The spotlight at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open has firmly been, and understandably so, on Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic. The top-two ranked stars command the biggest number of people watching them, maybe Murray gets the edge there. But one man has been flying under the radar, quietly booting seeded players out of the tournament.
Fernando Verdasco claimed his latest scalp yesterday when he defeated Ivo Karlovic in straight sets 6-2, 7-5 to enter the semi-finals. Verdasco had taken out fourth-seed David Goffin in the second round and yesterday it was the turn of the sixth-seed Karlovic to fall to the Spaniard. Verdasco, ranked 42nd in the world has taken out players who are ranked 31 places (Goffin, ranked 11th) and 22 places above him (Karlovic-20).
Against the 6’11” Karlovic, Ferdasco had a strong service game with 83 per cent of his serves going in but more importantly, he faced only a single break point and that too he was able to save. In comparison, Karlovic had 12 against him. “I am playing very good so far, especially my service game is really working,” said Verdasco, who had been ranked as high as seventh in the world. But that was way back in 2010 and the Spaniard believes that it’s the fitness issues that’s one of the hurdles in him climbing up the rankings.  
“My goal this year is to be healthy and free from injury. Otherwise it is difficult to have a good ranking. Last year I had some problems with my cervical vertebrae. To avoid that, I am planning to travel with a physiotherapist this season. Because, at my age, fitness is very important if I want to prolong my career,” said the 33-year-old.
Verdasco has had an impressive run up to the semi-finals so far but next up for him is Novak Djokovic. The defending champion has yet to drop a set and is looking in fine form so far.
Djokovic defeated Radek Stepanek in straight sets 6-3, 6-3 yesterday. Verdasco had lost to Djokovic in the second round here in Doha last year – a 6-2, 6-2 loss that one was.
The Spaniard wants to put up a better fight this time around. “I don’t have anything to lose. I am going to play against a great player and I will be looking to win the match. When you are in the semi-finals, you always want more and I am going to fight hard to get into the finals,” said Verdasco.  
Djokovic has an 8-4 head to head record against his semis opponent and three out of those four defeats were on clay. But the Serbian champion was wary of the threat that Verdasco poses. “I saw him play against Goffin and he played really solid, really impressive tennis. He’s playing better than last year when we encountered each other in the second round. He’s a very complete player. He has a strong forehand and has a big serve,” said Djokovic yesterday.
“If he’s feeling good on that given day, he can really challenge any player on any surface. That’s how I see him. We have always been aware of his potential and his talent. Just that he wasn’t able to keep things consistent throughout his career. But, you know, he’s very dangerous player if he’s, as I said, feeling well,” added the world no. 2.
Djokovic had to battle the wile of Stepanek and also the windy conditions, which was upsetting the rhythm of the players. “If we call these conditions windy, that would be putting it gently. It was quite challenging, especially mentally, to be able to go through these kind of conditions without losing focus and determination on the court,” said Djokovic.
“However it’s the same for both players, so there is not much you can do. The force of the nature is like that. You have to accept and try to embrace it, really be one with the wind, otherwise it’s not going to be good day for you,” he added.
Meanwhile, in the bottom half of the draw Andy Murray survived a slugfest against Nicolas Almagro to enter the semi-finals. The world no. 1 took close to two hours to defeat Almagro 7-6(4), 7-5.  The Spaniard’s swinging forehand was finding the corners of the court and his aggressive play threatened to upset the odds. But Murray, despite berating himself constantly, was able to find the mental fortitude to emerge victorious. “It was a very tough match. Both sets were very close. Almagro was aggressive and going for his shots. It was very windy conditions and that made it tougher,” said Murray after his match.
“I served well. I feel that it was the second serve percentage that was the difference. I had 61 per cent and he had 48,” he added.
As to the constant yelling at self, this is what Murray said: “I am pretty tough on myself, when I’m playing. Especially, since it’s the first week of the season and I have to be ready for the Australian Open. As the season progresses and I get more comfortable with my game, I treat myself better.”


Quarter-finals results
(x denotes seeding):
Andy Murray (GBR x1) bt Nicolas Almagro (ESP) 7-6 (7/4), 7-5; Fernando Verdasco (ESP) bt Ivo Karlovic (CRO x6) 6-2, 7-5; Novak Djokovic (SRB x2) bt Radek Stepanek (CZE) 6-3, 6-3