French Open 2015: Men's quarterfinals preview
With Stan Wawrinka and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga already making their way to the Semi Finals yesterday, today’s matches make up for a Blockbuster Wednesday. Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and David Ferrer will slug it out for the two coveted spots in the top half of the draw. While all players, each of them a gladiator in his own right, have reached the Quarter Finals or better at Roland Garros only one of them has won it not once, not twice but a record nine times. The other three shall leave no stone unturned in trying to claim the title for the first time. There is a lot at stake for each player and the dynamics are interesting.
Novak Djokovic v/s Rafael Nadal: The Clash of the Titans
Rafael Nadal has won the French Open a record nine times. He has lost just once in 10 years. That pretty much explains the reason why Novak Djokovic has not won the title even once. The French Open is the only title that has eluded the current World No.1. Having entered the Grand Slam with 4 Masters Titles under his belt, this seems his best chance to add the French Open and complete the Career Grand Slam.
Rafael Nadal has definitely been through one of his poorest clay seasons. With no Masters titles to his credit and seeded No.6 at this year’s French Open, the Spaniard's iron grip on the title does look dubious. But it is not going to be all that rosy for Novak Djokovic who not only trails 20-23 in their head to head record but also has lost to the King of Clay 6 times at the Roland Garros. His most recent loss to Nadal at the Roland Garros was in last year’s final.
In an article entitled ‘The Clayptomaniac Season: Rafa and his stolen mojo’ Nadal’s performance on Clay was analyzed in the eve of the Madrid Open. Before the Madrid Open, Rafael Nadal’s chaos on clay were due to a poor first serve percentage that hovered over the lower 60s, the uncharacteristic double fault count, an abominable break point conversion and below par forehand. Apart from the technical aspects of his game, he had a party going on in his head as a result of which he played with nerves. He had also failed to play with his consistent trademark intensity in most of his matches.
Rafael Nadal seemed to be improving on all these fronts at Madrid where he reached the Finals and at Rome where he reached the Quarter Finals. He has definitely found some pieces of his stolen mojo since the beginning of this French Open and with each round he has played he seems to have found more of them. Having dropped just one set in four rounds, Nadal has made it a point to conserve himself for the big matches that demand the long hauls.
On the other hand, Novak Djokovic has looked unstoppable since his 8th Grand Slam win at this year’s Aussie Open.
Having won 26 straight matches this season and not having dropped a single set in his four rounds at this French Open the stats seem to favor a win over Nadal in the Quarter Final clash today. However, Rafael Nadal’s rule of 9 years at Roland Garros, his almost impeccable win-loss record of 70-1 and head to head of 6-0 will be weighing heavily on Djokovic’s mind.
"Of course it is a different approach mentally when you play Nadal in quarter-finals than any other player," said the Serb after his fourth round victory over Frenchman Richard Gasquet.
"There is no doubt about that. I'm going to try to keep my routine the same and not give so much importance to the match. I know what I need to do to have a chance to win. That doesn't mean that I will win. The future is unpredictable."
He already sounds skeptical. If Djokovic can beat the demons in his head there is some hope of him beating Nadal to progress to the Semi Finals. Nadal seems to have found his serve, his sledgehammer forehand and his intensity just in time. To add to this he has lost only one 5 setter on Clay till date. Boasting a win-loss record of 43-6 in Clay Court Finals, Nadal has a lot of gas left in him to play another epic 5 setter. If Djokovic is to win this Quarter Final, he has to avoid going into a 5th Set battle against Nadal.
Prediction: Nadal to win in five sets and the Parisian crowd singing “Happy Birthday, Rafa!” after the match.
Andy Murray v/s David Ferrer: The War of the Grinders
Andy Murray is enjoying his best spell on clay. It all started at the BMW Open at Munich where he beat Philipp Kohlschreiber to win the title and a couple of weeks later won the title at Madrid by beating Rafael Nadal. He withdrew in Rome complaining of fatigue which was quite obvious due to the fact that he had managed 9 wins in 10 days on Clay.
David Ferrer has reached the Finals of Roland Garros in 2013. Ferrer trails Murray 6-9 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series. When asked about Murray, Ferrer admitted, "He's much more aggressive. When he uses the different shots he has to play, he's one of the best players in the Top 3. If, in addition to this, you were to count his talent, I think that he's more aware of what's happening. Not just on quick surfaces, but also on clay. He's much more serene and calm."
Andy Murray has never beaten the Spaniard on Clay. Under the tutelage of Coach Amelie Mauresmo, Murray has embodied a winner’s attitude and mind set on court these days. He is playing big and with many of his firsts coming this season, it could be a different result this time around for him against Ferrer on Clay.
Prediction: Andy Murray to win in four sets and then spend the rest of the evening solving the Rafa Riddle