Federer, Nadal and del Potro reach third-round in Rome

Internazionali BNL d’Italia—Rome, Italy

Recent Madrid winner Roger Federer got his Rome campaign off to a flying start on Wednesday, defeating Argentine Carlos Berlocq 6-3, 6-4.

In a match that lasted one hour and 10 minutes, Federer struck two aces and won 82 percent of his first serve points. Never winning the title in Rome despite two finals appearance, the newly crowned world No. 2 will next face Juan Carlos Ferrero for a quarterfinal berth.

Federer, who is attempting to build momentum towards Novak Djokovic’s top position, would overtake co-leader Rafael Nadal for most Masters 1000 titles won with a win this week. The two greats have 20 Masters 1000 titles.

Elsewhere, five-time winner Rafael Nadal dismissed Florian Mayer 6-1, 7-5 and former US Open winner Juan Martin del Potro defeated Mikhail Youzhny for the second straight week, 6-4, 6-2. Nadal will next take on Marcel Granollers and del Porto will face Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

In other second-round winners, Tomas Berdcyh, Gilles Simon, Nicolas Almagro, Juan Monaco and Richard Gasquet were all victorious.

Djokovic, Murray, Tsonga and Ferrer reach third-round in Rome

Internazionali BNL d’Italia—Rome, Italy

No. 4 seed Andy Murray was made to work on his 25th birthday at the Rome Masters in Italy on Tuesday, defeating David Nalbandian 6-1, 4-6, 7-5.

After breezing through the first set, Murray found his former top 5 opponent in great form throughout a tight second set. Trailing by a break of serve at 3-1 in the third set, Murray elevated his backhand return and movement to defeat the Argentine in two hours and 38 minutes.

Murray, who didn’t play the Madrid Masters because of a back injury, will next face Richard Gasquet or Paolo Lorezni.

Elsewhere, defending champ Novak Djokovic, former finalist David Ferrer and world No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga were all straight set winners on Day 4 action. Djokovic bested Bernard Tomic 6-3, 6-3, Ferrer overcame Davis Cup teammate Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 7-6(3), and Tsonga dispatched Viktor Troicki in easy fashion, 6-3, 6-2.

Ferrer will next face Guillermo Garcia-Lopez or Gilles Simon, while Tsonga will take on Juan Martin del Potro or Mikhail Youzhny.

In other winners on Tuesday, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Marcel Granollers, Sam Querrey and Lukasz Kubot all advanced.

Wednesday’s action in Rome will feature Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

Tennis Elbow: The King stays the King

Welcome to Tennis Elbow, a new column that will look back on the week that was in the world of tennis. This week, Charles Blouin-Gascon examines the results of 2012 Mutua Madrid Open, home of the blue clay, where a familiar foe took home the hardware.

I love watching Roger Federer play tennis, because he’s so much better than I ever could. It’s not because he’s my favourite player, current alpha male Novak Djokovic has been since at least 2004–watching Djokovic play at the Rogers Cup in 2009 and 2011 in Montreal are among my fondest memories of the sport.

With Federer, it’s different. I don’t pull for him as much as I simply love to watch, regardless of the outcome. He plays a different kind of tennis than anybody before him, an effortless kind–he plays tennis the way it should be played, and he’s been quite successful at it.

At the 2012 Mutua Madrid Open, King Roger won the 74th singles title of his glorious career and third at this tournament, defeating Czech Thomas Berdych by the score of 3-6, 7-5, 7-5.

The Swiss may be closing in on age 31, but he’s still proving that he’s better at tennis than most of us will ever be at anything–which is a testament to him more than it is an indictment on any of us.

In his 15th professional season on the ATP World Tour, Federer is closer to the end but he’s far from being over the hill. With the win at Madrid, Federer moves back into the top 2 of the ATP rankings, overtaking the Spaniard Rafael Nadal. King Roger just might reach the top yet again before he ends his career, one that has seen different phases but one constant–excellence.

It started in 2001, at Wimbledon, when he defeated Pete Sampras in the round of 16 in what many consider a passing-of-the-torch moment. It was the first five-set match that Sampras lost at the tournament and after having 7 of the past 8 Wimbledon titles, he was riding a 31-match winning streak–and a 19-year-old teenager with a ponytail, from Basel, put an end to it. Call this the uprising.

Then, there’s the dominance. From the 2004 to the 2007 seasons, Federer became King Roger and won 11 of a possible 16 Grand Slam titles. Starting with Wimbledon in 2004, he reached the final of an incredible 10 Grand Slams in a row and 23 consecutive semifinals. For 237 consecutive weeks, he reigned on top of the ATP World Tour rankings–for a time, it seemed like not many players could beat him precisely because not many players did.

Since 2008, King Roger isn’t quite as dominant as he used to be–but still, not many players can beat him on a tennis court. Federer, by now a father, is older and wiser, if not more athletic. He has four more Major titles to his name, but none since the 2010 Australian Open, and his brand is as recognizable as any in the world. He will still defeat anyone on Tour not named Nadal or Djokovic, because his game was never based on superior athleticism. If you think he’s lost a step, you may be right. But just ask Djokovic who was it who beat him at last year’s French Open and ended his 43-match unbeaten streak–no, the King still reigns supreme.

Meanwhile, the blue clay of the Madrid Masters was the story of the tournament and could be the big equalizer that some of the ATP players might have hoped for. Nadal lost very early on, then complained about the surface yet again. Djokovic slid as he usually does on clay, only this time he didn’t win.

But King Roger did.

by: Charles Blouin-Gascon

Podcast: Reviewing Federer’s third Madrid title; Rome Preview

In this week’s PodCast, Nima and Parsa are back in action with a tournament review of the Madrid Masters and a preview of the Roma Masters in Spain.

Will Roger Federer carry his form as new world No. 2 in Roma? After an early loss in Madrid, Rafael Nadal returns to the red clay in Italy in search of his sixth title. Nadal will look to fend off the likes of defending champ Djokovic, Federer and Scot Andy Murray. We also give our early predictions for French Open favorites.

As always, you can alternatively listen to the #1 tennis PodCast via iTunes and never miss another episode. It is very easy and completely free.

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Federer wins third Madrid title over Berdych; reaches No. 2 in the world

Mutua Madrid Open—Spain

No. 3 seed Roger Federer overcame the loss of the first set on Sunday at the Madrid Open to capture his 20th Masters 1000 title over Tomas Berdych.

Defeating the Czech player 3-6, 7-5, 7-5, Federer equalled Rafael Nadal’s mark of 20 Masters titles and will overtake the Spaniard for the No. 2 ranking on Monday. Capturing his fourth title of the year, Federer improved to 28-3 on the season and 11-4 against Berdych in lifetime meetings.

Striking 13 aces in total, Federer won 75 percent of his first serve points and broke serve on four of 11 occasions. The grueling contest, played on the controversial blue clay surface in dry altitude conditions, lasted two hours and 38 minutes. Federer also became the only winner of the event to capture the title indoors, on red clay and on blue clay.

Berdych, who was seeking the second Masters 1000 title of his career, didn’t drop a set all week en-route to the finals.

Federer and Berdych are both scheduled to see action at the Roma Masters in Italy next week.

Rome Masters 2012: Men’s and women’s draw preview and analysis

by: Nima Naderi

It’s hard to believe that the clay court season is almost over, isn’t it? We’re very nearly on the doorsteps of the year’s second major in France and how many of us can actually say that we’ve got a little red or even blue clay on our socks? With that being said, this week’s Rome Masters in the heavenly Foro Italico will provide us with the final building blocks to formulate are favorites for Roland Garros.

Despite some rough moments in Madrid, the usual suspects have proved to still be the lead contenders. Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic won’t have a stock-split despite their early losses last week. Roger Federer was back in action on the blue stuff in Spain—well rested and looking fit—and it goes without saying that he could win in Rome and at the French Open later this month. Federer has an elite enough game that he doesn’t need many matches under his belt to play well; that wasn’t what I thought going into Madrid last week.

On the women’s side, top seed Victoria Azarenka remains on course for her best year on Tour. Although she complained about the slippery blue dust in Madrid, the Belarusian kept her ponytail tight and her footwork in check to pull in another positive result.

Based on what I’ve seen so far during the clay season, Serena Williams could very well win her second title in France come early June. Although she has many Hors d’oeuvres in life to go along with her on court job, Serena is still pound-for-pound the best athlete on the WTA. The American overcame a nice start by Caroline Wozniacki in Madrid and further displayed her skill-set to comfortably oust Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals.

Elsewhere, Agi Radwanska—the new world No. 3—once again acquitted herself with poise in a big tournament. Using her sneaky-quick game to great effect, Radwanska could very well become the new Li Na, Francesca Schiavone or Ana Ivanovic in Paris this year.

With the conditions much fairer in Rome—and almost nothing for the top players to complain about in terms of on-court conditions—let’s now take a look at men’s and women’s draws for the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Roma.

*****
Men’s draw:

Top Half:

Defending yet another title this week, Djokvoic will be looking to hone his backhand down-the-line as he sets his sights on a fourth straight major in Paris. Enduring a rocky road in Madrid, the Serb will look to rebound from a quarterfinal loss to Tipsarevic when he begins against Bernard Tomic or a qualifier. The young Aussie continues to improve with every unorthodox shot that he hits, but an upset over Djokovic is quite unlikely.

Moving forward in the draw, Djokovic could face Juan Monaco in the third-round and either del Potro, Bellucci or Tsonga in the quarterfinals. Del Potro has started the clay season with some purpose, while Bellucci and Tsonga have struggled in recent weeks. I’d say that Djokovic should be good for at least a semifinal showing here and if rumors are true that Federer will skip the event after his success in Madrid, then how can we bet against the world’s best player to reach another Italian final?

Monfils will hope to rebound from a blow-out loss to Berdych last week, while Tipsarevic and Isner will attempt to honor their top 10 status with good showings. Watchout for Wawrinka and Kohlschreiber as well—they’ve both put together great clay seasons that nobody is talking about.

Picks: Djokovic, Wawrinka

Bottom Half:

Publicly unhappy after his third-round loss to Fernando Verdasco, Nadal will happily be back at sea level and the red stuff for another Roma campaign. Winning the title on five previous occasions, Nadal’s fourth most successful clay event will begin opposite Milos Raonic or Florian Mayer, before either Berdych or Almagro could see him in the quarterfinals. Nadal has had a fine clay season to date and if he can win in Rome then his early loss in Madrid won’t mean anything.

Elsewhere, we have Andy Murray back in action, alongside Ferrer, Verdasco, Simon, Nalbandian and Dolgopolov. There’s a lot of talent there, but apart from Ferrer, all of the aforementioned players have proved to be flaky from week-to-week.

So who’s the likely candidate to face Nadal in the semifinals? I’d say that with a week of rest for his back and ample time to practice at the facility, Murray should be good for a place in the final four.

Picks: Nadal, Murray

Champion: Nadal

*****
Women’s draw:

Top Half:

Have we seen enough from Azarenka during the clay season to make her a bona fide RG favorite? She’ll surely arrive as a top three favorite in France, but to gain that Nadal or Djokovic aura going in, she’ll have to add a title in Italy to her hardware collection. Beginning her journey against either Peer or Peng, Vika could find some adversity from Cibulkova in the third-round, before reigning French winner Li Na is slated as her quarterfinal foe. Na must have her RG defense occupying her mind, and her recent results would indicate that an early loss could happen here.

Radwanska debuts with a seeding of No. 3 in Rome and although she lost in the semis of Madrid to Azarenka, the Pole has shown great improvement on clay in 2012.

Wozniacki basically collapsed after leading Serena by a set last week—courtesy of her dad’s advice during the second-round set?—and one has to wonder if her weak forehand has enough juice to hit through the calm Italian air?

Talking about ball speed has never been an issue for Serena. Her game packs enough bite to blow through any court and with a decent draw on tap, she should have enough time to adjust to the red clay in Rome.

Keep an eye on local favorite Roberta Vinci this week, but look for Azarenka and Serena to set up a rematch of their Madrid final one round earlier in Italy.

Picks: Azarenka, Serena Williams

Bottom Half:

Regardless of her improved results on clay, it’s still hard for me to pencil in Sharapova as a favorite in Paris. She’s surely capable of defeating anyone on any given day, but it’s those matches where she’s not 100 percent that the clay can cause her to lose. Attempting to become another player to seal her legacy by winning all four majors, Sharapova begins her Rome quest against Christina Mchale or Monica Niculescu, with Ivanovic, Schiavone, Venus Williams or Stosur on the horizon.

Remember Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez? Well if her name wasn’t enough of a tongue twister for you, this Spanish serve-and-volleyer also won the Rome title in 2010. With a very unpredictable half here, Martinez Sanchez could just have enough touch to reach the final four again.

Kvitova, who should have done better in Madrid, will be out of her element here. In saying that though, the Czech is No. 4 in the world and should have the match experience to take advantage of her weak draw. However, a player that I’d be more inclined to pick here is Julia Goerges. The exuberant German has enough firepower to hit through the clay and she should have enough belief to get by Marion Bartoli in a second-round affair.

Picks: Schiavone, Goerges

Champion: Azarenka

Tipsarevic ousts Djokovic in Madrid; Berdych, del Potro reach semifinals

Mutua Madrid Open—Spain

Serbia’s second ranked player Janko Tipsarevic caused the upset of the Madrid Masters thus far by defeating top seed Novak Djokovic 7-6(2), 6-3 on Friday.

Needing four match points to prevail, Tipsarevic struck 30 winners to 20 unforced errors during the one hour and 43 minute match. Capturing his third win against Djokovic in seven meetings, Tipsarevic improved to 23-9 on the season and will next face either Roger Federer or David Ferrer.

Djokovic, who was the defending champion of the event, will next head to Rome to defend his title in Italy.

Elsewhere, Tomas Berdych and Juan Martin del Potro set up a semifinal clash after recording easy quarterfinal victories. Berdych dismantled Rafael Nadal’s conqueror Fernando Verdasco 6-1, 6-2 and del Potro ousted Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3, 6-4.

Berdych and del Potro have met on four occasions, with del Potro leading the pair’s head to head 3-1.

Verdasco defeats Nadal in Madrid Open; Djokovic, Federer advance

Mutua Madrid Open—Spain

It took over three hours and two match points but Spaniard Fernando Verdasco defeated No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal for the first time in 14 meetings at the Madrid Open on Thursday.

Overcoming a 5-2 deficit in the third set, Verdasco used his point-ending forehand and belief to oust his higher ranked countryman, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.

With 13 total breaks of serve in the match, it was Verdasco who held his nerves during the latter stages of the contest. Nadal, who was visibly frustrated by the blue clay at the event this year, struck seven aces, but won a mere 43 percent of his second serve points.

Arriving in Madrid undefeated in 2012 after winning in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, Nadal will next see action at the Roma Masters next week.

Verdasco will next face Tomas Berdych for a quarterfinal berth. Berdych dismantled Gael Monfils 6-1, 6-1.

In other results on Thursday, No. 4 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga lost to Alexandr Dolgopolov 7-5, 3-6, 7-6(2) and Juan Martin del Potro eased past Marin Cilic 6-2, 6-4.

In night matches, No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic defeated Stanislas Wawrinka 7-6(5), 6-4 and Roger Federer overpowered Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-2.

Podcast: A look at the Madrid Masters, thus far

In this week’s PodCast, Nima Naderi and Jermey Howard are back in action with a mid-week review of the Madrid Masters in Spain.

We talk blue clay, altitude, and most importantly the attitudes of the top players in the adverse Madrid conditions.

As always, you can alternatively listen to the #1 tennis PodCast via iTunes and never miss another episode. It is very easy and completely free.

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Nadal, Ferrer and Tsonga reach third-round in Madrid

Mutua Madrid Open—Spain

Second seed and two time winner Rafael Nadal breezed into the third-round of the Madrid Open on Wednesday, dismissing Nikolay Davydenko, 6-2, 6-2.

Winning his 11th straight match on clay this year, Nadal won 80 percent of his first serve points, struck six aces and broke the Russian’s serve on four occasions during the one hour and 20 minute match.

Never losing to Davydenko on clay, Nadal snapped a four match losing streak to the Russian after today’s victory.

Nadal will next face Fernando Verdasco for a place in the quarterfinals. Verdasco battled past Alejandro Falla, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4. Nadal holds a 13-0 head-to-head lead over Verdasco.

Elsewhere, No. 4 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and No. 5 seed David Ferrer were also victorious in straight sets. Tsonga ousted Ryan Harrison 6-2, 7-6(4) and Ferrer survived a tough first set but got by Radek Stepanek, 7-6(4), 6-2.

Tsonga will next face Alexandr Dolgopolov and Ferrer will take on Nicolas Almagro.

Other winners on Wednesday included Marin Cilic, Gael Monfils, Richard Gasquet and Stanislas Wawrinka.

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