The Roddick Gateway

We very nearly could have had exactly the same winners on the ATP tour this week as last week, if Andy Roddick had not carelessly (or probably carefully, actually) got in the way. I don't know how often this happens, but I'm going to venture 'not often'. And this week it was not to be.

Nicolas Almagro and Robin Soderling completed the first two points of the triangle - I am very glad that Soderling won in Marseille, by the way. If my beloved Nico M is going to get beaten, I would rather it was by some dude who's genuinely excellent than anyone else. And the Prince of Clay, Nicolas Almagro... well, he's making good on the nickname, and that is for sure.

Anyway. So we had Almagro (check) and Soderling (check) but Raonic, who would have made it a three-from-three, went and lost to Roddick. Three sets it took - though it easily could have been two either way, as the first two were pretty intense breakers - but Roddick it was who came out on top. Yoda I am talking like today. I am, oh yes.

I feel a bit bad about it, as I probably should be rooting for the underdog, but I'm glad Roddick came out on top today. Even though it is, as I said yesterday, like a spaceship with jet thrusters rather than a bandwagon, I'm just not on board with Milos Raonic yet. Probably the spaceship is going too fast for me to catch up on. If Raonic was to add a top ten scalp to his already growing bag of scalps - a scalp that is not the questionably mohawked scalp of Fernando Verdasco, that is - then I don't know if I could deal.

Roddick represents order in the tennis world. He's a top ten fixture. He exists in my world to place regular beatdowns on the guys ranked below him and to get shellacked by Roger Federer. He's the intermediary between the two worlds - the gateway, if you like. If you beat Roddick, then something serious is going down. It's not like beating Verdasco or one of the other top ten ne'er do wells - I'd place players like Berdych, who is (I think) ranked higher than Roddick in this category. Roddick is consistent. Roddick has been in the top ten for about a hundred years and stayed there. If you beat Roddick - especially if you start beating him regularly - well then, you could be launching an assault on the top guys. Or at least getting some wins against them.

Milos Raonic isn't there yet. The Roddick door is closed to him. And for me, maybe this is good. If he's going to get on board, I need his bandwagon to go a little slower.

Lleyton Lifts

As I write this, Tommy Robredo has four match points against Juan Monaco in the final of Buenos Aires... of which he has now lost three, but even if he loses the match, then my point still stands. He's one of the guys to beat at this point in the season. Watch this space.

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Another one who's been good to watch this week has been - surprise, surprise - Lleyton Hewitt. I know I'm jumping on this bandwagon a little late, but he's seriously been playing some inspired stuff. He won more points than Roddick did in that match, and if he hadn't played such a dodgy breaker in the second...

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He has said that he wants to get back into the top ten, and while I think that one's a little out of his grasp, if he continues to play like he did in Memphis this week, he certainly has a shot of finding himself well within the top fifty again. A Grand Slam seeding is a good goal for him, I think... and with his current level of play, it should be no trouble.

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And Tommy Robredo just won in Buenos Aires. That's two tournaments on the trot. Not bad, eh? And Victoria Azarenka just won her second career title in Memphis. Are we going to see her and her bad attitude take a run at the top ten?

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Today's Results

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Regions Morgan Keenan Championships (Memphis)

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Victoria Azarenka def. Caroline Wozniacki, 6-1 6-3

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Copa Telmex (Buenos Aires)

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Tommy Robredo def. Juan Monaco, 7-5 2-6 7-6 (7-5)

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Open 13 (Marseille)

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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Michael Llodra, 7-5 7-6 (7-3)

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Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas (Bogota)

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María José Martínez Sánchez def. Gisela Dulko, 6-3 6-2

Robredo Rolls In 2009

You know who has been a real surprise package for the whole of this season - a guy who is totally ominous form but whom no one is talking about? Tommy Robredo. Seriously, the guy is on a major roll at the moment, and no one has said a word.

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Let's look at the Aussie Open. Until his round of sixteen loss to the also in-form Andy Roddick, he gave up something like eleven games over only three matches. The phrase I heard someone use was 'cantering through the draw' and it was about right. I saw about a set of his second round victory against Viktor Troicki, who gave Rafa Nadal some serious trouble in the first round the year before, and Tommy absolutely went to town on him.

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Then Tommy won a difficult final in Costa do Sauipe against hometown hero and Star of the Future Thomaz Bellucci, which can't have been easy. And now he's absolutely steamrolled his way through the field in Buenos Aires. He won his semi against local boy Jose Acasuso in pretty hot-looking form, and will go on now to face another local, Juan Monaco, in the final. Monaco did take top seed David Nalbandian in his semi... but come on, it's Dave. If LameDave showed up, then blind Freddy could beat him.

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So I'd put pretty good money on Tommy winning again. Are we going to see a streak like the one big Juan Martin del Potro had last year, where he won four tournaments on the trot? I certainly think it's a distinct possibility. And if Tommy keeps up this form into Roland Garros, I certainly would not be surprised to see him go deep. I think Roger and Rafa would be a bit too much for Tommy, but if he's drawn in the Djokovic or Murray quarters, then I would not be surprised AT ALL to see him in the semis.

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In fact, that is my early prediction for the French Open. Should Robredo be drawn in the Djokovic or Murray quarters, he'll be in the semis. You heard it here first.

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Today's Results

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Regions Morgan Keenan Championships (Memphis)
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Radek Stepanek def. Dudi Sela, 6-3 6-1

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Copa Telmex (Buenos Aires)

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Juan Monaco def. David Nalbandian, 2-6 7-5 7-6 (7-2)

Tommy Robredo def. Jose Acasuso, 6-4 7-6 (7-3)

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Open 13 (Marseille)

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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Novak Djokovic, 6-4 7-6 (7-1)

Michael Llodra def. Gilles Simon, 7-6 (7-5) 6-2

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Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships (Dubai)

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Venus Williams def. Virginie Razzano, 6-4 6-2

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Copa Sony Ericsson Colsanitas (Bogota)

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Gisela Dulko def. Edina Gallovits, 6-2 6-3

María José Martínez Sánchez def. Patricia Mayr, 7-5 7-5

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PS. I'd just like to applaud Bernard Tomic for the wonderful work he did yesterday, raising money for the victims of the Victorian bushfire tragedy. I don't know how much coverage this natural disaster has got worldwide, but it was one of the biggest disasters we've had here in a long time, with 208 people (currently) perishing in blazes all over Victoria. This was coupled with terrible floods in Queensland and northern New South Wales. So kudos, Bernard, for doing your bit.

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PPS. It has nothing to do with tennis, but if you have a spare moment, check out my other blog, The Black Valentine's Day Manifesto. I started it a week ago because of the massive response I had to a note I posted on Facebook, and it's really started ot take off! So check it out, if that's your cup of tea.