This is a little late but I have a few thoughts on the the Australian Open.
Men's - What a great result for Stanislas Wawrinka to bust out of Federer's shadow and claim his first Grand Slam title. He had never even won a set of Rafa before the Aussie final and he held his nerve and won after letting his concentration lapse in the third set. Rafa tweaked his back, but even before that Stan was crushing the ball and moving extremely well. I do not think that this is the start of the Wawrinka era of men's tennis, because I do not think that the will win another major, but it is always good to see hard work rewarded on the big stage.
Women's - Honestly, I would not have Li NA even as a dark horse pick. After losing the final twice, I did not think she had it in her. But, it was inspiring to see another player over 30 pulling off a win like that. She was tenacious in her preparation and her desire to win was incredible. She also had the funniest winner's speech that I can remember.
In other news this week Michael Russell, Detroit native, has made it to his third career semi-final on the big tour, in Memphis. Yesterday he beat former #1 Lleyton Hewitt. He has to play Nishikori this afternoon to try to get his first tour final at the ago of 35. Nishikori is on the cusp of becoming a great player and working his way into the Top 10. He got to #11 recently, but then fell back due to some injuries. He is the #1 seed in Memphis, which is the first time he has entered any ATP event as the top seed. He seems to be handing that extra pressure well. It is great to see a Japanese male player doing well. I have visited Japan many times and it is a very sport-crazy country. Japanese women have faired well over the years, but a good Japanese male player comes along about once every 20 years. It could be because the same hand/eye coordination that is required to hit a tennis ball comes in handy when playing baseball, which is a far more popular sport in Japan. Anyway, I am looking forward to following the match online.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
I Love the Australian Open
I love the Australian Open. I go to bed at midnight and they are playing the early matches. I get up in the morning and they are still playing the evening matches. This is awesome!
Thursday, January 9, 2014
All Mixed Up 2013
Last year I was so inspired after playing mixed doubles that I developed a ranking for professional mixed doubles players that did not take gender into account. For 2012, Leander Paes from India was the #1 ranked mixed doubles player according to my ranking system.
In 2012 there were 5 mixed doubles tournaments because along with the four majors, the Olymics also staged a mixed doubles event.
For 2013 there were the standard four major tournaments, Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. I think that the Olympics added bit of spice to the 2012 mixed doubles calendar last year as teams from each country used the majors to get practice together in advance of the Olympic event.
So lets get to it, here is the 2013 Top Ten Non-Gender Specific Mixed Doubles List.
T1. Daniel Nestor/Canada, 3920 Points. Daniel is the oldest member of our top ten list at 41 years old. He has long been one of the top doubles players on the men's tour having won 81 doubles titles thru the end of 2013 (which puts him #3 all time). Daniel has reached the #1 ranking in men's doubles on many occasions. In 2013 Daniel partnered exclusively with Kristina Mladenovic of France. Together they won Wimbledon, were runners-up at the French Open and semi-finalists at the US Open. The win at Wimbledon was Daniel's third mixed doubles trophy.
T1. Kristina Mladenovic/France, 3920 Points. Kristina has won 7 WTA doubles events and has been ranked as high as 15 in doubles. In 2013 Kristina partnered exclusively with Daniel Nestor of Canada. Together they won Wimbledon, were runners-up at Rolland Garros and semi-finalists at the US Open. It was Kristina's first major tournament victory.
T3. Frantisek Cermak/Czech Republic, 3650 Points. Frantisek is also one of the top doubles players on the men's tour, having won 29 doubles events in his career. He partnered with Lucie Hradecka also of the Czech Republic for all of the mixed doubles majors. Their partnership paid major dividends as they won the French Open and were runners-up at The Australian Open. The French Open was Frantisek's first major victory
T3. Lucie Hradecka/Czech Republic, 3650 Points. Lucie has won 17 WTA doubles titles in her career and been ranked as high as #22. He partnered with Frantisek Cermak also of the Czech Republic for all of the mixed doubles majors. Together they won the French Open and were runners-up at The Australian Open. The French Open was also Lucie's first major victory
5. Bruno Soares/Brazil, 2460 Points. Bruno made the list by pure perseverance. He entered all of the mixed doubles majors and his best effort was a runner-up finish at Wimbledon with Lisa Raymond. Bruno has won doubles 16 events on the men's tour. In 2012 Bruno won the US Open mixed doubles trophy.
T6. Max Mirnyi/Belarus, 2270 Points. Although now 36 years old, Max 'The Beast' Mirnyi is still one of the best doubles players on the men's tour. He was won 48 career doubles titles. In 2013 he partnered with Andrea Hradecka of the Czech Republic to win the US Open mixed doubles title. It was Max's 4th major mixed doubles title, coming 15 years after his first mixed doubles victory with Serena Williams at the 1998 Wimbledon Championships.
T6. Andrea Hlavackova/Czech Republic, 2270 Points. Andrea has has plenty of success on the WTA Tour having sown 14 career doubles titles that include 2 majors. She partnered with Max Mirnyi and together they won the US Open mixed doubles title. It was Andrea's first major mixed doubles title.
T8. Matt Ebden/Australia, 2000 Points. Matt won the mixed doubles trophy at his home country's major event. It was the only mixed doubles event the Matt played during the year. He has won 3 other titles in his career on the men's tour. Matt has reached a career high of #57 in doubles.
T8. Jarmila Gajdosova/Austrailia, 2000 Points. Jarmila also won her first mixed doubles major at the Australian Open with Matt Ebden in 2013. They were the first all Australian pairing to win the title since 2005 when Samantha Stosur and Scott Draper won the title. Jarmila was won 1 doubles title on the WTA tour and has been ranked as high as #31 in doubles.
10. Lisa Raymond/USA, 1740 Points. The veteran American is still competitive at 40 years old. She won her first mixed doubles major at the 1996 US Open and made it to the final of the 2013 Wimbledon Championships 17 years later. Lisa had had an outstanding career with 79 doubles titles that include 6 majors. She has also won 5 major mixed doubles crowns with the last win coming in 2012 at the Wimbledon Championships with Mike Bryan.
In 2012 the Top Ten was dominated by three Indian players. In 2013 there are three Czech players in the top ten. In 2013 six players won their first mixed doubles title. From the 2012 list, Lisa Raymond, Max Mirnyi, and Bruno Soares are the only repeat members.
That about wraps it up. The Australian Open starts next week and my picks are Djokovic and Serena.
In 2012 there were 5 mixed doubles tournaments because along with the four majors, the Olymics also staged a mixed doubles event.
For 2013 there were the standard four major tournaments, Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. I think that the Olympics added bit of spice to the 2012 mixed doubles calendar last year as teams from each country used the majors to get practice together in advance of the Olympic event.
So lets get to it, here is the 2013 Top Ten Non-Gender Specific Mixed Doubles List.
T1. Daniel Nestor/Canada, 3920 Points. Daniel is the oldest member of our top ten list at 41 years old. He has long been one of the top doubles players on the men's tour having won 81 doubles titles thru the end of 2013 (which puts him #3 all time). Daniel has reached the #1 ranking in men's doubles on many occasions. In 2013 Daniel partnered exclusively with Kristina Mladenovic of France. Together they won Wimbledon, were runners-up at the French Open and semi-finalists at the US Open. The win at Wimbledon was Daniel's third mixed doubles trophy.
T1. Kristina Mladenovic/France, 3920 Points. Kristina has won 7 WTA doubles events and has been ranked as high as 15 in doubles. In 2013 Kristina partnered exclusively with Daniel Nestor of Canada. Together they won Wimbledon, were runners-up at Rolland Garros and semi-finalists at the US Open. It was Kristina's first major tournament victory.
T3. Frantisek Cermak/Czech Republic, 3650 Points. Frantisek is also one of the top doubles players on the men's tour, having won 29 doubles events in his career. He partnered with Lucie Hradecka also of the Czech Republic for all of the mixed doubles majors. Their partnership paid major dividends as they won the French Open and were runners-up at The Australian Open. The French Open was Frantisek's first major victory
T3. Lucie Hradecka/Czech Republic, 3650 Points. Lucie has won 17 WTA doubles titles in her career and been ranked as high as #22. He partnered with Frantisek Cermak also of the Czech Republic for all of the mixed doubles majors. Together they won the French Open and were runners-up at The Australian Open. The French Open was also Lucie's first major victory
5. Bruno Soares/Brazil, 2460 Points. Bruno made the list by pure perseverance. He entered all of the mixed doubles majors and his best effort was a runner-up finish at Wimbledon with Lisa Raymond. Bruno has won doubles 16 events on the men's tour. In 2012 Bruno won the US Open mixed doubles trophy.
T6. Max Mirnyi/Belarus, 2270 Points. Although now 36 years old, Max 'The Beast' Mirnyi is still one of the best doubles players on the men's tour. He was won 48 career doubles titles. In 2013 he partnered with Andrea Hradecka of the Czech Republic to win the US Open mixed doubles title. It was Max's 4th major mixed doubles title, coming 15 years after his first mixed doubles victory with Serena Williams at the 1998 Wimbledon Championships.
T6. Andrea Hlavackova/Czech Republic, 2270 Points. Andrea has has plenty of success on the WTA Tour having sown 14 career doubles titles that include 2 majors. She partnered with Max Mirnyi and together they won the US Open mixed doubles title. It was Andrea's first major mixed doubles title.
T8. Matt Ebden/Australia, 2000 Points. Matt won the mixed doubles trophy at his home country's major event. It was the only mixed doubles event the Matt played during the year. He has won 3 other titles in his career on the men's tour. Matt has reached a career high of #57 in doubles.
T8. Jarmila Gajdosova/Austrailia, 2000 Points. Jarmila also won her first mixed doubles major at the Australian Open with Matt Ebden in 2013. They were the first all Australian pairing to win the title since 2005 when Samantha Stosur and Scott Draper won the title. Jarmila was won 1 doubles title on the WTA tour and has been ranked as high as #31 in doubles.
10. Lisa Raymond/USA, 1740 Points. The veteran American is still competitive at 40 years old. She won her first mixed doubles major at the 1996 US Open and made it to the final of the 2013 Wimbledon Championships 17 years later. Lisa had had an outstanding career with 79 doubles titles that include 6 majors. She has also won 5 major mixed doubles crowns with the last win coming in 2012 at the Wimbledon Championships with Mike Bryan.
In 2012 the Top Ten was dominated by three Indian players. In 2013 there are three Czech players in the top ten. In 2013 six players won their first mixed doubles title. From the 2012 list, Lisa Raymond, Max Mirnyi, and Bruno Soares are the only repeat members.
That about wraps it up. The Australian Open starts next week and my picks are Djokovic and Serena.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
The End of the Federer/Nadal Rivalry?
Thanks to my crappy cable provider, who shall remain nameless but rhymes with POW, who dropped the Tennis Channel, I rarely get to see live tennis on TV. But, fortunately I got to watch the semi-final matches of the World Tour Finals on ESPN last weekend.
The match between Federer and Nadal was the perfect microcosm of Rodger's 2013 season. He was so close to pulling off the upset, so many times, but he could not close the deal. He could not hold serve when he needed to and he could not hit a winner with conviction when he needed to and he could not break serve when he had to. It was very discouraging to watch. I thought his chances of winning were only one-in-ten before the match started, but with Nadal never having good luck with the indoor surface in London....who knows. After watching the match however, I firmly believe that this was probably the last significant match that they will ever play together. I don't believe that they will ever play another significant final and they will definitely not play another Grand Slam final together. In fact, I don't think that Federer can ever beat Nadal again.
But, then Nadal lost to the Joker in straight sets and I thought, maybe there is hope. Under the right conditions, not clay, not outdoors, and not in Europe, Federer could still beat Nadal one more time.
Let's hope that the grand old lion can pull it off one more time in 2014.
By the way, I correctly picked the Joker to win the ATP Finals!
The match between Federer and Nadal was the perfect microcosm of Rodger's 2013 season. He was so close to pulling off the upset, so many times, but he could not close the deal. He could not hold serve when he needed to and he could not hit a winner with conviction when he needed to and he could not break serve when he had to. It was very discouraging to watch. I thought his chances of winning were only one-in-ten before the match started, but with Nadal never having good luck with the indoor surface in London....who knows. After watching the match however, I firmly believe that this was probably the last significant match that they will ever play together. I don't believe that they will ever play another significant final and they will definitely not play another Grand Slam final together. In fact, I don't think that Federer can ever beat Nadal again.
But, then Nadal lost to the Joker in straight sets and I thought, maybe there is hope. Under the right conditions, not clay, not outdoors, and not in Europe, Federer could still beat Nadal one more time.
Let's hope that the grand old lion can pull it off one more time in 2014.
By the way, I correctly picked the Joker to win the ATP Finals!
Sunday, November 3, 2013
End of the Year 2013
Well, let's clean up a little old business first. Both my predictions for the Men's and Women's US Open finals won. (Nadal and Serina) And even my dark horse picks for each draw, were the runners up. (Djokovic and Azarenka)
As the men's finals start next week, I believe that it be a Nadal/Djokovic final. I think that Federer will be fortunate to win even one match in his round robin section. I am pulling for Djokovic
In other news, it looks like Michael Russell will remain in the Top 100 for at least one more year. He won the Challenger in Charlottesville this week. There is one more event in Knoxville next week. Although he won that event last year, he may only need to win a round or two to post his fourth Top 100 finish in a row.
As the men's finals start next week, I believe that it be a Nadal/Djokovic final. I think that Federer will be fortunate to win even one match in his round robin section. I am pulling for Djokovic
In other news, it looks like Michael Russell will remain in the Top 100 for at least one more year. He won the Challenger in Charlottesville this week. There is one more event in Knoxville next week. Although he won that event last year, he may only need to win a round or two to post his fourth Top 100 finish in a row.
Monday, August 26, 2013
New York State of Mind
My main man and Detroit native, Michael Russell, lost in the first round of the US Open this afternoon to the number 8 seed Richard Gasquet in straight sets. That was a disappointment because it means an end to his summer hard court season with not much to show for it. A very unproductive summer saw Michael go 1-2 in main draw matches and 2-2 in qualifying matches. This was after reaching his second career semifinal in Newport on grass in July.
However, it wasn't really that big a surprise as Michael has had pretty bad luck over the years at the US Open. Counting the 2013 event, Michael is 0-9 in US open appearances. 0-9, the big bagel. He has had to play a seeded player seven of the nine years that he has played. He is 6-27 in sets played. Only once has he taken the match to five sets, But he never reached a match point. I would not feel to bad though, as he has taken home about $160k for his efforts.
Overall Michael's Grand Slam record is 7-30. With career Grand Slam earnings of about $625,000. That is roughly earning of $89,285 per win. Three of his seven wins came at the 2001 French Open. Michael's last first round win at a Grand Slam came at Wimbledon in 2012.
I am hoping that isn't Muscles last US Open, but he has a lot of points to defend this fall and at 35 he is not getting any younger. This may be the last we see of Mr. Russell in the Top 100.
So, how about some predictions. Men-Nadal, Women-Serena. Not very fancy, but this has not been a very upset ridden summer. I would need Del Portro to win to make my beginning of the year prediction of the year come true that he would win his second slam. But, I will take the #1 seed, Djokovic, as my men's dark horse. For the ladies, the dark horse would be Azarenka.
However, it wasn't really that big a surprise as Michael has had pretty bad luck over the years at the US Open. Counting the 2013 event, Michael is 0-9 in US open appearances. 0-9, the big bagel. He has had to play a seeded player seven of the nine years that he has played. He is 6-27 in sets played. Only once has he taken the match to five sets, But he never reached a match point. I would not feel to bad though, as he has taken home about $160k for his efforts.
Overall Michael's Grand Slam record is 7-30. With career Grand Slam earnings of about $625,000. That is roughly earning of $89,285 per win. Three of his seven wins came at the 2001 French Open. Michael's last first round win at a Grand Slam came at Wimbledon in 2012.
I am hoping that isn't Muscles last US Open, but he has a lot of points to defend this fall and at 35 he is not getting any younger. This may be the last we see of Mr. Russell in the Top 100.
So, how about some predictions. Men-Nadal, Women-Serena. Not very fancy, but this has not been a very upset ridden summer. I would need Del Portro to win to make my beginning of the year prediction of the year come true that he would win his second slam. But, I will take the #1 seed, Djokovic, as my men's dark horse. For the ladies, the dark horse would be Azarenka.
Friday, August 16, 2013
Summer Bummer
I am getting bummed out this summer. Last week Nadal played Djokovic in an incredible semifinal in Montreal and then the final between Nadal and Raonic was a total snoozer.
This week Federer and Nadal are playing in the quarterfinals in Cincinnati. With Djokovic and Murray already out, this should be the final. I am hoping that Roger pulls it out, because the path to the final should be clear if he can get by a very in-form Nadal.
I got a chance to attend the Cincinnati event this past weekend to watch the qualies. It is only four hours from Detroit. If you have never attended this event I recommend going. It is very fan friendly. The outside courts offer very good seating and the main stadium is also a great place to watch a match. The practice courts are close to the player's lounge. I enjoy watching the players practice more than watching the actual matches. They are loose and you really get see their work ethic. I watched Venus, Ferrer, Cornet, Haas, Monaco, Robredo, and Bartolli (before she retired) I also got to see my main man Michael Russell play in-person for the first time. That was a thrill. My family had met him earlier in the day and got his autograph on the big tennis ball. Michael won his first round match when Dodig retired in the second set. He lost his second round qualifying match in a tight 3 setter against Becker. It was great to see him play. He is not an over powering kind of player, but he set up the points nicely and pulled the trigger when he had to. He had a healthy number of supporters in both matches At 35 years old he is hanging in there and working at his craft. You have to respect that.
This week Federer and Nadal are playing in the quarterfinals in Cincinnati. With Djokovic and Murray already out, this should be the final. I am hoping that Roger pulls it out, because the path to the final should be clear if he can get by a very in-form Nadal.
I got a chance to attend the Cincinnati event this past weekend to watch the qualies. It is only four hours from Detroit. If you have never attended this event I recommend going. It is very fan friendly. The outside courts offer very good seating and the main stadium is also a great place to watch a match. The practice courts are close to the player's lounge. I enjoy watching the players practice more than watching the actual matches. They are loose and you really get see their work ethic. I watched Venus, Ferrer, Cornet, Haas, Monaco, Robredo, and Bartolli (before she retired) I also got to see my main man Michael Russell play in-person for the first time. That was a thrill. My family had met him earlier in the day and got his autograph on the big tennis ball. Michael won his first round match when Dodig retired in the second set. He lost his second round qualifying match in a tight 3 setter against Becker. It was great to see him play. He is not an over powering kind of player, but he set up the points nicely and pulled the trigger when he had to. He had a healthy number of supporters in both matches At 35 years old he is hanging in there and working at his craft. You have to respect that.
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