US Open Labor Day Results: Wozzi Downs Shazza, Federer Sets Up Showdown with Soderling

If their were still doubters who believed Caroline Wozniacki didn't deserve the number 1 seed at the 2010 US Open, I'm sure, after the Dane's match on Monday, they were decreased. The 20 year-old played beautiful defense, wearing out Maria Sharapova to earn a 2-set victory, 6-3, 6-4. The win puts Wozniacki, who made just a 1/3 of the amount of errors that her opponent did, in the quarterfinals, where she will face Dominika Cibulkova, an upset winner over Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Sharapova and Wozniacki played almost the entire match at an incredibly high level, with long rallies pitting the Russian's powerful ground strokes against the 2009 finalist's high top-spin shots. As i was clear that Sharapova couldn't hit through her opponent, the 14th seed began to go for more and more, eventually breaking down her own game with several errors at a time.

Roger Federer advanced in routine fashion past Jurgen Melzer in the 2nd night match, reaching his 26th straight Major quarterfinal with a 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 victory. The 2nd seeded Swiss has yet to los a set, but that could all change when he runs into the always-dangerous Robin Soderling in the enxt round. The Swede dropped the first set against Albert Montanes before reeling off the next three easily to win.

Soderling ended Federer's miraculous Grand Slam semifinal streak at the French Open, and the two have a long history. Expect a brilliant encounter on Wednesday.

Vera Zvonareva kicked off the night session with a dominating win over Andrea Petkovic, 6-1, 6-2. The Russian imploded against Flavia Pennetta on this same day at last year's Open, but she kept her emotions in check long enough to dispatch of the gritty German, giving the 7th seed a spot in the quarters. She'll meet Kaia Kanepi, who got off to a very slow start against 2009 semifinalist Yanina Wickmayer, dropping the opener 6-0, before recovering to win the next two sets 7-6 (2), 6-1.

Gael Monfils squared off against countryman Richard Gasquet in an exciting 4th-rounder in which the 17th seeded Monfils won 6-4, 7-5, 7-5. Afterwards, Gasquet deservedly referred to Le Monf as the "Usain Bolt of Tennis," and his ability to run down even the best of shots will have his quarterfinal opponent, Novak Djokovic's, hands full.

The Serb crushed Mardy Fish on Arthur Ashe, 6-3, 6-4, 6-1, pushing the American around and serving beautifully.

US Open Day 1: Fed Works His Magic Under the Lights; Venus, Roddick & Clijsters Win

It looks as though Roger Federer is making a habit of hitting outrageous shots in Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Swiss hit yet another between-the-legs winner last night, against Brian Dabul, that brought back memories of the same shot against Novak Djokovic in last year's semifinals. Fed crushed his Argentine opponent 6-1, 6-4, 6-2. The world number 2's possible quarterfinal opponent, though, had much more difficulty. Robin Soderling, who hit 74 unforced errors, needed 5 sets to dismiss Andreas Haider-Maurer, a mainstay on the challenger tour. 13th seed Jurgen Melzer also needed to go the distance to earn his victory, while Marin Cilic cruised to a 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 win.

Venus Williams showed off her shiny black fringe dress under the lights with a 4 and 1 defeat of Roberta Vinci. Francesca Schiavone also impressed, surrendering just 1 game to Ayumi Morita in her opening match. Victoria Azarenka is considered a favorite to take home the title, but after a great start, bageling Monia Niculescu in the first set, the Belarusian suffered a lapse in concentration and had to go to 3 sets to advance. Both Flavia Pennetta and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova cruised into the second round with straight-set victories, and 32nd seeded Tsvetana Pironkova, a Wimbledon semifinalist, notched a 2-set win.

Andy Roddick didn't come into the Open with the preparation he would have liked, but the American made quick work of Stephane Robert, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, to move into the second round. Also in Roddick's quarter is Nikolay Davydenko, who won easy as well, taking out Michael Russell in straights. Gael Monfils and Robert Kendrick had a marathon match, lasting well over 4 hours, that included some controversy too. The Frenchman took out the crowd fave 6-4 in the fifth to advance. Other men's winners included Juan Carlos Ferrero, Albert Montanes and Richard Gasquet, while Lleyton Hewitt was upset by Paul-Henri Mathieu in 5 tough sets.

Defending champion Kim Clijsters was second on Ashe after American Melanie Oudin earned a 56 minute win. Clijsters defeated Greta Arn 6-0, 7-5 while her potential final 8 opponent, Sam Stosur, earned a 3-set comeback win over Elena Vesnina. Elena Dementieva trounced Olga Govortsova, 6-1, 6-2, and fellow Russian Alisa Kleybanova earned a 7-6 (4), 6-2 win over Joanna Larsson. Former number 1 Dinara Safina's struggles continued, as she crashed out to 24th seed Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 6-4. Ana Ivanovic, Petra Kvitova and Gisela Dulko all triumphed as well.

Roland Garros Results: Federer, Kuznetsova and Venus Advance, Rain Halts Play in Monfils/Fognini Thriller

Sorry I didn't do results yesterday...once again, I'm loaded with work. And Rafa won, but I'm sure you knew that.

Rain put a damper on the 4th day of play at Roland Garros but among those who were lucky enough to squeeze their matches in early was Venus Williams, who was first on Chatrier, earning a win over Araxta Parra Santonja, 6-2, 6-4. Venus was joined in the third round by Caroline Wozniacki, seeded 3rd, who beat Tathiana Garbin 3 and 1. Nadia Petrova and Aravane Rezai both won, setting up what is sure to be an exciting third round clash between the two of them. Lucie Safarova was upset by Polona Hercog 6-1, 6-2.

Ale-Alejando Falla *plugging gaga* served for the opening set against Roger Federer but lost it in a tiebreak, and was unable to keep up his strong level of play in the 2nd in 3rd, falling 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-4. Robin Soderling has been rather under-the-radar at this year's French open but he's easily playing the best tennis of anyone, surrendering just 2 games in a dominating win over Taylor Dent. Marin Cilic, a possible round of 16 opponent for Soderling, defeated Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-2 while Stanislas Wawrinka, also in the first quarter of the draw, easily ousted Andreas Beck in straights.

Last year's champion, Svetlana Kuznetsova, was down a set to Andrea Petkovic before mounting a comeback to prevail 4-6, 7-5, 6-4. A fellow Russian of Kuzzie's, Maria Kirilenko, reached the 3rd round with a 6-3, 6-3 victory and Gisela Dulko, who upset Victoria Azarenka in round 1, was defeated by Channelle Scheepers 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. 14th seed Flavia Pennetta was up 6-1, 5-1 on Roberta Vinci before rain suspended the match until tomorrow, and Dominika Cibulkova, 2009 semifinalist, won 4-6, 6-2, 6-0.

Gael Monfils looked to be headed for a routine win over Fabio Fognini before the Frenchman squandered a 2-set lead, allowing the match to go to a deciding 5th set. Fognini started complaining about the lack of light early in the 5th, while Monfils was persistent in staying on court. The umpire sided with Monfils, and the match continued until 5-5, when even spectators began to have difficulty seeing. Andy Murray was leading 6-2, 3-3 before his match with Juan Ignacio Chela was also put off until Thursday. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga advanced 6-0, 6-1, 6-4 along with Tomas Berdych, Mikhail Youzhny and Albert Montanes.

Roland Garros Results; Murray Fights off Gasquet, Serena, Federer and Djokovic Advance

Serena Williams kicked off her Roland Garros campaign pretty solidly on Monday, knocking off Stefanie Voegele 7-6 (2), 6-2. The number one seed was joined in the next round by a wobbly Carolina Wozniacki, who despite a serious ankle injury was able to quickly defeat Alla Kurdyatseva. 11th seeded Li Na, 8th seeded Agnieszka Radwanska and Lucia Safarova all advanced to round 2 with straight set wins, while Alona Bondarenko and Francesca Schiavone had to fight their way through 3 setters to earn their spot in the next round.

On the men's side the defending champion stepped out onto the same court that solidified him as the G.O.A.T just under a year ago, and he definitely impressed, crushing Peter Luczak 6-4, 6-1, 6-2. In Federer's quarter is Gael Monfils and Stanislas Wawrinka, both of whom advanced, Monfils in 4 sets and Wawrinka in straights. 2009 Roland Garros semifinalist Fernando Gonzalez fought off Thiago Alves in 4 sets while Spaniard Nicolas Almagro won a thriller, 6-4 in the 5th. Big servers Ivan Ljubicic, Tomas Berdych, John Isner and Taylor Dent all defeated their respective opponents in straight sets (Dent hit a 149 mph serve, a French Open record).

Jelena Jankovic continued her impressive Spring, having little trouble in defeating Alicia Molik. Elena Dementieva also looked primed for a serious run, conceding just 3 games against Petra Martic. In Dementieva's quarter is fellow Russian Alisa Kleybanova, who also won an easy 2-setter. Agnieszka Radwanksa, seeded 8th, won 6-0, 7-5 over Elena Baltacha and Sam Stosur, 7th, beat Simona Halep 5 and 1.

It was no secret that Andy Murray's struggles have been more than just a mid-season slump, but the Scot's determination (or perhaps it was his opponent's lack of endurance) was on display in his thrilling comeback 5-set win against Frenchman Richard Gasquet on Monday. A popular pick to send Murray home early, Gasquet jumped out to a 2-set lead 6-4, 7-6 (5) before falling apart and allowing the 4th seed to run away with the final 4 sets, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1. Novak Djokovic also struggled in reaching the 2nd round, beating Evgueni Korolev 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3. Seeded Spaniards Tommy Robredo and Feliciano Lopez were ousted by in straights respectively by Viktor Troicki and Julian Reister. American Mardy Fish joined countrymen Dent and Isner in proving wrong the assumptions about the US men on clay, mounting a comeback from 2 sets to 1 down to triumph.

Madrid Results: Fed, Rafa and Venus Reach Semis, Jankovic and Murray Fall

After suffering a devastating defeat to Ernests Gulbis at the Italian Open two weeks ago, Roger Federer turned the tables on the Latvian in Madrid, mounting an impressive comeback to defeat Gulbis, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. Rafael Nadal has yet to drop a set this week at the Mutua Madrilena Masters, where he is the defending runner-up, making quick work of Gael Monfils, 6-1, 6-3, to advance to the semifinals.

Just one week after receiving an absolute beatdown at the hands of Jelena Jankovic, Venus Williams had little difficulty beating one of the other hottest players on tour, Sam Stosur, who could have broken into the top 5 with a win.

“Her game plan seemed to be to just attack everything,” said Williams, following her 3 and 3 win. “She played well. But there were some key points, and at the end, from 4-3, I felt like I went, on autopilot, so it felt good.”

Venus will take on Shahar Peer, who took out Li Na in 3 sets, while Lucia Safarova, who beat Nadia Petrova 6-1, 1-6, 6-4, will face Aravane Rezai, a upset victor against Jankovic.

David Ferrer pulled off an unexpected upset by beating 4th-seeded Andy Murray in straight sets to advance to the final 4, where the Spaniard will take on Federer. Over the course of the 7-5, 6-3 win, which lasted 2 hours and 11 minutes, Ferrer proved why he is constantly a lay-court threat, while Murray showed some of his amateur tendencies that popped up in March. To complete the trifecta of Spaniards in the final, Nicolas Almagro easily defeated Jurgen Melzer, 6-3, 6-1 to earn the right to play Rafa for a finals berth.

Monfils Makes the K-Swiss Switch

Gael Monfils is set to leave Nike, his current clothing sponsor, to join the K-Swiss team. The Frenchman will join Americans such as the Bryan Bros, Mardy Fish and Sam Querrey as the brand's representatives.

Davis Cup Results: Spain, Argentina and Serbia Take Early Leads; France, Croatia Clinch

The Davis Cup defending champions Spaniards kicked off their 2010 campaign with in good fashion. Nicolas Almagro fell to Stanislas Wawrinka, but Spain recovered, as David Ferrer and the doubles team won the next 2 matches to come within 1 match of clinching a spot in the quarterfinals.

Russia got off to a solid start in their rubber as well, as Mikhail Youzhny and Igor Kunitsyn took their respective singles matches to give their country a 2-0 lead. India got themselves back into it, though, when their doubles team of Mahesh Bhupathi and leander Paes won in straight sets.

The French became the 1st team of the weekend to clinch their tie, as the Germans didn't stand a chance against the powerful singles duo of Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who beat Phillip Kohlschrieber and Benjamin Becker, respectively. Julien Benneteau and Michael llodra booked France a spot in the quarters with a 4 set doubles victory.

Croatia also clinched on Saturday, as Ivo Karlovic squeezed out a tough 5 setter of Ecuador's Nicolas Lapentti. Marin Cilic followed up Dr. Ivo's win with an east 3-setter Giovanna Lapentti. Cilic and Karlovic then paired up in the doubles, where they won in straights.

David Nalbandian made his return to Davis Cup after an injury-plagued 2009, and he was just as heroic as he was in 2008, leading Argentina to a straight-set doubles win over Sweden. In the singles, the two countries split, as Robin Soderling emerged 6-1, 7-6 (0), 7-5 over Eduardo Schwank, while Leandro Mayer beat Joachim Johansson in 4.

The Czechs became the 3rd team to have already moved onto the next round, as the Belgians barely put up a fight against the strong tandem of Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek, who both won in easy 3 setters. The two then paired up in doubles, again winning in straights to clinch the win.

The Americans have shown just how vulnerable they are without Andy Roddick and James Blake, as Serbians Victor Troicki and Novak Djokovic took advantage of the inexperienced singles pairing of John Isner and Sam Querrey to jump out to a commanding 2-0 lead. Int he doubles, Isner filled the void left by Mike Bryan quite nicely, teaming up with Mike's brother Bob to win in 4 sets.

The Israel-Chile match up has gotten underway after the 24-hour delay.

Henin, Ivanovic To Square Off in Brisbane Semis; Federer, Nadal Advance

Ernests Gulbis put up a valiant effort against Roger Federer in the semifinals of the Qatar Open in Doha, but the Swiss number 1 prevailed to reach the final 4 and set up a blockbuster match with Nikolay Davydenko, who took out Ivo Karlovic in two tiebreaks. Rafael Nadal rolled after his opponent, Steve Darcis, retired while down a set and a break. Nadal will face Viktor Troicki.

In Brisbane, Andy Roddick held off a good fight from Aussie Carsten Ball to join Radek Stepanek, Gael Monfils and Tomas Berdych in the final eight. Justine Henin had to survive 3 sets in order to defeat Melinda Czink, while fellow Belgian Kim Clijsters also had to go the distance to earn a victory. Ana Ivanovic advance in straight sets, and Daniela Hantuchova was easily upset by Andrea Petkovic. Ivanovic and Henin will square off in a much anticipated semifinal match up.

Doha
Men's Singles- Quarterfinals

Roger Federer (1) def. Ernests Gulbis 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
Rafael Nadal (2) def. Steve Darcis 6-1, 2-0 retired
Nikolay Davydenko (3) def. Ivo Karlovic (7) 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (9-7)
Viktor Troicki (5) def. Lukasz Kubot 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-1)

Brisbane
Men's Singles- Quarterfinals

Andy Roddick (1) def. Carsten Ball 7-6, 6-3
Radek Stepanek (2) def. Oleksandr Dolgopolov 5-7, 7-6, 6-2
Wayne Odesnik def. Alejandro Falla 6-7 (8-10), 6-2, 6-1
Richard Gasquet def. Matthew Ebden 6-3, 6-4
Thomaz Bellucci def. Harel Levy 6-4, 4-6, 6-4

Women's Singles- Quarterfinals

Kim Clijsters (1) def. Lucie Safarova 6-1, 0-6, 6-4
Ana Ivanovic (3) def. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2, 7-6 (8-6)
Andrea Petkovic def. Daniela Hantuchova (4) 6-4, 6-2
Justine Henin def. Melinda Czink (7) 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5)

Roddick, Stepanek Reach Brisbane Quarters; Henin Advances

At the Brisbane International in Australia, Andy Roddick defeated Carsten Ball in straight sets to reach the quarterfinals, while Radek Stepanek and Gael Monfils both won 3 setters. Justine Henin advanced to the final 8 along with Daniela Hantuchova and Ana Ivanovic in her first tournament back since her retirement in May of 2008.

At the Qatar Open in Doha, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal crushed their respective opponents, Evgueni Korolev and Potito Starace. Nikolay Davydenko defeated Marco Chiudinelli 6-3, 6-4, and Ivo Karlovic pulled out a 3-set victory.

Doha
Men's Singles- Round of 16

Roger Federer (1) def. Evgeny Korolev 6-2, 6-4
Rafael Nadal (2) def. Potito Starace 6-2, 6-2
Nikolay Davydenko (3) def. Marco Chiudinelli 6-3, 6-4
Viktor Troicki (5) def. Olivier Rochus 6-2, 6-2
Ivo Karlovic (7) def. Benjamin Becker 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
Ernests Gulbis def. Andreas Seppi 6-4, 7-5
Steve Darcis def. Younes El Aynaoui 6-3, 6-1
Lukasz Kubot def. Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-2, 7-6 (7-5)

Brisbane
Men's Singles- Round of 16

Andy Roddick (1) def. Carsten Ball 7-6, 6-3
Radek Stepanek (2) def. Oleksandr Dolgopolov 5-7, 7-6, 6-2
Gael Monfils (3) def. Florent Serra 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-5), 6-1
Tomas Berdych (4) def. Marcos Baghdatis 6-0, 6-1
Wayne Odesnik def. Alejandro Falla 6-7 (8-10), 6-2, 6-1
Richard Gasquet def. Matthew Ebden 6-3, 6-4
James Blake def. Marc Gicquel 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (10-8)
Thomaz Bellucci def. Harel Levy 6-4, 4-6, 6-4

Women's Singles- Round of 16

Ana Ivanovic (3) def. Timea Bacsinszky 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
Daniela Hantuchova (4) def. Agnes Szavay 6-3, 6-1
Lucie Safarova def. Aleksandra Wozniak (6) 6-3, 6-1
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Roberta Vinci 1-6, 6-4, 6-1
Justine Henin def. Sesil Karatantcheva 6-4, 6-3

World's Top 2 Advance in Doha; Roddick, Clijsters and Henin Roll in Brisbane

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal kicked off their official beginnings to 2010 successfully at the Qatar Open in Doha, making light work of their opening round opponents, Christophe Rochus and Simone Bolelli, respectively. The tournament's 3rd seed, Nikolay Davydenko, crushed Mikhail Kukushkin, advancing to the 2nd round along with Andreas Seppi and Benjamin Becker.

At the Brisbane International, Justine Henin proved she has barely lost a step in her straight set win over Nadia Petrova, while KIm Clijsters continued her late-2009 play with an easy win over Alicia Molik. Ana Ivanovic struggled to won her first 2 matches, both in 3 sets, while the tournament's 7th seed, Melinda Csink, advanced to the quarterfinals as well. In the men's event, Gael Monfils acheived a tough 3 set victory over Taylor Dent, and Andy Roddick, still recovering from a knee injury that cut his 2009 campaign short, earned a straight-set W over Peter Luczak. James Blake had to go the distance to knock out countryman Sam Querrey, and he joined Tomas Berdych, Marcos Baghdatis and Florent Serra in the Round of 16.

Doha
Men's Singles- 1st Round

Roger Federer (1) def. Christophe Rochus 6-1, 6-2
Rafael Nadal (2) def. Simone Bolelli 6-3, 6-3
Nikolay Davydenko (3) def. Mikhail Kukushkin 6-2, 6-0
Steve Darcis def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (8) 6-4, 6-1
Andreas Seppi def. Oscar Hernandez 6-4, 7-5
Younes El Aynaoui def. Ryler De Heart 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-4)
Benjamin Becker def. Daniel Koellerer 5-1 retired
Lukasz Kubot def. Karim Maamoun 6-0, 6-2

Brisbane
Men's Singles- 1st Round

Andy Roddick (1) def. Peter Luczak 7-6 (7-5), 6-2
Radek Stepanek (2) def. John Millman 6-4, 6-0
Gael Monfils (3) def. Taylor Dent 7-6 (7-1), 6-7 (5-7), 6-2
Tomas Berdych (4) def. Nick Lindahl 6-2, 6-4
James Blake def. Sam Querrey (5) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
Matthew Ebden def. Jurgen Melzer (6) 7-5, 6-1
Marcos Baghdatis def. Mardy Fish 7-5, 7-5
Harel Levy def. Michael Llodra 6-2, 6-0
Carsten Ball def. Mischa Zverev 7-5, 6-1
Thomaz Bellucci def. Juan Ignacio Chela 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr. def. Bernard Tomic 6-4, 6-4
Florent Serra def. Julian Reister 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (7-5), 7-5

Women's Singles- 2nd Round

Kim Clijsters (1) def. Alicia Molik 6-0, 6-3
Ana Ivanovic (3) def. Timea Bacsinszky 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
Daniela Hantuchova (4) vs. Agnes Szavay
Aleksandra Wozniak (6) vs. Lucie Safarova
Melinda Czink (7) def. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova 6-3, 2-6, 6-1
Roberta Vinci vs. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Andrea Petkovic def. Vania King 4-6, 6-2, 6-1

Women's Singles- 1st Round

Justine Henin def. Nadia Petrova (2) 7-5, 7-5
Ana Ivanovic (3) def. Jelena Dokic 7-5, 1-6, 6-3
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova def. Alisa Kleybanova (5) 6-4, 2-6, 6-2
Melinda Czink (7) def. Lucie Hradecka 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
Andrea Petkovic def. Iveta Benesova (8) 6-7 (6-8), 6-2, 6-1
Lucie Safarova def. Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-1
Sesil Karatantcheva def. Casey Dellacqua 6-2, 0-6, 7-6 (7-1)
Barbora Zahlavova Strycova def. Olga Govortsova 6-4, 6-1
Timea Bacsinszky def. Alla Kudryavtseva 6-4, 7-6 (7-3)
Roberta Vinci def. Sara Errani 6-4, 2-6, 6-2

Djokovic Downs Monfils to Take Paris Title

Apologies for the lack of posting yesterday : (

Internet's been down

Anyways.....

In the finals of the Paris Masters, Novak Djokovic kept up his stellar late-season play by downing Gael Monfils in a tight match, 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (3). It was Djokovic's 2nd title in as many weeks, giving the world number 3 Serb his tour leading 6th title of 2009. “Winning back to back titles at this level is a huge achievement for me, and adding to that, beating the World No.1 and No. 2,” said Novak, following his win, which improved his record over Monfils to 4-0. Djokovic, who will go into the Tour Championships next week with 76 wins on the season, lost just 3 points on his serve in the opening set, but suffered a drop in play in the 2nd, commiting 21 unforced errors. Monfils double-faulted on Djokovic's first match point.

Djokovic Crushes Rafa; To Meet Monfils in Paris Final

Continuing his impressive late season play, Novak Djokovic dominated Rafael Nadal in the semifinals at the Paris Masters in Bercy. The world number 3 Serb took out Nadal 6-3, 6-2 in just an hour and 16 minutes, hitting 31 winners and holding serve without facing a break point the entire match. “I felt so good on the court that all the shots I hit transformed into winners,” Djokovic said following his 2nd consecutive victory over the Spaniard. “It was perfect, exactly the way I wanted.” In Djokovic's 10th final of 2009, he will face Gael Monfils, the 15th seed, who took out Radek Stepanek 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 to advance before his home crowd. Following the 2 hour 42 minute encounter, Monfils told the press, "I know tomorrow I'll give my life on the court. I've been playing more than two hours today and the day before. It's no longer a physical issue. It's mental now. I want to win. I'm not listening to my body anymore. I'll give it all." Should the Frenchman win the title tomorrow, he would fly to london as the 2nd alternate after Robin Soderling for the year-end championships.