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By Matthew Cronin, TennisReporters.net
FEDERER GOES DOWN TO VOLANDRI: You could grant Roger Federer an off day at Indian Wells in his loss to a pumped-up Guillermo Cañas, then grow a little concerned after he fell to Cañas again in Miami. But then he looked downright depressed and confused in losing to Rafael Nadal in Monte Carlo and on Thursday, he took a stunning 6-2, 6-4 loss to Italian Filippo Volandri in the third round of Rome. Federer has now gone four tournaments without winning a title – the longest drought since he became No. 1 171 weeks ago (that's three-and-a-third years). Given that Volandri is a journeyman, it's Fed's worst loss since going down to Luis Horna at '03 Roland Garros. If he doesn't put up a great showing at Hamburg next week, kiss his French Open hopes goodbye. SHARAPOVA UNSURE OF SHOULDER'S HEALTH: The word off the court is that if Maria Sharapova's shoulder doesn't respond well in practice by the end of the weekend, she'll likely pull the plug on the French Open. If it does feel better, look for her to take a wild card into either Strasbourg or Istanbul. HINGIS INJURED AND MIGHT SKIP RG: The former No. 1 is crushed by Patty Schnyder in Berlin and then says a back injury could force her out of the Italian and French Opens. Since she's not going to win either one, why not take a pass, get healthy and prepare for Wimbledon, where her quick-fisted game is better suited for success. NADAL MOWING DOWN THE FIELD; UP COMES DJOKOVIC: One would think that Russia's Mikhail Youzhny might have seriously pushed Rafael Nadal in Rome, given that he has beaten him the last two times they played, but that thought was misleading as Nadal cruised 6-2, 6-2. Don't look now, but Rafa will face Novak Djokovic, whom he split matches with on hard courts at IW and Miami. The other three quarters hold interest, too: Davydenko v. Robredo, Gonzo v. Chela (who crushed Andy Roddick) and Volandri v. Berdych. PETROVA DOWNS DEMENTIEVA IN THE RAIN: Defending champion Nadia Petrova took down her friend Elena Dementieva 6-3, 6-3 to advance to the Berlin quarters. The rusty Elena D. is not ready for prime yet, but this tournament is crucial for Petrova, who is lacking momentum. She'll need to display even better form to stop Svetlana Kuznetsova. Dinara Safina now looks like she has a good shot at the final after besting Lucie Safarova 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Safina will face either Julia Vakulenko or Amelie Mauresmo. Justine Henin and Maria Elena Camerin's match was delayed due to rain, so give Jelena Jankovic a great shot to down the winner of that match on Friday afternoon. Ana Ivanovic has a large step-up match against Patty Schnyder. MORE INJURIES: Tommy Haas and David Nalbandian pulled out of Hamburg and Peng Shuai and Alona Bondarenko hurt their ankles in Berlin and were forced to retire. Just another ragged day in the hobbled world of pro tennis. SERENA TO PLAY STANFORD: Defending champ Kim Clijsters is gone, but eight-time Slam champion Serena Williams has committed to play at the '07 Bank of the West Classic at Stanford. It's the only Golden State event that the LA native hasn't competed in. Her sister, Venus, has won the tournament twice. But it's right after Fed Cup so don't think that Serena's participation is guaranteed. She's the Boris "Late Pullout" Becker of her generation.© TennisReporters.net 2007
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