Big Mardys: IWCC, Day 9
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by Pete Bodo
Mornin' everyone. The BNP Paribas Open is shaping up as one hail of a tournament, eh? But first . . . a little housekeeping note:
I'm sorry for the new flurry of Typepad glitches; they've done some heavy wrenching on the site, and we're in the midst of some significant transitions that hopefully will work out well. Rosangel is all over these problems, and firing off missives to the SixApart folks to keep them abreast of our needs and difficulties.
Oddly enough, the new posting screen in which I (and others with the keys to the car) write is a great improvement over the former screen, and I've had no trouble working in it. I'm sorry about the disappearing comment pages, just bear with me as we try to ride out this ongoing transition. I must say that the customized pagination (as we knew it before this new crop of problems emerged) has worked out pretty well, IMO, although even I still get a little confused navigating when new pages go up. Rosangel will keep you posted.
Now, on to the tournament: let's dust off our stock of Warrior Moment badges (one of you TW lifers will have to explain about them to the kids) and pin one on Rafael Nadal, for his comeback from five match-points down to beat his nemesis, David Nalbandian. I can think of a handful of reasons for why Nadal could have let the match slide, but then he wouldn't be Rafael Nadal. This win could pay a huge deferred bonus at Grand Slam events down the pike. Call it Rafa's investment in his short-term future.
Nadal can breathe a little more easily now, but Roger Federer needs to be wary as he squares off with Fernando Verdasco. If you were pressed to pick a match that might be a good barometer by which to measure Federer's confidence and fitness, you couldn't have come up with a better opponent than Verdasco. It has Nadal-Nalbandian written all over it, but a persuasive win by Federer will make a big statement.
It's been a good tournament for some of the younger American men (Sam Querrey and Jon Isner), as well as the nation's torch-bearer, Andy Roddick. Isner lost to Juan Martin del Potro in a match in which neither man's serve was broken. If Isner can hold serve on a surface as slow as the cement of Indian Wells, he'll win plenty of matches on every surface other than clay. What I wonder about, though, is his work ethic. He more or less rolled into the big-time on the strength of half-a-dozen good tiebreakers, and suddenly he was a name - with all that implies. That can turn a guy's head, especially if he's content to be a big Mardy in a small pond (remember, American tennis is suffering a drought). I'll have to check around to see what I hear. . .
Querrey, I do hear, has been working hard and he's tucked firmly under the wing of Patrick McEnroe and his aides in the USTA elite player development program. My theory is that with Blake seemingly off-form and struggling, Querrey has a great shot at inserting himself into the US Davis Cup squad conversation - if he's prepared to prioritize that aspect of his career. An infusion of fresh blood can be a good thing, but not if it's a gamble, which means Blake and Querrey will be worth tracking over the coming months.
And while we're on Davis Cup heroes, how about Andy Roddick? He had a quality win yesterday over David Ferrer. Sure, Ferrer hasn't appeared to be quite the player he was through most of 2007, but talented, hard-working players coming off a slump (and Ferrer's lasted through most of 2008) are a dangerous breed - much like they are when they first make a move toward the Top 10.
I didn't see Roddick's win, but given Ferrer's terrier-like tendencies, I have a feeling he crafted it partly on the foundation of his leaner frame. Just the other day, US Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe was saying that before Larry Stefanki hooked up with Roddick, nobody thought to ask what difference it might make if Roddick lost a few pounds and trimmed up. But it clearly has made a difference, not least in Roddick's own mind. During the Davis Cup tie against Switzerland in Birmingham, Andy made a great get in his match against Marco Chiudinelli. McEnroe commented on it as Andy recovered and moved back toward the baseline, and Andy turned and simply said: "Fifteen pounds ago, I don't get that ball."
So here we are, with Roddick once again stirring hope that he can close that gap that separates him from the Big Four. It's like that with Andy. His A game - or let's say his A results - fade in and out, like a station on the car radio when you're barreling down the Interstate. It's a testament to the extent to which the guy leaves no stone unturned in his quest to improve and keep pace, and those who dismiss that with a guffaw and suggest that all he's doing is re-arranging the deck chairs on his personal Titanic are doing him an injustice.
Personally, I marvel at how much sheer energy and faith it must take to resist lapsing into a very comfortable position as a second-tier player (think Nikolay Davydenko, or Nalbandian) - especially when you also happen to be a huge star, with all the rewards and options that implies. One guy to whom he can be compared in this regard is Marat Safin. I'm not going to tell the Mickey Rourke of tennis how to live his life, but I'll admit to admiring Roddick for the way he leads his - first and foremost, the guy is a tennis player with an insatiable hunger to compete and a deep belief that he can win.
You know what? As long as Roddick has that faith, I'm sticking with him (the same goes for Roger Federer, who isn't in all that different a boat when you think about it). I don't think of myself as a fan, per se, but I still believe I owe it to admire and believe in the guys who show two qualities: that they care, and that they believe in themselves.
I also have empirical evidence for my belief, some of it gathered at the Davis Cup tie. Roddick's game - once easily pigeon-holed as the game of a big, raw-boned boy - has really filled out. His ability to play any given point with a carefully dialed in degree of defense (or offense) has improved, as has his ability to call on defense or offense situationally, sometimes within the same game, or even the same point. His slice backhand may be "just" a rally shot, but that's fine - you don't expect your needle-nose pliers to do the work of a hacksaw, either.
Roddick's recent history has been one of trying to maximize the potential of his backhand, and to discover where it fits in best with a game that rests on the twin foundations of a huge serve and lethal forehand. That Roddick is dealing with that issue at this stage of his career helps explain his resume, but it also suggests that his game is still not a finished product. Roddick's battle of the backhand has moved from the areas of technique and execution into the realm of strategic use. Maximizing what effectiveness it has, combined with his new level of fitness, adds up to making Roddick a better player.
Just how much better, we must wait to learn.