The men's final at the 2010 Australian Open is upon us - it's Roger Federer's eight straight Grand Slam Final and 22nd overall, versus Andy Murray's second. Federer is seeking Grand Slam Trophy #16 while Murray is hoping to win his first. It's even money at this point - a chess match if you will.
A win by Murray will give him the #2 ranking which he held for three weeks last year. Federer will remain #1 and is almost assured of the top ranking through mid-June, which means he is well on his way to breaking Pete Sampras' all-time record for weeks at No. 1. As for the rest of the "Big 5", dethroned Australian Open champ Rafa Nadal will slip to #4 while reigning US Open champ Juan Martin Del Potro will remain at #5. Novak Djokovic's ranking depends on Murray's results: Djokovic will reach a career-high #2 if Murray loses; #3 if Murray wins.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Australian Open 2010 Men's "Elite 8" Preview
Six of the top 8 seeds advanced to the quarterfinals.
Here are the matchups:
[1] Roger Federer (SUI) vs [6] Nikolay Davydenko (RUS)
Grand Slam Head-to-Head: 4-0
Davydenko, currently the hottest player on the ATP World Tour, has beaten Federer the last two times they met, but never on the Grand Slam stage. This match is going to prove if Davydenko has finally grown up to have the staying power against the big guns in a slam. Federer is the biggest of them all, having won a record 15 Grand Slam titles and will be attempting to extend his record Grand Slam semifinal streak to 23.
[2] Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs [5] Andy Murray (GBR)
Grand Slam Head-to-Head: 2-1
The defending champion against arguably the best player with no Grand Slam title to show for. Both Nadal and Murray came out victorious in their fourth round matches against service ace leaders Ivo Karlovic and John Isner respectively, taking chances when it mattered. Who will prevail this time?
[3] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs [10] Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)
Grand Slam Head-to-Head: 1-0
A rematch of the 2008 Australian Open final, which earned Djokovic his first and only slam to date. This will be Djokovic's first real test in the tournament so far, as he has had a relatively easy draw up to this point.
[7] Andy Roddick (USA) vs [14] Marin Cilic (CRO)
Grand Slam Head-to-Head: 0-0
Both Roddick and Cilic won their warm-up tournaments heading to the Australian Open, and both players are coming off hard-fought five set wins in their fourth round matches. The winning streak for one of them will have to end tonight.
Here are the matchups:
[1] Roger Federer (SUI) vs [6] Nikolay Davydenko (RUS)
Grand Slam Head-to-Head: 4-0
Davydenko, currently the hottest player on the ATP World Tour, has beaten Federer the last two times they met, but never on the Grand Slam stage. This match is going to prove if Davydenko has finally grown up to have the staying power against the big guns in a slam. Federer is the biggest of them all, having won a record 15 Grand Slam titles and will be attempting to extend his record Grand Slam semifinal streak to 23.
[2] Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs [5] Andy Murray (GBR)
Grand Slam Head-to-Head: 2-1
The defending champion against arguably the best player with no Grand Slam title to show for. Both Nadal and Murray came out victorious in their fourth round matches against service ace leaders Ivo Karlovic and John Isner respectively, taking chances when it mattered. Who will prevail this time?
[3] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs [10] Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)
Grand Slam Head-to-Head: 1-0
A rematch of the 2008 Australian Open final, which earned Djokovic his first and only slam to date. This will be Djokovic's first real test in the tournament so far, as he has had a relatively easy draw up to this point.
[7] Andy Roddick (USA) vs [14] Marin Cilic (CRO)
Grand Slam Head-to-Head: 0-0
Both Roddick and Cilic won their warm-up tournaments heading to the Australian Open, and both players are coming off hard-fought five set wins in their fourth round matches. The winning streak for one of them will have to end tonight.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Blockbuster Fourth Round Matches All Set in Melboure
The Round-of-16 Men's Matches are all set at the Australian Open.
Most of the top seeds will be up for a challenge to secure their spot in the quarterfinals, as only two unseeded players made it this far.
Bottom Half: (scheduled for 1/24)
[2] R Nadal (ESP) vs I Karlovic (CRO)
[4] J Del Potro (ARG) vs [14] M Cilic (CRO)
[5] A Murray (GBR) vs [33] J Isner (USA)
[7] A Roddick (USA) vs [11] F Gonzalez (CHI)
Top Half: (scheduled for 1/25)
[1] R Federer (SUI) vs [22] L Hewitt (AUS)
[3] N Djokovic (SRB) vs L Kubot (POL)
[6] N Davydenko (RUS) vs [9] F Verdasco (ESP)
[10] J Tsonga (FRA) vs [26] N Almagro (ESP)
Most of the top seeds will be up for a challenge to secure their spot in the quarterfinals, as only two unseeded players made it this far.
Bottom Half: (scheduled for 1/24)
[2] R Nadal (ESP) vs I Karlovic (CRO)
[4] J Del Potro (ARG) vs [14] M Cilic (CRO)
[5] A Murray (GBR) vs [33] J Isner (USA)
[7] A Roddick (USA) vs [11] F Gonzalez (CHI)
Top Half: (scheduled for 1/25)
[1] R Federer (SUI) vs [22] L Hewitt (AUS)
[3] N Djokovic (SRB) vs L Kubot (POL)
[6] N Davydenko (RUS) vs [9] F Verdasco (ESP)
[10] J Tsonga (FRA) vs [26] N Almagro (ESP)
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Australian Open "Big 5" Ranking Projections
The first round of action at the Australian Open is history, and the "Big 5" are through to the second round. Among the bigs, fifth seed Andy Murray had the easiest first round match, losing only a total of four games. Both top seed Roger Federer and fourth seed Juan Martin del Potro needed four sets to win their respective matches.
Here's a look at the "Big 5" Ranking Projections for the Australian Open:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tv4eCOiLPhRpvqWF1mVZ7AA&output=html
An Aussie Open crown for #3 Novak Djokovic and a quarterfinal exit for Federer will give Djokovic the top ranking for the first time in his career. #2 Rafael Nadal can go as low as #4 if he doesn't go deep into the second week.
Here's a look at the "Big 5" Ranking Projections for the Australian Open:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tv4eCOiLPhRpvqWF1mVZ7AA&output=html
An Aussie Open crown for #3 Novak Djokovic and a quarterfinal exit for Federer will give Djokovic the top ranking for the first time in his career. #2 Rafael Nadal can go as low as #4 if he doesn't go deep into the second week.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Australian Open 2010 Draw Is Out!
Here are the projected men's quarterfinal matchups:
[1] Roger Federer (SUI) vs [6] Nikolay Davydenko (RUS)
[2] Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs [5] Andy Murray (GBR)
[3] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs [8] Robin Soderling (SWE)
[4] Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) vs [7] Andy Roddick (USA)
[Men's Singles Draw]
[1] Roger Federer (SUI) vs [6] Nikolay Davydenko (RUS)
[2] Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs [5] Andy Murray (GBR)
[3] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs [8] Robin Soderling (SWE)
[4] Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) vs [7] Andy Roddick (USA)
[Men's Singles Draw]
Monday, January 11, 2010
Del Potro Ranked #4 For A Week, Murray Slips to #5
Juan Martin Del Potro is at a career-high #4 this week, as Andy Murray lost 250 ranking points by opting to play for Great Britain at the Hopman Cup instead of defending his title in Doha. They will switch places once again on Monday, as Del Potro won't be defending his title (250 ranking points) at Auckland.
Although Del Potro will only be #4 this week, the timing can't be any better, since his Australian Open seeding will be affected. As a fourth seed, Del Potro won't have to face #1 Roger Federer or #2 Rafael Nadal until the semis.
Although Del Potro will only be #4 this week, the timing can't be any better, since his Australian Open seeding will be affected. As a fourth seed, Del Potro won't have to face #1 Roger Federer or #2 Rafael Nadal until the semis.
Davydenko, Roddick, Cilic Win First Titles of 2010
Third seed Nikolay Davydenko beat the top two seeds Federer (semifinal) and Nadal (final) in Doha en route to his first title of 2010. Davydenko continued where he left off last year, winning the Shanghai Masters and the ATP World Tour Finals in London.
Top seed Andy Roddick defeated second seed and defending champ Radek Stepanek in Brisbane.
Second seed Marin Cilic defended his title in Chennai by beating third seed Stanislas Wawrinka in the final. Cilic is being touted by tennis analysts to have a breakout season in 2010.
Look for the trio of Davydenko, Roddick and Cilic to win more titles this year.
Top seed Andy Roddick defeated second seed and defending champ Radek Stepanek in Brisbane.
Second seed Marin Cilic defended his title in Chennai by beating third seed Stanislas Wawrinka in the final. Cilic is being touted by tennis analysts to have a breakout season in 2010.
Look for the trio of Davydenko, Roddick and Cilic to win more titles this year.
Friday, January 8, 2010
2010 Men's Tennis Storylines
Happy New Year from Tennis Fun!
As the 2010 season officially got underway this week at three ATP 250 events,let's take a look at the top storylines for this year:
1. Roger Federer poised to break Sampras' Weeks at No. 1 Record
After breaking the Grand Slam record held by Sampras, Federer looks to break another one of Sampras' records this year. Sampras is the all-time leader in (non-consecutive) weeks at No. 1, spending a total of 286 weeks at the top of the ATP rankings. Federer currently stands 4th all-time with 264 weeks as of January 4th. All he needs to do now is to stay at the top spot through June 14th and the record is his. Can he do it?
2. Roger-Rafa Rivalry Revisited
In 2009, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal split their two matches, fewest since 2005 when they also met only twice the entire season. Are we going to see a revival of the Roger-Rafa rivalry, or is 2010 the beginning of the end? The Qatar Open final would have been their first match this year, but Nadal gets Davydenko instead as the Russian beat Federer in the semis. Another botched match-up between the rivals is the Spain-Switzerland Davis Cup first round tie, as Federer has already decided not to play for SUI. Anyhow, we sure hope to see an Australian Open final rematch by month's end.
3. Djokovic Threat Looms
World No. 3 Novak Djokovic is primed to play the spoiler role to the Roger-Rafa rivalry/duopoly, let alone Federer's reign atop the rankings. In fact, Djokovic is a bigger threat to Federer (than Nadal is to Federer) in the first two months of the season, since Djokovic won't be defending a lot of ranking points. An Aussie Open title for Djokovic will give him the No. 1 ranking if Federer doesn't reach the semifinals in Melbourne. Will "King Novak" be king of the ATP World Tour as well?
4. More Grandslam Breakthroughs?
In 2008, Djokovic won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. Last year, it was Juan Martin Del Potro who did the trick at the US Open. Are we going to see another breakthrough this year? A good number of players are capable, including Grand Slam finalists Andy Murray and Robin Soderling.
As the 2010 season officially got underway this week at three ATP 250 events,let's take a look at the top storylines for this year:
1. Roger Federer poised to break Sampras' Weeks at No. 1 Record
After breaking the Grand Slam record held by Sampras, Federer looks to break another one of Sampras' records this year. Sampras is the all-time leader in (non-consecutive) weeks at No. 1, spending a total of 286 weeks at the top of the ATP rankings. Federer currently stands 4th all-time with 264 weeks as of January 4th. All he needs to do now is to stay at the top spot through June 14th and the record is his. Can he do it?
2. Roger-Rafa Rivalry Revisited
In 2009, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal split their two matches, fewest since 2005 when they also met only twice the entire season. Are we going to see a revival of the Roger-Rafa rivalry, or is 2010 the beginning of the end? The Qatar Open final would have been their first match this year, but Nadal gets Davydenko instead as the Russian beat Federer in the semis. Another botched match-up between the rivals is the Spain-Switzerland Davis Cup first round tie, as Federer has already decided not to play for SUI. Anyhow, we sure hope to see an Australian Open final rematch by month's end.
3. Djokovic Threat Looms
World No. 3 Novak Djokovic is primed to play the spoiler role to the Roger-Rafa rivalry/duopoly, let alone Federer's reign atop the rankings. In fact, Djokovic is a bigger threat to Federer (than Nadal is to Federer) in the first two months of the season, since Djokovic won't be defending a lot of ranking points. An Aussie Open title for Djokovic will give him the No. 1 ranking if Federer doesn't reach the semifinals in Melbourne. Will "King Novak" be king of the ATP World Tour as well?
4. More Grandslam Breakthroughs?
In 2008, Djokovic won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. Last year, it was Juan Martin Del Potro who did the trick at the US Open. Are we going to see another breakthrough this year? A good number of players are capable, including Grand Slam finalists Andy Murray and Robin Soderling.
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