Hi Kamakshi,
So that’s it, another Tennis Masters Rogers AT&T Toronto Cup is in the books. I thought it was an entertaining tournament. The matches were competitive and high-quality, and there were a few nice story lines, particularly among the younger set. I’ll give a quick summary of the week’s major players, then an even quicker preview of what they’ll face when they head for Cincinnati on Monday.
Roger Federer
Hey, it can be fun to watch the world No. 1! I don’t know if it was the relatively slow surface, the heavy ball, or the shot-makers he faced, but Sire Jacket looked human this week, and the better for it—at least from the perspective of someone who prefers competitive matches over utter domination. Tursunov, Malisse, Gonzalez, and Gasquet all pushed him, made him lots of balls, and ultimately forced him to raise his game. Fed was up to the test each time. He matched his opponents in the shot-making department when the occasion called for it, and got back to his bread and butter, controlled aggression, in the crucial third sets. Come to think of it, maybe he still did look superhuman in the end. Question: Fed skipped this event last year to stay fresh for the Open. I wonder if, when he’s deep in the second week at Flushing Meadows, he’ll think back and regret all the three-setters he slogged through in Toronto.
This week in Cincy, Federer starts with everyone’s favorite slacker, Paradorn Srichaphan. Then things get more interesting when he faces the winner of Murray-Henman. Murray played a tight second set against Federer in Bangkok last year, and his changes of pace could put a hitch in the world’s No. 1 smooth step.
Richard Gasquet
This was Gasquet’s second coming out event as a pro. Last year, when he made a meteoric strike on Federer in Monte Carlo, tennis fans finally got to see the famous prodigy on the big stage. A year later, after a few ups and more than a few downs, a cool and calculated Gasquet dismantled a strong field and almost repeated his win over Fed. The unseeded Frenchman upset Blake, Berdych, and Murray with a seemingly impenetrable heavy-topspin defense. Pat McEnroe pointed out the unorthodox way in which Gasquet was stepping back to return second serves so he could hit a more penetrating and sharply angled ball. Throughout the week, Gasquet expertly absorbed all power (especially that of the Nadal killer, Tomas Berdych) and used his athleticism to turn the tables and go on the offensive in the blink of an eye. Sounds like someone we know, right? That would be Federer, of course, who was just a little better at the same thing in the final. Still, it was a fine match, with every spin employed and corner of the court covered. For now, Federer, when he absolutely needs a point, remains more reliably lethal on the forehand side. But this may prove to be a watershed event for Gasquet.
Cincy: Gasquet opens with a soft seed, Tommy Robredo. The most interesting figure in his section is fellow young gun Novak Djokovic, who’s making his Open Series debut.
Fernando Gonzalez
Gonzo was the third of Federer’s four three-set victims, but like the others he shouldn’t hang his head. Like Gasquet, this event could signal the beginning of a surge for the Chilean. He’s always seemed to be happy blasting away and letting the chips fall where they may, so it was somewhat surprising to see him hire a new coach, Larry Stefanki, and make a commitment to shoring up his three glaring weaknesses: his backhand, his return, and his volley. It will take some time for those to improve, but he already seems more positive and less testy on court, and that’s as good a start as any. Gonzo gutted out a win over the world No. 4, Ljubicic, and didn’t fold after an awful first set against Federer. As I said, he’s a threat not only to Rafael Nadal—his big forehand would give the Spaniard problems at Flushing—but to go all the way to the final at the Open. Against Fed, though, his chip backhand will always be a serious liability.
Cincy: Gonzo opens against his doubles partner, Nicolas Massu, and could face world No. 3, Nalbandian, in the fourth round. Should be a good one.
Andy Murray
Slump-shouldered from beginning to end, Murray always seemed to be hanging on by a thread even as he was winning by convincing scores. But while he grew tired as the week went on, he kept his head in each match. Murray's shot selection and variety were there as always, but it was his consistency and determination from one day to the next that was new. Credit that to the professional operation of Brad Gilbert—having him in the stands has kept Murray from throwing matches away in a prolonged fit of despair, as he did against Marcos Baghdatis at Wimbledon. If he’s ready to work each day, Murray has a clear path to the Top 10. But it’s a long learning process, as his inability to serve out matches in both D.C. and Toronto attests. Against Henman, Murray tried to serve it out by spinning in first balls. Henman was all over him, breaking in a few minutes. That night Gilbert told Murray he should go for big first deliveries when he’s trying to close a match, so Murray proceeded to do just that against Carlos Moya the next day. That didn’t work either: Moya easily found his groove on the harder serves and broke to stay in the match. Still, Murray and Gilbert are bound to get it right soon.
Cincy: No rest for the weary. First it’s Henman, then Federer. I’m looking forward to the second one.
Tomas Berdych
It’s still feast or famine with the 6-foot-5 Czech. He looked all-world in bullying Nadal around the court, but was bewildered the next day by Gasquet. He’s slowly getting there, though, and no one in their right mind, including Federer, will want to face him at the U.S. Open. While his strokes are effortlessly powerful for such a long-limbed guy, it’s his serve that determines how far he goes from week to week. If he’s bombing it, his opponent is hard-pressed to get into a winning position often enough to break. If he’s not, and the other guy can get him on the run, Berdych is vulnerable.
Cincy: A brutal power-showdown with James Blake may be in the offing in the fourth round.
ESPN
There were two wrinkles in their Toronto broadcasts: They took my advice and brought Jimmy Arias on board, and they exiled Cliff Drysdale to L.A. in favor of Sean McDonough (sp?). What did you U.S. viewers think? I thought Arias did a good job from the sidelines. He was funny, he got inside info from the players and their coaches, and his scratchy voice is actually well-suited to whispering. As for McDonough, he did well by talking less and not trying too hard to be a serious analyst (à la Chris Fowler). After all these years, I didn’t find myself missing Cliff’s rambling mind.
Honorable Mention: I was happy to see Jelena Jankovic do so well in L.A. She beat Serena Williams and almost came back at the wire against Elena Dementieva in the final. Jankovic is spunky and an entertainer, and she can put a flat wallop on the ball off either side.
OK, Kamakshi, what were your high- and low-lights for the week?
Steve