London WTF: The Seven Layers of Grunge.

 

 

 

 

A welcome dampener to the wild, euphoric and, frankly, irresponsible British outpourings that followed his Sunday afternoon carving-up of Robin Soderling .

 

No – I’m happy this happened. Maybe now the press will realise that couldn’t actually be sustained. Believe it or not it is possible to get get through this thing without painting the sky seven different shades of argyle.

 

In fact the worst thing you could do in the aftermath of that ‘sub-prime’ performance would be to analyse what went wrong. Don’t even try.

 

Make like sunshine.

 

Announce a royal wedding.

 

Declare your support for the nuclear disarmament of developing countries.

 

Pretend. Nothings. Happened.

 

Coz in the grand scheme of things it might not matter. And in the grander scheme of things it might turn out to be exactly the kind of stimulus package he needs. The stick rather than the carrot.

 

It was nigh-impossible not to be sardonically-totalled by the careless, catatonic, dithering way Muzz began what was undoubtedly his most important match of the RR stage.

 

 

 

His shirt was the wrong colour. His shot selection was iffy. His first serve looked like it was in need of a banking bailout.

 

Like he said, against Fed that’s simply not going to get it done – against a Fed as focused and unforgiving as he was yesterday, it’s ATP hara-kiri – a wonder, really, that he avoided the bagel.

 

Far from being anything tactical, he simply wasn’t present.

 

Which is why I think a tactical analysis is essentially redundant and perhaps even counterproductive – why risk ushering in a double dip recession by focusing on any remaining layers of grunge that might still lurk in the subconscious of his tennis memory banks?

 

 

 

It’s not all bad. He was hardly going to better the euphoria of his first match – the best opener played by anyone this week.

 

Better to detox early on during the RR stages rather than in the midst of a chaotic semi with Novak or Rafa.

 

Fed will, now, only miss out on qualifying if he loses in straights to Sod (stop sniggering) and if Muzz defeats Daveed in straights in which case we have a three way “games-won” face-off.

 

 

 

But I don’t expect they’re thinking about any of that.

 

 

 

Speakin’ of detox….here’s someone that managed to exfoliate all seven layers of grunge remaining from his very tepid opener against Muzz.

 

Which is all the more surprising as Daveed had troubled him throughout the season both at the Slams and, it seemed, everywhere else.

 

Sod will have to beat Fed in straights (STOP SNIGGERING I SAID) and will need Muzz to lose to Ferru to stand a decent chance of qualification.

 

Which leaves me in something of a quandary. You don’t root against Muzz at home – you just don’t do it.

 

So which is it to be?

 

The Mighty Viking or the Celtic Tiger Kitten?

 

The home favourite or my favourite?

 

Faust himself would struggle with this one.

London WTF: Tron - Fuschia Edition

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lest we doubt the essential rectitude of a winner?

 

It seems 5 weeks out of the game really do show at this level.

 

For the best part of the first set Rafa could find nothing. And I mean squat. Nothing other than a forehand that was fully flatulent and a serve that was about as souped-up as the slosh you get served in an M25 service station.

 

Ever since before the event began Ferru, Berd and ARod have been cast as everyone’s favourite whipping boys.

 

Difficult to argue in Ferrus case that there’s not a very real danger of him being comprehensively outclassed – particularly with the group he’s been drawn in.

 

 

 

And after yesterdays pitiful performance one wonders what, if anything, will extricate Berd from the pooey pigswill he’s wallowing in right now.

 

But to write off anyone at this event is to effectively ignore the eccentricities of the three set Round Robin format.

 

The beauty of this format is that Ferru can still, in principle, qualify by defeating Sod tonight (he’s already beaten him twice on hard this year) and somehow wangling a three set win over Muzz (not impossible).

 

But ARod as the butt of your worst ATP jokes? Really?

 

 

Drawing Rafa in his opening match was always going to have been his best chance of beating him – and it’s no fluke he came so close.

 

He obviously came out primed to shorten the points and smother the net at every available opportunity – that Rafa won around 80% of rallies longer than 8 shots confirms the moral rectitude of this approach.

 

But it was his near-flawless execution of that strategy that underlines how daft I think those anti-predictions really are.

 

He clearly benefited from that deliriously poor start from Rafa, but if it hadn’t been for an especially acute-angled pass from Rafa during that second set tie break, one I’m not fully convinced he meant to strike so sweetly, Roddick might just have been looking at a straight sets win.

 

As it stands, he’ll now have to get through Novak (somewhat likely) and Berd (wholly likely) to stand a chance of qualifying – uncertain yes, unlikely no.

London WTF: ‘Argyle’ Andy

 

 

 

 

Murray d. Soderling 62 64

 

Yep….it was that darn good.

 

Sod never got going, but in truth Muzz ran down everything he did manage to send his way and got him into all sorts of four dimensional knots every time he came to the net.

 

Sometimes you can neither run nor hide. Thankfully Sod has a couple matches to go, but will have to raise his game having come out so scarred and ‘set-less’ from this encounter.

 

 

 

 

There was some talk about why Muzz should change his “passive” style of play when it’s good enough to beat the #4 player in the world so emphatically.

 

Truth is, the #4 player (get used to hearing me say that) could neither buy a first serve  nor any semblance of momentum – most of those other six won’t have those problems and have more options to draw on if and when they do.

 

A spectacular way to come through what was, after all, his opening match – it’d be equally spectacular folly, though, to expect to continue to win playing with the same slicey-dicey economy. A little mix and match never hurt anyone – and there's plenty of wandering monsters lurking in both groups looking to do just that.

 

Have to admit I had my doubts about the argyle vintage wear – but it looks FAR better on court than the pinstriped thing you see in the online brochures.

 

 

 

 

It also has other vintage approval.

 

 

 

Federer d. Ferrer 61 64

 

A straight sets dismissal that went on for at least half a set too long.

 

It’s no surprise, surely, that this would be Ferru’s eleventh consecutive loss to Fed. Far more alarming that he couldn’t buy a first serve and took a full set to enter the match.

 

 

You can cope with seeing Ferru getting comprehensively outplayed – it is, however, jarring to see him so jittery and lacking in confidence. Not the ‘Federer complex’ surely – you have been there ten times, one of which was in the final of this very event.

 

And a far better match it was too.

London WTF: Daveed Cameron unveils a few last minute additions to the coalition.

 

 

 

 

It hasn’t been a good month for David Cameron.

 

 

First there were the student riots  that saw the near-sacking of Tory HQ (a couple of broken window panes) and a fire extinguisher being hurled off its roof that only narrowly missed police.

 

Since then, floods, banking bailouts not to mention the continuing fallout from the the deeply unpopular “austerity” measures – a word that almost sounds like a period themed wallpaper.

 

He was even taken to task for employing a personal photographer on the public payroll – what is a man to do?

 

1. Announce a royal wedding.

 

The scarcely concealed theory being that flooding the public sensibilities with talk of “Kate and Will” & “Will and Kate” will gently assuage the grim public mood so ostensibly damaged by those nasty public cuts.

 

Who has time to worry about your home being repossessed when you might be debating Kate’s bridal wear and the rights and wrongs of Wills presenting her with Diana’s ring? 

 

Or why she hasn’t ever held a proper job (it would seem, disturbingly, that some of us believe privilege has no part to play now that the royals sometimes marry outside of a carefully screened courtly set).

 

Complete the set piece by flooding the airwaves with a series of period romps showing the gentry in a lovingly eccentric and well-meaning light and the working class in a sufficiently reverential one. Sit back and let it simmer.

 

And if that doesn’t work…

 

2. Hobnob with tennis elite inside Downing St.

 

To be fair to him Cameron has actually played tennis before. Though there's no reason to suppose he was any better than Tony Blair who almost had a panic attack before going out for a charity knockabout with Pat Cash & Illi Nastase

 

 

Nice one Ferru. A gauche, awkward Viking has been made to feel even more socially inept and about *this* small.

 

All in all, Sod’s win in Paris has meant I haven’t very strong views about whom I’d like to see win. They all seem to make a compelling case.

 

 

Group A

 

Rafael Nadal.

 

Simply coz, other than this title, he really has won it all (in some cases several times over). Think Fed and RG 2009.

 

Novak Djokovic

 

Simply coz it’d be nice if the revival we saw at Flushing actually turned out to be one, rather than one of the many false starts we’ve seen since winning Indian Wells 2008 – the last title he won playing the way I like him to. Seems fitting for him to win at least something this year – and he has a chance to do that not just here, but to also clean up at Davis Cup and at Aus next year (hat tip @DavidLawTennis). That would be something.

 

 

 

Tomas Berdych

 

Simply coz he ‘s wallowing in doodoo at the moment and I don’t want him to go the way of Marin – for that way lies madness.

 

 

 

Andy Roddick

 

Simply coz this is the 8th time he’s qualified(!) yet has somehow never made it beyond the semis. And because he has a better chance here than at another Slam. And because Elena’s retirement has made me especially protective towards anyone associated with tennis circa 2004-2006. And because I’m still not up to talking about that yet.

 

 

Group B

Roger Federer.

 

Simply coz those blasted 5 unconverted MPs threaten to define what I still maintain was a better ‘one-Slam’ year than 2008. (Side note: how many “declining” players can cite having a ‘one-Slam year’ as an exception to the norm?)

 

 

 

Andy Murray

 

Simply coz having comprehensively scattered his seed on the Masters-1000 scene (read 6 Masters and 0 Slams), there’s a certain justifiable urgency surrounding the need to “step it up”. Winning here isn’t quite a Slam. It is, however, the next best thing – and it’s at home, and it wouldn’t do either him or his street cred any harm. Or, for that matter, David Cameron’s.

 

 

 

Robin Soderling

 

Simply coz “Simply coz” alright?….though I do so wish he hadn’t been drawn with Dave Ferrer.

 

Daveed Ferrer

 

Simply coz he tries so hard. Always.

 

P.S No one seems to have noticed that for the first time in six years Kolya is not part of the draw. Please tell me some one out there cares.

WTF: Wrap Up, Vol. 3

This Wrap-Up has gone on for longer than I had expected – mental note to self on the benefits of thought distillation – but the funny thing is I was largely uninspired by post-USO tennis, and didn’t expect the WTF to lift my spirits.

They did.

For all the reasons I’ve already mentioned but also because they showed us that there’s life beyond Fedal, indeed beyond the top four.

So forgive a tendency to prattle. It probably won’t last very long.

Roger Federer

All the focus this week has been on Roger’s new found love of Japanese Paper Folding.

I prefer to look at the positives.

(Photo: Reuters)

Whilst I concede that Fed’s tendency to fold his openers with such care and attention might, let’s say, need…..looking at, what’s been overlooked this week is how tight and clinical he’s been once he has found his way.

Something apparently beyond the rest of the top four. No surprise then that he was the only member of that group to make the semis.

Against Murray he was imperious.

Against Dasco he displayed that dependable ability he has for coolly containing an an over-performing player.

And in the two he lost, he was only pipped to the finish line by the slimmest of margins, by the tournament’s eventual runner up and winner.

You simply cannot win them all. Not in today’s market.

This event, and to a lesser extent this year, has also resulted in the overturning of what, to all intents and purposes, has been conventional wisdom over the last four or five years: that Federer deals with flat hitters better than anyone else on the planet.

It was of some comfort to know that whatever ups and downs he might encounter with his game, his record against flatties would remain largely blemish free. Can we kindly ignore the loss incurred James Blake last year, and bear with me on this?

Nor should it surprise us that, with Rafa seemingly custom-built to expose Federer’s vulnerabilities, that he himself should appear so uniquely vulnerable to the flatty.

There’s more to this though – cross a certain boundary and another universal law comes into play: flat-hitters that manage to combine the highest levels of pace and accuracy render the skill of their opponent irrelevant.

This should not be that difficult to accept – if someone repeatedly bludgeons the baseline with a level of accuracy that is as unwavering as it is unnerving, it doesn’t matter who’s on the other side of the net, the flatty will win.

The trouble with such determinism is, those properties of pace and accuracy don’t usually coexist. Or put another way, they operate under Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle (HUP): the more you have of one, the less defined or fuzzier the state of the other becomes.

HUP occurs in another field of tennis too: the more potential or talent a player possesses, the less easier they will find it to realise it. You only need take a look at Marat, Svetlana or French Tennis in it’s entirety. But that’s another story.

There have however, been a few magical moments in the past, when pace and accuracy have been miraculously reconciled; and it usually results in fireworks.

One such occasion was the 2005 Aussie Open Semi Final contested between Marat Safin and Roger Federer. Federer was at the top of his game, yet Safin brought him to his knees. Literally, as it turned out on match point.

Looked at another way, though continuing with the Physics analogies, if Fed’s abilities to contain flatties are viewed within the context of a black hole, players like Kolya and Blake hover on the periphery of the event horizon, whilst Safin, and to a lesser extent del Potro, push Fed beyond the point of no return, circulating inwards at the speed of light towards a singularity where unimaginable levels of pace and accuracy converge towards an infinity.

Andy Murray

Not a great week for the homeboy.

Not one to completely write off either.

I liked it that towards the end of his stay here, he looked to be experimenting with more aggression, but it was too little too late.

And the less said about his match against Federer the better.

Oh and that second serve, like Federer’s predilection for Origami, might need….looking at.

Fernando Verdasco

Overperformed; and should in all fairness have won at least one match.

Invested himself fully in every encounter, and then punked out at the moments it mattered most.

The less dependable Yin to del Potro’s more impregnable Yang

And despite a career-defining start to the year, I still believe his days in the top ten are numbered.

Novak Djokovic

Not an entirely unsuccessful week.

In fact his opening encounter with Davydenko was probably the match of the week; but having barely recovered, he had the misfortune to run into his would-be Saviour in the form of Big Rob, who just happened to be firing on five out of four cylinders.

It’s not generally a pretty sight when that happens: Djoko coped by more or less throwing in the towel and ceding that last set.

No matter. He lifted his form and won his first and only Masters event, when the year looked to be about done and dusted; then he gave us 'Sir' Robin.

Can't ask for more than that.

Rafael Nadal

I don’t want to do a “me too” post about how I believe Rafa will bounce back strongly next year. Most reasonable minded people appear to recognise that.

Can we at least wait until the clay court season next year before we begin the obituaries?

WTF: Wrap Up, Vol. 2

I left a lot unsaid in my last post, mainly because I didn’t want to miss out on perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at giving Davy the attention and recognition he deserves.

But this has been the best TMC, sorry WTF, I remember seeing for years, notable not only for the new fangled facilities, but also for the high quality of play and only a single injury timeout administered to Nadal’s back.

Seven other players were responsible for that.

Juan Martin del Potro

In my WTF Preview I gave Juan Marteen little more than a broken wing and a prayer that looked like it might have been composed and delivered by the very devil himself.

I was wrong; and it’s not the first time this year either.

(GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images)

Juan’s maturity and mental fortitude are off the charts in a way that might return to bite me time after time. At least until I make a more concerted effort to stop misjudging him so.

After his shadowy opener against Murray, remembered more for his nasal emissions than anything that happened on court, Juan-Marteen lifted his game in a way which has become something of a hallmark of his year.

During his semi final against Soderling, which was perhaps the tightest (as well as the punchiest) match of the week, I actually felt Robin was more reliant on his big-serving than those titanic groundies of his, which for the first two sets, had the feel of a minor skirmish at a Greenpeace Rally, rather than the front line of that proverbial riot.

Only in that final set (where amongst other things, Soderling somewhat bizarrely began to read Delpo’s serve better than anyone else this week), did Robin reacquire that depth and pace to his shots once again, and suddenly it felt like the bar-room brawl from hell so many of Sir Robin’s fans had paid good money to see.

Somewhat ironic then, that he went on to lose the match? Not in my book.

Juan did an excellent job of pacing himself and standing tall in the face of the biggest and most monolithic barrage of serving we had all week, and raised his game at just the right moment. As far as I’m concerned the better player won, even though you all know how heavily I was rooting for Sir Robin.

Pacing appears to be arguably one of Juan’s biggest weapons this season. He can go through an event looking fatigued, disinterested even, but then recognise the need to bring out his best at the moments when it matters most – quite the antithesis of Dasco.

And he saves his best right now, for the very best, in particular one Roger Federer.

If I have but one criticism of such a strategy, it’s that tennis is a constantly evolving sport, and though this approach has worked it’s wonders at the highest levels this year, next year represents a different prospect; one which might benefit from spreading oneself more evenly.

Arise, Sir Robin ‘Rants-a-lot’ Soderling

Despite the eleventh hour switching of my loyalties in favour of Davy, know that I still suffer agonies over Robin.

Delpo was the better player, but it wasn’t inconceivable for Sir Robin to make the finals; and I’m not sure which way my wavering support would have gone had he achieved that.

Before I go on though, I’d better credit Novak Djokovic for his knighting of ‘Sir’ Robin. He came up with the name after playing his last match in the group stages, when told how he was reliant on Big Rob defeating Kolya, to remain in the event.

Alas, it was never meant to be.

(Image Credit: Marria Khan)

Sir Robin fought valiantly under the banner of inelegance and in the cause of unfettered delinquency with all his might, but struck his last blow under a barrage of Argentinian fly-swatters.

So arise Sir Robin, and return to your Swedish Kingdom not in disgrace but as one anointed.

Safe in the knowledge that no one, but no one disturbs the peace quite like you do.

Or something.

Yes, I know there’s nothing idyllic, mythic or remotely Camelot-like about Big Rob dressed as a Centurion, but it’s the most thematically appropriate picture I could find.

I had some concerns about his form coming into this, mostly because of that state of stupor we left him in at Paris.

That he came through against Nadal as easily as he did, didn’t completely banish my fears. The fact that Nadal was out of sorts was more than just common knowledge, and Robin saw him off seemingly without having to change gears.

However after Djoko’s demolition, and with him being the first to make the semis, it was quite clear that Big Rob had arrived.

I could list a bunch of reasons why I celebrate what he’s achieved this year, or why I appreciate his presence at the top of the game so very much.

It mostly all boils down to the fact that no one in the top ten plays quite like him, and the introduction of a force as potent as his can push the game to heights it might not otherwise see.

WTF: Wrap Up, Vol. 1

(GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images)

Davydenko d. del Potro 6-3, 6-4

Not the best match after the week we’ve had, but a fantastic conclusion nonetheless, and the right one I believe.

Nikolay came out playing the tennis, that as far as I’m concerned, he should have done in the three sets he contested against Federer 24 hours earlier.

And big brother Eduardo agrees with me. So there.

del Potro, played well but looked as if fatigue had finally caught up, and lacked the intensity which I’m all but certain he now saves for his bashes with Federer.

There were even a couple of his off-the-cuff, flatter-than-flat “fly swatter” cross courters, usually played on the run stretched out wide, and which might well go down as one my fave newly-introduced strokes of 2009.

Interviewed before and after the final today, Eduardo, Kolya’s brother and coach, didn’t give the impression of being at all overwhelmed by his brother’s big win over Federer the day before, drawing attention instead to the poor opener Fed played.

After today’s win, he said Kolya did what he should have done, by overwhelming Juan with his speed around the court; not that he was much more entranced than before, characterising Nikolay’s play as about “normal”.

Lofty standards yes? But the right attitude to adopt if Nikolay is to take that vital next step and win that elusive Slam, which by the way, is now a realistic question to pose, though still not as easy as it sounds given Kolya has yet to experience the un-watered extremities of playing in a Slam final.

Davydenko d. Federer 6-2, 4-6, 7-5

I’m largely in agreement with Eduardo.

I stand by my assessment yesterday, that if Kolya didn’t serve big, the match would be over in straights. 12-0 is not a H2H to be taken lightly, especially when you take into account that although some of their matches have been close, Kolya’s only ever managed to take a single set from Fed in the last seven years.

And all appeared on course for a 13th win, when Federer opened up by winning the first seven points of the match on the trot.

What I didn’t take into account in my pre-match hype take on things, was the origami-like way in which Fed would fold. He’s lost the opener of every match he played this week, but the three or four games he played after coming out and holding serve here, might well rank amongst his worst.

What has largely been forgotten though, is that Davydenko played one of his poorest matches of the week too.

Sure Fed served a very tacky 40% of first serves in that opener – Davydenko served at 38%. And though Fed lifted his form in the next two sets, Davy continued, much in the same, somewhat listless vein.

His shots, normally the benchmark for ‘early-risers’ (my term of endearment for players that take the ball early), normally so reliable, looked largely tentative and ineffectual out there . And that way it remained, until the awesomeness that ensued in the second half of the final set.

All quite shocking really, when you consider how well he’d been serving all week, but against Big Rob in particular. His serve and net play have been much improved over the last year and a half, and Federer quite rightly drew attention in the pre-match interview to the fact that the last time they played was at Estoril last year – a match they didn’t even get to complete.

All the other losses were accrued at a time when Davy was as metronomic as ever, but maybe a little more thoughtless as regards point construction – not that dissimilar to Dementieva actually, with the amount of balls that landed aimlessly down the middle – and certainly far from the polished article we’ve seen this week.

Fed raised his game in the second and third, just like he has in all his matches this week, and had he not gone origami on us so conspicuously in that first set, maybe it would have been a straights dismissal after all.

I liked it that Davy pulled himself together in those final four or five games, where he, not so much raised his level drastically, as much as he played to the form Eduardo know he’s capable of, and I for one, love to see.

But, like Eduardo, I would have much preferred to have seen the Kolya that raced out of the blocks today, quickly extinguishing any rays of hope Delpo might have entertained.

We may see it yet – he’s not the first and certainly won’t be the last player to have fully blossomed during his last few years on tour.

WTF: Riot Control

(GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images)

Davydenko d. Soderling 7-6, 4-6, 6-3

So Big Rob had his first let down against Nikolay yesterday.

I say let down, it was more a case of playing too tentatively for a set and half in which he still managed to force a tie break in the first.

Then of course, he took that tumble mid way through the second (which looked nastier than it turned out to be), and re-emerged the brash, aggressive figure we’ve become accustomed to seeing this year. Though he had a subsequent dip in form in the final set that ended up costing him the match.

I’ve no idea whether that performance stemmed from a lack of motivation from knowing he’d already qualified, or whether he was simply now ripe for a loss.

Whatever the case he’ll need to revert back to ‘Rioteering Rob’ if he’s to overcome Delpo’s heavy artillery this evening. Argentina’s finest form of riot control.

That said, Nikolay’s play was truly impeccable, using his serve out wide to incredible effect.

Over the course of three sets, his level didn’t drop an inch, and you could argue that it was this more sustained form of ‘riot control’ that resulted in Big Rob’s derailment.

There were reports circulating in advance of the match that Kolya was suffering not only from those breathing problems, but also from a leg injury that – shock of all shocks – might actually result in the reintroduction of Nadal back into the mix of things, should Kolya have pulled out.

I saw no evidence of any such injuries, and neither did the broadcasters who’d been doing their morning rounds of following all the players’ practice sessions.

Kolya’s an incredible athlete, and if there are any problems with his leg, they’re likely of the garden variety, that he’s paced his way through so successfully over his five year tenure in the top ten.

What is less certain, is whether he’ll be as competitive today, having to play his greatest nemesis, not fifteen hours after leaving the court last night.

Meanwhile Roger’s rested up, secure in the knowledge that it’ll be a somewhat well-worn version of a guy against whom he has a 12-0 winning H2H , and not Nole facing him out on court today.

I’m not in the business of conspiracy theories, but I would have liked to have seen a rested up Davy taking to court today.

His game has grown substantially since he accrued many of those losses to Fed, not only at the net, but also as we saw yesterday with that serve.

Such a match would result in a more satisfying event all round, especially now that we’re entering the crescendo stage of what has been an incredibly well-run event (the farce that was Juan’s qualification announcement not withstanding) that has seen record crowds even for doubles matches – surely now the benchmark for a successful event

Switching the matches around doesn’t solve the problem as all the same objections would be raised by Big Rob’s team.

I’m in favour of a solution I heard yesterday: start the event a day earlier on Saturday, and have a break between the last matches in the group stages and the semis.

You could even use the day off to stage a big concert, that wouldn’t seem out of place at an event that is after all, a prestigious send-off to tennis season. Just make sure Cliff Richard is not part of the equation.

Kolya's, perhaps the best timer of the ball in the game today. Comparisions were being made yesterday of whether there's been anyone that has taken the ball any earlier. Only Agassi, in his earlier years, came out on top.

Trouble is, that wonderfully metronomical style of shot making that causes everyone else so many problems, and that is largely behind his five year stay in the top ten, makes no dents whatsoever in Fed's armour - I believe it actually feeds in to his strengths.

If Kolya doesn't make big serving a priority today, the match will be over in straights.

WTF: By the Skin of his Teeth - No, Really

(Carl De Souza/AFP/Getty Images)

del Potro d. Federer 6-2, 6-7, 6-3

I’m going to keep this one short because, well, I’m tired.

Ashamed to admit it, but there it is. That’s what following this crazy sport, and then having the audacity to write something about it does to you.

There’ll be no commentary here today.

Just to give you the breakdown, if Fed had gone out in straights today – which he came within two points of doing – Murray and Delpo would have gone through to the semis.

We all know that didn’t happen. Once Fed won that second set, he was going to qualify no matter what.

For Juan to qualify, he now needed not only to win the match, but not to drop more than three games of that final set in doing so; which to further saturate my already adrenalin-saturated system, turned out to be exactly the number of games Delpo lost in winning that final set, and with it the match.

(Carl De Souza/AFP/Getty Images)

His second consecutive win over Fed - I might add.

We’ll leave where this win fits into the grand scheme of things for another day. Let me just say for now that I don’t find it at all remarkable that whilst the tide appears to be turning in Fed’s favour in the H2H situation he has with Murray, it also appears to be showing signs of drift in Juan’s general direction with him now being 2-6 against Fed.

Probably too early to say any more than that. But worth noting that the two wins he’s scored are at a Slam, and the next most prestigous event on the calendar.

Just to further clarify how close for comfort this all was, if Murray had won even a single further game in his total tally, it would be him and not Delpo gracing the O2 Arena on Saturday.

It doesn’t get any more nerve shredding than that.

And just for extra effect, and other perverse reasons known only to themselves, the ATP supervisors at the event spent nearly twenty further minutes after the players had shook hands, calculating what the broadcasters, the assembled media and tennis anoraks worldwide had already figured out for themselves: that Delpo had pipped Murray by an apple pip.

(Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Ah well at least we got to see Carlos Tevez shanking three balls out of the court before engaging in a more elegant and adept form of tomfoolery.

WTF: Big Rob first to make the cut, and Rafa’s Last Stand

(Glyn Kirk/Getty Images)

Soderling d. Djokovic 7-6, 6-1

As easy as that.

Straight sets.

And just like that, the guy that snuck threw the back door is the first to make the semis.

Don’t you just love tennis?

I’m absolutely loving this run from the guy that makes a sport as elegant as tennis, look like the front line of a riot.

Be warned I intend not to remain entirely objective about the whole Big Rob situation.

(Carl De Souza/AFP/Getty Images)

As for Djoko, I actually thought he gave a great account of himself….for one set.

During that one set, Djoko played ‘kitchen sink tennis’, mixing things up, attempting to get the big guy off balance..

But it was all to no avail. From what I can tell, movement may not be Robin’s strongest point, but he’s perfectly adept at moving side to side, provided he’s allowed to play the match on his own terms – which you almost always are if you’re able to sustain the lights out quality he did today.

Then, as they did with Murray in that final set yesterday, the floodgates opened.

During the second set there was a stage at 5-1 down, where Djoko had only won 9 points to Big Rob’s 22.

There are those (myself included) that thought that with the amount of matches Djoko’s played, and with the quality he’s brought to the table recently, he might just run out of gas.

Maybe some of that played a part, but not very much; Djoko simply ran out of answers. Nor did he much appreciate the look of the questions Robin was incessantly throwing his way, electing instead not to invest himself too heavily in that second set.

Which is a little strange considering points are yet to be accrued – rolling over here might end up costing him a place in the semis.

(Photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Davydenko d. Nadal 6-1, 7-6

Um…that’s the exact reverse score line of the Big Rob match – and it don’t surprise me one bit.

As one sided as the first set was – scary as hell when you consider Nikolay wasn’t even playing with the monstrous intensity he was opposite Djoko a couple of nights back – the fact that he gave Nikolay something to think about in the second set should give Rafa some hope.

If I’m not mistaken, he even looked to be testing out a new, flatter breed of hit.

Smart move.

You know your form is kaput - where else are you going to find a better testing ground than a field comprised of the top eight players in the world?

(Carl De Souza/AFP/Getty Images)

And with that, Rafa’s quite magnificent, if somewhat lopsided year, comes to an end.

He will of course take part in the remaining token singles match against Djokovic, which he could make an extra special effort to win just to spite Djoko.

But who qualifies second in the group also depends on how Nikolay fares against Big Rob. Both Djoko and Kolya have won and lost one match each, though it’s Kolya that hasn’t gone down in straight sets.

See what I meant about not rolling over?

WTF: On Belief and Cuckoos' Nests

(Glyn Kirk/Getty Images)

del Potro d. Verdasco 6-4, 3-6, 7-6

Ok so I guess we were due for a drop in quality, right about now.

Today’s bash between Delpo and Dasco didn’t stink per say.

It was actually a thoroughly well fought, competitive affair. But it was a match that was allowed to get more competitive than it should have, by virtue of a tendency for both players’ to seize up, just as any window of opportunity to make any kind of lasting impression in the match opened up.

I’d describe it as a poor man’s version of the Djoko/Slick-Nik match up from the day before (that really was a bash in every sense of the word) and not feel as though I’ve been harsh towards anyone.

There was nothing incredibly sophisticated going on: two heavy handed, ultra-aggressive players trying to wrestle control from each other and open up the court.

‘cept Djoko and Nikolay did it so much better.

(Carl De Souza/AFP/Getty Images)

Part of this is down to athleticism. Nando and Delpo are incredible athletes in their own right, but neither are in the same league as Djoko and Nikolay.

Probably more telling though, is the fact that neither one of Dasco or Delpo were on the same performance trajectory as those other two coming into this event.

If anything Dasco, over-performed in both his matches, losing belief as he so often does at those critical junctures; and as for Delpo it was his belief alone that carried him through this match – he’s been something of a facsimile of the guy that stole Fed’s thunder in New York.

That unfortunately, all but spells curtains for Nando as far as this event is concerned; and though Delpo has this win under his belt, you have to rather stretch your levels of belief, or better still, to adopt an altogether more defiant belief system to expect him to follow up against Federer.

Though I sense I’d better cover my a*s by saying that stranger things have happened.

Federer d. Murray 3-6, 6-3, 6-1

(GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images)

Let me start by saying that I was rather dismayed by the indecisive, uncommitted figure that showed up in the guise of Federer for the first set.

After spending the best part of last week fanfaring about how he now knows how to play Murray, and how it’s always the attacking player that holds the key to success, Fed came out and played such a tentative mess of an opener that I was almost glad Murray put him away as soon as he did.

I had no strong loyalties here.

All I really wanted to see was an equally contested three setter that knocked the pants off the Djoko-Nikolay match from the day before; and both these guys, favourites as they were to win this group, seemed best qualified to do that.

(CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images)

To say Federer upped his game in the second set would be like saying Nadal hits a good topspin.

Not only did he have a gameplan, but he was out to very publicly validate his claim to mastery over Murray’s game.

I’ve been witness to this brand of snarky, dominating play before. He uses it against players that get under his skin (Murray, Djoko), or against styles of play I believe he has no respect for, and whom he presumably thinks have no business playing tennis. Think Dr Ivo and the Delpo of last year.

If Dasco was hit with shock therapy a couple of days back, then consider this Tennis meets “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, with Murray the one forcibly restrained and attached to the ECT machine.

I don’t care that he bagged the first set: this is the single most stinging defeat I believe Fed has ever inflicted on Murray– made all the more poignant by how ineffective he made him seem in the second set, and how mentally worn down Murray looked in the decider.

That last set in particular, with Murray unable to buy even a single groundstroke, much less a first serve. was perhaps the worst I’ve ever seen him play.

"I served terribly and that was the main difference in the match.

"In the first set, at least when I was behind in games, I was coming up with big serves, being able to dictate the points. But after that I served pants.

"It was probably the most double faults (eight) I served in a match maybe this year.

"You can't serve at 40% against Roger because you give him so many opportunities to dictate play, but that's what I did.

(Source: BBC)

I must confess I don’t quite understand why this is. It’s not as if he hasn’t been on the losing side before, and the loss he suffered to Fed at Flushing last year would have to be considered more of a heartbreaker.

Maybe it’s an acute awareness that that ‘winning’ record he continues to have over Federer is looking increasingly tenuous and more academic with every passing month. This is the second consecutive caustic dismissal Federer has inflicted on him in a three set match, the last one meted out with equal indifference in the semis back in Cincy

I don’t believe we can, with any seriousness, now doubt Fed’s claim to Mastery over Murray. The gameplan seems clear enough, even if he might encounter the odd hiccup in it’s execution.

Wanna know what I don’t find surprising? That it’s the same bludgeony, in-yer-face, brand of aggression that Cilic, Dasco and Gonzalez put to such good effect against Murray during the Slams this year.

Why should we be surprised that Fed’s interpretation looks more polished?