2013 Chennai Open: The Janko Tipsarevic effect

‘Finally’ – that was the word. It was emphatic enough and with the sigh of relief that Janko Tipsarevic said it, it was proof enough that he had started the season strongly at a place where he most wanted to and where he felt most at home.

However, it wasn’t easy getting to the finish line for Tipsarevic, especially if one considered his game in the first set. Broken in his very first service game, in the second game of the set, the Serb seemed out of sorts as his Spanish opponent Roberto Bautista Agut came up with brilliantly angled shots and net approaches to trip his game. Bautista Agut set each point up with such a clinical finesse that it didn’t give Tipsarevic any chance to even come close to try and break the Spaniard’s game and rhythm to let himself back into the set. Serving for the set in the ninth game, the Spaniard mixed it up well, coming from down 0-30 with a couple of massive first serves and an ace to take the set 6-3.

The second set saw the momentum change right from the first game itself when Tipsarevic started to attack more instead of adopting a wait-and-watch attitude. The tactic paid rich dividends as Bautista Agut found himself broken in the second game of the set, with yet another break in the fourth game allowing Tipsarevic to lead for the first time in the match 5-0. Although Bautista Agut served well in the sixth game to open his scorecard in the second set, the momentum had tipped the Serb’s way as he powered to a love hold to win the set comfortably.

A situation eerily similar to Tipsarevic’s semi-final against Bedene – a similarity that he himself alluded to in the post-match press meet – started unfolding. The third set saw the Spaniard managing to hold on to the opening service game, with Tipsarevic leveling the scores at one-all. It was only in the third game that Tipsarevic slowly started to up the ante, making the Spaniard move so as to draw out the error, with far more net approaches than he had in the first set. The rallying between the players was sublime, especially at the net, with both guys coming up with some really brilliant shot-making. The third game saw the Spaniard being broken for the fourth time in the match after having two game points, with the Serb consolidating the break in the very next service game.

A delay in the 25-second break between points saw Bautista Agut losing his first serve after receiving a second violation warning from the umpire. A couple of miscued points and a double fault allowed Tipsarevic to wrap up the match in the ninth game of the third set, with two breaks of serve in the set.

Speaking about his performance, Tipsarevic, while being extremely appreciative of his Spanish opponent and crediting him for playing high-quality tennis, admitted that while he wasn’t at his best, his mental stability allowed him to come back into the match even after being a set down. Likening the match to his yesterday’s semi-final encounter, calling it “Déjà vu”, the Serb expressed that his passive play in the first set allowed Bautista Agut to “swing his forehand” while playing flawless tennis for the entire duration of the first set.

The Serb was also candid about his chances at the ATP 500s and 1000s, stating that his game and performance had improved mainly because of his ability to focus more on his game rather than concentrating on the player on the other side. “My biggest goal is to play at the World Tour Finals for the third year in a row”, he further expressed when asked about his career goals for the 2013 season.