Pre-US Open Power Ranking

**** Given that Rafael Nadal is not playing the US Open he will not be ranked, but his 2012 position is either 3rd or 4th in my mind. Dan Martin’s 2012 Power Ranking US Open Edition Roger Federer – If anyone had told Roger Federer that 2012 would include a Wimbledon title, he likely would…

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Sampras Turns 41 and Federer Turns 31

Familiar Faces By some luck for tennis junkies, Pete Sampras was born on August 12, 1971 and Roger Federer was born on August 8, 1981.  The two men are almost exactly 10 years apart in age.  Tennis fans waited from Borg’s retirement to Sampras’ ascendency to see a player win over 10 slams in his…

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Power Ranking for August 13-19

Dan Martin’s 2012 Power Rankings for the Week of August 13 through August 19 1.  Roger Federer – Federer has won 5 titles in 2012.  Cincinnati could lead to a new #1 in my rankings as well as in the ATP rankings. 2.  Novak Djokovic – Winning his 2nd consecutive Rogers Cup has Djokovic looking…

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Who Will Finish 2012 Ranked #1? (Tennis Poll)

2012 Resumes Roger Federer – Wimbledon title, 2 Masters 1000 titles, Dubai and Rotterdam titles, runner-up finishes at Halle and the Olympic games, semifinal finishes at the Australian Open, Rome and The French Open Rafael Nadal – French Open title, 2 Masters 1000 titles, and a Barcelona title, runner-up finish at the Australian Open, semifinal…

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10 Olympic Takeaways

Serena Williams adds to her sublime legacy with decisive gold medals in singles and doubles.  Serena has career Golden Slams in singles and doubles now.  Fodder for a GOAT debate? Speed Kills – Andy Murray took a huge step by winning 5 straight sets over Djokovic and Federer en route to a gold medal in…

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Post Olympic Power Ranking

Dan Martin’s 2012 Power Rankings for the Week of August 6 through August 12 This is later than usual, but I had good reason for the delay. 1.  Roger Federer – Federer has won 5 titles in 2012 including Wimbledon, he just added a silver medal to his career haul, and just turned 31.  It…

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Olympic Tennis Review 2008: The Best to This Point

In my review of Olympic tennis events, one trend emerged from 1988-2004: The Women’s Event Was Better than the Men’s.  In 2000, a streaking Venus Williams went 3 tight sets in a semifinal tilt with the veteran Monica Seles.  In 1988, Steffi Graf beat Gabriela Sabatini .  The 1992, 1996 and 2004 games all delivered…

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Serena Williams Nears Perfection in Gold Medal Win

Serena Shines in 6-0, 6-1 Win Serena Williams demolished Maria Sharapova.  There really is not much else to say about today’s match.  Both players like to dictate play and take control of a point early.  Serena was better at dictating play and that made Sharapova a defensive player.  Maria Sharapova is not a defensive player. …

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Could a Tennis Player Win 8 Gold Medals in 1 Olympic Games?

With the addition of mixed doubles, a tennis player can certainly win 3 gold medals in one Olympic games.  However, we found out in 2008 that 8 gold medals is the apex of Olympic achievements.  Of course, I will ignore that swimming gives multiple medals for covering the same distance with different techniques and has…

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Olympic Tennis Review: 2004 Chile Came to Play

2004 saw the the Olympic games once again fall between Wimbledon and the US Open.  Much like the Atlanta games these games were held on a similar hard court surface to that of the US Open.  This was more desirable than the red clay of the 1992 games, but the games being in Athens meant…

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