After the tough three-set wins for Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal yesterday, there were two more marquee singles matches on Day 2, as Group A played their first matches. David Ferrer took on Andy Murray in the first match, and in a somewhat surprising result, Ferrer defeated Murray 64 75. Ferrer went 0-3 in round robin play at last year's event, so already this is a much better start for him. Murray had won the previous four meetings between the two players, and only dropping one set in the process. I did not see the match, but I have read that Andy had a groin injury and he will decide on Tuesday whether or not he will continue playing. If that is the case, I personally hope Andy stays in the tournament because like him or not, he is a great player and he is the home-country player. Moreover, it would help Andy's image if he sticks through an injury and gave it his all in a fiery attempt to win the Masters Cup. If he does decide to withdraw however, Serbia's Janko Tipsarevic will be in line to replace him, and he would be in a 0-1 hole needing to win against Berdych and Djokovic to have a shot at making the semifinals. We will all have to wait and see until Tuesday when Murray makes his decision.
In the second singles match of the day, Novak Djokovic tangled with Tomas Berdych. In the end, it was another three-setter (making three of the four singles matches 3-set matches), and Djokovic prevailed 36 63 76(3). It was a very close match all around with one break deciding both the first and second sets. In the third, Berdych got a break to go u 4-3, but gave it right back. It went to a tiebreak, where Djokovic got out to a 5-1 lead and finished it out 7 points to 3.
So after the first round robin matches, Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic did not look their best, but picked up tight three-set wins. Andy Murray did not have the same fate and lost and now his tournament is in jeopardy. Tough luck for Andy, but that is sometimes the way the cookie crumbles. Day 3 features the US Open rematch of Fish vs Tsonga, and the most anticipated Federer vs Nadal encounter. Both should be cracking matches. Fish and Tsonga both need wins being at 0-1, so they should be extra motivated, and Federer/Nadal matches are always a treat, even if many Fedfans don't enjoy them. On Wednesday, Ferrer will play Djokovic and Berdych will play either Murray or Tipsarevic, depending on what Murray decides to do.
Until next time...GO FEDDY!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Sunday, November 20, 2011
WTF Day 1 Recap
The 2011 World Tour Finals got underway on Sunday with an opening match featuring a rematch of the Paris final from exactly one week earlier - Roger Federer vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Fed won the match 62 26 64, and it was very weird from start to finish.
In the first set, Roger got out to a quick 4-1 lead and won the set 6-2. The set passed by in 21 minutes and neither the two players nor the fans were ever afforded the chance to sink their teeth into the match. Tsonga could barely get the ball into play and even though Roger won the set 6-2 he never really played that well either. He didn't have to because Jo was missing everything.
In the second set, Roger had a severe lapse in concentration and quickly got down a break after some questionable misses, and as Tsonga had given the first set to Federer, Fed gave the second set straight back to Tsonga in quite appalling form. You can try to analyze what happened to Roger in that second set all you want, but I'll give my opinion on what happened: Roger won the first set with alarming ease, and at the start of the second he wasn't even playing at 60% effort. So when Jo started getting the ball into play, serving big, and giving Roger a match, Fed was caught off guard and struggled with his rhythm.
In the third set, both men started playing better collectively, and it looked as if the match was going to go to a 3rd set tiebreak. Fed was serving better and hitting his groundstrokes with more pop, and Tsonga was blasting his serve (much like he did at Wimbledon) and never really giving Roger a chance to get into the rallies. Then, at 4-5, when it looked as if the match was certainly heading to a tiebreak, Tsonga missed an easy volley. Right there, he gave Fed an opening. Then Jo double faulted. 0-30. Then Roger won the next point. Three match points. Jo saved the first MP, but lost the second and Roger wound up winning the match in very sudden fashion. Seriously, as bad as Roger's mental lapse was in the 2nd set, I think Tsonga's lapse at 4-5 in the 3rd was even worse. He lost his concentration at the worst possible time and it cost him the match. On the other hand, Roger picked up his game at precisely the right moment, winning a few easy service games in a row before closing out the match with the break.
Overall, it was a very weird match, but Roger won, so that is what matters.
In the second singles match of the day, Rafael Nadal defeated Mardy Fish 62 36 76(3) in just under three hours. Fish, like Tsonga, started slow and lost the first set without much of a fight. Also like Tsonga, Fish picked up his game in the second and won it 6-3, sending the match to a decisive third set.
In that third set, it was a roller coaster to say the least. Rafa got out to a 2-0 lead, and then abruptly left the court to go to the bathroom. It was a very weird situation because the umpire Mohamed Lahyani figured it would be better for Rafa to go before his own serve instead of before Fish's. But the thing is, before Fish's serve would have been a changeover, which would surely have been much more convenient for Rafa to leave the court. Anyways, when play finally resumed, Rafa lost the momentum he had gained just minutes before and Fish racked up three straight games. Then Rafa broke back. Then, at 4-4 15-0 on Nadal's serve, he hit a winner that was called good. The ball was actually out, but Fish didn't challenge, and in the end, a double fault at 40-30 for Rafa would have been a break for Mardy had he challenged. The match eventually went to a tiebreak after Fish saved 2 match points at 4-5. In that tiebreak, Mardy got down early when he could not find a way to return Nadal's serves, and he lost it 7-3 in the tiebreak.
Overall, Fish did much better than anyone expected him to with his injury problems, but a loss is still a loss. I believe Fish should have won and would have won had he challenged the Nadal winner at 4-4 15-0, and I'm sure if he ever sees that the ball was out, he would be furious with himself. Nevertheless, great effort from Mardy.
Now on Tuesday, we get to see Federer vs Nadal and Fish vs Tsonga, both which should be compelling matches. Before that however, we get Djokovic vs Berdych and Murray vs Ferrer tomorrow, both of which should also be great matchups. Djokovic and Murray should win in the end, though it wouldn't surprise me if both went three sets.
Until next time....
OH YES....the umpires REALLY have to be more strict with Nadal for the time he takes in between points. He takes upwards of 30 seconds in between points, and even in between 1st and 2nd serves he bounces the ball 8-12 times. Rafa slows the play down to a painful speed, and it makes the matches very long and boring. Something MUST be done. The Federer/Tsonga match was played in 88 minutes for having only played 26 games, and Nadal/Fish went 177 minutes and they played 29 games and one tiebreak. It's getting quite ridiculous.
In the first set, Roger got out to a quick 4-1 lead and won the set 6-2. The set passed by in 21 minutes and neither the two players nor the fans were ever afforded the chance to sink their teeth into the match. Tsonga could barely get the ball into play and even though Roger won the set 6-2 he never really played that well either. He didn't have to because Jo was missing everything.
In the second set, Roger had a severe lapse in concentration and quickly got down a break after some questionable misses, and as Tsonga had given the first set to Federer, Fed gave the second set straight back to Tsonga in quite appalling form. You can try to analyze what happened to Roger in that second set all you want, but I'll give my opinion on what happened: Roger won the first set with alarming ease, and at the start of the second he wasn't even playing at 60% effort. So when Jo started getting the ball into play, serving big, and giving Roger a match, Fed was caught off guard and struggled with his rhythm.
In the third set, both men started playing better collectively, and it looked as if the match was going to go to a 3rd set tiebreak. Fed was serving better and hitting his groundstrokes with more pop, and Tsonga was blasting his serve (much like he did at Wimbledon) and never really giving Roger a chance to get into the rallies. Then, at 4-5, when it looked as if the match was certainly heading to a tiebreak, Tsonga missed an easy volley. Right there, he gave Fed an opening. Then Jo double faulted. 0-30. Then Roger won the next point. Three match points. Jo saved the first MP, but lost the second and Roger wound up winning the match in very sudden fashion. Seriously, as bad as Roger's mental lapse was in the 2nd set, I think Tsonga's lapse at 4-5 in the 3rd was even worse. He lost his concentration at the worst possible time and it cost him the match. On the other hand, Roger picked up his game at precisely the right moment, winning a few easy service games in a row before closing out the match with the break.
Overall, it was a very weird match, but Roger won, so that is what matters.
In the second singles match of the day, Rafael Nadal defeated Mardy Fish 62 36 76(3) in just under three hours. Fish, like Tsonga, started slow and lost the first set without much of a fight. Also like Tsonga, Fish picked up his game in the second and won it 6-3, sending the match to a decisive third set.
In that third set, it was a roller coaster to say the least. Rafa got out to a 2-0 lead, and then abruptly left the court to go to the bathroom. It was a very weird situation because the umpire Mohamed Lahyani figured it would be better for Rafa to go before his own serve instead of before Fish's. But the thing is, before Fish's serve would have been a changeover, which would surely have been much more convenient for Rafa to leave the court. Anyways, when play finally resumed, Rafa lost the momentum he had gained just minutes before and Fish racked up three straight games. Then Rafa broke back. Then, at 4-4 15-0 on Nadal's serve, he hit a winner that was called good. The ball was actually out, but Fish didn't challenge, and in the end, a double fault at 40-30 for Rafa would have been a break for Mardy had he challenged. The match eventually went to a tiebreak after Fish saved 2 match points at 4-5. In that tiebreak, Mardy got down early when he could not find a way to return Nadal's serves, and he lost it 7-3 in the tiebreak.
Overall, Fish did much better than anyone expected him to with his injury problems, but a loss is still a loss. I believe Fish should have won and would have won had he challenged the Nadal winner at 4-4 15-0, and I'm sure if he ever sees that the ball was out, he would be furious with himself. Nevertheless, great effort from Mardy.
Now on Tuesday, we get to see Federer vs Nadal and Fish vs Tsonga, both which should be compelling matches. Before that however, we get Djokovic vs Berdych and Murray vs Ferrer tomorrow, both of which should also be great matchups. Djokovic and Murray should win in the end, though it wouldn't surprise me if both went three sets.
Until next time....
OH YES....the umpires REALLY have to be more strict with Nadal for the time he takes in between points. He takes upwards of 30 seconds in between points, and even in between 1st and 2nd serves he bounces the ball 8-12 times. Rafa slows the play down to a painful speed, and it makes the matches very long and boring. Something MUST be done. The Federer/Tsonga match was played in 88 minutes for having only played 26 games, and Nadal/Fish went 177 minutes and they played 29 games and one tiebreak. It's getting quite ridiculous.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
2011 World Tour Finals Preview
Well, here we are, on the eve of the year-end World Tour Finals tournament, featuring the top 8 players and teams in singles in a week of spectacular tennis, where only one can be crowned the year-end champion. Without further ado, I preview the 2011 edition of the World Tour Finals, where 8 men, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Roger Federer, David Ferrer, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tomas Berdych, and Mardy Fish, all look to end their year with a win in one of the ATP's most prestigious events.
The groups are as follows:
Group A
Novak Djokovic
Andy Murray
David Ferrer
Tomas Berdych
Group B
Rafael Nadal
Roger Federer
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Mardy Fish
Previews of all the 8 players heading into London:
World #1, Novak Djokovic
Djokovic enters the World Tour Finals with some pretty big question marks. Since his amazing victory over Rafa Nadal in the US Open final a few months ago, Novak has been riddled with injuries that haven't allowed him to be at his best in the indoor season. The injury problems started in Cincinnati in the final against Andy Murray, where he retired due to a shoulder injury. After the US Open in the Davis Cup in a match against Juan Martin del Potro, Nole retired once again due to that same shoulder injury. He did not play in Shanghai. In the Swiss Indoors in Basel, he made it to the semis until he lost to Kei Nishikori in a close-three set match. A week later in Bercy, he withdrew before a quarterfinal match against Jo-Willy Tsonga, most likely to preserve his body for the World Tour Finals, where he won in 2008 (defeating Davydenko). Djokovic says that he is healthy heading into London this week, but only time will tell if his shoulder will start acting up again. If it does not, Nole has as good a chance as anyone to win. He will certainly be motivated to cap off his remarkable 2011 season with a bang by winning in London, and I think he will at least make the semifinals, if he can stay healthy. Wins against Berdych and Ferrer should be automatic, but he does have a loss to Murray already this year and that should be a very intriguing match.
World #2, Rafael Nadal
Rafa Nadal has never won the year-ending Masters Cup event, but that could be an advantage for the Spaniard. He will have plenty of motivation to win the one title that has always eluded his grasp. In previous years, Nadal has either been tired or injured (he missed the event in 2005 and 2008), but this year, Rafa has had an elongated break, and should be physically fresh as he looks to win his first World Tour Finals title. In the 2011 indoor season, Nadal did alright for his standards, losing in the Tokyo final to Andy Murray, and losing in the 3rd round of the Shanghai Masters to Florian Mayer. It is well known that Nadal struggles during the indoor season, but it is also known that he has the heart of a warrior, and I believe he will be a contender in London. He should defeat Fish and Tsonga if he is on his game, but I think he'll fall to Roger in the Round Robin marquee match of the tournament.
World #3, Andy Murray
Andy Murray has had a brilliant indoor season in 2011, winning titles in Bangkok, Tokyo, and Shanghai. In the three consecutive tournament wins, Andy looked very good and was looking to be the certain favourite heading into London. However, he decided to play in Basel instead of Valencia for some unknown reason and withdrew before his first match. In Bercy, he lost a 3-setter to Tomas Berdych, and he lost the momentum he gained in the Asian swing. As has been the case with Murray for the past few years, he plays very well for brief stretches and then struggles in the big events. For me, this World Tour Finals event will be very critical for him in proving that he can play his best in the big moments, which he has yet to do in his career. He has always been quite mentally fragile, and the pressure will be jacked up by the British media, especially after his great Asian swing. I expect that Murray will make it to the semifinals, but with Andy, you never really know, especially in London. Of all the top four, I think he is the player most primed to be upset this week, especially against Berdych, whom he has already lost to in Bercy.
World #4, Roger Federer
The 5-time Masters Cup Champion Roger Federer heads into the World Tour Finals as the defending champion and undoubtedly the hottest player on tour, with impressive performances in Basel and Bercy en route to titles in consecutive weeks. Roger has picked up his game in the indoor season, as he did in 2010, and heads into London in sublime form, looking to win his 6th title at the year-ending event. I believe there is no question that Fed is the best indoor player on the tour right now, and I think he will be the hardest player to beat throughout the week, even against his longtime rival Nadal, whom he is set to meet in the round robin for the first time ever. Roger is 3-0 indoors against Nadal, but the match will be very difficult because Nadal will be very motivated. Having said that, Roger is is the defending champion, he knows what is at stake, and he has loads of confidence, so I think he will prevail in three sets like he did last year. Also like he did last year, I think Roger will sweep the field again and go 5-0 en route to his sixth Masters Cup title.
World #5, David Ferrer
Ferrer had a decent indoor season, making the semis in Tokyo and the final in Shanghai (both losses to Andy Murray), and a semi and quarter appearance in Valencia and Bercy respectively. This is David's second consecutive WTF appearance, and his third overall. In 2010, he lost all three Round Robin matches, but in 2007 he defeated Djokovic, Nadal, Gasquet, and Roddick en route to a final against Roger Federer, where he lost decisively. No doubt that Ferrer will want a repeat of 2007 and not 2010, but that will prove difficult with both Djokovic and Murray in his group. David is a great fighter though and I expect he will be very competitive in every match in the group stages and he might even pull out a win against Berdych.
World #6, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Jo has had a good indoor season, picking up two titles in Metz and Vienna, both 250 events. His best result after those two wins came when he made the finals in Bercy, losing to Roger Federer. This will be Tsonga's second WTF appearance, the other being in 2008. I think Jo will be very dangerous in this tournament and should give Federer and Nadal headaches in their round robin meetings. I suspect he will beat Fish and he could pull off an upset of Nadal IF he is at his best. Against Roger, Jo already has one loss this indoor season to him, and now has lost 5 straight sets against him dating back to the US Open. As always with Jo, it should be a fun ride, but I don't think he'll make it past the group stages.
World #7, Tomas Berdych
Berdych's indoor season was pretty good, winning in Beijing and making the semis in Bercy. I honestly don't know how he is #7 in the world, but he is and now he is at the WTF for the second straight year. Tomas is a flat ballstriker and has the perfect game to do well on a fast surface, so even though he is the lowest seed in Group A, he should be a threat in every match. He already has a win over Murray from Bercy, and he has given Djokovic trouble in the past as well. In the end though, I doubt he will make the semis.
World #8, Mardy Fish
First off, let me say how happy I am for Fish that he has finally made it to the big dance. At 29 years of age, that is quite an accomplishment. Unfortunately for Mardy, he has a very tough group and in all likelihood he will lose to Roger, Rafa, and Jo and go 0-3. You never know though. With Mardy's big serve and aggressive strategy, he could upset Jo and even give Rafa and Roger a tough time. Having said that, I highly doubt Mardy will beat Roger and Rafa (though I hope he beats Rafa), and at best I see him going 1-2.
Predictions:
Round Robin:
Group A:
Djokovic defeats Berdych
Djokovic defeats Ferrer
Djokovic defeats Murray
Murray defeats Ferrer
Murray defeats Berdych
Berdych defeats Ferrer
Djokovic: 3-0 (advances)
Murray: 2-1 (advances)
Berdych: 1-2
Ferrer: 0-3
Group B:
Federer defeats Tsonga
Federer defeats Fish
Federer defeats Nadal
Nadal defeats Fish
Nadal defeats Tsonga
Tsonga defeats Fish
Federer: 3-0 (advances)
Nadal: 2-1 (advances)
Tsonga: 1-2
Fish: 0-3
Semifinals:
Roger Federer defeats Andy Murray
Novak Djokovic defeats Rafael Nadal
Final:
Roger Federer defeats Novak Djokovic to win 6th Masters Cup title
*note* in 2006 and 2007, Roger and Rafa, as the #1 and #2 players in the world, met in the semis, and the same thing will happen again I believe should Djokovic, Nadal, Murray, and Federer all make the semifinals.
I hope to see a fantastic tournament featuring the best players in the world playing their best tennis! I can't wait for the tennis to get underway, and may the best man win (Roger, obviously, haha).
The groups are as follows:
Group A
Novak Djokovic
Andy Murray
David Ferrer
Tomas Berdych
Group B
Rafael Nadal
Roger Federer
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Mardy Fish
Previews of all the 8 players heading into London:
World #1, Novak Djokovic
Djokovic enters the World Tour Finals with some pretty big question marks. Since his amazing victory over Rafa Nadal in the US Open final a few months ago, Novak has been riddled with injuries that haven't allowed him to be at his best in the indoor season. The injury problems started in Cincinnati in the final against Andy Murray, where he retired due to a shoulder injury. After the US Open in the Davis Cup in a match against Juan Martin del Potro, Nole retired once again due to that same shoulder injury. He did not play in Shanghai. In the Swiss Indoors in Basel, he made it to the semis until he lost to Kei Nishikori in a close-three set match. A week later in Bercy, he withdrew before a quarterfinal match against Jo-Willy Tsonga, most likely to preserve his body for the World Tour Finals, where he won in 2008 (defeating Davydenko). Djokovic says that he is healthy heading into London this week, but only time will tell if his shoulder will start acting up again. If it does not, Nole has as good a chance as anyone to win. He will certainly be motivated to cap off his remarkable 2011 season with a bang by winning in London, and I think he will at least make the semifinals, if he can stay healthy. Wins against Berdych and Ferrer should be automatic, but he does have a loss to Murray already this year and that should be a very intriguing match.
World #2, Rafael Nadal
Rafa Nadal has never won the year-ending Masters Cup event, but that could be an advantage for the Spaniard. He will have plenty of motivation to win the one title that has always eluded his grasp. In previous years, Nadal has either been tired or injured (he missed the event in 2005 and 2008), but this year, Rafa has had an elongated break, and should be physically fresh as he looks to win his first World Tour Finals title. In the 2011 indoor season, Nadal did alright for his standards, losing in the Tokyo final to Andy Murray, and losing in the 3rd round of the Shanghai Masters to Florian Mayer. It is well known that Nadal struggles during the indoor season, but it is also known that he has the heart of a warrior, and I believe he will be a contender in London. He should defeat Fish and Tsonga if he is on his game, but I think he'll fall to Roger in the Round Robin marquee match of the tournament.
World #3, Andy Murray
Andy Murray has had a brilliant indoor season in 2011, winning titles in Bangkok, Tokyo, and Shanghai. In the three consecutive tournament wins, Andy looked very good and was looking to be the certain favourite heading into London. However, he decided to play in Basel instead of Valencia for some unknown reason and withdrew before his first match. In Bercy, he lost a 3-setter to Tomas Berdych, and he lost the momentum he gained in the Asian swing. As has been the case with Murray for the past few years, he plays very well for brief stretches and then struggles in the big events. For me, this World Tour Finals event will be very critical for him in proving that he can play his best in the big moments, which he has yet to do in his career. He has always been quite mentally fragile, and the pressure will be jacked up by the British media, especially after his great Asian swing. I expect that Murray will make it to the semifinals, but with Andy, you never really know, especially in London. Of all the top four, I think he is the player most primed to be upset this week, especially against Berdych, whom he has already lost to in Bercy.
World #4, Roger Federer
The 5-time Masters Cup Champion Roger Federer heads into the World Tour Finals as the defending champion and undoubtedly the hottest player on tour, with impressive performances in Basel and Bercy en route to titles in consecutive weeks. Roger has picked up his game in the indoor season, as he did in 2010, and heads into London in sublime form, looking to win his 6th title at the year-ending event. I believe there is no question that Fed is the best indoor player on the tour right now, and I think he will be the hardest player to beat throughout the week, even against his longtime rival Nadal, whom he is set to meet in the round robin for the first time ever. Roger is 3-0 indoors against Nadal, but the match will be very difficult because Nadal will be very motivated. Having said that, Roger is is the defending champion, he knows what is at stake, and he has loads of confidence, so I think he will prevail in three sets like he did last year. Also like he did last year, I think Roger will sweep the field again and go 5-0 en route to his sixth Masters Cup title.
World #5, David Ferrer
Ferrer had a decent indoor season, making the semis in Tokyo and the final in Shanghai (both losses to Andy Murray), and a semi and quarter appearance in Valencia and Bercy respectively. This is David's second consecutive WTF appearance, and his third overall. In 2010, he lost all three Round Robin matches, but in 2007 he defeated Djokovic, Nadal, Gasquet, and Roddick en route to a final against Roger Federer, where he lost decisively. No doubt that Ferrer will want a repeat of 2007 and not 2010, but that will prove difficult with both Djokovic and Murray in his group. David is a great fighter though and I expect he will be very competitive in every match in the group stages and he might even pull out a win against Berdych.
World #6, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Jo has had a good indoor season, picking up two titles in Metz and Vienna, both 250 events. His best result after those two wins came when he made the finals in Bercy, losing to Roger Federer. This will be Tsonga's second WTF appearance, the other being in 2008. I think Jo will be very dangerous in this tournament and should give Federer and Nadal headaches in their round robin meetings. I suspect he will beat Fish and he could pull off an upset of Nadal IF he is at his best. Against Roger, Jo already has one loss this indoor season to him, and now has lost 5 straight sets against him dating back to the US Open. As always with Jo, it should be a fun ride, but I don't think he'll make it past the group stages.
World #7, Tomas Berdych
Berdych's indoor season was pretty good, winning in Beijing and making the semis in Bercy. I honestly don't know how he is #7 in the world, but he is and now he is at the WTF for the second straight year. Tomas is a flat ballstriker and has the perfect game to do well on a fast surface, so even though he is the lowest seed in Group A, he should be a threat in every match. He already has a win over Murray from Bercy, and he has given Djokovic trouble in the past as well. In the end though, I doubt he will make the semis.
World #8, Mardy Fish
First off, let me say how happy I am for Fish that he has finally made it to the big dance. At 29 years of age, that is quite an accomplishment. Unfortunately for Mardy, he has a very tough group and in all likelihood he will lose to Roger, Rafa, and Jo and go 0-3. You never know though. With Mardy's big serve and aggressive strategy, he could upset Jo and even give Rafa and Roger a tough time. Having said that, I highly doubt Mardy will beat Roger and Rafa (though I hope he beats Rafa), and at best I see him going 1-2.
Predictions:
Round Robin:
Group A:
Djokovic defeats Berdych
Djokovic defeats Ferrer
Djokovic defeats Murray
Murray defeats Ferrer
Murray defeats Berdych
Berdych defeats Ferrer
Djokovic: 3-0 (advances)
Murray: 2-1 (advances)
Berdych: 1-2
Ferrer: 0-3
Group B:
Federer defeats Tsonga
Federer defeats Fish
Federer defeats Nadal
Nadal defeats Fish
Nadal defeats Tsonga
Tsonga defeats Fish
Federer: 3-0 (advances)
Nadal: 2-1 (advances)
Tsonga: 1-2
Fish: 0-3
Semifinals:
Roger Federer defeats Andy Murray
Novak Djokovic defeats Rafael Nadal
Final:
Roger Federer defeats Novak Djokovic to win 6th Masters Cup title
*note* in 2006 and 2007, Roger and Rafa, as the #1 and #2 players in the world, met in the semis, and the same thing will happen again I believe should Djokovic, Nadal, Murray, and Federer all make the semifinals.
I hope to see a fantastic tournament featuring the best players in the world playing their best tennis! I can't wait for the tennis to get underway, and may the best man win (Roger, obviously, haha).
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Paris Final - RF wins first Bercy Title!
A bit late, but better late that never.
On Sunday, Roger won his 69th career title and his very first Paris Bercy Masters title by defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 61 76(3). I could see how much it meant to Roger to finally win this title, and I'm so happy for him that he was able to do it. I felt like it was a must-win match for Roger, and he must have felt the same way because he started out on fire by winning the first set 6-1. In the second set, Jo raised the level of his game and breezed through his service games, and it was Roger that had to dig deep to get through a few of his service games. At the end of the set, Roger turned it on just when he needed to and won 16 of the final 23 points to take the match 7-3 in the tiebreak, a tiebreak in which he got out to a 6-1 lead. Tsonga would have made the match really competitive had he been better in the first set, but I could see that it took him a while to find his legs after the tiring match vs Isner the day before. The problem with that is, Roger starts so fast that you can't afford to take the first 4 games off or else he will take the match over.
Perhaps what amazed me more than anything in this match was the fact that the French crowd was cheering more for Roger than they were for Tsonga. Now, Fed is always the most popular player wherever he goes, but I think that in Paris they love him more than any other, and treat him like one of their own. I know the atmosphere in Paris two years ago when Roger won the French Open was outstanding, and this was kind of similar. It really is something else when you think how many fans Roger has. I think he has to be the most popular of this generation, especially because tennis is a worldwide game and wherever Roger goes he gets the biggest cheers and the most adoring fans. Personally, I'm proud to be a Fedfan and be one of the millions that support him no matter what. There is something about Fed in that our admiration of him brings us closer together and creates a bond.
With the Paris win, Federer has now won 12 straight matches and has all the momentum in the world heading into London, where he will need to be sharp as he has 1500 points to defend. I won't talk about London just yet, as I'll preview it at a later time, but I will say that Roger is clearly the favourite heading into the World Tour Finals with his recent play. Djokovic has been injured since September, Nadal is not a great indoor player (though he will be ready to play his best), and Murray must contend with the great expectations his country and finally come through in a big tournament.
Anyway, I am so happy Roger won in Bercy and I'm even more thrilled that he looks in great form heading into London. It should be a superb event and I will preview the match-ups very soon. Cheers!
On Sunday, Roger won his 69th career title and his very first Paris Bercy Masters title by defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 61 76(3). I could see how much it meant to Roger to finally win this title, and I'm so happy for him that he was able to do it. I felt like it was a must-win match for Roger, and he must have felt the same way because he started out on fire by winning the first set 6-1. In the second set, Jo raised the level of his game and breezed through his service games, and it was Roger that had to dig deep to get through a few of his service games. At the end of the set, Roger turned it on just when he needed to and won 16 of the final 23 points to take the match 7-3 in the tiebreak, a tiebreak in which he got out to a 6-1 lead. Tsonga would have made the match really competitive had he been better in the first set, but I could see that it took him a while to find his legs after the tiring match vs Isner the day before. The problem with that is, Roger starts so fast that you can't afford to take the first 4 games off or else he will take the match over.
Perhaps what amazed me more than anything in this match was the fact that the French crowd was cheering more for Roger than they were for Tsonga. Now, Fed is always the most popular player wherever he goes, but I think that in Paris they love him more than any other, and treat him like one of their own. I know the atmosphere in Paris two years ago when Roger won the French Open was outstanding, and this was kind of similar. It really is something else when you think how many fans Roger has. I think he has to be the most popular of this generation, especially because tennis is a worldwide game and wherever Roger goes he gets the biggest cheers and the most adoring fans. Personally, I'm proud to be a Fedfan and be one of the millions that support him no matter what. There is something about Fed in that our admiration of him brings us closer together and creates a bond.
With the Paris win, Federer has now won 12 straight matches and has all the momentum in the world heading into London, where he will need to be sharp as he has 1500 points to defend. I won't talk about London just yet, as I'll preview it at a later time, but I will say that Roger is clearly the favourite heading into the World Tour Finals with his recent play. Djokovic has been injured since September, Nadal is not a great indoor player (though he will be ready to play his best), and Murray must contend with the great expectations his country and finally come through in a big tournament.
Anyway, I am so happy Roger won in Bercy and I'm even more thrilled that he looks in great form heading into London. It should be a superb event and I will preview the match-ups very soon. Cheers!
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