Great day for Pico. He wins his 5th career title (the third in 2012) in Hamburg and he breaks into the top 10 in the world.
The day wasn’t as easy from the beginning. Granpa Haas (well he looked like a teenager) grabbed an early 4-1 lead to face a furious comeback from Pico that managed to win the opener 7-5. The second set was also quite even with both players at their best. Finally it was the Argentine to win it 6-4.
With this points Pico will break into the top 10 in the ATP ranking. Talking about his ranking Monaco commented “It’s amazing, it’s a dream come true,” declared Monaco. “I will always remember this great week because it’s very important for me and my team. It was a big goal we had pre-season when we were practising very hard.”
“I can’t complain about the way I played today,” Monaco said about the match. “I was 4-1 down in the first set, but I never gave up. I was fighting every point, very focussed and very motivated to win this tournament. I think it was very important to win the first set. In the last two games of the match I think I played very well.”
After this feat its time for the Argentine to go back to the grass in Wimbledon “To change the courts is not going to be easy for me, but I have five days for practice to be with the guys there,” said Monaco. “So, let’s see how it goes. This tournament will bring me big confidence and I’m feeling great, no injuries. So, I will try my best in London.”
Tommy Haas should not complain about his tournament. Few months ago he had an incredible win in Halle by defeating King Roger on the indoor grass (Murray should learn from him…). The German couldn’t replicate that triumph, but he had a remarkable week .
“He played a tremendous match,” said Haas. “All credit to him. He performed really well, especially when it came down to the big points. I tried to play my best; I thought I played really well throughout the match. Having the crowd support really lifted me to another gear, but it just wasn’t enough today.
“I really didn’t know if I was going to be able to get this feeling one more time, especially here in Hamburg. To have experienced another week like this with getting to the final is obviously another dream week for me.”
Tmmy will climb to the 35th spot in the ATP ranking. Another great achievement after having been sidelined for long by multiple injuries (he had a hip and elbow surgery in 2010).
