Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Didn’t See that Coming – Tsonga Zaps Federer

Tsonga savors an unlikely win over Roger Federer.

It looked so routine.

Roger Federer was on cruise control with a two sets to love lead. After closing out 179 straight matches with a 2-sets to none lead – Federer sputtered, blinked and choked away a relatively easy path to the 2011 Wimbledon semis.

The Swiss star was down a break at 3-4 and 4-5 in the third set. On both occasions, he jumped to love-30 leads on the Tsonga serve and seemed poised to break back. But somehow – IT NEVER HAPPENED!

It seems that all good things must come to an end. Federer was a mere shadow of himself in the quarters breaking down with the finish line well in sight and giving Tsonga the victory.

I really don’t know what to make of Fed any more – this was his match to take. And when you watch it, he seems to have the upper hand. But he let it slip away – without question the worse loss I’ve ever seen from him. Fed actually seemed complacent - he didn't seem interested or inspired enough to close out the Frenchman.

This wasn’t Rafa on clay or DelPo/Djoko on a hard court – it was Jo-Willie on grass and Federer may never be the same. I’ve seen him out of sorts before, but never was the 16-time grand slam champ so in control and then so lost.

The killer-instinct we took for granted for so long seems to have lost its edge. After the French, I was a believer that Federer had one or two slams left in the tank – now, I’m not so sure.

Tsonga didn’t play badly, but he didn’t light up the court either. Tsonga served well, but not well enough to knock Federer off of his favorite surface. Tsonga gained confidence only because Federer fizzled out.

The irony here is that Federer, who saved the number one ranking at the French for Nadal – has now for all intents and purposes handed it to Novak Djokovic. Djokovic will batter Tsonga and claim the number one spot, even if Rafa claims the Wimbledon title.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Rafa-Federer Redux - Ready to Renew Epic Wimbledon Rivalry

The more the game changes, the more it stays the same. Carve out whatever subplot you like, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are once again on a collision course for the Wimbledon Championships. Just like the French Open – the top two seeds are also the best grass court players in the field.

Novak Djokovic lost just one match all year long and has won an astounding seven tournaments. That will be no help whatsoever on the grass courts of Wimbledon. Djoko got dumped on the clay at the French in 2011 and will be unceremoniously knocked out of Wimbledon as well.

Djokovic is playing the best grass court tennis of his life – but it’s still not enough to get him past Federer at the All England Club. If Djokovic makes it to the semis, he is likely to be cut down by the 16-time grand slam champion who is serving like his life depended on it.

British favorite, Andy Murray is rolling, but a relatively easy draw is not working in his favor. A list of easy opponents is no way to prepare for a possible meeting in the semis with the two-time defending champ, Rafa Nadal.

"Nadal is not playing his best, but no one on the grass, save Federer, is his equal."

This is Federer’s best shot in a long time to exact a little grand slam revenge upon Nadal. Federer is serving lights out, and to beat him, Nadal will have to be at his best. You can never count Nadal out, but he must right the ship against the great one to grab his third Wimbledon title and retain his number one ranking.