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11/15/08 12:07 AM | Ricky Dimon
Round-robin play is over in Shanghai and the semifinals are set. One half will pit gold group winner Novak Djokovic against red group runner-up Gilles Simon.
Roger Federer's loss was Gilles Simon's gain.
Federer was eliminated when he fell to Andy Murray in three thrilling sets on Friday, and that put Simon in the Masters Cup semifinals, where he will take on gold group No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic. Simon and Djokovic have met once before, and Simon prevailed on the indoor hard courts of Marseille earlier this season by a 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-3 decision.
If Simon could win back then, signs would indicate another upset on Saturday in Shanghai. After all, the Frenchman had net yet enjoyed his breakout on the ATP Tour when he and Djokovic first played. That breakout came during the U.S. Open Series, when Simon won a title in Indianapolis and reached the semifinals of the Masters Series Canada. He went on to take on-fire Juan Martin Del Potro to five sets in the third round of the Open, and that propelled him into the season-ending indoor swing. Simon won five three-set matches (four in third-set tiebreakers) en route to the Masters Series Madrid title match (lost to Murray) to solidify his Masters Cup candidacy. This week, Simon has upset Federer in three sets, dropped a straight-setter to Murray, and dispatched Radek Stepanek in two sets.
Djokovic, meanwhile, had just been on top of the world before he fell to Simon in Marseille. The Serb, of course, had won his first career Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January. He also captured the Masters Series Indian Wells trophy following Marseille, but the rest of the season has been more of a struggle for Djokovic. The world No. 3 lost to Federer in the semifinals of the U.S. Open and it all went downhill after that during the indoor season. A similar season-ending slump in 2007 culminated with an 0-3 record at the Masters Cup, but it's been a lot different this time around. Djokovic beat Del Potro and Nikolay Davydenko to secure a spot in the semifinals before falling to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in three sets.
What Simon will not have that he enjoyed in Marseille is raucous crowd support. Still, he was a decided underdog before the tournament even started and now he is up against even bigger odds as the most surprising--by far--of the four semifinalists. That will earn him the respect of the Shanghai faithful. The way Simon is going to win this, however, is with his normal smart, rock-solid tactics. He needs to change up the pace with spins and slices and give his opponent different looks by coming into net at opportune times. If that does not happen, Djokovic can hang out at the baseline the whole time and run Simon ragged. Simon can play defense as well as almost anyone, but Djokovic will eventually overpower him if he remains content to trade groundstrokes. Djokovic is the favorite, but Simon has been shocking the tennis world all year long. Why stop now?
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It seems like whoever Simon plays the pressure is on the opponent to perform. If Djok cracks and hits balls out, like he has been doing, then Simon will take it. If Djok plays well, Djok will take it. It just depends on which Novak turns up. No disrespect to Simon, who I am going for and want to win, just Novak is a better player when they are both having on days.
kaitepai , 11/15/08 3:14 AM
Though I am routing for Simon, I have to pick Djokovic unless he doesn't perform to the standards that have been set for him this year with his victory in Australia and his #3 world ranking (which I believe will be #2 on Monday :-/). If he doesn't, Simon will probably exploit his mistakes and win the match. Either way, I'm intrigued to see the outcome!
superxhans , 11/15/08 3:24 AM
In order for Nole to play his best, if at all possible, he needs to want to win! I agree 1st serve is crucial and of course mental stability and self-confidence. I know a lot of you may say, he has more than enough self-confidence, but that is not the case he is just like a kid that gets upset when he does not get the toy he wants and may even get into a tantrum attack! As far as I am concerned and taking in consideration Novak's ups and downs this week, the match get go both ways! Simon is not a predictable player and he already has a reputation for pulling upsets!
arailic , 11/15/08 5:37 AM
hello everyone, NOVAK IS IN THE FINAL, what to do, he's the best, that's my boy...
gordana , 11/15/08 1:24 PM
Did you know that... Marat Safin holds the ATP Tour season record for most racquets broken.
memi, Jan 8, 2009 7:24 PM
RafaNadalGirl20, Jan 8, 2009 7:16 PM
HansGunnar, Jan 8, 2009 3:22 PM
homos, Jan 8, 2009 12:22 PM
homos, Jan 8, 2009 12:18 PM
torres9, Jan 8, 2009 5:40 PM
homos, Jan 8, 2009 1:25 PM
RocketQueen, Jan 7, 2009 3:06 AM
Novak Djokovic
Gilles Simon
Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai
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Djokovic lost to Simon because he was not recovered at all from his flu that forced him to retire in Davis Cup in Moscow wile leading Davydenko 2:1. I even remember Ancic's (think it was him) coach trashing about how obvious to everyone it was that Novak lost on purpose.
Tomorrow, Nole's favorite on paper only. He needs to prove that he is the better one. If his first serve fails him (like vs. HMDP), I can't see him winning. Of course, I'll be rooting for him and hoping he can finish the season gloriously, just like he started it.
danica , 11/15/08 2:34 AM