Djokovic/Tsonga: Career Statistics & Wimbledon Men's Semifinal Preview: Part 2

Shocking as it was to see Fed tumbling out in QF, we cannot take away the glory from Tsonga who has been knocking on the doors of tennis since long but could not sustain because of his injuries.

Novak Djokovic vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga:

Both of these players have one thing in common: they have managed to defeat Federer in a Grand Slam in five setters. 

Djokovic who has been the player of the year so far had a topsy turvy QF ride against the young talented Tomic. One match here and there does not take away the fact that he has been playing the best tennis of his career this year. With Federer gone (who proved to be a thorn in French Open), he will be a bit relieved and more confident of reaching the finals and claiming No.1 spot in the world. 

He has Tsonga in his path who is singing his own song after playing the match of his life. Tsonga will be brimming with confidence. He is the same person who defeated Nadal at Queens this year and with Federer also in his list, he knows he has the game to defeat Djokovic too. Plus he is the crowd favorite whose victory dance has become quite famous with the fans.

But Djokovic who is the best returner in the game right now will not allow him to go away with easy points on his serve. And he will be well prepared for power hitting by Tsonga after seeing Federer lose his way in the third set of QF. It will all depend on how prepared Djokovic is to handle the pressure of World no.1. Will he crumble or rise? Time will tell us.

  Let’s Look at their Career Statistics:

Name	Novak Djokovic	Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Current Ranking	World no.2	World no. 19
Head to Head Record	2	5
Grand Slam Record	1	1
Wimbledon Record	First Meeting
2011 Win Loss Record	46-1	27-13
Career W/L Record	371-106	161-76
Titles (2011)	7	0

Tsonga is leading Djokovic with a 5-2 record but that was before Djokovic started his dream run this year. Last match was played in Australian Open 2010, where Tsonga defeated Nole in 5 sets. That was before Djokovic’s uprisal in Davis Cup in 2010. It will be an interesting match to see two gutsy players playing it out with serves and winners.

Novak Djokovic: "I can play a lot better than I did. I've been up and down but now it's going to go up”

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga: "I'm the type of player who likes these big moments...so I hope I can have some more”

My Opinion: Novak Djokovic will come out to be the winner if only he is ready to take on the responsibilities of being World no.1

Reason: 

1)  He has been playing best tennis of his career (46-1) (Also he is currently the best returner in the game with no weakness in his game).

2) He will be better prepared for Tsonga’s serve and power hitting. Also he will have the psychological edge of not playing Federer in the Semi Final which will in turn make him feel relieved and play his natural game.


Follow ApekshaHA on Twitter for Latest Updates: http://twitter.com/#!/ApekshaHA

Also Click Here For:Nadal/Murray: Career Statistics & Wimbledon Men's Semifinal Preview: Part 1

Nadal/Murray: Career Statistics & Wimbledon Men's Semifinal Preview: Part 1

With Federer out, the Big-Four-Semifinal-Dream has been shattered. But still we cannot take away the interesting matches lined up tomorrow in Men’s Semifinal. With 3 of the Semifinalist from 2010, Tsonga is a new addition this year in place of Berdych after playing the match of his life.

Rafael Nadal vs. Andy Murray:

Both these players are playing imperious tennis and it seems nothing can go wrong for them. It would be pretty interesting to see how they come out and play tomorrow. The only concern for both the players would not be tennis but the injuries that they picked during their previous matches in Wimbledon.

Nadal after having a MRI was unsure of his chances to play but seemed pretty good in his QF, running freely after taking medications for his foot. That is good news for fans of Nadal who has become the hot favorite to win back to back grand slams (French Open + Wimbledon) 3 times with Federer out of the door. 

Whereas Andy Murray who is carrying the burden of 75 years of history of the nation seems to be the silent underdog amongst the top 4. The result will depend on Andy Murray’s pressure handling abilities. In the past we have seen him tumble down at grand stages but who knows if he can hold himself and not allow Nadal to control the long rallies by imposing his own kind of play, we might have a upset at hand. Not to forget, he was the only player (except Federer) who had come close to defeating Djokovic (who has defeated Nadal 4 times this year). So he has the game. It’s all about nerves now for him.

  Let’s Look at their Career Statistics:

Name	Rafael Nadal	Andy Murray
Current Ranking	World No. 1	World no. 4
Head to Head Record	11	4
Grand Slam Record	4	2
Wimbledon Record	2	0
2011 Win Loss Record	50-7	27-8
Career W/L Record	522-108	294-102
Titles (2011)	3	1

With Nadal having won 11 out of 15 times and also their last 2 Wimbledon encounters in 2008/2010, he is certainly the favorite to win the Semi Final.

Rafael Nadal: "Last year I beat Andy here in the semi-finals, but it was a very close match, even if it was in straight sets. For sure I always enjoy playing these kind of matches." - Nadal

Andy Murray: “I just have to have a better game plan -- go out there and play well and serve well and believe, and I'll have a chance."

My Opinion: Andy Murray can cause the upset of the day if he can play his natural game.

Reason:

1)  He has become mentally and physically stronger than last year.

2)  He will be playing in front of his home crowd. If only he can use this to his advantage, we might have a champion from England after 75 years.


Follow ApekshaHA on Twitter for Latest Updates: http://twitter.com/#!/ApekshaHA
(Click Here for: Djokovic/Tsonga: Career Statistics & Wimbledon Men's Semifinal Preview: Part 2)

Roger Federer:The Fall Of The Champion

178-0 record (after being 2 sets up); the streak has now been broken by a Frenchman known as Tsonga. Seeing Federer 5-4 down in the fifth set and his lifeless shots with no will to fight back, one may realize that the legacy of the champion has started to show cracks and is slowly on the decline. I have been a core Federer fan for last 5 years. And to see him on the down roll now is heartbreaking. More than other players’ better play, he must be disappointed with himself. 

5 reasons for his defeat today:

1) Complacent Fed: They say a game is never over until you have won the last point. After being 2 sets up, one could see how complacent he had become. He must have thought of an easy 3 sets victory and gave up on the match. At 1-1 in the third set, after a volley error and a careless overhead shot, he hit a routine net point on the third break point straight to Tsonga who hit an amazing passing shot to get a break up. Deadly sin that ultimately allowed Tsonga to get back to his game.

2) Lack of Variety: I had said earlier also that Fed needs to come to net more often and use his drop shots more effectively. This game was a perfect example of how Fed became defensive after the second set and stopped attacking the game. He became too predictable for Tsonga who was mixing it well with his serve, volleys, chips and charge shots. Fed did try to attack in the last two games of the match but it was too late (the lion had already woken up). Even the drop shots got extinct after the second set from Fed’s arsenal today.

3) No answer for Power Hitting:  Thrice now we have seen when Federer has been outplayed by Power hitting. Del Potro in US Open 2009 Finals, Djokovic in US Open 2010 Semi Finals and Tsonga in Wimbledon 2011 Quarter Finals. Tsonga increased his shots speed by 9 MPH since the third set. His forehand winners were hit so powerfully that inspite of Fed standing right there, he could not hit it back.

4) Will to continue?: This is a debatable reason but as we saw in the fifth set, the body language of the champion betrayed his legacy of dominance. With his shoulders dropping at crucial points, one could see that he was down in his spirits. Is he the same Fed we saw until a couple of years back ready to fight for every point in every set? He did not even try to change his game (move a little backward on Tsonga’s serve, chip and charge, drop shots etc.). Today was a stark contrast of the classic Federer we are used to seeing. Does he really want to fight it out? Only Fed can tell.

5) Age Factor & Lack of Confidence: Has age started to show its ugly signs on his body as well as mind? Has he become emotionally and physically exhausted after so much of grinding and hard work? Today we saw signs of no emotions from the Champion even on points when he won and when he could have used his famous COME ON to motivate himself. He seems to have lost confidence in himself.  It was evident from the fact that inspite of being 0-30 (in Tsonga’s serve) in two games in third and fourth sets respectively; he could not take advantage of his opponent. Throughout the match, he had only 1 break point on Tsonga’s serve.

Federer when asked about his grand slam drought, told the journalists at Australian Open – “We will see in 6 months”, and now at the end of 6 months, we are seeing a less dominant and emotionally drained Federer, someone who is human, susceptible to making errors. But still in my heart, I would like to believe that the great champion that he is, he will be able to motivate himself to make a strong comeback just like Agassi did in 1999.

Follow ApekshaHA on Twitter for Latest Updates: http://twitter.com/#!/ApekshaHA

(Link to the previous post:Rafael Nadal's Injury Timeouts-Strategy or Real?)

Roger Federer Fan-5 reasons to be worried!

In his quest for seven Wimbledon titles, Federer is only 3 steps away. Will he or Will he not achieve his dream remains to be seen. But after watching Federer’s match today, 5 reasons why Federer fans needs to be worried are:

1) Unforced Errors: 25 Unforced Errors today - highest from anyone in the top 4 with Djokovic at 6, Murray at10 and Nadal at 16. It can prove to be a big concern at pressure moments for Roger Federer. Against players such as Djokovic or Nadal, you don’t give too many opportunities.

2) First Serve: Service was not at its best with only 62% of first service in this match. If this rate continues, it can be a tough battle ahead with Djokovic / Nadal who are amongst the best returners of the game. With a not-so-good serve, the probability of a longer rally increases thereby increasing Fed’s chances of making unforced errors. To win the title, he will have to fire with his service which has been his strong point till now.

3) Lapse in Concentration: Twice in the match today, we saw lapses in concentration from Federer:

a)  At 4-2 up in the Tie Break in the first set, he lost his way to give away the set at 7-5.

b)  At 5-0 up in the third set, he allowed the opponent to come back to 5-3.

Concern here is against players like Djokovic/Nadal, he will have to be focused all the time and make sure that he does not lose his concentration again. We all know what happened in the past: French open 2011- he lost the first set after being up by 5-2 and the rest is history. Similar was the case with Del Potro in US Open 2009 final.

4) Hesitation to come to net and drop shots: It appeared at times that until second set today, he was a bit hesitant in his approach to the net. He won the set but there were points where he could have easily come and finished them by coming to net. In a match where it will come down to winning crucial points, this is a weapon which can come handy for Federer as he is amongst the best net players currently. His drop shot was not seen in the first set either. These are the shots which suit the grass court and can prove to be a decider against Djokovic / Nadal.

5) Fitness and Agility: One of the things which has changed in Fed’s game is the ability to sustain in long rallies. His fitness and agility will be tested at the age of 29 against players like Djokovic / Nadal who are known for playing long rallies. Will he be able to sustain another 5 setter match with the same intensity as he did in previous years?  Will the greatest player in tennis become the greatest player on grass too? Only future can tell us the answer.

Follow ApekshaHA on Twitter for Latest Updates: http://twitter.com/#!/ApekshaHA
(Link to the latest post:Rafael Nadal's Injury Timeouts-Strategy or Real?)

Day of Upsets In Wimbledon: 9 Funny Quotes To Cheer You Up!

With so many upsets in Wimbledon today (Williams sisters, Berdych,Wozniacki), I thought I will make it a bit light for all of us:

Here is a list of 9 unbelievable funny quotes:

1.   "I brought two hundred (headbands) with me, and I've already given away about a hundred.     I have no idea how many I have left."- (Pat Cash, Wimbledon, 1988) 

2.   "I still break rackets, but now I do it in a positive way."-(Goran Ivanisevic)

3.   “Sorry Pete I tried stopping him, I really tried “- (Andy Roddick after losing to Federer)

4.   “Del Potro Hands are in his head”- (Former Tennis Player)

5.   "Becker had to play every day of the second week - eight days in a row."- (Commentator on a Tennis Show)

6.   "A win's a win, unless it is not a win, and then it's not a win."- (Venus Williams) 

7.   "It would have been better if I had won, but reaching the final was perfect"- (Andy Murray)

8.   "Tennis is a funny game; unbelievable highs and the lows are just as low."- (John McEnroe)

9.   “I've always said I'm a good horse but I'm still an underdog."- (Martina Hingis)

If you know more, Please leave them in comments section so that others can also read it and smile.

Follow ApekshaHA on Twitter for Latest Updates: http://twitter.com/#!/ApekshaHA

Djokovic/Murray- What do first week Wimbledon stats indicate: Part 2

Djokovic/Murray- Two outstanding players who have been playing sublime tennis in the past one week. Both of them had a tough third round against opponents who managed to take away second set from them. But they kept their cool and sailed to victory by playing great tennis at the right moments. I talked about Fedal in my last post; here is a look at the stats of the remaining two of the top 4 cited by some as arguably the best top 4 in the history of tennis.

Statistics*	Djokovic	Murray
1st Serve %	189/271=70%	177/288=61%
Aces	26	3
Unforced Errors	53	47
Winning  on 1st Serve	146/189=77%	148/177=84%
Winning on 2nd Serve	48/81=59%	57/111=51%
Winners	94	11
Receiving Points Won	118/279=42%	131/309=42%
Break Point Conversions	14/30=47%	16/35=46
Average 1st Serve Speed	114	11
Average 2nd Serve Speed	94	94

*includes all the three rounds of Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic:

My Opinion:  His Stats amongst the top 4 don’t look that good but does that matter? Grass Court in the past used to be his least favorite surface. But that has been a thing of past now. Who would have thought in Jan’2011 that Novak Djokovic will be a bigger threat to Nadal (& not Federer) for Number 1 spot in the world?  Do I need to even write more about the extraordinary rise of this player from Davis Cup last year till now? He has a streak unthinkable in the presence of Federer/Nadal who are arguably the greatest players of the history (44-1). His only weakness till now in Wimbledon seems to be his lapse of concentration in the second set against Baghdatis where he let the set slip away due to his unforced errors. He is looking extremely good and on his day he can beat anyone (Federer/Nadal). My biggest concern would be- Will he be able to handle the pressure of becoming World No.1 and Champion this time or will it be a repetition of French Open semifinal 2011?

Tip: To beat him, one will have to play exemplary tennis. Right now, I can see only two players capable of that (Federer/Nadal) primarily because of their vast experience of playing in Wimbledon and also in pressure moments. 

Quote:  “I stayed emotionally stable, believing that I can win, and that's what matters the most."

Andy Murray: 

My Opinion: Surprisingly, his stats (Aces, Winner) in the first week of this tournament are better than Nadal/Djokovic. As per me, he is a player who has the potential into becoming the next Djokovic who can threaten the top 3 as never before. There is no doubt in my mind that there is a big gap between top 4 and the rest of the players. But Andy has to take that next step where he can go on and win his first Grand Slam. Once he does that, I think the mental barrier will break and we will be destined to see great things from him. He in all chances should reach to the semi-finals but his past performances show that he needs to be strong mentally to move two steps beyond:

Match 1- Rome Masters where he came two points close to ending Djokovic's streak on four occasions but failed to do so.

Match 2- French Open Semi Final- He had a really good match against Nadal but failed to capitalize in pressure moments.

These are just good examples which show that he has a very solid game; only if he can step in at the right moments, he can very well go to the next level .

Tip: To beat him, you need to take him to crunch situations and test his mettle.

Quote: “ I thought I (played to a) very high standard, I hit the ball from the back of the court way better than the last match”

Next Round Matches:

Novak Djokovic vs. Michael Llodra:  Against the world no.19, Djokovic will emerge out winner in three sets if only there is no lapse in concentration from his side.

Andy Murray vs. Richard Gasquet:  Although there seems to be a lot of talk about this match, I think Murray, if he plays how he has been playing so far, will emerge out to be winner easily. People would remind me of the epic 5 setter they played 3 years ago and how Murray made a terrific first time 2 sets down comeback in his life.  It was three years ago, Murray has grown as a player mentally and physically both since then. So I don’t see this is as a 5 setter.

All in All, I see the top 4 reaching the semifinals of Wimbledon if they carry on their current form. Unless there is some extraordinary display of tennis from their opponents and lapse of concentration from the big 4, they will go past their opponents and face each other in what will be the most awaited 2 matches of the season so far.


Follow ApekshaHA on Twitter for Latest Updates: http://twitter.com/#!/ApekshaHA
(Federer or Nadal? What do first week Wimbledon stats indicate?)

Federer or Nadal? What do first week Wimbledon stats indicate?

Federer was clinical in his approach as usual and demolished his opponent easily in an easy three set victory. Nadal also played impressively to win a rain delayed match in three straight sets. But as Wimbledon moves into the second week, the biggest Grand Slam stage is becoming more and more competent.

But what is more interesting is to have a look at FEDAL stats in Wimbledon until now and to see where we are headed in the next week:

Statistics*	Federer	Nadal
1st Serve %	161/233=69%	167/240=70%
Aces	37	20
Unforced Errors	47	24
Winning  on 1st Serve	135/161=84%	133/167=80%
Winning on 2nd Serve	49/72=68%	46/73=63%
Winners	127	103
Receiving Points Won	105/253=42%	116/280=41%
Break Point Conversions	13/24=54%	15/30=50%
Average 1st Serve Speed	117	113
Average 2nd Serve Speed	99	90

*includes all the three rounds of Wimbledon

Roger Federer:

My Opinion:  It is interesting to see  that except unforced errors, Federer seems to have an advantage over last year’s defending champion Nadal. Federer is looking better than last year and playing with extreme confidence. You can see a spark in his eyes which says that this time he is ready for the big day.  He is hitting some sweet shots, big serves and winners heading into the next week which could probably be the defining moment of his career. At times, it seems that he is a replica of Sampras with his service games over in a minute’s time. Phew!

Tip: To beat him, one needs to pray that he plays with a closed eye and makes more unforced errors.

Quote: "I played well from start to finish. I am playing better than last year -- more confident on serve and more relaxed with my returns. I think I played a great match."

Rafael Nadal:

My Opinion: He is playing pretty well and it can be seen from the fact – 0 unforced errors in the second set of third round. But it’s the next week that he is waiting for as with the sun coming out more and more, he feels that the court will start to behave more like clay court. Deadly. Isn't it? For other players, that might be a bad omen. This is the first time he hasn't dropped a set in the first three rounds of the first week in Wimbledon. He is playing an all-round game with only 24 unforced errors till now. That in itself is enough, isn't it?

Tip: To beat him, one will have to hit winners on a consistent basis as he is Mr. Error Free. And also hope that his discomfort in leg prevents him from playing his game.

Quote: “I'm very happy with how I served [and] in the third set I certainly played very well.”

Next Round Matches:

Roger Federer vs Mikhail Youzhny: Mikhail defeated Almagro in 4 sets but I would predict an easy victory for Fed in three sets.

Rafael Nadal vs Juan Del Potro: This will be the match of the tournament so far. With Del Potro in great form, Nadal will have to play at his best to have any chances. And who better than Nadal to know that Potro's ranking is not indicative of the kind of player he is (US Open Semifinal 2009 where he had beaten Nadal). But with Nadal playing so well and experience behind him, I would pick Nadal as the winner.

All In All, we might be heading for a FEDAL final based on their current form and statistics. Something every tennis fan would be looking forward to. And how fitting it would be for Fed to win his seventh Grand Slam against his old nemesis and erase the memory of 2008 final which has haunted him till date. The stats above say Federer CAN.


Follow ApekshaHA on Twitter for Latest Updates: http://twitter.com/#!/ApekshaHA
(Djokovic/Murray- What do first week Wimbledon stats indicate: Part 2)