2013/05/23

Djokovic Advances, Nadal Cruises, Murray, Berdych and Del Potro Upset in Monte-Carlo

 

Rafael Nadal photo by William Lucas/Inovafoto

Rafael Nadal photo by William Lucas/Inovafoto

(April 18, 2013) Eight-time defending  Monte-Carlo Masters champion Rafael Nadal extended his winning streak at the tournament to 44 matches, while No. 1 Novak Djoovic had to rally from a set down for a second straight day to move into the quarterfinals. No. 2 seed Andy Murray was not so fortunate falling to No. 13  Stanislas Wawrinka 6-1, 6-2.

Novak Djokovic still nursing a twisted right ankle rallied past Juan Monaco 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 on Thursday.

“It was very difficult for me today,” Djokovic said to media. “Another tough match. I am trying to take things day by day. I didn’t know what to expect today and I’m really glad that I won.”

“It’s another big test obviously, again a two-hour match,” the No. 1 continued. “Obviously I’m not physically out there feeling my best. Somehow feels that I always miss that half a step. But I’m trying. I’m fighting. After I lost the first set today, I tried to find that inner strength. I found it again. So that’s a positive thing. Every day brings a new challenge and we’ll see what happens tomorrow.”

Djokovic will face Jarkko Nieminen in the quarterfinals. Nieminen stunned No. 5 seed Juan Martin Del Potro 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(4).

The left-hander Finn is into his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 quarterfinal since 2006 Paris.

It was another easy win For Nadal on Thursday as the 8-time Monte-Carlo champion stopped Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-2, 6-4. Nadal will take on Grigor Dimitrov in the quarterfinals.

“He’s playing well,” Nadal said of Bulgaria’s Dimitrov. “He’s able to play very well, very aggressive, very good technique. He’s (a) complete player.”

For No. 2 seed Andy Murray, it’s a match he’ll want to forget. In less than an hour the Brit fell to Stanislas Warwinka 6-1, 6-2.

“Just looked at the stats … 24 unforced errors is far too many,“ said a disappointed Murray. “That’s a set’s worth. That’s where half the points went. “I hope that’s not going to be the case over the next five, six weeks. I’ve had tough losses on the clay before and I’ve come back well from them. Hopefully today will be the same.”

“He’s an amazing player. He’s always tough to beat,” said Wawrinka to media. “Therefore, to beat Andy that easy was a big surprise, for sure. I’m playing really good, really strong, really confident with my game. I know what he’s looking for in his game. He’s playing slow, he’s playing from the baseline, he’s not putting so much pressure. For me on clay, it’s perfect.”

The loss means that Murray will fall to No. 3 in the rankings next week, surpassed by Roger Federer.

Italy’s Fabio Fognini recorded the biggest upset of his career as he knocked out fourth seed Tomas Berdych 6-4, 6-2. It’s his second career win over a top ten player.

RESULTS – THURSDAY, 18 APRIL, 2013

Singles – Third Round
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) d [14] J Monaco (ARG) 46 62 62
[13] S Wawrinka (SUI) d [2] A Murray (GBR) 61 62
[3] R Nadal (ESP) d [16] P Kohlschreiber (GER) 62 64
F Fognini (ITA) d [4] T Berdych (CZE) 64 62
J Nieminen (FIN) d [5] [WC] J del Potro (ARG) 64 46 76(4)
[6] J Tsonga (FRA) d J Melzer (AUT) 63 60
[7] R Gasquet (FRA) d [9] M Cilic (CRO) 75 64
G Dimitrov (BUL) d F Mayer (GER) 62 64

Doubles – Quarter-finals
M Raonic (CAN) / B Tomic (AUS) d [3] R Lindstedt (SWE) / D Nestor (CAN) 76(7) 63

Doubles – Second Round
[4] A Qureshi (PAK) / J Rojer (NED) d C Fleming (GBR) / J Marray (GBR) 64 61
[5] M Mirnyi (BLR) / H Tecau (ROU) d I Dodig (CRO) / R Stepanek (CZE) 62 62
J Melzer (AUT) / L Paes (IND) d [6] M Bhupathi (IND) / R Bopanna (IND) 62 63
J Benneteau (FRA) / N Zimonjic (SRB) d [7] A Peya (AUT) / B Soares (BRA) 76(7) 64

SCHEDULE – FRIDAY, 19 APRIL, 2013

COURT CENTRAL start 10:30 am
[6] J Tsonga (FRA) vs [13] S Wawrinka (SUI)
G Dimitrov (BUL) vs [3] R Nadal (ESP)
F Fognini (ITA) vs [7] R Gasquet (FRA)
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) vs J Nieminen (FIN)

COURT DES PRINCES start 10:30 am
[5] M Mirnyi (BLR) / H Tecau (ROU) vs D Marrero (ESP) / F Verdasco (ESP)
J Benneteau (FRA) / N Zimonjic (SRB) vs [4] A Qureshi (PAK) / J Rojer (NED)
[1] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) vs J Melzer (AUT) / L Paes (IND)

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Gasquet Wins All-French Final in Montpellier

Richard Gasquet

(February 10, 2013) In an all-French affair, Richard Gasquet defeated Benoit Paire 6-2, 6-3 to capture the Open Sud de France in Montpellier on Sunday. It’s Gasquet’s second tournament win of the year improving his 2013 record to 14-1. He’s the first two-time ATP World Tour titlist of the 2013 season. He also won the Qatar Open.

For Gasquet it’s his ninth ATP World title overall.

“I feel very happy and relieved to win here in Montpellier in front of my friends and family,“ said Gasquet. Since the tournament has been here, it’s been an objective to lift the trophy. I was really disappointed last year when I lost in the quarter-finals. Defeating Gael [Monfils] in a difficult match earlier this week put me in the right direction towards the title.

“The circumstances here are totally different for me, from the rest of the weeks on the tour, because I sleep at home in Bezier and I drive back and forth every day [40 minutes away]. It’s a totally different feeling than lifting a trophy in a different country far away. Also, I know and meet so many people I used to play with when I was younger. I feel I have played against the entire stadium!

“I realize this is my best season start ever and I just want to keep going and stay healthy. I am leaving tomorrow to Rotterdam, then Marseille, which is also an important tournament in France for me.”

 

Despite the loss, Paire looks at the tournament as a positive: “It’s a positive week overall for me. I am a bit disappointed about today’s performance but Richard is a very strong player, with a very unique style, and there was nothing I could do today. I felt a bit stressed out before the final, due to the special circumstances of the match, but these are all positive experiences and I am learning a lot from them. I am very happy to have reached the final. I could have lost against Steve Darcis if it wasn’t for a miraculous let ball on the match point against me.

“It’s nice that it has happened here in Montpellier in front of my parents, who don’t often get to see me play. I grew up not far away from here and used to play all the small tournaments around here. I know I have improved a lot in my attitude and it was important this week to show my parents I am no longer the Benoit who goes crazy and breaks racquets. I really needed them to see how I have changed and I need to keep going. I feel I am on the right track if I stay calm and focused.”

Marc Gicquel and Michael Llodra took the doubles crown to become the eighth all-French pair to win the doubles title since 1987. Six of the last eight years have seen all-French teams win the doubles.

“Now I can say that I won all the French tournaments – except Roland Garros – as Montpellier was the one I was missing Llodra said. “My objective in doubles is to beat Guy’s [Forget] doubles record of 28 titles. I won’t stop until I beat him. I am very happy about this 24th title. I’m not sure how many different partners I’ve had, but I am very happy to have won with my friend ‘Marco’ here in Montpellier. He’s a great guy and we had a blast all week.”

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Tennis Players and Chefs Serve Up a Feast for Charity at Taste of Tennis

 

Taste of Tennis1

By Jaclyn Stacey

(January 10, 2013) MELBOURNE, Australia – A service game of a different kind was on the menu for the tennis stars who attended the 4th Annual Melbourne Swisse Taste of Tennis event held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel on Thursday night.

 

Players joined with chefs from Melbourne’s top restaurants to serve up gourmet treats to A-list guests in the name of charity.

 

Many top 20 ATP and WTA players featured among the guests at the event which raised money for Diabetes Australia and the National Institute of Integrative Medicine. Top ten players Janko Tipsarevic and Richard Gasquet graced the red carpet, along with other notable players including Marion Bartoli, Marin Cilic, Kevin Anderson, Lucie Safarova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Ivo Karlovic.

 

Former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt paired with celebrity chef George Colombaris to kick off the evening with a special presentation on stage before chefs and players combined to act as food servers, handing out small gourmet delights throughout the night.

 

Celebrities and chefs began arriving at the venue from 6.30pm sporting a wide variety of outfits based on the ‘elegantly casual’ dress theme. Many of the men came smartly dressed in jeans, while Marion Bartoli and the Rodionova sisters glammed up the red carpet in sky high heels and sleek dresses.

 

British Fed Cup captain Judy Murray is known to tweet her love of desserts to her 49,000 plus twitter following, and expressed her delight at the event’s offerings. She said “we’ve had a great time because to be able to go around and try small amounts of lots of different things is great. I think the trick is to pace yourself so that you have enough room left for desserts.”

 

Murray also spoke of her hope for the British girls at the Australian Open starting on Monday and said she is hopeful for a good run from Heather Watson and Laura Robson who have both recently broken into the top 50 singles rankings for the first time.

 

Swedish doubles specialist Robert Lindstedt enjoyed the social aspect of the evening and said it’s a welcome break from the day to day. “It’s great. It’s nice for the people to turn out where most of the guests are not players so it’s quite nice.” He said that on tour “we enjoy good food. We always try to find maybe not always the nicest restaurants because they’re a bit expensive but we always try to eat well so food like this is what we look for.”

 

Serbia’s Nenad Zimonjic said he loves eating out at restaurants. “It’s something that I enjoy doing and also traveling around the world I have the chance to try different cuisines. But when I’m at home I like a home cooked meal and I’m really lucky that my wife cooks really well so I enjoy that as well.”

 

Silent auctions were held throughout the night to raise money for the elected charities. Items up for auction included signed memorabilia of international sporting stars such as Tiger Woods, Sebastian Vettel and Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as experiences including dining packages and the opportunity to have a personal chef serve you at your home.

 

The Norman Brookes Challenge Cup and the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup were also a popular attraction on the night, with guests lining up for the chance to hold and have a photo taken with the Australian Open championship trophies.

Jaclyn Stacey is a Melbourne based freelance journalist covering the Australian Open tournament as media for Tennis Panorama News.  Follow her Australian Open updates on @TennisNewsTPN. Follow her persona @JackattackAU.
All photos by Melinda Samson who runs the site Grand Slam Gal. Follow her on twitter @Grandslamgal.
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Notes and Quotes From Thursday at the China Open

 

BEIJING, China – A few of the quotes from some of Thursday’s news conferences at the China Open.

ZE ZHANG

Wild card Ze Zhang became the first Chinese player on the ATP World Tour to defeat a top 20 player with his win over Richard Gasquet on Thursday 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 at the China Open.

Q: Today you played three sets and eventually win, but prior to that you said you can try to fight against a high competent player like this one but the match is really short. But today you win the game. What do you think might be the reason for you to play against such a high, competent, high-profile opponent?

 

ZE ZHANG: This year actually I play a lot of, you know, high-profile tournament. This give me a lot of opportunity to play against the high-profile opponent.

 

So once you play frequently with them, you will be gradually familiar with them. Today I have no fear. I’m very much relaxed. I”m not that nervous, so I”m going to try my best to play with utmost performance.

 

Q: Congratulations for your victory. We know that actually your performance has a big contrast in the past two years. You have a big breakthrough today. Also, your performance have sort of a leap forward. You are coming to a new starting point. Standing at a point like this one, I think your pressure is not only trying to have one step further, but most importantly, how are you going to try to keep this ranking?

 

ZE ZHANG: You are right that this is a new start. I don’t think this is pressure. Just opposite. I think this is very important, very important driving force for me, because the most matches you are supposed to win, the more points you are going to get and more high ranking you will get. You don’t have to highly concentrate on those things.

 

Q: Can you tell my why you appointed the coach that you have and if you felt you needed to look outside China? Did you feel you needed a foreign coach?

 

ZE ZHANG: I think because the foreign coach can provide me with something more enlightening, just like my coach right now who has already coached a lot of high-profile players before.

 

So what he’s supposed to bring me will be very much different from the one I can get domestically.

 

RICHARD GASQUET

 

Q: What kind of preparation did you have for this match? Did you ever think that the opponent has a strong or threatening service to you or probably Ze Zhang’s backhand has already constituted a huge backhand?

 

RICHARD GASQUET: Yeah, he served well. He played well. The court was very fast, you know, for me. I think the key of the match was my backhand was very bad today.

 

When I play against a guy, backhand against backhand, I’m good. Today it was not working for me.

 

Anyway, I should win at 2-0 in the third set. I had the chances to win this match, to win the match, and I played bad mistakes. And him, he plays good. With the crowd and the court, he plays good.

 

He deserve this victory. It’s good.

 

VICTORIA AZARENKA

 

Q. After the match you looked pretty relieved. During the match you were getting frustrated. Can you kind of express in words your emotions after the match?

 

VICTORIA AZARENKA: I don’t feel like I was getting really frustrated during the match. I wasn’t happy with some things, but these kind of emotions just hold you in the game, you know, to try to push yourself forward, not to really get down.

 

For me, sometimes, it helps to be more alert, to be more aggressive after. So I was just going my way. But I felt like it was a really long game, you know, a lot of tension in that last game.

 

I really wanted to win it because I had a few match points and really couldn’t convert them. So when I won that last point, I was relieved, and you know, happy to finish the match in two sets.

 

MARIA SHARAPOVA

 

Q. Can you talk about the fun side of combined events? Do you actually watch some men’s matches, or do you have lunch together in players’ restaurant, or do you socialize a little bit in the players’ lounge?

 

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Yeah, I’m not the social type in the players’ lounge. It hasn’t really been my repertoire. I do my job and I come here, and I honestly sometimes don’t know who’s playing and who’s not.

 

You know, the tournament for me is when I come here and I have an opponent that I have to face and I get ready for and I play that match. I mean, once this press conference is over and I’ll eat something, I’ll be back in my hotel and not knowing what’s going on later today. You know, I’ll probably maybe see the result of who my next opponent is.

 

But as far as focusing what’s going on around and who’s talking with who, I don’t know, it’s just none of my business.

 

Q. Just like this one, you had three very easy wins to push you into Round 4 of this year’s tournament. What’s the key to your well-rounded performance?

 

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Very good English. I think that’s the best English spoken by a Chinese on my trip here.

 

Yeah, you can say it’s been two sets and it’s been easy, but in any particular situation and any match you go into — you know, look at the match today. I was up a set and I was up a break and played a couple loose points, and then all of a sudden your opponent, you know, starts feeling better, gets a little bit of confidence and makes the match difficult.

 

So there’s no such thing as a really easy match. You know, there can be so many swings from the hour, three hours that you can be on the court, so it’s really about maintaining that focus and concentration from the start to the end.

 

Even if you have a few moments where you feel like you have a little bit of a letdown, I try to recover from it as fast as I can.

 

Q. In the past few days you have answered a few questions about Sugarpova. My question is: Among all the business opportunities you had, why you choose candy to start your own business?

 

MARIA SHARAPOVA: Because I eat way too much of it, and, well, I love food and I love candy. And the reason it was gummies is because when I came from Russia to the United States and I first tried a Gummy Bear worm, nobody has ever seen that in Russia. It really fascinated me and I loved it.

 

I mean, when the name came out, I thought it was just so fun and young. Then I put two together. Then I did a lot of research on brancs that make this type of candy.

 

When I would ask my friends, like, what’s their favorite gummy, they would tell me a particular shape that they liked. They would never tell me a brand.

 

Then it just clicked in my head that that is something I want to change, you know, that in the future when people ask what their favorite gummies are, they say Sugarpova. They don’t say it’s worms or something like that.

 

That kind of clicked. It’s kind of where it all started.

 

ANGELIQUE KERBER

 

Q: In the first set it’s very much easy to win, but in the second set you lose it. Did you even try to think what had happened? The next question is: What’s your preparation and expectation for the next match against Sharapova?

 

ANGELIQUE KERBER: Okay, first, the first set was very good. I played very well. I feel very good from the first point.

 

In the second set I think she played better and make not so many mistakes. So, yeah, she deserved to win the second.

 

In the third I just tried to focus on me, to focus on my game plan and try to be aggressive, move good. Yeah, I’m very happy that I won the very tough match against Caroline.

 

My next opponent is Maria, so I think I have nothing to lose yet. I will go out there tomorrow and enjoy the match and of course give my best. We will see what’s happen then.

 

Q: I think you have risen from 32nd place in the rankings in the end of last year to I think 6 at the moment. What are the reasons for that? Why this year you have made a breakthrough?

 

ANGELIQUE KERBER: That’s a good question, and I hear it a lot. I actually don’t know. I mean, last year when I reached the semis at the US Open I, yeah, I thought that I can beat also the top players and not playing just good matches.

 

I had also a great prepare season before this year, and I think also mentally I’m a little bit stronger than last year. I have a great team right now around me that’s supporting me, so I think that’s everything together makes the change.

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Djokovic Wins a Third Rogers Cup

By Brodie McPhee

TORONTO – After a difficult rain soaked week, it was a perfect night for Novak Djokovic as he rolled to his third Rogers Cup title and his first in Toronto. He defeated Richard Gasquet, 6-3, 6-2, being nearly perfect on serve and dominating the pattern of play.

Gasquet had an early opportunity in the very first game of the match, where three sloppy errors from Djokovic gifted him three points. It would be the only opening he would have all night, as Djokovic would only drop one point on serve for the rest of the set, and a mere four points on serve in the second set, needing to save only one more break point to cruise to victory. “It was a tough match,” said Gasquet. “It’s a long time I didn’t play a final of this kind of tournament. It’s a big tournament. I felt a little bit more pressure. It’s tough when you have Djokovic in front of you and you are not playing your best tennis. He played much better than me for sure.”

Backhand exchanges were key, and Djokovic often punished the shorter, looping Gasquet backhands. After a couple of excellent backhand down the line winners, the Frenchman struggled to find the shot and was unable to take advantage of the space he created for himself.

When asked on television when Djokovic knew he was playing well, he said it all “starts and ends with the legs.” Indeed, even though playing deep into last week forced withdrawals from top players such as Federer and Ferrer, and early round losses from players such as Tsonga and del Potro, Djokovic’s movement, strength and patterns of play stood the test of a depleted field as he was only broken once en route to the final.

For Djokovic, it is a massive confidence boost after a difficult Wimbledon, and returning to the same venue to lose twice in a row at the London Olympics. “The losses on Olympic Games were more difficult for me emotionally than Wimbledon, but I still played some great matches, played really good tournaments both on grass courts. The two losses that I had in three days in Olympics Games gave me even more desire to come here and perform my best and try to win a title.”

However, Djokovic would not deny that defending his points from his Rogers Cup title in Montreal last year was in his mind. “There is always pressure of defending your points if you win a tournament. That’s something that’s part of our points and ranking system, the way it works in our sport.”

“To be quite frank with you, I hope that we can make certain changes regarding that, because there is lots of pressure on the players, especially top players, of defending their points all the time and coming back over and over again. So hopefully we can a rule change in the future that will release us from that expectation.”

Djokovic has mentioned several times over the week that hard courts are his favorite surface, and he now has a tidy winning streak on the surface, having won the last major hard court tournament in Miami. “This is actually a huge confidence boost for me. I haven’t won a title since Miami and played lots of finals. This is a great hard court season start.”

Djokovic will now go to Cincinnati and then the US Open, where he will attempt to defend his title as well as win his fourth straight hard court grand slam tournament.

Brodie McPhee is the writer of mindtheracket.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at @MindTheRacket. He covered the Rogers Cup in Toronto for Tennis Panorama News.

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Gasquet Tops Isner to gain Toronto Final

By Brodie McPhee

TORONTO – For the third straight day, the Toronto Rogers Cup was effected by rain. Luckily, the first semifinal of the day was able to get under way only 20 minutes later than scheduled, around 3:20 local time.

The conditions were cold and grey, and at times windy as rain threatened but never came. Conditions were slower, a big boost to Richard Gasquet, and John Isner played into his hand. “It was weird” said the 6’9″ American. “Get here and it’s pouring down rain when I arrived to the courts, and next thing you know it stops raining and you get 100 people out there and the courts are ready to go. Didn’t get to warmup for the match. “The first set saw 12 straight holds to force a tiebreak. In reality, the momentum of play had already been set. Gasquet was incredibly effective on serve, getting in 88% of his first serves and only dropping 4 points on serve all set. Isner was forced to play 43 points on serve and save two break points to force a tiebreaker.

Momentum in hand, Gasquet rose to the occasion, taking advantage of longer points and dictating with the backhand. “It’s world class,” Isner said of the Gasquet backhand. “It’s just a gift of his, really. It’s tough for me because I like to take the majority of my shots if I’m playing a righty to his backhand, and he was able to handle that pretty well.”

While Gasquet’s first serve percentage dropped in the second set, he continued to dominate. With the pressure still squarely on Isner, Gasquet finally broke and would cruise to victory, taking the second set and the match 7-6(3), 6-3, without facing a single break point all match. “The key of the match was to return well, and I did it. I tried to return all the time to make him play,” said the Frenchman.

“Then I like to defend. But of course I had to do a big tiebreak, and I did it. I played incredible in the tiebreak and then I felt [good].”

As for the final, Gasquet is not too worried about who his potential opponent will be. “That’s not a big problem for me to play against Novak or Janko. They are very , very good players both. Both are playing very, very [well].”

Brodie McPhee is the writer of mindtheracket.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at @MindTheRacket. He is covering the Rogers Cup in Toronto for Tennis Panorama News, follow @TennisNewsTPN for updates.

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Djokovic, Isner, Gasquet, Tipsarevic move into Toronto Semifinals

TORONTO – After a rain filled day that failed to see a single minute of tennis played, Friday was bound to be an eventful day at the Toronto Rogers Cup. After several matches were delayed, another considerable rain delay pushed play back and created an eventful evening for Canadian fans.

All of the day’s winners were required to play twice, including Richard Gasquet. The Frenchman defeated Tomas Berdych on the stadium court before the rain struck, along with his opponent Mardy Fish who defeated Monaco earlier in the day. It made for a long day that included a difficult night match on the main stadium. “For sure, it’s tough, but I think he (Fish) played one more hour than me in morning with Monaco so it made a little bit difference, I think.” “I’m in semifinal. I’m feeling confident, so I’m sure I can win.”

Likewise, Janko Tipsarevic defeated Marin Cilic in convincing fashion, 6-2, 6-4, and was called upon to defeat Spaniard Marcel Granollers to start the night session at the grandstand, 6-4, 6-4. Despite the long day, Tipsarevic was incredibly efficient only having to spend two hours and 51 minutes of time on court between two matches. The Serbian has made the Rogers Cup semifinals for the second year in a row, falling to Mardy Fish in the semifinals of last year’s Montreal edition.

Perhaps the most difficult task of the day belonged to Novak Djokovic. Due to the quick match on centre court, he was able to get to 6-4, 3-2 30-30 before play was called. Play once again resumed after the rain delay and he was able to defeat Querrey 6-4, 6-4. His day was not done there as he needed to defeat Tommy Haas on the second match on the Grandstand starting at 9pm local time; a total of three different starts after long breaks. He followed through and will play compatriot Tipsarevic.

Lastly, hometown favorite Milos Raonic was upset by John Isner, who like all other semifinalists, needed to win two matches in the day to advance. His day started with a two hour defeat of Philipp Kohlschreiber, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4. “I felt all right out there, and I thought I would feel fine. The way I looked at it is I was at a bit of an advantage, in my opinion, because he hadn’t played in a few days.”

The second set saw Raonic go up a break, but immediately gift it back to Isner, and the set went to a tiebreak. Despite the crowds best efforts to cheer on the hometown favorite, Isner took the set and was the better player in the second set. “Fortunately for me, he sort of let me back in that first set. The tiebreak was a coin flip and I won it really, so lady luck was on my side.”

For Raonic, it was a difficult loss in front of the home crowd, but not a devastating one. “It’s disappointing in a lot of ways. But I don’t think it’s disappointing that I lost at home. It’s more so disappointing for me that I lost in general and playing the way I lost.”

Raonic noted his struggles serving were largely his undoing. “Everything was floating long. I wasn’t snapping hard enough… when he was able to get his racquet on it, he was able to put it in comfortably and also maybe create a little bit more.”

Saturday’s action will feature Richard Gasquet versus John Isner during the day and Novak Djokovic versus Tommy Haas at night.

 

Brodie McPhee is the writer of mindtheracket.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at @MindTheRacket. He is covering the Rogers Cup in Toronto for Tennis Panorama News, follow @TennisNewsTPN for updates.

TORONTO RESULTS, FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2012

Main Draw Singles – Third Round
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) d S Querrey (USA) 64 64
[14] R Gasquet (FRA) d [4] T Berdych (CZE) 64 62
[5] J Tipsarevic (SRB) d [10] M Cilic (CRO) 62 64
[11] M Fish (USA) d [7] J Monaco (ARG) 26 61 64
[8] J Isner (USA) d [12] P Kohlschreiber (GER) 67(3) 64 64
T Haas (GER) d R Stepanek (CZE) 26 64 61
M Granollers (ESP) d J Chardy (FRA) 61 64

Main Draw Singles – Quarterfinals
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) d T Haas (GER) 63 36 63
[5] J Tipsarevic (SRB) d M Granollers (ESP) 64 64
[8] J Isner (USA) d [16] M Raonic (CAN) 76(9) 64
[14] R Gasquet (FRA) d [11] M Fish (USA) 57 61 62

Main Draw Doubles – Second Round
[2] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) d I Dodig (CRO) / M Melo (BRA) 75 62
P Hanley (AUS) / N Zimonjic (SRB) d [6] M Bhupathi (IND) / R Bopanna (IND) 64 76(6)

Main Draw Doubles – Quarterfinals
[2] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) d P Hanley (AUS) / N Zimonjic (SRB) 75 61
[5] J Melzer (AUT) / L Paes (IND) d [3] M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL) 76(5) 46 10-6
[4] R Lindstedt (SWE) / H Tecau (ROU) d [7] A Qureshi (PAK) / J Rojer (NED) 64 36 10-7

TORONTO ORDER OF PLAY – SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012
STADIUM start 12:00 noon
[1] M Mirnyi (BLR) / D Nestor (CAN) vs [8] M Granollers (ESP) / M Lopez (ESP)

Not Before 3:00 PM
[14] R Gasquet (FRA) vs [8] J Isner (USA)

Not Before 6:30 PM
[1] N Djokovic (SRB) vs [5] J Tipsarevic (SRB)
[5] J Melzer (AUT) / L Paes (IND) vs [2] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA)

GRANDSTAND start
Not Before 4:00 PM
[1] M Mirnyi (BLR) / D Nestor (CAN) or [8] M Granollers (ESP) / M Lopez (ESP) vs [4] R Lindstedt (SWE) / H Tecau (ROU)

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Notes and Quotes from Day 9 of the 2012 French Open

MARIA SHARAPOVA

 

On the controversial umpire calls:

The first one was the most questionable one, I guess, because she couldn’t find the mark.  I mean, I don’t know how to  like, she said that to me.  What do you say to that?  You can’t find the mark?  I mean, it was like, Well, isn’t that your job, is to find the mark?  I mean, we’re on clay courts.  Usually when there is no mark, it means it’s on the line.  Obviously that wasn’t her theory.

And then she said  I asked her to  I asked the line judge where the mark was.  She said, Well, I walked around that area; I might have stepped on the mark.

So I don’t know what to say to that, either.  She had an answer for everything out there.

Yeah, and then the second one, that was I don’t know.  I’d have to see the replay.  I don’t remember if I made a gesture that it was out or not.  Maybe that was the right call.  But in the moment it seemed like I was correct in both situations.

 

Glamour and diva.  Hmmm.  Yeah, that’s me.  (Smiling.)

I think a lot of it is perception, and the visual that people have of  it’s understandable, because what the outside world sees is you playing and doing press conferences.  And being on the red carpet and everything is just so glam and beautiful.

But at the end of the day, it’s all big one illusion, and then reality sets in.  And, you know, I don’t go to sleep with my makeup on or don’t wear makeup on the court.

I’m sure divas do that, right?  (Smiling).

 

What she did with car she won in Stuttgart: 

What do I do with it?  I pick a car.  Well, yeah, I guess I ship it to wherever they can ship it to.  Hopefully they can ship it to the States.  No, they said they would.

It might take a little bit longer, but, yeah, I’m excited about it.  Excited for a change.  I like my car, but maybe I’ll be driving another one, even though my dad sounds like he might steal it.

 

Asked about her “game plan” and who is in control of it: 

I’m useless with game plans.  That’s probably the one thing he just gets so frustrated with me about.  I don’t know.  I go out there and I do my own thing, and then he’s like, after the match, like, Really?  What’s the point?  I mean, what’s the point of having me?

But I apologized when I hired him in advance, so he’s okay.

 

YAROSLAVA SHVEDOVA

 

Yeah, after I did the quarters here in 2010, I had not success year of the singles.  But then I was focusing a lot on doubles, because then we qualified with Vania for Championships.

In the beginning of 2011 and after my first match, I had injury and I had surgery right after Australia.  After surgery I was recovering very long and I come back and my knee was bothering me for half year.

And then my coach left, and I had some tough periods mentally, as well, and I was very down and lonely.  Playing again doubles and couldn’t  like lost all my singles points.

Since like September I got a new coach, and he helped me out a lot.  For this year we set a goal to get my ranking back, and I was working hard.  I had a great team around me and working with psychologist and everything, fitness coaches, and I am very thankful to my team.  It’s not only my work, it’s teamwork.

 

 

No, I had the same plan.  It’s just it didn’t work in the first set.  She was playing very good.  I was very nervous and like making mistakes and, yeah, it’s like played a bit wrong.

But then I figure out it and change my game, and she like start to attack more.

And I knew also before the match she’s defending champion, and she have a pressure to hold.  I was relaxed.  I was from the equally and it was my seventh match singles.  So it was just come to enjoy and try my best.

Yeah, it’s the  for now the most incredible win, I think, for me.  I always have nice matches against top players, because it’s easier, as I said, because I have no pressure, and I always come to beat them.  I don’t need to defend something like if I play with lower‑ranked players.

 

Yeah, I felt she (Li Na)was nervous a little bit.  She didn’t play maybe like she was playing last year.  She was doing some mistakes.  But I don’t know.  Maybe she was thinking a lot or maybe she’s not in the best shape.  Like I cannot tell for her.  Like you have to ask her.

LI NA

 

Nothing wrong the second set.  I mean, this is tennis.

I mean, I really want to say I was a professional tennis player.  This, I mean, only I can answer.

The weather for me is nothing special.  The weather couldn’t killing me.

I will find the why.  I will find out.  But not ..not in today.  Otherwise for sure I can win the match.

On the court, I can’t find why.  I couldn’t put the ball back on the court.

I mean, just like normal.  Tennis, only two player on the court.  Only win or is lose.  For me is nothing special.  If today I lose the match, lose.  If I win, just win.  If I lose the match, I have to find the reason why I lose the match.  I have to try working hard next day and even come working hard next week.

I mean, you say I win last year.  I mean, is already last year.  So one year already.

Is one year already.  How can against for today, I mean, I don’t know why.  I just lose one match.  So don’t try to push me down.

 

I mean, of course I have to take off.  Right now I feeling  especially after losing match, I mean, I can’t pick up the racquet next day to training harder as I can.

So of course I will take some days off to totally forget tennis.  Then try to come back in next week.

The next tournament for me is Wimbledon.

 

Hopes for Wimbledon:

Wish better than last year.  I mean, this is only I can think right now, because of course I was sad when I lose the match.  I mean, of course after losing match, I couldn’t think about what I should do in the next day.

For me, right now, I want totally relax, and the mind and body, as well, because I think I didn’t play bad in the clay court season.

I need some time to recover.  I’m not machine.  So, yeah.

RAFAEL NADAL

 

Yeah, I feel good, no?  After the beginning I started, when I had the first break, I started to play very well.

Before I didn’t play fantastic, but it’s true that he started the match playing aggressive, having good shots.

In my opinion, he was unlucky, unlucky in the first set.  That’s my feeling, no?  6‑2 was too much.

Later, sure, very happy the way I played.  I feel very, very sorry for him.  I think he’s playing probably the best tennis of his career, but probably not today after, especially the last set, no, when he start to miss, you know.  I saw him a little bit, you know, suffering a little bit on court at the end.

He’s one of my best friends on tour.  I feel very sorry for him.  But same time, you know, he’s playing great.  He’s having fantastic results.  He’s No. 14 or 15 in the world today.

I wish him all the best for the rest.  If he continues like this, he will have good chances to keep going.

 

Well, I think that now he’s in the locker rooms.  I’m very sorry for him.  What can I say?  Well, I would tell him, Don’t you worry.  It’s going to be better afterwards.  You’ll feel better afterwards.

For me, a seventh Roland Garros win is not more important than No. 2, No. 3, or No. 4.  What really is important is what it brings me personally.  If I win this one, and it’s the seventh one, is it more important than 2006 or 2005?  I don’t know.

It’s a personal feeling, a personal sensation, and, you know, records are all very important.  But that’s when you’ve finished playing tennis.  When you finished that, you’ll think about this.

But, otherwise, when you’re playing, you think about what you have to do daily.

RICHARD GASQUET

 

 

I start better than the finish, for sure, the finish.  6-2, not incredible, but, yeah, I start well.  I played well.  It was tense.  Yeah, I start well, I start well.

But after I think the key was the second set.  Playing good.  I was feeling confident.  No, he’s a big player.  Some points he can turn the match, because he’s doing everything good.  You have to work on every point.

He’s serving well, returning well, he’s clear in the court.  That’s the problem.

If I’m not lucky in the second set, I have two break points, he’s playing well, and I’m not lucky with this game, even the same at 5-4.  But I think I can play better in the start of the third.

But after I start when he’s feeling confident, he has a lot of experience, and so after he play very well.

Well, I wanted to do more, so I’m disappointed to stop now, round of 16.  Last year it was closer than with Djokovic last year, so, okay, disappointed, I usually stop there, the round of 16, when it’s a Grand Slam.  It’s been many, many times, but each time I play against very tough players, and they last long, they have long rallies, they don’t make many mistakes, they have a lot of experience.  It’s difficult.  It’s up to me to continue.

You know, I played several good matches here.  It was not easy to reach the round of 16, so I’m happy; yet disappointed, disappointed because I have to stop now.

I started well.  I thought I could do better than this.

 

KAIA KANEPI

 

 

Asked if she can beat Maria Sharapova in her next match:

If I play well, of course.  Why not?  But I have to play really well.

 

I think she is a very good player of course and a great fighter and she hits really hard.

I just have to be ready.

 

I don’t know her as a person.

ANDY MURRAY

 

Yeah, I think that was always going to be important today.  He obviously started the match well, but, yeah, I started to use the energy from the crowd in a positive way and obviously turned it around and played very well the last few sets.

I wouldn’t say it got too much.  I mean, yeah, it’s almost like playing a sort of a football match.  And I like football.  I enjoyed  I mean, I enjoyed myself on the court today.

It’s the most fun I’ve had on the court in a while, so I wasn’t so sort of shying away from the fact that the crowd wanted me to lose.

Everything.  It wasn’t I mean, I think some of the shots at the end, there was a lot of really good rallies.  I played some really nice tennis the last few sets.  And then, yeah, I mean, I haven’t really played in an atmosphere like that before in terms of I played Davis Cup a few times away from home, but that was probably one of the most hostile that I’ve played in.

 

 

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JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO

 

 

No, but I’m really glad to go through, to play quarters again.  I’m not thinking about my knee, as I want to play the best I can.  I’m looking forward for the next match.

Well, when I came to this tournament, the only thing that mattered was to play  well, forget about my knee.  And in the first round, I had to give it all.

Obviously I wanted to refrain from thinking about my injury or anything that had to do with my knee.

Now, this is the second week.  We have only eight players left.  Very good players.  All of them.

Obviously the level is very high.  But in spite of everything, maybe I will get a chance to play a beautiful match with Federer.  I’m going to prepare the best I can and seize every single opportunity.

 

 

Thoughts on playing Federer:

We play fantastic match three years ago.  It was close to him, but tomorrow is gonna be a different match.  He’s playing really well, and he’s looking to win again here.  So the match is gonna be really difficult for me.

But I will try to play aggressive, like every match, and trying to  if I have a little chance to win, trying to be ready for taking.

 

I play an unbelievable match, try to take my opportunities, serve 100%, trying to play winners with my forehand, with my backhand, and put him to raise his game.  I don’t like to run too much, so I will try to be more aggressive than his game and looking at unbelievable shots.

Well, when I came to this tournament, the only thing that mattered was to play  well, forget about my knee.  And in the first round, I had to give it all.

Obviously I wanted to refrain from thinking about my injury or anything that had to do with my knee.

Now, this is the second week.  We have only eight players left.  Very good players.  All of them.

Obviously the level is very high.  But in spite of everything, maybe I will get a chance to play a beautiful match with Federer.  I’m going to prepare the best I can and seize every single opportunity.

 

No, every match is a new match, and whether I win or lose for matters regarding tennis, that’s fine.  But I don’t want my knee to be a hindrance.  And it is not a hindrance.  It doesn’t bother me.  I cannot say I lost this match because of my knee.  Not at all.

I’m going to walk onto the court tomorrow prepared to play my best tennis.  And if everything goes well, all the better.  If it doesn’t, well, it means my opponent played better than I did.

 

Jo-Wilfred Tsonga at 2011 Sony Ericsson Open Players Party

JO-WILFRED TSONGA

Yeah, yesterday was tough.  It was dark at the end and tough to continue, so the umpire decide to play today.  I don’t know if it was great for me or not, but anyway, it was like that.

Today I came on the court with the good spirit.  You know, I had a good night.  I slept well.

This morning, you know, I was ready to play again.

Q.  I read just before the tournament that you said there’s no chance that a Frenchman could win the French Open this year.  What do you think now?

I mean, it’s still the same.  I mean, I just did maybe 30% of the way.  You know, the most difficult is coming.

Before the tournament, you know, I said, For the moment, nobody’s able to win this one for the moment because we never win a Tournament 1000 on clay.  That’s why I say that.

For the moment we’re not able to do that, but maybe one day it will happen, for sure.  (Smiling.)

 

On playing Novak Djokovic in next round:

You know, what is good in tennis, it’s always different.  You know, every match is different.  You never know how your opponent will feel.  You never know how you will feel.

I think, you know, it’s gonna be different because I will be in front of my crowd.  It’s three sets to win.  That’s it.

I think for him it’s tougher.  Yeah, for him it’s tougher, because he need to win.  Me, for the moment, you know, I did my best results for the moment, so for me, it’s everything’s gonna be positive now.

Of course, I will be free on the court because I have nothing to lose against this player who is No. 1 in the world.  And anyway, the pressure will be on him.

 

 

TOMAS BERDYCH

Even here you can play quite late.  We were finishing 9:30, and this is not usual that you can play that late.

Actually it’s definitely not about the scheduling, but it’s definitely about to do something with this place.  You know, as you see everyplace you have at least lights.

Okay, we don’t to have play like a night session, but at least to have decent lights that you can finish the match.  That would be all right.

JANKO TIPSAREVIC

I think the only change which I possibly see on this event is having lights on showcourt.  But I think 11:00 is also pretty early.  I had to wake up today at 7:00 a.m. in order to have breakfast and everything and get ready for the match.  So definitely not earlier.

I don’t think they should shorten referees are trying to be strict, but I mean, it’s long rallies.  It’s clay court.  The ball is not going anywhere.  It’s best‑of‑five, so it’s not really fair that the referees are speeding up the game too much.

If there is a possible change, maybe putting lights on showcourt.

 

NICOLAS ALMAGRO

 

Yes, of course I’m very happy.  I think I played great tennis today.  The day was a little bit cloudy, but now it’s really sunny for me.  (Smiling.)

Now that win is one of the best moments of my career, and I want to enjoy and I’m very happy with my tennis.

Do you think Nadal is even stronger and more impressive than four years ago, even two years ago?

I am stronger, too, than four years ago.  Is different.  It’s another match, and I’m ready to fight.

On falling into the flowers during the match:

Well, yes, I fell almost into the flowers.  I fell on my bottom, but I’ve got a big bottom so nothing happened.  (Laughter.)

It’s a slight thing.  You know, I’m sitting now, so no problem, no concern whatsoever.  It didn’t really hurt me.

Well, I wouldn’t say that I enjoyed this moment when I landed in the flowers, but nothing serious.

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Nadal Crushes Monaco, Murray Slides Past Gasquet at Roland Garros

Juan Monaco

World No. 2 Rafael Nadal crushed Juan Monaco 6-2, 6-0, 6-0  while Andy Murray recovered from a slow start to take out Richard Gasquet 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 on Monday to gain the quarterfinals of the French Open.

Nadal on track to win his seventh Roland Garros was given little resistance by Monaco, facing only two break points in the one hour and 46-minute match.

Nadal spoke about the match: “Well, the first break really helped me considerably.  And, also, I think that today is the day when I served really my best serves.  My percentage was a bit better than any of my previous percentages.  I served faster, as well, which is also something very important.  What else could I add?

“The next thing that’s important is that I didn’t make any mistakes.  I missed not many points.  Pico was starting really hard.  I had to move around quite a lot.

“Then I started attacking more, and I realized that he’s not hurting me any longer.

“At the beginning it was good for him, but in reality it was not really the case, you see.

“One could have the impression that he was an attacker, but I was feeling comfortable.  I was waiting for “the” moment when I knew I could attack him.  You know, when you attack someone and then you counterattack, it’s very difficult.

“I felt, as I said, quite at ease on the court today.  Maybe because it was quite heavy out there.  I mean, the weather was.

“He was attacking, but he couldn’t take control.  He didn’t have the upper hand.  You know, when this happens once, twice, or thrice, I can say, you know, I was a bit lucky.  I was a bit lucky because I could return all of his points.

 

Nadal has lost only 19 games on his way to the quarterfinals. Nadal takes on fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro next.

World No. 4 Andy Murray had to take on Richard Gasquet and a hostile French crowd in his four set win on Chatrier court.

“I wouldn’t say it got too much,” Murray said. “ I mean, yeah, it’s almost like playing a sort of a football match.  And I like football.  I enjoyed  I mean, I enjoyed myself on the court today.

“It’s the most fun I’ve had on the court in a while, so I wasn’t so sort of shying away from the fact that the crowd wanted me to lose.”

In the first set Murray, who has been nursing a back injury the past few weeks, was grabbing his back in the first set and lost it 6-4. As the match progressed Murray gained form and momentum playing without signs of back trouble.

“He obviously started the match well, but, yeah, I started to use the energy from the crowd in a positive way and obviously turned it around and played very well the last few sets,” added Murray.

“He was so lucky during the second set, so many shots, you know, not far away, said Gasquet. “He was so lucky.  But then during the beginning of the third set I made a few mistakes.

“But then when he gains confidence, it’s really difficult, because he’s a fighter, and he’s always present.  He always hits one time more than you, so he’s really into the match, and then he plays well.  He played well during the third and fourth set.  It was difficult for me to have the upper hand.  He was a difficult player to play against.”

 

“For me, a seventh Roland Garros win is not more important than No. 2, No. 3, or No. 4,” Nadal said.  What really is important is what it brings me personally.  If I win this one, and it’s the seventh one, is it more important than 2006 or 2005?  I don’t know.

“It’s a personal feeling, a personal sensation, and, you know, records are all very important.  But that’s when you’ve finished playing tennis.  When you finished that, you’ll think about this.

“But, otherwise, when you’re playing, you think about what you have to do daily.”

 

The fourth seed Murray moves on to the quarterfinals where he’ll play David Ferrer who straight-setted Janko Tipsarevic.

 

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Despite Loss to Ferrer, Coach Piatti Helping to Bring Gasquet Back

 

By Enrico Maria Riva

ROME - Richard Gasquet had just lost his quarterfinal match to David Ferrer at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, and Riccardo Piatti, the veteran Italian coach who is working with Gasquet (together with Sébastien Grosjean) is resting in the players lounge. Piatti always follows Gasquet matches from the players box as he used to do with Ivan Ljubicic, Novak Djokovic, Simone Bolelli and the many other players he worked with during the years. Piatti is relaxed, he knows that Gasquet did his best against Ferrer but the Spaniard today was better; when Ferrer passes by to reach the news conference Piatti doesn’t hesitate for a second to call for his attention and congratulate him.

 

Riccardo Piatti has been a tennis coach for nearly 30 years now and his wide experience and great achievements are well regarded on the ATP Tour. Very few things remain unknown about his tennis theories but what about his approach to coaching a player? Piatti’s idea is that unless you get to know a player in depth you will not be able to understand how to organize the daily routine with him. The first step for the Monte Carlo based coach is to meet the parents. That gives him a precious insight of the environment where the kid was raised and helps him to better understand the dynamics that can lead to positive results.

 

Piatti looks at you with his fascinating pale blue eyes, that can show patience and calm but that you can easily imagine it turning quickly into a glacial stare. His idea of relationship is based on the truth. He says he never lies to a player to protect his feelings or to hide an inconvenient truth. He doesn’t try to assume the role of a “father” but he keeps his eyes open to check for any sign of discomfort or pain that a player can have from his extra tennis life. He doesn’t control them tightly. He doesn’t prevent them from going out at night or coming back late. They are free to organize their life as they please but they have to put their tennis career at the top of their priorities. That is the first and only rule and must not be broken. Every aspect of the daily routine must revolve around tennis: schedule, timetables, plans must be made thinking that the match and the practicing time are the priority.

 

His approach to his pupils is different with each one of them. Ljubicic was very self demanding and needed to be strongly confronted and guided where there were differences of opinion. Gasquet is the opposite is a player that needs to be cuddled more than reproached. The boundaries between work and private life must be kept very strict although inevitable, after a long time together, a holiday with the respective families is likely to happen. Piatti’s impact on Gasquet game is admirable. The Frenchman is once again competitive on clay after some difficulties in the past years.

 

On Friday in Rome Novak Djokovic struggled in the first set against Jo-Wilfred Tsonga but made the most of the Frenchman’s double fault that gave him the first set 7-5 and ended with an easy 6-1. He will now face Roger Federer who ended Andreas Seppi‘s dream in less than one hour 6-1, 6-2. Rafael Nadal played probably his best clay court match of the year against a solid Tomas Berdych and managed to close the match in straight sets 6-4, 7-5. He will now play Ferrer to whom he has only lost on clay only once in 2004.

 

On the women’s side Maria Sharapova ended Venus Williams good run with a strong performance but the news about the Russian is that she didn’t spare critics about Victoria Azarenka’s retirement. Flavia Pennetta couldn’t please the Italian crowd as she had to retire down 0-4 against Serena Williams due to the same wrist injury that kept her off the tour for the past few weeks. Finally, Li Na reached the semifinal after a convincing performance against  Dominka Cibulkova that didn’t spoil her extra day of rest.

Enrico Maria Riva is in Rome covering the Internazionali BNL D’Italia for Tennis Panorama News. Follow his twitter updates on @TennisNewsTPN and his personal twitter @EnricoMariaRiva.

Enrico Maria Riva is the tennis columnist for the Italian online newspaper Il Post and also writes for the Matchpoint magazine and for the websites Spaziotennis.com and Thetennisspace.com.

Photo Credit: TennisWorldItalia.com

 

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