I have hit my last ball, watched my last match. I will be missing the WTF and yes, it makes me want to cry.
I am writing this from Sydney airport waiting to transfer to a flight to Buenos Aires. I am going backpacking over South America for the next seven weeks. From there I head to my new home in Melbourne and will be attending most of the AO.
This blog will obviously be down for the seven weeks I am in SA. It will be back up and running around the time of the AO when I get my shit sorted. Thanks to everyone for reading so far, and I hope you continue to in Jan!
Happy holidays 
(And go Fed!)
This week in Paris has been absolutely fascinating. As far as end of season tournaments go, Paris has been by far the best. Despite del Potro’s retirement, Federer’s first round loss, and Mandy’s loss to the ever annoying Stepanek, tennis fans have had plenty to enjoy. Rafael Nadal fought his way through to the semi finals, Gael Monfils gave the home crowd something to cheer for, and Novak Djokovic captured the title with his best tennis of the year. But before any of this happened, we said goodbye to one of tennis’s most loved men, Marat Safin.
Writing about a player you know hardly anything about should be difficult. Especially when you are hardly even a fan of said player. But the thing with Marat is, he inspired conversation and enthusiasm with all tennis fans, no matter how much you liked him. And even if, like me, you found it hard to support a man that dragged his feet through his last year on tour, appeared to hate the sport, spoke about having no friends on tour, and stated time and time again that he could not wait to forget about tennis, Marat Safin would somehow find a way to wiggle into your heart. Because despite his anti Federer/Nadal personality, there is a lot to love about the angry, misunderstood Russian. And I don’t just mean his good looks.
Marat Safin has something we don’t see much amongst the stern faced competitors of the ATP: a fabulous sense of humour. His pressers were always honest, interesting, and funny. Whether he was putting himself down, bemoaning the price of strawberries, or telling Andre Agassi where to go, Marat could always be counted on to say something funny and shocking. You can forget the formalities with Marat, want an alternative to Nadal’s humble post-loss speeches? Then Marat was your man.
Not the world’s best role model, this is the man who showed up to a match supported by a girl with her nipples showing. Then there was the time he arrived with a black eye, having found himself in a fight the night before. We were hardly suprised. Marat has walked off court after being called for a foot fault, and he has smashed more racquets than Fernando Gonzalez. He has never been very good at controlling his temper.
With all this anger, slutiness, and disdain for tennis, a casual tennis fan might find it hard to see what all the fuss is about. Indeed, hardly anyone could get away with the behaviour Marat has displayed over his career. Andy Roddick has acted similarly at times, but recieves as much criticism as he does love. The men I was too young to watch that threw racquets and went off their head seem to gather a lot of dislike as well. I have heard many people express their dislike of John McEnroe. Even Andre Agassi is finding the public against him after basking in their praise for many years. What is it about Marat that makes him so untouchable?
It sounds cruel, but Marat Safin simply has not had the career success to generate much hatred against him. Despite his two Grand Slams, fifteen titles, and a number one ranking, many people think that with a backhand that beautiful, Safin is an underachiever. Defenders of Marat point to a man called Roger Federer, and others say Marat is a choker through and through. The truth is probably a combination of both.
Marat has more than just an underdog charm to win so many people over. Marat has charisma. Oodles of it. He is funny, he is emotional, he loves his little sister, and, let’s face it, Marat is incredibly good looking. Marat wins male tennis fans over with his anger and sense of humour, women flock to his charm and his rugged bad-boy looks.
Yet there is still much more to Marat than good looks, anger, and humour. These are all entertaining characteristics, but there is one more thing that makes Marat so loveable. So relatable. Marat Safin spend his last year on tour itching to retire. Especially in the first half of the year, he spoke frequently about how tennis was boring, coming across as a man who hated the sport that had made him rich and famous. He said he had no friends on tour, that he didn’t enjoy it. It was around this time I wondered if I liked Marat at all. Then his retirement grew nearer, and I think we all saw the truth. Marat Safin was a man once hailed as the next big thing. He must have been filled with hope and excitement after his grand slam success. Things just didn’t turn out that way for him. Over the years, Marat became someone known as a choker, an underachiever, and people wondered what could have been. When Marat spoke of tennis earlier this year like he did, I thought I heard hatred in his voice. But what I heard was disappointment and bitterness. Marat Safin won two slams, was number one, won fifteen titles, and finished his career inside the top one hundred. Looking back, what a marvelous career he had. At the time, though, we didn’t think so. It isn’t Marat that let himself down. Tennis let Marat down.
So heres to the most universally liked player of the last decade. The man that has made every fan smile at some point. Marat Safin is one of the most likeable players ever because he is one of the most human. There is no robotic like talent, no humbled victories, nothing we can’t relate to, or see within ourselves. He is a man noone hates. There is noone else like Marat Safin. No player can replace him. When we looks back on him in the future, it isn’t his tennis people will remember. It is the man.
Now what an achievement that is.
For the second week running Novak Djokovic has beaten the home fav in the final. This time it was in Paris against Gael Monfils in a third set tiebreak.
For a while there I thought it was going to be a walkover. Nole got the first set 6-2, picking right up from where he left off against Nadal. He was smacking winners and making few errors. He went up 3-0 in the second and it seemed all but over. Nole doesn’t like to make things that easy for his fans, though, and he soon played very patchy to give up the second 5-7. Nole was bad, but credit to Monfils, he really caught fire and played excellent tennis.
Nole went up a quick 2-0 in the third but proceeded to blow that lead. He then went up another break and blew that again. Monfils was barely making any mistakes and retrieving like Mandy on acid, which was frustrating Novak no end. But credit to Nole, he kept his head and although he blew two leads, he never went behind. Eventually it went to a third set tiebreak, Nole managed to keep calm, showing great maturity he wouldnever have displayed this time last year, and went up a well fought mini-break. Monfils doubled faulted on the first match point, and Novak won Paris.
His celebrations were hilerious. He went absolutely mental, probably releasing a lot of frustration and built-up fistpumping from the match. Monfils was pretty frustrated throughout the match, as well as running down balls he had to right to get to, he was pumping the crowd up before Nole’s serves, which I thought was pretty unclassy. The umpire agreed.
Congrats to Novak, he is the in-form player going into London and must have a chance to gain the number two ranking. I’m trying to stay oblivious to the rankings race, it is never good for a Roger fan to start fretting about that sort of thing. Good luck to Nole, can’t wait to see him play like that at the AO.
Novak Beats Nadal To Reach Paris Final, Hair Looks Worse Than Usual
Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal 2 and 3 to reach the Paris Masters Final last night. It was absolutely perfect play from Novak. For someone who played pretty damn average against Soderling, he brought his best against Nadal. Which, in my opinion, he always does. Noone makes Djokovic play better than Nadal. I don’t know whether he just gets very determined to beat him, whether he has a game plan noone else executes well except perhaps delPo, or if he just loves the high topspin balls, but whatever it is, Djokovic has Nadal’s number. On hard courts, anyway. Nadal played perfectly fine, not bad and not brilliant. He just was never really in the match.
Djokovic faces Monfils in the final, who needed three sets to overcome uglyStepanek. There is going to be a huge amount of support behind Monfils, but if Djokovic plays anywhere near the level he did last night, it is hard to imagine him not taking home his first Masters series of 2009. Of course, Monfils is not Nadal, so who knows what game Nole wil bring.
Thank god I don’t have to look at Nadal’s outfit anymore. Worst outfit of 2009, anyone? Also, Novak should cut his hair. It looks even more lego-man than usual.
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Just remind me why they play Paris so late in the year again? Doesn’t really seem like anyone is interested in playing there… except Julian Bennetau. Federer suffered a terrible loss to an on-fire Bennetau in the first round. Embaressing, to say the least. Good news for Roger fans is that Muzz lost to Stepanek today in the battle of the two uglies. That side of the draw is wide open for del Potro if he decides he could do with winning a Masters, (he could, just saying).
Nadal saved multiple match points in his first round victory over Almagro, world’s biggest choker. He is currently playing in a third set against Robredo. Not really players he should be challenged by, even on the fast courts of Paris.
Back to Federer’s loss. He posted on facebook earlier in the week that he had been practising at Roland Garros. Here’s an idea. When you are about to play in a tourny on a fast hardcourt, it is a wise idea to practise on one. Hard court, at least. Not CLAY. Seriously, clay?? Why did he bother entering?
Davydenko has qualified for the WTF, and he bloody deserves it. He may have lost in Paris to Soderling, (who is still in the hunt), but he will have a real shot at the end of year finals. Especially if Nadal, Muzz, and Fed remain uninterested.
Verdasco’s end of season has been as bad as Federer’s … but he didn’t win two Slams and make all four finals this year so it baffles me why he seems to be running out of steam. If he is going to play this averagly, I don’t want him in WTF. Give it to Soderling, who is playing well and deserves it.
Speaking of playing well, Cilic beat Verdasco today and boy is just looking better and better. He is going to be a real contender next year.
Safin retired after losing against delPo, but I’ll post on him properly later in the week. Delpo takes on Gonzy next … please win.
EDIT: Well Nadal snuck through that one 7-5 in the third… I’ll reserve further judgement.
In a match reminescent of Miami, Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer to take home the title in Basel today. It was absolutely terrible tennis. I started watching, (at 4am on a work day), at the end of the first set where Federer managed to blow a thousand break points, Novak managed to double fault hundreds of times but eventually take the first 6-4… after about 7 previous set points. Federer was slicing his backhand like a man with zero confidence and hitting forehands consistantly into the net. Novak was better but only marginally, his groundstrokes Ok until an important point, and his serve woeful.
Federer somehow won the second set, picking up his play enough to make him look like he belongs in the top 50, whilst Novak let his drop. The third set was a joke, with Federer going down a double break at the start and never recovering. Novak hit some nice returns off pathetic serves… and that is about as bigger compliment as I can give to the entire match.
Federer said after the match, “I thought I missed plenty of opportunities. I’m not looking for excuses. He played tough and he played well when he had to, and saved a ton of break points that were crucial.” The first sentence is bang on, the third incorrect. Novak didn’t play well at all on the big points, Roger was just worse.
What is concerning for Novak fans is the following quote, “I played by far my best match. It came at the right time.” How bad was Nole playing before this match, exactly? Must have been nothing short of awful.
I am really suprised to see Roger play this badly at home. It wasn’t actually anywhere near as bad as Miami, but it was awful. Great that Novak won a trophy but I still don’t hold much hope for him in slams. His nerves turn to jelly under pressure and you can see on his face he is strung up like a piano wire.
In other news, Muzz smashed Youzhny to take home yet another non-slam title.
Bring on Paris already.
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Yanina Wickmayer, world number 18 and US Open semifinalist, has been banned for a year after failing doping regulations
Wickmayer failed to tell doping authorities of her location on three seperate occassions. Her compatriot, Xavier Malisse, has also been banned.
Pretty bad form from the Belgian and highly suspicious considering her success this year. Really bad news for Auckland’s ASB classic, who was hoping to have her as one of the drawcards in Jan.
The naughty tennis players list so far:
Ernests Gulbis, Andre Agassi, Serena Williams, Yanina Wickmayer and Xavier Malisse.
Tut tut.
You know it is the end of the season when you are not getting nervous about matches anymore. Federer has cruised through his first two rounds in Basel, swiftly beating Seppi 3 and 3 today. That man gets the worst draws. Wawrinka overcame Ljubicic in a tough three setter, and is due to meet Marin Cilic next. Cilic has an outsider’s chance to get to the WTFs. He has to win Basel though. A field with both Roger and Novak. Mmm. Good luck with that one.
Tsonga retired against Youzhny this morning in Valencia. I guess this makes his WTF chances basically nil. Monfils also lost to Garcia-Lopez (embaressing). Verdaso cruised and Simon beat my man Berdych in three sets.
Over in Bali, the pretty Sabine Lisicki lost to Rezai. Wickmayer, Stosur, and Bartoli all won.
Can you just sense my enthusiasm for these end of year tournaments through my blogging? Yeah, though so. The men really should be playing the WTFs right now. Season. Too. Long.
Even Roger’s shirt is boring. Geez.
Speaking of shirts… Mandy Murray is ditching Fred Perry for adidas. Cannot WAIT to see what colourful creations they pop on him. Mandy in orange? Mandy in blue? Mandy in lime green? Very excited.
Nole is still rumoured to be going to K-Swiss (bad bad bad move).
That is all for now… will update at the end of Basel. Unless some super exciting news comes along… (any more excerpts, Agassi?)
Andre Agassi is no hero of mine. I fell for tennis when watching Roger Federer win the 2007 Australian Open. Andre Agassi had retired. Of course, I had heard of him. But without actually watching a player during his career it is hard to become a fan. From what I can tell, he is an amazing ambassador for the sport, and his retirement speech was incredible. Other than that, I do not really know much about Agassi. Which is why I am looking forward to the release of his book.
Publishers have been releasing sneak-peak type excerpts for a couple of weeks, and none has been more talked about than his drug confession. Agassi’s confession that he took crystal meth has overshadowed Doha, Serena Williams’s return to #1, Serena’s book, and the Ernests Gulbis prostitute scandal. I imagine Gulbis is grateful, Serena not so much. What Agassi’s confession has done has turned most bloggers to their keyboards to either sympathise with him over what must have been a tough thing to write, or to condemn him and accuse him of money making motives.
Current players have also had their say on the matter. Andy Roddick and Andy Murray have come strongly to Agassi’s support. Roddick tweeted a note saying he still idolised Agassi, and Murray released a statement saying, amongst other things, that “I judge him as a tennis player; he was great, one of the best of all time. No one wants drugs in sport but everyone makes mistakes.”
Others have been less kind. Roger Federer expressed disappointment and reiterated that his sport must stay drug-free, but still had kind words for Agassi, stating he “has done a lot for tennis, both as a player and as a human being. Today, he raises millions of dollars for his foundation for disadvantaged children.” Roger’s rival, Rafael Nadal, may be Agassi’s biggest critic, coming down harshly on the career slam champion. Nadal questioned why Agassi chose to confess now, and suggested it would tarnish tennis. “Now that he is retired, he comes out and says this. It’s a way of senselessly damaging the sport.”
Personally, I highly doubt Andre Agassi had money or destroying tennis’s reputation in mind when he decided the confession belonged in the book. The ATP body that let Agassi get away with a positive drug test is no longer in control of drug testing, which is now governed by the ITF, a body completely seperate from tennis. I don’t see how a drug that is the opposite of performance enhancing, taken when Andre was at his lowest point, can possibly destroy tennis’s clean reputation. I really do not think this will hurt tennis at all, but it may hurt Agassi.
Being accused of being greedy isn’t a nice thing for anyone to go through. People are also calling on him to be investigated for perjury, as he lied about his drug use. All of this seems ridiculous to me. I doubt Agassi was in it for the money. I think he is an honest bloke who felt this was an important time in his life that he needed to confess to. Isn’t that simple? Do we really have to think so cynically about this? The simple fact is, Andre Agassi doesn’t need more money. As for the excerpt release, I imagine this was the publisher’s choice. Obviously, they are in it for the money.
I do not feel any differently about Andre Agassi after all the stories that have come out this week. If it were Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, or Juan Martin del Potro, I would be very upset and disappointed. I hate drugs, and would hate to think of any of my heroes involved in them. I do not know if any Agassi fans are swearing off him because of this, but I doubt it. After all, isn’t he the loveable rogue turned generous nice guy? They loved that rogue for a reason. Good on Agassi for confessing and if it helps him sleep better at night, that’s great. As for all the people wanting him to be punished for something that happened a mighty long time ago?
Let it go, people. Let it go.
When his book comes out I will be buying it. At the very least, we already know that it lives up to it’s title, Open.
Congrats to Serena. She won all five of her matches in Doha and has proven herself the queen bee of tennis for now… hope Kimmy, Justine, and Masha are practising hard.
More importantly… ROGER IS BACK.
Roger opens against a quali and his draw looks fairly sweet. In theroy, he will meet Djokovic in final. Let’s not look that far ahead, though. As we all know, del Potro has pulled out with a wrist injury, which is upsetting but hopefully he will be ok for WTF. Roger is also playing doubles in Basel with this seriously cute guy, Marco Chiudinelli.
Ok so not the best photo.
Over in Valencia Murray is returning to action, (as far as his tennis can be considered action), and will try and push his way past Fernando Verdasco in the semis (if all goes to plan) who is trying to qualify for the WTF.
Basel is the far tastier option.
