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 | Record performances Take a look at players who have won and put themselves in the record books at the U.S. Open. NBCSports.com |
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Roddick learns, Blake bakes
Under Jimmy Connors' tutelage for almost a year, Roddick is better -- disregarding his clay horrors as for the fourth time in his career he left Paris this spring beaten in the first round. He has improved his backhand, his volleying, and is more sure of his feeling of when it's wise to come in.
Connors, a Wimbledon champion twice, and a finalist on four other occasions, obviously knows his way around the grassblades, and is enjoying being part of the search for an American champion. With Connors in his corner, Roddick is more dangerous to Federer. Of course, it's still pupil and not coach who must take the court and execute the shots against the world No. 1, but there's no question Roddick has an added confidence in doing that since having hooked up with Connors.
I'm surprised that Blake has done so poorly on the lawns, only 4-4 after four appearances at the All-England Club. Last year he blew a third-rounder to Max Mirnyi, pitifully winning only one more game after taking a 2-1 lead in sets. Blake has taught himself a strict "no quit" policy, but effort is just part of succeeding. Execution must come with all the sweat being poured out on the court
It would be terrific for Blake's confidence if he could win a five-set battle and get rid of that albatross (0-9 in five-set matches in his career). He also needs to do a better job attacking second serves and getting to the net. Ten-thousand men of Harvard, where Blake worked on more than just his tennis smarts, wish he would.
Rafa will be ready
Nadal is volleying better, and has no fear of Federer on the lawns. He had a little stage fright in a bageled first set of the 2006 Wimbledon final, but then got fairly comfortable in a 6-0, 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, decision. Nadal got in a couple of wins on the grass at the Queen's Club warm-up before being bounced by Nicolas Mahut. The Spaniard then went home to get away from tennis for a few days and rest up for Wimbledon. He's knows his mission: get to go head-to-head with Federer for a second summer on grass and reverse the outcome of a year ago. He is more than capable of pulling that off.
Besides Nadal and Roddick other men to watch at Wimbledon include fourth-seeded Novak Djokovic, seventh-seeded Tomas Berdych, 10th-seeded Marcos Baghdatis, and the re-enthused 2002 Wimbledon champion, 16th-seeded Lleyton Hewitt. And don't overlook the No. 22 seed Willie Canas, who beat Federer two straight on fast courts in California and Florida during the winter.
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Croat Mario Ancic would have been someone to keep an eye on as well as he was a quarterfinalist last year, has a serve-and-volley aptitude for grass, and is best known as the last player to beat Federer at Wimbledon, upsetting him in the first round of 2002. But Ancic has pulled out of the field as he's not quite 100 percent after a bout of mononucleosis.
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