The Loss of Meaning

It so happened that in the early days of October 2010, one Rafael Nadal lost to one Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. High and wide did the shouts and acclaims sound. Oh no! a loss! what does this mean?

Pretty much nothing, I would say. And I don't think anyone's going to disagree with me on that one.

Rafa was due a loss, and semis of Bangkok, where he was probably getting a huge appearance fee and didn't really have the biggest incentive to bring his a-game? I'm not surprised. This is no harbinger of the beginning of the end. It's nothing to take seriously. It's a minor loss in a minor tournament that doesn't mean anything, really.

And people are totally ready to agree with me on this one. So here's a question - I might sound like a sore Federfan, but it's relevant. Why doesn't Roger get this kind of treatment? Every loss he takes makes it seem like it's the end of the world, that players aren't scared of him any more, that the end is extremely f*cking nigh. But with Rafa, it's like... yeah, well, whatevs.

I'd say the relative merits of losses for both dudes are about the same. Both usually win their matches, both sometimes lose the odd one. I don't think either player would disagree with me on that one. So why does Rafa get the whatevs treatment while any Roger loss is apocalyptic?

Weird.

Oh Hi, Big Guy

Oh hi, big guy! Welcome back, JMDP!

No one was expecting JMDP to do anything even resembling winning in Thailand, n'cest-ce pas? Even if they did want him to match up against Rafa Nadal (which I, for one, am glad did not happen - can you imagine the humiliation that being smacked down by Rafa would have inflicted on the poor dude?) He lost to wee Olly Rochus in straights - competitive straights, but straights. And he served sixteen aces, which coming off wrist surgery, is pretty impressive.

But basically, I think everyone's just glad he's back.

The tennis world is all right without JMDP in it. He's not one of the key personalities of tennis, even though he did have his Slam run last year. Losing JMDP hasn't been like losing the Djoker or Murray or a player of comparable level. We've managed to forget about him pretty well. But even though the tennis world is all right without him in it, it's better when he's here.

And it'll be even better when he's fully better.

That, of course, is the question. The dude's been out for a long time, and wrist surgery is a big, big thing. That is a mammoth thing to have to recover from, and I'd say that there's a big chance that he'll never be the same player. I think it wouldn't be unreasonable to say that he's a one Slam wonder, in any case.

But you know what? a dude that can smash sixteen aces in his first match back from surgery... he strikes as someone who's going to recover all right.

Doing It For The Dwarves

Gilles Simon, here is the exit. Hand in your pass at the door. You're out. I never want to see your face in here again.

The Club of Lost Souls is no longer open to you.

That's right, after pretty much a year of whaling on the guy, I'm going to say something nice about ol' Gilles. I'm going to cut him a break and expel him from the Club of Lost Souls - the one club you definitely don't want to be a member of.

He played some great tennis to win the title of Thailand. Sure, maybe Viktor Troicki wasn't the strongest finals opponent in the world and maybe it wasn't the bestest field EVAH, but he played some good stuff to win it, and that's a hell of a lot more than we've been seeing from him in recent times. He's played le pathetique for most of this year, and I'm glad to see some decent balls flying from his racquet.

I like Gilles because he's little. There's not a whole lot of little guys in tennis, and the ones that are small aren't usually in the upper echelons. Gilles is the top ten flagflier for the little guys, and he was getting absolutely pummelled for a while there. I'm still not a massive fan of his game, but good on you, Gilles - doing it for the dwarves.


Today's Results

PTT Pattaya Open (Bangkok)

Gilles Simon def. Viktor Troicki, 7-5 6-3


Proton Malaysian Open (Kuala Lumpur)

Nikolay Davydenko def. Fernando Verdasco, 6-4 7-5


China Open (Beijing)

Dinara Safina def. Roberta Vinci, 6-4 6-2
Serena Williams def. Kaia Kanepi, 7-5 6-4
Elena Dementieva def. Anna-Lena Groenefeld, 6-4 6-0
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez def. Caroline Wozniacki, 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-2) 6-0
Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Zheng Jie, 7-6 (7-3) 7-5
Vera Zvonareva def. Sorana Cirstea, 6-2 6-2
Victoria Azarenka def. Olga Govortsova, 6-1 6-3
Marion Bartoli def. Magdalena Rybarikova, 6-2 4-6 6-3
Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Lu Jingjing, 3-6 7-5 7-5
Sara Errani def. Alexa Glatch, 6-1 6-1
Lucie Safarova def. Ji Chun-Mei, 6-2 6-4
Patty Schnyder def. Urszula Radwanska, 6-4 7-5
Peng Shuai def. Yaroslava Shvedova, 6-2 6-3
Ekaterina Makarova def. Shahar Peer, 6-4 6-2
Kateryna Bondarenko def. Maria Kirilenko, 6-2 2-6 7-6 (7-2)
Melinda Czink def. Elena Vesnina, 7-6 (7-2) 5-7 6-4
Zhang Shuai def. Iveta Benesova, 6-4 6-2

Ending With A Whimper

Oh, Tokyo. You redeemed yourself with a respectable final, and then the final was a sham. Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo.

How very sad that Sharapova/Jankovic - which could have been a totally excellent match - ended in a retirement. I bet the tournament organisers - and Sharapova, come to think of it - are pretty mad with Jankovic. I'm pretty sure that this wasn't the way MaSha wanted to win her first tournament back.

But win she did - and let's talk about this for a minute. It's not quite Kim Clijsters winning the US Open, but to win a big tournament like Tokyo on the comeback is pretty sweet. Though it would have been sweeter if the draw had put up slightly more of a fight... but still. Well done, MaSha.

And in Tokyo - Gilles Simon is in the final! When was the last time we saw that? He's been the top ten's non entity for so long now, the seed you could count on to be upset, and now here he is in the final. He'll face Troicki, who surprised Tsonga. And then in Kuala Lumpur, we have #1 vs #2 - Davydenko vs Verdasco. Now there's some tournament organisers who can be very content...


Today's Results

PTT Pattaya Open (Bangkok)

Viktor Troicki def. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 1-6 6-2 6-3
Gilles Simon def. Jurgen Melzer, 6-4 7-6 (7-3)


Proton Malaysian Open (Kuala Lumpur)

Nikolay Davydenko def. Robin Soderling, 1-6 7-6 (7-1) 6-2
Fernando Verdasco def. Fernando Gonzalez, 6-4 7-5


Toray Pan Pacific Open (Tokyo)

Maria Sharapova def. Jelena Jankovic, 5-2 retired

Thai Dyed

Well, I did not get my Thailand wish. Neither Marat Safin nor Ernests Gulbis managed to win their next matches.

Marat I am very disappointed in. He should be able to beat Marco Chiudinelli with his eyes closed and one arm tied behind his back, instead of losing tamely like he did. Still, it's pretty obvious that the fire is gone for Marat. He doesn't have any love for tennis at all and he's just hanging out for retirement so he can lie on the beach for a while. Here's one guy I don't think will be coming back.

Though my track record is not the best with these predictions - look what I said about Justine Henin.

Ernests Gulbis, on the other hand, did quite well. Could he finally, finally being finding his feet again? He pushed top seed Jo-Willy Tsonga all the way to a third set breaker, and considering the folks Jo-Dub has beaten of late - Federer springs to mind - that's really something a bit spesh. Not as good as winning, of course, but there's hope for the young Latvian yet. I'm still on your bandwagon, Ernie.

Over to the women, and I do believe I have some words to eat. I said Azarenka had to be the favourite to take the title... yeah, she went and lost. Just like all the other seeds. Li Na took her out - there's no way I would have picked that result. But JJ is still flying the seed flag, and Aggie Rad, and MaSha is still there - so it's not exactly like the semis of the US Open, which really was a decimation!


Today's Results

PTT Pattaya Open (Bangkok)

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Ernests Gulbis, 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-2)
Gilles Simon def. Kevin Kim, 6-2 6-2
John Isner def. Mischa Zverev, 7-6 (7-5) 6-4
Andreas Beck def. Donald Young, 6-1 6-7 (3-7) 6-4
Marco Chiudinelli def. Marat Safin, 6-3 7-6 (7-4)
Evgeny Korolev def. Robby Ginepri, 6-1 6-1


Proton Malaysian Open (Kuala Lumpur)

Fernando Verdasco def. Karol Beck, 6-4 6-0
Fernando Gonzalez def. Rohan Bopanna, 6-4 3-6 6-4
Gael Monfils def. Martin Vassallo Arguello, 6-4 6-2
Tomas Berdych def. Simon Greul, 6-3 4-6 6-3
Richard Gasquet def. Joachim Johansson, 4-6 7-6 (7-1) 6-2


Toray Pan Pacific Open (Tokyo)

Jelena Jankovic def. Marion Bartoli, 6-4 6-3
Li Na def. Victoria Azarenka, 7-6 (9-7) 4-6 7-6 (7-4)
Agnieszka Radwanska def. Magdalena Rybarikova, 6-3 6-1
Maria Sharapova def. Iveta Benesova, 6-4 7-5

A Little Celebration

My friends, today is a cause for celebration! A cause for celebration indeed?

Why, I hear you ask? For surely 'tis only boring tournaments on at the moment and nothing truuuuuuly interesting will happen till at least Shanghai. What is this cause of celebration of which you speak?

Well, I shall tell you. In this overdramatic manner.

1) Marat Safin won a match. Against a seeded player.

Now, when was the last time you remember that dear ol' Marat won a match? I can't think of it off the top of my head, that's for sure. And to beat a seed - well, that is quite exciting. He had a three set victory over Philipp Petzschner in Thailand, cruising away 6-1 in the third. Petzschner has been one of those players on the vast improve this year (as demonstrated by his, you know, seeding) and so this is a totally good win for Marat. I know it's got a likelihood of approximately a billion to one, but I would love to see him win a tournament before he retires. Just one. Even a little one. Maybe this one. I know it won't happen, but oh, I desperately want it to.

But there are a few other players who could use a good win, which leads me to my other reason for celebration.

2) Ernests Gulbis won a match.

*falls over*

I love Ernests. He's totally my homeboy. I've been on his bandwagon since Day #1 and I've stayed on it (even though it's now a very lonely ride). And sure, he only beat Somdev Devvarman, but Devvarman won a tournament not so long ago and did some sweet Davis Cup duty, so he's not a total slouch. So come on, Ernie. I don't expect you to win, but I do want you to win at least another match. You know, two in a row for the first time this year? That would be made of awesome.

But for today, I am content. For today, I will simply celebrate.


Today's Results

PTT Pattaya Open (Bangkok)

Marat Safin def. Philipp Petzschner, 6-2 3-6 6-1
Jurgen Melzer def. Marcos Daniel, 6-3 6-2
Evgeny Korolev def. Fabrice Santoro, 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (9-7)
Marsel Ilhan def. Benjamin Becker, 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-3
Andreas Beck def. Edouard Roger-Vasselin, 7-5 7-6 (7-1)
Marco Chiudinelli def. Florian Mayer, 6-3 6-3
Ernests Gulbis def. Somdev Devvarman, 7-6 (9-7) 6-2
Robby Ginepri def. Danai Udomchoke, 6-4 6-3


Proton Malaysia Open (Kuala Lumpur)

Tomas Berdych def. Igor Kunitsyn, 6-1 3-6 6-2
Mikhail Youzhny def. David Ferrer, 7-6 (7-3) 6-2
Joachim Johansson def. Lleyton Hewitt, 7-6 (9-7) 6-3
Martin Vassallo Arguello def. Feliciano Lopez, 6-3 6-3
Rohan Bopanna def. Jose Acasuso, 4-6 6-3 6-4
Karol Beck def. Mikhail Kukushkin, 1-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-3


Toray Pan Pacific Open (Tokyo)

Iveta Benesova def. Gisela Dulko, 6-3 3-6 6-4
Maria Sharapova def. Samantha Stosur, 6-0 6-1
Alisa Kleybanova def. Vera Zvonareva, 3-6 6-4 6-2
Aleksandra Wozniak def. Caroline Wozniacki, 5-0 retired
Magdalena Rybarikova def. Nadia Petrova, 6-2 6-2
Agnieszka Radwanska def. Daniela Hantuchova, 6-3 3-6 6-3
Victoria Azarenka def. Jie Zheng, 6-1 6-1
Lucie Safarova def. Shuai Peng, 6-3 4-6 6-4
Na Li def. Vera Dushevina, 7-5 6-0
Kateryna Bondarenko def. Elena Dementieva, 6-2 6-7 (3-7) 6-1
Jelena Jankovic def. Sabine Lisicki, 6-3 4-6 6-2
Elena Vesnina def. Roberta Vinci, 6-1 7-6 (8-6)
Marion Bartoli def. Aravane Rezai, 6-4 6-2

Horse-Flogging... In The Metaphorical Sense

The Aussie boys finished sixth in junior Davis Cup, beating Hungary but losing to Sweden. Still, this whole week has been nothing to sneeze at. Maverick Banes, James Duckworth and Jarryd Chaplin can all be justifiably proud of what they have achieved. You wait. I don't know if any of them is a future #1, but they're going to grow up great. I'm not exactly sure when I started flogging this horse, but I seem to have started at some point, and so I'm going to stick with it. Australian tennis is going to great... in a while. Just not now.

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Though one thing that I did find troubling is that we either didn't send a team to junior Fed Cup or we didn't qualify. The boys are doing all right - what about the girls? We do have a few good juniors - Jess Moore won her first match in a senior Grand Slam this year - but none under sixteen, apparently. Where are the girls? Though it is well within the realms of possibility that there simply are none - we are a small country, after all. And look at today's generation. We aren't exactly a powerhouse of Australian tennis.

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That said, Sam Stosur was just in a final. Unfortunately, she went down to Maria Kirilenko, but it's a pretty decent achievement anyhow. She's never won a WTA singles title - Stosur, that is - but she's shown she's got the capability. Here's hoping she can go one further sometime in the near future - and get a few more doubles Slams under her belt as well!

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And speaking of winners, how about that Jo-W? Vengeance is sweet! Take that one, Novak! I was praying for someone to beat him this week after that whole Marko incident, and Jo-W did me proud. It was his first ATP title, and I think it's great that he beat Djokovic to do it. Monsieur Tsonga is serving notice. He's back - and he's back bigtime. I would love to see him make a good run at the Aussie Open next year - though obviously, with my proclivities, I want Federer to win it. Jo-W is just such an exciting player to watch. He's explosive, and he's fun, and he's not a complete dickhead, like certain Djokovics I could mention. Here's hoping that the rest of his year is shiny!

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(On the Djokovic subject, how long do you think it'll be before Novak gets his other little brother a wildcard? Spew.)

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Roddick and Jankovic round out our winners this week, taking titles in Japan. I confess I was hoping for Sela to come through with the goods, but Roddick did give a whole stack of his prize money to charity, which earned him extra brownie points. Still, he should have played the Olympics. There is another horse I'm going to flog for as long as it has legs to stand. (How 'bout that metaphor, eh?)

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Today's Results

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Thailand Open (Bangkok)

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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Novak Djokovic, 7-6 (7-4) 6-4

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China Open (Beijing)

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Men's Draw

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Andy Roddick def. Dudi Sela, 6-4 6-7 (6-8) 6-3

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Women's Draw

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Jelena Jankovic def. Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-3 6-2

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Hansol Korea Open (Seoul)

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Maria Kirilenko def. Samantha Stosur, 2-6 6-1 6-4

They Are Coming!

Unfortunately the boys in the junior Davis Cup squad were unable to capitalise on their lead against Russia. Oh well. They can still be very proud of themselves. I'm cheering them on!

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I was reading Australian Tennis Magazine yesterday, and it was full of articles about how Australian tennis is dying, falling away, etc, etc, and it was full of contingency plans about what we can do. People were worried we were becoming complacent in the wake of Hewitt, not looking for new stars, etc, etc. I don't know if anyone's considered the fact that maybe we just didn't have very good tennis players there for a few years. The future of Australian tennis is very bright, and it doesn't look like people have noticed. The whole magazine seemed to be devoted to wondering what Tennis Australia and the AIS and co have done wrong, and why no one was coming up through the ranks. I felt like yelling 'THEY ARE COMING!' at the magazine. Surely I can't be the only one that's noticed this brilliant Tomic-led generation coming up? And we're not weak in the girls either - Isabella Holland, Jess Moore and Sally Peers are all already on the way up. Sure, Australian tennis right now is a bit disappointing, but it has to be remembered that we are a small nation. Only 20 million people live here. We can't be producing stars left right and centre all the time, even if our general sporting prowess greatly exceeds our population.

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There endeth the rant.

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Andy Roddick made it to a final! Though he did lose a set to Bjorn Phau there. He'll be playing Dudi Sela in the final, who had a far more comfortable time against Rainer Schuettler. I would laugh SO HARD if Dudi went on and beat Roddick. So skipping the Olympics was a wise move, was it Andy? Was it wise? Feeling good? Feeling fresh? We'll see! The women's final in Beijing looks like it pretty much belongs to Jelena Jankovic - Svetlana Kuznetsova hasn't convinced me of much lately. Still, she did beat Zheng Jie, and we all know she is a bit of a party pooper.

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And major snaps to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who is in the final of Bangkok, where he will play Novak Djokovic - ominous music. I can't think of many people who would watch this match and go for Djokovic. Tsonga is just so much fun and Djokovic really hasn't made many friends with his antics at the US Open. Actually, there was an article in Australian Tennis Magazine called 'Don't Diss The Swiss' about how even mild-mannered Federer was annoyed by Djokovic's pranks - and how that Djokovic's Swiss-dissing certainly didn't earn him any friends, because everyone loves Roger so much. I laughed a little to myself.

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And huge props to Sam Stosur who absolutely ROLLED Jill Craybas in Seoul! She plays Kirilenko in the final, and I would LOVE her to win. I really like her - not just because she's an Aussie, but because she's lovely to watch, and her volleys are amazing - and she really deserves a title, after that awful bout of Lyme disease. Go Sam!
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And in gossipy news... what's this I hear about Ana Ivanovic and Fernando Verdasco? I am sure there are a few men in the ATP who wouldn't mind chatting her up at a party... so is Nando the lucky one? Maybe that's why they both lost early... Ana is not suffering a form slump at all. She just wanted to spend more time with Nando...

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Today's Results

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Thailand Open (Bangkok)

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Novak Djokovic def. Tomas Berdych, 7-5 6-1

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Gael Monfils, 6-0 6-3

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China Open (Beijing)

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Men's Draw

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Andy Roddick def. Bjorn Phau, 6-2 6-7 (4-7) 6-1

Dudi Sela def. Rainer Schuettler, 6-3 6-3

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Women's Draw

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Jelena Jankovic def. Vera Zvonareva, 6-4 2-6 6-4

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Zheng Jie, 7-6 (7-3) 7-5

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Hansol Korea Open (Seoul)

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Maria Kirilenko def. Kaia Kanepi, 6-4 3-6 6-4

Samantha Stosur def. Jill Craybas, 6-0 6-1

Whither Ana?

So I picked Zheng to upset Ivanovic, and hey! guess what! I was right. Yet I am feeling strangely unproud of myself. Who wouldn't you pick to upset Ivanovic now?

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This was a better match from Ivanovic than we've seen of late - she even said after the match that she was pretty happy with the way she played. But she served for that first set twice, before Zheng won it in the breaker. You can talk about injuries all you like, and Ana is certainly claiming a few, but something is just not right in that girl's head. This is not the girl we saw beating Dinara Safina, the hottest player in the world, in the final of the French Open. She certainly isn't playing like a #1 player - which, to be fair, she no longer is.

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But it's just so damn sad. I used to love watching Ivanovic. She was explosive, big-hitting, but she had some really clever shots too. It's hard to believe that she made two Grand Slam finals this year. Where did she go? I want her back. She was good for the game. Men's tennis has too many #1s at the moment, women's tennis not enough. Pick up the ball, Ana. Go see a sports psychiatrist and get back on track.

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Meanwhile, anyone else seriously cheering for Jo-Wilfried Tsonga right now? He's into the semis of Bangkok, and I would love to see him win the title. It's hard to believe that the boy does not have a title to his name - indeed, I think he only has one final, and that's the big one, the Australian Open. Wouldn't it be great to see him bring that buzzsaw tennis that saw him beat Rafa Nadal and use it to chop Novak Djokovic off at the knees? I would seriously dig that. Rematch! Rematch!

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And to conclude, them Aussie boys in Mexico at the junior Davis Cup are doing us proud. Most of the matches got rained out today, but in one that did get completed, wee Maverick Banes upset Russian young gun Richard Muzaev to give the Aussie boys a 1-0 lead. And the Russians are the top seeds. Go you good thing!

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Oh, and speaking of Australian tennis, Sam Stosur is having a great run in Korea, where she is into the semis. Good on you, Sam!

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Today's Results

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Thailand Open (Seoul)

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Novak Djokovic def. Robin Soderling, 6-4 7-5

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Jurgen Melzer, 6-3 6-2

Tomas Berdych def. Nicolas Mahut, 7-6 (8-6) 6-3

Gael Monfils def. Philipp Petzschner, 7-6 (8-6) 6-4

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China Open (Beijing)

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Men's Draw

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Andy Roddick def. Juan Carlos Ferrero, 2-6 6-3 6-4

Bjorn Phau def. Fernando Gonzalez, 6-3 4-6 6-3

Dudi Sela def. Tommy Robredo, 6-4 6-1

Rainer Schuettler def. Richard Gasquet, 4-6 6-3 6-4

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Women's Draw

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Jelena Jankovic def. Daniela Hantuchova, 7-5 6-1

Zheng Jie def. Ana Ivanovic, 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 6-4

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Dominika Cibulkova, 6-2 6-4

Vera Zvonareva def. Anabel Medina Garrigues, 6-0 6-1

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Hansol Korea Open (Seoul)

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Maria Kirilenko def. Pauline Parmentier, 6-3 6-2

Jill Craybas def. Shahar Peer, 6-2 7-5

Kaia Kanepi def. Yanina Wickmayer, 6-1 6-4

Samantha Stosur def. Ekaterina Makarova, 6-3 6-4

Tenacious JC

I am still steaming under the hat after the Djokovic saga of yesterday, but will attempt to put my rage behind me. The older Djokovic won. Spit spit. I was hoping he would crash out in the earliest possible round to vindicate me, but alas, 'twas not to be. But there is still time for him to lose to a player ranked a long way below him! A LONG TIME!

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Let's talk about the junior Davis Cup instead. I don't have much to say, except c'mon Aussie! The boys (being James Duckworth, Maverick Banes and Jarryd Chaplin) slaughtered Peru in their second rubber and will now face top seeds Russia tomorrow. And they can so win. I've said it once, I'll say it again - Australian tennis sucks right now, but when these boys grow up, it's going to rock the socks of the tennis world.

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Onto another sporting nation of greatness, being Spain. They have had some interesting mixed fortunes in Beijing. David Ferrer was the top seed, but he's been knocked out by Dudi Sela - le drama! Ferrer really has gone away a bit towards the end of this season. He had some good results earlier but he's gone off the boil... which is sad, because I find his game interesting. He has to be one of the best returners on the circuit, which means the proportion of rallies in his games is high, and that makes for interesting tennis, even if he does play largely defensively, which can be dull.

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But on the flip side for Spain, Juan Carlos Ferrero scored an upset victory! Sure, it was over Fernando Verdasco, another Spaniard, but still. JC is a funny one. He's a former #1 and he had a bit of mystique for a while there, but it's like no one really takes him seriously any more. It's not like with Safin, where everyone still fears him because they know the potential for his explosive game is still there. No one fears JC any more... and, to be fair, he hasn't really given them reason to. He's certainly capable of excellent play - we must remember that it was he who beat Rafa in Rome, which is no mean feat, even if Rafa did have blisters the size of dinner plates. But he just doesn't bring it much any more. The mighty have fallen. But he's clinging on, JC, clinging on tenaciously.

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Meanwhile, anyone else looking forward to the Ana Ivanovic/Zheng Jie Wimbledon rematch? Put it this way - I would not be betting on Ana...

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Today's Results

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Thailand Open (Bangkok)

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Novak Djokovic def. Simon Stadler, 6-1 6-3

Tomas Berdych def. Simone Bolelli, 7-5 6-1

Nicolas Mahut def. Jarkko Nieminen, 6-4 3-6 6-3

Robin Soderling def. Teimuraz Gabashvili, 6-1 6-3

Jurgen Melzer def. Viktor Troicki, 6-4 7-6 (7-4)

Philipp Petzschner def. Mischa Zverev, 7-6 (7-3) 3-6 6-1

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China Open (Beijing)

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Men's Draw

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Dudi Sela def. David Ferrer, 6-3 6-3

Andy Roddick def. Brendan Evans, 6-4 6-3

Fernando Gonzalez def. Go Soeda, 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-1

Richard Gasquet def. Yen-hsun Lu, 7-5 6-1

Juan Carlos Ferrero def. Fernando Verdasco, 7-5 6-4

Tommy Robredo def. Ivo Minar, 6-2 6-3

Rainer Schuettler def. Jean-Claude Scherrer, 6-1 6-4

Bjorn Phau def. Sam Querrey, 5-7 6-3 6-4

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Women's Draw

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Ana Ivanovic def. Alizé Cornet, 6-1 7-6 (7-1)

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Alla Kudryavtseva, 6-2 6-3

Vera Zvonareva def. Francesca Schiavone, 7-6 (7-5) 6-2

Dominika Cibulkova def. Anna Chakvetadze, 6-3 6-2

Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Agnes Szavay, 6-2 6-2

Zheng Jie def. Ai Sugiyama, 6-1 6-2

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Hansol Korea Open (Seoul)

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Maria Kirilenko def. Lucie Safarova, 6-3 6-3

Kaia Kanepi def. Anastasia Pivovarova, 6-1 6-1

Pauline Parmentier def. Stéphanie Dubois, 6-3 6-2

Yanina Wickmayer def. Chan Yung-Jan, 6-3 7-6 (7-2) 

Blood Privileges

Let's take a reality check for a moment. Do you think there is a chance in hell that Marko Djokovic would have got a wildcard into the Thailand Open if he wasn't Novak's brother?
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Marko is ranked #1734 in the world at the moment. He's made exactly three appearances on the Futures circuit, two echelons below the ATP main circuit. Let's have a look at the players ranked around him. There are a whole stack of people ranked at this number, with exactly one point. Have you ever heard of Patrick Knobloch? Ricardo Azzarita? Jesus Bandres?

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I didn't think so. And can you see any of these players getting wildcarded into a tournament? Hell, look at Bernard Tomic. He is ranked half that, at #811, which means, one would think, he would walk all over Marko Djokovic and assorted cohort. Can you imagine him getting wildcarded into the Thailand Open? The Australian Open, or the Medibank or something maybe, but that would be more on the grounds of him being Australia's most promising junior rather than being ranked #811. In fact, we have three Australians also ranked #1734 - David Bidmeade, Phillip Lang and Alan Poric. In what alternate universe would they get a wildcard into any ATP tournament, even the Australian ones? Hell, we have players ranked in the #300s - like Rameez Junaid, or Matthew Ebden - that will never see an Aussie Open wildcard, let alone one in a country not their own.

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So why should Marko Djokovic be treated any differently? Excuse while I bellow 'NEPOTISM!' at the top of my lungs.

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There are plenty of players that deserve wildcards much more than Marko Djokovic. So why should he get special treatment just because he's Novak's brother? I am not amused.

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What was amusing was that Jarkko Nieminen pounded him into the ground, 6-2 6-0. Nonetheless, there are a lot of players ranked much higher than Marko Djokovic that would kill for the opportunity to be whipped by Jarkko Nieminen. I hope they all frown at him in the locker room - on the Futures circuit. Or the Pro circuit. Or whatever is below the Pro circuit. Nick Lindahl and Monique Adamczak are winning things on the Pro circuit, and they're both ranked in the #200s. Marko Djokovic would be hard-pressed to qualify.

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In happier news, well done to the Australian Junior Davis Cup team! Maverick Banes, James Duckworth and Jarryd Chaplin accounted for Tunisia in fine form, 3-0. We're seeded #7 in the event, but we won last year (Bernard Tomic played on that team, along with Mark Verryth and Alex Sanders) and I reckon we can do it again. Australian tennis is going to be in SUCH a good place in a few years. Tomic will be the spearhead, but we have some other good kids coming up too.

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So why aren't they given wildcards into tournaments lightyears ahead of their playing range, hmmm?

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Today's Results

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Thailand Open (Bangkok)

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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Lukas Dlouhy, 7-6 (11-9) 3-6 7-6 (7-1)

Gael Monfils def. Robert Kendrick, 6-4 7-6 (7-4)

Jarkko Nieminen def. Marko Djokovic, 6-2 6-0

Jurgen Melzer def. Donald Young, 6-3 6-3

Viktor Troicki def. Fabrice Santoro, 7-6 (7-4) 6-2

Simone Bolelli def. Thomaz Bellucci, 6-3 6-3

Mischa Zverev def. Robert Smeets, 6-4 6-4

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China Open (Beijing)

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Men's Draw

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Fernando Verdasco def. Bobby Reynolds, 6-3 6-3

Sam Querrey def. Jesse Levine, 1-6 6-2 7-6 (7-4)

Ivo Minar def. Hyung-taik Lee, 6-3 3-6 6-2

Dudi Sela def. Nicolas Devilder, 6-4 6-3

Go Soeda def. Yan Bai, 6-4 7-5

Brendan Evans def. Roko Karanusic, 7-6 (7-5) 1-6 7-6 (12-10)

Jean-Claude Scherrer def. Peng Sun, 6-4 7-6 (9-7)

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Women's Draw

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Jelena Jankovic def. Aleksandra Wozniak, 6-3 7-5

Daniela Hantuchova def. Tamarine Tanasugarn, 6-1 0-6 7-5

Zheng Jie def. Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-2 6-3

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Hansol Korea Open (Seoul)

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Shahar Peer def. Ayumi Morita, 6-4 7-5

Ekaterina Makarova def. Klara Zakopalova, 6-3 6-2

Jill Craybas def. Akgul Amanmuradova, 7-6 (7-1) 6-2

Samantha Stosur def. Sabine Lisicki, 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 6-3

Stuck on 399

Marat, Marat, Marat. What am I going to do with you?

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Every time I see him entered in this little schlep tournament, I get excited. Ah-ha! think I. There is next to no competition! Maybe this will be the tournament where Marat wins again for the first time since 2005! Maybe this will get him back on track!
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...and then he goes and loses to someone like Philipp 'who?' Petzschner, and we're back to square one again.

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So, Mr. Safin, answer me this. What is going on with you? I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but why can't you be more like your sister? I don't want to accuse Marat of not trying, but the reason Dinara has been so smokin' hot this season - she's #3 in the world now! - is because you pretty much have to shoot her to get through her. The only vaguely strange loss I can think of that she's taken since Berlin was to Shahar Peer in the third round of Wimbledon, and even that went to 8-6 or something in the third.

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I'm not asking much, Marat. Just a little more commitment. Focus, perhaps. Because I want to see you winning again. You're one of my favourite players, and I don't like to see you losing to schleps in schlep tournaments when you are so much better than that. Had you won this, this would have been your 400th career win - and no one wants to see you stuck on 399.

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Meanwhile, back to my new favourite subject - Davis Cup. The first round ties for next year have come out and there are some mighty interesting draws. Switzerland vs. USA, for example. I don't know about you, but I think the USA might find themselves playing relegation rounds this time next year... let's look at this. On Team USA, you have Roddick and Blake - two solid singles players - as well as the Bryans, who are one of the best doubles teams ever. So far so good, right? But then look at Team Suisse. You have the greatest player that's ever lived in Roger Federer - and sure, he's lost to both Roddick and Blake in the past, but would you really bet against him? Then you have Stan Wawrinka, also a top ten player. Oh, and in the doubles... guess who knocked the Bryans out in the Olympics and went on to win the gold medal.

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It does seem a little like the Swiss have a two man team while the Americans have four, but when those two men are Federer and Wawrinka, do you really need more?

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The other reeeeeally intriguing tie is Spain/Serbia... I'd pay good money to see Nadal take on Djokovic in a Davis Cup match. Especially since it's presumably going to be on clay. I love it when Djokovic gets his arse kicked.

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Today's Results

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Thailand Open (Bangkok)

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Robin Soderling def. Aisam ul-Haq Qureshi, 6-2 6-4

Philipp Petzschner def, Marat Safin, 6-4 7-6 (7-4)

Teimuraz Gabashvili def. Michael Berrer, 6-4 6-3

Nicolas Mahut def. Danai Udomchoke, 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-2

Robert Kendrick def. George Bastl, 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

Simon Stadler def. Julien Benneteau, 7-5 6-1

Lukas Dlouhy def. Benjamin Becker, 6-4 7-6 (7-4)

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China Open (Beijing)

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Men's Draw

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Tommy Robredo def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, 6-4 7-5

Juan Carlos Ferrero def. Alexandre Kudryavtsev, 6-4 6-3

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Women's Draw

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Anna Chakvetadze def. Iveta Benesova, 6-4 7-5

Alizé Cornet def. Zhang Shuai, 6-1 3-6 7-6 (9-7)

Francesca Schiavone def. Li Na, 6-1 7-6 (7-4)

Agnes Szavay def. Yaroslava Shvedova, 6-4 6-3

Ai Sugiyama def. Yan Zi, 6-3 6-4

Tamarine Tanasugarn def. Katarina Srebotnik, 6-4 7-5

Aleksandra Wozniak def. Virginie Razzano, 6-7 (3-7) 7-5 6-4

Alla Kudryavtseva def. Peng Shuai, 7-5 6-4

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Hansol Korea Open (Seoul)

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Maria Kirilenko def. Lenka Wienerova, 6-2 6-0

Kaia Kanepi def. Rika Fujiwara, 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-0

Klara Zakopalova def. Carla Suárez Navarro, 6-1 6-7 (3-7) 6-4

Samantha Stosur def. Marina Erakovic, 6-2 6-0

Chan Yung-Jan def. Mara Santangelo, 1-6 6-3 6-4

Ekaterina Makarova def. Tamira Paszek, 6-1 6-2

Jill Craybas def. Yuan Meng, 6-0 6-0

Lucie Safarova def. Melanie South, 6-1 3-0 retired

Stéphanie Dubois def. Camille Pin, 6-4 3-6 7-5

Ayumi Morita def. Arantxa Rus, 6-4 6-1

Anastasia Pivovarova def. Lee Ye-Ra, 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 5-3 retired