Tennis from beyond the baseline...

More of the December Daze

2009-12-18T13:50:00.000-08:00

So I was wrong about Monika Wejnert pulling an upset - Olivia Rogowska defeated her in two close, but straight, sets. That said, Wejnert is going to be one to look out for, and I really hope that she gets wildcarded into a few events here and there throughout the Australian summer. By winning the 18s title she got a wildcard in here, so she's been prepared to play a lot of tennis lately. I'll be looking out for her.

I was right, however, about Jess Moore being able to pull an upset - even though she was the third seed and Alicia Molik was fourth, I don't think anyone seriously expected Molik to lose. I think Molik is a pretty safe bet to get carded into the Aussie Open anyway, so I doubt she's too worried, but this is a really good win for Jess Moore. I saw her play briefly at the Australian Open in 2008, where she made it to the second round by defeating Julie Ditty (I think), and she's seriously crafty. I'll be interested to see how she goes from here. She'll be playing Rogowska in her semi and that'll be a good match to watch.

You'd have to think that whoever wins will face Dellacqua - I can't see Sally Peers coming through her (though she had a very tidy win against Marija Mirkovic, while Dellacqua had a scare against Shannon Golds). It'll be interesting.

Over to the boys, and Tomic is through to the semis after a tidy win over Greg Jones, the third seed. I guess Jones couldn't keep up the winning streak he had going, which for him is a shame, but for my predictions, not so much. Tomic will face Kaden Hensel in his semi after Hensel beat Matt Reid. You'd be pretty foolish to pick against Tomic there, I think.

My dark horse, James Duckworth, went out against Nick Lindahl, but considering the scoreline was 6-0 2-0 retired, I think it's pretty safe to say that that wasn't exactly indicative of the overall level of his game. He's going to be pretty good in time - I'll be watching out for him. Lindahl will face John Millman in the semis, after Millman put out Tomic-beater Matt Ebden. I've never seen Millman play so I can't really make any comment, but I've never been especially impressed by Lindahl - why is the second seed here? Is he really ranked that high?

Marquee Matches in Melbourne

2009-12-17T13:44:00.000-08:00

At any other time of the year, I'm sure I would find the wildcard playoff for the Australian Open terribly, terribly dull and hardly worth paying attention to. It is a mark of how bored I am that I find it as fascinating as I do.

But fascinating I do find it, and there are some pretty intriguing match ups in there. The marquee match on the women's side would obviously have to be Alicia Molik and Jess Moore - if anyone, barring Casey Dellacqua, is going to topple Molik, I think Moore has got a good shot. I'll be watching keenly to see how that one goes. Dellacqua should, I think, have a slightly easier time of it with Shannon Golds, even though Golds is seeded above Moore. But then I haven't seen Golds play that much, so I'm basing it on pretty much nothing.

Sally Peers and Marija Mirkovic will also face off, but the match I'm really keen to see is Olivia Rogowska and Monika Wejnert. Wejnert - whom, as we all know, I think is pretty awesome - managed to topple Jelena Dokic here last year, and won the nation under-18s title last week. And Rogowska, top-seeded though she is, hasn't exactly been playing great guns... so there is some serious upset potential there, mark my words.

Over on the blokes side, the marquee match is Bernard Tomic and Greg Jones, no question. I like Tomic to win this tournament, but Jones has been playing awesomely this week - he hasn't dropped a match yet. And he's seeded above Tomic, and... yeah. If anyone's going to be Tomic, Jones is a good shot.

There's a match of pro tour stars in Matthew Ebden and John Millman (Ebden was the guy that took a match off Tomic); Kaden Hensel will play Matt Reid and second seed Nick Lindahl will face off against surprise package James Duckworth. The more I see of this kid (Duckworth, that is) the more I like him. He's only seventeen but he's got game - he's kind of a miniature Murray, in some ways. But awesome, and not annoying, like the Muzz. I look forward to seeing a lot more of him in the future...

Liv Scrapes In

2009-12-16T14:09:00.000-08:00

I don't know how Olivia Rogowska got through to the quarters of the December showdown playing the way she did - she lost two matches, for heavens' sakes! - but she did. The rules of roubd robin have always been completely inscrutable to me. But I'm glad she did - actually, let me qualify that. If she lifts her game, I'll be glad she did. I don't think I'd like it if someone got through to the Aussie Open by playing not so well.

But even though she's the top seed, Liv is definitely not the favourite here. Whether it's Molik or Dellacqua I don't know, but you have to think that one of those two will take the wildcard for the girls. They've got the weight of experience, if nothing else.

...but I do admit to a preference to Monika Wejnert. She'll face Rogowska tomorrow and I think she has a real chance at winning. I would love to see her surprise everyone and make it through to the main draw. She has serious game.

The other top seed, Brydan Klein, has been eliminated. How Rogowska got through losing two matches and Klein didn't with the same win/loss record... yeah, it doesn't really make sense to me either. I suppose it must be some kind of game countback. But he's out, even though he did manage to win his last match. Bernard Tomic is through, however, seemingly back on his game after a weird loss yesterday, and he'll take on Greg Jones. That will be, I think, a pretty interesting match...

And James Duckworth made the cut as well. I'll be watching his progress keenly - he could be a dark horse and surprise everyone!

It's a rest day at the December showdown tomorrow (probably appropriate, given as it was forty-something degrees there yesterday). What on earth am I going to write about?

Coming Clean on Klein

2009-12-15T14:05:00.000-08:00

I think it's safe to say that Brydan Klein will not be winning the play-off wildcard from the December showdown - not only has he now been beaten by James Duckworth, Kaden Hensel (of whom I have never heard) owned him today. A lot of things will need to go his way if he wants to progress through...

Klein is a player that I think is a bit overhyped. He's very talented, yes, and he did win the AO juniors a couple of years back, but I think that was more of a fluke than anything else, to tell the truth. He's served on Davis Cup occasionally, but I've seen him play a couple of times now and I haven't really been impressed with what I saw... and that whole sledging incident didn't really endear him to me, either. So if Klein is one of the bright stars of the future of Australian tennis, I think we're in trouble.

Someone who is a bright star, Bernard Tomic, also got beaten, which surprised me, I confess. He went down to Matthew Ebden, who isn't a slouch, but he isn't a star, either. I hope Tomic progresses through to the next round, I really do... it would be a big shame to see him fizzle in this intranational playoff.

I am, however, on the James Duckworth bandwagon. That kid is great.

In the women, Olivia Rogowska looks out for the count as well - which is a shame. Dellacqua and Molik are still all a-g-go, though, as is my little favourite Monika Wejnert... I'm cheering for you, Monika!

Slamming Down in December

2009-12-14T03:09:00.000-08:00

The annual December showdown has started again at Melbourne Park. Nominally, this is the playoff for wildcards for the Australian Open, but I personally like to think of it as 'the thing that keeps Jodi amused in December'. There's precious little else going on and it's always kind of cool to see the up and coming Australian kids...

...though not so up-and-coming in some cases, especially in the women's draw, where we have Alicia Molik and Casey Dellacqua vying for spots. Molik played to her seed today and made short work of Victoria's Jade Hopper, but Dellacqua - who is, somehow, unseeded... colour me WTFed - pulled an upset and beat the top seed, Olivia Rogowska. Now, I think very highly of Rogowska, but I wasn't exactly shocked. There is something serious whack with the seeding system for this tournament if former top 100 player Dellacqua is unseeded.

It'll be interesting to see who comes away with the wildcard out of the girls... I think it's round robin, so Olivia Rogowska is in there, and I'd seriously be keeping my eye on her. When you consider that Jelena Dokic won this playoff last year and then went on to win through to the quarters, this isn't a crapulent tournament by any means. If Molik and Dellacqua ever play, that is also going to be a hell of a battle. Sally Peers, Marija Mirkovic and Isabella Holland are all players to keep your eye on - same with Jess Moore - but the one I'm really looking out for is Monika Wejnert. That girl has game with a capital G.

The women provide more intrigue this year, I think, but the boys are pretty cool too - if Bernard Tomic doesn't win the wildcard, I'll be a bit surprised, but there's going to be some competition. He won his match easily today, but top seed Brydan Klein had no such luck - he lost to handy-dandy up-and-comer James Duckworth, who is definitely one to keep your eye on. Other players to watch include Greg Jones and Matthew Ebden - Tomic is only the fourth seed, wow. How did that happen? He's preceded by Klein, Nick Lindahl and Jones - but if he doesn't win, colour me shocked.

Exhibitionists

2009-12-13T04:52:00.000-08:00

So I was thinking today about the tournaments I won't be going to on my January adventure - namely, the Moorilla International in Hobart and Kooyong in Melbourne - and that got me to thinking about the phenomenon that is the exhibition tournament. (Obviously, Hobart has nothing to do with this, but whatevs).

Players are always complaining about their crazy tennis schedules - and with good reason, I do believe. I'm sure if I was pushing my body to the edge eleven months of the year I'd be pretty cranky about it too. But yet they still play these exhos, which sort of undermines their credibility in this arena some. So this begs the question... why?

The obvious answer is the cash, because these things are obviously huge cashcows. But the top tennis players - i.e. the people that get asked to play exhos - are ridiculously rich anyway, rolling around in piles of filthy lucre. So money alone doesn't seem to be enough, and without the points you'd get you have no incentive there, and with the already packed schedule... so why exho?

I think, personally, it's because of trick shots.

One thing you always hear when you watch tennis is the term 'percentage play'. Players that play high percentage plays all the time -people that play it safe - are stupidly boring to watch, and I can't imagine percentage tennis is that much fun to play either. But if it's your career, then you're not going to go risking losing your match because you want to try stuff out. In fact, the only player I've ever really seen try stuff out in a tournament match is Roger Federer, when he's sailing ahead lightyears in front, and even then it's sometimes not an especially good idea.

But exhos? You've been paid your cash and you don't have any points riding on the line, so why not cut loose and have fun? Nothing to gain so there's nothing to lose - so it becomes all about the shots.

Which begs the question... why isn't more exhibition tennis televised? Because that stuff is a watcher's paradise.

Holidaze

2009-12-12T14:18:00.000-08:00

It's official. It's all booked and paid for and the tickets are sitting next to me as I write this. Tennis From The Backseat will be coming to you from four different cities and four different tournaments this January!

(This also means I may now have to live in a cardboard box, given the amount of money it's costing me, but it'll be worth it).

I'll be kicking off my nationwide tour in Perth on January 7, where I will be spending two days at the Hopman Cup (which is also my favourite tournament of the year!) And yes, I will be seeing an Andy Murray tie... though that doesn't excite me as much as simply going to Perth. I've never been to Western Australia, so it will be an adventure. Not that I'll get much of a chance to do much sightseeing, but hey! Perth! I will have been!

I'll be catching the red eye on Friday night and will cross back to the east of the nation to arrive bright and early on Saturday morning in Brisbane, where I will be spending a day at the Brisbane International, hopefully trying not to fall asleep because of the time difference between there and Perth. I've got tickets for the men's semis and the women's final, so that should be pretty excellent.

Then I come back to Canberra the next day and spend a week at work, of which I am sure I will enjoy every second, before jetting off the next Friday night to Sydney for the women's final of the Medibank International. I'll also take in the men's final the next night before setting off to Melbourne the next day for six! count 'em, six! glorious days at the Australian Open.

Now there is a holiday.

I'm aware I've outlined my travel plans before, but I'm so excited I had to do it again. I don't know if I'll do an Aussie summer this big again - it is, as noted, costing me a bundle - so I'm determined to love every second of it. Even where it involves flying clear across the country twice in three days.

How far have you travelled for a tournament?

Time Off, Time Out, Time to Change

2009-12-11T14:30:00.000-08:00

So Dinara Safina is out of Brisbane and in doubt for Melbourne. She's got an injured back which she obviously needs to rehabilitate. This is sad.

This is also bad, as she has finalist points to defend at the Aussie and will thus go tumbling down the rankings. The season will start and go on without her, and who knows when she'll get back in?

But you know what? Even though it will obviously be an epic fail for her to miss the beginning of the season and lose all those points, effectively meaning she'll have to start from scratch-ish (not quite Square One, but a few squares lower), I think it might be good for her to take some time out. This whole being on tour thing is obviously doing her head in, and it can't help any when you've got a bunch of people dancing around a bonfire going 'Dinara Safina is the worst #1 eveeeeeeeer!'

This will give her more time to recuperate physically and prepare herself mentally for another assault on the upper echelons of women's tennis. She knows what to expect now. She knows how tough it is, and how people talk and judge and whatnot. A little time away from that eye could be very good for Dinara. I just hope Zeljko isn't shouting at her too much in the meantime...

And you know what? Maybe this back injury will force her to do what people have been telling to do all year and fix her serve. Or even if the back injury doesn't come into play in this arena, this will give her more time to work on it with Zeljko. Because if she is going to make another assault along the lines of the one she made in mid-2008, the serve is where it has to start.

So rest up, Dinara. Rest, recuperate and get better. I may be the last person in the world clinging to your bandwagon, but I'm still clinging to it. And I'm sure that, when you come back, you will be in a position to give us great things.

French Flair, French Fail

2009-12-10T12:34:00.000-08:00

So I had another thought about Davis Cup. I've already covered the wondrousness of the Spanish team in general, for being wonderful individual players and for being a great team with a second string almost as strong as the first. We've covered this. Spain = good, no?

But... France has nearly the same amount of men in the top hundred - Spain has a few more, but not many. They've got some really excellent singles players, even if they don't have anyone quite as spesh as Rafa Nadal. They've got a pretty dedicated tennis federation.

So why isn't France doing anywhere near as well?

Spain is better. End of story. They're just awesome. But France really, really should be making it to the semis and finals. I mean, look at them! They've got Tsonga, Simon, Monfils, Gasquet - and then they've got tough doubles dudes (as in Slam-winning) like Llodra and Clement to add to their singles string. This shouldn't be a weak team at all. And yet they keep freaking losing.

This isn't the most coherent ramble, so I'm sorry if this next bit doesn't make any sense, but I have a notion that this might have been fostered at the talent development stage. What do we know about French players? They're full of flair, they're spectacular to watch when they're on but almost painful when they're off, due to the fact that they're largely enormous headcases and tend to implode.

Surely this isn't some kind of national trait...? You can't be born this way, surely? Somewhere along the line, the French guys are trained to be this way.

Don't get me wrong - I love French tennis. But the headcase aspect of it (and the habit they have of being easily injured) is spectacularly trainwreck-y.

So that's my thesis, I guess. France should be good at Davis Cup and isn't. Make them so.

The Serena Story

2009-12-09T13:08:00.000-08:00

So I was reading my Australian Women's Weekly yesterday - only for the recipes! - when, to my surprise, I came across a five page story about Serena Williams.

As I often lament, tennis is not really a big sport in Australia due to the fact we don't have any major stars in it at the moment, so I was pretty surprised - though I suppose if you're going to write a story about a tennis player, an Australian magazine is going to write a story about an English speaking one... and a big name who's been around virtually forever.

Because that's what I took away from it, really. Serena - both the Williams sisters, really - have been around for ages, and I've known, but never really realised, if that makes sense. Venus reached the final of the US Open when she was 17. When Serena was 17, she won it. How many seventeen year olds do you see winning Slams these days? The one exception I can think of is Maria Sharapova, and even that was five years ago.

We've always known the Williams sisters were special - particularly now, when the rest of the field is largely so insipid - but I don't think I ever realised how unusual their upbringing was. I'm not just talking about their dad and his determination that they would learn tennis, and their first games in the gang-infested streets of Compton, but from a game perspective.

They never played juniors. Their dad only let them play adults, and only when he thought they were ready. This meant, in effect, that the tennis world never saw them coming. I can't think of any other WTA player that's done anything like that. There was no Bollettierri academy for them, none of that living in a dorm and drilling every day (though apparently there were only four beds for the five Williams sisters, which meant Serena, the youngest, had to pick a different sister to curl up with every day. Thanks, AWW!) Their tennis lives are completely dissimilar to those lived by other players, their tennis experience so difference.

So is this a key factor of their success? Not that there's anything flawed about the current juniors process, but when two of the biggest champions of the decade have come from this kind of background, is there merit to alternative methods of coaching juniors? It's something I'd certainly like to think about...

The JuJu juju

2009-12-08T13:14:00.000-08:00

Another quick hit today, because I'm not sure how much I have to write about it - Justine Henin. She's back.

I have been, I admit, very dubious about her comeback - I didn't believe she was going to do it all the way up until the announcement. And I am, I confess, still not wholly on board. When she quit tennis in May last year, she looked so... broken. She hated tennis. She didn't want anything to do with it. And I haven't seen anything to suggest to me that that might have changed...

...well, except the fact that she's making a comeback and all. That might have some weight. I think I'm just very stubborn.

She's just won a couple of exhibition matches - against fellow Belgian Kirsten Flipkens and then against the lovely Flavia Pennetta. There has been a lot of excitement about this fact, and I totally understand why. That's worth getting excited over.

But I don't know how much you can read into it. Flipkens and Pennetta have just come off a solid year of tennis, and I think you can bet on their exhaustion. Henin is fresh. There's a distinct advantage right there. And, love of the game aside, no one - no one - can deny JuJu's talent. She's one of the biggest natural talents the game has seen in a long time. That backhand of hers... oh! what a thing of beauty!

And then she has the name factor as well, because hello, she's JuJu! These are all contributing factors to her exhibition success.

All this said, these are still big wins for her and I do actually now believe she's back for good and stuff. But I'm reserving judgment on her comeback until I see her play in Australia, in proper competition. Then we'll see what JuJu is really made of.

Hypothetical

2009-12-07T14:57:00.000-08:00

Another quick hit on Davis Cup - anyone else think that next year's first round clash between Spain and Switzerland might prove more of a challenge than this year's final?

Think about it. If anyone's going to topple Nadal in Davis Cup, it'll be Federer. If anyone is going to topple Federer, it'll be Nadal. The Spaniards have a lot more depth - their greatest asset, which is why they won and why they keep winning - but the Swiss don't exactly have a team of slouches. Wawrinka, when he's in form, is capable of beating just about anyone. And Chiudinelli is certainly capable of an upset or two. And if you put Yves Allegro into the mix for the doubles, you've got a world class team right there.

Trouble is, this is all moot, because we don't know who's going to play. Federer hasn't played first round Davis Cup in a thousand years. Wawrinka's girlfriend is due to have a baby in February, which might put a bit of a dint in Swiss plans. And who knows what the Spaniards will be doing? Rafa might be injured again. Same with Verdasco. Though they, unlike the Swiss, have got a very solid second string.

So it could be pretty lame. Or it could be totally awesome - even if just for that one rubber, where Nadal and Federer faced off in the one arena in which they have not yet met: national pride on the line...

Prince Rafa The Humble

2009-12-06T12:51:00.000-08:00

How can you not have a soft spot in your heart for Rafael Nadal? The following is what he posted on his Facebook account after the Davis Cup victory:

"Please allow me to be very happy for this win. I know most of you are not Spanish but this is the win of my team and I am very happy for the win. I know I have also a lot of Czech fans and I respect very much the fact that in any case you support me and obviously your country. Thanks a lot also to all the fans from any part of the World for your support also!"

How can you not love him? Isn't that just one of the most adorable things you've ever heard?

We are very lucky to be watching tennis in an era when we have guys like Nadal on the court. Federer is, of course, the game's ultimate statesman, but I do love Rafa's quirky, broken English, the genuineness of his sentiment. He loves the game. He respects his opponents. And his humility. I don't know if there's anyone in the game today quite as humble as Rafa.

The Spanish team managed a clean sweep, with Rafa beating Hajek (ironically, Hajek is the only guy to have ever beaten Rafa in Davis Cup - I doubt Rafa construed it as revenge, but I would) and Ferrer beating Dlouhy. Stepanek and Berdych sat this one right - rightly too, because I bet they're both buggered. Stepanek especially - he fought like a crazy person this weekend. I don't think it's unfair to say that Berdych never really showed up.

This marks the end of 'real' tennis for the year, though I reckon I can a few more blog posts out of it over the next few days before I have to think of something else to talk about. I'm glad Spain won, however. I'm glad David Ferrer got his moment and I'm glad that Rafa found his mojo again, even at the last minute. And I'm certainly always to see all the huggy man-love that goes on with the Spanish team!

Today's Results

Davis Cup Final

Spain 5, Czech Republic 0

Rafael Nadal def. Jan Hajek, 6-3 6-4
David Ferrer def. Lukas Dlouhy, 6-4 6-2

To The Victor Go The Spoils

2009-12-05T16:18:00.000-08:00

When it comes to Davis Cup, the Spaniards have got something that so many other nations lack, and that is depth. Quite what it is in the air in Spain that has led to them producing so many excellent sportsman is not known, but they're doing something right in the talent development stage over there, because they have put together one of the best Davis Cup squads you could ever dream of.

I mean, look at who isn't on the team. Robredo. Ferrero. Almagro. Garcia-Lopez. You could pretty easily field two Spanish teams and they'd both be contenders for the title. The Spanish tennis federation (whatsoe'er they may be called) should be lauded, because they are doing something very, very right... or at least they were when these lads were coming up, anyway.

The Spanish team clinched the doubles and thus the Davis Cup today - which was hardly surprising, considering they were able to field two fresh guys up against Stepanek and Berdych, who were both match weary. Stepanek is usually the lifeforce of that doubles duo - they were undefeated coming into the final - but he was listless and exhausted today (which happens when you lose a match you should have won after five hours). The Czechs, when it comes down to it, never stood a chance. It might have been a tournament of four on four, but they were simply outnumbered.

I don't know whether they'll continue to play the dead rubbers, but it really would be nice if the Czechs could score a point or two. They deserve at least one - and at any rate, they don't deserve to be whitewashed. They played too well and worked too hard en route to the final to get here. Congrats, Tomas and Radek and other Czech dudes. You did good.

But the day belongs to Spain. There's no hero like there was last year - all four guys played, and all four guys won. But, as I said yesterday, the hero for me has to be David Ferrer. By rights, he should have lost that match, but he didn't give in, didn't give up, and to the victor went the spoils. I'd love to see that match do for him what Verdasco's match against Acasuso did for Nando - I'd love to see Ferru deep in a Slam (preferably the Aussie), in a round that has the suffix -final. Quarters, semis, whatever. He's been so solid for ages, but he's fallen off a bit this year - here's hoping he's soon back on top of the world.

Today's Results

Davis Cup Final

Spain 3, Czech Republic 0

Lopez/Verdasco def. Berdych/Stepanek, 7-6 (9-7) 7-5 6-2

David's Day

2009-12-04T15:52:00.000-08:00

David Ferrer, I am sorry I ever called your rubber a throwaway. That is totally unfair to how much you wanted it, how hard you fought for it and how sweet it was when you took it out.

Spain have taken a 2-0 lead after the first day of play in the Davis Cup final, and you have to think that this is a pretty unassailable lead now. It started when Rafa crushed Tomas Berdych - I read a great line on the Davis Cup website which said that this match marked the return of Hurricane Rafa, back on his favourite surface, playing for his country. This wasn't Shmafa that turned up - oh no, Shmafa stayed well away. Shmafa is a good player, but there's no way he could take thirteen games in a row off a player like Berdych.

Berdych didn't look especially inspired, I have to say - he didn't really play that much tennis that was worthy of this level. He had his chance late in the first set, missed it, and that was the end of that, really. There was no way he could have stopped Rafa winning that match - probably no way he could have stopped him winning it in straights, either - but he could have played a bit better, I thought.

But nice as it was to see Rafa looking like himself again, the hero of the day has to be David Ferrer. Is there any man as comfortable in a five set situation as Ferru? The dude is a total machine, fitness wise. But you know what? one of the reasons I think we always see him in five set situations isn't to do with his fitness. We always see him in the fifth because he has mental fortitute like whoa.

Think about it. Stepanek was totally owning him in the first two sets. Like, serious ownage. Stepanek is, I would say, the more talented of the two players - he certainly has the most natural flair - and it showed. But then Ferrer just... didn't give up.

There's something about Davis Cup that fosters these epic clashes, and today was no exception. Five hours of tooth and nail fighting. I want to give Stepanek his dues - he played wonderfully in the first two sets, and it wasn't like he died totally in the last three - but the day belongs to David, for having sheer grit and nerve and refusing to give up in the face of what looked like certain defeat. He's almost terrier-like in his refusal to lay down and die - he reminds me a bit of Lleyton Hewitt in that way, actually. Kudos. Epic, epic kudos.

It looks like Berdych and Stepanek will be the ones taking the court tomorrow in the doubles - I suppose the Czechs will have to do everything they can to keep the tie alive. But I don't like their chances. A fresh Lopez and Verdasco up against a listless Berdych and an exhausted Stepanek? It'd be superhuman if they pulled it off.

Today's Results

Davis Cup Final

Spain 2, Czech Republic 0

Rafael Nadal def. Tomas Berdych, 7-5 6-0 6-2
David Ferrer def. Radek Stepanek, 1-6 2-6 6-4 6-4 8-6

Ferru Up To Bat

2009-12-03T13:56:00.000-08:00

So the Davis Cup draw has been announced - and trust me, I am all over this tournament, being as it is pretty much the last real tennis we will see until the cashcow exhibitions start in January. First up we will have Nadal and Berdych (a match which you have to like Rafa to win, even if Shmafa is the dude that shows up) followed by Stepanek and Ferrer.

Now this is interesting. I thought for sure that the Spaniards would play Verdasco, at least in the first singles match ups. But no. Apparently not.

Ferrer is definitely not a slouch. This we know. But he hasn't exactly been captain of the in form squad either, and Stepanek has had an excellent, excellent year. If the Spaniards are going to lose one match, it's going to be this one, I think. So why, I asked myself, play Ferrer when Verdasco would stand an excellent chance?

But then I thought about it. Better to cede this one rubber - and it's totally not even ceding, because Ferru isn't exactly going to roll over and die - than risk Verdasco playing three matches and then being totally knackered by the time the reverse singles come around. The lineup says that the Czechs are playing Dlouhy and Hajek in the doubles - but even if they swap them out and put Berdych and Stepanek in, they'll come up against a fighting fit Lopez and Verdasco combination. And if the tie is still live going into the third day - let's say that Ferrer loses to Stepanek - then Rafa and Nando between them are surely going to be able to pick up that third point.

This whole scheme does rely on Rafa - if he has to retire injured or something, then Spain are... well, not dead in the water, but let's say that they got left off the lifeboat and the Titanic is sinking. They've just given themselves the best possible chance to win the doubles by ensuring that Verdasco is fresh, and if Rafa can claim those extra two points... bam, Davis Cup is coming home to Spain. But if Rafa's injured and Berdych gets that point tomorrow... well then, there's one dude who is going to have to step up to the plate in a big way and that is David Ferrer. Verdasco as well, don't get me wrong - if there's a live reverse singles rubber and Rafa's out, you can bet it'll be Nando they chuck in - but if Rafa is removed from the equation, then David's throwaway point suddenly becomes vital.

I'm being a bit of a doomcrow re Rafa here, but it is a realistic possibility. And you know what? even if Rafa stays uninjured, I want Ferru to step up. He was the one guy that lost in the Davis Cup final against Argentina last year, necessitating Verdasco's win over Acasuso. So it'd be nice for him to get a point, get some glory.

Musings on Entitlement

2009-12-02T13:43:00.001-08:00

For the second year running, tennis has apparently been named Australia's favourite sport. Considering the amount of television time given to tennis in Australia (not much, unless it's the Australian Open), which is a country which pretty much reveres sport as a religious experience, then I find this a bit doubtful. Typically, Australian interest in a sport gets greater when we have some big heroes in it, and we're not doing so well at the moment. Considering one of the favourite questions asked by commentators is, 'will Lleyton Hewitt ever win another Slam? We reckon he can!' ...yeah, I'll leave you to ponder on the realism of that.

But then I started thinking about the whole Tiger Woods scandal - on which I have no opinion, by the way - and then I staretd thinking about scandal in sport in general, and something struck me. We have precious, precious little scandal in tennis. I mean, sure, in recent times we've had the whole Agassi palaver, but scandals in tennis are few and far between. It's practically a scandal that Andy Murray broke up with his girlfriend, and that was amicable on all sides.

You only have to look at domestic sport in Australia to know that all sports are not the same. Football players are the worst here - every second week it seems like another rugby league player (or occasionally an AFL player) does something scandalous. The amount of women that have been beaten by football players here because the players felt like they had a right to do so - well, it's a whole other rant, but it's a lot, and it's not good. Being a sporting hero creates a sense of entitlement, I think - a sense that they deserve more than the regular people - and from there, we get scandals like these.

But tennis? Not so much. Even the Agassi scandal didn't play out that way - he certainly acted on privilege when he got the ATP to hush the crystal meth thing up, but the taking of the drugs was more sheer stupidity than anything else. I haven't done a huge survey of scandal in sport or anything, but just looking at the Australian case, it does seem to me to be about entitlement.

So why - as far as we know - does tennis not foster this sense of entitlement?

I'd like to write it off to good leadership from the top - the Federer and Nadal effect - but I don't think that's it. I think they're certainly a good example and a good influence, but this relative lack of scandal in tennis has been going on for a while. There are examples of tennis players who did clearly feel entitled to something more - I feel like I should throw the McEnroe name into the ring here - but in comparison to other sports, it's very minor.

So here's a question. What is tennis doing right? (And I hope it's just not hushing up the scandals better!)

Czeching Out Mr Safarova and the Worm

2009-12-01T13:50:00.000-08:00

Having mulled a little on this in the ensuing day, I think I might have changed my position slightly on Rafael Nadal. I still think it won't be great for him if he loses, but I think the likelihood of him losing is not as great as I thought it was. I did some reading and apparently he was having a bit of a back problem in London which is not bothering him now. This remarkably quick recovery from an injury nonwithstanding, I think Rafa might be in better shape than I thought he was. It wasn't like it was total schleps he was losing to at the World Tour Finals, after all - and not just any random members of the top ten, either. These were three guys that have given him significant trouble in the past, and to whom he had lost this year.

So not so much of a biggie as I had maybe thought. But still... Rafa is not in form. Ain't no one gonna deny that. Shmafa should be enough to put some pain on Berdych, but the Worm could be a whole other matter...

Let's talk about the Czechs for a minute, because, let's face it, they're the underdogs. Even if one or both of them can pull surprise wins out over Nadal or Verdasco or whomever else the Spaniards decide to throw into the ring, they are missing one very important thing - depth. They have Stepanek and Berdych and... watch that tumbleweed roll by.

So how do they play this? Stepanek and Berdych will obviously play both singles rubbers - unless there's a dead rubber involved. There's pretty much no way around this - they have no chance otherwise. Even if Nadal and Verdasco sit out a rubber or two, the Spaniards have Ferrer and Lopez available to throw into the ring. I'm assuming Ferrer is in there to act as some kind of spare singles player - I'm guessing Verdasco and Lopez will take the court in doubles. I'm kind of surprised Juan Carlos Ferrero didn't get a go instead of Ferrer - I think he's been more impressive lately - but Ferrer is no slouch either. And neither is Lopez, for that matter. The Spaniards have got four perfectly effective singles players here.

The Czechs have got Stepanek, Berdych, Jan Hajek and Lukas Dlouhy. Hajek is the one man ever to have beaten Nadal in a singles rubber in the Davis Cup... yeah, somehow I can't see that happening again. And Dlouhy isn't exactly a worldbeater either. He and Hajek are - I hate to say it - padding.

When the Czechs played Croatia, they won the opening two singles rubbers and then took a gamble and played Berdych and Stepanek in the doubles. It paid off, and they took an unassailable 3-0 lead. Will they do that here? This is the match I'm interested in - the doubles. If they win it, it's a valuable point, yes - but somehow I don't think they're going to win both opening singles rubbers, which would mean the tie was live into the final day, which would mean both Berdych and Stepanek would be absolutely fatigued out of their brains. So do they then cede the doubles by playing Hajek and Dlouhy? And what if they gamble on Berdych and Stepanek in the doubles and then they lose? They're really screwed then.

Exciting as it must be to be in the Davis Cup final, I would not like to be in Stepanek or Berdych's shoes right now. There's so much pressure. But then they're not expected to win, so maybe they can swing freely. I don't know. We're just going to have to wait and see, I suppose.

Czeching Out Rafa and Nando

2009-11-30T13:52:00.001-08:00

Well, that's pretty much it for tennis this year, except for the Davis Cup final this weekend - which really is going to be an interesting affair. Normally you'd pick the Spaniards every time over the Czechs, especially given the headcaseness of Tomas Berdych, but I just don't know this time. The Spaniards have definitely got the firepower to take out the Czechs, but I think it's really going to depend on who they play.

Let me elaborate - the two big guns of Spain are Nadal and Verdasco, yeah? No questions asked there. Rafa is THE man to beat in Davis Cup and we all know what the final last year did for Nando's career. They are the guys to beat. However... both of them are not exactly what I would call in form.

This applies less, I think, to Verdasco. He, like Nadal, did not win a single match at the year ending championships, but he pushed people pretty close - he took a set off Federer and took Murray to a third set breaker. He was in a tough tough group - I mean, does it come much tougher than Federer, Murray and del Potro? - and it would have been more surprising if he had won a match than losing all three, I think. He's not quite on that level - which for Davis Cup is fine, because Stepanek and Berdych aren't on that level either. Stepanek is, I would say, a real threat to Verdasco - their levels are not so far apart, and Stepanek can beat just about anyone, on his day - but I think Nando would have a definite edge over Berdych.

But the fact remains that this is a much harder task than the one he had last year. His big win there - the one that spurred him on to those heights of excellence that he reached in Australia - was against Jose Acasuso. Second round at the French Open aside, I don't think too many players are quivering in fear at the thought of playing big Jose. So it'll be interesting to see how Nando fares - I wouldn't say he's out of form, but I wouldn't exactly say he's on fire either. But if anything is going to ignite him, Davis Cup will.

Now. Rafa.

Look, if I were the Spanish team captain, I would be having serious second thoughts about playing Rafa. I think you could give him a run against Berdych, but I would be worried playing him against Stepanek. Rafa is not all there at the moment. He knows that, the world knows that, and I'll bet the Spanish captain knows that too. If he were to take a loss in Davis Cup - in the final, in an arena where he normally would shine - I think that would do him a lot more harm in the long run than a win would do him good.

That said, if Rafa were to be benched, I don't think that would necessarily do him any good either. I don't know if there's really a perfect option in this scenario. I believe Rafa is capable of beating either of the Czech boys - I mean, who wouldn't believe it? But he's not Rafa right now. He's Shmafa. And a loss would, I think, be bad for him mentally. And I don't want a broken Rafa. I like him just the way he is.

...now watch him prove me spectacularly wrong.

The Tortoise Takes Out The Hares

2009-11-29T13:53:00.000-08:00

You know what? I am genuinely 100% pleased with the outcome of the World Tour Finals, or whatever it is we call the Masters Cup these days. Nikolay Davydenko totally owned Juan Martin del Potro, defeating him in straights in what was probably the least contested match of the tournament. That's not necessarily a slight against the match, either - we've seen some great tennis in this tournament, some truly epic battles.

And it was Kolya, Mr Slow and Steady Wins The Race, Mr Makes No Waves, Mr Cellophane, who came out on top.

Good on you, Kolya.

I don't think Davydenko will ever win a Slam. However, this really has to be the next best thing. I thought that when he won Miami last year - was it really only last year? - that that might be the title of his career. But now... I think not. The year ending championships is no mean feat. The guys you play against in this tournament are the best in the world - and considering the very high level of the ATP at the moment, that is really saying something.

So for Nikolay Davydenko to come out and win, that is really, really something.

And kudos to del Potro as well, who did very well to get to the final - but he's had his moment for this year. This one belongs purely to Kolya. Though I have to say, del Potro did deliver a particularly good quote - about Davydenko. He said, talking about the speed of Davydenko's game, 'he plays like PlayStation'.

Heh. I loved that.

I don't think this will stop Kolya being Mr Cellophane in the media's eye. He's been top five for a solid five-odd years now and they haven't paid any especial attention to him - this title won't change that, as I think it has more to do with him being perceived as dull rather than on his merits. However, for the tennis world, this serves as a reminder that you can't just look right through Kolya, can't walk right by him and never know he's there...

...because he totally is.

Congrats, Kolya!

Today's Results

Barclays ATP World Tour Finals (London)

Nikolay Davydenko def. Juan Martin del Potro, 6-3 6-4
Juan Martin del Potro def. Robin Soderling, 6-7 (1-7) 6-3 7-6 (7-3)

A Serve of Validation (a little disappointment on the side)

2009-11-28T14:34:00.000-08:00

It is very easy, as a Federer fan, to become greedy. We all felt very hard done by last year when Roger only managed to capture one Slam out of three finals and a semi. That was, by his standards, a poor year. And while he qualified for the year ending championships easily, he went out in the round robin stage. We were all in agonies... while fans of another player with the same year would be in paroxysms of joy.

This is why I'm not particularly upset by Federer's loss to Davydenko at the year ending championships. He's won the French and Wimbledon this year. He's never lost to Kolya before, but if he had to take a loss, this isn't necessarily a bad time. Sure, it's a little disappointing, but he's got the year end #1 all wrapped up. He's improved on last year. He's won this tournament four times before. He scored a very psychologically important win over Andy Murray. And he deserves to go home with his girls and put his feet up.

And Davydenko really, really deserves to win something.

I don't think will give Kolya some massive burst of confidence over Roger or anything. Looking at their reactions afterwards, I think they're both pretty realistic about the significance of this in the long run - ie. not very. It was a tight match all the way down to the wire, and for once, Kolya got lucky. And while I obviously still would have preferred a Federer victory, I can't help but feel a little bit happy for Kolya. He's such a good player but he gets forgotten about all the time, and he really deserves a big title.

To win said title, he'll have to topple the winner of Soderling and del Potro, who are engaged in a bit of a titanic struggle on this one. I have a slight hunch that the Yoker might be the one to come out of this with the win, and I am totally fine with that. If we see a Soderling/Davydenko final, I genuinely won't mind which guy wins. They both deserve a big win.

Today's Results

Barclays ATP World Tour Championships (London)

Nikolay Davydenko def. Robin Soderling, 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 6-3
Nikolay Davydenko def. Roger Federer, 6-2 4-6 7-5

Sod and the Semis

2009-11-27T13:55:00.000-08:00

Roger didn't win that match I was frazzling over yesterday, but he did win a set, and that meant that he won Group A and will thus go through to the final. Joining him there will be his conqueror, Juan Martin del Potro, who managed to snuff out Andy Murray's hopes by a single game. I won't deny it - I laughed.

I don't think there's much to read into the defeat here - I know this makes two times in a row that Federer's fallen to del Potro, but I just can't see it being especially meaningful in the end. I don't think del Potro's ever going to be the boogeyman to Federer that Nadal and, to some extent, Murray, have been. Federer's got all the game he needs to defeat del Potro - it's just an execution thing.

I'd be interested to see what happens if they met in the final - how that one would play out. I can't really see Roger losing to him twice in three days or whatever the timeframe is. Now that would be a worry.

Del Potro will play, I think, Soderling in the semis - I'm pretty sure that the Yoker has the victory in Group A all tied up. That'll be an interesting match - hard to pick, to an extent - but I'm coming down on the side of Soderling in this one. He's been the form guy this tournament, and I think he's going to be very hard to beat... as both Rafa and Novak will tell you.

Speaking of Rafa and Novak, they played earlier, and surprise, surprise, Rafa lost. Novak is now waiting for the results of the Soderling/Davydenko match to see if he's through. I'm loving what the Sod's bringing to the courts these days and I'd love to see him in the final, but I confess I'm pulling for Davydenko on this one. I'd totally love to see him qualify for the semis. I don't think he'd beat Federer, which is who he'd run up against, but it would good validation for Mr Cellophane.

And if Davydenko does get through, it means that Federer is the only member of the Big Four (are we still calling them that? is del Potro allowed into the club yet?) to qualify for the semis. Now there's an unexpected result.

Today's Results

Barclays ATP World Tour Championships (London)

Juan Martin del Potro def. Roger Federer, 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-3
Novak Djokovic def. Rafael Nadal, 7-6 (7-5) 6-3

Frazzling Over Federer

2009-11-26T13:36:00.000-08:00

What is with Roger Federer and the first set blues this week? He's just lost the first set 6-2 to Juan Martin del Potro, and I can't say I'm especially happy about it, especially as if he loses in straights, he doesn't qualify for the final. Which makes me cross. Argh. But I'll save my frazzling and wall punching for now. Roger's got the year end #1. That's a bigger victory in the long run.

Fernando Verdasco really did his best today - and boy was I pulling for him in that third set breaker! But it was not to be, I suppose. Nando's been struggling valiantly all week, but his level is just not as high as that of the other guys, when it comes down to it. Although he qualified ahead of Soderling, I don't think anyone would argue with me if I said Soderling was easily the better player right now.

But that said, Nando pushed Muzz and he pushed him hard. If Federer wins a set off del Potro (please, Roger!) then the qualifiers for the semis will come down to aggregate won/lost games, I believe, and in that case, two tiebreakers is not where you want to be, no sirree, not when Roger's got all those 6-1 sets in the bag. Muzz hasn't sucked this week, but I don't know if he's played well enough to deserve a semis spot. If only Juan Martin had been able to close him out. Urgh.

One person who is definitely not going through to the semis is Rafa - I think we left him yesterday having been crushed in the first set, and I wanted to send him home and give him a nice cup of tea. I still want to send him home and give him a nice cup of tea, but his level in the second set, even though it was very obviously Shmafa out there, was a lot better. He pushed Kolya all the way to the end, and broke back when Kolya served for it, and did all kinds of steely things. His form = obviously not so good. But this fight - which is the essence of Rafa, and which has been strangely lacklustre for a little while - is still there. And that, more than anything, is a good sign for Rafa. I hope he puts his feet up for a while. I think it will do him the world of good - and hopefully, he'll back to his fierce best in Australia.

Today's Results

Barclays ATP World Tour Championships (London)

Andy Murray def. Fernando Verdasco, 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-3)
Nikolay Davydenko def. Rafael Nadal, 6-1 7-6 (7-4)

Shmafa Rears His Ugly Head

2009-11-25T13:43:00.000-08:00

So I didn't need to punch a wall yesterday. If we just pretend the first set didn't happen, that would be a truly excellent win for Federer over Murray, who has troubled him a lot in the past. This head to head is turning around, my people - and I can see why.

The first set was a disaster. Ain't no one can argue like that. But then, like magic, Federer changed his tactics. And I think he found the right combination. I haven't seen Andy Murray drubbed 6-1 in a set like that for a very long time. Sure, it probably didn't help the Murray cause that his serve didn't turn up to the match, but in the long run, this was a match that Federer won, not that Murray lost. An excellent result. I was very happy...

...until I put my Rafa fan hat on. As I write this, he is currently being absolutely massacred by Davydenko. Now, we all know that I want to see Davydenko in the semis, and so winning this match = a good thing in that respect, but it pains me to see someone as good as Rafa playing this badly. After watching Roger struggle through 2008, I can sympathise with how devoted Rafanatics must feel right about now. The poor boy is just not there. His game's not there, his mind's not there... and for the first time that I've seen, his heart's not there. It's really sad to watch.

I don't know how much injury is still affecting him, but even if it's not, I sincerely hope he's giving serious thought to not playing the Davis Cup final. On one hand, that atmosphere would be one that he would feed off - normal Rafa, anyway. He's so fierce and steely most of the time that that nationalistic element would totally spur him on. But if this listless Shmafa is the dude that's going to turn up... I think that, mentally, that would do him more harm than good in the long run, and he should rest up for 2010.

But look at me, practically digging his grave when he's only down a set. Sure, he lost it 6-1, but you can never say never with Rafa.

That said, I really don't think he's going to qualify for the finals here. Soderling is already through from this group, and I really don't see Nadal beating Djokovic, unless Djokovic has an epic brainfreeze or something. Speaking of Djokovic, he's been on a bit of a winning streak, winning a couple of tournaments on the trot there - but his streak just got broken by the mighty mighty Sod. I'm really digging Soderling at the moment. His Scandinavian brusqueness - and, of course, his yoking - have endeared him to me. Provided he doesn't play Federer in the semis, I'd love to see him in the final. It would be the cherry of awesome on top of a sundae of a great year for him.

Today's Results

Barclays ATP World Tour Championships (London)

Roger Federer def. Andy Murray, 3-6 6-3 6-1
Robin Soderling def. Novak Djokovic, 7-6 (7-5) 6-1

More on Mr Cellophane

2009-11-24T13:41:00.000-08:00

My beloved Roger Federer is, as I write this, one set down to Andy Murray. Excuse me while I go and punch a wall.

Back now (and slightly hamfisted, so let's not talk about Roger and Muzz again). The first match this morning went the distance like whoa, with Juan Martin del Potro taking down Fernando Verdasco in a third set tie breaker. The breaker itself was a bit of a fizzer - JMDP won it 7-1 - but for the match to get to that stage... wow. This tournament has been a real struggle. We've only seen one match finish in straights, and that was Soderling's victory over Nadal (stuffs fist in mouth and refuses to admit something similar might happen in the match currently taking place).

But the match I really want to talk about was the second match yesterday, which was a really interesting affair - Djokovic against Davydenko. I'm not a Djokovic fan, as we all know, so I was pulling for Davydenko, and he nearly got there - nearly, but not quite. There was a bit of choking at the end from both players - Djokovic tried to serve it out, Kolya broke back to level at 5-5, btu then promptly got broken again and Novak managed to hold to take the match. But on the whole, I find this whole match up quite... intriguing.

Actually, I'm always intrigued to see how players fare against Kolya. He's one of those players who is capable of scoring a win on pretty much any given day against pretty much anyone, but he manages to fly under the radar on account of having the personality of porridge. (I've called him Mr Cellophane before, and I think it holds). But he's certainly beaten Nadal and Djokovic before in his career - has he beaten Murray? I'm not sure... a little research reveals that their head to head is 5-4 in Murray's favour. Kolya's beaten Nadal three times and Djokovic twice. The only person he's never had a win over is the Big Man Roger Federer, and even then he's managed to give him a scare or two.

I was sad to see Kolya lose yesterday, because I think that, if he makes it to the semis, he actually has a pretty serious shot at winning this title. He's easily the best player in the world who has never reached a Slam final and a title here would be... well, it would be pretty awesome for him. It would be validation. (Though I obviously am all about R-Fed winning... but we're not talking about him right now).

Today's Results

Barclays ATP World Tour Championships (London)

Juan Martin del Potro def. Fernando Verdasco, 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7-1)
Novak Djokovic def. Nikolay Davydenko, 3-6 6-4 7-5