March '07 Awards - The Craziest ATP Backspin Ever!

Oh. My. God.



No, it has nothing to do with Novak Djokovic's rather oddly public way to scratch an itch. March was totally nuts (umm, no pun intended there) because Roger Federer was... gulp... quite dissappointing.

(a pause to draw an invisible cross on my chest)

I'm sorry, Oh Holiest of Tennis Superheroes... but the truth is the truth.

**PLAYERS OF THE MONTH**
1. Novak Djokovic
...while Federer and Guillermo Canas were putting on their two act play in the spotlight, the new Top 10er reached the final of one Masters event (Indian Wells) and won another (Miami).
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2. Guillermo Canas

...what 15-month drug suspension? It's amazing how back-to-back wins over Sir Federer can change a player's rep.
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3. Rafael Nadal
...for the first time since Roland Garros '06, Rafa walked away with a singles title. He did it at the Masters event in Indian Wells. Just ask Andy Roddick how well Nadal played... then get out of the way of whatever he grabs to throw at you! Rafa is skipping Spain's Davis Cup tie with an injury. Hmmm, guess who's getting ready to try to extend that historic clay court winning streak.
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4. Bob & Mike Bryan
...Vegas and Miami isn't a bad two-fer for the brothers, whether it be in doubles titles or late nights on the town.
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5. Jonathan Erlich & Andy Ram
...Indian Wells isn't bad, either. Well, maybe not by comparison, but still.
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HM- Roger Federer
...as difficult as it is to remember now, Federer DID begin March by extending his winning streak to 41 matches and tying Rod Laver on the all-time career title list with his 47th crown in Dubai.
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**RISERS**
1. Novak Djokovic
2. Jonathan Erlich/Andy Ram
3. Mikhail Youzhny
4. Andy Murray
5. Jurgen Melzer
HM- Paul-Henri Mathieu & Agustin Calleri

**SURPRISES**
1. Guillermo Canas
2. Evgeny Korolev
3. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez
4. Nicolas Mahut
5. Jan Hernych
HM- Simone Bolelli & Juan-Pablo Guzman

**VETERANS**
1. Guillermo Canas
2. Lleyton Hewitt
3. Juan Ignacio Chela (Hey, Lleyton - duck!)
4. Carlos Moya
5. Juan Carlos Ferrero
HM- Tommy Haas & Fabrice Santoro

**FRESH FACES**
1. Robin Soderling
2. Gilles Simon
3. Amer Delic
4. Juan Martin Del Potro
5. Sam Querrey
HM- Danai Udomchoke & Janko Tipsarevic

**COMEBACK**
1. Guillermo Canas
2. Rafael Nadal
3. Lleyton Hewitt
HM- Gustavo Kuerten (okay, this inclusion is a bit generous)

**DOWN**
1. Roger Federer (the sky is falling!!!!)
2. James Blake
3. Dmitry Tursunov
HM- Marat Safin

TOP PERFORMANCE: No, he didn't actually win a title (his best result was a RU). But Guillermo Canas, in Indian Wells and Miami, went from returning drug suspendee to qualifying round loser to lucky loser to TWO-TIME CONQUEROR OF ROGER FEDERER. Guillermo... someone named Franz Kafka is on the phone.

HAPPIEST LUCKY LOSER (well, at least the one not named Guillermo): Robert Kendrick, who lost in Miami qualifying on a Thursday, then partied into the night thinking his tournament was over. At 10:45am, he received the call that Lleyton Hewitt had pulled out of the draw and that Kendrick was now a "lucky loser." By the afternoon he'd won a match and advanced into the 3rd Round. Said the American, "I'd like to thank Mister Grey Goose."

BEST STAT: Canas' vanquishing of Federer in back-to-back events puts him in select company. The only other players to do so in the Swiss Mister's career are Marc Rosset (2000), Lleyton Hewitt (2002), and David Nalbandian (2003). And let's be honest, all those losses came before Federer was FEDERER.

SCREW UP OF THE MONTH: Perhaps putting a final pin in the ATP's trial balloon use of Round Robins during regular tour events, no one seemed to know exactly which player was supposed to advance after Juan Martin Del Potro retired at 6-1/3-1 vs. James Blake. With Blake and Evgeny Korolev tied with 1-1 records, it was announced that Korolev had advanced... then Blake... then Korolev.

WHAT ABOUT WASKE?: Before Canas faced Federer in Indian Wells, he lost to Alexander Waske in qualifying. So is the German BETTER than Federer? What about Carlos Moya, who defeated Canas the round after the Federer upset? Of course, Novak Djokovic defeated Canas in Miami. But Djokovic lost to Federer in Dubai. Oh, I give up.

PAIRING OF THE MONTH: Roger Federer and Tiger Woods


...of course, Tiger won the PGA event in Miami while Roger, well, you know.

Then again, the extra time off has given Federer additional time on the clay to prepare for his quest for Roland Garros. Hmmmm... is there a method to Roger's March Madness? Maybe "crazy" is only in the eye of the beholder.


All for now.

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