Gentlemen's Round-of-16 All Set At Wimbledon

The field of 128 is down to the last sixteen after an eventful first week at
the All England Club. Here are the match-ups:

Top Half:
[3] Andy Murray (GBR) vs [19] Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)
[6] Andy Roddick (USA) vs [20] Tomas Berdych (CZE)
[8] Gilles Simon (FRA) vs Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP)
[23] Radek Stepanek (CZE) vs Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)

Bottom Half:
[2] Roger Federer (SUI) vs [13] Robin Soderling (SWE)
[4] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs Dudi Sela (ISR)
[7] Fernando Verdasco (ESP) vs [22] Ivo Karlovic (CRO)
[24] Tommy Haas (GER) vs [29] Igor Andreev (RUS)

Easily the biggest match-up among the eight ties is the rematch between French Open champ Roger Federer and French Open runner-up Robin Soderling, who are meeting for the 11th time. Soderling, who has never won against Federer, joked that he doesn't lose to anyone 11 times in a row. But then again, he also joked that he doesn't lose to anyone 10 times in a row. Coincidentally, it was also in the fourth round when Soderling took out top-ranked Rafael Nadal in Paris last month.

Wimbledon To Stage Potential "Battle for No. 1"

With current World No. 1 and reigning Wimbledon champ Rafael Nadal announcing his withdrawal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray are in line for the Wimbledon final, with the No. 1 ranking on the line. If Murray wins, he won't be No. 1 right away, because he will still be 5 points shy of Nadal's tally right after Wimbledon. But by July 20th, when his 0-pointer drops off and is replaced by 250 points he earned by winning at Queen's last week, he will be 245 points clear at the top. If Federer wins, he will be No. 1 on July 6th, but more importantly, he will earn his record-breaking 15th Grand Slam singles title. If neither player wins Wimbledon, Nadal gets to keep his World No. 1 ranking, at least until July 26th.

What of World No. 4 Novak Djokovic? He can be as high as No. 2 if he wins it all, provided that Federer and Murray flop.

Wimbledon will not be the same without Nadal in the draw, but it bodes well for the future of tennis if his decision to skip this tournament will make him fit and well for the upcoming North American hardcourt swing leading up to the US Open. After all, Nadal is one US Open title away from achieving his own career Grand Slam.

Wimbledon "Big 4" Ranking projections:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=rIndxXT8XNfC8Onnk2ZNT6w&output=html

Pre-Wimbledon Ranking points breakdown:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=rSq_oDRrgKoFbyYL9Pwe0Ww&output=html

Nadal Could Lose No. 1 Ranking After Wimbledon

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal could lose his No. 1 ranking next month if he skips Wimbledon (or loses in the early rounds). Nadal already announced that he is skipping his Wimbledon tune-up at Queen's because of a knee injury, and will announce later this week whether he can defend his Wimbledon title or not, pending results of medical tests.

It's not just No. 2 Roger Federer knocking on the door - even No. 3 Andy Murray can clinch the top ranking if he wins Wimbledon (ranking points projections post to follow). What a storyline it will be, if Nadal withdraws from Wimbledon: Federer and Murray will be the top two seeds and barring any upsets, will face each other in the Wimbledon final, with the No. 1 ranking on the line. We all know what's at stake for Federer - one more Grand Slam trophy and he will be the all-time leader with 15 Grand Slam titles. For Murray, he will just carry the weight of Great Britain's hopes and dreams - a Grand Slam title 73 years in the making and the first-ever British World No. 1 in the Open era. Talk about pressure.

Anyhow, I'm still hoping Nadal will be fit enough to defend his Wimbledon title. I want to see Rafa-Roger IV at Wimbledon. It won't be as dramatic as last year's classic though, with the retractable roof at Centre Court tested and ready to go. No more rain delays!

Federer Wins Grand Slam No. 14

World No. 2 Roger Federer beat Robin Soderling at the French Open final to win his 14th Grand Slam title, tying the record of Pete Sampras and becoming the sixth man to achieve the career slam.

Federer ranks Grand Slam#14 as important as Grand Slam#1, which he won at Wimbledon in 2003.

Here's the ranking points update for the "Big 4":
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=rTde0SDImZ37_Uo7Sg0BtFg&output=html
With Federer's win and Nadal's early exit at Roland Garros, only 2,070 points separate them at the top of the rankings.

As a footnote, I didn't like how John McEnroe (one of the commentators in the US broadcast) kept calling Federer the greatest of all time as if mocking the guy. Could McEnroe, a seven-time Grand Slam winner himself but never won the French and Australian Open, be jealous of Federer's achievements? Mary Carillo (a commentator in the US broadcast as well) handled the "issue" differently by reserving judgment until after the end of Rafael Nadal's career.

Federer Reaches 20th Straight Grand Slam Semis

World No. 2 Roger Federer reached his 20th straight Grand Slam semis, extending his own record. Federer defeated Frenchman Gael Monfils in straight sets to reach the last four at Roland Garros. He will be up against Argentine Juan Martin del Potro, who will be playing the first Grand Slam semifinal of his career.

To put Federer's astonishing record in perspective:
* He has been in the semifinals of every Grand Slam since Wimbledon 2004. Before Wimbledon '04, he reached the semifinals twice and went on to win both times (Wimbledon '03 and Australian Open '04)
* In the same period, current World No. 1 Rafael Nadal made 10 non-consecutive semifinals (including 5 straight).
* The player with the second longest Grand Slam semis streak (Open era) is Ivan Lendl, with 10.

Men's Quarterfinals All Set at Roland Garros

It has been an upset-filled weekend at the French Open as four-time defending champion Rafael Nadal and two-time semifinalist Novak Djokovic were eliminated. Nonetheless, the last eight are all seeded players, with three-time finalist Roger Federer the highest seed left in the draw and the favorite to win his first-ever French Open title in eleven tries.

Here are the quarterfinal match-ups:

Top half:
[3] A Murray (GBR) vs [12] F Gonzalez (CHI)
[10] N Davydenko (RUS) vs [23] R Soderling (SWE)

Bottom half:
[2] R Federer (SUI) vs [11] G Monfils (FRA)
[5] J Del Potro (ARG) vs [16] T Robredo (ESP)