At what point will the four-time Slam champion Naomi Osaka rise again? She just came back two months ago, and she looked decent, but she wasn’t fantastic yet. She is certainly getting better, as last year, she had a new baby, so she had to stop, for a while. However, she wants to play, when she can, and at Indian Wells, in the first round, she smoked the veteran Sara Errani, 6-3, 6-1. 

She can smash the ball, with her forehand and her backhand, and her first serve can be massive. She can be so intense, when she is satisfied, and then if she can check out, when she is her thinking, and then she can lose. However, Osaka has won her Grand Slams, on the hardcourts, so she can leap the ball, and hit it right on the lines.

It is impossible to know when and where she can become No. 1 again. Osaka is still young, though, so maybe she is adding with her game, such as at the net, and to return it. She has to, as she will face the Russian Liudmila Samsonova, who looked pretty good.

The 2021 US Open champion  Emma Raducanu is out there this week, and she has been struggling over the past year. But she is more healthy now, and her forehand is flatter. Her backhand is striking, and she could throw it around until she has a chance to really nail it. But not yet, as it will take weeks before she recovers mentally. Also, last year, the 21-year-old had to go to the surgery, with her wrist and her ankle.

“I want to work on becoming a better tennis player,” Raducanu said. “I think for me I’m not too concerned about this year’s tournaments. A lot of people out there would say that I need matches, but I think that for me I want to work on my game and development. Taking time to do that is very necessary and not just following the crowd, or playing a lot of matches, or dropping down [to Challenger level] to do that. I want to work on developing skills. I felt like because I was so go-go-go since December, I felt like I became a little fatigued, so it was good to go back, freshen up and practice for the American swing, which I’m a big fan of.”

The other British Katie Boulter just won in San Diego, which was huge, as she never past into the big tournaments. Now she has, being much more aggressive.

How about the 19-year-old American Alex Michelsen, who is improving a lot. He won a few matches in February and March in Delray Beach, Dallas and Los Cabos, upsetting Alex de Minaur. Last year, he reached the final in Newport, stunning John Isner. A few weeks ago, Michelsen finally feels that he can stay there for a long time.

“I feel like I’ve been everywhere,” Michelsen said. “But I feel like after I won my first couple of rounds in Australia I was like, ‘Wow, I’m a professional. Wow, I’m pretty good.’ So I think that was my big like, ‘Aha!’ moment for sure.”

Another young person, the Frenchman Arthur Fils, can be up and down and can chuck it all over the place. However, he does have to be more thoughtful on the court.

NOTES
Daniil Medvedev can play fantastic, but he can also back up. After he lost in Dubai, and he lost in the semis against Ugo Humbert — a very good player — he said: “Here I was taking it match by match because I was unfortunately maybe too much looking at my body. First match, how does it feel. Next day, next match, three sets, how do I feel. It was not that bad, but I was not free for 100%, especially on the serve. I couldn’t just go for it. Hopefully this can change because Indian Wells. It’s not like I have one month to prepare. Hopefully I can go for it more.  When I’m free, I want to win every tournament I play. … Again, I’m happy with the result, honestly, with the semifinal, with the way I felt, the body, but I’m disappointed with the energy I had because it was not the energy of a winner of the tournament, which I like to have, which I have had many times.”

Two good who have won a Slam are Jannik Sinner and Caroline Wozniacki . He is playing great this year. Wozniacki is hitting her terrific backhand, taking down Donna Vekic 7-6(5), 6-3. Will she stay here in this tournament?  Maybe, but she has to prove it.

The now No. 11 Jelena Ostapenko finally play top to the bottom, and even that, she can smash it into the corners. In the final, the once 2017 Roland Garros champ beat Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-2, 6-3 pretty easily, without so many error, which she has done it many times. But when she is more consistent, and to mix it up more, then she can be much more controlling.

The Latvia has won “just” one Grand Slam, but she has also gone deep in the events,  so maybe she can do it again. 

At the WTA 500 tournament in Upper Austria Ladies Linz, she was totally thrilled.

“It was a really good week, and I felt like every match I was playing better and better,” Ostapenko said. “It’s really amazing to win two singles trophies this year already (she won at Adelaide), and winning a doubles trophy as well, [and] playing Australian Open [in the doubles with Lyudmyla Kichenok] final — it’s like four tournaments and four finals, which is really great. I’m just happy with the way I’m playing this year. I think I feel like I’m more mature and more confident with my game, so it even motivates me more to work hard and get back to the Top 10.”

Yes she will, very soon, or maybe not. Last year, Ostapenko  did win Birmingham in June, and at the 2023 Australian Open, in the fourth round, she beat Coco Gauff before she lost against Elena Rybakina. On the day, she can play marvelous, almost stunning against the current No. 1, Iga Swiatek at the 2023 U.S. Open. After that, though, Gauff overwhelmed her. Ostapenko did not much after that in the fall, so now she must have been more thoughtful.

Back to Upper Austria Ladies Linz,  Alexandrova is up and down, terrific and lousy, too. She is aggressive, but then she can backs off. However, she has had a fine year, beating Elena Rybakina in Australia, and then last week, she took down  Anastasia Potapova, and in the semis agains  Donna Vekic, she stood in there, but it took forever, winning 5-7 7-6(4) 7-6(6). She must have been exhausted in the final. 

The Russian veteran has not been very good  at the Slams last year, but at least she won the ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands in June, on the grass. She also really likes to play on the hardcourts, and her backhand can be so solid, and she can return into the corners, too.

However, she has never reached into the quarters at the Slams, so this year, she can do something different.

NOTES

On Upper Austria Day, the now retired and one Slam winner Ana Ivanovic was honored in the front of the crowds.  Her good friend and a fine player, Barbara Schett, was there….

That was new, when the young Russian, Diana Shnaider, won the Thailand Open beating  Zhu Linz 6-3, 2-6, 6-1…

In Montpellier, in France, Alexander Bublik beat Borna Coric 5-7, 6-2, 6-3. He finally did it, so now in the third set he can let go and really turn it on…

The U.S. men just started in the Dallas Open. There are a lot of many Americans who are playing such as Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul and  Christopher Eubanks. The winner will be?

Alexander Zverev rose up so high, in a late match when he took down the No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz in four sets, 6-1, 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-4. Two year ago, the German was very close to win a Grand Slam for the first time, but he hurt himself in Roland Garros, on the court, and he had to retire. After that, he couldn’t play for months.

But finally, he is much better then he has, with his huge forehand, his backhand, and also, when he serves. He is more consistent, when he is there, reaching. Yes, he has lost some mediocre matches,  and his return and also at the net, he misses some easy shots. Yet Zverev can be very steady, and he can also mix it up.  

Alcaraz can look spectacular, but he is very young, so he won’t be perfect all the times. But on Friday, Zverev will have to play fantastic again, as he will have to face again Daniil Medvedev

Zverev can be controlling, consistent, and aggression He did against Alcaraz.

“I was rushing him quite a lot,’ said Zverev. “I was playing extremely aggressive, kind of taking the racquet out of his hands. You have to do that against him. If you let him control the points, control the pace of the game, he’s unbeatable,” he said. “He’s the best player in the world when it comes to that. I really had to take it into my own hands and I felt like I did that well.”

At Roland Garros, when he suffered a huge injury against Rafa Nadal, that would put him out of action for the entire year. When Zverev came back, and he looked so-so, but he knew that it would take him a long time to become much more solid.

He has a huge challenge, as last year, Daniil Medvedev beat him five times, and he lost just one versus Zverev . The Russian is more consistent, and he can react, with his forehand and her backhand. He is not great at the net, but he can return if he can find it.  They know each other well, so to win it, Zverev will have to change him, point after point. One way or another, Medvedev will beat him, again.

The No. 1 Djokovic will play against the Italian, Jannik Sinner, in the semis,  in the other semifinal.

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The 22-year-old  is more aggressive, and he can also think inside within his head. In the ATP Finals in November, he upset Djokovic in there first match, but then in the final, the Serbian out hit him, backhand to backhand. Sinner can beat him, but to do it again, he must attack with his forehand, and really hustle.

“This is what I practice for, to play against the best players in the world,” Sinner said. “Obviously [Novak] has an incredible record here, so for me it’s a pleasure to play against him, especially in the final stages of the tournament where things are a little bit more interesting I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be tough. I will control the controllable, which is giving 100 percent, having the right attitude, fighting for every ball.” He will bring it into the fifth set, but agains. the No. 1 Djokovic will hit some amazing shots and he will grab it, one more times.

Some of the American men are still in the tournament in Melbourne, after they won two matches. That is not spectacular yet, but it is very good. The young, rising Ben Shelton, has to face against the solid veteran,  Adrian Mannarino, when the Frenchman can be so steady, and he can mix it up a lot. The San Diego man can get frustrated, when he is not playing well, but week after week, he is now more consistent, especially with his second serve and at the net. But in the court, he has to focus almost all of the time, or he can lose, when he stops.

Taylor Fritz has been up and down over the past five months, when the current No. 12 lost some odd matches, yet it is time for him to attack more, and to return it deeper, if he can. When he is on, he look sharp, and he can put it away. However, if he wants to go back into the top 5 this year, he must be staunch. He will face against Fabian Marozsan.

Believe or not, Sebastian Korda is close to be right there, to look much better than he was last year. Yes, he was injured himself, so he wasn’t perfect at all, but at least he is trying to more patient. However, he has to go up against Andrey Rublev, who is a very tough opponent. The Russian is very powerful, when he is on, and he can smile, to hit it both sides.  Plus, the No. 5 wants to improve his volley, and also, closing at the net. Korda has to knock him down, or Rublev will out-hit, him.

How about that the American, Alex Michelsen, who won today. He is only 19 years old, and he lives in California. He is pretty tall, and he can crush the ball, but he is still pretty young, so when he has to face against Alexander Zverev , he is going to have to play every second.  

Both  Frances Tiafoe and Christopher Eubanks lost today.  again. Which of the U.S. American men will win a Slam this season, or even to do it in the ATP 1000? It is possible, but can they beat Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz? The challenge is on…