Roger Federer: A Broken Racket, and Two Babies

 

 

 

Who would have thought that a year which began with tears of agony on the shoulders of his arch nemesis, would ultimately lead Roger Federer towards a gratifying turnaround?

After his Aussie Open defeat to Rafael Nadal, a shell-shocked Swiss took his bruised ego, and battered body towards a six-week break from the tour. With no play in February, and a return to action in March, Federer’s reluctant play would be evident throughout the Indian Wells tournament.

His efforts in reaching the semifinals in Palm Springs were not spectacular, and his lethargic loss against Andy Murray was bizarre to say the least.

Lapses in concentration were becoming the norm in competition, a constant staple throughout the season for Federer.

After his loss to Murray, a stoic and subdued Federer was asked to comment on his miss-firing backhand.

“Ah, yeah, I have those moments quite frequently”, said Federer.

Quite frequently? Here is a guy who was known for flicking backhand passes on a dime just a little over a year ago.

With the dust of desert behind him, the sunshine of Miami would be next up. A much needed victory would be greatly appreciated.

Federer was once again granted a relatively safe, and turbulent-free passage throughout the Key Biscayne event—until the semifinals of course. This time around, the final four stage would feature another one of the games current and future stars, Novak Djokovic.

In a carbon copy of a the Murray match in California, Federer had many opportunities to close out his Serbian opponent. He went ahead, fell behind, and inevitably came up short at another major tour stop.

His defeat to Djokovic would be remembered for much more than just another high profile loss—the defeat would be highlighted by a loud crack, or a shattering of sorts if you will.

During the early stages of set three, the culmination of a 10-month struggle without a tour title, as well as being pushed around by the “next” generation, propelled Federer to not only release his anger, but also his tool of trade, his racket.

After an uncharacteristic brush with the dark-side, the mangled fragments of Federer’s frame were not the only distraught pieces of the Swiss which remained on center court—he simply had no understanding of what was wrong with his game.

The lack of trust in his shots, accompanied by confusion, prompted the Swiss to make this statement during his post match presser:

“I haven’t been winning twenty tournaments in a row, so nobody expects me to win really. No, look, it’s been a tough last year or so, especially in the hardcourts. My game never really clicked, you know, except for the Open where I thought I played great. I think when I was finding my form again, you know, it hit me with the back problem. It was unfortunate, you know, but thank God the hardcourt season is over.”

Once again, this was coming from a man who had won five US Open titles, and three Aussie Open crowns. Oh my God, was more like it.

With another brief and much needed hiatus from the sport, a rattled Roger would return to the dirt, in the quest for stained socks, and better results.

His appearance at the Monte Carlo Masters would be spearheaded by the news of his marriage to long-time girlfriend, Mirka Vavrinec—not the recent string of losses to his three main rivals.

Although Federer’s stay in Monaco would be brief, and mediocre, the demeanor of the former No. 1 seemed to be lifted a touch—would tennis be less of a priority now that he was married, or, would his partnership with his long-time companion lead to a rejuvenated spirit when competing?

Battling through another tough-to-swallow defeat at the hands of Novak Djokovic in Roma, Federer’s off-court news seemed to once again eclipse his on-court struggles: Fatherhood would be around the corner.

With Rafael Nadal winning everything under the sun on the clay, Federer’s new perspective on life, and tennis itself for that matter would take him straight into the lions den, the Madrid Masters.

Suddenly, traces of the “old” Federer had resurfaced. His movement became liquid-like; his forehand catching the outside edge of the lines—on purpose. The altitude, and a worn down Nadal added to the sheer brilliance of the Swiss. Roger could not have asked for a better week.

Defeating, Soderling, Blake, Roddick, del Potro and Nadal in succession would be just the way to diffuse his title drought. The statement was made.

With his confidence on the rebound, a push towards the only slam which had eluded him thus far, would be up next—the French Open.

The road to French glory would not be easy—constant adversity, coupled by the added pressure of the King’s dismissal, meant this would have to be the year.

Although the like of Tommy Haas and Juan Martin del Potro almost spoiled the “Grand Slam” parade, Federer’s long quest was finally over—three years of finishing second were a distant memory.

The tears of Australia, were traded in for the pride of his national anthem—tears certainly do have different forms.

The dichotomy which was Roger Federer’s year, would take the Swiss towards a record breaking journey in London, the hallowed lawns of Center Court were ready for some magic.

Throughout the two weeks which saw Federer grace his way towards the record books, a distinct glimmer in his eyes had returned: The passion for competition, coupled with a new life, had created an unmatched synergy throughout the fortnight. The Greatest of All Time would be crowned.

With his 15th grand slam stashed away in his vault of excellence, Roger would dawn the tennis world with one final tranquil piece of news towards his remarkable season: Not one, but two babies would added to Federer family. May we welcome, Myla Rose, and Charlene Riva.

So there you have it folks, just another routine year in the seemingly fabled career of the worlds No. 1 ranked player. It surely took some time, but the turnaround season of the Swiss definitely did not seem possible when it commenced in January.

It is uncertain, if, and when the Swiss super-star will return to the circuit. At this point, we may not see Roger back in action until the defense of his US Open title. A much deserved leave of absence, may I add.

Life is different now for Roger Federer, if anything, he has a broken racket, and two babies to thank for his resurgence to the top.

The career of the Swiss has taught a truly life valuable lesson to all who are concerned: With any obstacle comes the notion that a brighter day is a ahead, a day in a which what didn’t kill you, made you stronger, with perspective being the underlying catalyst to success.

Above all, perspective and Roger Federer go hand in hand.

Djokovic Decides For Doubles Over Singles In Croatia

It was reported earlier today that world No. 4 Novak Djokovic will exclusively participate in the doubles competition in Umag, Croatia this week.

The Serb’s lengthly post Wimbledon vacation, included rest and relaxation for the for the 22-year-old. A trip to Maldive Islands with friends and family, would hopefully be enough to kick-start a potent run through the US Open series.

However, the choice to play doubles with his brother Marko this week, is an odd one to say the least. Djokovic was a finalist at the ATP Studena Croatia Open event in 2006, and has posted spectacular clay results throughout 2009.

The decision to perhaps ease back into competition begs the question of whether or not the former Aussie Open is questioning his confidence, or simply wants to help his brother become better acquainted with the Tour?

Whatever the case, another baffling and truly dumbfounding decision for the Serb. I mean the hard-court is upon us right? Novak needs to shift his decision’s in the right direction.

Any thoughts?

2009 Mid Year Radio Show

During the post Wimbledon lull, there are is still a lot of tennis to discuss so we decided to do a 2009 year in review /2 show.  We looked at Roger Federer’s re-emergence, Rafa’s chances at getting the #1 ranking back, Andy Roddick’s future and much, much more.  We also brought back our fallers and ballers feature.  You can listen to the podcast below or you can subscribe via iTunes.

You can use the media player to listen (click and drag scrolling text to fast forward) or click this text to download

 

Stick It Wear’s New Line

Joe Durica is back and has improved his already super cool Stick It Wear line.  He already had some of the most original tennis clothing on the market but now they have new designs, new materials, and new players.  One of the biggest improvements is the addition of 100% Dri Fit-like shirts for those people like me who like to play in polyester not cotton for it’s sweat proofing.  Also, as players have evolved he has also changed the player’s poses.  Can you guess which stick figure represents what player?  For more information check out his new website at http://www.stickitwear.com.

Indianapolis, U.S.A.; Hamburg, Germany. Day 7 review. Ginepri wins Indianapolis; Davydenko prevails in Hamburg

Indianapolis, U.S.A.; Hamburg, Germany. Day 7 review. Ginepri wins Indianapolis; Davydenko prevails in Hamburg

Indianapolis Tennis Championships—Indianapolis, U.S.6

In improbable fashion, unseeded American Robby Ginepri defeated countryman and No. 3 seed Sam Querrey 6-2, 6-4 in the championship match at Indianapolis today.

Ginepri who was sidelined earlier this year because of appendicitis, began the match in strong form after gaining two breaks of serve in the opening set.

The backhand wing of Ginepri began to take over proceedings, resulting in Querrey to question whether or not he would go home 0-3 in finals on the season.

It appeared as though the karma of Ginepri’s 2005 title run would resurrect itself once again in ‘09. In fact, karma would be all over center court today, with his win over Querrey being the first for Ginepri since he captured the ‘05 crown at Indy.

Credit goes to Ginepri’s tactics throughout the encounter. He set the tone earlier for the match, to be played under his terms—specifically backhand-to-backhand. He also moved better than Querrey, and took advantage of the sub-par returning day by his countryman.

At this point, one would have to think that Querrey’s nerves will need to be addressed going forward. He has now lost three straight Tour finals this year—in back-to-back weeks no less—against much lower ranked opponents.

Perhaps Querrey’s easy going demeanor has its share of positives and negatives. At any rate, Querrey will have to make the quick transition to LA time next week, where he will be participating at the LA Open on the campus of UCLA.

Ginepri will be joining Querrey in Los Angeles as a special exemption

The last time Ginepri won at Indianapolis in 2005, he went on a tear for the remainder of the year. He reached the semifinals of the U.S. Open as well as a career high of No. 15. Perhaps a sign of things to come? A few more weeks of solid tennis will be required, before such accolades can be dispersed.

The win was not only is the first for Ginepri in three seasons, he also captured 250 ATP World Tour points, and a first prize check of $80, 000.

Ginepri’s championship run included wins over fellow American’s, Alex Bogomolov Jr., John Isner and Querrey.

Ginepri will take his well deserved win into Los Angeles next week where he will take on Russian Marat Safin in the opening round. Not exactly a welcomed first round encounter, but based on current form, Ginepri would have to be the resounding favorite in that contest.

International German Open—Hamburg, Germany

Never one to be mistaken for the most charismatic or flamboyant players on Tour, Russian Nikolay Davydenko brings an efficient mind-set, and consistent schedule to the table. When a tournament needs him, he’ll be there.

This week in Hamburg would provide a perfect backdrop for the Russian’s first win of the season. He wouldn’t have to be up against the games very best, and the 500 ranking points he would gain for the week, would substantially assist him in regaining top-ten status. It would not be easy, but certainly achievable.

Standing in his way towards capturing the Hamburg hardware would be the talented efforts of Paul-Henri Mathieu. The Frenchmen had always been on everyone’s radar— his lack of substance made for earlier dismissal when tournament favorites were discussed.

The first set in today’s championship match would be a feeling out process throughout. Each player analyzing the others tendencies in a effort to capture momentum.

With the first set in his pocket, the Russian began to see his first title of ‘09 resting on his mantle piece. A confident Davydenko would not look back.

The constant aggression of of the ground from the Russian, would inevitably overwhelm the Frenchman.

On the strength of 73 percent of his second serve points won, three aces, and five breaks of serve, Davydenko’s title drought of over a year would be over.

Final score: 6-2, 6-2 in one hour and 28 minutes.

The Russian had this to say after his victory.

“I’m very happy because I’ve won 15 ATP World Tour titles. I was surprised at the beginning as Mathieu started playing very well. I started fighting to come back and for me it was very good play to win the first set 6-4. Then every point, every game was important and I won 6-2 (in the second set).”

The somber tone throughout Mathieu’s post match presser was evident. He was undoubtedly down, but gave full credit to his opponent.

“I think he played a great match today.” He was very solid. I think I would have needed a bit more energy to win today. I think I was less aggressive than yesterday. I left pretty much (all my) energy on the court yesterday and to beat a guy like Nikolay you have to be 100 per cent physically.”

The win for Davydenko was also a profitable one. He took home €228,000 for his efforts, as well as 500 ATP World Tour points.

Mathieu did himself proud throughout the week, capturing €104,000 and 300 ATP World Tour points.

Davydenko’s next challenge will be in Umag, Croatia next week, where he is the top seed. He will take on Daniel Gimeno-Traver in round one. Mathieu will travel to Gstaad where he will be the No. 8 seed. His first round opponent will be Marcos Daniel of Brazil.

That wraps-ups another fantastic week on Tour. Congrats once again go out to Robby Ginepri for his win in Indianapolis, and Nikolay Davydenko for taking home the hardware in Hamburg.

Please check back, I will have a previews for next weeks action, which will include: Los Angeles, California; Gstaad, Switzerland; Umag Croatia. Cheers.

Indianapolis, U.S.A.; Hamburg, Germany. Day 6 review. Querrey into Indy Final; Davydenko and Mathieu make finals in Hamburg

Indianapolis Tennis Championships—Indianapolis, U.S.A

American Sam Querrey reached his third ATP World Tour final of season, defeating Canadian Frank Dancevic 6-4, 6-4. In a match which was suppose to feature the blistering serves of both players, ended up being a one man show for Querrey.

Dancevic’s biggest weapon let him down today, winning 61 percent of his first serve points, and hitting one ace. Numbers which were a far cry from the double-digit ace count Dancevic was achieving throughout the week, as well as recording first serve percentages in the mid-to-high 80’s.

Querrey by contrast, produced another glorious day of serving numbers. The American pounded 11 aces, and won 80 percent of his first serve points during the one hour and 13 minute contest.

Querrey’s return-of-serve was also stellar throughout the encounter, breaking the Canadians serve on four occasions. Dancevic managed to obtain two breaks of serve on his end.

With the win, the six-foot-six-inch Californian moves into his first Indianapolis Tennis Championships, where he will aim for his second Tour title of his career.

Querrey had this to say after his victory.

“There was one side of the court where it was really hard to serve. I dropped serve at 5-3 in second set but knew he was going to serve from that side the next game,” Querrey said. “I am very excited to reach the final at Indianapolis. I lost in the semis two times, so I was really hoping I could win today.”

The home-town fan’s at Indianapolis will now look forward to an all-American final on Sunday, with Robby Ginepri reaching his first final of the 2009 season by dispatching the powerful serving of countrymen John Isner.

The match between Ginepri and Isner was more of question of who would be able to battles their nerves better, as opposed to hitting contest. Both players did not play particularly well during the one hour and 26 minute contest—Ginepri’s quickness and ground-strokes making the difference.

Ginepri’s ability to break serve become a crucial component to his victory today—converting on two of nine break-points chances, against the monster serve of Isner.

Isner was not able to capitalize on any of his five break-point opportunities.

Ginepri’s fight back to the games elite has not come at an easy price. Earlier this year during the month stretch of Indian Wells and Miami, the Georgia native came down with appendicitis. the illness forced him out the game until start of the French Open.

Although Ginepri participated at the French Open and Wimbledon, his form and fitness were a shadow of what they once were. After four months of rehab and hard-work, the fruits of Ginepri’s efforts have been fulfilled—a Tour final, on a big stage.

Querrey and Ginepri have never met on the ATP World Tour, with Ginepri attempting to capture his second title at Indy after going all-the-way in 2005, defeating Andy Roddick en route. The same year he subsequently made the semifinals of the U.S. Open. Could be a good omen?

Querrey should have the slight edge going into the final, based on current form and confidence. Querrey could defiantly become a legitimate contender in New York if he continues his surfer dude, winning ways.

International German Open—Hamburg, Germany

No. 2 seed Nikolay Davydenko advanced to the finals of the International German Open today, after he survived a very entertaining match with Spaniard David Ferrer. The 7-5, 7-6 (7-2) scoreline featured two hours and 13 minutes of exquisite clay-court tennis.

The single most important component of this battle would lie in the players court positioning. Although both combatants moved exceeding well on the dirt, it was Davydenko who stalked the baseline—Ferrer who stood five-feet behind it.

Taking into account Ferrer’s inability to consistently hit a heavy ball; Daydenko’s job was made relatively easy throughout the two sets.

However, Ferrer did have his chances, and big ones at that. The Spaniard held commanding posts in both sets at 5-3 serving. The Russian fought back on both occasions, not allowing either set to slip through his fingers. Missed opportunities a plenty for Ferrer.

With the win, Davydenko advances to the of the finals in Hamburg where he will meet Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu. The Russian had this to say after his win, as well as looking forward to his next challenger.

“After 5-3 I tried to fight every point and tried to do not so much risky and play constant,” explained Davydenko. “I think that was important today. In the tie-break I was just 100 per cent concentrated because I tried to win every point and fought. It was a very good tie-break for me.”

“It’s always good to be in the final, but then when you are in the final I guess you want to win the title,” said Mathieu. “My last time was in Metz last year. It’s a good week so far but for sure you want to win when you are in the final.”

Mathieu advanced to his first final of 2009, ending the superb run of qualifier Pablo Cuevas 4-6, 6-3, 7-5.

The early efforts of Cuevas appeared right on target for his first-time Tour semifinalist. His forehand was red-hot, and his go-for-broke, house money game-style was paying off. Mathieu would need to change gears.

The second set saw Mathieu restore order by attacking the net frequently, not allowing the clay-court guile of Cuevas to be a factor. Mathieu’s increased passion, which he rarely exudes, was on full display for the center court crowd.

The final set would consist of five service breaks. Three for Mathieu, and two for Cuevas. With the match on the racket of the Frenchman at 5-4 serving, Cuevas fought hard and managed to break back.

Momentum would not stay in the hands of Cuevas, quickly conceding his own delivery the very next game, and allowing Mathieu a second shot at the finals. A second opportunity would be more than enough for Paul-Henri Mathieu.

The Frenchman will attempt to win his fifth ATP World Tour title on Sunday, the eighth final of his 10-year career.

Davydenko and Mathieu have played six times on the ATP World Tour, with each man winning on three occasions. Both players have recorded one win, when matches were played on clay-courts.

Davydenko appears to be the favorite going into Sunday’s final, with Mathieu’s talent never taking a back-seat to any player.

Please check back, I will have a finals recap from Indianapolis, U.S.A, and Hamburg, Germany. Cheers.

Indianapolis, U.S.A.; Hamburg, Germany. Day 5 review. Indy features five Americans in action on Friday; Ferrer looking strong in Hamburg

Indianapolis Tennis Championships—Indianapolis, U.S.A

With five of the eight quarter-finalist at this years Indianapolis Tennis Championships being American, the home-town fan’s would be subject to a delicious array of home-grown talent on Day 5 action.

First up on center, top seed Dmitry Tursunov took his perfect 3-0 record against Canadian Frank Dancevic. Tursunov has been Dancevic’s personal nemeses thus far in the Canadians career. If not for the Russian, Dancevic would potential hold two Tour titles to date. Tursunov defeated Dancevic earlier this year for the Eastbourne title, as well as during the title match of the 2007 Indy Tennis Championships.

The difficulty for the Canadian would continue today.

The head games commenced in set one, with Tursunov’s hard-hitting tactics once again rattling the 24-year-old Niagara Falls native. In many ways, Tursunov’s game-style fit in perfectly to the design of Dancevic’s game—both are big-hitting players, with powerful serves, and want to stay on the aggressive. However, the stronger, more reliable backhand wing of the Russian seems to always hold up when the pair take the court—especially on second serve returns.

The first set today displayed another example of the frustration which Dancevic endures when playing the Russian. Tursunov served a miserable first serve percentage of 36 percent, but made up for it by winning 100 percent of his first serve points, 14/14. Tursunov’s nonrhythmic stats, which were highly effective, gave Danceivc little to no opinions in terms of a game-plan.

But with his eyes on the prize, the Canadian would pounce. A hard-fought second tie-break win, would lead to a third and final set for the semi’s. Dancevic was ready.

On the strength of six third set aces, Dancevic rolled through the deciding set to record his first win over the Russian, 3-6, 7-6 (7-6), 6-2.

An interesting tidbit on Dancevic’s journey to the semifinals. Not only did he defeat the No. 5 seed Benjamin Becker, and top seed Tursunov along the way, he also drove himself to the event from his home in Niagara falls. Not exactly world class travels for an on-and-off member of the top 100.

Dancevic discussed his run to the semi’s, as well as his journey to Indy.

“I drove down from Niagara to Detroit to pick up my girlfriend and I said ‘Let’s do it again!’ I got here Thursday thinking I was playing qualies, then I got the good news that I was the last direct acceptance,” Dancevic said. “I am just very happy to be in the semi-finals in Indianapolis once again.”

Canada’s best player will next face America’s best up-and-comer, Sam Querrey. The six-foot-six-inch San Francisco native took apart another quality opponent today, dismissing No. 7 seed Marc Gicquel 6-4, 7-5. Querrey blasted 19 aces, and won 88 percent of his first serve points.

The lanky Yank had this to say after his win.

“I served really well today, except for one game. But overall I am happy with the way I played,” said Querrey, who saved both break points he faced and dropped just five points on his first serve. “I feel quick out there. The court is fast and suits my game well.”

Querrey and Dancevic have never played on the ATP World Tour. A serve shoot-out will be in store on center court.

Elsewhere, a much needed week of Tour wins followed the recent struggles of Robby Ginepri, with the Georgia native breezing past fellow American Alex Bogomolov Jr. 7-5, 6-1.

In a match featuring two players who were battling back from various injuries, the class of Ginepri was displayed throughout the one hour and 15 minute encounter—form that saw the American reach the 2005 U.S. Open semifinal.

Bogomolov Jr. will be happy with his week, after picking up his second and third Tour wins of the season.

Ginepri will now await either John Isner or Wayne Odesnik in the final four. The Isner/Odesnik match is scheduled for 7pm est.

With five Americans starting off the day, it is certain that at least one will be present on Sunday during the finals.

International German Open—Hamburg, Germany

Unseeded qualifier Pablo Cuevas put forth a spotless effort against No. 14 seed Nicolas Almagro today, defeating the Spaniard 6-2, 6-4. The win by Cuevas became the first time since 2005 that a qualifier had reached the semifinals at the International German Open. Belgium, Christophe Rochus was the recipient of the semifinal qualifier status in 2005.

Today’s high quality affair was contested at rapid pace, in one hour and 14 minutes. Both player’s recorded stellar percentages on their first serve points won: 80 percent for Almagro; 81 percent for Cuevas.

However the points won on second serves provided a vast differential—33 percent of Alamgro; 58 percent for Cuevas. The desire to tee-off on every Almagro second serve was a definite strategy by the Uruguayan. Almagro’s second serve is by no means a weakness. In fact, it is one of the best on circuit, especially on clay.

A truly fantastic effort by the 23-year-old qualifier. His ranking of No. 107 in the world will undoubtedly rise into the high 80’s after this weeks performance.

Cuevas will next face No. 13 Paul-Henri Mathieu who benefited from a withdrawal from unseeded Serb, Viktor Troicki. Mathieu was leading 3-0 in first set when a right-foot-injury sent Troicki out of the tournament.

Mathieu will be delighted with his semifinal showing thus far in Hamburg. His year-to-date results have not exactly been knocking them dead.

No. 2 seed Nikolay Davydenko took another step towards a title this week, after capturing a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win over No.14 Victor Hanescu of Romania.

The entertaining encounter featured the power of Hanescu vs. the counter-punching abilities of Davydenko. In particular, Nikolay’s passing shots were rivaled by down-the-line backhand of Hanescu. The Romanian’s backhand is a thing of beauty.

After a second-set lapse in concentration by Davydenko, set-three featured one-way traffic by the Russian. Hanescu has posted impressive results as of late, and will surely lock up a U.S. Open seeding with his performance this week in Hamburg. Hanescu was a finalist in Stuttgart over weekend, losing to Frenchmen Jeremy Chardy.

Davydenko will now look forward to a popcorn match against No. 6 seed David Ferrer. The Spaniard was utterly dominant in his center court match today, brushing aside the supported challenge of German Simon Greul. The 6-2, 6-3 affair featured the ground-hugging movement of Ferrer being far to potent for his under-matched opponent.

Greul tournament was also one to be noted. He came back from the depths of defeat earlier in the tournament against countrymen Mishca Zverev, and has enjoyed great success on the Challenger circuit this season. Perhaps a name to watch for the remainder of 2009.

The head-to-head records for this years International German Open 500 point event are as follows:

Davydenko vs. Ferrer: The former top ten players have met twice on the ATP World Tour, with each man winning on one occasion. The pair have not faced each other since the 2007 Cincinnati Masters 1000.

Cuevas vs. Mathieu: First ATP World Tour meeting between the players.

It is apparent that the Davydenko/Ferrer winner will be the clear-cut favorite going into Sunday’s final. Cuevas may have something to say on Sunday if he gets there, with the Uruguayan playing with house money this week.

Please check back, I will have a semifinal recap from Indianapolis, U.S.A, and Hamburg, Germany. Cheers.

Indianapolis, U.S.A.; Hamburg, Germany. Day 4 review. Dent dismissed at Indy; Davydenko reaches quarterfinals in Hamburg

Indianapolis Tennis Championships—Indianapolis, U.S.A

In a truly bizarre match, American Taylor Dent was bounced today in the second round of the Indianapolis Tennis Championships at the hands of 31-year-old journeymen Marcos Daniel.

Dent’s play throughout the 1:03 defeat mirrored a player who was low on match toughness. The Americans demise today did reside in his serve. In fact, Taylor pounded nine aces and won 91 percent of his first serve points (22-24). However, the rest of his game, including his second serve, was third rate at best for the duration of the contest.

Watching Dent as of late, one would get the impression that he really has no game plan at all. He seemingly shows up for matches, hopes to hit a big serve here and there, and relies on errors from his opponents in order to succeed.

Well, Daniel was not in a giving mood today. It was not as if the Brazilian did anything fantastic on court today. If anything, all he really had to do was show up and let Dent self-destruct.

Daniel’s numbers for the match were not stellar by any means. His first serve points won capped off at 76 percent, and his ace count only reached five. Not much was really required from Marcos today, with the embarrassing performance by the six-foot-four-inch Dent.

At this point in his career, Dent not only need to get fitter to play his matches, he also needs a solid tactical game-plan in order to have any shot on tour. Hitting the ball hard doesn’t count as a game-plan Taylor.

With the win, Daniel will head into the second round of Indy, where he takes double duty against top seed Dmitry Tursunov later on Thursday. Tursunov must be loving his chances at reaching a third straight final at Indy this year.

Elsewhere, seventh seed Marc Gicquel smoked by Canadian-turned-American Jesse Levine 6-2, 6-2. Gicquel’s versatile hard-court craft was too much for Levine to overcome throughout the course of the one hour and five minute encounter. Levine was hoping to build on his improved form of late, after reaching the third round of Wimbledon and a quarterfinals in Newport.

Gicquel who is quite comfortable on hard-courts, has seen his late blooming career flourish over the past three seasons. A career high of 37 in the world was reached in the fall of 2008, and although he is placed at No. 82 currently on the computer, his all-court game will keep him around the top 100 for some time.

The Frenchman will head towards the quarterfinals, where he will meet either of Sam Querrey or Rajeev Ram. The Querrey/Ram contest is a rematch of the Newport final (won by Ram), and has been carried over from Wednesday’s rained-out action.

Wayne Odesnik continued his improved form of 2009 by dispatching fourth seed Igor Kunitysn 2-6, 6-1, 6-1. You will be hard-pressed to find a harder working man in tennis than Wayne Odesnik. The scrappy American will await either John Isner or Denis Istomin in the quarterfinals.

Alex Bogomolov Jr. created the upset of the tournament thus far, defeating second seeded Dudi Sela 6-4, 7-6 (7-5). Struggling through injury and personal problems for the past three years, Bogomolov Jr. brought forth the best he had to offer in today’s win over Sela.

The match was actually very even throughout—in terms of height, all the way to ball speed, and total points won—the difference in the end being that Bogomolov Jr. appeared slightly more hungry when given his opportunities.

The Miami resident will await the quarterfinal challenge of Robby Ginepri or Eduardo Schwank. That match-up will be the day’s last on center court.

Canadian Frank Dancevic will also be attempting to recapture his great run of 2007 (when he made the finals), by attempting to dismiss the powerful serve of German Benjamin Becker.

International German Open—Hamburg, Germany

Second seed Nikolay Davydenko dashed the hopes and six match winning streak of Frenchman Jeremy Chardy today by easily dispatching the recent Stuttgart champ 6-3, 6-3.

The roadrunner abilities of the Russian were far too strong for Chardy during the one hour and 12 minute encounter. Davydenko took full advantage of the wiry legs of his 22-year-old opponent by sending a frequent array of off-the-rise shots in each and every corner. Chardy’s big serve was not at the level it was in Stuttgart last week. By contrast, Nikolay provided the serving prowess for the affair, winning 91 percent of his first serve points and hitting four aces, an unusual but highly effective stat for the Russian.

Davydenko’s form seems to be shaping up nicely with the up-coming U.S. Open series hitting full tilt in Montreal in three weeks time. Nikolay is a man for every surface, and although he will not be a threat to win the grandest titles in the sport, his fit and consistent game-style can still rival the game’s elite.

With the win, the second seed advances to the quarterfinals where he will meet Julien Bennteau or Victor Hanescu.

Because of heavy rain, only center court matches have been completed thus far in Hamburg. The center court in Hamburg contains an umbrella shaped cover that can be deployed when required.

Elsewhere, the flaky season of Paul-Henri Mathieu took a step in the right direction today with the 13th seed avenging the loss of his countrymen Gilles Simon by ousting the monster serving of six-foot-five-inch Daniel Brands of Germany. The 7-5, 7-5 scoreline featured two late breaks of serve by the Frenchman in both sets—saving all three break-point chances against his own delivery.

Mathieu was once touted as the next big thing for France, has now been relegated into the category of a solid tour player. It is truly a shame that his career has not taken off like it should have. Mathieu’s career highlights to date will be remembered for being the last man to defeat Pete Sampras, and giving Rafael Nadal his toughest match of his French Open career (apart from Soderling this year) with a four hour and 53 minutes slug-fest in 2006, which, believe it or not, lasted only four-sets.

Mathieu will await the winner of Guillermo Garcia-Lopez or Viktor Troivki in the quarterfinals. That match will be played on court M2 weather permitting.

The home-town fans encountered further disappointment today when the highest German in the draw, fifth seed Philipp Kohlschreiber, was defeated by Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas 6-4, 7-6 (10-8). Kohlschreiber simply ran into a buzz-saw today who was playing first flight tennis. Cuevas’ serve was the telling factor in this encounter. He won 80 percent of his first points, hit eight aces, and never conceded his serve throughout four break-point opportunities by Kohlschreiber.

The win for Cuevas becomes the best result for 23-year old this season. He did reach the semifinals of the event in Chile in February, but when taking into account the point differential in Hamburg, his German result is far more impressive.

Cuevas who makes his living predominately playing the Challenger circuit, will next battle third seed Robin Soderling or 14th seed Nicolas Almagro. That match is the last singles contest on center court.

Two other outer court matches which have yet to take the court will feature: sixth seed David Ferrer vs. Juan; Ivan Navarro vs. Simon Greul.

The Ferrer/Monaco encounter has all the makings of turning into the match of the day.

Please check back, I will have daily coverage from Indianapolis, U.S.A and Hamburg, Germany. Cheers and enjoy.

Indianapolis, U.S.A.; Hamburg, Germany. Day 3 review. Rain rules Indy; Soderling continues hot streak in Hamburg

Indianapolis Tennis Championships—Indianapolis, U.S.A

Rain got the better of the Indianapolis Tennis Center today with light mist delaying the beginning of second round action. If and when play resumes, Taylor Dent will be first up on center court against Marcos Daniel of Brazil. Dent is on the continued road to recovery after numerous back injuries. With his serve he can not be taken lightly.

Other matches which will likely be rescheduled for Thursday’s action will include:

Sam Querrey vs. Rajeev Ram (Newport final rematch); Jesse Levine vs. Marc Gicquel; Denis Istomin vs. John Isner; Igor Kunitysn vs. Wayne Odesnik.

The latest word has indicated that all singles matches will be postponed until Thursday.

International German Open—Hamburg, Germany

After years of searching for the missing mental link, Robin Soderling seems to have finally gained the mental fortitude for a consistent course on tour.

After gaining his first clay-court title last week in Sweden, a repeat of sorts would not be easily gained this week in Hamburg. From a physical perspective coming into a new tournament after winning the week before, always provides a “letdown effect”. The courts can also be different, and the conditions in Hamburg are like no other clay tournament in the world. (Another reason the German tournament was bounced from the elite nine Masters 1000 events).

But, Le Sod is a different player nowadays. He has Magnus Norman in his corner, and his outlook on tennis is quite different. Although Soderling still relishes his hard hit forehand, his ability to control both his emotions and pace his progress throughout a tournament have vastly improved.

The task at hand today for the third seeded Swede would not be an easy. Italian Fabio Fognini was a seasoned, clay-court comfortable warrior. His game did not possess any visible weapons, but in the same sense did not contain any glaring weaknesses. In many ways Fognini’s game was very reminiscent of a not-so-powerful version of Carlos Moya—where are you Carlos?

With the first set in the bag for Le Sod, the efforts of Fognini would not diminish. The Italian would roar back in set two, taking the middle set in tie-break fashion.

Set three would include many drawn out rallies which Soderling intended to finish before six or seven balls were struck—he was unsuccessful.

However, with Soderling’s ability to remain in long points improving ten-fold in ‘09, his two breaks of serve would out due Fognini’s one.

Final score: Soderling moves onto round three, 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3 in two hours and 15 minutes.

The Swede has now amassed a stellar 19-3 record since the beginning of Roland Garrros. Soderling will next face Spaniard Nicolas Almagro who was a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 winner over countrymen Marcel Granollers.

Another man who was coming into Hamburg hot and ready for further success was none other then Frenchmen Jeremy Chardy.

Chardy captured his maiden ATP World tour title over the weekend in Stuttgart, began his quest for a “German double” today in Hamburg by defeating home-country hopeful Andreas Beck 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (8-6).

The 22-year old Boeil-Bezing resident could certainly be a force to be reckon during the up-coming hard-court swing. The trouble for Chardy will be detach himself from the flaky-Frenchmen syndrome which seems to attack the most talented and colorful Frenchmen on the planet. SeeMonfils, Gasquet, Simon, Leconte, etc.

Chardy had this to say after his victory.

“I have a lot of confidence, I played my best tennis last week. The court was different though and it was hard to play well. But I served very well indoors.”

In case you were wondering, Hamburg does have a retractable roof on center court, which is best described as umbrella shaped.

For now, Chardy appears composed and confident, with a second round battle against either second seed Nikolay Davydenko or German Philipp Petzchner on the horizon. The Davydenko/Petzchner encounter will be the days last match on center court.

Mischa Zverev and Simon Greul will also take the court later today in an all German battle. Zverev should move through easily.

Elsewhere, after the debacle which Tuesday brought forth in terms of seeded players being ousted, Wednesday’s order of play was much more forgiving for the seeded players in action.

David Ferrer the number sixth seed this week, easily dispatched German Florian Mayer 6-3, 6-2. Ferrer will be looking for a deep run in Hamburg this week. He is at a bit of a cross-roads in his career currently, and desperately needs an injection of “W’s” in order to keep him motivated.Ferrer is due for a break-0ut week, and could very well take home the title if he plays to his potential.

Another player full of great form is Mr. Principality Juan Monaco. A finalist a week ago in Sweden, Monaco benefited from a second set retirement from his opponent, and fellow Argentine JoseAcasuso today after leading 6-1, 1-1. Monaco and Ferrer will lock horns in what should be a blockbuster third round contest.

Recent Stuttgart finalist Victor Hanescu shook off the disappointment of not being able to capture his second career Tour title over the weekend, by dismissing Jan Henrych 6-2, 6-3. Hanescu will next take on Julien Benneteau in round three, after the Frenchmen caused the lone upset of the day, defeating seventh seeded Russian Igor Andreev 6-4, 6-3.

Andreev joins the likes of top seed Gilles Simon, fifth seed Stanislas Wawrinka, and fourth seed Tommy Robredo who were all miserably defeated in second round action on Tuesday. All seeded players received a first round bye in the event.

Please check back, I will have daily coverage from Indianapolis, U.S.A and Hamburg, Germany. Cheers and enjoy.

Indianapolis, U.S.A.; Hamburg, Germany. Day 2 review. Dudi Sela wins in Indianapolis; Tommy Robredo ousted in Hamburg

Indianapolis Tennis Championships—Indianapolis, U.S.A

Diminutive Israeli Dudi Sela reached the second round of the Indianapolis Tennis Championships today with a 7-5, 6-1 thumping of American Vince Spadea. The second seed was spot-on throughout the one hour and 15 minute affair.

Playing a similar game-style, Sela’s fresher legs (11 years to be exact) ended up being the deciding factor in the contest.

Spadea’s game requires speed, and at age 35 he just does not have the first step required to make the end roads against the quicker and higher ranked players.

Both players showcased fantastic feel and margin off or their stronger backhand wings. The versatility which Sela can demonstrate with his one-handed backhand is seldom matched by anyone on the circuit.

After a relatively close first set, Sela began to impose his confidence and return-of-serve prowess to brake the Americans serve on three occasions; sending Vinny towards the practice courts.

Sela is certainly one of those “under the radar” type players. If given a good draw, and the right conditions his fleet of foot game-style can go far over the next six weeks.

Spadea on the other hand should stick with the Challenger circuit, and the cheap thrills he receives from making YouTube videos. Rap away Vinny, you certainly have the time this week.

With the win, Sela will move onto round two where he will meet another aging American, Alex Bogomolov Jr. who was a 6-2, 6-3 winner over Flavo Cipolla.

Bogomolov wins only his second match of 2009.

Elsewhere, fifth seed Benjamin Becker eased into round two with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Go Soedo of Japan. Becker will next take on Canadian Frank Dancevic who was a first round winner on Monday.

American qualifier Jesse Levine continued his fine summer form against Danai Udomckoke, dismissing the man from Thailand 6-1, 7-6 (12-10). Levine will be in tough in round two, when he takes on seventh seed Marc Gicquel. Levine certainly holds a chance in that encounter.

Fourth seed Igor Kunityn brushed aside Brian Dabul 6-4, 6-1 and Eduardo Schwank picked up a rare hard-court win over the very solid Yen-Hsun Lu of Chinese Taipei 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Still to come on Tuesday in Indianapolis, top seed Dmitry Tursunov will begin his road to a potential third straight final against Michael Berrer of Germany.

Tursunov should be the heavy favorite for the remainder of tournament with not a single top 20 player present. The glory days of Pete Sampras and Jim Courier playing each and every year in Indy seem to be a faint and distance ball mark away—even on the hard-courts.

Wednesday’s action in Indy will feature:

Taylor Dent vs. Marcos Daniel; Jesse Levine vs. Marc Gicquel; Sam Querrey vs. Rajeev Ram. The Querrey/Ram encounter will be a rematch of the Newport, RI final of two weeks ago.

International German Open—Hamburg, Germany

Former Hamburg champ Tommy Robredo suffered an earlier upset loss in round two action today at the International German Open. Robredo’s lone Masters shield was captured at the event in 2006 when it stood strong as a member of the elite nine Masters Series tournaments.

However, with the inception of the Madrid and Shanghai Masters 1000 tournaments, Hamburg has been downgraded to a lessor 500 point event. Not a popular decision for tournament director Micheal Stich; legal battles are in progress.

In case anyone is still baffled by Robredo winning the ‘06 title in Hamburg, it must be noted that neither Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal were present that year. A fact which Robredo will surely omit when telling his grand children about the greatest victory of his career.

Today’s encounter with countrymen Ivan Navarro will also be omitted from future story-time.

Robredo’s usually rock-solid baseline play was hindered by the seemingly fast conditions in Hamburg. It was evident throughout the contest that Navarro’s game-style was better suited towards a faster clay-court.

The flatter ground-strokes of Navarro became the highlight of the one hour and 56 minute umbrella covered center court contest. Robredo fell into the trap of simply getting the ball in the court, relying on Navarro’s mistakes instead of his own initiative. Unfortunately that tactic would not serve Robredo well in the long run.

On the strength of 77 percent of his first serve points won, two aces and two breaks of serve, Navarro defeated his countrymen Robredo 7-5, 7-6 (7-2) for the biggest win of his career.

The win by Navarro did not come as a fluke by any means. He very nearly ousted second seed Nikolay Davydenko from Stuttgart last week, and recently made it the semifinals of the Eastbourne event on grass before Wimbledon. Another clear example of the depth the mighty country of Spain holds.

With the win, Navarro will await the winner of the German clash between Simon Greul and 16th seed Mischa Zverev. Zverev is also in the doubles competition this week, with tournament director Michael Stich. Stich will be coming out of retirement to play in the event.

Elsewhere, a full slate of action on Day 2 included both first and second round action. In second round play, qualifier Pablo Cuevas upset ninth seed Jurgen Melzer 7-6(7-5), 6-3; 10th seed Viktor Troicki defeated Teimuraz Gabahvili 3-6, 6-2, 6-4; Frenchmen Paul-Henri Mathieu won the battle of hyphenated names against Spaniard Pere-Riba Madrid 6-1, 2-6, 7-6 (7-3). Could there be a better tennis name for a Spanish tennis player?

Second round matches that are still to come in Day 2 action will include:

Top seed Gilles Simon vs. Daniel Brands of Germany; Guillermo Garica-Lopez vs. 5th seed Stanislas Wawrinka; qualifier Potito Starace vs home-country favorite, eighth seed Philipp Kohlschreiber.

The final leg of first round matches were also completed today. The results included:

Julien Benneteau halting the comeback efforts of Juan Ignacio Chela 6-4, 1-6, 6-1; Juan Monaco continuing his impressive form of late, dispatching the ever dangerous challenge of Russian Mikhail Youzhny 7-6 (7-4) 6-3; German wild-card Florian Mayer dismissing struggling countrymen Rainer Schuettler 6-7 (3-7), 6-3, 6-3; Italian Fabio Fognini proving once again that he is a force on the dirt with a straight set 6-4, 6-2 victory over Ivo Minor of the Czech Republic.

Wednesday’s action in Hamburg will feature:

Robin Soderling vs. Fabio Fognini; David Ferrer vs. Florian Mayer; Nikolay Davydenko vs. Philipp Petzchner.

Please check back, I will have daily coverage from Indianapolis, U.S.A and Hamburg, Germany. Cheers and enjoy.

Indianapolis, U.S.A.; Hamburg, Germany. Day 1 review. Querrey on Deck in Indianapolis; Garcia-Lopez Prevails in Hamburg

Indianapolis Tennis Championships—Indianapolis, U.S.A

Third seed Sam Querrey will begin his 2009 Indianapolis campaign under the lights this evening against Frenchmen Arnaud Clement. Querrey will be coming into Indy hot after his finals appearance in Newport earlier this month. His challenge against Clement tonight maybe a stern one.

The counter-punching ability of the scrappy Frenchmen has been well documented. A one time Aussie Open finalist, Clement packs the experience and court-craft to cut down any player, of any size.

Querrey will have to be sharp, and as he suggested on his “tweet” today: “I hope Clement wears his cool shades under the lights.” Leave it to Sam to alleviate the pressures of big-time tennis by thinking of the minuscule components of his opponents play.

Querrey and Clement will begin at 7pm est. The winner of Querrey/Clement match will face Rajeev Ram who defeated countrymen Devin Britton during Sunday’s lone first round contest.

Elsewhere, seventh seed Marc Giquel added a loss to the already tragic year of Ernests Gulibs. The Latvian has not won back-to-back matches all season. His dismal 11-18 win/loss record is a poor reflection of the tremendous talent which he does possess. Let’s hope Ernests can turn around a year which has no where to go but up.

With the win, Gicquel advances to round two where he will meet either Danai Udomchoke or Jesse Levine. Levine qualified for Indy on Monday with a 7-6 (7-5) 7-5 victory over “X-man” Xavier Malisse.

Frank Dancevic, the tournaments 2007 finalist began the long hard road to rekindling his heroics of two seasons ago with a straight-set win over American Bobby Reynolds. The recently married Reynolds could not find any rhythm today, against a man whom he was 2-0 lifetime against. Dancevic employed his great serve and forehand routine to oust Reynolds by the score of 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) in one hour and 15 minutes.

Dancevic advanced to round two on the strength of six aces, 81 percent of his first serve points won, and two breaks of serve.

Reynolds by contrast only won 69 percent of his first points and could not create a single break-point chance throughout.

The Canadian will take on sixth seed Benjamin Becker or Go Soeda in round two.

Giant serving American John Isner came up with a nice win today, dispatching of athletic Frenchmen Joesslin Ouanna 6-1, 7-6 (8-6). Isner used the strength of his delivery to pound 15 aces past Ouanna; the Frenchmen never contested a break-point opportunity.

For those of you who remember, Ouanna played a spectacular match against Marat Safin during the second round of the French Open this year. The match went 10-8 in the fifth set, with all of Chatrier Court up in arms. Ouanna defiantly has top 15 talent.

Isner will now look forward to the challenge of Denis Istomin who was a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 winner over Kevin Kim of the States.

Tuesday’s action in Indianapolis will be highlighted by top seed Dmitry Tursunov vs. Michael Berrer, and Robby Ginepri vs. Sebastien De Chaunac.

International German Open—Hamburg, Germany

With the top 16 seeds receiving first round byes, Monday’s action in Hamburg would be relegated to unseeded action. Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez would lead the charge on Day 1; his ferocious backhand being a fans delight. The book on Garcia-Lopez had always been his unorthdox love for faster courts. His semifinal run in Eastbourne earlier this spring was a result of his fast court prowess.

The unassuming member of the Spanish Armada improved his relatively weak clay-court game earlier this season, by capturing his maiden ATP World Tour in Austria before the start of the French Open.

For those of you who caught his second round encounter against Roger Federer at Wimbledon, it was easy to see why Guillermo has been able to finish in the top 100 since the end of 2005.

Today’s task for Garcia-Lopez would be to defeat the speedy and consistent efforts of Belgium Christophe Rochus. The five-foot-seven-inch (a generous figure at that) Rochus had never been a power driven player. His game rests on sheer placement, and each and every opportunity which comes his way.

Often times, Rochus can be shell-shocked by the power in today’s game—today being no exception.

Garcia-Lopez utilized his flat ground-stokes to perfection today. The depth of his backhand created many short balls from Rochus (no pun intended), with the Spaniards loopy forehand reaching shoulder height on the Belgium.

With the first set in the bag, even more backhand winners began to flow off the racket of Garcia-Lopez. Three breaks of serve in set two would be more than enough to cook the over-matched Belgium. The one hour and nine minute battle featured the Spaniard winning 71 percent of his serve points, striking five aces and breaking serve on five occasions.

The win will take Garcia-Lopez into round two where he will meet sixth seed Stansilas Wawrinka. Stan-the-man will be heavily favorite in that encounter.

Elsewhere, Russian Teimuraz Gabashvili kept up his winning ways by defeating Andreas Seppi 6-3, 6-1. Gabashvili is quietly winning matches left and right, and could be picking up steam for the up-coming Masters 1000’s.

Tree-trunk server Daniel Brands who made the main draw in Hamburg via a wild-card dismissed the formidable clay-court challenge of Victor Crivoi 4-6, 6-4, 6-1. Brands will face top seed Gilles Simon in round two.

Qualifier Pablo Cuevas dashed the home-country hopes of Bjorn Phau by dismissing the speedy German 7-6 (7-0), 6-4. Cuevas is better known for losing to a 16-year old Ryan Harrison at the U.S. Claycourt Championships last spring. Harrison is competing in Indianapolis this week.

Ivan Navarro brushed aside Steve Darcis 6-4, 6-4; Philip (always fun to spell) Petzchner ousted Florent Serra 7-6 (7-3), 6-2; Pere Riba defeated fellow qualifier Evgeny Korolev 7-6 (7-3), 6-2; Potito Starace dispatched Maximo Gonzalez 5-7, 6-4, 6-3; Jan Hernych overcame Kevin Krawietz 6-0, 4-6, 6-3; Simon Greul sent Janko Tipsarevic tumbling towards his third straight loss, dusting the Serb 2-6, 6-3, 6-3; Marcel Granollers picked up a rare clay-court win over Martin Vassallo Arguello 6-4, 6-4. Granollers is another Spaniard who prefers faster courts.

The final match of the day will see German Andreas Beck against the clay-court comfort of Oscar Hernandez. Finally, a Spaniard who enjoys the clay!

Please check back, I will have daily coverage from Indianapolis, U.S.A and Hamburg, Germany. Cheers and enjoy.

The beginning of the U.S. Open series; the fall of Hamburg the tournament. Clay vs. hard-court, asphalt vs. dirt. Take your pick this week on Tour has a little something for everyone.

It was a little over a year ago that the Hamburg Masters 1000 (Masters Series at the time) was a pivotal point during the clay-court season. The worlds best would descend towards Germany in order to iron out the final kinks heading into Roland Garros. That will be no more.

With the addition of the Madrid Masters, Hamburg has been relegated to a 500 point event. In reality the event becomes irreverent in the eyes of elite. There will be no Roger Federer’s, Rafael Nadal’s (defending champ) or Novak Djokovic’s in attendance this year—maybe never again.

The show must go on, and tournament director Michael Stich has even volunteered to come out of retirement in order to raise the grandeur of the event. He will be playing doubles with up-and-coming German Mischa Zverev. Talk about committed to the cause!

Moving onto the Indianapolis Tennis Championships and the start of the U.S. Open series. The bare and essentials will be present at this event with top see Andy Roddick pulling out due to a lingering hip flexor injury. Roddick’s status is week-to-week with Washington D.C. being a reasonable return date.

Don’t worry Roddick fan’s, he will keep you connected via Twitter. What, you mean you’re not one of the 80 thousand fan’s?

Before we get into the meat and potato’s of this weeks fields, a final mention must go out to the truly troubling question mark which is the ATP World Tour and their sanctioning of clay events leading up the final hard-court slam of the year. But that is tennis, and there is nothing new to this problem.

At any rate, let’s take a look at the competitors and draw break-downs for Indianapolis and Hamburg, Germany.

Indianapolis Tennis Championships—Indianapolis, U.S.A.

With no top 20 player present in Indianapolis this week, an opportune moment awaits each and every of the 32 players present.

This years field will be led by top seed Dmitry Tursunov who will be looking to advance to his third final in as many years. Dmitry defeated Canadian Frank Dancevic in the ‘07 final, and lost to defending champ Gilles Simon in 2008.

Tursunov will be joined by second seed Dudi Sela, third seed Sam Querrey, fourth seed Igor Kunitsyn. Other notable players in the draw will include: recent Newport winner Rajeev Ram; ‘07 finalist Frank Dancevic; and the flaky but still dangerous Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis.

Top Half:

The top seeded Russian will get a taste of his own medicine right out of the gates when he takes on big-hitter Micheal Berrer of Germany. Berrer possesses a huge serve and is perhaps one of the most solidly built players on tour. Tursunov does move a tad better than Berrer and should move on.

Round two could bring forward another serving challenge, this time in the form of Taylor Dent. The wild-card recipient has been working diligently to regain the form he had prior to his back injury. Dent could upset Tursunov in round two, with his fitness still being a question mark.

Frank Danceivc or fifth seed Benjamin Becker could provide stiff resistance for Dmitry in the quarterfinals. Dancevic had the tournament of his life in Indy in ‘07, defeating Andy Roddick along the way. The finals effort was the Canadians maiden tour final. After grass-courts, Dancevic preference of surface would be the asphalt. Too bad Tursunov has owned him in recent times.

The semifinals could bring forth an array of difficult opponents for the Russian. Third seeded Sam Querrey seems to have finally found his barrings after reaching the finals in Newport last week. Querrey has a great game for the deco-turf and could pose a threat for many top players in the coming weeks.

Rajeev Ram maybe another name to watch out for this week. The 25-year old Colorado native is coming in hot, and has the serving prowess to support his cause. Ram faces American up-and-comer Devin Britton in round one. (Ram was a first round winner of Britton in Sunday’s lone first round encounter).

The mystery of Ernests Gulbis returns to Indy this week—will his hexed slump finally subside on the hard-courts? Unlikely.

Gublis is perpetually falling into the category of: could win everything, not sure why it doesn’t happen.

With Tursunov’s record at the event being stellar, it is hard to bet against him. Look for Querrey or perhaps Ram to continue some steam, with the Russian holding all the bullets to his destiny.

Pick: Tursunov

Bottom Half:

The absence of many of the games elite means that Dudi, yes Dudi Sela is your tournament second seed. No offense to Dudi here, the guy has been playing rock solid as of late. Making the fourth round of Wimbledon and aiding Israel to their first ever DC semifinal is no joke. Accolades many players would die for.

But to be honest, when fan’s or pundit’s of the game are looking forward to an event, especially one which is suppose to commence the beginning of the U.S. Open Series, Dudi Sela’s name does not exactly light up the sky with excitement.

Nevertheless, Sela is 30 in the world and does deserve his due as the tournaments second seed.

The Israeli will begin his Indy campaign against tour veteran Vince “all four slams” Spadea. Never one to be shy on expression, Spadea should be prepared for a short week in the main draw; a long week of practice courts.

Round two should provide little resistance for Sela, with either Flavo Cipolla or a qualifier on deck. Talk about a good draw.

The quarterfinals would continue to display the cup-cake draw for the Isreali with sixth seed Yen-Hsun Lu, Eduardo Schwank, or Robby Ginepri on deck. Not exactly players who have been knocking them dead lately. Ginepri may catch fire here, but the on-going recovery of appendicitis is evident.

Final four action may provide Sela’s greatest challenge towards the finals, with the likes of: fourth seed Igor Kunitysn, Marcos Baghadtis, John Isner, and eighth seed Denis Istomin.

All in all, a draw led by Sela suddenly appears worthy of domination by his 5′7″ frame. Look for Josselin Ouanna or John Isner to cause an upset or two along the way.

Pick: Sela; dark-horse: Isner

International German Open—Hamburg, Germany

When dissecting both draws this week on the ATP World Tour, it can be concluded that players chase points. With Hamburg providing double the points of Indianapolis, the field in Germany is significantly stronger than in the States.

This years downgraded, but still formidable Hamburg draw will include: Gilles Simon as the tournament top seed, followed by second seed Fernando Verdasco, third seed Nikolay Davydenko, forth seed Robin Soderling.

Other notables in the draw will include: Stan Wawrinka, Tomas Berdych, David Ferrer, and Tommy Robredo. Not a bad field by any means.

A few comments before we proceed. First, Verdasco is making a grave decision by continuing to play these European clay events instead of resting in body and mind. His game requires full tilt commitment and if he is off just a touch, the walls can come crashing down.

Secondly, Frenchmen Gilles Simon has also displayed poor judgment by participating in Germany, being the defending Indianapolis champ. Simon is a far better hard-court player and started his rise to prominence last year in Indy. Beware of an early departure for the Frenchmen in Hamburg.

Perhaps ranking points are not the only entity which drive the games best to a tennis tournament. Can anyone say appearance fees?

Top Half:

Luckily for Simon his early rounds in Hamburg will provide minimal adversity. A bye in round one will send the Frenchmen towards a second round showdown with either Daniel Brands or a qualifier. For those of you who have not seen Brands play, think of Ivo Karlovic minus 15 aces per match.

The third round would likely bring forward the challenge of countrymen Paul-Henri Mathieu. Mathieu has endured his own struggles in 2009, but does possess a better clay game than Simon.

Quarterfinal action could bring forth the challenge of Stan Wawrinka or Viktor Troicki for Simon to deal with. Wawrinka thrives on clay and would be the favorite against Simon if that encounter took place. Troicki prefers the hard-courts but does have an ace or two up his sleeve.

Coming in hot from Swedish success, Robin Soderling will be a hard fire to put out in Germany. The powerful Swede has all the necessary power to defuse Simon—confidence is the greatest unseen weapon.

Philipp Kohlschreiber, Nicolas Almagro, Jurgen Melzer, and Fabio Fognini also lurk in this section. A section Simon will need horse-shoes to survive in.

All in all, a scheduling blunder on Simon’s part will cause him much more than ranking points and money. The priceless component of confidence will also diminish further after this week.

Pick: Wawrinka

Bottom Half:

Just like the olds days, the ATP World Tour can find comfort in having one its premier and hard working players on present once again: Nikolay Davydenko.

The first stages of 2009 provided little to no action for the Russian; a bum ankle and various foot injuries to blame. With a new found bill of health, Nikolay is ready for the weekly grind. The more he plays, the better he plays.

The second seed will also receive a first round bye. Round two would bring forth either Philipp Petzchner or Frenchmen Florent Serra. Should be easy pickings for the Russian.

Round three could be an interesting affair with recent Stuttgart winner Jeremy Chardy. The flamboyant Frenchmen is coming off a stellar week in Sweden, but will fatigue send him packing early?

Chardy possesses the fire power to up end Davydenko; two weeks of strong tennis by the youngster will be tough.

Quarterfinal action could feature the mechanical strokes of Igor Andreev, or the in form efforts of Victor Hanescu. Both players excel on the dirt; Andreev is the fresher of the two.

David Ferrer and Mischa Zverev could make some in-roads towards a semifinal meeting with the Davydenko. Ferrer is due for a break-out performance, and Zverev has been hot of late.

All in all, Nikolay seems back to his old self, except with the asterisks of everyone around him improving a great deal. A few of his challenges along the way will be recovering from DC duty, and events last week. David Ferrer is not one of those players.

Pick: Ferrer

It’s that time of year folks, where the anticipation of the U.S. Open begins to surface—with a dash of clay-court tennis. Six weeks remain until the Meadows start rocking and night tennis lights up the Big Apple. The absence of the top players this week will not damper the comprehensive coverage TennisConnected.com will bring forward to our valued readers and listeners. Please check back daily, I will have daily reviews from Indianapolis, U.S.A and Hamburg, Germany. Cheers.

Exclusive Q & A Interview With American Rajeev Ram

 

 

 

We had the pleasure of conducting a recent Q & A with Newport, RI winner Rajeev Ram. The American took part in the Indianapolis Tennis Championships this week, where he increased his Tour win streak to six matches. Ram’s current ATP rank is No. 108 on the computer.

Along with Andy Roddick, (and Mardy Fish), Ram is the only other American to hold an ATP World Tour title in 2009. Look for Rajeev to light-up the U.S. Open series throughout the summer season.

Here we go…

T.C. After your win in Newport, how many text messages did you receive from fellow players and family?

R.R. I received a lot more than I expected, and for a long time after as well. It was really humbling to be honest with you, to see how many people were following my progress.

T.C. We noticed you’re on Twitter now. Do you find it as a way to connect with your fan’s, or do you just want to grab more followers than Andy Roddick?

R.R. Haha, well, I have a long way to go before I am even in the same ball park as Andy. In all seriousness I think its a great way to connect with tennis fans, and followers, and also to grow and popularize the sport.

T.C. What is your outlook now for the remainder of the year. Where would you like to finish by years end?

R.R. The outlook for the rest of the year hasn’t changed too much to be honest. I am still trying to improve as a player every time I step on the court. Maybe my schedule might change a bit because I will get into some more ATP events but that’s about it. I still have the goal of being in the main draw at the Australian Open and the ATP events around that time.

T.C. Obviously grass suits your game quite well. Will the transition to hard-courts be an easy one to make?

R.R. Surface changes are always tough, that’s why its so impressive what Federer and Nadal have been able to do between the clay and the grass the last few years. For me, it’s going to be tough and take some practice to get used to the hard-courts again but I feel pretty good about it because that’s the surface I grew up playing on the most.

T.C. In terms of equipment, do you make adjustments to your string tension and weight of your racket’s for hard-courts?

R.R. I don’t make any changes in terms of the weight of the racket. The string tension might differ slightly depending on the speed of the courts and the conditions but it won’t change too much.

T.C. How has winning your first Tour title changed your relationship with your sponsors?

R.R. I have always been lucky to have had a good relationship with my sponsors, Wilson and Nike. They have stood by me and supported me since I have been very young so my relationship hasn’t changed that much really. I feel like they are quite happy for me.

T.C. Which one of the American guys to you get along with the best? Which player would you not want to share a taxi with?

R.R. One of the nice things about all the American guys is that we all get along pretty well. I think everyone supports each other and really pulls for each other out there and that’s an important thing because otherwise the tour can get quite lonely. I get along with everyone quite well.

T.C. Will you be playing qualifying for the U.S. Open, or will your win in Newport give you direct entry or wild-card status?

R.R. At this point I am in the qualifying of the U.S. Open. I am a few out on the acceptance list, so if some people pull out I’ll get in. (Nalbandian and Ancic have recently withdrawn). If I do receive a wild-card that would be great, but I won’t know that for a few weeks yet.

T.C. How would you sum up the current state of American tennis? Obviously, only Roddick and yourself have won tour titles this year?

R.R. That’s actually not true because Mardy Fish won the title in Delray Beach. I think the state of U.S. tennis is ok really. I realize that it’s not what it used to be with Sampras, Courier, Chang and Agassi, but in my opinion a group of players like that from one country won’t be duplicated. Andy and James and the other top Americans are held to a very high standard because of the generation before them, and I don’t think that’s fair all the time.

T.C. What advice would you give to up-and-coming players trying to make it on the circuit?

R.R. My advice to young players would be to not be afraid of losing and not be afraid to make mistakes. I think as a tennis player you learn more from losses then wins, and if you can take the positives out of losses that is the best way to improve.

T.C. Do you recommend the college route, or if a player is good enough should they dive right into the pro ranks?

R.R. I think each situation is different and the individual has to see if college is the right play for them or not. If used properly, the environment in college can be a great place to improve and learn. I definitely think it should be strongly considered by every young player.

T.C. We all know of the many on-court habits the Nadal’s and Djokovic’s of the world possess. What are some of the overt, and kept habits to your game? Any before and after rituals?

R.R. I don’t think I have any really obvious habits. The biggest thing for me is that if I keep winning, I’ll eat at the same restaurant for dinner every night.

T.C. What would you like to do when your career is all said and done?

R.R. At the end of my career, I would like to think that I left nothing to chance and reached my maximum potential as a player. It doesn’t matter what my high ranking ends up being as long as at the end of the day I know I gave it everything I had.

T.C. Finally, and we have to ask, what juicy locker room stories can you share with the tennis fan’s around the world, who are locked out of the locker room?

R.R. Hahaha, I think they are called locker room stories for a reason… because they belong in the locker room.

For some odd reason, every time I ask a pro player that last question, I seem to get the same response. Cheers, and thanks again Rajeev.

Roddick To Return To ATP In Washington

Andy’s old and new fans will be excited to hear that the Wimbledon finalist will be returning to play this coming Tuesday in Washington.  Roddick notified everyone on his Twitter account that after pulling out of the Davis Cup and Indy, that he will be playing the event August 2-9.

“I keep getting asked when my next tourney will be…. I will see all of u in Washington in two weeks.”

It will be good for tennis to have the top American back for the US Open series.

Roger Federer and Mirka Have Twin Girls

Swiss Star Roger Federer, and wife Mirka have had twin daugthers. The two girls were born on Thursday in Switzerland.

Federer joked about the date and status of his children, after his Wimbledon title–he wasn’t kidding.

The name of Federer’s daughter’s are Myla Rose and Charlene Riva Federer.

In a statement on Friday, Federer had this to say.

“This is the greatest day of our lives,” Federer said on the website (www.rogerfederer.com). “Mirka, Myla and Charlene are all healthy and doing very well.”

Please stay tuned for official pictures of the babies, as well as an official statement from the proud parents.

With Federer winning both the French and Wimbledon titles this year, his real triumph of the season will be the timeless gift of two healthy and joyous children.

Congrats to Fed and Mirka from T.C.com.

Gilles Simon: Poker Face

 

 

 

Professional athletes fear the misfortune of their opponents figuring them out, perhaps more than any other obstacle in their careers. Tennis players are no different.

You’ve all heard commentators and pro players talk about “holding the ball” in order to surprise and wrong-foot their competition. Other cardinal rules of disguise include: not looking into the direction the shot is traveling, and not forgetting to keep the grunt at the same pitch for every swing.

But what happens when seemingly for no reason, all which was working well suddenly is replaced by everything that can go wrong? Welcome to the world of Gilles Simon.

In the ongoing dialog which is the bizarre rise and fall of the Frenchmen, Simon once again crashed out of the early stages of a Tour event this week; German wild-card Daniel Brands being the benefactor.

Should we cut Gilles a break here, or does the Nice native deserve all the stern fingers pointing in his direction? Well, being No. 7 in the world does carry quite a bit a weight, and Simon has some explaining to do.

First, I’ve repeatedly eluded to Simon’s poor choice of participation in the Hamburg tournament this week. I understand the point value of the German event being double to that of Indianapolis. But when taking into account Simon’s defending champ status in Indy, as well as being far better on the hard-courts, the decision to skip the asphalt for the dirt is a perplexing one at best.

With the ritualistic composition of pro tennis players, one would have thought Simon’s decision to return to Indy, a the place which his prominence was created a year ago, would have been a shoe-in decision.

If the development of the 2009 season is any indication, it is safe to say that Simon has shown nothing short of a frequent run-around in order to avoid pressure at any cost.

When the Frenchmen was bounced during the third round of the French Open this spring, his blatant suggestion during his presser indicated that the pressure of being at the top was getting to him.

“But my results, as I said, are not as bad as you might think. So, I mean, you guys have other types of expectations this year. You know, this year, making the third round in Roland Garros is just normal for you, whereas last year you would have found it fantastic. This also has changed.”

Indeed, times have changed for Simon since the beginning of 2009. He now spearheads a talented pool of powerhouse countrymen, a nation which has more top 50 competitors than any other.

Simon’s dominant 2008 included win’s over Roger Federer (twice), Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The envy of anyone who plays tennis.

Doesn’t it seem remotely odd that a player who recorded such epic wins a year ago would be ambushed in 2009 by the likes of Mischa Zverev, Andreas Beck and Albert Montanes?

Truth be told, when looking closer into the downward spiral of Simon’s current season, his form and results for that matter are not that shocking.

A) Simon does not have much to fall back in terms of versatility in his game. In 2008, what served him well was his fight and eagerness to take advantage of opportune moments. Examples being Federer’s post Wimbledon slump; Nadal’s knee injury in Madrid.

The current season by contrast hasn’t provided any refuge for the Frenchmen. Every win has come at a price, and in a major way. The new kid on the block, has become a one-hit wonder.

His will and desire have always been his greatest assets. Sometimes, tennis requires a little more than the willingness to win.

B) The Tour, and its players are close connected family. With Simon being a high profile player now, each member of the games elite has their hands on a detailed summery of his tactics and tendencies. Simon spoke about times changing from a year ago—he wasn’t kidding.

C) Simon has shown an inability to withhold his struggles from the public. Remember that saying: when you’re strong show you’re weak, and when you’re weak show you’re strong? Simon hasn’t exactly mastered any component of that phrase.

A great example for Simon to draw off would be the always positive demeanor of Roger Federer. Even through the title-less slump of 10-months, the Swiss exuded a repellent shield of confidence, even when it overtly appeared he was walking on egg shells.

The season remains alive and kicking. Simon still has a chance to recover. With two Masters 1000 events and the U.S. Open on the horizon, the flat-hitting Frenchmen will need to erase a year full of pressure and continue with the pleasure of competition. Results tend to come forth when enjoyment is part of the equation.

Will Simon salvage his sub par year, and make a substantial claim to his No. 7 ranking? The key to a solid curtain call for Simon’s ‘09 season will be to trust his game and not give away his emotions through tough losses or lack of belief.

This game, tennis, can eat up many a man, never making them the same. Change for most is never welcome.

Gasquet to be sued by the Kiss

Reports have surfaced that Frenchmen Richard Gasquet will be filled a libel suit from the alleged women whom he contracted cocaine from. Pamela, the women in question claims that he she never took cocaine the night she met Gasquet. She went onto say that the kiss she gave the Frenchmen was a “short kiss” at best.

Gasquet claims that Pamela had told him that a member of Bob Sinclair’s entourage had given her the cocaine. Pamela denies the allegation.

Pamela went onto to suggest that she never offered false testimony towards Gasquet.

At any rate, Gasquet has been cleared to play with his original sentence of a two year ban being shortened to the already two-and-half months which he has served.

This whole ordeal seems a bit odd, and the powers-at-be will have to look closer into the issue. To give Richard a two year ban would have been harsh to say the least. However, the truth, which we may never know deserves to be shared.

Any thoughts? Are we inclined to believe that Gasquet is pouring his scape-goat on a kiss, or were the persuasive talents of the Pamela’s lips the underlining culprit?

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