All Stories | The New York Observer

Murray: 'I Don't Know If I'll Win a Grand Slam'

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:48:02 -0400

Maybe Andy Murray should start declaring the Rogers Cup in Canada is his favorite tournament.

Andy Murray fell today in four sets in a long, 3 hour, 56 minute match to Roger Federer's sometimes doubles partner, Stanislas Wawrinka. Murray did not look his best, and Wawrinka, who played well, nevertheless gave Murray plenty of opportunities to get back into this match. Murray didn't seize on them.

And he didn't exactly sound like a man with a...

Rafa Wins and Says He's Getting Better

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 18:43:04 -0400

Rafael Nadal hasn't dropped a set through three rounds of the Open and he's looking more and more confident out there. He defeated Gilles Simon today 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.

"Are you feeling better about this place?" said Bud Collins to open up Rafa's press conference this afternoon.

Rafa noted that he had been to two semifinals here.

"Oh yes, that's not bad," said Mr. Collins.

"Well, I think I am playing better, a little bit better, every day....

Agassi Went Commando

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:46:21 -0400

Here's something I didn't know: Andre Agassi didn't wear anything underneath his tennis shorts when he played.

Agassi was in Queens this weekend to market for for his book, Open, and Agassi revealed that he stopped wearing underwear starting in 1999.

"I got to the locker room and realized I'd forgotten my underwear," Agassi said to fans in Flushing this weekend, according to The Independent. "What can a man do? I just commandoed it. After that...

A Week From Men's Final, Roger-Rafa Buzz Builds

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 14:53:40 -0400

Yup, it's official. There is way more talk here about a potential Roger-Rafa men's final than there has been at any other point in the four years that I've covered this event, and it's building by the day. Keep in mind, we won't even know who's in the Men's Final until six days from now. But with Rafa healthy and seemingly happy, he's getting barraged with questions in his press conferences about his place...

The Samurai May or May Not Return

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 14:05:56 -0400

I've been sad to see the absence of Sam Querrey's cheering squad, The Samurai, this year and I was beginning to wonder if the group had disbanded. This afternoon, there is most definitely a loud cheering squad for Querrey, which presumably consists of former Samurai members, but no body-painters, no Samurai.

I emailed one of the members who I interviewed a couple years ago, and he said that each member is getting a little bit...

Farewell, Outer Courts!

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 13:29:02 -0400

Every year I try hard to remember when Open matches are played only in the stadium courts. This year I'm documenting it.

It's Day 7 at the Open and there's only one match from the men's and women's singles draw that isn't being played on Ashe, Armstrong or the Grandstand. That fairly inauspicious honor went to David Ferrer and Daneil Gimeno-Traver who played on Court 11 earlier today (Ferrer won in straight sets).

Yesterday, there were...

Clijsters Defeats Ivanovic in 59 Minutes

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 12:21:58 -0400

My sleeper pick may as well have slept in this morning.

Kim Clijsters blew away Ana Ivanovic in just under an hour in an easy 6-2, 6-1 victory. This was Ivanovic's first fourth round Open match since 2007 when Venus Williams beat her 6-4, 6-2 on a Sunday afternoon on Ashe. That match looked like Agassi-Sampras 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, 7-6 match in '01--happened nine years ago today!--compared to this one.

Despite the fact that Clijsters and...

When It Comes to Playing on Ashe, Querrey Thinks American Men Have Gotten the Shaft

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 11:09:31 -0400

After Sam Querrey's second round win, he said he's "not a huge fan of the scheduling this week."

And how come? He feels like he--and his fellow Americans--have been snubbed.

"We have a lot of Americans here," he said. "None of us play on center court. If you go to the French Open, they have Gasquet, Benneteau, Monfils--they're on center court every day."

He's right, of course. Other than Andy Roddick and James Blake, prominent Americans like...

The Battle for Miss Congeniality: Kim v. Ana

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 00:05:28 -0400

Kim Clijsters is friendly to a fault. Unlike some players who are totally unapproachable, if you pass by Clijsters on the grounds here there's a good chance she'll say hello for no reason at all. Just look at that picture of her and her kid! Also, she's so in love with her husband! This is a great person. Before she won her first U.S. Open in 2005 she underpeformed and commentators often attributed it...

After Loss, Blake Says He's Not Done

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 22:15:56 -0400

There were a few competitive moments tonight, but James Blake's moments of glory were brief. Novak Djokovic made quick extremely work of Blake, winning in straight sets and in less than two hours. By Djokovic the Grinder standards, that's like playing a half a match.

Considering how easily Blake was disposed of tonight, it was a fair question to ask whether or not he is ready to hang it up.

"I really hope that wasn't my...