Here in London Airport on the way back home.
Yes, it was a disappointing final but there are two things to remember.
1. Nadal was playing very very well at Monte Carlo. The previous days match with Simon was one of the best I've seen; far better than the final. Simon would have won against anybody less than the King of Clay. Note that he beat Tsonga without much trouble on the Friday. I enjoyed watching all the clay-sliding.
2. As people know I am no big fan of Andy Roddick but Andy said after a recent defeat that there were no excuses. When you go on court you are declaring you are fit (mentally and physically) and are going to give it your best. In the semi, both Djokovic and Berdych came on to court with some obvious emotional baggage. In that match, Nole played terribly in the first set but upped his game, serve, forehand and all and won the next two sets. The line then was "I triumphed in spite of all my sadness during this last week." You can't have it both ways.
Yes, I'm a bit grumpy after what could have been a great final. It would have been better if it had been best of five. Finals are often disappointing. At Cincy last year, Djokovic retired giving it Murray. At the AO 2011, Murray played great in the semi but terribly in the final. But there are great ones too. One of my best was Fish-Federer at Cincy in 2010 when Fish, then on his late blooming rise, won the first set and Fed decided it was time to do something about it!
Did not write much from Monte Carlo because my hotel was charging 20 euros a day for internet access. It is an expensive place. But I really enjoyed being there. I met up with Mertov and family and the four of us had a couple of great dinners out on the town. We could try the more adventurous restaurants because Mert is so fluent in French that even I could not go wrong.
Looking forward to lifting a racquet again on Wednesday.
