These are officially the dog days, a cryptic designation that at least makes sense in tennis, because August marks the reappearance of the game’s biggest dogs. Last week we saw the return of Roddapova to the winner’s circle; this week we get something even better, our first televised look at Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal since they walked off the court together at Wimbledon. Here's an Open Series review followed by a Montreal preview.
Pova
I began 2007 with a blog column for ESPN about how this was the year we would see whether Maria Sharapova could go from being a very determined money machine into a No. 1 player and multiple major champion. A shoulder problem, serving yips, and two Grand Slam blowouts at the hands of the Williams sisters later and it’s clear that she hasn't made any advances thus far this season. In fact, her win in San Diego yesterday was her first title of the year.
This was the place in 2006 where she began a run that ended in the U.S. Open winner’s circle. Are we looking at another Sharapova resurgence? It’s clear that California hard courts agree with her. Through the week she controlled the vast majority of the rallies and didn’t come close to dropping a set until the final. More than that, her old determination and competitive acumen was in evidence again. For someone who has been labeled a “mindless basher of the ball” by no less a personage than Mats Wilander, Sharapova sure is good at mixing up her serves intelligently. At 5-2 in the first set, a time when many players get nervous, Sharapova began by making sure she got her first serve of the game in, slicing it safely (but not softly) wide to Schnyder’s backhand. It won her the point, so she did it again and won the next point. She tried it one more time—“never change a winning game,” as they say—but lost the next point. So at 30-15, Sharapova changed the pace completely, drilling a flat serve down the middle for an ace.
Sharapova’s serve also looked better from a technical standpoint. She seems to have abbreviated her take-back a bit, bringing both arms up together and a little faster. She also went for more topspin on the second one and never suffered a double-fault meltdown. During rallies, Sharapova took Schnyder’s topspin on the rise with ease and dictated from the center of the court, something she must do to win. Her forehand, though, went off for longer periods than I’ve seen it in the past. She’ll have to fix that if she expects to defend her title at the Open.
In the end, Sharapova won because she’s more willful than Schnyder—at 3-0 in the third, she had won 12 of the 16 break points that had been played. After Sharapova loss the second set, she came back out with redoubled energy and won the first game at love. Up 2-0, after shanking a couple forehands and going down 15-40, she she showed no fear, letting two more forehands fly into the corner to get back to deuce.
Whether you enjoy Sharapova’s herky-jerky game and rampant screeching or not, few men or women have her appetite for competition. Which means that even though she’s had a disappointing season, she won't let it bother her as she prepares to go to New York.
Rod
Rod had the opposite set of issues as Pova last week in D.C. By the final, he was hitting the ball well, moving around his forehand relatively smoothly, and hitting it aggressively but with margin. Through the week, though, he also played from farther back in the court than he has for the last year or so—did Jimmy’s absence mean a return to old habits? On big points in earlier rounds, Roddick was content to wait for Hyung-Taik Lee and Ivo Karlovic to miss, which they eventually did at just the wrong moments—Lee had been on fire with his forehand until exactly 5-5 in the first set tiebreaker, when it suddenly (and predictably) went awry. Against John Isner in the final, Roddick did what he needed to do and showed off the best tennis he had all week.
What to make of Isner? I can’t say I loved watching the 6-foot-9 kid from U. of Georgia play. If he’d been from, say, Slovenia, he’d likely have elicited a collective groan from the fans in D.C. rather than the wild cheers he got. But he is from the U.S., which was fun for everyone at the event, and he had a good attitude: focused, upbeat, and surprisingly professional for someone who had never been anywhere near an ATP final.
Isner played a version of the clunky, bang-bang, hard-court, serve-forehand tennis familiar to anyone who has caught much of the college game in recent years (or decades). I liked seeing the ball rocket off his forehand into the corner; I was impressed by his hands at net; I was surprised by his skills from the backcourt. But everything Isner hits looks a little shaky; it’s hard to believe he can unfold himself in time to make a shot. Pat McEnroe and Darren Cahill were high on his potential, but he’ll have to return better—he moves very poorly to his right when he tries to field slice serves—and as hard as hits his own serve, Isner doesn’t seem to be an ace machine along the lines of Karlovic.
Montreal
So much for the week that was. Now the men get down to business for the first Masters Series event of the summer, in Montreal. They’re playing as we speak—Peter Polansky vs. the tremendously named Fabio Fagnini. See what I mean? This is huge! So, before we get any deeper into the tournament, here’s a quick bracket breakdown.
First Quarter
We’re reminded right away of how loaded these masters events are compared to the Slams. In the first round in this quarter, we get Murray-Ginepri and Hewitt-Ferrero, not to mention an all-time Battle of the Brutes, Karlovic vs. Mirnyi. That doesn’t take into account Blake, Robredo, and, of course, Roger Federer. We’ll see how rusty Murray is, but Federer’s biggest problems might come if he faces Karlovic in the second round. The world No. 1 is never at his best early in an event, and Karlovic makes his matches come down to a couple crucial points.
Semifinalist: Roger Federer
Second Quarter
There’ always a faceless quarter in these events. For the last couple years, its been the territory of Ljubicic and Nalbandian. This time it belongs to Davydenko (who is, unfortunately, not quite as faceless as he was just a week ago) and Gonzalez. There are a few entertaining prospects here, such as . . . Youzhny vs. Grosjean? Gonzo vs. Stepanek? OK, I’m stretching, but it will be interesting at least to see how Davydenko handles his newfound fame.
Semifinalist: Radek Stepanek
Third Quarter
If form holds into the quarters, we’ll get a match we've been waiting to see: Roddick vs. Djokovic. Who could derail that? Kiefer will be an immediate test for Djokovic, who is making his U.S. summer debut. Baghdatis may be the biggest obstacle for Roddick, though the perpetually up-and-down Cypriot is probably due for a letdown after a solid Wimbledon. If it comes to A-Rod vs. Nole, I’ll have to go with the Serb because of his results on U.S. hard courts this year; his two-handed backhand, which will help him handle Roddick’s serve; and his stature in the game, which may rob Roddick of his usual preening self-confidence.
Semifinalist: Novak Djokovic
Fourth Quarter
We’re guaranteed one marquee match-up in the second round. That’s because Soderling and Safin play off in the first to face Nadal. The Spaniard has never faced Safin before, but he has faced Soderling, in famously contentious fashion at Wimbledon. The most intriguing figure on the other side is Gasquet, a finalist here last year who is fresh off a semifinal appearance at Wimbledon. Is this the next step for him? I would say yes, but I don’t like him against Nadal, who can bully the Frenchman both mentally and physically. Plus, Nadal won the title the last time the men came to Montreal.
Semifinalist: Rafael Nadal