London calling…

Written by: Staff on 9th November 2010

London calling…

Andy Roddick (USA) |

There has always been something of a cultural divide between the English and the French – both nations standing on either side of the Channel and glaring warily at the other – so it will do little for international relations this week when all the players in Paris talk longingly of going to London.

The BNP Paribas Masters is the last chance for all those with ambitions to play at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals (the banking system may be on its knees but it still seems to take a healthy interest in tennis). The final Masters event of the season offers 1000 ranking points and $623,000 to the winner – and some or all of that loot could be enough to help Messrs Berdych, Ferrer, Roddick, Verdasco and Melzer book one of the last three tickets to London and the O2 Arena. At this time of year, tennis is not so much about forehands and backhands as about calculators and slide rules as everyone tries to work out who has to do what in order to reach the Finals.

So far, the only definite result of the week is that Mikhail Youzhny’s chance of qualifying had evaporated. He limped out of his opening match, trailing Ernests Gulbis 6-4, 3-0 (he has had a dodgy back for a couple of weeks) and immediately started planning his vacation. Standing 10^th in the race for London, he needed to reach the Paris final to book his place.

Fernando Verdasco squeaked through to the third round and looked mightily relieved to have beaten Arnaud Clement 3-6, 6-3, 6-0. The court at the massive concrete edifice that is the Palais de Omnisports (in another life, it must have been a nuclear fall-out shelter), is extremely fast and the speed took Verdasco by surprise. But with a couple of sets under his belt, he at last began to relax and that was enough to deal with Clement.

Verdasco needs to reach the semi final at least in order to claim his place in London but he is trying very hard not to think about that. Trying, but failing. Potentially, he has Gael Monfils and Andy Murray standing in his way to the last four and that is enough to put the frighteners on anyone.

“I don’t really think about London right now,” Verdasco said, although no one really believed him, “because I see it is two matches away, but really tough matches. I think the season was good in general, and I finish at least top 10, and I’m still fighting to be in London. So, you know, I cannot really be mad or sad with my position.”

Andy Roddick is desperate to claim his London berth. Last year he could not play in the Finals after jarring his knee at the Shanghai Masters. Even so, he made the trip to London’s docklands to have a look at the setting and to sample the atmosphere – and he loved it. So when this year, 12 months to the day after his knee problems, he pulled up lame in Shanghai again, he looked like he was ready to slash his wrists. Luckily, his injury problems this time were not so severe and after a serious charge in Basel last week, he is on the hunt of that London ticket again. He is back on the trail again on Wednesday against Jarkko Nieminen in his opening match.

With no Rafael Nadal to contend with – he pulled out with tendinitis in his left shoulder and is saving himself for London – Roddick’s draw looks a little clearer. If he can get to the semi finals, where he may face Novak Djokovic, then London looks like a real possibility.

Topics: Andy Murray, Atp World Tour, Banking System, Berdych, Bnp Paribas, Bnp Paribas Masters, Concrete Edifice, Definite Result, Dodgy, Ernests Gulbis, Fernando Verdasco, Gael Monfils, Going To London, Melzer, Messrs, Mikhail Youzhny, Nuclear Fall, Place In London, Roddick, Slide Rules