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05/28/2011
05/27/2011
05/26/2011
Kim Clisjters out in the second round at Roland Garros . . .
Kim Clijsters made a huge effort just to play Roland Garros after an ankle injury, but on a cold, windy morning she lost her rhythm and confidence and was stunned by Dutch 20-year-old Arantxa Rus 3-6, 7-5, 6-1, in the second round.
Clijsters held a 5-2 lead in the second set, but her left-handed opponent dropped the gloves and began to nail the corners with searing ground strokes. And all of a sudden, Clijsters could not keep the ball within the court. Her serve lacked pace and direction, her forehand disappeared completely and she no longer had depth on her backhand.
Loss of control
While Rus flew with the wind, Clijsters looked like she had been flattened by a tornado. "I felt kind of in control, I felt like I was she was missing quite a lot in the beginning of the rallies, and I felt that I was moving her around well from side to side," said the Belgian who committed 65 unforced errors. "Then I started doubting a little bit. I think on clay is something that for me is definitely the wrong attitude to have. She obviously started building up more confidence, started playing a lot better and was really kind of putting me on my back foot all the time. I couldn't really play my aggressive tennis anymore in that third set."
Remarkably, the reigning US Open and Australian Open champion lost 11 of the next 12 games in a performance reminiscent of her blowout loss at the hands Nadia Petrova at the 2010 Australian Open. Clijsters said her injured ankle held up fine, but she is clearly rusty having played only two matches since last March. Despite bowing out early, she had no regrets about her decision to play in Paris.
"I'm happy that I gave myself the opportunity," said Clijsters, who let go of two match points. "It's better to try than not to try. That's kind of the attitude of a real loser. I gave it the best that I had and with my abilities that I had. So I definitely don't regret it."
For her part, the No.114-ranked Rus put her stamp on the tour for the first time. A former junior no.1, the young Dutchwoman showed agility and power off the ground and calm nerves in closing out the match. "This is for sure my biggest win," said Rus. "She's a real hero. Played fantastic tennis. I always liked to see her playing and to watch her matches, and, yeah, it was really, really nice that I played against her."
Other seeded day winners were Petra Kvitova, Yanina Wickmayer and Agnieszka Radwanska. Unseeded Sorana Cirstea, meanwhile, upset No. 27 Alexandra Dulgheru 6-2 7-5.
05/23/2011
Roger gets his first win at Roland Garros
Roger wasted no time in taking out Jose Feliciano Lopez in his first match at Roland Garros. Next up for Roger is an unknown Qualifier Franzosen Maxime Teixeira. Quite different from the meeting between the two in Madrid, where Lopez had match point against Roger but was unable to get the win. This time Roger gave him few chances and took the match in straight sets. Other winners today included Novak Djokovic who breezed through his first round match against against T. De Bakker in straights. Also winners on the Women's side included Francesca Schiavone against Melanie Oudin. Rafael Nadal has his first match tomorrow against the Big American Marathon Man John Isner.
05/22/2011
Roger opens his Roland Garros Campaign against Feliciano Lopez . . .
Roger Federer opens his campaign against Spain's Feliciano Lopez, who should provide the 2009 champion with a test of his 2011 French Open credentials. Quite whether the two-time Wimbledon quarter-finalist has enough in his locker to push the legendary Swiss is another matter, although he did come within one point of upsetting the great man recently in Madrid.
No pressure Federer
Federer has been speaking of his pleasure at coming into this tournament free from pressure (see: http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/articles/2011-05-21/201105211306008186382.html) and given his long years in the spotlight that is quite understandable. That said, there is no getting away from the fact that the only reason the genial Swiss is not the subject of his usual wall-to-wall media coverage is because he has been overtaken by Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at the very peak of the sport.
Not that Roger's game has disintegrated, far from it, but such has been the rise of Djokovic in particular that the leading all-time Grand Slam winner (with 16 in all) has dropped to third in the world rankings and slightly lost his aura in recent times. That dip, allied with an indifferent clay court season so far and the fact that he has always confessed to finding the French Open the toughest of the Grand Slams (he has only won once here) would explain why most people are looking to Rafa or Novak as most likely champions.
Such title-winning considerations will be of little consolation to Lopez however as he tries to halt the Fed Express. Even on an off day, Federer's classically efficient all-round game should be too much for the Spaniard. The Swiss maestro has very few chinks in his armour, so few in fact that Jimmy Connors was once moved to say: "In an era of specialists, you're either a clay court specialist, a grass court specialist, or a hard court specialist...or you're Roger Federer".
Steady Lopez taking hope from Madrid display
Currently ranked no.41 in the world, 29-year-old Lopez is a consistent left-hander who has claimed numerous scalps over a career that has seen him in the world's top 35 in six of the past eight years. Highlights in that time include appearances in the last eight at Wimbledon in 2005 and 2008, and two ATP World Tour titles, in Vienna in 2004 and Johannesburg last year.
Blessed with an excellent serve, Lopez employs a one-handed sliced backhand and makes sporadic forays to the net, where he is a confident volleyer. He will need to take inspiration from having pushed Federer so hard in Madrid and mix up his game wherever possible. Should the former world no.1 struggle to find his rhythm, Lopez may just have a chance.
Getting to know Dustin Brown . . . aka "Dready."
Dustin Brown is one of those players who doesn't quite fit the mould. After recently playing under the Jamaican flag, the German world number 109 hired best friend and car-crash survivor Daniel Puttkammer to be his coach as he prepares for his first ever French Open appearance.
With his red vest and flying dreadlocks, 26-year-old Dustin Brown looks slightly out of place training out on court no.14. Complete with shaved head and baggy basketball shorts, Coach Daniel Puttkammer strikes an equally unorthodox figure, so it is hardly surprising the pair have built up a reputation on the tour for standing out from the crowd. Puttkammer admits the accusation: "It's true, but Dustin's the one who's really different. With the way he looks and plays on court, he's got something new. Dustin likes being a showman, not just for the fans, but for himself. He needs it. And tennis needs more people like him!"
The player with the huge talent, big attitude and frequent outbursts also goes by the nickname Dready, and he also pleads guilty as charged. "I like getting people worked up, I like feeling the energy from the stands. I feed off it. It's good, because I get the feeling that's what the French crowd likes."
After making it to the quarter-finals in Johannesburg and Newport, and defeating Stanislas Wawrinka in Munich this year, Brown, ranked world no.109, now feels he is ready to break through into the highest echelons of the game. It is even written on his website: "A man with the desire to do something… can do anything!"
"Dready" and his camping car
That has been Brown's motto from an early age, and the 26-year-old has shown remarkable determination on his path to the ATP circuit.
After learning the game in Jamaica, Brown criss-crossed Europe in a camping car for years in search of ranking points. According to his coach, who is also his best friend, "He had no support, no money. It was rough."
Puttkammer and Brown met at a tennis academy near Hanover. At the time, 18-year-old Puttkammer was one of the top 100 players in Germany, dreaming of a professional career. That dream was shattered one fateful day, when the youngster was involved in a terrible car crash, tore his spleen and ended up with three litres of blood in his stomach. "I nearly died. The doctors said it was a miracle," he explained. Three weeks of hospital and a year of physiotherapy later, he picked up his racket, but not where he left off...
A reunion of old friends
Meanwhile, Dready was making progress. After taking the Futures tournaments by storm in his camping car, he progressed to the Challengers and entered the top 100 with something approaching flamboyance. It was then, in September 2010, that he decided to put his prize money to good use and give his old friend Puttkammer a call. "I'd never had a coach before, and I thought maybe it was time to get one," recalls Dustin. "Who better to call than an old friend?"
Puttkammer's dream is now becoming reality - even if it is vicariously. "It's great to experience this with Dustin. And two pairs of eyes are better than one. I see things he doesn't see. He has so many strong points, it's easy to build an arsenal. No-one is faster than him when he hits off one of his cannonballs. He just needs to be more consistent."
Brown's racket speed is out of this world, and his volley more than acceptable. He has a feel for the game, and always gives it everything. Now he just needs to keep his focus, and with a tough match against Argentinean Leonardo Mayer on Monday, he will be put to the test. "After that, the draw is open - anything's possible," says Dready. For this very Jamaican German, it is about living up to his motto.
Federer's rare time out of the spotlight!
It's been eight years since the last time Roger Federer was not seeded No 1 or 2 at a Grand Slam tournament. It's also that long since he went more than 12 months without winning a major title.
With the French Open starting overnight, top-seeded Rafael Nadal's pursuit of a record-tying sixth championship at Roland Garros and second-seeded Novak Djokovic's 37-0 start to the season are dominating the conversation.
The focus, for a change, is not on the third-seeded Federer, owner of a record 16 Grand Slam titles, including the 2009 French Open. And he sounds as if he is absolutely fine with that.
"This is definitely a year for me where I can come into this tournament with just a little less pressure than, let's say, the last six, seven years, really," said Federer, whose first-round match against Feliciano Lopez, of Spain, is scheduled for tomorrow.
Djokovic, who could face Federer in the semifinals, is also slated to play tomorrow, while Nadal's opening match will be on Wednesday. Men in action today include No 7 David Ferrer and two-time major champion Lleyton Hewitt; 2009 French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and 2010 runner-up Sam Stosur are among the women on the Day One schedule.
"Last year, I was the defending champion. The year before - and the years before that - I was trying to win [in] Paris for the first time. So I've always had that big cloud hanging over, and the 'am I ever going to win the French Open?' question," Federer said. "This year, maybe they expect more from Rafa and Novak, and that could be a good thing for me - and more pressure for them."
For their part, Nadal and Djokovic are more than willing to declare the other the man to beat in Paris.
Asked whether he deserves that label, Nadal rolled his eyes and shook his head and replied: "No. No, probably this year the favourite is Djokovic."
That was relayed to Djokovic, who smiled and declared: "I say he's the favourite."
Djokovic has won all seven tournaments he has entered this season and all seven matches he has played against Nadal - whom he beat in clay-court finals at Madrid and Rome this month - and Federer. The Serb also won his last two matches of 2010, meaning he is at 39 in a row overall.
So Djokovic is closing in on the Open era records for most victories to start a season (John McEnroe's 42 in 1984) and longest winning streak (Guillermo Vilas' 46 in 1977).
"I don't feel unbeatable," said Djokovic, whose two Grand Slam titles came at the 2008 and 2011 Australian Opens. "Nobody is unbeatable, even though I had an incredible run that keeps going."
Nadal, meanwhile, has won 38 of his 39 matches at Roland Garros, taking the title five of the past six years. One more trophy would match Bjorn Borg for most by a man in French Open history.
The Spaniard turns 25 during the tournament's second week, and if wins, he would be the second-youngest man - trailing only Borg - to collect his 10th Grand Slam trophy.
Federer who turns 30 in August, enters the French Open with a 28-7 record and one title in 2011.
05/20/2011
Sport's Illustrated names the Djoker - the most dominant athlete in the World - oh how quickly they forget.
Iconic American sports publication Sports Illustrated has declared Novak Djokovic the most dominant athlete on the planet in their latest issue. Leading writer Scott Price journeyed to Serbia for an extensive feature with the World No. 2. Below is the opening of the story, with a link to the full feature.
Late on the afternoon that the 2011 Serbia Open began in Belgrade, Novak Djokovic sat down in a large tent for his opening press conference. He had driven onto the grounds of what will soon be his own tennis academy in a cockatoo-white $90,000 Mercedes, wearing natty brown suede shoes with tassels that dangled like stemmed cherries. He showed not the slightest sign of strain.
This was strange, because Djokovic, the former clown act of tennis who has transformed himself into the most dominant athlete of the year, had every reason to feel the world bearing down on his once-suspect psyche. Unbeaten in 2011, riding a streak that would soon have him surpass runs by greats Ivan Lendl and Björn Borg and current No. 1 Rafael Nadal (and on Sunday would reach 39 since Dec. 5), the second-ranked Djokovic was starting his clay-court season before hometown fans who expected—no, demanded—that he keep on winning. Not only that, but as the omnipresent face of a tournament owned by his 150-employee company, Family Sport, the 23-year-old Serb known nationally by his nickname, Nole, also bore almost sole responsibility for filling the seats in a country with almost 20% unemployment.
Yet in a week marked by cold and rain, by Nadal's admission that Djokovic's rise was unstoppable and by a parade of Felliniesque characters that would faze even the most jaded New York City bouncer, Djokovic never so much as rolled an eyeball. No player can prepare for all the energy-draining nonsense that gravitates, like filings to a magnet, to the newest man who would be king, but Djokovic brushed off a nagging chest cold and played to his sellout crowds, gave every minispeech with feeling, greeted each sponsor with a smile, took each question as if hearing it for the first time. In the final, against Feliciano López on May 1, he shook off the scariest fall a player has taken on court this year—and won. Seconds later a courtside wall collapsed, sending fans sprawling onto the court. Djokovic barely blinked.
In fact there was only one moment when he visibly stiffened. It came early in the pretournament press conference, on Monday, April 25, when a Dutch reporter said, "It's a lot easier to represent, say, Switzerland than Serbia. How do you see that?"
Djokovic stared. "Can you repeat the question?"
Text reproduced with permission from Sports Illustrated.
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