Early Thoughts Mats Wilander once roughly said that no one should predict a Grand Slam title for a player until he wins his first because breaking through at a slam is different than winning a 250, 500 or 1000 level event. I will take a look at the men who have already won major titles. My…
Category: Novak Djokovic
Tennis Power Ranking 2014: Cincinnati – All Hail King Roger the 6th
Tennis Abides Power Ranking 2014 Ranking #10: Cincinnati Novak Djokovic – Nole stays at #1, but his play in Toronto and Cincinnati will not be good enough to win in New York. I expect Novak to round into form, but this was not the most reassuring hard court swing for his supporters. Roger Federer – Rafa…
Masters Cincinnati 2014: Day 4 ATP Predictions
Predicted Winners in BOLD [3] Stan Wawrinka (SUI) vs [14] Marin Cilic (CRO) H2H – This is close to a 50-50 match in my mind, but Wawrinka is a little more solid overall than Cilic in my view. This could be the match of the day though so if you have a ticket be sure to watch….
Masters Cincinnati 2014: Day 2 ATP Predictions
Predicted Winners in BOLD There are some great matches on this schedule [12] Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) vs Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) H2H – Youzhny is not the ideal first match for anyone coming off of a string of big wins. Youzhny has a lot of game and has been in big situations throughout his career. Still, Tsonga…
Tennis Power Ranking 2014: Tsonga Turns Toronto into French Canada
Tennis Abides Power Ranking 2014 Ranking #9: Toronto Novak Djokovic – Nole stays at #1, but his win vs. Monfils and loss to Tsonga were not the textbook way to take advantage of Rafa not playing Masters Canada. Rafael Nadal – Is he healthy? Will he be healthy in time of the US Open? Roger…
Tennis Power Ranking 2014: Post-Wimbledon & Then Some
2014 Power Ranking #8 – Wimbledon Novak Djokovic – Nole and Rafa continue to play hot potato with my top spot. Novak is now a two-time Wimbledon champion and a newly wed. I think the wind is at his back for the hard court summer. Novak was tennis’ most consistent player from 2012-mid 2014, but…
All Hail King Novak II
Breaking the Trend Novak Djokovic finished 2012 as the #1 player in the world, but only captured 1 of the 4 majors. In 2013, Novak went 24-3 in Grand Slam play and Rafael Nadal went 12-1. Despite twice as many Grand Slam match wins as Nadal, Rafa ended the year with a US Open and…
Wimbledon 2014: 1 Novak Djokovic vs 4 Roger Federer Prediction
Preliminary Thoughts I have been thinking about this match since Federer closed out Milos Raonic in an efficient 3 sets. Federer entered the second week needing to play win four 3 out of 5 set matches in six days. This was not an ideal situation for a veteran player. Still, the fog began to lift…
Federer or in Some Ways it is Always 2003
Nole will need to make Federer feel the grass and dirt After Nick Kyrgios’ explosive performance versus Rafael Nadal, I wrote about how that win brought me back to Boris Becker’s 1985 Wimbledon victory. Becker’s early years helped inspire me to play tennis so I am always fascinated to see a player breakout and become…
Quick Hits: Djokovic vs. Federer – The Tale of the Tape
Grand Slam Domination by Djokovic and Federer Meet the new bosses; same as the old bosses These two men have combined to win 23 Grand Slam singles titles, and the number will be 24 after Sunday. Novak Djokovic is 16-2 in 2014 Grand Slam play. Roger Federer is 14-2 in 2014 Grand Slam play. Boris…
Tennis Abides: Dan Martin on Tennis and Life 