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• Nadal wins, Djokovic loses and Federer debuts THE SWEATER

  2008-06-27 16:53:00
  May and June pass in a flurry of activity in the tennis world. With the French Open and Wimbledon occurring within a month of each other, we tennis people have little down time. That's what Wimbledon rain delays are for. During the first delay during The Championships, I began to ruminate on what has happened since the French Open ended.
  
  The big news of course, is that Rafael Nadal won Queens, his first ever grass court title. And he won it against some serious grass court competition, which undoubtedly makes certain top players a little nervous (whether they'll admit it to the press or not). I've read some hilarious attempts at explaining how Nadal pulled off such a feat. Queens is a fast surface, after all (quicker than Wimbledon) and the unwritten laws that govern the sport mandate that Nadal should not be able to win there. Thus excuses abound.
  
  The most amusing was the suggestion that Nadal had become so accustomed to winning that he (I'm laughing as I write this) forgot how to lose. It wouldn't be so funny, I suppose, if he hadn't had a similarly successful clay season for four years running. He seemed to remember how to lose at Queens just fine in 2006 and 2007. Maybe that writer was suggesting that Rafa's memory is going – I'll check into that and get back to you.
  
  The other big news is Novak Djokovic's early exit from Wimbledon. Who would have guessed that he would lose to (of all people) Marat Safin? On grass. In straight sets. Safin himself admitted that he couldn't remember the last time he won a couple of matches in a row. To beat the world number three is quite the coup. Sure, Djokovic helped him along by stinking up the place – but still. Good win for the big Russian. And with Djokovic failing to defend his semi-final points from last year, Nadal will be breathing a bit easier. Not that he would give voice to such an admission.....
  
  Lastly, no blog would be complete without some mention of Roger Federer's cardigan. For the uninitiated, this year for Wimbledon Nike decided to give Roger a herringbone cardigan sweater in cream to wear onto court. Apparently, Roger gets cold during that fifty foot walk from the locker room to Centre Court. Opinions abound on this new fashion statement, however most people are afraid to come right out and call it ugly. Not me. That thing is hideous. Sorry Roger, but even the patent leather sneakers and purse you carried at the US Open last year were better. More pretentious certainly, but not nearly as ugly. It makes me wonder what he's going to come up with for next year. A line of lip gloss for men? A diamond studded headband? The Roger Federer pashmina? Nike, give me a call. I'm a marketing idea goldmine.

  
  

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• Rafael Nadal, the clay court god

  2008-06-10 17:22:00
  

  Remember the good old days, when the big question in tennis was what precisely Roger Federer had to do to beat Nadal on clay? Journalists came out in droves, willing to offer the would-be Greatest of all Time advice. "Be aggressive, Roger. Yes. You MUST come in to net. That way, Nadal will be under pressure. And surely he can't keep making those glorious passing shots. NOBODY is that good." Well...actually....yeah, somebody IS that good.
  
  In some ways, reliving Sunday is awful. A final isn't supposed to be an all-out drubbing. Not when the opponent is Roger Federer and this was supposed to be his year. Not when the crowd so desperately wanted Federer to win that they applauded the first errors from Nadal. Not when it's a Grand Slam final. In addition, there is something vaguely disconcerting about watching Roger Federer completely dismantled. It is a sight the tennis world has not seen since he became The Federer in 2003. I have to wonder if this signifies something more dire than just a lost opportunity, but that discussion is for a different day. Because as much as some people would like to make Sunday about Federer; about how disappointed he must be, about how he played – about how he gave up in the third set - it is not.
  
  Like every good story, there are two perspectives, and Nadal's was every bit as wonderful as Federer's was terrible. Leading up to the French, there had been some speculation on the part of tennis experts that perhaps we had not yet seen the best Nadal is capable of on clay (insert little shiver here). Nadal answered that question with authority on Sunday. He stood out there like a warrior and faced down the second best player in the world on clay, a French crowd who was clearly against him, and history in the form of Bjorn Borg. And with all of that pressure weighing on his shoulders, he played the most perfect match I have ever witnessed.
  
  Over the course of three sets, he gifted seven unforced errors to Federer. Seven. To put that in perspective, that is roughly two errors per set. He served at 75% for the match and struck a mind-numbing 46 winners. In short, there is nothing Federer or anyone else could have done against him on that day. He showed once and for all what his best tennis on clay looks like – and it is so far beyond what anyone else is capable of, as to make a farce out of a highly anticipated final. Federer tried to follow the advice of the well-intentioned and came into the net. Nadal passed him at will. He tried to be patient, as Bjorn Borg suggested, and was pummeled at the baseline by Nadal's groundstrokes. He tried serving big, but saw all but a handful come back at him with interest.
  
  I'd say the question about what Federer can do against Nadal has also been answered. Soundly. If Nadal is playing his best, there is NOTHING he can do. Nadal's competition is now one of legend vs. legend. Is he better than Bjorn Borg? This debate, I imagine, will continue to rage on every April and May for as long as Nadal is dominant. Only time will tell what the answer will be, but I have an inkling that I already know the outcome.

  
  

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• Federer Focusing on the Grand Slams

  2008-05-13 15:45:00
  

  Roger Federer has won a tournament in 2008. One. In Estoril – that's in Portugal for those of you have never heard of it. The list of players who have beat Federer this year include Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, which isn't so surprising. What is surprising is that the list also includes Mardy Fish and Radek Stepanek. But for those of you who are asking yourselves "What in the world is happening to Roger Federer???", be comforted. Roger has offered an explanation. He said that the reason his results have been a little strange this year is because he is now focusing on Masters events and Grand Slams and not playing many other events. He feels his tennis is "normal" again.
  
  Great! I can understand that – he wants to win the big ones, to get closer to Sampras and those 14 Slam titles. There is just the veriest little glitch in that explanation. Don't worry if you missed it – thousands would. Only a person with a keen eye for the smallest of details would notice that Federer has won precisely ZERO Masters events and Grand Slams so far in 2008. If it's true that he has now lost to Fish and Stepanek (in the very events he claims to be focusing on) because he is saving all of his "best" tennis for the big tournaments, one might suggest that perhaps a change in strategy is in order.
  
  The truth, of course, is that Federer is struggling. Chances are that he is not going to win Roland Garros this year, but that is not really different than it has been. Despite Nadal's second round loss in Rome, he is still the heavy favorite going into Paris - especially since his early departure last week was due mostly to the blister he was sporting on the ball of his foot (no disrespect to Ferrero intended). The clay court season has never really been Federer's. But grass? Grass is Federer's home. Wimbledon is where he broke through in 2003, and it is the place he could always count on. For this reason, I think the grass court season (all three weeks of it) will tell quite a bit about where Federer truly is in terms of form. My prediction is that we are going to see a different Wimbledon champion for the first time since 2003.

  
  

  Comment | 33 comments

Cheryl Murray

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