Wawrinka hasn’t been himself for a while. Some people say he’s never been consistent and that the current “slump” in form isn’t unexpected, some people talk about his divorce being the main culprit. It’s hard to say unless you’re inside his head, but today he managed to scramble his way to a win against the Monaco after losing the first set. Despite the win I have a hard time seeing Wawrinka go further than a quarter-final – he’s too patchy right now.
Djokovic was also in a three setter today, against the fly-swatting hard-hitter Nicolas Almagro who was ranked in the top ten a few years ago. Almagro’s by far best surface is clay and it showed in the second set today where he hit blistering ground strokes from both wings, especially his beautiful one-handed backhand. Problem was, against Djokovic that’s not enough. With the kind of confidence the Serb has, you just can’t see anyone beating him, even if they take a set. And so it was in this match as well, he proved too strong in the end and took the final set 6-3.
Tomorrow we have Nadal and Federer in action. Curious? Me? You bet!
