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Tennis Weekend Wrap: Family Circle and Monte Carlo Masters
by Nadya Vlassoff
Where do things stand in the tennis world? With the hard court season on hiatus for now, the players were in full swing for the start of the clay court. The women were in Charleston, North Carolina at the Family Circle Cup while the men were in Monte Carlo for another Masters series. Would this be the week that the women’s top seeds redeemed themselves? Would Rafael Nadal be able to continue his dominance over the rest of the men’s field on clay?
 The Family Circle Cup began and ended the same way the rest of the tournaments of the year have gone thus far. In the first few days, the majority of the top seeds appeared to be holding strong, but by the third round the change of court surface began to claim its first victims. Sabine Lisicki, from Germany, was seeded 16th going into the tournament although she was ranked 63rd. In the third round Lisicki upset favorite Venus Williams who was unable to counter Sabine’s impressive ground strokes and powerful serves. In the final, the young upstart from Denmark, Caroline Wozniacki awaited to put an end to Lisicki’s impressive run.
Although Wozniacki was seeded 5th, Caroline struggled to find momentum during the match and was a bit heavy after a 3-hour match against Dinara Safina. Sabine Lisicki did not make it easy on herself either, as she needed 6 match points to close the match on some shaky play in the final set. Lisicki finally took the match 6-2, 6-4 and with it Sabine posted her first title win ever. Now possessing a much-improved game, expect to see more of this 19 year-old from Germany. As long as Sabine Lisicki can stay healthy, she’s proven that she definitely has what it takes to play with the top guns.
Monte Carlo, Monaco, one of the world’s richest and lavish cities, played host to the Monte Carlo Masters this past week. The men’s draw saw the top seeds ready to shake off the rust and prepare themselves for the new clay courts that have not always catered to big hitters. The biggest upset came in the third round as Beijing 2008 gold medalist doubles partners Stanislas Wawrinka topped Roger Federer for one of the biggest singles wins of his career. Despite that small hiccup in the tournament, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal all went through to the semi-finals. On Sunday it was Rafael Nadal, the 4 time defending champion, against the 3rd seeded Novak Djokovic.  The first set was won easily by Nadal who used lots of spin and his catlike grace to run down balls and force errors. In the second set the tide turned in favor of Djokovic who broke early and ran away with the set 6-2. In the third set it was Djokovic who let the frustration settle in as he struggled to close out his own game and eventually seceded it to Nadal. In the next game, the on-court action went back to deuce before Nadal was able to put some spin on a return, which Djokovic smacked into the tape causing it to pop up and sail long, which then gave the game to Nadal.
Djokovic, in frustration, hit a ball into the crowd disgusted by his own luck. From there it was all Rafael Nadal as he raced to a 5-1 lead in the third set and served out his last game to win the match. The win marks the fifth consecutive Monte Carlo Masters title for Rafael Nadal, who faltered briefly in Miami but seemed completely at ease on his best surface, clay.
With the majority of the players already settled into the new court, and an adjusted playing style that suits the slower clay court time, there is only one month until the next slam of the year: the French Open. Rafael Nadal looks to continue his dominance on clay and Roger Federer is desperately trying to keep his hold on the number 2 ranking. With his legacy in jeopardy and many young players battling for the third ranking spot, even Federer himself has admitted that his clay court game needs some major adjustments.
Serena Williams is set to play for another French Open title and perhaps even complete another grand slam, with the majority of the competitive field posing little resistance. Maria Sharapova is still absent from the tour and although sponsors would love to have her on the ticket in Paris, she has not confirmed whether or not she will play. One month is still plenty of time for any player to make a move and as always, 2009 has proven that the top seeds don’t always win.
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