The second day at Wimbledon featured the 1st round match-ups for players in the bottom half of the draw.
The bounce of the ball has been quite high at SW19 but perhaps that might not be the only scenery worthy of note as there seems to have been an installation of the installed high-speed rail as Seppi, Federer, Alexandr Dolgopolov, Kvitova, Kerber and a host of others raced through their openers.
Defending champion, Petra Kvitova continued from where she left off on Centre Court, breezing past the challenge of Kiki Bertens in 35 minutes. Angelique Kerber played a perfect match against Carina Witthoeft without losing a game. Another fast one was the victory of Agnieszka Radwanska over Lucie Hradecka.
Following the high profile loss of Carla Suarez Navarro on Monday, it was to be seen whether the upsets were ready to roll in at the All England Club. The big upsets came to town in the women’s draw Tuesday as one-time Slam finalists Simona Halep and Eugenie Bouchard blew their hopes of making their major breakthrough at SW19.
Simona Halep lost in three sets to “lowly” Jana Cepelova while last year finalist fell after a dismal performance to a largely unknown Ying-Ying Daun.
Elsewhere, there were wins for Caroline Wozniacki, Ekaterina Makarova, Alize Cornet, Sabine Lisicki, Heather Watson, Timea Bacsinszky, Garbine Muguruza, Casey Dellacqua, Monica Niculescu, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Silvia Soler, Denisa Allertova and Camila Giorgi among a few others.
In the men’s draw, RogerFederer needed 68 minutes as he made a perfect start to his quest for an unprecedented 8th Wimbledon title. The second seeded Swiss recorded a 6-1 6-3 6-3 win over Damir Dzumhur.
Home favourite, Andy Murray had no troubles as he won in straight sets to see off the threat of Mikhail Kukushkin while two-time winner, Rafael Nadal was in great form as he dispatched Thomaz Bellucci in straight sets. Alexandr Dolgopolov had little time to spare, racing into the second round with a 7-6 6-1 6-2 win over Kyle Edmund. The likes of Roberto Baustista, Andreas Seppi, Benoit Paire, Fabio Fognini, Gilles Simon and Jiri Vesely also recorded comfortable straight sets wins.
Tomas Berdych booked a second round pass seeing off Jeremy Chardy in fourth sets, coping with the darkness whie Jo-Wilfred Tsonga also needed four sets to overcome Gilles Muller.
Borna Coric registered his first win at Wimbledon after seeing off Sergiy Stakovsky in five sets.
There were wins as well for Ivo Karlovic, Samuel Groth, James Duckworth, Albert Ramos, Gael Monfils, James Ward, Feliciano Lopez, Viktor Triocki, Vasek Pospisil, Dustin Brown and a few others.
American Jack Sock was the biggest casualty in the men’s draw; losing out to Samuel Groth.
2nd round action in the top half of each draw is slated for Wednesday, 1st July, 2015. Enjoy!
The first day of action at the All England Club offered tennis at its entertaining best. Here is a succinct review of how the duels panned out.
World No. 1 and defending champion, Novak Djokovic, albeit several sloppy moments for his standards, saw off the hitherto potentially dangerous first round clash against Philip Kohlschreiber. It was like Novak was playing Tarot as the number “10”regarded as card of the wheel of fortune was key to his victory. The German had the challenge of serving to stay in each of the three sets, all three coming in the 10th game of each set and on each occasion, the German failed to hold serve. Djokovic, who was broken once in the fifth game of the third set when he was a break ahead, triumphed 6-4 6-4 6-4.
Maybe sloppiness was the theme for players ranked No. 1 today as Serena Williams overcame a sloppy start, which saw her broken in the first game of the match against Gasparyan, to run 6-4 6-1 winner over the qualifier.
The match-up between Liam Broady and Marinko Matosevic lasted over three hours and was drama-packed. The former went down two sets to love but showed incredible courage to fight back and win in five sets in what represents his first 5-set duel in a Grand slam tourney much to the delight of the home crowd. It ended 5-7 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-3.
Another five-set encounter was served to the audience at SW19 by the veteran duo of Lleyton Hewitt and Jarkko Nieminen. These two had a lot in common. Both, 34years of age, were making their last appearances at Wimbledon; pretty much explains the source of the hunger to hang in on till the end. It was Nieminen that took the decider.
As Bastian Schweinsteiger watched on, Ana Ivanovic raced through her match against Yi-Fan Xu dropping only two games; 6-1 6-1.
Elsewhere in the men’s draw, there were wins for Stanislas Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori, Milos Raonic, Grigor Dimitrov, John Isner, Marin Cilic, Kevin Anderson, David Goffin, Dominc Thiem, Bernard Tomic, Tommy Haas and Richard Gasquet amongst others. Fernando Verdasco survived the threat of Martin Klizan in five sets.
In the women’s draw, Maria Sharapova, Kirsten Flipkens, Victoria Azarenka, Sara Errani, Venus Williams, Samantha Stosur, Urszula Radwanksa, Sloane Stephens, Lucie Safarova, Andrea Petkovic and Belinda Bencic amidst others coped well with the differing challenge posed by their first round opponents.
The match between Heather Watson and Caroline Garcia was tied at one-set all when it was suspended for play to resume Tuesday due to bad light.
There was no big casualty on the first day at SW19. First round action continues Tuesday with the likes of Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Tomas Berdych, Rafael Nadal, Simona Halep kick-starting their Wimbledon, 2015 campaign. It promises more drama. Enjoy!
At the season-ending tournament in London, the second round of matches in both groups has been concluded with Novak Djokovic’s demolition of Stanislas Wawrinka on Wednesday night. Federer has been in the grove while Novak Djokovic has been on fire. One of the most interesting features of the singles encounters so far decided is that no match has been decided in three sets; in fact, no match has been fiercely contested.The first match of the tourney saw Kei Nishikori topping Andy Murray 6-4, 6-4. The second match of the day saw Roger Federer exert sweet revenge on Raonic following his loss to him in Paris. The 17-time major winner saw off the young Canadian 6-1, 7-6(0).
In Group A’s opener, Stanislas Wawrinka was in devastating form as he blitzed through his duel with Tomas Berdych dropping only two games; 6-1, 6-1. Novak Djokovic must have been jealous of the Swiss’ feat and finished off Marin Cilic, the US Open Champion, in similar fashion; 6-1, 6-1.’
The first of the second round of matches in Group B featured the winners of Sunday’s matches and Roger Federer demonstrated his superiority over Nishikori winning 6-3, 6-2. In the night’s session, Andy Murray, in what has thus far remained the most competitive of matches at the 02 Arena, saw off Milos Raonic in straights sets; 6-3, 7-5. In Group A, Tomas Berdych revived the hopes of qualification by sweeping aside Marin Cilic 6-3, 6-1. In what was anticipated as the blockbuster thus far, Novak Djokovic firmly displayed his dominance by hammering Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3, 6-0. Dominance as depicted by the rankings? The players at the tourney are ranked as shown below.
Novak Djokovic
Roger Federer
Stanislas Wawrinka
Kei Nishikori
Andy Murray
Tomas Berdych
Milos Raonic
Marin Cilic
Perhaps, the most intriguing of facts thus far is that no player has beaten an opponent ranked above him (you can do a check with the round up and the rankings). Ever questioned the credibility of the ATP rankings? The ATP defines the rankings as “… the merit-based objective method…” and this stance is quite unquestionable, at least as the displays thus far at the 02 Arena suggest. It is settled that in a tennis match, like the game of thrones, ‘there is no middle ground’ and the ATP rankings provide the hierarchy. However, the reality is that the hierarchy has never been the static reflection of the abilities of players. Otherwise, the lads battling at the 02 would never have been there. In fact, a Roger Federer would never have risen atop the pack and the Serb, who rules at the moment, won’t be in the race to end the season as number 1 for the third time. It’s high time a remainder was posted that the beauty of sports, sometimes, is found in upsets. If the routine thus far remains the governing norm at the 02, then there is no stopping Novak Djokovic’s triumph over Roger Federer in the final come the 16th day of November. On the 7th of September, Novak Djokovic was brought down to planet earth in shocking fashion by Kei Nishikori in their semi-final match at Flushing Meadows. The 14th ranked Marin Cilic, who emerged Champion at the US Open made it to the final after stunning a certain Roger Federer in straight sets. Wawrinka was king at Aussie Open crushing Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Wawrinka has on several occasions this season fallen to opponents ranked outside the top 20 this season and Federer suffered a fourth round loss at Roland Garros in the hands of Ernest Gulbis; upsets are part of the game and will be around forever. What is unknown is if they will spring up at the 02 and how soon they really will.
Stanislas Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori and Marin Cilic have each branded this ‘season career-best’ thus far. I am pretty sure same goes for Milos. I am more certain their bests have not come by an allegiance to keeping the hierarchical order on the South African Airway Rankings. Let’s get the upsets shows on! Till then, enjoy!
It is the season-ending tourney where the ATP World Tour Rankings’ top Eight (8) players at the end of an always fun-filled, gruelling and brutally scheduled ATP season battle it all out for the crown at the 02 Arena between the 9th day of November and the 16th day of November, 2014. It is the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and this piece previews and predicts the robin round matches of Group A which features Novak Djokovic, Stanislas Wawrinka, Tomas Berdych and Marin Cilic; you can as well bank on it to be a great showpiece. Group A is the group for the Slam winners this year. Group B does not feature a winner of a major in 2014. The only slam conqueror absent from Group A, Rafael Nadal, is absent from the tourney all together. The chances of each player to progress from the group stage are presently considered. These are the best guys on tour and be sure to be served the best of tennis over the course of the coming week.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC
He has undoubtedly been the best player on tour for the past four seasons since his amazing breakthrough year in 2011. The Serb became a father recently and what effect fatherhood would have on the gluten-free World No. 1 is as yet unclear as life itself. It is still early days but if his form at the Paris Masters, his first tournament after Stephan’s birth, is anything to go buy, there could just be an unlikely extra motivational weapon added to the arsenal of the mentally-astute man from Belgrade. Another point worthy of note is that he is still in the battle with Roger Federer to end the year as No. 1 though it is pretty much closer to being in the bag after his triumph in Paris.
With Djokovic head-to-head record against his group opponents, it would seem improbable as it sounds that the two-time defending champion will fail to make it to out of the group stage. He holds a flawless 10-0 lead over Marin Cilic, 15-3 advantage over Stanislas Wawrinka as well as a whooping 16-2 record over Tomas Berdych. The sum total is a 41-5 advantage over his group opponents; Quite massive? He has won the tourney on three occasions, the last two years and the 2009 event. Also, the 27-year old in on a 27-match win streak indoors and with Wimbledon, five other titles including his recent conquest at the Paris Masters and a 57-8 match record to show for his efforts so far this year, it is highly impossible to predict that he would stumble on his path to the semis.
STANISLAS WAWRINKA
The 29-year old will be hoping to cap up a year which started out amazingly for him in the most befitting fashion. His total head-to-head against the group which stands at 19-22 is at deficit largely due to 15 losses suffered against a certain Novak Djokovic. He holds a surplus with his 9-5 match record over Tomas Berdych while he enjoys a 7-2 advantage over Marin Cilic. He has an incredibly brilliant 6-1 record over top 10 opponents this season but has struggled to bring the goods against players of lower rankings. Well, he is saved that trouble for now.
The Swiss comes to London for the 2nd time and second consecutive year, despite the inconsistent displays that have plagued his season, on the back of a successful campaign with 3 titles in the bag underlined by his triumphs at the Australian Open and Monte Carlo. The Davis Cup finalist also won the Chennai title and holds a 36-15 record on tour. The Swiss needs to rediscover his early season form to stand any chance of progressing. Last year, it was a semi-final finish which was ended by Novak Djokovic, the eventual champion. It is hard to tell which of the “Stans” will show up in London; the erratic Stan or the champion at “Down Under”?
TOMAS BERDYCH
The Czech is in London for the fifth straight year and enters the draw on the back of a largely frustrating campaign with a 54-20 match record and two titles at Stockholm and Rotterdam where he dispatched Marin Cilic in straight sets. He is the only player in the group who has failed to win a slam this season or ever. In his four appearances thus far in London, he piled up a record of 5-8 at the tourney. He has made it past the group stage just once and fell at the semi final stage in 2011 to Jo-Wilfred Tsonga. He has lost to all his group opponents this season. A more interesting statistic is the fact that he comes into the tourney having suffered a loss in each of his last encounters against each opponent. He lost to Djokovic at the China Open (0-6, 2-6), to Stanislas Wawrinka at the Aussie Open (3-6, 7-6, 6-7, 6-7) and to Marin Cilic at the US Open (6-2, 6-4, 7-6). He has a 12-29 total head-to-head record against his group opponents no thanks to Novak Djokovic (2-16 against Djokovic, 5-4 against Cilic and 5-9 against Stan). I however believe the favour done to the 29-year old is the schedule of his matches. He starts on Monday, 10th November, 2014 against Stanislas Wawrinka who he is, interestingly, 4-0 against indoors. Just as he admitted on Friday, it is just the other spot to play for and it must be big relief he is not starting out against the man he claims has owned a spot for himself.
MARIN CILIC
The Croat bagged his place at the Tour Final for the first time but he is not new to ‘first things’. He recently became the first Croat to win a grand slam title since his coach Goran, Ivanisevic, won Wimbledon in 2001 by winning the 2014 US Open, beating fellow Tour finalist Kei Nishikori in straights sets. Also, he became the first man ranked outside the top 10 since Pete Sampras to win the US Open and he is the first no. 14 seed to win a grand slam in the Open Era. He has won 13 career titles and promisingly, 6 of those titles have come on indoor hard courts. He is on a total record of 6-22 against group opponents having not beaten Djokovic in ten attempts; quite worrisome news as he starts off against the Serb. He has compiled a 54-18 record on tour this year and has an impressive return of 4 titles (Zagreb, Delray Beach, US Open and Moscow) to flaunt for his efforts. “Chila” who has a deficit in his match records against all his group opponents will have to deny odds to make it through to the semis. And if you are wondering if he could an odd-defying stunt, his triumph at Flushing Meadows answers you in the affirmative.
Your curiosity will be dispelled in days!
MY PICK FOR THE SEMIS: NOVAK DJOKOVIC, TOMAS BERDYCH
All roads lead to Paris on Sunday, the 25th day of May, 2014 as 128 male singles’ tennis players enter the first round of the Roland Garros. It is the second grand slam of the year and it promises to be fireworks at the Stade Roland Garros until the 8th day of June, 2014 where only one man will stand alone in the arena, not of sand and blood in the old Roman gladiatorium, but of red dust; the Philippe Chatrier court.
This piece previews the action by taking a look at the chances of the top guns during the tourney as well the possibility of an outsider carting away with the crown on the 8th day of June. That will be attempted presently but a brief consideration of the peculiarity of the tournament itself is necessary.
PLAYING SURFACE:
The French Open is the only clay-court grand slam of the year and the slow nature of the surface bears significations. It is the most physically demanding of all tournaments on tour as a match is potentially a five-setter with the fifth incapable of being decided by a tie-breaker.
. The slow nature of the surface and high bounce give little room for short points and as a result, clay court matches are characterised by long rallies and this is a phenomenon that cannot be ruled out at the Roland Garros. It is also noteworthy to point out that the slow nature of the surface necessitates that a player hunting for the crown at Roland Garros must be astute defensively and this fact explains the advantage the surface grinds out to baseliners.
The foregoing fact is responsible for the usual inability of the guys with the big serve or the serve-and -volleyers to impose their games on the clay court against the very best on it. It explains the inability of the likes of Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Boris Becker as well as Stefan Edberg to win a title at the Stade Roland Garros. In fact, Pete’s best result in Paris came in form of a semi-final showing in 1996. It is therefore not surprising that only Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi and Roger Federer have won both the French Open and Wimbledon in the Open era.
The nature of the surface also has ensured that the weakness of Rafael Nadal serve, particularly his second serve, over the years has had no grave consequence for the greatest on clay. The defending champion is Rafael Nadal and maybe it is needless to tell you that; but I just did.
THE MAJOR CONTENDERS:
RAFAEL NADAL.
The world no. 1 and defending champion enters the draw in Paris in the hunt for his 5th straight Roland Garros title which would take his overall French open titles to 9.
There is definitely a love-affair between the duo of Nadal and the La Coupes des Mousquetaries and the affair seem unbreakable. The Spaniard has only lost once in Paris where he has made his home over the last decade; his safest refuge. He has won 8 out of 9 possible titles since making his debut at Roland Garros in 2004 at the age of 18. The only loss in Paris came against a certain Robin Soderling who was runner-up to eventual winner, Roger Federer.
That bite on the trophy is what we have got used to and we lie in wait to see whether or not there is a Robin-esque feat in the offing; Robin is simply the name but, unfortunately, it is not in the realm of English folklore. In Paris, Rafael Nadal has compiled an incredibly dominant 59-1 record; Unbeatable?
There are however concerns, not as to his credentials on red clay, but as to the aura of invincibility that has characterised his game over the past decade as to whether or not it has been lost as this clay-court season for Rafael Nadal has been a catastrophe.
Don’t be carried away by that. By anybody’s standard, a clay court title in Madrid and a match record of 11-3 on the red dust is a perfect way to enter into the draw at the Roland Garros but there is only one Rafael Nadal. On the red clay, he is the greatest the sport has ever seen. This season marks the first time in the past decade that Rafael Nadal has lost more than two matches on clay in the same year.
His loss to Novak Djokovic in the finals of the Rome Masters means that out of his four usual clay court tourneys: Monte Carlo, Barcelona Open, Madrid Masters and the Rome Masters, he only managed to win one; Madrid Masters. In Madrid, there was no Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer withdrew due to the birth of Lenny and Leo. The major cause for concern will however be the fact that he has struggled against players he hitherto dominated not only on clay but on other surfaces as well. He lost to Nicolas Almagro in the quarters at Barcelona failing to find his rhythm against his countryman after an impressive first set. Prior to that loss, Nadal held a 10-0 ATP head-to-head record over Almagro. In the Principalities, he lost to David Ferrer in the quarters and that marked his first loss on clay since 2004 against the same man he easily dispatched in straight sets in the final to capture his most recent French Open title. In Rome, he also struggled in wins over Gilles Simon, Mikhail Youzhny and Andy Murray. But these haven’t changed the fact that Rafael Nadal remains the favourite in Paris. He has posted a 34-6 match record this season with three tour-level titles.
He is in the top half of the draw with the likes of Andy Murray, Grigor Dimitrov, David Ferrer as well as Stanislas Wawrinka. A lot is at stake for the man who has just acquired Madrid citizenship. The 28-year old is in the hunt for his 14th Grand Slam title which would take him closer to Roger Federer’s haul of 17 major titles.
He also faces the battle to retain his position at the top of the ATP rankings with Novak Djokovic on his heels. Anything short of a semi-final appearance for the Spaniard would see Novak Djokovic reclaim the World no. 1 spot regardless of the Serbian’s performance. If Nadal were to lose in the final to another opponent, he would need to hope that the Nole loses at or before the quarterfinal stage. A final between the two will however mean that the winner of the tie takes “ALL”. But Rafa has shown over the years that, if fully fit, he has the shoulders to lighten the burden of expectations. Rafa has 8 titles in Paris and he has won it for the past four years but his last attempt to make it five consecutive titles ended early in 2009. The possibility of a fifth straight title has appeared again and the tennis world is waiting!!!
NOVAK DJOKOVIC
The world No. 2 would fancy the chance of clinching the elusive French Open title to complete his set of slams having won all other grand slam titles. He looks to become the eighth man in tennis history to win the four grand slams. The Serbian returned to action at the Rome Masters last week having withdrawn from partaking at the Madrid Masters due to a wrist injury that hampered his tournament in Monaco.
The win against Rafael Nadal at the Rome Masters signals his recovery from the niggling injury as well as serving as a statement of intent. The Serbian’s best result at the French Open came in 2012 where he lost 4-6, 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 to Rafael Nadal in the final. In the past three years, he has made it to at least the semis losing his 43 matches winning streak in his productive 2011 to Roger Federer in the semis and losing narrowly last year in five sets to the eventual champion in the semis in what was tagged by many as the “final before final”.
He would look to attempt to put an end to Rafael Nadal’s dominance in Paris. The Nole, more than any other man, knows that with a little inconsistency that has crept into Nadal’s play on clay this season, this is perhaps his biggest opportunity to land the French Open title and he has made no secret of the desire to do just that. Four wins in the last four matches against Rafael Nadal will give the man from from Belgrade the much needed confidence if the title comes down to a battle between the top two players in the world and as pointed out earlier, Djokovic could overtake Rafa as the world No.1 male singles tennis player. He enters the tournament having won three Masters’ titles this year at Indian Wells, Miami and recently in Rome at the expense of the king of clay
He boasts of a 24-3 match record so far this season. As expected, the world No. 2 is in the bottom half of the draw. He challenges Joao Sousa in the first round. He could meet Marin Cilic in the third round and Milos Raonic in the quarters. A potential semi final berth against Roger Federer is a mouth watering prospect. Other big names in the bottom half of the draw include Kei Nishikori, Tomas Berdych and Jo-Wilfred Tsonga.
From a tactical viewpoint, the fact that Novak Djokovic who arguably possesses the best returning prowess on tour which is key to the success he has enjoyed over Rafael Nadal recently and he would have to come to courts with the goods if he is to end Nadal’s reign in Paris.
Whether or not Djokovic is ready to stage and capable of successfully leading a revolution in Paris is one other issue that will be on the mind of teeming tennis fans over the next two weeks.
STANISLAS WAWRINKA
The Swiss No. 1 is one of the possible contenders for the French Open title this year. Last year, he lost 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 to Rafael Nadal in the quarters but it is a different Stan this year.
He is the only man on tour who can boast of having won a Grand Slam title 2014 having won his first grand slam title in January after staging a surprising victory over Novak Djokovic in the quarters before besting Rafael Nadal (in the final) 6-3,6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to win the Australian Open.
The French Open is played on what he considers his best playing surface; red clay. With his win at the Melbourne Park, Stan will agree with the writer that a major is won after seven matches and these seven matches are all not going to be against seven of the top ten players; the group of players he hasn’t lost to this year.
In 2014, the Swiss is 6-0 against players ranked in the top ten. He has beaten Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer already this year. The writer believes the record is very much down to the fact that Stan has got his tactics absolutely spot on against the top guns.
He would however have to tackle his record this year against players ranked outside the top ten. He fell to 20-year-old Austrian, Dominic Thiem in the second round at the Madrid Masters. He failed to make the quarters in Rome this year falling to Tommy Haas in three sets. He had exits just before the quarters at the Indian Wells (lost to Kevin Anderson) and Miami (lost to Alexandr Dolgopolov). A positive for the Stan is that he has a Masters’ clay court title this year already after seeing off countryman and friend, Roger Federer in three sets in the final at Monte Carlo.
He is also the only man to have beaten Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in the same Grand Slam. He goes to Paris with a 21-5 match record this season with three tour titles. He has been drawn in the top half of the draw alongside the likes of Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and David Ferrer as well as Grigor Dimitrov among others. He opens his title bid against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in the first round. He might meet Fabio Fognini in the fourth round with a quarter final clash with Andy Murray a possibility. Should the Swiss make it to the semi final, there could be a rematch of the 2014 of the Australian Open. Stan is the player who serves us with the wow just as much as the woe. What he would treat us to at the French Open remains unknown. If the 29-year-old harbours any hope of winning the title in Paris, he must rediscover the secret of going past players ranked outside the top ten without losing the magic that gets him past the top guns. He has broken the Grand slam bubble. Can he add another?
ROGER FEDERER
There is a man with 4 kids on tour and not only is he ranked No. 4, he is the fourth seed in Paris. He has also been a runner up at the Stade Roland Garros to the King of clay on four occasions (2006-08, 2011); some coincidence?
He is however not in the running for anything close to four titles at the Stade Roland Garros. He is the only other active winner of the French Open from Rafael Nadal having won the crown in 2009; A poor clay-court player? Absolutely no! Roger Federer crashed out in Paris last year after a dismal performance against Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in the quarters.
His year was pretty much messed up in 2013. It is however a different sight of the 17-time grand slam winner in 2014. The back injury that restricted his play last year seems non-existent and the larger frame of his racquet has proved to be an efficient addition to his arsenal. The extent to which the Swiss maestro will cope with high backhands with his one-handed backhand will go a long way into determining the success he achieves in Paris. It is very much unlikely that Federer will venture to the net frequently as he did on the hard-courts to great effect. In my opinion, Stefan Edberg, who could not lay hands on the crown in Paris during his career, is unlikely to be of great help to Federer’s quest for his second French Open title.
It has however not been the most ideal preparation for the 32-year-old who had to pull out of the Madrid Masters due to the birth of his second set of twins. He made an early exit at the Rome masters crashing out to Jeremy Chardy.
A positive is his appearance in the final of the Monte Carlo losing to his Swiss friend, Stanislas Wawrinka in three sets. The slow playing surface and the physically demanding terre batue mean that the chance of Federer adding to his haul of 17 slams is slimmer in Paris than at any other major. Federer who is ranked No. 4 will not meet Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic until the semis and would therefore fancy the opportunity of going past other players.
A potential semi final berth against Novak Djokovic in the semis will be fancied by the Swiss as opposed to a clash with his nemesis, Nadal, who he has only beaten just twice on clay in 15 meetings. On clay against Novak, Federer is tied 3-3 with Roger Federer winning their 2011 semi final clash at Roland Garros. He enters the draw with a 28-6 match record this season. He has a 58-14 match record at Roland Garros. Federer has been drawn in the bottom half of the tourney and thus; a potential semi final berth against Novak Djokovic in the semis. He plays Lukas Lacko in the first round and could meet Mikhail Youzhny in the fourth round with a quarter-final clash against Tomas Berdych a possibility. One thing is certain, Fed isn’t the mug in the dirt and you would rule out the maestro at your own peril.
He has taught us that over and over again with his resurgence this season. The writer expects a decent outing for the Swiss though but does not see him lifting the trophy on the 8th of June. I wish Roger would prove me wrong though.
DAVID FERRER
The Spaniard was the finalist last year losing in straight sets to countryman, Rafael Nadal after seeing off Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in the quarters. His inclusion in the list of players who could well pose a challenge to Nadal’s regime at Roland Garros is based on the suitability of his game to clay. The writer however believes that the 5th seed has been very much inconsistent since his final appearance in Paris last year and the draw has failed to be kind to him. He has fallen into the same half with Rafael Nadal, Stan Wawrinka, Andy Murray and the bright Dimitrov.
He fell at the 4th round of the Aussie Open losing to Berdych in four sets. The 32-year-old has a match record of 27-10 this season with a title in Buenos Aires. He will however be boosted by semi final showings at Monte Carlo (after beating Nadal in the quarters) losing to the eventual winner, Stan Wawrinka and Madrid where he lost to Nishikori in three sets. Snapping a clay-court 17-match losing streak against Nadal at Monaco is a very well a morale booster for the world No. 5. Just like Stan has broken the bubble earlier this year, who says Ferrer is out of it. Me? It’s up to David!!!!!!
ANDY MURRAY
Andy Murray might feel a little fortunate to have found himself on this list but for now, this is where the 27-year-old belongs. He is however unlikely to cart away with the title.
He is in the top half of the draw and has shown little promise having made a slow recovery from the back surgery he had last year. He enters the draw with a 21-9 match record this year and still in search of his first silverware this year. He starts off against Andrey Golubev as he hopes to improve on his best result in Paris being his semi-final appearance in 2011 where he fell to Rafael Nadal.
The possibility of the first silverware coming at a major on a surface where he has never won against a top eight player is almost improbable. The chances of the 6th seed couldn’t be any slimmer this year.
OUTSIDERS:
With due respect to the likes of Milos Raonic, Grigor Dimitrov, Kei Nishikori, Fabio Fognini as well as Alexandr Dolgopolov, the writer believes that, despite the surge in their level of play and much improved level of consistency against the top guns, Roland Garros has come a little too early for them to win their first major.
I however believe that the stage is set for them to make an impact on the big stage.
CONCLUSION:
In conclusion, Stade Roland Garros remains Rafael Nadal’s home; his safest refuge. For me, he is still very much the safest bet. He has however been, by his standard, vulnerable this year on clay and Novak Djokovic poses the biggest threat to the dominance of the ‘’King’’ in Paris.
For the first time in years, the possibility of power changing hands in Paris looks more likely than ever. We wait to see if the “treasonable plot” to overthrow the “King” is successfully executed and whether or not the King is vulnerable enough for his defences to be breached.
The Australian Open started on the 13th of January and in the past two weeks or thereabouts, there have been 63 gruelling matches and 126 players have so far been shown the back door. It will reach its summit on Sunday, the 26th of January when World Number One Rafael Nadal and the new Swiss Number One,Stanislas Wawrinka go head-to-head for the chance to win the first Grand Slam of the year. To reach the Final, the top seed Nadal dismissed long-time rival, Roger Federer easily in straight sets while Wawrinka saw off the feeble challenge of nervy Tomas Berdych having previously ended Novak Djokovic 3-year reign at the Down Under in the Quarter Final. History is however against the Swiss man as he chases his first slam. He will not only have to overcome a lopsided head-to-head against the Spaniard which stands at 0-12 but also the terrible statistic of never picked up a set in those twelve meetings.
The question is can HE defy the history books and stun the Tennis world to win his first major or would Rafa cruise to a 2nd Aussie Open title and a 14th career slam. Let’s take a look at what to expect from what is going to be an entertaining and physically exhausting match for fans and players alike.
HEAD TO HEAD
Rafael Nadal 12 V Stanislas Wawrinka 0
LAST MEETING
Nadal 7-6(7-5),7-6(8-6) round robin,2013 ATP World Tour Finals
Semi-Finals: Defeated Roger Federer(6) 7-6(7-4), 6-3,6-3
This is Rafael Nadal’s 19th Grand Slam Final and his best performance at the Aussie Open was in 2009 when he beat rival and friend,Roger Federer in a thrilling five-set match after which the Swiss cried “God, this is killing me”
Semi Finals: Defeated Tomas Berdych(7) 6-3,6-7(1-7),7-6(7-3),7-6(7-4)
This is Wawrinka’s first Grand Slam Final appearance and his previous best at this tournament was a Quarter-Final finish in 2011.
NADAL AT THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN
His path to the final has been mostly straight forward, and he couldn’t have asked for a better start when Bernard Tomic was forced to retire after the first set of their highly-anticipated first round showdown due to hip injury. Then, in his first completed match he defeated Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second round and despite the one-sided scoreline, the young Aussie earned praise from pundits and even Nadal for his impressive showing against much more fancied opponent. The third round which was a repeat of the DOHA Final played earlier this year ended in Rafa’ favor who this time around dismissed the Monfils rather too easily. That was his best performance at that time. He dropped only six games.
Next up was Kei Nishikori of Japan. He won his straight sets (two were tie breaks) despite dropping serve for the first time in the tournament. It was not a vintage performance from the muscle man of Mallorca-still enough to advance. In the quarter-finals, he was faced against first-time Slam quarter-finalist, Grigor Dimitrov. He struggled against Sharapova’s boyfriend as a blister on his hand made him lose grip and hindered his serve coupled with the Bulgarian’s brilliant performance. Despite losing the first set, he regrouped, took the second and third in tie-breaks (saved three set-points in the third) and moved another level in the fourth and took that 6-2
The semis brought a familiar friendly-foe, Roger Federer. This time around, Rafa was back to business as he easily took care of the Swiss Great in straight sets in what has been his best performance. His serve was lethal, his backhand passing shots were on fire, and the forehand was back; his 23rd win in 33 matches against RF.
WAWRINKA AT THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN
What a tournament it’s been for Stanislas!
After his first round opponent, Andrew Golubev, fell victim to the stifling heat in the opening round,
Wawrinka celebrated his first completed victory when he defeated Alejandro Falla in four sets, and then strolled into the fourth round when Vasek Pospisil withdrew before their third round showdown due to a back injury.
He would then record his only straight-sets victory of the tournament by defeating 17th seed Tommy Robredo in the fourth round, of which two sets were decided by tie-breaks.
His Quarter-Final performance against Serb, Djokovic caught the attention of the Tennis world. He knocked NOLE off his perch in what would be his greatest victory of his career. He did that at his 15th attempt having failed to beat him on 14 previous occasions; his last victory dating back to 2006. He did it in five sets, the final set lasting sixteen games.
And in the semi-finals, he pounced on Tomas Berdych’s nerves and defeated the Czech in four sets, with a break in the middle of the first set ultimately proving the difference as Stan finally moved into his first Grand Slam final.
WHAT RAFAEL NADAL NEEDS TO DO TO WIN THE TITLE
Nadal is the clear favourite in this match, and so the key for him will be to keep the pressure on Wawrinka early and try make him uncomfortable which would make the nerves set in. He should not let Wawrinka get into his strides and should make his experience in slam finals count.
The Spaniard will have to keep serving as well as he did during the semifinals against Roger. Because Wawrinka’s serve has been fantastic throughout the fortnight; Nadal won’t have many chances to break him so the key for him would be to hold. Wawrinka is also strong off the return, if Nadal second serve percentage should drop, he could get into trouble
Wawrinka signature shot is the one-handed backhand and it’s worthy of note that Rafa has enjoyed some degree of dominance over one-backhanders(notably Roger and Stan) thanks to the heavy top-spin which pressures the soon-weary hand to make mistakes. While going to his backhand might not look the wisest thing to do because of the faster surfaces and because it won’t generate much spin unlike the clay surface. It won’t however be out of place if he pressures it to see whether it would crack and also to open up Wawrinka’s forehand. If He can gain entry into his backhand then he won’t be far from the title.
He will also have to keep going for broke on his passing shots and move Wawrinka around the court. The Swiss is a very aggressive player and likes to be in control, and so Nadal will have to keep from getting too defensive.
Nadal is 12-0 against Stan and that record would do his confidence no harm. He should not however underestimate him. He should approach the match with utmost respect like he’s always done.
WHAT WAWRINKA NEEDS TO DO TO WIN THE TITLE
Stan is going to have to play the match of his life if he’s to win his first Slam and shock the whole world. The good thing is that he’s been excellent this past two weeks. He should draw inspiration from his quarter-final win over Novak Djokovic and try replicate everything in that five-set encounter.
He’ll need to serve and return exceptionally well so that he can play the points on his own terms. He can’t allow Nadal dictate the tempo as very few players are able to match Rafa in that aspect.
He will have to take whatever opportunities he gets as they’ll probably come in bits. Rafa’s serve has not been the greatest (bar the semi-final) and he’ll fancy his chances of breaking his serve. The question is whether he’ll take advantage of break-point opportunities and when he does, he can’t afford to let Nadal back in the game easily. Nadal is not known for being generous with points especially when the momentum shifts back to him
He also has to go for early winners as engaging in long rallies with Rafa would probably be a waste of time. He however has to remain calm and not get too overly excited. He should however remain assertive and end rallies fast.
He should try to take the ball away from Nadal, make him run. He should however be careful of coming to the net because as we saw in the Spaniard’s match against Federer, he’s got deadly passing shots.
I’m not a psychologist but I can imagine what losing to the same player 12 times in a row would do to one’s confidence (he’s even yet to win a set).It’s a big mental block Stan has to clear if he’s to have a chance of winning the Aussie Open. He’s got to believe in himself despite all the odds stacked up against him. He can look at his victory over Djokovic and draw confidence. The moment he loses faith, the runner-up trophy will be in his hands.
2014 AUSTRALIAN OPEN MEN’S FINAL STATS
This will be their thirteenth meeting overall; Nadal has won all twelve of their meetings in straight sets, including four times last year.
This will be their third meeting at Grand Slam level; Nadal won their previous two losing just six games in each of them.
Win or lose, Stanislas Wawrinka is guaranteed to become the Swiss number one for the first time ever, displacing Roger Federer who had been the top Swiss since 2001.
This will be Nadal’s 19th career Grand Slam final, while for Wawrinka this will be his first.
Wawrinka joins David Ferrer, Tomas Berdych and Mariano Puerta in having Nadal as an opponent in their first Grand Slam final.
Only Roger Federer (twice, at Wimbledon in 2006 and 2007) and Novak Djokovic (Wimbledon and US Open 2011 and Australian Open 2012) have beaten Nadal in a Grand Slam final.
Victory for Nadal would extend his head-to-head record against Federer and Wawrinka combined to 36-10.
Victory for the Spaniard would see him become the first man in the Open Era to achieve the double Career Grand Slam, and also see him equal Pete Sampras on 14 Grand Slam titles.
Those would also see him stake his claim to greatness over Roger Federer, who has only won the French Open once, and Sampras, who never won at Roland Garros let alone reach the final.
Wawrinka is the first man other than Federer, Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray to have reached the final here since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in 2008.
No non-Big Four member has won the Australian Open since Marat Safin won in 2005; likewise, no non-Big Four member has won a Grand Slam title since Juan Martin del Potro won the 2009 US Open.
Apart from Roger Federer and Martina Hingis, no other man or woman from Switzerland has won a Grand Slam title.
TOUCHLINE UI VERDICT
Wawrinka will most likely push Nadal but that won’t stop the Spaniard from walking away from Melbourne tied with Pete Sampras on 14 major titles and edge closer to Roger Federer’s record of seventeen. If Rafael Nadal can play anything close to the level he reached against another Roger than in all fairness there is little Stan would be able to do. That’s just the reality of facing Nadal in his prime. Stan has no doubt been brilliant but the runners-up trophy would most likely be his reward for his efforts. Nadal will beat Wawrinka in four tight but entertaining sets.
Questions of the Day
Who do you feel will win the title?
What else must the players do to have their hands on the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup
TOUCHLINE UI 