from www.tennisweek.com posted with vodpod

Certainly, Davydenko is the best player you never hear about. He doesn’t have the muscles of Nadal, the good looks of Roddick, or the grace of Federer. When he walks around the grounds, hoards of people don’t follow him around seeking his autograph. He’s quiet, plays hard, and stoic. He doesn’t get flustered on the court and rarely cracks a smile. He is the “working-man” of the ATP Tour.

I think if there was one word to describe his play, it would be solid. His serve and groundstrokes are as solid and consistent as anyone on the tour. He moves very well, his two-handed backhand is excellent, and his ability to take the ball early and hit it flat was the big difference in this match. He kept Nadal off-balance, and made him uncomfortable throughout his 6-4, 6-2 victory.

After watching Davydenko beat Roddick the way he did, I thought if he played at that level against Nadal he would certainly have a very good chance. I still think if he got into a third set against Nadal, that this match could have went the other day. But it didn’t, and Davydenko won. I want to compliment Davydenko for the way he went about his business in this match, and didn’t let the elements (wind, crowd) effect him. It is really a testament to his ability and skill level.

Finally, I think it’s important that we give credit to Mario Ancic. He played Davydenko the best of anyone, which really shows you how good Ancic is. The guy was ranked in the top 10 not too long ago, and after missing pretty much all of 2007 he is looking like the player he once was. He is already back around #50 in the world, and I think he is very capable of getting back into the top 20 before the end of the year. Watch out for him!!

In case you missed the Davydenko/Nadal match here are the highlights:

The second set was more of the same as Williams got up two breaks and was serving for the match at 5-3 when she forgot how to move her feet. Her movement (which we having been raving about) went haywire and she couldn’t find her shot. Jankovic wasn’t doing anything to hurt her, she was just making too many errors. Jankovic was able to win four consecutive games to take the second set 7-5.

Between the second and third set, Jankovic called out the trainer (no surprise there) to help her with an apparent sinus infection. The exchange between the trainer and Jankovic was comical to say the least with the trainer saying, “You will be fine,” and Jankovic replying, “No I won’t.” It was typical Jelena.

In the third set, Williams looked like the player from the first set-and-a-half, but once again she couldn’t close Jankovic out. She was up 5-0 in the second set and then seemed to get nervous and/or too excited. She forgot how to move and started making errors again. Finally, at 5-3 in the third she broke Jankovic and won the match 6-1, 5-7, 6-3.

That was a big win for Serena. This was only her third tournament of the season, and once again she has reminded everyone how good she can be. She defeated the #1, #4, and #3 players in the world in three straight rounds. There is no doubt in my mind that if Serena played a more rigorous schedule (and was able to stay healthy) she would be the #1 player in the world.

Nadal came out with something to prove against Tomas Berdych in the semifinals. In their previous six meetings, Nadal had never defeated Berdych on a hard court. Well, now that he has done that, he will set his sights on doing something else for the first time: winning the title in Miami. This is Nadal’s 13^th career Masters Series final (9-3), and he is now an ATP best 21-5 on the season.

A day after winning one of the biggest matches of his life, Andy Roddick couldn’t take down the super-steady Davydenko. Davydenko is the first Russian male to reach the finals of this tournament, and will be looking to win his second career Masters Series title.

Match-Up:

Nadal is 2-0 against Davydenko, including a victory over him last year at Rome. In his match against Roddick, Davydenko stood 10 feet behind the baseline, which really shook up Roddick and gave him the edge. In this match, Davydenko should be able to catch Nadal’s heavy spinning shots quite early and hit his two-handed backhand down the line for winners. If he can do that, it will be a huge factor throughout his match. Nadal’s serve will hurt Davydenko, but then again Nadal must have a good serving day.

If the conditions are windy, that definitely favors Nadal and his heavy top-spin shots. Also, the longer this match goes the more Nadal’s chances of winning increase. This should be an excellent match between two of the more consistent players on the ATP Tour, and it is going to be close! I am going to give a slight edge to Davydenko in two sets, and Nadal the edge in three sets.

Nick’s Pick – Davydenko in 2, Nadal in 3

For Davydenko, this was a huge win. Roddick came in with all the confidence in the world, and Davydenko was still able to beat him. He did so by standing 8-10 feet behind the baseline and just getting everything back. This strategy really shook up Roddick’s game plan, and you could tell throughout the match that Roddick wasn’t comfortable. We will have to see if Davydenko has a new game plan for Nadal, because he definitely can’t stand that far behind the baseline and expect to win against the Spaniard. We shall see very soon…

Here is the last little bit of the match Roddick/Davydenko match (plus you get to see the drop shot that Roddick runs down…)

WTA

Williams stumbled out of the starting gates a bit against Svetlana Kuznetsova, but like a Kentucky Derby horse making a backstretch run, she regained her form and came back to defeat her in three sets. If Williams can win this title it will be the fifth time she has done so, and the second in a row. That would be quite an astounding feat!

Jankovic blew by Zera Zvonareva in an hour and 14 minutes in the semis, beating her 6-1, 6-4. If she wins this match, it would most certainly be the biggest title of her career and would give Serbia two consecutive victories (after Ivanovic won last week at Indian Wella).

Match-Up:

Jankovic is 3-2 against Williams, including a victory over her earlier this year at the Australian Open. This match features two of the best athletes on the WTA Tour. Jankovic’s movement is second to none, she is extremely confident from the baseline, and will not hesitate to come into the net and put away a sound volley. Williams’ physical conditioning has helped her tremendously in the previous rounds. Without being as fit as she is, she wouldn’t have been able to get to the finals. It has also allowed her to be more patient and this has been a big key for her as well. Finally, both girls play fantastic defense, and are able to run down shots that looked like clear winners.

I feel the crowd will be in Williams’ favor, but there will be plenty of Jankovic supporters as well. To me, this match comes down to taking advantage of break opportunities. The person who does this the best will win. Lastly, having a day off will only help Williams. Jankovic plays almost every week of the year, and will have an advantage the longer this match goes. I really feel that if this match goes three sets, Jankovic has the advantage.

Nick’s Pick – Williams in 2 sets, Jankovic in 3 sets

The big difference in this match was that Roddick served brilliantly. He didn’t serve out wide as much, instead he went into Federer’s body. This enabled him to win plenty of free points and gave him a major confidence boost. Also, when Federer sliced Roddick didn’t come charging in giving Federer the chance to pass him like in past matches. Instead, he stayed back and continued to play the point. That was a change in strategy that definitely worked in his favor.

Federer isn’t moving as well as he has in the past, and his slice doesn’t bite like it normally does. Also, his forehand is producing way too many errors, that was very apparent in this loss. Tennis is a funny game. When one player beats you it gives other players more confidence. For a while, Federer seemed invincible, but now he seems human. His opponents feel like they can win, and that new found confidence is hurting Federer. He is still the best player in the game in my eyes, but if this trend continues, WATCH OUT!

Here is the last bit of the match from last night. Sorry that it’s in Chinese…