Well the 2012 tennis season is far from over however the clay court is over for another year so I thought I would post up my thoughts on some of the best men's matches on the ATP tour on the red dirt, so here's my pick of the bunch.
5. BNL Internazionali Italia Rome Masters 2nd round, Andy Murray d. David Nalbandian, 6-1, 4-6, 7-5.
This match was noteworthy partly because it took place on Andy Murray's 25th birthday, but it also because it was a very high quality match from both players. After dominating the first set, Andy was on the receiving end of a fightback from Nalbandian, who battled his way to win the 2nd set, despite Andy having been a break up at one point. In the 3rd, the two men went at it again, although this time Andy dropped his serve to let Nalby get ahead for the first in the match, but with some great tenacity, the Muzza broke back again to level and at 5-5, Andy got the vital break on a net cord, and he went on to close out his birthday match that could go have gone either way. This was a very entertaining match, and it featured some of the two players best tennis, particularly from Nalbandian who looked very much out of it in that first set, but as it turned around it became an enthralling contest.
4. Mutua Madrid Open, Madrid Masters final, Roger Federer d. Tomas Berdych, 3-6, 7-5, 7-5.
This match was the final to one of the most controversial tournaments in recent years, mainly because of the organisers decision to dye the clay blue, as a result alot of players were up in arms about it, especially Nadal and Djokovic, who complained bitterly about the surface. And in the end it was ironic that neither of the world's top two players made it to the final, and instead we were treated to a feast from the then World No.3 Roger Federer and the world no.6 Tomas Berdych, who had it out on the blue dirt. In the first set though it was Berdych that came out strong, breaking Fed's serve and going on to close out the first set, however in the 2nd set, the two men traded breaks, but it was Berdy that handed Roger a gift by double faulting to level the match. In the 3rd more breaks were traded and Berdych once again had chances to win the title, but he faltered on the big points, and in the end it was the Fedster who won his 20th Masters title. It was great to see such a fine match be played on such a difficult surface, and both men played their part in this match, with Berdych's powerful hitting and Federer's finesse. But it was Federer as ever who came up with the goods and played the pressure points far better than Berdych could, and this win was also testament to Federer's champion qualities that he was able to adapt to such a difficult surface and win on it, which almost to their shame is something Djokovic and the king of clay Rafa couldn't do.
3. French Open 4th round, Roger Federer d. David Goffin, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4.
This was quite a remarkable match as it saw the arrival of a fresh new talent who is without a doubt one to watch, and that talent is the 21 year old from Belgium, David Goffin. I had already seen David Goffin in action at the Davis cup back in April there, when he won the decisive rubber for Belgium against Great Britain, and even there I could see what an impressive player he was. But his first real impression was made here in this match against the greatest of all time in Roger Federer, as the young Belgium went toe to toe with the Swiss maestro, as he throw everything he had at him, and even managed to succeed in taking the first set. However it wasn't before long that Federer's pedigree started to shine through (not his dog!) as he cranked up the gears and put the plucky Goffin in his place. But Goffin showed a great deal of courage and promise in his performance, and after the match he was even interviewed on the Philipp Chartrier court with Roger, as the two men shared a hug and acknowledged the quality match they had just played for the Parisian crowd. Terrific stuff.
2. French Open final, Rafael Nadal d. Novak Djokovic, 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5.
In the 2012 French Open final there was so much at stake on either side for both players, with Rafa he was going for his 7th Roland Garros title, whereas Nole was going for his first ever French Open title, and also a chance to complete his career slam and to hold all four majors at once. However taking on Rafa in any form on clay is a mighty big ask, but his form at the French Open this year was frighteningly good, even by his own high standards, he really surpassed himself this year. At the French Open this year in reaching the final he never dropped a single set, only conceded 35 games, and with the exception of Nicolas Almagro, no other player was able to give him anything resembling a match, as he annihilated players such as Juan Monaco and David Ferrer. But in the final there was so much more at stake, and I'm sure nerves were on both sides, but it was Rafa that came out firing, whereas Djokovic struggled to find consistency in the first two sets. However in the 3rd set, after a rain delay, Djokovic found his form and he proceeded to do something that no other player has done against Rafa at the French Open, which was to reel off 8 games in a row to secure his first ever set against Rafa at the French Open, and in the 4th set Djokovic got an early break. However rain interrupted play for the night and it was resumed the next day, but momentum was with Rafa again as Djokovic squandered his break, but kept level until 6-5, with Djoko serving to take it into a tiebreak, Rafa got a break point, which would clinch the title. And here Djokovic suffered the cruellest of fates in that he double faulted to hand Rafa his record breaking 7th French Open title. For the most part this was an excellent match, especially in the last two sets when Djokovic found his range, but I'm sure that final point will haunt him for quite a while, it also saw his winning slam streak come to an end, after 27 consecutive match wins. But it was Rafa that deserved all the credit for winning his historic title, that put him above Borg in the record books (who had 6 RG titles to his name) and it was the cherry on the top of what had to be his most magnificent clay court season.
1. 2011 French Open quarter final, Novak Djokovic d. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 6-1, 5-7, 5-7, 7-6, 6-1.
With the nation's best player, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga trying to be the first Frenchman to reach the semi finals at Roland Garros in many years, there was so much at steak (again, it was that kind of tournament!) for him, especially as he was up against the World No.1 in Nole. And after being outplayed in the 1st set, Tsonga drastically turned it around in the 2nd and turned the match from thereon into a thrilling contest, which had the Parisian crowd cheering and cheering, as he took the 2nd and 3rd sets. And in the 4th set, Tsonga had four match points against Djokovic, which unfortunately for him, he was unable to take, which saw the daredevil in Djoko come out to play, and as the match went into its pulsating 4th set tiebreak, Djokovic closed the door to take it into a 5th. Unfortunately in the 5th set however, Tsonga's spirit seemed to have been broken by the Serbian, who proved to be just too good once again, and he went on to seal the match and his place in the semi final. You could almost say that the first and last set of this match were like bookends and the match itself was in between in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th sets, which were absolutely superb, and Tsonga showed off his skills around the court and the net, with his monstrous big hitting and power. In the end though you would have to have a heart of stone to not feel for Tsonga after his defeat, as he slumped down in his chair, sobbing, and who could blame the guy. And despite it being a big downer for Tsonga in the end, it was a terrific match.
So that's it for now, more to follow on the Olympics and my fav matches from the grass court season! :-)
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