February review

It’s never too late for a February review so let’s look back on the best moments of the month in the tennis world, and, yes the list is biased and the rankings are in order of the tennis review’s discretion.

1. Marin Cilic tore up the tour.
How else can we put it? Cilic came out at the start of February on an absolute mission. That mission was mostly to make up for lost time. Cilic lost the second half of his 2013 season due to a drug ban, of which he was later cleared. He came back at the Paris Indoors, armed himself with a new coach in Ivanisevic, and competed in Australia. Then came February. He took the title in Zagreb, beating Haas in straights in the final, beat Andy Murray for the first time in his career en route to the Rotterdam ATP 500 final, and then won in Delray Beach, beating Anderson in a final set breaker. That’s 14-1 for the month, the shortest one of the year, too. A win every couple of days. That’s making up for lost time for you.

2. Berdych getting back up on his feet.
Tomas Berdych must look back on his semi-final with Wawrinka in the Australian Open semi-finals with a lingering sense of what might have been. The Czech has never played better in a bigger match he has lost. Had a few risks on his second serve paid off here and there, it could have been him in the final with an injured Nadal on the other side of the net. Berdych did not brood that difference between a few points here and there and a first Major title. He came back, thrashed the in form Cilic in the Rotterdam final and then led Federer by a set in the Dubai Championship match, a match Federer won drawing on every inch of talent and experience he has. With Berdych clearly looking forward and not backwards when it comes to his career, the next month looks likely to see a lot of celebratory Birdman selfies on twitter.

3. Did someone say Venus Williams was on the trophy podium?
It had been a long time coming, Venus Williams winning a Premier title. 4 years in fact. And in Dubai, too, where she last did it. For a while it seemed we only heard Venus in the early rounds of big tournaments, losing in tight matches to tough competitors of the likes of Zheng, Ula Radwanska and Makarova, her grunts growing louder and louder as the matches went down to the wire. But Venus had clearly had enough of that, mowing down Vesnina, Ivanovic, Pennetta, Wozniacki and Cornet, all in straights on her way back to holding trophies aloft on the podium. The exciting question is-where will she do it next?

4. Dimitrov keeps on going in the right direction.
Grigor Dimirtov’s tough back to back wins against Murray and Anderson in the final two rounds of the ATP500 tournament in Acapulco proved the 22 year old has what it takes to become one of the game’s greats. Since his win against Djokovic in Madrid last year, his first over a world number 1, Dimitrov has just kept getting better and better. He won the ATP250 title in Stockholm, made the quarters of the Australian Open, and now has his first ATP500 trophy. Next up would be a Masters final or win and a semi in a Major. Ranked 16, and guaranteed a safer seeding position in the big tournies, those goals are very much in reach, and Dimitrov’s arms seem to have quite some stretch.

5. Nadal refuses to blame anything but himself in Rio.
It has been a tough start to the season for Nadal. The injury in Melbourne, the final loss, the controversy over the booing from the crowd. And then a fellow Spaniard, Andujar. took it to him in the semis of Rio, holding match points in the final set tiebreaker. Nadal dug deep, and he goes deepest on clay, took the match and then took the title in the next round. Did he blame his injury for his below par performance? No. He gave respect to his countryman, and then Dolgopolov who pushed him in the final. Nadal’s year can only get better with his favorite tournies in Indian Wells and Monte Carlo coming up. How he fares will be interesting for fans but whatever happens no one should look to his injuries. Like Nadal, we should look to his opponents instead.