Rafael Nadal (ESP) [1] vs. Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) [8] Stan and the Tough Draw Nole got the Tough Draw When the draw was released it looked like Rafael Nadal would have a tough quarterfinal match with Juan Martin del Potro who had beaten him last fall. Stanislas Wawrinka’s two instant classic matches in 2013 against Novak Djokovic were overlooked….
Tag: Rafael Nadal
Australian Open 2014: Nadal vs. Federer Prediction(!)
Rafael Nadal (ESP) [1] vs. Roger Federer (SUI) [6] With 30 majors between them, this is about as big as a semifinal can get. Rafa had a somewhat close straight set win over Kei Nishikori and then struggled with Grigor Dimitrov until the fourth set. Roger Federer has looked as sharp as he’s been since winning Wimbledon…
Australian Open 2014: Day 10 Men’s Predictions
Predicted Winners in BOLD Rafael Nadal (ESP) [1] vs. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) [22] – I think Grigor may win a set. Winning 4 matches here bodes well for Grigor’s transition to the top tiers of tennis, but Rafa is very likely too much for Dimitrov at this time. Don’t be shocked if Rafa does what he did to Monfils….
Lendl vs. Becker vs. Edberg (?) vs. Uncle Toni
The Coaching Arms Race is On Andy Murray has been working with Ivan Lendl for 2 years. This partnership has yielded 1 Wimbledon title, 1 US Open title, 1 Gold Medal, 1 Wimbledon runner-up finish, and 1 Australian Open runner-up finish. Becker is Back Murray’s successes with Lendl plus Nadal’s improbable dominance after knee injuries…
Rafa or Nole, Who had a Better Year? (POLL)
Rafa won 2 slams, 5 Masters 1000 events, won 3 other events, and was runner-up at 4 events. Rafa beat Nole 3 times including matches at Roland Garros and the US Open. The computer has Rafa ranked #1. Nole won 1 slam, was runner-up at 2 others, and a semifinalist at a fourth. Nole won…
World Tour Finals 2013: Semifinal Predictions
Rafael Nadal vs. Roger Federer Roger Federer has had an interesting year. He reached the semifinals of the Australian Open, the quarterfinals of the French Open, was runner-up in Rome, runner-up in Basel, made a number of final 8 or better showings at Masters 1000 events and won Halle. He now finished second in his…
Power Ranking 2013: Paris to London
Power Ranking 2013 #14 1. Rafael Nadal – I said Rafa had locked up the #1 slot on my Power Ranking for 2013 after the US Open. If Nole wins out, I will have to revise that pronouncement. Rafa has not done anything wrong since the US Open ended, but this time of year has…
Bercy 2013 Semifinal Predictions: Djokovic v. Federer & Nadal v. Ferrer
The Masters 1000 event in Paris is always good, but having all 8 World Tour Finals participants in the quarterfinal round was something. Here are my picks: 2 Novak Djokovic vs. 5 Roger Federer Federer has played well to get to this point. Beating Kevin Anderson, Phillipp Kohlschreiber and Juan Martin del Potro in succession…
Tennis Power Ranking 2013: Shanghai
Power Ranking 2013 #13 1. Rafael Nadal – I said Rafa had locked up the #1 slot on my Power Ranking for 2013 after the US Open. If Nole wins out, I will have to revise that pronouncement. Rafa has not done anything wrong since the US Open ended, but this time of year has…
Tennis Abides: Dan Martin on Tennis and Life 