Translation of Jorge Viale’s Explanation for DelPo’s Withdrawal

The 2013 Roland Garros has taken place and I will update later with a short summary of interesting match-ups.  DelPo is not playing this year, due to complications from virus.

Meanwhile, DelPo’s media manager Jorge Viale (who founded the Fue Buena tennis site), posted a long comment on the Fue Buena site, in response to other commenters who were discussing DelPo’s rocky season.  The original text of Viale’s comments in Spanish can be found at the Fue Buena site (Viale’s comment is #18 in the comments section).

English translation of Viale’s statement below:

“Hey, I make a return to these parts again.

I appreciate the jokes made on Twitter and the general commentary, which combines humor and serious analysis, which is a nice feature of [the comments section of Fue Buena].  To those who’ve messaged me and to those who worry about DelPo, I want to reply that logically, DelPo is not having the year he hoped for in terms of wins and results.  It’s necessary to have patience.

Generally, we’re prone to exaggeration when speaking of victories and defeats, even when we joke.  When DelPo reached the final at Indian Wells, a colleague told me, “DelPo is going to be no. 1.”  This colleague has spent many years covering tennis, but he was perhaps jumping the gun a bit, no?

Right now, DelPo has to deal with the virus and the complications from it, including bronchospasms.  He was coughing heavily when he was sick.  He lost weight and was physically weakened.  While he was not confined to strict bed rest for 15 days, he had to take a break from training (which is different from “total rest”).  This means he wasn’t able to train and his activity was confined to hanging out and playing a few rounds of golf at a golf course, attending a Boca match and meeting with the magician Rene Lavand (http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.503450246375138.1073741827.245291448857687&type=1).

Even so, I had to read tweets from people I know, who said: “Hm, he doesn’t play tournaments and claims to be resting, yet he attends a soccer match for Boca?”  Fair enough, master, the next time we will surround DelPo’s house with a guarded fence, not allow him to leave the grounds or entertain any visitors, and we will install a camera in the building in order to ensure he’s under “house arrest.”

This happens all the time: We not only judge the athletes for their accomplishments on the court, but also for what they do or fail to do outside the court, even when the latter has no influence on their athletic performance.  In the past few months, however, I’ve learned that it is impossible to prepare for a tournament in two days, because athletes need a training block of weeks in order to be ready — otherwise, their performance suffers.

It’s not that DelPo was so sick that he was unable to get out of bed, nor did he decide beforehand not to play Roland Garros.  Rather, he has a team of professionals who are guiding him and they decided that his current physical condition was not strong enough for a Grand Slam featuring best-of-5 sets and long points.  In Miami, DelPo had a family problem and we saw how that affected his performance.  Andy Murray made the same decision when he withdrew from Roland Garros: Murray could have played, but he was not at 100% and, in his case, he wants to be in the best possible shape to play his home Slam at Wimbledon.

It’s logical that DelPo is not in a great mood right now because he cannot do what he wants, he is not yet any closer to reaching his projected goals (fighting for the top ranking spots) and he cannot play Paris.  However, this point should be emphasized: DelPo has faced several setbacks in his career and he has overcome them each time.  The virus is his latest setback.  In 2013 alone, DelPo has faced problems with his left wrist, a family problem while he played Miami, and now this virus during the clay season.

Yes, this is a long list of problems, which are also aggravated by the long travel hours: DelPo has to take minimum 10-hour flights in order to play any tournament, which is an inconvenience that no other player in the top 10 faces.  Consider this: Of the top 30 players, DelPo and Juan Monaco are the only players that live outside Europe or the United States.  Their long-distance travel requirements mean they have to adjust to drastic climate changes, except during the spring and fall (the southern hemisphere has opposite seasons).  Should DelPo set up a base in Europe?  This is not an easy decision, as it would mean having to spend a lot of time outside Buenos Aires and his hometown Tandil.  This is a problem that troubles most South American tennis players, who have to travel so far away from home.

Well, I’ve just written more on this site than I’ve written in the past few months.  I will not follow up with any replies, as  you know (so please do not ask me questions on this site, but please comment as you please, debate and make jokes).  Thank you for your comments, which are an integral part of the Fue Buena community.”

This seems like a fair explanation of DelPo’s decision to withdraw from Roland Garros.  We’ve seen players like Djokovic and Rafa engage in other activities, even when they were injured (Djokovic with his charity soccer matches and Rafa with his golf, etc).  While the notion of injury implies “bed rest” for many fans, that’s probably too black/white of an assumption.

One interesting point that Viale raised in his comments is his rhetorical question (at least, I take it to be a rhetorical question) of whether DelPo should relocate to Europe.  Has the idea crossed DelPo’s mind?

Roland Garros: DelPo Withdraws Due to Complications from Virus

DelPo announced his withdrawal from 2013 Roland Garros.  The virus that had led him to withdraw from the Portugal Open and Madrid Masters has also forced his withdrawal from Roland Garros, the second Slam of the year.  DelPo made his comments to the press about his withdrawal (source):

I’m sad to miss such an important tournament.  This is a tough blow b/c RG is one of the tournaments you always dream of winning.

Now I have to overcome this, recover fully and prepare to return to my 100% level in the next tournaments.

Although DelPo reportedly returned to training on Tuesday, his team judged his preparation insufficient for Roland Garros.  Given how DelPo’s been afflicted by this virus for nearly a month, it’s understandable why his team would be cautious as to the timing of his return.  DelPo seemed to have rushed his return to Rome earlier this month.

Reliable media sources cite DelPo’s inability to sufficiently train for Roland Garros (due to the long-term effects of the virus) as his reason for withdrawal from Roland Garros.  Given how he’s returned to training this week, the hope is that he can recuperate his form in time for the grass season.  No other additional news has been reported so far on the original virus that has been troubling DelPo.  At this point, it’s still unknown whether the virus is simply a harsh strain of a particular virus or whether it’s actually a case of mono.

Speaking of mono, it’s important to know that players like Robin Soderling and Heather Watson, both of whom suffered from mono, have said that the worst thing to do is to rush a return to tour.  Mono, like many other viruses, requires good old-fashioned rest and recuperation in order to fully recover.  Whatever illness DelPo is suffering from right now, the priority is that he has enough time to recover for the long-term.  Soderling has said before that he regretted his decision to play Wimbledon in 2011, as he’d been suffering from mono for a long time at that point (although he hadn’t yet known it was mono).

Given that information, it can be seen as a relief that DelPo decided beforehand not to rush his return to the tour.  While the fact that he will skip a Grand Slam this year is certainly disconcerting, it seems like the correct level-headed decision for his long-term health.

No. 2-ranked Murray has already announced his withdrawal from Roland Garros this year, due to a back injury.  No. 7-ranked DelPo has followed him out the door.  This is a shame, given DelPo’s consistent performance on clay during his career.  Given DelPo’s steady performance until IW this year, he might have been the best legitimate “dark horse” contender to shake up the Roland Garros draw.  Alas, the virus has virtually wiped out all of his clay season this year.

DelPo and Muzz’s withdrawals mean that no. 9-ranked Gasquet and no. 10-ranked Tipsarevic are now top 8 seeds at Roland Garros.  Tipsarevic just lost his opening round match to no. 101-ranked Guido Pella at Dusseldorf (the Serbian is also ranked a lowly no. 29 in the Race to London, far below the rest of the top 10).

Last year in 2012, DelPo won the Portugal Open, reached the SF at Madrid, R3 at Rome and the QF at Roland Garros (for a total of 1060 ranking points on clay — he went 16-5 on clay in five tournaments, including DC).  This year, DelPo lost in R3 at Monte Carlo, skipped the Portugal Open and the Madrid Masters and then lost in R3 at Rome (for a total of 180 ranking points on clay — he went 2-2 on clay in two tournaments).  It’s safe to say that the difference in his clay season can be attributed to the effects of the virus that struck him after Monte Carlo.

I will update as I hear more news from his camp regarding the status of his health and his recovery.

Bottom-line: DelPo will lose the 360 QF points he was defending from last year at Roland Garros.  No. 8-ranked Tsonga has a slight chance of overtaking DelPo for the no. 7 position if the Frenchman reaches the SF at RG.

DelPo is currently no. 8 in the 2013 Race to London (he is ahead of Tsonga by 5 points).  After Roland Garros, he will fall out of the top 8 in the Race to London.

Update (05.23.2013): DelPo sent a Facebook message to his supporters, where he thanked everyone for their support and promised to do his best to return to his best level.

A short timeline of DelPo’s virus: He had respiratory and digestive problems shortly after losing in Monte Carlo (on April 26).  He made the decision not to defend his Portugal Open title.  DelPo seemed to be on the mend, but he then experienced a relapse that involved bronchospasms (more respiratory trouble).  This caused him to withdraw from the Madrid Masters (on May 3).  Although he played in Rome, he lost early and returned home to consult a cardiologist, who would work with him on his recovery.  Both the doctor and his team made the decision that his preparation and physical condition were insufficient for the demands of playing a Slam.

Epilogue to DelPo’s Early Exit at Rome

Following DelPo’s surprise defeat to Benoit Paire in R3, he flew straight home to Argentina.

Per his media manager, Jorge Viale, DelPo returned home at the request of his doctor.  Viale gave a short update of DelPo (source):

Juan Martin del Potro suffered a viral infection that was followed by bronchospasms, which had prevented him from fully training in the two weeks after the Monte Carlo Masters.

He should have continued to rest [instead of playing Rome], but his efforts to rush his return led to a setback in his physical and respiratory recovery.  His medical team, led by Dr. Roberto Peidro, advised him to return to Argentina in order to resume an intensive physical recovery plan that would help him return back to the tour as soon as possible.

DelPo is confirmed to have flown straight back to Argentina after his R3 loss to Paire in Rome.  There is no official news yet as to whether or not he will play Roland Garros this year.

The news of DelPo’s virus first broke out nearly a month ago, following his early loss to Nieminen at Monte Carlo.  Given the prominence of mononucleosis on the ATP tour, it’s tough not to think that DelPo may have been stricken by a particularly vicious virus.  Fortunately, at this time, there is no news to indicate that DelPo is suffering from mono.

Nevertheless, the virus has set him back a month’s worth of progress on the tour.

The fact that DelPo has flown back home to Argentina from Rome (a nearly 14 hour flight) means that his chances of flying back in time for Roland Garros this year (which would require a similar 14+ hour journey) are very slim.  Part of me is curious is why he couldn’t find a competent doctor in Europe to help him through his recovery, so that he could recoup in time for Roland Garros.  I suppose the fact that he flew back home is an indication of how serious this virus has now become.

At this point, it seems the best play is to simply hope for DelPo’s full recovery from this illness.  Perhaps, like Murray, DelPo would do better to set his sights on grass and forgo any hopes of pulling off major performances on clay in 2013.

Rome: DelPo Continues His Patchy Form on Clay

Paire defeated DelPo, 6-4 7-6(3).

Source: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images Europe

On the bright side, it can’t get much worse than this.  DelPo’s poor footwork and his lack of aggression were the primary factors behind his third consecutive early exit from a Masters (Miami, Monte Carlo, Rome).

While Paire was playing well and using his variety to trouble DelPo, DelPo was also playing below his expected level.  This has been a troublesome pattern for him so far on clay.  He played two incredibly patchy matches at Monte Carlo, but he seemed to have found decent form in his R2 win over Kuznetsov at Rome.

In his R3 against Paire though, DelPo didn’t have a set strategy or gameplan to deal with Paire.  Paire is famous for the strength of his BHs and he is widely known to run around his FH to hit his BH.  DelPo’s decision to engage in consecutive BH rallies with Paire is a mystery.  DelPo wasn’t hitting his BH particularly well in the match either, so that gave Paire a distinct advantage.  DelPo also stood way behind the baseline for Paire’s 2nd serves.

Additionally, DelPo did not play aggressively and he seemed content to push the ball across the net, waiting for Paire to make the error.  While Paire is known to be a player who is well capable of imploding on his own, this is also a negative strategy, especially for a player like DelPo, who is trying to find his form on clay.

DelPo had a mini-break in the TB, but he played the next two points on his serve badly.  Paire would go on to win the 2nd set TB and the match. This marks Paire’s first win over a top 10 player.  Paire’s fans were justifiably ecstatic about the result, as was Paire’s good friend Wawrinka.

Paire continued his good form to demolish Granollers, 6-1 6-0.  He has now reached his 1st Masters SF.

DelPo will now head to Roland Garros, having played only four matches on clay.  His form at the moment is very questionable.  It seems the virus that forced him to skip Portugal and Madrid has exacted quite a toll on his fitness — he looked noticeably thinner this week after the 2-3 weeks he was out with the virus.

During his loss to Paire, he did not look like a player who would be able to win his next match against whoever stood across the net from him.

In his post-match interview, he said “I hope to be better at Roland Garros, but it’s tough to play after 15 days of bed rest, it throws you off.”

Some commentators are wondering if DelPo will make a last-minute decision to play Nice, in order to gain more match-play on the dirt.  Time will tell what DelPo’s next steps are.  He has QF points to defend at Roland Garros and he will need to improve his game by a big margin if he wants to defend those points.

Photos: DelPo Meets the Pope in Rome

Yesterday, DelPo met the Pope in Rome.  He showed up wearing a crisp white shirt and black suit pants (he saves this outfit for his meetings with magicians, the Pope and other important people).

DelPo had gifted Pope Francis a Wilson tennis racquet.  Per DelPo’s media manager, the racquet DelPo gave to the Pope is the one he used to win championship point at the USO in 2009.  It was a very meaningful gift:

Del Potro met Pope Francis today and gave him a @WilsonTennis racquet #atp #dailydelpo twitpic.com/cqrlf6

—
The Slice (@TheSliceTweets) May 15, 2013

Although DelPo is playing with a limited number of racquets that Wilson no longer makes, DelPo has not played with the specific racquet he used to win the 2009 USO for quite some time.

Many other ATP players went to Saint Peter’s Square for the Pope’s weekly general audience, including Carlos Berlocq, Horacio Zeballos, Marin Cilic and Kevin Anderson.

Behind the Pope's chair following a Papal Audience with 80,000+ people in St.Peter's square. Crazy experience http://t.co/ZV55SmNpGk

—
Kevin Anderson (@kevinanderson18) May 15, 2013

Per Guille Caporaletti, DelPo was the only ATP player among the group who had the chance to speak to the Pope this year.

A delighted DelPo shared his thoughts about his short meeting with the Pope at the weekly general audience (source):

Since the day Pope Francis was elected, I’ve wanted to meet him.  Thanks to efforts in Buenos Aires and the ATP’s assistance, I was able to have a meeting.  It was a nice coincidence that I did not have to play a singles match on this day.

It was a very beautiful moment when the Pope was speaking to the entire audience from the balcony. He turned to my side, looked at me, and raised his thumb at me.  He recognized me and that was surprising.  We had a few seconds of conversation.  He said that he knew I was playing the Rome Masters.  He blessed me and wished me all the best.  I congratulated him and thanked him for the opportunity to meet him.

Following his meeting with the Pope, DelPo promptly headed to the Foro Italico to play his doubles match:

DelPo arrival today http://t.co/DnIcjAhoX6

—
Mags (@RAFAddicted) May 15, 2013

DelPo closer. He signed many autograghs http://t.co/blv1r0pc85

—
Mags (@RAFAddicted) May 15, 2013

The Italian team, Starace and Lorenzi defeated DelPo and Baghdatis, 6-3 2-6 10-8.  This loss can probably be blamed on Baghdatis.

DelPo will play his R3 match against Benoit Paire today.  They are second on court at the Supertennis Area.  Time will tell if the Pope’s good wishes help DelPo in Rome.

All in all, it was an eventful day in Rome, with DelPo’s meeting with the Pope and Jerzy Janowicz’s epic shirt-rip following his upset win over Tsonga in R2:

***

I’d noted in an earlier post that Fed met Pope Benedict XVI in May 2006:

It turns out there is another ATP player who has also had the honor of meeting the Pope — former French player (and now DC captain) Arnaud Clement has had the honors as well:

Sorry Delpo, Clement did it better. http://t.co/VH5VLlwLrt

—
Lindsay Gibbs (@linzsports) May 15, 2013

Rome: DelPo Plays a Solid Opening Match in Rome & Meets the Pope!

After nearly a month away from the clay court, DelPo returned to play his R2 opener against Russia’s Andrey Kuznetsov yesterday.  He looked much thinner than before (as he’d lost quite a bit of weight due to the virus):

Source: Clive Mason/Getty Images Europe

Still, he made quick work of the  Russian qualifier and defeated him, 6-3 6-2 in an hour and 11 minutes.

Against a first-time opponent, DelPo was able to shake off the rust and win the match in straight sets.  However, he had some issues with landing his first serves and was caught off-balance by Kuznetsov’s returns.  That, in addition, to DelPo’s dodgy footwork, made it difficult for him to play his attacking game with his heavy-hitting shots.  In quite a few instances, he was left “stuck in the mud” when Kuznetsov found the angles on the open court.  Perhaps the fact that Kuznetsov had won 3 matches in qualifying gave him the early edge.

Kuznetsov plays an attractive game and his DTL shots, along with his feel from the baseline, often caught DelPo off-guard.  In the first few games, it seemed like Kuznetsov could gain momentum and run away with the match.  He was reaching BP on DelPo’s serve, while defending his own serve very well.

Thankfully, DelPo raised his level in time.  He’s been working to improve his serves on clay and the serve was a key part of why he was able to change the dynamics of the match.  He also found confidence on his FHs, while he flattened out his BHs.  He broke Kuznetsov at 30 with an impressive CC FH to go up 3*-1 in the 1st set.  While Kuznetsov battled on impressively, DelPo was able to maintain his command and he served out the first set to love, 6-3.

As the crowd at Pietrangeli petered out of the stadium to watch Federer’s impressive blow-out over Starace on Court Centrale, DelPo took full command of the match in the 2nd set.  He persisted in attempting to hit dropshots, a tactic that eventually bore fruit when he broke Kuznetov to go up a break 2*-1 in the 2nd set.

It’s a full credit to Rome that Pietrangeli still remained at 80% capacity at the end of the DelPo-Kuznetsov match.  This is a welcome contrast from the empty stands that characterized much of Madrid’s early round matches.

DelPo played much better in the 2nd set and he played a particularly impressive point where he lunged from side to side to eventually hit a passing shot winner in the 2nd set.  His movement was far better than it was at Monte Carlo and his win over Kuznetsov in Rome was similarly far higher in quality than his R2 win over Dolgopolov at Monte Carlo.

Whether DelPo can channel his best tennis and uphold this form against R3 opponent Benoit Paire is a different question, as the no. 36-ranked Frenchman can be a tricky customer.

In other news, Murray faced back problems and he unexpectedly retired from his R2 match against Granollers, after climbing back from a double-break disadvantage and winning the 2nd set TB.  DelPo is in Muzz’s quarter — Muzz’s quarter is now devoid of both Muzz and Almagro, who had looked to be a potential R3 contender to DelPo.  DelPo’s route to the SF is now Paire –> Chardy/Granollers.

This serves as further proof of my theory that any draw that has DelPo, Muzz and Chardy in the same quarter of the draw is bound to face heavy volatility.  This was the case at the AO this year, when Chardy beat DelPo in R3.  Fast forward to Rome, where Muzz loses to Granollers in R2.

If DelPo beats Paire and Chardy (who beat Nishikori in R2) beats Granollers, we could be on course for a rematch in the QF.  On the other hand, DelPo has lost to both Chardy and Granollers in recent years (lost to Chardy in R3 at ’13 AO and lost to Granollers in the SF at ’11 Valencia).

In any case, DelPo’s first career match-up against Paire is the first priority here.

***

In Other News:

• Federer recently had a haircut in Rome, that left him bereft of his glossy chestnut curls.  This is the first bad haircut that Fed (the generator of numerous #hairporn hashtags on Twitter) has had in four years.  Fans bemoaned the loss of Fed’s curls.  Eventually, an enterprising fan made a comparison between DelPo’s bad haircut right before Monte Carlo and Fed’s bad haircut in Rome.  See for yourself!

lol RT @pikaaachoo: @Janie5Jones FedPotro matching hair :D --> http://t.co/iDyYwe6BlW (via @pablofisher)

—
  (@DelpoFriendClub) May 14, 2013

My theory is that DelPo and Fed decided they should take an early haircut, in order to let their locks grow out in time for a glorious showing at Roland Garros.

• Surprise Madrid finalist (and Portugal Open winner) Stanislas Wawrinka gutted his way to a R1 victory over Carlos Berlocq.  However, Stan appeared to be suffering all throughout the match, as he required numerous trainer visits to massage his thigh.  Although he won his R1 match, he withdrew from Rome and gave his R2 opponent, Dolgopolov, a walkover to R3.

• Andy Murray was in the same quarter of the draw as DelPo.  Muzz faced Granollers in R2 — he lost the 1st set and was down a double break in the 2nd set.  However, Muzz recovered those breaks to eventually win the 2nd set TB.  Then, Muzz retired from the match, citing a back injury.  Now, it appears the back injury may be serious.  In his post-match presser, Muzz said his participation at Roland Garros is “unlikely.”

• DelPo finally had his long-awaited meeting with the new Pope!  He shared his thoughts via Twitter about meeting the newly elected Argentinean Pope ["Today, I had the chance to meet and talk to Pope Francis at the Vatican.  It was a greatly special moment for me, I will never forget it."]  Here is a photo of DelPo attending the weekly general audience at Saint Peter’s Square in Rome:

Finally, here is a photo of DelPo meeting with Pope Francis at the weekly general audience in Saint Peter’s Square at the Vatican!

This is a lovely moment for DelPo, who will surely cherish his chance at having met the Argentinean Pope.  DelPo had spoken earlier at Indian Wells about the pride he felt that an Argentinean had been elected as the new Pope.

DelPo had the chance to gift the newly elected Pope a new Wilson racquet as well!

Del Potro met Pope Francis today and gave him a @WilsonTennis racquet #atp #dailydelpo twitpic.com/cqrlf6

—
The Slice (@TheSliceTweets) May 15, 2013

Personally, I love that DelPo has inadvertently created one of the best ads for Wilson racquets… #poweredbythePope  It’s notable that the racquet DelPo gave to the Pope looks noticeably worn.  DelPo has famously stuck to the now-obsolete model of Wilson racquets that he used to win the USO in 2009.  He reportedly only has 2-3 of those racquets left, and he has stuck to using those racquets ever since 2009.

At some point, DelPo will have to transition to the newer line of Wilson racquets.  Perhaps this meeting with the Pope (and the handing off of one of his old racquets) will inspire him to tackle on that challenge!

Rome: A Change of Surroundings

The Rome Masters takes place at the Foro Italico, a slightly more inviting and lush environment than the sterile and boxy surroundings at Madrid.

The Rome draw ceremony took place with Fognini, Seppi, Vinci, Pannetta and  Jelena Jankovic in attendance:

Photo: Getty

Fognini and Seppi are drawn to play each other in R1.  There was a loud commotion at the draw ceremony when this match-up was announced, followed by a “Mama Mia!”

After an unexpected absence, DelPo will make his debut at Rome as the 7th seed.  He arrived in Rome yesterday and practiced on central court at the Foro Italico:  

His projected route to the final: R1 BYE – R2 Malisse/Qualifier – R3 Almagro/Monaco – QF Nishikori/Murray – SF Tsonga/Federer – F Djokovic/Nadal

DelPo is defending R3 points from 2012, where he lost to Tsonga in straight sets.  Tsonga’s win over DelPo in Rome marked his sole victory over a top 10 player that year (Tsonga went 1-12 against top 10 players in 2012).  On a similar note, Murray is a career 1-13 against top 8 players on clay; his sole win was versus DelPo at Rome in 2008 (via retirement, due to a back injury from DelPo).

Unlike 2008 and 2012, however, DelPo arrives in Rome this year in healthy condition.  Last year, DelPo’s knee had bothered him in his opening round win over Llodra and he played with heavy taping on the knee.  DelPo should be much more well-rested this year, as his virus had forced him out of playing the Portugal Open and Madrid.  However, he will need to shake off the rust quickly.

Rome is DelPo’s first tournament after his surprise loss to Nieminen in Monte Carlo.  If he makes it past his R2 opponent, he will face a tough test against either Pico or Nico.  DelPo has never played Nico in a tour-level match and he will need to be at his best in order to avoid an early upset.  His H2H against Pico is 1-1, with Pico winning their sole encounter on clay in 2006.  The hope is that he can make a strong showing and surpass his greatest result at Rome (which was a QF in 2011, where he lost in straight sets to Djokovic).

In order to fast-track his clay season prep, DelPo will be playing doubles with Baghdatis (Baghdatis also recently announced he will be working with Zelko Krajan as his coach).  Team Bagh-DelPo face a tough draw.  The last time DelPo played doubles with Baghdatis was at Stockholm in 2011, where they reached the SF.  They make for a cheerful pair, but they will not be crowd favorites in their opening round against the Italians, Starace-Lorenzi.  They are slated to face the Bryan Bros in R2 (the Bryan Bros are currently still in Madrid, where they reached the final).

DelPo Confirmed for Rome

In exciting news, DelPo’s camp has confirmed that DelPo will play Rome.  This is a long-awaited return, after the virus scare that forced him to withdraw from Portugal and Madrid.  In a radio interview, DelPo confirmed he had been able to train after several days of bed rest.  

This past week, DelPo met Rene Lavand, a famous magician from Tandil who has appeared on Ed Sullivan and Johnny Carson’s television shows.  Interesting fact: Lavand lost his right hand in a car crash when he was a child.  As a result, he has performed all his magic with one hand.  

Perhaps Lavand was the inspiration for DelPo, who pretty much reached the Indian Wells final this year with only his right hand.  Furthermore, Lavand’s catchphrase when he closes his magic tricks is “No se puede hacer más lento” (“It can’t be done any slower”).  That catchphrase brings to mind the general eternity it takes for DelPo to prepare for his serve  I wonder if the Magician’s Alliance also has a time violation rule for magicians (25 seconds to pull the bunny out of the hat?  But what if the bunny’s not ready?!)

Thanks to Mr. Rene Lavand’s powers of illusion (tricks are for kids), DelPo has made a recovery from his virus.  He looks chipper in this photo.  Here’s hoping Rene Lavand continues to perform his magic when DelPo needs him:

DelPo was also seen playing playing golf at the Golf Club Argentino.  After the golfing photo was released, many in the Twitterverse questioned whether or not DelPo had truly been ill.  DelPo’s media manager acted quickly to defend DelPo’s honor.  Perhaps as a way to refute the rumors, DelPo quickly released a Twitter update of himself in training:

He said he was working to improve his serve.  DelPo’s serves were very weak when he lost to Kamke and Nieminen.  In each of his surprise losses this year, his serve stats had been noticeably weak.  Let’s hope he has figured out this critical part of his game.

It may be the camera angle, but he looks a lot thinner than normal too.

DelPo then had a double training session with Argentinean players Marco Trungelliti and Facuendo Arguello (Arguello has also been sparring partner for the DC team), before he flew out to Rome.  I wonder if Trungelliti and Arguello played 2-on-1 against DelPo (Fed famously uses 2-on-1 sessions to get into shape during the off season):

It’s reported that DelPo may also play doubles at Rome, as a way to fast track his clay-court preparation before Roland Garros.  DelPo has played doubles with Fognini in the past.  A partnership with the Fog in Rome would be an instantaneous way to gain crowd support.

Also, the ATP is working to arrange a meeting between the Argentinean players and the recently elected Pope (who hails from Argentina).  Fans  may remember that many attributed DelPo’s great run to the IW final to the power of the newly-elected Pope.  Nothing short of a photo between DelPo and Pope Francisco will satisfy those who demand that a connection be made between DelPo’s success in March and the Argentine Pope’s election.  Habemus photo, please?

Out of curiosity, I checked to see if other active tennis players have ever had the honor of meeting a Pope.  Fed can claim first honors here.  Here he is with Mirka in May 2006, being greeted by Pope Benedict XVI at the weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican:

Leave it to Fed to turn out perfectly dressed and coiffed up for a meeting with the Pope.

Remember when Novak showed up to shake hands with Queen Elizabeth at 2010 Wimbledon wearing a commoner’s track suit?  All the other players were dressed in their finest to meet the Queen (Fed came dressed in a dapper suit).

Yet Novak showed up in a track suit and lost in the SF to Berdych that year.  There’s a lesson in all of this: “Dress for success.”  That motto may not have served Fed particularly well at Wimbledon in 2010, but he proved himself at SW19 in 2012, when he fought his way to an emphatic victory that decorates an already fully illustrious career.

In conclusion, all I ask is that DelPo not look embarrassing when he shows up to his potential meeting with the Pope.  Properly ironed khakis and a decent sweater will do.  A tie would be nice.  A suit would be even better.

DelPo Makes an Appearance & Other News from Around the World

• DelPo withdrew from the Madrid Masters to recover from a serious flu/virus.  He seems to be in better spirits, as he made an appearance at La Bombonera, for the football match between Boca Juniors and River Plate.  These two teams have a fierce rivalry (Nalbandian is a River Plate fan).  DelPo cheered for his beloved Boca Juniors.  He took photos with fans and gave a short TV interview.  For now, this seems like a positive sign that his recovery is under way.  He is said to be training in preparation for the Rome Masters: 

• The Portugal Open final between Stanislas Wawrinka and David Ferrer ended with a surprise victor: Wawrinka pulled a pretty big upset to defeat Ferru in straight sets.  In 2012, Wawrinka had lost in the Portugal Open SF to DelPo (in a very well-contested match).  This year, Wawrinka was in amazing form during the final and he ended up as the well-deserved champion.  He also broke his title draught by defeating the world no. 4, which added to the positive feelings.  He’s now joined the ultra-exclusive “Portugal Open winners” club, known to many as the 5th Slam club.

Yesssss yessss yessss!!!! Really happy with the title!!!!!!!! @PortugalOpen ! 🏆 http://t.co/vD31siEy02

—
Stanislas Wawrinka (@stanwawrinka) May 05, 2013

 

Stan seems a worthy successor to DelPo.  Stan is also the second Swiss player to win the Portugal Open (a fact that he was repeatedly reminded of during his post-match interview), after Federer in 2008.  

• In much more unfortunate news, John Tomic (Bernard Tomic’s father and coach) was reportedly arrested in Madrid, after he assaulted his son’s hitting partner, French player Thomas Drouet.  It appears Drouet and John Tomic had an altercation, after John Tomic tried to hit Bernard during a practice session in Monte Carlo.  Drouet had stepped in to protect Bernard from his father.  The fight continued until the team reached their hotel in Madrid — Drouet was reportedly found with a broken nose and fractured vertebrae outside a hotel in Madrid, a scene that Dolgopolov and Tipsarevic witnessed.  This is very troubling news from Tomic’s camp.  John Tomic has a history of troubled relations with his son — it was only a year ago that Bernard asked for his father to be ejected from the stadium during a match.  At this year’s Australian Open, Federer had been asked about Tomic and Raonic’s future prospects (after he beat both youngsters).  Fed’s observation rings especially true at this moment:

What I like about Milos, let’s just say, he seems very committed and he seems like he has his team set up, travels every week with the same kind of guys … The rest is sort of taken care of, which is the good thing, the business side, all the PR … he seems like he’s in a good place where he can just really focus on tennis. 

Whereas I think Tomic still needs some time to figure out his team, figure out all the other things that are happening. 

Tennis has a history of fathers who become too involved in their son/daughter’s career — there are plenty of cases of abusive father/coaches as well.  Bernard Tomic does not have the functional and stable team support that is key to a player’s tennis career.  Whether he can extricate himself from his father’s grasp will be a key to both his success and safety.  Let’s hope he can find more constructive mentors outside of his family.

Madrid: DelPo Withdraws from Madrid, Ahead of the Draw Ceremony

In hindsight, the writing was on the wall.  Due to DelPo’s slow recovery from the flu/virus that had caused him to withdraw from his title defense campaign at the Portugal Open, DelPo also withdrew from the upcoming Mutua Madrid Open.

As of Thursday, DelPo had still been undecided about whether or not to fly out to Madrid.  Due to his slow recovery from the viral illness he’d been diagnosed with on April 22, he was unable to train in a meaningful capacity this past week.

As a semifinalist last year, DelPo was defending 360 points at Madrid.

I will update the post as more news is issued from his camp.

Update (05.03.2013): Bronchospasms caused by original virus are reported as the cause of DelPo’s withdrawal from Madrid.  A quick search reveals that bronchospasms are common in people with asthma.  However, bronchospasms can also be triggered by viral illnesses like influenza or the rhinovirus (common cold) in people with no prior history of asthma.

The goal is for him to recover fully in time for the Rome Masters.  The text of the official communication from DelPo’s team implies that his participation in Rome is still up for question.  Let’s hope he recovers fully.