Roland Garros '13 - Clash of the Titans

We have all heard about the Roman gladiators. TV series and movies have made them come alive for us. It was a sport, a fun thing, involving blood and gore and even lives...just for fun! It was a spectre to prove one's might and strength over the rest and stand glorious. It may be unjustified but it pulled the crowd.

In today's more civilized world we have versions of sports with no life's at stake but no less anyhow. Sport has always been the world's biggest reality show, made even more glorified and rewarding with the technology and its reach.

Today's tennis reminds me of those Gladiatorial battles, with two individuals closed in an arena, highly skilled in an art/sport, trying to outdo the other with tactics, power, speed and skill. To come out on top is to snatch all glory and more money.

With the advent of more and more slow courts around the globe, the baseline battles have become bloody. And the two pioneers of this type of play are facing each other for the 35th time. Nadal vs Djokovic - the 35th edition. Their 6 hour+ Australian Open final led even the spectators weary. They have had epic clashes in the past and today promises to surpass.

Much is at stake for both. For Djokovic, a 1st French Open title and career slam. For Nadal, retaining the title and proving that Djokovic is not in his head. Losing to Djokovic at his favourite arena will hurt him for sure.

Conditions favour Nadal the most, so is the previous head to head and his impeccable record at the French Open - and even the weather forecast. Match-up suits Djokovic. He's 1-0 against Nadal in 2013 and that win was on Monte Carlo clay. Djokovic's backhand will play a crucial role in deciding the outcome of this match but for sure it will be a long and taxing battle.

In the other, much subdued half, because of the hype surrounding Nadal-Djoko semi, a frenchman Jo-willy takes on the Duracell battery David Ferrer for a place in the final. Despite Ferrer dominating the previous H2H, I believe the outcome is on Tsonga's racket here. He showed immense mental fortitude to dispatch Roger Federer in straights (the game always there) and I like his chances over Ferrer. But with Ferrer's tenacity and unending energy, the result may come not easy and not quick.

We are in for a feisty Friday here at the French Open and the modern day Gladiators will be all set to lighten up the arena. Let us begin!

Picks for me are (and I'll take my chances here), Djokovic in five sets and Tsonga in four sets!

Serena vs Maria - the one sided battle

As we arrive at the final match of women at French Open '13 the top two seeds have held their ground. What better than the top two players battling it out in the final of a Grand Slam? Still the expectation of a great contest may fall flat, and we might see a one sided affair.

Serena Williams is resurrected at 31 yrs of age both in fitness and motivation. She always had the skill. Her dominance of the field has been outrageous this season. In Quarter Finals, she had a tough match with experienced clay courter Svetlana Kuznetsova and for a part of the second set she must have felt threatened. However, her resolve is steely this year and helped her came through the QF in 3 sets. In semi she demolished Sara Errani in about 45 mins to earn a place in the final.

Maria Sharapova, on the other hand, is the defending champion. She had two very tough matches in QF and SF against Jelena Jankovic and Victoria Azarenka, but she made it in the third on both occasions. I think, her will is commendable and despite being 2-13 against Serena in all matches, she'll give it her best shot. Though, its a long shot.

Maria defeated Serena in 2004 Wimbledon final and looks like till date Serena is avenging her loss. She comes out extra motivated against Maria and routes her to defeat.

To me, the result would be the same in favour of Serena since Sharapova doesn't do anything different against her. Sharapova's game plan works well against everybody else but not Williams and if she is willing to change the results she must come out and play out of her comfort zone. Even then, it won't be easy.

Deep within Maria, the belief levels are low and even Sharapova's dad has said that she can't beat Williams. When such a psyche is within you and team, you sure can't.

Williams in straight sets!

Roger Federer: Will the streak end today?

It's sometimes better to avoid the anxiety of following every point in a match and speculate about it on the blog. Currently, Roger Federer is down 2 sets to 1 to Gilles Simon after winning the first set.  Well, Roger Federer has been quite consistent. He has a running streak of 35 consecutive Grand Slam Quarter Finals. That means he has not lost before Quarter Finals in a Grand Slam for almost nine years...phew!!!

However, people only noticed this Quarter Final streak when he lost to Robin Soderling in the 2010 French Open Quarterfinals. Before that, he had a streak of 23 consecutive Semifinals at the Grand Slam stage. That's what, nearly 6 years! These are huge statistics of consistency. But no record goes on forever and today seems one such day.

As Federer right now plays Gilles Simon of France in the fourth round of the French Open, things don't seem too bright for him. He played and executed pretty well to take the first set 6-1 and seemed in control in the second. Simon wasn't playing bad at all but he needed something to change the way things were proceeding. And then suddenly, at 3-3 while reaching for a backhand, Federer got the toe stuck in the sand and took a tumble. 

There wasn't any visible injury but he surely lost his rhythm and lost his next service game. Simon leveled the match winning the second set. He upped the ante in the third set where Federer seem to struggle finding his range. Simon broke Federer twice in the third set, to win the third 6-2 and take a 2 sets to 1 lead.

What remains to be seen is how well Federer fights back and whether it will suffice? But as Rocky Balboa would say, "It ain't over, till it's over." 

Day 7 @ Roland Garros: Exciting Encounters

We are nearing the half way of this year's French Open where the clashes would get only bigger and better. Let's have a look at some of today's highly anticipated battles.

1. Grigor Dimitrov vs Novak Djokovic

Last match on Phillipe Chartrier today, this is big. The formidable world no.1 facing the talented 'baby-federer'. Well, he's not that baby anymore. The bulgarian Dimitrov has already overcome Djokovic in Madrid Masters and has troubled Nadal quite a few times. He has the shots, all of them, and he will be out to prove a point. But i believe the match will be on Djokovic's racket in the best of five. His consistency will decide the course of this match. He's hungry for the only Grand Slam still not in his kitty. Dimitrov might take away a set but in the best of five, Grigor Dimitrov might not yet, hold his ground against the seasoned campaigners. Djokovic in Four!

2. Marion Bartoli vs Fransesca Schiavone

The ever restless Bartoli against the former French Open champion Schiavone. Bartoli is a power and rhythm player, Schivone has variety and all court play. Bartoli currently is higher ranked and thus more consistent. Still, at the clay court where she has won the title before, Schiavone must be able to find her way to win this match. Schiavone in three!

3. Benoit Paire vs Kei Nishikori

The french hope faces the hardworking Japanese Kei Nishikori for a place in the fourth round for a potential encounter with Rafael Nadal. Paire has got flair and Nishikori has the energy powerhouse to send back every ball. It'll be a tough match for both players but i'll give an edge to Benoit Paire for coming out better at crucial points. He is still on the rise, and we are yet to see the best of him. Paire in Four Sets!

Other notable ones: Jelena Jankovic vs Sam Stosur, Nikolay Davydenko vs Richard Gasquet and Tommy Haas vs Jon Isner (if Isner can recover from his long match against Harrison yesterday)

Roland Garros Day 6: Snippets

As it happened on Day 6 of RG, in brief.

• In a heart breaking news for the French fans, Gael Monfils' inspired run at this year's French open is over. He held three match points against Tommy Robredo but lost in five sets. The french fans will still pin their hopes on Tsonga and Benoit Paire more than the remaining french players.
• In women's draw, Sharapova, Serena Williams, Radwanska, Sara Errani, Ana Ivanovic registered easy wins in straight sets. Fransesca Schiovone struggled in her three set win over Kirsten Flipkins.
• Janko Tipsarevic prevailed over Fernando Verdasco in five sets. finishing 8-6 in the fifth. Giles Simon also went to five sets in his win over American Sam Querry. In another match, all american, John Isner came back from a two set deficit to prevail over young Ryan Harrison in five.
• David Ferrer, Jo Tsonga, Tommy Haas and Stan Wawrinka came on top in straight sets.
• The only notable upset was, the tenth seed Marin Cilic losing to Viktor Troicki in three straight sets.

Roland Garros: Federer def. Benneteau 6-3, 6-4, 7-5

Arguably the greatest player of all time, is old. His decline is inevitable. It has happened to Laver, Borg, McEnroe, Sampras and he'll not be spared. He hasn't won a single title till now in 2013 and that hasn't happened in years and years. So, is it time? Maybe. But this isn't the first time his obituaries have been written. They sprung on after he lost the Best Match of Tennis at the Lawns of Wimbledon in 2008 to the younger, stronger Rafael Nadal. And, more so this is clay. He isn't the favorite and Benneteau has done it before to him.

Anticipations were high as Federer and Benneteau walked on the court yesterday. The heavy conditions would be supporting Benneteau's big hitting and Federer's back issues tend to surface. Roger's been seen wearing a warmer inside his T for some time now during cooler conditions. And to top the speculations, he got broken in the very first game with 3 unforced errors, failing to convert break points in the 2nd, to hand a 2-0 lead to the Frenchman.

That was that. Federer pounced back finding his range and movement breaking in forth and eighth game to close the first set 6-3. The rare to see these days, the one-handed backhanded was on fire. It was solid in return and spectacular in down the line shots that leave Benneteau stranded.

Federer was on such a roll that he won 14 out of last 15 points holding the opening game of second set with ease. It needed a 'lucky' net cord in the 2nd game from Benneteau to hold serve and put a stop to Federer's momentum. In the next two sets, Federer broke Benneteau only once in each set and wrapped the victory in straights. Despite less number of breaks, he was too solid on serve, holding many games to love and was in no threat.

Benneteau was consistent in the match, never fading away, but never in control as well. He looked a bit restricted with his movement. Still, he went out today to a better player while Federer marches on another Grand Slam match of his long and legendary career. His cute twin daughters were in the box wrapped in pristine identical fur coats and he did not disappoint.

In the on-court interview, Roger Federer was asked if his daughter's in any way comprehend or understand his success, and he replied "No. They have no clue. It's better that way. But they know that i play a lot of tennis, and i go back and forth, back and forth. I come back from the courts, and i go play a match and i come to the practice and then i come back to the room. They must be, like, this guy is crazy. I don't know what he's up to." 

Well, the girls are pretty right, i say. This guy do play a lot of tennis because he's seldom upset-ted and goes deep into the draw. And i am sure they'll soon come to understand the term "tennis legend".

Roland Garros: Nadal def. Klizan 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3

Rafael Nadal strode on the Suzzane Lenglen court in the typical fashion on Friday for a 2nd round match, as rain stopped play on Thursday right after he warmed up. In retrospect of rain, he must have known that he'll be playing on consecutive days and winning quick with minimum fuss will help. Nobody expected any greater challenge from the unseeded left-hander Martin Klizan.

Nadal came out very aggressively in the first couple of games to press an early advantage but Klizan's serve was working well. Klizan went for his second serve at crucial points to get himself out of the spot of bother. After a first couple of games it was clear that the overcast heavy conditions are not helping Nadal's topspin and it did not have the usual bite. So he tried to change the game and employed a few drop shots to disrupt Klizan's rhythm; only to find that the guy had pretty good wheels. In the seventh game, a double fault by Nadal and a drop shot well reached by Klizan set two break points. Klizan needed only one and had the first break as Nadal went long with his forehand. 

In the battle of two lefty's, which surely is awkward for both, because of not so many of them around, Klizan held his nerve and managed to win the first set 6-4. Martin Klizan has took a leaf out of the book of Daniel Brands in the 1st round but he shared the same fate. It is fine to disrupt Nadal with aggressive tennis on clay for one set or two but to win three with such low percentage tennis is nigh impossible to maintain. Roger Federer has done it a lot of times, only to find himself unable to complete the task. Robin Soderling stands the only man to manage the feat.

Nadal responded as expected in the second set and broke Klizan twice to romp at 4-0 lead. Though Nadal gave one break away with a poor service game, he held on to win the set 6-3. Nadal was playing solid by now and Klizan was fading. The third set only saw one break of serve which was enough for Rafa to secure the set.

The 4th set of the match saw a resurrected Klizan and both players struggled to hold serve. Taking inspiration from the women's matches, it had a total of five break of serves with Nadal having one more than Klizan to close out the match.

It was a win for Rafa but not the easiest of outings. But he tends to get better with each match in Grand Slams. In the on-court interview he really prayed and hoped everybody else would also pray for the Sun to be out (for his top spin to be lethal in dry conditions) to help him. That's so greedy...no? I believe on the French clay, it is the other players that need help, not Nadal.