Sometimes in a match, form ceases to matter. One may have been striking the ball very well, moving very well, serving very well but one look at the player on the other side of the net and the game goes to pieces.
Take the Andy Roddick vs Roger Federer head-to-head record. The American, before Federer came onto the scene, was the next big thing. And he was good. His ground strokes were pretty decent but his serve was a tour de force. The finest (if not the most powerful) in men’s tennis by a mile.
Then, Federer came along and got a good read on the serve. The rest, as they say is history. Roddick lost to him in the semi-final of Wimbledon (2003); in the final of Wimbledon thrice (2004, 2005, 2009); in the final of the US Open once (2006); in the semi-final of the Australia Open (2007 and 2009). They ended up with a lopsided 21-3 head-to-head record.
Make no mistake. Roddick was a very good player but he just didn’t matchup very well with Federer and over time, psychologically, this weighed him down.
On Saturday, we saw one act of a lopsided rivalry play out and another act being set up.
Act 1: Gasquet vs Nadal
Nadal and Gasquet go back a long way – they were prodigies who competed against each other on the junior circuit – but the careers haven’t exactly panned out as one might have imagined. Gasquet’s backhand makes for wonderful viewing but it just can’t cope with all the top-spin that the Spaniard imparts on the ball.
On Saturday, Nadal was out of the blocks quickly and he never looked back. Gasquet tried, the crowd tried (to cheer him on) but Nadal was just too good.
The Frenchman gave it a shot – he went big, he went for winners and in the process, he made lots of unforced errors too but he really didn’t have an option. He, somehow, needed to dent Nadal’s confidence. That he couldn’t is another matter but he tried and for that the crowd cheered him on.
When Gasquet was asked about his gameplan... whether he tried anything different, he said: “No, I tried to play my game, you know. It’s not easy to do, to find another game. I tried my best. I tried to serve well, but I think it’s tough for me, because my best stroke is the backhand. With him, I’m going on his forehand. And on the diagonal, he’s just better than me. That is a big key for me. That’s why it’s very difficult for me to play against his game.”
The head-to-head between the two players now reads 16-0 and it’s pretty clear who the dominator is.
Nadal has now won 34 consecutive sets at Roland Garros – going past his own record of 32 – and closing in on the all-time record of 41, which is held by Bjorn Borg.
Act 2: Sharapova vs Serena
As interesting as it was to watch Gasquet try and best Nadal, the Maria Sharapova vs Serena Williams match-up will definitely be more interesting.
Interesting because of the manner in which both players dispatched better ranked players.
No. 28 Sharapova beat No. 6 Karolina Pliskova 6-2, 6-1 in just 59 minutes. The Russian served well, was more aggressive (out-winnered Pliskova 18 to 5); more proactive and her return of serve was splendid. Pliskova was just not able to get going. The result was stunning simply because of the ease with which Sharapova closed it out.
As impressive as Sharapova was, perhaps Serena was even better. The American had struggled against Ashleigh Barty and 11th seed Julia Goerges (who had won 51-of-71 matches since last year’s French Open) was supposed to make things even more difficult. But the manner in which Serena controlled the game was astonishing.
The rallies were kept short (the average length of a rally was just 3 shots) and that worked to the 36-year-old’s advantage. And then, there was the pace of the shots. Goerges simply couldn’t cope with them. It ended quickly. The win set up a mouth-watering contest between two legends.
Sharapova is a five-time Grand Slam champion and Serena is a 23-time Grand Slam champion. They are both still finding their way to their best form and given that Serena is just making her way back on to the circuit, it really shouldn’t be so easy for her.
If the younger players were surprised by Serena pacy strokes or her determination, Sharapova shouldn’t be.
When a fresh-faced 17-year-old Sharapova shocked the world by beating Serena at the 2004 Wimbledon final, it seemed like this would be a rivalry to cherish. But the American upped the ante and now leads the head-to-head record with Sharapova 19-2, with the Russian’s last win coming at the 2004 WTA Tour Championships.
“Any time you play against Serena you know what you’re up against,” said the 31-year-old Sharapova after her match against Pliskova.
“You know the challenge that is upon you. You know, despite the record that I have against her, I always look forward to coming out on the court and competing against the best player.
“I think there is a lot of things in her game that she’s done much better than I have... Numbers don’t lie.”
But this also has to be Sharapova’s best chance to best Serena again. This is the Russian’s best surface – she has made it to her 12th second week at Roland Garros, more than in any other Slam – and if she find a way to move Serena around the court, she just might stand a chance.
Sharapova will not be intimidated by Serena’s ground strokes but the deciding factor could be the manner in which the Russian serves. Serena was downright intimidating against Goerges, who has a powerful serve and experience should give Sharapova an edge.
All in all, it promises to be an enchanting contest; one that will see tennis fans roll back time; one that will see two champions slug on the red clay at Roland Garros.
(Williams, 36, and Sharapova, 31, will meet in the fourth round on Monday.)
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