Like all tennis fans, I spent much of yesterday evening sitting on my rear end taking in the spectacle that was John Isner vs. Gael Monfils in the second round of the US Open.
This one had all the makings of a classic and while it didn't go five sets like many had assumed it would, it did not disappoint.
As much fun as it was, I'm not here to talk about the match. I'm here to discuss the mini-firestorm that started up late in the third set.
I'm sure by now you know what happened. Monfils came alive in the third set, broke Isner and somehow got a crowd full of Americans to chant his name in a match against the top-ranked American.
No one seemed quite sure how to react. The ESPN announce team spoke about it with thinly-veiled disgust in their voices. Members of the crowd that weren't behind Monfils took matters into their own hands.
At one point, someone in the crowd yelled something to John along the lines of "kill the Frenchie" and Brad Gilbert reported that a woman sitting near him (who was wearing a Georgia Bulldogs hat, mind you) got into a verbal altercation with the fans around her that were cheering for Monfils.
To top it off, Twitter, the ultimate gauge of what the populous thinks, blew up. Every tennis writer was getting mentions from fans enraged that the spectators at Louis Armstrong had the nerve to cheer for someone other than the American.
Here's the thing, though. I don't think it's that big of a deal. And that's coming from a guy that wants another American champion more than anyone other than those that are employed by the USTA.
First off, it's not like the crowd turned on Isner or abandoned him. There were still plenty of people fired up when John let a huge serve fly or won a big point. Brodie, from the Mind the Racket tennis blog, had a great tweet that urged the ESPN crew to settle down because it's not like the crowd was throwing things at Isner on court and I was with him on that.
But my bigger point here is that the crowd acted as just about any crowd would have in that situation.
They wanted to see more tennis and they wanted to see a good show and Monfils was giving them both of those things.
Many of those fans made a point to be in that stadium when those two took to the court, so what's so wrong with wanting to get what they feel is their money's worth?
Those that have a real issue the crowd getting behind Monfils are really missing the point, anyway. When Monfils is on, and I don't necessarily mean tennis-wise, he's hard to resist rooting for. He never passes up an opportunity to have a laugh, he loves to interact with the fans around him and hey, while he's at it, he is capable of playing some fantastic tennis.
Honestly, how could you not enjoy watching a player like that?
I should know as well as anyone that it's tough to dislike him. I tried. I didn't like that he was capable of so much more than he was accomplishing with his abundance of talent. I didn't like that he didn't take the game seriously, even in big moments.
But then something strange happened. I got over it and learned to love Monfils for who he is. He's a showman first and a tennis player second more often than not and as far as I'm concerned, that's okay.
Tennis wins when we have a big match like that in front of an electric crowd. Thanks to Monfils and the fan support he got last night, that happened.
Friday, August 30, 2013
Friday, August 23, 2013
US Open First-Round Matches I'm Excited to Watch
After what turned out to be a thoroughly enjoyable US summer hardcourt season, the US Open is finally upon us. The draw came out Thursday afternoon and the qualifying is wrapping up Friday.
Ahead of the main draw starting on Monday, let's take a look at the first-round matches I'm excited to watch.
Lleyton Hewitt vs. Brian Baker
I promise that I don't intend on making my entire blog a Lleyton Hewitt blog, but sometimes it seems that way. I can't help that he is constantly a dangerous "floater" in major draws and that he has a penchant for pulling big upsets and having long matches filled with momentum swings and drama.
Here, he just happens to be matched up against a player that I also happen to be interested in watching.
In the late spring and summer of 2012, Baker was the toast of American tennis, as he fought back from numerous injuries to make it into the tennis mainstream.
In late April, he was still having to play qualifying to get into Challenger tournaments. Then, he made the finals at the clay court event at Nice. He followed that up with winning a match at Roland Garros and taking Gilles Simon to five sets in the second round. He topped it all off by coming through the qualifiers to make it to the round of 16 at Wimbledon.
He wasn't able to continue to play at that level for the rest of the calendar year, but he still had nice moments, which made us think that maybe he was going to continue to be a name to watch in American tennis moving forward.
The year 2013 has made us rethink that. The bugaboo that had hampered Baker's career prior to 2012, injuries, returned in 2013.
Baker advanced to the second round of the Australian Open and took a set from Sam Querrey before he was forced to retire from his match there. After that, we didn't see Baker until he played a Challenger event in Aptos, California earlier this month. All told, he has only played four matches since the Australian Open and only two of those (at Cincinnati) were in a top-level event.
We know what Baker is capable of, but we haven't seen that in over a year.
Hewitt won't give him an easy win in the first round, either. Rusty hasn't come anywhere close to returning to his form of a decade ago, but he has made a habit of making noise (or at least being a nuisance to an opponent) at majors.
The winner of this match will likely face Juan Martin del Potro in the second round, so neither is long for this tournament, but winning this opener would be big for either player.
Denis Istomin vs. Nicolas Almagro
One place I always look for upsets in the draw is a dangerous floater taking on a ranked player that is playing on a surface they don't like. This match fits that bill.
Calling Almagro's summer hardcourt season unsuccessful would be a massive understatement. He only played in two events, the Masters 1000 events in Montreal and Cincinnati, and he lost in his first match in both.
Last season, Almagro actually made it to the fourth round of the US Open, his best performance at the tournament to date, but I'm willing to bet that's the best he ever does at the event.
Istomin, on the other hand, has been pretty good this summer. He advanced to the quarters in Atlanta, won a match and took a set off of Sam Querrey in Washington, D.C. and then advanced to the round of 16 and took a set off of Novak Djokovic at the Masters 1000 event in Montreal.
He will also come in with a ton more matches under his belt on American hard courts. He has been in the states for over a month now playing on the surface and getting ready for the US Open. Almagro, on the hand, has just a couple of pitiful performances to show for his summer.
Almagro is too talented to get blown off the court by Istomin and I certainly won't be surprised if he wins, but don't be shocked if he ends up in a five-set battle that he did not bargain for.
Jack Sock vs. Anyone
Sock is slated to take on a qualifier in the first round, so we will know who is facing late Friday night, but to me, it doesn't really matter.
I tend to be a pretty patient tennis observer. I realize that we live in a world where tennis players are developing later than they ever have. The days of phenoms coming in and winning majors in their mid-teens are more than likely over.
But with that being said, I'm itching for Jack Sock to take the next step in his development and burst through to the second week of a major.
Last year, it was nice to see him advance to the third round of this tournament, but even I have to admit that he was living a charmed life on the way to getting there. In the first round, he took on a hobbled Florian Mayer, who ended up having to retire from the match and in the second round, he drew Flavio Cippolla, a very beatable opponent. He was outclassed in the third round by the aforementioned Almagro, who, as we mentioned, isn't the greatest on hardcourts.
If he gets by his opponent in the first round, he will likely draw Jerzy Janowicz. That's a tough ask for the young American, but what I would be looking for there is for Sock to dig in and give him a fight. If both of these guys are hitting like they are capable of, that match would be a lot of fun.
Marinko Matosevic vs. Tommy Robredo
This match also fits into the same category as Istomin/Almagro.
Matosevic is a serviceable pro who has had a pretty decent summer. He advanced to the quarterfinals in Washington, D.C., taking down the likes of Nikolay Davydenko and Milos Raonic along the way and he came out of the qualifying tournament to make it to the quarterfinals of the Masters 1000 event in Montreal, where he put up as much of a fight against Rafael Nadal as pretty much anyone else has on the hardcourts this summer.
Robredo is no fan of hardcourts and like Almagro, he doesn't have a ton of matches under his belt on this surface going into the tournament. He did well advancing to the round of 16 at the Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati, but that only gives him three matches on the US hardcourt circuit. Robredo was still playing on clay as recently as late-July in Umag, Croatia.
He has made several fourth-round appearances at the US Open in his career, but Robredo just doesn't pose as big a threat at this tournament as he does at, say, the French Open.
If he can continue to play well, Matosevic may have a chance to finally get a win at a major and put an end to his winless record at majors in his career, which now sits at 0-10.
Florian Mayer vs. Juan Monaco
As a tennis fan, neither of these players really do a lot for me. Mayer, while a nice player, kind of gets lost in the shuffle with a lot of players that have cycled in and out of seedings at majors and because Monaco plays a schedule almost exclusively made up of clay court events, I rarely get to see him. When I do, it's usually at a tournament where he doesn't play well.
But I'm anxious to see this match because I think both of these players could really use this win.
After spending much of last year in the 20s, Mayer now finds his ranking all the way down at 47. It's not like he has lost a lot of points because he has had to sit out tournaments, either. He just really hasn't played well at any point this season.
Most recently, he entered both Masters 1000 events, but came away with only one total win and that was against Bernard Tomic, who has spent most of the summer looking listless and disinterested. Mayer lost after retiring in the third set against Jack Sock last year at the US Open, so with few points to defend, winning a couple of matches here could really help boost his ranking.
Much like Mayer, Monaco's ranking has been dropping precipitously for most of the year. After spending much of last year with his ranking sitting in or around the top ten, Monaco now sits at 31.
Monaco couldn't buy a win until he put together a nice run to the semifinals in Houston. Since then, he has been a little bit better, but his successes are almost exclusively on clay.
In his career, Monaco has played in the US Open nine times. Seven times, he was eliminated in the first round. The other two times, he made it all the way to the fourth round. Go figure.
Something's got to give between these two struggling players and I think the one that survives may very well use that momentum to finish up 2013 nicely in the fall season.
Ahead of the main draw starting on Monday, let's take a look at the first-round matches I'm excited to watch.
Lleyton Hewitt vs. Brian Baker
I promise that I don't intend on making my entire blog a Lleyton Hewitt blog, but sometimes it seems that way. I can't help that he is constantly a dangerous "floater" in major draws and that he has a penchant for pulling big upsets and having long matches filled with momentum swings and drama.
Here, he just happens to be matched up against a player that I also happen to be interested in watching.
In the late spring and summer of 2012, Baker was the toast of American tennis, as he fought back from numerous injuries to make it into the tennis mainstream.
In late April, he was still having to play qualifying to get into Challenger tournaments. Then, he made the finals at the clay court event at Nice. He followed that up with winning a match at Roland Garros and taking Gilles Simon to five sets in the second round. He topped it all off by coming through the qualifiers to make it to the round of 16 at Wimbledon.
He wasn't able to continue to play at that level for the rest of the calendar year, but he still had nice moments, which made us think that maybe he was going to continue to be a name to watch in American tennis moving forward.
The year 2013 has made us rethink that. The bugaboo that had hampered Baker's career prior to 2012, injuries, returned in 2013.
Baker advanced to the second round of the Australian Open and took a set from Sam Querrey before he was forced to retire from his match there. After that, we didn't see Baker until he played a Challenger event in Aptos, California earlier this month. All told, he has only played four matches since the Australian Open and only two of those (at Cincinnati) were in a top-level event.
We know what Baker is capable of, but we haven't seen that in over a year.
Hewitt won't give him an easy win in the first round, either. Rusty hasn't come anywhere close to returning to his form of a decade ago, but he has made a habit of making noise (or at least being a nuisance to an opponent) at majors.
The winner of this match will likely face Juan Martin del Potro in the second round, so neither is long for this tournament, but winning this opener would be big for either player.
Denis Istomin vs. Nicolas Almagro
One place I always look for upsets in the draw is a dangerous floater taking on a ranked player that is playing on a surface they don't like. This match fits that bill.
Calling Almagro's summer hardcourt season unsuccessful would be a massive understatement. He only played in two events, the Masters 1000 events in Montreal and Cincinnati, and he lost in his first match in both.
Last season, Almagro actually made it to the fourth round of the US Open, his best performance at the tournament to date, but I'm willing to bet that's the best he ever does at the event.
Istomin, on the other hand, has been pretty good this summer. He advanced to the quarters in Atlanta, won a match and took a set off of Sam Querrey in Washington, D.C. and then advanced to the round of 16 and took a set off of Novak Djokovic at the Masters 1000 event in Montreal.
He will also come in with a ton more matches under his belt on American hard courts. He has been in the states for over a month now playing on the surface and getting ready for the US Open. Almagro, on the hand, has just a couple of pitiful performances to show for his summer.
Almagro is too talented to get blown off the court by Istomin and I certainly won't be surprised if he wins, but don't be shocked if he ends up in a five-set battle that he did not bargain for.
Jack Sock vs. Anyone
Sock is slated to take on a qualifier in the first round, so we will know who is facing late Friday night, but to me, it doesn't really matter.
I tend to be a pretty patient tennis observer. I realize that we live in a world where tennis players are developing later than they ever have. The days of phenoms coming in and winning majors in their mid-teens are more than likely over.
But with that being said, I'm itching for Jack Sock to take the next step in his development and burst through to the second week of a major.
Last year, it was nice to see him advance to the third round of this tournament, but even I have to admit that he was living a charmed life on the way to getting there. In the first round, he took on a hobbled Florian Mayer, who ended up having to retire from the match and in the second round, he drew Flavio Cippolla, a very beatable opponent. He was outclassed in the third round by the aforementioned Almagro, who, as we mentioned, isn't the greatest on hardcourts.
If he gets by his opponent in the first round, he will likely draw Jerzy Janowicz. That's a tough ask for the young American, but what I would be looking for there is for Sock to dig in and give him a fight. If both of these guys are hitting like they are capable of, that match would be a lot of fun.
Marinko Matosevic vs. Tommy Robredo
This match also fits into the same category as Istomin/Almagro.
Matosevic is a serviceable pro who has had a pretty decent summer. He advanced to the quarterfinals in Washington, D.C., taking down the likes of Nikolay Davydenko and Milos Raonic along the way and he came out of the qualifying tournament to make it to the quarterfinals of the Masters 1000 event in Montreal, where he put up as much of a fight against Rafael Nadal as pretty much anyone else has on the hardcourts this summer.
Robredo is no fan of hardcourts and like Almagro, he doesn't have a ton of matches under his belt on this surface going into the tournament. He did well advancing to the round of 16 at the Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati, but that only gives him three matches on the US hardcourt circuit. Robredo was still playing on clay as recently as late-July in Umag, Croatia.
He has made several fourth-round appearances at the US Open in his career, but Robredo just doesn't pose as big a threat at this tournament as he does at, say, the French Open.
If he can continue to play well, Matosevic may have a chance to finally get a win at a major and put an end to his winless record at majors in his career, which now sits at 0-10.
Florian Mayer vs. Juan Monaco
As a tennis fan, neither of these players really do a lot for me. Mayer, while a nice player, kind of gets lost in the shuffle with a lot of players that have cycled in and out of seedings at majors and because Monaco plays a schedule almost exclusively made up of clay court events, I rarely get to see him. When I do, it's usually at a tournament where he doesn't play well.
But I'm anxious to see this match because I think both of these players could really use this win.
After spending much of last year in the 20s, Mayer now finds his ranking all the way down at 47. It's not like he has lost a lot of points because he has had to sit out tournaments, either. He just really hasn't played well at any point this season.
Most recently, he entered both Masters 1000 events, but came away with only one total win and that was against Bernard Tomic, who has spent most of the summer looking listless and disinterested. Mayer lost after retiring in the third set against Jack Sock last year at the US Open, so with few points to defend, winning a couple of matches here could really help boost his ranking.
Much like Mayer, Monaco's ranking has been dropping precipitously for most of the year. After spending much of last year with his ranking sitting in or around the top ten, Monaco now sits at 31.
Monaco couldn't buy a win until he put together a nice run to the semifinals in Houston. Since then, he has been a little bit better, but his successes are almost exclusively on clay.
In his career, Monaco has played in the US Open nine times. Seven times, he was eliminated in the first round. The other two times, he made it all the way to the fourth round. Go figure.
Something's got to give between these two struggling players and I think the one that survives may very well use that momentum to finish up 2013 nicely in the fall season.
Oh, the Places You Will Go and/or Have Been: A Trip Around US Open Qualifying
One of my favorite parts of any major tennis tournament is the abundance of storylines you have right from the word go.
In any given tournament, you have the story of the favorites and whether or not they will win the whole tournament. You have the story of the young hotshots looking to challenge the big names in the sport. You have the story of the journeyman looking for a career-defining run through the field and of course you have the story of the veterans just looking to hang on and give it one more good run.
The US Open is certainly no exception and I would argue that, thanks to the finality it presents as the last major of the season, it has more drama than any other.
But for my money, those stories pale in comparison to the stories that unfold on those same courts the week prior to the main draw tournament at the qualifying tournament.
As a fan of American tennis, I can’t help but feel like the qualifying tournament gives us a look at where we have been and where we are going as a tennis country.
On one court today we had Robby Ginepri. Right now, Ginepri is nothing more than a journeyman looking to add a few more years onto his career before walking away from the game. He hasn’t made the main draw of a major tournament other than the US Open since 2010 and he has only advanced past the second round of any major once since reaching the fourth round of the French Open in 2008.
But back in 2005, Ginepri was ready to take his place alongside Andy Roddick and James Blake as the future of American tennis. He made the semifinals of the US Open that year and put up a great fight for five sets against Andre Agassi in those semifinals before bowing out. He ended that year ranked 15th in the world.
He hasn’t reached those heights again and so here he is, trying desperately to maybe, just maybe milk one last magical run out of his career.
Glance over the courts again and you will find Wayne Odesnik. He was never the player that Ginepri was at his peak, but in 2008 and 2009, he was developing into a perfectly decent rank and file player on the ATP Tour. He had worked his ranking into the top 100 and it was reasonable to expect that 2010 was going to be his best season to date.
Then, while preparing for the Australian Open warmup event in Brisbane, he was found to have imported HGH into the country. He was fined and suspended for two years. The suspension was eventually reduced to one year, but the damage was done. He was officially a pariah on tour, prompting quotes from players like the one where Andy Roddick said that he should be banned from the sport.
So here is Wayne Odesnik, hoping that making a run into the main draw of the US Open will help to mend fences with those players that he has offended.
Another scan of the courts will help you to spot Bobby Reynolds. Reynolds is something of a career qualifier.
He has never come close to getting as far in majors as Ginepri has and he really hasn’t even been as consistent over a period of time as Odesnik was between 2008 and 2010. At 31, he doesn’t have time on his side either.
But he continues to plug away. He still plays challenger tournaments in small towns and in far-flung places and you can just about count on him being at qualifying for each of the major tournaments. Every so often, he will break through qualifiers and make it into the main draw, which gives him the confidence (and money) to continue to push forward.
So here is Bobby Reynolds, just trying to continue living the dream that is being a professional tennis player.
Look again a little later and you will see Donald Young. American tennis fans probably don’t need much of an introduction to Young. He is, of course, the former phenom that, to this point, has had a rough go of it as a professional.
He has had some modest success on the Challenger circuit, but a consistent run of success at the top level has thus far eluded him.
After most were ready to write him off as a bust, he made quite a run into the fourth round at the 2011 US Open, beating Stanislas Wawrinka and Juan Ignacio Chela along the way. But just as quickly as he came out of nowhere to get to that point, he fell back down the rankings and into obscurity.
In 2012, he had a 17-match losing streak, the third-longest of its kind, behind only Andrey Golubev’s 18 and the immortal Vince Spadea’s 21. To say he is an afterthought at this point would be an understatement. He’s still just 24, but you get the feeling that the next 12 months or so will have a huge impact on the type of career Young ends up having.
So here is Donald Young, trying with all his might to fight off the “bust” label once and for all.
Pan around to the other courts and you will find Jarmere Jenkins. The recent graduate of the University of Virginia is looking to follow in the footsteps of players like John Isner and Kevin Anderson, who have carved out nice careers for themselves by completing an entire college career before going pro rather than turning pro as a teenager and working through futures and challengers.
Up until recently, this path was almost unheard-of. The thought was that if you wanted to have a long career as a pro, you had to turn pro in your teens like most players or leave college tennis after a year or so like James Blake or John McEnroe. But thanks to college tennis being as competitive as it has ever been and to players like Isner and Anderson, more and more players are considering an NCAA career.
So here is Jarmere Jenkins, working to make completing four years of college tennis a new normal among young tennis players.
Lastly, you will see the most optimistic and positive part of the qualifying tournament, the teenage kids that are just tickled pink to be competing on the grounds against real pro players.
Many of the best players on tour now got their first big break when they got a chance to play in qualifying against veteran pros.
So here are these young kids. Whether it be Noah Rubin, Mackenzie McDonald, Mitchell Krueger, Dennis Novikov, Jared Donaldson or someone else entirely, these guys are here to be the “next big thing” in American tennis.
As odd a metaphor as this is, when players convene in the locker room before their qualifier matches, I imagine the scene is not too dissimilar to what it’s like when someone new is put into a jail cell with people that have been there awhile.
Just like those people in jail, I imagine these players turn to each other and ask, “So why are you here?”
In any given tournament, you have the story of the favorites and whether or not they will win the whole tournament. You have the story of the young hotshots looking to challenge the big names in the sport. You have the story of the journeyman looking for a career-defining run through the field and of course you have the story of the veterans just looking to hang on and give it one more good run.
The US Open is certainly no exception and I would argue that, thanks to the finality it presents as the last major of the season, it has more drama than any other.
But for my money, those stories pale in comparison to the stories that unfold on those same courts the week prior to the main draw tournament at the qualifying tournament.
As a fan of American tennis, I can’t help but feel like the qualifying tournament gives us a look at where we have been and where we are going as a tennis country.
On one court today we had Robby Ginepri. Right now, Ginepri is nothing more than a journeyman looking to add a few more years onto his career before walking away from the game. He hasn’t made the main draw of a major tournament other than the US Open since 2010 and he has only advanced past the second round of any major once since reaching the fourth round of the French Open in 2008.
But back in 2005, Ginepri was ready to take his place alongside Andy Roddick and James Blake as the future of American tennis. He made the semifinals of the US Open that year and put up a great fight for five sets against Andre Agassi in those semifinals before bowing out. He ended that year ranked 15th in the world.
He hasn’t reached those heights again and so here he is, trying desperately to maybe, just maybe milk one last magical run out of his career.
Glance over the courts again and you will find Wayne Odesnik. He was never the player that Ginepri was at his peak, but in 2008 and 2009, he was developing into a perfectly decent rank and file player on the ATP Tour. He had worked his ranking into the top 100 and it was reasonable to expect that 2010 was going to be his best season to date.
Then, while preparing for the Australian Open warmup event in Brisbane, he was found to have imported HGH into the country. He was fined and suspended for two years. The suspension was eventually reduced to one year, but the damage was done. He was officially a pariah on tour, prompting quotes from players like the one where Andy Roddick said that he should be banned from the sport.
So here is Wayne Odesnik, hoping that making a run into the main draw of the US Open will help to mend fences with those players that he has offended.
Another scan of the courts will help you to spot Bobby Reynolds. Reynolds is something of a career qualifier.
He has never come close to getting as far in majors as Ginepri has and he really hasn’t even been as consistent over a period of time as Odesnik was between 2008 and 2010. At 31, he doesn’t have time on his side either.
But he continues to plug away. He still plays challenger tournaments in small towns and in far-flung places and you can just about count on him being at qualifying for each of the major tournaments. Every so often, he will break through qualifiers and make it into the main draw, which gives him the confidence (and money) to continue to push forward.
So here is Bobby Reynolds, just trying to continue living the dream that is being a professional tennis player.
Look again a little later and you will see Donald Young. American tennis fans probably don’t need much of an introduction to Young. He is, of course, the former phenom that, to this point, has had a rough go of it as a professional.
He has had some modest success on the Challenger circuit, but a consistent run of success at the top level has thus far eluded him.
After most were ready to write him off as a bust, he made quite a run into the fourth round at the 2011 US Open, beating Stanislas Wawrinka and Juan Ignacio Chela along the way. But just as quickly as he came out of nowhere to get to that point, he fell back down the rankings and into obscurity.
In 2012, he had a 17-match losing streak, the third-longest of its kind, behind only Andrey Golubev’s 18 and the immortal Vince Spadea’s 21. To say he is an afterthought at this point would be an understatement. He’s still just 24, but you get the feeling that the next 12 months or so will have a huge impact on the type of career Young ends up having.
So here is Donald Young, trying with all his might to fight off the “bust” label once and for all.
Pan around to the other courts and you will find Jarmere Jenkins. The recent graduate of the University of Virginia is looking to follow in the footsteps of players like John Isner and Kevin Anderson, who have carved out nice careers for themselves by completing an entire college career before going pro rather than turning pro as a teenager and working through futures and challengers.
Up until recently, this path was almost unheard-of. The thought was that if you wanted to have a long career as a pro, you had to turn pro in your teens like most players or leave college tennis after a year or so like James Blake or John McEnroe. But thanks to college tennis being as competitive as it has ever been and to players like Isner and Anderson, more and more players are considering an NCAA career.
So here is Jarmere Jenkins, working to make completing four years of college tennis a new normal among young tennis players.
Lastly, you will see the most optimistic and positive part of the qualifying tournament, the teenage kids that are just tickled pink to be competing on the grounds against real pro players.
Many of the best players on tour now got their first big break when they got a chance to play in qualifying against veteran pros.
So here are these young kids. Whether it be Noah Rubin, Mackenzie McDonald, Mitchell Krueger, Dennis Novikov, Jared Donaldson or someone else entirely, these guys are here to be the “next big thing” in American tennis.
As odd a metaphor as this is, when players convene in the locker room before their qualifier matches, I imagine the scene is not too dissimilar to what it’s like when someone new is put into a jail cell with people that have been there awhile.
Just like those people in jail, I imagine these players turn to each other and ask, “So why are you here?”
Monday, August 12, 2013
Milos Raonic Misses Opportunity to Take Proverbial Next Step
On Sunday afternoon, Rafael Nadal defeated Milos Raonic 6-2, 6-2 in the final of the ATP Rogers Cup tournament in Montreal.
At first glance, the scoreline is not that surprising or all that noteworthy. The win gave Nadal his 25th Masters 1000 Series title and while Raonic is a talented, young big-hitter, Nadal is clearly the better, more well-rounded player at this point.
If you dig a bit deeper, though, I think this match was much bigger than it would seem, particularly for Raonic.
The hard-serving Canadian is a perfectly good player. After what was overall a great tournament in Montreal, he finds himself ranked tenth. He does a good job of beating the players that he should beat and thanks to his serve, he can strike fear in any of the top players.
But expectations that come from early success make things more complicated.
After bursting into the big time with a fourth round performance at the 2011 Australian Open (his first Grand Slam event, no less), Raonic was crowned one of the "next big things" in tennis.
He quickly lived up to those early expectations, as he was ranked in the top 40 within two months of that initial performance at the Australian Open. He took a step about 18 months later when he moved into the top 20, but since then, it doesn't feel like much has changed.
Even as his ranking has gradually moved up, I can't help but feel like Raonic hasn't quite fulfilled his potential yet.
Look, I'm no technical tennis expert. I'm not going to be able to break down his mechanics or crunch advanced numbers to determine if he has actually stagnated in his development.
I just think the next step for him will be taking down a big-name player on a big stage like this Masters 1000 tournament in his home country provided.
Sure, few players outside of Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have done much winning at big tournaments lately, but it has to happen sometime and I think Raonic is one of the top candidates to do so at some point.
I'm bullish on Raonic's future and I'm sure he will breakthrough at some point, but I'd be lying if I said that I'm not getting a little bit anxious to see him get there.
At first glance, the scoreline is not that surprising or all that noteworthy. The win gave Nadal his 25th Masters 1000 Series title and while Raonic is a talented, young big-hitter, Nadal is clearly the better, more well-rounded player at this point.
If you dig a bit deeper, though, I think this match was much bigger than it would seem, particularly for Raonic.
The hard-serving Canadian is a perfectly good player. After what was overall a great tournament in Montreal, he finds himself ranked tenth. He does a good job of beating the players that he should beat and thanks to his serve, he can strike fear in any of the top players.
But expectations that come from early success make things more complicated.
After bursting into the big time with a fourth round performance at the 2011 Australian Open (his first Grand Slam event, no less), Raonic was crowned one of the "next big things" in tennis.
He quickly lived up to those early expectations, as he was ranked in the top 40 within two months of that initial performance at the Australian Open. He took a step about 18 months later when he moved into the top 20, but since then, it doesn't feel like much has changed.
Even as his ranking has gradually moved up, I can't help but feel like Raonic hasn't quite fulfilled his potential yet.
Look, I'm no technical tennis expert. I'm not going to be able to break down his mechanics or crunch advanced numbers to determine if he has actually stagnated in his development.
I just think the next step for him will be taking down a big-name player on a big stage like this Masters 1000 tournament in his home country provided.
Sure, few players outside of Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have done much winning at big tournaments lately, but it has to happen sometime and I think Raonic is one of the top candidates to do so at some point.
I'm bullish on Raonic's future and I'm sure he will breakthrough at some point, but I'd be lying if I said that I'm not getting a little bit anxious to see him get there.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Andy Murray Gives Great Britain Grand Slam Win. Who's Next?
Thanks to Andy Murray, the national nightmare of British tennis fans and journalists alike is over.
For years, the British did all they could to will Greg Rusedski and Tim Henman to Wimbledon wins.
Those two were nice players, both were ranked as high as fourth at one point in their careers, but it always seemed unlikely that either of those two were going to raise their level of play and win the whole enchilada at Wimbledon.
Because it was all Great Britain had, though, an unreasonable level of expectation and hope was thrown on them. I don't have to tell you how that ended. Both retired having never reached the final at any major, Wimbledon included.
Then came Murray. There was buzz early on that he would be the one to end the curse of Fred Perry at Wimbledon, but that success didn't come nearly as fast as the British would have liked.
Murray was blown off the court in his first three major finals and then at his first Wimbledon final in 2012, he won the first set against Roger Federer only to have Federer come back and win the next three. It was hard to blame anyone for wondering if Murray was really any closer to winning Wimbledon, or any other major for that matter.
Murray put those concerns to rest with a win at the US Open later that year and now, he has achieved what I can only assume was the biggest goal on his list, winning Wimbledon.
So now the question is which of the other countries with a Grand Slam to their name will have a home country winner next?
The longest drought now belongs to Australia.
Even though Lleyton Hewitt reached number one in the world and won two major titles (2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon) in his career and Pat Rafter won the US Open twice, Mark Edmondson (1976) is the last Australian man to win the Australian Open.
All it takes to change a country's outlook on the future is one super-talented youngster (Jerzy Janowicz for Poland, anyone?), so things can change quickly, but barring that, I think the wait for the Aussies is likely to be the longest of the three.
Currently, they only have three players in the top 100 of the ATP rankings and one of them is Hewitt. I love Rusty as much as the next guy, but he's not going to win another major at this stage of his career.
That leaves Bernard Tomic (59, but rising after a good showing at Wimbledon) and Marinko Matosevic (72).
At 27, Matosevic is no longer a prospect and I was honestly surprised to see that he is ranked as high as he is. He has never reached the second round of a major, so it's tough to imagine him making a real run.
Tomic is a little different case. He has the talent to challenge for a Grand Slam title, but there are always distractions around him, whether it's a run-in with the law, a spat with Tennis Australia, or drama surrounding his father, who is also his primary coach.
I think he has a real chance to be Australia's Henman, although his temperament is more like Rusedski.
There are a handful of promising players coming up through the system, including players with Grand Slam experience like James Duckworth and Nick Kyrgios, but those guys haven't made a big move yet.
In a nation that should be counted among the biggest historical powers in tennis history, the wait for a player capable of winning a major championship must be excruciating.
France has had the next-longest wait. Yannick Noah, with a win in 1983, is the last French man to win the French Open.
If you're handicapping which of the nations will have a player break through first, the safe bet is with France.
There are 12 Frenchmen ranked in the top 100 and with the way their federation has been pumping out young players of late, it's hard to imagine that well drying up any time soon.
Heck, you could see them breaking their drought here in the next couple of years if Jo-Wilfried Tsonga can put together two weeks of good tennis at Roland Garros. His results there have improved over the last several years and despite his claim that no French man will ever win the French Open, he has a real shot.
That leaves, of course, the USA. You wouldn't believe it thanks to all the hand-wringing over the lack of an American Grand Slam champion, but the Americans have had the shortest wait of the three.
It is so often described as having been ten long years since Andy Roddick won the US Open, but in the grand scheme of things, it has just been ten years.
In terms of the wait for their next home-grown winner of their domestic Open, I would put them ahead of the Australians but behind the French.
Unlike the Aussies, the Americans do have a couple of highly-ranked players in John Isner and Sam Querrey that are still in the prime of their careers, but unlike the French, they don't have a player of Tsonga's caliber that you would describe as a threat to win a major as it stands right now.
The bigger problem for the Yanks is that there is a level of uncertainty about the group of players coming up behind Isner and Querrey. That group ranges from elite junior players that have flamed out at the top level (Donald Young) to decorated NCAA champions (Steve Johnson) to solid pros that haven't yet taken the next step in their development (Ryan Harrison).
In short, there is no Benoit Paire, a 24-year-old Frenchman ranked in the Top-25, in this group.
For my money, the most promising of the kids is Jack Sock. The big hitter from Nebraska (sound familiar?) won the Junior US Open championship in 2010 and in 2011, he won the US Open mixed doubles championship with Melanie Oudin.
I'm not sure about you, but even in this day and age when players are peaking later in their careers, I'm not sold that any of those guys, even Sock, are going to be the next American US Open champ.
Even though the droughts vary in length, they surely feel like eternities for fans in each of the respective countries. Let's just hope for their sake that their streaks don't extend as long as Great Britain's did.
For years, the British did all they could to will Greg Rusedski and Tim Henman to Wimbledon wins.
Those two were nice players, both were ranked as high as fourth at one point in their careers, but it always seemed unlikely that either of those two were going to raise their level of play and win the whole enchilada at Wimbledon.
Because it was all Great Britain had, though, an unreasonable level of expectation and hope was thrown on them. I don't have to tell you how that ended. Both retired having never reached the final at any major, Wimbledon included.
Then came Murray. There was buzz early on that he would be the one to end the curse of Fred Perry at Wimbledon, but that success didn't come nearly as fast as the British would have liked.
Murray was blown off the court in his first three major finals and then at his first Wimbledon final in 2012, he won the first set against Roger Federer only to have Federer come back and win the next three. It was hard to blame anyone for wondering if Murray was really any closer to winning Wimbledon, or any other major for that matter.
Murray put those concerns to rest with a win at the US Open later that year and now, he has achieved what I can only assume was the biggest goal on his list, winning Wimbledon.
So now the question is which of the other countries with a Grand Slam to their name will have a home country winner next?
The longest drought now belongs to Australia.
Even though Lleyton Hewitt reached number one in the world and won two major titles (2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon) in his career and Pat Rafter won the US Open twice, Mark Edmondson (1976) is the last Australian man to win the Australian Open.
All it takes to change a country's outlook on the future is one super-talented youngster (Jerzy Janowicz for Poland, anyone?), so things can change quickly, but barring that, I think the wait for the Aussies is likely to be the longest of the three.
Currently, they only have three players in the top 100 of the ATP rankings and one of them is Hewitt. I love Rusty as much as the next guy, but he's not going to win another major at this stage of his career.
That leaves Bernard Tomic (59, but rising after a good showing at Wimbledon) and Marinko Matosevic (72).
At 27, Matosevic is no longer a prospect and I was honestly surprised to see that he is ranked as high as he is. He has never reached the second round of a major, so it's tough to imagine him making a real run.
Tomic is a little different case. He has the talent to challenge for a Grand Slam title, but there are always distractions around him, whether it's a run-in with the law, a spat with Tennis Australia, or drama surrounding his father, who is also his primary coach.
I think he has a real chance to be Australia's Henman, although his temperament is more like Rusedski.
There are a handful of promising players coming up through the system, including players with Grand Slam experience like James Duckworth and Nick Kyrgios, but those guys haven't made a big move yet.
In a nation that should be counted among the biggest historical powers in tennis history, the wait for a player capable of winning a major championship must be excruciating.
France has had the next-longest wait. Yannick Noah, with a win in 1983, is the last French man to win the French Open.
If you're handicapping which of the nations will have a player break through first, the safe bet is with France.
There are 12 Frenchmen ranked in the top 100 and with the way their federation has been pumping out young players of late, it's hard to imagine that well drying up any time soon.
Heck, you could see them breaking their drought here in the next couple of years if Jo-Wilfried Tsonga can put together two weeks of good tennis at Roland Garros. His results there have improved over the last several years and despite his claim that no French man will ever win the French Open, he has a real shot.
That leaves, of course, the USA. You wouldn't believe it thanks to all the hand-wringing over the lack of an American Grand Slam champion, but the Americans have had the shortest wait of the three.
It is so often described as having been ten long years since Andy Roddick won the US Open, but in the grand scheme of things, it has just been ten years.
In terms of the wait for their next home-grown winner of their domestic Open, I would put them ahead of the Australians but behind the French.
Unlike the Aussies, the Americans do have a couple of highly-ranked players in John Isner and Sam Querrey that are still in the prime of their careers, but unlike the French, they don't have a player of Tsonga's caliber that you would describe as a threat to win a major as it stands right now.
The bigger problem for the Yanks is that there is a level of uncertainty about the group of players coming up behind Isner and Querrey. That group ranges from elite junior players that have flamed out at the top level (Donald Young) to decorated NCAA champions (Steve Johnson) to solid pros that haven't yet taken the next step in their development (Ryan Harrison).
In short, there is no Benoit Paire, a 24-year-old Frenchman ranked in the Top-25, in this group.
For my money, the most promising of the kids is Jack Sock. The big hitter from Nebraska (sound familiar?) won the Junior US Open championship in 2010 and in 2011, he won the US Open mixed doubles championship with Melanie Oudin.
I'm not sure about you, but even in this day and age when players are peaking later in their careers, I'm not sold that any of those guys, even Sock, are going to be the next American US Open champ.
Even though the droughts vary in length, they surely feel like eternities for fans in each of the respective countries. Let's just hope for their sake that their streaks don't extend as long as Great Britain's did.
Monday, July 1, 2013
Okay Wimbledon. I Get It. I Was Wrong.
At some point in our lives, we all get to a point where we realize that our parents were right about everything all along.
We learn some of these lessons quickly, but other times, it takes much longer.
One of those lessons hit home hard this past week as I watched the action unfold at Wimbledon.
As we see now, just over halfway through the tournament, the men's singles draw has been completely ravaged. Rafael Nadal lost on the first day of play to Belgian Steve Darcis and the carnage has not stopped since.
Stanislas Wawrinka was blown off the court by Lleyton Hewitt, then Hewitt turned around and lost to qualifier Dustin Brown, Roger Federer was eliminated by Sergiy Stakhovsky, John Isner retired from his match five minutes after it began, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga retired after going down two sets to none against Ernests Gulbis, Fernando Verdasco partied like it's 2010 and beat Julien Benneteau, Kenny DeSchepper got a walkover against Marin Cilic, then beat Juan Monaco in the third round and Bernard Tomic beat Richard Gasquet.
Got all that?
This tournament has been almost nothing but walkovers, retirements and upsets. As a result, we have the most random quarterfinal round that I can remember.
Full disclosure: this is exactly what I have always wanted. I've written before that men's tennis was in serious need of a shakeup. To me, Andy Murray breaking through to make it a true Big Four didn't constitute a shakeup.
I have long yearned for tournaments littered with upsets and now that we have one on our hands, I have been left with an empty feeling.
It's not that the draw was completely devoid of players I like, although most of those (Andreas Seppi, Jurgen Melzer come to mind) were eliminated Monday in the round of 16.
But the biggest thing was that, suddenly, my daily ritual of watching Wimbledon DVR recordings from the early morning wasn't as fun anymore.
That was precisely the moment when I realized that my folks were right.
I really should be careful what I wish for because I just might get it.
I wanted so badly for unseeded players to advance deep into Grand Slams and give the big names a run for their money. But now that wish has come true and I'm not all that enthused by the end result.
It turns out that rooting for my favorite underdogs against the big names later in the tournament is a lot more fun than some of my favorite underdogs playing against each other later in the tournament.
I've been wrong all along. Maybe I don't want the big names to monopolize the championships the way they have over the last couple of years, but I certainly want them involved deep into the second week of the tournament.
I need help remembering this from here on out. Sometime next year, when Djokovic, Murray and Nadal are three of the four semifinalists at all four majors, I'm going to start talking about how I want upsets galore.
Please, please, for my own selfish enjoyment of these tournaments, talk me out of it. I don't want this again.
We learn some of these lessons quickly, but other times, it takes much longer.
One of those lessons hit home hard this past week as I watched the action unfold at Wimbledon.
As we see now, just over halfway through the tournament, the men's singles draw has been completely ravaged. Rafael Nadal lost on the first day of play to Belgian Steve Darcis and the carnage has not stopped since.
Stanislas Wawrinka was blown off the court by Lleyton Hewitt, then Hewitt turned around and lost to qualifier Dustin Brown, Roger Federer was eliminated by Sergiy Stakhovsky, John Isner retired from his match five minutes after it began, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga retired after going down two sets to none against Ernests Gulbis, Fernando Verdasco partied like it's 2010 and beat Julien Benneteau, Kenny DeSchepper got a walkover against Marin Cilic, then beat Juan Monaco in the third round and Bernard Tomic beat Richard Gasquet.
Got all that?
This tournament has been almost nothing but walkovers, retirements and upsets. As a result, we have the most random quarterfinal round that I can remember.
Full disclosure: this is exactly what I have always wanted. I've written before that men's tennis was in serious need of a shakeup. To me, Andy Murray breaking through to make it a true Big Four didn't constitute a shakeup.
I have long yearned for tournaments littered with upsets and now that we have one on our hands, I have been left with an empty feeling.
It's not that the draw was completely devoid of players I like, although most of those (Andreas Seppi, Jurgen Melzer come to mind) were eliminated Monday in the round of 16.
But the biggest thing was that, suddenly, my daily ritual of watching Wimbledon DVR recordings from the early morning wasn't as fun anymore.
That was precisely the moment when I realized that my folks were right.
I really should be careful what I wish for because I just might get it.
I wanted so badly for unseeded players to advance deep into Grand Slams and give the big names a run for their money. But now that wish has come true and I'm not all that enthused by the end result.
It turns out that rooting for my favorite underdogs against the big names later in the tournament is a lot more fun than some of my favorite underdogs playing against each other later in the tournament.
I've been wrong all along. Maybe I don't want the big names to monopolize the championships the way they have over the last couple of years, but I certainly want them involved deep into the second week of the tournament.
I need help remembering this from here on out. Sometime next year, when Djokovic, Murray and Nadal are three of the four semifinalists at all four majors, I'm going to start talking about how I want upsets galore.
Please, please, for my own selfish enjoyment of these tournaments, talk me out of it. I don't want this again.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Lleyton Hewitt Takes Fans Back to the Old Days
It's no secret that I'm an unapologetic Lleyton Hewitt fan. I've written more about him than almost anyone else in this space and that's odd considering that he has been ranked over or near 100 since I started this blog.
The thing about it is that I used to truly dislike him. I didn't like how he yelled and ranted and I really didn't like how he antagonized so many of his opponents, seemingly just for the sake of antagonizing them.
But over the last couple of years, my feelings about Hewitt have changed completely. For starters, he seems to have cooled down as he has gotten older. That has made being a fan of his easier, to be sure, but I have also learned to appreciate him for what he is in his older age.
The scrappy, fiery demeanor that used to get under my skin when he was at the top of the sport is now what I like most about him. I also love that on occasion, for much shorter periods of time now, Hewitt will show you a flash of the brilliance that took him to number one in the world.
In his opening round match at Wimbledon, against 11th-ranked Stan Wawrinka, Hewitt was at his gutsiest and gave us more than just a flash of brilliance.
The Aussie didn't just hang with Wawrinka. For that matter, he didn't just beat him either. Hewitt routed him 6-4, 7-5, 6-3.
Against players the caliber of Wawrinka, Hewitt is nearly always going to be the underdog these days, but you have to love his attitude about it.
After his win, Hewitt said "He's a quality player, but going out there I didn't feel like a total underdog."
Shortly after, Hewitt answered critics that may have been calling for his retirement after all of his injuries and his drop in the rankings over the last few years.
"People ask when you're retiring but why would you retire with an atmosphere like that?" he said.
Those two quotes so perfectly encompass what I love about Hewitt. He never goes on court expecting to lose and he is going to continue to play the game until he physically can't anymore.
Until that day comes, I'll be firmly behind him.
The thing about it is that I used to truly dislike him. I didn't like how he yelled and ranted and I really didn't like how he antagonized so many of his opponents, seemingly just for the sake of antagonizing them.
But over the last couple of years, my feelings about Hewitt have changed completely. For starters, he seems to have cooled down as he has gotten older. That has made being a fan of his easier, to be sure, but I have also learned to appreciate him for what he is in his older age.
The scrappy, fiery demeanor that used to get under my skin when he was at the top of the sport is now what I like most about him. I also love that on occasion, for much shorter periods of time now, Hewitt will show you a flash of the brilliance that took him to number one in the world.
In his opening round match at Wimbledon, against 11th-ranked Stan Wawrinka, Hewitt was at his gutsiest and gave us more than just a flash of brilliance.
The Aussie didn't just hang with Wawrinka. For that matter, he didn't just beat him either. Hewitt routed him 6-4, 7-5, 6-3.
Against players the caliber of Wawrinka, Hewitt is nearly always going to be the underdog these days, but you have to love his attitude about it.
After his win, Hewitt said "He's a quality player, but going out there I didn't feel like a total underdog."
Shortly after, Hewitt answered critics that may have been calling for his retirement after all of his injuries and his drop in the rankings over the last few years.
"People ask when you're retiring but why would you retire with an atmosphere like that?" he said.
Those two quotes so perfectly encompass what I love about Hewitt. He never goes on court expecting to lose and he is going to continue to play the game until he physically can't anymore.
Until that day comes, I'll be firmly behind him.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Who is Cursing the Wimbledon Draw?
Winning in tennis, particularly in a Grand Slam tournament where you are really only dealing with the best of the best, is mostly about talent.
If you look at the players that make the quarterfinals in these tournaments, you will see the same names over and over again and there are generally all players ranked in the top 10 or 15. That's no accident.
But we can't pretend like luck doesn't play into it.
The draw, one of the few things the players can't prepare for or control, can greatly affect a player's run through the field. A tough draw, even if it doesn't knock him out, can greatly tax a player before he gets to the late stages. A soft draw can keep a player fresh before he gets into the late rounds against the tougher players.
Heading into the 2013 edition of the Wimbledon Championships, let's take a look at the players that were saddled with a tough draw.
Roger Federer
Fed's early-round matches won't strike anyone as particularly daunting. The ranked players in his 1/8th of the draw include players that aren't all that comfortable on grass in Nicolas Almagro and Fabio Fognini and a relatively unproven player in Jerzy Janowicz. The only real dangerous floater in the section is Lukas Rosol, the Czech player who upset Rafael Nadal last year.
The part that has to stick in Federer's craw is that Nadal, who is seeded fifth, ended up in his quarter. In the past, Federer has probably felt pretty confident in his ability to beat Nadal on this surface, but the rivalry between the two has been trending away from Roger for quite some time now.
At this stage of their respective careers, and with Nadal playing so well at the moment, it's just hard to imagine Federer being able to beat Nadal.
Sam Querrey
After bottoming out a couple of years ago due to nagging injuries and ailments, Sam has done a nice job of rebounding to get himself back around the top 20.
But now that he has gotten back to playing consistent tennis, he's more than due for a breakout performance in a Grand Slam. He hasn't advanced to the fourth round of a major since the 2010 US Open.
If he's going to do that here, he's going to have to escape a pretty difficult first round match against Bernard Tomic. The young Australian has had a draining few months what with the drama surrounding his father, but if he can focus and play the way he is capable of, he has the talent to make a deep run. He did make the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 2011.
Making things tougher, if he is able to get past Tomic and the winner of Blake/DeBakker in the second round, he will likely end up opposite Richard Gasquet, who has been playing arguably the best tennis of his career over the last year or so.
Stanislas Wawrinka
Stan has become something of a tragic character. He has done a fantastic job of turning himself into a consistent top-15 player. He has even gone on to play some of the best tennis of his career over the last year or so, but he is often undone by an unfortunate draw or by a marathon where the opponent matches him shot for shot.
Looking at what he has ahead of him at Wimbledon, it could be setting up to be more of the same.
In the first round, he drew the scrappy Lleyton Hewitt. Even if Hewitt doesn't have what it takes to rise to the occasion and win this match, he's going to make Stan work. In a way, you could also look at this as a really tough draw for Hewitt, as Rusty has played well enough in some of these recent majors to advance into the second or third round, but he has also found himself up against stout opposition more often than not.
If Stan gets past Hewitt and his second round opponent, he could very well have a date with big John Isner. It remains to be seen how much Isner is going to have coming off of his tough match at the French Open with Tommy Haas, but even if he's not at his very best, that serve will still make things tough.
Fabio Fognini
Even though he's "just" seeded 30th, I think it's pretty neat that Fognini has worked his way into consistently being seeded at Grand Slam events.
It would be even better if he could turn this run of good form into a nice, extended run at a major where he has advanced past the second round just once, but that may not be in the cards.
He gets his tournament underway against a tricky player in Jurgen Melzer. The Austrian is a solid top-40 player that was ranked as high as eighth in the relatively recent past. Above all else, though, Melzer is a lefty with some real pop in his racket and those guys are few and far between on tour.
If Fognini is able to advance past Melzer, he could match up with Lukas Rosol. He is a big hitter that, as I mentioned earlier, knocked Nadal out last year.
And if Fabio is able to fight his way past those two, he will, in all likelihood, have a date with none other than Roger Federer.
Tommy Robredo
Robredo has given us one of the better comeback stories in recent memory. After falling way down the rankings in 2011 and early 2012, Robredo rebounded nicely and capped off his run back up the rankings with a quarterfinal appearance at the French Open this year. It was the first time he had made the quarters of a major since the 2009 French Open.
As a reward, Robredo has been stuck with a particularly tough path if he wants to make a run at Wimbledon, a tournament where he has had little success anyway.
He should be fine in the first round when he faces off against Alex Bogomolov, Jr., but from there, it gets difficult. His second round opponent will likely be Nicolas Mahut, a player who prefers the grass and will be coming off of his first ATP singles title after he beat Stan Wawrinka 6-3, 6-4 in The Netherlands this past week.
If he can get past Mahut, he will likely go head-to-head with Andy Murray. That's not exactly a formula for success for Tommy.
Ryan Harrison
It has become a running joke that you can take it to the bank that Ryan Harrison will end up opposite a seeded player in the first round of a major. American tennis fans are getting antsy for Harrison to make his big move up the rankings, but that's difficult to do with the type of draws he has gotten.
This time around, he finds himself paired with Jeremy Chardy. Seeded 28th, Chardy is a player that Harrison can beat, but it's not going to easy. The Frenchman has had a fantastic 2013 and he very well may be playing the best tennis of his career.
If Harrison were to pull the upset and beat Chardy, his second round match should be significantly easier, but waiting for him in the third round will probably be Novak Djokovic.
If you look at the players that make the quarterfinals in these tournaments, you will see the same names over and over again and there are generally all players ranked in the top 10 or 15. That's no accident.
But we can't pretend like luck doesn't play into it.
The draw, one of the few things the players can't prepare for or control, can greatly affect a player's run through the field. A tough draw, even if it doesn't knock him out, can greatly tax a player before he gets to the late stages. A soft draw can keep a player fresh before he gets into the late rounds against the tougher players.
Heading into the 2013 edition of the Wimbledon Championships, let's take a look at the players that were saddled with a tough draw.
Roger Federer
Fed's early-round matches won't strike anyone as particularly daunting. The ranked players in his 1/8th of the draw include players that aren't all that comfortable on grass in Nicolas Almagro and Fabio Fognini and a relatively unproven player in Jerzy Janowicz. The only real dangerous floater in the section is Lukas Rosol, the Czech player who upset Rafael Nadal last year.
The part that has to stick in Federer's craw is that Nadal, who is seeded fifth, ended up in his quarter. In the past, Federer has probably felt pretty confident in his ability to beat Nadal on this surface, but the rivalry between the two has been trending away from Roger for quite some time now.
At this stage of their respective careers, and with Nadal playing so well at the moment, it's just hard to imagine Federer being able to beat Nadal.
Sam Querrey
After bottoming out a couple of years ago due to nagging injuries and ailments, Sam has done a nice job of rebounding to get himself back around the top 20.
But now that he has gotten back to playing consistent tennis, he's more than due for a breakout performance in a Grand Slam. He hasn't advanced to the fourth round of a major since the 2010 US Open.
If he's going to do that here, he's going to have to escape a pretty difficult first round match against Bernard Tomic. The young Australian has had a draining few months what with the drama surrounding his father, but if he can focus and play the way he is capable of, he has the talent to make a deep run. He did make the quarterfinals at Wimbledon in 2011.
Making things tougher, if he is able to get past Tomic and the winner of Blake/DeBakker in the second round, he will likely end up opposite Richard Gasquet, who has been playing arguably the best tennis of his career over the last year or so.
Stanislas Wawrinka
Stan has become something of a tragic character. He has done a fantastic job of turning himself into a consistent top-15 player. He has even gone on to play some of the best tennis of his career over the last year or so, but he is often undone by an unfortunate draw or by a marathon where the opponent matches him shot for shot.
Looking at what he has ahead of him at Wimbledon, it could be setting up to be more of the same.
In the first round, he drew the scrappy Lleyton Hewitt. Even if Hewitt doesn't have what it takes to rise to the occasion and win this match, he's going to make Stan work. In a way, you could also look at this as a really tough draw for Hewitt, as Rusty has played well enough in some of these recent majors to advance into the second or third round, but he has also found himself up against stout opposition more often than not.
If Stan gets past Hewitt and his second round opponent, he could very well have a date with big John Isner. It remains to be seen how much Isner is going to have coming off of his tough match at the French Open with Tommy Haas, but even if he's not at his very best, that serve will still make things tough.
Fabio Fognini
Even though he's "just" seeded 30th, I think it's pretty neat that Fognini has worked his way into consistently being seeded at Grand Slam events.
It would be even better if he could turn this run of good form into a nice, extended run at a major where he has advanced past the second round just once, but that may not be in the cards.
He gets his tournament underway against a tricky player in Jurgen Melzer. The Austrian is a solid top-40 player that was ranked as high as eighth in the relatively recent past. Above all else, though, Melzer is a lefty with some real pop in his racket and those guys are few and far between on tour.
If Fognini is able to advance past Melzer, he could match up with Lukas Rosol. He is a big hitter that, as I mentioned earlier, knocked Nadal out last year.
And if Fabio is able to fight his way past those two, he will, in all likelihood, have a date with none other than Roger Federer.
Tommy Robredo
Robredo has given us one of the better comeback stories in recent memory. After falling way down the rankings in 2011 and early 2012, Robredo rebounded nicely and capped off his run back up the rankings with a quarterfinal appearance at the French Open this year. It was the first time he had made the quarters of a major since the 2009 French Open.
As a reward, Robredo has been stuck with a particularly tough path if he wants to make a run at Wimbledon, a tournament where he has had little success anyway.
He should be fine in the first round when he faces off against Alex Bogomolov, Jr., but from there, it gets difficult. His second round opponent will likely be Nicolas Mahut, a player who prefers the grass and will be coming off of his first ATP singles title after he beat Stan Wawrinka 6-3, 6-4 in The Netherlands this past week.
If he can get past Mahut, he will likely go head-to-head with Andy Murray. That's not exactly a formula for success for Tommy.
Ryan Harrison
It has become a running joke that you can take it to the bank that Ryan Harrison will end up opposite a seeded player in the first round of a major. American tennis fans are getting antsy for Harrison to make his big move up the rankings, but that's difficult to do with the type of draws he has gotten.
This time around, he finds himself paired with Jeremy Chardy. Seeded 28th, Chardy is a player that Harrison can beat, but it's not going to easy. The Frenchman has had a fantastic 2013 and he very well may be playing the best tennis of his career.
If Harrison were to pull the upset and beat Chardy, his second round match should be significantly easier, but waiting for him in the third round will probably be Novak Djokovic.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Missing Andy Roddick
Shortly after Andy Roddick announced his retirement at last year's US Open, I wrote a piece for TheFanManifesto.com urging tennis fans to remember Andy fondly and truly be thankful for all that he gave us during his long career.
With the grass court season in full swing and Wimbledon just around the corner, I know that's exactly how I'm remembering him.
Andy had so many fantastic moments on the grass at the All England Club in his career that sometimes I almost forget that his one Grand Slam victory was at the US Open and not Wimbledon.
He made the finals there three times, each time losing to Roger Federer.
The most notable of those losses was the legendary 7-5, 6-7 (6), 6-7 (5), 6-3, 14-16 match in 2009. It was in that match that we saw Andy at what was likely his very best. And, as was the case all too often during his matches against Federer, it just wasn't enough.
For those of us that were fans of Roddick right down to the very end, Wimbledon also gave us hope. As the sun began to set on his career, it became more and more apparent that it was the only tournament where he was going to be able to win that elusive second major. His ability to serve on grass masked his deficiencies and gave him a puncher's chance every time out.
With him gone, the tournament will just be different.
For starters, my annual tradition of looking at the Wimbledon draw, finding Andy and trying to dream up a scenario where he could win it all is no longer something I can do.
More than anything, though, I just feel like I no longer have a dog in the fight. I root for John Isner, Sam Querrey and the rest of the Yanks, sure, but it's not the same. Andy was the player that got me into tennis and that fandom just can't be recreated with another player.
I have every intention of watching as much of the tournament as I can, but something will certainly be missing.
Despite his frustrating losses and even more frustrating outbursts, rooting for Andy was what I loved most about tennis and it won't be the same without him.
With the grass court season in full swing and Wimbledon just around the corner, I know that's exactly how I'm remembering him.
Andy had so many fantastic moments on the grass at the All England Club in his career that sometimes I almost forget that his one Grand Slam victory was at the US Open and not Wimbledon.
He made the finals there three times, each time losing to Roger Federer.
The most notable of those losses was the legendary 7-5, 6-7 (6), 6-7 (5), 6-3, 14-16 match in 2009. It was in that match that we saw Andy at what was likely his very best. And, as was the case all too often during his matches against Federer, it just wasn't enough.
For those of us that were fans of Roddick right down to the very end, Wimbledon also gave us hope. As the sun began to set on his career, it became more and more apparent that it was the only tournament where he was going to be able to win that elusive second major. His ability to serve on grass masked his deficiencies and gave him a puncher's chance every time out.
With him gone, the tournament will just be different.
For starters, my annual tradition of looking at the Wimbledon draw, finding Andy and trying to dream up a scenario where he could win it all is no longer something I can do.
More than anything, though, I just feel like I no longer have a dog in the fight. I root for John Isner, Sam Querrey and the rest of the Yanks, sure, but it's not the same. Andy was the player that got me into tennis and that fandom just can't be recreated with another player.
I have every intention of watching as much of the tournament as I can, but something will certainly be missing.
Despite his frustrating losses and even more frustrating outbursts, rooting for Andy was what I loved most about tennis and it won't be the same without him.
Monday, June 10, 2013
The Best and Worst of Times
What do we make of the 2013 French Open?
You would be hard-pressed to argue that the tournament didn't give us the types of upsets that make Grand Slam events fun and unpredictable.
After all, we saw both Tommy Haas and Tommy Robredo make appearances in the quarterfinals. Haas' success is somewhat expected as he has made a slow climb in the rankings ever since bottoming out a couple of years ago. Robredo, though, was a big surprise. He had put together a nice 2013 to date, but I don't know that anyone expected this type of run out of him.
We also saw David Ferrer make a Grand Slam final for the first time in his career. After several years of being a lock to advance to and lose in the quarters or semis, it was nice to see all of his hard work pay off.
But on the other hand, the event ended the way we always expected it to.
We knew that, barring something unforeseen, no one was going to be able to touch Rafael Nadal and that's exactly how it played out.
It's that part that makes me unsure of how to feel about this edition of the French Open.
I fully realize that the opportunity I have been given to watch the greatest clay court player of all-time ply his trade is a gift. No one has dominated clay courts like he has and I get the feeling that the French Open records that he has set will never be touched. I'm one of the lucky few that will get to say that I saw him play at the height of his powers.
I should have been excited to see him dominate. I should have been looking to set everything else aside to really immerse myself in his matches.
But I wasn't and I didn't.
It's just that his dominance was so routine. I will grant you that his semifinal against Novak Djokovic was an instant classic. But for the most part, his run through the field, including his win over Ferrer in the final, was dull, methodical and quick.
It's not fair to either competitor, but even the marathon match between Nadal and Djokovic was predictable in its own way. I think we knew going in that it was going to go five sets and I'm guessing if we were all injected with truth serum, we would have admitted that we knew there was no way Nadal was losing that match.
Maybe I'm alone, and based on a lot of the fantastic journalism I have read over the last couple of days waxing poetic about Nadal's victory it appears that I am, but I was left underwhelmed by what I saw at the French Open.
I know that's wrong of me and it bothers me to no end, but I can't lie. Hopefully you can forgive me.
You would be hard-pressed to argue that the tournament didn't give us the types of upsets that make Grand Slam events fun and unpredictable.
After all, we saw both Tommy Haas and Tommy Robredo make appearances in the quarterfinals. Haas' success is somewhat expected as he has made a slow climb in the rankings ever since bottoming out a couple of years ago. Robredo, though, was a big surprise. He had put together a nice 2013 to date, but I don't know that anyone expected this type of run out of him.
We also saw David Ferrer make a Grand Slam final for the first time in his career. After several years of being a lock to advance to and lose in the quarters or semis, it was nice to see all of his hard work pay off.
But on the other hand, the event ended the way we always expected it to.
We knew that, barring something unforeseen, no one was going to be able to touch Rafael Nadal and that's exactly how it played out.
It's that part that makes me unsure of how to feel about this edition of the French Open.
I fully realize that the opportunity I have been given to watch the greatest clay court player of all-time ply his trade is a gift. No one has dominated clay courts like he has and I get the feeling that the French Open records that he has set will never be touched. I'm one of the lucky few that will get to say that I saw him play at the height of his powers.
I should have been excited to see him dominate. I should have been looking to set everything else aside to really immerse myself in his matches.
But I wasn't and I didn't.
It's just that his dominance was so routine. I will grant you that his semifinal against Novak Djokovic was an instant classic. But for the most part, his run through the field, including his win over Ferrer in the final, was dull, methodical and quick.
It's not fair to either competitor, but even the marathon match between Nadal and Djokovic was predictable in its own way. I think we knew going in that it was going to go five sets and I'm guessing if we were all injected with truth serum, we would have admitted that we knew there was no way Nadal was losing that match.
Maybe I'm alone, and based on a lot of the fantastic journalism I have read over the last couple of days waxing poetic about Nadal's victory it appears that I am, but I was left underwhelmed by what I saw at the French Open.
I know that's wrong of me and it bothers me to no end, but I can't lie. Hopefully you can forgive me.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
An Open Letter to the French Open
Dearest French Open,
I hope you don't take anything I write in this letter personally. I don't want any hurt feelings and I want you to know that there are lots of people all over the world that love you very much and can accept you for who you are.
It's just that for me, when stacked up against all of the other Grand Slam tournaments, I don't like you all that much.
I know that might not be easy to hear, but I want you to know that it's not you, it's me.
The hardest thing for me to come to terms with is just how much your surface changes the game. Sure, I realize that there are also players whose performance fluctuates on hard courts and grass, but it's nothing compared to what you see on clay.
There are some players who are legitimate championship contenders in the three other majors that are complete non-factors at Roland Garros. On the flip side of that, there are also players that stand a chance of making a deep run only at the French.
Historically, I have been a fan of players that have fallen on the side of those that don't play particularly well on clay, so that probably doesn't help either. My favorite player of all-time, Andy Roddick, struggled famously at Roland Garros, so you can maybe understand my distaste.
The fans, generally thought of as the worst of the four majors, don't help much either. They just have the feel of a group that takes everything too seriously and they are notoriously hostile towards anyone who does anything that they feel is outside of their accepted etiquette. And who can forget when Roger Federer had to yell at them to shut up because someone had yelled out during a rally? When you see an outburst from Roger, you know someone has really done something.
I'd also like to see some night tennis. One of the fun things about the Australian and US Opens is that on occasion you will have a really, really late night session where the crowd is kind of delirious and into the match because they have just been sitting there for hours and want to see something amazing. You don't get that at Roland Garros.
Again, I realize that none of this is your fault, French Open, and that a lack of night tennis doesn't make you any different than Wimbledon, but that's just my preference.
It's not all bad, though. I know you may not want to hear it after I have just gotten done telling you about all the things I don't like about you, but there are a few things I do like.
For starters, I like that you come along at just the right time of year. In terms of really compelling tennis, the months between the Aussie Open and your tournament don't bring a lot to the table outside of a couple of Masters 1000 events and Davis Cup quarterfinals. It will be nice to see big-time, five-set tennis matches on TV again.
I may not be a fan of how your surface allows some players to become instant contenders and others to become also-rans, but I have to admit that I like that your tournament is among the most likely to give us early-round upsets of favorites. The ATP Tour has been largely devoid of those lately, so maybe a shakeup is needed.
It's probably best that we just define our relationship better, French Open. It's not that I don't want to ever see you again. You're a big part of the season and it wouldn't feel right without you. It's just that I don't want you to be disappointed or angry when I don't spent as much time or energy watching you or keeping up with you as I do the Australian Open, Wimbledon or the US Open.
The type of attention I pay to those other three is the type of attention you need and deserve and I'm not the one to give that to you. I hope you understand.
Sincerely,
Joseph Healy
I hope you don't take anything I write in this letter personally. I don't want any hurt feelings and I want you to know that there are lots of people all over the world that love you very much and can accept you for who you are.
It's just that for me, when stacked up against all of the other Grand Slam tournaments, I don't like you all that much.
I know that might not be easy to hear, but I want you to know that it's not you, it's me.
The hardest thing for me to come to terms with is just how much your surface changes the game. Sure, I realize that there are also players whose performance fluctuates on hard courts and grass, but it's nothing compared to what you see on clay.
There are some players who are legitimate championship contenders in the three other majors that are complete non-factors at Roland Garros. On the flip side of that, there are also players that stand a chance of making a deep run only at the French.
Historically, I have been a fan of players that have fallen on the side of those that don't play particularly well on clay, so that probably doesn't help either. My favorite player of all-time, Andy Roddick, struggled famously at Roland Garros, so you can maybe understand my distaste.
The fans, generally thought of as the worst of the four majors, don't help much either. They just have the feel of a group that takes everything too seriously and they are notoriously hostile towards anyone who does anything that they feel is outside of their accepted etiquette. And who can forget when Roger Federer had to yell at them to shut up because someone had yelled out during a rally? When you see an outburst from Roger, you know someone has really done something.
I'd also like to see some night tennis. One of the fun things about the Australian and US Opens is that on occasion you will have a really, really late night session where the crowd is kind of delirious and into the match because they have just been sitting there for hours and want to see something amazing. You don't get that at Roland Garros.
Again, I realize that none of this is your fault, French Open, and that a lack of night tennis doesn't make you any different than Wimbledon, but that's just my preference.
It's not all bad, though. I know you may not want to hear it after I have just gotten done telling you about all the things I don't like about you, but there are a few things I do like.
For starters, I like that you come along at just the right time of year. In terms of really compelling tennis, the months between the Aussie Open and your tournament don't bring a lot to the table outside of a couple of Masters 1000 events and Davis Cup quarterfinals. It will be nice to see big-time, five-set tennis matches on TV again.
I may not be a fan of how your surface allows some players to become instant contenders and others to become also-rans, but I have to admit that I like that your tournament is among the most likely to give us early-round upsets of favorites. The ATP Tour has been largely devoid of those lately, so maybe a shakeup is needed.
It's probably best that we just define our relationship better, French Open. It's not that I don't want to ever see you again. You're a big part of the season and it wouldn't feel right without you. It's just that I don't want you to be disappointed or angry when I don't spent as much time or energy watching you or keeping up with you as I do the Australian Open, Wimbledon or the US Open.
The type of attention I pay to those other three is the type of attention you need and deserve and I'm not the one to give that to you. I hope you understand.
Sincerely,
Joseph Healy
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Buy/Sell - April 27th, 2013
When I first started this blog a few months back, I had the idea that Buy/Sell would be one of my recurring features. Of course, that hasn't happened. You know what they say about the best laid plans.
It's here now, though, so I guess there's that. Without further ado, here we go.
BUY:
- I might be alone on this because I'm a sports cards and collectibles nerd, but I'm buying that the Leaf Trading Cards purchase of Ace Authentic's stock is a positive for tennis trading cards.
I appreciate what Ace Authentic did for tennis cards and memorabilia, but their releases seemed sporadic and lacking in uniformity and consistency. Maybe their tennis product falls into the trading card rank and file, but with Leaf at the helm, you are likely going to at least get some consistency in the product.
I have already pre-ordered my first hobby box and you should too. I guess you could say I'm buying this in both a figurative and literal sense.
- I'm buying that John Isner might be working his way out of the funk he has been in since the 2013 season started. Isner played really well in wining the US Men's Clay Court Championship in Houston and I think it will be good for him to play a lighter schedule leading up to the French Open.
At this point, it's clear that he has a good game for clay, but for a number of reasons, he just hasn't been able to put it all together at Roland Garros. It remains to be seen whether or not this is the year he makes a deep run there, but don't be surprised if it is.
- I think we just might be witnessing Nicolas Almagro's career year. For so long, Almagro has been a nice, consistent top-15 or 20 player, but nothing more. He was overshadowed by countrymen Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer. He also had a habit of never really losing early in majors, but also never really exceeding expectations, either. Injuries played a part as well.
But now, he's in the middle of one of the best stretches of his career. He had a great run to the quarters of the Australian Open. Once there, he put the fear of God in David Ferrer before losing. He made the semis in Buenos Aires, the semis in Acapulco and the finals of Houston. More than the results themselves, though, you have to like the way he is playing.
Almagro is serving as well as anyone on tour right now and when you are getting all those free points, everything else kind of comes easy.
- I'm buying the fact that I can't wait for the French Open to get here. Independently, the French is fourth on my list of favorite Grand Slam tournaments.
But because of how long it has been since we've had a major, I always end up waiting breathlessly for it to begin. I know it's not going to change because it has been this way forever, but I've always disliked the fact that we have a four month break from majors followed by two weeks between majors.
Sell:
- Speaking of the French Open, I'm selling Rafael Nadal as an overwhelming favorite to win the tournament. Sure, he can win it and he has looked pretty darn good since returning from his knee injury, but playing at run of the mill ATP World Tour stops and playing in the French Open are two completely different things.
Specifically, playing two or three sets and playing five sets are two completely different things. He has been pushed physically to a certain extent since returning, but nothing will come close to the way he will be pushed if he ends up in a marathon four or five-setter against a tough opponent. It will be at that moment that we see just how healthy Nadal's knee is.
-I'm selling anyone in the ATP rankings behind the top four players. It's not that there aren't really good players behind those top four. There certainly are. It's just that the top 25 or 30 spots have been so fluid of late. I can't help but feel like that fluidity in the rankings has more to do with mediocrity and not parity.
Take a look at the current rankings. Is Richard Gasquet a top ten player? He is because he is ranked ninth in ATP points, but I just don't see him as that type of player. Outside the top ten, we have players like Marin Cilic, Tommy Haas, Gilles Simon, Andreas Seppi and Juan Monaco. Those guys have obviously had some success to get where they are now, but would you trust any of them in a big match?
It's here now, though, so I guess there's that. Without further ado, here we go.
BUY:
- I might be alone on this because I'm a sports cards and collectibles nerd, but I'm buying that the Leaf Trading Cards purchase of Ace Authentic's stock is a positive for tennis trading cards.
I appreciate what Ace Authentic did for tennis cards and memorabilia, but their releases seemed sporadic and lacking in uniformity and consistency. Maybe their tennis product falls into the trading card rank and file, but with Leaf at the helm, you are likely going to at least get some consistency in the product.
I have already pre-ordered my first hobby box and you should too. I guess you could say I'm buying this in both a figurative and literal sense.
- I'm buying that John Isner might be working his way out of the funk he has been in since the 2013 season started. Isner played really well in wining the US Men's Clay Court Championship in Houston and I think it will be good for him to play a lighter schedule leading up to the French Open.
At this point, it's clear that he has a good game for clay, but for a number of reasons, he just hasn't been able to put it all together at Roland Garros. It remains to be seen whether or not this is the year he makes a deep run there, but don't be surprised if it is.
- I think we just might be witnessing Nicolas Almagro's career year. For so long, Almagro has been a nice, consistent top-15 or 20 player, but nothing more. He was overshadowed by countrymen Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer. He also had a habit of never really losing early in majors, but also never really exceeding expectations, either. Injuries played a part as well.
But now, he's in the middle of one of the best stretches of his career. He had a great run to the quarters of the Australian Open. Once there, he put the fear of God in David Ferrer before losing. He made the semis in Buenos Aires, the semis in Acapulco and the finals of Houston. More than the results themselves, though, you have to like the way he is playing.
Almagro is serving as well as anyone on tour right now and when you are getting all those free points, everything else kind of comes easy.
- I'm buying the fact that I can't wait for the French Open to get here. Independently, the French is fourth on my list of favorite Grand Slam tournaments.
But because of how long it has been since we've had a major, I always end up waiting breathlessly for it to begin. I know it's not going to change because it has been this way forever, but I've always disliked the fact that we have a four month break from majors followed by two weeks between majors.
Sell:
- Speaking of the French Open, I'm selling Rafael Nadal as an overwhelming favorite to win the tournament. Sure, he can win it and he has looked pretty darn good since returning from his knee injury, but playing at run of the mill ATP World Tour stops and playing in the French Open are two completely different things.
Specifically, playing two or three sets and playing five sets are two completely different things. He has been pushed physically to a certain extent since returning, but nothing will come close to the way he will be pushed if he ends up in a marathon four or five-setter against a tough opponent. It will be at that moment that we see just how healthy Nadal's knee is.
-I'm selling anyone in the ATP rankings behind the top four players. It's not that there aren't really good players behind those top four. There certainly are. It's just that the top 25 or 30 spots have been so fluid of late. I can't help but feel like that fluidity in the rankings has more to do with mediocrity and not parity.
Take a look at the current rankings. Is Richard Gasquet a top ten player? He is because he is ranked ninth in ATP points, but I just don't see him as that type of player. Outside the top ten, we have players like Marin Cilic, Tommy Haas, Gilles Simon, Andreas Seppi and Juan Monaco. Those guys have obviously had some success to get where they are now, but would you trust any of them in a big match?
Monday, April 8, 2013
Loss to Serbia Highlights Issue in US Davis Cup Lineup
I have gone on the record as saying that I'm bullish on the current US Davis Cup lineup moving forward.
The Bryan brothers have said they aren't looking at retirement until after the 2016 Olympic games and given the longevity that most doubles players enjoy, there is no reason to expect them to slow down before then.
John Isner and Sam Querrey may not give you the ceiling of an Andy Roddick in his prime, but you certainly could do at lot worse. Players with their serves are always going to be competitive.
I also think it helps that these four, barring injuries and things of that nature, are the obvious four players to select. Over the last several years, the parts had been shuffled quite a bit as Roddick began to take some Davis Cup ties off, James Blake was forced to take more time off due to injuries and Mardy Fish had a late-career resurgence.
I think there is something to be said for continuity, even in a sport there the "team" doesn't compete together.
The downside of this lineup is that is has its limitations.
Isner and Querrey are nice players. They both feature a dangerous weapon in their respective serves. Against most players they will face in early-round Davis Cup matches, that will be enough.
They run into problems, though, when they come up against teams that feature an elite player, like they did this past weekend against Novak Djokovic and Serbia. Neither guy is known for digging deep and coming up with awe-inspiring performances when faced with a top-flight player. Isner's win against Federer in Davis Cup last year comes to mind, but that's about it.
On top of that, the Davis Cup format rewards teams that have one transcendent player. Anything can happen in a Davis Cup weekend, to be sure, but when you have a near-sure thing in a player like Djokovic, you are basically coming into the weekend up 2-0.
And that's exactly the type of player the US is lacking.
They don't feature a player that gives the team an automatic win. They have nice players, sure, but you can't bank on them the way Serbia banks on Djokovic and the way Spain banks on Nadal or even Ferrer.
I guess I need to change my tune about the current version of the US Davis Cup team. I like their depth. There is no real weak spot in the lineup and against teams with no real elite player, that will almost always be enough to get the job done. But when they do come up against a team with that type of player, they are woefully unable to fight fire with fire.
The Bryan brothers have said they aren't looking at retirement until after the 2016 Olympic games and given the longevity that most doubles players enjoy, there is no reason to expect them to slow down before then.
John Isner and Sam Querrey may not give you the ceiling of an Andy Roddick in his prime, but you certainly could do at lot worse. Players with their serves are always going to be competitive.
I also think it helps that these four, barring injuries and things of that nature, are the obvious four players to select. Over the last several years, the parts had been shuffled quite a bit as Roddick began to take some Davis Cup ties off, James Blake was forced to take more time off due to injuries and Mardy Fish had a late-career resurgence.
I think there is something to be said for continuity, even in a sport there the "team" doesn't compete together.
The downside of this lineup is that is has its limitations.
Isner and Querrey are nice players. They both feature a dangerous weapon in their respective serves. Against most players they will face in early-round Davis Cup matches, that will be enough.
They run into problems, though, when they come up against teams that feature an elite player, like they did this past weekend against Novak Djokovic and Serbia. Neither guy is known for digging deep and coming up with awe-inspiring performances when faced with a top-flight player. Isner's win against Federer in Davis Cup last year comes to mind, but that's about it.
On top of that, the Davis Cup format rewards teams that have one transcendent player. Anything can happen in a Davis Cup weekend, to be sure, but when you have a near-sure thing in a player like Djokovic, you are basically coming into the weekend up 2-0.
And that's exactly the type of player the US is lacking.
They don't feature a player that gives the team an automatic win. They have nice players, sure, but you can't bank on them the way Serbia banks on Djokovic and the way Spain banks on Nadal or even Ferrer.
I guess I need to change my tune about the current version of the US Davis Cup team. I like their depth. There is no real weak spot in the lineup and against teams with no real elite player, that will almost always be enough to get the job done. But when they do come up against a team with that type of player, they are woefully unable to fight fire with fire.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Bartender! Another round (of Davis Cup) please!
Davis Cup is criminally underappreciated in the sports world.
Not only is it as exhilarating and intriguing as almost any other international competition, but generally speaking, we consistently get fantastic tennis from this event.
If the last round of play in early February is any indication, this year is going to be no exception. All we had last time were upsets, returns to prominence for historical tennis powers and the longest match in the storied history of Davis Cup.
It would be asking a lot of this round of play to stack up against that, but I'm anxiously awaiting what we will see over the weekend.
Okay, enough dawdling, on to the tie previews.
Canada vs. Italy (Vancouver, Indoor Hard Court)
The fact that I might be most excited to see this tie confirms the fact that I'm a huge tennis nerd. There aren't any real big names in this tie like there are in the others (although I will admit that Milos Raonic is getting close to that level) and neither of these teams strike you as teams that are going to ultimately come away with the Davis Cup in the end.
With all that being said, though, this tie is so completely unpredictable.
Canada obviously has a huge advantage thanks to Milos Raonic being by far the best singles player in this tie. If he plays like he's capable of in his matches, Canada will only need to eke out one more match win to clinch the team win.
On the other hand, Italy's top two players, Fabio Fognini and Andreas Seppi, are the type of grinders that might be able to frustrate Raonic. Fognini has the raw talent to play with anyone on tour and Seppi gives a good, honest effort every time he takes the court.
You also can't overlook the fact that Italy has the players to challenge Canada for the doubles point. Against most nations, Canada would all but have the doubles point wrapped up before the match even starts thanks to the presence of Daniel Nestor. But that's not the case against Italy. Fognini is an accomplished doubles player and Simon Bolelli gives him a solid partner.
Most intriguing of all for me is that this tie represents a fantastic opportunity for both nations. For Canada, it gives them a chance to show that they are now real players in the world of international tennis. For Italy, it gives them the chance get back to a place that had been very familiar at one point, the top of the tennis world.
This one is too close to call, but I guess I have to pick a winner. When in doubt, I like to go with the nation that has the best one player. For that reason, I'm picking Canada, but I think it's going to be close.
USA vs. Serbia (Boise, Indoor Hard Court)
I suppose if I were to be as excited for any one tie other than Canada/Italy it would be this one. I mean, I'm nothing if not a patriot, particularly when sports are involved.
I have to admit that I kind of like this new-look USA Davis Cup lineup. With Isner and Querrey leading the way, you have a better than average 1-2 punch in your singles lineup and the Bryans don't show any real signs of slipping from their perch at the top of doubles tennis.
I just wish that was going to matter more this weekend.
I don't have to tell you who leads the Serbian team. That would be none other than Novak Djokovic, arguably the best player on tour. Behind him, they have Viktor Troicki, a player that is easily overlooked but shouldn't be taken lightly. The Serbians also feature Nenad Zimonjic, a championship-level doubles player that will, at the very least, make the Bryans work to get the doubles point.
The Americans have the depth to go toe-to-toe with Serbia, but when you are dealing with a player as good as Djokovic, I'm not sure depth matters as much. If he plays anywhere close to his best, he will be able to take care of Isner and Querrey in his matches and I'm betting that Troicki will upset one of those two, as that is just what Troicki does.
While we're here, let me mention how disappointed I am that the USTA decided to hold this tie in Boise, Idaho. I'm sure Boise is a nice enough city, but is it a tennis hotbed? Do they have a history of hosting major international competitions like this? Can we guarantee that the crowds won't end up being paltry because a heavy snowstorm moves in over the weekend? I don't have any definitive answers for those questions, but I'm guessing the answer is no in each case.
In conclusion, I hate to say it, but I think the Serbians are the safe bet here.
Argentina vs. France (Buenos Aires, Outdoor Clay)
Only one thing is for sure in this tie and that's that there are going to be literally hundreds of long, drawn out, stylish points played on the clay in Buenos Aires. That's just what these two teams do.
Beyond that, I don't see anything but domination on France's part in this tie.
The French are bringing their "A" team to Argentina. It doesn't get much better than Tsonga, Gasquet, Benneteau and Llodra.You know your team is good when Benneateau might not be able to get into a match unless he plays doubles.
Argentina has as close to an "A" team as they can get at this point.They are missing Juan Martin del Potro, but that's not all that surprising considered his estrangement from the Argentine Davis Cup team.
It's just that I don't think Argentina matches up well against France. In the first round, Argentina came up against a German team that was undermanned and was ill-fit for the surface they were playing on.
That won't be the case against France. The French team has better talent from top to bottom and they play well on clay. Their country's major tournament is played on that surface after all.
It's also worth noting that France is 5-0 all time against Argentina in Davis Cup play. That has little bearing on what will happen this weekend, but I found it interesting.
Argentina might find a way to steal a point here, but look for France to emerge victorious.
Kazakhstan vs. Czech Republic (Astana, Indoor Clay)
Kazakhstan is what Davis Cup is all about. They don't have any big names on their team. For that matter, they don't even have anyone currently ranked in the top 150. And yet, they continue to find ways to win.
Pete Bodo of Tennis Magazine likes to say that the Kazakhs punch above their weight in Davis Cup and I couldn't agree more.
Quite frankly, the Czech Republic isn't much different. Sure, in Radek Stepanek they have an accomplished singles player and in Lukas Rosol they have a young up and comer, but just looking at this team, you wouldn't think they would be capable of winning the whole thing. And yet, they did in 2012.
All signs point toward the Czechs ending Kazakhstan's unlikely run, but keep in mind that Kazakhstan beat the Czech Republic just over two years ago in the World Group First Round.
With Argentina and France, I don't think the all-time numbers mean much. In the case of this tie, I think it does matter, though. In that tie two years ago, it was many of the same players involved. That win for Kazakhstan also served as their announcement that they were going to be players in Davis Cup.
I think the Czechs win this tie, but I have my doubts that Kazakhstan goes easily. Look for them to go down swinging.
Not only is it as exhilarating and intriguing as almost any other international competition, but generally speaking, we consistently get fantastic tennis from this event.
If the last round of play in early February is any indication, this year is going to be no exception. All we had last time were upsets, returns to prominence for historical tennis powers and the longest match in the storied history of Davis Cup.
It would be asking a lot of this round of play to stack up against that, but I'm anxiously awaiting what we will see over the weekend.
Okay, enough dawdling, on to the tie previews.
Canada vs. Italy (Vancouver, Indoor Hard Court)
The fact that I might be most excited to see this tie confirms the fact that I'm a huge tennis nerd. There aren't any real big names in this tie like there are in the others (although I will admit that Milos Raonic is getting close to that level) and neither of these teams strike you as teams that are going to ultimately come away with the Davis Cup in the end.
With all that being said, though, this tie is so completely unpredictable.
Canada obviously has a huge advantage thanks to Milos Raonic being by far the best singles player in this tie. If he plays like he's capable of in his matches, Canada will only need to eke out one more match win to clinch the team win.
On the other hand, Italy's top two players, Fabio Fognini and Andreas Seppi, are the type of grinders that might be able to frustrate Raonic. Fognini has the raw talent to play with anyone on tour and Seppi gives a good, honest effort every time he takes the court.
You also can't overlook the fact that Italy has the players to challenge Canada for the doubles point. Against most nations, Canada would all but have the doubles point wrapped up before the match even starts thanks to the presence of Daniel Nestor. But that's not the case against Italy. Fognini is an accomplished doubles player and Simon Bolelli gives him a solid partner.
Most intriguing of all for me is that this tie represents a fantastic opportunity for both nations. For Canada, it gives them a chance to show that they are now real players in the world of international tennis. For Italy, it gives them the chance get back to a place that had been very familiar at one point, the top of the tennis world.
This one is too close to call, but I guess I have to pick a winner. When in doubt, I like to go with the nation that has the best one player. For that reason, I'm picking Canada, but I think it's going to be close.
USA vs. Serbia (Boise, Indoor Hard Court)
I suppose if I were to be as excited for any one tie other than Canada/Italy it would be this one. I mean, I'm nothing if not a patriot, particularly when sports are involved.
I have to admit that I kind of like this new-look USA Davis Cup lineup. With Isner and Querrey leading the way, you have a better than average 1-2 punch in your singles lineup and the Bryans don't show any real signs of slipping from their perch at the top of doubles tennis.
I just wish that was going to matter more this weekend.
I don't have to tell you who leads the Serbian team. That would be none other than Novak Djokovic, arguably the best player on tour. Behind him, they have Viktor Troicki, a player that is easily overlooked but shouldn't be taken lightly. The Serbians also feature Nenad Zimonjic, a championship-level doubles player that will, at the very least, make the Bryans work to get the doubles point.
The Americans have the depth to go toe-to-toe with Serbia, but when you are dealing with a player as good as Djokovic, I'm not sure depth matters as much. If he plays anywhere close to his best, he will be able to take care of Isner and Querrey in his matches and I'm betting that Troicki will upset one of those two, as that is just what Troicki does.
While we're here, let me mention how disappointed I am that the USTA decided to hold this tie in Boise, Idaho. I'm sure Boise is a nice enough city, but is it a tennis hotbed? Do they have a history of hosting major international competitions like this? Can we guarantee that the crowds won't end up being paltry because a heavy snowstorm moves in over the weekend? I don't have any definitive answers for those questions, but I'm guessing the answer is no in each case.
In conclusion, I hate to say it, but I think the Serbians are the safe bet here.
Argentina vs. France (Buenos Aires, Outdoor Clay)
Only one thing is for sure in this tie and that's that there are going to be literally hundreds of long, drawn out, stylish points played on the clay in Buenos Aires. That's just what these two teams do.
Beyond that, I don't see anything but domination on France's part in this tie.
The French are bringing their "A" team to Argentina. It doesn't get much better than Tsonga, Gasquet, Benneteau and Llodra.You know your team is good when Benneateau might not be able to get into a match unless he plays doubles.
Argentina has as close to an "A" team as they can get at this point.They are missing Juan Martin del Potro, but that's not all that surprising considered his estrangement from the Argentine Davis Cup team.
It's just that I don't think Argentina matches up well against France. In the first round, Argentina came up against a German team that was undermanned and was ill-fit for the surface they were playing on.
That won't be the case against France. The French team has better talent from top to bottom and they play well on clay. Their country's major tournament is played on that surface after all.
It's also worth noting that France is 5-0 all time against Argentina in Davis Cup play. That has little bearing on what will happen this weekend, but I found it interesting.
Argentina might find a way to steal a point here, but look for France to emerge victorious.
Kazakhstan vs. Czech Republic (Astana, Indoor Clay)
Kazakhstan is what Davis Cup is all about. They don't have any big names on their team. For that matter, they don't even have anyone currently ranked in the top 150. And yet, they continue to find ways to win.
Pete Bodo of Tennis Magazine likes to say that the Kazakhs punch above their weight in Davis Cup and I couldn't agree more.
Quite frankly, the Czech Republic isn't much different. Sure, in Radek Stepanek they have an accomplished singles player and in Lukas Rosol they have a young up and comer, but just looking at this team, you wouldn't think they would be capable of winning the whole thing. And yet, they did in 2012.
All signs point toward the Czechs ending Kazakhstan's unlikely run, but keep in mind that Kazakhstan beat the Czech Republic just over two years ago in the World Group First Round.
With Argentina and France, I don't think the all-time numbers mean much. In the case of this tie, I think it does matter, though. In that tie two years ago, it was many of the same players involved. That win for Kazakhstan also served as their announcement that they were going to be players in Davis Cup.
I think the Czechs win this tie, but I have my doubts that Kazakhstan goes easily. Look for them to go down swinging.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Early-Round Matches to Watch at the Sony Open
March is a fantastic time to be a tennis fan in this country.
First off, it's nice that the weather is again consistently nice enough that outdoor tournaments can be played. The events at Indian Wells and Miami, pardon me, the Sony Open, really are a sign that Spring is upon us.
Beyond that, Indian Wells and Miami are fantastic events.
This year is certainly no exception. Indian Wells was a star-studded event that may end up being looked back upon as the event where Rafael Nadal announced that he was completely "back."
Miami, with the notable exceptions of Roger Federer and Nadal, who is still playing it safe with his knee, looks to have almost as strong a field.
To get you ready for all of the action from Miami over the next week and a half, let's look at some of the early-round matches you should be looking out for.
Lleyton Hewitt vs. Gilles Simon - second round
This match would happen if Hewitt handles his business in the first round against Joao Sousa of Portugal. I'm pretty confident he'll get that done.
There's very little to not like about Hewitt's game. He grinds, he fights, he plays out every single point and every so often in a match, he'll give you a glimpse of what made him the top-ranked player in the world about a decade ago.
You can't even really get upset about his demeanor anymore. When he was first bursting onto the scene, tennis lifers bristled at his on-court snarl and the way he yelled "Come on!" after big points. Now, those two traits make him just one of literally hundreds of players on tour that snarl and yell on the court.
Simon is the type of player that frustrates you to no end if you are a fan of his. Often times, he seems content to just push the ball around the court and extend points until one player or the other can make a circus shot.
But up against a grinder like Hewitt, that style can make for a fun match.
I like Hewitt if this match comes to fruition. The Aussie is going to struggle from here on out in his career against the biggest hitters on tour, but against a guy like Simon that is going to let him hang around, he can get the job done.
Ryan Harrison vs. James Blake - first round
Here we have a match between two American players whose careers are passing like ships in the night.
James Blake has spent the last few years battling injuries and inconsistency. As much as I would like to see it, it's getting really tough to imagine a scenario where Blake battles his way back into the top-50 or so.
Every so often, though, he is able to put it all together and give us an inspired performance.
Harrison is undoubtedly on the upswing of his career, but some are beginning to get impatient with his development. He clearly has the game, but sometimes he struggles with the mental side of the sport. There are no questions about his hunger, though, and I think that will ultimately serve him well.
In this one, I expect to see some of the best of both players. Blake will be looking to show the younger generation of players that the old guard is still a factor and Harrison will be looking to show that he is both the future and present of American tennis.
In a related note, Harrison finally has a manageable draw. He has had such bad luck with draws at big events. He often finds himself up against one of the giants of the game in the first or second round. In Miami, if the draw holds, he will have winnable matches against Julien Benneteau and Juan Monaco before having to face Juan Martin del Potro.
Philipp Kohlschreiber vs. David Goffin - second round
For this to happen, Goffin would have to beat Robin Haase in the first round. That's a solid opponent, but I'm confident in Goffin.
Kohlschreiber has a way of sneaking up in events like this. The German has a good game for these hard courts and he's due for one of those deep runs that few see coming.
After bursting onto the scene last year, Goffin has yet to take the next step in his development and force his way into a seed in events like this.
If Goffin is going to make a move like that, Kohlschreiber is an opponent he can get that run started against. On the other hand, Kohlschreiber is the type of guy that can give a young player lots of trouble. He isn't going to beat himself and he is going to force his opponent to play a sound match.
Either player would be disappointed with a loss in this round and both would have to chalk this up as a good win.
Andy Murray vs. Bernard Tomic - second round
We would get this match if Tomic wins his first round match against Marc Gicquel. The fact that that's not a given illustrates exactly why this match would be exciting.
No outcome for Bernard Tomic would be a surprise. Just as he could drop his first round match to Gicquel, he could come out on fire and beat Andy Murray.
It's also just about time that we see a move from Tomic. So far in his career, he's the type of player that crumbles under pressure and thrives when no one is expecting anything from him.
It will also be interesting to see what kind of form Murray is in. He has, by design, played few events since the Australian Open. Then, at Indian Wells, he was upset in the quarters against del Potro and wasn't even all that competitive in the last two sets.
Robby Ginepri vs. Yen-Hsun Lu - first round
Okay, so I picked this match pretty much solely because I'm a sucker for nostalgia. It's easy to forget that Ginepri once made the semifinals of the US Open and was considered one of the real up and comers in American tennis.
He never again reached that pinnacle and he quickly fell behind others in the pecking order of American players, but it speaks well of him that he's still plugging away at it as hard as ever.
For that, he has my support and my attention when he takes the court.
First off, it's nice that the weather is again consistently nice enough that outdoor tournaments can be played. The events at Indian Wells and Miami, pardon me, the Sony Open, really are a sign that Spring is upon us.
Beyond that, Indian Wells and Miami are fantastic events.
This year is certainly no exception. Indian Wells was a star-studded event that may end up being looked back upon as the event where Rafael Nadal announced that he was completely "back."
Miami, with the notable exceptions of Roger Federer and Nadal, who is still playing it safe with his knee, looks to have almost as strong a field.
To get you ready for all of the action from Miami over the next week and a half, let's look at some of the early-round matches you should be looking out for.
Lleyton Hewitt vs. Gilles Simon - second round
This match would happen if Hewitt handles his business in the first round against Joao Sousa of Portugal. I'm pretty confident he'll get that done.
There's very little to not like about Hewitt's game. He grinds, he fights, he plays out every single point and every so often in a match, he'll give you a glimpse of what made him the top-ranked player in the world about a decade ago.
You can't even really get upset about his demeanor anymore. When he was first bursting onto the scene, tennis lifers bristled at his on-court snarl and the way he yelled "Come on!" after big points. Now, those two traits make him just one of literally hundreds of players on tour that snarl and yell on the court.
Simon is the type of player that frustrates you to no end if you are a fan of his. Often times, he seems content to just push the ball around the court and extend points until one player or the other can make a circus shot.
But up against a grinder like Hewitt, that style can make for a fun match.
I like Hewitt if this match comes to fruition. The Aussie is going to struggle from here on out in his career against the biggest hitters on tour, but against a guy like Simon that is going to let him hang around, he can get the job done.
Ryan Harrison vs. James Blake - first round
Here we have a match between two American players whose careers are passing like ships in the night.
James Blake has spent the last few years battling injuries and inconsistency. As much as I would like to see it, it's getting really tough to imagine a scenario where Blake battles his way back into the top-50 or so.
Every so often, though, he is able to put it all together and give us an inspired performance.
Harrison is undoubtedly on the upswing of his career, but some are beginning to get impatient with his development. He clearly has the game, but sometimes he struggles with the mental side of the sport. There are no questions about his hunger, though, and I think that will ultimately serve him well.
In this one, I expect to see some of the best of both players. Blake will be looking to show the younger generation of players that the old guard is still a factor and Harrison will be looking to show that he is both the future and present of American tennis.
In a related note, Harrison finally has a manageable draw. He has had such bad luck with draws at big events. He often finds himself up against one of the giants of the game in the first or second round. In Miami, if the draw holds, he will have winnable matches against Julien Benneteau and Juan Monaco before having to face Juan Martin del Potro.
Philipp Kohlschreiber vs. David Goffin - second round
For this to happen, Goffin would have to beat Robin Haase in the first round. That's a solid opponent, but I'm confident in Goffin.
Kohlschreiber has a way of sneaking up in events like this. The German has a good game for these hard courts and he's due for one of those deep runs that few see coming.
After bursting onto the scene last year, Goffin has yet to take the next step in his development and force his way into a seed in events like this.
If Goffin is going to make a move like that, Kohlschreiber is an opponent he can get that run started against. On the other hand, Kohlschreiber is the type of guy that can give a young player lots of trouble. He isn't going to beat himself and he is going to force his opponent to play a sound match.
Either player would be disappointed with a loss in this round and both would have to chalk this up as a good win.
Andy Murray vs. Bernard Tomic - second round
We would get this match if Tomic wins his first round match against Marc Gicquel. The fact that that's not a given illustrates exactly why this match would be exciting.
No outcome for Bernard Tomic would be a surprise. Just as he could drop his first round match to Gicquel, he could come out on fire and beat Andy Murray.
It's also just about time that we see a move from Tomic. So far in his career, he's the type of player that crumbles under pressure and thrives when no one is expecting anything from him.
It will also be interesting to see what kind of form Murray is in. He has, by design, played few events since the Australian Open. Then, at Indian Wells, he was upset in the quarters against del Potro and wasn't even all that competitive in the last two sets.
Robby Ginepri vs. Yen-Hsun Lu - first round
Okay, so I picked this match pretty much solely because I'm a sucker for nostalgia. It's easy to forget that Ginepri once made the semifinals of the US Open and was considered one of the real up and comers in American tennis.
He never again reached that pinnacle and he quickly fell behind others in the pecking order of American players, but it speaks well of him that he's still plugging away at it as hard as ever.
For that, he has my support and my attention when he takes the court.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
BNP Paribas Open: Early Round Matches to Watch
After a month of few meaningful matches, with the notable exception of Rafael Nadal's matches on his comeback trail, we finally get into the swing of the Spring season with the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.
As usual, most of the big names are here, including Rafael Nadal in his first tournament of the season off of clay.
With this being the case, we are often treated to some Grand Slam-level matches at this event. Before we even get that deep into the tournament, though, there are some early-round matches that are worth your time.
The ones that I'm looking forward to are as follows:
Mardy Fish vs. Whoever he ends up playing first
Because Mardy still has enough points left over from when he was playing, he was able to be seeded 32nd in this draw. That puts him through to the second round automatically where he will play the winner of a first-round match between Benjamin Becker and a qualifier.
Honestly, the player that ends up facing off against Mardy isn't all that important. If Mardy is anywhere close to the player he was before his long hiatus, he will win the match. But if he is the same player we saw just before he decided to shut it down last season, he's going to get beat.
I'm really rooting for Mardy. His comeback story of a couple of years ago was fantastic and I've always loved his game. But I fear that if he suffers another setback, he might end up face to face with the prospect of hanging it up for good. That's how serious his health concerns are.
James Blake vs. Robin Haase
James Blake is another American that has had his career threatened by injuries. You are left wondering what his peak would have been had he not missed significant time with various ailments. And now that he is relatively healthy, he doesn't have game like he used to.
That's not to say that he can't still have a successful last ride through the ATP Tour. He still plays well in spurts and he loves hard courts in his home country. Keeping that in mind, I wouldn't be shocked if he puts together some good tennis over these next couple of weeks.
Haase is the type of player that Blake is going to have to be able to beat if he is going to find his way back into the top 100 and into the main draw of majors. Haase is a solid top-50 or 75 player that is consistently having the type of seasons that you would hope for Blake to be able to have in these last years of his career.
Sam Querrey vs. Jack Sock
In order for this match to take place, Sock would have to win his first round match against a qualifier, but I think he will manage to do that.
Sam needs a good week and I think he can accomplish that if he avoids the early-round loss that can sometimes plague him. If the draw holds, he would end up facing Juan Monaco in the third round. Monaco doesn't play all that well on hard courts and he has been terrible so far this season. From there, he would likely face Novak Djokovic, but getting that far and fighting hard against Djokovic should be taken as a positive result.
It's getting past Sock that might be the problem. Sock has the game to win just about any match he is in and, similar to a young Andy Roddick, he has the belief that he's among the best in the game, even though he's not there yet.
This match also represents a big opportunity for Sock. It is assumed that Ryan Harrison leads the pack when it comes to young American players, but his development is taking a bit longer than some would have hoped. With a big win over arguably the top American on tour right now, there might start to be some rumblings that Sock is the young American to watch.
Lleyton Hewitt vs. Lukas Rosol
In tennis, few things are more fun than a classic contrast of styles and that's what we have here in this first round match.
There are no secrets about what Hewitt is going to bring to the table. He is going to fight and scrap for every point. If Rosol isn't on his game, Hewitt is going to make him miserable.
The downside of that style is that Hewitt doesn't have the firepower to really dominate a match. Even if his opponent is not at the top of his game, Hewitt's style will allow the player to hang around a little bit.
When it's all said and done, it's hard to bet against a battler like Hewitt, though.
Kevin Anderson vs. Victor Hanescu
I have long been bullish on the potential of the big South African Kevin Anderson and after a breakthrough performance at the Australian Open, it looks like I'm finally being rewarded for that faith.
To really take the next step in his development, though, he will have to put away opponents like Hanescu routinely. Hanescu is a solid but unspectacular player that guys the caliber of Anderson should be beating with regularity.
In the past, Anderson has been up and down against these types of players in early-round matches and that has to stop if he is going to consistently keep his ranking around the top 30.
As usual, most of the big names are here, including Rafael Nadal in his first tournament of the season off of clay.
With this being the case, we are often treated to some Grand Slam-level matches at this event. Before we even get that deep into the tournament, though, there are some early-round matches that are worth your time.
The ones that I'm looking forward to are as follows:
Mardy Fish vs. Whoever he ends up playing first
Because Mardy still has enough points left over from when he was playing, he was able to be seeded 32nd in this draw. That puts him through to the second round automatically where he will play the winner of a first-round match between Benjamin Becker and a qualifier.
Honestly, the player that ends up facing off against Mardy isn't all that important. If Mardy is anywhere close to the player he was before his long hiatus, he will win the match. But if he is the same player we saw just before he decided to shut it down last season, he's going to get beat.
I'm really rooting for Mardy. His comeback story of a couple of years ago was fantastic and I've always loved his game. But I fear that if he suffers another setback, he might end up face to face with the prospect of hanging it up for good. That's how serious his health concerns are.
James Blake vs. Robin Haase
James Blake is another American that has had his career threatened by injuries. You are left wondering what his peak would have been had he not missed significant time with various ailments. And now that he is relatively healthy, he doesn't have game like he used to.
That's not to say that he can't still have a successful last ride through the ATP Tour. He still plays well in spurts and he loves hard courts in his home country. Keeping that in mind, I wouldn't be shocked if he puts together some good tennis over these next couple of weeks.
Haase is the type of player that Blake is going to have to be able to beat if he is going to find his way back into the top 100 and into the main draw of majors. Haase is a solid top-50 or 75 player that is consistently having the type of seasons that you would hope for Blake to be able to have in these last years of his career.
Sam Querrey vs. Jack Sock
In order for this match to take place, Sock would have to win his first round match against a qualifier, but I think he will manage to do that.
Sam needs a good week and I think he can accomplish that if he avoids the early-round loss that can sometimes plague him. If the draw holds, he would end up facing Juan Monaco in the third round. Monaco doesn't play all that well on hard courts and he has been terrible so far this season. From there, he would likely face Novak Djokovic, but getting that far and fighting hard against Djokovic should be taken as a positive result.
It's getting past Sock that might be the problem. Sock has the game to win just about any match he is in and, similar to a young Andy Roddick, he has the belief that he's among the best in the game, even though he's not there yet.
This match also represents a big opportunity for Sock. It is assumed that Ryan Harrison leads the pack when it comes to young American players, but his development is taking a bit longer than some would have hoped. With a big win over arguably the top American on tour right now, there might start to be some rumblings that Sock is the young American to watch.
Lleyton Hewitt vs. Lukas Rosol
In tennis, few things are more fun than a classic contrast of styles and that's what we have here in this first round match.
There are no secrets about what Hewitt is going to bring to the table. He is going to fight and scrap for every point. If Rosol isn't on his game, Hewitt is going to make him miserable.
The downside of that style is that Hewitt doesn't have the firepower to really dominate a match. Even if his opponent is not at the top of his game, Hewitt's style will allow the player to hang around a little bit.
When it's all said and done, it's hard to bet against a battler like Hewitt, though.
Kevin Anderson vs. Victor Hanescu
I have long been bullish on the potential of the big South African Kevin Anderson and after a breakthrough performance at the Australian Open, it looks like I'm finally being rewarded for that faith.
To really take the next step in his development, though, he will have to put away opponents like Hanescu routinely. Hanescu is a solid but unspectacular player that guys the caliber of Anderson should be beating with regularity.
In the past, Anderson has been up and down against these types of players in early-round matches and that has to stop if he is going to consistently keep his ranking around the top 30.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Give College Tennis a Try
If you're anything like me, you love professional tennis but wish it was more accessible on a regular basis.
Sure, we are blessed to have the Tennis Channel, an outlet that does a fantastic job of covering the sport from all angles, but sometimes you just really want to see the game live.
The guys on tour are so talented that it can look easy on television. Watching live and in person reminds a person of just how fast and talented they are. Plus, you get a better feel for tension building with the match when you are there live.
The problem is that most people don't live anywhere near an ATP event. That's only becoming more true as time goes on. The tournaments in Los Angeles and San Jose have recently been moved to international locales and as tennis becomes even more of an international game, that's only going to continue.
Heck, even if you do live in a place that has a tournament, you only get to see the sport up close for one or two weeks a year.
This is precisely why I would suggest that all tennis fans go out and watch college tennis during the spring season.
College tennis at the highest levels gives you everything you love about the sport. These kids might not be Federer or Nadal, but they are very, very good. Most of them were blue chip recruits out of high school or highly-ranked junior players in their home countries.
You are guaranteed to see blistering serves, long rallies and fantastic doubles play. And because these kids might not be as adept at constructing long points as the pros are, you will likely see a lot more serve and volley. I take that as a positive as well.
The best part in my mind, though, is that it takes the things I love about tennis and combines them with the things I love about the more traditional team sports.
The players are competing with the players standing across the net from them, but the point gained from each individual win adds to their team total to help them beat the opposing team in what they call the dual match that pits the two teams against each other.
With this team aspect, the players get really into rooting for their teammates. When a dual match comes down to one final match between two players, it's not uncommon for the players from each team to huddle around the court and act like fans themselves. By this point, the actual fans in the stands will also have congregated around this one court, making what might have started off as a sparse crowd look like a much larger crowd.
Chances are, you have a Division I NCAA tennis program near you. They are littered all over the country. Some programs don't charge admission to get in and watch and even if they do, it will be at a fraction of the cost of attending a pro tournament or really any pro sport, for that matter.
Do yourself, and the sport, a favor. Find the college program nearest you and attend a match there. You will be glad you did and college tennis, dwarfed by the money sports of football and basketball, needs the support.
Sure, we are blessed to have the Tennis Channel, an outlet that does a fantastic job of covering the sport from all angles, but sometimes you just really want to see the game live.
The guys on tour are so talented that it can look easy on television. Watching live and in person reminds a person of just how fast and talented they are. Plus, you get a better feel for tension building with the match when you are there live.
The problem is that most people don't live anywhere near an ATP event. That's only becoming more true as time goes on. The tournaments in Los Angeles and San Jose have recently been moved to international locales and as tennis becomes even more of an international game, that's only going to continue.
Heck, even if you do live in a place that has a tournament, you only get to see the sport up close for one or two weeks a year.
This is precisely why I would suggest that all tennis fans go out and watch college tennis during the spring season.
College tennis at the highest levels gives you everything you love about the sport. These kids might not be Federer or Nadal, but they are very, very good. Most of them were blue chip recruits out of high school or highly-ranked junior players in their home countries.
You are guaranteed to see blistering serves, long rallies and fantastic doubles play. And because these kids might not be as adept at constructing long points as the pros are, you will likely see a lot more serve and volley. I take that as a positive as well.
The best part in my mind, though, is that it takes the things I love about tennis and combines them with the things I love about the more traditional team sports.
The players are competing with the players standing across the net from them, but the point gained from each individual win adds to their team total to help them beat the opposing team in what they call the dual match that pits the two teams against each other.
With this team aspect, the players get really into rooting for their teammates. When a dual match comes down to one final match between two players, it's not uncommon for the players from each team to huddle around the court and act like fans themselves. By this point, the actual fans in the stands will also have congregated around this one court, making what might have started off as a sparse crowd look like a much larger crowd.
Chances are, you have a Division I NCAA tennis program near you. They are littered all over the country. Some programs don't charge admission to get in and watch and even if they do, it will be at a fraction of the cost of attending a pro tournament or really any pro sport, for that matter.
Do yourself, and the sport, a favor. Find the college program nearest you and attend a match there. You will be glad you did and college tennis, dwarfed by the money sports of football and basketball, needs the support.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Horacio Zeballos Rains on Nadal Parade
Few returns have been as eagerly anticipated as Rafael Nadal's return to the ATP this past week at a clay court tournament in Chile.
Although there have been some fantastic happenings in tennis since his injury occurred, his absence has certainly been felt. There's just no other way to describe it.
Coming into this relatively minor tournament, optimism about Nadal's return was guarded. I think most figured he would have some success in Chile, but I think we all expected him to not quite look like his old self.
The guarded part of that optimism, however, went right out the door as soon as he took the court.
In doubles, he and partner Juan Monaco looked like favorites to win the title. In singles, against relatively soft competition, I will admit, he looked fantastic.
He quickly dispatched Federico Delbonis in his first match and countryman Daniel Gimeno-Traver didn't fare much better in Nadal's second match, the tournament quarterfinals. It was in the semifinals that he really turned it on, though. In that match, he took down Jeremy Chardy, one of the hotter players on tour so far this season by the score of 6-2, 6-2.
It looked like it was smooth sailing from there as he was set to take on little-known Horacio Zeballos in the final.
But then it wasn't.
After taking the first set in a tiebreaker, a set in which most were impressed that Zeballos had just stayed close, Nadal dropped the last two sets to lose the title.
The reaction from the tennis Twitterverse, the real barometer for these types of things in this day and age, was nothing short of shock and awe and why shouldn't it have been?
According to The Tennis Abstract, Nadal had not lost a match to someone outside the top-50 on clay since 2004, before Rafael Nadal was Rafael Nadal, an all-time great.
After stepping back, though, you can see why we might be overreacting to this loss.
For starters, Zeballos isn't bad. He's ranked 73rd in the world, which isn't great, but it's not like this guy is some kid in his first top-level tournament with a ranking in the 200s. He's also coming off something of a high, as he and partner David Nalbandian clinched Argentina's Davis Cup tie two weekends ago against Germany with a win in their doubles rubber.
Physically, Nadal probably isn't quite there yet, either. He admitted as much in the lead up to this event. He was not shy about admitted that his knee isn't 100 percent and that he won't know if the surgery he had truly did the job until weeks later.
It speaks to how good Nadal is on clay that he was able to get as far as he did this week even though he is still battling his body.
Overall, it's hard to have anything but positive things to say about Nadal's return in Chile. He won some matches, he played like his old self in patches and he didn't have any real setbacks.
Most of all, I think he showed us that given time to fully get back into match shape, he's going to get back to his usual level of play, at least on clay.
For me, that's good enough for his first week back.
Although there have been some fantastic happenings in tennis since his injury occurred, his absence has certainly been felt. There's just no other way to describe it.
Coming into this relatively minor tournament, optimism about Nadal's return was guarded. I think most figured he would have some success in Chile, but I think we all expected him to not quite look like his old self.
The guarded part of that optimism, however, went right out the door as soon as he took the court.
In doubles, he and partner Juan Monaco looked like favorites to win the title. In singles, against relatively soft competition, I will admit, he looked fantastic.
He quickly dispatched Federico Delbonis in his first match and countryman Daniel Gimeno-Traver didn't fare much better in Nadal's second match, the tournament quarterfinals. It was in the semifinals that he really turned it on, though. In that match, he took down Jeremy Chardy, one of the hotter players on tour so far this season by the score of 6-2, 6-2.
It looked like it was smooth sailing from there as he was set to take on little-known Horacio Zeballos in the final.
But then it wasn't.
After taking the first set in a tiebreaker, a set in which most were impressed that Zeballos had just stayed close, Nadal dropped the last two sets to lose the title.
The reaction from the tennis Twitterverse, the real barometer for these types of things in this day and age, was nothing short of shock and awe and why shouldn't it have been?
According to The Tennis Abstract, Nadal had not lost a match to someone outside the top-50 on clay since 2004, before Rafael Nadal was Rafael Nadal, an all-time great.
After stepping back, though, you can see why we might be overreacting to this loss.
For starters, Zeballos isn't bad. He's ranked 73rd in the world, which isn't great, but it's not like this guy is some kid in his first top-level tournament with a ranking in the 200s. He's also coming off something of a high, as he and partner David Nalbandian clinched Argentina's Davis Cup tie two weekends ago against Germany with a win in their doubles rubber.
Physically, Nadal probably isn't quite there yet, either. He admitted as much in the lead up to this event. He was not shy about admitted that his knee isn't 100 percent and that he won't know if the surgery he had truly did the job until weeks later.
It speaks to how good Nadal is on clay that he was able to get as far as he did this week even though he is still battling his body.
Overall, it's hard to have anything but positive things to say about Nadal's return in Chile. He won some matches, he played like his old self in patches and he didn't have any real setbacks.
Most of all, I think he showed us that given time to fully get back into match shape, he's going to get back to his usual level of play, at least on clay.
For me, that's good enough for his first week back.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Davis Cup Previews and Predictions
Yesterday I posted five overarching thoughts on Davis Cup weekend as a whole, but now that we are just a few hours from the first ball of the weekend, it's time that I give my predictions on how these ties will play out.
Canada vs. Spain (Vancouver, Canada, Indoor Hard Court)
I talked yesterday about how important this tie is for Canada. This is a real chance for Canada to make a statement about the state of tennis in their country. Even though Spain is without several top players, name recognition of Spain as a world power would still force people to take notice if the Canadians were to get a win.
Don't feel bad for Spain. Even without Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro, they still boast two singles players ranked 34 and 51 and a doubles player ranked third in the world. Ultimately, though, I think a home tie and a friendly court surface will help Canada to a win.
Milos Raonic (CAN) d. Albert Ramos (ESP)
Marcel Granollers (ESP) d. Frank Dancevic (CAN)
Vasek Pospisil/Daniel Nestor (CAN) d. Marc Lopez/Marcell Granollers (ESP)
Milos Raonic (CAN) d. Marcel Granollers (ESP)
Frank Dancevic (CAN) vs. Albert Ramos (ESP) - dead rubber
Italy vs. Croatia (Turin, Italy, Indoor Clay)
This tie is going to fly under the radar because of a general lack of star power, but I'm really intrigued by this pairing of teams.
Italy has to be happy with their team coming into this weekend. Top player Andreas Seppi had a great run to the round of 16 at the Australian Open. Along the way, he beat Croatia's own Marin Cilic. Fabio Fognini is a really solid player in his own right and his fun-loving demeanor is always refreshing.
Croatia has the highest-ranked player in this tie, Marin Cilic, but he is coming off of a somewhat disappointing performance in Australia, complete with that aforementioned loss to Seppi. It also doesn't help that clay is far from his favorite surface. Cilic and Ivan Dodig are a nice combination at the top, but they aren't nearly as deep as Italy, and quite frankly, I like Seppi and Fognini better as a duo.
Marin Cilic (CRO) d. Fabio Fognini (ITA
Andreas Seppi (ITA) d. Ivan Dodig (CRO)
Paolo Lorenzi/Simon Bolelli (ITA) d. Nikola Mektic/Mate Pavic (CRO)
Andreas Seppi (ITA) d. Marin Cilic (CRO)
Fabio Fognini (ITA) vs. Ivan Dodig (CRO) - dead rubber
Belgium vs. Serbia (Charleroi, Belgium, Indoor Clay)
Quietly, Belgium has put together a pretty decent Davis Cup squad. David Goffin is a top-50 player that has yet to reach his potential. Steve Darcis is a consistent top-100 player. Olivier Rochus, the elder statesman, has been ranked as high as 24th in the world and he certainly isn't going to be awed when he goes up against some of the big names the Belgians will face in Davis Cup play.
Unfortunately, Serbia is just better. Janko Tipsarevic pulled out of the event this weekend due to injury, but the Serbs still boast the top player in the world, Novak Djokovic, a steady veteran in Viktor Troicki and an established doubles champion in Nenad Zimonjic. The red clay will help Belgium a bit, but I don't think it will make a ton of difference.
Viktor Troicki (SRB) d. David Goffin (BEL)
Novak Djokovic (SRB) d. Olivier Rochus (BEL)
Nenad Zimonjic/Viktor Troicki (SRB) d. Steve Darcis/Ruben Bemelmans (BEL)
Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs. David Goffin (BEL) - dead rubber
Viktor Troicki (SRB) vs. Olivier Rochus (BEL) - dead rubber
USA vs. Brazil (Jacksonville, Florida, USA, Indoor Hard)
On paper, the US shouldn't have a ton of trouble in Jacksonville. The Brazilians only have one singles player, Thomaz Bellucci, that should scare them at all and even Bellucci isn't a huge threat on faster courts, which this court is expected to be.
If you dig a bit deeper, though, there are some concerns for the US. First and foremost is the health of John Isner. He pulled out of the Australian Open and that was only a few weeks ago, so you have to wonder how he's feeling. The Brazilians also have a decent shot at neutralizing the secret weapon for the US, the Bryan brothers. In most Davis Cup ties, the US has the doubles point all but wrapped up before a ball is even hit, but that won't be the case this weekend. Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares are a talented team and could give the Bryans problems.
In the end, I think the US will be pushed more than they would have liked in their individual matches, but I think they manage to come out on top pretty cleanly.
Sam Querrey (USA) d. Thomaz Bellucci (BRA)
John Isner (USA) d. Thiago Alves (BRA)
Mike Bryan/Bob Bryan (USA) d. Bruno Soares/Marcelo Melo (BRA)
John Isner (USA) vs. Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) - dead rubber
Sam Querrey (USA) vs. Thiago Alves (BRA) - dead rubber
France vs. Israel (Rouen, France, Indoor Hard)
The Israelis are a fun team to root for in my mind. This is not only because they are an underdog in just about any World Group tie in which they palay, but because their best player, Dudi Sela, has an everyman feel to him. He's only 5'9" and he's a real scrapper on the court. I like being able to get behind a player like that.
It's just a shame that being fun to watch doesn't necessarily mean that the team will be successful. The French are bringing their A-Team and I don't give Israel much of a chance.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) d. Amir Weintraub (ISR)
Richard Gasquet (FRA) d. Dudi Sela (ISR)
Julien Benneteau/Michael Llodra (FRA) d. Dudi Sela/Jonathan Erlich (ISR)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. Dudi Sela - dead rubber
Richard Gasquet vs. Amir Weintraub - dead rubber
Argentina vs. Germany (Buenos Aires, Argentina, Outdoor Clay)
This might end up being the most competitive tie of the weekend. The atmosphere obviously favors Argentina. They are playing at home and this team, led by Juan Monaco, loves to play on clay.
The personnel advantage, however, has to go to Germany. Philipp Kohlschreiber is a really underrated player and Florian Mayer, a top-30 player himself, is certainly no scrub. To top it off, David Nalbandian, a player who probably plays as hard in Davis Cup as any player in the world, is only playing doubles for Argentina.
Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) d. Carlos Berlocq (ARG)
Juan Monaco (ARG) d. Florian Mayer (GER)
David Nalbandian/Horacio Zeballos (ARG) d. Philipp Kohlschreiber/Christopher Kas (GER)
Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) d. Juan Monaco (ARG)
Florian Mayer (GER) d. Carlos Berlocq (ARG)
Kazakhstan vs. Austria (Astana, Kazakhstan, Indoor Clay)
When the draw came out, I think both of these teams breathed a sigh of relief. The World Group is littered with traditional tennis powers, but these two teams got a manageable tie since they drew each other. It's that relatively level playing field that makes this an interesting tie to watch.
Unfortunately, this tie won't be as much fun as it could have been, as Kazakhstan's best player, Mikhail Kukushkin, will not play. Without a battle-tested player in Kukushkin to face off against, the advantage of having Jurgen Melzer on their team gets even bigger for the Austrians. Ultimately, I think it's that advantage that puts them over the top.
Andrey Golubev (KAZ) d. Andreas Haider-Maurer (AUT)
Jurgen Melzer (AUT) d. Evgeny Korolev (KAZ)
Julian Knowle/Alexander Peya (AUT) d. Andrey Golubev/Yuriy Schukin (KAZ)
Jurgen Melzer (AUT) d. Andrey Golubev (KAZ)
Andreas Haider-Maurer (AUT) vs. Evgeny Korolev (KAZ) - dead rubber
Switzerland vs. Czech Republic (Geneva, Switzerland, Indoor Hard)
Here we have a matchup of two teams missing big pieces of their respective Davis Cup puzzles. The Swiss will be without Roger Federer, only the greatest player of all time and the Czechs will be without Radek Stepanek, the anchor on the team that won the Davis Cup last season.
I have very little feeling about who is going to win this one. If it comes down to who misses their missing player the most, I think the Swiss will win out. Federer often skips Davis Cup, so it's nothing new, while the Czechs are used to having Stepanek. Although I'm also not sure that the Swiss have the depth behind Stanislas Wawrinka to take down the defending champs. This really is a toss-up, but I will take a stab at it.
Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) d. Lukas Rosol (CZE)
Tomas Berdych (CZE) d. Henri Laaksonen (SUI)
Marco Chiudinelli/Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) d. Ivo Minar/Jiri Vesely (CZE)
Tomas Berdych (CZE) d. Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)
Lukas Rosol (CZE) d. Henri Laaksonen (SUI)
Canada vs. Spain (Vancouver, Canada, Indoor Hard Court)
I talked yesterday about how important this tie is for Canada. This is a real chance for Canada to make a statement about the state of tennis in their country. Even though Spain is without several top players, name recognition of Spain as a world power would still force people to take notice if the Canadians were to get a win.
Don't feel bad for Spain. Even without Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer and Nicolas Almagro, they still boast two singles players ranked 34 and 51 and a doubles player ranked third in the world. Ultimately, though, I think a home tie and a friendly court surface will help Canada to a win.
Milos Raonic (CAN) d. Albert Ramos (ESP)
Marcel Granollers (ESP) d. Frank Dancevic (CAN)
Vasek Pospisil/Daniel Nestor (CAN) d. Marc Lopez/Marcell Granollers (ESP)
Milos Raonic (CAN) d. Marcel Granollers (ESP)
Frank Dancevic (CAN) vs. Albert Ramos (ESP) - dead rubber
Italy vs. Croatia (Turin, Italy, Indoor Clay)
This tie is going to fly under the radar because of a general lack of star power, but I'm really intrigued by this pairing of teams.
Italy has to be happy with their team coming into this weekend. Top player Andreas Seppi had a great run to the round of 16 at the Australian Open. Along the way, he beat Croatia's own Marin Cilic. Fabio Fognini is a really solid player in his own right and his fun-loving demeanor is always refreshing.
Croatia has the highest-ranked player in this tie, Marin Cilic, but he is coming off of a somewhat disappointing performance in Australia, complete with that aforementioned loss to Seppi. It also doesn't help that clay is far from his favorite surface. Cilic and Ivan Dodig are a nice combination at the top, but they aren't nearly as deep as Italy, and quite frankly, I like Seppi and Fognini better as a duo.
Marin Cilic (CRO) d. Fabio Fognini (ITA
Andreas Seppi (ITA) d. Ivan Dodig (CRO)
Paolo Lorenzi/Simon Bolelli (ITA) d. Nikola Mektic/Mate Pavic (CRO)
Andreas Seppi (ITA) d. Marin Cilic (CRO)
Fabio Fognini (ITA) vs. Ivan Dodig (CRO) - dead rubber
Belgium vs. Serbia (Charleroi, Belgium, Indoor Clay)
Quietly, Belgium has put together a pretty decent Davis Cup squad. David Goffin is a top-50 player that has yet to reach his potential. Steve Darcis is a consistent top-100 player. Olivier Rochus, the elder statesman, has been ranked as high as 24th in the world and he certainly isn't going to be awed when he goes up against some of the big names the Belgians will face in Davis Cup play.
Unfortunately, Serbia is just better. Janko Tipsarevic pulled out of the event this weekend due to injury, but the Serbs still boast the top player in the world, Novak Djokovic, a steady veteran in Viktor Troicki and an established doubles champion in Nenad Zimonjic. The red clay will help Belgium a bit, but I don't think it will make a ton of difference.
Viktor Troicki (SRB) d. David Goffin (BEL)
Novak Djokovic (SRB) d. Olivier Rochus (BEL)
Nenad Zimonjic/Viktor Troicki (SRB) d. Steve Darcis/Ruben Bemelmans (BEL)
Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs. David Goffin (BEL) - dead rubber
Viktor Troicki (SRB) vs. Olivier Rochus (BEL) - dead rubber
USA vs. Brazil (Jacksonville, Florida, USA, Indoor Hard)
On paper, the US shouldn't have a ton of trouble in Jacksonville. The Brazilians only have one singles player, Thomaz Bellucci, that should scare them at all and even Bellucci isn't a huge threat on faster courts, which this court is expected to be.
If you dig a bit deeper, though, there are some concerns for the US. First and foremost is the health of John Isner. He pulled out of the Australian Open and that was only a few weeks ago, so you have to wonder how he's feeling. The Brazilians also have a decent shot at neutralizing the secret weapon for the US, the Bryan brothers. In most Davis Cup ties, the US has the doubles point all but wrapped up before a ball is even hit, but that won't be the case this weekend. Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares are a talented team and could give the Bryans problems.
In the end, I think the US will be pushed more than they would have liked in their individual matches, but I think they manage to come out on top pretty cleanly.
Sam Querrey (USA) d. Thomaz Bellucci (BRA)
John Isner (USA) d. Thiago Alves (BRA)
Mike Bryan/Bob Bryan (USA) d. Bruno Soares/Marcelo Melo (BRA)
John Isner (USA) vs. Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) - dead rubber
Sam Querrey (USA) vs. Thiago Alves (BRA) - dead rubber
France vs. Israel (Rouen, France, Indoor Hard)
The Israelis are a fun team to root for in my mind. This is not only because they are an underdog in just about any World Group tie in which they palay, but because their best player, Dudi Sela, has an everyman feel to him. He's only 5'9" and he's a real scrapper on the court. I like being able to get behind a player like that.
It's just a shame that being fun to watch doesn't necessarily mean that the team will be successful. The French are bringing their A-Team and I don't give Israel much of a chance.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) d. Amir Weintraub (ISR)
Richard Gasquet (FRA) d. Dudi Sela (ISR)
Julien Benneteau/Michael Llodra (FRA) d. Dudi Sela/Jonathan Erlich (ISR)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. Dudi Sela - dead rubber
Richard Gasquet vs. Amir Weintraub - dead rubber
Argentina vs. Germany (Buenos Aires, Argentina, Outdoor Clay)
This might end up being the most competitive tie of the weekend. The atmosphere obviously favors Argentina. They are playing at home and this team, led by Juan Monaco, loves to play on clay.
The personnel advantage, however, has to go to Germany. Philipp Kohlschreiber is a really underrated player and Florian Mayer, a top-30 player himself, is certainly no scrub. To top it off, David Nalbandian, a player who probably plays as hard in Davis Cup as any player in the world, is only playing doubles for Argentina.
Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) d. Carlos Berlocq (ARG)
Juan Monaco (ARG) d. Florian Mayer (GER)
David Nalbandian/Horacio Zeballos (ARG) d. Philipp Kohlschreiber/Christopher Kas (GER)
Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) d. Juan Monaco (ARG)
Florian Mayer (GER) d. Carlos Berlocq (ARG)
Kazakhstan vs. Austria (Astana, Kazakhstan, Indoor Clay)
When the draw came out, I think both of these teams breathed a sigh of relief. The World Group is littered with traditional tennis powers, but these two teams got a manageable tie since they drew each other. It's that relatively level playing field that makes this an interesting tie to watch.
Unfortunately, this tie won't be as much fun as it could have been, as Kazakhstan's best player, Mikhail Kukushkin, will not play. Without a battle-tested player in Kukushkin to face off against, the advantage of having Jurgen Melzer on their team gets even bigger for the Austrians. Ultimately, I think it's that advantage that puts them over the top.
Andrey Golubev (KAZ) d. Andreas Haider-Maurer (AUT)
Jurgen Melzer (AUT) d. Evgeny Korolev (KAZ)
Julian Knowle/Alexander Peya (AUT) d. Andrey Golubev/Yuriy Schukin (KAZ)
Jurgen Melzer (AUT) d. Andrey Golubev (KAZ)
Andreas Haider-Maurer (AUT) vs. Evgeny Korolev (KAZ) - dead rubber
Switzerland vs. Czech Republic (Geneva, Switzerland, Indoor Hard)
Here we have a matchup of two teams missing big pieces of their respective Davis Cup puzzles. The Swiss will be without Roger Federer, only the greatest player of all time and the Czechs will be without Radek Stepanek, the anchor on the team that won the Davis Cup last season.
I have very little feeling about who is going to win this one. If it comes down to who misses their missing player the most, I think the Swiss will win out. Federer often skips Davis Cup, so it's nothing new, while the Czechs are used to having Stepanek. Although I'm also not sure that the Swiss have the depth behind Stanislas Wawrinka to take down the defending champs. This really is a toss-up, but I will take a stab at it.
Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) d. Lukas Rosol (CZE)
Tomas Berdych (CZE) d. Henri Laaksonen (SUI)
Marco Chiudinelli/Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) d. Ivo Minar/Jiri Vesely (CZE)
Tomas Berdych (CZE) d. Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)
Lukas Rosol (CZE) d. Henri Laaksonen (SUI)
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Five Thoughts Ahead of Davis Cup Weekend
I love everything about Davis Cup.
I obviously love tennis. That's what I'm writing this blog.
I'm also a sucker for international competition. Every four years, I drop everything and dive deep into the Olympics. The World Cup is what made me a casual soccer fan. I can't stand golf, particularly watching golf on television, but when it's time for the Ryder Cup, I'll watch a round or two.
The tennis community is somewhat lukewarm on the Davis Cup in general, but I'm hopeful that if you're one of the ones that's on the fence about how you feel about the event, I can get you off the fence with my five thoughts ahead of the weekend.
- This weekend will give us a look into the future of the United States Davis Cup team. Over the last five or six years, there hasn't been a ton of stability within the program. Roddick won some big matches for the US over the years, but later in his career, injuries and his choice to bypass the event took him out of the lineup at times. Mardy Fish's late-career resurgence put him back in the thick of things, but he has had trouble staying in the lineup. Sam Querrey's rise up the rankings put him in the mix, but then injuries took him right back out for over a year. Ryan Harrison has made cameos over the last couple of years, but his game hasn't come along as quickly as anyone would like.
But with Roddick's retirement, Fish's heart condition that may very well end his career and solid seasons from John Isner and Querrey, I think we know, barring something unforeseen, what the US lineup is going to look like for, hopefully, the next three years. Isner and Querrey should have five or six more years of quality play left and the Bryan brothers have said that they aren't planning on retiring until after the 2016 Olympics. It's not Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier and Todd Martin, but it's not bad.
- Don't look now, but Canada finds themselves in a must-win match. When the team nominations were announced, I thought the Canadians had a more than realistic chance of beating a Spain team that was going to be without Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer. Now that Nicolas Almagro is going to be out with injury, Canada is the odds-on favorite.
It's probably not fair, as a matter of fact I know it's not fair, but there will be a ton of criticism heaped on young star Milos Raonic if the Canadians don't come through. He has a reputation for wilting against the top players on tour on the big stages and losing this weekend certainly won't help change that perception.
- If you're a fan of soap operas, Argentina is the Davis Cup team for you. It seems that it's always something with them.
The most notable issue for the Argentine team, as it has been for several years now, is the power struggle at the top. David Nalbandian takes a special pride in Davis Cup. He's something of an honorary team captain in this way. He has certainly been a warrior over the years for Argentina. No one can dispute that. During this time, he has almost always been the best player on the team as well, though.
Now that's no longer the case. Juan Martin del Potro is far and away the best player on the squad and in the eyes of some, that makes him more equipped to be the leader of the team. Needless to say Nalbandian doesn't agree.
Those issues shouldn't rear their ugly head this weekend as del Potro isn't playing, but injuries and form will be an issue. Nalbandian seems to be chronically injured at this point in his career. Juan Monaco, the second-best Argentine player in the world (don't tell Nalbandian), seems to be healthy enough, but he got blown off the court in the first round of the Australian Open.They are at home and have the choice of surface, two factors that might be their saving grace against what should be a game German squad.
- Quietly, Switzerland and the Czech Republic has turned into a really interesting match. The Czechs are the defending champions, but they aren't at full strength. Radek Stepanek, who came up huge in the final last year, is out with injury.
Tomas Berdych is still there and Lukas Rosol is a solid player, but the two players behind them are ranked 192 and 272 in the world. Berdych and Rosol are going to be asked to do a lot.
On the other side of the net, Switzerland will be without Roger Federer, but with the way Stanislas Wawrinka played against Novak Djokovic in their match at the Australian Open, that might be okay. The Berdych/Wawrinka match has chance to be special.
- For Davis Cup junkies like me, it doesn't get much better than Austria vs. Kazakhstan. These two nations won't come to mind when you are thinking of tennis powers and yet, one of these teams is going to advance to the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup. I think that's pretty neat.
I think it will also be a really competitive tie. Only one player from these two teams really stands out and that's Jurgen Melzer. Melzer, at one time a top-15 player on tour, is a perfect Davis Cup player. He is a very solid singles player that will be expected to control his singles matches this weekend and he's also an accomplished doubles player, even though he isn't often asked to play doubles.
Don't count out Kazakhstan, though. This team has some fight. Just making it to the world group a couple of years ago was a huge accomplishment and staying there has been even bigger. Mikhail Kukushkin, their top player, finds himself ranked 155 right now, but he has been as high as 49 in the world and he made it to the Australian Open round of 16 in 2012. Although it probably doesn't bode well that he lost to Jurgen Melzer in straight sets in the first round of the 2013 Australian Open.
I obviously love tennis. That's what I'm writing this blog.
I'm also a sucker for international competition. Every four years, I drop everything and dive deep into the Olympics. The World Cup is what made me a casual soccer fan. I can't stand golf, particularly watching golf on television, but when it's time for the Ryder Cup, I'll watch a round or two.
The tennis community is somewhat lukewarm on the Davis Cup in general, but I'm hopeful that if you're one of the ones that's on the fence about how you feel about the event, I can get you off the fence with my five thoughts ahead of the weekend.
- This weekend will give us a look into the future of the United States Davis Cup team. Over the last five or six years, there hasn't been a ton of stability within the program. Roddick won some big matches for the US over the years, but later in his career, injuries and his choice to bypass the event took him out of the lineup at times. Mardy Fish's late-career resurgence put him back in the thick of things, but he has had trouble staying in the lineup. Sam Querrey's rise up the rankings put him in the mix, but then injuries took him right back out for over a year. Ryan Harrison has made cameos over the last couple of years, but his game hasn't come along as quickly as anyone would like.
But with Roddick's retirement, Fish's heart condition that may very well end his career and solid seasons from John Isner and Querrey, I think we know, barring something unforeseen, what the US lineup is going to look like for, hopefully, the next three years. Isner and Querrey should have five or six more years of quality play left and the Bryan brothers have said that they aren't planning on retiring until after the 2016 Olympics. It's not Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier and Todd Martin, but it's not bad.
- Don't look now, but Canada finds themselves in a must-win match. When the team nominations were announced, I thought the Canadians had a more than realistic chance of beating a Spain team that was going to be without Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer. Now that Nicolas Almagro is going to be out with injury, Canada is the odds-on favorite.
It's probably not fair, as a matter of fact I know it's not fair, but there will be a ton of criticism heaped on young star Milos Raonic if the Canadians don't come through. He has a reputation for wilting against the top players on tour on the big stages and losing this weekend certainly won't help change that perception.
- If you're a fan of soap operas, Argentina is the Davis Cup team for you. It seems that it's always something with them.
The most notable issue for the Argentine team, as it has been for several years now, is the power struggle at the top. David Nalbandian takes a special pride in Davis Cup. He's something of an honorary team captain in this way. He has certainly been a warrior over the years for Argentina. No one can dispute that. During this time, he has almost always been the best player on the team as well, though.
Now that's no longer the case. Juan Martin del Potro is far and away the best player on the squad and in the eyes of some, that makes him more equipped to be the leader of the team. Needless to say Nalbandian doesn't agree.
Those issues shouldn't rear their ugly head this weekend as del Potro isn't playing, but injuries and form will be an issue. Nalbandian seems to be chronically injured at this point in his career. Juan Monaco, the second-best Argentine player in the world (don't tell Nalbandian), seems to be healthy enough, but he got blown off the court in the first round of the Australian Open.They are at home and have the choice of surface, two factors that might be their saving grace against what should be a game German squad.
- Quietly, Switzerland and the Czech Republic has turned into a really interesting match. The Czechs are the defending champions, but they aren't at full strength. Radek Stepanek, who came up huge in the final last year, is out with injury.
Tomas Berdych is still there and Lukas Rosol is a solid player, but the two players behind them are ranked 192 and 272 in the world. Berdych and Rosol are going to be asked to do a lot.
On the other side of the net, Switzerland will be without Roger Federer, but with the way Stanislas Wawrinka played against Novak Djokovic in their match at the Australian Open, that might be okay. The Berdych/Wawrinka match has chance to be special.
- For Davis Cup junkies like me, it doesn't get much better than Austria vs. Kazakhstan. These two nations won't come to mind when you are thinking of tennis powers and yet, one of these teams is going to advance to the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup. I think that's pretty neat.
I think it will also be a really competitive tie. Only one player from these two teams really stands out and that's Jurgen Melzer. Melzer, at one time a top-15 player on tour, is a perfect Davis Cup player. He is a very solid singles player that will be expected to control his singles matches this weekend and he's also an accomplished doubles player, even though he isn't often asked to play doubles.
Don't count out Kazakhstan, though. This team has some fight. Just making it to the world group a couple of years ago was a huge accomplishment and staying there has been even bigger. Mikhail Kukushkin, their top player, finds himself ranked 155 right now, but he has been as high as 49 in the world and he made it to the Australian Open round of 16 in 2012. Although it probably doesn't bode well that he lost to Jurgen Melzer in straight sets in the first round of the 2013 Australian Open.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Just What is a Dirt Rat?
I'm happy you asked.
A dirt rat is a tennis term with a couple of definitions.
Often times, it is used as something of a derogatory term. Used this way, it is a name given to a player that does most of his or her damage at clay court tournaments, many of which take place in far-flung places in Europe and Latin America.
Taking it one step further, it can also imply that said player hoards points, thus inflating their ranking, based almost solely on their performances in these clay court events.
Until his mid-to-late career push to be a perennial top-five player, David Ferrer might have been lumped into this group. Right now, I'd have to say that Juan Monaco fits this bill. I'm not trying to take anything away from Monaco. He is a solid pro and he has played some of his best tennis over the last year or so. But he's not the 12th best player in the world, as his ranking would indicate.
Of his seven career tournament wins, only one is on a surface other than clay. He has been the runner-up at nine different tournaments in his career and, again, only one has been on a surface other than clay. His first-round exit in straight sets at the Australian Open just goes to show what can happen to him when he plays off of his favorite surface.
So that's one use.
The other use of the term is far more positive.
I like to think of a dirt rat as a real grinder. A player that goes all out for every point. Think the aforementioned David Ferrer or a couple favorites of mine, Marcos Baghdatis and Lleyton Hewitt.
I have a lot of respect for this type of player. There is something to be said about going into a match knowing that you don't have the big weapons other players have and still finding a way to be competitive. Above all else, these guys bring their best every single day.
That's the spirit I'm going for in this blog. I'm going to cover tennis from all angles. I will be looking to cover the Grand Slam tournaments, sure, but I also want to bring coverage of smaller tournaments all over the globe.
I'm looking forward to getting started. I hope you will come along for the ride.
A dirt rat is a tennis term with a couple of definitions.
Often times, it is used as something of a derogatory term. Used this way, it is a name given to a player that does most of his or her damage at clay court tournaments, many of which take place in far-flung places in Europe and Latin America.
Taking it one step further, it can also imply that said player hoards points, thus inflating their ranking, based almost solely on their performances in these clay court events.
Until his mid-to-late career push to be a perennial top-five player, David Ferrer might have been lumped into this group. Right now, I'd have to say that Juan Monaco fits this bill. I'm not trying to take anything away from Monaco. He is a solid pro and he has played some of his best tennis over the last year or so. But he's not the 12th best player in the world, as his ranking would indicate.
Of his seven career tournament wins, only one is on a surface other than clay. He has been the runner-up at nine different tournaments in his career and, again, only one has been on a surface other than clay. His first-round exit in straight sets at the Australian Open just goes to show what can happen to him when he plays off of his favorite surface.
So that's one use.
The other use of the term is far more positive.
I like to think of a dirt rat as a real grinder. A player that goes all out for every point. Think the aforementioned David Ferrer or a couple favorites of mine, Marcos Baghdatis and Lleyton Hewitt.
I have a lot of respect for this type of player. There is something to be said about going into a match knowing that you don't have the big weapons other players have and still finding a way to be competitive. Above all else, these guys bring their best every single day.
That's the spirit I'm going for in this blog. I'm going to cover tennis from all angles. I will be looking to cover the Grand Slam tournaments, sure, but I also want to bring coverage of smaller tournaments all over the globe.
I'm looking forward to getting started. I hope you will come along for the ride.
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