Federer vs. Thiem Leads Winners and Losers at Grass-Court Tournaments
With Wimbledon drawing closer, the grass-courts tournaments are hosting stars like Roger Federer and Dominic Thiem from European outposts like Stuttgart and S-Hertogenbosch. Last week, we were treated to a spectacular duel between Federer and Thiem that had all the elements of Shakespearean theater.
The other big winner was Andy Murray, despite not striking a tennis ball in match play. We examine his reunion with coach Ivan Lendl and what this can mean going forward for the Scot's late-career chances at grabbing that elusive third major.
There were other winners and losers on the ATP and WTA including more trouble with the rain. Will it let up for a cleaner period at Wimbledon? We can't predict that, but we can take a look at this past week's winners and losers. Too bad that Mother Nature even interfered with the finals on Sunday. Stay tuned for those finales.
Loser: Marin Cilic
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Marin Cilic is not living up to his potential. The 27-year-old Croatian, a big athlete with the power and talent to win major titles, has mostly been a bust since his 2014 U.S. Open title. Yes, he’s had nagging injuries and run into Novak Djokovic in a few big matches, but what should be his prime years have looked more like an afternoon siesta.
Cilic was the No. 2 seed at Stuttgart but lost to aging serve-and-volley veteran Radek Stepanek. It’s not a catastrophic fall, but there’s no way an in-form Cilic should lose this match. Andy Murray once described Cilic as “one of the best grass-court players in the world,” according Paul Newman of The Independent.
In 2016, Cilic’s record is a mediocre 16-12 with his best win a semifinal victory over David Ferrer at Geneva.
“That’s not good enough” will hopefully not be the phrase that sums up the ample time in his career to win more big titles.
Winner: Juan Martin del Potro
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Nobody is sure if Juan Martin del Potro can make it back as a top-10 player and major contender, but the early returns on the big Argentine are steps in the right direction.
At Stuttgart, he won three matches including victories over Grigor Dimitrov and Gilles Simon before bowing out in the semifinals against Philipp Kohlschreiber. Not too shabby for a wild card.
In 2016,, he is sporting an 11-6 record including a victory at Madrid against Dominic Thiem. He will have to play through a lot of tough draws while he tries to improve his ranking, which is hovering north of No. 130 in the world for the moment.
Right now, it’s great to see Del Potro competing. His thunderous groundstrokes are still a marvel on the ATP tour, but only if he can keep his wrists from getting injured.
Loser: Bernard Tomic
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It’s just not worth piling on Bernard Tomic. He’s only 22 years old, but it feels like he’s been on the ATP tour for a decade. He’s been inconsistent, to put it mildly, including bouts of injuries, disinterest, tanking and off-the-courts problems with the law.
He was formerly touted as a star of the future, but no more. Tomic is ranked No. 22 in the world, but he has not shown the commitment or game to be a top-10 talent.
Tomic's career record stands at 145-129, and this year he is 16-14. He was seeded No. 2 in a weak field, but he got bounced at the Ricoh Open quarterfinals by Nicolas Mahut.
By this time, we have enough details to paint in his profile, and the best conclusion is the old adage, you are what your record is.
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Winners: Coco Vandeweghe and Karolina Pliskova
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American Coco Vandeweghe wrapped up her second career title at the Ricoh Open in the Netherlands, taking advantage with her powerful serve and flat strokes. She moved up 10 slots to No. 33 in the rankings, which is right around her career-best.
Vandeweghe is not going to win Wimbledon; her footwork needs more improvement and her best results rely on power more than consistency. She does have a huge serve but not a lot of back-up weapons.
However, Vandeweghe could be a spoiler. If serving well, she is capable of beating the top players on a given day, but she cannot afford to rely on slower feet and longer rallies. She will be dangerous to someone in the opening rounds, but don’t expect her to win seven matches in a row.
Meanwhile, Karolina Pliskova lived up to her No. 1 seed at Nottingham. She's not a household name like the stars in our next slide, but she also has the serve and growing game to be a dark-horse contender at Wimbledon.
Losers: WTA Stars Who Continue to Decline
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These are tough times for three of the WTA’s most talented players, Caroline Wozniacki, Eugenie Bouchard and Jelena Jankovic. All of them were dismissed in early rounds at grass-court tournaments, the former at the Aegon Open in Nottingham, the latter two at the Rocoh Open in the Netherlands.
It seems like ages since Bouchard was a Wimbledon finalist, but in less than two years, the 22-year-old has tumbled from the top five and is barely hanging inside the top 50. She’s more of an afterthought at tournaments when this should be a time that she is growing into her best years. Losing 6-2, 6-0 to a qualifier in the first round is a serious problem.
Wozniacki and Jankovic have been declining for years and although they’ve had occasional bursts of good tennis, it’s hard to see either of them contending near the top again.
Winner: Roger Federer vs. Dominic Thiem
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If you missed Dominic Thiem’s three-set victory over Roger Federer at the Mercedes Open in Stuttgart, you missed a grass-court clinic that will be hard-pressed to replicate over the next few weeks. This match had it all: swift serving and exquisite hands at the serving T, excellent passing shots and a lot of gritty momentum turns.
In the end, the No. 7-ranked Thiem showed his marked improvement in defeating No. 3 Federer, although the Swiss is still playing his way back after missing the French Open and all but a few matches since the Australian Open.
After Federer won the opening set, Thiem took a 5-0 lead in the second, but the Swiss Maestro ran off his own streak. He had two match points in the tiebreaker but could not convert on a couple tough balls. Thiem, who has the younger legs and is in better shape right now, mostly outlasted Federer in a competitive third set.
It’s good news for Federer that he could get in a few matches, volley with his usual and exceptional touch and look as if he is on track to compete for the Wimbledon title.
Thiem came into Stuttgart with a 2-6 career mark on grass in his young career. Renowned as a rising clay-court player, the Austrian showed more of his all-court game, coming in several times behind big serves to flash some great net play of his own.
Thiem could contend into the second week at Wimbledon based on this encouraging result at Stuttgart. He’s not a one-trick pony but rather a powerful horse who could very well be a star in the ATP.
Loser: The Rain
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Rain continues to play the villain in June at some of Europe’s finest tennis venues. It scattered the lineups early in the second week at the French Open forcing a grueling finish for the top contenders.
Now the interruptions moved north and east. In the Netherlands, Nicolas Mahut could not finish off a championship after winning the first set behind his relentless serve-and-volley attitude. He and Gilles Muller will continue on Monday.
The bigger final at Stuttgart between Dominic Thiem and Philipp Kohlschreiber was interrupted in the first-set tiebreaker, the fourth and final time the weather dampened the match. Kohlschreiber had a mini-break advantage and will serve at 3-2 when the match resumes Monday.
It’s a worthy final that would have been fun to discuss upon its completion. Kohlschreiber is very tough on his home soil, and he defeated Thiem over a month ago in Munich, winning two tiebreakers including the third set. Kohlschreiber’s game is best suited on grass with his net talents and tennis IQ.
The rain can't completely wash away the excitement of a thrilling final, and by the time many of you read this, the result might be in. Just don't plan on a parade.
Winner: Andy Murray Reunites with Coach Ivan Lendl
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Ivan Lendl is back in Andy Murray’s corner. The eight-time major winner was an instrumental coaching influence on the Scot’s career, helping to drive him to the 2012 U.S. Open and the 2013 Wimbledon titles. Lendl parted from Murray in spring 2014, and Murray’s comeback from back surgery and return to the No. 2 ranking has not produced major titles.
Two years later, the ATP tour is more fragmented with one dominating king in Novak Djokovic, veterans who are trying to hold on for a couple more huge titles and a more promising crop of youngsters.
Adding Lendl’s proven working relationship to Murray's game is only positive. The veteran has Murray’s respect, and he’s been an important tactical adviser in gearing Murray’s game to be more of an attacker from the baseline forward.
With Wimbledon on the horizon, Murray will feel a surge of enthusiasm to capture the magic that has worn off since his monumental Wimbledon title. He needs the added confidence to take it to Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic who have largely tormented Murray’s more conservative attacks.
Too often, Murray has unraveled when facing pivotal moments in big matches, and when he’s looked to his box there has not been an imposing figure with Lendl’s stone face and uncompromising charge to take control and win.
It’s not likely to be a lengthy partnership given Lendl’s commitments to other activities. In April 2014, Murray commented on the split with Lendl the first time to Simon Briggs for The Telegraph:
"Often with the ex-players it doesn’t tend to be a long-term thing. There aren’t that many guys out there who are willing to commit the time, that are willing to travel and make sacrifices. Because a lot of guys have families now, they’ve traveled the world and they want to be at home.
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Perhaps more important, Lendl is probably only going to coach as long as he believes Murray has enough of a window to challenge to win that next major.
Winning one more major will be the test. A year from now we will evaluate more effectively if Lendl-Murray II paid dividends.
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