Roger Federer joins Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in the top-3
After failing to defend the title and 2000 points at the Australian Open, Roger Federer dropped out from the top-3 for the first time since July 2017, spending 14 weeks outside that group despite a rock-solid start of the season. The 37-year-old has been training in Madrid for his first ATP event on clay since Rome 2016, winning 18 out of 20 matches so far in 2019 and achieving some significant milestones and preparing himself for more of the same in Madrid, Paris and during the grass swing. Following the fourth-round loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas in Melbourne, Roger bounced back in Dubai, defeating the young Greek in the title match to wrap up the 100th ATP title and join Jimmy Connors on that exclusive list.
At Indian Wells, Federer scored four easy wins to set the blockbuster semi-final clash against Rafael Nadal that never happened, with the Spaniard withdrawing before the match due to a knee injury. In the title match, Dominic Thiem ousted Roger in three sets and the Swiss returned even stronger in Miami, overcoming a shaky start against Radu Albot and delivering some impressive tennis to go all the way and claim the 28th Masters 1000 crown. On Monday, Roger will join Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in the top-3 again, passing the struggling German Alexander Zverev by 25 points ahead of the fourth Masters 1000 event of the season.
With no points to defend during the clay swing, Roger should increase his lead over Zverev, Thiem and other closest rivals and stay among the best three players in the world for a couple of months, 16 years after cracking that group for the first time following 2003 Wimbledon triumph! Five months ago, the 21-year-old Alexander Zverev stood at the top of the tennis world with the ATP Finals trophy in his hands, wrapping up the season in style and hoping for more of the same in 2019. Nonetheless, the young German has had a mediocre start of the new year, scoring just 12 wins in the first 19 matches and bowing out early in Munich as well, dropping 250 points that had kept him in front of Roger.
Losing another tight Hopman Cup final versus Roger Federer and Switzerland, Zverev suffered two minor injuries ahead of the Australian Open where Milos Raonic defeated him in the fourth round, with Alexander winning just two games in the opening two sets. A month later he was the finalist in Acapulco, beaten by Nick Kyrgios and missing the only chance so far in 2019 to lift the trophy. Playing way below his 100%, Alexander lost early at Indian Wells and Miami and decided to take a wild card in Marrakech, desperate for more matches before Monte Carlo.
That didn't help either, halted by Jaume Munar in the second round for another big setback before the third Masters 1000 event of the season where he played in the semis a year ago. After a solid start, Zverev had to leave the tournament much earlier than he was hoping for, bowing out in the third round after a 7-6, 6-1 loss to Fabio Fognini. The German was two points away from taking the opener twice in the tie break but it wasn't to be for him, losing focus in the pivotal moments and fading from the court in the rest of the encounter for another tough loss and setback before the rest of the dirt season.
Trying to fix his game and get back on the winning way, the German asked for a last minute wild card for the ATP 500 event in Barcelona and that didn't end up well either, losing in the second round against Nicolas Jarry before wasting two match points versus another Chilean Christian Garin in Munich to stay empty-handed. With 1000 points to defend in Madrid, Zverev could lose more positions on the list, unable to find his best tennis so far this year and desperate to regain the form that made him one of the best players in the world in 2017 and 2018.
from Tennis World USA http://bit.ly/2PNBS31
No comments