Monfils, the choking kind

Having lost his 11 final, out of the 14 he played, Gael Monfils proved once more that he is one to choke whenever being presented with a great opportunity. After struggling on the European clay for the past few weeks, the Frenchman saw his American hard-courts campaign off to an excellent start, reaching the final at the first time of asking, in Washington. The scarcity of top players eased his path through the draw. Nevertheless, it wasn't all a walk in the park for Gael who had to dig deep to defeat the American giant John Isner in the semifinals. It was an enduring fight that ended in the third sets tiebreak with Monfils barely escaping after being match point down.

Following a familiar scenario, he threw everything up by delivering a very poor performance in the final, thus handing his opponent a rather straightforward win. Radek Stepanek was strong from start to finish and never gave Monfils a chance. He won the match 6-4,6-4 and at 32 years old, he became the oldest Washington champion since Connors, aged 35, won in 1988.
Now a constant top 10 figure, the Frenchman has had solid results in the Slams making a semifinal at Roland Garros in 2008 and several quarters. Nevertheless, considering the number of finals he lost, it seems he has developed a recurring problem in collecting ATP titles. The most worrying thing is that many of his rival loses came to lower ranked players (i.e. Monaco in Poertschach 2007, Petzschner in Vienna 2008 or Montanes in Stuttgart 2010). Stepanek is the latest addition to the list, Monfils having a 5-2 head-to-head record prior to the Washington clash.
Unfortunately, this result comes to prove my theory about the French players. Except for Simon, and, to a certain extent, for Tsonga, though he isn't competing that often, the rest are struggling to join the winning circle. Although they are hugely talented and have a great potential, they are left to rue the tones of missed chances.

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Simon, the atypical Frenchman

At a stage when most French players fail to convert, Gilles Simon is one who keeps his cool and takes his chances. He showed another glimpse of his strength today, when he collected his ninth ATP title, dispatching the Spaniard Nicolas Almagro in the Hamburg final.
Simon's ability to not choke under pressure and to deliver at the most crucial times helped him make it as high as number 6 in the world after reaching the quarterfinals at the 2009 Australian Open. Nevertheless, his path to glory suffered a big blow later that year, when a knee injury sidelined him for several months. Upon his comeback, he wasn't quite the same player and it took some time before he reached top form again. A string of uncharacteristically poor results saw his rankings go down as low as number 52 in November 2010. Things got back on track though, when he captured the trophy in Metz. Cheered by a partisan crowd, he signaled his return to the winning circle after a lengthy absence. Ever since, he took small steps towards reclaiming his status among the elite of the men's tennis. Little by little he made it back and is now knocking on the door of a top 10 return, as he will the 11th on the list due to be released on Monday.
This week was a struggle for Gilles. After the quick dismissal of Ukrainian Stakhovsky, four three setter followed. The victory over top seeded Monfils proved extremely important as it generated the confidence he needed. In the semifinals we defied the odds and defeated Russian Mikail Youznhy just for the second time in nine career meetings. Having battled so hard for his place in the grand finale, the Frenchman was determined to make the most out of it. He fought off numerous break points to win a high class first set, 6-4. A bit of a stumbling at the end cost him the second act, 4-6. In the decider, an early break proved crucial for Simon, who ensured a 6-4,4-6,6-4 victory. It all payed off in the end for the tenacious French player who won the second title of 2011 (he succeeded in Sydney in January). It also marked a revenge over Almagro, who is one of two players to deny Simon an ATP crown (i.e. in Valencia in 2006). Moreover, he became the first Frenchman to triumph at the German Open since Henri Leconte's beat Miroslav Mecir 25 years ago.
Unlike his more talented compatriots, i.e. the likes of Gael Monfils, Richard Gasquet or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Simon collects title after title. Although he is yet to match their Grand Slam achievements, his tally recommends his as the most successful active French player. Although he lacks their power and aggressiveness, his consistency can prove a more sustainable quality.

photo:  AFP

YES, I CAN!

She had it within her for some time now, but after her miraculous run to the Wimbledon final in 2007, she just couldn't make it come across in her performances. For a while it was funny how she kept on insisting that she feels like she can be the best player in the world. With the lack of results, her attitude passed as pure arrogance and she was laugh at.
Nevertheless, recently things suffered a radical turnaround. I am not sure what caused the change, but for a couple of weeks now, we are witnessing a totally different Marion Bartoli stepping on to the court. She is more determined, she is hanging in there, she is putting on a fierce fight until the very last ball and she has even passed her tendency to retire halfway through her matches. And the results are starting to appear. After a shaky start at her Wimbledon campaign, the Frenchwoman cause a big commotion with her two sets win over two times defending champion, American Serena Williams. More impressive than the victory itself, was the manner in which she kept on battling, holding off a late comeback from her opponent. I admit I doubted she will be able to pull if off. Succumbing Serena in a Grand, even a week after an extended lay-off, is a remarkable feat.

It might have taken her longer than expected to beat Spanish Lourdes Dominguez Lino and all her inner strength to overcome Italian Flavia Pennetta 9-7 in the decider, but after an utterly convincing performance against one of the all time greatest, Bartoli reassures her credentials as one of the hottest players left in the draw.

She is not a natural born athlete, therefore she is an exotic addition to the game. She has her peculiar moves, her aching serve, her two-handed shots on both sides, her quick races in between the points, but it all comes together for her. Nonetheless, it must have taken her all the perseverance in the world to get to where she is at the moment. Additionally, lately she is complementing this with the right attiude. Whether she wins or loses, she doesn’t hold anything back, giving her all. As a result, she is rather winning than losing. Not sure how long she will be able to keep this level going, but I genuinely think that she deserves a Grand Slam. This could very well be her time, although she faces tough competition against German Sabine Lisicki.

"No matter what the result will be, I will still be proud of myself", she told journalists during the press conference after her three hours and nine minutes amazing win over Pennetta. Whether she gets hold of the Venus Rosewater Dish or not, she should apply her motto.

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Windy brilliance from Bartoli

What a week this has been for Marion Bartoli! Back on her beloved grass, the 2007 Wimbledon finalist finally put together a winning display, capturing her sixth WTA title, the first since Stanford in 2009.
Marion was riding on an impressive record at Eastbourne, having reached the semifinals in the last four seasons. However, with 7 top ten players in the draw, plus the return of the Williams sisters, the chances of her finally making the ultimate step this year looked weak. Moreover, being 3-5 in the decider against Lucie Safarova in her first round clash definitely didn't make the situation look too promising. Somehow though, she found it in her to fight back, to hang out in there when times got tough and to prove she has what it takes to be a champion. And all it took was a day of utter brilliance.
Having survived the Safarova scare, Bartoli ensured a safer passage through to the semifinals, disposing of Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez before benefiting from Azarenka's withdrawal while being 6-2, 2-0 up in their quarterfinal tie. With heavy rain halting the play on Friday, organizers decided to squeeze both the semis and the final on Saturday. In the gustiest of winds, Marion took the court in the morning aiming at reversing a 1-2 deficit in her head-to-head with Samantha Stosur. She did just that, mastering the extremely tough conditions to win the match 6-3,6-1. Having made the big step, she wasn't about to give up the title without a fight. A couple of hours later, she was back on court facing Czech Petra Kvitova in the championship clash. Having made friends with the wind, Bartoli was unreachable for a set and a half, quickly building a 6-1,3-1 advantage. Kvitova is not one to give up easily though and she managed to fight back, levelling the match at one set a piece. As in many other moments of her career, this was the time when the Frenchwoman sustained an injury. She took a medical time-out and I was sure we will witness the history repeating, as she is notorious on tour for retiring during important matches. Having withdrawn in two of her last three finals, Marion decided it was time to hang in there and fight. To my surprise, it was she who came out on top after a fierce battle, winning the decider 7-5.
With this result, the funny Bartoli proved she can win the big matches. After her wins over Justine Henin at Wimbledon in 2007 and Venus Williams in the final of Stanford in 2009, this is probably her biggest achievement. With a title, a final and a Grand Slam semifinals in her last three events, she is playing the best tennis of her life. She will definitely be one to watch out for during the Wimbledon fortnight.

photo: Reuters

"Une histoire d'amour française" avec Marion Bartoli

Marion Bartoli is probably one of the most peculiar players on the WTA tour. With her odds shots, double-sided on both sides, and funny looking serving ritual, the Frenchwoman puts on quite a show everytime she plays. She rose to fame in 2007 when she captured a magnificent fortnight at Wimbledon, making it all the way to her first Grand Slam final, before bowing out to Venus Williams. Since then, she strengthened her position as France's number 1 by being a constant top 20 presence.

The main issue with Marion is her inconsistency and her propensity to injury. When she's on, then she's definitely on, but when she loses her grip she becomes the easiest of targets. There are so many matches when she was 5-1, or even 6-0 up, but ended up losing. From this viewpoint, her career resembles a rollercoaster. You never know what is going to happen next.

A proof of her adventurous ride consists of her surprising dream run on French clay, her least favourite surface. The love affair started in Strasbourg where the top seeded Bartoli toughed it out to make it all the way to the finals. Of course, the inevitable happened and the Frenchwoman retired after losing the first set to Germany's Andrea Petkovic citing injury. With less than 24 hours before the start of the French Open, she became a major doubt. As many times before, her father worked some sort of a miracle and Marion was fit to play her first round match against Georgian Anna Tatishvili. After a disastrous start, she found her range and made it through, 1-6, 6-2, 6-1. Another three-setter and Bartoli was scheduled to meet in-form Julia Goerges in the third round. Due to her clay record and her physical problems, I was expecting Julia to cruise through this one, but to my surprise, it was the Frenchwoman who came out on top. After taking out one of the main contestant for the Suzanne Lenglen cup, the home crowd finally had something to look for. Taking advantage of an injured opponent, i.e. Gisela Dulko retired during their fourth round clash, Marion found herself in her first Roland Garros quarterfinal. Though the result was surprising to many, she remained confident. It was this self-belief that helped her beat 2009 champion, Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova after 2 tight sets, 7-6, 6-4. Although she succumbed in the semis to defending champion, Italian Francesca Schaivone, Bartoli's performance is one both her and her country can be extremely proud of. After Wozniacki’s defeat her side of the draw became wide open. The fact that she made it thus far marks one of the few opportunities she actually took.

The thing I liked the most about her during the Parisian fortnight was her attitude. She didn't retire injured, she didn't lose momentum and when times got though, she hanged on and fought until the end. Francesca's claycourt skills proved too much to handle for a determined, but not resourceful enough Bartoli. However, with the grass season just around the corner and Wimbledon coming up in two weeks, Marion chances couldn't look better. She might be the underdog to challenge the leading ladies. But yet again, I guess with her we'll never know.

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Winning a battle, but losing the war!

The fact that French players are lacking the mental strength to grab their chances has been attested endlessly throughout the last decades. Tsonga lost one of his rare battles with Djokovic when it mattered most, namely in the final of the Australian Open 2008, Cornet lost being up 5-2 in the 3rd set to Safina (a loss that marked the beginning of the end for her), Bartoli is being defeated recently by lower-ranked players, Monfils and Gasquet are constantly injured and unfortunately, the string of French misses doesn't end here. The Fed Cup battle with Russia this last weekend was just the missing cherry on the cake. 

Entering as the underdogs, Alize Cornet and Virginie Razzano did wonders in beating Kuznetsova, respectively Sharapova, to ensure a 2-0 lead. Once again, France had the upper-hand and a place in the semis was within their reach. Then the usual thing happened. After getting a good night's sleep, the Russian squad came out stronger than ever and managed to turn things around, while France succumbed. The previous hard work proved to no avail eventually, as Kuznetsova/ Pavlyunchenkova beat Coin/Cornet in the decisive doubles match to seize a 3-2 win.

Another conclusive example is the Davis Cup final against Serbia last November. Prior to the final, I was expecting two single wins for each team, the double clash to decide the winner. Deep down I was hoping one of the Frenchmen could beat Djokovic. After Llodra subdued the Serb in Paris a couple of weeks before, I was counting on a repeat. Guy Forget, however, had other ideas. He selected Simon to play Djokovic. Of course, Gilles lost in three sets. Even so, after the first two days, France was 2-1 ahead and was in need of one more win to capture the trophy.  Clement and Llodra did a great job in overcoming Zimonjic/ Troicki in a five set thriller showing great fighting spirits. With the odds on their side, Forget blew it once more.  I am not sure what exactly went through his mind, but he picked Llodra over Simon (who holds a 5-0 record against Troicki) to face the Serb in the singles' rubber. I was appalled by his judgment and the fact that Llodra lost easily in 3 sets substantiates my thinking. His choice was faulty and, in my opinion, deprived France of the win. 

Having such huge talents (i.e. Tsonga, Monfils, Gasquet, Simon, Bartoli, Golovin or Cornet), it is shocking that France doesn't have a top ten player. So why do French players excel in creating opportunities, but are lousy in taking then? 

photo: Kivrin /Golovanov