If you like your tennis tournaments to have the air of a three-ring circus, this has been the week for you. The Masters event in Bercy has stood logic on its head on a daily basis. Take the bittersweet case of local journeyman Julien Benneteau. Buoyed by his home-country crowd in Paris, he was transformed into a balletic volleying machine and blubbering giant-killer one day, only to be returned to his normal status as an underpowered, stoical third-round loser less than 24 hours later.
Wild swings of fortune are the inevitable result of the compact, six-day Masters format. If you were a player, you'd probably say this format also unfairly punishes those who get the short end of the scheduling stick. And it's true, these events are perversely compressed. The top guys don’t get started until Wednesday, and then they must go at it every day from there. This led to disaster for Andy Murray, who didn’t get off the court until after midnight against James Blake in the second round. Predictably, he showed up the next afternoon half-comatose and lost to Radek Stepanek. He was so out of it, he didn’t even let the Irritator get under his skin. So disappointing.
Otherwise, from a fan's perspective, the tournament has been whiplash-inducing, and more fun for it. At this point in the season, the ATP script has been thrown out the window. Even second-seeded Rafael Nadal’s trip to the semifinals has been an unlikely adventure. I’ve been trying to discern a few trends in all of it, but by the next day they’ve been reversed. So I’ll just wing it with the observations. It’s that kind of week.
Late Season Looks
It used to be Andy Roddick who would show up at the European fall events looking a little worse for wear, his hair a little longer than usual, his baseball hat an inch farther out of place. This year, with Roddick looking for apartments near my Brooklyn neighborhood, it was left to defending champion Jo-Wilfred Tsonga to carry the scruffy late-season baton. His hair was wild—it made him look much taller—but so was his play at the wrong moments today against Nadal. I’d say the same for Gael Monfils' hair, but his late-season look lasts all year long.
Speaking of Rafa, first it was sleeves, then it was the pink shirt, now it’s the plaid pants. He’s going overboard to shed the warrior look. I like the plaid—bold and loud will always be his style—but can a man win a Grand Slam title in those? Maybe that’s why he debuted them at this point in the season, and why they’ll likely be gone by January.
Keep It High and Tight to Jo-Willie
Back to Tsonga for a second. What is unique about the man’s game? He's one of the few players who are much better diving for a volley than hitting one when they can set up. Get the ball away from him and he’s deadly; few others, Pete Sampras notably excepted, have made the athletic moves Tsonga makes in tracking down a passing shot. But like Sampras, he volleys with his legs rather than his hands. Send the ball right at him and chances are he’ll carve under it too much and pop it up. On the first point of the final game, Nadal mishit a pass that ended up diving right into Tsonga's body. Unable to move into it, the Frenchman stoned it 10 feet wide.
Sod’s Dream Dies. . . For This Year
Robin Soderling has come a long way in 2009, but his old weakness—maddening inconsistency—caught up with him just a few inches shy of the finish line. He lost in three sets today to Novak Djokovic, thereby ending his bid for a spot in the World Tour Final in two weeks (unless Roddick is still apartment hunting, that is; then the Sod would be fired into the London draw). But think about Soderling’s Grand Slam season—he lost to Federer at three of them, and two of those losses were in very tight, tiebreaker-heavy matches. Soderling is still only 25, and after this year he must finally believe he belongs in the latter stages of majors. I’ve even started to like watching him play—concentrate on the arms and the swing, ignore the legs. Look no farther for your major-title dark horse for 2010.
Del Potro Gets Back to Business
There are players, like Tsonga and Monfils and Soderling, who at some point in a match will become mentally unsettled and miss a series of critical shots. Then there are players, like Murray and Verdasco and Simon and Robredo, who don’t grab a match and make it theirs. Neither group wins a lot of big tournaments. Then there’s a guy like del Potro, who’s tenacious enough to stop a bad run of errors before it hurts him, and explosive enough to grab the reins in the middle of any rally. His confidence in his ground strokes can be astounding. Serving at 4-4, 30-30 against Marat Safin in the second round, he took a deep mid-court return from Safin and, rather than doing the safe thing and looping back a rally ball, drilled it inside out for a winner. This was a tougher shot than it looked because del Potro had no natural angle to work with; he had to create it himself. At the same time, it wasn’t a wild, all-or-nothing stab designed to get the rally over with one way or the other. It was the immediate, unthinking reaction of a guy who knows he can hit any shot from any part of the court. Those are the kinds of players who win big tournaments.
Rafa Comes Out of His Shell
Was it Woody Allen who said that 99 percent of life was about showing up? That would certainly explain the continued success of both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. They keep their noses down, go about their business, put themselves in contention, and let the rest of the world self-destruct around them. That’s been a key to Federer’s major-title wins in 2009, and it’s been the key to Nadal’s semifinal run in Bercy. In each of his first two rounds, his opponents, Almagro and Robredo, served for the match. Nadal upped his game just enough each time and let their nerves do the rest. Neither had ever beaten their fellow Spaniard, and that’s a tough obstacle to clear no matter how well you might be playing. Like an incumbent running for office or a boxing champion in a close bout, a player like Federer or Nadal will always reap the benefits of status. As Tommy Haas and Nicolas Almagro now know, you have to land the knockout punch against them.
I wrote at the beginning of the week that Nadal needs to sweat his way into a tournament before he can play his best. I just didn’t know how much sweat it would require. Rafa was in his default defensive mode, his feet firmly planted behind the baseline, through his first two rounds and well into the first set against Tsonga. But after saving three break points, he began to come out of his shell bit by bit. Nadal served better to end the first set, which put him inside the court to hit his ground strokes, which in turn led him to stay aggressive—he looked for winners with his forehand and bailed on the defensive backhand slice he’d been using earlier in the week. Even after all of his successes, it still takes Rafa time to show himself that he can win by taking control of points. It still takes him time to believe that he really is pretty good.
Best entrance music of the week: Prince’s “Erotic City” before the Nadal-Tsonga match. What was that about?
Marat TV: Final Episodes
I’ll leave you with two last Safin clips, both of which took place in Paris. That’s about all they have in common. Man of the people, that's all I'll say. Enjoy the weekend.
Nicely done, Steve. That's a great observation about Tsonga volleying with his feet, like Sampras. I found similarities, but couldn't describe them, thanks for putting it so well.
"Even after all of his successes, it still takes Rafa time to show himself that he can win by taking control of points."
Amazing, but true.
"It still takes him time to believe that he really is pretty good."
LOL. Brilliant.
Posted by Mr. X
11/13/2009 at 04:31 PM
Great article, Steve.
It's true that it has been a strange event, with Benneteau playing th ebst match of his career to go back to being Benneteau the next day. Also, Murray was indeed kinda screwed with the schedule, but also the Worm seems to be in very good form.
Spanish commentator noted the same thing about Tsonga's volleys. He can be impressive in difficult volleys when he has to stretch to get the ball, and then do weird things with the ones that go right at him.
I certainly hope the Sod is not a big player for next year, but that's only a personal matter.
On the other hand, i expect Delpo to do very well, at least, in the 2 HC Slams of next year. He also was pretty impressive against Gonzalez, saving all those MPs going for his shots when he was hurt. The guy is tough.
And finally, Nadal. That's all i'll say. After a long time, that guy was similar (still behind his level, but close) to the true Nadal. What i liked most was the mindset, the idea of trying to be agressive, go for his shots, attack the net when he had the chance, and not spend the whole match running behind the baseline. The outfit is horrible in my opinion, and you are right: you cant win a GS wearing that, same as you cant win it wearing a pink shirt. I hope Nike cuts the outrageous stuff next year.
Posted by frances
11/13/2009 at 04:41 PM
glad ur writing about rafa again:P
Posted by mellow-yellow
11/13/2009 at 04:53 PM
i dunno, Fed takes the cake for the worst getup this year IMO... and he won Wimbledon looking like a gay cruise ship director.
Posted by avh
11/13/2009 at 05:08 PM
Just like Roger couldn't win in a cardigan, Rafa can't win in plaid! But then again Roger won in a suit so...
Way better from Rafa today
Posted by Stephanie
11/13/2009 at 05:10 PM
It doesn't matter what you wear to a GS. It matters how you play.
Posted by solid35player
11/13/2009 at 05:23 PM
Nice move from DelPo to sign MARAT on the glass at the end.
I was always disappointed that Safin rarely played up to his gifts, because he could/should have been a constant foil for Fed. Still, what the hey, if he enjoyed it and is happy at the end of the day, good for him.
Posted by M-life
11/13/2009 at 05:26 PM
Stephanie-
Nope, nope, nope. Steve's right on this one, (for once) no way can anyone ever win a Slam in Plaid, just no way.
Thanks Steve. I always enjoy your "observations" posts. As for Paris, I have that line from the Grateful Dead song "What a long strange trip it's been" running through my head. As a Rafa fan, it has been exciting too.
*whispers* Rafa won the AO in sparkly shorts though. :)
Posted by mike
11/13/2009 at 05:48 PM
Steve,
I know you do don't like Djokovic but list give him a credit. Hi made to the final four even you do not predicted. If he win title I assume will be no article from you. If you have privilege to be righting to this site be neutral.
Posted by amaqnda townsend
11/13/2009 at 05:53 PM
i hate Nadal...i can see anyone with trophy except him.I wish he will lose all matches and will never win any tournament a gain...$25 million man and his girlfriend wears same 2 shirts in each tourmanent...well said by Agassi A freak of Nature Nadal
Posted by amanda townsend
11/13/2009 at 05:54 PM
nadal May career is eliminated at 6 Slams and 13 ATP titles
Posted by JULIQUI
11/13/2009 at 06:10 PM
Rafa is back. Remember this. He just needed this push.
Go Rafa!!!!
Posted by JULIQUI
11/13/2009 at 06:13 PM
frances:
Give your prejudice a chance, bro.
Posted by kenneth
11/13/2009 at 06:15 PM
Nadal is back. Wait till you see what´s gonna happen
Posted by lois
11/13/2009 at 06:15 PM
RE: Rafa, Yes I still want the clothes on the posters on my wall
and I definitely want him to stop wearing the short plaid pj's,
that look like the long ones I bought my husband. I have been waiting for so long and blogging about him coming in to net because he is good at it. Thank someone for me for the bigger and different placed serves and most of all stop always backing up and come forward). I just hope I finally got my wishes and he does not forget how he won. The game he played today is the all round game I have been hollering at him thro my TV, this is the kind of game he should have played in Shanghi. Someone must have heard me, maybe tonight my leg won't be so sore from forgetting it is hurt and hitting it. Your remark about maybe he is pretty good, is hilarious, maybe he just found his real game himself. Boy, just think if he can win 15 MS's and 6 Majors and was just average, maybe next year I can even walk around my house when he is playing without cursing and threatening him to stop fooling around and play the game. I may even get my husband to stop staring at me when I am going thro these mental episodes, hoping I won't go off and forget he belongs here then he can get a good nights rest. He may even sleep late in his den and not be scared out of his sleep (LOL). Great, Great game Rafa. Keep up the good work.
VAMOS RAFA, LOVE YOU.
Posted by Bokay
11/13/2009 at 06:18 PM
Nadal is the one. I don't care what he wears...he loves the challenge from behind and that is why he is always yanking his. BEautiful. I will always vote for him and he will be no.1 again soon and he is so wonderful to watch when you think he doesn't have the power to get it on...he always manages to do that and way more. He brings out the best in all his opponents and that is why his seats are full. It is Rafa that is the eloquent one and the one I pull for when his knees are battered and his stomach is torn and his family is ripped in half . He is the spanish warrior and he will prevail.
Posted by amy
11/13/2009 at 06:19 PM
what makes the difference what Nadal's girlfriend wears at each
tounament?
Posted by amanda townsend
11/13/2009 at 06:31 PM
nadal ...plz quit tennis and go for shopping with xisca...plz get her decent push up bras and a good quality revelon lipstick..such a pathethetic player with poorest lifestyle..i pray you will always remain injured..
Posted by Ferni
11/13/2009 at 06:37 PM
Amanda Townsend:
get yourself a plastic surgery in your lips, breast and bum and come back. You deserve it, sista.
Posted by wilson75
11/13/2009 at 06:44 PM
I'd be really surprised if Roddick shows up for WTF so Soderling is probably going to be there.
Posted by robert
11/13/2009 at 06:44 PM
Is that you, Tigress?
Posted by Tfactor
11/13/2009 at 06:44 PM
It's been quite some time I posted on Steve's blog but like I usually say, Steve you never disappoint this Nadal fan.
I quite like your 'Rafa comes out of his shell' When he does is a sight to behold!
Posted by Bianca
11/13/2009 at 07:10 PM
I find it unbelievable the amount of poison a person can throw out her mouth. Amanda with those words you just show that you are a bitter and sad, sad person. Who can only find happiness in your life by wishing other people wrong… Get a life!
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