SAFINISHED

As Marat Safin waved his final goodbye’s to the tennis world it left us with the conundrum of whether he could have achieved more.

The Russia no doubt had the ability to produce exceptional performances seeing him to two grand slams titles and hold the number one spot in the world in 2000. However he had more low points on the court and always seemed to be having more of battle with himself in matches as he struggled with his temperament, as was one who blew hot and cold.

In some ways though, his unpredictability has added to his character on the tour, as he was often considered as the dangerous floater many draws. But it still leaves us wondering that if he had be more focus and channelled his fieriness in a positive way then the former no.1 may well have made more of an imprint on the game.

‘Supernova’

September 11th may be a date lived long in the world history for the wrong reasons but this was also the date a year earlier when a 20 year old Safin shook the world when he clained the US Open title by defeating the legendry Pete Sampras in the three dominating sets. The 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 victory sent the message to the tennis world that a new star had arrived as he went to the top of the word rankings shortly after.

However the star was to become more of a supernova as he briefly outshines the rest of the field before imploding. This experience was what ultimately will be labelled to the temperamental Russian due to his hot and cold attitude on court that saw him produce many disappointing performances. Also injuries played a part as he struggle to stay in consistent shape over the gruelling calendar.

It was not until 2005 that the star reappeared demonstrating his precocious talents once again. Under the guidance of his new coach Peter Lundgren saw a more focussed Safin determined to capture the Australian Open title. During the tournament he demonstrated his ability to tear apart the field with his ferocious ground strokes going on to defeat Lleyton Hewitt in the final. However his best performance came in the semi final against Roger Federer defeating him in a trilling five set 5-7, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (8-6), 9-7 in which saw him save a match point in the fourth.

‘Rock and Roller’

Inconsistency then crept back into his game plus being hampered by continual injuries. The rock and roll life style also didn’t help his game as he enjoyed the high life; having parties, spending money and going out with many glamorous women.

Speaking in 2007 he said: "But I have no family with me, I have no girlfriends, I have no boyfriends and I have no kids so I never have dinner at home. I'm always eating with my friends at a restaurant, so it's a special life and I'm enjoying it." Thus demonstrating a man that lived life to the full, celebrating every day as comes. However if this had been generated more towards his tennis he could have had more to be celebrate.

By Geoff Berkeley

Pic by Burntfilm

AEGON Championship Preview

A fresh new look and a Britain as top seed, what a year for the LTA as the newly branded Queens club looks in top shape for a stunning week of pre Wimbledon tennis.


The absence of last year’s finalists Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic has now opened the draw up for the new top seed Andy Murray who looks to make an impact on the English lawns this summer.

Britain’s number one has made huge strides on the clay and he will now want to move that form forward on to the freshly cut grass of Queens.

As number one seed there will be plenty of expectations and pressures on the Scot and faces a tricky first match against either Andreas Seppi or Robby Ginepri, who both have many years experience in the championship.

However the only real threat to a first title on the grass will be three time winner Andy Roddick who is in great form at the moment and may draw him in the final, while a possible semi final against the charismatic Frenchman Gael Monfils may also create difficulties.

The world number three will not be the only Brit in the draw as both Josh Goodall and James Ward have been handed wildcards due their prospering world rankings and recent performances. Although both facing extremely tough encounters with Josh Goodall up against US Open quarter finalist Gilles Muller while James Ward will go toe to toe with former Australian Open finalist and Wimbledon quarter finalist Marcos Bagdatis.

Without wildcards there failed to see any other Brits come through and qualify as the likes of Chris Eaton, Dan Evans and Alex Bogdanovic will now all be hoping for good performances in the qualifiers at Roehampton to have any chance of gaining a place at Wimbledon.

The lack of British contingence is bound to be a worry for the LTA which has failed to see an improvement in the men’s game since last year. The policy of not handing out wildcards to Brits bellow the world’s top 250 has been a positive move although it may take another year before we see the likes of James Ward and Dan Evans coming through and making the grade.

New Look

Commercially though the LTA have been making significant steps to acquire more money towards British tennis. The deal struck with Scottish financial service company AEGON as new umbrella sponsor is exactly what the LTA were looking for to help rebrand the pre Wimbledon tournaments while also investing £25 million into the British game.

The striking blue of the Queen’s club which had long been coated in red will take a bit of getting used to. However this is obviously a new era for the LTA and with Murray rapidly moving up the world game, a win for the Scot would truly send a message out to the British people that tennis is on the up.

By Geoff Berkeley
Pic: http://www.lta.org.uk

Rafa’s failure is to Roger’s fortune

The script is already being processed and it is now up to Roger Federer to make the final amendments.

After Rafael Nadal’s shock exit the Swiss now recognizes that this is his chance to immortalise himself within the tennis hall of fame as the all time great.

Sunday’s ‘earthquake’ has not just opened up the draw but signalled to Federer that this might well be the best and possibly only opportunity to complete an historic Grand Slam while also equalling Sampras’s 14.

Since 2005 Roger has failed to come to terms with the mesmeric Spaniard on the Parisian clay. From their first meeting onwards Nadal has been the thorn in Federer’s successful career and it is likely that without this pain Roger would have collected many French Open titles without a problem having lost the last three successive finals to him.

In many ways Soderling’s unforgettable victory makes the challenge a lot easier for Federer however the way he has being playing so far has been nothing but convincing. His performances in the earlier rounds have seen him struggle to find form it has been just pure champions grit which has pulled him through.

Nerve could also play a key factor in the former world number one converting this golden opportunity. His match against Haas demonstrated that when under pressure his forehand can seriously tighten up, as he continually made unforced errors on that wing. However it proved that when the back was against the wall at 7-6, 7-5 4-3 with a break he can still produced a high risk shot to turn the match in his favour.

Challengers

The opponents left in the quarter finals may also feel they have a great opportunity to collect a first grand slam. In fact anyone left in has a great chance, even Soderling who currently is in the form of his life and could yet spring even more surprises.

Federer still has tough opposition in his half of the draw with both Gail Monfils and Juan Martin Del Potro in fine form. However with the experience of 13 grand slam titles behind him this will for sure pay dividends when the tournament nears its end.

By Geoff Berkeley
Pic: vickihuang2001

Can Anyone Ruffle Rafa in Paris?

As the French Open looms so does the presence of Rafael Nadal as he searches out his fifth successive title in Paris.

Nadal’s relationship with Roland Garros has failed to break down as the Spaniard goes in unbeaten on the French dirt. But the question remains is there anyone who can stop the world number one from adding to his tally?

The simple answer to this is no. Who could possibly get past a player who is at the top of his game as he continually tares up the rest of the field with his ferocious shot making.

On clay Nadal is dominant and it is hard to see anyone from stopping him especially in five sets. He looked simply unbeatable in last year’s campaign making easy work of the world’s best, including a straight sets demolition of Roger Federer in the final.

In fact the only person who can stop him is himself. At the moment he is working his body to the ground and as demonstrated in his loss to Federer in Madrid last Sunday cracks are beginning to appear.

Madrid was a bitter pill for Rafa in front of a partisan crowd however it was Djokovic not Federer that took the wind out of Nadal’s sails. His near four hour clash with the world number four exhausted the Spaniard and it was pure grit in the end that pulled him through.

Djokovic is in great form at the moment and is possibly the only potential threat to Rafa’s crown and if the draw goes to plan they could meet each other in the final.

However there is no doubt that Rafael Nadal work tirelessly to regain the title once more moving him one step closer to Bjorn Borg’s record of six straight.

The king of clay begins his march against world number 96 Marcos Daniel on Monday.

By Geoff Berkeley

Pic by aldinegirl12

A Suar-ez born

Carla Suarez Navarro, is a name to be noted. The shot making ability of Justine Henin and the charisma and look of Sanchez Vicario of old, no wonder the Spanish Tennis Federation are excited by this prospect.

The 20 year old Spaniard caused the greatest upset of the tournament so far after defeating favourite Venus Williams in three thrilling sets 2-6, 6-3, 7-5.

It first looked to be a routine victory for the American who took the first set in no time. However it was the second set where Suarez Navarro began finding her range in the match and soon became the aggressor forcing Venus into many unforced areas.

The Aussie crowd were simply in ore of her repertoire of shots, especially her singlehanded backhand which caused Venus many problems culminating in her losing the second set. Then in the decider Williams looked to have rapped up the tie after breaking early on. However Suarez Navarro never gave in, pulling her way back from a 5-2 deficit to take the match 7-5.

This was a remarkable performance by the world number 46, who has already had success in grand slams after unexpectedly reaching the quarter finals of Roland Garros in her first appearance. This landmark win over Venus could now give her the confidence to fulfil her potential and begin to make an impression on the world’s top 20.

'great hope'

Having watched her progress in Roland Garros last year I was in instantly impressed by her skill around the court and huge range of shots. Especially having witnessed the greatest singlehanded backhand in the women’s game leave when Justine Henin retired last March I was immediately struck by the young Spaniard, whom before the French Open I was completely unaware of.

Born in Gran Canaria, Spain in 1988 she developed her game on the small island before she was snapped up by Barcelona Tennis Academy when she was in her late teens. Since moving to the Spanish city she has received top class coaching and is now beginning to fulfil her promise shown when turning pro in 2003.

Her biggest frailty though is her serve; standing at only 5’ 4’’ she is unable to generate much pace however as Henin demonstrated in her career that height is irrelevant. Also like her fellow compatriot Rafael Nadal her game is best suited to the red clay however as demonstrated by her performance today she has the talent like Rafa to develop into an all court player, such is the high level of her ground strokes.

In my mind Suarez Navarro is exactly what the women’s game needs after the shock retirement of Henin. The women’s game has undoubtedly dropped in standard since the little Belgian left the game as they have been unable to find a dominant number one. Let’s just hope this Spanish rising star can carry on her form and perhaps make it to the heights that her talent deserves.

Suarez Navarro now takes on fellow compatriot Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez on Saturday.

Carla Suarez Navarro image by azzurri_nr1

By Geoff Berkeley

Murray under the microscope in Melbourne

Andy Murray kicks off against the wily Andrei Pavel tomorrow in what could be a marvellous next couple of weeks for the Scot.

After an impressive start of the season, with wins in Abu Dhabi and Doha many have been speculating that this is Murray’s year and this is his Slam to lose, with some British bookies tipping him as favourite. Even the Australian media have jumped on the band wagon with lots of media coverage of the 21 year old Scot, demonstrating their belief that he could be the man to win in Melbourne.

With all this expectation going into the Aussie Open, Murray begins his long trail against a less dangerous opponent than what Tsonga turned out to be last year, facing 34 year old Andrei Pavel. A few years ago this match up could have been considered as a tricky tie, as he was once ranked as high as 13th in 2004. Although after an injury prone 2008 have seen the Romanian plummet down the rankings to 1141. The pair last met in 2005 at the US Open first round where a lot younger and not as well conditioned Murray defeated him in five battling sets, which even saw Britain number one physically sick from exhaustion. However this time round it should be more of a breeze for the now world number four, who’s off season training has given him the muscle and the stamina to add to his ability, giving him an excellent chance in collecting one of Tennis’s top prizes.

WATCH LIVE
Murray v Pavel tonight BBC 2 at 11.50pm GMT

‘British Women fall’

From four to one, today was not the greatest day for the British women contingence. The fact four British girls managed to qualify for a slam is quite remarkable considering recent history. However qualifying for a slam is one thing winning in a slam is another. British No.1 Anne Keothavong faced the toughest of the draws against world number 18 Anna Chakvetadze. Anne did fancy her chances going in to the match after good early season form lifting her to a career high 53 in the world. This good form though only appeared in spells, especially in the second set where she competed well to win 7-4 in the tie break. However two poor sets in the first and last saw her crash out losing both of them 6-1. This British disappointment was also compounded by loses of the other Brits in today’s draw. Katie O’Brian, who did very well to qualify, lost against Romanian Monica Niculescu 6-4, 6-4. While the other automatic qualifier Melanie South was displaced in straight sets 6-2, 6-4 by the former Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli.

The last Brit left in the draw is Elena Baltacha, who has had previous success in this tournament after reaching the third round back in 2006, plays Anna-Lena Groenefeld tomorrow.

Today's Men's Results (Click Here)
Today's Women's Results (Click Here)

Andy Murray image by saturnshire

By Geoff Berkeley