It’s already the final Masters Series event of the regular season – can you believe it. I guess the talking point at this time of the year is “who is going to make the final spots in Shanghai?”
I’m still sticking by Gilles Simon to sneak in – I think David Ferrer is going to be the 9th guy (unfortunately, because he’s a class act!) and miss out this year. We’ll wait and see.
Andy Murray is looking good – VERY good! Winning three tournaments in a row is definitely a possibility after a convincing win in St Petersburg on Sunday. Rafael Nadal had a week off, a bit of golf this week with his mate Sergio Garcia, so he should be well rested and ready for this week. And of course Roger Federer’s gonna be in the mix. The question is I guess, how motivated will the “Quad Squad” (Nadal, Fed, Novak Djokovic, Murray) be this week?” They might be just picking up their “bonus pool” checks before heading back home for a little more rest before Shanghai.
Before I finish, condolences must go out to the family of Federico Luzzi, who died so tradgically Saturday of leukemia. The 28-year-old player from Italy was a real character, and his death was so unexpected. He will be sorely missed by the tennis community.
I’ll keep you posted as the week unfolds…Enjoy!
Masters Series
Gilles Simon: An Inspiration
That’s it. I’m leaving my life as we know it behind, picking up my rackets, and going pro. That’s right. Straight to the ATP Tour.
OK not really, but with every single match Gilles Simon wins, that desire grows stronger.
Before this, his breakout 2008 campaign, Simon was a virtual unknown outside of die-hard tennis fan circles. Even now he has to be the least-known player inside the top 20. It goes without saying that he is far from a fan favorite. Not because he is a bad guy or anything (he actually seems like quite a good guy), but because he rarely hits jaw-dropping shots, rarely shows emotion, and until this summer, rarely won anything of importance. In other words, Simon is not exactly an inspiration to the average tennis watcher.
No, Simon is an inspiration to the average tennis player. He is living example of you can win at the highest level of tennis by keeping balls in play and fighting as hard as you possibly can until the chair umpire tells you the match is over with a simple “Game, set, and match” phrase that is only outdone in simplicity by Simon’s game.
Those two key elements-refusing to miss shots and refusing to give up on any point or any match until it is over-have propelled Simon to three ATP titles this year to go along with a Masters Series semifinal showing in Toronto and now a Masters Series title match appearance in Madrid. They have also propelled him to a borderline shocking Top 15 ranking.
That’s right, folks. I’m here to tell you that Simon has done all of this by 1) trying, and 2) hitting balls over the net, between the alleys, and inside the baseline.
And now the good news for all the Average Joe tennis players out there: anyone who has ever picked up a tennis racket is capable of performing those two basic tasks. Sure, some can do task #2 a lot better than others, but anyone can come close to perfecting task #2 by doing a lot of task #1.
If you aren’t convinced, I implore you to watch a Simon match and continue to watch more and more Simon matches until you are ready to abandon your previous job and hit the circuit. I was almost ready after witnessing every single stroke of his clash with Juan Martin Del Potro at the U.S. Open (which Simon lost in five sets). Now I think I’m ready. Madrid, for me, is the last straw.
Consider: Simon has won five matches this week, four of them in third-set tiebreakers. He saved five match points against Igor Andreev by hitting ball after ball back to Andreev on the match points until the Russian missed. He saved two match points against Ginepri, outlasting the American on both after brutally long rallies in which Simon hit (some would say “pushed”) ball after ball in the court until Ginepri finally obliged with an error. As if that wasn’t enough, on Saturday he swindled Rafael Nadal (yes, the No. 1 player on the planet) into playing his let’s-see-who-can-keep-the-most-balls-in-play war of attrition. By now you know that it was Simon who won that war.
And that war has done it for me. It’s convinced me to go pro. Now I ask anyone who has ever given 100 percent on a tennis court and has ever struck a ball successfully over the net to go with me. If you can do that, you are invited.
Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention that it wouldn’t hurt to have Simon’s flawless return of serve, screaming two-handed backhand down the line, world-class speed, nerves of steel, and heart of a champion. But what the heck, those are just minor details. Let’s go!
Madrid Semis Set
British No. 1 Andy Murray lost his serve in the opening game of the first Friday’s quarterfinal, but playing impressive tennis, especially in the second set, hadn’t problems to beat 6-2 6-2 Gael Monfils in 68 minutes on Pista Central.
In the semifinal Murray will have possibility to revenge Roger Federer for a defeat at the US Open’s final. The Swiss outplayed Juan Martin del Potro 6-3 6-3. Del Potro had begun the match in agressive style, serving 5 aces in his first service game but later served double fault twice on Federer’s break points and it cost him the match. “He started serving great, many aces,” Federer said. “That’s what makes him the good player he is. I had the ability to stay calm and use my slice well here in Madrid where conditions are very quick.”
Rafael Nadal knocked out his compatriot, the Madrid-resident Feliciano Lopez 6-4 6-4. No. 1 in the world was forced to save only two break points, both of them in the last game of the match.
The only three-setter of the day came in the last quarterfinal which was finished after midnight of the local time. Unseeded Gilles Simon withstood 27 aces from Ivo Karlovic to win 7-6(1) 4-6 7-6(2). For the Croat it was the match of wasting chances. In the first set Karlovic failed to serve out the set at 5:4 and saw Simon take the set in a tie-break. Big-serving Croat was leading 3:0 in the deciding set to allow the Frenchman win 3 consecutive games. 23 year-old Simon has reached second Masters Series semifinal this year and has noticed amazing streak of three wins this week in a tie-break of the third set. John Isner has been the last player who won more matches within one tournament after deciding set tie-break. Isner won 5 matches in a row 7-6 in the final set last year in Washington.
Quarterfinals – Madrid
(1)Rafael Nadal (ESP) d. Feliciano Lopez (ESP) 6-4 6-4
Gilles Simon (FRA) d. (14)Ivo Karlovic (CRO) 7-6(1) 4-6 7-6(2)
(4)Andy Murray (GBR) d. Gael Monfils (FRA) 6-2 6-2
(2)Roger Federer (SUI) d. (9)Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) 6-3 6-3
The Journeyman: Hamburg Memories
This week’s Masters Series tournament at the Tennis Club am Rothenbaum in Hamburg brings back some awfully good memories for me. I arrived there in May of 1994 from sunny Roma, ready to compete in the singles qualifying and the main draw of the doubles.
I signed in for the singles on a wet and rainy late Friday afternoon, and went back to the hotel, driven by a very pretty young German driver. Checking the draw out that evening, I found out that I had to play the tough and well-experienced former French Davis Cup player Thierry Champion. We played the qualies at a different club than the main site, and we played in the early afternoon, and I was dismantled rather easily in straight sets by the clay court specialist. (Incidentally, Champion is currently a well respected coach of the young upstart French player Gael Monfils.) To cool off my sorrows, I headed to a local tavern and had a bratwurst and a Heffeweisen beer.
What made Hamburg a tough tournament was the heavy and often wet conditions. At that time of year, Spring is in its very early stages in northern Germany and the weather can be horrendous. When the weather was nice, I always enjoyed my morning runs around the beautiful lake that is close to the tournament hotel.
During this memorable week, I had the pleasure of practicing with Boris Becker at one of the practice courts. We played a few baseline games to eleven, and I was very nervous throughout. I remember waiting for him to come to the courts, and when he arrived, it was like the Pope coming for a visit. He was very amiable, and it was a sheer pleasure.
In the doubles, I signed up with South Africa’s John-Laffnie De Jager. He was an experienced doubles player, and I felt our chances were good. He has gone on to become the South African Davis Cup coach and he runs some great charity events in his homeland. We drew the German team of Dirk Dier and Torben Theine in the first round. We played well, and won 6-2,6-2. Dirk was a funny German guy, who loved the Fantasiche Vier band. I would later play German club tennis with him for TC Mannheim a few years later.
In the next round, we battled against the South African David “Chewy” Adams. He was nicknamed this due to his resemblance to the Star Wars character Chewbacca. He would team up with the Russian Andrei
Olhovskiy, a very stern looking KGB agent-lookalike, who starred on the Russian Davis Cup team. We went down 6-2, 7-6 on one of the back courts at the club. Overall, it was a great week on the tour, and one that I will never forget.
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Italy’s Greatest — Nicola Pietrangeli
With the Italian Championships on-going in Rome, let’s take a look back at the greatest Italian player in history and the man whose name graces the Centre Court at Il Foro Italico – Nicola Pietrangeli. The following is an excerpt from the upcoming book The Bud Collins History of Tennis ($35.95, New Chapter Press; available for a 39 percent discount by clicking the title of the book) where Bud Collins outlines the career biography of Pietrangeli.
Nicola “Nicky” Pietrangeli was Signor Davis Cup. That team competition seemed his private preserve, although he won his only Cup from the sidelines as Italy’s non-playing captain in 1976. Before that, as a smooth touch operator, twice winner of the French — 1959 over Ian Vermaak of South Africa, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-1, and 1960 over Luis Ayala of Chile, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 — he had made his name synonymous with Italy. He did it in Davis Cup by playing (164) and winning (120) matches, more than anyone before or since during a Cup career that reached from 1954 through 1972. In 66 ties for his country, he was 78-32 in singles, 42-12 in doubles.
Twice he carried Italy all the way to the Cup challenge round, 1960 and 1961, but on alien grass in Australia, and during the reign of Aussie powerhouses. He and 6-foot-6 accomplice Orlando Sirola were unable to come closer to the Cup than a good look. Still, to get there in 1960, they pulled off one of Italy’s greatest victories, 3-2 from 0-2 down, over the U.S. in the semifinal at Perth. Despite their discomfort on grass, Pietrangeli — he had squandered eight match points in losing to Barry MacKay, 8-6, 3-6, 8-10, 8-6, 13-11 — and Sirola, perhaps the finest doubles team developed in post-World War II Europe, struck back to beat Chuck McKinley and Butch Buchholz, 3-6, 10-8, 6-4, 13-11 – seemingly only to prolong their distress. But Pietrangeli stopped Buchholz, 6-1, 6-2, 6-8, 3-6, 6-4, and Sirola clinched, 9-7, 6-3, 8-6, over MacKay.
Pietrangeli was too much for the U.S. to overcome in the following year’s semi at Rome as he beat both Whitney Reed, 2-6, 6-8, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, and Jack Douglas, 9-7, 6-3, 6-2, and also teamed with Sirola again triumphantly in a 4-1 victory. But in the two finales, only Pietrangeli’s meaningless third-day win over Neale Fraser could be salvaged as Australia won, 5-0 and 4-1, respectively.
Solidly built, possessing exceptional instincts for the game and anticipation, 5-foot-11 Nicky was an all-round performer who moved with grace and purpose. He was in four French finals, losing to Manolo Santana in 1961 and 1964, and four Italian, beating countryman Beppe Merlo, 8-6, 6-2, 6-4, in 1957, and Rod Laver, 6-8, 6-1, 6-1, 6-2, in 1961. His best showing away from compatible clay was a 1960 Wimbledon semifinal, losing to Laver, 4-6, 6-3, 8-10, 6-2, 6-4. His was a career of the amateur era during which he won 53 singles titles and was in the world’s Top 10 five times between 1957 and 1964, No. 3 in 1959 and 1960. Retired from the court, he captained Italy to the Cup round twice, defeating Chile in 1976 but losing to Australia in 1977.
A right-hander, born Sept. 11, 1933, in Tunis, he is a bon vivant, ever popular with fans and colleagues. He and Sirola were the biggest winners of Cup doubles teams, 34-8.
Roddick Lets Racquet Talk For Him
How long has it been since Andy Roddick’s name was mentioned as a serious challenger to reigning heavyweight tennis champ Roger Federer? With young guns Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic on the scene, Roddick has quietly slipped into the background of men’s tennis as a perennial top ten player who can’t quite compete with today’s versatile, all-court players. And yet looking at Roddick’s record over the past five years, he has been one of the most consistent players on tour, but still there is a lack of respect from media and tennis fans alike that such a record would normally command.
Looking at his Grand Slam record, Andy Roddick hasn’t exactly lit the record books since his professional tennis debut in 2000. The US Open title in 2003 is his lone Grand Slam title. That puts him in the same company as Thomas Johansson, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Juan Carlos Ferrero, and Goran Ivanisevic. All one hit wonders. I’m not trying to say that Roddick is on par with these players, or that he won’t at some point win another slam. Surely if it were not for Roger Federer, Roddick would own a couple of Wimbledon titles and another US Open as well. How many players has Federer denied reaching greater heights?
Roddick’s record over the past five years grants him the status as one of the best players of his generation. Looking at the following win/loss statistics, it is hard to argue with that statement. His Slam record other than his one win, includes 3 finals, 4 semi finals, and 4 quarter final appearances. He has also qualified in the season ending Masters tournament each year during that span.
2003: 69-16
2004: 63-14
2005: 56-15
2006: 42-15
2007: 46-14
His wins have may have diminished over the years, but he is playing less tournaments than he used to. More importantly, he has had to deal with the growing threat of an emerging group of younger tennis players who have risen to the top of the sport. His steady play has been overshadowed by the recent emergence of Nadal (3 grand slams, age 21) and Djokovic (1 grand slam, age 20). Sometimes, he even gets upstaged by whichever player has had the most recent momentary surge, such as Jo-Wilfred Tsonga at this year’s Australian Open.
This past week in Dubai, Roddick certainly reclaimed the spotlight. Not only did he hold serve the entire tournament, but he also successfully defeated both Nadal and Djokovic which must have felt incredibly satisfying. Both were straight set victories leaving no doubt that Roddick was in control of the match. He had never beaten Djokovic, and had not beaten Nadal since 2004 when Nadal was still a kid. Despite amicably parting ways with coach Jimmy Connors the previous week, he has made it known that he is ready to contend for a Grand Slam again and will be looking to build on these victories at the upcoming Masters Series hard court events in the US. After years of everyone asking what’s wrong with Andy Roddick, it’s nice to pause for a moment and examine what’s right.