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!
Thursday, November 14, 2013
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.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Newport Hall of Fame
Twenty years ago I was in Newport, Rhode Island to watch my first professional tennis tournament. I saw Javier Frana beat Brian MacPhie in the quarterfinals. My wife was pregnant with our first child and it was our last vacation without kids. We drove from Grosse Pointe, Michigan to Freeport, Maine. We went to LL Bean after midnight. (It is open 24 hours) We ate $9 lobster dinners at roadside stands. We made a last minute decision to drive to Newport to watch the tennis. It was a great venue. Greg Rudeski won the event over Frana just as we were pulling into our driveway.
Why do I mention this?
Because Michael Russell, native Detroiter, has made to the semifinals. Let's keep our fingers crossed that at age 35, he makes it to his first major tour final.
Why do I mention this?
Because Michael Russell, native Detroiter, has made to the semifinals. Let's keep our fingers crossed that at age 35, he makes it to his first major tour final.
Monday, July 8, 2013
Weird Wimbledon 2013
Well, that was weird. After two weeks of craziness, the men's final that we all expected came to be.
I am of Scottish decent so I should be happy that Murray won Wimbledon today. I was rooting for the Joker, but hey, the Brits have been waiting 77 years for a local winner, so why shouldn't I feel good about the the outcome?
I can tell you this, the Scotts do not consider themselves to be British. I would be interested to be in my ancestral home town of Barrhead, Scottland to hear the pub talk tonight, I am sure that the ale is flowing as they toast their Scottish champion, not their British champion. I used to work for an Englishman, who reported to a Scotsman. They did not see eye-to-eye on anything. The Scotsman has a major chip on his shoulder, with hundreds of years of history on his side to back up his dislike of the English. I do not believe that one day went past in the seven years that I knew him that he did not disparage the English in some way. The Englishman was very prim and proper, with a stiff upper lip and all that. He never let the Scotsman draw him into a scrap about incidents that occurred hundreds of years ago. Of course, he had hundreds of years of superiority and culture behind him to strengthen his resolve.
Don't forget that the Brits were so eager to have a local Wimbledon champ that they adopted the Canadian, Greg Rusdski as their own. His mother was born in England, but Rusedski was a Canadian citizen. Not to mention that just as it appeared that the Canadians would have a legitimate Top 10 player on their Davis Cup Team, he 'defected' to England. I am sure that the Canadians were thrilled about that.
Since I was in Northern Michigan for the week and did not have television reception, I was not able to watch the final, But, I did listen to it on Wimbledon radio. I was surprised that the match was won in straight sets. I was sure that the weight of the moment would get the best of Murray. The English announcers tried their best to not appear to be too one sided. They had their hearts in their mouths as Murray lost the first three championship points. You could hear the crown erupt with every point that Murray won from the beginning to the end. In the end you have to take your hat off to Murray. That was a lot of pressure and a lot of history to overcome, along with the #1 player in the world on the other side of the net.
It was also interesting to think that Ivan Lendl helped Murray win the one major event that eluded him during his career.
All in all, it was an interesting Wimbledon. There were a few faces (Janowicz and Kubot) and old lions (Verdasco and Haas) that made some moves.
What can we say about Federer and Nadal? I hate to say that Federer's best days are behind him, but he has now fallen to #5 for the first time in ten years. Will we see Nadal for the rest of the year? If so, not before Montreal or Cincinnati.
By the way, after losing in the first round of Wimbledon, the hardest working man in tennis, Michael Russell, hopped a plane to Ecuador and ground out a victory in the Manta Challenger. This was worth 80 ranking points and $5,000. In contrast he collected about $32,000 for losing at Wimbledon. Michael has now won 14 Challengers in his career. The victory should keep him in the Top 100 for the rest of the summer. He is playing in Newport, Rhode Island this week. That is a lot of travel for three weeks. Good luck this week Michael.
I am of Scottish decent so I should be happy that Murray won Wimbledon today. I was rooting for the Joker, but hey, the Brits have been waiting 77 years for a local winner, so why shouldn't I feel good about the the outcome?
I can tell you this, the Scotts do not consider themselves to be British. I would be interested to be in my ancestral home town of Barrhead, Scottland to hear the pub talk tonight, I am sure that the ale is flowing as they toast their Scottish champion, not their British champion. I used to work for an Englishman, who reported to a Scotsman. They did not see eye-to-eye on anything. The Scotsman has a major chip on his shoulder, with hundreds of years of history on his side to back up his dislike of the English. I do not believe that one day went past in the seven years that I knew him that he did not disparage the English in some way. The Englishman was very prim and proper, with a stiff upper lip and all that. He never let the Scotsman draw him into a scrap about incidents that occurred hundreds of years ago. Of course, he had hundreds of years of superiority and culture behind him to strengthen his resolve.
Don't forget that the Brits were so eager to have a local Wimbledon champ that they adopted the Canadian, Greg Rusdski as their own. His mother was born in England, but Rusedski was a Canadian citizen. Not to mention that just as it appeared that the Canadians would have a legitimate Top 10 player on their Davis Cup Team, he 'defected' to England. I am sure that the Canadians were thrilled about that.
Since I was in Northern Michigan for the week and did not have television reception, I was not able to watch the final, But, I did listen to it on Wimbledon radio. I was surprised that the match was won in straight sets. I was sure that the weight of the moment would get the best of Murray. The English announcers tried their best to not appear to be too one sided. They had their hearts in their mouths as Murray lost the first three championship points. You could hear the crown erupt with every point that Murray won from the beginning to the end. In the end you have to take your hat off to Murray. That was a lot of pressure and a lot of history to overcome, along with the #1 player in the world on the other side of the net.
It was also interesting to think that Ivan Lendl helped Murray win the one major event that eluded him during his career.
All in all, it was an interesting Wimbledon. There were a few faces (Janowicz and Kubot) and old lions (Verdasco and Haas) that made some moves.
What can we say about Federer and Nadal? I hate to say that Federer's best days are behind him, but he has now fallen to #5 for the first time in ten years. Will we see Nadal for the rest of the year? If so, not before Montreal or Cincinnati.
By the way, after losing in the first round of Wimbledon, the hardest working man in tennis, Michael Russell, hopped a plane to Ecuador and ground out a victory in the Manta Challenger. This was worth 80 ranking points and $5,000. In contrast he collected about $32,000 for losing at Wimbledon. Michael has now won 14 Challengers in his career. The victory should keep him in the Top 100 for the rest of the summer. He is playing in Newport, Rhode Island this week. That is a lot of travel for three weeks. Good luck this week Michael.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Rafa, Pace Yourself!
I am glad to see Rafa Nadal back on the tour but, he has been on the mend due to a knee injury since Wimbledon of last year. But why is he playing singles and doubles two weeks in a row? He has only played 68 doubles tournaments in the last ten years and he is not likely to become a doubles specialist. Why put his knee through that kind of stress? Why not just ease into the swing of things? Is the Sao Paulo doubles title worth risking the chance for an 8th French Open title? There are four South American clay court events, then the North American spring hard court series starts. With Master's series events Indian Wells and Miami coming up in March. Why risk the knee with these major events coming up? I can see why he started back on clay, it is easier on the knees. Kent Carlsson from Sweden only played clay court events in 1988 after he had major knee surgery. In fact he had to ask for special permission from the tour to only play on clay. His knees got so bad that he played his last 32 events on clay in an effort to extend his career. Carlsson only lasted another two years before retiring for good. (If you have never seen footage of Kent Carlsson look him up on You Tube. He played with some extreme topspin!) Carlsson played a defensive, high energy style of tennis similar to Nadal. The tour needs Rafa, he needs to pace himself so the he extends his career as long as possible. I would suggest he skips the hart court series altogether and rest until Monte Carlo in April. Pace yourself Rafa, give us a chance to enjoy your brand of tennis for as long a possible!
Monday, January 28, 2013
I am So Good
It rarely happens, so when it does I need to take credit, see my post dated 1/13/13. I thought that this year's Australian Open would be predictable and it was. The number one ranked man, Novak Djokovic won the men's draw, the number one ranked woman; Victoria Azarenka won the woman's draw, the number one ranked men's doubles team; the Bryan Brothers won the men's doubles, and the number one ranked women's doubles team; Errani and Vinci, also won.
In fact the top four seeded men all made it to the semi-finals.
Now that is what I call predictable!
In fact the top four seeded men all made it to the semi-finals.
Now that is what I call predictable!
Sunday, January 13, 2013
2013 Aussie Open Predictions
I am not expecting much from this year's Australian Open. I think that this will be the most predictable major in a long time. I do not expect anyone of the men or women outside of the Top four to win this event.
For the women, Serina has to be the odds-on favorite. Azarenka is in the running along with Sharapova, but if Serena is healthy and motivated, well..... Dark horses would be Radwanska and Na Li. I would love to see Ivanovic make to the final and restart her career.
For the men, my money is on Djokovic. He is at the top of his game and he is rested. Federer and Murray are strong picks, but the Joker should come out on top. Picking the number one seed is boring I know. There some dark horses, Del Portro, Tsonga, and my favorite up and comer Milos Raonic. I would love to see Ferrer make it to the final, no one grinds like Ferrer.
Obviously, my opinions don't mean much. There are always surprises in any two week event. But, the upper crusters are so far ahead of the pack on both the men's and women's side of the draw. I do not see a dark horse winning this event.
Read my blog in two weeks when I eat crow because Wozniacki and Berdych have hoisted the hardware!
Enjoy the matches.
For the women, Serina has to be the odds-on favorite. Azarenka is in the running along with Sharapova, but if Serena is healthy and motivated, well..... Dark horses would be Radwanska and Na Li. I would love to see Ivanovic make to the final and restart her career.
For the men, my money is on Djokovic. He is at the top of his game and he is rested. Federer and Murray are strong picks, but the Joker should come out on top. Picking the number one seed is boring I know. There some dark horses, Del Portro, Tsonga, and my favorite up and comer Milos Raonic. I would love to see Ferrer make it to the final, no one grinds like Ferrer.
Obviously, my opinions don't mean much. There are always surprises in any two week event. But, the upper crusters are so far ahead of the pack on both the men's and women's side of the draw. I do not see a dark horse winning this event.
Read my blog in two weeks when I eat crow because Wozniacki and Berdych have hoisted the hardware!
Enjoy the matches.
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