I couldn’t believe my eyes, because yesterday Novak Djokovic played another amazing match to defeat world number one Rafael Nadal in straight sets. I couldn’t believe it because Djokovic should have been tired, Nadal should have been rested and pumped, and you can’t possibly play as well as Djokovic has for that many matches. But Djokovic blasted all our doubts about this streak being ruined and played another amazing match. It wasn’t Nadal who who played badly – the result was all Djokovic’s doing. He’s just so confident that losing must be the furthest thing from his mind and he’s …
Roland Garros
Yesterday we were again reminded that Roger Federer has entered a new era in his career, the one where he is human. He showed that in many ways losing against Richard Gasquet 6-4 6-7 6-7 in a pretty gripping encounter. The big difference between Federer now and the magical Federer of old is that he doesn’t seem able to bring out the best when the matches get tight. Maybe because he doesn’t WANT to win them enough? This is what Federer himself said about the match: “I should never have lost this match. He knows how close he came to …
Yes, this week in tennis was all about D. Djokovic, Davydenko, and Del Potro won a title each and especially for Davydenko it was a sign of good old form. A few things I noticed before Madrid: 1. Djokovic doesn’t look as comfortable on the clay as he does on the hardcourts. I don’t think he’ll be able to beat a fit Nadal. 2. Djokovic looks silly in long sleeves. I guess everybody does. On a tennis court. 3. Davydenko might have lost almost all his hair, but the guy can still play. He can still be a force for …
Well, it was the final we all wanted in the end, the first “Fedal” in one year. It was a good match, tight, not one of the best for sure, but entertaining. Federer looks like he has stepped up his game a level or even two since the horrible performances in Rome and Estoril. He can very well be a finalist at Roland Garros that starts on Sunday. But can be he beat Rafa? In my opinion, no. Rafa didn’t play his absolute best yesterday (neither did Roger) but he still manage to get the W by 6-4 7-6. He …
This German player is definitely worth talking about. He won the BMW Open in 2007 and has struck fear in many a top player. Novak Djokovic probably remember last year’s French Open where he Kohlschreiber gave him a farewell card that said 6-4 6-4 6-4. But the big results, the really big ones, are yet to come, if ever. He has all the shots, good forehand, amazing backhand, loads of top spin, he is quite solid at the net. But sometimes he lacks that little extra mental strength to finish matches off and go really far in the bigger tournaments. …