Top Spin Blog » Michael Russell

Tennis Not Suited for Rocky at Monday’s Open

Joe Samuel Starnes — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 01:48:11 +0000

On Monday I was back and forth between the Grandstand and Armstrong courts, looking for the Rocky of tennis. But something occurred to me as I watched the underdogs go down: In boxing, you always hear about a puncher’s chance. But in tennis, one great punch is only one point, and to win a best-of-five you need a big string of punches, eighteen games worth of points in fact. In the long run, the better player is almost always going to win.

Michael Russell, the Rocky Balboa I was hoping for, started strong with some punch, an early break against Davydenko on Monday, but after the Russian settled in, there wasn’t much Russell could do to hurt him. He couldn’t outslug him from the baseline, he couldn’t beat him by taking the net, and a few stabs at junk balls were futile. It was just that helpless feeling that anyone who has played competitive tennis knows well — what can you do about the impenetrable wall put up by a superior player? Davydenko’s groundstrokes were laser sharp, and Russell started to make errors as the set went on. All Russell could do was hope Davydenko perhaps hurt himself or the Russian mafia had money on the American, neither of which happened. It was a tough draw for the hardworking 32-year-old American.

There were two almost upsets. ATP No. 214 Andreas Haider-Maurer fought back from match points at two sets to none to push No. 5 seed Robin Soderling the distance on the Grandstand Court. One weak service game by the 23-year-old qualifier Haider-Maurer in the fifth was all it took. Otherwise, Haider-Maurer hit 34 aces to Soderling’s eight. Soderling moped about a bit in the heat, benefiting from the shade that moved over the court. And in a match I didn’t see, American qualifier Robert Kendrick, ranked 149 in the world, pushed Gael Monfils the distance in front of a packed Court 11, but lost in the fifth 6-4.

It didn’t happen Monday, but one day it’s going to happen that some qualifier is going to get some big wins and go all the way. When it does, it will be a thrill.

Michael Russell, Aug. 30, 2010

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Looking for the Rocky of Tennis

Joe Samuel Starnes — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 01:09:54 +0000

Most every article or broadcast preview of the U.S. Open I’ve seen focuses on the obvious questions, as though most tennis journalists are sharing notes– will Nadal win his first Open? Can Federer reclaim another title? Is Murray going to cash the U.S. Open Series bonus check for obscene millions and go to Disney World with an Olympus camera? Blah, blah, blah…

But first thing on Monday is a match I’m excited about. Michael Russell, 32 with a career ATP match record of 40 and 88 after 12 years on tour, plays perennial top tenner Nikolay Davydenko on the Louis Armstrong Stadium court the first match of the day. Russell, ranked 80, is the obvious underdog to No. 6 Davydenko. The two middleweights (Russell is 160 pounds to Davydenko’s 154) have never played before.

I’m going to be at the Open tomorrow morning and pulling for Russell for all I’m worth. American tennis needs a Rocky, a player from down in the rankings who has been battling on the minor league circuits for years. ESPN wrote an article about his tough career path three years ago – and he’s still out battling. This is a great shot for him, on a show court, in the Big Apple.

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An Unlikely American in Australian Open: Hopes for a Great Hurrah for Michael Russell

Joe Samuel Starnes — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 22:41:51 +0000

I’ll never forget watching Michael Russell against then No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten in the fourth round of the 2001 French Open. Russell, a qualifer then ranked 122 in the world, won the first two sets and was up 5-2, and held a match point but couldn’t close it out. He lost in five sets, and Kuerten went on to win his second French Open, defending his championship from the previous year. I wonder how Russell’s career would have been different if he had won one more point, and moved into the quarters.

Russell, who turned 32 on Jan. 5, has held an ATP ranking since 1995, mostly out of the top 100, and often far below. He has been as high as 60 in the world, reaching that mark in 2007. He recently climbed back into the top 100, and stands at 90, although he was 79 in October after winning a challenger event. He has a tough draw, going up against No. 4 Juan Martin Del Potro on the first day of the Aussie Open. (On a side note, U.S. Davis Cup Patrick McEnroe should consider giving him a shot against Serbia in March on the clay there — it’s his best surface, and without Roddick and Blake, the U.S. goes into Serbia very thin.)

Journeyman is a term often used for players like Russell, meaning they’ve traveled the world but have never been able to crack the top ranks of the game. I’m sure you’ll heard it bandied about if his match get much air time (It probably will, since he’s playing Del Potro — they are the third match on the Hisense Arena on day one). But the determination of a player like Russell who has fought 17 years on the tour should not be under-appreciated. No media ever covers these guys, but they continue fighting into their thirties. Russell, by the way, has outlasted Kuerten, who retired in 2007.

I keep hoping for a Rocky-like character to emerge from American tennis, and tonight, I’m pulling for Mike. (Check out his Facebook page if you want to cheer him on.)

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