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Sunday, January 30, 2011

Australian Open 2011: Novak Djokovic Is The New Champion


Novak Djokovic is the new Australian Open champion. He defeated Andy Murray 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. On Sunday night, Djokovic did little wrong and Murray did little right. Confidence was written large on his face and on his shots. He did not allow Murray to get into any rhythm and Murray too contributed by making uncharacteristic errors. Djokovic was the leader from start to finish and his superiority was in clear view.

The match started with comfortable hold for Djokovic and hardships for Murray. The pattern became clear very soon. Djokovic was playing the attacking shots and Murray was mostly defending. Murray has generally been a slow starter. Whether nerves were there in the beginning or not, errors were seen to be unusually more. He attacked forehand on important points which at that time turned out to be the less consistent of the two. He took 13 minutes and 52 seconds to hold  his first serve. But as usually happens, after winning such a tough game, the momentum shifted and the next service game of Djokovic went to deuce. At the change over, the initial nervousness, if any existed, was over and both the players started playing their normal shots.

Djokovic was hitting ground strokes with an average speed of 127  as against 112 of Andy Murray. That was what was expected too. Andy Murray was not bending sufficiently on slices and netting a few of them. When Andy committed double fault while serving in the crucial tenth game, Djokovic sensed his chance. He went on offensive and won the set 6-4. Andy served a poor 44% first serves as against 63 % by Djokovic. He committed 14 unforced errors and seven winners. Djokovic committed 8 winners and 15 unforced errors.

In the very first service game of the second set, Andy Murray committed his usual foolhardiness of playing a drop shot on the break point and lost the game. His game went to pieces after that. He started hitting the ball over the base line repeatedly and went down 0-5. When he broke for the first time to make the score 2-5, it was too late. Djokovic immediately broke back and won the set 6-2. Djokovic served at 67% to 53% by Murray. He hit 8 winners to 5, 3 aces to 2 and only 6 unforced errors to 13 by Murray.

Andy Murray broke in the very first game of the third set and raised hopes of come back. But he lost his very next serve committing unforced errors. Andy Murray footwork was very poor. He was repeatedly unable to put the left foot in front which resulted in ball sailing over the baseline. When he was broken at 3-4, match was virtually over. Djokovic won the set 6-3. He was the deserving champion.  

Andy Murray will have to live much longer with the criticism that he is not a Grand Slam Champion material. We see a different Andy Murray in Grand Slam finals from the one that reaches the finals. All the hard work he puts in to reach the finals, he squanders in a single night to become a pauper again. As regards Novak Djokovic, he has now made the tennis world three dimensional and a better one to live in.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Australian Open 2011: Andy Murray - Novak Djokovic Finals Preview


Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic are to meet in the finals at the Australian Open 2011 on Sunday, the 30th January. Both are equally determined and equally motivated. Djokovic has one Grand Slam tournament title, Andy has none. With Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer out, there are no rewards for guessing who would be more hungry and if the situation gets difficult, more desperate. There in lies the key for Djokovic. A confident Andy plays a different game from a desperate Andy. As against David Ferrer, serve is not going to be an overpowering weapon for Andy, since Djokovic too is a good returner. But it will be absolutely essential for Andy to serve at a minimum of 60%. Djokovic can also serve well but his ace count is likely to be lesser than Andy’s. Djokovic may find it difficult to get past Murray with serve, but it is possible to force error on return. It is also difficult to get past Murray on ground strokes; Djokovic will have to go for the lines. He is likely to commit more errors in the process which may look unforced, but would be rather forced on Djokovic on account of seeming omnipresence of Murray on the court. Djokovic is no mean mover himself, but could be the first to go on offensive in a long rally. If his shots find the corners, he can drive Andy to desperation; if not, he will himself become desperate. Both have good back hand, but whereas Andy can be natural while hitting top spin or slice, Djokovic prefers top spin cross court in defence and down the line, in attack. Andy Murray can change the pace of the game and spin on the ball. But he has a tendency to overdo drop shots. Novak Djokovic is sure to reach these drop shots on most of the occasions. It is infact sometimes horrendous to see Andy hitting a drop shot at 30-30 or deuce, which takes a beat or two away from weak hearts. He hits the ball without pace on the shots which is not that bad against somebody like Djokovic who is more comfortable with pace. Djokovic prefers bouncing ball to a low ball and does not like to change the pace of his shots much. His method is mostly to move the opponent corner to corner with hard shots. These days he puts lot of top spin on his shot to keep it within the lines.
Andy Murray has sometimes been accused of being a pusher, which is unjust. But he occasionally becomes cautious to the point of hating to hit a winner. He does not choke, but loses his killer instinct. These are the moments when his hard shots start going beyond the lines. Since he does not put enough pace on shots, he tends to go more and more to the lines, and many a time beyond them. It takes him 6-7 games to realise the error and rectify it. Between Murray and Djokovic, Andy plays more from mind and Novak more from instinct.
It will be a persevering Murray this time round in the finals since he has known the hard way that reaching the finals is one thing and winning it is another. Who will win? Well, difficult to answer, but easier to say that whoever plays better on the day will win.


Australian Open 2011: Andy Murray’s Time With Destiny Nearer, Ferrer’s Over



The second Semi-Final is just over. Andy Murray has prevailed in four sets 4-6, 7-6, 6-1, 7-6. The match was competitive. Both the players were playing true to their nature - cautious and defensive. The attacking tennis Ferrer displayed against Rafael Nadal was a thing of the past. Loss of the first set put Murray in the pushing mode. But the pressure of playing an underdog was clearly telling on Murray. He had committed 34 unforced errors by the end of the first two sets. His first serve percentage was a poor 55 %.. He was clearly out of sorts. When he conceded a set point on his serve at 4-5, there were anxious moments. Ferrer could not attack well and the set point was saved. They traded breaks in the next two games and tie breaker arrived. Andy Murray did not win the tie break, but Ferrer lost it 2-7. The match was going on for two hours without being impressive. Rallies were long but boring with just occasional flashes of brilliance. Both were pushing the ball on the other side of the net. Quality of tennis was the sufferer. Spectators were not suffering since hits and misses were almost equal. Both had reduced their game to the lower level in sharp contrast to the other semi-final where in spite of the straight sets victory, quality of shots was far better.  
At the beginning of the third set a horde of white birds descended on the Rod Laver arena to find out what was going on. What message they brought is not known but the play stopped for a few moments. Nothing changed on resumption and momentum remained with Andy Murray. He comfortably won the third set 6-1. David Ferrer had hit only 23 winners in the three sets played as against 44 in the three sets against Nadal. Murray had improved his first serve percentage to 61%. He had hit 41 winners but also committed 43 unforced errors. When he broke Ferrer in the very first game of the fourth set, it became clear that this would be the last set of the match. But complexion of the game changed. Both players raised the level of their game. The set went to the tie breaker. That was good news for Murray’s supporters. He won the tie breaker with the identical score of 7-2.

Andy Murray has reached where he was last year. The good news is that there is no Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer. He has a tryst with destiny on Sunday. Will his dreams, and those of Great Britain, be realised - we have to wait and see.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Australian Open 2011: Djokovic Goes Up, Federer Goes Out


World order has changed. Both the top seeds are out of Australian Open 2011. Novak Djokovic has defeated Roger Federer in straight sets 7-6, 7-5, 6-4 in the first Semi-Final. Federer could not play his best. One of the indicators of Federer’s mind is the quality of his serve. This has nothing to do with the opponent since it is the first shot in a point. Federer served only 5 aces in the three long sets played. Djokovic did not allow Federer to stay long in the ground rallies. He was hitting with lot of power and lot of top spin to remain in the rally in an aggressive way. He was not giving short balls to let Federer come into the fore court. Once Federer started getting frustrated, racquet frame started coming into play. He did play many winners and constructed his points beautifully, but such points were not the order of the day. In crunch situations, Djokovic went to Federer’s backhand which repeatedly broke down after a few exchanges. Djokovic had no weaknesses today either on forehand or backhand. He served himself out of trouble on a number of occasions, something what we have repeatedly seen from Federer during his prime days. He was returning most of Federer’s serves to keep the ball in play and gaining upper hand slowly in the rally. On quite a few occasions, it was Federer who was impatient to end the rally. In his prime, his shots would go near the lines for winner, but today many were going beyond the lines. Djokovic kept his composure on important points and did not falter even when Federer raised his level of play. The outcome truly reflected who was the better player on the day. In a long time, Federer would not be holding any of the four Grand Slam major titles.

Australian Open 2011: Andy Murray - David Ferrer Semi Finals Preview


Andy Murray has to play David Ferrer tomorrow in the Semi-Finals of Australian Open 2011. Andy Murray has defeated Ferrer both the times they have played on hard courts and Ferrer has defeated Murray all the three times they have played on clay since 2006. The latest encounter was Barclays ATP WTF in London where Murray defeated Ferrer 6-2, 6-2. David Ferrer defeated Rafael Nadal with ease in the quarter-finals. But when he faces Andy Murray in the Semi-Finals, it will be another day and a different opponent. Andy Murray has to put at least 60% of first serves in. His ace count, of course, is going to be higher. Both Murray and Ferrer are among the best returners in the game, but Ferrer does not serve bombs. He prefers to put a larger percentage of first serves in to overcome the deficiency in speed.  Andy Murray has a distinct advantage in this aspect. Both move very well though Murray has better anticipation and makes a move in the right direction earlier than others. Andy Murray has innovativeness when not under duress whereas Ferrer plays a set game. This benefits Murray since he will know where the ball is going to come on most occasions and with his better anticipation, will be in right place to execute his shots. In the previous round, Murray dropped a set to Dolgopolov since the latter plays an unorthodox game. On the other hand, someone who plays a percentage game, causes lesser problems to Murray. Murray has variety in his shots. But sometimes, he chooses to play drop shot at the wrong time. David Ferrer generally remains on the baseline and moves well laterally. He can be surprised with the drop shot, but with good speed and shorter frame, Ferrer is also likely to reach these drop shots. If Murray exercise discretion while deploying the drop shot, he can score winner on odd occasions. Ferrer and Murray are both defensive players basically. Both excel in retrieving lost causes, the little difference being that Murray sometimes plays unplayable shots on the run. With Nadal, Ferrer succeeded by opening the vulnerable corner in the ad court, but Murray does not leave any corner uncovered. Nadal allowed Ferrer to dictate the pace of the game, but Murray will not let that happen. He is a past master in absorbing pace and turning it to his advantage. In Nadal, Ferrer met some one who is also a clay courter basically, but Murray plays best on hard courts. Nadal comes to the net behind a difficult approach shot, but Murray can serve and volley if the situation demanded that. David Ferrer is in for a different ball game. What can he do? Well, he has nothing to lose, since he has achieved what was not expected of him. Murray has a lot of expectations on his shoulder. If situation becomes tight for Murray, he tends to slide into a pusher. He becomes over defensive and keeps the ball in play where a simple kill is to be executed. The shots start landing at the service line and serve starts landing beyond. In the match closing positions, only the odd first serve lands in. Murray has been the underdog against Nadal last year, but this time round, Ferrer will be the underdog. That is another pressure Murray can expect.
Andy Murray has a golden chance to reach the Finals to have a try at his maiden Grand Slam title.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Australian Open 2011: Rafael Nadal Knocked Out


Rafael Nadal is out of Australian Open 2011. David Ferrer knocked out the number one seed 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. He was the better player on the day. There were medical time out for Nadal on a number of occasions, but it was not clear what the injury was. He had outplayed Marin Cilic in straight sets and had a rest day before he came back on court today. There was no talk of injury during this intervening period and during the match there was no point at which he was seen to have injured himself. If it was the lingering effects of flu he suffered in Doha, how long he was to take to recover. Last year, he had retired in the third set against Andy Murray, but he did not do so today. David Ferrer hit 44 winners which was what did Nadal in. Rafael Nadal had no answer to this onslaught. His famed shots caused no dent in Ferrer’s defence. On the other hand, Ferrer’s shots were landing deep making it difficult for Nadal to go on the front foot. Nadal’s back hand looked ordinary, just as it did last year against Andy Murray. Ferrer also exploited gaps in the forehand corner of Nadal on the ad court. Ferrer was running all over the court like possessed and it was clear that he was the one who wanted victory at any cost. He goes on to meet Andy Murray in the Semi-Finals.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Australian Open 2011: Andy Murray Through To The Semi-Finals.

Andy Murray went through to the Semi-Finals 7-5, 6-3, 6-7, 6-3. He was made to work hard in the beginning and towards the end. Dolgopolov chose to receive after winning the toss, which showed a passive state of mind. The advantage of serving first was handed over to Andy Murray. Andy Murray went up a service break up, but was not finding it easy to play Dolgopolov’s style of play. He was not serving even 40% of first serves in by his fourth service game. There was only one ace served. Dolgopolov was able to even up the set on serve. Dolgopolov sometimes blocks the service on his forehand by a slice which is rather unconventional. He was not hitting short or in the middle of the court. Murray was not in trouble but was feeling disconcerted. His quick movements were not producing quick results since Dolgopolov has the ability to change his hitting stance quickly. Murray’s extraordinary anticipation was not working that well either since Dolgopolov was not playing the conventional stock play. But the inexperience was showing too. He committed harakiri by playing drop shots to Murray. Playing drop shots to Soderling is totally different than playing drop shots to Andy Murray. Dolgopolov did not play the crucial points well enough and lost the first set 5-7. He was committing two unforced errors per game. That was giving the match on platter to Andy Murray. Experience got the better of inexperience. Seriousness scored over casual approach. A pattern set in where Dolgopolov would score only the shorter points and all longer points will go Murray’s way. It is not easy to play winners against Murray since every ball is chased and returned. Sensing the lack of control over aggression on part of Dolgopolov, Murray started giving him long rope and Dolgopolov kept on tightening noose around his neck bit by bit. A carefree Dolgopolov became careless and then reckless. His coach was also shown laughing at the silly mistakes committed by him. By the time he lost the second set at 3-6, he had committed 42 unforced errors in the 21 games played. If one thought that Dolgopolov will learn from mistakes, these hopes were soon belied. Dolgopolov lost serve in the very first game of the third set. But slowly he cashed in on mistakes by Andy Murray. He broke back and the set went to a tie break. In the tie break, Murray lost his composure and lost the tie break 3-7. In the fourth set, Andy Murray regained his composure and broke Dolgopolov in the very service game of the latter. He had won 14 points in a row and had consolidated the break.
At no point in the match, Murray looked in danger of losing. Dolgopolov looked unfazed in his defeat. He appeared content with his first quarterfinal appearance in a grand slam tournament. Andy Murray played his normal game and Dolgopolov played a flashy game. The steady game scored over the flashes of brilliance. The match was nothing but the tale of 77 unforced errors.

Australian Open 2011: Federer - Djokovic Semi Final Preview

Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have taken the appointed place in the Semi-Finals of Australian Open 2011. Who will advance to the Finals. Well, it will be the one who plays well on the day or rather whoever plays better on the few important points. The past performance could be an indicator only if both play their best game.
In the head to head between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, it is 4-2 in Federer’s favour in the grand slam tournaments on hard courts. In the past Djokovic was the sick man from Europe who would retire mid way. Roger Federer has perhaps never retired for any reason whatever. But Djokovic appears to have overcome his health problems. He has not shed much sweat too during the matches so far in this tournament.  Both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have good balance of offence and defence. Federer loves to dictate the tempo of the game. He is the one who goes on the offensive first. Djokovic tends to play defensive first and at the appropriate point converts defence into offence. Roger Federer has advantage on serve. His first serve placement is so good that he is able to get free points on serve. He also has the capacity to rescue himself from the break points by serving an ace or an unreturnable serve. Even when the serve is returned, he steps into the court and hits a winner straight away or on the fifth shot of the rally. It is only when facing a retriever like Rafael Nadal that he has to get into longer rallies and there his advantage gets nullified. Djokovic has to play at 110% to have a chance to upset Federer. He has to go on the offensive with very hard strikes to the corners so as to take time away from Federer. In such situations, Federer tends to shank balls or is forced to commit errors. Djokovic has a solid back hand and is able to hit hard down the line in the ad court. Federer also hits similar winners from the ad court but his top spin single fisted back hand down the line is not that consistent. Both Federer and Djokovic move very well and while Federer can hit winners on a running shot, Djokovic can hit hard returns on the run with or without placements. In innovativeness, Federer has no peer. He can suddenly decide to become serve and volleyer with great success as a changed strategy. He can rush to the net with a good approach shot to surprise the opponent. His inside out shots come with a lot of surprise and pace. His anticipation and speed on court is without parallel. The opponent is forced to play at the fastest pace, which only few are able to cope with. But Djokovic is not afraid of Federer now. He can step into the court with a genuine belief that he can win. He does not change his game much during the match, but he can change the level of his game and the balance of defence and attack. Djokovic loves the ball in the striking zone, but gets out of rhythm when the ball keeps low. Federer’s change of pace and spin sometimes throws many an opponent out of gear. Federer’s game climbs up the ladder when he is leading. He previously had no problems in closing out the matches, but in recent times, some of the high profile matches went against him after he had match points. He still has few peers in closing the door shut on trailing opponents. This comes from his mental strength and serve prowess. Djokovic successes against him have come when he shed away his caution and started going for shots. All those who have attacked Federer have been able to turn the tables, but few defenders could withstand the onslaught. Andy Murray has not had success against him in Grand Slams since he finds all out attack alien to his game plan. A defensive Djokovic will have little chances against a rampaging Federer. He has to meet fire with fire. The first set is almost likely to go the Federer way. If Djokovic is able to take Federer to the distance, he has a good chance of victory since in recent times, Federer has had difficulty keeping focus for five sets. If Federer were to win, it could be easy or difficult win in three or four sets. If Djokovic were to win, it will be a hard fought win, most likely in five sets.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Australian Open 2011: Roger Federer Moves Into Semi-Finals With Ease


Roger Federer was to meet Stanislas Wawrinka in the first quarter final of Australian Open 2011. There were high expectations. Wawrinka was coming after an easy upset of Andy Roddick in the previous round. He was undefeated so far in 2011 having lifted the trophy at Chennai Open in the first week of the month. He knew Federer’s game having practiced with him so often and having had a victory over him in Monte Carlo in 2009. However, the high hopes were belied the moment the match began. Wawrinka was broken in the very first game and in less than half an hour the first set was over 6-1 in Federer’s favour. In the second set, Wawrinka started finding range on his shots but mostly on his service game and just enough to survive. He got his first chance to break in the third service game of Federer in the second set and faithfully squandered it. He was broken in the seventh game of the second set. He lost it 3-6. The match was looking like a practice match for Federer. He was relaxed and trying all types of shots. There was no apparent tension on the court. Wawrinka had no urge to win and Federer had no fear of losing. Wawrinka was broken in the very first service game which was not unusual, but what was against the mood of the day was that Wawrinka smashed his racquet and got a racquet abuse caution. It was not known why he did it. He knew that he was being outplayed for no fault of his. There was no provocation. It fired up neither him nor the crowd. In the end, Wawrinka lived up to his status as a good friend of Roger Federer. The match ended 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 in Federer’s favour.

Australian Open 2011: Rafael Nadal On Course, Meets David Ferrer In Quarter Finals


Rafael Nadal is through to the quarter finals. Marin Cilic did not play bad at all. His first serve percentage was not bad at 55%. He hit 32 winners but the real tally should be much more, since a large number of winners against most of the opponents were returned by Nadal. He hit 8 aces to 3 by Nadal and his average first serve speed was 187 kms./hr., the same as in his match against John Isner. But since the opponent was different, he had no option but to take risks and go for lines. In the process he committed a staggering 48 unforced errors in the three sets played. These were significantly higher than 21 committed by Nadal. But it is not that Nadal played a spectacular match. The rate of conversion was a poor 36% by Nadal. But Nadal did earn 14 break points as against only 2 by Cilic. Nadal was content to play his normal game without being much dominant. Infact at one point in the initial stages, the longer rallies were going the Cilic way. But all this changed once Nadal got the upper hand. Initially he was drawing Cilic in, but when he was not able to pass him with the expected success, he changed his style. He started giving deep chips from back hand inviting Cilic to generate his own pace. This proved useful as Cilic committed a number of errors. Marin Cilic was not allowed to get into rhythm. He did hit 32 winners to 26 by Nadal, but these winners were wiped out by the large number of unforced errors committed. Rafael Nadal meets David Ferrer in the quarter finals. He will have to change his strategy in that game since David Ferrer is very frugal on unforced errors. Infact, in his four sets against Milos Raonic, the surprise of the tournament, he committed only ten unforced errors. But Ferrer does not have big weapons to outplay Nadal if both were to play at their normal level. It appears we are moving towards the gigantic match between Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray in the Semi-Finals.  

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Australian Open 2011: Andy Murray Keeps British Hopes Alive



Andy Murray has reached the last eight without much sweat. He is yet to drop a set in this tournament. Jurgen Melzer was the ideal foil for Murray. He is conditioned to a set play. He hits shots in places most do. There is not much pace in the ground strokes. His placement is good against most of the players. But all this was not going to cut much ice with a player of Murray’s calibre. When Melzer failed to convert from 40-0 on Murray’s serve at the beginning of the second set, it was clear that what was in view was only a facade of a mismatch. Andy Murray did not play any great. He played his normal game. But he did not allow Melzer to play his normal game. Murray served at 57% which is what is the minimum expected of him if he has to win his maiden Grand Slam title. He also served 13 aces in the three sets played. The final score line read 6-3, 6-1, 6-1 with thirty winners to ten unforced errors. Here in lies the paradox. Andy Murray has not faced difficulty so far. He should not get drowned in a false sense of security. He is playing well, but his wins are also compounded by opponents not playing well or not having been allowed to play well. In Alexandr Dolgopolov, he will meet a player who has capacity to move well but also propensity to hit out when not in position. It should not pose much difficulty. Andy Murray appears to have a leg already in the Semi-Finals.




Australian Open 2011: Dolgopolov Comes Of Age, Soderling Crashes Out


Robin Soderling has come to the end of the road in Australian Open 2011. He could not carry the winning game of the fourth set into the decider. The problem with Soderling was similar. Once Dolgopolov sorted out Soderling’s game and started keeping the ball in play, Soderling took a long time to adjust to the situation. The first set took only 21 minutes for the seven games, but once Dolgopolov started simply blocking Soderling’s booming serves, games started getting longer. Dolgopolov was putting only one third of his first serves in the first set or so. He was doing all the running on his second serve and hitting heavy balls of Soderling out. Things started changing in the middle of the second set. Crowd got into the match in his favour. As he was drawing more and more of crowds cheers, Soderling was losing the plot in a sure and steady way. His weaknesses were getting exposed. His movements were looking sluggish and he was caught on the wrong foot many a time. But he steadied himself in the fourth set and broke in the very first game. He took the set 6-4 hitting heavy. The decider saw change of momentum. Dolgopolov got into his gear and Soderling started committing errors. The final score line was 1-6, 6-3, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2. Dolgopolov has lived up to his billing as a dangerous floater.



Saturday, January 22, 2011

Australian Open 2011: Federer’s Quarter finals Streak Intact

Roger Federer’s Grand Slam quarter finals streak continued when he entered the quarter finals at Australian Open 2011. It now stands at 27. Tommy Robredo did what was expected of him. He bit once to three times by Federer. Crowd was happy that though he did not do a Simon, he did not do a Malisse either. It was a David and Goliath fight. Robredo spilled his guts and his aggression and that was sufficient to cause hiccup. After losing the first set 6-3, he took advantage of uncharacteristic mistake by Federer and got the second set 6-3. The wounded tiger immediately broke back for 3-0 lead and the set went on serve finishing at 6-3 in Federer’s favor though after Federer squandered a set point. But Federer was still rather casual, and may be complacent. He knew that he would not lose and crowd also knew that. It was the familiar Federer show where the only suspense was with what difficulty or ease would Federer win. He won 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Everybody went back satisfied, Federer, Robredo and the spectators. Federer was happy that he progressed to the quarter finals. Robredo was happy that he took one set off the champion. Crowd was happy that Federer was forced to play. Roger Federer hit only 50 winners to 40 unforced errors, but then how did he win. He won because Robredo thought he had lost before stepping on the court.

Australian Open 2011: Boys Out, Men Take Over


Rafael Nadal put paid to the Australian hopes as he took out Bernard Tomic, the last standing Australian in the men’s draw. With this the tournament was over for the boys and the men took over for second week spectacle. On the distaff side, Samantha Stosur met the same fate at the hands of Petra Kvitova. This result was a rather painful one given a real chance for an Australian to lift the trophy after so many years. With the defeat of Justine Henin and injury to Venus Williams, Samantha Stosur was among the top favourites.

Nadal’s new game was in full view. His serve was fast but first serve percentage was low at 58% from the 70% of old. He hit 32 winners but made 32 unforced errors. He got a whopping 19 chances to break but succeeded only on 7 occasions. He hit four aces and four double faults. However, towards the end of the match, he was making no effort to reach the ball on Tomic’s serve. What it was due to, is not known, but it was rather strange. Things are going to become tougher in the second week. He next faces Marin Cilic who has defeated him in their only meeting in Beijing in 2009. But that was the time when Nadal was low on confidence after injuries and in poor form post 2009 French Open. Marin Cilic is five inches taller and hits the ball flatter. Theoretically speaking, some of the advantage of over spun forehand of Nadal will go and also, Marin Cilic is a double fisted back hander. He moves faster than Tomic. This contest can not be taken for granted by any one.

Robin Soderling has reached the fourth round unobtrusively without dropping a set. He has cut through his draw as knife goes through the butter. But in fourth round, he will meet Alexandr Dolgopolov who is high on confidence having defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in five sets. Dolgopolov committed only 26 unforced errors in five sets which speaks of his consistency in rallies. Robin Soderling does not like to engage himself in long rallies. It will be a good match up.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Australian Open 2011: Andy Murray Marches On


It was Andy Murray show in the day session on the sixth day. In Guillermo Garcia -Lopez, he had an opponent capable of giving trouble. It was the same Lopez who had upset Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals at Bangkok in September, 2010. But that was all on paper. When the match started, Lopez could not take even one service game. The only game in the first set he got was by breaking Murray’s service. When playing against the journeymen, Murray appears to play with magnet on his racquet. The ball comes straight to his racquet, but that is only the relative motion. It is Murray who already moves in the direction of the intended shot or serve and he has few peers in this aspect of game. His anticipation, footwork and speed is so good that he looks invincible against majority of players. He also serves very well, with enough speed and good placement. But all this has vanished in the past when playing against Roger Federer in a Grand Slam tournament. Andy Murray is comfortable against players playing a few stock shots in a rally, but Federer does not do that. He always is on look out for the gaps and tends to shoot winners in that direction. Andy Murray does very well against those who have a defensive mind set but not so well against those who attack consistently and do not commit many unforced errors in the process. Lopez was not one of them. He was neither hitting winners nor keeping the ball in play for long. He did not win his first service game till the middle of the second set. It was only on his service game at 1-6, 0-5 that he could hold serve for the first time. The final score line was 6-1, 6-1, 6-2. Andy Murray won by deft placements and good court craft. It should not induce self belief in him that this will be the winning formula against all. Andy Murray does not yet possess an overpowering ground shot but he does possess a good first serve. If he plans to play to his strengths, he has to put in a minimum of 60% of first serve in and also serve a minimum of one ace per service game.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Australian Open 2011: Favourites Unperturbed On Day Five


Day five has not thrown surprises on the mens side. But the evening session is yet to come and both Gael Monfils and Fernando Verdasco have a battle ahead.

The day unfolded with Robin Haase starting strongly against Andy Roddick and deservedly winning the first set at 6-2. One was reminded of his match against Rafael Nadal in the last Wimbledon where Nadal was left non-plussed after the loss of two sets in the  first three. Roddick too was left non-plussed which was evident from his face. In the second set, tie break ensued. Haase  committed two double faults and not only lost the set but lost his heart too. All ailments and fatigue surfaced. Thereafter, it was a shadow of Haase going through the motions. Many others have learnt a lesson the hard way - never go to tie break with the likes of Andy Roddick or Roger Federer. Andy Roddick completed the formalities. He is leading the ace count with 67 in the tournament so far. 

Novak Djokovic conserved energy when his opponent Viktor Troicki retired after losing the first set 6-2. This clash was a star attraction given the way Troicki put Djokovic on sword in the U.S Open 2010 and almost put out Rafael Nadal in the Semi Finals in Tokyo a few months ago. Djokovic faces Nicolas Almagro in the fourth round. Almagro is in good form having reached the finals at Auckland earlier this month, but does he have the wherewithal to upset Djokovic. Not generally, but may be if he plays at 150% of his capability. He has hit 43 aces to be in fifth position among the ace leaders. He will have to hit many more to be in reckoning for fourth round upset of Novak Djokovic.

Tomas Berdych is progressing stealthily and that should be an ominous sign for his opponents. After doing almost nothing since reaching Wimbledon finals, he is rediscovering his confidence. In 6-2, 7-6, 6-2 victory over Richard Gasquet, he has kept his ambitions alive.

Roger Federer had a good practice partner in Xavier Malisse. He pocketed the first set 6-3 in no time. But when he trailed 1-3, anxious fans started thinking of Gilles Simon. But that was just a minor hiccup. Federer immediately restored order at 3-3. Malisse did his best to arrest the momentum that was clearly going the Federer way, but failed like many have failed before him. Soon the set was in Federer’s pocket at 6-3.  Federer won ten games on trot from 1-3 down and put the contest beyond realm of possibility for Malisse. The final score line read 6-3, 6-3, 6-1. The next match against Tommy Robredo is likely to be a good practice match again.

Australian Open 2011: Nadal Faces A-Tomic Test, Del Potro Out


Bernard Tomic defeated Feliciano Lopez against odds and will meet Rafael Nadal in the next round. His straight sets victory over Lopez means that Nadal will not have an easy outing this time round. Difficulties would be compounded by the high decibels from a hostile crowd. It has not caused problems for Nadal in the past, say when he  met Andy Murray in Wimbledon or ATP WTF. But in Bernard Tomic he will meet an opponent who has height advantage to nullify the edge in the top spin forehand. Tomic moves better now and serves better. But these will not be sufficient to nail Nadal. Tomic will have to hit winners or force errors on Nadal. Rally should not be allowed to go beyond ten shots. The effervescence in Tomic which every eye in the Rod Laver arena will catch and reverberate with resonance has potential to hurt Nadal in some way. Tomic has said that he could win against Nadal. Nadal has to pass Tomic test and many other tests to give birth to Rafa Slam. He has a tryst with destiny.

Juan Martin Del Potro lost to Marcos Baghdatis. It had little to do with wrist. His movements were sluggish and he was impatient in rallies. Eleven unforced errors in the seven games played in the first set was indicative of the things to come. At break point in the third game of the second set, the racquet went out of his hand as he served. The trainer came to check the status of his wrist, but perhaps there was no cause for concern. In the first game of the third set, Baghdatis played a very casual game and the entire scene changed. Del Potro came  back in the match and it looked that the match will go beyond three sets. A casual sixth game where Del Potro committed two double faults changed the scene again. In the ninth game foot fault was called on the first serve of Baghdatis and he double faulted. He could not play the shots well and lost the game. The set went to Del Potro at 6-4. Baghdatis did well to regain his composure at the start of the fourth set. But nervousness showed while having three match points at 5-3 40-0. He squandered the first two in the net with nervous shots, but was able to sneak in ace on the third. The final score line was 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. His next opponent is the eleventh seed Jurgen Melzer whom he has never played before.  

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Australian Open 2011: Rafael Nadal Wastes No Time In Second Round


Rafael Nadal did not waste much effort in his victory over Ryan Sweeting of U.S. In a 6’5” opponent, he found somebody who was not getting mortally hurt by his over spun forehand. But all weapons combined did the job. The new 15-20 kms. faster serve was in full view. Two aces in a single game was a far cry from the old two aces per set. Of course, 63% of first serve is below the safe 70% Nadal is used to. 25 unforced errors would be appalling to the old Nadal who was habitual to winning by committing less errors than his opponent. But he hit 36 winners which epitomizes his new style of play. He occasionally hit short, but Ryan Sweeting could not derive any advantage from that. The volley, improved as it is, is still in a developing stage. Nadal was also experimenting with his net play alongside his new serve. At 4-0 in the third set, Nadal served two double faults and gave the only break to Sweeting. He made sure that he broke the very first game in all the three sets, so that he had enough margin for practice. The score line at the end of one hour forty two minutes was 6-2, 6-1, 6-1. He is marching towards the peak with measured steps.

Australian Open 2011: Roger Federer, The Defending Champion, Gets A Scare


It was the turn of Roger Federer to have a brief look at death, but he came back from the brink to defeat Gilles Simon in five sets. Federer started brilliantly, came to the net frequently during the first two service games of Gilles Simon and took away one of them. After that he settled down to his normal play of testing his opponent from the back of the court. Gilles Simon neither possessed big serves nor raw power on his ground strokes. His third service game also went the Federer way, this time on ground strokes from the back of the court. Federer tactics has a set formula where he is the first to go off the blocks and never look back. In no time, he went two sets up. The opponent is usually left chasing his shadow. But this opponent was different. Gilles Simon defied all and got two sets back. That was as far as he went. In the final set, it was all Federer. Gilles Simon found it hard to get his first serve in. When he was broken 2-4, it was virtually all over. At 2-5 0-40, Gilles Simon put in his last efforts and got to 3-5. But that was all as far as he was allowed to go. Federer sealed the match on his service game 6-3 in the fifth on the fifth match point. The score line 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6. 6-3 aptly describes the drama that went on for three and quarter of hours. He next meets Xavier Malisse which may not give him any jitters.

Novak Djokovic battled hard, but did not get any scare in his four set 7-5, 6-7, 6-0, 6-2 victory over Ivan Dodiq.


Some of the tough matches with potential for drama coming on the fourth day are:
1.      Juan Martin Del Potro - Marcos Baghdatis
2.      John Isner - Radek Stepanek
3.      Bernard Tomic - Feliciano Lopez
4.      Alexandr Dolgopolov - Benjamin Becker



Australian Open 2011: Verdasco And Williams Take The Longer Route


Janko Tipsarevic gave up the fight after he failed to convert the three match points in the fourth set against Fernando Verdasco. There was no urge in him to play the deciding set. He had already lost, only there was no way for him to tell the umpire. The show went on the cruel way and 6-0 was the result in the deciding fifth set. The overall result 2-6 4-6 6-4 7-6 (7-0) 6-0. would show that he gained nothing from the experience. But it is not the first time this has happened. He has joined a number of hopefuls who embrace defeat when they can as well fight for victory. The mind stops and the shadow of the player goes through the motions. The audience can feel that then on, it is a fight between the living and the dead.

Venus Williams lived to see another round. When she gave a cry of pain and went out for about ten minutes, all waited with gasp of breath whether it is the end of her campaign. She had lost the first set and had to play another two to win. She came back and her opponent Sandra Zahlavova double faulted. She was so much distracted that she did not know when the set was over 0-6 for her. Williams’ 6-7 (6-8), 6-0, 6-4 victory raised a question for Zahlavova whether she was better off playing a fit Williams.


Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Australian Open 2011: You Only Live Twice


Jo-Wilfried Tsonga came back from dead. Philipp Petzschner found it again that being two sets up means he would lose the match. Nadal, of course, had done it before. But Tsonga had the harrowing experience for the first time. He came back to win 4-6 2-6 6-2 6-3 6-4. Philipp Petzschner was left wondering what he should do the next time round. His next opponent is Andreas Seppi who has 1-0 record against him. Seppi himself has lived twice; he was dead two sets down today before prevailing in five.

Robin Soderling defeated Potito Starace 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 in the first round of Australian Open 2011 and confirmed that he is in great form. With more control over his shots, it would be for the opponent to defeat him. He will not defeat himself. His movements and foot work are much better than before. Although his game still revolves around the power in his shots, he can hit more shots in a rally before hitting a winner or committing an unforced errors. Innovativeness and acute angles are still not his fortress, but it is enough if he continues his winning game into the next round against Gilles Muller.

Ernests Gulbis has fallen to the experience of Benjamin Becker. A floater, dangerous for many, has been sunk. Expectations regenerated after his good showing in last 1-2 years are likely to take a big hit. He will be consigned to the fame of a dangerous floater than a winner. Perhaps he is yet to inculcate the rigorous work ethic required for a consistent performance. It could as well be that we see a ‘Soderling’ a few years down the line.

David Nalbandian - Lleyton Hewitt blockbuster lived upto its expectation, except that it was no happy ending this time for the home crowd. Nalbandian scraped through in five, 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, 9-7. Nalbandian could not serve out the match and Hewitt could not convert the two match points that came his way. It was a reversal of fortune from the 2005 Australian Open.


Monday, January 17, 2011

Australian Open 2011: Top Contenders Advance On Day Two


Rafael Nadal got a good sparring partner. A single fisted backhander with no deadly weapons. But unfortunately, he had a knee injury. All strokes from Nadal’s repertoire were on display. The new serve crossing 200 kms., Nadal played with abandon. But he did not get the match practice when the injured opponent retired in the second set trailing 0-6, 0-5. The top player looked every bit one of the top contenders for the trophy. But he was not happy with his serve as he revealed afterwards. His first serve percentage used to be about 70, but here he served at 54%. But that is bound to happen when he served his first serve at an average of 185 kms. He straight went to the practice court for serve practice. That would look rather ominous for some. 

Samantha Stosur hit as hard as she does these days. She is the most improved player over last two years. If only this formula were discovered during her initial years, she would have been a Grand Slam Champion long ago. But there is still room for that. She has previously displayed tendency to upset big names in the middle rounds, but when it came to the biggest stage, she was found short in mental fortitude. This can change in this Australian Open. Her 6-1, 6-1 victory speaks of her new stature.

Andy Murray defeated Karol Beck minus drugs and fitness when the latter retired hurt with score line reading 6-3, 6-1, 4-2. He did not need to fire so many aces and had the usual percentage of first serves. Although his fans would not mind first serve at 58%, but what may need improvement is that he fired just two aces over the two and a half sets played. Anyway, the first outing gave him the necessary feel of the Open. He did not spill much energy too.

Australian Open 2011: Super Action Scheduled On Day Two



We saw Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic on the first day.   The other contenders, Rafael Nadal, Robin Soderling and Andy Murray, will show their wares on Tuesday. Rafael Nadal is known to make a heavy weather of simple things. He does not appear to be a man in hurry. Sometimes he wants to fight where he can easily win. One can expect to see him experimenting with his serve and backhand slice. Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Tomas Berdych, all appeared to be in a hurry to return to the Locker room on day one. Andy Murray will also win comfortably without decimating his opponent. The only suspense would be whether his first serve percentage can touch 60. Robin Soderling goes for the early kill, but Potito Starace is no novice. It might not turn out to be a one sided story. If the opponent is not cowed down by the big shots, Robin Soderling sometimes starts missing.

Samantha Stosur, Kim Clijsters and Vera Zvonareva will be in action on day two. Stosur is sure to go deep in the draw. It is only on big stage, she gets tight. Kim Clijsters wears the tag of favourite in the eyes of many. She will hit hard and Dinara Safina will hit out. Vera Zvonareva has had much success in the last one year. She tends to progress without much fuss and fanfare.

Those who like to see action, drama and suspense should do well to see the following matches on day two:
1.      David Nalbandian - Lleyton Hewitt
2.      Alejandra Falla - Feliciano Lopez
3.      Jarkko Nieminen - David Ferrer
4.      Juan Ignacio Chela - Michael Llodra

The first one is the blockbuster, a must see.  A full house will bring the house down before their favourite son loses. So, it is advantage Lleyton Hewitt.  

Australian Open 2011: Saga Of Former Champions On Day One


Grigor Dmitrov is causing ripples. He has won three rounds of qualifying matches and the first round of the main draw. His straight sets victory over Andrey Golubev (6-1, 6-4, 6-2) should be a matter of concern for his opponents. They would be reminded that this 20 year old has junior Grand Slam titles. When he defeated Tomas Berdych and took a set off Rafael Nadal at Rotterdam in 2009, people started talking of a great player in making. This talk will now be revived if he sinks a big name in Stanislas Wawrinka.

After Roger Federer, it was the turn of Novak Djokovic to show his weapons. His victory in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3, 6-1, over Marcel Granollers was impressive. He hit the ground strokes with more power and he ran with more speed than he usually does at this stage. It appeared that he was in a hurry to seal the victory in minimum possible games. If he continues like this, it might be good in one way but also it could mean that he might peak during the mid tournament than towards the end.

Of the former champions, Justine Henin looked least impressive in her hard fought three set victory over Sania Mirza, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1. She was repeatedly outplayed by the hard hit strokes of Sania Mirza. Instead of using her wide repertoire of strokes, she went on hitting fire with fire. She committed a number of unforced errors, but it was her experience and resolve that came into reckoning as the saving grace. She is looking every bit vulnerable if her showing in the first round is indicative of her form.

Maria Sharapova adopted the hit out mode in her first outing. This succeeded on the day, but it has been her bane many a time in the past. She comes only with one game plan in mind and tries to execute it, win or lose. She won comfortably this time, 6-1, 6-3.   

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Australian Open 2011 - Monfils Survives, Davydenko perishes and Federer Cruises


Lukas Lacko must have discovered that giving a bagel to Rafael Nadal is easier than breaking Roger Federer’s serve. He, like many before him, could not find any rhythm and even taking a game looked an achievement. There was no place for frustration on his face since defeat was already there. His fight back started in the third set when the feeling gets in that there is nothing more to lose. Relaxation sets in the mind and huge swings start finding the target. Lacko broke Federer to level the third set. This was only as far has he could go. But that also is a sufficient achievement. The score line 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 is not an unfamiliar score line in Federer’s matches.
Gael Monfils - Thiemme De Bakker match lived upto expectations. Bakker could not serve the match out in straight sets when opportunity presented itself and lost in five, 7-6, 6-2, 5-7, 2-6, 1-6. It was not that Gael Monfils started playing at a great level, but Bakker could not keep his mind composed. He is only twenty two. He will climb up to top twenty sooner than later. It is only such experience that makes a player strong. Gael Monfils should also find this experience useful for the next few rounds. He has to recover physically to live upto the expectations as the highest ranked French player.
Nikolai Davydenko has perished 3-6, 6-4, 6-7, 4-6. Florian Mayer had a good outing in Medibank International at Sydney, but few would have expected him to oust Nikolai in a Grand Slam. Can Florian Mayer develop into  a late bloomer like Jurgen Melzer, Radek Stepanek, Jarkko Nieminen, Jonas Bjorkman. He certainly has the potential.
Players are fighting not only the heat and humidity, but the notorious five setters at Melbourne. More of that later.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Australina Open 2011 - Early Predictions

Rafael Nadal should have no problems in the first three rounds. In the fourth round, Marin Cilic and John Isner can cause trouble but not an upset. In the quarters, players like David Ferer, David Nalbandian or Michael Llodra could take a set or two, but not three.

Robin Soderling has a tough draw. In his four rounds, Ernests Gulbis, Thomaz Bellucci, Alexandr Dolgopolov and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga are tough opponents. In the quarterfinal, Murray threat looms large. Murray has comparatively an easier draw in this quarter.

Novak Djokovic has a potential problem in third round in the form of friend Viktor Troicki. In quarters, Nikolai Davydenko, Fernando Verdasco or Tomas Berdych could prove to be handful.

Roger Federer was not comfortable against Gilles Simon in 2008. But Simon has gone down from that form and a 41 ranked player has rarely caused upset of Federer. There is nobody to trouble Federer till the quarters. In the quarterfinal, Gael Monfils will have more confidence than Andy Roddick, having defeated Federer in the last BNP Paribas Open on Paris hard courts. Federer would prefer Andy Roddick, since he has solved Roddick in and out.

Who are the other troublemakers?
1. Janko Tipsarevic with his tactical play.
2. Ivo Karlovic with aces.
3. Radek Stepanek with his mind games.

Some of the interesting first round matches would be:
1. Gael Monfils - Thiemo de Bakker
2. David Nalbandian - Lleyton Hewitt
3. Stanislas Wawrinka - Teymuraz Gabashvili
4. Mardy Fish - Victor Hanescu
5. Gilles Simon - Yen-Hsun Lu
6. Juan Ignacio Chela -. Michael Llodra

What would then be the likely Semi-Final line up?
Rafael Nadal vs. Andy Murray / Robin Soderling
Roger Federer vs. Novak Djokovic / Nikolai Davydenko

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Australian Open 2011 - The Dark Horses







Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic are widely tipped to be the main contenders for Australian Open 2011. Roger Federer has posted the best results on hard courts since U.S Open 2010. He is the defending champion here. Rafael Nadal has had the best year of his career in 2010. He achieved the career Grand Slam by winning U.S Open 2010. He reached the finals at Barclays ATP WTF in November, 2010. Andy Murray was the runner up at Australian Open last year. Even after a hard fought loss to Rafael Nadal in the Barclays ATP WTF semi-finals, his chances of lifting maiden title on a hard court Grand Slam have been rated high. He has slid to number five in the ranking after Robin Soderling won at Brisbane last week. Novak Djokovic is on a high after Davis Cup triumph for Serbia in December, 2010. He upset Roger Federer after saving match points in the U.S Open 2010 semi-finals. 
Soderling was in terrific form while lifting the trophy at Brisbane. Last year he had lost the very first match at Chennai Open after being top seeded. The win at Brisbane would have filled him with confidence. He has also overtaken Andy Murray as the fourth ranked player in the world. What struck the viewers was his capacity to stay in the rally for a longer time. Many a time, it was he who was dictating the play in the game. He had good control over his aggression. He served more aces than Andy Roddick during his straight sets victory. If he were to carry the same form into the Australian Open, he could have a tryst with destiny.
Gael Monfils has come of age. The showmanship that was the hallmark of his defeat many a time was not present during the last few outings. His showing in the BNP Paribas Open at Paris where he tasted first career victory over Roger Federer was inspiring. He defeated higher ranked Fernando Verdasco and Andy Murray before upsetting Roger Federer. He has fallen victim to exhibitionism in the past. He has also found it difficult to maintain focus for an extended period of time which is very important in the five set format. History does not make him bettors’ favourite for winning seven consecutive matches, but all this can change with one tournament.
J.W.Tsonga and J.M.Del Potro are yet to reestablish themselves on return to the tour after injuries. Tomas Berdych and Marin Cilic have not shown promise after achieving initial successes in 2010. Nikolai Davydenko is a solid player but does not have much accomplishments in the Grand Slams. David Nalbandian and Andy Roddick have left best years behind. Viktor Troicki has become a dangerous player and can cause major upsets. Ernests Gulbis and Michael Llodra will have to play at 150% to cause an upset. John Isner can sink some big gun firing record number of aces.
Australian Open will be a fight among 5-6 players only. There is a lot of excitement in that too.