2009 in Review: Highlights of the Tennis Season (Part 2 of 4)

While the hard court season at the start of the year has become increasingly focused on precise and patient point construction, there is no greater test of endurance and skill than the clay court swing. 

The ability to execute every single type of stroke, repeatedly and relentlessly, is what separates the men from the boys. The variety and craftsmanship displayed is more than enough to make the shift to the red dirt of Europe a feast for fans.

April to June: Where were you when..?

When the focus turned toward the clay and Roland Garros, it was almost impossible to envisage anything other than Rafa rampaging his way to a fifth successive title in Paris and scooping up another set of Masters 1000 trophies along the way.

Utterly dominant is the only way to describe Nadal when it comes to his prowess with powder beneath his feet. Building on a 16-match winning streak and boasting a handsome sum of 25 titles on clay, the Spaniard's pedigree is second to none.

Furthermore, he had now become a serial winner on all surfaces. The armour seemed more impenetrable than ever.

World No. 2 Roger Federer entered the clay court season title-less, for the second consecutive year, and frustrated by a lack of traction in deciding sets.

Despite this run of poor form (at least by his standards), he looked for a turn in the tide. With only Rome and Madrid on his buildup schedule, it was hard to tell if this was a tactical ploy or a signal that his belief in winning the French Open was waning. 

Novak Djokovic had definitely not played to the best of his ability in the first quarter of the season. Lackluster in his defence of the Australian Open crown and a runner-up finish to Murray in Miami the most significant of his achievements, Nole would surely hope for more out of the European clay.

Scotland's finest, Andy Murray, had yet to prove that he could live with the best when he has to scurry around the slippery clay.

Nevertheless, many believed that 2009 was the year that the Scot would find a way to adapt his game, which had just brought him a third title of the year at the Sony Ericsson Open.

MONTE CARLO MASTERS

Held in the principality of Monaco, this tournament has witnessed some astounding tennis to match the surroundings. Although it is no longer a mandatory event, the Country Club still boasted a strong field.

The only notable exception was three-time finalist Roger Federer. That was, at least, until he decided that his honeymoon would be best spent getting a few matches under his belt.

Four-time defending champion Nadal raced through to the semi-finals with everything as precise as clockwork. Federer, however, failed to impress at his first tournament as a married man, losing to compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka 6-4 7-5.

This defeat was surprising to many, especially as Roger had never lost against his close friend Stan before. 

It highlighted that the World No. 2 could no longer stroll into tournaments undercooked and find his best along the way. The gap had closed in men's tennis and the pool was deeper then ever.

Djokovic found himself in tight tussles against clay court specialist Albert Montanes and an ever-improving Fernando Verdasco. Despite not being at the peak of confidence, the Serbian ground through to a semi-final against Wawrinka.

British No. 1 Murray booked his place in the last four with a win over Nikolay Davydenko, who made his return to the tour after recovering from a heel injury. With the Scot's comfort level increasing match by match, the toughest possible test arrived in the shape of the formidable Nadal.

The Mallorcan mauled his way to a 6-2, 5-2 lead with his relentless groundstrokes, pulling the Scot to every inch of the court. However, Murray turned on the aggression and plugged the unforced errors to battle back and take the second set to a tie-break.

Rafa was forced to move up a couple of gears but came through in straight sets. Murray seemed to be more confident with his movement on the terre battue, but had not yet found the balance of aggression and defence required to beat the best.

In the other semi-final, a rematch of the Rome 2008 final, Djokovic battled back from a one-set deficit with gruelling play and clay-court craft. He tamed the Swiss man's sweetly struck strokes, 4-6 6-1 6-3, to progress to his first final in Monaco.

In the title match, Nadal and Djokovic left everything out on the court in a classic encounter. Nadal won five games in a row from 1-3 to take the opening set, despite an inspired start from Nole.

The Serb dug in; with high cross-court forehands and flat backhands he flawlessly stole the second set 6-2. The start of the decider was crucial, with Nadal saving a break point in the very first game with a phenomenal angled response to a dropshot.

He rode the wave to his fifth consecutive title in Monte Carlo, wrapping up the victory 6-1 in the third set.

Best match: Nadal bt Djokovic 6-3 2-6 6-1

INTERNAZIONALI BNL d'ITALIA: ROME MASTERS

The Eternal City is home to the second clay court Masters event. Surprisingly, Nadal did not enter as the defending champion due to a rare loss in 2008 to his Spanish predecessor Juan Carlos Ferrero. He was ready to reclaim his post in Rome after securing a fifth consecutive victory in Barcelona. 

In his opening match, Andy Murray was stunned by Juan Monaco, who certainly knows his way around the red dirt. A spanner was thrown into the works of the the Scotsman's French Open preparation.

Since his loss in Monaco, Roger Federer had been laying low in the Italian countryside; practising. The World No. 2 had noted that he had worked on his forehand and serve, which he believed were the keys to success and the cogs of the mechanism that had been failing him.

During his losses to Nadal, Murray and Djokovic in deciding sets, Federer had failed reach an adequate level of serving. Rightfully, he felt that improvement in this area could lead to better results. He made his way through to the semi-finals without the loss of a set.

Nadal was ruthless in his progress to the last four, barely losing games. He even defeated Robin Soderling 6-1 6-0 in the third round. It would take a colossal effort to keep his teeth off the trophy.

Novak Djokovic continued his fine run of form to set a battle against the Swiss No 1. With Roger still looking for a title and Djokovic looking to defend his crown in Rome, the stakes were high.

It was Federer who came out with all the answers, drawing errors from the Serbian with heavy slice backhands. Leading a set and break, the 'old' Federer appeared to be back. 

Yet, he failed to capitalise on the chance for a double break before the clouds began to rumble and rain stopped play. When the match resumed, Nole had cut out the errors and began to execute some scorching play.

Federer meanwhile struggled to respond to the high balls to his backhand, losing the break and the second set.

Deja vu hung heavily in the air. The World No. 2 found himself in yet another third set. This time, however, he did not crumble. Yet, after failing to take a few chances, he was outplayed by Djokovic.

The World No. 3 used every opportunity to get on the front foot and rush Federer. He took the set 6-3 after breaking Federer for the second successive time.

The margin had been cut by the World No. 2, but he still remained far from his imperious best. One chance remained for him to find confidence before heading to Paris.

The rampaging bull from Spain thundered past Fernando Gonzalez without breaking much of a sweat to setup another final against Djokovic. This time round, Nadal took control from the start and regained his throne in Rome after a 7-6(2) 6-2 victory.

Building up another impressive winning streak, the World No. 1 looked as good as ever heading towards his defence of the Coupe des Mousquetaires.

Best match: Djokovic bt Federer 4-6 6-3 6-3

MUTUA MADRILENA OPEN

The new clay court event of the season, at a stunning new venue in Madrid, had caused anxiety among some of the players. Because the city sits at a high altitude, conditions are not very similar to those in Roland Garros.

Rafa had insinuated that if this were not in Spain, he would have opted out. The altitude would definitely favour the aggressive players out there.

As this was previously an indoor event in October, Andy Murray was bizarrely considered as the defending champion. The new World No. 3 would have to produce in Madrid if he wanted to mount a serious challenge in Paris.

It was a similar scenario for World No. 2, Federer, who was suffering from his most barren season since 2000. There was one last throw of the dice in the Magic Box.

The world's top four all progressed to the last eight comfortably. The road ended there for Murray, falling to Juan Martin del Potro. The 6-foor-6 Argentine seemed to be improving as each week went by. He had now marked victories over Nadal and Murray, leading many to believe that he had finally begun to unlock his potential.

Federer had dispatched Soderling and Blake with relative ease, but had to dig deep in his quarterfinal match against the American, Andy Roddick.

Not known for his ability on clay, A-Rod used the thin air in Madrid to his advantage and pushed Federer into a third set. The Swiss then found a gear that he had been missing for most of the season and picked himself up to claim a place in the last four.

Rafa managed to adjust to conditions well enough to slide through to a semi-final with a man he had already faced twice on the clay, Novak Djokovic. The Serb had kept the ball rolling by winning the inaugural event in Belgrade, but had barely stopped for a breath in four weeks.

In one of the best three set matches in recent memory, Nadal and Djokovic played beyond any level witnessed by the fans in Madrid. The match played out like an endless highlights reel with both players pushing the boundaries of their physical abilities.

Despite coming as close as possible to winning, holding three match points, Nole was once again denied by the king of clay. The gritty performance, that lasted over four hours, landed Nadal in his fourth consecutive final.

Federer looked like a man on a mission in his semi-final against del Potro. Using several dropshots to break the Argentine's rhythm, the Swiss out- manoeuvred his opponent to a 6-3 6-4 win and a second final of the year.

Once again, the man across the net was rival Rafa. Once again, Nadal had endured a marathon semi-final. Would he be able to produce another miracle turnaround?

Federer played as good a match against Nadal as he ever has. Landing 62% of first serves in, including six aces, and saving all four break points he faced, the Fed Express was clinical in dispatching his nemesis 6-4 6-4.

The forehand was firing and the backhand solid. Although this was not Nadal at his peak, it was significant to the fortunes of the Basle native. Federer snapped his title drought and a five match losing streak against Nadal.

Best match: Nadal bt Djokovic 3-6 7-6(5) 7-6(9)

ROLAND GARROS

And so, the players made for the second Grand Slam of the season in Paris. Despite his loss in Madrid, Nadal was still the favourite to defend his title. There was renewed belief that Roger could at least mount a challenge, after claiming a first title of the year in impressive style.

Djokovic had been extremely consistent during the clay swing and many tipped him for a third Grand Slam Final. There were few who believed that surly Scotsman Murray would pose a significant threat, but with the pressure off his shoulders perhaps he could find some magic.

There were few genuine outside chances to make a run. Juan Martin del Potro had shown some promising tennis, but he was yet to go beyond the quarter-final stage at a Grand Slam event.

Looking further down would really have been going out on a limb. Frenchman Gael Monfils looked to find the inspired form that had carried him to the semis the previous year. However, his 2009 campaign was stuck in second gear; a win over Nadal in Doha had been his only victory over a top ten player.

When Rafa stepped out for his first round against the unheralded Brazilian, Marcos Daniels, the Spaniard was stretched quite literally all over the court for a set. After coming through it 7-5 he turned the tables and slid comfortably through to the second round.

Federer, Murray and Djokovic all strolled through their first matches with straight set victories. In a notable effort, former World No. 1, Lleyton Hewitt, survived a barrage of aces, 55 to be exact, from Ivo Karlovic to recover a two-set deficit and clamber through to the round of 64. 

Roger Federer survived a scare against Jose Acasuso in his second match after reviving himself from a sluggish start that saw him framing balls into the stands of Phillipe Chatrier. Murray too was in a slumber, only his came midway through his battle against Potito Starace, who led 3-6 6-2 5-0 at one stage. The Scotsman dug in and found a way through to the third round in four sets. 

Djokovic had silently and efficiently made his way through to the third round. The most impressive of the top four so far, the Serb was a huge favourite coming into his match against Philip Kohlschreiber.

Like a toddler having a bad day, Nole looked sleepy and cranky in his straight set loss to the German, who took full advantage of the situation and played some extraordinary tennis at clutch moments. The World No. 4 had once again faltered on the big stage, succumbing in straight sets.

All the while, the four-time defending champion had secured his place in the fourth round with a typically imperious performance against Hewitt. His opponent, Robin Soderling, had shown some superb grit in his four set win over David Ferrer.

Nadal, however, was already penciled into the quarter-finals before the match had begun, judging by his current form and 6-1 6-0 victory over the Swede in Madrid a few weeks earlier.

When Soderling blasted his way to a 6-2 first set, most thought that the winners would dry up and Nadal would cut all the errors out. Despite sustained pressure, Rafa grappled his way back into the match in a second set tie-break. That was when most said the match was done.

The Swede, however, couldn't hear any of the scepticism. He ploughed back and denied Nadal any chance to dominate, thumping forehand after forehand as flat as pancakes into the clay. Rafa was frazzled.

In a pivotal third set, it was the Spaniard who slipped up and allowed Soderling the upperhand. The four-time defending champion would have to enter uncharted territory if he was to win; he would have to go to a fifth set at Roland Garros. Unsurprisingly, Nadal and almost everyone else believed that that was exactly what would happen. 

Yet, his opponent on this day looked impervious to the weight of the situation. The Philip Chatrier crowd were urging him on in their love of an underdog. He battled courageously to a tie-break in the fourth set.

The tennis world held its breath as the belief grew. Without a flicker of nerves, Soderling strode to four match points. When another Rafa forehand found the net, the shock waves began to emanate from Paris.

The reign was over; the king had lost at the French Open for the first time. This become one of those moments when you can remember exactly where you were.

After stunned silence had passed over, whispers began to grow about who would assume the mantle. The gaze fell on the man who had longed for the Coupe des Mousquetaires for many years.

Roger Federer 'had to win' now that Nadal was out of the picture.

The Swiss, however, found his dream falling quickly away in his fourth-round bout with Tommy Haas. Down two sets to love, despite win 24 points in a row in serve in the first set, Federer would have to dig deep to overcome a flawless performance from the German.

Perhaps one of the best shots in his illustrious career, the FedExpress fearlessly struck an inside-out forehand onto the sideline to save a break point at 4-4 in the third set. He rode his fortune to claim the third set after Haas mistimed a forehand volley.

The Swiss cranked the levers from the point on and dropped only two further games in keeping his dream alive.  

Murray had continued to exceed expectations in Paris, executing a perfect game plan against Marin Cilic to book his place in the last eight for the first time in his career.

He then encountered the fiery Chilean, Fernando Gonzalez, who has the ability to take the racquet out of his opponent’s hands. He exploded into forehands and took chances on his backhand to sweep Murray of the clay and claim a place in a Grand Slam semi-final for the first time since his epic run in Melbourne two years ago.

Nadal’s conqueror had shown some ruthlessly brilliant tennis in his quarter-final win over Nikolay Davydenko. His run of form was impressively smooth despite his lack of experience in the business end of the biggest events.

Juan Martin del Potro had earned the title of the dark horse in the field. Although he had not been in the spotlight, his crushing forehands and smoothly slapped backhands had won him a place in a third consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal. This time, however, he stomped through to his first semifinal, taking out Tommy Robredo in effortless fashion.

His next obstacle would be a tough one to overcome even for a man of del Potro’s immense size. Federer had his sights set on that last piece of the puzzle and furthermore, he had dealt the Argentinean a thrashing when they had met in Australia.

Something had clicked in the recent months for ‘Delpo,’ who now looked like he was beginning to live up to his potential. He had no nerves entering his first semi-final, while Federer once again looked somewhat lethargic and struggled to cope with the power coming from his opponent’s racquet.

Del Potro struck early and then broke again to take the first set comfortably 6-2. Federer hung tough throughout the second set, holding serve, but finding no way into the Argentine’s.

He used every inch of experience in his repertoire to clinch the second set on the breaker and level matters.

Yet, del Potro, who was yet to be broken, turned the heat on the Swiss’ delivery once again to hammer his way back into the lead, taking the third set with some brutally consistent play.

With another steep climb building in between Federer and the history books, the World No. 2 scrapped and clung on to finally crack his opponent’s service. A second break put the FedExpress in a strong position as the deciding set loomed.

Although struggling to sustain his energy, del Potro would not hand over the win without a fight. Federer conjured up some miraculous play, including a bullet of a squash forehand, to break the Argentinean’s resistance and inch his way to a fourth successive final in Roland Garros, 2-6 7-6(2) 2-6 6-1 6-4. 

Gonzalez and Soderling faced the tremendous opportunity of reaching the final of a Grand Slam when they locked horns.

The Swede came out of the blocks with the sort of confidence that had carried him through the tournament, clinching a two-set lead, 6-3 7-5. The winners were flowing from both men’s racquets, but it was Soderling who was finding the lines more frequently than not.

In his first Grand Slam semifinal, however, Soderling hit a wall of nerves. He handed Gonzalez the third set 7-5 after failing to find the court with routine groundstrokes.

The Chilean, itching to get a second crack at a major title, rode his fortune into the deciding set and took control, leading 4-1.

The Swede’s magnificent run appeared to have come to an end. Yet, as he is so very capable of doing, he swung at a few returns and found his way back into the match. As all of the magic poured back into his arm, Robin snagged five games in a row to claim his spot in the title match.

With destiny hanging in the air around Paris, Federer walked onto the Phillipe Chatrier court as the heavy favourite.

With a 8-0 record against the Swede and his great variety on the clay, surely the Swiss would finally get his hands on that elusive title? The Swede could not be under-estimated and it was certainly possible that his belief could carry him all the way.

So accustomed to the feeling of a major final, Federer wielded his racquet with serenity and authority. He raced out to a one set lead, 6-1, using his slice and deft drop-shots to prevent the Swede from gaining any rhythm.

After his nerves had settled, Soderling began to dig in and find a smooth run on his serve. Unfortunately, proceedings were temporarily halted when a spectator jumped onto court and attempted to place a hat on Federer’s head.

Many fans experienced a moment of great fear that it was perhaps more sinister, but the result was only a briefly shaken Swiss. The second set continued on serve and led to a crucial tie-break.

The breaker was one of those stunning Federer moments. At a pivotal point in the match, he pulled out an extraordinary serving performance, including four aces, to take a stranglehold on the tie break and the match. Soderling’s chances of gaining a foothold ebbed away rapidly.

Fed broke the Swede early and clung onto his dream, despite facing a break point at 5-4 after edgy mistakes. Nevertheless, he stepped up to the line and found a way to win the following three points.

Falling to his knees in relief and overwhelmed by emotion and, naturally, tears, the FedExpress delighted in finally completing his set and simultaneously tying Sampras’ record of 14 Slam titles.

The upset of the decade combined with Federer's battling performances on the way to the title resulted in a high level of drama throughout the fortnight. 

Although the standard of tennis in the final was incomparable to that of a Federer-Nadal encounter, the history of the moment made Roland Garros 2009 memorable to say the least.

The clay swing had been another spell of terrific tennis, but this year the element of surprise snuck its way in to produce the most dramatic French Open in recent memory.

There was great concern over Nadal's health, while it appeared as though the monkey had finally jumped of Federer's back. The quick transition to grass beckoned. With nothing certain, Wimbledon would provide the chance for rebound or regain.