening week, which is usually Monday-Friday. You'll get a much better experience for your money.
With this lackluster schedule in mind, I needed to play my cards well today. Djokovic and Monaco were playing too late in the day for my taste (I have responsibilities at night as well), and Chela/Wawrinka was just too ghastly to consider. I quickly decided that I wanted to cover the Gulbis/Moya match, mainly becuase I had never seen Gulbis play before.
Today's match revealed plenty to me about the baby-faced Latvian. He goes for everything - think James Blake's forehand and Rafael Nadal's backhand - just without any consistency. Gulbis is only 19, so he'll make some necessary adjustments after this experience, but it was still a hell of a tournament for him. Absolutely pummeling on Tommy Robredo (losing only six games in their third round match) is no small achievement, and falling to a Grand Slam champion is nothing to bemoan either. Ernests (goes to New York) was also a good sport at the post-match press conference, where Bud Collins skewered him with questions about the state of Latvian tennis. I, however, took notes and composed my match review, after speaking to Moya as well.
Today I also had the chance to finally meet the esteemed L. Jon Werthiem of Sports Illustrated fame. He's a great guy and it was a pleasure to finally chat with him in person after numerous emails back and forth. His archive link is on the right-hand side of this blog - where it has been since [G/R]'s inception.
The night session featured another untimely exit for Nadal (this match wrapped up only minutes ago), but not before a Djokovic match that went long, as well as Henin/Serena. Nadal/Ferrer didn't even start until 10:20, finally wrapping up at 1:50 AM. Imagine if Djokovic/Monaco went five sets, or if Henin/Williams went three? After seeing the night scheduling up close these past weeks, I don't know how the USTA doesn't consider starting the morning session at 10:00 AM instead of 11:00 AM.
Rafa's third straight US Open disappointment will rekindle "he can't play on hard court" discussions, but that's laughable after winning Indian Wells earlier this year. However, discussions about his abilities at Flushing Meadows are fair game from my point of view. Rafa has never really been able to come to life in the New York spotlight, or display his stylish/physical game that he's built his name on to the eager crowds. Does he truly embrace the U.S. Open as a whole? It's a question worth asking.
One thing I neglected to mention yesterday was that I bought a $7 milkshake at the grounds with my meal allocation. Why is the dollar amount so important? Well, fans of Quentin Tarantino's opus "Pulp Fiction" may recall a famous scene at Jack Rabbit Slims (a restaurant) which featured John Travolta and Uma Thurman. It goes like this:
Vincent and Mia study the menu in a booth made out of a red '59 Edsel. BUDDY HOLLY (their waiter), comes over, sporting a big button on his chest that says: "Hi I'm Buddy, pleasing you please me."
BUDDY
Hi I'm Buddy, what can I get'cha?
VINCENT
I'll have the Douglas Sirk steak.
BUDDY
How d'ya want it, burnt to a crisp,
or bloody as hell?
VINCENT
Bloody as hell. And to drink, a
vanilla coke.
BUDDY
How 'bout you, Peggy Sue?
MIA
I'll have the Durwood Kirby burger
-- bloody -- and a five-dollar
shake.
BUDDY
How d'ya want that shake, Martin
and Lewis, or Amos and Andy?
MIA
Martin and Lewis.
VINCENT
Did you just order a five-dollar
shake?
MIA
Sure did.
VINCENT
A shake? Milk and ice cream?
MIA
Uh-huh.
VINCENT
It costs five dollars?
BUDDY
Yep.
VINCENT
You don't put bourbon in it or
anything?
BUDDY
Nope.
VINCENT
Just checking.
Then, shortly after:
VINCENT
Can I have a sip of that? I'd like
to know what a five-dollar shake
tastes like.
MIA
Be my guest.
...
VINCENT
Goddamn! That's a pretty f*****'
good milk shake.
MIA
Told ya.
VINCENT
I don't know if it's worth five
dollars, but it's pretty f*****'
good.
Ben & Jerry's ice cream was used in my fine chocolate shake. I don't know if it was worth seven dollars, but it was pretty f*****' good.
Tonight's chocolate offering was far less dramatic - a pack of Raisinets wolfed down at 2 A.M. on my walk home.
With this lackluster schedule in mind, I needed to play my cards well today. Djokovic and Monaco were playing too late in the day for my taste (I have responsibilities at night as well), and Chela/Wawrinka was just too ghastly to consider. I quickly decided that I wanted to cover the Gulbis/Moya match, mainly becuase I had never seen Gulbis play before.
Today's match revealed plenty to me about the baby-faced Latvian. He goes for everything - think James Blake's forehand and Rafael Nadal's backhand - just without any consistency. Gulbis is only 19, so he'll make some necessary adjustments after this experience, but it was still a hell of a tournament for him. Absolutely pummeling on Tommy Robredo (losing only six games in their third round match) is no small achievement, and falling to a Grand Slam champion is nothing to bemoan either. Ernests (goes to New York) was also a good sport at the post-match press conference, where Bud Collins skewered him with questions about the state of Latvian tennis. I, however, took notes and composed my match review, after speaking to Moya as well.
Today I also had the chance to finally meet the esteemed L. Jon Werthiem of Sports Illustrated fame. He's a great guy and it was a pleasure to finally chat with him in person after numerous emails back and forth. His archive link is on the right-hand side of this blog - where it has been since [G/R]'s inception.
The night session featured another untimely exit for Nadal (this match wrapped up only minutes ago), but not before a Djokovic match that went long, as well as Henin/Serena. Nadal/Ferrer didn't even start until 10:20, finally wrapping up at 1:50 AM. Imagine if Djokovic/Monaco went five sets, or if Henin/Williams went three? After seeing the night scheduling up close these past weeks, I don't know how the USTA doesn't consider starting the morning session at 10:00 AM instead of 11:00 AM.
Rafa's third straight US Open disappointment will rekindle "he can't play on hard court" discussions, but that's laughable after winning Indian Wells earlier this year. However, discussions about his abilities at Flushing Meadows are fair game from my point of view. Rafa has never really been able to come to life in the New York spotlight, or display his stylish/physical game that he's built his name on to the eager crowds. Does he truly embrace the U.S. Open as a whole? It's a question worth asking.
One thing I neglected to mention yesterday was that I bought a $7 milkshake at the grounds with my meal allocation. Why is the dollar amount so important? Well, fans of Quentin Tarantino's opus "Pulp Fiction" may recall a famous scene at Jack Rabbit Slims (a restaurant) which featured John Travolta and Uma Thurman. It goes like this:
Vincent and Mia study the menu in a booth made out of a red '59 Edsel. BUDDY HOLLY (their waiter), comes over, sporting a big button on his chest that says: "Hi I'm Buddy, pleasing you please me."
BUDDY
Hi I'm Buddy, what can I get'cha?
VINCENT
I'll have the Douglas Sirk steak.
BUDDY
How d'ya want it, burnt to a crisp,
or bloody as hell?
VINCENT
Bloody as hell. And to drink, a
vanilla coke.
BUDDY
How 'bout you, Peggy Sue?
MIA
I'll have the Durwood Kirby burger
-- bloody -- and a five-dollar
shake.
BUDDY
How d'ya want that shake, Martin
and Lewis, or Amos and Andy?
MIA
Martin and Lewis.
VINCENT
Did you just order a five-dollar
shake?
MIA
Sure did.
VINCENT
A shake? Milk and ice cream?
MIA
Uh-huh.
VINCENT
It costs five dollars?
BUDDY
Yep.
VINCENT
You don't put bourbon in it or
anything?
BUDDY
Nope.
VINCENT
Just checking.
Then, shortly after:
VINCENT
Can I have a sip of that? I'd like
to know what a five-dollar shake
tastes like.
MIA
Be my guest.
...
VINCENT
Goddamn! That's a pretty f*****'
good milk shake.
MIA
Told ya.
VINCENT
I don't know if it's worth five
dollars, but it's pretty f*****'
good.
Ben & Jerry's ice cream was used in my fine chocolate shake. I don't know if it was worth seven dollars, but it was pretty f*****' good.
Tonight's chocolate offering was far less dramatic - a pack of Raisinets wolfed down at 2 A.M. on my walk home.
posted by Ed McGrogan @ 2:24 AM
1 comments
1 Comments:
Ed,
thanks for the report. Rafa made a great effort playing while his knees were injured. I think he should be commended for not resigning from the tournament with injury and no one could blame him. He stayed and played as far as his body let him. Call it bad luck or bad schedule or anything else but you can't say Rafa did not embrace this tournament.
what was ridiculus, was the scheduling of yesterday. While Grandstand was not used for no reason, there were 4 back to back matches on Arthur Ashe and so Rafa and Ferrer had to start about 10:30 11:00 pm and the match eneded uop around 2-2:30 am.
some respect for the players could have been good.not that I blame the scheduling for Rafa's loss. no way. but this time is the time to sleep not to play a GS match.
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