What a difference a year makes
by Jennifer Witham
Monday, 15 January, 2007
http://www.australianopen.com/
The difference a year can make was demonstrated on the first day of
Australian Open 2007 when Frenchmen Gael Monfils and Richard Gasquet
and Serbian Novak Djokovic turned the tables on their 2006 results to
progress through to the second round.
The French duo dismissed a pair of Italians with Monfils claiming a
tough four-setter against Daniele Bracciali, 7-6(2) 6-7(9) 6-4 7-6(5),
and Gasquet knocking out Filippo Volandri in straight sets, 6-4 6-4 6-2.
Djokovic breezed through his encounter with Chilean Nicolas Massu in
three brief sets, 6-1 6-1 6-0, to book his own place in the second round.
Last year, the French pair was eliminated on day two of competition
which caught many by surprise after they had shot up the world rankings
in 2005.
Monfils, after jumping from 231st to No.31, was ousted by Peruvian Luis
Horna in three, 6-4 7-5 6-1, while Gasquet couldn't carry on from his
first title win in 2005 and bowed out to Tommy Haas, 6-2 7-5 6-2.
And Djokovic, who promised so much the year previous when he progressed
through to the third round at both Wimbledon and the US Open, was pushed
out in four by American Paul Goldstein, 6-2 1-6 6-3 6-2.
But, in 2007, the Frenchmen and the Serbian have already superseded last
year's results with Monfils equalling his best record at Melbourne Park
and Gasquet and Djokovic bettering theirs.
Monfils endured an interrupted 2006 as he battled back and foot complaints,
but still managed to post a career-best Grand Slam result with a fourth
round finish at the French as well as recording his highest world ranking
of 23 in June.
He was runner-up to world No.1 Roger Federer in Doha, reached the
semifinal of the ATP Masters Series in Rome and defeated Marat Safin
at AMC Cincinnati. All up, he finished the year with a 3-5 record
against top 10 opponents.
The 20-year-old agrees he has bettered his game in the past 12 months
and was pleased with the way he was able to win on Monday having not,
in his opinion, played his best tennis.
"I feel like I have improved a little bit (in the past year) because
during the match I was down so it was good. I think I have grown a
little bit," he said.
"I wasn't playing a good game and I won this match.
"A couple of times, I have tried to change my game so now to play
like I want … I was happy."
While he was understandably content with winning his first match
and earning a spot in the second round, he was also pleased with
the progression of compatriot Gasquet.
"I am happy because this year I have won one match and the second
one here so it means I can play my good game in the next one," he said.
"It was a good day (for France,) but we have to keep winning,"
Gasquet finished last year as his country's best player after making
it through to four ATP finals - three of which he won. He also went
1-7 against the top 10 with his lone scalp the considerable one of
American James Blake.
He went down to Federer in the first round of Wimbledon, but survived
until the fourth of the US Open and defeated Haas in five sets in the
first round of the Davis Cup. He also defended his grass-court title
in Nottingham and picked up Gstaad and Lyon as two to defend this year.
The world No.18 took under two hours to send Volandri packing on Monday
to consequently win his first-ever match at the Melbourne Grand Slam.
"I played really good today. It was a great match because Volandri is
a great player. He's 30th in the world, so he's a great player," he said.
"I won in three, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. I am happy to win my first match at
the Australian Open."
Djokovic was another to take a huge step in 2006 as he leapt from 83rd
in the world to 16th, and made the quarterfinal of the French Open, the
fourth round of Wimbledon and the third round of the US.
He also won titles in Amersfoort and Metz and was a finalist in Umag,
and knocked off some big names as the year progressed with a French
Open win over Fernando Gonzalez and a Wimbledon win over Tommy Robredo.
Djokovic credits his improvement in the past 12 months to a combination
of his new coach Marian Vajda and an increase in his maturity as a player.
"From my point of view, I have improved a lot," he said.
"I've changed some things in the last year. When I was here last year I
worked with (Riccardo) Piatte, the coach of (Ivan) Ljubicic, we worked
as a team and unfortunately it couldn't work out.
"Then I started working with my new coach for a tournament before
Wimbledon and the results are talking, the results are showing
everything I do and I think I have improved a lot, especially on my game.
"I have more experience and I think I am more comfortable on the
court and more patient. You can really say last year, I was only
18-years-old and coming through, breaking through, and trying to
get to top 50.
"I was, for a couple of months, struggling, but since the French
Open I'm really, really playing great tennis."
Another rising star who will be out to improve on his 2006 result
is Scotsman Andy Murray, who will face Spaniard Alberto Martin on Tuesday.
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