Andy Murray Captures ATP Madrid Title

Sunday's final in Madrid marked the close of the eighth ATP Masters Tournament of 2008.  The official end of the tennis season will be come with the Paris Tournament and the Masters Cup in Shanghai.  This entire year has been a roundabout of the two top players who have traded grand slams and been favourites to battle one another in finals of every Masters.  Yesterday, Nadal and Federer were well on that track when they both reached the Madrid semifinals.  Nadal  saw the French sensation, Gilles Simon, and Federer was caught in a rematch of the US Open final against Andy Murray.  

The Scot had only played two matches since the Open and evidently this break was just the burst that he needed.  Murray played a beautiful tournament to meet Federer in the semis but was obviously seen as the stark underdog to the World #2, especially after the handy beating he took from the Swiss just a month ago.  The two traded 6-3 sets before reaching the deciding third and brought out a side of Murray he probably wished to have seen in Flushing Meadows.  He out-served Federer by leaps and bounds and was able to win 11 straight points on his own services games and pulled out every shot in the book, even a few Federer-like swings, and was able to create match point on a lovely inside-out forehand winner and quickly converted when Roger dumped his perfect backhand into the net.  And so Murray sought his revenge, and was probably expecting to see Nadal seek his own (remember, it was Murray who knocked out Nadal in the US Open semi).  

Later on Saturday, Nadal was in his own backyard... literally.  The Spanish crowd would have loved nothing more than another Nadal-Federer clash, but would settle for a win over Murray.  Gilles Simon had other intentions.  The Frenchman, who made a name for himself during the US Open Series, had survived by playing 4 three-set matches and fending off six match points over the course of the week.  Nadal, as predicted, took the first set easily but could not keep the momentum going.  Simon took the second set 7-5 and then found himself at his fourth third-set tiebreak of the tournament.  The two stayed one serve until the bitter end, where Simon had a match point on his own serve.  He as usual charged the net, pressuring Nadal, who hit a passing shot a bit too hard.  The ball was called in but Simon, who intentionally let the ball fly by him, challenged the call and was correct, claiming a spot in the championship match against Murray.  The final itself flew by as Murray quickly dismissed the exhausted Simon in a 6-4, 7-6 victory to become the first Briton to win four ATP titles in a single season.  Murray was quick to humble himself, apologising to the crowd for not being Federer and Nadal, though it's hard to feel badly for them as Federer broke Sampras' all-time prize winnings total and Nadal secured the year-end number #1 ranking during the week in Madrid.  

This tournament saw lots of hard hitting and intelligent play but the driving forces were, and will continue to be the top two.  Madrid, though, is reminiscent of Melbourne, where both lost in the semis as well -- perhaps the rest of the players on the tour are starting to realise that they have no chance of winning against these two without sophisticating their games.  Or maybe, when they get to the semis, rankings just don't matter anymore.  Regardless, it's getting harder and harder to name the best, but in our hearts there will always be Roger and Rafa. 

A Look Back

As many tennis fans will likely agree, the last few weeks have been dragging. The US Open marked the end of an invigorating tennis season (minus the Davis Cup and a few minor tournaments still to come). While the Aussie Open commences January 19^th I suppose, at best, we can look back on a year of brilliant tennis and decide for ourselves what we loved and what we loathed. I've been doing some reflecting in light of this year's roller coaster of an Open and came up with my most beloved and significant moments in recent United States Open history.

#5 – First Match, First Tantrum
In 1977 John McEnroe played his first ever first round match at the US Open. The match itself was not spectacular (in fact, I cannot even recall the opponent). However, during this contest, McEnroe received his first US Open conduct violation: a custom he used to tarnish his entire graceful career.

#4 – The Straw that Broke the Camel's Back (err, the Tennis Player's Back)
1981, just as the few years prior, was a splendid one for Björn Borg. He was beautifully winning Roland Garros but was coming to the '81 Open final with a thirst for the crown. Just months before, Borg had been defeated by young nemesis John McEnroe to lose his Wimbledon crown; halting the quest for an unseen sixth consecutive championship trophy. Borg again met McEnroe in the final in New York and, as in London, took the first set 6-4. McEnroe, though, went on to rally back and defend his title. This marked only the beginning for the affectionately deemed "Spoiled Brat" as he would go on to win tournaments through 1992. The 1981 loss broke the Ice-Borg and Björn would never play another Grand Slam tournament again.

#3 – Bowing Out in Style
After 33 tournaments without a title, a ranking drop to 17 and straight sets loses in the past two years' Open finals, the 31-year-old Pete Sampras knew his time might be coming to an end in 2002. He again reached the final, but this time saw a familiar face across the court: none other than long time rival Andre Agassi. Two veterans took the stage with Pistol Pete coming out on top of the four set novelty. Though not formally announced until 12 months thereafter, Sampras ended his career with this 14^th Grand Slam victory.

#2 – Back and Makin' History
Perhaps it is premature to lump in an instance from this past event, but we cannot overlook Roger Federer's superb fortnight show to win his sole major title of 2008 and become the only man to win two different Grand Slams, each five consecutive times. After an un-Federer-like year, Roger was able to quiet the critics and play at a level, especially in the final, that would have handily beaten anybody. Not as if he hadn't already, but the Swiss proved his name to be worthy of the history books.

#1 – Americans at the Open
No commemorative match list is complete without a mention of the epic Sampras-Agassi 2001 quarterfinal that lasted 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, 7-6 without even one break of serve. This was a moment where the two most lovely Americans became ignited at the US Open. By the end, both were drenched in sweat and physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted. The largest court in the world witnessed possibly the largest display of will that has yet to be recreated by any contender.

King, not Prince

Roger Federer entered this year's US Open as a public underdog. His less than perfect year had the press asking if he could win this again. The Swiss owned the US Open four years in a row and you're asking if he can do it again?! Nonsense. Of course he can! Why would you ever consider the #2 player in the world out of contention? This season, Roger has merely shown himself to be human like the rest of us. How dare we assume his unprecedented dominance to be over just because he didn't win Wimbledon or Rolland Garros?

Well, Federer nicely shut the critics up with his 111-minute dismissal of young Andy Murray to win his fifth consecutive US Open title and made history by doing so. Only Roger has been able to dominate two separate major tournaments for five straight years. He has shown that many were much too quick to write him off. Even US Open match analyst Matt Cronin had predicted the inexperienced Murray to push Federer to five sets and that Federer would have as hard of a time as he's had against Nadal. Some prediction...

There isn't much to say about the match itself. Murray didn't play as well as he did to get there, but it wouldn't have made a bit of difference anyway. Federer's legendary forehand did not disappoint him and thrashed every short ball Murray threw in. The Swiss, who served at an astounding 79%, played a close to perfect match and, in Murray's own words "set the record straight."

Federer may still end the year at #2, but things are certainly getting back to normal.

Final Four

Nadal, Murray, Djokovic and Federer: the four most favoured men to reach the semifinals of the US Open did indeed live up to that expectation and met on Saturday to battle for the coveted spots in the final. Even though Nadal and Murray played their quarterfinal matches on Wednesday, they were scheduled to play the late session after Federer an Djokovic woke the stage. Federer, looking to defend his title, came out to dismiss Nole as he did so handily last year. Lucky for Roger, the Serb didn't seem come out with a vengeance to win. Djokovic, who had turned the New York audience against him just days ago, played a somewhat sloppy first set, giving the sharp Swiss every opportunity to take his shots (which he did to quickly take the set 6-3). Novak realised, then, what he was playing for and blew his way to a 4-2 lead in the second before Federer could break back to even it at 5 all. Federer could not gain ground though and lost the set 5-7.

The play of the match, by far, came in the third set. Djokovic, who was serving, had hit a powerful overhead that appeared to be just out of Federer's reach. He was 7 feet behind the baseline, on the run and saw Novak coming to net -- if Roger were even going to get to the ball, an error would have been expected. Instead, he jumped up (scissor-kicking!) and carved the ball over Djokovic's head, landing just inside the baseline: a shot the Swiss champion had invented days ago against Andreev. Such beauty, such perfection. Thereon, Federer was on cruise control and easily went on defeat the 3rd seed and enter himself into a match for the title.

The other side of the draw saw Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray. Neither was a strong favourite against or over the other but the crowd immediately got behind Rafa as tennis fans were longing for another Federer-Nadal, epic, final. Despite that, Murray showed that he came to play. He had nothing to lose; this was his first grand slam semi and he was fighting for his first grand slam final. Andy had already topped his career performances and so now everything became icing on the already scrumptious cake.

The nerves may have plagued the Spaniard though, as he had never gotten past the quarters in New York, and could not play to the level we were used to seeing. Instead of stepping in to jump on Murray's serves he stood far away and just blocked every ball back, allowing the Scot to move forward and direct a winner wherever he'd like. Murray took every one of these opportunities, charging the net and powerfully flicked balls to the empty court. Andy, interestingly, received Nadal's serves from well behind the baseline and moved inside it after taking a full swing. Andy ran Rafa all over the court, fully exhausting him and was victorious in four sets, stretched over two days.

And so it's set: Federer vs. Murray. Though Murray comes in with a winning record over Federer (2-1), Roger was the obvious bet. He has made it to 18 consecutive semifinal grand slams and was playing the type of tennis which had given him his invincibility status. In fact, if Federer were to win this US Open, he will be the only player, ever, to have a winning streak of 5 years in a row for two different grand slam tournaments.

However, we are reminded of the 2000 Open final when the heart favourite, Pete Sampras met the Russian, Marat Safin. Safin, like the current Murray, had never appeared in a major final but went on to beat the American son. On an odd Monday night final, will Federer make history? Or will the pang of the past repeat itself?

Harrowing

No matter if you love Federer, hate him with a passion or really couldn't care less to see his smooth strokes, you were nervous during his 4th round match against 23rd seed Igor Andreev. I didn't even watch the battle and my heart was racing! When I saw the numbers change on my double-paneled computer screen to put the Russian up 3-0 in the first set (Federer being broken in less than a minute on his first service game) all I could think was: who are you and why are you beating my buddy Roger? Of course, he's not really my buddy, but that's always the thought when he plays: he's a friend and we're rooting for him, or at least expecting him to have an easy time winning. It's very different with Nadal who is obviously, constantly, working for every point; putting forth so much energy to run down a ball when he's up 40-0. Federer coasts along and if need be throws in an ace to erase break point. It's a difference of style and it's a difference of personality. It's why each of us loves either Roger or Rafa. Not both.

Anyway, initial worries were alleviated when Federer broke back to force a first set tiebreak, but was not able to stop Igor from taking it 7-5. That's okay: losing a set in a tiebreak is respectable, and it's even somewhat dictated by luck. He'll just step up his game and win the next three straight. No fuss.

Wrong! Neither player could break and found himself at yet another tiebreak. This time Federer came out on top and made this match a best of 3. The third set was what we all were waiting (and hoping) for. The Roger we knew and loved was back, going up an easy 5-2 and then held to win the set 6-3 in just 29 minutes. It was all but over. The perfect Swiss could just ride this momentum into the fourth set to send Andreev packing. Little did he, or we, know the Russian was ready to fight. He broke Federer to go up 4-1 and then took the fourth set 6-3, to even out the score, exactly.

A fifth set. Expected from Djokovic, Murray, even Nadal - but not our Federer. Regardless, he played it perfectly, getting the early break and keeping it to win, 6-3. In retrospect, Roger claimed to enjoy being part of the "dog fight" but I suspect he just enjoyed the outcome.

Second serve? I'll take an ace, please

After sitting through a mind-numbingly boring ladies match interrupted by rain delays, all of which ended around 7:30pm, I was ready to call it a night. Exhausted from the day, I had little energy to sit through any more. I then remembered, I'm on the west coast! If a couple of guys can walk onto a court to play their 2nd round US Open match at 10:30 after a long wait, I can certainly watch. Besides, it was Roddick and Gulbis. A contest of strength was about to commence and should be over very soon: Roddick with much more experience as the obvious victor (though not at all a personal favourite). Such a game has no appeal as the idea of thrashing a ball around the tennis court is impish at best, so I wouldn't even feel guilty falling asleep in front of it. Boy, was I in for a rude awakening.

As predicted, these boys came to hit. But it was not as tiresome as I had expected. Gulbis got off to a famous start, breaking Andy in the second game and went up quickly to 3-0. The young Latvian, who apparently has learned to take fewer risks, was routinely throwing in second services aces and generating a 120-miles per hour pace off his groundstrokes. I'd love to see a match where he leaves all inhibitions behind; his opponent would never see the ball pass him by. He held the rest of the set to win it 6-3 in just 29 minutes.

Ernests continued this grand display and broke Roddick to go up 4-3 in the second set with a beautiful forehand fired cross-court. Roddick was clearly irritated as he had yet to find his game. Immediately after being broken, Andy let his own forehand sail wide and promptly punished his racquet, breaking its frame on the concrete.

While the flashy moments were not over for Gulbis, he could not prevent the starving American from turning his frustration into gold. Roddick finally broke Gulbis in the 10th game of the second set and went on to break him again to win 7-5. Andy was then on a roll, throwing in his own slew of second service aces and finding lines and corners for winners. He gained early and late breaks to win the third set 6-2. Gulbis, who had very effectively used drop shots and volleys all night, pulled out these weapons even more aggressively, but alas it was not enough and finally lost his serve to lose the fourth, and final, set 5-7.

What made this night bittersweet though was that both men shared a birthday. August 30th. When the clock struck midnight, both grew one year older (Roddick 26 and Gulbis 20) and they were within the exact middle of their match. This is the stupidity of the Open - it is completely dictated by the broadcasting networks. They try to cover it up by saying that a different energy is brought when playing under the lights, but they really just care about higher viewer numbers. No respect is shown for the players as well as, arguably, unfair advantages given to those who go out earlier in the day and so have a longer time to rest and recoup for the next match. Regardless, Andy Roddick was pleased that when they went into the next day he started "playing like a 26-year-old." Next, Andy will face Italian Andreas Seppi during a normal day-match on Sunday. Hopefully he won't be blinded by the sight of natural sunlight.

Ryler full of grace

An American lefty who has a Sampras-like touch at the net, a Federer-like backhand and an energy that feeds Arthur Ashe Stadium is a dream hard to fathom amidst the sea of power players we have today, but 24-year-old Ryler DeHeart is just that. This kid may have been taken down by the Spanish lefty, Nadal, but he showed a promise that gives hope for the future of tennis. DeHeart walked onto the biggest court he had ever seen and set up camp right behind the net. He did not choose to strike the rubber out of the tennis ball but instead, Ryler resuscitated a lovely finesse that died long ago when Edberg, McEnroe, Borg, Lendl and Sampras ended their careers. Federer was starting to bring back the soft, intelligent game and DeHeart is following suit.

Even when he was down a set, the recent college grad pushed forward and displayed moments of brilliance, bending down for beautiful half-volleys that would cross the net angled and spinning away from Rafa. He uses a smooth, one-handed backhand, accelerating his stroke just as he makes contact with the ball -- in one word: perfection.

DeHeart brings a refreshing air to the game without succumbing to the pressures to kill the ball or hover behind the baseline. For years, the court has been deprived of players running within its bounds. Finally, we're taking a few steps in.

And so it begins

While on vacation from his top ranking, Roger Federer began a quest to defend the US Open title as if it were a simple routine. Playing 118th-ranked Maximo Gonzalez, Federer quickly got things done with a 6-3, 6-0, 6-3 victory lasting merely 82 minutes. Maximo is a 25-year-old Argentine and prior to this match had a hard court record of 0-0. What a blow it must have been to see that his first, ever, hard court match would be against the man who can call Arthur Ashe Stadium a second home (his first being Centre Court, of course).

Federer was initially stalled as the Argentine showed that he was deserving of the regal stage - coming up with beautiful passing shots and aiming to paint lines. However, Gonzalez could not ride his best game to fortune and handed Federer a break to 3-5 in the first set with a dreaded double fault. From then onward Federer kicked it into the gear we are all used to seeing and dominated his opponent, winning 9 straight games. The next 26 minutes flew by and the champ was up two sets to love.

Federer then went up an early break in the third, but this served as a clear wake-up call to Max. He suddenly broke back (a feat in its own right against the master) and held his service twice. He found the skill he had exhibited in the opening of the match, but sadly it was not enough to challenge Federer, who won the match when Gonzalez sent a forehand long. After displaying brilliance, Federer is, without question, ready to hoist his trophy again.

Nadal also passed his first round test yesterday, but he did not experience the ease that Federer enjoyed. Even though he finished off qualifier Bjorn Phau in straight sets, Nadal ran about the court for three hours and was pushed to two tiebreaks. Phau proved that the fear of Nadal is not so pressing as that of Federer might be, which is a decidingly clear advantage to the Swiss, over Rafa, on their separate tracks to the final; and perhaps to one another.

Up for Grabs

With the US Open lurking just a day away, tennis fans cannot help but wonder about the final already: Will it again be a Federer-Nadal classic in the making? Will Djokovic have another, much needed, break through Slam? Can Murray make a name for himself and strike on land that is not covered with the green grass? Who knows, but this year's Open is proving to be the most unpredictable and exciting we've seen in years.

For the first time in his youthful yet illustrious career, Nadal enters a Grand Slam as the #1 seed. He has the disadvantage of never having shone at the Open, at best coming to the quarters. But he must be considered among the favourties to win. Arthur Ashe Stadium is far from Rafa's golden court, but after clinching top points of the Olympus US Open Series, a $2.6 million payout will have the 22-year-old striving for the title.

Andy Murray has all the support in the world... in the UK... during Wimbledon. However, he has had some great success on hard courts this season in the US, most notably when he defeated Nole in Cincinnati to win his first Masters Series title. The young Scot even tied for the most points of the Open Series, but was granted second place as a tiebreak record put Nadal ahead. Murray is young, powerful and hungry -- he's certainly one to watch.

The two most well-versed hard court players by far, though, are Novak Djokovic and defending champion Roger Federer. While the Serb has not been able to live up to his Australian Open performance, no player wants to see Novak on his side of the draw. Federer as well has not had his normal pristine season but is always a strong favourite to win any tournament he decides to enter, and this US Open is far from exception. Federer can still play as beautifully as ever and, probably more than any player out there, wants (and needs) this crown. It will be a shock if he does not make it to the final, after thrashing Djokovic in a semifinal rematch of last year's final. Just remember that Federer will be at the bottom of the draw so don't think he's been defeated when his is not the first name you see!

What about the Americans?! This is the US Open after all: will there be any excitement produced from the grand slew of fellows contesting on home soil? There are Andy and Blake leading the way (seeded 8 and 9, respectively) along with young sensations Isner, Kendrick, Querrey and Young, to name a few. It's hard, though, to think that any of them has even the potential to make a significant dent in the draw. Blake has been playing well and Andy did win this back in '03, but can they really pose a serious threat to the top 3 (& Murray)? Doubtful.

#2

Of course the day had to come, but it will forever be a shock to see a '2' next to Roger Federer's name. With his stranglehold on the #1 ranking for 237 consecutive weeks stripped, it is hard to notice any other drastic changes that came up below the #2 spot. However, a close look will show some shake-ups: Gonzo rose up 4 spots to #5 with his Olympic medal performance, Monfils sored up to #33 and Moya, as unpredictable as ever, fell to #41. Now, back to the juicy stuff.

Roger Federer came to the semis of the Australian Open (while suffering from mono), the finals of both Roland Garros and Wimbledon, the quarterfinals of the Olympics and took home the gold with countryman Wawrinka in doubles. And it's been a bad year. Unfortunate for Federer, he has been unable to live up to the surreal standard he, himself, has set.

The Swiss master impressed upon the world a greatness that left his admirers and opponents in sheer awe for the last 4.5 years. He has the ability, like the great Pete Sampras, to ignore the fear of double faults while tossing up a second serve, to hit a backhand passing shot with his eyes closed and to paint any baseline with ease and intent. Federer, single-handedly, challenged the rest of the pack to raise its game -- an undertaking many players have attempted, but one only a sole lad has been able to achieve. Rafael Nadal has had an unbelievable year that has culminated to sitting on top of the game as of August 18h.

While Federer came to the finals in Paris, Nadal lifted the trophy for the fourth straight year. While Federer dropped his head on his favourite court, Nadal took over the Wimbledon crown. While Federer was on a flight back home, Nadal was adorned with gold. The young Spaniard's accomplishments are in themselves remarkable, but we are raising them to a new level because of who he is facing on the other side of the net: Roger.

Beating Federer on a chance meeting is something that any player, on his best day (with a bit of luck), can achieve. Instilling in the Swiss a fear that he usually cloaks his opponents with is downright chilling. Nadal has proved himself by beating, disputably, the greatest man to pick up a racquet along with everybody else and so is deserving of the current #1 ranking. However, don't discount Federer's ability, class or will to regain the titles he lost in 2008.

Certainly this is the end of an unprecedented streak, but let's hope it is not the end of an era.