Novak Djokovic and Garbine Muguruza Top Winners and Losers in Beijing and Tokyo
Rafael Nadal had his chance to upend Novak Djokovic in Beijing's super final, but the result proved that their careers are at different levels right now.
We also witnessed that the highest-ranked Spaniard in the world is the WTA's Garbine Muguruza. Is she the future of tennis? We discuss her toughest task through the months ahead.
How did things go at Tokyo with Japanese star Kei Nishikori and Swiss No. 2 Stan Wawrinka as they looked to grab a level-500 trophy? Once again, this was a clear illustration of which player has earned his reputation in big matches.
Why might Belgium be satisfied with David Goffin's loss?
All of this and more as we detail the races to end 2015 in this week's "Winners and Losers" column.
Loser: Simona Halep
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With the absence of Serena Williams, Simona Halep posed as the No. 1 seed at the China Open. She never finished the first set of her first match. Trailing 5-4, Halep retired with an injury to her left foot that she described to the press in WTA Tennis:
"I have pain in my Achilles. It's getting worse. I thought that it was getting better and I could play, but no - I don't want to force it. And it's a tough injury because it's always dangerous to continue with the tendon, so, I hope to just recover and be healthy again soon.
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It has to be frustrating for Halep who has maintained her No. 2 ranking despite more inconsistent results and setbacks in 2015. She did not really challenge for a major title, and now with Serena sidelined for the WTA year-end tournament in Singapore, Halep will need to recover and find the zone if she is to win the tour’s fifth-most important trophy.
Will she be durable and healthy as she looks to hold off a new wave of younger players who are already entering the top 10?
Tough luck for now, and if she is not able to find her form this year, it certainly thins out the top of the rankings for a wide open tournament in Singapore.
Winner: Rafael Nadal
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His eyes have darkened and he has a scruffier face and unkempt curl in the back of his hair. No matter, the more elderly Nadal is out there battling, trying to figure out just what it will take to compete once again with longtime rival Novak Djokovic.
The strange thing about Rafael Nadal’s 6-2, 6-2 beating in the China Open was that he didn’t actually play that bad. In a measuring-stick match for the Spaniard, Nadal capped off a good week by finding out he has miles to go if he is to compete with King Novak.
There were some highlight shots from Nadal including a few up-the-line specials, a stabbing backhand crosscourt winner and a tweener (which he lost). He could go toe-to-toe with Djokovic if he could throw in a great shot or two every game. But there were too many hiccups and too many longer rallies that saw Djokovic edge to better positions and more offense.
Nadal is going to have to be near-perfect to beat Djokovic in a big match, something that superstar Roger Federer knows all too well. He’s also going to have to win a lot more than one-third of his second-serve points, and he’s going to have to figure out how to return and attack Djokovic’s ever-improving serve. There were times Nadal was nearly in the stands trying to swat back a Djokovic service bender from off the deuce court.
This is still progress for Nadal who showed a bit of the old gusto, some fierce grunting and buckets of sweat. He’s facing a Herculean task, but considering that this speedier court is not to his liking and that he was much better than at New York, well, give him a winner’s tag and we’ll see him again in Shanghai.
Loser: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
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When his serve flounders, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga does not play with the same confidence with his groundstrokes and return game. The big Frenchman only connected on 52 percent of his first serves and ultimately saved only one of the four breakpoints against Austrian journeyman Andreas Haider-Maurer in Beijing’s first round.
Tsonga had a set point in the first but ultimately lost both sets. He also shrugged off excuses about apparent dizziness that occurred in the match, according to Tennisnow.com.
It all but eliminates Tsonga’s quest to qualify for the elite eight at London’s WTF year-end extravaganza. Tsonga had some bright moments in 2015 with strong runs to the French Open semifinals and U.S. Open quarterfinals, but his career has likely passed its peak. If he does not have another highlight, the World No. 14 will cherish some great highlights:
- Unseeded finalist at the 2008 Australian Open
- Two-time French Open semifinalist (2013, 15)
- Two-time Wimbledon semifinalist (2011-12)
- Masters 1000 winner at 2008 Paris
- Masters 1000 winner at Canada’s 2014 Rogers Cup
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Winner: Stan Wawrinka
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Part of the maturity in Stan Wawrinka's rise as a major contender the past three years is how he can handle big matches. If you don't get him early, it's very tough to get him at the end. The Swiss demolished a hobbled Benoit Paire for Tokyo's 500 points.
Check out what this means. Before 2014, Wawrinka had 13 finals appearances with only his 2013 Madrid Masters final a big event. He was 4-9 in finals.
Since 2014, Wawrinka is a perfect 7-0 in finals, including the 2014 Australian Open, 2014 Monte Carlo Masters and 2015 French Open. Those are not cheap finals wins, coming against Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic respectively.
There's a sense that he could do more damage at Shanghai, Paris and the WTF event at London. He will get attention from Djokovic and the Federers (yes, Mirka too) for sure.
Loser: David Goffin
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The Belgian tennis fan base is probably not overly disappointed to see their best countryman lose his second-round match at Beijing. It almost assuredly eliminates the 16th-ranked David Goffin from the Race to London for a WTF bid.
There are a couple of Masters 1000 tournaments to play, but Team Belgium can help concoct a plan to get their primary player extra rest and time on the clay-court surface that will host Great Britain for the Davis Cup finals in late November.
Now Goffin will not “unnecessarily” chase extra points and exhaust himself for London in the weeks before the all-important Davis Cup.
Maybe we should label this a “Winner” slide for the good folks in Belgium. The least they can do is send some of their famous chocolate to Italian conqueror Fabio Fognini for his nice assistance in providing the Goffin loss.
Winner: Novak Djokovic
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King Novak may have enjoyed the Nadal match just to carve out delicious angles with his backhand, move around his now unpredictable serve and blast his airtight forehand. The longer the rallies, the easier it seemed to get for him, as if he could choose when he wanted to pull the string for the inevitable winner.
From the opening point, King Novak showed quicker feet and greater power, pushing Nadal around during an impressive rally that ended when the Serbian belted a forehand that caused Nadal’s footwork to buckle enough for the feeble reply.
When critical replays came up, King Novak knowingly stood by when it was confirmed that two of his big shots kissed the line by a whisker. He’s even the king of replays.
Two breaks in each set and a more lopsided result than their recent exhibition match at Thailand. Indeed, the real heavy lifting was when King Novak had to hoist up his massive trophy.
The scary thing is that King Novak seems to have evicted complacency. His apparent slump in losing two final matches at Montreal and Cincinnati was more to do with over-scheduling matches and residual fatigue. Other players withdraw in one form or another, but King Novak keeps coming. He’s got that special blend of composure and desire to keep on dominating.
His talent and powers are at their peak, so who's going to stop him?
There will likely be some greater adversity at Shanghai, and this is good for him. He needs to stay sharp for the very biggest prizes because when he’s rolling, there’s just no stopping him right now. Other than Roger Federer’s all-court challenges on fast courts and a dose of Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray in limited venues, Djokovic has otherwise cruised in 2015.
Loser: Kei Nishikori
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It was probably going to be too much for Kei Nishikori to replicate his stretch run in 2014. Then, the Japanese star was a U.S. Open-finalist and winner in consecutive weeks for the Malaysian and Tokyo titles.
This year he came up empty in all three, the latest a semifinal upset to Benoit Paire in front of his home country’s fans. Never mind that he defeated Marin Cilic with an excellent and probably draining comeback in the previous match. Nishikori must still pick up more points to ensure that he qualifies for London’s WTF.
He’ll get to London, but will he pick up important victories at Shanghai and Paris in the weeks leading up to the year-end final? His game has become more predictable to his top opponents, particularly against someone like Andy Murray who can mix in more slice and up-the-line backhands.
He’s young enough to pick up a few important surprise titles at level-500 or possibly Masters 1000 venues, but it’s hard to see Nishikori competing for too many majors.
Winner: Garbine Muguruza
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Here she comes.
Garbine Muguruza won her second career title and it was a big one, Beijing's premier-mandatory China Open. While it's true that Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova did not play and Simona Halep retired in the first match with an injury, Muguruza proved worthy of being the new No. 4 player in the world by winning 7-5, 6-4 against now-No. 10 Timea Bacsinszky.
It wasn't easy. Muguruza looked tight as the favorite. Her emotion escalated with loud relief after late breaks in each set. Fortunately, her backhand was keen, and she picked off more than a few clean volleys for well-deserved points.
The challenge will be the next year. We've seen plenty of talented young WTA players carve out a great week or two only to slide back with lackluster play. Is Muguruza the real deal, someone who will rise above a post-breakout slump?
She certainly has the power and athleticism to be a star, and unlike No. 2 Simona Halep, Muguruza has more big weapons to compete for major titles against other powerful players. But that does not mean she has Halep's consistency, Sharapova's fight and Serena's talent. There's a long ways before this can become a legitimate conversation.
For now, she probably appreciates her Beijing title and Wimbledon final. It could be the beginning of much greater success, but the jury will be out for awhile.
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