'Two'-Slam-Wonder...

Today was always going to be a tricky one for me.

It was on the face of it a win-win situation: My #1 pick for the event, with her best chance yet of ridding herself of that 'real #1" baggage. Versus a lady I've made no efforts to conceal my admiration for since the inception of this blog, the most naturally gifted player IMO since the departure of Henin, who'd been in what I now hope will be the last trough of her tennis career since winning her first Slam at the US Open in 2004.

"What do you mean you want this thing back already!?"
(Photo: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Unfortunately this could also be viewed as a lose-lose situation - for either of these two to go out would have been heartbreaking, and as pleased as I am that Sveta has finally got the 'one-Slam-wonder' monkey off her back, my heart tonight goes out to Dinara Safina.

She's got no one but herself to blame of course, but to come unstuck in three Slam finals (two of which she had a good chance of winning) within the space of 12 months must make her feel very low indeed.

She looked a little shaky from the outset, but didn't make that bad a start - just not as smooth and controlled as Sveta. Her serve however really let her down today, and her game began to unravel rapidly from early on in the second set, in a way from which she never really recovered.

The most painful image of the final has got to be the sight of Dinara staring desperately towards Zeljko, her eyes almost imploring him to tell her what to do. But props are due to Zeljko, ever the consummate professional, doing nothing more than nodding his head in support - how many coaches would be out of their seats, issuing those dodgy hand signals to their charge in their moment of crisis?

(Photo: LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP/Getty Images)

Can we now all agree what a BIG mistake on court coaching has been, and consign it to that intergalactic trashcan found in the same pocket of the multiverse that Roger Federer lost that five setter to Tommy Haas in?

As Justine Henin once said (who never once used the facility even though it was available to her), if you can't use the facility at the Slams, then what's the point of getting used to it outside of them?

Hope Dinara's not too downcast. She might remember that she didn't stumble upon the world #1 ranking by accident. Arguments about her style of play and 'quantity over quality' are largely redundant, as they may be applied to this comparatively weak generation as a whole: she's at least as deserving of a Slam as Ivanovic was.

She may not be more talented than her opponent on the other side of the net today, but it's surely only a matter of time, is it not, before she bags one of these things herself?

And in Zeljko she seems to have found the perfect partnership to make that dream a reality. For tonight, dust yourself off and go find Marat. Shoot some pool or watch some feel-good movies with him. I think he's still in town.

But major props, hearty congrats and a specially animated mention must go to Sveta. The final itself was insignificant. The greater victory comes in the journey she's taken to get to this point. I knew that kick serve and effortless shotmaking were too good to waste away!

Some say the first Slam came too quickly for her - the woman that came through on Chatrier today was a different person to that immature, braced teenager that stormed to victory five years ago.

And the maturity showed, in the calm, controlled way in which she went about the match , the way she didn't wildly celebrate when Safina served that ghastly double fault at Championship point (didn't even smile in fact) , through to the understated and dignified way she delivered her victory speech, demonstrating to me that she may finally be coming to terms with her own worth.

She'll still have her wobbles of course. I daresay she wouldn't be Sveta if she didn't. I just hope they now come in the form of the odd set dropped here and there (she played her share of three setters here), rather than those inexplicable lapses that caused her to mentally check out of entire matches in the past.

Couldn't have happened to a nicer person.
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History Beckons (and demands rather a lot)...

Much as I like Gonzo, there were two very strong reasons I was backing Soderling to come through the first semi.

-- Gonzo has been to a Slam final and come unstuck against Federer before. Yes I know he was tired out in 2007, and that Federer was on specially stellar form during that period, but it's not just me that doesn't generally rate Gonzo's chances very highly against Federer - his game seems to match up too well. Given the gravity of what may be achieved at this event, we needed someone in the final that would really make Roger earn his way into the history books.

"Soderling's been playing out of his skin..."

-- Federer fans may dislike it, but if Roger wins here on Sunday, history will always remember this as being the event where Rafa went out to a guy he doesn't like very much. A guy who'd never been beyond the third round of a Slam, playing out of his skin.

And that, I'm afraid means asterisks against the name of any eventual winner, history books or no history books.

If I had it my way, Federer would have to go through Nadal to win the only Slam that eludes him. Preferably over five brutal sets in a final lasting five hours.

But sport, and life in general, has a funny habit of disappointing us like that. If I can't have a Rafa-Roger final, I want to see nothing less than Roger Federer taking on Rafa's conqueror in a best of five set match with both men playing at the peak of their powers. History demands it because history's on the line.

And a hard earnt win might just cause the GOAT cynics to make a little less of that asterisk.

It doesn't disappear of course, especially if Robin comes out on Sunday and plays a complete stinker. But I've no reason to suppose that that will happen.

Dude's played out of so many layers of skin, he may enter Chatrier on Sunday looking like a sinewy mass of skeletal muscle, usually found on the last two pages of your high school textbook on Human Biology.

***

Special mention to Del Potro who's gone from being a player I didn't like very much to being one of the shining stars of this event IMO. I've found my dislike for his style of play gradually receding ever since the clay court season began actually, with the way he took to the surface which isn't after all one he's at all comfortable on (Yes not all South Americans are born "gifted and able" on the red stuff).

You can sometimes forget that the guy has only recently turned 20, and although he strolls around very slowly between points, his concentration and focus are a class above the Andy Murray of a couple of years ago.

And today he showed us the extent of his mental development with the way he took Federer to five sets - a considerable achievement given that he'd yet to bag a set in either of their previous five meetings (The double bagel Roger inflicted on him at Melbourne this year will likely remain forever inscribed on his soul). It would have been so easy and so predictable, given that record, to roll over the way Monfils did a round earlier. The serving in particular was something special, and stands him in good stead in the upcoming grass court season.
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Ladies Semi Finals and a Word on Robin...

Ok I realise Rafaelites (and most tennis fans in general it seems) won't like this, but we might soon be seeing the departure of the big swinging Swede, and I think it's time to tip my hat a little at the man responsible for giving us what's likely to remain the biggest story of this event.

Especially considering how disparaging I've been towards his forehand, a stroke which I'm unlikely to revise my opinion of. Ever.

Not that he or anyone else should care of course. It's unsightliness serves almost as a forewarning of the devastation it's capable of inflicting. Whoever said that brutality wouldn't be a necessary ingredient to bringing about the biggest upset in clay court history? And besides, it gives us a different take on 'Winning Ugly'.

"We should shoot pool or something..."

I have no idea how tomorrow's match versus Gonzalez will turn out, but if it is to be Robin's last appearance here, he can go out knowing he's pulled off what in my eyes is a greater achievement than the way Nadal unseated Federer at Wimbledon last year.

(There was always a sense that Nadal was inching ever closer towards doing that having made the final there for the previous two years, but Rafa at RG was about the safest bet in sport).

Nadal's always been vulnerable to flat hitters, but like many others, I thought he had exorcised that particular demon in the way he'd turned around his record against James Blake and MikailYouzhny.

I'm not sure what lies next for Robin. It's probably a safer bet to assume he won't follow up on this form in the immediate future. But I will say this: hitting the ball as flat and as accurately and aggressively as he does off both wings won't just cause Nadal problems.

There's probably less than a handful of players that can do that.

If you can do it for any extended period of time -- à la Safin v Federer Melbourne'05 -- it almost doesn't matter who's on the other side of the net. That just may be the other safest bet in tennis.

***

We did have some ladies semi finals action today.

Dinara came through in straights against Cibulkova in a match that deserved a third set given how intensely fought it was. I'm pretty sure I've never seen Dinara get more Marat on us. I counted two expletives ("Move your f****g feet!") amidst the usual gloriously toned episodes of Russian self berating.

It clearly matters to her.

But it didn't stop there. Dinara was in full flow today.

And Russian Drama preceded Deadpan Humour. And Irony. Look out for her 'That was a good shot', after a serve that went so horribly wrong, it hit her side of the court before ending up in the net.

I love having mics so close to players. Best media innovation ever.

I've always been a sucker for underdogs and Dominika, with the way she contests each and every point and the punch that she packs, makes the job of liking her all the more easier.

And the sight of all 5 foot 2 inches of her doing battle with the big girls, meant I was the closest I've been yet to backing one of Dinara's opponents.

She's surely one of the most consistent players on tour, but that usually indicates a distinct lack of aggression (think Jelena). No so here - if anything it looks like she's taking aim for the lines.

Yes, ultimately her lack of height does prove to be a problem where she's unable to direct anything she's forced to hit above her shoulders; but I actually think shorter players like her have a unique advantage against the taller women.

Cast your mind back to the match Ivanovic played against Jie Zheng at Wimbledon last year. For Ana, it was the onset of that great journey named 'all at sea' tennis players take once in a while. There's been reports of her vessel approaching the misty French harbours this week, but her return date remains uncertain.

Anyway, one of the things she said after the loss was how difficult she found it to reach those low bouncing balls that were practically skidding past her - the bounce no doubt made worse by the grass, but also largely down to the stature and technique of her opponent.

No need for a maths lecture here, but most short players compensate for their lack of height by hitting with bucket loads of topspin. Now consider the trajectory of a flat stroke and compare one struck by a taller player to that struck by a shorter player.

Because the taller player's shot will be begin it's journey from a slightly higher position, the corresponding bounce will also be higher. Yes, it's easier for them to execute a flatter stroke because of the height advantage, but their ball will also sit up a little more.

Conversely, a flat shot will be a lot harder to execute for a shorter player - they run the obvious risk of over shooting. But if they do manage to land the ball in, it will be that much more difficult to return as it will likely remain pretty low. That's what Ivanovic was up against rally after rally. Not surprised she emerged as flustered as she was.

It takes a pretty talented player to pull that off. But I think Jie Zheng and Dominika Cibulkova, ranked 19 and 15 in the world respectively, fit that bill perfectly.

The other semi involved Sveta and Sam Stosur - a woman that has made #1 in the world in the Doubles Rankings. I was looking forward to this one as it involved two very unique talents.

Two of the only female players capable of serving a kicker.

I feel about kicked serves the same way I do about single handed backhands. A uniquely effective but somewhat lost art, particularly on the womens tour.

I also loved the inspirational story of the big return from Lymes Disease, that sat rather well, I thought, alongside the first Aussie showing at a Grand Slam Semi in 21 years.

There was a lot resting on this one for me.

Unfortunately it failed to live up to it's billing.

Stosur was sadly missing in action, until late in the second set when a sudden surge from her secured the tie break. Sveta's form coughed and spluttered the way it usually does, periods of sheer brilliance punctuated with brain dead nonsense (Remind me again why I'm a fan? Something to do with effortless shotmaking).

Things picked up in the last set though, and featured rallies of the highest quality from both women. Rallies that convinced me that Stosur, despite it being an off day for her, is capable of pushing her ranking higher than her current position at #32.

She really does play her tennis a little differently. The serve is not the heaviest I've seen, but quite brilliant in it's placement and variation. And of course there's that kicker - not put to best use today it must be said. But what really stood out for me -- because I wasn't prepared for it like I was with the kicker -- was the forehand.

Eurosport had a great slow-mo camera profiling the best groundstrokes of both players and I couldn't help noticing how Federer-like her action is.

I'd love to see her playing at the peak of her powers - she said in an interview she was cutting back the doubles to focus on singles and 'making her mark' there. Maybe this Slam is the first of many that sees her do just that.

But I can't help feeling that with the way Sveta fudged and slurred her way through this match, and with the way Dinara mocked and caricatured her way through hers, it's Dinara that's demonstrating the greater determination.

Sveta has bags more talent but it seems to be Dinara's time.
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Now That The Dust Has Settled...

Well it seems I needn't have worried...

La Monf's date with Mr Destiny wasn't nearly as competitive or as intensely fought as I expected. A surprisingly unextravagant well ordered affair.

Where were those primaeval screams, that fevered whipping up of the crowd, those rallies he plays like he's dodging bullets?

Yes order was restored to RG today, and after the multi-dimensional topsy-turviness we've had, I'm not ashamed of admitting I'm finding it a little tough to swallow - a bit like watching a daytime chatshow after the Director's Cut of Fight Club.

The only match that came close to firing me up was the Serena-Sveta quarter final, one in which Sveta -- after some of her usual jitteriness -- came through by doing what many of us loyal fans have been wanting to see for years: daring to use her natural shotmaking ability at the moments where it matters most.

So there it is. Mr Destiny still has a date with Destiny. Del Potro's through to his first semi. And The Unsightly Forehand takes on The Forehand.

No Serena Slam. No Masha Career Slam. Instead accompanying Marat's little sister, we have a gutsier version of Sveta. An Aussie doubles specialist that can kick her serve. And a feisty Slovakian that can clearly punch beyond her weight (and height).

So not that ordered after all...
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Be Afraid...

I'm sort of thinking I evil-eyed Sharapova out of this tournament, by observing how mind bending it would be if she managed to go all the way by actually winning this thing (which would have meant, amongst other things, a Career Grand Slam). She went out to Cibulkova today in a match where she only very narrowly averted the double bagel eventually losing it 6-0, 6-2.

(Photo: PATRICK KOVARIK/AFP/Getty Images)

Plenty to be proud of me thinks, coming in with all of the three(?) matches she got in at Warsaw. It also looks like her shoulder is in great working order, and the amount of tough three setters she played here should prove invaluable, even though they were largely responsible for putting her out.

But I'm actually a little worried now, since I also talked about the possibility of a Serena-Slam and a Sorana Maiden Slam in the same breath as Sharapova (Can I just trademark the phrase 'Serena v Sorana', in advance of their possible semi final meeting?).

Here's why:

-- I also predicted a Slam final for Kolya: Kolya got dumped out today in straight sets by a red-red-Robin Soderling intent on bob-bob-bobbing his way to victory on Lenglen today. This RG script continues to screw with my sense of order.

I had thought Kolya was the best equipped player left standing in the top half of the draw to bring down 'The Unsightly Forehand', especially after his straight sets dismissal of Nando in his last match, but it was not to be. First set won 6-1 in 23 minutes. Double the amount of winners Kolya hit. I could go on but my eyes are watering. A bad day at the office?

-- I also predicted a possible first Slam for Murray: He went four sets with Gonzo, and was strangely effective for at least two of those, and except for some inexplicable punking out in set three, played a match that added further fuel to my growing belief that there may be something to that strategy of 'playing them as they come'. Still, it doesn't bode well.

I must remind you that these were made in a slightly crazed "well if that can happen" post-Rafa state of mind.

Even so, it's perhaps best not to reiterate my predictions for that Swiss player that hits a good forehand.

He plays La Monf tomorrow, the second consecutive semi they've played here.

I'm afraid.

Monfils bagged a set last year and he's only grown as a player since then.

He energises the crowd with his hypnotically acrobatic displays and curious French take on 'Living Theatre'. In turn, feeding off their reciprocated affection, leading to an intensely successful symbiotic relationship that spells trouble.

Toulouse Lautrec would have had a field day.

Be afraid.



Be very afraid.

***

The match of the day though involved Dinara and Victoria. One in which Vika presented a curiously 'cozier' version of her usual angst-ridden self. A lot of smiles followed up the rare errors she coughed up earlier on - a valuable tip from her team I'm guessing, to keep the crowd from mauling her to bits.

And it all looked great until a few games into the second set. The funny thing was I thought it was Vika that was the better player out there - for the first set she might well have played the best I've ever seen from her. But the way Safina pulled through arguably one of the most difficult matches she might play here suggests real maturity. "Look - No Zeljko".

I want to let you in on a guilty secret. Ever since Vika booed back at the crowd a couple of matches ago, I've sort of forgiven almost all of her past misdemeanours. There's only one thing more intimidating than Rafa at RG and that's the crowd. Anyone foolhardy enough to do something like that gets the thumbs up from me.

I'm even beginning to develop an appreciation for her style of play, I've previously derided as 'one dimensional'. It's not that I've changed my mind about that - I've just made my peace with the reality that that's just the way most womens tennis is played nowadays, apart from the odd anomaly like Carla Suarez Navarro.

She might rein in the histrionics a bit, if only for her own sake.

But it's mostly self-directed - she's never been overtly offensive to any of her opponents as far as I know, and it seems an essential part of her makeup. Like those stunning groundstrokes that seem to home in on the lines. Can't have one without the other I suppose.
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Oh Yeah, The Women's Event...

Third big upset on the ladies side today as Sorana Cirstea, edged out Jelena Jankovic in an epic three setter, she eventually won 3-6 6-0 9-7.

To be honest I've only been keeping a casual eye on proceedings in the womens event, what with the alternate universe scenarios being played out in the mens event over the past three days.

I blame wormholes myself.

But this was in some ways not that unexpected given the way Jankovic had been playing of late, and the determined way Cirstea plays, who first rendered me speechless when I caught a glimpse of her in the closing stages of her match against Wozniacki.

(Photo: JACQUES DEMARTHON/AFP/Getty Images via Yahoo! Sports)

Romania, and Tennis, has a new star. Catalin - This one's for you...

***

All this talk of parallel universes getting their lines crossed (and by doing so, bringing alive some of our craziest fun-filled fantasies as well as our more hellish nightmares) has got me thinking that the ladies are due for their own unique dose of bedlam.

-- What if Sharapova went all the way through to winning this thing? What kind of shock waves would that send through the locker room? Implausible but not impossible.

-- If Serena -- now through to play Kuzzie in the quarters -- pulls of the unexpected by going all the way here, she'll be WELL on course to complete another one of those Serena-Slams. Yes I know I anti-picked this one.

-- And how cool would it be it be if fresh-faced Cirstea followed up on her big win over Jankovic, by going all the way?

What if, indeed...

I'm sticking however, with Dinara as my #1 pick. Not only does she deserve it, but it'll put an end to all that 'real #1' rot. With Sveta as an endearingly close second. Just because "she's worth it".
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It's All Happening Now...

(Photo: PATRICK KOVARIK/AFP/Getty Images via Yahoo! Sports)

Well.

I'd say 'I think I've seen it all now', except I'm pretty sure I haven't.

This Slam continues to surprise me. Amidst the various other fiendish things it's doing to my head.

And not in ways I'm remotely comfortable with.

For the record, I'm a great fan of Tommy Haas's, the guy's had his career torn to shreds by the number of injuries he's had. A very unique talent that made it to #2 in the world in his pony tailed hey day. I love that he's so active and full of belief at the ripe old age of 32.

Except I don't think I've supported Federer so much in any single match he's played. Ever.

The story of what might have been had he lost that match doesn't bear thinking of.

No doubt, that particular thread of fate continues to play out like some torturous Greek Tragedy far away in some remote corner of the multiverse.

I want no part of it.

The only rationalisation I can offer up is that, with Nadal and Djoko out, Federer now needed to provide his own do-it-yourself version of the Grand Narrative - his way of rubbing out (or diminishing the significance of) the asterisk most Rafaelites are sure to draw attention to should he go on to win here. Which presumably means we're all in for some pretty rough rides in his upcoming matches.

Scary. But the alternative is depressingly fatalistic.

The break point he held at 4-4 in the third set with that lob rally that led up to it was the turning point, and provided us with yet another one of those fateful moments that this warped week of Grand Slam Tennis has twisted our minds with (I have an image of a burly Frenchman drilling into some poor fan's skull with a RG-embossed corkscrew)

RANDOM THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

Is anyone else weirded out by the amount of single handed backhands that made it this far in the draw? Or that they're all in the bottom half of the draw? Kohlschreiber's gone out to Robredo who will now hold the fort with Federer, who almost didn't hold out against Tommy Haas.
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