21-03-2008, 06:14 PM
Definitely a bit full of himself, but also pretty honest and definitely very entertaining. You knew what he was thinking every second, and the crowd enjoyed him, for sure.
He wasn't moving very well - but them, he always had two legs like wood planks. Just a stiff guy.
The backhand looks pretty good. He had lots of opportunities to come to the net and hesitated, lack of match play, I'd say.
Said he's been working with Mark Wellington for three months, already lost 10-15 pounds. He's in Bradenton, Fla. Uses the facilities at the Bollettieri Academy.
After his semi he headed right to the gym for a half-hour.
The guy had two surgeries for a torn labrum, late 2004 and March 2005.
Said it took him a full year to get his serve back from the second one.
He didn't have much choice but to play the big events in 2007; he had a protected ranking (not wild cards) and needed to use it, or lose it. So he lost it.
Very entertaining fellow. A personality, which is rare enough. THe best moment (which I didn't get on video) was in the semi, when his opponent was called for a foot fault and went a little nuts. Verkerk turned to the crowd and made the whirling with his finger next to his ear (like "This guy is nuts". Not very nice for the other fellow but pretty funny nevertheless.
He wasn't moving very well - but them, he always had two legs like wood planks. Just a stiff guy.
The backhand looks pretty good. He had lots of opportunities to come to the net and hesitated, lack of match play, I'd say.
Said he's been working with Mark Wellington for three months, already lost 10-15 pounds. He's in Bradenton, Fla. Uses the facilities at the Bollettieri Academy.
After his semi he headed right to the gym for a half-hour.
The guy had two surgeries for a torn labrum, late 2004 and March 2005.
Said it took him a full year to get his serve back from the second one.
He didn't have much choice but to play the big events in 2007; he had a protected ranking (not wild cards) and needed to use it, or lose it. So he lost it.
Very entertaining fellow. A personality, which is rare enough. THe best moment (which I didn't get on video) was in the semi, when his opponent was called for a foot fault and went a little nuts. Verkerk turned to the crowd and made the whirling with his finger next to his ear (like "This guy is nuts". Not very nice for the other fellow but pretty funny nevertheless.