Welcome back to Paul-Henri Mathieu

Just a quick post to welcome back Frenchman, Paul-Henri Mathieu, back onto the ATP Tour.  He has been off the tour since mid 2010 with a lingering knee injury.  Before his extended absence from the tour, he was ranked as high as number 38 in the world.  Paul-Henri has a total of four career titles, 2 indoor carpet/hardcourt, and 2 clay - the most recent title coming July '07 in Gstaad, Switzerland.  He is currently still in the draw in Montpellier, and will be playing Jarko Nieminen later today.  

He was never the most consistent player, but was definitely a joy to watch.  At 30 years old, he may not have much time left in the sport, so best of luck & health to him while he is still playing.  

Aussie Open 2012 Finals [mini] Review

Novak Djokovic - it ended with a kiss

He came, he saw, he conquered.  World number one, Novak Djokovic, entered the 2012 Aussie Open as the clear favorite, and he did not disappoint.  It may have taken him five hours and fifty-three minutes to do it, but he defeated on court rival, Rafael Nadal in five thrilling, action packed sets 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5.  Some are saying that this is the greatest match ever played, myself included.  It's the longest slam final in  the open era, and the longest Aussie Open match EVER.  It was a testament to the fitness, and dedication of both Djokovic and Nadal.  Almost six hours, and neither guy called the trainer to the court - imagine that.  On that day, men's tennis was taken to another level.  This match wasn't just long, it was nail-biting, it was gritty, and it was some of the best tennis from beginning to end that the world has ever lay witness to.  If you haven't seen it, I highly suggest that you watch the replay here.  Set aside some time, as it's something to be savoured and enjoyed.  It's tennis at it's best, the way it should be.  The magnificence of this match is something that no one can truly describe with words alone, it must be seen to be fully appreciated.  Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have put that much more distance between themselves and the rest of the men's field.  Props to Rafa, who fought and clawed the entire time, but unfortunately The Djoker still has Rafa's number.  In their last seven meetings, Nole has a 7-0 record against Nadal - all seven in finals, including the last three majors ('11 Wimbledon & US Open, and '12 Aussie Open).  Two of the meetings last year were on Rafa's beloved red clay, which bodes well for a possibly very exciting meeting at Roland Garros.  Given Nole's current form, and mental edge of the other players, a Grand Slam is not out of the question.  Let's be clear about the meaning of a Grand Slam - it's when a player WINS ALL FOUR MAJORS IN ONE CALENDAR YEAR.  So often we here of a player winning a Grand Slam, when in reality, they've won a major.  Not to belittle the accomplishments of winning a major, but winning A major is not winning a Grand Slam.

Rafael Nadal

All credit to Andy Murray, who took Nole to five sets in the semifinals, even though he wasn't able to take him out of the tournament.  And even The Federer.  He was only able to take one set off Nadal in their semi, but it was a gallant effort none the less.  The big four are more than a couple of notches above the rest of the ATP tour, but when we talk about Djokovic/Nadal - as it stands right now, they are the cream of the crop.  They are the hunted, and there are no other guys in the field that will be changing that anytime soon.  


2012 promises to be a delicious year for the ATP, and the storyline will definitely be Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.  Andy Murray and Roger Federer may make it into the conversation, but the battles, the wars, the awe will definitely be all about the big two.  I'm so happy to be able to witness this golden age of tennis.

Australian Open Preview - Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi Redux

Well folks, it's that time of year again!  The beginning of tennis season is upon us, with less than a week before the first major, the Australian Open, begins.  This time last year everyone was expecting Rafael Nadal to complete his RafaSlam, but boy, oh boy did things change.  Novak Djokovic went on to win the '11 Aussie Open, then during the course of the year, beat Rafa is six finals - four times in masters series events [two of those on clay], and two majors' finals - going on to take the number one ranking by reaching the finals of Wimbledon, and ending 2011 with a 70-6 record.  

The top four players have distanced themselves from the rest of the field - there's 2455 points separating numbers four and five & and a staggering 8705 points between numbers one and five.  They will be the clear favorites going into the tournament, but there are also some possible spoilers running rampant in the field.  Two of the biggest spoilers could be the Frenchman, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and depending on his confidence level, the Tower from Tandil, Juan Martin Del Potro.  Tsonga opened his 2012 bid by winning the title in Doha, defeating his countryman, Gael Monfils, 7-5, 6-3 in the final.  Jo-Willy and DelPo made it to the round of 32 & the round of 64 respectively in last year's Aussie Open, but each one of these guys is in a different place now. Tsonga has moved up into the top ten, currently ranked number six in the world, seven spots higher since Aussie '11.  DelPo's '11 Aussie bid was his first tournament back after having missed almost a whole year and he was ranked 484, a far cry from his current rank of number eleven.  If DelPo's fitness is up to par, he be could be a formidable opponent for either of the top four, especially an 'injured' Nadal or Federer.

Injuries affecting Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer could hamper their bids for more Aussie hardware.  Nadal has even said that he is not sure he will be playing at his peak when the Aussie Open comes around.  Roger had to withdraw from Doha because of back spasms which have caused him some difficulty since the 2010 Wimbledon.  Andy Murray has also shown some signs early on this season that he is battling injuries, although, it seems at times that he always in a battle with himself.  Even though he hobbled during the beginning rounds of the Brisbane International, Andy was able to come away from the tournament with a title, taking down Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-1, 6-3.  Djokovic is coming off a historic year, which saw his body start to breakdown towards the end of 2011.  If he has indeed recovered from the stresses of last year, he will definitely be the player to beat.

Bernard Tomic

Milos Raonic

Then there are the possibles, one of them being Milos Raonic.  His breakout tournament was last year's Aussie Open, where he made it to the quarterfinals, being taken out the the scrappy Spaniard, David Ferrer.  He's already won a title this year, defeating Janko Tipsarevic in a tight three set final in Chennai 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4).  Also, Aussie native, Bernard Tomic has the ability to make it deep into the tournament.  I don't see either of these guys making it as far as the semi finals, but they are each capable of dealing out an upset along the way, especially if they happen to come up against a less than top shape Nadal or Federer.

The Aussie Open has always been one of the best majors to lay witness to and not just because of the tennis.  Aussies know how to throw a party!  There's always good tennis to be seen, and the beer mixed with the heat always makes for interesting sites as well, like this guy...

Aussie Streaker!

Australian Open TV schedule can be found here.  ESPN living streaming here (just click on the dates under upcoming).  And as always, live streaming for the Aussie Open (& EVERY other tournament of the year) can be seen at livescorehunter.com.

Enjoy!

Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - London 2011 Preview

It seems like just yesterday, I was on pins and needles waiting for the 2011 Australian Open to begin, and now it's time for the year end finals.  The top eight qualifiers are (in order of ranking), Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Roger Federer, David Ferrer, Tomas Berdych, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Mardy Fish.  This year, Novak Djokovic finally announced himself as the new/current king of tennis by dominating Rafael Nadal in every final they've faced this year - two of them majors, and only losing to Roger Federer once.  At this year's Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, the storyline will be Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer.  It's not as if the other players in the tournament don't have a shot at winning, but clearly, the big three (even if Federer is now ranked number four) will be the guys to beat.

If it weren't for a shoulder injury, Nole would be the clear favorite...but, this is the same injury he was dealing with when he won the US Open this year.  Then there is Rafael Nadal, who also nursing a shoulder injury, had to pull out of the Paris Masters.  To date this year, Rafa has been unable to get the best of Nole - the inside out forehand that troubles most players is handled like child's play by Djokovic.  There's also the 'head' factor...that is, Nole is definitely inside Rafa's head.  Against every other player on tour, Federer included, Rafa has a mental advantage over them, but Djokovic is the Spaniard's kryptonite.  The third part of the storyline is Roger Federer.  With only 710 points separating him and Andy Murray in the rankings, Federer could conceivably overtake Andy Murray for the number three position.  He would have to win the title without losing any round robin matches - that would mean he would have to beat Nadal.  Keep in mind that 1) he did beat Nadal in the tour finals last year, and 2) Nadal has never won the world tour finals - in part because this late in the season, Rafa's body has been taken to the brink.


Group A will consist of Novak Djokovic-1, Andy Murray-3, David Ferrer-5, and Tomas Berdych-7.  First matches of this group will be on Monday, November 21 w/Djokovic vs Berdych, and Murray vs Ferrer.  .  Djokovic holds a 7-1 head-to-head vs Berdych - his only defeat coming in the 2010 Wimbledon semifinal.  Murray is 5-3 against Ferrer, all of the loses to Ferrer were on clay.  Let us not forget, that since the US Open, Murray has amassed a 17-1 match winning streak until losing to Berdych last week in the quarter finals of the Paris Masters.  According to Murray, his new diet has given him more energy, time will tell what it has done for his mindset.  Djokovic and Murray are each nursing injuries, so the level of their performances will be questionable until the tournament begins.  Tomas Berdych is very capable of beating any of the players in the draw, but his head seems to always let him down when things matter most.. On paper his best chance in his group would be against Andy Murray, being that he has a losing record against both Djokovic (1-7) & Ferrer (2-5).  David Ferrer, the human backboard, is a respectable player, but doesn't really have a weapon that can hurt the top guys.  He doesn't give players many free points, nor does he get many - he's a top eight player because of his ability to run down balls and keep them in play, but he doesn't have a kill shot.  He only has a winning record against Berdych, so chances that he wins more than one round in his round robin group is slim.

Group B has Rafael Nadal-2, Roger Federer-4, Jo Wilfried Tsonga-6, and Mardy Fish-8.  First matches for Group B is on Sunday, November 20 w/Federer vs Tsonga, and Nadal vs Fish.  Although Federer holds a 7-3 advantage of Tsonga, he will have his work cut out for him - two of Tsonga's three wins against Federer happened this year, one at his beloved Wimbledon in the quarter finals.  On the other side of Group B, Nadal has a 7-1 record against Mardy Fish.  Fish's only win against Nadal was this year at the Masters in Cincinnati. Nadal and Fish are both coming back from injuries, but I'll bet on an injured Nadal over an injured Fish any day.  On paper, group B seems like it will come down to Nadal and Federer reaching the semifinals, but Tsonga could prove to be a spoiler.  He has one win over Rafa this year (at Queen's Club), and as stated earlier, two wins against Federer.  To Roger's credit, he has been playing better now than earlier this year.  His shots seems to have the sting back in them, and his confidence seems to have risen - even with a less than stellar season.

As with every other tournament that has had the top four guys in the field, all eyes will be on them - with the possibility of some spoilers.  In this case, the best chance for a spoiler will be Jo-Willy (baby Ali)...he covers a lot of court for a big dude, and he is not intimidated by any of the top guys.

The finals will be shown on the Tennis Channel, coverage beginning at 7a.  For those of you who don't have the Tennis Channel, live stream will be shown on livescorehunter.com beginning at 8a with Federer/Tsonga, then Nadal/Fish at 2p.  Happy watching!

UPDATE - ATP Tennis - Six players to look out for in 2011

Earlier this year, I listed six players that I thought would have a good 2011 season.  They were (in order of current ranking), Novak Djokovic 1, Andy Murray 3, Tomas Berdych 6,  Juan Martin Del Potro 10, Alexandr Dolgopolov 16, and Milos Raonic 30.  Now, I will update their progress.

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic, now world number one, started off the year ranked number three, once again in the shadow of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.  Going into the Australian Open, all the talk was focused on Nadal, and whether or not he could complete the 'Rafa Slam'.  Hopes of that happening were ended when Rafa was beaten in the quarterfinals by fellow Spaniard, David Ferrer.  At tournament end, Nole was the last man standing, defeating Federer in the semifinals, and earning his second career major by defeating Andy Murray decisively in the final.  Little did anyone know what would happen over the course of the season.  Having gotten his health and his head in check, Nole went on a winning spree.  Up to this point in the season, he has suffered only three loses - Federer in semifinals of Roland Garros, Andy Murray in finals of Cincinnati (retiring in the 2nd set w/a shoulder injury), and to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarterfinals of of the Paris Masters (walk over).  His record vs top ten players is 20-3.  He has beaten Nadal is six finals - two majors & four masters (2 of the 4 masters on clay); Federer in two semifinals - Australian Open & US Open, and one final - Dubai.  He beat Rafa and Roger in the same tournament on three occasions this year.  He has become the first player since 2004 not named Federer or Nadal to hold the number one position in the rankings or to have won at Wimbledon.  He has won ten titles this year, including three majors & four masters series tournaments.
-Rankings jump - 2 positions.

Andy Murray

Andy Murray began the 2011 season ranked as number five, and his year looked very promising when he made the finals of the Australian Open.  He played a blistering six matches, looking like he would take the title, but then in the final, Novak Djokovic gave him a lesson in big boy tennis.  He went on a miserable slump after that losing matches to players well below his ranking & ability, two of them (Donald Young 143 & Alex Bogomolov Jr 118) were outside of the top 100.  Luckily, during this time frame in 2010 he had the same slump after losing to Federer in Australian Open, so he didn't have a lot of points to lose.  By April, he got his bearings back, and put together three semifinal runs on clay, beginning at the Monte Carlo through Roland Garros.  Going into the grass season, he won a warm up tournament at the Queen's Club, and posted a respectable semifinal run at Wimbledon, losing to Nadal.  Midsummer, he added a masters series title at Cincinnati to his trophy case, and made it to the semifinals of the US Open losing to eventual runner up, Rafael Nadal.  Since the US Open, he was on a 17 match win streak until losing to Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters.  With a strong second half of 2011, Murray was able to overtake Roger Federer for the number three ranking position.
-Rankings jump - 2 positions.

Tomas Berdych

Not much to say about Tomas Berdych.  He started off the year ranked number six, and that's where he sits now.  He slipped as far down as number ten in the rankings, but has been able to climb back up.  He has won one title this year in Beijing this past October, defeating Marin Cilic in the final.  Berdych took out world number one, Novak Djokovic, in the quarter finals of the Paris Masters, and he has booked a spot in the ATP World tour finals. Even if he wins the tour finals, he won't have enough points to move up any positions, but he does run the risk of falling if does not do better that Jo Wilfried Tsonga, who is only five rankings points behind him.
-Rankings jump - 0 positions.

Juan Martin Del Potro

One of my favorite players is Juan Martin Del Potro .  In 2009 he found his game, and won his first major at the US Open, beating Roger Federer in the final.  After missing most of 2010 because of a wrist injury and surgery, he is starting to find his way again.   He was able to win two titles this year (Delray Beach and Estoril).  He started off 2011 ranked 485, but has since clawed his way back into the top 10, currently ranked ten in the world.  Because of his unusually low ranking, he met a lot of the top players in the early rounds of the majors & bigger tournaments that he played.  It's only a matter of time before he once again finds himself in the winner's circle at a major.
-Rankings jump - 475 positions.

Alexandr Dolgopolov

Alexandr Dolgopolov made some noise at this year's Australian Open by beating Jo Wilfried Tsonga and Robin Soderling before losing to Andy Murray in the quarterfinals.  He has a hard hitting, no fear style of play that should serve him well in the years to come.  Dolgo picked up his first career ATP singles title mid summer at the Croatian Open (clay).  Since beginning year ranked 48th in the world, he has moved into the top 20 with a current rank of 16.
-Rankings jump - 32 positions.

Milos Raonic

Lastly, there is Milos Raonic.  Milos turned some heads as well at the Australian Open by making it to the round of 16, losing to David Ferrer.  Like Dolgo, Milos won his first career ATP singles title mid summer in San Jose (hardcourt).  He also made another final this summer in Memphis, losing to Andy Roddick in three tight sets.  Starting off the year ranked number 53, he is now 30th in the world, but in early May was ranked as high as 25.  He will definitely be a contender for a major at some point doing his career.  
-Rankings jump - 23 positions.

US Open Review - Part One - The Final

The final major of the year has come and gone.  At the end of the fortnight, it was the top two players in the world doing battle, the first time since 1995 that this happened.  Playing in his first major as the number one seed, Novak Djovokic had momentum on his side having only lost two matches the entire year (the second loss was due to his retirement w/a shoulder injury in the finals of the Western & Southern Open).  Nadal entered the tournament with Djokovic in his head, and less than stellar play on the hard courts, while Djokovic came in playing well and full of confidence.  The scoreline of 6-2, 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-1 was deceiving - the match was very hard fought from the first point, but for the sixth time this year, Nole got the better of Rafa in a final.  

Djokovic (left), Nadal (right)

"Concrete jungle where dreams are made" rang true for Nole, becoming only the sixth man in the open era to win three majors in one season.  Up to this point in the season, Djokovic has a 64-2 record.  Knowing that the New York crowd isn't always on his side,  Nole enters Arthur Ashe wearing an FDNY cap.  Rafa won the toss to start the match, and decided to serve, which he held, and then he broke Nole in his first serve game at 30.  Like a true champion, Djokovic was unnerved, and immediately broke back, holds his own serve, then breaks again to go up 3-2 in the first set.  With a flurry or errors, and balls hit way too short in the court, Nadal wouldn't win another game in the set, Nole takes the first set 6-2.
Starting out the second set, Rafa holds his serve at love, and once again, breaks Nole in his first service game.  But like, the first set, Djokovic holds his nerve, and immediately breaks back after a 17 minute Nadal service game.  Djokovic holds his next service game at love.   Serving at 2 all, Rafa gets down 15-40, then double faults to give Nole the game.  Rafa seemed down, but definitely not out - he once again gets a break with Nole serving at 3-4 to even the set up.  Djokovic shakes it off quickly, and goes on to break Nadal to go up 5-4 and serve for the second set.  With a laser-like forehand down the line, Djokovic takes the second and is 2/3 of the way to his first US Open title.
The third set began with four consecutive breaks of serve, with Djokovic drawing first blood.  Finally, the third goes to a tiebreak, which Nadal wins 7-3.  There was still hope, UNTIL the fourth began.  It was all Djokovic.  Novak took the set 6-1, with a cross court forehand to claim the title.
These two have definitely shown that there are the top two players in the world, then there are all the other guys.  Federer is still playing good tennis, but his best tennis is clearly behind him.  Nadal will definitely win more majors, but his days off domination are gone.  At some point, Andy Murray will get his head right and win his first in a string of multiple majors.  But until someone begins to truly challenge him, look for Djokovic to pile on the slams in the years to come.  He has a game that I could see him winning up to ten majors, possibly more.  The Djokovic/Nadal rivalry is much like Nadal/Federer, except in this case, Novak is inside Rafa's head.  Will Djokovic be able to keep this pace up in 2012?  Will Nadal solve the Djokovic puzzle?  Will Federer win another slam?  Will Andy Murray finally break through?  Will Juan Martin Del Potro get back into the mix?  We are laying witness to the Golden Age of tennis, and the prospects of what will happen in 2012 should have die hard tennis fans salivating...at least I am.

Check out match highlights here.

Roger's Cup-Andy Murray is the first casualty

Andy Murray

Having won in 2009 & 2010, Andy Murray's second consecutive title defense at the Rogers Cup in Montreal didn't go as he planned.  He received a bye in the first round, and was sent bye-bye in the second by 35th ranked Kevin Anderson 3-6, 1-6.  Anderson came out on fire, starting off the match with an ace, and then went on to close out his first service game 40-0.  Murray, looking mopey, had two double faults in his first service game, the second coming on break point.  He, as well as Mr. Anderson, held serve for the remainder of the first set.  Anderson took the first, the same he began it, by serving an ace.

Kevin Anderson

In the second set the wheels all but fell off for the Scot.  He started off serving with a double fault and was broken, then things went downhill quickly for him.  He went down a double break, and serving at 1-5, he was broken again & handed the match to the South African with a pretty bow on it.  


He may still have a good run at the US Open, but it seems like for every step he takes forward, he takes two more back.  Miserable performance today from dearest Andy Murray