USO Blog: Play At Your Own Risk

US Open—New York

Tennis players get four chances each season to show the world, their colleagues, and their fans what they’re capable of. Although the rest of the year can’t be taken for granted, player’s resumes will always be remembered by how they rise and fall at the Majors.

Injury or illness can sometimes prevent a player from participating in an event, but for the most part anything and everything will be done in order for a chance to take part in the field.

Monday’s start to the US Open showcased four high profile men, and their respective but often questionable outlook toward their playing styles. Three of the four men advanced to the second-round, but it became apparent through each of their matches that this year’s Open may not end with the desired result.

Gone-zo

It’s been a difficult year for Fernando Gonzalez. He started the season in middle-of-the-road form, but soon fell victim to the grief of a devastating earthquake in Chile, which was later followed by a pesky knee injury. Never relying on his foot speed as one of his strengths, Gonzalez took to Court 13 during the heat of the day to hopefully swat enough groundstrokes to defeat his No. 148 ranked opponent Ivan Dodig. Capturing the first set with a tight knit tiebreak, Gonzalez’s injury soon became an evident hindrance to his movement and mood.  Displaying very little positive energy throughout the second-set, Gonzalez would pull the plug on his campaign after netting a meek slice backhand to start the third set. Although he’d shown up in an effort to put on a show, his sound shattering forehand, and his clan of devoted followers, were left with little to celebrate after a conceding handshake was brought forth.

There was no famous racket break from Gonzalez—no chi chi chi…eh eh eh from the crowd—only a head down exit from the final Slam of the year.

The Open remains worse off without last year’s quarterfinalist.

In Need Of A Helmet

You gotta love the way Gael Monfils goes about his tennis. He knows that he’s putting himself in harms way each and every time he dives on the court, but for whatever reason (no scratch that, there is a reason), Monfils seems to constantly defy gravity, while delighting a flabbergasted audience. Taking on Robert Kendrick of the US today, Monfils needed five sets, and all of his athleticism to reach the round of 64. Injuring his elbow earlier this summer in Toronto (you guessed it, by diving on court against Andy Murray), the Frenchman entered Flushing Meadows with not a lot to count on. Using his deceptively quick serve to hit 17 aces, Monfils was required to use his backstop positioned passing shots to offset the serve and volley tactics of Kendrick.

I’ve always put Monfils right up there as perhaps the best athlete in the game, but I think it’s safe to say that he’ll never become a serious threat to win a Grand Slam. Choosing to awe the crowd instead of putting forth the point construction and foresight that’s required to hoist the hardware, Monfils will remain a great opening door prize at the Majors, but until he proves that he’s willing to use his strengths for the long-haul, and not for the highlight reel, we’ll have to catch him while we can.

Finding It Haider

Brad Gilbert just came out and said it today during the Robin Soderling vs. Andreas Haider-Maurer match on the Grandstand: “There’s no way you can look at Haider-Maurer and consider him a Challenger player.”

Well, Gilbert was right on the money with that comment, and during the third and fourth set comeback efforts by the Austrian, it appeared that Soderling was in danger of suffering his second first-round hard-court Major loss of the season.

It’s amazing to consider that a player with Soderling’s power quotient struggles on faster courts. His long backswings can’t generate the same amount power that they can on clay or grass, and the outcome often results in mistimed, and framed groundstrokes.

However, Soderling had more than the fast paced courts of the Grandstand to deal with today. His unheralded opponent dropped 34 aces in total, while zipping 58 winners into various corners. Putting the shoe on the other foot for a majority of the match, Soderling was forced to use his improved confidence, and clay-court foundation to squeak into the second-round.

I didn’t like what I saw from Soderling today; I more than enjoyed Haider-Maurer’s desire, and judging by the Swede’s current level of play today, his upcoming “easy” draw will have to be reassessed.

Bday Bashing

Andy Roddick’s 28th birthday brought with it some nervous moments against through-back player Stephane Robert. Leapfrogging to a 5-0 first set lead, Roddick quickly lost the next three games before closing out the set. Although it was tough to assess Roddick’s play based on the non-modern game of his opponent, I wasn’t at all convinced that the American will be able to put forth a sensible title run this year.

Roddick is certainly low on confidence at the moment, and as he regains his energy from a brief bout with mono, he would be better served to give his groundstrokes some more velocity.

Jonny Mac made a great point today in dissecting Roddick’s fourth-round loss to Yen-Hsun Lu at Wimbledon. Stating that Roddick pushed his groundstrokes like an under 12-year-old junior in London, McEnroe highlighted Roddick’s overall problem throughout the past three years. We saw Roddick climb back against Marin Cilic at the Aussie Open in January by giving his groundstrokes a ride; we later witnessed Roddick defeat Rafael Nadal during the Miami event by smoking four forehand winners during the middle of his three set comeback victory.

Aside from Roddick’s tremendous serve, the rest of his game has become extremely timid. He’s too reliant on deep court positioning and defense, and not on exhibiting the lethal forehand he used during his late teens and early 20s.

The one positive for Roddick today was that he did advance in straight sets, and that will aid him in conserving energy for the latter rounds.

He will however need to step up his aggression if he intends on making the second week.

–Nima

USO: Gael Monfils First-Round Press Conference

Q. It was a real fight out there today. Is that always tough to start a two week tournament with a five setter like that, or is it maybe okay to get out there and know you can win a five set match?
GAËL MONFILS: I know I can win five set match. I think I’m tough to play in five sets. But today was not a good day for me. I mean, it was like I was fighting against myself, so tried to be like more aggressive, tried to play my game. I think today I was pretty flat. But I’m happy, you know, I come through, and I just give myself second chance to practice hard tomorrow and to be better on Wednesday. I’m quite happy for that.

Q. How was it fighting against yourself? Was it more mental?
GAËL MONFILS: Yeah, mentally. I think physically I’m good. But when the mind is not working that good, as you can see. I was like slow on the court and bad judgment sometime and also tried to change a bit my game. Wasn’t the real Gaël Monfils on the court. You know, I fight, compete, and I come through, so it was — I mean, I made my job pretty simple. Not good but, pretty simple.

Q. You’ve had good results here. Do you generally feel comfortable playing here?
GAËL MONFILS: Yeah, I mean, definitely. Just today wasn’t a good day. I had a good week. I practiced, feel the ball good, physically I was good. Yesterday was a bit off, but still, like I told you, I did the job: Win. That’s it.

Q. Is there a big difference in the final set, the big points in the final set versus the big points in the second, fourth set? Obviously you won, but in terms of your approach or anything you were doing that allowed you to make a difference there?
GAËL MONFILS: Ah, for sure you’re a bit more careful how you choose, because the end — I mean, the final set if you choose, I don’t know, to serve and volley at 4 All in the fifth, different to choose to early in the second set. I mean, I try to be like a bit more aggressive, tried to push him a bit more, and in the end he was same tired like we are tired, so tried to move in. Tried to put some long rallies, also.

Q. Coming off a first round, in Cincinnati, you were knocked out of the first round, do you feel that you sometimes get off to a slow start in tournaments? Explain what happened in Cincinnati.
GAËL MONFILS: Cincinnati wasn’t my day, you know. I had like bad day, and then mentally wasn’t on the court. My mind was somewhere else, so was a bad day. Happen sometimes. I forget this part.

Q. Are you in good form? Do you feel you are in good form?
GAËL MONFILS: No, not really, but I think every day is a new day, so let’s see what Gaël it will give me on Wednesday.

Q. Do you enjoy the atmosphere? The fans are chanting, USA.
GAËL MONFILS: Oh, yeah. I love USA, so for me doesn’t matter. I can share with them because I love the USA. For me it was more distraction, was more to relax and enjoy a bit, maybe to think about something else. So for me, it was great.

Q. How do you stay calm? You get into a fifth set and it’s getting late in the fifth set, is there anything you do to keep yourself calm and focused?
GAËL MONFILS: I know in fifth set is different, but I’m strong I think in the fifth set. I think I lost two one year against Djokovic the first year — and I think I could have win this one — and one in French Open, terrible. But I think in the fifth set I’m very strong and competitive, so I always love play fifth set. So for me was good, actually.

Q. You did a couple of dropshots. What was your strategy in the game today?
GAËL MONFILS: I mean, just tried to mix up a bit. I saw he was a bit like slow to coming forward, so I tried to use this one. Actually, the courts are very bouncy, so I get lucky today with the dropshot. But sometimes against those players is good to play a bit to bring in forehand, because he think you will play deep and fast, and so you mix up a bit.

Q. There was a lot of fans, a lot of people in the court. Was that a distraction for you?
GAËL MONFILS: I mean, people for sure help me. I mean, in the end like help me. I think it helped me to be more relaxed and also more like, Okay, it’s a game, it’s a great game. People enjoy, so enjoy yourself. Try to be more relax. It’s been like, I mean, four sets you struggle a bit and you seem a bit flat, so I take this like in a good way. So that’s why it helped me a lot.

France to Host Argentina on Indoor Hard-Court

The Davis Cup semifinal clash between France and Argentina will take place in Lyon, France according to the French Tennis Federation.

The tie, which will be played Sept. 17-19, will be held at the Palais des Sports de Gerland on an indoor hard court.

France reached the semifinals by dismissing defending champs Spain 4-1 in the quarterfinals, while Argentina defeated Russia 3-2.

France holds a 4-0 career head-to-head lead over Argentina, with the teams not playing since 1982.

Monfils, Ferrer, and Garcia-Lopez Withdraw From Hamburg Event

The International German Open received three significant withdraws on Monday when Gael Monfils, David Ferrer, and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez were all forced to pull out of the event.

Monfils’ reason for not taking part in the 500 point clay-court tournament came down to an injury he sustained during the finals of the Stuttgart event on Sunday. Playing against Spaniard Albert Montanes for the title, Monfils was forced to hand his opponent the match after losing the first set.

The athletic Frenchman made the official statement regarding his injury on his Twitter page earlier today.

“My ankle is still painful so [I'm] not gonna play [Hamburg]. [I'm] very sad, I was in a good shape.

Elsewhere, Spaniards Ferrer and Garcia-Lopez—two players who have been in-form as of late—will also be sidelined in Hamburg this week.

The 48-man field will begin on Monday with 12 singles matches.

Monfils Comments on Injured Ankle

After his disappointing withdrawal from the finals of the Stuttgart event in Germany on Sunday, No. 3 seed Gael Monfils commented on his Twitter page regarding his injured ankle.

“My ankle is sore but I received treatment on it. So hopefully it’s going to be fine for Hamburg.”

Failing to win his first title of the season, Monfils withdrew from the beginning of the second set after losing the first set 6-2.

Monfils Retires in Stuttgart Final; Montanes Takes Home Second Title of 2010

MercedesCup—Stuttgart, Germany

Spaniard Albert Montanes collected his second Tour title of the year on Sunday after No. 3 seed Gael Monfils retired after trailing 6-2, 1-2.

Sustaining an ankle injury during the middle of the first set, Monfils’ level of play became severely hampered as the match continued. Losing his serve on two occasions in the first set, Monfils fell to 23-11 on the year.

The win for Montanes marked his fifth career title and second this year. Collecting a brand new Mercedes Benz and €72,150 in prize money, Montanes became the sixth different Spanish player to win the event.

Needing 55-minutes to improve to 26-15 on the year, Montanes was jubilant in describing Spain’s fantastic year in sport.

“It was a fantastic week. This is a great victory for me and for all of Spain,” said Montanes. “It’s an incredible year for Spain, in football, tennis and basketball. And I’m happy to have added more joy to my country.”

Montanes became the second Spaniard on Sunday to capture a Tour title, after Nicolas Almagro collected his sixth career title over Robin Soderling in Sweden.

Montanes will now turn his attention to the German Open in Hamburg, where he will take part as the No. 5 seed.

Quotes courtesy of atpworldtour.com.

International German Open: Main Draw

The draw for this year’s International German Open will feature: Nikolay Davydenko, David Ferrer, Gael Monfils, Jurgen Melzer, Nicolas Almagro, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Thomaz Bellucci, and Albert Montanes.

For the full men’s singles draw, click the link below.

International German Open: main draw.

Monfils Marches into Stuttgart Final

MercedesCup—Stuttgart, Germany

No. 3 seed Gael Monfils advanced to his first ATP World Tour final of the year on Saturday with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 win over Daniel Gimeno-Traver of Spain.

Using his abbreviated servicr motion to great affect, Monfils struck 12 aces, while winning 76 percent of his first serve points. Breaking serve on four of 11 occasions, Monfils needed one hour and 53 minutes to pick up his 23rd match victory of the season.

The world No. 17 advanced to his 10th career final, and will next face Albert Montanes for a chance at capturing his third career title.

Montanes defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-3, 7-6 (6) earlier in the day.

Bidding to capture his second title of the season, Montanes’ inform backhand dictated play against his higher ranked opponent. Saving four of seven break point chances, Montanes won 67 percent of his total service points, while striking five aces.

Capturing the Estoril title earlier this year, Montanes will take a 1-0 career head-to-head lead over Monfils into Sunday’s final.

Montanes Upsets Melzer in Stuttgart; Ferrer Reaches Semifinals in Sweden

MercedesCup—Stuttgart, Germany

Spanish clay-court player Albert Montanes defeated No. 2 seed Jurgen Melzer 6-4, 6-1 at the Stuttgart event on Friday.

Needing 56-minutes to advance, Montanes won 81 percent of his first serve points, while breaking Melzer’s serve on four of seven occasions.

Winning just his second match in five meetings against Melzer, Montanes will next face the winner of Juan Carlos Ferrero vs. Simon Greul.

Other quarterfinal matches that will take place on Friday will include:

Daniel Gimeno-Traver vs. Marco Chiudinelli, and Gael Monfils vs. Florian Mayer.

SkiStar Swedish Open—Bastad, Sweden

Clay wins leader David Ferrer picked up his 31st victory on the crushed red brick of Europe on Friday with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Pablo Cuevas.

Dominating proceedings from start to finish, Ferrer needed one hour and 15 minutes to advance to the semifinals.

Winning 74 percent of his total service points, Ferrer saved both break points against his serve, and will next face top seed Robin Soderling or Andreas Seppi.

Recently returning from injury, Spaniard Tommy Robredo handed countryman Fernando Verdasco his fourth loss in his last five matches by defeating the No. 2 seed 6-4, 6-3.

Needing one hour and 23 minutes to prevail, Robredo recorded 90 percent of his first serves in, while breaking the left-hander on three of nine occasions.

Improving to 12-12 on the year, Robredo will next face the winner of No. 4 seed Nicolas Almagro vs. Franco Skugor.

Davydenko Bounced in Stuttgart; Verdasco Previals in Sweden

MercedesCup—Stuttgart, Germany

Top seed Nikolay Davydenko lost his first match of an event for the first time since October of last year when he was defeated by Daniel Gimeno-Traver in Stuttgart on Thursday.

Falling in three sets, 7-6 (7), 2-6, 6-1, Davydenko appeared fatigued from his Davis Cup duties over the weekend. Splitting his two singles matches in Moscow, Davydenko lost his serve on three occasions, while winning 45 percent of his second serve points.

To Gimeno-Traver’s credit, he struck 12 aces and won 73 percent of his first serve points. Previously losing to his Russian opponent on one occasion, Gimeno-Traver improved to 9-17 on the year and will next face Marco Chiudinelli in the quarterfinals. Gimeno-Traver also captured his first ever top 10 win.

Chiudinelli ended the hopes of local favorite Bjorn Phau by defeating the German 7-6 (3), 6-3.

Davydenko will now remain in Germany and prepare for his title defense in Hamburg next week.

Elsewhere, former French Open champ Juan Carlos Ferrero fought past Argentine Horacio Zeballos in a match that was carried over from Wednesday. Trailing by a set when the encounter was called due to poor weather at 6-all in the second set, Ferrero returned to the court today full of vigor and prevailed 6-7 (1), 7-6 (3), 6-2.

Matches that are still to come on day four action will include:

Gael Monfils vs. Pablo Andujar, and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez vs. Florian Mayer.

SkiStar Swedish Open—Bastad, Sweden

No. 2 seed Fernando Verdasco got off to a flying start at the Swedish Open today with 6-1, 6-1 victory over Stephane Robert of France.

Snapping a three match losing streak, Verdasco reached his eighth quarterfinal of the season in 67-minutes. Winning 73 percent of his first serve points, Verdasco broke serve on five of 11 occasions while never losing his delivery.

Improving to 34-12 on the year, Verdasco will next face countryman Tommy Robredo for a spot in the semifinals. Robredo needed three sets to dispatch Andrey Golubev 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Franco Skugor, a 22-year-old Croat, defeated up-and-coming Swede Ervin Eleskovic 6-2, 6-3. Recording the first Tour level quarterfinal of his career, Skugor will next face the winner of the day’s last match between No. 4 seed Nicolas Almagro and Finn Jarrko Nieminen.

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