Sunday, November 10, 2013

Federer Not Done Yet

Just when we were announcing the end of his era, Roger Federer is showing he has plenty of sparks left in him, coming from behind to overcome Juan Martin del Potro in a winner-takes-it-all match at the ATP Championships in London. The victory secured his spot in the last four, where he'll go head-to-head with nemesis and world No.1, Rafael Nadal.
Following a disastrous season that saw his slip to No.8 in the world rankings, the Swiss caught fire just in time for the prestigious Season-Ending Championships, showing his rivals he is not done yet, that he is ready, both mentally and physically to give it one more fight. While his poor form, the back issues, and the mental tribulations have prevented him from playing his best for most of the season, Roger seems to have put all that behind him as he is laying the foundations for what he hopes will be a stellar comeback season next year. 
Although he was yet to qualify for the final tournament of 2013, Federer took a long break after his shocking loss to Tommy Robredo at the US Open, skipping the Asian swing. In this time span he parted ways with long-time coach Paul Annacone, opting to go solo for the time being. The risky strategy paid off and he came back energized and more focused. Well rested and clear-headed he got to play some great, consistent tennis in the last three tournaments he entered. It all started in his hometown, in Basel, where he made it all the way to the final, dispatching young guns Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov and Canadian Vasek Pospisil along the way. Even though he lost a nail-biting contest against del Potro, the result helped boost his confidence. Next week in Paris, he gained revenge on the Argentinean, overcoming him to reach the semis. He even had Novak Djokovic on the ropes for a set and a half, but unfortunately was unable to close out what would have been a magnificent triumph.
Having qualified for London the week before, Roger took full advantage of the opportunity. Although he lost another thriller against Djokovic, he beat both Richard Gasquet and del Potro to secure his place in the last four. The win against del Potro excited me the most because of fight back he was able to produce. Having gone 1-5 down in the opener, he responded in still holding two chances to level at 5. The Argentinean won the set eventually, but the momentum shifted in Federer’s favour. Although he was down a break in both sets, the confident Swiss managed to recover the deficit every time, serving out a superb 4-6,7-6,7-5 victory. The most important highlight of this match was Roger’s mental strength. The way he found his way out of the rabbit hole was reminiscent of the old day, of the days when the invincible Federer used to rule the world. Another positive was the fact that he took his chances, sealing the deal on his first match point by serving an ace. This is something that he failed to do this season, so again great progress here. He desperately needs to play smart on the big points if he wants to advance further in the tournament.
A win over Nadal might seem impossible, but with the right tactic and a great deal of self-belief, Federer can deny the Spaniard’s perfect ending to 2013. If the Swiss gets a sublime day at work, we might be in for a surprise, else Nadal will probably crush him. So set caution to the wind Roger, don’t blink, don’t doubt it, just play your best and beat Rafa! #letswinthis Federer!
Either way, it’s good to see Roger in this more competitive mode. Following the good results he’s had this past month, he set himself nicely for what could be a magnificent 2014.


Federer seems to have recaptured his winning momentum at the ATP Championships in London where he beat Richard Gasquet and Juan Martin del Potro to secure his place in the semifinals. He goes on to face nemesis Rafael Nadal next.

photos: GETTY IMAGES

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Million Dollar Simona


With the 2013 season nearing its end, the highest ranked eight WTA champions got to dispute one last big prize at the Tournament of Champions in Sofia. Held for the second consecutive year in the Bulgarian capital, the event welcomed red-hot Romanian Simona Halep, Australian Sam Stosur, Russians Maria Kirilenko, Elena Vesnina, and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Frenchwoman Alize Cornet, as well as guest stars, Ana Ivanovic and home-hope Tsvetlana Pironkova.
Simona Halep was not only the No.1 seed, she was also a strong pick for the title. I’ve talked about this a couple of times, but I was genuinely stunned to witness the huge progress she made in the last couple of months. Although tired, the Romanian was extremely motivated to end her stellar season on a high. A recent champion in Moscow just a few weeks ago, Simona maintained the winning momentum, cruising through three straight-sets victories to win group A and book her place in the semifinals. As expected, things got a bit more difficult at this stage. Once again, her on-court serenity came to the rescue, helping her overcome two-time titlist Ana Ivanovic 2-6,6-1,6-3 in an entertaining come-from-behind thriller. Cheered heavily by an army of Romanian fans, Halep showed she was hungrier than ever. Even though she was outhit in the opening set of the final by Sam Stosur, she kept her cool head, managing to put forth another sensational display to come out on top once again against the Aussie. The 2-6,6-2,6-2 victory left her savouring the biggest and sweetest success of her career.
For me, Simona’s incredible transformation represents one of the highlights of the season. It’s like she woke up one day a new player, a player who suddenly knew exactly what she needed to do on the court to beat her opponent. It’s like she suddenly had an answer to everything. Her run is magnificent. With six titles and a career high of No.11, the young Romanian is announcing herself as one of the leading star of 2014. With basically no points to defend until Rome, Simona is expected to crack the top 10 when the new season resumes in January. I doubt she can claim a Grand Slam just yet, but a favourable context can be all she needs to get a big result.
Compared to other teen prodigies who bloomed early on the tour, Simona has had her share of trials and tribulations, which have prevented her to make her mark until now. I believe the experience was beneficial though because she is now ready to properly digest everything that’s coming her way. It happened the same with Azarenka. Once she shook off the failed expectations and focused on playing her game, Vika was almost invincible. As Azarenka’s, Simona’s growth is organic. Her success did not come overnight, so she is now ready to manage it and build on it to further develop her career. I expect the million-dollar Romanian to feature in the limelight for a while, so she has plenty of reasons to look forward to 2014. Well done, Simona!

The elite eight to take part at the WTA Tournament of Champions were (left to right): Alize Cornet, Tsvetlana Pironkova (invite) Elena Vesnina, Maria Kirilenko, Ana Ivanovic (invite), Sam Stosur, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, and Simona Halep.
Throughout the week, Simona was heavily cheered from the crowd by an army of Romanian supporters. 

For the second straight event, Simona Halep overcame Sam Stosur to win a WTA title. Despite the slow start, the Romanian came back firing to record a 2-6,6-2,6-2 triumph to collect the Tournament of Champions crown.

photos: GETTY IMAGES