Beijing R1 previews and picks: Nadal vs. Giraldo, Ferrer vs. Pospisil

Originally posted on The Grandstand:
Spaniards Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer will kick off their Beijing campaigns on Tuesday. They are set for respective meetings with Santiago Giraldo and Vasek Pospisil. (3) David Ferrer vs. Vasek Pospisil Ferrer and Pospisil will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers when they clash in…

Counterpunch – This is Not the Golden Era

As a fan, I have never enjoyed a period of tennis as much as I have from 2004-present. 2003 was a generational shifting year in which the New Balls players won 3 of the 4 majors.  In 2004, Roger Federer gave a dominating and aesthetically pleasing game to this new era.  2005 saw Marat Safin…

Raonic vs. Berdych Prediction

Milos Raonic was runner-up in Montreal and lost a tight round of 16 match at the US Open.  The big Canadian may be cementing his spot in the top 15 in the world.  Tomas Berdych reached the semifinal round in Cincinnati and also lost in the round of 16 at the US Open.  Each man…

Venus Williams issues major upset in Tokyo

Originally posted on TennisAceUpdates:
Former world number one and seven time grand slam champion Venus Williams has ousted number one seed Victoria Azarenka in a straight set 6-2 6-4 second round victory yesterday. Williams took an early break against a clearly uncomfortable and out of form Azarenka who served up six double faults throughout the…

Is the end of the season important?

Originally posted on Tennis-Minna:
As the tennis season is fast approaching its conclusion, we start to see news feeds containing information like “He can still qualify for the year-end championships, if he reaches the semifinal in this tournament and the final next week.” This talk increases week by week. The tour organizations are the main…

Andy Murray recovering in hospital after back surgery

Originally posted on Sykose Extreme Sports News:
British number one Andy Murray has tweeted a picture  of himself in hospital with his thumbs up after minor surgery on his troublesome back. The 26-year-old Scot says the first thing he said when he came round from the operation was: “Did I win?” Murray is unlikely to play again this…

The Forehand Times XVI

Originally posted on 17aces:
So its been a while since I posted one of the Forehand Times posts and it has been a whirlwind week and a half for Rafa and he hasn’t got any actual rest. 😀 Good news for the 2014 calendar is that they have added a brand new clay tournament in…

44 Majors Since 1990 by the Numbers: Australian Open

Pete Sampras won his first Grand Slam at the 1990 US Open and eventually broke a long standing record for the most Grand Slam titles in men’s tennis in 2000. Sampras added one more slam in 2002 to set his total at 14.  Roger Federer broke Pete Sampras’ record in 2009 and tallied an additional…