Ted Robinson’s Matchpoints

This Friday was one of mixed emotions depending on your viewpoint: for France, it was a day of joy as four men, (Paul-Henri Mathieu, Julien Benneteau, Jeramy Chardy and Florent Serra) advanced while for the U.S. it was a day of shock as the Sisters were sent packing in bookend matches to a long day of warm sunshine.

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Venus falling, in the fading light of a Friday night was not a surprise. After all, she has never been a serious threat here, reaching one final in a year where she played Robin to Serena’s Batman. And she hadn’t played much since taking a break from the tour in March.

Watching the Venus profile on HBO’s Real Sports emphasized several points of interest: Venus is the most likable Williams, rooted in some measure of humility, more interested in personal growth than fame (evidenced by the pride she takes in her recent design degree- she wore her class ring at RG), and more comfortable in her own skin than little Sis.

Friday’s results proved one thing that I have believed: Venus will never again be a threat at a major other than Wimbledon. She is a 1-court star: Centre Court. At 28 by the time she arrives at SW19, she is retro only when she steps onto that hallowed grass. As a four-time champ, she must hope the Club schedules her accordingly and keeps her on her “home” away from home.

Serena is baffling. She was horrid Friday. There is no other way to candidly describe her performance. It was the universal view among commentators, many of whom are champions. How she could possibly play in such a manner, so lazy afoot, so sloppy of form, could only be explained by her own admission that she “didn’t want to be here.”

If true, then she should be back in Florida, SoCal or wherever she chases the fame that is so important to her. My partner John McEnroe couldn’t hide his feeling that Katerina Srebotnik deserved her day, an honest hard-working decent player whose previous bests had been in doubles. On one sunny day in Paris, she stood tall in Paris.
 
The French didn’t try to hide their chauvinism Friday, scheduling Michael Llodra and Mathieu on the main show court while sending Serena, Nadal and Djokovic, champions all, to the second court, a good show court but still number 2 in the rank.

Neither do the French try to honor their champion. Roger Federer was granted his wish for a Monday start, thus Rafa Nadal fell victim to rain and played his first 3 matches on consecutive days.

Fed plays a Monday-Thursday-Saturday first week while Rafa went Wed-Thurs-Fri. Surviving that siege gives Nadal a tremendous edge as he must now play only 4 matches over 9 days to win a fourth RG.

So much on this Thursday, but the highlight was simultaneous play from Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the first time I can recall that at any major. Rain caused the overlap with the 2 greats occupying the show courts in the late afternoon; both had similar results, although Federer had a small glitch, dropping the first set tiebreak to scrappy Albert Montanes. Too soon to project the final weekend, but Federer is hitting his backhand well and seems healthy with his normal movement. It’s not enough to beat Nadal when Rafa is on, but it is more than enough to keep Federer #2 in the clay court world.

Disappointment for James Blake, who lost a chance to make the second week at RG. With his section wide open, Blake needed a win over a talented teen, Ernests Gulbis of Latvia. A tough draw no doubt, but Blake is still searching for the Slam where he wins a few that he’s not supposed to. James got this match to 1-1, but dropped serve late in the third and never recovered.

Mardy Fish had a chance with a hobbled Lleyton Hewitt playing at 80 percent efficiency (torn hip cartilage). But Mardy, after dropping a tight first set, couldn’t hold a break advantage in the second and went out in straight.

Bobby Reynolds fell in four to the resurgent Nico Lapentti, who made the main draw at 31.

But Robby Ginepri, late in the night, pulled off the stunner, knocking out seeded Igor Andreev in four sets. More details on that match to come tomorrow.

So there are 2 Americans in the third round, Wayne Odesnik draws Novak Djokovic late Friday (around noon ET, 9 AM PT) and today Justin Gimelstob told me of his admiration for Odesnik. This is a rare young player who seeks help, solicits advice and enjoys clay. Wayne is working with Spaniard Felix Mantilla while in Paris and has Francisco Montana, late of Robby Ginepri, at home. But he looks at the French as a challenge, not an obligation. Odds are his stay will end Friday night, but Odesnik has put his name in the mix of American tennis.

Low road comment of this Roland Garros comes from tournament doctor, Dr. Montalvan. Speaking in defense of Richard Gasquet’s withdrawal, Dr. Montalvan said it was “my personal opinion” that Andy Roddick withdrew because clay is not his favorite surface. Why a doctor sees the need to opine is a different story, but Roddick had played the last 7 French Opens and will be in Madrid for September’s Davis Cup semi against Nadal. Roddick’s record on court can be addressed but not his competitiveness.

How open is this men’s draw? One of the following four: Gulbis, Michael Llodra, Simone Bolelli or Lapentti will be a quarterfinalist.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing: the Eurosport commentator said that Nikolay Davydenko’s win over Marat Safin was “huge” for any win over Safin is significant. Davydenko is 4 in the world, and posted a Roddick-Nadal double to win Miami. Safin is 73 in the world. That statement needed a hyperbole check.

The regard with which Andy Roddick and his US teammates hold Davis Cup was clear this weekend in Winston-Salem.

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How other great players around the world regard it was also seen in the attitude of Richard Gasquet.

Roddick clinched the tie; he is 10-0 in such matches, with a pulverizing straight set win over Paul-Henri Mathieu. The American closer, every bit as strong in that role as Mariano Rivera has been in baseball, never gave the French any hope.

His win pushed the US into the semi-finals, a road tie in Spain. And Andy addressed that tie in a post-match interview heard by the entire arena, “Even though Spain may put down a surface that is not to my strength, I guarantee one thing: I will be there.”

In contrast, we offer Gasquet. Wildly talented and equally erratic in mind, Gasquet came to North Carolina in a slump, and appeared disinterested in playing after experiencing the quick indoor court in practice.

After the Clement-Llodra doubles win Saturday, captain Guy Forget was seen in an animated conversation with Gasquet. A psychic was not needed to understand the purpose of this chat: to play or not to play, that was the question Gasquet had to answer.

Forget said he provided the answer on Friday, that Gasquet did not inspire any confidence from Forget that the player wanted the assignment.

But now France had a live Sunday with Mathieu, dispirited from his 5-set loss to James Blake, and a fatigued Llodra who would be challenged to play well on three consecutive days.

Gasquet practiced Saturday night and again Sunday morning. But it was decided that Mathieu would oppose Roddick and, if France produced an upset, that Gasquet would play the fifth match.

Roddick rendered the fifth match irrelevant. But the real point was the coercion needed to get Gasquet on the court.

It’s been a recurring theme in Gasquet’s life, and we won’t play amateur psychologist but we hope somehow a player with Gasquet’s skills can achieve some strength of mind. But Davis Cup should be an honor, not an obligation or burden.

For that, Roddick, as well as Blake, Mardy Fish and the Bryans, should be praised. They play anywhere, anytime and utter not a complaint.

Andy wrote another chapter in what is becoming his tennis legacy– his Davis Cup brilliance. Utterly confident, he smashed the No. 12 player in the world, winning his 29th Cup match, just one behind Andre Agassi for 2nd on the U.S. list.

Although they all know that clay and Rafael Nadal await them in September, this U.S. team will not need any persuasion to get them on the plane or in their clay-court shoes.

It struck me during the U.S. practice Thursday. And it was displayed in full during the pair of US Friday wins in Winston-Salem.

Andy Roddick and James Blake are in a different mode during Davis Cup. There is a calm about them, partly born, I believe, from the camaraderie they have engineered through five years as teammates.

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They move through this weekend with ease, joking with each other and their respective groups, engaging in pranks, celebrating wins and generally acting as masters of their domain.

And this is without arrogance, simply confidence.

No Federer or Nadal in this environment. Enthusiastic crowds that provide reinforcement. And family and friends packing the stands.

So when the tricky serves of Michael Llodra test Roddick, it is the Davis Cup belief that lifts Andy to a pair of tiebreak wins and a straight set win that could have been much tougher.

When Blake runs into a fiercely competitive Paul-Henri Mathieu, serving unconsciously in the first set, and fighting to erase his bad DCup memories, it is that belief that saves Blake.

Pushed to a fifth set, Blake lapsed into his bad body language mode after Mathieu broke for 2-0. Blake held and then, after a battle, broke back that brought the crowd, perhaps lapsing themselves near the end of a 7-hour day, roaring back to life.

Hearing that support, Blake raised his shoulders and his game, which he needed when Mathieu held 2 match points serving at 5-4. It was the moment when Mathieu’s ability to close would be tested. As well, Blake’s fight and resolve in 5-set battles, an issue reversed at last year’s US Open, would be confirmed.

Amidst growing noise, Blake survived the match points and launched one of his patented runs, winning 13 of 16 points to end Mathieu’s, and perhaps France’s, hopes.

It was Davis Cup in the United States, not sold out (did the scheduling of this on Masters weekend hurt attendance?) but nonetheless intensely supportive. And once again, Andy Roddick and James Blake seem to be at home wherever the U.S. DCup team calls home.

The court is fast. Lightning fast, more so than the speedy surface used by Team USA in Portland last December. 

And it impacted France, as designed. Richard Gasquet does not seem excited to play on the fast court and captain Guy Forget subbed Michael Llodra against Andy Roddick.

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Instead of the anticipated Roddick-James Blake/Gasquet-Jo-Wilfried Tsonga battles, we have Paul-Henri Mathieu-Llodra for France.

If both men bring their serves Friday, Roddick-Llodra will be decided in tiebreaks.

Tough news on Tsonga. If surgery is needed, he likely missed Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

This US team plays its 10th consecutive tie together, remarkable in that the next longest run by any US team is 3.

One of the practice players is David Martin, a lefty brought along to mimic the serve and volley style of Llodra.

Had a chance to talk with Martin after his practice with Roddick (by the way, Martin brought down the house with his Vanilla Ice impression at the official banquet).”

Martin is a 27-year-old Stanford grad who, with partner Scott Lipsky, has raised his doubles rank to a career-best 47.

He represents the earnest doubles player trying to make a living in the game they love through the one necessary means.

While the world’s best men were playing in Indian Wells and Miami for the last month, you know what David Martin has been doing?

Nothing.

The world’s 50th ranked doubles player couldn’t get in to those tournaments.

Why? The new ATP doubles policy that leads to more singles players entering, and losing quickly or withdrawing, from doubles.

Fewer spots means the cutoff is too high for Martin and Lipsky to qualify.

Play Challengers in the meantime? Possible, except the money is so low that the players would struggle to break even. And winning a Challenger would not improve their ranking. Martin said he might consider playing some singles, in the qualies, of Challengers just to get some matches.

This is the other side of the new ATP system: David Martin and his idle March. A premier double player unable to play in the 2 biggest tournaments in the US each spring.