ATP World Number 25: Albert Montanes in 2010
Albert Montanes Roca is a Spanish professional tennis player currently ranked World No.25 on the Association of Tennis Professionals. He has been a constant fixture in the top 100 tennis players on the ATP since 2001, except for
an absence of 20 weeks from that year to 2010. Montanes reached a career high ranking of World Number 22 this year in August. The defining characteristics of his game are his persistence and mental fortitude, which enable him to make surprising comebacks during
his matches. A testament to this strength is the fact that he is one of a handful of players who have been able to win a title match despite saving match points in two different matches during a tournament.
This year, Stuttgart was undeniably Montanes’s most successful week. He played exemplary tennis from the first round to the title match and defeated players such as Jurgen Melzer, Juan Carlos Ferrero and French No. 1 Gael Monfils
during his run to the final. However, his major conquest that week was the defeat of World No. 2 Roger Federer, which Montanes accomplished at the semifinals in Estoril. He then knocked out local favourite Frederico Gil to win the title.
Perhaps his worst failure in 2010 was his first-round loss at Rome, where he was defeated by unknown Italian player Paolo Lorenzi. This is a pity, especially since the clay-court player did well on many of the bigger dirt events,
and clay is supposed to be his area of expertise (similar to compatriots Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer).
Montanes has reached 9 finals in his career, emerging as the victor in five of them. All of these wins were scored on clay. However, his 2010 performance seems to indicate that he may be turning into a threat on grass and hard
courts as well. The Spanish player reached the third round at every Grand Slam this year; he even gave Swedish No. 1 Robin Soderling a run for his money in the fourth round at Flushing Meadows.
Montanes also reached the semifinals of two hard court events, one outside and one indoors. However, his greatest failings are probably his difficulty with point ending shots and a weak serve. Away from clay, a tennis player cannot
prosper without these two crucial elements. Nevertheless, Montanes is one of only five Spaniards to finish in the Top 25 ATP players this year.
While Montanes may have had his greatest success yet after recovering from a second set tie breaker to defeat Federer in straight sets, his victory and subsequent reaction was not that of a player who has defeated one of the top
pros in the world. When Federer fell to Montanes, the Spaniard was not as joyful as many fans and critics may have expected him to be. The reason for this is clear; it was quite apparent to 30-year old Montanes that Roger Federer was, on that occasion, not
at his best.
One definite advantage which Montanes holds over his opponents is that he has been around long enough to have analyzed his game completely. He is well aware of both his strengths and his limitations, and works hard to get the most
out of both aspects. However, the same experience also means that he is much older than any of the other players on tour, and his chances of greater success are slim. While his shots at a Top Ten slot in 2011 are bleak, he is still likely to make it to the
final of a major tournament on clay. Given the right time, day and surface, Albert Montanes is sure to overcome his faults.
Tags: