Tennis Frontier

Author: Susan DePalma

  • “For the 7th Time, Nadal is the King of Rome” (From: Gazzetta dello Sport)

    “For the 7th Time, Nadal is the King of Rome” (From: Gazzetta dello Sport)

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    Translated from: “Tennis. Internazionali Bnl. Nadal è per la 7ª volta re di Roma” (Gazzetta.it, May 19, 2013)

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    The Spaniard has conquered the Rome Open for the 7th time in his career, winning for the 20th time over Roger Federer. For the Swiss, it was his 111th final, and his 1100th career match.  For Nadal, it was his 2nd win of the season in a MS1000 on the red dirt.

    What more can you want, if you’re biting the cup, than just to have mangled Roger Federer?

    Nadal doesn’t change the script, even as he hefts his 7th trophy of the Internazionale Bnl di Roma (2005-07, 2009-10, 2012-13,) his 6th title of the season, and the 24th MS 1000 title of his career.

    It now appears that the naysayers were right, and the two can’t meet before a hypothetical SF in RG.

    RAFA IS BACK:  Thanks to this win, secured in barely 1 hr. 9 min., Nadal firmly asserts his assault on the race for the season.  The Mallorcan’s results are 8 finals in 8 tournaments, 6 victories, and, as of Monday, the #4 ranking.  If it’s not the best Rafa of old, very little is lacking.  Most impressive has been the arc of his improvement over the week, from the near upset by the Estonian Gulbis, to the physical and technical dominance in the final.

    IT WASN’T ROGER:  Federer, although he was imposing in successive victories over Janowicz and Paire, he was suddenly faced with the Mallorcan fury, same as in IW, but amplified by the surface friendly to, and beloved of the Spaniard.  Result:  anyone who was hoping for a dream match for their 30th meeting began to rethink it after only a few minutes.  Under the heavy blows and pressure from Nadal, the Swiss player began to make too many mistakes, ending with 32 UFEs (to Nadal’s 8,) and 6 break points conceded.  When he finally broke back, at 1-5 in the 2nd set, it was already too late.

    NOW, TO PARIS:  Rome finishes with a match that pales in comparison to their 2006 final, won by the Spaniard in the 5th set, after having nullified 2 match points by Federer.  “I won’t always win, and for that reason I’m enjoying the moment,” said Nadal.  “It’s a dream for me, what is happening now.”

    “Today I didn’t hit the ball well,” said Federer.  “Beating him at RG would be very difficult, but Djokovic did it in MC.  If you want to win, you have to be perfectly prepared.  Obviously, I have a better chance on cement.”

     

  • “Sharapova Retires, Errani in the Semi-finals v. Azarenka” (From: Gazzetta dello Sport)

    “Sharapova Retires, Errani in the Semi-finals v. Azarenka” (From: Gazzetta dello Sport)

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    Translated from: “Tennis, Internazionali Roma: Sharapova si ritira, Errani in semifinale con Azarenka” (Gazzetta.it, May 17, 2013)

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    Masha is out of the Rome Open with physical issues; Sara will face the Bielo-Russian.  

    Serena overwhelming.

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    Maria Sharapova retired out of the Internazionale BNL d’Italia with a physical problem.  The announcement, made around 11:20am (local time) opens the way for Sara Errani to the semi-finals, a first in her career.  This was the first surprising result from the Foro Italico today.  Errani will meet the ex-number one, Vika Azarenka, who beat Samantha Stosur in 3 sets (6-4, 1-6, 6-3).

    Surprise:  In a tournament full of retirements (Andy Murray being the most notable), no one expected that the 2012 Women’s champion would be among them.  The Russian seemed in perfect form in her first 2 matches, winning 6-2, 6-2 against the Spaniard Muguruza, and 6-2, 6-1 against the US player Stephens.  Errani got the news after breakfast, and was understandably surprised, before reorganizing her schedule and pre-match routine.  In the end, she arranged to spend the afternoon with family.

    [The following is a transcription of the Errani interview on the video featured on the link below.  I didn’t translate the first video, or twitters, as they would have been originally in English, anyway.  But do watch the charming Errani in her native Italian.  This is what she said:]

    Errani:

    Yes, I’m lucky, but I have to stay calm.  It would have been great to have played a match against her [Sharapova] today.  I don’t understand exactly why she couldn’t play, but for me the tournament goes on.  I have to stay concentrated, calm, to be ready for tomorrow.  It’s not bad to have a day off to get back to a little bit of form.

    Yes, the ranking matters, the #5 is a big accomplishment for me.  In terms of being “in form,” the “form” changes from one day to the next.  One day you can be in excellent shape, and two days later you might feel not so great, so it’s not like “form” lasts so much time, at a clip.

    I’m happy because this year I’ve been consistent.  So many great matches, so many great results, so many positives for me.

    For sure they’re really strong players [Stosur and Azarenka].  That goes without saying.  Stosur is so strong on clay, and Azarenka is strong everywhere.  So we’ll see who I play against.  I’ll talk with my team when I know who the opponent is.  [Translator’s note:  The opponent will be Azarenka.]

    [Re: memories]  I came here [Rome] as a little girl and I wanted to ask the players for their autographs, but I was too shy.  I remember getting close to some of the players, but I never had the nerve to ask.

    I remember [Vince] Spadea, actually, because he was one of the ones I managed to ask.  (Laughter.)  One of the strongest memories; that one stays with me because I finally had the nerve to ask for an autograph.  I don’t remember any others. I don’t remember.  I had a poster of Mary Pierce (that I dragged around.)

    Maybe one of my biggest memories is when I played Hingis after the qualifiers on Campo Centrale.  I lost 6-1, 6-0, but that was one of my clearest early memories at the Foro Italico.

     

  • “Nadal, Criticizing Operation Puerto” (From: Puntodebreak)

    “Nadal, Criticizing Operation Puerto” (From: Puntodebreak)

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    Translated from: “Nadal, crítico con la Operación Puerto” (Puntodebreak.com, May 3, 2013)

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    Rafa Nadal was intractable, commenting on the decisions over the Puerto Case.  From the Santo Domingo Social Club (Madrid), the Majorcan didn’t hold back on his opinion.

    “I can’t judge.  My opinion is that the resolution is not positive for anyone.  The only ones who come out on top are those who have cheated, and it seems unfair to me that, on such a serious matter, and one that damages the image of sport, in general; we who feel most affected are the Spaniards, and, the sport,” the Majorcan said.

    The current #5 in the world, accompanied by the NBA player, José Manuel Calderón, thought it was outrageous that those implicated would never see the light of day.  “Personally, it seems an injustice that they won’t expose the names of those who’ve cheated, be they Spaniards or not.  José (Calderón) and I know what this is doing to the image of our country, and it’s not favorable.  Maybe the best thing is to stop talking about it.  To me, it seems a mistake that they won’t give out the names of those who have cheated; they deserve, at least, the denigration of all athletes.  (However) that’s not how it went, and we have to work towards a 100% clean sport, and hope that in the future, this never happens again.”

    The Majorcan, with his head in the Madrid Open, was asked how he felt returning to competition, having reached 6 finals in 6 tournaments played…if he had expected such good results as he has seen.  “No, not at all.  When you come back, you just want to see how you’re going to find yourself.  If you’d asked anyone on my team, and me, more than anyone, if we’d have had these results, we’d have told you you were crazy,”  he said.

    “Things have been going well.  We’re in a place we couldn’t have imagined.  I appreciate it a lot, and we just keep working, day-by-day, to get the feeling back on a regular basis…it’s the only way forward.  Work and belief, effort to continue in every tournament, in every point, in every year,” Nadal said, signing off from Madrid.

    In terms of expectations in the Mutua Madrileña (MS 1000), Nadal called the conditions that he finds in the Magic Box an extra challenge to get past.  “The desire and sweetness to play in Spain is very important, and special to the Spanish players.  That’s always a motivation for all Spanish players. Always a motivating situation, and Madrid has always been amazing, especially with me.  I appreciate the opportunities they’ve given me, and I hope that on Wednesday, I’m well-prepared to compete, and make a good tournament of it.

    As one of the tennis players most critical of the blue clay last year, his opinion of the surface is radically different this year.  “It’s very good.  The court is in perfect shape.  It’s the best clay court since we started playing (on clay) in Madrid.  This is great news for the event, the players, for everyone.  I’m happy to play in Madrid.”

  • “Verdasco, In Crisis” (From: El Pais)

    “Verdasco, In Crisis” (From: El Pais)

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    Translated from: “Verdasco, en crisis” (El Pais, April 23, 2013)

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    To be an ex-champion is no assurance of repeating in a world as competitive as tennis.  Tommy Robredo and Fernando Verdasco can attest to that.  Robredo was, in 2004, the last winner of the Open Banc Sabadell before the interruption of one Rafa Nadal, who wrote his name on the trophy 5 consecutive times before injury made him decide not to play in 2010, allowing Fernando Verdasco to win the tournament (that year.)  The return of the Mallorcan in 2011 augmented his reign:  his trophies grew to 7, to date.  (In the current tournament,) Robredo has got through the first round, beating Marc Lopez, but Verdasco succumbed to Ernests Gulbis, dropping him out of the Top 40, and adding one more loss to a bleak period, (he’s only won 3 matches in 8 tournaments.)

    Robredo and Verdasco are two champions who frame Nadal’s domination in Barcelona.  And they are 2 champions with issues, struggling to find a way back to an elite level that they used to be part of.  Robredo, within touching-distance of 31, got as high as #5 in the world, when he regularly found himself in the last 8 of Grand Slams.  Verdasco, 29, had his career high in April 2009, when he reached #7 in the world, after making the semi-finals of the Australian Open, where he lost to Nadal in 5 sets.

    At the time, the future looked rosy.  Verdasco was still working with Andre Agassi’s ex-trainer, Gil Reyes, in Las Vegas, and had made a big leap in the rankings.  Robredo was displaying some of the best tennis of his career.  But then things went sour.  Verdasco changed the structure of his team, abandoning Las Vegas, and modifying his work habits.  He changed his methodology, and, probably, his mentality.   In 2010, he won the Open Banc Sabadell in Barcelona and was quarterfinalist at the USO.  Since then, however, he hasn’t won a single trophy.

    Robredo’s case is more dramatic, because he spent 2 years laid low by an injury that doctors couldn’t identify.  His left leg hurt, but he kept hobbling along on the circuit.  Until (one) Dr. Vilaró decided that he needed an operation on the ischiotibial muscle in the leg.  “It took a year to figure out what it was,” explains Robredo.  “But when they operated on me, Vilaró did something magic.  After a week, I was more flexible than a girl they’d operated on 6 months earlier.  And the pain has disappeared.  It’s a struggle to get back to my competitive level, but that’s a question of time and matches.  The injury is completely forgotten.”

    Robredo is now #43 in the world, while Verdasco is #35, though he’ll give up his place in the top 40 with this loss.  They’re both a long way away from the positions they enjoyed in their best moments.  Now the expectations fall on David Ferrer and Nadal, who start their campaigns in Barcelona against Dmitry Tursunov and the Argentine Carlos Berlocq, respectively.

     

    [Note:  Clearly this is old news, as Barcelona was won by Rafael Nadal, defeating Nico Almagro.  I chose it for the insight into these two players.  I know we have Verdasco fans on the boards, and everyone has been happy for the resurgence of Tommy Robredo.  I hope this tells you something you didn’t know.]

  • “Tribute To Juan Carlos Ferrero” (From: Marca)

    “Tribute To Juan Carlos Ferrero” (From: Marca)

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    Translated from: “El Godó homenajea a Ferrero” (Marca, April 25, 2013)

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    It was just before the second game of Rafa Nadal’s match against  Benoit Paire at the Barcelona Open, tournament organizers paid tribute to the great clay courter Juan Carlos Ferrero, who shone in the early part of the century and lost in 2001 to Carlos Moya in one of the best French Open finals in recent times.

    Ferrero, who retired from official competition last October after his final tournament in Valencia, of which is now director, was presented with a crystal trophy by Albert Agustí, president of the Catalan club and Albert Costa, tournament director.

    ‘Juanqui’, retired with 16 titles under his belt, including the 2003 French Open.