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12/17/09 1:57 PM | Cheryl Murray
Read tennistalk's list for the biggest let-downs of the year. This list contains Nos. 10-6.
10. Andy Murray falters in the slams
Great Britain’s Andy Murray is gaining the reputation of being the reigning master of best of 3 set matches. This would be a compliment if not for the underlying implication that the Scot can’t perform when it “really matters”. The Australian Open was to be Murray’s big break-through. He came into the tournament off a big win in Doha and was considered a co-favorite to win the tournament – except he did not win. He was knocked out in the round of 16 by Fernando Verdasco.
Expectations were understandably lower for the French Open (Murray is not known for his prowess on clay), therefore his quarterfinal exit at the hands of Fernando Gonzalez was no surprise. But then there was the Wimbledon semi-final shocker loss against Andy Roddick (a guy he’d only lost to twice in 8 tries and not at all since 2007) in front of the home crowd. Murray’s worst Grand Slam moment came at the US Open, however. He played uninspired tennis and he finally got the loss he was asking for against No. 17 Marin Cilic – in straight sets.
9. Djokovic retires against Roddick
For sheer match let-down, nothing comes close to the quarterfinal showdown at the Australian Open between Andy Roddick and Novak Djokovic. This was supposed to be two hard court specialists clashing in the first big event of the year. Keep in mind that their previous match had been the headline-making US Open encounter which saw Roddick lose (after he did some trash talking in a presser) and Djokovic booed off the court. It was going to be a great battle. Instead, the fans in Melbourne got one good set, two lousy ones and a retirement due to overheating in the fourth. The match could have been a lot of things, but what it ended up being was another opportunity for pundits to have a go at Novak Djokovic for being a poor sportsman. The Serb did not help matters by strolling into the post-match presser looking fresh and stating unwisely “Yeah, I feel better. I feel better now. I want to get on the court again”.
8. Tennis super-power France falters in Davis Cup
France has 6 players in the top 50 and Richard Gasquet lurking just beyond. At the time of the Davis Cup first round back in March, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gilles Simon and Gael Monfils were all in the top 15. They are the 2nd strongest tennis power behind Spain – and yet, they found themselves dispatched in the DC opener by the Czech Republic. To be fair, Tsonga held up his end of the bargain, but Gilles Simon lost both of his rubbers along with the doubles team of Michael Llodra and Richard Gasquet. French tennis lives – but apparently not in Davis Cup.
7. Del Potro writes in his quarterfinal performance against Federer
The Juan Martin Del Potro of the summer hard court swing was a fierce creature with steely resolve and a lethal forehand. The Australian Open Del Potro? Well, he was more like a gentle lamb, going meekly where ever Roger Federer led him. The Argentine played good tennis to force his way into the quarterfinals, but once there he encountered the in-form Federer. Del Potro took 3 games in the opening set – and not a single one thereafter. Just a few games into the second, the Argentine clearly stopped trying, and by the third set he was barely making an attempt to get his racket on the ball. After the match, Del Potro famously stated that he wanted to “kill him”(Federer). As for Federer himself? Given the fact that the match lasted just 80 minutes, he probably went for a brisk jog to finish his workout.
6. Madrid
That’s the tournament, not the whole city. No tennis event in recent memory has been as big a disaster as the Madrid Open. Just one year ago, this tournament took place in the fall as an indoor Masters event, but in spring of 2009, it “switched” to a spring clay court 1000 event. The lack of time (and apparently planning as well) resulted in a venue that was, quite frankly, not ready. The clay had holes and divets in it, and the groundskeepers could not keep the moisture at an acceptable level. Most of the time, the surface was bone dry; it looked more like sand than crushed brick. In an attempt to keep the clay from blowing away (which it did anyway), the grounds crew over-watered it between sets. Even the facilities themselves were a disaster. The courtside seating was stainless steel – a surface that become highly reflective (and therefore blinding to the players) in the bright sunlight. Tournament organizer Ion Tiriac has been threatening to dye the clay blue for the next installment. Nice to know that he has his priorities straight.
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Oh yes. Blue clay. The top players are talking about skipping the tournament - but by all means, focus on dyeing the clay blue. Vamos.
cherylmurray , 12/18/09 4:49 AM
In my view Guy Forget was to blame for Simon's meltdown at the DC. The man has verbal diarrhoea and always harangues the poor players at every change-over: during Simon's matches he was positively ranting and raving at him so it was small wonder Gilles was reduced to tears after losing his second rubber.
ed251137 , 12/20/09 6:21 AM
France's performance in the Davis Cup was a disappointment, yes, but not surprising. What makes DC special is the teamwork and how well the players and coach can work as a unit.
By contrast, you could say that Verdasco could have been upset for being relegated to doubles, when he has accomplished so much more than Ferrer lately, but the Spaniards are known for their team spirit. Rafa is no prima donna when it comes to Davis Cup play. Of course they all know and appreciate his talent, but he would go along with whatever Albert Costa asks him to do.
That makes a big difference in player's attitude and mental disposition on court. They all support each other in and out of the court and the camaradery is genuine, and I think that next to the quality of the players, that is the key to their success.
Ditto for Madrid. Not only it sucked but it helped mess up Rafa's schedule even more, and it probably contributed to his knee problems
grafight , 12/22/09 12:10 AM
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A winning set of failures to be sure, Cheryl. My fav is number 6 ... so many reasons ... the blue clay just topped it off. (Although I felt for poor Giles in the DC loss).
smr , 12/18/09 3:13 AM