Cilic celebrates his win in Zagreb (thanks to www1.skysports.com)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.
Dimitrov looks lovingly on his first ATP 500 trophy in Acapulco (Thanks to uk.eurosport.yahoo.com)
Grigor Dimitrov’s, aka Baby Fed, steps are turning into big ones. The 22 year old 22nd ranked Bulgarian won his first ATP 500 title on the hard courts of Acapulco. For Dimitrov the last few months have seen one career milestone after another. At the end of last season, he won his first ATP 250 tournament in Stockholm, beating then 3rd ranked David Ferrer in the final. Dimitrov then followed this up by making his first Major quarter-final at the Australian Open. There he came within a few forehands of taking a two sets to one lead against Rafael Nadal.
Dimitrov’s week in Acapulco was as hard fought as they come. In the last sixteen, he avenged his defeat to Ernst Gulbis in the Rotterdam quarter-finals, winning 4-6, 7-6 (2), 7-5. Then in the semis, he fought past a resilient if rusty Andy Murray 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3). That win was particularly impressive considering Murray’s ability to get so many balls back. Though Murray got the better of Dimitrov for much of the match, Grigor kept his cool in the tiebreaks and stepped inside the court to take control of points and win rallies rather than lose them. It was Dimitrov’s first win over Murray, another milestone, and his fifth over a top ten player.
In the final, Dimitrov faced Kevin Anderson, ranked one place higher than him, and the recent Delray Beach finalist. The South African seemed to have the better of Dimitrov in the early stages of the match, putting pressure on his serve in the first set, but Dimitrov took control of the tiebreaker to win it 7-1 and lead by a set. Anderson broke early in the second set, taking it 6-3, a set in which he did not face a single break point. Anderson then broke early in the third, and with his serve looking strong, Anderson looked set to atone for his third set tiebreaker loss to Cilic in the previous week’s Delray Beach final. But Dimitrov improved his play, broke back and took the match to a breaker. There, he trailed Anderson again by a mini-break. Bur once again he showed his ever improving mental toughness to level the score at 5-5 at which point he earned his own mini-break and then took the match on his service, an aggressive serve out wide and a huge forehand off the short ball forcing an Anderson error and winning him the match 7-6 (1), 3-6, 7-5 (5).
The victory takes Dimitrov to a world ranking of 16, which if he can maintain will make his progression through Grand Slam draws significantly easier. Next up for the Bulgarian is the ATP 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami. Considering his recent fine form on hard courts and ability to build on his achievements, it is not unreasonable to expect Baby Fed to keep on taking big steps up into the elite and out of Federer’s shadow.
Roger Federer was flying high in Dubai last week as he won his sixth title at the ATP 500 event. The title run was welcomed by his fans as he built on the fine form he showed in Melbourne. And it looks as if his pairing with Stefan Edberg is really paying off.
Federer, the fourth seed, had a difficult draw. In the first round, he had a tough obstacle in Radek Stepanek, eventually seeing off the Czech in 3 sets. Next, he faced Lukas Rosol, beating him handily, 2 and 2. Then came Djokovic. Federer had not beaten him since 2012 but Djokovic is somewhat unmatch fit this season, competing in only 5 matches and not having played an ATP tournament since his early exit in Melbourne. Meanwhile Federer played 10 matches in the Australian swing, making the final in Brisbane and the semis in Melbourne. Federer certainly looked the less rusty of the two, coming back from a set down to beat Djokovic 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.
Tomas Berdych was waiting in the final. The Czech has a good head to head against Federer, beating him 6 times and losing 11. 1 of those wins had come the previous year in Dubai, Berdych coming from a set down to take the match. And 2 of those wins had come at Majors, at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2012 US Open. Berdych was also in great form, some say the form of his life, having made the Australian Open semis, and winning his first tournament in nearly 18 months in Rotterdam a few weeks ago.
Berydych’s form was still on as he took the first set 6-3. But Federer, whose results have improved impressively since teaming with Edberg at the start of the season, turned the match around, his confidence high after the Djokovic win, and his variety and willingness to come to the net carrying him through to a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 win.
Flying high in Dubai, Federer might have been, but flying high in the ATP rankings he is not. Ranked 8, he has to maintain his recent return to form to be seeded in the top 8 for Roland Garros in May and avoid an early clash with Nadal or Djokovic. With Indian Wells and Miami coming up, two of his old stomping grounds where he has won 2 and 4 titles respectively, he has a chance to fly higher up the rankings and closer to the heights he once scaled, heights from his play in Dubai last week he still believes he can reach.
Venus Williams celebrates her fine play in Dubai (thanks to thegrio.com)
Venus Wiliams has risen back into the winner’s circle, winning her first Premier title since her diagnose of sjoegren’s disease in 2011. Fans will be eager to see just how much further she can rise on the back of the win.
Venus Williams has won the Dubai Duty Free Championships, her first title since the Luxembourg Open in 2012, beating Alize Cornet 6-0, 6-3.
Williams won the title beating quality opposition in Vesnina, Ivanovic, Pennetta, Wozniacki and Cornet, the latter being in the form of her career after defeating Venus’s sister Serena in straights in the semi-final.
Venus was back to her best in the final, coming back from a break down in the first set to take it 6-3 before taking the second set to love, winning the title in 90 minutes. It was a fitting end to a week in which she did not drop a set and lost only 24 games.
After not reaching a final at all in 2013, Venus has made 2 finals now in ’14, losing to Ivanovic in three sets in the Auckland final at the start of the season. She then lost to Makarova in 3 in Melbourne, despite leading by a set and a break, and then lost to Kvitova in Dubia in a third set breaker, this time after holding match points.
Losing matches she could have won has been a defining feature of Venus’s game since coming back from sjoegren’s syndrome, a debilitating disease that took her out of the game for most of ’11, a year she played only 4 tournaments, 3 of them slams.
In 2012, she came back to a full schedule in Miami after adopting a vegan diet to counteract the energy sapping disease. It worked. She made the quarters there, repeating that feat in Rome and then reaching the semis in Canada and winning the Luxembourg title. And while her results were less stellar in 2013, she still made 3 semi-finals.
But it has been at the Majors where her game has not been able to get into full stride. In 2012, she had unlucky draws against Agnieszka Radwanska at Roland Garros and Kerber in New York, a match she lost in a final set breaker.
Such close losses characterised her campaigns at the 2013 slams she played (she missed Wimbledon with a back inury). Urszula Radwanska beat her 6-4 in the third in Paris while Jie Zheng edged her in a third set breaker in the second round of New York.
These close defeats showcased her desire to still compete for the game’s greatest prizes. Prizes she has a cabinet full of, with 7 Major titles- 5 Wimbledons and 2 US Opens.
And she could win more if her body can hold out and her win in Dubai shows it can. And in a game where age is not a factor with players in their 30s like Serena and Li Na thriving in tennis, with the right schedule, Venus’s experience and athleticism could see her hold aloft another Major trophy at the age of 33.
It would be a popular win. After all how inspiring would it be to see Venus not just defeating her tennis opponents but of also getting the better of what threatened to be a career ending disease.
Venus has shown she was anything but done before. After injuries in 2003 hurt her efforts to win a Major and tennis pundits considered the former world number one washed up, she won the 2005 Wimbledon trophy as the 14th seed.
The tennis world now waits to see if she can rise again.
Tomorrow’s ABN AMRO World tennis tournament final will see Marin Cilic clash with Tomas Berdych for the title.
The two made it to the showpiece match in contrasting styles. Tomas Berdych tore through Ernst Gulbis 6-3, 6-2 in a remarkable display of clean hitting and aggression. Meanwhile Cilic was pushed to the limit by Igor Sisling 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, the Croat overcoming a slow start before hitting his stride in the third.
The two have met 6 times with Berdych leading the head to head 4-2. Berdych leads 2-0 on clay while the two players are 2-2 on hard and grass courts. Most tellingly, Cilic took their most recent encounter in two tight sets at Queen’s club last season, and won their match in Marseille 3 and 4, probably the two fastest courts they have played on.
The court in Rotterdam may prove to be the fastest yet though. And it is a court which flatters both their games, both men being flat strikers of the ball, aggressively minded and with potent first serves. Of the two, Cilic has the most momentum, his winning streak standing at 9 matches, but Berdych is a recent semi-finalist in Melbourne and his thrashing of Gulbis was a sign of how good his form is.
The win will go to the player who keeps their first serve percentage higher and their error count lower. In their semis, Berdych had a 68% first serve percentage and kept his errors down to 12. Cilic on the other hand had a lower first serve percentage of 58 and hit more errors in his first set than Berdych did in his entire semi.
Cilic was due a shaky match though after 8 consecutive wins. And the fact he came through it is testament to his confidence and improved mental strength. Taking that into account, plus his current indoor winning streak and his wins over Berdych on faster surfaces, the Croat goes into the match as the favorite. Cilic also overcame a major mental hurdle in beating Murray and has been tested by Sisling. He will go into the final confident and take out Berdych in two tight and entertaining sets.
Marin Cilic in Rotterdam (Thanks to asia.eurosport.com )
Marin Cilic has beaten Andy Murray 6-3, 6-4 in the quarter-finals of the ATP 500 ABN AMRO World Tennis tournament in Rotterdam.
Cilic did not waste any time in asserting himself over a man who has beaten him 9 of the 10 times they have met. The Croat broke Murray in the second game of the match, rallying with the Scot who hit an easy forehand into the net. It was the perfect play for Cilic who is more prone to go for broke than sit back and wait for opponent’s errors. That is more the game of Murray. Cilic’s patience, no doubt intended to work his way into a rhythm and go for his shot when the opportunity arose, showed up the rust in Murray’s game and no doubt put doubts in the mind of the Scot as to how ready he was to take on a man on a 7 match indoor winning streak, a streak that has not seen him lose a single set.
Cilic had his own game on form, too, particularly his serve. An ace cemented his lead at 4-1. And he held serve to take the set 6-3.
The Croat’s form held into the second set, too. At 2-2, deuce, Murray serving, the Croat took control of the rally and hit a forehand winner of a short ball to get break point. Cilic took his opportunity, helped a little by Murray who went for a big forehand which sailed long.
Leading Murray in a match is not new to Cilic. Nor is losing such a lead. And Murray did threaten to turn matters around, leading 0-30 on Cilic’s serve in the next game. But Cilic’s first serve percentage was high at 64% and he was winning 86% of those points. The Croat fought his way back into the game and hit an ace, one of 8 in the match, to lead 4-2.
Hitting winning volleys, smashes, ground-strokes and serves, the Croat confidently served for the match at 5-4. He did not falter this time. He left that to his opponent who hit a forehand into the net to hand Cilic two match points. The Croat kept his forehand deep and again it was Murray who could not keep up as he hit a forehand cross-court long and the match was Cilic’s.
It was as clean a match as the Croat could hope for against a man who has gotten the better of him 9 of the ten times they have played. A cool display that saw 23 winners to 18 errors and a cool head when matters got close.
Cilic is two matches closer to winning his first ATP 500 tournament after winning 10 250 ones. In this form, and with his confidence boosted by a win over Murray, it is hard to see him not achieving that milestone. Good things come to those who wait after all, and Cilic has been waiting some time to get back on court and strut his stuff. 8 consecutive wins and 16 sets in a row later, he is proving himself to be quite the strutter indeed.
Cilic celebrates his win in Zagreb (thanks to www1.skysports.com)
Marin Cilic will face Andy Murray tomorrow in the last eight of the ABN AMRO world tennis tournament in Rotterdam tomorrow. The tennis review looks at the momentum Cilic has been gaining since being cleared of drug use and assesses the Croatian’s chances.
Marin Cilic has compiled a 12-4 match record since his comeback from a cleared drug ban at the season ending Paris Masters 2013. Not bad for a man who was forced to miss 4 months of the season, and 4 of typically his most productive months, thriving as he does on hard and indoor courts.
7 of those wins have been consecutive, taking in the title at Zagreb along the way. His final performance against Tommy Haas was as straightforward as they come and a clear indication his head is even stronger than it was before the ban. As was his straight sets demolition of Tsonga in the Rotterdam last sixteen yesterday. Cilic’s shrugging off the Umpire’s decision to replay a match point Cilic had won but was challenged by Tsonga who stopped play when a spectator yelled in the crowd was particularly encouraging. Such an incident might have sent him off the boil once upon a time.
Not this time though. And his new coach Goran Ivanisevic might have something to do with that. The 2001 Wimbledon Champion took close to a decade to sort his own head out and reach his potential in winning in SW19 and will no doubt be offering words of wisdom to his young countryman. A countryman who is equipped with all the skills needed to emulate Ivanisevic’s Wimbledon record. Cilic’s big serve is a formidable weapon and since his teaming with Goran it has gotten flatter and boomier. If that shot can keep progressing and if Cilic can learn to keep his head cool under pressure, this comeback might turn into one of 2014’s tennis headlines.
Which is where tomorrow’s match against Murray comes in. Murray leads the Croat 9-1 in their head to head. And some of those losses have seen Cilic blowing big leads against the Scot. None more distressing than at the 2012 US Open where an on-song Cilic led the eventual champion by a set and a break. The Scot’s variety and defense proved too much in the end. As Cilic’s big serves and groundies came back with slice and spins of all kinds, the Croat began to go for too much, erroring until he went into his shell and backed off all the way to defeat. Should the Croat suffer another similar collapse from a winning position, it will be a sign there is still a lot of work to do. Should he win though it could mean he is on the verge of playing to his potential.
Murray is certainly vulnerable. On the comeback road himself after back surgery, he dropped a set to youngster Dominic Thiem today and is far from his best. The Scot though is a Major champion and a solid indoor player and will relish nothing more than a scrap against a man whose skin he knows he can get under.
Cilic will have to come out and hit a high first serve percentage, play himself into a rhythm and then paint the lines. If he does the win should boost his confidence and keep the momentum he is gaining going. And if he loses, it won’t be the end of the world. No doubt last year’s ban seemed like that at the time and he worked hard to move on from that. In fact, he may even have gotten better. Such an ability suggests that whatever happens tomorrow, Cilic will only grow. A growth that could bloom into a Wimbledon trophy in the not too distant future.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova had a career best week in Paris last week. The Russian beat 3 top ten players on her way to the Premier title. The tennis review looks back at her run.
Pavlyuchenkova hits a drop shot on her way to the Paris final (Thanks to ibnlive.in.com
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova’s victory in Paris last week was welcomed warmly by the tennis world. The 22 year old is still relatively young by today’s tennis standards when 30 plus year olds win Majors and there is a lack of young champions coming through and winning titles. Why that matters is a whole different issue but the fact is any young players who can show the mentality and physical strength to win Premier titles, if they can stay injury free and keep improving, has a bright future when the current crop of Major winners retire.
Pavlyuchenkova has threatened to break through before. Quite grandly at times. In 2011, she led eventual champion Francesca Schiavone 5-1 in the third set in the quarter-finals before youth and her opponent got the better of her. And last year she made the final in Brisbane before losing to Serena. But each seeming progression in her career has been followed by a slump, chiefly down to two factors: one, a lack of fitness and, two, her errors outnumbering her winners by concerning ratios.
Her run in Paris though is by far her biggest statement yet. Beating Kerber 7-6 in the third in the last eight was monumental. Kerber is not at her best but few women are as consistent on the tour and getting past her requires some discipline.
Next up was the big defeat of Sharapova. Maria, too, is out of sorts, but she is a four time Major champion and had swept through her part of the draw to the loss of 5 games. Pavyluchenkova proved to be a good match up and had the Russian beaten from the back of the court in a nervy contest.
The final though was the big test. It would have too easy to get a big scalp like Sharapova’s and then have a letdown. And Errani may not be much of an indoor player but she is ranked in the top ten, has a ton of experience and knows how to win big matches. Pavlyuchenkova seemed eager to help her win this one, hitting errors galore in the first set, but once she cut them down and started to play her big game of first strike tennis, her attack outdid the Italian’s defence and the title was the Russian’s.
Another Russian broke through at the Paris Open de Gaz tournament in 2005. Her name was Dinara Safina. She beat Amelie Mauresmo in the final. She went on to become world number 1 and a three time Major finalist. No small shakes indeed. Let’s see if Pavyluchenkova can follow in her formidable footsteps.
The year’s first Grand Slam was one of the best in a long time. The tennis review had no problems finding ten things that made it so tennistastic.
1. New courts, new champs
The faster courts were rewarded with the most attacking and exciting champions and Li Na and Stan Wawrinka were the most popular duo of champs in recent memory. And not just for their charming personalities. Both players played with the intent to win not lose. Both players battled through a tough round before the final, their games seeing them through. And both of them had inspiring purple patches in their championship matches which showcased why the change to faster courts was the right decision and why both players were the worthiest of champs.
2. Federer reboot
Roger Federer reached his 11th consecutive semi-final in Melbourne. After not making it past the quarters of a slam since the French Open, pundits and fans were concerned he might not make it to the last four. But Federer’s teaming with Stefan Edberg and its consequent abundance of aggressive netplay in Federer’s game proved to be just the tonic. Federer’s last sixteen performance against Tsonga was one of the very best of the Championships and a great sign of what might be in ’14.
3. Dimitrov rising
Grigor Dimitrov made good on his promise in Melbourne. Step by step he gets better and better and his quarter-final showing was quite a jump. His win over Milos Roanic, against whom we will see him contest plenty of battles in upcoming slams, was mature and confident. His four set loss to Nadal was a case of what might have been, his missed forehand in the third set breaker surely still giving him nightmares. But tennis is not about coulda would shoulda but about results. And Grigor is certainly putting them together. The next step? A last four in a Major. Expect Grigor to put his best foot forward at one of the year’s remaining slams.
4. Stan vs Novak in Melbourne part 2.
Their battle in 2013 was a hard act to follow but these two measured up to it in a quite different but just as dramatic way. While ’13 saw heartache as Stan let slip his two sets to one lead, this one was full of the feel good factor as Stan led once more by two sets to one, only to be pulled back again but holding on to win 9-7, his confidence in his game holding up. The victory affirmed what we all knew: Stan had it in him to win big, and that tennis deserves to be anything but predictable.
5. Ana Ivanovic beats Serena.
The wilderness years are over; Ana Ivanovic is back. Six seasons have rushed by since her speedy climb to Major Champion status and world number one. Six years of early exits, inuries and peekaboo comebacks. Who was not thrilled to see Ana hitting those forehands with all the passion and bite of 2006-08? Serena Williams that’s who. Especially on a day when her body was being anything less than forgiving. Ana let rip, believed and conquered and it was quite the magnificent spectacle and one we hope to see again very soon.
6. Attacking tennis on the big stage in the last stages.
The Berdcyh-Wawrinka semi final saw two men going at each other with nothing less than attacking on their minds. Seeing this translate onto the court in a Major semi-final was a spectator’s dream. 117 winners to 98 errors in four sets from the two was what made us all dream it would go to a fifth. The sight of Berdych losing the third set breaker missing the lines because he wanted to win rather than grinding to not lose put the Gallant back into tennis.
7. Radwanska’s third set of spells and wizardry versus Azarenka in the last eight.
Download. Replay. Repeat. Those who love some beauty in their tennis would have been doing just that after this match. 20 years of playing tennis at its touchy-feely best culminated in the most exquisite sequence of spells and magic from the Radwanska wand as she zapped Azarenka, a woman who had gotten used to beating up on her, to love in the third. It was certainly a love-in for Radwanska and the tennis fans at Melbourne park who gave the Pole a standing ovation for was what was easily the best set at the Championships. And we are going to get carried away and say EVER.
8. Cibulkova charge to the top
And what a charge it was. The constantly charged up Slovakian never let up the whole tournament and it was only Li Na finding her very best form in the second set of the final that took the sting out of her. Her battle versus Sharapova in the fourth round was a virtuoso display of guts, belief and professionalism and one of the punchiest matches of the championships. Her words after had some punch, too. She had beaten Sharapova before, she could do it again. That’s the spirit and Dominika brought a lot of it to the Australian Open ’14.
9. Gracious goodbyes after gutting losses.
Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal lost in painful defeats- and they are always painful for these two- but these ones particularly so. Both were heavily expected to win. And would have been forgiven, considering their records against their opponents, expecting to win, somewhere deep down anyway. But it was not to be. They lost to inspired opponents who dug deep to beat them. Opponents who also dug themselves into the hearts of the crowd to become their darlings. There is no getting around it: Serena and Rafael, two of the game’s greatest champions, were not the favorites when it came to the crowd. Nadal was even booed after his medical time out. And Serena’s injury received barely any sympathy. But neither player made a fuss or excuses. They lost, fair and square, waved goodbye and paid the utmost respects to their conquerors. Gracious shown how by the game’s very best. They deserve our applause.
10. Young guns getting it done.
Both men and women’s tournaments were the scene of breakthroughs and progress among the young guns on the tours. The men’s gave us Nishikori push Nadal to the limits in what was one of the best three set matches you are ever likely to see and Dimitrov and Roanic battle it out in the last sixteen. The women’s saw Bencic take Li Na to a thrilling second set breaker, last year’s most improved player Halep make the last eight and Eugenie Bouchard got the media hot and bothered as she made the last four in only her fourth Major.
The Australian Open gets a grade A from the tennis review. Attacking tennis won out, some great matches had us on the edge of our seats, which is where we like to be in tennis matches, and the champions were, to put it simply, lush. Hope you enjoyed it as much we did. And yes we are already counting down to Roland Garros. Less than four months to go. More of the same please tennis Gods.
Stan kisses his well-earned trophy hello. (thanks to uk.reuters.com)
Stanislas Wawrinka is the 2014 Australian Open Champion.
The Swiss defeated 2009 Champion Rafael Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4.
Few gave the Swiss, who went into the final 0-12 against the world number One, a chance. However the Swiss started the match with the spirit and aggression that earned him victories over Djokovic and Berdych to make the final, stepping into the court or attacking the net whenever his opportunities arose.
Such play earned the Swiss the lead in the first set as he broke at 2-1. The 15-30 point on which he ran down a Nadal volley and hit a winning backhand down the line passing shot was a warning he had legs, too, deceptively fast ones, and was in the mood to use them. Holding break point, he showed he also had quite the forehand, going toe to toe with Nadal on his favorite shot, even running around his backhand to hit a forehand down the line, a shot which set up another forehand right in his hitting zone. He ran into position, took a strike cross court, a strike loaded on pace and spin which forced an error from Nadal to secure the break.
Leading 3-1, Wawrinka did not fall victim to the nerves which have infamously got the better of him on big occasions. Instead, he kept up his high level, and on the biggest of occasions, too, his net play earning him another break point at 4-1, 30-30. But Nadal, who has been there and done that when it comes to Major finals, saved the point and took the game. The Swiss then stumbled somewhat serving for the set to go three break points down, but Wawrinka served himself out of trouble, an ace the final blow as he took the first set, his first ever against Nadal.
Wawrinka’s confidence high, he immediately broke Nadal to love in the second set with a winning backhand on break point. Wawrinka was flying now, all the way to a 5-1 lead. All the hard work of the last year, the work on his strokes, strategy and mind now sending him into the stratosphere of leading all time greats in Grand Slam finals. He held break points on the Nadal serve but Nadal fought them off with his very best ground game and it was left for Wawrinka to serve out for the set. He did, sealing his two set to love lead with another ace.
Two sets to love down, Nadal took a medical time out, leaving the court. Wawrinka was not amused, asking the umpire for the lowdown on Nadal’s injury, and the crowd were less than pleased, too. Nadal came on to court not to welcome back cheers but to what-are-you-playing-at? boos.
The time out unsettled Wawrinka. As did Nadal’s relentless driving from the back of the court. A forehand down the line winner earned Nadal a break point. He would not need to work hard to win it, either. Wawrinka came in on a short ball and netted a forehand.
Nadal, back problems or not, was back into the match. And he stayed ahead despite his opponent still producing his very best form, a backhand cross court angled winner at 4-1 Nadal a reminder to the Spaniard that he better not let down his guard for even a second. Nadal did not. The toughest player in the game fought Wawrinka off in a tight service game at 5-3 to take the set.
But Nadal’s guard could only take so much when confronted with a player of the strengths of Wawrinka on these faster courts. The Swiss put the loss of the third set behind him, getting off to the best possible start in the fourth set, winning his opening service game to love, a backhand painting the line for a winner putting him into a 1-0 lead. A sublime volley and he led 2-1. Then, with Nadal serving at 2-3, Wawrinka broke away from him, a punishing inside out forehand down the line winner for 0-15 setting the tone, and another one, from the forehand side, sealing the break.
The nerves though, no doubt caused by the presence of the 13 time Major champion on the other side of the net, surfaced now, and Wawrinka was broken to love in the next game, a wildly over-hit forehand aimed at a short ball the culprit.
But it proved to be only the most minor of slip-ups. In the next game Wawrinka benefited from his own aggression and his opponent’s lack of it as he was the one who came in and forced the issue. At 15-40, with Nadal choosing to stay back and rally despite chances to come in, the Swiss waited for his moment and then went for his shots, a forehand down the line once more paying off for him as he broke Nadal to serve for the title.
Wawrinka did it like a champion. Up 30-0, a second service winner out wide brought him 3 Championship points. A second serve down the tree produced a short ball. The Swiss came in and hit a forehand down the line. It was a winner.
Wawrinka was the 2014 Australian Open men’s champion.
The Swiss looked over at his team in amazed shock. He looked down, perhaps hiding the full extent of his joy, and raised his fist in the air, a reflex he could not control; a subdued celebration doused in respect for the condition of his opponent. An opponent whom he had bury his head in his shoulder before going to receive congratulations from his team.
Then the smiles came, big bright ones. From Stan, from his team, from the tennis world as it dawned on all of us something many of us had hoped for and now was real: Stanislas Wawrinka, the man with the beautiful backhand who was not afraid of the net, was no longer afraid of his talent, of success, of himself, and was the 2014 Australian Open champion.
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