Across the Net 3.10.08: A Strong Week for U.S. Tennis

Posted by Dan Martin on 03.10.2008

Serena Williams, Andy Roddick, and Sam Querrey all won titles this week. Roger Federer’s losses have been covered, but Rafael Nadal has also looked vulnerable in 2008. Also, Pete Sampras awaits Federer in Madison Square Garden.

Players of the Week:

Serena Williams took the title in Bangalore. Her tournament run included a 3 set win over Venus. Sam Querrey won his first every ATP title by defeating South Africa's Kevin Anderson 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Anderson is 6'7" and Querrey is 6'6" making that final one of the tallest I can remember. Andy Roddick posted his best win since the 2006 title in Cincinnati. Roddick beat former world #1 Juan-Carlos Ferrero in the first round. Roddick then rolled through Rafael Nadal 7-6, 6-2 and Novak Djokovic 7-6, 6-3. In the championship, Roddick defeated Feliciano Lopez 6-7, 6-4, 6-2. Roddick did not have his serve broken during the entire week.

Roddick Minus Connors = Big Win?

Andy Roddick and Jimmy Connors have ended their coaching relationship. Andy Roddick then posts his best week of tennis since August 2006. My guess is Roddick has simplified his approach and focused on what he does well – serving and hitting forehands. Jimmy Connors, no great net player himself, seemed insistent on Roddick moving forward. This is a good strategy for Roddick, but Andy does not have natural instincts or even textbook form at the net. Connors who saw the ball as well as any player in history was often able to make up for his lack of net skills by hitting great approach shots. This allowed Connors to hit volleys as put away shots. Roddick's preference to stay deeper in the court did not allow for him to compensate for his lack of net instincts. In the short run, playing tennis in the Roddick mode of hitting for power and trying to intimidate people worked. Whether it will work at Wimbledon or the U.S. Open is a key question for Roddick this year.

Federer and Nadal being Stalked

Roger Federer's ranking points have dropped some in early 2008. His two losses have been the source of a lot of speculation. Just as striking in my mind is Rafael Nadal's losses to this point this season. Nadal has been ranked #2 every week since August 2005. Nadal won a hard fought match versus his good friend Carlos Moya in January only to be routed in the next round by Mikhail Youzhny. Nadal had his best Australian Open ever ruined by a semifinal beat down delivered by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Nadal lost to a journeyman in Rotterdam. Andy Roddick then beat Nadal in straight sets almost 12 months after Nadal throttled Roddick on a hard court in California. Nadal is great because of how hard he is to beat. He is strong, quick and has great stamina. Nadal also fights hard and does not make a lot of mistakes. Therefore, Nadal does not give his opponent any free points and makes a match into a battle of physical and mental stamina. Seeing Nadal lose in a one sided fashion to Tsonga or Roddick is surprising because he almost always draws blood in matches. If one adds the decisive losses of 2008 to his losses to David Nalbandian and David Ferrer at the end of 2007, it might be time to ask how much longer Nadal will be #2 in the world.

Sampras vs. Federer Part IV

Roger Federer won 2 of 3 exhibition matches versus Pete Sampras in November 2007. I watched large portions of these matches online and neither man was in match mode. Both guys were having fun, playing exceptionally quickly, produced tennis that basically looked like practice sets in front of a crowd. Sampras won the final match 7-6, 6-4 on a court that Sampras described as the fastest he had ever played. Madison Square Garden is getting ready for the Big East men's basketball tournament and is a historic site for tennis as the old Masters year end event was held in New York through 1989. My guess is Sampras will play well. He beat Tommy Haas at an exhibition earlier this year. Federer will be looking to avenge last year's loss and also get past his first round loss in Dubai. Federer moves on to play Indian Wells later this week, but he is not likely to take this match entirely lightly. Nevertheless, this match will not generate the steely nerve Sampras demonstrated in the 2002 U.S. Open final or reveal the toughness Federer produced versus Nadal in the fifth set of the 2007 Wimbledon final. If you like watching active and retired legends enjoy this match. If you want to see great tennis, watch Indian Wells.