Bye Bye Berdie

I am sure I am not the only one to have dreamt up this hilarious sylleptical play on words about Tomas Berdych's loss. But that doesn't make his loss any less... stupid.

I said it yesterday (about something else) and I'll say it again – is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Was Tomas Berdych seriously two sets up over French journeyman Stephane 'SteveBob' Robert before losing? Was he also up a break in the fifth? What has happened?

I can't say I'm especially sad about this turn of events – not only is it always a bit exciting to see a home-grown journeyman like SteveBob pull out the goods, I'm not exactly Big Berd's biggest fan. But considering he made, what, semis here last year? This is a dreadful result. The top ten really is in a state of flux right now. People talk about the decline of Federer, but one feels like they're not looking at the players ranked directly below him. Get down in the #6-10 range and it's getting hard to find someone who can keep the ball in the freaking court.


Before 2010, Tomas Berdych was thought of as a missed opportunity – an immense talent who never came good. And then suddenly it seemed like he did come good but making Roland Garros semis and the Wimbledon final and generally playing awesomesauce. But... yeah. I can't help thinking that Berdych might yet go down in the history books as a flash in the pan yet.


Let us spare a moment, however, to completely ignore the downfall of Big Berd and heap congratulations on SteveBob. That is some mental toughness right there. You do not beat a top ten player – much less one to whom you are two sets down – without a heart the size of a planet and a mind made of steel. Keep it up, SteveBob. And may your fellow French journeyman Monsieur Nicolas Mahut play as awesomely as you.


Berdych was the big upset of the day – mostly, the usual suspects made it through. Djokovic was in cruise control and Federer played some seriously good stuff to come up with the goods against Feliciano Lopez. The women were mostly pretty staid as well, apart from Anastasia Rodionova upsetting Nadia Petrova. I'd say something about it... but I can't think of anything to say, so let's just leave it.


The other name to go crashing out, though, was Milos Raonic, who went down right at the end of the day. Somewhere, Fernando Verdasco is cackling...

Mettle (Testing Thereof)

Look! Writing! I am doing it today, I promise! I wouldn't say I'm properly back yet - I cannot communicate how madly, insanely busy I am at the moment, what with the whole being about to quit my job thing - but I have found a few spare seconds today to write about tennis.

If Roger Federer had found a few spare seconds to, oh, I don't know, beat Feliciano Lopez without it taking a hundred hours, it might have been significantly better for my blood pressure. As always, the fact that it took him more than twelve games to beat someone means that it is the End of his Career and He Will Never Win Anything Again Ever Because He Is Old And Irrelevant So There. It seems perfectly obvious... to a bunch of strange tennis critics who could look at a cloud and somehow see in it a sign of Federer's demise.

Personally - although it was a stress-y, stress-y match from a fan perspective - I don't mind the Rog having to spend a while on court. He hasn't played since Monte Carlo, but you can bet he's all match tough now. Besides, F-Lo was playing awesome tennis. I know he's the Spaniard What Prefers Grass and stuff, but come on, he's Spanish. Clay is his thing. I find the fact that Federer can fight through a left handed Spanish dude on clay very satisfying.

And while I like it better when Federer just comes out and wins, it's good for him to have to fight. You never know your mettle until you're tested, and a good test every now and again does any player the world of good. Having to tough out a match like this one is character-building. And hey, instead of being match point up and losing, he was match point down and won. I know which I'd prefer.

The Djokovic train keeps rolling on, but either the Djokovic train or the Nadal train have to stop rolling this week, and I'm team Rafa on this one. (Actually, I'm team Roger, but his narrative appears to be subaltern at the moment.) I don't have my money on a finals clash - I just have a feeling that someone's a-gonna get upset before the final. Couldn't tell you who, couldn't tell you when, just a feeling.

...and that's all I have time for. Figures that the one day I get time to write, all I really write about is Federer...

The Woes Of Being Feli

WILDCARD FOR MAHUT WILDCARD FOR MAHUT WILDCARD FOR MAHUT #wildcardformahut. Yep, that's still happening. Wildcards are due to be announced Tuesday, so get aboard the bandwagon for one last push!

The bandwagon was largely pushed by other people yesterday, as I was incommunicado while taking my younger brother to the Medibank International. It was his first time at an international tennis tournament - though he is, like his sister, a big fan (and unlike his sister, an excellent player) - and the tournament did not disappoint. We were lucky enough to be treated to the entire three hours and twenty minutes of the epic clash between Juan Martin del Potro and Feliciano Lopez.

I really, really feel for Feli Lopez. You come into a tournament, you're seeded, you hope to start off easy, with a qualifier maybe, and hey - you get drawn against a guy ranked #259! Awesome! But oh... hey. You look at his name. Juan Martin del Potro.

Bugger.

And then you play really well! I'm serious, you play REALLY well. The crowd's not especially behind you or anything - there's not many of them anyway, and most of them are supporting your opponent - so this one is all you. Your opponent is directing a few wide into the tramlines - he doesn't seem to have his timing quite right yet - and you are pouncing. You are playing awesome stuff.

But he is a world class player, even if he is a bit down on his luck, and he's sticking with you. All right, you think, I'll just hang on and do it in the tie break. And you do it! You take that first set breaker and then - guess what? You keep playing awesome! But he keeps sticking with you, so you're like, fine, another breaker, I've done this before.

And you bring up match point! ...and he saves it. And you two play an absolutely electrifying tie break. And he gets it.

And then you get to the breaker AGAIN. No one can pick a winner. But he gets you. After a long, LONG time, he gets you. He gets the glory. And what do you get? Upset in the first round. A seeded player, beaten by #259 in the world.

It must suck to be Feli right now.

But seriously, this was an awesome match. You will be hard pressed to watch a better tie break than the one that was played in the second set. It was a small crowd on Ken Rosewall Arena, but I think everyone was pretty fully engaged in that match. It was exciting stuff!

My brother and I also caught the twenty seconds it took for Li Na to beat Anastasia Rodionova (seriously, that was... quick), Stosur/Wickmayer, and some of Ebden and Luczak playing doubles, and all in all, it was a fantastic day - and I was very glad there was no movement on the #wildcardformahut front while I was away! But seriously, it was worth it just for that second set tie break between Lopez and del Potro. That was some tennis right there.

The Bitter Pill of JMDP

Oh man, Andrey Golubev retired in Beijing. I hope he's all right. Get better, Andrey.

And in another oh man moment, you know who I feel sorry for? Juan Martin del Potro.

I think JMDP is doing exactly the right things at the moment. This season is a write-off for him, but it would be totally moronic for him to come into next year stone cold, so he should play some matches here now to get his hand back in. No pressure, no one expecting him to win, ra ra ra.

Except you know what? There is someone who expects him to win - bet you anything. It's himself. And it must be a bitter pill to swallow to go from winning the US Open one year to being bagelled by Feli Lopez in Tokyo.

The best thing JMDP can do is keep on keeping on. If I'm him, I'm playing as much tennis as I can - conscious of the fact that I have to keep it easy on my wrist and stuff, of course - and just getting some matches under my belt. Training is all very well and stuff, but he needs some match toughness. And you've got to be in to win it - eventually, he's going to start winning again. It's coming.

JMDP is going to be able to put this back together again. But not right away. And that must be so incredibly frustrating for him, poor dude. Keep your chin up, Juan. I'm cheering for you.

Yet More Andrey

So I'm pretty sure when I was all 'blah blah Brad Gilbert' yesterday, I probably should have been talking about Darren Cahill instead. Oops. My bad. But my main point still stands - ain't nothing wrong with Murray's game. Is all in Murray's mind. And he needs a coach who is good at that stuff, n'est-ce pas?

Anyway.

My boy Andrey Golubev lost in Gstaad, but considering he did win Hamburg the week before, I think I can give him a pass on this one. Did you know he jumped about fifty ranking spots and is now in the thirties? That is something fierce, yo. If he plays his cards right, he can totally be seeded at the US Open. Now wouldn't that be something!

But you know what he has to do if he wants to be taken seriously?

Stop playing on freaking clay when the claycourt season is over and it's all about the US. And you too, Nikolay Davydenko - are you listening?

I've ranted about this ad nauseam, so I won't go on about it again - but I mean, come ON, guys. What is the point of playing on clay at this time of the year? I just do not get it - not one little bit!

Oh, and in closing this post of randomness, I would like to give a shout out to my new fave doubles team. Janko Tipsarevic and Feli Lopez, please play doubles together for always, just for the Twitter fun times. You guys are made of pure awesome, covered in a luscious awesome sauce!

No Dunces Here

Okay, Ernie, so you beat Roger. I wasn't too happy when you did that.

But you know what? You took that opportunity and you didn't waste it. And that is important. You fought to the death in that match against previous Roger-conqueror Volandri, and you came out on top.

And now... you know what, Ernie? You're in the frigging semi finals of a bigass tournament. Rome is not Delray Beach. This is not some little 250 you can fluke. This is Rome, man. This is a Masters event. This is a big frigging deal.

Now, no one in their right minds expects you to win this title, because, hello, Rafa is a freight train of clay pain and he will destroy anyone who stands in his path. But Ernie, I'm glad you are making the most of this opportunity. You were great in your match against Feliciano Lopez and I'm really keen to see how you're going to fare in the next round.

You're part of the class of '88, Ernie - the class that has given us Juan Martin del Potro and Marin Cilic. And now your name - you're not the top of the class yet, my friend, but you ain't wearing no dunce's cap.

Disappointments in Dubai

I think I wrote a few weeks ago about how Feliciano Lopez has one really good tournament in him in a year. He won a tournament a few weeks ago... and the theory is holding true, because he lost first round in Dubai to Stefan Koubek. Now, Koubeck isn't the uber-suck - he is Federer's hitting partner of choice, as we all know - but really, Feli? Really?

Another dude is definitely hanging out in Club Disappointment this week is Simone Bolelli. Now, I have watched Bolelli play a few times and I like his game. He's played Hopman Cup before, and that really endears me to a player. He's talented and really pretty and he has some serious game.

So why has he lost fourteen matches in a row? Riddle me that one.

I can't talk about that too much more, because I legitimately have no answer. I don't know if there is any excuse for an ATP player of that calibre to lose that many times in a row. That's just crazy talk. So fix something, Simone. You're a mess right now.

Someone I am not disappointed in, however, is Marcos Baghdatis. Gilles Simon may just be back from injury, but he is ranked up high. This was a great win for Marcos, and I hope he can go further!

The World Keeps Turning

So we've managed to have three other whole men's tournaments since the Australian Open final where R-Fed made Muzz look like a schoolboy... it seems simultaneously like yesterday and like ten years ago. Not because the tennis was particularly interesting or anything, but...

...well, anyway. Weekend winners.

I've covered this a few times already in the last few days, but someone needs to tuck Marin Cilic up in bed with a nice cup of tea and a hot water bottle and let him snooze for quite some time. Perhaps he could have a bad TV marathon. (I'm laid up at home with painful wisdom teeth at the moment, and How I Met Your Mother has saved my freaking life). Because Mighty Marin Cilic needs to hang up his racquet and rest for a few weeks. I doubt he planned to have such an intense few weeks - I mean, you don't normally bank on making the semis of a major unless you're Roger Federer - but three solid weeks of tennis? Plus that week in Chennai? That's intense, man.

But kudos to him for winning Zagreb. Two titles already and it's only just February. If he keeps up this rate, he'll be near the top of the rankings in no time.

Feliciano Lopez was another weekend winner - seriously, five years between titles? That is Safinesque... if Safin had managed to win a title after AO '05, which he didn't, so I guess maybe it's not so Safinesque after all. I didn't see any of this tournament, but Feli is always fun to watch and it's always nice seeing a smoking hot hunk of manflesh like 'Deliciano' (thanks for that one, Judy Murray) holding up a trophy. I'm pulling for a nice deep run at Wimbledon for Feli... and I'd love to see him do well at Queen's or Halle or Nottingham or someone. I love his game on grass.

And then the third weekend winner was Thomaz Bellucci. No one much talks about Thomaz, but I think he's a bit of all right. On clay, anyway, he is a machine. Watch out for this kid at Roland Garros. If he gets a kind draw... he's going deep. You heard it here first!

To The Victor Go The Spoils

When it comes to Davis Cup, the Spaniards have got something that so many other nations lack, and that is depth. Quite what it is in the air in Spain that has led to them producing so many excellent sportsman is not known, but they're doing something right in the talent development stage over there, because they have put together one of the best Davis Cup squads you could ever dream of.

I mean, look at who isn't on the team. Robredo. Ferrero. Almagro. Garcia-Lopez. You could pretty easily field two Spanish teams and they'd both be contenders for the title. The Spanish tennis federation (whatsoe'er they may be called) should be lauded, because they are doing something very, very right... or at least they were when these lads were coming up, anyway.

The Spanish team clinched the doubles and thus the Davis Cup today - which was hardly surprising, considering they were able to field two fresh guys up against Stepanek and Berdych, who were both match weary. Stepanek is usually the lifeforce of that doubles duo - they were undefeated coming into the final - but he was listless and exhausted today (which happens when you lose a match you should have won after five hours). The Czechs, when it comes down to it, never stood a chance. It might have been a tournament of four on four, but they were simply outnumbered.

I don't know whether they'll continue to play the dead rubbers, but it really would be nice if the Czechs could score a point or two. They deserve at least one - and at any rate, they don't deserve to be whitewashed. They played too well and worked too hard en route to the final to get here. Congrats, Tomas and Radek and other Czech dudes. You did good.

But the day belongs to Spain. There's no hero like there was last year - all four guys played, and all four guys won. But, as I said yesterday, the hero for me has to be David Ferrer. By rights, he should have lost that match, but he didn't give in, didn't give up, and to the victor went the spoils. I'd love to see that match do for him what Verdasco's match against Acasuso did for Nando - I'd love to see Ferru deep in a Slam (preferably the Aussie), in a round that has the suffix -final. Quarters, semis, whatever. He's been so solid for ages, but he's fallen off a bit this year - here's hoping he's soon back on top of the world.


Today's Results

Davis Cup Final

Spain 3, Czech Republic 0

Lopez/Verdasco def. Berdych/Stepanek, 7-6 (9-7) 7-5 6-2

Ferru Up To Bat

So the Davis Cup draw has been announced - and trust me, I am all over this tournament, being as it is pretty much the last real tennis we will see until the cashcow exhibitions start in January. First up we will have Nadal and Berdych (a match which you have to like Rafa to win, even if Shmafa is the dude that shows up) followed by Stepanek and Ferrer.

Now this is interesting. I thought for sure that the Spaniards would play Verdasco, at least in the first singles match ups. But no. Apparently not.

Ferrer is definitely not a slouch. This we know. But he hasn't exactly been captain of the in form squad either, and Stepanek has had an excellent, excellent year. If the Spaniards are going to lose one match, it's going to be this one, I think. So why, I asked myself, play Ferrer when Verdasco would stand an excellent chance?

But then I thought about it. Better to cede this one rubber - and it's totally not even ceding, because Ferru isn't exactly going to roll over and die - than risk Verdasco playing three matches and then being totally knackered by the time the reverse singles come around. The lineup says that the Czechs are playing Dlouhy and Hajek in the doubles - but even if they swap them out and put Berdych and Stepanek in, they'll come up against a fighting fit Lopez and Verdasco combination. And if the tie is still live going into the third day - let's say that Ferrer loses to Stepanek - then Rafa and Nando between them are surely going to be able to pick up that third point.

This whole scheme does rely on Rafa - if he has to retire injured or something, then Spain are... well, not dead in the water, but let's say that they got left off the lifeboat and the Titanic is sinking. They've just given themselves the best possible chance to win the doubles by ensuring that Verdasco is fresh, and if Rafa can claim those extra two points... bam, Davis Cup is coming home to Spain. But if Rafa's injured and Berdych gets that point tomorrow... well then, there's one dude who is going to have to step up to the plate in a big way and that is David Ferrer. Verdasco as well, don't get me wrong - if there's a live reverse singles rubber and Rafa's out, you can bet it'll be Nando they chuck in - but if Rafa is removed from the equation, then David's throwaway point suddenly becomes vital.

I'm being a bit of a doomcrow re Rafa here, but it is a realistic possibility. And you know what? even if Rafa stays uninjured, I want Ferru to step up. He was the one guy that lost in the Davis Cup final against Argentina last year, necessitating Verdasco's win over Acasuso. So it'd be nice for him to get a point, get some glory.

Czeching Out Mr Safarova and the Worm

Having mulled a little on this in the ensuing day, I think I might have changed my position slightly on Rafael Nadal. I still think it won't be great for him if he loses, but I think the likelihood of him losing is not as great as I thought it was. I did some reading and apparently he was having a bit of a back problem in London which is not bothering him now. This remarkably quick recovery from an injury nonwithstanding, I think Rafa might be in better shape than I thought he was. It wasn't like it was total schleps he was losing to at the World Tour Finals, after all - and not just any random members of the top ten, either. These were three guys that have given him significant trouble in the past, and to whom he had lost this year.

So not so much of a biggie as I had maybe thought. But still... Rafa is not in form. Ain't no one gonna deny that. Shmafa should be enough to put some pain on Berdych, but the Worm could be a whole other matter...

Let's talk about the Czechs for a minute, because, let's face it, they're the underdogs. Even if one or both of them can pull surprise wins out over Nadal or Verdasco or whomever else the Spaniards decide to throw into the ring, they are missing one very important thing - depth. They have Stepanek and Berdych and... watch that tumbleweed roll by.

So how do they play this? Stepanek and Berdych will obviously play both singles rubbers - unless there's a dead rubber involved. There's pretty much no way around this - they have no chance otherwise. Even if Nadal and Verdasco sit out a rubber or two, the Spaniards have Ferrer and Lopez available to throw into the ring. I'm assuming Ferrer is in there to act as some kind of spare singles player - I'm guessing Verdasco and Lopez will take the court in doubles. I'm kind of surprised Juan Carlos Ferrero didn't get a go instead of Ferrer - I think he's been more impressive lately - but Ferrer is no slouch either. And neither is Lopez, for that matter. The Spaniards have got four perfectly effective singles players here.

The Czechs have got Stepanek, Berdych, Jan Hajek and Lukas Dlouhy. Hajek is the one man ever to have beaten Nadal in a singles rubber in the Davis Cup... yeah, somehow I can't see that happening again. And Dlouhy isn't exactly a worldbeater either. He and Hajek are - I hate to say it - padding.

When the Czechs played Croatia, they won the opening two singles rubbers and then took a gamble and played Berdych and Stepanek in the doubles. It paid off, and they took an unassailable 3-0 lead. Will they do that here? This is the match I'm interested in - the doubles. If they win it, it's a valuable point, yes - but somehow I don't think they're going to win both opening singles rubbers, which would mean the tie was live into the final day, which would mean both Berdych and Stepanek would be absolutely fatigued out of their brains. So do they then cede the doubles by playing Hajek and Dlouhy? And what if they gamble on Berdych and Stepanek in the doubles and then they lose? They're really screwed then.

Exciting as it must be to be in the Davis Cup final, I would not like to be in Stepanek or Berdych's shoes right now. There's so much pressure. But then they're not expected to win, so maybe they can swing freely. I don't know. We're just going to have to wait and see, I suppose.

Feliciano Makes A Mess

Nooooooooooooooo!

Argh, Feliciano Lopez, why did you do this to me? Why did you do it to the world? Don't you know how desperately we want to see a Rafa/Yoker grudge match! It's not faaaaaaaaaaair! You're so selfish, Feli!

Pout.

Okay, maybe some of this was Robin's fault as well, for, you know, losing. But really - and I mean no disrespect to Lopez here - but who is going to want to see him play Rafa when we could see a match between sworn enemies? Correct me if I'm wrong, but these two haven't played since that fateful day at Roland Garros. Who wouldn't want to see the rematch - the resurgent Robin, Nadal determined to wreak bloody vengeance.

It would have been so awesome. But oh no, Feliciano Lopez had to be all selfish and go and win. Sigh.

Kudos to Feli, of course, for winning a match against a tough opponent ranked so far above him. But Yoker, whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?! Why must you torment us so?

I suppose once these two actually play, the tension (in the fan community, anyway) will be at such a peak that the match will explode in a festival of awesomeness... or, on second thoughts, fizzle out and be a total disappointment. But we can't know till they play, and they're avoiding each other MOST ANNOYINGLY!


Today's Results

Shanghai ATP Masters 1000 (Shanghai)

Rafael Nadal def. Ivan Ljubicic, 3-6 6-3 retired
Novak Djokovic def. Gilles Simon, 6-3 2-6 6-2
Nikolay Davydenko def. Radek Stepanek, 6-1 4-6 6-1
Feliciano Lopez def. Robin Soderling, 7-6 (7-4) 6-3


Generali Ladies Linz (Linz)

Flavia Pennetta def. Ioana Raluca Olaru, 7-5 6-2
Agnieszka Radwanska def. Lucie Safarova, 6-3 7-6 (11-9)
Yanina Wickmayer def. Sara Errani, 7-5 6-3
Petra Kvitova def. Carla Suarez Navarro, 7-5 6-4


HP Open (Osaka)

Caroline Wozniacki def. Aleksandra Wozniak, 6-2 6-7 (1-7) 6-2
Sania Mirza def. Marion Bartoli, 6-4 2-0 retired
Samantha Stosur def. Jill Craybas, 6-1 6-3
Francesca Schiavone def. Melinda Czink, walkover

Missing Nando

I have just realised something.

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We all know that Davis Cup has just started. I think we probably all know that the first day of the Spain/Serbia tie got postponed due to high wind. But one thing I did NOT know is that Nando Verdasco is NOT on the Spanish team.

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Look, I'm sorry, but whose dumb idea was that? I know there's a great deal of depth in Spanish men's tennis at the moment, but even so, Nando is probably one of the first people you want on your team. I mean, I can understand selecting Rafa above him, because hello, Rafa is Rafa, but I would have picked Nando before Ferrer, Robredo and Lopez, any day of the week.

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Robredo is showing some great form at the moment, sure, but neither Ferrer nor Lopez have done anything especially remarkable so far this year, whereas Verdasco certainly has. That semi he played against Nadal at the Aussie Open is one of the greatest matches we have seen in recent history. And please - the man is a freaking Davis Cup hero. He basically won the thing for Team Spain on those fateful three days in Mar del Plata. When the Boss was down and out, it was not Robredo, Lopez or Ferrer that stepped up to lead for their country. It was Nando Verdasco.

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SO WHERE IS HE?

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My apologies to those responsible for the Spanish Davis Cup selection panel if Nando is injured or otherwise unavilable and I wasn't in on the memo - which is probably likely. But if he was available and you didn't pick him... shame on you. Shame.

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Today's Results

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Davis Cup

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Argentina 2, Netherlands 0

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Juan Ignacio Chela def. Jesse Huta Galung, 6-2 2-6 6-2 6-7 (4-7) 6-2

Juan Monaco def. Thiemo de Bakker, 6-1 6-2 7-6 (7-1)

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France 1, Czech Republic 1

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Tomas Berdych def. Gilles Simon, 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-3

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Radek Stepanek, 7-5 6-2 7-6 (7-1)

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Switzerland 1, USA 0

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Stanislas Wawrinka def. James Blake, 3-6 6-4 6-3 7-6 (7-3)

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Croatia 2, Chile 0

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Mario Ancic def. Nicolas Massu, 6-3 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

Marin Cilic def. Paul Capdeville, 6-1 6-2 6-1

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Sweden 1, Israel 1

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Thomas Johansson def. Harel Levy, 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 7-5 4-6 8-6

Dudi Sela def. Andreas Vinciguerra, 4-6 6-3 3-6 6-3 11-9

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Russia 2, Romania 0

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Marat Safin def. Victor Crivoi, 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 6-4

Mikhail Youzhny def. Victor Hanescu, 6-4 6-2 6-4

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Austria 1, Germany

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Stefan Koubek def. Rainer Schuettler, 6-4 7-5 5-7 6-2

Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Jurgen Melzer, 6-7 (4-7) 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-3

Nando Brings Home The Bacon

What an incredible victory for Spain. But it is tinged with a few bittersweet notes, in my opinion. Not that Spain didn't deserve their win, because they wholeheartedly did, but there is some sadness among the gladness, and not just for Argentina.

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First, the health of Juan Martin del Potro. He was obviously pretty badly injured, considering he chose not to play or was sidelined or whatever in the reverse singles. Would the story have been different if he had been fully fit? I like to think not, because I don't want to take anything away from the achievements of Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco, who were both outstanding this weekend. But I'm sure that seed of doubt will linger in a few minds for some time to come.

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And secondly, poor David Ferrer. I was all geared up for him to bring home the bacon today - not that he had to make up for losing to Nalbandian, because there's no shame in that, but it would have been nice if he could have had a second chance, so to speak. I wonder how difficult it was for Emilio Sanchez to make the decision to play Verdasco instead of Ferrer - and how Ferru reacted? Tennis is not by nature a team sport - rejection is not something players would often have an opportunity to cope with. Losing, yes, but not even being allowed the opportunity to lose? Poor Ferru. He was part of the winning team, all right, but he was the 1, not the 3. Tremendous as Fernando Verdasco's victory was, for it to come sort at the expense of Ferrer was, for me, bittersweet. I love Ferrer's style of play and he seems like such a nice bloke. It's great that he won Davis Cup and all, but I don't think he made any progress in coming out from Rafa's shadow. I'm sad he didn't get his chance.

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But how can one ignore the way that Lopez and Verdasco came through bigtime? I talked about Fidgiano yesterday, so let's talk Nando today - what a victory that was over Acasuso! Isn't it strange, the way the biggest event in world team tennis can come down to a match between two men who are essentially journeymen: neither have been or probably never will be near the top ten, and yet what a spectacle they put on! I always go on about how un-patriotic I am in terms of tennis and how it's about the individual not the nation, but I really think that the nationalistic element of Davis Cup really spurs the players on to excellence. In normal tour tennis, sure, you're playing for your country to a degree, but mostly you're playing for yourself. In Davis Cup, you've got a country behind (or at least the part of your country that pays attention to tennis, however meagre it may be.) This match between Verdasco and Acasuso was a real thriller, a popcorn match. You have to feel for Acasuso as well - this isn't the first time he's been the losing guy in a deciding rubber. You only have to think back to Argentina vs. Russia, Davis Cup final '06. But Nando really pulled it out. I bet his lovely girlfriend Mademoiselle Ivanovic will be pleased.

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This proves that Spanish tennis isn't all Rafa - just like Stan Wawrinka proved this year that Swiss tennis isn't all Roger. Fidgiano and Nando have been round for a while and they've done a whole heap of good stuff, but they just brought home the Davis Cup for their country, with no help from Rafa at all. Congratulations, guys - and congratulations to David Ferrer and Marcel Granollers and Emilio Sanchez and the whole team. Spain is the deepest country in men's tennis right now - and they've got the enormous trophy to prove it.

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Today's Results

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Davis Cup (Mar del Plata)

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Spain 3, Argentina 1

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Fernando Verdasco def. Jose Acasuso, 6-3 6-7 (3-7) 4-6 6-3 6-1

Ferru Up To Bat

Well, well, well. This certainly is an interesting turn of events. When Rafa announced he was out of the Davis Cup final, I think just about everyone wrote off Spain entirely - including, I am not ashamed to admit, me. But now, after two days of play, we find ourselves in a very interesting place. Spain are up 2-1.

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I stand by my statement that the real hero of this tie, if Spain can pull it out, will be Feliciano Lopez. His singles victory over Juan Martin del Potro was crucial - it cannot be expressed just how crucial it was. If Spain wins, I think that will be seen as the match that turned the tide. Even though del Potro is Argentina's star player this year, when it comes to Davis Cup, Nalbandian is and always has been rock solid. He proved that yesterday, with his victory over Ferrer - a victory one can only describe as solid, actually. Ol' Dave N ain't going anywhere. Del Potro may be ranked higher, but it is over his head that the question mark lies. Nine times out of ten, based on recent form, you'd pick del Potro to come out over Lopez. But Fidgiano pulled it out.

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Spain has to win one more match to win the tie - just one. If Feliciano Lopez wins that match, he will become a national hero. But who knows whether or not he will actually be the guy to play the reverse singles rubber? After that great win over del Potro and the gruelling doubles victory with Verdasco today, he might be the guy with the hot hand, but he must also be absolutely buggered.

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It is time for David Ferrer to step up to bat. He is the highest-ranked player on this team, and though he's played Spanish second banana to Rafa for, like, ever, it's time for him to do something absolutely outstanding in his own right. He's due to play the first singles rubber, nominally against del Potro, but there is a bit of an injury cloud as well as that question mark I was talking about before hovering Juan M's head. Presumably Jose Acasuso would be the replacement if del Potro cannot play. If Acasuso wins, he will be a hero, and he will leave Feliciano Lopez or Nando Verdasco or whomever Emilio Sanchez picks to save the day and become Spain's hero. Ferrer will be out in the cold, second banana once more.

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But if Ferru can step it up and win this rubber - he's not been in the best of form lately, but hello, he's David Ferrer - then maybe he can emerge, just a bit, from Rafa's shadow. Lopez will still be the hero of the tie: but at least he won't be the only hero.

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And then, hey, maybe Marcel Granollers will get a bit of court time in the dead rubber. I'm sure he'd like that.

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Today's Results

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Davis Cup (Mar del Plata)

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Spain 2, Argentina 1

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Lopez/Verdasco def. Nalbandian/Calleri, 5-7 7-5 7-6 (7-5) 6-3

Roddinki

So Andy Roddick has picked his new coach - Larry Stefanki. I can't say I know a whole lot about Stefanki, except that he was responsible for that remarkable transformation in Fernando Gonzalez last year when Gonzo made it to the final of the Aussie Open and into the elite eight of the Masters Cup... but then the partnership seemed to go a bit stale. Or maybe that split or something. I'm not really up on the minutiae of Gonzo's career. But wouldn't it be interesting if Stefanki could have a similar effect on Roddick, however short-term?

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There are two matches that stand out for me from Fernando Gonzalez, both in the '07 Australian Open - and I think we can safely say that if he had not been playing Roger Federer in the final (Roger Federer in insane form - remember that semi-final demolition of Roddick?) he would have won that tournament, 400%. He absolutely destroyed Tommy Haas in the semi-finals - and sure, Tommy Haas isn't exactly a world-beater, but this was coming on the back of a straight sets thrashing of Rafa Nadal in the quarters. Whatever Stefanki did to Fernando, it worked big time, and it can be seen nowhere more clearly than in that tournament. His serve became consistent, those huge, massive groundies went in more often than not, and overall, his game just tightened up a notch.

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Thing is, I'm not necessarily sure that's what Andy Roddick needs. He's got a great serve, and while he may not be the most consistent player in the world, he's no Marat Safin. His groundies are fine - to my eye, anyway. What he really needs is a real grass-court coach - specifically, someone that can teach him how to volley. Because the Andy Roddick volley at the moment... well, I use 'volley' in the loosest possible sense of the word. And the sad thing is, it's come on light years from where it once was, and it's still only a 'volley.'

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Now, like I said, I'm no authority on Stefanki. Maybe he can teach Roddick this - looking him up, I see he's coached Tim Henman, and no one would ever doubt the Henman volley. So Roddinki will be an interesting partnership - I'll certainly be watching closely to see how it all turns out.

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Now if only Federer would hurry up and pick his new coach...

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Oh, and Davis Cup! How could I forget to write about that? (Actually, I know exactly how I could forget... I was so excited about the Nadal/Nalbandian clash, only to be thwarted AGAIN!) We're at 1-all, and I think it is going to be veeery interesting... massive kudos to Feliciano Lopez for beating Juan Martin del Potro! If Spain pulls this tie out of the bag, I think Fidgiano just might be the hero - he was an odd choice for that singles rubber, but oh! did he pay off!

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Today's Results

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Davis Cup (Mar del Plata)

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Argentina 1, Spain 1

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David Nalbandian def. David Ferrer, 6-3 6-2 6-3

Feliciano Lopez def. Juan Martin del Potro, 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-4) 6-3

Argentinian Grudge Match

Anyone else get the feeling that David Nalbandian and Juan Martin del Potro don't really like each other too much?

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I have pretty much nothing on which to base this hunch, but I can't help but feel it's true. I know if I were David Nalbandian and some little upstart teenager from my country came up and started winning stuff and being the pride of Argentinian tennis I would be a bit pissed off. Sure, it's great for Davis Cup, but... let's just say I don't think you'll ever see Headbandian and Juan Martino playing doubles together. Headbandian doesn't strike me as the nicest guy anyway - he appears to have a very contrary, surly sort of disposition - and we all know Juan is not unaggressive himself, after that whole 'you and your mother' incident with Andy Murray in Rome. Like I said, I have nothing on which to base my theory that Dave and Juan are at each others' throats... but does anyone else think the same thing?

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So this semi-final in Basel is going to be pretty interesting. Headbandian is the higher seed, but I'd be banking on del Potro. The way he's playing at the moment... well, there's a reason he's probably going to qualify for the Tennis Masters Cup and Headbandian probably isn't. Meanwhile, speaking of the Masters Cup, five have qualified and the top of the remaining three is Roddick, del Potro and, randomly, Gilles Simon. I knew Simon has had a good year, but has it really been that good? I guess it must have been.

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The Fed is through in Basel is well, stomping all over Simone Bolelli, which was nice. Fourth seed Blake is out, so he'll face Feliciano Lopez, and I think he should come through that one just fine, especially as he seems to have been lifting his game throughout the week. So he'll play the winner of the Argentinian grudge match... and he will win. Because I said so.

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Oh, and Ana Ivanovic is in the semis of Linz! Can she keep it coming? I sure hope so - I want her back!

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Today's Results

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Davidoff Swiss Indoors (Basel)

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Roger Federer def. Simone Bolelli, 6-2 6-3

David Nalbandian def. Benjamin Becker, 7-6 (7-4) 6-4

Juan Martin Del Potro def. Igor Andreev, 6-4 7-5

Feliciano Lopez def. James Blake, 6-4 7-6 (9-7)

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St Petersburg Open (St Petersburg)

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Andy Murray def. Janko Tipsarevic, 7-6 (7-5) 7-5

Fernando Verdasco def. Rainer Schuettler, 7-5 6-2

Victor Hanescu def. Michail Elgin, 6-1 6-4

Andrey Golubev def. Mischa Zverev, 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-4)

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Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon (Lyon)

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Robin Soderling def. Andy Roddick, 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-5)

Gilles Simon def. Josselin Ouanna, 6-3 7-5

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Juan Carlos Ferrero, 7-6 (7-5) 6-1

Julien Benneteau def. Steve Darcis, 6-3 6-2

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Generali Ladies Linz (Linz)

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Ana Ivanovic def. Flavia Pennetta, 6-4 6-4

Vera Zvonareva def. Alizé Cornet, 7-5 6-1

Agnieszka Radwanska def. Nadia Petrova, 6-3 6-2

Marion Bartoli def. Alona Bondarenko, 6-3 5-7 6-1

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FORTIS Championships Luxembourg (Luxembourg)
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Elena Dementieva def. Amélie Mauresmo, 6-4 6-0

Sorana Cirstea def. Daniela Hantuchova, 7-6 (7-2) 6-2

Caroline Wozniacki def. Anabel Medina Garrigues, 6-1 7-6 (9-7)

Li Na def. Iveta Benesova, 6-4 4-6 6-2

Down With The Worm!

There's something vaguely satisfying about seeing Radek Stepanek get beaten. Not because he's a horrible person or anything - I suppose Martina Hingis and Nicole Vaidisova must have seen something in him, because he's butt-ugly - but just because he's so kind of... creepy. You don't get the nickname 'The Worm' by being a handsome, upstanding member of the tennis community. He's just so... off-putting.

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But The Worm is no more in Madrid, being effectively put down in two sets by the Swiss Master, Roger Federer. They weren't blow-out sets, but a straight sets victory is a straight sets victory, and compared to the tussle Nadal had with Gulbis yesterday, it's pretty nice looking. So well done, Roger. And along the way - just another milestone in that amazing career of his - he surpassed Sampras's mark for as the winner of the most prize money in tennis history. Not that Federer seems like a monetarily minded guy or anything - Maria Sharapova must rake in fifty times what he makes each year from endorsments alone - but it must be a pretty nice mark. I wouldn't mind getting money out at an ATM and looking at a balance like that on the receipt. He's won in excess of forty-three million dollars. Now that is a sweet paycheck!

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He plays Jo-W Tsonga in the next round. That should be an interesting one to watch - I don't know if they've ever met. Federer remains the one member of the Big Three Tsonga hasn't taken down: and much as I like Tsonga, here's hoping it stays that way! Federer for the title!

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Djokovic also advanced, but there were two breaker sets, one of which he lost, and his opponent retired in the third. And what's with David Ferrer? He seems to have gone right off the boil, which is a bit sad for him, as he is a bit fabulous. He lost to Feliciano Lopez. Get well soon, David - or whatever it is! I'd love to see him playing at the Masters Cup this year, especially as he got to the final last year. And Davydenko went out as well - to Robby Ginepri, of all people. There's a weird loss if I ever saw one.

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Today's Results

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Mutua Madrilena Masters Madrid (Madrid)

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Roger Federer def. Radek Stepanek, 6-3 7-6 (8-6)

Novak Djokovic def. Victor Hanescu, 6-7 (8-10) 7-6 (8-6) 3-1 retired

Robby Ginepri def. Nikolay Davydenko, 4-6 6-4 6-4

Feliciano Lopez def. David Ferrer, 6-4 7-6 (7-4)

David Nalbandian def. Tomas Berdych, 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 6-1

Andy Roddick def. Tommy Robredo, 6-3 6-4

Juan Martin Del Potro def. Jarkko Nieminen, 6-2 4-2 retired

Stanislas Wawrinka def. Philipp Kohlschreiber, 3-6 7-5 7-6 (7-5)

Gael Monfils def. Fernando Gonzalez, 6-3 6-4

Ivo Karlovic def. Robin Soderling, 7-6 (9-7) 7-6 (10-8)

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Marcel Granollers, 3-6 6-3 7-6 (7-5)

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Tennis.com Zurich Open (Zurich)

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Venus Williams def. Alona Bondarenko, 6-3 6-4

Francesca Schiavone def. Maria Kirilenko, 6-3 7-5

Flavia Pennetta def. Nadia Petrova, 6-1 6-1

Katarina Srebotnik def. Timea Bacsinszky, 6-3 6-3

Sofia Arvidsson def. Sybille Bammer, 0-6 7-5 6-4

Ka-Phau

How about Bjorn Phau? He's what, five hundred years old in tennis terms, a real journeyman, and though the score might not quite reflect it, he gave Rafa a bit of a run for his money. I bet that Rafa wasn't really very pleased about spending three hours on court in the first round, not with the amount of tennis he's played of late. If Rafa's going to win this tournament, he really is going to have to get the job done quicker than that, or he's just going to burn out. I know he's, like, the God of Fitness, but no one can play that much tennis and not feel it. He said he was tired going into Beijing, which is why he dropped that set to Potito Starace - so even though he's had a week off, imagine how he must feel now. Poor guy must be buggered.

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That's the price of being good, I guess. You win lots of tournaments in a row = you play many, many matches. You can't win by not playing. If Rafa insists on going on these hots streaks, he'll just have to pay the price.

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Both Rafa and Roger have come out and talked about the sheer insanity of the schedule. I mean, they have no control over the Olympics and that schedule, but really, it's pretty tough to have a one week turn around from such a huge tournament. It's worse than the turnaround between Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and that's pretty crazy too. Both Roger and Rafa played a hell of a lot of matches in the Olympic week, what with both going deep in singles and doubles, so I hope it isn't too hectic for them. Roger will be all right, I think - never thought I'd count those early losses in the Masters Series events as a sort of blessing! - but Rafa has played pretty much non stop since April. So, moral of the story is, Rafa, get the job done fast as you can. I know you did it in straights, but it still took you three hours, and that is just a bit crazy.

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But all credit to Bjorn Phau. Rafa was making uncharacteristic errors, sure, but Phau exploited them. He got in there and had a go. He didn't get intimidated by the situation or the opponent, and he gave it his all - and damn can he hit hard! 'Phau' (Pow) is right. (And I apologise, once again, for the terrible tennis pun which is the title of today's blog. I am helpless in the face of puns.)

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There were no major upsets - at least, not yet. The day isn't quite finished yet! Rafa won, Murray won, so did Ferru and Stan and Headbandian. The only male seed to lose was Juan Monaco, who lost to fast-rising Nishikori from Japan. I've never been particularly impressed with Monaco, so I wasn't especially surprised. Oh, and Lopez lost as well, which was a bit sad... but Wimbledon is his place for success, I think.

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In the women, we did have one that was sort of big - Anna Chakvetadze lost to Ekaterina Makarova, one of the other Russians. The only other seed to fall was Shahar Peer, who went out to Li Na. Li seems to win all the time - how is she not seeded? One of those mysteries of the women's game that I will never understand. Oh, and Kirilenko went out to Paszek. Otherwise, everything seems to be going to plan - Jankovic is on court right now putting the beatdown on Coco Vanderweghe, and sentimental favourite Davenport won as well.

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So no major upset stories so far... which is not necessarily a bad thing! But an intriguing beginning nonetheless.

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Today's Results

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US Open (Flushing Meadows)

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Men's Draw

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Rafael Nadal def. Bjorn Phau, 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

David Ferrer def. Martin Vassallo Arguello, 7-6 (7-1) 6-2 6-2

Andy Murray def. Sergio Roitman, 6-3 6-4 6-0

Gael Monfils def. Pablo Cuevas, 6-4 6-4 6-1

Andreas Beck def. John Isner, 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 7-6 (7-3)

Stanislas Wawrinka def. Simone Bolelli, 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 6-3

Jiri Vanek def. Stephane Bohli, 3-6 6-3 6-2 7-5

Ryler de Heart def. Olivier Rochus, 7-6 (7-4) 5-7 6-4 3-6 6-4

Roko Karanusic def. Ryan Sweeting, 7-5 7-5 3-6 6-2

Wayne Odesnik def. Fabio Fognini, 2-6 6-0 4-6 6-3 6-4

Jurgen Melzer def. Feliciano Lopez, 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 2-6 6-4

Evgeny Korolev def. Robin Soderling, 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 7-6 (11-9)

Michael Llodra def. Teimuraz Gabashvili, 6-3 5-7 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (7-4)

Andrey Golubev def. Brendan Evans, 6-4 6-3 6-2

Gilles Simon def. Marcel Granollers, 6-4 6-3 5-7 6-2

Viktor Troicki def. Carsten Ball, 7-6 (7-3) 6-0 6-1

David Nalbandian def. Marcos Daniel, 6-1 6-2 6-4

Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Luis Horna, 6-2 6-3 6-2

Kei Nishikori def. Juan Monaco, 6-2 6-2 5-7 6-2

Jose Acasuso def. Michael Berrer, 6-4 6-2 6-2

Juan Martin del Potro def. Guillermo Canas, 4-6 7-6 (7-0) 6-4 6-1

Thomaz Bellucci def. Oscar Hernandez, 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 7-5

James Blake def. Donald Young, 6-1 3-6 6-1 4-6 6-4

Steve Darcis def. Denis Gremelmayr, 6-1 6-7 (6-8) 7-6 (7-4) 6-4

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Women's Draw

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Elena Dementieva def. Akgul Amanmuradova, 6-4 7-5

Lindsay Davenport def. Aleksandra Wozniak, 6-4 6-2

Jelena Jankovic def. Coco Vandeweghe, 6-3 6-1

Ekaterina Makarova def. Anna Chakvetadze, 1-6 6-2 6-3

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Shuai Zhang, 6-4 6-2

Li Na def. Shahar Peer, 2-6 6-0 6-1

Caroline Wozniacki def. Ahsha Rolle, 6-2 6-1

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Vania King, 6-2 4-6 6-2

Virginia Ruano Pascula def. Petra Kvitova, 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 6-2

Francesca Schiavone def. Nuria Llagostera Vives, 7-5 7-5

Yvonne Meusburger def. Lourdes Dominguez Lino, 6-1 6-2

Maria Elena Camerin def. Emilie Loit, 6-0 6-2

Katarina Srebotnik def. Yanina Wickmayer, 3-6 6-0 6-3

Patty Schnyder def. Anastasia Pivovarova, 6-3 3-6 6-3

Jie Zheng def. Shenay Perry, 6-2 6-3

Tatiana Perebiynis def. Mariya Koryttseva, 6-1 6-4

Victoria Azarenka def. Klara Zakopalova, 6-2 6-1

Iveta Benesova def. Karin Knapp, 6-0 6-3

Sofia Arvidsson def. Yan Zi, 6-2 6-4

Pauline Parmentier def. Marina Erakovic, 6-3 7-6 (7-2)

Sara Errani def. Jelena Kostanic Tosic, 6-4 6-2

Magdalena Rybarikova def. Gisela Dulko, 6-4 6-0

Anne Keothavong def. Alexa Glatch, 6-2 6-2

Tamira Paszek def. Maria Kirilenko, 6-3 3-6 6-4

Aravane Rezai def. Asia Muhammad, 6-2 6-4

Marion Bartoli def. Galina Voskoboeva, 6-2 6-3

Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Tsvetana Pironkova, 6-4 7-5

Vera Zvonareva def. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, 6-4 6-3

Sybille Bammer def. Aiko Nakamura, 6-4 6-2

Ekaterina Bychkova def. Anastastia Rodionova, 6-1 6-3

Sorana Cirstea def. Lucie Safarova, 6-4 4-6 6-2

Alisa Kleybanova def. Carla Suarez Navarro, 6-2 7-5

Mmm, Safin

So it's going to be a pretty dull week, tennis-wise, it seems... at least until the Olympics start on Friday. The only men's tournament going on is in LA, and it's a pretty small one - which is as you would expect, I suppose, what with them Olympics. The one player I'll be following is Safin, who seems to be doing okay so far - he and Igor Kunitsyn took out a pretty decent doubles duo in Ker and Soares. So good work, boys... for what it's worth.

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Actually, this might be Marat's big chance. It's pretty awful, but with all the big guys over at the Olympics, he might stand a decent chance of winning his first title since 2005. Wouldn't that be nice? Right after his little sister won the women's US Open series... (which means that if she wins the US Open she'll win an obscene amount of money - something like two and a half million dollars.) So let's have a bit of a look at the LA draw... Marat's a seed! How cool is that!? He's now ranked #38 in the world, which means all he has to do is scrape a few more places and he can be seeded at the US Open. Which means he can't repeat his Wimbledon feat and remove Djokovic early, but I suppose we can't have everything.

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So Marat faces Isner in the first round, which could be a tough one... but I think I have a tendency to overestimate Isner, Kohlschreiber-style. So let's say Marat comes through that... he'll face the winner of Odesnik and Reynolds, then he'd be seeded to meet Lopez in the quarters, then probably Roddick. Heavy on the Americans, this draw.

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Actually, let's look at the seeds. Roddick, who wussed out on the Olympics. Verdasco, whom I presume got edged by the rest of the Spaniards - Nadal, Ferrer, Robredo, et al. Del Potro - why is he not at the Olympics? - then Lopez, who I presume is another Spanish reject. Then Safin, Fish, Moya and Haas. Oh, Carlos... he's finally taken a bit of a slide down the rankings. All the way to #41... which isn't that bad, I suppose. Still, this isn't the best field ever. Though to be fair, it's really not the worst either. I would have pegged a lot of these guys - especially the Spaniards - as Olympic contenders. But when you come from a country with a deep pool, like Spain, I suppose there always have to be sacrifices.

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Though if we're looking at it that way, where are the French guys? We have Serra, Grosjean and Gicquel in the draw, but you'd think there'd be more... though I suppose that with Tsonga out and Gasquet whimpering under the bed, they don't have their top TOP guys at the Olympics, so someone has to pick up the slack.

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And there are no women's tournaments at all, so I can't revert to my old standby there... so we're going to be following LA this week. But I can't promise we'll follow it with much passion. Except for Safin matches. Because, mmm, Safin.

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Today's Results

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Countrywide Classic (Los Angeles)

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Denis Gremelmayr def. Fabio Fognini, 6-4 6-2

Florent Serra def. Andrey Golubev, 6-4 6-1

Marc Gicquel def. Zack Fleishman, 6-3 6-0