This week’s finals:
ATP Madrid: #1 Rafael Nadal def. #12 Kei Nishikori 2-6 6-4 3-0 ret.
WTA Madrid: #9 Maria Sharapova def. #5 Simona Halep 1-6 6-2 6-3
Before we get to breaking down each side, I’d like to address an issue that seems to plague Madrid every year.
The tennis may not always be outstanding, but even when it is, the crowd draws far too much attention for its unruly behaviour. Patrons in Madrid continue to be rude and demeaning to anyone who isn’t of Spanish decent, and this was evident once again on Sunday’s Men’s final between Rafael Nadal and Kei Nishikori.
Nishikori came out of the gates strong to take a big early lead (which we’ll get to in a bit) and seemed to be close to finishing the match off. However, his back seized up at 4-2 in the second set. The people did not seem to care. They whistled and jeered while Kei received a back rub during a changeover, and even cheered when he missed first-serves. To me, this is classless and unacceptable for a tennis crowd. It’s fine to keep supporting your favorite player, but there’s no need to aim such negativity at a player who is clearly hurt.
Here’s a few reactions fans and media members had to offer on Twitter:
Every year I watch this tournament, every year I find crowd behaviour leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
— Chris P (@scoobschris) May 11, 2014
Madrid crowd are pathetic. Haven’t got a clue
— Eggy (@TheBoiledEgg) May 11, 2014
Can we get the Madrid crowd. Take their money and then throw them out?
— Mithi (@MithiTennis) May 11, 2014
Now with that rant out of the way, let’s get to tennis.
ATP Masters 1000 Madrid: Mutua Madrid Open
#1 Rafael Nadal def. #12 Kei Nishikori 2-6 6-4 3-0 ret.
A few hours ago, I thought I’d be writing about how Kei Nishikori obliterated Rafael Nadal to win his first Masters title.
I thought I’d be writing about how the King of Clay continued to struggle to find his footing on his favorite surface, losing in yet another tournament where he has almost never done so. Nishikori lead 6-2 4-2, and was showing no signs of slowing down, when his back seized up. Instantly, Kei could simply not move. He had struggled with his back all week leading up to this point, so we knew this was possible. We were just hoping and praying it wouldn’t happen when he was closing in on such monumental victory. Nadal rolled from that point on, and was named champion of the Madrid Open when Nishikori retired from the match with the scoreline at 2-6 6-4 3-0. A huge disappointment for me personally as a fan of good tennis, which Kei was really producing up until the injury.
Toni Nadal had some interesting comments afterward, telling Antenna 3 TV:
“We don’t deserve the victory, (Nishikori) deserves it, he played better than us the whole time. We had a lot of luck today. We didn’t really come back, he was hurt.”
Knowing Toni’s coaching style, I’m sure he’ll repeat those words to Rafa throughout the next week during Rome. Honesty? Or is it just Uncle Nadal’s usual style of telling Rafael he isn’t good enough? Who knows.
Besides all of the drama in the final, this was actually a solid week of tennis in Madrid. David Ferrer and Nishikori played a phenomenal semifinal match on Saturday, in which Kei needed 10(!!) match points to finally close it out. The surprise semifinalist was Roberto Bautista-Agut, who will find himself in the top 30 in next week’s ATP Rankings. RBA continues to make huge strides this season.
Notable Upsets:
#70 Dominic Theim def. #3 Stan Wawrinka 1-6 6-2 6-4 in 2nd rd
#46 Santiago Giraldo def. #13 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4 6-3 in 2nd rd
#59 Igor Sijsling def. #17 Tommy Haas 3-6 6-1 6-4 in 1st rd
#46 Santiago Giraldo def. #8 Andy Murray 6-3 6-2 in 3rd rd
WTA Premier Mandatory Madrid: Mutua Madrid Open
#9 Maria Sharapova def. #5 Simona Halep 1-6 6-2 6-3
The Women’s side of Madrid was much more drama free, and held largely to form. The only hiccup was Serena Williams withdrawing before her quarterfinal match with Petra Kvitova, citing a left thigh injury; she had that thigh strapped up in two previous matches during the tournament.
With Serena out, Maria Sharapova saw her opportunity and seized it. “Claypova,” as many tennis fans on twitter have taken to calling her, hasn’t lost to a player besides Williams on clay since her 2011 French Open loss to Li Na. Maria won her ninth clay title of her career and second this season. Seems like a long time ago that she called her clay court movement “like a cow on ice.”
Simona Halep was on the other side of the net in the final, and put together another outstanding week, beating three top 16 players in a row en route to her meeting with Sharapova. Halep even stormed out of the gates to take the first set 6-1. But Maria is famous for comebacks, and it was that trademark fighting spirit that pushed her to her first Madrid Open championship. The best match on the women’s side was definitely the quarterfinal between Sharapova and second-ranked Li Na. It was again a Sharapova comeback from a set and break down to take the match 2-6 7-6(5) 6-3. It would be a treat if these two see each other again in a few weeks’ time at Roland Garros. Caroline Garcia put together another great tournament with a run to the quarterfinals. The Frenchwoman continues to play above her ranking and will be a dangerous floater in the French Open draw.
Notable Upsets:
#51 Caroline Garcia def. #8 Angelique Kerber 6-3 2-0 ret. in 1st rd
#19 Sam Stosur def. #10 Dominika Cibulkova 6-4 6-0 in 1st rd
#51 Caroline Garcia def. #11 Sara Errani 6-2 4-6 6-3 in 3rd rd
#26 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. #7 Jelena Jankovic 6-2 5-7 7-6(3) in 2nd rd
While Madrid is a big event for both tours, offering big points and cash, usually Rome is a better judge of where players stand going into the French. Conditions are very similar to Paris, so this week is huge for separating contenders from pretenders.
News and Notes:
According to The New York Times’ Christopher Clarey, Roger Federer is confirmed for Rome. He welcomed his twin sons Leo and Lenny into the world Tuesday. Congrats Roger! #TwoSetsToLove
Novak Djokovic is playing Rome. He pulled out of Madrid last week with a wrist injury.
Serena is in Rome, and will at least try to play. A possible matchup with Sloane Stephens looms in the third round.
Dinara Safina officially announced her retirement with a nice speech (in Spanish!) at the Madrid Open. Courtney Nguyen wrote an outstanding article on her for the WTA.
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