It was hard to believe Novak Djokovic welcomed 2010 with a second-round-robin landslide loss to Fernando Verdasco in Kooyong. Nole only won three games (1-6, 2-6).
I did not have the chance to watch this match or followed it over the Live Scores Streaming that is why; I have no idea what really went wrong with Nole. I wish to see the match statistics, Anyone?
Last year, Nole also opened the new year with a surprising defeat in Brisbane over Ernest Gulibis but was given a wildcard in Sydney and earned a semifinal spot.
Perhaps, the Australian heat is once again too much for Nole and that alone affects his game. That would be terrible if that’s true. However, Nole started strong during the first round in Kooyong. He dominated and devoured German Tennis Superstar, Tommy Haas in straight sets (6-2, 6-3).
Let me remind you Haas outplayed Nole in two occasions last year and those defeats were both in grass (Gerry Weber Open and Wimbledon QF).
I want Nole to win the Australian Open 2010 but with his unexpected error-flatted performance against the Spaniard, I don’t know what magical cards Nole still has. His 2009 record also met some terrible bumps but Nole managed to come back and became victorious in two consecutive big tournaments. One in Basel against Roger Federer in the finals and the other was an Indoor-court Master Cup in Paris against Gael Monfils.
It was an impressive run for Fernando Verdasco though. Verdasco plays aggressively on the baseline, his shots are strong and finished the match in less than an hour. He also had a convincing and well-deserved win over Chilean Fernando Gonzales (7-5, 6-1).
Kudos to Verdasco’s Adidas Training Program!
Verdasco and Djokovic met in three occasions last year (Monte Carlo, US Open and China). Nole prevailed in those meetings but the rallies they had in Monte Carlo, that was certainly fantastic.
Watched it all over again and you could say these two were the Reserved Wild Beast of ATP. You just don’t know when they are losing or winning. These two just play great tennis and let the ball roll up and down. If possible, the AO Draw would allow them to meet again preferably in the semis. That way, Verdasco will not lose big points in his rankings and Djokovic revived himself from last year’s QF meltdown.
Go Nole!
Vamos Nando!
I AM SURVIVORDEAN 