Posted by Ricky on November 27, 2008
Hopefully everyone is able to give thanks for family, friends, and good health on Thanksgiving Day. For tennis fans, however, it’s an absolutely certainty that there is a lot to be thankful for.
Here are just a few of the things I am thankful for when it comes to the 2008 season on the ATP Tour.
I’m thankful for Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. I’m especially thankful for them being on the court at the same time. I’m thankful for the 2008 Wimbledon final. It can’t be said unequivocally that it is the greatest match of all time. But, it can’t be said unequivocally that it isn’t the greatest match of all time, either. Without question, it is one of the best ever. It’s one of those matches that you remember where you were when you watched it (for me, those also include Gaudio-Coria, Ivanisevic-Rafter, Agassi-Blake, Agassi-Baghdatis, and too many matches to name in person at the U.S. Open).
I’m thankful for Novak Djokovic. As much fun as it is to watch Nadal and Federer contest Grand Slam finals, and as much fun as it would be to watch them contest every Grand Slam final from now until the end of time, it’s even more fun to see tournaments competitive among a handful of players as opposed to just two.
I’m thankful for Andy Murray. Same reason.
I’m thankful for Gilles Simon, for showing that it’s possible to be one of the best in the world at tennis without having an overload of talent. He should be an inspiration to any recreational player who does nothing more than keep the ball in the court and fight for every single point to the very end.
I’m thankful for upsets. For example, Simon over Nadal in Madrid, Spain over Argentina in the Davis Cup final, Djokovic over Federer, Murray over Federer (twice), Simon over Federer, Mardy Fish over Federer, Radek Stepanek over Federer, Andy Roddick over Federer, Youzhny over Nadal while losing just one game, Davydenko over Nadal, Seppi over Nadal, Sergiy Stahovsky, Philipp Petzschner, and Igor Kunitsyn winning ATP tournaments, and too many others to name in a 2008 season full of surprises. It wouldn’t be so interesting if what was supposed to happen always happened. In the words of one of the oldest clichés in sports, “that’s why they play the game.”
I’m thankful for Hawkeye. A.K.A. the challenge system. It deprives us of some player blowups at chair-umpire blowups, but at least it gets the calls right. Well, at least I think does. Some players sometimes disagree.
I’m thankful for witnessing chokes on a consistent basis from professional tennis players. It’s painful to watch, but at the same time it makes me, and presumably all other tennis players from beginner to just short of pro level, feel a little bit better about my own failures to successfully serve out sets and matches. Ernests Gulbis comes to mind here (see: matches against David Nalbandian in Indian Wells, Nikolay Davydenko in Miami, Jose Acasuso in Canada, and Andy Roddick at the U.S. Open).
I’m thankful for guys like John Inser (2007) and more recently Kevin Anderson and Somdev Devvarman for showing it’s OK to go to college even if you are absolutely unbelievable at tennis. For those who don’t follow the college ranks or professional players beyond the Top 100, Anderson finished runner-up at the ATP event in Las Vegas earlier this year. Devvarman won two NCAA singles titles, then won four straight Challenger tournaments immediately after leaving UVA.
When it comes to the WTA Tour, I’m mostly thankful that it is so much deeper than it used to be. Gone are the days when just a few women dominated the spot. Now a nice crop of players have a chance to Grand Slams. The Williams sisters, Ana Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic, Maria Sharapova, Elena Dementieva, and Dinara Safina to name just a few.
I’m thankful for an influx of young talent, brining even more contenders into the fold on the women’s side.
I’m thankful Justine Henin is no longer around.
I’m thankful for Dementieva, for showing that it is possible to win despite having an utterly atrocious serve. (She won gold at the Olympics, in case people have already forgotten).
At this time of year, sine it’s the off-season, I’m especially thankful for the Australian Open.
I’m thankful for 2008 producing one of the best Australian Opens ever. I’m thankful for the Roger Federer vs. Janko Tipsarevic match, the Andy Roddick vs. Philipp Kohlschreiber match, and the Marcos Baghdatis vs. Lleyton Hewitt match. I’m thankful for fans who are die-hard enough to stay until the end of a match that concludes at 4:33 in the morning. Yes, that is exactly when Baghdatis and Hewitt finished their epic encounter. I’m thankful for Jo-Wilfried Tsonga captivating the tennis world Down Under, especially in a win over Rafael Nadal and in the first set of the title match against Novak Djokovic. I’m thankful for a solid women’s tournament that featured especially great matches involving Sharapova, Ivanovic, and Daniela Hantuchova.
I’m already thankful for what should be an amazing Australian Open 2009. It’s less than 60 days away. Federer should be completely healthy in Melbourne, unlike this year. Nadal should have overcome his knee problems by then. Djokovic and Murray will give the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the world all they can handle. Watch out for Tsonga and Del Potro as well. I’m thankful for having absolutely no clue who will emerge victorious on the women’s side. Serena? Venus? Ana? Jelena? Elena? Dinara? Vera Zvonareva? One of the young guns? Agniezska Radwanska? Carolina Wozniacki?
I’m thankful for a new and improved Australian Open Series that will have us adequately pumped up for the season’s first Grand Slam by the time it rolls around on January 19. Brisbane, Hobart, and Sydney. All three have lured some big names to participate, and more are expected to join the fray. We’ll have two weeks of outstanding tennis before the Australian Open 2009 even starts. As if we aren’t already pumped up for the Aussie Open enough right now!
Most of all, I’m thankful that–as of Thanksgiving Day–the 2009 ATP season is only 39 days away.
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Posted by Ricky on November 25, 2008
It’s not quite the U.S. Open Series, but a new-look Australian Open Series in 2009 will provide plenty of excitement leading up to the first Grand Slam of 2009.
The U.S. Open Series, of course, features two Masters Series events in Canada and Cincinnati, as well as tournaments in Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and New Haven, and the winner of the series gets double prize money at the ensuing U.S. Open.
With the Australian Open beginning the third Monday in January, there clearly isn’t enough time to produce anything that extensive. There are only two weeks available between the start of the calendar year and the start of the Aussie Open.
Still, 2009’s Australian Open Series will be bigger and better than ever. Two tournaments (one each week) will take place in Brisbane and Sydney, and both will be combined men’s (ATP) and women’s (WTA) events. A third tournament in Hobart, Australia, is exclusively a WTA Tour event and will be going on simultaneously to the tournament in Sydney.
Brisbane is a new host, as the previously separate men’s (the Next Generation Adelaide International) and women’s (Gold Coast’s Mondial Australian Women’s Hardcourts) events. Players who have already committed on the men’s side are Novak Djokovic (and his brother, Marko), Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gael Monfils, Marcos Baghdatis, Richard Gasquet, and Mardy Fish. Women’s commitments have already been received from Ana Ivanovic, Daniela Hantuchova, Na Li, and Samantha Stosur.
“I am expecting a high quality field, some excellent weather and a great venue,” Ivanovic said. “It will be the perfect launching pad for my preparation for the Australian Open.”
At the Medibank International in Sydney one week later, Dmitry Tursunov is the defending champion on the men’s side. He will be joined by Tsonga and Gasquet, who teamed up to win the doubles title earlier this year and will be playing back-to-back weeks leading up the Australian Open 2009 following their appearances in Brisbane. Also on the men’s menu are David Nalbandian, Gilles Simon, Lleyton Hewitt, and Tommy Robredo. Women who have committed to Sydney include Serena Williams, Jelena Jankovic, Elena Dementieva, Dinara Safina, and Amelie Mauresmo. There will be no defending champion on the women’s side, as now-retired Justine Henin captured the trophy in 2008.
Sydney is still seeking its greatest coup, which it hopes will come in the form of either Rafael Nadal or Andy Murray, or both. “We may be an outside chance, but as long as we are a chance I am going after them,” said tournament director Craig Watson of the chances of getting Nadal and Murray to play. “We have a terrific men’s field with the likes of Lleyton Hewitt, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, David Nalbandian, and Tommy Robredo. But Nadal and Murray would bolster any field in the world.”
The Moorilla Hobart International is not as big in terms of prize money or names of players, but it is a good chance for several of the second-tier women to gain momentum heading into Melbourne. Patty Schnyder is the lone commitment at this point, although one can only assume that Eleni Daniilidou, who captured the championship this season, will be back to defend her title.
The Domain Tennis Centre in Hobart will unveil new courts just as the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre did earlier this year. All of the Australian Open Series tournaments will be played on the same True Blue Plexicushion surface as the Australian Open.
“The upgrades to the facilities in Sydney and Hobart, as well as the brand new complex in Brisbane, will ensure the future growth of the AO Series in this changing world environment for tennis,” said the CEO of Tennis Australia, Steve Wood. “It will strengthen the attraction for top players to prepare here in Australia prior to the Australian Open. All three events will have top quality fields and provide tennis fans in three states with the chance to see some great tennis,” Wood stated.
“With many players coming out of the northern hemisphere’s winter, the AO Series events give them the opportunity to acclimatise and get some world-class matches prior to the Australian Open,” added Wood.
The Australian Open Series, however, is not the only option players have for fine-tuning their games before the big one in Melbourne. Men’s events will also be taking place in Doha, Qatar and Chennai, India while the Brisbane tournament is going on, and in Auckland, New Zealand while the event in Sydney is going on.
All three of those tournaments have done some nice work luring away talent from the Australian Open Series. Roger Federer will be in Doha, and presumably Andy Murray will return to defend his 2008 title. Carlos Moya, Nikolay Davydenko, and Stanislas Wawrinka are the early singles commitments so far for the Chennai Open. Hometown heroes Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi will also be making doubles appearances, with Lukas Dlouhy and Mark Knowles, respectively. The Bryan Brothers (Bob and Mike) will also be taking part in the doubles event.
The Heineken Open in Auckland has already booked Juan Martin Del Potro and Spaniards David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro. Tournament director Richard Palmer is especially excited about landing Del Potro. “He really is the big mover on the tour,” Palmer explained of Del Potro. “He won four tournaments in a row; how many people do that? Even your Nadals and Federers didn’t do that as a teenager. It’s a pretty phenomenal effort.”
The women will be competing in Auckland at the ASB Classic one week earlier, while the Brisbane event is ongoing. Dementieva, Nadia Petrova, Caroline Wozniacki, and most recently Katarina Srebotnik are the headliners for Auckland so far. “The confirmation of Katarina caps off a terrific top-four players for the 2009 ASB Classic,” said tournament director Brenda Perry. “Katarina is a very talented player who is very popular in Auckland and it’s great to have her back following her best ever season.” The full tournament list will be revealed on November 26.
Not to be forgotten is the Kooyong Classic, a men’s event which often steals the most headlines despite the fact that it is just an exhibition event. It often draws some of the best players in the world, and 2009 will be no different. The field of eight players will feature Roger Federer, James Blake, Stanislas Wawrinka, Fernando Gonzalez, Ernests Gulbis, Marcos Baghdatis, Marat Safin, and Marin Cilic.
Clearly, even though many tennis fans consider the Australian Open to be the true beginning of every season, a lot will be going on well before the curtain is raised in Melbourne. Led by the new and improved Australian Open Series, the first two weeks of 2009 will reveal a lot on both the men’s and women’s sides in terms of who is a contender for the Australian Open 2009 and who is just a pretender.
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Posted by Ricky on November 21, 2008
Andy Roddick has announced that fellow American Larry Stefanki will be his full-time coach on the ATP Tour, beginning in 2009.
The No. 8 player in the world had been working with Jimmy Connors until March of this season. Roddick fluctuated between No. 3 and No. 12 during his time with Connors, which began just prior to the U.S. Open in 2006. He dropped to 12th shortly thereafter, but stormed back to third in the spring and summer of 2007.
Brad Gilbert, who is now mostly known as a commentator, was Roddick’s long-time coach as the bright young star really emerged as a professional. The highlight of their partnership, of course, came when Roddick won the 2003 U.S. Open title, which is still his only Grand Slam championship. That propelled Roddick to the No. 1 ranking in the world, which he assumed in November of 2003. He only held onto it, however, until February of the next year. With the ensuing dominance of Roger Federer and the emergence of Rafael Nadal, Roddick has never been back to the top spot.
Gilbert, meanwhile, was not quite as successful with Andy Murray, with whom he split at the end of 2007. Their time together was marked by injuries and Murray taking his on-court anger out on his coach; before points, after points, and sometimes even during points. Murray, of course, is now far more productive and far more mature under new coach Miles Maclagan.
Roddick’s brother John, who was already a full-time traveler with the Roddick camp, took over, but that experiment ended over the summer. Patrick McEnroe helped Roddick out at the U.S. Open, where the 2003 Open champion was on the brink of the semifinals before losing to Novak Djokovic, but it never went beyond that.
Stefanki’s illustrious coaching history includes stints with John McEnroe, Marcelo Rios, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, and most recently Fernando Gonzalez, with whom he just parted ways at the end of the 2008 ATP season. Both Rios and Kafelnikov reached No. 1 in the world under Stefanki’s tutelage.
The highlight of Stefanki’s latest tenure came at the Australian Open 2007, when Gonzo took the tennis world by steam in reach the final, where he lost to Federer. En route, Gonzalez decimated James Blake, Tommy Haas, and Rafael Nadal.
As a player, Stefanki’s career-high ranking was No. 35 in the world and he won one singles title and three doubles titles before retiring in 1988.
“The timing of this exciting new partnership provides the duo (Roddick and Stefanki) the majority of the off-season to prepare for 2009,” explained a statement on Roddick’s website.
The fact that they will have almost two full months to work together before the curtain opens on next season will tell us a lot about how things are going at the Australian Open 2009. Will Roddick’s game look any different? Will his backhand see noticeable improvement? Will he develop a net game to the extent that it can become a weapon?
If Roddick and Stefanki can hammer out those kinks in relatively short time, it could pay huge dividends at the Australian Open. While Roddick should have at least a few very good years left in him, he is 26 years old and at this point in his career has to be thinking about winning another Grand Slam (or two) and becoming No. 1 in the world again (it would take a small miracle for the latter to become a reality). In order to set himself up well for contending for Grand Slams, Roddick needs to bring his ranking up from No. 8. At that position, he is liable to play Federer, Nadal, Novak Djokovic, or Andy Murray as early as the quarterfinals. That of course, is not an ideal situation.
The Australian Open 2009 will be key for Roddick, not to mention an outstanding opportunity to gain ranking points. That’s because Roddick lost in the third round this year, in an absolutely epic five-set match with Philipp Kohlschreiber. If Roddick and Stefanki can hit it off right away and really be firing on all cylinders come January, it will set Roddick up well for not only the year’s first Grand Slam, but also for the entire season.
Only time can tell whether or not a coaching move is good one, but right now it’s hard to find any fault with this one. Roddick has been stuck in neutral, so he really has nothing to lose. He needs some pep in his step, and given his new coach’s track record, he just might get it.
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Posted by Ricky on
Roger Federer has 57 career singles titles to his name. He has 13 Grand Slam titles, one shy of the all-time leader Peter Sampras.
But Federer is not No. 1 in the world. He held the top spot, incredibly, from the first week of February 2004 until August 2008. Now Rafael Nadal is the top-ranked player in tennis. Federer, meanwhile is 27 years old. With more than a month to go until the start of the next ATP season, one of the main questions until then will be whether or not the Swiss will ever regain his No. 1 ranking.
A number of important people in the world of tennis have weighed in on the issue, including Federer himself.
“I obviously have a little bit of mixed feelings at the end of the season,” said the Swiss. “But I think it gives me the opportunity to start over all new again next year. I need to take a good rest and plan things for next year. I need to prepare well and I know I can get better.”
More importantly, he added, “My target is to regain the No 1 ranking and win more Grand Slam titles than Sampras. “To be two, three, four, five, 25, it doesn’t really matter a whole lot. It’s either No. 1 or being in the main draw.”
Federer also said that the sound of being No. 2 is just weird, and he will use it as motivation to seize the No. 1 spot in 2009. “It doesn’t change a whole lot, I just don’t like the ring of it when I’m being introduced on Centre Court saying, ‘and this is the number two in the world,’” he explained. “It just sounds wrong. Either I’m number one or I’m a grand slam champion, but I’m not number two. It just sounds a bit awkward for me because I’ve been up there for so, so long,” he said. It sounds unfamiliar but at the same time it is a challenge to get back where I was and I think next year will be a good chance.”
Andy Murray, who finished runner-up to Federer at this year’s U.S. Open and won the Masters Series Madrid to cement his firm place in the Top 4, agrees that Federer has a good chance of becoming No. 1 again. The Scot really thinks, however, that both Federer and Nadal will be tough to overcome.
“I don’t see a whole lot of weaknesses,” Murray said of the top two players’ games. “Federer is, I’m sure, going to want to try to get his No. 1 back, and I’m sure he’s going to want to try and regain his Wimbledon trophy. Nadal, now that he’s won Wimbledon, the French, I’m sure he’s gonna give it his best effort to get ready for Australia and US Open are going to be huge for him. They’re definitely going to be top five next year. Probably 1 and 2 again. They’re playing that well and that consistently all the time.
“I think Nadal and Federer are much, much better on other surfaces than I am,” admitted Murray. “I know I need to improve my clay-court game and my grass-court game next year. I think on hard [surfaces] I’m not that far behind them but I know on the other surfaces I’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Tim Henman, who retired in 2007, thinks Murray is on his way to the No. 1 ranking in the world.
“Andy is going to achieve bigger and better things than I ever did, and I’m really pleased for him,” said the Brit. “I believe that, if Andy stays fit and healthy, there’s a chance he will go on to become the world number one.”
Henman added, “He has been playing such great tennis since Wimbledon and has picked up so many points that he is now closing in on (Novak) Djokovic, the world number three. And maybe he will go on to overtake (Rafael) Nadal and (Roger) Federer as well. There is a lot of tough competition at the top now as Nadal, Federer and Djokovic are great players - but I think that Andy can get to number one.”
Former tennis great Stefan Edberg, who won six Grand Slam titles, thinks that there is life in Federer yet. “I would say it is nice for Federer to have such a season as he must have realized the need to be more offensive in his game,” said the Swede, whose illustrious career came to an end in 1996. “He has to play more serve and volley and get in more variation so that he can come back to where he was.
“Players have realized that he is beatable, but they have to consider that he is still among the best players tennis has ever had. Obviously, things will be tougher for him, but he still has a few more years to go and during this time he will pick up a couple more Grand Slams.”
We’ll have a better idea of Federer’s chances to take back the top spot with the beginning of the Australian Open 2009, where his quest to get it back will resume. It’s a good opportunity for Federer to make up some points in the rankings, because earlier this year he lost to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. Nadal also only made it to the semifinals, but it’s no certainty that Nadal will make it that far again since the Australian Open is contested on hard courts. Furthermore, Nadal has never even made it to the final, while Federer has hoisted the trophy three times. Assuming mononucleosis does not derail Federer’s chances as it did in 2008, look for Federer to get off to a roaring start following a nice two-month offseason.
“I need to get things in order right from the Australian Open, a great start would boost my confidence but it will be a tough tournament with the other guys also trying to do the same.”
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Posted by Ricky on November 17, 2008
Novak Djokovic won bookend titles this year, starting the season with a somewhat improbable Australian Open 2008 title and ending with a triumph at the Masters Cup on Sunday.
It’s safe to say the first of those two titles was easier. Djokovic did not lose a single set en route to the Australian Open final. He took out Benjamin Becker 6-0, 6-2, 7-6(5), Simone Bolelli 6-1, 6-2, 6-2, Sam Querrey 6-3, 6-1, 6-3, Lleyton Hewitt 7-5, 6-3, 6-3, David Ferrer 6-0, 6-3, 7-5, and Roger Federer 7-5, 6-3, 7-6(5).
The competition was clearly not easy and Federer made Djokovic work extremely hard to finish that semifinal in straight sets, but winning eighteen out of eighteen sets on your way to the final is about as routine as it gets. Surprising finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga put an end to that streak swiftly and decisively in the title match. The Frenchman took the first set 6-4, but he could not sustain that level of play. Djokovic eventually prevailed 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(2) in three hours and five minutes for his first Grand Slam trophy.
The Serb had no such easy time of it last week in Shanghai. He opened round-robin play in the gold group relatively comfortable straight-set victory over Juan Martin Del Potro. Two days later, Djokovic faced a much more difficult test. Eventual runner-up Nikolay Davydenko stormed back from a one-set deficit to take the second in stunning 6-0 fashion before extending the third to 5-5. Djokovic survived, however, by winning the last two games of the match.
Although already assured of a semifinal spot, Djokovic wanted to cap off round-robin play by getting revenge on Tsonga, who had beaten him on two recent occasions; first in the Bangkok title match and again on the way to Tsonga’s emotional title at the Masters Series Paris. Well, Djokovic looked like he was interested in winning at least for a while. He won the first set and had Tsonga in the ropes on the second, but eventually dropped it 7-5 to even the match. After that, Djokovic seemed to lack motivation to use energy. He all but conceded the match to Tsonga, losing the third 6-1.
Having played eight sets in three matches (almost equal to his sets-to-matches ratio after three rounds at the Australian Open despite the fact that Grand Slams play three-out-of-five!), Djokovic was nowhere near his best in a grueling semifinal struggle against Gilles Simon. Nobody in Australian Open battled Djokovic the way Simon did on Saturday. After the Frenchman won the first set, it became a clash of physical stamina and will. Simon was dealing with a neck injury while Djokovic endured off-and-on cramps. The world No. 3 had a chance to end the proceedings when he served for a spot in the final at 5-4 in the third, but a devastating double-fault handed Simon the break. Nonetheless, Djokovic picked himself off the floor once again to ultimately prevail 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in two hours and 52 minutes.
Djokovic raised his level to make the final against Davydenko one of his easiest outings of the tournament. He won 6-1, 7-5 in one hour and 43 minutes. Despite the straightforward title match, it’s apparent that this was by far the more routine of Djokovic’s two huge titles in 2008.
While the part in between (the Australian Open and the Masters Cup) was inconsistent if not all-around disappointing for Djokovic (especially a stunning loss to Marat Safin at Wimbledon), starting the year with the Australian Open title and ending with the Masters Cup title is an extraordinary feat. It’s an extraordinary feat that begs the question: will Djokovic be able to carry this momentum from the Masters Cup to win back-to-back titles in Australia?
Prior to the Masters Cup, it looked like Federer, Andy Murray, and Rafael Nadal would arrive Down Under as the main pre-tournament favorites. The defending champion, after all, had relegated himself to almost second-tier status with a late-season slide. Now, however, everything has changed. Djokovic, Federer, Murray, and Nadal should go into the Australian Open as the four clear-cut favorites, yet without one of the four particularly ahead of or behind any other. Djokovic should have just as good a chance of capturing his second Aussie crows as Federer has of winning his fourth, just as good a chance as Nadal has of winning his maiden Aussie Open title, and just as good a chance as Murray has of winning is first.
One glaring concern prior to Shanghai was Djokovic’s confidence (or lack thereof), but obviously his psyche will be restored by the developments in Shanghai. Furthermore, he is returning to the site of his greatest triumph as a tennis player. You cannot underestimate the significance of returning to a place that harbors such great memories. Finally, none of the other top players in the world look overly daunting (as Federer was until this year) heading into 2009. Federer is no longer as dominant as he once was, world No. 1 Nadal has never been lights on hard courts and has never made it past the Australian Open semifinals, and Murray has never won a Grand Slam.
Is this Djokovic’s chance to go back-to-back Down Under? Is this is chance to overtake Federer as the No. 2 player in the world and gain ground on Nadal? Djokovic made progress in that department at the Masters Cup, especially since Federer lost a boatload of points since the Swiss was the defending champion? Federer and Nadal are defending semifinal points the Australian Open, but Djokovic, of course, is defending far more points as champion.
The pressure is on. Will Djokovic be ready to deliver? One week ago I would have said no without hesitation. But the Masters Cup title sets him up perfectly for the Australian Open 2009.
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Posted by Ricky on November 16, 2008
Andy Murray’s brilliant 2008 season ended a little bit prematurely when he lost to Nikolay Davydenko 7-5, 6-2 in the semifinals of the Masters Cup on Saturday. A herculean effort in a round-robin win over Roger Federer probably crippled Murray’s chances heading into the knockout stage. The Scot just did not have enough left in the tank.
While it means Murray is out of the tournament earlier than he would have liked, it also means his next stop in the Australian Open 2009.
Murray is currently even (approximately) with Rafael Nadal as the second favorite behind Roger Federer to capture next year’s first Grand Slam title. Plenty of fans, no doubt, think Murray is the absolute favorite to capture the trophy Down Under.
It’s not because of his Australian Open history. Murray lost in the first round of his maiden appearance in 2006, reached the fourth round in 2007, and fell in the first round again in 2008. In fairness to the Scot, he had to play eventual runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the opener this season.
Furthermore, Murray’s past history should have little to no bearing on his 2009 result, as he is a completely different player now than he was during any previous visit to Melbourne. Even though Murray lost to Davydenko, he deserves a break since he was clearly worn out from his epic win over Federer in round-robin play on Friday. Therefore, it is still easy to make an argument that the world No. 4 is the hottest player on the ATP Tour at the moment. He won consecutive Masters Series titles in Cincinnati and Madrid, reached the final of the U.S. Open, and went 3-0 in round-robin play this week before bowing out of Shanghai.
Murray has also established himself as a clutch Grand Slam performer, something he had not done prior to any of his Australian Open appearances. At Wimbledon this summer, he was down two sets and a break to Richard Gasquet and the Frenchman even served for the match during the third set. Murray, however, stormed back to post a memorable five-set win before reaching the quarterfinals, where he finally fell to Nadal. At the U.S. Open two months later, Murray got revenge against Nadal en route to the title match, where Federer got the best of him for the Swiss’ fifth straight championship in Flushing Meadows.
The hard courts of the Australian Open should also work in Murray’s favor. The Scot is a force on all surfaces, but the slow hard courts in Australia should be perfect for his extraordinary combination of offense and defense. They are slow enough so that huge servers will not be able to overpower Murray, and instead will be at the mercy of the Murray return, which is arguably the best in tennis. At the same time, they are fast enough for Murray’s lethal backhand to give more defensive players serious trouble. We saw that in a nutshell against Nadal in the U.S. Open semifinals.
More good news for Murray is that he should be seeded in the top four at the Australian Open 2009 and therefore will avoid Federer, Nadal, and Novak Djokovic at least until the final weekend. That would give Murray an outstanding chance of reaching the semifinals…at the very least. Can he win the whole thing? Most definitely. We have seen what happens when Murray gets hot. The question is can he pick up right where he left off in 2008 despite the two-month layoff during the off-season. The prediction here is that Federer, who has now lost to Murray twice in-a-row, will come out motivated to regain his No. 1 ranking next season. What better way to get that quest started than by getting some revenge on Murray? Depending on the draw, that will either take place in the Australian Open 2009 semifinals or final.
Stay tuned. It’s not far away.
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Posted by Ricky on November 14, 2008
Round-robin play has concluded at the year-end Masters Cup and that means there are four men left standing after another long, grueling season in 2008: Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Nikolay Davydenko, and Gilles Simon.
Will the Final 4 be able to repeat their performances at the Australian Open 2009 to become the last four at next season’s first Grand Slam? Let’s took a look at their chances.
Novak Djokovic
Current Ranking: 3
Australian Open history: 2005 first round, 2006 first round, 2007 fourth round, 2008 champion
Best Grand Slam result: Champion (Australian Open 2008)
Djokovic, of course, will go to Melbourne as the defending Australian Open champion. His confidence, by that time should, be definitely be restored following a recent late-season slide for a number of seasons. First, he is returning to the site of his greatest triumph. Second, he is in the Masters Cup semifinals as the No. 1 seed out of the gold group following round-robin play. Finally, none of the top players look that daunting heading into 2009. Roger Federer is no longer as dominant as he once was, world No. 1 Rafael Nadal has never been lights on hard courts and has never made it past the Australian Open semifinals, and Andy Murray has never won a Grand Slam. Furthermore, Djokovic is firmly entrenched in the Top 4 of the rankings, so will not play Federer, Nadal, or Murray at any point before the semifinals of the Australian Open 2009. The Serb should be counted on to make it back to the last four.
Andy Murray
Current Ranking: 4
Australian Open history: 2006 first round, 2007 fourth round, 2008 first round
Best Grand Slam result: Runner-up (U.S. Open 2008)
Murray’s Australian Open history is nothing to write home about, but he is a completely different player now than he was during any of his three previous appearances Down Under. Plus, he had to play eventual finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the first round this year. Right now, however, there is nobody hotter than Murray on the ATP right now. He won consecutive Masters Series titles in Cincinnati and Madrid, reached the final of the U.S. Open, and is now in the semifinals of the Masters Cup with an undefeated round-robin record. The Scot is a force on all surfaces, but the slow hard courts at the Australian Open should be perfect for his extraordinary combination of offense and defense. Like Djokovic, he will be seeded in the top four and therefore will avoid Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic at least until the final weekend. Anything less than a semifinal performance would be a major disappointment for Murray, and he is probably the favorite to win the entire thing.
Nikolay Davydenko
Current Ranking: 5
Australian Open history: 2001 second round, 2002 first round, 2003 first round, 2004 second round, 2005 quarterfinals, 2006 quarterfinals, 2007 quarterfinals, 2008 fourth round
Best Grand Slam result: Semifinals (four different occasions)
Davydenko has been one of the most consistent players in tennis the past four seasons, and it has showed at the Australian Open. He reached three straight quarterfinals between 2005 and 2007 and made it to the fourth round this season. For the most part Davydenko has struggled to beat the very top players, but he finally showed he is capable of winning huge titles when he hoisted the Masters Series Miami trophy earlier this year. The Russian drubbed Nadal in straight sets in the Miami title match. Davydenko slumped for much of the season, but he now finds himself in the semifinals of the Masters Cup. That should give him a piece of mind in the off-season and provide him with plenty of confidence heading into the Australian Open. The hard courts there should be perfect for the world No. 5 to make another deep run. Fast courts allow big servers to overpower Davydenko, while clay-court specialists can get the best of him on the dirt. One problem for Davydenko, however, is he is no longer a stalwart of the Top 3 or 4. Barring an early upset, he will have to play either Federer, Djokovic, Nadal, or Murray before the semifinals. Nonetheless, he still could have one more run left in him to the last four of a Grand Slam.
Gilles Simon
Current Ranking: 9
Australian Open history: 2006 third round, 2007 first round, 2008 first round
Best Grand Slam result: Third Round (four different occasions)
Simon’s history at the Australian Open (not to mention his entire Grand Slam history) does not bode well for his chances of reaching the Aussie Open semifinals next season. The Frenchman has never won more than two matches at any Grand Slam event. Nonetheless, Simon has only played in one (the 2008 U.S. Open) since becoming the “new” Simon, and in that tournament he had to play on-fire Juan Martin Del Potro in the third round. The “old” Simon was the player who was a relative no-name until the middle part of this season. The “new” Simon is the player who won a title in Indianapolis, reached the semifinals of the Masters Series Canada, reached the final of the Masters Series Madrid, and now finds himself in the semifinals of the Masters Cup. The slow hard courts of Melbourne should be perfect for Simon, who lives with his defense and can sometimes get overpowered by bigger hitters on fast hard courts and grass. Whether or not he can make it to the semifinals, however, probably will depend on the draw. He will be seeded in the top eight, meaning he won’t play one of the top four until the quarterfinals. Of the four, being in the same quarter as Djokovic or Rafael Nadal will give Simon the best chance of making the last four. Then again, he beat Federer twice in 2008, so who knows!
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Posted by Ricky on
Juan Martin Del Potro lost to Nikolay Davydenko 6-3, 6-2 on Thursday in round-robin play at the Masters Cup. With both men entering the contest at 1-1 marks, the outcome decided which one would advance to the Shanghai semifinals. As a result, Davydenko moves on as the No. 2 seed out of the gold group behind Novak Djokovic, while Del Potro’s season ends.
Make that Del Potro’s regular season. He is key component of Argentina’s Davis Cup team, which will host Spain for the 2009 title the weekend after the Masters Cup. Del Potro was a perfect 2-0 in singles rubbers (with wins over Davydenko and Igor Andreev) during Argentina’s semifinal victory over Russia in September. His straight-set drubbing of Andreev came in a decisive fifth rubber.
After the Davis Cup final, it will be onwards and upwards to the Australian Open 2009 for Del Potro following, of course, a brief but well-deserved off-season.
As good as Del Potro was in 2008, question marks still hover over the 20-year-old heading into next year’s first Grand Slam. Del Potro started this season in relatively lackluster form before surging to four straight tournament titles in between Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. He did not lose a single match in that span. Still, the competition during that run was less than stellar. Del Potro beat Richard Gasquet in the Stuttgart final, but Gasquet suffered a mostly brutal 2008 campaign. In Kitzbuhel one week later, the best players Del Potro beat were Victor Hanescu and Jurgen Melzer. He took out Andy Roddick in the Los Angeles final, but Roddick was in miserable summer form until reaching the U.S. Open quarterfinals. Del Potro’s most impressive win in Washington, D.C. came over Tommy Haas in the semifinals, after which he went on to defeat Viktor Troicki in the title match. All in all, that’s some rather unimposing competition en route to four titles.
That brings us to the still-lingering question: can Del Potro produce similar results in Grand Slams and against the best players tennis has to offer? Can he beat the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Djokovic, and Andy Murray? Can he do it when the stage is bigger and the pressure higher?
We will find out at the upcoming Australian Open, but thus far the answer has been no. This year, Del Potro lost in the second round of the Australian Open (to David Ferrer), the French Open (to Simone Bolelli), and Wimbledon (to Stanislas Wawrinka). He reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open to cap off his awesome summer streak, but he almost lost to Gilles Simon in the third round (won 6-3 in the fifth set) and then bowed out to eventual runner-up Murray in the quarters. In 2007 he went out in the second round in Australia, first round of the French Open, second round at Wimbledon, and third round at the U.S. Open. A year earlier he lost in the first round of both the French and U.S. Opens. Sure, Del Potro is still just 20-years-old, but his Grand Slam history is nothing to write home about.
Will all of that change at the Australian Open 2009? It’s a definite possibility, as Del Potro has all the tools to hang with the big boys. He stands 6’6’’ and moves quite well for a man of the size. The No. 8 player in the world hits heavy groundstrokes off both wings and his backhand is especially rock-solid.
The scary thing about Del Potro is there is still a ton of room for improvement. His serve is good, but far from spectacular considering how tall he is. It can—and will—get better in a hurry. Furthermore, Del Potro does not like to come into net. With his size, wingspan, and big shots from the baseline, however, that is something he needs to do as often as possible. Once he adds a net game into his arsenal, he will be lethal.
Del Potro is coached by Franco Davin, who guided veteran Argentine Gaston Gaudio to a shocking Grand Slam title at the French Open in 2004. Will Davin be able to work similar magic with Del Potro? We will get a good idea of how hard they work during the off-season when Del Potro arrives at the Australian Open (although he is also scheduled to play the Heineken Open tune-up in order to get ready). Serves, volleys, and a slightly more consistent forehand should be tops on the to-do list between now and mid-January.
While the Grand Slam questions remain, with just a little improvement, Del Potro can be a major player at next season’s Australian Open.
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Posted by Ricky on November 13, 2008
Perennial world No. 1 Roger Federer finally lost his perch atop the rankings to Rafael Nadal this summer, and his quest to re-establish himself as the best tennis player in the world will begin in earnest at the 2009 Australian Open.
It’s a good opportunity for Federer to make up some points in the rankings, because earlier this year he lost to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. That means he is only defending semifinal points, so a title Down Under would more than overcome the points that will come off the board at the end of the tournament. Nadal, however, also only made it to the semifinals, so he has a chance to increase his total as well. But the general consensus is that Federer will have an easier time of it at the Australian Open since the event is contested on hard courts. Federer has hoisted the trophy three times, while Nadal has never made it to the final. Nadal would do well just to defend his points, whereas for Federer it would be a disappointment if he did not make it past the semis.
It is also a good opportunity for Federer to distance himself from current No. 3 Djokovic, who was rapidly gaining ground on the Swiss until a late-season slump put a dent in his progress. In Shanghai, however, Djokovic has already qualified for the semifinals, so he will see a jump in his points when the new rankings come out on Monday. The Serb failed to win a single round-robin match at the 2007 Masters Cup, so he has no points to defend. Federer on the other hand, is the defending champion in Shanghai, so he needs to successfully defend the title just to maintain his point total. That does not mean, however, that Federer is unable to gain ground on Nadal. Quite the contrary! Nadal won two round-robin matches at least year’s Masters Cup, so he will lose those points since he did not attend this season’s year-end event. The Spaniard has been suffering from knee tendinitis which also forced him out of a Paris semifinal match against Nikolay Davydenko and will keep him away from his country’s Davis Cup final against Argentina later this month.
As it stands right now with the Masters Cup still in progress, Nadal leads the way with 6675 points. Djokovic is considerably closer to Federer than Federer is to Nadal at the moment. The Serb has 4645 points; Federer has 5205.
The ATP Tour is changing its points system for 2009, generally doubling the point values that were awarded this year. But that does not change the basic idea that each player needs to reach the same round of a tournament he did in the previous year in order to maintain the same amount of points relative to other players. Djokovic has 1000 points to defend from his Australian Open 2008 title. If he fails to win it again and, for example, either Nadal, Federer, or Andy Murray wins the title, Djokovic will lose ground to at least one of his main rivals.
Murray stands as the player with the most to gain heading into the Australian Open because he lost in the very first round to eventual runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga this season. It’s Federer, however, who really has a chance to make a statement that he is going after No. 1.
And there’s no reason to think he won’t. Federer won three straight Australian Open championships between 2005 and 2007. He took out Marat Safin in 2004, dispatched surprising finalist Marcos Baghdatis in 2006, and defeated another surprising finalist, Fernando Gonzalez, in 2007. This season it was mononucleosis as much as Djokovic that derailed Federer’s Australian Open campaign in the semifinals. It was clear things weren’t completely right when the Swiss went to 10-8 in the fifth set with Janko Tipsarevic in the third round. Federer was not even close to the normal Federer until very late in the spring, when he started a run that included titles in Estoril and Halle and runner-up finishes in Monte-Carlo, Hamburg, Roland Garros, and at Wimbledon.
At the Australian Open 2009, Federer should be suffering no such physical problems. He is still not as dominant as he once was, but he turned his 2008 campaign around with Olympic gold in doubles and a fifth straight U.S. Open title. At the moment he is one win away from reaching the Masters Cup semifinals, but that win needs to come over Murray. After this week, Federer will have two months to rest and get his somewhat-hampered lower back (which forced him out of Paris and almost kept him out of Shanghai) in perfect shape in time for the Australian Open.
This time around it could be Nadal facing the injury questions in Australia. He will have had more than two months his rest his knee by the time the first Grand Slam of 2009 begins, but you just never know with tendinitis. Injuries are becoming a major cloud of the Spanish sensation, and while he will almost certainly be able to play Down Under, being 100 percent is a different story.
A healthy and well-rested Federer in Australia will be able to send a loud and clear message to Nadal, Djokovic, Murray, and the rest of the ATP Tour’s contenders that he is out to get back what has been rightfully his: the No. 1 ranking.
It won’t be easy, but the Australian Open will be the perfect place to start.
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Posted by Ricky on
Throughout most of the 1990s, you could all but hand the Australian Open trophy to Andre Agassi, and during most of the 2000s, Roger Federer winning the title was a foregone conclusion. In 2008, however, the landscape of tennis changed. Gone are the days when only two or three men have realistic championship aspirations. A new era in which any number of players could conceivably make runs to Grand Slam titles is upon us. The first Grand Slam of 2009 is only two months away, so let’s take a look at the top contenders for the upcoming Australian Open.
Rafael Nadal – Knee tendinitis forced Nadal to withdraw during his semifinal match against Nikolay Davydenko at the Masters Series Paris, and it has since forced him out of both the Masters Cup and Spain’s Davis Cup final against Argentina. When the world No. 1 was healthy in 2008, however, he won almost everything. The Spaniard captured his fourth French Open, first Wimbledon, and also added Olympic gold in singles. Nadal reached the Australian Open semifinals last year and the hard courts there are slower than those of the United States, so another impressive performance should be expected.
Roger Federer – The Swiss lost his No. 1 ranking to Nadal and his quest to regain it will get underway at the Aussie Open. Federer reached the semifinals last season before a loss to Novak Djokovic ended his three-year reign. Assuming Federer’s back is well-rested by January and he is completely healthy (unlike in 2008), he will have a great chance of taking back the title.
Andy Murray – There is nobody hotter on the ATP right now. Murray won consecutive Masters Series titles in Cincinnati and Madrid, reached the final of the U.S. Open, and is now in the semifinals of the Masters Cup. The Scot had to play eventual runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the first round Down Under last year, but he will not let another first-round defeat take place. Anything less than a semifinal performance at the 2009 Aussie Open would be a major disappointment.
Novak Djokovic – The Serb went through a dismal slump after the U.S. Open, but he seems to be back on track at the Masters Cup, where he has already qualified for the semifinals. That should give him confidence heading into 2009, and returning to the site of his first Grand Slam victory will certainly offer additional inspiration. Djokovic will have a great chance of defending the title.
Other contenders include Tsonga, Andy Roddick, and Juan Martin Del Potro. As we saw last year in Australia, when Tsonga gets on a roll, he is almost impossible to stop. Roddick has never performed up to expectations Down Under, but his serve always gives him a chance in any hard-court tournament. Del Potro took the tennis world by storm this summer, winning four straight tournaments in between Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. A Tsonga-like run from the Argentine at the 2009 Australian Open would not be surprising.
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