Rafael Nadal, Kei Nishikori Among Top Winners and Losers for Week of April 20-26
Rafael Nadal's struggles at the Barcelona Open continued for the second consecutive year, while Japanese star Kei Nishikori celebrated his title defense on Spanish soil by holding up his country's flag. Is this a sign of things to come, and is Nishikori now a legitimate French Open contender?
There were rags to riches efforts by veterans Pablo Andujar and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, but there were more flops by ATP pros who are top-10 talents.
Find out how an early match between Maria Sharapova and Angelique Kerber led to major implications for the remainder of the clay-court season on the WTA tour.
This week's Winners and Losers column is a momentary glimpse at the successes and failures at tournaments that are bridging the gap to Madrid and Rome. We also preview the upcoming week, including a return to action for Roger Federer and Andy Murray.
Winner: Pablo Andujar
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Not a bad week's work for Pablo Andujar, the last Spaniard at the Barcelona Open. While the gritty veteran survived tough matches, 13 other compatriots were sent packing—including the great Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, Tommy Robredo and Fernando Verdasco.
Andujar mowed through several tough matches. He took out World No. 12 Feliciano Lopez, talented clay-courter Fabio Fognini and No. 8 Ferrer. That's a lot of grinding over some of the very best in the world who often thrive on clay.
In the final, Andujar had an opening break but eventually lost the first set to Kei Nishikori. He played better and perhaps could have taken the set, but the Japanese star was steadier down the stretch, holding on 6-4, 6-4. Still, Andujar had a week to remember in his home country and nearly reclaimed the Spanish hegemony at Barcelona. Alas, it remains in the hands of Nishikori.
For his efforts, Andujar moves up 24 spots in the ATP Rankings to No. 42. He could be a tough customer for any of the top stars as the French Open looms closer. Watch out.
Loser: Rafael Nadal
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The biggest clay-court story on the ATP tour was once again Rafael Nadal's inability to advance past midweek at the Barcelona Open. The days of undisputed invincibility on clay is likely over, but a few other considerations remain as he prepares to bounce back on the road to a 10th French Open title.
First, it's very difficult for any tennis superstar to win majors once he reaches his 28th birthday, and Nadal has a lot of wear and tear on his body. Most important, his defensive game has historically been his most important asset in setting up his offense. There has not been a great precedent for tennis stars who rely heavily on defense to thrive in their latter years.
Mats Wilander, a true backboard who could outlast his opponents with patient groundstrokes, was through at age 24.
Lleyton Hewitt and all of his war wounds never regained his defensive tenacity after age 23. The mind was willing, but he could not scramble and counter-punch the way he had during his time at No. 1 and in winning two majors.
Even 1989 French Open champion Michael Chang could not ride his legs and defense for anything significant beyond his mid-20s.
Of course, Nadal's achievements dwarf the aforementioned players, and he has extended his success for another half decade past these great retrievers.
Unlike a big server (Pete Sampras) or a star who can generate more variety and easier points on offense (Roger Federer), Nadal will face the ultimate challenge in proving he can grind out victories on the toughest surface in tennis after a decade that has seen him slide on enough kilometers to circle the globe.
Winner: Guillermo Garcia-Lopez
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The veteran Guillermo Garcia-Lopez has been a force in 2015, claiming the Bucharest title in a tough final over powerful young Jiri Vesely 7-6(5), 7-6(11). He has not only proven to be resilient, but also a dangerous player on clay.
Last year, Garcia-Lopez took out Stanislas Wawrinka in the first round of the French Open on his way to the fourth round. He's had steadier results since, including titles at Zagreb and now Bucharest. He's also moved his ranking up 14 slots to No. 31. Only 12 other players on tour have amassed more points in 2015's Race to London.
Can he prove to be a spoiler for the upcoming French Open? He's not going to win it, but he could certainly hammer his way into a second week and take out an important player or two.
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Loser: Maria Sharapova
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Maria Sharapova and her No. 2 ranking are 2,000 points away from Serena Williams, but last week indicated that she could drop much further behind.
While Nadal, tennis' King of Clay was imploding in Barcelona, Sharapova, the WTA's closest version to a Queen of Clay, was losing her crown in Stuttgart to an unusually tough opening opponent in the form of Angelique Kerber. It puts even more pressure on Sharapova to defend her Madrid title, go deep at Rome and hold on to the French Open.
Anything less and she will plummet.
Although she is a feisty competitor and a big hitter on clay, she is also a streaky player, prone to setbacks and injuries that usually curtail her momentum. She has been underwhelming in 2015, and this will not be enough to compete for more majors. If she cannot make a run on clay, it will be tougher elsewhere.
Winner: Angelique Kerber
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Sharapova's loss was Angelique Kerber's gain. The lefty German continued her hot play on clay, outlasting Caroline Wozniacki, 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 for the Stuttgart championship. This comes two weeks after she captured the Family Circle title on green clay at Charleston, South Carolina.
Is she a French Open contender?
Right now, she has the confidence and momentum to go after the French Open. She has knocked aside top opponents, something that until recently had been a weakness. She is punching the ball consistently, carving out opportunistic winners with enough added power to find a few more easy points.
Losers: ATP Underachievers
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Ernests Gulbis might be the easiest first-round draw in tennis. The Latvian, a 2014 French Open semifinalist, went out again in his first match to drop to 1-9 for 2015. Can he play any worse?
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also could not get up for more than a 6-4, 6-2 defeat to Marcel Granollers. It's hard to see him repeating his 2013 semifinal appearance at Roland Garros.
Marin Cilic will always have his 2014 U.S. Open trophy, but don't expect him to add the Musketeers Cup. The big Croatian has been racked by injuries and looks a shell of himself. Time will tell when he can put together another streak.
Meanwhile, young guns Nick Kyrgios and Dominic Thiem were defeated in the first round. For all of the hype surrounding their impending bright futures, they are not honed to win big on clay. In truth, none of the other newbies have shown much on clay either.
It's a reminder that we might see one of the young guns become a major champion over the next few years, but none of them remotely resemble a young Rafael Nadal; he's not walking through the door anytime soon, if ever again.
Winner: Kei Nishikori
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Last year, Kei Nishikori was a surprising champion at Barcelona. He snapped a 11-year streak of Spanish champions, eight of them won by the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal.
Nishikori's 2015 defense is meaningful for several reasons. Begin with the Japanese star's own success on clay. He is proving that 2014 was not a fluke and that he could be the most potent challenger to win the French Open outside of Novak Djokovic and Nadal.
Call him the Far East King of Clay as he breaks new ground for Asia. The interesting thing is that he still feels like he is a work in progress on red clay, as explained in ATP World Tour:
"I’ve become more aggressive, my service is better and so is my return. I guess my style is becoming more Spanish. I still feel more comfortable on hard court than on clay but these last four matches (five after winning the final) have been great and I think they’ve helped me improve.
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Nishikori was very impressive, dropping only one set and winning almost all of the others in very decisive fashion. He not only possesses the requisite retrieving skills and energy on defense, but he can counter the bigger hitters and servers on more level terms. They have to rely more on a well-rounded game and grind on a surface that requires more baseline rallies. Advantage Nishikori.
Nishikori has the right blend of offensive aggressiveness and consistency to augment his defensive tenacity. He runs opponents from corner to corner with deep angles, and he can disguise his shots even as he takes them early. His up-the-line backhand packs a powerful and effective complement.
As long as Nishikori stays healthy this time around, he could very well snag a title or two at Madrid, Rome or Roland Garros. Can you imagine what a French Open title would do to galvanize Far East tennis?
Preview: Where Are the Stars This Week?
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Three mid-major tournaments are a worthy appetizer before the Masters 1000 kicks off at Madrid on May 3. Rafael Nadal will be licking his wounds in Spain, no doubt trying to turn his year around, but what about his rivals?
Roger Federer will highlight the opening of the new clay court tournament at Istanbul. He should get at least a few matches to tune up against subpar competition in preparation for bigger tournaments ahead. The highest seeds in the tournament draw are second-seeded Grigor Dimitrov, third-seeded Pablo Cuevas and fourth-seeded Santiago Giraldo. It's his tournament to lose, barring hot play by Dimitrov.
Meanwhile, Andy Murray will head the BMW Open at Munich. There are plenty of players participating who are experienced Top 50 competitors, and Gael Monfils, Fabio Fognini and Bernard Tomic might be the most dangerous, but they've all been streaky players. Clay is never Murray's best surface, but he should still be the solid favorite. The most glaring problem is that Murray has never won a clay-court tournament, anywhere. Will he finally get it done this week?
The most wide-open tournament will be Estoril, Portugal. The No. 1 seed is Feliciano Lopez, but it will be interesting to see other potential contenders like Nick Kyrgios and Borna Coric. Veterans like Bucharest champion Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, Tommy Robredo or Richard Gasquet could very well sneak into the final and take the trophy.
All of this could very well set up the winners for bigger chances at Madrid, Rome and the French Open. The tennis season is an ongoing trial by merit. Every week is a chance to keep building or start over with a clean slate. By May and June, the cream will rise to the top.
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