Grading the Grass

Oh hey, people. Been a while, no? Well, my creative mind deserved a week off. So here I am again, after Newport – and consequently, the grass season. Time for my highlights. Will cut it straight to the point, because this might get a little long.

 

The Good:

 

- Novak Djokovic – Really? I mean, really?

- Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – He beat Nadal in Queen’s, made it to the final, but lost to Murray (on a rain-delayed Monday). Next, he committed to Eastbourne, but probably realized that wouldn’t do him good and found a way to make an early exit. But of course, he wouldn’t be in this list without a significant Wimbledon run. Well, beating Federer after crawling from the wreckage with two sets down is pretty significant to me.

- Andy Murray – Won the title in Queen’s, but the Wimbledon dreams were halted once again in the semifinals, again by the same Nadal. But all the props to him. 970 points combined from two events is pretty good.

- Bernard Tomic – It’s not band-wagon-ing. Kid had a nice breakthrough in Wimbledon, beating more experienced and favored foes like Söderling and Malisse en route to a quarterfinal run. Considering he’s only 18 living in the age of no-teen wonders, he gets a thumbs up.

 

The Bad:

 

- Robin Söderling – Oh fine, you think. How can I possible put him in the “Bad” group if he mounted a comeback from two sets down to beat Hewitt? My argument is: Why was he down two sets to Hewitt, in first place? And of course, it’s valid, but he suffered beyond the healthy level with Petzschner’s slices. And got pretty schooled by Bernard Tomic in the third round of his only grass event of the season. While defending the semifinals. Plus, he hasn’t been that Soderling of the start of the year. That’s why he’s here.

Tough times, eh, Tommy?

- Tomas Berdych – Became the main favorite for Halle after Federer’s withdrawal. Made it worth until the semis, when lost to Petzschner. Ok, Petzsche is a great player, but really, Berdych was #7 at the time. And at Wimbledon, defending the finals, didn’t even come closer to the player he was last year, losing to Fish in three sets, failing to reach the quarterfinals. It’s now over two years since he won his last title. And over one since he reached a final for the last time.

- Alexandr Dolgopolov – He’s best known for his clay-court abilities, but even so, he finishes the grass swing with a 1-3 record – and a losing streak of 3. Fact is, I thought grass could fit his style. But he lost to Carlos Berlocq in Eastbourne – and Dolgo was even one of the highest seeds. He also lost to Kohls and Gonzo (o.k., so far), but really. His current form is far from impressing us, just like he did in the beginning of the year – until Miami, that is.

 

The Ugly (or the Limbo):

 

- Roger Federer – Seemed to have recovered his form after spoiling Djokovic’s perfect record and reaching the finals at the French Open. But didn’t show up in Halle – when everybody was expecting him – and lost in Wimbledon quarterfinals. Not bad. But for Federer’s standards…

- Andy Roddick – Showed some form in Queen’s, reaching the semifinals, but was easily beaten by Murray. Arrived for the third Slam of the year bearing the poor 2010 performance, made a great match against Hanescu (even inspired this post), but fell in three to Feliciano Lopez – going one step lower than the R16. Really, Roddick.

- Milos Raonic – Poor Milos. From Estoril on, turned into a mere mortal. Grass had high expectations for him, but well, just like Söd and Berd had a Petzschner on his way – and a quarterfinal exit in Halle. In Wimbledon, the bitch – acting via fate – stopped him in the first vs. Gilles Muller. Horror. Still young and the future is bright, though.

- John Isner – The title in Newport saved his grass season – even though the rematch with Mahut (randomly made, of course) and the loss to Almagro will hardly be forgotten.

 

Uh. I guess that’s it.

 

Two statements

When it comes to Grand Slams and main courts it’s hard to please everybody. Too many matches involving too many top players, someone is always going to be relegated to an outside court.

The criteria DA uses? Not sure, but I believe “history” and “prospect” play a pivotal role on it all. And if sometimes the gambles fail, other times they pay – a lot. Something like a flood of golden coins falling off the slot’s mouth into your bucket.

But in even rarer cases, these matches reach a whole new level. They become unforgettable pieces of artwork, that will make future generations feel sorry they didn’t watch it. These some-of-a-kind matches are statements.

Luckily for us, Wimbledon’s Centre Court – the most central tennis court of the Earth – saw two of these statements in consecutive days. And since my toothless words won’t make justice for them, I’ll leave you the highlights and a quick thought in the end of the post.

Just play the videos and enjoy!

 

[23] Venus Williams def. Kimiko Date-Krumm – 6/7 (6-8), 6/3, 8/6

 

 

Sabine Lisicki def. [3] Li Na – 3/6, 6/4, 8/6*

 

 

Some people say WTA is lame nowadays. This is the best answer. Better than ANY ATP match I’ve watched so far.

 

 

*: Not the best highlights video, but the best I could find. There will probably be better ones later. I could update this post, then.

Same movie, all over again

OH that déjà-vu scene that repeats over and over in an eternal loop.

What Murray did today – his heroics of pulling a win after being two sets and a break in the fifth down is not something unheard of, though he deserves a standing ovation for doing so even with a bad ankle acquired in his win over Berrer.

But oh, if we only look back exactly one year… we would stumble in the last time Murray mounted a comeback from two sets down. And it was… exactly in Roland Garros.

First round. Murray, who hadn’t had a very remarkable clay season back then, had drawn Richard Gasquet in the first round. In case you don’t remember, Gasquet’s rankings were still suffering the aftershocks of his doping-caused suspension, later reversed, but he was straight out of two titles – at a Challenger (Bordeaux, if I’m not wrong) and in Nice. Gaskay quickly put himself two sets up, spreading fake hopes all around the world, that we could be witnessing one of the biggest upsets of that Roland Garros. But then again, Richie’s conditioning fell apart and Murray finished the comeback, winning the next sets 6/4, 6/2 and 6/1. Andy lived on to fight another day and Gasquet’s capabilities of hanging on there on a five-setter were widely contested – and still are, btw.

Flash forward it some months. Remember when Djokovic used to suffer under extreme heat and even lose some matches? Remember when he drew Viktor Troicki in the first round of the US Open? Remember how Nole seemed totally worn out, almost gone, ready to faint, and how Viktor was balling? You also remember how it ended, I assume. Troicki just couldn’t keep it up, despite having a break in the fourth and fifth sets. That comeback win sealed the start of the chain of events that helped Djokovic become what he is today.

Gestern, Montag, May 31^st, 2011. Paris, France. After injuring his ankle in his 3^rd round match against Michael Berrer and undergoing exams, Murray gets onto court to square-off with Viktor Troicki for a quarterfinal spot. The odds of reaching a first Slam quarterfinal for the Serbian #2 were relatively fair – since no-one knew how Murray would play. And, after the first games – all won by Troicki – the odds had increased a bit.

But very well, he is still Viktor Troicki. He gave back two of the breaks, but managed to take the first set anyway, 6/4 – score repeated in the second. Two sets up, facing an injured opponent who had already started talking to himself, to his racquet, and put his racquet in a convo with his heel. What could possible go wrong?, we probably wondered. There goes little Vik to a career-defining run.

Everything. Everything went off the tracks. A fucking disaster, a Troicki fan will say. An Epic comeback, a Murray fan shall tell you. Murray won the next two sets, 6/3, 6/2, leaving the conclusion for the next day, as the night began to fall over Paris. Maybe this break will help Troicki, killing Murray’s momentum and cooling down his injured ankle. And we were right!

In fact, we were right until Troicki had 5/2, 30-0, two points away from the biggest win of his career. Then… well, then… he lost five consecutive games and, consequently, the match. Final score: [4] Murray def. [15] Troicki, 4/6, 4/6, 6/3, 6/2, 7/5.

While Murray goes on to take world no.34 Juan Ignacio Chela (will be the first RG SF for any), Troicki will hop in a plane back to Belgrade. Once again after letting slip a clear chance for the greatest win of his life. Sad, indeed. Even more when you think chances like these doesn’t lap-dance around you all the time.

Video-reminder:

 

Murray vs. Gasquet – Roland Garros 2010 (Part 1/3 – the other two are related, if you click)

Troicki vs. Djokovic – US Open 2010 (Part 1/2 – same as above)

Murray vs. Troicki – Roland Garros 2011

Enjoy