Roddick out, Soderling in: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/tennis/article6918010.ece

Not unexpected, but still kind of a pity. Tsonga is the first alternate, waiting if DelPo pulls out.

andyroddick i just dont think it makes sense that we have a year as long as we do, and then people act shocked when injuries play a part

Andy Roddick wrote that on twitter this morning. Five hours later he retired from his match against Stan the Man with knee injury - that's what I call self-jinx (or would that be a self-fulfilling prophesy?) par excellence. Poor A-Rod, tennis's been fucking him sideways since that Wimbly final.

On a separate creepy note, Wawa now has two wins over Andy, both by retirement.

Gulbis returned to his usual stellar form, losing to Fognini on hard in the 1st rd in straights. Cilic also went out in the 1st rd - to Berdych.

"I was standing two meters behind the baseline like a Spaniard and doing nothing. Now I'm playing more aggressive like I want." - Ernests Gulbis, after beating His Sexiness, on his level of play this season.

Atta boy! Please, don't lose to Monaco in the next round.

Roddick and DelPo, you both suck. I mean, with all the talk about A-Rod's amazing year, he should probably show something for it, beside a measly title in Memphis :eyeroll:. Losing to Kubot in the 1st rd is not the way to achieve that.

( on the other hand, his left arm freaks me out )
And fuck you muchly, DelPo - noone should loose to Roger freaking Vasselin - ever. 'Tis unseemly.

( Rafa Nadal loves bright colors. I think even Martians know that already )
They can probably see his shirts from all teh way up there. And are those... checkered shorts? Oy.

Did you know that Marat Safin was the first ever champion of China Open? He won the title in '04 over Youzhny - the beginning of his autumn run. At his last China Open, he's won a match so far (which is somewhat of a rarity these days, but still feels great).

( But he's still a god. )

( from today's Guardian )
(http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/apr/03/murray-verdasco-tennis-nadal-del-potro)
Ouchies.

Damn, Andy has quite a temper in him. I wish someone's filmed it.

On the other hand, after trawling some tennis sites for a while this morning, I wish Nadal fans stopped their gnashing of teeth and hand-wriggling already. It's not like he lost to a nobody. It's not like he lost in the 2nd round. He's not going to win every single match from now on, people. Take a chill pill. Jesus.

I bought a new light-blue spring overcoat outrageously cheap, and a scarf to go with it, which costed more than the coat itself. Go me!

Indian Wells goes by, and I hardly watch it. The time is just too inconvenient, damn it. The matches start late when I'm already dead tired, and instead of appreciating the game, I struggle to keep my eyes open. Watched Murray-Ljubicic yeaterday though, thought that the old man (I have no right to call Ljubo that - he's three years younger than me, but you get my drift. Besides, he looks at least a decade older than his age. It's, like, a miracle) had the right idea about how to send Snaggletooth packing, but was too slow to execute it properly. Surely, the match was a lot tighter than anyone had the right to expect.

Nole plays Roddick today, and it's scheduled mid-afternoon to give A-Rod an advantage. Heh. Nole should expect now that of all the tournament organizers: if they want to shaft him, they will make him play in the heat. Me, I'm not complaining: that way, there's a chance that I will not be asleep and watch the match - there's absolutely no way I'm watching the second men's match. Nole, please, try to play aggresive ffs. Don't go over to the Dark Side:



(courtesy miura from MTF)

Those two had already developed quite a history between them, no? A-Rod is probably bouncing off the walls. Whoever's going to umpire this match, be very afraid.

I have one burning question now:

Why didn't fucking tournament organizers close the fucking roof? It takes whopping 10 minutes to do. Your athletes bring you money, you retarded monkeys, is that too much to ask that you'd spare a thought for them?

I think I will be rooting for Roddick from now on - he played a great match, a smart match, and he survived the unhuman conditions that the management had put him in. 50 fucking degrees!

God, I'm depressed now. Screw you sideways, Tennis Australia. Go Andy!

Who the holy hell told Roddick that godawful buzzcut was a good idea??!

His head looks like a chamber pot, it's so breathtakingly fugly I can't concentrate on the match. Grawgh. Do humanity a favour Andy, put your fucking cap on.

Roddick gets the news about his draw:



the draw itself

Exciting, exciting times. Can't wait.