Novak Djokovic Shows why he is a Yokozuna

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It was Yokozuna (=Grand Champion) against Yokozuna, world #1 against world #2, defending champion against last year's finalist - and in the end Novak Djokovic - who had been promoted to Yokozuna only at Wimbledon this year - had the better end for himself. If there were any lingering doubts whether he is worthy of a Yokozuna title these were put to rest tonight once and for all.

After a somewhat disappointing start during which Rafael Nadal seemed tense and restrained, the match exploded in the third set, when Nadal, with his back to the wall, suddenly played at the highest level and produced incredible shots. He was met though by a Novak Djokovic who was not prepared to retreat an inch. Trading repeated breaks (with Djokovic serving for the match at 6-5) the set went into the tiebreaker that Nadal claimed.

In the fourth set both players looked like damaged goods. At first Djokovic seemed in worse shape than Nadal, grabbing his hip and receiving treatment on the court. But it was Nadal who failed to run down balls, overhit shorts, and made the errors - a far cry from the fellow who had showed up in the third. In the end Nadal lost 2-6, 4-6, 7-6, 1-6.

Little will happen to the sanyaku (=championship) ranks as a result of these U.S. Open, as the semifinals were completed by the third Yokozuna, Roger Federer, and Ozeki (=Champion) Andy Murray. Given the dominance of these four, there is little space for anyone else. Only Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at Sekiwake (=Junior Champion I) and ex-Ozeki Tomas Berdych at Komusubi (=Junior Champion II) have secured spots on the sanyaku banzuke going into the 2012 Australian Open. Compare this to no less than 12 sanyaku ranked ladies.

Men

Career rank 1/	East	Current Rank	West	Career rank 1/
High Sanyaku (Senior Champion Ranks)
Y	Novak Djokovic	Y1	Rafael Nadal	Y
Y	Roger Federer	Y2	-	-
O	Andy Murray	O	-	-
Lower Sanyaku (Junior Champion Ranks)
S	Jo-Wilfried Tsonga	S	-	-
O	Tomas Berdych	K	-	-

Samantha Stosur Takes New York

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How on earth did she do that?

Yes, we knew Samantha Stosur had Grand Slam champion potential, having reached the final at Roland Garros in 2010 and losing - as the favorite - to Francesca Schiavone. And we knew that with her muscular, top-spin based game she was a difficult match-up for Dai-Yokozuna (=great Grand Champion) Serena Williams. But beating this Serena Williams, who had come back from long-term injury with renewed intensity and force? Who had outclassed Stosur only a month ago in Toronto? Who had rushed through the tournament toying with her opponents almost at will? And beating her 6-2, 6-3?

But here she is: Sam Stosur, having crushed the arguably greatest female player of her generation, and winning her first grand slam title at the age of 27. Stosur dominated for most of the match - only at the beginning at the second set, when Serena set some energy free after getting into a dispute with the chair umpire, did it look for a moment as if the match could move away from Stosur. But the Australian kept her composure, and outmuscled, outpressured Williams until the latter crumbled - a feat few players have done with a healthy Serena since the latter broke through into world class some 10 years ago.

Stosur gets re-promoted to Sekiwake (=Junior Champion I) as a result, and rank she held already in 2010. She would make it even to Ozeki (=Champion) if she reached the quarterfinal at her home slam down under - something she has not managed to do thus far, however. Serena reactivates her Yokozuna status, after a layoff of almost a year.

With the Yokozuna Serena, her sister Venus and Kim Clijsters absent for much of the year, this grand slam season has seen much variation in the ladies' game. Clijsters, Na Li, Petra Kvitova, and now Stosur won the big titles. With the exception of Kvitova, these are all ladies in an advanced tennis age.

Below are the ladies' sanyaku ranked players going into the Australian Open 2012. No less than 11 female players hold sanyaku rank at this juncture, showing how spread out over many shoulders success has been recently in the ladies' game (compare this to just 6 male sanyaku ranked players). At this tournament, surprise semfinalist Angelique Kerber and repeat quarterfinalist (after the French Open 2011) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova earned career-first Komusubi (=Junior Champion II) promotions - they are the 58th and 59th female Komusubi of the open era.

Women

Career rank 1/	East	Current Rank	West	Career rank 1/
High Sanyaku (Senior Champion Ranks)
Y	Serena Williams	Y	Kim Clijsters	Y
Y	Venus Williams	Y(ia)	-	-
O	Maria Sharapova*	O	-	-
Lower Sanyaku (Junior Champion Ranks)
O	Na Li	S1	Vera Zvonareva	O
S	Samantha Stosur	S2	-	-
S	Petra Kvitova	K1	Marion Bartoli	S
S	Caroline Wozniacki	K2	Angelique Kerber	K
K	Andrea Petkovic	K3	Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova	K

1/ Highest sanyaku rank achieved in a player's career
(ia) inactive
* kadoban

A Yokozuna Final for the Men, Serena back in Charge at the Women's

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Dai-Yokozuna (Great Grand Champion) Rafael Nadal and newly promoted Yokozuna (Grand Champion) Novak Djokovic will play the mens' final of the 2011 U.S. Open, in a repeat of last year's U.S. Open final (that Nadal won) and this year's Wimbledon final (that Djokovic won). Djokovic eliminated the other Dai-Yokozuna, Roger Federer, in a five-setter that Federer should have won, being up 5-3, 40-15 in the fifth. Nadal controlled Ozeki (=Champion) Andy Murray in the other semifinal.

The four U.S. top-rated champions sliced up most of the cake between them at the 2011 slams: of the 16 slam semi-finalists, 14 were called Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, or Murray. The exceptions were David Ferrer, who made the Australian Open semifinals after beating an injured Nadal, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who wrestled Federer down in another five-setter at Wimbledon. Federer got his revenge this time, but Tsonga's quarterfinal participation gets him promoted back to his career-high rank of Sekiwake (=Junior Champion I). The only other sanyaku (championship) ranked player will be ex-Ozeki Tomas Berdych, who had another disappointing tournament and will fall to Komusubi (=Junior Champion II).

In the ladies' game, the only constant is that when Dai-Yokozuna Serena Williams is healthy she dominates. In the final she'll meet a resurgent Samantha Stosur, who will get re-promoted to her former career high rank of Sekiwake as a result (win or lose). Stosur, with her muscular, top-spin based game may have the best chance to trouble Serena at this tournament. The only player that came close for a set was Victoria Azarenka, who had the bad luck of meeting Serena in the third round.

But apart from Serena, the ladies' game continues to be in disarray, with no persistent strong challenger emerging. Serena's sister Venus and Kim Clijsters - the two fellow Yokozuna - could play this role but are too often injured (in fact Venus will lose active Yokozuna status after this tournament, with no strong slam result in a year). Other than that, players that held much promise - like French Open champion Na Li, or Vera Zvonareva (both ex-Ozeki that will be Sekiwake after this tournament) - have failed to maintain the level that their games had earlier this year/by the end 2010, respectively. Petra Kvitova, who looked so strong at Wimbledon, had a poor tournament and drops back to Komusubi. Maria Sharapova goes kadoban right after regaining her Ozeki title at the all England Championships. And world #1 Caroline Woziacki's ultra-defensive game just doesn't suffice to get the results at the slams, as her one-sided semi-final loss against Serena Williams demonstrated.

This said, much talent is peaking through at the ladies', with surprise semifinalists Angelique Kerber and quarterfinalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova earning a first-time Komusubi promotion.

Novak Djokovic, Yokozuna

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Novak Djokovic established himself as the leading force in mens' tennis, driving Rafael Nadal off the Wimbledon center court 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3. Djokovic played fabulous tennis at times, especially in the second set, when he outplayed, outthought and outmuscled Nadal (!) from the baseline (!) with unbelievable ease. With the exception of a weaker interlude in the third set, Djokovic was clearly the dominant man on the court.

Dominating the game is what is expected from a Yokozuna (=Grand Champion), and a Yokozuna Djokovic is now: the 16th male Yokozuna of the open era, owing to a series WIN AO11 - SF FO11 - WIN WB 11. Djokovic joins the illustre company of Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Jimmy Connors, John Newcombe, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Mats Wilander, Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, Jim Courier, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal.

In the (almost) four years prior to making it to Yokozuna, Djokovic was a highly consistent Ozeki (=Champion), a rank he had gained at the US Open 2007 when he reached his first grand slam final, then losing in straight sets to Roger Federer. Djokovic never gave up Ozeki rank in 15 slams and gradually closed the gap to the intimidatingly dominant Yokozuna duopoly of Federer and Nadal. In the past 10 months or so Djokovic made his final push. In the final of the 2010 US Open he looked competitive with but still clearly inferior to a Rafael Nadal at the peak of his game. This time roles were reversed.

With his third grand slam title Djokovic also edges forward in our open era rankings. He is now #17 on the list - behind Guillermo Vilas, but overtaking Arthur Ashe and Ilie Nastase. Compare this to #31 at end-2010. Rafael Nadal remains #6, Roger Federer #2.

The state of the mens' game is such that behind the three Yokozuna there is steady Ozeki Andy Murray, who made his third consecutive Wimbledon semifinal, and afterwards - not very much. Well, seemingly. Ex-Sekiwake Robin Soderling and ex-Ozeki Tomas Berdych (now a Sekiwake, i.e., Junior Champion I) had their moments in the past few years but have fallen back recently. Ex-Sekiwake Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - now a Komusubi (Junior Champion II) - produces occasional sparkles of brilliance, but lacks the consistency to seriously challenge the big 3 (or 4).

But then, ex-Ozeki Juan Martin del Potro is on the comeback trail and has impressed at both Roland Garros (where he lost to Djokovic, but only after a fight) and Wimbledon (to Nadal, dito). He may get the results back soon. And during this tournament a young man named Bernard Tomic - Australian, German born, of Croatian decent - caught the tennis world's attention by dominating Soderling in the third round, and then in the quarterfinals giving Djokovic more to think than maybe any other opponent.

These are interesting times for mens' tennis. And for now they are the times of the new Yokozuna Novak Djokovic.

Here are the men's sanyaku (=championship) ranks following the 2011 Wimbledon Championships:

Men

Career rank 1/	East	Current Rank	West	Career rank 1/
High Sanyaku (Senior Champion Ranks)
Y	Rafael Nadal	Y1	Roger Federer	Y
Y	Novak Djokovic	Y2	-	-
O	Andy Murray	O	-	-
Lower Sanyaku (Junior Champion Ranks)
O	Tomas Berdych	S	-	-
S	Jo-Wilfried Tsonga	K	-	-

1/ Highest sanyaku rank achieved in a player's career
* Kadoban

A New Wimbledon Queen

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Petra Kvitova, a tall, lanky, powerful 20-year old from the Czech Republic, became the 17th lady to win the Wimbledon Singles Championships in the open era, overpowering and outplaying the 2004 winner Maria Sharapova in two sets, 6-3, 6-4. Sharapova did not play poorly at all, trying to match Kvitova stroke for stroke from the baseline, but often fell just half a step short against a harder and more accurately hitting opponent.

Ladies' tennis has seen quite a bit of turmoil and inconsistency in the past few years, with no less than 10 different players winning the last 15 slams, and several players reaching the #1 WTA ranking without ever having won a slam (Jankovic, Safina, Wozniacki). Especially whenever the Williams sisters were unfit, the field seemed wide open. And more recently grand slam winners tended to be of relatively elevated tennis ages (Schiavone, Li, Clijsters, the Williams sisters).

But whoever saw Kvitova saw taking control of the final today, without a hint of shaky nerves, may wonder whether this may not be a champion to stay. This tournament saw also other talent leaving a mark, most notably semi-finalists Viktoria Azarenka and Sabine Lisicki.

Kvitova gets promoted to Sekiwake (=Junior Champion I) as a result of this tournament victory. Sharapova returns to Ozeki (=Champion), a rank she held 2004-08. Serena Williams, who missed most of last year's post-Wimbledon season with injuries and came back only just before this tournament, loses active Yokozuna (=Grand Champion) status, but can regain it with a semifinal at the U.S. Open.

Here are the ladies' sanyaku ranks following the 2011 Wimbledon Championships:

Women

Career rank 1/	East	Current Rank	West	Career rank 1/
High Sanyaku (Senior Champion Ranks)
Y	Kim Clijsters	Y	Venus Williams	Y
Y	Serena Williams	Y (ia)	-	-
O	Maria Sharapova	O	Na Li*	O
Lower Sanyaku (Junior Champion Ranks)
O	Vera Zvonareva	S1	Petra Kvitova	S
S	Marion Bartoli	S2	-	-
S	Francesca Schiavone	K1	Victoria Azarenka	K
K	Sabine Lisicki	K2	-	-

1/ Highest sanyaku rank achieved in a player's career
(ia) inactive
* Kadoban

Djokovic Again Only One Match Away from Being a Yokozuna

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By out-thinking and out-hustling the charismatic Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Novak Djokovic reached the Wimbledon final for the first time in his career. Besides taking over the #1 ATP ranking after the tournament, this grants the long-standing Ozeki (=Champion) another chance at a Yokozuna (= Grand Champion) promotion [with a series W(AO)-SF (FO)-W(WB)]. He was also lacking only one win at the French Open, but at Roland Garros Djokovic was stopped somewhat surprisingly by Dai-Yokozuna Roger Federer in the semis. Thus far this is Djokovic's only defeat in 2011.

In Wimbledon the man in Djokovic's way is none other than Dai-Yokozuna Rafael Nadal, Djokovic's predecessor as world #1. In 2011 Djokovic has beaten Nadal already four times. But he 0-2 against Nadal on grass, and Nadal is known for his unique mental strenght that turns him into a near-unbetable force in big matches. It should be interesting.

Were Djokovic to lose the final match, his Yokozuna run would come to an end for now - he would need at least one victory and one final at the upcoming U.S. and Australian Open to make the highest rank.

Nadal reached the final by ending once more the hopes of British Ozeki Andy Murray, who played the 7th Grand Slam semifinal of his career. Murray is arguably the best player of the open era to never have won a slam (yet). Ex-Sekiwake (=Junior Champion I) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga enthused the audience by wrestling Federer into submission in a quarterfinal 5-setter. He returns to the sanyaku (=championship) ranks as a Komusubi (=Junior Champion II) after the tournament. Other than that, the only player with a sanyaku rank is 2010 Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych, who will be demoted to Sekiwake after the tournament for failing to reach a grand slam quarterfinal for the second tournament in a row. Ex-Sekiwake Robin Soderling drops out of the sanyaku ranks altogether.

In the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic-Murray era, there just isn't much space for many other champions.