By Chris Oddo | Monday, May 19, 2014
In winning the Rome title and taking up the cause of the Serbian people, Novak Djokovic proved himself in more ways than one last week in Rome.
Photo Source: Julian Finney/ Getty
Amongst the Italian cypresses and statues, the European clay-court season reached a fever pitch last week in the eternal city, as contenders and pretenders battled for that precious commodity known as momentum at the Foro Italico. Some found what they were looking for, while others saw their hopes blown away like clay top dressing on a blustery Rome afternoon.
Without any further ado, on to the heroes and zeros.
Hero: Novak Djokovic
Ah, where to begin? Well, how about this for starters: With his 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Rafael Nadal in Rome, the Serb now becomes the only man to have ever defeated Nadal on his beloved red clay more than three times. After losing his first nine to Nadal on the surface, Djokovic has turned the tables, taking four of the last eight against the Spaniard.
It’s pretty darn remarkable when you think about it. Nadal on clay is as good as it gets in our sport, and yet, Djokovic has matched him blow for blow on the dirt since the beginning of 2011.
On Sunday the Serb won after dropping the first set against Nadal by consistently attacking Nadal with his forehand and coming through in the clutch when it mattered most, snaking the final three games of the match to notch his 19th career win against Nadal and his 19th career Masters 1000 title.
With the victory Djokovic moves within striking distance of the No. 1 ranking and he not only has a title in tow, he also has good health with the wrist and, perhaps most important, the belief that he is finally ready to defeat Nadal in a best-of-five battle on the terre battue in Roland Garros.
And we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Djokovic’s role in providing a vitally important lift to flood-ravaged Serbia, both in spirit and in raising awareness and in reportedly donating his own prize money to the cause. All weekend long, Djokovic proved that his heart and his head were with his people—he proved himself not only as a tennis star this weekend in Rome, but also as a man.
Hero: Serena Williams
What has Serena Williams been up to? Well, all the 32-year-old American has done is win 32 consecutive matches on red clay and asserted herself as the true queen of clay in the last month. And Serena’s latest in a string of what seem to be never ending clay court triumphs hammers home the following point: Health issues notwithstanding, Williams is now every bit as dominant on clay as she is on the grass and hard courts that she is considered to be most lethal on.
More: Serena Aging Like Fine Wine
That is a testament to the American’s willingness to keep evolving. And it is proof that Williams is not only powerful; she’s also a tactical savant who possesses a stunning array of options and the cunning mental acumen to employ them in such a way as to render even her best and brightest opponents virtually helpless when facing her.
On Sunday Williams lashed her way past a hobbled Sara Errani, decisively taking the last seven games of the match after the Italian injured her hip flexor. It didn’t really matter that Errani was hurt, because Williams was well on her way to career title No. 60 and clay-court title No. 11, and there was nothing Errani, healthy or otherwise, was going to do about it.
It’s just the way it is right now in women’s tennis. When she’s healthy (or close), it’s Serena’s world and the rest are simply paying rent until they get evicted.
Zero: Italian Men
We’ll start with everybody’s favorite scapegoat, Fabio Fognini, who dropped his first-rounder in Rome to Lukas Rosol and saw his career record at his home Masters event drop to 3-7, but we’ll finish with the rest of the Italian men. The only Italian to win a round in Rome was Simone Bolelli, but had he not taken out a fellow Italian (qualifier Stefano Travaglia) in a third-set tiebreaker we’re not so sure he would’ve made it through.
Hero: Italian Women
If it wasn’t for the Italian women, fans at the Foro Italico would be left sitting on their hands. Francesca Schiavone turned back the clock with big wins over Eugenie Bouchard and Garbine Muguruza, but the big newsmaker was Sara Errani, who kept fans in a raucous mood all the way to Sunday by becoming the first Italian to reach the final since 1985.
Because everybody can’t be a hero or a zero, let’s move on to some of the studs and duds from the week that was:
Stud: Roger Rasheed:
For this bit of brilliance:
Stud: Grigor Dimitrov
For smiling when he got pie in the face and, of course, for making his first Masters 1000 semifinal. The Bulgarian also edges closer to the top 10 this week, coming in at a career-high No. 12.
Dud: Petra Kvitova
The fifth-seeded Czech dropped her first match to Shuai Zhang of China, continuing her pattern of maddening inconsistency.
Stud: Shuai Zhang
The 24-year-old notched her second top ten win over Kvitova, and climbs up to No. 34 in the rankings (a career high) to become the No. 2 Chinese player in the world.
Stud: Milos Raonic
Raonic reaches his first Masters semifinal on clay, and gave Novak Djokovic a run for his money when he got there. In the process he moves up to No. 9 in the world, which will make him a top-eight seed at Roland Garros. Could he be a French Open dark horse?
Stud: Jeremy Chardy
The Frenchman saved a match point against Roger Federer with a brilliant running forehand pass, then went on to clinch his first career victory over the Swiss maestro en route to the quarterfinals.
Stud: Belinda Bencic
The 17-year-old qualified for the main draw, upset Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the first round, then pushed Flavia Pennetta in a tight three-setter before falling in round two.
Stud: Ana Ivanovic
Ana knocked off Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals, ending a personal seven-match losing streak to the Russian, then gave Serena Williams fits in the semis, pushing the queen of clay to three sets before falling.
Notes, Quotes, Tweets, Feats
Andy Murray's no-look squash shot flick was one of the shots of the week. In other words, it was "Murraculous." Reaally >>>
It's about that time...
Classic photo of the king of clay suffering for the cause.
If you missed it, scroll back through the Beyond the Baseline Instagram page for some great behind-the-scenes photos from the Foro Italico.
And, let us not forget that when disaster strikes, we have the chance to make a difference...(Click through to Instagram to read Nole's personal message)