There is genius and then there is Tiger Woods.
No one was surprised to watch him come from four shots down to win the Memorial Tournament in Ohio, with a flawless final round seven-under 65.
There is the initial smirk when the news filters through. How far back was he? Only four? Really? Regulation.
We hardly noticed he was there. It was his first appearance on the USPGA tour since his final round 73 at the Players’ when he played in the final group. It has been one of those years for Tiger. He’s been good without being his exceptional best.
Given he is returning from a knee reconstruction we probably expect too much. But it is his sheer brilliance, which appears with such monotonous regularity, which leads to such expectations.
It is his second win of the year. His first came in similar fashion. Sean O’Hair’s lead on Sunday at Bay Hill back in March was five shots. Woods’ chipped away all day. O’Hair stuttered and stumbled. And the world number one, with that innate sense of occasion, jailed a 15-footer in fading light on the 18th green for birdie and victory.
In Ohio on Sunday the victory was not so much spontaneous drama as a compelling inevitability. From the moment he drained a 40-foot putt on the third for birdie you just knew. When he stiffed his tee shot at the 210-yard par-three fourth to six-feet your senses heightened.
Then on the par-five 11th he announced his charge. A brilliant three-wood second just carried fractionally too far, and faded beyond the back right edge. With his ball engulfed by the second cut, the chip shot was made even harder by the significant slope of the green and glass-like nature of the putting surface. Needing to land it like a butterfly with sore feet, and let it pick up speed towards the cup, Woods opened the face took his right hand off his club through impact, the ball floated out of the “gnarly” lie, landed perfectly and tracked into the hole for an eagle.
How often does he do it? You think of the 16th in the final round of the 2005 Masters. Even in Ohio last Wednesday, playing in a skins game with Jack Nicklaus, Kenny Perry and Stuart Cink, in a chip-off on 18 to win, he holed out. And they don’t fall in the right edge or slam into the flagstick and wedge in the cup. They drop dead centre. He is a freak, no question.
But as much as we marvel at his short-game, particularly his putting which was the feature of his win at Bay Hill, it was not the key to his success in Ohio. The old adage you drive for show, putt for dough is never truer in Tiger’s case. But this week in Ohio he put on an exhibition of driving as perfect as he has ever produced.
He hit 49 of 56 fairways for the tournament, the best percentage of the field, and on Sunday he did not miss a fairway. In stark contrast to his effort at the Players where he could not hit a fairway, which forced him into scramble mode, his perfect driving in Ohio allowed his mind to bristle. Like Da Vinci with a blank canvas and a full palette, the possibilities for Woods to plot his way around the course in the fewest shots possible are endless when he operates from the fairway. It is a privilege to watch.
The reason for his vast driving improvement is due to a slight equipment change and a technical adjustment.
He has added half a degree to his driver. Previously with a 9.5 degree loft he was hanging back on his right-side in trying to get the high trajectory he wanted from the tee box. That and a trigger happy right hip produced a plethora of block-cuts and missed fairways. In Ohio, armed with a 10 degree driver, his right hip followed rather than led, and Tiger dazzled as he fired missile after missile down the middle.
He was quiet after the eagle on 11, paring the next three. But you knew what was coming. The par-five 15th presented another opportunity. An exquisite drive left him within range. He struck a laser-like three-iron to the back of the green and made a flawless, curling, lag two-putt down the hill. He tied for the lead at 11-under.
The rest of the field was melting under the pressure. Overnight leader Mark Wilson’s three-putt double-bogey at 13 ended his tournament. Co-leader Jonathan Byrd made a hash of the 14th also making double-bogey.
As they went backwards Tiger looked to surge, although he had a mishap at 16. He took on the flag at the 198-yard par-three and his six-iron didn’t carry the front bunker protecting the target which led to a bogey.
But 17 and 18 would be his coup de grace. A gorgeous nine-iron at 17 left him nine-feet for birdie. A customary point of the finger preceded his ball rattling the bottom of the cup and the roars reverberated back down the course.
At 18, from the middle of the fairway 183-yards out, he drew a seven-iron to a foot. Superlatives fail to do it justice.
He strode up, tapped it in, removed his cap, shook tournament host and career-long lure Jack Nicklaus’ hand, and waited quietly for the trophy presentation as the rest of the players behind him tried in vein to hole from the fairway just to force a play-off.
It is the 19th time in Woods’ remarkable career he has come from behind to win. To win 19 times from in-front would be an extraordinary achievement in itself. It is his fourth Memorial title and his 67th career victory on the US Tour. When Nicklaus won his 67th title, the 1978 British Open, he was 38 years old. Tiger is just 33.
On Sunday Woods produced his A-game. If he channels that again at Bethpage Black in a fortnight’s time, a venue that has already yielded him a US Open title in 2002, a 15th major must surely be a fait accompli.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Round 11 West Coast v Geelong
Apologies for the delay. Alex Malcolm and Chris Robinson are your commentators for Sunday twilight football from Subiaco as West Coast host Geelong. The Cats begin the first leg of back to back to Perth bracketing the bye, as they look to remain undefeated against a West Coast side that has lost their last three. As per usual no need to download the files, just click on the link and press play.
Preview
1st term
2nd term
3rd term
4th term
Wrap-up
Preview
1st term
2nd term
3rd term
4th term
Wrap-up
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Greatness adorn him
As a day it was rather forgettable. Cold, windy, overcast, and occasionally wet.
As a match it failed to reach the heights of what was a fabulous Friday at the French Open, when both men’s semi finals travelled the distance of five-sets and produced two of the great semi final contests seen in modern French Open history.
As an occasion however, it belongs among tennis’ pantheon. Roger Federer finally claimed the one Grand Slam title he so desperately craved, and in doing so he achieved a list of milestones unlikely to be seen again by this generation of tennis fans.
Federer was too experienced, too classy, and simply too strong in beating Robin Soderling 6-1 7-6 6-4. In doing so he won his 14th Grand Slam title which equals the record held by Pete Sampras. He becomes the sixth player in men’s tennis history to complete the career Grand Slam, behind Fred Perry, Don Budge, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, and Andre Agassi. And it was only fitting that the latter was on hand to present the Musketeers Cup to Federer, as the Swiss maestro joined the American as the only players to have won Grand Slams on three separate surfaces.
It was amazing to see Soderling’s reaction at the trophy presentation. It’s hard to recall a happier runner-up, who felt genuinely privileged to be a part of history. In some ways it explained his performance on this day.
The 24-year-old Swede was visibly nervous. After the toss he was unaware of the pre-final ritual of posing for the cameras. Federer quietly pointed him in the right direction, as only a veteran of 18 Grand Slam finals can.
Soderling’s nerves were evident from the first point when he pulled a backhand wide. He dropped his first service game and you feared the worst. The start was always going to be crucial. Soderling had played without fear the whole tournament. Federer had lost the opening set in four of his six encounters. It had be five of seven if this was ever going to last the distance.
That never looked likely. Federer was sharp. Even several netted backhands in the opening game came out of the middle of the racquet. He held his opening service game to love, broke Soderling a second time and the first set was over in 23 minutes.
The wind was a factor. Federer used it to his advantage. Some of his drop shots were pure. He used them intelligently after he pushed Soderling onto the back foot. The Swede had dictated points throughout the tournament, standing high on the baseline and dusting the corners in his opponents half. But here he was dictated to, and you sensed he had played his final already. If not last Sunday against Rafael Nadal, then Friday against Fernando Gonzalez where he fought back from 4-1 down in the fifth set.
Soderling upped the ante in the second set, but he could not make a dent in Federer’s serve which has been his most outstanding feature during the tournament. People speak of Federer’s surgical forehand, and his breath-taking single-handed backhand but his serve is arguably his strongest weapon. When he needs it he turns to it, and it never fails. He served 16 aces and only two double faults for the match and won 85 per cent of the points when he landed his first ball.
Federer’s serve was the key to a clinical second set tiebreak which he won 7-1. The world number two’s celebration at that point was notable, Soderling slumped in his chair with his towel draped over his head no doubt sensing that ever fear he held coming in had eventuated.
It was a feeling he did not shake in the opening game of the third set. He was broken and could not return fire. Twice he had break points in the set, twice he failed. Federer had tightened in trying to close it out clearly sensing the enormity of the precipice on which he stood. He sailed a swinging forehand volley long at 30-all when serving for the match. But he pulled it together; again the glue was his serve.
One Championship point was all that was required. Federer slumped to a prayer position on his knees when the moment came, a mirror image of his first moment of major triumph at Wimbledon in 2003. The difference being this time - for the first time - when he walked to the net to shake his opponent’s hand, his knees were covered in clay.
There will be those who question the calibre of his opponent on a day that could well define him as the greatest tennis player in history. Nadal, his conqueror on not only this surface but in five Grand Slam finals in three different cities, was watching on television in Majorca. But Federer has made four French Open finals, one more than either Laver, Emerson, or Agassi, none of which reached theirs in consecutive years. The fact that he was beaten on three of those occasions by a player whom most will concede is the best clay-courter in history is irrelevant.
Federer’s achievements in the game have been unparalleled. No one can deny him his grandest moment, and arguably the grandest moment in the men’s game. He will start favourite for both Wimbledon and the US Open later this year. He needs just one for a 15th Grand Slam title. And on that day you will be hard pressed to find someone to dispute him being proclaimed as the best we have ever seen.
As a match it failed to reach the heights of what was a fabulous Friday at the French Open, when both men’s semi finals travelled the distance of five-sets and produced two of the great semi final contests seen in modern French Open history.
As an occasion however, it belongs among tennis’ pantheon. Roger Federer finally claimed the one Grand Slam title he so desperately craved, and in doing so he achieved a list of milestones unlikely to be seen again by this generation of tennis fans.
Federer was too experienced, too classy, and simply too strong in beating Robin Soderling 6-1 7-6 6-4. In doing so he won his 14th Grand Slam title which equals the record held by Pete Sampras. He becomes the sixth player in men’s tennis history to complete the career Grand Slam, behind Fred Perry, Don Budge, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, and Andre Agassi. And it was only fitting that the latter was on hand to present the Musketeers Cup to Federer, as the Swiss maestro joined the American as the only players to have won Grand Slams on three separate surfaces.
It was amazing to see Soderling’s reaction at the trophy presentation. It’s hard to recall a happier runner-up, who felt genuinely privileged to be a part of history. In some ways it explained his performance on this day.
The 24-year-old Swede was visibly nervous. After the toss he was unaware of the pre-final ritual of posing for the cameras. Federer quietly pointed him in the right direction, as only a veteran of 18 Grand Slam finals can.
Soderling’s nerves were evident from the first point when he pulled a backhand wide. He dropped his first service game and you feared the worst. The start was always going to be crucial. Soderling had played without fear the whole tournament. Federer had lost the opening set in four of his six encounters. It had be five of seven if this was ever going to last the distance.
That never looked likely. Federer was sharp. Even several netted backhands in the opening game came out of the middle of the racquet. He held his opening service game to love, broke Soderling a second time and the first set was over in 23 minutes.
The wind was a factor. Federer used it to his advantage. Some of his drop shots were pure. He used them intelligently after he pushed Soderling onto the back foot. The Swede had dictated points throughout the tournament, standing high on the baseline and dusting the corners in his opponents half. But here he was dictated to, and you sensed he had played his final already. If not last Sunday against Rafael Nadal, then Friday against Fernando Gonzalez where he fought back from 4-1 down in the fifth set.
Soderling upped the ante in the second set, but he could not make a dent in Federer’s serve which has been his most outstanding feature during the tournament. People speak of Federer’s surgical forehand, and his breath-taking single-handed backhand but his serve is arguably his strongest weapon. When he needs it he turns to it, and it never fails. He served 16 aces and only two double faults for the match and won 85 per cent of the points when he landed his first ball.
Federer’s serve was the key to a clinical second set tiebreak which he won 7-1. The world number two’s celebration at that point was notable, Soderling slumped in his chair with his towel draped over his head no doubt sensing that ever fear he held coming in had eventuated.
It was a feeling he did not shake in the opening game of the third set. He was broken and could not return fire. Twice he had break points in the set, twice he failed. Federer had tightened in trying to close it out clearly sensing the enormity of the precipice on which he stood. He sailed a swinging forehand volley long at 30-all when serving for the match. But he pulled it together; again the glue was his serve.
One Championship point was all that was required. Federer slumped to a prayer position on his knees when the moment came, a mirror image of his first moment of major triumph at Wimbledon in 2003. The difference being this time - for the first time - when he walked to the net to shake his opponent’s hand, his knees were covered in clay.
There will be those who question the calibre of his opponent on a day that could well define him as the greatest tennis player in history. Nadal, his conqueror on not only this surface but in five Grand Slam finals in three different cities, was watching on television in Majorca. But Federer has made four French Open finals, one more than either Laver, Emerson, or Agassi, none of which reached theirs in consecutive years. The fact that he was beaten on three of those occasions by a player whom most will concede is the best clay-courter in history is irrelevant.
Federer’s achievements in the game have been unparalleled. No one can deny him his grandest moment, and arguably the grandest moment in the men’s game. He will start favourite for both Wimbledon and the US Open later this year. He needs just one for a 15th Grand Slam title. And on that day you will be hard pressed to find someone to dispute him being proclaimed as the best we have ever seen.
Friday, June 5, 2009
One thrilling French Friday
It will be a fitting French Open final. Rafael Nadal’s conqueror versus Nadal’s nemesis. It is only fitting that they should vie for Nadal’s crown.
But Robin Soderling and Roger Federer are even more worthy of their places in Sunday’s final as they both outlasted their opponents to win thru in separate, five-set, semi-final epics on a Friday as good as any ever seen in Paris. Soderling fought back from the brink against Fernando Gonzalez to win 6-3 7-5 5-7 4-6 6-4, while Federer outlasted a gallant Juan Martin Del Potro 2-6 7-6 4-6 6-1 6-4.
The day began with Soderling’s fairytale continuing against Chilean 12th-seed Gonzalez. As far as ground strokes go, Gonzalez has arguably the biggest weapon in the game. His forehand blew Andy Murray off the court in their quarter final, and the match-up between he and Soderling was a mouth-watering prospect for those who prefer the lines on court Phillipe Chatrier dusted by V8 powered Blower-Vac rather than fine-tooth brush.
Soderling picked up where he left off after his systematic dismantling of Nikolay Davydenko in the quarters. He continued to flatten out his ground strokes off both wings and Gonzalez had no answers to the Swede’s consistent power and placement in the opening set.
The Chilean fought fire with fire in the second and conjured a set-point only for Soderling to fizz a bullet serve beyond his reach. Gonzalez deflated by the Swede’s composure lost his serve and without having done much wrong was contemplating a straight-sets defeat.
That contemplation was fast becoming a reality in the third. Soderling’s serve looked impenetrable throughout the opening 11 games. But in the 12th, the Swede stumbled, lost the set, and the momentum shift was both palpable and powerful.
That was until the ninth game of the fourth where it seemed the Chilean lost both the momentum as his cool. Soderling once again was deemed to clean the tram line with a backhand winner. Gonzalez first disputed the line-call with the chair umpire, then the ball mark with the linesman, before wiping the mark with his backside. It was an act of contempt that will undoubtedly land him in hot-water with French Open officials however given the extraordinary amount of emotional energy he wasted in his rant it seemed impossible that he could hold serve. Not only did he hold, he thrived, breaking Soderling immediately thereafter to send the match into a deciding fifth.
It looked over when Soderling was broken for a second-successive time. The Swede had completely lost his radar, and his fearless shot-making had been replaced by uncertainty and Gonzalez kept retrieving and counterpunching. He trailed 4-1 and the fairytale looked over, but he found something extra. His radar returned and he overpowered the Chilean with a phenomenal final thrust. The 24-year-old Swede won the last five games to progress to the final. For a man who prior to this week had never progressed to the fourth round of a Grand Slam it is an extraordinary achievement.
His opponent for Sunday was decided not in a race to the finish but rather by a war of attrition. Roger Federer needed every bit of his 13-Grand Slam wins worth of experience to overcome a 20-year-old Argentinean whose future looks grand. Del Potro has been one of the form players of the tournament and of the clay court season. He has dropped just one set the in tournament, and his place in the world’s top five is now undisputed but he will have to wait some time for an opportunity to win his first Grand-Slam title.
It didn’t look that way for much of the early stages of the day’s second semi. Del Potro, after having to save break points in his opening two service games suddenly flicked a switch and dominated the remainder of the opening set. Federer looked flustered and frustrated as he struggled with his timing and balance. But he was unfazed as he had come from behind in three of his five matches at this tournament.
Del Potro’s serve was impenetrable, and Federer was constantly under pressure on his. But once they reached the second set tie-break Federer assumed control.
But again it was a false dawn. Del Potro broke once more in the third set and the Argentinean, whom most expected to fold under the pressure against one of the world’s greatest, was suddenly looking like the winner.
Federer virtually conceded the third set before producing a trademark response in the fourth. He scraps as well as anyone. But unlike the great scrappers in Lleyton Hewitt and Nadal, Federer scraps as only he can, patiently and elegantly. He outlasted Del Potro in two interminable service games and strolled to the fifth as an overwhelming favourite.
But there was another twist. Federer broke as quickly as Del Potro broke back. Or more accurately Federer broke as slowly as Del Potro broke back. It all happened in a manner of games but those games lasted a life-time. It was last man standing tennis. And Federer was the last man standing. He eventually broke again. Ironically it came via a double-fault from the Argentinean.
Federer held his nerve, and his quest for that elusive Musketeers Cup is still alive.
He goes into Sunday’s final as a definitive favourite. He has a 9-0 record against Soderling, and the Swede had never reached the fourth round of Grand Slam prior to this week let alone a final, while Federer has made the last 20 Grand Slam semi-finals and the last four French Open finals.
Should the Swiss maestro prevail Sunday he will join Pete Sampras as the only players in history to have claimed 14 Grand Slam titles, and he will join Andre Agassi as the only other of six players to have won the career Grand Slam on three different surfaces.
There will be those who will post an asterisk next to his name, arguing he did not beat Nadal. But you can only beat who is front of you, and Soderling’s form has been simply phenomenal.
Soderling is the first Swede to reach the final since his coach Magnus Norman in 2000, and will be the looking to become the first Swede to win since Mats Wilander won for the third time in 1988.
It promises to be a classic.
But Robin Soderling and Roger Federer are even more worthy of their places in Sunday’s final as they both outlasted their opponents to win thru in separate, five-set, semi-final epics on a Friday as good as any ever seen in Paris. Soderling fought back from the brink against Fernando Gonzalez to win 6-3 7-5 5-7 4-6 6-4, while Federer outlasted a gallant Juan Martin Del Potro 2-6 7-6 4-6 6-1 6-4.
The day began with Soderling’s fairytale continuing against Chilean 12th-seed Gonzalez. As far as ground strokes go, Gonzalez has arguably the biggest weapon in the game. His forehand blew Andy Murray off the court in their quarter final, and the match-up between he and Soderling was a mouth-watering prospect for those who prefer the lines on court Phillipe Chatrier dusted by V8 powered Blower-Vac rather than fine-tooth brush.
Soderling picked up where he left off after his systematic dismantling of Nikolay Davydenko in the quarters. He continued to flatten out his ground strokes off both wings and Gonzalez had no answers to the Swede’s consistent power and placement in the opening set.
The Chilean fought fire with fire in the second and conjured a set-point only for Soderling to fizz a bullet serve beyond his reach. Gonzalez deflated by the Swede’s composure lost his serve and without having done much wrong was contemplating a straight-sets defeat.
That contemplation was fast becoming a reality in the third. Soderling’s serve looked impenetrable throughout the opening 11 games. But in the 12th, the Swede stumbled, lost the set, and the momentum shift was both palpable and powerful.
That was until the ninth game of the fourth where it seemed the Chilean lost both the momentum as his cool. Soderling once again was deemed to clean the tram line with a backhand winner. Gonzalez first disputed the line-call with the chair umpire, then the ball mark with the linesman, before wiping the mark with his backside. It was an act of contempt that will undoubtedly land him in hot-water with French Open officials however given the extraordinary amount of emotional energy he wasted in his rant it seemed impossible that he could hold serve. Not only did he hold, he thrived, breaking Soderling immediately thereafter to send the match into a deciding fifth.
It looked over when Soderling was broken for a second-successive time. The Swede had completely lost his radar, and his fearless shot-making had been replaced by uncertainty and Gonzalez kept retrieving and counterpunching. He trailed 4-1 and the fairytale looked over, but he found something extra. His radar returned and he overpowered the Chilean with a phenomenal final thrust. The 24-year-old Swede won the last five games to progress to the final. For a man who prior to this week had never progressed to the fourth round of a Grand Slam it is an extraordinary achievement.
His opponent for Sunday was decided not in a race to the finish but rather by a war of attrition. Roger Federer needed every bit of his 13-Grand Slam wins worth of experience to overcome a 20-year-old Argentinean whose future looks grand. Del Potro has been one of the form players of the tournament and of the clay court season. He has dropped just one set the in tournament, and his place in the world’s top five is now undisputed but he will have to wait some time for an opportunity to win his first Grand-Slam title.
It didn’t look that way for much of the early stages of the day’s second semi. Del Potro, after having to save break points in his opening two service games suddenly flicked a switch and dominated the remainder of the opening set. Federer looked flustered and frustrated as he struggled with his timing and balance. But he was unfazed as he had come from behind in three of his five matches at this tournament.
Del Potro’s serve was impenetrable, and Federer was constantly under pressure on his. But once they reached the second set tie-break Federer assumed control.
But again it was a false dawn. Del Potro broke once more in the third set and the Argentinean, whom most expected to fold under the pressure against one of the world’s greatest, was suddenly looking like the winner.
Federer virtually conceded the third set before producing a trademark response in the fourth. He scraps as well as anyone. But unlike the great scrappers in Lleyton Hewitt and Nadal, Federer scraps as only he can, patiently and elegantly. He outlasted Del Potro in two interminable service games and strolled to the fifth as an overwhelming favourite.
But there was another twist. Federer broke as quickly as Del Potro broke back. Or more accurately Federer broke as slowly as Del Potro broke back. It all happened in a manner of games but those games lasted a life-time. It was last man standing tennis. And Federer was the last man standing. He eventually broke again. Ironically it came via a double-fault from the Argentinean.
Federer held his nerve, and his quest for that elusive Musketeers Cup is still alive.
He goes into Sunday’s final as a definitive favourite. He has a 9-0 record against Soderling, and the Swede had never reached the fourth round of Grand Slam prior to this week let alone a final, while Federer has made the last 20 Grand Slam semi-finals and the last four French Open finals.
Should the Swiss maestro prevail Sunday he will join Pete Sampras as the only players in history to have claimed 14 Grand Slam titles, and he will join Andre Agassi as the only other of six players to have won the career Grand Slam on three different surfaces.
There will be those who will post an asterisk next to his name, arguing he did not beat Nadal. But you can only beat who is front of you, and Soderling’s form has been simply phenomenal.
Soderling is the first Swede to reach the final since his coach Magnus Norman in 2000, and will be the looking to become the first Swede to win since Mats Wilander won for the third time in 1988.
It promises to be a classic.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Federer's French quest alive, but not that well
There has never been a better chance for Roger Federer to claim the only Grand Slam he so desperately craves. Yet by no means is he making it easy for himself.
On Monday the Swiss world number two had to come from two sets to love down to beat German veteran Tommy Haas 6-7 5-7 6-4 6-0 6-2.
It is not the first time Haas has stretched Federer to five sets in the cauldron of the fourth round of a major. In 2006 the pair faced each other in an epic at Melbourne Park that lasted two minutes shy of three hours. It was tennis of the highest quality, Federer prevailing in the end after faltering when leading two sets to love.
Again he was stretched here. Except this time Federer had to come from a long way down. It is the third time he has had to come from behind in the tournament.
And as the dust settles on Nadal’s extraordinary exit at the hands of Robin Soderling, the question has to be asked, is the weight of expectation too big a burden on Federer’s shoulders?
On Monday there was an air of inevitability to his play. No player ever thinks it, and Federer has never had anything but the upmost respect for his opponents, but to the untrained eye it may have almost looked like he felt it was his God-given right to progress to the quarters to tackle a more worthy opponent.
Undoubtedly this was not the case. But he was casual. The first set just meandered along. There was no urgency from either player. Federer incredibly did not lose a point on serve until the tiebreak, where he promptly fell behind. Haas caught him napping, seized the initiative and stole the set.
Federer, as if kick-started by this violent diversion from the script cruised to a 4-2 lead in the second. But then he inexplicably tightened, was broken twice, and was suddenly facing a two-set deficit and the prospect of an exit just 24 hours after Nadal’s. The golden opportunity that had been granted would be gone as quickly as it came.
Federer quickly arrested back control from a nervous Haas, who had obviously realised the enormity of the position he had found himself in. As experienced as the 31-year-old German is, the prospect of ending Federer’s outrageous streak of 19 consecutive Grand Slam semi-final appearances would make anyone take their eye off the ball. The opportunities on Federer’s serve disappeared and the Swiss maestro found the intensity he had lacked in the opening two sets. And 16 games later it was two-sets all. Federer’s brilliant recovery had happened in the blink of an eye and Haas’ body language resembled that of a beaten man.
Haas had one more chance. Leading 2-1 on serve, the German saw a momentary sign of weakness from Federer. Leading 40-15 in the fourth game Federer should have leveled the set 2-2 with a simple swinging forehand volley. He missed by a distance that suggested it was more than an aberration. The next serve lacked venom or precision, and Haas controlled the rally until he netted a backhand that let Federer off the hook. Haas hung his head, Federer bounced to the chair. The end was nigh. Two breaks saw it end quickly but no less painfully for Haas.
Federer is not flying. He has not swept all before him in his quest for a record-equalling 14th Grand Slam, and a first Musketeers Cup that may well complete arguably the most impressive resume in tennis history.
But he is doing enough. With no Nadal in the field the threats to his quest come in reality from only two corners and even one of those is debatable. Nikolay Davydenko is a dangerous customer. Twice a French Open semi-finalist he has proven he has the capabilities of winning this title. But for Federer he holds no fears. The real threat is Scot Andy Murray, who has beaten Federer in four of five encounters in the last 12 months. However none of those meetings have been on clay and only one has come in a Grand Slam. It was the one Federer won, and it was for the US Open title.
The time is now for Federer to crown himself as tennis’ king. He is now only three matches away. And it seems his destiny is in his own hands.
On Monday the Swiss world number two had to come from two sets to love down to beat German veteran Tommy Haas 6-7 5-7 6-4 6-0 6-2.
It is not the first time Haas has stretched Federer to five sets in the cauldron of the fourth round of a major. In 2006 the pair faced each other in an epic at Melbourne Park that lasted two minutes shy of three hours. It was tennis of the highest quality, Federer prevailing in the end after faltering when leading two sets to love.
Again he was stretched here. Except this time Federer had to come from a long way down. It is the third time he has had to come from behind in the tournament.
And as the dust settles on Nadal’s extraordinary exit at the hands of Robin Soderling, the question has to be asked, is the weight of expectation too big a burden on Federer’s shoulders?
On Monday there was an air of inevitability to his play. No player ever thinks it, and Federer has never had anything but the upmost respect for his opponents, but to the untrained eye it may have almost looked like he felt it was his God-given right to progress to the quarters to tackle a more worthy opponent.
Undoubtedly this was not the case. But he was casual. The first set just meandered along. There was no urgency from either player. Federer incredibly did not lose a point on serve until the tiebreak, where he promptly fell behind. Haas caught him napping, seized the initiative and stole the set.
Federer, as if kick-started by this violent diversion from the script cruised to a 4-2 lead in the second. But then he inexplicably tightened, was broken twice, and was suddenly facing a two-set deficit and the prospect of an exit just 24 hours after Nadal’s. The golden opportunity that had been granted would be gone as quickly as it came.
Federer quickly arrested back control from a nervous Haas, who had obviously realised the enormity of the position he had found himself in. As experienced as the 31-year-old German is, the prospect of ending Federer’s outrageous streak of 19 consecutive Grand Slam semi-final appearances would make anyone take their eye off the ball. The opportunities on Federer’s serve disappeared and the Swiss maestro found the intensity he had lacked in the opening two sets. And 16 games later it was two-sets all. Federer’s brilliant recovery had happened in the blink of an eye and Haas’ body language resembled that of a beaten man.
Haas had one more chance. Leading 2-1 on serve, the German saw a momentary sign of weakness from Federer. Leading 40-15 in the fourth game Federer should have leveled the set 2-2 with a simple swinging forehand volley. He missed by a distance that suggested it was more than an aberration. The next serve lacked venom or precision, and Haas controlled the rally until he netted a backhand that let Federer off the hook. Haas hung his head, Federer bounced to the chair. The end was nigh. Two breaks saw it end quickly but no less painfully for Haas.
Federer is not flying. He has not swept all before him in his quest for a record-equalling 14th Grand Slam, and a first Musketeers Cup that may well complete arguably the most impressive resume in tennis history.
But he is doing enough. With no Nadal in the field the threats to his quest come in reality from only two corners and even one of those is debatable. Nikolay Davydenko is a dangerous customer. Twice a French Open semi-finalist he has proven he has the capabilities of winning this title. But for Federer he holds no fears. The real threat is Scot Andy Murray, who has beaten Federer in four of five encounters in the last 12 months. However none of those meetings have been on clay and only one has come in a Grand Slam. It was the one Federer won, and it was for the US Open title.
The time is now for Federer to crown himself as tennis’ king. He is now only three matches away. And it seems his destiny is in his own hands.
King Rafa dethroned
The king is dead.
It is hard to believe the day has come. Rafael Nadal has been beaten at the French Open. He has owned this tournament since his first appearance in 2005. He had won four consecutive titles. He possesses the longest winning streak at the tournament of 31 consecutive matches, more than any other player in either men’s or women’s history.
It was simply one of the most remarkable streaks in sport. And it wasn’t that he had just won all of those matches, he had dominated them. It did not look like ending either, particular after the flogging he handed Lleyton Hewitt in the third round. Nadal had never been stretched to five sets at Roland Garros. He still hasn’t as Robin Soderling, a 24-year-old Swede who had never been past the third round at a Grand Slam, claimed the biggest upset in French Open history winning 6-2 6-7 6-4 7-6.
It had to happen at some stage. Few expected it to be now. And if it were to happen many would have predicted a five-set slog against one of the big four or perhaps a clay-court specialist but no one would have guessed Soderling.
The Swede’s highest world ranking is 15, in January of this year, and he is currently ranked 25. He has seven professional victories, four in ATP 250 Series events, essentially third tier tour stops, and three on the challenger circuit. In comparative terms to Nadal he is a lightweight. Yet in beating the Spaniard he played like a giant.
Nadal was never allowed to settle. Soderling played aggressively and was willing to take risks. The result was that the Swede dictated the points. This is not unusual. Nadal is often on the defensive against the likes of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray. The key to the Spaniard’s brilliance on clay is his ability to counterpunch. He scrambles from deep behind the baseline forcing his opponent to go for more and more and eventually make an error. Or alternatively, with a half-opportunity Nadal will make the most breathtaking counterattack with one powerful backhand before running around to the forehand side and fizzing away a winner.
On Sunday none of this eventuated. Soderling drove harder and harder. Soderling did make 59 unforced errors. Numbers, the like of which we’ve seen from Federer against Nadal, that would suggest a loss. But he made an incredible 61 winners. The majority of which cleaned the dusty lines on court Phillipe Chatrier. Soderling flattened out his forehand and stretched Nadal to limits he has never had to strive for. Likewise, the power generated off Soderling’s two-handed backhand simply blew the Spaniard away.
For as well as Soderling played, Nadal played every bit as poorly. He looked bedraggled and unsettled. The normally steely resolve that adorns his face was replaced by an expression of confused amazement as more and more returns missed the mark. His balance was also awry as he lost his feet on several occasions, a rare sight for Nadal fans, and his normally surgical-like forehand instead resembled that of a butcher.
But Nadal still scrapped, as is customary. After he lost the third set to trail two sets to one, you felt Soderling’s most important moment of the match was his first service game of the fourth. Sure enough Nadal broke him easily. Most fans watching on television would have been looking for a fast-forward button as a salivating fifth set loomed. But Soderling broke straight back and continued to hit the corners as he controlled the remainder of the set and the tie-breaker. It is undoubtedly the biggest win of the Swede’s career, and the worst loss of Nadal’s.
But the ramifications for the tournament are far greater. Nadal was $1.40 favourite at the start of the tournament, unheard of in Grand Slam tennis. Now the tournament is wide open. Novak Djokovic’s departure in the third round, which preceded Nadal’s failure, means only Federer and Andy Roddick remain as Grand Slam winners in the field.
Federer will never get a better chance to win the one Grand Slam title that has eluded him. Nadal has been his kryptonite, not only on the Parisian clay but also in the last two Grand Slam finals they have opposed each other at Wimbledon and Melbourne Park. His performances against Jose Acasuso and Paul Henri-Mathieu were hardly convincing but he would be a warm favourite with both bookies and punters. Soderling may have given the Swiss maestro the opportunity to stake his claim as the greatest of all-time.
The world number three Andy Murray has quietly gone about his business. His draw has opened up and his form on clay suggests he is a major threat.
Another threat may come from Russian Nikolay Davydenko, who dusted another left-handed Spaniard Fernando Verdasco on the same day Nadal fell. Davydenko has twice reached the semis at the French Open and is in the kind of form that makes him a genuine contender.
Other chances may come from South Americans Juan Martin del Potro and Fernando Gonzalez. Gonzalez, a Chilean, met Federer in the 2007 Australian Open final, whilst the Argentinean Del Potro is the world number five and one of the form players at present.
And you can’t discount local hopes Jo Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils, two enigmatic Frenchman with outstanding weaponry to boot.
And what of Soderling? Given the way he played against the best clay-courter of all-time suggests the championship could well be within his reach.
Nadal’s exit, as shocking as it is, has set up a fascinating French Open.
It is hard to believe the day has come. Rafael Nadal has been beaten at the French Open. He has owned this tournament since his first appearance in 2005. He had won four consecutive titles. He possesses the longest winning streak at the tournament of 31 consecutive matches, more than any other player in either men’s or women’s history.
It was simply one of the most remarkable streaks in sport. And it wasn’t that he had just won all of those matches, he had dominated them. It did not look like ending either, particular after the flogging he handed Lleyton Hewitt in the third round. Nadal had never been stretched to five sets at Roland Garros. He still hasn’t as Robin Soderling, a 24-year-old Swede who had never been past the third round at a Grand Slam, claimed the biggest upset in French Open history winning 6-2 6-7 6-4 7-6.
It had to happen at some stage. Few expected it to be now. And if it were to happen many would have predicted a five-set slog against one of the big four or perhaps a clay-court specialist but no one would have guessed Soderling.
The Swede’s highest world ranking is 15, in January of this year, and he is currently ranked 25. He has seven professional victories, four in ATP 250 Series events, essentially third tier tour stops, and three on the challenger circuit. In comparative terms to Nadal he is a lightweight. Yet in beating the Spaniard he played like a giant.
Nadal was never allowed to settle. Soderling played aggressively and was willing to take risks. The result was that the Swede dictated the points. This is not unusual. Nadal is often on the defensive against the likes of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray. The key to the Spaniard’s brilliance on clay is his ability to counterpunch. He scrambles from deep behind the baseline forcing his opponent to go for more and more and eventually make an error. Or alternatively, with a half-opportunity Nadal will make the most breathtaking counterattack with one powerful backhand before running around to the forehand side and fizzing away a winner.
On Sunday none of this eventuated. Soderling drove harder and harder. Soderling did make 59 unforced errors. Numbers, the like of which we’ve seen from Federer against Nadal, that would suggest a loss. But he made an incredible 61 winners. The majority of which cleaned the dusty lines on court Phillipe Chatrier. Soderling flattened out his forehand and stretched Nadal to limits he has never had to strive for. Likewise, the power generated off Soderling’s two-handed backhand simply blew the Spaniard away.
For as well as Soderling played, Nadal played every bit as poorly. He looked bedraggled and unsettled. The normally steely resolve that adorns his face was replaced by an expression of confused amazement as more and more returns missed the mark. His balance was also awry as he lost his feet on several occasions, a rare sight for Nadal fans, and his normally surgical-like forehand instead resembled that of a butcher.
But Nadal still scrapped, as is customary. After he lost the third set to trail two sets to one, you felt Soderling’s most important moment of the match was his first service game of the fourth. Sure enough Nadal broke him easily. Most fans watching on television would have been looking for a fast-forward button as a salivating fifth set loomed. But Soderling broke straight back and continued to hit the corners as he controlled the remainder of the set and the tie-breaker. It is undoubtedly the biggest win of the Swede’s career, and the worst loss of Nadal’s.
But the ramifications for the tournament are far greater. Nadal was $1.40 favourite at the start of the tournament, unheard of in Grand Slam tennis. Now the tournament is wide open. Novak Djokovic’s departure in the third round, which preceded Nadal’s failure, means only Federer and Andy Roddick remain as Grand Slam winners in the field.
Federer will never get a better chance to win the one Grand Slam title that has eluded him. Nadal has been his kryptonite, not only on the Parisian clay but also in the last two Grand Slam finals they have opposed each other at Wimbledon and Melbourne Park. His performances against Jose Acasuso and Paul Henri-Mathieu were hardly convincing but he would be a warm favourite with both bookies and punters. Soderling may have given the Swiss maestro the opportunity to stake his claim as the greatest of all-time.
The world number three Andy Murray has quietly gone about his business. His draw has opened up and his form on clay suggests he is a major threat.
Another threat may come from Russian Nikolay Davydenko, who dusted another left-handed Spaniard Fernando Verdasco on the same day Nadal fell. Davydenko has twice reached the semis at the French Open and is in the kind of form that makes him a genuine contender.
Other chances may come from South Americans Juan Martin del Potro and Fernando Gonzalez. Gonzalez, a Chilean, met Federer in the 2007 Australian Open final, whilst the Argentinean Del Potro is the world number five and one of the form players at present.
And you can’t discount local hopes Jo Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils, two enigmatic Frenchman with outstanding weaponry to boot.
And what of Soderling? Given the way he played against the best clay-courter of all-time suggests the championship could well be within his reach.
Nadal’s exit, as shocking as it is, has set up a fascinating French Open.
Round 10 2009 Collingwood v Port Adelaide
Alex Malcolm and Chris Robinson are your commentators for Sunday twilight football from the MCG as Collingwood hosted Port Adelaide. Both sides have really battle for consistency in 2009 and as they head towards the half-way mark this match looms as a season defining moment.
A blistering third term burst by the Magpies is undoubtedly the pick of this week's listening. No need to download the files, just click on the links and press play.
Preview
1st term
2nd term
3rd term
4th term
Wrap up
A blistering third term burst by the Magpies is undoubtedly the pick of this week's listening. No need to download the files, just click on the links and press play.
Preview
1st term
2nd term
3rd term
4th term
Wrap up
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