The Big Match Make no mistake, this is the match everyone was looking forward to when all of the draws were released. Rafael Nadal entered this tourment having won 7 of the past 8 Roland Garros titles with one realistic threat in the draw. Novak Djokovic is number 1 in the world and beat Nadal…
Category: French Open
French Open Predictions: Williams vs. Errani & Sharapova vs. Azarenka
Predicted Winners in BOLD Victoria Azarenka (BLR) [3] vs. Maria Sharapova (RUS) [2] These two players are pretty evenly matched. When Azarenka gets her teeth into Sharapova’s game, she can roll her more famous opponent. However, Vika is not as comfortable on clay as she is on a hard court so a one-sided drubbing seems unlikely. I…
Who will win Djokovic vs. Nadal? (Tennis Poll)
The biggest match of the French Open is obviously Serena Williams vs. Sara Errani Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal. Who do you think will win?
Roger Federer and the Grass Court Season
2013 Has Not Been a Great Season Roger Federer has posted a Grand Slam semifinal and quarterfinal finish, along with a runner-up finish in Rome and decent showings in Dubai and Indian Wells. That may add up to a top 10 level of play (especially given that Federer is 9-2 in majors in 2013), but…
French Open Predictions: Sharapova vs. Jankovic & Azarenka vs. Kirilenko (or Pan-Slavic Tennis)
Predicted Winners in BOLD 2 Maria Sharapova vs. 18 Jelena Jankovic Hopefully my picks are better than they were for the other quarterfinal matches. The defending champion faces a tricky veteren in Jankovic. If Jelena can make Maria move and make footing and footwork an issue, an upset if quite possible. Jankovic’s problem is that…
French Open Predictions: Nadal vs. Wawrinka & Djokovic vs. Haas
Predicted Winners in BOLD 1 Novak Djokovic vs. 12 Tommy Haas My picks for the other quarterfinal matches were not good. I hope to bounce back. This match is the harder one to pick as Haas has had some success vs. Djokovic (i.e. Miami this year, Halle and Wimbledon in 2009). Djokovic is also playing with a heavy…
French Open Predictions: Williams vs. Kuznetsova & Errani vs. Radwanksa
Predicted Winners in BOLD 1 Serena Williams vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova Kuznetsova has had a lot of success at Roland Garros. She also has 2 slam titles to her name and may not be as intimidated by Serena Williams as younger players on tour are. Still, Serena is on a roll. Kuznetsova has made a great…
French Open Predictions: Federer vs. Tsonga & Robredo vs. Ferrer
Predicted Winners in BOLD 2 Roger Federer vs. 6 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Roger Federer will have to play at a higher level than he did versus Gilles Simon to advance. Also, if Federer’s ankle is bothering him, he is unlikely to advance. Federer will benefit from Tsonga’s aggressive style in that he will not have a…
And then there were 8: Quarterfinals at Roland Garros
Note: I know going AWOL for the first week of a Grand Slam is a bad idea for a tennis website. My wife and I welcomed our 3rd child into the world right as Roland Garros 2013 was commencing. All are well, but I have been a little distracted. Sentimental Picks There are a lot…
French Open Memories: Guga
South American Renaissance Gustavo Kuerten was not expected to win the 1997 French Open, but he went through accomplished champions and clay court powers in the process. Kuerten beat fifth seeded and 1995 French Open champion Thomas Muster in the round of 32. He beat Andrei Medvedev in the round of 16. He beat defending…
Tennis Abides: Dan Martin on Tennis and Life 