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by PAM
So, here we are finally... into the "for the Big Boys only" Round at the 2012 french Open. Yeah, there were "big girl" matches, too, of course... but they're a bit too "girlie" for my adrenaline rush need right now. I know, I'm bad... I should be more supportive of Women's tennis. I know I should, I want to... but how? See, ya don't know how either! ;)
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Sliding on dirt... to the final round!
It's the semis. Of course, it was probably reasonable to assume that former (*sigh*) #1 in the World, Caroline Wozniacki, was out of the contest already? Uhmm, yeah. It's the 'all-big-girl' part of the Slam, so what d'ya expect! But so were the Williams sisters - out already... a long time ago, in
Sara Errani, ferociously 'upsetting'. fact. But, hey, so was the four-month immediate former #1 in the World, Viktoria Azarenka! (another *sigh*) The over confident VA (uh, yeah, she is!) was ousted in the 4th round by the little lady from Slovakia, Dominika Cibulkova, who also ousted the then #1 Wozniacki last year in Wimbledon. Incidentally, this fiery #1 in the World eliminator went all giddy meeting Lionel Messi in Barcelona a couple of months back during the WTA Barcelona tour. Cutesy! :) Cibulkova, in turn, was downed by the reigning "Queen's Queen" from the Land Down Under, Samantha Stosur. The in-form Aussie, who was getting a lot of positive attention (she should!) for her powerful playing style was shockingly ousted by the seeded 24th Italian, Sara Errani, in a three-set upset. Dang! Then again, Errani was already showing a lot of grit and nerve of steel, ousting former #1s, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Ana Ivanovic on her way to the semis... so, Sam ought to have been more careful with the Italian gal, after all, another Italian beat her in Roland Garros final two years ago, Francesca Schiavone. I guess, the Italian spirit is too powerful for the Aussie's precarious nerves.
So, yeah, Errani and the most dazzling poster and pin-up (or is it 'Pinterest' now?) girl of Women's tennis for the longest time now, Maria Sharapova, are up for a red dirt face-off in the final! So, yeah, one more day of beautiful sight against the French red powder backdrop that hurts the... uhm, ears. ;) Having powered her way to the SF, through a big challenge from Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic, winning Roland Garros would mean "personal Grand Slam" for the leggy Russian Goddess of Beauty who speaks with
The new #1 in the World, Maria Sharapova.overdone American twang. I'd go for Rafa Nadal's lost-in-translation Spanglish anytime, no? You? I heart Rafa! :)
Also, a Sharaaaap-aaaaw win would mean that the new (yes, again! *sigh*) #1 in the World in Women's Tennis, with enviably flat belly, would be a current holder of a Grand Slam silverware, with three more in the cabinet, completing shiny silverware pieces from all four surfaces. It would be a great advertisement for Women's Tennis... here's the #1, young and beautiful, charming and lovable, and undeniably highly accomplished on all tennis court surfaces. Dazzling on the red carpet, ferocious on the tennis court - whatever surface it is. Grande, no? Si, si! Vamos! :)
Therefore, good luck, Mariaaaaa-aaaaw! Ooowww, caramba, my ears... that hurts! Mute button, quick! :)
***
Some a-blah, a-blah.... like I know what I'm talking about!
David Ferrer vs. Rafael Nadal in the semis? This one was a little bit easy to predict. The defending Champ from Spain, Rafael Nadal, hasn't dropped a set on his way to the semis. While the other 'Clay Specialist' left in the tournament, David Ferrer, also from Spain, did a good job ousting British #1, Andy Murray, in their QF match... unsurprisingly, I must add, 'cause it was the clay surface after all (and it's Andy Murray?
David Ferrer... focus, efficiency, win.yeah, that, too), the adorable little Spaniard, who works so hard on the court, always after the ball, just didn't have the variety of shots to handle Nadal's heavy clay artillery... and we're not even talking about Nadal's shipload of shimmering reserves at the dock!
Ferrer plays powerful baseline game, in spite of his size, which apparently is enough to earn him the #6 in the World honor today, which is huge considering all those talents in men's tennis these days. He is efficient in his game, and his speed behind the ball could easily put his opponents on the defensive, but the lack of shots variety and less than impressive groundstrokes make him predictable. While he is one of the best serve returners in the business, his own serve isn't powerful enough to win him easy points when the going gets tough. When taking on lower ranked opponents, these issues aren't much of a problem for Ferrer, because he normally just rushes to 'demolition mode' efficiently to score a win before his opponent realizes what was going on... but for the more seasoned Grand Slam specialists, high-ranked opponents, dismantling the Ferrer game is easy. In fact, Murray showed more variety in their QF match... but Ferrer's focus, consistent tenacity and willingness to go after the ball, and overall efficiency proved to
El Maestro... he who started "it" all. be the more effective weapon over Murray's hot-cold-colder-and back-again emotional, often defensive, approach to his game that usually prevents him from dynamically and smartly analyzing his opponent's game to launch the perfect attack. Plus, clay is Murray's least favorite surface.
Talking about dynamic court analysis of an opponent's gameplan, Roger Federer is the smartest of them all. The Swiss Maestro wins not only because he had powerful shot artillery... but understated because he doesn't make noise when he unleashes big shots. He wins because he can come up with a winning tactical gameplan as soon as the first game in the first set was played. He deploys his weaponry smartly and strategically per his gameplan, and calibrates and recalibrates dynamically as the match proceeds. He plays a "cerebral game"... that's why he is almost emotionless when he is playing. So, I imagine, RF's opponents do not get tired so much physically as mentally. Therefore, the most effective way to defeat the Swiss genius
is to distract him (anger him, in the case of Juan Martin del Potro of the US Open 2010 fame; annoy
Rafa Nadal, running the 'extra mile'.him, in the case of Novak Djokovic and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga with swagger and audience-involving showmanship galore; show emotion extravagantly and colorfully, in the case of Rafa Nadal; or just take too much time serving between points like all four!), get him out of his tactical bubble, and then attack him with big, powerful shots! Then, he gets dislodged from his concentration... and he rarely recovers.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, being all-determined to top Federer, willingly learned from the Maestro's tactical genius, taking a few beatings in the beginning of their long-ago match-ups from the graceful smash of the Federer racquet. The two even took Federer's lesson of having a reliable good serve that they could summon for easy points when the going gets tough. Before long, the young duo added their learnings from Federer to their own unique qualities of athleticism, fearlessness and mental toughness to beat the Master on the court. And this is why they are the #1 and #2 in the World today... with Federer now behind them. Then again, RF is five years older. As for the RF gracefulness on court... well, that's something no one could ever learn. That's innate and unique to Federer... it's a gift. That's why, even at 30, he remains a force to reckon with even when hard-hitting youngsters are a penny-a-piece in the game today. As for Murray's
Novak Djokovic, power-added value. chances to get closer to Nole and Rafa... well, he would have to start by trying to beat Federer first. From the looks of it, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Juan Martin del Potro have better chances... if those two could stay away from serious injury, that is.
Going back to Ferrer... so, why is he successful in the rankings in spite of his predictability? I guess it's safe to say that the little guy has been performing consistently in the tour... he looked disciplined, too, and had managed to steer clear from serious injuries, which is very good. Overall, I really like him... he seems humble, and really cute. But, you've got to have something special to bother Rafa on his beloved clay, especially when he's on his good and healthy days... like these days. I was hoping Ferrer would hold on long enough to bring the match beyond three sets though, or at least, win some games, just to have more chance of him being captured longer on TV... 'cause, in his efficiency, he is very camera elusive, which is a shame 'cause he looks really good... the the more angular version of Xavi Hernandez almost.
But, let's stick to tennis.... :)
***
All-Spaniard delight... awright!
Ferrer showed some grit and got the better of the surprisingly tentative Nadal in the first few minutes of the match. Impressive, good on him! In the first set, at 2-2, on Ferrer's serve, the little guy engaged Nadal a little bit to a crosscourt rally over at the baseline.... but it was Nadal who dominated, nailing Ferrer to love, and then breaking Ferrer's service game
King, and his indelible mark on clay.eventually. Nadal then made his service game looked like a cake walk, showing rare beautiful volleys that picked up winners... and then followed it up with another break of the Ferrer serve, nailing the little guy to love once again, 5-2 to Nadal. The Topspin Machine closed the first set with a superb service game that saw Ferrer pushed his luck... but to no avail, 6-2 to Rafa.
Ferrer opened the second set, changing to a very bright pink shirt, to match Rafa's fiery red. At 15-0, the two men engaged each other in volley-por-volley match, Nadal prevailed... but Ferrer held. At 1-1, 30-30 on Ferrer's serve, Nadal earned a breakpoint sitting down - literally! Ferrer sent a great dropshot that Nadal chased, slipping and going down on his rear end on the clay, but still catching the ball. Ferrer returned in a nice volley, but Rafa recovered to send it back behind Ferrer. The little man sped backward to send the ball back to Rafa with a nice touch, too. Nadal, his balance regained now, put it away with an incredible drop shot that Ferrer just didn't have a prayer to catch.
Rain delay.
***
#1 vs. #3, the other way around now
I fell asleep... when I woke up, it was 1-1 in the Federer-Djokovic SF match, with Federer serving... it was TENSE! At 2-2, 15-15, on Djoker's serve, a huge rally, RF sent the last good shot, forcing Djoker to send the ball to the net, 15-30. A good return of serve and it was 15-40. Djoker salvaged one breakpoint, but Federer maintained his focus... and he broke the Djoker serve. The oooohs, aaahs, aaaws, yaays from the crowd made it clear who the French was supporting... RF. But Djoker kept his composure, summoned his 'Mr. Comeback' self... and broke back! The men were then level on games won in the first set, 3-3. Djoker
Nole, too hot to handle, just unstoppable!showed his Boss self, went for a 40-0 lead on his serve, and then closed it, keeping RF at love... back in the driver's seat, the Djoker was, therefore.
Oh, and by the way, my Roland Garros App said Rafa won the first SF match with David Ferrer in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, 6-1. OK, I'm hungry. But, wait...
On RF serve, at 15-15, The Maestro missed a supposed beautiful volley! 15-30, aaw! He made up for it with two aces... the next point was from a huge rally, which I was too coward to watch... I watched it with one eye closed - literally! The men were engaged in a huge "ball-and-rackets brawl" on the red French dirt, 36-shot rally no less. RF moved forward and pushed Djoker to the back of the court, and Djoker hit a tweener in his desperation that sent the crowd gushing... which RF muffled with a winning flick. The crowd cheered! Actually, this was a match that one can follow on radio... all one had to do was follow the crowd reaction, they cheered... so Federer held, 4-4. Djoker came back with "noisy shots", willing himself to fight back... and fight big time, like the #1 in the World should, a 16-time Grand Slam winner in front of him notwithstanding. At 15-0, RF sent a one-handed backhand wide and then sent a volley to the net, 40-0. Djoker then rushed to put his service game in the bag, 5-4 to Djoker. Federer's forehand shots shook a bit even when his body
RF, letting off steam.language and poker face seemed to indicate he was nowhere close to mental breakdown. At 15-15, he missed one... and then Djoker broke through and took the first set, 6-4. I know I said RF was hanging tough, but I had to ask myself nevertheless, "oh, boy, is RF breaking down mentally so early in the match?"
Alright, I was really hungry at that point already. I seriously needed something to quiet down my growling stomach. So, I had to put down the iPad while I ate... and watched the match, too.
Hah! Just when you thought RF was down and out, he grabbed the first three games of the second set, breaking Djoker twice in a row! Whoa!! But... the 30-year old King of Awesomeness (for me, at least) in Men's tennis looked shaken, his circuitry sparking some, when the Prince of Awesomeness (for me, at least) started unleashing the big ones, switching to the gotta-pull-myself-out-this-hole Program in his "hard drive"! Uhm-hmm... before long, Djoker has broken back - twice! At 5-5, my father was already cursing RF's luck... talk about mental breakdown! Hahaha....
But I know how my father felt... it seemed only yesterday when I used to tag Djoker as the "perennial #3" in the World. RF and Rafa would shuffle places in the Top 2 every so often... and everytime a Grand Slam was to be played since
Djoker, from perennial 3rd... to #1 in the World. 2008, a tennis fan would be smart enough to keep the Top 2 spots vacant until after the Grand Slam. But the #3 spot has always been reserved for Djoker. Therefore, the then #1 in the World, RF, had to take him on first before meeting Rafa. Nole would poke his head on the big stage every now and then, when one of the Top 2 was unfit/unwell to play... and he had always been prominently cheered on by his cute family - two li'l brothers included - but that was just about it then. He always ended the season in the shadows of the two giants. But you could always count on him to play good jokes during the tournament... this is why, I just can't stop calling him "Djoker" until now. I loved him for it, first... before his tennis! :) Later, he seemed to realized that he is of the same age as Rafa! Therefore, he CAN BE #1, too! And he is now.
But ya know, Andy Murray is the same age as Rafa and Nole... question is, does Murray realize that? Will he ever? Does he want to? If he did, how bad?
Snap! Snap! Third set... I decided to just enjoy the match 'cause I
The Great RF, always a pleasure to watch.don't know for how much longer would I still see those beautiful, beautiful RF one-hand, full-chest stretch backhand, and those shoulder-high, flat and laser-accurate power forehand (as opposed to Rafa's and Nole's over-the-head power forehand), those silent as a cat's but very quick footsteps to put away a volley, and those incredibly graceful mid-air half body twist forehand? RF is turning 31 soon... it couldn't be that much longer until he puts away his racquets as mementoes of the past, could it? It makes me sad.
I can tell, most of the crowd, avid tennis fans as myself I'm sure, felt the same way as I did about RF. The way they cheered on RF to go further and farther in the match showed how much they wanted more of the "Maestro's Symphony". Djoker himself showed some reverence... no annoying swagger after big points, no he-man growl on a distorted Robert de Niro-ish face after breaking through RF's serves, no over cockiness to further intimidate an opponent... not that he could intimidate RF, 'cause RF could only be broken down by his own desire for perfection, which these
Nole, it's his time... because he believes it is.days are hard to come by, especially in the big stage where these younger, powerful men who are, in many ways, a derivative of himself now thrive and dominate. Besides, RF was the man who ended Nole's 43-win streak last year in that very same court! Uh-hmm... smart as Djoker is, he and his team knew it wouldn't hurt to be more careful, after all, it was the Maestro we're talking about here... and he just resurrected himself from a two-set deficit in his QF match with the hard-hitting Juan Martin del Potro.
And so, yeah... 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 later, with not much sweat and body pain to complain about, Nole set up another "get-it-on, bang-a-gong" duel, this time on the French red dirt, with none other than the reigning "King of Clay", Rafa Nadal! With places in history at stake for both men, Nole vying to be the next man to hold all four Grand Slam trophies at the same time in 43 years, after Rod Laver, and Rafa shooting to become the first to win the Roland Garros seven times, I'm sure it's going to be another explosive "Nofael Djodal Grand Slam Brofight"!
I can't wait! Oh, and, uhm, I should remember to replenish our chips cupboard there.
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Photo credits: All photos were grabbed at the Zimbio website - thanks!
