Thursday, January 23, 2014

2014 Aus Open review

Yes, my time at the Aus Open is over for 2014. The Berdych/Ferrer and Wawrinka/Djokovic matches were a fine way to end the tournament for me, the first one was there on centre court the other watching it on TV, both had very good endings.

Highlights

These are in no particular order since that would require effort. Stephane Robert the Lucky Loser who made the 4th round at the young age of 33. 10.45am he was in his regular clothes as Kohlschreiber was doing a fitness test on his hamstring which he failed. Some journalist was tweeting stuff that Kohli had withdrawn already when it wasn't the case, then 20 minutes later he is on court playing Aljaž Bedene.

It was fortunate he played Bedene who was underdone and it showed at the end, but that's not the point. Robert took advantage of the draw playing some entertaining tennis and after losing to Andy Murray he received a great standing ovation. Thankfully the local crowd got behind Robert who deserved that set against Murray, but the extra class of the Scotsman and impact of the previous matches caught up with him.

This sums it up pretty well about the standing ovation which was loud enough to blank out the on court interview with Murray who was smiling at the end of it. After the match Judy Murray gave Stephane a hug and genuine encouragement and congratulations on his tournament.


Robert

Q. What was it like signing the autographs at the end?

STEPHANE ROBERT: Signing autograph, it happen to me even if I play a small tournament, likes exhibition tournament, so this is okay. But the standing ovation, this is a good surprise. I lost, and then the speakers say, Robert, the lucky loser. History. I didn't hear anything. Then they start, Robert, Robert. It's unbelievable for me.

I'm happy. People enjoy see my game today. So, yeah, it was a great, great feeling for sure.

Bautista-Agut

Bautigol, it's from my departed friend and respected tennis writer Shank Tennis in honour of the great Argentine striker Gabi Batistuta (Batigol). He had an excellent tournament and the only one of the semi finalists from Auckland or Sydney that made the 4th round.

He was excellent in Auckland, then came out and made chorizo out of Smyczek in the first round. Hitting winners from both sides, if not clean then on the next shot. The performance against del Potro coming down from 2 sets to 1 down was outstanding in that he didn't lose belief in that he could win the match. It happens so often when the lower ranked player is in a position to knock off a top gun, in most cases they play the ball and not the man.


RBA

Paire was just fodder and the match against Dimitrov was where his backhand failed him this time. It was an outstanding match from both guys but Dimitrov played the big points better. As Bautigol is the Spanish player with a very flat game and there was some tension, put that together with the small margin for error shots were flying out on the backhand side. It's the classic when under pressure your technique faces the greatest scrutiny.

His football team Villarreal are doing well in La Liga. Bautista played for their youth academy up until 14. Had his best Grand Slam result and was included in his first Davis Cup squad.

Berdych and Wawrinka

Both are well deserved semi finalists, it would be brilliant if either one won a Slam. It's about time there was a different winner. Unless you're a fan of the big 4 the hegemony in the ATP in an era of surface homogensiation where the game has changed to the point where it's not necessarily about the skill is something that needs a shake up. It doesn't matter how wonderful the meal is, but if it's served everyday for 5-6 years then it loses its lustre.

Berdych being sponsored by H & M, it's an interesting choice and still not sold on the Deportivo La Coruña shirt. Maybe as my fine friend from Ostrava Maria says maybe H & M are going to use Ester (Mrs.Berdych) to model the clothes. Yes, she is very pretty in person but needs some more meat on the bones.


Berdych

The big man has been playing very well, the timing on his shots when he is on is very sweet. Berdych was the guy in juniors who was so used to beating up on everyone that he never had to struggle or fight say like the man he beat in the quarters David Ferrer. That 4th set there were a couple of pivotal games which the Berdman managed to hold his nerve. In the old days he'd have folded like a cheap tent, yes he still has those moments but not to the level of his younger years.

Can he win a Slam? Yes, he has the ability but does he truly believe he can that is the big issue. He'd cheering for Federer in the other semi final, as ever since Madrid when he gave the crowd the shhh gesture he hasn't got close to beating Nadal.

Wawrinka, finally he gets the win over Djokovic after losing 14 times in a row . It was getting like Djokovic was the Road Runner and Wawrinka was like Wile E. Coyote. For those who don't get the reference use the interwebs or youtube those two and it will become clear.

Magnus Norman has been a brilliant addition to the Wawrinka team. Stani always had the strokes, especially the backhand side and once set can rip the forehand as well. He'll never be a great defensive player like Nadal or Djokovic but that side of his game has improved, though Norman's great influence is the mental side of things. Stani has never been afraid of working hard which is something Norman was famous for and having a player who made a Slam final, reached number 2 in the world who can communicate effectively has helped Wawrinka played his best tennis.


Stani

Stani managed to defeat Robredo and Djokovic who before the event had a combined total of 2 wins and 20 losses. He has the better record against Berdych, would love him to win a Slam but still can't see it. In fact either player would be great.

Miscellaneous

Excellent tournament for the Poor Mans Federer aka Grigor Dimitrov. Just hope for his sake Roger Rasheed doesn't overtrain him like he did with Hewitt and Monfils especially. Yes, he played a good match against Nadal, but the thing I like was the reaction to the loss. He wasn't happy to be there, he was disappointed that he didn't get the win but it's all about how he bounces back from this defeat.

Damir Džumhur who knocked off Dreddy Brown the top seed in the qualies made the 3rd round the first player from Bosnia and Herzegovina to do so. He is only 21, has a good aggressive game definitely needs some more strength which is paramount in modern tennis.

Blaž Kavčič has made a concerted effort to be more aggressive which is something he needs to do. He already has the defensive skills in place. Training with Federer, Tsonga and Ferrer in the UAE off the season has helped him already. There were benefits in Sydney and in the match against Radek Štěpánek as well.

When he played Federer indoors that was the end of his tournament. The last set was good but in the first two he was overawed by Federer which still happens. Barring injuries and playing a smart schedule Kavčič should be around the 60-70 mark. He won't have to worry about Davis Cup this year which is disappointing with Žemlja only just started hitting again, with Rola and Bedene not playing for their own reasons. Slovenia have a reasonable squad but will be stuck in the lower levels due to certain issues.

As for Federer, well it's good to see the youngster playing well again but Wawrinka srill has the best backhand in Switzerland.

Fabio Fognini, what can one say about "The Fog". Well he dances to his own tune and the guy is so arrogant it's actually a caricature. The Fog could only be an Italian, he is the kind of guy who if he worked at a public service office in Italy or railway station would close the counter when it's your turn and laugh in your face.


The Fog

In spite of this and the massive peacock strut Fognini is an entertaining player and he played some fine tennis this event. The Fog never lacked confidence but now it's backed up by some excellent results and his best ever result at a hardcourt Slam. No indication of the guy that got chopped by Rajeev Ram for the loss of 5 games at the US Open. Jose Perlas has done an excellent job with the Fog, then again he did take Carlos Moya and Albert Costa to RG titles. Seeing them working together in close quarters it's like Perlas is the father and Fognini is the whiny child, but it works.

Ivan Ljubičić has a tough job with Milos Raonic, some would say that it's a good choice of coach for Raonic. While Ljubo was never a speed demon across the court he was much better from the baseline than Raonic, even when Ljubo smothered the forehand. This is the challenge for Raonic it's his movement that will hold him back. Yes, it helps having a brilliant serve and the forehand is a good shot but the backhand and anticipation are poor. He is still some way from challenging the elite on a consistent basis, but he has time.


Thiem

Dominic Thiem the young Austrian has a lot going for him and will be in the top 100 when the latest rankings come out at the age of 20. Qualifying and winning a round in your first Slam is a good achievement. The kid can play and under Gunther Bresnik who guided Horst Skoff & Koubek beforehand, so he has someone there who has done it before. Too bad his mad fitness trainer wasn't down in Australia. This is a guy I'd like to meet Sepp Resnik , the tour needs more eccentrics.

Pablo Carreño Busta played an excellent match against Benneteau, but this is a big year for him and on that showing it looks like he can make the jump from being dominant in Futures and Challengers. It wasn't hard to see why he was voted The Most Improved Player of 2013 . It helps that he is in Barcelona since as lovely as Asturias is to become a professional player have to leave the region to train with better players so one can improve. His peers are aware of him which makes another challenge he has to face.

Tommy Robredo who is definitely not one of my favourite players on the circuit and never will be. He deserves a mention for being tougher than $2 steak. Coming back from the injury and back into the top 20 at over 30 he hasn't lost any of his speed. Yes, he is a bit a douche but got to give respect where it's due. This is a player who never gives up until game set match has been called.

His performance against Gasquet was excellent but at the same time Gasquet really doesn't have a clue when it comes to court positioning. It was like their previous match in Melbourne where Robredo didn't need to moonball like he did against Rosol, played on or just behind the baseline and worked Gasquet over. It has taken a lot of years but finally the hype around Gasquet is gone, hit some flashy winners and he's brilliant it wasn't the case then, it's not now thankfully.

Legends

- Michael Chang still has huge calves.
- Stefan Edberg is in great condition, only looks a bit older in the face.
- Ivan Lendl still plays a round of golf everyday and I caught him having a smile.



Becker

Then we have Boris Becker who looks like he's drunk or taken some bad steroids to have a face that is so puffy. Yes, the others have aged but still look like their old selves. Whereas Becker not sure what's going on there with him. This leads to his deal with Djokovic, definitely sceptical about what he can bring to Djokovic. The previous three aforementioned guys it's clear what they bring to Nishikori, Federer and Murray respectively, seems like Djokovic got on the bandwagon for a publicity stunt. Marian Vajda is the best coach for Djokovic, but let's see how long this lasts.

Last legend bit Goran Ivanisevic to Carlos Moya. Yes, this sounded better with Goran's great accent.

"Hey Moya, Spanish Davis Cup captain. You have the easiest job in the world. You have 77 players to choose from and if you need number 78, then you can play and Spain still win". Moya laughed and like any exaggerated statement there is truth in that especially on the clay.

On that note, thanks for reading these reports and this rather long review. Apart from the stupid heatwave in the first week, it was very enjoyable to go to the Aussie Open. Best of all didn't have to put up with the TV feed in the first few days which is uniformly awful.

A licky boom boom down.

3 comments:

michelle said...

To begin, licky boom boom back atcha. I still dont know what it means, hello.Thank you for providing an enjoyable series of insights and match analysis from the Open. Your writing flows lucidly, with a compelling mix of visuals and humor that really brings a visual to that which some of us weren't able to experience!

Your skills are really coming into their own. How do we find you an even larger audience???

The icing was that pic of Becker -just disgusting although I've seen plenty of geriatric bloat lately seeing that it is high season for disturbingly disgusting dirty old men here in Naples. Cheers!

Denys said...

Agree with Michelle that it would be great if Nils found a larger audience.

Entertaining summary of the experiences he had at the tennis. It's always good to cover the matches that TV won't in the first few days as they are generally more interesting.

Becker really looks awful.

Foot Soldiers of Tennis said...

Well that all beats another Nadal legacy article. Am really interested to see how far Bautista-Agut can push on now, and am already finding myself forgiving the Fog for his efforts v Djokovic.

Your work on the ground floor is much appreciated..