Bleacher Report - Roger Federer

Davydenko Topples Federer: Battles Del Potro for ATP World Tour Title

Nima Naderi — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 22:53:23 -0500

Barclays ATP World Tour Final—London

Defending finalist Nikolay Davydenko captured his first win in 13 attempts against Roger Federer on Saturday, defeating the year-end No. 1 6-2, 4-6, 7-5.

Davydenko began his quest to derail the fierce competition of his Swiss opponent by converting on three of four break point opportunities in the first set to lead one set to love.

Federer, who had lost the first set in his three previous matches throughout the week, picked up his errant play from the opening set. Federer broke Davydenko in the ninth game of the second set after the Russian sailed a forehand error long.

Federer's loud chant of encouragement after capturing the second set was equaled by the supportive roar of the English crowd. The sold out 02 Arena began to sense a tight knit third set on the horizon.

Moving along in due course in the third set, Davydenko stung Federer for a break of serve in the 11th game via a backhand return winner.

Requiring four crucial points to capture the biggest win of his career, Davydenko saved a late break charge by Federer at 30-40 on the strength of an off-the-rise forehand winner.

With the match on his racket, Davydenko celebrated his first win over Federer with a reserved stoic gesture, remaining internally ecstatic when the Swiss netted a cross-court forehand.

The loss against Davydenko ended what had been an astounding year for the top ranked Swiss. Winning two of the four Grand Slams events, Federer was reserved and complimentary towards his opponent during the post-match presser.

“Sure, it's disappointing,” lamented Federer.

“But not to lose against him; just to lose in the semis," Federer continued. "I thought he played strong throughout, even though I don't think it was our best match we ever played against each other. He finally beat me today. I wish him all the best for the final.”

Federer will now begin his much needed offseason and will return to action on Dec. 31st in Abu Dhabi. The Swiss superstar will take on world No. 2 Rafael Nadal in a winner-take-all exhibition worth $250,000.

Davydenko will attempt to go one better than his finals loss a year ago to Novak Djokovic in Shanghai. He described his outlook on defeating a player who had defeated him on numerous occasions.

“I think all my family, everybody who supports me, was waiting for this moment when I can beat Federer, because I have beaten everyone in the Top 10 except Federer,” said Davydenko.

“I was thinking today I want to show the same confidence as yesterday because I won yesterday and I really felt good. I know now in confidence, if I beat everyone, then I can play very well.”

Davydenko will now aim for his fifth title of the year on Sunday when he battles reigning US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro. Del Potro came through a classic encounter with Robin Soderling, defeating the Swede, 6-7 (1), 6-3, 7-6 (3).

With the powerhouse pair splitting their two previous meetings, the much anticipated match between del Potro and Soderling was on deck.

After blasting their way through six respective holds of serve, a deciding tiebreak—which was owned by Soderling—saw the Swede win all but one point along his path to holding a one set lead.

Not to be outdone, del Potro stormed back in the second set, using his new found touch and emotional outbursts to convert on his second break point in the eighth game of the set.

After engaging in an anxious set point at 5-3, a mistimed forehand by Soderling evened the encounter at one set all.

Pumping his fist in a whirlwind state of excitement, del Potro was all but ready to fly into his first year-end final.

Captivating the crowd with one-handed backhand passes and sonic-level serves, both combatants managed to break serve on one occasion. The exciting game culminated a match-ending tiebreak to produce the ultimate victor.

Del Potro, who is slowly gaining the reputation of holding the most lethal forehand and backhand combination on Tour, began the tiebreak with a clean inside-out backhand winner.

Holding three match points at 6-3, del Potro produced his 13th ace of the contest to clinch the victory.

With the win, del Potro will now head to Sunday's clash with Davydenko in search of his fourth title of the season.

Soderling, who will end year ranked No. 8 in the world, was pleased with his progress throughout the week, which included wins over Djokovic and Nadal.

“I think it's pretty obvious losing 7-6 in the third [set] in the semi-finals here, it's pretty disappointing,” said Soderling.

“Maybe I could have played a little bit better in the important moments and taken advantage of my chances. I don't think I did anything wrong at the end of the match; he just played a little bit better than me.”

Del Potro, who is rapidly turning into tennis' next great champion, spoke of his desire to close out his Swedish opponent.

"It was a very, very tough match," said del Potro. "It was so close. We played unbelievable points. We served well. The difference was just a couple of points in the tie-break in the third set."

Del Potro and Davydenko have met on three occasions on the ATP World Tour, with the Russian leading 2-1 in the pair's career head-to-head meetings.

The lanky Argentine previewed tomorrow's final showdown, expressing concern towards the challenge that lies ahead.

"I will want to close a good year," said del Portro. "I will play against Nikolay. It will be tough. But if I play like today, maybe I will have chance to win."

"He's very fast and he plays well on this kind of surface. But if I play good, I think I will have chance to win. But I think it will be a good final to watch."

With the final regular season match waiting in the bounds, please check back on Sunday for a complete recap from the Barclays ATP World Tour finals in London.

Read more Roger Federer news on BleacherReport.com

Roger Federer: Unlucky No. 13 vs. Nikolay Davydenko Ends ATP WTF Run

J.A. Allen — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:36:29 -0500

There is something to be said for the underdog finally winning the prize, grabbing the brass ring, or walloping the big bully on the playground. We love those loser-makes-good stories. They make the rest of us who lose all the time feel good about our own paltry lives.

This is especially true if the “bully” is just that—a neanderthal who deserves his comeuppance! However, if the favored-to-win happens to be “your” hero—the star whose victories embellish your day and whose miraculous athletic feats sooth your battered ego—you may not be able to surrender to that “feel good” moment.

Such was the case today as world No. 1 Roger Federer caved to mounting pressure from the wily and crafty undersized Russian, Nikolay Davydenko in the semifinals of the ATP World Tour Finals Saturday. Definitely the underdog in this contest, Davydenko took down the mighty Swiss in three sets, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, in a match that went right down to the final serve and Federer’s return into the net.

Federer, who’d beaten Davydenko in 12 straight encounters, had not even lost a set to the Russian since 2006. But Davydenko and Federer had not met since the Estoril Open on clay in 2008, when the Russian had retired due to injury. In the interim, Federer began his slow decline from the untouchable summits of 2004 to 2007.

Federer has not seen those heights consistently in two years. This was not the Federer of Davydenko’s memory—the man whose ground strokes sailed past him as if he were standing still and whose serves seemed unreachable.

Today the Russian met a man whose serves often failed to make their mark and whose ground strokes were frequently uncertain and mistimed. This was not the Federer of Davydenko’s worst nightmares.

Nervous in the first set, Davydenko settled into the match and broke the Federer serve two times in the first five games, taking a 4-1 advantage. Although Federer broke back to make it 4-2, Davydenko broke the Federer serve again to lead 5-2—ultimately closing out the first set at 6-2.

In the second set, Federer’s serve returned but his ground strokes and his return game were still misfiring, and Davydenko stayed even with the Swiss until it was 5-4 with Davydenko to serve to even the score at 5-5.

It was at this juncture that Federer broke the Russian’s serve and took the second set, 6-4. The match would be decided in the third and final set.

The players remained on serve at 5-5, when, inexplicably, Federer began to misfire on his own serve. Ultimately, the Russian broke, taking the lead at 6-5 with an opportunity to serve it out.

Davydenko held onto his nerves and took the set and ultimately the match.

The crowd was stunned. The commentators were stunned. Federer was stunned. It was an amazing performance from the Russian who waited seven years to finally score a victory over the amazing man from Switzerland.

You cannot love tennis and not applaud the tremendous effort and subsequent victory of Davydenko over the man he had never defeated in 12 tries. No. 13 proved to be very lucky indeed for the 28-year-old Russian pro. He deserved the win. He played almost flawless tennis after taking out Robin Soderling the day before.

With less rest and more pressure, the Russian played his best tennis of the tournament in the last two days. Depending upon his opponent tomorrow, you have to root for the Russian to win it all. If this is not his year, then it never will be.

Davydenko has defeated the No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 players in the world on his way to the finals. The Russian deserves to win the ATP Tour Championship.

In the meantime, those of us who have been accused of worshiping too ardently at the throne of Federer must learn to live with imperfection. Federer has become human once again. We have to accept that he cannot and will not win everything from this point forward.

Nonetheless, let us not overlook the fact that Federer is still the No. 1 player in the world. Let us also not forget that of the top four players, only Federer advanced to the semifinals.

Rafael Nadal never factored into this tournament. Novak Djokovic played one solid, competitive match against Davydenko, winning in three tough sets. But the Serb faded at the end. Andy Murray lost out to Juan Martin del Potro by one game, after losing to Federer in three sets.

The four players at the top are no longer so distinctly separated from the next four. The top men are reaching parity. This enlivens the game and makes tournaments such as the one in London thrilling, exciting contests of survival where anyone can walk away a winner.

Federer fans will celebrate his fifth year-end No. 1 ranking and quietly mourn the death of his chance for winning his fifth ATP Year-End Championship Trophy.

There is much to be thankful for in 2009. Federer won his 15th Grand Slam title and also captured the elusive French Open crown, making him one of six players to have won a career Grand Slam.

2010 is yet to come with an exciting and explosive retinue of players ready to do battle once again for the privilege of gaining the next highest ranking above them, ultimately to succeed Federer at No. 1.

So as Davydenko celebrates his victory and readies himself for the final tomorrow against the winner between Soderling and del Potro in the other semifinal, the Federer fans left in his wake will wash the sand from their eyes and wait for 2010 to appear on the horizon.

Read more Roger Federer news on BleacherReport.com

WTF Semis: Sheer Artistry and Ruthless Massacre

Rajat Jain — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:37:13 -0500

The final four of the final ATP tournament has finally been decided after Nikolay Davydenko defeated Robin Soderling in a tight, three-set contest.

The round-robin matchups were thrilling, with all the matches in Group A going the distance, while most encounters in Group B—barring the ones involving Rafael Nadal—also went down the wire. The quality of tennis was breathtaking at times, while above average during others.

Most importantly, there was never a dull moment during any match, especially the ones on days five and six, as none, apart from the Swede, was assured of the spot till the final point of each respective group was played.

In short, things have happened exactly the way they should happen when the top eight players meet for the most prestigious tournament after the four majors. The ATP will be jubilant in its decision to move the championships to a brand new arena in London, and its popularity will only increase in the years to come.

Celebrations aside, the final three matches of the year are still to be played, and they will be widely anticipated after the initial success of the round-robin matches.

Semifinal No. 1: Roger Federer vs. Nikolay Davydenko

On paper, it will be hard to find many contests which can be more one-sided than the first semi. Not only does Federer boast an unscathed record against the Russian in each of their 12 meetings, the four-time champion has dominated the Russian effortlessly by squandering only four out the 32 sets played between them, the last time being almost four years ago at the Australian Open in 2006.

The present scenario, though, is completely different from the one on paper. Davydenko is in the form of his life while the situation is not exactly the same for his opponent. Kolya is serving miraculously (he served at 73 percent against Soderling), even out-acing his opponents at times, and his ground strokes have been accurate and penetrating, both through his racket speed and the angles he is able to create.

Moreover, he is as innovative as ever by taking every chance to come closer to the net and finish the point quickly. His squad has been generous in the support for their man, with his wife cheering him on and showing her enthusiasm through flying kisses for the cameras.

Federer, on the other hand, has shown his brilliance at times, while he has been patchy during the others—still handsomely managing to be the best among the crop. He may have played the Russian with consummate ease in the past, but he knows that this might be the time for Davydenko to finally turn the tables.

The semis will be an exhibition of delightful tennis, with points being constructed rather than blitzed, winners being hit through brilliant angles than a thunderous forehand, while the opponent would be outwitted rather than overpowered. In the end, though, Federer's versatility will prove more than enough against Davydenko's.

Prediction: Federer in three.

Semifinal No. 2: Juan Martin del Potro vs. Robin Soderling

Bombs. Canons. Missiles...Massacre!

The second semifinal may be happening only on a tennis court rather than a battlefield, but it will sure be an absolute warfare where the yellow tennis ball will be crying in pain inside the closed walls of the O2 arena, the echoes of the indoor stadium only aggravating its misery.

Soderling and del Potro are the modern definitions of power baseline players; expect nothing less than power-packed, electrifying tennis from the two. Serves will threaten to take away the line judge along with them, the thundering volume of an ace down the T might scare away a feeble-hearted person, while the forehands will be hit with utmost ferocity, either with an enormous wingspan or through the power generated from an open-chested stance.

Soderling has been clearly the best player of Group B in the round robin, while del Potro is in excellent spirits after achieving his second consecutive victory against the world No. 1.

Motivation will not be a problem as both players have a point to prove to themselves, while fatigue factor can be thrown of the window as they have not exerted themselves to the limit. Del Potro had ample rest before the tournament, hence he should be relatively fresh even after three tight matches, while Soderling breezed past the first two matches and was not overtly worked in the third.

The match will be high on aggression, and eventually the player who executes better during the match will prevail, though the Argentine will hold a significant advantage owing to his more reliable serve and better hands at the net.

A rematch of the U.S. Open finals looks very much on the cards.

Prediction: Del Potro in three.

Champion: Federer

Read more Roger Federer news on BleacherReport.com

Roger Federer Still Doesn't Like Andy Murray

Darren Wong — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:39:45 -0500

Juan Martin Del Potro defeated Roger Federer today in order to advance to the WTF semifinals, but it wasn't Del Potro who made a statement in this match. It was Federer.

Federer's statement? He still doesn't like Andy Murray.

Sure, the relations between the two seem to have warmed up somewhat from what they were like a few years ago, but that's all for show.

Today, Federer very conveniently lost just enough games in the match to allow Del Potro to advance instead of Murray. Had Federer won a third game in his brilliantly executed 2-6 first set tanking, Murray might still be alive in the tournament.

A brilliant tank-job it was.

Had Federer lost just a few more games, he himself would have been eliminated, but he was more than willing to take that risk for the chance of knocking out his dark nemesis.

Some might argue that there is no way that Federer would try any less than his hardest against the guy who defeated him at the U.S. Open, but it seems to me to have been the perfect strategy.

With this perfectly played match, Federer has killed two birds with one stone. He's taken Murray out of the equation, and sandbagged himself for a finals rematch against Del Potro.

Those of us in the know already understand that the only reason Federer lost at the US Open was to make the tour seem a little bit more interesting.

It's all part of an intricate strategy brilliantly orchestrated by Nadal, Mirka, and Gavin Rossdale. Of course, none of this would have been possible without the cooperation of Federer.

He's been only too happy to sacrifice a few ranking points for the greater evil. In the picture above, you can see Federer's downcast face.

It's not downcast because he's sad. He's looking down to try to hide a smirk of satisfaction.

Read more Roger Federer news on BleacherReport.com

Andy Murray Defeats Fernando Verdasco in Three Set Epic

Nima Naderi — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:54:58 -0500

Barclays ATP World Tour Final—London

Home country hero Andy Murray prevailed in strong fashion during his final round robin match on Thursday, outlasting a determined and hard-hitting effort by Spaniard Fernando Verdasco.

The 6-4, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3) victory for the Scot, which lasted three hours, saw both competitors put forth their highest quality of tennis in front of another sold out crowd.

Murray, who began in blazing form, broke Verdasco in the ninth game of the opening set on the strength of winning 81 percent of his first serve points.

The break of serve by Murray at the tail end of the first set became crucial in the sense that it would remain the lone break point conversion by either player throughout the match. Murray would end the affair winning one of 13 break point chances.

Verdasco would score his only break opportunity late in the second during the ninth game. Holding a slim 30-40 opportunity, which was also a set point, Verdasco failed to block back a well-struck Murray serve, which ultimately led to a 5-5 scoreline.

Verdasco's mettle, which had been tested all week, had seen the Spaniard lose all of his round robin matches in three sets.

Maintaining his three-set theme of the event, Verdasco produced a superb tiebreak highlighted by high kicking second serves and devastating forehand winners.

With the match heading to its deciding set, Murray's anguish of going the distance resonated throughout the supportive crowd.

Such outbursts as punching his strings and yelling after an unforced error became the dialect of the final set.

What was perhaps the oddest moment of the match occurred when Murray called tournament supervisor Gerry Armstrong to the court to ask him the potential scenarios of how the semifinalists would be chosen.

With his mind clearly not on the task at hand, Murray became susceptible to further frustration from Verdasco's game.

Clawing and scraping towards a culminating tiebreak, Murray increased his first serve points won to 81 percent, while using his defensive to remain close.

Verdasco, who hit a 136 MPH ace heading into the tiebreak, appeared anxious to capture his first win of the week.

With the tiebreaker tied at 1-1, Murray produced a marvelous slice forehand passing shot, which Verdasco dumped into the net.

Leading 3-2 in the tiebreak, Verdasco donated a miserable double fault, which all but sealed his fate.

Staring down triple match point at 6-3, Verdasco committed his final unforced error of the match (64 in total), by missing a swinging forehand volley wide.

Falling to his knees in relief, Murray saluted the crowd for their support while embracing the moment of a fine victory.

With the win, Murray improved to 2-1 in Group A action, while Verdasco fell to 0-3 in singles action.

Although Murray's 39 winners and 28 unforced errors did not showcase his best form to date, the Scot did manage to remain economical during the crucial stages of the affair, allowing for his 65th win of the season to take place.

By contrast, Verdasco's high risk, high reward game of 56 winners and 64 unforced errors broke down when it needed to be much tighter.

The Spaniard will hope to improve his form heading into next week's Davis Cup final in Barcelona.

Murray will now await the winner of tonight's encounter between Roger Federer and Juan Martin del Potro.

The fate of Murray's potential semifinal appearance is broken down as the following:

In the event that Federer defeats del Potro in straight sets, Federer and Murray would qualify. In the event that del Potro defeats Federer in straight sets, del Potro and Murray would qualify.

Finally, if del Potro defeats Federer in three sets, Federer and Murray would qualify.

With Federer holding a commanding 6-1 head-to-head lead over del Potro, the year-end No. 1 will be quite confident heading into the night clash.

Another critical component to watch out for between the two Grand Slam winners this evening is the revenge factor.

Although Federer leads del Potro by a substantial win-loss margin, his US Open defeat to the Argentine will fuel the Swiss to come out strong in this contest.

Del Potro claimed that he would have to play even better than he did in New York if he was to defeat Federer in London, ultimately displaying the maturity of understanding that his opponent will not be fooled by the same tactics as their previous match.

All in all, you have to hand it to the season finale for providing its fair amount of drama until the closing stages of the event.

Friday's action in London will feature:

Rafael Nadal vs. Novak Djokovic, and Robin Soderling vs. Nikolay Davydenko.

Please check back on Friday for continuing daily coverage from the Barclays ATP World Tour finals in London.

Read more Roger Federer news on BleacherReport.com

Inside London's Dome With The Best Men In Tennis

clarabella bevis — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:45:44 -0500

London may be cold, grey and storm-ridden. Parts of this wintry country may be submerged in floods from the heaviest rainfall since records began. Yet the purple clouds that hang over one white dome crouched beside the steel-grey Thames prefigure a purple rectangle of delight nestled below. For the best tennis players in the world have lit up the capital like a dose of sunshine. What’s more, the closing finale of the men’s tour is threatening to put the green-and-white brilliance of Wimbledon in the shade. Because amongst the eight elite men competing for the year-end title is a Brit. London is holding its breath in the hope of a home champion.

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Soderling Continues Fine Form in London, Ousts Djokovic in Straight Sets

Nima Naderi — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:13:16 -0500

Barclays ATP World Tour Final—London

Tour finale wildcard Robin Soderling made the best of his status this week in London, defeating No. 3 seed Novak Djokovic, 7-6 (5), 6-1 in the round robin portion of the season ending championships.

Soderling, who had ousted No. 2 ranked Rafael Nadal in straight sets on Monday, needed five set points to capture the opening set.

Djokovic, who saved three set points at 4-5, staved off a subsequent set at 6-4 in the tiebreaker with an unreturnable serve.

Serving his first set point of the set on his serve, Soderling blasted a service winner at 6-5 to lead by a set.

Although Soderling's net play was atrocious throughout the two sets, the Swede managed to maintain stellar serving numbers for the match, striking 10 aces, winning 80 percent of his first serve points and 60 percent of his second serve points, during the one hour and 34 minute affair.

After bagging a one set lead, Soderling's confidence hit another gear, while Djokovic's listless body language all but ended his day.

Losing his serve on three of five occasions in the second set, Djokovic appeared resigned from the mental fatigue of not capturing the opening set.

The Serb's recent sublime Tour record had included winning back-to-back titles in Basel, Switzerland and Paris, France, as well as well winning a tough opening round robin match against Nikolay Davydenko.

Djokovic, who is the defending champ of the event, will now have to defeat Nadal in Friday's final round robin contest if he is to advance to the semifinals.

Djokovic is also vying to overtake Nadal's No. 2 position in the world rankings with a deep performance in London.

With the win, Soderling became the first player in the event to clinch a semifinal berth at this year's world tour finals. For his efforts thus far, Soderling has pocketed $240,000 in prize money, while moving up a spot in the world rankings to the No. 8 position.

Tuesday's win improved Soderling's year-to-date record against top 10 opponent's to 6-8, while capturing his first career win over Djokovic in six matches.

The Swede will next face Davydenko on Friday, leading the Russian 6-3 in career head-to-head meetings, and 3-1 on the year.

The night session at the O2 Arena will be highlighted by continued struggles of Spaniard Nadal.

The current world No. 2 will battle Davydenko in a must win encounter.

After falling to Soderling on Monday, Nadal needs to defeat Davydenko in order to remain in contention for the weekend's festivities.

The Mallorcan, who is currently riding a two match losing streak, appears mentally frail for the first time in his career.

Resorting to an exclusive array of defensive shots, Nadal's court positioning and shot selection seem to have drifted away from his once first strike game plan.

Davydenko by contrast, has been in sharp form as of late, winning two indoor titles during his fall campaign, while defeating Nadal in the pair's last meeting in Shanghai, China.

Nadal currently leads Davydenko 4-3 in career meetings, but with the way the Spaniard is playing as of late, don't be surprised if he loses his third tour-level match against the Russian.

Thursday's order of play in London will feature:

Andy Murray vs. Fernando Verdasco (Murray leads 7-1 in head-to-head action), while year-end champ Roger Federer vs. Juan Martin del Potro (Federer leads 6-1 in head-to-head action).

With Tuesday's convincing win over Murray, Federer solidified his No. 1 ranking for the fifth time in his career. The Swiss trails only Pete Sampras, who finished the year ranked No. 1 six times during his illustrious career.

“It means a lot to have returned to No. 1 and to finish the year again at No. 1,” said Federer. “It was an incredible year for me both on the court and off the court and to be able to break the all-time Grand Slam record and finish the year on top is amazing.”

Please check back on Thursday for continuing daily coverage from the Barclays ATP World Tour final in London.

Quotes courtesy of theatpworldtour.com.

Read more Roger Federer news on BleacherReport.com

Del Potro Edges Past Verdasco in London, Federer and Murray Up Next

Nima Naderi — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:13:24 -0500

Barclays ATP World Tour final—London

Reigning U.S. Open champ Juan Martin del Potro captured his first round robin win of the Barclays ATP World Tour final on Tuesday, defeating a tentative but persistent Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (1).

The pair's first meeting, which lasted two hours and 24 minutes, featured almost inseparable form from the two combatants.

Del Potro, who raced to an early lead in the first set, broke Verdasco in the third game to lead 2-1. The Argentine continued his momentum for the remainder of the opening set, saving two break points at 5-4, before capturing the first set after an errant Verdasco backhand.

Verdasco's fight continued in the second set, breaking del Potro in the eighth game to lead 5-3. The Spaniard's vicious forehand and well placed serve (which won 87 percent of his second serve points), persevered to level the match at a set a piece after striking an ace on set point.

Tied at one set all, del Potro began his charge early in what appeared to be a routine third-set victory. Leading 5-2, 30/40, del Potro's nerves prevented him from creating the required speed on an approach shot, leaving himself vulnerable to a Verdasco backhand pass.

After holding serve to trail 5-3, Verdasco broke del Potro in the ensuing game to level the set on serve. Verdasco then saved a second match point when serving at 4-5, pounding a deep backhand which del Potro could not combat.

The deciding tiebreak cemented what had been an up-and-down affair. Del Potro's confidence (which has improved leaps and bounds this season), saw the lanky Argentine gain an immediate mini-break to lead 3-1, only to extend his victorious margin to an insurmountable 6-1 advantage.

Del Potro wouldn't falter on his third match point, releasing a scream of relief when a final Verdasco forehand sailed long.

Verdasco, who fell to 1-13 against top-10 players this season, also dropped to 0-2 in Group A action. The Spaniard was defeated by Roger Federer in three sets on Sunday.

At this stage, it is all but certain that Verdasco will be eliminated from the semifinals this weekend, leaving his foremost thoughts on next week's Davis Cup final in Barcelona.

Trying times may be ahead for Verdasco, who seems to have frizzled after his great Australian Open campaign. The Madrid native's run to the semifinals in Melbourne showcased his lone top-10 win of the season against Andy Murray in the round of 16.

Verdasco will next face Murray on Thursday in pair's final round robin contest.

Del Potro, who improved to 2-2 in the event's history, now stands with a reasonable chance of qualifying for the weekends final four. The Tandil native will next face Federer on Thursday.

Speaking of Federer and Murray, the heavyweight duo will square off in the marquee match of the day during a sold out night session.

Murray, who leads Federer 6-3 in the pair's career head-to-head meetings, will attempt to be in top form in front of his home crowd.

With both players standing at 1-0 in the A Group action, a decisive win by either player would allow for a guaranteed spot in the Saturday's semifinals.

Ironically, the pair have never faced on a surface other than hard courts. Subsequently, only one of nine previous encounters by the two have been contested at a Grand Slam event; Federer winning the 2008 U.S. Open final.

When placed in a best-of-three set format, Murray is a dominating 6-2 over the Swiss, winning Indian Wells and Doha this season, but falling short to Federer in the pair's last meeting in the Cincinnati final.

Before the singles festivities get under way this evening, the No. 1 seeded doubles team of Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic will battle Frantisek Cermak and Michal Mertinak.

The matchup will be of particular importance to Nestor and Zimonjic, who will clinch the No. 1 ranking for the season if they are victorious.

In his ongoing blog for the week, Nestor was kind enough to forward me exclusive content from his experiences in London.

Here is his second blog from London:

Hello everyone, back again and as promised here to write about the fabulous arena and some of the action inside it. As we make our way down the banks of the Thames heading eastward and slightly out of the city, we start to see what appears as a huge tent with several huge antennas sticking out from it. The O2 arena is absolutely massive, and unlike any tennis venue out there.

When we get off the boat, a shuttle is there waiting to take us to our locker rooms which is about a 1 km walk around the stadium. I didn’t believe it was that far until my wife and I decided to walk it with our child in arm. About halfway through I realized that it was no lie and the stroller was put to use.

Inside the place it doesn’t look much different than most hockey or basketball arenas back home, though it is quite dark at all times as they are trying to have a boxing match type atmosphere with the spotlight on center court.

The singles players, for some reason, all have their own locker room with their individual pictures on the doors while us doubles guys have to share. It seems strange that they would give guys like Federer and Nadal this kind of service, and make Nestor/Zimonjic slum it up side by side with the other teams.

But somehow we manage and soon forget when we relax in the player/guest area on the 3rd level of the building which is basically a huge open suite that overlooks center court. Comfortable couches, hot food, video games, flat screens, internet—who cares about watching what’s going on down there on center court?

For some who still enjoy watching tennis they have that option too. I am not sure but I think they may have stole this concept from our Rogers Cup in Toronto and Montreal which are two of the few tournaments that offer this view while having a bite to eat for the players and their guests. Whatever the story is, the hosts are doing an unbelievable job of taking care of everyone from the fans, to players, to VIP’s.

On the court, we had the honor of opening the event (perhaps the organizers were regretting their decision afterward as Nenad and I didn’t play much like No. 1’s, though all credit to our Polish opponents who are very dangerous and were definitely the better team).

But unlike every other tournament where we lose our first match, this event is a little different as we play in a round robin of two groups of four, with the top two teams in each group advancing to the semis, meaning we still have a chance to go through if we win our next two matches.

If we bored the fans with the first match of the tournament then it was quickly forgotten as Andy Murray, The Last King of Scotland, came through with a nice win over the US Open champ Juan Martin Del Potro. Each day, the schedule has a doubles and singles match followed by a night session. We play again tomorrow night prior to the blockbuster between Murray and Federer (hopefully we bring our A game this time otherwise this trip will be nothing more than sightseeing on the Thames).

I was looking forward to taking my mind off tennis after the match Sunday with some NFL action because there is nothing better when you get live action in Europe, but I think I was more upset after the Steelers decided it was time for an early Christmas present as they lost to the lowly Chiefs. At least my daughter made me feel better later on that night when she pulled my hair, scratched my face and yelled at me.

I think she was trying to say, last time we were here four months ago you won Wimbledon, you call that tennis what you were doing out there today?

Anyways, that’s all for now, next time I will hopefully write to you after a win.

Daniel

Wednesday's order of play from the O2 Arena in London will feature:

Novak Djokovic vs. Robin Soderling and Rafael Nadal vs. Nikolay Davydenko

Please check back throughout the week for daily reviews from the Barclays ATP World Tour finals in London.

Read more Roger Federer news on BleacherReport.com

The Interpretation of Tennis: Pete Sampras' Athletic Expressionism

antiMatter — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:13:22 -0500

It is sometimes sort of a debate, an argument, tennis is.

Just like passionate arguers who try to find weaknesses in the other’s points, players constantly probe the other’s game for loopholes. The process is never ending, as every player comes the next time armed with better arguments, capitalizing on the flaws from the previous.

People argue in many different ways. Some are patient and put up with all the harshness weathering them down in the end, others are scheming all the while and spring an irrefutable point at an unsuspecting moment, and still others are there who simply dominate despite showing all their cards to the public.

The intent to dominate normally comes with an aggressive mentality. And with aggression normally comes hot-headedness.

There was one man, who in his prime, was the most aggressive player of his time, and perhaps of all time. He was also known to be the most cool-headed player of his generation.

Against him, you always knew what was coming. You knew all his arguments. But even after months and years of analysis, you simply were unable to find a set of winning syllogisms. He simply turned up next time with the same arguments, and you simply shook your head in frustration.

Pete Sampras has the best all round game in the history of tennis, second only perhaps to Roger Federer. Despite owning such a varied game, the Pistol took a path radically different. He decided to attack.

It was as if Sampras was always trying to prove what Federer had always believed. And this need to prove always punctuated Sampras’ game.

How much he needed it was emphasized by the way he ran after that elusive ball to crack a running forehand winner, the greed with which he fired down aces, and the killer instinct with which he leaped into the air to unleash those slam dunks. All of course with an expressionless face and a somnambulistic body language.

He took all the elements of a richly varied game and stitched them together into a single attacking weapon. But there reverberated in his game, one particular aspect—the athleticism.

Yes it was distinctly visible in everything he did—the way he moved.

As he closes in on a forehand, he looks like a speeding locomotive not yet reached it’s top speed—always accelerating. You could morph Michael Jordan’s head onto his while he does that jump overhead smash, and you would be confused whether it is basketball or tennis.

The center of gravity of his physique always seemed to have a mind of it’s own, as if it was that which moved in mid-air pulling the rest of his body with it, and his legs where just hanging from the hips and moving the way they were to trick us into believing that all was normal. Indeed, the way the feet floated over the court seemed sometimes to literally suggest that he was walking on water.

But Pete’s running was not the silky smooth type. It was completely in tune with the rest of his game. To be aggressive, you need to believe in your strokes. And the strokes believed in the movement. Always moving at full speed towards a ball, if any adjustments were needed they were made in the blink of an eye, especially when moving toward the net. He was always on the right track to be in position to hit the ball.

Many a time, Pete ran in full blown strides—not with the traditional “short-steps” that help you calibrate your movement better— perhaps since he knew his running. This is exactly what would make his slam dunks fit in perfectly in an NBA game (think Youtube).

The sheer speed of his game starkly contrasted with what he did between the points—swagger from side to side around the court, shoulders dropping, the neck pretending it was not strong enough to hold the head straight up, the mouth pretending that it was too weak to hold the tongue inside.

The confident speed during the game alternated by the unsure baby-steps between the points spoke of a guy who though didn’t care to play at all, was nevertheless still racing ahead of you in stupendous fashion. It relayed the message that Sampras chose to relay to his opponent.

After his retirement, when asked whether he would make a comeback the Pistol replied that he wouldn’t come back unless he wanted to be the No.1 again.

That need to dominate—to always play to prove that he was the best—was reflected in his aggressive, dominating game.

Sampras’ interpretation of the game was one where a constant was enough to annihilate all of his opponents. But it was not a constant of an aggressive base-liner or a serve-and-volleyer. It was a multi-dimensional constant—it had all the weapons, none used for defense.

The single strongest argument in tennis was also among the most expressive ones. And most of the emotion in it was due to it’s most important component—the running.

One would be hard-pressed to find an athlete who live by the mantra “let his game speak for him” better than the Pistol. The King of Swing. The Emperor Athlete.

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Soderling Upsets Nadal in London, Djokovic and Davydenko on Deck

Nima Naderi — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:23:30 -0500

Barclays ATP World Tour final—London

Robin Soderling caused the first major upset of the Barclays ATP World Tour final on Tuesday, ousting world No. 2 Rafael Nadal, 6-4, 6-4 in round robin play.

Soderling, who defeated Nadal at the French Open earlier this season, appeared motivated from the onset of the match to duplicate his fortunes in Paris.

Racing to a commanding 3-0 first set lead, the Swede demonstrated his precise, hard-hitting indoor experience.

Not to be outdone, Nadal broke back to level the set at 3-3, only to lose his serve at 4-5.

The Spaniard's willingness to win was present, but his length of shot combined with low first percentage (59 percent for the match), inevitably began to wear on his demeanor.

The fifth game of the second set, which lasted 12 minutes, featured countless break and game points for both competitors.

Soderling's backhand crosscourt, which was hit flat and early, was countered by Nadal's forehand down-the-line.

After holding to lead by the narrow margin of 3-2, Soderling continued his baseline onslaught on Nadal, following up his out wide serving with well placed inside-out forehands.

Nadal's renowned level of focus, was rivaled by Soderling throughout the one hour and 38 minute contest.

Winning nine more total points than the Spaniard in his straight set victory, Soderling simply played the big points better in each set.

"Especially today, I think I managed to play really well in the important points, which is something I think you have to do," said Soderling.

Nadal, who remains within mathematical distance of catching Roger Federer for the year end No. 1 spot, will now find his chances of finishing No. 1 nearly unattainable.

The Spaniard will now have to win his final two round robin matches and the title, while hoping that Federer doesn't win any of his remaining round robin matches and does not reach the finals.

Nadal, who saved his first match with a hard-fought 16-shot rally, lost the ensuing point when Soderling struck a blistering crosscourt backhand.

Soderling wouldn't falter on his second match point, screaming in victory when Nadal sent a final backhand wide.

Finishing the match with 27 winners and 23 unforced errors, Soderling was simply cleaner off than ground than the Spaniard.

Nadal's 18 winners and 24 unforced errors, resulted in limited opportunities to sustain momentum.

Aside from Nadal falling to 0-1 in Group B action, the Spaniard failed to gain a measure of revenge after losing to Soderling at the French Open (his lone career loss at Roland Garros).

Nadal was also denied his 400th career victory with his loss, holding a slight 3-2 career head-to-head lead over Soderling.

"He is a big player in this surface, so is difficult if you are not completely calm and playing very well in that moment [you will lose],” said Nadal.

"It's really difficult to win and today I didn't play in this way in that moments,” explained Nadal.

The Spaniard will now look forward to battling either Novak Djokovic or Nikolay Davydenko in his next match.

Djokovic and Davydenko will see action shortly at the O2 Arena, hosting the night session in front of another sold out crowd.

Tied with two wins a piece, Davydenko won the pair's last encounter in thrilling fashion during the semifinals of the Shanghai Masters 1000.

Djokovic, who is coming into London in scintillating form, captured back-to-back titles in Basel and Paris—his fourth and fifth titles of the season.

Expect nothing short of anything less then a barn burner between these two, with the slight edge going to Davydenko.

Tuesday's order of play in London will include:

Fernando Verdasco vs. Juan Martin del Potro and Roger Federer vs. Andy Murray.

Please stay tuned for continuing daily coverage from the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London.

Quotes courtesy of theatpworldtour.com

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