Aussie Open 2012 Finals [mini] Review

Novak Djokovic - it ended with a kiss

He came, he saw, he conquered.  World number one, Novak Djokovic, entered the 2012 Aussie Open as the clear favorite, and he did not disappoint.  It may have taken him five hours and fifty-three minutes to do it, but he defeated on court rival, Rafael Nadal in five thrilling, action packed sets 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5.  Some are saying that this is the greatest match ever played, myself included.  It's the longest slam final in  the open era, and the longest Aussie Open match EVER.  It was a testament to the fitness, and dedication of both Djokovic and Nadal.  Almost six hours, and neither guy called the trainer to the court - imagine that.  On that day, men's tennis was taken to another level.  This match wasn't just long, it was nail-biting, it was gritty, and it was some of the best tennis from beginning to end that the world has ever lay witness to.  If you haven't seen it, I highly suggest that you watch the replay here.  Set aside some time, as it's something to be savoured and enjoyed.  It's tennis at it's best, the way it should be.  The magnificence of this match is something that no one can truly describe with words alone, it must be seen to be fully appreciated.  Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have put that much more distance between themselves and the rest of the men's field.  Props to Rafa, who fought and clawed the entire time, but unfortunately The Djoker still has Rafa's number.  In their last seven meetings, Nole has a 7-0 record against Nadal - all seven in finals, including the last three majors ('11 Wimbledon & US Open, and '12 Aussie Open).  Two of the meetings last year were on Rafa's beloved red clay, which bodes well for a possibly very exciting meeting at Roland Garros.  Given Nole's current form, and mental edge of the other players, a Grand Slam is not out of the question.  Let's be clear about the meaning of a Grand Slam - it's when a player WINS ALL FOUR MAJORS IN ONE CALENDAR YEAR.  So often we here of a player winning a Grand Slam, when in reality, they've won a major.  Not to belittle the accomplishments of winning a major, but winning A major is not winning a Grand Slam.

Rafael Nadal

All credit to Andy Murray, who took Nole to five sets in the semifinals, even though he wasn't able to take him out of the tournament.  And even The Federer.  He was only able to take one set off Nadal in their semi, but it was a gallant effort none the less.  The big four are more than a couple of notches above the rest of the ATP tour, but when we talk about Djokovic/Nadal - as it stands right now, they are the cream of the crop.  They are the hunted, and there are no other guys in the field that will be changing that anytime soon.  


2012 promises to be a delicious year for the ATP, and the storyline will definitely be Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.  Andy Murray and Roger Federer may make it into the conversation, but the battles, the wars, the awe will definitely be all about the big two.  I'm so happy to be able to witness this golden age of tennis.

Australian Open Preview - Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi Redux

Well folks, it's that time of year again!  The beginning of tennis season is upon us, with less than a week before the first major, the Australian Open, begins.  This time last year everyone was expecting Rafael Nadal to complete his RafaSlam, but boy, oh boy did things change.  Novak Djokovic went on to win the '11 Aussie Open, then during the course of the year, beat Rafa is six finals - four times in masters series events [two of those on clay], and two majors' finals - going on to take the number one ranking by reaching the finals of Wimbledon, and ending 2011 with a 70-6 record.  

The top four players have distanced themselves from the rest of the field - there's 2455 points separating numbers four and five & and a staggering 8705 points between numbers one and five.  They will be the clear favorites going into the tournament, but there are also some possible spoilers running rampant in the field.  Two of the biggest spoilers could be the Frenchman, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and depending on his confidence level, the Tower from Tandil, Juan Martin Del Potro.  Tsonga opened his 2012 bid by winning the title in Doha, defeating his countryman, Gael Monfils, 7-5, 6-3 in the final.  Jo-Willy and DelPo made it to the round of 32 & the round of 64 respectively in last year's Aussie Open, but each one of these guys is in a different place now. Tsonga has moved up into the top ten, currently ranked number six in the world, seven spots higher since Aussie '11.  DelPo's '11 Aussie bid was his first tournament back after having missed almost a whole year and he was ranked 484, a far cry from his current rank of number eleven.  If DelPo's fitness is up to par, he be could be a formidable opponent for either of the top four, especially an 'injured' Nadal or Federer.

Injuries affecting Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer could hamper their bids for more Aussie hardware.  Nadal has even said that he is not sure he will be playing at his peak when the Aussie Open comes around.  Roger had to withdraw from Doha because of back spasms which have caused him some difficulty since the 2010 Wimbledon.  Andy Murray has also shown some signs early on this season that he is battling injuries, although, it seems at times that he always in a battle with himself.  Even though he hobbled during the beginning rounds of the Brisbane International, Andy was able to come away from the tournament with a title, taking down Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-1, 6-3.  Djokovic is coming off a historic year, which saw his body start to breakdown towards the end of 2011.  If he has indeed recovered from the stresses of last year, he will definitely be the player to beat.

Bernard Tomic

Milos Raonic

Then there are the possibles, one of them being Milos Raonic.  His breakout tournament was last year's Aussie Open, where he made it to the quarterfinals, being taken out the the scrappy Spaniard, David Ferrer.  He's already won a title this year, defeating Janko Tipsarevic in a tight three set final in Chennai 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4).  Also, Aussie native, Bernard Tomic has the ability to make it deep into the tournament.  I don't see either of these guys making it as far as the semi finals, but they are each capable of dealing out an upset along the way, especially if they happen to come up against a less than top shape Nadal or Federer.

The Aussie Open has always been one of the best majors to lay witness to and not just because of the tennis.  Aussies know how to throw a party!  There's always good tennis to be seen, and the beer mixed with the heat always makes for interesting sites as well, like this guy...

Aussie Streaker!

Australian Open TV schedule can be found here.  ESPN living streaming here (just click on the dates under upcoming).  And as always, live streaming for the Aussie Open (& EVERY other tournament of the year) can be seen at livescorehunter.com.

Enjoy!

Aussie Open Final Review - Novak Djokivic Vs Andy Murray

Nole dominates!

Andy Murray (left); Novak Djokovic (right)



Pre-match festivities

The match started off with all the pomp and circumstance expected of the final in a major, even when the game began, one would think this is going to be a good match - maybe even a five setter - no such luck for Andy Murray. 

The first set started off with Djokovic looking sharp & going for his shots, and Murray playing defense - nothing out of the ordinary.  Nole held his service games with ease and had a couple of break points on the Murray serve doing the first set, then with Murray serving at 4-5, Nole pounced - first set to Djokovic 6-4. 

Then in the second set, the bottom fell out for Murray - he looked dejected, with good reason.  Nole's defensive skills were on full display, and the offense he showed should put the other players on notice for the rest of the year.  Djokovic, looking like a man on a mission, broke Murray's serve time after time.  Finally, while serving at 0-5, Andy Murray wins a service game, and gets on the board.  Now, on the board, a glimmer of hope pops up for Andy Murray when he breaks Djokovic's serve, but it didn't last long - Djokovic immediately breaks back to take the second set 6-2.

Andy Murray

Andy Murray looked flat throughout the match up to this point.  His feet seemed like they were glued to the court, he was constantly blinking/rubbing his eyes and grabbing at his left leg.  Nole took no pity on him. 

Novak Djokovic



Novak



Andy & Novak

Game one of the third set should a little promise for the Scot, breaking the Djokovic serve.  That lead didn't last, nole immediately breaks back, then on Murray's next service game, he is broken again - now down 3-1.  The storm seemed to end for Murray when he broke Nole's service game, then held his on serve to get the set even at 3-3.  But once again, Hurricane Nole roared thru, holding his service game & then breaking Andy to go up 5-3.  Then finally, with a forehand shot from Murray that goes into the net, Mr. Djokovic is no longer a one slam wonder, taking the set & the match 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. 

 None of what Andy Murray used to get to the final was highlighted today.  Aside from the first seven games of the match, he was like a deer caught in the headlights.  There's no doubt Andy has the game to win a major, but he's head definitely fails him.  Nole on the other hand looks like a guy who can & should overtake 'The Federer' for the number two ranking position before the end of this 2011 season.

The hottie of the day is none other than the 2011 Australian Open Men's Champion, Serbia's pride & joy, Novak Djokovic!

 

Nole after winning '11 Aussie Open



Aussie Open 2nd Semi Andy Murray Vs David Ferrer

David Ferrer (left); Andy Murray (right)

Thursday's second semi-final match between Andy Murray & David Ferrer started off as a slugfest, with both guys knocking the fuzz off of the balls.  Serving at 4-5 in the first set, the Scot was broken - first set goes to David Ferrer.  This was the first time that Andy Murray had lost a set to Ferrer on a hard court.
The second set didn't get much easier for Andy Murray.  He began to realize that the scrappy Spainard was going to be a backboard who liked the pace, so Murray began to mix things up, using the slice (not overusing the slice).  He broke Ferrer's serve, but was soon broken back.  Onto the tiebreak, where Murray's steadiness proved key.  He kept down his unforced errors & protected his serve to race out to a 6-0 led in the tiebreak, before taking the set 7-2 in the tiebreak.

David Ferrer

Seeing that his foe had been rattled by the second set tiebreak, Murray took full advantage, taking the third set 6-1.

Murray victorious

Forth set was almost a replay of the second, with Murray breaking early, then being broken back.  Andy mixed up his pace & shot selection, taking the set to the second tiebreak of the match.  Ferrer must have been thinking about his poor tiebreak record (1-11 overall, 0-11 at the Melbourn Park), and Murray once again won the tiebreak 7-2. 
Next up for the Scot will be 2008 Australian Open champion, Novak Djovokic.  Nole holds a slight lead in their head-to-head (4-3), but Murray has won the last three matches they've played against one another.  Their last meeting was at the 2009 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Murray winning in straight sets 6-2, 7-5.  Murray will try to become the first British citizen, since Fred Perry 75 years ago, to win a mjor title, and the odds seem to be in his favor.

Aussie Open 1st Men's Semi Djokovic vs Federer review

Let me start off by saying that I really love what Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have done for the sport of tennis.  Between the two of them, they have won 21 of the last 23 majors that have been played.  The 2008 Aussie Open (Novak Djokovic defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final, Roger Federer in the semi-final), and the 2009 US Open where 'The Fed' was beaten by Juan Martin Del Potro in the final - getting hit off the court in the fifth set - were the only two breaks in their party.  Bravo, job well done guys - but other guys in the mix would without a doubt make things much more exciting. 

A lot of the top guys definitely have the game to battle Rafa & Fed, but they seem to be losing matches against the 'Big 2' before they even get out on the court.  Maybe this Aussie Open is the beginning of an thrilling year of Men's tennis - a year where names other than Nadal & Federer are etched onto the trophies & winner's checks.  Now admittedly, Rafa had a bit of bad luck in his quaterfinal match against David Ferrer - the Aussie hard court has never really been his body's friend (he also had to retire in a match last year), but even without the injury, I was expecting the scrappy Ferrer to take that match. Federer on the other hand got beat.

Novak Djokovic (left); Roger Federer (right)

Nole came out for his semi against Federer with that look in his eye.  Roger was just his normal chill self, maybe thinking about his head-to-head record against the Serb.  The first set was a tight one, even the tiebreak, there was just one mini-break against Federer and that's all it took.  Second set, Nole breaks, then Roger breaks back.  Roger breaks again to go up 5-2, before Nole starts to swing free again & levels the set.  Mind you, Federer made a lot of errors in the second set (and the match as a whole), those errors were because the guy on the other side of the net had gotten in his head, thus getting him off his game.  In the first service game of the third set, Nole saved 3 break points.  Nole goes on to break the Federer serve, but then Roger breaks back to get the score back to 4 all.  But that was it for Roger, as Nole got back the belief that took gave him a win over Roger in their last meeting at the 2010 US Open semi-finals.  Will this be another flash in the pan for the Serb, or has he truly come to break up the Federer/Nadal dominance of the past five years?  That book is still unwritten. 

In Sunday's final, Nole will face the winner of the Murray-Ferrer match.  David Ferrer is a hell of a player, but if the Andy Murray we've seen throughout this tournament shows up, we will see a Djokovic-Murray final.  If Murray reverts back to his passive style of play, Mr.  Ferrer will run over him.  Either or, this Sunday's finals proves to be a good one, even if it's Nadal/Federer-less.

Buckle your seatbelts tennis fans, I think this year is going to be an exiting one!

In honour of his semi-final birth, today's hottie will be Spain's own, David Ferrer.  Vamos!

Aussie Open Day 4 Results

Day 4 is over, and I'm sad to report that Juan Martin Del Potro's run at the '11 Aussie Open has been brought to an end by the Cypriot, Marcos Baghdatis 1-6, 3-6, 6-4, 3-6.

Del Potro (left); Baghdatis (right)

 

 

 

 

 

Juan Martin Del Potro

Marcos Baghdatis

Marcos played like the guy who made it to the '06 Aussie final (losing to Roger Federer), and Del Potro played like a guy who had been out of the game for almost a year.  Juan Martin's movement wasn't there for him, nor was his weight of shot.  At one point during the match, Juan Martin had the trainer come out to look at the wrist that he had surgery on.  Baghdatis hit 46 winners/29 errors against Del Potro's 34 winners/41 errors.  Oh well, I guess Juan Martin has to crawl before he can walk.

Robin Soderling

Number 4 Robin Soderling is still moving thru the rounds under the radar, partly because of all the talk about the 'Rafa Slam' or the possible Rafa/Roger final.  He took out Gilles Müller 6-3, 7-6 (7-1), 6-1.  Soderling ended the match with an above decent stat sheet - overall first serve percentage was 58%, winning 93% of his first serves, and 67% of his second serves.  He hit 6 aces/5 double faults, 30 winners/15 unforced errors, and won 10 out of 13 net approaches.

Andy Murray

Andy Murray is still looking good (his tennis game wasn't bad either).  He beat Illya Marchenko 6-1, 6-3, 6-3.  Murray had 16 aces for the match and NO double faults.  He hit only 15 unforced errors, compared to 31 winners.  Maybe he got the 'be more aggressive' memo.

David Ferrer

Spainard, David Ferrer, gave America's Michael Russell absolutely no slack in their match, stomping him 6-0, 6-1, 7-5.  Ferrer didn't face a break point throughout the match, hitting 8 aces with 3 double faults, 28 winners and 22 unforced errors.  He won 82% of his first serves & 71% of second serves.

Rafael Nadal

Rafa was typical Rafa - he rocked American Ryan Sweeting like a hurricane 6-2, 6-1, 6-1.  Sweeting (23 yrs old, just one year Rafa's junior) did manage to break Rafa's serve once during the match, but... 

Michaël Llodra

Today's hottie will be another Frenchmen,  Michaël Llodra.

Michaël Llodra

Michaël Llodra

 

Aussie Open Day 3 results

Day 3 at the Aussie Open & things (for my picks at least) are starting to heat up!  No blow outs to report from last night.  

Roger Federer after defeating Gilles Simon

Gilles Simon (left) & Roger Federer (right)

Mr. Federer as expected got pushed by Gilles Simon, but he did manage to win 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3.  This was only the third career meeting for the two, Roger losing both times (back in 2008).  Gilles is a 'slight' guy in stature, but even still, he gave Roger all he could handle.  After having dropped the 3rd & 4th sets, Roger took control of the fifth, by using out-wide serves to get Simon off the court.  The backhand slice that Roger uses too much actually brought on some errors from Simon in the fifth.

Novak Djokovic

Ivan Dodig (left) & Novak Djokovic (right)

Novak Djokovic didn't have to go the distance against Ivan Dodig, but he did get pushed in the first set 7-5 before losing the second 7-6 (8-10 in the tiebreak).  Third set, he just starting pushing Dodig further & further behind the baseline, making him cover extra distance , before finally taking out Dodig's legs altogether.

Andy Roddick vs Igor Kunitsyn

World number 8, Andy Roddick, won in straight sets against Igor Kunitsyn, but he got pushed to a tiebreak in the first.  Roddick took it 7-6 (9-7), 6-2, 6-3.  Not a lot to say, Andy cleaned things up after the first set & then put it in cruise control.

Verdasco rolls his ankle in the 4th set

Janko Tipsarevic

Now...Fernando Verdasco Vs Janko Tipsarevic.  Janko came out as he so often does, on fire.  But like he so often does, he burned out.  For the 1st two sets, Tipsarevic absolutely took it to Verdasco, controlling the points & playing like his life depended on it.  Then comes the third, and things began to look as they should with Verdasco starting to connect with his inside-out forehand.  Verdasco saved a bunch of match points during the fourth set.  Then comes the fourth set tiebreak & away goes Tipsarevic's pride - tiebreak score 7-0. Fifth set, Tipsarevic was just ready to get his second round paycheck, losing 6-0.  He said it was because he was cramping, but I think he needs to take a lesson from Venus Williams about toughing it out.  That being said, I still think he's a hottie!

Tomáš Berdych

Philipp Kohlschreiber

Honorable mention for a match well played goes to #6 Tomáš Berdych.  He took out Philipp Kohlschreiber 4-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4.  Berdych without a doubt has the game to threaten the top guys in big moments, but his head gets in his way.

Rafael Nadal, Robin Soderling, Andy Murray, David Ferrer, and Juan Martin Del Potro play tonight.  They all should make it thru, however, Juan Martin will face a tough opponent in Marcos Baghdatis.  Given that Juan Martin was out for six months, it wouldn't be a shock if he goes down to the Cypriot, Baghdatis.

Remember, I'm not a tennis expert, I'm just a boy.

Nole

Nole

Day 3 hottie, is the Serbian, Novak Djokovic.  Sexy, multi-talented & funny! Here he is impersonating Federer, Nadal, ARod, Hewitt, Sharapova,Goran Ivanisevic.

Aussie Open Day 1 Results

Sunday, January 16 (Monday, January 17th Aussie time) marked the beginning of 2011 Australian Open.  Here's a brief rundown of results of the 9 guys that are my favs in the tournament.

Roger Federer

Number two, Roger Federer, won his opening match against Lukas Lacko with an absolute tennis clinic 6-1, 6-1, 6-3.  Nothing more need be said other than the fact that his game was sick.  He was much more aggressive than Roger of the past couple years, and if he keeps this type of play up, he could regain the number one ranking sooner, rather than later. Roger hit 37 winners against 18 unforced errors & his first serve percentage was 64%.  When his first serve landing in the box, he won 87% of those points, and 67% percent of his 2nd serves.  Obviously, he was happy with his performance.

Novak 'Nole' Djokovic

Novak Djokovic, world number three also came out with an impressive start, taking out Marcel Granollers 6-1, 6-3, 6-1.  Nole came to net 19 times, winning 13 of those points - good averages for a guy that's not really known for his net play.  He was plus 17 in the winners to errors ration (34 winners - 17 unforced errors).  He's won this tournament before in 2008, so let's see if he can step it up & once again hold the hardware.

Andy Roddick

America's own, Andy Roddick's serve was en fuego throughout his first round match against Jan Hajek of the Czech Republic, with his fastest of the match being 136 MPH (219 KMH).  His overall first serve percentage was 68%, winning 80% of first serves that he got in.  He mixed up the pace of his shots well, but still isn't playing aggressive enough to worry the likes of the top 3 guys (Rafa, Roger, & Nole).  A-Rod won his match 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.  If you so please, here's the link to his aftermatch interview transcript.

Fernando Verdasco

The last of the 9 favs I have for this tournament that played on day one is Fernando Verdasco (remember his Calvin Klein ad).  Señor Verdasco came up against Rainer Schüttler, winning 6-1, 6-3, 6-2.  He came into the tournament with a 'healed' ankle injury from about 2-3 weeks ago.  He's stat sheet looked good as well as the other 3 guys - overall his first serve percentage was 62%, he won 86% of them. 33 winners and 17 unforced errors also put in the plus ratio.  He was moving well & his forehand looked sharp.  I still feel he can make it deep into the tournament, but not deep enough to take it all.


Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Robin Soderling, David Ferrer, and Juan Martin Del Potro will all be playing their opening round matches Tuesday.  Looking at their opening rounds draws, it would be rather shocking if they all didn't make to round 2.

Janko Tipsarevic

Hottie for Aussie Open day one will be Serbian Janko Tipseravic, who will be Verdasco's second round opponent.












Remember, I'm not a tennis expert, I'm just a boy.