Past Australian Open Champions Part 1 – Johan Kriek Note: Leading up to the 2012 Australian Open, I am going to take a look back and some of the Australian Open champions from previous eras and report anything interesting that I find. South Africa’s Johan Kriek may be one of the most anonymous tennis players…
Category: Tennis History
3rd War of Independence for Argentina? Davis Cup Final (Poll Included)
I opened my trusty copy of Independence in Latin America: A Comparative Approach by Richard Graham and re-learned a fact about Argentina. Argentina fought two wars of independence against Spain. These wars revolved around Argentina’s relationship to the deposed and later restored King Ferdinand VII of Spain. Interesting reading. For Juan Martin del Potro, David Nalbandian and company…
Lendl and Sampras’ Impact on Federer’s 6 Year End Championships
A Major Accomplishment Winning 6 Masters/ATP World Championships/Masters Cups/World Tour Finals (Year End Championships hereafter)* is not an accomplishment on the same level as winning 16 Grand Slams. It is however no small task. To win a tournament that is only comprised of elite players is difficult. To win a tournament in which one has…
Federer Sweeps and Tsonga Advances
Roger Federer d. Mardy Fish 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 Roger did not play his best tennis in completing a 3-0 sweep of his pool. Even in the one-sided 1st set Roger faced a lot of challenges while serving. Still, Roger brushed back Fish in the 3rd set after Fish found his range in an impressive 2nd…
Federer d. Nadal 6-3, 6-0 – Are You Kidding Me?
The Indoor Setting Matters Before I make too much out of this match, it should be noted that Roger was 3-0 versus Rafael Nadal at the World Tour Finals/Masters Cup. Roger had won 6 of 7 sets the two had played in this event prior to today. Now, Roger stands 4-0 vs. Rafa at this…
Federer since 2008
2004-2007 Roger Federer’s results from 2004-2007 are the most remarkable 4 year period any male player has compiled. The accomplishments for these 4 years are too numerous to name in a single column, but 3 top highlights are Federer winning 11 Grand Slam titles, 3 Year End Championships and 41 total tournament titles. This…
Tsonga v. Federer
Federer is the Easy Pick Roger Federer is playing for history and won last week in Basel. Fed had the easier semifinal. Federer clobbered Tsonga at the US Open. This all points toward Roger winning in Paris. Not So Fast – Tsonga Has Reason for Hope Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has had a strong 2011 especially from…
Tough Stretch for Andy Roddick
Puncher’s Chance Andy Roddick has normally always had a puncher’s chance in an individual match against anyone on surfaces other than clay. The odds may not have been great for him to beat Federer or Nadal, but he was good to hold serve 3-6 times per set. This would give him a shot to win…
Does Tennis Need Inspirational Speeches?
As a tennis player, I have to say there is something about these motivational speeches that is almost laughable. Jim Courier once roughly said that the hard thing about being a tennis coach is that most tennis players chose tennis because they did not want to constantly be told what to do.
Thomas Muster Retires Again
Thomas “Coach” Muster? A lot of good can be said about how hard Thomas Muster worked on and off of the tennis court. Muster is best know for his perseverance to overcome a freak knee injury and his amazing clay court play in 1995. Muster played a sort of visceral tennis that often looked like…
Tennis Abides: Dan Martin on Tennis and Life 