Djokovic Dismissed; Henin Heats Things Up in Miami
In not-so-surprising fashion, Novak Djokovic was defeated by Olivier Rochus, 6-2, 6-7(7), 6-4. This second round upset, Djokovic’s opening match of the tournament, will surely hurt his recent ascent in the rankings to number two, putting further pressure on the rest of the top ten to step of their games. Djokovic’s play these past few weeks has been nothing fitting of the second best player in the world, especially one trailing Roger Federer. Yes, he came out victorious at Doha, but he was taken to three sets in many of his matches.
At Indian Wells, the same shoddy play sent him out in the fourth round against the eventual winner of the event, Ivan Ljubicic. Despite a 15-3 record going into Miami, the three, now four losses, signify more in my mind than his wins, which have been lately three set spectacles. I predict Djokovic’s play to continue on a down slide, before this Aussie Open champion re-emerges as a real threat for a major title.
On the flip side, Justine Henin, who played a disappointing Indian Wells, reclaimed the top form that took her to the finals at this year’s Australian Open with some superb play against Russia’s Elena Dementieva, winning 6-3, 6-2. Henin needs a strong showing here, and I think she can take the whole tournament, to get herself back into the top ten in the world. Currently at number 33, Henin’s result thus far, which include a couple wins over Dementieva already, show she’s set for center stage. Maybe she’ll even take a shot at the Wimbledon crown, the one major that has alluded her so far.
