What We Learned From The Australian Open: ATP Edition
by Ben Rothenberg on Feb 8, 2010 8:54 PM EST
in Analysis
0 comments
Sorry for the delay, folks. Weather has not been kind to my internet access here in Washington...
Here's what we learned at the Australian Open about the top eight in the ATP (using their new post-Aussie rankings), as well as a few other notables.
#1 Roger Federer (Champion - Stays at #1) -- There were some hiccups against Russians along the way, but in the end it was yet another routine, straight sets victory in a slam final for Roger Federer, winning his sweet sixteenth. He didn't look unbeatable, but he didn't get beaten. The killer instinct that was questionable in New York against del Potro was definitely there against Murray, almost certainly because he just doesn't seem to like the Scot at all. If he can muster that same disdain in the rest of his slam finals, no reason he can't reach 20. Here's a stat that I don't think anyone else has come up with yet: With this Australian Open title, his first since Melbourne Park switched over to the blue stuff in 2008, Federer becomes the first player to win slams on five different surfaces (grass, clay, Rebound Ace, DecoTurf, Plexicushion).
#2 Novak Djokovic (lost in quarterfinals to Tsonga - Was #3) -- Congrats to Djokovic on making it to a career high ranking of #2, but man, did he ever fail to get any style points in the process. After running through one of the softest slam draws in recent memory (Gimeno-Traver, Chiudinelli, Istomin, Kubot), Djokovic flamed out against the first tough opponent he faced, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. He outplayed Tsonga for the first three sets, but then physically broke down with a mess of nausea and exhaustion, losing the fourth and fifth sets in short order. While draws at major tournaments will feature a "Djokovic half" for the first time, he's hardly a lock for the finals with these questions still lingering about his conditioning when the going gets tough.
#3 Andy Murray (lost in final to Federer - Was #4) -- Definitely a strong run for Murray, but like Djokovic his bump in the rankings comes with more questions attached than answers. And while the British media does deserve just about all the flak they're getting for wondering aloud if Murray will ever win a slam, they do have a point. He may be "only" 22, but the last player to win a first career slam at an older age was Gaston Gaudio back in 2004. Djokovic, Nadal, and del Potro (and Federer and Roddick just before Gaudio) were all younger when they struck paydirt for the first time.
#4 Rafael Nadal (lost to Murray in quarterfinal - Was #2) -- Nadal's lowest ranking since 2005 is all about not being able to complete his title defense due to injury on the surface, but in reality he was never going to be competitive against Murray in his quarterfinal loss. Nadal lost bulky muscle up top in an announced attempt to keep his lower body healthier, but he's now less powerful and still perpetually injury prone. I think it's about time to stick a fork in this career, sadly. Many say he still has a shot on the clay, but from where I sit I can't imagine that long, grinding matches are the cure for what ails him.
#5 Juan Martin del Potro (lost to Cilic in fourth round - Stays at #5) -- del Potro didn't do much with having a quarter to his name for the first time at a grand slam, but he never really looked 100% with his arm, either. There was a real nice gut-check win in the second round vs. James Blake for him, but also a real bizarre bageling at the hands of Florian Mayer before he finally went down in a battle of attrition against Cilic in the fourth round. Cilic was impossible to get any rhythm against the entire tournament, so it is a pretty excusable, explicable loss as far as I'm concerned.
#6 Nikolay Davydenko (lost to Federer in quarterfinal - Stays at #6) -- Hard to really grade Davydenko's run at this tournament. He largely failed to live up to the darkhorse label that had been bestowed upon him by the fawning Mary Carillo, but he did show that he has the potential to beat the best in the world when at his best. He looked absolutely untouchable for his first three matches, losing a combined seventeen games in those three straight sets wins. But then he absolutely stunk up the joint halfway through his fourth round match against Fernando Verdasco, and then stunk up the joint again halfway through his quarterfinal vs. Federer, playing so listlessly as to not win a single game for an hour. I think the French Open still represents his best shot to make a grand slam final, as it always has, but it's clear that he's going to need to learn not to peak too early if that's going to happen.
#7 Andy Roddick (lost to Cilic in quarterfinal - Stays at #7) -- He comes away having not defended his semifinal points from a year ago, but it was a real impressive run for Roddick. That five-set win against Gonzalez is exactly the type of match he would have routinely lost from 2004-2008. His comeback effort against Cilic was also pretty valiant, but in the end the result is probably a sign that he doesn't have what it takes to beat these big, young guns on a consistent basis.
#8 Robin Soderling (lost to Granollers in the first round - Stays at #8) -- A bizarre early exit for Soderling, who looked to be cruising against the weaponless Granollers early on then totally fell apart as the match wore on, losing his two-set lead on the way to a first round exit. The surface in Melbourne is probably too slow for him to have made much noise. I'm more interested to see what he'll do in Dubai, Miami, and Wimbledon. I still don't understand how his best ever run at a major was on clay, and I refuse to believe it could happen again.
0 comments | 0 recs
Australian Open Day 14 Open Thread: Men's Final
by Ben Rothenberg on Jan 31, 2010 3:41 AM EST
in Match Threads
147 comments
255 matches down, 1 to go...
Not Before 19:30
Roger Federer (SUI)[1] v. Andy Murray (GBR)[5]
I'm predicting Federer in 4. I think part of the reason he lost to del Potro in that final was a real lack of fight and killer instinct against an opponent in del Potro whom Federer seems to genuinely likes. Murray, on the other hand, doesn't seem to be on the receiving end of much respect from Federer. That said, this match is totally in Murray's hands (though Federer's serve does play a huge role, as Jsz pointed out).
Here's hoping for a great one. This match is our last taste of grand slam tennis for four months, so it'd better be big and delicious.
147 comments | 0 recs |
"Now I gotta win me some French Opens!"
--Serena Williams, after winning her fifth Australian Open crown. She has only one French Open title (2002).
10 days ago
Ben Rothenberg
1 comment
0 recs
Australian Open Day 13 Open Thread: Women's Final
by Ben Rothenberg on Jan 30, 2010 3:20 AM EST
in Match Threads
84 comments
After laying dormant for almost two years, the Serena vs. Henin rivalry resumes on the grandest of stages. Hope you're not sleeping through this dream final.
Not Before 19:30
Serena Williams (USA)[1] v. Justine Henin (BEL)[W]
I rewrote my prediction piece for this final about twelve times before finally deciding that I really don't know. The one thing I expect is an awesome match. If it goes three, that could spell trouble for the gimpier Serena, but that's really the only thing I can say with any degree of certainty.
84 comments | 0 recs |
Federer Crushes Lackluster Tsonga in Semifinal Rout
by Ben Rothenberg on Jan 29, 2010 1:36 PM EST
in Results
4 comments
The men's finals mirrored the women's ones that had preceded with them. The first was a gutty, close affair that, while not always pretty. The second was a rout in which the 2004 Australian Open champion made a fool of his/her opponent.
Roger Federer outclassed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 in 88 minutes, or in just one minute longer than the second set of Henin-Dementieva lasted.
Federer was good, but not any better than he was against Davydenko, who put up much more of a fight. Tsonga simply couldn't do anything right. He didn't serve well, he didn't move well, and he hit bad errors early in rallies. It was a sharp departure from the masterclass he delivered in his previous grand slam semifinal, where he was on the other side of a rout in beating Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 down under in 2007.
4 comments | 0 recs |
Venus and Serena Williams won their third straight grand slam doubles title, defeating top seeds Cara Black and Liezel Huber 6-4, 6-3.
Even more impressively, Serena's leg didn't fall off during the match, which certainly bodes well for her chances in the singles final.
11 days ago
Ben Rothenberg
6 comments
0 recs
Australian Open Day 12 Open Thread
by Ben Rothenberg on Jan 29, 2010 2:08 AM EST
in Match Threads
15 comments
Only one match tonight, and each of the next two nights as well. And then there will be zero grand slam matches per night for about four months, so make the most of these while you can.
Not Before 19:30
Roger Federer (SUI)[1] v. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)[10]
I'll go out on not much of a limb and take Federer in 3.
Not a whole lot of buzz around this matchup, really, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't wake yourself up, pack into the comments and fill them with wonderfully insightful comments.
15 comments | 0 recs |
Australian Open Day 11 Open Thread
by Ben Rothenberg on Jan 27, 2010 7:06 PM EST
in Match Threads
29 comments
Doesn't get too much more major at a grand slam than having three semifinals in one day, easily the second biggest day at any slam short only to the US Open's Super Saturday.
And it doesn't get much more sparse than having only one singles match on the slate per night, which is what we have from here on out for the rest of the tournament. So by all means, get your fill of tennis tonight.
The later start doesn't really do us many favors here in the States, with Serena-Li not getting court til 9:30 EST.
Rod Laver Arena
Not Before 13:30
2. Serena Williams (USA)[1] v. Li Na (CHN)[16]
3. Justine Henin (BEL) v. Zheng Jie (CHN)
19:30 Start Time
1. Marin Cilic (CRO) [14] v. Andy Murray (GBR) [5]
My abbreviated predictions tonight: Serena Williams in 2, Zheng Jie in 3. It'll be like Natalie Dechy almost was in 2005, or like Marion Bartoli actually was in 2008.
And for the men, let's make it three straight five set upsets for Marin Cilic.
29 comments | 0 recs |
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