sports magician

Priceform Monthly Magazine - Issue 1

2010-03-15T23:36:00.003Z

Read the first issue of Priceform Monthly Magazine, featuring a comprehensive preview of Cheltenham, as well as my article on Victoria Azarenka. Whatever your sporting interests, Priceform is a must read each and every month, with feature articles and interviews with some of the leading figures in sport.

For more from the Priceform team, check out www.priceform.com

Priceform: The Golden Nuggets

2009-09-30T15:05:00.003+01:00

Sports Magician provides the Golden Nuggets on Priceform each and every week. If you love your football and profiting from your interest in the sport, make sure you check the Golden Nuggets every week for the best weekend tips. Sports Magician has a proven record of success which you can view in detail on Priceform.

Priceform: The Overrule Special Edition - US Open Review

2009-09-16T18:33:00.004+01:00

You can read my review of this year's US Open here on Priceform. Sports Magician covers all Grand Slam tennis exclusively for Priceform. If you like your tennis, as well as profiting from it, be sure to check The Overrule for each and every Grand Slam. The Overrule will be back in early 2010 for the Australian Open.

Exclusive Interview: The Great Scottish Hope

2009-07-19T12:29:00.004+01:00

Read my exclusive interview with Adam Glekin on Priceform. Adam has been representing Scotland at the Maccabiah Games in Israel. Registration is required to read the interview and takes no more than a few seconds. Registration on Priceform gives you free access to the entire site for a whole month.

Priceform: The Overrule Special Edition - Wimbledon Review

2009-07-08T21:50:00.002+01:00

You can read my review of Wimbledon at Priceform. Sports Magician presents special edition coverage of Grand Slam tennis for Priceform, including previews, daily selections and reviews. Look out for extensive coverage of the US Open in late August on Priceform from the Sports Magician.

Sportingo: Introducing The Tennis Section Leader

2008-10-25T01:50:00.003+01:00

Early last month I was offered the chance to take up a role as tennis section leader with Sportingo. It's an opportunity that I gladly accepted and am looking forward to continue growing the good relationship I've had with the Sportingo team for a while now. One of that team, Michelle Syen, has moved on to pastures new and I'd like to wish her every success with her new challenges and ambitions.

You'll be able to find regular tennis articles from myself on Sportingo each and every month. If you're an aspiring tennis writer, feel free to send me a mail about the possibility of having your work published on Sportingo.

Priceform: The Overrule

2008-08-06T00:04:00.003+01:00

Catch my fortnightly look at the tennis world on Priceform by virtue of The Overrule. Priceform is a Sports Information Service that provides previews and in depth analysis on a wide variety of sports. If you're looking for a site that provides up to date comment on the sporting world as well as tips on how to profit from the sports you love then make sure you're a regular visitor to Priceform.

March: All Sports Magazine

2008-03-14T23:58:00.003Z

You can read my latest article for All Sports Magazine on the number one spot in men's tennis here.

For All Your Tennis Needs: TennisPlaza.com

2008-02-28T23:35:00.003Z

TennisPlaza.com is dedicated to providing tennis players with convenient, one-stop Internet shopping for all of their equipment needs. The site offers extensive product information to fulfill the needs of each and every player at the best prices, be it the most appropriate racquets, strings, shoes, and other gear for individual styles of play. So whether you want to look as cool and calm as Roger Federer and Justine Henin or as colourful and chaotic as Stefan Koubek and Bethanie Mattek, let TennisPlaza.com be your destination for all your tennis needs.

March: All Sports Magazine

2008-02-28T22:42:00.003Z

The March issue of All Sports Magazine will be available soon. This month's issue features my look at the world number one spot in men's tennis. Check back soon for more details.

Sports Magician will be back in action very soon to dissect the Masters Series draws at Indian Wells & Miami. Hope to see you all back here shortly as the first couple of Masters Series events of the year get underway.

Year In Review - Tennis 2007

2007-12-17T22:21:00.000Z

You can read my light-hearted review of the 2007 tennis season at Sportingo.

All Sports Magazine - Carlos Tevez & Lionel Messi: The World At Their Feet

2007-12-12T02:43:00.000Z

You can read my article on Carlos Tevez & Lionel Messi in the December issue of All Sports Magazine.

All Sports Magazine - South American Youth Football & The Race For Shanghai

2007-10-18T23:43:00.000+01:00

You can read my article on South American youth football in the October issue of All Sports Magazine. In the same issue you can also read my analysis on the race for Shanghai (Masters Cup).

Goal.com - Serie A Preview: Inter Milan

2007-08-24T12:31:00.000+01:00

You can read my preview of Inter Milan for the upcoming Serie A season at Goal.com. You can also read previews of a number of the other notable sides in Serie A including Juventus, AC Milan, Roma, Lazio and others. Be sure to check them out, the previews are very extensive for each club and provide a wonderful overview of what we should expect to see in Serie A this season.

Goal.com - A Piece Of Argentina In Spain

2007-08-20T19:50:00.000+01:00

You can find my profile of Argentine players expected to light up La Liga this season at Goal.com. I'll be writing a number of other pieces for Goal.com in time so be sure to check the site out. The football coverage is excellent from all corners of the globe.

All Sports Magazine - US Open Preview

2007-08-19T18:52:00.000+01:00

You can read my preview of the upcoming US Open in the August issue of All Sports Magazine. All Sports provide wonderful and in-depth coverage of a number of sports including football, tennis, cricket, formula 1 and rugby. In past issues of the magazine you can also catch my previews of the French Open and Wimbledon as well as a look at one of the rising stars in the men's game, Novak Djokovic.

Money Matters

2007-08-10T22:21:00.001+01:00

Earlier this week another in an increasingly growing line of young South American talents made the switch to Russia. For clubs in Argentina or Brazil it has long been accepted that due to the differences economically between the riches on offer in Europe (as well as the financial power of European clubs) compared to South America that players will leave early and often.

Maxi Moralez has become the latest player to take on a new challenge in unfamiliar territory and will be well compensated for doing so. However, at what cost to the development of his career? Moralez makes the move fresh off an outstanding Under-20 World Cup for Argentina in which collectively his nation won the tournament, and individually he picked up the Silver ball having scored four goals in the process (including a crucial winner against Mexico in the last eight). It could be argued that he was in fact the player of the tournament above the much heralded Sergio Aguero who came in to the competition with a higher status and who also confirmed his undoubted quality.

Upon arrival back in Argentina, Racing Club assured fans that Moralez would be going nowhere for the time being and that the club would be able to enjoy his talents at least for another year; Moralez made his debut in 2005 and has played just over 50 games. Before you could say ‘Maximiliano’, Moralez was off to FC Moscow on a 5 year deal for a fee of around $7m. It was an offer the club had obviously accepted and a package that Moralez was all too quick to sign. The motivation for such a player at such an age is obvious and understandable. A financial package that will far outweigh what Racing could possibly have offered even if they wanted to. As well as an opportunity for Moralez not only to set himself up financially for a more luxurious lifestyle but also that of his loved ones.

Can a player be blamed for taking such an opportunity? No. Would Moralez’s development have been better served in Argentina for another year or two before a possible move to a more established European side in a country and league that may be more to his familiarity (like La Liga)? The answer to that will never be known, but recent history suggests Moralez may have made the wrong move.

Late last year, I documented the case of another two Argentines who had made the same kind of move – Fernando Cavenaghi and Clemente Rodriguez. Both Cavenaghi and Rodriguez were further ahead in their development as players than Moralez is now and even they both struggled to make an impact in the Russian league. Rodriguez has managed to repair the damage that move did to his career with a stint back at Boca Juniors and now a move to Espanyol. For Cavenaghi the damage has thus far been irreversible and he continues to struggle to reclaim the form and confidence (now in France at Bordeaux) that he once showed at River Plate and made him a realistic proposition for moves to some of Europe’s bigger names like Juventus.

More relevant to Moralez’s case may be the transfer of Osmar Ferreyra back in 2004 at around the same time that Cavenaghi and Rodriguez left River Plate and Boca Juniors respectively for Spartak Moscow. Like Moralez, Ferreyra gained worldwide attention after an impressive Under-20 World Cup in 2003 (playing on the left hand side of a team captained by Cavenaghi). Soon after the tournament and having not even made more than 20 appearances for River Plate, Ferreyra made the first move that came his way to CSKA Moscow.

CSKA has proven to be a great experience for another couple of players from that very same World Youth Cup in the form of Brazilian pair Daniel Carvalho and Dudu. However, Ferreyra did not experience the same success. He was unable to stay in the team and soon found himself frozen out completely to the point that he went from being an expected starter at the 2004 Olympics for Argentina to not even making the squad. He had fallen off the map, like Cavenaghi, and even turned down a chance to return to River Plate to resurrect his career in favour of staying on the bench due to the more lucrative contract he was afforded.

PSV gave Ferreyra the chance to prove himself in Europe and exhibit the talent that had prompted CSKA to purchase him to begin with. Low on confidence and struggling once more to adapt to new surroundings, he found himself back at CSKA. Last year, Ferreyra bit the bullet and returned to Argentina to play for San Lorenzo and has now started to piece his career back together. As part of the San Lorenzo side that recently won the 2007 Clausura he is beginning to rediscover his potential although international recognition is still not on the horizon like it was seemingly going to be post-2003.

Having made the move for the wrong reasons (financial) Ferreyra wasted two years of what is a short career as it is and now must continue to rebuild his reputation. With the way Maxi Moralez performed last month and the undeniable talent that he has it is not set in stone that he will experience similar troubles just because others have. And yet it’s a question that many who have followed Moralez’s career thus far will be wondering.

He won’t be the only Argentine at FC Moscow and that may help him. His new club lie 2nd in the Russian league and are pushing Spartak Moscow for the title where he will team up with another young Argentine in the form of Pablo Barrientos who has bucked the recent trend of Ferreyra, Cavenaghi and Rodriguez in Russia by getting off on the right foot.

Here’s hoping that in a couple of years Maxi Moralez has established himself at his new club and may even have moved on to somewhere greater instead of leaving us all wondering…’Whatever happened to Maxi Moralez?’.

And should Moralez’s adventure in Russia set his career back for one or two years or indefinitely it won’t stop the next young Argentine or Brazilian making the same move because at the end of the day in life, as in football, money matters.

Two Contenders And A Whole Host Of Pretenders

2007-07-31T18:28:00.001+01:00

A new season brings a sense of optimism and expectation for clubs and fans all over the country, but don’t expect the conclusion of this season’s Premier League chase to be much different from the last. This weekend Manchester United and Chelsea meet in the FA Community Shield as the appetiser to the league season, and both sides will be fighting for the title all the way down to the wire yet again.

Not only should both sides be leading the way domestically but a strong Champions League challenge from each club is also on the menu. Liverpool continued their historical love affair with Europe’s premier club competition last season by reaching the final and although Rafa Benitez has strengthened his side and may bring Liverpool closer to the top two at home, it’s unlikely to be enough to overhaul them at present. In the eyes of many, Arsenal play the most eye catching and attractive football. However, playing beautiful football isn’t always enough (ask recent Argentina sides) to ensure success in the form of trophies. Arsenal’s first task is to fill the void left by Thierry Henry and despite the arrival of Eduardo da Silva (still awaiting a work permit) and the recall of Nicklas Bendtner from last season’s loan spell at Birmingham; it’s a void that is likely to prove too big to fill immediately. Will Arsenal entertain their fans and neutrals alike with their brand of football? Undoubtedly. Will Arsenal drop points against sides they dominate against through the lack of a consistent finisher? Most likely, yes. And that will prove to be their downfall at home and abroad.

Let’s take a closer look at the top two sides in the country and those hoping to challenge them.

Manchester United – The Carlos Tevez saga continues and with the High Court date set for August 22nd it means that unless a settlement is reached beforehand, Carlitos will be in limbo as the season kicks off. If we are to believe that Tevez will eventually team up with Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, then Manchester United will have at their disposal the kind of attacking threat that only Barcelona can claim to surpass.

In midfield, the signing of Owen Hargreaves is also key to the objective of retaining the Premiership and winning the Champions League. Hargreaves has for a long while, up until the 2006 World Cup, been a player under valued by England fans. Much of this had to do with him being played out of position for his national side, or not being given a sufficient period of time to exhibit his qualities in his preferred position. That perception changed last summer and now the Red Devils are likely to benefit from his energy and will to win. Alex Ferguson has his options in the centre of midfield along with Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes and it will be interesting to see which pair Ferguson goes with more often than not when his side are faced with crunch games domestically and in European competition.

Aside from these two key signings, United also brought in Nani and Anderson and although a first year in England is expected to be a developmental and learning experience for both, there will doubtless be times where either player makes a worthwhile contribution to their side and provide a sign of things to come in the future.

Defensively not much has changed at Old Trafford. Ben Foster is back from a successful loan spell at Watford and will provide cover for Edwin Van der Sar. I would argue that Foster may already be worthy of displacing Van der Sar now, never mind in the coming years. Carlos Tevez is not the only Argentine involved in a transfer dispute, Gabriel Heinze appears to want out of Old Trafford and sees Anfield as his next destination. Manchester United has a different point of view and Heinze is seeking legal advice in an effort to clinch the move. Should Heinze prove successful he will be the first player in over 40 years to move directly from Manchester United to Liverpool. With the additions made Manchester United have rightfully been installed as favourites to retain the title and if England are to have another representative in the Champions League final this season, then despite the demands of both competitions, the Old Trafford outfit look to have the strength in depth to provide an almighty challenge on both fronts.

Chelsea – As good as Manchester United look on paper at present, only a fool would write off Chelsea’s chances to match them every step of the way. A side built by Mourinho that lays its foundation on a strong defence found that very strength damaged last season by injuries at critical periods of the season. It even required Michael Essien to play a number of games at centre back, and despite acquitting himself fairly well, a centre back by nature he is not and thus Chelsea were caught out at times when they would otherwise not be. Having sold William Gallas (as part of the deal to bring Ashley Cole to Stamford Bridge) and Robert Huth before the start of last season Chelsea were lacking depth in that area and that has been addressed this time around. Cue the arrival of Tal Ben Haim from Bolton and the impending arrival of Alex subject to approval of his work permit. Alex was in fact signed back in 2004 by Chelsea and was effectively ‘parked’ at PSV until a time where he satisfied the criteria necessary to obtain his work permit to play in England. These arrivals along with a fit and healthy John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho means that Essien can spend this season doing what he does best, which is providing a bundle of energy to Chelsea’s midfield. If there is one flaw to Essien’s game it is the perhaps once too often rash tackle, but in totality he is a midfielder with all the qualities required to be a force at the highest level.

This season Essien will be joined in midfield by Florent Malouda and the French international should prove to be a hit. Whether Chelsea can get the best out of Michael Ballack remains to be seen and with the number of options Mourinho has in midfield, he can afford to mix and match based on the specifics of the opponent they are facing. Much like with who Ferguson will prefer in the centre of his midfield at crunch time, it will also be interesting to see which midfield line up Mourinho chooses to go with when some of the higher profile battles commence. Real Madrid have made their intentions to sign Arjen Robben quite clear and although Chelsea have not expressed a willingness to part with the Dutch wideman, the smart money appears to be on his departure rather than his continued stay at Stamford Bridge.

Going forward, as with Ballack, Chelsea will hope that this season will see the real Andriy Shevchenko. The Ukrainian forward had proved his world class credentials year after year at AC Milan, but those qualities were rarely shown last season. However, it is quite common even for some of the world’s best players to take a season or more to fully adapt to a new country, a new culture and most importantly in this instance, a different style of football. The Premier League is known for the pace of its matches and the lack of time in comparison to Serie A that players have on the ball. Shevchenko hasn’t lost any of his ability, but has he lost half a step in pace? Yes. That more than anything may have been exposed last season and may again this season. Chelsea will lose John Obi Mikel, Essien and Didier Drogba to the African Nations Cup at the turn of the year. To counter the loss of Drogba as well as provide an additional player to the forward line in general, Claudio Pizarro was brought in from Bayern Munich. In terms of defence and midfield the Blues look more than strong enough to claim the major trophies that they seek. However, it is upfront where Chelsea are still lacking in comparison to Manchester United at home and Barcelona abroad that may just mean they miss out on both the Premiership and Champions League.

Liverpool and Arsenal fell short of top spot by more than twenty points last season and although Liverpool have sufficiently strengthened enough to believe they can certainly close that gap, it’s harder to be as optimistic for Arsenal’s chances. As with Chelsea, Liverpool’s defensive foundation was already quite solid and it’s going forward where Benitez has looked to improve. Is Fernando Torres worth the money? If he scores goals consistently, then he is. It’s something that Liverpool have lacked since Michael Owen and Robbie Fowler were banging them in at the Kop, and if Torres can provide the 20 plus goals a season in the league that Liverpool are hoping for then they may actually have more to say in this title race than just being a comfortable third. Ryan Babel also has the capability to make the Reds a more dynamic proposition going forward and that explosiveness is sure to delight the Anfield crowd.

If Liverpool’s new look attack does not provide the injection of goals that is expected, they can at least rely on a very solid defence, protected by Javier Mascherano. Mascherano’s arrival last season after being criminally underused by West Ham allows Steven Gerrard to do more of his damage in and around the opposition penalty area and if Liverpool do start clicking as an attacking force, Gerrard could well find himself on the score sheet as much as Frank Lampard has the past few seasons for Chelsea. Gerrard has hit double figures in the league once (2005/06 season), and I would fully expect him to surpass the 10 league goals he scored that season this time around. On paper Liverpool still don’t look strong enough to win the league or even be in the top three or four contenders for the Champions League, but Benitez’s side have proven to be very durable in cup competitions. Liverpool fans are eager to taste success in the league once more and although that won’t happen this season, there should be a clear progression in Liverpool this season that will be evident as far as their league campaign is concerned.

Arsenal are a young side but that is not to their disadvantage as many of these young talents have a fair amount of experience. Arsenal’s Achilles heel is not a lack of talent but a lack of killer instinct. Not only do the Gunners lack the cutting edge that Manchester United can claim to have, they also lack the depth of squad. Comparatively speaking Arsenal have spent far less in recent years than Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool. Despite the quality and talent level of their first eleven being as good if not better on a technical level individually to their competitors during the recent past, the size of their squad has always been relatively small. It hasn’t stopped Arsenal from achieving some wonderful successes under Arsene Wenger during his tenure, but it certainly will be their undoing this season. Selling your prized asset is never the best way to improve a team and even though Henry’s departure was not Arsenal’s wish, his absence will be evident during the season. It’s natural that Arsenal will need time to build a new identity and the pressure is on Robin Van Persie to make this team his own now and prove to be a player Arsenal can rely on to consistently produce the goods. Van Persie missed much of last season through injury and it should go without saying that keeping him fit and healthy will be vital to Arsenal’s chances of making some noise this season.

Are Tottenham good enough to take advantage of a Henry-less Arsenal and break into the top four? Not in my opinion. In fact they may find that their place as the fifth best side in the country is challenged by a pack of clubs including Everton, Bolton, Portsmouth, Blackburn, Newcastle and West Ham. The good news for Spurs is that they kept hold of Dimitar Berbatov and added Darren Bent to their mix of options in attack. However, Spurs are just not strong enough throughout to crack the top four and their hopes are likely to lie again in a good Uefa Cup run as well as the other domestic cup competitions.

Everton finished last season in sixth place but I’m not convinced they will be able to retain or improve on that position this season. Everton largely stood still in the transfer market and in football, standing still often means moving backwards. Sam Allardyce played a significant role in raising the standards and expectations at Bolton and now Sammy Lee will have to prove he can keep up the kind of results that Bolton fans have now become accustomed to. The difference between Bolton staying in the top six or seven of the league or dropping down to mid-table or just below may be Nicolas Anelka. The club have revealed they would be prepared to sell him to a Champions League club if the price was right and with a month still left of the transfer window, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that the enigmatic French forward is plying his trade elsewhere.

Allardyce now finds himself trying to revive the proverbial sleeping giant – Newcastle. The Magpies certainly have options upfront with the return from injury of Owen, the arrival of Mark Viduka adding to Obafemi Martins and Shola Ameobi. Allardyce proved at Bolton he could get the best out of a host of foreign players and he will try to work his magic now with Albert Luque. Keeping Owen fit will be key for Newcastle and the options they have going forward may be much needed as Newcastle still lack quality and depth in defence. ‘Big Sam’ has already stated this publicly and it may well be that Newcastle bring in another player or two in that area before the transfer window closes. David Rozehnal has been brought in from PSG, but it will require far more than just him for Newcastle to build a foundation at the back to match the potential they have in forward areas.

Portsmouth and West Ham have both active in the transfer market in an effort to break into that top six. Harry Redknapp has brought in Sylvain Distin, Sulley Muntari and David Nugent, all of whom will bolster the quality of the first team. Having revealed plans to open a new stadium in 2011, Portsmouth are certainly a team on the up and qualifying for the Uefa Cup next season is a realistic proposition for them. Turmoil and controversy surrounded West Ham last season, and even when Tevez scored the winner at Old Trafford to secure their Premier League status the wrangling and conflict was not nearly at an end. Whatever the rights and wrongs of West Ham’s continued existence in the top tier of English football, the fact is that the Hammers will take their place in the Premier League this season and will hope to put last season’s poor season behind them. For the first time in his managerial career, Alan Curbishley has had the opportunity to prove he can not only do something with nothing (as he did for much of his time at Charlton), but do a little more with a lot more at West Ham. Funds have been readily available for Curbishley this summer and he has taken that opportunity to bring in a number of new faces. Craig Bellamy, Scott Parker and Freddie Ljungberg have been brought in largely to replace those who have made their exits in the form of Carlos Tevez, Nigel Reo-Coker and Yossi Benayoun. Another new signing West Ham made but who won’t be in action for six months is Julien Faubert. A ruptured Achilles tendon will rule the £6.1m midfielder out for much of the season. Injury robbed West Ham of Dean Ashton for the whole of last season and his recovery is almost like having a new £15m forward inserted into the side. Despite the struggles of last season, West Ham should fare a lot better this season and be looking up the table rather than down.

Blackburn Rovers have just completed the signing of Roque Santa Cruz and teaming up with Benny McCarthy could help propel Mark Hughes’ side into the top six. Blackburn are currently involved in Intertoto Cup competition and will believe that they now have the makeup to qualify for the Uefa Cup directly next season rather than having to fight for a place through the Intertoto Cup again.

A new season promises much for many a club, but only a few set of clubs and fans will finish the season with their expectations reached. Who those clubs will be only time will tell. A season of ups and downs, triumphs and disappointments is not far away for millions of fans across the country.

How do you see the new Premier League season turning out at the top end and for your club?

A Football Classic To Determine Copa America 2007

2007-07-12T14:16:00.000+01:00

Argentina and Brazil continue one of football’s greatest rivalries, if not the greatest, on Sunday in the Copa America final. It’s no surprise to see Argentina’s star studded line up in the final, but Brazil’s participation was not as guaranteed as would ordinarily be expected. A weakened squad and a poor start gave other nations the hope of being the team to face Argentina in the final but ultimately Brazil have improved sufficiently to take their place as the Copa America reaches its climax.

This year’s Copa America has a number of similarities to the last tournament in 2004 for both Argentina and Brazil. Argentina arrived in Peru three years ago with a virtually full strength squad and saw off Peru in the quarter-finals before winning their semi-final against Colombia by three clear goals. That formula has been repeated this year, with Peru again being the victims in the last eight and this time it was Mexico who suffered a semi-final defeat 3-0.

Brazil who went on to win the 2004 edition on penalties arrive at the final in exactly the same manner this year as they had done then – by virtue of a penalty shoot-out win over Uruguay. Uruguay can count themselves unlucky not to have won in 90 minutes then and now, however that will be of little consolation to them.

The final represents another chance for Argentina to end a 14 year wait for another senior title and the man at the helm, Alfio Basile, was the coach who led them to that very triumph at the Copa America 1993. Once again, as in 2004, Argentina have reached the final playing the most attractive football, but that will count for nothing should they not be victorious when it matters.

Brazil, led by Dunga, have been roundly criticised back home for the lack of style that Brazilian fans have become accustomed to over many years. However, it should be noted that Dunga’s side is not playing with all of its key pieces and thus the coach has had to make the best of the talent available. Any side missing the likes of Kaka and Ronaldinho will find it difficult to replicate the considered standard that is expected of them. The Copa America invariably offers the chance for players with a reputation to make good on the hype surrounding them and Robinho has gone someway to answering his critics in that regard. Six goals in the tournament to date have helped Brazil reach a final where they will play the role as the underdog. Five of Robinho’s goals came against Chile, so it is arguable just how great his impact has been on the tournament as a whole.

The Seleção are searching for their eighth Copa America title and have won three of the last four tournaments dating back to 1997. Defeating Argentina with an under strength side will certainly vindicate Dunga’s philosophy that winning is what matters first and foremost. Brazil will have to win the final without their captain, Gilberto Silva, who picked up bookings in both the quarter and semi-final matches and thus is suspended for the final.

For Argentina, winning may not be enough. As with Brazil, a certain degree of style and flair is demanded by an expectant and restless Argentina public who have grown weary of witnessing the side produce great moments of football (like the 20 + pass goal in the 2006 World Cup), but not ultimately go on to claim the objective of winning the respective tournament. If being unlucky was an acceptable excuse in 2004, it won’t be the case this time around and a side boasting an attacking array of talent that includes Juan Roman Riquelme, Carlos Tevez and Lionel Messi has no choice but to shine brightly.

That confidence and ability was in full effect in last night’s semi-final clash with Mexico as Messi stamped his mark on the tournament with a goal that is unlikely to be bettered in the final. It was a moment of pure genius and talent that reflects what we are all likely to witness from the left foot of Messi over the coming years. Any great player always leaves their imprint on major tournaments with moments such as those and it is likely that the football world has much more to see of Messi as time progresses and his talent matures even further.

The least that can be expected from the final is passion and skill. Both nations take immense pride in representing the shirts that have become synonymous with the cultures of both Argentina and Brazil and if the match should threaten to boil over at any point it is only to be expected. Bragging rights are at stake, but for Argentina this year, you sense the pressure on them is a burden that has been waiting to be uplifted for 14 years.

Wimbledon Men's Review

2007-07-09T21:08:00.000+01:00

The third Grand Slam of the year is over - as is the grass court season (just don’t tell the guys in Newport) – with the concluding story on the men’s side revolving around a familiar champion. The rain and poor organisation was also a major talking point, but let’s start off with what matters most, the players.

*Just like Borg now – Roger Federer won his 11th Grand Slam (just three behind Pete Sampras), and as far as the final goes it was certainly his most hard fought. In the process Federer equalled Bjorn Borg’s record of five consecutive Wimbledon titles (as well as equalling his overall Slam tally). It was fitting that Borg should be in attendance to witness a thrilling final and to congratulate a player who had just hit the same lofty heights that the Swede once did. Federer came into Wimbledon this year without his customary preparation at Halle, following his efforts and ultimate disappointment at Roland Garros. Ultimately it mattered not, as Federer was able to work his way into the tournament before the adverse conditions threw a spanner into the works and caused him to sit and watch while his rivals figured out if they were playing 3rd round or 4th round matches! Federer who had won his previous four Wimbledon titles for the loss of only five sets, had three taken off him this time around (all by Spaniards – one by Juan Carlos Ferrero and two by Rafael Nadal). Federer moves ever closer to Sampras’s 14 Slam titles and quite possibly by this time next year, he may have them. Time will tell.

*Almost like Borg – History was going to be written on Sunday either way. It was either going to be a Borg equalling five in a row for Federer or Nadal was going to be the first player since Borg to win the French Open and Wimbledon back to back. Even though Nadal will have to live with not taking any one of the four break points he engineered in the deciding set, there is no doubt that in the long run the tournament was a positive one for him. Nadal once again proved his mental toughness and stamina by coping better than any of the other players in the bottom half of the draw with the backed up schedule and poor organisation. He saw off some very tricky opponents in the form of Robin Soderling, Mikhail Youzhny and Tomas Berdych. Against Soderling, Nadal overcame his opponent in five long days and was eventually able to put aside the disappointment of not taking his chance to end the match in the third set tie-break days earlier. Youzhny looked set to knock Nadal out of Wimbledon as he had done at the US Open last year, but a recurring back injury swayed matters and Nadal was able to power his way past his opponent from two sets down. Berdych was seen as the player who would be able to blow Nadal off the court, but instead the flaky Czech was blown over by the wind and was completely unable to deal with the conditions. Nadal will hope that the remainder of the 2007 season does not turn out like it did post-Wimbledon 2006 where he failed to win another title or make a final. The signs during the first half of this season away from clay suggest the Spaniard will be in for a much better time of it this year.

*It never rains, it pours – Rain and Wimbledon go hand in hand. Something else goes with Wimbledon too, a lack of foresight and organisation. The tournament turned into a complete shambles from the moment that 4th round matches were being played before 3rd round ones. A roof over Centre Court won’t particularly help matters either, that will only be of use to the three or four scheduled matches that day on that showpiece court. The rest of the draw will still be in the same predicament, praying that the organisers have their thinking caps on rather than their blinkers. A tournament that prides itself on tradition should at the very least rid us of the almost yearly traditional poor decision making. A number of players have been critical of the tournament this year, ranging from the price and quality of pasta (Marat Safin), the lack of things to do in the area (Nikolay Davydenko) or more importantly the scheduling (Rafael Nadal & David Nalbandian among others…). I can agree with Davydenko, Nadal and Nalbandian, but I haven’t had the experience of pasta tasting at the tournament as Safin has done. But I’m sure we can take Safin’s word for it, that he knows good pasta when he tastes it, and Wimbledon just weren’t cutting it on that front.

*Hit it to my backhand, I dare you! – Richard Gasquet has a great backhand; all who have seen him play will know that. Andy Roddick has played him before, so he surely knew it too. And yet Roddick continually hit it to Gasquet’s backhand, and the talented Frenchman criticised in the past for failing to deliver on his potential, just kept firing the ball past the stranded American. It has become a common feature of watching Roddick to hear him continually castigate himself for his shot selection and tactics, and yet continually make the same mistakes point after point. There was a time when Roddick could bully his opponents with his ferocious serve and forehand but the flame appears to be dying out on the Connors/Roddick partnership in the sense that Roddick is still making the same errors as before Connors came on the scene. As Connors and Roddick have repeatedly said in the recent past, it’s ‘back to the drawing board’ for them.

*Signs of promise – As mentioned Gasquet is a very talented player who had not previously made the breakthroughs that had been expected. Tennis is very much a young man (or woman’s) sport in general terms and players come on the scene early and thus much is expected of a player even before they hit 22 because they would have been around for four to five years at least by that time in many cases. Gasquet had not reached the quarter-finals of a Slam until this Wimbledon and broke through further by reaching the last four before effectively being given no realistic chance of defeating Federer. It was no more than 16 hours between Gasquet defeating Roddick that he was on court with Federer, and although the first set was tight, the remainder of the match was largely routine for the now five time Wimbledon champion. Thanks to his efforts, Gasquet now sits as the 7th best player in the world. Will he be able to improve on this for the remainder of the season? He has the talent to do so, but talent is not all that matters in this sport, and it will be interesting to see how much Gasquet has learnt and grown from a mentality standpoint over the coming months.

*Take your hat off to Novak – Novak Djokovic wasn’t the only player who had to deal with a backed up schedule, but he certainly was the one who ended up having to work the longest. Playing his third round, fourth round and quarter-final matches with limited rest, Djokovic spent over three and a half hours and four sets on court with Nicolas Kiefer. He then followed that up with a four set, four hour battle with Lleyton Hewitt. In the last eight, it was time for some more, this time five sets and over five hours with Marcos Baghdatis. Time to go home, Novak? No, it was time to play Nadal in the last four. Unfortunately, the weather and organisation meant we ended up seeing two players who simply didn’t have enough in the tank to give the crowd the matches they had paid to see. Djokovic retired in the third set against Nadal, the second time in successive Slams that the young Spaniard took out the even younger Serb at the semi-final stage. Djokovic isn’t now just the third best player in the world according to public opinion; the rankings now say he is too.

*It was a good tournament for – Aside from the already mentioned players, Wimbledon proved to be a good couple of weeks for Juan Carlos Ferrero who became the seventh active player to reach at least the last eight of all four Slams. Nikolay Davydenko may find there is nothing to do around Wimbledon, but he at least found time to win three matches at SW19, something he had never done before in his career. Given he had only won one match at Wimbledon in five visits, this showing represented a significant improvement.

*It was a bad tournament for – David Nalbandian, a season that has yet to get going and at the current rate never will. Nalbandian was fully justified in criticising Wimbledon for what was going on off the court, but his performance on the court against Marcos Baghdatis was equally bad. Fernando Gonzalez avoided defeat in the first couple of rounds after very ordinary performances but failed to serve out the match against Janko Tipsarevic and was sent home at the third round stage. Ivo Karlovic possesses a serve many a player would love to have; his recent record at Wimbledon though they could live without. The big serving Croat (aren’t they all?) lost at SW19 at the first time of asking for the third successive year, taken out by everyone’s favourite French magician, Fabrice Santoro.

14 years...

2007-07-07T11:07:00.001+01:00

The Copa America has concluded its group phase and Argentina remain unscathed in their pursuit of claiming a first senior title in 14 years. For a country that lives and breaths football the wait has been far too long and no excuses will be accepted for failure this time around. In 2004, Argentina took a strong squad to the Copa America in Peru but were thwarted by Adriano in the final against an under strength Brazil side and eventually lost on penalties.

This year’s Copa has the same background, with Argentina boasting as strong a squad as possible and Brazil missing a couple of key names, including Kaka and Ronaldinho. The expectations for Argentina are not simply to win, but to win well, and thus far while Albicelestes have been a joy to behold going forward, the same cannot be said as far as security at the back is concerned.

Argentina coach Alfio ‘Coco’ Basile recalled Juan Sebastian Veron to the team, the first time Veron has been in action for Argentina since 2003. Juan Roman Riquelme ended his brief international exile and after leading Boca Juniors to yet another Copa Libertadores triumph, Basile did not hesitate to hand him the number ten shirt once more. Javier Saviola was the victim of another season on the Barcelona bench as he failed to make the squad. Oscar Ustari, a young goalkeeper with a great future ahead of him also didn’t make the cut due to an injury.

The campaign began amid much expectation with Lionel Messi expected to take centre stage and a side so strong that even Carlos Tevez could not be guaranteed a place in it. The return of Riquelme meant that the brief experimentation of Messi in the playmaker role was abandoned and he was to join Hernan Crespo in attack. This change resulted in Tevez being benched and in the long run is a major mistake. The future success of the Argentine national side will revolve around both Messi and Tevez and it’s paramount both are on the pitch at all times.

First up was a weakened USA side who had expended their energies and strongest squad winning the Gold Cup just days earlier. Argentina were rocked by an early set back as Eddie Johnson put the Americans in front from the penalty spot. However, order was soon to be restored and Crespo levelled matters. It was far from the explosive performance that had been anticipated, with Riquelme being especially pedestrian and little urgency shown throughout the side. It was not until Messi gave Crespo the chance to put Argentina ahead an hour into the encounter that the gulf in class became more apparent. A 4-1 victory was completed with goals from Pablo Aimar and Tevez, both of whom came off the bench. Despite the seemingly convincing victory, Argentina looked clumsy at the back even with very little attacking threat facing them. Diego Milito and Gabriel Heinze in particular were guilty on several occasions of giving away needless free kicks and this continued in the next match against Colombia.

Colombia were coming in off the back of a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Paraguay and pride as well as qualification hopes were on the line. Yet again Argentina fell behind early, this time to a back heel by Edixon Perea. The response from Argentina was impressive and Riquelme upped his performance considerably and by half time Argentina led 3-1. However, the lead came at a cost after a highly debateable penalty had been awarded and Crespo tore a thigh muscle in his right leg, an injury that will keep him out of the Copa America. With 3 goals to his name already, Crespo looked well placed to possibly finish the tournament as top scorer and came as a cruel blow to him. Riquelme put Argentina 2-1 up and added a third with a wonderful free kick.

Argentina played the remainder of the match at a canter and once more the defence looked vulnerable. Eventually running out 4-2 winners but it was not until Diego Milito’s injury time strike that Argentina were home and dry. Qualification had been assured and this allowed Basile to make wholesale changes for the battle with Paraguay that would determine the group winners.

Basile left Boca Juniors to take the reigns again of the national team and that Boca influence was evident in the next team selection with 7 of the starting line up having Boca connections as either past or present players. At the back, Argentina were more solid than they had been for the previous two matches, with Daniel Diaz adding his presence to the backline. After nearly 70 minutes of play, Rodrigo Palacio and Tevez had come close to breaking the deadlock but no joy had resulted. That was the call for Messi to spring off the bench into action and immediately a sense of urgency and cutting edge was apparent. However, it was not Messi, Tevez, Palacio or Aimar who proved to be the match winner for Argentina, it was Javier Mascherano. ‘Jefecito’ (little chief), scored his first goal for Argentina at senior level with a wonderful strike, passing the ball into the back of the net. Mascherano is key for Argentina and a fundamental piece of the team, he has long been tipped as a future international captain and it surely won’t be long before that is the case.

In winning the group Argentina now meet Peru in the quarter-finals as they had done in 2004. Then it was a Tevez free kick that was the difference between the sides, and Argentina will expect to win more comfortably than that this time around. The objective is coming ever closer and Argentina know that failure is not an option.

Argentina must win, and win well. And sometimes, even that is not enough.

French Open Review - Men

2007-06-13T04:11:00.000+01:00

The dust has settled on the significant part of the European clay court season, and at the Mecca of clay court tennis, the King still reigns. Here’s a look back on what unfolded over the past fortnight on the men’s side of things.

Still King – Rafael Nadal was expected by many to dominate the major clay court events, as he had done in 2005 and 2006. Despite the complacency and predictability, the replication of such results is nothing short of extraordinary. Nadal has looked even more dominating this year than he had the last, bringing at times a more aggressive game to his opponents than in the past. Still the best defender on tour, the young Spaniard continues to improve other aspects of his game and has at times literally looked unstoppable. The few times that Nadal has looked vulnerable, he has been mercilessly good when it comes to saving break points when it matters most. There could be no greater illustration of that than in the first set of the final. Roger Federer had engineered ten break points, but Nadal didn’t allow him to convert a single one. Although the final did not bring out the best in both players, what rarely remains in doubt on clay (and is in effect on faster surfaces at times also) is Nadal’s strength relating to the mental side of the game. Three visits to Roland Garros, and Nadal has left each time biting the trophy. Not since Bjorn Borg has a player won the French Open three successive times, you’ve heard of him, haven’t you?

This one hurts the most – A year on from his final defeat to Nadal, the world number one was left to experience another. Federer finally achieved a clay court victory over Nadal in Hamburg, and as much as the victory would have provided him with confidence and a greater self-belief in clay court battles with Nadal, the truth is that Hamburg and Roland Garros are different beasts. Federer has always been comfortable with conditions in Hamburg, but Roland Garros presents a different challenge. The match up was always liable to cause him problems and although some will argue that Federer’s backhand was greatly improved from the 2006 final, the fact is that it is still an area that Nadal can relentlessly attack and play the match on his own terms. Federer’s usually dominant forehand was responsible for many more errors than we have come to expect, and much of that can be put down to the pressure he felt to take control of the point before Nadal could further expose the backhand. Federer cites physical exhaustion as his reason for not defending his title in Halle this week, but it should go without saying that Federer will be recovering from the mental scars of this final, as well as resting aching limbs.

Djoker in the pack – Novak Djokovic continued his fine season with a last four appearance. At only 20, the Serb is demonstrating an ever increasing amount of maturity on court, and hilarity off court. Djokovic produced some fine tennis against Nadal at the semi-final stage. However, he was still unable to claim a set in the match, which speaks for volumes for where Nadal is at right now on clay. At the current rate, it will be quite a surprise if Djokovic does not end the year ranked the number three player in the world. And if he can continue his progression, it might not be long before he is genuinely in the mix with Federer and Nadal at the very top of the sport.

Bright spots –Nikolay Davydenko produced the kind of consistent tennis on both wings that we have all come to expect from him. Davydenko defeated David Nalbandian in round four. Despite trailing by a break in the fourth set and looking out on his feet, he somehow summoned the strength and determination to close out the match in a tie-break. Avoiding a fifth set of which he said afterwards, Nalbandian would have been the favourite for. Davydenko followed up that triumph with a gruelling straight sets win over Guillermo Cañas. The first set alone took 76 minutes, with punishing rallies being the order of the day. Davydenko’s tournament was eventually ended by Federer, but not before he led by a break in each set and even served for sets two and three.

Guillermo Cañas started the year ranked 142. He ended Roland Garros ranked 17 and has taken the mantle as the number one Argentine on tour. This is quite the comeback for a man whose story is well documented. Cañas’s sights will now be set on trying to secure a spot for the season end Masters Cup in Shanghai.

It was a good showing for Igor Andreev, who until Federer’s Hamburg victory over Nadal was the last man to defeat the Spaniard on clay. Possessing a devastating forehand, the Russian took out Andy Roddick, Nicolas Massu and Paul-Henri Mathieu before succumbing to Djokovic in round four.

A tournament to forget – Nine Americans made the main draw, but the only reason any of them lasted until the first Wednesday was the rain. Not a single player from the USA was able to negotiate their first round match. A far cry from the recent past where the USA had been able to celebrate Roland Garros triumphs from Andre Agassi, Jim Courier (twice) and Michael Chang.

David Ferrer would have expected to at least reach the last eight, but the Spanish warrior lost out to compatriot Fernando Verdasco in the third round. Ferrer led by a set and 5-2, but ended up on the wrong end of a four set encounter.

For the second successive year, Nicolas Almagro entered Roland Garros with visions of making an impact. And just like in 2006, Almagro left the tournament without too much to say, losing in the second round to Michael Llodra in five sets.

Fernando Gonzalez has had a very up and down season. The Chilean began the year playing flawless tennis on the way to the Australian Open final. He followed that up with months of mediocrity before exploding again to reach the Rome Masters Series final. Gonzalez was upset in the first round at Roland Garros, losing in straight sets to Radek Stepanek.

Sports Magician will be back soon on the Copa America and Wimbledon.

King Of Clay & World Number One Playing For History

2007-06-09T14:25:00.000+01:00

The final everyone expected has arrived in the form of King of Clay, Rafael Nadal, up against world number one, Roger Federer. History is on the line for both players on Sunday, with Nadal aiming for his 3rd Roland Garros title in his third visit to Paris. Federer hopes to claim the only Grand Slam which has eluded him thus far in his career, and victory will slash odds on him completing the calendar year Grand Slam.

Both players negotiated their draws with consummate ease on the way to the final. Nadal’s campaign began with a potentially tricky 1st round encounter with young Argentine Juan Martin del Potro. It was the closest Nadal has come to losing a set in the tournament, trailing 5-3 30-30 in the first set. However, within the blink of an eye, Nadal had recovered to take the first set, 7-5, and pulled away from a despondent del Potro for the remainder of the match. The Spaniard’s early round form was not overly impressive but it did not have to be. The aura carried over from almost three years of clay court dominance is a psychological advantage that many players visibly fail to deal sufficiently with. Nadal defeated Flavio Cipolla and Albert Montanes barely out of first gear.

In Hamburg, Lleyton Hewitt had pushed a jaded Nadal to the limit in a tight loss, and their 4th round encounter at Roland Garros was potentially seen as a testing challenge for the two-time defending champion. It’s at this stage of the tournament that Nadal could be seen to be moving up a level or two in his play and after demolishing Hewitt 6-1, 6-3 in the first couple of sets, survived a 3rd set hiccup to claim the match on the tie-break. The quarter-finals pitted Nadal against good friend and playstation dominator, Carlos Moya. It might have served Moya well to let Nadal win a game or two during their playstation battles, with Nadal as ruthless as ever completing his straight sets win with a 6-0 set.

Nadal’s semi-final opponent came in the form of the increasingly impressive Novak Djokovic. Despite playing well for a majority of the last four clash, Djokovic was still defeated in straight sets. The third set in particular saw some of the best tennis Nadal has produced during this fortnight and served as a warning to Federer for what may be in store for Sunday’s final.

Like Nadal, Federer has eased through his draw, playing as well as he has needed to during each round without ever having to use his full arsenal of skills. The world number one came to Paris with a much needed Masters Series title in Hamburg, defeating Nadal in the final, the first time Federer had succeeded against Nadal on clay. Federer’s quest for the French Open began with hard working American Michael Russell. The rain interrupted match did little to trouble Federer, who didn’t face a break point in the match. At this point the rain was becoming troublesome and playing havoc with the schedule and Federer was forced to play his 2nd round match with Thierry Ascione relatively late in the day. Federer breezed through the first two sets, before completing victory in a third set tie-break having saved set points. It was evident from his post-match comments that he was not impressed with being sent onto court at such a time, accusing the organisers of rushing his match through under the assumption he would be able to complete victory in a relatively short period of time.

Federer’s best early round performance came against Italian Potito Starace, needing just a touch over 90 minutes to complete victory. Mikhail Youzhny provided some resistance in the 4th round, but was ultimately dispatched 7-6, 6-4, 6-4. Federer’s quarter and semi-final opponents were both players inside the world’s top 10, Tommy Robredo and Nikolay Davydenko. Before each match, Federer’s record against Robredo stood at 7-0 (losing only one set in the process), and 8-0 versus Davydenko. With that in mind, it came as no surprise to anyone that Federer would extend his collective record against both opponents to 17-0. Robredo took advantage of Federer in their second set and took the set 6-1. Almost as if insulted, Federer proceeded to wipe the floor with the Spaniard, winning the remaining sets 6-1 6-2. Davydenko had comprehensively outplayed Guillermo Cañas in his quarter-final. Cañas was one of the few players in Federer’s half of the draw who might have been able to hustle and bustle his way to victory and gatecrash the expected Federer-Nadal final.

However, that was not to be the case and Davydenko will look back on his semi-final as major opportunity missed. The Russian, who has recently applied for Austrian citizenship, was a break up in each set and served for both the second and third sets. A distinct lack of self-belief meant Davydenko could not even claim a set in the match despite the openings he had created for himself. It often felt as if Davydenko was as far from winning a set when he served for it, as he was from the beginning of the match.

And so the final that the tennis world had expected has arrived, Nadal leads Federer 5-1 in clay court battles. Two of those victories came at Roland Garros, Nadal halting Federer’s search for the French Open title in last year’s final and in 2005 at the semi-final stage. Federer’s sole victory on clay, as previously mentioned, came this year in Hamburg. Conditions in Hamburg are not remotely the same in Paris, and whereas Hamburg suits Federer, Roland Garros suits Nadal. Federer will have to arguably produce the performance of his career on Sunday if he is to stop Nadal from winning a 3rd successive French Open and thus complete the Grand Slam set for his own collection.

Sports Magician will be reviewing the men's French Open early next week.

Queen Of Clay Closes In On Fourth French Open Title

2007-06-08T02:56:00.000+01:00

The 2007 Women’s French Open champion will be decided on Saturday, and a familiar backhand is set to claim the title once again. Rafael Nadal is the King of Clay, and there can be no doubt as to who the Queen of Clay is – Justine Henin. Aiming for her third successive Roland Garros triumph and fourth in her career, the Belgian has already toppled two of the players who were expected to give her more problems than most.

Henin’s opponent in the final is a young Serbian talent. No, not Jelena Jankovic, but Ana Ivanovic. Jankovic was highly touted entering the tournament with a good deal of justification. However, being drawn in Henin’s half was always going to make things difficult for her to reach the final. Being drawn in the bottom half of the draw away from Henin, Serena Williams and Jankovic was of great benefit to Ivanovic, and she has capitalised on that to reach her first Grand Slam final.

Henin knows Court Philippe Chatrier like the back of her hand and looks set to defend the title yet again. The Belgian’s form has gradually improved and her most impressive displays have come against her toughest opponents. Both Serena Williams and Jankovic were expected to provide stern tests for the defending champion, but she dismissed both players for the loss of just 11 games. Never at any stage of either encounter did Henin look likely to be taken to a deciding set. What will worry Ivanovic is that despite these results, there is still more to come from Henin.

Before Ivanovic can set her sights on winning the match, she must first claim a set off Henin (who has won 33 consecutive sets at Roland Garros dating back to her 2005 4th round encounter with Svetlana Kuznetsova). Henin’s victims thus far in Paris have included; Elena Vesnina, Tamira Paszek, Mara Santangello and Sybille Bammer, as well as the aforementioned Williams and Jankovic.

Ana Ivanovic is on a run of her own, still only 19, the young woman from Belgrade is often known as much for her looks as her tennis. She possesses a game with the ability to hit countless winners, but with that comes the downside of racking up a stack of unforced errors. During the course of this tournament, she has largely been able to keep a rash of unforced errors out of her game and that was clearly evident during impressive wins over Kuznetsova and Maria Sharapova in her quarter and semi-finals respectively.

Ivanovic won her first three rounds for the loss of only 9 games, against Sofia Arvidsson, Sania Mirza and Ioana Raluca Olaru. The Serbian’s stiffest test came against 4th round opponent, Anabel Medina Garrigues. Despite hitting 44 unforced errors, she was able to survive, winning 6-3 in the 3rd set.

If Ivanovic is to overcome Henin in Saturday’s final, she will have to play the match of her young career thus far. The likely outcome is that she will not be able to deal with Henin’s craft and will hit out recklessly in the hope of blasting Henin off court. It remains to be seen how Ivanovic deals with the Grand Slam final environment, she showed few nerves, if any at all in her semi-final. However, facing Sharapova on clay is very different to facing a three time Roland Garros champion.

Sports Magician will be previewing the men's final by Saturday morning.

Zaragoza: A Real Test For Madrid

2007-06-06T19:40:00.001+01:00

While most of the top clubs and players in Europe have their feet up, relaxing after a long, hard season (or in the case of some of the South American players, preparing for the Copa America), the action in La Liga takes centre stage with a title race almost certain to go down to the wire. As in Germany, Holland and Portugal, where the destination of the title was not decided until the final whistle of the season, Spain’s two biggest football giants will experience a similar fate.

After 36 games, nothing separates Real Madrid and Barcelona. Both teams stand with 72pts, the difference being the routes taken to get there. Real Madrid hold the advantage in the aggregate score over the season against Barcelona (They won 2-0 at home and drew 3-3 away), which means that the title is presently theirs to lose. Two wins in their final games away to Real Zaragoza and at home to Mallorca will be enough to secure their 30th La Liga title.

The title is likely to be won and lost this weekend at La Romareda, home to Real Zaragoza. In recent years, Villareal have been labelled a mini version of a South American club, or specifically an Argentine one, due to the number of players on their books from Argentina. Still boasting a heavy South American flavour, although not necessarily an Argentinian one, that mantle has been passed to Zaragoza, boasting the Milito brothers (Gabriel and Diego), as well as Pablo Aimar and Andres D’Alessandro. As with Villareal, the South American influence does not stop at Argentina, Carlos Diogo (Uruguay), Gustavo Nery and Ewerthon (both Brazil) have also contributed to Zaragoza’s campaign.

Barcelona are facing Espanyol (deflated from defeat in the Uefa Cup final) and Gimnastic (already relegated) in their final games, and they will be expected to recoup maximum points. This means that Real Madrid will have to do the same and the upcoming clash at Zaragoza holds the key to the title race. Real Madrid end the season at home to Mallorca, and no one will expect them to spoil the Madrid party should Los Blancos return from Zaragoza with three points.

An away win at Zaragoza has proven very hard to come by this season. Incidentally, Zaragoza have been a different team home and away. At home they have taken 40 of their 58 points this season. Only Osasuna and Valencia have won at La Romareda this season, both of those defeats were suffered in December. Zaragoza remain unbeaten at home in La Liga in 2007, spanning 10 matches (winning 7 of them).

It won’t just be pride that Zaragoza will be playing for, which makes the task much more difficult for Real Madrid. Along with Real’s Madrid rivals, Atletico, and Villareal, Zaragoza are marginally ahead in a three way battle for the two remaining Uefa Cup spots for the 2007/2008 season. Earlier in the season, Real Madrid recorded a 1-0 home win over Zaragoza, but more goals are likely in this encounter. The match features two of the best strikers in La Liga this season, Diego Milito (20 league goals) and Ruud Van Nistelrooy (23 league goals).

For much of the season, Real Madrid have performed better away from home than at home. Playing with a certain degree of caution and conservatism under Fabio Capello, Real have been a far cry from the recent team of ‘Galacticos’, featuring, Zidane, Figo and Ronaldo. Van Nistelrooy has carried the goal scoring burden very well on his shoulders while Raul has flirted with glimpses of the past form that many Real fans choose to remember him by. Gonzalo Higuain, a January signing from River Plate, has often been played out of position, and while working manfully for the side he has not been able to assist Van Nistelrooy in the scoring stakes to release some of the pressure on the Dutchmen. Despite scoring only twice, Higuain chose a perfect moment to score his first goal at the Bernabeu, the winning goal in a 4-3 victory over Espanyol in the dying moments. His first goal came away at Atletico in the Madrid derby, a 1-1 draw.

Real’s largely conservative approach has seen them record a remarkably balanced set of results home and away. 37 of their 72 points have come at home, with the remaining 35 away from home. Speculation still surrounds the future of Fabio Capello, and it may well be a case of déjà vu should he lead Real to the La Liga title. Capello coached Real Madrid to the title in 1996/97, but was not there the following season, and at various stages of the current campaign it has been debateable as to whether Capello would even last the entire season. However, lasted he has and should he leave with another title under his belt, his message to the critics is loud and clear. Capello received heavy criticism for discarding the services of David Beckham once Beckham had announced that he would be leaving the club for MLS (in the USA) at the end of the season. Indifferent results and player pressure resulted in Capello introducing Beckham back into the fold, and his contributions have been telling, providing the kind of service that Van Nistelrooy thrives on.

Once again, Iker Casillas in goal has been a saviour for Real on many occasions. Still only 26 years old, the Spaniard has a very long career ahead of him, and is already in the discussion as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Casillas and Van Nistelrooy are likely to be pivotal for Real this weekend at either end of the pitch.

Since drawing 3-3 away at Barcelona in mid-March, Real Madrid have won 9 of 10 games, a run which has enabled them to sit on top of the table. The shackles appear to have been broken on the attacking front too, with the side scoring 13 goals in just 4 games during May. Real Madrid could be credited for timing their charge to the title perfectly, as Barcelona have been unable to consistently hit the heights that saw them win both La Liga and the Champions League last season.

Barcelona entered the season as favourites to retain La Liga and the Champions League, but lie in danger of winning nothing from a campaign which promised so much. Away from La Liga, they were beaten comfortably by Sevilla for the European Super Cup. The Catalans were again held scoreless in the final of the World Club Championship, losing 1-0 to last year’s Copa Libertadores champions from Brazil, Internacional. Their fortunes in the Copa del Rey were no better. Winning the first leg of their semi-final 5-2 against Getafe, including a Diego Maradona-like goal from Lionel Messi, the Catalans looked well on course to reach the final. However, a shocking and heartless display saw them crushed 4-0 in the return leg and dumped out of the competition. In pursuit of retaining their Champions League crown, Barcelona were constantly a step behind the form they had shown the previous season. Injuries to Samuel Eto’o and Lionel Messi did not help matters and Barcelona were left needing victory on the last match day of the group section to qualify for the latter stages. Victory over Werder Bremen was secured, but Barcelona were soon to fall. A 2-1 home defeat to Liverpool in the knock out stages presented them with an uphill challenge in the away leg, and although Barcelona were able to record a 1-0 victory this was not enough tom keep them in the competition.

Their failures in cup competitions aside, Barcelona have been dealing with a varying amount of dressing room unrest. Just how deep rooted and significant the problems are between the players is open to conjecture. However, what is not in doubt is the very public falling out between Samuel Eto’o, Ronaldinho and coach, Frank Rijkaard. Refusing to come on as a substitute in a dispute with Rijkaard, the Cameroon forward was labelled selfish by Ronaldinho, and Eto’o defended himself and attacked Ronaldinho in similar form.

Barcelona’s league form has been much like their cup exploits. They have at times proved to be a class or two above their opponents, only to then in turn hurt themselves with chaotic and uncertain defending, as well as a lack of ruthlessness when it comes to killing off games.

In contrast to Real Madrid, who have performed consistently well both at home and away, Barcelona’s title charge has relied heavily on an outstanding home record. Barcelona remain unbeaten at Camp Nou, taking 46pts at home, including 14 wins and 4 draws, with their last home game of the season approaching this weekend against Espanyol. Coincidently, Barcelona have scored and conceaded the same amount of goals away from home that Real Madrid have (32 goals for, 20 goals against), but Real Madrid have garnered 9pts more on their travels.

It will be a great surprise if Barcelona are unable to take maximum points from their remaining games, but unless Real Madrid slip up in the process this still won’t be enough. Barcelona will end their home campaign this season without the services of Ronaldinho. The Brazilian was sent off in a 1-0 home win over Getafe but will be available for the last match of the season, away at Gimnastic. Cushioning the blow of Ronaldinho’s absence is the form of Argentine starlet Lionel Messi. Since scoring a stunning hat-trick in a 3-3 draw with Real Madrid, Messi has scored (including that encounter) 7 goals in 11 matches and provided a number of assists in addition to his scoring feats.

Unless Zaragoza can stop Real Madrid on Saturday, Barcelona’s failure to concentrate in the last seconds against Real Betis is something they well be left to rue. Barcelona led 1-0 until a quickly taken free kick caught them sleeping, allowing Rafael Sobis to beat Victor Valdes at his near post. Among a host of dropped points over the course of the season, the Betis match could well be where the championship was lost for Barcelona. With Sobis being another South American product in La Liga, Barcelona will be relying on Zaragoza’s South American contingent to provide them with a similar gift in return.

Sports Magician will be previewing both the women's and men's French Open finals.

Hamburg Masters Series Review

2007-05-21T04:03:00.001+01:00

The clay court Masters Series events for this season can be put to bed as attention for the majority of top contenders turns to the Mecca of clay court tennis; Roland Garros beginning on May 27. World number one, Roger Federer, got his hands on the first Masters Series title of his 2007 season. In doing so, Federer ended Rafael Nadal’s extraordinary clay court win streak. Here’s a look at the week gone by…

Confidence restored? – Having parted ways with his coach and clearly lacking in confidence, Hamburg was always going to be an important tournament for Federer. Not least to regain some form and belief heading into the French Open. Hamburg has been a happy hunting ground for Federer in the past and it proved to be so yet again. Whether Federer can be entirely pleased with his performances during the majority of the week is debateable. What isn’t in question is that a long awaited victory over Nadal on clay is a significant victory for Federer and his French Open aspirations. The difference between a 0-6 and 1-5 head to head on clay is minimal in number, but vital in terms of psychology. Federer achieved a victory he had not yet managed in his illustrious career and a result that will most likely have to be repeated in a few weeks time if he wants to claim his first French Open title. Nadal was not the only Spaniard Federer defeated, he also put paid to Juan Carlos Ferrero, David Ferrer and Carlos Moya. As well as a first round win over Argentine Juan Monaco. Ferrero and Moya have seen better days, but are former French Open champions. However, the win that means most for Federer came in the final against the current French Open champion. Time will tell how significant this victory proves to be…

The King is dead? – No. Rafael Nadal’s 81 match clay court win streak is finally at an end. In the week where Nadal gained a measure of revenge over the last player to beat him on clay, Igor Andreev, the French Open champion fell one match short of winning all three clay Masters Series events in the same season. Was it the right decision to play in Hamburg? It was debated before Hamburg, during Hamburg and inevitably will be post Hamburg. Regardless of the rights and wrongs, Nadal did play, and did lose his streak but certainly not his aura. It takes more than one defeat to put paid to almost three years of clay court dominance and Nadal will arrive at the French Open as the rightful favourite. Whereas the win for Federer was important, the same significance cannot be attributed to the loss for Nadal. No player likes to lose but every player (even Federer and Nadal) does at some point and Nadal would have been well aware this day would come sooner or later. How he reacts to defeat will be an interesting development. The chances are he will react by claiming his third French Open title.

A good week for a pair of former number ones – Having lost in the first round of both Monte Carlo and Rome, not much was expected of Carlos Moya. A winner at Roland Garros in 1998, Moya defeated three of the world’s top 12; Tomas Berdych, James Blake and Novak Djokovic. Moya came from behind against Berdych and Blake and recovered well against Djokovic having failed to serve out the match initially. He then went on to test Federer in the last four but fell in a deciding set. If not much was expected of Moya, then even less was expected of Lleyton Hewitt. The fiery Aussie returned to action in Rome after a two month layoff and promptly lost in the opening round. It wouldn’t have been pleasing for Hewitt to see the draw he was faced with in Hamburg. Hewitt played the roll of underdog very well and defeated Agustin Calleri, Juan Ignacio Chela, Nikolay Davydenko and Nicolas Almagro on his way to the semi-finals. As if that wasn’t enough, Hewitt pushed Nadal to 7-5 in the 3rd and almost pulled off a major shock. Hewitt may not have ended Nadal’s streak but he can certainly claim to have softened up the Spaniard a touch for Federer in the final.

Last year’s news – It was a dreadful tournament for the last four from 2006. Defending champion, Tommy Robredo, lost out in his first and only action of the tournament against Nicolas Almagro. Robredo’s semi final victim from last year, Mario Ancic, could not even play in the tournament. Ancic has been suffering from glandular fever since late February and is only just beginning to take steps in what he hopes to be a return to action once the grass court season is underway. Last year’s finalist, Radek Stepanek, couldn’t advance beyond the first round, suffering at the hands of Arnaud Clement. Jose Acasuso was the best of a bad bunch, reaching the third round before being comprehensively outplayed by Robredo’s conqueror, Almagro.

Sports Magician will be previewing the critical La Liga action for the weekend of June 9.

ATP Masters Series - Hamburg Preview

2007-05-14T01:52:00.000+01:00

The last clay court Masters Series event of the season begins in Hamburg today. It offers the last chance for a number of players to regain form or carry on momentum through to Roland Garros. Hamburg hope and expect to see King of Clay, Rafael Nadal, in action and looking to build further on his remarkable 77 match clay court win streak. Roger Federer arrives in Germany without Tony Roche as he looks for some much needed confidence going into the French Open.

Doubting Roger?
For the first time since becoming world number one, Roger Federer is in somewhat of a mini-crisis. For any other player going four tournaments without a title would be no cause for drama. However, Federer has become accustomed to winning titles routinely and regularly and his recent losses have clearly dented the invincibility that he often carries on tour throughout the year. Much focus has been placed on Federer possibly winning the Grandslam this year, but thoughts of such an achievement are far off at present after what has transpired over the past few weeks. Hamburg may prove to be the perfect place for Federer to regain form, having won the event on three occasions. On paper Federer’s quarter poses few risks, but many will be keen to see how he comes back from his shock loss in Rome with possible encounters with Juan Carlos Ferrero and David Ferrer awaiting him.

Djokovic continuing to roll
The second quarter of the draw offers Novak Djokovic another chance to continue what has been a very impressive season. The Serbian youngster has three titles to his name this season already and has reached at least the quarter-finals in six of his last seven events. Djokovic’s consistent level of performance make him a strong candidate to reach the last four and a possible encounter with Roger Federer. Former French Open champion, Carlos Moya, has failed to win a Masters Series match on clay this season and will be expecting to put that right against American Mardy Fish in the first round. Tomas Berdych faces Fernando Verdasco in the first round in a match that involves two talented but mentally suspect players.

Defending champion with work to do
Tommy Robredo capitalised on the absence of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in last year’s event to claim his first Masters Series title. The draw has not been kind to him and some difficult challenges lay ahead if he is to even reach the last four. The third quarter of the draw is, much like in Rome, packed with players who will believe they can come through it, those include; Nicolas Almagro, Juan Ignacio Chela, Guillermo Cañas and Nikolay Davydenko. Aside from those individuals there are a number of other capable players in need of form and confidence heading into Roland Garros. Jose Acasuso has underperformed all season and having made the quarter-finals in Hamburg last year has points to defend. Agustin Calleri, Andy Murray and Lleyton Hewitt are all in need of wins prior to the French Open. This quarter is likely to provide some of the best first round action in Hamburg with matches between Volandri/Murray, Hewitt/Calleri and Chela/Cañas.

King of Clay heading to Hamburg?
At the time of writing Rafael Nadal is expected to play in Hamburg but this may still yet change. Nadal has voiced his support of the Hamburg event following plans by the ATP to downgrade its Masters Series status. In order for that support to carry weight, the Spaniard, in addition to the other top players need to turn up and play. Providing Nadal does so, it’s futile to claim that he will have trouble with his draw. Nadal disposed of Fernando Gonzalez 6-2, 6-2 in the Rome final and Gonzalez is likely to pose the greatest threat to Nadal in this quarter. However, it’s a threat Nadal is well equipped to handle. The possibility exists for Nadal to meet the last man to defeat him on clay, Igor Andreev, in the third round. The home crowd will be hoping that Philipp Kohlschreiber can give the Germans something to shout about by at least reaching the third round for an encounter with Nadal. Germany’s top ranked player, Tommy Haas, is unable to play the event due to injury.

Sports Magician will be reviewing the Hamburg Masters upon the conclusion of the event.

Rome Masters Series Review

2007-05-13T17:24:00.000+01:00

The second clay Masters Series event of the season is over and the King of Clay continues to reign over the rest of the field. The Rome tournament proved successful for the home nation, but the same could not be said for the world number one who lost more than just a tennis match this week.

Tired and tested – Rafael Nadal’s clay win streak now stands at 77 wins as the Spaniard picked up his 3rd Masters Series title of 2007. Nadal has obliterated all before him on clay this season in even more impressive fashion than he had done for the past two seasons, but in the semi-finals he was given the biggest test he has received in the past few weeks. For the first time during the Euro clay season, Nadal began to look jaded against Nikolay Davydenko and the Russian pushed Nadal to the limit in an energy sapping three and a half hour encounter. Nadal was able to brush aside Fernando Gonzalez in the final, and the question now remains whether Nadal will play in Hamburg having shown the first signs of fatigue this week in Rome.
Parting ways – In losing his 3rd round match with Italian Filippo Volandri, Roger Federer produced arguably his worst display since becoming world number one. Federer looked devoid of confidence and never at any stage during the match did he allow Volandri to think about the magnitude of the victory he was about to obtain. There is much to consider for Federer if he is to provide the required level of play to challenge Nadal come the French Open. Whatever it is he plans to mull over and work on will be done without his part-time coach, Tony Roche. Both parties went their separate ways following Federer’s exit in Rome.
Forza Italia! – The past week was a great success for the home nation and the partisan Italian crowd. Filippo Volandri made full use of his wildcard by reaching the last four. In the process he defeated three players ranked inside the world’s top thirteen in the form of Richard Gasquet, Roger Federer and Tomas Berdych. Volandri met his match in the semi-final against Fernando Gonzalez, who showed off a glimpse of his Australian Open form and won the match with relative ease. Aside from Volandri, Potito Starace also gave the home crowd something to shout about, knocking off Agustin Calleri and Juan Carlos Ferrero before succumbing to Davydenko in a tight three set battle.
It was a good week for – Fernando Gonzalez gained some much needed confidence and momentum by reaching the final. Signs of Gonzalez coming back to life began against good friend and compatriot, Nicolas Massu. Down 4-2 in the 3rd set, Gonzalez came storming back to take the match and continued that level of play against Juan Ignacio Chela and Volandri in his quarter-final and semi-final respectively.
It was a bad week for – Tomas Berdych, despite reaching the quarter-finals, let himself down with a feeble display against Volandri in the last eight. Berdych was unable to stem the momentum Volandri was riding from the home crowd and refused to adjust his tactics, continually looking for winners too early in rallies and never giving himself a chance to play his way into the match. Guillermo Cañas, having come through qualifying much was expected of the Argentine. However, a surprising loss in the second round to Gilles Simon meant that Cañas could not claim status as the number one ranked Argentine (which he would have done so by reaching the semi-finals). Marcos Baghdatis, leading Novak Djokovic 5-1 in the 2nd set and seemingly on his way to taking the match into a decider. It was not to be though as he went on to lose six straight games, thus losing the match 6-2 7-5.

Sports Magician will be previewing the Hamburg Masters later this evening.

Rome Masters Series Preview

2007-05-05T17:14:00.000+01:00

The fourth Masters Series event of the season begins on Monday in Rome. For the past two years the Rome Final has produced the match of the past two seasons, Rafael Nadal was the victor on both occasions in five hour plus finals against Roger Federer (2006) and Guillermo Coria (2005) respectively. That won’t be the case this year, at least not of the five set variety as the final will be a best of three sets affair. Nadal looks to continue his phenomenal run on clay, while Federer is still in search of his first Masters title of the season, an unusual situation for him to find himself in. The draw has been made with one of the remaining question marks being where Guillermo Cañas (a likely qualifier) will end up in the draw, there are four spots available in the top half (Federer) and three in the bottom half (Nadal).

Testing quarter for Federer
Largely unimpressive in Monte Carlo, the world number one still reached the final without dropping a set. A similar vein of form may not yield the same results this time around. Rome is the scene of where Federer came as close as he has ever done to defeating Nadal on clay and he’ll be hoping to reproduce that level of play this time around. Federer’s first opponent is likely to be Nicolas Almagro, both players met in Rome last year at the quarter final stage with Federer progressing in three sets, 7-5 in the third. Almagro was a non-factor in Monte Carlo, having to retire against Tomas Berdych after defending his title in Valencia. Federer would have hoped for a less demanding opponent to begin his campaign. Should Federer progress he may well run into Richard Gasquet (3rd round) and Tomas Berdych or Jose Acasuso (quarter-final). The potential is there for Federer to be well tested if and when he reaches the final.

The Americans have arrived
Having skipped Monte Carlo, Rome sees the return of the two top ten Americans – Andy Roddick and James Blake. Neither will be expected to be a factor in the event and both have been drawn in the same quarter. One of the standout matches of the first round pits Igor Andreev against David Ferrer. Both players will feel that surviving their first round encounter could well propel them to the last four of the tournament. Two players in desperate need of form and confidence are Gael Monfils and Fernando Gonzalez. Monfils has a semi-final to defend from last year with the chances of him doing so being remote to say the least. Gonzalez has been in poor form ever since the Australian Open, but has a draw that will encourage him to believe he at least has a good chance to reach the last eight.

Could Cañas land here?
Three of the seven qualifier spots are placed in the third quarter of the draw. It may well be that Cañas ends up in the quarter and would be the favourite to come through it. This section of the draw is filled with a number of players who will believe that on their day they will have as much chance of coming through it as any other. These names include; Tommy Robredo, Lleyton Hewitt, Andy Murray, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Agustin Calleri, Marat Safin and Nikolay Davydenko. Hewitt and Murray have no matches on clay behind them this season and it remains to be seen how they perform. Safin, although with the ability to beat anyone on his day, has not had many of “his days” in a long while and there is little reason to believe that will change here. Davydenko, like Gonzalez, has been in poor form also and no longer playing with the consistency that has served him so well for the past two seasons. On paper, Tommy Robredo appears well placed to come through this section, although Ferrero and Calleri are more than capable of taking on that mantle too.

72 and counting…
Rafael Nadal fears no player on clay; he certainly won’t fear the draw he has received in pursuit of his third successive Rome Masters title. It’s hard to see any player in his quarter challenging him to a great extent and it will be a major shock should Nadal not be in the final, or indeed lifting the trophy. The best of the rest in the bottom quarter is headed by Novak Djokovic. Other notable names include former French Open champion, Carlos Moya, and a recent nemesis of Nadal away from clay, Mikhail Youzhny.

Sports Magician will be reviewing events in Rome upon the conclusion of the tournament.

Who's Your Daddy? - Monte Carlo Review 2007

2007-04-23T13:18:00.000+01:00

The first Masters Series event on clay reached its conclusion yesterday, and told us a familiar tale. Here’s what we learned from the past week, much of which we knew already.

Undisputed – Rafael Nadal. 20 years old. 5 clay Masters Series titles. 67 matches unbeaten on clay. Sets lost in Monte Carlo this year – none. King of Clay. You get the picture, don’t you?
White-flag Roger? – During Sunday’s final, arguably for the first time in their five encounters on clay, Roger Federer looked resigned to defeat during periods of the second set. Has frustration finally boiled over for the world number one? Rafael Nadal stands between him and tennis immortality and Monte Carlo showed us that Federer is as far away from Nadal on clay as he has been to date. Federer had not looked particularly impressive throughout the week, although showed signs of improvement in his matches with David Ferrer and Juan Carlos Ferrero. That progression came to a grinding halt against Nadal, with the Spaniard yet again imposing his will on the match at the most pivotal moments and took what proved to be a crucial first set lead. Suddenly all talk of a calendar year Grand Slam has died a death, for the time being at least, as it’s hard to see past Rafael Nadal for the French Open in anyone’s book.
Revenge is sweet – One of the most intriguing matches of the week was the semi-final between Nadal and Tomas Berdych. After a spicy affair in Madrid last year, where Berdych was victorious and literally silenced the Madrid crowd, a war of words ensued during the aftermath. A meeting on clay was the perfect way for Nadal to extract a measure of revenge, and he did just that in the first set, winning 6-0. The second set was a tighter affair, with Berdych hitting some fine winners, but ultimately crumbled at the business end, losing the match 6-0, 7-5.
The real Juan Carlos Ferrero standing up? – Back in 2002/2003, Ferrero was the man to beat on clay. A player touted for at least three French Open titles in his career, to date, he has one and an additional final appearance. Injuries and illness (as well as the development/maturation of other players on tour) have robbed the tennis world from seeing the same Juan Carlos Ferrero subsequently that we used to see back then. Every now and then, he has shown glimpses of what he once was, and that was evident in Monte Carlo this week. Ferrero reached the semi-finals, where he blew a good chance to take a stranglehold of his match with Federer. Ferrero will be looking to continue this type of form over the coming weeks, starting in Barcelona this week where a possible early encounter with Guillermo Cañas awaits him.
Ran out of Gas-quet – Having fought his way through energy sapping matches with Fernando Verdasco and Ivan Ljubicic, Richard Gasquet’s challenge ran out of steam against a thankful Juan Carlos Ferrero in the quarter-finals. Gasquet led by a set, 4-2, 40-15, when the week’s events took its toll on him (which included a final in doubles with Julien Benneteau). To his credit, Gasquet soldiered on and even engineered a break back point in the 3rd set, but Ferrero raised his game when he needed to against a tired opponent and prevailed.
No-show from South America – No clay court event is complete without a number of South Americans in the latter stages (usually of the Argentine variety). That wasn’t the case in Monte Carlo. Seven South Americans began the event (5 Argentines & 2 Chileans), and by the 3rd round, all were packing their bags. The poor tournament in Monte Carlo reflects the current poor performance of the marquee players from South America. David Nalbandian has struggled for form and fitness all season, as has Jose Acasuso. Gaston Gaudio is still taking baby steps in his attempt to recover some of the form he showed on clay in 2004/2005. Bar Guillermo Cañas (who may not be able to play in Rome as his ranking was not high enough on the cut off date to make the main draw), the Argentine who can be happy with his efforts this season is Juan Ignacio Chela. Chela won a clay court title in Acapulco and made the quarter-finals of both hard court Masters events in Indian Wells and Miami. The Chilean duo of Fernando Gonzalez and Nicolas Massu are also experiencing difficulties. Massu has been devoid of form dating back to the second half of last season and although his fighting spirit still remains intact, that hasn’t been enough for him to produce consistent results thus far this season. Gonzalez, a revelation at the Australian Open this year, hasn’t come anywhere close to replicating his form of 2006, nevermind his outstanding displays in Melbourne. His current squeeze, Gisela Dulko, has been experiencing a similar vein of form, only for a lot longer.

Sports Magician will be previewing the Rome Masters, which begins on May 7.

Davis Cup Quarter-Finals Preview

2007-04-03T12:22:00.000+01:00

This week attention turns from the individual battles on the ATP Tour to the collective battles in Davis Cup competition. The World Group is at its quarter-final stage, with one match in particular possibly holding the key to the destination of the Davis Cup in 2007. With the squads already in place, here is a preview of this week’s four quarter-finals, with the draw to follow in the coming days.

Russia v France

The 2006 champions meet France in the Davis Cup for the third successive year and the Russians will expect to continue their recent dominance over France. The most memorable of their recent meetings took place in Paris during the 2002 final; where Mikhail Youzhny recovered from two sets down to win Russia’s first Davis Cup title against Paul-Henri Mathieu, a defeat that many believe Mathieu has never truly recovered from.

Russia are a formidable outfit, boasting a squad of Nikolay Davydenko, Marat Safin, Mikhail Youzhny and Igor Andreev, and having already overcome a difficult obstacle in the form of Chile away from him, Russia will be confident of continuing their excellent home record of 12 successive victories (dating back to the Davis Cup final 2005 v USA).

The French come into the quarter-final off the back of a comfortable home success against Romania. France have made one change to their squad from that victory, with Paul-Henri Mathieu replacing Sebastien Grosjean. The rest of the squad consists of Richard Gasquet, Arnaud Clement and Michael Llodra. France have a good recent away record in Davis Cup with 7 victories in the last 10 away ties, however that good run is unlikely to continue in Russia.

The Russians have chosen to play indoors on clay and have the luxury of being able to excel as a group on any surface. The French are no strangers to clay, after all the Mecca of clay court tennis resides in France (Roland Garros). Russia could make a case for any four of their players to be involved in singles action at some point over the weekend, whereas the French will be reliant on Richard Gasquet to lead their singles charge.

The edge in the doubles lies with the French; however the overwhelming strength of the Russians in the four singles battles is liable to make that a moot point. Anything other than a Russian victory will be shock despite the fact that France are no pushovers.

Belgium v Germany

In order to progress to the semi-finals, Belgium will have to achieve something in Davis Cup that they never have before, beat Germany. Seven previous encounters have proved fruitless for the Belgians and they have opted to play indoors on clay in the hope of reversing that trend. Belgium have not been to the last four of the Davis Cup since 1999 and it has been an even longer wait for Germany (1995). Both nations recorded home victories in the first round over Australia and Croatia respectively. The Belgian side is led by Olivier Rochus and backed up by Kristof Vliegen, Christophe Rochus (Olivier’s brother) and Dick Norman. German hopes lay firmly at the door of Tommy Haas who up until the recent the recent Miami Masters had been in excellent form, including the first round of Davis Cup where he recorded two crucial singles victories over Mario Ancic and Ivan Ljubicic. Haas is joined by Florian Mayer, Alexander Waske and Michael Kohlmann.

As in the first round, Germany will rely on Tommy Haas to do the bulk of the work and he holds a 2-0 record versus Olivier Rochus and a 1-0 record against Kristof Vliegen. The victory over Vliegen was on clay, whereas the two wins over Rochus were on hard court. Vliegen proved to be the Belgian hero in the first round with his 5th rubber win against Lleyton Hewitt, the scenes of joy at the conclusion of the match painted a picture of how Davis Cup can elevate the level of players who may not be used to producing such performances on the tour week to week.

Tommy Haas is likely to be the defining factor in the tie and should he be able to produce the high level of performance that he has in recent times, then Germany should find a way to move onto their first Davis Cup semi-final in 12 years.

USA v Spain

This meeting has lost some of its lustre with the withdrawal of Rafael Nadal from the Spanish squad. The timing of the withdrawal was perhaps not the best as later that same evening; Nadal produced an excellent display against one of the up and coming stars of the ATP Tour, Juan-Martin del Potro. It has led to questions about just how committed Nadal is to the Davis Cup cause at present; a competition he has always claimed is close to his heart. The reason for his absence is a precautionary one rather than a recently picked up injury, and with a busy clay court season ahead in the coming weeks, certainly there is validity in the caution. However, that may not satisfy all Spanish supporters who were hoping to see Nadal lead their Davis Cup challenge in 2007.

His absence makes further strengthens the chances of the Americans to progress, who already would have been expectant even with Nadal’s inclusion. The tie will be played indoors on hard court, the speed of which is liable to cause a great deal of trouble for the Spaniards. The USA comes into the tie with a very settled squad of Andy Roddick, James Blake and the Bryan brothers. It will be the 6th successive tie that the Americans have been able to call on the same squad line up. The Spanish come to America with David Ferrer, Tommy Robredo, Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez.

Without Nadal, Spain still boast a good squad, but as with the French in Russia it’s unlikely that they will have enough firepower to take out the Americans. The USA have not won the Davis Cup since Pete Sampras led them to victory in Russia in 1995, and their continued progress in the competition will be based largely on the outcome of the quarter-final between Sweden and Argentina.

Both Andy Roddick and James Blake hold winning head to head records over David Ferrer and Tommy Robredo, and with the doubles edge with the Americans in the form of the Bryan brothers who are 10-1 in Davis Cup doubles action, the USA are rightly seen as strong favourites to advance further in the competition.

Sweden v Argentina

The destination of this year’s Davis Cup could well be decided based on the outcome of this tie, should Argentina progress it is highly likely they will meet the USA in Argentina and also have the possibility of playing the final at home, where Argentina are unbeaten since 1998. However, before Argentina can look ahead to home draws late in the competition they will first have to overcome Sweden away on what is sure to be a very fast playing court surface.

Argentine captain, Alberto Mancini, has already commented that a good first serve on this court effectively ends the point, so don’t expect to see too many or any long rallies in Sweden this weekend. Argentina are boosted by the return of David Nalbandian, the Argentine who has carried his side for a large part of the past two years missed the first round needing time off to rest his aching limbs following a late finish the 2006 season and with no sustained preparation for the 2007 season. Argentina can also count on the services of Guillermo Cañas, fresh off an appearance in the Miami Masters final and having quickly elevated himself into the top 30 after returning from suspension last season. The squad also consists of young starlet Juan-Martin del Potro and doubles specialist Sebastian Prieto.

Sweden will be looking for a measure of revenge having suffered a 5-0 loss in Argentina last year and playing on a surface more suited to their skills they will be confident of their chances to progress further in the competition. A big loss for Sweden is their inability to call on Joachim Johansson due to injury, the big serving Swede would have caused Argentina all kinds of problems on this court. Led by Mats Wilander, the Swedish team comprises of Robin Soderling, Thomas Johansson, Jonas Bjorkman and Robert Lindstedt.

The respective head to heads lie in Argentina’s favour, with Nalbandian holding a 3-1 lead over Soderling and a 1-1 tie with Johansson. Cañas has a 2-0 lead over Johansson while having never met Soderling. However, there is a limit to how much can be read into these previous meetings as not one of them was on a surface as speedy as the carpet surface will be in Sweden. With Cañas possibly being somewhat fatigued after playing a lot of matches in the past few weeks at Indian Wells and Miami, it remains to be seen how great a part Juan-Martin del Potro will have to play in proceedings.

What We Learned From Indian Wells & Miami

2007-04-02T09:50:00.000+01:00

The first two Masters Series events of the season have been consigned to history as the tour moves on to the European clay court season, here’s a look back at the past few weeks from both Indian Wells and Miami.

No Titles For Federer – Huh? Really? Yes, it’s true, world number one Roger Federer came away from Indian Wells and Miami without defending either of his titles. Guillermo Cañas was the man to stop Federer in both tournaments, winning in straight sets at Indian Wells before coming back from behind in the 3rd set in Miami and prevailing in the deciding set tie-breaker. The results do not bode well for Federer going into the clay court season as he looks to dethrone King of Clay, Rafael Nadal. Cañas’s defensive skills proved to be too much resistance for Federer to overcome and on that basis it’s hard to see him being able to get the better of Nadal (an even better defender than Cañas) on the naturally slower clay courts. Last year in Rome, Federer came close to beating Nadal on clay, failing to convert on two match points. He’ll be hoping to engineer such a position again and finally breaking his Nadal hoodoo on clay. Federer also comes into the clay season burdened with the pressure and endless questions about whether he can complete the calendar year Grand Slam (winning all four slams in the same season).

Confidence Boost For Nadal – Coming into these two Masters events, Rafael Nadal had been visibly low on confidence and momentum. Having not won a title since Roland Garros 2006 or been in any final since Wimbledon 2006, his triumph at Indian Wells came as a huge boost for his morale. Despite his barren run, Nadal’s career stats still read very impressively, at just 20 years old, Indian Wells provided him with his 7th Masters title. Having defeated Novak Djokovic in the final of Indian Wells, Nadal was unable to repeat the success in Miami. The Serb reversing the straight sets defeat he suffered by triumphing in Miami which included a dramatic last game where Nadal brought out the best in his defensive qualities forcing Djokovic to play at his very best to see the match out. Nadal now returns to where he is most comfortable, the clay courts. The Spaniard hasn’t lost on clay since April 2005 (losing to Igor Andreev in Valencia), spanning 62 consecutive victories. It’s stating the obvious; Nadal is the man to beat on clay until further notice.

Young Gun Making Big Strides – Novak Djokovic added his name alongside Tomas Berdych of the ‘young guns’ to win a Masters Series title. The Serb has had a fantastic few weeks, first making the Masters Series final at Indian Wells before losing to Nadal, and then backing that up with the title in Miami. Djokovic was mightily impressive in both his semi-final with Nadal and final with Cañas, winning both matches without dropping a set and dictating large parts of both encounters. Now with a career high ranking of 7, Djokovic has set his sights on being in Shanghai for the season end Masters Cup.

Justice Being Served – Guillermo Cañas isn’t just winning on the court, he’s winning off the court too. The Argentine who returned to the tour at the back end of last season has been re-establishing himself among the elite of the game ever since. Cañas produced two stunning wins over Roger Federer to further rubber stamp his return to top level tennis, but whereas at Indian Wells he was unable to back up the win versus Federer, there were no such mistakes in Miami. Cañas knocked off three top ten players (Federer, Robredo & Ljubicic) on his way to the Miami final, but ultimately it proved to be one match too many (having played nine matches in total in Miami). Cañas is now ranked 29 and will be looking for a top 20 spot by the time Roland Garros commences. Off the court, Cañas continues the battle to clear his name of the 15 month suspension he has previously received. The CAS (Court of Arbitration for Sport) examined his case initially and reduced the sentence handed down by the ATP tribunal, and now the CAS will further examine Cañas’s contention that part of his case against the ATP’s decision was not fully explored.

The Past Few Weeks Have Been Good For – Andy Murray, along with Djokovic, Murray is another youngster fast moving up in the rankings and made the semi-finals of both Indian Wells and Miami (losing to Djokovic on each occasion). Juan Ignacio Chela, the Argentine more suited to hard courts than clay, made the last eight of both tournaments, losing to Nadal (Indian Wells) and Ljubicic (Miami). Chela has taken time off from the successful on tour show, TenisPro, led by compatriot and fellow professional, Mariano Zabaleta. In addition to making himself unavailable for Davis Cup duty in 2007 to concentrate fully on his singles career, Chela has picked up a title in Acapulco and with two good showings during these hard court Masters events, has upped his ranking to 23.

The Past Few Weeks Have Been Bad For – James Blake, the American was unable to make any impact in either tournament, losing early in both events to Frenchmen, Julien Benneteau and Florent Serra. David Nalbandian, the Argentine has fallen out of the top 10 having failed to defend his semi-final points from Miami in 2006. With his season yet to get off the ground, he will be hoping that a return to Davis Cup action this week might ignite the rest of his season. Nalbandian has invariably saved much of his best tennis for Davis Cup, and he will need to improve greatly on his recent performances if that is to be the case again.

Sports Magician will be previewing this week's Davis Cup Quarter Finals shortly.

ATP Masters Series - Miami

2007-03-22T02:32:00.000Z

The first Masters Series event of the year was won by world number two, Rafael Nadal, now the ATP tour moves to Miami for the second Masters Series event of the season. World number one, Roger Federer, will be hoping to begin another long run of successive victories. At Indian Wells, his chances of breaking Guillermo Vilas’s win streak record were ended by another Argentine Guillermo, Cañas. Meanwhile, Nadal will be hoping to build on his confidence boosting success last week and go into the European clay court season with momentum that looked unlikely preceding Indian Wells.

Here’s a look at what the draw has in store for us over the next ten days…

Federer looking to make amends

It’s not often that the world number one loses, and when he does, the tennis world is sent into frenzy. Last week was no different as Roger Federer fell to Guillermo Cañas, the Argentine was an unusually strong opponent for Federer to meet so early in a tournament and Miami may be a similar case. Possibly facing Federer in round two will be Russian, Igor Andreev. Looking to climb the rankings again following a prolonged period out through injury last season, the Russian is top 20 calibre and has the ability to test Federer and give him a testing early round match. Many will expect that Federer will come out all guns blazing in Miami to put right what went wrong at Indian Wells, it will be interesting to see how the match with Andreev unfolds should it transpire. Standing in Andreev’s way is American hopeful Sam Querrey.

The remainder of the first quarter of the draw has delivered some interesting encounters and possible battles. Cañas meets Tim Henman in the first round and will be looking to further extend his dominance over the Brit, having won 5 of the previous 6 meetings. Waiting in round two will be former world number one and French Open champion, Juan Carlos Ferrero. The Spaniard looked anything but that in his last outing against Rafael Nadal at Indian Wells where he was brushed aside 6-1, 6-1, Ferrero will be hoping to vastly improve on that display. An all French encounter could be on show in the second round in the form of Richard Gasquet and Sebastien Grosjean.

The player most likely to meet Federer in the quarter-finals is ninth seed Tommy Haas. The German has been in fine form in the past few weeks and lost out to Federer in two tight sets in Dubai just a short time ago.

Up for grabs

The second quarter has no clearly defined favourite, with a number of the more marquee players in the section not playing their best tennis at present. Nikolay Davydenko, David Nalbandian and Ivan Ljubicic can not claim to be in the kind of form that would see either of them as a strong pick to make it through. Of the three, Nalbandian is in the worst current state, and was beaten by Ljubicic in three sets at Indian Wells. Davydenko lost to Andy Murray last week having failed to take a chance to serve out the first set. You’d expect that the semi-finalist would still come from one of these three names, but who it will be remains to be seen.

Other players who will be hoping to take advantage of this quarter are Jose Acasuso, Tomas Berdych, Jarkko Nieminen and Carlos Moya. Berdych especially is in need of a few confidence boosting wins having had a poor season so far given the capabilities he possesses.

Young gun looks to continue rise

Andy Murray has risen to number twelve in the rankings and will be hoping for another strong showing in a Masters event to further elevate his position. The young Scot, coached by Brad Gilbert, reached his first Masters Series semi-final at Indian Wells following a bruising match with Tommy Haas. The bruises were courtesy of a fall on court, leaving Murray to carry a number of aches and pains most notably to his ankle and hip. Novak Djokovic put paid to any hopes Murray had of advancing further, with a straight sets win in the semi-final, taking advantage of an opponent who was not physically at his sharpest.

Murray has a tough road to travel if he is to reach the last four in Miami, most likely having to see off Lleyton Hewitt, Fernando Gonzalez and Andy Roddick. Incidentally, Murray has recorded wins over all three players in the past 14 months so will fancy his chances of possibly doing so again. Lleyton Hewitt was unable to build on a title success in Las Vegas, falling early in Indian Wells. Fernando Gonzalez has yet to hit the heights he reached at the Australian Open in Melbourne, the Chilean has not been able to ride that crest of a wave further as yet, but will be hoping Miami reignites the form he showed in the first Grand Slam of the year.

Being outplayed late in tournaments has been the story of Andy Roddick’s season so far, having previously been on the wrong end of strong business end performances from Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Tommy Haas this season, the American got another taste of semi-final defeat last week vesus Rafael Nadal. In his four semi-final appearances this season, Roddick has yet to win a set.

Nadal and Djokovic hoping to pick up where they left off

Indian Wells provided Rafael Nadal with his first title (and seventh Masters title) since the 2006 French Open and for Novak Djokovic his first Masters Series final. Both players will be hoping to continue that good form in Miami and have been drawn in the same quarter. Two players Rafael Nadal has not had the best time with in recent times are also in his section of the draw in the form of Mikhail Youzhny and James Blake. Nadal and Youzhny could meet in the 4th round, with the Spaniard possibly meeting Blake in the quarter-finals. Both Youzhny and Blake had disappointing showing at Indian Wells and will be looking to redeem themselves in Miami. Blake could meet Marat Safin in the 3rd round, with the Russian also looking for a good tournament to get his season going. Arguably the pick of the second round matches features Marcos Baghdatis and Juan Martin del Potro, this should be a tussle well worth seeing featuring two of the more talented young players on tour at present.

Sports Magician will be reviewing both Indian Wells & Miami following the conclusion of the Miami Masters.

ATP Masters Series - Indian Wells

2007-03-10T18:00:00.000Z

The first Masters Series event of the season is already underway in the Pan Pacific Life Open at Indian Wells. A field of ninety-six players means action has begun slightly earlier than most other Masters Series events which start and finish in the space of seven day. The seeds are in action today, and so we take a look at what the draw has produced and may have in store for us over the coming days.

The One Man Quarter

It may be boring, it may be predictable but there is no denying who is most likely to come through the first quarter of the draw and then the top half of the draw and be the eventual winner. You guessed it, Roger Federer. The world number one is in pursuit of another record – the longest win streak. Currently, Federer stands at 41 consecutive wins and if he defends the title will surpass the record of 46 held by Guillermo Vilas. The first opponent Federer is likely to face is Guillermo Cañas. The Argentine work horse is in the midst of another “comeback” player of the year phase, having returned to the tour late last season after his unjust suspension had been reduced. Cañas has elevated his ranking to 60 and it seems just a matter of time before he is knocking on the door of the top 20. The last meeting between the two was at the semi-final stage of Indian Wells in 2005, Federer winning in straight sets.

Further down the line, a familiar foe may face Federer in the form of Lleyton Hewitt. The current and former world number one’s have met on 18 occasions, with Federer leading the head to head, 11-7. The quarter-final from the first quarter could see a repeat of last year’s final between Federer and James Blake. The American has recently been caught up in the controversy surrounding the round-robin fiasco in Las Vegas and with Federer in his quarter will find it very difficult to defend the points he obtained in the tournament last year.

Other players who will be hoping to make some noise from this section include David Ferrer, Novak Djokovic and another player caught up in the mess in Las Vegas, Evgeny Korolev.

The “Final” Four Quarter

Given the run Federer has been on, there is not much hope that whoever comes through this quarter will be able to advance beyond the semi-final. In effect, the players in this section are playing for at best, a final four spot. Hopefully, that is not the attitude any of these players will take into a prospective semi-final, but from the outside looking in, that’s the way it looks likely to play out.

This section is loaded with some quality players and any number could find their way through. Nikolay Davydenko is a model of consistency and Marat Safin is always capable of beating any opponent, including himself. Andy Murray, under the guidance of Brad Gilbert is improving weak areas of his game (like fitness) all the time, and is also a threat to come through. Tommy Haas has been playing exceptional tennis in his past couple of tournaments in Memphis and Dubai. And then there is Fernando Gonzalez, who reached the final of the Australian Open earlier this year and will be playing his first tournament since the disappointment of being unable to carry Chile past Russia in Davis Cup action.

This should be an entertaining quarter, with possible match ups including Safin v Murray and a repeat of the Australian Open semi-final between Haas and Gonzalez. On current form such an encounter is unlikely to be as one-sided as it was in Melbourne in Gonzalez’s favour.

The Quarter of Opportunity

Thus far the season has not been a roaring success for any of Ivan Ljubicic, David Nalbandian or Andy Roddick. All three players currently reside in the top 10 and will see this as a chance to reach the semi-finals and a prospective final. Ljubicic started the season well with a tournament victory in Doha, and has reached two other tour finals in Zagreb and Rotterdam. On the face of it that’s a decent season to date, however, the Croat would have hoped that kind of form would translate into success at Grand Slam level. That was not the case in Melbourne as Ljubicic fell at the first hurdle and has had a disappointment on a team/international level with Croatia exiting the Davis Cup at the earliest opportunity.

For David Nalbandian, the season has not yet even begun three months in. The Argentine has been carrying injuries from the back end of last season into the current season and has rarely looked his best. With a fair amount of ranking points to defend over the coming months (semi-finals in Miami, Rome and Roland Garros), Nalbandian will have to be ready to perform sooner rather than later, otherwise his ranking will inevitably slip.

Whoever beats Andy Roddick should win the tournament. At least that is what we have seen so far this season, the big serving American has lost to the eventual winner in each of his three tournaments this season. At the Australian Open it was Roger Federer, in San Jose it was Andy Murray and in Memphis it was Tommy Haas. Although Roddick will be encouraged by reaching the latter stages of each of those tournaments, it can’t have done him much good to be outplayed in the manner he was by Federer and Haas specifically.

Roddick should progress to the 4th round at least where he could meet the winner of an exciting match to be played later today between Richard Gasquet and Juan-Martin del Potro. Ljubicic and Nalbandian could cross swords in the 4th round, with the Croat leading the head to head 4-2.

The Will Nadal Hug The Baseline Quarter

If Rafael Nadal can convince and program himself to play alongside the baseline rather than a few feet behind it, then he is as likely as anyone to negotiate this section of the draw. That being said, Nadal has been unable to stick to these tactics consistently and has experienced a continued dip in form and confidence ever since the 2006 Wimbledon final. Nadal plays later today against Arnaud Clement, should he be successful there are greater challenges that could lie ahead in the form of Mikhail Youzhny and Tomas Berdych. The Spaniard won’t be too unhappy to say the least if both players are removed from the tournament before he might have to face them.

Mikhail Youzhny is playing the best tennis of his career and in recent weeks has picked up a title in Rotterdam and only Roger Federer could stop him in Dubai. Youzhny could meet Nadal in the 4th round but will have to be on his toes from the off if he is not to fall to Jose Acasuso. Other players who will be hoping to come through the bottom quarter are Tommy Robredo, Marcos Baghdatis and Tomas Berdych.

Sports Magician will be previewing the Miami Masters.

Round-Robin Causes Controversy And Chaos

2007-03-04T22:02:00.000Z

In the past couple of weeks, the sport of tennis has been a complete and utter mess.

Why?

The format known as Round-Robin, will be familiar to many of you from a variety of sports where the concept makes more sense. However, in tennis it does not. Part of the beauty of tennis is that there are no second chances, there is no tomorrow. You win and you live to fight another day. You lose and it’s time to check out of the hotel and go home or move on to the next tournament.

Tennis has a number of issues in and around the sport that have long needed to be resolved so that the game can progress. Innovation and ideas are needed to solve various problems, but the knock-out format was never one of them. Etienne de Villiers decided that it was, and the round-robin concept was brought in at various tournaments in 2007 as an “experiment”. The experiment is but two months old and has already proved to be far more troublesome than even the powers that be might have suspected.

Tennis is no stranger to round-robin; the format is used at the season end Masters Cup where the top eight players of the season compete in two groups of four. If it works at all, it works during that event which is designed to be a showpiece where the sport can in effect ‘show off’ its elite talent. Applying that format and concept onto the ATP tour itself was never going to work for a variety of reasons, many of which were outlined by tennis fans all over the internet on various message boards and blogs. It’s a great shame for tennis that the fans and some players could see the troubles that would lay ahead, but that those in the most prominent and decision making positions were unable to see the bigger picture.

Tournament directors want the ‘star’ or seeded players in their tournaments for obvious reasons. However, if tennis is to uphold credibility then those stars and seeded players must not be given second bites at the cherry just because it is more desirable from a television ratings or ticket sales standpoint. If this is all that matters, then tennis has or will become no better than purely manufactured entertainment rather than sport. Sport is about competition, not twisting, turning and manipulating rules in order for bigger names to progress and sideline those trying to make names for themselves.

Let’s look at some of the instances this season where round-robin has brought about the kind of problems that many claimed would occur beforehand:

· Early in the season, both Xavier Malisse and Richard Gasquet commented on how there was absolutely no motivation or need for them to extend themselves in their final round-robin matches after they had both won the set they needed to progress, regardless of whether they lost the match. This was a situation that was clear to those with their eyes open that would occur many times over the course of the season and the players in question deserve credit for calling it like it is.

· In Buenos Aires last week, Juan Carlos Ferrero had lost his opening match to Nicolas Devilder. Devilder had earlier lost to Nicolas Lapentti. This set up a match between Ferrero and Lapentti where all permutations lay open; that was until Lapentti had to withdraw prior to the encounter. The result of which meant that Devilder was the victor of the group due to his head to head victory over Ferrero. Etienne de Villiers assured tennis fans that the introduction of round-robin would produce no ‘dead’ matches and yet Ferrero had to play exactly that against Lukas Dlouhy (drafted in due to Lapentti’s withdrawal). The result of the match had no bearing whatsoever on the tournament, it was completely irrelevant. The beauty of round-robin, huh?

· This week following the debacle in Argentina, came an altogether more absurd turn of events. A group containing James Blake, Juan Martin del Potro and Evgeny Korolev in Las Vegas looked very interesting as it featured the defending champion (Blake) and two highly touted and promising youngsters (del Potro and Korolev). Del Potro beat Korolev in straight sets and Korolev then beat Blake in straight sets. It meant that in the final group match, Blake needed to win for the loss of less than six games and the young Argentine needed just six games to advance as the group winner. Del Potro was not as his best physically and Blake led 6-1, 3-1, it looked like he was going to win the match by the score he needed. Del Potro couldn’t go on any longer or at the very least it wasn't in his interest to do so as he has a whole season (and career) to think about, not just playing out a match where he is in no condition to compete at the level required.

As in Buenos Aires due to the Lapentti withdrawal, the result of the Blake/del Potro match was now of no consequence due to the retirement. The determining factor would be the Blake/Korolev head to head, and thus the Russian was the legitimate winner of the group. Case closed, right? Not quite.

Not happy with their number one seed being knocked out in such circumstances, the ATP decided to…how shall we put it, ‘modify’, their rules mid-tournament. James Blake was to be declared the winner of the group and would advance to the quarter-finals. Why? Etienne de Villiers decided over a phone line that ‘James was within just a few games of wining this match comfortably to advance’, so I guess we are to assume that the head of the ATP not only is going to “shape the future of men’s tennis” but he can literally see the future too!

The decision caused uproar amongst players and fans, with Marat Safin and Lleyton Hewitt being vocal on the subject immediately. The fans had their say too in the form of this petition that will be forwarded to the ATP to further indicate their disgust at both the round-robin format and the unwarranted intervention in Las Vegas by the head of the ATP.

The pressure got to the ATP and eventually sense prevailed and their own rules respected, Korolev was declared the winner of the group and he went on to make the semi-finals of the tournament before a hard fought loss to Jurgen Melzer. All in all it has been one big mess that tennis could well do without, so much for this format being easy to follow and ‘fan friendly’. Are instances like this really likely to encourage those who are not yet avid tennis fans to become so? And just how much ‘experimentation’ are the already dedicated tennis fans supposed to put up with before their concerns are given more respect and consideration?

It’s incredibly disingenuous for anyone to claim tennis is now more ‘exciting’, the reality is that it is more chaotic and confusing. Furthermore, it is not about tennis fans not being able to embrace new ideas and change. The reality is that some things need changing, but this was not one of them. How much more needs to happen for this to become plainly obvious to those who don’t yet see the light? Time will tell. Hopefully, tennis will not suffer as a result.

On March 22nd the issue of round-robin will be discussed at an ATP board meeting. If you wish to add your support to the petition to be done with round-robin, please sign here. And to follow the progress of the petition and see what else you can do to make your voice heard, please take a look here and here.

If You Love Tennis & Hate Round-Robin

2007-03-02T12:57:00.001Z

If you agree with the sentiments I have expressed on this petition, please sign it and leave (if you wish) an appropriate comment (please keep it clean and constructive). I would like to get as many signatures as possible and send this to the relevant people before this "meeting" of the minds. Thanks for your time and hopefully support. http://www.petitiononline.com/nomorerr/petition.html

Davis Cup 2007 - The Journey Begins

2007-02-07T23:26:00.000Z

The journey for the 2007 Davis Cup begins on Friday with eight first round world group matches. The opening round sees the 2006 finalists, Russia and Argentina, facing tricky away ties.

Chile v Russia

The Davis Cup holders travel to South America without their number one ranked player, Nikolay Davydenko. However, the Russians still boast a strong squad including Marat Safin, Igor Andreev and Dmitry Tursunov. Looking to knock out the holders early is a Chile team that have won their last nine home ties. Fernando Gonzalez and Nicolas Massu have proven themselves many times over when playing in international team competition. Massu won Olympic gold in singles during Athens 2004, and partnered Gonzalez in picking up another gold medal in the doubles at those same Olympics. Playing infront of what will be a vociferous home crowd, Chile goes into the tie on clay as favourites. However, Russia will be looking to feast on Massu as the Chilean has not been at his best of late. Despite making the final of Vina Del Mar, Massu looked far from unbeatable and both Safin and Andreev will be confident of securing victories against him. Fernando Gonzalez will have to carry Chile in this tie; Chile’s number one has just broken into the world’s top 5 after reaching the final of the Australian Open.

Verdict – Home advantage to squeeze Chile through.

France v Romania

France should have little trouble moving onto the quarter-finals after being drawn at home to Romania. Aside from coming into the tie with a squad not as strong as the French (Richard Gasquet, Sebastien Grosjean, Arnaud Clement, Michael Llodra), Romania will have to achieve something they have yet to do so in their history; win a world group tie away from home. That record is unlikely to be broken here. The French have chosen to play indoors on hard court, and may well win the tie before Sunday’s matches.

Verdict – France ensure Sunday’s matches are dead rubbers.

Germany v Croatia

Without the services of Nicolas Keifer due to injury, Germany will be relying on Tommy Haas against Croatia’s two man team of Ivan Ljubicic and Mario Ancic. Earlier this week the Croatian team were the subject of some controversy as Ivo Karlovic withdrew from the squad over an apparent pay dispute. Ljubicic and Ancic will be hoping to earn their money this time by winning away from home. Haas will be supported by the man who ended the career of Andre Agassi, Benjamin Becker. Haas has even head to head records with Ljubicic and Ancic, if Germany are to prevail he will need to have leading head to heads over them by the end of the weekend.

Verdict – Expect a long weekend.

Belgium v Australia

An even contest to determine which nation moves forward to the quarter-finals. Belgium has opted for clay in order to dispose of their Australian opponents. This time last year Australia also went away on clay, on that occasion the destination was Switzerland and were successful after a 5th rubber in which Chris Guccione hit an extraordinary amount of aces in a straight sets victory over George Bastl. Australia will have their star, Lleyton Hewitt, leading them into battle but without a couple of players who have often been by his side in recent years, Wayne Arthurs and Mark Philippoussis. Belgium are without the services of Xavier Malisse, who has already won two titles this season, due to an internal conflict which is not uncommon amongst some nations in Davis Cup play. Belgium will be hoping for their first world group victory since a 1999 win against Switzerland.

Verdict – Hewitt to be the difference.

Czech Republic v USA

When the draw was made this match up was seen as one of if not the tie of the round. Yet another internal dispute is the reason that the Czechs will play without the services of Radek Stepanek, recently in the news for his engagement to Martina Hingis. The relationship between Stepanek and his national federation has been unequivocally destroyed, with the Czech federation releasing a statement that surely severs ties for good; “he is completely indifferent to playing for the Czech Republic and that he despises Czech tennis, his team mates, officials, and Czech tennis fans” were their exact words. The burden of responsibility falls on Tomas Berdych, a talented young player but one who still produces performances that reek of immaturity. Berdych will need to produce the kind of mental strength and concentration that saw him defeat Rafael Nadal in last year’s Madrid Masters. The challenge facing the Czechs comes in the form of a now very settled American side. Ranking wise the American side is impressive, consisting of two top 10 players in Andy Roddick and James Blake and the number one ranked doubles team and recently crowned Australian Open champions, Bob and Mike Bryan. With the Bryans almost certain to win their doubles rubber, it means that if the Czechs are to prevail they will need more than just Tomas Berdych. Had Stepanek been available they would have been favourites, but without him the balance of power falls marginally with the Americans.

Verdict – The Czech federation to be left wishing Radek Stepanek was not so indifferent towards representing his nation.

Switzerland v Spain

Had Roger Federer committed himself to Davis Cup this year, the tie versus Spain would have produced a great deal of publicity due to an impending match up against Rafael Nadal. However, once more Federer has decided to prioritise his battle with the history books on an individual level, thus leaving the Swiss with little chance in this tie. Federer will most likely be winning Switzerland a world group playoff match later in the year, but without him, Spain should have little trouble moving on in the competition. Swiss hopes will lie with Stanislas Wawrinka, but opposition led by Rafael Nadal and backed up by David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez will be far too much for a Federer-less Switzerland to contend with.

Verdict – The easiest away win of the weekend.

Belarus v Sweden

Belarus has claimed some notable scalps at home in recent years against sides such as Spain, Argentina and Russia. Once more they will hope to achieve that on what will be the fastest playing court of the weekend. The Belarus side will be led by Max Mirnyi and his doubles partner Jonas Bjorkman will this time be on the opposite side of the net to him. Mirnyi holds the key to a Belarus win but history is against him with a combined head to head record against the current Swedish squad of 3-18. However, he and Vladimir Voltchkov will be banking on gaining some early momentum and carrying it through the weekend. Sweden, captained by Mats Wilander will be able to call on Robin Soderling, Thomas Johansson, Jonas Bjorkman and Simon Aspelin. Bjorkman owns a 10-1 record versus Mirnyi and it will be interesting to see whether he is used against his doubles partner in singles action.

Verdict – The record suggests Sweden have to be favourites, but Belarus are 3-0 at home in world group ties.

Austria v Argentina

2006 finalists Argentina travel to Austria without their ace in the pack, David Nalbandian. Argentina’s strength in depth is the reason they go to Austria with at least a fighting chance despite being unable to call on Nalbandian, Agustin Calleri, Juan Ignacio Chela, Gaston Gaudio and Guillermo Coria. All of these players absent for reasons ranging from injury, personal choice and poor or no form at all. Argentina captain Alberto Mancini has called on Jose Acasuso, the returning Guillermo Canas, the next big thing of Argentine tennis Juan Martin Del Potro and veteran doubles specialist Sebastian Prieto. Acasuso is the only player in this squad who played Davis Cup in 2006. An Austrian win may be considered by some as an upset, but in truth Austria must come into the tie as slight favourites. Austria have decided to play indoor on carpet and will be hoping to expose the lack of experience (Del Potro) and/or the lack of playing time at this level (Canas and Prieto). Canas has recently returned from a suspension and has excelled on the Challenger circuit but Davis Cup will be an altogether different proposition. Prieto is expected to partner Acasuso in Saturday’s doubles and has only once played a Davis Cup match, way back in 1999. Stefan Koubek and Jurgen Melzer will lead the Austrian side and will be playing to give Austria their first world group victory since 1995.

Verdict – Argentina to extend Austria’s drought at world group level (just).

Let Sports Magician know how you see this weekend's ties developing and vote in the poll in the side bar as to who will be winning the Davis Cup this year.

Australian Open 2007: What We Learned - Men

2007-01-28T12:06:00.000Z

What we learned from two weeks in Melbourne – Men

Closer To Greatness – Roger Federer won the 10th Grand Slam title of his career, and his 3rd Australian Open title. Barring injury it seems just a matter of time before he passes Pete Sampras’s record Slam haul of 14. Federer improved his Slam final record to 10-1. The talk now will be of winning all 4 Slams in the season. Once again, Federer will look to conquer the clay (a feat which has eluded him thus far), and namely the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal. Federer has redressed the balance with Nadal away from clay, but in order to win the French Open will now have to replicate that on the surface that the Spaniard is most comfortable. Last year’s clay court season was the Nadal-Federer show, as they contested the marquee finals in Monte Carlo, Rome and most importantly, Roland Garros. Surely the challenge from others will not be as non-existent this year as it was in 2006, and it’s likely that both Federer and Nadal will have more to contend with than just each other.

The World Number Two On An Island Of His Own – Rafael Nadal’s career has stalled since Wimbledon 2006. Arguably, his career has gone backwards. Having won Masters Series events on hard (Montreal) and indoor (Madrid) courts in 2005, in addition to dominating on clay, Nadal was unable to repeat his success away from clay in the latter half of 2006. That poor form has continued into the early stages of 2007. Nadal was beaten by Xavier Malisse in Chennai, struggled against Andy Murray at the Australian Open before winning in 5 sets and was then sent home after looking completely impotent against Fernando Gonzalez in the quarter-finals. All of a sudden Nadal’s eye can no longer be focused on catching Roger Federer for the number one spot, but preserving his own place at number two. With no points to gain during the European clay court season (bar Hamburg, where Nadal has withdrawn in successive years following Rome finals in 2005 & 2006 that lasted more than 5 hours), Nadal will be under pressure again to defend his King of Clay status.

A Good Coach Can Do Wonders – When Larry Stefanki began working with Fernando Gonzalez in May 2006, the Chilean claimed he was willing to sacrifice his style of car crash tennis (which has entertained many for both its excellence and insanity) in order to crack the top 10. A few months shy of a year later and Gonzalez has reached a Masters Series final (and two other tour finals), a Grand Slam final and broken into not just the top 10, but the top 5. Unfortunately for Gonzalez, in 3 of those 4 finals he ran into Roger Federer, to whom he now trails by 10-0 in their battles on court. Possibly the next challenge for Stefanki will be to find a way for Gonzalez to break his duck against Federer. Fernando Gonzalez can claim to have produced some of the most startling statistics from this year’s Australian Open. In the first two sets of his 4th round encounter with Lleyton Hewitt, the red hot Chilean hit 33 winners and just 2 unforced errors. In his semi-final with Tommy Haas, where one might expect him to have been a tad nervous, Gonzalez played quite literally, a perfect set of tennis; 17 winners and 0 unforced errors. He finished the match with 45 winners and 3 unforced errors (tut-tut-tut).

The Same Old, Same Old – James Blake and Ivan Ljubicic yet again failed to produce the goods in a Grand Slam. Both players still reside in the top 10, but their Grand Slam records are dreadful for players of such status. James Blake has now been beyond the 4th round of a Grand Slam only 2 times in 20 attempts. On both occasions he did make it to the last eight, Blake had the strong vocal support of a home crowd at the US Open behind him. Away from New York, his Slam record leaves a lot to be desired. Ivan Ljubicic’s record is even worse (hard to believe, I know). The Croat now has a truly dismal record of being beyond the 3rd round of Grand Slams on only 2 occasions in 30 attempts. Worse still, he has 15 1st round KO’s to his name.

The Same Old, Same Old II – Andy Roddick came into his semi-final against Roger Federer with reason to believe he could put up a realistic challenge despite a dreadful 1-12 record in matches between them. Having run Federer close at the 2006 Masters Cup, beaten the world number one in an exhibition in Kooyong (a confidence booster more than anything else) and having disposed in impressive fashion Marat Safin and Mario Ancic, Roddick could have been forgiven for thinking he would not just be cannon fodder for the Swiss number one. How wrong can you be? At 4-4 in the 1st set, it looked like we had a real match on our hands. Within the blink of an eye, Federer had taken 14 of the next 16 games to record a 6-4, 6-0, 6-2 win. Now 1-13 versus Federer, it’s back to the drawing board for Roddick and Connors. A futile exercise it may be, as Roddick has never been able to trouble Federer in the ways that Nadal, Nalbandian or Safin have. The American just doesn’t possess the array of shots to give Federer a lot to think about and deal with. This is never going to change.

The King Of Early Round Drama – Having been a doubt for the Australian Open due to tendonitis in the knee, David Nalbandian did himself no favours in trying to conserve early round energy. In his 1st and 3rd round matches, Nalbandian had to come from two sets down, and faced match points in both encounters. Janko Tipsarevic and Sebastien Grosjean were the latest victims to Nalbandian’s list of players he has recovered from two sets down against. Often criticised for his overall fitness, Nalbandian can claim he is as fit as anyone when you consider his record in matches of this nature. But ultimately it was to be his downfall as he hit the wall in his 4th round match with Tommy Haas, and exited the tournament after a 4 set battle. Nalbandian has now dropped out of the top 10, and he will not play again until the ATP tournament in Buenos Aires, in order to rest his aching body. That means Argentina will travel to Austria in the 1st round of their Davis Cup quest without their main man. Nalbandian will be hoping that Argentina can survive without him, until he can return to the squad in a healthier state.

Last Year’s Story – This time last year, one of the images of the Australian Open was the smile of Marcos Baghdatis and the echoes of his band of supporters. Back then he was still a relative unknown, 12 months on and the expectation and pressure was far greater. Baghdatis had made reference to such matters after his 1st round win versus Rainer Schuettler, following his next match, the pressure was off. He was out. His tournament ended by an energetic and athletic performance from Gael Monfils.

Fourth Round Barrier For The Young Guns – Aside from Baghdatis and Monfils, other young players tipped for big things in the future, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Richard Gasquet and Tomas Berdych could not advance past the 4th round. Murray was ousted in 5 sets by Rafael Nadal, the Scot will feel it was an opportunity missed having failed to convert on numerous break point opportunities. Djokovic was hoping for a measure of revenge against Roger Federer following some none too kind words about the Serb’s propensity to pick up ‘joke’ injuries during the course of matches in order to stall and disrupt his opponent. Despite talking a good game, Djokovic failed to play one, at least to the standard required to trouble Federer, and was beaten in straight sets. Richard Gasquet continued to keep those who feel he has a very strong future waiting after a weak display versus Tommy Robredo. Gasquet has thus far failed to shine in matches against top players in Grand Slam events, and this match was no different. Gasquet offered brief resistance in the 3rd set, before predictably running out of gas at the end of the 4th. Gasquet’s conditioning has been in question for a couple of years, and continues to be so. Until this situation is addressed, his supporters will have to continue wishing on a prayer. Tomas Berdych did nothing to suggest that his biggest obstacle is being removed either; the Czech often shows a lack of steel and maturity in his game, and this was to be no different against Nikolay Davydenko. Having taken the 1st set and playing well, Berdych looked on course to make the last eight, but inexcusably disintegrated, allowing Davydenko to impose his game and will on the match, eventually coming through in a nervy 4th set tie-break. The 4th round excursions of the young talents told us that Murray’s fitness is greatly improved, that Djokovic can bark but not yet bite, that Gasquet needs to dedicate himself to being as physically strong as he can be and that Berdych’s mind shows no sign of growing up.

It Shouldn’t Have Ended That Way – Playing in his last Australian Open, Wayne Arthurs won through to the 3rd round where he was set to face Mardy Fish. Already requiring treatment for an existing hip injury, Arthurs’s body broke down on him after a bad reaction to an anaesthetic he had taken 15 minutes prior to the match. Arthurs left the Australian Open in tears having been only able to play 3 games of his 3rd round match.

It Was A Good Tournament For – Aside from Federer and Gonzalez, there were good tournaments for Tommy Haas and Mardy Fish. Haas made his 3rd Grand Slam semi-final (all at the Australian Open) and was crushed by an inspired Fernando Gonzalez. Many will have seen this opportunity as the American based German’s last chance to get to a Slam final. Mardy Fish had never been beyond the 3rd round of a Grand Slam in 17 attempts until the 2007 Australian Open. Fish knocked out 4th seed Ivan Ljubicic in the 1st round and 16th seed David Ferrer in the 4th round. As good as his run the quarter-finals was, the American would probably like to forget the way his tournament ended, winning only 6 games against compatriot and friend, Andy Roddick. Fernando Verdasco showed the compassionate side of tennis, after trailing by 2 sets and behind in the 3rd set tie-break against Paul-Henri Mathieu, the Spaniard who looked to be going out of the tournament instead got a free pass to the next round after Mathieu picked up an untimely injury that halted the match immediately. Verdasco didn’t bask in the glory of an extremely fortunate victory, instead accompanied Mathieu to the hospital.

A Tournament They’d Rather Forget – Aside from Blake, Ljubicic, Baghdatis and Nadal it was a bad tournament for Juan Carlos Ferrero. The former King of Clay, hoping to kick-start his 2007 with a good Slam showing, failed to serve out either of the 1st 2 sets in his second round match with Danai Udomchoke, and eventually lost in 4. Despite not being at 100%, Nicolas Massu, could only manage 2 games against Novak Djokovic. No excuses for Alberto Martin, he was 100%, but could only manage 1 game against Andy Murray.

Tell Sports Magician what made you smile and what made you sad over the past couple of weeks.

Australian Open 2007: What We Learned - Women

2007-01-28T11:20:00.000Z

What we learned from two weeks in Melbourne – Women

Unseeded Champion – Guess whose back? Serena Williams, that’s who, coming into the Australian Open off the back of a defeat in Hobart to Sybille Bammer and only 4 tournaments played in 2006. That didn’t seem to bother the now 8 times Grand Slam champion as she claimed her 3rd Australian Open title. Williams knocked off the number 5, 10 and 11 seeds on her way to the final. In 2 matches she had to break to stay in the tournament against Nadia Petrova and Shahar Peer. Williams improved her Slam final record to 8-2. Her most impressive performance and victory came in what was expected to be a hard fought and close final, her performance ensured that it was anything but close. In winning the tournament off the back of so little match practice, Williams reminded the tennis world she is still the best player around when she is healthy. What remains to be seen is how much she will be able to play for the rest of the season, but the message is loud and clear, Serena Williams is back. And she means business.

A Shell-Shocked Number One – Maria Sharapova is the new number one. But many will say Serena Williams is the real number one, and that it’s just a question of her staying healthy and playing enough tournaments before she eventually reclaims that position. In her third Slam final, Sharapova suffered her first defeat. It was quick, but certainly not painless. The Russian was unable to contend with the power and precision of Williams’ ground strokes and could not gain any foothold in the match whatsoever. Like Williams, Sharapova also had to break to stay in the tournament in her 1st round encounter against Camille Pin, a match that was played in extreme heat. Even Sharapova’s fighting spirit and will was not enough to challenge Williams, in a very one-sided final. The ‘Siberian Siren’ will need to work on her second serve if she is to avoid similar punishment from Williams in the future.

No More ‘Aussie Kim’ – Adopted by the Australian crowd after once dating Lleyton Hewitt, Kim Clijsters bid farewell to the Rod Laver Arena in a manner she would have preferred not to. Having been talked up as a legitimate contender for the title in Melbourne, Clijsters showed none of the form expected of her when the tournament reached its business end. An astonishing 62 unforced errors against Martina Hingis in the quarter-final did not stop Clijsters progressing to the last four. How that happened, not even she knows. Her semi-final performance was not much better, having led by a break on two different occasions in the 1st set, Clijsters put up a thoughtless and feeble display against Sharapova and was dispatched in straight sets. It was a very low key end to her Slam career in Australia for the Belgian. It is impossible to see Clijsters winning one of the remaining Slams in the last year of her young career if she does not improve significantly on her quarter and semi-final performances in Australia.

No Defence Of The Defending Champion – Having won the Australian Open in 2006 thanks to retirements by the Belgian duo of Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin-Hardenne (soon to lose the Hardenne) in her semi final and final, Amelie Mauresmo put up a poor defence of her title. Mauresmo was defeated in the third round by young Czech, Lucie Safarova. Her younger opponent out thought and out hit her to complete a 6-4, 6-3 victory and send Mauresmo home earlier than many would have expected. Having won two Grand Slams in 2006, there is a big question mark over whether Mauresmo will add to that tally in 2007.

Serbian Youngsters Disappoint – Much was expected of Ana Ivanovic, but more specifically, Jelena Jankovic. Neither was able to deliver in Melbourne. Ivanovic was crushed in the 3rd round by Vera Zvonareva, 6-1, 6-2. Ivanovic looked devoid of ideas or any kind of game plan to get back on track as she was swept aside by her Russian opponent. Jelena Jankovic was set for a 4th round meeting with Serena Williams, and when it came turned out to be as anti-climactic as the eventual final. Much like Sharapova, Jankovic was unable to deal with the power and intimidation of Serena Williams and left the tournament without showing her true qualities. Jankovic is set for a very bright future, but we did not see her best in Melbourne.

The Next Big Thing Still A Work In Progress – Nicole Vaidisova is a future number one and multiple Grand Slam champion in the making. Believe it. Still only 17, Vaidisova reached the second Grand Slam semi-final of her very young career before being ousted by eventual champion, Serena Williams. Vaidisova’s serve is fast becoming the most devastating weapon in the women’s game, banging down 51 aces in her 6 matches (only Serena Williams served more). Still with room for improvement, Vaidisova is going to be a major force in the very near future, for many years to come.

Some Things Never Change – In 4 matches, Elena Dementieva served 33 double faults, her tournament was ended by Nicole Vaidisova in the 4th round. Still refusing to compromise with her all-out tactics, Sania Mirza exited the tournament in the 2nd round; totalling 58 unforced errors and only 32 winners in comparison (she may want to give Fernando Gonzalez or Larry Stefanki a call?). Tatiana Golovin, Maria Kirilenko and Gisela Dulko continue to flatter to deceive.

Making Some Noise – Anna Chakvetadze continued her good start to 2007, following a title in Hobart, with a quarter-final appearance in Melbourne, losing to Maria Sharapova 7-6, 7-5. Shahar Peer picked up 3 titles in 2006, and served for the match against Serena Williams in her quarter-final having recovered from a 4-1 3rd set deficit. The 19 year old Israeli pushed Williams to the limit, before succumbing 8-6 in the decider.

Gone But Not Forgotten – Justine Henin-Hardenne, ended 2006 as world number one, the 5 time Slam champion withdrew from the Australian Open following the announcement of her divorce. Anastasia Myskina, the former French Open champion was not in Melbourne due to injury, the same can be said of Venus Williams and Mary Pierce.

Tell Sports Magician what you thought of the women’s event and what you envisage happening during the rest of the season.

Australian Open Final Semi-Finals Preview

2007-01-24T14:45:00.000Z

The Australian Open is down to four men, one former Slam winner will be in the final and one player will be experiencing his first action in a Grand Slam final, that much we know for certain.

Roger Federer (1) v Andy Roddick (6)

It was the expected semi-final, and so we have it. Roger Federer arrives at this stage of the tournament without losing a set, unsurprisingly, but unusually has been broken 12 times in his 5 matches. The statistic is not alarming, but surprising nonetheless. Federer has not been at his best thus far, but history shows he plays his best at this stage of Grand Slams and an improved performance versus Roddick is what is to be expected in comparison to his previous matches. Federer has made 11 consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals and will be looking to make his 7th consecutive Slam final.

Federer is in search of his 10th Grand Slam title and should he be victorious this week, so will follow endless talk in the media and fans alike about whether he will win all four Grand Slams this year.

Andy Roddick was given a first round scare against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, trailing by a set and a break, before turning the match around to win in 4 sets. Since then, Roddick has been in excellent form, with significant wins over Marat Safin and Mario Ancic, as well as destroying Mardy Fish in the quarter-finals in a match that was as one sided as you will ever see in the last eight of a Grand Slam. Since teaming up with Jimmy Connors, Roddick’s career has been re-ignited off the back of a poor first half of the season in 2006. The evidence of this was shown during the US Open, where Roddick reached the final before losing to Federer. The American has been broken 8 times in his 5 matches, with 7 of those breaks coming against Safin and Ancic.

Roddick reached the last four in Melbourne in 2003 and 2005, making this his 3rd appearance at the semi-final stage of the Australian Open.

The history between the two suggests only one winner. Federer dominates the head to head with a staggering 12-1 record dating back to 2001. 4 of those meetings were in Grand Slam events, with Federer victorious each time. Roddick’s sole win against Federer came in 2003 at the Montreal Masters by virtue of a deciding set tie-break. Amongst Federer’s 12 victories, Roddick has managed to win only 4 sets. Another crucial stat in Federer’s favour is the tie-break history; the world number one is 8-1 in tie-breaks against the big serving American.

Roddick came as close as you can to recording his 2nd career victory over Federer at the Masters Cup in Shanghai at the back end of 2006. Roddick was unable to convert match points in the 2nd set tie-break and went on to lose 6-4 in the 3rd. Preceding the Australian Open was the often star studded line up at Kooyong (exhibition), where Roddick secured a moral boosting victory against Federer. How much impact that result will have on the semi-final is open for debate, at the very least it was a much needed boost for Roddick. But it would be unwise to assume that Roddick is now destined to follow up that exhibition victory with another in Melbourne, based purely on that result.

Tommy Haas (12) v Fernando Gonzalez (10)

Hands up those of you who picked this semi-final?

I don’t see any hands.

Both Tommy Haas and Fernando Gonzalez are good players, but others were favoured to reach the last four in the bottom half of the draw, like Rafael Nadal, Nikolay Davydenko or David Nalbandian. Haas put paid to both Nalbandian and Davydenko, in four and five sets, respectively. Haas even saved match point versus Davydenko in the 5th set, having recovered from a 2 sets to 1 deficit. Gonzalez produced the performance of the tournament to date, by obliterating Nadal in straight sets. Gonzalez was equally as impressive against Lleyton Hewitt, but was stretched to 4 sets in that meeting. Gonzalez’s biggest test in the tournament came against highly touted Argentine youngster, Juan Martin Del Potro, in the 2nd round. The Chilean trailed by 2 sets to 1 before eventually outlasting his younger South American opponent who was forced to retire during the 5th set.

Fernando Gonzalez became one of only six active players to reach at least the quarter-finals of all 4 Grand Slams; his appearance in the last four in Melbourne is the furthest he has been in a Slam. Tommy Haas will play in his 3rd Slam semi-final; his previous two semi-finals were also in Melbourne in 1999 and 2002.

The winner will be making their first appearance in a Grand Slam final and it remains to be seen which player will be able to handle that pressure and expectation in order to produce their best tennis and move on for a chance at lifting the title.

There is little history between the two, having only met on one occasion in 2004 on clay during the World Team Championship. Gonzalez was the victor in straight sets, and following his excellent displays against Hewitt, Blake and Nadal will be the marginal favourite to progress.

Looking Towards The Final – Head To Head Records
Federer v Gonzalez – Federer leads the H2H 9-0, 22-2 in sets and 3-1 in TB’s.
Federer v Haas – Federer leads the H2H 7-2, 17-8 in sets, level at 2-2 in TB’s.
Roddick v Gonzalez – Roddick leads the H2H 6-3, 14-8 in sets, level at 3-3 in TB’s.
Roddick v Haas – Haas leads the H2H 5-3, 11-8 in sets, Roddick leads 3-0 in TB’s.

Sports Magician will be reviewing the Australian Open following the conclusion of the tournament. Let Sports Magician know who you feel will win the tournament and your thoughts on the 2007 Australian Open in general.

Australian Open Men's Quarter-Finals Preview

2007-01-22T15:50:00.000Z

The Australian Open is down to the last eight, containing three Grand Slam winners in Roger Federer, Andy Roddick and Rafael Nadal. Only one unseeded player has made it to this stage, Mardy Fish, who disposed of number four seed, Ivan Ljubicic. Roger Federer is the only player remaining who has either won or been to the final of the Australian Open.

Roger Federer (1) v Tommy Robredo (7)

As the tournament has progressed, Roger Federer has moved through the gears. Presented with the fourth round challenge of Novak Djokovic, Federer dispatched the Serb in straight sets. Djokovic briefly tested Federer in the second set, but eventually his resistance was broken. Having seen the draw, Tommy Robredo most likely believed a good tournament would mean a quarter-final defeat to Federer and that is the most realistic scenario. Coming into the match with a 0-6 record versus the world number one, not even Robredo’s family and friends will be giving him much chance, if any, of causing an upset. The Spaniard overcame Richard Gasquet in four sets in the last round, and at best will be hoping to stretch Federer to four sets.

Mardy Fish v Andy Roddick (6)

An all-American encounter in the quarter-finals pits two friends against each other. Andy Roddick buoyed by the arrival of his coach, Jimmy Connors, before his third round match will be expected to move on to the last four. Roddick has notched up two notable back to back wins against Marat Safin and Mario Ancic, and anything other than another victory here will be a major surprise. Mardy Fish has had an excellent tournament and his appearance in the quarter-finals is a career best Grand Slam showing for him. Previously, Fish had never made it past the third round of a Slam in seventeen attempts. Roddick leads the head to head 4-1, Fish recorded the first win between the two but Roddick has reeled off 4 straight victories since.

Tommy Haas (12) v Nikolay Davydenko (3)

Tommy Haas and Nikolay Davydenko pick up where they left off at the last Grand Slam of 2006. At the US Open that year, both players met at the same stage of the tournament that they will do in Melbourne. Davydenko overcame a two set disadvantage to move on to the semi-finals of the US Open where he lost to eventual champion, Roger Federer. Haas comes in off the back of knocking out number eight seed, David Nalbandian. The German was in trouble a set down and facing break points, but recovered and eventually eased to victory against a visibly exhausted Nalbandian whose tank was left empty after earlier difficulties with his draw. Davydenko recorded his fifth win over Tomas Berdych, winning a nervy fourth set tie-break to complete his victory. With a 2-0 head to head advantage, the Russian will be favourite to advance to the semi-finals.

Fernando Gonzalez (10) v Rafael Nadal (2)

Fernando Gonzalez and Rafael Nadal became the 5th and 6th active players to at least reach the quarter-finals of all four Grand Slam events. Gonzalez has done so off the back of victories against talented youngsters, Evgeny Korolev and Juan Martin Del Potro, as well as home favourite, Lleyton Hewitt, and number five seed and perennial Grand Slam flop, James Blake. The Chilean was in particularly devastating form against Hewitt, and followed that up with a straight sets win over Blake. Rafael Nadal enters the last eight after what is surely the match of the tournament thus far against Andy Murray. Nadal trailed 7-6, 4-1 before scratching and clawing his way back into the match, running out an eventual winner in 5 dramatic and tension filled sets. Gonzalez leads the head to head by two victories to one, and will be hoping to replicate the hard court victory he obtained in 2004 at the Miami Masters. Nadal is an altogether different proposition now to what he was then, so the challenge facing Gonzalez is vast.

Sports Magician will be previewing the semi-finals upon completion of the quarter-finals. Tell Sports Magician who will be making the last four and going on to claim the title.

Australian Open Men's 4th Round Preview (Part Two)

2007-01-21T09:58:00.000Z

David Nalbandian (8) v Tommy Haas (12)

David Nalbandian’s participation in the Australian Open was in doubt due to injury; his continued participation has been in further doubt on two occasions in his first three matches. Nalbandian has developed a reputation for being able to recover from two sets down, and not only did he do that in his matches with Janko Tipsarevic and Sebastien Grosjean, he also saved match points in both encounters. The Argentine has a very consistent record in Australia, in the past four years he has made three quarter finals and last year was a semi-finalist. His opponent in the last sixteen will be German twelfth seed, Tommy Haas. Also a former semi-finalist in Melbourne, Haas has not yet dropped a set on his way to the fourth round. Due to the poor weather, Haas’s third round match with compatriot Florian Mayer was pushed back by a day. However, by winning in straight sets, Haas should still be fresh to play tomorrow. While Nalbandian took a much needed day off. Haas leads the head to head 2-0, winning their last meeting in the Paris Masters in 2005 in straight sets.

Tomas Berdych (13) v Nikolay Davydenko (3)

Nikolay Davydenko was another injury doubt pre-tournament, but has safely made his way to the fourth round. The Russian with a career high ranking after an excellent 2006 campaign; will be hoping to at least equal his performances in 2005 and 2006 where he made the last eight in Melbourne. Wishing to minimise any further injury damage, Davydenko will have been glad to reach this stage without dropping a set. Standing in Davydenko’s way to the quarter-finals is talented Czech, Tomas Berdych. The tennis world has been waiting for Berdych to produce in a Grand Slam event, and that time may be now. Should Berdych win, he will move on to the last eight of a Grand Slam for the first time in his young career. In order to achieve that goal, Berdych will have to beat Davydenko for the first time at the fifth attempt.

James Blake (5) v Fernando Gonzalez (10)

James Blake is hoping to back up a career year in 2006, by making his first Grand Slam quarter-final outside of the US Open. The American stormed through his opening two rounds before winning a very scrappy affair with Robby Ginepri. Blake took the first two sets of the match, which could have gone the other way, before eventually wrapping up the win in straight sets. His fourth round opponent, Chilean Fernando Gonzalez, comes in off the back of ending Australian involvement in the tournament after a four set win over Lleyton Hewitt. Gonzalez played flawless tennis for the first two sets, ripping off winners and keeping unforced errors at a minimum. Blake and Gonzalez have met six times, winning three matches each. Their last battle took place in America during a Davis Cup tie on grass, Gonzalez winning 10-8 in the 5th.

Andy Murray (15) v Rafael Nadal (2)

Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal meet for the first time in their careers, with both looking to reach the last eight in Melbourne for the first time also. Murray, under the guidance of Brad Gilbert, has risen at a fast rate through the rankings since his last visit to Melbourne. As with a number of other players in the last sixteen, Murray has reached this stage without dropping a set, winning his first round match with Alberto Martin for the loss of just one game. Rafael Nadal entered the Australian Open off the back of a below par six months in comparison to the standards he has set since bursting on the scene. Having emphasised a need to improve his serve, Nadal has seemingly done just that, serving harder than he had done so in 2006 with a good first serve percentage. The Spaniard followed up a largely average performance in the second round with his most impressive display thus far in the third round against Stanislas Wawrinka. Nadal winning comfortably in straight sets and ended the match with a devastating forehand winner that was possibly the shot of the tournament so far.

Sports Magician will be previewing the quarter-finals of the men’s event.

Australian Open 4th Round Men's Preview (Part 1)

2007-01-20T06:21:00.000Z

The Australian Open is down to the last sixteen, the business end of the tournament begins here. A week of good tennis in what have been some very testing conditions at times brings us these eight matches.

Roger Federer (1) v Novak Djokovic (14)

Post-draw a Federer v Djokovic encounter was always on the cards, and both players have kept their appointments. The world number one and defending champion, Roger Federer, has steadily eased through his first three rounds, triumphing over Bjorn Phau, Jonas Bjorkman and Mikhail Youzhny in straight sets as expected. Djokovic has continued his excellent start to the season, following on from his tournament victory in Adelaide. The young Serb destroyed Chile’s Nicolas Massu in round one for the loss of just two games. He followed that up with wins over Feliciano Lopez and Danai Udomchoke. Federer leads the head to head 2-0, both victories coming in 2006. There is some added spice to this match, after some disparaging comments Federer made about Djokovic and his propensity to claim injury following their Davis Cup meeting in Switzerland. Djokovic is talking a good game and hopefully he will be able to see it through, if so we could all be treated to an excellent match.

Richard Gasquet (18) v Tommy Robredo (7)

Tommy Robredo has so far lived up to his seeding and made relatively short work of his draw, with wins against Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo, Jurgen Melzer and Sam Querrey. The Spaniard has lost one set in the process, losing a tie-break to American wildcard, Sam Querrey. Twenty year old Frenchman, Richard Gasquet, came through his opening two rounds with flying colours, recording straight sets win over Filippo Volandri and Amer Delic. In the third round he was presented with the challenge of a French civil war against Gael Monfils. Gasquet was able to overcome the athletic and jack in the box nature of Monfils’s game, winning in four sets to advance to the fourth round of the Australian Open. In three previous visits to Melbourne, Gasquet had not won a match. The players have met on two previous occasions and have split meetings. Robredo won the most recent match at the Cincinnati Masters in 2006.

Mardy Fish v David Ferrer (16)

Few would have predicted this meeting in the last sixteen, seeing David Ferrer here is not too surprising. Coming into Melbourne on the back of a title in Auckland, where he defeated Fish in the semi-finals, Ferrer has continued to exhibit his ability to never admit defeat. The sixteenth seed overcame Kristian Pless and Thomas Johansson, before showing his battling qualities to the full, coming back from two sets down against Radek Stepanek. Mardy Fish took out number four seed Ivan Ljubicic in round one, and has backed up that victory by reaching the last sixteen. That victory came in four sets, and another four set win over Nicolas Mahut, set up a third round meeting with home favourite, Wayne Arthurs. The Aussie would be playing in Melbourne for the last time, and it was a great shame for him to have to retire after just three games of his match with Fish. The head to head stands at two apiece, with Ferrer’s previously mentioned victory in Auckland just last week being their most recent encounter. Ferrer will be the favourite to make the last eight.

Mario Ancic (9) v Andy Roddick (6)

A meeting of two big servers will determine who moves on to the quarter-finals. The pair have combined for 73 aces thus far in Melbourne. Ancic has reached this stage with wins over Go Soeda, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and Dominik Hrbaty. Roddick has been well tested already in his first three rounds. A set and a break down in his first round match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the American was in danger of a first round knock out. However, he was able to turn that match around and followed that up with a victory over another French opponent, Marc Gicquel. The anticipated blockbuster between Roddick and Marat Safin materialised after the Russian was able to win two five set matches in his opening rounds. The difference in the third round battle was evident in two critical tie-breaks in the 1st and 4th sets, Roddick served with authority and stamped on Safin the moment an error was made. Off the back of a moral boosting win against Roger Federer (albeit an exhibition), Roddick looks well placed to make the last four and another possible meeting with the world number one. Ancic has failed to record a victory against Roddick in four previous meetings.

Part two of the 4th round previews will be posted upon completion of the 3rd round matches which have been held up by rain.

Australian Open Men's Preview 2007

2007-01-12T23:58:00.000Z

The first Grand Slam of the season is almost upon us; the draw has been made, and has thrown up the usual dissections of the 128 man field. Here is a look at what the draw has delivered and the possibilities over the next two weeks.

Easy pickings for Federer

The first quarter of any slam draw in the past few years has seen the same man waltz through each time – world number one, Roger Federer. Between 2004 and 2006, Federer has failed to negotiate his quarter only once (Roland Garros 2004), often ending up with the trophy or a semi-final place at worst. Few would be brave enough (or indeed foolish enough) to suggest he will not continue his efficiency in disposing of his quarters. His toughest test looks likely to come in the 4th round in the form of Novak Djokovic.

Other players and matches to keep an eye on; Can Juan Carlos Ferrero break the losing streak? The former King of Clay has lost six matches on the spin dating back to last season, and will be hoping to remind himself of what victory tastes like against Jan Hajek. Before Djokovic can think of a meeting with Federer, he will first have to get past double Olympic gold medallist, Nicolas Massu. Last year’s final could be this year’s quarter-final, if Marcos Baghdatis can get that far for a re-match with Federer. Three of the ATP’s current crop of young talents have been drawn in close proximity, Baghdatis, Gael Monfils and Richard Gasquet. However, 7th seed Tommy Robredo will be looking to uphold his ranking and make the quarter-finals at the expense of these youngsters.

The quarter of aces

A quarter containing Ivan Ljubicic, Mario Ancic, Joachim Johansson, Marat Safin and Andy Roddick can be described as nothing else. Despite the excellent serving likely to be on show from these players, only one at best will be making it out of this quarter in what would be a likely showdown with Roger Federer. Undoubtedly, the most anticipated match up of the first week is a possible 3rd round encounter between Safin and Roddick.

Mario Ancic and Joachim Johansson are set for a 2nd round meeting, meaning that at least two of these four big servers will be gone by the start of the 4th round. Ivan Ljubicic will like his chances of at least equalling his Melbourne performance from 2006, where he reached the quarter-finals. Before last year’s Australian Open, Ljubicic had never been beyond the 3rd round of any Grand Slam in 25 attempts. He backed up his Australian Open effort, by making the last four at the French Open, but has since reverted back to type with 3rd and 1st round exits at Wimbledon and the US Open respectively.

Who wants it?

The highest seeds in the third quarter are Nikolay Davydenko (3) and David Nalbandian (8), not only do they share the same quarter but they also share doubts over their fitness after early season injuries. At the time of writing both players are expected to start the tournament, but whether that remains the case is to be seen, or how long their injuries will hold up if indeed they do begin the tournament at all. There is never a good time to be injured, and both players will be cursing their luck, as each of them will consider they have strong possibilities to come through this quarter.

Brotherly love may be in order in the 2nd round if the Rochus (Olivier & Christophe) brothers can win their 1st round encounters and meet in the following round. Both face tough challenges in the form of Chris Guccione (for Olivier) and Sebastian Grosjean (for Christophe).

Looking to take advantage of the doubts surrounding Davydenko and Nalbandian, will be Tomas Berdych and Tommy Haas. It is approaching the time where tennis fans want to see if Berdych can realise some of his potential in Slams, or whether he will prove to be more hype than substance. The Czech has not yet been past the 4th round of a Slam in 13 attempts, and has an especially poor record to date in Melbourne (2 wins in 3 years). Tommy Haas has been to two Australian Open semi-finals in his career and will be hoping he can take advantage of a draw that sees him avoid Roger Federer (in early 2006 Haas saw Federer block his path in a number of tournaments).

Xavier Malisse versus Arnaud Clement is the pick of the 1st round matches from this quarter.

Who wants it II?

Number two seed, Rafael Nadal, cannot be considered a hot favourite to come through the bottom quarter given his form since Wimbledon 2006. The Spaniard began the season in Chennai, but was disposed of by Malisse, and then had to withdraw in the first set of his tournament in Sydney against Guccione. The injury is not considered serious enough to put his participation in doubt, but nonetheless it is a possible factor counting against him going deep.

In the match of the 1st round, James Blake faces Carlos Moya (both players will be meeting later today in the final in Sydney). The winner of the clash in Sydney will not only pick up a title, but also a huge psychological boost going into the battle in Melbourne. The pressure is on Blake to start delivering in Slams, as of yet, he has failed to reach the quarter-finals of a Slam outside of the USA.

Lleyton Hewitt comes into the 2007 tournament with a new coach, Scott Draper, after Roger Rasheed cut his ties with the former world number one. Hewitt will be encouraged to have avoided a number of players with the potential to blow him off court, and this represents an opportunity for him to build on the quarter-finals he made in the final two Slams of 2006. His first big challenge could come in the form of Fernando Gonzalez in the 3rd round. The Chilean has the firepower to shoot Hewitt down, and it could be another explosive 3rd round match to go with Safin-Roddick.

Another player who will be hoping to go deep into the second week is Andy Murray. A possible 4th round match with Nadal awaits him should both players reach that stage.

Let Sports Magician know how you see the draw developing. Sports Magician will be commenting on the Australian Open during the course of the two weeks.

ATP Week One Review

2007-01-07T15:46:00.000Z

After the first week of the ATP season, Novak Djokovic, Ivan Ljubicic and Xavier Malisse were the happiest men on tour after winning titles in Adelaide, Doha and Chennai respectively. Adelaide saw the introduction of the round-robin system for the first time on the ATP Tour. During the group phase, seven of the eight groups were won by a player with a 100% record (two wins from two). Group four had to be decided by percentage of sets won after Joachim Johansson, Florent Serra and Gilles Simon ended the round-robin action with a win each. Johansson’s straight sets win over Simon proved crucial and enabled the Swede to progress.

The biggest shock of the group phase saw Lleyton Hewitt knocked out by Igor Kunitsyn, and soon after losing his coach too, as Roger Rasheed jumped ship claiming that ‘within the current environment, I don’t believe it is possible for us to get the results we are looking for.’ Hewitt has since pulled out of Sydney and his participation in the Australian Open may be in some doubt also.

The quarter-final line up consisted of some the younger talents on tour expected to achieve greater things in the years ahead, Novak Djokovic, Juan-Martin Del Potro and Richard Gasquet. The Frenchman, Gasquet, fell at the quarter-final stage to Chris Guccione, an Australian wildcard. Djokovic safely moved on to the last four, while Del Potro had his quarter-final delayed by rain. With the prospect of having to play two matches in a day to reach the final, the 18 year old Argentine, crushed Kunitsyn for the loss of just two games. The semi-final was a far tighter affair and eventually it was Guccione who progressed, winning 7-5 in the 3rd. Djokovic ensured his passage to the final with a straight sets win over Johansson (who like Del Potro had to play twice in a day).

For the first time in the tournament, Djokovic was taken the distance, but still prevailed over Guccione to claim the third title of his career.

Meanwhile in India, many expected to see a long awaited encounter between Rafael Nadal and David Nalbandian, the top two seeds in the tournament. However, neither player made the final. Having celebrated his 25th birthday a day earlier, Nalbandian was knocked out in the first round by Kristian Pless. Nalbandian cited tendonitis in the left leg as a reason for his early departure, and his participation in Melbourne for the Australian is also in some doubt. The exit of the Argentine had all eyes focused on world number two, Rafael Nadal. Without a title since the French Open in 2006, Nadal would have hoped to go on and claim the title in Chennai to get his 2007 season off on the right note.

After recording three routine victories, the Spaniard met Xavier Malisse in the last four, and his tournament came to an end. Malisse triumphed 6-4, 7-6 in an entertaining encounter. His opponent in the final would be Austria’s Stefan Koubek, who produced some excellent tennis on his way to the final, including two emphatic victories against Paradorn Srichaphan and Carlos Moya.

Malisse claimed the second title of his career after a comprehensive 6-1, 6-3 victory. It was his first title since 2005, while Koubek last won a title in 2003.
The tournament in Doha was without its defending champion and world number one, Roger Federer. Two of the world’s top five were present, Nikolay Davydenko and Ivan Ljubicic. Last year’s finalist, Gael Monfils, was unable to replicate his performance from the previous year, losing in straight sets to Mikhail Youzhny. The outstanding performance of the week came from Sweden’s Robin Soderling, who completely outplayed and outclassed Marcos Baghdatis in the quarter-finals. His reward was a semi-final with Ivan Ljubicic after the Croat had taken out Youzhny in a third set tie-break. The Croat would repeat the trick in the semi-final, after Soderling had to contend with the disappointment of being unable to serve out the match at 5-4 in the third.

In the other half of the draw, the seeds upheld their rankings, as Davydenko faced Andy Murray in the last four. Murray had lost his previous two encounters with the Russian and on this occasion was able to gain a measure of revenge by winning 7-5, 6-2. The final between Ljubicic and Murray began with a 14 minute game, where Ljubicic was able to eventually hold serve. The big serving Croatian went on to claim the title 6-4, 6-4, picking up his seventh career title. Up to 2005, Ljubicic had only won one title, but has won six in the past couple of years during the best period of his career.

The ATP Tour moves on to Auckland and Sydney before the first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne begins on January 15th.

Here Comes The Season

2006-12-29T20:54:00.000Z

The 2007 ATP Tennis season begins in the coming days; Sports Magician previews what we may learn over the next twelve months. The season begins with tournaments in Adelaide, Chennai and Doha. Adelaide is an appropriate place to start given the nature of the tournament this year, the first to experience the Round-Robin format.

- How will Round-Robin play out?
Sports Magician is against the introduction of Round-Robin tournaments on the tour, although at an “experimental” stage and not yet to be seen at Masters Series events or Grand Slams. The possibility of dead matches is clear to see, and will undoubtedly happen on many occasions this season. The idea that you either win or go home puts an edge on each and every match. Taking this away is of no benefit to the fan, or even the players. During a gruelling season, there are often times when a player “tanks” a match here or there, regardless of how obvious it may or may not be, even if the intention is not there to do so, sometimes the body or mind doesn’t allow anything different. Now players know they can lose, and still possibly go through to the latter stages, providing a different slant on the mentality and mindset of players. Even if it is just subconscious, it will be evident during the season.

The ATP state that their research indicates that tennis fans are in favour of Round-Robin events, and it would be interesting to know what their precise results are. Visit any message board with passionate tennis fans presenting their views, and those who oppose Round-Robin far outweigh those in favour. Furthermore, it could even be said that a fair portion of those in “favour” are simply waiting to see how things play out before giving a definitive judgement, rather than believing the change will be of genuine benefit.

The move is for sponsors and TV primarily, and the ATP will fail in their attempts to dress it up as anything else. Money talks, and the ATP are in danger of thinking more about money than the future and integrity of the sport. Sports Magician will not be sitting on the fence on this issue that is for sure, and hopes that the “experiment” proves to be a failure, so the tour can get back to a sense of consistency.

The ATP believes the move will enable fans to get to see the top players in action, provided they will have at least two matches to compete in. And as it happens, the tour’s number one player, Roger Federer, will not be playing any of the Round-Robin tournaments.

- Can Roger Federer be any more dominant?
Roger Federer states that his priorities for the season remain retaining the number one ranking and winning Wimbledon (the first Grand Slam he got his hands on). However, in order to differentiate this season from his outstanding last three seasons (particularly the last two), Federer will need to dominate on clay the way he has done everywhere else. In 2006, the boy from Basel came three matches away from arguably the most incredible year any individual or team has had in sports. Losing clay court finals to world number two, Rafael Nadal, in Monte Carlo, Rome (Federer had two match points) and Roland Garros (the Mecca of clay court tennis) prevented Federer from completing what would have been a historic season that would surely never be equalled and certainly not bettered.

Federer is 0-4 on clay v Nadal, he came as close as you can in Rome when he held two match points, neither of which he was able to convert. Despite beating Nadal since the Roland Garros final on two occasions (Wimbledon & Shanghai), Nadal can still count on a psychological dominance over Federer on clay, and one of the more intriguing storylines of 2007 will be whether Federer can break this hold. Hopefully both players will be fit and healthy come the European clay court season for us to be able to sit back, enjoy and find out.

- Can Rafael Nadal reverse the slump?
It seems absurd to ask such a question of a twenty year old who has won two Grand Slam titles, made another Grand Slam final and won six Masters Series events in the past two seasons, and yet the question is being asked by more than a few people. Nadal had a poor second half of the season in 2006. Having reached the Wimbledon final, Nadal’s season stalled completely and he did not advance past the quarter finals of any tournament until the season ending Masters Cup in Shanghai.

The Spaniard missed last year’s Australian Open, and it will be interesting to see how he fares in Melbourne in a few weeks on the reportedly speeded up courts. It won’t be long before Nadal is on clay again, and as he did in 2006, he will face the pressure of having to defend titles in Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Rome and Roland Garros. Will he be beaten on clay this year? Sports Magician believes it will happen, but it remains to be seen by who and when. Roger Federer is clearly the prime candidate. Post-Wimbledon will be the true test of Nadal’s progression, and all eyes will be on him to see if he has adjusted his style on hard and indoor courts to improve on the poor results he achieved in the latter half of 2006.

- Can Andy Roddick continue the resurgence?
After a poor first half of the season in 2006, where he was comprehensively outplayed by Scot Andy Murray, at Wimbledon, Roddick teamed up with Jimmy Connors and experienced a revival in the second half of the season. He won the Cincinnati Masters and followed that up with an appearance in the US Open final. There is an apparent sting and zip back in Roddick’s game and attitude that seemed lacking early in 2006. Unlikely to ever achieve much on clay in the more high profile tournaments (Masters events and Roland Garros), Roddick’s season will be judged on what he can achieve elsewhere, and whether the fire that Connors has lit under him will continue to burn or fizzle out.

- Can David Nalbandian fulfil his potential?
No longer able to call himself the reigning Masters Cup champion, the Argentine ended the 2006 season by leading his nation into their first Davis Cup final in twenty-five years. Nalbandian proved what many are already well aware of, that he has the talent to be a Grand Slam champion, by beating Nikolay Davydenko and Marat Safin in Moscow for the loss of just one set. Whether Nalbandian will ever be able to translate his talent into a tangible Grand Slam triumph and not simply a series of consistent showings that result in semi-final appearances (he also made the Wimbledon final in 2002) will likely be answered in the next two or three years. Each passing year indicates that the potential will remain unfulfilled, and 2007 represents a significant year in the career of David Nalbandian in the eyes of Sports Magician. Time is running out and the window of opportunity shuts far quicker than it opens.

- Can the newcomers stick around?
2006 saw four new names end the year in the top ten of the men’s tour. James Blake, Tommy Robredo, Mario Ancic and Fernando Gonzalez had career years. Blake and Robredo particularly had outstanding years. Blake won five titles and made the final of a Masters Series event and the Masters Cup. Meanwhile, Robredo won his first Masters Series title in Hamburg. Competition is fierce, and there are a number of very talented young players maturing by the week and looking to break into the elite and turn these four players into ‘one season wonders’. Sports Magician believes it will be a tough ask for all four to still be in the top ten come the end of the season and that rather than Blake or Robredo, Mario Ancic has the greater chance to still be there. Ancic, a player yet to fully justify the hype around him in previous years, had a quietly strong 2006 despite missing significant time with injury.

- Can the young guns make some noise?
The ATP, as mentioned, has a number of very talented young players on the verge of taking the step from promise to fulfilment. Marcos Baghdatis, Tomas Berdych, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Richard Gasquet lie waiting to jump into the top ten, all of these players currently sit between twelve and eighteen in the rankings. In addition, there is Gael Monfils, currently lower down in the rankings at forty-six, who will be hoping for an injury free 2007 to show what he is fully capable of. Another name to bear in mind that may not be able to make the impact that the already mentioned youngsters might in 2007, but is certainly a player that will be likely to in 2008, is Juan-Martin Del Potro, currently ranked ninety-second on the tour. By the end of the season, his name will be far more familiar to you.

Sports Magician believes at least two of these youngsters will be sitting in the top ten in twelve months, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic being the likely candidates.

- Can elite players of the recent past return to the top ten?
Between 2000-2005, names such as Lleyton Hewitt, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Guillermo Coria and Marat Safin were regular fixtures in the top ten, but in 2006, none of them sat amongst the elite. All of them have suffered for one reason or another, be it injury, politics on and off the court, or just simply a loss of form and confidence that they have forever been trying to regain. Hewitt’s 2006 season was highlighted by winning Queens. Ferrero’s was credible for making a Masters Series final in Cincinnati. Safin salvaged some joy from his season by winning the deciding rubber in the Davis Cup final versus Argentina. There was no such joy for Coria, who doesn’t just sit outside the top ten at present, but the top one hundred.

The Magician whose plight was documented in the latter period of this year faces a significant challenge to rediscover his past form and successes that took him to number three in the world only two and a half years ago.

Sports Magician believes Marat Safin has the greatest chance to find himself back in the top ten sooner rather than later.

Tell Sports Magician what you feel the 2007 season will bring by leaving a comment.

Champions League First Round KO Previews

2006-12-23T13:54:00.000Z

The draw for the knock out stage of the UEFA Champions League was made last week, Sports Magician previews the match ups and takes a look at which sides are likely to progress in Europe's premier club competition.

PSV v Arsenal

With little or no chance of challenging for the Premiership title, Arsenal will have been relieved to have come through a tight group containing Porto and CSKA Moscow. Losing finalists in the 2005/2006 competition, Arsenal will be hoping to go one better and a tie with PSV represents a fair chance to progress further. PSV qualified with room to spare from their group and have been flying domestically, winning 15 of 17 league games. PSV will be hoping to take a lead to the Emirates Stadium, but Arsenal should be too strong over two legs.

Verdict - Arsenal move on.

Real Madrid v Bayern Munich

Two giants of European club football clash in the first round of knock out matches. Both sides qualified comfortably from their respective groups, Bayern winning theirs and Real Madrid finishing behind Lyon. Real have reinforced their side with the signings of two young Argentines, forward Gonzalo Higuain, but more significantly, midfielder Fernando Gago. The midfield partnership of Diarra-Emerson has not excelled, and Gago is likely to partner Diarra and produce a better fit. Bayern having lost the services of Ballack in the summer, may yet lose Owen Hargreaves too in the January window. This tie is unlikely to be settled early, but Sports Magician believes Real Madrid will just edge the encounter.

Verdict - Real Madrid to squeeze through.

Lille v Manchester United

All the sides who won their group would have wanted Lille, Manchester United were the lucky team to get them. Lille beat Manchester United not long ago in the Champions League group stage, but over two legs, that triumph is unlikely to be repeated. Manchester United have far too much in all areas for Lille to contend with, and may well win both legs.

Verdict - Manchester United win both legs.

Celtic v AC Milan

Celtic's reward for making the KO stage is a tie with the Rossonerri. A famous victory over Manchester United secured Celtic's passage through the group stage, and they may fancy a crack at an AC Milan side that has been far from impressive all season. Still failing to cope with the loss of Andrei Shevchenko and the points handicap in Serie A, Milan's season now rests entirely on this competition. Reinforcements are needed, and it remains to be seen if Milan will bring in fresh blood to support Kaka, who has been the only shining light for Milan thus far. Celtic are still underdogs for this tie, despite Milan's troubles. The 'Hoops' will need to secure a home win to take to Milan to stand a chance of pulling off an upset.

Verdict - Milan still too much for Celtic.

Barcelona v Liverpool

The winners of the past two years match up in the KO stage. Barcelona will still be without the services of Samuel Eto'o, but should be able to call on the return of Lionel Messi to reduce the burden on Ronaldinho. Barcelona have been in good form of late, but failed to win the World Club Championship. Liverpool will hope to keep things tight in the first leg, and look to have a memorable night at Anfield to take them through. Sports Magician believes Barcelona are still the team to beat in the competition, and that Liverpool aren't the team to beat them.

Verdict - The holders march on.

Internazionale v Valencia

The tie of the round. Inter have been in exceptional form in Serie A, and only a major collapse domestically will stop them from failing to win Lo Scudetto. Hernan Crespo has been in sparkling form since returning to Italy from Chelsea, and Inter have looked strong in all departments ever since beating Milan 4-3 in the derby. Valencia have had to deal with a never ending injury list, and their resources are being stretched if they hope to challenge for La Liga and the Champions League. This should be a very tight affair, with Inter's greater options upfront possibly seeing them through.

Verdict - Inter...Just.

Porto v Chelsea

Jose Mourinho takes his Chelsea side to the home of his former club, where he left winning the trophy he hopes to win with Chelsea, the Champions League. Chelsea topped a strong group that contained Barcelona and Werder Bremen. Didier Drogba has been in outstanding form all season, while Shevchenko has often looked lost and out of place in the Chelsea system. Porto, led from midfield by Lucho Gonzalez, have played some enterprising football thus far. They won't make it easy for Chelsea, but Mourinho's side should get the better of his former club.

Verdict - Porto to promise a scare, but fail to deliver. Chelsea go through.

Roma v Lyon

One of the less clear cut ties of the KO stage. Lyon won their group with ease and continue to be the 'dark horse' pick, although by now, everyone should be aware of the danger they pose. Once again Lyon are dominating their domestic league, winning 16 of 18 matches, and standing 17 points clear at the time of writing. Roma are still hoping to catch Inter in Serie A, but that looks unlikely. This is a very difficult tie to call in what should be a couple of entertaining matches.

Verdict - Lyon to move on.

Let Sports Magician know how you see the ties developing, by leaving a comment, and voting for who you feel will win this year's competition in the poll you will find on the sidebar of this page.

Estudiantes Take Advantage Of Boca Collapse

2006-12-14T23:07:00.000Z

The playoff for the Apertura title in Argentina ended in the same way the previous two weeks had, with Boca Juniors throwing away the chance to win a third successive title. The never say die spirit of Estudiantes, coached by Diego Simeone, once again proved it's worth as the 'Pinchas' won their first title in twenty-three years.

Going into the match were two teams that couldn't be more different in terms of moral and momentum. Boca had only needed one point from their final two games, and surprisingly collapsed. Having gone 17 games in the Apertura with only one defeat (in the Superclasico to River), Boca experienced back to back defeats, and lost at home for the first time during the campaign to Lanus. Estudiantes went on a remarkable run from September 24th, winning eleven and drawing one of their last twelve matches. And even their draw was only due to an injury time equaliser from Argentinos Jrs.

Boca needed to start the playoff well, and they did just that. A nicely worked move found lifelong Estudiantes fan, Martin Palermo, at the far post and he volleyed in to give Boca a 1-0 advantage. The first half largely belonged to Boca, with other chances coming their way, most notably through Rodrigo Palacio. Estudiantes came close themselves with Mariano Pavone's strike hitting the post. Towards the end of the first half, both sides were reduced to ten men, after the sendings off of Pablo Alvarez and Pablo Ledesma. The decision seemed harsh on Ledesma who had fallen over the top of Alvarez, who promptly got up and kicked the Boca player while he lay on the ground.

Soon after, Cata Diaz came close for Boca from a free kick, and Estudiantes were happy to go in at the half just down by Palermo's solitary strike. The second half was a different story, Boca sat back and invited pressure which Estudiantes were happy to apply. Their equaliser came from a wonderfully clipped free kick by Jose Sosa. That strike stung Boca into action, and for the first time in the second half they began to re-establish themselves in the match. The Boca front two of Palacio and Palermo were almost non-existent for the entire second half.

With ten minutes to go, Mariano Pavone, took advantage of some hesistant defending, clipped the ball over Bobadilla and looped his header into the corner beyond the despairing dive of Claudio Morel Rodríguez. Boca never looked like equalising, and for the third match in a row they had been unable to secure the Apertura title.

The scenes at the end were pure joy for Estudiantes players, coaches and fans, while Boca players bowed their heads after another opportunity slipped away. But this time, there would be no tomorrow. Ricardo La Volpe, who took over the reins after 'Coco' Basile had left to take up the position as Argentina coach, ended his short and unsuccessful stint in charge by resigning. La Volpe took over a Boca side that were defending the Apertura and Sudamericana titles, that had just won the Recopa, and had not long before produced an extraordinary display that saw them triumph 7-1 away to San Lorenzo.

La Volpe's time at Boca will not be remembered fondly. Meanwhile, Diego Simeone has already won a title despite being a coach for only one year, and possibly a future appointment as coach of Argentina awaits him down the line.

The Apertura was too often in the news for the continued scenes of crowd violence and player intimidation. Estudiantes will feel justice has been served after Gimnasia LP conceaded victory to Boca in a match that was no more than a sham, after Gimnasia players had been subject to threats from their own fans should they take any points off Boca and thus help the cause of Estudiantes, their rivals.

The Clausura begins on February 11 2007, and already some names will be missing, but likely to be filled by the never ending conveyor belt of talent that originates from Argentina. Real Madrid have completed the signing of River forward, Gonzalo Higuain, while Fernando Gago of Boca Juniors is expected to make the same move soon. Although Boca are still hoping that Gago will stay until the Summer.

If you have not yet seen the goals from the playoff for the title, you can do so in the video clip below.

Following the draw for the knock out phase of the UEFA Champions League, Sports Magician will be taking a look ahead to the match ups and analysing the encounters.

One Match, One Title

2006-12-12T06:16:00.000Z

On Wednesday December 13th at the home of Vélez Sarsfield, the Apertura title in Argentina will be decided by a one off playoff match. Having finished on 44pts each, Boca Juniors and Estudiantes will bring to a climax a few months which has seen more violence and controversy dominating the state of domestic Argentine football, instead of the football itself.

It promises to be a tension filled match, with everything at stake. We have arrived at such a scenario after a dramatic set of results on Sunday. Boca, needing just one point at home to Lanus to secure the title, lost in La Bombonera for the first time in this Apertura campaign. Meanwhile, Estudiantes had to wait until the dying minutes to secure victory over Arsenal (no, not THAT Arsenal), and force a playoff.

Sports Magician will be commenting the day after the match, on the encounter itself and reviewing the Apertura campaign as a whole for 2006. Sports Magician would like to wish both sets of teams and fans the best of luck, and hopes that the victory for either club is just and is not marred in controversy.

Davis Cup Final 2006 Goes Down To The Wire

2006-12-04T15:22:00.000Z

The 2006 Davis Cup Final produced a fantastic end to the tennis season, as the destiny of the trophy went down to the wire. Going into Sunday with a 2-1 lead and playing at home, the Russians looked well set to claim their second Davis Cup triumph in their history and still leave Argentina searching for that maiden moment of glory. The Sunday reverse singles kicked off with a battle of the respective top players from each nation - Nikolay Davydenko and David Nalbandian.

Nikolay Davydenko v David Nalbandian
Coming into the match off a poor performance in the doubles the day before, Nalbandian hoped to rectify that by keeping Argentina alive. Meanwhile, Davydenko was hoping to cap off a career year by winning the point that would deliver the Davis Cup title to his nation. Nalbandian came in off the back of a 3 match winning streak over the Russian, dating back to their TMC semi-final in 2005.

Nalbandian continued the dominance in the opening 2 sets, brushing aside Davydenko's resistance 6-2, 6-2. The Russian later claimed that the expectation had got to him and he froze for a large part of the match. Nalbandian as ever relishing the atmosphere and responsibility of Davis Cup, had no such problems playing with freedom.

It looked like Davydenko had the chance to turn the match having taken the 3rd set 6-4, and breaking early in the 4th. However, Nalbandian was not to be denied and came roaring back to claim the 4th set and the match 6-4. It capped off another impressive Nalbandian Davis Cup weekened, arguably the most impressive of them all having defeated Safin and Davydenko in Moscow for the loss of just one set. Despite not being able to produce a strong performance in doubles, Nalbandian had single handedly kept Argentina alive and in with a chance.

Russia 2-2 Argentina

Marat Safin v Jose Acasuso
And so to the decisive rubber, Russia contemplated on whether to substitute Safin with Tursunov, and ended up deciding that Safin's greater big match experience would be the telling factor in such an important match. Argentina were never likely to stick with Chela for the reverse singles, and Jose Acasuso was drafted in for his first action of the weekend. Acasuso had only made his Davis Cup debut in 2006, and had not tasted defeat. Winning all his singles matches and being half of the doubles team that won in Croatia.

Safin took the initiative and broke early, eventually taking the first set 6-3. Acasuso did not wilt in what was the biggest match of his career to date, coming back to the take the 2nd set by the same scoreline. The 3rd set would be crucial to the outcome of the match, and having broken Acasuso, Safin looked set to win it. However, the Argentine broke back but then immediately lost serve. Safin went on to take the set 6-3.

The 4th set saw some immense service games from both players, and soon a tie-break was to decide it. Safin got the mini-break, and worked his way to two match points at 6-4. Acasuso retrieved the mini-break, and then served at 5-6 down. The Argentine netted a forehand, and the Russians went wild with joy. Lifting Safin up, in the same way they had down to Youzhny years earlier in France after another 5th rubber triumph. Acasuso broke down in tears, consoled by his captain, team mates and with words of support from the Argentine fans in the stadium, which included Diego Maradona, who had made his presence known all weekend.

Russia 3-2 Argentina

It was a fantastic way to end what is a great competition for 2006. Russia continuing to show their excellence and depth of tennis both in the mens and womens game. For Argentina, another tough away loss. A home final for Argentina will surely result in nothing but a formality and a long awaited Davis Cup triumph. Few sides could go to Russia and put up such a fight, despite having to contend with missing players who for one reason or another were not in the form or condition to add their talents to the Argentine side.

The draw for 2007 had already been made a number of weeks ago. Russia face a very tough match in Chile for their 1st round. Don't be surprised if the Chileans end the Russians reign as champions very quickly. Argentina must travel to Austria, possibly without the services of David Nalbandian, who is under instruction from his camp to cut down on his Davis Cup excursions for the sake of his individual tour career. It remains to be seen what happens on that score, Nalbandian takes great pride in representing Argentina, and has carried the side more or less for the past 18 months. It would be a great shame for he not to be available, but Argentina will have other options to fill the void like Guillermo Canas and the next star of Argentine tennis, Juan Martin Del Potro, a name you are likely to be hearing from alot in the near future.

Sports Magician hoped you enjoyed the Davis Cup this year, and would like to read your thoughts on the 2006 tournament and the possibilities for 2007. Please feel free to add your comments and feelings.

Let Sports Magician know who you feel will win the Davis Cup next year by voting in the poll which you will find on the sidebar. Thanks, look forward to seeing how the voting goes.

For a taste of what the atmosphere and build up was like for the players, see here as Nalbandian and Davydenko walk through on to court, as the chants of the fans become more evident the closer they get.

Russia Take Crucial Lead

2006-12-02T14:27:00.000Z

Russia took a crucial lead in the Davis Cup Final after a strong and solid display in the doubles from Marat Safin and Dmitry Tursunov. Safin was brought into the side instead of Youzhny, and helped make amends for his straight sets singles defeat to David Nalbandian a day earlier.

The Russian team took advantage of Nalbandian's serve, and held their own service games without too much trouble. It was a stark contrast from yesterday, where Nalbandian had been flawless against Safin. He was the weaker link in the Argentine team today, and with Safin and Tursunov serving so commandingly, Calleri was unable to keep the Argentine side together.

Russia lead 2-1 going into Sunday's reverse singles, and the lead could well prove to be too big a hurdle for Argentina to climb. At present the line up is scheduled to be Davydenko v Nalbandian and if needed Safin v Chela. However, don't be surprised if there are changes to this line up. Tursunov could well be brought in for Russia to play either for Davydenko or Safin. Russia clearly hold the upperhand, with a 5th rubber combination favouring them in many respects.

Sports Magician will return tomorrow to detail the conclusion of the 2006 Davis Cup Final. Feel free to add your comments on how you see the reverse singles turning out and who may be involved in them.

Strengthening The Tennis Community

2006-12-02T01:26:00.000Z

Kings of Clay & Lawntennisnews are proud to announce a collaboration that will provide the passionate tennis fan with greater avenues to read about and discuss tennis news and issues.

Kings of Clay have been in existence for just over eight months, while Lawntennisnews has been going strong for over four years.

Through this partnership, both parties hope to bring more news and features to the fans of the sport in what will hopefully be a long lasting relationship.

To find out more about this venture, please visit Kings of Clay - World Tennis Forum & Lawntennisnews through these links.
http://kingsofclay.com and http://www.lawntennisnews.com/

Honours Even

2006-12-01T19:56:00.000Z

The Davis Cup Final is evenly poised after the first day of action. Russia and Argentina each won their first point of the final thanks to their respective number ones, Nikolay Davydenko and David Nalbandian.

Nikolay Davydenko v Juan Ignacio Chela
The final began with Chela unable to convert break points, while Davydenko took his early chances. Despite a 0-5 record against Chela, Davydenko sailed through the opening two sets. Chela offered some resistance late on and snatched the third set, but never got a foothold in the fourth, as Russia drew first blood with a 6-1, 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 victory. For Davydenko it was job done and a good start for the home nation. For Chela it was a case of being unable to take his opportunities and largely looking lacklustre in comparison to his opponent.

Russia 1 - 0 Argentina

Marat Safin v David Nalbandian
Arguably the marquee match up of the weekend, Safin and Nalbandian had already played two long and tense matches this year at the US Open and Madrid Masters. This encounter was expected to be no different, Nalbandian was under a great deal of pressure with Argentina effectively facing defeat were he to lose. As ever in Davis Cup play Nalbandian rose to the occasion. Producing a masterful display and most likely his best performance of the season, Nalbandian recorded a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win. Safin had words with his captain during the match about the court surface which were not to his liking.

Russia 1 - 1 Argentina

Looking Ahead To Saturday's Doubles
At the time of writing the doubles line up for Saturday is expected to be Youzhny and Tursunov for the Russians, facing Nalbandian and Calleri for the Argentines. History suggests Argentina have the edge for what will be a pivotal doubles encounter that will have a strong bearing on who ends the weekend with smiles on their faces. Nalbandian and Calleri have a collective 13-2 record in Davis Cup doubles, and as a pair are undefeated at 2-0. Youzhny and Tursunov have a collective record of 5-7, and are winless as a pair at 0-2.

Momentum is on the side of Argentina as well as a small but loud contingent of fans courtside. With Nalbandian first up for Argentina on the Sunday reverse singles, Argentina will feel they can close out the tie 3-1. Russia will be hoping to do the same, but more likely of the view that if they can stretch the tie to a decider, Russia will be well set to win the trophy with Safin to play their 5th match and Argentina not having someone of the quality of Nalbandian to face him once more.

Sports Magician will be commenting on the doubles upon completion and looking ahead to Sunday where the Davis Cup Final 2006 will reach a conclusion.

Playing For History

2006-11-24T00:47:00.000Z

One week from now on an indoor court in Moscow, four Argentines, will be playing to create history for their nation. The prize is the Davis Cup. The mission is to beat arguably the strongest mens tennis nation at present on their home patch. Whether Russia really are the best all round team in tennis is arguable, Sports Magician believes they are, and the task infront of Argentina is a great challenge, but a challenge that they are capable of conquering.

Even in the days of Guillermo Vilas and Jose-Luis Clerc, Argentina were never able to win the Davis Cup. The closest they came was a final defeat to the USA in Cincinnati in 1981. It has taken 25 years for Argentina to get that close again, and once more a difficult tie away from home awaits them in their pursuit of history. However, this isn't just about 2006 for this current generation of Argentine players. This has been a project that has been building and building for the past 4 years, an effort that is about far more than just the four players who will make up the official Davis Cup final squad (David Nalbandian, Jose Acasuso, Agustin Calleri & Juan Ignacio Chela). To understand the struggle of the current generation in their collective pursuit to bring Argentina glory in the Davis Cup, we have to go back to 2002 at the very least, to examine what went before and those who played their part.

After years of struggling to gain a foothold back in the World Group, Argentina finally started making some noise in 2002. 2001 had seen crushing victories over Mexico, Canada and Belarus (all 5-0) in order for Argentina to take up their place in the World Group for 2002. Captained by Franco Davin, a variety of players were involved in getting Argentina to the World Group, Gaston Gaudio, Guillermo Canas, Agustin Calleri and Franco Squillari had been responsible for the bulk of the work. By the time the World Group in 2002 was upon them, Argentina had a new Captain, Alejandro Gattiker. A team of Gaudio, Canas, Chela and Lucas Arnold strolled past a Lleyton Hewitt-less (more of him later) Australia in Argentina, 5-0. The team was beginning to create an aura at home, despite not yet coming up against classy opposition, the foundations were being built to make Argentina on clay, a tough proposition for any side.

Davis Cup is the coming together of Sports Magician's most beloved sports. It's tennis but with football atmosphere. Every point is celebrated like a goal in a Superclasico. Players often produce performances far and above what they are believed to be capable of on the grind of the ATP Tour. Davis Cup can make and break careers (ask Rafael Nadal and Paul-Henri Mathieu), players no longer play for themselves. On the tour you may see David Nalbandian from Argentina, but when it's Davis Cup, it's Argentina's David Nalbandian. One cause, one goal, unites players of differing personality and expectations.

Argentina's run in 2002 continued with a 3-2 home success against Croatia. Using the same squad from the first round, it came down to a 5th rubber, where Gaston Gaudio put Ivo Karlovic to the sword. Croatia had made it surprisingly difficult for Argentina, but the test was ultimately passed. No side would come as close to topping Argentina in Buenos Aires since that weekend.

That victory set up a semi final in Moscow against the Russians. By now a new name was on the scene, Wimbledon finalist, David Nalbandian. Nalbandian's introduction to Davis Cup in Russia was extraordinary. The story will be complete if he can lead Argentina to the trophy in the same country where he made his spectacular debut. Trailing 2-0 after a couple of tough singles losses on the friday, suffered by Chela and Gaudio, the doubles team of Nalbandian & Arnold attempted to keep Argentina alive. Taking the first two sets 6-4 had them well on the way, losing the following two meant the situation was once again precarious. 36 (that's THIRTY-SIX) games later, Nalbandian & Arnold had pulled off an epic 19-17 5th set victory over Safin & Kafelnikov in more than six hours of play.

Anyone for tennis?

You can imagine what might have been going through Marat Safin's mind at the thought of such a question having spent hours on court in vain. Safin and Nalbandian returned the next day, and after splitting two tie-break sets, Safin, the more experienced player at the time and with the adrenalin of the home support was able to squeeze out Nalbandian's resistance relatively comfortably in the end. 2002 had been a success for Argentina, they had established themselves amongst the elite and their time would surely come.

2003 began in the same way as 2002, with a new man at the helm, this time, Gustavo Luza. The same team that finished off 2002, kicked off the 2003 campaign with what was now becoming a routine 5-0 home victory, this time over Germany. A rematch with Russia was to follow, but this time in Argentina. Revenge was sweet, another 5-0 victory over a squad consisting of Safin, Kafelnikov, Davydenko & Youzhny (all but the retired Kafelnikov are in the Russia squad for the 2006 final). Argentina had not just gained a measure of revenge, but had destroyed the 2002 champions, the rest of the world sat up and took notice. A mouth watering semi final in Spain had been set up. Argentina hoping to call on the likes of Guillermo Coria, David Nalbandian and Guillermo Canas looked very strong and had to be to have a chance of topping Spain, then led by King of Clay, Juan Carlos Ferrero, with the able assistance of Carlos Moya.

Injuries meant Argentina turned up in Malaga without any of the names mentioned, and little hope too. Davis Cup is never that simple. Although Ferrero made it look simple enough, slaughtering Gaudio for the loss of just 4 games. Moya turned around a match against a cramping Mariano Zabaleta, and Argentina were in Moscow all over again, 2-0 down on opening day. And yet again, it was a heroic doubles performance that kept them alive, Arnold was involved again, but it was Agustin Calleri who stole the show. It looked like the inevitable had been delayed, but Calleri had not yet finished with his fireworks. On the Sunday, infront of a disbelieving Spanish crowd and a jubilant Argentine one, Calleri fired winner after winner past Juan Carlos Ferrero, the Spaniard has never been the same since due to a series of injuries and illnesses, but his perplexed expression that day as he was obliterated was an image his fans would become used to seeing over the coming years.

Argentina were on the verge on an incredible comeback, down 2-0 in Spain without what many considered their best players, a 5-0 defeat seemed like a good result on the friday evening! It was left to Gaudio to complete the comeback, but he was not up to the task, a soul less display resulted in a similar beating to the one he had been given by Ferrero, this time by Moya. Gaudio bore the brunt of the critics back home in Argentina. He would later have his moment in the sun by winning Roland Garros the next year, beating Guillermo Coria in a drama filled finale as Coria failed to cope with fulfilling his dream at the Mecca of clay court tennis. As far as Davis Cup was concerned though, Gaudio's reputation as a player who could produce the goods at home but not away were becoming more concrete.

If 2002 was a learning experience, 2003 was an Argentina that showed the strength of depth that would mark them out as a force for years to come. 2004 would be that year maybe? Luza was still in charge as the 2004 tournament got underway, and a 5-0 away win in Morocco was achieved. Guillermo Coria made his Davis Cup debut, winning both his singles as easily as had been expected. Trouble was around the corner, a breakdown in relationships and an increase in politics resulted in a humiliating 5-0 defeat on an ice rink in Belarus. The players wanted Luza ousted, and they would get their way. The 2004 campaign had turned into a disaster, and having become accustomed to the last four, Argentina fans were not impressed by a second round exit, especially the manner in which it came.

The players wanted Alberto Mancini, and they got their man. In 2005, Argentina kicked off with a very strong looking side of Nalbandian, Coria, Canas and Calleri. The Czech Republic were dismissed 5-0 in Argentina (I didn't need to tell you that, did I?). A difficult challenge lay ahead in the second round, having to travel to Australia and play on grass with Hewitt leading the Aussies. Lleyton Hewitt and his relationship with a number of Argentinian players is well documented, and Sports Magician won't revisit the history at this moment, suffice to say it was a match that was 'personal'. Coria and Hewitt kicked off the tie with an ill-tempered affair. Insults and gestures were exchanged on both sides, it didn't help matters that a section of the Aussie support (the 'fanatics') chose to wear t-shirts that depicted Guillermo Canas inserting needles into his arm (a reference to Canas being cited for doping, a suspension that would later be reduced on appeal as Canas was the victim of ATP incompetence).

The tie had turned into an all out war of words by the time the doubles began with the match balanced at 1-1. Nalbandian and Mariano Puerta (amidst rumours that the French Open finalist had also failed a dope test) claimed a straight sets win, and Argentina were on the verge of a great away victory. Three years after Hewitt had destroyed an inexperienced David Nalbandian in the Wimbledon final, Nalbandian showed Hewitt just how much he had grown up by crushing the Aussie on his home turf and securing Argentina's passage into their third Davis Cup semi-final in four years. Nalbandian wasn't slow to lead the chants against Hewitt following the match either, as the Argentina players celebrated with the small band of Argentina fans who stayed behind to celebrate as the 'fanatics' went home weeping, drying their eyes with the Canas t-shirts they had worn in defeat.

Argentina had proven they could win away from home against tough opposition, and if Nalbandian hadn't already established himself as the leader of the gang, then by the time the tie in Sydney was complete, he had done. Emphatically. Slovakia would be the opponents in the last four, and again Argentina would be on their travels. Spoilt for choice in terms of rankings, Mancini called on Nalbandian, Coria, Gaudio and Puerta (all 4 would be present at the Masters Cup that year, Nalbandian would go on to win the tournament). Rumours of unrest were rife as Coria and Gaudio wrote another chapter in their frosty relationship. Coria had more problems to contend with than another war of words with Gaudio - he couldn't serve. He lost both of his matches without ever looking like he could pull off a win, and this time Nalbandian could not produce the heroics he had done in Sydney. He won his singles on the friday, but he and Puerta lost the doubles, and with no assistance from Coria, Argentina were out again before the final. Another year where Argentina cursed the fact that their semi-final had to be played away from home. The only consolation being that the 2006 draw gave Argentina hope of having the possibility of a home semi-final, should they make it that far again.

Through suspensions handed out to Canas and Puerta, as well as struggles with form and mentality that Coria and Gaudio were suffering from, Argentina no longer looked the deep team they had in previous years. 2006 has been a largely poor year from individuals, but ironically, at a time when the players have not been winning titles regularly on tour, Argentina's Davis Cup dreams have taken a turn for the better. Still under Mancini's guidance, Argentina have kept the same squad all season. The team ably led by Nalbandian, with Acasuso, Calleri and Chela contributing in ways that they can. None of those three have hit the heights that Coria, Gaudio, Canas and Puerta have between them, which include - winning a Slam, playing in a Slam final, winning Masters events and playing at the Masters Cup. However, strength has been found in a united squad. Acasuso made a fantastic debut in Davis Cup as Argentina recorded yet another 5-0 home win, versus Sweden. Chela would win a tension filled 5th rubber in Croatia, as Argentina knocked out the champions of the previous year. It wasn't convincing, but the job was done and Argentina finally had a home semi-final to look forward to. And not just any semi-final, Lleyton Hewitt was to bring his team to Argentina. Or was he?

Months of speculation followed, the inevitable taunts between the camps persisted. Argentina players were riled by Hewitt's accusations that his safety would be threatened should he dare turn up, in the end, Hewitt turned up and his life was never in danger. Nalbandian spoke like a man who knew what was coming and confidently predicted victory, 4-1 he claimed, like in Australia. Nalbandian was wrong, Argentina won 5-0. An out pouring of emotion followed in a rocking Parque Roca following the doubles victory that clinched the tie on the saturday. Fittingly, it was Nalbandian who hit the winning smash. For the first time in 25 years, Argentina were going to the final. In Russia against a strong side, but being in the final was better than another semi-final heartbreak.

The tie is in Nalbandian's hands, although Chela holds a dominating record over Davydenko, it's expected that if Argentina are to win the Davis Cup for the first time in their history, that Nalbandian will be the one who will have to take them there with two singles wins and most likely as half of the doubles team too. Following a recent family tragedy, Nalbandian could be forgiven for not having the right frame of mind to take up such a responsibility. History awaits four Argentines on a tennis court in Moscow.

Sports Magician will be commenting on each day's play during the Davis Cup final weekend.

Missing Samuel Eto'o

2006-11-11T08:48:00.000Z

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. In the case of Samuel Eto’o’s absence, Barcelona have discovered who the true centre piece of their attacking force was, both literally and figuratively. Eto’o went down with a knee injury against Werder Bremen in late September in a Champions League match. The injury required surgery and the Cameroon forward is unlikely to return for the Catalan giants until March. If Barcelona are still in the Champions League by then and in the running for La Liga, his return will be a huge boost. His absence has been very telling in the past six weeks.

Ask the average fan who makes Barcelona tick going forward, and the chances are you will hear Ronaldinho or Lionel Messi’s names before that of Samuel Eto’o. The football world already knows that Eto’o is world class, but the time spent injured has almost certainly shown that he is integral to Barcelona’s potency for more than just his goals.

Samuel Eto’o made his name in Spain at Mallorca, scoring goals aplenty in a largely average side. Having never been given a chance to prove himself at Real Madrid, Eto’o would almost make a point to score against them each and every time he faced them. Watching Eto’o play against Madrid, is very much like watching a man on a mission to constantly remind them of what they could have had.

By now, Real Madrid have surely got the point.

After four years at Mallorca, including two prolific ones, Eto’o earned a move to Barcelona. At first, he excelled in tandem with Ronaldinho as the Catalans went on to win La Liga in the 2004/05 season. Joined more regularly by Lionel Messi in 2005/06, the duo of Eto’o/Ronaldinho became a devastating trio that would put fear into opposition defences just looking at a team sheet. Having scored 28 goals in total during his first season, Eto’o increased his tally to 32 in 2005/06, helping Barcelona to a La Liga and Champions League double (inc. scoring the vital equaliser in the final against Arsenal).

Samuel Eto’o was unable to exhibit his talents at the World Cup after Cameroon had missed out on qualification thanks to an injury time penalty miss by Pierre Wome (controversy as to why Eto’o had not taken the penalty followed). Having had a Summer off, Eto’o would have been looking forward to more goals and more success for Barcelona in 2006/07. He started the season in predictably prolific form with 5 goals in 6 games before picking up the untimely injury in Germany.

Barcelona have missed him greatly since, despite still being able to call on both Ronaldinho and Messi, a gaping void is present without Eto’o. It would be hard to replace Eto’o, very few players in the world can offer his attributes and excellence at the highest level, but Barcelona don’t even have a poor man’s replica and their dynamic attack has looked short of its usual sting and precision.

Eidur Gudjohnsen was called to replace Eto’o, but it is a different type of player. Unable to receive the ball with his back to goal, turn, and run at defenders. Gudjohnsen can hold the ball up and link the attack and midfield, but his lack of pace is evident in an attack that has previously impressed with its speed as well as skill.

If it was not already obvious to Barcelona, and anyone else for that matter, how badly Eto’o would be missed, the evidence was there to see in the two Champions League matches with Chelsea and the Clasico with Real Madrid. In both matches versus Chelsea, especially at Stamford Bridge, Barcelona looked short upfront. Lacking a cutting edge, and having to put together precise moves just to create half chances. The kind of chances Eto’o had been able to generate for Barcelona just with his pace and directness alone.

Barcelona’s other forward option is Argentine, Javier Saviola. Having been effectively forced out of the Catalan club in the past two years, due more to politics and contract wrangles than his ability on the pitch. Saviola is a short, fast and skilful forward who benefits from playing alongside a reference, like Samuel Eto’o. He is unlikely to produce as many goals as he once did at River Plate or in his earlier career at Barcelona while playing in what can at times be an isolated forward position.

Barcelona have enough about them to be either at the top of La Liga or at the very least in the mix of the title race once Eto’o returns, their Champions League future is the more urgent case. They are likely to need to defeat Levski Sofia away - which they should - and then a crunch match with Werder Bremen at home to ensure they advance to the knock out stages.

Barcelona will be hoping that when Samuel Eto’o returns around March time in 2007, that will be the vital piece in the jigsaw they need to retain their La Liga and Champions League titles.

Tennis Masters Cup 2006 - Shanghai

2006-11-08T09:36:00.000Z

The ATP season reaches its climax by the end of next week, with the Tennis Masters Cup beginning on November 12th. Sports Magician takes a look at the respective seasons of the top 8 players in the world for 2006. The 2005 edition was disrupted by a series of withdrawals, at the time of writing all 8 direct qualifiers for the event this year are expected to be in Shanghai for what will hopefully be an exciting festival of tennis.

The Red Group

Roger Federer (1) - Switzerland
The world no.1 has had another extraordinary year. Currently with an 87-5 record in 2006, only 2 players have beaten him this year (Rafael Nadal & Andy Murray). A total of 11 titles for the season, most importantly collecting 3 Slams (Australian Open, Wimbledon & US Open). In addition adding another 4 Masters titles, winning his 1st indoor Masters event in Madrid and also for the for 1st time winning his hometown tournament in Basel. The only thing missing from Federer this year is a title on clay. Rafael Nadal stood between Federer and Masters titles in Monte Carlo and Rome, and the elusive French Open crown.

Ivan Ljubicic (4) - Croatia
Ljubicic makes his 2nd consecutive appearance at the year end event. A season record of 60-18, the big serving Croat won 3 titles (Chennai, Zagreb & Vienna). Surprisingly, his best performance in a Slam this year came at the French Open where he took advantage of a generous draw to make the semi-finals before losing to eventual champion, Rafael Nadal. Ljubicic made a Masters final early in the year at Indian Wells, but was not overly impressive in Masters events since.

Andy Roddick (5) - USA
A poor first half of the year was brought to life for the American after a partnership was formed with Jimmy Connors. A new found fire and enthusiasm came with that which enabled Roddick to win the Masters event in Cincinnati and follow on from that by reaching the US Open final (the scene of his sole slam success in 2003). In 2005, Roddick had to withdraw from Shanghai with injury which enabled David Nalbandian to enter the tournament and he went on to win the event. Roddick's season win/loss record stands at 48-18.

David Nalbandian (7) - Argentina
The defending champion in Shanghai has had a poor second half of the season after a promising beginning. Continuing his consistent performances in Slams, Nalbandian reached the last 4 at both the Australian and French Opens. As well as semi-final appearances in Masters events in Miami and Rome. During this time he won his only title of the season in Estoril. Following the French Open, Nalbandian has struggled to get his singles season going although has led Argentina to their first Davis Cup final in over 20 years. Nalbandian reached another Masters semi-final in Madrid before missing the final Masters Series event of the year in Paris due to illness. He was 41-16 for the season.

Group Analysis - The collective head to heads stand at Federer (28-10), Ljubicic (9-17), Roddick (9-15), Nalbandian (9-13). Only a fool would suggest that Federer will not qualify for the semi-finals. The question is who will join him? A case can be made for all 3 and don't be surprised if they end up cutting each other up with a win each, leaving qualification to come down to sets won/lost.

The Gold Group

Rafael Nadal (2) - Spain
The young Spaniard who had to miss last year's event through injury had an outstanding first half of the season. Having returned from injury he recorded a title victory in Dubai, beating Federer in the final. And then reached the last 4 in the Miami Masters event. On clay, Nadal was unbeatable. Winning titles in Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Rome and most importantly defending his French Open title. In the process he surpassed Guillermo Vilas's clay win streak record. Nadal continued his excellent season with a final appearance at Wimbledon. However, his season has been poor since and he has failed to go beyond the quarter-finals in any tournament, including in Madrid where he had won the title in 2005. Nadal was 57-10 for the season.

Nikolay Davydenko (3) - Russia
The largely unheralded human ball machine has had a career season. Showing a great level of consistency in Slams he reached the semi-final at the US Open, and made the last 8 in Australia and France. Winning 5 titles during the season, with the latest the best success of his career, triumphing at the Paris Masters. Keeping busy through the year, Davydenko has played more matches than any of the others in Shanghai. His record stands at 67-26. Tallying 93 matches, 1 more than Roger Federer.

Tommy Robredo (6) - Spain
Another player who has had a career year. Robredo, like Davydenko, won his 1st Masters title this year, on clay in Hamburg (similar to Davydenko's Paris success, Federer & Nadal were not present). A season record of 48-27. His record in the Slams was very ordinary, never going beyond the 4th round. As well as his Masters triumph in Hamburg, in other Masters events he made the last 4 in Cincinnati and Madrid, as well as the last 8 in Monte Carlo.

James Blake (8) - USA
Yet another player who has had a career year, Blake ended up backing into his place for Shanghai. A 'thank you' may be in order from him to Davydenko, as it was the Russian who ensured the American's place amongst the last 8 by defeating Mario Ancic in Paris. Blake won 5 titles during the season (Sydney, Las Vegas, Indianapolis, Bangkok & Stockholm). His season record was 56-23. Despite having the best year of his career, Blake was unable to show much in Slams. A last 8 appearance at the US Open was his best showing. In Masters events he made a good start with a final at Indian Wells and then quarter-final in Miami. However, his record since has been poor.

Group Analysis - The collective head to heads stand at Nadal (3-2), Davydenko (2-5), Robredo (2-8), Blake (9-1). On paper, James Blake should be an overwhelming favourite to win the group given his outstanding head to head record with his opponents. 4-0 v Davydenko, 2-0 v Nadal and 3-1 v Robredo. However, things are unlikely to prove that simple. Davydenko comes in with excellent form and confidence. While Nadal comes in with a point to prove after a poor recent run. Expect Nadal and Davydenko to find their way through to the last 4.

Opportunity Knocks

2006-11-04T07:49:00.000Z

The 9th and final Masters Series event of the season concludes this week in Paris. Sports Magician takes a look at the semi-final line up and the implications for the season ending tournament in Shanghai.

Yet again, the event in Paris has gained more attention for who is not there rather than who is. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Ivan Ljubicic, Andy Roddick and David Nalbandian did not take their place in the draw for various reasons from fatigue to illness to injury. The absence of these players, Federer in particular, has opened the door for the rest of the tour.

Nikolay Davydenko (4) v Tommy Robredo (6)
With both players having had their places in Shanghai booked this week, all that remains to be settled is the small matter of a place in a Masters Series final.

For Davydenko, a Masters Series semi-final is still largely unchartered territory. Having reached the last 4 of Hamburg in 2005, Davydenko has not excelled in 2006 at Masters events, with this semi-final appearance being his best performance of the year. This week he has been in strong form, making short work of his victims. His week started with a 6-0 6-0 slaughter of Christophe Rochus, and he followed that up with straight sets wins over Tursunov and Ancic. The defeat handed to Ancic ended the Croatian's hopes of being in Shanghai by rights.

Tommy Robredo is having a career season, he more than any other player has cashed in when Federer and Nadal have not been around for Masters events. Earlier in the year, he won his 1st Masters Series title in Hamburg that catapulted him into the top 10, where he has stayed in and around since. During the US hard court season, Robredo made the semi-finals in Cincinnati before falling to Juan Carlos Ferrero. His appearance in the last 4 in Paris is therefore the 3rd time this season he has reached the latter stages of a Masters event in 2006. Things certainly haven't been easy this week for the Spaniard, coming back from a set and 5-2 down to defeat Grosjean in his first match. He backed that up with a victory over Mathieu, and yesterday won a lengthy encounter with Nieminen.

Despite playing more than 20 matches more than Robredo in 2006, Davydenko may well be the fresher of the two for today's battle given the efficiency he has won his matches with this week in comparison to the more draining matches Robredo has been involved in.

The head to head is one apiece. Davydenko won in 5 sets in the quarter-finals of Roland Garros in 2005. Robredo's victory came earlier this year, again on clay. This time in the final in Bastad. Davydenko will as ever be hard to beat, however, Robredo should not be written off given the battling qualities he has shown this week in particular. This could be a long one.

Tommy Haas (10) v Dominik Hrbaty (17)
At the start of the week players such as Gonzalez and Ancic were looking to break into the top 8 to reach Shanghai. Tommy Haas had not been strongly considered to crash the party, but the perfectionist German now just stands two victories from doing so. In a career often disrupted by injury, Haas is close to recording his 2nd Masters Series victory, having done so the first time 5 years ago in Stuttgart.

Haas has performed poorly this year in Masters events up to now, although he has picked up 3 other titles this season. The German has shown some of his best form since the first half of the season in defeating Llodra, and in particularly, Blake and Safin. Haas needs to win the tournament to oust James Blake from the last remaining spot for Shanghai, and he will be favourite to at least make the final in his quest.

Starting the year at no.18 in the rankings, Dominik Hrbaty has had a very average year in 2006. His ranking has slipped slightly to 27, and he has failed to reach a final this year on the main tour (he did reach a final of a Challenger tournament). His best efforts have been 3 semi-final appearances in Adelaide, Los Angeles and most recently in Vienna. There was little evidence to suggest that Hrbaty would be the in reckoning come the weekend, his record this year in Masters Series events was a distinctly ordinary 8-8 coming into Paris. Only in Cincinnati had he been able to win back to back matches. However, his form in the French capital has been more impressive, knocking out the defending champion Tomas Berdych in yesterday's quarter-final.

These two players are certainly no strangers to each other, having met 13 times previously. Haas has the edge with an 8-5 record, their first meeting coming back in 1997 in Hamburg. They have met 3 times this year, with Haas leading 2-1. Their most recent encounter was a couple of weeks back in Madrid. Haas was the victor 6-3, 7-6 having saved numerous set points in the 2nd set to wrap up the match in straight sets. The greater experience in dealing with matches of this magnitude may be the difference here in Haas's favour. Although Hrbaty is a seasoned pro, a semi-final in a Masters event is as far as he has ever been and it remains to be seen how he handles the expectation.

Fireworks In Milan

2006-10-27T03:42:00.000+01:00

On Saturday evening in Milan, Internazionale will attempt to shut the door on their rivals, AC Milan's Scudetto hopes. After a summer in which Italy won the 2006 World Cup, domestic football in Italy was at the centre of attention after charges of corruption within the game. The result of which saw punishments for Juventus, AC Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina.

Inter Milan often criticised for being a 'nearly club' and a bunch of underachievers despite huge outlays in transfer fees year in and year out, were crowned champions of Italy. A title by default, or were they given what was rightfully theirs? Rumours of corruption and scandal within Italian football is nothing new, are we to believe that the season of 2005/06 was the only one tainted? Surely it would be naive to believe that is the case, even without concrete proof, the suspicion is justified. Has the football world wrongly been criticising Inter all this time? The perennial underachievers who could not make full use of Moratti's expenditure, are they infact looking for their third successive Serie A title (given that Inter have ended the past two seasons behind Juventus and Milan)? Some may claim that, others will say they are looking for their second in a row, and some would even say they are not the real champions at all. Whichever angle you look at it, on Saturday, Inter can deliver a knock out blow to their neighbours.

AC Milan began the season with an eight point handicap (following the corruption scandal after appeals), but arguably the biggest handicap was no longer being able to call on the services of prolific Ukrainian forward, Andrei Shevchenko. Although Shevchenko's move to Chelsea has caused him some strain and stress also, the impact has so far looked bigger on his former club. The forward players that would be relied upon to ensure Shevchenko's departure was not so heavily felt were Filippo Inzaghi, Alberto Gilardino (both part of Italy's World Cup winning squad) and Ricardo Oliveira. Inzaghi started the season on fire, and so did Milan winning their first six games (2 in the Champions League and 4 in Serie A). However, the past month has seen a dreadful set of results and an especially toothless attack. In the past five games in the league, Milan have managed only two goals and recorded only one victory. Gilardino has been firing blanks, Oliveira has struggled to find goals too and the dry spell has hit Inzaghi too. The burden has fallen on Kaka, and at times he has often looked like a man who wishes he had a Shevchenko to thread the ball too. The saving grace has been a strong backline, Milan have been unable to win as many games as they would have hoped, but in turn they have picked up points thanks to a defence that has only conceaded five goals in all competitions (a total of 13 games). Currently sitting eleven points behind both Inter and Palermo, Milan can ill afford a defeat, even a draw won't be of much use. Even this early the derby represents a must-win situation for Milan against their rivals.

Sitting on top of the league, one would be forgiven for thinking that all things are and have been well at Inter Milan, they have not. Inter were able to take advantage of Juventus's relegation following the corruption scandal, and signed Patrick Vieira and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. In addition, Hernan Crespo re-joined Inter for a second stint and off an impressive World Cup, left-back Fabio Grosso also joined the ranks of the Nerrazurri. The pressure was on Inter more than ever before, they had always been expected to win and even with star names they had not done so. Now they had an eight point lead over Milan from day one, and no Juventus to worry about either. There would be no excuses this time should Inter fail to win the title, and despite still being the only unbeaten team in Serie A after eight games, they have been bending but not breaking...but only just. On opening day away at Fiorentina, and impressive Inter led 3-0. By the full time whistle they had been clinging onto a 3-2 lead for the past ten minutes in which they could easily have conceaded an equaliser.

Over the next few days a Champions League defeat in Portugal to Sporting Lisbon followed, as well as an unwelcome home draw with Sampdoria in the league. The criticism was relentless and Inter faced a tough challenge away at Roma. A spiritied display and a fantastic Hernan Crespo goal gave the Inter players the chance to claim their critics had been answered. An eventful 4-3 home win over Chievo kept the momentum rolling before another disaster in the Champions League. This time a 2-0 home defeat to Bayern Munich, accompanied by two red cards for Ibrahimovic and Grosso (adding to two earlier red cards Vieira had received in both Champions League and Serie A).

Inter were in need of another response and have reacted to that defeat with two wins and two draws in the league, as well as a much needed Champions League win over Spartak Moscow. Top of the league and back in contention in their Champions League group, the spotlight is on Inter more than ever in the coming days. As if a Milan derby was not enough on Saturday, Inter visit Moscow in the Champions League on Tuesday where defeat is unthinkable. Two wins in these games and Inter will have effectively knocked Milan out of any possible title challenge and recovered a vast amount of damage made in their first two Champions League games. Two defeats, and fireworks will be going off in the media circus headed straight for Mancini and his players.

Federer And Gonzalez To Conclude Madrid

2006-10-21T18:47:00.000+01:00

The 8th Masters Series event of the year ends on Sunday in Madrid. Sports Magician takes a look at the two finalists.

Roger Federer (1) v Fernando Gonzalez (10)
Saturday's semi-finals proved not to be of the same calibre and suspense that Friday's quarter-finals produced. The final pits the Swiss world no.1, looking for the 1st indoor Masters Series title of his career, up against the Chilean 10th seed, hoping to win his 1st Masters Series event and what would be the biggest title of his career.

In the 1st semi-final of the day, Federer met David Nalbandian for the 13th time. After taking an early advantage, Federer led 4-1 in the 1st set. However, Federer-Nalbandian clashes are rarely that simple and the Argentine levelled up the set at 4-4. The first eight games were very competitive, but the next eight were not of the same standard. Federer exerted more control on the match and eventually ran away with it convincingly, 6-4 6-0. With regards to their personal duel, it is the first time in Federer's professional career that he has had a head to head lead over Nalbandian, the record currently stands at 7-6 in his favour.

Federer will be hoping to win his 4th Masters Series event of 2006, which would match the 4 he won in 2005. Of the 8 Masters Series finals this year to date, Federer has either won or been runner-up in 6 of them. He withdrew from Hamburg and was defeated by Andy Murray in Cincinnati. Both of his final defeats in Masters Series this year came on clay, against Rafael Nadal.

As predicted in Sports Magician's semi-final previews, Tomas Berdych was unable to live up to his performance from the previous evening. As in Toronto, where the Czech took out Rafael Nadal before acting as mere cannon fodder the next day, the same happened here in Madrid. This time, Fernando Gonzalez was the player to take Berdych to pieces in a crushing 6-4 6-1 victory. Berdych was public enemy no1 following his celebration versus Nadal, and he crumbled under the hostility which he had dealt with so well in the quarter-final. The Spanish crowd were out for his blood, and Gonzalez with a dominant serving performance certainly gave them what they wanted.

Not only has Gonzalez reached his 1st Masters Series final, he has now put himself in contention to make Shanghai. Should he win on Sunday, he will be only 3 race points behind 8th placed Tommy Robredo.

History suggests Gonzalez will not be lifting the title tomorrow. Federer has an overwhelming record against the Chilean, leading their head to head, 7-0. Furthermore, Gonzalez has only ever taken 2 sets off the world no1. Their last meeting was on hard court in Cincinnati this year, with Federer victorious 6-1, 5-7, 6-3. Gonzalez will have to produce a career best performance if he is to win the match, which will be a best of 5 sets encounter. They have met twice in best of 5 set matches, both in 2005 at Roland Garros and Wimbledon where Federer triumped in straight sets each time.

Final Four In Madrid

2006-10-20T21:51:00.000+01:00

After an eventful day in Madrid, which saw two former champions knocked out in outstanding clashes - Sports Magician looks ahead to the battle of the remaining four.

Roger Federer (1) v David Nalbandian (4)
The kind of semi-final that many (including myself) hoped to see in Madrid. Federer and Nalbandian have always brought out the best in each other and have played many a classic match. This one should be no different.

David Nalbandian, winner of the Masters Cup in 2005, was the first player through to the semi-finals after another houdini like escape. Nothing has come easy for the Argentine this week, and his encounter with Safin went along a similar path. Nalbandian started well, taking the first set 6-4. The second set proved to be far more complicated, after both players had exchanged breaks (four in total) it was decided by a tie-break. Nalbandian had match point at 6-5 but Safin saved himself with an ace and eventually took the set. Despite the disappointment, Nalbandian was able to hold himself together for the third set until his resistance was broken in the eleventh game. Yet again, Nalbandian found himself staring defeat in the face as he had done against Benneteau and Henman, and yet again he managed to avoid the exit. Nalbandian broke and then dominated the tie-break and thus recorded only his second win in eight meetings with Safin. As well as matching his Madrid performance from last year, Nalbandian gained a psychological boost ahead of what will be another meeting between the two in Moscow in December for this year's Davis Cup Final.

Federer's passage to the last four was not filled with such drama. Despite being given a competitive encounter by Robby Ginepri, the Swiss world no.1 never looked in danger of losing the match. Unlike Nalbandian who has gone the distance in all his matches this week, Federer has yet to drop a set.

This will be the thirteenth meeting between the pair, their head to head stands at six wins each. Nalbandian won the first five of their professional meetings, Federer has won six of the last seven. They have met twice this season, Federer the victor on both occasions. In Rome, the match (as it was in Shanghai 2005) was settled by a deciding set tie-break. Their last meeting came at Roland Garros this year in the semi-finals. Unfortunately, this meeting was cut short by an injury to Nalbandian and the viewing public was robbed of another classic encounter. Of their previous twelve meetings, the outcome has been settled in straight sets only four times. The winner of this semi-final is likely to end up lifting the trophy on Sunday.

Fernando Gonzalez (10) v Tomas Berdych (11)
Tomas Berdych gave the tennis world another glimpse of the potential he has with an awesome display of power and accuracy, against home favourite and defending champion, Rafael Nadal. What was arguably more impressive though was the composure and concentration shown in the face of a partisan crowd. Berdych has shown he is capable of giving Nadal more than he can handle, that was no surprise but the question remained as to whether he would be able to do that in Spain where the crowd would be an added factor. He passed the test with flying colours, having only one blip in the match at 5-4 up in the tie-break. Nadal got himself in position to win the second set and take it to a decider, but Berdych came roaring back to complete a 6-3 7-6 victory. At the conclusion of the match, Berdych celebrated by letting the Spanish crowd have no doubts that he had silenced them and left the stadium to a chorus of boos.

Fernando Gonzalez, fresh off a day of rest yesterday after his opponent withdrew, negotiated his passage to the last four with a victory over 19 year old Serbian talent, Novak Djokovic. In a closely fought battle, the Chilean triumphed in three sets 7-5 5-7 7-5. The Chilean was two points from defeat at 5-4 down in the decider, but showed great resolve to turn the match around.

Gonzalez holds a 2-0 record against Berdych and has yet to lose a set against him. Berdych will not be popular with the crowd after the way his match ended versus Nadal, allowing Gonzalez to receive the support of any neutrals in attendance. Young players often blow hot and cold, and Berdych is not immune to that. Despite his outstanding quarter-final performance there is no guarantee he will be able to maintain that standard tomorrow after such a euphoric win. Evidence of this was seen in Toronto this year, having beaten Nadal, Berdych was thrashed the next day by Richard Gasquet. Adding in the head to head record, Gonzalez will feel confident he can make his first ever Masters Series final. Berdych has a Masters Series title to his name already, having won Paris at the back end of 2005.

ATP Masters Series Madrid Quarter-Final Previews

2006-10-19T21:15:00.000+01:00

The 8th Masters Series event of the season is approaching the business end. Sports Magician previews Friday's Quarter-Final match-ups.

Roger Federer (1) v Robby Ginepri
World no.1 Roger Federer comes into Friday's quarter-final with hopes of ending the week with his 1st indoor Masters Series title. Federer had little trouble defeating Nicolas Massu in his 2nd round match, 6-3 6-2 (all seeds received a 1st round bye). His 3rd round match was a stiffer test, where required two tie-breaks to get past Sweden's Robin Soderling.

Robby Ginepri has had a poor season, and has been unable to build on his impressive summer hard court results in 2005. It could be said his best win of this year was beating Pete Sampras in an exhibition. However, Ginepri comes into this match in his best form for some time, winning 3 matches against Feliciano Lopez, Mario Ancic and Tommy Robredo. In the process, Ginepri has harmed Ancic and Robredo's hopes of making the season end Masters Cup.

Federer holds a 2-0 record over Ginepri and their last meeting in the Semi-Finals of Cincinnati in 2005 ended 4-6 7-5 6-4 in Federer's favour. Anything other than a Federer win tomorrow will be a huge upset.

David Nalbandian (4) v Marat Safin
The marquee match of the quarter-finals gives us a Davis Cup Final preview. Nalbandian, looking for points to help his cause to qualify for Shanghai, has been on the brink of defeat in both of his matches in Madrid. Finding himself 5-2 down against Julien Benneteau and 5-3 down against Henman in deciding sets, Nalbandian stared an early exit in the face but showed his abilty to come back from difficult situations yet again.

Marat Safin has been far more impressive this week. In an earlier Davis Cup Final preview, he saw off Jose Acasuso in 3 sets before disposing of Marcos Baghdatis and Kristof Vliegen. Safin holds a dominating 6-1 record over Nalbandian, including a 5th set tie-break win at the US Open this year as well as a victory in the Madrid Masters Final in 2004.

Nalbandian usually grows into tournaments and will need to improve significantly on his form in Madrid this week if he is to avoid a 7th defeat at the hands of the Russian. If there is only one quarter-final you watch tomorrow, make it this one.

Fernando Gonzalez (10) v Novak Djokovic (15)
Struggling with a shoulder injury, Fernando Gonzalez would have been relieved to hear he would not be facing the daunting prospect of returning Joachim Johansson's serve, as the Swede withdrew from his match due to illness. Gonzalez needs a great end to the season for a chance to make the Masters Cup (last year he played due to withdrawals during the tournament), and is hoping to start that run in Madrid. In his 2nd round match he defeated Paradorn Srichaphan, 6-4 in the 3rd.

Novak Djokovic is having an excellent season and is continuing his rise up the rankings. He defeated Andy Murray in his 3rd round match despite losing the 1st set, 6-1. Djokovic again exhibited his growing maturity and composure to keep himself in the match despite being a break behind in the 2nd set. He had earlier seen off another another talented player of this coming generation, Richard Gasquet.

The pair have met twice, with a win each. The extra day off may end up being the factor that tips this match in Gonzalez's favour.

Tomas Berdych (11) v Rafael Nadal (2)
Looking for form and confidence in Madrid this week, Tomas Berdych is not the player Nadal would have wanted to see in his half of the draw. Nadal has had a poor series of events since Wimbledon, and is looking to ignite his season in front of his adoring public, hoping to defend the title he won here last year. Nadal has looked much more like his usual self in his wins over Mardy Fish and Tommy Haas. However, the true test of his current form is likely to come in this quarter-final.

Tomas Berdych still maintains hopes of reaching the Masters Cup in Shanghai. He has been in good form seeing off Agustin Calleri and Andy Roddick in straight sets. Although Roddick was hampered by an injury, Berdych was in fantastic form on serve, slamming down 23 aces and not facing a single break point.

Berdych has a 2-1 record against Nadal, the most recent win coming in the Toronto Masters only a couple of months ago. All 3 of their encounters have gone to a deciding set, so don't be at all surprised if this match follows a similar path. Berdych will have to show a greater level of maturity and composure as he will be up against the crowd as well as Nadal.

Out In The Cold

2006-10-19T07:09:00.000+01:00

Many of Argentina's best young players soon find themselves in Europe, plying their trade in Spain, Italy, England, Germany.....and Russia.

In the past few years, Russian money has been finding it's way to South America and taking some of the finest young talent they can get their hands on. The policy has worked very well for CSKA Moscow, with their Brasilian trio of Daniel Carvalho, Vagner Love and Dudu. CSKA won the Uefa Cup in 2005 and only a couple of days ago defeated 2006 Champions League finalists, Arsenal.

CSKA's rivals, Spartak Moscow, went down a similar route but with mixed results for both the club and the players involved. Sports Magician details the rise and fall of the man formerly known as "Argentina's next no.9".

Fernando Cavenaghi has long been expected to be the eventual successor to Hernan Crespo for the Argentina national team. Brought up through the pipeline of talent that is River Plate, "El Torito" made his professional debut for Los Millonarios in 2000/2001. It was not long before Cavenaghi was a fixture in the side, and instinctively scoring goals week after week. His strike rate improved year after year, in 2002 he scored 22 goals in 33 apperances. In 2003, he improved with a record of 23 goals in 29 games and in 2004 continued his prolific ways with 9 goals in 13 outings.

Rumours of Cavenaghi's future being in Europe picked up momentum after the 2003 World Youth Championships. Argentina, without Carlos Tevez due to injury and a club-country dispute, were still expected to be one of the main contenders for the title given the depth and quality of Albiceleste youth sides. Argentina ended up losing to Brasil in the Semi-Finals (with the winner in a 1-0 triumph coming from Dudu, Brasil also featured Daniel Carvalho). Despite not performing as a team as well as expected, a few names enhanced their standing, Gonzalo Rodriguez, Javier Mascherano, Osmar Ferreyra and Cavenaghi (who captained the side, scoring 4 goals in 7 games). Ferreyra, a left sided midfielder/attacker with a wonderful set piece delivery, quickly moved to CSKA Moscow from River after barely playing 20 games. It was an error, the move was made too soon and he was not ready to adapt to Russian football. After being out of favour he eventually moved back to Argentina and is currently playing for San Lorenzo having not featured on the national stage since that 2003 tournament.

It was a lesson Cavenaghi was not to learn from, stories of Juventus and Barcelona were constantly circulating but no concrete offers ever came in. Having led River to a few Clausura titles but no success in the Copa Libertadores, Cavenaghi appeared to be getting itchy feet and a move to Europe was inevitable after a bust up with then River coach, Leo Astrada. Spartak had big plans to challenge CSKA and saw Cavenaghi as the main piece of the puzzle. For a brief period there was even a bidding war between the two Russian clubs for his services with Spartak eventually securing his signature for a fee of £6.5m - a Russian record. Cavenaghi also reportedly became the highest paid player in the country with a wage that far outweighed what he had been receiving in Argentina.

At the time of the transfer, many including myself felt it was the wrong move. That Russian football was not the best place for Cavenaghi to begin his European adventure and that the difficulties that faced Ferreyra would be liable to hurt Cavenaghi too. 'El Torito' did not come alone, he was joined by Boca Juniors left back, Clemente Rodriguez. Another player who had been tipped as a future regular for the national team. At first both struggled mightily in Russia, and while things have improved for Rodriguez, they never have for Cavenaghi. A poor return of only 8 goals in 34 games during 2004 and 2005 did not help matters. And if that wasn't enough, Cavenaghi was having problems with the coaching changes and being unable to find any type of continuity.

As far as his international aspirations were concerned, he had become a forgotten man. Out of sight and out of mind, Cavenaghi was never called by Bielsa, not even for the 2004 Olympics which came as a shock to many and was a clear signal that Cavenaghi was no longer seen as part of Argentina's future. Following Bielsa's departure, the arrival of Jose Pekerman raised Cavenaghi's hopes of a call up. He was indeed selected for a squad to play an unofficial match against Catalunya in Barcelona. He made a 20 minute appearance as a substitute and laid on a goal. His performance was encouraging, but clearly not enough to impress Pekerman. Cavenaghi would not be seen again in any future squad.

Approaching each transfer window were rumours of Cavenaghi moving back to River or La Liga, nothing materialised. This year his strike rate has improved in front of goal and Spartak Moscow qualified for the Champions League and drawn in a tough group with Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Sporting Lisbon. Maybe this would be the chance for Cavenaghi to remind the rest of the world he was still a talent worth being utilised in a more high profile league? Not so. Cavenaghi has been left on the bench as Spartak have been able to take only 1 point from a possible 9. Even their hopes of qualifying for the Uefa Cup look dead and buried. Cavenaghi's hopes of getting out of Russia and back into the picture of the national set up seem even more remote than they ever were.

A talent wasted because of a rush to make the first move to Europe, rather than the right move. What is all the more startling is that Maxi Lopez, another River forward, made a move to Barcelona following Cavenaghi's departure. Few would claim that Maxi Lopez is a better forward than Cavenaghi, although with a greater physical presence he has many rough edges and Cavenaghi had already proven he was an outstanding finisher infront of goal with a balanced all round game. Lopez is currently on loan at Mallorca, getting a regular game in arguably the best league in the world enabling him the opportunity to prove whether he is good enough to sink or swim.

Fernando Cavenaghi is finding it hard to swim in Moscow, what with the ice and all...

The Magician Who Lost His Box Of Tricks

2006-10-16T00:38:00.000+01:00

Guillermo 'El Mago' Coria has ended the past three seasons playing at the Masters Cup. He won't be doing that this year.

The man who has often punched above his weight, seems to have punched himself out in 2006. And we all saw it coming. In 2003, Coria began to announce himself among the world's elite. In the build up to Roland Garros, he was beaten in the Monte Carlo Masters final by then King of Clay, Juan Carlos Ferrero. It wouldn't be long before Coria got his hands on a Masters trophy, as he won the Hamburg title a few weeks later. And while he ended up losing to Martin Verkerk in the Semi-Finals at the Mecca of clay court tennis (Roland Garros), he had established himself as a player to be reckoned with on the surface for years to come. It was a disappointment, but he vowed to come back the next year and seize the moment.

That unexpected defeat at Roland Garros was the catalyst for 'Guille' to go on a golden run on clay courts. During 3 weeks from mid-July, he won 3 titles. He didn't lose a set and he handed out 5 bagels in the process. Going into 2004, it was already clear Coria would be in the mix for Roland Garros that year, but no one could have imagined the series of events that followed; which at the time of writing looks like will define his professional career. His untouchable run on clay continued, with him winning Buenos Aires and Monte Carlo (his 2nd Masters title). Going into the defence of his Hamburg Masters title, Coria was on a 26 match win streak on clay. It finally came to an end in the final of Hamburg, against Roger Federer. You've heard of him, haven't you?

From his defeat at Roland Garros in 2003, Coria posted a 31-1 clay court record by the time he next arrived in Paris. He was rightly considered as one of if not the player to beat. He didn't buckle under the expectation, or so it seemed as he reached an all-Argentine final versus Gaston Gaudio for the loss of just one set. This was to be Coria's crowning moment, the stamp of approval of a clay court king. Sport (as well as life), is never that easy. For an hour or so it sure looked like it though. Coria took advantage of Gaudio's nerves and anxieties and raced away to a 6-0, 6-3 lead. The match seemed over. Gaudio at times played like a man who knew it was over too.

Deep into the 3rd set on May 24 2004 was when the dream of winning Roland Garros turned into the start of a downward spiral. Coria froze, got tight, couldn't pass the finish line. However you wish to describe it, it was a moment that no doubt will forever be tatooed in his mind. The nerves set in, the mind was spinning and then came the cramps. Coria lost the 3rd set and had to let go of the 4th. The 5th set was pure drama. El Mago was fighting to overcome his problems and not let the dream slip away. Incredibly, Coria found himself serving for the match on two different occasions. In the first game, he never got close. The second time he had match point, went for a winner and missed by an inch. He had another, went for a winner and missed by an inch, again.

Gaudio eventually realised his opponent was there for the taking and after 211 minutes of action, he took him. Coria had few words at the presentation ceremony and was too distraught to say much although he offered his congratulations to an opponent with whom the relationship has always been frosty. At the post-match press conference, Coria broke down. His fans broke down with him, and even his critics had to empathise with the trauma he had gone through. Tennis is a cruel sport, one more point and Guillermo Coria would have been French Open champion. Instead, his career is currently in crisis.

Following a disappointment far greater than he experienced in 2003, Coria required surgery on his right shoulder which would rule him out for the rest of the season. He was not willing to believe that and had a great desire to attend his 2nd consecutive Masters Cup. With all the wins in the bag earlier in the year, he had already done enough to qualify despite not playing for more than 3 months. He achieved his objective to be a part of the Masters Cup, although clearly hampered and being nowhere near ready to obtain any victories. He had earnt his place amongst the elite and wanted to be there.

In 2005, things seemed to be going reasonably well for Coria. With new coach, Jose Perlas, now on board, El Mago arrived to defend his Monte Carlo Masters title as no5 in the world. Like his defence of the Hamburg title the year before, Coria's defence again was ended in the final this time by a young Spaniard, Rafael Nadal. You've heard of him, haven't you?

A few weeks later in Rome, the same two players squared off in another final. This one was a bit special. Lasting more than 5 hours, both players gave an exhibition of clay court tennis at its finest. You had to see it to believe it, and if you love tennis, you really must see it. Coria led 3-0 in the 5th set, but Nadal was eventually the victor. 8-6 in a 5th set tie break. The difference between the two of them after more than than 5 hours on court, was just two points.

Despite the obvious disappointment of not winning, Coria had reason to be upbeat. He could have won, and next time he hoped that he would. The level of tennis he showed was as good as anything he had shown in his 31-1 run on clay during the 2003-2004 period. Drawn in the opposite half to Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, Coria was a hot pick to return to the Roland Garros final, or at worst make the last four. He did neither and lost to Nikolay Davydenko in the 4th round; the same Nikolay Davydenko who had beaten for the loss of just 6 games at the French Open in 2004. And so another year where the Roland Garros title had eluded him, and at this point even he must have started to wonder if he would ever be as close again as he had been in 2004. Was that 2004 final to become the defining moment of his career? What we have seen since, suggests exactly that.

Coria's personal war became evident to all at the US Open in 2005. Having been back on tour for 9 or so months and seemingly having no trouble with the shoulder surgery from the previous year, he started to perform his impression of Elena Dementieva. His tournament ended in a 5 sets defeat to Robby Ginepri in the Quarter-Finals. Coria had achieved this run inspite of serving 56 - yes, that's 56 - double faults. Impressive or ridiculous? Both. In his 4th round match with Nicolas Massu, Coria served 20 double faults, and still won.

Unsurprisingly, he was asked what was happening. He said it was related to the surgery, it wasn't nerves, it wasn't his mind and added that he would have to live with these kind of moments, nothing could be done. He went to Beijing and made the final, losing to Nadal again. Bar one match against Johansson where he served 11 double faults, it was not a problem. It didn't stay that way.

Coria ended the season in poor fashion, looking very low on confidence and not showing his usual appetitie for battle. He made his 3rd successive appearance at the Masters Cup. He lost all his matches, the only bright spots being his new orange Adidas shirt and handing out a breadstick to Roger Federer to partially make up for the bagel he had been handed earlier.

Starting 2006 in the top 10, Coria and his fans were hoping for a fresh start off the back of the poor end to 2005. Instead, it has been a complete nightmare. During 3 matches at the Australian Open, he served 49 double faults. Coria's alliance with Jose Perlas had now reached a conclusion; it was over. Back in Argentina, he served 21 double faults and was knocked out in the 2nd round by a player ranked outside the top 90. He took a mini break to clear his mind. He came back in Acapulco, losing in the 1st round to a player outside the top 100 and served 16 double faults in the process. Another break followed and this time a partnership with Jose Higueras was hoped would stop Coria's slide and put him back on the right path. For a brief moment it looked like this time he was back to his normal self. Returning for the Miami Masters, defeating talented Serb, Novak Djokovic, in straight sets without a single double fault. He lost in the 2nd round and would not play again till a month later in Monte Carlo, where he had been a previous winner and runner up.

Coria was happy to be back in Monte Carlo. It was a crazy few days. A routine 1st round win over Mikhail Youzhny, gave us no inkling of the drama to unfold in the next days. Being humilated by Paul-Henri Mathieu, serving double faults continuously and down 6-1, 5-1, the magician finally produced some of his old magic and saved 4 match points to record a 1-6, 7-6, 6-4 victory. It was an incredible win, and more was to follow the next day. Having served 20 double faults versus Mathieu, he went 3 better versus Nicolas Kiefer, and he still won 6-7, 6-4, 6-3.

The insanity had to end, and it was Rafael Nadal who did just that in the quarters. Those incredible comeback victories would turn out to be the highlights of a dreadful year. Going 1-4 post-Hamburg, Coria decided he could not play at Roland Garros. That his shoulder was still an issue and that he needed a break (another one) to regain his hunger and "to return like I was in 2003/2004".

Coria returned to action in Sweden where he would lose a close match to compatriot, 'Chucho' Acasuso. He followed that up in Amersfoort and made the Semi-Final but retired with a neck/shoulder injury. It did not stop him showing up in Umag a few days later to defend his title from 2005. Another humiliating defeat awaited him, serving 12 double faults in a 1st round 6-2, 6-3 loss to Robin Vik (ranked 74 at the time). More trouble was to come, in Sopot the next week another retirement. This time in the 1st round versus Michal Przysiezny (ranked 364 at the time).

By now, Jose Higueras and Coria were no longer working together. Coria found a new coach, fellow Argentine and former coach of Fernando Gonzalez, Horacio de la Pena. A press conference was called, Coria sounded upbeat, even with wild ideas of being involved in Davis Cup for Argentina despite being a long way from the team realistically. De la Pena was more reserved, setting the goals at the bare minimum. They would train in Chile and Coria would return for the US Open. He did and he didn't. He was in the draw, he was on the court, but the slippery surface soon caused a groin injury, and five games into another 'comeback' Coria left the scene with a towel over his head. Out of the blue, the relationship of coach and and player between de la Pena and Coria was no more. Why? We are still not clear on that. Coria decided he would play in a challenger event; the first time he had done so since 2002. Serving for the match in his 1st round, Coria had now reached a new low: Dismissed in the 1st round of a challenger event by a player outside the top 150.

El Mago has not played since. And it doesn't look like he will anytime soon, at least not this season. Having started the year in the top 10, Coria currently sits at 83, and is likely to fall even lower if he does not play again this season. His fans want to see him back on court, but like the way he used to be and not the way he has been for most of 2006. The question is just how much Coria wants the same; he is the one who has to deal with the inner turmoil and it remains to be seen if we'll ever see his usual array of magicial skills on full display again.

One more point, and this all could have been very different.

Albiceleste - The Search For Number 10

2006-10-15T06:21:00.000+01:00

One month ago, Juan Roman Riquelme, retired from international football. Argentina were left searching for a new 'enganche', the player to pull the strings, to dictate the flow of the team and the game as a whole. The "10".

Following a pitiful display against Brasil at The Emirates Stadium, Roman, decided enough was enough. The Riquelme question has long divided the Argentinian public, for some he was the embodiment of the true classical Argentinian style. The player able to put their foot on the ball and dominate the match with short, clever passes that would open holes in teams through patience, quick thought and intelligence. For others, Riquelme slowed the game down too much. The team was considered too reliant on him, it has long been thought of Riquelme that given his style of play if you can shut him down you invariably are able to shut down the team he is trying to lead.

Riquelme took away the speculation about his future and standing in the national team, by cutting the ties himself despite being publicly backed by coach 'Coco' Basile. Argentina must now embark upon the search for the next playmaker of the side, and the first installment of that adventure took place this past week against Spain in Murcia.

It was an experiment that requires no more testing. Federico Insua was given the duties of the playmaker role and as many might have predicted, he was not up to the job. In fairness to 'Pocho', he can justifiably say he deserved a shot having had some great success recently at Boca under Basile (Insua was recently transferred to Borussia Mönchengladbach). It was not surprising that he would be given a chance to prove himself. It was also not surprising to see that his quality is not that of a world class playmaker, which is what an Argentina team should be presenting.

Aside from the all around dreadful display by an Argentina side that deserved to lose by far more than the eventual 2-1 scoreline, the toothlessness going forward was arguably the most worrying aspect of the encounter.

Insua was certainly not solely to blame, his performance was no worse than that of any other player bar Daniel Bilos who was the only player able to come off the pitch with his head held high. However, it did emphasise the need for Argentina to solve this equation quickly for the team to develop in preparation for the Copa America in 2007.

Basile is insistent that 4-3-1-2 is the way to go, I agree with him. However, it's the personnel that will be the main issue. From what was seen in the World Cup v Holland, the Brasil match in London and the recent encounter with Spain, a front two of Tevez and Messi is not the right combination. Argentina ended these three games with a goal tally of zero. More significantly, few chances of any worth were created in these games.

Argentina must play with a reference, a no9. Hernan Crespo. A proven goalscorer at international level, unfortunately injury meant he had to pull out of the game with Spain where he most likely would have started, but with whom?

Carlos Tevez, would benefit greatly from playing with Crespo. In the same way that he will eventually benefit at West Ham once he gets to play alongside the currently injured, Dean Ashton. And if Tevez is not chosen to play alongside Crespo, Sergio Aguero the likely next in line would flourish under the same conditions.

What of Lionel Messi you may wonder?

The other current options at no10 are the already mentioned Insua, Pablo Aimar and Andres D'Alessandro. Aimar had his chance to make the no10 position his own following the 2002 World Cup when then coach, Marcelo Bielsa, played him in a two playmaker system with D'Alessandro. Loss of form and injury came and all of a sudden Aimar's time had seemingly come and gone without him realising. 'Pablito' moved to Real Zaragoza in the Summer from Valencia and has a new lease of life, unfortunately his chance to shine for Argentina may well have gone and he looks destined to be best suited for a squad role. D'Alessandro was the beneficiary of Aimar's problems with injury, for the Copa America in 2004, he was the player entrusted with the playmaker responsibilities. Argentina shone at the Copa that year, losing undeservedly on penalties in the final to Brasil after an injury time equaliser from Adriano saved the Brasilians from defeat. Argentina were impressive inspite of D'Alessandro's poor performances.

Soon after, D'Alessandro had the chance to redeem himself that same summer in the Olympics. Yet again Argentina were outstanding, going through the tournament without conceading a goal with Carlos Tevez simply untouchable by opposition defences. D'Alessandro's level improved from the Copa, but still not sufficiently to suggest that he could be relied upon to do so at the highest level on the international stage. Once Jose Pekerman took over from Bielsa following the Olympics success, D'Alessandro was out of the picture completely. He is now also playing his club football at Real Zaragoza alongside Aimar and has started the season very well, still young enough to force his way back into the national team at some point between now and the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

These options are not the answer for Argentina. The answer is Lionel Messi. 'Pulga' must be given the keys to the side and he will surely unlock any defence in the world. He brings to Argentina a completely different style to that of Riquelme. Where Roman was quick in the mind but at times not quick enough with his actions, Messi, has both the speed of thought and action. He may not be as good a passer as Riquelme, but certainly good enough with the added bonus of being able to kill teams with the dribble and his pace.

A forward combination of Messi-Tevez (or Aguero)-Crespo will surely bring goals. It is vital that Basile gets this right. Time is not of the essence with the ultimate goal being the World Cup and that still 4 painful years away, but there is no sense in wasting time.

This may be the first time you have read a piece concerning Argentina and the no10 shirt since the late 70's without the name of Diego Maradona being mentioned. There, I mentioned him. So you still haven't.

The ATP Tour Stops Off In Madrid

2006-10-14T21:31:00.000+01:00

The 8th Masters Series event of the ATP season begins on Monday October 16th - Sports Magician takes a look at questions to be answered in Madrid.

Roger Federer - Will the world no.1 win his first indoor Masters title?

Having missed last year's event through injury, Federer will look to claim his first title in Madrid. Federer has dominated on hard and grass courts for the past couple of years, and will be hoping to replicate that dominance during the indoor season over the next few weeks. Following Madrid, Federer is scheduled to play his home town event in Basel followed by the last Masters Series event of the season in Paris (Federer has to date not won any of these events). His year will then culminate at the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai where Federer was beaten in last year's final by Argentine David Nalbandian in an epic encounter that was settled by a 5th set tie-break.

Rafael Nadal - Will the world no.2 and defending champion rediscover some form?

Having surpassed his own expectations at Wimbledon this year by making the final before succumbing to Federer, Nadal has had a few months to forget since. Failing to show any kind of form during the US hardcourt season, Nadal suffered defeats against Ferrero, Berdych and Youzhny. Earlier this week, Nadal lost indoors in Stockholm to Joachim Johansson who is on the way back after a long time out through injury. One thing Nadal is sure to receive this coming week is unconditional support from the Madrid crowd who witnessed his triumph last year beating Ivan Ljubicic in a thrilling final. Nadal must be suffering from a confidence dip at present and playing infront of a partisan crowd may just be the jolt he needs to get back on the winning trail.

The race for Shanghai - Who will cement their positions for the year end Masters Cup?

We know Federer and Nadal have qualified for Shanghai, they did so long ago. The rest of the the top 10 are still scrapping and fighting to get in. Ivan Ljubicic and James Blake have strengthened their positions this week with strong showings in Vienna and Stockholm respectively. Ljubicic, Roddick and Davydenko will be looking to cement their places in Shanghai. All three of them should make it without having to do anything special over the next 3 weeks.

James Blake has struggled in Masters Series events since making a Final and Quarter Final earlier in the year. He has not gone beyond the 3rd round since then, a good showing in Madrid would almost certainly seal his place in the Masters Cup for the first time in his career.

Tommy Robredo will be hoping to feed off the home support and further his own cause. Robredo won his first Masters title earlier this year on clay in Hamburg and made the Semi Finals in Cincinnati on hard before losing to compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero.

David Nalbandian has work to do to ensure he will be in Shanghai to defend his title. Since picking up an injury in the French Open Semi Final against Roger Federer earlier this year, Nalbandian's season from an individual aspect has stalled. Having led Argentina to their first Davis Cup Final in over 20 years, he has made it clear that helping Argentina win the Davis Cup for the first time in the nations history is his number one goal for remainder of the season. With a couple of players breathing down his neck to make the Masters Cup, El Rey (The King) will have to produce good performances over the next few weeks.

Marcos Baghdatis and Mario Ancic are currently just on the outside looking in at 9th and 10th in the ATP Champions Race. Baghdatis recently won his first career title beating Ancic in the process. Ancic can consider himself unlucky to not be in a stronger position than he currently is having had to miss Toronto, Cincinnati and the US Open through injury.

Other players like Tommy Haas, David Ferrer, Fernando Gonzalez and Tomas Berdych still have mathematical chances to reach Shanghai but it will take something extraordinary for that to occur and barring injury to others it is unlikely that any of them will make Shanghai.

The New Generation - Will the young talent of the ATP continue their rise?

The current top 20 of the ATP tour contain a number of outstandingly talented young players looking to make the rise from good to very good. I'm talking aside from Nadal who has already hit great heights, the likes of Marcos Baghdatis, Tomas Berdych, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. Aswell as Richard Gasquet and Gael Monfils who currently sit outside the top 20.

In the past twelve months we have seen various levels of excellence from all of them, possibly with the exception of Monfils. Baghdatis (21) was the story of the Australian Open this year making the final after knocking off Roddick, Ljubicic and Nalbandian. As mentioned earlier he won his first career title only a few weeks ago (Beijing). Berdych (21) won the Paris Masters at the back end of last year, often described as a Safin clone with the weapons to cause any player difficulty but with the mentality to at times self destruct. He has not won a title this year, having to accept the runners-up trophy twice in 2006 (Halle & Mumbai).

Djokovic (19 - the youngest of this crop) has won won two titles this season (Amersfoort & Metz) aswell as reaching another final (Umag). The young Serb consistently exhibits a great deal of maturity in his play for one so young, there is a calmness and assurance within his game that suggests he will be able to handle the challenges still to come. Murray (also 19) also won the first title of his career earlier this year in San Jose where he beat Roddick and Hewitt on back to back nights. Arguably more impressive though was ending Roger Federer's win streak on US hard courts, a feat he achieved in Cincinnati before the US Open. Many cited fatigue for Federer's defeat but Murray himself had been playing for 3 weeks non-stop as he enjoyed a great start to the Summer hard court season. First making the final in Washington before going onto make the Semi-Finals in Toronto and then heading straight to Cincinnati where he achieved his biggest win to date.

Richard Gasquet (20) had a poor start to the year, going into Roland Garros his record was an abysmal 4-9. The season picked up for him before and after Wimbledon, the player known for his sublime backhand defended his grass court title in Nottingham and was unlucky to draw Federer in the first round at Wimbledon. Following his early dismissal, he went to the clay courts in Gstaad and picked up his third career title. And backed up those results further by reaching the final of the Toronto Masters where he again fell victim to Federer. Since recording a stunning victory over Federer in Monte Carlo 2005, Gasquet has been unable to reproduce the result, losing five straight times to the world no1.

Gasquet's compatriot, Gael Monfils (20), has had a strange time of it in the past year. The latter half of 2005 saw his first set of mini-breakthroughs, winning a title in Sopot and making two more finals in Metz & Lyon. He continued the good progress at the start of 2006, making the final in Doha before inevitably losing to Federer. Like Gasquet, Monfils went on a poor run of his own, winning only three of his next eleven matches. He stopped the rot at the Rome Masters, reaching the Semi-Final before being beaten by King of Clay, Rafael Nadal. Monfils went on to reach the fourth round at Roland Garros, beating Murray and Blake in the process before falling to Djokovic. The manner of his victories was the talk of the first week as he had achieved them all in tough five-setters, earning somewhat of a cult following. Since then his season has been disrupted by injury and poor form.

Expect at least one or two of these young talents to be involved in the latter stages this week in Madrid.

Sports Magician will be commenting on the tournament in Madrid as the week progresses. If you enjoy Tennis and would like to speak about it on the web amongst others with a similar passion, try out www.kingsofclay.com