Cincinnati Masters 2013 Final Prediction: Nadal vs. Isner

Rafael Nadal vs. John Isner Can John Isner win this match?  Here are his positives: Isner has reached 16 tournament finals in his career, and 14 of these tournaments were held in the United States.  He plays better in the US than anywhere else and last time I checked Cincinnati/Mason is part of the US…

Quick Hits on Attending a Tennis Tournament

Be sure to spend a decent amount of time at the practice courts.  A lot of the best fan access and insights into how well ATP and WTA players hit the ball is to be had on the practice courts.  Not every practice session is as unique as Bartoli’s, but the practice courts are the…

Power Ranking 2013: Post DC

Power Ranking 2013 #9 1.  Andy Murray – Murray broke a 77 year slump for men from the UK at All England.  Over the past 52 weeks, Murray has won 2 slams, produced 1 slam runner-up finish and won a gold medal.  His back-to-back titles at Queen’s Club and Wimbledon have him atop my rankings…

John Isner is Captain America and other Thoughts

Isner: 6/7, 6/7 “Don’t Cross Me in North Carolina, Georgia, Rhode Island, DC” Does any player have a greater change in his success rate when playing on home soil than John Isner does?  Isner on US Soil is a top 15 player and overseas he is a top 50 player.  Isner has won 7 titles…

Tennis News: Mahut Doubles Up & Federer w/ 98 Square Inch Frame

Mahut on a Roll Carlos Berlocq and Fabio Fognini deserve a lot of credit for picking up titles last week.  Nicolas Mahut receives a big shout out for winning the final event of the 2013 grass court season in Newport, Rhode Island.  Mahut is a bit of a grass court specialist as he was runner-up…

Tennis Power Ranking 2013: Wimbledon and Murray’s Ascent

Power Ranking 2013 #8 Wimbledon Shakes up the Power Rankings  #1 vs. #2 and Murray vs. History/Expectations 1.  Andy Murray – Murray broke a 77 year slump for men from the UK at All England.  Over the past 52 weeks, Murray has won 2 slams, produced 1 slam runner-up finish and won a gold medal….

Wimbledon 2013: Djokovic vs. Murray Championship Prediction

Novak Djokovic (SRB) [1] v Andy Murray (GBR) [2] Will it be this? or this? Novak Djokovic has reached his 11th major final and looks to claim his 7th major title.  Andy Murray has reached his 7th major final and looks to claim his 2nd major title.  For the 3rd time in the past 52 weeks, these two men…

Top 10 Gentlemen’s Championship Matches #7 – #5

7.  1998 Pete Sampras d. Goran Ivanisevic 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 If only breaking Sampras were always that easy Pete won due to shots like these Goran also lost the 1994 Wimbledon Final to Sampras, but this was a much better match.  Both men served exceptionally well.  Pete survived a scare in the second…

Top 10 Gentlemen’s Championship Matches #10-#8

This Top 10 List is Based on Matches I have actually seen.  I was four years old and did not see McEnroe vs. Borg in 1980 therefore I can’t rate it.  This is also purely subjective as each of these matches have their merit. 10.  2000 Pete Sampras d. Patrick Rafter 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2…

Roger Federer and a Racquet Change

Honest Assessment Roger Federer has had a few stretches in his career in which decline looked to be steep and imminent.  2008 was the first of these patches.  Novak Djokovic rolled Roger in the Australian Open semifinal round.  Federer was beaten soundly by Mardy Fish in the semifinal round of Indian Wells.  Nadal thrashed Federer…