Everything was teed up at Miami’s Sony Ericsson Open and scripted for maximum drama. All the preliminary stories had played out.
The Williams sisters were missing from Miami for the first time in 11 years, plus a couple of other ladies named Henin and Dementieva were MIA. The players generously gave their time to lend a hand to the hurting Japanese. From the outset there were shock losses. “Go figure” Andy Murray — perhaps still reeling from his desultory Aussie Open final failure — lost for the second straight time to a wannabe ranked south of the top 100 – Alex Bogomolov. American boosters again whinced as Andy Roddick failed to defend his Sony Ericsson crown as he lost his first match to the Uruguayan journeyman Pablo Cuevas and no American women got into the third round.
But there was a ray of American hope as vet Mardy Fish – now fleeter afoot and happily married – continued his (“it’s time to get serious”) late-career surge as he dismissed the considerable Richard Gasquet, David Ferrer and Juan Martin Del Potro to reach the semis and pass his longtime pal Roddick to become the No. 1 American.
The No. 1 woman Caroline Wozniacki could not continue the winning ways she displayed in Indian Wells as she lost to the rising German Andrea Petkovic. And Kim Clijsters, who has won the two last Slams, saved five match points to come back from 1-5 in the third set to beat the finally resurgent Ana Ivanovic. But the Belgian was spent and was beaten in the semis 6-3, 6-3 by Arizona’s favorite Belarusian, Victoria Azarenka, who went on to dismiss L.A.’s favorite Russian, the gritty Maria Sharapova, 6-1, 6-4 in a final that will be remembered more for its high decibels than its high caliber.
As for Roger Federer, a Swiss fellow who knows a bit about high caliber and high mountains, it was another frustrating day at the office as the former No. 1 fought father time and brother Rafa Nadal and was drubbed in the semis in yet another telling match which wasn’t even as close as its 6-3, 6-2 score line.
So the table was set.
There was nothing left in Key Biscayne but the key to it all – the men’s final – where the longtime No. 1 Nadal, who has won four of the last five Slams, would be facing Serbian sensation Novak Djokovic, the hottest player in the tennis universe.
Spaniard vs. Serb, lefty vs. righty, No. 1 vs. No. 2 – the game’s two best players had just met in the BNP Paribas final a couple of weeks back where Djokovic came back to win in three sets. Then the friendly Euro-lads flew off to Columbia in the same plane for an exhibition and promptly returned to Miami to Flordia where Nadal met up with his coach Uncle Toni and tried to shore up his problematic serve and his bread and butter power forehand.
Djokovic (with his run of 23 straight wins) was on the hottest streak since Ivan Lendl in ‘87, while Nadal (who was hoping to become the first Spaniard to win in Key Biscayne) had dominated Djokovic. Rafa had a 5-0 record in their finals and overall led in their rivalry 16-8, a stat which was eerily similar to his 15-8 domination of Federer. Plus, in a curious call, after his Indian Wells win Djokovic insisted that Rafa, not Federer, was the best player of all-time. Interesting call Novak!
What was also interesting was not only was this the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 final since ’95 when No. 2 Andre Agassi upset Pete Sampras, but that in the first set of this year’s final the Serb, who had held serve in 40 straight games, was broken with some ease — not once, but twice – a cushion that propelled Rafa to a 6-4 win in the opening set win.
But, just as in Indian Wells the newly confident, all-court wizard Djokovic stormed back. Yes, Bill MacAtee noted that Novak had neither “the physicality of Rafa or the grace of Roger” but floated in-between those two icons with some of Roger and Rafa’s best attributes. Still, Novak smashed his racket in frustration. But no problem, he then proceeded to unleash some of his best ball. Power, flexibility, defense to offense counter-punching, adept returns, seeing-eye volleys and that oh-so-improved serve and increasingly potent forehand – the incredible picture is now in focus. Over the past seven months the bold, ball-bouncing Balkan boy has been the best in the game. And Djokovic powered his way to a second set 6-3 win and then matched Nadal stroke for stroke in a compelling display of high level big-boy, power tennis at its breathtaking best.
Of course, it only made sense that the dazzling duel — which was played in a raucous Davis Cup atmosphere (Nole! Nole! vs. Vamos, Rafa!) — would reach the penultimate, a final set tiebreak. But then the inexplicable occurred. Nadal – usually so tough at crunch time, who had never lost a final to the Serb – blinked! Having scored two straight mini-breaks over Djokovic and with the tiebreak score knotted at 2-2 – the Spaniard double faulted and then found himself winded and doubled over after being punched out in a merciless point. In a flash, the No. 2 Djokovic had scored four straight points over the No. 1 Nadal to set up a Serbian forehand cross-court winner which gave Novak his 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4) victory and an unrestrained victory collage: beaming smiles, double fist-pumps to the sky, joyous leaps, proud pounding of his chest and a striping off of his very sweaty Tachini shirt.
With his seventh Masters title in hand, the first player since Federer in ’06 to win Indian Wells and Miami back to back said, “It’s incredible, it’s incredible.”
Indeed, the Serb not only delivered when the table was all set on a Sunday in Florida. He had turned the tables on all of tennis this year — not only with his flawless run of one Slam and two Masters titles – but in the way he did it. Downing the considerable Nadal, who he has now beaten twice, destroying Federer, who he has beaten three time and dismantling the field who he has demolished with a stunning mix of improved strokes, off-court sensibility, “I’ve been there before” maturity, Balkan bravado and a surprising calm and unwavering confidence, all of which was stoked by his leading his little nation to a huge Davis Cup win.
Now the Nadal-friendly clay court season will unfold and the grass, which Federer so adores, will follow. Surely Djokovic white-hot streak will cool off. The tennis pundits shout, “It only makes sense.”
Then again Djokovic’s astounding sprint to the top of the game has more than defied both sense and sensibility.
