For the second day in a row, rain disrupted the proceedings at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic. But this afternoon, even that was insufficient for top seed and wildcard Gael Monfils to prevail. Unseeded Radek Stepanek bested Monfils 6-4,6-4 to win this ATP 500 tournament, the biggest prize of his career.

With a record of 5-2 against Stepanek, Monfils seemed in good stead to become the first Frenchman to triumph in the nation’s capital since Arnaud Clement beat Andy Murray in 2006.

For his part, Stepanek was on a quest to end his nation’s 29 year drought at this venue. Petr Korda, Stepanek’s coach, was the last victorious Czech in 1992.

The preamble to a disastrous afternoon for Monfils came in his initial service game. Monfils had two successive double faults despite holding.

Subsequent to guarding serve, Stepanek struck a backhand crosscourt winner for break point. When Monfils dumped a forehand into the net, Stepanek took a 2-1 lead.

In trying to consolidate, Stepanek went down 0-30. However, Monfils obliged with a sleuth of errors to allow the Czech to consolidate for a 3-1 advantage.

Later with Stepanek serving, the skies opened up and a thunderous downpour followed. Once Stepanek returned and completed the game for 4-2, showers came anew.

When play resumed, Monfils appeared more willing to fight and comfortably maintained serve. Yet despite Stepanek’s horrendous 30 percent first serve, Monfils could not capitalize on his second serve.

With Monfils stuck ten feet beyond the baseline and his returns falling short, an aggressive Stepanek proficient at volleying thrived at the net. Consequently, Stepanek easily bedded the first set.

For Monfils, the following set was a duplicate of the previous one. With a backhand volley winner, Stepanek had break point in the initial game. With Monfils’ forehand crosscourt pass finding the net, Stepanek converted.

Next, with an emphatic love game punctuated by his maiden ace, Stepanek raced to a 2-0 lead.

At times, Monfils uncorked his frustration on his racket. The crowd did it’s utmost to lift the Frenchman, however, without success. Despite losing solely two points his subsequent four service games, Monfils could not fabricate a single break point.

Stepanek’s first serve percentage picked up slightly this set at 46, winning 12 out of 12 points. With Monfils’ return not clearing the net, Stepanek had triple championship points.

When Monfils flubbed a backhand, Stepanek claimed his first title since San Jose in 2009. He also became the second oldest titlist. Jimmy Connors hoisted the trophy in 1988 at age 35.

With yesterday’s semifinals completed in the wee hours of the morning, Monfils did not go to sleep until four. Thus, the Frenchman felt the lack of rest made him “a fraction of a step slower. . . [so I] caught the returns late”.

Monfils admitted that Stepanek was “better than me today. . . He returned pretty deep and fast. . .then reached the net very fast. So it was hard to play my game”.

Because of the narrow preparation window, MiamiTennisNews.com asked Monfils if he had any indication that he would not be at his peak while in practice. Monfils said “No. I had a good warm-up. . .I think I played good, but sometimes, the other guy plays better”.

With this defeat, Monfils’ record in finals is now 3-11. Considering he’s such a gifted and talented individual, the questions is why.

Monfils responded “my first [three] finals [were] impossible. . .I lost to [Roger] Federer, he was [ranked] number one, [Ivan] Ljubicic was number three and [Andy] Roddick number two. So, you can forget [those]. . . To be honest, I’m unlucky. Last year in the finals, I twisted my ankle. Today, I finished at 1:15 a.m.”.

In his prior rounds, Monfils was willing to venture to the net quite a bit. A couple days ago Monfils was asked by MiamiTennisNews.com whether his coach was working on making him more offensive.

Monfils answered “ I try , but sometimes, I need more confidence. . .I’m a good worker when I try to approach the net, but sometimes I don’t feel it. So I need to keep working on that”. Today there were only four visits to the forecourt.

To celebrate his victory, Stepanek did ‘the worm’ on the court. He explained “I do it when I win tournaments”. At age 32, this victory is confirmation for Stepanek after “coming back from a lot of injuries with [self-belief] and hard work”, he can still compete with the ‘young guns’.

Stepanek’s plan was to be offensive from the initial stroke “I wanted to be in control of the match. . .be the boss on court. . .I wanted to have the match in my hands. . .I was right to come to the net because that’s my game”.
Stepanek is the senior of the ATP top 100 rankings. Prior to today, Juan Carlos Ferrero at 31 was the only person around that age to bank a title. Stepanek was asked about players winning titles at that age “we are like fine wine, the older we get, the better we are. . .Age doesn’t matter, it depends on how your [body] feels”.

On Monday, Stepanek’s ranking will improve from 54 to around 30. His goal is to keep progressing as the U.S. Open nears.

At number 7, Monfils is at the highest ranking of his career. His best showing at a major was the 2008 French Open semifinals. A few days ago, MiamiTennisNews.com inquired from the Frenchman what it will take to get to a final.

Monfils answered “ I have to have confidence in myself, have a stronger belief. . . I’m a believer, but to reach the real top, I have to believe more. [For instance], now I’m practicing two hours, I need to increase by 30 minutes more. Even though it’s hard. . . I know I have the potential but sometimes, I forget. I say to myself this guy is playing good. I have to remind myself I’m playing good also. I show too much respect to my opponent. Maybe I need to be more selfish as well.

There’s no truer testament to that statement than his performance today.

No room for dispute, 2010 was a banner year for Rafael Nadal.  The Spaniard captured three majors, regained the world number one ranking and completed the career grand slam.  As such, Nadal’s domination left no ambiguity as to who was the most outstanding player in 2010.  With the year at a close, here’s a snapshot of the stories which caught the headlines this foregone season.

After a slow start, Nadal found his footing on clay with his first calendar title at the Monte-Carlo Masters.  Subsequent to banking titles at the Masters in Rome and Madrid, Nadal culminated his clay campaign with his fifth big prize at Roland Garros.  At Wimbledon, the Spaniard defended his 2008 title to seize his second major at the All England Club.  Finally, at U.S. Open, with troublesome obstacles removed from his half of the draw,  Nadal reached his first final in New York.  Nadal stared down a strong challenge from Novak Djokovic to hoist his first U.S. Open trophy.  With a total of seven titles, Nadal topped his peers in 2010.

For Roger Federer, this year was a mixed bag.  After grabbing his sixteenth major in Australia, Federer had a fourth round loss at the Sony Ericsson Open to Tomas Berdych which sent him into a tailspin.  As defending champion at the French Open, Federer was beaten in the quarterfinals by Robin Soderling which ended an unprecedented streak of twenty-three consecutive semifinals at the majors.  Furthermore, defending champ Federer was ousted in the quarterfinals by Berdych at Wimbledon.  In fact, Federer’s ranking dropped to number three, his lowest since November 2003.  Yet, with his second title of the season at the Cincinnati Masters, Federer seemed again on the right road.  However, Federer failed to take advantage of match points in the U.S. Open semifinals against Djokovic and went down in flames.  After the New York fiasco, Federer resurfaced with a fresh coach, Paul Annacone, and won three of four finals including the ATP World Tour finals where he toppled Nadal.

The Australian Open appeared a turning point for Andy Murray.  Easily handled in the final by Federer, Murray could do nothing right with the racket for a while. Eventually at Wimbledon, Murray advanced to the semifinals only to be disappointed by Nadal.  With the defense of his title at the Rogers Cup, Murray seemed to be back.  But, another setback occurred at the U.S. Open where Murray was stunned in the third round by Stanislas Wawrinka.  In besting Federer in the Shanghai Masters final, Murray looked to be heading for a strong finish.  Yet, at the ATP World Tour Finals, Murray took another  downturn.  This was emblematic of the Scot’s tumultuous year which included a rupture with coach Miles Maclagan, a brief ceding of the world number four spot to Soderling and only two titles.

With solely two titles and a U.S. Open final appearance, Djokovic had a so-so year.  The Serb even ascended to number two for a bit, but finished at number three.  While individual success was sparse, Djokovic led his country to its first Davis Cup title.  Along with countryman Viktor Troicki, Djokovic mounted a brilliant comeback to stop France from a tenth trophy.

For the second consecutive year, Soderling earned a place in the final at Roland Garros.  Last year, by shocking Nadal in the round of 16, Soderling stamped his name into tennis trivia.  This time around though there was no surprise as Nadal exacted sweet revenge.  In the Paris Masters final, Soderling vanquished Gael Monfils for his biggest career title.  A few weeks later, Soderling announced that coach Magnus Norman and he were splitting up because the former wanted to dedicate more time to his family.  Thus, it will be interesting to see how Soderling will fare without the man who spearheaded his rise.

Despite no titles, 2010 was a breakthrough season for Berdych.  After a finalist showing at the Sony Ericsson Open, Berdych made it to the semifinals at Roland Garros.  Moreover, Berdych booked his first slot in the final of a major at Wimbledon.  Consequently feeling the weight of expectation, Berdych crashed in the first round at the U.S. Open and had a mediocre finish to his season.  With his highest career ranking at number six, Berdych will have to prove in 2011 that he was not a flash in the pants but the real deal.

At 28, David Ferrer, a former world number four, shot up from a ranking of 17 at season’s start to number 7 at year’s end.  The hardworking Spaniard claimed two titles and participated in the year ending championships in London.  Although compatriot Fernando Verdasco also terminated the season with two titles and as the world number nine, he missed out on the final dance.  Furthermore, unlike 2009, Verdasco performed poorly at the majors with a single quarterfinal showing at the U.S. Open.

With his triumph at the Sony Ericsson Open, Andy Roddick seemed to put all the elements together for a push to another final at a major.  But Roddick hit a low following a gut wrenching loss to Yen-Hsun Lu ranked 82nd in the Wimbledon round of 16.  Later, Roddick had an early departure in Washington.  As a result, for the first time since 1973, no American male was ranked in the top ten in singles.  Shortly thereafter, tests revealed Roddick was on the tail end of a bout of mononucleosis.  At the ATP World Tour Finals, Roddick was a shell of what he had been when the season began.

Several other veterans stood up in 2010.  Mikhail Youzhny demonstrated he still had game at the age of 28 with two titles.  The Russian was a quarterfinalist at Roland Garros, a semifinalist at the U.S. Open and ended the year as the world number ten.  At 29, Jurgen Melzer reached his first career major semifinal at Roland Garros and had his best ranking at eleven.  Besides, Melzer and Philipp Petzschener won their first doubles major at Wimbledon.  Following hip surgery, with a title at the Legg Mason Classic, David Nalbandian proved once again he was a force.  Michael Llodra equaled his career high ranking of 23 and was essential to France’s run to the final of the Davis Cup.  In the final at Indian Wells, 31 year old Ivan Ljubicic upended Roddick for his tenth and loftiest career prize.

As a result of a wrist injury in the early months, Juan Martin Del Potro went from a potent threat to Nadal and Federer to being unable to defend his U.S. Open title.  After the Australian Open, Del Potro had surgery and needed months to recuperate.  Del Potro returned in October and played just two tournaments with prompt exits.  Thus, Del Potro the world number four last year finds his ranking in the cellar at 258 this month.

At Wimbledon, John Isner and Nicolas Mahut made history with the longest match ever.  In a first round match lasting 11 hours and 5 minutes over two days, Isner emerged as the winner edging Mahut 70-68 in the fifth set.  However, the next round, Isner was drained and went away in straight sets.

Carlos Moya, the 1998 French Open champion and former world number one, succumbed to age and a body which would not cooperate despite his desire to continue.  This November, Moya retired at 34 after winning twenty titles.

In doubles, Mike and Bob Bryan dominated with an unblemished record in finals at 11 including the Australian and U. S. Open titles.  Also, the two became the winningest team in doubles surpassing the previous mark set by Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde at 61. In addition, the Bryan brothers finished at number one ahead of Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic.  Despite seven titles, amongst them the French Open and the ATP World Tour Finals, Zimonjic and Nestor decided to part ways at season’s end.

In conclusion, with the 2011 season just around the corner, there are a horde of interesting questions on fanatics’ mind.  Can Nadal accomplish the calendar grand slam?  Will Federer win another major or will 16 be all he wrote?  Moreover, can Federer wrestle the number one ranking from his nemesis?  Will Murray terminate the British drought at the majors?  Who will be the breakout star of this new season ?  Will Del Potro be healthy again and climb back to where he was in 2009?  With the Australian Open less than three weeks away, some of these answers will be come soon enough.

The initial week at the U.S. Open is complete and the men’s field has been scaled down to sixteen players.  Two names missing from the roll call are Andy Roddick and Andy Murray.  These two touted favorites were upset early on. Here’s a summary of the past seven days and an analysis of what could unfold the next few rounds.

While Rafael Nadal barely passed his pre-tournament exams in Toronto and Cincinnati, in his first three matches at the Open, the Spaniard gets an A plus.  Despite being tested, with a beefed up first serve to the tune of 130 miles per hour at times, Nadal has dispatched each adversary in three sets.  In the fourth round, Nadal will face compatriot Feliciano Lopez.  With Nadal’s 5-2 record against his fellow citizen, Lopez is likely the subsequent sacrificial lamb.

After surviving a five set tussle in the first round against Fabio Fognini ranked 86th, Fernando Verdasco is in the round of 16 and will take on David Ferrer, the tenth seed.  Although Verdasco has a 6-4 edge in their encounters, Ferrer prevailed at their last meeting on clay and at their only battle on hardcourt in 2004.  David Nalbandian, one of the few players who could have troubled Nadal, was easily given his marching orders by Verdasco in the third round.

Also in the top section of the draw, seventh seed Tomas Berdych was surprised in the first round by Michael Llodra.  However, the jaw dropper came today with  Murray, the 2008 finalist and fourth seed, dismissed by Stanislas Wawrinka in the third round. The Swiss advanced for the third occasion to the fourth round in New York.   Wawrinka will meet Sam Querrey for a spot in the quarterfinals.  Consequently, for Querrey, this is the ideal scenario to book his maiden quarterfinal berth at a major.

The Spaniards have ruled and Tommy Robredo made sure to partake in the round of 16 festivities. With John Isner beaten by Mikhail Youzhny in the third round, Robredo and the Russian will fight for a place in the quarterfinals.

Another American  propelled into the limelight this week was eighteen year old Ryan Harrison.  After coming through three rounds of qualifying, Harrison stunned Ivan Ljubicic, the fifteenth seed, in the first round.  Furthermore, Harrison was one point from a win in a fifth set tiebreaker in the second round.  Harrison became the first American teen to vanquish a top twenty player at a major since Roddick in 2001 also at this event.

With Murray done and dusted, Verdasco, Lopez, Ferrer, Wawrinka, Querrey, Robredo and Youzhny are the survivors in the top half of the draw.  Nadal has a record of 48 victories and 9 defeats against the guys left .  Thus, one can effectively write Nadal’s name on the final’s program.  As the axiom says, “one never knows for whom he works”.

Following a routine debut match, Roddick was toppled in the second round by Janko Tipsarevic.  As such, Roddick’s quest for a second major will be delayed another year.  With Roddick taking leave, a formidable hindrance to Novak Djokovic was removed in the bottom half of the draw.

After a near exit in the first round against Victor Troicki, Djokovic cleaned up his act to reach the fourth round against Mardy Fish.  The American had a strange five set, first round match whereby he lost one game in the three sets he carried.  In the third round, Fish escaped again, wrapping up the win in five sets against veteran Arnaud Clement who shocked Marcos Baghdatis in the first round.  Fish will be in search of his initial victory against Djokovic in five attempts.  With the wave Fish has been riding recently, it’s a feasible goal.

In the second round, sixth seed Nikolay Davydenko fell to Richard Gasquet. With his most successful showing at a major since 2008, Gasquet is now into the fourth round and will collide with fellow Frenchman Gael Monfils.  In contrast to Monfils whose play has had many highs as well as lows, Gasquet bounced his adversaries in three sets.  Hence, if Gasquet continues to be consistent, he has an excellent shot at making the quarterfinals.

In the same section, Marin Cilic, the eleventh seed, ran into Kei Nishikori in the second round.  Cilic was worn out by his opponent and the heat.  Yet, an injured Nishikori retired the subsequent round giving Albert Montanes safe passage.

Robin Soderling progressed to the fourth round after getting through the first round in five sets.  Since then, Soderling has been flawless and faces Montanes in the fourth round.  Thus, for Soderling, a quarterfinal meeting with Roger Federer appears almost certain.

Compared to Nadal, Federer has not been pushed and has readily reached the round of 16.  Federer will confront Jurgen Melzer whom he knocked out in their sole career meeting at Wimbledon two months ago.  For the five time champion, the real work will start with Soderling his likely quarterfinal counterpart.

With Roddick and Murray gone, it’s time to recalibrate.  In the top half of the draw, Nadal appears to be holding all the aces and seems a shoo-in for his first final in the Big Apple.  The singular brainteaser is who will be on the other side of the net on that day.  If Federer maintains the form he has demonstrated of late, in spite of the difficulties which Soderling or Djokovic could present in the quarterfinals or semifinals respectively, he should solve them.  In that case, there will be a Nadal-Federer final with the latter having a high chance of bagging his seventeenth major.  To the contrary, Soderling, Djokovic or Fish will be the one standing between Nadal and the career grand slam.  Under those circumstances, the Spaniard would be sitting pretty and hoisting his first U.S. Open trophy.

The first week of play has come to a conclusion at the French Open.  While Andy Murray, the fourth seed, going out in the fourth round to Tomas Berdych was a shock.  The biggest eye popper was David Ferrer, the ninth seed, a definite threat to Rafael Nadal in the bottom half, being ousted in the third round in three sets by Jurgen Melzer.  With both Roger Federer and Nadal methodically working through their sections, the possibility of a final between these two is very much alive.

Despite stumbling at times, Federer, the defending champion, has pulled through all four matches in straight sets.  Robyn Soderling, the 2009 finalist, has played steady ball.  Soderling had no difficulty with Albert Montanes in the third round nor Marin Cilic in the fourth round.  Now, Soderling faces Federer in the quarterfinals and will get the opportunity to seek revenge for last year’s defeat.  Although Federer has an ATP 12-0 record against him, Soderling prevailed in an exhibition in Abu Dhabi this January.  Therefore, Soderling will not be intimidated.

The French will have to wait for their homegrown champion yet another year.  In the first round, Richard Gasquet went down to Murray in a thrilling five setter. Then, in the second round, Gael Monfils was sent packing in a marathon two day drama.  Lastly, in the fourth round, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was compelled to retire against Mikhail Youzhny due to a back injury.  Youzhny battles Berdych as the other quarterfinalist in the top half of the draw.

In the bottom half, after outlasting Mardy Fish in a five set brawl, Ivan Ljubicic could not withstand another assault from 22 year old Thomaz Bellucci.  Yet, in reaching the fourth round for the first time at a major, Bellucci’s prize is Nadal.

At the start of the tournament, Americans with authentic possibilities were likely Andy Roddick, John Isner and Sam Querrey.  The greatest hope was for Isner and Querrey, the latter had prevailed over the former in the finals in Serbia.  With no prior clay court competition, for Roddick, it was going to be an uphill battle to make it deep into the draw.  In the third round, Roddick was outplayed by qualifier Teimuraz Gabashvili and went out in straight sets.  Similarly, in the third round, Berdych expedited Isner.  Still, there is a Stars and Stripes bearer into the second week, he is Bobby Ginepri ranked 98th.  After beating Querrey in the first round, Ginepri outfoxed former champion Juan Carlos Ferrero in the third round.  In the fourth round, Ginepri battles Novak Djokovic.  Djokovic has not been performing at his peak, needing four sets in the first round against Evgeny Korolev, had a tough second round match versus Kei Nishikori and another four setter against Victor Hanescu.  If that pattern continues, Ginepri has a good shot at an upset.

Speaking of not being sharp, Fernando Verdasco is in need of a tune-up.  Verdasco had to claw his way out of trouble in the third round against Philipp Kohlschreiber.  In the fourth round, Verdasco meets countryman Nicolas Almagro who has been impressive thus far.  Thus, Almagro will be a challenge for the seventh seed as he attempts to reach his first quarterfinal in Paris.

For Federer, there’s something else at stake other than the trophy.  This past week, he collected his 700th career victory.  Moreover, in Paris, by getting to the semifinals, Federer has the opportunity to equal Pete Sampras’ record, at 286, of most weeks at number one.  However, should Federer be dethroned prior to that stage, he could surrender that coveted spot to Nadal.  As one who is acutely aware of his place in the history of the game and takes pride in possessing the top ranking, one has the sense that such a factor will motivate Federer to the point of assuring that he sees Nadal on that final Sunday.

Like pack-man, Nadal has been systematically gobbling up the field.  Bellucci and Nadal have played only once, ironically at Roland Garros in 2008.  Since then, Bellucci’s game has matured a great deal.  Perhaps  as an un-jaded commodity, he could be an obstacle for Nadal.  Still, his prospects look bleak.  Considering Nadal’s record against the rest of the field, when all is said, the ball appears squarely in his corner to carry his fifth French Open.

The recipient of the Sony Ericsson Open men’s trophy will be decided this afternoon as Andy Roddick and Tomas Berdych clash in the finals.  That will be followed by the WTA doubles final.

The winner in Brisbane, this is Roddick’s fourth final of the year.  However, in his first ATP 1000 Masters’  final in Indian Wells, Roddick was disappointed by Ivan Ljubicic.  The victor in Miami in 2004, Roddick will attempt to capture his second championship in South Florida.  If Roddick succeeds, it will be his first Masters’  title since 2006 in Cincinnati and the 29th of his career.

After prevailing over Roger Federer, Fernando Verdasco and Robin Soderling to advance to the finals, Berdych tries to put the cherry on this spectacular run with his first title of the year.  Moreover, Berdych is in his first ATP Masters 1000  final since 2005 in Paris where he was triumphant.  In contrast to Roddick, not only is this Berdych’s first final of the year,  he is trying to collect  his 6th career title.  The Czech is 2-5 lifetime versus Roddick and has already lost twice to him in 2010.  While Berdych has a record of  5-4 in finals, Roddick is 28-19.  With the prior wins and the vast differential in experience, Roddick is the clear favorite.

The tournament ends with the women’s doubles with the new team of Samantha Stosur and Nadia Petrova, seeded 3rd, taking on the duo of Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta.  For Stosur and Petrova, this is their second consecutive final, they were defeated two weeks ago in Indian Wells.  In 2006-07, Stosur won the championship with Lisa Raymond and in 2004 Petrova carried it with partner Megan Shaughnessy.  Petrova and Stosur have a combined 40 doubles titles. For Dulko and Pennetta, this is their initial final at the Sony Ericsson Open.  In addition, that tandem possesses a total of 15 trophies.  Again, because of their wealth of experience,  the 3rd seed have a distinct advantage.

Here is the order of play :

STADIUM start 1:00 PM
[16] T Berdych (CZE) vs [6] A Roddick (USA) – ATP SINGLES FINAL
[3] N Petrova (RUS) / S Stosur (AUS) vs G Dulko (ARG) / F Pennetta (ITA) – WTA DOUBLES FINAL

When Berdych sent a forehand wide following a great return in the initial game of the match, Soderling had break point. However, with a series of booming serves including an ace on game point, Berdych held.  Similarly, Soderling had a comfortable game his first time out.  But, on his second trip, Soderling was pushed to deuce.  Nevertheless, with a forehand winner, Soderling pocketed the game for 2 all. Yet down at 2-3, Soderling made two errors; then, with a forehand up the line winner, Berdych gave himself triple break point.  When Soderling dumped a backhand into the net, Berdych moved ahead 4-2.  After easily consolidating, Berdych broke Soderling at love for the second successive occasion to terminate the set.

Up to this juncture, Soderling had two primary problems, a low first serve percentage and too many errors, particularly with his main weapon, the forehand.  Yet, despite being blown off the court the first set, Soderling’s body language was positive.  In the first game of the second set, when Berdych committed an error serving at 30-0, Soderling pumped his fist.  That attitude at least helped Soderling out of a tight spot in the second game.  As a result of a double fault, Soderling stared at double break point.  Although with difficulty, Soderling carried the game for 1 all.  Then for the first time in the match, by forcing a couple of mistakes on Berdych’s serve, Soderling had 0-30.  Still, with Soderling incapable of finding a decent return rhythm, Berdych inched in front 2-1.  The next game, when Soderling’s forehand up the line missed its mark, Berdych had break point. Luckily, Soderling came up with the answers, erasing a total of two break points to equalize things at 2 all.  However, serving at 2-3, Soderling’s forehand up the line miscue resulted in a break point for Berdych.  Unable to find the range with another forehand, Soderling handed Berdych a 4-2 advantage.  After Berdych consolidated quickly for 5-2, he pressured Soderling into a caravan of errors to arrive at match point.  Then, with a return winner, Berdych ended the match and claimed the remaining final spot.

After his tremendous victory, MiamiTennisNews.com wanted to know how Berdych was able impose his will on the match:

Q.  The last two times you met Robin, one was in Sunrise in a challenger series here, and [the other in] Kuala Lumpur.  He pretty much beat you handily.  How did you change your game plan or tactics today?
BERDYCH:  Yeah, I mean, it was I would say pretty simple.  Both of those matches he was playing really aggressive[ly] and I was just . . . waiting for some mistakes or something and giv[ing] him too much time to just do on the court whatever he want[ed].  So, this time I just need[ed] to play more aggressive. . .  Step a little bit more into the court, try to play faster and a little longer shots against him, and just not give him too much time.  Then all the errors can come.  That’s what happened today.  I was serving pretty [well] today.  But, I would say really [the] key point was in the first game when I was break point down. . . Maybe if . . .  he took [that game] and start[ed] really strong, the match could be different.  It wasn’t, so I’m happy for that.

Berdych had two mentally depleting three set matches.  The first was in the round of 16 where he came through against Roger Federer, then in the quarterfinals versus Fernando Verdasco.  In those pressure situations previously, Berdych has been known to push the self-eject/panic button.  Therefore, MiamiTennisNews.com asked:

Q.  Do you feel like your success lately has been due to your mental attitude, that it’s been more positive than in the past?

BERDYCH:  Yes, of course.  That’s really important thing. . .  But, you know, this thing is tough to be improving . . . in [a] couple of weeks, [or] months . This is really [a] thing that [as] you just get older, you just get more experience.  All those things together can help you with this. Of course, trying to work [at] it.  I’m very happy that it works, and I hope that it can be just better and better.  That’s what I need.

Not only is this Berdych’s first Masters final in Miami, it is his first since 2005 ATP Masters in Paris where he captured his sole Masters’ shield by defeating Ivan Ljubicic.

In the finals on Sunday, Berdych plays Roddick against whom he has a 2-5 record. These players have meet twice this year, in the semifinals in Brisbane and the quarterfinals in San Jose with Roddick being the victor both times.

Whilst rain had been forecasted in Miami at the Sony Ericsson Open on Friday, what was unexpected was Novak Djokovic’s second round departure.  Olivier Rochus ousted the world number two 6-2,6-7,6-4.  Simultaneously on court 1, Caroline Wozniacki, the women’s number two, was on the verge of an early exit herself.  However, Wozniacki survived against Tsvetana Pironkova 3-6,6-3,6-4.

Rochus broke in the opening game.  After consolidating, Olivier placed a beautiful backhand down the line winner to set up triple break point.  Rochus converted a second break when Djokovic’s backhand sailed long.  After erasing a break point and extending his lead to 5-1, Rochus closed out the set his next time out.

In the second set, Rochus again obtained triple break point and with a backhand down the line winner took a 3-2 lead.  But, Djokovic got back on even terms promptly breaking the next game.  The set went to a tiebreaker where Rochus got ahead early on.  Yet, Djokovic weathered the storm and stole the set.

The decisive set, after holding serve, Rochus was gifted a double fault by Djokovic and broke for 2-1.  Then, by donating to his opponent a couple of errors, Rochus lost his edge. Soon though, Rochus worked his way to double break point and capitalized when Djokovic’s forehand traveled long. Later on, Rochus fought off a break point and stretched his advantage to 4-1.  After failing to secure the insurance break, serving at 5-3, Rochus committed a string of errors allowing Djokovic to stay in the match.  Still, with miscues by Djokovic, Rochus manufactured break point/match point.  Olivier pocketed the match when another Novak forehand went astray.

After the match, MiamiTennisNews inquired:
Q.  Were you having problems breathing on the court?  Looked like the conditions were a little bit heavy out there.
DJOKOVIC:  Yeah, it was a bit humid, but, you know, he was making me run a lot so points were really long.  That was exhausting.

Q.  You’ve been playing a lot of tennis.  Are you thinking of maybe rescheduling for the clay season?
DJOKOVIC:  I don’t know.  I will have more time now I guess to rest and prepare well for clay.

On to the ladies, after dropping the first set to Pironkova, Wozniacki was behind in the second set.  The world number two battled back and captured the break for 5-3.  Subsequently, Wozniacki held to push the match to a third set.

In the ultimate set, Pironkova got a break early on and consolidated for 3-0.  After finally getting on the board, Wozniacki earned triple break point and converted.  Later at 3 all, Wozniacki took a go ahead break for 4-3.  However, Pironkova fought back to 4 a piece.  But, a resilient Wozniacki manufactured another break point and put herself in front 5-4 when Pironkova’s forehand up the line sailed long.  Then, on her third match point, as a forehand from Pironkova landed wide, Wozniacki punched her ticket into the third round.

With the rain backlog, Kim Clijsters’ match originally scheduled on stadium court was bounced to an outer court.  Regardless, for Clijsters, it turned out to be a practice session with a 6-1,6-1 thumping of Petra Kvitova.  Like Clijsters, Vera Zvonareva put on a clinic against Melanie Oudin 6-1, 6-2. Maria Kirilenko crawled out of a 5-2 deficit in the third set against Melinda Czink to pilfer the match in the tiebreaker.  After losing the first set, Lucie Safarova seized the second set tiebreaker then rolled over Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 4-6.7-6,6-2.  Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the 22nd seed, continues to impress; the youngster beat Tamira Paszek  7-6,4-6,6-3 for a third round berth.   Before the rain came, Victoria Azarenka, the defending champion, had a 6-3,6-2 victory over Alexandra Dulgheru. Jelena Jankovic, Dominika Cibulkova, Elena Vesnina and Shahar Peer were straight sets winners.  Samatha Stosur was pushed to a third set by Carla Suarez Navarro and made it through.

Elena Dementieva, the 5th seed, suffered her 11th defeat to Justine Henin 6-3,6-2. Alisa Kleybanova, the 24th seed, fell to Sara Errani 6-4,7-5 while Jie Zheng, seeded 20th, was upset by Virginie Razzano in straight sets.  For Alize Cornet, it was another disappointing tournament with an early ousting, this time by Francesca Schiavone.  Schiavone prevailed 6-3,6-2.  After being on the road six weeks and some heartbreaking losses, Cornet’s 2010 record is now 6-9.

MiamiTennisNews wanted to know about Cornet’s state of mind:

Q. You look physically tired, are you also mentally tired?
CORNET:  Maybe a little, it’s already many weeks that I’m away from home.  I have not cut back in terms of training and I am someone who trains a lot usually. I rarely give myself time off, days of rest. I am becoming cognizant that I should take resting a little more seriously and from time to time award myself a day off. However, I think it’s difficult with long stretches of tournaments as such.

Djokovic was followed on stadium court by Rafael Nadal.  In no time, Nadal dispatched Taylor Dent 6-4,6-3.  Andy Roddick and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had a no drama night with straight set wins over their opponents Igor Andreev and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez respectively.  Ivan Ljubicic, the champion at Indian Wells last week, was forced to retire against Benjamin Becker after carrying the first set and the first game in the second due to a back injury.  It was a tough day for the American males with Sam Querrey and James Blake going down after winning their first sets to Jeremy Chardy and Thomas Bellucci respectively. But, John Isner avoided the upset with a 7-6,2-6,7-6 victory over Michael Russell.  David Nalbandian, Ivo Karlovic, Juan Carlos Ferrero, David Ferrer, Tommy Robredo, Nicolas Almagro and Phillip Kohlschreiber advanced.

The last time Ivan Ljubicic played in the finals of an ATP Masters’ series event, the year was 2006.  Back then, Ljubicic, the 6th best player in the world, lost to Roger Federer at the Sony Ericsson Open.  Today, 31 year old Ljubicic clashed with world number eight, Andy Roddick, for the trophy at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.  The Croat, ranked 26th, validated the axiom that age is just a number in defeating his younger counterpart 7-6, 7-6 to earn the biggest title of his career and his first Masters’ shield.

With a backhand down the line error by Roddick, Ljubicic had triple break point to open the match.  However, Roddick used his serve to wipe out these opportunities.  After the two men held serve the next two games, Roddick enticed Ljubicic into three consecutive mistakes for triple break point.  The Croat returned the favor by blotting out the deficits with a few big serves of his own.  Serving at 4-5, Ljubicic wasted game point with a couple of untimely mistakes.  Then, with an overhead winner by Roddick, Ljubicic faced break/set point.  But, packing plenty of heat on his serves, Ljubicic held.  Ultimately, the set moved to a tiebreaker.  Ljubicic jumped ahead by a mini-break as Roddick surrendered the first point.  Next, with a backhand down the line winner and by coming up with the response to Roddick’s great defensive moves, Ljubicic extended his lead to 3-0.  Later, when Roddick misfired on a forehand crosscourt pass, Ljubicic had double set point.  With a forehand crosscourt pass winner, Ljubicic locked up the initial set.

Ljubicic picked up where he left off with a comfortable hold to start the second set.  Roddick duplicated with an easy game himself.  The key for each man was connecting on first serves.  In the rallies, Ljubicic did his best to expose Roddick’s weaker wing, the backhand, while Andy tried to force a bunch of forehand blunders from Ivan.  Still, when it mattered, each competitor always found the answer to the question asked.  For instance, with Ljubicic serving at 4 all, a forehand error and his first double fault put him in a 0-30 pickle.  However, with a backhand down the line winner and an unreturnable serve, Ivan leveled the game at 30 all.  Subsequently, with two big serves, Ljubicic procured game point.  Although Ivan had to erase two break points, by reaching a top speed of 141 mph with his serve, he secured the game for 5-4.  With each person cruising on serve the last three games, a tiebreaker was again played.

Showing his 31 year old reflexes are still sharp, Ljubicic won the volley battle with a backhand down the line winner to capture a mini-break for 2-1.  Afterwards, with two aces, Ivan stretched his lead to 4-1.  With Roddick netting a forehand, Ljubicic had a second mini-break for 5-1.  As Roddick failed to connect with the backhand down the line, Ljubicic had triple championship point.  After double faulting the first time, on his third attempt, Ljubicic placed a strong serve which produced the error from Roddick.  With that, the Croat pocketed his first Masters’ trophy.

For Ljubicic, it was indeed an extraordinary week.  After defeating world number two Novak Djokovic in the fourth round, Ljubicic stared down world number three Rafael Nadal in the semifinals in three sets.  Since Roddick come up empty today, the drought for the American continues in the desert.  Michael Chang was the last native to conquer Indian Wells in 1997.

A class act even in defeat, Roddick mentioned that last season there were rumors circulating that Ljubicic was on the verge of retirement.  Andy stated that it’s good to see that this was simply noise because “we would have lost a hell of a player”.  Despite this difficult loss, Roddick still maintained his sense of humor.  To the new owner of the tournament, Roddick conveyed the players’ gratitude in supporting the sport, “let us know if you need some money”.  With this such a popular venue with the athletes, the American was certain that the competitors and the crowd would be willing to dig in their pockets to keep the event up and running if finances were ever an issue.  The new champion had also some kind words for his opponent.  Ljubicic cited “ I get my inspiration to play from you Andy since I see how hard you work”.  While content with the result today, Ljubicic was already looking to the future saying “ if I’m fit, I will be here next year to defend my title”.  After such a remarkable run, it’s comforting to know that retirement is not in Ljubicic’s current plans.

The final was played over two days because of rain.  On Saturday, after cruising along on serve, Djokovic hit a bump.  Following errors by Djokovic, with a forehand swing volley winner, Youzhny had breakpoint.  The Russian converted when Djokovic’s forehand landed wide.  However, after Novak erased a game point with a forehand winner for deuce, Mikhail dumped the next two strokes into the net leveling the set at 3 all. Subsequent to a routine hold, Djokovic earned double break point with a forehand crosscourt winner.  When Youzhny netted a backhand, Djokovic took a  5-3 lead.  However, serving for the set, Djokovic started with two miscues for 0-30.  After producing a beautiful forehand up the line winner in a seemingly never-ending point which Youzhny had multiple opportunities to take; a fatigued Djokovic double faulted to stare at double break point.  Courtesy of another error by Novak, Mikhail obtained the break to get back on serve.  Serving to push the set to a tiebreaker, Youzhny sent a backhand long to go down break point.  Then, the Russian misfired on a forehand volley to give Djokovic the set.

After Djokovic carried a rain interrupted first game, he capitalized on a error filled game by Mikhail to jump ahead 2-0. With Djokovic trying to consolidate, at 30-15, the match was postponed due to heavy downpour.

Today when the players returned, Djokovic promptly took a 3-0 edge. Although arduous, Youzhny maintained serve for 3-1.  Sleeping on it did Youzhny well.  After Djokovic began his game with a double fault, Youzhny produced a forehand up the line winner for double break point.  The Russian got back on serve by crushing a backhand down the line. Despite struggling, Youzhny squared the set at 3 a piece. Serving at 3-4, Youzhny fought off break point to hold. The next game, Djokovic double faulted to donate a break point.  With an overhead winner, Youzhny took a 5-4 advantage causing an angry Djokovic to destroy a racket.  However serving for the set and ahead 30-15, after a backhand crosscourt pass winner by Djokovic, Youzhny committed two straight errors which permitted Djokovic to break back.  Unfazed however, Youzhny baited Djokovic into errors and broke at love.  Then, with a love service game, Youzhny send the match into a third set.

With a forehand long from Djokovic, Youzhny had break point in the first game.  But, Djokovic refused to surrender another point and held for 1-0.  Then, gifted a couple errors by Youzhny, Djokovic had two break points.  With a strong forehand up the line, Djokovic got the backhand mistake from Youzhny for 2-0 and quickly consolidated for 3-0.  Yet, just as in the last set, the fifth game proved crucial.  As Djokovic served at 3-1, after multiple break opportunities, Youzhny scratched the deficit by enticing his rival into two straight forehand errors.  Later, at 3 all, Youzhny arrived at double break point when Djokovic netted a forehand volley.  Yet, Djokovic was saved by a string of  errors from Youzhny.  Perhaps with the previous game still on his mind, Youzhny floated another forehand long to give Djokovic two break chances.  Djokovic went on to seize the break for 5-3.  Afterwards, with a strong service game, Djokovic captured the championship.

Andy Murray, the third seed, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the fifth seed, fell to Janko Tipsarevic and Ivan Ljubicic in the second round respectively.  Nikolay Davydenko, the fourth seed, retired in the third round after losing the first set to Michael Berrer. Also, Marin Cilic, world number ten, was defeated in the quarters.  Roger Federer withdrew prior to the event’s start with an illness. Despite all these obstacles being eliminated early on, this was by no means a slam-dunk for the world number two.

After a routine first round win, Djokovic had to come back from a set down in each of the next rounds.  In fact, in the semifinals Novak was in a set and a break hole against Marcos Baghdatis before turning the match around.  Besides Federer from 2003-05, Djokovic is only the second person to defend his title in Dubai.

Apparently, the change bug bit not only the WTA but also the ATP. With the sports’ global appeal on the rise particularly in Asia, the ATP decided the time had come for a major overhaul. Moreover, concerns over the inordinate number of retirements and withdraws from events prompted the organization to revisit its rules in order to combat that particular virus.

Here are a couple of key modifications that will be in play in 2009:

1) The ATP Masters series will be renamed Masters “1000” keeping in line with the number of ranking points at stake. The next tier of tournaments will be called “500” and “250” also reflecting the points to be rewarded.

2) Masters “1000” will consist of nine cities and the year-end tournament. It will be compulsory for the top players to participate in eight out of the nine tournaments. Also, there will be 11 “500” events to which players will be forced to commit for a minimum of four years.

3) This should be pegged the ‘play to get paid’ rule. Word of honor will no longer be the measure of a player’s health; a medical panel will decide the validity of an injury. If a player is deemed fit to compete, he will be subject to suspension and depending on his ranking monetary penalty will apply including revenue sharing loss.

To heighten tennis’ visibility, the ATP plans to pour millions into constructing new stadiums worldwide while revamping others. Further, it wants to increase its viewing audience by picking up more broadcasting rights. Moreover, the ATP retooled its calendar applying, whenever possible, the successful format of the U.S. Open series whereby a group of tournaments leads up to the grand prize of the majors’ crown.

Yet, there appears to be some fuzziness as to how the new system functions. A major detail that remains nebulous is the value that the majors will be awarded. How many ranking points will a U.S Open or Wimbledon trophy be worth? Moreover, controversy has arisen over the new policies. American Andy Roddick has vociferously denounced the new calendar as player unfriendly. Roddick feels it will be abusive, requiring an eleven-month commitment from the players. Also, he fears that it will augment the possibility of injury. On the other hand, player and ATP board member Ivan Ljubicic praised the revised rules as favorable for the game in general and the fans in particular. Only time will tell which player is right.

To attempt to decode the new rules click here, to read the press release issued by the ATP on August 28, 2008.  To take a closer look at the 2009 ATP calendar simply click here.