center court drama

The serve was invented so that the net could play.
- Bill Cosby

Okay, so my Mardy Fish-inspired optimism last night didn't last for too long after I signed off and settled in for a late night of tennis. But I did say they would finish it in four...only Nadal was the one coming out of it victorious.

Nerves got the best of Fish, that much was clear. There was a lot of scowling, head shaking, head hitting with fists (only saw it once, but it made you wince), and even spitting at the racquet (proceeded by smashing said racquet into the ground). After he lost the second and third sets, it seemed to spiral downward for him from there.

Note to self: The difference between a champion and an almost-champion is nerves, nerves, nerves. Get a hold of yourself, and you'll get yourself to the finish line, or at least give yourself a fighting chance.

After all, Nadal did lose the first set rather decidedly, but he quickly recovered to take the next three and secure his spot in the semis. Final score: Nadal wins 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2.

Today, Roger Federer took on qualifier Gilles Muller in a heated quarterfinal match of their own. Even though it was only three sets, it was a tight, hard-fought, well-played match. Final score: Federer wins 5-6 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (5) and continues on the road to take back his spot at number one from Nadal.

Then night fell, and things got a little weird.

Under the Open lights, Novak Djokovic took on the crowd favorite Andy Roddick (whose only win here to date was in 2003). The mood was already tense following the comments Roddick made at a press conference, seemingly in jest, about the injuries/problems/ailments that Djokovic has suffered throughout the tournament. They were, I have to confess, rather humorous, said a few days ago by a tired Roddick to a bunch of reporters in a serious, deadpan voice. In addition to what the reporter said, as part of a question (that no one remembers) regarding Roddick's feelings about going into a match with a player like Djokovic who was clearly having issues, Roddick added on that he also had anthrax, bird flu, SARS, a common cold, etc. - all in all, a total of "16 injuries." Anyone watching must have known he was kidding. But it was the comment that followed that wasn't so funny and might have been speaking of Roddick's actual feelings about Djokovic's recent multiple trainer calls while on court: "He's either quick to call the trainer, or he's the most courageous guy of all time. I think it's up for you guys to decide."

See? Not as funny as the bird flu comment. Turns out, Djokovic didn't think so either.

Back to tonight's match, Djokovic was cruising for a relatively easy win, up until the third set...when he lost it. The match continued to get tense with Roddick having racquet abuse issues again and Djokovic staring down (and, once or twice, shouting down) rowdy Roddick fans. The fourth set ended in a tiebreak and eventual victory for Djokovic, who got himself a ticket to duke it out with Federer in the semifinals. Final score: 6-2, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5)

Here's where it gets awkward. Both players shake hands, the crowd is cheering, they shake hands with the ump. So far so good.

Okay, now, here's a question: You're playing a quarterfinal night match. You're the crowd favorite. You just lost, but it's late, and the crowd has sat through it all to, we can assume, see you play. Do you finish the match, pack up your racquets, give a brief wave, and skedaddle off the court quicker than those 9-year-olds can get out their Sharpies and giant Wilson tennis balls for you to sign? Well, you do if you're Andy Roddick. Not too cool, in my opinion.

Then, in his on-court interview, Djokovic proceeds to make comments about Roddick (and his own comments) and about what he assumes the crowd thinks of him (Djokovic) about his injuries, mainly, that he's faking.

Now you tell me what you think happens next. Boos erupt from the audience, and not just once either, but several times. And I like Djokovic, so it was especially difficult. You just wanted to say, "Shut up, Djokovic. Say thank you to the crowd, follow up with something funny, sign autographs, and skedaddle off the court like Roddick."

Eventually, he did, and John McEnroe reminded the viewers at home that he, too, drew boos from the crowds on a couple of occasions during his playing days. But still, it was a rough, kind of awkward note to end on for a quarterfinal evening of tennis.

So let's forget about it, move on, and look forward to an entertaining match between Federer and Djokovic. My bets (and we know how good those have been so far) are on Federer. Plus, he really looks like he wants it this year. I've seen Federer do more jumping after points in this tournament than I think I've ever seen him jump up until this point ever.

And for some interesting US Open trivia that involves a certain Fish and Roddick and their temperamental racquet issues, check out this interesting TENNIS Magazine article about racquets and the beatings they have taken in the past two weeks -

http://www.tennis.com/news/news.aspx?id=144270