To Indian Wells I go…

Posted on March 2, 2012 by

And I’ll be there for the entire BNP Paribas Open. Can’t freakin’ wait! I’ll be doing as much blogging & tweeting as possible, so be sure to keep checking back during the tournament. Until then, wish me safe travels (I have to fly out of Vermont & through Chicago, so I’m sure I won’t make it on time), and enjoy the following links!

These probably aren't the headlines Marko had in mind...

Important article from Howard Bryant on PED’s across all sports.

Threw this up on our facebook page earlier this week, but this great piece on Roddick deserves another shout out.

30+ isn’t quite the death sentence for tennis players that it used to be. Maybe I’ll make my comeback this year!

Christina McHale making slow & steady progress…and that’s just fine with her.

Jon Wertheim takes on shady wildcards, amongst other topics, in his most recent mailbag.

Full story on the Wildcard snub in Dubai.

Bruce Jenkins is not a fan of Caroline Wozniacki’s latest shots at some legends.

Peter Bodo on the Djokovic wildcard Dubai story.

I don’t care if you’ve never heard of her, this is a great story.

Another psychology piece from Allen Fox at tennis.com.

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Is Roddick Done?

Posted on February 24, 2012 by

First off, I should let you know that I don’t know the answer to the above question. If I did, that would make me a psychic & I probably would be on tv or something like that. However, I think at this time it is safe to assume Roddick is done as a consistent top 10 player. His baseline or net game was never amongst the upper echelon of Men’s tennis, and his serve has now fallen back as well. He is 2-3 on the year so far, with losses coming against three players ranked outside the top 60, and no marquee wins on his resume either. Of course, when you are losing

Too much of this look from Roddick lately...can he turn it around?

to the likes of Xavier Malisse in the first round in Memphis, you don’t really give yourself a shot at marquee wins. That being said…I am certainly rooting for a final push from Roddick (and Blake, for that matter). If he can rediscover some of his service magic, it will breed confidence, which is really vital at the professional level. Is he going to win another major, or even a master’s event again? No, probably not. That isn’t what I’m after though…I just want him to be relevant again.

Speaking of Roddick…great back & forth with Tignor and a Roddick fan.

Don’t often post these types of articles, but a really insightful lesson of sorts.

Some harsh words for Azarenka from Radwanksa.

Hopefully the drama discussed here is of the tennis variety.

Wertheim seems as surprised as I am that people call out Federer for lack of sportsmanship in his latest mailbag.

Very interesting article on some of the speed bumps Shahar Peer has overcome.

Some traits that both Azarenka & Djokovic share.

Pick 1 career: Kvitova or Azarenka.

 

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Friday Links: February 17th Edition & Happy Belated to John McEnroe!

Posted on February 17, 2012 by

"It's my party and I'll cry if I want to..."

A little bit of a slow time in the world of tennis, with some scattered, smaller tournaments this week and the next couple around the globe. It isn’t the worst thing in the world…we’ve got quite the month to prepare for in March with both the BNP Paribas and Sony Ericsson Opens. With that in mind, I’ll give you all some of the most interesting tennis-related articles I’ve read this week.

Finally, an awesome birthday shout-out to Johnny Mac!

Peter Bodo on how Courier helped Team USA to victory over Switzerland.

Two-year rankings? People have some questions about it.

Who is buying into the John Isner hype?

Jon Wertheim’s latest mailbag on the Davis Cup, the lack of attention paid to Fernando Gonzalez’ retirement, and more.

Grades from CNNSI.

Lamenting the fall of doubles.

Peter Bodo on an interesting new tennis related disease.

Very intriguing take on the Nadal-Djokovic rivalry from Tignor.

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2012 First Round Davis Cup Review

Posted on February 13, 2012 by

I made predictions on Friday…typically I am awful at doing so. Let’s review and make fun of me when applicable. To read my full preview post click here.

Spain vs. Kazakhstan: I picked Spain to win 4-1, figuring that Kazakhstan’s singles players were good enough for one upset, especially on a Sunday during a dead rubber. Turns out, they were close…losing in the final set a couple of times. Ultimately, Spain won 5-0, but I’ll give myself an A- for this one.

Austria vs. Russia: I was correct in saying that Austria was tougher on paper than it appeared. And I even hinted at an upset, but did not have the guts to actually predict it. Well, I should’ve gone with my gut, as Austria provided a stunning 3-2 victory over Russia, with Jurgen Melzer providing two solid singles victory. Grade: B.

Canada vs. France: I picked France 4-1, and BAM, I nailed it! Raonic provided Canada with their lone victory on day 1, but injured himself and couldn’t compete the rest of the weekend, giving them no hope of advancing. Grade: A.

Switzerland vs. United States: I am more than ok giving myself an F on this one. The win itself for the visitors didn’t shock me so much as the complete dominance. Federer went 0-2? Wow! The Americans somehow won the doubles point with (in my opinion) the SLIGHTLY weaker Bryan twin and a singles specialist? Wow! I’ll even give myself an F-, and do it happily.

Czech Republic vs. Italy: I dominated this pick too, as CR did indeed take it 4-1, with Italy capturing final match of the weekend in a dead rubber. This was perhaps the easiest pick of the weekend, although Seppi did give Stepanek a run for his money in the opening rubber, which could’ve changed the entire landscape of the tie. Grade: A.

Serbia vs. Sweden: I was ever so close on this one, as Tipsarevic & Zimonjic lost 10-8 in the 5th to the Swedish team of Brunstrom & Lindstedt, giving Sweden their lone victory of the tie. Tipsarevic made up for it though, sealing it for the 2010 champs with a easy victory in the first match on Sunday. Grade: B+.

Japan vs. Croatia: Japan got the upset victory they needed when Go Soeda opened the weekend up with a 5-set victory, but KeI Nishikori or Soeda simply could not handle Dr. Ivo’s serve. Karlovic wins the MVP of this tie, going 3-0, and I win a grade of an A-.

German vs. Argentina: I picked Argentina to win, but thought it would be more intriguing than it turned out to be. Argentina swept through the doubles, making all of Sunday irrelevant. World #21 Florian Mayer really let the Germans down as he lost both of his singles matches to lower ranked players, and I let myself down almost picking an upset for the Germans. Grade: C+.

Overall, I did ok, as I picked 6 out of 8 winners, and even nailed a few spot on. My failure to stick with my gut and go with Austria over Russia, as well as not coming close to a USA sweep, drags my overall grade down…but I’ll give myself a solid B.

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2012 First Round Davis Cup Preview

Posted on February 9, 2012 by

Let’s get down to business. Below are my pics & we’ll review them next week.

Spain vs. Kazakhstan (Indoor Clay, Spain): Even without a few of their big guns (Nadal, Ferrer, Verdasco), the Spanish team still looks like a heavy favorite. The likes of Almagro, Granollers & Ferrero should be enough to keep Kazakhstan at bay. That being said, both Kukushkin & Golubev have the potential to win a rubber or two to make it interesting. Spain 4-1.

Austria vs. Russia (Indoor Hard, Austria): On paper, this looks like a blowout for Russia. They have four players inside the top 100 to only Jurgen Melzer for Austria. However, the Russians have no standout player. Would it really surprise anyone if Melzer beat both Bogomolov & Kunitsyn? Or the home crowd inspiring just ONE more victory…stranger things have happened, that’s all I’m saying. Still, Russia 3-2.

Canada vs. France (Indoor Hard, Canada): Yes, Milos Raonic has a huge serve and is fun to watch. No, Canada will not upset a team composed of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga & Gael Monfils. Unless, of course, they do. In related news, I love hedging bets. France 4-1.

Switzerland vs. United States (Indoor Clay, Switzerland): Even with Federer & Wawrinka, I’d give the Americans a fighting chance against the Swiss…if Bob Bryan were playing. Fortunately for him, and unfortunately for Team USA fans, his wife just gave birth so Uncle Mike will be teaming up with (probably) Ryan Harrison. Without the doubles point, Team USA will most likely be relegated to the World Group Playoffs. Switzerland 4-1.

Czech Republic vs. Italy (Indoor Hard, Czech Republic): Sure, the Italians have some nice players in Seppi & Starace, but in no way can I fathom a team led by two top 30 players (Berdych & Stepanek) losing to a team with mainly fringe Top 75 players. CR 4-1.

Serbia vs. Sweden (Indoor Hard, Serbia): The 2010 Champs, Serbia, are likely to have a pretty easy go of it in the first round. Even without Djokovic, they have two top 25 players in Tipsarevic & Troicki, and Sweden has, well, no one really. To be fair, Robert Lindstedt is a top 10 doubles player, but that won’t be enough to do any major damage. Serbia 5-0.

Japan vs. Croatia (Indoor Hard, Japan): While not the most intriguing matchup overall, who wouldn’t want to watch 5’10 Kei Nishikori against 6’10 Ivo Karlovic? I think Japan will keep this close, but even if Nishikori is able to win both his matches, I’m not sure where the 3rd victory comes from. Croatia 3-2.

Germany vs. Argentina (Indoor Clay, Germany): I was shocked to see Florian Mayer is ranked 21st in the world…but, he is! Without del Potro to anchor Argentina, I actually think Germany has a chance at a minor upset. Players like the other Juan’s (Ignacio Chela & Monaco) are solid, as is David Nalbandian. So, I’m going to pick Argentina, 3-2, but will not be shocked at all at a German victory.

 

 

 

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