By Deborah Curtis-Setchell
The ATP Rome Masters has deviated dramatically from draw predictions in delivering both gladiatorial feats — at the hands of motivated young underdogs — Rafa Jodar, Martin Landaluce and Luciano Darderi — and monumental disasters by ambivalent top dogs Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev, but with the exception of world No 1, Jannik Sinner.
This startling turn of events has conspired to make Sinner’s inexorable march to the title a doddle. The man who heads the current record for the most consecutive wins at Masters 1000s (31), Novak Djokovic — who it was thought would also feature in the final equation in Rome, having beaten Sinner in the recent Australian Open semis — offered no resistance.
Instead, his longstanding record was shattered after losing his opening match to qualifier Dino Prizmić. While taking nothing away from Sinner’s silky success, at the same age in 2011, Djokovic’s surge of record-holding victories entailed beating players of equal magnitude, namely Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray. Whereas Sinner is tamely taking down teenage debutantes, lucky losers and qualifiers in the absence of archrival Carlos Alcaraz.
That begs the question: why is Djokovic unnecessarily humiliating himself after such miraculous success at the Australian Open? Why did Murray and Nadal also cling on to their respective careers instead of bowing out at the pinnacle?
According to Kazakh player Alexander Bublik, “It’s a disgrace ... to continue with this circus ... We in the locker room had our mouths dropping in awe for what these guys were achieving in their time, and suddenly you look up and see them, old, bald and injured, getting hammered in round 1. It’s ridiculous.”
This was an observation of Bublik’s before he was catapulted from No 33 to No 10 in the rankings. Admittedly, Bublik was taken out in three sets by American teen Learner Tien in round three in Rome, as was Jacob Mensik by Hamad Medjedovic and, more shockingly, Zverev by Darderi.
Total collapse
These are bad lapses by top seeds but not a total collapse, as in the case of Djokovic to Dino Prizmic, whom the Serb has beaten before and who was thereafter unceremoniously felled by Russian Karen Khachanov, 6-1, 7-6 (7/2).
Spain’s Jodar has reached his second consecutive Masters 1000 quarterfinal (the youngest in two decades in Rome) and will be the highest-ranked teenager at No 29.
Italian 18th seed Darderi served like a Trojan to save four match points against world No 3 Zverev and progress to the quarters. Yet it was sheer determination versus unadulterated capitulation that might give the Italian a crack at his compatriot and idol, Sinner.
And Djokovic’s protégée, 20-year-old Medjedovic, toppled higher-ranked Joao Fonseca and Mariano Navone en route to his first Masters 1000 round four.
Time to go, Novak?
Would that Djokovic now leave it to the Serbian “Billy the Kid” and walk away from any chance of further humiliation at Roland Garros.
That said, Casper Ruud and former Rome champion Daniil Medvedev were still standing comfortably in the quarters. Medvedev’s new coach, former Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson, deserves credit for coaxing the Russian out of his comfort zone on the baseline and getting him into the net more frequently.
Unorthodox volleying, it seems, is better than no volleying at all. Ruud was the first man into the semis, easily defeating Russian Karen Khachanov 6-1 1-6 6-2 and appears to be the only player left in the draw capable of taking a set off the indomitable Sinner.
In terms of the final showdown, it will be difficult to beat the drama and intensity of the three-hour gladiatorial last eight clash between lightweights Jodar and Darderi, already dubbed the match of the tournament.
The raw determination and composure demonstrated by the pair was something to behold.
There was a football final simultaneously unfurling in the nearby Olympic Stadium, and thick smoke from fireworks at that event affected hawkeye on thecentre court, resulting in an unprecedented “fog delay”.
In spite of the distraction, Darderi advanced to his first Masters 1000 semi 7-6(5) 5-7 6-0 in a three-hour epic that stretched into the early hours of Thursday.
This was a storyline straight out of the Colosseum, and if five-time Rome champion Djokovic was watching from his divan, he must realise the time has come to surrender his sword.
Reuters
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