Roland Garros day 5: American men has little chance

Steve Johnson

Notes on a draw sheet:
Every day in the Grand Slams first weeks, there will be some really long matches and some darn good ones, too. There are marathons that can be fantastic, but also, it could be lousy and with so many errors.

Over too many years, American men rarely reach the second week. Here and there, but the last time was Andre Agassi, who won it in Paris, grinding and cracking the ball. He won it in 1999. He was so brilliant.
 
Now, it has been 22 years ago and probably, no American will win the 2021 Roland Garros. But, to reach the second week, that would be something.

On Wednesday, John Isner, Reilly Opelka and Steve Johnson won their matches. Isner has always been played very well on the hardcourts. The tall, young man Opelka is smart and he is committed to his game This year, Johnson did very little until this week, so maybe he can be self-assured again. Let’s see come Monday.
 
The Japanese Kei Nishikori has been around for a long time, and when he is healthy — and that is rare — he is muscular and he has a great set of wheels. He just won two five-setters. So, eventually, he will be sore in the third round. His legs will be very fatigued. But, to win another match … unlikely.

Chilean Cristian Garin won a five-setter. When the tournament ends, he will be ranked in the top 20. He is stellar stuff.

Serena Williams won in three sets, downing Mihaela Buzarnescu. She has always been great, but she is still on and off. Gradually, though, she will be more compatible

Aryna Sabalenka also won. For sure, she has a chance to win it all, but only if she is continues to stay calm. Victoria Azarenka and Madison Keys will clash. That will be a barn-burner.

The two very good A’s: Alexander Zverev, Aryna Sabalenka win Madrid

Aryna Sabalenka

In the third set in the Madrid final, the rising Aryna Sabalenka was looking at a 4-4 score against No. 1 Ash Barty. Last year, in the winter, the spring and much of the summer, she was decent, but not great. But in the fall, she decided it was time to be different, smarter and control her emotions. So then, she was in control.

Sabalenka won the next two games for 6-0 3-6 6-4 victory. That was the best title ever. She is a gigantic hitter, with her hard forehand and backhand, and with her first serve, she can blast it. Her returns are very decent, too.

But listen, she has yet to win major title, but Barty has. Now they are 4 and 4, tied in their head to heads.    
 
Sabalenka thinks that she can win Roland Garros. She thinks that, but she has to prove it. The Madrid championship was the first time she won on clay. So, in Rome and Roland Garros, if she wants to week after week, against the excellent players, she must focus all the time.  One way or another, Sabalenka will continue to be aggressive and, right now, tough to beat.

Barty won 2019 Roland Garros, and she could win it in June. She has played excellent ball this year, mixing it up and move it all around the box. Getting another French title is very doable for her, as her confidence is beginning to make a difference.

German Alexander Zverev is so spectacular when he is confident. On Sunday, he overcame Matteo Berrettini 6-7 6-4 6-3 once again in Madrid. There have been so any times when he gets upset and irritable/ But, when he is playing well, he shows a smart and tactical game. He also likes to scramble and eventually he can whip the ball.

Zverev now has five ATP Masters: Madrid (twice) London, Rome and
Canada. Last week, also upset Rafa Nadal and Dominic Thiem, two Slams winners. If he continues to be healthy, it is pretty clear that Sasha will win a major. But in Roland Garros? Possibly. Good luck.

NOTES
Sabalenka said: ‘I feel a little bit better on the clay, a little bit different.’ Oh yes she did…

John Isner on Andrey Rublev: “He’s the second best clay-courter in the world right now. He hits the ball so big. It’s pretty fast. He just does so many things well.” He has, over the last year…

Simone Halep, after she losing Elise Mertens: “I want to do it better, is to stop missing, because sometimes I am rushing and I do some mistakes that I normally don’t do. I have to work on that and to be more patient in the future.” The future is now …

Felix Auger-Aliassime when he lost against the rising No. 16 Casper Ruud: “He’s improved a lot. He has a great forehand, we all know that, and he did what he had to do.”

Any miracles? The U.S. men will go to Madrid

John Isner

Next week, in Madrid, the American men will knock it up in the early rouds, and hopefully, they can go further. But, there is the opposite and they can lose quickly.  

Finally, there are more Americans who traveled to Europe for the clay court season. The current players are so-so. On the hardcourts, they are better, because they can go for the winners early. But, on clay, which is slower, and you have to slide, the matches and points are longer and can mean hours-long matches. But why not test it? Currently, the US men are not in the top-20. But, at least give it an effort.

John Isner is ranked No. 38, and the huge hitter has rarely gone deep on clay. He did win Miami (on the hardcourts), and he has gone into the semis at Wimbledon (on grass), pounding ace after ace. But, in the past year and a half, he hasn’t played much. Now, he has to bear up. He could face Roberto Bautista Agut in the second round, and the Spaniard revels clay. That is a huge challenge for Isner.   

Taylor Fritz is ranked No. 30, and he is still young, but he plays every week. Believe it or not, in Monte Carlo, he lost to Bautista Agut is two sets. OK, that was alright, and while he can lose early, at least he almost upset Novak Djokovic in the 2021 Australian Open, in a famous five-setter. And in Doha, he beat David Goffin and Denis Shapovalov. So he was psyched. Over the past three years, he has only won a couple matches on the dirt. That is problematic. He has to slide more, and go at the net, and put it away. He will face against Pablo Carreno Busta. Ugh?
 
Two more American guys: Reilly Opelka is very lofty, and he can crack it, but he hasn’t done much this year. He lost to Fritz in five sets at the Aussie Open. Just like Fritz, Opelka does does not like clay, but he did have a some good wins in 2020 on the hardcourts, when he upset Matteo Berrettini at Cincinnati. In Madrid, he will face Dominik Koepfer in the first round, and if he wins — which would be groove — he could face Cristian Garin, who is ranked No. 22. For Opelka, that would be a miracle.

Tommy Paul also travels lot, and he is making an effort. If he beats Pedro Martinez, then will face the red hot No. 7 Andrey Rublev. What a imposing challenge.

Here are four guys who will make it to the end of Madrid: Rafa Nadal (the favorite), Daniil Medvedev, Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Sebastian Korda rising: ‘Best teams around me experience-wise’

Sebastian Korda

In the 1990s, Petr Korda won the 1998 Australian Open and he reached a highest rating to No. 2. He was close to be No. 1, but he didn’t get it, no cigar. Now his son, Sebastian, is on the fast track.

Sebastian Korda can really hit it hard and flat, just like his dad. He can really slap the ball from both sides. He returns pretty well, too. Plus, since a young age, he began to practice and he just fell in love with tennis. When he got home from the courts, he would turn on the TV and watched the pros. He wanted to play on that stage. Now, he knows he will stay at the ATP for a long time.

This week, in Miami, he upset Fabio Fognini 1-6, 6-4, 6-2. On Tuesday, Korda put down the No. 9 Diego Schwartzman. What an incredible week.
 
“I’d say I have one of the best teams around me experience-wise,” Korda said. “I mean, I have my dad who was a Grand Slam champion, No. 2 in the world, my mom [Regina Rajchrtová] who was a top-30 player, [the Czech] Radek Stepanek who is like my brother, we are always in contact, who was No. 8 in the world. And then to have a friend and mentor as [the Grand Slam who won eight Slams] Andre Agassi, I mean, I don’t think you can have a better team.”

NOTES
Elina Svitonia nailed Anastasija Sevastova in a 6-3, 6-2 quarterfinal. Svitolina said, “I know that she’s a big fighter and she will try to come back, it doesn’t matter the score, so I was expecting a tough battle. In the end, I think I played really good throughout the match and I’m really happy with the way I finished it.” No doubt. … Ash Barty outlasted Aryna Sabalenka in three sets. Of course the No. 1 can win Miami. She has all kinds of being diverse. … John Isner lost another close contest, losing 7-6(7) in the third against Roberto Bautista Agut.  Another brutal loss. … Once again, it was another sad loss, when Canadian Milos Raonic fell to Hubert Hurkacz 7-6(4) in the third. … Both with Isner and Raonic can hit so many winners, when they are serving, but one of the reasons why they haven’t won a Grand Slam is because they don’t return well enough. That is a fact, at least now.


It is time to fly at the Australian Open

John Isner

It is too bad that John Isner has decided not to go to the Australian Open. “It really was just a situation where I didn’t want to be away from my family for that long. I decided to stay home.” While he has lost a couple dramatic five setters in Slams, he still loves on the hardcourts, so he will be woeful in early February.

A few of the main men are already in Australia: Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and Dominic Thiem. The Serbian has won eight titles there, beating a bunch of dusty players, including when he knocked down the Austrian Thiem in a five-set final last year.

Even though he lost, Thiem already knew that in 2020, he was going to win a Slam. At th U.S. Open, he finally did it, out-hitting Alex Zverev, 7-6(6) in the final-set tiebreak. It was so dramatic. Zverev, the German, will eventually grab a Slam, as long as he comes into the net more and to returns deeper. However, when he loses, he can be very sore and upset. Without a doubt he needs to calm down.

There are some players who can definitely win it all at the Aussie Open, such as Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Stan Wawrinka. Medvedev came very close in the final at the 2019 US Open, but he couldn’t grab it versus Rafa Nadal. But, he rarely give up and he has some bumper shots. Yes, he has a real chance. The Greek Tsitsipas is also rising, as he is very strong, with some amazing shots. To win at the AO, he has to use more variety. Swiss Stan Wawrinka has won three Slam titles. If he is healthy, he cand clock the ball from both sides. He could win it again, this year. Last year, he limped through. .

Four of these can reach into the second week at Melbourne, among others: Andrey Rublev, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Taylor Fritz, and the controversial Aussie Nick Kyrgios. Yes, Kyrgios can be a little crazy, but when he is on, he is as talented as anyone on tour.

Pressure, already in “Cincinnati”

Stefanos Tsitsipas

We would think that the big smasher Stefanos Tsitsipas can reach up into the sky, and then, smash his overhead near the lines. The Greek blew out the former top 5 player Kevin Anderson 6-1, 6-3. That was very surprising, not because Anderson lost, but because the tall South African usually holds all the time. He has two gigantic serves. But, in this match at the Western & Southern Open (being played at the US Open site), Anderson was way off, while Tsitsipas was super confident.


Anderson has been around for many years, and over the next couple months, he will be back, knocking out some phenomenal players. He is aging, but he does focus, and he just wants to play. He is amongst the players who are addicted to tennis.

Two years ago many people did not know who Tsitsipas was. Well, now, many folks have watched him, and they can see that his punching forehand, his heavy backhand and his high-bouncing serves, can rattle the cage. Tsitsipas does smile, and he can sprint, and touch the lines.

He will play against American John Isner today in the last match. Isner was very thrilled that he could play again at a real tournament. Another guy with a very huge first serve, Isner beat Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets. He has put together some terrific years on hard courts. He recently said that he can go super deep at Western & Southern Open and the US Open. During press conferences, he can be enthusiastic, but when he loses, he was dreadful. Either way, to return to the top 20, he has to be patient and think about his approach in the next few points He has to be thoughtful and try to push Tsitsipas with a lot of variety. It should be a thrilling match.

Belgian David Goffin had a solid day, beating the grinder Borna Coric in two tough sets. Goffin has a lot of variety. To reach the top 10, he must swing harder. Neither Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer are here, so in this tournament, there are a solid 10 guys who can win this title. It’s a long way to go but the winner can jump in the ocean and celebrate.

Top 20 in 2019: Men, 20-16

Grigor Dimitrov

No. 20: Grigor Dimitrov
Two years ago at the end of the year, the Bulgarian had risen to No. 3, winning the ATP Finals. He hadn’t won a Grand Slam tournament yet, but he really thought that in 2018, he was read to triumph. Well, he did not, and he went down somewhat fast in March. Even this year, pretty early, he couldn’t beat many of the players. He fell all the way to No. 78, before the US Open started. Right there, he switched, he woke up. He was steady and aggressive, when he had to. He beat Alex de Minaur as well as the great Roger Federer. That was the positive. While he was still up and down, at least when he begins to play in 2020, he will be confident again. But when he loses, early, then he panics. Dimitrov is a fun to watch, his strokes, but he has to step up ASAP or he will never win a Slam. Ever.
 
No. 19: John Isner
The American is still crushing his serves, and he also has his gigantic forehand. Also, a decade ago, he was somewhat weak with his backhand, and the very tall man wasn’t fast enough, side to side. It took him a long time to improve his backhand, slightly, and at the net, when he can bend down and put it away. So yes, the 34-year-old works hard aiming to get better. But, can he reach into the top 5 for the first time? Maybe next year, but he absolutely has to return substantially better. He never has, and that is critical. It is up to Isner.     

No. 18: Alex de Minaur
The young Aussie had a tremendous year, as he is only 20-years-old. He is a blaster, he attacks, he spins it and then he jump on the lines. He is pretty strong, and he moves forward quickly. Like the rest of the young players, none of them have won a Grand Slam yet. They are pushing, but to take down the best players, they need to find a way to shine three-out-of-five-set clashes. Eventually, de Minaur will be very consistent, he will think when he is down, and he maintain focus. Even though he had a fine year, if he wants to reach the top 10, or the top 5 in 2020, he must grow. There is no choice.   

No. 17: Karen Khachanov
When he is totally on, the Russian can spring it. His eyes are very wide, and he can wreck the balls. He is another young player, and he wants to play every day. But, that means he will play good, mediocre or even bad.  He really wants to raise his level. Yes, he had some very good tournaments this season, but in the fall, he was tired and he lost early a lot, and he wanted to go home. He needed to take a break. He has to learn and have a plan, before he walks on the court. If he gets smarter and actually listens, then be can push into the top 10 again. But if he plays all the time, then perhaps he will go even further behind.

No. 16: Stan Wawrinka
A few years ago, we all know the Swiss was brilliant, and incredibly confident. He has won three Grand Slams: the Australian Open, Roland Garros and the US Open. His one-handed backhand is legendary, and he can return well when he is feeling good. It looked like he was going to win another Slam, but he became seriously hurt, and he had to stop for months. This year, Wawrinka was OK but he still isn’t fully healthy. In 2020, he may be 100 percent, and then he could take off, into the sky. However, we have to see if he can be totally locked in.

Young American men: Can they get close to the top?

Taylor Fritz

We are still waiting to see if the young U.S. men can reach into the top 10 at some point. How about in the top 15, instead?

The older American, John Isner, is still there, ranked No. 16 in the Race to London. Can he reach the top 8 towards the end of the year and play the ATP Finals in November? Possibly, but he will have to go very deep, week after week. The 34-year-old Isner has been there before, but maybe his legs are sore.
 
It appears that the young Americans look pretty good, but are they great and fantastic? Not yet.

At least they are pushing hard. Reilly Opelka just beat Taylor Fritz in Japan. That was a big win for him. The 6-foot-11 Opelka has a huge serve, and if he can stay in close near the baseline, he can slam it. However, when he has to run very fast, he can get tripped up. Opelka will never be speedy, but he can gradually improve. He is ranked No. 53, which is OK. But next year, he has to reach the top 20 at some point. Then we will know that he is getting better gradually.

Another young American, Fritz, has had a good year, but will the No. 31 move up towards the top? He will want to, but he has to think about how he is hitting about the ball, returning, and being more logical with his decisions.

There is only one more American in the top 50 — Frances Tiafoe at No. 46. He looked good during the winter and spring, but since then he has lost a lot. He fell to Alexander Zverev in straight sets, easy stuff. Tiafoe can grind it down, but it looks like he is confused. He was ranked No. 29 early this year. It is time to re-switch.

NOTES

Outside of the U.S., there are some fascinating youngsters, such as Andrey Rublev, who just bounced Grigor Dimitrov in Japan.

In Cincinnati in August, Rublev upset Stan Wawrinka and Roger Federer. Maybe he plays too much, but when he focuses and drives the ball, he is dangerous.
 
No. 1 Novak Djokovic lost at the US Open, when he retired. But in July, he won Wimbledon. He was injured in New York, but he now he feels good enough to play. Because the US Open champ Rafa Nadal won’t play for the next month, Djokovic will stay at No. 1. I would think that the Serbian will end the year ranked No. 1, but he still has work to do against the top players.

Laver Cup event: Will the top players come back in 2020?

It will be a very interesting to see in the Laver Cup survive. Oh yes, this weekend, there is a ton of terrific players, but that doesn’t mean that next year, right after the US Open, they will play another time.

Many of them want to rest after the summer, when they had to play three of the Grand Slams: Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. The summer season starts late in May, and then it ends in the beginning of September. It is three and a half months, a real grind. Especially with the very good players, because they always go deep at the tournaments, most of the time. That is why their bodies can be very sore, or extremely hurt.

At the Laver Cup, the players are competing for Team Europe, and, for all other continents, Team World.

Yes, it was a dramatic end. They were all there: Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Dominic Thiem, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Kevin Anderson, John Isner, Alexander Zverev, Denis Shapovalov, Milos Raonic, Fabio Fognini and Nick Kyrgios, among others, and more.

In Sunday, the last match, Zverev beat Raonic 6-4 3-6 10-4 and Europe won cemented the win. Earlier, in the doubles, two Americans, Jack Sock and John Isner, overcame Roger Federer and Stefanos Tsitsipas. Then, another young American, Taylor Fritz, upset Dominic Thiem 7-5 6-7(3) 10-5. Then, Federer turned it around in singles by beating Isner 6-4, 7-6. Zverev has not had a great year, but he played much better this week in the Laver Cup
 
There were three days, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Was it very serious, or just having fun? That’s a toss-up.

Believe it or not, in singles, early on, Sock beat Fabio Fognini 6-1 7-6(3). Sock hadn’t beat anyone this year, in singles. That is a shocker, because in the fall of 2017, he reached No. 8, in singles at the ATP Finals. Yes, last year and this year, he was hurt, but he tried in singles and doubles. Clearly, now, he loves doubles, as he won a could majors with Mike Bryan. But, in singles, Sock has so much work to do, certainly in his head and beyond.

With the third Laver Cup in the books, I would think that many people had a fine time and attendance is strong. But again, outside of the Slams, it is not easy to sell it, year after year. My suggestion is a reevaluation and make some changes.
 
Notes
But the way, Kyrgios and Sock are good friends. They are controversial, and maybe, during the fall, they can win a lot of singles matches in Asia.

Here is a good quote from Zverev: “I had two great coaches [Federer], one on the court and one [Nadal] on the sidelines. I could just shut off my brain and do whatever they told me to do.”

In St. Petersburg, there are some good players last week. No. 4 Daniil Medvedev was there, and without a doubt, the fans were cheering for him. A year ago, not many people knew who he was. Now they do, after he reached the final at the US Open. And then, he beat Borna Coric 6-3, 6-1 to win on Sunday, He is a huge hitter, and he hustles…
 
Croatian Coric is ranked No. 14. Five years ago, he looked very good, and many thought he would go very far. But he has sort of stopped. Yes, he can win matches, but can he take down the best players? He is a true grinder, which is good, but he needs to be more aggressive and thoughtful.

Another top 10-er, Karen Khachanov, lost in the first round. He is slipping a little bit…

In Metz, France, the veteran Jo Tsonga won the title, beating Aljaz Bedene. In his long career Tsonga has been somewhat close to winning a Slam, but he hasn’t. I have said this so many times, that certain people become injured all the time. It is hard to stop it. But at least Tsonga keeps trying, and he can focus. He goes have a terrific forehand and his first serve, too. Now he is back in the top 40. He has won a bunch of events, winning 18 trophies. Yes, he was won two ATP 1000s, in Paris and Canada. But, can he win a Grand Slam for the first time next year? He is a nice, terrific person, but can he grab his first major when he is 34 years old? That is extremely difficult, but he can push, hard.

The US Open: Halep out; Townsend, Kudla rising

Taylor Townsend

It was quite a day at the United States Open on Thursday. A couple of the Americans won in gigantic upsets: Taylor Townsend stunned Simona Halep 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(4). Then, Denis Kudla won 7-5, 7-5, 0-6, 6-3 over the the No. 27-seed Dusan Lajovic. They could have lost given that both of them have not reached the top-45 ever. But, they kept trying, digging and, yesterday, they believed in themselves. They are not that fast, but they really wanted to show the fans that we are more than respectable.

More than a few years ago, it looked like Townsend would rise up into the top 10, pretty fast, and then after, she would win a Grand Slam. Sadly, not even close. But this summer, she switched it. Against Halep she attached the net 106 times, winning 64 points for a 60-percent clip. The strategy worked.

“It’s been, like, a really long journey. You flood with emotions of the things you’ve been through, positive, negative,” Townsend said. “Just to be able to get over the hump, it’s such an amazing feeling because after Wimbledon, I was devastated after I lost to [Kiki] Bertens after having a match point. That woke me up out of my sleep. I put my head down and just worked really hard and just tried to take the positives away from it, just continue to press forward. I belong on this level.  I’ve had a lot of people doubting me being able to break through, quote unquote.”

She actually has a good chance to reach the second week: on Saturday, she will face Sorana Cirstea, a decent player, but not great. If Townsend will stay composed, she could push her way back and then throw in a few soft drop shots.

Kudla has been playing for a long time now. He plays a lot of challengers, almost every week, in the U.S., Europe, Asia … you name it. He can be very consistent, but he needs to mix it up more. And be more aggressive. But, when he came to the US Open, he was ready to sprint and lock it in.

“I knew if I just stayed patient, if I work, I did a little bit kind of soul searching, whatever you want to call it, just thinking from inside me what’s kind of missing,”  Kudla said. “Ever since Montreal [a month ago], I’ve been playing with a different fire, different kind of motivation. I feel inspired again. Just lucky to be back out here.”

While that is true, he will face No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the next round. To be close, Kudla will have to go for the lines when he has an opportunity. If not, he won’t win a set.

NOTES

American Tennys Sandgren beat Vasek Pospisil, and now he will go up against the good veteran Diego Schwartzman. The Argentine is the favorite, but Sandgren can push him hard …

John Isner won again, beating Jan-Lennard in straight sets. Maybe the tall American can go far, if he plays fantastic against Mario Cilic. But, it’s a toss-up. The winner could play Rafa Nadal, who advanced in a walkover. That would be very, very tough, especially when Isner has to face the Spaniard.

Out of nowhere, Caroline Wozniacki won two matches in a row. She has been losing a lot, essentially because she has been injured for months. Now it looks like she is feeling OK. However, Wozniacki has to face the terrific Canadian Bianca Andreescu. What a match it should be…

Two years ago, Jelena Ostapenko won Roland Garros. Then she fell down mentally. Now it looks like the big hitter is focusing. She beat Alison Riske and now she has to play against Kristie Ahn, who was born in Flushing Meadows. If Ahn wins, maybe she can dive into the ocean and swim, and cheer loudly.