Tennis Acumen

Speed of US Open Courts Stymies Nadal, Suits Federer & Murray

PETE ZIEBRON

 Rafael Nadal will attempt to complete the career Grand Slam on the fast courts in New York.                                    Pete Ziebron Images 

2010 US OPEN Preview

Rafael Nadal, owner of 2 Grand Slam titles in 2010 and 8 overall, will attempt to become the 7th player in history to record a career Grand Slam at the US Open in New York during the next 2 weeks.  Historically, Nadal has had difficulty on the fast courts in Cincinnati and New York and has not advanced past the semifinals in either tournament.

Although poised to win the US Open, Nadal realizes that the speed of the courts in New York does not do his game any favors.  

• Two weeks ago in Cincinnati, I asked Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic to compare the speed of the courts in Toronto, Cincinnati and New York and to share their preferences. 

Nadal expounded on the facts that the varying differences in the speed of the courts impact his ability to hit his backhand slice in the manner he wishes and that attempting to get used to different court speeds as well as a different ball in New York can also be a struggle: "Seems I am a little bit afraid to hit the ball with the backhand. The feeling I know is not the best for me now with the backhand. 

But anyway, I have to hit if I really want to have chances to keep winning. It's gonna be impossible keep winning here (Cincinnati), and for sure for the US Open gonna be impossible. I have to do it, and I gonna do it. I am sure.

The court here (Cincinnati) doesn't help me for get the right feeling to do this, because I don't have a lot of time and the bounces is low. But I have a good backhand. Not now, but I gonna do it. I am sure. The ball is a big difference. You know, the ball here is Penn and is the Wilson at US Open. So it's very different, the ball. But is a mixed between both, I think. I think it's slower than here for sure, but at the same time it's a little bit faster than Toronto. The bounce is not that high than Toronto. 

So I will love to have that ball in US Open." 

Five-time US Open Champion and 4-time Cincinnati Champion Roger Federer expressed his preference for the fast courts, despite their challenges: "I like quick courts, you know, but they're really hard to manage early on in a tournament, especially that we have so few faster hardcourts out there that it's just like kind of hard to get the rhythm. You're scared of those quick breaks because, you know, you doesn't serve it perfect, the ball comes back, and the next thing you know you're always under pressure.

 So we kind of lost that feeling for playing quick points sometimes, and that can kind of be a bit intimidating, you know.But I've played really well here in the past. I've always had incredible success at the US Open. I wish we had more courts like this, but unfortunately it's not the case anymore. "

Federer's take on the favorites at the 2010 US Open?: "I guess top 4 have the best shot again, you know, naturally. We can all play really well on the hardcourts. Murray has proven himself, so has Djokovic on the hardcourts and so has Rafa. He's won the Australian Open. 

Maybe US Open is a bit faster, so you figure Rafa will struggle a bit more. But if the draw goes his way, he'll be in the finals and have a crack to the title, too. He knows how to win slams. He's won all the other ones. So I think it's gonna be an interesting US Open. Many guys are playing well again. Murray didn't win a tournament for a long time, and he's been able to win Toronto again. So that definitely puts him as one of the favorites as well."

Andy Murray prefers the court speed in New York compared to Toronto and Cincinnati: "I like New York probably. It's good. But I've obviously played well in Canada. I've played well in all the tournaments, so I do like the hardcourts.  The ball I think probably bounces a bit higher in New York." 

Novak Djokovic also chimed in on the vast difference in the speed of court in Toronto and Cincinnati: "I was a little bit surprised when I come here how different it is from Canada to here. Canada it's slower and you get to control the ball a little bit more, although maybe it bounces slightly more than it does here in these courts. But these courts are faster.  And it's, well, probably suitable to my game." 

Finally Ernests Gulbis, a free spirit who tends to speak his mind with the press, commented on the fact that center court and court 3 in Cincinnati have varying speeds: "The courts here are strange, because court No. 3 is like ice; I mean, it was much tougher to return and it was much faster everything. Center court is three times slower. I don't know how it's possible in a tournament every court is different.  I think it's strange."

Last year, the ATP swapped the dates of the Madrid Masters 1000 and the Rome Masters 1000 since the speed of the clay courts in Madrid better resembled the speed on the courts at Roland Garros.  When I asked Rafael Nadal if he would like to see more consistency in the speed of the courts in Toronto and Cincinnati, heading into the US Open, he replied: "Yeah, that's something in the future the tournaments can work to make the courts more...similar, more similar between Toronto and here or between Montreal and here, no? Because, you know, for us it's difficult to adapt, especially if you only have one or two days. When you arrive semifinals or finals, it's not easy to adapt, especially in the beginning. So it's big change. This first match always is very dangerous."

The only one of 9 Masters 1000 tournaments where Rafael Nadal has not advanced to a Final is on the fast courts in Cincinnati.  The only one of the 4 Grand Slams where Nadal has not advanced to a Final is on the fast courts at the US Open in New York.  The US Open proclaims itself to be "the world's toughest tennis" and Rafael Nadal would wholeheartedly agree.  Presently Nadal is healthy and rested.  Will he finally be able to conquer the career Grand Slam on the fast hard courts at the US Open this year?

Mardy Fish Surges Up the ATP Rankings

PETE ZIEBRON

 
 Mardy Fish in action at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters 1000 in Cincinnati.                                  Pete Ziebron Images

Mardy Fish nearly put a large exclamation point on his summer of 2010 but fell just short in the Final of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati as defending Champion Roger Federer won in 3 sets 6-7(5) 7-6(1) 6-4.  With an appearance in the Finals, Fish jumped to #21 in the world and is seeded 19th at the US Open.

Fish started his summer campaign on the grass courts at Queen's Club in London and entered the tournament ranked #90.  Although Fish would lose in the Final to fellow American Sam Querrey, a satisfying 3rd round win over world #4 Andy Murray helped steady Fish's game for the remainder of the event.

Ironically when I asked Fish which win this year gave him the most confidence, he selected a 6-4 6-4 win over Murray in March: "Playing Murray in Miami, he was the defending champion and he comes prepared in the first match. I felt like he's one of the best hardcourt players in the world. That (win) gave me the confidence knowing that I was back, my knee felt good, physically I felt great, and I could play with those guys."  Since March, Fish sports a 3-0 mark against world #4 Andy Murray and has topped #9 Andy Roddick twice since mid-July.

Following a disappointing 2nd round loss at Wimbledon to Florian Mayer, Fish extended his grass court season and won the title the following week in Newport, RI.  In the Final, Fish overcame a one set deficit and rallied to beat Oliver Rochus  5-7 6-4 6-3 for his 4th career title.  With the win, Fish rose to #49.

Next Fish moved to the hard courts in Atlanta and defeated four consecutive Americans beginning in the 2nd round, including Andy Roddick in the semifinals, to win in Atlanta.  Despite sweltering conditions in the Final, Fish again came from behind and outlasted John Isner 4-6 6-4 7-6(4) to claim his second consecutive title and 5th of his career.  

With victories came increased exposure and people were beginning to notice that Mardy Fish looked thinner and quicker on the courts.  The overall fitness and dieting techniques that Fish implemented while recovering from a knee injury last year helped him lose 30 pounds and he instantly became a point of intrigue on the ATP circuit.

Last week in Cincinnati, I asked Fish if he had any regrets about not "getting with the fitness and diet program 5 years earlier': "No, I mean, it's tough to do that. I certainly would have liked to have been, you know, as mature as I am at 28 at 20, but that's just simply not the case.I took a lot of things for granted in this sport. Being out here and just being a good tennis player was something that I took for granted. Hadn't taken it to the next level, like you said. Um, you know, these things happen for a reason. I feel like I had my knee trouble for a reason, and finally really got the kick in the butt that I needed to get into shape." 

Despite a 2nd round loss to Marin Cilic in Washington, DC, Fish and veteran doubles specialist partner Mark Knowles picked up their 2nd win of the year defeating Radek Stepanek and Tomas Berdych in the Final.  I asked Fish about what doubles has added to his game: "Speaking for my singles play, it helps, you know, like this week, for instance, to get a match before I play, to get on the courts, to feel the surface, feel how fast it is. You know, and just to have a competitive forum to work on my serve and work on coming forward, work on my volleys, which is my style of play.  I love playing with friends, and Mark Knowles is a great friend of mine. Obviously his career speaks for itself in doubles."  

Following Washington, Fish elected not to play qualifying in Toronto and rested for the Masters 1000 event the following week in Cincinnati.  Despite a ranking of #36 heading into Cincinnati, Fish needed a Wild Card to gain entry into the main draw since the field was set 6 weeks prior and Fish fell outside of the ranking necessary for automatic inclusion into the tourney.

Throughout the week in Cincinnati, Fish would play eight tiebreak sets, winning 6, as well as two 7-5 sets, winning both.  Despite the loss to Federer, Fish can look back with pride on a pair of impressive victories over Andy Murray in the quarterfinals and Andy Roddick in the semis.  Fish rallied from a set down and defeated Murray for the 3rd time this year      6-7(8) 6-1 7-6(5).  Meanwhile his Lazarus-like comeback against Roddick in the semifinals was one to remember.  Down 4-6 2-5, a brief rain delay interrupted play and Fish took command of the match going forward and lost only 2 games for the remainder of the match.

The new and fitter Mardy Fish is now able to train longer, compete harder and have the confidence necessary to beat the top players and win additional titles going forward.  He also plans to continue to play doubles with Mark Knowles.  Since he was sidelined for the last 4 months of 2009, Fish has no points to defend for the rest of 2010. His world #21 ranking will certainly rise from now until the end of the year and he will most likely be able to surpass his career high ranking of #17 that he achieved in March, 2004.

Roger Federer Wins 17th Masters in Cincinnati

PETE ZIEBRON

 
 Roger Federer warming up in Cincinnati prior to his match with Denis Istomin.                                                            Pete Ziebron Images

Defending Cincinnati Champion Roger Federer rallied from a set down to beat resurgent American Mardy Fish 6-7(5) 7-6(1) 6-4 to win his 4th title in Cincinnati at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters.  Sunday's victory was Federer's 17th Masters 1000 win, tying him with Andre Agassi for 2nd place all-time and puts him only 1 behind leader and world #1 Rafael Nadal who owns 18 Masters 1000 crowns.  The win was only Federer's 2nd of 2010 and 1st since he won the Australian Open in January. 

Last week was Federer's first tournament working with Paul Annacone, the former coach of Pete Sampras and Tim Henman.  Federer implemented new strategies to his game and advanced to the Final in the Toronto Masters where he fell to defending Champion Andy Murray 5-7 5-7.  I asked Federer in his pre-tournament press conference about his dialog with Annacone: "It's an open debate. He has things to say and I have things to say because we both have experience, you know. I guess that's what's interesting about this relationship right now."

Since Federer had not won a title since Australia, there was plenty of speculation that his game had peaked.  Federer recalled the last time that his game and abilities were questioned: "Last year sort of after the Australian Open when I lost against I think Nadal, people were also talking about how I was on a huge decline. I cried on center court at the Australian Open, which was a big tragedy for many people.  Nobody ever believed I would come back. I won two slams and played the finals of the US Open and won the Australian Open, so -- then everything changes and you don't win the French or Wimbledon, and things are all bad again. So it moves very quickly. I know the rules and how it all works."

In an interview the following day, Federer also expounded how his advancement to the Toronto Final can immediately change all of the perceptions of his game and how all of the top players are viewed: "Yeah, isn't it strange what a final can do? Yeah, I mean, same thing. Murray hasn't won a tournament since November, now he's one of the favorites for the US Open; Rafa couldn't play tennis anymore until the clay court season came around; I lost the final of the Australian Open in five sets and I couldn't play tennis anymore after that. Still I ended up winning three slams.

So that's why I just think -- I know tennis is a fast-moving sport, and the best players get judged very harshly. But I think you don't always have to judge the present. You have to judge one or two years back, plus how have the matches been played. 7-6 in the third doesn't always mean that you played poorly, let's say. You can also leave tournaments having not won them playing well. People forget that." 

 Meanwhile, the fact that Federer advanced to the Cincinnati semifinals and world #3 Novak Djokovic lost in the quarterfinals guaranteed that Federer would be the #2 seed at the US Open and be placed on the opposite side of the draw of world #1 Rafael Nadal.  Cincinnati tennis fans were hoping for the rare opportunity to see Federer play Nadal in a blockbuster semifinal match on Saturday at the Lindner Family Tennis Center.  However, on Friday, Marcos Baghdatis defeated Rafael Nadal in 3 sets in the quarterfinals, booked his own place in the semis and concurrently prevented the much anticipated Federer-Nadal tilt.  Despite playing 21 times (Nadal leads the series 14-7), the two have only played twice in the US.  The most recent time was in Miami in March 2005, with Federer winning in the Final.

AUG 18: Taylor Dent's Booming Serves Make A Statement in Cincinnati

PETE ZIEBRON in CINCINNATI

 
 Early in the 2nd set, Taylor Dent blasted a 149 MPH ace to close out a game against Rafael Nadal.                      Pete Ziebron Images

CINCINNATI- Despite the fact that world #83 Taylor Dent had a higher ranking than 3 other Americans who received Wild Cards into the main draw of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters 1000 and would need to win 2 qualifying matches to get into the main draw, Dent ratcheted up his powerful serve into the low 140's and beat Go Soeda and Jarkko Niemenen in qualifying to advance.

Waiting for Dent in the 1st round of the main draw was world #24, Spaniard Feliciano Lopez, a foe whom Dent defeated in the 1st round of last year's US Open in 4 sets.  The match was played on center court and like their match last year, Lopez did not have answers for Dent's cannon serves and strong groundstrokes and lost in straight sets 6-3 6-2.

Former WTA player Jennifer (Hopkins) Dent warms up with her husband Taylor 4 hours prior to his 2nd round match with world #1 Rafael Nadal.                                               Pete Ziebron Images 

After a day off on Tuesday, the top 4 players on the ATP would see their first action in Cincinnati as tennis fans were treated to a cavalcade of top notch tennis on center court at the Lindner Family Tennis Center on Wednesday.  World #3 Novak Djokovic would begin the day session, followed by top ranked Rafael Nadal, #4 Andy Murray and two-time Cincinnati Champion Andy Roddick would conclude the daytime agenda. Defending Cincinnati Champion and world #2 Roger Federer would be featured in the evening session.

Dent would meet Rafael Nadal during the hottest time of the day and started slowly, dropping the first set 6-2.  However, Dent would bring the crowd to its feet as he crushed a 149 MPH ace down the center of the court to close out a game and stay on serve in the early stages of the 2nd set.  Dent then proceeded to break Nadal to gain control of the set; however, he would fail to consolidate the break and the set would remain on serve until Dent was broken at 5-5.  Nadal would go on to serve out the match and advance to the 3rd round.  

Taylor Dent could be satisfied that he played a solid set of tennis against the world #1 and after the match, Nadal praised Dent's serving abilities: "Well, not easy to return his second serve. For sure the first is more difficult, no?  But the second serve is fast, too. It's coming with spins, different slice, kick. So wasn't easy to return."

Twenty-one months ago, Taylor Dent was ranked 879th, primarily due to being sidelined from back surgery.  Last month in Atlanta, he reached his first quarterfinal since Tokyo in October 2005 and seeks to continue to climb in the ATP rankings.  

This week, Dent's wife Jennifer is accompanying him in Cincinnati along with their baby boy Declan who was born this January.  These days, family man Taylor Dent has a brand new perspective on and off the court:  "You know, just tennis can be so frustrating at times. It can really beat you down, you know, emotionally. So after a tough day of practice or a bad loss, you walk off the court and you see the little man there just wobbling his head and smiling at you, it makes it nice."

 Taylor Dent and his 140+ MPH serves will be on the ATP radar when the US Open field is drawn next week.              Pete Ziebron Images

 

 

AUG 15: Kim Clijsters Rallies to Defeat Maria Sharapova in Cincinnati

PETE ZIEBRON in CINCINNATI

A determined Kim Clijsters prepares to serve to Maria Sharapova.                                                                           Pete Ziebron Images 

CINCINNATI- Prior to a 72 minute rain delay, Kim Clijsters saved 3 match points against Maria Sharapova and used the weather related break in Sunday's Final to storm back to win the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open 2-6 7-6 6-2 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio.

Sharapova, making her debut in Cincinnati, raced through the 1st set 6-2, secured an early break in the 2nd set and appeared to be cruising to the finish line while dropping only 5 games in the process.  However, Clijsters had other ideas and was able to hold on for dear life while dark clouds moved in overhead and thunder rumbled in the immediate area.  Sharapova was playing beat the clock as she attempted to close out the match and even held 3 match points before play was finally halted with Clijsters serving at 4-5, deuce in the 2nd set.  "You're playing a day match, and within 30 seconds you're almost playing a night match.  And then you get off the court and you're playing a day match again" Sharapova quipped after the match.  Concerning the delay, Sharapova replied "I think it certainly gave her time to relax....and having a chance to think about what she needs to do differently."

Following the delay, Clijsters won the next 2 points and knotted the set at 5-5.  Sharapova and Clijsters each won their respective service games and the 2nd set advanced to a tiebreak.  Sharapova jumped to an early 3-0 lead before Clijsters steadied her game.  "I thought if I could just get 1 or 2 of her service points, I could just get back into the tiebreaker....I felt fresh" Clijsters would reveal in the press conference.  At 0-3, Clijsters would go on to win 7 of the next 8 points in the breaker to win it 7-4 and take the Cincinnati Final to a 3rd and decisive set.

Sharapova held her initial service game but then lost her way when the chair refused to grant her a challenge request that would have resulted in a double fault by Clijsters in her first service game of the final set.  The negated challenge turned out to be the crucial juncture of the set as Sharapova called for the trainer after being broken in her next service game to go down 2-1.  "I was having trouble landing on my left foot...my service percentage absolutely went down in the breaker and in the 3rd set" Sharapova explained following the match.

For the remainder of the set, Sharapova struggled with her foot, prompting Clijsters to state "I think she started going for things a little bit more.  She made some more double faults."  Clijsters would go on to drop only 1 more game the rest of the way and despite having to close the match on her 4th match point, won the 3rd set 6-2.  With the victory, Clijsters claimed her 3rd title of 2010 and her ranking rises to #4, giving her her own quarter at the US Open.

Maria Sharapova, a finalist in her debut in Cincinnati.  Pete Ziebron Images

 

David Nalbandian is Back, Wins Washington

PETE ZIEBRON

 
 David Nalbandian's career is on the rebound yet again.  Charles Gabrean Photography

 Throughout the week, David Nalbandian served notice to the rest of the ATP field that he is indeed healthy and intends to contend for the 2010 US Open title which gets underway later this month.  Today Nalbandian defeated Marcos Baghdatis 6-2 7-6(4) to win the Legg Mason Tennis Classic ATP 500 in Washington, DC.

The Washington title is the 11th of Nalbandian's career, 5th on a hard court and 1st in the United States.  With the win, Nalbandian improves his 2010 record to 17-3, including 12-2 on hard courts.  Yesterday, Nalbandian crushed #4 seed Marin Cilic 6-2 6-2 in the semifinals in only 73 minutes.  Cilic entered the match with 24 wins on the hard court this year, second only to Andy Roddick.  Today, Nalbandian cruised to an easy 6-2 first set win and had to hold on in the second set, saving a set point along the way to defeat the 8th seeded Baghdatis in the second set tiebreaker.  Although Nalbandian stormed to a 5-0 lead in the tiebreak and had the match on his racquet, Baghdatis won the next 3 points and was determined to take the match the distance.  However Nalbandian, who needed a wild card to enter the Legg Mason tourney, was not to be denied and held off Baghdatis, who entered the match with 23 hard court wins in 2010.

Nalbandian will rise to #45 in the new ATP rankings which will be released tomorrow.  He entered the Legg Mason tournament ranked #117 and fell as low as #161 in March due to inactivity while nursing injuries.  It has been a long road back for Nalbandian who was out for 9 months due to hip surgery from last June until this February and then a hamstring injury sidelined him for 2 months between April and July.

Despite injury, Nalbandian had his sights on playing Davis Cup for Argentina in 2010.  The Argentines have never hoisted the Davis Cup.  While most top players opt out of playing Davis Cup, Nalbandian actually decided not to play Wimbledon this year and used the extra time to train for Argentina's Davis Cup tie in Russia.  Nalbandian won both matches in Moscow, defeating world #6 Nikolay Davydenko and #14 Mikhail Youzhny to propel Argentina into the Davis Cup semifinals where they will travel to France in mid-September.

"I've been playing great since Davis Cup a few weeks ago....If I feel motivated or (have) my goals I can play good in my first match out" said Nalbandian following his win over Cilic yesterday.  With the win today, Nalbandian certainly has plenty of motivation for next week's Rogers Cup Masters 1000 in Toronto.  Nalbandian is scheduled to play world #12 David Ferrer in the first round and the subsequent opponents don't get any easier.  In fact, if Nalbandian wins and the seeds hold form in Toronto, Nalbandian would play: #38 Tommy Robredo in the 2nd round, #5 Robin Soderling in the 3rd, #4 Andy Murray in the quarterfinals, #1 Rafael Nadal in the semifinals and either #2 Novak Djokovic or #3 Roger Federer in the Final.

Based on the dominating play that David Nalbandian exhibited in Washington, DC this week, the entire ATP has taken notice of his accomplishments and will be looking for where his name appears in the draw at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters 1000 the following week in Cincinnati as well as at the US Open.  The US Open will be the first Grand Slam competition for Nalbandian since the 2009 Australian Open, which will break a string of 6 consecutive non-appearences at the majors!

 

• World #1 Rafael Nadal and #2 Novak Djokovic are pairing to play doubles at the Rogers Cup next week in Toronto.  This marks the first time since #1 Jimmy Connors and #2 Arthur Ashe in 1976 that the top 2 ATP players have teamed to compete in doubles.

 

• An American will not appear in the ATP Top 10 for the first time since the rankings were implemented in 1973.  Andy Roddick will fall from #9 to #11 when the new ATP rankings are released tomorrow.

#359 A Sure Thing to Beat #40? You BET!!!

PETE ZIEBRON

The opening betting line on Sunday for Tuesday's Richard Gasquet - Kristof Vliegen 1st round match at the Legg Mason ATP 500 tourney in Washington, DC showed the 359th ranked Vliegen to be a heavy underdog at +300.  By Monday morning, the line on Vliegen increased to +350 and if I were a betting man, I would have placed a significant wager on Vliegen, a lanky Belgian who reached a career high of #30 in 2006.

 

 

• Kristof Vliegen, the 359th ranked man in the world, with an 0-7 match record in 2010, was a slam dunk bet to win the match against Richard Gasquet who came into the match ranked #40.                      How?  Why?  

Less than 48 hours prior to taking the court against Vliegen in Washington, DC, USA, Gasquet played and lost in the Final of the Allianz Suisse Open ATP 250 in Gstaad, SWITZERLAND.

That's right, Gasquet played 5 matches in 6 days in a clay court tournament - lost the Final to Nicolas Almagro on Sunday 7-5 6-1 - flew from Europe to the United States on Monday and played his first hard court tournament since March today.  The result?  Vliegen jumped to a quick 4-0 lead in the first set, won the set 6-3 and Gasquet, out of gas, retired.  Game, Set, Match, Vliegen in 37 minutes.  Voila, #359 dispatches of #40.  Easily.

A fine bet and payoff indeed provided one wagered on Vliegen with a house that considered the match a victory as some houses voided the bet due to the fact that there was a retirement by one player and the match was not completed.

Similar scenarios have played out in recent years where players have played in a Final on a Sunday on one continent and scurry off across the Atlantic to compete in a larger tournament less than 2 days later.

In August 2006, Nikolay Davydenko played and won a 2 hour 34 minute Final on a Sunday at a small clay court tournament in Sopot, Poland and promptly flew to Toronto to compete in Rogers Cup Masters Series tournament.  I attended the Rogers Cup that year and arrived on site early on Tuesday to see Davydenko warm up on a side court before play started for the day.  Davydenko was exhausted and was not able to put much on the ball in warmups.  Later that day, Davydenko managed to hit just 1 ace in a straight set loss to Xavier Malisse.

Last April, Lleyton Hewitt reversed course and flew from the United States to Europe following a Sunday Final's win on a clay court.  Hewitt won the US Men's Clay Court Championship ATP 250 in Houston, Texas in a Final that was delayed by rain, then encountered flight delays the next day en route to the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters 1000 tournament and arrived at the court within two hours of when he was scheduled to play Marat Safin.  Despite fighting valiantly, Hewitt was no match for Safin and was outaced 10-2.

When asked about his frantic travel schedule, Hewitt remarked: Yeah, I think it was the toughest, yeah. Yeah, it was sort of just like one thing after another really. Yeah, it was not the best preparation, that's for sure.... The final was in Houston. It was delayed a few hours because of rain and the court got flooded so we had to wait for that. So I couldn't get out Sunday night. And then, yeah, Monday, with the time change and everything, it just sort of put it even further behind. Then our flights got delayed about three and a half hours, as well, out of Dallas..... So, especially just coming off the plane, I probably wasn't as sharp as I would have liked to have been or normally would try to be.

Hats off to Gasquet, Davydenko and Hewitt for honoring their commitment to play in the tournaments that they scheduled, even after playing in a Final on another continent only 48 hours before they were expected to take the court.  In the case of Gasquet and Davydenko, why were they playing ATP 250 events on clay and in Europe less than one month from the start of the US Open?  Why are clay court tournaments even on the ATP schedule in late July???

 

2 Collective Titles in 2010 for #2 Novak Djokovic, #3 Roger Federer & #4 Andy Murray

PETE ZIEBRON

Andy Murray's last title came in November 2009 - Pete Ziebron Images

 ATP world #2 Novak Djokovic #3 Roger Federer and #4 Andy Murray have combined for only 2 titles in 2010.  Within the last year (and within the last week for Federer and Murray) all have made changes to their respective coaching teams. 

Today, Andy Murray had an opportunity to end his 8+ month title drought at an ATP 250 tournament in Los Angeles and even held a match point against Sam Querrey but was not able to secure the victory.  Earlier this week, Murray parted ways with coach Miles Maclagan and plans to name a new coach after the US Open.  Murray's last win came at the Valencia ATP 500 against Mikhail Youzhny in November 2009.

Earlier this year in January, Murray reached the Final of the Australian Open where he lost to Roger Federer.  The Australian Open crown happens to be the last that hardware that Federer himself has been able to win.  Federer did reach 2 other finals in 2010, losing to Rafael Nadal at the Madrid Masters 1000 in May and to Lleyton Hewitt at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany prior to Wimbledon.  This week, Federer announced that he would begin working with Paul Annacone, the former coach of Pete Sampras and Tim Henman, on a trial basis going forward and plans to have Swiss Davis Cup Captain Severin Lüthi continue to work with him.

Novak Djokovic is the most recent title holder of the triumvirate of the ATP #2, # 3 and #4, winning this February in Dubai against Mikhail Youzhny, ironically the last man that Murray was also able to defeat in a final.  Prior to the US Open last year, Djokovic brought in American Todd Martin, a two-time Grand Slam Finalist last August to assist Marian Vajda with coaching duties.  Although it appeared that Martin's efforts were helping Djokovic with his play at net, Martin's input seemed to contrast Vajda's philosophies and he was dismissed in April.

Even though world #1 Rafael Nadal has 5 titles under his belt this year, he struggled mightily for part of 2010 as well.  Nadal went through an 11 month title drought, dating from the Masters 1000 in Rome in early May 2009 all the way to the Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo this April. Toni Nadal continues to coach his nephew although Francisco Roig assists with Nadal's coaching duties when Uncle Toni is not present.

Although injuries are mostly to blame for the inability for other members of the ATP Top Ten to win tournaments, it should be noted that world #6 Nikolay Davydenko has not won since Doha, Qatar in January and world #7 Juan Martin del Potro has not won since dethroning Roger Federer at last year's US Open in September.

The current ranking positions occupied by Djokovic, Federer and Murray may change drastically at the conclusion of the US Open as all have plenty of points to defend.  Andy Murray is the defending champion at the Rogers Cup Masters 1000, played next week in Canada and also reached the semifinals at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters 1000 the following week in Cincinnati.  Federer won the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati and was runner up at the US Open.  Djokovic was a finalist in Cincinnati and semifinalist at the US Open, losing both times to Federer.

Despite the fact that only 2 trophies appear on the collective shelves of Djokovic, Federer and Murray through the first 7 months of 2010, all have had a history of playing well and winning on the hard courts, especially at the Masters 1000 tournaments in Canada and Cincinnati.  Djokovic has won in Canada, Murray owns titles in Canada and Cincinnati and Federer has been victorious in Canada twice, in Cincinnati 3 times and has hoisted the US Open trophy 5 times.

 

 

 

 

 

Sam Querrey Wins 4th Title in 2010, Juan Carlos Ferrero Wins 3rd, Nicolas Almagro Wins 2nd, Bryan Brothers Win 62nd Doubles Title of Career

PETE ZIEBRON

Defending Champion Sam Querrey saved match points in consecutive matches, yesterday in the  semifinal against Janko Tipsarevic and in the Final today against top seed Andy Murray, to win his 4th tournament in 2010 at the Farmers Classic ATP 250 in Los Angeles.  Prior to the singles Final, Querrey's K-Swiss brethren Bob and Mike Bryan broke the all-time doubles victory milestone by winning their 62nd tournament. 

Querrey, who came into the match with a 7-25 record against the ATP Top Ten, had never taken a set (0-9) from world # 4 Andy Murray in their four previous meetings.  Murray dug deep to win the first set 7-5 and then Querrey saved a match point late in the second set and forced the set into a tiebreaker, where he prevailed 7-2.  A weary Murray was broken early in the 3rd set and Querrey was able to will his way to victory yet again, holding steady in all of his remaining service games to win the match 5-7 7-6(2) 6-4.  Murray's title drought now extends to November 2009 when he defeated Mikhail Youzhny at the Valencia ATP 500.

Bob and Mike Bryan defeated a doubles team making their debut as a tandem, Eric Butorac and Jean-Julien Rojer 6-7(6) 6-2 10-7 to win their 62nd title in the 100th tournament final that they have played as a team.  The Bryan's came into the match tied at 61 doubles titles with the legendary Australian team of Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde.  The Bryan's and Sam Querrey won their hometown tournament as the Bryan Brothers hail from Camarillo, CA and Querrey from nearby Thousand Oaks.

Across the Atlantic, two more ATP 250 tournaments were being contested, these on clay.  Juan Carlos Ferrero, a finalist last year in Umag, Croatia and this year's #4 seed defeated unseeded Potito Starace 6-4 6-4 to win the Studena Croatia Open.  The win was Ferrero's 3rd title of 2010 in 4 final appearances and 15th career title in 33 finals appearances.

Fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro won his 2nd title of the year by defeating #7 seed Richard Gasquet 7-5 6-1 at the Allianz Suisse Open in Gstaad, Switzerland.  The final was relatively easy for the 2nd seeded Almagro compared to his matches earlier in the tournament when he was pushed to 3 sets in 3 of the previous 4 matches.  Almagro improves to 7-2 in his career in tournament finals.

With the Ferrero and Almagro victories, Spanish players have now won 16 titles in 2010 and 13 of these wins are tournaments that have been played on a clay surface.  By contrast, Querrey's win was the 9th by an American this year (Querrey 4, Andy Roddick 2, Mardy Fish 2, John Isner 1) and 6 of the victories have come on a hard court.  The extended clay court season that started in South America in February came to an end today in 2010 (except for the BCR Open ATP 250 in Bucharest, Romania in late September) with conclusion of play in Umag and Gstaad.  The baton is now passed to an exclusive hard court schedule leading to preparation for the US Open

The Legg Mason Tennis Classic ATP 500 tournament in Washington, DC, which got underway today, is the only tournament being played this week and precedes the Rogers Cup Masters 1000 in Toronto and the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters 1000 in Cincinnati.