CAMELOT FANTASIES

Should he have played to keep his momentum, or will the extra time off find him playing catch up?


Why Djokovic's Madrid withdrawal could lead to a French Open title

http://www.si.com/tennis/2015/04/30/novak-djokovic-madrid-french-open-title

Novak Djokovic's decision to skip next week's mandatory Madrid Open sends a clear message: Roland Garros or bust. With the French Open just three weeks away, here's why Djokovic's decision to forego Madrid could finally lead to a breakthrough in Paris.

1. The career Slam
The Serb already made history by becoming the first player ever to win the first three ATP Masters events of the season in Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo. Winning all nine Masters in one year would be an incredible feat—one that would likely never be matched—and for a player whose accomplishments continue to, rather unfairly, sit in the shadow of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, this would set him apart. But Djokovic's decision to skip Madrid sent one loud and true message to the rest of the field: Roland Garros or bust. This year, he's healthy and playing some of the best tennis of his career. Meanwhile, Nadal seems to be struggling to find his game. This is a huge opportunity for Djokovic to finally complete the career Slam.

2. Madrid's conditions
The keys for Djokovic right now are to stay healthy, rested and confident going into Paris. With that in mind, Madrid's conditions are nothing similar to the conditions in Paris and the quick change would not be helpful if Djokovic felt the need to fine-tune his game. In Madrid's altitude, the conditions are faster and the ball can fly, and if Djokovic did play, he would be forced to make yet another adjustment with the Italian Open the following week. Players constantly complain about the adjustments leading to injuries and a derailment in form—no need for Djokovic to risk either next week.

3. Points to defend
The World No. 1 is not defending any points this year in Madrid, but points aren't even on his mind at the moment. According to the ATP's Greg Sharko, Djokovic currently holds the biggest lead in points (5,460) over the No. 2 (in this case Federer) in the Open Era. In the ATP's Race to London rankings, which only take into account the points earned in the current season, Djokovic has more than twice the number of points than the No. 2, Tomas Berdych. He's secure in his No. 1 ranking for the near future and will be the No. 1 seed at Roland Garros.

4. Confidence
Djokovic has won the last six big ATP tournaments, dating back to the Paris Indoor Masters. He is on a 17-match win streak. All this while his main rival on clay, Nadal, is racing to find his best level before the French Open. In the last three years, Djokovic's results in Rome and Monte Carlo have been better indicators of his French Open success than Madrid.
As for the theory that he needs more match play before Paris, consider the fact that he went into the French Open the last two years with just nine matches under his belt in the lead-ups. Opting to skip Madrid means he'll go into Paris with no more than ten. During his 2011 tear, Djokovic won Belgrade, Madrid and Rome, and was 13-0 heading into the French Open, primed to win his first French Open title. He lost to Federer in the semifinals.

5. History
Since the tournament became an outdoor clay court Masters event in 2009, the Madrid Open has never been particularly kind to Djokovic. He has won the tournament just once, during his banner 2011 season, but the Spanish capital has otherwise been an inhospitable place. The Spanish crowd has seemingly never forgiven him for beating Nadal in that 2011 final, a win that paved the way for Djokovic to become the primary challenger to Nadal's dominance on clay. He was booed in 2013—and responded by cursing out the crowd—en route to a three-set loss to Grigor Dimitrov in the second round. He has not played in Madrid since. Last year he skipped the tournament due to a wrist injury.
His treatment in Madrid is even more jarring given the two tournaments that sandwich the event. The Monte Carlo Masters take place in his backyard—Djokovic has lived there for years—and he's treated as an adopted Roman at the Italian Open, where he has made the final five times and won on three occasions.

Can't say I agree with this.

Novak Djokovic Doing His Legacy a Disservice by Skipping 2015 Madrid Masters
By Jeremy Eckstein , Featured Columnist May 1, 2015

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2449603-novak-djokovic-doing-his-legacy-a-disservice-by-skipping-2015-madrid-masters

Novak Djokovic’s decision to withdraw from the 2015 Madrid Masters is understandable. He plans to be rested and energized for another assault at the the French Open, and there’s no doubt he will throw his entire being into the attempt. It’s a sensible approach in pursuit of his career’s holy grail
The withdrawal may also mean a possible loss of momentum, according to ESPN's Peter Bodo:

Besides these outlooks, there is at least one disappointing aspect about Djokovic’s decision, at least from the standpoint of chasing tennis history. He sacrificed the chance to complete the greatest ever first half of a calendar tennis year. He still might get it, but it will not be a perfect sweep.

Redefining Masters and Grand Slam Success

The No. 1-ranked Djokovic has crushed the ATP tour since October, winning all of the biggest tournaments that are at minimum the prestigious Masters 1000 level. He finished 2014 by winning the final two big events, the Paris Masters and the World Tour Final at London. In 2015, he has thus far won all four of the biggest prizes: the Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo.

That’s six straight huge trophies through three calendar seasons, two continents and varying surfaces.
Except that now Djokovic will watch from the sidelines as someone else lifts up Madrid’s trophy. His streak of winning four consecutive Masters 1000 titles is broken.

Nevertheless, Djokovic still has a chance to achieve a new standard of historical greatness. Here’s how we can measure his results and upcoming opportunities in 2015:

We can break a calendar year into two equal halves of seven huge trophies apiece. The first half is the Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome and the French Open. Call this the slow-courts half of the year. (The second half of the year features the fast courts led by Wimbledon, Canada Open, Cincinnati, U.S. Open, Shanghai, Paris and the WTF.)
A couple of caveats. The 21st century has seen the ATP emphasize the Masters 1000 tournaments with mandatory participation and bigger incentives. The current "Big Three" of tennis (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Djokovic) have established new standards of winning these titles, so the basis of this article is to compare these three against each other. Past legends ranging from Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras had different opportunities to dominate, but not to the extent that the numbers stack up now.

Nadal for Four and Federer for Three

To put Djokovic’s current domination into recent, historical perspective, there are some interesting comparisons with Nadal and Federer.

Four times (2007, '09-10, '13) Nadal, the King of Clay, won four of the seven big trophies in the first half of the year. Each time he won one of the two majors and three Masters 1000 tournaments:
2007:   Indian Wells, Monte Carlo, Rome, French Open
2009:   Australian Open, Indian Wells, Monte Carlo, Rome
2010:   Monte Carlo, Rome, Madrid, French Open
2013:   Indian Wells, Madrid, Rome, French Open

It’s fair to note that only one time (2010) was this accomplished exclusively on clay. Furthermore, Nadal had four other years (2005-06, '08, '12) of winning three or more Masters 1000/majors in the first half of the year.

Federer has had less of an impact in the first half of each year. Only two times (2004, '06) did the Swiss superstar win three or more of the big trophies by the closing ceremonies of Roland Garros. It was a supreme challenge for him to nab clay-court titles during Nadal’s younger and prime years, and Federer’s much stronger bodies of work occurred during the second-half stretches of the calendar year.

Djokovic for Five or Six

Djokovic had already created a new standard for the slow-courts combinations in 2011, a season that is somehow still underrated. Djokovic won five of the seven huge trophies: Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Rome.
Perhaps this has often been overlooked because he did not win the French Open. Falling in the semifinals to Federer is often the memory fans take away from the end of the slow-courts half of the year. His subsequent conquests at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open gave him three majors for 2011, which also justifiably overshadows his epic first half.

Many tennis fans might not realize that winning those first five trophies before 2011 Wimbledon was still mathematically a greater accomplishment than any first half from Nadal or Federer.

As it stands in 2015, Djokovic already has four of those trophies in the bag. Had he opted to compete at Madrid, Rome and the French Open, he might have obliterated the best first-half efforts of Nadal and Federer.

Perfection is gone, but suppose a well-rested Djokovic torches Rome and sacks Roland Garros. That’s still an astounding six massive trophies of seven possibilities, and in barely four months' time. By contrast, Scot superstar Andy Murray has only won three big trophies since his former coach Ivan Lendl signed up to begin 2012, and Lendl has been gone more than a year now.
Most importantly, if Djokovic wins the French Open, he will be the first player to win the first two majors since Jim Courier in 1992. Throw in those four 2015 Masters titles he has already won and perhaps a fifth Masters title with Rome, and it would be the new standard of greatness for any modern player heading into Wimbledon.

Djokovic made his decision to prioritize all of his efforts and energy to win the French Open. That’s his call, and perhaps the right one. Yet, it would have been interesting to have seen him compete at Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros.
It was an opportunity that will likely not happen again for the Serbian, and perhaps any player for many years to come.

Whew! I'm tired now. Rafa plays this weekend. I don't know what day or time. I'd better check so that I don't miss it.

Andy Murray faces three matches in one day after rain delay at Munich Open

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/may/01/andy-murray-luka-rosol-munich-open

Andy Murray may have to play three times in one day after his Munich Open quarter-final against the Czech Lukas Rosol was postponed on Friday because of rain.

Murray will play the world No41 at 8am on Saturday and then, should he win, play a semi-final against Roberto Bautista Agut or Victor Estrella Burgos shortly afterwards. Murray is also scheduled to play in the doubles semi-final on Saturday..
The world No3 began his clay-court season with a straight sets win over Mischa Zverev on Thursday, defeating the Russian-born German qualifier 6-2, 6-2. Murray described the triumph as not being “too easy”, having saved six break points on his way to victory.

The match was also Murray’s first since his marriage to Kim Sears last month.

Andy Murray can learn to win the mental fight claims stand-in coach Jonas Bjorkman

Among the aspects of tennis loved by Jonas Bjorkman is the dimension of what he calls 'mental boxing' going on across the net between opponents. The 43 year-old Swede boxed clever throughout a highly successful career which, it seems likely, will lead him to become a key figure in the life of Andy Murray over the next few years.

On Thursday, for the first time, Bjorkman was the senior presence in the coaching corner of the world number three as he eased through his opening match at the BMW Open with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Germany's Mischa Zverev.
Andy Murray overcame Germany's Mischa Zverev 6-2, 6-2 at the BMW Open in Munich on Thursday
Jonas Bjorkmann (left) is working with Murray until the end of the grass court season and then maybe longer
Away from the fray, sitting on a terrace at the tree-lined Iphitos Club, Bjorkman reflected on what he might bring in trying to help Murray to more Grand Slam titles as Amelie Mauresmo increasingly takes a back seat as the summer progresses.
That could happen sooner rather than later. With important late pregnancy issues like blood pressure to consider, will an eight-months expecting Mauresmo realistically be seen on Murray's Centre Court player bench at Wimbledon, in that most tense of environments?

Bjorkman is currently on a trial period but has already been pencilled in for the grass court season, where he will bring to bear experience gleaned from being the world's top doubles expert and a peak number four in singles.

Wimbledon 2015 prize money hits record levels as Andy Murray...

The Swede was a notably popular individual among his peers with a reputation as something of a comedian, but he was also a combative and thoughtful player who liked to work out opponents as he went along.
That is one of several characteristics he has in common with Murray, who he originally got to know as a youngster through their mutual close friendship with Tim Henman.

'I always loved the way Andy played because I like the type who can maybe have a bad start and then change his tactics and find a way to win a match, I was a bit the same, and he is very good at that,' said Bjorkman.

Now fully available after a run to the semi-finals of Sweden's Strictly Come Dancing – he is a somewhat more natural mover than Andy's mother – he described it as 'an honour' to get the call in February to discuss being, initially, the assistant coach.
'In my career I started out liking to serve and volley, but I had to adapt because conditions slowed and I had to play from the back more. Andy is number three, an exceptional player but if you can add a few percentage points here and there that's what I will look to do.

'The guys at the top are more or less complete. I think he would like some help from me in being more aggressive with his returns, he has a good volley but is not always sure about his position on the court.

Murray was being guided by new stand-in coach Bjorkman for the first time in Munich on Thursday
Murray was being guided by new stand-in coach Bjorkman for the first time in Munich on Thursday
'He is a great mover and might look to sneak into the net more, I would like him to get a bit lower in his volley position, it's already good but could still be better.

'As a player I didn't want to hear too many things, so it takes some time. I need to learn about his game and how he likes things during practice.'

He is also a student of the side of tennis that happens between the ears, especially relevant with someone as prone to frustration as Murray. Bjorkman can empathise due to the insecurities he admits to as a player.

'Tennis is a very interesting game, it's like a mental boxing match, you can't punch your opponent but you have a mental game against each other and I find that fascinating, how to win against someone mentally.

The Scot was playing his first match on clay this season as well as his first match as a married man in Munich
The Scot was playing his first match on clay this season as well as his first match as a married man in Munich
'Early in my career I was too affected as a person by my performance. If I played well I felt I was a good guy and if I didn't I felt a bad guy. It helped me when I could understand that wasn't the case. I was too hard on myself.
'Sometimes Andy gets a bit down on himself which he doesn't really need to because he is such a good player, hopefully I can get him a bit more relaxed.
'Rest is an important thing as well. I used to worry that if I didn't play for two days I would lose my technique, but you learn about your body.'
The stock of Swedish coaches is currently very high, with the likes of Stefan Edberg, Magnus Norman, Thomas Hogstedt all enhancing their standing.

'Those guys have really improved our status. I don't know if it's our Swedish temperament, maybe it's more that when we had lots of good players in the eighties and nineties there were a lot of coaches at home who did a really good job, and we can draw on that.'

Last year Bjorkman was on the Scot's radar prior to him making the groundbreaking appointment of Mauresmo. Others, too, he reveals.
've had four or five guys who have asked me to coach them before and I was interested. But I thought that if I'm only prepared to do ten to twelve weeks then I can't really do a good job for them. If you are going to do the coaching you have to be around more than that. I'm ready to do the travelling if needed.'

That may turn out to be a long-term issue where Mauresmo is concerned as she settles into motherhood. Bjorkman emphasises that he enjoyed working with her last week in Barcelona and stresses that no decisions have been made on any side.

'It's great that she is super happy but it is not easy for her to know how she is going to feel afterwards. She is going to do some weeks now and I really look forward to working with her. I'll be in Madrid at the start of next week and then she will take over, I think some decisions might be made after that.'

I have a lot of work left to do at our free education center.

we still have tons of match stuff to add.

right now I will add biology.


we still have physics and computer programming to add.

Oh gosh. Psychics! I'd rather shoot myself.

I heard about that movie.

Super hero movies still have a lot of traction.

Confirmed general.    Oh no!  It looks like the knee again!  Remember those videos General Hercules posted?  And I said something about him being doubled over from wind or legs tired?  It indeed might have been from pain instead of wind.

Here is an article from Spanish Tennis news site  and pics below:







I know it looks terrible, but let's hope it is just temporary and that he recovers fast!

Respectfully,
masterclass

our Camelot free education center is developing nicely.


we have plenty of programs there now. it is all 100% free.


cost of education has risen dramatically over the years.


that is why we needed to offer free education at Camelot.


I will be adding more math programs later.

our Camelot free education center is developing nicely.


we have plenty of programs there now. it is all 100% free.


cost of education has risen dramatically over the years.


that is why we needed to offer free education at Camelot.


I will be adding more math programs later.

From FB

Rafael Nadal returning to his old racquet

"I'm changing back because I believe that I've been playing a lot of years with this racquet," he said on Sunday. "I've had very little time to play with the new one.

"I know that the other (new) racquet is the right one, and I'll play well with it in the future. But I had just few days to prepare with that racquet just before Monte Carlo.

"I know that here we play in altitude and I have a little less control with the new one. I'm going to play with the old one, with this one, until the end of the season when I have enough time to train with the new prototype and time to adapt to it