By Bob Greene
STARS
Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal 6-2 7-6 (1) to win the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters in Monte Carlo, Monaco
Alex Kuznetsov beat Wayne Odesnik 6-0 6-2 to win the Sarasota Open in Sarasota, Florida, USA
FED CUP
World Group Semifinals
Italy beat Czech Republic 3-1 at Palermo, Italy
Russia beat Slovak Republic 3-2 at Moscow, Russia
World Group Playoffs
Germany beat Serbia 3-2 at Stuttgart, Germany; Australia beat Switzerland 3-1 at Chiasso-Seseglio, Switzerland; Spain beat Japan 4-0 at Barcelona, Spain; United States beat Sweden 3-2 at Delray Beach, Florida, USA
World Group II Playoffs
Poland beat Belgium 4-1 at Koksijde, Belgium; France beat Kazakhstan 4-1 at Besançon, France; Argentina beat Great Britain 3-1 at Buenos Aires, Argentina; Canada beat Ukraine 3-2 at Kiev, Ukraine
Group II
Europe/Africa Zone at Ulcinj, Montenegro: Latvia and Tunisia promoted to Europe/Africa Zone Group I in 2014
SAYING
“Rafa, thank you for allowing me to win it once. I couldn’t ask for a better start to the clay season.” – Novak Djokovic, after ending Rafael Nadal’s 46-match winning streak at Monte Carlo.
“It is not a tragedy. I lost after eight years without losing here. Today, he was better than me. …. He’s a fantastic player. If you are not at 100 per cent, (it) is very difficult to win against these kinds of players. His game is very complete. To win, I have to play my best and I have to bring him to the limit.” – Rafael Nadal, after losing the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters final to Novak Djokovic.
“To be honest, I wanted to be out there. I told Mary Joe (Fernandez, the USA captain) yesterday I feel good, I feel positive. I pumped myself up and I wanted to be there for the team.” – Venus Williams, after winning the clinching match in the United States Fed Cup victory over Sweden.
“At the end of the day, experience just goes a long way. Venus has been there so many times before. To have her in that clinching match for me was really important.” – Mary Joe Fernandez, USA Fed Cup captain, on having Venus Williams replace Sloane Stephens in the reverse singles against Sweden.
“Today was also fun to play, even though I lost.” – Sofia Arvidsson, following her loss to Serena Williams after upsetting Sloane Stephens on the opening day of the Sweden-United States Fed Cup tie.
“He was extremely good today, and this is also what I call the champion’s luck. The top players are able to do that.” – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, after Rafael Nadal scooped the ball off his ankles for a winning shot down the line.
“I am losing a bit of intensity at some moments. That’s normal after a long time out of competition.” – Rafael Nadal, following his hard-fought 6-2 2-6 6-4 quarterfinal victory over Grigor Dimitrov.
“I made a lot of mistakes – 24 unforced errors is far too many … that’s where half the points went.” – Andy Murray, after being upset by Stanislas Wawrinka at the Monte Carlo Masters.
“I am very happy that I fell down. I forgot the score when I came back, and (something) came back in my head. The crowd helped so much. Sometimes I just really enjoy playing, and it was a great fight.” – Ekaterina Makarova, who helped lead Russia to a its Fed Cup win after taking a medical time out for treatment to her knee and finger she bloodied in a fall.
“She’s amazing. We were joking that she’s like a soldier. She has a bleeding knee and she won such an amazing match – one of the most emotional matches she has won. And then in the doubles she was feeling tired, but she’s a great fighter.” – Elena Vesnina, who teamed with Ekaterina Makarova to win the tie-clinching doubles in Russia’s Fed Cup victory over the Slovak Republic.
“We were a little bit lucky, of course. When you save seven match points, you need a little bit of luck. But we played very well on those points. We still believed in ourselves until the end and it paid off.” – Julien Benneteau, who teamed with Nenad Zimonjic to win the doubles at the Monte Carlo Masters.
“It was unbelievable. They started unbelievable (after the rain break), without missing any shots. Julien had to hit an ace on the second serve at 5-4 and also had an unbelievable return of the first serve to save another match point. It was just amazing to come up as the winners in our first tournament together. They are such champions. We knew they were going to come out strong. They never give up. We really had to play unbelievable to win at the end.” – Nenad Zimonjic, who with Julien Benneteau, won the Monte Carlo Masters doubles by beating brothers Bob and Mike Bryan.
SUPER SERB
Rafael Nadal’s remarkable streak on the red clay at Monte Carlo finally ended after 10 years of triumph. The Spaniard had won 46 consecutive matches before losing in the final to Novak Djokovic. Nadal’s last defeat in the event was to Guillermo Coria 10 years ago. Since then he had won the title eight straight times, an ATP record for one tournament, and had beaten Djokovic in the final last year. The Serb had played a year despite the death of his grandfather during the tournament. And he wasn’t sure he would play this year after twisting his ankle while playing Davis Cup against the United States two weeks ago. “I didn’t know I would be a part of the tournament this year,” Djokovic said. “(It’s) the best decision I ever made in my life.” He dominated Nadal in the opening set, winning the first five games of the match. Nadal took the next two games before Djokovic closed out of the opening set. It was Nadal who led 4-2 in the second set. But Djokovic broke him at love, and then lost only one point in the tiebreaker. Since returning from a knee injury in February, Nadal has reached five consecutive finals, winning three. Djokovic has won three titles this year, including the Australian Open, and 37 in his career. While Nadal owns a 19-15 advantage over Djokovic in their career meetings, the two have split evenly the 16 finals in which they met.
SURGE
It was Ekaterina Makarova to the rescue to lead Russia into the Fed Cup final. The Slovak Republic won the first two singles matches and appeared headed to victory. But after Maria Kirilenko won the opening reverse singles, Makarova replaced Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the lineup and drew Russia even with a 6-3 4-6 6-4 victory over Daniela Hantuchova. It was Makarova’s first career win over the Slovak veteran. That set the stage for the doubles, where Makarova teamed with Elena Vesnina to grab a spot in the final with a 4-6 6-3 6-1 victory over Dominika Cibulkova and Hantuchova. The Russians will take on Italy, which the defending Fed Cup champion Czech Republic, in the final in November.
SISTERS DOING IT
When times got tough, Mary Joe Fernandez turned to the veteran on her roster. And Venus Williams came through with a win to keep the United States in the Fed Cup World Group. Somewhat surprisingly, it was the first time in her Fed Cup career that Venus had clinched a Fed Cup tie for the United States. But it wasn’t easy. She needed eight match points before besting Sweden’s Johanna Larsson 6-3 7-5. “I wasn’t keeping track,” Williams said of the match points. “I was just trying to stay focused on getting the win for the US.” Venus got the call after her younger sister, Serena, easily won her second match of the weekend to pull the Americans in front 2-1 in their best-of-5 competition against Sweden. Sofia Arvidsson had given Sweden its first point when she surprised Sloane Stephens in the opening match. The win improved Venus Williams’ Fed Cup record to 15-2 in singles, and 19-4 overall. Serena improved her Fed Cup singles record to 10-0 with a 6-2 6-1 win over Arvidsson in the first reverse singles match.
STUTTGART WIN
Playing in Stuttgart, Germany’s doubles team pulled out a victory over Serbia to keep the home country in the Fed Cup World Group next year. “I said this morning to Anna, ‘You know we’re going to be so ready for the match if we reach 2-2,’” Germany’s Sabine Lisicki said, referring to Anna-Lena Groenefeld. The pair led from the outset to beat Vesna Dolonc and Aleksandra Krunic 6-2 6-4. With the loss, Serbia falls back to World Group II next year. “It was a perfect doubles,” German coach Barbara Rittner said. “I was very relieved when we won it.”
SERVICE TO FED CUP
Chris Evert is the latest tennis legend to be honored for her Fed Cup dedication by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The International Tennis Hall of Fame member was given a replica Fed Cup trophy by the ITF during the competition between the United States and Sweden. Evert competed in 42 Fed Cup ties, posting a 57-4 record in the international team play. She helped the United States to Fed Cup titles in 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1986 and 1989. “It’s very meaningful,” Evert said after receiving the trophy. “It was a big part of my career, representing the United States. I got to play with great players like Martina Navratilova, Pam Shriver, and Tracy Austin.”
STAR POWER
Although Russia finally won its Fed Cup clash against the Slovak Republic, thanks to Ekaterina Makarova, the fans in Moscow probably were hoping the former players on their bench could take to the court. They included Larissa Savchenko, a former Grand Slam tournament doubles champion, represented the Soviet Union in more Fed Cup ties than any other Russian has since; Elena Likhovtseva, who won 26 matches in a nine-year period; and Anastasia Myskina, who won the French Open in 2004. Also at the competition was Martina Hingis, who now coaches Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, a member of the Russian Fed Cup squad.
SAYS WILL HEAR APPEAL
The Pakistan Tennis Federation says the International Tennis Federation (ITF) has agreed to hear an appeal by Pakistan against the awarding of their Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group II tie to New Zealand. “It is a major breakthrough for us after we got confirmation from the ITF they will be hearing our appeal against the referee’s decision,” PTF secretary Mumtaz Yousuf told reporters. Ruling that the grass court in Yangon, Myanmar, had become unplayable and dangerous, Sri Lankan referee Shita Ajigala disqualified Pakistan and awarded the win to New Zealand. The tie was played in Myanmar after New Zealand refused to visit Pakistan due to security concerns. Pakistan had won the opening singles and was leading in the second when play was halted and New Zealand declared the winner. The appeal will be heard by the ITF’s Board of Directors next month.
STRING OF ERRORS
Andy Murray blamed his own string of errors as a big factor in his 6-1 6-2 loss to Stanislas Wawrinka. Looking frustrated on the court, Murray won only eight points on his own serve in the first set and finished the match with 24 unforced errors. “I started hitting the ball shorter, then he was able to dictate the play,” Murray said. Wawrinka completed the stunning upset in just 58 minutes. With the victory, Wawrinka helped out Swiss countryman Roger Federer. The loss dropped Murray to third in the ATP World Tour Rankings, behind leader Novak Djokovic and Federer. “I need to do a lot of work,” Murray admitted.
SO MUCH MONEY
Whatever you call it – Euros, dollars, pesos, francs – one thing is certain. There will be a lot more money to spread around at this year’s French Open. Roland Garros organizers said the overall total for the tournament will go from USD $24.6 million to USD $28.7 million. This winners this year will pocket USD $1.96 million, compared to USD $1.64 million a year ago. But that’s not all. Players eliminated in the second, third and fourth rounds will receive 25 percent more than they did last year. French Tennis Federation director Gilbert Ysern says his organization “wishes to maintain its effort with regards to players eliminated during the first week.” The tournament begins May 26.
SUB EXTRAORDINARE
Maria Irigoyen was chosen for Argentina’s Fed Cup team to play only doubles. But when Florencia Molinero wasn’t up to her usual form, Irigoyen stepped in and beat Elena Baltacha 7-5 3-6 6-1 to lead her country to a Fed Cup by BNP Paribas World Group 2 playoff win over Great Britain. Baltacha, who had come back from retirement, also was subbing for another member of her team, Johanna Konta. The two teams split the opening two singles before Paula Ormaechea stopped Britain’s Laura Robson 6-4 4-6 6-2 in a battle of the team’s top players. That left it for Irigoyen, who wore down Baltacha in a baseline battle that lasted a little over 2½ hours. “They were tough defeats, we had lots of chances we didn’t manage to take,” Britain’s captain Judy Murray said. “Bally (Baltacha) played so well in practice all week, and I felt if I needed someone to go out there and deal with the conditions, she’s got such a great Fed Cup record and is a great competitor, I knew she would give everything. It was a risk – she’d not played much competitive tennis in the last six months – she nearly did it and I’m very proud of her.” Great Britain did not have Heather Watson, who is ill. Argentina’s captain Bettina Fulco said it made a difference. “It would have been too difficult for us if Watson had come,” Fulco said.
STOPPING THE BRYANS
Playing together for the first time, Julien Benneteau and Nenad Zimonjic reached the final of the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters only to find two-time defending champions Bob and Mike Bryan waiting for them. It made no difference as Benneteau and Zimonjic defeated the American brothers 4-6 7-6 (4) 14-12 (match tiebreak) to come away with the title. The winners saved seven match points in the rain-interrupted final. The match had been suspended with Benneteau and Zimonjic leading 3-0 in the second set. When play resumed 2½ hours later, it was the Bryans who had all the chances to win. The brothers had their first match point when leading 5-4, deuce in the second set, which Benneteau saved with a second serve ace. In the match tiebreak, they led 9-5, 10-9 and 12-11 before Benneteau and Zimonjic converted their second match point at 13-12.
SHARED PERFORMANCES
Monte Carlo: Julien Benneteau and Nenad Zimonjic beat Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan 4-6 7-6 (4) 14-12 (match tiebreak)
Sarasota: Ilija Bozoljac and Somdev Devvarman beat Steve Johnson and Bradley Klahn 6-7 (5) 7-6 (3) 11-9 (match tiebreak)
SURFING
Monte Carlo: www.monte-carlorolexmasters.com
Sarasota: www.sarasotaopen.org/
Fed Cup: www.fedcup.com
Oeiras: www.estorilopen.net/
Munich: http://bmwopen.de
Ostrava: www.prosperitaopen.cz
TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK
(All money in USD)
MEN
$3,437,000 Monte Carlo Rolex Masters, Monte Carlo, Monaco, clay
$100,000 Sarasota Open, Sarasota, Florida, USA, clay
FED CUP
World Group Semifinals
Italy vs. Czech Republic at Palermo, Italy, clay
Russia vs. Slovak Republic at Moscow, Russia, clay
World Group Playoffs
Germany vs. Serbia at Stuttgart, Germany, clay; Switzerland vs. Australia at Chiasso-Seseglio, Switzerland, clay; Spain vs. Japan at Barcelona, Spain, clay; United States vs. Sweden at Delray Beach, Florida, USA, hard
World Group II Playoffs
Belgium vs. Poland at Koksijde, Belgium, hard; France vs. Kazakhstan at Besançon, France, hard; Argentina vs. Great Britain at Buenos Aires, Argentina, clay; Ukraine vs. Canada at Kiev, Ukraine, clay
Group II
Europe/Asia Zone at Ulcinj, Montenegro, clay: Estonia, Finland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, South Africa, Tunisia
TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK
MEN
$537,109 Portugal Open, Oeiras, Portugal, clay
$537,109 BMW Open, Munich, Germany, clay
$125,000 Tunis Open, Tunis, Tunisia, clay
$111,351 Prosperita Open 2013, Ostrava, Czech Republic, clay
WOMEN
$235,000 Portugal Open, Oeiras, Portugal, clay
TOURNAMENTS IN TWO WEEKS
MEN
$4,404,383 Mutua Madrid Open, Madrid, Spain, clay
$125,000 Kunming Challenger, Kunming, China, hard
WOMEN
$5,273,930 Mutua Madrid Open, clay