MONTE-CARLO ROLEX MASTERS 2014

Wawrinka Beats Federer For First Masters 1000 Crown

In the first all-Swiss final for 14 years on the ATP World Tour, Stanislas Wawrinka defeated Roger Federer 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 in the final of the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.

The 29-year-old Wawrinka captured his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title, having previously finished runner-up in Rome 2008 (l. to Djokovic) and Madrid last year (l. to Nadal). With his semi-final victory over David Ferrer Saturday, the Swiss became the 11th active player to record 100 ATP Masters 1000 match wins.

Wawrinka is the 59th different winner of an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament, breaking up the domination of the ‘Big Four’. In 34 of the past 36 Masters 1000 tournaments, the trophy had been lifted by one of either Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Federer or Andy Murray. The only exceptions came at the BNP Paribas Masters in 2010 (Robin Soderling) and 2012 (Ferrer).

“It’s always special to play Roger,” said Wawrinka. “We know it’s always a strange match, especially being in the final here. He’s my best friend on the tour. We respect each other so much. I’m just trying on the court to win the match. Before and after, we are still very good friends. During the match, we just try everything to win. Today I’m really happy to take that one.
“I can see that when mentally I’m there and I’m fighting, I can play tennis, I can beat all the player. I did an amazing job. I’m really happy after winning my first Grand Slam to win a Masters 1000 so quick. I didn’t expect to. When I came here, for me it was more like a test. I knew I was playing good tennis, but I didn’t expect to win because the draw was so strong.”

Read: How The Final Was Won

It was just Wawrinka’s second win in 15 meetings with Federer (2-13 FedEx ATP Head2Head series). His other victory over Federer also came at the Monte-Carlo Country Club, five years ago.

“Of course, I’m very happy for Stan,” said Federer. “It’s a huge win for him after winning his first Grand Slam this year, also to win his first Masters 1000. To take the opportunities when they’re there, that’s key in a tennis player’s career. So I’m very happy for him.”

As victor, Wawrinka received 1000 Emirates ATP Ranking points and $549,000 in prize money. He was presented with the trophy by His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco and Princess Charlene of Monaco.
Victory for Wawrinka sees the Lausanne native maintain his grip on World No. 3 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. On Monday, he will leapfrog Nadal, Djokovic and Federer to rise to No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Race To London, which is based solely on results this season.
The top eight in the Emirates ATP Race To London at the end of the regular season will qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. Wawrinka qualified for the elite season finale for the first time last year, reaching the semi-finals (l. to Djokovic).
Wawrinka becomes the first player this season to win three tour-level titles, adding to victories in Chennai (d. Roger-Vasselin) and at the Australian Open, where he defeated Nadal to win his first Grand Slam championship.

The 32-year-old Federer was looking to win the elusive Monte-Carlo trophy for the first time after finishing runner-up to Nadal three times from 2006-’08. The Swiss has won 21 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles, with his last triumph coming in August 2012 in Cincinnati.

“I think it’s one of the those finals that I could have won,” said Federer. “But Stan was tougher at the end. I think he deserved it just a little bit more. Clearly it would have been nice to win that second set tie-break. I didn’t necessarily play a bad one, but also at the same time I didn’t quite ever get into the lead where things went my way.

“I would have loved to have won a second title [this season] because I’ve come close a few times. That’s my next objective, that I get to the very end more frequently. But clearly I’m happy that the clay court season started so well for me.

RED BULL X-FIGHTERS : SHERWOOD DOMINE A OSAKA

Levi Sherwood s’offre une deuxième victoire d’affilée en 2014. Rémi Bizouard peut avoir des regrets.

Rémi Bizouard s’est imposé face à Dany Torres lors des demi-finales au Château d’Osaka. Mais malgré de  gros jumps dans la dernière manche, le Français n’a pas réussi à égaler sa dernière performance. Il laisse la victoire au Néo-Zélandais Levi Sherwood, déjà vainqueur de l’étape à Mexico du Red Bull X-Fighters World Championship.

Donne tout ce que t’as et fais-toi plaisir

– Levi Sherwood sur sa réussite en 2014

Bien qu’il ait été un peu plus prudent dans l’exécution de ses figures, Sherwood a tout de même réussi quelques magnifiques tricks et fait vibrer la foule avec un Backflip Double Air Indian Grab, puis un No-Handed Superman juste après le coup de buzz final, alors que la victoire lui était presque assurée.
C’était bien vu. Les juges ont attribué à Sherwood les meilleures notes pour la variété, l’exécution, le style, la course et l’énergie déployée.

Levi Sherwood en qualification aux Red Bull X-Fighters d'Osaka.

Avec deux victoires sur deux cette année, quel est donc le secret de Sherwood pour réussir un tel come-back en 2014 ? Sa réponse est simple : “Donne tout ce que t’as et fais-toi plaisir ! “.

À côté de cela, il nous faudra attendre le prochain stop à Madrid pour voir Tom Pagès réaliser le tout premier Bike Flip en compétition. Le tenant du titre avait décidé de ne pas participer aux finales aujourd’hui.

Retrouvez les meilleures photos et vidéos des Red Bull X-Fighters à Osaka sur le site et bien plus encore, sur RedBullxfighters.com.

Le top 3 des Red Bull X-Fighters 2014 d’Osaka :

1) Levi Sherwood (NZL) 2) Rémi Bizouard (FRA) 3) Dany Torres (SPA)

Le classement général du Red Bull X-Fighters World Championship 2014 :

1) Levi Sherwood (NZL) – 100 pts 2) Rémi Bizouard (FRA) – 80 pts 3) Josh Sheehan (AUS) – 80 pts 4) Dany Torres (SPA) – 65 pts 5) Rob Adelberg (AUS) – 55 pts 6) Adam Jones (USA) – 55 pts