Rafa and Serena Continue Their Winning Ways In Rome - Mondays with Bob Greene

By Bob Greene

STARS

Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer 6-1 6-3 to win the men’s singles at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, Italy

Serena Williams beat Victoria Azarenka 6-1 6-3 to win the women’s singles at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, Italy

Gael Monfils beat Michael Llodra 7-5 7-6 (5) to win the BNP Paribas Primrose Bordeaux in Bordeaux, France

Lucie Safarova beat Alexandra Cadantu 3-6 6-1 6-1 to win the Sparta Prague Open in Prague, Czech Republic

SAYING

“I’m playing much better than I dreamed of a few months ago. I’m doing the right things to play well.” – Rafael Nadal, following his thrashing of Roger Federer in the final at Rome.

“Rafa was just too good today.” – Roger Federer.

“It wasn’t really easy out there. I just came up with the good shots at the right times.” – Serena Williams, following her victory over Victoria Azarenka in the women’s final at Rome.

“She definitely showed incredible tennis today. But I don’t think the score says how close the match was. She was better at the key moments. – Victoria Azarenka.

“I love the clay. I haven’t had many wins at Roland Garros, but I do love it. I love to slide. My goal is just to win a match there this year.” – Serena Williams.

“These are emotional moments for me as I think I have managed to turn around a situation in which after many months of doubts I am able to play at a level that I would not have dreamed of four months ago.” – Rafael Nadal, following his semifinal win over Tomas Berdych.

“It was a very weird match. I lost concentration and I started to play too defensively and did not convert my opportunities and I lost this match on my own.” – Novak Djokovic, after losing to Tomas Berdych in Rome.

“It’s a special victory. I was on 11 defeats in a row (against Djokovic) and it had to stop.” – Tomas Berdych, who upset Novak Djokovic in a quarterfinal match in Rome.

“It goes to show that’s what every player should do. Now he’s as strong as ever and is going to be the favorite for Roland Garros.” – Roger Federer, impressed with Rafael Nadal’s game.

“The lady in the mirror is the ultimate opponent for me. I’m going to try and win every match and be really cautious going for every point.” – Serena Williams, referring to Roland Garros, where she was upset in the first round last year.

“It’s always tough to play someone from the same country – we were in the national team together, and we trained and practiced for a long time together. It’s like being twins on the tour, and it’s tough to fight against each other on the court. But I was really happy I could beat her today.” – Li Na, after beating fellow Chinese Zheng Jie 6-3 6-1 at Rome.

“Nothing is ever perfect. I learned that last year when I felt perfect.” – Serena Williams, remembering last year’s Roland Garros when she was upset in the first round.

SEVENTH TITLE

Not only is he back, but Rafael Nadal is back with a vengeance. Just ask Roger Federer. Nadal dominated his Swiss foe to win his seventh Italian Open title. How dominant was he? It tied for the second most lopsided win in the 30-match series between the two superstars. “For that to happen between two players with not that much difference, it has to be because one player plays very well and the other is having more mistakes than usual. That’s all,” said Nadal, who improved to 20-10 in his career against Federer. It was the Spaniard’s sixth title since returning earlier this year following a seven-month layoff because of a knee injury. “If you told me four or five months ago that after eight tournaments I would have won six titles from eight finals, I would say you are crazy,” said Nadal, who will be ranked fourth in the world in the Emirates ATP Rankings. “To win three (ATP World Tour) Master 1000 and two (ATP World Tour) 500 tournaments is more than I ever dreamed.” Nadal and Federer have met in 20 finals, tying the Ivan Lendl-John McEnroe rivalry for most championship matchups in the Open era. Until he met Nadal, Federer had sailed through the week without dropping a set. But against Nadal, nothing worked for the Swiss master as he committed 32 unforced errors to just eight for Nadal. Rome remains one of the few important tournaments that Federer has never won. He lost to Nadal in the 2006 final and to Felix Mantilla in 2003.

SUCCESSFUL RUN

For Serena Williams, it’s the best time of her tennis life. The American won her fourth consecutive title and ran her winning streak to a career-best 24 matches as she put the finishing touches on her preparation for Roland Garros. She didn’t drop a set as she captured her second Internazionali BNL d’Italia title by adding Victoria Azarenka to her list of trampled opponents. “I moved better than I did all week,” Williams said after her 6-1 6-3 title triumph. “Hopefully I can stay like this. I feel really good.” Williams broke Azarenka’s service twice to begin the match and grab a 3-0 lead. She hit winners off Azarenka’s first and second serves and dictated play at every opportunity. Showing her frustration, Azarenka twice slammed her racquet to the court in desperation. Williams held a 41-12 edge in winners. It was Serena’s fourth consecutive title of the year, also winning in Miami, Charleston, South Carolina, USA, and Madrid, Spain. Until now, the longest match winning streak Williams has had in her career was 21 – and that was done twice, in 2002 and 2003 – a decade ago. And the only other time she won the Italian Open was in 2002 – the year she also captured her lone Roland Garros title.

SENT HOME

On the advice of his doctor, Juan Martin del Potro has returned home to Argentina. Del Potro withdrew two weeks ago from the Portugal Open because of a respiratory illness. He then played last week in Rome, but was upset in the third round by Frenchman Benoit Paire 6-4 7-6 (3). Because he was still suffer ring from a decline in “physical and respiratory capacity” due to a bronchial spasm, the right-hander’s doctor recommended that he return to Argentina for further medical treatment to speed his recovery.

SICK BAY

A lower back problem was the cause of Andy Murray’s retirement from the Italian Open. The Scot stopped the match right after he won the second set to pull even with Marcel Granollers of Spain and having already received on-court treatment. “I pulled out because there is a good chance I wouldn’t be playing tomorrow,” Murray said. “We’ll have to wait for Paris. I’d be very surprised if I were playing in Paris.” Later, the official ATP website quoted Murray as saying: “I’ll need to take some days off and see how it settles down, but a few days can make a difference. I’ll try and get it sorted, but it has been an issue for some while. So I want to make sure that it’s something that I can sort out. It’s not enjoyable to play now.” Murray’s retirement came on his 26th birthday.

SIDELINED

Sickness also caused Maria Sharapova to withdraw from her quarterfinal match in Rome against seventh-seeded Sara Errani of Italy. Seeking her third consecutive Italian Open title, Sharapova said on Twitter that she “didn’t recover after being sick last week and it got me against last night.” The Russian appeared to be in great shape the day before when she crushed 16th-seeded Sloane Stephens 6-2 6-1. The withdrawal gave Errani a spot in the semifinals, where she lost to Victoria Azarenka.

It was the second straight day Errani received help from her Russian opponents. She was leading 6-3 2-0 when Maria Kirilenko retired from their match with a left knee injury. Because of her success in her home tournament, Errani moved up to a career-high ranking of fifth in the world, becoming only the second Italian to be ranked in the top five. Francesca Schiavone made it as high as fourth in the world in 2011.

SUSPENSION OVER

Fernando Romboli of Brazil has completed an 8½-month suspension for a doping violation. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) said Romboli tested positive for two banned diuretics – furosemide and hydrochlorothiazide – at a lower-tier ATP Challenger event in Bogotá, Colombia, last July. Denying any intent to enhance his performance, the 24-year-old said the substances came from a contaminated supplement that had been prescribed by a doctor. The ITF said he accepted Romboli’s defense and gave him a reduced penalty because there was no “significant fault or negligence.” The suspension began September 1, 2012.

STRAIGHT IN

Frenchman Gael Monfils has a spot in this year’s Roland Garros, thanks to a wild card from the tournament organizers. The 26-year-old was a semifinalist at the clay court Grand Slam tournament in 2008, but has seen his ranking dropped while he suffered a string of injuries in 2012. Once ranked seventh in the world in 2011, Monfils had dropped to 119th. Other men receiving wild card entries into Roland Garros were American Alex Kuznetsov, Australia’s John Millman and Frenchmen Marc Gicquel, Nicolas Mahut, Adrian Mannarino, Lucas Pouille and Florent Serra.

Virginie Razzano of France was also handed an automatic entry into this year’s two-week event, which gets underway next week. Last year, Razzano shocked Serena Williams in the opening round. Other women receiving wild cards include Aravane Rezai, Claire Feuerstein, Stephanie Foretz-Gacon, Caroline Garcia and Irena Pavlovic, all of France; Ashleigh Barty of Australia and Shelby Rogers of the United States.

SISTER ACT

Very few players want to see Venus Williams as their first-round opponent. It’s downright cruel and unusual punishment to have her sister, Serena, waiting in the second round in case you win. That’s what happened to Great Britain’s Laura Robson at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. She pulled off the first feat, stopping Venus in straight sets. Little sister Serena perhaps was seeking a little revenge as she eliminated Robson 6-2 6-2. “She’s number one in the world for a reason,” Robson said of Serena. “She didn’t give me many opportunities.” Despite the outcome, Serena Williams was impressed with the youngster. “She played really well and really smart,” Serena said. “I think she has such a big future, and I really like her as a person, too.”

STYMIED

Caroline Wozniacki was so close to winning her opening round Italian Open match against Bojana Jovanovski. So close several times. She was up a break in the second set at 4-3 and led 4-0 in the third set. Wozniacki served for the match at 5-4 and built a 5-2 advantage in the third-set tiebreak, two points from victory. Instead, it was Jovanovski who triumphed in the nearly three-hour match, 2-6 6-4 7-6 (5). It has been a rough stretch for Wozniacki, who lost in the first round of the Madrid Open to Yaroslava Shvedova and in her first match in Stuttgart, Germany, last month to Carla Suárez Navarro. Until her victory over the former world number one, Jovanovski had lost eight consecutive matches. The Serb had not won since mid-January at the Australian Open.

SPORTS MIXER

Jamie Murray is proving to be as good at golf as he is in tennis. The older brother Andy Murray clinched the victory for Scotland in the inaugural Celebrity Cup at Golf Live. Murray joined with Kenny Logan, an ex-rugby star, and soccer legends Alan Hansen, Kenny Dalglish and Gordon Strachan as Scotland beat England, Wales and Ireland. The 27-year-old Murray, a former Wimbledon mixed doubles champion, was the hero for Scotland as he landed a pitch from 100 yards to within six feet in the nearest-the-pin shootout with England. The event helped raise nearly USD $83,500 for the Elizabeth Montgomerie Foundation, which was established in 2007 by golfer Colin Montgomerie in memory of his mother, who died of cancer.

SIGNED

Bernard Tomic and Lleyton Hewitt, the future and past of Australian tennis, have committed to play in this summer’s Citi Open in Washington, DC, USA. Already committed to play in the event, which begins July 27, are top-ranked American John Isner and Frenchman Gael Monfils. Tomic will be making his Citi Open debut, while Hewitt is returning to the nation’s capital after a two-year absence.

SOON TO BE BACK

Jelena Dokic, who has been ranked as high as fourth in the world, is planning to rejoin the WTA Tour after being sidelined with a wrist injury since April 2012. “I am starting with smaller events to get some more matches,” she said. “Then I will see where I am at. At this stage, it is all about being healthy and taking one step at a time.”

SEEKING HELP

Marcos Baghdatis, who has seen his ranking slip from eighth in the world to 38th, has begun working with a new coach. Zeljko Krajan of Croatia is working with Baghdatis on a trial basis until Wimbledon. He replaces Yiannos Hadjigeorgiou. Baghdatis had sought advice from former world number three Ivan Ljubicic on where to turn next. Ljubicic recommended his countryman, who is from the same city in Croatia as is Baghdatis’s wife, Karolina Sprem, a former player on the WTA tour. “He has worked a lot with the women’s tour,” Baghdatis said of Krajan, “but he was top 100 before on the ATP World Tour, so I think he has a lot to offer. “He’s the Croatia Davis Cup coach as well. I think he can help me a lot.”

SPECIAL MAN

The only person to win the Grand Slam twice, Rod Laver will receive the Eugene L. Scott Award at the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Legends Ball in New York City during the US Open. The award is given annually in memory of the late Tennis Week founder to an individual who has shown a commitment to tennis and has made a positive impact on the sport. Laver also will participate at this summer’s Rolex Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, SA. He will pay tribute to Australian tennis great Thelma Coyne Long, who will be among this year’s enshrinees.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Bordeaux: Christopher Kas and Oliver Marach beat Nicholas Monroe and Simon Stadler 2-6 6-4 10-1 (match tiebreak)

Prague: Renata Voracova and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova beat Irina Falconi and Eva Hrdinova 6-4 6-0

Rome (men): Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna 6-2 6-3

Rome (women): Hsieh Su-Wei and Peng Shuai beat Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci 4-6 6-3 10-8 (match tiebreak)

SURFING

Düsseldorf: http://power-horse-cup.com/

Nice: www.opennicecotedazur.com/

Brussels: www.wta-brusselsopen.com

Strasbourg: www.internationaux-strasbourg.fr/

Paris: www.rolandgarros.com

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK
(All money in USD)