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The Pacific Life Open at Indian Wells 2008

March 23, 2008 - Djokovic Captures 2008 Pacific Life Open

By D.J. Lutes

Marty Fish wakes up this morning and realizes that he smoked Roger Federer yesterday in the semis of the Pacific Life Open tennis tournament.  He then realizes it was not a dream, but that he actually must play an even bigger match today against #3 world ranked Novak Djokovic for $555,000 and the real neat “fish-like” trophy he so admires.  That is a tall order for anyone.

So far this year, Djokovic is the hottest player on tour with his 2008 Australian Open Grand Slam title and a 16-3 record.  He has never dropped one set here all week.  He hits serves and makes his groundstrokes with an incredible mechanical precision.  Just call him the “precision mechanic” from now on. 

So who won in the finals?  It was 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 and Djokovic got the money and the trophy.  In a nutshell, Djoko moved better and served better.  The match was entertaining and got suddenly close in the second set.  Fish was two points away from being eliminated in the second set at 5-4.  Right then, Fish saved his service game and then broke Djoko at 5-5 to make it 6-5.  Fish took what could have been a quick blow-out match and turned it into a third set.

After the match, Novak admitted that he was “really, really nervous” during the second set.  He was asked whether being nervous was caused by him being such a heavy favorite to which he replied, “True, true that was probably the main factor.” 

Nonetheless, the precision mechanic won the third set and the match.  His higher first serve percentage of 62% paid off and was the key to winning the first and third sets.  In fact, Marty’s first serve percentage was only at 41%.  No one is going to beat Novak when serving at such a low percentage.  After 2 hours and 4 minutes, the finals were over.  The hottest player of 2008 beat the hottest player of the week on the ATP tour. 

March 22nd - Federer Could Not Reel In Fish

By D.J. Lutes

Marty Fish upset the world's #1 player in the world today 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and three minutes.  This is a dream semifinal that he will never forget.  Fish was playing aggressive, serving and hitting groundstrokes out of his mind.  The first set was quick.  After breaking Roger early in the set, he served it out at 5-3.  The media room was impressed, but at the same time, reporters were expecting a Federer comeback.  They were at times laughing and snickering at the possibility that Fish could win.

After the first set, Fish even had his doubts, "I was thinking, okay, I won the first set, but now he's going to kill me, right?  Now he's going to beat me at 0 and 0."  Well that did not happen.

The second set went even quicker.  Federer quickly got broken in the first game and then again he got broken at 3-1.  At 4-1, Novak Djokovic conveniently decided to have his press conference.  So, a large portion of the media contingent was torn between watching history or doing their job.  At 5-1, the news reporters walked back into the media suite only to discover it was Fish still in the lead.  At 5-2, suddenly Marty was serving for the set.  Even then, people were assuming Federer was going to turn around the score.  How nervous was Marty to be serving out the match?  "I was more nervous maybe than I ever have been serving with two breaks."  Fish took care of business and the crowd errupted in a roar.

During the match, Roger made an uncharacteristic 25 unforced errors and only one backhand winner.  Obviously, it was not Federer's best day.  At the same time, Fish did have a little something to do with it.  All afternoon Fish was serving at such a high level and playing in the zone.  In fact, this week he just beat three guys in the top 10. 

When asked, Federer made no excuses: "Yeah, he played great today.  I mean, I can only congratulate him.  Fantastic."  About losing to a guy who is #98 in the world, Federer also made it clear, "We know how good Marty can be.  Let's not talk about #98 in the world.  We know he's way better than that." 

With that said, Marty would love to get the Pacific Life Open trophy for his mantel at home.  "I've seen it before.  It's one the coolest trophies we've got.  I'd love it to have it on my mantel."  (The winners trophy they give out here is kind of a big fish because of the corporate sponsor.)  We will see if Marty can reel it in tomorrow.

The Other Semi:  Djokovic Takes Out A Tired Nadal

The Novak Djokovic v. Raphael Nadal semifinal contest went the opposite of expectations. Many were anticipating a long three set match due to these players "grinding" style of play and these slower hard courts.  Novak quickly took care of business 6-3, 6-2 in about an hour and a half.  Djokovic went into this tournament with a 6-2 losing record to Nadal, but a 2-2 record on hard courts.  Now this hard court victory just adds to his confidence in future contests against Nadal.

Nadal's serving was not up to par and he looked unusually flat. His first serve percentage was 58% compared to Novak's 81%. Nadal admitted feeling tired and not moving well.  "Well, I feel a little bit tired from last two matches (Tsonga and Blake).  That's sure.  Because, well, in the runs I feel a little bit more slowly than days before."

Much like Sharapova, Rafa had two tough long three set matches prior to the semis.  He claims that he was not 100% for Novak and that was the difference. "If you play against one player like Novak you have to play 100% if I want to have chances to win."

Djokovic plays Marty in the finals.  They have met twice and each time the matches were decided by tiebreakers.  Novak won both of those.  It should be for an interesting final.   

March 21st - Fish Is Jumpin'

By D.J. Lutes

After today's matches, the men's semifinals are now set at the Pacific Life Open.  We have #1 Roger Federer, #2 Raphael Nadal, #3 Novak Djokovic and Marty Fish.  Remember Marty Fish?  The 26 year old American seems like he has been swimming upstream for his entire pro career.  Bouncing up and down in the world rankings from as low as #341 and finishing in the top 50 four out of the last five years.  Heck, he even was the comeback player of the year in 2006.  Currently, he is the lowest-ranked quarterfinalist in the draw at #98.

In today's quarterfinal match, Fish beat David Nalbandian of Argentina 6-3, 6-7, 7-6.  The contest lasted 2 hours and 23 minutes with the momentum swinging back and forth each set.  Nalbandian is a veteran baseliner who has been consistently ranked in the top 10 for past five consecutive years.  Marty got the victory by being aggressive, mixing up his rhythm, serving strong and staying mentally tough in the tiebreakers.  These are the little adjustments that he has added to his a weaponry.

Marty attributes his success to a new trainer and an old coach.  Rory Cordial (a former Oregon State quarterback) is his new trainer since Wimbledon.  Fish has been working in the gym concentrating on his knees, arms and any part of his body which is susceptible to tendonitis.  "I'm probably stronger than I've been and possibly fitter than I've ever been, so I feel great, I feel fresh."

Kelly Jones, his same coach that helped him win the silver medal in the 2004 Olympics and a 2003 Masters final in Cincinnati, is back in his camp and has worked with "implementing the game plan that truly works."  Fish gives Jones credit for the game plan of "playing aggressive, and playing kind of almost hit-or-miss type tennis and not giving anybody rhythm."

The strategy paid off all week. Fish beat Nikolay Davydenko 6-3, 6-2.  He beat Hewitt and Nalbandian in close tiebreaks.  Marty's first serve has been routinely coming in at 130+ mph.  It appears that his mindset, health and weaponry are all coming together.  He looks forward to the rest of the hard court season and the grass court season.  "I didn't win a match on grass last year.  That's my best surface.  So I'm really looking forward to the rest of Miami, and rest of here and through the year."  Actually, today's win propels Fish to #50 in the world.

Great.  So who does he play next in the semis?  Roger Federer.  No one is holding their breath expecting Marty Fish to win.  Let's see.  In his last 41 matches against American opponents, Mr. Federer is 41-0.  He is 5-0 against Marty and in the last five years he has only lost one set to Fish.  Even Federer's quarterfinal opponent, Tommy Haas, pulled out of the competition at the last minute today.  Jerry McGee of the San Diego Tribune said it best, "Tommy Haas has a sinus infection complicated by 8 previous losses to Federer."  Despite tomorrow, I believe we will see Fish swimming faster and stronger downstream the rest of the year.

Quick Marty Fish trivia question:  Andy Roddick and Marty Fish played high school tennis (and basketball) together at Boca Prep in Boca Raton, Florida.  Who was the #1 ranked tennis player on their high school team?  Yep, it was Marty Fish.  

March 20th -  All In A Days Work

By D.J. Lutes

Its 3 pm.  Novak Djokovic (remember "no joke" Djokovic?) is thumping his chest like King Kong and making the crowd errupt into an enormous roar.  A quarterfinal victory and a guaranteed slot in the semis are his come Saturday.  With a score of 7-6, 6-2 he took care of the second best Swiss player in the world by the name of Stanislas Wawrinka or Stan for short.

Its 4 pm.  Novak is being asked questions in the media room.  Reporters are most curious about his next match-up.  Will it be Raphael Nadal?  Will it be James Blake?  Both of whom are set to go on stage with their quarterfinal match at 7 pm.  To date, Djokovic has never played Blake and Djokovic lost to Nadal in the finals here last year. Apparently, that was eons ago. Since then Djokovic became #3 in the world, won five ATP titles, won a grand slam (Australian Open) and made it to finals of the US Open and the Wimbledon semis.  Oh and last year, he had the second most wins in the world on hard court surfaces with 43 (only Federer had more with 44).  I guess the message here is watch out for Novak in the semis.

Its 5 pm.  Fans are standing five people deep watching Raphael Nadal warm-up on the outside practice court.  They gawk at him like a polar bear in the zoo.  I take a peek.  This guy is fit, energetic and ready to go like a prize fighter.

Its 6 pm.  I find out why Nadal is fired up.  Nadal has never beaten Blake.  Blake is 3-0 against him.  No other tour player has a perfect record against Nadal.  Furthermore, Blake has a lifetime record of 30-8 against all lefties. 

Its 7 pm.  The stadium is packed.  It feels like an evening at the US Open in Flushing Meadow, New York.  The match is slated for best out of three sets.  The first set gets underway and you feel that these guys are hitting the ball harder than normal, they are moving and seeing the ball so quickly.  It begins and ultimately sustains itself as a very high level match.  There were times James had Rafa chasing balls like a goat on a rope.  There times Nadal manipulated Blake with a mixture of defensive and aggresive shots like a matador taming a bull.  Too bad this can't go best of five sets.

Its 9 pm. (Note: its not exactly 9 pm but its close enough...)  Final score 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.  Rafa wins.  It boiled down to one or two points during the crucial parts of the match.  Blake sums it up best, "Just like I said yesterday, I figured it was going to come down to who's going to play a couple of big points better.  I think he probably only had two break points in the third set.  I maybe had one, and he took advantage and I didn't."

Its 10 pm.  Rafa answers questions after his post-game massage and shower.  Can you tell us how much beating James meant for you tonight?  "The thing is not beating James, no? The thing is being in the semifinal and beating against two big players like Tsonga and Blake in quarterfinals.  So for me it was very important two matches."  Ultimately, the press presses the question again:  Did it feel nice beating James?  "Sure, after three loses, its very important for me and I'm very happy for to beat against big player like James and difficult player for me, no?"  I guess now Nadal and Djokovic can prepare for the semis on Saturday and James Blake flies to Florida in the morning.  The tour continues next week in Miami.

Its 12 am.  I need to find a computer and write something.  Talk about anti-climatic.

March 19th - Not Just Your Regular Joe  

By D.J. Lutes

As of this morning, the 96 player field of the mens singles draw has dwindled down to 16.  Tonight, there will be only 8 guys left standing.  All the matches lined up for today's fourth round action are superb.  [Note to self for next year: the second Wednesday is always a good ticket here at the Pacific Life Open.]  The marquis match-up of the day was Raphael Nadal v. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (pronounced like "songa" the T is silent).

Remember Tsonga at this year's Australian Open?  He is the 22 year old Frenchmen who resembles a young Muhammed Ali that upset the same "Rafa" Nadal in the semifinals.  That actual match catapulted Tsonga into global stardom.  This match today will determine if he was a "flash-in-the-pan" or a genuine top 5 player for the ages.  As a perennial champion and greatest #2 player of all time, Rafa is an excellent measuring stick for this rematch.   The match went a grueling 3 hours and 3 sets.  The first set ended up in a tiebreaker.  Tsonga set the tone with his energetic fist pumps and whopping inside-out forehands.  As the tiebreak began, all the press corps scrambled to the windows and outdoor seating area to observe the event live.  I never saw such commotion in the fourth round of a tennis tournament.  Everyone was curious to see if Tsonga had the goods to overcome Nadal.  Tsonga nipped Rafa in the tiebreak and took the first set 7-6.

The second set ended up in another tiebreaker.  Again the media people furiously shut their laptops and ran to the windows and the exits.  This time Tsonga plays the tiebreak with several loose forehands that sail wide, long and out.  He concedes the second set.  The stadium crowd went nuts because the fans get to watch a third set.

We go to third set wherein Tsonga is serving for the match at 5-3.  A routine hold by Tsonga will secure or enhance major stardom.  Again, Jo is fist pumping and full of energy (by the way, he answers to reporters as "Joe" as in Jo-Wilfried Tsonga).  So what happens? Nadal hunkers down and plays phenomenal defense.  These slow courts play to Rafa's advantage and he makes Jo pay for it by breaking his serve and fighting back.  The inside-out forehand that gave Tsonga the upperhand eventually became his downfall when he got sloppy and made too many errors.  Actually a rather high 56 unforced errors by Tsonga for the match.  Nadal wins the third set and match 6-7, 7-6, 7-5.

Afterwards during the press interviews I saw Tsonga up close.  Truth is he has a startling resemblence to a young Cassius Clay and he has some charisma.  At the same time, however, Jo is soft spoken, modest and very respectful to the media.  For example, the press tried to chide him into making statements to spark an international incident about the upcoming Davis Cup match in April between the USA and France.  He kept his cool and did not take the bait.

When Rafa came into the interview room the buzz was still about Tsonga.  Rafa claims the difference was the mental game in the third set.  When Nadal broke Tsonga he got his foot in the door and never looked back.  Smart defense and patience brought the win.  The best No. 2 player of all time beat Tsonga.  Get Jo some coaching for handling those loose shots during big points and he will elevate his game to a sustained top 5 rating.

March 18th - What A Difference A Year Makes

By D.J. Lutes

Let's say you are 20 years old making about $30 million a year and you are already considered the best in your chosen field.  That is the life of Maria Sharapova.  Interestingly enough, we can open up a copy of a PEOPLE or an US magazine and find several of these celebrities many of whom mentally struggle with their life day to day.  Maria is quite an exception.  She maintains a grueling full-time tennis schedule wherein she flies around the globe making her living putting her record on the line week-in and week-out.  She has to keep winning or else it all fades away.  Remember Anna Kournikova?  Maria is about the tennis, the dedication, the Grand Slam titles and most importantly the mental toughness.  One cannot handle this type of pressure without superior mental attitude.

Attending Sharapova's press conferences a year ago was like watching a kid being entertained by her ipod and a bunch of middle-aged reporters.  Now, a year later, she is genuinely talking about "giving back" and working with the United Nations in Chernobyl-affected areas of what is now Belarus.  She carries herself with more confidence and less arrogance.   She seems to realize that you cannot win without staying focused and mentally strong.

Today, after 2 hours and 45 minutes, Maria came off the court battle tested for this tournament.  It was a three set match to remember between two fierce Russian competitors who are both Australian Open Grand Slam champions.  Actually, Alona Bendarenko is from the Ukraine and she is the 2008 Australian Open doubles champion.  Needless to say, she is wired like most eastern European players that would "walk on glass" to get to Maria's side of the street.  Alona nearly sent Maria home.

The final score was 6-2, 5-7, 6-4.  In the third set at 4-4, Sharapova struggled in a match that could have gone either way.  Her mental superiority carried her through.  During the press conference she said she felt like a kid making a beaded bracelet, "I would put four beads together and they would all fall down and then I'd start all over again.  I felt like I was starting from scratch all the time."  In the end, she stepped up her game on key points and ripped winning forehands and backhands down-the-line.  She was definitive and determined.  She was certainly pushed by Alona.  Maria needed this encounter to remember where she came from and to remember what she is here to do.  It is obvious. The fire is in her heart and she has come a long way in the last year.

March 17th - American Donald Young Needs More Than Luck Of Irish  

By D.J. Lutes

Right now at 18 years old, Donald Young is the youngest of the ranked top 100 tennis players in the world.  The USA is expecting great things from him.  He was a junior tennis sensation from Atlanta, Georgia.  At 15 years old, he was the youngest ever and first African American boy ranked No. 1 in the world.  At 16 years old, he was the year end No. 1 junior again as well.  Both his parents are teaching professionals so he's been playing since the age of 3.  He is a lock for pro success, right?  Well...unfortunately at this point, the junior accolades and the youngest ever "this or that" are irrelevant. On the ATP tour (like any pro level sport) there is a gigantic canyon between expectations and accomplishments.

Case and point:  Donald Young v. Raphael Nadal.  At only 21 years old, Nadal is miles ahead of Young with his 3 grand slam titles, a two-time Wimbledon finalist and he has been ranked No. 2 in the world for 139 weeks ever since July 2005!  Heck, at Donald's age, Nadal had won 11 ATP titles and became the first teenager to finish No. 2 since Boris Becker in 1986.

The match went as expected.  Nadal squashed him like a bug 6-1, 6-3.  The difference?  Pure confidence.  Nadal beat him before they stepped on the court.  Young admitted that he was nervous and happy to get one game in the first set!  When asked about losing he said, "Its OK.  Played the no. 2 in the world so I'm like 86."  What did he say?  OK?  Do you think when Nadal or even LeBron James were younger their minds worked like that?  I doubt it.

Young's game is top 100 but his mindset may hold him back.  If DY wants to achieve world class top 10 status and meet the expectations of a grand slam champion, he can't rely on the luck of the Irish even on St. Patrick's Day.

March 16, 2008 - Roddick Loses But Tennis Fans Still Win  

By D.J. Lutes

The first Sunday of competition and Andy Roddick lost.  Usually cranky after a straight set defeat in the first round, he seemed rather calm and at peace with himself.  Why not?  Andy is coming off recent titles in San Jose, Dubai and a strong showing in Memphis.  Within his last 10 matches he beat the likes of Raphael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.  Today, he merely shrugs off the loss to Tommy Haas.  Roddick looks forward to watching some March Madness and practicing back home in Austin, Texas for the following week in Miami.  He joked at the press conference, "I love March Madness and this press conference is interrupting the selection show right now, so I am hoping to get back to that immediately."  Basketball aside, Roddick still has the fire in his heart when it comes to Davis Cup.  For example, when being reminded about French sensation Jo-Wilfried Tsonga's recent comment that the USA should "fear" France in the next round, Andy got a bit peaved and then quickly quipped, "the last I checked, we were the champions".   The press room felt his passion to put it mildly.

Despite Roddick's opening round loss, it was a victory for the sport of tennis as a whole.  The Indian Wells Tennis Garden complex has been upgraded with several more large video screens and places to relax in between matches.  Once inside, the atmosphere is a like the "fan-friendly" Australian Open.  A real tennis carnival with lots of sunshine, food, drinks and a large selection of tennis products for sale.  Vendors are in their glory.  The latest tennis apparel and tennis racquets were flying off the racks.  People were showing up in droves to be here.  Each day (so far this year) all-time attendance records have been broken at the tournament.  The parking lots were full at 11:30 am.  Tickets were sold out and it was rumored that nearly 100 people were turned away at the gates expecting stadium tickets available for sale.  In town, hotel rooms are sold out even with room rates jacked up by 40-50% per night.  Consequently, while today it was a disappointment for Andy Roddick fans, overall it was an unbelievable day for tennis and tennis fans.

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