Djokovic conquers Rome
After Federer and Nadal both lost earlier in the tournament, Novak Djokovic immediately became the favorite in Rome. He got a bit of a free pass when Radek Stepanek retired losing 6-0, 1-0 in the semifinals, and then he got another one when Andy Roddick pulled out of the other semifinal match. So, Djokovic ended up playing Stanislas Wawrinka in the finals.
The first set was dominated by Wawrinka. He pushed Djokovic all over the court with his powerful forehand and equally as good one-handed backhand. After that, it was all Djokovic as he rolled 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. The key to this match was the adjustment Djokovic made by coming to the net and hitting short shots. His drop shots were especially effective because Wawrinka moved back a few extra feet behind the baseline.
Wawrinka is one heck of a player, and if he adds more net play to his powerful game, I think he has the ability to contend with the top players. With his run to the finals, he jumped 14 spots in the rankings to a new career high of #10 in the world.
Personally, I miss being at the Italian Open with Arias, Krickstein, Courier and Agassi. Those were the good old days, where no one dropped out during the event. The semifinal withdrawals took to much away from the final weekend of play.
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