Tuesday, 9 October 2012
Cork Tennis Blog
Here is a blog I came across awhile ago that covers the tennis scene in Cork and on a national level and also contains links to other great tennis blogs and articles. I would strongly recommend everyone follow this blog as you will always find top quality informative articles. I keep up to date with the blog on a regular basis and I hope you all do the same. The link below will bring you on the blog.
Thursday, 4 October 2012
ATP Rule Changes
The ATP Board of Directors have announced two new rule changes which will come into effect for the 2013 season. The changes, which were agreed upon at a meeting in New York in early September, are aimed at helping the flow of the game and reducing the time taken between points. The changes are going to make it easier for umpires to punish players who take too much time between points and help stem the flow of criticism that the officials come in for. The changes were proposed by the new ATP Competition Committee.
The Competition Committee was announced in August this year and was created to recommend and evaluate changes for the professional game at both World Tour and Challenger levels. The committee has got six members and will act in an advisory role to the Board of Directors. The six members consists of two Tournament Council designated representatives, two Player Council designated representatives and one at-large member and one committee chairman. The Tournament Council representatives are Sergio Palmieri and Graham Pearce. Palmieri is the Tournament Director of the ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome while Pearce is the former Director of the ATP 250 event in Auckland, a very popular event that takes place at the beginning of the year. Pearce will also provide a wealth of experience having served on the Board of Directors for ten years.
Lorne Abony and Weller Evans are the Player Council representatives. Abony has got a great relationship with the players having raised over a million dollars for charity through his Pro-Am events with the help of the players. Evans gave over two decades working for the ATP and has got a vast knowledge of the game. The Tournament Director of the event in Rotterdam, Richard Krajicek, has been nominated as the at-large representative and Gayle David Bradshaw, ATP Executive Vice President of Rules & Competition, was appointed committee chairman. Krajicek and Bradshaw were both nominated by ATP Executive Chairman and President Brad Drewett. All the ideas they come up with are then presented to the ATP Board and they then decide whether to pass them as official rule changes.
The rule changes announced by Drewett are a good start to the relationship between the committee and the board. From the start of next season, on both the ATP World Tour and ATP Challenger Tour, a time violation between points (25 seconds) will be penalised in the first instance with a warning. For the second and all subsequent violations, the penalty will be a fault for the server and a point penalty for the receiver. This is a change on the current rule where after a warning a point penalty is issued to both the server and receiver. This change is much easier to enforce for umpires and I think it's a step in the right direction to eliminating unnecessary time wasting from the sport.
The Board also announced a trial elimination of the service let for the first three months of next season. This is only to be trialled on the ATP Challenger Tour as the ATP assess the reaction to the change. The Board will get feedback from players and if successful it is likely to lead to a longer trial on the Challenger Tour before being introduced on the main tour. Although this change isn't going to shorten the length of a match but it will help improve the flow of the game. The changes look like being a positive change for the game and with the recent introduction of a Competition Committee the tour is heading in the right direction to develop the game to be the best it can be.
The Competition Committee was announced in August this year and was created to recommend and evaluate changes for the professional game at both World Tour and Challenger levels. The committee has got six members and will act in an advisory role to the Board of Directors. The six members consists of two Tournament Council designated representatives, two Player Council designated representatives and one at-large member and one committee chairman. The Tournament Council representatives are Sergio Palmieri and Graham Pearce. Palmieri is the Tournament Director of the ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome while Pearce is the former Director of the ATP 250 event in Auckland, a very popular event that takes place at the beginning of the year. Pearce will also provide a wealth of experience having served on the Board of Directors for ten years.
Lorne Abony and Weller Evans are the Player Council representatives. Abony has got a great relationship with the players having raised over a million dollars for charity through his Pro-Am events with the help of the players. Evans gave over two decades working for the ATP and has got a vast knowledge of the game. The Tournament Director of the event in Rotterdam, Richard Krajicek, has been nominated as the at-large representative and Gayle David Bradshaw, ATP Executive Vice President of Rules & Competition, was appointed committee chairman. Krajicek and Bradshaw were both nominated by ATP Executive Chairman and President Brad Drewett. All the ideas they come up with are then presented to the ATP Board and they then decide whether to pass them as official rule changes.
The rule changes announced by Drewett are a good start to the relationship between the committee and the board. From the start of next season, on both the ATP World Tour and ATP Challenger Tour, a time violation between points (25 seconds) will be penalised in the first instance with a warning. For the second and all subsequent violations, the penalty will be a fault for the server and a point penalty for the receiver. This is a change on the current rule where after a warning a point penalty is issued to both the server and receiver. This change is much easier to enforce for umpires and I think it's a step in the right direction to eliminating unnecessary time wasting from the sport.
The Board also announced a trial elimination of the service let for the first three months of next season. This is only to be trialled on the ATP Challenger Tour as the ATP assess the reaction to the change. The Board will get feedback from players and if successful it is likely to lead to a longer trial on the Challenger Tour before being introduced on the main tour. Although this change isn't going to shorten the length of a match but it will help improve the flow of the game. The changes look like being a positive change for the game and with the recent introduction of a Competition Committee the tour is heading in the right direction to develop the game to be the best it can be.
Beijing & Tokyo Tennis
This week the ATP Tour is in two of Asia's main cities. The World Tour 500 events in Tokyo and Beijing attract the very best players year upon year and this year is no different. After the US Open many players choose to take well earned breaks to recover for the remaining leg of the calendar. The two finalists from the US Open have both opted to make their returns to the courts, for the first time since that epic final, this week. Andy Murray is the top seed in Tokyo while Novak Djokovic is the top seed in Beijing. So getting straight into it here is a quick preview and prediction of this weeks event.
Starting with Tokyo and the favourite is obviously Andy Murray fresh from his US Open triumph and so far he's accounted for Lucas Lacko and Ivo Karlovic in straight sets. Neither were able to compete with the British number one but he should have a very tricky match with Stanislas Wawrinka in his quarter final. I think Murray will finish the year strongly but I don't think Murray will win this week because he hasn't had much match practice in the last few weeks and he is sure to be lacking intensity when he finds himself in a tricky situation. The end of the year has never been a strong part of Murray's game but he will be confident of doing well in the masters events and the end of year championships this season on the back of a strong Summer. If he does manage to beat Wawrinka he will face either Janko Tipsarevic or Milos Raonic in the semi finals. Juan Monaco is certainly the man in form and with a possible appearance in London on offer if he continues his winning ways he is going to be tough to beat. I see him being in a semi final against Thomas Berdych this week and that match will be high quality. Berdych will feel hard done by at the US Open as he would have beaten Murray in normal conditions but he has to put that to one side and focus on the end of the year and preparing for a fast start to next season. I think he will be very strong and will add to his list of titles before the year is out.
The main contenders for the title this week are Murray, Raonic, Tipsarevic, Monaco and Berdych. I think with the surface and conditions if Raonic gets on form then he could be victorious by Sunday. However, the main man for me this week is the Czech Thomas Berdych who has been brilliant for much of this season and I think he will only get stronger starting with a win here
.In Beijing it's slightly less competitive with half the seeds already eliminated. American Sam Querrey has had a great year and I think he might just continue that form in the coming weeks provided fitness doesn't catch up with him. If he gets on a run he could be a prominent player by the weekend. Richard Gasquet is becoming a much more consistent player in recent months and if he can continue that then there is no limit to where he can end up. He won a title last week and as 5th seed this week I give him a great chance of getting another this week. He is certainly among the top contenders and I think a semi final appearance is the least he will accomplish. Third seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will benefit from David Ferrers withdrawal and reach a final this week. I think he has got the power and experience to get through the remainder of that half and I would be surprised to see him lose before the final. The favourite and rightly so is obviously the world number one Novak Djokovic and I can't see him losing. He has been at the top for long enough to know how to win when he's not at his best and I expect him to win the title here this week. Gasquet and Tsonga could challenge but Novak Djokovic will take the title.
Starting with Tokyo and the favourite is obviously Andy Murray fresh from his US Open triumph and so far he's accounted for Lucas Lacko and Ivo Karlovic in straight sets. Neither were able to compete with the British number one but he should have a very tricky match with Stanislas Wawrinka in his quarter final. I think Murray will finish the year strongly but I don't think Murray will win this week because he hasn't had much match practice in the last few weeks and he is sure to be lacking intensity when he finds himself in a tricky situation. The end of the year has never been a strong part of Murray's game but he will be confident of doing well in the masters events and the end of year championships this season on the back of a strong Summer. If he does manage to beat Wawrinka he will face either Janko Tipsarevic or Milos Raonic in the semi finals. Juan Monaco is certainly the man in form and with a possible appearance in London on offer if he continues his winning ways he is going to be tough to beat. I see him being in a semi final against Thomas Berdych this week and that match will be high quality. Berdych will feel hard done by at the US Open as he would have beaten Murray in normal conditions but he has to put that to one side and focus on the end of the year and preparing for a fast start to next season. I think he will be very strong and will add to his list of titles before the year is out.
The main contenders for the title this week are Murray, Raonic, Tipsarevic, Monaco and Berdych. I think with the surface and conditions if Raonic gets on form then he could be victorious by Sunday. However, the main man for me this week is the Czech Thomas Berdych who has been brilliant for much of this season and I think he will only get stronger starting with a win here
.In Beijing it's slightly less competitive with half the seeds already eliminated. American Sam Querrey has had a great year and I think he might just continue that form in the coming weeks provided fitness doesn't catch up with him. If he gets on a run he could be a prominent player by the weekend. Richard Gasquet is becoming a much more consistent player in recent months and if he can continue that then there is no limit to where he can end up. He won a title last week and as 5th seed this week I give him a great chance of getting another this week. He is certainly among the top contenders and I think a semi final appearance is the least he will accomplish. Third seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will benefit from David Ferrers withdrawal and reach a final this week. I think he has got the power and experience to get through the remainder of that half and I would be surprised to see him lose before the final. The favourite and rightly so is obviously the world number one Novak Djokovic and I can't see him losing. He has been at the top for long enough to know how to win when he's not at his best and I expect him to win the title here this week. Gasquet and Tsonga could challenge but Novak Djokovic will take the title.
Australian Open 2013
Tennis Australia this week announced some stunning initiatives for the 2013 Australian Open including a record increase in the prize money to $31.1 million. Speaking at the launch of the Australian Open, Tennis Australia CEO Steve Wood announced a $4.15 million increase in the prize money on offer making this the richest Australian Open in history. The increase came in response to talk of a possible boycott of the event by players who were concerned over the funding. Wood said the increase was an example of the Australian Open making more major contributions to the well being of the players. The increase is the biggest from one year to another but it has yet to be revealed how the increase will be distributed.
Wood said that talks would take place with the ATP Players Council to discuss how to evenly share the prize money but I would imagine that a lot of the increase will go towards players who lose in the earlier rounds. Tournament Director Craig Tiley said that they were proud to get the record prize money and that they were looking after the lower ranked players who were seeking compensation for their efforts. It has been an issue for quite some time that players who regularly lost in the opening rounds of Grand Slams were struggling to manage to afford the costs of being on the tour. This announcement is sure to get a response from other Grand Slams and I would be surprised if the money didn't increase in all four slams this year. I am all for helping out the lower ranked players and allowing them to develop but I think there is a bigger problem within the game.
Players on the Challenger Tour are trying to make a living and to make the necessary improvements to be able to compete on the ATP Tour. In my opinion they are grossly underpaid in comparison to those on the main tour. For example a player putting in a major effort to win a Challenger event will win approximately $15,000 while a player losing in the first round of a Grand Slam gets over $20,000. That, in my opinion, is wrong. Obviously there is a huge gulf in class between both but I think the standard Challenger Tour could improve dramatically if there was an increase in money into events and the prize money.
The facilities have been greatly improved for the players as Tennis Australia looks to build on the very successful event they had last year where the marathon men's final between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal is seen as one of the greatest tennis matches of all time. This year the players will have better recovery facilities and more practice courts including eight new clay courts in the new National Tennis Centre. Legend of Australian tennis Judy Dalton is going to be inducted to the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame, while a special Legends lunch will be held to honour six time Australian Open winner Roy Emerson on the final Saturday. As an added touch to the men's event, former champion Andre Agassi will present the men's championship trophy to the winner.
Looking at the developments they've made in Melbourne the organisation have done their bit to ensure the success of the Australian Open continues. As well as announcing the improvements, Tiley also stated that he is confident that Rafael Nadal will be one of the great stories in January where he is expected to make his return to Grand Slam action for the first time since his Wimbledon exit in June. The Spaniard has yet to return to the tour and is not expected to until a least the end of year championships in London where he has already qualified. He remains hopeful of competing in the Davis Cup final and he has stated he intends to compete in Abu Dhabi at an exhibition event.
Wood said that talks would take place with the ATP Players Council to discuss how to evenly share the prize money but I would imagine that a lot of the increase will go towards players who lose in the earlier rounds. Tournament Director Craig Tiley said that they were proud to get the record prize money and that they were looking after the lower ranked players who were seeking compensation for their efforts. It has been an issue for quite some time that players who regularly lost in the opening rounds of Grand Slams were struggling to manage to afford the costs of being on the tour. This announcement is sure to get a response from other Grand Slams and I would be surprised if the money didn't increase in all four slams this year. I am all for helping out the lower ranked players and allowing them to develop but I think there is a bigger problem within the game.
Players on the Challenger Tour are trying to make a living and to make the necessary improvements to be able to compete on the ATP Tour. In my opinion they are grossly underpaid in comparison to those on the main tour. For example a player putting in a major effort to win a Challenger event will win approximately $15,000 while a player losing in the first round of a Grand Slam gets over $20,000. That, in my opinion, is wrong. Obviously there is a huge gulf in class between both but I think the standard Challenger Tour could improve dramatically if there was an increase in money into events and the prize money.
The facilities have been greatly improved for the players as Tennis Australia looks to build on the very successful event they had last year where the marathon men's final between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal is seen as one of the greatest tennis matches of all time. This year the players will have better recovery facilities and more practice courts including eight new clay courts in the new National Tennis Centre. Legend of Australian tennis Judy Dalton is going to be inducted to the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame, while a special Legends lunch will be held to honour six time Australian Open winner Roy Emerson on the final Saturday. As an added touch to the men's event, former champion Andre Agassi will present the men's championship trophy to the winner.
Looking at the developments they've made in Melbourne the organisation have done their bit to ensure the success of the Australian Open continues. As well as announcing the improvements, Tiley also stated that he is confident that Rafael Nadal will be one of the great stories in January where he is expected to make his return to Grand Slam action for the first time since his Wimbledon exit in June. The Spaniard has yet to return to the tour and is not expected to until a least the end of year championships in London where he has already qualified. He remains hopeful of competing in the Davis Cup final and he has stated he intends to compete in Abu Dhabi at an exhibition event.
Saturday, 8 September 2012
US Open Men's Semi Finals
Last Monday week the US Open began with 128 men fighting it out to win the final major of the year and now after almost two weeks of tennis were down to just four. For the first time in 33 Grand Slam events we have a semi final line up without Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer but three players are left fighting for their first Grand Slam title while the in form Novak Djokovic is looking to win his 5th major and second US Open title. In his way in tomorrow's semi final is the dogged Spaniard David Ferrer who is stepping up to represent Spain while Nadal is out injured. In the other semi final Andy Murray, still with no major to his name, takes on a resurgent Tomas Berdych. Play tomorrow begins at 11 a.m local time instead of the original time of 12 p.m due to the threat of rain and both games are sure to be full of excitement, emotion and superb tennis.
Novak Djokovic has been sensational throughout these championships and only Juan Martin Del Potro last night has managed to get more than three games in a set off him. He looks as good as he did through all of last year when he won three Grand Slams and that's going to make him very difficult to beat. The man with that challenge is Ferrer who has played some brilliant tennis himself this fortnight. He will be looking to take advantage of the fact that neither Federer or Nadal are here as he has lost to both in big tournaments so many times. Djokovic is a player he has had some success against in the past beating the Serb five times, although three of those wins came on clay. He will take confidence from his win over Djokovic in London last year on a hard court and, despite his three losses to Novak this year, he will be quietly confident. A huge question mark will be placed over Ferrer after his marathon match with Janko Tipsarevic where he showed incredible spirit to fight back and take the final set tie break. Fitness has never been an issue with Ferrer though as he has always been an unbelievable athlete. Ferrer is one of the greatest players to never win a major and this might be one of his last good chances to win one. The problem he faces is trying to hurt Djokovic. Novak has looked invisible so far in these championships and if he plays at the level he did against Del Potro I don't think anything Ferrer does will get him the win. He will need to be at his best from the back of the court to stay in rallies but he needs to find a way to shorten points which means either being aggressive and going for winners or coming to the net. He has shown in the past he can beat the best and has beaten Nadal on hard courts at Grand Slams before so he isn't a stranger to big wins. I don't see it coming tomorrow though as Djokovic just looks sensational. Novak in three or four sets.
Match of the day is certainly the one preceding the Djokovic-Ferrer encounter. Andy Murray may be the favourite to reach the final and I've already heard pundits talking of what Murray has to do against Djokovic. By all accounts he is already been placed in the final. Underestimating Tomas Berdych is very dangerous, just ask Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. He beat both of them on the way to the Wimbledon final and he beat Federer again on Wednesday night. He's got three wins over Nadal, five over Federer and four against tomorrow's opponent Andy Murray himself. For the past number of years people have dismissed Berdych because he is flaky upstairs but he has shown in the past year or so that he is able and ready to compete with the big boys. Murray has got through his matches realtively easily after a disappointing performance from Milos Raonic and a complete collapse from Marin Cilic allowed him play his best to advance. We know that Murray will be chasing down everything and looking to move Berdych from side to side but I'm not so sure he will get a chance to do that against the Czech player. Berdych hits a very flat ball and is taking it very early which makes him even more dangerous. He likes to go for his shots and be the aggressor and that sort of tactic means the game is always on his racquet. Murray needs to step up on to the baseline and try to attack Berdych which he seemed to be working on in practice today. Berdych is going to play from the baseline as usual and as long as he doesn't under perform he has got a great chance. It's easy to look past Berdych as he's been around a long time and hasn't won any big events but he is still only 26 and I think he has got time on his side to win multiple slams, it's the first one that will prove toughest. Of course it's not all about his own faults that have cost him winning slams and he offers a valid reason why he hasn't won,
“They are too good,” Berdych said, referring to the big three of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. “I think the statistics just make it quite clear. Probably if there wouldn't be three of them, maybe one or two, then it would definitely be different. But, you know, once one player is on the run winning almost everything, then he maybe gets injured or something, then there is another one, and he took a spot from him. Like Rafa was winning, and next season it was Novak doing the same. Now Roger is back. They are quite strong. That's how it is. We have to deal with that.”
He has got a real chance here having defeated Federer and Nadal not being here. He won't fear Murray and he won't fear Djokovic or Ferrer. I see Berdych playing another great match tomorrow night and the fact that it's the first match up will suit him. The heat will be greatest at that time and that makes the courts play faster which suits Berdychs game. Berdych needs to move as well as he did against Federer or he will face trouble. Murray has the creation to move Berdych side to side and back and forth but if Berdych is hitting power and taking the ball early then Murray doesn't get the time to move his opponent. I think this one will be a good match but I picked him against Federer and I will have faith in him again tomorrow. Berdych in four.
Novak Djokovic has been sensational throughout these championships and only Juan Martin Del Potro last night has managed to get more than three games in a set off him. He looks as good as he did through all of last year when he won three Grand Slams and that's going to make him very difficult to beat. The man with that challenge is Ferrer who has played some brilliant tennis himself this fortnight. He will be looking to take advantage of the fact that neither Federer or Nadal are here as he has lost to both in big tournaments so many times. Djokovic is a player he has had some success against in the past beating the Serb five times, although three of those wins came on clay. He will take confidence from his win over Djokovic in London last year on a hard court and, despite his three losses to Novak this year, he will be quietly confident. A huge question mark will be placed over Ferrer after his marathon match with Janko Tipsarevic where he showed incredible spirit to fight back and take the final set tie break. Fitness has never been an issue with Ferrer though as he has always been an unbelievable athlete. Ferrer is one of the greatest players to never win a major and this might be one of his last good chances to win one. The problem he faces is trying to hurt Djokovic. Novak has looked invisible so far in these championships and if he plays at the level he did against Del Potro I don't think anything Ferrer does will get him the win. He will need to be at his best from the back of the court to stay in rallies but he needs to find a way to shorten points which means either being aggressive and going for winners or coming to the net. He has shown in the past he can beat the best and has beaten Nadal on hard courts at Grand Slams before so he isn't a stranger to big wins. I don't see it coming tomorrow though as Djokovic just looks sensational. Novak in three or four sets.
Match of the day is certainly the one preceding the Djokovic-Ferrer encounter. Andy Murray may be the favourite to reach the final and I've already heard pundits talking of what Murray has to do against Djokovic. By all accounts he is already been placed in the final. Underestimating Tomas Berdych is very dangerous, just ask Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. He beat both of them on the way to the Wimbledon final and he beat Federer again on Wednesday night. He's got three wins over Nadal, five over Federer and four against tomorrow's opponent Andy Murray himself. For the past number of years people have dismissed Berdych because he is flaky upstairs but he has shown in the past year or so that he is able and ready to compete with the big boys. Murray has got through his matches realtively easily after a disappointing performance from Milos Raonic and a complete collapse from Marin Cilic allowed him play his best to advance. We know that Murray will be chasing down everything and looking to move Berdych from side to side but I'm not so sure he will get a chance to do that against the Czech player. Berdych hits a very flat ball and is taking it very early which makes him even more dangerous. He likes to go for his shots and be the aggressor and that sort of tactic means the game is always on his racquet. Murray needs to step up on to the baseline and try to attack Berdych which he seemed to be working on in practice today. Berdych is going to play from the baseline as usual and as long as he doesn't under perform he has got a great chance. It's easy to look past Berdych as he's been around a long time and hasn't won any big events but he is still only 26 and I think he has got time on his side to win multiple slams, it's the first one that will prove toughest. Of course it's not all about his own faults that have cost him winning slams and he offers a valid reason why he hasn't won,
“They are too good,” Berdych said, referring to the big three of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. “I think the statistics just make it quite clear. Probably if there wouldn't be three of them, maybe one or two, then it would definitely be different. But, you know, once one player is on the run winning almost everything, then he maybe gets injured or something, then there is another one, and he took a spot from him. Like Rafa was winning, and next season it was Novak doing the same. Now Roger is back. They are quite strong. That's how it is. We have to deal with that.”
He has got a real chance here having defeated Federer and Nadal not being here. He won't fear Murray and he won't fear Djokovic or Ferrer. I see Berdych playing another great match tomorrow night and the fact that it's the first match up will suit him. The heat will be greatest at that time and that makes the courts play faster which suits Berdychs game. Berdych needs to move as well as he did against Federer or he will face trouble. Murray has the creation to move Berdych side to side and back and forth but if Berdych is hitting power and taking the ball early then Murray doesn't get the time to move his opponent. I think this one will be a good match but I picked him against Federer and I will have faith in him again tomorrow. Berdych in four.
Wednesday, 5 September 2012
US Open Day 10 Night Session Preview
It's been a wet few days in New York and the schedule is being disrupted but it hasn't impacted the quality of tennis we've been seeing. With matches today having to be finished from last night it's left a very exciting order of play for today's matches. Maria Sharapova was first up and she recovered from losing the first set to come through against Marion Bartoli and she now goes on to meet the in form Victoria Azarenka in the semi finals. Sara Errani has transferred her clay court form to the hard courts and reached the semi finals here for the first time. She awaits the winner of tonight's game between Ana Ivanovic and Serena Williams. Janko Tipsarevic was playing well last night when the rain interrupted him but he showed no signs of frustration as he comfortably beat Philip Kohlschreiber. He now faces David Ferrer in the quarter final after he got through his match with Richard Gasquet in straight sets yesterday before the rain came. Novak Djokovic has made it to the semi final after easily winning the first two sets and being a break ahead when Stanislas Wawrinka retired.
Three more matches are waiting to take to the court and one is currently underway. Juan Martin Del Potro is about to go two sets to one up on Andy Roddick which could mean were about to see yet another great player go into retirement. On to tonight and starting with an interesting match on Louis Armstrong. Andy Murray got through his match with a disappointing Milos Raonic on Monday night in straight sets but he will face a very stern test from Croatian Marin Cilic tonight. Murray beat Cilic at Wimbledon in straight sets but Cilic had just come through a lengthy five set match two nights previous so he wasn't fully fit. He is playing some good tennis this fortnight and got through comfortably in his last match against Martin Klizan so he should be slightly more prepared for this one. If he plays the way he did when he beat Murray at the US Open in 2009 then he has got a real chance of winning this one. Listening to him this morning he was saying he needed to be aggressive without going for too much and that sounds to me like he knows what he needs to do to win. All the players who beat Murray have to work extremely hard to earn the right to dictate the points. It takes courage to step up and hit with the best but I think Cilic has got that in him. Murray will want to control the tempo of the game and that's something Cilic needs to prevent. He may have lost six times to Murray but he's always given him tough matches and I expect this one to be very close. Interestingly Cilic hit with Federer this morning and that will have helped him greatly because of how relaxed Federer is during his practice sessions. I think it will depend on how Cilic performs. If he executes his plan then I think he will win. If he doesn't then I think Murray will win in five.
Ana Ivanovic has the daunting task of facing Serena Williams in the quarter finals tonight but it's a task she will relish. Serena is playing some of the best tennis of her career and has her sights set on winning the title here come Saturday. Ana is certainly on the rise again and with her ranking up to 13 now it looks certain she will contest the Grand Slams consistently again. Ivanovic is coming into this one with no pressure and will try to impose herself early on. The problem Ivanovic faces is she likes to hit the ball and try to out-rally her opponents but against Serena that won't be good enough, simply because Serena is too strong from the back of the court. She will need to vary her play, mixing up her deep ground strokes with some slices to get Williams on the run. The only time Serena has looked uncomfortable in her matches here was when Martinez-Sanchez started serving and volleying and that's something Ana will need to be aware of. I think Ivanovic has the ability and belief to win this one but I'm not sure she has the consistency at this stage in her comeback so I think Williams will win but watch out for a potential fright for the 4th seed before she comes through.
Match of the is certainly the one between Thomas Berdych and Roger Federer. The only concern I have is that the night time conditions might take from Berdych's game as it did with Isner and Raonic. Isner and Raonic looked brilliant during the day when the conditions were hot and the courts were fast but both suffered disappointing defeats in the slower conditions of the night. Berdyc is a more natural shot maker though and the way he dismantled Nicolas Almagro shows he is certainly back to his best. From the moment I saw the draw I thought that if Berdych reached the quarter finals he would have to be back to his usual self and I thought he would beat Federer. My opinion hasn't changed and I do think Berdych is going to win. Federer has looked good here during his three matches but I think he would have rathered to have faced the stiff test Mardy Fish would have brought him instead of getting the walkover. I think that could affect him more than we might think. When Djokovic was on his long unbeaten run last year he got a walkover in the quarter finals at the French Open against Fognini and then lost to Federer. Federer was out practicing with a 14 year old on Monday to stay fresh instead of his match which shows how relaxed he can be. Berydch and Federer have always had some great games right from the start of their rivalry which began in 2004 in Athens. Their last 6 meetings have been split three each and their meeting this year was an epic match in Madrid which Federer won 3-6 7-5 7-5. I'm going out on a limb and saying Berdych is fully behind his troubles of the past few months and he's going to prove it tonight by beating Federer in a thrilling match.
Finishing off with some news outside of the US Open and Rafael Nadal yesterday announced that he won't be back in action for another few months at least which is a major blow for the Spaniard. He hasn't played since his shock loss to Lukas Rosol and it's a real shame for tennis. Annabel Croft mentioned yesterday how last year everytime Nadal went out to practice there were massive crowds to see him and there were screams for autographs when he was done and there hasn't been any of that without him this year. He has made it clear he hopes to return for the end of year championships at the O2 in London or for the Davis Cup final should Spain beat the USA. Another big player struggling is Mardy Fish who appears to have had another of those palpitations attacks this week and that is such a shame for him. After all the work he put in to make it to the top ten and then to have this damage his fitness is a major blow for the American. Hopefully it won't be anything long term and we hope that both players make it back on to the court as soon as possible.
Three more matches are waiting to take to the court and one is currently underway. Juan Martin Del Potro is about to go two sets to one up on Andy Roddick which could mean were about to see yet another great player go into retirement. On to tonight and starting with an interesting match on Louis Armstrong. Andy Murray got through his match with a disappointing Milos Raonic on Monday night in straight sets but he will face a very stern test from Croatian Marin Cilic tonight. Murray beat Cilic at Wimbledon in straight sets but Cilic had just come through a lengthy five set match two nights previous so he wasn't fully fit. He is playing some good tennis this fortnight and got through comfortably in his last match against Martin Klizan so he should be slightly more prepared for this one. If he plays the way he did when he beat Murray at the US Open in 2009 then he has got a real chance of winning this one. Listening to him this morning he was saying he needed to be aggressive without going for too much and that sounds to me like he knows what he needs to do to win. All the players who beat Murray have to work extremely hard to earn the right to dictate the points. It takes courage to step up and hit with the best but I think Cilic has got that in him. Murray will want to control the tempo of the game and that's something Cilic needs to prevent. He may have lost six times to Murray but he's always given him tough matches and I expect this one to be very close. Interestingly Cilic hit with Federer this morning and that will have helped him greatly because of how relaxed Federer is during his practice sessions. I think it will depend on how Cilic performs. If he executes his plan then I think he will win. If he doesn't then I think Murray will win in five.
Ana Ivanovic has the daunting task of facing Serena Williams in the quarter finals tonight but it's a task she will relish. Serena is playing some of the best tennis of her career and has her sights set on winning the title here come Saturday. Ana is certainly on the rise again and with her ranking up to 13 now it looks certain she will contest the Grand Slams consistently again. Ivanovic is coming into this one with no pressure and will try to impose herself early on. The problem Ivanovic faces is she likes to hit the ball and try to out-rally her opponents but against Serena that won't be good enough, simply because Serena is too strong from the back of the court. She will need to vary her play, mixing up her deep ground strokes with some slices to get Williams on the run. The only time Serena has looked uncomfortable in her matches here was when Martinez-Sanchez started serving and volleying and that's something Ana will need to be aware of. I think Ivanovic has the ability and belief to win this one but I'm not sure she has the consistency at this stage in her comeback so I think Williams will win but watch out for a potential fright for the 4th seed before she comes through.
Match of the is certainly the one between Thomas Berdych and Roger Federer. The only concern I have is that the night time conditions might take from Berdych's game as it did with Isner and Raonic. Isner and Raonic looked brilliant during the day when the conditions were hot and the courts were fast but both suffered disappointing defeats in the slower conditions of the night. Berdyc is a more natural shot maker though and the way he dismantled Nicolas Almagro shows he is certainly back to his best. From the moment I saw the draw I thought that if Berdych reached the quarter finals he would have to be back to his usual self and I thought he would beat Federer. My opinion hasn't changed and I do think Berdych is going to win. Federer has looked good here during his three matches but I think he would have rathered to have faced the stiff test Mardy Fish would have brought him instead of getting the walkover. I think that could affect him more than we might think. When Djokovic was on his long unbeaten run last year he got a walkover in the quarter finals at the French Open against Fognini and then lost to Federer. Federer was out practicing with a 14 year old on Monday to stay fresh instead of his match which shows how relaxed he can be. Berydch and Federer have always had some great games right from the start of their rivalry which began in 2004 in Athens. Their last 6 meetings have been split three each and their meeting this year was an epic match in Madrid which Federer won 3-6 7-5 7-5. I'm going out on a limb and saying Berdych is fully behind his troubles of the past few months and he's going to prove it tonight by beating Federer in a thrilling match.
Finishing off with some news outside of the US Open and Rafael Nadal yesterday announced that he won't be back in action for another few months at least which is a major blow for the Spaniard. He hasn't played since his shock loss to Lukas Rosol and it's a real shame for tennis. Annabel Croft mentioned yesterday how last year everytime Nadal went out to practice there were massive crowds to see him and there were screams for autographs when he was done and there hasn't been any of that without him this year. He has made it clear he hopes to return for the end of year championships at the O2 in London or for the Davis Cup final should Spain beat the USA. Another big player struggling is Mardy Fish who appears to have had another of those palpitations attacks this week and that is such a shame for him. After all the work he put in to make it to the top ten and then to have this damage his fitness is a major blow for the American. Hopefully it won't be anything long term and we hope that both players make it back on to the court as soon as possible.
Saturday, 1 September 2012
Saturday at Flushing Meadows
The first Saturday of the 2012 US Open is upon us and we have some very exciting matches in store. Before we look ahead to those matches let's reflect on yesterday's drama. Laura Robson continued her run by beating the 8th seed Li Na in three sets and now gets a shot at defending champion Sam Stosur. It was an abject performance from Li who struggled to find the right length on her shots but credit to Robson who took the ball early and never allowed Li have the time to find her ryhthm. Aleksandr Dolgopolov had a great win over Marcos Baghdatis and that makes him a threat going forward as he seems to have put his nightmare three weeks behind him. Story of the day was of course the Andy Roddick-Bernard Tomic match, would it be Roddicks last match? Far from it. He was sensational. It was a joy to watch and if he continues that form then he might just get a good run going.
So on to today and it's a great line up to enjoy on all the main courts. For the first time we have got a competitive night session and that's sure to make it more enjoyable for the fans who pay money for the night games. Very few of the matches in the evening so far have had sets that even went past 6-1 and that's simply got to be fixed and arranged better. The obvious solution is to put the big name American players on the night session like they did with Roddick last night and watch the crowd respond. The crowd for Andy last night were brilliant and played their part. Tonight we've got two Americans in the night session and their two exciting games. First though let's look at the afternoon games.
Jelena Jankovic continues her run against 2nd seed Agnieszka Radwanska and she will see that as a match where she has nothing to lose and everything to gain. Radwanska has been very consistent this year and made her first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon but had a virus and wasn't able to give her best performance. Jankovic has fallen way down in the list of contenders in similar fashion to how Wozniacki is now. She tried to inject more pace onto her stroke and as a result lost the consistency and still didn't have the power to beat the very best. She seems to be finding herself again and I think she could give Radwanska a good game here. I do still see Radwanska getting through but it should be a very competitive match.
Ekaterina Makarova has the daunting task of facing Serena Williams on Arthur Ashe today and although she beat Williams at the Aussie Open this year it's tough to see how she can really get close to winning this one. Williams is in great form and is striking the ball really well. She seems to have recovered from the ankle injury she sustained in doubles the other day and is moving well. That said she isn't unbeatable but it takes a courageous player who fights Serena for the baseline. Both players can't play from the baseline and someone will be forced to back down and that's why it's tough to beat Serena because it's so tough to outhit her from the baseline. Makarova has got nice shots and good power and if she has the confidence she could upset the American's rhythm. However, I don't see her sustaining any positive play long enough against Williams. I think Serena will get through to round four in two tight sets.
Roger Federer continues his quest for yet another Grand Slam when he takes on Fernando Verdasco on Ashe. Federer has been convincing in his opening two games but in reality he wasn't put under any pressure. Verdasco should be able to give Roger a stern test but it's whether he can sustain a high level that will determine whether he can get a win or not. Federer will look to dictate from the baseline and Verdasco will have to try to negate the Swiss' game by imposing himself with some heavy ground strokes and being aggressive. I don't think he'll have the execution to get a win off Fed though and that's why Roger will progress in three tight sets with one break determining each of them.
Louis Armstrong holds two big men's games today with Feliciano Lopez attempting to end Andy Murray's run. Murray wasn't tested in his first two matches and Lopez will hope he can produce some good tennis to give the Scot a run for his money. Lopez will need to execute his serve and volley play very well if he's to get success and he really needs to have a good day with the back hand. I remember watching him play Roger Federer last year and play scintillating tennis but just come up short in a final set tie break but the reason he was competitive was because his back hand was sensational. If he plays his best and plays aggressive then he might have a chance but I'm going to pick Murray to win simply because we know how he will play and Lopez can be hit and miss.
Sam Querrey will hope the American crowd are noisy when he takes to the Armstong court to face Thomas Berdych. Querrey has rediscovered his form this season and especially in the last few weeks and he will hope he can cause an upset to reach the third round. If he plays some good tennis then I'd give him a chance but it's a tough ask to beat Berdych in this sort of form. He may have played poorly in the last two or three months but he has certainly put that behind him after reaching the final at Winston Salem last week and having dispatched his opponents in style this week so far. I think Berdych is back to his best and that means he's going to be a contender and I don't see Querrey beating him. Berdych will have too much fire power from the back of the court with a fierce backhand and lethal forehand. Berdych should win in four sets.
Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikori will produce a thrilling match on court 17. Both players will fancy winning this and going forward to win a few more matches. Cilic had a great run here a few years ago and will have those memories with him all week and I think he can draw upon that when he gets into tough situations. With Tsonga gone it leaves these players with a chance to reach the quarter final so expect two inspired players. Nishikori is due a good run here and I think he's going to get it. His shot making is better than Cilic's and that's going to be the difference. Nishikori to win in five. Jeremy Chardy and Martin Klizan should be an interesting match. Klizan got a huge win over Tsonga in the last round but is it just another Rosol against Nadal? We all remember how brilliant Rosol was against Nadal but we tend to forget he was crushed in his next match. Klizan however, is a player on the rise and might just be ready to step up to the top thirty, maybe even top twenty. Chardy is equally as inconsistent but he is playing some great tennis lately and also beat Tsonga a few weeks ago as well as beating Murray the week after. He's looked impressive so far this week too and I think he'll beat Klizan in four sets.
Maria Kirilenko should have few problems in beating Andrea Hlavackova out on the Grandstand court after impressing in her first week. She's consistently making the last 16 of Grand Slams and will cause problems for the bigger players too. I like her chances of winning this in two and she then goes on to more than likely face Serena Williams and she might just be able to cause a shock there. She must take care of business today first and I expect her to. Tsvetana Pironkova is a player I really like but it's normally on the grass court she has her success but she's played nicely this week and I think she'll get a win today over Silvia Soler-Espinosa. I also expect Olga Puchkova to be destroyed by Sara Errani. She looks very good and is proving she's not just a clay court player, she should win this in two quick sets.
Young Jack Sock is a promising player and looks to be a certain top twenty player at least. He's had some good results this week but he comes up against a strong opponent in Nicolas Almagro today. Sock has got a very nice game and it will be interesting to see how he approaches Almagro. The Spaniard will want to rally his opponent down from the baseline so Sock will need to stop the rallies going too long. If he manages to shorten the points and mix up his style then he might get success. I'll go Almagro in four but don't be surprised if Sock causes another shock. James Blake's win over Marcel Granollers was a shock in itself but the result was incredible. He destroyed a top player. He is really loving the whole atmosphere of his home Grand Slam and is playing some great tennis. Today I think his run comes to an end. He faces big serving Canadian Milos Raonic and I think Raonic will have too much for Blake. I like the way Raonic played in his last round and it was a huge improvement on his match against Giraldo. This is the type of match Raonic often loses though. He lost to Hewitt in Australia and Querrey at Wimbledon and he should be beating both of those players. I don't see him losing today though, I think he's going to win it in straight sets and go on to meet Andy Murray in the next round.
Now on to the night session and starting with the women's game. There is no doubt Sloane Stephens is going to be a top ten player but the question at the moment is whether she can cause a huge stir at a Grand Slam now. I think she can and I think she's going to beat Ana Ivanovic tonight. She has a fierce forehand and I think she can really move Ivanovic around. For Ana she is on the rise again and I think next year she will be contending Grand Slams again but this year I think she's going to be beaten by Stephens who could go very far. Mardy Fish is going to face a tricky match against Gilles Simon in the second night match. Simon is a very accomplished player but beating Fish at night, in America with that crowd is going to be difficult. Fish is going to be using his serve and volley to try and dictate the pace of the game and I think that's a very effective tactic against Simon. He doesn't want to get drawn into long forehand exchanges because that's where Simon will expose Fish's forehand. I see Fish coming through this one in four tough sets.
So on to today and it's a great line up to enjoy on all the main courts. For the first time we have got a competitive night session and that's sure to make it more enjoyable for the fans who pay money for the night games. Very few of the matches in the evening so far have had sets that even went past 6-1 and that's simply got to be fixed and arranged better. The obvious solution is to put the big name American players on the night session like they did with Roddick last night and watch the crowd respond. The crowd for Andy last night were brilliant and played their part. Tonight we've got two Americans in the night session and their two exciting games. First though let's look at the afternoon games.
Jelena Jankovic continues her run against 2nd seed Agnieszka Radwanska and she will see that as a match where she has nothing to lose and everything to gain. Radwanska has been very consistent this year and made her first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon but had a virus and wasn't able to give her best performance. Jankovic has fallen way down in the list of contenders in similar fashion to how Wozniacki is now. She tried to inject more pace onto her stroke and as a result lost the consistency and still didn't have the power to beat the very best. She seems to be finding herself again and I think she could give Radwanska a good game here. I do still see Radwanska getting through but it should be a very competitive match.
Ekaterina Makarova has the daunting task of facing Serena Williams on Arthur Ashe today and although she beat Williams at the Aussie Open this year it's tough to see how she can really get close to winning this one. Williams is in great form and is striking the ball really well. She seems to have recovered from the ankle injury she sustained in doubles the other day and is moving well. That said she isn't unbeatable but it takes a courageous player who fights Serena for the baseline. Both players can't play from the baseline and someone will be forced to back down and that's why it's tough to beat Serena because it's so tough to outhit her from the baseline. Makarova has got nice shots and good power and if she has the confidence she could upset the American's rhythm. However, I don't see her sustaining any positive play long enough against Williams. I think Serena will get through to round four in two tight sets.
Roger Federer continues his quest for yet another Grand Slam when he takes on Fernando Verdasco on Ashe. Federer has been convincing in his opening two games but in reality he wasn't put under any pressure. Verdasco should be able to give Roger a stern test but it's whether he can sustain a high level that will determine whether he can get a win or not. Federer will look to dictate from the baseline and Verdasco will have to try to negate the Swiss' game by imposing himself with some heavy ground strokes and being aggressive. I don't think he'll have the execution to get a win off Fed though and that's why Roger will progress in three tight sets with one break determining each of them.
Louis Armstrong holds two big men's games today with Feliciano Lopez attempting to end Andy Murray's run. Murray wasn't tested in his first two matches and Lopez will hope he can produce some good tennis to give the Scot a run for his money. Lopez will need to execute his serve and volley play very well if he's to get success and he really needs to have a good day with the back hand. I remember watching him play Roger Federer last year and play scintillating tennis but just come up short in a final set tie break but the reason he was competitive was because his back hand was sensational. If he plays his best and plays aggressive then he might have a chance but I'm going to pick Murray to win simply because we know how he will play and Lopez can be hit and miss.
Sam Querrey will hope the American crowd are noisy when he takes to the Armstong court to face Thomas Berdych. Querrey has rediscovered his form this season and especially in the last few weeks and he will hope he can cause an upset to reach the third round. If he plays some good tennis then I'd give him a chance but it's a tough ask to beat Berdych in this sort of form. He may have played poorly in the last two or three months but he has certainly put that behind him after reaching the final at Winston Salem last week and having dispatched his opponents in style this week so far. I think Berdych is back to his best and that means he's going to be a contender and I don't see Querrey beating him. Berdych will have too much fire power from the back of the court with a fierce backhand and lethal forehand. Berdych should win in four sets.
Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikori will produce a thrilling match on court 17. Both players will fancy winning this and going forward to win a few more matches. Cilic had a great run here a few years ago and will have those memories with him all week and I think he can draw upon that when he gets into tough situations. With Tsonga gone it leaves these players with a chance to reach the quarter final so expect two inspired players. Nishikori is due a good run here and I think he's going to get it. His shot making is better than Cilic's and that's going to be the difference. Nishikori to win in five. Jeremy Chardy and Martin Klizan should be an interesting match. Klizan got a huge win over Tsonga in the last round but is it just another Rosol against Nadal? We all remember how brilliant Rosol was against Nadal but we tend to forget he was crushed in his next match. Klizan however, is a player on the rise and might just be ready to step up to the top thirty, maybe even top twenty. Chardy is equally as inconsistent but he is playing some great tennis lately and also beat Tsonga a few weeks ago as well as beating Murray the week after. He's looked impressive so far this week too and I think he'll beat Klizan in four sets.
Maria Kirilenko should have few problems in beating Andrea Hlavackova out on the Grandstand court after impressing in her first week. She's consistently making the last 16 of Grand Slams and will cause problems for the bigger players too. I like her chances of winning this in two and she then goes on to more than likely face Serena Williams and she might just be able to cause a shock there. She must take care of business today first and I expect her to. Tsvetana Pironkova is a player I really like but it's normally on the grass court she has her success but she's played nicely this week and I think she'll get a win today over Silvia Soler-Espinosa. I also expect Olga Puchkova to be destroyed by Sara Errani. She looks very good and is proving she's not just a clay court player, she should win this in two quick sets.
Young Jack Sock is a promising player and looks to be a certain top twenty player at least. He's had some good results this week but he comes up against a strong opponent in Nicolas Almagro today. Sock has got a very nice game and it will be interesting to see how he approaches Almagro. The Spaniard will want to rally his opponent down from the baseline so Sock will need to stop the rallies going too long. If he manages to shorten the points and mix up his style then he might get success. I'll go Almagro in four but don't be surprised if Sock causes another shock. James Blake's win over Marcel Granollers was a shock in itself but the result was incredible. He destroyed a top player. He is really loving the whole atmosphere of his home Grand Slam and is playing some great tennis. Today I think his run comes to an end. He faces big serving Canadian Milos Raonic and I think Raonic will have too much for Blake. I like the way Raonic played in his last round and it was a huge improvement on his match against Giraldo. This is the type of match Raonic often loses though. He lost to Hewitt in Australia and Querrey at Wimbledon and he should be beating both of those players. I don't see him losing today though, I think he's going to win it in straight sets and go on to meet Andy Murray in the next round.
Now on to the night session and starting with the women's game. There is no doubt Sloane Stephens is going to be a top ten player but the question at the moment is whether she can cause a huge stir at a Grand Slam now. I think she can and I think she's going to beat Ana Ivanovic tonight. She has a fierce forehand and I think she can really move Ivanovic around. For Ana she is on the rise again and I think next year she will be contending Grand Slams again but this year I think she's going to be beaten by Stephens who could go very far. Mardy Fish is going to face a tricky match against Gilles Simon in the second night match. Simon is a very accomplished player but beating Fish at night, in America with that crowd is going to be difficult. Fish is going to be using his serve and volley to try and dictate the pace of the game and I think that's a very effective tactic against Simon. He doesn't want to get drawn into long forehand exchanges because that's where Simon will expose Fish's forehand. I see Fish coming through this one in four tough sets.
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