I said it last year, and I’ll say it again: the World Tour Finals is the coolest concept for a tournament in the season. Yes, the fact that it’s at the end of a tough year and that some players are hurt and don’t take it so seriously can detract from it, but at the [...]
Why Nadal’s Absence is Hurting Tennis
Regardless of the complaints that some have against him, Rafael Nadal is a great tennis player. He is an 11-time Grand Slam champion and probably the undisputed greatest clay court player ever. He is a fierce competitor and never gives up in a match. All of these qualities make him great. None of them, however, [...]
Djokovic All But Locks Up Year-end #1
Roger Federer is still World #1, but unless he gets a miracle that will not last through December. Federer’s #1 ranking is currently built on a lot of points earned in November of last year in addition to having a very good year this year. Djokovic, on the other hand, did almost nothing last November. [...]
Ferrer Finally Ready to Shine
David Ferrer currently sits at #5 in the world and, while he has reached the top 4 before, looks to be in the best form of his career right now. Ferrer has never really been a threat at the Slams until now. And even now, he isn’t quite at the level of the top 4. [...]
At Least 1 Spot Remains for World Tour Finals
It’s that time of year again. The top players are all competing for a chance to play at the prestigious World Tour Finals in the O2 Arena in London. To this point, only 4 spots have actually been technically clinched. But David Ferrer can mathematically finalize his spot with a few wins in either Beijing, [...]
US Open Final Preview: Novak Djokovic vs Andy Murray
Murray’s Keys to Victory: 1. Follow the game plan- Murray has said that he worked out different strategies with his new coach Ivan Lendl for how to play against each of Murray’s top 3 rivals. This has done two things. It has been effective in helping Murray compete against each of them. But, more importantly, [...]
US Open Women’s Final Preview: Victoria Azarenka vs Serena Williams
Coming into this tournament, Victoria Azarenka and Sam Stosur looked like the only two players who could possible come close to Serena with the level she’s playing at. Stosur showed how to beat Serena last year and Azarenka has the power game to almost compete from the baseline. Really, though, Serena is just a whole [...]
US Open Semifinals Preview
Tomas Berdych vs Andy Murray: Of his two potential semifinal opponents, Murray has a losing record against one of them. It isn’t against #1 seed Roger Federer, who was upset in 4 sets by Tomas Berdych. No, Murray has a 2-4 career head-to-head record against Berdych. Berdych, when he is confident enough in himself, has [...]
US Open Women’s Semifinals Preview
Maria Sharapova vs Victoria Azarenka: If you wanted a blockbuster quarterfinal as soon as the draw was released, then this is the match you were looking for. Both of these women have been World #1 at some point this year. Both have won a Slam this year. And in what might be an important stat, [...]
US Open Quarterfinals Preview: Bottom Half
Janko Tipsarevic vs David Ferrer: Well, these two might technically have been the highest seeds in this quarter, but I don’t think most people expected either of them to get this far. That is a bit unfair to them though. Each of these players are ranked where they are for a reason. And while Ferrer [...]
