Wk.44- Requiem

Hey, all. Galileo here.

[Galileo began to write this before the end of Tuesday's U.S. elections, so take that into account... - tds]

Andy Murray is the 22nd player to hold number one. He has won some 20 matches in a row, even if they were against inferior opposition. He has, especially with the presence of this era’s best, looked quite good for the most part. He has ended Novak Djokovic’s 122-week stay at #1. We have had three long-term classy number ones. Now we have one who never shaves properly, swears, has had numerous examples of quite poor sportsmanship and has been known to abuse his opponents. It’s like going back to the days of Hewitt. Except at least Hewitt was a kid. Murray is permanently grumpy.

It’s going to be awkward having someone so unapproachable as number one. Our number ones, especially these days, need to be ambassadors for the sport. I know I am biased, but it is not just me. Murray is polarising. He has no charm or charisma. He has quite poor people skills and he doesn’t inspire anyone. And then there’s all the ‘injury’ business and the way he plays certain matches. Against Gasquet in the French Open this year he hit over 50 drop shots. No, not an exaggeration. Just a horrible way to play.

So forget about him. Even worse than Murray is Trump. I sincerely hope America stands up to the Donald. To show how confident I was I put a hundred British pounds on Hillary to win because I believe in the American people that much. I know they can do it. But if he wins people across the world stand to lose a lot more than I do. [On behalf of everyone, I apologize for Tuesday... and whatever comes next.]

Enough of our world number ones and of the depressing current affairs facing us. This is the final week, bar one and the Davis Cup, so let’s finish this long, long, long season…

=RANKINGS WATCH=
Top 32 - Big change everywhere. Querrey is at 31 despite dropping two spots, with Kohl clinging onto the 32nd spot. Tomic has gone down to 26th in what has been a steady decline.
Top 10 – Federer down to 16th. Berdych at 10 is a place above Goffin, who leads Tsonga at 12.
Top 8 – Nadal drops two to eight, but he will start to tumble badly. He won’t retire, but he will take the Mauresmo route out rather than the Henin. Somehow Cilic is up to 7th, though he has admittedly had a great fall.
Top 4 – Completely new top four. Murray leads Djokovic by some 400 points. Raonic is comfortably fourth and could take third from Wawrinka. He is only 70 away from taking the Swiss. Nishikori in 5th is his own island.


*WEEK 44 CHAMPIONS*
PARIS, FRANCE (Hard Indoor)
S: Andy Murray def. John Isner 6-3/6-7(4)/6-4
D: Kontinen/Peers d. Herbert/Mahut


PLAYER OF THE WEEK: ANDY MURRAY, GBR
...So Murray won another title.

Hillary just won Vermont! Trump leads 19-3. Yes it is going to be one of those posts. Sue me. [Hmmm, don't tempt you-know-who, G.]

The Scot has gone on a tear this past Autumn swing. Throw in Wimbledon and another Olympic Gold and there isn’t a doubt he deserves to be world number one. It is still a very Murray thing to do to triumph when the three best players of his generation are out of the way. There should be an asterisk on this run because he has not faced a truly difficult opponent. He is right now the best player in the world. When Federer comes back and Djokovic gets back on it he will go down to third best in the world. Muzza struggled past Fernando 6-3, 6-7[5], 7-5. It was on a knife-edge, but he showed Hewitt-esque grit to come through and then blew away Pouille 6-3, 6-0. Rolling into the quarterfinals he had momentum. He saw off Berdman, against whom he dominates the head-to-head, 7-6[9], 7-5. And when Raonic withdrew, again, he was through to the final. Isner had slipped through to the final, but Murray had too much in a 6-3, 6-7[4], 6-4 win. Avoiding the upset has been the buzzword and Murray has done that. Of course, he still does not match up to the big three, but he is probably in the top 15 or so of all time great male tennis players. His resume is quite impressive.
=============================
RISER: JOHN ISNER, USA
...If Isner literally rose how much more effective would his serve be? He overtook Karlovic at the last in this year's ace count, finishing 28 above the Croat.

And, oh boy is Clinton in trouble despite holding on to sneak VA.

Isner, from Republican Georgia, sometimes puts together a mystifyingly brilliant run, but never outside America. And this time he has. He also cracks the top 20 again with the run but, truthfully, he is a top 15 player. That 15-10 area in the rankings is so saturated with talent right now that it is hard to get in there and stay. In the opening round he edged Zverev the elder 7-6[8], 6-4. The 7-6[4], 7-6[4] result against Ferru would have been more impressive two years ago, but it is still a big one. It was a shaky win over another German next up, as the American got past Struff 6-4, 6-7[4], 6-3. Suddenly he was in a Masters quarter-final. And it was against Sock, his friend and compatriot. He played another breaker, his fifth of the tournament, and won it on the way to a 7-6[6], 4-6, 6-4. No breakers in his semi-final against Cilic; he blew away the Croat 6-4, 6-3. And he even pushed Murray in the final, including a tiebreaker.
=============================
FRESH FACE: JACK SOCK, USA
...Sock and Monroe had a decent run in the dubs, making the quarters. They dismissed Evans/Matkowski and Rojer/Tecau the fourth seeds. It took Bopanna/Nestor to finally win 2-6, 6-3 1-0 [5]. And Sock combined that with a quarterfinal appearance in the singles. Wins over Kohl and Thiem in straight sets were plenty impressive. But it was the 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 win over Gasquet in his house that was the most noteworthy. Gasquet saved multiple Sock match points. Sock held his nerve and indeed his serve. But he could not live with Isner and that serve in the semi-final.
=============================
VETERAN: FELICIANO LOPEZ, ESP
...A win, over Herbert, followed by a loss to Pouille seems to be the norm for Lopez. Just to be ranked in the top 30 so consistently at his age is quite the achievement. He even challenged Pouille before finally losing in three long sets. For the Spaniard, losing to a young and upcoming member of the next generation is no bad loss. Lopez is still one of the best players to watch anywhere on either tour.
=============================
SURPRISE: JO-WILFRIED TSONGA, FRA
...The Frenchman is always good for a run here. He managed to rally and end his season on a high note with a win or two. Beating Ramos-Vinolos in two sets is always good, even if it was on the Spaniard’s worst surface. But Tsonga had an even better trick left up his sleeve. He came back to see off Nishikori 0-6, 6-3, 7-6[3]. And to fall to Raonic and muster only eight games in the next round is so Tsonga it is unbelievable. He is mercurial to the point of frustration. And the next round the Canuck quit. If he could have forced it to go three what would have happened? Tsonga will end the season ranked second in France and in a decent position to make some more deep runs. He will go as far as his body will take him.
=============================
DOWN: NOVAK DJOKOVIC, SRB
...He had everything on the line going up against a player he never loses to. In the U.S. Open last year he embarrassed Cilic in front of thousands. The Croat usually has nothing on the former world number one. But Nole never looked in it. His fall has not been gradual, it has been dramatic. At the risk of jinxing it, Nole just isn’t good anymore. Turning 30 next year, both he and Murray are going to continue to fade. The future number one is going to be Thiem, Nishikori or Kyrgios. You may disagree, but there are few candidates…
=============================
UPSET: JAN-LENNARD STRUFF, GER
...He won 3-6, 7-6[6], 7-6[1]. How Wawrinka blew this, I will never know. But just when you think the Swiss will stand up, he falls down. Up 6-5 in the second set breaker, Wawrinka blew a match point and crumbled to a loss against the world number 91. Stan the Man has a shot to win the grand slam next year. Can he take it? Only if he can find some kind of consistency.
=============================

Notes from the Week...
1 - This BACKSPINNER'S prediction is Hillary to win and win comfortably. Nevada, Florida and Colorado will go to the Democrats. Penn was never in danger of falling. This is the Angry White Man’s final bastion. If the Republican’s lose this, what is next for them?
2 – When did Fed last fall out of the top twenty? This does not bode well for the Aussie Open slam draw. If he falls out of the top 16, Murray or Djokovic’s path could be Almagro, Del Potro, Federer, Nadal, Nishikori, Raonic and then the other. Oh boy.
3 – 511 days since Trump declared he would run. Is it just this BACKSPINNER or is that far too long?
4 – First time ever each WTF entrant is from a different country. Including alternates, ten different nations are represented. Oh, you think it’s a world sport? Seven of the ten can be connected. Raonic and Nishikori are the odd ones out, not being European.
5 - Trump just won. Consider this the end of the post and the season. Leave BACKSPIN town a week to recover. ['Nuff said.]


*WTF*
=RR=
*McENROE GROUP*
Murray 2-1
Wawrinka 2-1
Nishikori 1-2
Cilic 1-2

*LENDL GROUP*
Djokovic 3-0
Raonic 0-3
Monfils 2-1
Thiem 1-2

=SF=
Murray [1] d. [6] Monfils
Djokovic [2] d. [3] Wawrinka
=FINAL=
Djokovic [2] d. [1] Murray

...Murray has always done poorly at this tournament. But a year where he has been breaking the records he will make the final. But can he beat Novak? It is doubtful. No, Djokovic will rightfully finish as the world number one. He always delivers when it matters. If he cannot sweep the tournament, it will be a huge sign his time is coming to an end…

There is a look back at Kiki coming, but this BACKSPINNER will find it easier to concentrate when the U.S. elections have concluded.

Thanks all and visit WTA BACKSPIN please.

Read more!