Around The Corner: Clay Court Season Begins
By Mike McIntyre
The clay court season will have its work cut out for it in terms of matching the fast paced start to the 2012 season on the ATP World Tour.
We are just over three months into the grueling professional tennis schedule but have already witnessed some outstanding performances and intriguing story lines.
World number one Novak Djokovic has won the first Grand Slam of the year and seems prepared to continue the brilliance we saw from a year ago.
Roger Federer has improved upon his end to 2011 and compiled a 44-3 record since the U.S. Open in September. Suddenly being thirty doesn’t seem so bad does it?
John Isner seems poised to carry the weight of American tennis hopes after nearly ten years of dominance from Andy Roddick.
Andy Murray is still a mystery wrapped in all the talent one could hope for yet waiting for his first Grand Slam moment that many thought would have happened by now. Perhaps teaming with former eight time major champ Ivan Lendl will see him over that barrier.
Rafael Nadal’s season is already surrounded by question marks as his knees are once again threatening to stall the great heights he is capable of attaining. Will we see the king of clay this spring?
The shift in surface will force everyone to adjust and soon we'll see if the players above can continue to dominate the headlines in the tennis world.
Here's a look at the first two clay court tournaments to kick-off the next portion of the ATP season.
Gran Prix Hassan II: Casablanca, Morocco
This level 250 event has Pablo Andujar as its defending champion from a year ago. With plenty of clay court events coming up over the next two months, many players see no hurry to dive into the field, which explains why this one is certainly weaker than what we will witness in the weeks to come.
The number one seed is an under-whelming one with Florian Mayer from Germany in the pole position. Mayer was never able to reach the same heights as Nicolas Kiefer and Tommy Haas were able to attain and he therefore clearly was not the second coming of Boris Becker.
Unseeded Albert Montanes and Guillermo Garcia Lopez probably represent the strongest clay court opponents in this half of the draw, and I'd bank on one of them making it to the finals rather than Mayer.
In the bottom half, second seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov might state that clay is his favorite surface, but over the previous year where he has risen into the top thirty in the world, I've seen little evidence that he should be feared on the red dirt. Still, with a field this frail I'd be surprised if he didn't have a good run.
The previously mentioned Andujar is the third seed and will surely be confident he can win a few once more at this venue. Ranked 39th in the world, Andujar lost five of his first six matches of the year, but recently took a set off Novak Djokovic on hard courts in Indian Wells before falling 6-0, 6-7(5), 6-2 in their fourth round encounter.
U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship: Houston, Texas
Why anyone would waste their time playing on the har-tru courts in Houston has always been beyond me, yet there is decent field vying for the $79,000 winners check.
Seeded first is Mardy Fish who did not participate in this weekend's Davis Cup victory over France due to exhaustion. I wouldn't bet for Fish to go too far due to the surface here. He gets a first round bye which also likely won't do him much good when he potentially faces Daniel Gimeno-Traver, who is a decent clay court player.
Juan Monaco is seeded fourth and is my pick to navigate his way through to the finals. Monaco has had a good run lately on hard courts where he surprisingly made it to the semi-finals of Miami.
The bottom half of the draw is fairly wide open. Look for the confident John Isner to continue to build on his break-out season. Isner has made his first ATP Masters final in Indian Wells and has performed quite well on clay as well, with huge Davis Cup victories over Roger Federer and the Swiss as well as Jo Wilfried-Tsonga and the French.
Feliciano Lopez is seeded third but has been his usual inconsistent self of late, while big-serving Ivo Karlovic is always a threat even on a slower surface like this one.
Fans of American veteran James Blake might want to check him out in what I'm sure will be his last season on the pro tour. Blake is currently ranked 74th in the world but has been plagued by injuries for the past few seasons and I can't see him continuing to trudge along for much longer in this state. He opens against sixth seeded Carlos Berlocq.
After this week, things will heat up with the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 event that will surely draw all the big names back into the mix.
April 8, 2012 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Milos Raonic Withdraws From Miami Masters With Injury
By Mike McIntyre
Canada's top tennis player Milos Raonic withdrew from the Sony Ericcson Open in Miami on Sunday due to an ankle injury he sustained while practicing. Raonic was supposed to face world No. 4 Andy Murray for the first time in the third round of tournament action.
The sudden and unexpected injury marks yet another health setback for the twenty-one year old Raonic and no-doubt is cause for concern for the player, his camp, as well as Tennis Canada and Canadian tennis fans.
Since the youngster emerged as a threat on the ATP World Tour in early 2011, Raonic has been dogged by injury woes that seem to stall the young star just as he appears poised to make another leap forward.
Last summer, Raonic was on course to face Rafael Nadal in the third round of Wimbledon when he had to pull-out due to a serious hip injury during his second round match. The hip would require surgery to repair and kept him out of tournament action for three months.
Earlier this year, Raonic could not compete on the deciding day of Davis Cup action against France in Vancouver, British Columbia due to pain he had experienced in his left knee. His withdrawal there robbed the Canadians of any hope of causing an upset against a strong French squad.
While this latest setback is likely not a serious one, it does unfortunately continue a trend that reveals some frailty in the Canadian sensation that hopefully will not continue to impede his progress as a tennis professional and as one of Canada's premier young athletes.
March 25, 2012 in Milos Raonic | Permalink | Comments (0)
Federer Wins First Encounter With Raonic
By Mike McIntyre
Tennis fans were not disappointed Tuesday night at the BNP Paribas Masters with the quality of tennis displayed by Roger Federer and Milos Raonic. The Swiss veteran and world No. 3 player was tested by the younger Canadian talent but ultimately it was Federer who prevailed 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-4 to advance to the fourth round.
ESPN commentator Patrick McEnroe best described the atmosphere at the match in Indian Wells by comparing it to the feeling of a Grand Slam event. Tennis fans were greatly anticipating the first ever clash between these two formidable players who had both come into the match only losing twice on the ATP World Tour so far in 2012.
Raonic came out completely un-phased by the stature of his opponent, who just so happens to be the greatest player to ever play the sport. Without blinking an eye he played as good a first set as you could ask to take Federer to a tiebreaker. There both players were on serve until Raonic got a mini-break to jump ahead 5 points to 3. Riding his best weapon, there was no way the youngster would yield on his serve, and took the breaker 7-4.
In the second set however, Raonic suddenly looked like a bewildered boy who had finally realized he was playing a legend. He started the second set seemingly expecting Federer to wilt, a possibility that we knew would never happen.
Federer began to figure out the timing and placement of the Raonic serve and he broke his opponent early. Later, Federer consolidated a second break to go up 4-1 and it was clear a third set would be required to determine the outcome.
In the final set both players settled in and were on serve at 3-3. It was then that Federer made his move and would break Raonic to push himself closer to victory.
Raonic would have a great opportunity to get back into the match later with Federer serving at 5-4. With the score tied at 15-15, Raonic would paint the baseline yet the call was shouted "out" by the linesperson. Chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani agreed with the call but asked Raonic if he wanted to challenge. In a moment that revealed his inexperience, Raonic decided against challenging despite the fact he had more than one still at his disposal. Federer would capitalize on the error and quickly take the next two points to seal the victory.
Despite Raonic's missed call, the match made for some compelling tennis. What made this such a memorable encounter was not only the fact that the two had never before faced one another. but that the quality of the tennis was strong, particularly in the first set. Both players finished with ten aces apiece but it was Federer who won 88% of his first serve points compared with 76% for Raonic in a stat that is perhaps somewhat surprising. Federer was also stronger on the few break points he faced, saving 3 of 3, while Raonic could only prevent 1 of 4.
Federer next faces Thomaz Bellucci from Brazil in what should not be nearly as challenging as his tilt tonight against Raonic. We will certainly look forward to the next time these two great tennis players meet again as their first battle did not let us down.
March 14, 2012 in Milos Raonic, Roger Federer | Permalink | Comments (0)
Federer and Raonic Set to Clash in Indian Wells
By Mike McIntyre
Tennis fans are no-doubt eagerly awaiting the first and long awaited clash between Roger Federer and Milos Raonic that will occur at the Masters 1000 event in Indian Wells at the BNP Paribas Open.
Both player have had a fantastic start to the 2012 season on the ATP World Tour and their clash brings together contrasting styles that will hopefully produce some entertaining and creative tennis.
More than simply a big serve, the 21 year old Raonic has taken the tennis world by storm since his fourth round showing at the Australian Open just over a year ago. Since then the Canadian has shot into the top-thirty in the world rankings and has already attained the highest spot ever by a Canadian male tennis player. He has a 15-2 record on the circuit thus far this year and is clearly poised for a bigger breakthrough at some point. Raonic successfully defended his title at the SAP Open in San Jose last month, and in January won a tournament in Chennai, India.
The thirty year old Federer meanwhile has been looking very much like his old self and has amassed an equally incredible record of 16-2 and has also captured two titles in Dubai and Rotterdam. More impressive for Federer has been the quality of opponents that he has managed to defeat. He has three victories over Juan Martin Del Potro, the man who surprisingly knocked him down in the U.S. Open final of 2009, and has also recently vanquished Andy Murray who at times has made Federer look shockingly vulnerable.
Raonic is still waiting for his first big-time victory over a high level opponent. Sure he has defeated top-ten players such as Janko Tipsarevic and Nicolas Almagro, but nobody will ever confuse those two with a player of Roger Federer's calibre.
Tonight is the time for Raonic to make that statement that tennis fans have been waiting for. It is the perfect opportunity to rise above the next crop of future ATP tennis stars such as Bernard Tomic, Ryan Harrison and Kei Nishikori and send warning to the "big four" that he is ready to push them for their coveted tenure at the top.
Check back with us at ProTennisFan after the match to see if Raonic is ready for that big moment or if Federer's experience and steady play this year will continue as he attempts to stay one step ahead of his eventual successors.
For those who want to watch live meanwhile, check-out ESPN
March 13, 2012 in Milos Raonic, Roger Federer | Permalink | Comments (0)
France Defeats Raonic-Less Canada in Davis Cup Action
By Mike McIntyre
It was not the end Canadian tennis fans had envisioned for their opening round Davis Cup tie against France. Instead of watching the highly anticipated singles match between world No. 6 Jo Wilfried Tsonga and big-serving Milos Raonic, there was an initial sigh of disbelief when it was announced Frank Dancevic would be playing for Canada in the crucial fourth match.
It turns out that Raonic had developed a pain in his knee that worsened during his doubles match with Daniel Nestor on Saturday. He made the decision only this morning to abdicate his position in favour of Dancevic, who at 178th in the ATP World Tour rankings did not present nearly the same amount of firepower Canada required to level the Davis Cup tie at two apiece.
Raonic’s decision was nothing short of controversial and had the press buzzing at the Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver. The way the news leaked was through Raonic’s agent Graham Cross who gave a short prepared statement on behalf of his protégé to Tennis Canada less than an hour prior to the match itself. Even more distressing was the fact that Raonic would apparently not be made available at all today to answer any questions about the decision to withdraw.
Fortunately cooler heads prevailed and Raonic did face the media for a very brief Q&A following the conclusion of the match between Tsonga and Dancevic. Raonic was not spared from answering tough questions about the decision.
First he was asked whether his sponsorship by SAP played any part in the decision to pull-out, since they are also the title sponsors at the tournament in San Jose that starts tomorrow where Raonic is the defending champion. Could it be that his duties to appear there trumped his willingness to test the knee in action today?
Raonic certainly would not concede to that suggestion and instead levelled that it was merely a case of not wanting to cause further harm to his body at this stage of his young career. I chose to take his answer at face value given the amount of time he missed last year with a serious hip injury.
Raonic was further queried about the manner in which he revealed his withdrawal from game-play today without initially speaking to the press. Couldn’t he have found a more professional and transparent way to address the situation?
His response was that he decided to place the Canadian team first and be supportive of Dancevic as he prepared for his big match today. I suppose Raonic failed to foresee the distraction his silence would spark.
Chalk it up to a young player who at the age of twenty-one still has a lot to learn about the way that professional sports and its media coverage operates. One might however wonder if he is being properly advised by his agent, Cross, who also happens to represent American tennis player Andy Roddick – himself not exactly a known charmer with the media.
Either way, there was in fact a tennis match that was played outside of this small debacle. It even ended up being quite an entertaining match at that.
The twenty-seven year old Dancevic relied on his previous Davis Cup experience to at least make a game of it today against his much higher ranked and more talented opponent.
Despite falling behind quickly to 0-4 in the opening set, Dancevic got one break of serve back from the powerful Tsonga and narrowed the gap to 4-3 in favour of the Frenchman.
Though Dancevic would lose the set 6-4, he seemed to be gaining momentum from the ever-raucous crowd that began a steady “Frank the Tank” chant to support their man.
The second set saw some fantastic tennis and an elevated number of winners from both players. That being said, even though he maintained the score at 4-4 and kept it close, Dancevic rarely threatened to break Tsonga’s rock-solid serve. The Canadian would let the set slip by another score of 6-4.
By the third frame, Dancevic was clearly starting to loose his stamina while Tsonga continued his strong play. France would take the match 6-4, 6-4, 6-1 and with it the all-important third and deciding victory to clinch the tie against Canada.
Dancevic should be proud of the way he battled, especially since he was thrust into the spotlight on short notice. He played hard and gave Tsonga a bit more of a challenge than the Frenchman likely expected when he realized it was not going to be the 6’5’’ Raonic across the net from him on this day.
For Milos, it was hopefully a learning experience on how to handle a tough situation like this one in the future. As the emerging face of tennis in Canada he will certainly have other opportunities on the world stage to prove his worth and ability.
For Canada, it was a three day celebration of the wonderful sport of tennis and how it can galvanize a nation. The crowds in Vancouver were top-notch and cheered for their players with the type of fervour normally reserved for a Stanley Cup hockey game. They remained respectful of the French team while simultaneously pumping-up their players in the search for a victory that was unfortunately just not meant to be.
February 12, 2012 in Davis Cup, Frank Dancevic, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Milos Raonic | Permalink | Comments (1)
Around The Corner: Rotterdam, San Jose and Sao Paulo
By Mike McIntyre
With the opening round of the Davis Cup wrapping up on Sunday, the ATP World Tour will now shift back into form with three tournaments in Rotterdam, San Jose and Sao Paulo. Here's a closer look at the draws from all three events and some analysis on who stands the best chance of making it to the final weekend.
ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament
The largest of the three being played this week, the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament is a level 500 event. An indoor hard-court event, Roger Federer will be looking for the surface to bring him some much needed success. A disastrous Davis Cup showing at home on clay has left Federer clearly confused about the status of his game. Rather than admit he played poorly, Federer instead shifted the blame onto country-man Stan Wawrinka. It was a rare moment of bad judgement from Federer. He opens with Nicolas Mahut from France and then could potentially face a dangerous opponent in Mikhail Youzhny who won the title recently in Zagreb.
The always tricky Alexandr Dolgopolov is also in the same quarter as Federer. The two have only played once, with Federer winning in Basel two years ago. Dolgopolov has come a long way since then and with the way Roger played this past week, you'd have to think this could be a great QF match.
Richard Gasquet, Feliciano Lopez and former top-ten presence Nikolay Davydenko are in the following quarter of the draw. I'd give a well-rested Gasquet (he did not travel to Canada for Davis Cup) the best shot of emerging here.
Juan Martin Del Potro is the third seed and should be able to navigate his way through the third quarter of the draw. He opens against Michael Llodra of France who has to get all the way from Vancouver, Canada to Rotterdam in the next twenty-four hours.
At the bottom of the draw is second seeded Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic who has had some success lately with a big win in Montpellier over Gael Monfils. Berdych had a very solid 2011 where he won one event and reached eight tournament semi-finals and seven tournament quarter-finals. He is really starting to find that consistency that will make him a mainstay in the top-ten. A meeting in the second round with Marcos Baghdatis looms, but otherwise Berdych should be able to set-up a semi-final encounter with Del Potro that would be highly entertaining.
Regardless of the results, the tournament is guaranteed a new winner this year as Robin Soderling is not yet healthy enough to defend the title which he has held for the past two years. I'm gonna give the nod to Berdych in this one and I have a feeling that Federer's recent troubles might continue with an early exit this week.
Played on clay, the Brasil Open attracts some of the usual dirt-ballers one might expect to see. Nicolas Almagro is the defending champion and also won this event in 2008. He has played some pretty decent ball on hard-courts so far this year so we'll see if that continues on his favourite surface. Almagro is seeded first and gets a bye into the second round. His quarter is pretty sparse which should help him get his clay-court wheels going.
Fernando Verdasco is the third seed and has a nice section in his quarter as well. Take a look at veteran Fernando Gonzalez from Chile if possible as he has already announced his retirement to take place in Miami this coming March. Injuries have really taken away Gonzo's physical and mental endurance but hopefully he has a little magic left in him before he says goodbye.
In the bottom-half of the draw, aging Juan Carlos Ferrero the eighth seed and Thomaz Bellucci the fourth seed will likely fight it out for a spot in the quarter, while the bottom quarter is the most interesting with David Nalbandian who is unseeded, Albert Montanes and second seeded Gilles Simon.
Almagro gets my vote of confidence to take this one based on his clay-court prowess and success at this venue in previous years.
A year ago the ATP World Tour took notice of fast-rising Canadian sensation Milos Raonic when he won his first-ever event here in San Jose. Unfortunately for Canadian tennis fans, a repeat will be very difficult to achieve for several reasons.
Firstly, Raonic was forced to pull-out of the Davis Cup tie against France on Sunday with pain in his knee that had been already taped throughout the event. Will he even be healthy enough to play in San Jose?
Beyond the injury debate, Milos has a tough draw that sets him up with first-seeded Gael Monfils in a possible semi-final match-up. He will also have to contend with having the entire draw gunning for him as the defending champ. Coming into an event as the title-holder is quite different from what he experienced a year ago.
In the bottom-half things will be pretty wide-open with Andy Roddick returning from an injury he suffered at the Australian Open and occupying the second seed. Who knows what kind of game the former American No. 1 will bring with him but his lack of match play will hinder his changes.
Underachieving Sam Querrey, aging Radek Stepanek and vet Julien Benneteau round-out the bottom half in terms of potential contenders. I'd look for one of them rather than Roddick to make their way to the finals against Monfils who appears to be over the knee problems that he was dealing with upon his arrival to Canada for the Davis Cup.
February 12, 2012 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Milos Raonic Withdraws From Davis Cup
By Mike McIntyre
Canada's slim chances today in the Davis Cup against France took a serious hit with the announcement by Tennis Canada that star singles player Milos Raonic has had to withdraw due to knee pain he experienced yesterday in his doubles match with Daniel Nestor.
In a statement released to the press Raonic said, "After our doubles match yesterday I consulted with my team, and a team of doctors regarding some pain in my knee. After extensive discussions, the doctors determined it is not in my best interest to play today. We are continuing to explore the reasoning behind the pain, and taking it day by day. Obviously I am extremely disappointed to not be able to play for my team today, but I will be cheering them on from the sidelines and want the focus to stay on winning this tie."
Raonic's comments regarding focus are likely related to the fact he has declined to speak directly with members of the media and will not take any questions for the remainder of the tie. His decision has quite rightly upset the press who would like to delve deeper into how this situation came to be. Hopefully later today Canada's coach Martin Laurendeau can enlighten us on the particulars.
I was informed by Tennis Canada staff that the decision for Raonic to avoid speaking to the press came directly from the player's agent Graham Cross. Perhaps it's time for the young Canuck to seek direction from someone else as his lack of communication with the press is causing more distraction than a quick ten minute Q&A ever would.
In the meantime, Raonic's spot will be taken by Canada's former singles stalwart, Frank Dancevic of Niagra Falls, Ontario. Dancevic held promise in his early to mid twenties until injuries began to take their toll on him and forced him into several absences from the ATP World Tour.
Currently Dancevic is ranked 178th in the world rankings and at the age of 27 has probably seen his best days on tour behind him. He reached a career-high back in 2007 when he was ranked No. 65 in the world. He has a solid serve, though nothing in the range of what Milos can bring to the court. He plays a game that displays a variety of shots and no fear of coming into the net when necessary. We'll see what he has in store for Jo Wilfried Tsgonga today who likely has very little intel on his new opponent.
Dancevic made some news in 2011 for becoming the first male player to ever qualify for all of the Grand Slams in one calendar year. The experience seemed to buoy his confidence as he revealed that, "I believe that I am a Top 100 player and deserve to be back there."
Canada will be hoping that his performance today is one that supports the above statement. A loss to Tsonga will seal Canada's fate and deliver the victory to France who are already leading the tie 2-1.
February 12, 2012 in Frank Dancevic | Permalink | Comments (2)
France Gains Upper-Hand Over Canada With Doubles Victory
Benneteau/Llodra and Raonic/Nestor prior to the match
Written By Mike McIntyre With Photos By Bob McIntyre
Whoever said doubles was boring should have been in attendance today for the Davis Cup match between Canada and France at the Thunderbird Sports Centre in Vancouver.
No special gimmicks were required to make the match any more enticing such as no-ad scoring or champions tie-breaks. Instead it was good ol' fashioned best-of-five set tennis with the strongest team emerging with the victory.
It was no surprise that Canada opened with the 6'5'' Milos Raonic to serve against France. Why not go with your biggest weapon? Raonic was a late addition to partner with Nestor as he replaced Vasek Pospisil who was previously scheduled to play. Canadian coach Martin Laurendeau admitted the change was made due to Raonic's strong play on Friday against Julien Benneteau in the second singles match of the day. France for their part stuck to their guns and put Benneteau out there with doubles specialist Michael Llodra.
The Canadian crowd was once again fired-up for the match today. I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised with the vocal support and emotion displayed by the home-town crowds. Canadians are well-know for being among the most polite people in the world and I wondered whether or not they would be able to raise the roof of the arena to a level one would expect for Davis Cup play. While fans are expected to remain silent during the points just as they would during a normal ATP match, the level of support shown in-between is usually much higher in international competition.
Vancouver's "Green Men" with a proposal for the French
One sure-fire way to silence a small but supportive French crowd - the Sardis Secondary School Drumline, in town for the second day in-a-row from Chilliwack, British Columbia which is about an hour and a half away from Vancouver. Tennis Canada should look into bringing these guys to Toronto and/or Montreal in August for the Rogers Cup as they really have a knack for amping-it up.
After play began and at 3-3 in the first set, Nestor was seriously challenged on his serve with three break point opportunities against him, but the Canadian duo managed to pull it out to remain on serve at 4-3. The set would proceed to a first set tie-break and France went up quickly to a 5-0 lead. Their returns had been extremely solid on both Nestor and Raonic's serve, but they took it to a new level in the breaker. The French would take the tie-break 7-1 to win the key opening set.
Tough day at the office for the Canadians
The second set would again go to a tie-break although the French had more sustained pressure on the Canadians throughout the frame. One had the feeling that the Canucks were a bit lucky to make it to another tie-break. In particular, it would seem that the Llodra/Benneteau pairing were more in sync with eachother while often it looked like Nestor and Raonic were not as comfortable in their pairing.
While Nestor is more accustomed to playing with different partners over the years both on the ATP World Tour and in Davis Cup play, Raonic is by no means a doubles specialist. His serve was not at its best throughout the match and without it he is still a developing player who lacks the experience to compensate.
The third set went quickly in favour of the French and the final score ended up 7-6(1), 7-6(2), 6-3 in a match that lasted 2 hours and 36 minutes. The victory gave the French a critical 2-1 lead in the tie and the ability to finish it off by winning one of the two singles matches on Sunday.
Hugs all-around for the victorious French
In hindsight, it was perhaps a tactical flaw to assume that Nestor and Raonic would gel as a doubles tandem purely because of Raonic's powerful serve and Nestor's experience. In fact, it was only the second time the pair had ever played together at an event.The only previous occurrence was in 2010 in a Davis Cup win over Colombia. On the other side of the net was a partnership between Llodra and Benneteau that has played several times together over the years and won titles on more than one occasion.
Neither Nestor or Raonic would use that as an excuse however, and instead gave full-credit to the way their opponents played on this important day. Nestor did most of the talking in the post-match press conference which is not surprising considering his long-standing role with the Canadian team.
"At the end of the day, they were the better team," Nestor admitted. "For whatever reason we weren’t as sharp as they were."
Raonic will now have less than twenty-four hours to find a way to be sharper on Sunday. He is set to face world No. 6 Jo Wilfried Tsonga in the first singles match tomorrow at 2pm Pacific Time.
February 11, 2012 in Davis Cup, Milos Raonic | Permalink | Comments (0)
Canada and France Set for Doubles Match in Vancouver
By Mike McIntyre
Canada is bringing out all of its available firepower for their Davis Cup doubles match today against France. Tied 1-1 in the best of five match event, the Canadians have paired veteran doubles legend Daniel Nestor with up-and-coming singles sensation Milos Raonic. The pair will be considered the slight favourites to take today's encounter against Michael Llodra and Julien Benneteau.
Originally Vasek Pospisil was going to partner Nestor for the Canucks but after a understandably shaky performance yesterday against world No. 6 Jo Wilfred Tsonga, he is being rested in favour of big-serving Raonic.
Check back later on today for a complete analysis of the doubles match live from Vancouver.
February 11, 2012 in Davis Cup | Permalink | Comments (0)
Davis Cup Begins in Vancouver
Asking Pospisil to defeat Tsonga was a bit of a stretch
By Mike McIntyre
It's time to bring an ATP World Tour main event to Vancouver!
Canada's Davis Cup tie against France got underway on Friday in a city that is known for feverishly supporting its hockey team. Apparently none of the 4,000 in attendance got the memo that the Canucks (Vancouver's NHL team) are out of town, as the Thunderbird Sports Centre certainly had the atmosphere of a hockey game.
Things got underway with Vasek Pospisil, ranked 115th in the world, against France's most formidable foe in Jo Wilfried Tsonga. This was clearly going to be the match of the series (or "tie" as they call it in tennis) that would be the most difficult for the Canadian team to be competitive in. Tsonga is 6th in the ATP rankings and was a finalist at the 2008 Australian Open, so to say that he's in a different class of tennis player than Pospisil is an understatement.
Sure Pospisil was Canada's hero stepping-up in September against Israel, but Dudi Sela and company are not in the same realm of player like Tsonga is. Few are for that matter.
Serving at 1-2 in the opening set, Pospisil would face his first break point at 30-40 and show his early game jitters. After Tsonga returned a second serve, Pospisil's backhand slice had too much spin to get itself over the net and the French contingent of about 100 fans suddenly became much more involved as their nation went up 3-1.
After the match, Pospisil would admit that he was a little tense at the start with Vancouver being his home-town. It showed as the twenty-one year old seemed anxious and was hitting many of his balls outside of the lines.
A net cord favourable to Tsonga during Pospisil's next service game put the more experienced Frenchman up 5-1. Tsonga would then hold at love to take the opening set 6-1. Good thing these matches are best of five, right?
The second set started with a hold for the young Canuck, but then there was a tense service game at 1-1 in which Pospisil had to save several break points to avoid going down another early deficit. He came through with some strong serving and really got the home crowd going to go up 2-1.
The atmosphere at a Davis Cup match is truly electric compared with your typical tennis match. Having that many partisan fans certainly helps but even at the Rogers Cup in Toronto and Montreal I've never witnessed something nearly as circus-like as the few thousand fans at the arena on this day. Having the Sardis Secondary school band playing in the stands along with a throng of rowdy Canadian fans really amped the atmosphere up a notch.
The momentum from the previous hold served to get Pospisil going and briefly it appeared as though the Canadian might be able to swing the set in his favour. He had his first break point on Tsonga's serve at 30-40. A thrilling rally ensued at 30-40 with both players ending up near the net, but Tsonga had the answer on a stretch forehand cross court. Tsonga's was eventually able to maintain the hold for a 2-2 score.
Then as quickly as it seemed he might at one point get the upper hand, a double fault at 3-3 would hand Tsonga a crucial second set break.
Throughout the match Tsonga was never bothered by Pospisil's several approaches to the net and usually seemed to come up with a shot that revealed his experience to gain the point.
A Pospisil forehand into the net would give Tsonga the second set 6-3 and a seemingly insurmountable lead. While Tsonga had blown a two-set-to-love lead against Stan Wawrinka at least year's French Open, such a feat would not be accomplished on this day by Pospisil.
The third set would start out close, but Tsonga took a break to go up 4-2 and by then Pospisil's fate was all but decided. It was probably for the best in order for Canada to rest him-up for his doubles match with Daniel Nestor against the French duo of Llodra and Benneteau on Saturday.
Tsonga sealed the match with an ace for France to take the 1-0 lead in the best of five match tie a short while later to win by a score of 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 in 1 hour 52 minutes. His experience and skill-level proved too much for his younger opponent in the end.
In the second match of the day the result was quite different. Canada's number one singles player and future Grand Slam threat, Milos Raonic took to the court to thunderous applause to face Julien Benneteau.
Despite being ranked quite close to one-another, with Raonic at 29th in the world and Benneteau at 35th, I had a pretty good feeling that Raonic was primed to take this one. Even though the thirty year old Benneteau defeated him back in November in the Paris Masters, Raonic had the home crowd behind him here in Vancouver and has looked solid this year with a win in Chennai and a third round showing at the Aussie Open.
Raonic did not disappoint and was in control of the match right from the beginning. The match went as smoothly as could be expected with Raonic winning 6-2, 6-4, 7-5 to even-up the tie at one apiece.
With one of the greatest doubles players to ever play the game in Daniel Nestor taking to the court Saturday, Canada has a solid shot at gaining the edge on France prior to Sunday's two singles matches.
February 10, 2012 in Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Vasek Pospisil | Permalink | Comments (0)
Around The Corner: Life Continues on the ATP World Tour
By Mike McIntyre
After a hectic two weeks of Grand-Slam action from Melbourne, life returns to normal on the ATP World Tour. There are three 250-level tournaments this week and while the pace will be perhaps less enthralling than what we've just witnessed in Australia, here are some of the big names we can look forward to watching.
Formerly held in Lyon in October of each year, the Open Sud de France has now relocated to Montpelier at an earlier date within the tennis season.
Tomas Berdych is the number one seed and will try to win his first ATP title since his victory in Beijing this past October. That was the only title the Czech won in 2011, but he had an incredibly solid year reaching the semi-finals of eight tournaments and the quarter-finals of seven others. That type of consistency has made Berdych a main-stay in the top-ten in recent years but success at the Masters 1000 and Grand Slam level have still mostly eluded him with the exception of his win at the Paris Masters in 2005 and his Wimbledon final in 2010.
Berdych has a very manageable quarter of the tournament with no major obstacles in his way and a first-round bye to ease him into the draw.
Richard Gasquet is the fourth seed and is also in the top-half of the draw and he will likely face Nikolay Davydenko in the second round. Despite Davydenko's rapid drop in play these past two years, the Russian will still give Gasquet a good challenge and provide fans with an entertaining early round match.
In the bottom half of the draw, look for two Frenchman to navigate their way through to the semi-finals. Both Gael Monfils and Gilles Simon are the highest two seeds and also the most likely to ride the support of the French fans to a solid showing.
Canadian number-two singles player Vasek Pospisil will undoubtedly be keeping his eye on the French, as Canada is scheduled to host the French in the first round of the Davis Cup on February 10th in Vancouver. Pospisil opens against French wildcard Guillaume Rufin.
It was a moment for Croatian tennis fans to relish a year ago in Zagreb when Ivan Dodig captured his first ATP title against Michael Berrer. While the chances of Dodig repeating are not necessarily favored, he is one of three Croats who could lift the trophy on the final Sunday.
Veteran Ivan Ljubicic holds the top seed and opens against Karol Beck. Ljubicic has won the event before and has the best chance of emerging from his quarter of the draw.
Beneath him can be found monster-server Ivo Karlovic who will also receive plenty of home-country support. Mikhail Youzhny will try to bounce back from a disappointing first round loss in Melbourne as he holds the third seed and is my pick to emerge from the top-half of the draw.
In the bottom half, we have Marcos Baghdatis and the previously mentioned Dodig in one quarter. In the final section of the draw, Alex Bogomolov Jr. is the surprised second seed and leads the weakest section of the tournament. In other words, look for Baghdatis or possibly Dodig to have a good route to the finals.
Providing some contrast to the two hard-court tournament's this week, we have the VTR Open which is played on red clay. Last year's champion in Vina del Mar is Tommy Robredo but he is not entered in this year's edition. Meanwhile Fernando Gonzalez holds the most career titles at the event with four. Gonzalez has taken a wildcard into the main draw as he has struggled since returning to the tour last year from hip and knee injuries he sustained in 2010.
Clay court expert Juan Monaco takes the pole position this year and opens with a first round bye. Albert Montanes who is seeded fifth will likely be Monaco's main source of opposition in the top-half of the draw.
In the bottom section look for Thomaz Bellucci, who won the event in 2010, to challenge once again for the title and for second seeded Juan Ignacio Chela to advance into the draw as well.
Don't feel bad if you are feeling the effects of a tennis-hangover as these smaller events begin. Nothing can really compare to two weeks of elite level tennis like we have just experienced. There is lots to look forward to however, with the first round of Davis Cup action just two weeks away and then a month after that we will enjoy back-to-back Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami.
January 29, 2012 in Tomas Berdych, Vasek Pospisil | Permalink | Comments (0)
Australian Open Men's Preview
By Mike McIntyre
The Dark Horse:
Kei Nishikori gets my pick as the potential dark-horse of the 2012 Australian Open. The just-turned 22 year old is ranked 26th in the world at the moment and has seen his fortunes quickly rise over the past year. In 2011 Nishikori had wins over Mardy Fish, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and most impressively, Novak Djokovic towards the end of October in Basel. This week at the Kooyong Classic he stepped in as a replacement for Milos Raonic and scored impressive wins over Tsonga again as well as Andy Roddick. Nishikori has a good draw with no troublesome opponents in the first two rounds and then potentially Gilles Simon in the 3rd before a rematch perhaps with Tsonga in the fourth. If I were in his shoes I’d be feeling pretty good about the opening week in Melbourne.
Higher-ranked/seeded player crashing out:
I would not hold my breath for American Andy Roddick advancing deep in this year’s Aussie Open. Roddick will be turning thirty this year but will find that milestone far less agreeable with him than Roger Federer did last summer. Roddick will very likely be facing Aussie veteran Lleyton Hewitt in the second round and that match could really go either way. Even if he were to get beyond Hewitt, a fresh-faced Milos Raonic could likely be waiting and the young Canadian has really come a long way in the past year.
Best 1st or 2nd round Match:
A second round match between Richard Gasquet and Mikhail Youzhny has five sets written all over it. Youzhny leads their head-to-head 3-2 and that includes two victories here at the first Grand Slam of the year. Their last meeting at the Aussie Open was a five set win for the Russian in 2010 that included three tiebreaks to settle it.
First round upset special:
If I have to pick one, I suppose I’ll go with Michael Russell over Juan Ignacio Chela. Between both veteran players, I’ll take Russell’s level of fitness in the Aussie heat and on a hard-court I never feel like Chela has much to offer despite being the 27th seed here.
Quarter-final choices and eventual champion:
Djokovic/Youzhny: Nobody is going to stop Djokovic from attaining the quarters despite it being several months now since his U.S. Open victory. Meanwhile I see Youhnzy picking up some momentum if he gets by Gasquet in round two.
Monfils/Tsonga: Murray will be feeling enormous pressure (as per usual) to win that elusive first Grand Slam, although Melbourne is probably his best bet to eventually break through. I’m really impressed with the rise of Monfils however, and see the Frenchman being more than capable of the upset to reach the quarters against compatriot Jo-Willy Tsonga.
Del Potro/Federer: No suprises here unless 19 year old Bernard Tomic can push Federer should they meet in the fourth round. Should be a fantastic match between the 2009 U.S. Open finalists and one I’m sure Federer would relish for a little revenge.
Nadal/Berdych: On paper it looks like an easy route to the quarters for both Nadal and Berdych. Neither John Isner or David Nalbandian is likely to challenge the Spaniard while Berdych even if he is playing mediocre, doesn’t have any serious threats in his quadrant.
Overall I can't see anyone beating Novak Djokovic for this title. Even with Federer's great finish to 2011, I don't think he has an edge on Novak at the moment when both are healthy and at their best. Federer's back may or may not be 100% while Djokovic seems to be over his shoulder problems. I see Djokovic taking his second consecutive, and third Aussie Open title overall here in 2012.
January 14, 2012 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Australian Open Main Draw
The Aussie Open main draw was just released.
Here's the link from the official website.
Novak Djokovic gets Andy Murray in his half, while Rafael Nadal gets Roger Federer and Juan Martin Del Potro in his.
Check back soon for a full draw analysis.
January 12, 2012 | Permalink | Comments (1)
Australian Open Qualifying Draws Revealed
By Mike McIntyre
The qualifying draw for the men has been revealed in Melbourne.
Go Soeda from Japan is the number one seed and is fresh off his semi-final performance in Chennai.
American veteran Robby Ginepri is unseeded and also in the top section of the draw. Canadian Peter Polansky can be found in there as well for all you Canuck tennis fans.
In the second quadrant we have Igor Andreev who is seeded fifth. Here's a guy I always though could achieve more but as he approaches thirty is seemingly on the downward side of a mediocre career.
Another Canadian, Vasek Pospisil is in this part of the draw and is seeded 9th. Pospisil was the Davis Cup hero for Canada last year in defeating Israel to qualify for the world group for this season.
The third quarter has aging German player Rainer Schuettler who made the Aussie Open finals way back in 2003 while the fourth quarter has another veteran, Arnaud Clement of France who himself was a finalist here in 2001. Both of the above players have the distinction of being beaten by a man named Andre Agassi. No shame in that.
Long story short, this is not a draw packed with any hidden gems who might somehow find their way into the second week of play. Still a nice pay day and a few much-needed ranking points for any of the qualifiers who make it through three rounds of play and perhaps through one or two rounds within the main draw as well.
Check back Friday January 13th for a full look at the main draw.
January 10, 2012 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Around The Corner: Sydney, Auckland and the Kooyong Classic
By Mike McIntyre
With just over a week until the start of the Australian Open, there is little time to tinker with one's game for the first Grand Slam of the year.
While the top four players in the world will be taking the week to rest themselves in anticipation for a deep-run in Melbourne, there are plenty of other of the game's great players who are in action.
The ATP has two tournaments, one in Sydney and another in Auckland, while the Kooyong Classic exhibition will boast a strong field as well. Here's a closer look at what tennis fans can expect.
Juan Martin Del Potro starts his year in Sydney as the top seed. After making a strong return to the circuit last season following a wrist injury, the 2009 U.S. Open champion is ready to make some noise this year. Del Potro is certainly capable of challenging anyone in the top four and I would put him in the mix of the few serious contenders at the Aussie Open.
The Argentine could see Marcos Baghdatis in the quarters here and then Feliciano Lopez who is the fourth seed. I would however, put the winner of the first round match between Victor Troicki and veteran Aussie Lleyton Hewitt to advance against Del Potro in this section of the draw.
Hewitt has won the even four times, in 2000, 2001, 2004 and 2005. Don't expect a repeat as his career is clearly on the downward spiral and injuries have taken their toll on the two-time Grand Slam champion. This may be the last year we see Hewitt playing on the ATP Tour, so enjoy him while you still can.
John Isner from the United States is the second seed. Patrick McEnroe recently stated that he feels Isner has the potential to reach the top ten in the ATP rankings. While I do not see that as being a realistic assessment for the 6'9'' Isner just yet, this guy is certainly a strong top-thirty player who can cause incredible damage on a hard court due to his imposing serve. It will be Isner's first action of the year so it will be interesting to see how he comes out of the gate.
Isner could face either veteran Xavier Malisse or Radek Stepanek in the quarters and given his ranking he should be beating opponents like these. However, at this stage of the year anything is possible.
A likely semi-final opponent would be third seeded Richard Gasquet who had a solid week at the Hopman Cup where he defeated Fernando Verdasco, Lleyton Hewitt and Wu Di before falling to Tomas Berdych in the finals.
All-court wonder and the always hustling David Ferrer is the number one seed in Auckland. Ferrer started the year off by making the finals of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi and was the runner-up in that exhibition to Novak Djokovic. Ferrer starts his week off with a bye at the Heineken Open and will face the winner of the match between Albert Ramos and Lukas Rosol. In other words, a nice way to ease into the tournament.
Ferrer's main opposition will be from third seeded Fernando Verdasco who has just competed in the Hopman Cup. There, the Spaniard defeated Lleyton Hewitt 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, knocked-off Wu Di of China 6-3, 6-4 and was beaten by Richard Gasquet 6-2, 6-4. So essentially, he won the two matches he was supposed to win and could not find a way to be competitive against a solid opponent in Gasquet. Never any consistency with Fernando, but he has the tools to go deep in any draw.
The second seed here is Nicolas Almagro, but unless we're talking about a clay court match I wouldn't count on this guy to get too far. While he did make the semi-finals in Chennai, the field was rather weak and he was no match for Canadian Milos Raonic who took him out 6-4, 6-4.
Look for guys like Philipp Kohlschreiber, Donald Young and perhaps Sam Querrey to enjoy some success in this draw. It is nice to see Young seeded in the tournament (7th) and hopefully able to build on a nice season in 2011. There is still so much potential with the American and he still has many years ahead of him despite already being a presence on the ATP Tour for several seasons.
Always a high-quality exhibition tournament, the Kooyong Classic again boasts a strong field in 2012. Ten players make-up the draw that has both a championship and consolation side to it.
American Andy Roddick will be the most high-profile player involved and will make his season debut on the tennis court at Kooyong. Roddick's buddy and current number-one American male tennis player, Mardy Fish, will also be present.
This year will be of the utmost importance to Roddick who struggled mightily a year ago. He needs to re-assert himself and prove to his fellow players that he is still relevant in the sport today. Usually a strong starter, Roddick will be one to watch closely here this week.
Continuing with North-American players, we have Canadian Milos Raonic who has just made the finals in Chennai. Raonic is going to be very exciting to watch this year, especially if he can stay healthy. This guy's game is perfectly suited to Wimbledon and it is no surprise that he grew up idolizing Pete Sampras.
The rest of the players here include Jurgen Melzer, Bernard Tomic, Tomas Berdych and recent Qatar finalists Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Of all the stops this week, Kooyong will be the one I'm most interested in due to its very strong field.
Keep checking back with us all week long for updates or check out our Twitter feed if you like. Only one more week until the first Slam of 2012 so we have lots to look forward to!
January 7, 2012 in Andy Roddick, John Isner, Juan Martin Del Potro | Permalink | Comments (2)
Federer Speaks About Back Injury in Qatar
Here is the link to the Roger Federer press conference on Friday January 6th where he discusses his reasons for pulling out of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open due to a back injury.
The world No. 3 withdrew after sustaining the injury in his second round match against Grega Zemlja and it got worse during his quarter final victory against Andreas Seppi. Federer was scheduled to play against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semi finals which would have surely been a high-level match.
Instead Tsonga played a one-set exhibition match against former six-time Grand Slam champion Stefan Edgerg.
Federer is not scheduled to play again until the Australian Open which begins on January 16th in Melbourne.
January 7, 2012 in Roger Federer | Permalink | Comments (0)
Qualifying Draws From Sydney and Auckland
By Mike McIntyre
Apia International Sydney - Qualifying Draw
Not much to write home about here as Ryan Sweeting is the highest ranked qualifier at 72nd in the world.
Names worth noting include veteran Jarkko Nieminen as well as Denis Istomin and marathon man Nicolas Mahut.
Heineken Open - Qualifying Draw
Even less to get too enthused about in Auckland in terms of a quality qualifying draw. I didn't realize Dominik Hrabty was still kicking his tires on the ATP Tour. Canada's Pierre-Ludovic Duclos is also entered and being Canadian myself I've got to give him a mention.
Stay tuned for full draw analysis once they are revealed this coming weekend. And please do follow us on Twitter as we like to keep our readers updated there as well.
January 6, 2012 | Permalink | Comments (0)
Roger Federer Withdraws from Doha with Back Injury
By Mike McIntyre
Roger Federer was forced to pull-out of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Friday due to a back injury he sustained in his second round match against Grega Zemlja and one that he aggravated in the quarter-finals against Andreas Seppi.
Federer was supposed to play against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France for a spot in the finals but recognized the possibility to further aggravate the injury and made the decision to prevent missing the Australian Open which begins January 16th.
Federer has made it a point of avoiding injury for the better part of his stellar professional career, but something was clearly wrong as he was stretched to three sets against the 38th ranked Seppi on Thursday. Federer had held a 7-0 career head-to-head against the Italian prior to the match and had never lost a set in any of those encounters.
It was Swiss journalist and Federer biographer, Renee Stauffer, who broke the news of the back injury via twitter shortly after that match.
Stauffer's tweet read as follows, “Federer has a bad back: ‘I wasn’t sure if i was going to play ag Seppi’, he revealed in Doha. It happened ag Zemlja (Wednesday).”
Speaking to reporters after the official announcement on Friday, Federer revealed the decision to pull-out of the tournament was very much related to the importance of the next few weeks.
"I don't feel a whole lot of improvement for today, and I just don't think it's the right time to risk anything more right now," Federer said. "I still have pain, and that's why it was the only right decision, a difficult one for me … So it's a sad moment for me and for the tournament and for the fans, but health goes first."
The injury withdrawal is only the second time Federer has had to do so in his career but fans should not worry as the world No. 3 seemed pretty confident he would be fine for Melbourne with a little time-off to heal.
"For Australia, I'm optimistic, just because it's not very good but it isn't crazy bad," Federer said. "I have had bad backs in the past. This is definitely not very good; otherwise I would be playing. But I feel without play and the right treatment, I will get through it in the next few days."
Instead of the semi-final, Tsonga played a one-set exhibition match against former world No. one and six-time Grand Slam champion Stefan Edberg.
In the other semi-final Gael Monfils upset Rafael Nadal by a score of 6-3, 6-4 to advance to play against Tsonga for the title.
Federer's withdrawal guarantees a new champion in Doha this year, as the Swiss star had won the event a year ago.
January 6, 2012 in Roger Federer | Permalink | Comments (0)
The Importance of Week One
By Mike McIntyre
With the 2012 season of the ATP World Tour just getting officially underway this week, tennis fans and media alike will be closely watching how the pros come out of the starting blocks.
The Mubadala World Tennis Championship (an exhibition) in Abu Dhabi last week and now regular events in Brisbane, Chennai and Doha, have provided an alphabetically-related quartet of venues whose results may or may not mean anything by the end of the year.
Players who struggle initially and suffer early round losses will attempt to quickly put those disappointments behind them, while winners will try to keep an even keel moving forward. Still, we should not be so quick to discount these early results when looking at the big picture.
The mental consequences of victory versus defeat in the early stages will certainly impact a players progress in the first few weeks on tour. Banking some points in January provides a confidence boost along with either a jump in ranking points or at the very least the ability not to drop in the standings.
Losing yesterday in Doha to Roger Federer means that Nikolay Davydenko can kiss about 150 ranking points goodbye that he had accumulated in the same tournament a year ago. His current ranking of 41st in the world is about to take a big hit and he can clearly forget about any hopes of being seeded at the Australian Open in two weeks.
A player like American Sam Querrey will also be distraught about his opening round loss to Victor Hanescu in Chennai in the opening round. After missing three months midway through 2011 to elbow surgery, Querrey was no-doubt optimistic about starting on the right foot this season. On the plus side for Querrey, he suffered three opening round losses in-a-row a year ago, and thus has no ranking points to defend. There's only one way for Sam to go in the rankings in January and that is up. Still, he must now regroup and move on to the next tournament hoping his luck will change.
For the top-four of Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Murray, these first couple of week's will be used to jostle for the available confidence and swagger required to conquer the first Grand Slam of the year in Australia. Putting the seed of doubt in an opponent's head is of equal value to owning that self-confidence. We all know how Djokovic was able to get into Nadal's head last season and reel-off six consecutive victories in ATP finals on three different surfaces. That kind of dominance goes a long way into determining the final outcome of a match between two foes and getting an edge early-on is what all of these guys are hoping for.
Djokovic has already sent that opening message to his opponents with a strong result in Abu Dhabi. After needing three sets to defeat Gael Monfils, he thrashed Federer 6-2, 6-1 and then beat David Ferrer in the finals by the exact same dominating score. Lookout everybody, because Novak came ready to play.
Federer will hope to shake-off the loss to Djokovic and then Nadal in Abu Dhabi and instead look back to his impressive 17-0 finish to the 2011 season where he won three consecutive tournaments. Still, his early defeats to Djokovic and Nadal can't make him feel great.
With Federer and Nadal playing in Doha and Murray in Brisbane this week, we'll see who is ready to join Djokovic as an early front-runner prior to the January 16th start date in Melbourne. Regardless of what players of any ranking say to the press, the importance of week one is something we cannot deny.
January 3, 2012 in Mubadala World Tennis Championship, Sam Querrey | Permalink | Comments (0)
Mubadala World Tennis Championship Kick-Starts 2012
Mike McIntyre
It would seem as though the Middle East has found a way to draw the eyes of the tennis world upon them as the 2012 ATP World Tour season begins.
Not only does the Exxon Mobil Open in Doha, Qatar have Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the line-up as play begins on January 2nd, but the Mubadala World Tennis Champiopnships in Adbu Dhabi of the United Arab Emirates boasts all three of the top players in world including Novak Djokovic.
While not a sanctioned ATP event, the high-profile exhibition in the Emirates has also lured David Ferrer, Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to come play.
The three day event begins on Thursday December 29th with matches between Djokovic and Monfils as well as Ferrer and Tsonga. Both Federer and Nadal have been given opening round byes, which is interesting considering it is Djokovic who is the undisputed number one player in the world.
Either Djokovic has requested the extra match to help prepare for the start of the season, or event organizers have a soft spot for third ranked Federer who spends a good chunk of time training in the Emirates during his off-season.
Keep checking back with us at ProTennisFan for updates of this exciting event and do take the time to follow us on Twitter as well.
December 27, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0)
ATP World Tour 2012 Ready To Go
By Mike McIntyre
Hello tennis fanatics and welcome to the start of the 2012 season on the ATP World Tour!
While it was only a few short weeks ago that we last heard from our favorite tennis professionals, the stage is set for the debut of another exciting year in the sport we love so dearly.
Everyone with the exception of Novak Djokovic, will be looking forward to building upon their accomplishments from a year ago. How could Djokovic possibly do better than he did last season? The Serbian world number one had arguably one of the greatest tennis seasons of all-time in 2011 and will be hard-pressed to match that level of excellence in back-to-back years. There is no doubt who has a target on his back as the season begins.
With an end-of-year that was marred by shoulder problems and the loss of the incredible momentum that saw him win three Grand Slams, it will be very interesting to see how the Djoker begins 2012 both physically and mentally.
World number two Rafael Nadal ended last year with a Davis Cup victory for Spain, while number three Roger Federer went undefeated after the U.S. Open with a record of 17-0. Andy Murray sits at the number four position and typically starts the year quite strongly down-under. These guys are going to be hungrier than ever for the first Slam of the season.
Add to the mix a resurgent Juan Martin Del Potro, a fearless Jo-Wilfried Tsonga along with a slew of hungry Americans like Mardy Fish, Andy Roddick and John Isner and we've got all the right ingredients for another amazing year of tennis on the ATP World Tour.
The season begins with three tournaments in Australia, Qatar and India. Let's take closer look at what we have to look forward to.
Beginning right on New Year's day, the Brisbane International tournament was resurrected in 2009 after a fourteen year absence. Notably missing this year will be defending champion Robin Soderling of Sweden. The world's thirteenth ranked player has not played a match since he won the title in Bastad in his home country in July. Diagnosed with mononucleosis, he has already confirmed his withdrawal from the Australian Open. Unlike a typical physical injury, there is no way of knowing just how long this type of illness will prevent Soderling from playing on the tour.
Instead, look for Andy Murray to lead the charge as the top seeded player. Murray will be looking to finally end his Grand Slam drought in 2012 and silence the numerous critics who feel like he should have already attained such an achievement at this point in his career.
Murray will be joined by other notable players such as Gilles Simon, Alexandr Dolgopolov, Marcos Baghdatis and Bernard Tomic in Brisbane. Veteran Tommy Haas is also in attendance and will be looking forward to a full season of good health no doubt.
Stan Wawrinka made a great start to his season a year ago by winning the Aircel Chennai Open in India for the first time. His victory snapped a two year streak of Croatia's Marin Cilic hoisting the trophy there.
Both former champions will be back in the draw in 2012 and joined by the likes of Jankko Tipsarevic who was absolutely on-fire last season, Nicolas Almagro who is normally better-suited to playing on clay, and Canadian sensation Milos Raonic who was named the ATP's newcomer of the year in 2011.
Also starting on January 2nd will be a tournament of equal ranking points but quite a bit more prize money in Doha, Qatar. Something tells me that extra cash incentive is the reason we might be seeing so many of the top players in the world present in the draw this year.
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will both be there to begin their pursuit of the number one ranking. Add Frenchmen Jo-Wilfrid Tsonga and Gael Monfils to the mix as well as quality players such as Viktor Troicki, Mikhail Youzhny and Nikolay Davydenko and you can count on some great matches in the scorching heat of the desert.
Check back with us at ProTennisFan in the next few days as we will have a full draw analysis of these upcoming events. You can also follow us on Twitter for regular updates as play begins.
December 26, 2011 in Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer | Permalink | Comments (0)
Raonic To Face Idol Sampras in Toronto Exhibition
By Mike McIntyre
Twenty year-old Canadian tennis phenom Milos Raonic is set to face legend Pete Sampras, the man he idolized growing-up, in an exhibition match in Toronto this November that is being billed as the Face-Off presented by SAP.
Mark November 17th on your calendars as it will showcase the first ever tennis match to be played at the Air Canada Centre, which normally houses the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Thursday night tennis exhibition will also feature Canadian female players Aleksandra Wozniak and Eugenie Bouchard. The format for the evening will include some mixed-doubles with the four tennis stars, followed by a women's set between veteran Wozniak and up-and-coming junior sensation Bouchard. The evening with culminate with the exciting feature match between Raonic and Sampras.
Surprisingly, the match will be the first that Raonic has played on home soil this year due to a difficult hip injury that he sustained at Wimbledon in June. The recovery period forced him to miss playing in Canada's Masters 1000 event, the Rogers Cup and also prevented him from competing at the U.S. Open.
Since returning to the ATP World Tour earlier in October, Raonic has quickly found the form that catapulted him into the top-thirty in the world rankings earlier in 2011.
He lost a tough match to second-ranked Rafael Nadal in Tokyo and then suffered another difficult defeat in Shanghai against world no. 5 David Ferrer. Not an easy return to the game for any player after a nearly four month layoff.
Things took a step-up this past week in Stockholm where Raonic advanced all the way to the semi-finals before being beaten by eventual champion Gael Monfils 6-7, 6-4, 6-3.
With the regular season of professional tennis nearly over, the exhibition with Sampras will be a nice way for the young Canuck to finish his roller-coaster year.
"Playing in front of my hometown against my hero growing up is a dream come true," said Raonic. "I'm also really excited about playing the first ever tennis event at the Air Canada Centre with Pete, Aleks, and Eugénie and I know tennis fans in Toronto and surrounding provinces will pack the arena to see how I match up with one of the best of all time".
One would normally be suspicious about how a forty year old like Sampras could compete with someone just entering his physical prime, but the American tennis legend has been quite active this fall while playing on Jim Courier's Champions Series tennis circuit.
The former 14-time Grand Slam champion finished the season as the top-ranked player on the senior tour and displayed that he still has a knack for coming up with some booming serves when required and has not lost his killer instinct on a tennis court. He finished with an 11-2 record against some of the best players of his generation including Andre Agassi and Michael Chang.
Always a proud man on the court, Sampras has said that he is, "looking forward to playing in Canada once again. I have great memories playing in the tournaments in Toronto and Montreal during my professional career and playing against Milos will certainly bring out that same competitive fire. I am anxious to show Milos and the fans that I can still play with the best at the highest level."
Here at ProTennisFan and in connection with title sponsor of the event, SAP Canada, we are happy to announce a contest for fans looking to attend the event live. Two of our lucky readers will get free tickets to watch Raonic and Sampras in-person at the Air Canada Centre. The winning tickets will be given to a reader of ours who comments on this posting and will be selected on November 8th, one week prior to the big event. Please leave your email address in your post so that you can be contacted if your name is selected.
Fans looking to follow Milos as the event draws near can check out the young star on Twitter where he is a regular contributor. You can also follow our Tweets at ProTennisFan to stay in the loop.
We'll leave you with a link to series of videos that feature Milos as well as one in particular of Milos giving tips on how to have an effective serve. We hope you get the chance to watch him deliver his trademark weapon in person on November 17th. Good luck!
October 23, 2011 in Milos Raonic, Pete Sampras | Permalink | Comments (5)
U.S. Open Tuesday Preview
By Mike McIntyre
There are four big men's matches scheduled for play on Tuesday at the U.S. Open as the field quickly approaches the final eight competitors. The tournament has avoided any major upsets amongst the guys and one has to wonder how much longer that will continue.
Andy Murray vs. Donald Young
American Donald Young will attempt to keep his best-ever Grand Slam showing moving along as he faces fourth seeded Andy Murray in the opening match on Arthur Ashe stadium at 11am. It is hard to believe that Young is only 22 years old as it seems he has been struggling on the ATP World Tour for years already. Actually, he has been struggling on the Tour for years as he rushed into his professional career at the tender age of 15.
Young has slowly begun maturing and making some strides this year that have signalled he is ready to move towards the expectations the tennis world has held for him for so long. Earlier this year he defeated Murray on the hard courts of Indian Wells. More recently he made the semi-finals of a level-500 tournament in Washington, D.C. as well.
That meeting in March was the only career encounter between Young and Murray, but expect a much different result on Tuesday. Young has been riding an emotional roller-coaster in New York with big wins over Stan Wawrinka and Juan Ignacio Chela, but faces a player of an entirely different calibre in Murray.
The Scotsman has amped-up his game over the past month and is not playing at the same mediocre level he was at earlier in the season when they first met.
Young can take home a lot of confidence from New York but he won't take another victory.
Prediction: Murray in three
Gilles Muller vs. Rafael Nadal
No-doubt recovered from his press-conference cramping incident from Sunday that was highly and uncomfortably covered by television cameras, Rafa Nadal will be feeling just fine as he faces severe under-dog Gilles Muller.
Nadal has yet to drop a set in the tournament and the defending champion rarely bows-out of a Grand Slam early. While I still have doubts about his ability to defend his title from a year ago, I can't see him getting bounced by Muller.
The pair have a career head-to-head record of 2-1 in Nadal's favor, but Muller's win was back in 2005 when Nadal was still discovering his game on hard-courts. More recently, they met at Wimbledon this summer with Nadal prevailing 7-6, 7-6, 6-0.
Muller has performed well in New York before, making the quarter-finals in 2008. He may give Rafa a challenge for a set, but otherwise will have to come up with the best tennis of his career to cause an upset.
Prediction: Nadal in four
John Isner vs. Gilles Simon
In a match that will offer fans a real contrast in styles, bit serving American John Isner will take-on the hustling baseline game of Frenchman Gilles Simon. This will be the first meeting between the two and the result is really anyone's guess.
Simon's best Grand Slam result was the quarter-finals of the Aussie Open in 2009 while Isner has made the fourth round at three majors including this one.
Both players have solid winning records on the Tour this year while Isner came into the Open with a tournament win in Winston-Salem. Both have had to beat top-level players in their journey here so far, with Isner defeating Marcos Baghdatis in the fist round and Simon just coming off a victory against Juan Martin Del Potro.
I see this one going the distance with at least a couple of tie-breaks given Isner's outstanding service game. Could go either way but I'll take a leap and go with Isner thanks in-part to the crowd support he'll receive.
Prediction: Isner in five.
Andy Roddick vs. David Ferrer
In the opening match of the evening session, the third American man in action on Tuesday will be 2003 champion, Andy Roddick.
Roddick has finally found his game after struggling with injuries and consistency issues all summer long. He dispatched Julien Benneteau in routine fashion in the previous round and the Frenchman had been playing some great tennis coming in. Things are about to get a whole lot harder against Ferrer.
The Spaniard can hang on any surface and will never, ever, get tired. Ferrer holds a 5-3 advantage over Roddick in their prior matches and defeated him this year in Davis Cup play in straight sets on hard-courts. For those who don't know Roddick well, he is a guy who lives for representing his nation. He gives 110% in Davis Cup matches, so you can imagine how well Ferrer must have been playing to attain the victory on that day.
While I feel that Andy may yet have a crack at going deep in another Grand Slam before the end of his career, I don't see it happening here with Ferrer standing in his way.
Prediction: Ferrer in four.
September 5, 2011 in Andy Roddick, Donald Young, John Isner | Permalink | Comments (3)
U.S. Open Sunday Preview
By Mike McIntyre
Let's take a quick look at the matches set for Sunday at the U.S. Open on the men's side. The third round is set to finish-up and there are some great battles to keep an eye on.
Alex Bogomolov Jr. is having a career year and has made the third round of his second consecutive Grand Slam. At the age of 28 he is a career high of 44th in the world and that is likely going to rise even further following the completion of this tournament. Just how well has Bogo been playing this year in comparison with his previous years on tour? In this one season alone he has amassed almost a third of his career earnings!
Bogo's run will likely come to an end against John Isner who is also having a terrific summer and has had more success in big-time matches. Isner has won both their career head-to-head matches on the ATP World Tour and both of those victories were earlier this year. I've got Isner in straight sets in this one.
Juan Martin Del Potro will continue to strive for another strong showing at the Open as he faces 12th seeded Gilles Simon of France. Despite being seeded 18th himself, Del Po will be considered the favorite in this one. Del Potro has lost to Ernests Gulbis, Marin Cilic and Roger Fererer this summer and has yet to get on a roll since Wimbledon ended. Still, those are all quality opponents and he is no-doubt feeling comfortable at the site of his only Slam win.
Del Potro has a 2-1 head-to-head advantage against Simon and beat him here in New York in 2008 as well as in June of this year at the All-England Club. I'll take the Argentine in four sets.
Donald Young is having the break-out moment of his career here at the Open as evidenced in his stunning come-from-behind victory over Stan Wawrinka in the second round. Young is going to take-down Juan Ignacio Chela in the next round to continue on his impressive form. Four sets is likely, but Chela could use his experience to push to five in a failing effort.
Andy Murray came back with a vengeance against Robin Haase in a strange second round encounter. He pulled out the victory in five sets and with a day to rest should be ready to go against Feliciano Lopez. Murray in three this time.
David Ferrer saw-off a potentially tough challenge from James Blake in the previous round. He'll face Florian Mayer, a player who is having career-best results but ultimately is not talented enough to take it any further. With Ferrer's tenacity and game that is tailor-made for best-of-five sets, the Spaniard will breeze through this one in three.
Andy Roddick has admitted he is still not back to where his game is capable of being, yet he finds himself in the third round against French vet Julien Benneteau. Andy should be able to use the home-crowd to his advantage, but Benneteau did reach the finals at Winston Salem a week ago and could be capable of an upset. Roddick's serve will have to be sharp and he cannot hesitate to charge the net when the timing is right. Roddick holds a 3-1 advantage against Benneteau but the duo have not played each other in three years. I'll take Roddick in four, but would not be shocked if Benneteau comes up with a surprise.
Coin-toss in the Gilles Muller vs. Igor Kunitsyn match. This should have been a Mikhail Youzhny vs. Jurgen Melzer match if the seedings had held true, but neither of those players were able to fend off their challengers.
Most casual tennis fans won't be too familiar with these two guys, so here's a quick breakdown:
Kunitsyn is 29 years old and is ranked 62nd in the world. He reached a career-high of 35th in the world in 2009 and attaining the third round here is his best result at a Grand Slam.
Muller is best remembered for stealing Andy Roddick's mojo at the Open back in 2005. He is 28 years old and ranked 66th in the world at the moment. His career high ranking is 59th which he reached back in 2005. His best Slam result was here at the U.S. Open in 2008 when he reached the quarter-finals before falling to Roger Federer.
Kunitsyn leads their previous matches by a 1-0 margin coming by way of a victory in Washington earlier this summer. I'm going to go with Muller in this one due to his previous Slam experience and results but it's gonna go the distance for sure.
Last but not least we have a match that would have been a whole lot of fun to watch about four or five years ago. Talented but oft-injured David Nalbandian takes on 2nd seeded Rafael Nadal.
Nalbandian has again struggled with injuries this season and has been burdened with lackluster results all summer long. Nadal has been less than his usual stellar self since reaching the finals of Wimbledon, but has still performed decently on hard-courts leading up to the Open.
While Nalbandian is one of the few players who boasts a solid record against Nadal, he is in over his head Sunday. The pair stand tied at two wins each, with all four matches coming on hard court. Nalbandian has lost the last two however and has not beat Rafa since 2007. Nadal will take this one in three relatively easy sets.
Enjoy the long-weekend tennis everyone. Check back with us again soon for more updates.
September 3, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0)
U.S. Open Day Three Review
By Mike McIntyre
As first round matches came to a close on Wednesday, thing appear to be progressing more or less according to plan thus far in the men's draw at the U.S. Open.
Andy Murray advanced against former NCAA standout Somdev Devvarman by a score of 7-6(5), 6-2, 6-3. Murray mentioned he felt some early match nerves and when asked to explain gave a rather humorous response.
"Well, I mean, try being a British player going into a Grand Slam. It's not easy (smiling)."
With Roger Federer struggling this summer and Rafael Nadal also seeming less-than-perfect, Murray might have the perfect opportunity to attain that elusive first Grand Slam. He certainly seemed to be handling Novak Djokovic as well as anyone could in his first set against the Serb in Cincinnati. Djokvic would retire while trailing 0-3 in the second set of that match citing shoulder pain.
In other matches today, American John Isner beat a tricky opening round opponent in Marcos Baghdatis, 7-6(2), 7-6(11), 2-6, 6-4. With Robin Soderling withdrawing in this section of the draw due to illness, Isner has a great chance to make the round of sixteen and maybe even a quarter-final at a Slam for the first time in his career.
Isner will now face compatriot Robby Ginepri who only started his season in June after injury issues. He won today against Joao Suza in four sets. Many will remember Ginepri for his loss against Andre Agassi in the semi-finals here in 2005.
2009 champion Juan Martin Del Potro destroyed Filippo Volandri 6-3, 6-1, 6-1. Known more for his clay-court exploits, Volandri has not won a match on hard-courts since 2007. Del Potro couldn't have asked for an easier match in his return to Flushing Meadows.
Forced to miss defending his title a year ago due to a wrist injury, Del Po has returned to the top-twenty in the game and appears to have a good shot of advancing deep into the draw.
The Argentine mentioned several times after the match how happy he was to return to his favorite Grand Slam tournament following his inability to play a year ago.
"Well, I am feeling very special these couple of days, because I wasn't here last year so I couldn't see my name in the locker room," Del Potro said. "That's special, but are pretty little details. But, you know, it's an honor be part of the champions of this tournament."
Canadian Vasek Pospisil is giving fans in his country reason to cheer in the absence of Milos Raonic. The 20 year old Canuck won his first ever Grand Slam match against Lukas Rosol with ease 6-1, 6-2, 6-1. Pospisil will now face Feliciano Lopez the 25th seed.
12th seeded Gilles Simon survived a marathon five-set match against Ricardo Mello of Brazil, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. 3-6, 6-4. The Frenchman will now go up against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain who also required five sets to advance to the second round.
The only seeded player to fall on day three was Nicolas Almagro, the 10th seed, who was beat by French veteran Julien Benneteau 6-2, 6-4, 6-3. I'd hardly consider that result an upset since Almagro rarely performs on this surface while Benneteau made the finals a week ago of the inaugural event in Winston Salem where he was defeated by Isner for the title.
In the final match of the night amongst the men, Andy Roddick needed a four set struggle to finally overcome 33 year-old Michael Russell, 6-2, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5.
Roddick seemed to be moving along quite well until Russell experienced a resurgence in the third set. It was not meant to be for the veteran however, as he fell to 0-7 in matches at the Open.
Roddick now moves on to face youngster Jack Sock who at the age of 18 is making just his second appearance in a major.
Roddick got a good laugh out of the crowd as he assessed his next foe in Sock.
"Well, I know he's full of piss and vinegar and he's from Nebraska. Sounds a little bit like an 18 year old I knew once upon a time. I like Jack a lot. He had a good win and I'm excited...I'll take on the young American and I'll enjoy it."
It is nice to see Sock, along with Ryan Harrison and Donald Young emerging to form the next generation of American players. Thirty-one straight majors without a U.S. champion is a strange reality after so many decades of success. Perhaps one of these young guns can one day reverse this declining trend in tangible results at the Grand Slam level.
Keep checking back with us for regular updates and follow us on Twitter as well for timely news.
August 31, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (0)
