Novak Djokovic – Winning the first major of 2020 makes Djokovic the easy choice for the first #1 in Tennis Abides’ power rankings. Dominic Thiem – The Austrian is getting closer to claim his first major. At 26, he is no youngster, but he is taking the ball earlier on hard courts and this should…
Category: Australian Open
Australian Open 2020: All Hail King Novak VIII and Queen Sofia I
Five. Straight. Points! Kenin blasts three consecutive winners on break point and escapes her way out from 0-40 to hold for 3-2.#AO2020 | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/gVsNdr6sjO — #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) February 1, 2020 NOTE from the Tennis Abides Legal Team*: Whatever fond memories I have of watching Sofia the First with my children when they were younger,…
Australian Open 2020: CGI Saltwater Crocodiles Play Tennis!?
The bushfires in Australia hopefully will raise awareness of and support for wildlife and wildlands among tennis fans. Not sure what to say about this, but the Australian Open did help raise funds for the cause of Australia’s ecosystems.
Australian Open 2020: Thiem vs. Djokovic is Set as the Main Event
Backhand Blitz Thiem seizes the moment to break and erases a Zverev chance to claim the 3-1 edge in the third set.#AO2020 | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/vfrr9Rtib8 — #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 31, 2020 Does Thiem have a Chance? Yes! Dominic Thiem will pose the toughest match Novak Djokovic will face in his 7 matches in Melbourne. Thiem…
Australian Open 2020: Quick Hit – Thiem’s Edge in the last Semifinal
Thiem or Zverev? 🤔 Who will face @DjokerNolein the men's final on Sunday? Get ready with our Day 12 preview ➡ https://t.co/MsdzVLt8eG#AO2020 | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/rYRD8XBTqm — #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 30, 2020 Sascha Zverev certainly has some edges going into this semifinal match. He is a bit younger than Dominic Thiem, he has a bigger serve,…
Australian Open 2020: Djokovic Eyes a 17th Major
The Australian Open has made one big and one small surface change since 1987. In 1988, the Australian Open left grass behind and debuted a highly rubberized hard court called Rebound Ace. This type of hard court was used from 1988-2007 but its tendency to “grab” the soles of players’ shoes and ruin ankles on…
Australian 2020: My 1st Grumpy Old Man Post
It is strange for me to not have engaged the 1st major of the year until the middle of the first week. I am now 44 and 2020 has me starting my year is a less than youthful joy. Here are my reasons: A capacity crowd of more than 15,000 at Rod Laver Arena watched…
Novak Djokovic Reaches 7th Heaven and 15-Love in Oz
In the land of 🐊, this one is special. 🏆 Congratulations to @DjokerNole for a 7th title in Melbourne 🇦🇺 and another record. #N1vak #NoleFam pic.twitter.com/qSxdiCK2BW — LACOSTE (@LACOSTE) January 27, 2019 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Novak Djokovic emphatically consolidated his mastery of the ATP Tour and Grand Slam play by claiming his record 7th Australian Open title…
Djokovic vs. Nadal: It Feels like 2012 to Me
Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal Rafael Nadal has mowed down his opponents over 6 matches. While winning 18 of 18 sets, gives Nadal an edge on form, the two sets Djokovic dropped should be of no hindrance to his chances in the final as Djokovic got a physically easy quarterfinal and looked to be in…
Kvitova vs. Osaka Could Be Awesome
Petra Kvitova vs. Naomi Osaka I watched Naomi Osaka take apart Madison Keys in the 2018 US Open semifinal. It became clear to me that Osaka could hit with power like many on tour and could also scramble and play defense and could also counter-punch turning defense to offense. At the conclusion of the match,…
Tennis Abides: Dan Martin on Tennis and Life 