it's the grand slam now........

hmm.......the australian open 2005 is on january 17-30!!!!!
last year roger federer win the men's singles,who will win men's single title this year?

 

i also believed that roger is the most favourites to win this title......
but i'm supporting roddick!hehe

 

how about women's singles.......
my bet on maria sharapova!

 

results.......

men's singles 1st round results
http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/scores/cmatch/05ms.html

women's singles 1st round results
http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/scores/cmatch/05ms.html

 

men's singles semi finals

roger federer vs marat safin
lleyton hewitt vs andy roddick

women's singles semi finals

lindsay davenport vs nathalie dechy
maria sharapova vs serena williams

 

australian open pics.......

http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/news/photos/galleries/index.html

 

http://www.australianopen.com/images/players/atpr485.jpg

An interview with:

ANDY RODDICK


THE MODERATOR: First question, please.

Q. When did you first realize he had a problem? Obviously, it's hard to play when you know somebody does have a problem.
ANDY RODDICK: He actually talked about it the other day after his match. I probably would have taken that information to the grave with me. But he said he was a little short of breath at the end of the match yesterday. Then obviously it was pretty toasty out there.
Early on in the second set, we played a couple really long points and then he made a couple easy errors afterwards, after those long points. I didn't know if it was coincidence or if he was actually feeling it.
When he called the trainer, I figured he had to be struggling a little bit, especially when I saw him with the inhaler. It looked pretty serious.

Q. How was the Goldfine scouting report?
ANDY RODDICK: It was good. Actually I played him three times before. We kind of just threw some ideas around. And he went out and watched the other day. So, you know, I think our combined game plan was pretty good.

Q. Looked like you were trying to pick on his backhand a bit, too.
ANDY RODDICK: Not really. I think my biggest thing was trying to mix up paces. You know, he's pretty good when you get into, you know, just a hard, flat rally. So I was trying to get the ball up, kind of mix up the paces, mix in the slice a little bit, maybe make him think about his shots and generate some of his own pace a little bit.

Q. Does it actually feel like you're in a Grand Slam semifinal?
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah. What else would it feel like?

Q. It seems to have been relatively straightforward, quiet for you, no dramas.
ANDY RODDICK: Not quite as dramatic as I normally am, I guess.
Yeah, you know, it's been pretty smooth sailing so far. Yeah, I mean, as much so as I've ever had being in this position in a Grand Slam. You know, you're absolutely right about that.
But at the same time, you know, that could end up being a good thing. I don't have many miles on me so far this tournament.

Q. Lleyton made all this thing about the court being too slow. Are you a little surprised by that? Wouldn't you rather play him on a faster court if you do play him?
ANDY RODDICK: I think that's a common misconception. You know, I think Lleyton's won Wimbledon, he's won at The Open, he's won, you know, a lot of places where the courts are pretty quick, you know, because he can pick it up. That's why he's such a good grass court player. You wouldn't think, you know, baseliner, grass court.
But, you know, he picks the ball up so well. When it's in his groove zone, you know, he's not going to miss. So I'm going to have to disagree with you a little bit there.

Q. What about your serve on a slower court? Maybe it's not going to do as much damage.
ANDY RODDICK: Maybe. But maybe it's not going to bounce as high either.

Q. When you say you haven't got as many miles on you this time, you've spent a dramatically less amount of time on court than Lleyton or David have, and that's before their match tonight. How much does it feel like it really gives you something left in the tank?
ANDY RODDICK: I think a lot of it depends on tonight. The one thing about those guys is they can run forever. That's their game. If they're in a match, they're in the trenches, they're running all over the place, they feel comfortable doing that.
You know, my game is more attacking. If I can get through, I'd prefer to do so.

Q. This is the first time you got this far at the Australian Open without feeling that you're sort of limping around on one leg.
ANDY RODDICK: Well, the only other time I got this far at the Australian Open, I felt like I was about to fall over walking out to my semifinal match. So, yeah (laughter).

Q. What's your normal procedure? Will you watch tonight?
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, I will. I will. They actually have a TV right next to the blackjack table, so that will be good (smiling). I'll watch in between hits.

Q. If Lleyton were to win, what would it be like going out against a crowd that would be so rabidly for him?
ANDY RODDICK: The way I see that now is that I've been through probably the worst crowd I'll ever be through with what we did in Spain. So I'm sure it will be rowdy. But, like I said, it's not going to be surprising to me if it's rowdy. I don't expect anybody to be cheering for me. So it's a little bit easier when you know going in what the circumstances might be.
You know, I've played a semifinal away in France and a final away in Spain. So, you know, I'll know what to expect a little bit.

Q. How about Nalbandian, your US Open match.
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah. I mean, he's just a good player. You know, I don't know if he gets the respect that he deserves. You know, his record in Grand Slams speaks for itself. You know, he might struggle with some players, but he's going to get through matches. He gets up for the big matches.
You know, the other night I thought he played good, really good stuff, and really took it to Coria. I thought that would be a little bit tougher for him. But he pretty much handled him after the first set.

Q. You were watching him at 2:00 AM?
ANDY RODDICK: I didn't watch the whole thing. But the channels here, they replay matches about 86 times a day, so I caught one of those.

Q. Can you tell how well you're playing? Can you tell how well you're playing maybe without really having had a real barn burner, coming this far?
ANDY RODDICK: You know, you'd like to think so. I felt like I was hitting the ball pretty well, even in the Kooyong week. I don't feel like I've gone backwards at all. I still feel like I'm playing pretty well. I'm putting a high percentage of first serves in, which makes my life a lot easier, when I know I'm getting through service games pretty handily.

Q. What was your take on last night? I assume you watched some of that.
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah. I mean, you can't be much more impressed with Roger. I mean, okay, he played another great match. I mean, you know, I don't feel like Andre played his best stuff. But still, you know, Roger's playing great. It's not really surprising.

Q. Do you guys get tired of talking about Roger?
ANDY RODDICK: No. I mean, you can't because he deserves it. You know, we go through the same questions, but they're extremely relevant questions. You know, he deserves to be talked about the way he's playing right now. We might not like it, but I can definitely respect the people asking the questions. That's for sure. I don't think they're stupid questions. I think they're extremely relevant to what's going on in the game right now.

Q. How have the blackjack tables been treating you?
ANDY RODDICK: I actually won five grand the other night. Thank you for asking. I've been waiting for somebody to ask.

Q. What's the total count now?
ANDY RODDICK: 5600.

Q. Australian?
ANDY RODDICK: Yeah, thanks for that. Just burst my bubble.

Q. Same dealer?
ANDY RODDICK: No. Actually, I was doing well then I started doing badly. We kicked the dealer off, brought in another one. I worked them pretty good, so that was nice.

Q. Is that gross or just your winnings? Gamblers never tell us what they lose.
ANDY RODDICK: No, that's my winnings. That's just my winnings.

Q. Did you have a chance to talk Andre about playing maybe Davis Cup alongside with you?
ANDY RODDICK: No. I said earlier in the week, we talked very briefly. I just basically you know, the only thing that I can do is let him know that I would love him on the team. You know, we would welcome him with open arms. Beyond that, you know, I feel like it's between him and our captain. You know, as kind of the you know, as scary as it is to say, the veteran of our team, the guy who has played the most ties, I feel like I just wanted to kind of extend that olive branch and really let him know that we would love to have him. And, like I said, anything past that is out of my hands.

Q. Any advice from Coach Jackson?
ANDY RODDICK: Not on tennis, no. We just chatted a little bit. But we didn't really get too in depth about anything.

Q. Do you remember how excited you were when you got to your first Grand Slam semi? Is this a big thrill or are you thinking about the final thing?
ANDY RODDICK: I think the first time you do something, it's always the most exciting. You know, obviously with the adrenaline that I was feeling after that match and the way I got to my first semi, it was something that I'll always remember.
But, you know, now I'm here and I kind of just want to focus more on trying to take care of business.

Q. Before what you were saying about the run you've had through, that you haven't been stuck in any long matches, is there a part of you now that you are in the semifinals that you're sort of itching for a bit of a stoush?
ANDY RODDICK: No. I would love to have no competition throughout all tournaments. I promise you that (laughter). But I don't think that's going to happen.

Q. You don't put any sort of merit in you sort of need the hardening on the way?
ANDY RODDICK: That's two different questions there. The first said, "Do you want?"
I said, "No, I would love to go through and win 2, 2 and 2 for the rest of my life."
It's weird. If I had gone through long matches, I'd be sitting here telling you I'm glad I had gotten through the long matches because I know I'm ready. Since I haven't, I'm going to sit here and say I'm glad I'm fresh, my body's feeling good.
So either way I'm a liar. And you guys will never know what I'm actually thinking.

 

http://www.australianopen.com/images/players/wtad106.jpg

LINDSAY DAVENPORT

THE MODERATOR: First question, please.

Q. Congratulations.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Thanks.

Q. Four straight double‑faults in one set.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: (Smiling).

Q. Were you feeling a little wobbly then or what?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Not wobbly. I felt like that was the one key to my game. I feel like it revolves quite a bit around my serve, and I felt like today I struggled with my serve. I didn't feel the same conviction and the same confidence when I would get up to the line. I don't know quite why that is, but that was definitely hampering me a bit.

There was a 10‑minute break before the fourth double‑fault, so I don't know if we can say "in a row." But, no, it was definitely a key to my tough day today.

Q. At the end of the second set, there was one that was quite pronounced. You seemed to be really rushing through the serve. It seemed like you were serving at a different tempo from the rest of the match. Would you do anything in the break to just kind of collect yourself down?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I mean, that would probably be what my coach is going to tell me, so thank you. Yeah, I mean, I just got out of complete rhythm with it. And I will definitely take your advice and take my time next time (laughing).

No, I'm just kidding.

But, no, I mean, I have to be up there and take more pride in serving well and all of that. But having said that, I mean, I struggled through with my serve today, was still able to win, and was able to get it back at the end. So hopefully I can just look on the positive side of everything.

Q. Was it just the mechanics of the serve, or were you in any other kind of distress from the heat or...

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No, no. I wish I could blame the heat. It was all me.

Q. Sort of 0‑1, Love‑40, what's going through your mind there?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I had lost all the momentum that I had picked up early in the second and was in extreme danger mode, I mean, of going down, getting down the early breaks. She obviously had the momentum, obviously had the crowd support behind her. That was a big game. I was able to, you know, stay level with her and not go down the early break. I don't quite exactly remember what happened, but finally played a little better. But, again, I gave her Love‑30 with the two double‑faults, so just kind of played my way out of it.

Q. Did you find the crowd quite difficult?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I didn't actually. I mean, I totally understand the reasoning for it and I didn't think that they were rude or inappropriate. So it was fine to play.

Q. You just had a really long match in hot conditions. Would you consider pulling out of doubles?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: No way. We're going to win. It's my partner's birthday. We're in the semis. And I feel fine. I mean, I have no physical problems right now. You know, it's tough to come back again tomorrow, but hopefully we're going to go out there and, you know, have a great chance to make the finals.

Q. I guess your game was off today, but how did Molik match up?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I didn't mean to say like I was off. I feel like my game and my confidence and my groundies revolve around my serves. If I'm serving well and picking my spots, I definitely play with a lot more confidence. I did struggle a bit on serve and sometimes then that doesn't allow me to go for quite as much as I'd like to.

Alicia, I think, has improved a lot. She was obviously very forceful with her forehand. She's got a great first serve, is very tough to read and very tough to get any kind of jump on that. I was trying to take advantage of the times when I did get second serves.

But I think she's made, obviously, vast improvements in her game and, you know, she's going to keep trying to get better and is a tough opponent.

Q. She had a pretty tough call on her serve at 7‑all. I think the machine showed it was in and it was overruled the other way. Any thoughts on using electronic...

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: 7‑all. Was that the game I broke?

Q. Third ace in a row. Game point.

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Oh, really? Oh, wow. I mean, I know we had some close calls on the baseline, the sidelines. I didn't know that.

I've always been against electronic line calling. I feel like calls go both ways. But I'm very much a traditionalist and I think it would be obviously very expensive to implement and it would be hard to do it for all the courts. I think it's fair to go from each court, every player has the same circumstances.

But, you know, obviously technology is evolving. If we can figure out a way where it worked for everybody... But for now, I kind of stick to the linesmen.

Q. What kind of conversations were you having with yourself in the nitty‑gritty of the third set?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I mean, was trying to ‑‑ it was so tough because when she was serving in, I mean, I wasn't even really getting them back. So was trying to, you know, wait for the second serves and get into a rally, and then not want to make errors at that point.

But, you know, it's so tough when you serve for the match and don't serve it out well and don't play a good game at that point in the match. I mean, that's where you want to play at your best, and I was really disappointed I wasn't able to do that.

Was happy with the way that I was able to come back and still hold and not end up losing the match. Then just it was frustrating, though, I mean, when you have the match on your racquet in terms of serving for it. I mean, I had a matchpoint, she hit a great shot. But just not playing the type of game that you want to play, it's a little alarming.

Q. How surprised are you to see Dechy in the semifinal?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Well, if someone had said when the tournament first started, yes. But obviously today was a tough match for both of them, Dechy and Schnyder. I played her in Sydney last week and we had actually a great match, close two sets. I think she's a good player.

I have not really thought about it much, but I think she's, you know, has a great opportunity. First semifinal, I believe. She has nothing to lose tomorrow.

Q. Was the break welcome?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: Yeah, I wanted to change, and sometimes when you change, you have very limited time. I think it's like four minutes to five minutes. So I think I was back on court at seven and a half, they told me. I was just happy to be able to change and get dry clothes and start the third set, you know, feeling a little bit dryer.

Q. You've obviously put yourself in position to take a look at the trophy again here. Can you remember what it felt like when you won here the last time?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I do remember what it felt like. And it still feels like it's miles away, if not farther, after today.

But I had a blast in 2000, obviously winning it. And, you know, a match like today, I was able to pull through. A couple years ago I lost to someone like this, to Justine.

So that still feels way too far away. I'm happy to get through this match today. And I was happy the last game, was down again, was able ‑‑ finally started to play a little bit more aggressive to hold serve and win the match. But, you know, gonna be a tough match tomorrow, especially after going back out for doubles today. I'm going to have to be ready to go tomorrow afternoon.

Q. Did you enjoy down the stretch or was it, "Get me out of this"?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: It was like, "Get me out of this." I did not enjoy it (laughter).

I think it's tough to enjoy it when you feel like you should have already won or should have played a better game to have tried to at least win the match. At some point the heat was going to play a factor, but luckily I didn't feel like it affected me.

But felt like I was getting too old for it today.

Q. Can you put her performance in context for us today. How many girls are playing tennis out there who could have pushed you for that duration and tempo that we saw?

LINDSAY DAVENPORT: I don't know. It's tough to say. I mean, I think it's tough when matchups ‑‑ a lot of times you get more chances to break in a match. I mean, she played well. I mean, she pushed me hard. I felt definitely that I was under pressure in the match. And, you know, not many girls make me feel like that, but I definitely have quite a few losses in that regard.

But, no, she's a great player. You want to have weapons this day and age in women's tennis. Alicia certainly possesses them with her serve and forehand. I think it's a great thing when someone's getting better, can only look forward.

 

Serena Spells Trouble for Sharapova

Serena Spells Trouble for Sharapova
by Sandra Harwitt
Thursday, 27 January, 2005


No.4 Maria Sharapova [Russia] vs. No.7 Serena Williams [USA]

If there's one guarantee regarding this match, it's that Serena Williams has payback on her mind.

The former world No.1 won her first ever encounter against Maria Sharapova - a straight set fourth-round match - en route to winning the 2004 Nasdaq-100 Open title in Miami last March.

But it's been Sharapova who has won their more important and most recent matches - she whipped Williams handily in the Wimbledon final last July, and then overcame a 4-1 deficit in the third set to reign over the year-end WTA Tour Championships in November.

Williams is in her competitive mode at the moment and those losses are not sitting very well with her and she's got revenge on her mind.

The bad news for Sharapova is that Serena Williams' performance at this Australian Open 2005 is reminiscent of the Serena Williams who once owned the WTA Tour.

Since Williams won the last of her six Grand Slam titles at Wimbledon 2003, she spent close to a year sidelined following knee surgery, and has had other things on her mind such as interesting outside interests.

It is easy to tell that it's the Williams of old that has returned: she is most definitely walking around the tournament wearing her game face. One perfect example of this is that when Williams struggled to beat Russian Nadia Petrova in the fourth-round, she was not even happy about the win. That's because she was way too angry at the less-than-stellar way she played to see the positive that she had moved into the quarter-final.

This scenario spells trouble for Sharapova, who has become accustomed to being the person in-charge during matches. Be assured Williams will make it very difficult for her to grunt and groan her way to a first final showing at the Australian Open.

Another thing that is not in Sharapova's best interest is that against Svetlana Kuznetsova she was looking like she was wilting in the heat. For Sharapova to be competitive with Williams, she's going to have to hope for a change in the weather to cool down the air temperature and heat up her game.

Williams has winning a seventh Grand Slam trophy on her mind, and Sharapova will not stall her from reaching a final showdown.