Goran: Undefeated Rios could be No. 3

FROM THE ALEX TENNISCLASSICS IN EINDHOVEN — The clock ticked to 1 p.m. It’s the final day of the Alex TennisClassics, the eighth stop on the Merrill Lynch Tour of Champions.

Aussie legends Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge step on court, followed by their opponents, home country favorites Paul Haarhuis and Jacco Eltingh. The teams dominated the doubles scene during the 1990s, when the “Woodies” and the “Dutchies” won a combined 17 Grand Slam titles, of which 11 went Down Under. They were great rivals back then, but out of that rivalry a friendship has grown. “When we played the Wimbledon final of 1998, we had an argument about a ball being in or out,” said Eltingh. “I had become so furious that I shouted: “The only Mark I see is an asshole.” But at least I didn’t head butt him. … Who would have thought back then we would be sending each other Christmas cards now.”

It was just an exhibition, but both teams played to win. The Aussies were looking to tie the 8-9 head-to-head record against the home team, while their opponents admitted they would hate to lose their edge. Final score: 6-4, 7-5 for the visitors.

“It’s no disgrace losing to the Woodies, but I’m really annoyed about it,” Haarhuis said. “But this doesn’t mean it’s 9-9 in our series. It will never be 9-9 anymore. It’s 0-1 now.” Haarhuis was referring to open competition versus senior matches.

Next up was the third/fourth place playoff, which saw a replay of the ‘05 final. Richard Krajicek faced Goran Ivanisevic, in a battle of former Wimbledon champions. Ivanisevic has been Krajicek’s nemesis throughout his career, enjoying a 9-3 head-to-head over the Dutchman. The Croat also came out best in last year’s final.

This year, Krajicek entered the Alex TennisClassics well prepared and on a mission: Take down the tour leader. “I got my ass kicked by Marcelo [Rios] in Paris last month and I wasn’t happy about that. I decided to contact my old coach Rohan Goetzke. I wanted him to train me again because Marcelo’s unbeaten and I want to be the first one to break his streak. I think that on an indoor court in Eindhoven, on a fast surface, with me having trained properly, I’m going to beat him.”

The 30-year-old Chilean had won all five tournaments he entered this year and, in his round-robin encounter versus Krajicek, he continued his winning streak. Rios stepped on court in a PSV Eindhoven soccer jersey in the hope of getting some support, but after Krajicek broke serve at 4-4 in the first set, he immediately put on his usual sleeveless shirt.

When he saw his opponent taking the opening set 6-4, Rios shouted: “Have you been practicing Richard?”

“Yes, I have!” responded Krajicek.

Rios stepped up a level and edged out a 10-6 Champions tiebreak win, earning his spot in his sixth consecutive final.

In the other group, South African and Northern California resident Wayne Ferreira beat Ivanisevic on Saturday to reach the final in his debut event.

Krajicek was clearly in better shape than Ivanisevic in their matchup for third place, blasting 12 aces past Ivanisevic in a 7-5, 6-4 win. But Goran was the entertainer of the day, consistently engaging with the crowd.

While Ferreira and Rios were warming up for the final, entertaining was the last thing on their mind. Rios was aiming to remain unbeaten, while Ferreira wanted to show he can still play and, more importantly, be the first to hand Rios a loss this season.

FERREIRA EMERGES FROM RETIREMENT

“Retirement has been tough,” Ferreira says. “It’s two years since I retired now and I’ve been a bit bored. Tennis is one of those things that gives you such great self fulfillment, you can’t get it anywhere else. Even in business, I don’t think people get it.”

Ferreira might not have been a great champion, but he was a standout athlete, competing in a record 56 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments.

When play got underway it was Ferreira who had the chance to go 2-0 up but Rios survived a double break point and took control of the match at 3-3. At that point, Ferreira felt a stabbing pain in his back as he lunged for a ball. With his opponent injured, Rios raced to a 6-3, 6-1 win.

The Chilean lightened up when he realised the match was in the bag, playing along with Ferreira’s entertaining efforts.

“I was doing well until 3-all in the first set and then my back went out on me,” Ferreira said. “Four matches were a little tough for me. I haven’t really played for two years. I need to get in better shape if I want to compete with guys like Rios. I hope I get some more chances.”

Asked about Rios’ level of play, Ferreira said, “He’s been too good all year.”

Ivanisevic believes the 30-year-old Rios can still compete with the best on ATP tour. Given his relatively young age (Andre Agassi just retired at the age of 36), he should be able to give it another go.

“If he practiced he could be Top 10 in the world,” Ivanisevic said. “He’s one of the most talented players ever. There’s [Roger] Federer and [Rafael] Nadal who would still be numbers 1 and 2, but if Rios practiced, he would be next.”

But there’s no way that Rios can make it to No. 3 if his chronically-injured back is too weak to deal with a full schedule. They don’t play singles super-tiebreaks on the ATP tour.

However, the level of play that Rios reached in his matches in Eindhoven was impressive. His clash with Krajicek could well have been an encounter between two Top-20 players. Rios said this summer he might play a single ATP event in his home country in February when the tour heads out to Viña del Mar. If he does decide to play, don’t be surprised if he makes an impact.