Sunday, March 28, 2010

Slumpy II: Electric Boogaloo

Well, it seems we cannot talk about Miami this year without talking about big league players who have been spectacularly upset. I wrote a week or so ago about how the media might start characterising Andy Murray as 'Slumpy' if he doesn't get his head in the game... however, I think he has stiff competition from Novak Djokovic there.

So, Novak. You're #2 now, eh. Good for you. You know what players ranked #2 generally don't do? Lose to Olivier Rochus.

Don't get me wrong - mini Rochus has got some mojo. He's fast like a road runner. However, he is about as tall as a garden gnome and someone who has reached the heights that Djokovic has reached should be smashing him like a guitar. I'm not quite sure what's going on with the Djoker here - whether this is just a continuation of his not-so-hot form or whether he has a Rochus thing, because his head with Rochus is not great, if I am not mistaken.

But let's face it - a player at this level should not be losing this match. Rochus is not one of the players in the draw that you look at and go 'dangerous floater'. He's not that spectacular any more. But neither, it would seem, is Novak.

Or Andy Murray, actually. At least Rochus is ranked inside the top hundred - Mardy Fish is outside it and he served Murray his own arse today. I'm not Fish's biggest fan but he does have some dangerous elements to his game, I suppose... except you know who else is supposed to be dangerous? Murray. He's supposed to be nigh on lethal. But no. Let's just lose. Slumpy ahoy - watch out, Andy, the media is coming. And they're probably all British, too.

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