Tag Archives: David Ferrer

Final Power Ranking of 2012 – Novak is the One

18 Nov

Dan Martin’s 2012 Power Ranking

Year End Ranking

Video Clips for A Player’s Biggest Moment of 2012 Provided

  1. Novak Djokovic – Nole won the Australian Open, the World Tour Finals, 3 Masters 1000 events and another title.  Throw in 2 Grand Slam runner-up finishes and 3 Masters 1000 finishes and Novak is the clear number one for 2012.  Had Rafa remained healthy who knows, but injuries are part of sports and Nole put together the best year.  
  2. Roger Federer – Like Djokovic, Federer won a Grand Slam title and 3 Masters 1000 events.  He also collected titles in Dubai and Rotterdam.  Throw in runner-up finishes at the Olympic Games, Halle, Basel and the World Tour finals and the over 30 Federer went 6-4 in tournament finals.  He’s now older than Pete Sampras was when he hung up his racquets in 2002 after ending a 26 month title drought with a US Open title win.  Federer looks to keep adding hardware in the nest 2 years.  His win over Andy Murray at the World Tour Finals helped Roger leap frog Murray to number 2 in my non-binding rankings (not yet at least).  Change since last ranking +1
  3. Andy Murray – Murray’s US Open win and Gold Medal change the landscape of tennis, but his 0-9 finish in the Masters 1000 events will have to change if he wishes to reach #1 in 2013.  Murray was 0-2 vs. Nole and Roger in the World Tour Finals.  I expect Andy to do well in 2013.  Change since last ranking -1 
  4. David Ferrer – The “other” Spaniard led the tour with 7 titles.  Ferrer went 2-1 in round robin play at the World Tour Finals and went 2-0 in singles on the road against the Czech Republic in the Davis Cup Final.  Neither result could lift Ferrer out of circumstances he could not control.  Still, beating Tipsy, JMDP, Berdych and Stepanek on fast surfaces demonstrates how strong Ferrer is as a player. 
  5. Rafael Nadal – Rafa’s injury has left him on the shelf since the end of June.  His first 1/2 of 2012 was the best of any player.  The Australian Open will be interesting.  I think and hope Rafa returns to Big 4 status pretty quickly.  Still, this is a long time to be off of the tour for anyone.   
  6. Tomas Berdych - The big man went 1-1 in singles play and won a point in doubles to help the Czech Republic claim the Davis Cup title.  Change since last ranking +1 
  7. Juan Martin del Potro – JMDP recently won his 14th and 15th career singles titles.  The big man won a Bronze medal and reached 3 Grand Slam quarterfinal rounds in 2012.  Beating Roger Federer in Basel and the World Tour Finals says a lot about where JMDP is at heading into 2013.  Change from last ranking -1 
  8. Marin Cilic – The Croatian has slowly returned to his 2009 and early 2010 form.  *
  9. Richard Gasquet – His recent play earns the enigmatic star a slot in my top 10.  *
  10. Radek Stepanek - Winning a doubles point and the final singles point in a deadlocked Davis Cup final puts Stepanek in the the top 10 for the end of the year. Change from last ranking – not ranked 

Biggest Movers – Roger Federer +1, Tomas Berdych +1, Andy Murray -1, Juan Martin del Potro -1

Entered the Rankings – Radek Stepanek 

Dropped Out – Jerzy Janowicz – This is still a tremendous story considering what the prize money and ranking points will mean for his career going forward.

* – Sorry to Cilic and Gasquet but neither brought home a Slam, a World Tour Final title, a 1000 series event, an Olympic medal or a Davis Cup title so they get no video clip love.

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Post Paris Power Ranking: David Ferrer’s Leap Forward

5 Nov

Dan Martin’s 2012 Power Ranking

Post Paris Edition

  1. Novak Djokovic – Nole posted the best Grand Slam and Masters 1000 records for 2012.  He must feel like he let a slam get away in 2012, but he’s #1 for the year. 
  2. Andy Murray – Murray’s US Open win and Gold Medal change the landscape of tennis, but his 0-9 finish in the Masters 1000 events will have to change if he wishes to reach #1 in 2013.
  3. Roger Federer – The Fed entered the 2003 Masters Cup with 6 titles and a ponytail.  He enters the 2012 World Tour Finals with 6 titles and 2 pre-schoolers.  Changes and constants   
  4. David Ferrer – The “other” Spaniard leads the tour with 7 titles.  Ferrer has a title on all four surfaces in 2012.  Ferrer just won his first Masters 1000 event.  Does he deserve to pass Rafa?  Maybe not, but winning titles on every surface, winning 18 Grand Slam matches, and leading the tour in titles makes Ferrer a top flight player in 2012.   Change from last ranking +1
  5. Rafael Nadal – Rafa’s injury has left him on the shelf since the end of June.  His first 1/2 of 2012 was the best of any player.  Change from last ranking -1  
  6. Juan Martin del Potro – JMDP recently won his 14th and 15th career singles titles.  The big man won a Bronze medal and reached 3 Grand Slam quarterfinal rounds in 2012.  Beating Roger Federer in Basel says a lot about where JMDP is at.  Change from last ranking +3
  7. Tomas Berdych - His US Open showing props up some of his poor results in 2012.  Change from last ranking – 1
  8. Marin Cilic – The Croatian has slowly returned to his 2009 and early 2010 form.  Change from last ranking +1
  9. Richard Gasquet – His recent play earns the enigmatic star a slot in my top 10.  Change from last ranking – 1
  10. Jerzy Janowicz - He probably does not deserve this spot, but just think that this qualifier just banked 600 ranking points that will not come off until next November.  This is a huge relief for a guy scrapping by on tour.  Change from last ranking – not ranked

Biggest Movers – Juan Martin del Potro +3

Entered the Rankings – Jerzy Janowicz

Dropped Out – Tommy Haas

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US Open Super Saturday Match Previews and Picks

8 Sep

Predicted Winners in BOLD

Women’s Final

 Victoria Azarenka (1) vs. Serena Williams (4)

Victoria Azarenka has had a great, and I mean great, 2012.  She won her first Grand Slam final in Melbourne in convincing fashion.  That victory led to her becoming #1 in the world in a manner that Jankovic, Safina and Wozniacki never did.  She had a great winning streak.  Vika won a Gold Medal in mixed doubles and a Bronze Medal in singles to add to her trophy case.

She now has an opportunity.  Right now Vika is the #2 player in the world in my mind and in the minds of most tennis fans and pundits.  A win today would mean 2 slams, 2 Olympic medals and control of the destiny of the WTA.  In 2011, Vika played Serena tough losing 1-6, 6-7.  At Wimbledon 2012, Vika lost 3-6, 6-7.  Their Olympic match was a thrashing, but Azarenka was the one player in this draw that I thought had a realistic shot at beating Serena.*

Will she win?  I don’t think so.  Sernea is clearly #1 on grass courts.  I think Serena is #1 everywhere else as well.  I expect the match to be reasonably close, but Serena’s serve, ability to go from defense to offense and will to win set her apart in most of these big occasions.  For Vika to win, she will need to force Sernea to play defensive tennis when possible, shift from defense to offense when possible and play great defense herself.  Those are a lot of “ifs” needed for victory so I will pick the consensus favorite to take her 4th US Open title.  Prediction: Serena Williams d. Victoria Azarenka 6-4, 6-3.

* – Kim Clijsters lengthy winning streak at the US Open made me think she had a miraculous shot at winning the title as well.

Semifinals

Novak Djokovic (2) vs. David Ferrer (4)

We saw this same match in the 2007 US Open semifinal round.  The good news for David Ferrer is he is playing much better than he did in 2007.  The bad news is that Novak Djokovic is playing much better as well.  Novak is 32-1 in his 5 most recent hard court Grand Slam events.  Ferrer has played magnificent tennis in 2012 and especially here in New York.  I think Ferrer will earn a set vs. Nole, but Novak is going to his 3rd consecutive US Open final.  The deciding factor is Nole’s return and serve are both stronger than Ferrer’s.  That is too much real estate to surrender and expect to win a 3 out of 5 set match.  Prediction: Novak Djokovic d. David Ferrer 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Andy Murray (3) vs. Tomas Berdych (6)

Berdych has beaten Murray on clay and could bully him off of the court.  However, I think Murray’s speed will be the difference in this match.  If Murray can dig out some of Berdych’s booming shots and force the big man to scramble some via counter-punching, Murray wins in 4 sets.  Prediction: Andy Murray d. Tomas Berdych 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.

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What is the Story of the US Open? POLL

7 Sep

I almost had the feeling that Tipsarevic would ride negative energy a la Lleyton Hewitt in 2001 after his bout with controversy.  I am glad that did not happen and that tennis, rather than sexism, will be the story of the weekend.

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US Open Day 11 Picks

6 Sep

Predicted Winners in BOLD

Quarterfinals

Novak Djokovic (2) vs. Juan Martin del Potro (7) – Delpo can beat Nole in a big match as he did so at the Olympic games, but Novak should advance in 4 sets.

David Ferrer (4) vs. Janko Tipsarevic (8) – Will Tipsy’s rage fuel an upset?  No.  Ferrer is so solid that I think he wins here and makes Novak work hard on Saturday.

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Newport, Stuttgart, Umag and Bastad Predictions

14 Jul

Predicted Winner in BOLD

Hall of Fame Tennis Championships

Newport, RI Surface – Grass

1 John Isner vs. Lleyton Hewitt

Defending champion John Isner has played well to reach the final.  Ivo Karlovic has troubled Lleyton Hewitt in the past.  Still, this grass court season has favored veteran players.  I think that trend continues and Hewitt caps a magical week.  Lleyton will be getting inducted into the Hall of Fame at some point in the future so getting a win here and now will smooth that transition.

Mercedes Cup

Stuttgart, Germany Surface – Clay 

2 Juan Monaco vs. 1 Janko Tipsarevic

I think Janko has more talent than Monaco, but that Monaco is more steady.  On clay, I think steady beats talent so Monaco grinds out another title.  I have to give Monaco credit for pushing along and continuing to fight.  He took two of the most one-sided beatings I have ever seen at the 2011 US Open vs. Roger Federer and the 2012 French Open vs Rafael Nadal.  Monaco’s ranking and winning percentage are solid.

Studena Croatia Open

Umag, Croatia Surface – Clay

Marcel Granollers vs. 2 Marin Cilic

Cilic has been playing much better tennis as of late.  I think a win here could help push Cilic toward fulfilling at least some of the promise he showed at the 2009 US Open and 2010 Australian Open.  Granollers is a tough competitor, and he could take this title.  However, Cilic on home soil should build on recent momentum and win another title.

SkiStar Swedish Open

Bastad, Sweden Surface – Clay

2 Nicolas Almagro vs. 1 David Ferrer

 I love Almagro’s game and he did give Nadal his second toughest match at Roland Garros.  Ferrer is the percentage pick here. David reached the semifinal round at Roland Garros, won a grass court tune-up and then pushed Andy Murray hard in the Wimbledon quarterfinal round.  Ferrer winning another title would help to push him closer and closer to the big 4.

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Post Wimbledon Power Ranking for the Week of July 9 – July 15, 2012

10 Jul

Dan Martin’s 2012 Power Rankings for the

Week of July 9 through July 15

A Lot of Changes Due to Wimbledon

1.  Roger Federer – His Wimbledon win means Roger Federer has a tour leading 5 titles for 2012.  Like Rafa, Roger also has two Masters 1000 titles this year.  Change from last ranking + 2

2.  Novak Djokovic – A Wimbledon semifinal finish helps Nole maintain his #2 spot.

3.  Rafael Nadal - Rafa like Roger has a slam, two 1000 series titles and one 500 series title in 2012.  The bad news is that Nadal lost in the 2nd round to the #100 player in the world.  Change from last ranking – 2

4.  Andy Murray - Andy lost the Wimbledon final, but he showed a lot of metal in successive wins vs. Karlovic, Baghdatis, Cilic, Ferrer and Tsonga.  He played his best Grand Slam final ever as well.  Andy made it clear that he belongs in the top 4.  He also has room to grow so his fans should take heart.  Change from last ranking +3

5.  David Ferrer – Ferrer shrugged off the beating he took at Roland Garros with a grass court title and a Wimbledon quarterfinal appearance.  His wins over Roddick and del Potro give him credentials off of clay.  He played Murray tough as well.  Change from last ranking – 1

6.  Jo-Wilfried Tsonga – Tsonga is the player in the best position to challenge the top 4.  He nearly beat Nole in Paris and made a solid semifinal showing at Wimbledon.  Change from last ranking +3

7.  Juan Martin del Potro – Delpo played well in his first three Wimbledon matches, but was dominated by Ferrer.  Concerns about the big man’s knees are real.  Change from last ranking – 2

8.  Philipp Kohlschreiber – His quarterfinal showing and solid play in Halle make Kohlschreiber a legitimate threat to medal at the 2012 Olympic games.  He gets grass court tennis.  Change from last ranking – newcomer

9.  Mardy Fish -  Fish overcame a massive health issue and reached the round of 16 at SW19.  Change from last ranking – newcomer

10.  Marin Cilic – Combining his victory at Queen’s Club with his gritty performance to reach the round of 16 at Wimbledon means Cilic may be reclaiming some of his promise from 2009 and early 2010.  Change from last ranking – newcomer

New Comers – Philipp Kohlschreiber, Mardy Fish and Marin Cilic

Dropped Out – Tomas Berdych, Nicolas Almagro, and Tommy Haas

Biggest Movers – Andy Murray and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga +3

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Wimbledon 2012 Gentlemen’s Quarterfinal Predictions

3 Jul

Predicted Winner in BOLD

Quarterfinals

1 Novak Djokovic vs. 31 Florian Mayer

Nole should advance in 3 or 4 sets.  Mayer should be proud of getting this far, but Novak is a heavy favorite in this match.

3 Roger Federer vs. 26 Mikhail Youzhny

Youzhny has a shot at pulling an upset here.  First, how healthy is Roger’s back.  Second, Youzhny did win a set off of Roger here last year and demonstrated some vulnerabilities.  Third, Roger lost the 2012 Halle final on grass to a veteran player with a one-handed backhand.  Having said all of that, unless Roger’s back is really hampering his play, an upset would be monumental.  Roger should win in 3 or 4 sets.

4 Andy Murray vs. 7 David Ferrer

This should be an easy match to predict.  The thing is David Ferrer beat Andy Murray one month ago in the quarterfinal round at Roland Garros.  Ferrer won a Wimbledon tune-up event in the Netherlands.  He also has beaten Andy Roddick and Juan Martin del Potro in succession.  Ferrer is about as confident as he will ever be on grass.  I think Murray wins, but this match could range from an easy win for Murray to a tight win for Murray to a tight win for Ferrer.  I can’t see Ferrer blowing Murray out, but I think Ferrer may oddly have his best shot at reaching a major final in front of him.  Expect a dogged effort from Ferrer, and all bets are off if Murray does not match that effort.

5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. 27 Philipp Kohlschreiber

It would have been dull to not predict at least one upset.  Based on Tsonga’s 2011 grass court form, he should win this match and have a good shot at reaching the championship match (an upset now and then does make life exciting for tennis fans).  Still, Kohlschreiber has a lot of tools and a great opportunity in front of him.  He won Halle in 2011 and possesses one of the most well rounded games on the tour.  Kohlschreiber, like Ferrer, has a great chance to make an impression at a major.  For some odd reason, I think he rides his skill to a victory by playing loose tennis and seizing a fracture in the ceiling at Wimbledon.

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Power Ranking for the Week of June 11 – June 17

11 Jun

Dan Martin’s 2012 Power Rankings for the

Week of June 11 through June 17

The French Open Reshapes My Top 10

1.  Rafael Nadal - A French Open title, two Masters 1000 titles and 3 consecutive wins over Nole have Rafa moving into the top spot.  Change from last ranking +1

2.  Novak Djokovic – Nole surrenders the top spot in my non-binding Power Ranking.  Nole should welcome a chance in surfaces.  Change from last ranking – 1 

3. Roger Federer – The Fed has won a lot of matches and tournaments since the 2011 US Open closed.  Still, he is clearly behind two younger players.  His confidence and mental toughness have dipped against Rafa and Nole too.

4.  David Ferrer - A semifinal in Paris was rewarded with a beating from Rafa.  I will be more kind and reward David with a slot in the top 4.  Change from last ranking +1

5.  Juan Martin del Potro - Delpo is looking solid so long as he can remain healthy.  Confidence and health are all the stands between JMDP and the #3 ranking.  Change from last ranking + 2

6.  Tomas Berdych - If you are looking for a Wimbledon dark horse Berdych is a good candidate.  In 2010, he beat Federer and Djokovic at SW19.  Berdych has been solid in 2012 and will benefit from the surface change.  Change from last ranking – 2

7.  Andy Murray - What has happened to Andy’s promising start to 2012?  I am predicting that the Lendl experiment will not last beyond the US Open. 

8.  Nicolas Almagro – He played Nadal as tough as anyone in the first 6 rounds of the French Open.  Almagro’s serve and power give him a shot at a nice hard court season. 

9. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - Tsonga turned his game on at the start of the 2011 grass court season.  If he uses some momentum from the French Open, Tsonga could have a big remainder to the year.  If he worries about defending points, Tsonga will struggle.  Change from Last Ranking – Not Ranked

10.  Milos Raonic – He played well enough in Paris to think he could have a big summer on surfaces that reward his serve a bit more.  Change from last week – Not Ranked

Biggest Movers – Rafael Nadal moved to number 1 &  Novak Djokovic dropped off of number 1

Dropped Out of the Rankings – Gilles Simon and Janko Tipsarevic

Entered the Rankings – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Milos Raonic

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Roland Garros 2012 Men’s Semifinal Predictions

7 Jun

1 Novak Djokovic vs. 3 Roger Federer

I don’t think either man has played near his A level during this event.  To me, that means the player who is most likely to raise his game is the player who will win.  Novak Djokovic is under pressure attempting to complete the Nole Slam.  Roger Federer twice reached the French Open final when holding the other 3 slams.  Rafael Nadal lost in the 2011 Australian Open quarterfinal round while holding the other 3 slams.  Pete Sampras lost in the 1994 French Open quarterfinal round when holding the other 3 slams.  This would be the greatest single achievement in men’s tennis history given the radical surface differences that have existed since 1978 and the increasingly physical nature of professional tennis.  The fact that  Roger beat Novak at this stage of the French Open last year means Novak could lose this match.  I think this takes some pressure off of the Serb.  My conclusion is Novak will play with less pressure and hence play well enough to advance.

Djokovic should advance

My Pick – Novak Djokovic in 4 Sets

2 Rafael Nadal vs. 6 David Ferrer

Rafael Nadal’s complete dominance in Paris makes this section shorter than it should be.  David Ferrer deserves great credit for preventing Andy Murray from reaching his 6th consecutive Grand Slam semifinal.  Ferrer is a great clay court player who deserves to play in the final weekend of the French Open.  Throw in Ferrer and Federer each being 30 years old, and my 36 year old self is happy to think that age does not preclude great tennis.  Ferrer played Rafa tough in Barcelona.  Still, Rafa is almost certain to advance in this match.  Both men are fit and compete like few in tennis have.  Ferrer just does not have enough weapons to win this match.  When Ferrer was close versus Rafa, like he was in Barcelona, he also tightened up mentally.

Ferrer’s run likely ends

My Pick – Rafael Nadal in 3 Sets

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