Winners and Losers from the 1st Week of Miami Masters 2015
Rafael Nadal is already waving goodbye to the first week of the 2015 Miami Masters. Looks like it's on to red-clay Europe for the weeks to come. Is that really so bad for the Spaniard?
Miami does seem to be a letdown after Indian Wells, and the ATP and WTA superstars are already getting erased from the bracket. The biggest name of all didn't even show up.
As Miami heats up into its final and complete week, names such as Ernests Gulbis, Bernard Tomic and Dominic Thiem are interesting stories. Then there is the hope that the WTA might stage Serena Williams vs. Simona Halep, if they continue to win.
The "Winners and Losers" update rolls on for another week, and the computer rankings and spring tennis tournaments will continue to sort out the contenders and pretenders as the French Open looms closer.
Loser: Miami Without Roger Federer
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For a tournament that annually takes a few shots from media and tennis fans as being questionable quality for a Masters 1000 tournament, it doesn't help that the biggest star is not playing. To add insult to injury, Federer is willing to add a level 250 clay-court tournament a few weeks down the road in Istanbul. But the Swiss star is passing on the Miami Masters (He also missed Miami 2013 due to back injuries.).
The ATP tour will go on with or without Federer, but there's no question that he brings a lot more interest and competitiveness when he is in the draw.
There are still the stories revolving around Novak Djokovic's dominance, Rafael Nadal's latest bid to get in form and Andy Murray's boiling point. There are occasional teasers with younger players who will allegedly take over the tour once the aforementioned stars have hung up their rackets, although today's forecast indicates it could be a decade or two.
Indeed nobody will ever replace Federer when he does decide to call it quits, so this is a good reminder to appreciate him while he is still here and playing as the No. 2 player in the world.
Winner: Dominic Thiem
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Score another one for the young guys. Everyone is buzzing about the three Aussie prospects (Nick Kyrgios, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Bernard Tomic), Borna Coric and Alexander Zverev. But don't forget about 21-year-old Austrian Dominic Thiem.
Thiem, who possesses one-handed power and textbook groundstrokes, somewhat a cross between Stanislas Wawrinka and Yevgeny Kafelnikov, is another potential star. This year, sporting only a 6-6 record, he has notched wins over Ernests Gulbis and David Goffin.
This week he has already added streaking Feliciano Lopez to the list, defeating the tough Spaniard 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3.
Then he notched a convincing win over American Jack Sock 6-4, 6-3. He will now be in a coin-toss match against Adrian Mannarino for a spot in the quarterfinals. There will be plenty of ups and downs, as all young players need experience, but there's no time like winning in the present, especially at a Masters 1000 venue.
Loser: Stanislas Wawrinka
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He just celebrated his 30th birthday this week, but Stanislas Wawrinka hardly feels like 2015 has been a festive occasion. At Miami, Wawrinka was bested in consecutive tiebreakers to Adrian Mannarino in the third round for a disappointing North American stint.
The secondary Swiss star is no longer the Australian Open champion, and his ranking has fallen from No. 3 to No. 8. Unless he defends Monte Carlo, he will continue to drop. It's not inconceivable that he drops out of the top 10 sooner than later.
Have we already seen Wawrinka's short-lived peak? He will probably win more big matches as an occasional giant killer, but he has never shown the consistency with his big-attacking mentality. Give him props for maximizing his ability but understand that he does have limitations.
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Winner: Bernard Tomic
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After pulling out of the Indian Wells quarterfinal because of backaches and toothaches, it looks like Bernard Tomic is just fine. The Aussie, perhaps more motivated than ever after seeing the success of his teenage compatriots Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis, moved into the third round.
He had Tomas Berdych on the ropes, up a set and dealing out match points.
Alas, Tomic could not finish them, lost the second-set tiebreaker and limped home to the three-set loss. He finished a loser, but the big-picture encouragement is there.
Tomic's pancake-flat strokes and angles cause problems when he is on. However, there is little margin of error when his floating balls are not sailing over and deep. He plays as high or as low as his confidence. Nonetheless, a step forward for Tomic who will be up to world No. 27.
Losers: WTA Superstars
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Down goes Maria Sharapova, Eugenie Bouchard and Victoria Azarenka.
That's a lot of star power unable to survive the first few days at Miami, and it certainly does not help fan enthusiasm and attendance.
At least there is the marqee matchup with Caroline Wozniacki and Venus Williams. Great contrast of power and style and excellent skills on display for that one. The WTA can always use a spike with these meetings, but it's disappointing that a few of its blazing comets have already crashed.
Loser: Ernests Gulbis
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It might be time to join in with his father and create greater success with the lucrative family businesses. These days, world No. 16 Ernests Gulbis' tennis is a flat proposition at best during the time of year he has at least shown promise. He crashed at Indian Wells in his second match and couldn't make it past his only match at Miami against Juan Monaco, falling easily 6-2, 6-4.
Gulbis' 2015 record is now 1-7. Ouch.
The brash Gulbis, a 2014 French Open semifinalist made it clear he wanted to be the best player in the world. But the Latvian has been a mediocre talent, and at age 26 we may have already seen his best tennis. He may as well cut and market his "Greatest Hits" album now. There is little to suggest there will be any new big hits.
An erratic forehand, lack of consistent concentration and moody temperament are all liabilities for a tennis professional who simply may not view his career as life or death. Certainly he has worked hard in patches, but he often wilts when resiliency is needed.
Winners: Serena and Simona
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Nobody is foolish enough to call out a challenge to Serena Williams, but Simona Halep, fresh off her Indian Wells victory and first Masters 1000 title, did say she would have preferred to have played Serena.
Was this merely Halep expressing confidence, or was this her improved competitive nature expressing that she would like a rivalry as she looks to eventually move to the No. 1 ranking.
Both players have continued to win at Miami with Serena posting more impressive scores and certainly a much bigger favorite as the two-time defending champion.
With half of the superstars already eliminated, Serena vs. Simona would be a boon for tennis fans.
Loser: Rafael Nadal
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It seemed that Rafael Nadal was on his way after cruising through an easy set. He had Fernando Verdasco misfiring badly in the first game of the third set in the blustery wind. Then the bottom came out of Nadal's game, and he played as if it were no more important than an exhibition match.
Was it bothersome to Nadal that the crowd was cheering louder for his opponent?
Did he subliminally weigh whether or not he wanted to be here at all when he could fly back to Europe and get more time on red clay? Extra preparation there could pay bigger dividends to go after Monte Carlo where he has won eight championships as opposed to playing more matches and likely having to get through a Djokovic final here in Miami where he has never won a title.
Nobody's suggesting that Nadal tanked his match, but he is either still way off being a top-10 player, or his heart was simply not into his latest loss.
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