French Open '09 Federer's For The Taking

The path to the French Open title which Roger Federer needs to complete a career Grand Slam is clear all of a sudden - thanks to yesterday's elimination of potential semifinal opponent Novak Djokovic and today's shock defeat of four-time defending champion and "sure bet" Rafael Nadal, his projected opponent in the final.

Djokovic lost to Philipp Kohlschreiber in straight sets while Robin Soderling stunned Nadal in four.

Nikolay Davydenko, who beat Fernando Verdasco to reach the last eight, might pose the biggest challenge to Federer if the Russian reaches the final. But first up for Federer is a fourth-round tie against Tommy Haas, followed by a quarterfinal match against either Andy Roddick or Gael Monfils.

French Open "Big 4" Ranking Projections

The French Open is underway! Here are the ranking projections for the "Big 4" of Nadal, Federer, Murray and Djokovic:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=rPrjCEZhVrWVnORnA0LNTdw&hl=en

Federer Wins First Title of '09 At Madrid Masters

World No. 2 Roger Federer beat top-ranked Rafael Nadal, 6-4, 6-4, at the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open to earn his first title of the season and his first shield since 2007. Nadal was attempting to do an unprecedented sweep of the three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events on clay after winning both Monte Carlo and Rome earlier this year. It was the rivals' 20th meeting overall, with Nadal leading Federer 13-7.

Here is the breakdown of "Big 4" ranking points after Madrid:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=rtFdvMEiG063DTpzjKTYfmA&output=html

Top Three Seeds Advance to Madrid Masters Semis

Top three seeds Nadal, Federer and Djokovic advanced to the semifinals at the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open. It could have been the "Big 4" in the semis if not for No. 5 Juan Martin Del Potro's upset over fourth-seed Andy Murray. The "Big 4" as a group has never advanced to the semifinals of the same tournament.

Here are the quarterfinal results:
[1] R Nadal (ESP) def. [7] F Verdasco (ESP), 6-4, 7-5
[2] R Federer (SUI) def. [6] A Roddick (USA), 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-1
[3] N Djokovic (SRB) def. [W] I Ljubicic (CRO), 6-4, 6-4
[5] J Del Potro (ARG) def. [4] A Murray (GBR), 7-6(4), 6-3

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal is looking for a sweep of all three ATP World Tour Masters events on clay. He will face Novak Djokovic in the semis, whom he has beaten in two previous ATP World Tour Masters finals. Meanwhile, Roger Federer is looking for his first trophy of the season, and will be the favorite against Juan Martin Del Potro.

The last time the top four seeds advanced to the semifinals of an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event is at the 2008 edition of the Monte Carlo Masters, where then No. 1 Roger Federer, No. 2 Rafael Nadal, No. 3 Novak Djokovic and No. 4 Nikolay Davydenko all advanced to the semis.

Men's Quarterfinals All Set at Madrid Masters

The top seven seeds have advanced to the last eight at the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open. Rafael Nadal and Andy Roddick made it to the quarterfinals after having played only one match each, earning walkover victories in their respective third round matches.

Here are the match-ups:

Top half:
[1] R Nadal (ESP) vs [7] F Verdasco (ESP)
[3] N Djokovic (SRB) vs [W] I Ljubicic (CRO)

Bottom half:
[2] R Federer (SUI) vs [6] A Roddick (USA)
[4] A Murray (GBR) vs [5] J Del Potro (ARG)

Madrid Masters "Big 4" Ranking Projections

The "Big 4" of Nadal, Federer, Murray and Djokovic are entered at the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open with 1,000 ranking points at stake. Here is a look at the ranking projections for Madrid:


All Murray needs to do to move up another spot in the rankings is to win this tournament. It's not an easy task, since the new World No. 3 has to beat Federer in the semis and Nadal in the final on clay (assuming no upsets).

Djokovic Wins Hometown Title, Slips to No. 4

Despite winning the inaugural Serbia Open in his hometown of Belgrade, Novak Djokovic slips to No. 4 in the ATP World Tour rankings this week. Andy Murray is the new World No. 3.

Here is the ranking points breakdown of the "Big 4" as of May 11th:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=rNnsny1yD0FnYSBe6k1oVSg

Only 1,180 ranking points separate Murray and World No. 2 Roger Federer at the moment, with Murray defending a meager 300 ranking points (compared to Federer's 2,100) through the French Open.

Nadal Reclaims Rome Masters Title

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal won a record fourth Rome Masters shield by beating defending champion Novak Djokovic on Sunday.

Here are some fun (and not-so-fun) facts at the conclusion of Rome Masters:

* Nadal replaces Roger Federer as No. 2 on the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 winners list, earning his 14th and 15th shields in Monte Carlo and Rome. American Andre Agassi is the all-time leader with 17.
* Federer has been stuck at 14 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles, continuing his 2008 slump where he did not win a single shield. Federer has not advanced passed the semifinal round in four tries this year.
* Djokovic will lose his No. 3 ranking to Andy Murray on 11-May-2009 when last year's Rome ranking points drop off. Djokovic has been the losing finalist for the third straight ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament.
* Nadal has already won three shields this year (Indian Wells, Monte Carlo, Rome), while Murray has one (Miami). All four ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament finals so far featured either Nadal, Murray or Djokovic.