Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Why Juan Martin Del Potro Should Receive a US Open Wildcard

A week ago, another Twitter poster, Baseline Bagels, and I got into a heated debate over whether Juan Martin Del Potro deserves a wildcard to the US Open.  Del Potro would need a wildcard to the US Open because his ranking (at 142 in the live rankings currently) is not high enough to give him direct entry into the main draw, and I learned though that he is not using a PR because, I would assume, it has either expired or he has used it all up.  I am vehement, however, that not only does Del Potro deserve a wildcard to the US Open, but that the US Open should be extremely enthusiastic about giving him one.

For starters, Del Potro is a former US Open champion.  In 2009, Juan Martin won the event, beating an impressive group of players in the process.  In the final three rounds of the tournament, he beat three slam champions (although only two at the time) in Marin Cilic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer.  Del Potro beat Nadal in straight sets, only losing six games, and came back from two-sets-to-one down in the Final to beat Federer.  Coming into that Final with Federer, Del Potro had only lost two sets during the tournament.

So, with a resume like that, it seems obvious that Del Potro would receive a wildcard if his ranking is not high enough to have direct entry into the main draw.  At only 27 years old, Del Potro is still in the prime of his career, and as wins this year over Stanislas Wawrinka, Dominic Thiem, Gilles Simon, and Grigor Dimitrov have shown, Del Potro is still capable of playing at a very high level and would certainly not be an easy First Round opponent for anyone.

Baseline Bagels tried to say that giving Del Potro a wildcard would be the same as giving one to former champion  Lleyton Hewitt.  However, besides the fact that Lleyton Hewitt has retired, he is also 35 years old and has not won consecutive singles matches since 2014.   If Hewitt was 27 years old, then he would probably have an argument for receiving a wildcard, but Del Potro and Hewitt's situations are much different and should not be compared.

Another important thing to remember about Del Potro is that he is the only male slam, and US Open, champion from the Western Hemisphere (another difference between him and Hewitt) since Andy Roddick at the US Open in 2003.  While he isn't an American, he is from the Americas and that is definitely something to keep in mind when deciding whether to give the wildcard to an American or Del Potro.  Because, the crux of Baseline Bagel's argument is that the US Open is a place to develop American talent, and thus every non-reciprocal wildcard should be given to American players.

And in almost any other situation, I would wholeheartedly agree with Baseline Bagels.  The United States has so many young, talented American players alongside many talented older Americans that have made their mark on tennis in the United States, that, even if Del Potro had a ranking that got him direct entry into the main draw, choosing the US Open wildcards would be extremely difficult.  However, with a former champion, 27 years old, from the Americas not directly into the main draw, it is a no-brainer that Del Potro should receive a wildcard instead of any of the other candidates for that wildcard.  In regards to the younger Americans,  the American player not receiving a wildcard because Del Potro received one might be better off in the long run attempting to qualify (just as Del Potro had to qualify in the early stages of his career) for the US Open instead of being given a wildcard.

And, the US Open also doesn't have to worry that giving a wildcard to a non-American would mean less fans would be interested in the US Open, and specifically Juan Martin's matches.  Del Potro already is a household name, he has huge fan support, and any match he plays in will be a huge draw.

For me, this is an easy decision for the USTA to make.  The USTA should absolutely give Juan Martin Del Potro a US Open wildcard.

Monday, July 18, 2016

United States Davis Cup Disappointment: What Went Wrong and What's Next?

The entire situation was sort of surreal.  The United States couldn't possibly have blown a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five Davis Cup, could they have?  As I sat last night pondering what happened in the United States-Croatia Davis Cup Quarterfinals, I just couldn't wrap my brain around the total collapse that occurred for the United States in this competition.  And, when you combine the collapse with the reality of the current state of American male tennis, it makes the loss all the more frustrating.

The Davis Cup campaign for the US men started out promising.  After losing in the Round of 16 of the World Group to Great Britain the past two years, in 2016, the team won their Round of 16 tie against Australia, beating the Australians in their home country on the grass in four matches.  John Isner beat Sam Groth, the Bryan Brothers won the doubles match in five sets, and the Isner took down Bernard Tomic to win the tie for the Americans.  This was a huge win for the United States, as a very winnable next tie against Croatia loomed.

The tie against Crotia started out amazingly well for the United States.  After losing the first two sets, Jack Sock proceeded to win the next three to beat Marin Cilic in a dramatic five set victory to give America a 1-0 lead in the tie.  Considering how Cilic also lost in five sets to Roger Federer in his previous match at Wimbledon (also leading two sets to none), this was a greatly damaging loss to his psyche.  John Isner then took the second rubber of the tie over Borna Coric in three fairly straight-forward sets to give the United States a commanding lead.

In my mind, and I imagine in the minds of many American tennis fans and even the players, it was a matter of "when" rather than "if" in regards to when the United States would finish off this tie, with the Bryan Brothers having a great shot to win the doubles rubber and make sure there would not be a live rubber on Sunday.  This is when things went awry.

Bob and Mike Bryan took on Ivan Dodig and Marin Cilic in the doubles rubber.  The Bryans, obviously, are doubles legends.  They have won 16 doubles majors, and an Olympic goal together, while also winning 11 mixed doubles majors split between the two (Bob with seven mixed titles and Mike with four).  It is a great luxury for the United States to be able to put such an amazing doubles team out there every time Davis Cup rolls around, and it is almost to be expected that America will take the doubles rubber.

It must be said that Ivan Dodig was a player not to be underestimated.  He has been as high as number four in the world in doubles, and won the 2015 French Open with Marcelo Melo.  However, Dodig's doubles partner in this match, Marin Cilic, scarcely plays doubles, as shown by his doubles ranking of number 256 in the world.  Therefore, presumably, he would be the major weakness on the court.  However, that did not turn out to be the case.

Instead, it was Mike Bryan who was the weak spot out there, causing major issue for the American squad.  With a serve that was broken often, and which I could not say was even at the level of serve you'd see on the ATP Challenger Tour, while doing enough with the rest of his game to make up for his serving deficiencies, it was a disastrous day for Mike.  It was very upsetting watching the match, as the Bryan Brothers as a tandem have clearly lost a step out there, which an experienced doubles player like Dodig was quick to exploit.  And while Cilic played well, the Bryans just couldn't seem to put him in tough positions at the net, which might have also allowed his recent best-of-five issues to enter the front of his mind.  But, In the end, Dodig/Cilic won the match in four sets, and the tie would go on to Sunday.

I must say, my expectations for John Isner beating a rejuvenated Marin Cilic were not high.  I thought John had a chance, and certainly felt like he would take a set, but Cilic is a singles major champion and certainly not someone to be underestimated.  John, however, put in a slightly disheartening performance, losing in straights sets, and only even being able to reach a tiebreak in the first set.  In that first set John had a set point on Cilic's serve in the tiebreak, but couldn't convert, as Cilic managed to win the point after initially being on the defensive. In the second and third sets, Isner's huge serve was broken.  Isner also never managed to break Cilic's big serve, losing out on his first, and only break chance.  The tie was all-square, two apiece.

It seemed, to me, as if Isner felt he had done his job when he beat Coric on Friday, and never truly believed that he had what it took to beat Cilic.  And this same lack of belief is what makes it disappointing that John pulled out of the Olympics and an ATP 250 event in Atlanta instead.  It seems as if John's thinking is, "I don't think I can beat those top guys, so why try?"  And I believe it is this type of mindset which has hindered John throughout his career, and was in full display yesterday, once more, against Marin.

The fifth rubber was between Jack Sock and Borna Coric.  Sock came into the match with all of the momentum with his huge comeback victory over Cilic.  That was the type of match which changes a career, as Sock not only beat a major champion in the best-of-five format, but did so when the odds were certainly against him.  I expected him to come into this match oozing with confidence.  And against Coric, a solid player, but not a guy with big weapons, I thought that Jack would be able to dictate play and pull out the victory.  However, from the very start, Sock looked very low-energy out there, as if he were physically done from the match against Cilic.

All Coric really had to do was play good defense, get balls back in play, and wait for Sock to implode.  The forehand that Jack is known for did not have the same bite as we are accustomed to seeing.  And, I believe, it all stems back to Jack's fitness.  I have been very critical of Sock in the past for not being fit enough to compete at the highest level on tour.  His performances in Atlanta last year and in the Houston Final this year were a real indicator that Jack needs to be working harder on his fitness.  Yesterday was yet another example of how he needs to be in better shape.  Now, it seems like adrenaline during the Cilic match is what got him through that match, and when that adrenaline was gone, Sock could not handle the physical demands of another best-of-five match, especially against a defensive-minded Coric.  Borna won the match in four sets, winning tie for Croatia 3-2.  Croatia moved on to the Davis Cup Semifinals.

So, what can be done to make sure that a disappointing tie like this never happens again?  I think that the United States should adjust who is playing on the team.  I will start off by saying that I think that the Bryans should get to continue to play the doubles rubber until they retire.  They have earned the right to have this opportunity, and there is no other American doubles player that is good enough to even approach the current level of Mike and Bob Bryan.

However, I would put different players in for John Isner and Jack Sock.  I think American tennis should start looking to the future.  Players such as Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Stefan Kozlov, and Tommy Paul should be given an early start playing for the United States Davis Cup team.  Yes, these guys might not be winning matches immediately, but they are the building blocks for American tennis, and while the United States might not win the Davis Cup this year, if you allow young players such as Fritz, Tiafoe, Kozlov, and Paul to get Davis Cup experience early in their careers, then this will be beneficial for years down the road, and maybe in five years the United States can win Davis Cup once more.

Putting some of these young players out there might not be a popular choice, initially.  I understand that, but with the game that these young Americans have shown, I think they could surprise some folks, possibly even winning a round or two next year, if a combination of these four players, based on the surface played on, were the singles players for the United States Davis Cup team next season.

But, even if you don't like my idea for how to change up the United States Davis Cup team, based on the disappointment this past weekend, it is quite clear that a change of some sort, either with in regards to who is in the lineup or who is our captain, must occur.

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Wimbledon Officials Handles Berdych-Vesely Match Very Poorly

When the dust settled on the fantastic match between former finalist Tomas Berdych and Jiri Vesely, Berdych had won 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(8), (9)6-7, 6-3.  The match, remarkably, lasted around four hours, consisted of five sets, and was played over two days.  The match was truly remarkable, and honestly, who doesn't love a long five-set battle with two players playing their hearts out during the second week of a major?  But, the circumstances surrounding the match are where the problems lie.

By the tiebreak in the fourth set, tensions were high.  Berdych had lead 5-2* in the fourth, had three match points at *5-6, and was soon down in the tiebreak 6-1*.  Berdych actually came all of the way back from that 6-1* deficit, missing two more match points in the tiebreak.  Vesely eventually went on to win the tiebreak 11-9, and the fifth set of the match pushed till today.

And while the fifth set only lasted 37 minutes, Berdych winning it 6-3, the combination of the physical strain from a match lasting around four hours, and the mental strain of having to sleep on the match overnight (after having multiple match points last night) created a tricky situation for both players, and will continue to have an effect on Berdych for his quarterfinal match tomorrow against Lucas Pouille.

There was arguably not even enough sunlight to finish the tiebreak last night.  As ESPN showed last night, sunset in London yesterday was at 9:19 PM, and the clock struck this time during the tiebreak last night.  As soon as 9:19 PM hits, play absolutely should have stopped on all outer courts.  Playing the match in darkness leads the match to have a "roulette feel".  Due to the fact that sight is obviously an important sense to have on the tennis court, if lack of light is hindering one's sight, as what happens when the sun sets, and was almost certainly evidenced by Berdych's mood during the tiebreak (in addition to his frustrations because of his blown chances), then the match should obviously be stopped, not matter the point in the match where sunset occurs.

So, not stopping play upon sunset was one problem that Berdych-Vesely displayed yesterday.  However, another issue was at hand.  Playing best-of-five tennis is a grueling endeavor for a tennis player.  Players has to compete at a very high level for quite a long time, while staving off any physical ailments that could occur over the course of the match.

Keeping this in mind, it is extremely unfair of Wimbledon to force Berdych (or Vesely had he won) to play four straight days in order to reach the Semifinals.  Berdych and Vesely playedThird  Round matches against Alexander Zverev and Joao Sousa, respectively, on the Middle Sunday, where there is typically no play (a ridiculous rule, honestly) because of issues with rain.  The two then had to battle each other yesterday for over three hours, and today for over half an hour.  While playing so little today might not seem like a big deal, but the cumulative effects of playing so much tennis, and for the winner, Berdych, having to play again tomorrow is a huge ask.

So, what could Wimbledon have done to alleviate the hardship they put on the victor?  The answer is quite simple.  As at least one commentator on ESPN heard based on Berdych's reaction to stopping yesterday, moving the match to Centre Court to finish under the roof, and the lights, was certainly a good option to make sure that the winner would get a full day of rest.

Considering that in-progress matches have been moved to Centre Court before to finish under the lights, such as Simon-Monfils last year and Bouchard-Rybarikova this year, it wouldn't be such a crazy idea to allow the fifth set of Berdych-Vesely to played under the roof at Centre Court.  When one considers competitive balance, such as the fact that Pouille, and everyone else that was left in the entire main draw, had finished their  matches already and would be receiving an off-day today, then it certainly seems like the wrong decision to force Berdych and Vesely to come out and finish their match today.

If this was the French Open, where there are (unfortunately) no lights, then of course make the players come back the next day to finish the match.  However, when there are resources available that would prevent one playing from gaining a competitive advantage over another, then it is deplorable if you don't use them.

Ultimately, I am left having to say that the officials of the most prestigious tournament on the planet handled the Berdych-Vesely match poorly.  And now, while the tennis world turns their attention to the men's Quarterfinals, former finalist Tomas Berdych will have to pay the price, not only for not closing out the match sooner, but because the Wimbledon officials, totally out of his control, made a poor decision.