I have to admit that Novak Djokovic vs. Andy Murray is my favorite match-up among the Big 4. I really enjoyed their quarterfinal match. Novak has looked nothing like the player who went 2-2 and won only 4 of 10 sets played after Wimbledon. He looks sharp and delivered a pretty strong message in beating…
Tag: Kei Nishikori
US Open 2014: Wawrinka-Nishikori & Djokovic-Murray Predictions
And here we go … Stan Wawrinka (SUI) [3] vs. Kei Nishikori (JPN) [10] If this is the undercard match, it is a great undercard. Nishikori played well in Melbourne and in Miami looked like a man ready to breakthrough before he withdrew. In Madrid, he had Nadal on the ropes until health failed him. If Nishikori…
US Open 2014: Labor Day Men’s Predictions
Predicted Winners in BOLD 4 Heavy Weight Prize Fights Big Time Matches on Tap Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) [9] vs. Andy Murray (GBR) [8] – Tsonga’s conquest of Toronto and Murray’s first round cramping make this close to a 50-50 match. Murray even gave up a break lead in the 3rd set to let Tsonga off of the hook. I…
US Open 2014: Day 2 Men’s Predictions
Predicted Winners in BOLD [13] John Isner (USA) vs. [WC] Marcos Giron (USA) – Isner needs to make quick work of his compatriot. [2] Roger Federer (SUI) vs. Marinko Matosevic (AUS) – This match may be one of the harder parts of Roger’s first week draw. Sam Querrey (USA) vs. Maxino Gonzalez (ARG) – Sam…
Wawrinka, Nishikori, and Dimitrov Demonstrate that the Big 4 are not Easy to Emulate
I will have my predictions for tomorrow up by 12 AM EST. I just want to make a quick point that Stan Wawrinka winning his first Grand Slam title, first Masters Series title, and a 250 level title in 2014 along with his US Open and WTF semifinal showings in 2013 prove he is among…
Nishikori vs. Nadal Prediction
Nishikori is in the Top 10 Melbourne, Miami, Barcelona and Madrid prove Kei Nishikori belongs in the top 10. His talent and recent consistency have Nishikori taking advantage of a year of upheaval in the tennis pecking order. Michael Chang’s influence as coach has to be lauded as well. Nishikori could become King of Spain…
Nishikori vs. Ferrer Should Be Something
Ferrer is Focused David Ferrer did not exactly back up his upset of Rafael Nadal in Monte Carlo. He lost to Wawrinka and then lost early in Barcelona. Nevertheless, Ferrer is one of the top clay court players of the past decade. He is fit and fights for everything. His wins in Madrid have him…
Madrid Masters 2014: May 5 ATP Predictions
Predicted Winners in BOLD First Round Albert Ramos vs. Nicolas Mahut – Surfaces don’t matter as much as they once did, but Mahut’s game is not overly tailored to clay courts. Ramos should advance. Fernando Verdasco vs. Andreas Seppi – Hot sauce is hard to predict, but in the early rounds in his home country,…
Dimitrov and Nishikori Take Titles
Dimitrov Rises to #14 w/ 3rd Career Title Grigor Dimitrov won a 250 level event in Bucharest. His 2014 season has been hot and cold, but perhaps he is hot again after taking his second title of the year. His ranking has risen to a career high of #14. Dimitrov has the variety and young…
Quick Hits 16 February 2014
Holding Form Each of today’s ATP finals were won by the favorite. Tomas Berdych took out a surprisingly (to me at least) resurgent Marin Cilic. I figured the PED suspension would hurt Marin’s game for some time. Instead, he’s started 2014 well. Berdych builds on a strong Aussie Open showing. A lot of people have…
Tennis Abides: Dan Martin on Tennis and Life 