With less than a week to go before the French Open begins in Paris, uncertainty reigns in the women's game perhaps more than ever. Over the past 30 years, tennis fans have become accustomed to a very small number of women dominating the game at any one time. Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles owned the tour during their respective careers from the mid-70's through the mid to late 90's. A look at the winners of the four Majors during this time period will show these ladies' names over and over again with few exceptions.
Since Martina Hingis' ascension to the number 1 ranking in 1997, there has been greater depth at the top of the game with the rise of the Williams Sisters, Lindsay Davenport, the Russian Revolution and a pair of talented Belgians, thus adding a little more intrigue to the tour. Recent Grand Slam title winners have come from this list, but the 2007 French Open may be different as none of the usual suspects appears to be playing all that well or even playing at all – Martina Hingis and Kim Clijsters to name a couple. It may be time for a new rising star.
That rising star may have been seen this past weekend in Rome, where Jelena Jankovic captured her first Italian Open title without losing a set and perhaps signaled to the rest of the WTA Tour that she is ready to win a major. With the victory, the 22 year-old Serbian rose to a career high singles ranking of number 4 in the world. Since a 1-10 start to the 2006 season, Jankovic has rebounded to become a force to be reckoned with on the WTA Tour, going 44-17 for the remainder of the season including a semifinal appearance at the US Open.
Her 2007 campaign began in torrid fashion with a 12-2 record on the Australian swing where she won her first of three titles this year, and although she had a disappointing Spring on American hard courts, she seems to have found her game in time for Roland Garros. However, this talented and athletic player does have a couple of hurdles to overcome before she can claim her first Grand Slam title. One is simply the ability to handle the big moment in a major. In last year's US Open semifinal versus Justine Henin, Jankovic struggled mentally after relinquishing a large lead and it appeared that she wasn't able to handle the occasion of her first Grand Slam semifinal. Double faults crept into her game and she was visibly shaken in the third set which she lost at love.
The other hurdle that stands between Jankovic and glory in Paris is Justine Henin. Jankovic's record against Henin is 0-5 with four of those losses coming in the last year. All of their head-to-head encounters have gone three sets. After her victory in Rome, Jankovic joked that the only reason she won the event was because Justine didn't play and those words are telling when considering the Serbian's state of mind regarding Henin. She knows that she needs to beat Henin soon for her own confidence and to erase the memories of some recent painful losses to the world's number one including blowing a 4-0 advantage in the third set of their Berlin quarterfinal.
When watching Jankovic play tennis, it's obvious that we are watching an elite athlete in action. She glides across the court in a way that few women do, and her groundstrokes are extremely fluid, especially her two-handed backhand. Physically, she oozes talent and one can't help but be impressed by her athleticism. However, physical talent is only a portion of the equation when it comes to winning a tournament of the magnitude of the French Open. Mental strength, especially on red clay, is a major component of success at the highest level of the game and it is that strength that Jelena Jankovic will have to demonstrate if she is to capture her first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros. Can she do it? Well, the opportunity is certainly there for the taking this year and here's hoping that she can pull it off.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Monday, May 21, 2007
Now What?
Now that Roger Federer has managed to finally trip up Rafael Nadal on clay, the operative question becomes, what will happen at Roland Garros? Prior to last week's ATP Master Series Hamburg event, a third consecutive triumph in Paris for Rafael Nadal appeared to be a near certainty. Victories in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome solidified the Spaniard's standing as El Rey del Clay and quite frankly, he's looked better on the dirt this year than he did last. As for Roger Federer, he looked poor in the Monte Carlo final versus Nadal and he suffered a stunning defeat in Rome at the hands of world number 53, Filippo Volandri. Those aren't the types of performances on which to build confidence in order to win the one Grand Slam title missing from the résumé.
Hamburg just may have changed that for Federer. Admittedly, he was playing poorly throughout the tournament including the first set of the final, but at 0-1, 15-40, something appeared to click mentally for Federer. Instead of trying to end points quickly, he worked the points more patiently and controlled the play until he could end the rallies with a high percentage shot. Up until that juncture in the match, the world's number one had been trying unsuccessfully to hit flashy winners in an attempt to dictate play and shorten the points. However, this change in approach enabled Federer to escape break points on his serve and recover from what could have been the decisive break of the match. From that moment on, the tenor of the match changed. Federer was now in charge, playing cleaner tennis, and Nadal, who hadn't been playing that well to begin with, was more error prone than usual.
While Nadal is still the bookmakers' favorite even after yesterday's loss, his air of invincibility on clay has been removed. All of a sudden, the Federer Express appears to be back on track for its ultimate destination of Greatest Player of All-Time. It's a track that will eventually require a Championship stop at Roland Garros Station in order to complete that journey, and 2007 may be the year that the Fed Train arrives there on the third Sunday of the tournament.
Understandably, Federer supporters are coming out in droves in support of their man and his chances of winning the French Open now that he has finally deposed Nadal on clay. But will this match be the turning point in Federer's season or will he go back to his impatient, error-filled tennis of the last few months? Through the Australian Open and Dubai, Federer had been playing so well that one wonders if he had become psychologically addicted to hitting brilliant winners at will and that that possibly led to his mini-slump when he couldn't adjust to missing his shots. Anyone who plays the game knows that hitting winners is addictive to the point where it can begin to change your approach to point construction. Suddenly, you lose patience and you try to end the points before you should. Only by breaking the addiction can you begin to focus on playing good tennis and letting the results follow. It remains to be seen whether Federer has completely emerged from his rough patch and can return to his previous championship form.
As for Nadal, I was surprised that he played Hamburg because of the potential to get over-tired with so many more matches on clay, and the fact that he had skipped the event the last two years. Rafa did appear tired and drained in the final and his fans are left wondering how he will overcome this defeat and the end of his record winning streak. A weeks rest will do the Mallorcan well in his quest for a third consecutive French Open title, but the psychological hurdle may be more difficult to overcome. He'll be looking forward to his first round match next week to exercise the demons from his game and re-establish himself as El Rey del Clay.
Based on yesterday's result, one thing is clear – we've got Game On for this year's French Open and tennis fans are the big winners.
Hamburg just may have changed that for Federer. Admittedly, he was playing poorly throughout the tournament including the first set of the final, but at 0-1, 15-40, something appeared to click mentally for Federer. Instead of trying to end points quickly, he worked the points more patiently and controlled the play until he could end the rallies with a high percentage shot. Up until that juncture in the match, the world's number one had been trying unsuccessfully to hit flashy winners in an attempt to dictate play and shorten the points. However, this change in approach enabled Federer to escape break points on his serve and recover from what could have been the decisive break of the match. From that moment on, the tenor of the match changed. Federer was now in charge, playing cleaner tennis, and Nadal, who hadn't been playing that well to begin with, was more error prone than usual.
While Nadal is still the bookmakers' favorite even after yesterday's loss, his air of invincibility on clay has been removed. All of a sudden, the Federer Express appears to be back on track for its ultimate destination of Greatest Player of All-Time. It's a track that will eventually require a Championship stop at Roland Garros Station in order to complete that journey, and 2007 may be the year that the Fed Train arrives there on the third Sunday of the tournament.
Understandably, Federer supporters are coming out in droves in support of their man and his chances of winning the French Open now that he has finally deposed Nadal on clay. But will this match be the turning point in Federer's season or will he go back to his impatient, error-filled tennis of the last few months? Through the Australian Open and Dubai, Federer had been playing so well that one wonders if he had become psychologically addicted to hitting brilliant winners at will and that that possibly led to his mini-slump when he couldn't adjust to missing his shots. Anyone who plays the game knows that hitting winners is addictive to the point where it can begin to change your approach to point construction. Suddenly, you lose patience and you try to end the points before you should. Only by breaking the addiction can you begin to focus on playing good tennis and letting the results follow. It remains to be seen whether Federer has completely emerged from his rough patch and can return to his previous championship form.
As for Nadal, I was surprised that he played Hamburg because of the potential to get over-tired with so many more matches on clay, and the fact that he had skipped the event the last two years. Rafa did appear tired and drained in the final and his fans are left wondering how he will overcome this defeat and the end of his record winning streak. A weeks rest will do the Mallorcan well in his quest for a third consecutive French Open title, but the psychological hurdle may be more difficult to overcome. He'll be looking forward to his first round match next week to exercise the demons from his game and re-establish himself as El Rey del Clay.
Based on yesterday's result, one thing is clear – we've got Game On for this year's French Open and tennis fans are the big winners.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
The Footwork Master
With his impressive performance in the semifinals of the ATP Master Series Rome event versus Rafael Nadal, Nikolay Davydenko has all of a sudden put himself on the radar screen as a potential winner at Roland Garros when it starts in a couple of weeks. The Russian, currently ranked number 4 in the world, had Nadal on the ropes, both physically and mentally, but just couldn't close the deal when he needed to in the third set. However, he served notice that he might be turning his game around just in time for the year's second major.
Thus far, 2007 has been a rather ordinary season for one of the game's best movers on court. He has no titles this year and has yet to reach a final. However, the guy's footwork is incredible, especially on hard courts, and that footwork was a big factor in his ability to hang with Nadal in Rome. Where other players had been chasing Nadal's shots down and were unable to get much power on the returns, Davydenko always seemed in position and was able to handle Nadal's best with penetrating replies. Can he do that at Roland Garros? That remains to be seen as the various clay surfaces on the European tour tend to vary and a good result in Rome is not necessarily a key predictor for success against El Rey del Clay in Paris (see Roger Federer 2006). Campo Centrale at the Foro Italico is known as one of the faster clay surfaces on the European swing, although this year it didn't look nearly as fast as last year when it appeared all of the topsoil had blown away. The speed of the court may have helped Davydenko in his clash with Rafa, but in the end Nadal was able to seize the moment when it mattered.
The courts in Paris aren't quite as fast as Rome and it may be harder to hurt Nadal on a slower court as he'll have time to chase everything down. Yet, Davydenko may have shown the rest of the field the way to beat Nadal on clay, although it won't be easy to complete that mission. The question for the world's number 4 is can he improve on his Grand Slam performances with success in Paris and at the same time, turn his lackluster year around? Unquestionably, Nadal is the favorite at Roland Garros, but don't count out the man with the best footwork on the tour. He just might be able to push the King of Clay to the brink in their next encounter.
Thus far, 2007 has been a rather ordinary season for one of the game's best movers on court. He has no titles this year and has yet to reach a final. However, the guy's footwork is incredible, especially on hard courts, and that footwork was a big factor in his ability to hang with Nadal in Rome. Where other players had been chasing Nadal's shots down and were unable to get much power on the returns, Davydenko always seemed in position and was able to handle Nadal's best with penetrating replies. Can he do that at Roland Garros? That remains to be seen as the various clay surfaces on the European tour tend to vary and a good result in Rome is not necessarily a key predictor for success against El Rey del Clay in Paris (see Roger Federer 2006). Campo Centrale at the Foro Italico is known as one of the faster clay surfaces on the European swing, although this year it didn't look nearly as fast as last year when it appeared all of the topsoil had blown away. The speed of the court may have helped Davydenko in his clash with Rafa, but in the end Nadal was able to seize the moment when it mattered.
The courts in Paris aren't quite as fast as Rome and it may be harder to hurt Nadal on a slower court as he'll have time to chase everything down. Yet, Davydenko may have shown the rest of the field the way to beat Nadal on clay, although it won't be easy to complete that mission. The question for the world's number 4 is can he improve on his Grand Slam performances with success in Paris and at the same time, turn his lackluster year around? Unquestionably, Nadal is the favorite at Roland Garros, but don't count out the man with the best footwork on the tour. He just might be able to push the King of Clay to the brink in their next encounter.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Viva El Rey
Another clay court tournament, another victory for El Rey del Clay, Rafael Nadal - that seems to be the script these days and there doesn't appear to be anything from stopping the kid on his way to his third consecutive triumph in Paris at Roland Garros. Yesterday, Rafa earned his third consecutive ATP Masters Series Rome victory, a feat which had been unachieved in the event's long history, with a convincing victory over Chilean Fernando Gonzalez. Gonzalez, under the tutelage of Larry Stefanki, had been expected to give Nadal a serious run as he had played extremely well in his semifinal rout over Italian surprise Filipo Volandri and he was facing a potentially mentally and physically fatigued opponent in Rafa. Since Gonzo has been working with Stefanki, his game has been transformed from a forehand bashing error machine into a thinking man's player with weapons.
Alas, a dramatic final was not to be. The pre-Stefanki Gonzalez showed up and was in a highly charitable mood. He never challenged Nadal in the 2 abbreviated sets. However, Nadal did well to forget the turmoil of his semifnal match with Nikolay Davydenko, deciding instead to take control of the points versus an opponent who dearly wanted to dictate play. By not letting Gonzalez control play, Rafa was able to force the Chilean into becoming impatient and thus forcing errors. Including yesterday's final, Gonzalez's record in finals now stands at 7 - 10, while Nadal's is 21 - 3, including 9 - 1 in ATP Master Series finals. Those records are telling when comparing the two men. Obviously, Gonzalez hasn't been nearly as successful in the big moments and perhaps that played a part yesterday as he was appearing in only his second Master Series final. On the other hand, Nadal relishes the big moment and as television commentator Doug Adler noted a few times during the final, he is such a good match player as he recognizes the important moments of a match and plays them extremely well.
So the impressive feats of the young Spaniard continue - here is a brief list:
21 titles
9 Master Series titles
3 consecutive ATP Masters Series Rome titles
2 French Open championships in 2 tries
77 match win streak on clay (the longest for any male player on any surface)
Ranked number 2 in the world for a record 90 consecutive weeks
The above list becomes even more impressive when you consider that Rafa is still only 20 years old. OK, admittedly I'm a Rafa Kool-Aid drinker, but that withstanding, one has to admit that the kid's record is pretty darn good. You have to go back to Bjorn Borg to find someone so accomplished at such a young age. Somehow, Nadal looks even better on clay this year than he did last and that's bad news for anyone who wants to win at Roland Garros (e.g., Roger Federer). He's dictating play more, hitting with far better length and not allowing his opponents any breathing room on their own service games. In his last 3 matches in Rome, he broke his opponents immediately in their opening service games. That's pressure when you have to play from behind right away against one of the game's best front-runners.
This week, the boys are in Hamburg and Nadal says he's going to play. I'm skeptical that he'll finish the event, but let's see what happens. Regardless, El Rey del Clay is on track for his third consecutive title at Roland Garros and it doesn't look like anyone can stop him. Viva el Rey!
Alas, a dramatic final was not to be. The pre-Stefanki Gonzalez showed up and was in a highly charitable mood. He never challenged Nadal in the 2 abbreviated sets. However, Nadal did well to forget the turmoil of his semifnal match with Nikolay Davydenko, deciding instead to take control of the points versus an opponent who dearly wanted to dictate play. By not letting Gonzalez control play, Rafa was able to force the Chilean into becoming impatient and thus forcing errors. Including yesterday's final, Gonzalez's record in finals now stands at 7 - 10, while Nadal's is 21 - 3, including 9 - 1 in ATP Master Series finals. Those records are telling when comparing the two men. Obviously, Gonzalez hasn't been nearly as successful in the big moments and perhaps that played a part yesterday as he was appearing in only his second Master Series final. On the other hand, Nadal relishes the big moment and as television commentator Doug Adler noted a few times during the final, he is such a good match player as he recognizes the important moments of a match and plays them extremely well.
So the impressive feats of the young Spaniard continue - here is a brief list:
21 titles
9 Master Series titles
3 consecutive ATP Masters Series Rome titles
2 French Open championships in 2 tries
77 match win streak on clay (the longest for any male player on any surface)
Ranked number 2 in the world for a record 90 consecutive weeks
The above list becomes even more impressive when you consider that Rafa is still only 20 years old. OK, admittedly I'm a Rafa Kool-Aid drinker, but that withstanding, one has to admit that the kid's record is pretty darn good. You have to go back to Bjorn Borg to find someone so accomplished at such a young age. Somehow, Nadal looks even better on clay this year than he did last and that's bad news for anyone who wants to win at Roland Garros (e.g., Roger Federer). He's dictating play more, hitting with far better length and not allowing his opponents any breathing room on their own service games. In his last 3 matches in Rome, he broke his opponents immediately in their opening service games. That's pressure when you have to play from behind right away against one of the game's best front-runners.
This week, the boys are in Hamburg and Nadal says he's going to play. I'm skeptical that he'll finish the event, but let's see what happens. Regardless, El Rey del Clay is on track for his third consecutive title at Roland Garros and it doesn't look like anyone can stop him. Viva el Rey!
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