Archive for the ‘Roger federer’ Category
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Article first published as 2011 Tennis Season Shaping Up to Be a Great Year for Fans on Technorati.
With less than a week away from French open 2011, all eyes will be on the Serbian Novak Djokovic. Djokovic who is yet to be beaten in 2011 will start the tournament as the favorite along with Rafael Nadal. Beating Nadal twice in two weeks on clay would have obviously given him enormous confidence going into the open this Sunday. Nadal who has ruled the clay in the past will be defending his crown when the open kicks off on the 22nd of May. His biggest competitor this time will be the Serbian who beat him twice in two weeks in Rome and Madrid to get within touching distance of the number 1 ranking.
Nadal himself admitted after his defeat in Rome that Novak Djokovic is playing brilliantly and will be the player to beat in the French Open. Djokovic who has already won a Grand Slam this year would want to claim his first French Open title. Should he reach his first final at Roland Garros 2011, he will overtake Nadal to become the number 1 player in the world. Roger Federer who will be the number 3 seed in the tournament would also like to make an impact in the second Grand Slam of the year. By his lofty standards the former champion has had a pretty poor run this year.
But I feel that this year’s championship will be all about Nadal and Djokovic. Djokovic will surely want to be there in the finals which will give him a chance to claim his second Grand Slam of the year. Nadal will want to avenge his defeat at Rome and Madrid and reaffirm his status as king of clay court. The rise of Djokovic has for sure spiced up the men’s championship this year and the fact that he has a chance of dethroning Nadal from the perch makes it all the more interesting.
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Article first published as 2011 Tennis Season Shaping Up to Be a Great Year for Fans on Technorati.
2011 promises to be a great year for tennis fans. With the emergence of Novak Djokovic, the stranglehold which Nadal and Federer had on world tennis has been lifted and to see a three way battle to supremacy is a great feeling. Even though the Serbian has had a brilliant year or so, I was skeptical if he would be able to dominate Nadal on clay, which has been his fortress for a long time now. Rafael Nadal who is still the world number 1 has been unbeatable on clay in the past and even the great Federer was unable to get past him in his prime.
With the French Open just a month away the clay court season has already begun. When Djokovic defeated Nadal in the finals of Madrid open, he proved to the world that he can be a handful on clay too. It was a big setback for Nadal as the surface has been like a fortress for the champion over the years and he is expected to do well on the same. This win has once again reiterated the fact that Djokovic is now ready to take over the mantle of the best player in the world. A win on clay has also proven that the guy can not only play on any surface but can dominate too. With this win Djokovic is just within a touching distance of the world number 1 ranking. If he can win the title in Rome (his 7th consecutive title if he does) he will dethrone Rafael Nadal at the top of the rankings.
Men’s tennis has once again become interesting, with the emergence of Djokovic, Murray and Soderling. It’s now not just a Federer and Nadal show as it was couple of years back. I congratulate Novak Djokovic on a brilliant start to the year 2011 and I hope that he gets the number 1 ranking which he very much deserves.
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Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal now have to battle for Supremacy with Djokovic in a three way race to the top
Few years back world tennis was all about Nadal and Federer. Even though there were others, none of them challenged the supremacy of these two greats and they remained the undisputed world number 1 and 2. In the last year or so, with the emergence of Novak Djokovic we can see there is a shift in the tide. Djokovic who won the Australian open championship this year has a perfect record of 24-0 in 2011 and is yet to be beaten on the tour this year. He has already displaced Federer at the number 2 spot as has constantly beaten Nadal in their recent encounters.
The recent win in Miami against Nadal further confirms his rise to supremacy. The year 2011 has just begun and it is already promising to be a great year for tennis fan. With the rise of Djokovic the battle to the top is now a three way thing and I feel that the Federer Vs Nadal rivalry is now thing of the past. Nadal also has been dominating Federer in their recent meetings. So I guess the rivalry between Djokovic and Nadal has more weight in the current scenario. Djokovic is now the man to beat in tennis, both Nadal and Federer have found difficult to beat him in recent times. The Serbian in his recent interview has said that becoming the world number 1 is his ambition will want to begin the quest with the clay court season. Clay is a surface which has been a fortress of Rafael Nadal and a win there would almost confirm Djokovic as the next tennis great.
So Federer and Nadal now have a battle in their hands and with players like Andy Murray and Del Potro also close to their heels, we might have a great 2011 ahead. The French open will be interesting as Djokovic would want to extend his supremacy on clay too. It will be interesting to see who will finish as the best player in the rankings at the end of this season. And for the first time in few years it will not be a battle just between Nadal and Federer, which is a good thing for men’s tennis.
Australian Open 2011 – Djokovic triumphs and Lee-Hesh fall at the final hurdle
Posted on: February 1, 2011
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Brilliant Djokovic with the tropy after he demolished Andy Murray in the Australian open finals
In my review of 2010 tennis, I had mentioned how Djokovic could challenge the hold of Federer and Nadal on grand slams. Djokovic though did not waste any time in proving me right. Djokovic thrashed Murray, the other player who had a great 2010 to win the first slam of the year. Murray stood no chance against a red hot Djokovic who was flying high after his three set demolition of Roger Federer in the semis. It was a great win as Roger was tipped to win the title after the shock exit of Nadal by David Ferrer in the quarters.
Murray will be disappointed as he has once again lost the opportunity to become the first player from UK to win a grand slam since Fed Perry about 70 years ago. Both these players were the ones to watch out for after their good performances in 2010 along with Robin Soderling. Now with Djokovic winning the Australian open, it sets up the rest of the year beautifully. I am sure that Federer and Nadal will want to bounce back soon and regain their supremacy. But at the moment all the accolades should go to Djokovic who played brilliantly to win his second Australian open title.
In the doubles, Leander and Mahesh joined hands together after a long time at the grand slams. Their brilliant reunion at Chennai open almost turned into a fairy tale when they reached the finals at the Australian open. They played brilliant tennis and reminded one and all that they still have a lot to offer to their fans. The final though was an anti-climax as the Bryan brothers were too good for the Indian pair. But nothing can be taken away from the brilliant run they have been having since their reunion. All in all a good beginning to the year and it sets up some great contests in the upcoming grand slams. Will anyone be able to challenge Nadal for the number 1 ranking? We will have to wait and see.
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Leander and Mahesh won their 24th tour title and their 5th at Chennai this weekend
Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi won the Chennai open for the fifth time as it marked a perfect reunion for the two great Indians. The pair prevailed over the young pair of Robin Haase and David Martin in a tense 3 setter. This was their 24th title together and something which all the Indian tennis fans have been waiting for. The Chennai open started disastrously for the Indian contingent as Somdev, Bopanna and Yuki all wild card entrants had lost in the first round in the singles. But the doubles title was really a sweet end to the tournament for the Chennai crowd.
The great news is that Leander and Mahesh or Lee-Hesh as they are lovingly called by their fans have decided to play in the Australian open together in an attempt to win their 4th Grand Slam title together. It was yet another special win for the Indian pair and I hope they get few more before the end of the year. Congrats to Leander and Mahesh for an excellent victory.
Elsewhere it was business as usual for the Champion Roger Federer as he defeated Nikolay Davydenko in straight sets to capture his 67th tour title at Doha this weekend. This was an ideal preparation for the champion for his defense of the Australian open later this month. Roger finished 2010 in style when he defeated Nadal in the London Masters final and has began the year 2011 brilliantly by capturing the Doha title. Robin Soderling was another winner this weekend at Brisbane, Australia as he defeated American Andy Roddick to claim his 7th tour title. This is a brilliant beginning for the Swede who ended the year 2010 at number 5 in the rankings. The win has enabled him to reach his career high ranking of No.4 again. He will try to put up a great show in the upcoming Australian open where he was ousted in the first round last year.
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Roger Federer (Left) and Rafael Nadal (Right) had a wonderful year 2010
Article first published as Tennis 2010: Year of Nadal and Federer on Technorati.
The year 2010 in tennis marked yet another year of domination from the two modern greats of tennis Nadal and Federer. Federer began the year by winning the Australian open but Nadal aced the rest of the Grand Slams this year to become only 7th man in the history to win a career grand slam. The year ended with these two stalwarts competing again with each other and rightly so, in the London Masters where Federer got one up on Nadal at the end of the year setting up an exciting 2011.
Even though these two giants have dominated the Grand Slams, there have been others who have made giant strides. The biggest achievers of the year have been Robin Soderling, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic. Novak Djokovic has yet again finished as the number 3 player in the world just behind Nadal and Federer for the fourth straight year and has had a great 2010. Even though he hasn’t managed to win a major slam this year he has been brilliant as he led his team Serbia to Davis Cup glory. He played some of the greatest games in the US Open this year where he took out Roger Federer in a 5 set marathon in the semis, only to lose to Nadal in the finals. He for sure would want to do better in 2011 and hope that he can break in to the top 2 at the end of next year.
The other player who had a wonderful year is Andy Murray. After Tim Henman, Murray took over the expectations of his nation in a bid to become the first British player to win a slam in 64 years. Even though he came pretty close in the Australian Open 2010 when he reached the finals only to be denied by Roger Federer at the summit clash. He though had a fantastic year as he became just the 5th player to beat both Federer and Nadal in the same tournament as he went on to clinch the Toronto Masters. Murray also reached the Wimbledon semis for the second straight year and has finished the year at number 4 yet again for the 3rd year in a row. Even though Andy Murray has to wait little longer to become the first male player to win a Grand Slam from Great Britain, no one can deny that he has had a great year personally as a player and would for sure be looking forward for a better 2011.
The final player who has had a brilliant 2010 has been Robin Soderling. Even though the year began on a low for Robin losing in the first round of Australian open, the Swede quickly brushed aside his indifferent start to have another great year. Soderling became a giant killer in French open where he ousted Roger Federer in Quarters, only to lose to Nadal in the finals. He had a brilliant Wimbledon too as he made the quarters there for the first time and reached the US Open Quarters for the second straight year. Him following up on a brilliant 2009 meant that he ended the year at number 5 in the rankings.
Even though men’s tennis this year had some standout performances, no one can deny that this year yet again belonged to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The two greats are not letting up yet and the challengers have to still raise their games to upset these champions. But with Djokovic, Soderling and Murray close on heals 2011 promises to be an interesting year in men’s tennis. Will one of these three be able to kick one of the Grand Slams from Nadal and Federer? We have to wait and watch. Till then lets revel in the success of the these two tennis superstars who have taken the word rivalry to a new level.
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Federer exults after his brilliant win against Nadal at the London Masters
The London Masters singles final was a cracking one. It was yet again between Federer and Nadal, a rivalry which has already become a part of tennis folklore. The players did not disappoint. Federer and Nadal have played their share of great games in the past and this was as exciting as any of them. Federer won the first set 6-3 and Nadal came back in the second with a 6-3 win himself.
This is where it required one of them to up their game in the third set to grab the initiative and Federer was the one who did it this time. Roger was brilliant in the third set and I am sure that this was one of the best he has ever played against Nadal. The third set saw Fed playing risk free game and hitting winners with precision. It seemed as though Nadal was getting a little frustrated and errors started creeping into this game. Nadal started missing some of his trademark forehands and Fed was just unrelenting.
The third set was comfortably won by Federer with a score line of 6-1. This would have been one of the sweetest wins for the champion as he hasn’t had a great time in the finals against his nemesis Nadal. For Nadal though this was a rare loss against Federer, he hasn’t lost that many against him in the recent past. Probably this was the spark Federer was looking for to have one last hurrah before he retires. So people, look forward to another fantastic year for the champion, Could he push towards 20 Grand Slams? Let’s wait and see. Anyways another brilliant match between these two great players and yet another special win for Fed.
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Fed-Ex still has lot of tennis left in him
Roger Federer burst on to the scene when he ousted defending champion Pete Sampras from 2001 Wimbledon championship in the 4th round. The 2001 championship is more known for the fairy tale journey of wild card entrant and 3 time finalist Goran Ivanisevic. Federer though did not make it beyond the quarters and lost in the very first round of the 2002 championship.
No one could have predicted at that time that this guy will become arguably the best player in the world. Federer won the Wimbledon 2003 by defeating Mark Philippoussis in the finals and what followed that victory was the stuff of legends. What struck me during that championship was the kind of ease with which Federer demolished his opponents. I remember Andy Roddick’s puzzled look in the semis when the champion kept passing him every time he played a great approach shot on his way to the net.
It was how Sampras in his prime used to play on grass. It is quite ironic that Federer who ended Sampras’s hold on Wimbledon will go on to break his Grand Slam record 8 years later. Federer was almost unbeatable for the next 3 years to come on all surfaces except for the clay, the only surface which Sampras was never able to master. Federer though had more success on that surface than Pete as his game was more suited to clay. But as far as the other Grand Slams go, there was only one winner until Nadal came on to the scene.
Nadal often met Federer in the French open finals and defeated him and reminded me of the South American players of the 90’s who were unbeatable on that surface. Nadal began that way, great on clay but could not translate that success to the other surfaces. But the only player who could challenge the domination of Federer during his prime was Nadal. The guy improved leaps and bounds on other surfaces and proved to be more than handful for the champion to put him away. Nadal actually dominates Federer in the Grand Slam finals and holds a proud 5-2 winning record against the champion.
In the last few years though Federer has lost the consistency in his game and lot more errors have started creeping in. Lot more players are now able to defeat him who had no chance of getting close 3 years back. Age might also be a factor as he is not quick around the court as he used to be. He is though still one of the top players in the world ranked second just behind his long time nemesis Rafael Nadal. 2009 probably was the greatest year for Fed as he was able to win the French Open for the first time, the frontier which Sampras was never able to breach. He also passed Sampras’s world record Grand Slam tally in 2009.
It’s hard to call Fed out of form as he has won at least one slam every year since his first in 2003. He is still an amazing player but the old spark is missing. As a great fan of his, I just hope that he has one final hurrah at the top. When Federer is in full flow, it is like poetry in motion. The smooth one handed back hand and power forehand is an amazing sight to his fans. He is probably one of the most graceful tennis players in the history of the game.
Federer still has few more years left in him, which will give him the opportunity to repair his record against Nadal and also a chance to push his Grand Slam tally to 20. He has just added another ATP title to his kitty by winning in Stockholm and thereby equaling Sampras’s record of most singles titles of 64.
Sampras bowed out of the game with a brilliant win in the US Open in front of his home crowd and I hope that Federer to can end his carrier on a winning note and also as the number one player in the world. I guess he deserves that. He is one of nicest guy on the court and humblest off it.
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