Monte Carlo Masters: Fognini amazes everyone with his breathtaking tennis, while Nadal and Djokovic have a lot of questions to answer
This year at the Monte Carlo Masters in Monaco, the story which seemed to unravel on similar lines every year took a significant detour in the second semi-final. The 13th seed Italian Fabio Fognini defeated the ‘King of Clay’ and three-time defending champion Rafael Nadal in straight sets, sending shock waves across the tennis world.
Fognini, who always feels at home playing on clay, was surprisingly knocked out in the very first round at the Grand Prix Hassan II just a week ago, raising plenty of doubts over his form and consistency. But just a week later there has been a stunning turnaround in his fortunes as he has registered his first title win at the Principality of Monaco, defeating Dusan Lajovic in the final.
This is undoubtedly the biggest moment of Fognini’s start-stop career, which has mostly been a story of him showing promise and then failing to deliver on it. Maybe it's the start of a new beginning for the Italian.
Apart from his breathtaking win over Nadal, the new champion at Monaco came through a tough draw to finally arrive at his moment with destiny. Next gen stars Alexander Zverev, Borna Coric and Andrey Rublev presented a stern test to Fognini en route his quest to glory, but the Italian seemed to have all the answers.
The pin-point, at times deadly accuracy of Fognini’s shots, which was the primary reason of his awe-inspiring triumph over Nadal, carried over into the final too. Fognini was playing against an inspired Lajovic in the summit clash, but he managed to remain steady long enough to be crowned as the new prince at Monte Carlo.
The resilience and determination of the Serbian runner-up Lajovic should not be forgotten amid's Fognini's triumph though. Lajovic triumphed over exceptional clay-courters Dominic Thiem and David Goffin in straight sets before getting the better of Daniil Medvedev, who seemed to be on a roll after defeating Novak Djokovic.
For Alexander Zverev, the hunt for a big win this year continues as he yet again failed to create an impression, losing to Fognini in straight sets in their Round of 16 clash. Zverev's extended run of poor form and inconsistency is a huge cause for worry, and he would be desperate for a turnaround at the Barcelona Open this week.
Dominic Thiem, who registered his first Masters 1000 title win at Indian Wells defeating the Swiss maestro Roger Federer in the final, appears to be in a spot of bother too following his recent debacles at Miami and Monte Carlo. His straight sets defeat to Lajovic in their Round of 16 match might just act as a much-needed wake-up call for the Austrian, who is a far better player on clay than what his recent results suggest.
The two veterans Nadal and Djokovic have a lot to introspect and contemplate following their shock defeats to Fognini and Medvedev respectively. Nadal resumes his journey on clay at Barcelona this week but Djokovic will return to the court only in Madrid, and they would both be looking for quick answers.
Djokovic in particular has looked rusty and lackluster since his triumph at the Australian Open. The World No. 1, who looked invincible throughout the second half of last year, has been struggling with his form and consistency, and his performance against Medvedev did nothing to assuage his concerns.
In the case of Nadal there is less need for worry as he was simply outplayed by the quality of winners that Fognini produced. But his serve may need to be worked on again; he was repeatedly and far too easily broken throughout his quarter and semi-final clashes, which is an alarming sign and a potential threat to his campaign on his beloved clay.
Having been handed with a tough draw at the Barcelona Open too, it will be fascinating to see how Nadal bounces back after this Monte Carlo debacle. Is this just a blip on the radar, or the start of the end of Nadal’s fairy-tale story with the red dirt?
The events at the Monte Carlo Masters mesmerized us with some thrilling stories, and a lot of questions remain to be answered. But the moment right now belongs to the Italian Fabio Fognini, who has written a staggering story himself through a display of some truly breathtaking tennis.