Not shockingly, I think the top tier of contenders for the 2018 Roland Garros crown is occupied by a lone individual. Here are my tiers of interest for the second Grand Slam event of 2018: Tier 1 – Rafa Rafael Nadal is ranked #1, the defending champion, a 10-time champion (!), and won Monte Carlo,…
Tag: Rafael Nadal
Djokovic vs. Nadal: 51
Nadal when asked if he misses playing against Djokovic: “It’s better to not play him.” — Ricky Dimon (@Dimonator) May 19, 2018 Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will square-off for the 51st time tomorrow. That alone is noteworthy, but when one considers how tightly meshed their careers have been, especially since early 2011, it…
Tennis Power Rankings 2018: Clay Update Monte Carlo, Barcelona, and Madrid
Clay Brings Changes at the Top Rafael Nadal – Even with a loss in Madrid, which has never been Rafa’s best clay event, his 50 straight sets won on clay and titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona make Rafa the hot hand on tour and favorite for an 11th(!) Roland Garros title. Change since last ranking…
Australian Open 2018: Day 3 Men’s Singles Predictions
Predicted Winner in BOLD [1] Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. Leonardo Mayer (ARG) – Mayer is a rugged player who will try to test Rafa, but an upset here would be stunning. [3] Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) vs. [Q] Mackenzie McDonald (USA) – Dimitrov has to believe in himself a lot more than he did in year’s past due to…
Australian Open 2018: Day 1 Men’s Predictions
Predicted Winners in BOLD [3] Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) vs. [Q] Dennis Novak (AUT) – How will Dimitrov deal with increased expectations? I am not sure, but he should win this match. [1] Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. Victor Estrella Burgos (DOM) – Rafa has a very workable draw Down Under. [16] John Isner (USA) vs. Matthew Ebden (AUS) –…
Tennis Abides 2017 Men’s Awards
Having laid out that I am not a huge fan of bestowing honors not won or lost on the court, I will throw out my ATP awards for the 2017 season. Players of the Year: Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer Rafa put up the better computer numbers, but Roger dominated their head-to-head matches. Rafa…
World Tour Finals 2017: Day 1 Round Robin Predictions
Predicted Winners in BOLD (4) Dominic Thiem VS (6) Grigor Dimitrov – The surface favors Dimitrov, and Thiem has had a forgettable post-Roland Garros season. Rafael Nadal still has concerns about his knee ahead of the ATP World Tour Finals 👉 https://t.co/jIHNjQfmiA pic.twitter.com/cwiP7Fa3HP — BBC Sport (@BBCSport) November 11, 2017 (1) Rafael Nadal VS (7) David…
Tennis Power Ranking 2017: Federer Takes Shanghai
Another Sweet 16.@RafaelNadal tops Cilic 7-5 7-6(3) for 16th win in a row. Reaches second #SHRolexMasters final. pic.twitter.com/fm0ekf50jL — Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 14, 2017 Federer and Nadal Race to the End Rafael Nadal – Rafa’s title in Beijing and runner-up finish in Shanghai keep him at #1, but Roger Federer has 4 wins at 4…
Shangai Masters 2017: Nadal vs. Federer #38 Prediction
#1 Rafael Nadal vs. #2 Roger Federer This match will be their 4th clash in 2017 and 38th professional match. Federer won the first 3 meetings in 2017 taking 7 of 9 sets. Nadal is riding high taking the US Open and Beijing titles prior to his run to the Shanghai final. His earlier losses to…
Shanghai Masters 2017: Semifinal Predictions
Shanghai Semifinals Night! Nadal vs Cilic and Federer vs Delpo Watch on Tennis Channel 11:30am EST 📺💻📱🎾 https://t.co/CKNOFPsDdP pic.twitter.com/WJhpn9Zs7T — Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) October 14, 2017 37 Major Titles are Held by this Final Four in Shanghai Predicted Winners in BOLD I would normally post separate predictions, but I think Delpo’s health makes one prediction…
Tennis Abides: Dan Martin on Tennis and Life 