Safin runs over Djokovic

BIG UPSET! BIG BIG BIG! Why? I don’t know… Safin raised his game to a 2005-2006 level and was able to use Djokovic’s medium-poor play to his full potential. 10 double faults and way too many errors who are worth mentioning just helped a hot Safin on the way. I have actually excpected either Djokovic or Nadal to go on a big letdown these days. It happened to almost every player of Safin’s 80-82 generation, including the big talent Hewitt, Roddick and of course Safin. All of them have hit #1, won slams and beaten the best players of that time at a very young age. That description goes for Djokovic too. Now it will be interesting to see if Djokovic can let this pass and focus on maintaining the awesome consistency for the rest of the year. My point is; give the guy a break. He is only 21 (has he turned yet?) and got his slam and has done best on hard court in 2008 of ALL players including beating the best of all time in a slam. I hope for his sake, that Hewitt-Safin-Roddick story doesn’t repeat itself for Djokovic.

BTW. I forgot to mention the Ferrer-Andreev match. I didn’t realize the importance. Andreev has a tasty record against Ferrer, and being freinds won’t help Ferrer a lot more. I thought Ferrer in 3 initially, seeing how well he did in Holland. Maybe Andreev can pull a Safin and take out another top 5 player. #3 and #4 are out, why not #5? Can it happen? Sure! That would leave Fed-Rafa-Rod-Gasq-Blake-Waw. I bet the last three don’t last too long.

Last 64

Still plenty to send home. Who will it be?
Today the upper half will hopefully get through their 2nd round matches, and you can expect som good tennis from start to finish. First up is Djokovic-Safin.

Djokovic-Safin
I cannot say that this is hard for Djokovic. I know who we’re dealing with here, but Safin hasn’t been a top player in years and will most likely go home around 3 p.m. local time. Safin may have won AO and USO, but has never passed the QF in Wimbledon, which is by far his best result here back in 2001. Tell me why he would beat the 2nd best player of 2008… Anything else but straight sets, will look good on Safin’s half, but I’m afraid Djokovic isn’t willing to give anymore sets away.
Djokovic in 3

Federer-Soderling
Commentator’s said this will be a real test for Rog. I agree. Soderling is probably a top 10 player indoor and maybe even on grass. He has a poor record here, but last year he seemed better in all of his matches. However, for some reason, he hasn’t been able to win any tournaments outside, and hasn’t even reached a final in the fresh air. So he is struggling with the natural elements, and when you meet Federer….. BAM!
Federer in 3

Baghdatis-Johansson
REMATCH! of 1st round in AO, where Baggy won in 4. We are on grass which suits the Swede better on many levels. Most important is that he too has started to grow old (like comrade Bjorkman).
I’m sorry for the blond, but Baggy looked uncharacteristically strong on Monday and will take this match. It could go long, but that doens’t favor an already tired Johansson.
Baghdatis in 4

Del Potro-Wawrinka
I just cannot call it. Del Potro has the potential to become a top player in a few years. Being an 88′ production he still has the time to develop his game. If it’s a good time to break through, it’s now. He hasn’t done a lot this year (8-7), but last week was able to make the SF in Holland. Wawrinka on the other hand has broken the top 10, but it’s still the same guy who seems to enjoy clay and slow rather than grass, slippery and fast. Excellent opportunity for Del Potro to advance.
Del Potro in 3

The rest of the matches either speak for themselves, or the players are both to unknown for me to care.

Tomorrow is the bottom half. Just a quick thing about Nadal. He served 17 aces! You know what? So did Roddick! I’m starting to see why maybe Nadal-Roddick wouldn’t be as close as you’d think. There’s no doubt Nadal looked good out there, but like I’ve said, he has a tough couple of matches ahead. As long as the grass turns brown, his chances to stay in increases. Gulbis is next and Youzhny waits in the 4th. Both have a fair chance of knocking him out. What do you think?