Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova Top Winners and Losers at 2015 Italian Open
Novak Djokovic rolled his championship chariot into Rome and left his rivals in the dust at the 2015 Italian Open. Disputed "Queen of Clay" Maria Sharapova found her game just in time for the French Open.
What does this mean for those chasing Djokovic? Veterans Rafael Nadal, Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori, Roger Federer and Tomas Berdych might need to pool their collective talents together to ambush the Serbian at Roland Garros.
In our "Winners and Losers" column this week, we review the final Masters 1000 tournament until the Rogers Cup in August. The French Open takes centre stage with Djokovic and nine-time champion Nadal starring with contrasting forms.
Loser: Rafael Nadal
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Rafael Nadal and Stan Wawrinka battled with their respective strengths in the first set, the Spaniard finding a little more range with his topspin forehand and the Swiss crushing anything that fell short. Then Nadal surged ahead in the tiebreaker, up 6-2 and with a luxury of four set points.
Somehow he couldn't close it out.
Nadal lost the set and seemed resigned to accept his second-set drubbing. He simply did not look like the fighter that built a legendary legacy for the past decade. While it's easy to observe his inconsistencies and lack of forceful play, it's shocking to see him lose many big points that have decided recent matches.
Nadal used to be the one to win those points.
He lost a big third set to Fabio Fognini at Rio de Janeiro. He couldn't cash in on three match points against Milos Raonic at Indian Wells. He gave away easy points in a second-set tiebreaker to Fognini at Barcelona. Add the crumble against Wawrinka at Rome.
Nadal is facing his first 0-4 record since he was sidelined by injury as a teenager in 2004. That's zero titles in four European clay-court tournaments where he used to dominate. If he doesn't win the French Open over the next few weeks, he will be shut out of Europe's red clay, and his dominant era will be officially over.
That doesn't mean Nadal cannot have another mini-resurgence in the future, but speaking strictly of the French Open to come, it doesn't look very promising.
Winner: Stanislas Wawrinka
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Now on to giving Stan Wawrinka his credit. The second Swiss star had been fading from his magical 2014 accomplishments, often ousted early against more marginal players in 2015.
His win over Rafael Nadal to send him to the semifinals was important to establish that he could be a wild card player for the French Open title. It's still a long shot, but he could contend if chaos plagues the bracket and he can survive his first four matches, which is where he often seems vulnerable or impatient against lesser players.
Wawrinka's success comes with a risk-reward mentality. Against Nadal, he sent several frozen ropes past the more defensive Spaniard. The slower clay at Rome and Roland Garros gives him more time to set up his own average footwork, and it gives him more opportunities to wind up and hammer at high-bouncing balls, which don't faze him much.
While the odds are greater that he will go out in the first week at Roland Garros than late in the second week, Nadal and Novak Djokovic certainly would not be pleased to see him in the quarterfinals or semifinals. He might have recovered just enough confidence to believe he can finish off a few more career highlights.
Loser: Jerzy Janowicz
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Grigor Dimitrov vs. Jerzy Janowicz was an interesting reminder of how difficult it has been for the "older young players" reaching their mid-20s.
Janowicz and his big serve seemed destined for bigger things following his semifinal appearance at Wimbledon 2013. He peaked at No. 14 in the rankings late that year.
The more highly touted Dimitrov, who just celebrated his 25th birthday, has hit a wall since his 2014 semifinal appearance at the same tournament.
But Janowicz is the one fading from relevance. He is 11-9 this year and going nowhere. He dropped the Dimitrov meeting at Rome and one more spot in the rankings, down to No. 47. There is little to suggest that he can harness his forehand, apply patience and strategy to his matches and find enough positive momentum to become a Top-10 player.
Is he wasting his talent and potential? Does he need a new coach or approach to training and playing? He's not the same bundle of brash power and temperamental attitude.
Maybe Wimbledon can bring back some of the good vibes.
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Winner: Tomas Berdych
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OK, Tomas Berdych got thrashed by Roger Federer in Rome's quarterfinals 6-3, 6-3, so how does this make him a winner?
Getting to the quarterfinal and having World No. 5 Kei Nishikori lose his quarterfinal match to Novak Djokovic turned out to be a 10-point difference in staying ahead of the Japanese star for the important No. 4 seed at Roland Garros.
Berdych's narrow margin for the No. 4 seed also assumes that French Open officials will not favorably adjust the seeding for someone like nine-time champion Rafael Nadal. Tournament director Gilbert Ysern, through L'Equipe via Tennis.com, said that they would not move up Nadal's seeding:
"We thought about it. We could not not ask the question for a champion like him, who has embodied the tournament for 10 years and only once not won a match. But the circumstances are different.
In 2013, he came in injured. Today, it is his sporting level, it seems, which has fallen. He is not hampered. So, we will not adjust the seedings in his favor.
"
Berdych will now be able to stay away from Djkovic, Federer and Murray until the semifinals. He can most likely avoid Nadal until at least that stage. Perhaps some much-needed chaos at the very top of the bracket could put Berdych in position to win the French Open.
Well, that's a lot to ask from a quarterfinalist who got spanked in Rome and has had a dubious record in big matches. Regardless of his seeding, nobody is going to give him much of a chance to win it all.
Losers: The Williams Sisters
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Venus Williams looked to bring her power and mettle against No. 2 seed Simona Halep in the third round. She figured to at least push the smaller Romanian, and she had at least a puncher’s chance to get on a roll and win the match.
Instead, she looped weak forehands, missed the court on too many backhands and was slow to the corners, often stabbing at the ball rather than sliding into shots. It was an aging warrior getting drilled by youthful energy.
Meanwhile, younger sister Serena Williams chose to withdraw from her third-round match because of an elbow injury that has bothered her since Madrid.
It’s bad news in the sense of her preparation but probably the best choice for her in looking to make a run at the French Open, at least according to her comments in USA Today: "I think if I continue to play it could get worse and then I could have a situation on my hands. I've learned from some things in the past. If I continue to play it could not only hurt my chances for Roland Garros but maybe for Wimbledon."
The Williams sisters will look for energy and health to compete at Roland Garros. Maybe a midweek exit was really the best route to better results in Paris, but it was a tough weak nonetheless.
Winner: Maria Sharapova
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Just in time, the Queen of Clay salvaged her disappointments in dropping title defenses at Stuttgart and Madrid. Maria Sharapova struggled through the first two sets of the Rome final against Carla Suarez-Navarro, finally controlling her power-baseline game and overwhelming the Spaniard's precision and guile.
Most importantly, it gives her license to the No. 2 seed at the French Open, along with a bundle of confidence. Had she lost the Rome finals, she would be seeded No. 3 behind Simona Halep.
Additionally, she can avoid nemesis Serena Williams, the one player who has demoralized Sharapova in the past decade.
Furthermore, Sharapova will be defending 2000 points earned from last year's French Open title. She has to feel a renewed sense of confidence and belief in herself, and if Serena goes out before the final, Sharapova will be the favorite.
Loser: Simona Halep
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After an early exit at Madrid, it looked like Simona Halep had regained her focus and energy. She stormed through her first three opponents, including Venus Williams, with six sets of dominating play 6-3, 6-0, 6-2, 6-1, 6-1, 6-0. That's 36-7 in 43 games.
In the semifinal, Halep continued to hustle and hit with ease, winning the first set 6-2 and breaking Carla Suarez Navarro in the opening game of the second set.
Then the wheels came off. Most importantly, she was almost unable to defend her serve, losing the second set 6-3 and getting broken five of six times to lose the third set 7-5.
It's not a good sign for Halep, who would love a chance to successfully finish off the French Open final she nearly won in 2014. She won't come close if she cannot serve better and reply with a better strike on the third ball.
Sometimes, Halep has looked a bit taxed, as if tennis is more of a chore this year than last year's exhilarating climb up the rankings. Is frustration creeping in? Is she feeling more like Agnieszka Radwanska, having to play perfect finesse tennis to close out the final weekend?
Halep has won a lot of titles the past two years, but the Masters 1000 and majors will cost her if she cannot defeat bigger hitters like Serena Willliams and Maria Sharapova, and if her own service game has a power drain.
Winner: Novak Djokovic
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Mission accomplished. After skipping Madrid for a much-needed rest, Novak Djokovic knocked off a bit of early-week rust and continued to do what he does best at Masters 1000 venues: Win titles.
Djokovic broke open a tight first set to blow away rival Roger Federer in the second set for the 6-4, 6-3 victory, his fourth Rome title and 24th overall Masters championship, just three behind all-time leader Rafael Nadal. At this rate, Djokovic will break the Masters record at the end of the year in Paris. It might be too much to ask him to sweep the fast courts, but these days there's no stopping the World No. 1.
But will he win the French Open and launch himself into conversation as one of the handful who can be considered the greatest player of all time? Keep going like this for a few years and why not?
Marvel most at his growing strength and composure. He is impeccable on both wings, a brilliant returner, great defender and masterful offensive baseliner.
Next will be three weeks of questions about the French Open. Will he or won't he? It's the only question left he has to answer.
Loser: Roger Federer
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It was another wonderful week for Roger Federer except for the ending. It shouldn't diminish his work in plastering Tomas Berdych and rolling Stan Warinka, but despite the problem of playing a better player in the final, Federer can hardly feel consoled by losing the Rome final.
This was his fourth final at Rome, and once again he could not cart away the winner's cup.
Federer, like the rest of the tour, has a Djokovic problem, and it's probably cost him Masters 1000 titles and the 2014 Wimbledon in the past year. Can he break through at the French Open?
The problem is he cannot handle Djokovic from the baseline. After trailing one set and 3-0 in the second set, ESPN flashed an in-match stat that Djokovic had won 30 of the 42 baseline rallies. At the end of the match, the stat comparison showed that Djokovic had won 29 of 44 points that were at least five strokes.
The Swiss maestro served well in the first set, looked to attack early and often, and yet it was still a routine win for Djokovic. What else can Federer do except find some kryptonite and slip it into the Serbian's equipment bag?
Yet, Federer, according to ATP World Tour, still named struggling Rafael Nadal as the favorite for the French Open, while remaining optimistic that he still considered himself a contender: "I don’t want to get myself too down because it was a good tournament for me...I really hope it's not just the two of them (Djokovic and Nadal). I hope there's going to be some other guys who will be a part of that group and I hope in particular myself."
The French Open is next, but unless Djokovic loses his way to Paris, it's going to be very hard for Federer or anyone else to knock him off.
Winner: Retro Rome Match 2006
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It's still an amazing match, even if we profiled it one year ago. Yes, Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer is one of the greatest final matches at a Masters 1000, if not the No. 1 selection.
Forget about their youthful energy and rising championship pedigrees. The Rome match would go on to be bigger than the two champions, symbolizing so much about their strengths and weaknesses, but especially a theatrical performance that epitomized the thrill and drama of classic championship tennis.
It was a five-set match, when this was still the format for a Masters 1000 final, that in some ways foreshadowed their careers. Nadal found his way past match points to defeat Federer and continue his dominance on clay. Federer, playing on his worst surface, would continue to sweep virtually every other opportunity except Nadal's clay-court titles, including the 2006 French Open weeks later.
Do yourself a favor and watch this one again or for the first time. The days of this youthful rivalry is long past, but the memories and timelessness will go on.
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