Pre-first day build up
So what can we expect for the first day of the French Open? Not an awful lot, it seems. The start is relatively low key, with the highest seed playing on the first day being David Ferrer at number seven. There is some excitement though, particularly for the French crowds with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Mathilde Johansson both stepping up for the first round. But it is only until day two that we still start the really exciting matches warming up.
In a bizarre turn of events, more attention is being paid to Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal than it is Roger Federer at this year’s French Open. In fact if he goes out early (‘early’ for Federer usually being quarters or semis) he could be almost forgotten until the next grand slam. It’s the competition between Djokovic and Nadal that has become the ‘new’ rivalry, until someone pulls their socks up and beats Djokovic off his wild run. And of course if no-one does, then Roger Federer will be the third person in the top-3 party, much like Djokovic had been until the beginning of this year.
I have always joked the various tennis shocks we see throughout the seasons are signs of the apocalypse, but seeing as we are apparently in for the Day of Rapture today there could be some truth in it. Maybe the fact that Roger Federer is playing third fiddle in the rivalry of a new era could be the last sign before the righteous go to heaven. That said it is past six o’clock in my own time zone and I have located all of the true believers I know o more »
Written by:The French Open excitement is well under way
As I brace myself to write my first blog since the end of the Australian Open, I can feel that familiar wash of nostalgia and enjoyment come over me. Things have changed, quite hugely, since the end of the Australian Open, but coming back to the sport after such a long time is like putting on your comfiest pyjamas, pair of slippers, and favourite television show. It just feels right.
Like I said, things have changed since the last Grand Slam, particularly in the men’s side of the game. Where did this fantastic form of Djokovic come from? 36 straight wins? I wonder what sort of pep-talk this man had with himself on New Year’s Eve. We were all pleasantly surprised by his win at the Australian Open; Djokovic has always hovered around the top end of the rankings, but he has only had one title to his name and after a while people started to wonder how long it will be before he started to drop like a stone. And then he nabbed the Australian Open title seemingly from the blue.
A few months down the line, and he has yet to come down from his superb high. We’ve had another sign of the Apocalypse as well: Novak Djokovic even managed to beat Rafael Nadal on clay in Madrid last week. My face still hurts from the slack-jaw that news gave me. Nadal had been on a two year-winning streak when it came to clay. For all intents and purposes the man’s official name was Rafael Nadal King of Clay. And then Djokovic, who had always been much better on the hard courts and was rarely ‘the one t more »
Written by:Are Roger and Rafa on their way out?
The short answer? No.
But that is just my opinion, and for the sake of reasoned debate I can accept that both sides have their good and bad points.
Novak Djokovic has proved that it’s possible to beat the pair, not only in a final but to knock them out of the tournament even before that. He and Andy Murray both proved that a final needn’t contain either Rafael or Roger at all. And what about Juan Martin del Potro’s victory at Flushing Meadows against Roger Federer in 2009?
Still, it doesn’t take long to count how many finals that haven’t gone to Roger or Rafa in the last few years. You don’t exactly need to utilise your toes to count the number of times they haven’t appeared in a final, either. Even Juan Martin del Potro’s victory was in a final that had Federer in it. And Rafa had a period of absence where he was struggling with injury, which he has bounced back from impeccably.
Federer and Nadal aren’t players that are going to burn out. Neither are they going to fade away. These men, like most players, know their bodies better than anyone. Federer obviously believes he still has some Grand Slams left in him, and I fully believe that Rafa has got so many years in his career left before him that it’s impossible to start talking about his demise.
What about their dominance then? So Ok, they’re not about to retire, but is there a new era being ushered in whereby Rafa and Roger are no longer the men to beat? Maybe in some sense. More and more players are more »
Written by:French Open Predictions
After the Australian Open has finished, what can we learn to carry forward to French Open? Are there any early predictions that can be made?
The biggest shift from the Australian Open to Rolland Garros is, of course, the move from hard court to clay. Playing on clay requires a different kind of player, and few make a smooth transition from one surface to the other (even Roger and Rafa have found difficulties in moving between the two). Spanish players are particularly good at the clay, with European courts having a high number of courts of this surface for the young players to grow up on.
So, it’s a no-brainer that Rafa will be transferring well to the clay. That is, if he has time to fully recover from his leg injuries. The current estimates for the time it will take is about 10 days, but with Rafa and his propensity for dodgy knees, who knows if this might become a more long-term problem. Nadal is staying tight-lipped about the injury, which hopefully is a good sign that it is just a quick annoyance that he does not want to dwell on.
So, if Nadal is back to fighting form then he will definitely be a contender. What about the winner of the slam Rafa missed out on on Sunday? Novak Djokovic doesn’t typically do well on the clay, although he has been getting better and better year by year. And, after proving that he has on a pretty impressive streak of form, maybe this will be the year that he really threatens on the clay.
Of course, there are the host of other pla more »
Written by:And Novak does it again
Novak Djokovic outplayed Andy Murray in their final match up to winthe Australian Open 2011, and he adds the title to the one he received at the same tournament in 2008.
It was sweltering hot in Melbourne as the match rumbled into view, not that the heat was needed. Things were already tense and viewers in the stadium and at home were sweating out their nerves. This was a strange final: no Rafa, no Roger. Murray was wanting his first Grand slam title, Djokovic his second. Novak Djokovic had the slight favourite edge over Andy Murray, having beaten Roger Federer in the previous round, but both men are well-known for being volatile and unpredictable in these sorts of moments.
It all started as you would expected; a good to-ing and fro-ing between the pair as the game got underway. But there were already signs that the immense speed and elasticity of Djokovic was going to be a factor throughout the game. He was a white blur behind the baseline. Both players were, understandably, nervous. The first couple of games had a handful of errors from both sides.
Once the first few games were underway, Djokovic didn’t just settle into a rhythm; he kick started another gear completely that seemed to sweep Murray away. He took the first set after a hot and sweaty 59 minutes, and it was by no means over at that point. Murray is generally a good player at coming back into matches. Novak, however, seemed adept at stopping him from doing so.
The pace and the power continued on into more »
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