More often than not, our weekly previews take the form of a guided tour through each quarter of a draw. In the case of Memphis and Marseille, though, we depart from our usual approach to capture each tournament’s intriguing characters in individual snapshots rather than as part of a collage.
Memphis:
Isner: One week after upsetting Federer in spectacular fashion at the Davis Cup, the American finds himself in the rare position of holding the top seed. In the wake of his most significant victory to date, will he win his most important title to date, or does an emotional lull lie ahead? He might get a taste of his own medicine against fellow ace machine in the first round, but Isner’s mighty serve always poses a special threat indoors, while his spirits usually lift from the crowd support in North America.
Young: In one of two third-set tiebreaks, the Donald of tennis upset younger rising star Dimitrov despite his far inferior serve. The opposite of Isner in most ways, this former prodigy shines most on surfaces where he can navigate through baseline rallies, not the case here. Young seemed to have gained fresh hope with a second-week appearance at the US Open last year and a final in Bangkok. But coaching uncertainty has clouded this putative revival, and a squandered third-set lead against Dimitrov suggests that he continues to struggle with finishing matches.
Melzer: Less than two years ago, this sometimes sour lefty reached the top 10 in an improbable feat considering his age. Little has gone right for this Wimbledon doubles champion in singles since then, outside a victory over Federer in Monte Carlo, as injuries have eroded his timing-reliant style. On the other hand, two singles victories over Russia in Davis Cup may have triggered a brief torrid streak from this inflammable net-rusher, who opens against San Jose runner-up Istomin in a contrast of styles.
Harrison: Winning two three-setters in San Jose last week, he showed signs of greater aggression in his court positioning and willingness to play closer to the lines. For those who have followed his progress, the more muted emotions emanating from this hot-tempered teenager represented a remarkable change. The air escaped almost visibly from his balloon of optimism when he faced Raonic’s thundering serve, though, in a match that he let slip away too easily. Check out an intriguing opener against the less developed but perhaps equally promising Jack Sock.
Raonic: On the heels of his San Jose title last year, he reached the final in Memphis last year and might have won the title if not for one of the finest shots of 2011. Despite a knee injury, Raonic delivered some of the best tennis of his career while defending his title last week. He already has won two titles this year with his straightforward style, and he will face no fellow giants until at least the semifinal. Aligned to intercept him immediately is the ever-enigmatic Gulbis, perhaps the greatest disappointment of his generation but still someone who nobody can afford to underestimate. Raonic traced an exceptionally difficult path to last year’s final through a string of three-setters, so he will want to advance more efficiently this time.
Roddick: Sunken to his lowest ranking in over a decade, the former #1 probably realizes at some level that he never will regain the form that he showed in memorable matches such as the 2009 Wimbledon final. That said, Roddick’s dogged competitiveness will prevent him from acknowledging defeat until absolutely necessary, whether to an opponent or to his accumulating injuries. An unexpected quarterfinalist at the US Open last year, he will consider it a matter of pride to mount as credible a title defense as possible before his compatriots. He couldn’t have asked for a much more accommodating draw, but Istomin hardly looked dangerous last week before dismissing him with ease.
Marseille:
Tsonga: After he reached the final of the Paris Indoors and the final of the year-end championships, Tsonga became clearly the most plausible threat to the hegemony of the top four. A year-opening title in Doha confirmed that impression before a desultory five-set loss to Nishikori at the Australian Open halted him in his tracks. Much more disciplined and commanding was his performance in Davis Cup, but then again Pospisil and Dancevic offered very low-hanging fruit indeed. Like Monfils, Tsonga has unleashed some of his most impressive tennis on French soil, and his all-offense style should reap rewards indoors. Not until the semifinals could he face an opponent who matches his explosiveness.
Del Potro: Halted only by Federer at his last two tournaments, the Tower of Tandil consolidated his return to the top 10 by crushing Troicki and Berdych in Rotterdam. While he usually fares better outdoors than indoors, Del Potro did reach the final at the year-end championships during his sensational 2009 campaign. He caught fire near this time last year on the North American rather than the European circuit, winning a small title in Florida before reaching a semifinal in Indian Wells and quarterfinal in Miami. In view of his past successes against potential quarterfinal opponent Gasquet and potential semifinal opponent Tsonga, a second straight final would seem thoroughly foreseeable. But he should beware of a certain reckless Russian in his opener….
Davydenko: Should he survive his opener against Andreas Beck, not a guarantee at this stage in his career, the former top-5 player has seized three of his past four collisions with Del Potro. On an indoor surface, Davydenko’s pinpoint shot-making and crisp footwork have compensated for his lack of an overpowering serve. Much has happened in his career—little of it good—since he conquered Del Potro in the 2009 World Tour Finals, but his ability to redirect the ball seems ideally designed to discomfit the Argentine. Also instilling the Russian with optimism was a sudden charge to the Rotterdam semifinal, where he contested an unexpectedly tight three-setter with Federer.
Gasquet: Possibly destined to meet Davydenko in a quarterfinal for the second straight week, the Frenchman has not justified his early 2012 optimism about soaring towards the top 10. Gasquet historically has embarrassed himself before his countrymen, suffering more than one humiliating loss at Roland Garros. Nevertheless, he may have turned a corner in recent years by reaching the second week for the first time there last year and winning Nice in 2010. For someone of his talents, six titles seems a paltry total, but he should feel fortunate if he escapes from his quarter.
Tipsarevic: In one of the more notable three-setters of the new season, he battled Raonic through three tiebreaks in the Chennai final before reluctantly conceding a match that featured no breaks of serve. That monumental effort on physical and mental levels may have contributed to his straight-sets loss in the first week of the Australian Open. Rebounding from that setback, Tipsarevic led a Djokovic-less Serbian squad to victory over a Soderling-less (and virtually toothless) Sweden in Belgrade. While he still doesn’t quite seem like a top-10 player, the world #9 rarely has lacked the courage to tackle even the most imposing obstacles. As the fourth seed, can he play the role of favorite as effectively as he has the role of underdog?
Dolgopolov: Like Monfils and Gulbis, the Ukrainian often manifests indifference to the notion of winning or losing. Somewhere between the two in accomplishments, he dazzled in a five-set battle with Tomic under the lights of Rod Laver Arena—but ultimately lost it. Dolgopolov’s swagger and flair for the dramatic at all times can cost him crucial points while winning the admiration of the crowd. A fluid and deceptively potent server, his greatest talent lies in absorbing pace with crafty counterpunching rather than the straightforward, power-driven brand of tennis that usually succeeds indoors. The second round might pit him against an equally rare animal in…
Llodra: Almost extinct in the modern baseline game are serve-and-volleyers like this former semifinalist at the Paris Indoors. Unfortunately, Llodra may end his career remembered most for the loss to Troicki that sealed Serbia’s first Davis Cup title, but one should remember him instead for his feathery touch and dexterously angled volleys. Dangerous in both singles and doubles, he can fluster much more notable opponents who rarely find their passing shots so relentlessly tested.
Fish: Strangely deciding to play Marseille rather than Memphis, the top-ranked American seems a bit like a fish out of water amidst this thoroughly European mélange. No less important than Isner’s flashier victory over Federer was Fish’s more arduous triumph over Wawrinka that opened the tie, reversing his recent trend of disappointments in fifth sets. Combining with Mike Bryan to win the clinching doubles rubber, the second seed showed few symptoms of the malaise with which he ended 2011 and started 2012. With Indian Wells and Miami looming on the horizon, Fish certainly will hope to consolidate his positive momentum from the Swiss weekend rather than sliding back into his January quagmire.
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