Wednesday at Flushing Meadows

Were into the third day of action in New York and all remaining singles players begin their tournaments today as the 2012 US Open gets into full swing. Yesterday we seen men's defending champion Novak Djokovic give a scintillating performance beating Paolo Lorenzi 6-1 6-0 6-1 under the lights to send a warning to his rivals that he isn't going to give up his crown so easily. Serena Williams was equally as impressive against Coco Vandeweghe winning 6-1 6-1 and she looks in ominous form. Sister Venus gave us a flash from the past as she was in fine form beating the dangerous Bethanie Mattek-Sands 6-3 6-1 as she extends her stay in what could be her final US Open. Christina McHale went out in her first round match losing to Kiki Bertens in a third set in a disappointing result for the American. Another young American was at her brilliant best as 19 year old Sloane Stephens beat Francesca Schiavone in straight sets. Caroline Wozniacki became the biggest casualty of the women's draw losing 6-2 6-2 to Irina Camelia Begu as her form continues to deteriorate. There were also wins for Angelique Kerber, Agnieszka Radwanska, Ana Ivanovic, Sara Errani, Dominika Cibulkova and Maria Kirilenko. In the men's game Andy Roddick had too much experience for young Rhyne Williams to reach round two. Thomas Berdych gave an impressive display against David Goffin to advance in straight sets. Joining them in round two are Sam Querrey, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Milos Raonic, Stanislas Wawrinka and Nicolas Almagro. Marcos Baghdatis and Fabio Fognini both advance after stunning 5 set matches but undoubtedly game of the day was that between Juan Monaco and Guillermo Garcia Lopez. Monaco was cruising to victory when he led by two sets to love but back came Garcia Lopez to bring it to a 5th set. Garcia Lopez twice went a break up but twice Monaco fought back to force a tie break which Garcia Lopez went on to win. The Spaniard progressing 3-6 1-6 6-4 7-6 7-6 in the game of the tournament so far.
          So on to today's games and unfortunately the game of the day between Juan Martin Del Potro and David Nalbandian will not take place after Nalbandian withdrew citing a strained chest muscle. Despite this, there are plenty of exciting matches in store. Starting with the women and Victoria Azarenka takes on Kirsten Flipkens on Ashe. I watched Azarenka Monday night and I thought she was sensational. The courts seem to be playing slower than usual and we've seen some men struggle to inject pace but she was hitting winners for fun and that's a scary prospect for her opponents. She should be able to dominate Flipkens and win in two comfortable sets. Young Laura Robson has a chance to finish the career of Kim Clijsters if she wins on Arthur Ashe stadium today but being realistic I don't see her getting close. Clijsters is still a great player and she will not be leaving this tournament without making sure she has left her mark. She says she's happy with her game and she will be looking to go out in style and it isn't beyond the realms of possibility she wins the tournament. She has proven unbeatable here in the past few years and Robson won't be the one to beat her, Clijsters in two. Maria Sharapova looked good in her opener and takes on Lourdes Dominguez Lino today. I don't think Lino has got enough fire power to hurt Sharapova and that makes it a comfortable game for the Russian. Maria will want to atone for her poor performance at the Olympics against Serena where she was struck with a virus and now that she's fully fit she's ready to challenge Williams again. I expect a dominant performance from her today. Petra Kvitova plays Alize Cornet in her second round and like the other seeds I mentioned above she should also progress with ease. Defending champion Sam Stosur hasn't had the best of years but back on the courts where she lifted her first Grand Slam she should be able to raise her game to a new level and she looked imperious on Monday so expect her to beat Edina Gallovits-Hall in two today. There should also be wins for Li Na, Nadia Petrova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.
           In the men's game we have some very entertaining games ahead of us today. My dark horse for the men's title John Isner begins his campaign today and he has a tough opponent in the form of Xavier Malisse. Malisse has been steady this year but I don't see him beating the American. Isner has got a great serve and some big ground strokes and if he plays like he did at the beginning of this year when he beat Djokovic then I think he will be very dangerous here. With the backing of the New York crowd he will be very tough to beat and with the draw he got he could easily make a semi final. I expect him to easy into the tournament and to get past Malisse in four sets today. Andy Murray takes on Croation Ivan Dodig in the night session in what could potentially be a tricky game. Dodig has a big serve and some heavy ground strokes and the aggression that normally I would say could trouble Murray but I'm not sure of his consistency. If he can put it all together from the start then he could get inside Murray's head and be successful. I don't think Murray will allow himself slip up this early and he should win in four sets. David Ferrer is a man I don't know what to expect from. He is a sensational player and has had an incredible year so far but surely he can't still be fresh. He gives absolutely everything on court and it's got to take it's toll eventually. Since the Olympics he hasn't looked his best and I think Kevin Anderson might be able to get past him today. I hope I'm wrong because I like Ferrer and I think he can reach a semi final which would another great achievement for him this year. I think I'll be proven wrong here but I don't think Ferrer will get through and I'll go Anderson in five sets. Janko Tipsarevic starts against Guillermo Rufin and that should be comfortable for him and if he drops a set I would be very surprised. The incredible story of Brian Baker continues today when he plays Jan Hajek in his opener. After a stunning run at the French Open and again at Wimbledon I don't see him failing here. He will at least win this one and get a shot at Tipsarevic. I think Baker to win in three sets. I'm looking forward to seeing Grigor Dimitrov this fortnight and he starts against Benoit Paire today. Dimitrov is starting to play the tennis we expected from his junior days and I think he might be ready to announce himself on the biggest stages in the coming months. He hasn't got the worst draw and if he plays the way he can he might be able to cause a few upsets and make a good run. I think he'll beat Paire in three. The man I think nobody wants to see near them in the draw is Tommy Haas. He may be 34 but he is playing sensational tennis. He won the title in Halle beating Berdych and Federer along the way and has been brilliant in America this Summer reaching two finals and also reaching the quarter finals in Toronto where he pushed Djokovic all the way. He plays the unpredictable Ernest Gulbis today and I think as well as Gulbis can play he won't have enough for Haas. Haas has got a decent draw and will fancy a run into the second week and I wouldn't back against him. He should get through in four today. Philip Kohlschreiber takes on Michael Llodra and that's a tough one to call with two very talented players but I would go with Kohlschreiber simply because he seems to be more consistent lately, this one is well worth a watch. There should be wins for Jarkko Nieminen and Richard Gasquet as well as Lleyton Hewitt and Ryan Harrison.
          

Tuesday's US Open

Day one of the US Open provided us with some very exciting matches and day two is sure to be just as exciting. We saw Andy Murray and Roger Federer comfortably get through their first round matches while players such as Marin Cilic, Paul Henri Mathieu and Gilles Simon went into fifth sets to secure their second round places. The USA can celebrate having four men into round two already with Tim Smyczek, James Blake, Mardy Fish and Jack Sock all getting wins. In the women's game there was an impressive win for Victoria Azarenka who looked to be hitting the ball exceptionally well as was defending champion Sam Stosur who crushed talented Petra Martic. There were upsets for 16th seed Sabine Lisicki and 18th seed Julia Goerges who were both surprising losers. Kim Clijsters and Na Li remain on course to meet in round three after comfortable wins yesterday while Maria Sharapova and Petra Kvitova also made it through.
            So on to today's games and we have a number of big names beginning their campaigns with the likes of Novak Djokovic, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Thomas Berdych starting their tournaments. In the women's game the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, are both in action along with former world number one Caroline Wozniacki. Djokovic opens up against Italian Paolo Lorenzi in what should be a very comfortable match for him. I don't think Lorenzi has any weapons that can hurt Djokovic and with early indications showing the courts to be very slow it should prove to be an easy day at the office for Djokovic. Tsonga starts against Karol Beck and he should have just as easy a match. Tsonga will be expected to go to at least the fourth round here and anything less will be considered a poor tournament. He's been consistent in the majors and if he gets into a nice rhythm he could go very far, starting with a straight sets win today. Thomas Berdych has a potentially tricky match with young Belgian David Goffin who has been a revelation this year at Grand Slams. Berdych was out of sorts for the past few months but seems to be getting it all together at the right time and I would expect him to come through in four. Venus Williams has got a tough match against Bethanie Mattek-Sands on Arthur Ashe but I would expect to see a very strong performance from her after some good results in the past few weeks. On her day she has the game to beat anyone but it's whether she has the fitness is the key for her now. Sister Serena should have no problems against Coco Vandeweghe and I think she could win that one with the loss of just a few games. She is in terrific form and won't be in any mood to hang around on court so expect a quick win. Caroline Wozniacki is coming in under the radar having failed to contest any of the last few majors and that could make her dangerous. She needs a few comfortable wins under her belt to gather confidence and I would expect her to win in two sets against Irini-Camelia Begu. Her movement around the court is sure to be the difference as she can defend and attack the Romanian which I think will be enough to overwhelm her opponent.
          American Sam Querrey has a tricky opponent in Yen Hsun Lu but with he form he has shown in the last few weeks I think Querrey can come through that one. He has a great serve and knows how to utilise it and it's hard to see how Lu can get into the Querrey service games. I expect Sam to win in four sets. Following on that match on Armstrong stadium another American takes to the court in the shape of Sloane Stephens. She takes on Francesca Schiavone in a match she won't be expected to win. She may only be 19 but I think she is going to cause a big upset and eliminate the 22nd seed. She's got a very bright future in front of her and I think with the backing of a strong American crowd she can get the win. Another young American girl Christina McHale is also in action and she should also get a good win under her belt against Kiki Bertens. Men's 10th seed Juan Monaco starts his campaign hopeful of continuing the great season he's had by having a good run here. He starts off against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in what will be a match full of long rallies from the back of the court. I expect Monaco to outlast his opponent and grind him down in three sets. Aleksandr Dolgopolov could be beaten today if he doesn't improve on the woeful performance he gave against Nikolay Davydenko in Cincinnati. He takes on Jesse Levine today and I'm finding it tough to call simply because it's hard to know what Dolgopolov will turn up. I will give him the nod to get through but it's a hesitant one. Angelique Kerber could be a dark horse in the women's event. She is expected to go into week two but very few would give her a chance of winning. She has the game and has been getting great results all year and it wouldn't surprise me to see her in the semi finals or final. She should beat Anne Keothavong in a hurry today. The game between Stanislas Wawrinka and Sergiy Stakhovsky will be one of the spectacles of the day with two nice one handed backhands on show. It will be a good match to watch but I think Wawrinka will have too much for the Ukranian.
          There is plenty of action to enjoy today and I hope you enjoy this preview of today's games and come back tomorrow for a look ahead to Wednesday's action.

US Open- The Hopes Of A Nation

The USA has always had a proud tradition of producing talented tennis players and have always been a powerhouse of tennis. In recent years they have been passed out and are now falling short of having any Grand Slam contenders in both the men's and women's game. For the women they depend on Serena Williams for every Grand Slam and need some younger stars to step up and establish themselves. For the men they need to have a player who rises to the call of his nation and wins a Grand Slam or makes the final to the inspire the younger generation coming through. The men all seem to play the same way with the exception of Mardy Fish and it's clearly not working for them. So this US Open is crucial for the Americans to put themselves back on the map and for the young players who are on the verge of breaking through to make a name for themselves. So let's look at who might be able to make a breakthrough.
          For the women they've got the favourite for the women's title in Serena Williams and was simply unstoppable in the Olympics and at Wimbledon and looked go since then. Despite a loss to Angelique Kerber in Cincinnati she is still the clear favourite. When she's playing at her best there is very few who can live with her. It's tough to see who can beat her here and it will take someone at their very best to dethrone Serena. Her serve is the greatest the women's game has ever seen and if she's getting even just 60% of it in she's very difficult to stop. The first round loss at the French Open seems a long time ago now and she's going to be at the latter stages of this Grand Slam barring disaster.
          The USA have got a number of young girls who are threatening the top players and will be looking to a run from at least one of them. Melanie Oudin had a stunning run here a few years back but has really struggled to rediscover that form and hasn't shown anything recently to suggest she can make another run here. Jamie Hampton faces Marion Bartoli in round one and that's a match she will be looking to have the full backing of the crowd as she attempts to cause an upset. Nicole Gibbs is a girl I've heard great things about and she has an opening round match against Alize Cornet which will be very tough but would set up a match with Petra Kvitova if she could win. Sloane Stephens is a fantastic player and I think she could be a future top ten player. She opens against Francesca Schiavone and that's a match she will fancy winning on a hard court. A potential third round match up with Ana Ivanovic could await her and in my opinion she's got a real chance of going through to the fourth round if she gets the upset against Schiavone. Venus Williams and Bethanie Mattek-Sands face off in round one for the right to play Kerber in round two and I think either of them would be out of their depth against the German so I wouldn't be hopeful of a run for either of them. The girl I'm most looking forward to seeing is Christina McHale. She's got the game to go very deep here and looking at her draw she won't fear Sara Errani in round three and will be under no pressure against Kerber in the fourth. I think she has a very good run in her here.
          The prospects of the men are much dimmer but there are a few players I'm expecting big things from. Donald Young has had the worst year imaginable and the fact that he drew Roger Federer in round one doesn't give him any hope for anything here and the best thing for him is to take some weeks off and work on his game because there is no doubt he has the ability to be a top 30 player, maybe even top 20. Robby Ginepri has had success here before but at his age it's highly unlikely he has anything in him for a win or two here. Youngster Jack Sock is beginning to play regularly on the tour and his opening match with Florian Mayer isn't the worst draw for him and it would be nice to see him get the win as he would have a genuine shot at reaching round three then. Sam Querrey has got a lot of talent and he could very well reach the quarter finals but it would depend entirely on whether Thomas Berdych is on form. If he's not then Querrey could reach a quarter final against Roger Federer. Mardy Fish is a player capable of going deep but the meeting with Federer in round four will be very tough but if he improves his first serve percentage then he has a chance/ The most James Blake will be looking for is to get a win or two under his belt but it would take a monster effort to get over Marcel Granollers. It would be the storyline of the century if Brian Baker could make a deep run here given everything he's been through. Janko Tipsarevic will be a very difficult task in round two but not an impossible one. Ryan Harrison was given a very rough draw with the winner of Juan Martin Del Potro and David Nalbandian but it would be huge if he was able to beat one of them. Andy Roddick may well be playing his last US Open and he would love make a good run one last time but I don't think he can get any further than possibly the fourth round. I don't think he could beat Del Potro unless he played out of his skin and Del Potro had an off day but both are unlikely. So with exception of possibly Sam Querrey there isn't anybody threatening the quarter finals. John Isner is the final man to talk about and he will certainly reach the quarter finals. I don't see Tipsarevic stopping him and I think he will reach the semi finals where anything could happen. He could face Gasquet, Ferrer or Haas in the quarter finals and out of them I  think Haas is the only one he would fear as Haas has got the guile and the weapons to defend, rally and hit through Isner. The hopes of the entire nation rest with John Isner in New York but I think he is going to produce the goods. He beat Djokovic on the American hard courts in the Spring and so he won't fear playing him in the semi finals, nor would he fear facing Del Potro as he knows his serve is more steady than the Argentines. I would not be one bit surprised to see Isner reach the final here and it would be just the boost that American tennis needs.
                   

US Open Men's Draw Preview

It's been a year filled with scintillating tennis and entertaining rivalries and this fortnight all of that comes to the greatest tennis tournament of the year in one of the greatest cities in the world, the US Open in New York City. For as long as I've been watching tennis this is the tournament I look forward to most each year. The atmosphere is always incredible as the fans really get involved and there isn't a better occasion in tennis than the night session at Flushing Meadows. This year us going to be even better with so many players fighting for the final major of the year. Roger Federer rediscovered his form to win another Grand Slam at Wimbledon. Novak Djokovic hasn't been his brilliant best since the early Summer but has looked sharp since getting back on the hard courts and will fancy his chances of retaining his title. Andy Murray won the Olympic gold medal but he has yet to show he's got what it takes to win a Grand Slam, however, this could very well be his year. It would be unusual to see somebody else win the title but I think with the strength of the game at the present time we could see somebody new lifting a major title. So now let's take a look at the draw section by section and how each player is shaping up.

Section 1         
As top seed Roger Federer is the clear favourite to progress from this section and reach the semi finals. The first three rounds look to be relatively easy for the Swiss as none of his possible opponents can really hurt him. Fernando Verdasco is his potential third round opponent and that is a very nice draw for Roger. In the fourth round he will face a tricky match against either Mardy Fish or Gilles Simon. Fish lost to Federer in Cincinnati but it was a close game and I think if Fish could have got a higher percentage of first serves in he would have had a real shot at winning so he knows what he has to work on. Simon has got the potential to be a top five player in my opinion but he falls short in confidence against the top players but if he starts believing in his game he can become a danger at Grand Slams. With the crowd behind him I think Fish will get past Simon to face Federer and try avenge his loss from last week. In the bottom half of this section Thomas Berdych is the 6th seed and will be looking to put a horrid run of form behind him and get back to the sort of form that saw him trouble Nadal in Rome and reach the Madrid finals this year. Since he got on to the grass his game has just vanished and he's barely put any wins on the board. Last week in Winston Salem he began to play well and reached the final where he narrowly lost to John Isner in the final. I expect to see the real Berdych this week and if he starts well his confidence will rise and he becomes a contender. He could face Roger Federer in the quarter final and he's beaten Roger at a Grand Slam before and three times on a hard court so he if he's playing well he might just fancy winning that. Other players in this section worth a mention are Sam Querrey and Nicolas Almagro who are both capable of big things. I would worry about Querrey's fitness after four straight weeks playing though. Almagro has a few tricky early games but if he gets through them he becomes dangerous.

Section 2
Third seed Andy Murray has been given a really tough draw as he pursues his first Grand Slam. I think Murray needed a nice draw to really give the title a shot. He is often guilty of losing sets early in Grand Slams and he can't afford to do that and still expect to be mentally and physically fit for the latter stages. I think he might struggle to make the quarter finals here with the draw he got but if he does somehow manage to make it and hasn't worn himself out then he could very well win his first Grand Slam. The opening two games should be straight forward for him but in the third round he could face Robin Haase who caused him all sorts of trouble last year. I expect Haase to beat Feliciano Lopez in the first round and go on to face Murray but Haase is so unpredictable anything could happen. I do expect Murray to reach the fourth round but he must do so without dropping a set or he will regret it later on. In the fourth round he is likely to face Canadian Milos Raonic who is swiftly rising up the rankings and is seeded 15 for this tournament. I've been full of praise for him all year and he has played phenomenally well at times but it is time he stepped up and went deep in a big tournament and I think he has a great chance here. Murray is kind of player he excels against and I see him beating him for the second time this year having beaten the Scot in Barcelona. In the bottom half of this section there are four possible quarter finalists in Kei Nishikori or Marin Cilic, who meet in round three, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Jeremy Chardy who also meet in round three. Chardy beat Murray in Cincinnati but is inconsistent so it's hard to see him going far while Tsonga is consistently in the latter stages of majors so one would imagine he will be a quarter finalist. I don't think we'll see Cilic upset Tsonga but if Nishikori is firing then he could very well find himself ina quarter final.

Section 3
With Rafael Nadal out injured there is a glorious chance for somebody from this section to reach a semi final that previously would have required beating one of the top four. David Ferrer is the fourth seed but he will need to up his game if he's to make it there. He hasn't been his best since coming off the clay and after a gruelling run on the grass. He faces Kevin Anderson in a nightmare first round match and it will be a real test of the Spaniards quile if he is to come through that. He could face Lleyton Hewitt, Mikhail Youzhny or Gilles Muller in the third round and any of those would be tricky opponents on a hard court. The fourth round match will be very interesting from this section. It's likely to be Ferrer against either Richard Gasquet or Tommy Haas and either one would be able opponents against Ferrer. Gasquet has got all the shots and if he plays well then he could go very deep here. He was outstanding in Cincinnati until he was destroyed by Djokovic in the final. Haas has been a fantastic story to follow all year. A number of serious injuries threatened to end his career but he kept fighting and now finds himself on the verge of the top 20 again and if he continues his good form here then I see no reason he wouldn't beat Gasquet and Ferrer to reach a quarter final. In the other half of the section I think we have a contender in American John Isner. He will be the focus of home attention and despite some abnormal performances at Wimbledon and the early stages of the American hard court swing he does seem to be finding his form at the right time. He just won the title in Winston Salem and will be full of confidence heading to Flushing Meadows. Janko Tipsarevic might cause him some problems in round four but I think Isner will produce the goods this fortnight and reach at least a semi final. My only concern is the early games where he often vulnerable and guilty of trying to go through the motions and doesn't stay fully focused but it shouldn't be a problem for him in New York. On player in his section that I am looking forward to seeing is Grigor Dimitrov who is starting to live up to the expectations set upon him as a junior. I think he's finding his form and consistently playing good tennis and although he may not make his big entrance to the tour here he will become a top 15 player in the next twelve months.

Section 4
This section has got two genuine title contenders; Novak Djokovic and Juan Martin Del Potro. Djokovic hasn't been his best since he came off the clay and didn't seem to enjoy the grass court swing at all but there was signs in the Olympics that he was starting to hit the ball as cleanly as he did last year and the beginning of this year. He won the title in style in Toronto and reached the final in Cincinnati but he was completely out of sorts against Federer and never looked like winning but he should be fully ready for the start of this event where he's had so much joy in the past. He has got a very comfortable opening three rounds where I don't see anybody putting him under pressure. In round four he could face Aleksandr Dolgopolov who gave him a stern test here last year but I don't see Dolgopolov going far given the nightmare he had in Toronto and Cincinnati. Stanislas Wawrinka is likely to be the man facing Djokovic after his run to the semi finals in Cincy where he had a number of great wins. I still wouldn't see Novak losing to him though and Djokovic will be in the quarter finals. There he should meet 2009 Champion Del Potro. Delpo has been finding his best form this year and is slowly putting all the pieces together as he looks to return to the top of the game. We seen him excel at the French Open where had Federer demolished until he got injured and he looked sensational at times at the Olympics where his own poor execution left him down but once he gets it all together I don't see him staying outside the top four for long. He faces David Nalbandian in the first round and that's a blockbuster match up but I think Delpo will have to much for the wily competitor that is Nalbandian. With any other draw I'd say Ryan Harrison would go far but getting Del Potro in round two is very unfortunate but he is young and has the talent and even if he does go down in round two he will have his great days in New York and throughout the world in the coming years. It's going to come down to a quarter final between Djokovic and Del Potro and the winner of that will really fancy their chances of going all the way.

Olympic Men's Tennis Semi Finals

Although the Olympics may only be getting into full swing now the tennis event is almost finished with the men and women reaching the semi final stage. In this post I'm going to look at the two men's semi finals and what a line up we have. Wimbledon champion and world number one Roger Federer has come through some tricky matches and will face talented Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro in the semi final. Home hope Andy Murray has had a relatively comfortable passage through to his semi final but is sure to face his toughest test yet in the shape of Serbian Novak Djokovic, who was sensational in his quarter final demolition of Jo Wilfried Tsonga.
          Starting with the match between Federer and Del Potro and this really should be a match full of high quality tennis. It's no secret how much Federer wants the Olympic gold medal and with the games played in London and the tennis played at Wimbledon he couldn't really ask for any more. After picking up yet another Grand Slam and equalling Pete Sampras' record of seven Wimbledon titles, the Swiss star came into the Olympics as the favourite. He's been impressive in how he has coped with some potential banana skins and in his quarter final against John Isner I thought he was playing at a very high level. Isner was playing well coming into that match but Roger stayed patient and waited for his chances and got the job done. Del Potro has also been impressive in his route through. In his first set against Gilles Simon he was outstanding but had difficulty closing it out and in the quarter final against Kei Nishikori he was 4-1 up in the second set and ended up only winning on a tie break. Closing out matches is very important in the game and although he eventually finished them off he will be concerned he let his leads slip. Against a man like Federer you cannot show any weakness. These two have met fourteen times and Federer has come out on top twelve of those times including the last six meetings. Del Potro won his first match against Federer in the US Open final of 2009 and I think head to head records mean nothing when it comes to an event like the Olympics. Federer nullifies Del Potro's big game with one shot in particular, the low slice backhand. With the height of Del Potro, Roger keeps the ball down low with slice and it causes the Argentine all sorts of problems. However, in the French Open this year Del Potro found the solution. He was hitting around the ball a bit more and getting into the rallies and he simply outclassed Federer for two sets until his hamstring injury cost him the match. My worry for Del Potro on this surface is his movement. When he played David Ferrer at Wimbledon he was pushed around the court and had no answers once his movement was tested to the full. I've felt from the start of the tournament that Del Potro would medal and a win today would guarantee that. Federer may have won Wimbledon but I think he can be beaten and I think Del Potro is exactly the kind of player that could do it. This match is going to be close, too close to call. One possible factor is Federer's desire for gold. It could spur him on in the big moments or could it put too much pressure on him? We'll find out if Del Potro puts him to the sword.
          The second semi final between Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic is another potentially epic match. A lot of people are assuming Murray will reach the final here after his run at Wimbledon but I don't see it. Many people have been saying Murray has been sensational so far but the way I've seen it his opponents have been very poor. Nicolas Almagro in the quarter final was far below his best and offered Murray little opposition. Even if he had been fully fit I don't think he would have played aggressive enough to beat the Scot anyway but he would certainly have given him a better game. The only man to step up and attack Murray was Marcos Baghdatis and he was a joy to watch for a set. He stood up on the baseline and dictated the play and took Murray apart and then at the start of the second set he stood back and rallied and against a player like Murray that is criminal. I have been impressed with Murray's dismantling of his opponents but I would have liked to see someone continuously push him and continuously attack him. Djokovic has been up and down at times and struggled for a set against Fabio Fognini and again against Lleyton Hewitt but he was breathtakingly brilliant yesterday against Tsonga. He dropped sets against Fognini and Hewitt but after he did he stepped it up and crushed them. Andy Roddick was a man on form until he ran into Novak in round two and I think Djokovic has threatened to return to the form he had last season. I fully expect Djokovic to beat Murray and I think he might do so easily. Murray will find it difficult against Djokovic because Djokovic can be aggressive and he won't mind having to rally with Murray and no matter which he does he can be effective. That allows Djokovic to drift in and out and that makes him very dangerous. These two have met thirteen times and Djokovic leads 8-5 and Murray's five wins have all come at Masters 1000 events and this year in Dubai. They've met twice in Grand Slams and Djokovic has come out on top both times including his crushing win at the Australian Open in 2011. Djokovic has really found the range on his ground strokes and that is ominous for the tour. He's serving better and he's backing up his serves even better than he did at times last year. I think Novak is going to guarantee himself a medal by winning this match and improve on his bronze medal in Beijing four years ago.          

The Show Must Go On- Tennis After Wimbledon

Roger Federer joined the legendary Pete Sampras on seven Wimbledon titles today with a fascinating four set win over Andy Murray which also so the Swiss rise to world number one yet again. The two weeks of Wimbledon always attracts people to their tv's and people become enthralled by the sport. For many, now that it is over they won't watch more tennis until the Olympics and then the US Open. It was a great fortnight of tennis and although it has come to an end we don't have to wait until the Olympics to see some of the top stars take to the court again. This week we have no less than four tournaments taking place where a number of top quality players are participating. Three of this week's events (Umag, Bastad and Stuttgart) are on the red clay which many players who had disappointing grass court campaigns will use to boost their confidence and raise their rankings ahead of the upcoming hard court swing. The other event is in Newport and is on grass and has attracted some big hitters who are still looking to fine tune their game for the Olympics. So for this post I'm going to be previewing those events briefly and discuss who the likely contenders for each title will be. So let's start with the tournament in Stuttgart.
          Stuttgart is a 250 event on the red clay and has attracted some big names to it this year. Defending champion Juan Carlos Ferrero has not chosen to return so we will have a new champion by the end of the week. Top seed Janko Tipsarevic will be hoping to recover from a disappointing Wimbledon which promised so much. On the clay I don't thinkhe will win the title however as there are some clay court specialists in the field who might just outclass him. I think second seed Juan Monaco might be the favourite for the title here. He has had a phenomenal season so far and on clay he should be too good for the remainder of the field. There is one player in his quarter he won't want to face though and that's veteran Tommy Haas who has impressed in his form this season and although he lost in the first round of Wimbledon he has won on German soil already this year beating Federer in the final of Halle. Another contender is Spaniard Pablo Andujar who has got some clay court credentials himself but it will take a great effort for him to win his way through the week. Unseeded Thomaz Bellucci is another who can cause trouble for anyone on this surface and he is one to watch this week as is third seed Bernard Tomic but for me the favourite is Argentine Juan Monaco and I expect him to take another clay court title.
          Umag, Croatia is the venue for the second of our tournaments this week and contains a number of talented clay courters. Top seed Fernando Verdasco might consider himself a contender but I don't think the seeding is reflective of the form or ability of the field as I don't see Verdasco as a main contender. I see him losing to 2010 champion Juan Carlos Ferrero in the quarter finals as Ferrero has had a great year is one of the best clay courters around even at his age. I don't think Ferrero has got a full week in him to win the title but it wouldn't be a major shock if he did pull off the title win. Defending champion Aleksandr Dolgopolov will be looking to hit some form by defending his crown but he will face some stiff competition from a number of top players. Second seed and beaten finalist twelve months ago Marin Cilic has been great this year so far and I could see him going one step further this year and winning the title. Unseeded Italian Fabio Fognini has been surprisingly consistent this year and so has been very successful and I could see him having a good week on clay but I think they main man this week is Marin Cilic and I see him beating either Ferrero or Marcel Granollers in the final.
          The red clay in Bastad, Sweden is a much more predictable tournament this year. I think the top seed David Ferrer will be very difficult to topple. Of those trying I like a few players who are capable of big things on clay. Second seed Nicolas Almagro is a great clay courter and will fancy his chances of making another final at the very least. He won the title in 2010 and is now eleventh in the world and playing some of the best tennis of his career. Third seed Albert Ramos is a player I really like and he's having a good year. He's reached a final this year on clay and will be looking for a first ATP title to back it up. He's got the ability but I don't think he will go all the way. Italian Filippo Volandri is another potentious player on clay and might cause a few shocks during the week as could Jarkko Nieminen but I don't see either winning the title. Tommy Robredo is looking for a third title here but might be found wanting in the fitness area. Talent wise Robredo can match anyone in the draw but his lack of tour level match fitness might cost him a win here. There is some great talent in the tournament but David Ferrer is the man I think will win the title.
          Finally to Newport, USA where the grass court season continues with some of the game's biggest hitters are taking part. Top seed and defending champion John Isner returns this year with a chance to get his final competitive practice before heading to the Olympics in a few short weeks. Isner was very disappointing at Wimbledon but I would expect him to be much better here and go very close to defending his title. Kei Nishikori is second seed and I would expect him to follow up his good play at SW19 with a run here this week but I would be highly surprised if he managed to win the title. Having said that, I think he will be a top ten player in the coming years as he finally starts to develop into the talent we saw when he was first breaking onto the scene. Sam Querrey was outstanding at Wimbledon and I would imagine he will follow it up here with another strong showing as he continues his return to the top twenty. Ryan Harrison is another going to the Olympics looking to hit some form and I thought he was very good against Djokovic at Wimbledon last week and I think he might be taking another step towards the top ten this week. I have no doubt he will be a top ten player at the very least in the next year or two. Another player certain to join him is Canadian Milos Raonic. I think Raonic is a future Grand Slam winner and future top five player. I expect a semi final battle between Raonic and Isner this week and the winner of that will go on to lift the title. Picking one over the other is tough but giving Isner's poor run at Wimbledon I think this means more to him to play near his best so I will give John Isner a slight nod over Raonic.
          That's my predictions for the week and I hope that above all results we see some great tennis that leaves us looking forward to the remainder of the season. Anyone wanting to express their views please visit my facebook page or twitter page and leave comments or feel free to e-mail me.                         

Roger Federer vs Andy Murray: History Beckons

It's been an incredibly entertaining fortnight at SW19 and it all comes to close today as the men's singles final takes place with history on the line for both players. For Andy Murray he can finally win a Grand Slam and get rid of that demon that's been haunting him for years. It would fulfil all his dreams and to do it here at Wimbledon would be a magnificent moment for the Scot. For Federer he's competing in his eighth Wimbledon final and a win here would be his seventh title which would tie legendary Pete Sampras' record of seven titles here. The only final Federer has ever lost here was when he was beaten in the greatest match in Wimbledon, and possibly tennis, history to Rafa Nadal in 2008. So no matter what the outcome we will see a piece of history made when the final point is played.
          Murray began his journey against Russian Nikolay Davydenko in the first round and was a comfortable winner but faced a stiff test from giant Ivo Karlovic in round two. He could have found himself in serious trouble when he went into a third set tiebreak but he came through it and took the match in four sets. Murray was again pushed to four sets in the third round against Marcos Baghdatis but under the Centre Court roof he came through 6-1 in the fourth to book his place in the second week. That week began with a potentially tricky tie against Marin Cilic but Cilic wasn't at his best after playing the second longest match in Wimbledon history the previous round while Murray played near his best to take it in straight sets. David Ferrer had a great chance to end the Scot's run but after winning the first set he couldn't capitalise on numerous chances and made so many uncharacteristic errors which are criminal when you face Murray. Murray took the match in four very tight sets in a highly entertaining match. Yet another semi final appearance for Murray came on Friday but this time there was a major difference. This time Murray wasn't facing Rafa Nadal who has beaten Murray time and time again in Grand Slams in recent years. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was his opponent and the Frenchman simply didn't turn up at all. He wasn't near his aggressive best and played very passive tennis which against Andy Murray is sinful. Murray is a master of long rallies like that and if your not going to go for your shots then Murray will take you apart. Murray took that game in four sets and so reached his first Wimbledon final.
          Roger Federer began his tournament with a straight forward win over Albert Ramos and he then disposed over Italian Fabio Fognini in similar fashion and going into the third round had only lost nine games. Playing the day after Nadal's shocking exit Federer found himself in all sorts of trouble against Julian Benneteau. Benneteau won the first two sets and seemed to have the belief that if Rosol can beat Nadal he can beat Federer but the Swiss star showed why he's the greatest player of all time and came back to win in five. Roger again faced trouble in round four against Xavier Malisse when he was suffering from a back injury and was a set all but a break down in the third. Roger again proved his class and came through in four sets. In the quarter final Federer was simply astonishing. He showed no signs of the back injury that threatened to ruin his quest to return to number one. Mikhail Youzhny was his victim this time and the Russian managed just five games as Federer brushed him aside. After the US Open last year Federer claimed he would get back the number one ranking and in the semi final against Djokovic it all came down to one match. Beating Djokovic would give him the opportunity to win the Grand Slam they said he wouldn't and return to the top of the rankings like they said he wouldn't. Roger was brilliant in the semis and beat Novak in four sets to reach yet another final.
           It looks like rain is going to be a major factor in the final and it could possibly be played entirely under a roof. That, for me, would suit Federer. Roger is one of the greatest indoor players I've ever seen and he's probably the greatest grass court player ever along with Sampras. So combine the two and it's a daunting task to beat him under the roof at Wimbledon. Murray would be expected to have the crowd on his side but I don't think it will be that simple. Federer is loved throughout the world and especially here so I would expect the crowd to get behind both players. Murray will have to handle the pressure better than he has in his three Grand Slam finals so far. He has been simply destroyed in all three by Djokovic at the Australian Open and more importantly twice against Federer in New York and Melbourne. The key for Murray is to start well and hold serve comfortably early on and find his rhythm as soon as he can or else Federer will sense the nerves and feats upon them.
           I've made no secret of what I think of Murray's second serve and I was very disappointed by Tsonga and Cilic and how they approached the game against Murray. Murray has a strong tendency to kick his second serve into the middle of the box with no real pace and for me that is not good enough. I think it's very attackable and if you keep being aggressive and attacking it then you will get the rewards. Not only do you win points off the second serve but it puts him under pressure to get the first serve in and under that pressure he starts to take the pace off the serve and then his first serve becomes a target to attack. Cilic has got the weapons to destroy Murray but he was too passive. He got involved in long rallies and Murray picked him apart with ease. Tsonga then done the same thing, he didn't show the aggression we seen against Fish or for that matter anytime we've seen Tsonga. He was slicing every second shot and Murray was all too comfortable. Murray has had a very high percentage of first serves in but I think that's a direct result of no pressure on second serve. Against Federer he won't have that freedom. Roger will not sit back and defend it's simply not his style. The Swiss maestro will be aggressive and that's why he's the greatest. Now I know I expected Tsonga to play that way and be aggressive and he failed but I have no doubt Federer will play that way. I seen part of his warm up this morning and he was hitting with the legend that is Fabrice Santoro and that's very interesting. Santoro has got a wide variety of slices and Federer will have experienced all sorts of shots with Santoro. Federer spent a considerable amount of time returning serves and I noticed that he was stepping up into the court and hitting through the ball which leads me to believe he will be attacking the serve.
           We could all see how Murray felt after winning on Friday and he was very emotional which was in contrast to Federer's reaction to beating Djokovic. Federer spoke of how little a reaction he made yesterday. "I'm aware that the tournament's not over yet. I didn't break down crying and fall to my knees and thought the tournament is over and I achieved everything I ever wanted. Honestly, it happens faster than you think it does. Then all of a sudden you come out the next match and you're not the same anymore because you're emotionally too drained already and you think it's been a great tournament. That could be interpreted as a reaction to the tears we saw from Murray and dramatic reactions we saw. Since that devastating loss to Djokovic at last year's US Open Federer has been astonishing. He could have been forgiven for losing interest at his age and seeing Nadal and Djokovic dominating the sport but instead he said he will make number one again and he will win another Grand Slam. Since then he's won seven ATP titles and today he can add both that number one ranking and the Grand Slam and complete a remarkable year for the Swiss star.
          In my opinion this match will be very similar to their Australian Open final. I think that Federer is going to win this one and unfortunately for Murray fans I think it might just be comfortable. Federer will expose Murray's weaknesses and I would bet my life that we see Murray lose his temper at stage of the match. I don't buy into the media belief that Murray is no longer mentally poor and is now an aggressive player since Lendl took over as his coach. I think that's rubbish and we only see the aggression in early round matches and as Rod Laver said today "He might be up a break and serving 40-30 and he just puts the ball in play". That's not aggression that's weak play and the disappointing part of it is that Murray has got seriously good shots when he does hit through the ball. Murray isn't stronger mentally either. We've seen him shouting and slapping his racquet throughout this year under Ivan Lendl. I just think that Federer is so much stronger mentally and will handle the occasion better and at the end of the day Roger Federer has got tons more talent than Andy Murray and that's going to show today. I think it's going to be Federer in three straight sets.