US Open 2012 Final Review: Andy Murray, The Grand Slam Champion

Just yesterday, Andy Murray became the first British winner of a Grand Slam in the open era; a very fine achievement in itself. But not only that, he did it in an epic five-setter against Novak Djokovic who has reached the finals in New York four times.

The matched lasted a massive four hours and fifty-four minutes and it had an incredible amount of ups and downs. Although the match has been hailed as one of the greatest Slam finals of all time, the quality of the tennis was not very high for the first four sets at all - the fifth was probably the set of highest standard. Some of this can be put down to the very tricky conditions throughout the whole match; the wind was treacherous. This led to a lot of errors from both men.

Having said this, the first set tiebreak was very entertaining. They both played nervously and were not aggressive, this made for a lot of long rallies. But what won Murray that breaker was his guts towards the end of it. Murray took the initiative in the last three or four points and took the attack to Djokovic. It paid off. Murray stormed to a massive 4-0 lead in the second and looked as if he was going to run away with it, playing very good aggressive stuff. But he took his foot off the gas and started to contain. Djokovic on the other hand worked himself into some good form and cut out his errors and went on a very good spell. But it was not to be, Murray gutsily took the set into his own hands and squeezed it 7-5.

Never ever count the Serb out. Now that Murray was very much in the ascendancy, he once again started to contain - the nerves must have been getting to him. You can't afford to do that against Novak. His mental reaction was awesome and he ate Murray up, levelling it up at two sets all. Both players went off for a toilet break.

The fifth set, crunch time. The momentum was fully with Djokovic but Murray broke him in the opening game and eventually went on to win it 6-2, as I'm sure you know. This set they were both aggressive, which made for a nice change.

A Very Impressive Murray

What the most impressive thing about this match was the mental responses of both men; when Djokovic went two sets down, and Murray's response when he squandered a two set lead. He came out playing incredibly courageous stuff in the fifth and served a dream. This is something I'm sure that Lendl has helped him out with. The Murray of last year would not have won that set in those circumstances, but Lendl has given him strength of character. Cometh the hour, cometh the man. And damn, did Murray come. His mental response at the start of the fifth was the KEY to his victory.

A slam for Murray had been a long time coming, but it was always going to come - even if it had not happened this year. Although players like Del Potro and Berdych have all the credentials to win Slams, Murray is on another level - he's a very complete player and way too good to never win a Slam. I'm sure he'll win a few more.

Novak Djokovic Practice Photos at Wimbledon 2012 to enjoy on Middle Sunday

(This is a continuation of my previous blog post found here)

After Gasquet and Seppi (pictures here) out came Novak Djokovic. All the pics can be clicked to be made much larger.

The usual Djoker banter was going on - and my cousin managed to catch and keep a ball that they were hitting with. Not a bad result for this year's visit to Wimbledon.

Videos of this practice session will be uploaded to YouTube and posted on this blog very soon - keep an eye out!

Roland Garros Semifinal: Djokovic vs. Federer Preview + Prediction

This is one of the most difficult matches to call that I've previewed so far. Both men got the semifinals by coming back from the dead in their previous quarterfinal match. Federer got somewhat lucky to recover from two sets down against Del Potro where an injury gave the Argentine trouble after the second set, in a match where Federer struggled to find his rhythm (once again). Djokovic saved four match points in emphatic fashion against home-crowd favourite Tsonga - proving once again that his mental strength is on another level right now. Tsonga was understandably devastated after succumbing in the fifth set where his back was troubling him.

The Serb comes through saving match points against Tsonga.

Both Djokovic and Federer were up and down in their matches and both will have to become more consistent to be sure of reaching the final. Djokovic looked to be in very good shape for the first hour or so of his match and served pretty well throughout the whole match - hitting more aces than Tsonga despite both of them having very similar first serve percentages. Federer on the other hand, could have served a lot better. In the first two sets his percentage was about 50% and they weren't the most threatening of serves. When Federer plays the top guys, serving well is a must as he needs to be on the front foot in the rallies as soon as he possibly can - the longer the rally continues, the less likely he is to win it - and the serve is his best attribute to do this. If Federer doesn't serve at about 60%+ tomorrow, he will certainly have a hard time up against the greatest returner in the game. Neither can Federer afford to have a slow start. So far this tournament Federer has come out of the blocks pretty slowly, giving his opponent a sense of belief that they could do damage. Normally his best set is the first one - I believe that if tennis was a one-set sport, Federer would still be number one - so this is pretty unusual.

Just like I said for Federer, Djokovic can't afford to be up and down in the match because as soon as his level comes down a bit, Federer will be quick to take advantage. This is somewhat what happened in Federer's previous match. But if Djokovic plays at a consistent good level he will be very difficult to beat and will most likely win. He's a fantastic mover on all surfaces and will make Federer play a lot of balls, and I imagine he'll extract the error pretty often. Djokovic is also fantastic at turning defence into attack - and this is why he's had so much success against Nadal lately. This is another thing the Swiss will have to look out for. 

Relief for the Swiss as he succeeds to come back from the dead.

The two players have played each other more than enough times to know what to expect, and they will both know what they need to do to be victorious - but executing the game plan is another matter, especially with the variability of form they have shown so far this tournament - Federer in particular. For this reason I would favour Djokovic on this occasion as he is the more likely man to execute a high level of tennis throughout the match. There is more to ask of Federer to beat Djokovic, than there is for Djokovic to beat Federer. Depth is something Federer will have to improve in this matchup, otherwise he'll find himself on the back foot a lot of the time. He should also try to impose himself when returning Djokovic's second serve (something he did well against Del Potro in fairness). Having said this, Federer is more than capable of doing this and so I can see either man winning this match, but if I was a betting man - which I am - I would bet on Djokovic.

Join me on twitter for my thoughts throughout the match. 

Roland Garros Day 6: Order of Play + Preview + Predictions

After a pretty standard day in Paris - except for the marathon match between Mathieu and Isner - there are a good number of popcorn matches for us to look forward to tomorrow.

The order of play for Day 6 can be found here.

First of all lets cover the big names.

Federer vs. Mahut
The world number three comes up against Wimbledon marathon man; Nicolas Mahut. A man with a big serve who likes to rush to the net and keep the rallies short. I don't see this being effective against Federer - and especially not on a clay court. Federer has a very accurate passing shot and will have even more time on a clay court. Mahut won't have much look in on Federer's service games as it will be difficult for him to get to the net where he likes to win his points. He does have a handy serve though so maybe a couple of sets could be reasonably tight. I'd predict a fairly straight forward three-set win for the Swiss.

Djokovic vs. Devilder
Djokovic comes up against Frenchman Nicolas Devilder. He's a lefty but he's rather short so the lefty serve won't do much harm to a top returner like Novak. Devilder is a clay court specialist - in the sense that all his tournament victories on the Challenger court were on clay - but I doubt he's enough of a specialist to do the Serb any harm. Three simple sets for Djokovic.

Simon vs. Wawrinka

A battle between a defensive and an offensive player - these types of matches are always good. Wawrinka will always look to take the upper hand in a rally while Simon will be happy to sit back and keep the rally going, extracting the error. Both men have played five set matches in their Roland Garros campaign thus far, but Simon's one was more recent against the resurgent Brian Baker who made the Frenchman seem pretty ordinary for two sets. Wawrinka looked very convincing in the last two sets of his match against Andujar and I think he'll continue his good form in this match. I think this one could be very close indeed, but I think Wawrinka will manage it in four sets.

Del Potro vs. Cilic

This is the match of the day. Cilic seems to have worked himself back into some type of form - I thought he'd have cracked the top ten by now, two years ago. Both players have dangerous serves and love to attack with their follow up. Del Potro has been very pumped in his last couple of matches but has had some difficulty sustaining a good level of tennis in his matches. Cilic on the other hand breezed past former champion, Juan Carlos Ferrero but his forehand still has a tendency to disappear unexpectedly in a match. This is going to be a close one and I can see it going either way but I'm going to go for Del Potro in four - if it were to go to a fifth though, I think Cilic will steal it.

Enjoy!

Rome Masters Semifinal: Federer vs. Djokovic Preview and Prediction

The pick of the semifinals tomorrow is the meeting between the world's two top ranked players; Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. Both players come into this match having made meaningful statements in their previous matches. Federer beat Seppi in under an hour and Djokovic rallied past Tsonga in a convincing two set victory. Federer especially seems to have come into the best form he's been in in the last four years. The shotmaking in his match against Ferrero was at times unbelievable. He's serving fantastically well too - it is his serve that I give most credit to for his increased form. When Federer serves well everything else falls into place.

I haven't watched enough of Djokovic this week to make a fair judgement of how he's playing - I've only seen the Djokovic-Monaco match and he was playing very well after a fantastic first set and a half performance from Monaco. I heard today's performance against Tsonga was very good, and the rest of his results have been fairly convincing so it can be assumed he's playing at a good level this week.

Roger and Novak have only met four times on a clay court; Federer winning three of those meetings. We all remember the most recent one at Roland Garros last year where Federer ended the Serb's fantastic run. Federer is playing even better now compared to how he was then, and so he will fancy his chances given his form. As always Federer's serve will be important, but it will be especially important in this match because of the quality of Djokovic's returning ability. Federer will aim to get about 65%+ 1st serves in and I do expect him to serve like that in tomorrow's match as his serve has been on song in the last few tournaments. His serve will give him the upper hand in the rally straight away in most of the points on his serve, and thus he will be very difficult to break. The unique thing about Federer is that when he plays well, the opponent has no say in the match - this is what he will hope to do to Novak; give him no say in the match by getting on top of the rallies very quickly.

Djokovic's movement and athleticism is of course exceptional and so he will be able to counter Federer's aggression every now and then. He will also try to take the upper hand in rallies if opportunity presents itself, and will probably go on to win those rallies. But Federer will aim to not give Djokovic these opportunities.

I think Federer will be the first aggressor in most of the rallies and will not offer too many of those opportunities for Djokovic to take charge in the rally. Given the form of both men, if Federer serves like he has been in this tournament so far, I expect him to win this match in straight sets.

Monte Carlo Final: Djokovic vs. Nadal Preview and Prediction

It's the final we've been anticipating all week; Djokovic vs. Nadal. This is the one clay court Master's tournament that they did not face-off against each other last year. Djokovic defeated Nadal quite comfortably at Madrid and Rome last year - he beat him at his own game and played at an extremely high level. Can he repeat that level of tennis this year?

If he is to do that he will certainly have to raise game. He came through his semifinal today against Berdych in a third set and was up and down throughout the match; squandering a 4-2 lead in the first set and losing it 6-4. He looked agitated but managed to get through the match 4-6 6-3 6-2.

Nadal on the other hand has had an excellent tournament, as you'd expect. Any speculation of his withdrawal from the Miami semifinal a few weeks ago has been silenced. In particular he came through against an in-form Wawrinka who demolished Almagro earlier in fantastic fashion. Nadal came through against a stubborn Gilles Simon today, winning 6-3 6-4 and is certainly the favourite for tomorrow's final in my eyes.

I did however, say that last year in Rome where Djokovic ultimately swept the floor with Nadal. The question mark about this match is how Djokovic will play - we all know Nadal will play his usual clay court tennis; with measured aggression but willing to rally and work the point. I don't think Nadal will have much mental block against Djokovic here in Monte Carlo - he loves the court and stadium and will be hungry to win his eighth consecutive Monte Carlo crown. In order for Djokovic to win he'll have to shift into sixth gear and regain his trademark mental strength that he displayed last year. His desire is there but he has appeared frustrated on court, and is understandably still upset after his grandfather's death.

This match will be interesting. We all know what we're in for; long gruelling rallies and it should be a great match. I pick Nadal in straight sets. I don't see Djokovic being consistent enough and winning enough of the (multiple) long rallies to win this match.

Enjoy the final, it'll be a long one.

Indian Wells Day 8: Djokovic vs. Almagro Preview

There are two men's tennis matches today - this one and Isner vs. Simon. Both matches will be worth watching and I'd probably favour Gilles Simon against John Isner as I think the Frenchman will be able to move Isner around very well and thus force Isner to pull the trigger too early, leading to errors. Anyway, my focus for this blogpost concerns Djokovic vs Almagro.

These two have met very few times - only twice. Their most recent encounter was at the start of Djokovic's transformation at the Australian Open last year which Djokovic won with ease 6-3 6-4 6-0. I don't think the Serb is currently playing as well he was back then but I would still expect him to come through this match.

Almagro beat Berdych very convincingly in his previous match 6-4 6-0 and this victory will certainly give him confidence which is something he can lack when playing the guys at the top of the rankings. Djokovic on the other hand had a match that seemed initially very simple but became a bit complex, beating Andujar 6-0 6-7 6-2 where he raised his game when he had to. Although Almagro will be coming into this match with confidence, I expect Djokovic to raise his game and in the end offer too much for Almagro to handle. Almagro likes to be the aggressor but Djokovic's movement will make him able to neutralise rallies incredibly well and thus for Almagro to play Djokovic off the court will be very difficult. It is mainly for this reason I think Djokovic will come through in straight sets. Almagro could sneak one just like Andujar did, and for this to happen he will have to serve and follow-up very well, trying to play measured aggressive tennis whilst keeping the rallies short.

Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal Preview and Prediction

It's the Australian Open Final. The top two players in the world will do battle on one of the biggest stages in tennis, what more could we ask for? I think that the start of this match will be defining. I personally don't think Nadal played particularly brilliantly against Federer despite winning the match, and Djokovic was up and down in his match against Murray - I thought he was going to lose after the second set.

Novak has looked like he's been waning as this tournament has proceeded - especially against Ferrer, and so I can't really tell if he'll be able to 'outrally' Nadal like he has been doing. Then there's also the physical factor, we all know that Nadal physically will be fine - he always is - when he's on the court that is, but will Djokovic? He's had a tough five setter in the previous round, and I heard he's had a bit of a cold recently. So maybe he won't have the physical stamina to sustain consistent high level tennis in this match - but we've been fooled before. In Madrid last year there were some questions whether Djokovic will be fit enough to challenge Nadal. In the end he more than challenged him. And also but to a lesser extent, the scenario in the US Open last year where Novak had an epic with Federer, and then played phenomenally well in the final. It's this factor that makes this match a little difficult to predict, and hence why the first set will be defining. 

One thing of Novak's that looks better than ever is his mental side of the game. He's at another level mentally compared to any other player. There were some really nervy moments at the end of his semifinal where he seemed completely ice cold and pulled off one particularly brilliant forehand when down a break point at 5-5. Novak is playing at 80% compared to how he was last year but if Novak can consistently play like he did in the last set against Murray, I think this title will be his once again. He was working the ball well, a few misses here and there which we didn't see last year but all in all I'd say he was pretty consistent, he looked to be moving fine, and he lasted comfortably in the countless long rallies. 

Nadal played tidily against Federer, nothing incredible and so I think he'll have to improve in this match because Novak won't be as charitable as Federer was. Novak doesn't have any relative weaknesses that Nadal can take advantage of, unlike against Federer - his backhand is a definite relative weakness, and so Nadal can't rely on extracting errors as a consistent game plan. He'll have to move Novak around the court and hope he'll outlast him, and also take advantage of any opportunities to take the front foot. It seems pretty trivial - as that's what Nadal does to most players, but it wasn't working against Novak last year. Maybe this year it will be different. 

I can see this match going either way but I'll give the edge to Novak as he definitely has the mental edge over Nadal right now. As I've said, I think the first set will be defining but the first set is also more important for Nadal than it is for Djokovic. The one player Nadal seems to get nervous against is the Serb. Four sets in favour of the world number one. 

Djokovic vs Hewitt Preview and Prediction

The current world number #1 and a former world #1 do battle on Rod Laver Arena in the last match of the day. Hewitt has already pulled off some good victories this tournament and seems to be somewhat revived. Djokovic has only lost 10 games so far this tournament and so is clearly in good form, although I'm sure you already knew that. If Hewitt is going to do any damage in this match he's going to have to play exceptionally well.

 Hewitt is primarily a counter puncher and forces his opponent into long rallies, winning a decent proportion of them. But how many people can consistently win long rallies against Djokovic in this type of form? No one. Not even Nadal could manage to do it consistently in their many meetings during last season. So Plan A is not going to work for Hewitt. Although Hewitt is a good mover on the court, Djokovic is the best mover in the game right now and on top of this Djokovic possesses a lot more power than his opponent. Nor does Hewitt have a dangerous serve to protect his own service games with.

 You've probably already realised that I can only see one winner in this match. Djokovic in three.

Djokovic, why did it all go so right?

As I'm sure you know, Novak Djokovic has had one of the best years in men's open era tennis, if not the very best (other nominees for this award would be Roger Federer and John McEnroe). This year has seen him win five Masters 1000 titles, regain the Australian Open and conquer Wimbledon and the US Open both for the first time. In contrast, last year Djokovic did not even get to a final of a Masters 1000 tournament – in fact, his only tournament victories were in Dubai and Beijing. So, what was it that caused this sudden turnaround in his results?

Apart from reaching the final of the US Open – ultimately to lose to Rafael Nadal in four sets despite playing exceptionally for the first two sets – Djokovic’s most notable achievement was winning the highly entertaining final of the Davis Cup with Serbia against France. Maybe somewhat surprisingly, winning the Davis Cup has been the stimulus to greatly improved form in the past; the most recent example being Fernando Verdasco who won the Davis Cup at the end of 2008 with Spain and went on to break into the top ten with a semifinal run at the Australian Open about two months later, eventually to lose to Nadal in an epic five-setter that I’m sure we’ll all remember for a long time to come. But what is behind the correlation between Davis Cup victory and improved form?

By no means am I saying the Davis Cup was the sole reason for Djokovic’s improved performance but I think it was a definite contributor. What is clear is that Djokovic has displayed superior mental toughness this year, whereas in the past his temperament has been questionable. Consequently I suggest that performing and winning under huge pressure in the final of the Davis Cup possibly gave him the immense confidence that he has displayed this year. Or maybe achieving for his country gave him the focus and desire to want to achieve even more. Whatever it was, it certainly worked.

Last year at Wimbledon I was able to watch Djokovic hit at the practice courts and a substantial part of his session was playing football tennis with his team in a very laid back fashion (see video below). I don’t think this would be the case anymore. This year has seen him become the best mover on the court, a title that formerly belonged to Rafael Nadal, and this must be down to more work and hours spent on fitness and of course his famous gluten-free diet. Maybe his increased focus and motivation led him to doing this.

Without doubt he is the deserving World Number One, the way he has pulled Nadal apart this year has been astonishing, and to pull out another amazing win against Roger Federer in the semifinals of the US Open is quite astounding. If someone had offered me a bet that Djokovic would save match points and beat Federer in two consecutive US Open semifinals, I wouldn’t have hesitated to bet against it. But the question is, how long can he sustain this exceptional form? How many more slams will he win? I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the dominant force for the next couple of years. Tweet