French Open Review - Men

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

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

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

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.