Djokovic fries Fish to take title

Novak Djokovic ended Mardy Fish’ dream of a first Masters Series title, defeating the plucky American 6-2 5-7 6-3 to clinch the win.

It was the Serb’s third Masters Series title, and not even the most ardent Fish supporter could argue that he did not deserve it, having played the best tennis consistenly all week.

Credit must go to the runner up Fish though, who has now risen 58 places in the rankings. He started the week only just inside the top 100 (98th) but now finds himself 40th, and certainly did not disgrace himself against Djokovic.

Fish started slowly, perhaps fatigued from exertions earlier in the week, and Djokovic broke him twice in the first set to take in comfortably. The world no.3 broke again early in the second and took a 4-2 lead, the situation looking ominous for the American. But showing the kind of courage and determination that has been his calling card at Indian Wells, Fish fought back to break Djokovic twice, winning the set 7-5.

Then came the crucial moment in the match, as ‘The Serbinator’ held off three break points against his serve, serving three aces and two unreturnables to win five straight points to take the game from 0-40. This gave him the impetus he needed, and the very next game he broke Fish and from then on the result never looked in doubt.

All in all, a very exciting weeks tennis, and whilst not quite the emergence of a new star, we are seeing a forgotten one shining bright again.

Fish stuns Federer to meet Djokovic in final

Mardy Fish produced some of the best tennis of his life to win the biggest match of his career so far.

He overwhelmed the world No.1 Roger Federer 6-3 6-2 to progress to his second Masters Series final. The last time he was at this stage, it was at the Cinncinati Masters in 2003, where he lost to Andy Roddick after holding two match points.

Despite having spent six more hours on court this week than the Swiss master, Fish looked the fresher of the two in the opening exchanges, breaking Federer in his first service game. It was the only break he needed to take the first set, and the American went on to break Federer twice more in the second set to wrap up a comfortable victory.

Next up for the flying Fish is world No.3 Novak Djokovic who produced an equally devastating performance to beat Rafael Nadal 6-3 6-2. The Serbian went down an early break, but fought back ferociously to break Nadal three times over the match. The Spaniard blamed his poor performance on being tired from gruelling encounters against Jo Wilfried-Tsonga and James Blake.

Djokovic goes into the final a clear favourite, but then, so did all of Fish’ other opponents this week!

Little Fish in the big pond

Mardy Fish will play Roger Federer in the second semi-final at Indian Wells.

The American booked himself a place in the second semi-final with an outstanding victory over David Nalbandian 6-3 6-7 7-6, in what is one of the best result of his career so far.

In a tight match that could have gone either way, it was Fish’ devastating serving that kept Nalbandian constantly on the back foot. It also ends the Argentines hopes of historic hat-trick of Masters Series titles, and is his first defeat in 19 Masters Series matches.

Roger Federer had a much simpler passage into the semi’s, as his opponent Tommy Haas had to withdraw. The German was struck down with a sinus infection, and it means that Federer is in the semi’s having played only six sets.

This lack of match practice could potentially be a stumbling block for the world No.1, as he will need to be at his sharpest to overcome Fish’ powerful serve.

Semi-Final Draw

R.Federer (1) vs. M.Fish; N.Djokovic (3) vs. R.Nadal (2)

Rafa rocks Indian Wells

Just when you thought he might be fading, after all he has not won a tournament since July, Rafael Nadal showed us why he’s catching Federer at the top.

Two emotional, gutsy and ferocious wins over Jo Wilfried-Tsonga and James Blake have catapulted the young Spanish matador back into the public eye, where he undoubtedly belongs.

There are few more inspiring sights to be found on a tennis court than Nadal in battle mode. By all rights he should have lost to Tsonga, 2-5 down in the final set, with the Frenchman hitting bombs, things did not look good for him. But showing a fighting spirit that is above and beyond any other player in the top 20 (including Federer), he dragged himself back from the brink, reeling of five straight games to win the match 6-7 7-6 7-5.

Then the very next day he was back on the court, this time to end the hopes of American James Blake 7-5 3-6 6-3. Next up for Rafa is the formidable Novak Djokovic who has cruised into the semifinals without dropping a set. A match not to be missed for any fan.

In the other half of the draw, the two quarter finals have some unexpected participants. Tommy Haas, former world no.2 has surprised everyone, and probably himself in getting there. The German has beaten Andy Roddick, Fernando Verdasco, and Andy Murray to get there, so you can’t say he does not deserve it.

After a shocking opening set against Murray, he clicked into gear and from then on was simply too good for the young Brit, winning it 2-6 7-5 6-3. Next up for Haas is Roger Federer, who like Djokovic, has not dropped a set so far, nor looked like dropping one.

The other surprise package this week has been American Mardy Fish, who is keeping the home fans hopes alive. Fish has notably beaten Nikolay Davydenko and Lleyton Hewitt to get into the quarters, where he now faces David Nalbandian, who beat Juan Carlos Ferrero comfortably 6-2 6-2 to get there. My money is predictably on a Federer-Nalbandian semi final, but Haas and Fish have both proved that they are capable of upsetting the very best.

Elsewhere it was defeat for the other Murray brother, as Jamie went out of the doubles at the semi-final stage. With new partner Max Mirnyi, they defeated number one seeds the Bryan brothers, but could not get past Jonathan Erlich and Andy Ram who beat them 6-3 6-4.

All eyes on centre court for Super Rafa vs. Super Nole (Djokovic’s nickname!)

Indian Wells Masters Series preview

So we come to the first Masters Series event of the year, always an exciting time, and this year even more so, now that it appears Roger Federer is human after all.

The world No.1 has not made his usual perfect start to the year, losing to Novak Djokovic at the Austrailian Open, and then being dumped out of the Dubai Open unceremoniously by our own Andy Murray.

Some believe this will spark the decline of Federer, but there are those (myself included) who believe that he will come back stronger than ever, and that is why he is my pick for the tournament. I just cant see that his pride will let him be beaten once again.

Elsewhere in the exceptionally strong draw, which can be viewed here, Novak Djokovic and defending champion Rafael Nadal will both fancy their chances, and could find themselves up against one another if they make it to the semi’s. If that happens, I would fancy Nadal to edge it; the courts have a high bounce, and the Spaniard’s extravagant topspin forehand will simply be too high for Djokovic to handle.

Flamboyant Frenchman Richard Gasquet has said that he likes the courts at Indian Wells, and with his explosive backhand, he could be a force this week. Gasquet has a relatively easy path to the quarter finals, where he could meet Nadal, who he has not beaten in four meetings.

Andy Murray has been playing well by and large this year, but the Scot has a tough draw. He is likely to face the huge serving Ivo Karlovic in the third round, and then the equally huge serving and in form Andy Roddick in the next. Then if the British number 1 can make it through all of that, he will probably find himself up against Roger Federer. No problem then Andy.

Elsewhere his older brother Jamie is in doubles action with the Beast from Belarus, Max Mirnyi. The pair have played well since coming together at the start of this season, and could be an outside shout for the title this week.

Let play commence!

ATP Rankings explained

The ATP ranking system can appear quite confusing to the untrained eye, especially when a player can get to a final of a tournament, and still lose points, so I will do my best to clarify it.

Essentially it is quite simple; a players points for the year are calculated from 13 mandatory events (the four Grand Slams, and nine Master Series events) plus five other International Series tournaments. If a player misses one or more of the ‘mandatory’ events, then they can replace it with the appropriate amount of International Series tournaments.

It works on the principle of a players ‘Best 18’ results from the year. The rankings do not stop and start at a particular date, like the end of a football season. They are ongoing, so players are constantly having to battle to retain points they may have won the previous year.

For example, last season Rafael Nadal won the upcoming Master Series event at Indian Wells (which netted him a cool 500 points). That means that should he finish as runner up this time round (350 points), it will result in a net loss of 150 points from last year. The bigger the tournament, the more points there are on offer. The official points breakdown is as follows:

Grand Slam: Winner-1000, Final- 700, Semi- 450, Quarters- 250, Round of 16 – 150, Round of 32 – 75, Round of 64 – 35, Round of 128 – 5

Master Series: Winner- 500, Final – 350, Semi -225, Quarters- 125, Round of 16- 75, Round of 32- 35, Round of 64- 5

The International Series events vary somwhat depending on the size of the tournament but a rough guide is: Winner- 250, Final- 175, Semi -110, Quarter – 60, Round of 16 – 25, Round of 32- 15

Hopefully that has made the ATP ranking system slightly clearer, although it might have made it even more confusing. Any comments are welcome. For more information, check out the Rankings FAQ.