ATP Men's Tennis

Photos: Nadal vs Istomin | Roland Garros Day 5

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Abad) — Thu, 31 May 2012 17:55:00 +0000

Photos: Nadal vs Istomin | Roland Garros Day 5

Rafael Nadal crushed Denis Istomin during their men's Singles 2nd Round tennis match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros .... Enjoy more than 60 tennis photos from their encounter....

AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/GettyImages

Murray French Open Press Conference | Thursday May 31st 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Abad) — Thu, 31 May 2012 17:30:00 +0000

Murray French Open Press Conference | Thursday May 31st 2012

Q. Perhaps you could just talk us through how you were feeling at the start and then at the end.

ANDY MURRAY: Well, first of all, it wasn't the same thing I had before. I was absolutely fine yesterday in practice, no problem, went to bed and I was fine, and I woke up this morning, was ‑‑ couldn't put any weight on my left leg.

I practiced. It was okay. Not great, but it was okay. Then, yeah, before the match, yeah, I wasn't feeling great. Talked about not playing.

And then right at the beginning of the match, again, I was okay. I don't know if, you know, it was nerves, adrenaline, whatever. It wasn't too bad.

Then after I got up from the changeover at 3‑0, it was really, really sore. And then obviously was struggling a lot for, you know, about an hour, hour 15, hour and a half. Then it started to feel a bit better.

But still not great, but just kind of gritting my teeth and try to find a way of turning the match around, because I was few points probably from stopping around ‑‑ in the middle of the second set.

Q. What did make you go on then when you were thinking about it? Was it just a determination not to quit, or could you see that he was firing, you know, a few balls away and things?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, he didn't really at the beginning of the second set. It was just ‑‑ yeah, I guess. I don't know. I don't know what it was. I just didn't really want to stop the match.

Then at the end of the second set I started standing up at the change of ends, and my back started to loosen up a little bit.

Then, yeah, it got actually quite windy on the court, and he started to make a few mistakes at the end of the set. I know what it's like playing against someone who is not really moving much. Not always the easiest thing.

Then he made some mistakes at the end of the second set, and it was his fault for letting me back into the match, because I didn't do anything special. I just tried to put some balls back in. Then, yeah, that was it.

Q. You travel with a very experienced full‑time physio who works on you every day. Between you, do you have sort of an idea how it can happen that you can just through apparently sleeping in the wrong position, or whatever, you can, you know, wake up with this problem that's such a threat?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, it's like a back spasm. Everybody ‑‑ I mean, anyone can get them at any stage. It can happen. I mean, obviously I had the problem with my back for a number of months. Then, yeah, maybe sometimes muscles are doing too much work, you know, because you're a little bit weak in that area. I don't know.

But my physio is one of the best. No doubt about that. His advice before the match was that by playing you're not going to do any permanent damage, so go out and give it a go. See how it feels.

Then obviously it didn't feel good. So they were telling me to stop, and then I just kept going, and then it started to feel a bit better.

But, yeah, it's one of those things, you know, you can wake up sometimes with, you know, a cricked neck or sleeping in the wrong position or whatever. Because I was absolutely perfect yesterday. I had no problems at all.

Q. How confident are you that you'll be able to carry on in the tournament?

ANDY MURRAY: Well, I'm going to try and carry on regardless, whether it's a bit sorer tomorrow or two days' time, I'm going to carry on.

I just try and do all the right things to recover as best as possible.

Q. The advice that you got from Andy Ireland, was it that you wouldn't necessarily be doing any more damage to it by playing? Will that be the case, do you think, in two days' time?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, well, I mean, I have no idea what will happen in two days. But if it's something like a spasm, it's not like you're doing major damage. You know, it's just a really, really tight muscle.

Yeah, that was the advice that he gave me. Obviously it was tough for quite a large period of the match, so, yeah, I just went with the advice that I got given. We discussed it before I went on. That was it.

Then I just tried to play and tried to come back and, you know, the combination of him getting a little bit nervous and me moving a little bit better at the end of the second set, you know, changed the match.

Q. Is it just a case it's not in your nature to give up? I mean, you just wanted to keep going rather than just say, Oh, I'm going to just chuck it?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, like I say, you know, I didn't really feel like stopping. But, you know, I was still only a few points away from stopping the match.

You know, it was ‑‑ there's a point where it becomes ‑‑ it doesn't really make that much sense to ‑‑ make that much sense to keep playing.

Yeah, I mean, like I say, him making a few mistakes and getting a little bit nervous and me feeling a little bit better, and then that was it.

So I just decided to keep going. Obviously it turned around dramatically.

Q. You say you were a few points away from stopping. What stage of the match would that have been?

ANDY MURRAY: I thought about by the end of the first set, and then ‑‑ yeah, just early in the second, around that period. I don't know the exact score at the time. But, yeah, it was around that period, end of the first set, and then when I played a couple more games. Then I was thinking, you know, whether to keep playing or not.

Yeah, that was it. I'm happy I did.

Q. I know each individual match is different and the circumstances vary. But can you draw on past experiences here? Because you have had some fairly dramatic matches in this stadium. Can you draw on those perhaps to give you an extra incentive to want to keep going?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah, I think, you know, if you've been sort of in, you know, physical pain before ‑‑ you know, last year, you know, the match in the second or third round, whenever it was, yeah, I mean, I wasn't playing great. I was barely moving on the court, and my opponent got nervous. I was just swinging and made some shots.

That helped. And then, you know, I was two sets to love down in the next round not really moving and then I just started to feel a little bit better.

So I guess past experience probably helps, but today was even different, was even different to last year, because I couldn't barely put a serve on the court. It was like serving at like 60 miles an hour sometimes.

Q. You seemed to be getting more and more uncomfortable towards the end of the match, fourth set, looking at the expression on your face. Did you sort of feel you had to finish it off in four? Do you think you could have gone five? What was sort of the immediate reaction when you cooled down after the match?

ANDY MURRAY: The thing was basically I wasn't nervous until I got into a winning position, because I couldn't believe I was there. And then when I had the chance to win, I was ‑‑ I guess it was like 4‑2, I had like Love‑40, three second serves, I shanked two of the returns because I was a little bit nervous. I was like, I can actually win this match now. And then, yeah, starting to stretch wide and trying to chase every ball down, and, yeah, it was painful.

But it feels like it did when I woke up this morning. It didn't ‑‑ when I finished the match, it didn't really feel that much worse. It didn't stiffen up so badly.

Again, a lot of that's due to the people that I've got around me doing their job and making sure I did all the right things as soon as I came off.

But, you know, I don't know how that's going to feel in a few hours when I go back and relax and also when I wake up in the morning.

But, you know, I'm taking all the right medication and seeing the doctor, and I will do the best I can.

Q. Given everything, how satisfying a victory was that?

ANDY MURRAY: I didn't find it that satisfying. I just couldn't believe I had won.

I guess when you're in that position, especially in a Grand Slam, yeah, emotionally it's pretty challenging, because you're only one or two points away from having to stop.

Like I say, I couldn't believe I was in a position to win at the end of the fourth set, so I was starting to get a bit, you know, edgy.

And, yeah, I just couldn't believe that I had won when I finished the match. Yeah, rather than it being satisfying, it was just quite emotional.

Q. You seemed to be hitting the ball reasonably well, even if you weren't moving well. Does that give you encouragement for the rest of the tournament?

ANDY MURRAY: I have been hitting the ball well in practice. Yeah, like today I just wasn't moving particularly well. Yeah, but, well, I will see how I feel in a couple days. I'm hitting the ball just fine.

Q. Just to make clear, this is separate from the other back injury you've had since December. Are you confident you're not damaging that one?

ANDY MURRAY: No, the thing ‑‑ like I was saying, it's a different, completely different to what I had beforehand.

But the two could be connected, because it was very close to each other. Like I say, if you're a little bit weakened in one spot and you're overcompensating using other muscles, if they're working too hard, then, yeah, that could cause them to spasm or whatever.

But, no, I'm not doing myself any actual damage by playing with what I have. I have had all the best advice from some of the top surgeons and physios. I'm confident that I'm doing the right thing.

Q. A question away from your body. You have been on Twitter; you're off Twitter. What's your thinking behind that and where are you now with all of that? Are you on? Are you off?

ANDY MURRAY: No, I just do it sometimes when I feel like doing it. I don't think you can ‑‑ I mean, like anyone, you can decide when you want to say something on ‑‑ yeah, depends what certain people might use it for, I don't know, to promote things or, you know, some people like to do it just to give their opinion on things. Some people like to do it to interact with fans or with friends.

Yeah, I just use it for whatever and whenever I feel like it.

Q. What do you like to use it for?

ANDY MURRAY: Whatever I feel like. It's not ‑‑ I didn't decide when I set it up that I was going to use it for one thing or the other. I mean, it's ‑‑ I think for me, anyway, it's a fun way of sort of connecting with friends, friends and fans, and then, yeah, sometimes if there's something that you read or hear and someone said, you know, it's a way of having your own voice, I guess.

Q. You touched on it, but were you surprised that a player of his experience didn't change the game, didn't make you pay for the injury that you clearly had?

ANDY MURRAY: Yeah. I'd say I was fairly surprised.

Like I say, I couldn't believe I was in a winning position at the end of the match. I mean, if you watch the end of the second set, I did put more balls in the court, but I wasn't exactly hitting winners and moving unbelievably. He started making mistakes, and, like I say, the wind did pick up a little bit. That might have contributed to it.

But, yeah, I was very surprised to be in that position.

Q. Do you have any concerns that you might be jeopardizing your chances for Wimbledon or looking further ahead by carrying on play?

ANDY MURRAY: No. It's a completely different thing to what I had beforehand. So if it was the same thing, then, yeah, I would be really, really concerned about Wimbledon and obviously the Olympics.

But so long as, you know, what I'm getting told by doctors and the physios is, you know, if it is just a muscle spasm, then, yeah, that's nothing to be overly concerned by.

But they are, when they happen, very difficult to shake off, especially, you know, when, you know, it's early morning. It takes a bit of time for your body to warm up and stuff.

So, yeah, I'm not doing any permanent damage by finishing a match like I did today.

Q. Last year you rolled your ankle and you fought through it. Today you had back issues and the crowd was really into it, pushing you. Have you had the feeling you were having a different relationship with the French crowd, they're more into your matches, that maybe you have become one of the favorite here?

ANDY MURRAY: I don't know. Normally I have had ‑‑ apart from obviously when I play French players, I normally got pretty good support here, here and Bercy. I do like the French crowd, because they're very passionate, and also, you know, they don't like it when, you know, someone isn't giving their best. You know, I think they're pretty knowledgeable. They can see that.

Yeah, I've always had a fairly good relationship with the French crowd.

Video: Nole Audemars Piguet Commercial

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Abad) — Thu, 31 May 2012 16:19:00 +0000

Video: Nole Audemars Piguet Commercial

Life is all about engagement, decisions and chance. Defining Moments are rare and valuable; they can change the course of life. Audemars Piguet Ambassador Novak Djokovic unveils his Defining Moment...

Rafa keeps it simple in Paris, reaches 3rd round

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Abad) — Thu, 31 May 2012 14:17:00 +0000

Rafa keeps it simple in Paris, reaches 3rd round

Rafael Nadal destroyed Denis Istomin 6-2, 6-2, 6-0 in the second round at Roland Garros 2012.

The six times champion is now 47-1 at the clay-court major in Paris.

Nadal will next face Eduardo Schwank, who upset Florian Mayer.

The Spaniard broke twice to win the first set, he saved two break points in the second set but that was all he had to work for. He won 25 of 29 total points in the third set, hit 25 total winners and lost 16 of his service points.

"I think I played a really solid match," said Nadal. "[The] first set I think was [a] good level. [The] second one was good at the end, but in the middle of the set I had some problems with my serve - two break points in two games in a row. The third set was great, [in] my opinion. [I'm] very happy about the way that I played the third [set].

"I can improve things. The serve is the first one. I think I improved the level of my serve during the match, but I started the match serving badly. For the rest, more or less, I have to be happy."

Istomin commented, "He's running very fast and moving on the court. He trys to hit every ball, so makes a lot of winners, [and is] good serving. He does everything on clay. Like everybody says, 'king of clay'. I have never played him on clay [before], and for me [it] was [a] good experience. In the beginning [it] was a good match for me. Not many mistakes. I think he's in good shape. He's won a lot of tournaments already on clay. For me, [he is] the favourite to win the Roland Garros again."

Mikhail Youzhny defeated Robin Haase 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-4 in two hours and 25 minutes. Youzhny, who hit 53 winners, will next face David Ferrer, who beat Benoit Paire 6-3 , 6-3, 6-2.

Photo Getty Images

Murray battles Nieminen and back problem to advance in Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Abad) — Thu, 31 May 2012 13:22:00 +0000

Murray battles Nieminen and back problem to advance in Paris

Andy Murray beat Jarkko Nieminen 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 to advanc to the third round of the French Open.

The Scott is not having a good time as he is playing with an injured back. Because of this he was forced to call the trainer and received treatment on his back twice during the first set and again before the start of the second.

Murray had his serve broken three times in the opening set, and then again to open the second. But he then started to move better, and got back on serve at 4-4 while Nieminen was unable to take advantage of his troubles and hit more unforced errors than the Scot in the later sets.

When he put a backhand out to give Murray breakpoint in the seventh game of the final set, Nieminen threw his racket to the clay and stamped on it. A double fault followed, and Murray went 5-2 up and then held to seal the win.

"The first two games were good quality games," said Nieminen. "I didn't have to do anything. He could hardly walk there. I should have taken a double break in the second set to have taken the set. I couldn't take that, and then I played one very poor changeover, two bad games, and then he started to play better. I really never got the momentum back. I tried to play more aggressive, but I didn't feel good. I was moving bad and I made a lot unforced errors. Then he played different than in the beginning."

Andy will face Santiago Giraldo in the next round. The Colombian upset Bernard Tomic of Australia 6-4, 6-1, 6-3.

Photo Getty Images

Photos: Murray vs Nieminen | French Open Day 5

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Abad) — Thu, 31 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Photos: Murray vs Nieminen | French Open Day 5

Andy Murray beat Jarkko Nieminen during day five of the French Open at Roland Garros ... Here we have some tennis pictures from their match....

(Photos by AP/Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Video: Roland Garros Day 4 Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Abad) — Thu, 31 May 2012 12:58:00 +0000

Video: Roland Garros Day 4 Highlights

Watch and enjoy some tennis highlights from Day 4 action at the 2012 French Open... Featuring Federer vs Ungur...

Tsonga and Ferrer reached French Open third round

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Abad) — Thu, 31 May 2012 12:56:00 +0000

Tsonga and Ferrer reached French Open third round

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga reached the French Open third round after defeating Cedrik-Marcel Stebe 6-2 4-6 6-2 6-1.

Tsonga was level at one set all and 1-1 in the third when play resumed after being interrupted by rain on Wednesday.

The Frenchman started with a break and never looked back. He spent just under an hour on court to finish off Stebe and set up a meeting with Viktor Troicki or Fabio Fognini.

"Yesterday, the conditions were not the ones I like very much," said Tsonga. "When the weather is heavy, I find it difficult to play. I can't volley well. I can't play winning points from the baseline, and then you start playing cat and mouse. And I'm not the cleverest at that game. It was children's day yesterday. There was a lot of noise, and I was getting a bit crazy. So I think it was a good idea the match was stopped yesterday and I could start again in far better conditions for me."

On his part, David Ferrer crushed Benoit Paire 6-3 , 6-3, 6-2 to advance.

The Spaniard made 17 unforced errors and claimed the win in one hour and 47 minutes.

"I played well," said Ferrer. "I was constant and I didn't give him many opportunities so that he could really get into the match. He's very aggressive with drop shots, with an exceptional touch, but the good thing is that I could break him during the first set quickly and won the match."

Paire admitted, "I walked on the court against Ferrer and I knew it would be a complicated match. It's true I'm very disappointed, very frustrated. I'm just off of the court, and I must say it's a bit tough because I never managed to play well except for the first two games. I never managed to play my tennis. I never managed to find motivation."

In other results Juan Monaco beat Lukas Rosol 7-6(4), 6-0, 7-6(5) in two hours and 10 minutes. And Milos Raonic made it past Jesse Levine 6-4, 7-5, 6-2.

Watch Nadal vs Istomin at Roland Garros Online Free Video Streaming

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Abad) — Thu, 31 May 2012 11:41:00 +0000

Watch Nadal vs Istomin at Roland Garros Online Free Video Streaming

Rafa Nadal will continue his quest for his 7th Roland Garros title today whn he faces Istomin in his second round match in Paris ... Watch it live and online with free video streaming....Don´t miss this amazing match... Watch it online for free!!!

You can also watch tennis LIVE at TennisTV.com for better quality video streaming, highlights and more...

Order of Play

Istomin - Nadal (Court Suzanne Lenglen)

Thursday (31 May) 08:30 (GMT -3)

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Video: Nole Roland Garros Interview | Day 4 May 30th 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Abad) — Thu, 31 May 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Video: Nole Roland Garros Interview | Day 4 May 30th 2012

Novak Djokovic talks about his second round win over Kavcic at the 2012 French Open...

Video: Rafa Interview at Roland Garros Day 3

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Abad) — Thu, 31 May 2012 10:30:00 +0000

Video: Rafa Interview at Roland Garros Day 3

Rafa Nadal talks about his first round win over Simone Bolelli at the 2012 Roland Garros tennis tournament in Paris....

Video: Murray Roland Garros Interview | Day 3 Tuesday 29 May

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Abad) — Thu, 31 May 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Video: Murray Roland Garros Interview | Day 3 Tuesday 29 May

Check out what Andy Murray said about his first round win over Ito at the 2012 Roland Garros....

Watch Nieminen vs Murray at Roland Garros Online Free Video Streaming

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Abad) — Thu, 31 May 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Watch Nieminen vs Murray at Roland Garros Online Free Video Streaming

Andy Murray takes on Nieminen today in his second round match in Paris ... Watch it live and online with free video streaming....Don´t miss this amazing match... Watch it online for free!!!

You can also watch tennis LIVE at TennisTV.com for better quality video streaming, highlights and more...

Order of Play

Nieminen - Murray (Court Philippe Chatrier)

Thursday (31 May) 06:00 (GMT -3)

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Video: Roland Garros Day 3 Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Abad) — Thu, 31 May 2012 09:30:00 +0000

Video: Roland Garros Day 3 Highlights

Watch some tennis highlights from Day 3 action at the 2012 French Open, including Rafael Nadal vs Simone Bolelli...

Roland Garros Day 4 Photos | May 30th 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Abad) — Thu, 31 May 2012 07:00:00 +0000

Roland Garros Day 4 Photos | May 30th 2012

Enjoy more than 125 tennis photos from day 4 action at Roland Garros....

Photos from Getty Images/AP/AFP

French Open 2012 Day 5 Schedule | Thursday, 31 May

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Abad) — Wed, 30 May 2012 20:33:00 +0000

Roland Garros Day 5 Schedule | Thursday, 31 May

Court Philippe Chatrier

11:00 AM Start
Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Jarkko Nieminen(FIN) vs. Andy Murray(GBR)[4]

Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Jarmila Gajdosova(AUS) vs. Caroline Wozniacki(DEN)[9]

Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Paul-Henri Mathieu(FRA) vs. John Isner(USA)[10]

Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Ayumi Morita(JPN) vs. Maria Sharapova(RUS)[2]

Court Suzanne Lenglen

11:00 AM Start
Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Urszula Radwanska(POL) vs. Petra Kvitova(CZE)[4]

Not Before:12:00 PM
Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Cedrik-Marcel Stebe(GER) vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga(FRA)[5]To Finish 2-6 6-4 1-1

Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Denis Istomin(UZB) vs. Rafael Nadal(ESP)[2]

Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Na Li(CHN)[7] vs. Stephanie Foretz Gacon(FRA)

Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Grigor Dimitrov(BUL) vs. Richard Gasquet(FRA)[17]

Court 1

11:00 AM Start
Men's Singles - 2nd Round
David Ferrer(ESP)[6] vs. Benoit Paire(FRA)

Not Before:12:00 PM
Men's Singles - 2nd Round
David Goffin(BEL) vs. Arnaud Clement(FRA)To Finish 3-6 7-6(2) 0-6 6-2 5-1

Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Francesca Schiavone(ITA)[14] vs. Tsvetana Pironkova(BUL)

Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Dmitry Tursunov(RUS) vs. Julien Benneteau(FRA)[29]

Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Virginie Razzano(FRA) vs. Arantxa Rus(NED)

Court 2

11:00 AM Start
Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Maria Kirilenko(RUS)[16] vs. Klara Zakopalova(CZE)

Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Marcos Baghdatis(CYP) vs. Nicolas Almagro(ESP)[12]

Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Janko Tipsarevic(SRB)[8] vs. Jeremy Chardy(FRA)

Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Heather Watson(GBR) vs. Julia Goerges(GER)[25]

Court 3

11:00 AM Start
Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Jesse Levine(USA) vs. Milos Raonic(CAN)[19]

Not Before:12:00 PM
Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Olga Govortsova(BLR) vs. Angelique Kerber(GER)[10]To Finish 2-1

Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Varvara Lepchenko(USA) vs. Jelena Jankovic(SRB)[19]

Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Marcel Granollers(ESP)[20] vs. Malek Jaziri(TUN)

Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Shuai Peng(CHN)[28] vs. Lourdes Dominguez Lino(ESP)

Court 5

11:00 AM Start
Women's Doubles - 2nd Round
Liga Dekmeijere(LAT) /Tamarine Tanasugarn(THA) vs. Raquel Kops-Jones(USA)[10] /Abigail Spears(USA)[10]

Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Robin Haase(NED) vs. Mikhail Youzhny(RUS)[27]

Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Carla Suarez Navarro(ESP) vs. Sesil Karatantcheva(KAZ)

Women's Doubles - 2nd Round
Flavia Pennetta(ITA) /Francesca Schiavone(ITA) vs. Angelique Kerber(GER) /Agnieszka Radwanska(POL)

Court 6

11:00 AM Start
Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Juan Monaco(ARG)[13] vs. Lukas Rosol(CZE)

Not Before:12:00 PM
Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Viktor Troicki(SRB)[28] vs. Fabio Fognini(ITA)To Finish 2-6 6-3

Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Kaia Kanepi(EST)[23] vs. Irina-Camelia Begu(ROU)

Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Christina McHale(USA) vs. Lauren Davis(USA)

Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Sergiy Stakhovsky(UKR) vs. Tommy Haas(GER)

Court 7

11:00 AM Start
Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Bernard Tomic(AUS)[25] vs. Santiago Giraldo(COL)

Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Nina Bratchikova(RUS) vs. Claire Feuerstein(FRA)

Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Philipp Kohlschreiber(GER)[24] vs. Leonardo Mayer(ARG)

Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Sofia Arvidsson(SWE) vs. Yaroslava Shvedova(KAZ)

Court 8

11:00 AM Start
Women's Doubles - 2nd Round
Sara Errani(ITA)[4] /Roberta Vinci(ITA)[4] vs. Timea Babos(HUN) /Su-Wei Hsieh(TPE)

Not Before:12:00 PM
Men's Doubles - 1st Round
Carlos Berlocq(ARG) /David Marrero(ESP) vs. Mikhail Kukushkin(KAZ) /Igor Kunitsyn(RUS)To Finish 6-3 1-1

Men's Doubles - 1st Round
Mariusz Fyrstenberg(POL)[4] /Marcin Matkowski(POL)[4] vs. Pablo Andujar(ESP) /Guillermo Garcia-Lopez(ESP)

Women's Doubles - 2nd Round
Maria Kirilenko(RUS)[7] /Nadia Petrova(RUS)[7] vs. Akgul Amanmuradova(UZB) /Kateryna Bondarenko(UKR)

Men's Doubles - 1st Round
Ivan Dodig(CRO) /Marcelo Melo(BRA) vs. Cedrik-Marcel Stebe(GER) /Bernard Tomic(AUS)

Court 10

11:00 AM Start
Men's Doubles - 1st Round
Matthew Ebden(AUS) /Ryan Harrison(USA) vs. Flavio Cipolla(ITA) /Andreas Seppi(ITA)

Women's Doubles - 2nd Round
Andrea Hlavackova(CZE)[5] /Lucie Hradecka(CZE)[5] vs. Anna-Lena Groenefeld(GER) /Petra Martic(CRO)

Men's Doubles - 1st Round
Lukas Dlouhy(CZE) /Nicolas Mahut(FRA) vs. Daniel Gimeno-Traver(ESP) /Rui Machado(POR)

Women's Doubles - 2nd Round
Eleni Daniilidou(GRE) /Mandy Minella(LUX) vs. Nina Bratchikova(RUS) /Edina Gallovits-Hall(ROU)

Mixed Doubles - 1st Round
Alicja Rosolska(POL) /Alexander Peya(AUT) vs. Jarmila Gajdosova(AUS) /Bruno Soares(BRA)

Mixed Doubles - 1st Round
Anastasia Rodionova(AUS) /Christopher Kas(GER) vs. Katarina Srebotnik(SLO)[3] /Nenad Zimonjic(SRB)[3]

Court 11

12:30 PM Start
Men's Doubles - 1st Round
Matthias Bachinger(GER) /Frank Moser(GER) vs. Santiago Gonzalez(MEX)[11] /Christopher Kas(GER)[11]

Mixed Doubles - 1st Round
Liezel Huber(USA)[1] /Max Mirnyi(BLR)[1] vs. Vera Dushevina(RUS) /Juan Sebastian Cabal(COL)To Finish 6-2 6-5

Men's Doubles - 1st Round
Leander Paes(IND)[7] /Alexander Peya(AUT)[7] vs. Simone Bolelli(ITA) /Fabio Fognini(ITA)

Women's Doubles - 2nd Round
Olga Govortsova(BLR) /Galina Voskoboeva(KAZ) vs. Kveta Peschke(CZE)[2] /Katarina Srebotnik(SLO)[2]

Court 14

11:00 AM Start
Men's Doubles - 1st Round
Robert Lindstedt(SWE)[5] /Horia Tecau(ROU)[5] vs. Alex Bogomolov Jr.(RUS) /Dick Norman(BEL)

Men's Doubles - 1st Round
Martin Emmrich(GER) /Andreas Siljestrom(SWE) vs. Daniele Bracciali(ITA)[14] /Potito Starace(ITA)[14]

Not Before:3:00 PM
Men's Doubles - 1st Round
Arnaud Clement(FRA) /Kenny De Schepper(FRA) vs. Paul Hanley(AUS) /Jordan Kerr(AUS)

Court 16

11:00 AM Start
Men's Doubles - 1st Round
Marc Gicquel(FRA) /Edouard Roger-Vasselin(FRA) vs. Mahesh Bhupathi(IND)[6] /Rohan Bopanna(IND)[6]

Not Before:12:00 PM
Men's Doubles - 1st Round
Mark Knowles(BAH) /Xavier Malisse(BEL) vs. Michal Mertinak(SVK) /Andre Sa(BRA)To Finish 6-3 6-6

Men's Doubles - 1st Round
Michael Kohlmann(GER) /Alexander Waske(GER) vs. Oliver Marach(AUT) /Horacio Zeballos(ARG)

Men's Doubles - 1st Round
Benjamin Becker(GER) /Lukasz Kubot(POL) vs. Olivier Charroin(FRA) /Stephane Robert(FRA)

Men's Doubles - 1st Round
Jonathan Erlich(ISR)[13] /Andy Ram(ISR)[13] vs. Johan Brunstrom(SWE) /Philipp Marx(GER)

Mixed Doubles - 1st Round
Pauline Parmentier(FRA) /Benoit Paire(FRA) vs. Kveta Peschke(CZE)[2] /Mike Bryan(USA)[2]

Court 17

11:00 AM Start
Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Melinda Czink(HUN) vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova(RUS)[22]

Men's Doubles - 1st Round
Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo(ESP) /Albert Ramos(ESP) vs. Michael Llodra(FRA)[3] /Nenad Zimonjic(SRB)[3]

Men's Singles - 2nd Round
Florian Mayer(GER)[32] vs. Eduardo Schwank(ARG)

Mixed Doubles - 1st Round
Amandine Hesse(FRA) /Michael Llodra(FRA) vs. Nuria Llagostera Vives(ESP) /Oliver Marach(AUT)

Video: Federer Interview at Roland Garros 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Abad) — Wed, 30 May 2012 19:16:00 +0000

Video: Federer Interview at Roland Garros 2012

Roger Federer comes back on his 2011 season, and tells us more about the Big 4 rivalry....

Interview Roger Federer por rolandgarros

Video: Roland Garros 1st round matches Summary

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Abad) — Wed, 30 May 2012 19:04:00 +0000

Video: Roland Garros 1st round matches Summary

Watch and enjoy the following summary of the 1st round matches at Roland Garros.... Find out who won...

1st round matches at Roland Garros por rolandgarros

Federer works harder than planned in Paris

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Abad) — Wed, 30 May 2012 18:24:00 +0000

Federer works harder than planned in Paris

Roger Federer beat Adrian Ungur 6-3 6-2 6-7 6-3 to move into the third round of the French Open.

Federer will face either Nicolas Mahut beat Martin Klizan 4-6 6-4 7-6(5) 6-3 for a place in the last 16.

With this win, the Swiss set a record of 234th grand-slam match win, passing Jimmy Connors's professional-era record.

The former world number 1 swept aside his opponent in the first two sets, but in the third he lost two match points and was sent to a fourth set.

But that was all the former champion was going to give to Ungur. Federer took a 3-0 lead and sealed the match when Ungur slapped a backhand return wide.

"I reached the tie-breaker and instead of being aggressive, I let him show me what he could do," said Federer. "He played two beautiful shots, and then I started not playing very well.

"Even though I won the first set 6-3 with a solid break, I knew that if he was to get in the match, it would be more difficult, and he had many opportunities during the second set. In the third set I made wrong decisions. He got in the match, and he played a very good third set. Then he relaxed a bit at the beginning of the fourth set, which was quite crucial."

"I think it's a bit easier now, just because I have been around for so long that, even though I expect myself to win, I can still manage to do that," he said. "Whereas in the beginning when you think you're good but you're maybe not that good yet, you get many more surprise losses. They really hurt you. I've had a few here against [Hicham] Arazi, against Horna early on. Against [former three time champion Guga] Kuerten I was the favorite too. I thought his hip wasn't good and he came off a five‑setter. I lost in straight sets against him.

The Swiss added that when a player is an overwhelming favorite at a major, he has to address dicey types of questions in press.

"So you're talking about a match that potentially wasn't that close sometimes or they make a bigger deal out of maybe you losing a set or getting broken a couple of times, whereas maybe at another tournament you wouldn't talk about that. So it's just a bit of a different momentum in the press conference," he said with a laugh.

Federer's post-match news conference was spent discussing Queen Elizabeth II's diamond jubilee.

"I had lunch next to the queen, that was exciting," said Federer, recalling the monarch's visit to Wimbledon in 2010 after a 33-year absence.

"She was very sweet, very nice, very polite, of course, and a pleasure to be around."

Photo Getty Images

Djokovic storms into French Open third round

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Abad) — Wed, 30 May 2012 16:22:00 +0000

Djokovic storms into French Open third round

Novak Djokoviccrushed Blaz Kavcic 6-0, 6-4, 6-4 to advance the third round of the French Open in Paris.

Djokovic won the first seven games to overwhelm his opponent.

Kavcic won his first game, for 1-1 in the second set, and got a huge cheer from the crowd. That support allowed him to let his full heart out and stepped up his game.
He broke Nole for 2-1 but was broken back in the following game.

The Serb got another break to seal a 2 set to love lead and even his opponent continued to battle and saved three match-points Djokovic ended up claiming the win.

Nole hit five aces and 41 winners while Kavcic committed 21 unforced errors, 13 fewer than Djokovic.

"He was defending really well in the second and third sets, especially in the second," said Djokovic. "I gave him the opportunity to come back to the match after a perfect first set, first seven games. Of course I didn't underestimate my opponent today. I expected him to fight. I expected him to come back. He didn't have anything to lose, and he showed his quality and it was a really, really great second and third set.

"I'm happy with the game overall. I think everything was working really well. I'm feeling better and better every match."

Djokovic will next play Nicolas Devilder, who defeated Michael Berrer 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-2 in two hours and 16 minutes.

"I'm very happy to advance to the third round because obviously this is the first time in a Grand Slam," said Devilder. "So being able to experience this after three difficult years with many injuries, obviously that's very nice. I'm very happy. I'm going to play Djokovic in the next round. Well, what better could I have wished for?"

Source ATP
Photo Getty Images

Del Potro French Open Press Conference | Day 4 May 30th 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Abad) — Wed, 30 May 2012 15:34:00 +0000

Del Potro French Open Press Conference | Day 4 May 30th 2012

Q. 7‑6 during the first set. How did you manage to turn the whole game around?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Well, I knew from the outset that I could win this match, I could break him. I knew that.

I was always at almost, you know, something like 30‑40, so I had enough confidence to continue. I knew that I could change the situation at any moment.

Q. We're all a bit worried about your knee. How do you feel?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Well, yes, this is something that bothers me. This is true. It's a constant bother. So what I try and do is not to think about it. I try and do my best with my tennis. And when I'm out there on the court I try not to think too much about the fact that it really bothers me.

So today and tomorrow I'll continue with my treatment and the necessary practice, what I usually do. I want to be ready when I'm on the courts.

Q. So you've talked about your knee, and your knee is something that really bothers you on the right‑hand side mainly when you're serving?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Yes. This is an injury that really bothers me when I'm trying to find the right stance when I'm serving. You know, if you're not strong enough on your legs, it's difficult for you to play some shots more than others, by the way. This is something difficult to manage.

But I try not to think about it at all. What's important for me is to be right there on the courts, to be aggressive, offensive all the time, even though, as I said, it bothers me so that I can dictate the game so that it wouldn't be even worse.

Q. Did you feel a little better or would you say that it has worsened?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: No, it has not worsened. The trend is rather positive.

Q. What about your next match?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: I don't know who I'm going to play against.

Q. Cilic.

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Oh, yes, we know one another well, very well. The matches we play are always very difficult matches. The way he plays tennis is similar to my way of playing tennis.

He's really an attacker. He's really someone who serves well. He's dangerous. I think that now 32 players are out, and they're excellent players, and they could all play a major tournament, and Cilic has a lot of potential. He really is an excellent player. It's going to be tough.

Q. Today you had a high percentage of winning shots. So my question is: Was this your strategy? That is, did you intend to win the game as quickly as possible?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Well, of course I wanted to shorten the rallies as much as I could. I wanted to win these points as quickly as I could.

There was a moment when, you know, I managed to do this and to stick to my strategy, that is, to shorten the rallies, not to move around too much, not to run too much, and not to feel endangered.

Q. Seen from outside, he was a solid player, wouldn't you say so? And he had dropshots. You had to move around to catch those.

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Yeah, certainly. Well, this opponent, the next opponent, is going to be really tough. His backhand along the lines is really tricky. He's a player who can play all types of shots. He's very homogenous as well, and I knew that he would be lower at a moment during the match, so I had to continue so as to win the match.

Q. Maybe there's another difficulty, which is that you were playing on Court No. 2. You slide more.

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: No, all courts here are good. Court No. 2 is okay. You're close to the audience, to the crowd, which is something very pleasant. I think all courts look alike here except for central court, of course.

The other courts are smaller behind the baseline. I like Court No. 2, by the way.

Photo Getty Images

Photos: Del Potro vs Roger-Vasselin | Roland Garros Day 4

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Abad) — Wed, 30 May 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Photos: Del Potro vs Roger-Vasselin | Roland Garros Day 4

Juan Martin Del Potro defeated Edouard Roger-Vasselin in 4 sets in his men's singles second round match on day four of the French Open at Roland Garros ... Enjoy some tennis pictures from their encounter....

Photos by Getty Images/Reuters/AP

Photos: Federer vs Ungur | French Open Day 4

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Abad) — Wed, 30 May 2012 14:42:00 +0000

Photos: Federer vs Ungur | French Open Day 4

Enjoy some tennis photos of Roger Federer and Adrian Ungur during their Men's Singles 2nd Round tennis match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros ... The former world number 1 and French Open champion advanced in 4 sets...

AFP PHOTO / KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/GettyImages

Photos: Djokovic vs Kavcic | French Open 2012 Day 4

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Abad) — Wed, 30 May 2012 14:10:00 +0000

Photos: Djokovic vs Kavcic | French Open 2012 Day 4

Novak Djokovic beat Blaz Kavcic during their Men's Singles 2nd Round tennis match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros .... Check out more than 60 tennis pictures from their encounter...

AFP PHOTO / JACQUES DEMARTHON/AFP/GettyImages

French Open Day 3 Photos | Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Abad) — Wed, 30 May 2012 12:14:00 +0000

French Open Day 3 Photos | Part 2

Check out the second part of our photo gallery from day 3 action at Roland Garros....

Photos by Getty Images/AP/AFP