CRAIG CIGNARELLI MASTER COACH GIVES 10SBALLS READERS A GAME BY GAME REVIEW OF THE MUTUA MADRID OPEN MASTERS FINALS 2016

The world’s four most important tennis events – Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon. U.S.Open – are known as the majors. When they are broadcast, crowds don tennis clothes and spin rackets in their hands as they sit on tennis club couches to watch their idols. They embellish upon stories to their friends about the time they returned a Roddick serve or ran into Federer at a restaurant and had an amazing conversation. The overbearing ones suckle strawberries and cream.

 

The Mutua Madrid Open falls one level below the majors, attracting sponsors like Rolex and Samsung, Ricoh and Mercedes. With total prize money over 5 million Euros, there’s enough financial incentive – assuming Britain doesn’t leave the EU and Germany overcomes its trade issues – to attract the world’s best players. Tonight, record holder and world #1, Novak Djokovic (28 Masters titles) plays the ATP’s #2 ranked, Andy Murray (11 Masters titles) for a large chunk of that prize money.

 

The Madrid event is what’s known in tennis vernacular as a lead-in tournament. Players compete in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome before making their way to the year’s second major, the French Open. In a few weeks, if Novak Djokovic wins the French, he’ll make tennis history by completing the career grand slam – winning all four majors during his professional tennis life.

 

Since tennis first started in the nineteenth century, only seven male players have completed the career grand slam, and with few records left to attain, Novak is driving hard at that goal. His opponent has additional objectives. Though he has never reached the number one ranking, Andy Murray is close to top form and wants to enter the French with the confidence that he can win. If he does, he’ll have completed three of the four majors and been to the final of the fourth, five different times. The career grand slam, the pride that comes from beating a world number one, along with the number one ranking, may be within his reach. Tonight’s match then, is about much more than money.

 

It is 6:30 p.m. and the crowd inside Estadio Manolo Santana is dancing to pre-match lyrics. Weathered hands clutch beer glasses and others tug at neckties or or cordobes (hats). Due to the expected rain, the roof is closed and tonight’s jaundice-colored clay court will be dry and fast. Around the stadium, Spanish-speaking people place bets on their favorite and then imitate professional strokes in ways that can only be described as drunk orchestra-conductorish. The combined smell of Mediterranean cologne and cigarette smoke may explain the need for the extraodrinary amount of scarves. They’ve decided to open the roof which delays things, and since I have a plane to catch tomorrow, I’m a little annoyed. So, when the DJ plays “Hit the Road Jack,” I get the feeling it’s targeted towards me. As the roof opens, 12,000 people look like fish waiting to be fed.

 

Andy Murray has a serve which would hold up on the Autostrada, a very solid ground game, and more variety than a See’s candy shop. His real weakness is just like the chocolates – sometimes you are shocked by what’s inside. Murray has implosive moments, and when you are playing against the best player in the world, those sorts of lapses can cost matches.

 

At present, Novak does not have a weakness. He’s solid enough off the ground to defeat Isis and his Beethovenish movement makes him almost impossible to break. Toss in an arrogance-bordering confidence, with eleven major titles to back it up, and it may look like the match is over before it’s begun. Tennis is fickle though. Every match offers its own rhythms and drama. Sometimes it’s the personal relationship between the players, or the pattern match-up, or who slept poorly last night, or a million other prosaic things which can affect a tennis match. That is why we must play.

 

At 6:45, the crowds skeleton-rattling hum goes silent and Murray tosses the ball to serve. Novak is pumped. The last few years, he’s owned finals and you sense he knows this is his moment. In the first game, he’s all over the this tournament’s best server. He breaks quickly with deep returns that push Murray backward and then holds to go 2-0. Now stunned awake from the assault, Murray serves 4 unreturnable serves against the world’s best returner.

 

Servers are supposed to control points. They know where the first shot is going and often they can force the returner into hitting where they want it. A good server is usually on offense after the serve. Novak is and goes up 3-1.

 

The problem for Murray is Novak is on offense when serving and can hit returns to neutralize Andy’s serve. Thus, Murray is never ahead in the points. If he can manage to gain the advantage, he tends to overhit and targets low percentage spots on the court. Novak breaks again. Coming back from a break against the world’s #1 players is about as rare as the Spanish steak I ate before the match. I am hoping Murray and I can both battle through.

 

Murray holds to go 5-2 and Novak serves out the set. It is uncompetitive to this point and the crowd is grumbling. That stops when the ball girl models start stretching just outside the court.

 

All week Murray has served well and now he’s getting chewed up. Imagine being in control of every service point for the entire tournament and then Sunday comes and the guy on the other side disrupts the hell out of you with the ease of the return and somehow pushing you backward. The second set begins and Murray adjusts. His targets get smaller and he hits them. He’s gaining the upper hand in points and hitting offensively. 1-0 Murray. Novak holds easily serving and attacking.

 

At 1-1, the match dynamic changes. Both players begin punishing groundstrokes and running side to side. There are five brutal points in a row, one of which leaves Novak applauding. Against this type of speed, the shotmaking has to be perfect because there is nowhere to hit the shots where the opponent can’t reach it. It requires superior fitness, a superb level of focus, and some serious consistency. Murray holds by the skin of his very British teeth.

 

Down 2-1, Djokovic bangs the clay from his shoes and attempts to deal with a Murray who has found more depth on the return. Now, Djokovic is on defense to start the points. He is noticeably uncomfortable and making head tilts like a confused puppy. On break point, he double faults. That doesn’t happen at this level. It’s like missing a lay-up on an 8-foot rim. There’s no way to explain it and he’s down 3-1. The rest of the set is what you’d expect. Big serving, average returning, and the server dominating the rest of the set. 6-3 Murray.

 

It is one set apiece in the final of a Masters Series event where the world’s #1 and #2 players are playing. I’m only repeating it because tennis doesn’t get much grittier than this. This is that little kid moment, when you imagine yourself at home plate with a bat and start saying things to yourself like, “It’s 3-2 bottom of the ninth, bases loaded and down by 3 runs….” Novak wears Uniqlo and Murray sports Under Armour which, if we’re being honest, is not exactly red carpet stuff. Right now, both players are sweating through their brands.

 

Resoluteness has a posture and Novak has assumed it. He holds in game one with great serving. The second game is worth the price of admission. The world’s top player has a lead and is going to make his opponent earn every single point of the next game. These are some of the longest and best rallies of the match. It is point after point of side to side sprinting and sliding in ways that remind you of windshield wipers and small gymnasts. You can hear them breathing from the ninth row. The match is only ninety minutes old but there is serious suffering here. Both players look like post-Derby horses. Novak breaks and Murray does something strange. He turns to his coach and waves his hand back and forth across his throat as if to say I’m done. It may be because of a slight groin pull he experienced early in the first set, or his legs may simply be gone. His coach drops his head in disappointment. Still, Murray continues. Real tennis players do not quit unless their body quits on them or they are dead. The problem for these two, is that they play on the weekend in almost every tournament. Because they are winning, they finish today’s event, fly to Rome tomorrow and play their next match on Tuesday in hopes of playing five more days before heading off to the next event. The only time they rest their legs is on airplanes.

 

More long points and then Djokovic does the impossible. He double faults on break point again. We’re talking lotto possibilities here.

 

Two more holds and then at 3-2 Djoker, Murray makes three unforced errors and Djokovic hits a winner to break again. This many breaks in a men’s match is rare, but when the players are this close in level, you expect strange things to happen. Murray’s serve has kept him in the match to this point and, after a Djoko hold, he holds too. It is now 5-3 Novak and we’re at the end of the match.

 

Novak serves with new balls (they change often in pro tennis) which is a nice advantage as they travel faster through the air, especially in this Madrid altitude. In the crowd a baby starts crying to the pint where Novak stops play and looks up at it as if to say, “Please, shut that kid up!”

 

Murray is stubborn though. On weary legs, he keeps enough balls in play to let Djoko make three unforced errors and suddenly Murray is at triple break point. It seems Murray recent fatherhood (February 2016) has made him more comfortable with a screaming child. But, Novak is the best in the world and these pressure-filled moments on the biggest occasions are where the best players find a will and a way to win. After more than a handful of blown break points, Murray dumps a final ball in the net. Djokovic wins.

 

So, here is what we take way from the week. Servers should always be looking to take control of the point after a first serve. If the returner is controlling the point, serve to smaller targets or go bigger with the serve. Deep returns will neutralize a server’s biggest weapon. When you find a winning pattern, stick with it until the opponent finds way out of it. If you are broken early in a set, attempt different ways to break by using aggressive, neutral, or defensive returns. If you are broken late in a set, go with your best return tactics. Great movement can force players to play to smaller targets. Changing your position in relation to the baseline can buy time and steal time for your shots. As you get better, points are more difficult to win. Your focus and mental control probably will determine whether you win or lose matches. Get fit, or else!

 

Thanks for reading this week. Hopefully you learned something and laughed a bit. Even when playing for millions of Euro, this sport is still supposed to be fun.

 

And finally, thank you to 10sBalls and Pancho for making this trip possible.

 

Editors Note:

Craig’s instructions this week From His Editor at 10sBalls…. simple

In the words of Cass Elliot

(Mama Cass of The Mamas and The Papas)

Go where you want to go….

Do what you want to do…..

Funny when a creative genius like Craig is allowed to follow his tennis heart…

You get great insight into a match…

And best of all Craig had FUN!

 

 

Topics: 10sballs, 2016 Mutua Madrid Open, Andy Murray, ATP Madrid, Craig Cignarelli, Madrid Open, Novak Djokovic, Sports, Tennis News

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