Gracias Pablo Cuevas

This week Salto’s finest aka Pablo Cuevas announced his retirement from tennis. Time waits for nobody and Cuevas is no different.

When it comes to tennis retirements,   there are certain themes especially for players who rely on their movement.   Not everyone has a serve like Karlovic who at 50 could probably win matches on the pro tour,  sure he couldn’t return a phone call but that’s not the point.  

Not having a huge weapon and when a player loses that 2-5%, they are going to be late to the ball, the weight of shot isn’t there and it’s a lot easier to attack for the younger opponents. Day in, day out it gets more difficult to retain consistency. Getting injured later in the career just accelerates the process.

Pre Injury

Cuevas definitely had a before and after career. There was the period where he was starting out on his way playing the Futures and Challengers.

In 2005 he made his Davis Cup debut vs. Cuba and won his first of two Futures titles beating Machi Gonzalez in the process. It wasn’t until 2007 that Cuevas made his Grand Slam debut losing to Andy Murray after qualifying at the US Open, he lost in the last round of qualies to Dusan Vemic at Roland Garros.

After consolidating his 2007 season with strong Challenger results 2008 was the year that got Cuevas noticed to a wider audience outside of Latin America for varying degrees. His singles breakthrough was at Viña del Mar where he had 2 match points against hometown hero Fernando Gonzalez but ended up losing 6-7 7-6 6-2, though in the 2nd set tiebreaker he hit one of the most famous winners, the clip says enough. The crowd and Gonzalez were really intimidating Cuevas, had Cuevas won the semi final, it would have been his first ATP title as Juan Monaco injured his ankle in a doubles match when he collided with the linesman’s chair and withdrew from the final.

In 2008 Roland Garros Cuevas won the doubles title with Luis Horna. These were two talented singles players entering for some cash and having fun, yet they won the title which was refreshing and surprising. The great ride started when they played the French duo of Clement and Llodra in the first round, an excellent combo and competent at singles as well, so they definitely aren’t doubles specialists. They were handled with ease, then took out Nieminen and Lindstedt in the next round and after this they took out Dlouhy/Paes in the 3rd round. They made the quarter finals taking out 2 seeded combinations.

In the quarter finals the shenanigans with the Bryans began. The Bryans were huge favourites, but luckily the conditions were very heavy with the constant rain, making the court heavier which was better for the South Americans. The 3rd set tiebreaker was hilarious when Ceuvas jumped the net and it was clearly nowhere near the Bryans, but after the match when Lucho and Cuevas won, the Bryan bitches refused to shake Cuevas’s hand. “He was really disrespectful,” Mike said. “He jumped the net right in our face. It’s classless.” But Cuevas’s response was class. “Maybe I celebrated a little too much. But it’s worth it,” he said. “It’s not every day you beat the No. 1 team.”

From 4.00

The semi final against another unseeded team Soares/Vemic was their most difficult match, as they got closer to the final, they blew match points, but managed to make it through to the final. Lucky the conditions were quite heavy and it suited Lucho and Cuevas for sure. They came out on fire slapping returns that the doubles specialists weren’t used to handling at all. Lucho ripping on the forehand side and Ceuvas with the single hander, these devastating shots were too much for Nestor/Zimonjic who looked all at sea out there under the onslaught. The first set was over quickly and the second was slightly more competitive, but the same pattern continued the South Americans won 6-2 6-3. One could see they couldn’t believe that they won and Cuevas said afterwards “we weren’t expecting to get that far”.

Better Than Ever

Up until 2021, Cuevas had a big win over Andy Roddick at Miami, which was like playing at home for him. Later in the year, is where the knee problems started and he was out of the game for a very long time. One can never tell how players will come back and Lucho Horna came out and said “if he recovers from injury, then Cuevas has the potential to be a top 20 player”. Lucho was right as Cuevas reached 19^th at the world at his peak.    Here is an interview with Pablito,  where he explains how he became a better player after the injury and his tennis journey Pablo Cuevas Interview

As outstanding as it was to reach the top 20 after being out of the game for almost 2 years. His Grand Slam record was not great and never reached the 4^th round of any Slam. He made the 3^rd round at Roland Garros and there were definitely some opportunities lost. Tennis is a brutal sport, and don’t get that many chances need to take them.

In 2014 Cuevas had 2 of his best weeks on the professional tour. He won his first title at Båstad by destroying Joao Sousa for the loss of 3 games. Not sure how much time was spent at Pepe’s Bodega during the week. Next week he won Umag after qualifying, also he won the Montevideo Challenger later in the year.

The biggest tournament win of his career was the 2016 Rio Open and he has a record that no one has achieved since. Cuevas defeated 5 left handers in a row, considering how magnificent his backhand was, you may get the impression he liked playing lefties. He defeated Bagnis, Monteiro, Delbonis, Nadal and Pella.

The Entertainer

There is an old debate in Argentina, whether you are a Menotti or a Bilardo fan. Bilardo was the arch pragmatist, only results, whereas Menotti wanted to win but it had to be entertaining. That’s the thing with tennis it’s not ski jumping, you don’t get points for style.

Cuevas delivered a lot of entertaining moments, with the trickshots that never get old,  the ATP Cup ad making the best of quarantine during the Covid time.

Not everything is measured in wins and losses, unless you’re a bean counter. Cuevas was very fun to watch especially when he was kicking the opponent out so wide on the ad side, slaying the backhands and the variety. Tennis needs all kinds of players, but that is getting more difficult in the age of homogenisation.

Congratulations on a great career Pablito, thank you for being yourself and always cool with me. Enjoy the asado, skiing, surfing life with your family in your post tennis career.

20 Years Ago Today Gaston Gaudio Came To Play: The Surprise Champion

In the social media generation, many fans thought tennis started with the big 3 and especially on clay it was ground zero before Rafa Nadal started dominating. Facebook was in its infancy, Twitter, TikTok and Instragram didn’t exist, matches at 3 of the 4 Grand Slams were decided by advantage sets.  Time does not stand still and this was the last really open event at Roland Garros before the Nadal reign of terror.  

This being said, no one was expected Gaston Gaudio the mercurial Argentine to be standing tall at the end of the fortnight, some surprises are better than others.    The final itself was a ridiculous match with an epic ending.

Most humans like a redemption a story and this was a very popular victory all things considered.  Gaudio was always a very talented player with a gorgeous single handed backhand, excellent touch and knew his away around a clay court.   In spite of his great tennis talent, mentally he was very fragile.   There had been many instances where it was more difficult to lose and Gaudio achieved it.

 

In his own words.   “I'm from Argentina. With us, there are two possible ways: the “Menotti” way and the “Bilardo” way (the only two coaches to lead Argentina to the title of football world champion, before Scaloni.) I've always been a Menottista. I believe in the beautiful game.”

 

The low times

Gaudio started doing well in 2022 winning 2 consecutive titles and losing to the finalist Ferrero.  But the fall came in 2023 with Davis Cup in Malaga.   Coria and Nalbandian the top 2 guys were out.   Gaudio was in poor form at the time, but ended up playing the tie.   Played like crap against Ferrero on Day 1, then big wins in the doubles and Calleri got it to a live 5^th rubber.  Gaudio has the chance to redeem himself but produces another poor performance losing in straight sets and Spain make the final. Yes, Gaudio was poor in difficult circumstances but the level of vitriol and abuse was intense. When he was back in Buenos Aires people would tell him what a shit performance it was, a disgrace and should never play Davis Cup again. Ironically Gaudio never played Davis Cup again this was more due to circumstances (court conditions) or balance of the team.

 

Rejuvenation

There were signs of life during the European clay season he was toying with Lleyton Hewitt at Monte Carlo leading 6-1 5-2 served for the match but choked as he did plenty of times in his career, while he lost the match it was the start of improvement. He reached the Barcelona final beating Moya on the way who was top 10 at the time losing to Tommy Robredo in the final where one of the dodgiest acts of gamesmanship occurred. Robredo up 5-4 serving for the title in the 5th set 15-40 calls for the trainer for cramps. First of all, should only happen at change of ends, the umpire got conned by a bullshit move, while Robredo was celebrating the title better things were along the way for Gaudio. "The doubt prevails. But it was my fault, I got distracted afterwards. He used a great tactic, although I could never do something like that right"

World Team Cup the week before Roland Garros Gaudio won a couple of matches against Verkerk or Hewitt, but nothing to suggest that he was going to perform one of the most surprising, enjoyable Roland Garros tournament victories with a bizarre final that’ll be very difficult to beat for the drama it created. 

Gaudio had never been past the 4th round at any Slam before 2004 Roland Garros nor did he achieve it afterwards. The potential was always there when in the mood the single hand backhand is a work of art, can drive well high or low, ability to change direction, feel on the backhand dropshot, slice wasn’t used so often but used well. The big key to his improvement was the forehand which was used mainly to set up the play for the backhand to finish off. Now the forehand was able to win more points outright with this shot and Franco Davin a calming influence all contributed.

Roland Garros 

As an unseeded player Gaudio wasn’t going to get an easy Very tough first rounder with fellow Argentine Cañas in 5, took out the seed Jiri Novak in 5 sets. Gaudio settled down took out Enqvist and Andreev without too much fuss. 

The quarter final with Hewitt was just brilliant Gaudio hardly any errors at all, the backhand working its magic, no shenanigans about how crap he was playing when the ball missed by the strings by 0.000001mm. Hewitt knew he was beaten by the better man and the Aussie commentators didn’t want to admit it though they weakened eventually. Next up was David Nalbandian in the semifinal it was another brilliant showing from Gaudio, both guys were working the angles with the backhand. Gaudio took the 1st set, Nalbandian served for the 2nd set but Gaudio fought back to get into the tiebreaker, once he won the TB he was seeing the ball so well and Nalbandian had an injury problem as well though he knew early in the 3rd set the fork was in there.

 

Gaston Gaudio wins Roland Garros

 

R128 Guillermo Canas (ARG) 72 6-2, 2-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2

R64 Jiri Novak (CZE) 14 2-6, 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3

R32 Thomas Enqvist (SWE) 65 6-0, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-4

R16 Igor Andreev (RUS) 77 6-4, 7-5, 6-3

Q Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) 12 6-3, 6-2, 6-2

S David Nalbandian (ARG) 8 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-0

W Guillermo Coria (ARG) 3 0-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 8-6

 

Gaudio vs. Coria

Yes, this has been a very long article before mentioning the man he beat in the final Guillermo Coria. There are just some things that aren’t meant to happen. Pineapple shouldn’t be on pizza, the sun doesn’t spin around the earth, white chocolate isn’t chocolate and only altitude sickness you will get in the Netherlands isn’t through the mountains. These two were just never meant to get on, they had a few incidents and the press loved stirring it up as well since it was good copy.

 

Coria was the kid who was bred to play tennis, whereas Gaudio wasn’t necessarily. Coria got support from the AAT whereas Gaudio and players from his generation didn’t. Before Roland Garros Coria booked a hotel for the celebration for winning the title as he was clearly the hottest player in 2004 on clay and expected to win over his foe. In Viña del Mar Coria won a close match they were giving each other some verbal shots. Gaudio got the revenge in Buenos Aires he unfurled an Independiente flag (the football team he passionately supports) and jogged towards Esteban Cambiasso, the team’s star who was celebrating Gaudio’s triumph. Coria swears that, while Gaudio was going towards Cambiasso, he “hit” him in the face with part of the flag.

 

While these were tasty the best one was in Hamburg 2003 where they played the semifinal Coria won the 1st set, then Gaudio won the 2nd set. Coria then called for the trainer claiming he was cramping, he got treatment and afterwards was running around faster than he did before. It was a brilliant con job which Gaudio lost concentration losing the last 6-0. After the match they had to be separated as to whether Gaudio hit him as was allegedly claimed. The best answer for his was when Gaudio’s friend Lucho Horna who played Coria after the incident when Coria was whining he said “ shut up, I’m not Gaudio I will hit you”.

 

With all this bad blood before the final which both of them wanted to win so badly impacted negatively on the match itself, Gaudio was so nervous could hardly get the ball in court for 2 sets. Coria was very comfortable cruising along, then the French crowd were bored started doing the wave which relaxed Gaudio who started playing better. One moment when Gaudio hit a dropshot which Coria couldn’t quite make he pulled up short at 4-4 in the 3rd, this was when the fun started. After 90 minutes Coria cramps gets treated for it, definitely not due to lack of fitness more like anxiety and pressure.

Gaudio plays better wins the next 2 sets against a guy who can’t move. The 5th set was one of the most ridiculous, bizarre and crazy things to happen on a tennis court. Gaudio so nervous can’t hit the ball into court against a guy who at times can’t run, then explode with others. Coria has 2 match points gets tight, then the moment came 7-6 15-40 on Coria’s serve, Gaudio drills a backhand winner and the moment where his dream became reality. The Paris crowd loved the celebration high fiving the spectators, it was a popular win one because he was a huge underdog, two Coria wasn’t universally liked by his peers because of his sneaky weasel like antics. He was unable to complete his speech at the presentation breaking down in tears, it didn’t help that the father of Argentine tennis Guillermo Vilas was there to present the trophies.

 

 

Gaudio and Coria will always be linked together through this bizarre match, the mutual loathing they had even the fact that Franco Davin had been Coria’s coach previously. Coria was expected to win Roland Garros but never did, yet there is a delicious irony that Gaudio who choked many matches was able to come back from 2 sets down and 2 match points to win Roland Garros. He was never expected to win one, Coria and Nalbandian were meant to be the Slam winners, it’s good to upset the conventions in cases like this.

 

Tennis has a changed a lot from those days, as the sport becomes more professional and a lot less characters.   Is it better, well there is more coverage and like anything it is very subjective.

 

In the words of Gaudio himself.  "To those who were waking up to watch my matches on TV, I tell them that I hope they had a good time with some of my games. Because at the end of the day, that’s what it's all about, having a good time. In tennis and sport in general. I tried. I hope to have brought a bit of joy to someone.”

 

The Mailman Delivered: Thank you John Millman

Yes,  John "The Mailman" Millman has retired from tennis.  Of course everyone would like to retire with a title aka Pete Sampras, but life isn't always like that. It was the body that let him down in the end.  I mean it's just a fact of life the older you get,  the longer it takes to recover. It's a fact in your teens and 20s going out every weekend and having fun that gets more difficult as you get older,  even more so in professional tennis with the travelling,  the surface changes,  speed endurance of the sport grinds you down after a while.  

Millman was never one of the favoured sons of the establishment or junior hotshot like Tomic who peaked at a young age and had everything give to him.  Unlike many of his peers Millman finished school before attempting to make it on the tour.   It definitely wasn't a smooth rise up the rankings as Millman had suffered a lot of injuries especially to the shoulder,  hip,  in addition to managing an ongoing back condition.   For further information about the early days and emerging career please check an older interview I did with the Mailman  John Millman Interview

It could be argued that Tennis Australia did treat Millman's career as an afterthought.  Online there was a big backlash about Millman not getting a wildcard to the main draw of the Australian Open.   This sentiment was shared with the numerous people of different and diverse backgrounds that I spoke with at the venue.   Yes,  that was universally a poor decision,  though at the same time it was very strange he never got a wildcard to Brisbane,  considering how much he promotes the city,  it was his last event and all of that.

Millman was top 40 in the world,  played Davis Cup,  represented Australia at the Olympics and achieved the rare feat of winning 6-0 6-0 at the Tokyo Olympics,  defeated Roger Federer at the US Open and probably should have done it as well at the Aus Open.   You know the Spanish and French federations would make sure their well established veterans would get a main draw wildcard to their final event.

Connection

I had first come across Millman at the Burnie Challenger many years ago.  Yes,  kids it's fun watching Challengers and qualies at Slams,   especially when you see how they develop their careers.   Even the current big guys played at that level once.

This sums up Millman in many ways. In the words of former Spanish player and former TA coach Felix Mantilla.  " When you play like me that you must be running all the day, I don't have the serve of Sampras or the volley of Rafter or the talent of Agassi, you know. I must be very focus every point. I must be strong mentally",  To adapt that for modern times it would be the serve of Isner,  the return of Djokovic or the talent of Federer.

As Millman did not have the natural talents of Federer,  Kyrgios and other players,  he made up for it with work ethic, fighting spirit and doing everything possible to maximise his talents.  Just like our new Aussie Open Jannik Sinner,   Millman was raised by outstanding parents who can be proud of the man he has become.   A great competitor,  resilient after all the injury comebacks,  an outstanding sportsman who has the respect of fans and peers.

Best Wins

Court 3 at Melbourne Park is easily the best show court at the venue and it's not close.  This is where Millman won his first ever 5 set match against the Luxembourg serving machine Gilles Muller.   The fact Millman was hititng with Wayne Arthurs a leftie who could hit a 100 serves off the same balltoss helped him a lot.

Millman was returning well and showing a lot of positive body language.  Millman is stepping into the court getting the balance right between attack and defence. The crowd are loving it and spurring him on. There was the chant “I believe, I believe, I believe he will win” and the Mailman delivered a great victory in the end.  That was the match that put him over with the crowd and developed a connection with them which became Millmania,  as he is relatable and accessible to the average punter . It was the court that he became familiar with and fitting he played his last match there.

                                                The taste of victory

I was very happy that Millman managed to win an ATP title before retirement,  especially after what happened in Budapest.   On the clay Millman had made his first ATP final and potentially was going to play against Seppi in the final.   This was averted by a certain Italian lucky loser Marco Cecchinato who ended up winning the title and beating Djokovic at Roland Garros.

Luckily Millman was able to get another opportunity to win a final in Kazakhstan against Mannarino and was able to do so.  If there was ever an individual to deserve an ATP title it was Millman.

                          Millman winning the title

In terms of ranking the Mailman delivering the feat of beating Roger Federer at the US Open would classify as his biggest win.  I was at work unable to watch the match but following on the scoreboard.   In the final set tiebreaker decided to take an unscheduled break and watch the buster with shit reception.  I was waiting for the confirmation that he had actually won the match, such a great moment.  Of course everyone in the local media wanted to know about John Millman and the parents got bombarded with media requests.    Yes,  the 15 minutes of fame thing.

Yes,  I still hate the 5th set tiebreaker and Millman had 8-4 against Federer to win in Melbourne Park.  It was the classic playing the situation and not point by point and sadly lost the match.   Tennis is such a brual sport,  there are some days you play well and lose,   others you play like a donkey and win.

Closing Time

Millman after he lost in qualies was working for the local commentary and also on a tennis podcast during the Open.  Yes,  he was outstanding in those roles and hope he comes back next year to do them.  Doesn't talk too much during commentary and adding information at the right time.

Now the new chapter begins back in his beloved Brisbane.   Hanging out with the friends, partner,  pets,  watching Liverpool FC and going down the academic route.   You just know that he will do well in whatever direction life takes him.   From the Burnie Challenger,  the injuries,  the comebacks and the other stuff it was an honour to follow his career.

It's not always about the titles and the money.   There are only so few places at the top of the tennis tree.   After some time to reflect, the question for the athlete is did they give themselves the best opportunity to maximise their abilities

On that note the Mailman definitely delivered.

The Prince who became the King: Jannik Sinner welcome to the club

Long time readers of this rather idiosyncratic blog know that the great man Andreas Seppi is known as the King of South Tyrol and  Sinner is the Prince.  Now the coronation has been complete with Jannik Sinner winning the Australian Open and doing it from 2 sets to 0 down in first Slam final joining the likes of Gaston Gaudio to do it.   The first Italian man to win a Slam since Adrian Panatta.

It was not a question of if but when, in relation to Sinner winning major titles.  Sinner has a great temperament and excellent work ethic always willing to build and add new things to his game.   He was easily the best player in event, but that counts for nothing unless you get it done in the final.

You don't start building a house with the roof.   The foundations are so important and the fact Sinner played football in addition to being an outstanding skier has helped his tennis so much.  Leaving his home region to work with Ricardo Piatti in the development years,  the original coach in South Tyrol to the current crew of Vagnozzi and Cahill.

Sinner has brilliant balance, the core strength and the ability to hit huge off both sides makes it harder to get him on the defensive.   As well as tinkering with the serve,  he has added some more muscle and improved his defensive skills.

The fact that Sinner beat Mr Australian Open Djokovic in the semis had many people thinking he would just waltz in the final just needing to turn up and defeat the quirky Danil Medvedev.   The gangly Russian who did well to make the final after coming back from 2 sets down twice to win matches and another 5 setter with Hurkacz.   Medvedev was on fire the first 2 sets being ultra aggressive serving well,  returning from close to the baseline and not making errors.

Sinner did not panic,  he started to improve his first serve percentage which helped him get more free points and gave him opportunities to step into the court and dominate with his groundstrokes.  Medvedev could not keep that level up and Sinner breaking at 5-4 to take the 3rd set changed the momentum.

It was obvious the cumulative fatigue was catching up with Medvedev and naturally in pressure situations players tend to revert to type.   The Russian became more defensive,  though Sinner was hitting with more pace,  penetration and depth.   

Sinner's definitely got the South Tyrolean temperament where he is less volatile than say Fognini and other Italians.   He was able to turn around the match and as he was so much fresher than Medvedev who was clearly gassed in the 4th set,  but still got to be good enough to execute the plan.   The thing that was impressive with Sinner besides coming back from 2 sets down was that he played the match instead of the situation.   What I mean is "hey,  I am in the 5th set and close to winning my first major title"   that's the situation and he played point by point to deservedly win the title.

Personally I am very happy for Sinner as he is a good guy, as well as an outstanding player.  He gave a shout out to his parents and it's obvious that he was raised by good people.  Always respectful,  humble,  dry sense of humour and it's great that he didn't have those parents who are trying to live their dreams through their kid.

It's fantastic to see Italian tennis on the rise.   They have a lot of players,  plenty of places to play tennis,  very passionate and knowledgeable fans.   Italian challenger events get excellent crowds as well as the major events.   

The fact the great man Andreas Seppi from the tennis hotbed of South Tyrol had a very successful career definitely helped inspire Sinner in the early days.   Now the transition from Crown Prince to King is now complete.

The final round up, time to leave the circus

Yes,  this is the end of my Australian Open reports as one most of my players are knocked out and two I have to impersonate an employee this week,  as I can't live off my looks.

It has definitely been a different tournament,  the on court action on the men's side for the most part has been excellent.    There have been a lot of 5 set matches, the majority of them have been enjoyable and not a shit show,  though the shit shows can be entertaining in their own way.

The organisers in their wisdom thought the Sunday start would be a great idea in the guise of reducing the late night finishes,  yes maybe on Rod Laver but as to be expected this was not the case and there were plenty of late finishes.    The fact there was 81 000 on the Sunday with a shit order of play will mean the organisers will do it again as it will bring in more money irrespective of the client experience.

The Good

The Carota Boys coming to Australia for those who don't know they are the Jannik "The Prince"  Sinner cheer squad.  Yes,  Jannik was eating a carrot at a change of ends and then a group of Italian lads wear carrot suits and cheer him on.   Too bad they had to go back to Italy,  but they were cool cats and yes I'd like Sinner to win the event to end the Djokovic reign of terror.

Djokovic embracing the heel role,  when that heckler was giving it to him and asking him to say stuff to his face.   The thing these jabronis don't understand is the more you needle Djokovic the more he likes it.   Yes,  he is one of the greatest ever to play the game and if you don't think that,  then grow grass on a highway.  Indifference or silence would annoy him more and when Mannarino more on him later finally got on the board,  there was some sarcastic cheering from Djokovic.

Adrian Mannarino what a guy,  he's a different cat and dances to his own tune.  I mean if you saw the guy just walking around you would not think he is a professional athlete.   He could hardly win finals and now after 34 he has won more title.   His secret is tequila,  that and an unusual gamestyle which works against these forehand factory bots.    Mannarino is one of those guys who have to watch live and see how impressive he actually is,  moves the ball around very well absorbs pace and creates angles.  The match against Shelton was definitely brains triumphing over brawn.

Cameron Norrie lost a very tough 5 setter against the very likeable Sascha Zverev.   He has never got close before,  but this tournament he has been a lot more aggressive and willing to take the game to the opponents.   As he is one of the fittest men on tour,  he was able to win by a war of attrition.   That can only take you so far.   

Last round win over Casper Ruud was an example of that.   The Norwegian had a lot of chances,  but he saved the break point by using his serve to open up the court especially on the backhand side.  Once he was doing that and seeing the floating returns,  he snuck into the net and put away a lot of volleys.   Against Zverev,  he used a lot of drop shots as the big German loves to be 3m behind the baseline hitting forehands.   Zverev was just too good in the buster.

Other stuff

Jakub Menšík has a big future as long as he stays injury free.   He and Zeppieri should finish the year inside the top 100.

Marinko Matosevic is doing an excellent job as a coach with Chris O'Connell and Jordan Thompson.  Of course it helps being injury free,  but they have finished the last few years inside the top 100.   At the end of the day,  the player has to look at themselves and ask have they maximised their ability.   Too bad Thompson doesn't know the meaning of the word woke.

Yes,   John Millman should have got a wildcard to the main draw instead of McCabe,  but he has been doing an excellent job at commentary and yes there will be a tribute about him.

There are a lot more French fans these days and it's a good thing as they provide a fun atmosphere.  Also there are so many Italian players these days as well.

Court 6 is the equivalent of the party hole in golf.   Building a bar next to a tennis court,  not the greatest idea.   The reasoning behind it is,  to get more fan involvement and other buzzwords.   The thing with tennis being played in a quiet environment,  especially at the elite level they rely a lot on sound coming off their racquet and opponents. The Russian player Pavlyuchenkova was getting meow chants from the gronks in the crowd.  Many people are there to be seen and not give a crap about the tennis.

As you get older certain things change. I mean I am not interested in the same women at 18 as I am at 45.  Progress is good, but like anything there are negatives as well as positives.  The fact the event in many ways become uncomfortable for regular punters,  taking a very long time to get into match courts,  congestion and bigger is not always better.

But on a positive note it is always good to run into people I have not seen in a long time.   Watching matches,  shooting the shit,  people watching and all that good stuff.

So thank you Andrew,  Andre,  Sean,  Peta,  Kristen,   Lance,  Owen,  Tim and Lizia and running to Blaz Kavcic again.

Yes,  I maybe grumpy at times,  but I will be back again next year.

A Day For All Seasons : Round 2

Well today had a bit of everything. There was sun, wind, rain and a variation of this theme until mid afternoon, where there was more on and off that a teenage romance. That's the lot of a tennis player and have to adjust to these things.

Norrie vs. Zeppieri

These were difficult conditions all round.   The young Italian started well with some excellent serving and using his forehand to take advantage of a sluggish start from Kiwi Norrie who has been struggling with some wrist issues.   Two things about Norrie are one that he is ridiculously fit and two that he is a player you have to beat.

Zeppo was playing at a very high level for the first 2 sets and then the delays did impact the momentum of the Italian.  He was not able to dominate as he had previously and Norrie got an early break in the 3rd set.  Once he was able to do that,  Zeppo was unable to find Norrie's backhand often enough to exploit that weaker side.  Norrie,  it depends on who you talk to is either a weaponless pusher,  the solid tradesman who will do an excellent job or someone who has maximised his potential.

Norrie was able to use his greater experience to turn the match around.   He improved his serve with excellent placement to keep Zeppo off balance and frustrated with his own inability to dominate as before.   The Kiwi Brit was just too solid and used his greater experience.

Zeppieri had a good tournament qualifying and winning a match in main draw.   He will learn a lot from this defeat and what it takes to make it as this level.

Davidovich Fokina vs.  Borges

This was an awful performance from Foki.  He was unhappy with his form in the last round thinking he was playing shit.   Tennis is brutal sport,  but at the same time you only have to be better on the day and it's not like ski jumping where you get style points for winning.

Foki up an early break,  then plays a dumb game to get broken back.  In the first set TB he was leading as well but couldn't close out.   Then after that Borges was solid,  absolutely nothing spectacular but effective.

It was difficult to see what was going on out there,  Either there was complacency,  grumpiness and it was a very flat performance.   It's something that Foki needs to achieve the emotional balance,  he's not someone who is going to be an Easter Island moai on court,  but being a raving lunatic does not help here.  Very disappointing result but he did not deserve any better.

Roundup

The run of Hugo Grenier ended in a 4 set loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime.  This was a never in doubt result but happy Grenier got a set and kept the crowd entertained.  This match showed the difference between an elite ATP tour player and a challenger player.   Let's hope the great man Stephane Robert can the best out of Grenier.

As per previous blog Fernando Vicente's summary of Eubanks game was pretty funny and blunt.   The scouting mission worked as Rublev was reading Eubanks serve easily and returning with a lot of interest.  Rublo is no tennis Einstein but he played very well and Eubanks was in no danger of breaking any strings.

My countryman Casper Ruud won a very tough match against Max Purcell in a 5th set tiebreaker.  Purcell is a man who dances to his own tune and the tennis world really needs that.   Yes,  there's the curly mullet,  the moustache,  the junk and the serve volley game which makes a welcome change to the forehand factories that are producing tennis players.  A match like that could do wonders for Ruud and for Purcell if the lessons are learned,

Too bad for the young lad Jakub Menšík who went down in a 5 setter to Hurkacz.  I though the youngster would win,  but a bit of extra experience and fitness got Hubi over the line.  Next year he won't have to worry about qualies barring injuries.

Around the grounds seen the greatest Tasmanian player of the modern times,   Rossignol racquet user and afro Richard Fromberg.  He is just doing the private coaching these days and yes if this blog was around during his days, there'd be a lot of Frommy propaganda.

The great man and Dexter lookalike Blaž Kavčič was also spotted,  he's coaching on the WTA tour these days.   It's definitely a different world for sure.

Today you'd have great value for money with the long matches.  It's 3.15am and Bullshit Russian Medvedev and Emil Ruusuvori into a 5th set.   Huge respect to the fans who have stayed there to the end.

2024 Australian Open : The circus has come to town

Yes,  it has been a while since I have done one of these,  but thankfully there are a couple of people who wanted to read my nonsense related to the event and thank you for that.

Before we get to the matches today,  there are few things that I will point and address now.   Two of my personal favourites as players and as people John Millman and Pablo Cuevas have retired,  they will each get an individual write up after the tournament is over for me.

The organisation have decided to start the event on a Sunday now.  Of course it's a clear money grab,  though there have been some interesting findings of the local government giving the organisation a massive loan that didn't need to repay.   The reasoning behind it was to prevent late finishes and player welfare,  sure you may prevent it on the main courts,  though it won't change on the outside courts.  The fact they had 87K on Sunday means it is here to say,  but an absolute awful customer experience.  There were way too many people for the matches provided and almost impossible to get into courts,  including matches that would normally get their coaches and friends there.

As evidenced on Day 1 with the great man Chris O'Connell defeating Cristian Garin in 5 sets with a great atmosphere and also Diego Galan beating Jason Kubler in 5 sets in 4 hours and 59 minutes.  The Colombian fans are awesome,  always provide a lively atmosphere and the Colombian players are so appreciative,  especially the recently retired Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah.

Another addition next to Court 6 is a bar,  not sure how this is going to work.  Seems like they are trying to take from the party hole idea from LIV golf.  Can imagine some drunk gronks annoying some players,  this could be entertaining in its own way.

Now onto the tennis for the day and there was definitely a lot of variety and drama.

Shelton vs.  Bautista Agut

This match was the classic contrast in styles.   Shelton huge serve,  creativity and a lot of energy vs.  Bautista Agut who is the ultimate professional and plays to well rehearsed patterns.   Both guys are in different parts of their careers,   Shelton is in the early part of his career and RBA in the latter part after a difficult year with injuries and looking to restablish himself on tour.

Bautista Agut is a guy who have play well to beat,  but there comes a time in all players careers where they lose that little step.  This impacts in so many ways, especially if they are not a player who is serve reliant. If they are not as fast, then they won't be able to get into position to maximise their groundstrokes,  will lack depth and get punished by opponents.  The jury is out whether he has reached that stage.

Shelton started off a bit nervously,  but the difference in this match was Shelton's serve.  Bautista Agut had lots of break points and the conversion rate was poor,  though this was due to Shelton saving break points through his own play more so than blown opportunities by RBA,   Shelton loves the big stage and the tennis tour needs more characters.

Davidovich Fokina vs.  Lestienne

Foki does have a reasonable draw this time around and has to take advantage.   He is on the cusp of a big result in a Slam,  then again he could the guy who will provide the great moments but riddled with inconsistency.  Then that's part of the charm,  if I wanted to watch a robot then I'd watch Milos Raonic.

Just outside the court where was a mouse that had been walked on.   Not a huge fan of mice,  but even this one needed to be put out of its misery.

The result was never in doubt.   It was humid today and Foki did have the trainer out early in the 2nd set to check his blood pressure.  After the break,   Foki was able to settle enough to win in 3 sets,  though in his words he was playing shit.  Some days you play shit and win, then vice versa.  Only need to be good enough on the day.

Foki Forehand

Daniel vs.  Eubanks

The great man Taro Daniel who made the Auckland final last week and career high ranking against the very well spoken and big serving American Eubanks.  This was another contrast of styles.

Backing up from doing well the week before the Aus Open is never easy.  The match up on this surface was not good for Daniel,  especially as Eubanks was serving from tree, he did not lose his first point on serve until the 2nd set.

Both guys were holding serve comfortably until Daniel lost the 10th game and the set 6-4.  The warm conditions were helping Eubanks as he was hardly missing first serves and consistently in the 220km/h range.   As he was holding so easily,  he was able to more aggressive on Daniel's service games and after the American took the 1st set,  the momentum express was not stopping.

At one point the great man Fernando Vicente the coach of Andrey Rublev was there too look at the opponents.  His commentary was hilarious about how Eubanks would never break as he doesn't use them a lot in the rallies.   

Daniel was under pressure the whole time and was unable to have long extended rallies as Eubanks was teeing off on the groundstrokes, yes including some backhand winners among the ones that bounced into the next twice.

Daniel was getting visibly pissed off or frustrated depending on your take and unloaded on the coach for not giving him any energy and the like.   In this case it's a question of a bad match up on this surface,  with a huge server got to be able to block returns and create some variety to throw them off their rhythm,  but Daniel doesn't have that in his game.   Eubanks was just too good.

Grenier vs.  Muller

Matches between countrymen always carry a different dynamic and this one was no different.   Grenier now coached by the great man Stephane Robert who qualified for main draw.  His former coach Lisnard is now coaching Muller,  so that had the extra edge.

It's really hard to do this match justice.  Was it the highest quality,  well I would not say that but it was damn entertaining and a clash of styles.   Muller does not have weapons,  just a very consistent player where Grenier has a decent serve and is willing to go for his shots.

Muller was up a set and a break,  then Grenier managed to steal the 2nd set.  Muller's level did not vary too much,  whereas Grenier who is up and down having some issues and goes down 2 sets to 1.  Towards the end of the 4th set Grenier started cramping badly,  could hardly walk and was on the pickle juice.  

Grenier serving big and just slapping the ball was able to break back and Muller did not know how to play in this situation.   Muller had an early break in the 5th set,  but Grenier still cramping and fighting hard was able to get it done in the final set tiebreaker.   As much as I hate final set tiebreakers,  the champions tie break is the least worse option.

The Rest

Tough day for Chilean fans both Jarry and Tabilo losing in 5 sets.   Jarry with his massive serve losing from *5-3 up in the 5th was a surprise.

Young Czech lad Jakub Mensik continues on his winning ways against the formerly overrated Canadian Denis Shapovalov.   Mensik just gets it and for a young lad understands the game very well.   He was impressive in qualies and it's not a surprise that he beat Shapo who is clearly underdone,  but even then the best way to describe the Canadian is all sizzle and no steak.

Jakub Mensik

Big shout out to the agent Corrado who manages both Foki and Struff.   Foki was the second match of the day and at the Struff match which went past midnight.  Struff defeated Hijikata in a champions tiebreak,  he has not done well in Australia as of late.  I think Casper Ruud is happy that Struff isn't in his section of the draw.

On that note,  the circus never stops.

Andreas Seppi : Last drinks

The day has come when the King of South Tyrol, Kaltern’s finest, Seppio or otherwise known as Andreas Seppi exits the tennis circus.

It won’t be easy to write this, but got to embrace the challenges. We all have an expiration date and are replaceable. The machine keeps going, that is the same for sport and life. It’s funny when you arseclown gamblers telling players to retire, cause they lost a bet or aren’t as good as they were. Players know when it’s time to finish, plus if you watch closely enough you can see the signs.

Young Andy

Seppi has been very durable only Feli Lopez and Verdasco had played at more consecutive Grand Slam events. This year when I watched him live in Melbourne, he looked a step slower which is natural in your late 30s though he still looks youthful. As tennis keeps evolving, being a step slower especially without a major weapons, not getting to the ball which means the weaker shots get hammered and more on the defensive. For sure there are still good days but the base level isn’t there. With the Kaltern’s finest getting more injuries and more difficulty playing, it makes sense for him to retire at this time.


As for the Italian federation they have treated Seppi’s career is an afterthought. Then with the farce in Napoli it’s good that he didn’t play there. The fact the federation refused Seppi a wildcard at Florence and Napoli as a way to say goodbye to the Italian fans is disgraceful. He was a top 20 player, played Davis Cup, the Olympics, was the Italian number 1 for a while and huge inspiration for fellow South Tyrolean the Prince Jannik Sinner. There are plenty of young Italian players who won’t struggle to get into events.

King and the Prince

Sure it’s a Challenger but thankfully Seppi finished in Urtijëi which is the name of the town in the dominant local Ladin , St. Ulrich in Gröden or as it’s known on the ATP in Ortisei. Yes, for those who don’t know there are 3 languages in South Tyrol German, Italian and Ladin plus many speak English well. It’s fitting he is retiring in the province, it’s where he’s from, where he met his wife. The families will be there and friends as well, he deserves a good send off.


There are many reasons why people gravitate to certain players. Some it’s the visual, some it’s the game, the attitude, then there are absolute random reasons. As for Seppi, he’s from a region which is known for their winter sports and Reinhold Messner, it was unusual that Seppi took this path but a good thing. Super coach Jack Reader who was living in Italy at time was the first person Seppi hit with, then not long after he met Max Sartori who was his only coach during his career which is admirable.


Seppi was the epitome of professional, totally maximised his ability as a tennis player which is all you can ask. Well respected by his peers, even the controversial cats like Kyrgios appreciate him, as an excellent competitor, and not one with histrionics nor bending the rules. If I had a junior, I’d tell them to watch how Seppi competes and learn from that.


2012 was the golden year for Seppi where he won 2 titles and made 2 finals, sure it would have been great if he had won more titles or made a quarter final at a Slam where he had numerous 4th round exits, but we can’t have everything. Slams are not won because you are a good person.

Staying Cool


Before his peak season Seppi’s improvement was a gradual process, as the game has become more physical and speed endurance is key the majority of players are having later breakthroughs. Seppi did not play that many Challengers earlier in the year, as his coach Max Sartori wanted him to play better players, so once the ranking was high enough he’d play qualifiers at the ATP that was they went. It definitely helped when it came to be competing and helped improvement as it should when playing a higher standard.

Seppi’s first final was in Gstaad and it came out of nowhere as he was in poor form before the tournament and ranked outside of the top 100. He won 2 3rd set tiebreakers to make main draw and managed to get through and was leading 5-3 in the 3rd set before losing 7-5. Only I could support players that lose a lead against Paul-Henri Mathieu haha. Seppi said, “Maybe I was too nervous as it was very unexpected. It was tough to lose 7-5 in the 3rd but it was a good week as I made it back to the top 100”. Then when he won Eastbourne in 2001 it was on a retirement while leading in the 3rd set against Tipsarevic.




Best Wins

The two most memorable matches for King of South Tyrol were both against Swiss players for very different reasons. In 2012 the against Wawrinka in Rome, one thing that is known in the tennis world is that the Italian crowds are very passionate, like to get involved and if they like you then it’s a lot of warmth, if they don’t like you then they’ll get on your case ask Ivan Lendl and Steffi Graf.


Wawrinka was the higher ranked player but Seppi urged on by the Roman crowd who created a great atmosphere like it was Davis Cup, managed to save 6 match points and win the match. Seppi was a player who generally had to beat and wouldn’t just give you matches. The last set tiebreaker is on Youtube and definitely worth watching.



Federer


Seppi had a poor record against Federer like many players. Tennis is about match ups and this one did not favour Seppi. However there was this glorious day in Melbourne where Seppi was the master. There are those rare days where everything just goes well.


From the man himself, “Of course it was the best win of my career for sure. I think beating him in a Grand Slam is very difficult you know. In the last 10 years he was always in the quarters and semis, so beating him was something special for sure.


I’d have to say this was a match where I was very calm and in the important moments I didn’t get very nervous. It’s hard to find that feeling again as I don’t know how it happened. I was feeling very calm and never had that feeling before on the court, so it was a strange situation and that’s how I could beat him”.




Yes, Seppi beat Nadal, Federer and took Djokovic to 5 sets at Roland Garros. Tennis is a bit like wrestling in the way that there are only limited spots at the top of the tree, though some would say wrestling is more believable. At the same time it takes all kinds of players and the sport needs variety especially in these times of uniformity.


Seppi was almost on the tour for 20 years, achieved a lot, maximised his potential, the ultimate professional, one that the Prince Jannik Sinner looked up to and hopefully Seppi will coach Sinner in the future. We are all replaceable and it’s important to know when to go. One great chapter has closed and the new one is beginning. Seppi can spend more time with his wife, 2 kids Liv and Hugo who will grow up in a multilingual environment and there are worse places to be than Boulder and Val Gardena.

It has been a pleasure following your career, yes the wins and losses, but it was never about the results. Andreas Seppi wins at life, that’s all you need to know.

Danke King of South Tyrol

Roger Federer : Time's Up

This is a rare entry these days, though to be fair Roger Federer is a very rare kind of individual. Finally Federer has retired from tennis, sure he has hardly played for the last few years to injury. Can understand people who believe that the end should have come at his hometown event in Basel where he was a ballboy and is also a big FC Basel fan. Then, who are people to begrudge Federer the manner of how he wanted to finish his career. The achievements and palatitudes from his peers, journalists and most others involved in tennis speak for themselves and there really isn't anything new to add in relation to this.

Time stands still for no person and Federer is no different. We as individuals are a product of our time, which leads to why GOAT debates are irrelevant pissing contests. These have an inevitability of my grandad is bigger than your grandad. Tennis has changed so much it's not funny, not just the equipment, the sports science is a lot better and the surface homogenisation which has impacted on the game to the point of devaluing certain achievements.

There was a time when a career Grand Slam was rare. The grass was so fast and low bouncing, then the different hardcourts and the clay challenges. Federer in 2012 himself said "Anyway, every surface is very similar today, otherwise we couldn't have achieved all these things on all these different surfaces so quickly, like him and myself". He was referring to Nadal there and this definitely includes Djokovic as well. The biggest challenge these days is the movement, not having to adapt their games which leads back to the product of their time.

One of the understated reasons for Federer's appeal was that he started as the talented prodigy in 1998 where he was playing a very attacking game, serve and volley, and being aggressive. At the time tennis on fast surfaces was almost unwatchable, just servefests and the authorities decided to slow down the faster surfaces and use a lighter ball on clay. It made tennis more predictable and took away a lot of the different adaptable skills required to the one size fits all approach.

Early Days

Federer was definitely a prodigy and you could see the ability there, but the question was whether he could harness it and the volatile temperament which would surface now and then as a pro. After the death of his first coach Peter Carter in a car accident, the next appointment was Swede Peter Lundgren which was perfect for Federer at that stage.

Federer and Peter Carter

Lundgren was a very talented player who enjoyed the nightlife in the playing days, but is an outstanding coach. He took the very gifted Marcelo Rios to the top 10, while Federer and Rios were amazing talents temperamentally they could not be any different. Lundgren allowed Federer to develop his game to the changing environment and did not restrain the creativity. It was like the cool older brother and definitely the right fit for Federer.

The Marseille 2000 final was an all Swiss final with Geneva's finest Marc Rosset and Federer. Rogi after he lost the final was in tears. 'It wasn't a pleasant feeling', Rosset recognised. 'I was sad when I beat him in Marseille. I lifted my arms up on the sky after the win but then I looked on the other side of the net and I got heartbroken because I saw he was crying.

Marc Rosset and Federer

It seemed like the end of the world for him. I tried to calm him down telling him that he would have played other finals, but at the same time I understood his reaction because it was his first ATP Final.' Asked if he expected Federer to win so much during his career, Rosset replied: 'Nope. Did I think Federer would be a fantastic player, definitely. Like Rosset, I did not expect him to win that much.

In 2003 it started to come together with his first Wimbledon title and the Masters at the end of the year. The new chapter began when Federer and Lundgren had split out of nowhere, there are some interesting theories around this. Lundgren had given him the tools to succeed and his job was done. Federer went coachless for a few years, many thought he wouldn't be able to succeed without a coach but that was blown out of the water with those dominant years.

Federer and Peter Lundgren



New Challenges

Nadal came along and was able to break down the Federer backhand with his huge and heavy forehand. This presented another challenge for Federer, then a skinny Serbian kid with a lot of ambition and very humourous Scottish lad with big hair. Was it the Big 4 or Fab 4, who knows? Two very important things they all offered different challenges to Federer who was forced to improve because of the other 3 and vice versa taking the game the next level.

Lucky tennis isn't ski jumping as Federer would have won the most style points and the aesthetics with the throwback to a bygone area of tennis was a definite appeal. Federer is one of those athletes who bought people into tennis, the casuals know the name and tickets to his matches were always the hottest around.

When I saw the young lad with the Samurai ponytail did I ever think he would be one of the greatest players ever, absolutely not. Is he the GOAT who knows and who cares. The fact it was a privilege to watch the uber talented young hothead with the aggressive game and his career evolution whose legacy will live on in the tennis world for multiple generations.