The Australian Open moved to the start of the tennis season in 1987 and switched to a hard court in 1988. It even added a stadium with a roof (USTA that was 1988). The Australian Open has slowly rebuilt itself as an event and is now as good of an event as there is in…
Tag: Australian Open
Tennis Abides on the Radio! 8:45 PM on 840 AM Radio
WHAS Radio is a 50,000 Watt radio station heard across most of the continental US. I will have a few moments to speak with Lachlan McLean (@Lach840) of WHAS radio about the Australian Open finals at 8:45 PM EST tonight! This is quite generous of Mr. McLean because WHAS is located in Louisville, Kentucky….
Australian Open 2015 – Serena Williams vs. Maria Sharapova Prediction
Serena Williams vs. Maria Sharapova On one hand, each player is a bit like Elvis in the tennis world. Their first name suffices for everyone to know which player is being referenced. Also, each has won a career Grand Slam, been ranked #1, and had Olympic success. One the other hand, Serena Williams is a…
Australian Open 2015 – Return of the Djokurray Era or an Era of the Unexpected or?
The Big Four 2008-2013? It is easy to let one match become an interpretive key for the remaining season. Until of course another match or tournament goes against the predicted script. Roger Federer entered this Australian Open with the momentum of 5 2014 tittles, being part of a winning Davis Cup team, and winning Birsbane…
Australian Open 2015 – Semifinal Prediction: Djokovic vs. Wawrinka
Novak Djokovic vs. Stanislas Wawrinka This should be good. In 2013, Novak fended off Stan in an electric 5 set encounter. They repeated this level of play at the 2013 US Open with Djokovic again winning in 5 sets. Last year, Wawrinka gained the upper hand dethroning Djokovic in 5 thrilling sets. All the more…
Australian Open 2015 – Semifinal Prediction: Andy Murray vs. Tomas Berdych
Tomas Berdych (CZE) [7] vs. Andy Murray (GBR) [6] This could happen This match is harder for me to predict than the two women’s semifinal matches. Berdych was quite solid in 2014, but could never quite breakthrough. Maybe a year of good results plus a new coach and marriage will result in Berdych reaching his second Grand…
Australian Open 2015 – Semifinal Prediction: Williams vs. Keys
Serena Williams (USA) [1] vs. Madison Keys (USA) Serena has not looked unbeatable in Melbourne. That seems to bode well for Keys. Still, Serena closes exceptionally well in tournaments. She is 4-6 sets of playing away from a 6th Australian Open title and 19th Grand Slam title! I think Serena sees the finish line. If Keys plays…
Australian Open 2015 – Semifinal Prediction: Makarova vs. Sharapova
Ekaterina Makarova vs. Maria Sharapova Makarova’s game plan for facing Sharapova should revolve around how Petra Kvitova has played when successful vs. Sharapova. A tough lefty serve and an ability to dictate play make me think Makarova could win this match. The problem I see for Makarova is that Sharapova seems to be moving as…
Tennis Abides: Dan Martin on Tennis and Life 