Articles espn blog 19-01-07

Changing of the guard

by: Peter Bodo, TENNIS.com

Four games. That was the total number won by Nicolas Massu and Alberto Martin in two intriguing first-round matches in the Australian Open. Massu begged three off Novak Djokovic and Martin stole one from Andy Murray, underscoring the notion that this tournament might be a breakout event for any number of the eager young guns who are expected to challenge the pecking order in tennis.

This is welcome news because the status quo at the top of the game is in need of shaking up. Guys like Ivan Ljubicic, Nikolay Davydenko, Tommy Robredo, Mario Ancic, Tommy Haas (asterisk: he's had injury problems), David Nalbandian and even James Blake (asterisk: he seems a player engaged in some sort of tortoise-hare exercise) have all had ample opportunities to unhorse Roger Federer, or make big statements at Grand Slam events. The window of opportunity in tennis tends to be a small one; those players have failed to jump through it. Now they constitute a hierarchy begging to be upset. It's time to bring in fresh troops.

The new wave of contenders is really Rafael Nadal's generation. Djokovic, Murray, Richard Gasquet, Gael Monfils and Marcos Baghdatis are roughly within one year of Nadal, agewise (Nadal is 20). Tomas Berdych, often associated with this group, is a little older. The smart money says they're going to displace the current second tier, and that they may be a little bolder and more adventurous when it comes to playing Federer or even Nadal. This is the most interesting subtext that will play out in Melbourne over these next two weeks.

Baghdatis, of course, was a finalist last year; he's the most accomplished and best known in the group. Monfils has been very up and down; he seems to get too easily sidetracked from the job at hand, and he's a bit of a ham (but not in a good way). Berdych may have grown too comfortable in his niche as a dangerous but erratic talent; people have been predicting a breakthrough from him for three or four years now, which is two years too many. Gasquet seems too mercurial to put together two solid weeks of great, focused tennis. Baghdatis, Murray and Djokovic are the cream of the crop.

Baghdatis may be the best-suited for stardom of the three. He showed last year that he responds well to the pressure of big events, and you can hardly hold his second-round loss to Andre Agassi in the 2006 U.S. Open as a poor performance. That match is already part of the lore and legend of the game.

Overall, Baghdatis has the experience, Djokovic has the shots and Murray has the versatility and savvy (thanks partly but by no means entirely to his coach, Brad Gilbert). We're in the midst of a changing of the guard, even if the King (Federer) is not deposed. And when it happens, Nadal's generation will at last be a distinct entity.

Grand Slam final in third round

by: Kamakshi Tandon, TENNIS.com

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Is it Sunday already? Andy Roddick vs. Marat Safin would be a legitimate matchup at a Grand Slam final. Instead, the two will be meeting in a third-round encounter on Friday at the Australian Open.

The contest has night match written all over it -- good news for Safin, who has played two five-setters to get here and will be happy to avoid oppressive daytime heat of the last few days. The Russian also got lucky with the weather in his second-round match against Dudi Sela -- with Sela two points away from victory, rain descended on Melbourne Park and gave Safin valuable time to regroup. He didn't lose another game.

Roddick, who indulged in a sophomoric chuckle at Sela's first name, was philosophical about meeting Safin so early. "I think we're both maybe better than a third-round matchup against each other, but that's the way it shakes out," he said after his second-round match. "You know, we both have to deal with it. I'm sure he's not thrilled about it either."

Both Roddick and Safin feel their games are evolving with the help of their coaches -- Jimmy Connors and Alexander Volkov, respectively. Connors is not in Australia because of the recent death of his mother, Gloria, but he and Roddick have been talking regularly on the phone. Connors' influence will be present in Roddick's game on Friday, as it has been ever since the two started working together last summer -- more variety on the backhand and a more aggressive approach during points.

Volkov was in Safin's corner for his first Grand Slam win at the U.S. Open in 2000, and Safin went through several coaches before recently asking Volkov to return to the fold. Safin wryly said he's trying to attack the net more because it's "no fun for me" to be "running around to the baseline at the age of 27."

Roddick and Safin have played each other six times and have three wins each. Their last meeting at this event was a classic -- Safin winning 2-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-7(0), 6-4 in a quarterfinal match in 2004.

And who has bragging rights from the coaches' box? Clearly, this wasn't the first time the question had occurred to Safin. "Well, Volkov beat [Connors] once and he retired after this match," he said without missing a beat.

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