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Queen's Club Championships 2019 - The unsung hero

Life and sport rarely offer a sequel upon request, but today the 2019 Queen's Club Championships delivered a heart-warming and larger in every sense sequel to the 2017 edition. The hero on both occasions being our man of the moment, Feliciano Lopez. There's something in the hallowed lawns of Queen's Club that spurns the genius in 'Feli' (as his friends on the tour call him) and transforms him into a mythical hero who scripts incredible sporting moments every time he sets foot on this court.

Champion again! (Courtesy: Sportsnet.ca)

The History: But let's rewind a bit, Feli had just concluded winning the 2017 Queen's Club Championships in a thrilling fashion. As an avid tennis fan I was extremely excited about his prospects at Wimbledon 2017 but no sooner had the first round begun Feli was forced to retire with an injury. The next time I saw Feli was in the 2018 Queen's Club Championships where he was in decent form but couldn't get past Nick Kyrgios. I saw very little of Feli after that until he arrived as the tournament director at the 2019 Madrid Masters and was on hand to give David Ferrer a befitting retirement tribute. Players who take up the role of a tournament official hang up their boots sooner rather than later. I was sad to know that Feli was probably on his way out but was happy to have witnessed his greatest achievement at the 2017 Queen's Club Championships. But boy was I wrong!

The Draw: The 2019 Queen's Club Championships arrived soon enough and we had a packed field of contenders such as Stan Wawrinka, Stefanos Tsitsipas (the No.1 seed here), Juan Martin Del Potro, Kevin Anderson (2018 Wimbledon Runner-up), Milos Raonic (2016 Wimbledon Runner-up), Marin Cilic (the 2018 champion) and Nick Kyrgios all staking their claim for not only the silverware at Queen's Club but also the riches at stake in Wimbledon. Feliciano Lopez was on hand too as a wildcard and more importantly serving as the doubles partner for the returning Andy Murray.

The Play: Rain threw the first spanner in the works as the entire play on Day 2 was washed off. This meant players had to to double duty on Day 4 which resulted in a humongous number of upsets. Felix Auger Aliassime accounted for Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas, Wawrinka was taken down by Mahut, Anderson was defeated by Gilles Simon and Marin Cilic was packed off by Schwartzman. Feli took care of Raonic himself after fortune smiled upon him in the form of Juan Martin Del Potro's injury retirement. Could this be Feli's year once again? I was expectant but not hoping for much.

Rain and bad light meant Feli was forced to play three matches on the Saturday before the final. Two doubles matches and one single semi-final match against the ever improving Felix Auger Aliassime. The battle of 'Felis' started with Felix Auger Aliassime taking the first set but Feli's backhand slices and consistent serving meant he took care of Felix in three before turning his attention towards the doubles matches. By the end of the day he had won all three of his scheduled matches and was in two back to back finals. Surely things cannot get better than this?

The Final: Gilles Simon has been one of the most consistent players on the tour for almost a decade now. He has an accurate serve and is strong off his forehand as well as backhands. After taking care of Anderson, Simon had beaten future star Daniil Medvedev in three grueling sets. Next up for him was Feli who himself was sapped after playing three back to back matches on the semi-final day. Despite his supposed fatigue Feli started well, he broke Simon more than once to claim the first set quickly.

It was in the second that Simon started showing his true class, his serve and returns both acquired sting over time and the result was a second set tiebreak. Leading 4-2 in the tiebreak Feli suddenly tightened up with a few net errors and some shaky drop shots. That dip in form was enough for Simon to win five straight points and claim the second set. The third set saw a visibly desperate Feli (he admitted this himself) holding onto every inch of hope and the last vestige of his energies. He was angry, he berated himself, he spoke to his box, he complained and probably even prayed (he must have considering how everything turned out at the end of the day).

With Simon getting stronger with each passing game, Feli was barely holding onto his service games. But hold on he did, whenever Simon threatened Feli roared back with a delightful ace, drop shot or volley. After 11 consecutive service holds and with a tie-break looming on the horizon it was Simon's turn to feel the after effects of a long tournament. He seemed strained and Feli duly took him to deuce. Three game points and one championship point were all duly saved as both players exchanged blows like tired pugilists in the final round. After five consecutive deuces Simon summoned the will to send the final set into a tiebreak. The last two finals saw the players who lost the championship points also concede the championships to their opponents. Was this Feli's last chance?

The final tiebreak arrived with Feli in a zen like state. He was either consigned to his fate or was able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We will never know what was going through his mind but the calmness in his demeanor returned and his resolve only tightened after losing out on the championship point in the previous service game. At 3-2 in the tiebreak Simon served up a double fault and on the next point Feli showed remarkable court coverage to turn a cross-court backhand return from Simon into a winner. The road to victory was finally visible, when Simon guided a forehand volley into the net the dream was complete with an incredulous and delirious Feli standing awestruck at the net. I can reassure him we all shared his amazement and happiness. The seesaw battle capped by a heartwarming result will go down as one of the great tennis matches of 2019. 


The Prologue: Feli would go onto win the doubles championship with Murray and cap off his victory with a heartwarming speech where he thanked the love of his life and acknowledged how difficult it was for him to maintain concentration as the match wore on. It was a remarkably candid speech coming from a man who had not only turned in a superhuman effort but also endured a torrid start to the week with some damaging allegations. It's commonly understood that champions choose some moments to make a statement but this week at Queen's proved that sometimes moments choose their own champions. There could have only been one man that the winning moment chose and that man was Feliciano Lopez. There's something gratifying about seeing years of hard work being rewarded with a special something (Feliciano holds the record for the most consecutive appearances at grand slams). No matter what Feliciano Lopez might chose to do in the future he's already given us two special moments at Queen's. He proved without a shadow of doubt that perseverance pays off and success only comes to those who believe in themselves. Salute Feli, the unsung hero!


Until Next Time,

Your Sports Raconteur,
J.J. Chaitanya

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