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Monte Carlo Masters - 10 talking points

http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/news/articles/2015-04-20/monte_carlo_masters__10_talking_points.html

After the ATP breezed through the first clay Masters of the season, what have we learned? Wimbledon.com picks out 10 things to think about...

The world No.1 is thriving within his dominance

Novak Djokovic has well and truly quashed any fears that the pressure and furore surrounding his serene start to the season are affecting his performance on court. The 27-year-old withstood a barrage of heavy hitting from Tomas Berdych to win the Monte Carlo Masters 7-5, 4-6, 6-3. That’s a 17th straight win for the world No.1, a second Monte Carlo title and a 23rd Masters crown in total. The Serbian said after Sunday’s triumph he needs to pinch himself when reflecting on his start to the season, which has included the Australian Open and becoming the first player to win the first three ATP Masters events of the season (Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo).

"I'm 27," said Djokovic in his press conference. "Obviously I'm experiencing the time of my life on the tennis court, and also private life is very good. I became a father. I'm just trying to sometimes pinch myself and say, 'Where am I at this point in my life?' I'm very grateful for this, for everything that I have. That's the kind of philosophy."
Djokovic will now take a "much needed" fortnight break before turning his attentions to the Masters in Madrid and Rome. The rest of the draw will be desperate to avoid lining up against the soaring Serb.
Berdych can provide a sterner test on clay this season

Could Tomas Berdych be the man to break the dominance of the ‘big four’ this clay court season? It’s a question which frequently surfaces at Grand Slams as the Czech promises huge potential but has fallen just short in the past. The 29-year-old stormed to the Monte Carlo Masters final and pushed Djokovic for over two and a half hours. That’s impressive in its own right. However Berdych seems far more determined this season under the stewardship of Dani Vallverdu and with his ferocious power, he threatens to impact the end of tournaments on the clay court swing. Whether he can prevail at Roland Garros is another matter, his best showing a semi-final appearance in 2010, but he’ll have to maintain the aggression and persistence displayed in Monte Carlo to have a slither of a chance.

Is Rafa back?
The headlines highlight that the ‘King of Clay’ fell with relative ease 6-3, 6-3 to the on-song Novak Djokovic. However the lead up to the clay season had seen a discouraged Nadal concerned with on-court frailties and a lack of conviction in his game. The Spaniard was not at his lung-bursting best but the eight-time Monte Carlo champion managed to reach the semi-finals. He also managed, in a very Rafa like manner, to battle through a duo of gruelling three-set matches with John Isner and David Ferrer last week. So questions will still hang over Nadal’s potential, but Monte Carlo certainly proved he is back on the right dirt track.
 
Monfils on the march
Watching Gael Monfils at his playful, jovial best is a pleasure for any tennis fan. His inconsistency has always held back the hugely talented Frenchman but at Monte Carlo, Monfils appeared completely rejuvenated. The 28-year-old defeated Alexandr Dolgopolov before overcoming Roger Federer and Grigor Dimitrov with electric performances. He has the versatility to thrive on clay, having previously made a semi-final and two quarter-finals at Roland Garros. In Monte Carlo he expressed a hunger, a drive to beat the top names. The only issue was he picked up a measly five games in the last four loss to Berdych. However, if he continues in such a vein then the gregarious Frenchman can become a real dark horse for the upcoming clay swing.
Federer has plenty on his plate             
 
Roger Federer at the age of 33 is understandably managing his schedule and cherry picking events. The Swiss maestro skipped the Miami Masters to rest up and train for Monte Carlo. Despite this ploy, Federer fell to a shock third-round defeat by Monfils. The unpredictable nature of the mercurial Monfils doesn’t make it a huge surprise. Saying that, it is not a result you’d expect from Djokovic or Nadal on the red dirt. Federer’s camp has revealed the 17-time Grand Slam champion will skip the Rome Masters to provide him with an extra week of preparation for Roland Garros but surely the Monfils loss proved he needs match play to transform into a contender in Paris.

The chasing pack need to progress...quickly
Quite rightly so, all the talk on tour is about Djokovic steamrolling to titles. Aside from the usual suspects, just who is emerging to challenge the elite for titles on Tour? 2014 Monte Carlo champion Stan Wawrinka continues to stutter and was trounced by Dimitrov 6-1, 6-2. Wawrinka seems lost, lacking assurance in his game whereas Dimitrov was swept aside by Monfils. Promising Canadian Milos Raonic retired injured when behind to Berdych and US Open champion Marin Cilic was thrashed 6-0, 6-3 by Djokovic. In short, the chasing pack are not pushing the big guns hard enough. Can anyone break through in Barcelona?
Surprise package Isner
One possible contender to cause a stir on clay this season is towering American John Isner. The 29-year-old, who has previously featured in the top 10, took Nadal to three sets in Monte Carlo and managed to showcase a clay game of much more than just his giant serve. His movement seems to have improved on the dirt and Isner is in fine form this season, having made the Miami semi-finals, losing to eventual champion Novak Djokovic 7-6, 6-2. Isner will need to add more strings to his bow to challenge for titles during the clay swing but his recent showings have proved he can be a true threat on his day to the big guns.
Ferrer on the slide?

As Wimbledon.com has discussed previously, David Ferrer must be one of the best or the best player to never win a Grand Slam. The Spaniard has come close before, reaching the 2013 Roland Garros final on the clay. The 4-6, 7-5, 2-6 loss to Nadal in Monte Carlo had a far too familiar feeling to it. Nadal dominating, Ferrer battling back and never giving up, but ultimately his countryman prevailed in style. It sounds harsh but Ferrer is on the cusp of a decline. At the age of 33 it must be desperately hard to maintain his astonishing work rate and fitness levels. As he approaches a crucial period for ranking points, Ferrer is at a crossroads of competing again with the top players or falling down the pecking order.

Rolling onto Barcelona
The clay season now immediately heads to Barcelona. Reigning champion Kei Nishikori, who ended a run of 11 straight years with Spanish champions in Barcelona to cruise past Santiago Giraldo 6-2, 6-2 last year, retuns to the fold to try and retain his title. Rafael Nadal steps up his Roland Garros preparations alongside David Ferrer, Marin Cilic, Feliciano Lopez, Jo Wilfried-Tsonga. Can any emerge to capitalize upon Djokovic’s rest?

Fed Cup final line-up
Reigning Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova guided the Czech Republic to a 3-1 victory over France in the Fed Cup semi-finals by winning both of her singles matches against Kristina Mladenovic and Carloline Garcia. The 2014 winners will now contest their fourth Fed Cup final in five years against Russia. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Elena Vesnina were the heroes, winning the deciding doubles to defeat Germany in Sochi.
Slide-Back Saturday: Rafael Nadal, King of Kings
Posted on April 18, 2015 by Nick Nemeroff
Rafael Nadal is undoubtedly the greatest clay court player in tennis history.
No ifs, ands, or buts about it: what the Spaniard has done on the red dirt is simply unparalleled. No player, male or female, has accomplished what Nadal has on clay on any surface.
Throughout his professional career, Nadal has won a mind-boggling 93% of his clay-court matches. Nadal’s losses on clay over the last ten years have been aberrations of all aberrations – the Hayley’s Comet of tennis, if you will.
For just under a decade, he has faced the best of the best and has passed the test nearly every time. From 2005-2012, Nadal did not lose a single match at Monte Carlo. At the French Open, between 2005-2014, Nadal has lost once, and has only been pushed to a fifth set twice.

Nadal’s game is benefited by the clay more than any other player’s game is on any surface has been at any time in tennis history. But what makes Nadal so good on the surface?
It all starts with the forehand.
Contrary to popular belief, Rafael Nadal does not possess an extreme-western forehand, yet manages to generate an incredible amount of topspin. The stroke’s heavy whip is instead generated by the shape of his swing, and the amount of racket head speed he is able to create.

Nadal’s typically hits a reverse-forehand, meaning he finishes the swing on the same side of his body as it starts, as opposed taking the racket across his body and finishing over the opposite shoulder or arm.
This provides him a larger plane (or zone) to drive his racket up the ball, thereby allowing him to brush up the back of the ball with incredible racket head speed and force. Nadal wasn’t the first player to do this by any means, but he’s mastered uses it more frequently than anyone else. His racket head speed is a result of his strong technique and terrific coordination between body and racket.

To be sure, the topspin that Nadal generates from all of this is extremely beneficial on any surface. Basic physics tells us that the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection, meaning that Nadal’s high arching, heavy topspin balls will have loads of height, then jump off the court with an angle to match the height from which it came. No other player in the world can match the bite and explosive nature of Nadal’s topspin forehand. Players facing Nadal for the first time have often commented in amazement of his unprecedented forehand.
But this aspect of Nadal’s forehand is made infinitely more difficult to deal with on clay, due to high and slow nature of the bounces seen on the red dirt. His shot is already vaulting out of his opponents strike zones without the assistance of the clay.
Put him on his beloved terre battue and his forehand is a terror for opponents to handle.
The offensive forehand is not the only reason why Nadal has been so successful on clay. It’s important to also consider his remarkable speed and defense.

Nadal is one of the fastest players on the ATP World Tour. He’s able to cover a large amount of court in a small amount of time. For years, the former No. 1 has presented himself as an impenetrable wall, one that can stand behind the baseline and defend the width of the court with his speed and scrambling. He is also able to cover acute angles that opponents attempt to create to break those barriers.

What’s so tough about Nadal on clay? When you’re at the mercy of Nadal’s forehand and offensive repertoire, there’s not much you can do. When you finally begin to play offense, there’s only so much you can do, before you’re suddenly playing defense again, or have lost the point.

On a surface that requires players to grind, Nadal has not only figured out how to beat opponents by playing immaculate defense, but he has also brought one of the most lethal forehands in tennis history to the table, a forehand that simultaneously combines power and safety. Never before has a single shot been as safe yet as powerful as Nadal’s forehand.
A clay court is already made of dust, but Rafael Nadal broke ground all the same.

What is your favorite aspect of Rafael Nadal’s clay court tennis?