Monday, November 19, 2012

Czech Republic creating history with Davis Cup triumph

Davis Cup creates some of the greatest memories in tennis and also the biggest lows, which is unsurprising due to the nature of the competition. It's not just about the individuals, they're playing for their countries having to work within a team environment in different ways.

In the 100th edition of the Davis Cup, it got the final it deserved going down to the 5th match where dreams are made or shattered depending on the outcome of the result.

As was stated in my Davis Cup Preview that Radek Štěpánek was the true heartbeat and leader of the team. These skills were apparent as he lead the Czech Republic to their first win as an independent nation.




Winners are Grinners

Unsurprisingly it was 1-1 after Day 1. David Ferrer who was the true star for Spain for the season going undefeated in live singles matches, the last time he lost a live rubber was to his nemesis Gael Monfils. Štěpánek didn't play too well, but he wasn't allowed to as Ferrer kept him back on the baseline and played the match on his terms running out a comfortable winner. Sure, the Lukas Rosolites were hoping that he'd play a role in the tie, but Jaro Navratil is known for his loyalty to these two guys.

Promoting the final

Tomas Berdych made some comments about Nico Almagro before the tie, depending on the viewpoint Berdych was either talking trash or stating the obvious that he was the weak link in this team especially on the low bouncing surface. Almagro played an excellent match and Berdych looked tired and heavy legged perhaps with the pressure that he needed to level the tie. Berdych eventually got through and there definitely wasn't a lot of love in the handshake, but two combative characters provides something different.

In the doubles was where Štěpánek's leadership skills thrived as he was the dominant partner as Berdych was struggling with tiredness. His scheduling before the final was pretty ordinary playing 6 out of 7 weeks, not everyone has the endurance levels of Ferrer. Granollers and the good Lopez Marc won the doubles world championship, even then on the surface Stepanek and Berdych were favourites who have known each other for a long time, that they don't need to play too often to get in the groove. Once they wrestled the momentum and Berdych improved while Štěpánek kept the level up to get it done.


Radek always smooth with the women

Czech fans were hopeful Berdych would be able to seal the tie in the 4th match but that was gone after the first game. Both he and Ferrer hadn't lost a Davis Cup singles match this season so something had to give. Ferrer played arguably his best ever match, it was one of those days where everything was working perfectly. He was seeing the ball like a medicine ball but striking it like a golf ball dominating from the baseline and moving Berdych around who was getting more weary over time. Ferrer just owned Berdych.

Heroic Štěpánek

It all came down to the 5th match with the alleged weak link Almagro and the crafty Štěpánek who was dreaming of this moment as a child. What a performance under pressure from Štěpánek he played an outstanding match apart from a poor break point conversion rate.

For all the hooplah about the surface it wasn't so fast, the bounce was very low which is unusual for courts these days and it played into Štěpánek's game to expose Almagro who loves rhythm from the baseline. He was able to protect his forehand and keep Almagro off balance, who was very passive at times.


Air Štěpánek

Štěpánek was getting tight at the end but managed to serve it out and create his greatest tennis moment. Not bad for a guy in 2002 who was struggling playing doubles, then makes it as a singles player with his awkward game in an era where the surfaces don't favour his game.



Spain fought hard as per usual, gave their best efforts but they've have dominated the Davis Cup in recent times and the historical significance of the former Czechoslovakia team of Ivan Lendl, Tomas Smid, Pavel Slozil and Jan Kodes who were in attendance. They defeated Argentina away in 1980 just as the current team in 2012.


2012 and 1980 Davis Cup winners

Once Jaro Navratil took over the captaincy, then Štěpánek came back to the team. Once they won promotion to the World Group defeating Switzerland with Federer and Wawrinka. It has been gradual progress and the rewards eventually game. There aren't so many opportunities to win Davis Cup especially if they have a 2 man team, so have to take them when on offer.

Yes, Berdych and Stepanek were the main men of the Czech team but Lukas Rosol, Minar and the others helped create the positive atmosphere within the squad. Most only the see the main guys on the court, but there are more than 3 people involved.

It will be interesting to see how long Steps can play singles for and Lukas Rosol if he can continue to improve will need to step up. That's for the later, now it's party time and the celebrations should go on for days

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Time for the Czechs to cash in the Davis Cup final

While the race to Aus Open is still going strong with a few places to be sorted out. The big tennis event this weekend is the Davis Cup final between the Czech Republic and Spain in Prague.

My views on the Davis Cup as a competition are very clear, but for those who don't know lets say unlike gloryhunter or player fans I believe it's a special competition. Yes, there are plenty of issues with it, more so with its scheduling than with player participation, though many of the top guys are always looking for an excuse to miss something that doesn't benefit them directly. It's an opportunity for global fans to see players they normally wouldn't for example Tomas Berdych playing and winning in Argentina to get them in the semi finals..



Czech Davis Cup Squad

Unfortunately the Czechs didn't choose Ostrava as the venue for the final. That's where they get the best support from plus Berdych, Stepanek and Rosol are Moravian and the Prague crowd is like a museum compared to Ostrava. At the same time it's a lot easier to rip off tourists and visiting corporate sponsors who will have access to most of the tickets in Prague than the tourist hot spot of Ostrava. The expense accounts of the ITF and the Davis Cup sponsors might even reach the amount of zeros comparable to the number of women Tiger Woods has slept with. Can never overlook the business factor in sport.

Davis Cup
Enough of the prelude and onto the important tennis stuff. This is easily the best chance for the Czechs to win the Davis Cup and to get some revenge for the thrashing Spain gave them in 2009 on the clay in Barcelona. Since the ITF have bought in speed regulations in relation to court surface. The Czechs can't lay down a very fast carpet like surface which Belarus perfected during their World Group stay and affectionately known as the ice rink, due to very low bounce and fast pace.

As per usual before a Davis Cup tie there are the shenanigans usually in relation to the court surface. Never in doubt the Spanish are complaining about the speed, then again it's not like the clay courts don't get an extra bath before ties in Spain. It's part of the fun of trying to win ties away from home which makes Davis Cup special and that individuals aren't just playing for themselves.



Berdych

Tomas Berdych came out during the week and said Nico Almagro is the weak link in the Spanish team. Mr. Berdych and Almagro have had their issues in the past, which isn't surprising since both of them are very confident in their abilities and don't toe the PC or cliche lines which is more interesting. The comments aren't exactly incorrect as Almagro isn't at his best indoors and on fast surfaces. While Almagro has an impressive serve and he is a lot fitter these days, he doesn't have the required defensive skills which are highlighted more on faster surfaces as he doesn't get the time he needs.

Berdych's best work when it comes to Spain when he beat Rafa Nadal in Madrid way back in 2006 and was the last time he beat him. The Madrid crowd weren't too sporting and Berdych with the famous shhh gesture at the end of the match. That was some classic heel work as the crowd booed the hell out of him, too bad Berdych didn't do the Hulk Hogan gesture for more booing. After the match Berdych said "all the Spanish know is bullfighting and football". That's how to be a heel.


From 6.46

While Berdych is the big star of the team, it's in fact Radek Stepanek that is the actual leader of the squad. He is the glue that holds them together and the reason once he retires that it will be more difficult for the Czechs to win another Davis Cup. Steps is the man who creates the atmosphere in the squad, quick with the jokes, the fashion plate and he loves the Davis Cup environment.


Smooth Stepanek

Jaro Navratil the man with the best mullet in tennis and Czech captain has played the 2 man team of Berdych/Stepanek in all the live rubbers. Though with Lukas Rosol winning the Blava Challenger on a similar surface to the one used in the DC final it would be a brave man to include him on Day 1 against Ferrer. Stepanek not sure about whether he can last the 3 days at the end of the season, that is the main question. Navratil hasn't made a call like this in his time as captain, though it's about adapting to the particular circumstances.

With Spain they have David Ferrer who has had a brilliant season and tough to beat anywhere, though Berdych, Stepanek/Rosol would fancy their chances on this surface. Almagro's strengths and weaknesses have been taken into account and Feliciano Lopez is the 5th man travelling with the squad.


Almagro


Corretja

Of course with the doubles both sides think they'll have the advantage. Berdych/Stepanek are an excellent combination who've only lost one match in the 2009 final and Granollers/Marc Lopez won the world doubles title. The big question is how Granollers/Lopez will handle the surface, there are rumours about Marc Lopez might be replaced, though we'll find out soon enough.

On Day 1 it's Stepanek vs. Ferrer, then followed by the best of friends Berdych vs. Almagro. Would love to see the Czechs go up 2-0 on Day 1 but anything can happen in Davis Cup.

As for who will win. I'm going for the Czechs either 3-1 or 3-2. Berdych has been talking a big game and time for him to deliver, though it would be great for Stepanek who since he came back to the Davis Cup fold has been outstanding especially in the doubles. The greatest worm of all time will be performed if they get it done. The omen is there for a Czech win, when they won in 1980 they defeated Argentina away from home with Ivan Lendl and he has been there for the training this week.


From 1.00

Lets hope it's a good final and the Czechs are celebrating with the trophy.

Monday, November 05, 2012

The Forgotten Race

With the 2012 tennis circus virtually coming to a close apart from the Tennis Masters Cup in which the final 8 was even more predictable than long balls from Stoke City or West Ham and the Davis Cup final next week. This post isn't going to be a season review, that will come after the Davis Cup final which hopefully the Czechs will be winning.

Huge surprise the ATP have shown their brilliance in organisation by scheduling TMS Paris week before the Masters. Can see why they want to shorten the season, they should have made it a non mandatory TMS but we already have the unique situation with Monte Carlo, Forget wants the event to move to February to keep it's TMS status, then we aren't dealing with a competent organisation.

Jerzy Janowicz was the star of the week that's as obvious as Nadal taking too much time in between points. Janowicz started the year ranked 221 playing the Sheffield and Wirral Futures which are the lowest level of events on the ATP and now finishes the season ranked 26 which will get him a seeding at the Australian Open.


Jerzy Janowicz

Not even Janowicz's family would have thought by the end of the year that he would be ranked this highly. As for his game, well he has something that is lacking in tennis today some variety. Yes, he has a massive serve but not a semi western forehand which is unusual, He has great touch for a big man, though not quite to Magnus Larsson's level but he definitely moves better.

While Janowicz has already secured his direct entry spot into the Australian Open . At the end of the season this race is inherently more interesting than the one for the Masters for the reasons there are more players with something to play for unlike the guys say from 20-90 who are already thinking about their holidays, rest and then preparations for the next year.

Forgotten Race

At the lower end of the tennis tree where points tight and the finances tighter, direct entry into a Slam is beneficial for these players especially with the long trip to Melbourne which will pay off for them financially. If they don't make the cutoff, unlike the other Slams then they have to think about the financial realities of making the expensive trip to Melbourne for qualies, this is the reason why the cutoff for the qualies is lower than the other Slams.

Ranking from 95-112




Rank Player Points
95. Horacio Zeballos (ARG) 554
96. Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo (ESP) 547
97. Joao Sousa (POR) 546
98. Andreas Haider Maurer (AUT) 542
99. Blaz Kavcic (SLO) 540
100. Dudi Sela (ISR) 540
101. Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) 538
102. Ivo Karlovic (CRO) 536
103. Michael Russell (USA) 531
104. Nicolas Mahut (FRA) 530
105. Matthew Ebden (AUS) 529
106. Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA) 529
107. Philipp Petzschner (GER) 527
108. Matthias Bachinger (GER) 527
109. Jan Hajek (CZE) 527
110. Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) 526
111. Adrian Ungur (ROU) 515
112. Rajeev Ram (USA) 512


There are 3 weeks of Challengers for the fringe players to reach Melbourne. Horacio "The Bolivian" Zeballos with his win in Montevideo moved up 24 places to 95. If he could play 53 weeks a year he would, plus he always plays singles and doubles. For those who don't know the Slams are made up of 16 qualifiers, 8 wildcards and 104 players including Protected Ranking (PR) which is something players apply for when they're out for 6 months or longer due to injuries or illness. The PR is taken after the last tournament played and can be used to enter events. Tommy Robredo will use his PR to enter the Aus Open, ideally finishing the year at 100 or 101 will get the player into the main draw.

Since the Australian Open is the Slam that I do to go, there will be even more bias than usual with who I'd like to make the trip. With Grega Žemlja and Aljaž Bedene already in the tournament barring injuries, it would be fitting that Blaž Kavčič makes it as it will create history in Slovenian tennis with 3 men in the main draw of a Slam.


Blaž Kavčič

Sergiy Stakhovksy who manages to infuritate WTA apologists with his forthright comments, plus he doesn't want to miss the important player meeting in Melbourne which should be even more fiery than usual. Of course then there is Mikey Russell, one of the great guys in the sport who has had so many injuries plus he has quads of steel and has to walk through doors sideways because of the size of the thighs.


Sergiy Stakhovsky

Ivo Karlovic well because my Croatian mate will be pissed off if he doesn't make it, then there is the comedy factor which leads into Petzschner. He of the fun game but brittle temperament who was almost on the way to a triple bagel of Lukáš Rosol leading 6-0 6-0 4-0 before he let Rosol get 2 games and he gets extra points for the compression socks.


Phillipp Petzschner

Dudi Sela is on the edge as well, he is one of these guys who performs better on the big stage and struggles to get motivated when playing Challengers, then again shotmakers aren't usually the epitome of consistency. Adrian Ungur who has been in a slump has a chance at Sao Leopoldo to get himself closer to direct entry.

As there are 6 Challengers this week as the forgotten race really heats up. It's called that because it's something that is rarely spoken about since in tennis especially for the vast majority it's all about the top 4 and nothing exists outside this group. Sure, there are fleeting mentions to other activities besides whether Rafael Nadal had breakfast, Federer wants more appearance money for Basel, Murray whether he is miserable or is Djokovic sleeping in the egg.

Challengers are tough places to play at the best of times, even better at this time of the year when there is so much on the line for players who are overlooked in the tennis circus but are needed for the circuit to function. Though there are enough clowns who want a top 4 exhibition tour for the whole year, lucky they haven't reached the head of the ATP or ITF yet.

Please follow FootSoldiersofT here Foot Soldiers of Tennis and on Twitter who has been doing excellent updates on the forgotten race to 103.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Davis Cup Review : Timing is Everything

With Andrew Murray enjoying some good times in Scotland celebrating his win and Ivan Lendl going back to his other job as the Easter Island statue. Last weekend was Davis Cup time, the World Group Semis and the playoffs to get that spot in the promised land.

My views about Davis Cup are clear. It's a great event, those casual fans who don't get it or the player fans yes the ones that only follow players and not care about the sport. Then this post isn't for them. Yes, the top players bitch and moan about Davis Cup so the player fans usually one of the big 4 think that's good for them to do so without thinking about the subject.

Yes, there are scheduling issues but that concerns the whole tennis world and no playing at a neutral venue would kill one of the unique aspects of the event. Playing away from home, winning in conditions that they aren't familar with and it's not just playing for themselves which lead to specific challenges that regular tournaments don't have.

World Group

Czech Republic def. Argentina 3-2

Huge effort from the Czechs to win away from home and hand Argentina their first defeat at the Parque Roca and on clay since 1998 when Davis Cup warrior Dominik Hrbaty led them to a 3-2 win when he defeated Hernan Gumy in the 5th rubber.

As with anything in life timing is everything and opportunities must be taken when on offer. This result is an example of this in numerous ways. Argentina when they picked the clay knew it would be tough to beat the Czech team but the plan starting coming apart a few weeks ago. Davis Cup stalwart David Nalbandian who pretty much is playing these days only to win this event had to withdraw from the US Open due to injury, he wanted to play here but captain Martin Jaite who was his former coach told him he wouldn't be selected.


David Nalbandian

Losing the spirtual leader and one half of your doubles combination tested the depth on clay normally Argentina are pretty solid so Juan Monaco stepped up. It got worse with Juan Martin del Potro having wrist issues being told by the doctor to rest, but he told Jaite he was ready to play on Day 1. The fact he defeated Stepanek handily while having problems hitting backhands was outstanding.

Sadly for Argentina this is where it unravelled. Tomas Berdych after winning a comfortable 1st set, started looking heavy in the legs, making errors and getting irritated with the loud crowd. Juan Monaco lifts his game and leading 2 sets to 1 with a break in the 4th. This is Monaco while he is courageous he is famous for getting tight in situations when he has the chance to take a big slap, maybe he should do some transcendental meditation. Once Berdych got back on serve, then Monaco walked through door of inevitability, even coming back from a double break in the 5th and losing serve for the match.



Berdych and Stepanek

Once the tie was 1-1, the Czechs with Berdych and Thunder Lips too good in the doubles. It came down to Carlos Berlocq replacing the injured del Potro to salvage the tie for Argentina. Three years ago Berlocq was struggling financially who only turned it around in the last two years that he was able to pay back his sponsor and keep some money for himself.

Berlocq fought so hard and left everything on the court as per usual, but he is limited as a player though he has improved significantly since he joined the tour. The feeling in this match was while Berdych wasn't near his best, wasn't really in any trouble even with Berlocq having more break point chances. There was a clear difference in their levels, the break point conversion rate Berdych 5/8 and Berlocq 1/13 summed it up. While the crowd were disappointed in losing they gave Berlocq a great reception and deservedly got very loud "Charly" chants at the end of the match.


Carlos Berlocq

After the match the Argentine media showed they're world class when it comes to scapegoating for when they lose at sport especially football and tennis. Del Potro has been copping a lot of criticism and can read more about the dramas Davis Cup Drama - A Look Back at the Lost Semifinal.
Yes, they lost at home and it was tough for them under the circumstances. Yes, got to take the praise when doing well and vice versa with criticism which doesn't tend to be constructive in moments like this. Monaco refusing to talk to the press is smart in a way, he could have always done it this way, though not in German.



Translation.
- Hello..There are 4 Questions and 4 Answers...
- I will ask the Questions and give the answers, too.
- Atmosphere in the team? The team worked very well.
- Tactics? it will depend on the personal situation, because a few players are injured.
- How I see the opponents ? Aachen has to win, we are prepared for this.
- Is the team prepared for this pressure? What I saw in the training, yes. and the team will give the answers on the field.
thank you

Argentina is one of the hardest places to play for visitors. The clay and the boisterous fans who provide a fun and football atmosphere unlike you see on the regular tour. Hrbaty commented that it was his favourite place to play, not sure Stepanek and Berdych will say that but they can be proud of their victory. As Jaro Navratil said they were lucky to win without Nalbandian and del Potro, but got to be good enough to take advantage which they were.

Unless next year Nalbandian can remain fit and del Potro as well then the Davis Cup dream for Argentina might be a long way off. Timing is everything, the previous golden generation of Coria, Gaudio, Nalbandian, Calleri, Cañas they couldn't do it, due to injuries and a lack of viable number 2 options off clay but it didn't happen. This time Argentina couldn't get their top 2 fit for this tie, which is something the Czechs didn't need to worry about this time.

Spain def. USA

Best thing about this tie was that it held was in Gijón. Asturias hasn't seen top class for a long time. No, I'm not including Galo Blanco the Real Oviedo fan and current coach of Milos Raonic.
The crowd was full of sportinguistas (Sporting Gijón football fans) who have been starved of success.

The result of this tie was doubtful as the sun rising in the east.

World Group Playoffs

There were a few fallen giants who didn't get promoted to the World Group. The Russians were thrashed by Brazil, while their decline is noticeable it's not as bad as Sweden or to a lesser extent Australia.

Sweden had to select 31 year old Andreas Vinciguerra who hadn't played any tennis since December and this was local league tennis. He became a father and trying for another comeback, while he played well considering his time out of the game there was no danger of him winning a match.


Andreas Vinciguerra

Robin Söderling being out indefinitely with glandular fever and financial mismanagement from the federation the lack of quality coming through is a problem that won't be sorted in the near future.
In the 80s Sweden had a brilliant generation to the point where Peter Lundgren was ranked number 23 in the world, yet was the only the 7th best Swede. This is where the time machine needs to be invented.

Australia lost to Germany on the clay. The weekend highlighted the funkiness of Florian Mayer who was the star of the tie. Lleyton Hewitt who is almost at the end of his career and struggles to play 3 days in a row. Nard Dog Tomic well he won the only singles match but will be remembered for the attitude where Tony Roche giving him a bollocking.

Canada won easily at home after South Africa forfeited their option of hosting the home time. Just not enough money there in South African tennis and Kevin Anderson has had his issues with the federation doesn't help.

Amir Weintraub was the star of the Davis Cup weekend leading Israel into the World Group with a win in the final rubber over Soeda. Weintraub who writes an interesting blog about the problems of the lower ranked players on tour especially coming from Israel. He is a man who loves the Davis Cup environment he defeated Raonic before taking down Ito on Day 1 after Dudi Sela failed to win his singles matches. Nishikoro levelled at 2-2 leaving it down to the final match.


Amir Weintraub

Weintraub was rallying well, dominating from the baseline using his backhand down the line to smash clean winners. He was showing Eli Ohana like flair over the weekend. At the end of the 3rd set he was cramping, but once he held a long service game at the start of the 4th set he was able to regain the momentum and playing much better tennis than Soeda who was waiting for Weintraub to make errors. Amir held on and showed that Davis Cup is more than just the World Group.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

US Open Review : Andy Murray conquers the demons

Time is something that humans think we have a lot, but the longer it goes the less there is of this commodity. This is highlighted within the professional sporting world and the question was not when would Andy Murray win a Grand Slam but if. That question has finally been answered in the positive for Murray.

Before we get onto the weight of Scotland and the UK when he is winning being lifted off Murray's shoulders by being the first British man since Fred Perry in 1936 to win a Grand Slam. This being the US Open means the ridiculous nature of the tournament needs to be highlighted.


Andy Murray 2012 US Open Champ

For a multitude of reasons the US Open is a "clown Grand Slam", yes this might be harsh but there are clear reasons.

3 day first rounds; Having the first 3 round over 3 days is annoying when they do at Roland Garros because it's just a money grab for just a few matches where no real superstars play so it defeats the purpose.

At least Roland Garros start on a Sunday, but no the US Open have to start on a Monday with this nonsense. Since the weather at this time of year in New York is very hot and humid plus in the hurricane season means they are already with a backlog of matches before the poor weather sets in which sets them further behind schedule.

Stupid Saturday: The formal name is Super Saturday but the term "Stupid Saturday" is more apt. Having two men's semi finals best of 5 sets the day before the final is stupid. How it came about was bad weather in the 80s, this was the solution and host broadcaster CBS dictated to the USTA that this was what they wanted and stuff fairness to the players who should have a recovery day in between matches.

Thankfully on a positive note "Stupid Saturday" has ended for next season. For five consecutive years there has been a Monday final, where the ratings for CBS surprise surprise aren't as good as they would be for Sunday. The USTA has to give the CBS money for when the tournament runs overtime.

Since the USTA have more money than sense they should have played the men's semi finals at the same time but they had not even thought of something that would make it better for the players and fans.


USTA

5th set Tiebreaks: It's good to be different but once it gets to a 5th set a tiebreaker is not the way to settle the match. That's why players do the fitness, speed and endurance work off the court to get the benefits when they get their opponent to a 5th set. It should come down to winning the match on a break of serve, not just a few lucky points in a crap shoot or penalty shootout.

Bigger is not always better: Arthur Ashe was a pioneer and a fine player in his day, one of the first players to be involved in forming the ATP but he'd be turning in his grave at the monstrosity that the centre court which has his name to.

Instead of building a stadium that was around 16-18 000 with a sliding roof like they have in Australia and Wimbledon soon to be joined by Roland Garros. The USTA were suffering from the condition known as Short Dick Syndrome (SDA) which meant it spent a ludicrous amount of money on a stadium so big and hideous. This building is the classic SDA, got to have the biggest to make up for a lack of commonsense in other areas. No roof was designed since it would have made it even more expensive than it was and they aren't going to build one.

Comebacks

Enough of the negative and onto the tennis. This years US Open had 10 comebacks from 0-2 down in sets not quite as good as the 2002 Australian Open which had 14 comebacks including Stefan Koubek doing twice and the famous Ivan Ljubicic lose from 6-4 6-4 5-1 40-15 up to Wayne Ferreira. Not sure what was in the air this year, but a combination of the better player starting slowly, choking from the opponent and a lack of fitness contributed to the above the stat.



Grega Žemlja

While not being part of the 10 comebacks. Grega Žemlja created history by being the first Slovenian man to make the 3rd round of a Grand Slam after coming through qualies before losing in straight sets to Janko Tipsarevic. Now there are 3 Slovenes in the top 100, Kavčič, Bedene and Žemlja, yet somehow the Slovenian tennis federation couldn't manage to organise the Ljubljana Challenger this season, when they have their best crop of male players. Incompetence is everywhere.

Growing Pains

Bernard Tomic is the "Chosen One' as the big hope for Australian tennis with Lleyton Hewitt on the way out. Like Hewitt earlier in his career Nard Dog has managed to find himself in a few controversies. Walking off from a Futures event against Marinko Matosevic cause his dad instructed him to do so, taking the piss out of Davis Cup veteran Peter Luczak, tanking the Dallas Challenger after being given a wildcard. The Wimbledon practice incident with Hewitt which has been resolved, the Gold Coast cops with his sports car and then there was the last set against Andy Roddick where he could have been and should have been fined for a lack of effort.


Bernard Tomic

Tomic does have talent, a unique game and something very different about him on the court. The understanding he has on court doesn't reflect well off the court at the moment to the general public, but knowing Australians they'll still support him if he wins consistently they tend to brush off the other stuff.

Pat Rafter told him that his effort was a disgrace and sometimes players need to hear some home truths. Ideally he'd have been dropped from the Davis Cup squad but as poor as he is on clay he is much better than the options hence he keeps his spot and Matosevic gets dropped.

Farewell

Andy Roddick left the sport as a player after losing to Juan Martin del Potro who is now the Randy Orton of the ATP after retiring Marat Safin before Roddick.

Did Roddick make the most out of his talents? That's the question a player who retires has to ask themselves at the end, did they give their maximum effort to maximise their careers. Roddick won a Slam, reached number 1, made Slam finals and he'll be remembered for the canon serve.

Yes, he could be a total prick on court but would never act like a heel against players of the same standard, he was more like that against lower ranked players. His best work was dealing with stupid tennis journalists, the coverage of tennis is pretty poor at best. If he thought a question was inane and stupid, he'd deal with it very well.

Pressure


Tomas Berdych

Tomas Berdych continued his recent good record against Roger Federer defeating him handily in the quarter finals. This match highlighted as good as Federer is as a player, he is a step slower and Berdych has the firepower to expose that. There is a bit of feeling in their matches and Berdych was one again slighted after the victory which a journalist compared him to Lukas Rosol needless to say the big Czech was less than amused.

Berdych's run ended in the semi finals against Andy Murray in a match whch was more a mental battle in handling the very strong winds than actual play. That's part of the sport got to handle the elements if not, might as well play all events indoors not like the tennis surfaces haven't been homogenised enough.



After winning the "My Friend the Wind Battle" with Berdych. Murray unlike Berdych isn't someone who hits flat virtually all the time with low net clearance and since he's a better mover needing the shorter quicker steps to adjust he was able to get through it.

Murray has been under so much pressure from the British press to break the Grand Slam drought. The US Open was always the best opportunity for it to happen, one he has always played well there. Two, the hype he gets at Wimbledon from the fortnight tennis press is ridiculous and not such a factor at the US Open.

Childhood friend Novak Djokovic was his opponent in the final, both had watched the Scotland vs. Serbia World Cup qualifier on Friday which was 0-0. The critics out there would say this final wasn't much above that particular match.

Murray and Djokovic matches are unusual in the context that both top players are much better off the backhand side than the forehand. The fact they know each other so well doesn't make things easy, as for the spectators it depends on what type of tennis they like. With the homogenised courts and the US Open has become slower over the previous years to the point where it's medium at best whereas before it was slick.



Murray's Posse

Alex Ferguson and burrr Sean Connery supporting Murray he had the heavy hitters there. As a match it was fairly gruelling Murray was too passive for the most part and Djokovic who had the big let down after losing the 1st set to the point Murray could hit midcourt junk in the 2nd and Djokovic made errors.

Djokovic lifted his game and Murray continued to be passive and with 10 comebacks from 0-2 down. Djokovic was trying to do the Gaston Gaudio as the last man to come back from 2 sets down to win a Slam. Murray was moaning about the jelly legs and the lactic bear was mauling him to ground

After getting the early break in the 5th he got rid of the lactic bear and was attacking on the backhand side and Djokovic was just defending and defending. That's how many of their matches are relying on their outstanding defensive skills to win instead of Murray being more proactive in rallies and Djokovic using the backhand down the line to open the court up. They aren't going to blast each other off court.

Not even Djokovic taking a suspicious injury timeout at 5-2 in the 5th could prevent Murray from serving out the match and was relieved more than over the top celebration. The handsome Ivan Lendl dropped the Easter Island statue pose for a moment. It's good that all the Slams were won by different players, it's too early to say it's a changing of the guard.

Time was running out for Murray but thankfully he was able to take this opportunity and win a Grand Slam which he deserved. No, it's not tainted and it's in the book no one can take that away from him. As Murray is a Grand Slam champion he is British and not a miserable Scottish git, that's one thing that doesn't change over time. Scottish when they lose and British when they win.

Wednesday, August 01, 2012

Tennis in the Olympics and Marc Rosset 1992 Barcelona

It's that time again. Where once every 4 years for 2 weeks the worlds biggest sporting carnival dominates the global sporting landscape. There is the explosion of instant experts in sports where these people have never seen before, the most recent example the amount of British cycling experts after Brad "Sideboards" Wiggins win the Tour de France.

Whether tennis deserves to be in the Olympics is a debatable, though there are many sports in the Games that are of questionable merit. In theory an Olympic gold medal should be the pinnacle of their chosen sport, this is definitely not the case in tennis where the Grand Slams take precedence. Golf which is coming into the Rio games has their majors this won't change. Football which has only been out of two Olympiads know that Olympic gold won't match the World Cup, or major continental championships. They have settled on Under 23s with three overage players which has worked effectively since they decided to officially open the games to professional athletes in 1992.


Mecir Gold in Seoul 88

Returning to the Olympics

Tennis came back into the 1984 LA games as a demonstration event. In Seoul it became a proper event won by the unique and languid Slovak Miloslav Mecir, who was representing Czechoslovakia at that time. With the corporatisation of the Olympics professional athletes were allowed to compete in 1992 Barcelona. The notion of amateurism in the top sports was flawed in the former Communist countries they had nominal jobs but were professional athletes. The brown envelopes with guarantees were always paid to the top stars in their chosen sports.

Prestige is a concept like many is interpreted in different ways. One to suit a particular viewpoint and the other within tennis is environmental. An example of the former is when Rafael Nadal won gold in Beijing therefore the Olympic gold is somehow more prestigious than when Nicolas Massu in 2004 who is the only man to win the singles and doubles. Kafelnikov in 2000 or Marc Rosset in Barcelona, the upcoming subject of this article. The latter is the arrogant notion that every single tennis player that ever lived or won a Slam would trade their titles for one at Wimbledon.


Massu and Gonzalez Chilean gold medalists

Roger Federer hasn't won an Olympic gold medal in singles and would love to do so at Wimbledon his favourite place besides Basel. He said "it would be a “dream come true, because I definitely get inspired by the 1992 victory" and nominates Rosset as his Olympic hero.

Barcelona 1992

Marc Rosset came into the Barcelona Olympics ranked 44 having won two career titles one in his hometown of Geneva in 1999 on the clay, the other in Lyon 2000 on carpet. There were no indicators that he was among the major medal contenders. Rosset was happy to be there at the Games, he stayed in the Olympic village as did his good friend Goran Ivanisevic which is unusual for the higher ranked tennis players who are used to more salubrious surroundings. “It was too bad the Swiss tennis federation could only come up with tickets to modern pentathlon and archery, and said that the beer wasn't cold enough in the athletes' village”. Rosset said

As an unseeded player Rosset didn’t benefit from an easy draw. In the 1st round he defeated Karim “The Dream” Alami the Moroccan with a lot of talent who later went on to defeat Sampras later in his career, who retired in the 3rd set. In the second round he smashed South African Wayne Ferreira ranked 13th for the loss of 6 games. Unlike the other Games which came after Barcelona the matches were best of 5 sets starting from the 1st round in both singles and doubles.

The Courier didn't deliver

It was in the 3rd round where Rosset really made his mark where he took apart world number 1 Jim Courier 6-4 6-2 6-1. Courier at the time was the fittest, strongest and most powerful player on the tour. He dominated Roland Garros in 1992 crushing good claycourt players like Thomas Muster, Andrei Medvedev, Alberto Mancini, then lost his only set in the tournament to Ivanisevic before thumping Agassi and Korda.

Rosset being 2m tall built his game on his huge powerful serve and forehand instead of trying to hit through Courier he outsmarted him on the clay. Courier was one of the first players just to camp in the backhand corner and thump off forehands. Apart from the usual Rosset tactics in the rallies, he was hitting slice backhands and changes of pace down the line to Courier’s forehand side keeping him off balance, so he couldn’t his favourite forehand from the backhand corner. The American was so frustrated, it got to the point where the very ugly side of Courier on court was rampant, cursing linesmen, then being the frustrated baseballer because Rosset threw him out of his rhythm and after the match Rosset accused Courier of tanking. Rosset’s tactics contributing to Courier acting like a baby and throwing his toys out of the pram.

Next up for the giant Swiss was Emilio Sanchez who grew up in Barcelona and a tough player on the clay. Sanchez didn’t have a big weapon and the slice backhand stayed very low which he used to get Rosset out of position. Rosset battling against the loud and vocal crowd, as well as a tough opponent got it done in 4 sets winning 11-9 in the tiebreaker.

In the semi finals big Rosset played his great friend Ivansievic, when asked what their matches are normally like. Goran answered “aces and double faults’. This particular case was different the lactic bear got Ivanisevic and mauled him to the ground, so it was an easy win for Rosset. Ivanisevic defeated Mota, Haarhuis, Hlasek and Santoro all in 5 sets in addition to playing 4 doubles matches losing the semi finals in 5 sets.

While Ivanisevic didn’t win the gold, he was very happy winning two bronze medals for Croatia. "Those people who are fighting there for freedom. It means a lot to them”. This was a true Herculean effort from Ivanisevic and remains along with his Wimbledon win one of his career highlights "It's very special to become the first Croatian to win a medal for all our people," Ivanisevic said, after defeating France's Fabrice Santoro in five hard-fought sets in a fierce midday sun. "When you play for your country, you really want to fight. I felt very motivated today."

Gold Medal Match

Jordi Arrese was Rosset’s opponent in the final he had a much easier route to the final, in spite of this he was battling an abdominal strain. There was some drama with his selection though Arrese was originally selected in the team. Carlos Costa who is now better known as the agent for Rafael Nadal and David Nalbandian went on a great run of form reaching the top 10 and they wanted to replace Arrese. Costa in a magnificent gesture refused to do take the position which would have left his friend Arrese out of the Games for which he had been preparing for all year.

No, the match wasn’t been two major stars but it was what the Olympics should be about. Two guys fighting very hard for their countries in pursuit of the gold medal. As this event was best of 5 throughout the tournament, even more significantly that unlike the tournament today there were no ranking points so players and fans knew which players truly wanted to play this event.

Rosset started well dominating with his serve and forehand taking the first two sets but Arrese was famous for his limitless endurance could say he was a running machine just getting every ball back. He stepped into the court and started moving the big man around in brutal conditions. Barcelona was hot, humid, the clay was very slow and once Arrese got the 3rd set the crowd were boisterous in trying to get Arrese over the line. There were signs "Endavant Jordi, Catalunya es amb tu," meaning "Go forward Jordi, Catalonia is with you"

Arrese had the momentum took the 4th set and Rosset thought about retiring from the match as he was exhausted, dehydrated and struggling to move "A couple of times I wanted to go to the locker room and drink a few Cokes." ."But when I was thinking of stopping, I knew everybody is going to kill me. You can't just quit because you are tired." Rosset said. The Catalan crowd were giving him a hard time not clapping the winners and cheering enthusiastically the double faults as much as Arrese’s winners.


Last 2 games of the match watch from 07:00 if no attention span

Two sets all and the fun started the main question could Arrese and 7000 screaming fans get him over the line or Rosset being able to resist the tough conditions and the crowd. Thankfully for Rosset it started to get cloudier and looking at his coach plus his 3 other fans in the stadium inspired him to keep going from 5-5 he didn’t lose a point on serve. At *6-7 with Arrese at 40-15, Rosset manages to get to deuce and then the mental battle was truly on. Since the video is uploaded, follow the links if the readers want to see the whole set. The two attached are the last two games and the ceremony, so the video can sum up the respective feelings better than most people could.

It’s easy to see why as a youngster Federer would be inspired by this surprising and brilliant gold medal from Rosset. He beat the world number 1 and reigning Roland Garros champion for the loss of 7 games, apart from Alami the others were ranked in the top 30. His victory wasn’t about the ranking points, just getting out there competing for the love of sport and representing your nation.


Victory ceremony


Rosset with the gold


Rosset winning an Olympic gold in tennis doesn’t mean it lacks prestige because he wasn’t a big star at the time, the same goes for Massu and Kafelnikov. Rosset has another take on it “OK, I’m Olympic champion, but as a tennis player, for me 20 years ago to win the 100 metres in track and field this is something for the Olympics but tennis it was maybe not in the mind of the tennis player in that it was not a priority in the way that it came to be with Agassi, with Nadal, with all those guys who said 'OK I want to get the Olympic medal' so it became something big for the tennis players right now. “The feeling was special because I was the only medal for the whole country; I was lucky in that way that I was the only one – it was a nice feeling when I came back home.”


Rosset comes back to Geneva

Thomas Muster who was an outstanding competitor especially for Austria has a different view. "It's the greatest thing for swimmers and track-and-field athletes: Muster said. "They've been working for years for a medal. But we have four Grand Slams and the Masters, and every week there is a goal. I don't think tennis should be there".

As for tennis being in the Olympics it probably shouldn’t be there, but there are more sports that deserve to be axed. Since it’s established now, the best option is to scrap ATP points awarded for the Games. It’s not like they can be defended next year or in 4 years on the Entry System. No, it’s not expected they stay in village or forgo financial payment in this case. The athletics stars don’t get points for their Diamond League series at the Olympics and the same principle should apply to tennis. Muster touches on one of the main problems of tennis at the Games. Ranking points shouldn’t be offered at Davis Cup level and especially not at the Olympics, but one can dream.

Who knows whether Massu, Mecir or Rosset would trade their Olympic gold medal for a Slam victory, the fact they are Olympic champions will never change and competing at the Games is an unique experience that can’t be measured in ranking points.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Båstad, Umag, Stuttgart. The Summer clay that won't go away

For many tennis fans and 100% of the casual ones think the tennis season is over with the end of Wimbledon. Yes, some guy called Roger Federer won his 17th Grand Slam and the best way to sum it up is from former Swiss Davis Cup captain and Geneva's finest Marc Rosset. "All the people who said that the champ !!!! Would never be n1 again and never win another slam will shut up and apologise if federer wins !!! ". There were bumper sales of humble pie this week.

With this out of the way, for the people who realise the sport exists out of the Slams this is the summer clay season where tournaments are held in Båstad, Umag, Stuttgart, Gstaad, Hamburg and Kitzbühel. No, they can't be held earlier in the year due to climatic conditions. Got the beaches of Båstad and Umag, the mountains of Kitzbühel plus The Londoner Pub which is a must visit. Gstaad which is the highest stop on the main tour, though getting rösti under 50 CHF is next to impossible.


Båstad Centre Court


Umag

Hamburg had their TMS status downgraded when the ATP chased the cash for Shanghai, where they don’t get crowds apart from the big players. Shanghai is all sizzle and no steak as for Hamburg, its status is like the woman who was very attractive but has faded due to circumstances not always in their control.

Tennis doesn’t stop at Wimbledon and begin again at the US Open

As per usual there are the critics whining why are there clay tournaments in Europe after Wimbledon. Well clay is the most common surface in Europe and outdoor tennis in theory should be a summer sport. At the same time Stockholm outdoors in October night matches using Tretorn balls could be a fun experiment.

It's simple and practical reasons why Europeans and South Americans want to play in these events, first of all there is the surface factor, second of all many are playing in the German Bundesliga which is the most lucrative tennis league in the world. It's commonsense to play the summer clay events for these players, it keeps expenses down, earn some good money in the process. Normally the contracts are that ATP tournaments will get precedence, but if they lose early in these events then they are available to play for their teams whose matches are normally on Sundays, sometimes they play double headers with rounds on Friday.

These tournaments have a long history and another factor before the age of Twitter and the internet yes tennis existed before then was in the USA their summer tournaments were played on green clay as a lead up to the US Open. Once they changed the surface to hardcourts for the US Open, then those tournaments which were green clay followed. The reality for most American players they don't come over to Europe too soon for the spring clay season which in some ways is understandable. The extended time away from the US, though in their case the adjustment from hardcourt to clay is more difficult than vice versa. It's a case of practicality in scheduling and in the case of the summer clay events, it's the last big opportunity for points on the main tour for many players in the 60-100s without dropping down to Challengers.


With that carnival called the Olympics this really stuffed up the summer clay season where Båstad, Stuttgart and Umag are all this week. Next year Umag will be back in its regular position, so the fields for all the events suffered plus players who did well in both events couldn't defend these points. Båstad and Umag party places on the beach. Båstad always wins best International Series/250 event on tour, plus Stuttgart gets a good field with the location for Bundesliga players plus the incentive of winning a free Mercedes if they win the title.

Båstad

Not the best field this year for the event, it didn't help when former finalist Tomas Berdych and Gael Monfils withdrew before the tournament began. In spite of this there were some good performances in the tournament.

Mr. Prostejov Jan Hajek making his first ever ATP semi final with wins over Del Bonis, former top 20 player Jarkko Nieminen who was awful in the 1st set but Hajek was very solid from both sides in this match. The quarter final against Jurgen Zopp was very tough, the conditions weren't easy, plus both playing for their first ever semi final on the ATP tour. Hajek wasn't quite to the level he shows at Prostejov, but with this performance he makes the US Open direct.







In the semis against Almagro he was just outclassed by the better player, though Almagro struggled during the week with shoulder problems. This was the one match of the week where Almagro played well, It was clear to see the difference in class between the level Hajek has been playing at for most of the year on the Challengers and Almagro.


El Cabezon Almagro with shoulder problem

During the tournament there was a classic comment from the English commentator. He said "it's windy here". Well this is what happens when the location of the courts are right next to the beach, funny thing called a sea breeze these occur at seaside locations.

Lost Opportunity

Daniel Gimeno-Traver the week in Båstad will be mixed for him. He made the quarter finals showing some glimpses of the form he had in Monza. On ability wise he should be a comfortable fixture in the top 100, a solid powerful serve, a heavy forehand with plenty of power. The big weaknesses are the backhand which at times is club level and the mental side. Sports psychologists aren't for everyone, but the weaknesses always get highlighted when under pressure, it's how they are dealt with in these situations.

While making the quarter finals, getting back into the top 100 and making the US Open direct are positive things. The flipside is that his loss against Almagro an opponent who was struggling with his shoulder is one of those that will sting, an opportunity of playing Jan Hajek for a place in the final. Stats don't always tell the true story, they need to be applied and in this case the fact that DGT won only 1 from 12 break points in this match was the reason he lost it.

He was better from the baseline dominating with the forehand, even the backhand was reasonable, yes on a few of the break points there were some poor ones which related to my point earlier with the pressure and weaknesses. The fact he was creating so many chances but not converting that build up of pressure normally has consequences. At the start of the 3rd set in the first two Almagro service games, he had 5 break points, none of these were saved through Almagro's great play more down to DGT not taking the chance.


Gimeno-Traver the face doesn't lie

Then the game DGT got broken in the 3rd he was up 40-30 in the game missed an easy shot, then on a deuce point coming to the net on Almagro's better side the backhand and lost serve on a double fault. Almagro served it out and lucky Båstad is a fun place in the summer with plenty of places to go out, since this kind of match with so many chances and blowing it. This is not something I recommend, but in this case getting very drunk on the night would be the perfect remedy, drinking to forget.


David Ferrer interview

Now for the champion David Ferrer won his second Båstad title, but he wasn't anywhere near the level of his 2007 triumph but he didn't need to be during the week. Ferrer is like the rite of passage for youngsters on tour. They are full of piss and vinegar, yet when Ferrer is finished with them they have the letter L in the column. Yes, he is limited when it comes to natural talent compared to many other players, but young players should look to him as an example to follow in making the most of his talents.

Perhaps not the fact that Ferrer used to smoke like Ostrava or Detroit when they were in their peak industrial days. Next year Båstad will have a lot more money for appearance fees and not be stuffed by the calendar.



David Ferrer

Thomas Enqvist, Magnus Norman and the King of Eskilstuna Kent Carlsson were inducted into the Swedish Tennis Hall of Fame. Unlike Enqvist, the other two had ability to play on the clay. It was good to see Carlsson again, yes he is the one on the right.

Thomas Enqvist, Magnus Norman and Kent Carlsson in Swedish Hall of Fame


Umag

Sunny Umag where they have the tournament organised very efficiently no matches starting before 5pm which is commonsense. It's so hot, everyone is on the beach or recovering from the night before. In this environment this is where Carlos Moya ruled as the King of Umag, had the theory do well on the court, do even better off the court.

Since Slovenia doesn't have an ATP event and Umag is close this is like the de facto home event. Unfortunately it involved another Blaz Kavcic choke, big one as well. Think it's time for the yoga or meditation now. Once it can happen losing from a set and a double break up, but this is the third time yes it's a problem that needs addressing. Getting tight, can't hit through the ball, the legs are heavier than a sumo wrestler, struggling to relax the breathing. We all know the signs.

Worst of all, this choke was against Wayne "The Rat" Odesnik. Mr. Odesnik was caught trafficking HGH, but tennis is a joke when it comes to doping controls. Within this environment and Odesnik allegedly snitching on other players to get his suspension reduced which worked, this is the definition of a rat. The snitching thing is more of an issue than the drugs which are rampant in pro sport. He has fought his way back from not having any ranking points to just outside the top 100. Thankfully Marin Cilic finished off what Kavcic should have done.

Yes, while this was a ridiculous choke. There was one worse performance from the hostess Matea Dominiković thought she could sing as she did a duet with Alex Dolgopolov. Her performance was worse than Volandri's serve, Michael Berrer's smash and Danai Udomchoke on clay. The kindest thing that could be said was that scores of cats being castrated sounded better than this.



Dolgopolov's hearing must have been impacted as he lost his next match to Cilic. Just hope Alex isn't scarred from her as his performance wasn't that bad. Sure, it wasn't quite as good as Carl Lewis, but good for Alex having some fun with it. He definitely should be Ukraine’s next Eurovision entrant. His match against Fognini was just a festival of funk that George Clinton wouldn't have been out of place at.

Thankfully Marin Cilic gave the local crowd something to celebrate with a comfortable win in the final over Marcel Granollers. Marcel was up 4-2 in the set, but once Cilic broke back and got into his rhythm he only lost another 2 games for the match.


Marin Cilic wins Umag

This was a comprehensive title win unlike the farce with Nalbandian at Queens. No person not even Daniel Koellerer but perhaps only Wayne Odensik wouldn’t mind winning a title on a default. Cilic has an excellent work ethic, not too arrogant for a pro tennis player, the main problem with him is the biomechanics on the forehand which can break down when under pressure. He is rebuilding his season quietly after injury problems which forced him to miss the Australian Open

Stuttgart

Janko Tipsarevic took the title and won the Mercedes for his wife. Well it's the best present as Mercedes are good cars plus he didn't pay for it. I still remember Gaston Gaudio losing at Stuttgart three times, next time I am going to steal the car.



Janko Tipsarevic with new Mercedes
Tipsarevic's reaction was honest to say the least. "I don't know how I won this event". Yes, he was down 4 match points against Phau who managed to beat Lukas Rosol earlier in the event. In fact Phau managed to defeat Rosol twice in a week, since he beat him in the Bundesliga as well. It wouldn’t matter if Rosol doesn’t win another match all season, he did what was necessary.

Dustin Dreddy Brown aka the real Dustin Brown not that guy who plays NHL. He made the quarter finals after saving match points. After losing to Garcia-Lopez in the quarter finals, he had to catch a train to Gstaad for the qualies. Brown likes playing at altitude, it helps his serve and Gstaad is just over 1000m. To make the main draw, he had to double duty first he beat Navarro in 3 sets, then after this he saved 6 match points against the feisty Joao Sousa.

For those who don’t like or enjoy the summer clay events, they will be over soon. Thankfully there are individuals who realise tennis doesn’t begin and end at Wimbledon.

Monday, June 04, 2012

Thoughts from Roland Garros

As the saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Yes, it's apt for the men's tour especially at this moment coming up to the quarter finals of any Grand Slam Federer, Djokovic and Nadal are there and Roland Garros was no different. So, this piece will focus on the other things of interest that happened in the tournament.

Yes, the French still love their Sunday starts. The take on this idea depends on whether you believe the FFT really care for fans and providing an extra day for matches is through benevolence. The reality is different, it's just a way for the tournament to make extra money which will help pay for the much needed redevelopment of the Roland Garros site. After the experiment where they put Roger Federer on a Sunday against Diego Hartfield and Federer was less than amused after winning his match "I can drive to and back from Switzerland before my next round match". Needless to say they didn't put any more big stars on this day after this experiment.

With this out of the way, there have been some entertaining moments in the earlier rounds. Breakthroughs, resurgence, one of the candidates for worst match of the year, grunting drama and some on court arguments all good fun.

Kavčič Defends

After Grega Žemlja and Aljaž Bedene failed to qualify for the main draw, it was up to Blaž Kavčič to carry Slovenian hopes and fortunately he was able to defend his 2nd round points from last year. Yes, it doesn't sound like much of an achievement considering how poor he has been this season it's quite good.


Blaž Kavčič celebrates

He defeated Hewitt in the 1st round, who received the Aussie wildcard which was a debatable decision in itself. Can see why people thought Marinko Matosevic should have got it for his improvement during the season and doing well on the clay, but they went for the old name and at least with this the Kavčič match was able to seen, if he played Matosevic then wouldn't have seen a rare win. It was quite good for Hewitt being out there 4 hours after the surgery, suffering no ill effects but what told him was the lack of match play. Can do all the work you want in the gym, running track or the forest but it doesn't get much tough which Kavčič is though he hasn't had a good season so far.


Blaž Kavčič hits shot of the day

After an awful first set Kavčič played quite well against Djokovic even up an early break in the 2nd set but he doesn't have the weapons besides determination to really trouble the top guys and lost in straight sets. Back to the Challengers and then Wimbledon, it's an interesting time for Kavčič it's been almost a year since he and Adrian Voinea parted ways, yet there hasn't been any improvement on what they built on. Sometimes it's better to get quality coaching and not have someone travel all the time, than the situation with Trupej who hasn't helped Kavčič since he has been in the job.

Fabio Fognini Files


The Fog showing his stuff

What's Roland Garros without a Fabio Fognini 5 setter, if we didn't have one of them then that's like Nadal not winning the tournament. This time the victim was Viktor Troicki who played one of the worst matches on tour to beat Thomaz "The Ostrich" Bellucci in 5 sets both guys were hideously awful. Troicki was just running and grinding, Bellucci making dumb errors. Troicki serves for 3nd set: broken three times in a row, 5-2 to 5-7. Troicki serves for 4th set: broken, Bellucci gets broken back to love. Troicki serves for 5th set: broken and Bellucci gives it back. The match was so bad the spectators should have been given their money back and a percentage of Troicki's and Bellucci's prizemoney for that pollution.

Fognini thankfully took out Troicki in 5 sets after saving 2 match points. The match was classic Fog looked bored junk balling back and forth, then going for a slapped forehand when he felt like it. The 5th set well "The Fog" was up a break then lost serve from 40-0 up. Somehow through the Fog's carelessness Troicki gets 2 match points, but on the first one Fog slipped and Troicki had so much room he could drive a truck down the line with the backhand and misses once this happened. Troicki was picking on the ballkids and wanting the court to be watered, but he was trolled by "The Fog". Third year in a row Fognini has a dramatic 5 setter at Roland Garros which he won, he dances to his own tune but it brings entertainment.

Welcome back Paulo

On the entertainment theme it was fantastic to see Paul-Henri Mathieu back on court again at Roland Garros after knee surgery. He didn't have much form coming into the event, but he got a wildcard which in this case was deserved. Coming back from 2 sets down against Björn Phau, it's only the second time he has done it and both at this venue. Apart from his booming groundstrokes and aggressive game he is infamous for his chokes and ability to lose big leads by becoming too tense.

Surprise surprise John Isner was involved in another long match with a Frenchman and Boris Becker who had spent too much time in the broom closet kept calling PHM Mahut instead of Mathieu. Sure they are both French but Mahut has a wonderful amount of gel in his hair, something Mathieu doesn't have and their games are different as well.


Mathieu and Isner

If you were getting odds on Mathieu winning 2 5 setters in a row before the tournament they'd have been generous. The Isner match was full of drama, big John serving huge and saving 17/22 break points with big serving, Mathieu didn't get too down on himself when he wasn't converting the chances which was key and only on one of the match points did he have a chance. His comments after this match were apt "coming back was worth it for moments like this" and one of the better moments of the tournaments. The Mathieu show ended losing to Marcel Granollers in 5 sets towards the end Paulo just ran out of petrol.

Marcel Granollers Pump Up the Volume

Grunting and how to fix this, has been an issue on the WTA more so than on the ATP. Señor Granollers has helped raised the issue whether he wanted to or not. It has overshadowed his performances, yes he has an unorthodox and definitely not a stylish game but it's effective. The shovel backhand, funky forehand, he at least does come to the net and has an idea what to do up there.




His 1st round match at Joao Sousa of Portugal had plenty of niggle from Sousa and the Portuguese fans.

Sousa was angry about Granollers taking injury timeout then running like a rabbit and time wasting using his leg as an excuse then it got better.

Granollers said Sousa disrespected him. Sousa replied " shut up". Granollers won the match & said "take that you piece of crap". Sousa then responds by calling Granollers "a son of a bitch".

The Portuguese fans get on Granollers case at the end of the match after Marcel gave them the "shh" gesture.

His timewasting and grunting didn't help. He saved match points against Jaziri and there were a few heated discussions in that match as well.

After he defeated Mathieu it was really highlighted as it was a tactical grunt that was held for so long until Mathieu hit the ball. At times there was no grunting, then later there was a sound that sounded like trying to fight against severe constipation or giving birth through the rear. French crowd weren't amused they will appreciate good play, but don't tolerate nonsense. Ferrer chopped Marcel in the end, but the best one was grunting on a slice backhand.

Breakthroughs

Andreas Seppi continued his fine run of form from winning Belgrade, saving 6 match points against Wawrinka in Rome with his first ever 4th round showing at a Grand Slam. Had two tough 5 sets over Kukushkin and Verdasco in which he was outstanding hitting more winners than Verdasco which was surprising and also he has struggled against him in the past.

Yes, he lost a 2-0 sets lead to Novak Djokovic, but it never really felt like he was going to win it. Played a poor first game in the 3rd set and cumulative effect of the previous two matches didn't help at the end of the match, going for more as he was out of position due to a bit of tiredness and can't do that against Djokovic. Need everything to be working at its optimum level to have any sustained success against the top guys.


Andreas Seppi "King of South Tyrol"

The past two months have been excellent for Seppi who works hard, honest and fair player, you don't see fake timeouts with him, making the most out of his talents. The increased flexibility has helped him overall in his game and is knocking on the door of the top 20. As for whether he can make the top 20, well Troicki and Robredo managed it, doesn't mean Seppi will but it will be well deserved if he manages this feat.

David "The Goff" Goffin little did he know when he lost to Joao Sousa in the final round of qualies, That he got the Lucky Loser spot when Monfils withdrew with injury. Following in the footsteps of Big Dick Norman as a Belgian who made the 4th round of a Slam as a lucky loser he impressed many people who hadn't seen him play before.


Don't Hassle The Goff"

Possibly this could be the breakthrough event for The Goff, he took down Stepanek, Clement, Kubot and took his hero Roger Federer to 4 sets. It would be good if he got a wildcard for Wimbledon, but he needs to improve his strength and durability to build on this result. It’s funny how the Walloon players are small the Rochus brothers, Darcis, the Goff, not enough growth hormone in the chicken.


Youzhny is sorry for poor form


Among the other moments where the ridiculously poor play from Mikhail Youzhny against Ferrer where no matter what he did it turned to shit. We've all had days like this in life except for most people they aren't that public. With the shoe writing "Sorri" in the clay and the crowd appreciated it. Murray having back spasms and Nieminen forgot how to play tennis, if a guy has a back problem the dropshots and lob combination always test the back. Jarkko is just too nice and not ruthless enough.


Andy Roddick Clay Clown"

Overall the event has had the mix of the bizarre, high quality performances, funny antics, and some mind numbingly awful matches. In spite of this we know how this tournament will end, with the winner coming from the big 3, the positive side of the predictability is that once again Andy Roddick didn't make the 2nd week at Roland Garros. More things change, the more they stay the same.