Left field

Roddick leads movement for ATP change

By Martyn Herman 

Andy Roddick on Friday insisted that tennis players must adopt “one voice” to push through changes to the ATP Tour but that may not be as easy as it seems despite the general feeling of solidarity.

Pity Brad Drewett, the new chief executive of the men’s Tour, who has the job of trying to keep everyone happy, grand slam champions, journeymen, tournament organisers, sponsors and TV.

The moment he took over the reins the spectre of a player boycott has returned.

A meeting involving hundreds if players took place on the eve of the Australian Open and although talk of a walkout from Melbourne was aired it did not come to fruition.

But there is clearly dissent in the ranks, and Drewett is the man tasked with damping down what could become a firestorm in the men’s game.

Djokovic and Kvitova lead European charge

Few things in sport can be sweeter than lifting the Wimbledon trophy, as Novak Djokovic and Petra Kvitova found out on Saturday and Sunday.

Djokovic even took a shining to the hallowed Wimbledon turf, describing his post-win snack as “well kept”, but in all seriousness the Serb is winning fans left right and centre and on Monday will be confirmed as world number one for the first time.

New era? His Mum thought so, but the battler that is Rafa Nadal won’t give up without a fight, and whereas Roger Federer is approaching 30 and is towards the end of his career, the likeable Spaniard is only just 25 and has some of his best moments ahead no doubt.

As for Kvitova, the shy Czech girl did her country proud at a fruitful championships for her nation in which the eastern Europeans did well. The Czechs had three winners to be precise, to Serbia’s one and the United States all-action men’s doubles duo of Bob and Mike Bryan landed the other title.

Just one more major of the year left now. In two months the US Open will be at the business end. Any betting against Nadal and Djokovic slugging it out for top spot?

Picture: Novak Djokovic of Serbia kisses the winners trophy after defeating Rafael Nadal of Spain in the men’s singles final at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London July 3, 2011. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh

Mercury rises on Wimbledon’s ‘Manic Monday’

A record crowd for a Wimbledon second Monday witnessed some breathtaking tennis while finding the time to take onboard plenty of liquids as temperatures soared in London.

The Williams sisters found the going tough and their so far impressive comebacks hit the buffers, while women’s number one Caroline Wozniacki’s route to a first grand slam title also came unstuck, but in the men’s draw there were no real dramas as the top four all hit their straps and made the quarters.

All eyes will be on team Nadal on Tuesday, after the world number one injured his foot during his epic win over Juan Martin Del Potro, especially British ones as the Spaniard could face home hope Andy Murray in the last four.

First up on Tuesday however are the women’s quarter-finals, and 2004 winner Maria Sharapova is the favourite to clinch her fourth grand slam crown, though among the other seven women in contention lurks German Sabine Lisicki, seeking to become the first wildcard to win the women’s title.

Finally a word on Bernard Tomic, the story so far of the men’s draw, who at 18 became the youngest man to reach the last eight since a certain former winner Boris Becker in 1986. Good omens if you like that sort of thing. The young Aussie already has plenty of fans and with his all-round play he’s set to win many more. He next faces Novak Djokovic.

Picture: The shadows of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France (L) and a ball boy are reflected onto a wall-covering on the court during the match against David Ferrer of Spain at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London June 27, 2011. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth

Nadal can beat Federer’s grand slam mark

If there was any doubt before, there is now no question that Rafa Nadal can and most probably will better Roger Federer’s record of 16 grand slam titles following the Spaniard’s French Open success over the Swiss.

Sunday’s 7-5 7-6 5-7 6-1 victory for his record-equalling sixth Roland Garros crown and his 10th grand slam title overall underlined why Nadal just will not lie down even when the crowd and his own initial form are against him.

Nadal endured his first five-set match on the Paris clay in the first round but his play gradually improved over the fortnight so that when he came up against Federer and his vocal fans in the final, the world number one was ready to flourish.

He slipped 5-2 down in the first set but roared back and dealt with a 10-minute rain interruption to down what had been a resurgent Federer even on his least favorite clay surface.

Wimbledon starts in just two weeks and even though Novak Djokovic is a contender after his 41-match winning streak before being halted by Federer in the last four of the French, another Rafa-Roger final is equally likely.

“After winning a title like this, you go there with a different attitude, with very positive confidence,” Nadal told reporters.

“So for me, winning here makes me play Queen’s and Wimbledon with less pressure.”

Is Federer on a downward spiral? Not a chance

Roger Federer lost 6-4 6-4 to Juergen Melzer in the Monte Carlo Masters quarter-finals on Friday prompting renewed speculation the Swiss master is well past his best. He is down to world number three now having won only one tournament so far this year.

But hang on a minute, this is the probable GOAT we are talking about, you don’t ignore 16 grand slam titles so easily. Here are 10 reasons why Federer might still be able to bounce back from his shaky form.

1. Monte Carlo is clay and the first clay event of the European season. It’s always been his least favoured surface and he had never won the Monaco tournament anyway.

2. There was a nasty wind out there which was causing the clay dust to fly in his face.

3. Melzer is world number nine, very decent and a left-hander. He’d beaten Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic previously.

4. Despite playing poorly, Federer still had seven breaks points he could have taken.

5. He is still only 29.

Djokovic becomes a Serb-Inator to really fear

Novak Djokovic’s 26-match hot streak dating back to the end of last year when he helped Serbia win the Davis Cup shows no sign of cooling and even Europe’s slow red dirt will hold no fears for the 23-year-old Serb this year.

Djokovic is certainly no rookie on clay, as his 2008 Rome title underlined, but whereas Rafael Nadal usually chomps his way past rival after rival, Djokovic finds the surface takes a little of the sting out of his game.

At least that has been the case in previous years but this time Djokovic will arrive in Monte Carlo as the best player in the world on current form and finally looking like a player who can be a multiple grand slam champion.

His second major at this year’s Australian Open where he dismantled Roger Federer and Andy Murray appeared to unlock Djokovic’s full potential and he has been unstoppable since.

The question is can he maintain the momentum as the surfaces slow down or will Nadal re-assert his authority, as the Spaniard did last year when he bulldozed through the claycourt swing to win all 22 matches he played.

It is an enticing prospect if the third set of the Miami final is anything to go by. Djokovic and Nadal unleashed a ferocious onslaught in a set that bordered on tennis perfection.

Whereas in the past Djokovic has occasionally allowed himself to be bullied by the Spaniard, in Indian Wells and again in Miami the Serb was the aggressor, seizing every opportunity to send Nadal scampering to the far-reaches of the court.

Nadal fails to pull off the Rafa slam

Rafa Nadal was stunned 6-4 6-2 6-3 by fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in the Australian Open quarter-finals on Wednesday, ending his quest for a non-calendar grand slam.

A leg injury contributed to the defeat but maybe the task of holding all four majors at once is almost impossible these days, despite Nadal and Roger Federer’s dominance.

This loss is unlikely to affect the Spaniard greatly going forward. The way he bounced back from adversity last year was remarkable and Federer will know the battle is only just beginning.

Nadal was in tears and had his head in his hands at one point, the pain of the injury and the weight of expectation just proving too much.

Any thoughts on how the rest of the year will now pan out?

Rafael Nadal of Spain leaves after losing his quarter-final match against compatriot David Ferrer at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 26, 2011. REUTERS/Petar Kujundzic

Nadal hopes his numbers add up as he chases Rafa Slam

Fourteen days, seven matches, 21 winning sets and at least 126 winning games – that is all that is separating Rafael Nadal from pulling off the “Rafa Slam”.

It all looks simple enough in numbers but reality is that, and as many calculator-bashing accountants will acknowledge, it takes a lot of work to make sure all the numbers add up correctly.

It has been more than four decades since any man could boast holding all four grand slam titles at the same time and Nadal – the holder of the French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open crowns — knows the next fortnight at the Australian Open is likely to be his one and only chance of winning four in a row.

“Maybe I only have this opportunity once in my career,” Nadal said over and over again on Saturday as he was asked the same question during a series of interviews on the eve of season’s first major.

Asked about his chances of achieving a feat that has even eluded his great rival Roger Federer, he replied: “I think it is almost impossible.

“Tennis is a very competitive sport and there is not a lot of difference between players.

“A lot of matches are decided between a few balls, so for that reason it is very difficult to have one player winning everything.”

Will anyone gatecrash the Roger-Rafa party in 2011?

Will 2011 be the year when Rafael Nadal’s stock rises even further? Or will it be the year when Roger Federer will leave Australia with a lighter suitcase? Or will it be the year when someone finally gatecrashes the Roger-Rafa party?

There will be 126 players looking to stop the all-or-nothing battle royale between Nadal and Federer when the Australian Open kicks off in 18 days.

While Nadal will be in pursuit of becoming the first man in over four decades to hold all four grand slam titles at once – a feat last achieved by Rod Laver in 1969 – Federer will be heading to Melbourne Park with a pounding heart as one slip up would mean that for the first time since 2003 he will not be a reigning champion at any of the four majors.

It is a situation that seemed unthinkable in January 2010.

Many pundits were busy penning Nadal’s tennis obituary when he followed up his injury-ravaged 2009 season by quitting mid-match in the Aussie Open quarter-final against Andy Murray. While Nadal headed home to nurse his dodgy knees, an unstoppable Federer looked like he was ready to monopolise the men’s game for a few more years when he pocketed a record 16th grand slam title on Rod Laver Arena.

But a monopoly of any kind rarely excites the masses and thankfully for the men’s game, rumours of Nadal’s demise were greatly exaggerated. After the Spaniard roared back to win the French Open, Wimbledon and U.S.

Open crowns, the Roger-Rafa rivalry was once again reignited at the season-ending Tour finals.

Are there more cons than pros for shortening ATP season?

One person you will not find moaning about the length of the tennis season is Roger Federer.

While the ATP have trumpeted their decision to reduce the men’s season by two weeks to create a seven-week off-season, the 16-times grand slam champion has shown so far at the ATP World Tour finals that, at 29, he is feeling as fresh as ever.

Straight set victories over David Ferrer, Andy Murray and Robin Soderling put the Swiss into the semi-finals seemingly without breaking sweat and his record since losing in the Wimbledon final has been hugely impressive.

In fact, despite giving the new schedule, that will not take effect until 2012, a general thumbs up, you get the feeling Federer would be happier if it was left alone.

One of the greatest athletes ever to play tennis, Federer tends to suffer less injuries than other players and a longer off-season might help other close the class gap that is still so apparent most times he steps out on court.

“I think I’ve shown a lot of grit at the end of the season throughout my career,” Federer said after his 6-4 6-2 victory over a fatigued-looking Murray.

“This is the ninth time I’m qualifying and the ninth time also playing, the ninth time I’m playing through groups. I find an extra gear at the end of the year when the season is so long.”