Fernando Verdasco Carmona (ur. 15 listopada 1983 w Madrycie) - tenisista hiszpański, zwycięzca turniejów zawodowych w grze pojedynczej i podwójnej, reprezentant w Pucharze Davisa.
Leworęczny Hiszpan, z bekhendem oburęcznym, treningi tenisowe rozpoczął jako 4-latek, a w gronie tenisistów zawodowych debiutował w 2001. Po kilku latach występów w turniejach rangi Futures i challengerach przebił się w 2003 w okolice pierwszej setki rankingu światowego. Był w 2003 m.in. w III rundzie dużego turnieju w Miami (pokonał Kučerę i Mirnego) oraz III rundzie wielkoszlemowego US Open (pokonał rozstawionego rodaka Tommy Robredo). Dalszy awans Verdasco zanotował w 2004, osiągając najpierw pierwszy finał turniejowy rangi ATP Tour w Acapulco (porażka z Carlosem Moyą), a następnie pierwsze zwycięstwo - imprezę w Walencji wygrał bez straty seta, pokonując m.in. obrońcę tytułu Juana Carlosa Ferrero.
W 2005 był m.in. w finale w Kitzbühel (przegrał w czterech setach z Gastónem Gaudio), ćwierćfinale Italian Open w Rzymie, IV rundzie US Open. Dwukrotnie pokonał w sezonie wysoko notowanego Amerykanina Andy Roddicka. Występy w pierwszej połowie 2006 (półfinał w Walencji, ćwierćfinał w Hamburgu, gdzie pokonał m.in. Chilijczyka Fernando Gonzáleza oraz IV runda Wimbledonu, po zwycięstwie nad Argentyńczykiem Davidem Nalbandianem) dały mu w lipcu tegoż roku awans na najwyższą w karierze pozycję rankingową - nr 24. W deblu najwyżej notowany był w kwietniu 2005 (nr 67), może pochwalić się (do lipca 2006) jednym zwycięstwem turniejowym (Sztokholm 2004 w parze z Feliciano Lópezem).
W 2005 debiutował w reprezentacji Hiszpanii w Pucharze Davisa, barw narodowych bronił również w Drużynowym Pucharze Świata.
W 2009 awansował do półfinału Australian Open, w którym o włos przegrał po zaciętym pojedynku z wygrywającym dotąd bez straty seta Rafaelem Nadalem 7-6(7:4), 4-6, 6-7(2:7), 7-6(7:1), 4-6.
Na przełomie roku 2008 i 2009 kojarzony z tenisistką Aną Ivanović. Serbka wielokrotnie obserwowała mecze swojego wybranka, siedząc na trybunach.
Po znakomitym Ao Verdasco wciąż odpoczywa.
Nando nie zagra w Dubaju, wycofał się także z 1 rundy Pucharu Davisa.
http://www.marca.com/2009/02/19/tenis/1235040333.html
Dało mu to AO ostro w kosc widocznie, szczegolnie ta ponad 5 godzinna batalia z Nadalem. Na Indian Wells i Miami bedzie wypoczety, moze pokusi sie tam o kolejne rewelacyjne wyniki ?
#1) Valencia 2004
R32 Albert Portas (ESP) 6-1, 6-4
R16 Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) 6-4, 6-4
Q David Ferrer (ESP) 6-2, 6-3
S Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP) 6-2, 6-1
W Albert Montanes (ESP) 7-6(5), 6-3
#2) Umag 2008
R32 Bye
R16 Mathieu Montcourt (FRA) 7-6(5), 6-1
Q Mischa Zverev (GER) 7-5, 7-5
S Fabio Fognini (ITA) 6-1, 6-3
W Igor Andreev (RUS) 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(4)
Nando odpoczywa od tenisa. Niebawem czeka go operacja stopy. Nie wiadomo ile czasu będzie nieobecny w ATP Tour.
Q. Is the abdominal, the stomach muscle, the reason you're not playing Davis Cup, or is that because of the foot?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Both.
Q. You just decided you needed a bit of a rest?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Yeah, of course I need to rest. First day abdominal, because I have micro tears, and tomorrow I have proof to know how long I need to rest, to recover. But I think it's going to take around one week or ten days.
So in that time, I will take that time also to have the surgery on my foot and take the problem I have in the foot also out and come back as soon as possible without any problems.
Aktualizacja.
Jednak operacja przełożona. Z urazem można grać, a Nando chce poświęcić się rywalizacji o Londyn, skoro gra tak znakomity sezon:
Verdasco postpones surgery
Fernando Verdasco has postponed foot surgery to attempt to qualify for the Masters Cup.
Verdasco was told after the US Open that he needed to go under the knife to cure a persistent foot problem. As a result he pulled out of Spain’s Davis Cup semi-final with Israel but Verdasco has now backtracked on his plans.
After the best twelve months of his career, Verdasco has decided to put the injury to one side and try to qualify for the Masters Cup in London. After making the semis of the Australian Open and the quarters of the US Open, Verdasco currently lies ninth in the rankings, just outside the top eight. However there’s still all to play for and the various mathematical permutations continue right into the final week, traditionally the Paris Masters.
Verdasco may also be hoping to help Spain defend their Davis Cup crown against Czech Republic in December.
He said, “The doctor told me that I can postpone the surgery as it would not affect me. But when I went home to Spain, my doctor told me I will need three weeks to recuperate. If I had it done, I would not be able to make it here for the Malaysian Open. The doctor also told me that I can postpone the surgery as it would not affect me. My focus is to qualify for the World Finals and help Spain win the Davis Cup.”
Verdasco is currently in Kuala Lumpur where he is seeded second for this week’s Malaysian Open.
Od AO mój ulubiony zawodnik, płakałem razem z nim po podwójnym w SF z Nadalem, myślałem że będzie szedł w górę rankingu że wskoczy do "5" ale narazie tak sie nie stało, niewiem czy to dobrze że odwleka tą operację stopy, może się przez to nie najlepiej przygotować do nowego sezonu,a właśnie na początku broni dużo pkt
Verdasco narzeka na kalendarz ATP.
Male tennis players bid for more time off from busy schedule
SPANISH ace Fernando Verdasco's plight is why the world's top male tennis players are fighting for more holidays.
Verdasco had only 10 days' rest after the Davis Cup final early last month before starting preparations for the Australian Open.
World No 3 Novak Djokovic, a member of the ATP Player Council with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, said the rest and recreation issue would be raised again during the Open, which starts next week.
Djokovic, who played the most matches of any player last year, said there should be a minimum eight-week break before starting tournaments again.
"We have to have at least two months minimum, considering the season we're playing, the amount of matches and the level we're playing," Djokovic said yesterday as he prepared for today's start of the eight-man AAMI Classic at Kooyong.
"We'll have some talks here in Australia and try to work towards the next couple of months and make it better."
The women's tour last year allocated an off-season of 8-10 weeks for the first time, playing its tour-ending championship in the last week of October. But the men are still battling for more time off.
"The schedule is our main priority. It takes time, it's not something that happens overnight. It's not just about players, it's about tournaments, about sponsors, all these things," Djokovic said.
"So it's the organisations that unite tournaments and players and we have to take both positions. But we're trying to fight for the players' rights and I think it's very important that people understand how we feel."
Verdasco, the world No. 9, headed to Las Vegas after Spain's Davis Cup triumph for intensive fitness work under Gil Reyes who helped steer Andre Agassi to four Australian Open crowns.
Fernando Verdasco wins Kooyong's AAMI Classic
Fernando Verdasco wins the AAMI Classic at Kooyong, defeating France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 7-5 6-3. Picture: Stephen Harman Source: Herald Sun
SPANISH powerhouse Fernando Verdasco has completed the perfect Australian Open preparation.
Verdasco's 7-5 6-3 win over France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the AAMI Classic final climaxed an ideal week at Kooyong.
The big-serving left-hander didn't drop a set against 11th ranked Chilean Fernando Gonzalez, Serb Novak Djokovic (3) and Tsonga (10) to demonstrate ominous form as he moves camp today to Melbourne Park.
If he can maintain the rhythm with his vicious, topspin ground strokes, Verdasco is a strong chance to improve on his Australian Open semi-final last time when he pushed eventual champion Rafael Nadal to five tight sets in the longest match in the championships' history.
"I hope this is going to help me, these three wins in four days and doing it in tough conditions," the Open's ninth seed said.
With injury withdrawals by Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro and Swede Robin Soderling throwing Friday's schedule into chaos, promoter Colin Stubs was heartened by Verdasco's total commitment.
Verdasco, who prepared for the year training with Andre Agassi's handlers in Las Vegas, said it was important for him to follow the same path as his famous adviser and win the Kooyong event.
He said Agassi told him that setting up early in Melbourne was the ideal preparation and Kooyong had played a big part in the American's four Australian Open victories.
"It's my first singles matches of the year and I hope that it's going to help me a lot to be ready for the next two weeks. So I'm very happy that I came again this year to Kooyong to get ready for the best I can for the Australian Open," Verdasco said.
Verdasco is wary of his first round opponent, Australian wild card recipient Carsten Ball, another who's armed with a thunderous serve.
"It's a tough draw starting with one guy that is going to have a whole lot of people supporting him, you know, all the country," he said.
With a cool wind swirling around the famed concrete Kooyong stadium, Verdasco was just too solid on the big points for Tsonga who won't be disappointed with the outcome of his debut in the eight-man special event that regularly produces the Open winner.
"It's important because it's my first matches of the year. I can see what I have to work on and I can see how I'm
Fernando Verdasco believes his game will peak at Melbourne Park
FRESH from claiming the Kooyong Classic on Saturday, Fernando Verdasco served notice of further improvement to come during the Australian Open, saying he was yet to reach his peak.
The Spanish star, who fell in a remarkable semi-final to Rafael Nadal at last year's Open, continued his outstanding early-season form by adding France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to the scalps of Novak Djokovic and Fernando Gonzalez at Kooyong.
While Verdasco swept Kooyong without dropping a set, the left-hander is confident his best tennis will be played over the next fortnight.
"I'm not 100 per cent, but maybe I'm 90 per cent," Verdasco said.
"I think that with the rhythm of the matches, I'll be a hundred per cent during the tournament.
"I was working really hard in the gym during two weeks in Las Vegas and these three matches, and all the practice I had the last week, playing a lot of sets, was to make the next step and to have my physical condition the best as possible for the Open."
But while the world No 9 was in ominous form last week, he faces a daunting draw at Melbourne Park in his bid to achieve a grand slam breakthrough.
He opens against Australian Carsten Ball, a big-serving left-hander who John McEnroe last week warned was a player on the rise and capable of beating the world's best.
Former world No 1 Juan-Carlos Ferrero awaits in the third round, although there is some doubt about his participation after he injured an ankle in Auckland last week.
A round-of-16 clash against Nikolay Davydenko, the form player of the tour, looms as a likely clash and, should the Spaniard negotiate that path, he would then play Roger Federer in a quarter-final.
"It's a tough draw starting with one guy that is going to have a whole lot of people supporting him, you know, all the country," Verdasco said.
"I think (Juan Carlos Ferrero) didn't know if he was able to play, or not, but I think he's going to be able to play, and if he plays he's going to be a very tough player. Then, you know, in fourth round, Davydenko, may be the guy in (the best) shape right now.
"(But) when you are looking to win the tournament, when you come to one grand slam looking with a goal to win the grand slam you don't need to really look, you know, to the semis or final. You really need to go match by match and just try to feel and play the best as possible every day, and don't think about who are you playing in 10 days. I will think about Tuesday, and then if I win, Thursday, and so on."
Verdasco, though, has reason to be confident. The left-hander handled the windy conditions at Kooyong better than his rivals -- a complication he says would have beaten him three years ago.
"The forehand, the backhand, everything, I'm feeling really good," Verdasco said.
Verdasco's form is not the only pointer to success at the Open. Players competing in the Kooyong event traditionally fare well at Melbourne Park, with Andre Agassi successfully carrying his form across town to claim the Classic-Open double three times last decade.
Roger Federer, while not always successful at Kooyong when fine-tuning his game, has also used it as a springboard to the semi-finals or better in the past five years before withdrawing from the 2010 event given his new duties as a father.
The Agassi link is important. It was the American who urged Verdasco to play at Kooyong last year after the pair joined forces in Las Vegas in December 2008.
The Spaniard, who again trained with Agassi's fitness adviser, Gil Reyes, in Nevada in December, credited the American early last week with helping him emerge as a serious contender in the past 12 months.
"He was with Steffi and the kids, like last year, with, you know, staying Christmas in the mountains, and he came just like three days before I came to Australia so we had the chance at least to be talking a lot for these days and he was giving me, like the year before a lot of, you know, thoughts and experience that he had here in Australia," Verdasco said.
"It's the grand slam that he felt better at, so he had unbelievable memories from here and he's trying to teach me a lot from that. So everything is so important. All three are so important for me."
Wywiad po meczu 3 rundy AO10:
An interview with:
FERNANDO VERDASCO
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. Is it disappointing that you didn't get more match time, that the match finished early? Would you have liked to have a little bit more?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: For one part for sure. I want to play more to get more rhythm for the next round. If I win, of course. But it's not bad also to win fast, no, and have one day even more to recover. Because the next round is gonna be so difficult against Davydenko.
Of course you never want one guy to play sick and to feel like this, no? But it's also good and I have more rest, no, for important match in fourth round.
Q. Will you have to change your preparation for the next match in any way?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: I will go now to practice.
Q. When did you notice that he was in trouble? Did you know at all?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: No, I didn't know. I was just focus on myself. I didn't know that he was sick for two days. You know, he just call the doctor and he retire straightaway.
So I didn't know that he was like that.
Wywiad po przegranym meczu IV r. AO10:
Q. Two sets to love down. How hard is it to come back from that situation?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: So hard. It's very difficult to come back always when the match is like this.
But you don't need to think about that. If you think that, you have even more difficult situation. You must just try to keep playing and don't think about that you are like this, no, that you were two sets to love.
You need to keep trying and trying all the time and don't think too much about the other things.
Q. Did you think you had the game of the match when you were two sets all?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: You know, at the beginning of the fifth set, he looks like more tired than all the match before, all the sets before. But, you know, he really stayed there all the time. He serve good in one game with 30‑All. I made unbelievable return forehand so hard, and he touch the ball back and put the ball just to the line.
You know, it was ‑‑ I know that ‑‑ I think that the beginning of the fifth set I could have my chance, no, to maybe break him and take the advantage in the fifth set. Maybe he start to make more mistakes. You never know, no? But he really stay there in the fifth set, even though he was looking more tired than usual and making more mistakes.
Both of us was tired, no? It was hot out there, and it was a long match. So we both run a lot, so it was hard for both, no, to stay physically the same in the fifth set.
Q. Are you playing as well as this time last year when you had the five setter with Nadal?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: No, I think I played much better today. It was different, no? It was semifinals, and today was fourth round. Today was the first day with a really tough player, no? Last year I was already with Murray and Tsonga playing before Nadal.
With Nadal I played much better than with Murray in fourth round. So I think that in this tournaments you are getting better and better every match.
Today I start playing much worse than I played, for example, in the third or in the fourth. But in the fifth, my legs was not going the same, also his.
I was not able to play the same like maybe in the third or fourth set.
Q. Do you think he's looming as a potential champion? Is he playing good enough tennis?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: I think it's a tough question, because I think that in five sets players like Rafa or Federer, they have more chances, no? I think that he need to beat Federer, for example, that normally if Federer wins Hewitt tonight it's gonna be quarterfinals. I think he must play unbelievable to beat Federer in five sets.
I think that Federer and Nadal in five sets are better than the rest. That's why they always normally win all the Grand Slams. Davydenko, Murray and the guys just behind them, I think they're not that level. Maybe they can beat them, but it's tough, no? They had more experience, no, in tough matches. Nadal, for example, in finals in Wimbledon, Roland Garros, many times. It's tough.
And Davydenko is, for example, like I was saying in the fifth set and fourth set he was looking more tired and making more mistakes. But today when I was like deuce in the beginning of the fifth set, he serve very good. Or when I was with any chance, no, he came back and he was out of the tough situation really good.
I think with players like Federer or Nadal, he will ‑‑ I don't know. If I need to bet, I will bet more for Federer in five sets, or for Rafa to win the tournament.
But you never know. Davydenko is also playing very good.
Q. What do you need to do to get to that level of Rafa and Roger?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Think it's experience, no? Today was a tough match. I came back from two sets to love and I was playing much better. But, you know, I was not able to make the break at the beginning of the fifth set, take advance, and maybe break his game a little bit more, no?
So if I was able to make the break at the beginning of the fifth set, maybe he's supposed to go for something more and he start to even make more mistakes than he was doing at the time. But I couldn't do it, and he stays very good on the fifth set.
ao.com
Verdasco ograł Samprasa w pokazówce
Hiszpan Fernando Verdasco pokonał byłego lidera rankingu Amerykanina Pete'a Samprasa 6:3, 7:6(2) w pokazowym meczu, jaki odbył się podczas turnieju ATP w San Jose (z pulą nagród 531 tys. dol.).
Verdasco nieraz w wywiadach powtarzał, że jego idolem w młodości był właśnie 14-krotny triumfator turniejów Wielkiego Szlema. Natomiast ulubionym meczem, oglądanym "prawdopodobnie setki razy", finał Australian Open z 1995 roku, kiedy Sampras pokonał w czterech setach rodaka Andre Agassiego.
Zresztą Agassi był zawsze numerem dwa na liście ulubionych tenisistów Hiszpana, który miał okazję spotkać się z nim na korcie tylko raz. W październiku 2004 roku w halowym turnieju ATP przegrał z Amerykaninem w dwóch setach w ćwierćfinale.
Natomiast dotychczas, do poniedziałku, Verdasco nie miał okazji zmierzyć się z Samprasem. - Zagrać przeciwko Pete'owi to było moje największe marzenie i cel, który chciałem od dawna zrealizować. On wciąż serwuje bardzo dobrze i choć nie jest w stanie w tej chwili rywalizować z zawodowymi tenisistami, to nadal jego gra imponuje - powiedział po pokonaniu 39-letniego Amerykanina w meczu, z którego dochód przekazano na cele charytatywne.
#3 New Haven 2009
R64 Bye
R32 Paul Capdeville (CHI) 6-0, 6-3
R16 Andreas Seppi (ITA) 7-6(3), 6-2
Q Jurgen Melzer (AUT) 6-3, 6-1
S Igor Andreev (RUS) 7-6(4), 7-6(5)
W Sam Querrey (USA) 6-4, 7-6(6)
#4 San Jose 2010
R32 Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE) 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3
R16 Benjamin Becker (GER) 7-5, 6-2
Q Ricardas Berankis (LTU) 6-3, 7-6(5)
S Denis Istomin (UZB) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
W Andy Roddick (USA) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
Verdasco Denies Three-Time Champ Roddick In San Jose Final
Second-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco denied American Andy Roddick a fourth SAP Open title, as he rallied to defeat the top seed 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday in San Jose. It was the first San Jose final featuring the top two seeds since 2002, when No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt defeated No. 2 Andre Agassi in a third-set tie-break.
Verdasco, who claimed his fourth ATP World Tour title from 10 finals, earned $90,925 and 250 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points as the winner of the ATP World Tour 250 indoor hard-court tournament. Meanwhile, World No. 7 Roddick collected $47,900 and 150 points.
Verdasco entered the final trailing Roddick 2-9 in the head-to-head series, and appeared in danger of his eighth straight loss to the American. Roddick made a confident start, assuming the first break of serve to go up 2-1 and closing out the opening set with another break, but Verdasco halted Roddick’s momentum early in the second set. He converted on double break point to grab the 2-1 lead, and snuffed out his opponent’s counterattack in the next game by saving four break points.
Watch Day 6 Highlights
Both players dropped just seven points on serve in the final set, but Verdasco stepped up at 4-4 with a backhand winner to earn the first break point and was given a chance to serve for the match as Roddick put the ball into the net. He clinched the win with a 130 mph serve past Roddick, his 15th ace of the two-hour, 11-minute match.
"I served much better in the second and third set than the first set," said Verdasco. "Also, I was more aggressive; I started to push him a little bit more, tried to play more inside the court and move toward the net in the second set."
Roddick said: "He stepped up and hit some pretty good backhands there. I didn’t serve well today. I didn’t get much on anything, which made it an uphill battle."
With his father watching from the stands, the 26 year old became the first Spanish winner in the Bay Area since Manuel Santana earned the Berkeley title in 1964. It was Verdasco’s first title since last August, when he won Pilot Pen Tennis in New Haven (d. Querrey).
"I know against the Top 10 guys it’s always tough matches," said Verdasco. "Last year in a lot of them I was really close and I didn’t win. I was a little bit unlucky in the matches, like [at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in] London against Federer, del Potro, Murray. Those were three matches I could’ve won and I lost all of them.
"Of course it’s a match that I hope is going to give me confidence. It was a really hard final for me, this one against Andy here, in his country, in the U.S., and I’m so happy that I was able to beat him here after the last times he beat me. It’s special for me and I’m happy that I did it."
Verdasco, who entered his SAP Open debut at No. 11 in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings, improved to an 8-1 season record – his sole loss coming against World No. 6 Nikolay Davydenko at the Australian Open. His victory over Roddick snapped a 15-match losing streak against Top 10 players (10-46 against Top 10), dating back to his win against World No. 7 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the fourth round of the 2009 Australian Open.
Roddick was looking to win his second title of the 2010 season after opening his campaign in January with his 28th tour-level crown at the Brisbane International, which extended his title streak to 10 consecutive years. The 27 year old had previously won the San Jose crown in 2004 (d. Fish), 2005 (d. Saulnier) and 2008 (d. Stepanek).
"Having come here and gone through the hard yards and played some matches, it’ll probably put me in better position for the next couple of weeks than had I just practised and eased my way back in," said Roddick. "Hopefully that’s a positive I can take."
Verdasco przełamał niekorzystną serię kolejnych porażek w starciach z zawodnikami z Top-10. Nando do niedzielnego wieczoru przegrał 15 ostatnich spotkań z zawodnikami z topu. Z Roddickiem wygrał pierwszy raz od 8 spotkań. Ostatni raz pokonał Amerykanina w 2006 roku.
Wiem, że gra przeciwko zawodnikom z czołowej dziesiątki to gwarancja trudnych meczów. W ostatnim sezonie wielokrotnie jednak byłem bardzo blisko. Mam nadzieję, że to zwycięstwo z Andym doda mi niezbędnej pewności siebie. Cieszę się, że udało mi się Go tutaj pokonać.- powiedział Hiszpan.
Nando być może opuści turniej w Monte Carlo, by wyleczyć uraz, jaki dokuczał mu podczas imprezy w Miami.
Fernando dealing with recurring injuries before clay season
Fernando’s start to the upcoming clay season is in a bit of question as he’s been dealing with some nagging injuries that may prevent him from playing at the Monte Carlo Masters.
A recurring back injury and a nagging sciatic nerve injury may put his upcoming clay season on hold. He plans to visit the doctor of the Spanish Federation, Angel Ruiz Cotorro, for an accurate diagnosis and treatment when he arrives back in Spain.
“The truth is I do not know what to do. Maybe I should stop and recover, or continue with discomfort and trying to defend the Monte Carlo points that way. I had an MRI in Las Vegas, before playing in Indian Wells. The problem affects me in the sciatic nerve of the leg. It’s not much pain walking or running, but when the game is long, it gets worse. Depending on what the doctor says, I’ll see if I can play in Monte Carlo, Rome.”
Fernando also lamented missed opportunities in his quarterfinal loss against Tomas Berdych.
“Knowing that was not Roger, but Berdych that I was playing, I should’ve taken my opportunities. With Federer, normally he is beating me, but Berdych, he is behind me in the rankings, so it was a good opportunity. It was difficult with the wind to get the timing right, hitting the center of the strings. I could not play great tennis. He hits flat, deep, very hard. At the same time, it is difficult for him to be consistent like this all the time, and that is why he is only in the top 20 of the world and not the top ten.”
17.04.2010 - pierwszy finał Masters w wykonaniu Verdasco (0-6 1-6 z Nadalem).
#5) Barcelona 2010 (event-500)
R64 Bye
R32 Richard Gasquet (FRA) 7-5, 6-3
R16 Jurgen Melzer (AUT) 3-6, 7-6(1), 6-3
Q Ernests Gulbis (LAT) 6-2, 7-6(4)
S David Ferrer (ESP) 6-7(3), 7-5, 6-1
W Robin Soderling (SWE) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
Verdasco najlepszy w Barcelonie
Fernando Verdasco triumfował w finale turnieju Barcelona Open (z pulą nagród 1 995 000 tys. euro). W finałowym meczu, stojącym na bardzo wysokim poziomie Verdasco pokonał rozstawionego z dwójką Szweda Robina Soderlinga.
26-letni Verdasco znajduje się w wyśmienitej dyspozycji, osiągając finał ubiegłotygodniowego turnieju ATP Masters 1000 w Monte Carlo (porażka z Nadalem) i zwycięstwie w niedzielnym finale w Barcelonie (ATP 500).
W meczu finałowym Verdasco, który wyeliminował w ćwierćfinale Ernesta Gulbisa (6-2 7-6) i w półfinale swojego rodaka Davida Ferrera ( 6-7 7-5 6-1) zmierzył się z rozstawionym z numerem drugim Robinem Soderlingem (zwycięstwo w ćwierćfinale i półfinale kolejno z: Eduardo Schwankem i Thiemo De Bakkerem).
Legitymujący się nie zbyt imponującym rekordem w pojedynkach ze Szwedem Verdasco (1-4) rozpoczął mecz bardzo dobrze. Rozstawiony z piątką Hiszpan po dwóch breakach, w siódmym i dziewiątym gemie seta otwarcia, wyszedł na prowadzenie w meczu.
Odpowiedź Soderlinga była natychmiastowa- break w pierwszym gemie drugiego seta. Pomimo re-breaka ze strony Verdasco, Szwed konsekwentnie grał swój tenis przełamując po raz drugi w spotkaniu Hiszpana, wychodząc na prowadzenie 4-3, wygrywając drugiego seta i wyrównując wynik meczu na 1-1.
W decydującym secie, w czwartym gemie nastąpił rozstrzygający losy całego spotkania break. Verdasco ani przez moment nie ukazujący zdenerwowania po wygranym secie przez Soderlinga, przełamał Szweda, który wyrzucił piłkę daleko w aut. Po świetnym gemie serwisowym Verdasco zakończył mecz, zwyciężając po dwóch godzinach i czterech minutach gry.
„Zawsze marzyłem, żeby tu sięgnąć po tytuł.” – powiedział po meczu triumfator. „ Dorastałem oglądając ten turniej w telewizji. To jest niesamowite uczucie, ciężko wyrazić je słowami. To mój drugi tytuł wywalczony w Hiszpanii i pierwszy tytuł ATP 500. Przez ostatnie dwa tygodnie, poprzez finał w Monte Carlo i zwycięstwo tutaj w Barcelonie wygrałem 1000 punktów. To może najlepszy moment w mojej karierze.”
„Nie zbyt dobrze zacząłem. Nie najlepiej czułem dziś piłkę, co powodowało, że byłem za pasywny i nie wystarczająco agresywny. Po pierwszym secie grałem dużo lepiej, ale jedna zła gra w trzecim secie z kilkoma błędami backhandowymi kosztowała mnie zwycięstwo w meczu.”- powiedział Szwed.
I dodał: „Verdasco grał naprawdę bardzo dobrze. Gra z dużą pewnością siebie, z ostatnich dwóch tygodni. Jest wspaniałym zawodnikiem i będzie ciężko go pokonać w ciągu następnych kilku tygodni.”
Verdasco za zwycięstwo otrzymał 286 tys. euro oraz 500 punktów rankingowych, natomiast przegrany Soderling zarobił 144 tys. euro i 300 punktów rankingowych.
Wynik finału:
Verdasco F. (Hiszpania, 5) – Soderling R. (Szwecja, 2) 6-3 4-6 6-3
Barcelona: do... dwóch razy sztuka
Przed tygodniem przegrał tylko z królem mączki – Rafaelem Nadalem. Dziś już nie było na niego mocnych. Fernando Verdasco wygrał turniej ATP w Barcelonie, pokonując w finale Robina Soderlinga 6:3, 4:6, 6:3 i zdobywając swój piąty tytuł w karierze. W grze podwójnej triumfowali Daniel Nestor i Nenad Zimonjić.
Fernando Verdasco błyskawicznie pozbierał się po druzgocącej porażce z Rafaelem Nadalem w finale turnieju w Monte Carlo. W Barcelonie, mimo kilku trudnych momentów, nie dał się pokonać i zgarnął najcenniejszy łup.
Hiszpan świetnie rozpoczął spotkanie. W pierwszej partii wyrównana walka trwała tylko do stanu 3:3. Potem, bardzo dobrze serwujący Verdasco, „na sucho” przełamał Soderlinga, wychodząc na prowadzenie. Chwilę potem dołożył drugiego breaka i wygrał 6:3. W drugim secie skuteczność pierwszego podania Hiszpana znacznie spadła, co było przyczyną kłopotów reprezentanta gospodarzy. Szwed wykorzystał słabszą postawę rywala i wygrał 6:4, ale w decydującym secie Verdasco ani razu nie musiał bronić się przed przełamaniem, a sam raz odebrał serwis przeciwnikowi, co wystarczyło do wygranej.
Było to szóste spotkanie obu tenisistów i dopiero drugie zwycięstwo Hiszpana.
„Zawsze chciałem tutaj wygrać. Dorastałem, oglądając ten turniej w telewizji. To niesamowite uczucie, ciężko to ubrać w słowa. To mój drugi tytuł w karierze i pierwszy z cyklu ATP 500. W ostatnich dwóch tygodniach zarobiłem 1000 punktów do rankingu. Może to jest najlepsza chwila w mojej karierze”, powiedział po meczu wyraźnie zadowolony Verdasco.
W grze podwójnej Daniel Nestor i Nenad Zimonjić pokonali w finale Lleytona Hewitta i Marka Knowlesa 4:6, 6:3, 10-6.
Wynik finału:
Fernando Verdasco (Hiszpania, 5, WC) – Robin Soderling (Szwecja, 2) 6:3, 4:6, 6:3
Verdasco tops Soderling to win biggest career title
Fernando Verdasco beats Robin Soderling in three sets to win the Barcelona Open on Sunday afternoon. This is Verdasco's first title at a 500-point event.
There was no joy in Spain last weekend when five-time champion Rafael Nadal withdrew from the Barcelona Open BancSabadell.
On week, later, however, the tournament ended in perfect fashion for the Spanish faithful.
Fernando Verdasco, the second-ranked Spaniard behind Nadal, captured his first career 500-point title by defeating Robin Soderling 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in two hours and four minutes on Sunday afternoon.
Maintaining his momentum from a runner-up finish in Monte-Carlo and an impressive three-set win over David Ferrer on Saturday, Verdasco got off to quick start with a love service break midway through the first set. The world No. 9 never came close to giving it back as he did not face a single break point in the opening frame of play. For good measure, though, Verdasco finished the set off in style with his second break of the day at 5-3.
Despite the poor play, Soderling stayed mentally strong and broke serve in the first game of set two. The seventh-ranked Swede give it back immediately with a dismal service game at 1-0, but he continued to fight and his resiliency paid off with anther break at 3-3. This time Soderling made no mistake with the lead in hand and he forced a decisive set by holding his next two service games with ease.
Just as he did against Ferrer in the semifinals, Verdasco recovered from a difficult second set to play his best tennis with the match hanging in the balance. Barcelona's No. 5 seed struck for a crucial break at 1-1 and refused to let the advantage slip away.
Four service holds from the most important title of his career, Verdasco showed a toughness that had been lacking on many occasions during his life as a professional. He did not face a break point in the final set and served out the proceedings at 5-3 in routine fashion, clinching it on his first match point when Soderling sent a backhand well wide.
Verdasco finished with three aces and just two double-faults while serving at 75 percent. He also won a stellar 75 percent of the points in which he had to toss in a second serve. Soderling wrapped up his effort with four aces and two doubles, and he won only 47 percent of his second-serve points.
Verdasco Extends Spanish Reign
ATP World Tour No. 9 Fernando Verdasco served up the perfect remedy for his loss in the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters final last weekend by defeating Robin Soderling 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 in a high quality title match at the Barcelona Open BancSabadell Sunday.
As champion of the ATP World Tour 500 clay-court tennis tournament, Verdasco earned 500 South African Airways 2010 ATP Ranking points and €286,000, while runner-up Soderling received 300 ranking points and €144,000 in prize money. Both players are bidding to qualify for the second year in a row for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 21-28 November.
The 26-year-old Verdasco is playing arguably the greatest tennis of his career at the moment, having last week reached the final of an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament (l. to Nadal) for the first time. The Madrid native clinched the fifth ATP World Tour title of his career, and his second of the season having triumphed at the SAP Open (d. Roddick) in San Jose in February.
"I've always dreamed of winning the title here," said Verdasco. "I grew up watching this tournament on television. It's an incredible feeling, it's hard to put it into words. It's my second title in Spain and my first 500 title. In the past two weeks, with a final in Monte-Carlo and the title here in Barcelona, I've won 1000 points. This is maybe the best moment of my career right now."
He becomes the eighth successive Spanish winner at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona-1899, joining Carlos Moya (2003), Tommy Robredo (2004) and Rafael Nadal (2005-2009).
Looking to improve on a 1-4 record against Soderling, fifth seed Verdasco made a strong start to the match, breaking serve to love to lead 4-3 in the first set. The Spaniard then broke again in the ninth game to seal a one-set lead with commanding forehand play.
Soderling responded well, breaking Verdasco’s serve in the opening game of the second set. Verdasco struck back immediately but the second-seeded Soderling was undeterred and broke again to lead 4-3 before going on to level the match.
Showing no sign of nerves after being pegged back by his Swedish opponent, Verdasco raised his level to break serve in the fourth game of the deciding set as Soderling hooked a forehand wide under pressure. The Spaniard went on to seal victory in two hours and four minutes with strong serving in the final game.
"I didn't start well. I wasn't feeling the ball very well today, which made me a little bit too passive and not aggressive enough," lamented Soderling. "After the first set it was much better but I made one bad game in the third set with a few backhand errors and that cost me the match.
"A final in a tournament like this is still a pretty good week, though. I am still looking to play at the same level that I had towards the end of the clay-court season last year. It hasn't been bad so far but I know I can still do better.
"He [Verdasco] is playing really well. He's playing with a lot of confidence from the last two weeks. He's a great player and he's going to be a tough player to beat in the next couple of weeks."
The 25-year-old Soderling, playing his first clay-court tournament of the year, was also bidding for his second ATP World Tour title of the season, having triumphed at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament (d. Youzhny) in February. The Tibro native, who reached the Roland Garros final (l. to Federer) last year, was the first Swedish player to reach the Barcelona final since Magnus Larsson did so in 1995 (l. to Muster).
Both players will now travel to Rome to compete in next week’s Internazionali BNL d’Italia, the fourth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament of the season.
I don't fear anyone - except Nadal, says Verdasco
Fernando Verdasco's confidence on clay is sky high as long as he does not have to play Rafa Nadal, the Barcelona Open champion said on Sunday.
Just a week after being hammered by his Spanish compatriot 6-0 6-1 in the Monte Carlo Masters final, Verdasco beat Robin Soderling to claim the Barcelona title.
Nadal will be overwhelming favourite to win the upcoming Masters events in Rome and Madrid and the French Open, where his hopes of a fifth straight crown were ended by Soderling last year.
"Nadal is a tough proposition on clay and he's one or maybe even two levels above everyone else," 26-year-old Madrid native Verdasco, the world number nine, told a news conference.
"But I really feel like I can beat anyone else right now and I think I have a good chance of making more finals on clay," he said, including world number one Roger Federer and number two Novak Djokovic on his list of potential scalps.
Nadal, who has won in Barcelona the past five years, withdrew from this year's event to rest and has beaten Verdasco in all 10 of their matches.
Verdasco would not play his Davis Cup team mate in Rome this week unless both reached the final but could potentially meet Djokovic in the quarters and world number five Andy Murray in the last four.
Verdasco has advanced to the fourth round at Roland Garros the past three years and said he was not going to push himself too hard in Rome or Madrid.
"The important thing is to get to Roland Garros in good shape," he said.
"I feel like I have made a lot of progress mentally over the past year and I can cope better on the days when maybe not everything is going quite right."
http://eurosport.yahoo.com/25042010/2/d … dasco.html
Cóż za wiara w siebie. Będzie walczył z każdym tylko nie z Nadalem, tak to czytam. :P
Fernando Verdasco in FHM Bionic
He is a lefty from Madrid, owner of one of the most powerful forehands on the circuit. He has two major goals in his career to accomplish: winning Wimbledon and winning the prestigious Prince of Asturias Award. This is an excerpt from the interview that can be read in full in the upcoming Bionic FHM magazine May issue, with the best advice to take care of your body and get in shape, along with the training secrets of last week’s Trofeo Godó champion, Fernando Verdasco.
“I started playing tennis at age two, with my father, and began taking classes when I was four. I was a skinny kid, without much muscle. All my muscle mass has come in recent years.” Fernando Verdasco is now 27 years and has a body shaped by many hours spent in the gym and on the track. Six hours a day, to be exact.
After helping lead Spain twice to glory with the Davis Cup and reaching the Australian Open semifinal in 2009, what has been worrying him the most lately is a back injury could be, at worst, a herniated disk.
“I have not had many injuries in my life: when I was thirteen I broke a finger on my right hand and had a minor setback. I have a calcification in my right knee since I was fifteen that bothers me when it’s cold, and this year in Australia, I started to have some pain in my leg and I don’t know if the sciatic nerve is affected.
“When you are at this high level, an injury can ruin all the efforts you’ve made in a year. Tennis is not like soccer or basketball, with peers who can support you if you are injured or sick. With tennis, it depends only on yourself. I picked up many colds and flus going to the U.S. when I would go into freezing cold restaurants in a short-sleeved shirt. Over time I learned.”
The Perfect Tennis Player
“Karlovic’s serve, Rafa’s endurance, Del Potro’s backhand…the forehand, that is more difficult because there are many good ones. Gonzalez’s is very good, Nadal is very tough…I would stay with Almagro, Gonzalez, and Tsonga. ”
Citing his move in the elite group of men’s tennis, a level which is reached through a combination of genetic advantage and hard work, he said. “To be there you have to have talent, but that isn’t the only thing. I would say you need 30% talent and the other 70% is training. The body is easy to train, through the right routines and diets, you also need to train the mind. I always try to be as positive in the important moments as I can. There are times when this is impossible, but you have to give 100% no matter the outcome.” Fernando does his best in every match, though it is very clear as to what has always been his Achilles heel: “Consistency what I need most to be among the top five. I’ve been improving that aspect and last year was the best of my career, finishing ninth in the rankings. I just needed to make more finals or semi-finals to get higher up there.
The Top 5
“This year, it will be very difficult to predict the Top 5 of the ATP because the players have not started at the best level. Federer has not done as well in the last two Masters Series, Nadal is not at his best, though they will both stay on top. Murray and Djokovic haven’t had good form. If I had to bet, I would say: Federer, Nadal, Murray, Djokovic and, as the fifth, Roddick or Del Potro. I’ll try to be there, but it is always going to be difficult, because there are great players. I think if I could pick one tournament to win, it would be Wimbledon, because it has always been among my favorite tournaments. And if I could choose a rival in the final, it would be Federer, who has won six times.”
The Four Slams
We asked Verdasco to define in few words what the four majors in tennis mean him: “Wimbledon is my dream tournament. Roland Garros belongs to the Spaniards and Latinos. The Australian Open is, after my semifinal last year, very special to me. It’s the most comfortable Slam and a place where people are incredibly nice. Playing the U.S Open is a unique experience, it’s the biggest arena in the world with over 21,000 spectators. It would be incredible to win that tournament and New York is one of my favorite cities. And the Davis Cup is something that has given me so much. Winning the last two, in Argentina and Barcelona, was incredible. I dreamed more about winning Davis Cup that the winning the U.S Open or the Australian Open.”
The Invencible Armada
Spanish tennis as a team and as individual talent, has given much joy to the fans in recent years. Fernando only has good things to say about the other Spanish players: “Feliciano is my best friend. Robredo has been a very consistent player throughout his career and is very professional. Nadal is the best Spanish player in history and one of the best in the world. Almagro is a player with great power and a lot of potential. Granollers is a very dangerous player on clay because he can outplay you really well, and he is really intelligent.”
And Verdasco?
“It is difficult to define oneself, but I’d say I am a very powerful and talented tennis player.” And a player who probably aspires to emulate his childhood idols: “When I was a teenager, Agassi was always my idol. Then came Sampras and Marcelo Rios. It was also an earlier era of great Spanish players like Bruguera, Costa and Corretja, but Agassi has always been my greatest influence and role model.”
Verdasco vs Nadal
The way things are going, would Fernando be able to beat Rafa?
“I don’t know. It’s difficult to predict a result in tennis and it depends on a lot of things. One week you win easily and in the next the results are totally different, even without having had a variation in your preparation or your game. It also depends on the surface: if we play on clay, it would be easier for him to win and, if on hard courts, things would be more even and harder for him. But we are talking about one of the best players of all time and it’s difficult that he loses a player outside the top ten. We have faced each other many times, and at times, I have been close to win, like in the Australian Open semifinal or in Queens, but in the end he always escapes. Rafa is such a fighter; he never gives away any point and it is very tough to beat him.”
Life after tennis
The career of elite tennis players has an ephemeral life, like all top-level competitive athletes, so you have to think about the future: “If I hadn’t been a tennis player, I would have been an actor, and I would love to dedicate myself to making action movies like Avatar, Gladiator, Clash of the Titans or a TV series such as 24. I love movies with lots of adrenaline, a little less comedy and I really don’t like horror films.”
So the script for Titanic 2 that was delivered this week, we should throw away? “No, man, just call James Cameron, for anything.” True, we forgot that behind this melodramic film is the mind of James Cameron.
Fernando is also taking his first steps as a model: “It was something that struck my attention, being a Calvin Klein model, and I really enjoyed it.”
If they ever make a biopic about his life, Verdasco has clear who could portrait him: “Miguel Angel Silvestre would fit: he’s Spanish, dark and a former tennis player.”
After traveling half the world, Madrid is still his favorite city. Fernando spends his free time at airports connected with Internet and watching movies and what he misses the most when on tour is his family and having a normal lifestyle. If he had to pick a prize outside of the tennis circuit to win, he wouldn’t hesitate for a second: “The Prince of Asturias awards.”
Verdasco Predicts Nadal Will Get Back to No. 1
MADRID – Spanish tennis player Fernando Verdasco said he feels “healthy envy” toward countryman and six-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal and expects him to regain the No. 1 ranking that he held for parts of the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
“I’m just focused on my own improvement. What Nadal has, he’s earned, and no one can take that away from him. He’s a player you can learn a lot from. His mentality, his physical strength,” Verdasco said at an event outside this capital.
“I don’t feel bad because Rafa Nadal’s in front of me ... I try to focus on him to become a better tennis player.”
The 26-year-old Verdasco, who has risen to No. 9 in the world with a strong clay-court season, including a loss to Nadal in the final of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters last month and a victory at the Barcelona Open the following week, said he expects the current world No. 3 to get back to the top spot.
“I see Rafa number one again. I see (Switzerland’s Roger) Federer is not the same as before, I don’t know if it’s because he’s now a father or what, and neither are (world No. 2) Novak Djokovic and (world No. 4) Andy Murray.”
“Nadal’s not at the same level of two years ago, but he’s always (giving 100 percent). If he wins Roland Garros and has a good showing at Wimbledon he can be No. 1 again,” Verdasco said.
The Madrid native, who also reached the semifinals of the Rome Masters – another big clay-court event – last week, said he feels “healthy envy” for what the 23-year-old, four-time French Open champion has achieved.
“Sure, there’s healthy envy of Nadal. Because when you see a player winning everything he’s winning you’re jealous of that. But it’s just healthy envy. He’s a friend first and foremost,” Verdasco said.
Verdasco pointed to Nadal’s “mental strength” as his biggest asset, his ability to “handle the pressure of winning week after week.”
“What I’ve experienced these three weeks, he’s done for five years. Great mental strength even when he’s not having a good day is what I would highlight.”
Nadal, who reached the pinnacle of the sport in 2008 after winning the French Open for the fourth-straight year and capturing his first-ever Wimbledon title, struggled with injuries last year and had not won a tournament in almost a year until last month.
His biggest disappointment in 2009 was an early-round loss at the French Open to Sweden’s Robin Soderling – Nadal’s first-ever defeat at tennis’ premier clay-court event. Citing injuries to both knees, Nadal subsequently pulled out of Wimbledon, where he was also the defending champion.
Since returning to action late last summer, he has had a poor record against other players in the top 10 but last month continued his sublime performance on clay, winning his sixth consecutive Monte Carlo title and fifth Rome Masters trophy in six years.
Partly due to Nadal’s problems, Federer recaptured the No. 1 ranking last year and now is on the verge of setting the all-time record for most weeks at No. 1.
Federer went on to win the French Open for the first time last year after Nadal bowed out and many expect the two to resume their rivalry at this year’s Roland Garros. Nadal holds a 4-0 record against his arch-rival at that tournament.
Verdasco said Federer and Nadal are a cut above their rivals and among the greatest players in tennis history.
“Federer and Nadal are a rung higher than everybody else, including Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. They’re two of the greatest in history.” EFE
Tak jest Nando, zamiast marzyć o wygraniu Szlema, lepiej planować sukcesy koledze. :D Znakomite podejście. :good:
Ale czego Ty oczekujesz?
Wszyscy wiedza, jaki to jest typ zawodnika. Trudno spodziewac sie po nim bunczucznych wypowiedzi, ktorymi w jego polozeniu byly by nawet slowa o wlasnych szansach na FO, majac w pamieci jego genialne wystepi przeciwko Nadalowi i Federerowi.
Najwyrazniej zdal sobie sprawe, ze jest nieuleczalny z braku pewnosci siebie i wiary we wlasne sukcesy.
Robertinho napisał:
Tak jest Nando, zamiast marzyć o wygraniu Szlema, lepiej planować sukcesy koledze. :D Znakomite podejście. :good:
Dość trzeźwo patrzy na swoje szanse . Zwłaszcza, że do tej pory nie wygrał żadnego prestiżowego turnieju.
Fed-Expresso napisał:
Ale czego Ty oczekujesz?
Wszyscy wiedza, jaki to jest typ zawodnika. Trudno spodziewac sie po nim bunczucznych wypowiedzi, ktorymi w jego polozeniu byly by nawet slowa o wlasnych szansach na FO, majac w pamieci jego genialne wystepi przeciwko Nadalowi i Federerowi.
Najwyrazniej zdal sobie sprawe, ze jest nieuleczalny z braku pewnosci siebie i wiary we wlasne sukcesy.
Już przynajmniej nie zaprzeczaj sam sobie. Tak to pohukujesz o "szmatach bez honoru", których postawa jest "zaprzeczeniem bycia sportowcem", a teraz uznajesz to za całkiem normalne podejście i ocenę swoich możliwości. :D
Koleś ma nie gorszą grę od Portka, Denki, o Ljubo Bossie nie mówiąc, a oni właśnie w ostatnim czasie wygrywali wielkie turnieje i robiąc to jakoś nie nie padli na kolana w meczach z faworytami. Wyśmiewany na tym forum Gulbis, no raczej nie lepszy na cegle od Nando, też jakoś nie padł na kolana przed nimi w Rzymie. No więc można.
anula napisał:
Robertinho napisał:
Tak jest Nando, zamiast marzyć o wygraniu Szlema, lepiej planować sukcesy koledze. :D Znakomite podejście. :good:
Dość trzeźwo patrzy na swoje szanse . Zwłaszcza, że do tej pory nie wygrał żadnego prestiżowego turnieju.
Koleś ma (...). No więc można.
RG 2010 - wywiad z Nando po zwycięstwie w 1 rundzie
Q. Obviously a straightforward win. What pleased you about the way you played today?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I'm happy. Always the first match is tough, and the beginning of the match, also, was like a little bit hard to get the conditions. The court was fast. Not too much clay. You know, it was a little bit, you know, difficult to get used to it, but after a few games, I started feeling better.
And also, you know, every set I was getting more and more confident. In the third set, I finished playing really good. My feelings was good.
Q. Obviously yesterday Richard Gasquet was playing in five sets on a Monday. He had problems with fatigue. How much of a difference is that extra day? Because you also played on Saturday. Was it helpful to have that extra day rest?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I don't know. I didn't play yesterday. I cannot answer that, but I think that maybe yeah, have 24 hours more. But you have 24 more hours to rest and to recover. Maybe it's the difference to win or lose or maybe not. I don't know. I cannot tell you that. Maybe he will play today and he will lose, also. I cannot answer that. Nobody knows.
THE MODERATOR: Questions in Spanish, please.
Q. Many players said that it's a slippery court. What would you say about this?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, absolutely. This is a faster court this year, absolutely. I didn't realize anything was wrong with the balls. If you hit the balls strongly, if you give them a special spin, if you put all of your strength into your shots, the balls bounce back correctly.
I don't think that there's less bouncing and there's less earth on the court, so for those used to fast serves or those used to other surfaces, it's different.
Q. You have not been able to practice much in the recent past. Is that a problem?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, yesterday I played and practiced for an hour. I don't know if I need to play one, two, or three hours, but I was on the courts quite often. Of course, I've got to practice a lot but not too much. I don't want to be too tired so as to have feelings quite quickly, and then I keep what I need to keep for the match. I don't need to practice for hours and hours after so many matches.
Q. Would you say you enjoy this victory today? How's that? I think it's important to play in Paris after playing in Nice last week.
FERNANDO VERDASCO: I'm very, very happy to have won the match during this first round, because I played better with time. Of course, I gained more confidence as the sets were going by.
And also, sets fly by, you're more relaxed, you unwind, and you can win more quickly. I'm really happy because now it's going to be the second round and I'm still waiting are to the other match to finish because they're still playing.
Q. What type of reactions would you expect from the crowd? To start with, they were quite indifferent. And afterward they put their hands together for you.
FERNANDO VERDASCO: No, no problem for me today. Of course you expect the worst all the time. If it's worst you're not going to be disappointed, not badly surprised. But, no, there's nothing I can add about this. Of course, what I wanted to say I said it during the release. That's all I had to say.
Q. I think you've written something. Who's this for?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: No. Other question.
Q. You've said you've played quite a lot on clay.
FERNANDO VERDASCO: No, I've played many matches.
Q. Do you think it's negative or not, playing too much before you play at Roland Garros?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: I don't think so. We'll wait, wait and see. We'll see if this was negative or not. I'm quite optimistic. I think everything is going to go on smoothly.
Q. Without giving us all the details about Sunday, with this season you've played, I think you've had some problems lately. Has this had an impact today?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, the bad news always have an impact, not just for me. That's the case for many people. But there's nothing I want to add about this incident. What was to be said was said. There's nothing I want to add about this incident.
Q. How do you feel today? Do you feel good?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Yes. I'm fit.
Q. You look very serious today.
FERNANDO VERDASCO: No, you always ask me questions about this incident. I said I don't want to add anything. I will not answer. That's all. If you keep on asking the same questions, I'll answer the same answer, and then I get fed up.
Q. Do you feel fit like you can win this tournament?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I feel good. I think this could be a good tournament for me. Now, I don't know if I'm going to win or not. There's a long way to go. I could perhaps be in the round of 16 against Almagro, and then the draw is really a tough draw for me. I don't know if I'm going to win this tournament or not, because I can't say this today. Yet I have confidence. I'll do my best so that the tournament is a good tournament for me.
Q. Nadal and some of the press, the Spanish press, say you are well placed for a good tournament. Would you say that this impresses you or it has no impact on you?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, if I'm considered as one of the favorites, it's something good. It's pleasant. Of course it was a good feeling, but that's about it.
Everybody says that Rafa is "the" No. 1 favorite, and I'm glad when I hear this, that he's the greatest winner. Of course, everybody is trying to put some pressure off their own shoulders, but I'm not that much interested in what the others say. Of course, if I'm considered as a favorite, I'll try and live up to their expectations on the court. That's all I can do.
Q. Now, be careful about this. Be careful about how you're going to interpret my question. Now, you consider that the reason why you wanted to play the Nice tournament with this ankle problem you had, and then, you know, afterwards we had a match that lasted two hours and 40 minutes, my question is: Why did you want to play the Nice tournament?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I had signed in a long time ago. That's my first reason. The second reason is that I wanted to play and play more and more matches. When I was in the tournament, I didn't want to lose. That's all. I never regret what I do. No, no, no, no, no regrets.
Q. After this season on clay, you've won everybody's respect. This season is very busy, as you know. According to you, is Roland Garros the tournament you would really want to win?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: I think I have answered this question several times. My favorite tournament, as I've said here again, is Wimbledon. Roland Garros is a Grand Slam tournament, of course. If people ask me if I want to win, yes, of course, everybody wants to win Roland Garros. If you say no, you don't want to win Roland Garros, you're totally crazy. Of course, I'd like to win Roland Garros. But Wimbledon, I've always said that Wimbledon was "the" tournament. It's given me more satisfaction than even Madrid.
Roland Garros, however, will remain Roland Garros, and if I can win Roland Garros, excellent. If I win Wimbledon, even better.
Q. Throughout the tournament, I hope everything is going to go on very nicely, that your feelings will be good with the crowd.
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I've answered this question already. I've said what I wanted to say after these events. Those who are not happy, I don't mind. I'm going to play tennis, that's all. I'm not going to say anything else on the court. I'm not going to say anything against anybody. I'm here to play tennis and that's all, and to play my best Roland Garros.
If Fernando Verdasco were… a centre forward
The Spanish heart throb Fernando Verdasco (No.9 in the ATP rankings) is not just one of the best tennis players in the world, he is also a fan of football and Real Madrid… so we decided to talk football with him.
Who do you think will be the biggest surprise at the World Cup?
The United States.
What about the biggest disappointment?
I don’t really know. I hope it won’t be Spain. We are one of the two or three favourites and I can’t imagine we won’t perform well. I really have faith in the Spanish team.
Who would you pay good money to see in South Africa?
Messi and Kaka.
What is your earliest football memory?
When I was two or three, I kicked a ball around with my father and cousins in the garden.
Who was your childhood idol?
Ronaldo (the Brazilian). I’m lucky, we became friends when he played for Real Madrid.
Which is your favourite team?
Real Madrid, of course!
Which is your favourite stadium?
Santiago Bernabeu.
How much would you pay for your favourite player’s shirt?
I’m lucky because Ronaldo gave me his shirt. If he hadn’t, I’d be prepared to pay 500 euros for his shirt.
Which fans are the best?
The Atletico Madrid fans. They are always there for their team. They are impressive fans.
If you could play 90 minutes with any team, which would it be and what position?
Real Madrid. I’d like to play as an attacking midfielder, in the hole, just behind the striker – where Kaka plays. I’d be the one feeding the passes through to the number 9.
Who is your favourite manager?
Mourinho – and not only because he’ll be managing Real Madrid. He’s a genius who has won titles everywhere.
If you were president of Real Madrid, what would be your first decision?
I would try to recruit the best players and the best manager. Then, I would let the manager do his job without bothering him. I would never interfere with his choices or tell him who to pick.
What’s the best goal you’ve ever seen?
Zidane’s in the Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen (in 2001). I was watching on television like any rabid fan.
RG 2010 - wywiad z Verdą po zwycięstwie w 2 rundzie
Q. How would you assess your performance today? Why this strange third set, maybe, regarding the score?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: I don't know why, but it just happen. Ask Murray, happen the same to him.
You know, in these matches sometimes when you are lost like two sets to Love down, he just start to lose the arm and he made many winners and many balls to the lines.
He was you know, of course with 5 Love, I said, Okay, I'll go to the fourth set, because this set he's hitting the ball with the eyes closed and he's putting the ball in the line. Does it better to close this set and start a new one.
But all of, you know, out of this, I think I play very good two first sets and the third set again because he was playing better with more confidence, and I been able to make a break and to be solid with my serve. So, you know, I'm happy how I played today.
Q. I have a specific question about Sven Groeneveld. How would you describe him as a coach?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: He's not my coach.
Q. No, I know, but you used to work with him, so...
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I you know, he was with me almost one year and a half ago. You know, right now I don't know exactly, but long time ago. Well, he helped me in many things, and, you know but right now I cannot I'm not the person also to speak about him.
I can speak about Darren, that he's the one helping me. I speak about Gil or I can speak about Vicente or other persons who are with me right now, but I think with Sven you must ask the girls or the players who are with him right now, not to me. I'm not the right person.
THE MODERATOR: Questions Spanish, please.
Q. It's complicated to play after two days when you couldn't really practice?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, yes, it's complicated, but not that much. Well, it is not usual to stay two days without doing anything. Of course, I couldn't even practice the day I should have played. I could only warm up for 30 minutes, and then they canceled everything.
It wasn't very important, but, you know, if it's a Grand Slam, anything that comes is positive, because everything is important. So you shouldn't think negatively like, Oh, I'm wasting my time here. I always have to wait.
No, look at the bright side. This is such an interesting tournament that I'd say mental preparation is excellent during the tournament to have excellent results.
Q. What do you think about the fact that you were programmed after Federer?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, this is part of programming and the organization. Even though we might ask, they will not change anything.
I'd rather not answer the question, because the organization will not change.
Q. Today there are eight Spanish players. It's a huge army of players. Do you watch their results? Do you watch their matches?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Oh, yes, when I don't play I follow their matches, and I think that all those who won and all those who lost have done their best. I'm so happy to see that we have so many Spanish players, and I hope it's going to continue this way.
Q. I don't know if you saw this video, a video concerning karaoke here in Roland Garros which is a parody of Shakira and Nadal.
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Oh, yes. I heard about it. I don't know why. Why do you always ask me to answer these questions about these things? Yes, the karaoke.
We did one last year, as well. Novak always wants to be the funniest, the star, but he loves this. He loves being a showman. He likes it.
So you should ask Rafa if he enjoyed this imitation or not. But to tell you the truth, I don't really know how Rafa took this, but I know Rafa. I don't think he really very much liked the video. But anyway, who knows? Maybe he enjoyed it.
Verdasco Plays First Official Tournament with Dunlop Racket
Entering this week’s SkiStar Swedish Open as the No. 2 seed, Spaniard Fernando Verdasco also unveiled his long awaited Dunlop racket. Signing with Dunlop at the end of March, Verdasco played his second-round match in Bastad today with his new frame.
Previously using Tecnifibre rackets, Verdasco had also experimented with a few Yonex frames earlier this year.
The world No. 10 joins the already vast Dunlop family which includes Nikolay Davydenko and Tommy Robredo.
http://tennisconnected.com/home/2010/07 … op-racket/
Kolejny powód słabszej dyspozycji? :D
US Open 2010 - wywiad po zwycięstwie w 3 rundzie
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. Felt like you served very well and he didn't serve maybe as well as could have. Did that feel like the important swing in the match?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, maybe. I think everything is important in one match. When you play like two good players, everything can change the match, no?
It was windy, and not as windy as yesterday, but it was windy. Sometimes was tough to play, no? Tough to even serve in one side with the sun.
So, you know, I think that, yeah, maybe I served better than him and that gave me a little bit of advantage. But I think also that mentally I was really strong, even like in the first set for four games, almost 40 minutes, I was there all the time. You know, I'm positive and really good and focused.
So I think that that was the key. Also, even when I lost the second set, I was feeling good. So I think everything was important today to make the victory.
Q. Even though you didn't break him the first few games, did you get a sense you had a lot more chances the rest of the match based on how was playing?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I think that the match, the beginning of the match was tough. I had, like you said, few breakpoints, I didn't do it. It was four games, 40 minutes. But I was feeling great physically all the time.
I knew that I was, like, I really need to be all the time focused and be positive to beat one guy like Nalbandian right now in this moment.
So, you know, I did it, and I'm happy of how the match goes and how I played today.
Q. Can you talk about playing David? All the Spaniards are doing well here. What are your feelings on that?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Yeah, well, it's good that he's gonna be for sure one Spanish in quarterfinals, and maybe, you know, if Feliciano wins and Rafa wins, also another Spanish in quarterfinals will be in that part of the draw.
If that is done today, one semifinals for sure will be Spanish also. So, you know, it's always nice to see all the Spanish winning and being in the last rounds, no? So if you need to lose, it's better to lose against a Spanish player, then at least one guy is gonna be there one round more, no?
I'm happy. I hope to play good also the next round, keep doing my work and my job as better as possible. Trying to play the best to be in the quarterfinals like last year.
Q. Do you feel better now than you did maybe in Washington?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Yeah, for sure I am feeling much better. The last weeks before here, the results was really like really tough.
I lost with Mardy 7-6, 7-6. With Chardy also with the tiebreaks. It was, you know, like tough matches, close matches. Finally I lost all of them.
So I'm happy how is this tournament going, and I'm getting much more confidence. For sure, the match of today, winning Nalbandian that is one of the players in best conditions this summer is gonna help me for my confidence and for get better work and better tennis the next matches.
US Open 2010 - wywiad po zwycięstwie w 4 rundzie
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. What was going through your mind when you were down the two sets and then down 1 4 in the fifth set tiebreaker? How were you able to come back?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Like I said after the match, after I lost the first two sets, of course, it's tough. You know, that you don't have margin to recover. You just need to win all the other sets. About the tiebreak, you know, just trying to fight till the end. I came back till the fifth set, and of course even that I was 4 1 down in the tiebreak, I was not going to say, okay, that's it. I was going to try my best till the end. Just that, no? Just try to play good, try to play aggressive, try to do my game, and the things came in a good way, no? I was, of course with 4 1 down in the tiebreak much more chances to lose than to win, but I didn't. Just fighting and trying.
Q. Could you kind of describe match point? That's a shot that is going to go down for a long time.
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Is tough to explain. You are just you are with your sixth sense in the ball, in the point, knowing how important is, and, you know, just trying to run, fight, all the balls. So when I did the backhand along the line passing shot, you know, I was like even surprised that he took the volley. Of course, my reaction was just keeping the point and start running forward. Because normally with these volleys it's a dropshot, no, you gonna make another long volley. So I start running, and I just saw that space. (Smiling.) You know, is tough. Is tough to explain, because is like really short period of time and you are just running and trying to get the ball. When you see there a little bit of space, you just try to put the ball in. It was like unbelievable.
Q. But was the space you were looking at actually between the net and the chair?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: I was just first trying to get the ball; after that, yeah, it was only space. He was in the middle of the court, so I didn't see a space to play crosscourt. I saw a little bit of space just on the top of the net, just in between, like you said, the chair and the net, and I just tried to put the ball inside, inside out no, outside in, and it's good. (Laughing.) So happy when I saw that the ball was going in.
Q. What kind of treatment did you require after this match? Anything unusual?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Just try to eat good, drink good, rest a lot, and of course hot massage, stretch on everything that you need, no? It's not also good if you are like having massage for three hours or stretching for three hours. I think that just the normal routine, like every match, no? Like maybe about 20 minutes stretching and about maybe one hour massage.
Q. But no IV or anything like that?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: No. Maybe you can take some anti inflammatories. You know, it's a very long match, and normally you have your body pretty you know, you have pain in your foot and your nails and in part of the body of course from tension of the match. You take some anti inflammatories, and that's the only thing. The other thing is just eat a lot of proteins and carbs to try to recover the best and as soon as possible.
Q. You're gonna maybe play Nadal in the next round. You have not a great record against him. Can you just talk about the challenge of playing Nadal, and also talk about if you feel like his serve has changed or has improved in the last few months.
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Yeah, well, I think that in this tournament I improve my serve a lot. It was one of maybe the biggest change from the last tournament to this US Open. Gets me a lot of free points, and, you know, like confidence.
Q. I'm talking about Nadal's serve.
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Oh, Nadal's serve? No, well, I think he's serving also better. You know, I think that he even improved the serve. In Wimbledon this year he was serving better than normally. I don't think about that, of the grip, no? I don't see like really, you know he's there, and I don't see when he's serving a big change in his grip. But he comes with confidence, no? He's making a great year. Of course when you are with confidence and you are trying new things like, for example, hit stronger the serve, you know, is easier to work well than when you are without confidence. So I think that he improve his serve, and of course helping him to improve his game, also.
Q. Did you and David Ferrer talk in the locker room after the match at all?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, we just saw each other for a few seconds, and we just, you know, normal. He told me, well done. I told him, like, I'm really sorry. Then I told him, like, you know, that we need to keep fighting to be both in the Masters Cup. We have a great relationship. Of course when you lose a match like this today for him if I lost this match, for sure I was so upset and pissed on the -- it's true -- on the locker room. But at the end, you know, we are good friends, and I want him the best, no? I want him to be in the Masters Cup. And of course I hope that he will do it.
Q. Looking ahead to the Nadal match, because I don't think you've had that many been two sets down and come backs like that. Does that give you massive confidence, what you pulled off today?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I hope that is gonna give me big confidence, this match. And also I hope to be 100% physically after a tough match like today to play against one player like Nadal that you need to be like 100% to try to face him, no, to try to beat him. You know, I will just try to do all the things right and good, as best as possible. Then if he wins his match like he's winning right now and I play against him Thursday, I will just try to play my best tennis and try to beat him for first time. Everybody knows that he's No. 1 in the world; he's great player. My record is not good against him. But I will keep trying and keep fighting to make the first time here.
Q. Can you talk about your physical state here. When you were treated in third set, was that your ankle?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: It was because the tape that they made me before the match, it was like giving me a little bit like a blister in my Achilles tendon. So it was bothering me, and I just said to change it, to cut it and make a new one, because it was cutting a little bit and making me a little bit of blister in the Achilles tendon. That's all.
Martial Arts Fan Verdasco Lets Off Steam With Srichaphan
Martial Arts fan Fernando Verdasco, the second seed at this week’s PTT Thailand Open, took part in Muay Thai alongside 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medalist Somjit Jongjorhor in Bangkok on Wednesday. The Spaniard was also joined on the stage by former ATP pro Paradorn Srichaphan.
“I would love to learn more Thai boxing,” said Verdasco. “I’ve always loved martial arts so maybe when I stop playing tennis I can learn some more. It was a lot of fun to learn some of the moves today.”
Verdasco, who begins his tournament campaign on Thursday, will be looking to make a push for one of the six remaining spots still up for grabs at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London.
“The goal for me now is to get to London for the second consecutive year, so I’m going to fight hard to be there,” said 26-year-old Verdasco.
“I really want to finish in the Top 8 this year. Playing last year was very special for me as it was the first time that I qualified. Hopefully the experience from last year will help me if I can get there again this year.”
Fernando: “I can be in the top 5 this year”
Fernando Verdasco attended the Forum Ferrándiz AS, where he said he hoped to be among the top five ranked players before year end and that he believed Rafael Nadal would again regain his number one ranking.
“It’s very difficult to finish in the top five, but I look and I see that it is possible. You have to have the results I’ve had these three weeks throughout the year. I will fight with everything I have to get it.”
“The last three weeks have given me great confidence, I have improved my self-esteem and I hope to be playing in the final in Roland Garros. If I have Nadal in my side of the draw, of course it will be very difficult. But with Federer, Djokovic or Murray, I think I have the potential to reach the final.”
Fernando also revealed that he nearly quit tennis at 15 years old because he was frustrated at not being able to reach his best level. He considers Feliciano Lopez to be his best friend, and that they have a good relationship that is “more personal, and very different from the ones I have with the other players.”
Fernando’s biggest dream is to win a Grand Slam and become the number one in the world, something he hopes to accomplish before he turns 33 years old.
“To be number one depends on many things, not just the ambition, but you also have to be lucky. Everyone would like to achieve it, some might get close, but very few do it. It’s my childhood dream, I am 26 years old now and I hope to play until I’m 32 or 33. I can see myself as number one, but I know how hard it is to do it.”
His biggest inspiration in tennis remains Andre Agassi, who had his greatest triumphs later in his career.
“I see people like Agassi who won Grand Slams and were number one even after he was 29 years old, and that gives me strength and confidence that I can still achieve that. He was always my idol, I like tennis and he was charismatic. I feel like I can identify with his game. ”
Asked about how the path of a player like him can remain in the shadow of Rafael Nadal, Fernando said he has a “healthy envy” for his younger compatriot. “I don’t feel bad because Rafa’s in front of me. I try to focus on him to become a better tennis player myself. Whenever you see a player who wins all the time, you envy him in the sense that you’d like to earn as much as him or more.”
He also praised said Nadal’s mental strength, praising his ability to handle the pressure of winning week after week. “What I’ve experienced these three weeks, he’s done for five years. Great mental strength even when he’s not having a good day is what I would highlight.”
Fernando also said that sport in Spain is at its best, with the best athletes in history. “God has put the best athletes in the history of sport at this time in Spain. Gasol, Alonso, Nadal, the Spanish football team. It’s something that can not be explained, but to put it simply, we have the best athletes now.”
In that sense, Fernando said that it is easier for Cristiano Ronaldo to win the league than it is for him to win a Grand Slam. “Cristiano has won the Ballon d’Or and is one of the best players in the world, I am still lacking in that. If he is out for two months with injuries, the team can play without him. In tennis, if you are injured no one plays for you. I do not like to compare individual to team sports because they have nothing in common.”
In addition, Fernando echoed Rafael Nadal’s complaints about the schedule set by the ATP. “It’s very long and very demanding. We have no holidays. If you are in Davis Cup, it ends on December 7 and then barely a month later you are playing again. There is no time to train. It is a season packed to the maximum that tires you out mentally and physically.”
As for the past controversies about Madrid and the high altitude, Fernando believes that the capital deserves more important Davis Cup ties, but acknowledges and understands that the team prefers to play at sea level. He made it known that the location debate is far more serious in the press than it is among the team: “We are united when we play, no matter where we play. This has been one of the keys to our success as a team.”
http://verdasconews.com/2010/05/fernand … this-year/
hahaha hahaha hahaha hahaha
Wolał muay thai od treningu. Już odpadł
Fernando Verdasco, rozstawiony z numerem drugim, w swoim pierwszym meczu w Bangkoku przegrał nieoczekiwanie 4:6, 4:6 z Niemcem Benjaminem Beckerem. W stolicy Tajlandii Hiszpan zdecydowanie więcej czasu spędził jednak w gymie Muay Thai niż na treningowym korcie.
To może być spore rozczarowanie dla organizatorów, którzy już po zamknięciu listy zgłoszeń zdołali namówić Verdasco do przyjazdu, oferując mu "dziką kartę". Hiszpan, sklasyfikowany na ósmym miejscu w rankingu ATP World Tour, jeszcze przed pierwszym meczem był często "eksploatowany" przez miejscowe media, jako jedna z dwóch największych gwiazd startujących w imprezie.
W środę, zamiast odbycia sesji treningowej, Verdasco wziął udział w szybkim kursie tajskiego boksu, a naukę pobierał od najbardziej popularnych reprezentantów tego sportu. Na ringu miał okazję sparować także z najlepszym w historii tenisistą z Tajlandii Paradornem Srihapchanem, który już zakończył karierę.
- Muszę się kiedyś wziąć na poważnie za trening sportów walki - wyznał w środę Verdasco.
Rezerwowy Verdasco już myśli o wygraniu Australian Open
Od nowego sezonu Fernando Verdasco nie musi się martwić o łupież, bo o to zadba znany producent szamponów, którego markę madrycki tenisista będzie reklamował. Od siebie samego wymaga wielkich zwycięstw już w styczniu.Verdasco jest rezerwowym na Finały ATP World Tour (od niedzieli) w Londynie, dokąd uda się w czwartek. Występy tegoroczne teoretycznie już zakończył, tak samo jak ustalił pozycję rankingową - dziewiątą, identyczną jak przed rokiem. Fernando się to nie podoba: - Nie mogę być zawiedziony, ale miało być lepiej - mówił podczas spotkania z mediami przy okazji prezentacji kampanii reklamowej H&S.
Po turnieju w Monte Carlo w kwietniu był trzeci na liście Race (wyniki tylko z danego roku). - To jasne, że po dobrym początku zanotowałem końcówkę sezonu nie taką, na jaką miałem nadzieję - powiedział. - Latem i jesienią byłem nieregularny, z ćwierćfinałem US Open i potem potwornym cyklem turniejów w Azji - wylicza.
Od występu w Nowym Jorku (porażka z Nadalem) wygrał tylko dwa mecze, w Paryżu przed tygodniem ostatecznie dyskwalifikując się z walki o Masters. Przed rokiem zadebiutował w kończącej sezon imprezie, ponosząc w grupie same porażki, choć wszystkie w trzech setach.
Swojego zdecydowanego faworyta do triumfu teraz Nando nie ma: - Tam grają najlepsi. Inaczej postawiłbym na Hiszpanów, Rafę i Davida [Ferrera], ale więcej szans daję Federerowi, który znów wydaje się być w najwyższej formie, oraz Söderlingowi, który wygrał w Paryżu, a nawierzchnia odpowiada mu perfekcyjnie.
27-letni Verdasco do sezonu będzie się przygotowywał w Stanach Zjednoczonych. Rok rozpocznie od występu w Brisbane (3 stycznia), potem będzie bronił tytułu w pokazówce w Kooyong. A wszystko zmierza do Melbourne i pierwszego wielkoszlemowego turnieju w kalendarzu: - Choć brzmi to mocno, wielkim wyzwaniem na początku sezonu będzie dla mnie zwycięstwo w Australian Open - mówi.
Australian Open rozpocznie się 17 stycznia. W półfinale edycji 2009 Verdasco stoczył epicki bój z Nadalem (7:6, 4:6, 6:7, 7:6, 4:6 w 5h10'). - Minęły od tego prawie dwa lata, a ten turniej wciąż jest dla mnie szczególny - przyznał. W tym sezonie Hiszpan został zatrzymany w IV rundzie, ale też w piątym secie, przez będącego jeszcze na fali (i przed kontuzją) Nikołaja Dawidienkę.
Po Masters, w poniedziałek 29 listopada, Verdasco będzie mógł na spokojnie obejrzeć mecz Barcelony ze swoim ukochanym Realem: - To będzie jeden z najlepszych "clásicos" w ostatnich latach, ponieważ obie ekipy są dobre jak nigdy - przyznał. - Nie sądzę, że znów dają nam baty [2:6], jak przed dwoma laty na Bernabéu. Tamten mecz oglądałem z trybun. Wierzę, że wygra Real, przynajmniej minimalnie, z 2:1, bo daję też gola Barçy.
2010 w liczbach
Ranking: 9
Tytuły: 2 (San Jose, Barcelona)
Finały: 2 (Monte Carlo, Nicea)
Bilans gier: 43-22
Zarobki: $1,971,365
plus wygrana pokazówka w Kooyong :o
Bamos!
The Last Word: ATP No. 9, Fernando Verdasco
Verdasco has developed into a consistent
Top 10 player over the last two seasons.
Best of 2010
Might as well take “Hot Sauce’s” own word on it: Barcelona, a tournament he grew up watching on TV, where he beat French Open finalist Robin Soderling. “This is maybe the best moment of my career right now,” said Verdasco.
Worst of 2010
The Spanish love Davis Cup, so losing a singles rubber to France’s Michael Llodra and the doubles (with Feliciano Lopez) in the quarterfinal round of play was quite a blow.
Year in Review
Verdasco has made enormous strides in the consistency department. He charged out of the gate and made the fourth round of the Australian Open, and acquitted himself well on the U.S. hard courts before an excellent showing on the European clay. He took out Novak Djokovic in the Monte Carlo semis, only to fall to his countryman, friend and nemesis, Rafael Nadal. But he went on to win Barcelona and made his third successive semifinal in Rome. Verdasco played exactly one match on grass (a first-round loss at Wimbledon) and tailed off during the hard court summer and fall circuits. His highlight came at the U.S. Open, where he won a five-set thriller over Davis Ferrer before losing to—who else?—Nadal, in the quarters.
See for Yourself
True to his lefty identity, Verdasco has a lethal if occasionally erratic forehand:
The Last Word
It’s hard to call a Top 10 player a “head case,” and you don’t go toe-to-toe with fellow Top 10’ers without a firm hand and strong mind. But it’s also true that Verdasco is still fighting—and more frequently, overcoming—the tendency to get a little wild under pressure. His backhand is solid, if not as threatening as his forehand. But when the pressure is on, his forehand, and at times his serve, can get shaky. His opponents know it, and he knows it. Like some of his Spanish countrymen, he’s had a tendency to slow down once the hard-court season arrives, but he’s got a game and strokes more suited to that surface than some of his peers. If he can find a way to transfer some of that confidence and focus he has in the spring to the fall, he could improve his ranking.
—Peter Bodo
VERDASCO HOPING FOR STRONG START
Fernando Verdasco is hoping for a repeat of his
2009 run to the Brisbane final.
World No. 9 Fernando Verdasco will be one three Top 10 players to grace the 2011 Brisbane International field next week and the Spaniard is eager to make the best possible start to the new season.
“It’s always important when you are starting a new season to try and start the best as possible,” said Verdasco, who finished runner-up to Radek Stepanek in Brisbane two years ago. “I think that the performance I did two years ago [at the Australian Open] was partly due to the level I played here in Brisbane and that’s one of the reasons I decided to come here again, to try and get to that level of confidence in my game.”
The 27-year-old Verdasco is seeded No. 3 and will open his campaign against German Benjamin Becker. Speaking to the Australian media on Saturday, the left-hander said he has put his disappointing results from the end of 2010 behind him and is hoping his hard work in the pre-season will reap early rewards.
“I feel great. I’ve been practising very hard this pre-season, a few days in Miami and then almost all my pre-season in Las Vegas like the past two years. I’m feeling great. I have a lot of confidence and looking forward to making this year the best year of my career.
“There are many good players in this tournament and it’s going to be very tough not just to win, but even to get to the finals again,” added the Spaniard. “But, I’m feeling good and I just came here to try and do my best and try to win the tournament.”
Also in the bottom half of the draw with Verdasco is defending champion and No. 2 seed Andy Roddick, who will face Australian wild card Marinko Matosevic in the first round. The American, who defeated Stepanek in last year’s final, could meet fifth-seeded Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis in the quarter-finals.
World No. 5 Robin Soderling is the top seed in the 32-man field. The Swede, who reached the quarter-finals (l. Stepanek) on his Brisbane debut in 2009, opens against a qualifier, with the prospect of facing Michael Berrer or Dudi Sela in the second round.
Fourth-seeded American Mardy Fish has been dealt a difficult draw. The World No. 16, who heads up the second quarter of the draw, could face 2009 champion and last year’s runner-up Stepanek in the second round. The 32-year-old Czech player begins against the 2010 ATP World Tour Newcomer of the Year, Tobias Kamke.
VERDASCO AND THE REYES EFFECT
DEUCE
Fernando Verdasco shares a joke with fellow Top 10 star Tomas Berdych.
Two years ago, Fernando Verdasco wondered if he could get better, and how he could do it. The answer lay in Gil Reyes, Andre Agassi’s renowned former mentor and physical trainer.
In their time together, working to Reyes’ philosophy of “Inspiration, Information, Application”, Verdasco has made strides at the Grand Slams and become an established Top 10 player. On the eve of the 2011 Australian Open, is he now ready to become a Grand Slam champion?
Rewind 25 months. Verdasco is 25 years old, a very respectable World No. 16 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings, one of 15 Spaniards in the Top 100. He has already won two ATP World Tour titles — in Valencia (2004) and Umag (2008) -- and is a consistent performer at the majors. But there was more to come for Verdasco.
Everything changed with the 2008 Davis Cup final. Missing their injured talisman, Rafael Nadal, it fell to Verdasco and David Ferrer to lead the Spanish team against Argentina away in Mar del Plata. Verdasco rose to the occasion, defeating Jose Acasuso over five sets in the fourth rubber to claim victory for Spain. It was, he recalls, a major turning point in his career.
“That was the one thing that really changed in my mind; my confidence and my mentality to not just be a Top 20 player, but to be a Top 10 player,” says Verdasco. “I learnt more about confidence and believing more in myself.”
Lopez was sat courtside for his friend’s dramatic victory and believes that it was the catalyst for a significant change in Verdasco’s mindset. “You never know what was the key or what was the match that made you feel different, but I think it was a very important moment for his career.” However, Lopez adds that it takes more than one match to change the course of a player’s career and Verdasco, armed with the realisation that there was so much more he could achieve, knew just who to turn to.
Enter Gil Reyes, the man who Agassi described as “my trainer, my friend, my surrogate father”. At the start of his partnership with Agassi in 1989, the former basketball coach, with a 56-inch chest and crushing handshake, said, “Andre, I won't ever try and change you, because I've never tried to change anybody. But I know I can give you structure and a blueprint to achieve what you want.”"When he comes here it's about education, he's not just coming here to work out."
The man with the Mexican roots had the determination to teach himself English though reading newspapers and watching baseball games. Most significantly, Reyes personifies the “Inspiration” in his philosophy and drove Agassi to five Grand Slam titles and a further three major finals during the Las Vegan’s second career - after the age of 29.
Through the Adidas Player Development Programme, Verdasco was invited to work with Reyes. Unsurprisingly, he jumped at the chance. “Agassi was my idol when I was young and I decided that it was, for sure, a good experience, that I would learn so much,” he says.
“Fernando was interested and I always credit him and respect him so much for that,” remembers Reyes. “He came here during Christmas time, right before the (2009) Australian Open, really not sure what was in store for him, really not sure what to expect.”
Cue parts one and two of the Reyes motto, inspiration and information. “When he comes here it’s about education, he’s not just coming here to work out. This is where you learn to get to the next level and to become the champion that is within you,” explains Reyes.
While there was some work to be done on Verdasco’s fitness, Reyes believed the basics were already there to build on, describing the Spaniard as a “born athlete” with “tremendous genetics”. In greater need of nurturing was Verdasco’s mentality. Through his time with Agassi, Reyes learned what makes champions’ tick, and he strived to pass that information on to Verdasco.
“There were doubts in his mind, a certain amount of anxiety,” admits Reyes. “But I tried to convey to him that if someone like Andre could be so unsure and so uncertain about himself as an athlete out there - and he’s such a great champion and has become a legend in his sport – then Fernando should look differently at himself on court, to be confident and to trust his legs. We made the gym a classroom for him to understand not just the sport, but also himself.”
That Verdasco responded so effectively is not just a measure of the teacher and motivator that Reyes is, but the player’s eagerness to learn. Described by his friends, Ferrer and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, as “a normal guy, who likes to spend time with his family and friends”, Reyes also confirmed Verdasco to be one of the hardest workers in tennis. “He has the temperament of a thoroughbred,” says Reyes. “Once he understands it, he’s ready to work. He doesn’t shy away from the hard work; he has no problem with commitment. He’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen.”"He's a more consistent, solid player. He's very strong physically."
‘The Reyes Effect’ was instantaneous. The following month, Verdasco reached the Brisbane International final before taking out World No. 4 Andy Murray and No. 7 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on a scintillating run to his first major semi-final at the Australian Open. It took World No. 1 Nadal, on top of his game, to end Verdasco’s run in a pulsating five-set clash. Afterwards Nadal declared, “Fernando was playing I think his best level in his career. [If] he continues like this, he's going to have chances to be any number in the rankings.”
By the end of the year Verdasco was inside the Top 8 and rewarded with a place at the prestigious Barclays ATP World Tour Finals where, despite not winning a match, he gave a good account of himself in three-set defeats to Roger Federer, Juan Martin del Potro and Murray.
In 2010 he was, by his own admission, more up and down. “I had some of the best results of my career, but also maybe some of the worst,,” says Verdasco. However, his improved consistency was enough to propel him towards a US Open quarter-final (l. to Nadal) and another Top 10 finish, only narrowly missing out on a spot at The O2 in London at the end of the year.
Once again, his peers were impressed by the progress he continued to make.
“He played a lot of matches during the year and I would say in a better level,” says Lopez. “He’s a more consistent, solid player; he can play better for so many more weeks than he did before. He’s very strong physically.”
Garcia-Lopez adds, “He’s improving day by day. Of course he is better than last year, because he has more experience.”
But the work that Verdasco and Reyes have done was not geared towards just reaching the semi-finals and quarter-finals of Grand Slams. Make no mistake; Verdasco is in it to win it. With the Australian Open beginning on Monday, it’s time to put into action stage three of the Reyes motto: the application of the learning.
Gil Reyes doesn’t just think Verdasco can win a Grand Slam; he believes he can win many. “He certainly has to do the hard part, but I think Fernando has more than one Grand Slam in him. Fernando has changed so much and I think now he has changed just enough to know what it’s going to take to get to the next level. I have no doubt in my mind that there’s a place for him in the upper tier of the sport.""I think I can improve everything, and to win a Grand Slam title you must be really good at everything."
“Mentality” is the key to Grand Slam glory, suggests Ferrer, and Verdasco, it would seem, has no difficulty in embracing the expectations that surround him now at a major tournament. “I’ve been in the Top 10 for nearly two years and I don’t really feel it (the pressure and expectation),” says the Madrid native. “Of course you have more pressure and people expect more from you, they always think that you must win and that’s pressure. But I think I’ve handled it quite well in these two years.”
That inner-confidence and sense of belonging at the top of the game will certainly be of benefit to Verdasco if he is to reach the Australian Open final in two weeks’ time. Of the 10 players to have reached their first Grand Slam final at the Australian Open in the past 20 years, only one has gone on to triumph (Thomas Johansson over Marat Safin in 2002).
Verdasco believes that is at Melbourne Park, where he played what he hailed as “the best tennis of my career” in 2009, that he has the best chance to win a major title, a sentiment that Lopez echoed. “The Australian Open is the Grand Slam he likes most because he reached the semis once, so I will say maybe the Australian Open [is his best chance]”.
One obstacle that Verdasco would almost certainly have to overcome if he were to win the Australian Open would be either Nadal or Federer, possibly both. The statistics are not encouraging. Verdasco trails Federer 0-4 in their FedEx ATP Head 2 Head, and has been on the losing side in all 11 of his meetings with Nadal.
It was with that in mind that Verdasco packed his bags and set out for Las Vegas once again in December, planning to work with Reyes to improve his speed, movement, power, preparation and decision making.
“I think I can improve everything and to win a Grand Slam title you must be really good at everything,” acknowledges Verdasco. “Look at players like Nadal and Federer. They win almost all the Grand Slams. So you just need to be at an unbelievable level to beat these guys at a Grand Slam. I will try my best to improve a lot this pre-season and try to be ready for the Australian Open, to be one of the players with chances to win.”
It is Reyes’ firm belief, though, that Verdasco already has the tools. It is simply a case of applying them and uncovering the champion within. “His answers are within him,” says Reyes. “Fernando has developed a swagger and that is the biggest difference. I think Fernando is just on the top of the best part. I think he’s starting to understand himself. I truly believe we are going to see the result, the differences on court.”
Agassi, in his autobiography, Open, wrote that "sometimes a workout with Gil is actually a conversation. We don't touch a single weight." The odds of winning a major may be stacked against Verdasco -- only three players since 1990 have won their first Grand Slam championship aged 27 or over -- but with a man like Reyes in his corner, you get the feeling nothing is out of reach.
AO 2011 - wywiad po zwycięstwie w 2 rundzie
Q. So how does this win rate with the other victories that you've had?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I think that, you know, every time you win one match like this in a Grand Slam, it's important, no, for yourself to get confidence, to see that you are good physically and mentally.
So, you know, it was of course very important win after coming again two sets to Love down, and also saving the match point in the fourth set. So, you know, I think it's very positive for me.
Q. Two sets to love down, what was your strategy?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, just he was playing really good and aggressive, so I just tried to be a little bit more aggressive with my serve, with my forehand. Also trying to get the timing at the return to try to put a little bit more put him a little bit more in trouble with his serve.
Well, you know, keep fighting all the time, because I was really close to lose today. I think that just my mentality was the key, one of the biggest key today to come back.
Q. When he took the medical timeout did that give you added confidence?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, if I'm honest, not so much, because, you know, I really play I was really focus on myself and just coming back the fourth set two times that he had he served to close the match. And the tiebreak, you know, playing like really good for me gave me a lot confidence.
I saw him also a little bit tired, even I knew that he was tired a little bit in the end of the fourth set, even if he didn't take that medical timeout. But of course when you saw that your opponent is taking a medical, then you try to push a little bit more to take a quick advantage in the beginning of the next set.
Q. Did you feel he was trying in the fifth set?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: He was trying?
Q. Was he?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I think that I don't know. This is question I think that he must answer, not me, no? I think that he was tired; he got the medical right after the first game. After that, I didn't see him moving really good. I don't know if it was so much pain what he have or not. I think he's the only one who knows that.
So I was trying to don't push the brake, keep pushing the gas and going in the fifth set the same that I was playing the tiebreak in the fourth set.
Q. Next up is Kei Nishikori. Do you have any information? What impression do you have about him?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well information, I know him and I practice with him long time ago. Of course I know him. He's Japanese, right?
Q. Yes.
FERNANDO VERDASCO: I'm joking. (Smiling.) I think that he's a very fast player; his legs, he move his legs really fast. And I think that, you know, like he's with confidence starting this year. I think that he's like motivated for this year. He have also this year the help of Brad Gilbert so for sure he will improve his game with a coach like that.
I know it's going to be a tough match. Every match in third round of a Grand Slam is tough. You know, I will just try to keep playing the same that I did today. Not the fifth set today because it was a little bit not normal. But maybe if I can say like the third and the fourth set of the match today, I hope to be like that in two days: play aggressive, serve big, and just fight all the time to try to win again.
Q. You've been working with Gil Reyes, and he always used to be very fit. Is he trying to make you fitter?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: He always try to make me fitter. I don't know until when or where I can go with him, because, you know, if I keep working like that four or five hours every day fitness, you know, maybe I can go to fight at the UFC and not play tennis anymore. Because it's incredible. We work so hard every time I'm there.
But of course if I can translate that energy and power that we work in the position every time I'm there to the court, you know, I'm so like I'm so healthy and strong when I play. Today for example I felt it, no? I felt that even when the match was longer and longer, I was feeling better and better. So for sure it's part of that work I did.
Q. Seems like you twisted your ankle at the end...
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Yeah, I twist it in that game, in the game 6 5 on his serve in the fourth set. But, you know, when you twist your ankle pushing hard, you are always like with a little bit worried, no, to see what you have. So the first steps it was more to see if it was painful or not. It was not. I just got scared, but it was nothing important and I feel good.
Q. You're No. 9 in the world, and obviously Rafa is always there in Spain. Do you feel like you're in the shadow of Nadal? Is that a good or bad thing to have him always dominating Spanish tennis?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: I answer this question already many times. I don't feel in the shadow because you have another player that's No. 1 or 2 in the world in the last five, six years, no? He did so good job all these years winning many tournaments and many Grand Slams.
All he did he deserve, no? I'm just trying to be a better player and try to win also big tournaments, no? I think that I will get whatever I deserve the same like everybody else. But of course, you know, he is the No. 1, and many times everybody speaks about him and not about the others.
Not only me, about like maybe Ferrer or Ferrero or Almagro. I think there's been a lot of Spanish tennis players, and we need to be so proud of that. I think that's the most important thing.
AO 2011 - wywiad po zwycięstwie w 3 rundzie
Q. You dominate the game all the time, especially your forehand stroke is so good. How did you look back at that game, that match?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: What I think about the match?
Q. Yes.
FERNANDO VERDASCO: Well, I think that I started the match today very, very strong, like compare, for example, second round against Tipsarevic I start a little bit slow and he start playing so good. So today I really want to start from the first point 100%, like moving and hitting the ball hard.
I saw that he was like stretching with the back, with the leg, lots of time, taking the medical timeout at the end of the first set. So, you know, maybe in his match of second round against Mayer he got a little bit tired and physically he was not 100% today.
I was just trying to push hard and try to take advantage in the game fast. You know, I think that I played really good, and he started playing better also the second set and the third set better than the first set.
But I think that I did very good my game today, and I didn't let him play his game so much. So I'm happy of how I played today and to be here in fourth round again.
Q. Did you prepare any strategy coming into the match, or tactics?
FERNANDO VERDASCO: No, no. Nothing special. Well, we never played each other before, so I was watching some matches of him that he played, knowing that one of his best matches was against Blake or against David Ferrer.
So, you know, I suppose mentally that he wanted to or he like to play fast and not like really high balls or with a lot of spin. So I was just trying to serve good, mix my serve, flat but also with spin, and also taking my forehand and hitting hard and with spin to his backhand. Make him run, no?
So it was my mentality for that match, and I think that I had a good day today and the things was well for me.
Also, like I said before to him, I think he was not 100% physically, so it was, you know, for sure for him not a good feeling, no?
Pierwszy finał w 2011
Fernando przegrał finał turnieju ATP w San Jose, czym pogorszył swój bilans decydujących o tytule meczów na 5-9.
Fernando Verdasco - finały (9)
2011 San Jose
2010 Nicea, ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo
2009 Kuala Lumpur, Brisbane
2008 Nottingham
2007 St. Petersburg
2005 Kitzbuhel
2004 Acapulco
Hiszpan wygrał jak dotychczas 5 turniejów na szczeblu ATP Tour.
Pęknięta struna: Verdasco, odnalazłeś swoją drogę?
Czy jeszcze kilka sezonów temu ktoś był w stanie powiedzieć, że ten dwudziestosiedmioletni dziś madrytczyk będzie w stanie przebić się do ścisłej czołówki światowego tenisa? Czy ktoś zaryzykowałby stwierdzeniem, że stoczy niesamowity bój w półfinale Wielkiego Szlema i o mały włos nie pokona Nadala, z którym dotąd przegrał wszystkie jedenaście spotkań? Jak to się stało, że Fernando Verdasco tak niespodziewanie potrafił przełamać słabości i walczyć z numerem jeden światowego rankingu jak równy z równym?Do pewnego momentu kariery Fernando na korcie stawiał jedynie na swoje umiejętności fizyczne. Jednak czymże jest bieganie od prawej strony kortu do lewej, jeżeli głowa znajduje się w chmurach? Niejednokrotnie zastanawiałam się, czy Hiszpan traktuję grę w tenisa poważnie, czy jest to dla niego tylko zabawa. Udział w rozbieranych sesjach zdjęciowych, chodzenie na różnorakie imprezy, czy dumanie na korcie o ciągle nowych dziewczynach. To nie było kluczem do sukcesu.
Przełom nastąpił w połowie roku 2008. Wierzyłam, że taki moment w końcu nadejdzie i doczekałam się. IV runda Wimbledonu, przegrana po rewelacyjnym, mrożącym krew w żyłach boju z Mario Ančiciem, poprzedzona finałem w Nottingham, gdzie sukces był równie blisko (uległ Ivo Karloviciowi dopiero w zaciętym tie breaku decydującego seta). Następnie półfinał na kortach ziemnych w Båstad i wreszcie Umag.
Pierwsze zwycięstwo w turnieju ATP od 2004 roku, kiedy w finale w Walencji pokonał Alberta Montañésa. Punkt zwrotny? W jakimś stopniu na pewno, jednak według mnie jego kariera zmieniła bieg po finale Pucharu Davisa w Argentynie (2008). Wszyscy uważali, że drużyna Hiszpanii bez Nadala będzie bez szans. Czytając, że Fernando chce po tym finale być zapamiętany jako bohater Hiszpanii, uśmiechnęłam się pod nosem. Śledząc jego przemianę, wierzyłam, że będzie to możliwe.
Najpierw bardzo dobry mecz w deblu z Feliciano Lópezem, który dał tenisistom z Półwyspu Iberyjskiego prowadzenie po dwóch dniach. Początkowo w ostatnim dniu walczyć miał David Ferrer, jednak kapitan zdecydował się postawić na madrytczyka. Komentarze do jego decyzji były różne. Niektórzy twierdzili, że w tym momencie hiszpańska "Armada" jest wręcz skazana na porażkę, inni, podobnie jak ja, byli wręcz przekonali, że to najlepsza decyzja, jaką mógł podjąć szkoleniowiec. Wyszło rewelacyjnie – po długim, pięciosetowym boju, Hiszpanie mogli świętować, a ja z uśmiechem na ustach powiedzieć, że wiedziałam, że to się tak skończy.
Dalej było już tylko lepiej. Zima spędzona na treningach w Las Vegas z Darrenem Cahillem i Gilem Reyesem – współpracownikami Andre Agassiego – szybko dała zaskakująco dobre efekty. Początek roku 2009 był dla Fernando jednym z najlepszych fragmentów w całej jego karierze. W Brisbane doszedł do finału turnieju singlowego, a w parze z Mischą Zverevem zwyciężyli, w ostatnim meczu pokonując Tsongę i Gicquela. Jaki był Australian Open przypominać nikomu nie trzeba. Trzy szybkie i przyjemne zwycięstwa na początek, następnie zacięte potyczki z Murrayem oraz Tsongą i mecz przeciwko Nadalowi, który z dumą będę opowiadać swoim dzieciom.
Jedyna rzecz, która wtedy mnie zawiodła, to ostatni punkt spotkania. Uważam, że takie widowisko nie powinno być zakończone podwójnym błędem serwisowym. W dalszych fazach sezonu madrytczyk radził sobie równie dobrze: wziął udział w Masters i stoczył zacięte boje z del Potro i Murrayem. Rok zakończony kolejnym zwycięstwem Pucharu Davisa, był pierwszym, niemal całkowicie spędzonym w pierwszej dziesiątce rankingu.
Sezon 2010, może nieco słabszy, jednak nadal z sukcesami. Zwycięstwa w San Jose i Barcelonie, a także rewelacyjny turniej w Monte Carlo, gdzie uległ dopiero niezmordowanemu na mączce Nadalowi. Niestety, świetny występ na kortach ziemnych został przyćmiony przez rozczarowujące wyniki w końcówce roku, które zamknęły mu drogę do drugiego z rzędu występu w Londynie.
Początek tego roku znów "w kratkę": słaba gra w Brisbane, zadowalający występ w Australii, bardzo dobre spotkania w San Jose, a także porażki w I rundach w Memphis i Acapulco.
Co będzie dalej? Tego nie wie nikt. Tenis jest sportem, w którym możliwe jest wszystko, jednak w takich momentach, w których najmniej się tego spodziewamy. Czy Nando będzie w stanie wygrać turniej wielkoszlemowy? Wierzyć będę zawsze, w końcu nadzieja umiera ostatnia, co sam Verdasco udowodnił przeciwko Ferrerowi (IV runda US Open 2010) oraz Tipsareviciowi (II runda Australian Open 2011), kiedy potrafił wrócić od stanu 0-2 w setach, uciec z opresji w kolejnych i w cudowny sposób obronić piłki meczowe.
Może nastąpi kolejny przełom, dzięki któremu Hiszpan stanie się jeszcze lepszym zawodnikiem? Największym kłopotem mogą się jednak okazać problemy fizyczne: nieustanne problemy z kostką oraz śródstopiem. Nie jestem przekonana, czy będzie w stanie wytrzymać dwutygodniowy maraton co najmniej trzysetowych spotkań. Czas pokaże, oby tenis po raz kolejny zaskoczył mnie pozytywnie.
2 przegrany finał w 2011.
Fernando Verdsco wciąż bez tytułu w 2011 roku. Hiszpan przegrał w minioną niedzielę z Juanem Martinem del Potro w finale turnieju ATP w Estoril. W lutym Nando musiał uznać wyższość Raonicia w finale imprezy w San Jose. Porażka w Estoril to był już 10 przegrany finał w karierze Fernando Verdasco.
Fernando Verdasco - przegrane finały (10)
2011 Estoril, San Jose
2010 Nice, ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo
2009 Kuala Lumpur, Brisbane
2008 Nottingham
2007 St. Petersburg
2005 Kitzbuhel
2004 Acapulco
RG 2011 - konferencja po zwycięstwie w 2 rundzie.
http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/multi … 00132.html
RG 2011 - konferencja po porażce w 3 rundzie.
http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/multi … 0019e.html
300 wygranych meczów Verdasco.
Fernando Verdasco pokonał Radka Stepanka w meczu 1 rundy Wimbledonu 2011. Hiszpan zwyciężył 9-7 w 5 secie i wygrał swój mecz nr 300 w ATP Tour. ;)
In a match re-scheduled from Tuesday, Spanish No. 21 seed Fernando Verdasco saved match point as he came from two sets down to defeat Czech Radek Stepanek 2-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(6), 9-7. The left-hander faced match point at 5-6 in the fourth set tie-break, but held his nerve to hit back and prevail in the fifth set in just less than four hours. It was the fourth time in his career that the Madrid native has won from two sets down, and it marked his 300th tour-level victory.