Sensory stimulation. Forget listening to whales murmuring, if Tennis were prescribed as therapy, these are the matches you'd be made to see. Tennis the way it should be played. A real contrast of styles - and I'm not even sure I'd call it old school.
In short Dent supplied us with the best net play that I've maybe seen since Federer won his first Wimbledon title. Back then Taylor was known more for his 140mph+ service. I knew he was a great serve-volleyer, but I forgot how good. Or the relative absence of this style of play has made me forget just how good things can get.
Whatever it was it required Federer to raise his game to a level I'm pretty sure we haven't seen from him at the Masters level for around a year and a half.
Loving the comeback from Dent, who is taking off the entire clay court season to spend time getting back into shape - can't wait - I'd love to see what a more trim Dent could accomplish against the top players.
[3] N Djokovic (SRB) d [21] T Berdych (CZE) 63 62
Novak's been very busy this week persuading the media that he's feeling much better about his tennis and life in general. I actually want to believe him and he seemed to play well enough.
Trouble is Berdych was as Berdych always is, and sadly seems destined to remain - though I'd loved to be proved wrong. Just when you think he's put a couple of good points together he almost rears up as if he's just been reminded of how UN-Tomas like that last point was and quickly settles into his comfort zone. Trouble is his comfort zone is not what his therapist might refer to as a 'happy place'.
Hearing the ball come off his racquet really does make you feel you're in the presence of potential greatness (it does sound rather Safin-like). Federer observed after his 5 set scare against him at this years Aussie Open that 'he wished he was higher up the rankings so you don't have to play him so early'. Hear that Tomas? Even TMF himself wishes you'd play that little bit better.
And as for Novak, I remain unconvinced, at least until I see him pull off a straight set win against a more solid player - preferably by dictating play the way he was last year.
[4] A Murray (GBR) d V Troicki (SRB) 61 60
Ouch. Every so often the top 4 (perhaps subconsciously) flex their muscles a little and remind us (and maybe themselves) of the kind of carnage they're capable of. Perfect way to recover from his more shaky performance a round earlier.
[5] A Roddick (USA) d [9] G Monfils (FRA) 76(2) 64
More loveliness from the A-Rod, who is my unofficial world number 5 right now. The commentators observed that though we often bemoan the lack of variety on Tour, not many would pick A-Rod as the guy to remind us of the game's many subtleties. This performance had it all. UN-Roddick like smoothness at the net. Murray style rope a dopes. All demonstrating how far he's come. How I wish this maturation had happened say 3 years ago.
[6] J Del Potro (ARG) d [11] D Ferrer (ESP) 63 62
Haven't seen any of Juan's matches, but with the results he's had here is beginning to look a little more world number six like. Still think he'll have a tough time against the Tsonga's and Verdasco's of this world.
[10] J Tsonga (FRA) d [7] G Simon (FRA) 67(4) 63 62
Simon's had one too many losses recently all of which suggest that his run of good form maybe nearing it's end. I still think he's one of the game's best defenders and is endurance is almost Ferrer-like at times, but you just get the feeling lately that he's had the success he's had on the back of a series of sub par performances by the best players.
[8] F Verdasco (ESP) d [18] R Stepanek (CZE) 62 62
Stepanek's been a warlock this year. Scary, scary play to accompany his scary post match 'Living Theatre'. Except today, when Nando reminded him that worms aren't sometimes that scary at all. Sometimes they're just fish food.
[8] S Kuznetsova (RUS) d [13] C Wozniacki (DEN) 64 67(5) 61
A horrible, horrible stewy mix of immaturity and tactical miscalculation on the part of Wozniacki, and more of that frailty I spend a large part of my time hating on the part of Kuznetsova.
To be fair it was HOT out there; and Sveta appeared to play a great first set featuring a lot of the effortless power-precision that draws me to her play.
But I can only hope that the passivity that Caroline showed in the early part of the match was a conscious tactic in hope that Sveta would implode in the way she usually does. It didn't work - and it took Caroline the best part of two sets to realise this. Then she pressed the panic button and so began a kamikaze like bid that saw her lose the last set 6-1.
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