Novak Djokovic Dominates Winners and Losers at 2015 Paris Masters
Not even the fickle history of the Paris Masters could stop world-beater Novak Djokovic. His showdown with No. 2 Andy Murray was more of a coronation than a competition, and in the end, he was the one lifting the gnarled little tree trophy.
There were plenty of other "winners" and "losers" in a star-studded affair that began with Roger Federer and included Rafael Nadal. It begs the question if the Big Three and Murray are even better than they were one year ago, something that we address in the final slide.
So kick back and review the ups and downs in the year's final Masters 1000 tournament. There are several ramifications that will be relevant for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London.
Loser: Roger Federer
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Any Roger Federer defeat brings with it a thousand questions, but any John Isner victory brings with it one explanation.
How did Isner knock off the great Federer in the third round? This is not baseball sabermetrics or rocket science. Big Isner has one great skill and one only: He can blast serves 145 miles per hour, and as long as he keeps dealing something in that neighborhood, he will hold out for the tiebreaker.
Isner’s rarely going to help himself with his returns or defense, so his matches are a case of who blinks first. Super serving or ugly tennis? It depends on how you view the matches.
Federer won the second set with a break of Isner, but Isner won two tiebreakers with his high-powered arsenal. He did not break Federer one time in three sets. End of story.
Next up for Federer is the overrated angle about resting up for the World Tour Finals. By then, the Isner loss will be in the rear-view mirror.
Winner: French Tennis
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France certainly does not have the firepower and stardom of other tennis European powers. There's Spain's depth, Switzerland's dynamic duo and Serbia's one-man version of global domination. Even Great Britain and Belgium are under the microscope with their runs at the Davis Cup. But give the French their due while they host a nice event like the Paris Masters.
There were 11 French players in the draw who combined for 10 victories. Led by Richard Gasquet, there are other top-20 talents such as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Gilles Simon and Gael Monfils. Pros Benoit Paire and Jeremy Chardy are talented strikers who can ruin another star's day.
For the past decade, put France alongside the Czech Republic and Australia. Put France ahead of other tennis-rich countries such as Argentina, America and Croatia. All she needs now is a top-flight superstar to get a bigger share of the spotlight, especially when late May rolls around at Roland Garros.
Loser: Kei Nishikori
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It’s France, where deja vu dealt another blow to Japanese star Kei Nishikori. Injuries, injuries and more injuries. He’s only 25 years old, but his body has been breaking down like an old lemon pressed onto a race track.
Nishikori’s been unable to build on a few impressive highlights the past two years, because of his back, hip, calf and now his abs. This week, he retired in his third-round loss to Richard Gasquet after trailing 7-6(3), 4-1. “After the first set, I started feeling my abs, side abs. Couldn't really hit serves. I couldn't really hit 100 percent,” he said in a news conference (via Reuters).
Forget about his chances to win a Masters 1000 tournament, when memories like hurting his back at 2014 Madrid and withdrawing from this year's Wimbledon and Cincinnati tournaments overshadow his resume. He might eventually pull out of all nine masters tournaments before he wins a title at any one of them.
Nishikori will be the youngest player in the World Tour Finals, if he can get healthy, and he looks like the easiest out for his opponents. As strange as it sounds, more elderly stars such as Roger Federer and David Ferrer are far more reliable with recovery fitness.
Ironically, Gasquet, who benefitted from Nishikori’s troubles this week, could be the alternate who replaces Nishikori in the World Tour Finals. He would be well-advised to keep his rackets strung and bookmark the flights to London.
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Winner: Novak Djokovic
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Records are being created wherever he goes, and there's no letup in sight from World No. 1 Djokovic. He strode into Paris and crushed the field once again, dropping only one set to Stan Wawrinka and hauling in a horrendously ugly, powdered-green trophy that looks like a crossbreed of antlers and briars.
For starters, it might have been unexpected to see both Djokovic and Murray in the final, considering the unexpected nature of this tournament. It's the first time since 1990 that the No. 1 and No. 2 players met in the Paris final.
Oh, there was the championship match, but it looked more like a hitting session for Djokovic, who scored two breaks in each set and thoroughly dominated the baseline for the 6-2, 6-4 win. There's no hope for anyone, including the expertise of Murray's grit and intelligence, to simply trade blows with Djokovic.
ESPN's televised post-match data showed a few surprising numbers just before the awards ceremony. Djokovic, who looked every bit the aggressor, had a modest line of 10 winners and 12 unforced errors, but Murray had 20 winners and 34 unforced errors. Clearly, Murray was pressing and Djokovic forced him into the errors with his powerful and precise array of offense and defense. He's forcing the other players to try for too much, and sooner or later they crumble under their mistakes.
Loser: Rafael Nadal
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Sometimes the difference between very good and dominant is how a player can consistently win the big points where the games, sets and match will be decided. Superstar Rafael Nadal has built much of his career legend by winning those pressure points.
But not during his quarterfinal loss to Stan Wawrinka. On paper, the 7-6(10), 7-6(9) loss was a match that could have gone either way, but Nadal missed the most opportunities to win the match.
Up a break in the first set, Nadal earned a set point at 5-3 but couldn’t cash in. Wawrinka then responded with a burst of some big-time shots to break back and eventually force the tiebreaker. Two more set points went sour, and suddenly, it was Wawrinka grabbing the first set.
The second set was a kind of reversal, with Wawrinka getting the break and looking to serve out the match. He choked when he slapped a couple of sitters into the net instead of the open court.
It looked as if Nadal had regathered the momentum for the tiebreaker, especially leading with two mini-breaks at 5-2 and preparing for his two serves. Then it was Nadal who pushed an easy overhead into the net. Instead of going up 6-2, Nadal handed the serve back to Wawrinka at 5-4, and the Swiss showed better nerves to win the big points and punch his card into the semifinals.
Maybe Wawrinka is the better player at this point in their careers, but it still seems strange to watch Nadal lose to someone he annihilated in their first 12 matches, and with Nadal's recent progress, it felt like an upset.
Since Australia 2014, where Nadal’s fortunes changed with a back injury, Wawrinka has taken three of four matches.
Winner: Stan Wawrinka
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Can you believe someone finally took a set off Novak Djokovic? It’s fitting the deed was done by Stan Wawrinka, who knows a thing or two about streak-busting the world No. 1.
Down a set in the semifinals, Wawrinka got the 6-3 breakthrough, ending Djokovic’s perfection that began in the U.S. Open final, blitzed through China and finally died in Paris. But the celebration was short-lived, as Wawrinka’s momentum flopped into a bagel (tennis term for losing a set 6-0).
It’s not the worst sign for Wawrinka, and it might actually be a bad omen for Djokovic. Recall the Australian Open semifinals when Wawrinka pushed Djokovic to a fifth set. Wawrinka was dealt a bagel in that one, but it certainly did not get him down. In their next meeting, Djokovic suffered his biggest defeat of the year, a four-set loss to Wawrinka in the French Open final.
So this Paris third-set bagel might not matter at all to Wawrinka, who told ATPWorldTour.com, “Unfortunately, he started to play well. I did a few mistakes, first three games, and then he started to relax and play too fast. I had no more energy to come back at 0-3.”
It might be strange to say that this will embolden Wawrinka, whose success has ripened with big-match toughness. Does this mean he will oust Djokovic in the World Tour Finals or the Australian Open in the near future? No, but it’s a subtle reminder he will be around with his big hammer, hoping that the Serbian falters at the wrong time.
Loser: David Goffin
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Nobody’s really talking about the Andy Murray dilemma: Should he play in the World Tour Finals, or should he withdraw to get more court time on clay to maximize Great Britain’s chances to win the Davis Cup finals against Belgium.
Murray might have rendered moot this discussion. He might have obliterated Belgium’s confidence by crushing their best player, 16th-ranked David Goffin, 6-1, 6-0. It was a Murray statement, delivered across the channel, reminding his cousins that no matter what surface or how many gruelling Paris and London matches he must play, he’s going to invest everything he has to win.
Goffin has to feel at least somewhat rattled. He’s a fine all-around player with supreme tennis skills but is a lightweight in stature and achievements compared to Murray.
It’s not to say that Goffin will do any less than increase his training and determination later this month, but in the back of his mind, at a possible critical time to stay with Murray in their singles Davis Cup match, will Goffin believe he can win? Can he execute the match of his life?
Paris didn’t even bring him a bottle of wine.
Winner: The Big Three and Andy Murray
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Well, so much for the rest of the tour kicking the Big Three and Andy Murray to the curb. Tennis fans keep looking for the next great champions, but only veteran Stan Wawrinka has been able to get a slice of the pie. Give him a hand for the French Open title.
Otherwise, this autumn has been another example of Novak Djokovic’s total dominance, Federer’s Swiss title and more improved play from Rafael Nadal in reaching finals at Beijing and Basel. Murray’s up to No. 2 in the world once again, a Paris finalist and the center of the Davis Cup world. Last week, it was Federer vs. Nadal in Basel's final, and this week, it's Djokovic vs. Murray in Paris.
The Big Three and Murray are carrying the sport, and there’s still no end in sight. In truth, as we close out 2015, they all look more dominant than they did one year ago:
- Djokovic is at his all-time high, including three majors in 2015, six Masters 1000 titles and a grip on the No. 1 ranking that may not be relinquished until the 22nd century.
- Federer has two major finals this year, Cincinnati and a more polished and aggressive array of offensive attacks. He's had stiffer competition at the top this year but has played his best tennis since 2012.
- Murray took the other two Masters 1000 titles at clay-court Madrid and Montreal. He was clearly healthier and better than last year, and he is No. 2 in the Race to London, ahead of Federer by over 1,100 points.
- Nadal, who was unraveling on clay and down to No. 10 in the world, has put together his best stretch on autumn's faster courts. If he's not exactly reeling in the titles, he's competing harder with his forehand, he's back up to No. 5 and he could be a major factor at Australia 2016.
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