Robredo Cements Himself as a Hopman Cup Great
10/01/2010
By Chris Pike
Spain’s Tommy Robredo will go down as one of the most popular and successful Hyundai Hopman Cup campaigners after winning his second title in Perth this year partnering Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez.
Robredo was just 19 when we won the Cup for the first time alongside veteran Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, but now on his fourth time back as a 27-year-old veteran who has spent his whole career inside the world’s top 30, and large chunks of it in the top 10, he is a two-time Cup winner and didn’t lose a rubber all week.
While Robredo was impressive in beating John Isner, Victor Hanescu and Lleyton Hewitt during the week, and did well to help he and Martinez Sanchez not lose a mixed doubles, it was his performance in the Final that make him a standout performer now in the history of the Hopman Cup.
Robredo was called upon to do something nobody else this week had come anywhere near doing just to keep Spain alive in Saturday’s Final after Martinez Sanchez was upset by 15-year-old Brit Laura Robson.
His challenge was to beat world No. 4 Andy Murray who had not come close to dropping a set in Perth and has signaled his intentions that he’s in Australia to win the Australian Open. Spaniard Robredo looked dead and buried when Murray won the first set 6-1 and then things remained on serve in the second set at 4-4 until the Spaniard found something special.
He took out the last two games of the second set to win it 6-4 and break Murray’s serve for the first time all week. He then dominated the third set to take it 6-3 and rock the Scot and take the Final the mixed doubles, where he and Martinez Sanchez prevailed 7-6, 7-5.
Robredo was proud of his incredible individual efforts, and of his partner for bouncing back to play well in the mixed doubles.
“Well I think it’s great to win here. Being 1-0 down and playing against Andy Murray, it’s so tough,” Robredo said.
“I had to play a great match and I did it and I’m so proud. After that we had to win the mixed because Laura and Andy, they played great, and we had to be aggressive all of the time. Well it’s amazing when you can win a Tie and come back from 1-0 down, so we are very happy and it’s great.”
Robredo now has two Doris Brinkhaus diamond-encrusted tennis balls for winning the Hopman Cup, and he feels this win is even more special than the win in 2002 over the USA’s Monica Seles and Jan-Michael Gambill.
“Well every time you win you are very happy, no? You can enjoy it so much. Last time I was with Arantxa, this time with Maria Jose and I think that this one is more special because beating Andy Murray on singles and then the mixed, that it was so close – I think that normally when you win a match 6-0, 6-0 you can be happy if it’s the woman in Final,” he said.
“But if you win that final 7-6 on the 5th set it’s a lot more exciting. So today everything was going on a bad position, in a bad way and then we could come back. We are both very happy.”
Robredo loves playing inside the Burswood Dome and now has an overall record that is 20-6; 11-3 in singles and 9-3 in mixed doubles. He is off to Auckland now ahead of the Australian Open and he desperately wants to make it past the quarter-final of a Grand Slam soon for the first time.
“Leaving here without losing any matches is great, it’s better than I was expecting. Tonight I’m flying to Auckland because next week I’m playing another tournament and I want to keep playing my best. We’ll see if at the end of the year I’ll be of the top of ranking. That’s my goal and I want to try. I’m not going to stop now after winning this title so this is great but it’s already the past,” he said.
“Now we have to look forward for the next week for the Aussie Open which is the most important tournament of the first month of the year. Hopefully I can keep playing like this and if I do I’m going to rise to the top rank I’m sure.
“I did a great thing on my career – all of the time to be on the top 20, top 30 all of my career. So this is a great achievement but I never reached the semi-finals in a Grand Slam so that’s the thing I would like to try and that’s why I’m working hard every day. For me now to finish 20 in the world is great but it’s ok.
“To finish a Grand Slam knowing I’m in the semi-finals or in the finals or winning – I never could achieve those things so I’m looking forward to try this and in a week I’m going to have the chance to play for that. I hope I can play my best and let’s see if in the Aussie Open I can beat because I’m not going to retire this year. I’m going to be looking forward to do a great thing in a great tournament so that’s my goal for now until I’ll be retired for sure.”
Back to current news.