Archives for 2013
Federer falls again, giving Robredo first win in 11 matches
September 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment
If the state of Roger Federer’s deteriorating game is based on his age, why was he defeated by a player he has never lost to who is only five months younger than him?
In straight sets.
At the US Open.
With one match away from facing nemesis Rafa Nadal in the US Open quarterfinals (and for the first time ever in Flushing Meadows), the 32-year-old Federer fell to Tommy Robredo 7-6(3), 6-3, 6-4.
The Swiss legend was stymied by one of his weaknesses – converting break points – and it really bit him badly. He only converted two of 16 opportunities. True, Robredo stepped up with a wad of passing shots and aces when he needed them. But, the key was Federer often tried to blast a forehand winner on the first shot he had. And, the fearsome forehand that sent Grand Slam pretenders out of contention for year upon year, was neither accurate nor dependable.
“I struggled throughout, which was not very satisfying, to be honest,” Federer said. “I mean, Tommy did a good job to keep the ball in play and make it difficult for me today. I missed so many opportunities. Rhythm was off.”
Throughout the post-match press conference, the string of negative comments came from the player who has gone for invincible to vulnerable.
“It was up to me to make a difference and I couldn’t.”
“I just couldn’t do it. It was frustrating performance today.”
“It just ended up being a bad combination of many things.”
Federer talked about going back to work and training harder in hopes he can continue to improve on the success he’s had in the last month. But, he will finish this year without making a major final, the first time since 2002.
But, slump or not, Robredo still found great pleasure in knocking off the player who had a 10-0 record over him.
“Well, it’s amazing. For me, Roger, for the moment, is the best player of all times. And, to beat him in a huge stadium like the US Open and in a Grand Slam, a match of five sets, it’s a dream, no?”
Still, Robredo mentioned the cinch in the armor, the failure for Federer to convert break points. “But, I think the difference today was the break points conversion,” Robredo said.
For the first time in 12 attempts, Robredo’s will play in the US Open round of 16.
Asked why older players are making a great impact on tour today, Robredo said, “I think right now all the players take a lot more care of our body. We have physios; we have trainers. In our team, we are a lot of professionals.”
Next up for Robredo is countryman Rafa Nadal. Nadal dropped the first set to Philipp Kohlschreiber, but quickly recovered to post a 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-3, 6-1 win.
Li courts future success
September 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Having a strong, defined personality in an individual sport such as tennis might not be mandatory to success, but it sure is helpful.
Robson Destined for Greatness
August 29, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Now that Murray is at the top of his game, debate swirls around Robson’s future.
Britain has a tendency to overhype their young players to the point where they can seemingly do no right in their bid to live up to expectations – only Andy Murray has bucked that trend in the last two decades.
However, in Laura Robson, could the expectant Brits have another Grand Slam champion in the making? Or is she destined to be the next Annabel Croft, more well known for her television exploits than tennis ones?
The debate about Robson has been raging on the betfair.com forums since she won the Wimbledon girls’ event at the age of 14, the British media describing her as the “new darling of British tennis” following her success at SW19. Since then there has been plenty of pressure placed upon Robson’s shoulders to fly the Union Jack flag for Britain in the women’s game.
After an understandably slow start given her age, Robson showed glimpses of what she is capable of in the latter part of 2012, picking up a silver medal in the mixed doubles at the Olympic Games with partner, Murray. That was followed by a run to the fourth round of the US Open, which included victories over Kim Clijsters and perennial favourite in the Betfair odds, Li Na.
Since then, Robson has made steady progress up the rankings ladder and returns to Flushing Meadows this year as a seed for the first time in her career. While a wrist injury sustained in Toronto hindered her build-up to the US Open, Robson was able to blow away the cobwebs with a straight sets win over Lourdes Dominguez Lino in the first round.
The teenager’s powerful groundstrokes and ability to cover the court have made her a force to be reckoned with on Tour. Robson looks to have all the makings of a Grand Slam winner, especially considering she will be hitting her peak after Serena Williams has called it a day.
However, while the Brit has the potential to be a superstar, she still needs time and fans and Betfair pundits will have to be patient with her. While a major title isn’t just around the corner, the signs all point to her having “Grand Slam winner” under her name when she does make the move to TV punditry, rather than the more common “former British number 1”.
The views expressed here are by Betfair.com and do not represent those of TennisReporters.net.
