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ATP Montréal Kei Nishikori Vs Andy Murray Semi-final Preview
Photo courtesy of Winnipegfreepress.com Andy Murray and Kei Nishikori will meet for the sixth time when they face off in the ATP Canadian Open semis tonight. The tennis review previews the action and predicts the winner in this high stakes clash.
Head to head: Murray leads 4-1.
Their last match, in Madrid this season, was won by Murray 6-3, 6-4.
Form coming in: Last week Nishikori won his tenth career title at the Citi Open while Murray lost to Teymaruz Gabashvili in a third set tiebreaker in the opening round.
This week, Nishikori got his first win over Rafael Nadal, a match he was favorite to win. Murray meanwhile cruised against Tsonga whom he now leads 12-2 in their head to head.
With Nishikori coming in on the back of the Citi Open win and a confidence boosting win over Nadal he has the momentum on his side.
What is at stake?: For Murray, the ATP No.2 spot, and the possibility to be second seed at the US Open, thus avoiding Djokovic until the final. He might still have to get past Federer though, so how much of an advantage the no.2 seeded position would be is questionable.
For Nishikori, a second win over Murray would be great going into the US Open and his second ATP 1000 final would be another step in the right direction career wise.
The favorite: Murray. The Scot has the return of serve to trouble Nishikori’s second delivery, the counter punching skills to react to Nishikori’s aggression with interest, and the defensive skills to make him hit one more ball and frustrate him into error.
What Nishikori has to do to win: Nishikori will have to play his best against a very solid Murray. The serve will be vital – he has to keep a high first serve percentage and place the second serve intelligently to Murray’s weaknesses.
At the baseline, Nishikori has to execute controlled aggression, build up his rhythm and let his shots flow. Most importantly, he has to keep positive, focused and concentrate on executing his superior hard court baseline game.
Murray may have better speed, reactions and defensive skills, but Nishikori has the better ground strokes and baseline instincts which, if he is confident, should trump Murray’s defensive counterpunching.
Likely result: Nishikori has been progressing well of late, and while Murray may be world No.3, he is not the world beater he once was (still yet to get a win over Federer or Djokovic since 2013). Nishikori should be able to adapt to the problems he encounters against Murray, and most importantly, he should have the confidence to overcome them in a tough match.
Nishikori to win in three sets.
Commentary by Christian Deverille.
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The Nick Kyrgios Sideshow Reviewed: Tennis’ Very Own Incredible Hulk
Photo courtesy of http://www.nzz.ch There’s a tennis tournament going on in Montréal right now. A big one, too, an ATP 1000, one of the nine biggest events of the season after the slams. The tennis, though, has not been that entertaining- of the 8 matches yesterday there was one three setter and no upsets. Luckily for the ATP and the media, and to some extent the fans, a superhero of sorts has come to save the day, tennis’ very own incredible hulk, Nick Kyrgios.
The 20 year old world no.41, who was vanquished in straight sets in just over an hour yesterday by John Isner, has come to the ATP’s rescue with his very own sideshow in which he morphs from a talented, charismatic entertainer into a foul mouthed, unlikable bore.
The boos which accompanied Kyrgios as he entered and then swiftly exited the Banque Nationals arena, the second main court in Montreal, were by far the most tweeted and face-booked moments of the day’s play yesterday, though the attention was nothing compared to the previous evening’s dramatics behind the boos.
That show ran something like this. Wawrinka told a serving Kyrgios, already rattled by a series of bad line calls, that there was a ball boy running behind him. Kyrgios replied he did not have eyes in the back of his head and Wawrinka told him to get on with serving. Kyrgios then said something insulting about how a close friend of his, Kokkinakis, had, to put it politely, had intimate relations with Wawrinka’s rumoured girlfriend Donna Vekic. (Kyrgios had already warmed the crowd up for this verbal blow earlier in the match with a comment about how Wawrinka was ‘banging’ an 18 year old.)
The cameras picked up the comment, and, then ran with it. Commentators jumped on it, social media went wild, and the Nick Kyrgios sideshow was doing what the circus never wants- the freaks pulling in more of the crowds that the highly trained lions and over worked clowns. There is plenty of space, mostly lucrative, in the social media tent, though, and with little to talk about tennis wise, the circus is likely secretly grateful for Kyrgios’ hulk routine and its sensational headlines.
They still fined Kyrgios though, a $10, 000 pittance for the millionaire, and a small penalty considering the demands for his head, though there will be further investigation into the incident when they might get a vial or two of Kyrgios’ blood. Wawrinka will be the first in line for some. The Swiss issued a statement about how this kind of disrespect could not go on in the game – though the kind of disrespect of telling your opponent to get on with playing mid match is fine-and some commentators have called for a ban, which like the fine, will not trouble a player who thinks the tour is too long anyway, has taken extended breaks, and would rather play basketball anyway.
The basketball revelation was revealed the last time the Nick Kyrgios sideshow was in town, in London in June. At Wimbledon Kyrgios stole a few headlines, ones that should have been praising his exciting attacking tennis and unique personal style (for tennis anyway), by tanking some of the second set in his third round match versus Gasquet, berating the umpire for penalizing him and not Nadal (who was not on the court) for taking too long between points, climbing a wall to watch some tennis, and then proclaiming he didn’t much like tennis anyway and would rather play basketball. That sideshow though was run out of town as quickly as Gasquet ran him off the court as there was other stuff to talk about like Federer and his 18th slam and the tennis, overall, was pretty good.
The Nick Kyrgios sideshow has a supporting act, too, his brother, who has reportedly threatened Wawrinka, and so the sideshow goes on. Catch it while you can – Nadal vs Nishkori, who play tonight, might be the lions that get the ATP circus going again and kick this sideshow out of the main tent and back where it belongs.
Commentary by Christian Deverille.
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Can Roger Federer win the US Open 2015?
Photo courtesy of thehindu.com Roger Federer will play his 15th US Open this season, a tournament he has won five times (2004-2008). The Swiss’ effective serving, all court game and shot making are still his strongest assets and we know he is more than able to win the title, the question is can he do it seven seasons after his last win there, at the age of 34? The Tennis Review looks at the factors affecting the world no.2’s chances of winning that elusive 18th slam in New York this Summer.
Preparation
Federer will certainly help his 2015 US Open chances by winning Cincinnati, and a win over Djokovic in that final would both be great for Federer’s confidence and help lessen the mental edge the world no.1 has over him in ATP finals since the start of ’14 (Djokovic leads 6-1).Should the two meet in the US Open final, Federer’s chances increase if he can draw upon a recent Cincinnati win where the conditions are more similar to the season’s final slam than anywhere else on the ATP tour.
History
Federer will also have the confidence that should come with having lifted the trophy at Flushing Meadow five times, finishing runner up once (2009), and making three semi-finals (2010, 2011, 2014).
The fact is, though, that six seasons have passed since he won his last title at Flushing Meadows. Since then he has been beaten by young powerful opponents peaking (del Potro ’09, Cilic ’14), a troublesome match up (Berdych ’12), a smart player taking advantage of his poor form (Robredo ’13) and one of his greatest rivals doing what he does best, fighting to the very end (Djokovic ’10, ’11).
Playing style
Since that 2008 trophy, Federer has declined in speed, sharpness on his forehand, and consistency on his backhand, and his opponents have taken advantage of that.While Federer has taken measures to compensate by adopting first strike aggressive tennis, the fact is that he is still vulnerable to other more powerful and faster aggressive players, and to his more defensive minded rivals. Federer, unlike in his peak years of 2003-2009, is no longer assured of being the best player on the day, and lacks the defensive game to wear down a red-lining opponent or outlast one of the tour’s grinders.
The draw
For Federer to win another slam, his first since Wimbledon ’12, he is not only dependent on his own play, but also on his opponents.
This year Federer would need a kind draw, one which removed Berdych, Cilic, Nadal and Tsonga from his half, one which took care of Djokovic on the other half, and which did not put in his path any streaky players having a career best day such as Gulbis. Federer may be able to get past one of them, but two or three might be pushing it.
Peak performance.
The bottom line is that Federer has to play at his very best, hitting 65 plus percent of first serves in, keeping a winner error ratio of at least 3 to 1, and hold firm on the big points. And he has to do that seven matches in a row unless one of his opponents chokes or has a bad day.Luck
Seven matches in a row- Federer has not been able to do that for the last 12 slams. The chances of winning six this US Open are good – check out his Wimbledon run this year– but he just needs a huge stroke of luck to win the seventh and get across that 18th slam finish line.
Even one stroke of luck, however, might not be enough. Last year, for instance, Federer got lucky when Djokovic was upset in the semi-finals and Nishikori made his first Slam final. For many, Federer’s 18th Slam looked a sure thing, however it was not to be as Federer was unlucky to face a peaking Cilic.
Luck, fortunately for Federer, favours the brave and the hard working. Playing risk taking tennis at the age of 34 certainly qualifies Federer for some this upcoming US Open, the question is will just one stroke be enough?
Commentary by Christian Deverille.
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U.S Open Series and Montréal 5 Things We Want to See Gulbis Federer Nadal
Photo courtesy of i2.tiesraides.lv Gulbis to have one of his streaks
In 2014, Ernests Gulbis reached the Roland Garros semi-finals and looked to be finally reaching his potential, climbing to world no.10. Things quickly took a turn for the worse, however, for the Latvian as injury struck him and a slump, which has lasted a year now and seen him fall to world No. 87, took its toll.
This week, Gulbis has qualified for the Montreal Open and will face friend and training partner Dominic Thiem, who beat him in the US Open Second round last year, and is currently in form winning two clay titles (Umag, Gstaad) in the last week.
This match might be a good chance for Gulbis to get one of his streaks going. The Latvian has had some match practice on hard courts in qualifying, and his opponent will be making a transition from clay to hard courts, not too tricky in this age of court surface similarity, but difficult when you have won 10 matches in 13 days like Thiem has just done.
Another Gulbis streak would be good for the game. His big hitting, and eccentric looking game (that forehand) can be quite a spectacle and his off court quotes keep us entertained. A return to form would also spice up the US Open, making Gulbis a dark floater yet to fulfil his potential and just waiting for the momentum to propel him into doing so.
Federer vs Nadal at the U.S Open.
That this has not happened yet, in a rivalry that has spanned 11 seasons and 33 Matches, is one of the game’s mysteries. Except it is not much of a mystery really. By the time Nadal had got to grips with the speed of the US Open surface and made his serve a weapon to be reckoned with in 2010, Federer’s peak on hard courts was done.
Right now, both men are past their peaks, but the match would still come at an interesting time. Few men have played the way Federer the world no. 2 has at age 34 while Nadal is trying to put back together a game that has taunted and broken down Federer’s in the finals of all the game’s other big stages (Nadal leads 7-2 in slam finals).
There are arguments, though, that the lack of US Open finals makes that head to head a little lopsided, and had Nadal made the finals of the 2005-2009 events he was the second seed at, that head to head might be more equal, and who knows what those final wins might have meant to Federer’s confidence and how they would have affected their other matches.
Mind you, there were theories that the Nadal game would never match up to Federer at Wimbledon or in Melbourne, but it did, and if Nadal had beaten Federer at Flushing Meadows then the case his dominant head to head over him was courtesy of the many clay matches he beat him in and not a superior mental toughness would be lost.
We will never really know the answers to those speculations, but if the contest was to finally happen this US Open, our speculations would at least be a little more educated about what might have been.
One of the old young guns to break through
Not long ago the ATP were pushing Dimitrov, Nishikori and Raonic as the young guns of the tour, but since injury, chokes and slumps have taken their toll, they have quickly been replaced by the new young guns of Coric, Kyrgios and Kokkinakis.
No longer the young guns aged 25, 24 and 23¸ they are still a little too young to be old hat, and in a game that has seen the likes of Murray, Cilic and Wawrinka win their first slams aged 26 and 29 they still have some breathing space before the fickle critics and authorities completely throw them to the side.
Whether one of them will break through this US Open and win a slam is questionable. Raonic is just back from injury, Dimitrov is adjusting to life without Rasheed, and Nishikori has the pressure of following up and building upon last year’s finalist appearance. However, they could still make a breakthrough with some success at the ATP 1000 events in Montréal or Cincinnati. The trio have just two ATP 1000 finals between them (Nishikori, Madrid 2014, Raonic, Paris-Bercy 2014), a startling fact considering their talent and the buzz around them.
One of the real young guns to get a major scalp.
Kyrgios, Coric, Zverev, Rublev, Chung and Kokkinakis have all made their mark this season, but have yet to score a win of the magnitude of the 17 year old Chang over Lendl at the ’89 French Open, the kind of win that would really shake up the tennis establishment.
Kyrgios over Nadal at Wimbledon ’14 was not really a major scalp as the rot had already begun to set in for Nadal (beaten by Ferrer and Amalgro on clay that season).
A major scalp would be a defeat of Djokovic, Federer, or Murray at any stage of this year’s open and Wawrinka, Nishikori, Cilic or Berdych from the quarters onwards. A win like that would propel any of these young guns into the spot light and give hope to the other youngsters that there is room for Youngblood at the top of the veteran’s club that is the current ATP tour.
Isner to make a deep run at the U.S Open
Isner’s resume is very bright when it comes to the US Open Series with three Atlanta titles, Washington finals appearances (when it was the US Open Series) and a win over Djokovic at the 2013 Cincinnati Open.
Those runs seem to have left him spent though when it comes to his home Major The US Open. Though Isner has a respectable 17-8 record there and made the 2011 quarter- finals, he has underachieved considering his formidable record on home soil outside of Flushing Meadows. (Indian Wells ’12 final/ Semi-final ‘13, Miami Semi-final ’15, Cincinnati final ’12.
If Isner is going to make another New York run into the second week then he needs to avoid, or beat, Philipp Kohlschreiber who has defeated Isner in his last three US Open, and each time in the third round.
Isner’s other NY losses have come, apart from a first round loss in 2007 to 122nd ranked Beck (Isner was ranked 125) to top 20 opponents of the calibre of Murray, Youzhny, Verdasco, and Federer. Those are pretty tough draws and if he could get a luckier one Isner could give the home crowd something to cheer about in the second week of the Open, and who knows how far that support could take him.
Commentary by Christian Deverille.
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Kei Nishikori Citi Open Win Five Encouraging Things
Photo courtesy of jto.s3.amazonaws.com Kei Nishikori’s win at the ATP 500 Citi Open last week, his tenth career title and third this season, was an encouraging win and sets the world No.4 up for another great U.S Open run. The Tennis Review looks at five reasons Nishikori fans should be encouraged by his run to the Citi Open title.
Kei stayed healthy all week
That achievement itself will have many Nishikori supporters cheering. Some of Nishikori’s finest moments have been ruined by injury, none more notable than when he led Rafael Nadal in the 2014 Madrid final by a set and a break before injury forced him to retire in the third set.
Most recently, Nishikori had to withdraw from Wimbledon and Halle with a calf injury and last week there were a few hairy moments when the second seed took medical time outs during his Citi Open run.
Thankfully, those time outs were nothing more than precautions and the world No.4 made it through the week. Not only that, he won the title, too.
Kei’s return game stood up to Cilic and Isner
Nishikori won that trophy with his biggest weapon at its sharpest. His return of serve held up to the biggest test of them all in the final, the Isner serve, and it came to his aid to break the Cilic serve at a crucial point of their semi-final match, after Cilic had broken back to 4-4 in the third set.
Big servers like Cilic can overwhelm even the greatest of returners on hard courts, something which Nishikori experienced in last season’s U.S Open final, and in the first sets of his Citi Open matches versus Cilic and Isner.
Cilic’s serving display that helped him win the US Open ’14 was a rare example of sustained peak performance, and usually there would be some letdown, even if just for a couple of points. Nishikori was ready for that letdown against both Cilic and Isner this time, took advantage, and then both stole the momentum and inflicted doubt into his big serving opponent’s mind to take control of the match.
Kei’s baseline game was effective, at times brilliant.
Nishikori’s rise up the ATP rankings is not just down to a return of serve- he has a great baseline game, too. The Citi Open ’15 Champ mixes up depth and angles with a variety of flat strokes and top spin, works himself into a rhythm and then lets his shot making do the talking.
Isner was on the receiving end of it from the second set onwards, and was full of praise, saying it was the best in the game and Djokovic would be worried. The Serb might be, too, suffering as he did against that baseline aggression in last year’s US Open semi-final.
Kei came back from behind twice.
Nishikori shocked the tennis world when he upset Djokovic in that semi-final match, but the high of that win was dramatically contrasted with the low of his final performance.
The maiden slam finalist was overwhelmed in the biggest match of his career, and while all credit must go to Cilic for turning up on the big occasion, Nishikori looked forlorn when he dropped the second set to go two sets to love down, and never looked like the player who had fought so hard to earn the chance compete in the title match.
The Japanese did not get down on himself though at the Citi Open, coming from behind two matches in a row. That fight is part of Nishikori’s success – he leads the tour when it comes to gutting out matches going the distance, and he showed once again at the Citi Open that if he can hang on in there, he can not only pull himself back up and into the match, but he has a better chance than anyone of taking the win, too.
Kei stood up to the pressure of being favourite.
Nishikori has been tipped to win a Slam for a while now, and after beating Djokovic, Wawrinka and Raonic back to back at last year’s US Open he was the favorite to beat Cilic.
This time, he was also the favorite, leading Cilic 5-3 before the semi in their head to head, and he lived up to that status. He was also the favourite against Isner in the final and did not disappoint.
As the potential No.4 seed, Nishikori will once again find himself the favorite in US Open matches, and it could be in the final again. His Citi Open win shows he can handle it, and while a slam is a very different event to an ATP 500, being comfortable with the status of favorite is something that takes getting used to, and Nishikori looked like he had grown accustomed to that role as he lifted his tenth title aloft.
Commentary by Christian Deverille.
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ATP Montréal Five Players Most Likely to Stop Novak Djokovic
Photo courtesy of novakdjokovic.com Novak Djokovic will be going for his fifth ATP 1000 title of 2015 when he enters the ATP 1000 Canadian Open this week. The world No.1 will go into the event as the heavy favourite, but his path to the title will feature some big obstacles. The Tennis Review looks at the five players most likely to get in the way of Djokovic’s Montreal 2015 campaign.
1. Kevin Anderson.
Anderson gave Djokovic his toughest challenge at Wimbledon last month, forcing Djokovic to come back from two sets to love down to beat him, and the two could meet in the last eight if Anderson upsets Tomas Berdych in the round of 16.
Djokovic has some of his toughest matches against the game’s biggest servers, and one of his two defeats this season came against Ivo Karlovic in Doha, the other to Roger Federer in Dubai.
The three time Canada Open Champion is also short of hard court match practice, and if his return is off and his own serve rusty, he could suffer an early defeat to the world No. 14.
2. John Isner
Speaking of big serves, John Isner has arguably the biggest on the tour and could, if he defeats Stan Wawrinka in the last 16 and Milos Raonic in the last eight, face Djokovic in the semis.
Isner has proven to be a nightmare match-up for Djokovic on North American hard courts, beating him at Indian Wells ’12 and Montreal ’13. The recent Atlanta Champion also pushed Djokovic to two tight sets at Indian Wells and Miami this season.
Isner thrives on hard courts and the slower pace of some of the North American hard court help his mobility issues. Against Djokovic, his huge serve negates Djokovic’s greatest weapon- his return- and his first strike tennis denies the Serbian any rhythm from the baseline. Those factors could once again combine to grab Isner another victory over the world No.1.
3. Stan Wawrinka
Wawrinka has gotten in the way of Djokovic at some important moments in the last couple of seasons- at the Australian Open ’14 quarters and this year’s French Open final.
Wawrinka has a 10-8 record in Canada and has not been past the last eight, but he had not been past that stage of either the French Open or the Australian Open when he won those tournaments, either.
Wawrinka is not afraid to beat Djokovic on the big stages, and if he can redline his game should they meet in the semis, he might grab another famous win.
4. Jo-Wilfred Tsonga
Tsonga upset Djokovic on his title run in Toronto last season and has the game and guts to beat him again should they meet in the final.
Tsonga is a streaky player and the defending champ has had some of his career best wins in Canada. If he makes the final this year he will be on one of those streaks and Djokovic will have to be at his aggressive best to defeat him.
5.Kei Nishikori
Nishikori stunned Djokovic in the US Open semi-finals last season and is in good form, reaching the Citi Open finals.
The world no.5 can match Djokovic stroke for stroke at the baseline and has a history of pushing him to the brink.
The 25 year old has been to an ATP 1000 final before, the 2014 Madrid Open, where he took it to Nadal, leading the Spaniard by a set and a break before injury got the better of him.
If Nishikori can stay healthy, and get inspired by the occasion, he could win his first ATP 1000 title at the expense of the world No.1 in Montreal and make his match up versus Djokovic one of the most exciting on the ATP tour.
Commentary by Christian Deverille.
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Who is Alexander Zverev?
Thanks to www.15-lovetennis.com Alexander Zverev’s great form in 2016 saw him break into the ATP Tour rankings top 20 (he finished the season ranked 24th), win his first title at the ATP 250 St Petersburg Open and brought him to the attention of tennis fans worldwide. The Tennis Review asks who is Alexander Zverev and gives you the lowdown on a #NextGen player making his mark in the pro ranks in 2016.
Zverev was thrown into the limelight at the start of 2016 when he was drawn against second seeded Andy Murray in the first round of the Australian Open. Not only was Zverev thrown into the limelight- he was also thrown to the lions, facing a multiple slam champ who had contested four finals in Melbourne. Perhaps, and understandably so, overwhelmed by the occasion, Zverev did not perform to his best abilities and won just six games.
Playing Murray, who has all the tools to exploit your inexperience and weaknesses, was a tall order for the 198 cm Zverev, and though the experience must have been a little painful, the teen seemed to learn from it. In his next event, at the ATP 250 Montpellier Open, Zverev beat Marin Cilic, one of the tour’s few active slam champs, 7-6, 7-6 in what he said was his best ever performance. The German served big and was aggressive on his ground-strokes and return, an approach that he knew was necessary if he wanted to avoid another tough loss like the one he suffered in Melbourne.
Zverev exited the tournament in the next round to the experienced Paul-Henri Mathieu in a tight match, and would carry over his great form into the ATP 500 Rotterdam tournament where he beat the veteran Gilles Simon in a match that went all the way to a third set tiebreaker. Zverev fought off cramps and falling behind a break in the third to grab what might not have been his biggest win prestige wise, but was certainly a huge one when it came to character. The German went down in the quarters to Monfils, but went up in the estimation of tennis fans worldwide.
His 2016 has gone from strength to strength since then- Zverev made the Nice Open final, the Roland Garros third round, and before a home crowd in Halle, Zverev beat Roger Federer on his way to his first ATP 500 final. He then reached the Wimbledon third round, and the semis of the Citi Open.
Photo courtesy of http://www.kridangan.com Zverev finished the year winning the St Petersburg title, his first trophy, beating the recently crowned US Open champion Stan Wawrinka in the final.
Zverev’s fine form and ability to upset highly ranked players has been evident on the ATP for a while now. Last season, Zverev’s 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 upset of fifth seed Kevin Anderson at the ATP 500 Citi Open was another in a long line of impressive achievements for the 19 year old then ranked 96 on the ATP tour.
Earlier in the 2015 season, Zverev reached another career milestone, this time at at the Miami Open where Zverev qualified for his first ATP 1000 event beating Thiemo de Bakker 6-7 (2), 6-3, 6-4. Zverev went on to defeat Australia’s 69th ranked Sam Groth in the his opening match before losing to Lukas Rosol in the next round.
That was the second time the youngster had qualified for an ATP main draw this year- his first was in Marseilles where he lost in the opening round to Gael Monfils. He went 10-11 in ATP main draws in 2015 including an appearance in the Bastad Semi-finals, a second round finish at Wimbledon, and a visit to the last 16 of the Aegon Championships.
Alexander Zverev served up notice of his arrival among the senior ranks in July 2014 when he made a run to the last four of the Hamburg Open clay event. The 17 year old followed in the footsteps of fellow teen Nick Kyrgios in making a big entrance on the big stages of the Senior ranks, and is also now joined by Thanasi Kokkinakis and Borna Coric as teenagers doing well on the ATP Tour.
In Hamburg 2014, the 17 year old beat 51st ranked Robin Hasse in the first round for the loss of two games. He followed that up with a 7-5, 7-5 win over defending champion and world No.19 Mikhail Youzhny. That win was the first one for a 17 year old over a top twenty player at an ATP 500 event since 2004 . In the last sixteen the Hamburg born teen beat 32nd ranked Santiago Giraldo 6-4, 7-6 and then scored a 0-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory over 83rd ranked countryman Tobias Kamke.
That achievement made him the first 17 year old in an ATP semi-final since Marin Cilic in 2006. And as if he were not making enough records, he became the youngest ever player to make the last four on the tour, beating Rafael Nadal at the 2005 Barcelona Open.
Photo courtesy of Steven Pisano at flickr.com That famous Hamburg run did not go any further however as Zverev’s inexperience got the better of him. In the last four, he came up against David Ferrer, the 2013 French Open finalist and world No.7 and was beaten soundly 0 and 1.
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So, who is Alexandr Zverev, the latest in a batch of teens making noise on an otherwise Veteran run ATP Tour?
Zverev, nicknamed Sasha, appears to be most at home on clay, winning a challenger event on the surface at the end of June 2014 in Braunshweig, Germany, beating veteran Paul-Henri Matthieu in the final.
The Russian born Zverev was also runner-up at the French Open Juniors 2013. Zverev, however, is no one surface pony- his game translates well to all surfaces- he was a former world No.1 in the junior rankings and this year won the boy’s singles title at the Australian Open, and won his first pro title on indoor hard.
Zverev’s rise up the rankings is no surprise- he has a strong tennis- loving team behind him. His father is a former pro and his mother is a tennis coach. His brother, Mischa, is also a professional player. Zverev trains at home in Hamburg and at Saddlebrook, Florida, the renowned tennis academy. Perhaps most importantly, he has one of the best fitness trainers around, Jez Green, who helped transform Andy Murray into one of the fittest players on the ATP.
Zverev is a basketball fan, and cites Lebron Jamesa as his favorite player. In tennis, though, his role model is none other than Roger Federer, but he has quite a different playing style more in keeping with the modern game. Zverev is an aggressive base-liner with a fierce backhand, a style that dominates on the homogenized surfaces of the modern game and has served him well in the juniors and appears to be working out for him in the seniors.
Making the kind of splash onto the tour previously seen from the likes of Nadal, Gasquet and Cilic, the future looks bright for the 19 year old. If he can keep his eye on the ball and go the way of those players, then expect to find out a lot more about him in the coming years.
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Commentary by Christian Deverille
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ATP Six Points of Interest Hamburg Gstaad Atlanta Nadal Thiem Isner
CC courtesy of Yann Caradec @ Flickr.com Last week was a busy one on the ATP Tour with an ATP 500 in Hamburg, an ATP 250 in Gstaad and the US Open Series kicking off in Atlanta with the ATP 250 BT&T Atlanta Open. The tennis review looks back at a week that saw tempers flare, titles won and heads scratching.
1. Rafael Nadal’s time-taking between points really gets on his opponent’s nerves.
Fabio Fognini could not take much more of it in the heart of the second set of the Hamburg final against Nadal. The Italian blew up at the top seed, berating him for one of the Spaniard’s many much maligned behaviors.
Check out the video below to see Fabio Fognini lose it with Nadal.
Fognini had to take matters into his own hands, or words, because the ATP officials, well, don’t.
These kind of scenes might be entertaining, but they also make tennis a little bit of a circus. Perhaps it’s time to introduce a stop clock to monitor the game’s more infamous time wasters so that the likes of the talented Fognini can focus on taking their aggression out on the ball and not on their opponents at the changeover.
2. Rafael Nadal is still very much in love with tennis
Nadal’s slump has been one of the year’s headlines and at times he has looked like he really been suffering out there.
There was no sign of suffering when he converted match point in the Hamburg final though. Despite struggling with his serve and his forehand being dangerously short at key moments, Nadal fought and won his 67th career title, his 47th ATP Clay title, and the joy in his achievements showed.
The French Open winning style celebration was understandable- the Hamburg title is Nadal’s biggest since winning at Roland Garros in 2014, and the title could not have come at a better time as the tour builds up to the U.S Open where a confident, and hungry, Nadal will make events that bit more interesting.
Photo courtesy of http://www.straitstimes.com 3. Dominic Thiem is a future Roland Garros Champ
Thiem won his third clay court of 2015, (Nice, Umag, Gstaad) and third overall, when he defeated David Goffin in straight sets for the ATP 250 Gstaad trophy.
That collection is quite an achievement for a 21 year old and he follows in the footsteps of players of the likes of del Potro (2009) and Safin (2000) in winning multiple titles in one season before his 22nd birthday.
The question is whether Thiem will be like those top five ranking slam winning Champions or will he become a clay specialist of the likes of Muster, Costa and Coria, all who went on to win Roland Garros. The 21 year old’s clay court prowess certainly bodes well for his chances of becoming a Roland Garros champion at the very least in a few years.
Whichever way his career goes, he is certain to keep tennis fans entertained with his easy on the eye game and his choice of hairstyles.
Photo courtesy of http://www.luzernerzeitung.ch 4. David Goffin is struggling to make the next step
Goffin served for the first set against Thiem in Gstaad, and the Belgian, who led the head to head 4-1 before the match, then went quietly away in the match, succumbing to Thiem’s quiet intensity and great defense.
Letting that lead slip could have been down to Thiem’s great play, or it could have been to Goffin’s head. The world no.15 has been making great strides the last year- winning ATP 250 titles and a making 500 final (Basel), and is on the verge of breaking into the top 10.
That breakthrough is hard to achieve for anyone and with so much expectation on his shoulders to do it, Goffin may have had that thought in the back of his mind serving for the set.
The Belgian has withdrawn from Kitzbuhel where he was the defending champion so we won’t know if his ‘choke’ was a temporary glitch in what has, so far, been a smoothly progressing operation or a career-threatening weakness until the North American hard court events in a couple of weeks time.
5. The ATP Schedule is one of the world’s great wonders
With the US Open five weeks away, and the French Open now a distant memory, except for those hardcore Wawrinka fans of course, the Calender last week had its biggest event, a 500 one, on clay, another clay event, while the tournament to kickstart the US Open Series and its first winner of 2015 John Isner got lost somewhere in the background. (Even more baffling is that this week’s ATP 500 Citi Open is not even in the US Open Series due to TV licensing policies but more on that next week).
This head-scratching scheduling is just one of the many oddities of one of the world’s most professional, and for those that break into the elite, lucrative sporting associations joining other wonders such as the first slam of the year starting a month into an 11 month season, Newport coming the week after Wimbledon, and the tired-looking, anti-climatic final Indoor events.
6. John Isner won his third Atlanta title
The American won on home soil in Atlanta for the third consecutive year, though it was the lowest key victory of the week with Nadal dominating the headlines in Hamburg and Thiem’s clay court run attracting a lot of the attention.
Isner looked impressive as he always does on home hard courts, and he is once again looking good for a strong U.S Open lead up. Whether he can really break through and compete for his home slam is another thing, but he is certainly in the mood to get noticed, and with the tour now about to focus on the North American Summer Swing, he hopefully will.
Watch highlights of Isner’s BT&T Atlanta win over Marcos Baghdatis below
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ATP Washington 500 What The Title Would Mean to Murray Nishikori Dimitrov
CC courtesy of Marianne Bevis at Flickr The ATP 500 Washington Citi Open gets underway next week with Andy Murray, Kei Nishikori, Marin Cilic and Grigor Dimitrov among those playing for the title. While the winner stands to earn 500 points, the trophy and generous prize money, the title would also mean something to the winner in terms of confidence, health, and their US Open fortunes. The tennis review looks at what the title would mean to four of the favorites.
Andy Murray (1) has done a great job of getting back into the top three, reaching a slam final and winning titles (Madrid, Queens, Munich) in 2015.
What Murray has not done, though, is score a win over Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic since 2013. This year the Scot has suffered bruising defeats to Djokovic in the Australian Open final, the Indian Wells semi, the Miami final and the French Open semi-final, and was very much second best to Federer in the Wimbledon last four.
That status quo is likely to continue at the U.S Open unless Murray works his way into his optimum hard court form, the aggressive kind that won him the US Open 2012, beat Federer for the 2010 Canadian Open title, del Porto for the 2009 Canadian Open title, and Djokovic for the 2008 and 2011 Cincinnati titles.
Winning Washington would be a good way for Murray to get his game fit for what the Scot has said is his favourite slam, the US Open, where he will have to beat Federer or Djokovic, or both, for the title.
The Washington title would also make a statement to the rest of the ATP tour, reaffirming what it already knows- that Murray is far more consistent than those ranked below him- and also proving he still has what it takes to win big titles on the surface- if he wins the Citi Open title this week it will be his biggest hard court title since Miami 2013.
The 500 ranking points could also, if Murray does well in Montreal and Cincinnati, help make him the no.2 seed in New York meaning he would avoid his nemesis Djokovic until the final.
A win in Washington would also help him mentally if he makes the U.S Open final. Most likely, Murray will lose to Djokovic or Federer in Montreal and Cincinnati, but in a US Open final, with a Washington title under his belt, and if he can make his lead up matches versus Federer and Djokovic competitive, Murray could dig deep, find his game over five sets and really get his career back on track as a leading player rather than his current bridesmaid status.
Kei Nishikori (2) has been plagued by a calf injury of late, forcing him to pull out of his last two events (Halle, Wimbledon). Nishikori has had a month to rest the injury and a win in Washington would be just what he needs for his confidence on his best surface.
If Nishikori is going to win a Slam, it is going to be on hard courts, and his runner up finish at last year’s U.S Open suggests it could very well be there.
The aggressive baseliner has all the tools for hard court success and you get the feeling, if his health could hold up, he is just a few steps away from a breakthrough.
Injuries can play havoc with the minds of players on the comeback trail as they worry a step here, a surge there might flare it up again. But a week’s play and a title win in Washington would certainly help Nishikori get over any qualms he might have about his health, and could crucially, come the US Open, help him over that first Grand Slam finishing line.
Marin Cilic (3) stormed to victory at last year’s U.S Open, but since then a shoulder injury has derailed him. The Croat did win the Moscow title in the autumn, however he withdrew from the Australian Open and did not make a quarter final on the tour until Wimbledon where he lost in three tame sets to Djokovic.
That run to the last eight in SW19, which saw Cilic battle past both Isner and Berankis in five grueling sets, was encouraging progress. Certainly his will to win is there, and if his huge serve and baseline game can be consistent, he could make another run for the title in New York. A win in Washington would help his cause no end as he would most likely have to beat the consistent Nishikori and Murray, players against whom only his best will suffice.
The title would also look good on his resume. Cilic, who has a Grand Slam on his C.V does not have any titles above ATP 250 alongside it. An ATP 500 in Washington would go some way to redressing that imbalance.
Grigor Dimitrov (6) has had a turbulent last year since he broke into the top ten to No.8 back in the first week of August 2014. The Bulgarian has slid down the rankings to No.16, failed to go beyond the fourth round of a slam, and been written off as the Next Big Thing.
That might change now that Dimitrov has gotten rid of the distraction of his very famous girlfriend, but what is most likely to make the biggest change is his firing of coach Roger Rasheed, who for all his skills as a fitness coach had some serious shortcomings with regards to technical and strategic coaching.
Dimitrov’s reliance on defense, his proneness to choking in big matches, and the failure to exploit his naturally aggressive game that allows his talents to shine have to be blamed somewhat on Rasheed and with him now out the picture Dimitrov’s game might get back on track.
That would need to happen for him to win Washington. The Bulgarian might have to get past in form Marcos Baghdatis in his opening round, the talented and recent Bogota Champion Bernard Tomic in the last sixteen, his Wimbledon conqueror and nemesis Richard Gasquet in the last eight, the ever consistent Murray in the last four, and then Nishikori in the final.
A run like that to the title would mean Dimitrov was back to the form that saw him win titles in Stockholm, Acapulco, Bucharest and Queens, and reach the Wimbledon semis from 2013-2014. That player was an aggressive, brave and imaginative Dimitrov, one the tennis world would be very pleased to have back in time for the U.S Open.
Commentary by Christian Deverille
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Roger Federer Is Right to Skip ATP 1000 Canadian Open Five Reasons Why
CC courtesy of Tigre Municipio @ flickr.com Roger Federer’s decision to skip the 2015 ATP 1000 Canadian Open will have disappointed fans who were planning to catch him in action in the US Open warm-up event, but, in the long term, it is the right decision for both himself and his fans. The Tennis Review gives you five reasons why.
1. The Canadian Open has never been the happiest of hunting grounds for Federer.
Federer is arguably the greatest hard court player in history, with five US Opens and four Australian Opens to his name. However, he has had less success at the Canadian Open than at other hard court ATP 1000s, winning just two titles (2004, 2006) and finishing runner-up three times.
The surface is arguably one of the slower hard courts, and players of the likes of Simon, Djokovic and Murray, all great defensive players, have gotten the better of him there over the years, something they have failed to do at faster hard court ATP 1000s like Cincinnati.
2. Cincinnati is the week after.
Federer’s most successful hard court ATP 1000, the Cincinnati Open, starts the very next week after the Canadian Open. Cincinnati is the best warm up event conditions wise to the US Open with one of the fastest hard court surfaces on the tour and compliments Federer’s aggressive game and excellent service game.
Last year, Federer won his sixth Cincinnati trophy, the week after losing the Canadian Final in straight sets to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Playing in Canada did not end up damaging Federer’s title chances in Cincinnati, but Federer might have benefitted from Djokovic’s early defeat, Murray’s poor form, and facing players such as Ferrer and Roanic in the last two rounds, players against whom he has favourable match-ups.
3. A seventh title in Cincinnati would give Federer much needed confidence for the US Open.
Last season, Federer’s biggest rivals, Djokovic and Murray were struggling in the US Open Series, and Nadal was absent, so his win in Cincinnati was not entirely unexpected.
This season, things are a little different. We do not know Djokovic’s post Wimbledon triumph form yet, but he does not have last year’s distractions of being a newly-wed with a baby on the way. As for Murray, the Scot is back up at world No.3, making big finals and winning titles. Meanwhile, Nadal may be slumping still, but that slump could turn around given a few confidence boosting wins in Hamburg and the early Montreal rounds, and the Spaniard likes the slow high bouncing Canadian Conditions. More crucially, he likes playing Federer in those conditions.
Federer will face a stronger field in Cincinatti, and he will be in better condition to stand up to it if he skips Montreal, where those players will be competing. A couple of wins against the likes of Murray and Djokovic going into the US Open would also mean he would have a valuable confidence boost, and Federer, who has not won a slam since Wimbledon 2012, and made just two finals since then, needs that confidence more than he needs a few hundred ranking points or a few hundred thousand dollars in prize money from playing in the Canadian Open.
4. At this stage of Federer’s career, it’s all about the Slams.
Federer, with 17 Slams on his resume, and the record for weeks at No.1, is always going to be in the Greatest of all time debate. At this stage of his career, an extra runner up finish or a title at an ATP 1000 is just the icing on the cake. Tasty, but the cake tastes pretty good anyway.
Another Slam title however would mean far more than just icing- it would be another layer. A very sweet one, too. Winning an 18th Slam, and beating his own record in the process, at the age of 34, would not just put him in the Greatest of all time debate, it would cancel out any arguments against- a weaker era, Nadal’s winning head to head- and cement him as the G.O.A.T, if there is such a thing.
Last year, Federer was as close as he ever has been to undisputed G.O.A.T status when he went into the US Open as arguably the favourite, and with Nishikori’s upset of Djokovic, and a slamless Cilic in his semi, the Swiss was expected to finally get no.18.
Things did not quite work out that way, though – Cilic played the match of his life, and Federer, for the fifth year in a row, failed to make the U.S Open final.
While all credit must go to Cilic for being so strong under such pressure, it did not help Federer that he had had to come back from two sets to love down against Monfils in the quarters, or that he had played two consecutive finals the week before the US Open started.
5. Federer is a week away from turning 34 and he needs rest.
The bottom line. Federer is about to turn 34. In tennis years, that is as close to retirement as it gets. Considering Federer’s age, the fact he is world No.2 is astounding. It is also not surprising he hasn’t won a slam. Federer may have plenty getting in the way of slam 18, a rival who has his number in big finals among them, but his biggest obstacle is his age, and since he turned 31 in August 2012, Federer has only made it to meet Djokovic on two occasions in slams, losing to Berdych, Murray, Tsonga, Stakhovsky, Robredo, Nadal, Gulbis, Cilic, Seppi and Wawrinka before the Championship match.
The fact is that however much they slow down the surfaces, Federer still gets a step slower than his opponents, and the more matches he plays, the less his chances get, and the longer his matches go, his first serve percentage decreases, the errors increase, and the defeats mount.
Rest before a big event is exactly what Federer needs right now at this stage of his career. In his last five slams, he has had a busy time leading up to them and has made just two finals. In fact, his Success has been hurting him as he gone on to lose at the Slams to players with much less success, but fresher legs, in the leads ups.
- At Wimbledon ’14, he won Halle the week before and lost the final when serving to stay in the match in the fifth set.
- The US Open’14 saw him play two finals leading up to the event and lose in straights to Cilic in the Semis.
- He won Brisbane the week before this year’s Australian Open and lost in round 3 to Seppi against whom he had enjoyed a 9-0 career win-loss.
- At this year’s Roland Garros he had competed in the Rome final the week before only for Wawrinka to beat him in straights in the last eight.
- At this year’s Wimbledon he won Halle a couple of weeks before, and even two weeks rest was not enough to stop him looking worn out by the fourth set of the SW19 final.
By skipping the Canadian Open, an inform Federer could tear up the Cincinnati draw in straights which would leave him match tight and still fresh for NYC, and give himself the best possible chance of enhancing his legacy at this year’s US Open and leaving the game with 18 Slams.
That possibility should come as some comfort to fans who will miss him in Canada, but who will not miss, if Federer makes the US Open final, their hero get the chance to make even more history.
Commentary by Christian Deverille
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