Nadal vs Djokovic: a mind game

January 30th, 2012 No Comments

I think everybody talked a lot about the physicality of the Nadal vs Djokovic final, but I think the lesson is really how MENTAL (and by that I don’t mean crazy!) the sport of tennis is. The guys sure pushed the boundaries of the human body, clocking in the hard-fought affair at almost six hours of running, hitting, stretching and grunting. Fitness was a big part of the match, but what made Djokovic win was his confidence in this particular match-up right now.

If this final had taken place a year ago, before Djokovic had beaten Nadal in those six consecutive finals, then the mental game and the scoreline would have been completely different. Right now Nadal doesn’t have enough confidence in his game against Djokovic to beat him, just like Federer can’t find the key to beating Nadal (at least on the big occasions), not matter how close it sometimes seems.

Nadal raised his game above both the performance in the Wimbledon and US Open finals and it was so, so close, being up 4-2 in the fifth set, but it still wasn’t enough to win. The reason I’m sure is that he never really, really believed he would win while Djokovic always seemed almost sure of it.

Of course it’s not only a mental issue when it comes to this weird trio, Federer being unable to defeat Nadal, Nadal almost seeing it impossible to beat Djokovic and Djokovic and Federer on almost even terms, it’s of course also how the games match up. Against Federer, Nadal can get his massive slingshot top-spin forehands to kick up on Federer’s weaker backhand wing, eventually drawing out the error (and in a five set match errors will eventually come), but against Djokovic that strategy is futile as the Serb is far more comfortable on his backhand wing. Without that weakness Nadal finds it difficult to find a proper game plan and during long stretches in the match against Djokovic it was far too obvious.

Djokovic vs Federer is a far more even match-up, even now. They both like fast-paced courts, taking the ball on the rise and standing close to the baseline. They both have strong serves and great movement. This is also why the rivalry is far more even now, than Federer-Nadal and Nadal-Djokovic.

It would be interesting to see what would happen to the dynamics if we could throw a fourth player in the mix. Murray perhaps? He showed he sure wants to be in the mix for the slams against Djokovic in the semis, but he needs to raise his game to pose a real threat of winning a slam in 2012. If he does that we might get a very interesting foursome, a quartet of players with almost superhuman tennis abilities.

Something like The Fantastic Four.

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Australian Open 2012: Djokovic champion again

January 29th, 2012 No Comments

He was the favorite and he took on the expectations and met them. But it was close, so close. In a nail-biting almost six hour long match Djokovic managed to serve out the fifth set 7-5, making the final scoreline 6-7 6-2 6-4 6-7 7-5.

After losing six straight finals to Djokovic there was no doubt that he was the underdog for this encounter. Djokovic has undoubtedly all the weapons to beat Nadal over and over again, a heavier serve, a better backhand and also better footwork. What Nadal has and kept him in the match for long stretches was a big, big heart. In the end it hurt really bad to see him lose this match after all the effort he put in. But Djokovic has the mental edge against him, but with this match it seems Nadal is edging closer when he’s playing a more aggressive game.

We have come to an interesting situation in men’s tennis. Federer can beat Djokovic but not Nadal, Nadal can beat Federer but not Djokovic, and Djokovic always seems to win against Nadal but is something around 50/50 against Federer. There’s no doubt in my mind that Djokovic is the worthy number one and considering Nadal’s record against Federer he should be number two. The interesting question right now is rather how good Djokovic will make 2012. He doesn’t look as hungry as he was in 2011, but his game is still up there on astronomical levels and he is definitely a huge threat to wrestle the Roland Garros trophy from Nadal’s tight grip.

But clay is a different story with the Spaniard as we all know…

If Djokovic manages to win Roland Garros then we can have a REAL Grand Slam with four consecutive trophies on our hands. He’s that good.

Let’s see what the rest of the tour comes up with against him…

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Australian Open 2012 Final: Djokovic vs Nadal

January 27th, 2012 No Comments

After two grueling 4+ hour semi-finals we have reached a repeat third Grand Slam final between Djokovic and Nadal. It will be a tough one physically for both, especially after really exerting themselves in the semis, but as fit as these guys are both physically and mentally, they will show up pumped and ready to go.

It’s a harder pill to swallow for Federer and Murray and especially the Scot who had two break points at 15-40 and 5-5 in the fifth set against Djokovic after fighting back from 2-5. In the end Djokovic showed his true lion heart and how big his confidence is in these situations, saved all the break points and managed to break for the match in the next game, winning it 3-6 6-3 6-7 6-1 7-5.

Federer also played really well in his match and got out of the tracks fast and raced to 3-0 lead before Nadal broke back. Still Federer managed to edge out the first set 7-6. But it was quite evident that Nadal found his groove in the 2nd set, which he won 6-2. The third set turned into another close tie-breaker and if Federer would have won it, he would have had a great chance, but Nadal again proved stronger on the big points and got it 7-5. It was always going to be a tall task for the Swiss maestro to get back from two sets to one against Rafa and the Spaniard proved why he’s so successful against Federer, raising his game immensely to take the fourth set and the match 6-7 6-2 7-6 6-4.

Federer and Murray shouldn’t be too disappointed by it, they played a really great tournament both of them, although it’s easier to feel more sorry for Murray who’s always so close, but still lacks a Grand Slam trophy. Hopefully he can prove his worth in this year’s Wimbledon. He’s definitely ready for a Grand Slam title and why not give him the biggest and brightest one right away?

So the final is another Djokovic vs Nadal and right now I can’t see how Nadal can reverse the trend of six straight losses. Djokovic’s down-the-line backhand is lethal against Nadal and it has bothered him no end recently. The Spaniard would need a new game plan to counter it and possibly he could find that extra gear as thirsty for revenge as he must be.

My last word on the subject is Djokovic though – what a transformation from the super-talented Djoker who seemed to take tennis to casually, to the guy who might come to dominate the sport for a few years. A worthy number one. Despite the silly hat.

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Australian Open 2012: Djokovic vs Murray

January 25th, 2012 No Comments

The two quarter-finals of Australian Open were fairly straight forward for both Djokovic and Murray. Well, at least Murray’s 6-3 6-3 6-1 win of Kei Nishikori was. The Scot looks in spectacular form this year and with Lendl in the stands he might be inspired enough to beat a half-injured/hampered/hamstringed (??) Djokovic.

Because something was wrong with the Djoker for the first two sets in his 6-4 7-6 6-1 win over David Ferrer, he looked hampered in his movements and his head was hanging like we never saw it in 2011. He still managed to play well enough to get into a tie-break and when Ferrer led it by 4-2 the Serbian fans was worried that a set loss might spell the end of Djokovic’s campaign considering how much he’d have to run to win against the Spaniard. But instead Djokovic found his dominating form, won the tie-break and went on to play really free and well in the third set.

So the Australian Open 2012 see the fantastic four gearing up for struggle. First up we have Federer vs Nadal which will likely be an intense and uncertain struggle, and then we have a rematch of last year’s final – Djokovic vs Murray.

Murray has really played great tennis throughout the tournament and he has been a finalist here twice, which should prove a stern test to Djokovic, especially if the Serb is not a 100% health-wise. Still, I think the confidence that Djokovic carries on court right now is too difficult for Murray and after four sets I think we’ll have Djokovic in the Australian Open final.

My guess for the final? Nadal beats Djokovic in four sets!

But then again, who really knows what’s going to happen?

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Fantastic Federer and Roaring Back Rafa

January 24th, 2012 No Comments

Two spectacular quarter-finals took place today, and they were spectacular in very different ways.

Federer‘s trashing of Del Potro was masterclass in efficient and brilliant tennis. Whatever Del Potro threw at the great Swiss, the tennis maestro had an answer to which shows in the final score 6-4 6-3 6-2. Del Potro didn’t play bad at all, but today he was still a class below Federer who looks really eager to play his best in 2012. He will sure be a tough nut to crack for…

Rafael Nadal, who was really on the ropes against a Tomas Berdych playing the best tennis of his life. If Berdych can keep the kind of level of play like he showed against Rafa he should be knocking on the Murray’s door very soon.

Berdych took the first set 7-6 and had a set point at 6-5 in the second set tie-break where he punched a volley long. Someone on Twitter said that it was ominous, much like Roddick’s volley in the second set against Federer in the 2009 Wimbledon Final. The American had, like Berdych, the chance to get 2 sets up, but missed the volley and lost the match 16-14 in the fifth.

Berdych didn’t get to the fifth set, but he played an amazing match which also shows how good Rafa is. Winning 6-7 7-6 6-4 6-3 against a top player on the top of his game is no mean feat and Rafa should, even after a 4 hour match like this one, be ready to give his best against Federer.

The “Fedal” is hard to predict, Rafa leads their H2H overall, but Federer is 5-4 on hard courts. Australian Open has slower hard courts though and this ought to favor Nadal in a way, but it still feels completely open considering how well Federer is playing. Both guys are dying to win another Grand slam – especially Federer who hasn’t since 2010 – after Djokovic monster year 2011.

We can surely expect a great fight between the two, but the winner is far from certain of the title, because I would be very surprised if someone else than Novak Djokovic waits there and he’s the man to beat at the moment.

No matter the outcome, we’re in for some fantastic tennis action in the last few days of the Australian Open.

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Australian Open 2012: Quarterfinals

January 23rd, 2012 No Comments

I can’t say I’m very surprised with how Australian Open has turned out so far. All the top players are still in the draw and no really major upsets have taken place. Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray are all ready for the quarters and so let’s look at the opposition:

Federer vs Del Potro - Del Potro looked back to grand slam winner form against Kohlschreiber and if he can keep that up he will be dangerous for Federer who has had problems getting past the QF stage of Grand Slams of late. On the other hand, Federer looked absolutely spectacular when he crushed super-talented youngster Tomic and I think that form is going to be to difficult for Del Potro to cope with. I predict Federer in four pretty tight sets.

Fantasy scoreline Federer vs Del Potro = 7-5 4-6 6-4 6-2

Nadal vs Berdych - Tomas Berdych is playing really well right now, but he didn’t exactly win the hearts of the Aussie fans when he refused to shake hands with hot-tempered Almagro after he beat the Spaniard 4-6 7-6 7-6 7-6 (Almagro did hit a ball straight at Berdych, to be fair). Fans or no fans, he won’t be strong enough to beat Nadal who looks ready to prove himself and is dying for a rematch with Novak Djokovic in the semis. I think Nadal might lose a set, but the rest will be pretty straightforward.

Fantasy scoreline Nadal vs Berdych = 6-7 6-4 6-3 6-2

Murray vs Nishikori – The young Japanese talent Nishikori is playing the best tennis of his life and was very impressive in his five set win against Tsonga, but against a guy who always plays great in Australia and who seems very keen on impressive his new coach Ivan Lendl, I think the task is too tall. Kei shouldn’t be used to playing this many long matches and I sadly think he will lose in three.

Fantasy scoreline Murray vs Nishikori = 6-4 6-2 6-3

Djokovic vs Ferrer – At the time of writing Djokovic has just started his match against Hewitt, but no matter how great the crowd will be for the aging native, there’s no way he is going to book a place in the quarters, especially considering how ruthless Djokovic has been with his opponents and how much he loves playing in Australia.

Ferrer has also played well and is always such an inspiring fighter, but it’s hard to see what anyone can do against the world number one when he’s in this form. Ferrer will run everything down, but in the end I see only three sets.

Fantasy scoreline Djokovic vs Ferrer =7-5 6-4 6-1

This brings us to a mouthwatering semi-final line-up of: Federer vs Nadal and Djokovic vs Murray. The fantastic four of tennis back in action!

But maybe my crystal ball is lying?


 

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Australian Open 2012: Day 1

January 16th, 2012 No Comments

It has begun! For all us tennis fans the wait from the ATP World Tour Finals to the first slam of the year is excruciating, but at last we don’t need to wait no more. Here’s my brief summary of an exciting first day of Australian Open 2012.

Australian youngster Bernard Tomic managed to come back from two sets down to beat Verdasco in five! Seems like Tomic is destined for great things and that is time to start is now. Verdasco, on the other hand, is far from the form he had a year or two ago.

Federer had a tough set against Kudryavtsev from Russia, in the end winning it 7-5, but then it was smooth sailing 6-2 6-2.

Del Potro lost first set against Mannarino from France, but then won three in a row. Delpo’s form is shaky so I would expect him to do anything big at this year’s Australian Open.

Nadal crushed Kuznetsov in three easy sets and looked to be firing hard on both wings. Looks like the Spaniard is ready to finish points quickly in 2012.

Super-entertaining Ukrainian Dolgopolov - who I have big hopes for in 2012 – looked to be completely off track in the first two sets against Greg Jones (Greg who?) but then only gave the local player 4 games in the last three sets. Dolgopolov is patchy to say the least. Let’s hope he hits a purple one this year.

The rest: Berdych beat Ramos, Nieminen forfeited against Nalbandian, Wavrinka crushed Paire, Baghdatis destroyed Becker, Fish beat Muller, Isner beat Mitchell, Riba beat Monates in a tough one, Rochus crushed Phau, Kohlschreiber beat Monaco in five, Anderson beat Nielsen, Haas beat Kudla, Dimitrov beat Chardy in five, Sergei Stakhovsky beat Marchenko, Kavcic beat Ward, Berlocq beat Galung, Young beat Gojowczyk in five, Falla beat Fognini (no shit?), Lopez beat Mayer, Karlovic beat Melzer (what’s up Jurgen??), Lacko beat Ljubicic in five, Querrey beat Schepper, Cipolla beat Davydenko (when will the Russian be back on track again), Kamke beat Hanescu, and Serra beat Darcis.

This at least gives you an idea how everything turned out on day 1. Tomorrow we have Djoker and Murray in action!

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Rafa, Djokovic and Federer in training

January 14th, 2012 No Comments

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Fedal’s First Week

January 10th, 2012 No Comments


The tennis year was supposed to start with a bang with Federer and Nadal (Fedal) playing in Qatar. It looked like a very likely final. In the end neither Federer nor Nadal made it all the way there; Federer withdrew for the first time since 2008 because of back pain and Nadal was swashbuckled by an inspired Monfils in the semis. This left the title open for Tsonga who due to Federer’s semi-final withdrawal instead play an exhibition set against Stefan Edberg!

And this is exactly what happened. Tsonga continued his great form from 2012 and beat Monfils in final that couldn’t but feel a bit like a disappointment to the crowd wanting another Fedal. Still, to the Frenchmen’s credit, the final was really well-played and you can’t but help to think Tsonga is in for bigger and better things in 2012. Does he have slam in him? With the top four in good shape it will be hard for him, but with a good draw and some luck it can be done.

Nadal played one really amazing match in the tournament against Youzhny, he looked pumped like a wild bull, maybe because Raúl from Real Madrid was watching or maybe because he felt he really had to play that well against Youzhny who’s beaten him in the past and is a really difficult opponent. Nadal played great and won the match 6-4 6-4. Most people by now thought he would go on to win the title, but in the next match against Monfils he came out flat, despite being able to go up 3-0 in the final set he lost it 7-5 and the match in straight sets.

Should this worry both Nadal and Federer fans? Yes, possibly.

Federer seems to be at his most vulnerable health-wise at the beginning of the year. He showed up in Doha with the famous “mono-blemish” on the side of his face which instantly made Fed fans worry. Then he withdrew from the tournament with a back problem. Doesn’t sound like the start he needs for his 2012 campaign. But who knows – come the Slams, Federer is a beast.

Same goes for Nadal of course. If he’s okay physically I wouldn’t be surprised if he reaches the final. What I would worry about is if Djokovic happens to be on the other side of the net. The Serb looked razor-sharp in the Abu Dhabi warm-up and if he continues 2012 in 2011 fashion, he’ll give a lot of players nightmares.

Other player to watch out for come the Australian Open: Monfils, Tsonga, Dolgopolov, Raonic (won Chennai), Murray (won Brisbane, finalist AO last year), Ferrer (always dangerous in hot conditions) and possibly Dimitrov who blasted Fish off court in the Hopman Cup.

I’m starting to get awfully excited – can’t the tournament start already?

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Roger Federer hitting

January 2nd, 2012 No Comments

The best way to improve your tennis game is undoubtedly to play a lot and train a lot and get a good coach or playing partner that can keep you on your toes. This is an active approach. But you can also improve your game in a passive, comfortable way, by studying the greats playing or practicing. The key is not to just watch them hit the shots but study them. There are plenty of great close-up, court-view videos that can get you an idea of the technique of the top players. Just go on Youtube and search for them.

Take a look at the video above. Look how effortlessly Roger Federer hits the ball, how relaxed his movement his, how he moves his feet all the time, but not using big strides but very small steps. Just by watching a player like Federer train can give you so much inspiration and ideas to bring to your own game the next time you hit the court.

Enjoy!

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