The OCC: Saturday
By TW Contributing Editor, Ed McGrogan
Hi everyone. Pete is back from vacation, but I want to milk these 15 minutes of fame as long as I can.
Heading into Friday morning's matches, I was hoping for some memorable tennis because overall, the Olympics had been average so far. The quality of the matches was the biggest culprit. I called at least three matches every day, but very few struck me as memorable (or even went to a third set).
I also felt that the crowds in Beijing added to the "averageness." If you read any of my match commentary, I often railed on the crowd's behavior. They deserved it after countless reminders from the chair umpire to stay in their seats, be quiet during play, among other things. I also noticed many players getting perturbed about their lack of etiquette. The AP even wrote a story about it. Worse, many significant matches were sparsely attended early on.
At least for one day, things changed for better. Friday's crowds were plentiful and alive, especially in the later semifinals featuring Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and the Bryan brothers. I was even reminded, ever so slightly, of the ambiance of a night match at Ashe Stadium. Maybe that was because I was so used to the crowd's general apathy and idiocy since the beginning of the week.
The tennis was also refined. Just look at the abundance of articles written about the James Blake/Fernando Gonzalez saga, as well as the Nadal/Djokovic classic. But I was surprised at how little has been mentioned about the doubles semifinal between Switzerland (Federer/Stanislas Wawrinka) and the United States (Bob and Mike Bryan). I understand why; doubles is rarely discussed in the mainstream tennis media. But this one felt different, mainly due to the presence of a 12-time Grand Slam singles champion.
If you don't know what happened, this video tells all:
(UPDATE: I found another YouTube clip that works - for now.)
After trying to decipher Roger and Stan's celebration (whatever it was, I found it hilarious), I started thinking about Federer's possible gold medal in doubles. Could a triumph boost his clearly slumping singles play?
Technically, I'm sure nothing would change. Doubles and singles are different forms of tennis, and you have to play differently in each situation. But I really liked how Federer was hitting his volleys in this match. They were struck well and were very creative, often fooling an experienced doubles duo in the Bryans.
Roger's in a bit of a quandary at the baseline right now - he's lost some confidence with his shots, and Nadal and Djokovic have proven that they can best Federer there at times. Should he consider coming to net more? Federer can hold his own up there, and few opponents want to see a 12-time Grand Slam champion rushing towards them. If Federer's groundstrokes remain off target, mixing in more net play might help build confidence and win points.
I would expect more carryover from an emotional perspective. Watch Federer as Wawrinka and him head to the locker room. It's without question the happiest I've seen him look all year. I'm sure the celebration may have triggered some giggles, but you can tell that Federer was genuinely ecstatic with this performance. Despite losing in singles, he's embraced the challenge of trying to win an elusive gold medal - even if it comes in doubles. He even skips the customary autograph session on his way out to continue celebrating. In a rare moment of joy for Federer this year, I'm glad that he thought of himself first (though he may have just wanted to get off the court after winning two doubles matches in one day).
Will that positive energy translate over to singles? I wouldn't hurt one bit, that's for sure. Expect Federer and Wawrinka to be going all out in Saturday's match against Simon Aspelin and Thomas Johansson. No matter who wins, the celebration should be great. NBCOlympics.com has the live feed (it's the third match on Centre Court, which starts play at 4 a.m.), Steve Tignor has the live call.