Here comes the rain again ...

by Orysbestos

Another year, another manufactured controversy about rain at the US Open. Three years ago the scheduling conspiracy to ensure a Roger Federer win did not go unnoticed, in 2009 a delayed semi-final contributed to a cranky Serena Williams loss to Kim Clijsters, last year was the third year in a row that the mens final was played on a monday... and this years drama? Yesterday, Rafael Nadal arrived on court an ungodly SIX minutes after his opponent Gilles Muller for their fourth round encounter and then, horror of horrors, was subjected to the most outrageous on court conditions causing him to go down an early break in the first set.

Naturally, the trusty crew at ESPN, led by Hannah Storm, saw this is an opportunity to muster up a story about player unions, the ATP's organisational skills and an inconclusive debate about whether tennis players are entitled to say no to tournament organisers, all of this ending with a rant by John McEnroe about how tennis players don't get enough money. Really, ESPN? I realise that the weather has been horrendous, but let's be frank, no one switches sport on TV on to hear retired players and broadcasters complaining about issues that have almost no palpable effect on the sport we tune in to see. As I write, Nadal is up a set and 5-0. So much for that.

Speaking of fourth rounds, Donald Young's run has brought back memories of the glory days of American tennis when young, exciting players were the side stories to Grand Slam tournaments. Unfortunately for Donald and his country, he faces the world number 4 in Andy Murray, whose steady, if uninspiring, play will probably be too much for the American. If Young wants to keep it competitive he will need to play aggressively and maintain his composure against the Scot who is known for his psychological as well as tennis tactics.

Other interesting match-ups:

• David Ferrer vs Andy Roddick - Can Roddick reach his first Grand Slam quarterfinal of the year? I'm not a huge fan of Roddick's personality but it would be nice to see him have a good runs as his ranking takes a turn for the worse.
• Roger Federer vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - It can't be denied that this year Tsonga has had the old man's number. Most will put that down to Federer's 'decline' over the past 24 months but credit must go to the Frenchman who has shown time and time again that he has the goods to beat the best although perhaps not as frequently as he would like due to injuries and other form related issues. However, I see Federer beating Jo-Wilfried in 5 sets to play Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.