2013/05/24

Djokovic and Nadal on the Same Side of Roland Garros Draw

Novak Djokovic

(May 24, 2013) No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic and No. 3 seed Rafael Nadal are on a collision course to meet in the semifinals of the French Open as both men are on the same side of the draw.  Last year Nadal defeated Djokovic in the final for his seventh Roland Garros crown. On Friday morning at the Museum of the French Tennis Federation in Paris, the draws for the second tennis major of the year were held.

Djokovic will face David Goffin in the opening round, second seed Roger Federer will play a qualifier while Nadal will face off against Daniel Brands.

As for the women, No. 1 Serena Williams  coming into Roland Garros on a 24-match winning streak, opens up against Anna Tatishvilli with two seed  and defending champion Maria Sharapova taking on Su-Wei Hsieh. No. 3 seed Victoria Azarenka, on Sharapova’s half of the draw begins her quest against Elena Vesninia.

Williams who won Roland Garros back in 2002, lost her first round match in Paris last year to No. 111 Virginie Razzano, the only time, the American has ever lost in the first round a of a “Grand Slam” event.

Possible Men’s quarterfinals:

No. 1 Djokovic vs No. 8 Janko Tipsarevic

No. 3 Rafael Nadal vs No. 7 Richard Gasquet,

No. 4 David Ferrer vs No. 5 Tomas Berdych,

No. 2 Roger Federer vs No. 6 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Men’s Draw

1-Novak Djokovic (Serbia) v David Goffin (Belgium)

Ivan Dodig (Croatia) v Guido Pella (Argentina)

Alex Kuznetsov (U.S.) v Lucas Pouille (France)

Alejandro Falla (Colombia) v 26-Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria)

22-Alexandr Dolgopolov (Ukraine) v Dmitry Tursunov (Russia)

Bernard Tomic (Australia) v Victor Hanescu (Romania)

Simone Bolelli (Italy) v Lu Yen-Hsun (Taiwan)

Qualifier v 16-Philipp Kohlschreiber (Germany)

12-Tommy Haas (Germany) v Guillaume Ruffin (France)

Qualifier v Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Spain)

Andrey Kuznetsov (Russia) v Ryan Harrison (U.S.)

Carlos Berlocq (Argentina) v 19-John Isner (U.S.)

29-Mikhail Youzhny (Russia) v Pablo Andujar (Spain)

Federico Delbonis (Argentina) v Qualifier

Fernando Verdasco (Spain) v Marc Gicquel (France)

Nicolas Mahut (France) v 8-Janko Tipsarevic (Serbia)

3-Rafael Nadal (Spain) v Daniel Brands (Germany)

Martin Klizan (Slovakia) v Michael Russell (U.S.)

Qualifier v Lukas Rosol (Czech Republic)

Qualifier v 27-Fabio Fognini (Italy)

24-Benoit Paire (France) v Marcos Baghdatis (Cyprus)

Lukasz Kubot (Poland) v Qualifier

Grega Zemlja (Slovenia) v Santiago Giraldo (Colombia)

Jesse Levine (Canada) v 13-Kei Nishikori (Japan)

9-Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) v Thiemo de Bakker (Netherlands)

Qualifier v Horacio Zeballos (Argentina)

Kenny de Schepper (France) v Robin Haase (Netherlands)

Albert Ramos (Spain) v 21-Jerzy Janowicz (Poland)

28-Florian Mayer (Germany) v Denis Istomin (Uzbekistan)

Florent Serra (France) v Nikolay Davydenko (Russia)

Qualifier v Qualifier

Sergiy Stakhovsky (Ukraine) v 7-Richard Gasquet (France)

5-Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) v Gael Monfils (France)

Ernests Gulbis (Latvia) v Rogerio Dutra Silva (Brazil)

Igor Sijsling (Netherlands) v Juergen Melzer (Austria)

Jurgen Zopp (Estonia) v 32-Tommy Robredo (Spain)

20-Andrea Seppi (Italy) v Leonardo Mayer (Argentina)

Blaz Kavcic (Slovenia) v Qualifier

Martin Alund (Argentina) v Edouard Roger-Vasselin (France)

Qualifier v 11-Nicolas Almagro (Spain)

14-Milos Raonic (Canada) v Xavier Malisse (Belgium)

Qualifier v Michael Llodra (France)

Qualifier v Evgeny Donskoy (Russia)

Qualifier v 23-Kevin Anderson (South Africa)

31-Marcel Granollers (Spain) v Feliciano Lopez (Spain)

Joao Sousa (Portugal) v Go Soeda (Japan)

Qualifier v Albert Montanes (Spain)

Marinko Matosevic (Australia) v 4-David Ferrer (Spain)

6-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) v Aljaz Bedene (Slovenia)

Jarkko Nieminen (Finland) v Paul-Henri Mathieu (France)

Roberto Bautista Agut (Spain) v Gilles Muller (Luxembourg)

Benjamin Becker (Germany) v 25-Jeremy Chardy (France)

17-Juan Monaco (Argentina) v Daniel Gimeno-Traver (Spain)

Viktor Troicki (Serbia) v James Blake (U.S.)

Radek Stepanek (Czech Republic) v Nick Kyrgios (Australia)

Philipp Petzschner (Germany) v 10-Marin Cilic (Croatia)

15-Gilles Simon (France) v Lleyton Hewitt (Australia)

Adrian Mannarino (France) v Pablo Cuevas (Uruguay)

Jan Hacek (Czech Republic) v Qualifier

Lukas Lacko (Slovakia) v 18-Sam Querrey (U.S.)

30-Julien Benneteau (France) v Ricardas Berankis (Lithuania)

Tobias Kamke (Germany) v Paolo Lorenzi (Italy)

Qualifier v Qualifier

Qualifier v 2-Roger Federer (Switzerland)

 

Possible Women’s quarterfinals:

No. 1 Serena Williams vs No. 8 Angelique Kerber

No. 2 Maria Sharapova vs No. 7 Petra Kvitova

No. 3 Victoria Azarenka vs No. 6 Li Na

No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska vs Sara Errani

Women’s Draw

1-Serena Williams (U.S.) v Anna Tatishvili (Georgia)

Qualifier v Caroline Garcia (France)

Monica Niculescu (Romania) v Johanna Larsson (Sweden)

Kiki Bertens (Netherlands) v 26-Sorana Cirstea (Romania)

19-Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (Russia) v Andrea Hlavackova (Czech

Republic)

Petra Cetkovska (Czech Republic) v Olga Pushkova (Russia)

Qualifier v Qualifier

Stephanie Foretz-Gacon (France) v 15-Roberta Vinci (Italy)

10-Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) v Laura Robson (Britain)

Qualifier v Bojana Jovanovski (Serbia)

Pauline Parmentier (France) v Magdalena Rybarikova (Slovakia)

Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) v 22-Ekaterina Makarova (Russia)

29-Varvara Lepchenko (U.S.) v Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (Croatia)

Romina Oprandi (Switzerland) v Elina Svitolina (Ukraine)

Jana Cepelova (Slovakia) v Christina McHale (U.S.)

Mona Barthel (Germany) v 8-Angelique Kerber (Germany)

4-Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) v Shahar Peer (Israel)

Mallory Burdette (U.S.) v Donna Vekic (Croatia)

Qualifier v Mandy Minella (Luxembourg)

Urszula Radwanska (Poland) v 30-Venus Williams (U.S.)

24-Julia Goerges (Germany) v Qualifier

Virginie Razzano (France) v Claire Feuerstein (France)

Chanelle Scheepers (South Africa) v Mathilde Johansson (France)

Petra Martic (Croatia) v 14-Ana Ivanovic (Serbia)

11-Nadia Petrova (Russia) v Monica Puig (Puerto Rico)

Madison Keys (U.S.) v Misaki Doi (Japan)

Irena Pavlovic (France) v Shelby Rogers (U.S.)

Simona Halep (Romania) v 20-Carla Suarez Navarro (Spain)

32-Sabine Lisicki (Germany) v Sofia Arvidsson (Sweden)

Maria-Teresa Torro Flores (Spain) v Qualifier

Ayumi Morita (Japan) v Yulia Putintseva (Kazakhstan)

Arantxa Rus (Netherlands) v 5-Sara Errani (Italy)

16-Li Na (China) v Annabel Medina-Garrigues (Spain)

Bethanie Mattek-Sands (U.S.) v Lourdes Dominguez Lino (Spain)

Tatjana Maria (Germany) v Qualifier

Coco Vandeweghe (U.S.) v 27-Yaroslava Shvedova (Kazakhstan)

23-Klara Zakopalova (Czech Republic) v Kaia Kanepi (Estonia)

Stefanie Voegele (Switzerland) v Heather Watson (Britain)

Ashleigh Barty (Australia) v Lucie Hradecka (Czech Republic)

Nina Bratchikova (Portugal) v 12-Maria Kirilenko (Russia)

13-Marion Bartoli (France) v Olga Govortsova (Belarus)

Kristyna Pliskova (Czech Republic) v Qualifier

Melinda Czink (Hungary) v Francesca Schiavone (Italy)

Flavia Pennetta (Italy) v 21-Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium)

31-Alize Cornet (France) v Maria Joao Koehler (Portugal)

Irina-Camelia Begu (Romania) v Silvia Soler-Espinosa (Spain)

Qualifier v Annika Beck (Germany)

Elena Vesnina (Russia) v 3-Victoria Azarenka (Belarus)

7-Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) v Aravane Rezai (France)

Peng Shuai (China) v Camila Giorgi (Italy)

Qualifier v Yanina Wickmayer (Belgium)

Jamie Hampton (U.S) v 25-Lucie Safarova (Czech Republic)

18-Jelena Jankovic (Serbia) v Daniela Hantuchova (Slovakia)

Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) v Garbine Muguruza (Spain)

Kristina Mladenovic (France) v Lauren Davis (U.S.)

Kimiko Date-Krumm (Japan) v 9-Samantha Stosur (Australia)

16-Dominika Cibulkova (Slovakia) v Lesia Tsurenko (Ukraine)

Marina Erakovic (New Zealand) v Elena Baltacha (Britain)

Qualifier v Alexandra Cadantu (Romania)

Karin Knapp (Italy) v 17-Sloane Stephens (U.S.)

28-Tamira Paszek (Austria) v Melanie Oudin (U.S.)

Zheng Jie (China) v Vesna Dolonc (Serbia)

Eugenie Bouchard (Canada) v Tsvetana Pironkova (Bulgaria)

Hsieh Su-Wei (Taiwan) v 2-Maria Sharapova (Russia)

The tournament begins on Sunday.

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McEnroe: Serena Williams and Nadal Have to Beat Themselves to Lose at French Open

FM_MCENROE_TC_07_001

(May 20, 2013) – John McEnroe agrees with the vast majority of tennis prognosticators that Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal are heavy favorites to win the upcoming French Open.

McEnroe spoke to media on Monday, ahead of next weeks’ French Open on a Tennis Channel conference call. McEnroe has served as an analyst for the network’s French Open coverage since 2007.

Asked about the chances of Serena being upset, McEnroe said:”I mean it’s been done before.  I’ve done it myself, but you sort of have to beat yourself.  The level she’s at when she’s playing well, I don’t think anybody can beat her.  Anybody, no matter great they are, everybody has bad days.
“On clay, it’s her worst surface.  The odds would increase.  The pressure is greater obviously at the French because she’s only won it once.  I would say at some stage in the event, it would be likely that she won’t have one of her best days.  Depending on her opponent that day, someone might have a shot at her.”

McEnroe is impressed with Nadal’s comeback after being off the tour for seven months.

“It seems like he’s barely lost anything, if at all,” McEnroe said.  “Right now he seems to be finally, he says, playing the best he’s been playing the whole year, which is sort of frightening for the other players.
“Unless something happens that’s unforeseen, it would be pretty hard‑pressed to make an argument for anyone other than Djokovic to beat him.  It would have to be one of those swing‑for‑the‑fences type players like Soderling was that one year, and the conditions would have to be extremely heavy so his ball wouldn’t have the type of jump it normally does.”

Coming into the French Open, both Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal are on win streaks. World No. 1 Williams has won 24 straight matches which include Miami, Charleson, Madrid and Rome titles. Nadal, whose ranking has moved up to No. 4 this week, has captured his last three tournaments – Barcelona, Madrid and Rome.

The French Open begins on May 26.

 

Related story:

Tennis Channel Announces 2013 French Open Broadcast Schedule

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Nadal – Federer XXX for Rome Title

Federer and Nadal

(May 18, 2013) It will be Rafael Nadal versus Roger Federer part 30 on Sunday in the Foro Italico for the Italian Open title. Nadal had little trouble with Novak Djokovic conqueror Tomas Berdych 6-2, 6-4 while Federer had to struggle to hold off Benoit Paire 7-6 (5), 6-4.

“We are here in 2013 and he is No. (3) in the world and I am No. 5 after not playing months and we are still playing good, and I hope that this is not going to be the last time,” Nadal said.

“It’s nice to have these revival moments for both of us,” Federer said. “I’m sure we’re both looking forward to it. I clearly am.”

Sunday’s final will be Nadal’s eighth straight final since his comeback from a knee injury in February.  Nadal owns a 19-10 record versus Federer, a dominating 12-2 on clay. Their last four meetings they are 2-2.

“Eight finals in a row is wonderful,” said Nadal to media. “Four to five months ago it was impossible to think about this. I hope to play very well. Any result will be fantastic.”

This will be the Swiss’ first final in 2013.

For a closer look at their head-to-head records.

 

INTERNAZIONALI BNL D’ITALIA
Rome, Italy
May 13-19, 2013
Red Clay/Outdoors

Results - Saturday, May 18, 2013
WTA Singles – Semifinals
(1) Serena Williams (USA) d. (Q) Simona Halep (ROU) 63 60
(3) Victoria Azarenka (BLR) d (7) Sara Errani (ITA) 60 75

WTA Doubles – Semifinals
(1) Errani/Vinci (ITA/ITA) d. Kudryavtseva/Rodionova (RUS/AUS) 62 61
Hsieh/Peng (TPE/CHN) d. (2) Petrova/Srebotnik (RUS/SLO) 62 61

ATP Singles – Semifinals
[2] R Federer (SUI) d B Paire (FRA) 76(5) 64
[5] R Nadal (ESP) d [6] T Berdych (CZE) 62 64

ATP Doubles – Semifinals
[1] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) d [5] M Mirnyi (BLR) / H Tecau (ROU) 64 67(2) 10-3
[6] M Bhupathi (IND) / R Bopanna (IND) d S Gonzalez (MEX) / S Lipsky (USA) 63 76(3)

Order of Play – Sunday, May 19, 2013

CENTRALE start 11:00 am
[1] S Errani (ITA) / R Vinci (ITA) vs S Hsieh (TPE) / S Peng (CHN) – WTA

Not Before 1:30 PM
[1] S Williams (USA) vs [3] V Azarenka (BLR) – WTA

Not Before 4:00 PM
[5] R Nadal (ESP) vs [2] R Federer (SUI) – ATP

PIETRANGELI start 3:00 pm
[1] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) vs [6] M Bhupathi (IND) / R Bopanna (IND) – ATP

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Djokovic Upset, Serena, Nadal and Federer into Rome Semifinals as Sharapova Withdraws

 

Novak Djokovic

(May 17, 2013) No. 1 Novak Djokovic blew a 6-2, 5-2 lead, only to fall to Tomas Berdych 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open.

“It’s a very strange situation,” Djokovic said. “I played very well and was two points from winning. Then the entire match changed and I was a different player.”

“I know I can play well on clay and so I shouldn’t allow myself to have these drops and let’s hope it won’t happen for Roland Garros,” Djokovic said to media in regard to the upcoming French Open. “I’m fine. I just lost my rhythm.”

As for the women’s No. 1, she did not disappoint. Serena Williams extended her current win streak to 22 with a 6-2, 6-0 thrashing of Carla Suarez Navarro.

“I’ve been pretty consistent, and pretty healthy – knock on wood,” Williams said to press. “I feel great – never felt better.”

Martina Navratilova holds the record for the longest women’s win streak in the Open Era at 74 matches back in 1984.

“I guess this is the best period in my career, but I don’t really think about it,” Williams said of the winning streak on the WTA website. “For me it’s just about winning matches and winning tournaments and being consistent.”

No. 2 Maria Sharapova withdrew from the tournament prior to her quarterfinal match against Sara Errani due to an illness.

“I was already a bit off in Madrid and played though it and it came back last night and I got sick again and it’s not smart to compete again,” said Sharapova. “Obviously with the French Open coming up it is important to make smart decisions.”

Rafael Nadal was extended to three sets in his victory over countryman David Ferrer 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 to move into a semifinal match against Tomas Berdych.

Roger Federer capped off the day’s play with a 6-4, 7-6(2) win over Jerzy Janowicz to move into a semifinal match-up against Benoit Paire who dismantled Marcel Granollers 6-1, 6-0.

INTERNAZIONALI BNL D’ITALIA
Rome, Italy
May 13-19, 2013
Red Clay/Outdoors

Results - Friday, May 17, 2013
WTA Singles – Quarterfinals
(1) Serena Williams (USA) d. Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP) 62 60
(7) Sara Errani (ITA) d. (2) Maria Sharapova (RUS) w/o (viral illness)
(3) Victoria Azarenka (BLR) d. (9) Samantha Stosur (AUS) 64 16 63
(Q) Simona Halep (ROU) d. Jelena Jankovic (SRB) 46 60 75 (saved 2mp)

WTA Doubles – Quarterfinals
(2) Petrova/Srebotnik (RUS/SLO) d. (WC) Jankovic/Lucic-Baroni (SRB/CRO) 62 61
Hsieh/Peng (TPE/CHN) d. Cibulkova/Niculescu (SVK/ROU) 64 64

ATP Singles – Quarter-finals
[6] T Berdych (CZE) d [1] N Djokovic (SRB) 26 75 64
[2] R Federer (SUI) d J Janowicz (POL) 64 76(2)
[5] R Nadal (ESP) d [4] D Ferrer (ESP) 64 46 62
B Paire (FRA) d M Granollers (ESP) 61 60

ATP Doubles – Quarter-finals
[1] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) d D Marrero (ESP) / F Verdasco (ESP) 64 75
S Gonzalez (MEX) / S Lipsky (USA) d [2] M Granollers (ESP) / M Lopez (ESP) 16 64 10-6
[5] M Mirnyi (BLR) / H Tecau (ROU) d [3] R Lindstedt (SWE) / D Nestor (CAN) 76(5) 64

Order Of Play – Saturday, May 18, 2013

CENTRALE start 12:00 noon
[1] S Williams (USA) vs [Q] S Halep (ROU) – WTA

Not Before 2:00 PM
[3] V Azarenka (BLR) vs [7] S Errani (ITA) – WTA

Not Before 4:00 PM
[6] T Berdych (CZE) vs [5] R Nadal (ESP) – ATP

Not Before 8:00 PM
B Paire (FRA) vs [2] R Federer (SUI) – ATP
[1] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) vs [5] M Mirnyi (BLR) / H Tecau (ROU) – ATP

SUPERTENNIS ARENA start 1:30 pm
S Hsieh (TPE) / S Peng (CHN) vs [2] N Petrova (RUS) / K Srebotnik (SLO) – WTA
[6] M Bhupathi (IND) / R Bopanna (IND) vs S Gonzalez (MEX) / S Lipsky (USA) – ATP
[1] S Errani (ITA) / R Vinci (ITA) vs A Kudryavtseva (RUS) / A Rodionova (AUS) – WTA – After suitable rest

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Internazionali BNL d’Italia – Rome – Thursday Results, Friday Schedule

Roma

INTERNAZIONALI BNL D’ITALIA
Rome, Italy
May 13-19, 2013
Red Clay/Outdoors

Results - Thursday, May 16, 2013
WTA Singles – Third Round
(1) Serena Williams (USA) d. (14) Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) 60 61
(2) Maria Sharapova (RUS) d. (16) Sloane Stephens (USA) 62 61
(3) Victoria Azarenka (BLR) d. Ayumi Morita (JPN) 61 20 ret. (left thigh injury)
Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d. (5) Li Na (CHN) 76(2) 75
(7) Sara Errani (ITA) d. (12) Maria Kirilenko (RUS) 63 20 ret. (left knee injury)
(9) Samantha Stosur (AUS) d. (8) Petra Kvitova (CZE) 75 26 61
(Q) Simona Halep (ROU) d. (13) Roberta Vinci (ITA) 64 62
Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP) d. (LL) Lourdes Domínguez Lino (ESP) 62 63

WTA Doubles – Quarterfinals
(1) Errani/Vinci (ITA/ITA) d. (6) Mattek-Sands/Mirza (USA/IND) 64 63
Kudryavtseva/Rodionova (RUS/AUS) d. Hlavackova/Martic (CZE/CRO) 63 61

WTA Doubles – Second Round
(2) Petrova/Srebotnik (RUS/SLO) d. Marosi/Tatishvili (HUN/GEO) 62 75
Hsieh/Peng (TPE/CHN) d. (4) Huber/Martínez Sánchez (USA/ESP) 76(6) 61
(WC) Jankovic/Lucic-Baroni (SRB/CRO) d. (7) Groenefeld/Peschke (GER/CZE) 16 63 1210 (Match TB)
Cibulkova/Niculescu (SVK/ROU) d. Raymond/Robson (USA/GBR) 64 64

ATP Singles – Third Round
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) d A Dolgopolov (UKR) 61 64
[2] R Federer (SUI) d G Simon (FRA) 61 62
[4] D Ferrer (ESP) d P Kohlschreiber (GER) w/o (vertigo)
[5] R Nadal (ESP) d [Q] E Gulbis (LAT) 16 75 64
[6] T Berdych (CZE) d K Anderson (RSA) 75 62
B Paire (FRA) d [7] J del Potro (ARG) 64 76(3)
J Janowicz (POL) d [9] R Gasquet (FRA) 36 76(2) 64
M Granollers (ESP) d J Chardy (FRA) 64 16 75

ATP Doubles – Second Round
[1] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) d [WC] P Lorenzi (ITA) / P Starace (ITA) 61 64
T Berdych (CZE) / R Stepanek (CZE) d [4] A Qureshi (PAK) / J Rojer (NED) 75 64
[5] M Mirnyi (BLR) / H Tecau (ROU) d [Alt] L Rosol (CZE) / V Troicki (SRB) 75 61
[6] M Bhupathi (IND) / R Bopanna (IND) d D Inglot (GBR) / J Marray (GBR) 62 63
D Marrero (ESP) / F Verdasco (ESP) d [7] A Peya (AUT) / B Soares (BRA) 63 76(4)

Order Of Play – Friday, May 17, 2013

CENTRALE start 12:00 noon
[1] S Williams (USA) vs C Suarez Navarro (ESP) – WTA
Not Before 2:00 PM
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) vs [6] T Berdych (CZE) – ATP
Not Before 4:00 PM
[4] D Ferrer (ESP) vs [5] R Nadal (ESP) – ATP
Not Before 7:30 PM
[7] S Errani (ITA) vs [2] M Sharapova (RUS) – WTA
Not Before 9:00 PM
J Janowicz (POL) vs [2] R Federer (SUI) – ATP

SUPERTENNIS ARENA start 12:00 noon
B Paire (FRA) vs M Granollers (ESP) – ATP
Not Before 2:00 PM
[Q] S Halep (ROU) vs J Jankovic (SRB) – WTA
Not Before 4:00 PM
[9] S Stosur (AUS) vs [3] V Azarenka (BLR) – WTA
[6] M Bhupathi (IND) / R Bopanna (IND) vs T Berdych (CZE) / R Stepanek (CZE) – ATP – After suitable rest

PIETRANGELI start 12:00 noon
[3] R Lindstedt (SWE) / D Nestor (CAN) vs [5] M Mirnyi (BLR) / H Tecau (ROU) – ATP
[1] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) vs D Marrero (ESP) / F Verdasco (ESP) – ATP
Not Before 3:00 PM
D Cibulkova (SVK) / M Niculescu (ROU) vs S Hsieh (TPE) / S Peng (CHN) – WTA
[WC] J Jankovic (SRB) / M Lucic-Baroni (CRO) vs [2] N Petrova (RUS) / K Srebotnik (SLO) – WTA – After suitable rest

COURT 2 not before 3:00 PM
S Gonzalez (MEX) / S Lipsky (USA) vs [2] M Granollers (ESP) / M Lopez (ESP) – ATP – After suitable rest

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Back Issue Forces Murray to Retire, Nadal Easily Advances In Rome

Andy-Murray

(May 15, 2013) Andy Murray and Stanislas Wawrinka withdrew from the Italian Open with injures, while Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova had easy wins on Wednesday in Rome.

Andy Murray pulled out of his match with Marcel Granollers after splitting sets with a back injury which could put him in doubt for the French Open which begins on March 26.

“We’ll have to wait for Paris,” Murray said to the ATP website. “I’d be very surprised if I were playing in Paris.”

“I’ll need to take some days off and see how it settles down, but a few days can make a difference.”

Wawrinka withdrew from the tournament with a thigh injury prior to his match with Alexandr Dolgopolov.

Nadal began his Roman campaign with an easy 6-1, 6-3 win over No. 25 Fabio Fognini. He will face Ernests Gulbis next.

“Tomorrow I play against an opponent who is very dangerous,” said Nadal to  the ATP website. “He’s playing well and he’s having a great season. I had a tough match against him in Indian Wells this year…He’s an aggressive player, big serve, big shots from the baseline, and I have to be playing great if I want to have any chance.”

Jerzy Janowicz tore off his shirt in celebration after his upset of No. 8 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

“I was really happy especially because I didn’t get off to a good start to the season and I was sick,” said Janowicz who had been dealing with an ear infection. “So this was really important for me.”

“I knew going into the match I needed to be sharp and as quick as possible, and I did a few specific things well out there, and that’s about it” Sharapova said of her 6-2, 6-2 win over Garbiñe Muguruza. Sharapova faced only 1 break point during the entire match

Roma

INTERNAZIONALI BNL D’ITALIA
Rome, Italy
May 13-19, 2013
Red Clay/Outdoors

Results - Wednesday, May 15, 2013
WTA Singles – Second Round
(2) Maria Sharapova (RUS) d. (Q) Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP) 62 62
(3) Victoria Azarenka (BLR) d. Julia Goerges (GER) 62 60
(5) Li Na (CHN) d. Zheng Jie (CHN) 63 61
(7) Sara Errani (ITA) d. Christina McHale (USA) 75 57 62
(9) Samantha Stosur (AUS) d. Peng Shuai (CHN) 76(5) 60
(12) Maria Kirilenko (RUS) d. Varvara Lepchenko (USA) 63 61
(13) Roberta Vinci (ITA) d. (WC) Nastassja Burnett (ITA) 61 64
(14) Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) d. (Q) Melanie Oudin (USA) 57 61 63
(16) Sloane Stephens (USA) d. Kiki Bertens (NED) 46 63 62
Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d. Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) 62 60
Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP) d. Romina Oprandi (SUI) 64 62
Ayumi Morita (JPN) d. Urszula Radwanska (POL) 63 61
(LL) Lourdes Domínguez Lino (ESP) d. Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) 64 64

WTA Doubles – Second Round
(1) Errani/Vinci (ITA/ITA) d. Mladenovic/Voskoboeva (FRA/KAZ) 75 64
(6) Mattek-Sands/Mirza (USA/IND) d. Schiavone/Stosur (ITA/AUS) 64 63
Hlavackova/Martic (CZE/CRO) d. Castaño/Duque-Mariño (COL/COL) 63 76(4)
Kudryavtseva/Rodionova (RUS/AUS) d. Govortsova/Moulton-Levy (BLR/USA) 26 64 107 (Match TB)

WTA Doubles – First Round
Raymond/Robson (USA/GBR) d. (WC) Kuznetsova/Pennetta (RUS/ITA) 67(2) 64 107 (Match TB)

ATP Singles – Second Round
M Granollers (ESP) d [3] A Murray (GBR) 63 67(5) ret. (lower back)
[4] D Ferrer (ESP) d F Verdasco (ESP) 57 75 63
[5] R Nadal (ESP) d F Fognini (ITA) 61 63
J Janowicz (POL) d [8] J Tsonga (FRA) 64 76(5)
A Dolgopolov (UKR) d [15] S Wawrinka (SUI) w/o (right thigh)
J Chardy (FRA) d [16] K Nishikori (JPN) 64 61
P Kohlschreiber (GER) d A Ramos (ESP) 64 61
[Q] E Gulbis (LAT) d V Troicki (SRB) 61 61
B Paire (FRA) d J Benneteau (FRA) 67(3) 64 76(4)
G Simon (FRA) d M Youzhny (RUS) 75 63

ATP Doubles – Second Round
[2] M Granollers (ESP) / M Lopez (ESP) d J Benneteau (FRA) / N Zimonjic (SRB) 64 67(4) 10-8
[3] R Lindstedt (SWE) / D Nestor (CAN) d [WC] F Cipolla (ITA) / F Volandri (ITA) 64 63
S Gonzalez (MEX) / S Lipsky (USA) d [8] J Melzer (AUT) / L Paes (IND) 76(4) 76(3)

ATP Doubles – First Round
[WC] P Lorenzi (ITA) / P Starace (ITA) d M Baghdatis (CYP) / J del Potro (ARG) 63 26 10-8
T Berdych (CZE) / R Stepanek (CZE) d D Bracciali (ITA) / A Seppi (ITA) 64 62

Order Of Play – Thursday, May 16, 2013

CENTRALE start 12:00 noon
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) vs A Dolgopolov (UKR) – ATP
[7] S Errani (ITA) vs [12] M Kirilenko (RUS) – WTA
[Q] E Gulbis (LAT) vs [5] R Nadal (ESP) – ATP
Not Before 7:30 PM
[16] S Stephens (USA) vs [2] M Sharapova (RUS) – WTA
Not Before 9:00 PM
G Simon (FRA) vs [2] R Federer (SUI) – ATP

SUPERTENNIS ARENA start 11:00 am
K Anderson (RSA) vs [6] T Berdych (CZE) – ATP
[7] J Del Potro (ARG) vs B Paire (FRA) – ATP
[1] S Williams (USA) vs [14] D Cibulkova (SVK) – WTA
[4] D Ferrer (ESP) vs P Kohlschreiber (GER) – ATP
Not Before 7:00 PM
J Janowicz (POL) vs [9] R Gasquet (FRA) – ATP

PIETRANGELI start 11:00 am
J Jankovic (SRB) vs [5] N Li (CHN) – WTA
[Q] S Halep (ROU) vs [13] R Vinci (ITA) – WTA
J Chardy (FRA) vs M Granollers (ESP) – ATP
[8] P Kvitova (CZE) vs [9] S Stosur (AUS) – WTA
S Gonzalez (MEX) / S Lipsky (USA) vs [2] M Granollers (ESP) / M Lopez (ESP) – ATP

COURT 1 start 11:00 am
S Hsieh (TPE) / S Peng (CHN) vs [4] L Huber (USA) / M Martinez Sanchez (ESP) – WTA
Not Before 12:30 PM
K Marosi (HUN) / A Tatishvili (GEO) vs [2] N Petrova (RUS) / K Srebotnik (SLO) – WTA
T Berdych (CZE) / R Stepanek (CZE) vs [4] A Qureshi (PAK) / J Rojer (NED) – ATP – After suitable rest
[1] S Errani (ITA) / R Vinci (ITA) vs [6] B Mattek-Sands (USA) / S Mirza (IND) – WTA – After suitable rest
D Cibulkova (SVK) / M Niculescu (ROU) vs L Raymond (USA) / L Robson (GBR) – WTA – After suitable rest

COURT 2 start 11:00 am
[6] M Bhupathi (IND) / R Bopanna (IND) vs D Inglot (GBR) / J Marray (GBR) – ATP
[1] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) vs [WC] P Lorenzi (ITA) / P Starace (ITA) – ATP
C Suarez Navarro (ESP) vs [LL] L Dominguez Lino (ESP) – WTA
Not Before 4:00 PM
A Morita (JPN) vs [3] V Azarenka (BLR) – WTA

COURT 4 start 12:30 pm
[Alt] L Rosol (CZE) / V Troicki (SRB) vs [5] M Mirnyi (BLR) / H Tecau (ROU) – ATP
Not Before 2:00 PM
D Marrero (ESP) / F Verdasco (ESP) vs [7] A Peya (AUT) / B Soares (BRA) – ATP

COURT 6 not before 12:30 PM
A Hlavackova (CZE) / P Martic (CRO) vs A Kudryavtseva (RUS) / A Rodionova (AUS) – WTA
[7] A Groenefeld (GER) / K Peschke (CZE) vs [WC] J Jankovic (SRB) / M Lucic-Baroni (CRO) – WTA – Aftr suitable rest

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Quotable Quotes: Rafael Nadal defeats Stanislas Wawrinka in Madrid

 

Rafael Nadal

 

By Tumaini Carayol

(May 12, 2013)In one of the most unsurprising finals of 2013, Rafael Nadal triumphed 6-2, 6-4 over Stanislas Wawrinka in Madrid to lift the second masters title of his stunning return to tennis, winning his fifth tournament in the seven outings since his return.

Nadal on his victory:

 

“I don’t expect anything.  If I expect is the most difficult thing when I go out there and play a match. In this case what I expected was to go out there and try and do it and do what I like to do, what I want to do before I go out there in the match. I’m very happy.  I think I did a really good match.  I think I played the best match of the whole week today in the final.”

 

Nadal on his tactics:

“I managed to do what I was thinking to do before starting the match.  It’s always difficult.  I (planned) to go out there and (hit my forehand well), you know, to smack it hard, and try to win many points with my forehand.

Afterwards with my backhand I was trying to, you know, not to play down-the-line. I was trying to play balls up there in the middle, deep balls, because I knew that those balls were the right ones.  If I played that way then he didn’t have the right angle.  He has some pretty good angles with his drive and his backhand.”

 

Nadal on the importance of Madrid:

“For me it’s a moment not to talk about Roland Garros.  It’s a moment just to be happy with what I have achieved right now in Madrid, in Barcelona, and Monte‑Carlo.

In this moment nowadays I am just happy to have what I did today and win an important tournament such as Madrid.  To think this is a warmup to Roland Garros, that’s wrong.  It’s not a warmup.  I give my maximum level.

For me this tournament means a lot, the same as Monte‑Carlo and Barcelona.  I just give it the maximum importance.  At home, even more important.”

 

Wawrinka on his condition:

 

“For sure I was not feeling that well and maybe not 100% physically and mentally, so then it’s really tough to play.  And even if I’m playing my best tennis and completely fresh, it’s really, really tough to beat him.

If you’re not completely there then he’s killing you, like he did at the beginning of the match.  It was tough for me.  The ball was flying.  It was different conditions”

 

Wawrinka on starting work with Magnus Norman:

“He was No. 2 in the world and make so many big results.  He was amazing player and did a great job with Robin Soderling to get him to the No. 5 in the world.

We just start.  It’s the first week in tournament with him.  I think we did a good job this week.  I’m really happy with how we work together.  I’m really looking forward for the rest of the year with him.”

 

Both will immediately head to Rome as the clay season grind continues.

 

Tumaini Carayol was Madrid covering the Madrid Open for Tennis Panorama News. He is a contributing writer at On The Baseline, and writes about professional tennis at his site Foot Fault.

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Quotable Quotes: Serena, Sharapova, Nadal and Berdych March On

Bank of the West semifinals (20 of 1)

By Tumaini Carayol

(May 10, 2013) Madrid – First to book her place in the final four was Serena Williams, but it wasn’t in the manner expected. The tournament and majority of onlookers had firmly resigned themselves to a routine straight-setter to the expense of their home favorite. Early on, it appeared Williams was well on her way to a routine victory as she secured the first set 6-3. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, the American could be found struggling to serve over 90 mph and direct the ball between the white lines as all chances of a routine victory were killed spectacularly.

After the disastrous second set, Williams spent only a quarter of the allotted time in her chair, instead deciding to rise from her chair early in in order to do squats and stretches net to her chair. It’s not something Williams has ever done before, but it worked as, with a renewed intercity – and grunt – she eventually toughed out a tight victory.

“I felt just kind of ‑‑ I don’t know. I wasn’t really there. I wasn’t really in it. My feet weren’t moving. I don’t know what happened,” she said afterwards.

To turn it around I got up earlier on the changeover and started doing high knees and just stretching and doing anything to try to get my intensity back up where it needed to be.”

Sharapova 2

In stark contrast to the world No. 1, Maria Sharapova’s 6-2 6-4 victory over Kaia Kanepi was memorable for only two reasons. Firstly because the Russian extended her red clay winning streak to a monumental 24 wins. Secondly, thanks to the mischievous message the Russian left when signing the camera after her victory. In reference to paparazzi capturing her with her boyfriend, Grigor Dimitrov, early in the week, the 26 year-old wrote “how did you catch us???”

During her news conference afterwards, there was much laughter during the Russian’s exchanges with Tennis Panorama.

 

Tennis Panorama News: So, the writing on the camera, I wonder what that was about?

Maria Sharapova: (with head in hands) I don’t know. You tell me. (Laughter.)

[..]

TPN: Ok, serious question. (Laughter.) I’m sure you’re sick of answering questions about how you’re good on clay, but when you were younger…

MS: I never thought that day would come. (Laughter.) Where’s my trophy?

TPN: When you were younger you came on the tour and played well on grass and were really good on grass and not as good on clay. Now it’s kind of switched around: You’re great on clay and your grass results haven’t been as great recently, aside from reaching…silver medal.

MS: Aside from the final a couple years ago and the silver medal last year. No biggie. For some people that’s a pretty good achievement.

TPN: OK, OK! (laughter.)

MS: (laughing.) Obviously it’s funny when people talk to me it’s like, ah, that’s not really a great result. I’m like, I don’t know. Thinking about that on surgery table, I’ll take that any time of the day. You have to be pretty realistic and fortunate. And yes, I lost in the fourth round, and two weeks later I came back at Wimbledon and got to the finals. So that was a great, great week for me.

Yeah, I definitely have improved my game on clay and improved myself physically. I also think the grass has changed over the years tremendously. The clay has pretty much stayed the same. But it’s not like I woke up one day and said, Yeah, I’m just going to get better and tomorrow I’m going to be better on clay. Instead it took many years and many matches and many practices. And mentally as well just to get myself prepared for long matches and battles and get through them.”

More notably, Sharapova had much to say about the recent prize money issues and the five-hout meeting that took place during the Istanbul WTA Championshps last year. There is a misconception that only the male players contributed to the monumental prize money changes that have occurred in all Grand Slams this year, but the champion rebuffed the notion with some interesting information.

 

“I remember sitting ‑‑ we had like a five‑hour meeting the day before the first round of Istanbul last year, the Championships. I don’t think one player in that meeting was really happy about the timing.”

“I will say that every tournament director and a couple of their staff made their way. Craig Tiley flew all the way from Australia just for that meeting. We sat there and they presented kind of their future prize money ideas.”

DavidFerrerbyAbigailHintoShanghaiTennisPanorama

 

The men were next. After an embarrassing performance in the Acapulco final which saw the world No. 4 capture only two games against a returning Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer brushed off the embarrassment and played calm, aggressive tennis to establish a lead over the King of Clay. An early 4-1 lead in the first set fast became a set lead, and before long the set lead was complimented with a second set break.

Still, at a set and 4-2 many still expected the champion to triumph and as Nadal charged back to steal three games in a row and serve for the set, not many were surprised. The pendulum swung again, however, with Ferrer showing an abundance of typical resilience to capitalize on a few thoughtless unforced errors. By the time the pair next sat down, Ferrer was a game away from the big win.

Three points later, it happened. With the score at 6-4 6-5* 15-30 to the underdog, Ferrer contested seemingly the perfect point, dragging the champion from tramline to tramline and exposing his hampered movement. After having his way with Nadal for a series of shots, the elder Spaniard was finally presented with an open court forehand to catapult him to double match point. Instead, he opted to hit the ball straight to Nadal, who pulled out a spectacular defensive lob to win the point. From that tragically missed opportunity, Ferrer failed to win a single game for the remainder of the match.

After the defeat, Ferrer had some interesting things to say about his mentality and outlook, which perhaps explains why he so seldom emerges victorious over the four players above him.

Q. Rafa said that you deserved to be in the semis. Do you think that is a smaller gap with the top 4, or do you think they’re too good and when you reach the moment of truth they have got a little extra?

David Ferrer: Sincerely, I don’t care. I think they’re really good. I’ve always said that. They’re the four best players of the world. They make the difference compared to the other players.

I always talk about the same thing. Berdych, Tsonga, Del Potro, they all come like airplanes. Now Dimitrov and Wawrinka and Almagro too are pushing really hard.

With the amount of good players we’ve got down there, I’m not thinking about getting up there with the top 4. It’s really complicated.

 

TomasBerdych

Finally, after his impressive victory over Andy Murray, Tomas Berdych displayed some of his polarizing confidence as he amusingly tipped himself to win a Grand Slam

TPN: As you said before, your level doesn’t seem to change depending on the surface. You’re one of the few players. Even the big four have their favorite surfaces. What is your favorite surface?

Tomas Berdych: Well, it’s really tough to say. I can find good results on the grass, on the hard, and on clay as well.

So, you know, probably when I’m going to reach my first slam, then we going to see which surface is that going to be. (laughter) Then I can point this is the one that is the really on top, and then we don’t have to talk about the others.

So far, there is only the final and then the rest with some semifinals, so it’s not enough. Really, I want to do more. Then I can I tell you the one.

Tumaini Carayol is in Madrid covering the Madrid Open for Tennis Panorama News. He is a contributing writer at On The Baseline, and writes about professional tennis at his site Foot Fault. Follow his tournament updates on @TennisNewsTPN and his personal twitter @TumCarayol.

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Nishikori Upsets Federer; Nadal, Murray Move on in Madrid

nishikori

(May 9, 2013) The new red clay of Madrid claimed another seeded casualty on Thursday when No. 2 Roger Federer was upset by Kei Nishikori  6-4, 1-6, 6-2 in the third round of the Madrid Open. Top seed Novak Djokovic was ousted on Tuesday.

No. 3 seed Andy Murray escaped Gilles Simon 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (6),  while No. 5 seed Rafael Nadal had an easy time with Mikhail Youzhny 6-2, 6-3.

A poor serving game by Federer gave Nishikori the first set.  In the second set Federer grabbed the momentum but lost it in third.

As for Nishikori, it was a fourth win over a top 5 player for the man from Japan. “He was my idol and to beat him was one of the goals for my tennis career,” said the world No. 16. “Beating Roger is, yeah … I need a couple of days to celebrate.”

“He was the better player today for sure, Federer said. “I was lacking control from the baseline, and that pretty much carried through from start to finish, Overall I’m disappointed with my play,” Federer said of the match.

“I’m not sure how well Kei thought he played. I didn’t think he had to play his very best either, which is even more disappointing”

“Clearly the favorite for this tournament is Nadal,” Federer said.

Nishikori will next play Pablo Andujar for a place in the semifinals.

MUTUA MADRID OPEN
Madrid, Spain
May 4-12, 2013
Red Clay/Outdoors

Results – Thursday, May 9, 2013
Women’sSingles – Third Round
(1) Serena Williams (USA) d. (13) Maria Kirilenko (RUS) 63 61
(2) Maria Sharapova (RUS) d. Sabine Lisicki (GER) 62 75
(7) Sara Errani (ITA) d. Varvara Lepchenko (USA) 75 63
Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) d. (14) Marion Bartoli (FRA) 63 62
Kaia Kanepi (EST) d. (WC) Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) 63 64

Women’s Doubles – Quarterfinals
Mladenovic/Voskoboeva (FRA/KAZ) d. (3) Makarova/Vesnina (RUS/RUS) 64 62
(WC) Soler-Espinosa/Suárez Navarro (ESP/ESP) d. (4) Kops-Jones/Spears (USA/USA) 46 62 104 (Match TB)
Black/Erakovic (ZIM/NZL) d. Kuznetsova/Pennetta (RUS/ITA) 46 61 105 (Match TB)
Pavlyuchenkova/Safarova (RUS/CZE) d. Husarova/Lisicki (SVK/GER) 62 36 107 (Match TB)

Men’s Singles – Third Round
[14] K Nishikori (JPN) d [2] R Federer (SUI) 64 16 62
[3] A Murray (GBR) d [16] G Simon (FRA) 26 64 76(6)
[4] D Ferrer (ESP) d [13] T Haas (GER) 75 46 64
[5] R Nadal (ESP) d M Youzhny (RUS) 62 63
[6] T Berdych (CZE) d K Anderson (RSA) 76(5) 75
[7] J Tsonga (FRA) d F Verdasco (ESP) 46 63 62
[15] S Wawrinka (SUI) d G Dimitrov (BUL) 36 64 61
[WC] P Andujar (ESP) d D Gimeno-Traver (ESP) 55 ret. (right leg)

Men’s Doubles – Second Round
[1] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) d J Isner (USA) / S Querrey (USA) 76(6) 75
D Marrero (ESP) / F Verdasco (ESP) d [2] M Granollers (ESP) / M Lopez (ESP) 76(4) 63
[6] M Bhupathi (IND) / R Bopanna (IND) d [Alt] J Monaco (ARG) / H Zeballos (ARG) 63 36 10-5
[7] A Peya (AUT) / B Soares (BRA) d M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL) 64 60
T Haas (GER) / R Stepanek (CZE) d [8] J Melzer (AUT) / L Paes (IND) 75 61

Order Of Play – Friday, May 10, 2013

MANOLO SANTANA start 10:50 am
[1] S Williams (USA) vs [WC] A Medina Garrigues (ESP) – WTA
K Kanepi (EST) vs [2] M Sharapova (RUS) – WTA
Not Before 3:15 PM
[5] R Nadal (ESP) vs [4] D Ferrer (ESP) – ATP
[WC] P Andujar (ESP) vs [14] K Nishikori (JPN) – ATP
Not Before 8:00 PM
[3] A Murray (GBR) vs [6] T Berdych (CZE) – ATP
[15] S Wawrinka (SUI) vs [7] J Tsonga (FRA) – ATP

ARANTXA SANCHEZ VICARIO start 11:00 am
C Black (ZIM) / M Erakovic (NZL) vs [WC] S Soler-Espinosa (ESP) / C Suarez Navarro (ESP) – WTA
Not Before 3:00 PM
E Makarova (RUS) vs [7] S Errani (ITA) – WTA
[6] A Kerber (GER) vs [16] A Ivanovic (SRB) – WTA
[5] M Mirnyi (BLR) / H Tecau (ROU) vs D Marrero (ESP) / F Verdasco (ESP) – ATP

STADIUM 3 start 2:00 pm
J Chardy (FRA) / L Kubot (POL) vs [6] M Bhupathi (IND) / R Bopanna (IND) – ATP
[7] A Peya (AUT) / B Soares (BRA) vs [3] R Lindstedt (SWE) / D Nestor (CAN) – ATP
Not Before 4:00 PM
K Mladenovic (FRA) / G Voskoboeva (KAZ) vs A Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) / L Safarova (CZE) – WTA
[1] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) vs T Haas (GER) / R Stepanek (CZE) – ATP

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Crowd Sours Atmosphere In Madrid

By Tumaini Carayol

(May 8, 2013) MADRID – Seven years ago, the differences were palpable. Both sets of hair were considerably longer, the biceps were bigger, the courts were bluer but without any controversy thanks to the hardness that complimented the color, the season was different and the crowds. Well, the crowds were one of the few constants as Tomas Berdych and Rafael Nadal took to the Manolo Santana court to compete their 2006 Mutua Madrid Open quarterfinal.

 

Quickly, this young and promising Berdych rose to the occasion. The serve first began to inflict irreversible damage and the forehand soon followed suit, releasing an array of winners that a flailing Nadal struggled to counter. As the crowd sensed their hero falling, they themselves rose to fend off the challenger, sending a chorus of boos and whistles raining down as the Czech pretender continued in his attempts to usurp the champion.

Berdych would be successful in his quest, closing off a perilously tight second-set tiebreak to move through in straight sets. As he strode confidently to the net, the then 22 year-old would produce one of the enduring images of the event’s history. He placed one finger to his lips in a “shushing” gesture towards the already booing crowd. The jeers were deafening as he finished his journey to the net, and as he attempted to shake the hand of his fallen foe, Nadal interjected. “very bad,” was the audible cry from the Spaniard to the Frenchman as they met at the net.

Though the seven years have passed assuredly by, in reality not much has changed. As Novak Djokovic, Nadal’s greatest rival in recent years, entered the metal box. The booing and jeering quickly followed as, though facing a still not-quite-known, Djokovic was seemingly treated with a distain usually reserved for criminals. Every routine query was met with a chorus of boos and, by the bitter end of the second set, even his missed first serves resulted in grand cheers. The result was an outburst from the Serb, who eventually responded to the crowd’s jeers with a variety of choice words of his own. As the world No. 1 left the court in defeat, even his final exit was met with yet more loud boos. To say he was livid afterwards would be an understatement:

“In the first set, every single close call that I went to look at the ball and the chair umpire comes to see, I got whistled.  I don’t see any reason for that.  I didn’t do anything bad.

“When I see the ball, it’s good, I clear the mark.  I give him a point.  I never did anything opposite in my life.  I’m honest.  If I see the ball in, I play the ball; if it’s close, I call the chair umpire.

“I don’t understand why they turn against me, for what reason, but it is what it is.  I’m a professional, and it’s not the first time I’m experiencing that.

One day on, Nadal made his debut on centre court. Up against the charismatic but unknown Benoit Paire, the Frenchman was simply fulfilling his job description by endeavouring to defeat his illustrious opponent. During the second set, Paire reeled off three winners in a row, a trademark dropshot punctuating the final point of the series. Rather than applauding the challenger’s gusto, the Madrid crowd decided to launch yet another array of boos. Sporadically throughout the match, the heckles raised once again. The Frenchman is perfectly capable of inciting a crowd to boo, and even his home crowds routinely boo him off the court for his tendency to give up without a fight. Against Nadal, however, he was being for the complete polar opposite – for trying. When asked about his thoughts on the crowd, Nadal angrily defended them.

“I am not agree with you,” he said.  Sorry.  The crowd today was 100% correct.  That’s my opinion.  The crowd didn’t say nothing against Paire.

“I am from Spain, and it’s normal the crowd want to support me.  It happens to me the same when I play in different countries against a local player.  That’s the good part of the show.

“In the end, this is only a game, no?  It’s nice to have the crowd involved in this show.  Nothing against the crowd.  I think the crowd here is very emotional.  That’s all.”

“”I think they respect the players always, and I repeat that I cannot have a real opinion on yesterday’s match because I didn’t see it.”

Tumaini Carayol is in Madrid covering the Madrid Open for Tennis Panorama News. He is a contributing writer at On The Baseline, and writes about professional tennis at his site Foot Fault. Follow his tournament updates on @TennisNewsTPN and his personal twitter @TumCarayol.

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