mario ancic

Roger Federer’s Incomprehensible Crisis at Wimbledon

June 23, 2013 by Admin

On June 25, 2002, Roger Federer, tagged as a pre-tournament dark horse favorite to win Wimbledon just one year removed from his stunning round of 16 upset of seven-time champion Pete Sampras, was bounced in the event’s opening round by 18-year-old Croatian qualifier Mario Ancic by a 6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-3 margin.

Said the No. 154-ranked Ancic of the win over the No. 7-seed Federer at the time, “I came first time to play Centre, Wimbledon, they put me on Centre Court for my first time. I qualified, nothing to lose, I was just confidence. I knew I could play. I believe in myself and just go out there and try to do my best. Just I didn’t care who did I play. Doesn’t matter…I knew him (Federer) from TV. I knew already how is he playing. I don’t know that he knew how I was playing, but that was my advantage. And yeah, I didn’t have any tactics, just I was enjoying.”

Following the loss, Federer went on to win his next 40 matches at Wimbledon – including five straight titles – before losing in the 2008 final to Rafael Nadal of Spain. He has not lost in the first round of any major since.

Rene Stauffer, in his book ROGER FEDERER: QUEST FOR PERFECTION ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.RogerFedererBook.com) takes readers back to Federer’s most infamous first-round loss in this book excerpt below.

In the first round at Wimbledon, Federer drew Croatian teenager Mario Ancic. Federer had no idea who he was and didn’t find out much about him before their match. Prior to the 2002 Wimbledon Championships, the 18-year-old Ancic primarily played junior events and only advanced into the Wimbledon main draw through the qualifying tournament. He was ranked No. 154 in the world and stood at nearly six feet, six inches tall. The 2001 Wimbledon Champion Goran Ivanisevic, who like Ancic hailed from the Croatian coastal city of Split, even gave his young countryman tips on how to play Federer. Wimbledon was Ancic’s Grand Slam tournament debut and his first match was played on Centre Court of all places, against Federer, the man who one year earlier defeated one of Wimbledon’s greatest champions on the very same court.

Roger’s father Robert, who seldom watched his son play live, traveled to Wimbledon to watch his son. Sitting in the bleachers at Centre Court, he anticipated peacefully watching a routine first-round victory for his son on this pleasant, warm and dry afternoon. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Like in Paris, Roger unceremoniously lost in the tournament’s opening round without winning a set. He was unrecognizable compared to the previous year’s heroics and only scored one ace against the young Ancic in the 6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-3 loss. Federer was shocked. As in Paris, he couldn’t understand why he played so poorly. “I normally like to compliment young players,” he said, “but the way I performed today, I can’t really judge Ancic.” Federer was forced to witness the top-ranked Hewitt, who was not considered to be a grass court specialist, go on to beat David Nalbandian in the final to become the first Australian Wimbledon champion since Pat Cash in 1987.

By contrast, Federer dropped out of the top 10 by virtue of his Wimbledon performance. Two weeks later at the Swiss Open in Gstaad, Federer experienced another unexpected defeat at the hands of Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic in the second round. His crisis was incomprehensible. “He’s not himself on the court anymore,” said (Federer coach Peter) Lundgren. “Technically, there’s nothing wrong with his game. It’s in his head. He feels the pressure.” For the moment, Federer lost his entire creativity, his entire joy in playing tennis and his self-confidence. “I allowed myself to become too dragged down mentally and I thought I couldn’t play tennis anymore,” he said later. But his greatest setback still lay before him and it would come from a completely unexpected direction.

Novak Djokovic and Vera Zvonareva Take Home the Crowns – Mondays with Bob Greene

February 28, 2011 by Bob Greene

STARS

Novak Djokovic beat Roger Federer 6-3 6-3 to win the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

David Ferrer beat Nicolas Almagro 7-6 (4) 6-7 (2) 6-2 to win the Abierto Mexicano Telcel men’s singles in Acapulco, Mexico

Vera Zvonareva beat Caroline Wozniacki 6-4 6-4 to win the Qatar Ladies Open in Doh

Russia's Vera Zvonareva (C) holds her ch — Vera Zvonareva

a, Qatar

Juan Martin del Potro beat Janko Tipsarevic 6-4 6-4 to win the Delray Beach International Championships in Delray Beach, Florida, USA

Gisela Dulko beat Arantxa Parra Santonja 6-3 7-6 (5) to win the women’s singles at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco, Mexico

Mark Philippoussis beat Aaron Krickstein 6-3 6-2 to win the ATP Champions Tour portion of the Delray Beach Tennis Championships in Delray Beach, Florida, USA

SAYING

“This is a difficult, emotional day for me. However, I don’t want it to be a sad day and I would like to still be remembered for everything I did in tennis and for the glory I brought to both Split and Croatia. Everything has en end. For me it was beautiful while it lasted and that is why this is a happy day.” – Mario Ancic, announcing his retirement from tennis.

“Any time I win against Roger (Federer) it’s a great success because he’s such a great player. We all know how mentally strong of a player he is. To be able to win against Roger in straight sets as I did tonight is incredible, but I want to keep on going. I know that I have qualities to do even more, and that’s what I want.” – Novak Djokovic, after beating Federer in the final in Dubai.

“(It was) obviously (a) disappointing end as well to the match. I guess you can’t win them all. I played so well in Doha in the finals, in London in the finals, in Basel in the finals. I guess I had to mess one up. It’s a pity, but, look, Novak played great.” – Roger Federer.

“He plays tennis on his terms.” – Somdev Devvarman, on Roger Federer.

“Caroline is number one and playing very well. I was just fighting for every point and trying to go for my shots. This is definitely a special moment for me, especially after that tough match against Daniela (Hantuchova) and another great one against Jelena (Jankovic).” – Vera Zvonareva, after beating Caroline Wozniacki to win the Qatar Ladies Open.

“I’m always disappointed to lose but I played a great competitor today. Vera played a great match and a great tournament. I’m happy to be in the finals; it was another great tournament for me and I always enjoy being back in Doha. I will be back next year for sure.” – Caroline Wozniacki.

“I didn’t lose because I had the title or the prize money or the car or the points in my head. I had a big enough problem in beating del Potro.’” – Janko Tipsarevic, after losing to Juan Martin del Potro in the final of the Delray Beach International.

“I don’t know if I’m ready to fight with top-10 players, but I’m working very hard and hope to do it soon. I need 20 to 25 matches before I’ll really be ready to play with them, but it’s coming soon.” – Juan Martin del Potro, after winning the Delray Beach International.

“Inconsistency has always been a problem throughout my career – you only need to look at the up-and-down graph of my ranking – but now as I see the years passing by, I really want to get out there and win the matches I should win.” – Mardy Fish.

“I really don’t have one with him. I wish we could. After all this time you would think it would be reasonable.” – Ivan Lendl, when asked if he had and rival John McEnroe were friends and had a relationship with one another.

S’MARVELOUS

For the first time since the US Open in 2009, Juan Martin del Potro has taken home a winner’s trophy. The 22-year-old Argentine, who missed most of last year with a right wrist injury, defeated Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia 6-4 6-4 to win the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships. When he won the last point, del Potro thrust his arms into the air and kept kissing his right wrist. “Three months ago I was thinking I’ll be trying to play tournaments,” del Potro said. “Now I won a tournament. It’s great to win a tournament after a year. It was del Potro’s eight career title. And while it had been a long time since he last won, he had displayed his winning game before Delray Beach, reaching the semifinals at San Jose, California, and Memphis, Tennessee, the two prior weeks. Tipsarevic was attempting to win his first title in three career finals.

S’WONDERFUL

It also had been a long time between titles for Vera Zvonareva. Although ranked third in the world, Zvonareva hadn’t taken home the winner’s trophy since Pattaya City, Thailand, a year and two weeks ago. And her 11th career title came with a strong 6-4 6-4 victory over top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki in the final of the Qatar Open in Doha. Despite playing three-set matches in both the quarterfinals and semifinals, the Russian showed not signs of fatigue against Wozniacki, who had reached the final without dropping a set. Zvonareva broke in the third game and held her serve to capture the first set, then rallied from a break down to wrap up the victory. “Coming into this tournament I wasn’t expecting to end my week like this. It’s great,” Zvonareva said.

STRICKENED

France has lost yet another player from its Davis Cup team. Richard Gasquet is the third Frenchman to withdraw from this coming weekend’s first-round Davis Cup tie with Austria, making captain Guy Forget admit that his country’s chances of winning have been reduced. Gasquet, who suffered a shoulder problem in the semifinals in Dubai this past week, joins Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on the sidelines as last year’s Davis Cup runners-up begin their 2011 campaign. “We know our chances are now a lot less, we need to use that as an advantage,” said Forget, who now will field Gilles Simon, Michael Llodra, Jeremy Chardy and Julien Benneteau.

SPANISH GOLD

David Ferrer went 6-for-7 on break point opportunities to defeat Nicolas Almagro and successfully defend his Abierto Mexicano Telcel title. The defeat ended Almagro’s bid to win three of the four Golden Swing crowns in one season. Last year, the top-seeded Ferrer’s victory in Acapulco, Mexico, denied Juan Carlos Ferrero a chance to win a third title on the clay-court swing. Ferrer’s 7-6 (4) 6-7 (2) 6-2 win over Almagro was his 11th ATP tour title and snapped Almagro’s 13-match winning streak. “I didn’t think I could win here twice in a row and I realize I am having the best season start of my career this year,” Ferrer said. “I hope I can continue like that this season.” Ferrer has started the season with a match record of 14-2, including titles in Auckland and Acapulco, and a semifinal run at the Australian Open.

SPARED

An earthquake that shattered Christchurch forced the International Tennis Federation to halt a seniors tennis tournament in the New Zealand community. At least 148 people were killed in quake, which measured 6.3 on the Richter scale, but all of the participants in the tennis tournament were safe. “While we are, of course, relieved that all the players, captains and officials who were in Christchurch this week are safe, we are mindful of the loss of life and the large number of injuries,” said ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti. While the competition in Christchurch was canceled, the Seniors World Team Championships in nearby Timaru and Ashburton were completed. The ITF canceled the Seniors World Individual Championships, which had been scheduled for Christchurch.

STAYING PUT

The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships will stay right where it is – next door to a new 293-room hotel. There had been talk of moving the tournament from the Emirates Airline Aviation club, but tournament officials will leave the ATP 500 event where it has been staged since its start in 1993. Construction of the new hotel is a strong reason the tournament is staying put. “Just imagine having all the players under one roof and walking distance away from the tennis courts,” tournament director Colm McLoughlin said of the new Aviation hotel project. “I’m sure the current high profile of our championships will go up another few notches. We don’t know when the hotel will be opened, but for sure we will have all the players and officials staying there for next year’s championships.”

SEPARATED

Retired tennis star Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand and Canadian beauty queen Natalie Glebova are separating after three years of marriage. In a statement, the couple said they decided to split last July because work commitments had kept them apart. “Over the past few years, responsibilities and work turned our married life in a different direction. However, we still care for each other and we are still good friends,” the couple said in the statement issued by their publicists. Srichaphan, once ranked ninth in the world, and the former Miss Universe have launched beauty products, diet supplements and a Bangkok restaurant together. They said in the statement they planned to continue to do business with one another. The couple met at the Thailand Open in 2006, a year after Glebova was crowned Miss Universe, and were married in September 2007, the year Paradorn’s tennis career ended because of a wrist injury.

STOLLE “RINGED”

Fred Stolle is the latest member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHoF) to be presented a commemorative ring. The Australian, whose career featured Grand Slam tournament titles and Davis Cup victories, was presented the ring in a center court ceremony at the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships. Stolle was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985. The one-of-a-kind rings are being presented to Hall of Famers at tennis events around the world over the next several years to mark their achievement of Hall of Fame induction.

STAYING HOME

Russia’s Mikhail Youzhny is quitting Davis Cup play so he can spend more time with his family. The 28-year-old Youzhny, who is ranked 11th in the world, is Russia’s top-ranked player. He told Sport-Express he has stepped down from the international team competition to make way for younger players. Youzhny rallied from two-sets down in the decisive fifth match to beat Paul-Henri Mathieu and lift Russia over France and to its first Davis Cup title. He also was on the team that won the title against Argentina in 2006. Russia plays host to Sweden in the first round of Davis Cup World Group on March 4-6.

STAMP OF APPROVAL

Novak Djokovic is in the groove. The Serb crushed Roger Federer 6-3, 6-3 to continue his mastery over the Swiss maestro and win the Dubai Tennis Championships for the third
time. Federer won three of the first four games in the match before Djokovic rocketed past him. The Serb wrapped up his 20th career title in just one hour, 11 minutes and improved his head-to-head record against Federer to 8-13. Federer has lost his last three meetings with Djokovic, including the US Open semifinals and the Australian Open title match. Federer was seeking his fifth Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships title at the Aviation Club.

SAYONARA

Once ranked seventh in the world but since hampered by a series of injuries, Mario Ancic of Croatia has retired from professional tennis. “The decision to end my career was extremely difficult but after consulting experts from Croatia, the US, France and Germany I realized that my body can no longer keep up with the rhythm of today’s tennis,” an emotional Ancic said at a news conference in his hometown of Split. “The last back injury was the last straw.” in making such a decision, the 26-year-old stressed at a press conference in his hometown of Split, on the central Adriatic coast. Ancic led Croatia to victory in the 2005 Davis Cup and, partnered with Ivan Ljubicic, won a bronze medal in doubles for Croatia at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. He also reached the semifinals at Wimbledon in 2004. Ancic’s health problems started in 2007 when he was diagnosed with mononucleosis, which sidelined him for six months. He also suffered from shoulder problems and a back injury. While sidelined, Ancic returned to school and graduated from the Split University Faculty of Law.

SOMDEV IMPRESSED

Somdev Devvarman had a close-up look at Roger Federer, and came away quite impressed with one particular part of his game. India’s top player, Devvarman lost to Federer in the Dubai Tennis Championships. But after his 6-3, 6-3 defeat, all Devvarman wanted to talk about was Federer’s serve. “I mean, his serve is absolutely unbelievable,” Devvarman said. “I think his ground strokes, I mean, all of us have seen magic from that, but his serve is unbelievable. It’s so hard to read, you know. It’s not about the pace. I think I played guys that hit a little bit harder. But it’s really tough to read. He really focuses on hitting his sports right. I think once he does that, it’s tough. I think it’s very underrated, how good his serve is.”

STILL STAYING AWAY

Serena Williams still isn’t ready to return to tennis. She withdrew from the Nike Clash of Champions exhibition scheduled for March 8 in Eugene, Ore. She has not played publicly since July. Besides Williams, others scheduled to play are Maria Sharapova, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Even without the reigning Wimbledon champion, the event will be a success. All 12,000 tickets sold out within 11 minutes, minus a few singles. Although she’s not playing, Williams will be at the event. ”I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to play at the Nike Clash of the Champions as I had anticipated,” Williams said in a statement. “I’m thrilled, however, to still be able to participate in the Family Tennis Festival and in the exhibition as a referee during the mixed doubles.” Ninth-ranked Victoria Azarenka will replace Williams in the exhibition. The 21-year-old from Belarus will play Sharapova in a singles set, followed by a mixed doubles set and then a men’s singles set between the world’s top two players, Nadal and Federer. A portion of the proceeds from the Nike Clash of the Champions will benefit each of the five athletes’ charitable foundations.

STRANGE BREW

In the latest rankings, Alex Bogdanovic tumbled 86 places to 378th in the world, his lowest position in eight years. No problem. Bogdanovic was selected for Great Britain’s Davis Cup squad that will meet Tunisia in a Europe/Africa Zone Group Two tie. With Andy Murray deciding not to play, team captain Leon Smith selected James Ward, who is ranked 212th, Bogdanovic and Jamie Baker, ranked 401. Two of the three will play singles, while Jamie Murray and Colin Fleming will play doubles. Bogdanovic has received eight wild card entries into Wimbledon but has yet to win a match at the grass court Grand Slam tournament. He has lost all six of his live Davis Cup rubbers. The last time Bogdanovic represented Great Britain in Davis Cup was against Austria in September 2008.

SLIPPERY SITE

Russia will be putting the Italian Fed Cup team on ice. When Italy travels to Moscow for the semifinals April 16-17, the tie will be played on a specially built indoor court laid on top of an ice rink. The Russian tennis federation (RTF) said the tie will be the first major tennis event held at Moscow’s 14,000-seat Hodynka arena, which was built in 2007 to stage that year’s ice hockey world championships. The winner of this tie will face Belgium or the Czech Republic, who meet in the other semifinal, in the November final.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Acapulco (men): Victor Hanescu and Horia Tecau beat Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares 6-1 6-3

Acapulco (women): Mariya Koryttseva and Ioana Raluca Olaru beat Lourdes Dominguez Lino and Arantxa Parra Santonja 3-6 6-1 10-4 (match tiebreak)

Delray Beach: Scott Lipsky and Rajeev Ram beat Christopher Kas and Alexander Peya 4-6 6-4 10-3 (match tiebreak)

Doha: Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik beat Liezel Huber and Nadia Petrova 7-5 6-7(2) 10-8 (match tiebreak)

Dubai: Sergiy Stakhovsky and Mkhail Youzhny beat Jeremy Chardy and Feliciano Lopez 4-6 6-3 10-3 (match tiebreak)

TO SURF

Kuala Lumpur: www.bmwmalaysianopen.com/
Monterrey: www.abiertodetenismonterrey.com/portal/
Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com/
Indian Wells: www.bnpparibasopen.com/
Zurich: www.zurichopen.net/

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

WOMEN

$220,000 BMW Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, hard
$220,000 Whirlpool Monterrey Open, Monterrey, Mexico, hard

DAVIS CUP
First Round
(March 4-6)

World Group

Serbia vs. India at Novi Sad, Serbia, hard
Sweden vs. Russia at Boras, Sweden, hard
Czech Republic vs. Kazakhstan at Ostrava, Czech Republic, hard
Argentina vs. Romania at Buenos Aires, Argentina, clay
Chile vs. United States at Santiago, Chile, clay
Belgium vs. Spain at Chaleroi, Belgium, hard
Croatia vs. Germany at Zagreb, Croatia, hard
Austria vs. France at Vienna, Austria, clay

Group I – Americas: Mexico vs. Canada at Asuncion, Estado de Mexico, clay; Uruguay vs. Colombia at Montevideo, Uruguay, clay

Group I – Asia/Oceania: China vs. Chinese Taipei at Shanghai, China, hard; Philippines vs. Japan at Lapu City, Philippines, clay; Uzbekistan vs. New Zealand at Namangan, Uzbekistan, clay

Group I – Europe/Africa: Slovenia vs. Finland at Ljubjana, Slovenia, clay; Ukraine vs. Netherlands at Kharkiv, Ukraine, hard; Portugal vs. Slovak Republic at Cruz Quebrada, Portugal, clay

Group II – Americas: Peru vs. Netherlands Antilles at Lima, Peru, clay; El Salvador vs. Dominican Republic at Santa Tecla, El Salvador, clay; Puerto Rico vs. Paraguay at Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, hard; Venezuela vs. Haiti at Caracas, Venezuela, hard

Group II – Asia/Oceania: Korea vs. Syria at Changwon, Korea, hard; Hong Kong vs. Pakistan at Hong Kong, hard; Iran vs. Indonesia at Tehran, Iran, clay; Pacific Oceania vs. Thailand at Guam, hard

Group II – Europe/Asia: Great Britain vs. Tunisia at Bolton, Great Britain, hard; Ireland vs. Luxembourg at Dublin, Ireland, hard; Belarus vs. Bulgaria at Minsk, Belarus, hard; Cyprus vs. Hungary at Nicosia, Cyprus, hard; Morocco vs. Bosnia/Herzegovina at Marrakech, Morocco, clay; Estonia vs. Lithuania at Tallinn, Estonia, hard; Denmark vs. Monaco at Kolding, Denmark, carpet; Greece vs. Latvia at Thessaloniki, Greece, clay

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN and WOMEN

BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, California, USA, hard (first week)

SENIORS

BNP Paribas Zurich Open, Zurich, Switzerland, carpet

FEDERER’S WIMBLEDON LOSS TO BERDYCH NOT A SHOCK

June 30, 2010 by WTM

By Charles Bricker

There is no reasonable argument to be made that this was just one of those bad days at the office for Roger Federer. Or that Tomas Berdych was incredibly zoned in and will never play this well again.

This 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 triumph was not only fully earned by the better player on Centre Court, but showcased exactly why Federer is, as I explained a week ago, in a slow fade from the pinnacle of tennis.

It should properly go down as an upset, but it was no shock result. A strong argument could have been made before this face-off why Berdych, not Federer, would advance to Wimbledon’s semifinals and Darren Cahill, the supremely cogent former Andre Agassi/Lleyton Hewitt coach, was another who had predicted a Berdych victory.

Anyone who watches this game closely has seen Federer slip — not just in the last couple weeks but over several months time. As hard as he trains, as he gets deep into major events he loses just enough fitness to cost him results.

Did you see him in the final couple games of this loss? His first-serve percentage took a dive. He wasn’t moving to his right nearly as well as he was earlier in the match. His shots, even on grass, were “standing up,” giving the 6-foot-5 Berdych all the whiplash stroking opportunities he could desire.

Let’s get through Federer’s numbers first, then get back to the match:

* First time Federer has lost a set as badly as 1-6 at Wimbledon.

* First time his ranking will have slipped to No. 3 (as of Monday) since Nov. 10, 2003. He had 2,000 points to defend here and gets only 360. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic’s win pushes him past Federer, 6,905 to 6,885, and The Joker isn’t finished yet.

* First time he has failed to reach the semis of a fast-court Grand Slam since David Nalbandian beat him in the round of 16 at the U.S. Open in 2003.

* First time he’s failed to reach the semis at Wimbledon since Mario Ancic put him out in the first round in 2002.

* This was Federer’s ninth loss of the season (against 34 wins). Moving backward in 2010, the losses are to No. 13 Berdych, No. 32 Lleyton Hewitt, No. 7 Robin Soderling, No. 3 Rafa Nadal, No. 34 Albert Montanes, No. 40 Ernests Gulbis, No. 20 Berdych, No. 33 Marcos Baghdatis and No. 6 Nikolay Davydenko.

Nine isn’t a lot of losses, except for Federer, and as they mounted up this year he kept his brave face, suggesting that these defeats were no problem. His focus, he maintained, is on the Grand Slams. Even after Soderling slammed him out of the French Open, Federer tried to maintain cool confidence. OK, he lost before the semis on clay. But grass and hardcouts are his ticket and Wimbledon is coming up. Everything is fine.

That bravado might have been good enough for the legions of Federer fans, but the people who watch the game, know the game and can analyze the game could see how age and the rise of all the young talent in the game today has nibbled away at Federer’s dominance.

He is still a top player and will be a threat to win the U.S. Open in September. But I doubt he’ll be favored and I’m sure I wasn’t alone at the start of this Wimbledon in suggesting he would not win it. As early as the first round, it became apparent how much difficulty he was in when he needed five sets to beat Alejandro Falla — a Colombian who had four fewer grass court wins (7) than Federer had grass court titles.

But speak highly of Berdych for this win, too. He served beautifully, when he had to. Federer had a look at eight break points, but could convert only one.

Berdych has long had a reputation as a gifted player who could not even approach 100 percent focus on his game, until about a year and a half ago when he began to crank up his off-court training. Have you had a look at the quad muscles on this Czech? He may not be the fastest player in tennis, but those strong, long legs eat up a lot of turf very quickly.

Berdych also was known for failing to close out upsets. Clearly, all that has changed. This is now two straight wins over Federer for him.

He broke Fed to win the opening set, then went down quickly in the second. Momentum shift? No. Berdych may not have played brilliantly throughout this match, but he never wavered emotionally. He ripped through the third set in 27 minutes, then put those long legs on display to score the critical break in the final set.

Stretched to the limit, Berdych snapped a running cross-court forehand pass that glanced off Federer’s desperate racket. He was now up 4-3 but this commanding position came only after he rallied back from love-40 down at 3-3. At 30-40 in that game, he might have hit his best shot. He had left Federer a forehand pass down the line and Roger hit a perfectly stroked dipper just beyond the net. Berdych reached down and touched a backhand volley off his shoe laces for the winner to get to deuce and, eventually, to hold.

When Federer took the balls at 3-5, he looked shaken. He couldn’t get a first serve into play and Berdych, as he had most of this match, ripped into Federer’s seconds. Nevertheless, Roger held, sending Berdych out to serve for the match at 5-4.

The Czech was down 15-30 after leaving Federer an easy backhand pass, but, again, no wavering. On his first match point, Federer hit a winning volley. Roger then had his eighth and final break-point opportunity of the match and, incredibly, gaffed an easy forehand return off a second serve into the net.

On Berdych’s second match point, he delivered a 138 mph blast that Federer weakly returned. Moving inside the baseline, Berdych crashed his 21st forehand winner deep to the backhand corner. It was over. Federer packed up and walked off the court with his head down.

Here are some key statistics.

* Federer had nine aces in the first two sets, five in the last two.

* Federer got 77 percent of his first serves into play in the first two sets. That faded to 61 percent and 57 percent in the last two sets. Still not bad, but it forced Roger to play more second serves and that was a key to this loss.

* Federer won only 49 percent of his second serve points after averaging 56 percent for the year, and he should have been even higher than 56 percent on grass.

What Berdych did best in this match: (a) 21 forehand winners, many of them inside-outs; (b) out-powered Federer in the backhand-to-backhand rallies; (c) defended seven of the eight break points he faced; (d) and, perhaps most importantly, did not cave in emotionally. He got on top of this match in the third set, felt Federer’s game lapsing, and never let up.

What now for Federer? It’s been a great ride with 16 major titles, and there could be more. He’s not exactly ready for the junk heap. But it’s hard to see him ever getting back to where he was a couple years ago.

He’ll be ranked No. 3 on Monday, and we’re not even sure he’s as good as third best in the world any longer.

Charles Bricker can be reached at nflwriterr@aol.com

RODDICK vs. LJUBICIC: THEIR MOST MEMORABLE MATCH

March 21, 2010 by WTM

By Randy Walker

Andy Roddick and Ivan Ljubicic will meet in Sunday’s final of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif. It was five years ago that the two players met in probably their most memorable match, the fourth rubber of the 2005 Davis Cup first round in Carson, Calif.

The U.S. team that year featured Roddick, Andre Agassi and the Bryan Brothers – a blockbuster team matched up against any of the all-time great Davis Cup teams, captained by Patrick McEnroe. However, Ljubicic, like he did against the United States in the first round of the 2003 Davis Cup in Zagreb, single-handedly defeated the U.S. team, upsetting Agassi on the first day, pairing with Mario Ancic to hand Mike Bryan and Bob Bryan their first-ever Davis Cup loss in the doubles, and beating Roddick in five sets to clinch the victory. The following is a summary of events from their Davis Cup epic on March 6, 2005.

Roddick and Ljubicic would battle in the fourth rubber of the tie – Ljubicic, like in 2003, trying to shut the door on the Americans – while Roddick trying to stave off elimination, a position he had been in on two other occasions without success – against France in 2002 and Spain in 2004.

After splitting the first two sets, the epic – and pivotal – third-set tie-break ensued with neither Roddick or Ljubicic willing to give the other the two-sets-to-one lead. Roddick jumped to a 4-1 lead and held three set points throughout the 24 point tie-break – tying the longest tie-break in U.S. Davis Cup history. However, Roddick’s inside-out cross court forehand at 11-12 landed wide giving Ljubicic the fourth set. The two players would again go toe-to-toe in a tie-break in the fourth set, with Ljubicic fighting off four set points before double faulting at 7-8 on the fifth-set point to give Roddick the set and square the match at two-sets apiece. The momentum appeared to be with Roddick, but he was not able to capitalize. Ljubicic ran off with the first eight points of the fifth set, breaking Roddick at love in the first game of the fifth set and cashing in on an insurance break in the fifth game of the final set. Three game later, Ljubicic closed out the crushing 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (11), 6-7 (7), 6-2 victory in three hours and 57 minutes.

Roddick and McEnroe slumped on their courtside seating while Ljubicic, Ancic, (Nikki) Pilic and the rest of the Croatian delegation danced and sang on the court with handfuls of Croatian fans in the audience waving flags and rejoicing in the historic first round upset. It marked the first time in 105 years of Davis Cup that the United States was eliminated in the first round on home soil.

Ljubicic would become one of only two players to win three live rubbers against a U.S. Davis Cup team on two occasions – joining Mexico’s Raul Ramirez who turned the trick against the United States in the 1975 and 1976 Davis Cup campaigns.

In all, Ljubicic labored for a total of eight hours and 44 minutes over 12 sets over the weekend. His career record against the United States in Davis Cup play now stood at 6-0 – with only Laurie Doherty of Great Britain holding a better record against the U.S. with a 10-0 record in matches against the U.S. in 1902, 1903, 1905 and 1906.

“I have no words, really,” said Ljubicic. “To beat Andre, the Bryans and Roddick in three days….it is amazing.”

Roddick was crushed, irritable, devastatingly angry and disappointed. He slumped in front of the microphone in the interview room and was asked to share how he was feeling.

“Probably not in words you would understand,” he slurred. “It’s tough to describe. Really, really bad….There’s no worse feeling than losing a match in Davis Cup in our sport, especially when your teammates are counting on you.”

“It hurts a lot,” said McEnroe, who spoke with the press after coaching Bob Bryan to a three-set win over Roko Karanusic in the dead-fifth rubber that made the final verdict a 3-2 win for Croatia. “After getting to the final last year, starting off at home with our best team, it’s disappointing.”

MONDAYS WITH BOB GREENE: THE FIRST WEEK OF INDIAN WELLS

March 15, 2010 by WTM

STARS

Indian Wells (First Week)

Carla Suarez Navarro beat top-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4 4-6 6-1

Elena Baltacha beat seventh-seeded Li Na 7-6 (6) 2-6 7-6 (7)

Guillermo Garcia-Lopez beat ninth-seeded Marin Cilic 7-6 (1) 6-0

Zheng Jie beat 10^th-seeded Maria Sharapova 6-3 2-6 6-3

Gisela Dulko beat Justine Henin 6-2 1-6 6-4

Marc Lopez and Rafael Nadal beat third-seeded Lukas Dlouhy and Leander Paes 6-4 3-6 10-6 (match tiebreak)

Maria Kirilenko and Agnieszka Radwanska beat fourth-seeded Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs 6-4 4-6 10-3 (match tiebreak)

Igor Andreev and Evgeny Korolev beat fourth-seeded Mahesh Bhupathi and Max Mirnyi 6-4 6-4

OTHERS

Fernando Meligeni beat Mark Philippoussis 6-2 4-6 10-8 (match tiebreak) to win the Rio Champions Cup in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Stefan Edberg beat Goran Ivanisevic 3-6 6-3 12-10 (match tiebreak) to win the BNP Paribas Zurich Open in Zurich, Switzerland

SAYINGS

“The tennis ball is perfect. I am not perfect.” – Svetlana Kuznetsova, the top-seeded Russian after she lost to Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro at Indian Wells, California.

“As the tiebreak started, she just came out with unbelievable stuff. I think she hit four backhand winners down the line. And I thought, ‘OK, yeah, that’s why you’re top 10. I understand.’ But then at 5-1 I went into the zone and I felt really strong and I just fought my heart out.” – Elena Baltacha, a qualifier from Great Britain who saved two match points en route to a 7-6 (6), 2-6 7-6 (7) upset win over China’s Li Na.

“This week is so special for me because last year this was the last match, and then I haven’t played for almost a year.” – Mario Ancic, winning his first ATP match in more than a year after recurrences of mononucleosis.

“I’m hitting the ball well and training well. But I can see I’m having trouble closing out matches. That’s not something you can practice for.” – Carlos Moya, after edging qualifier Tim Smyczek 7-6 (7) 7-6 (5) in the first round at Indian Wells California, USA

“To not defend my Wimbledon title last year was one of the toughest decisions in my career, but this is a new year and now I have the chance to go back to England and to compete on the grass again.” – Rafael Nadal, who won the last two grass-court tournaments he played, Queen’s Club and Wimbledon in 2008.

“Before the event started, I felt like a stranger among so many great champions. I was the only one that hadn’t reached the top 10, and here I am with this trophy.” – Fernando Meligeni, the surprise winner of the Rio Champions Cup, a senior event played in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“John is a great fighter and a fantastic tennis player. He’s still got the fire and wants it badly. There’s only one John McEnroe, and so long as he keeps playing it’s good for tennis.” – Stefan Edberg, after edging McEnroe in a seniors tournament in Zurich, Switzerland.

“It’s too bad I blew it. Any time you’re up 5-0 in a tiebreak you should certainly win it.” – John McEnroe, after losing to Stefan Edberg.

“After 20 minutes of play I was dead. I had pain in my elbow, in my knee. I had blisters. It is tough not to play for four months and then try to play. I have to get used again to play at least a couple of times a week. This is new for me.” – Marat Safin, after losing his first Champions Series match just 17 weeks after retiring from the ATP World Tour.

“Marat’s game is based on the physical power, and as he is not in a competitive shape, it gave me an edge.” – Wayne Ferreira of South Africa, who stunned Marat Safin in the Russian’s Champions Series debut in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“What we guaranteed was at least a million dollars, but people are continuing to make contributions. With a little bit of luck, we’ll tally everything up and we’ll go over the million dollar target.” – Larry Ellison, owner of Indian Wells Tennis Garden, when he presented a check for USD $1 million to the American Red Cross Haiti relief and development fund.

STRICKENED

A broken left wrist has caused fifth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko to withdraw from the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. Davydenko first suffered the injury last month in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, but it was misdiagnosed. An MRI scan on Sunday showed the true injury. “He has a fracture in his left wrist and he will be in a split for the next four weeks,” an ATP Tour official said. The Russian hurt his wrist when he fell during a loss to Sweden’s Robin Soderling. In his next tournament, Davydenko retired with a wrist injury from a match with Michael Berrer.

SAYS BYE TO TIE

Following suicide bomb attacks in Lahore, Pakistan has given up hope of staging a Davis Cup tie against New Zealand in July. Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) president Dilawar Abbas said that while his country has asked the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to allow the tie to be played in Pakistan, “there is no doubt the situation has changed after the Lahore blasts.” Two suicide bombers targeting the Pakistani military killed at least 45 people in Lahore in the latest incidents. Several sporting events have been cancelled in the country since the Sri Lanka cricket team’s bus was ambushed last year. Since then the ITF has already moved Davis Cup ties against Oman and Hong Kong out of Pakistan when those nations refused to play in the country.

SPORTSWOMAN OF YEAR

Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters were among the winners of the Laureus World Sports Awards. Williams was named Sportswoman of the Year for the second time, while Clijsters earned Comeback of the Year honors. The 28-year-old Williams, who also won the award seven years ago, was crowned champion at the Australian Open and Wimbledon as well as the season-ending Tour Championships as she regained the number one ranking in 2009. Clijsters won the US Open last year after being absent from tennis for two years to get married and have a baby. Sprinter Usain Bolt won the Sportsman of the Year award for the second time. Former Houston Rockets center Dikembe Mutombo was presented with the Sport for Good award, honored for his humanitarian work through the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation.

SHARING SKILLS

Goran Ivanisevic will continue to coach Marin Cilic on a part-time basis. Ivanisevic will travel with the Australian Open semifinalist to Key Biscayne, Florida, and Madrid, Spain, to continue the relationship the two began at the PBZ Zagreb Indoors tournament in February, an event Cilic won. The 21-year-old Cilic is coached on a full-time basis by Bob Brett, who also coached Ivanisevic. At Miami and Madrid, Brett will step back and let Ivanisevic take over. “I will be like a mentor to Marin,” Ivanisevic said. It was Ivanisevic who first brought Cilic, then 15 years old, to Brett’s attention. Cilic and Brett have worked together ever since at Brett’s academy in San Remo, Italy.

SPEED BUMP

Justine Henin ran into a speed bump on her comeback trail. Playing just her third tournament since ending a 19-month retirement, Henin lost to Gisela Dulko of Argentina 6-2 1-6 6-4 in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. The Belgian, who was ranked number one in the world when she retired in May 2008, had reached the finals at Brisbane, Australia, and the Australian Open in her previous two tournaments this year. Against Dulko, however, Henin struggled on serve, saving just two of eight break points, and never found consistency with her ground strokes. “It was a tough day today, I agree,” Henin said. “I wasn’t consistent enough. That’s very simple. It’s a bit of an off day and you have to deal with it.”

SUPER MATCH

When Stefan Edberg and John McEnroe clashed at the ATP Champions Tour event in Zurich, Switzerland, it was the fans that came away the winner. Edberg saved two match points and earned a standing ovation with his thrilling 6-4 4-6 13-11 (match tiebreak) victory. The 51-year-old McEnroe won the first five points of the tiebreak, only to see Edberg knot the score at 8-8. McEnroe surged again, setting up two match points, before Edberg rallied for the victory. “I was pretty lucky to come out of this one,” Edberg said. “I thought I had lost the match when I was 5-0 down in the tiebreak. John was serving well and you shouldn’t really win a match like that, but luckily I did.” The two players received a standing ovation from the crowd at the Saalsporthalle in Zurich.

Edberg rallied from two match points down again in the title match before defeating Goran Ivanisevic 3-6 6-3 12-10 (match tiebreak). This time, the match points came on Ivanisevic’s serve, one of the biggest in tennis.

SENIOR STUNNER

Being the youngest in the field and newly retired from the ATP Tour, Marat Safin probably thought it would be an easy run at the Banco Cruzeiro do Sul Rio Champions Cup, a senior event. He was so wrong. Safin was stunned by South African Wayne Ferreira 7-6 (4) 6-4 in the Russian’s Champions Series debut. The 30-year-old Safin played his last match on the ATP World Tour 17 weeks ago. The 38-year-old Ferreira last played a full season on the ATP Tour in 2004. It was his first win over Safin after losing all three previous meetings during their ATP careers.

SIGNED UP

Lleyton Hewitt is the latest star to enter the first Atlanta Tennis Championships, scheduled to be held July 19-25 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The hard-court tournament was moved to Atlanta from Indianapolis, Indiana, and serves as the kickoff to the 2010 Olympus US Open Series. Besides Hewitt, a two-time Grand Slam tournament winner, others who have entered the Atlanta Tennis Championships include Americans John Isner, James Blake and Robby Ginepri.

STANDING TALL

As he promised, Fernando Gonzalez toured the area in Chile where a massive earthquake last month killed hundreds of people. During Chile’s first-round Davis Cup tie against Israel, Gonzalez promised the visit. “The people are very strong even though they’ve lost everything, and they are optimistic,” Gonzalez posted on Twitter during his visit. “I wish every one of us would have this fighting spirit to get through this moment and move forward.” Gonzalez visited a fishing village called El Morro, near Talcahuano, which was devastated by both the earthquake and a subsequent tsunami. The Olympic gold medalist played a tennis exhibition with children of the area. Talcahuano’s mayor, Gaston Saavedra, thanked Gonzalez for his visit, saying: “A national figure as Fernando Gonzalez helps people to clear their mind a little, especially the ones that have lost everything.”

STUMBLING

Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs won 32 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour doubles titles together before they went their separate ways. Now they’re back together again, but the victories have yet to follow. Seeded fourth at the PNB Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, USA, Raymond and Stubbs were upset by Maria Kirilenko and Agnieszka Radwanska 6-4 4-6 10-3 (match tiebreak). Raymond had been seeking to become the first woman to win the doubles at Indian Wells seven times. Since reuniting at the start of this year, the team of Raymond and Stubbs has lost their opening match in three of their four Tour events.

STRAIGHT IN

The last time Rafael Nadal was at Queen’s Club, he came away with the grass-court tournament title. Now he’s returning, but not as the defending champion. Nadal missed the tournament last year because of a knee problem. In 2008, he became the first man to win the French Open, Queen’s Club and Wimbledon in the same year. “I always look forward to coming to England to play at The Queen’s Club and Wimbledon, but this year there is even more motivation because I could not defend my titles last year,” Nadal said. Also entered in this year’s Queen’s Club is US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro.

SEEKING ANSWERS

Talk about pressure. Now the House of Commons will take a look at the state of British tennis. The sports minister, Gerry Sutcliffe, has asked a group of MPs and peers to examine whether the Lawn Tennis Association is putting its public money to the best use. It is believe to be the first time the government has been asked to scrutinize the perceived flaws and failings of British tennis. In addition to the £ 25 million-plus the LTA receives each year from Wimbledon, the governing body of British tennis is receiving £ 26.8 million of public money from Sport England spread over a four-year period from 2009 to 2013. At least two hearings are planned, and a number of LTA’s critics are expected to testify about where they think the current tennis administration has gone wrong. Sutcliffe said there was a possibility of cutting future funding for British tennis.

SERVING ALL

The Bud Collins Tennis Courts have opened for play at the Prince Royal’s College in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The courts, named for the famed tennis writer, were the scene of a small tournament as part of the opening festivities. Players aged 8 to 18 participated, with Collins himself awarding the trophies. Collins’ missionary grandparents founded the Prince Royal’s College in 1887. The writer’s father was the third of seven children, all born in Siam, then the name of the country now known as Thailand. The opening of the Bud Collins Tennis Courts is a continuation of the Collins legacy at the school.

SWISS RECIPIENT

Heinz Grimm of Switzerland is the 2010 recipient of the prestigious Golden Achievement Award given by the International Tennis Hall of Fame and International Tennis Federation (ITF). The Golden Achievement Award is presented annually to individuals who have made important contributions internationally to tennis in the fields of administration, promotion or education, and have devoted long and outstanding service to the sport. Grimm has been active as an administrator in the sport for more than five decades. He received the award at the Swiss Tennis Gala Night in Zurich from Sir James Harvie-Watt, a member of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Among his many activities, Grimm has been chairman of the Fed Cup Committee and in 2001 was named an honorary life vice president of the ITF. Before he became an administrator, Grimm played on Switzerland’s Davis Cup team in 1960 and served as a playing captain in 1961 and a non-playing captain from 1962 to 1974. Nominations for the Golden Achievement Award are submitted by tennis federations and individuals from the around the world, and then voted on by the Golden Achievement Award Selection Committee.

SOME HOME COOKING

Nothing like playing at home for Fernando Meligeni. Spurred on by a boisterous and supportive home crowd, the Brazilian was a surprise winner of the Banco Cruzerio do Sul Rio Champions Cup in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Meligeni downed Australian Mark Philippoussis 6-2 4-6 10-8 (match tiebreak) in the final. His first title in the Champions Series for players 30 and over earned Meligeni USD $60,000. Before now, Meligeni’s best career performances were a semifinal appearance at the 1999 French Open and a fourth-place finish at the 1996 Olympic Games.

SLOANE SPECIAL

A 16-year-old native of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA, Sloan Stephens won her first WTA Tour match, defeating Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic 7-6 (5) 7-6 (7). It wasn’t easy, however. Stephens led 5-2 in the second set and had match point on her serve in the ninth game. Then she had to rally from 3-6 down in the second-set tiebreaker. “I wasn’t getting nervous,” the young American admitted. “She started playing a lot more. Before, she was hitting a lot of balls off the court and I was waiting for the error. She made me play at the end.”

SIGNED UP 2

US Open finalists Kim Clijsters and Caroline Wozniacki have entered the grass-court tournament at Eastbourne, England. Clijsters celebrated her return to professional tennis following a two-year retirement by winning America’s premier tennis event by beating Wozniacki, who is the defending champion at Eastbourne. “I won it in 2005 and can’t wait to play there to come back to challenge for the title again,” Clijsters said. “It’s a really well-run tournament in a laid-back atmosphere providing the perfect preparation ahead of Wimbledon.”

SERENA VS. MARTINA

When World Team Tennis begins play in July, Martina Hingis will take on Serena Williams in a battle between two players who have been ran ked number one in the world. A five-time Grand Slam tournament singles champion and the youngest woman to be ranked number one, Hingis will play for the New York Buzz and face Serena on July 9. Hingis also will play Venus Williams of the Washington Kastles on July 7 and Kim Clijsters of the New York Sportimes on July 19.

STEALING THE LIMELIGHT

Martina Navratilova and Andre Agassi stole the limelight with their wit as well as their racquets while playing exhibition matches to raise money for victims of the Haiti earthquake. Navratilova and Justine Henin beat Steffi Graf and Lindsay Davenport 8-6 before Pete Sampras and Roger Federer stopped Agassi and Rafael Nadal by the same score. The men’s doubles match also added some controversy to the night. After Sampras did an impersonation of Agassi by walking pigeon-toed on the baseline, Agassi responded by pulling out both the pockets of his tennis shorts and saying he didn’t have any money. In his book “Open,” Agassi wrote that Sampras had a reputation for being a very bad tipper.

SERVING TENNIS CANADA

Marc Bibeau is the newest member of Tennis Canada’s board of directors. President of Beauward Shopping Centres Ltd., Bibeau has played tennis his entire life and is a volunteer director of Tennis Canada. “Tennis has always been my passion,” Bibeau said. He replaces Senator Francis Fox, who decided not to stand for re-election after four years on the board.

SITES TO SURF

Indian Wells: www.bnpparibasopen.org/

Marrakech: www.arryadia.com/mtt

Sunrise: www.sunrisetennis.com

Bogota: www.tennissegurosbolivar.com

Miami: www.sonyericssonopen.com/

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

ATP

$4,000,000 BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, California, USA, hard (second week)

$145,000 Morocco Tennis Tour, Marrakech, Morocco, clay

$125,000 BMW Tennis Championships, Sunrise, Florida, USA, hard

WTA