Madrid wasn’t even completed yet, and the Rome Masters Series is already under way. Former French Open champ Juan Carlos Ferrero beat Kevin Anderson yesterday, and Paolo Lorenzi upset Davydenko. Just under a month ago Lorenzi was playing the Sarasota Open Challenger. Youzhny beat Bellucci and Troicki beat Volandri.
Florian Mayer stunned Milos Raonic 76 64, upsetting the hoped-for Nadal-Raonic collision in the second round.
Today, Verdasco bageled Dolgopolov who then retired from the match.
Nadal will be primed to win this event after shockingly falling to Verdasco last week. Djokovic needs to get back on track, after dominating the pre-French Open clay season last year (he won Rome and Madrid). Djokovic could use a win in Rome to remind the field of his clay court prowess which we have not yet seen in full glory in 2012.
Federer, after winning Madrid in style, has nothing to prove in Rome but is expected to compete. Andy Murray has been a non-factor for the last month and needs a strong result in Rome to re-establish his confidence.
Who will win at the Foro Italico which was supposedly built by Mussollini? I’ll take Djokovic over Nadal in the final, 7-6 in the third.
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Dan Markowitz · May 14, 2012 at 5:45 pm
What fun it is to watch Stepanek play. He’s right up there with my favorite players to watch. Yes, you can have a Berdych-Del Potro slug-fest, but even watching Steppy play Chela today in Rome, and beating him after dropping first set 6-2, is a joy.
What makes Stepanek fun?
He loves the battle. He loves to win. Every match to him seems like a blood war. Djokovic can lose to Tipsarevic or Baghdatis to Fognini, but they don’t seem to care nearly as much as Radek. He is in the John McEnroe-class of wanting to win and being annoyingly aggressive and open about that desire.
Second, the guy is looking to get up to net at every opportunity even on clay. He’s always moving forward in a Taylor Dent kind of way and I miss that on tour. Today, I actually saw Giraldo come close to crossing the service line on a shot and then proceed to drop back to the baseline.
Third, he has the best volleys on the tour. His hands are beautiful to watch, how he gets down for the low volleys and makes the difficult reflex volleys look easy.
Fourth, the guy is using a Bosworth hand-made racket that looks like a stop sign. And he always looks like he’s been dressed by Sears. He’s a classic Stepanek, he looks like a bad guy on a James Bond movie who’s handled and killed precipitously, but I love watching him annoy opponents, play his kamikaze style of game and revel in victory.
Enjoy him now because when he’s gone, he’s the last of a dying breed: a craftsman, playing a wood racket game in a high-tech sport who is not afraid of looking uncool on the court.
Scoop Malinowski · May 14, 2012 at 6:25 pm
Step is your blue collar tennis grinder. Came from oblivion as a journeyman doubles player to become a top 10 singles star, after Petr Korda saw his raw talent and was able to develop and motivate it by famously telling Step “If you listen to me, you can reach the top 50.” Step listened better than Korda expected and reached #8. Step’s mom is a librarian and still holds the job today. I love watching Step also, he is a tremendous fighter who gives it his all. One of the best fighters in tennis. He likes to give the crowd a show too and does not shy away from rubbing some opponents the wrong way which I find very entertaining theater. Like Step says, Tennis needs more characters, he indeed is one of the most colorful guys in the game.
Steve · May 14, 2012 at 11:00 pm
Did Korda advise him to take steroids? Leander and Step are the perfect couple. They are perfect for each other.
Dan Markowitz · May 15, 2012 at 9:57 am
There’s been no buzz that Stepanek has taken steroids. Where did you hear that? His body doesn’t look steroid-ian.
Scoop Malinowski · May 15, 2012 at 11:49 am
Highly doubt Stepanek uses any PEDs but then again nothing would surprise.
Scoop Malinowski · May 15, 2012 at 12:15 pm
Ouch! Did anyone notice that Harrison lost in first round of qualies to Hanescu 62 64. Good to see Querrey survived qualies and is in main draw and looks like he will win first round.
Steve · May 15, 2012 at 1:06 pm
It’s probably how Korda won his lone slam. Rios paid the price. It’s a black mark on tennis that his Aussie Slam wasn’t rescinded. Cheating with drugs isn’t always about muscle size, Dan. It about recovery, power and endurance [see Tour de France].
Scoop Malinowski · May 15, 2012 at 1:31 pm
Concur Steve, Chela who tested positive way back has always been very thin as have been most if not all the positive testers. It was a bit curious that Rios never did, to my knowledge, publically challenge the Korda test and demand the title be stripped. Rios just didn’t seem to care.
Dan Markowitz · May 15, 2012 at 6:25 pm
How do you know Rios wasn’t roiding? Also, what evidence was there that Korda was roiding for that Aussie Open. I know steroids come in different forms, but tell Barry Bonds, McGwire and Clemens you don’t get big from taking roids.
How about the Murray-Nalbandian match with Murray winning tight third set. Nalby is fun to watch play, beautiful groundies and moves well for older, heavy guy. Murray better get to a higher gear, but I don’t think he has a chance at French anyway.
Now Djoko-Tomic.
Scoop Malinowski · May 15, 2012 at 7:12 pm
One can never be sure but Rios did have an outspoken stance against PEDs, he said that if any of the top American players ever tested positive, the media and fans would never know about it because it would be covered up because the top stars are too important to the tour’s success. Jonas Bjorkman also said the same thing in different words in Sports Illustrated, saying he’s heard of cases that the ITF covered up positive drug tests. So if Rios was using, I don’t think he would have spoken like that. But who knows.
Steve · May 15, 2012 at 10:42 pm
Well, Korda was caught a few months later in Wimby. They fined him. Later they realized they let him off to easily and then suspended him but had retired. This is all in his Wiki page.
I remember he was kind of an average pro and then suddenly every ball hit was has hard as Safin’s hardest shot. Out of nowhere he takes the Aussie title never to be heard of again.
Scoop Malinowski · May 15, 2012 at 10:56 pm
He had some very good battles with Sampras, beat Sampras at US Open in 93, almost beat him at Wimbledon once. Korda almost became world #1 four times, if he won in Antwerp or IW or finaled in Key Biscayne or Monte Carlo but he came up short all four times, when his destiny was in his own hands. He was #2 in Feb. 98. He was #7 in 92 and stayed in top 25 every year after that except in 95 when he fell to 41. So it wasn’t like he was a total flash in the pan out of nowhere, when he won Australia. In Melbourne he had to beat Bjorkman, Pioline, Kucera and also Rios. He stayed at #2 for 14 weeks. A strange thing I heard earlier this year was that Korda almost died last year from some kind of heart condition, a former ATP player told me this. Could it be a long term consquence? He did make a full recovery and is much better now. His daughter actually won a major golf tournament in Melbourne this year, she won a playoff with I think five other players (Talk about clutch). And his son Sebastian is winning junior tournaments in FL. So Korda is no doubt a great athlete and he had an excellent career.
Dan Markowitz · May 15, 2012 at 11:38 pm
Yes, Korda wasn’t an average player. Beat Spadea at Aussie Open in straights in quarters in 98. Isn’t that the year Korda won Aussie? Shoot, Spadea could’ve been a Grand Slam champion! Spadea got him back, beating him in Canadian Masters.
Guy won 410 matches. That’s a lot of matches. Geez, almost died, he’s 44!
Scoop Malinowski · May 16, 2012 at 12:37 pm
If Spadea could have beat Chang in that US Open QF when he served for the match, agree Dan, it might have changed his career and he might have won a major. I think Segura said in your book “Break Point” Vince never really recovered from that loss.
Dan Markowitz · May 16, 2012 at 1:04 pm
Brutal loss. You know, someone recently posted a lot of that match on YouTube and its interesting to watch. Spadea was a skinny guy and he was zoning for a while, just cracking winners. Chang wore him down and I think Vince, obviously, got tight, up a break in the fourth.
But Johnny Mac and Mary Carillo were announcing the match.
Steve · May 16, 2012 at 6:00 pm
Yes, amazing what steroids can do.
I’ve been watching tennis for a long time. Never noticed Spadea and no one I know ever mentions him. No sports caster ever refers to him. Perhaps he had a secret career that was brilliant in some other universe.
Scoop Malinowski · May 17, 2012 at 2:35 am
Steve, Gambill made a good point when I spoke with him for my Rios book: If you don’t win a major, you are forgotten. Gambill said he thinks he had a very good career but it was cut short by injury and nobody ever mentions him. But he was an excellent player, as was Spadea, and so many others. It’s too bad so many excellent players are forgotten.
Dan Markowitz · May 17, 2012 at 11:18 am
Steve,
Lucky you to finally get the scoop here about Spadea. Because Tennis-Prose.com is Spadea Central. No, what can I tell you. You and your friends must’ve not been watching tennis too fervently if you never noticed or heard of Spadea. The guy won over 300 matches in his career and played for more than 15 years on the tour. He played Chang, Kafelnikov, Kraijcek, Coria, Federer and Safin at the Open, alone. He beat almost every good player you can think of: Federer, Agassi, Kafelnikov, Safin, Roddick, Fish and Blake.
You might be one of those fans who never steps out of Arthur Ashe Stadium when you go to the Open. Or you may only watch tennis on tv or follow it on the internet, but players like Spadea are known by every serious tennis aficionado(a) and the guy was known for coming from lower-middle-class background and beating all low expectations of him (including Stan Smith) and breaking into the top-20. Then after the worst losing streak in the game, at the age of 29, he broke back into the top-20. Interesting career, you should read “Break Point” if you want a good look at Spadea and his life on tour.
Steve · May 17, 2012 at 12:23 pm
I see he recently beat Elizabeth Shue in some celebrity tourney. So he did win something. He’s known more for his rapping despite your book.
Scoop Malinowski · May 17, 2012 at 12:56 pm
Cmon Steve, Spadea won a title in Scottsdale, beat Keifer, also has wins over Agassi, Sampras, Kafelnikov and other top players though he did get trounced badly a few times by Marcelo Rios and was never able to beat the ultra-talented Chilean.
Steve · May 17, 2012 at 1:21 pm
He has no significant titles though beating Elizabeth Shue is impressive. There’s a ton of journey men out there with more talent.
Scoop Malinowski · May 17, 2012 at 1:50 pm
Steve I think the most impressive thing about Spadea’s career, aside from his consistent longevity over a decade, was the fact that he once lost over 20 first rounds in a row. He was dead in the water. Dropped way down the rankings. Yet somehow rose up from that kind of lowpoint and actually reached the top I believe 30 again. An amazing comeback which very very few players could overcome. If Federer, Sampras, Nadal etc lost first round 20 times in a row, do you think they could find a way to rebound from that? Spadea was a special player in his own way, and a very talented one in his own special way.
Steve · May 17, 2012 at 2:44 pm
I don’t think we should celebrate sucking. If he sucked due to injury that’s a different story but a common one. If he lost those matches for not playing well why should it be noted? Like when Agassi got fat. What’s the big deal? Most everyone gets a mid-20s spread. He lost weight and started to win again. SHOCKING. It’s way more impressive to stay disciplined and stay at your best throughout. This is why you guys take Federer and Sampras for granted. It’s much easier to suck.
Scoop Malinowski · May 17, 2012 at 2:57 pm
Steve I don’t think Spadea ever sucked at tennis even if he lost 100 matches in a row. No pro player sucks, nobody who even tries their hardest in a tournament at any level sucks. Tennis is not an easy sport. Got to respect anyone who pulls his racquet out of his bag and tries to win a match…Take Federer or Sampras for granted? Never, not in any way. Both are two of my favorites of all time. Just don’t think Fed will ever beat Djok or Nadal in a major again. If he proves me wrong, that would be a thrill to see, for sure.
Steve · May 17, 2012 at 3:05 pm
Tennis has levels. If you lose 20 times in a row you sucked for that period within your level. Maybe he was a 5.5 for that period or a 6.0. I never watched him play so I’ll assume he tried his best.
Scoop Malinowski · May 17, 2012 at 3:35 pm
I’m sure there are some close three set losses in that streak of failures. Dan would probably know more. Sometimes players just forget how to lose and lose confidence and can’t close out wins anymore. It happened to Chang at the end, he was playing tough close matches but he just couldn’t win anymore. And he knew it was over. You can play high quality tennis and still lose and keep losing. Look how well Nadal played vs. Djokovic during that 7 match losing streak. But he had nothing to show for it except for 7 straight losses to Djok.
Steve · May 17, 2012 at 4:05 pm
Nadal 149-21 in Grand Slams. I don’t think his 21 losses were in a row. HA! Seriously, that’s an impossible comparison. Nadal has the highest winning percentage of all pros from 2005-2012.
Steve · May 17, 2012 at 5:00 pm
Still waiting for an Andy Murray fan to resurface. There must be one somewhere.
Dan Markowitz · May 17, 2012 at 7:07 pm
And yet, Vince beat Nadal in Madrid indoors when Nadal was 18. Vince said he took like a 20-minute bathroom break. Not the coolest thing to do.