ARTICLE By MaliVai Washington
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It's interesting to look back at Ferrero in last year's Masters Cup. He led a break in the fifth set to Hewitt but lost. This year, with an opportunity to reach the No. 1 spot, he started out 0-2. I'm not saying there's a mental block when he gets to the Masters Cup, but it surprises me that after such a great year, he'd start out so poorly. Ferrero didn't show up in his first match and lost to David Nalbandian knowing he had to play Agassi and Federer in his next two matches. He showed up against Agassi, and Agassi just beat him. Next Ferrero plays Federer in what might be the match of the tournament.
Now that the No. 1 spot is determined, it's a race for No. 2 between Federer and Ferrero. Many people might think that Ferrero's final match in the round robin doesn't mean much because he has no shot of making the semifinal with a 0-2 record. From a player's standpoint, however, when the No. 2 or 3 spot is on the line, finishing No. 2 has a nice little ring to it.
A win by Ferrero would mean that even if Federer won the Masters Cup title, he would not pass Ferrero. However, Federer can finish No. 2 if he's able to win the Masters Cup and Ferrero loses their round-robin matchup.
People might not think there's a big difference between No. 2 and No. 3. I know from experience, as a player who was ranked No. 11 on several occasions but never finished top 10, that one spot makes a big difference. The best tennis players in the world have a burning desire to finish No. 1, and they'll take every little edge they can get over their opponents. They'll do anything to move up one more ranking spot -- especially when they're jockeying for position at the Masters Cup.
There's no doubt in my mind that Federer and Ferrero both want to finish No. 2 because neither one of them has ever finished that high. A player hates to end the year on a bad note. Ferrero would hate to finish a great year 0-3 in the Masters Cup. It would eat at Federer the entire offseason knowing that if he had beaten Ferrero, he would have finished No. 2.
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JC isn't out of TMC yet. His match against Federer could determine who will end the year #2. Also it would be nice for JC to finish TMC with a win no? So hope you all are there to support JC today ^^
[...]
It's interesting to look back at Ferrero in last year's Masters Cup. He led a break in the fifth set to Hewitt but lost. This year, with an opportunity to reach the No. 1 spot, he started out 0-2. I'm not saying there's a mental block when he gets to the Masters Cup, but it surprises me that after such a great year, he'd start out so poorly. Ferrero didn't show up in his first match and lost to David Nalbandian knowing he had to play Agassi and Federer in his next two matches. He showed up against Agassi, and Agassi just beat him. Next Ferrero plays Federer in what might be the match of the tournament.
Now that the No. 1 spot is determined, it's a race for No. 2 between Federer and Ferrero. Many people might think that Ferrero's final match in the round robin doesn't mean much because he has no shot of making the semifinal with a 0-2 record. From a player's standpoint, however, when the No. 2 or 3 spot is on the line, finishing No. 2 has a nice little ring to it.
A win by Ferrero would mean that even if Federer won the Masters Cup title, he would not pass Ferrero. However, Federer can finish No. 2 if he's able to win the Masters Cup and Ferrero loses their round-robin matchup.
People might not think there's a big difference between No. 2 and No. 3. I know from experience, as a player who was ranked No. 11 on several occasions but never finished top 10, that one spot makes a big difference. The best tennis players in the world have a burning desire to finish No. 1, and they'll take every little edge they can get over their opponents. They'll do anything to move up one more ranking spot -- especially when they're jockeying for position at the Masters Cup.
There's no doubt in my mind that Federer and Ferrero both want to finish No. 2 because neither one of them has ever finished that high. A player hates to end the year on a bad note. Ferrero would hate to finish a great year 0-3 in the Masters Cup. It would eat at Federer the entire offseason knowing that if he had beaten Ferrero, he would have finished No. 2.
-----
JC isn't out of TMC yet. His match against Federer could determine who will end the year #2. Also it would be nice for JC to finish TMC with a win no? So hope you all are there to support JC today ^^
