As I left this way to late to complete I will do these parts with pictures. I know, lazy much.
Young Australian prodigy Bernard Tomic announced himself to the world at Wimbledon, becoming the youngest man to make the quarter finals before falling to Djokovic in four tight sets.
Jo Wilfried Tsonga became the first man to defeat Federer from two sets to love down in grand slam play.
The Serbian won his first Wimbledon and with it the world number one ranking, after again defeating Nadal in the final. It was Djokovic's 5th win over Nadal in a final this year and the Spaniard admitted after the match that he didn't have a clue how to beat Djokovic version 2011.
Alexandr Dolgopolov won his first ATP career title in Umag
Croatian workhorse Ivan Dodig shocks the tennis world in the Montreal Masters 1000 event, outfighting Nadal to hand the Spaniard a 1-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6(5) defeat.
Surprise surprise, it's Nole with another Masters 1000 title.
Murray finally gets his hands on some silverware after Djokovic retires hurt in the final of the Cincinnati Masters
Djokovic saves match points against Federer for the second consecutive year to move into the US Open final
The Serb then proceeds to beat Nadal in their sixth final this year to capture his first US Open Championship. The victory caps a fantastic year in the slams for the world number one who suddenly finds himself one slam short of a full set.
Andy Murray goes on a tear during the Asian swing, taking out the Bangkok, Tokyo and Shanghai titles.
Japanese youngster Kei Nishikori beats a tired Djokovic in the Basel semi finals and gets past "Project 45".
Federer wins his last three events of the year in Basel, Paris and at the World Tour Finals in London to take the world number three sport away from Murray and head into the 2012 season full of confidence.
Nadal leads the Spanish team to Davis Cup glory to cap off a memorable 2011 season.
So the official start to the clay court season was now upon us. The hallowed clay of Europe would be getting it's first workout for the year, but not before a couple of events that kicked off the season in Casablanca and Houston. These two events never attract the best field, primarily because the top guys are all taking a break from the wear and tear of the hardcourts, and basing yourself in Morocco or America one week before Monte Carlo is not ideal preparation for the big one. However it is an excellent opportunity for the lower ranked players to pick up some valuable ranking points and to perhaps pick up that elusive first career title. And that is exactly what happened for Spain's Pablo Andujar and American Ryan Sweeting, who picked up the Casablanca and Houston titles respectively. It's always nice to see first time winners on the tour but it is not a common occurrence, especially during the same week. Andujar isn't and never will be the most talented of players, but he is a guy who has made the most out of what was given to him. This week the hard yards paid off and he was even approaching the net with alarming regularity for a guy who usually only goes there to shake hands. He swept through the draw, dropping only one set in his opening match to take the the title with a comprehensive 6-1, 6-2 victory over Italian Potito Starace, who himself was also vying to become a first time winner.
Andujar celebrates with the Spanish flag after capturing his first tour title in Casablanca
Sweeting did things a little tougher in Houston, coming through two tough consecutive three set encounters, in the 2nd round against fellow countryman Sam Querrey and in the quarters against the Georgian Russian Gabashvilli. On both occasions he came from a set down to take the match. Sweeting, who was also given a wildcard just to participate in this event, proceeded to make his way onto the final where he took out returning Japanese youngster Kei Nishikori in straight sets. It was a successful tournament for Nishikori as well who has had a rough couple of years with injuries since bursting onto the scene in 2008. For Sweeting, it was a welcome reward for the hard work and consistent results he had put in throughout the American winter. The Bahamas native will always struggle on the tour with that serve of his so it's nice he's picked up a title - it might be the highlight of his career when all is said and done.
Sweeting picks up his first title in Houston
Onto the beautiful shores of Monaco now for the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters where most of the guys at the upper echelons of mens tennis returned to action. There were some notable absences however, with Djokovic, Soderling and Roddick all giving the event a pass for different reasons. Djokovic wanted a bit more time off after his remarkable start to the season and he wanted to keep his undefeated streak alive for as long as possible. Roddick just wanted to delay the pain that inevitably comes his way every year from April to June. The Duck knows he's not even top 30 on clay and dreads this part of the season almost as much as the thought of his hat falling off mid-point again. Monte-Carlo has wonderful facilities and I wouldn't be surprised if the half the audience on centre court spent their days staring off dreamingly into the Mediterranean. King of clay Nadal was going for a record at this event, attempting to become the first man to win a particular tournament seven times in succession. The Spaniard hadn't lost at this event since his debut and yes, this was half the reason Djokovic didn't show up here.
Not a bad place to play a bit of tennis
The headlines during the first round were the rumours circulating around the complex that Murray had won a tennis match for the first time since 2003. The Scot would triumph in straight sets against Czech and worm master Radek Stepanek. Thunder Lips is well past his best right now and was the perfect opponent for Murray to face given his current situation. His head looked switched on for the first time since January 30 and sometimes it's just one win like this that can get you back to somewhere near your best form. The other first round matchups were a mix of routine wins, gruelling three set encounters and the odd hilarious spectacle. Evidence of the latter can be illustrated through the highly comical stylings of Canadian Milos Raonic and Frenchman Michael Llodra. Granted, the two big servers are anything but at home on the surface but that didn't make the wta-esque scoreline any less amusing. Raonic ended up winning it 6-3, 0-6, 6-0 and I can't comment on the standard because I didn't see the match, but that was probably for the best. Credit has to go to Raonic though, he works hard with Blanco to improve on the dirt and is actually making an effort. This was emphasised through his ability to overcome Ernests Gulbis in his next match to make the third round, where he succumbed to Ferrer for the second time this year.
The top four seeds all made it through to the quarter finals relatively unscathed, where a contrast of players awaited each of them. Top seed Nadal faced Croatian veteran Ivan Ljubicic who had wound back the clock in his three previous matches, easily accounting for Jeremy Chardy, Tsonga and 5th seed Berdych for without the loss of a set. Nadal on clay though is a near impossible task, especially for a man with a one handed backhand. It becomes a simple formula for the Spaniard - hit high looping topspin to the backhand side, wait for the weak reply and then finish off the point. Nadal way to good, 6-1, 6-3. The other quarter final of the top half produced a similar one sided affair. Murray, who looked to have finally put the burden of losing in Melbourne behind him, blasted Portuguese qualifier Frederico Gil off the court with a 6-2, 6-1 scoreline. It had been a formidable tournament for Gil, having breezed through the draw without dropping a set and defeating crowd favourite Monfils in the 3rd round. But it was like playing a better version of himself here, with Murray reproducing the form that has seen him make three grand slam finals. The third quarter final pitted clay court specialist Ferrer against Serbian Viktor Troicki. I have to point out here the ridiculous amount of luck that Troicki receives in some of his draws and it was no different here in Monte Carlo, with the Serb drawing veteran wildcard Jean-Rean Lisnard in the opening round before Robredo retired in the middle of their third round encounter. Troicki had accounted for the enigmatic Fognini in three sets in between. Clay however is not a bad surface for him, it gives him the time that is necessary for him to produce his big strokes, similar to that of Soderling. But he was no match for the consistency and tenacity of Ferrer, who as usual didn't give his opponent anything, emerging victorious in straight sets 6-3, 6-3. The upset of the tournament came in the final quarter final match up between Federer and Austrian Jurgen Melzer. Melzer, the reigning French Open semi finalist had experienced an indifferent start to the year on hardcourts, failing to win back-to-back matches on the tour since his fourth round showing in Melbourne, but was clearly back at home on his most successful surface. And things looked ominous again for Melzer during the early exchanges of this match, with the Austrian having to take a medical timeout at the beginning of the first set on his injured back. Normally, playing with an injured back against Federer meant only one thing. But not today. Melzer fought through the pain barrier, implementing the same strategy that Nadal uses so often against Federer with tremendous success. The high left handed topspin forehand to the Federer backhand is a winning tactic which everybody on tour should know about. Problem is that only a handful of them are left handed. The Austrian exercised this tactic to perfection in the opening set, going on to break Federer upon his return to the court from his injury timeout. He then managed to hold serve throughout, saving the Swiss third seeds four break point chances to take the first set 6-4. Melzer again peppered the Federer backhand at the beginning of the second set, with the strong wind also playing a telling factor in the baseline duals. Federer was becoming noticeably frustrated, both at the elements and his opponents successful tactics. Again, Melzer was able to find the early break and ride the momentum all the way to victory, taking the match in straight sets 6-4, 6-4. It marked his first win over Federer in four attempts and also meant that he had now recorded wins over the big three: Nadal, Djokovic and Fed. In a day of milestones for the Austrian, it was also the first time he had ever progressed through to the semi finals of a Masters 1000.
Melzer shakes Federer's hand after beating the Swiss superstar for the first time in the Monte Carlo QF.
Melzer however would run out of steam in his semi final matchup with Ferrer. If there's one man that you don't want to go into the match feeling underdone its against the Spanish pitbull. Melzer did run off to an early lead though, breaking Ferrer to go up 3-1 in the opening set. But that would be highlight of the day for the Austrian lefty, with Ferrer seizing control of the baseline and the match, reeling off five straight games to take the set 6-3. Melzer was unable to produce the tennis he had in the previous round against Federer and succumbed 6-2 in the second. The other semi was a much more dogged encounter which saw a rejuvenated Murray push Nadal to the brink of his first defeat at the Monte Carlo tennis club. And when I say brink, I mean taking a set off him, which is as close as anyone has really come to taking him out at this event. The pair traded a couple of breaks of serve in the opening set with Murray breaking in the Spaniard's opening service game before Nadal surged ahead, winning four straight games with his relentless baseline game in full force. Murray didn't deter though, breaking back again to level the first set at 4-4. Nadal is one of the few players that Murray really plays aggressively, stepping up into the court and taking the ball on the rise. It's not that he necessarily likes doing this, it's because he is forced to. It takes the Scot away from what has become his natural game style and pressures him to come up with shots that he wouldn't otherwise be comfortable playing. This pressure showed during the latter stages of the first set, with Nadal capitalising on some uncharacteristic unforced errors from Murray to hold and break, to take out the set 6-4. Murray didn't let his head drop though, saving an early break point chance for Nadal in his opening service game before breaking the Spaniard himself in the following game. The Scot would then survive a marathon 20 minute service game to consolidate the break before again breaking Nadal to go up the decisive double break. He would hold on and take the second 6-2. That second set would be the last hurrah for Murray though, with the world number four tiring quickly in the third set. That's what playing Nadal on clay can do to you. You put so much effort and concentration into winning only a single set, and by the commencement of the next one, you are mentally and physically exhausted. Nadal runs away with it in the end, taking the match 6-4, 2-6, 6-1. Nadal would extract revenge on his friend and compatriot Ferrer in the final after the 5th seed had defeated him earlier this year in the Australian Open quarter finals. There had been a question mark over Nadal's fitness in that encounter however. Not in this one. And when these two play each other at peak fitness and form levels, there is only ever going to be one winner. No need to write that much on this one, Nadal takes the match in straight sets and captures a record breaking 19th Masters 1000 title and his 7th successive Monte Carlo trophy.
Nadal sinks his teeth into a record seventh straight Monte Carlo title
The tour's next stop was the Barcelona ATP 500 tournament in Spain. This was the only event that was being held over this week as most of the guys are wanting to recover from their first taste of the dirt in Monte Carlo. Nadal decided to play here again after skipping the event last year in a bid to undertake a smarter scheduling pattern. I guess he wanted to rack up as many wins on the surface before a likely meeting(s)? with Djokovic sometime over the next month. As we all know with him, he needs to play a lot of matches to get into a nice rhythm and build up the confidence. Of course the catch 22 in this formula is that he runs the risks of getting injured due to overwhelming physical exertion. It's the same problem that has plagued Hewitt for the last six years or so. Anyway, the Spanish number one didn't have any injury problems to worry about this week, as he collected the trophy with a comfortable straight sets victory against Ferrer again in the final - the second straight Sunday he had beaten his compatriot.
The next week marked the return of Djokovic to competitive action where he took part in the second edition of the "Nole Open", otherwise known as Belgrade. This tournament is still finding it's feet and is not working with the biggest budget and if it wasn't for Nole and his family, the event wouldn't even be on the calendar. It's nice however that the people of Serbia have an event to go to and see some tennis being played in their country. They deserve it for the players they have produced, both on the male and female side, in the last few years. Djokovic extended his winning streak for the year and never looked like being threatened here, especially when his countryman Tipsarevic withdrew in the semi finals citing an injury. Nole over Flopez in the final, 7-6(4), 6-2. The Estoril Open in Portugal was being played in conjunction with Belgrade this week, and the event marked the welcome return to the winners circle for Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro. But before I get to that final, there was an extremely interesting semi final encounter that fate perhaps had set up. Raonic would play Verdasco for the third time this year, with the Canadian already sporting a healthy 2-0 head-to-head over the Spaniard. There was also Verdasco's previous comments about wanting to teach Raonic to play "real" tennis on a "real" surface to take into consideration. It had the makings of a fiery and intense battle. But sadly, it wasn't to be with Raonic having to retire after losing the first set 6-4. It would have been wonderful if the 20 year old Canadian could have shut up the big talking pretty boy but really, I doubt Verdasco was losing this to a healthy Raonic in any case. Which brings us to the final between Del Potro and Verdasco. The contest began with several hesitant unforced errors from the pair, which in turn resulted in the opening three games going against the server. Then the Argentine began to find his range from the baseline, taking control in his service games and continuing to put pressure on the Spaniard's with his penetrating flat groundstrokes. Verdasco had no answer and Del Potro established a comfortable double break, before closing out the opener 6-2. Unfortunately for Verdasco it was more of the same in the second set, with the Tandil Tower dictating play with his forehand and pouncing on anything short. Del Potro secured the double break again to run away with the second and the match, 6-2, 6-2. This was the ninth ATP world tour title of the young Argentine's career and was a just reward for all the hard work he had been putting in after coming back from injury. The win was also reflected in the rankings with Del Pony now at a respectful 46 after being at 484 in mid February.
Del Potro returned to the winners circle in Estoril
In the other event taking place this week, Davydenko prevented funky German Florian Mayer from capturing his first career title, defeating him in three sets for the Munich title.
The tour then moved on to the back-to-back Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Rome. Unlike Monte-Carlo, these two events are mandatory for all the top players, hence why we saw Roddick competing in both of them. The big serving American didn't last long in Madrid however, going down to diminutive Italian qualifier Flavio Cipolla in the opening round. Madrid is logically the place where Duck should have the greatest chance of being successful on the surface because of the slight altitude, but he had no idea how to handle the variety that was being dictated to him off the Cipolla racquet. The Italian will never be a world beater, he has the power of my grandma of the baseline, but that didn't stop him pushing the American around the court and outsmarting him on the big points. This defeat, combined with Melzer losing his first match up, meant that this little section of the draw had opened up with some hilarious results to follow. Cipolla would proceed to lose his next match to Llodra, the man who was previously bagled by Raonic in MC in the WTA match of the year. Llodra would then meet Daniel-Gimeno Traver who took out Melzer. The Frenchman would carve out another victory against the Spanish dirtballer and somehow found his way in the quarter finals against Nadal. Amazing what a bit of altitude can do, although honestly it's not that much different, just one of those cases of the draw opening up and one person taking his chances.
Roddick is visibly frustrated after going down to Italian Flavio Cipolla in Madrid
Other notable early round matches included the second round affair between Feliciano Lopez and Federer. The Swiss great won the marathon match 7-6(13), 6-7(1), 7-6(7) in which Judy Murray's playboy held a match point in the decisive third set tiebreak. It was a massive effort from Lopez and one of the few times this year that he left everything out there on the court. If the man had the desire and work ethic to work on his backhand, then he is top 15 every day of the week. Now I have to apologise in advance here to the Verdasco fans - it may seem as if I have been having a dig at him in this review, but the man sometimes makes it just to damn easy. This was the case yet again in Madrid where he lost in the first round to Taipei's Yen-Hsun Lu. Lu was in horrible form this season, losing his first seven matches of the year and also falling in qualifying the week before in Belgrade, 0-6, 4-6, to Sweden's Ervin Eleskovic who was ranked 411 at the time. On top of that, this was Lu's first ever ATP win on clay and only his second in his entire career, with his last victory on the dirt coming at the French Open qualies in 2004. He simply cannot move on the surface and it took something very special from Verdasco to find a way to lose this one. Well look on the bright side, at least he featured in the upsets of the year.
Verdasco sets the record for the worst loss of the year, going down to Lu in Madrid
Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci was the surprise packet of the tournament, defeating Murray in straight sets in the third round before advancing all the way to the semi finals where he led Djokovic by a set and a break before succumbing in three pulsating sets of tennis. Bellucci had come out of nowhere to make it to his first ATP Masters 1000 semi final and certainly did not look out of his element in the first one and a half sets of this matchup. But as is the case so many times when one of these players has a top guy on the ropes, the concentration wavers and the winners became unforced errors. Djokovic stuck to his guns and ground out the victory while not playing his best ball - something the top players do so well. Federer played Nadal in the other semi. No need to explain this one. But I will in the simplest of terms. Topspin forehand to one handed backhand, gets the loopy reply and puts the ball away. Boring right, but that is just the way these matches between the pair will go, especially on clay. It's all about the matchup in this sport. Which leads us to the final in which the aforementioned statement again holds true. Djokovic can counter Nadal's heavy forehand with his brilliant two handed backhand. Which again, brings me to explain this matchup in the simplest of terms. Nadal's strength is is forehand crosscourt so he is not going to change that. Nole leans to his backhand side and hits hard and flat through the court, either back cross court or down the line. This is something that Federer cannot do, at least when playing Nadal from his backhand wing. Now Nadal is the one replying with the loopy short balls. This puts the Serbian in an advantageous position from the back of the court and then he can take over. It also helps that he has improved his serve as well. And that is basically what happened in the final with Djokovic taking it in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4. In the process, he ended Nadal's 34 match unbeaten streak on the surface and extended his winning run to the same number. His season mark of 32-0 was the also the second best start to the season since John McEnroe went 42-0 in 1984.
Djokovic once again gets the better of Nadal to win the Madrid Masters
It was on again the next week in Rome. This was part of the reasons that five set finals were scrapped in these masters events. Too short a turn around but the calendar has been warped for years now and won't change soon. The other reason was Fed and Rafa don't like them and whatever they want, they usually get. Simon got the bye of the draw, defeating Roddick in the opening round. Honestly if Roddick didn't have to turn up to these events he wouldn't, at least during these latter stages of his career. Nadal showed the ill effects of his torrid encounter with Djokovic in the Madrid final only a couple of days earlier, battling past Italian journeyman Paulo Lorenzi in three sets. Verdasco would play Raonic for the fourth time this year and would finally get his full victory over the young Canadian, defeating him 6-4, 6-4. See look at that. I didn't bag him out. He would then go on to have one of the chokes of the season against Soderling in the next round. Sorry, couldn't resist but like I said, he makes it to easy. The biggest upset of the early rounds was when flamboyant Frenchman Richard Gasquet took out Federer for the first time since his epic win over the Swiss superstar six years ago in Monte Carlo. He had loss his last nine consecutive matches against Federer. And it looked like it was going to be 10 halfway through the match with the Frenchman down a set and 4-2. However, some spectacular volleying and miraculous shotmaking from the back of the court saw Gasquet claw his way back into the second set, which he eventually ended up taking in an absorbing tiebreak. Each player held their serve all the way through the decisive set to force another breaker, in which again Gasquet triumphed to complete a memorable victory 4-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(4). It was just the second time this year that Federer had lost to someone outside the top 3.
Gasquet won his first match in nine meeting against Federer in Rome
Gasquet continued his good form in the quarter finals, defeating the hard hitting Berdych in three sets to set up a semi final meeting with Nadal. The Spanish number one would prove too strong however, taking the match in straight sets. The other semi final pitted the seemingly unbeatable Djokovic against Murray, who had looked to have regained some of the form that saw him push Nadal in the Monte Carlo semis a month earlier. In one of the most exciting matches of the year, Murray had the Serb on the brink throughout the latter stages of the match, serving for the contest at 5-4 and four times coming to within two points of victory. Djokovic showed why he was the form man on the planet though, breaking Murray back to level the scores at 5-5 before going on to clinch the pulsating encounter in a tiebreak. It meant he would play Nadal in the final for the second straight week, and marked the first time in Masters 1000 history that the same pair of players would participate in four finals during the same year. But unfortunately for Nadal, it was the same old story of their three previous finals this year, with Djokovic again proving too strong, taking the match in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4. The losses were sure to be hurting Nadal mentally now and one could only wonder what would happen if the pair squared off in the French Open final in a couple of weeks time....
Nadal in an all to familiar position this year in finals against Djokovic
Nice was played one week before Roland Garros. These are the events where the top guys get a couple of matches in then tank halfway through when they're feeling happy with the matches they've got under their belt. Almagro picked up his third clay court title of the year with a 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3 victory over towering Romanian Victor Hanescu. I bet you one round into his French Open campaign he would regret that...
So Roland Garros was now upon us and most of the buzz circulating around the grounds was whether or not Nadal could put those four consecutive finals losses to Djokovic behind him and capture his sixth French Open championship. Could Djokovic repeat his efforts this year on the biggest stage when it mattered most? Could Soderling repeat his finals showings from the previous two years? Would Federer bounce back to grand slam glory after going his longest stretch without a slam since early 2004? Out of these four, it was the Spaniard who had the biggest trouble early on, going the distance with giant American John Isner. On paper this looked like a simple match for Nadal. He should have been able to dictate from the back of the court and expose the lanky American's movement for all his money on this surface. But Isner had other ideas. He had convinced himself beforehand that there was no point going out there unless he believed he could win. And sometimes that belief is the key ingredient to beating these top players on the grandest of stages. Despite going down a set and a break early on in the piece, Isner fought back in the second set to reel off three straight games to lead 5-4. They would then each hold their serve until a tiebreak eventuated. Isner would then unleash some deep penetrating groundstrokes in the breaker, bewildering Nadal who in turn made some rather nervous unforced errors. The American college graduate would then run away with it, taking the breaker 7-2 and evening the contest at a set all. Game on. The third set was an intense mixture of blistering serving and groundstrokes of Isner and the relentless defence of Nadal. Isner was starting to get on top of the Nadal forehand that was being fed to his backhand wing, consistently running around it and smacking the winner. His height gave him a tremendous advantage in this regard as the balls sat up perfectly for him. It went on serve throughout the set which forced another tiebreaker. It was almost a carbon copy of the previous breaker, with Nadal making some uncharacteristic unforced errors while the American could seemingly do no wrong. Some world class serving saw Isner stroll to another 7-2 victory and take a two sets to one lead against the current world number one and greatest clay courter in history. Who would have thought it? Isner on the verge of one of the greatest upsets in history, ten times more unlikely than the Soderling defeat a couple of years ago. But this is also when the true champions up the ante, and find the necessary level and stroke play to find the win under any circumstances. Nadal did just that early on in the fourth, breaking the Isner serve to get that priceless break. You could tell by the Isner body language now that he didn't think there was any chance of clawing his way back into this set. He dropped serve again to go down 2-5 and Nadal served out the set with relevant ease. Two sets all and dead even on the scorecard, but you just sensed that Nadal had this one in the bag at this stage. Nadal put the pressure on early, forcing Isner to hit his first serve long and capitalising on the second delivery. The Spaniard broke and the American was physically spent. Credit to Isner though, he hung in there for the rest of the set and forced Nadal to serve out the match, which he did, completing a memorable 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-4 victory. Nadal has still never been beaten in the opening round of a slam.
Isner gave the world number one the fright of his life before finally succumbing in five sets
Although Isner didn't get the win, there were plenty of other upsets in the opening round. Sixth seed Tomas Berdych was defeated in five sets by French journeyman Stephan Robert 3-6, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, 9-7. The quality in this one wasn't the best but the parochial French crowd got behind their countryman and spurred him on to an unlikely victory. Robert is no world beater, much in the Cipolla mould but he doesn't go away and won't hand you victory. There was no way Berdych should have lost this one, especially after leading by two sets but this just goes to show how important the mental aspect of the game is. Almagro payed the price for focusing to much on the 250 events and bombed out to Polish qualifier Lukaz Kubot in their first round encounter. Like the Berdych, the Spanish 11th seed blew a two sets to love advantage to go down 3-6, 2-6, 7-6(3), 7-5(5), 6-4. Maybe he will learn his lesson for next year. Hats off to Kubot though, the guy has never been one of the mentally strongest of players so he would have enjoyed being on the right side of the scoreline here. He has a very nice game to watch when he is on, varies it up and approaches the net and can volley well. The dance at the end of his big wins is epic as well, puts Petkovic to shame. Croatian 19th Marin Cilic was also "upset" in his 1st round matchup with Ruben-Rameriz Hildago of Spain. This match was a gamblers dream if you knew the sport. Cilic has never been all that effective on the dirt and Hildago loves the grind. The man with the trendiest shirt in mens tennis took this one easily in straight sets.
Ruben-Rameriz Hildago celebrates his victory over Marin Cilic in the classic shirt
Other notable upsets during the first week included unheralded grinders Antonio Veic and Lukas Rosol collecting career best wins over Davydenko and Melzer respectively to move into the third round of a grand slam for the first time. Veic is a fiery customer from Croatia who loves the hard work and never gives up. Again it was the case of a seeded player surrendering a two sets to love advantage with Davydenko looking a completely different player in the last three sets here. The Russian has been plagued by injury problems the last year or so and doesn't look like getting back to the sort of tennis that saw him reach number three in the world. He has done his job on the tour though, making more than enough money and the wife will be happy with that. But the match of the tournament and perhaps the most exciting match of the year occurred in the 4th round between Fabio "The Fog" Fognini and Albert Montanes. In one of the most dramatic and hilarious matches I've ever witnessed, the Fog came back from behind on numerous occasions, saving five match points and fighting through leg cramps to take the match in 5 gripping sets, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 11-9. Montanes served for the set at 5-3 in the fifth set but uncharacteristically tightened up to give the Fog a glimmer of hope. Then with the Fog serving at 6-7 and 15-30 down, he calls a medical timeout in which everyone thought he was being treated for his cramps. Fognini returned to the court and could barely move. He was stuttering all over the place, blasting winners without moving his body and foot faulting almost every service game. Montanes was stunned into oblivion, all the thought process went out the window and he was playing straight into the Fog's hands. With a clearer head, he would have attempted a few drop shots as Fog was not moving anywhere but all that goes out the window deep into the fourth set. Some of the Suzanne Lenglen crowd had started booing Fog but most of them were on his side, perhaps remembering his antics the previous year when he defeated Monfils in fading light and had to finish the job the next morning. Montanes had two match points at 7-8 and three more at 8-9 but Foggy just kept blasting forehand winners to all corners of the court. The leg was so bad now that the trademark strut couldn't be implemented between points. The Fog then broke Monty to go ahead 10-9 before going up 40-0 and having three match points. He then foot faulted two times in a row to reduce the deficit to 40-30 before somehow winning the last point to emerge victorious. The crowd erupt in a chorus of cheers and boos before Foggy goes to the back and announces he has a serious muscle problem with the leg and has to withdraw from his first ever grand slam quarter final against Djokovic. Say what you want about this guy, but he gives you value for money. We need a lot of photos here.
Fog grimaces in pain deep in the fifth set
Vamos
Pleading for the crowds forgiveness
The realises he is "The Fog" and struts off the locker room
Here is a short clip of the final game and all it's comedic value:
But perhaps the withdrawal of his quarter final opponent didn't do Djokovic any favours as he lost his first match of the season in the semi finals to Federer. In what I consider to be the best match Federer has ever played at Roland Garros, the Swiss Maestro turned back the clock to his vintage 2006-2007 form to seal the memorable triumph in four pulsating sets, 7-6(5), 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5). Unlike when Fed and Nadal play each other (or Nadal and Nole as well for that matter), there is no clear tactic that the other will implement on a consistent basis to outmanoeuvre their opponent into uncomfortable positions on the court. This alone makes their contests more exhilarating for the both the casual observer and keen tennis fan. The only disappointing thing about the result in this match was that the final was already now a forgone conclusion. Nadal, who had one day earlier defeated Murray in straight sets, must have been sitting in his hotel room breathing a sigh of relief that his recent nemesis Djokovic would not be present in the final to give him another beating. So again it was Nadal and Federer in the French Open final. And when these two meet here there is only ever going to be one result. High topspin forehand to the Federer backhand, Nadal gets the weak reply and puts the ball way for a winner. Sound familiar? It should because I have repeated the aforementioned sentence about 10 times so far in this review. It's getting very tiresome isn't it. Kinda like knowing the result of their big matches before the contest has finished. And for the second straight time in a slam, Federer blew a 5-2 lead in a set to end up losing it, and from there Nadal was never losing this final. Nadal wins the match in four sets and claims his sixth Roland Garros and his 10th grand slam championship to cement himself as one of the greatest clay courters the game has ever seen and obtain the confidence he needed for the rest of the season ahead.
Before I get going here, I'd just like to say that hopefully this thing will be updated more during the off season and Australian summer. A combination of general laziness and real world assignments has meant that I haven't written anything since Wimbledon. However, I've now got a bit of time on my hands so hopefully I can keep the ball rolling so to speak. I'll divide this into four quarters as it will be quite detailed.
Here's the first quarter:
So how to review the 2011 ATP season? I will look at it chronologically. The 2010 season belonged to Rafael Nadal, with the Spaniard picking up the final three slams of the year that would have him heading into the Australian Open in January with the very realistic possibility of completing the "Rafa Slam". Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic also had a strong finish to the 2010 year, helping his nation to their first ever Davis Cup triumph. Winning the DC can do wonders to a players confidence and can really shape their subsequent year on the tour. Take a look at Fernando Verdasco for example. After defeating Jose Acasuso and securing the tie for Spain back in 2008, the pretty-boy lefty charged into 2009 full of confidence. Something had changed in his demeanour. The belief was there. The consistency was ever present, something that had always been left in the locker room up until December 2008. He made the semi finals of the AO in 2009 and narrowly went down to Nadal in what I consider to be one of the best matches of the decade. Verdasco went on to entrench his place in the top 10 for the best part of two years, something most people would have said was impossible given his previous showings on tour. It is with great regret that Verdasco took up part of that introduction, but his case was a perfect example on how a certain Serbian used that DC triumph to springboard himself into one of the best seasons of all time.
The beginning of the year saw the top players converge to Abu Dhabi where they played a couple of matches and collected their pay cheques. It's funny how they then complain that they don't have enough time to recover during the off season. Just had to slip that little jab in there hehe. The talk of January was the lead up the Australian Open and whether or not Nadal could become the first man since the legendary Rod Laver to win 4 slams in a row. However the Spaniard had found the going tough during his opening tournament of the season. He was bagled by Slovakian juggernaut Lukas Lacko in the 2nd set of their quarter final encounter in Doha, and while he was able to scrape out the victory there, he quietly succumbed to Russian nemesis Nikolay Davydenko in the semi finals. Nadal arrived in Australia a couple of days later and claimed he had been struck down by a mystery bug and was still not feeling 100%. People will see what they want to see here. His main rivals for the AO - ie, Federer, Djokovic, Murray and Soderling, had all kicked off there seasons in much better shape. Federer won the title in Doha while Soderling triumphed in Brisbane. Djokovic and Murray opted to begin their season in Perth at the Hopman Cup and both played exceptionally well. As I watched Nole laying the smackdown on Lleyton Hewitt I privately marked him down as a serious contender for the AO. The way he was moving, he just looked as fresh as I had ever seen him. The clean ballstriking was there and while Hewitt probably gives you the most rhythm out of any opponent, Djokovic looked a different player.
*Pointless but fun fact number 1: Djokovic actually lost his first set of the year to Andrey Golubev who went on to challenge Vinny Spadea for most consecutive matches lost with 18 defeats during the year.
The first week of the Australian Open presented numerous exhilarating matches that captivated the notorious Melbourne crowd. Hewitt and David Nalbandian resumed their long term rivalry on Rod Laver Arena on the first Tuesday of the competition and put on another classic that was definitely a candidate for match of the tournament. The last time they met at the AO was in 2005 where the Aussie prevailed 10-8 in the 5th set, the year he would go on to make the final. That match was highlighted by some tremendous shotmaking and athleticism from both players and the now infamous shoulder bump at the change of ends. There would be no such physical interaction from the two veterans this time around, but the supreme ballstriking from Nalbandian and the dogged never say die attitude from Hewitt was ever present. Again, the two fiery rivals split the first two sets in this encounter with the Argentine taking the 4th set in a classy tiebreak. Hewitt had a couple of match points deep in the 5th set but was unable to convert, with Nalbandian producing a stunning half volley drop shot winner to save one of them, and eventually take out the match 9-7 in the 5th. Unfortunately for Nalby, he wasn't able to back up a couple of days later against Lithuanian young gun Richard Berankis, surrendering the first two sets of their second round match up 6-1 6-0 before retiring early on in the third.
Nalbandian and Hewitt are physically spent after their enthralling 5 set encounter on Rod Laver Arena
Unseeded Frenchman Gilles Simon gave Swiss maestro and 2nd seed Roger Federer a huge test in their 2nd round match a couple of nights later. Simon was coming off a year that was much maligned with injury and was looking to regain some match fitness during the early stages of 2011. He had already re-discovered some of the form that had taken him into the top 10 in the rankings the previous week in Sydney, where he took the title over Serbian Viktor Troicki. However Federer proved a much more difficult assignment, at least in the early stages of this encounter. The 16 time grand slam champion dictated play from the back of the court, using his forehand to move Simon from corner to corner before eventually putting away the easy ball when the Frenchman had no more miles in the legs. 6-2, 6-3 and it looked like Federer was cruising to yet another routine victory in the early stages of a slam. Simon, on the other hand, had different plans. Abandoning his usual counterpunching style of play, the Frenchman through caution to the wind and started stepping up into the court and driving forehands and backhands flat and deep into the court. A clearly bewildered Federer struggled to adjust to the new tactics from Simon and couldn't contain the new found aggression in his game. 6-4, 6-4 Simon and game on. Federer hadn't lost this early in a slam since the 2003 French Open when he bombed out to Luis Horna of Peru, but as Simon held break points and all the momentum at 2-2 in the 5th set, things began looking pretty ominous for the Swiss superstar. Federer, however was able to steady the ship and save those break points and in the process, let the scoreboard pressure do some talking to Simon. As is always the case when a lower ranked player goes on a bit of a run against a top player, Simon began to slowly falter with his flat hard hitting forehands now sailing wide and deep for unforced errors rather than winners. Federer pounced in trademark fashion to quickly secure the break of serve and run away with the match, 6-3 in the 5th.
Federer reacts after going up a break in the 5th set
Other notable matches during the first week included Verdasco capitalising on a Janko Tipsarevic brain explosion to emerge victorious in their 2nd round battle on Hisense Arena. Tipsy blew match points in the 4th set and then crumbled in the 5th. In hindsight, it makes you think how much higher Tipsarevic could have been ranked had he not folded like a cheap suit here. Flamboyant Dutchmen Robin Haase gave American Andy Roddick quite a scare in their 3rd round matchup as well. Haase completely outplayed Roddick in the opening set, combining miraculous shotmaking with deft touch to take the opener convincingly 6-2. Baldick was visibly agitated and this was evident when he deliberately attempted to knock Haase's head off in the middle of the second set off an easy mid court smash. The aforementioned rattled Haase and the two battled off in a second set tiebreaker which Roddick won. The American would then cruise to victory with Haase never looking like getting back into the match.
The Aussie Open always presents a few surprises and 2011 was definitely no exception. This year it was Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov who turned a few heads and made several casual tennis fans stand up in awe. Dolgo, who's father Oleksandr also played on the tour, caused the two biggest upsets of the opening week in defeating number 4 seed Soderling and also 13th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in front of a packed Margaret Court Arena. Dolgopolov had been in Australia since November 2010 preparing with his Australian coach Jack Reader in his hometown of Adelaide. Reader is a real throwback to the old days and his laidback demeanour suits Dolgo perfectly. The Ukrainian also suffers from a rare hereditary disease known as Gilbert's Syndrome. It affects his blood levels and causes fatigue easily and the condition worsens when he travels extensively and it can take a long time for him to adjust to particular climates. However his comprehensive training program with Reader worked wonders, and Dolgo came into Melbourne in the best form of his life. He would ultimately fall to number 5 seed and eventual finalist Andy Murray in the quarter finals but this was still a breakout tournament for the young man and proved if he could turn his unlimited potential into more consistent results throughout the year, he could be force to be reckoned with on the tour for years to come.
Alexandr Dolgopolov was a breath of fresh air at the AO 2011
* Honourable mentions must also go to young guns Milos Raonic and Bernard Tomic. Raonic made it all the way through qualifying and won three matches in the main draw to advance to the 4th round where he went down to Ferrer. Tomic made it to the third round and led world number one Nadal 4-0 in the second set on Rod Laver Arena before succumbing in straights.
The quarter finals also proved to be the downfall of Nadal and his dream of capturing the "Rafa Slam". The world number one lost in straight sets to perennial workhorse and compatriot David Ferrer. After a marathon opening three games that lasted over forty minutes, Nadal hobbled off the court to get treatment on his leg after pulling up sore tracking down a Ferrer drop shot. Nadal returned with his left thigh heavily strapped and his movement side to side and forward was noticeably restricted. Ferrer still had to get the job done and he never gave Nadal a sniff of pulling his way back into the match, working his good friend over from side to side until Nadal could run no more. Many other players would have still crumbled to defeat against a player the calibre of Nadal but Ferrer never let up and pulled off a marvellous 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 straights sets victory over the world number one, shattering his mates grand slam dream. World number three Djokovic had no such problems in accounting for his quarter final opponent, defeating Czech Tomas Berdych in straight sets. The Serbian had cruised through the draw up to this point, dropping only one set to Croatian Ivan Dodig in the second round. Djokovic was rarely troubled by the hard hitting Czech, and while his charismatic fans did their best to try and get him back into the contest, it was no use with Nole taking it 6-1, 7-6, 6-1. The last remaining quarter final saw Federer square off against his compatriot and close friend Stanislas Wawrinka. It had already been a successful tournament for the Swiss number two after taking down three time former semi finalist Andy Roddick in the 4th round in straight sets. But like two of the other quarter finals, this one was a straightforward one sided affair with Federer emerging victorious to charge into yet another grand slam semi final.
Nadal mirrors a lonely figure after falling to Ferrer in the quarter finals.
Federer and Djokovic resumed their rivalry in the semi finals in a rematch from the 2008 tournament - where the Serbian went on to win his first grand slam championship. Unfortunately for Federer it was more of the same this time around as well. The Swiss champion just couldn't find a way through the dogged defence of Djokovic, who's movement was now at full force along with his trademark backhand down the line. You know when Nole is hitting that shot consistently with purpose that he is in good form. The two went tit for tat in the opening set which Djokovic was able to take in a tiebreak. Federer would then march off into a 5-2 lead in the second set and all of a sudden it was game on. But Djokovic was able to fight back and capitalise on some complacent play from Federer and take the next 5 games, storming to a two sets to love lead in the process. By this stage Federer was mentally gone, haunted by letting that second set slip by his fingers. Djokovic got the decisive break and served out the match in straight sets, 7-6(3), 7-5, 6-4.
The other semi saw the Brit when he wins and the Scot when he loses Murray take on the Spanish pitbull Ferrer. The Spaniard was full of confidence heading into this encounter, coming off the back of his recent defeat of Nadal in the previous round and winning the Auckland title the week before the AO. And it showed in the first set, with Ferrer running down everything on the baseline and beating Murray at his own game. For Murray, it must have been like playing a slightly better version of himself - a brick wall perhaps? Nothing was getting past Ferrer and he was also keeping the unforced errors to a low, which was beginning to frustrate Murray. The 7th seed was relentless and took the opener 6-4 and the second set was a similar story of Ferrer not missing and Murray hanging in there. But as the saying goes, the best players always find a way of winning when they are not playing their best and this was it case and point here. Murray hung in, held serve and got to the tiebreak where anything can happen in professional tennis. For Ferrer here, the mindset would have been "okay so I've just dominated Murray for two full sets of tennis, but in 5 minutes time we could be dead even at a set all...". Murray capitalised and took the breaker and with it, the wave of momentum. He stormed away early in the 3rd and Ferrer was clearly still thinking about the tiebreak. The Spaniard conceded and chose to begin fresh at the start of the fourth. Ferrer looked to have regrouped, both physically and mentally. He was back tracking down the untrackable and the free points were coming less easily for Muzza. Game back on. This set was reminiscent of the first two sets with neither player giving the other one an inch. Again, it went to a tiebreaker and again Murray prevailed to take out the match in 4 sets, 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-1, 7-6(2).
So it was a Djokovic vs Murray final. The Scot once again with the weight of an entire nation of his shoulders compounded with the Brit media pressure and the Serb, hoping to capture his second slam - exactly three years after winning his first. Murray had found the going extremely tough in his previous two slam finals, failing to win a set in either of his two defeats to Federer at the US Open in 2009 and the AO in 2010. Djokovic had experienced a rough couple of years where his serve went MIA (he's blaming nobody Todd Martin), and he had problems with his endurance as well, copping a lot of abuse for retiring in big matches. This was a massive match for both of them. The beginning of the match reflected this. Both were cautious, feeling each other out, getting a rhythm for the contest that could shape their season and careers. The opening set dragged on for over an hour before Murray faltered - conceding the decisive break in the 10th game to drop the set 6-4. The pressure of becoming the first British player to win a grand slam since Fred Perry in 1936 was increasingly getting to Murray as he hurled a tirade of abuse to his corner whenever a misfired shot flew off his racquet. Meanwhile, Nole upped the ante on his side of the net, dictating play from the baseline and hitting through the court with relevant ease. Murray couldn't find an answer and he succumbed to a 6-2 second set loss. Two sets to love down in a slam final is never a place you want to find yourself in, especially for Murray who's mental demons get the better of him in easier situations. You could just sense it early on in the third. This was to be Djokovic's night. Nothing was going right for Murray and his usually reliable baseline rally game was floundering abundantly. No need to write any more here. Novak Djokovic too good with a 6-4 6-2 6-3 win and 2nd Australian Open championship.
Djokovic lifts the Norman Brookes trophy after defeating Murray in the final
After the Australian Open, the tour splits off into three parts:
Latin America Swing:
All the clay courters can move back to their natural habitat after a month of trying to survive in a foreign environment. There are never any easy matches during this swing, with 3+ hour matches the normality here. The mini tour kicked off in Chile at the Movistar Open where unfortunately Tommy Robredo was able to pick up the title. I never like bagging a player when I'm writing, but the Spaniard has never been the most sporting of competitors and some of the stuff he has pulled over the years leaves a lot to be desired for. A lot of casual tennis fans probably don't notice it, but threatening to break Stakhovsky's neck at the AO was just not on. Robredo was involved in some more antics during this event when he squared off against Italian Fabio "The Fog' Fognini in the semi finals. Throughout the match, Robredo insisted on cheering and vamosing Fognini's easiest of unforced errors. Now it's okay, in my opinion, to cheer an unforced error off an extended rally but not after 2 shots and with the level of frequency Robredo was doing. The Fog didn't take to kindly to this either with the Italian professional strutter giving Robredo a piece of his mind after he'd had enough - "hombre de mierda". The aforementioned translates to "The Shitman" in English. A fiery match continued with even more vamosing from Robredo and he managed to show enough grit in the end to take out the match in three sets. After the encounter, Fognini attempted to shake Robredo's hand not once, but twice. On both occasions Robredo turned a blind eye and walked off the court to a chorus of boos to the vocal Chilean crowd. Two days later, he was again booed as he lifted the trophy. Some people don't forget.
The Latin swing continued on through South America, with Brazil and Argentina the next pit stops on the road to it's final tournament in Acapulco, Mexico. Another Spaniard Nicolas Almagro dominated these two events, dropping only one set in capturing the Brasil Open and two sets in taking out the Copa Claro. Almagro then managed to keep the winning streak alive, advancing all the way to the final of Acapulco - the only 500 tournament of the swing. Unfortunately for him, he ran out of gas, going down in three gruelling sets to Ferrer. Ferrer continued his excellent start to the season with a title in Auckland and a semi final in Melbourne already on his season resume.
American Hardcourts:
You can usually predict the players that decide to head over to North America every year after Australia. Most of the Europeans, understandably, want to spend some more time at home with their families after being away for a month and find the indoor tournaments closer to home a more appealing option. So you tend to get the North Americans, Australians and then the odd guys from Europe that make the trip over to try and pick up some valuable points. San Jose was the starting point as usual but had a surprising winner in many peoples eyes. Milos Raonic became the first Canadian in 16 years to win an ATP title as he swept through the entire field without dropping a set and only losing serve once. He won the title in two tiebreaks against Verdasco. The Canadian was only four years old when Greg Rusedski won the Seoul title in 1995, and also was the first man born in the 1990's to win a ATP title. Raonic had kicked off the year in style as well, qualifying for the Australian Open and winning through to the 4th round where he went down in four sets to Ferrer. He is definitely one to watch in the years to come and looks to be the most physically developed of the youngsters coming through. The serve will always give him the free points and get him out of trouble, it's just the movement and the consistency from the baseline that needs some work. His coach Galo Blanco, who was a consistent grinder back in his day, realises this and has him training on clay a lot of the year. It was very unfortunate what happened to him at Wimbledon with the hip injury but a guy his size is always going to be susceptible to injuries. Reminds me a lot of Philippoussis in that regard.
Raonic after winning San Jose
Raonic and Verdasco would remarkably meet again in the first round of Memphis a few days later. The Canadian would get the better of the 2nd seeded Spaniard again, this time prevailing in a third set tiebreak. Verdasco was noticeably frustrated after the match stating "I'd like to play him on a clay court to show him what real tennis looks like". Sour grapes from Verdasco who wasn't happy at all. Raonic would progress to his 2nd tour final in as many weeks, battling through a number of tough three setters to set up a meeting with top seeded American Andy Roddick. The two big servers would split the first couple of sets in tiebreaks with Raonic saving 4 championship points to take the 2nd 13-11. The American put the disappointment behind him however, and raced off to an early lead in the decider, breaking serve and having break points to go up 5-1. The Canadian youngster wasn't ready to throw in the towel yet though and proceeded to save those break opportunities and then capitalise on one himself to claw his way back to 4-5. There was nothing he could do on Roddick's 5th match point though. After hitting a flat hard off forehand deep into Roddick's backhand wing, the Canadian glided into the net to put away what he thought would be an easy volley. The American managed to get a good hit at the ball though and his backhand up the line drew Raonic wide which made him hit a stunning forehand volley to the open court. Roddick then sprinted across the baseline to the other side of the court, and with a diving forehand down the line passing shot, the 2003 US Open champion had collected his 30th career ATP title and joined illustrious company with Federer and Nadal the only other two active players to have accomplished the feat. The down side of winning the championship in such a fashion, was Roddick revealing to the world that he indeed was going bald and some instant hair regrowth seems to be on the cards for the man.
Here's a little clip of the bald man's winning shot and reaction:
In the last American event before the two Masters tournaments, Juan Martin del Potro continued on his road back to the top of the sport, defeating Tipsarevic in straight sets at Delray Beach.
European Indoor:
These events are mostly comprised of the European guys who prefer to stay close to home after a month of being away in Australia. The first tournament in Zagreb produced a delightful surprise with hard working Croatian Ivan Dodig winning his first ever ATP World Tour title. The win made sure that the trophy will remain in local hands for the third straight year. Dodig is perhaps the biggest fighter on tour and it is amazing to witness the success he has achieved with the limited weapons he possesses. Just goes to show that hard work pays off. He ended up defeating five players ranked higher than him at the time, including 2006 champion Ivan Ljubicic to walk away with the title. Here's a little piece I did on Dodig earlier this year that highlights his road to the top and fighting qualities:
Robin Soderling continued his excellent start to the season, capturing the first ATP 500 tournament of the year in Rotterdam. The Swedish world number 4 also defended a title for the first time in his career, defeating Tsonga 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. It had a been a career best start to the season for Soderling who had picked up the title in Brisbane and posted his best performance in Melbourne in reaching the 4th round - a place where he historically struggles. It was a battle of flat hard hitting baseline rallies and it was the player that got the first big hit in that would usually end up winning the point. The Toad loves the indoor conditions where there are no environmental elements for him to contend with as the big wind ups he takes for his strokes can breakdown in windy conditions.
The success for Soderling didn't stop there however, with the Swede picking up the Marseille title one week later. It now meant he was now a staggering 17-1 for the season and also the first time in his career that he had won 3 titles in one season. This time it was Marin Cilic on the receiving end of the Swede's blistering groundstrokes. It was a match that was very similar to the Rotterdam final one week earlier in terms of match style. Two tall guys with effortless power on both sides, swinging through the ball and attempting to get the first big hit in to seize control of the baseline. It was still a successful tournament for Cilic who had only won three back-to-back matches in the last six months.
Soderling with his Rotterdam silverware
Dubai:
Many of the top guys then flew to Dubai in the middle east where money and participation fees trumped ranking points for most. It marked the return of Federer and Djokovic who had taken their usual breaks after the Australian Open. Dubai usually gets most of the top 10 players to participate there but the noticeable absences of both Nadal and Murray would have annoyed the powers at be here. It wasn't the best event of all time with a few retirements and the big names not playing their best ball. However that didn't stop Djokovic in continuing his great start to the season, defeating Federer for the second time this year in straight sets. Five straight sets now for the Serbian over the Swiss giant. Nole had been sub par for the majority of the event, dropping sets to Feli Lopez and Berdych before regaining the focus and stepping up his level to beat Federer. Still undefeated for the year.
Indian Wells & Miami:
All the players have gone their separate ways since the Australian Open and now they all meet up again at the first Masters 1000 event of the year in Indian Wells. California is an excellent place to host a tennis event and the complex and the facilities there are very nice. The schedule of the tournament though is utterly ridiculous but this is probably not the right place to write about that, might have to do a separate entry on calendar issues later. Lets just leave it with a fortnight to complete a Masters event with mid week starts is the ATP administration at its clownish best. The major talking point in the early rounds and one of the biggest upsets of the year so far was young American prodigy Donald Young taking out Andy Murray in the 2nd round. Murray experienced a similar post Australian Open slump this time last year after losing the final but this was something else. He didn't want to be there, the attitude was awful and he just wasn't up for the challenge. Credit has to go to Young who has not had the career so far that many had predicted of him during his junior days. There has been numerous fights with the USTA and the ongoing saga of who should coach him continues to haunt him. The family don't want to let him go but you've got to find that balance of being a parent and being a coach and in the end, it just doesn't work out. The USTA have offered Young many coaches but all have been knocked back resulting in a rocky relationship between the two camps. Doesn't help either when you hop on twitter to voice your feelings. If only Matosevic was Young's opponent in the first round then maybe Murray would have fared better here hehehe.
Murray is visibly frustrated during his 2nd round loss to Young
Surprise surprise, it was another Djokovic/Federer semi final and for the third straight time this season, the Serbian managed to come out on top. At least Federer was able to scrape out a set this time, but even the Fedmeister would be the first to admit that Nole has gotten to him mentally here. Del Potro was able to build on his title win in Delray Beach to make the semi finals here, but ran into a red hot Nadal. The Argentine has to be at peak physical fitness to be able to match it with Nadal and it was just to early in his comeback for him to withstand the Spaniard's relentless baseline game. Nadal takes it in straights, 6-4, 6-4. So it was Nadal Vs Djokovic for the first time this year. The final started off with the two engaging is some long drawn out exchanges from the back of the court, each attempting to get the upper hand in the point. The pair traded breaks midway through the opening set but Nadal was able to grab another service break and ultimately held to love to serve out the set. The second set began with the two easily holding serve until 2-2. Nadal in fact had won 16 straight service points in the match from when he broke serve at 4-3 in the first set. But all of a sudden the two looked extremely shaky behind the first delivery, with Nadal serving at only 25% for the entire set. He paid the price for this uncharacteristic piece of inconsistency with Djokovic nervously capitalising on his 6th set point to take the second 6-3. The Serb continued to ride the wave of momentum early on in the third, quickly taking advantage of Nadal's suddenly passive serving to snatch an early break. Once he was ahead, there was no stopping Nole who stormed home at a canter, taking the third set and the match, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. It marked the first time in six attempts that Djokovic had beaten Nadal in an ATP final. Oh how he would look back at that number with irony now in his Monte Carlo mansion hehe.
Nole all smiles after winning the Miami final over Nadal
Onto Miami now and it was pretty much a carbon copy of Indian Wells. Murray defeated by a lower ranked American? Check. Nadal, Djokovic and Federer in the semis? Check. Djokovic beating an out of ideas Nadal in the final? Check and mate. The biggest difference was the speed of the surface which was much slower in comparison. This was evident with good old Charly Berlocq reaching the third round and really pushing Berdych in that match. Murray decided again that the dilemma of who to pick at left midfield in his fantasy football team was more important than winning a tennis match. This time it was Alex Bogomolov Jr who benefitted, destroying the disinterested Scot 6-1, 7-5. Bogo is in the Dodig mould, not many weapons but has a workmans attitude and just goes out there and gets the job done. This time it was Federer and Nadal fighting it out for a place in the finals and unfortunately for Fed, it was same old same old, especially on a court such as this. Nadal uses the heavy topspin on his forehand to kick the ball out wide to Federer's backhand and then waits for the short reply and pounces. That is just how it goes for the pair in this environment, 6-3, 6-2 to Nadal. The second semi final was also a fairly one sided affair with Djokovic easily accounting for American Mardy Fish 6-3, 6-1. Nadal was no doubt sitting back in his hotel room watching Nole glide around the court with ease, dispatching effortless winners off both wings at will. Whatever the Spaniard was thinking, he certainly came out firing in the final the next day, quickly racing out to a 5-1 lead in the opening set before Djokovic could even beat his chest. The Serb regained his composure however, and reeled of three straight games to quickly put the pressure back on Nadal as he served out the set again at 5-4. Nole upped the ante and managed to get to 15-30, but Nadal stepped up with him and served his way out of trouble to close out the set. An early break at the beginning of the second ended up being enough for Djokovic to close it out. One set all and Nadal was thinking I've been here before. Both players were strong on serve in the third, with games going with the server all the way through to the tiebreak. Nadal had a slight sniff at 6-5 and 15-30 but Nole rapidly snuffed out the situation with powerful serving and solid baseline play. Into the tiebreak we go and it began with five consecutive mini breaks before Djokovic went ahead and consolidated on his own service, edging ahead 5-2. He then hit a glorious forehand winner down the line to set up four match points and he didn't look back, taking the match and the championship 4-6, 6-3 7-6(5) in over thee hours. It was an unbelievable start to the season for the Serbian who was now at 24-0 for the year and was looking in ominous form for his fellow counterparts as the tour moved across the Atlantic to the clay courts of Europe.
