Good Luck to Michael Russell

Good luck tomorrow to Michael Russell who is a local Detroit boy playing in the first round of the French Open. He is playing Giles Simon who is a tough customer.

Michael had his big chance in 2001 when he held a match point in the fourth round at Roland Garros against Gustavo Kuerten. Kuerten hit a forehand winner to save that match point and then went on to win the match in 5 sets and eventually the tournament. It would have been a career changing moment that might have led to a increase in confidence and a lengthy stay in the top 100. As it was, the next several years saw Russell bounce between the Futures and Challenger tours with an occasional ATP Tour event that he could qualify for. It is only the last few years as he nears the potential end of his career that he has put together his most consistent results. He has finished in the top 100 the last two and has past the one million dollar mark in career earnings. Not bad for guy over 30.

Russell is a 'dogged' competitor according to John McEnroe and will not be out worked on the court. The is the essence of the Spirit of Detroit.

French Open 2011

That's right, I said French Open, not Roland Garros. Maybe I'm a old timer but, It's the French Open! Borg did not win 6 Roland Garros's, he won 6 French Opens.

That being said, who will win the French Open in 2011? The men's side looks pretty well set with Nadal and Djokovic. But the red clay, she is a cruel mistress. She always throws in some surprises. It does not look like anyone other than Djokovic is capable of beating Nadal on clay. So I say that he does it. Dark Horse Pick: Federer.

On the women's side I am going with Wozniacki, she has to win a major some time, right? Sharapova had a nice win in Rome, but she is very beatable on clay and she will lose her nerve and patience. I cannot think for another worthy woman except maybe Azarenka. Dark Horse Pick: Kvitova.

The Joker Will be #1

Well smack my butt and call me Betty. I never thought that Djokovic could beat Nadal two weeks in a row,on clay, in a 1000 point Masters event. This is going to be a great French Open.

Nadal has Djokovic on the brain now. He sees Djokovic in his morning cereal, his afternoon sandwich, and in his dinner of high carb spaghetti. He must know how Federer feels now.

There is now a really wide gap between Nadal, Djokovic and the rest of the pack. It has become a two horse race for number one. Djokovic is only 405 points behind and Nadal has a lot of points to defend in the second half of the year, including the French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open titles.

It is only a matter of time before Djokovic is number 1.

Italian Open Final

It is another exciting day in the world of tennis today. Can Novak 'The Joker' Djokovic beat Rafa Nadal two weeks in a row on clay in a 1000 point Master's Event? I am betting that he will not. Although I would like to see it because it makes Roland Garros that much more interesting.

Novak crushed Rafa last week on clay in Germany to break Rafa's 37 match clay court winning streak. That was a super human effort both physically and mentally by Djokovic. But when Novak beat Nadal in Miami in April it was Rafa who was sucking air in the third set tie breaker. Is Djokovic inside Rafa's head? Interesting question.

The women's final should also be interesting with Sharapova and Stosur playing. I would not consider either one of these ladies to be great clay court players, but with Sharapova coming back from injuries and Stosur playing in her first final since losing the French Open final last year, they will both have a lot to play for.

Welcome to my Tennis Blog

Welcome to my tennis blog. I have been playing, following, and commenting about professional tennis for the last 30 years and now I have found a forum that will let me pontificate my views to everyone on the planet earth. What a great time we live in! I have been keeping a blog on the Apple based Mobile Me platform, but it seems to be limited in it's reach. The site was located at http://web.me.com/mcbrat26 in case you want to view my earlier posts.

I am mostly into men's tennis but I follow women's tennis also.

Let's have some fun. I am interested in your opinions about the greatest sport in the world. If you disagree with with what I have to say, I am want to know.