French Open review: Men's Singles report card

The men’s Tennis circuit in the last 3 years has been dominated by the Top 4 that has constituted of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray. Outside of these players, there have been a number of earnest performers who have challenged the Top 4 and managed to sneak through to the odd Grand Slam semi-final and that rare final. The French Open threw up one such situation in which due to the absence of a key pillar in Andy Murray and the premature meeting of Nadal and Djokovic, David Ferrer managed to ride his way into the Roland Garros final. However, that is not to take away any credit from Ferrer whose performance in the semi-finals of the clay court Grand slam proved his worth as he steamrolled crowd favorite Tsonga 6-1, 7-6, 6-2. He thoroughly deserved his place in the final even though it eventually proved to be a one-sided affair.

Rafael Nadal

The King of clay once again proved that whatever the condition of form or whoever the opponent maybe, he still reigns supreme and remains unchallenged on clay. His record 8th title at the Roland Garros confirms him as one of the greats of the game. Coming back from a 7-month injury break, he defied many of his critics who had dubbed Djokovic the favorite going into the semi-final. Nadal was on top of his game against Ferrer as he made the most narrow and accurate forehand winners. He receives an A+ Grade in our report card; he will be the standard by which we will humbly assess the performance of some of his colleagues at the French Open.

David Ferrer

Grade A: The Spaniard, who had to go through a record number of games before becoming a Grand Slam finalist, would be disappointed at the result of the final contested witg his friend and compatriot Rafael Nadal. He had luck on his side but it took a mammoth effort to reach the finals without losing a set and the semi-final against Tsonga saw him use his pace and movement to stunning effect. Battling against the crowd favorite, Ferrer brought his best, countering the big Frenchman’s powerful first serve with sharp returns and aggressive second serve returns. Inspite of his defeat, his performance at the French Open means that he will finish above Rafael Nadal in the rankings.

Novak Djokovic

Grade A: World number 1 Novak Djokovic was looking to halt the Nadal juggernaut as he sought to complete his long-pending career Grand Slam, but it was not to be. The Serbian had defeated Nadal in the Monte Carlo Masters final in April and did so comfortably. The draw meant that he would meet Nadal prematurely in the semi-final and that perhaps worked in no-one’s favour. Djokovic looked solid throughout the tournament and more balanced as opposed to Nadal who lost a set each in his first two matches. His two-handed backhand, that would be a force against Nadal’s powerful forehand shots, was working like magic and it came down to stamina and endurance once again when the two met. Trusting the Serbian to be one who does not sit on his achievements, he would be cursing himself for having missed an opportunity. Yet, his time at Roland Garros will come.

Jo Wilfried Tsonga

Grade B+ : This was perhaps Tsonga’s big chance. He was slated to be the favorite against Ferrer and with the crowd behind him and his booming serves going, he had enough in his bag to reach the finals. However, it seemed as if he failed to turn up at the semi-finals. His big serves were missing and the number of unforced errors were up, alarmingly – 56 in all. He showed very little desire and spirit on the court except for when he had to question the umpire’s calls. He seemed to lag behind the speed of Ferrer who was sharp from the moment he stepped into the court. Perhaps the pressure mounted after the surprise win against Federer as the media made him the representative Frenchman carrying the country’s hopes at the Grand Slam, and that unnerved him. Even if that was the case though, he will have to live with that. An opportunity lost for Tsonga.

Roger Federer

Grade B : Federer bowed out at last year’s French Open after a match-up with Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals. This time around, the draws favoured him and there was a possibility that we would see the legend in the final. However, we saw him make some uncharacteristic mistakes against Tsonga in the quarterfinals. He was bound to lose out on the quality of his serve but by choosing to battle power with power, he made a crucial mistake. Instead of using his drop shots to full effect and using the angles, Federer seemed to want to outdo Tsonga at his game. It backfired, and horribly so. The stats tell a story. Federer did not record a single ace in the match, won only 58% of his first serve points as opposed to Tsonga’s 81% and 34 unforced errors in three small sets. Is Federer looking out of his depths? Perhaps we’ll know at Wimbledon.

Tommy Haas

Grade B : The German veteran performed above expectations at the French Open, winning a marathon game against Isner in the third round and thumping M. Youzhny to meet Djokovic in the quarter-finals. The French Open saw a record number of 30+ players in the quarter finals and Tommy Haas certainly deserved it. He could not stretch the match against Djokovic to 4 sets but he pushed him throughout the match and refusing to lose service points. He showed great grit and deserves admiration.