There's lots to get to this post-U.S. Open, and in the post-season, I'll try to get to it a little at a time. For today, I plan to tackle some of the happenings following the U.S. Open.
I'm not going to do that, though, before giving a shout-out to Kim Clijsters, who successfully defended her title from 2009. Clijsters has always been one of the top players on hard courts, but in her first career, that wasn't necessarily reflected in her Grand Slam haul. In her second career, well, it's a different story. She's played four Slams, had a couple odd losses . . . and won two U.S. Opens, and it's hard not to imagine her being a major factor in Australia at the start of the new season.
Now for the rest of the field.
• Not-so-sweet Caroline: Caroline Wozniacki is only 20-years-old, a downright infant in modern tennis terms, but she's the one on top of the rankings for . . . goodness only knows how long. Clijsters and Vera Zvonareva are both within shooting distance in Australia, but they would likely have to win to take over the top spot, and Wozniacki doesn't have too much to defend herself.
Still, her spot at the top feels kind of . . . unfulfilling. A lot of the reason for that is that she didn't exactly put in a dominant year by No. 1 standards (seven titles), and she doesn't have a Grand Slam title to her name. Goodness, in the past 12 months, she doesn't even have a final. She entered the U.S. Open as the top seed following Serena Williams' withdrawal and got beaten in the semifinal (her only one of the year) by Zvonareva. At the WTA championships last week, she lost to Samantha Stosur and Clijsters in the finals. To her credit, she did win back-to-back premier events in Tokyo and Beijing, the biggest titles of her career to date. Ask Jelena Jankovic and Dinara Safina how much those titles mean, though. No, she'll need a Slam, and pretty soon. If not, well, ask Jankovic and Safina how much fun the ensuing pressure can be.
• Vera, Vera close, but no cigar: Imagine your reaction if I'd told you at the start of this year that, not only would Vera Zvonareva end the year as the top-ranked Russian, but that she would be No. 2 in the world! I don't think I would have believed that, yet here we are, back-to-back Grand Slam finals (Wimbledon and the U.S. Open) later, and she is ranked second-best for the year – and she can gain lots of points from the first half of 2011. But she's also going in with expectations for the first time. Whether she lives up to expectations or has a meltdown, which she is known for, it will make for a fascinating show. Big battle with Clijsters for that No. 2 ranking looming in Australia.
• The great disappearing act: Has any two-time Grand Slam winner ever failed to finish the year No. 1? Believe it or not, yes. Most recently, in 2006 Amelie Mauresmo won the Australian Open and Wimbledon but finished behind Justine Henin, and in 1987, Martina Navratilova won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open but still came in second behind Steffi Graf. Both Henin and Graf "only" won the French Open, but Henin also reached all four Grand Slam finals (losing to Mauresmo both times they played in the Slams) and won the WTA Championships, and Graf won 11 titles and reached the final of every tournament she played that year. Moral of the story: It can be done, but it has generally taken a Herculean effort to do so.
Until this year. Serena Williams won two Grand Slam titles (the Australian Open and Wimbledon), but she only played six tournaments all year, and by the time the dust settled, had fallen to fourth. Ouch. Now, yes, injury did have something to do with it, but Serena didn't exactly light things up outside those two Slams. Now, a little less than half her points are wrapped up in the first two tournaments of the year. All I'll say about that is she'd better be ready.
Venus Williams isn't in a much better position – she only played nine tournaments, and 3,585 of her 4,985 points are tied up in the pre-Wimbledon tournaments. Unless she plans on playing more, Venus might not be able to afford a bad day in the first half of next year.
• Also unable to afford a bad day right away next year is Justine Henin. Of her 3,415 points, 1,600 come off in January. And, because she isn't attempting to defend her Brisbane points, she probably won't be ranked higher than 13th coming into the Australian Open. That means she could draw a top-four player in the Round of 16. Based on her reputation alone, Henin should accumulate enough points to keep her safe in the Top 20, but tennis is a funny sport – who knows what could happen? Worst case scenario – she falls outside the Top 30.
• Who won Roland Garros again? Mean I know, but when a player reaches (or wins) her first Grand Slam final, she seems to have two options – keep pushing forward, or get left behind, and Francesca Schiavone and Samantha Stosur have been less than impressive in the second half of the year. Both, to their credit, reached the U.S. Open quarterfinals, but other than that, they were very quiet until the WTA Championships, where Stosur reached the semis. What will 2011 bring? For Stosur, it means big pressure straight out of the gate, as she plays in her home country. For Schiavone, who knows? At this point, I think she's playing with house money – and her biggest concern is this weekend's Fed Cup final against the United States. Whatever she does, her tennis is all kinds of fun to watch. Watch it if you can.
• Also with lots to lose: Jelena Jankovic hasn't made much of an impression in the second half of the year, either. Yet, she played well enough on clay to qualify for the WTA Championships, where she went winless. She has a good chance to gain points and move up before she defends Indian Wells in March. She'd better take advantage of it, because if she doesn't, she risks falling out of the Top 10.
Na Li started the season with an Australian Open semifinal. About 10 months later, that result is nearly a quarter of her ranking. Lose early in Australia, and she can probably kiss the Top 15 goodbye. She'll also have a lot to defend on the clay. She needs to be careful, or her big results later in the year (Wimbledon and Beijing) will be much harder to defend.
• Victoria Azarenka gave everybody a scare with her U.S. Open concussion, but after a few weeks of rest (which should have started before she collapsed on court), she bounced back nicely, with a semifinal in Beijing and a win in Moscow, which helped her qualify for the WTA Championships. She has a fair amount to defend at the start of the year, but as one of the better hardcourt players out there, she's certainly capable.
• "Peer"ing ahead: Relatively speaking, Shahar Peer doesn't have much to defend early on – 490 points total, but those points equal a semifinal and final in two warm-up events and a third-round at the Australian Open. If she's going to make a run at the Top 10, most of her points are tied up in the clay-court season and in the U.S. Open and later. Her chances to gain will be here, and between Roland Garros and the U.S. Open.
• Agnieszka Radwanska had slipped out of the Top 10 before her season ended with a foot injury. The good news for her, coming back, is that she doesn't have much to lose before Dubai. Then, though, she has over 1,000 points to defend at Dubai, Indian Wells and Miami. Healthy, she's capable of doing it. And if she doesn't, she has plenty of chances on clay to make up for that.
• To be honest, I was surprised to find Nadia Petrova ranked 15th. Here's another player who didn't make a big impression early but then fizzled out towards the end, before her season was ended by injury. She's got lots of points tied up in the first half of the season, particularly her Australian Open and Roland Garros quarterfinals.
Well, that's all for now, back with more later.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Opening Round Action at the U.S. Open
Sorry I've been away so long (I even had a few ideas for summer posts that I didn't get to!). Well, this is a tennis player's last shot at major glory before the sport goes back into quiet time before the year-end tournaments, and you know players should be giving everything they have to make this shot count. With that in mind, here are a few thoughts on what we've seen so far:
• Scary incident: Tennis shouldn't be feeling too good today, one day after one of the top women's contenders, Victoria Azarenka, went down with a head injury - literally. She collapsed on court, trailing 1-5 to Gisela Dulko. More on that later, though.
• The American men: Andy Roddick is gone, but the U.S. men still have plenty to talk about as Round 2 gets underway. Sam Querrey, John Isner, Mardy Fish, James Blake, Taylor Dent and young Ryan Harrison are still in, and I fully expect at least two of those guys to be alive for weekend action.
• Ho hum: That's what much of the women's tournament has been like. On the opening Monday, all 16 seeded women advanced to the second round! On Day 2, we did get a few upsets, the biggest probably being Li Na, who fell to Katerina Bondarenko, but 28 of the 32 seeded women were still in the tournament as of the end of the first round. As of this writing, six unseeded players have reached the third round, but three of them (Patty Schnyder, Ana Ivanovic and Virginie Razzano) are hardly what you'd call surprises. to be honest, there isn't that much to be excited about in the women's draw this year. Clijsters vs. Kvitova is probably the most exciting third-round match (potentially), or Stosur vs. Kleybanova (upset potential there). Jankovic vs. Kanepi also has the potential to be good - if it happens. Wozniacki vs. Sharapova is still the Round of 16 match to watch for. Beyond that, I'm hoping for a Clijsters vs. Williams semifinal, but that might be the de facto final. The women just seem a couple stars short . . . oh wait. They are. Here's to hoping Serena Williams and Justine Henin get back into fighting shape sooner, rather than later.
• A little better: The men have been a little more topsy-turvy. The biggest guns - Nadal, Federer, Djokovic and Murray are in and looking to be at different points right now. There's the American crowd, of course, and there's been a few upsets as well.
Marcos Baghdatis and Tomas Berdych have been sent packing, along with Ernests Gulbis, Radek Stepanek, Juan Monaco, Fernando Gonzalez, Ivan Ljubicic and former champions Lleyton Hewitt and Roddick. As of right now, only 23 of the 32 seeds are still in, but you still get the feeling there are some exciting matches to come. Advantage men, this tournament.
• Fearful predictions - women: I think we see Clijsters/Williams in the semis. Venus had a tough time with Rebecca Marino yesterday, but if her knee's okay, I'm not too worried about her draw, especially now that Azarenka is out. The other side is much less predictable, but Maria Sharapova has shown signs of life this summer. Caroline Wozniacki is the hottest player coming in, but I don't know if she's ready to win a Slam yet. Jelena Jankovic has been quiet, but Vera Zvonareva did some nice things this summer. I'll pick Sharapova to reach the finals.
• Fearful predictions - men: I don't think Rafael Nadal reaches the finals. His draw is pretty good, but he'll likely have Andy Murray waiting for him in the semis, and I think Murray's got his number on this surface. For the bottom half, it's hard to imagine anyone getting through Roger Federer, but I thought the same thing at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and look how that turned out! It's hard to pick someone other than Federer, but if I have to make a second pick, it would probably be Robin Soderling. Djokovic's draw doesn't look so bad, but there are obstacles there. I'll pick him third.
Back with more later.
• Scary incident: Tennis shouldn't be feeling too good today, one day after one of the top women's contenders, Victoria Azarenka, went down with a head injury - literally. She collapsed on court, trailing 1-5 to Gisela Dulko. More on that later, though.
• The American men: Andy Roddick is gone, but the U.S. men still have plenty to talk about as Round 2 gets underway. Sam Querrey, John Isner, Mardy Fish, James Blake, Taylor Dent and young Ryan Harrison are still in, and I fully expect at least two of those guys to be alive for weekend action.
• Ho hum: That's what much of the women's tournament has been like. On the opening Monday, all 16 seeded women advanced to the second round! On Day 2, we did get a few upsets, the biggest probably being Li Na, who fell to Katerina Bondarenko, but 28 of the 32 seeded women were still in the tournament as of the end of the first round. As of this writing, six unseeded players have reached the third round, but three of them (Patty Schnyder, Ana Ivanovic and Virginie Razzano) are hardly what you'd call surprises. to be honest, there isn't that much to be excited about in the women's draw this year. Clijsters vs. Kvitova is probably the most exciting third-round match (potentially), or Stosur vs. Kleybanova (upset potential there). Jankovic vs. Kanepi also has the potential to be good - if it happens. Wozniacki vs. Sharapova is still the Round of 16 match to watch for. Beyond that, I'm hoping for a Clijsters vs. Williams semifinal, but that might be the de facto final. The women just seem a couple stars short . . . oh wait. They are. Here's to hoping Serena Williams and Justine Henin get back into fighting shape sooner, rather than later.
• A little better: The men have been a little more topsy-turvy. The biggest guns - Nadal, Federer, Djokovic and Murray are in and looking to be at different points right now. There's the American crowd, of course, and there's been a few upsets as well.
Marcos Baghdatis and Tomas Berdych have been sent packing, along with Ernests Gulbis, Radek Stepanek, Juan Monaco, Fernando Gonzalez, Ivan Ljubicic and former champions Lleyton Hewitt and Roddick. As of right now, only 23 of the 32 seeds are still in, but you still get the feeling there are some exciting matches to come. Advantage men, this tournament.
• Fearful predictions - women: I think we see Clijsters/Williams in the semis. Venus had a tough time with Rebecca Marino yesterday, but if her knee's okay, I'm not too worried about her draw, especially now that Azarenka is out. The other side is much less predictable, but Maria Sharapova has shown signs of life this summer. Caroline Wozniacki is the hottest player coming in, but I don't know if she's ready to win a Slam yet. Jelena Jankovic has been quiet, but Vera Zvonareva did some nice things this summer. I'll pick Sharapova to reach the finals.
• Fearful predictions - men: I don't think Rafael Nadal reaches the finals. His draw is pretty good, but he'll likely have Andy Murray waiting for him in the semis, and I think Murray's got his number on this surface. For the bottom half, it's hard to imagine anyone getting through Roger Federer, but I thought the same thing at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and look how that turned out! It's hard to pick someone other than Federer, but if I have to make a second pick, it would probably be Robin Soderling. Djokovic's draw doesn't look so bad, but there are obstacles there. I'll pick him third.
Back with more later.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Wimbledon Week 2 - The Ladies
A few thoughts on the second week of Wimbledon for the women:
Queen Serena: If Rafael Nadal is the king of men's tennis right now, then no doubt, Serena Williams is queen of the women. If Roland Garros was played on grass or hard courts, I have no doubt Serena would be playing for THE Grand Slam at the U.S. Open in September. As it is, she'll be playing for her third Slam title of the year, and she's got to be the odds-on favorite to win it. She's playing well, she seems to be fit and she's motivated, and when she's motivated, I don't think anyone can stop her. I heard commentators asking if Serena was now in the discussion of the greatest player ever. My answer is a blunt "no." Like Nadal, I think Serena's on the "B-Plus" list, but at 13 Slams, she hasn't yet joined the Margaret Smith Court, Steffi Graf, Helen Wills Moody, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova club. Get back to me, though, in about six months, when I fully expect Serena to win her 15th Slam at the Australian Open. That's my magic number for putting her on the "A" list.
Venus Out of Orbit? One of Venus Williams' goals this year was to get back to the top of the women's game. No doubt, she's accomplished that – in a way. For a month this spring, she got back to No. 2, but let's face it, her results in the last four Grand Slams are not befitting of a No. 2 player – two Round of 16 losses and two quarterfinal losses. The most recent one, her 6-3, 6-2 defeat to Tsvetana Pironkova, was especially dismal. Williams is now 30, and as much as I'm pulling for her to pull her game together in the Slams, all greats fall eventually. Could she be doing that, now?
Vera, Vera Good: When I first saw Vera Zvonareva, the Russian was 17-years-old, and she was taking it to Serena Williams in the Round of 16 at Roland Garros. I expected great things from her then, but in the eight years that followed, she only reached one Grand Slam quarterfinal, and more often than not, her head got the better of her. Now at 25, she's finally found a way to keep those nerves (mostly) in check, and she's started turning in results closer to what I expected from her. She's the third surprise Grand Slam finalist in two Slams, but we'll see if Zvonareva can live up to this run. If she starts reaching quarterfinals and occasional semis at the Slams, then she will have done so.
Czech Mate: That's what Tomas Berdych had in the second week of Wimbledon this year, in the form of compatriot Petra Kvitova, who reached the semis. So far, from her generation, we've seen Caroline Wozniacki reach a Grand Slam final, Yanina Wickmayer reach a semifinal, Sabine Lisicki reach a quarterfinal and Victoria Azarenka reach the Top 10 and reach multiple Slam quarterfinals. None of them have lived up to those results, though, for various reasons. We'll see if Kvitova can break that trend.
Disappointing Belgians: If you had told me at the start of the tournament that the winner of the projected Kim Clijsters/Justine Henin Round of 16 would not have to face a Williams sister until the second Saturday, you can bet your bottom dollar I would have penciled that player into the final. Instead, we got one of the weirdest Grand Slam results I can remember. Henin got hurt in the first set, went down in three and is already out of the U.S. Open, and Clijsters took all the momentum she gained from that win and ... went away in the third set against Zvonareva, a player she had never lost to. All credit to Zvonareva for staying tough, but if you're one of the top players in the game – and Clijsters is as much as anyone right now – you cannot lose that match. It will be interesting to see what the hard-court season brings for her.
Kanepi's Run: Quick, which women's singles player played the most matches at Wimbledon this year? Serena and Zvonareva? Nope - try Kaia Kanepi, who played eight in reaching the quarterfinals. Kanepi came into Wimbledon with a top 100 ranking, but because the cutoff for the main draw was six weeks before the tournament, she was relegated to the qualifying tournament, where she won three matches and then did not lose a set until the second set of that quarterfinal, against Kvitova. Despite having multiple match points, Kanepi could not close the deal, losing 8-6 in the third. So what does she take away from this month? That she qualified for Roland Garros and Wimbledon and played tough at both events? Or that she lost a chance to get to the semis? We'll find out soon enough. and in the mean time, we know Kanepi won't be playing qualifying at the U.S. Open or any other Grand Slam tournament in the near future.
Queen Serena: If Rafael Nadal is the king of men's tennis right now, then no doubt, Serena Williams is queen of the women. If Roland Garros was played on grass or hard courts, I have no doubt Serena would be playing for THE Grand Slam at the U.S. Open in September. As it is, she'll be playing for her third Slam title of the year, and she's got to be the odds-on favorite to win it. She's playing well, she seems to be fit and she's motivated, and when she's motivated, I don't think anyone can stop her. I heard commentators asking if Serena was now in the discussion of the greatest player ever. My answer is a blunt "no." Like Nadal, I think Serena's on the "B-Plus" list, but at 13 Slams, she hasn't yet joined the Margaret Smith Court, Steffi Graf, Helen Wills Moody, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova club. Get back to me, though, in about six months, when I fully expect Serena to win her 15th Slam at the Australian Open. That's my magic number for putting her on the "A" list.
Venus Out of Orbit? One of Venus Williams' goals this year was to get back to the top of the women's game. No doubt, she's accomplished that – in a way. For a month this spring, she got back to No. 2, but let's face it, her results in the last four Grand Slams are not befitting of a No. 2 player – two Round of 16 losses and two quarterfinal losses. The most recent one, her 6-3, 6-2 defeat to Tsvetana Pironkova, was especially dismal. Williams is now 30, and as much as I'm pulling for her to pull her game together in the Slams, all greats fall eventually. Could she be doing that, now?
Vera, Vera Good: When I first saw Vera Zvonareva, the Russian was 17-years-old, and she was taking it to Serena Williams in the Round of 16 at Roland Garros. I expected great things from her then, but in the eight years that followed, she only reached one Grand Slam quarterfinal, and more often than not, her head got the better of her. Now at 25, she's finally found a way to keep those nerves (mostly) in check, and she's started turning in results closer to what I expected from her. She's the third surprise Grand Slam finalist in two Slams, but we'll see if Zvonareva can live up to this run. If she starts reaching quarterfinals and occasional semis at the Slams, then she will have done so.
Czech Mate: That's what Tomas Berdych had in the second week of Wimbledon this year, in the form of compatriot Petra Kvitova, who reached the semis. So far, from her generation, we've seen Caroline Wozniacki reach a Grand Slam final, Yanina Wickmayer reach a semifinal, Sabine Lisicki reach a quarterfinal and Victoria Azarenka reach the Top 10 and reach multiple Slam quarterfinals. None of them have lived up to those results, though, for various reasons. We'll see if Kvitova can break that trend.
Disappointing Belgians: If you had told me at the start of the tournament that the winner of the projected Kim Clijsters/Justine Henin Round of 16 would not have to face a Williams sister until the second Saturday, you can bet your bottom dollar I would have penciled that player into the final. Instead, we got one of the weirdest Grand Slam results I can remember. Henin got hurt in the first set, went down in three and is already out of the U.S. Open, and Clijsters took all the momentum she gained from that win and ... went away in the third set against Zvonareva, a player she had never lost to. All credit to Zvonareva for staying tough, but if you're one of the top players in the game – and Clijsters is as much as anyone right now – you cannot lose that match. It will be interesting to see what the hard-court season brings for her.
Kanepi's Run: Quick, which women's singles player played the most matches at Wimbledon this year? Serena and Zvonareva? Nope - try Kaia Kanepi, who played eight in reaching the quarterfinals. Kanepi came into Wimbledon with a top 100 ranking, but because the cutoff for the main draw was six weeks before the tournament, she was relegated to the qualifying tournament, where she won three matches and then did not lose a set until the second set of that quarterfinal, against Kvitova. Despite having multiple match points, Kanepi could not close the deal, losing 8-6 in the third. So what does she take away from this month? That she qualified for Roland Garros and Wimbledon and played tough at both events? Or that she lost a chance to get to the semis? We'll find out soon enough. and in the mean time, we know Kanepi won't be playing qualifying at the U.S. Open or any other Grand Slam tournament in the near future.
Wimbledon Week 2 - The Men
So how about that? I have to be gone for a week and then come back after the entire tournament has blown up! Well, as much a tournament won by the No. 1 players in the world can blow up.
Who would have guessed that Roger Federer and Venus Williams, two players who combined for 11 Wimbledon titles and four finals, would have lost within about 24 hours of each other? On Tuesday and Wednesday, not Saturday and Sunday! Who knew that one of the women's semifinals would feature two players whose combined ranking was on the wrong side of 100? Who would have guessed after the third round that Rafael Nadal would right his ship so spectacularly in the second week of the tournament?
By now, it doesn't make much sense to rehash news that's so old, so I'll offer a few thoughts on what I saw and heard about.
Roddick Flames Out: This has got to hurt. In the past 12 months, Andy Roddick has been on the losing end of a 16-14 Wimbledon final, a fifth-set tie-breaker at the U.S. Open and now a 9-7 fourth round here. No doubt Roddick is tough to get to those positions, but at what point does his inability to close the deal become a pattern? It seems to me, when he starts going out to guys outside the top 50 in those situations, we're at that point.
Berdych has arrived: Two wins over Federer in 2010 have to cement Berdych's status as a top-five contender coming into the hard-court season and the U.S. Open. It will be interesting to see how the Czech player handles his new status, but after a semifinal run in Paris and a final at Wimbledon, there can be no doubt – he's one of the big boys, now. Whether that will be a blessing or a curse for him remains to be seen.
Federer's Sour Grapes: No doubt, getting bounced out of Roland Garros in the quarterfinals and losing his No. 1 ranking was a shock, but it couldn't have been nearly as big of a surprise as going down here. Federer had lost to Tomas Berdych at the Olympics, when Berdych was just emerging as a talented player, but until this year, seemed to have the younger player's number. Now, Federer may really have been injured, and he may not have had much time to clear his head after losing to Berdych, but his comments after his loss, still weren't in the best of taste. And it's not like this is the first time he has displayed questionable behavior after a match. The "15" coat last year, anyone?
I love watching Federer play. He's the main reason I watch men's tennis, but incidents like this make me cringe. You've spent a career turning yourself into the standard for other players to follow, Roger. Don't lower yourself with this kind of stuff, now.
King Rafa: You want evidence of how quickly tennis changes? Four months ago, Rafael Nadal wasn't even a top three player, and people were wondering if he would ever get back to where he once belonged. Now, Nadal is indisputably the best in the sport this year, thanks to back-to-back Grand Slam titles and an undefeated run on the clay. Nadal's not an A-List all-time player yet – that list still "only" contains Federer, Pete Sampras, Roy Emerson, Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg. Make no mistake, though, Nadal's on the B-Plus list, and if he wins the U.S. Open, for my money, he joins the "A" group.
74 Years . . . and Still Counting: Quick everyone – when was the last time a British man won Wimbledon? Andy Murray even had the Queen cheering for him this year, and it still didn't do him much good. No doubt, he played well against Nadal, but when he needed to be better, he wasn't. That's probably a very harsh analysis, but it's the truth. Murray can come out of the summer Slams proud that he's turned around his dismal spring, but if he's going to break England's 74-year drought at his home Slam and put the ghost of Fred Perry to rest, he's probably going to have to find a way to break through "Fedal." So far, he hasn't figured it out.
We Love Lu: Was there a bigger surprise in the second week of the tournament than Yen-Hsun Lu? Had he lost to Roddick in that Round of 16 match, Lu would have had a fantastic tournament. Instead, he went out and stared down a guy who isn't exactly known for his timidness on the court and found himself in the quarterfinals. Quick – when was the last time you saw a guy from any Asian country in the quarterfinals of any Grand Slam? I can honestly say I've never seen it. The question, now is will we see it again?
Understanding Djokovic: You know, not to long ago, Novak Djokovic was indisputably the third-best man in the sport. Now, I don't know what to make of him. Are his breathing problems really that bad? Is he just not in the same league? Is he ever going to take the next step we all thought he was taking when he won the Australian Open in 2008? I don't know. What I do know is that the computer says Djokovic is ranked second, and I don't believe it. More and more, that Australian Open is starting to look like one of those random results tennis throws out once in awhile. After all, Djokovic is one of only TWO men not named Federer or Nadal who has won a Grand Slam since 2005, and in tennis terms, Djokovic should be in his prime.
Who would have guessed that Roger Federer and Venus Williams, two players who combined for 11 Wimbledon titles and four finals, would have lost within about 24 hours of each other? On Tuesday and Wednesday, not Saturday and Sunday! Who knew that one of the women's semifinals would feature two players whose combined ranking was on the wrong side of 100? Who would have guessed after the third round that Rafael Nadal would right his ship so spectacularly in the second week of the tournament?
By now, it doesn't make much sense to rehash news that's so old, so I'll offer a few thoughts on what I saw and heard about.
Roddick Flames Out: This has got to hurt. In the past 12 months, Andy Roddick has been on the losing end of a 16-14 Wimbledon final, a fifth-set tie-breaker at the U.S. Open and now a 9-7 fourth round here. No doubt Roddick is tough to get to those positions, but at what point does his inability to close the deal become a pattern? It seems to me, when he starts going out to guys outside the top 50 in those situations, we're at that point.
Berdych has arrived: Two wins over Federer in 2010 have to cement Berdych's status as a top-five contender coming into the hard-court season and the U.S. Open. It will be interesting to see how the Czech player handles his new status, but after a semifinal run in Paris and a final at Wimbledon, there can be no doubt – he's one of the big boys, now. Whether that will be a blessing or a curse for him remains to be seen.
Federer's Sour Grapes: No doubt, getting bounced out of Roland Garros in the quarterfinals and losing his No. 1 ranking was a shock, but it couldn't have been nearly as big of a surprise as going down here. Federer had lost to Tomas Berdych at the Olympics, when Berdych was just emerging as a talented player, but until this year, seemed to have the younger player's number. Now, Federer may really have been injured, and he may not have had much time to clear his head after losing to Berdych, but his comments after his loss, still weren't in the best of taste. And it's not like this is the first time he has displayed questionable behavior after a match. The "15" coat last year, anyone?
I love watching Federer play. He's the main reason I watch men's tennis, but incidents like this make me cringe. You've spent a career turning yourself into the standard for other players to follow, Roger. Don't lower yourself with this kind of stuff, now.
King Rafa: You want evidence of how quickly tennis changes? Four months ago, Rafael Nadal wasn't even a top three player, and people were wondering if he would ever get back to where he once belonged. Now, Nadal is indisputably the best in the sport this year, thanks to back-to-back Grand Slam titles and an undefeated run on the clay. Nadal's not an A-List all-time player yet – that list still "only" contains Federer, Pete Sampras, Roy Emerson, Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg. Make no mistake, though, Nadal's on the B-Plus list, and if he wins the U.S. Open, for my money, he joins the "A" group.
74 Years . . . and Still Counting: Quick everyone – when was the last time a British man won Wimbledon? Andy Murray even had the Queen cheering for him this year, and it still didn't do him much good. No doubt, he played well against Nadal, but when he needed to be better, he wasn't. That's probably a very harsh analysis, but it's the truth. Murray can come out of the summer Slams proud that he's turned around his dismal spring, but if he's going to break England's 74-year drought at his home Slam and put the ghost of Fred Perry to rest, he's probably going to have to find a way to break through "Fedal." So far, he hasn't figured it out.
We Love Lu: Was there a bigger surprise in the second week of the tournament than Yen-Hsun Lu? Had he lost to Roddick in that Round of 16 match, Lu would have had a fantastic tournament. Instead, he went out and stared down a guy who isn't exactly known for his timidness on the court and found himself in the quarterfinals. Quick – when was the last time you saw a guy from any Asian country in the quarterfinals of any Grand Slam? I can honestly say I've never seen it. The question, now is will we see it again?
Understanding Djokovic: You know, not to long ago, Novak Djokovic was indisputably the third-best man in the sport. Now, I don't know what to make of him. Are his breathing problems really that bad? Is he just not in the same league? Is he ever going to take the next step we all thought he was taking when he won the Australian Open in 2008? I don't know. What I do know is that the computer says Djokovic is ranked second, and I don't believe it. More and more, that Australian Open is starting to look like one of those random results tennis throws out once in awhile. After all, Djokovic is one of only TWO men not named Federer or Nadal who has won a Grand Slam since 2005, and in tennis terms, Djokovic should be in his prime.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Day 6: The Men
No doubt about it, Rafael Nadal had a tough draw. Even before he started the tournament, he had a lot of big servers and aggressive players standing between him and the Wimbledon final. After three rounds, though, I am concerned. He's played five-setters in his past two rounds, and although he's still in the tournament, the toughest part of the draw is still ahead of him, and he's looking ... less than fantastic. Today, he was again down two-sets-to-one, but he came back and beat Philipp Petzschner 6-4, 4-6, 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-3.
For his effort, Nadal now gets Paul-Henri Mathieu, who needed four sets and three tiebreakers, 7-6(5), 7-6(6), 6-7(8), 6-4 to take out Thiemo de Bakker. Mathieu is a dangerous opponent, a career underachiever, and if he's not sharp, Nadal could be in for another long day Monday.
And most likely, Robin Soderling will be waiting for the winner of that match in the quarters. Soderling has been sharp so far, and his strong play continued today, with a 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 win over Thomaz Bellucci. The Swede has to be looking ahead, though. If he gets through David Ferrer, he gets Nadal/Mathieu with a great chance at moving forward, possibly to next Sunday.
So what's the difference between a top player and an almost-top player? Jeremy Chardy led Ferrer by a break through most of their fifth-set ... until he had to serve for it. Then, Ferrer hit a string of winners to break at 15, and swept through the last two games for a 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 7-5 win. That's the difference. Now, he comes in as a serious underdog against Soderling.
In the third quarter, it's been a tale of the unsurprising upsets. The most interesting Round of 16 match here should be Andy Murray, a 6-1 6-4, 6-4 winner over Gilles Simon, against Sam Querrey. Querrey had a deceptively tough customer in Xavier Malisse, but he outlasted the Belgian in - wait for it - a five-set marathon, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2, 5-7, 9-7. After flaming out in Paris, Querrey came to the grass refreshed, and he should give Murray a tough fight. I'd be lying if I said I had a favorite in that one. Murray's going to have the crowd and the home-court advantage in his favor, and that could make the difference.
If he does win this one, Murray will most likely play Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Tsonga, coming off a five-set win, was back in top form, taking out Tobias Kamke 6-1, 6-4, 7-6(1) and will now play compatriot Julien Benneteau, who beat Fabio Fognini 6-4, 6-1, 2-6, 6-3. One thing you learn if you follow tennis is to never fully trust matches between players from the same country, and I don't fully trust this one. No doubt, Tsonga should be favored, but Benneteau has been in good form these past six weeks.
Back Monday with Round of 16 coverage.
For his effort, Nadal now gets Paul-Henri Mathieu, who needed four sets and three tiebreakers, 7-6(5), 7-6(6), 6-7(8), 6-4 to take out Thiemo de Bakker. Mathieu is a dangerous opponent, a career underachiever, and if he's not sharp, Nadal could be in for another long day Monday.
And most likely, Robin Soderling will be waiting for the winner of that match in the quarters. Soderling has been sharp so far, and his strong play continued today, with a 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 win over Thomaz Bellucci. The Swede has to be looking ahead, though. If he gets through David Ferrer, he gets Nadal/Mathieu with a great chance at moving forward, possibly to next Sunday.
So what's the difference between a top player and an almost-top player? Jeremy Chardy led Ferrer by a break through most of their fifth-set ... until he had to serve for it. Then, Ferrer hit a string of winners to break at 15, and swept through the last two games for a 7-5, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 7-5 win. That's the difference. Now, he comes in as a serious underdog against Soderling.
In the third quarter, it's been a tale of the unsurprising upsets. The most interesting Round of 16 match here should be Andy Murray, a 6-1 6-4, 6-4 winner over Gilles Simon, against Sam Querrey. Querrey had a deceptively tough customer in Xavier Malisse, but he outlasted the Belgian in - wait for it - a five-set marathon, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-2, 5-7, 9-7. After flaming out in Paris, Querrey came to the grass refreshed, and he should give Murray a tough fight. I'd be lying if I said I had a favorite in that one. Murray's going to have the crowd and the home-court advantage in his favor, and that could make the difference.
If he does win this one, Murray will most likely play Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Tsonga, coming off a five-set win, was back in top form, taking out Tobias Kamke 6-1, 6-4, 7-6(1) and will now play compatriot Julien Benneteau, who beat Fabio Fognini 6-4, 6-1, 2-6, 6-3. One thing you learn if you follow tennis is to never fully trust matches between players from the same country, and I don't fully trust this one. No doubt, Tsonga should be favored, but Benneteau has been in good form these past six weeks.
Back Monday with Round of 16 coverage.
Day 6: The Women
Another day, another blockbuster Round of 16 match. One day after Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin set up their Monday matchup, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova followed suit. Williams got a fight in the second set of her 6-0, 7-5 win over Dominika Cibulkova, and Sharapova was also tested in her 7-5, 6-3 win over Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, but both are safely through. My head says Williams wins this one, but after the injuries she's dealt with these past few years, my heart is a little more with Sharapova. Either way, what a Round of 16!
The winner of that match will get the winner of - not a blockbuster in terms of names, but potentially one in terms of interesting tennis. Agnieszka Radwanska isn't the first name that comes to mind when talking about the top women, but make no mistake, she's a feisty, clever player. Na Li has officially joined the upper tier of women in the past 12 months, and she is also feisty, as well as strong and aggressive. And both had nearly identical scorelines - Radwanska beat Sara Errani 6-3, 6-1, and Li bested Anastasia Rodionova 6-1, 6-3.
One player who's had the luxury of floating quietly through her draw is Caroline Wozniacki. I thought Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova might give her some trouble, and she did, but Wozniacki proved to be just a little tougher, winning 7-5, 6-4. She gets to play one of the surprise players in the third round, Petra Kvitova. Kvitova, 20, upset Victora Azarenka 7-5, 6-0, but in tennis circles, this isn't a stunning result. Kvitova's a big player at 6'0" and a big hitter, and she's been to this stage before - she reached the Round of 16 at the U.S. Open last year. Like Pavlyuchenkova, Kvitova has a shot against Wozniacki, but I expect the Dane to keep going.
The final match of the top half will feature a couple more surprise players. Samantha Stosur's upset opened a door in the bottom half of the draw, and Klara Zakapalova and Kaia Kanepi have stepped right through. After beating Stosur on Day 2, Kanepi kept going, and she hasn't dropped a set yet, most recently demolishing 31st seed Alexandra Dulgheru 6-1, 6-2. What's more, she won't be awed by the situation. She's a former top 30 player who had a slump last year, but after qualifying and winning matches at consecutive Slams, I think it's safe to say she's back. Zakopalova, who took out 10th seed Flavia Pennetta 6-3, 6-3, is much more surprising. This is the first time she's advanced this far at any Slam, and only the second time she's advanced past the second round of a Grand Slam. It's hard to know how she will respond in this situation.
The winner of that match will get the winner of - not a blockbuster in terms of names, but potentially one in terms of interesting tennis. Agnieszka Radwanska isn't the first name that comes to mind when talking about the top women, but make no mistake, she's a feisty, clever player. Na Li has officially joined the upper tier of women in the past 12 months, and she is also feisty, as well as strong and aggressive. And both had nearly identical scorelines - Radwanska beat Sara Errani 6-3, 6-1, and Li bested Anastasia Rodionova 6-1, 6-3.
One player who's had the luxury of floating quietly through her draw is Caroline Wozniacki. I thought Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova might give her some trouble, and she did, but Wozniacki proved to be just a little tougher, winning 7-5, 6-4. She gets to play one of the surprise players in the third round, Petra Kvitova. Kvitova, 20, upset Victora Azarenka 7-5, 6-0, but in tennis circles, this isn't a stunning result. Kvitova's a big player at 6'0" and a big hitter, and she's been to this stage before - she reached the Round of 16 at the U.S. Open last year. Like Pavlyuchenkova, Kvitova has a shot against Wozniacki, but I expect the Dane to keep going.
The final match of the top half will feature a couple more surprise players. Samantha Stosur's upset opened a door in the bottom half of the draw, and Klara Zakapalova and Kaia Kanepi have stepped right through. After beating Stosur on Day 2, Kanepi kept going, and she hasn't dropped a set yet, most recently demolishing 31st seed Alexandra Dulgheru 6-1, 6-2. What's more, she won't be awed by the situation. She's a former top 30 player who had a slump last year, but after qualifying and winning matches at consecutive Slams, I think it's safe to say she's back. Zakopalova, who took out 10th seed Flavia Pennetta 6-3, 6-3, is much more surprising. This is the first time she's advanced this far at any Slam, and only the second time she's advanced past the second round of a Grand Slam. It's hard to know how she will respond in this situation.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Day 5: The Men
Well, that's more like it.
After two rounds of struggling, Roger Federer played the match we've all expected the No.l player in the world to play. Going up against Arnaud Clement, Federer earned a strong 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 victory and after a rocky start, and has found his way safely into the second week.
Federer's next opponent is going to be Jurgen Melzer. The Austrian veteran, coming off his career-best result at Roland Garros, followed that up with his best Wimbledon, besting Feliciano Lopez, no slouch on grass, in four sets. Federer's got to like his chances there.
Tomas Berdych got tested for the first time in his third-round match, against Denis Istomin. Istomin won a pair of tiebreakers, but Berdych hung tough, and his greater experience in best-of-five matches probably proved to be the difference, as he is also safely into the Round of 16, 6-7(1), 7-6(3), 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-4.
He gets to play another big server, German Daniel Brands, who lost the first two sets against Victor Hanescu in tiebreakers but came back, winning the third set, and then breaking Hanescu in the fourth. After winning the set 6-3, he jumped out to a 3-0 lead before Hanescu retired.
After all of the tough matches the top guys have gone through, Novak Djokovic and Lleyton Hewitt are suddenly looking good. Too bad they play each other next. Djokovic has bounced back from being down two-sets-to-one in his first-round, against Olivier Rochus, but he's come through his next two matches easily, including his 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 third round win over Albert Montanes. Hewitt had a potentially tough opponent in Gael Monfils, but his biggest scare came in the second set, when Monfils forced a tiebreaker that went 11-9. After that, it was fairly comfortable sailing, as Hewitt won 6-3, 7-6, 6-4. That sets up a potentially good Round of 16 match, definitely the best one of the top half.
After cruising through his first-round, Andy Roddick has lost sets to Michael Llodra and now to Philipp Kohlschreiber, this time 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3. Still, he's got to be feeling good about his chances, too.
I'll admit, when I looked at the draw, Yen-Hsun Lu was not the guy I expected Roddick to be playing, but here he is, taking advantage of Florian Mayer's retirement at 6-4, 6-4, 2-1. Actually, Lu's had a pretty comfortable road to this point - he's the only man in the top half who hasn't lost a set. It will be interesting to see what he does against Roddick.
Tomorrow, things continue with the bottom half of the men's draw. Matches I'll be follwowing? Mathieu vs. de Bakker and Malisse vs. Querrey. Also in action are Rafael Nadal and Robin Soderling.
After two rounds of struggling, Roger Federer played the match we've all expected the No.l player in the world to play. Going up against Arnaud Clement, Federer earned a strong 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 victory and after a rocky start, and has found his way safely into the second week.
Federer's next opponent is going to be Jurgen Melzer. The Austrian veteran, coming off his career-best result at Roland Garros, followed that up with his best Wimbledon, besting Feliciano Lopez, no slouch on grass, in four sets. Federer's got to like his chances there.
Tomas Berdych got tested for the first time in his third-round match, against Denis Istomin. Istomin won a pair of tiebreakers, but Berdych hung tough, and his greater experience in best-of-five matches probably proved to be the difference, as he is also safely into the Round of 16, 6-7(1), 7-6(3), 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-4.
He gets to play another big server, German Daniel Brands, who lost the first two sets against Victor Hanescu in tiebreakers but came back, winning the third set, and then breaking Hanescu in the fourth. After winning the set 6-3, he jumped out to a 3-0 lead before Hanescu retired.
After all of the tough matches the top guys have gone through, Novak Djokovic and Lleyton Hewitt are suddenly looking good. Too bad they play each other next. Djokovic has bounced back from being down two-sets-to-one in his first-round, against Olivier Rochus, but he's come through his next two matches easily, including his 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 third round win over Albert Montanes. Hewitt had a potentially tough opponent in Gael Monfils, but his biggest scare came in the second set, when Monfils forced a tiebreaker that went 11-9. After that, it was fairly comfortable sailing, as Hewitt won 6-3, 7-6, 6-4. That sets up a potentially good Round of 16 match, definitely the best one of the top half.
After cruising through his first-round, Andy Roddick has lost sets to Michael Llodra and now to Philipp Kohlschreiber, this time 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3. Still, he's got to be feeling good about his chances, too.
I'll admit, when I looked at the draw, Yen-Hsun Lu was not the guy I expected Roddick to be playing, but here he is, taking advantage of Florian Mayer's retirement at 6-4, 6-4, 2-1. Actually, Lu's had a pretty comfortable road to this point - he's the only man in the top half who hasn't lost a set. It will be interesting to see what he does against Roddick.
Tomorrow, things continue with the bottom half of the men's draw. Matches I'll be follwowing? Mathieu vs. de Bakker and Malisse vs. Querrey. Also in action are Rafael Nadal and Robin Soderling.
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