Novak Djokovic Dominant In Winning Ways - Mondays with Bob Greene

Mondays with Bob Greene

STARS

Novak Djokovic beat Tomas Berdych 7-5 4-6 6-3 to win the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters in Monte Carlo, Monaco

Teliana Pereira beat Yaroslava Shvedova 7-6 (2) 6-1 to win the Claro Open Colsanitas in Bogotá, Colombia

Federico Delbonis beat Facundo Bagnis 6-4 6-2 to win the Sarasota Open in Sarasota, Florida, USA

FED CUP

World Group

Semifinals

Czech Republic beat France 3-1 at Ostrava, Czech Republic

Russia beat Germany 3-2 at Sochi, Russia

World Group Playoffs

Italy beat United States 3-2 at Brindisi, Italy

Netherlands beat Australia 4-1 at ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands

Switzerland beat Poland 3-2 at Zielona Gora, Poland

Romania beat Canada 3-2 at Montreal, Quebec, Canada

World Group II Playoffs

Serbia beat Paraguay 4-1 at Novi Sad, Serbia; Slovakia beat Sweden 4-0 at Bratislava, Slovakia; Belarus beat Japan 3-2 at Tokyo, Japan; Spain beat Argentina 4-0 at Buenos Aires, Argentina

Group II

Asia/Oceania Zone at Hyderabad, India: India promoted to Asia/Oceania Zone Group I in 2016

Group III

Europe/Africa Zone Group III at Ulcinj, Montenegro: Denmark and Lithuania promoted to Europe/Africa Zone Group II in 2016

SAYING

“It was a battle.” – Novak Djokovic, after needing three sets to beat Tomas Berdych in the final of the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters.

“By the result, I’m very disappointed. But by feeling, it’s quite good. I’m fit. There is no issues with that. I’m on the right track, I still need to keep working on it and keep improving myself.” – Tomas Berdych, talking about losing to Novak Djokovic in the Monte Carlo title match.

“The most important thing, what’s helping me really, is that I am with the right motivation to play tennis, the right motivation to work hard every day, and with the right attitude. That’s why I was able to play better this week than the previous weeks.” – Rafael Nadal, following his Monte Carlo Open semifinal loss to Novak Djokovic.

“This has been the best week of my life.” — Teliana Pereira, who became the first Brazilian in 27 years to win a WTA tournament, the Claro Open Colsanitas in Bogotá, Colombia.

“I played well. … I’m happy to play at this level early in the season because I didn’t have a very good start of the year. I really want to play well during this clay court season. … If I can keep it up until the French Open, I might be able to do something in six weeks from now.” – Gael Monfils, after beating Alexandr Dolgopolov 7-6 (5) 7-6 (6) at the Monte Carlo Open.

“I never felt at ease, and I never felt the way I wanted to be on the court. … I could have served better. I could have mixed it up a bit better. Also I didn’t play my slice backhand well enough. There are some things I did a little bit better and some other things I didn’t do well. Anyway, I never felt comfortable during the whole match … I only have to accept what went wrong and go from there.” – Roger Federer, following his loss to Gael Monfils.

“To play week after week and five days in a row in a tournament, I know right now I’m not in the shape or capable of doing this.” – Martina Hingis, saying why she’s not going to return to playing singles on the WTA Tour.

“Today has been a big eye opener, I need to go home and really train. Totally not ready for the clay-court season as I thought I was. I’m playing like I’m on hard court, and I’m not … I have to play and be ready to hit 1,000 shots if necessary.” – Serena Williams, after winning her two singles matches in Fed Cup play, but losing in doubles as Italy beat the United States.

“We’re happy with this little resurgence we’ve had. We put ourselves in the thick of it in the race, which is nice, because we started way back. We’re just looking to build from here. The big thing is that we’re playing well and we have confidence. The results should take care of themselves.” – Mike Bryan, who with brother Bob won the Monte Carlo Masters doubles for the fifth time.

“Tennis is becoming really competitive, the matches are very long and I believe we cannot go against the times.” – ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti, saying the organization is considering playing a fifth-set tiebreaker at Davis Cup ties.

“Your ego still needs to know you can play a little bit. You never get match conditions when you’re retired, but this allows me to get in a groove and to play 12 sets … It’s fun. It is enjoyable and I’m having fun with it.” – Andy Roddick, after beating John McEnroe to win the PowerShares Series stop in Dallas, Texas, USA.

“I’m definitely not as quick as I used to be, but I keep myself fit and ready. This (one-set) format is good for me.” – John McEnroe, after losing to Andy Roddick in the title match of the Champions Showdown Dallas stop in the PowerShares Series.

“It’s not a news story if I win, but it is if I lose. It’s a tough situation to be in, but I love it.” – Andy Roddick.

STREAKING

Novak Djokovic continues to rewrite the tennis record book. The top-ranked Serb became the first man to win the season’s first three Masters 1000 events when he beat back Tomas Berdych and a rain delay to capture his second Monte Carlo Rolex Masters. “I won this match with my heart and with battle,” Djokovic said. “I don’t think I played on the level that I wish to play and that I have played throughout the whole week. But credit to Tomas because he has played very aggressively, staying close to the line, pushing me back.” Still, Djokovic posted his 17^th consecutive match win over 2015 and his fourth straight Masters 1000 crown, also winning at Paris Bercy last November. He now has captured 52 career titles, including 23 at the Masters level. Djokovic, who has a home close to the Monte Carlo center court, became frustrated after committing 38 unforced errors and converting only five of 14 break points. He won the opening set, but apparently the 70-minute rain delay broke his concentration. Berdych got the early momentum when the players returned to the court and leveled the match at a set apiece. But Djokovic was not to be denied. “I came on the court today hoping and wanting, of course, to play as well as I played throughout the whole week,” the Serb said. “I played my best match and best tennis in the week against Nadal yesterday. Maybe I was a little bit also mentally exhausted coming into this match.” He also emerged the champion.

SET FOR FINAL

Big-serving Petra Kvitova won both of her singles matches to lead the Czech Republic over France 3-1 and into its fourth Fed Cup final in five years. The defending champions will take on Russia, which edged Germany 3-2, for the title. The final will be held in Prague, Czech Republic, on November 14-15.

Against France, Kvitova unveiled the power game that has taken her to two Wimbledon titles. Her 6-4 6-4 win over Caroline Garcia gave the Czech Republic an unbeatable 3-0 lead. “You may say it was 3-0, but it was terribly close,” Czech captain Petr Pala said. Kvitova also won her opening singles match, stopping Kristina Mladenovic 6-3 6-4. Ranked fourth in the world, Kvitova played Fed Cup after taking a month-long break from the sport. France won the dead doubles match as Mladenovic and Pauline Parmentier teamed to beat Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova 0-6 6-3 10-8 (match tiebreak). “Petra did a great job,” Pala said. “She must have been terribly nervous on Saturday because her break (from tennis) was quite long, but she handled it like a great player.”

While the Czech Republic clinched its semifinal victory by winning the first three matches in its tie, Russia had to win the final match to gain a spot in the final. Elena Vesnina and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova beat Andrea Petkovic and Sabine Lisicki 6-2 6-3 to halt a German rally that saw them recover from 2-0 down in the best-of-five tie. “I was nervous, but I was nervous in a good way,” said Vesnina, who was playing in her hometown of Sochi, the host city of last year’s Winter Olympics. “Being a team is very important to us … and the home support also helped.” Playing without second-ranked Maria Sharapova, Russia took a 2-0 lead on the opening day when Svetlana Kuznetsova and Pavlyuchenkova won their singles matches. But Petkovic began the German comeback by beating Kuznetsova 6-2 6-1 before Angelique Kerber pulled the visitors even with a 6-1 6-0 thrashing of Pavlyuchenkova. That left the decision to the final doubles match. While the Russians celebrated with a lap around the court waving the flag, Petkovic wept on the sidelines while being comforted by her teammates. “It was definitely a very disappointing stay (in Sochi),” Petkovic said.

The Czech Republic has won the Fed Cup in three of the last four years, while Russia last won the international women’s team trophy in 2008.

SOUTH AMERICAN WINNER

It’s been a long, long time since a Brazilian has won a WTA title – 27 years to be exact. But Teliana Pereira did just that when she beat Yaroslava Shvedova to capture the Claro Open Colsanitas. The unseeded Pereira became the first woman from Brazil to win a WTA tournament since Neige Dias captured the title in Barcelona, Spain, in April 1988, three months before Pereira was born. The run to the Claro Open title wasn’t easy. Pereira beat fourth-seeded Francesca Schiavone and top-seeded Elina Svitolina en route to the final. Shvedova was seeded fifth. “When I was training, I always dreamt of winning a WTA championship, and now I’ve done it,” Pereira said. “Playing the Medellín challenger before this was very important to me because there was a little altitude there, too, and that helped me get ready for the conditions here. I think I played very well all week. I felt very solid all week and I’m so happy to win my first WTA title here in Bogotá.”

Pereira wasn’t alone. Fellow Brazilians Paula Cristina Goncalves and Beatriz Haddad Maia beat Americans Irina Falconi and Shelby Rogers to win the doubles, 6-3 3-6 10-6 (match tiebreak).

SERENA STOPPED

Until now, every time Serena Williams had represented the United States in Fed Cup, she had won, whether it be singles or doubles. That record ended against Italy and the Americans will have to spend another year trying to fight their way back into the World Group, the only eight nations who actually have a shot at winning the prestigious international women’s team trophy. Williams won both of her singles matches, although she was pressured in both. But when Flavia Pennetta and Sara Errani defeated Williams and Alison Riske 6-0 6-3 in the final doubles match, it was Italy who captured the tie 3-2 and qualified for World Group play in 2016. “We beat the United States with Serena Williams – and Serena played all three matches,” Italian captain Corrado Barazzutti said. “We’re happy for this victory. We really don’t deserve to go in the second division.” Italy has now beaten the United States in its last five Fed Cup meetings, but this was the first time the Americans had Serena Williams when they took on the Italians. And although she won both singles matches, even there Williams had problems. She beat Camila Giorgi 7-6 (5) 6-2 on the opening day, then really struggled while edging Errani 4-6 7-6 (3) 6-3. Errani, who became just the second player to take a set off Williams in Fed Cup play, actually served for the match in the second set. “When she was serving for the match, I didn’t think about losing,” Williams said. “But I thought, ‘I need to play better if I want to stay in it,’” which she did, giving the USA a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five tie. Pennetta then beat Christina McHale to level the tie before teaming with Errani to pull off the doubles victory. Errani also won her first-day singles, stopping Lauren Davis 6-1 6-2.

SOME CHANGES?

Could the Davis Cup final be played at a neutral site? That’s a possibility the International Tennis Federation (ITF) is considering. ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti said the idea is among several proposed changes to the international men’s team competition, along with fifth-set tiebreakers to prevent marathon matches. “We are considering perhaps to have the final in a neutral venue,” Ricci Bitti said. “We considered many changes, small changes within these big basic principles that you want to defend.” Currently, except for unusual circumstances all Davis Cup ties are played at the home of one of the two teams. Any changes to the format of the Davis Cup or the women’s Fed Cup would need to be approved by the ITF’s annual general meeting in September before possibly being introduced the following year.

SWISS WINNERS

Martina Hingis played singles for the first time in eight years and lost both of her Fed Cup matches. Yet, Switzerland still pulled off a victory over Poland to clinch a spot in the World Group next year. Timea Bacsinszky and Viktorija Golubic teamed up to shock Agnieszka Radwanska and Alicja Rosolska 2-6 6-4 9-7 and lift the Swiss to a 3-2 victory. Bacsinszky came away the heroine, having upset Radwanska in the second-day singles. Playing in her first Fed Cup tie in 17 years, the 34-year-old Hingis agreed to play singles because of an injury crisis for the Swiss. She lost to Radwanska 6-4 6-0 to begin the two-day competition. After Bacsinszky’s surprising win, Hingis had a chance to clinch the tie against Radwanska’s younger sister, Urszula. The Swiss veteran led by a set and 5-2 before losing the next 13 points. Trailing 4-1 in the third set and barely able to move, Hingis needed seven minutes of medical treatment before continuing and finally falling 4-6 7-5 6-1. “I felt like I disappointed because I had it on my racquet and wasn’t able to close it out,” Hingis said. “But that’s all I could give and I’m very happy I was allowed this experience to go back to singles.” After winning the doubles, Bacsinszky wrote Hingis a note telling her she had been the team’s inspiration.

SICK BAY

Milos Raonic retired with a foot injury during his quarterfinal match against Tomas Berdych at the Monte Carlo Masters. After dropping his serve for the second time and trailing 5-2 in the opening set, the Canadian called a trainer. A doctor looked at Raonic’s strapped right foot before the right-hander walked to Berdych’s side of the net to inform his opponent of his decision to retire.

STRAIGHT TO THE BANK

There will be a bigger payday at the French Open this year, but not that much for the big winners. The French tennis federation (FTT) announced the total prize pool for Roland Garros will increase by 12 percent to USD $29.61 million (28.03 million euros). The two singles champions will pocket 150,000 euros more than the winners did last year, to a total of USD $1.90 million (1.8 million euros). Payouts for second- and third-round losers will rise by around 20 percent. “Players eliminated in the first week will be the principal beneficiaries,” said Gilbert Ysern, FTT managing director.

SKIPPING FED CUP

Maria Sharapova pulled out of Russia’s Fed Cup semifinal against Germany because of an injury. The 27-year-old has been struggling with a leg problem and hasn’t played since the Miami Open last month. “Unfortunately I picked up a leg injury and it did not allow me to be in the best condition to get ready for this tie,” Sharapova said. “I need to be at the top of my game in order to help my team and play to the best of my ability in the Fed Cup semifinals against such strong opponents. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time to prepare.”

Venus Williams withdrew from the United States Fed Cup team before its playoff tie against Italy. Venus, the older sister of Serena Williams, said the withdrawal was because of a personal matter.

SO CLOSE

There seems to be no stopping Bob and Mike Bryan. The American twins won their 106^th ATP World Tour-level doubles title at the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters, defeating Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini in the final. It was the fifth time the brothers have won at Monte Carlo. After taking the first set in a tiebreak, the Bryans ran away with the match, grabbing a 4-0 lead en route to their 7-6 (3) 6-1 win. “We’re really excited to come in here and get the job done in Monte Carlo,” Mike Bryan said. “It’s one of our favorite tournaments. We always play well because we’re in a good frame of mind.” The 36-year-old brothers also won Monte Carlo in 2007, 2011-12 and 2014. They have been in the final of the clay court event for five consecutive years. The Bryans have now won 34 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles.

SENIOR RACQUET

Andy Roddick beat John McEnroe 6-3 to win a record-setting sixth consecutive Champions Showdown title in the PowerShares Tennis Series. Roddick snapped a tie with Pete Sampras, who set the old mark in 2011. “I’m sure Pete’s not worrying about it too much,” the 32-year-old Roddick said. In the semifinals, McEnroe defeated Jim Courier 6-3 and Roddick topped Mark Philippoussis 6-4 in the Dallas, Texas, USA, event. Roddick ran his season record to 12-0. Dallas was the seventh stop on the 12-city tour for the PowerShares Series. “He’s unbelievable,” Roddick said of the 56-year-old McEnroe. “The only thing comparable I can think of is what Tom Watson does on the PGA Tour. Their skill set never ages. The feel, the shots, the IQ. That’s stuff he’ll have his whole life. My game is based on power and speed and that’s more a recessing asset than what he has.”

STEP ABOVE

Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania is the winner of the World Group and World Group II first round Heart Award. Begu earned 54 percent of the vote to win the prize for the player who demonstrated exceptional courage on court and demonstrated outstanding commitment to the team during Fed Cup by BNP Paribas play. The Heart Award carries with it a check for USD $6,000, which Begu can donate to a charity of her choice.

SO STRONG

The Big Four of men’s tennis – Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal – have won 42 of the last 46 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments, going back to the Monte Carlo Open in 2010. The only exceptions came at Paris Bercy in 2010 (Robin Soderling) and 2012 (David Ferrer), and last year in Monte Carlo (Stanislas Wawrinka) and Toronto (Jo-Wilfred Tsonga).

SPORTSMAN OF YEAR

Novak Djokovic has also been winning off the courts. The world’s top-ranked player has been named the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year at a ceremony in Shanghai, China. He was presented his award by HSH Princess Charlene of Monaco at the Monte Carlo Sporting Club. He beat out soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo and golfer Rory McIlroy. “This is probably the crown of my 2014 seasons that has been highlighted with winning Wimbledon, regaining number one in the world and becoming a father,” Djokovic said. “It has probably been my best year so far in my life.” Djokovic previously won the award in 2012.

Li Na of China was also honored, becoming only the second athletic to receive the Laureus Academy Exceptional Achievement Award. Michael Phelps was the first in 2013. Li was honored for her career, which included becoming the first Asian tennis player, male or female, to win a Grand Slam tournament title. She won two – the 2011 French Open and the 2014 Australian Open. She also became the highest-ranked Asian tennis player in history, reaching number two in the world. Her last match was at Wimbledon last summer and she retired in September. Li and Serena Williams, the world’s top-ranked female tennis player, were both nominated for the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year Award, but were edged out by Ethiopian middle and long distance runner Genzebe Dibaba.

SERVICE AWARD

Former Wimbledon finalist MaliVai Washington has received the National Junior Tennis League (NJTL) Founders Service Award at the United States Tennis Association (USTA) annual meeting in Boca Raton, Florida, USA. For the last 19 years the MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation has provided an after-school haven for children in the high-crime Jacksonville, Florida, USA, area of Durkeville. The foundation has a mission “to develop champions in classrooms, on tennis courts and throughout communities.” Washington reached the Wimbledon final in 1996, becoming the first African American man to reach a Grand Slam tournament singles final since Arthur Ashe won Wimbledon in 1975. The two remain the only African American men to achieve the feat.

SAD NEWS

Thelma Coyne Long, who won 19 Grand Slam tournament titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles, is dead at the age of 96. The Australian was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2013. At the 1952 Australian Championships – now known as the Australian Open – Long won the singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles. In 1954, she became the oldest Australian women’s singles champion when the captured the title at the age of 35.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Bogotá: Paula Cristina Goncalves and Beatriz Haddad Maia beat Irina Falconi and Shelby Rogers 6-3 3-6 10-6 (match tiebreak)

Monte Carlo: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Simone Bolelli and Fabio Fognini 7-6 (3) 6-1

Sarasota: Facundo Arguello and Facundo Bagnis beat Hyeon Chung and Divij Sharan 3-6 6-2 13-11 (match tiebreak)

SURFING

Stuttgart: www.porsche-tennis.de/prod/pag/tennis.nsf/web/english-home

Barcelona: www.barcelonaopenbancsabadell.com/es

Bucharest: http://brd-nastase-tiriac-trophy.ro/2015/

Munich: http://bmwopen.de/

Estoril: www.millenniumestorilopen.com/

Istanbul: www.istanbulopen.org/

Marrakech: www.lallameryemtennis.com/