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Did Lopez look like a Wimbledon champ today or what?
19 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Articles, Scoop
A few years ago on the Tennisweek.com messageboard I made a controversial comment that Feliciano Lopez has the goods to win a grand slam on grass. The huge serve, the steady forehand, the effective volleys, the wicked slice, and – on occasion – a stunning top spin backhander can be devastating weapons when all cylinders are working and the Spaniard’s competitive head is screwed on right. Of course, there aren’t many F-Lo believers out there in tennisland and this observation was met with considerable mockery.
Today Lopez showed some of, if not the best tennis of his career in defeating Andy Roddick 76 76 64. It was a systematic destruction of one of the world’s best grass court players.
Roddick has beaten Lopez eight straight times over the years but Lopez rose to the moment and showed the arsenal that has given Federer, Nadal and many others major problems.
With this giant win, Lopez moves on the the round of 16 against Monfils or Kubot – two players he should handle. Then in the quarters, it will likely be Murray.
Yeah, I’ll admit, Lopez probably may never win a major title in his career to put next to his Davis Cup. But today, like that other late blooming lefty named Goran Ivanisevic, Feliciano Lopez looked the part of a Wimbledon champion.
F-Lo slays his nemesis Roddick in three sets
Dan Markowitz · June 24, 2011 at 5:29 pm
Scoop,
You vindicated to a degree by Lopez’s victory today. I also made the claim that Roddick, by dint of his marriage to Brooklyn Decker, was through as a top player. And that has come to fruition. Has the guy gotten past the Rd. of 16 in any major over the last 1/2 years. Brooklyn is making this guy broke.
If its not Brooklyn, something is amiss in Roddick’s game and it doesn’t look like it’s got any silver lining.
Ted · June 24, 2011 at 5:55 pm
Roddick is done.
And Scoop, Lopez is only through to the fourth round. Talk to us Sunday week.
Michael · June 24, 2011 at 9:31 pm
“It was a systematic destruction of one of the world’s best grass court players. ”
One of the world’s best grass court players my a$$. If you include the planet, yes. If you limit yourself to the ATP tour that statement hasn’t been true since Lu took him out and ended any chance of him ever getting close again. This loss is not a shocker by any stretch of the imagination. Who would take him out before week two was open (I thought he would have trouble against “Qualifier” in round one). That someone would — not so much.
And Lopez can no more win a Major than I can. So long as Dan can wax on about Vince I will repeat again that a long string of players can put it together for a match or even a few. The number of players that can do it for seven 3 out of 5 matches is, for any generation, a very short list. As Federer (whose tennis insights are almost always dead on) has correctly noted in the past. Lopez couldn’t do it if there was another boycott a la 1973.
And the Lopez brilliant topspin backhand is as frequent as Roddick’s appearances during the second week of a Major. Lopez’s awful, Pam “I can only slice it” Shriver-like backhand is mitigated on the grass. This is not Ken Rosewall. It’s still a weak shot that either Murray or Gasquet will exploit (assuming Lopez can get by the flake Monfils, which he probably can’t given his “big win” and likely lack of follow up next match).
Kujo · June 25, 2011 at 11:34 am
Yep, stick a fork in Roddick, he’s done. He’s never going to win another major. I’m not sure he’s ever going have a deep run in a major again.
I hadn’t really thought about the fact that it does seem like his game as gone down hill since he got married. Dan, you may be on to something.
Marty Fish is clearly the best male American player right now.
When Lopez is on, his game is beastly. When he’s off, he’s not fun to watch at all. He’s an enigma. I hoping he faces Monfils, another enigma. That could be a really entertaining match.
Dan Markowitz · June 25, 2011 at 12:25 pm
Actually, Roddick had his Wimby finals run after getting married to Brooklyn, but he has been abhorrent in slams since. I think that a guy like Roddick, when he was playing around, drew from the testosterone flying about and that helped his game. I also think that Roddick needs to be dick-ish to win and when you’re married, you think about being more respectable, and that curbs Roddick’s inner dick-ishness. Not good. And also, Brooklyn doesn’t appear to be too interested in tennis. Roddick has said they both don’t act like they know much about each other’s fields. But with a meglomaniac like Roddick, I’m sure it deflates him somewhat that his wife does not live and breathe by his tennis. Finally, when your wife’s career is ascending and yours is going south, never a good sign for a competitive dude.
Scoop Malinowski · June 25, 2011 at 12:34 pm
Ted, you might be 100% right. Lopez has a tendency to follow up huge wins like this with a total dud. I saw him rip apart Ljubicic at the US Open on Armstrong about four years ago 63 63 63 when Ljubicic was top 5 in the world. Then he lost the next match badly to a player I can’t recall his name. Let’s see if Lopez can keep this A+ level of tennis up for another week, if he can, they better be afraid, very afraid. Thanks for your comment and welcome to the site Ted.
@Tennis_Tipster · June 25, 2011 at 7:42 pm
He could either blow through Kubot or blow it. His game is perfect for grass though and if he only makes 7 unforced errors then he could beat Murray. I doubt it though.
Roddick is not what he was so I think we’re getting carried away with Lopez as much as I like his game.
Would love a Lopez – Nadal semi final however. Lopez has beaten Rafa on grass at Queens remember.
Scoop Malinowski · June 25, 2011 at 11:27 pm
TT, I saw that match and Rafa was playing at about 70% intensity, no pre serve routine of pulling shorts, hair behind ears, pulling nose, adjusting ball in pocket. He was just playing F-Lo like it was a practice set. F-Lo will defer to Rafa if they meet. It’s going to be very interesting to see if F-Lo’s fire is lit by these comments from Justin Gimelstob which I remember Ljubicic said something similar a few years ago. Now the comments have hit the mainstream and F-Lo might want to prove something here. This could really fire him up and motivate his best tennis. Going to be interesting. Kubot is a good player, good serve, but this is his best slam singles result. Lopez should handle him.
Michael · June 26, 2011 at 6:49 am
“This could really fire him [F-Lo] up and motivate his best tennis.”
It could fire him up to restyle his hair. That’s about it.
Scoop Malinowski · June 26, 2011 at 12:36 pm
We’ll see Michael, but F-Lo has been insulted here, he might respond with fire and anger, two elements that have been missing from his game. He does try to generate intensity and adrenaline at times and it helps him but this could really help in a big way. Chris Evert said this week she played a lot better when angry.
Gans · June 27, 2011 at 1:50 am
I loved the way Grigor played and competed. At last we have a talented youngster with a one-hander! For that alone we got to give him some special award. 🙂
Also, what I noticed was all these four guys don’t wait for things to happen. Unlike Murray, these kids seem to take initiative and that is a must to win majors. Andy needs to learn that. How about Tomic? What a performance?
My prediction is Nadal will beat Murray again. Fed will beat Novak again. And Nadal will beat Fed again. How is Fed going to beat Nadal if he lets his mind interfere with his performace every time he faces him? Somewhere Fed mentioned that in grass, the match is in his racquet- to win or lose. I disagree. Match is in his mind.
What do you think, Scoop and Dan?
Regards,
Gans
Scoop Malinowski · June 27, 2011 at 2:04 am
Dimitrov has surely created a world wide fanbase now with that performance vs. Tsonga, expect big crowds at his matches in New York, including one guy with a fedora. Tomic’s game is so effective. I was at the qualies last year with a coach/friend who said he was most impressed with Tomic out of all the players he saw that day. Tomic’s serve which is so efficient and his baseline game of variety and hitting different shots/speeds/spins every shot. He beat the #1 seed of qualies Ilhan but then lost next round. Tomic has a presence and aura about him and it could be possible that his game and style were what drove Sod to illness. Tomic was sharper than a razor and could handle the power and Sod just fell apart. Tomic made him look like a journeyman. INcredible win and amazingly it was predicted by Brad Gilbert. Gans I was seeing the final four your way but after seeing Djok pump himself up by beating Baghdatis yesterday I now feel Djok will beat Fed and then Nadal in the final. Djok should not have lost to Fed in Paris and will avenge that loss, and this time the fans will not be rabidly pro Fed as they were in Paris which inhibited and affected Djokovic. Thanks for your comments.
Dan Markowitz · June 27, 2011 at 2:00 pm
Gans,
I, too, like that Dmitrov has that beautiful one-hander. I think it’s a pity that the game on the Wimby grass has become so one-dimensional. A commentator was pointing out that Sampras served and volleyed all the time on grass and Federer, even with the hiring of Annacone, never serves and volleys. It’s a shame. It’s taken a lot of the quick-hit dimension out of grass court play, and certainly a lot of it is due to the grass playing like a hard court, and part of it is due to all the top players hitting two-handers.
I, too, believe Djoko will beat Fed, but I see Murray beating Nadal, and Djoko beating Murray in the finals.
@Tennis_Tipster · June 27, 2011 at 2:55 pm
F-Lo in trouble against Kubot – I called it.
Really Lopez, Kubot? Really?
Scoop Malinowski · June 27, 2011 at 3:35 pm
Typical F-Lo. The big letdown. Obviously F-Lo does not like the pressure of being expected to win.
Ted · June 27, 2011 at 8:45 pm
Well he pulled it out in the end, but Murray’s going to have him for breakfast if Lopez continues to serve like that.
Scoop Malinowski · June 28, 2011 at 12:20 am
Gutsy win for Lopez but Murray should eat him alive, agree with you Ted.
Andrew Miller · June 29, 2011 at 3:16 am
Why is Fish’s marriage working so well for him? Tough to see the issue as marriage for Roddick. He had some of his best results as a married man. FLopez is a father too so, it can’t be that married men, or fathers, can’t play tennis (Federer, a dad, also wins). More likely: this is a reflection on coaching and preparation. Roddick has been playing poorly for about a year now – less if you take into account the mono but too much given that he is Andy Roddick. So signs aren’t pointing to his beautiful wife, but to his prep. Roddick’s prep looks woeful.
Credit to FLopez. I can’t dismiss Flopez every since he took out DelPo in Mar de Plata, Argentina, 2008 Davis Cup, Spain vs. Argentina without Nadal. Lopez and Verdasco came up bigger than ever, it was the moment they reached their awesome potential, going from most wasted talent to guys who showed how it’s done. It’s Flopez’ turn after FVerdasco’s solid results past two years. About time.
Andrew Miller · June 29, 2011 at 3:16 am
I would like to see Fish beat Nadal.