A less than 100% Novak Djokovic faced the one opponent he’s struggled to defeat in Grand Slam matches, Stan Wawrinka, in yesterday’s 2016 US Open final, and the crafty Wawrinka once again rode a strong backhand to victory over the world #1. Wawrinka prevailed 6-7 6-4 7-5 6-3 as he played some clutch tennis on the key points of the match, and Djokovic simply couldn’t maintain any semblance of momentum after taking the first set. The average set time was long, at an hour a set.
Djokovic got off to a hot start with an early break, although he gave up that break and needed a tiebreak to take the set. Wawrinka fired back though, he broke Djokovic twice in the second and third sets, break once more after Djokovic clawed back from early breaks he conceded. The Swiss went up two sets to one and after claiming an early break in the 4th, and dealing with Djokovic taking a medical timeout, the Swiss was steely on serve and took home his third career grand slam in resounding fashion.
Wawrinka has just one career Masters title, but now has 3 grand slams, and the veteran has surpassed Federer as the clear Swiss #1 now. Djokovic didn’t appear to be healthy or fit all tournament, and Wawrinka overcome any concerns about his fatigue and form to take advantage once again of an opportunity against Djokovic. Novak always seems to bring the best out in him.
After #2 Andy Murray was dumped out thanks to the heroics of Kei Nishikori, Wawrinka saw his draw open up, and he thumped the Japanese #1 in the semifinals to reach the final. Gael Monfils came out of the other side of the draw to reach the semis but was poor against a vulnerable Djokovic, and gave up his early hopes of an upset. Monfils had beaten Lucas Pouille in the quarterfinals after the young Frenchman played the match of his life to defeat Rafael Nadal in a five set match.
Wawrinka had to save a match point against Daniel Evans in round 3, where he looked like he might be exiting the tournament. He also beat Fernando Verdasco and Alessandro Giannessi in week 1. Juan Martin Del Potro was his imposing quarterfinal opponent, and altough he dropped a set, he won the match anyway, something that is true of all his matches since he faced Evans, including the 4th rounder against Illya Marchenko.
Djokovic had a sleep walkers draw, he got retirements/walkovers against Jiri Vesely, Mikhail Youzhny, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Jerzy Janowicz took a set in round 1 but was not a difficult opponent, and Kyle Edmund also rolled over to the world #1 in round 4. Still, that lack of match time by the time he reached the final may have haunted Djokovic, as his game was far from its peak.
Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares beat Pablo Carreno Busta and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez to win the Doubles title. The re-emergence of Wawrinka, and a healthy Nadal, Del Potro, and Nishikori still bode well for a player outside of Murray being able to test Djokovic this fall heading into the World Tour finals in London.
2016 ATP Geneva Preview and Predictions Steen Kirby, Tennis Atlantic
The final tune ups for the 2016 French Open will take place this week as the ATP has clay court 250 stops in Geneva, Switzerland, and Nice, France. Here is a preview of year 2 for the ATP Geneva Open.
Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open
ATP World Tour 250
Geneva, Switzerland
May 15-21, 2016
Surface: Clay
Prize Money: €499,645
Top 4 seeds (who all receive first round byes)
1: Stan Wawrinka (4)
2: David Ferrer (9)
3: Marin Cilic (11)
4: John Isner (16)
Geneva features a strong field for a 250 level tournament, the top players are all in the top 20.
Former top 10 player Janko Tipsarevic is playing just his third tournament of the season after a limited 2015 season where he struggled mightily. Tipsarevic hasn’t had a full season on tour since 2013 and he’d love to just gain some confidence in this match against the solid clay courter Delbonis. The Argentine has reached the semifinals in his last two clay court tournaments, and also has a title on clay this season, so he should advance rather easily into the next round.
(8)Sam Querrey vs. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez
Querrey has never lost to Garcia-Lopez (5-0, all matches on hard court). On clay, GGL is likely a slight favorite, but he’s underperformed thus far on the dirt, posting a semifinal, and a pair of quarterfinals as his best showings, all of those results coming in 250 level tournaments. Querrey reached the quarterfinals in Houston, and the third round in Madrid, showing he’s clearly improved his game on clay. The American could pull off a minor upset in this one and advance into the next round.
Top Half:
A struggling Stan Wawrinka badly needs to find form, and confidence, as he takes to the courts in Geneva just a week away from defending his French Open title at Roland Garros. Wawrinka is just 1-2 in his last three matches on clay, and 3-3 overall on the surface this year, a miserable showing for a top 5 player. The Swiss favorite is likely to contend with the Spanish top spinner Albert Ramos in his first match, presuming Ramos dumps out Teymuraz Gabashvili for his fifth loss in a row. Ramos hasn’t been fantastic by any standard this season, and thus Wawrinka likely advances, but he could tumble out early if his poor play continues.
Philipp Kohlschreiber is who I have toppling Wawrinka in the quarterfinals, the German opens with Inigo Cervantes, with either Pablo Carreno Busta or a qualifier to follow. Cervantes qualified in Rome, then promptly lost to Kohlschreiber, who went on to run into Rafael Nadal in his next match. Kohlschreiber was a semifinalist in Barcelona, and won Munich. He’s a steady veteran who will give it his best in this tune up tournament. PCB was a finalist in Estoril and can’t be counted out as well, the Spaniard is aiming to climb into the top 40, but I have Kohlschreiber winning, and then getting his first win over Wawrinka (0-4 h2h) in the quarterfinals. Wawrinka slipped past Kohlschreiber in Monte Carlo this year on clay in a close two set match.
Americans John Isner and Steve Johnson are the surprising seeds at a clay court tournament in Europe. Isner will face Lukas Rosol or a qualifier, while Johnson opens with the veteran Mikhail Youzhny, and Andrey Kuznetsov/Dudi Sela on deck. Isner is playing for the first time on European clay this season. He was a semifinalist in Houston and I do have him defeating a struggling Rosol/qualifier to reach the quarterfinals. Rosol is ranked outside the top 70 and has been losing even challenger matches on clay as of late.
Johnson is unlikely to make it that far, as Kuznetsov is the favorite in this section. Johnson’s first opponent Youzhny is 3-4 on clay as of late , while Johnson is 0-3. Kuznetsov, a quarterfinalist in Barcelona, should defeat Sela, who much prefers hard courts, and in fact comes off a challenger hard court final. I have Kuznetsov over Youzhny, and then Kuznetsov over Isner for a spot in the semifinals. The Russian should have the highest motivation for points, and a better clay court game than others in this section.
Bottom Half:
David Ferrer is just 8-4 on clay this year, and is almost certain to end up with more losses this season than last on the surface. The Spaniard is still a top 10 player though, and at 34 he’s still going to fight to hold onto his now precarious ranking. Ferrer lost in the round of 16 at both of the clay court Masters this year but he should dispatch a struggling Denis Istomin/qualifier, and Querrey/Garcia-Lopez in the quarters. The Querrey/GGL winner gets a qualifier or Rajeev Ram, who is poor on clay, in round 2. I have Ferrer over Garcia-Lopez for a spot in the semis.
Marin Cilic and Federico Delbonis are likely to compete for the remaining semifinal spot, unless defending champion Thomaz Bellucci can recapture the form of last season and defeat both Mikhail Kukushkin, and Delbonis (or Tipsarevic) for a spot in the quarterfinals. Bellucci did snap a poor run of form to reach the third round in Rome, and he’ll be the favorite over Rome qualifier Kukushkin, who went on to reach the second round there. Delbonis should beat them both though, while Cilic, playing on clay for the first time this year, is still the favorite against either Ernests Gulbis or Ricardas Berankis. The erratic Gulbis qualified in Rome, but he’s still far from his best. I have Delbonis over Cilic simply because the Croatian lacks the body of work on clay this season.
I have the Russian, who has had a breakthrough season in 2016, reaching the semifinals, and he could even walk away with his first ever ATP title if he plays some of his best tennis of the season. This young gun should continue his rise up the rankings this week.
Predictions
Semis Kohlschreiber d. Kuznetsov
Ferrer d. Delbonis
Kohlschreiber is 3-0 on clay against Kuznetsov, Ferrer is 2-0 against Delbonis, and thus they should be favorites for the final.
Final Kohlschreiber d. Ferrer
Ferrer has never lost to Kohlschreiber on clay, but with his game slumping a bit, I have Peppo capitalizing and winning the title.
Life On Tour with Conny Perrin: March 2015 “My Reality Of Life To The World” Conny Perrin, Tennis Atlantic
For Her March Update, Conny wanted to share this free-writing piece that she wrote from her heart, we hope you enjoy!.-The Editors
Have you create a life for yourself where you are free to discover all your sweetest and darkest fantasies? I have, I’m beautifully broken in my own way, free & blessed because I think that life is a beautiful – sad adventure that needs to be discovered to the fullest, just so you can learn & try to be a better person day by day along the way & simply just grow. I’m blessed to feel everything so very deeply, to give & receive LOVE without any expectations. I’m just very passionate about emotions, perfectly imperfect beautiful souls, this amazing fucked up world we are living in & just so in love with this interesting thing called LIFE, I’m just mad to live. I’m also addicted to the wild side of it from time to time, wouldn’t be able to survive without it, cause life gets way too boring without a touch of “danger”. When I say danger, I don’t mean it as an auto destructive one, I mean it in a good way with BALANCE & CONTROL. That’s also I guess a protection for the things & people that aren’t meant to be or that aren’t really on the same page as me & my own reality, but I will always respect them as they are, their opinions & choices, cause remember hate isn’t healthy sweetie.
I think it makes totally sense, because have you ever heard about the word BALANCE? I think life is all about it, without this powerful value, I think you can never truly find the peace of mind, which goes together with HAPPINESS & this important quality will make you able to stay stronger, clearer & wiser when some unfortunate series of events happen along the way. Which will always be cause as we all know, you can’t control everything in life, u just never know. I was wondering, what is actually good or bad in this life? Well, I think it all depends about our own reality, experiences & only you know it, because at the end everybody is different, even though some people have similarities of course & I think that’s where chemistry grows.
Have you ever heard about the word CHEMISTRY? This weird but beautiful power that connect us all in different ways. Some in a friendly way without benefits, some more deeply with benefits, passionate & deep love but still with a touch of FREEDOM. Unfortunately too less souls are able to feel that kind of connection, most of them get too emotionally involved or get hurt while losing their balance. The sad part even if you have been honest to them from the very beginning, so I think only those who can truly deal the right way with their emotions & usually the beautiful broken ones are able to do so. But at the end, I think HONESTY is one of the most respectful value you can have & whatever happens always being honest is a sign of maturity, ststrengthor yourself & others, because I know what it feels like to be hurt or suffer for any kind of reasons & that’s also why I value it a lot. If people hurt themselves because they can’t really deal with their emotions, that’s different as long you have been real & true to them, it’s the most important & it will not have any bad impact on your conscience, if you are honest to the world.
Then there is the complete opposite those that u will be unable to connect, even with all the efforts in the world & then there is the very few ones with this magnetic connection that I call true love. To me true love still needs to have a touch of freedom & just being able to be perfectly imperfect together, cause life is just too short to be stuck in a cage for someone, to be someone that u are not or to live as a sheep for the rest of your life, that surely isn’t true love to me. I also think that no love is twice the same, that’s why I wanna believe in forever, even though forever seems scary & beautiful at the same time, forever is still a paradox to me, because I think our needs change along the way & we should just be able to deal with it the right way to keep this special fire burning between two souls, which isn’t always easy, but surely possible & worth it.
I simply just think that the SOUL doesn’t lie, the soul is true, you should feel, be blessed & cherish for the ones that you truly go along with, as you should respect the ones that you don’t. I just think that this life is too beautiful & short, as it is too cruel sometimes to be unlived & that’s what make the beauty of it, so don’t wait until an unfortunate series of events happen to realize it. We all know that sometimes life doesn’t always go the way we want it to, but that’s what makes everything so interesting & it might be too late to realize it, so just fuck it, make mistakes, get back up, learn, grow & just LIVE!
I’m surely not the only one who thinks like that, but unfortunately too less people do & I think they are just affraid to break the routine, afraid of the new or maybe they fear life too much? I don’t really know, but if they just knew… And tell me what does it cost to explore the new, the mysteries? But hold on, I guess they think I’m insane to think that way which is ok for me, because that’s what make us so different from one another, but that’s also why this world will never really change for the better, because people are just affraid of the new & their own life. Remember, the ones who are mad to live are usually the ones who are crazy enough to change the world, but at the end we all know that they will not even be noticed, remembered or maybe yes as “BLACK SHEEPS”. But at the end is it wrong to be different?
I don’t think so, I really don’t think so for me it is a gift & I go along with it, with the strive to always get better in every way of my personal life & the right people around me. Because what you call the “BLACK SHEEPS” or the “CRAZY ONES” are usually the strongest most sensitive people with a heart of gold who has an understanding for life due their past scars, which make them vulnerable & who usually hide the deepest secrets. Isn’t it fascinating to carry a beautiful broken soul? I think it’s very special & the people who will understand you, take you as you are will bring the best out of you, those are the ones to be blessed for & to cherish cause those are the right ones. They think & love similar in many ways, while the rest can’t really figure out who you truly are & at the end it doesn’t really matter because remember the soul doesn’t lie, the soul is true & it will carry you to the ones who will light your path.-Conny Perrin
An interview with @Conny_Perrin from ITFGlasgow Niall Clarke, Tennis Atlantic
During my time in Glasgow I met and caught up with our own Conny Perrin. I managed to get her thoughts on a few things including her career, ambitions and influences.
WTA Professional Conny Perrin
How are you enjoying your stay in Glasgow so far? “It’s my third time here, so I have already been here before. I really like the venue, it’s near the hotel and the city, so you can do lots of things outside of tennis and find ways to have fun. Also the organisation is really good, so I am very happy to be back here.”
What would you say is your career highlight thus far? “I played a few years a go in Birmingham at WTA level. It was my first time on grass, so I didn’t expect much, but I qualified for the main draw. It was very nice to be there and take part. Other moments I would say when you have important matches and win, but I enjoy every part of tennis so I am really happy.”
What is your main goal for the 2015 season? “My goal is to play at Roland Garros and make qualification there. I am currently ranked around 270, and need to be around 210, so that’s the goal I focus on at the moment with my team. My long term aim is to make the top 100 at some point however.”
I read that you idolise Stan Wawrinka. Can you explain how he has influenced you so far? ” He is a very hard worker and very dedicated, so for me he’s a great inspiration and a great player to watch.”
So how did you feel when he won the Australian Open in 2014? “I was so happy for him, and how hard he has worked it’s such a great feeling. He deserved to win it.”
What other players have you taken inspiration from? “I love Serena Williams. In every way as a player and person, she is very impressive and strong. So definitely Serena.”
Do you prefer to play singles or doubles? “I love singles, because you have to find a way by yourself. I love to compete and finding a way to win, so it’s an amazing feeling as a player. I also really love doubles when you find the right partner, because you can have fun and you are not alone all the time, so it’s a great mix to play both.”
What areas of your game would you like to improve the most? “I actually have a pretty complete game, sometimes it’s difficult to pick a specific area. But I can improve everywhere in my game, and my team are working very hard on that because there are always areas you can improve.”
How are you finding writing your blogs for Tennis Atlantic?
“It is really interesting, because I also like to write. It’s great to share my experiences with people, because many don’t understand what life on tour is like for someone in my position. I also like to write for myself, because I think about stuff I won’t think normally, so it’s great to get it down and make things clearer to myself too.”
Any thoughts on the recent Australian Open tournament? “For the women’s final, it was amazing to see Serena win again. She is so strong mentally and physically, so she is really tough to compete against her. Maria played a great match, because she hung in there and tried her best, but Serena was just too strong in the end.
For the men’s, I really like Novak Djokovic as he’s good player and personality for the sport. But personally I would have liked to see Andy Murray win because of his partnership with Amelie Mauresmo. They have been working hard, so I think Andy would have deserved it. There aren’t many women coaches on tour, so it’s nice to see women can do a great job too. As for the match itself, I feel the first two sets were very good, but Djokovic is just a step better and he was better physically and mentally, so he deserved it.”
Thank you again to Conny for participating in this wonderful interview with our on site journalist in Glasgow, Niall Clarke!
