AEGON Masters

For the first time in history the Champions Tour “Masters” at the Royal Albert Hall in London, has been divided onto two parts, the one for the best guys of the season, the second one called “Legends” for older guys. Because Ivan Lendl (b. 1960) withdrew, an alternate Richard Krajicek (b. 1971) seemed to be a main favorite, however, he beat at the group stage only Henri Leconte (b. 1963). In the final an inexhaustible 52-year-old John McEnroe (b. 1959) took a revenge for a round robin defeat outplaying tired Pat Cash (b. 1965) in straight sets. “I never thought I’d win another title here,” said the three-time Wimbledon champion. “The people here have been fantastic to me. It’s a great place to play tennis and maybe myself and Pat can have a rematch here next year. It means a lot that people still want to watch me play and to win here again is unbelievable“.

The best player of the season – Carlos Moya – pulled out of the “regular” Masters’ – he chose to watch in Seville his compatriots winning the Davis Cup… In these circumstances 37-year-old Tim Henman, who waited many years as a pro to win in London (Queens Club, Wimbledon), finally found a little consolation. In the final he beat his peer Thomas Enqvist 6-3, 7-6(2) finishing the contest with an ace. There were six breaks of serve in the 2nd set, Enqvist held a set point on serve at 6:5 on serve – Henman fought it off with a backhand down the line winner. They met 11 years ago in the Cincinnati final, and Enqvist prevailed then 7-6(5), 6-4.

Wow! After 11 long months it’s the end of the 2011 season. The 3-part recapitulation of the year you can find on this blog in the ’11-season 🙂

“Legends” results:

Group:
Pat Cash d. Richard Krajicek 6-7(5), 6-4, [10-6]
John McEnroe d. Henri Leconte 6-3, 6-1
Krajicek d. Leconte 6-4, 6-4
Cash d. McEnroe 7-5, 7-6(10)
McEnroe d. Krajicek 6-3, 7-5
Cash d. Leconte 6-7(6), 7-6(3), [10-8]

Final:
McEnroe d. Cash 6-2, 6-4