Novak, Rafa and Andy Answer the Bell

Written by: Tennischiro on 30th March 2012

Novak, Rafa and Andy Answer the Bell

epa03164813 Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns the ball to David Ferrer of Spain during their match at the Sony Ericsson Open on Key Biscayne, Florida, USA, 29 March 2012. EPA/RHONA WISE |

Here are the questions I postulated were to be asked in the men’s quarterfinals:

Murray vs Tipsarevic: Andy, do you really belong in that top 4?
Well, Andy was not feeling so well and was on the verge of throwing up all the way through the first half of the match, but he managed to fight through it and some serious resistance from Tipsarevic to make his appointment in the semis. You have to give Murray credit for toughing it out and finding a way to win. He’s going to feel so good if he just feels normal on Friday that it may actually be an advantage for him.

Nadal vs Tsonga: Jo Wilfred, does that sleek new frame mean anything, or is it just a fashion statement like that Mohawk haircut?
The beginning of the Nadal/Tsonga match was so full of unforced errors that I gave up charting and actually fell asleep in the middle of the second set. I woke up to a 5-5 second set and the news that Nadal had just squandered a chance to serve out the match. It was now a different match. Tsonga was energized and won 5 games in a row as he stormed into the third set. He kept his level high but Nadal got ahold of himself and they held serve to 4-4 in the third. At this point, Tsonga showed why he needs to get a coach back in his corner. He had been holding serve with big serves well into the 130s and an aggressive tactical approach, keeping Nadal on the defensive. At 30 all, he committed a double-fault. Then on ad out, he got careful and put in a first serve at 112 mph. Fine against anyone else, but he needed to stay aggressive against Nadal. Rafa took control of the point and took the point for the critical break. Then as they changed sides, Tsonga engaged the umpire in a long harangue about how he was favoring Nadal by not giving Tsonga enough overrules. He completely lost his focus and it had to have an effect in the last game. It was very disappointing. Tsonga needs someone like Lendl to tell him that he can’t give in to that kind of nonsense. Nadal had to play longer than he would have liked because of his lapse at 5-3 in the second set, but he looked great and had the day off Thursday to get ready for Andy on Friday. One caveat: Hawkeye reported that when Tsonga was making his move in the second half of the match, Nadal’s baseline shots were landing a full meter short of where they had been on average at the beginning of the match. If Rafa makes that mistake against Murray or Djokovic (or even Monaco the way he played today), he will be punished for that “shortcoming”.

Monaco vs Fish: Mardy, this is the first good tournament you’ve had since you defaulted to Monaco in the 3rd in Paris after being up a set and a break with victory almost in hand. If you had finished that second set off cleanly, you might never have done the damage that plagued you the last 4 1/2 months. If you get the chance to finish the only remaining man from Tandil off, do it. Don’t hesitate. Just do it!
Monaco came out laser sharp and jumped on Fish right from the first ball. He jumped out to early leads in both sets as he made 5 out of 6 first serves and returned the same percentage of Mardy’s serves. Fish never looked sharp. He can’t just hit with these guys. He needs to take the ball early and give them balls they are not used to. Today he was even missing an awful lot of backhands. Hopefully it was just a bad day, but he had a day of rest since beating Almagro on Tuesday and the conditions were pretty tame; so no excuses. It was the first time in 7 tries that Mardy had lost in a Masters1000 quarterfinal match. On the other hand, it was a great performance for Monaco who played solid the entire match.

Djokovic vs Ferrer: Nole, you’ve been falling off the track a bit lately. Are you ready to tell the “little engine that could” that he can’t!?
Finally, we get to the match that inspired me to put up this post tonight. If you can possibly catch a tape delay replay of the Djokovic/Ferrer match, do it. Terrific tennis with awesome rallies and great play from both players. In the second set tie-break, Ferrer made two uncharacteristic errors to give Novak two minibreaks. First he took a deep high bouncing lob with a forehand and put it in the net; he really should have been hitting an overhead – he may have lost the ball above the lights. Then at 1-3, David stopped the point to challenge on a ball at the baseline at his feet that he actually returned; the in call was confirmed and he had to forfeit the point; to me, he appeared visibly upset with himself and the color almost drained from his face. It was a level of negative emotion that you never see from the feisty Spaniard. Novak won the tie-breaker 7-1 to close out the match in straight sets. It was a heroic effort from Ferrer as Djokovic started out the match with a clinic demonstrating just exactly why he is the best player in the world for the last 15 months. But in the second set David got the early break. Then Novak got it back and went ahead to serve for it at 5-4. Ferrer immediately broke back with some electrifying play and they both held to get to the tie-breaker. If you aren’t already a TennisTV member, it’s worth it to fork over the $20 monthly subscription fee for one month just to get to see this match. They are featuring a replay of the match on their “catchup” option. But that might only be for a couple of days. They seem to delete those matches when the current tournament ends.

In any case, two good semis on Friday. I’ll take Djokovic over Monaco, but I think the Argentine will make it a good show. But Novak is just too good for him. The other match between Nadal and Murray is more interesting. Who will show up? The good Murray that beat Djokovic in Dubai? Or the lame alter ego that went out to Ebden in Indian Wells. I think Murray will play well. Then we have to ask which Nadal will show up? The one that was hitting deep in the first set against Tsonga? Or the one who dropped the ball a full meter closer to the net as that match wore on? I don’t think he can get away with that against Murray. But I think Rafa will rise to the occasion. Problem is, I think Murray will too and, in that case, I have no idea who will win. But it should make for very good entertainment! (NOTE: you’ll find the men’s and women’s finals live on CBS this weekend.

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Topics: 10sballs.com, American tennis news, Andy Murray, David Ferrer, Jo Wilfried Tsonga, Juan Monaco, Mardy Fish, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Serbian tennis news, Sony Ericsson Open 2012, Spanish tennis news, Sports, Tennis, Tipsarevic