Focus on 2018 winners
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Frenchman Gael Monfils
Qatar, Pune, Brisbane and Auckland are the opening venues of the 2018 professional calendar. All of them permitted a limited number of entries to the main draw. They were events with 32 in the main draw and 2 rounds of qualifications. This is what a venue could handle. Some years ago, many of these events had 64 draws. Then there were also dull matches with empty stands. To overcome this the focus changed to ‘few good matches’, than a large draw, came into effect. Apart from that, events also became expensive to stage.
The ‘creme de la creme’ attitude came into professional events to show Tennis as a vibrant sport. To achieve this, an event now need three stadium courts plus others, to have the desired impact. The shrinking of the draw became possible because of the credible and up-to-date ranking systems of WTA and ATP. Basically, today, the global stage is only for the good players.
Gael Monfils wins
Doha Qatar
Frenchman Monfils was World Junior No.1. He has the French entertaining flare of Yanick Noah and Henry Leconte. Monfils is fast on his feet and very quick with his reflexes. He gets his power from timing and balance, than from muscle bulk. This can be seen by the level of flexibility he shows with his ever appealing ‘trick shots’. The 31-year-old has been on the injury list too many times in the last 7 years. 2017 was a good year for him, when he reached his highest position of 6. Winning the Qatar Open last week, beating New-Gen players, shows he will be seen in,the final rounds in 2018. His Swedish coach Tillstrom is having a good impact on him. Monfils entered the Qatar event on a ‘wild card’, being ranked as low as 39 in the world.
Simon Gilles wins
Pune India
Another Frenchman, 33-year-old Simon Gilles turned pro in 2002. In his 16 years as a professional, he once entered the top 10 in 2015. In Pune, he achieved a milestone when beating another, and the only African, Keven Anderson, in the finals. This is his first win over Anderson. From the critics airing their opinions, it could be said it was the best match played in the first week of 2018. Gilles, at the moment, is one of the low ranked Frenchman in the ATP list, at 57. The Pune title would take him a little higher.
Nick Krygios wins Brisbane
Australian player of spectator appeal, Krygios won the Brisbane title. Brisbane had only 28 players in the draw. Grigor Dimitrov, last year’s ATP finals winner, went down to Krygios in the semifinals. New-Gen players did appear there. Krygios is 22, and is also considered a New-Gen player. If there is a unique thing about him, it is that, he has no coach. At present, he is ranked 17, and was ranked 13 in 2016. His playing ability has to be described as unique, as no other has it. When he gets going, every department can produce immense speed and immaculate accuracy. Every top 20 player has something unique in them. In Krygios it is this. Being temperamental, his performance swings between superman and a man fast asleep. He is bound to be a top 10 player at the end of this year, if he does not get injured. He is tall and heavy at 85 kg, keeping himself fit will always be a challenge to him throughout the career.
Elina Svitolina
wins Brisbane
Hailed as the best Ukrainian women Tennis player, she has made her mark as No.3 in the world now. Chances are she will be No.1 before year end. The manner in which she won Brisbane is a good indication of what is to come. Her game has very little error rate and has strokes which are very effective, with plenty of room to improve. It is the speed with which she covers court that rattles opponents. Born in Odessa, Ukraine is a land not new to sports and Tennis. Even in the Soviet era, Wimbledon finalist Alex Metreveli came out of Ukraine. Svitolina is 23 and, as a New-Gen player, made a good impact last year.
Julia Georges
wins Auckland
Julia is German and already 29, started her professional career in 2005, and was well over 1000 in the ranking. Last year, she reached 12 in the ranking, and her win over none other than Caroline Wozniacki in Auckland last week, is her third straight title win. Once again, Georges too is capable of hitting winners from the baseline and covers court very effectively. Adding to this ability is her service which can produce ample winners, while her return of service is the other department which consistently troubles her opponents. Her game is on the up.
The Australian Open is a compulsory event to all professional players. It starts tomorrow and goes on till Jan.28. The last warm up event was in Sydney last week. Many skip Sydney to remain fresh for the Australian Open in Melbourne.
-George Paldano, Former int. player; Accredited Coach of German Federation; National coach Sri Lanka & Brunei, Davis-Cup, Federation Cup captain/coach– contact 94 77 544 8880 geodano2015@gmail.com