Notes on a Draw Sheet

When in Rome and Hamburg, do as the dirtballers
(like JCap, not Andy and James) do
A WTA wonk's delight in Berlin

By Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net

Should anyone expect Andy Roddick and James Blake to go deep at Roland Garros after their poor performances at the Telecom Italia Masters? No one without blinders on should.

Roddick's 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-4 loss to Dutch qualifier Martin Verkerk on Wednesday is just another sign that the young American is seriously struggling with his confidence in closing out matches. A-Rod lost a substantial lead against Andre Agassi in the Houston final and couldn't find a way to dominate the court with his huge forehand against the big serving Dutchman. The Floridian hasn't had a notable tournament since the Aussie Open and is in serious danger of becoming a virtual non-factor this summer.

Blake is in an even worse funk, falling in the first round of Rome to Radek Stepanek. On clay this season, he lost to Guillermo Coria at Monte Carlo, Olivier Mutis in Houston and now Stepanek in Rome. It's clear that the 6-foot-1 strongman with a huge forehand, spotty but improving backhand, inconsistent serve and outstanding movement is in a mini-crisis.

"James is a great guy and is sometimes too nice," US captain Pat McEnroe said. "But you can still be a nice guy and go out and want to rip the heart out of your opponent and bury your opponent. James needs a little more of that. He's got to set that bar for himself and say, 'I can get there,'instead of saying, 'I'm going to work hard. If I get there, I'll get there.' "

What's troubling about Blake is that he showed in the US' loss to France in Davis Cup last September that he's come a long way on clay. He already has to essential ingredients of solid dirt play: a thunderous inside-out forehand and Formula 1 wheels. McEnroe says that Blake's future results will be tied into whether he can inject a little of Allen Iverson's swagger into his repertoire. "He's got to have that little strut when he goes out there," McEnroe said. "Game-wise, he's got it. It's a question of having that belief and feeling like you can do it. I think he can."

But Blake is showing few signs of self-confidence and could be a round one casualty at RG.

DON'T WORRY ABOUT ANDRE
By the way, don't make much out of Andre Agassi's first-round defeat to David Ferrer in Rome. Sure, it stings to lose the No. 1. ranking and a title you are defending, but Agassi knows how to prime for the Slams and he'll be a serious force in Paris.

The multi-talented Gaston Gaudio has been impressive in the lion's den that is Foro Italiaco, knocking off former champion Gustavo Kuerten in the first round, and fellow Argentine Agustin Calleri 6-4, 6-2 on Wednesday. Gaudio certainly has the weapons to be a Top-10 player, but locating his heart and mind can sometimes be difficult.

Can Guga win his fourth crown in Paris? Maybe, but he'll need to put his game face on from the word go.

"I'm playing for sure much better," Kuerten said. "I'm feeling the ball in my racquet to play the shots I want to. Maybe a weakness is the mental approach in these big, critical decision in the game. … I don't know if I'll be able to play the same level and be at the same ranking as before. But I feel I still can try and still can improve things that maybe can put myself in a better position. … I still need a big breakthrough to get myself big hopes [for winning Roland Garros].

HENMAN IS STILL RECOVERING
While some folks might write off Tim Henman's 6-2, 6-1 thumping at the hands of Argentine Guillermo Coria in Rome as insignificant, I certainly don't. Henman is by no means an awful clay courter and has either beaten or played numerous dirtballers with similar credentials to Coria over the years. Tim-bledon isn't close to his pre-surgery form yet and if his shoulder doesn't strengthen in the next few weeks, the British fans on Henman Hill may be left scrambling for a seat at countrywoman's Elena Baltacha's second round match at the AELTC.

"I'm certainly not hiding behind my shoulder," Henman said. "I'm really happy with the way it feels, and now it's a question of getting the results on the court. These three weeks for me last year this time weren't particularly successful, and I was probably playing as well as I ever played. So I'm going to keep working very, very hard in these next few weeks to use it as a stepping stone because I know that the work that I've put in is certainly not paying off at the moment, but it will in the future."

Players who have impressed so far in Rome: Roger Federer, Spain's Tommy Robredo (who may finally be emerging), Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Moya, and Finland's Jarkko Nieminen, who stomped the dreadfully slumping Paradorn Srichaphan, 6-1, 6-2.

A WTA wonk's delight in Berlin

Don't think that Jennifer Capriati wasn't worried when she took the court against the tough Francesca Schiavone at the $1,224,000 German Open on Wednesday. The tricky Schiavone has a lot of game and is not easy to overpower, which is why JCap's 6-4, 6-4 is one of her most impressive wins this year. Don't expect Nathalie Dechy to give Capriati too much trouble in the next round.

For you WTA wonks, Wednesday in Berlin was double dose of German chocolate cakes scoreboard-wise. The most notable result was Russian Vera Zvonareva 6-1, 6-2 wipeout of countrywoman Anastasia Myskina, that essentially seals up the title of Russian Player of the Month for Vera. Then there was the highly underrated Fabiola Zuluaga 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 upset of Meghann Shaughnessy, another sign that the Zulu warrior is almost all the way back. Fabiola will really see where her game is when she goes up against Kim Clijsters.

Speaking of women who appear to be regaining form, how about Jelena Dokic, who survived Marlene Weingartner 7-6(5), 6-4, or Iroda Tulyaganova, who outlasted Dinara Safina 6-3, 3-6 , 6-4.

Patty Schnyder scored one of her best wins this season in downing the snarling Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-6(4), 6-4, while Eleni Daniilidou also stepped up to the plate for the first time in recent memory when she downed Nadia Petrova 1-6, 6-2, 6-2.

Schnyder has to face the red-hot Justine Henin-Hardenne next in what could be classic, as could the Dokic vs. Tulyaganova contest and well as the Zvonareva vs. Daniilidou match. Look closely at the scoreboard on Thursday and catch the result of the Daniela Hantuchova vs. Marie-Gaianeh Mikaelian contest. While the Swiss is talented, Dani needs a few wins on tour if she is to be a factor at the Slam next month.