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ATP Finals: It is all about exposure

November 14, 2020 by Matthew Cronin

Next week at the ATP Finals at London, the top seeds will be the favorites, with Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal. Not like the Slams where matches are three out of five sets, the ATP Finals play two out of three.

That is why the Serbian and Spaniard, who have won so many Grand Slams, won’t be the overwhelming favorites. But, at least US Open champion Dominic Thiem will represent the youth movement, having one a Slam. The others can’t claim one. However, in their favor, is the indoor environment and quick courts.

To start, on Monday, Thiem will face Stefanos Tsitsipas, and, at night, Nadal will play Andrey Rublev. On Tuesday, No. 1 Djokovic will be against Diego Schwartzman, and then it will be Daniil Medvedev versus US Open finalist Alexander Zverev

Believe it or not, Nadal has been spotty in London. Going in, he won 16-12. Perhaps his legs are sore at the end of the year, and that is a portion that he just wanted to go home. But, this year he hasn’t played many matches. Plus, he likes to rally, and when the court is quick, he can pound fast.

This is the first time that Andrey Rublev will play the ATP Finals. Over the past couple months, he has risen, smashing the ball and being more rational. But can he attack early and make sure that he won’t push into Nadal’s amazing forehand. He must mix it up and try to sprint into the net. Three years ago, Nadal crushed him at the US Open. But, that is then, and now the years favor the Russian. If Rublev has no fear, then he could push Nadal. He can control what he is doing, and drive Nadal into the wall. The problem is Nadal thinks hard all the time and he can change his tactics. It might go to the third set, but Nadal will win it.

Exactly one year ago, Tsitsipas won the event, edging Thiem 7-6(4) in the final. The tall hitter kept on chucking, hustling, and go for the lines anytime he wanted to. After that, Thiem won a Slam and he showed that he was super splendid. The Greek Tsitsipas had a good year, but sometimes he would check out mentally and really fall off. And then he will lose. But, on different days, he is totally into it, staying way back with some good spin, or blitz into the net.

Tsitisipas and Thiem had played seven times: four wins by Thiem, and three by Tsitsipas. They have played each other in 2018 and 2019. But this year, they haven’t played each other, hampered by the COVID-19 break.

Both of them are cagey, and they will twist and vie for position. Thiem and Tsitsipas will get into the third set, and at the end, the Greek will touch the lines. It is all about exposure.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Andrey Rublev, atp finals, Dominic Thiem, london, rafa nadal

Tsitsipases wins the ATP Finals

November 18, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

In the ATP Finals, there are moments that Stefanos Tsitsipas got upset, and he would yell loudly on court. But,t the Greek can turn it around in a second, and refocus.

On Sunday, Tsitsipas won the ATP Finals, edging Dominic Thiem 6-7, 6-2, 7-6(4). Right at the end, he truly believed that he would not gag, while the Austrian was so close, but he backed off and he made a few errors at the end.

The youngster Tsitsipas can go up and down, but he is so confident when he is on a roll, and when he misses a few shots, he thinks, “I have to be steady, rather than to cracks it in the corners.”

Thiem had it, really looked like he had it, and then he didn’t have it.

Tsitsipas has had a tremendous year. He is tall, he can smoke his serves and his big forehand. He is quick, and he can run.

In 2019, Tsitsipas was terrific, and then he was somewhat bad. That has happened with most people, even the very good players, like a few Grand Slam winners, such as Juan Martin del Potro, Marin Cilic, Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray. They won it a Slam, at the US Open, Wimbledon, and the Australian Open, but they all have played horribleer lat. Ask them. They will tell you. What has been rare is the best competitors — Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic — who have won so many Slams. But, once in a while, during a year, they can slip up and lose. No one can be perfect. That is totally impossible.

Tsitsipas has yet to win a major. At the start of this year, he reached the semis at the 2019 Australian Open. He beat Federer in the fourth round, he edged Roberto Bautista Agut, and then he lost easily to Nadal.

I have said this many times, but I will repeat it again: It is one thing to beat everyone in a two out of three, but to do it in three out of five — that is totally different. Physically and mentally, you have to bring it.

Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have won 55 Grand Slams. Five of them who played in London at the ATP Finals — Tsitsipas, Thiem, Daniil Medvedev, Sascha Zverev and Matteo Berrettini — have yet to win a Grand Slam. Zero.

Maybe a few of them can do it in 2020, but you really do not know until they actually get there. Thiem has reached to the final at Roland Garros – twice — which is wonderful, but he lost against Nadal — twice. Thiem wasn’t very close to upset the Spaniard because Nadal has won it 11 times in Paris, grinding and keeping his head up. He rarely gets tired over hours of play, but Nadal gets hurt frequently now. Even if his knees are wrecked, he keeps on pushing.

Tsitsipas did exactly the same thing at the ATP Finals. However, even though it is a terrific event, it is only two out of three, not three out of five.

Next year, the 21-year-old Tsitsipas will be ready to snare a Slam. Without a doubt, in Melbourne, in January, the No. 6 will be ready to dance. If he can sing after he wins it all, Tsitsipas can take a dive into the famous lake. Splash.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: atp finals, Dominic Thiem, london, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Stefanos Tsitsipas

Zverev has started to climb up the mountains, beats Nadal

November 12, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

No. 1 Rafa Nadal can play fantastic in the winter, the spring and the summer. But, in the fall, the Spaniard’s legs collapse. He wants to play — he always wants to walk on the court and crack the ball — but he is 33 years old. While he can win another Grand Slam in 2020 (isn’t Roland Garros his for the picking?), or to win the ATP 1000s, too, that does not mean that he can compete a lot year after year.

Yes, this season, Nadal won Roland Garros and the US Open. That is tremendous, but he absolutely has to rest. He does a bit, but in the ATP 1000 Paris two weeks ago, he pulled out after the quarters. He wanted to be healthy in anticipation for London.

Against Alexander Zverev on Monday, Nadal couldn’t play well at all. He could not smoke the ball. He hit it short, and all over the place.

Zverev did play quite well; he was solid, strong and patient. He beat Nadal 6-2, 6-4, which was a little bit surprising, considering that Nadal had beaten the German five times. But, not this time. As the Spaniard said, he came to London, but his body is suspect.

“I am disappointed, because knowing that I will not be at my 100 percent in terms of feelings, in terms of movement, in terms of confidence or hitting the ball. I needed my best competitive spirit , and I was not there in that way,” Nadal said.

How about this? Zverev hit 26 winners, while Nadal hit just three forehand winners. Given that his forehand is the best in the game, he just wasn’t sharp. He is dealing with his abdominal injury. Maybe on Wednesday, Nadal will shake it off and pound it.

“What really matters is I need to play much better in two days,” Nadal said. That’s the only thing.”

The good thing about Zverev is that he admitted that he has had a so-so year, and he struggled, a lot. Last year, a year ago, he was riding high. Then he slipped way down. Over the past month, he has started to climb up the mountains. On Monday, Zverev looked very different.

Can Zverev, the defending champ, win it again? It is too early to say, because they just started and they will play three matches, win or lose. Zverev really likes the London O2. On Wednesday, Zverev will go against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who just beat Daniil Medvedev.

At the Slams, Nadal has played for 15 years, while the other three are just starting out. All three of them are enthusiastic, but Nadal must be irritated because he lost. He doesn’t like pushing the ball, so on Wednesday, win or lose, he is going to swing much harder and, hopefully, inside the lines.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Alexander Zverev, atp finals, daniil medvedev, london, rafa nadal, Rafael Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas

Nadal, Djokovic and Federer will clash at the ATP Finals

November 8, 2019 by Jeff Frank

Rafa Nadal comes into the ATP Finals with just a week off since he withdrew from the Paris Masters semifinal with an abdominal strain, and there are a lot of questions about him physically — but not about his game.

The lefty can smash his forehand, stay very patient, and is still willing to have long rallies where he will blast it into the corners when the other player is exhausted. The 19-time Grand Slam champion has also improved his backhand — it’s deeper now — and he is tough to beat at the net, when he comes in. Though he stands way behind the baseline when he is returning, almost on the wall, he can get it back regularly and then get into the point.

While people know that he is the best player ever on clay, winning 11 times at Roland Garros, he has won on hardcourts both at the Australian Open and the US Open. So when Nadal is healthy, he can beat them all everywhere.

But the problem for Nadal at the ATP Finals has been being healthy, because he’s withdrawn or retired there six times, exhausted from a long season. This time, he says he doesn’t know what shape he will be in when he takes the court. He really wants to win it, though, badly, and certainly can if he plays like he is capable of.

Serbian Novak Djokovic has won here a lot of times before, and he might do it once again. The photos show why — when he is locked in, his eyes are very wide, and he is looking directly at the ball. He will return deep, and then he will camp on the baseline with his amazing backhand, and he will rally crosscourt until he can knock it down the line. He has won 16 Grand Slams, and this year, the Australian Open and Wimbledon. That was crazy, considering that the Spaniard and Djokovic have played each other 50 times. Most of it, it was darn close.

Djokovic just won ATP Masters Paris, and while he was a little bit injured and off during the last few months, he has been around for a long time and he knows that as long as he practices, he will eventually return playing terrific. Currently, he is very close to playing 100 percent, and he is feeling confident. He wants to become No. 1 again, and push everyone aside. Without a doubt, he is the top favorite to win it again.

Roger Federer has had a solid year. He was unable to win a Grand Slam again, but he also won four tournaments, which means that he is still alive. In July, at Wimbledon, Federer lost 13-12 in the fifth against Djokovic. Even if he lost, he is still good on the move, and he can be spectacular. Federer thinks deeply, and he can change the tactics when he has to, using his variety. At the ATP Finals, he has won a record six titles. He has beaten them all, but he has lost, too. In 2018, he went down to Alexander Zverev. In London, he has a fine chance to win it once again, standing at the net and putting away his volleys. Federer is always very competitive against the top players.

The ATP Finals odds have three distinct tiers, according to Sports Betting Dime. Djokovic (+120) is in a class by himself, followed by Federer (+400), Medvedev (+450) and Nadal (+500). Zverev (+1200), Tsitsipas (+1200), Thiem (+1400) and Berrettini (+2200) are the longshots. The best value among the bottom four looks to be Tsitsipas. With wins over Djokovic, Federer, Nadal, and Zverev (twice) this season, his upside is as high as Medvedev, though his consistency is lacking.

Daniil Medvedev has had an incredible year. He started back in July, when he reached six finals in a row. It took the 23-year-old Russian five years to become smarter and more thoughtful about when to go for it and when to hold back. He is tall, steady and he can rip his first serve, his forehand and his backhand. Now, he’s aiming to show the fans who he is. Recently, Medvedev said that he wants to become No. 1 soon. Yet he first has to upend the big boys — Nadal, Djokovic and Federer. He has a wonderful shot to win it all.

Dominic Thiem is no longer one of the youngsters, as he is now 26 years old. But, the Austrian still has a long career in front of him, so he can grab a major, perhaps next year. On clay, he has reached the final twice at Roland Garros, and looked very good as he has heavy strokes, deep shots, but he could not do enough to upset Nadal.

On the hardcourts, Thiem has improved a decent amount over the last couple years and his first Masters title this season was on this surface. He moves well inside the court, he can be aggressive and go for the lines, both ways, with his forehand and his backhand. Yet to win the tournament would be his best performance ever and, at the moment, he doesn’t quite look close enough.

Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas has had a very good year at times, though he can be up and down. He has played a number of long matches this season, showing he can smash his first serve, pin his forehand and he can also rally, too. He certainly needs to return better, but in the past year, the 21-year-old is very steady with his backhand. Tsitsipas is intelligent, he listens to his coach, and his goal is that one day, he will become the best player on tour.

Maybe he will, but first, in London, he has to focus every moment to upset the great veterans and he must find the corners because of the speed of the indoor court. Tsitsipas may not win it all, but he is very excited to be there for the first time, so he will give it all. To win it would be surprising. He isn’t ready yet. But, soon.

When Zverev is on, he can be very positive, but when he isn’t, he can become very angry. Problems off the court this season have sometimes left him not concentrating fully on the court. That is why from March through September, he lost early and often. Yet in the fall, he recomposed himself, and while he isn’t playing fantastic, but he is much better than he was at the US Open. He was mentally gone there, saying he had no confidence.

It was very different at the 2018 ATP Finals, which Zverev won, beating Federer and Djokovic. It looked like he was going to win a major, but he didn’t. Perhaps, some year, but currently, mentally, at the ATP Finals he is not playing at the level to win it again.

From nowhere, an Italian made into the ATP Finals and it wasn’t even Fabio Fognini. Matteo Berrettini is pretty young, and he has yet to win a big tournament. But, at the US Open, he upset Gael Monfils in the quarters, 7-6 (5) in the fifth. He was overjoyed. When he started the year, he was ranked No. 54, and in April, he took off.

Berrettini is a huge hitter with his forehand, but he can be steady, too. He is 23 years old — so he is still young — and he will have to get better all around. Yes, next year he can make an attempt to enter the top 5, but this week at the ATP Finals, he has virtually no chance to win it. He will be very nervous.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Alexander Zverev, atp finals, Daniil Medevdev, Dominic Thiem, Novak Djokovic, rafa nadal, Roger Federer, Stefanos Tsitsipas

ATP Finals: Zverev wins biggest title, stunning Djokovic

November 19, 2018 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

Here’s a wrap-up of the 2018 season for the eight ATP Finals singles players.

Alexander Zverev
From August all the way through November, Zverev played well at times, but mostly mediocre. But last week in London, Zverev stood up tall, stunning Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-3 to win the title.

He was so locked in, so good, smashing his serves, his forehand and backhand and also being patient. The 21-year-old won Munich, the ATP 1000 Madrid, Washington and now, London. “I’m unbelievably happy, obviously it’s the biggest title that I’ve ever won,” said Zverev. And how.

This year, he beat eight Top 10ers. On Saturday and Sunday, he overcame Roger Federer and Djokovic. That is almost impossible to do. The No. 4 Zverev has yet to go very deep in the Slams, but in 2019, he will be very confident and stoical.

Novak Djokovic
The 14-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic has had a terrific second half of the year, winning Wimbledon, Cincy, the US Open, and Shanghai. On Sunday, he had only lost twice since June, to Stefanos Tsitsipas in Toronto, and Karen Khachanovin in Paris. It looked like he was almost invincible.
But in the final, he played OK, didn’t serve well during the second set, and he didn’t return with his usual tour-topping skill. However, you cannot win every week; it is going to happen, once in a while. Djokovic will stay as the No. 1 at the start of 2019, but the most important thing for him is to keep on churning.

Roger Federer
The 37-year-old Federer had two good wins against Dominic Thiem and Kevin Anderson, and two losses against Nishikori and then in the semis to Zverev. Not good enough for him? Probably not, because he wants to win at the most important events, and the No. 3 really, really wanted to grab it in the ATP Finals. He would have had 100 titles, in front of everyone, and he would have been so darn happy. But, he did not and for the next two months or so, he will be stuck at 99 wins. He must be think: “Ugh.”

Kevin Anderson
The South African/American looked terrific, winning two matches against Nishikori and Thiem to start, but then the tide turned, and he lost easily to Federer and Djokovic. Yes, he had a fine year, winning two small events and he reached the final at Wimbledon. Can Anderson win a major in 2019? Hard to say. He has improved his backhand and speed, but the tall man is still a little bit slow. However, if he can return better, then maybe he can raise the Slam trophy in 2019. Maybe.

Marin Cilic
There are days when you think that he is playing so clean, so smart, and so intense. But there are also days when inside his head, that he gets frustrated and then he gets mentally down. Yes, he had a very decent year, but for Cilic, unless he gets to No. 1, he is very disappointed. He has won one major title, the 2014 US Open, and he has also reached the final at 2017 Wimbledon, and this year, at the Australian Open. There is no doubt that he will be a force again in 2019. But, to get his second Slam, he has to be steadier and focused at the net.

Kei Nishikori
After the Japanese stunned Federer, it looked like he was ready to take down all of them. But he did not, and he flipped out, losing so easily against Anderson and Thiem. Later, he said he had no idea why. That is so true. However, he did play pretty well most of the season, and he wasn’t that hurt at all, which is very good, considering that he had been injured for so many years.
Nishikori is very fast, he leaps up into the sky a lot, and he puts the ball away.
Can he actually win a Grand Slam someday? That is questionable because in the second week, he eventually gets tired and then starts coughing up the unforced errors. Hopefully, in 2019, he will continue to be healthy. If he does, Nishikori will go deep at some big events.

Dominic Thiem
The Austrian has been creative this year. He mixes it up, he will spin it, chop it, and flatten it out. On clay, he was way up there, reaching the final at Roland Garros. But, on the hard courts, while he has improved during 2018, it has taken the 25-year-old a pretty long time to be a force. He is trying, though, he is stuck on the baseline. Maybe, he can push himself forward. He played a few good matches last week. He wasn’t able to reach the semis, but maybe next year in London at the O2, he can grab and actually win it.

John Isner
The American was pretty thrilled that he made it into the ATP Finals, slipping in when Rafael Nadal and Juan Martin del Potro had to withdraw because of another late-year injury. He was excited and he was hopeful. He tried but lost all three of his matches. As he said before it started, there are some amazing players here. So, Isner had a small chance. Unfortunately, he couldn’t raise his game. Without a doubt, he did improve his backhand, and at net game, bending low. Maybe in 2019, Isner can crack the top 5. That would be even more special.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Alexander Zverev, atp finals, dominc Thiem, John Isner, Kei Nishikori, Kevin Anderson, london, Marin Cilic, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer

ATP Finals: Anderson wins, Federer loses to Nishikori

November 12, 2018 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

Kevin Anderson has had such a solid year. The 33-year-old veteran has improved his backhand, his speed, and net play. Go back five years and he was struggling mentally, but now, he is pretty calm and directed.

On Sunday in the ATP Finals in London, Anderson overcame the Austrian Dominic Thiem 6-3, 7-6(10), attacking the net regularly.

Thiem has also improved this year. He was always very good on clay, but he had to understand what he needs to do on hardcourts, which are much faster. However, both of them still have return substantially better, just like Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer do. And today, Nishikori also did it, especially serving.

Champions like Djokovic and Federer return well all the time, and that is why they have thousands of break points. Indoors, in London, it is warm and there is no wind, so Anderson can swing out — when he wants to. Maybe the South African can reach the semis, but he has a long way to go. He was nervous, but today, he settled in.

“I definitely felt a little bit nervous. But very quickly and find a really good rhythm, taking care of my service games nicely [and I] created quite a few opportunities on his serve,” said Anderson. “He wasn’t serving at a very high first-serve percentage. I felt I was getting into quite a few points. The second set could have been anybody’s set. When it’s 12/10 in the tiebreak, it really could have gone either way.”

At night, Kei Nishikori stunned the 20-time Grand Slam winner Federer 7-6 (4), 6-3. Now that was surprising, not because the Japanese has had a very decent year, but because the Swiss has played in London extremely well over the years, on grass and indoors on hard courts. But in his first match, he was frustrated.

“I hope I don’t go on vacation with three losses. Let’s put it that way,” Federer said. And how.

So Federer lost, but it is a round-robin, so he can reach the semis, but he has to re-compose. He committed 34 unforced errors, and that is a lot. He does not do it often, but he received a code violation for banging a ball into the crowds. Ouch. Federer won the Australian Open, skipped Roland Garros, and then he was ousted at Wimbledon and the US Open. Recently, he won Basel again, but the 37-year-old might be aging a little more. That is inevitable.

“My season [in 2018] was never going to be exactly like last year,” Federer said. “I knew that going into the season. If you thought I was going to have, I think you are dreaming. I’m happy how I played this season. I didn’t feel like playing less was a problem.”

He did add that Nishikori had a very good year. At the end of 2017, he was hurt and he couldn’t play. He came back in February and it took him awhile to be comfortable. He is now.

“I’m really happy for [Kei] that he qualified for this event – not taking me out today – but I’m happy for him because he started playing challengers this season,” Federer said. “That was a bold decision early on and deserves credit and respect. I think we all have that for Kei because he’s a great fighter.”

Federer will plays Thiem on Tuesday, while Anderson will face Nishikori.

NOTES
The United States lost 3-0 against the Czech Republic in the Fed Cup finals. That is the sixth time in eight years that the Czechs have won it. They are so good. Katerina Siniakova saved two match points and won it 7-5, 5-7, 7-5 over Sofia Kenin. Close but no cigar for the Americans. …

Stefanos Tsitsipas won the Next Gen ATP Finals title in Milan over Alex de Minaur. The Greek will crack into the top 10 pretty soon. He is very tall and he just crushed the ball off of both wings.

The coach and broadcaster Darren Cahill has stopped coaching Simona Halep. “I’ve decided to take a 12-month break from coaching to be home more for support as our children enter important stages of their lives with the final year of high school, sports and college preparations all becoming more time consuming,” Cahill wrote.

Czech Lucie Safarova, who peaked by reaching the 2015 Roland Garros final, will retire at the Australian Open in January. Her body is declining. “I had a great career, but my health doesn’t allow me to continue,” Safarova said. That is too bad, she always hustles and she always smiles, too.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: atp finals, czech republic, Dominic Thiem, fed cup, Kei Nishikori, Kevin Anderso, london, lucie safarova, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, Roger Federer

Dimitov wins the ATP Finals, beats Goffin

November 20, 2017 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

Next year, Grigor Dimitov will be a serious contender to win a Grand Slam. This season, he has calmed down, he practiced a ton and, for the first time, he actually listened to his coaches.

The Bulgarian nailed it, winning the ATP Finals, upending David Goffin in three fun sets, 7-5 4-6 6-3.

He is very personable, and intelligent. Fine. On court, he needs to find out what his opponent is doing. Right at the end, he was nervous and tight, but he knew that if he just held on, was patient, and when he had an opportunity, then he could crack the ball off both sides. With championship points slipping away, Dimitrov didn’t break down mentally.

Just a couple years ago, Dimitov was confused, mixing his backhand. Too often, it was out, or short, but not deep in the court. The players would jump on him. Dimitov would shake his head, would put his face down and he could not recover.

But in 2017, he didn’t give up. Even after he won the ATP 1000 Masters Series in Cincy in August, he lost early at the US Open. He was so-so in Asia. Oddly, when he arrived in London, he knew that if he began to play great, then he could actually win it all.

The now No. 3 Dimitrov did, beating a tenacious Goffin early. Then he beat Dominic Theim, Pablo Carreno Busta, and Jack Sock in the semis. Ithe final, he faced the Belgian Goffin one more time.

He beat him and he was overjoyed.

“This makes me even more locked in, more excited about my work, and for what’s to come,” the two-time Grand Slam semifinal Dimitov said. “It’s a great platform for me to build on for next year.”

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: atp finals, david goffin, Grigor Dimitrov, Jack Sock, london, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin

Pro tennis: too many male players are injured

November 17, 2017 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

Fix it, please.

Who knew that they could snag a Grand Slam again, considering that they were aging, and the chances to dominate was very slim.

But somehow, someway, they had improved their strokes and when they came on court, they were better and smarter. Federer won the Aussie Open and Wimbledon, and Nadal won Roland Garros and the US Open. They were back, and much better.

Unfortunately, “everybody” is injured. Federer decided not to play on clay, because he though that if he did, he could get hurt again and once he came on grass, he could be very tired or very sore. Nadal played about as well he did on clay — once again, he won Roland Garros, 10 times — and the same thing on the hard courts in the end of the summer in New York.

But three weeks ago, Nadal’s knees started to get extremely tender, and two days ago, he pulled out at the ATP Finals.

Now, it’s the middle of November. While there are some terrific matches at the ATP Finals played by Grigor Dimitrov and Alexander Zverev, four multiple Grand Slam champs who are not there: Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka. Those four have combined to win 33 majors; but they aren’t in London town. For the fans, that hurts.

It is not just them. Three excellent competitors also became substantially injured this season: Milos Raonic, Kei Nishikori and Nick Kyrgios.

The 36-year-old Federer says that now, you can play longer and you don’t have to retire so early, such as Pete Sampras and Steffi Graf. Perhaps so, but one of the problems is the length of the year; they have to start at the beginning of January and continue until the middle of November. Essentially, in pro tennis, you have to play the entire year.

Yes, they can relax for a week or two. Players begin to practice in December. Within a second or two, it is time to get back on court, and play the matches.

This has been going for many years now. If it was up to me, I would reduce the schedule. I know it’s all about the money, making more and more money all the time, but what I see — and this is totally true — lots of people stop watching tennis in the fall. It is too much, too many tournaments, too many days, and eventually, the fans get bored. So they stop.
That is why pro tennis is still struggling.

Hopefully, in 2018, they will fix it, at least a little bit.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Andy Murray, atp finals, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka

ATP Finals: Sock outlasts Cilic; Dimitrov beats Thiem

November 14, 2017 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

Jack Sock has been slumping for five months. At times, he was frustrated and very irritable. But, in the last three weeks, he became so consistent, he hung in there and he changed his tactics.

Two days ago, he lost to the phenomenal Roger Federer.

On Tuesday, in London, he overcame Marin Cilic 5-7 6-2 7-6(4). Now the American has a chance to reach the semis at the end of this week.

Today, he was pretty quick, especially when very close to the net. The court isn’t that fast, which is good, considering that the hard courts can be lighting quick in different indoor tournaments. Not in London, this time.

Sock has been sneaking up on the Top 10, finally reaching No. 9 with his Masters 1000 victory in Paris. Since the American Andy Roddick — who won one major at the 2003 US Open — American men have been underachieving. Surprise Wimbledon semifinalist Sam Querrey was the first American man to break the final four Slam glass ceiling since Robby Ginepri in 2005.

Today, there are a good amount of U.S. male players in the top 100. But, winning a Grand Slam, or even making it into the ATP Finals, with only the top eight players at the end of a season, is very difficult.

That was surprising two weeks ago, because it looked like that once again, the Americans would be unable to consistently beat the big boys. Now, Sock rose up, and has a chance to go deep this week in England.

Yes, obviously, Federer is the favorite, and yes, Sock will have to face the excellent, very young player Alex Zverev on Thursday. Can Sock win and reach the semis? That is up in the air, but finally, Sock is gaining confidence every day. Maybe, every second.

With a win today over Zverev (61 in the final set), Federer has sealed a spot in the semis for the 14th time.

Nadal calls it a year
Without question, Rafa Nadal has had a terrific year. He has won six titles, two of which were Roland Garros (10 titles in Paris) and the US Open. He has improved at the net, and his softer backhand is landing deep and with even more spin.

Nadal was pretty shaky when he lost against David Goffin in three sets He was limping towards at the end.

Nadal ran around, but he was a little slow and he could not crack his famous forehand. His legs were wobbly.

As Federer said, perhaps his good buddy, Nadal, should not have gone to Asia in October. But he did, winning Beijing and then reaching the final at Shanghai, losing against to, believe it or not, Federer.

Then, after that, Nadal was hurting, once again. On Monday, the No. 1 waved goodbye for the rest of the year.

Now, he needs to rest. And heal. In 2018, who knows? Will Nadal be healthy all the time? I doubt it, because over the past four years, the 31-year-old gets hurt pretty frequently. When he is feeling just fine, he gets better all the time, which is a very good thing.

During the afternoon, Grigor Dimitrov overcame Dominic Thiem 6-3 5-7 7-5. Dimitrov rarely goes away, and he mixes it up all the time. He almost lost though, because Thiem jumped on him and he was winning the one-hander versus the same one-hander. But the Bulgarian was more patient and confident. At the very end, young Thiem sort of gagged. Or panicked.

Either way, with Nadal now gone, Dimitrov is favored to reach the semis. He could actually win the entire event. Imagine that.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: atp finals, Dominic Thiem, Grigor Dimitrov, Jack Sock, london, marin Cilic; rafa Nadal, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, Roger Federer

Djokovic very happy, but what if he loses vs Nadal in semis?

November 20, 2015 by Matthew Cronin Leave a Comment

AT THE ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS IN LONDON – For the past two months, Novak Djokovic has been asked whether or not he is truly happy when he wins, and can he continue to be very pleased even if he loses?

What if Djokovic goes down against Rafael Nadal in the semifinals at the ATP World Tour Finals on Saturday, ending the year when he would no longer be dominated?

What if?

But at least on Friday, he is grinning from ear to ear.

The Serbian has rarely lost this year and the only time that he was down in the dumps for a few minutes was when he lost against Stan Wawrinka in the final of Roland Garros. Had he upended against say Roger Federer or Nadal, he might have been upset longer, because while he is very respectful about both those them, they are not close friends off the court. But apparently, he and Wawrinka are. It’s possible they could play each other in the final. If the Swiss upends Djokovic once again, maybe he will just shrug and continue to be a happy man

“I feel like (I have) a very special relationship with Stan, I think like no other top player, honestly,” Djokovic said. “I do appreciate that. I do enjoy that good relationship we have. I think that was strengthened even more after Roland Garros final.”

It appears that it was. He won Wimbledon in an epic contest over Federer, dropped against Andy Murray and Federer at Montreal and Cincy, but then he won the US Open, by edging Federer once again. Then he won everything, at Beijing, Shanghai and Paris/Bercy. He was on-fire and he wasn’t sputtering at all.

Somewhat amazingly, he lost to Federer here in London at the O2 on Tuesday, but he picked right up, beating Tomas Berdych. Now he is in the semi of Saturday against Nadal.

If he loses that contest, maybe it will be a super disappointment. Or not.

The two have clashed so many times, with Nadal leading head to head 23-22. They have been so close on court, with so many intense rivalry matches. They are both so fast that they can go on for hours, like at the 2012 Australian Open final, won by Djokovic in 5 hours and 53 minutes. They never went down until the very end.

“In terms of amount of matches played, maybe some matches that were long and epic was against Rafa,” Djokovic. “I played against him longer matches, more exciting matches. Grand Slam finals I think were more exciting with Roger [Federer], especially in the last couple of years. So both of them. It’s been amazing rivalries I had with both of them.”

This year, obviously, Djokovic has beaten Nadal every time this year. Nadal is getting better and better, having a decent fall, going fairly deep every time out. Given that since 2005 until now, after the summers ended, his body fell apart. But, this season, after he returned from his injury in the second half of 2014, he has been injury free.

However, against Djokovic, he has been quicker, more powerful, smarter and secure. Last month, they faced off in the Beijing final and Djokovic clocked him 6-2, 6-2.

The court at the ATP Finals is fairy fast, but slower than it used to be. Nadal has won three matches, beating Wawrinka, Andy Murray and now David Ferrer, who he out-lasted him 6-7 6-3 6-4 in more than two-and-a-half hours on Friday.

Djokovic is favored, but eventually, if he is 100 percent physically and mentally, Nadal will get him one day. But on Saturday, if he isn’t substantially aggressive, there is no way he can win. Djokovic can hit the ball back until he gets a good look off a short ball and he will swing away.

The Spaniard has to take some risks.

But maybe he won’t.

“I going to try to keep playing the way I am playing,” Nadal said. “Then maybe is not enough. But I cannot go crazy. I cannot go on the court and thinking that I have to do something that I cannot do it. I going to try to play my game. I going to try to play aggressive. I going to try to be strong mentally. I know the surface is better for him than for me obviously. He plays in a very good surface for him. He plays a tournament that he won already couple of times. He come here after having an amazing season. All the positive things are for him.

“But for me is a motivation. I am here to try my best tomorrow. Then if is not enough what I have today, it’s fine. I going to keep working to keep improving the things that I need to do to try to be in better shape next time that I going to compete against him. Tomorrow is an opportunity for me to play well, to see how far I am.”

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Andy Murray, atp finals, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Stan Wawrina