A Different Animal

A few upsets in the clay tournaments we have going on this week - we lost Rainer Schuettler (#2) and Christophe Rochus (#7) in Casablanca and former champ Mardy Fish in Houston. It seems strange to be calling these players 'seeds' - they're certainly not what we would normally think of as high level players. But that's this time of the year, I guess.

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The clay season is both the most predictable and unpredictable swing of the year, in my opinion. The top players - players like Rafa Nadal and Nicolas Almagro, very rarely lose on this surface. Often with the top players you get a random upset here and there, but you very rarely see this on clay, I think. Look at Rafa's record - he's lost, what, two matches over the past four years? One was to Federer and the other one was to Juan Carlos Ferrero when he was pretty nastily injured. Other than that, he's been solid as a rock. Almagro, the Prince of Clay, is similar, though obviously on a lesser scale.

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But when you skip down a rung or two to the rest of the top ten and the guys that are supposed to be at the top... on clay, it seems like the playing field is pretty different. You get a lot more upsets here. I don't know if it's just the claycourters upsetting those who are more consistent year-round or whether it's more arbitrary, but you certainly get some random results that you probably wouldn't normally see.

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You've got to wonder whether Roland Garros should adopt a seeding system like hat of Wimbledon - based not only on current ranking but on previous performance on that surface as well. Clay is a different animal and the top ten rankings don't really reflect the real rankings. Nadal #1 and Federer #2, yes, but the rest of the top ten...? I think there'd have to be a significant reshuffle.

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Today's Results

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Grand Prix Hassan II (Casablanca)

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Igor Andreev def. Rabie Chaki, 3-6 6-3 7-5

Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo def. Rainer Schuettler, 6-4 7-6 (7-5)

Albert Montanes def. Reda El Amrani, 6-2 7-5

Marc Gicquel def. Kristof Vliegen, 7-5 6-3

Juan Carlos Ferrero def. Christophe Rochus, 6-2 6-3

Potito Starace def. Oscar Hernandez, 4-6 6-3 6-3

Olivier Rochus def. Mehdi Ziadi, 4-6 6-2 6-1

Teimuraz Gabashvili def. Fabio Fognini, 6-2 6-1

Santiago Ventura def. Oliver Marach, 6-1 6-1

Nicolas Devilder def. Daniel Koellerer, 6-3 6-4

Mischa Zverev def. Flavio Cipolla, 6-2 3-6 6-3

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US Men's Clay Court Championships (Houston)

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Bjorn Phau def. Mardy Fish, 6-3 5-7 6-3

Sergio Roitman def. Agustin Calleri, 6-3 6-3

John Isner def. Michael Russell, 4-6 6-3 6-2

Tommy Haas def. Denis Gremelmayr, 6-3 6-3

Scoville Jenkins def. Alexander Peya, 0-6 6-4 6-3

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez def. Giovanni Lapentti, 1-6 6-0 6-2

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Andalucia Tennis Experience (Marbella)

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Jelena Jankovic def. Francesca Schiavone, 6-2 6-1

Anabel Medina Garrigues def. Anastasiya Yakimova, 6-1 6-3

Carla Suárez Navarro def. Maret Ani, 7-5 7-5

Sara Errani def. Julia Schruff, 7-5 7-6 (8-6)

Virginia Ruano Pascual def. Tathiana Garbin, 6-1 2-6 6-1

Andreja Klepac def. Severine Brémond, 5-7 6-2 6-2

Renata Voracova def. Pauline Parmentier, 7-6 (10-8) 4-6 6-4

Arantxa Rus def. María-Teresa Torró-Flor, 4-6 6-2 6-0

Ekaterina Ivanova def. Masa Zec Peskiric, 6-0 6-4

Polona Hercog def. Stéphanie Cohen-Aloro, 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 6-2

Selima Sfar def. Estrella Cabeza Candela, 6-3 7-6 (7-4)

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MPS Group Championships (Ponte Vedra Beach)

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Nadia Petrova def. Olga Govortsova, 6-2 6-4

Aleksandra Wozniak def. Jill Craybas, 6-4 6-4

Elena Vesnina def. Peng Shuai, 2-6 6-1 6-3

Sabine Lisicki def. Mariya Koryttseva, 6-3 7-6 (7-3)

Tamira Paszek def. Melinda Czink, 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-4

Anastasia Rodionova def. Galina Voskoboeva, 6-4 6-2

Daniela Hantuchova def. Anastasija Sevastova, 2-6 6-4 7-6 (7-5)

On The Red Stuff

Miami is ended and the summer is gone, and now we have embarked onto the clay swing, one of the most interesting swings of the year. I love the clay swing - the one before Roland Garros, anyway. The clay tournaments after Wimbledon seem really stupid to me - though I haven't examined the new schedule, so I don't know what they're like now...

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But I digress. Clay is here - so what can we expect? Who is going to shine and who is going to fall?

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We talked about Andy Murray yesterday - this season is going to be a huge test for him, a real measure of his claim to being in that elite top echelon. Nadal, Federer and Djokovic have all proved their abilities on all surfaces, all making semis at all four Slams - can Murray do the same and bring it on the red stuff? Though speaking of that top echelon, they'll need to maintain (or, in the cases of Federer and Djokovic, improve) their current form. I don't think anyone would ever doubt the ability of Rafa Nadal to absolutely dominate this swing. Federer has consistently shown himself to be the world #2 on clay. But who else is there to look out for?

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Tommy Robredo is one that I would definitely keep an eye on. He's been playing fiercely well over the last little while - maybe not so much at Indian Wells and Miami, but he's been pretty consistently good throughout the year. I think he's a real shot at a semi-final berth - I nominated him about a month ago for this position, and I'm sticking with. Obviously it depends which way the draw falls - I wouldn't pick him over Rafa, for example - but I like his chance to go deep.

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I'm also hoping David Ferrer can bring the form on clay, on which he is consistently good, and also Stan Wawrinka, who really earned his stripes on clay last year with that final in Rome. I'm also going to be interested to see how Andy Roddick goes on the red stuff, which is definitely not his arena - he's been playing quite well of late and it'll be interesting to see how it translates.

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And from the Stars? Gulbis - he made the quarters at Roland Garros last year. But Thomaz Bellucci will also be good to watch, and I'd keep an eye on Eduardo Schwank as well. And there's also a young Portuguese kid I'm keeping an eye on - Frederico Gil. He's not quite a Star yet, but worth watching...

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Today's Results

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Grand Prix Hassan II (Casablanca)

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Victor Hanescu def. Steve Darcis, 6-4 7-5

Florent Serra def. Thomaz Bellucci, 6-3 6-3

Ivan Ljubicic def. Arnaud Clement, 7-6 (8-6) 5-7 6-4

Frederico Gil def. Alberto Martin, 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-4)

Ivan Navarro def. Sergiy Stakhovsky, 7-5 4-2 retired

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US Men's Clay Court Championship (Houston)

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Jurgen Melzer def. Robert Kendrick, 6-1 7-5

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Andalucia Tennis Experience (Marbella)

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Sorana Cirstea def. Ioana Raluca Olaru, 6-4 6-2

Roberta Vinci def. Tsvetana Pironkova, 6-7 (4-7) 6-2 6-4

Nicole Vaidisova def. Angelique Kerber, 3-6 6-4 6-4

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The MPS Group Championships (Ponte Vedra Beach)

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Kateryna Bondarenko def. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, 7-6 (7-2) 6-2

Madison Keys def. Alla Kudryavtseva, 7-5 6-4

Murray's Mountain

I don't think anyone is surprised that Andy Murray took out Novak Djokovic in the final of Miami - probably not even Novak. He might have beaten Federer in the semis... but I think we can all pretty much agree that Roger beat himself there (see Roger rant yesterday). I think we're looking at the change of the guard here in the #3 spot - I would not be at all surprised to see Murray take it over in the near future.

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Thing is, I have never been able to pinpoint why Murray is so good. He's a great all-court player, and a great counter-puncher, but there's nothing you can pinpoint - like the Nadal and Federer forehands, for example - that makes him so dangerous. I think I've compared him to Lleyton Hewitt before, and while that probably isn't exactly right, it's not that far off.

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But Murray has one real challenge ahead of him if he really wants to step up and grab that #3 spot. Come the hardcourt season, he is consistently outperforming just about everyone, except possibly Nadal at the moment. But on clay... I read an interview once that said that Murray was focusing on the Aussie Open, US Open and Wimbledon and that Roland Garros wasn't a priority for him. But if he wants to be a real challenger in a game where the two blokes at the top are comfortable on any surface, as shown by their ability to make and win finals on all these surfaces, then he needs to be able to do it on clay.

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I don't think there's any reason why the Murray game shouldn't translate onto clay. Sure, the speed of the hardcourts is good for him, but look at Federer's game - he thrives on quickness and speed as well, and he's made three consecutive Roland Garros finals. I've never actually seen Murray play on clay, come to think of it... probably because he generally gets knocked out so early he never actually plays too much on it! If I were him - this is my completely uneducated opinion - I'd play a good three or four tournaments before Roland Garros, just to make sure he gets the matches in, even if he loses early. I'd be open to the possibility of wildcards. Because if he wants to be in that top echelon, to challenge the Hispano-Suisse domination machine, and especially Djokovic, his most immediate challenge rankings-wise, someone who has proved his quality on clay, Murray needs to find a level of comfort on the red stuff.

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Can Murray climb the mountain? It's going to be very interesting to see!

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Today's Results

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Sony Ericsson Open (Miami)

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Men's Draw

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Andy Murray def. Novak Djokovic, 6-2 7-5

Keep Being Roger!

When I wrote about Federer's loss to Djokovic yesterday, I had not yet read about the circumstances and the match itself - I'd only seen the result. A little more reading and a few almost horrifying video clips later, and... I think I have a rant coming on.

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I hate ranting about Federer. He is, as any reader of this blog would be able to tell, my favourite player by a very long way. I love the artistry of his game, the magic of his shots and his ability to do just about anything on the court - and I love the fact that he is a total gentleman, on and off the court. And I'm sorry, Roger, because I love you, I really do - but that is not the player I saw yesterday.

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I don't know whether he's trying to channel all of his residual childishness out before fatherhood, but he really did behave like a spoiled brat yesterday. I understand the conditions of the match were frustrating and his career in general over the beginning of 2009 has pretty much been an exercise in frustration, but still, that was not the gentleman champion I saw out there. Now, I'm not saying that this is clearly some eternal change and Federer is lost or anything. I would be the last to gainsay him - he is the repository of more enormous potential than anyone else in the game. But he needs to rediscover the gentleman. Even in pressers, he's been a lot more bitchy than normal - and this is just not what we have seen from him before.

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So Roger, please. I don't mind if you win or lose. Just keep being Roger. Because this is not quite real.

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And in another news, Azarenka took out Serena! This girl is on her way to the top - in the fast lane! If only she could fix her personality...

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Today's Results

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Sony Ericsson Open (Miami)

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Men's Draw

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Andy Murray def. Juan Martin del Potro, 6-1 5-7 6-2

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Women's Draw

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Victoria Azarenka def. Serena Williams, 6-3 6-1

Shmafa

There is one tennis result I hate to see more than any other, and that is N Djokovic def R Federer. Hate it. Hate it with a fiery passion. And guess what I woke up to this morning.

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I have no idea what went on in the match and if Djokovic won or Federer lost. But I still hate it. Ugh. A lot.

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But I do believe I owe someone an apology - one Juan Martin del Potro. I said yesterday that the prospect of him beating Rafa was infinitesimally minute. However... look what happened. Third set breaker, to be sure, but Juan M pulled it out.

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That said, from what I can tell I don't think it was Rafa out there - not really. If Rafa brings him A-game - which he does to 90%ish of matches - then your name pretty much has to be Roger Federer to take a set off him. (Notable exceptions have included Fernando Verdasco - but not the Nando we saw yesterday.) But sometimes someone else turns up - Rafa's evil twin, Shmafa.

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Now, Shmafa doesn't suck. Shmafa isn't like the LameDave incarnation of David Nalbandian, who looks like he's never even heard of a tennis court. In fact, Shmafa is probably in the top ten players in the world. However, if you're good and you cotton on and you're lucky - like Juan Martin del Potro was yesterday - Shmafa will leave some doors open to you which Rafa never will. Shmafa comes out when Rafa is tired and/or injured, I think - rarely when he is 100% - and a lot of the time he gets the job done, but then there are days like yesterday, when Shmafa just isn't good enough.

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Ugh. I cannot believe Federer lost to Djokovic. Ugh, ugh, ugh! Reading reveals that there was some nasty forehand shanking in horrible windy conditions. Not happy - not happy!

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Today's Results

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Sony Ericsson Open (Miami)

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Men's Draw

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Novak Djokovic def. Roger Federer, 3-6 6-2 6-3

Juan Martin del Potro def. Rafael Nadal, 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7-3)

Andy Murray def. Fernando Verdasco, 6-1 6-2

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Women's Draw

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Serena Williams def. Venus Williams, 6-4 3-6 6-3

Applauding Azarenka

I wrote the other day about the need in the WTA for someone to step up and knock down a few of these ailing top ten stars. I do take issue with her personality, but you have to applaud Victoria Azarenka for stepping up to the plate. She really has been a star of the WTA this year.

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Think of how different the Australian Open would have been if Azarenka had not been taken sick in the second set of that match with Serena Williams. If things has unfolded like it was looking like they were going to unfold, then Serena would have been knocked out in that round. I don't think Azarenka would have gone all the way, but the complexion of the whole tournament would have been entirely different. She's impressed on just about every showing this year - with her game, not her personality (I haven't been too impressed with that.) And now she's in the final of Miami, where she'll face a Williams. I wouldn't back her chances against Serena (even with the whole Aussie Open situation) but against Venus... this could be Azarenka's big break.

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Over to the blokes now, and the Federer/Djokovic semi should be a good one. Djokovic seemed to have pulled himself out of his funk a little in his match against Tsonga - that was a good win for him, considering he's been Jo-Dub's bitch for about a year now. And the Federer/Roddick match was an absolute corker. Late night thriller all the way - as much as one can have one of those when you're playing best of three. Roger really did lose concentration in the second, but I loved the way that he sort of broke just by the power of his will to win the match. Sure, it was a lucky let cord, but the winner after that...

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And let cords are kind sometimes - clearly the gods were smiling on him.

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I'm gunning for a Nadal/Murray semi on the other side, and I don't think anyone would doubt that we'll get it. My housemate tells me that apparently the guy on ABC newsradio has said that del Potro will beat Nadal. My laughter echoed off the wall for about ten minutes.

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Today's Results

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Sony Ericsson Open (Miami)

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Men's Draw

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Roger Federer def. Andy Roddick, 6-3 4-6 6-4

Novak Djokovic def. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 6-3 6-4

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Women's Draw

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Victoria Azarenka def. Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-3 2-6 7-5

State of the Game

I've ranted a lot about the state of the women's tour at the moment - as has just about every tennis writer on the planet, I think. But do you know the reason the women's tour looks so bad? It's because the men's tour is so damn good.

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Look at the quarter finalists in Miami. Every single member of the top eight seeds, with the exception of Gilles Simon, has made it to the quarter finals. The odd man out is Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and you've got to think that his tenth ranking is more because he was out with injury last year than anything else. How good is that? And while having the top eight line up bang bang bang doesn't happen every tournament, there's usually a few of the usual suspects there. Nadal. Federer. Murray. Even Djokovic, though he's been scattier of late. And it's not because this lot is so far ahead of the field - though you have to say that a couple of them certainly are. There's a level of consistency. And the depth of talent in the men's field is such that pretty much anyone can make it a few rounds and have it not be a surprise.

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I've read things that say that the current state of the women game is due to the incredible depth there. I'm going to have to respectfully disagree. The top women's players at the moment aren't being beaten. They're losing. Would anyone gainsay that?

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But the strange thing is that no one seems to be benefiting. With players like Jankovic, Ivanovic and even Safina losing so regularly, it stands to reason that they should fall out of the top ten. Instead, Safina is on the verge of #1. People are beating the top girls but somehow no one is making good on it. We should be seeing a reshuffle at the top. We're not. And I can't even critique the lack of this reshuffle and the rankings system, because I can't think of anyone that should be there in their places. The amount of one-win wonders in the WTA... well, I haven't seen that on the men's tour for some time.

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My message? The ATP isn't just in a good place right now because of Federer and Nadal. The whole pack of them are really, really strong right now. As viewers of men's tennis, we could not be alive at a more interesting time.

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Today's Results

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Sony Ericsson Open (Miami)

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Men's Draw

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Rafael Nadal def. Stanislas Wawrinka, 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-4)

Roger Federer def. Taylor Dent, 6-3 6-2

Andy Roddick def. Gael Monfils, 7-6 (7-2) 6-4

Juan Martin Del Potro def. David Ferrer, 6-3 6-2

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Women's Draw

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Serena Williams def. Li Na, 4-6 7-6 (7-1) 6-2

Victoria Azarenka def. Samantha Stosur, 6-1 6-0