Greatness, within their grasp

Djokovic falls to Rochus and 24 hours later Murray falls to Mardy Fish. What is going on with the top seeds in Men’s tennis? I’m inclined to just pick on Murray and Djoko and write a blog titled ‘Choking on the air at the top’. But I’m not convinced any of the top guys are in any better position.

This is a golden opportunity for Nadal to regain is number 2 ranking. It’s unlikely that it will happen here, but he can certainly gain ground with a strong finish in Key Biscayne. Problem is I don’t think Nadal will go deep in this draw. The rest of the field is looking at the top 4 guys and they see opportunity; and when opportunity presents itself, they’re gonna grab it…or are they. That’s the thing about opportunity, when it presents itself you still need courage to reach for it.

Roddick had a chance to seize opportunity last week but he blinked. Murray and Djokovic had opportunity when this year began. They both had chances to become the very best, but Djokovic had an upset stomach and Murray played hapless defensive tennis against the greatest of all time.

For Andy the year started out so beautifully. He did (almost) everything he was supposed to do in Australia and looked poised to become the second best player in the world. Then….who knows what happened…the old frustrated, impatient and unlikeable Andy Murray returned. When Murray plays frustrated tennis he loses. He needs to find his composure and his calm thoughtful court presence and he needs to do find it fast. Until he does I’m afraid we will see similar results. This loss is particularly troubling for Murray, because the speed of the court at Key Biscayne should favour him and Nadal, and in the last two weeks he just threw away…you guessed it…opportunity. It’s not that Djokovic’s loss isn’t troubling as well; but he quite frankly, hasn’t played top tier tennis all year. Even when he has won it’s been a struggle and has taken a monumental effort! But Novak has never been good when opportunity presents itself.

This leaves Federer to restore order at the top, and we at TNC think he will. This feels a little like last year's French open. The two best clay court players of the year, Nadal and Djokovic, lose early and suddenly Federer, in the midst of a stunning slump, steps in as the clear cut favourite, and in an instant, runs to the title, confirms his GOAT status and restore his place in the game. When the other guys are battling themselves, Federer sees his opportunities with such clarity, finds his inner champ and takes what every other guy is afraid to grasp. That’s the thing about greatness. Sometimes you just have to have the guts to take it.