It has been the hottest day yet and there has also been no wind, which has made the sun brutally hot.
No wonder Djorkovic was struggling today, he retired at 1-2 in the fourth set vs Roddick and it has been the talk of the tourney, leading to a major argument over scheduling. He has only finished his 4 setter vs Bhagdatis at 02:30am on Monday morning so he had understandably requested a night match on Tuesday but this was denied.
Everyone would prefer a night match because it's cooler and the wind has died down but very often the schedule is influenced by the demands of the TV stations which pay huge sums for the broadcasting rights.
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Anyway, Djoko got a bit of a hard time in his post match press conference from a few journalists who would have preferred he had finished (and lost) the match, regardless of his physical condition if it gave his opponent the satisfaction of completing the win.
They were pointing out to him that he was racking up the retirements having done so at the French Open, Monte Carlo (both respiratory problems) and Wimbledon (Blisters), they were questioning his resolve which I thought was a bit harsh.
By the way don't you think Roddick is looking pretty lean? He's lost over a stone since his new coach Larry Stefanki put him on a "No carbs after Midday" diet in the off season!
Apparently it will be around 40 degrees for the next 3 days which is a disaster for me as I already look like a panda!
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But the good news is that Laura Robson and Heather Watson are through to the last 16 of the girls singles. Laura came from a double break down in the second set to beat a Thai girl (no chance I can spell her name correctly).
Laura is good at raising her game when she needs to and that is the sign of a winner. Heather beat a South African leftie called Simmonds 6-2, 6-1 and wasn't really tested at all.
I also watched a bit of James Chaudry's doubles where he had an Irish partner, John Morrissey. They won their first match but unfortunately were beaten 6-0, 6-2 by a couple of guys from the Far East who were more aware of using the court and playing doubles.
James is out here on his own, with no coach and no parents which is a good effort especially as he is the only Brit in the boys' singles.
I saw Pat Rafter in the player cafe today and went all weak at the knees (me, not him) - he is still very handsome. He is here playing in the veteran's doubles so I think I'll be checking that out tomorrow!
Did you see how easily Federer shot down Del Potro? I thought that would be a tough match but it was over in 80 minutes and the crowd were walking out halfway through the 3rd set.
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I commentated on Dokic v Safina before it and that was a 7-5 final set thriller. The Dokic fairytale ended but she ran the world No. 3 very close.
Safina is in great physical shape these days and that's probably helped her to remain more composed in long matches. She used to be a total hothead... like her brother Marat :) What an amazing job their parents have done raising 2 kids who have gone on to reach the heights of top 3 in the world.
Looking through the women's draw, it's really noticeable how many of the top players travel with a parent. Bartoli travels with her doctor Dad who is also her coach, Dementieva, Jankovic, Ivanovic, Venus and Serena all travel with their mums. Must be something in that.
Jamie and Liesel Huber went out of the mixed to Andy Ram and Natalie Dechy 6-7 6-2 10-4. A winnable match for Jamie and Liesel but it wasn't to be.
That's it for today...