Championship Preview and Prediction: #2 Sharapova vs. #1 Williams

Sharapova’s Revival A more joyous reaction is hard to find Maria Sharapova entered the Grand Slam winners’ circle again last year when she won the title at Roland Garros. She recovered from shoulder and serve problems to build toward that victory.  Sharapova reached the 2011 French Open semifinal and 2012 Australian Open final.  She absorbed…

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The Ten Most Tense Grand Slam Matches in the Past 10 Years

Top 10 Tension Filled Grand Slam Matches over the Past 10 Years Djokovic d. Nadal Australian Open 2012 Final Nadal d. Federer Wimbledon 2008 Final Djokovic d. Federer US Open 2010 Semifinal Federer d. Roddick Wimbledon 2009 Final JMDP d. Federer US Open 2009 Final Federer d. Nadal Wimbledon 2007 Final Nadal d. Verdasco Australian…

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David Ferrer vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga: Preview and Prediction

An Opening in the Top Tier Roger Federer has not been himself throughout 2013.  Andy Murray is hurt.  Rafael Nadal missed 7 months of tennis.  Even Tomas Berdych was upended in the first round at Roland Garros.  The winner of the other semifinal will play for a Grand Slam title.  David Ferrer or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga…

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Rafael Nadal vs. Novak Djokovic: Preview and Prediction

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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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