I always find myself moaning about how the supposed best women players always seem to lose in the early rounds of grand slams, however at the French Open this year it has been the men who have suffered.
Two of the ’big four’ have lost before the quarter finals and I am truly shocked in the fashion they have bowed out.
A friend text me after the Nadal match claiming he thought the result was predictable which is ridiculous. Nadal’s loss to Soderling is simply unbelievable considering he hasn’t lost a set at the French Open since the 2007 final and the Spaniard really looked second rate today.
He did not hit with enough length throughout the match and Soderling punished this fact.
From start to finish the Swede hit every ball as hard as he could which worked perfectly as Nadal surprisingly couldn’t cope with the power he was generating.
I and everybody else watching this match thought that Soderling would have a dip sooner or later and Nadal would then gain control but it just never came. Take a look at Nadal’s demise here.
My immediate thought is that Nadal’s schedule has been too rigorous this year considering he has been to the final of every tournament he has played coming into the French. However he shot down this type of suggestion from journalists in his press conference but I reckon deep down he knows he is physically and mentally tired.
By the way I thought Nadal’s French Open attire was quality. Check out my review.
On the Djokovic front I have no idea how he managed to lose in straight sets to Kohlschreiber. Don’t get me wrong, the German is a masterful player on his day but his performances fluctuate so much it’s untrue.
I would put a hefty amount of money on whoever ‘Kohly’ is playing next because despite his immense talent, he is always liable to play like a complete donkey.
For example at the Australian Open earlier in the year he started with a decent straight sets win over Sam Querrey and then got himself into a right mess against old boy Fabrice Santoro losing in five.
When I turned on the TV to watch the French Open and saw Nadal’s attire I said to my brother: “Maaaaaate look what Nadal is wearing!”.
I absolutely love the pink shirt with yellow head and wrist bands. It’s something so different and fresh and I have never seen anyone on the tour wear this colour.
I must say that as much as I like this shirt and head/wrist band combination I think only Nadal can pull it off!
I personally couldn’t wear this shirt on court as it is so distinctive and if your not a professional it would look silly.
Wearing this shirt as an average club player or coach would be the equivalent of wearing a suit to a party where everyone else is wearing jeans.
The good thing about this shirt though if you fancy an outrageous purchase is that it is currently available to buy whereas in the past the public have had to wait before getting their hands on such gear.
I’ve saved my favourite part of Nadal’s attire until last. The Spaniard’s current ‘kicks’ are probably the best I have ever seen.
James Ward moved up 47 places in the world rankings when he won an American challenger event earlier this month to reach a career high of 224. Full results.
Due to travel difficulties he was given a lift to his semi final match by his opponent Michael Yani which does not surprise me having spoken to Ward at length about the financial difficulties encountered at challenger level. Read his past personal blogs here.
He had to qualify for the clay court tournament as well so this makes the victory even more impressive considering he had to play more matches than most other competitors.
I was checking his progress in the early rounds and the domination of Vincent Spadea particularly grabbed my attention.
My friend and I were quite simply buzzing about this having come across Spadea, currently ranked 104, quite often in the past.
Ward linked up with The Tennis Centre in May last year when he was ranked 470 so he could get a bit of publicity in hope of securing some sponsorship.
The financial boost he got really helped him in his quest to reach the top 100 and his surge up the rankings could not have come at a better time.
He has once again recieved a wildcard for Queens and should also get one for Wimbledon now he has cracked the world’s top 250.
It was very disappointing to see him miss on the Davis Cup earlier in the year and I made my feelings known regarding this matter and John Lloyd now looks a bit silly for not selecting him outright.
Novak Djokovic’ big money move to Head was very surprising.
I remember watching the Australian Open in January and wondering what racket he was using.
His early season form was far from impressive and many criticised the Serb for changing brands when he had had so much success with Wilson.
However the new YouTek Speed Pro racket appears to be working for him now as he has reached the final of his last three tournaments with victories over the likes of Federer, Verdasco, Del Potro and Ferrer.
Head must be pleased their new signing has come good and with Andy Murray also at the top of his game this year, things could not be going any better.
With two of the top four players now under it’s wing Head feels it’s time to strengthen their position in the market by becoming a bit more edgier in order to appeal to a younger audience.
So they are moving away from pushing their equipment and looking to use the talented players they have on board to create interest in the brand.
When it comes to marketing there is no-one better to have than the charismatic Djokovic and he features in a brand new advert which see’s him ’score on and off the court’.
In the ad, Djoko manages to flirt with a female spectator during a point when a smash from his opponent sends him scurrying into the crowd.
The randy Serb uses all of his best attraction techniques to try and impress her!
Check out the video below to find out what happened…
I always find myself moaning about how the supposed best women players always seem to lose in the early rounds of grand slams, however at the French Open this year it has been the men who have suffered.
