But Not Enough

How many days can I stretch out Roger and Rafa? I think it is probably quite a few. And then we have Davis Cup. Wow, what a festival of things to talk about.

I talked a lot about Roger and Rafa yesterday. I think it's not unfair to say that it was a fitting way to end the year, with a Federer/Nadal final. There have been a number of years where Nadal has been the one person stopping Federer from winning the calendar Slam. This year, Federer fulfilled the role for Nadal. For so, so long, tennis has been about these two dudes. At the end, it's always Roger vs Rafa. That is what tennis is about.

And yet... we talk about the Big Four. Sometimes even the Big Five if Soderling gets his nose in, but we're not going to talk about the Yoker today. No, let's instead focus on Roger and Rafa's backup dancers, the two that are supposed to be on the same level - and sometimes genuinely are! - but can't seem to make it happen at the big dance. Let's talk Djokovic and Murray.

Both Nole and Muzz have had one Slam final this year, and both were smacked down by what seemed to be the hand of God. When Djokovic faced Nadal after that marathon of a victory over Federer - it is important to note, I think, that both Murray and Djokovic had a victory at the Slam level over one of the Hispano-Suisse domination machine - he had a shot. If you're going to beat Federer, of course you have a shot. And he actually didn't do too badly - he took a set off Rafa and played reasonably competitively. It was good stuff, good times.

But not enough. Djokovic has that one Slam in his bag, and the second one has never looked further away.

And then there was Murray. He beat Nadal en route to his final at the Australian Open (Nadal did retire, but Murray was playing spectacularly) and a lot of people thought he was going to win that one. And he got absolutely humbled. He didn't play awfully - he wasn't great, but he didn't suck, especially in that third set breaker, where he had a handful of set points - but there was just nothing that he could do against Federer. He did what he could.

But not enough. And now we're wondering whether Murray will EVER win a Slam.

Murray and Djokovic did not have bad years. They both made a Slam final and performed pretty well at Masters level and generally just did not really suck - though there is a case to be made that Murray suffered a supreme slump for a while after his loss in Australia. But at the end of the day, the year belonged to Rafa, and the one dude standing between him and supreme domination was Roger. Just as it has been in other years - 2008 belonged to Rafa as well, and 2004-7 and 2009 were Roger's. There is no room for anyone else at the top. Roger and Rafa are reigning supreme.

In other era, Murray and Djokovic would probably both have a handful of Slams right now. But this year... one final apiece, and that is all. Murray lost to Nadal in the semis of the World Tour Finals and Djokovic to Federer. While Roger and Rafa are around, Nole and Muzz are doomed to always be three and four, the perennial semi finalists.

Cool Dudes

Right. I have returned from my blogging-disrupting travels and am here at your service. Blogging. Let's do this thing.

So while I was away, it seems there was this one match that generated a lot of talk. What was that...? Oh yeah. Federer vs Nadal. The most polarising match ever, it seems. Everyone wants it to be some big sign of things to come or a total aberration, a blip. There seems to be a lot of 'OMG Federer will never lose to Nadal again!' and 'no, Nadal was injured/sick/tanking SHUT UP!' Everyone wants this match to be some big thing.

Except two dudes. And they're a little important in this debate, as their names are Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal.

I obvioulsy have an agenda here. I want this match to mean something. I want this match to be the psychological push that Federer needs to send him into a screamer of a 2011. And I think it definitely is that, though probably not to the extent that I would like it to be. 'Ask me how I feel after my first round loss at the Australian Open,' Federer said wryly, when someone asked him whether this was a sign that he was back, back, BACK. I think Roger has a much healthier perspective on this match than I do. I want it to be a SIGN. He... is taking it in his stride. He's keeping it real, and that will probably serve him well.

Though this win obviously can't hurt.

And then there's the 'Rafa Rafa Rafa here are ALL MY EXCUSES for why he didn't win' contingent... when Rafa himself offered no excuses and asked for no quarter. On this particular day, Federer was betterer, and Rafa knows this. He's a sportsman - he won that award, remember? - and he's not taking this one away from Roger, no way. But will it affect him in Australia? I will go with a big fat no.

So what I'm saying is this, I guess. We all want this match to mean something - something more than it does, probably. But the only two dudes who actually know what it means and can make good on it are Roger and Rafa. And they seem pretty chill right now. They're playing it cool. And for both of them, that is probably a Good Thing.

Festival of Lame Excuses

So great was his victory
So great was his win
So great my excitement
I did not get to bloggin'

But I will be better!
I will be good!
I will blog tomorrow!
And read it you should!

Roger's Reminder

The year is over. And from my perspective - and the perspective of all Federfans everywhere - it has ended on the best possible note.

I'm going to talk about the significance of the fact that we had Federer and Nadal in the final final of the year another day, but for today, let's just focus on the match. Three sets. It would have been disappointing if it had been anything less (although who would have thought so in the midst of the frazzle fits!) The most fitting way to cap off tennis for 2010.

We haven't seen Federer play as well as he has this tournament for a long, long time. Certainly not this year, I think. He had an excellent game plan and he executed it wonderfully. And the most telling stat, I think, is this - 100% of break points converted. I - among many, many others - have bemoaned his pitiful conversion rate all year. And now, on a huge stage, against the biggest of opponents, we have this, this proof that yes, Roger Federer's head really is in the game.

Federer's form was probably the better coming into the match - he's had a crazy time of it in the latter half of the year - but picking Nadal was so easy here. He's had a fantastic year. He didn't lose a match in the tournament. He gritted it out against Murray. He has a mind of steel. He's been a huge problem for Federer before. He's the #1 player, and there is a reason for that. He is Rafa Nadal, and he is the ultimate test.

Picking him was so easy. But one person didn't. And that person is Roger Federer. Federer backed himself, backed his gameplan, backed his game, and he came up trumps.

This year has been a year of Rafa. There is no doubting that. And congratulations to him. I love the guy, and I'm looking forward to seeing him win a lot more in the future. But this win, this victory, this match... this is a very, very stern reminder. I'm Roger Federer. I'm here. I'm the greatest player that has ever lived. I'm always a threat. And there is no universe in which you should ever, ever count me out.

Victory!

HE WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Go and celebrate. We'll do that blogging thing tomorrow.

Final Countdown to the Final Showdown

I didn't actually see either of the matches today either, but I feel like I should say something meaningful. We are, after all, having our first really big Fedal final in quite some time!

The two semis could not have been in greater contrast. Federer had a pretty easy time against Djokovic - seriously, he has had the hammer down on Novak ever since the US Open. Is that three times he's tagged him now? I think that it is. I can't make personal comments, obviously, due to the whole not-seeing-the-match, but it seems like the general consensus was 'masterclass'. Which fills me with joy. I just hope he can keep it up.

Rafa and Muzz, on the other hand, had an epic struggle. I'm glad Rafa came through - seriously, a Fedal final? mouthwatering - but I think Murray has a lot to be proud of here. That one match with Federer aside, he actually played really well this tournament. He's earned back his #4 spot and if that tiebreaker had gone the other way, he would have taken #3, which really would have been something.

This was a big, big struggle, but I really don't think it will figure too heavily tomorrow with Rafa. We all remember the Great Verdasco Semi Final of 2009, which he then backed up with a five set victory for the title. It's pretty much impossible to pick the final tomorrow. There are strong cases to be made for both Rafa and Roger as titleist. But we can say this - no matter who wins tomorrow, they will be a very worthy champion who deserves it big time. This is the best possible final we could have.

A Post Of Great Insightfulness

Well, I didn't see any of the matches today due to being on a minibreak in Sydney. But Rafa and Nole are both through, and A-Rod and Big Berd are not.

Pretend I said something insightful and talk among yourselves.

Federjoy, Soderwoe

So, if the reports of the match I'm reading are true, the scoreline was closer than it actually was. Roger Federer over Robin Soderling, 7-6 6-3. It looks like a tight one, but I get the feeling it wasn't, really. Not with the way people are writing about it.

Of course, if I'd actually seen it I could judge for myself... but I'm going to settle with 'wow, this is an excellent result, about which I am very glad!' He got a hawkeye call right. A HAWKEYE CALL, the thing at which he is the worst in the world. When he's getting those in, you know something is going right.

I am, however, very disappointed that Soderling did not qualify. If only he had got off to a better start with that Murray match... that was the match that decided qualification, really. Much as David Ferrer is a solid player, it wasn't hard to pick that he was going to go 0 and 3 in this group with these players. And with Federer playing lightyears better than anyone else in the group right now... it was all down to that first match on that first day. And Soderling was the one that stumbled, even though you would definitely argue that he had better form coming in.

Oh well. Alas, poor Robin. He goes back to #5 in the world now (I think?) but I'm sure he'll be making another charge soon enough. He doesn't have any points to defend at the Australian Open, after all...

But we should spend some time talking about Andy Murray, who, to his credit, pulled out a solid win over David Ferrer today after his spectacularly disappointing performance against Federer. Ferrer... well, to say that he didn't really turn up would be fair, I think, but let this take nothing away from Toothface, who kept his foot on the accelerator and raced away to a quick straight sets win.

However. If he plays at this level against Nadal, whom I assume he will play in the semis (given that Nadal is in poll position to qualify in top position in that group), Rafa will strike him down like the hand of God. If Muzz wants to be in the final, he's really going to have to step it up.

The Boy Who Cried Sick

I think I was totally right about the match with Roddick being just what Rafa needed to blow out the cobwebs. He wasn't at his mighty best today, but he was pretty solid - it was definitely Rafa, not Shmafa - but the fact of the matter is that he didn't need to be at his mighty best, considering his opponent.

Seriously, will the medical woes of Novak Djokovic never cease?

Look, I don't doubt that he suffers from them, and the contact lens incident today was definitely a major medical malfunction. But every time he does this, it takes value away from the times he really does need assistance (like today). If the contact lens incident had happened to another player, one who doesn't take as many time outs, then it would be a Big Thing. But with Novak, it's just him being Novak. He's the player who cried sick. He has bird flu, SARS, common cough and cold... (thanks Andy).

This rant probably isn't as relevant today as it is when he pulls one of those other medical excuses. But yeah, Novak. This - times like today - is when you need your medical assistance. This is when it's serious. When you literally CANNOT SEE.

I actually didn't intend to turn this into a Djokovic-always-has-medical-issues rant. But you got one, so... um... yeah.

Rafa played well today. I'd put money on him beating Berdych in the next round. I do not think it is hard to say that yes, he will be going through.

But he won't be accompanied by Roddick, which was what I thought. No, he got his arse handed to him by Berdych today, which was... um, surprising. This is the problem with Berdych - it's what makes him so dangerous sometimes, I think. Even when he's totally out of form and you count him out, sometimes he can pull a random blinder out of his pocket. But twice in a row? I really don't see him doing it against Rafa.

We could be in a very interesting situation for qualification in this group if Rafa and Roddick win in the next round. Rafa will go through with three wins, but everyone else will have won one and lost two. I guess it will come down to games. Maybe I could be right. Maybe Roddick will go through after all.

Rainbows

I see rainbows. And sparkles. And unicorns. And sunshine. And all good things. Because we saw some old school Federer Express Ultimate God Tennis (tm) today.

I know Murray wasn't at his best, but you know what? Federer wouldn't LET him be at his best. He totally embarrassed Murray out there today. It was a clinic. It was a schooling. It was a two-hoof beatdown. It was exactly what I wanted to see from him, and exactly the kind of tennis he should be playing to end the year with confidence.

It was both what he wanted and what he needed. And if he continues along this merry orgasmic-tennis-playing way, he is going to strike fear into the hearts of everyone else for 2011. Big time.

Basically, I thought it was the best thing ever. Yep. More of that, please. I love it. And I know a good close tennis match can be a frazzly wonderment of entertainment, but when it's you, Roger, give me my beatdowns. Give me the Australian Open 2007 semis. Give me the Federer Express. Give me rainbows.

Oh, and Robin Soderling beat David Ferrer, thus keeping his hopes open for qualification. While I do want him to qualify, I don't want him to beat Roger... I'm not sure if this is mathematically possible, but we'll see, we'll see!

Sometimes You Don't Get What You Want But You Get What You Need

This was definitely not the first round robin match Rafa Nadal was after. However, I think it might have been just the one he needed.

Let's recap. Rafa hasn't played for about five weeks. Presumably he is carrying some kind of minor injury - he didn't play Paris, for one, and he always seems to be carrying an injury, also - and then... oh yeah. Five weeks. Rust city central. And he's playing Andy Roddick, to whom he has been a little vulnerable on hard courts in the past.

...oh, and he's just lost the first set. And it's a tiebreaker. And if he loses it, he loses the match.

A good solid three set slog, with the employment of some of his trademark iron mental toughness, sounds like just what the doctor ordered to me. Get the cobwebs out. Dust off the grit. Fight your way back from a bad position against a tough opponent and play your way into form. And you could see Rafa doing just that over the course of the match. He let that break go a little tamely in the first set and couldn't break Roddick's serve again. So he hung in there, gritted his teeth, and didn't let go. I'm sure he'd have preferred an easy win, but in the long run, I think this was just what he needed.

It was not, however, what Andy Roddick needed. I still think he has a good shot at qualifying for the semis, but he has to make sure he doesn't let this woulda shoulda coulda of a match get him down. He can definitely beat Berdych - he went down super easily today - and I'm reasonably confident he can also beat Djokovic. He's just got to hang tough, mental wise. And today wouldn't have helped. But he can do it.

Batman Wins, Robin Falls

As a Federfan, I could not have asked for a better start to the World Tour Finals for my guy. He was pretty much awesome today. It wasn't quite Ultimate God Tennis, but it was... about Batman level. Sure, he was only playing Ferrer - 'only' Ferrer, like any guy at the WTF can be 'only' - but he didn't give into his tendency to let his bunnies get away with a win and he put the hammer down where it was necessary. Nice one.

Ferrer did not play so well. I guess he'll just have to be happy to be nominated.

So, as a Federfan, I am happy with the Roger side of things. However, I really, really had my money on Soderling to take down Murray, and I was sorely disappointed. Not only was it a loss, but it was a pretty easy loss too. Murray had a gameplan which he executed beautifully. Soderling never once looked like he had an answer.

This win will give Murray a confidence boost that I don't think any of the other guys will be too keen on him having. To beat Soderling, who has so recently passed him in the rankings, has to be pretty sweet for him. He'll feel like he's asserted his authority and staked his claim to that #4 spot (remember when Murray was #2? that was weird) and it could give him a loooooot of confidence going forward.

You pretty much have to see Murray going forward out of this group now, unless Soderling pulls two absolute blinders out of his hat and beats both Ferrer (quite likely) and Federer (maybe not quite so likely). That makes me a bit sad, because I really wanted the Roger/Robin duo to go forward. But then this isn't about me... much as I might like to think it is!

Oh, and the calendar has been shortened for 2012. Sort of. That will give me a little something to talk about in the off-season coming up...

Rhyme On The Quiet Time Before The First Point Is Played

'Tis the day before the championships
And all through TennisLand
Not much is happening
Despite my demands

Rafa, Nole, Muzza
Yoker, Ferru, Roger
Big Berd and the A-Rod
Lounging like old codgers

Because nothing will happen
Until the Sabbath day
The courts are all quiet
There's nothing to say

I have naught to write about -
For I have done my preview!
Do you think that rhyme
Will bring any more pageviews?

I think not, but my problem
Is that I have zilch to write!
So let's end this post here -
Good day and good night.

Round Robin Roger Rafa

Groups! We have groups! That should give me something to talk about today! Yay!

The general consensus seems to be agree that Nadal's group is a hell of a lot easier than Federer's, and I would tend to agree. However, Rafa hasn't played that much since the US Open, so while he might be fresh, he might also be rusty, so that could even them out quite well.

But let us analyse.

Team Rafa: We have Rafa himself, Novak Djokovic, Tomas Berdych and Andy Roddick.

Team Roger: The Fed Express, Andy Murray, Robin Soderling and David Ferrer.

Let's start with Team Rafa. I'm definitely seeing Berdych going zero and three in this group. No matter what group he was in, I think I would see this coming, because he has been playing stupendously badly. I'm actually thinking that Andy Roddick might stand a really excellent chance at winning this group. He's got the hard court prowess to take any of these guys, except perhaps Rafa on an awesome day. He'll definitely beat Berdych, probably Djokovic, and I think he stands a good shot at beating Rafa.

I see Rafa finishing second and qualifying, but Djokovic is really the dark horse for me in this group. It seems strange to say that about the world number #3, but there it is. He's combined some excellent play with some awful play recently and it depends which way he goes. Whoever wins the Rafa-Nole matchup is going through, in my book. And I am pretty sure that will be Rafa, unless he gets all injured or something.

Over to Team Roger now, and this group really doesn't have an obvious 'I'm losing every match' dude like Berdych in the other group. If you had to pick one, you might pick Ferrer, but he has been playing very, very well lately, and I wouldn't count him out.

I think Soderling and Federer both stand excellent chances at winning this group, and those are the two I'd put my money on to qualify. However, they can both be prone to sketchiness and both had long weeks in Paris... but yeah, I don't think that'll really affect them. Soderling is The Form Player coming in, and Roger - well, I wouldn't really be counting him out.

Murray is in a similar position to Djokovic in this group - he could dark horse his way into qualifying if he beats one of Soderling and Federer. I don't really have a read on his performance at the moment, though - will the home crowd gee him up or tear him down? He's been affected by it at Wimbledon, but as this tournament isn't quite such a big deal, maybe he can turn it to his advantage here...?

...You Know This Already

EXCUSE ME TENNIS WORLD, WHERE IS MY TENNIS? I HAVE NOTHING TO WRITE ABOUT, SO I HAVE TO WRITE IN CAPSLOCK TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE I WROTE MORE!

I mean, come on, ATP. I am so not ready to have nothing to write about. And I so can't take a whole week building up to the WTF. I just don't have enough material.

But I guess I have to try.

So, we have eight dudes who are playing. Yep. These eight dudes are Nadal, Federer, Djokovic, Soderling, Murray, Ferrer, Berdych and Roddick.

But you knew that already.

The draw is tomorrow.

But you also knew that.

...I'm going to leave this one short until I actually have something to write about. Talk among yourselves.

Lord Have Bercy

Lord have mercy (heh, Bercy) on you, Mr Federer, if I catch you any time soon. Oh suuuuuuure, I know I said (or at least thought) that I didn't mind if you lost here so you could have more time to prepare in London. But you know what?

I LIED.

And you know what else?

When I said that I didn't mind if you lost, I didn't mean that I wouldn't mind if you lost in three sets after having a break in the third set and FIVE F%^&ING MATCH POINTS. After I have been saying such nice things about you! Saying that you were playing good tennis! Saying that you might have a real shot at winning the WTF!

If you do not play well at the WTF, Roger, I will - I will -

- I will still love you, because you are my favourite ever, but I will be CROSS, Roger. I will be very cross. We are always hardest on the ones we love, and I will come down on you like a rather large pile of BRICKS.

If you must lose a match, do it in a way that doesn't break my heart, okay? And stop legitimising Monfils's dramatics by losing to him. They're annoying and you are BETTER THAN THAT.

Weird, But Not Complaining

Wow. Roger Federer, where have you been this year? This is a weird time of the year to start playing Ultimate God Tennis. Not complaining! Please keep it up!

It's sort of simultaneously hard and easy to believe that Federer's never made the semis of Paris. Easy, because this is not the most strategically important part of the year to be playing well. Hard, because he is playing SO well right now. And you know what? It would be really nice to cap off the year with a Masters title. Even better if he could cap it off with a good showing at the WTF.

He played SO well against Melzer today. He's had to play Melzer about a billion times this year after never having met him before, and it has not been a happy head to head for Jurgen, let us just say that much. Did you know that this is the most amount of aces he has ever served in a three set match? When that serve is going well, you know Federer's feeling good. You know that he doesn't have the back pain and that ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN.

So. Yeah. I'm excited about what the fading twilight of 2010 can offer Roger. Or, rather, what he can offer us!

Andy Murray lost today, in a very interesting match against Gael Monfils. I'm in two minds about the strategic importance of this. On one side, he really didn't show much form. On the other, he now has more rest before the O2, which is bad from a Federfan point of view. But oh well. Whatever. Roger is still my favourite.

The other two semi finalists are Llodra and Soderling - Llodra is totally having an awesome tournament! That said, I don't see him beating Robin, so we might be in for a very interesting final here. I would be very interested to see a Federer-Soderling final, assuming Roger comes through Monfils. It could be a very interesting prelude to the WTF!

Elite Eight (and Mr Melzer)

The line up is set for the World Tour Finals. The lucky three to get through are Roddick, Ferrer and Berdych. I wish Melzer had made it through instead of Berdych, but as was pointed out to me yesterday by reader Yolita (thanks!), this was in fact mathematically impossible. Pretty sure the only way we get Melzer now is if one of the Elite Eight shuts down for the year, and I don't want that to happen.

This qualification happened because Monfils beat Verdasco, who I am very glad did not qualify - he really didn't deserve it. Berdych lost to Davydenko (bit sad he wasn't in contention, but then, he didn't really do anything to deserve it, apart from having a cracker start to the year) but is still through, and Melzer came through to face Federer in the quarters, but is not through. Oh, and Llodra beat Djokovic.

The way he's playing at the moment, Berdych is going to be easy pickings for the other dudes at the WTF, and - I don't want to jinx it, especially because he made the finals of Basel last week, but nonetheless - I have a sneaking suspicion we might see Djokovic go 0 and 3 as well. Unless, of course, Berdych and Djokovic are in the same group, in which case Novak's getting at least one win. Djokovic's results have actually not been that bad of late, Llodra-loss today aside, but I am just spectacularly unconvinced by his play. Maybe it's just because he's been tagged twice by Federer since the US Open and I'm biased, but he feels a little lackadaisical to me at the mo.

But he ain't got nothing on Berdych.

Also, I think we have to give a big shout out to Andy Roddick, forever the forgotten quantity of the top ten. His longevity gets overlooked because of the longevity of his peer Federer - understandable, due to their comparative success rates - but qualifying for the WTF eight times in a row? Dude, that is super. Well done, A-Rod. You keep on keeping on. And who knows? If you end up in a group with Berdych and Djokovic (or even if you don't), you might find yourself in the semis or even in the final of the WTF. I would be a little surprised if it happened, but not a lot surprised. And when your field contains the like of Nadal, Federer, Murray, Soderling and, yes, Djokovic, that is saying something.

Bercy, Daveed and the WTF

Bercy! The forgotten Masters. The one that no one who is anyone really cares about because the World Tour Finals are in, like, two seconds... except the people that are trying to qualify for the finals, because hello, points, who are thus wearing themselves out before these finals even happen.

Sorry for that Sentence of Doom.

But seriously, here we are in Bercy, one of the stupidest placed tournaments on the calendar in term of care factor - dudes, I know that you want to finish the year with a bang for the non-WTFers, but you make it very hard for anyone to care about you - and we have a bunch of guys who are after the remaining three spots. The front runners, the way I see it, are David Ferrer, Tomas Berdych, Jurgen Melzer and Andy Roddick. One is going to miss out, of course, but it has to be out of those four. I think. Maybe Fernando Verdasco is in there. But with his epic losingness, I don't think he's going to be in there.

I'm really hoping Berdych is the one who misses out, because a) I don't like him very much and b) apart from Wimbledon, what has he really done? But I think he's up there in points... oh, I don't know. I don't understand their crazy maths.

I do understand, however, that Jurgen Melzer and David Ferrer have helped their chances by winning - a skin of the teeth thing for Ferrer, but a win nonetheless! Match of the day, though, has to go to Murray and Nalbandian. You had him, Daveed! You so could have kicked his arse if you'd just kept your level up! But maybe you did me and the Fedfans of the world a favour by losing... we don't want Murray all fresh for the WTF, do we?