Stop. Hammertime.

So. Um. Novak Djokovic. Yeah. He's, like, playing well and stuff. I heard. A bit well. He's, like, winning stuff. Lots of stuff. And beating people. A lot. And not losing. At all.

I don't normally pay Novak many compliments, on the grounds that I find him deeply, desperately irritating, but kudos have to be given for this tear that he's on. He is playing absolutely, outstandingly well. MC Hammer 'can't touch this' well. Even if you're Rafa, and it's clay, and it's Spain.

That's what's crossed the line from awesome to scary for me - beating Rafa in Spain on clay. Sure, Rafa played like poo in this match, but that's not taking anything away from how scarily well Djokovic played - and is playing. He's got just about every player I can think of in the world on a string at the moment. He's figured out everyone and everything and his game is - well, there aren't really words for how well he's playing at the moment.

The one thing I'm worried about, if I'm Novak, is not Roland Garros coming up, but Rome. If I'm him, I'm seriously considering skipping. Winning means playing a lot of tennis, and Novak's played a lot of tennis lately. He's won the Djokovic Open and now Madrid, and it's not a stretch to think that he might win Rome as well. So going into Roland Garros, he'd be on a winning streak, but he'd also be on 'I have played unbelievable amounts of tennis' streak. We saw what happened to Rafa in 2009 at Roland Garros (though, to be fair, he did also play Monte Carlo as well). That's not the way Novak wants to go down.

And then if he plays Rome and loses, that's a big downer right there. Losing to Rafa in the final of Madrid would have been one thing - losing in Rome another thing entirely. The last thing you want going into a Slam is a comedown.

So yeah. It's an interesting one. Time will tell, I guess.

I think Rafa's going to take a long hard look at himself after this match. I think we're going to see a new energy with him. I read somewhere this morning that Rafa plays better as the hunter than the hunted, and I think that's totally true. He's going to feel like the underdog after this match, and that's just where he wants to be. If he plays Novak again in Rome, I will be veeeeeeeery interested to see who comes out on top...

(I hope it's Federer!)

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...

Rezai, Randomness and Roland Garros

So in all that Fedal frazzling, I totally forgot about what I actually spent most of the week writing about - the women's draw in Madrid.

I wonder exactly how many people in the world put money on Aravane Rezai to win that tournament. And exactly what holiday island they're on now, which beach, which fruity cocktail they're sitting...

Seriously, Rezai has been on the rise this year - she first really popped into my field of vision when she very-nearly-almost beat Serena in the semis in Sydney, because I remember being very cross that she was going to be in the final, as I had tickets to it and hadn't exactly paid to see Aravane Rezai. And also she was wearing some hideous gold thing. But who would have thought she'd go all the way and win a Premier tournament?

Seriously, this year's Roland Garros is one OPEN tournament. Henin may be the favourite - and, indeed, the only big name player to have won one of the big clay titles - but just about anyone could win this one. Rezai aside, the last Premier event was won by Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. Now that MJMS isn't awesome, but she isn't normally what you'd think of as big title material.

But anyone is big title material right now in the WTA. Including Aravane Rezai.

Marion Bartoli better watch her back, because Aravane is skyrocketing up the rankings and may soon be French #1. Her victory over Venus - arguably the best performer of the leading women on clay this season, even though she hasn't won a title recently - was absolutely superb. She's already left perennial underperformer Alize Cornet far behind and it looks like the only way is up.

You always wonder how players are going to back up big wins like this one. However, what we have to remember that because this field is so wide open, ANYONE in the WTA draw can theoretically win Roland Garros. It might not be Rezai or MJMS, but someone random could come skyrocketing through in the same manner and claim the prize. Back it up shmack it up - they'll have a Slam!

A Clearing of the Slate

I would be lying if I didn't say I was expecting Rafael Nadal to win the Madrid final yesterday.

And I would also be lying if I didn't say that, in a way, that is the way it should be.

Obviously, I am a Federfan first and foremost. I wanted him to win yesterday. But when Rafa took it out? I was neither surprised nor upset when he won, just as I will not be surprised or particularly upset if/when he wins Roland Garros. Just as Wimbledon and the green grass courts belong to Roger, so red clay belongs to Rafa. It is right that he should dominate on it, on his home turf.

I would not be surprised if what we see in the six weeks of tennis we have ahead of us is a return to 2007, when the clay is Rafa's and the grass is Roger's. Leastways, this is how I am seeing it in my mind at the moment - each winning on the surface which is his own, each challenging, but not quite succeeding. Rafa has his Wimbledon. Roger has his Roland Garros. Each has proven their point.

What I would like to see is spirited challenging from both men, particularly from Federer on the clay. It would really be something, and would, I believe, silence any doubts anyone has ever had about him ever, if he beat Rafa on the red clay of Roland Garros. I sincerely hope they have the chance to play in the final again.

I attached significance to this Madrid match yesterday. Today... I'm not so sure, and not just because Federer lost it and I am his fangirl first and foremost. It felt to me almost like a clearing of the slate, like a return to the past, where the clay belonged to one and the grass to the other, before glandular fever and knee injury took their toll.

What it feels a bit like is a second chance - 2007 all over again. Roger is #1 and Rafa is #2. The Hispano-Suisse domination machine is back where they ought to be, at the top.

And so - let the games begin.

Preview

I said yesterday that I wouldn't write about the possibility of a Fedal final for fear of epic jinxage. Well, that seems to have worked out well, as I got my Fedal final. Both boys came through in three tight sets apiece.

And here we are. Exactly a year since they last played, in the match that really defined the rest of the year for both players.

Is it any wonder I'm f^&*ing terrified?

I don't want to put too much weight on this match - not least of all for my own sanity. If you look at the Rome final in 2006, that was absolutely momentous for both players. The course of tennis history might be quite different if Roger Federer had capitalised on one of his two championship points in that match. But it was Rafa that came out the victor and became the Clay Domination Machine that he was for the next few seasons. That was a key match.

Some matches seem like key matches at the time, but don't turn out to be quite as portentous as one might have initially imagined. Yes, Australian Open final 2009, I'm looking at you. But then sometimes a whole tournament can pretty much punch you in the face with its significance in hindsight, when there is no way you could have ever known how much it would mean.

Madrid 2009 shaped the future of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. Djokovic, after an excellent clay season, was finally broken by Nadal in that epic semi final. But that match took a whole lot of juice out of Nadal - and he didn't have a lot of juice left to give. He lost the final - and Federer won it. And that win - especially after he came out and said that he expected to win the tournament - well, that win set him up to take the crown at Roland Garros.

Roger Federer. Rafael Nadal. Two of the greatest champions our sport has ever seen. They have not played since the final of this tournament one year ago.

But circumstances were different then. Rafa was exhausted (partly because he had won every single clay match in the last, well, ever) and Roger was hungry and maybe even a little bit more different. Now Rafa is fresher and Roger has - well, how much does he have left to prove?

That whole proof thing might be enough to make another man complacent, but we know that's not the way one Roger Federer rolls. And how has the Roger/Rafa dynamic changed in their year apart?

This match might not turn out to be significant at all. These two have played about twenty matches in the past, and not every single one of those matches has turned out to be world changing. But a lot of them have. Rome 2006. Wimbledon 2008. Madrid 2009. Just to name a few.

Two men enter, one man leaves. Roland Garros awaits in one week - the citadel that King Roger currently occupies and that Rafa the conquistador desperately wants to reclaim. This might be considered a preview, a match where they suss each other out, each vying for dominance but not quite committing yet.

It might not be an important match. But let's just say this - I wouldn't put money on it being of little signficance. Not one cent.

The Murray Conundrum

I would like to state right now that I am not going to even muse on the possibility of a Fedal final in Madrid. It will be a jinx. And Ferrer and Almagro are fierce players. Note that I am not mentioning any words like 'destiny'.

Instead, I want to talk about Andy Murray.

I completely forgot he was even in this tournament until he lost to Daveed Ferrer today. This is not just me not paying attention - this is, I believe, symptomatic of Murray's career over the last few months. It has been very easy to forget about Andy Murray. Too easy, when he's supposed to be ranked in the top five.

I don't know how much of this is his relative inability to play on clay and how much is the funk he is undoubtedly in. A quarter final in Madrid is actually not that bad a result, considering what other results he's been pulling over the last little while. And maybe this under the radar thing will work for him. He's certainly the dude that no one is talking about going into Roland Garros.

...where, we must remember, he made the quarters last year. His relative inability to play on clay is just that - relative. He's never going to be a dirtballer, let's put it that way.

But, all this aside, I can't help feeling that something is very wrong with Andy Murray. And with Wimbledon fast approaching, where expectations are going to hit him like a freight train, he's running out of time to straighten up and fly right. Because if he's in a hole now, imagine what the British media will do to him if he disappoints in SW19.

Madrid Mesdames

It is very sad that, when there are only three proper seeds left in a tournament, two of them have to play each other in the quarter finals. But such is the way of the world, I suppose.

Sam Stosur may have lost to a Venus Williams running hot today, but she still has a whole lot of momentum propelling her forward into Roland Garros. She has a lot of ranking points there to defend, but to tell the truth, I don't think she's going to have tooooo much of a problem doing it. Of course if she gets drawn against a Williams in the quarters or something that might prove a problem, but for now, I think Sam is on track to do great.

I thought the same thing about Jelena Jankovic. I haven't exactly revised my position, but let's just say I wasn't expecting her to lose to Aravane Rezai, talented as Rezai is. (I remember her pushing Serena hard in the semis in Sydney... though that might have had something to do with the strange gold lame outfit she was wearing). Rezai herself might be a bit of a dark horse to look out for - a French girl in France...

But it's Venus who's really been proving herself. She can dirtball like nobody's business - I think it's her most underrated skill. And if I were a betting woman and I wanted to make a few dollars, I might just put a little money on V to win Roland Garros. I think she has a really, REALLY good chance.

In Roland Garros news, Kim Clijsters is out. Pout.

WTA WTF (again)

I kind of wish I hadn't used the headline 'WTA WTF' yesterday, because I want to use it again today. Serena, really?

Come on, Serena. I haven't always been your biggest fan and that you don't peak till the Slams, but I thought I could count of you to keep some semblance of normalcy in this wacky tournament, particularly as pretty much everyone who might be considered competition is out already.

But no. Not to be.

And so we're left with Venus... Jankovic... a few other randoms... and one Sam Stosur.

At this point, I think I might be picking Jankovic to win the tournament, but what a shot for Sam Stosur. She made relatively quick work of Patty Schnyder at the moment and is looking fierce. She's been one of the form players this season - even though 'form' basically constitutes 'losing last' for the WTA these days (though Sam has been playing genuinely well) and a win here in Madrid would not only be HUGE for her career, it would catapult her with a whole ton of momentum into Roland Garros and, I believe, the top five.

Now there is a bit of something.

WTA WTF

Can I get a what what for Madrid and the ladies? Seriously, WTA, I know we've had our issues, but I know you can do better than this.

Let's review. I'm pretty sure the Williams sister may just well be the only seeds left standing after Wozniacki and Dementieva went tumbling out. Safina gone. Henin. Kuznetsova. Sharapova. Name a name, and they're gone.

Actually, that's not strictly true. Jankovic is still there - and much I like to watch Jankovic when she's playing well, she's not exactly the player I want to set my hopes on as a bastion of reliability. So we have the Williamses and Jankovic and...

...and unexpected SAM STOSUR IS UNEXPECTED.

It was just last month when I was reading about Stosur getting into the top ten in Australian Tennis Magazine and how this was the most massive thing ever omg she was ranked #10!!!!1!!! Well, register this. If she does super well at this tournament, she could be in the top five by the end of it. The top freaking five.

Let's compare to this the boys for a minute. This is like Marin Cilic, relatively recent top tenner (currently sitting at #11) suddenly finding himself in the top five. To get there, he'd have to leapfrog Tsonga, Verdasco, Soderling, Roddick, Davydenko and del Potro. Just have a look at those names there. There may only be two Slam titles between the lot of them, but look at those names. You just couldn't do that.

But that is what Stosur is on the verge of doing. She played superbly well to beat the excellent recent Rome winner in Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. Truth be told, if she can beat MJMS, she can beat just about anyone. She's got one thing going that the rest of the field are lacking at the moment, which is that one thing the WTA has had problems with for a while now - consistency.

It's been a long time since I've thought an Aussie had a genuine chance at a Slam title. But you know what, Sam? Roland Garros needs to watch out for you.

Unexpected Madrid is Unexpected!

There is something about the claycourt season that never gives you a chance to catch your breath. One second you're bemoaning a certain semi final in Estoril and then suddenly the next tournament has started and half the women in it have lost before you even thought about it.

(Seriously, WTA? Henin? Sharapova? Kuznetsova? Safina? Serena taking three and a half hours? WTF?)

But Madrid is here, and cover it we must.

I don't think anyone realised at the time last year what a key tournament Madrid would turn out to be, especially for the men. It was quite unusual. Going into it, no one would have ever suspected that we would see what was probably one of the greatest three set matches ever, that it would make one man and break two others.

Because that was precisely what it did. It was Federer's win in Madrid that catapulted him forward, momentum-filled, into Roland Garros - and it was nothing but momentum and sheer willpower that got him out the scrapes he got into Acasuso and Haas and del Potro. Madrid made that man, claycourt wise.

And it was Madrid that broke Novak Djokovic, snapped him in two after that epic semi with Nadal. And Madrid broke Nadal as well, the straw that broke the raging bull's back, that finally fatigued the unfatigueable, and set him up to go into that fateful round of sixteen clash with Robin Soderling.

So will Madrid be fateful again this year? Only time will tell.

Chutzpah

I talked so much about the men's final of Madrid yesterday (Federer won! Federer won!) that I totally neglected to talk about the women - so let's devote a bit of space to that now.

*

If anyone doubted Dinara Safina's abilities, I think they would be sitting down to a great big slice of humble pie right now. She's made three finals in a row, including two back-to-back whatever-you-call-Tier-I-now tournaments, which is pretty massive. Her run to the final last year came off the back off one such tournament - Berlin - and this year she's brought home the bacon in back to back weeks. She has played, frankly, like the #1 player in the world.

*

She has got to be up there in the favourites reckoning for Roland Garros - if not the favourite, because she's certainly pulled the results on clay better than anyone else. That said, you can never count the Sisters Williams, but on clay Serena has been far from impressive. Venus has been much better and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see her go deep, but I'm liking Dinara at the moment. She's got the chutzpah to do it, if nothing else.

*

My only worry is the lack of oncourt coaching for Dinara. That has been something she has used really well - even if it is an abomination on the sport, spit spit. When Dinara gets in a funk, all it seems to take is Zeljko shouting at her for a bit for her to pull herself together. Maybe she'll just have to create an inner Zeljko to shout at her. But I'm liking her chances. She's looking very, very good!

*

I'd dearly love to see the results of Roland Garros mimic Madrid - Federer and Safina. I realise that this is not very likely, but I would love to see it, nonetheless.

*

Oh, and guess what happened today? In a very quiet way in Warsaw, Maria Sharapova walked out on court, ranked about #125, and won her first match back. Tathiana Garbin was her first victim, and let us hope there will be more - women's tennis has needed Sharapova (though possibly not her shrieks).

*

Come to think of it... she will be a very, very dangerous floater in the Roland Garros draw. Can you imagine being, oh, I don't know, Jelena Jankovic or someone, and realising that in the first round you have to come out and face Maria? It would be like a strange and unusual nightmare.

*

*

Today's Results

*

ARAG ATP World Team Championships (Dusseldorf)

*

Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Robby Ginepri, 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-4) 6-0
Viktor Troicki def. Maximo Gonzalez, 6-4 6-1
*

*

Interwetten Austrian Open Kitzbuhel (Kitzbuhel)

*

Victor Hanescu def. Nicolas Lapentti, 6-7 (6-8) 683 785
Mikhail Youzhny def. Daniel Gimeno-Traver, 6-2 7-6 (9-7)
Marcel Granollers def. Teimuraz Gabashvili, 7-6 (13-11) 6-3
Nicolas Massu def. Robin Vik, 6-4 6-2
Andreas Beck def. Jan Hernych, 5-7 6-3 7-5
Daniel Koellerer def. Thomaz Bellucci, 6-4 6-4
Agustin Calleri def. Yen-hsun Lu, 3-6 7-5 0-1 retired

*

*

Warsaw Open (Warsaw)

*

Zheng Jie def. Olga Govortsova, 4-6 7-6 (7-0) 6-3
Julia Goerges def. Aleksandra Wozniak, 7-6 (7-5) 6-3
Anne Keothavong def. Bethanie Mattek-Sands, 6-2 7-6 (7-4)
Alona Bondarenko def. Katarzyna Piter, 6-0 6-0
Kateryna Bondarenko def. Tsvetana Pironkova, 7-5 6-2
Marta Domachowska def. Akgul Amanmuradova, 6-2 6-1
Maria Sharapova def. Tathiana Garbin, 6-1 6-7 (6-8) 6-3
*

*

Internationaux de Strasbourg (Strasbourg)

*

Aravane Rezai def. Sybille Bammer, 6-2 6-2
Peng Shuai def. Alexa Glatch, 3-6 6-2 6-0
Gisela Dulko def. Mara Santangelo, 6-1 7-6 (7-3)
Ayumi Morita def. Kinnie Laisne, 6-1 6-3
Kristina Barrois def. Irena Pavlovic, 6-3 6-3

I Know, But

Okay, I know that Rafa has played about a million hours of tennis in the last few weeks. I know he had an absolute thriller of a grinding match against Djokovic. I know that he's tired and exhausted and wasn't really himself out there today. I know that we can't get carried away.

*

But Federer won!

*

This will obviously have no ill-effect on Rafa whatsoever. That's the way he's wired. He's a cyborg, a machine, a total unit. He refused to make excuses for himself in his presser - he is a very good sport, that boy - but he must know how fatigued he is. That was Shmafa out there, not Rafa. However, I think it will be very good for Federer and his confidence. In his own words:

*

"It's not the moment to get carried away but it's definitely good for my confidence, especially beating Rafa in the final so it definitely proves that I am doing the right things and I am working extremely hard and it is paying off so it's a nice feeling. I am very excited about going to Paris, whereas a couple of weeks ago I was still a little bit unsure about my game and not sure if I could win the French Open."

*

Federer only really ever admits his wobbles after the fact, but I think we all knew this was true. It was going to be a disaster for him if he didn't win this match - it meant much more for him than for Rafa, I think. But now that he has, he'll keep on rolling. He's done exactly what he's asked for in all the clay tournaments - he saw how it went in Monte Carlo, made the semis in Rome and won Madrid. Now all he has to do is set his mind on winning Roland Garros and the game is over, yes?

*

We can hope.

*

*

Today's Results

*

Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open (Madrid)

*

Men's Draw

*

Roger Federer def. Rafael Nadal, 6-4 6-4

*

*

Women's Draw

*

Dinara Safina def. Caroline Wozniacki, 6-2 6-4

A Grudging Admission

I don't like Novak Djokovic. We all know this. But putting this aside, he put in a damn fine performance in Madrid overnight.

*

Sure, he lost. But he went toe to toe with the best claycourter in history and came damn close to beating him too. I still don't like him. He still needs a personality transplant. But that is some damn fine tennis right there. He should be proud of himself... but not too proud. That might make him worse than he already is.

*

So, for the first time, we're going to have a Federer/Nadal final on clay this year. This will be their first meeting since the Australian Open final and it really could be interesting. Nadal has to be tired - he's won approximately 400 straight matches in the last five weeks and that has got to tell on you, even when you are potentially half-cyborg, like he is. He had a very, very tough semi against Djokovic where he had to save three match points (it had shades of the Rome final in 2006, where Nadal and Federer went head to head in that epic five-set thriller.) But can he do it? Absolutely.

*

Federer is comparatively fresh, and we all know he has the game to beat anyone, ever. This match will be more in his head than anything else. A victory over Nadal here would be huge to take into Roland Garros - even though I think Federer was sort of looking forward to not playing Nadal before the big one. A loss - a bad loss - could be hugely detrimental. A close loss could go either way - it could be heartbreaking or else vaguely encouraging. He's had, as we all know, longstanding issues playing Nadal. But can he do it? Absolutely.

*

So one way or the other, this is going to be a very, very interesting final.

*

*

Today's Results

*

Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open (Madrid)

*

Men's Draw

*

Rafael Nadal def. Novak Djokovic, 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (11-9)

Roger Federer def. Juan Martin del Potro, 6-3 6-4

*

*

Women's Draw

*

Dinara Safina def. Patty Schnyder, 6-4 6-2

Caroline Wozniacki def. Amelie Mauresmo, 7-6 (7-1) 6-3

Merry Murray

I bet Andy Murray is really happy right now. It was his birthday yesterday, I do believe, and as a special treat, he got to play his bestest friend EVAH, Juan Martin del Potro, almost exactly a year after Juan M made some, ahem, very interesting comments about Andy's mum. And to make it even better, Andy lost. In straight sets.

*

Yep. Bet he's beaming.

*

That said, Andy Murray has really exceeded my expectations on the red stuff (or the almost blue stuff, in Madrid) this year. He's not a claycourt player and it's evident - he certainly doesn't look comfortable out there. But he's been winning matches on the stuff, and that is something. That is certainly something.

*

I'm certainly not going to go and proclaim him the uber-favourite for Roland Garros or anything - I mean, please, everyone knows who that is! - nor am I prepared to elevate him to the arena of serious contender on claycourts just yet, but give him a little time, and... Andy's working at it. He has done much better than I thought he would - even with the whole loss to Juan Martin del Potro thing.

*

This means we have the #1, #2, #3 and #5 seeds through to the semis in the men - and what have we got in the women? Well, we have #1. And... oh look, there's #9! Caro Wozniacki made it through. But our other two semi-finalists are unseeded - veterans Patty Schnyder and Amelie Mauresmo. Schnyder has been on a hot run of late, taking out Serena last week and now Jelena Jankovic, and Mauresmo has been very impressive as well. But where are the big guns there? No one is delivering except Dinara at the moment - and right now, because of that, I'm thinking she deserves to be #1.

*

*

Today's Results

*

Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open (Madrid)

*

Men's Draw

*

Rafael Nadal def. Fernando Verdasco, 6-4 7-5

Roger Federer def. Andy Roddick, 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 6-1

Novak Djokovic def. Ivan Ljubicic, 6-4 6-4

Juan Martin del Potro def. Andy Murray, 7-6 (7-4) 6-3

*

*

Women's Draw

*

Dinara Safina def. Alona Bondarenko, 6-4 6-3

Patty Schnyder def. Jelena Jankovic, 7-6 (8-6) 6-3

Caroline Wozniacki def. Vera Dushevina, 6-0 6-4

Amelie Mauresmo def. Agnes Szavay, 5-7 6-1 6-1

Intact/Shattered

So we're down to the final eight in the men's draw at Madrid, and the draw has fallen exactly to plan for the top seven seeds, who are all through. The one guy screwing it all up is the once-again underwhelming Gilles Simon, who lost to Ivan Ljubicic. So there we have it - the top seven... and Ivan.

*

I'm pretty pleased with that, I think - it's a good indication of form going into Roland Garros and the big guys seem to be on song. The only one of the top seven that went to three sets was Juan Martin del Potro, who faced a pretty stern test against Stan Wawrinka, so they're all looking quite comfortable. And I'm pretty pleased with Ljubicic being through as well - he has had a real resurgence of form in the last few months and it's really great. He is one of the great statesmen and sportsmen of the game, and it'll be a shame when he finally retires.

*

Over in the women's, on the other hand, we have total decimation of seeds, pretty much. Top seed, the recently impressive Dinara Safina, is still standing (and standing in style, even though she was pushed to three sets by Lucie Safarova), and Jelena Jankovic has kept her head in the game with a solid victory over Elena Vesnina, but teen queen Victoria Azarenka has crashed out to Agnes Szavay, and most of the other seeds went out earlier this week. Most disappointing, really.

*

For the tournament's sake, you've got to hope that we get a Safina/Jankovic match -I hope they're not in the same half of the draw! I haven't checked. But even if they meet in the semis, that's the match you want to see. They're the two that really need a Slam to validate their positions (it might be too little too late for Jankovic, but she really is overdue) and it'll be interesting to see which one is hungrier. Personally, my money's on Safina, but Jankovic has shown some reasonable form in the past few weeks, so we shall see...

*

*

Today's Results

*

Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open (Madrid)

*

Men's Draw

*

Rafael Nadal def. Philipp Kohschreiber, walkover

Roger Federer def. James Blake, 6-2 6-4

Novak Djokovic def. Andreas Seppi, 6-4 6-4

Andy Murray def. Tommy Robredo, 7-5 6-1

Juan Martin del Potro def. Stanislas Wawrinka, 4-6 6-4 6-4

Andy Roddick def. Nikolay Davydenko, walkover

Ivan Ljubicic def. Gilles Simon, 3-6 6-4 6-3

Fernando Verdasco def. Juan Monaco, 7-5 6-2

*

*

Women's Draw

*

Dinara Safina def. Lucie Safarova, 6-0 4-6 6-3

Jelena Jankovic def. Elena Vesnina, 6-2 6-2

Agnes Szavay def. Victoria Azarenka, 4-6 6-2 6-2

Caroline Wozniacki def. Alisa Kleybanova, 6-2 6-2

Alona Bondarenko def. Anna Chakvetadze, 6-0 2-6 6-3

Monaco in Madrid

Where on earth did Juan Monaco spring up from?

*

This is about the third or fourth tournament where he has upset a player ranked about a billion places higher than him and got through to a round in a big tournament where he does not belong. I remember back in the day him being ranked about #13 or #14 or something, and wondering what on earth he did to deserve it. Now I'm wondering why he isn't ranked higher. He's in as a wildcard in this tournament, and he's just knocked out David Ferrer.

*

So what's going to happen with Juan Monaco at Roland Garros now? He is definitely in form heading into the tournament - he could be a surprise quarter finalist. He is looking very comfortable.

*

Speaking of comfortable, how about Dinara Safina steamrolling through the draw over in Madrid? Both Williamses are out and Dinara is just bulldozing her way through. I can't think of any more heavy earthmoving equipment to which to compare her so I might have to stop, but she is looking very dangerous heading into the big one!

*

*

Today's Results

*

Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open (Madrid)

*

Men's Draw

*

Rafael Nadal def. Jurgen Melzer, 6-3 6-1

Novak Djokovic def. Oscar Hernandez, 6-3 6-3

Juan Martin del Potro def. Tomas Berdych, 6-2 4-1 retired

Gilles Simon def. Fabio Fognini, 6-3 6-2

Nikolay Davydenko def. Florent Serra, 7-5 6-3

Stanislas Wawrinka def. Jeremy Chardy, 6-4 7-5

Juan Monaco def. David Ferrer, 6-4 6-4

Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Marin Cilic, 6-1 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-2)

James Blake def. Ivo Karlovic, 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 7-6 (7-4)

Andreas Seppi def. Sam Querrey, 6-3 4-6 6-4

*

*

Women's Draw

*

Dinara Safina def. Li Na, 6-3 7-6 (7-2)

Amelie Mauresmo def. Elena Dementieva, 1-6 6-4 6-2

Patty Schnyder def. Nadia Petrova, 6-4 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (7-5)

Vera Dushevina def. Francesca Schiavone, 6-3 4-6 6-2

Alona Bondarenko def. Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-3 6-2

Victoria Azarenka def. Peng Shuai, 6-4 6-1

Speaking French

You know who we really haven't seen much of since Australia? Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

*

Things aren't going to change, either - he just went out to Ivan Ljubicic in the second round in Madrid. But it's - well, a little strange, really. He was seeded #5 in Australia, which is, as we all know, the best of the rest position, and I thought he wore it well. He has so much promise and talent - and the way he moves at net is exquisite for such a big guy - that I was thinking that he might put up a challenge to the Fantastic Four at some point and try to turn them into the Famous Five.

*

But no such luck, really. Jo-W has faded badly since his quarter-final appearance at the Aussie Open, and I can't remember seeing him do anything much of anything since. Maybe he has and I blinked and missed it, but I am hoping this is not going to be the story of his career... though I'm beginning to think it is. So much talent, so much promise... a few titles, some Masters shields, a Grand Slam final... but no consistency, nothing to back it up, nothing really to show for it.

*

That's the story of French tennis, when it comes down to it. Look at some of their other players - Gael Monfils, who is basically talent stretched out over a lanky six-foot-something form. What has he done? Well, there was that Grand Slam semi last year... but that's not going to put your name in the record books. Same for Gasquet, who's now probably going to be remember for this whole drugs scandal than for his game and the semi he made at Wimbledon. There is a lot of talent in French tennis, but somehow one of the least talented players among them - Gilles Simon - is the one that's been playing successfully in the bigtime and keeping the results up there (not so much of late, but he managed it for a while there - and he is certainly not the equal of Tsonga, Gasquet or Monfils).

*

So what is it? Does France somehow manage to create these magnificent talents and then spectacularly mismanage them? Or has it just coincidentally managed to create three of the most sketchy players in the game?

*

*

Today's Results

*

Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open (Madrid)

*

Men's Draw

*

Roger Federer def. Robin Soderling, 6-1 7-5

Andy Murray def. Simone Bolelli, 7-6 (11-9) 6-4

Fernando Verdasco def. Juan Carlos Ferrero, 6-3 6-2

Ivan Ljubicic def. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 6-4 7-5

Tommy Robredo def. Mardy Fish, 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-2

Nikolay Davydenko def. Viktor Troicki, 6-2 6-2

Marin Cilic def. Marcel Granollers, 6-2 6-7 (4-7) 6-1

James Blake def. Victor Hanescu, 6-2 6-4

Andreas Seppi def. Eduardo Schwank, 7-5 6-4

Fabio Fognini def. Paul-Henri Mathieu, 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 3-0 retired

Jeremy Chardy def. Jose Acasuso, 6-3 6-2

Tomas Berdych def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, 6-0 7-6 (7-5)

Jurgen Melzer def. Albert Montanes, 4-6 7-5 6-3

Ivo Karlovic def. Julien Benneteau, 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4

*

*

Women's Draw

*

Jelena Jankovic def. Daniela Hantuchova, 7-5 6-2

Caroline Wozniacki def. Varvara Lepchenko, 6-3 6-1

Amélie Mauresmo def. Zheng Jie, 6-2 7-5

Agnes Szavay def. Aravane Rezai, 2-6 7-5 6-2

Francesca Schiavone def. Petra Kvitova, 6-4 6-2

Lucie Safarova def. Anne Keothavong, 6-1 7-5

Vera Dushevina def. Roberta Vinci, 4-6 6-1 6-4

The Serena Slide

Guess who lost again in the very first round. Oh yes. That would be my dear friend Ernests Gulbis. Sigh.
*

He lost to a qualifier. Sure, the qualifier was Tommy Haas, but still. Ernests, Ernests, Ernests.

*

The big worry, however, is not in the men's section at all - I think it's fair to say that it largely played out the way it was supposed to overnight. No, our concern has got to be for the women... and especially for one Serena Williams, who retired one set down in her match against Francesca Schiavone with a knee injury. Now, with Roland Garros around the corner this is a serious, serious problem.

*

If one counts a retirement as a loss, Serena is now on a four match losing streak. Not so hot, for the self-proclaimed best in the world. Thing is, I do believe Serena is the best in the world at the moment, and I'm totally bemused. Is this is a chronic knee injury that's been hampering her ability to play? If so, first I've heard of it. Or did it happen in the match against Schiavone? You'd want to hope that Serena isn't off injuring herself with a Slam just round the corner. She's on a two Slam streak - a three final streak - is Roland Garros going to be the place where it snaps in two?

*

I bet Dinara Safina isn't complaining. And to an extent, it opens the door for unorthodox but effective claycourter Venus to step up. She's risen to #3 by dint of some pretty excellent play of late - what will this mean for her?

*

And what will it mean for the WTA?

*

*

Today's Results

*

Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open (Madrid)

*

Men's Draw

*

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga def. Marat Safin, 6-4 7-5
Stanislas Wawrinka def. Marco Crugnola, 6-2 6-0

David Ferrer def. Guillermo Canas, 6-2 6-2

Oscar Hernandez def. Martin Vassallo Arguello, 6-3 6-3

Mardy Fish def. Janko Tipsarevic, 7-6 (7-3) 6-4

Florent Serra def. Rainer Schuettler, 6-2 6-4

Ivan Ljubicic def. Teimuraz Gabashvili, 6-3 6-2

Robin Soderling def. Ivan Navarro, 6-4 6-2

Simone Bolelli def. Juan Ignacio Chela, 7-5 7-6 (7-3)

Tommy Haas def. Ernests Gulbis, 6-2 5-7 7-5

Philipp Kohlschreiber def. Nicolas Almagro, 6-3 6-4

Juan Monaco def. Feliciano Lopez, 6-4 7-5

*

*

Women's Draw

*

Nadia Petrova def. Anna-Lena Groenefeld, 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-5)

Patty Schnyder def. Aleksandra Wozniak, 6-2 6-4

Anna Chakvetadze def. Samantha Stosur, 1-6 6-2 7-6 (7-4)

Elena Vesnina def. Virginie Razzano, 7-5 6-3

Francesca Schiavone def. Serena Williams, 6-4 retired

Caroline Wozniacki def. Shahar Peer, 5-4 retired

Amélie Mauresmo def. Ai Sugiyama, 6-2 6-4

Peng Shuai def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 6-1 7-6 (7-2)

Daniela Hantuchova def. Gisela Dulko, 7-6 (9-7) 6-1

Roberta Vinci def. María José Martínez Sánchez, 4-6 6-2 6-4

Varvara Lepchenko def. Magdalena Rybarikova, 7-6 (14-12) 5-7 6-1

The Mantle Falls

The big story of the weekend is, obviously, Richard Gasquet testing positive for cocaine. This is a bit of a shock, and rightly so - drug scandals in the tennis world are ridiculously rare (Guillermo Canas and Mariano Puerta are the only two I can recall) and... why Richard?

*

That's a silly question to ask, I suppose. 'Why Richard'? Because Richard chose to. I've seen a lot of people saying that he 'allegedly' tested positive, but I find it hard to believe that a drug testing system as rigorous as the one put in place by the ITF is going to be wrong. This one is squarely on Richard... and sad as it is, if he gets a suspension, he's going to be a victim of his own actions.

*

I read somewhere else that enforced time off might not be the worst thing in the world for Gasquet, and I think I agree - to an extent. The full two year ban I think would be career-ending for him - it must be hideously difficult to come back from that. But a year... well, I suppose it would give him time to get his head together - something which is clearly isn't at the moment, if he's doing cocaine.

*

But the whole thing is just such a shame. What a waste. Richard was the front of a French tennis magazine at the age of nine with the headline 'The Future of French Tennis'. Somehow, I think that that mantle has fallen from his shoulders and slithered to the ground. It is terribly, terribly sad - but Gasquet has no one to blame but himself.

*

(Oh, and Alize Cornet and Agnieszka Radwanska both lost their first round matches in Madrid. Go figure.)

*

*

Today's Results

*

Estoril Open (Estoril)

*

Albert Montanes def. James Blake, 5-7 7-6 (8-6) 6-0

James Blake def. Nikolay Davydenko, 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-2) 6-3

*

*

BMW Open (Munich)

*

Tomas Berdych def. Mikhail Youzhny, 6-4 4-6 7-6 (7-5)

*

*

Serbia Open (Belgrade)

*

Novak Djokovic def. Lukasz Kubot, 6-3 7-6 (7-0)

*

*

Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open (Madrid)

*

Men's Draw

*

Sam Querrey def. Radek Stepanek, 7-6 (7-2) 5-2 retired

Tommy Robredo def. Nicolas Kiefer, 3-6 6-2 6-2

Juan Carlos Ferrero def. Igor Kunitsyn, 6-3 4-6 6-4

*

*

Women's Draw

*

Jelena Jankovic def. Nuria Llagostera Vives, 6-2 6-1

Samantha Stosur def. Agnieszka Radwanska, 7-6 (7-4) 6-1

Agnes Szavay def. Flavia Pennetta, 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 6-2

Elena Vesnina def. Alizé Cornet, 7-5 6-1

Vera Dushevina def. Anabel Medina Garrigues, 6-3 6-4

Lucie Safarova def. Kaia Kanepi, 6-2 2-3 retired

Patty Schnyder def. Sara Errani, 6-2 6-3

Li Na def. Carla Suárez Navarro, 5-7 6-1 7-5

Alona Bondarenko def. Sorana Cirstea, 6-2 6-2

Petra Kvitova def. Sybille Bammer, 4-1 retired

Anne Keothavong def. Mariana Duque Marino, 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

Anna-Lena Groenefeld def. Monica Niculescu, 6-1 6-0

Aravane Rezai def. Tsvetana Pironkova, 6-3 6-4

Lourdes Domínguez Lino def. Akgul Amanmuradova, 7-6 (7-5) 6-4

Too Good For His Own Good?

I am seeing a conundrum looming for Rafael Nadal.

*

He is too good for his own good.

*

He's just won three tournaments in three weeks. Even in the heyday of the golden years of the Federer empire, this wasn't exactly normal. And though he's got a week off now, he's got another one coming up. Which he'll probably win. And then the French Open, where you would feel safe betting your house on him playing seven matches.

*

So, if you were Rafa Nadal, what would you do? In 2007 we saw him win three tournaments (these same three) and then get beaten in the final of Hamburg (by Roger Federer, but still) because he was just so damn exhausted. We know he is capable of fighting through a LOT of exhaustion - hello, backing up the Aussie Open semi against Verdasco with the final against Federer - but how much can any man take?

*

Though Rafa is, of course, a machine.

*

I think a lot of players in his position would skip Madrid - but it's in Spain, his homeland, and also it's right up close to the French Open, making it a good lead up tournament. Would Rafa come into the French Open cold if he just said, 'okay, I've proved my excellence on clay now, I don't need to play Madrid - let someone else have one of the damn Masters trophies'?

*

Probably not. It's Rafa. He's a machine. He has proved, far and away, that when it comes to the red stuff, he is the best of all time. The only question mark over him now is this - is he too good for his own good? Will he wear himself out before the big one with all this winning?

*

*

Today's Results

*

Internazionali BNL d'Italia (Rome)

*

Men's Draw

*

Rafael Nadal def. Novak Djokovic, 7-6 (7-2) 6-2

*

*

Women's Draw

*

Marion Bartoli def. Peng Shuai, 6-0 7-6 (7-3)

Kaia Kanepi def. Vania King, 6-4 6-3

Patty Schnyder def. Mariana Duque Marino, 7-6 (7-1) 6-3

Carla Suárez Navarro def. Anne Keothavong, 7-6 (7-5) 6-4

Sybille Bammer def. Li Na, 7-6 (7-3) 4-6 6-3

Daniela Hantuchova def. Vera Dushevina, 6-4 6-1

Francesca Schiavone def. Alberta Brianti, 6-3 6-4

María José Martínez Sánchez def. Amélie Mauresmo, 4-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-2

Lucie Safarova def. Mariya Koryttseva, 7-6 (7-5) 6-2

Yaroslava Shvedova def. Samantha Stosur, 6-4 6-2

Ayumi Morita def. Monica Niculescu, 6-1 6-3

*

*

Estoril Open (Estoril)

*

Maximo Gonzalez def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, 6-4 6-3

*

*

BMW Open (Munich)

*

Nicolas Almagro def. Jan Hernych, 6-3 6-4

*

*

Porsche Tennis Grand Prix (Stuttgart)

*

Svetlana Kuznetsova def. Dinara Safina, 6-4 6-3