The French players at SW19

The French have a brigade stronger than their army at the SW19. Lead by Jo Wilfried Tsonga, there is Richard Gasquet, Gael Monfils, Gilles Simon, Nicholas Mahut , Julien Benneteau and the lone woman ranger Marion Bartoli who is ranked at no.15.

Among these players, I love watching Richard Gasquet- the strongest reason being his single fisted backhand and that he gravitates to the net at every opportunity and treat the grass surface as grass and not hammer blows from the baseline.  The problem is we all know that the these players with the exception of Tsonga will not reach beyond the quarter finals.  

Gasquet has played in 7 Wimbledon championships and his best result has been the semifinals in 2007. Gael Monfils has never progressed beyond 3^rd round, Gilles Simon has done one round better than him and so has Benneteau. Bartoli has played in 10 championships and her best result came in 2007 as a Wimbledon Finalist. Tsonga has shown the most promising performance. Ranked at No.7, he has played in 5 championships and his best result has been the semi-finals in 2011 where he beat Federer and in 2012.

 All these players have been around for at least 10 years on the tour and may never beat their peak results which are at best average.  Many of them are in top 20 and their rankings will slide even further as years progress (Lleyton Hewitt at No.82). 

But Hewitt at least got the kiss the trophy in 2002 and enjoy a brief fling with being No.1.  

Wimbledon 2013

Roger Federer, current world no.3, will be targeting an unprecedented 8^th Wimbledon title ten years after he won his first.  For a number of reasons I am excited for a number of reasons this year at the all-white grand slam.  All the top 4 players are there without exception.  Djokovic, Murray, Federer, Ferrer and Nadal.  Only 4 rankings but 5 players! Due to an algebraic quirk, the equation that spews out the ranking system at Wimbledon has now ranked Ferrer ahead of Nadal.  A lot of hue and cry has been made in the media about the comedy of this particular act.  Having said that, I also think Ferrer fully deserves this ranking.  At 31 Ferrer is playing the tennis of his life and as he said, this is his last chance of getting the best results of his career on grass.  

Talking of age, 31 seems like the golden number- Serena Williams, Federer, Ferrer,  are all 31 and two of them are defending champions while the third is enjoying the highest ranking of his life at no.4, one place ahead of compatriot Nadal.  Then there is Berdych and Tsonga lurking dangerously close to the surface of the top 5 and are capable of pulling off an early upset.  Berdych’s recent clashes with Federer have all ended in his favour.   Del Potro  Richard Gasquet and Stanislas Wawrinka are at 8, 9 and 10 respectively.  I feel Wawrinka has the potential to reach the quarters and then the semis.  I love watching him play, probably at par with Djokovic because one can learn a lot by watching him.  He is the only player apart from Gasquet and Federer to practice the single-fisted backhand, his volleys are superb and generally he is not content to hammer from ball upon ball from the baseline. Should that happen and then per chance the opponent attack his back hand, he will simply whip  the racket and swat the ball very deep either down the line or across the court.  Unlike many of the top 10 players, most notably Murray, he does more than keep the ball in play from the baseline, he will mix his shots, vary the tempo, risk a volley and most importantly fearlessly leave the baseline.

The men’s tennis has been consistent and the top 4 rankings have been dividing the spoils of 4 grand slams between them. The lower ranked players have also been consistently been nipping at their heels and the slightest weakness will have them jump at the higher seeds.

What happening with the top 10 women? Plenty apparently…off court.  Serena Williams has been bringing a lot of mouth to the table aka press conferences.  The rape remark storm had barely died down when she made another comment about Sharapova going out with ‘the guy with the black heart’ (ref. Grigor Dimitrov) and ‘not being invited to the coolest parties’. Who cares!  Why in spite of sweeping all tournaments in her way and also swatting players like flies, Williams makes such juvenile remarks is beyond my understanding.  She has a certain stature is 31 years of age, has more than 10 years of pro play under her belt and ditto those many years of tour experience.  She has stumbled and learnt, been injured and written off more times than she cared and she has come back…and how. Yet she behaves like a teenager mentioning ‘coolest parties’. 

Why Serena, why? She collects her French Open trophy like a little girl who skips her way to the desired object, she giggles, pouts and pirouettes.  It’s  frankly disturbing.  But Williams is no 1 and the hot favourite to win the grass affair.  Sharapova and Azarenka are ferociously mewing at her heels.  But I have realized that something like black magic happens to the opponents when they play Williams, they crumble before the game even begins, they play strangely, make errors, and hand Williams the match; such is her power (playing power not black magic).  Serena’s appearance on the court is intimidating.  Her stares, fist pumps do the damage psychologically and her cheetah- like movements on the court take care of the best played shots.  Her confidence and menace is terrifying. The only thing I can hope for is score more competitive than a tame 6-4, 6-4.  

Of the rest of top 10, I consider only Petra Kvitova, Sara Errani and Li Na who have great game and will put up a fight.  I will just mention without commenting on Radwanska, erstwhile no. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, Angelique Kerber and Maria Kirilenko. Outside of top 10 are so many bright stars that behave like comets.  Sam Stosur for one is the brightest of them all.  This stupendously fit Australian has taken on Williams before and knows her in all her strength and ugliness and she has won. But one doesn’t hear of Stosur beyond round 3 or even 3 these days.  Sabine Lisicki has spunk and is not bogged down by pressure of higher rankings and then there is Elena Vesnina fresh from her victory at Eastbourne and the American Jamie Hampton who was the finalist at the Aegon International Title.   

Oops the clock is ticking…only 6 hours to go.

Dubai Duty Free Semi final between Djokovic and Del Potro

Del Potro V/s Djokovic. World no.1 tennis player who is actually a skier a disguise against the 6ft 7inch tower of Tandil. It's a no brainer actually.  Djokovic is hitting down-the-line backhand shots at will at time and placements of his own choosing.  The skier's slide is intact and allows him to beat Del Potro's advantage of height.  He is moving the ball and mixing his shots is at practise session.  I would give an arm and a leg for that killer backhand. And sorry folks, while Federer is still my favourite player, he stands no chance against Djokovic.  This guy is superhuman, he can adapt at will, emotionally I have always seen a tough g who has the grace to smile at an impossible shot that his opponent has hit and acknowledge as such.  I think this comes to his aid when the chips are down and he is ready to claw is way up and out of the hole.  Now enough of Nole, While I was writing this, Del Potro stopped my hand from writing his obituary and has broken Djokovic to go up 3-0 in the second set. That apart and whatever the outcome of the match maybe (Djokovic will win of course), I have always felt sorry for Del Potro who burst brilliantly on the international circuit by being the youngest player at 18years to capture the US Open title by beating Federer in 2008 when he was two sets down. After that he has not made good on the promise that he showed. Plagued by injuries, He was sidelined while other other players Djokovic and a little Murray surged ahead. And now as things as things stand, he will always be in the top 10.  

Coming back to the game, I realise that Dl Potro is merely responding to the Djokovic's game.  Engaging in rallies is ok, except that with Djokovic the rally can go on forever while he makes you do the corner to corner drill and then you commit an unforced error at the end of which you are exhausted while Mr.Djokovic is ready to do another ski jump.  It is useless.  I wonder where does the reed-thin Djokovic get his energy from or where he stores it.  Anyways Djokovic has broken back and is now serving to level the score at three games all.  My bets are 6-3in Djokovic's favour.  

Have to rush folks.  Will catch up on the game after an hour, by which time it will be done and dusted of course.

Tennis in March And the blue clay conundrum of Madrid Open

We are barely into the third month of the new year is and as I mentioned out tennis players are really ratcheting up frequent flyer miles. March sees only two ATP tournaments - The BNP Paribas at Indian Wells and The Sony Open Tennis at Miami both of which are ATP 1000 championships.  So March offers a brief respite before the onslaught of April and May tournaments that serve as a run up to the French Open at Roland Garros starting on the 25th of May.  All ATP tourneys in these two months are clay court tournaments. So while the players will have bang their shoes with their rackets to loosen the clay stuck to the soils, it will be easier on the knees. Nadal who broke in the new season by playing in Vinal del Mar in Chile has already asked to lower the number of games to sustain the longevity of the player as well as his fitness. Federer has already announced his plans of taking a two month break to spend time with this family.  He will be seen next playing in Madrid Open that starts on the 5th of March. 

 Madrid Open had generated a lot of heat last year when it unveiled a new blue clay surface. Former tennis champion Ion Tiriac own this tournament and was responsible for this change from red clay to a blue dyed surface. This provoked an unfavourable response from the top players like Viktoria Azarenka, Djokovic and the King of Clay, Nadal himself.  

To reach difficult shots on clay, professionals often slide on the crushed brick that blankets the surface, but they can usually stop and change direction without much trouble. Djokovic said he felt off-balance and unable to control the ball during his match against Mr Gimeno-Traver. Victoria Azarenka, reckons the blue clay has also affected the bounce of the ball.  This ATP 1000 tournament is seen as a warm-up for the French Open.

Nadal lost to compatriot Fernando Verdasco in the third round while playing on blue and Rafa threatened to skip Madrid Open if the organisers did not revert to the old, comfortable red clay.  "If things continue, [there] will be one less tournament in my calendar," said the Spaniard. Djokovic to has taken the same stance while Federer has asked The players to 'stop complaining'.  While he agrees that the blue clay feels definitely different, it's his job to play and adapt to changing conditions. "If you want to be a good clay court player, you must be able to play everywhere", was what Federer said of the this out of the 'blue, change. Serena Williams too echoed similar sentiments.  The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) allows any player who has clocked up more than 600 matches in his professional career to skip one of the year's eight mandatory Masters 1000 tournaments, which include the Madrid Open. Both Nadal and Federer are eligible for such an exemption (although their rankings could fall if they took advantage of it).  

However it won't come to that at all.  The blue clay used at Madrid Masters has been banned from all ATP World Tour events in 2013. "After careful consideration, I have decided that blue clay courts will not be allowed next year. I very much believe in innovation and exploring ways to enhance our sport. While the blue clay may have offered better visibility on television, there were clearly issues with the quality of the courts in Madrid this year ..." Executive Chairman and President Brad Drewett said in a statement after a meeting of the ATP Board of Directors in London.

So all's well with our world.

I was watching Berdych versus Tobias Kamke in the second round of Dubai Duty Free Championship. I have already said that this ATP 500Tour can rival the ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 arena.  It is a self sufficient global village hotels, restaurants, pubs, golf club and even a yachting club. But as of now, Dubai will have to wait because it will still have to fill the stands that are empty for such a world class event.  It's the same sad occupancy story with other second round matches except that of Federer's.  

People come to watch him play. Even the early rounds with wild card entrants, low ranked players and debutants are a full house if Federer is playing.  And now it makes more sense because chances of witnessing Federer in full flow are more probable in the early rounds and by the semi final round when all the top four meteors collide onto his path, his game becomes laboured and we have to go through the four setter exercises in futility.  However as long as Federer keeps his top spot Camp Murray will have to keep cribbing about how 'slot' favouritism leans toward Federer by scheduling all his matches for the more prime time evening viewing as was the case in the Australian open.

 That's the way it is and will be as long as you are successful,  and have camera candy.  Federer has both in abundance and with the addition the twins ( something that no players on the tour have and by that I mean children) his stock has risen really.  His twins and his fatherhood find a mention in all post match interviews.  People seem to love it.  Back to the third round of the Dubai Duty free and our little man Davydenko is playing Federer. He loses the first set 6-2.   I am seeing Federer in full flow including his patent down-the-line forehand on winged feet . The delicate volleys are intact and precise lobs are all there.  It's only a matter of time before Federer moves on to the quarter finals at his favourite destination-Dubai. 

For this championship, I have spotted Federer wearing his light grey t-shirt, dark horrors and pink shoes combination, a carryover from take Austrlian open.  He is wearing Vapor 9 Tour shoes from Nike.  Earlier in the day I say Berdych wear the same shoes in fluoroscent green colour.  The Vapor shoes from Nike seem to be popular on the tour. 

And predictably Federer has won the quarter finals against Davydenko 6-2, 6-2.

Dubai Duty Free Championship 2013

The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships is an ATP 500 tournament that has been played since 1993.  The total prize money is USD 2 million. Just like the O2 in London, this stadium in Garhoud, Dubai when not being used for tennis tournaments doubles up as a leading concert venue having played to acts such as Sting, Gerri Haliwell, Bryan Adams, Enrique Iglesias, Gloria Gaynor, Coolio, Shaggy, Sash, Maxi Priest, Big Mountain and Bally Sagoo, while former world boxing champion, Chris Eubank, staged his first Middle East bout on centre court in 1997. The complex is a self sufficient world village with the best 5 star hotels, restaurants offering an array of cuisines from across the world, pubs, souvenir shops, spas, golf and yacht clubs. Great for a holiday I think. Somehow I can't bring myself to plan one to Dubai. Is just not a holiday destination for me.  I have all the sun and sand that I need in India itself. No, Dubai doesn't do it for me yet. The association of Dawood with Dubai is just to strong for The image to shrug of easily. Doesn't float may boat Sir! 

Coming back to the championships, all top seeds crossed the first round hurdle except for Tipsarevic. Davydenko beat a surprisingly off-colour Tipsarevic 6-0,7-5.  I never understood how The frail looking Nikolai Davydenko manages to play a power sport such as tennis in this day and age.  by his own admission, the matches take a toll on him, whether the hot environs of Dubai or the cool of O2.   He won the ATP world tour championship in 2009 and if I remember right, he admitted in a post match interview that he loses as much as 7 to 8 kgs in a tournament and struggles to maintain his body weight.  Ranked 46th, Davydenko says that he is happy to just hang out in Top 50 now and he doesn't do a bad job of it either.  For someone who turned pro in 1999, Davydenko has been in Top 10 from 2005 till 2010. He still manages to pull off upsets of top seed like Tipsarevic ( in the current tournament) and he beat Ferrer in Doha earlier this month.  So all in all its a manageable ambition hat he has to stay in Top 50.  

Meanwhile Federer defeated Tunisian wildcard entry Malek Jaziri but not before the popular Jaziri had skimmed the first set off the world no.2.  W have the same story for other top seeds Tsonga and del Potro, where both lost the first set to bounce back.  So all is well with the top order. I was watching the first round match of the Dubai Open and I feel it has the potential to rival O2, even though the latter is an ATP 1000 event.  Where is scores is the crowds though.  You can have world class infrastructure and the best in business athletes competing in your event.  But the even an be a success only if it has the patronage of the spectators, the wild cheering and  full stands that was lacking in Dubai.  Lets see if the crowds thicken with the progressing rounds.  I am interested in 2nd round where Del Potro plays our very own hero Somdev Devvarman who defeated Igor Kunitsyn 6-1, 6-4. Wil update on the match meanwhile off you go for a camel safari in the dunes while I stay tuned.

Doha Open and some interesting tidbits

After the first grand slam of the year in Melbourne, our tennis stars are scattered all over the world- literally from South America to the Middle East, playing tournaments in sunny parts of the world like Doha, Qatar and Vina del Mar, Chile.  Qatar is turning into quite the center of attraction for world class atheletes. The connection is quite incestous.  Nasser Al Khelaifi is a Qatari businessman and the president of PSG or Paris Saint Germain FC.  Did I tell you that Khelaifi is also the general manager of al-Jazeera Sport, the Qatar-owned TV station and, after the PSG takeover, the media outlet bought up a tranche of Ligue 1 broadcast rights, to emerge as competition to the previously dominant Canal Plus. Al-Jazeera has launched the subscriber channels beIN Sport 1&2 in France to screen its matches and Khelaifi is an emerging media rights player. He refused to comment on whether he would bid for the overseas rights to the Premier League when they became available.

Money is obviously flowing like oil.  Al Khelaifi recruited Beckham on a 5-month contract to join PSG at 8,00,000 Euros a month or 1 mil USD that he will be donating to charity. An estimated 212 million pounds has already been spent.  The 38 year old Khelaifi is suave, smart and seriously well connected.  He also has some heavy- weight connections like that of crown prince of Qatar, Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani. They met through tennis. 

Oh and Qatar will also be hosting the World Cup (football) in 2022. 

Ok now back to out tennis stars and their activities for the next couple of months before Roland Garros.

The next hotspot of Miami, where the Sony Open will be played. Rafa played in Chile and then flew to Brazil to play in the Brazil Open in Sao Paolo which he won by defeating David Nalbandian.  This the Mallorcan's first trophy since his French Open win (def. Djokovic) in 2012. 

Meanwhile Victoria Azarenka defeated Serena Williams in Doha Open. looks like some surfing in Malibu did her good. Vika retained her title but lost the No 1 ranking to Williams who has climbed back on a good two year gap. 

The nest ATP world tournaments are places like Memphis, Marseilles, Buenos Aires, Dubai, Acapulco and Delray Beach.  And this is only the timetable till February end! Of all these ATP tournos, Dubai will have the maximum traction- there are all the usual culprits from Top 10 in men's and woman's tennis, with Maria Sharapova, Nadal, Murray, Ferrer being the only exceptions. Tickets can be found at www.timeouttickets.com

The Dubai Duty Free Tennis offers a grand spectacle the mundane name of the championship notwithstanding!