US Open picks: Thursday, August 31

Grigor Dimitrov
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

Andy Murray over Grigor Dimitrov
A long time ago, Murray won the U.S. Open, before he grabbed Wimbledon, twice, which was a huge deal, in London. Yet before that, on the hardcourts, he was young, and super steady, and he also was intense, all the time. Yet eventually, his body broken down, and he almost  retired. But while he is aging, he still looks pretty good. He is not perfect, but he can read how to do it the right way.

However, after three hours, he gets a little bit tired. The same goes is that the Bulgarian, Dimitrov, who has been playing for a king-sized time, but one point, he beat a number of the great players, and he could really mix i up. His one-handed backhand can be a blast, and his forehand can also smash it deep. But while he did reach into the Grand Slams semis, he has not been able to jump into the final. He probably won’t do it, but he does have a chance to go deep  into the second week. Murray knows that he doesn’t have a real chance to win the U.S. Open, but he can certainly have a great show. As he said: “I’m at my highest ranking since I had the metal hip put in so I’m happy with that,” said Murray. “It’s not been an easy journey and obviously I’d like to be ranked higher. This is the best I’ve played consistently since probably 2017.” On Thursday, Murray will take it in five, long sets, around 6-3, one break. 

Andrey Rublev over Gael Monfils
The Frenchman has had a fine summer, winning a bunch of matches. He is older, and Monfils  can get hurt a lot, but he has improved his second serve and his backhand, which were mediocre, year after year. He has changed, slightly, and also, he is more forceful.

However, the Russian is more powerful, with his hard forehand and his first serve. He is quicker, and he does like to move the ball around. Rublev has won a number of matches this year, and while he has know to freak out, he can re-think it. His coaches will tell him to be calm, as the crowds will be cheering for the popular Monfils, but in the fourth set, Rublev  will take it 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(5).

Madison Keys over Yanina Wickmayer
The American usually starts early, looking very good, swinging hard, and she will nail a number of winners. But gradually, at least the last couple years, she gets hurt, and then she looks slow on court. Keys will also miss a lot of errors, and then she will disappear. Hopefully she won’t at the U.S. Open, but there is along way to go. 

Believe it or not, Wickmayer was in the top 12, back in 2009, when she reached into the U.S. Open semis. She could outlast in the matches, with some fine strokes. However, she went down, and while she continues to win some good matches, at the small tournaments, she still has yet to knock down the best players. Therefore, Keys will win it in two, decent sets, 6-3, 6-3.

Daria Kasatkina

Sofia Kenin over Daria Kasatkina
Two days ago,  Kenin  looked sharp, winning a match with more than a few difficult shots, into the corners. She still is trying to get better, day after day, and the 2020  champion be confused, but she can focus. The Russian Kasatkina has had a very decent year, beating a number of people, but not against the top 10 players. She can be proper, and she does like to mix it up, but at times, her forehand can be too shorts. This is a toss-up, but Kenin will climb up, and win it 5-7, 6-4, 6-4.

Caroline Wozniacki wins first match in Montreal

Caroline Wozniacki
Ron Cioffi/TR

The former No. 1, Caroline Wozniacki, is back, in Montreal, which is a little bit odd, given that she retired. It appears that she just wanted to play again and win, a lot. She has won 30 titles, which is huge and her backhand was extremely good, but the reason why she only won one Grand Slam is because her forehand was so-so, and her her second serve, too.

Today, she beat Kimberly Birrell 6-2, 6-2, and she was thrilled, as she has not play for three and half years ago, a long time.

However, the 33-year-old Wozniacki was so consistent, and fast. But why did she decide to retire, thinking that it is time to go, forever. And then, gradually, she would think sure, I can hit the ball, have some sets, have some fun, and then go home. But one day, she would wake up, and then say, alright, now I can to win another Slam. Something that is really important.

“Can I win the US Open? I think so,” said Wozniacki, who has two young children. “Can I win the Australian Open [again]? I think so. That’s why I’m doing this. And I guess we’ll see what happens.”

I would say so, but she has only won one match this week. She has to work on the shots, gradually.

Or maybe she won’t come back into the No. 1 ever again, or even into the top 10. Look at another four-times Grand Slam winner, Kim Clijsters, who came back, but she could not win a match. On court, she was a wonderful player, but then she was just too slow. So then she retired again. That it a tough pill to swallow. 

However, the former Wimbledon winner, Frederik Lochte Nielsen, said about Wozniacki, “I’ve always said, never underestimate Caroline. She wouldn’t compete if she didn’t feel she could.”

How did Milos Raonic win a match on Monday in Toronto? Yes, long ago, he looked very good, winning eight titles, and he reached in the final at the 2016 Wimbledon. Even though he lost against Andy Murray, it was possible that eventually, he could grab it, and become No. 1. But he could do it, not just because he started to be injured a lot, but also, he wasn’t that fast, running, and his return was spotty.

But now, the Canadian finally came back, and the 32-year-old look very impressive when he beat Frances Tiafoe 6-7(12), 7-6(4), 6-3. He was thrilled, but it is just only one match. Or more.

Back in 2013 in Canada, Raonic reached the final, beating Juan Martin del Potro, and then he lost against Rafa Nadal. But in Canada, he was thrilled.

“I felt I was able to do my things well,” said Raonic, who won twice San Jose, in California. “I don’t feel I’m that far off from playing tennis that was reminiscent from two or three years ago. But it doesn’t mean that those things just click and transfer to matches. I still have to continue working hard in those moments and hopefully those things do come together.”

That it true, and maybe when you are more mature, then you can adjust it when you are playing in the matches. Not only did he win eight contests, in the ATP 250s and the 500s, but he reached into the 1000’s, three times. The last time was in Cincinnati in 2020, beating Stefanos Tsitsipas before he lost against the great player, Novak Djokovic, quickly. But that is how it does.

The American men had a tough day, when Gael Monfils played terrific in the third set, when he was very confident again, beating Christopher Eubanks 7-6(3) 6-7(4) 6-1. Eubanks has had a good year, but he will has to be more efficient on court.

Gael Monfils
Mal Taam/MALTphoeo

But Monfils looked excellent, in the third set, but the former 2008 Roland Garros semifinals became injured all the time, each year. He has never won a Grand Slam before, but he is older, so to win a Slam or an ATP 1000 would be shocking. However, in the third set Toronto, the very fast runner hit some blasting shots, including his fine forehand. Whether he can stay the rest of the year, with his sore legs, is questionable, but he had a cool at night.

“Every moment are tough. When you get on the court, it’s tough,” Monfils said. “Then when you know your tactic is not working, it’s tough. And then I don’t know what is worse, to miss completely the game when I was about to serve it out [in the second set], or when I choke with this forehand on the match point, or when I couldn’t even get this double break. So are tough. And at the end, the easiest one is when I won and I shake his hand. I never take granted any moment. So I just tried to stay the most positive that I could and try to be as cool as I can. And to be honest, it’s amazing. After 20 years, I can choke in a way. It means so much for me to win one match. And it was actually fun.”

Grand Slam before, but he is older, so to win a Slam or an ATP 1000 would be shocking. However, in the third set Toronto, the very fast runner hit some blasting shots, including his fine forehand. Whether he can stay the rest of the year, with his sore legs, is questionable, but he had a cool at night.

“Every moment are tough. When you get on the court, it’s tough,” Monfils said. “Then when you know your tactic is not working, it’s tough. And then I don’t know what is worse, to miss completely the game when I was about to serve it out [in the 2nd set], or when I choke with this forehand on the match point, or when I couldn’t even get this double break. So are tough. And at the end, the easiest one is when I won and I shake his hand. I never take granted any moment. So I just tried to stay the most positive that I could and try to be as cool as I can. And to be honest, it’s amazing. After 20 years, I can choke in a way. It means so much for me to win one match. And it was actually fun.”

The picks at Roland Garros; Tuesday, May 30

Shelby Rogers
Mal Taam/MALT photo

Picks were written before matches started.

Victoria Azarenka over Bianca Andreescu
At what point will the two time champion Azarenka will make it back into the semis at a Grand Slam? The former No. 1 has two gigantic shots, with her forehand and her backhand. She is darn aggressive, and she can make an attempt to hit it on the lines. However, she has slowed down during the last couple years, and she still becomes injury, pretty frequently. It is difficult to see if Azarenka can be healthy, through out during  the event. The same goes with the Canadian Andreescu, who was playing much better, but then she fell down, and she could not get up as her leg was almost busted. She had a full tear of two ligaments in her left ankle.

But Andreescu returned  this month, so perhaps she will continue to become better. Four years ago, she beat so many terrific matches, winning at the 2019 U.S. Open. It looked like that she would continue to rise, but she did not and that was the last time she won another  tournament. Is it possible that she can win a huge event, again? Maybe, but it is uncertain.  This contest will be very close, but in the third set, Azarenka will hit some deep shots, and she will win it, with a big smile on her face.

Gael Monfils over Sebastian Baez
Years ago, the Frenchman reached into the semis at Roland Garros, with some heavy strokes. He is one of the fastest runner, ever, and he can go way beyond the courts, and bring it back. However, his forehand can be titanic, but his backhand is so-so. He is decent with the return , and at the net, too, but the reason why he has never won an ATP Masters 1000. However,  at least he made it into the finals, three times. Maybe the 36-year-old can do it one more time? I doubt that, even though he is a super nice person, off court, but on court, he has been injured so many times. But as he said, “It will take time and I’m willing to be patient and persistent.”

This might be the last time next year at Roland Garros, but the most important is to stay for a few days, as long as Monfils can out-hit Baez. Last year, the Argentine  put together some phenomenal shots, but this year, the 22-year-old has not won two many matches against the very good players. He can be steady, and he can nail his forehand, but his serve and his return has been marginal. He does know that on the main court in front of the fans that he will have to pound it for hours.  Baez looks a little better now, but Monfils will be thrilled just to be on the court. He will, and Monfils will win it in five tough sets.
 
Shelby Rogers over Petra Martic 
Yes, Martic  can be very solid, and she can bash her backhand, but she is slowing down. The American Rogers is a massive player with her forehand, but at times. she misses a lot. However, on clay, she will beat  Martic in three, sizable, sets.

Taylor Fritz  over Michael Mmoh
The American men have known each other for a long time, but they have played only once, back in Memphis, indoors in February. That was   seven years ago, so it is totally different. Mmoh had his best event of all time, upsetting  Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open. He lost after that, but he was so thrilled. However he is ranked No. 123, so he still has more work to do.  Fritz is still struggling on the clay, but he seems to feel that he can turn it around. Fritz  will win it in three light sets.

Matt’s yesterday picks

Correct: Sloane Stephens over Karolina Pliskova
Correct: Elina Svitolina over Marina Treisan
Brandon Nakashima over Denis Shapovalov
Felix Auger-Aliassime over Fabio Fognini

Matt’s picks from Roland Garros

5 out of 8, 62.5% correct

The controversial Novak Djokovic

Simona Halep

The saga continues. No. 1 Novak Djokovic was currently denied to practice on court at the Australian Open, until Monday, when he was practicing with coach Goran Ivanišević

He was just sitting in a hotel for four days. Why because he has yet to be vaccinated against the vicious coronavirus. He might be healthy, but he decided not get the shots. There are consequences. So far, in the United States, some 770,000 have died from COVID-19.

Read this AP story.

Here is a portion of the story: “Regardless of how the whole ‘an unvaccinated Novak Djokovic goes to Australia’ saga concludes — and, despite a favorable court ruling, his status was still up in the air — there are plenty of key questions for the top-ranked tennis player to answer. … Of even more consequence: Such a move also could result in Djokovic being barred from Australia for three years.”

Without a doubt, that is a gigantic risk by Djokovic, if he loses against the judge this week, he will have to leave and he won’t play at the Grand Slam. Wow.

WTA player, Czech Renata Voracova is in the same hotel with Djokovic. The 38-year-old played last week in Melbourne, and all of a sudden, they came to her and said she had to go into the quarantine. Now she cannot leave, to practice or play, until she can clear it.

She said that at the hotel, there are heavy security. “There are guards everywhere, even under the window, which is quite funny. Maybe they thought I would jump out and run away,” she said. “They [the guards] really weren’t rude or vulgar. But some quarantine practices are not pleasant. You have to report in, everything’s rationed. I feel a little like I’m in prison.”

The week’s action
The Canadians won the ATP Cup with Denis Shapovalov and Felix Auger-Aliassime. That was huge, and they are lurking in the top 5 this year. They will be even more confident going into the Aussie Open.

In Adelaide, Rafa Nadal won the title, edging the American Maxime Cressy 7-6(6) 6-3. Nadal could not play during the fall due to his injury, but now he looks good again. But will he be able to sustain that level through the Aussie Open?

It was a stunner that Cressy made it into the final, but he finally has become more consistent, and he can crush the ball.

The No. 1 Ash Barty is trucking, winning the singles over Elena Rybakina.She also won the doubles with Storm Sanders.

At Melbourne 1, the former No. 1 Simona Halep won it all She was hurt last year. She still really likes to bring it and she will be a force are the Aussie Open. Another American, Amanda Anisimova grabbed the title at Melbourne 2, her first career crown. The 20-year-old can scamper.

At the age of 35 Gael Monfils also lifted the title in Adelaide. He beat Karen Khachanov in the final, when he smoked his forehand.

One last question: Where is Peng Shuai? Let us not forget her predicament. The governments should find her and make sure that she is safe.

Nice titles but great competitors don’t play 250s/Internationals

Gael Monfils

Was last week a positive one for pro tennis? Oh, sure, props to the winners, Gael Monfils, Kyle Edmund, Casper Ruud, Kiki Bertens and Magda Linette. They all had terrific tournaments, because they won. And I am sure that they are extremely happy.

However, the vast top competitors did not play last week. None of those five winners have won a Grand Slam. They may never do that.

It is very rare that the best players — the Slam winners —play the ATP 250s or the WTA Internationals. It is super rare, especially for the men. More of the top women play the Internationals because the WTA doesn’t have as many tournaments as the ATP.

With the guys, they are supposed to play all the four Grand Slams, and the ATP Masters 1000s— let alone the ATP Finals. That means they have to play at least nine ATP events, in total, so you have to compete 13 tournaments combined.

The fantastic players, such as Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer, can skip the 1000s, because they have gone very deep everywhere on hardcourts, clay and grass. Their number of points are huge, which is why that Djokovic, Nadal and Federer are No.1, No. 2 and No. 3. They rarely play the 250s. At the 500s, they will play a little bit, during the year, such as Acapulco, or Barcelona and Switzerland. But after that, exactly when and why? Also, with the women, Serena Williams loves playing the Slams, which is why she has won 23 majors. But, playing other events, there were years when she would pull out, because she didn’t want to go. The big players just want to stay home.

In 2019, Djokovic only played one 500, in Tokyo, not three. So, two of them provided no points. But he is No. 1, so it really doesn’t matter. The same thing went with Nadal, who got hurt in 2019, and he couldn’t play three times at the 1000s, but he wanted to regain No. 1. He did in the fall after he won Canada and the U.S. Open.

Federer is 38 years old, and he is always thinking how to handle his schedule. In 2019, he decided that he wouldn’t play at two 1000s: Canada and Paris. In the ATP Tour 500s, he did play Dubai, Halle and Basel, winning all of them. That is all good, but Federer had three zeros, and because of that, a lot of people won’t bother attending the 250s. Why? When he isn’t there, the fans are disappointed so they won’t go.

If you are an owner of those tournaments, how will you bring in the fans when you aren’t sure who is playing? There are thousands of people who love tennis, and they will go to the events just to watch them. But, those people – the diehard fans – truly understand what tennis is, with the rallies, the strokes, and how fast they are running. It is amazing. Truly.

This is reality; at the 250s [the men], and the Internationals [the women], that I have seen, over the past 27 years, there weren’t many fans at the events, especially early during the day. I mean, not much.

During the spring, on Monday through Thursday in the afternoon, there are very few people at the events. At night, it is a little better, but not much. It is not only that certain people are working and cannot go, but also because in order to take a day off, they have to know who is playing and is it worth it? A few, or some, will do it, but it is pretty rare.

That has happened when I started writing tennis, and doing radio, and still goes on today. You can’t pretend. But, it was packed during the weekend, here and there. There were more people to watch the semis and the finals, especially in California, where I live. But before that…ugh.

At the ATP Tour 250s and the WTA Internationals, it hasn’t changed at all. The owners have tried, for sure, but it is extremely difficult to get attendance to watch the “unknown” players. Without sponsorship and TV income, these smaller tournament would rarely survive.

So once again, props to Monfils, Edmund, Ruud, Bertens and Linette, for winning the event, but none of them have reached the Slam finals yet and maybe they never will. Or maybe they will play fantastic for seven matches and shock the world. That would be very surprising, but I cannot see it.

Monday magic in the rounds of 16

FROM WIMBLEDON —

John Isner vs Stefanos Tsisipas
We are talking about John Isner, still here at Wimbledon. As he has said, he has lost many so long, very close matches over the years, all in the fifth sets, going down against Marin Cilic, Jo Tsonga, Alejandro Falla and Dudi Sela. But finally, this week, he pushed himself, he served huge, and for him — which is very unusual — he actually returned very well.
The 19-year-old Tsisipas is very young, and apparently, he is pretty good. He is 6 foot 4, and he has already cracked the top 30. He can get frustrated, but he is a big, healthy hitter. Isner has to get on top of him early. The American will in four sets.

Karolina Pliskova vs Kiki Bertens
This should be a doozy. Pliskova has finally reached in the second week at Wimbledon. She has done deep at the US Open, Roland Garros and the Aussie Open. But, on the grass, she checked out. Not anymore. Bertens is also knocking on the door. She is strong and agile. They played in Stuttgart, and in the first round, Kvitova crushed her. However, Bertens kept chucking along. She won Charleston, on the hard courts, and reached the final in Madrid on clay. Now, on grass, the Dutch player has a more positive attitude. While Bertens can push the Czech, Pliskova will out serve her in two long sets.

Roger Federer vs Adrian Mannarino
Federer is just moving along, side to side, front and back, so casually. Mannarino has been smart at times; he can chop it, and whack the ball. Once again, Federer has all the tools, especially when he is playing extremely well. He likes to be creative, and he is very happy when he is bombing serves. Federer will win in three sets.

Serena Williams vs Evgeniya Rodina
During the first week, even though she was struggling, Serena was totally in control. That is why she has moved into the second week — many, many times. Serena might be a little off, but her first serve is gigantic, she can hustle, and she can blast her forehand. 

Rodina has been around a long time. She is almost 30 years old. While the Russian has never been great, this week, she kept fighting and battling. She stunned Madison Keys. But that’s different, because as Keys said, she was looking ahead, which was a bad move. Rodina will push her again, but Serena is substantially better than she is, so the American will win in an easy contest.

Julia Goerges vs Donna Vekic
German Goerges has become so much more dependable than she used to be. The Croatian is more consistent, she really loves the grass, and she can hit it very hard from both sides. Goerges has finally reached the top 10, and she really thinks — finally — that she belongs there. While Vekic is hungry, but so is Goerges, who wants to move up. She will win in two sets.

Kevin Anderson vs Gael Monfils
This should be a terrific contest between the two vets. Anderson is quicker, his backhand has improved, and he is thoughtful. When Monfils is healthy, he is so much fun to watch him. His backhand has gotten been a little bit stronger, and at the net, he loves to dive and put it away.

I am somewhat surprised that Anderson finally understands how to play at Wimbledon. It took him awhile but now he is right there. There will be few rallies, but Anderson will survive in four sets.

Milos Raonic vs Mackenzie McDonald
I have see Raonic many, many times, but I haven’t seen McDonald much. He has now cracked the top 100, which is better than nothing, but after he left UCLA when they won the 2016 NCAA Championships, it was time to move up. He has worked and worked, and now, he is hitting harder with depth.

However, Raonic is much older, he knows grass, and he is very smart when he is serving, as well whacking his forehand. The Canadian is pretty calm against the younger players, so he will win in straight sets.

Camila Giorgi vs Ekaterina Makarova
Is this a tossup? Possibly. The Italian scrambles and then she leaps in the air and puts it away. The Russian is a natural strong person, and while last year she was out of it mentally, now she is much more composed.

While Giorgi likes to run, she cannot crush the serves like Makarova can. This will go three. The Russian will raise her game and win it, but it will be very close. Super close.

The cool vets: American Querrey to face Frenchman Monfils

FROM WIMBLEDON — Sam Querrey is lurking. The big hitter will have to face the other good — or at times, great — Gael Monfils. The American has a gigantic serve and forehand, and now, he is pretty decent at the net. That is why he is currently No. 11. He is a happy, go-lucky person.

The same goes with the Frenchman, who doesn’t lover grass. When he is mentally sound, he can throw in his massive first serve, whale on his forehand, and he is so, so fast, running up and back. There will be some short points. Whomever can read the other’s strengths and weaknesses will win, in five tough sets. It will be Querrey.

Serena Williams is rising, slowly but surely. On Friday, she will go up against Kristina Mladenovic, which could be a fun match. The Parisian hasn’t played very well during the last year. She loves to crack the ball, and she can rush the net a lot, but she is erratic, and she is not too quick. But she is really looking forward to challenging Williams.

“Well, I expect a very difficult match. Even if [Serena] on her way back, I definitely think she’s a favorite of our match. If she plays her best, she’s, for me, the best in our sport. And, first of all, it’s great to see her back even after giving birth. It’s great for tennis. It’s a very big privilege to play her, especially at this stage. We kind of both earned two matches to get to the third round, so will be a very nice challenge. I’m not getting too excited. I just would like to be able to produce my game and what I have been working on for some weeks now.”

I would think that Serena will win in straight sets, but maybe Mladenovic will shock her. She has to attack quickly and often.

Thursday Picks

Alexandra Zverev vs Taylor Fritz
No. 4 Zverev is incredibly powerful, with his first serve, with his forehand and backhand, down the line or crosscourt. Over the past two years, he has improved by becoming much more consistent. The San Diego native Fritz is also young and is pretty bright. He is also powerful, and he likes to go for it. Neither of them totally understand how to play at Wimbledon yet, but Zverev will win in four sets.

Jelena Ostapenko vs Kirsten Flipkens
The Belgian Flipkens has been around forever. She has gone deep at Wimby, as she loves to mix it up, to spin it, to whack it. The former 2017 RG champ Ostapenko is still learning, as she is very young and while she can blast the balls everywhere, still, she makes a lot of mistakes. Flipkens will fool her, and take her out in three sets.

Stephens knocks down Azarenka, rising again?

INDIAN WELLS – American Sloane Stephens finally looked very good, turning around a nasty stretch of losses following her 2017 US Open victory. Over the past six months, she was out of it, physically and mentally. But finally, her body feels OK, and a little bit more confident. She beat Vika Azarenka 6-1, 7-5, which is very good, given that Belarusian had knocked Stephens out of the Aussie Open three times without dropping a set. But this time, Stephens was not only consistent, but lethal.

She says that this year, she won’t push herself because in 2016, she became seriously injured and she was out for almost an entire year.  Stephens doesn’t want to do that again.

“I’m going to listen to my body and make sure that I can do everything possible not to get injured again and make sure that I take care of myself mentally and physically the best way I know how,” she said. “Whatever schedule I play is what I play.

Obviously nothing’s ever set in stone. You can say, ‘Oh, I want to play here,’ and then not get enough matches and you want to play a different tournament. It’s kind of up in the air. My main priority is just making sure that I’m good and just staying happy.”

The two-time major champ Angie Kerber wore down Ekaterina Makarova, and on Monday, she will face defending champ Elena Vesnina. Kerber is the fav, but the Russian Vesnina has improved a lot in the past two years. … The 22-year-old Maria Sakkari upset Coco Vandeweghe, a great win by Greek, but a sloppy day by the American…
Karolina Pliskova dug deep to win in three sets over Shuai Zhang, who was seeded 32. The Czech stood strong, even though they went into a brutal third set. Can she go deep? Impossible to know with her, but if she does, watch out. …  20-year-old Jelena Ostapenko is skidding, losing against to the vet Petra Martic is straight sets. Maybe the Roland Garros champion need to relax once in a while.

The Men
Novak Djokovic showed up and did little more than that. He walked on the court against Taro Daniel and made so many errors, try 62. He lost and as he says he is mentally all over the place. However, he just started playing again, so give him some time, like a few more months. Then we will know how good he can really be again. … Gael Monfils took down John Isner. When the Frenchman is playing well, the fans will love watching him play. Isner has only won one match this year and seven losses and lost his confidence. … Brit Kyle Edmund returned after five weeks off due to injury, and he lost Dudi Sela. Still, Edmund should continue to improve. … Another difficult turn of events when Kei Nishikori pulled out. He is hurt all time. “I’m still not strong enough to go play a match. I’m very sorry as I love this tournament,” he said. Will he try to play Miami? Maybe not.

2018 Aussie Open, The Picks, Day 4


Novak Djokovic vs Gael Monfils

It has been a long time that Novak has been on court. He’s been hurt physically, as well as mentally. On Tuesday, when he walked on court, you figure his first thought was that he was finally back.

He sure is. The former No. 1 is an excellent player, who has improved so much over the past decade. But now, he has to re-charge his battery. 

The funny Gael is a veteran player and he has reached the semis twice at Roland Garros. Every year, I thought if he was healthy, he could win a major. When he is focused, he is phenomenal. But he has not changed his tactics, especially because he lives too far behind the baseline and his backhand is marginal. 

That is why Djokovic is better; without a doubt, his backhand is substantially better, and he hits it very deep. He is super-intense. Novak will win in four sets, but it should be some terrific points.     

Simona Halep vs Genie Bouchard
The Romanian Halep is No. 1, which is just fine, but she has yet to win a Grand Slam. She absolutely has to. She has come very close, but in the finals at the majors, she backs off and inside in her head, she blinks. And then she is gone.

However, Halep moves so well, and she runs and runs without getting tired. She is incredibly strong. 

Now Halep has to go up against the Canadian Bouchard, who was stunningly good in 2014, when she reached the final at Wimbledon and in the semis at the Aussie Open. She is a huge hitter, and moves forward like an animal. But over the last three years, Bouchard has played terrible. Last year, she did win a couple events, but other than that, she was losing in the first round all the time.

Right now, she is barely in the top 100, considering that in 2014, she was ranked No. 5.  That is kind of crazy, given that more or less, her body is just fine. One day, she could rise, but Genie has to become much more mature. Go out and battle and forget about the negatives all the time. But even if Bouchard players very well, Halep will out steady her. Simona will win in straight sets.

Federer wins over Kei: ‘I tried with variation, serve and volley’

Photo: Mal Taam/MALTphoto

AUSTRALIAN OPEN, Jan 23 — Roger Federer is 35 years old, and hasn’t won a major since 2012. But he does have won 17 Grand Slams — a record.

Last year, for the first time, his body was breaking down. After he lost at Wimbledon, it was time https://www.viagrasansordonnancefr.com/ou-acheter-du-viagra/ to go home.

For the rest of the year.

He played with his little kids all the time, but he was also training hard. When he came in January, he was excited and strong. Federer was ready to roll — again.

He overcame Kei Nishikori in the fifth set  — 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 — at the Australian Open in the fourth round and is feeling fantastic. He was so excited. Imagine that.

“I felt great in the fifth, I must say,” Federer said. “Great energy. Even deep into the fourth I thought, ‘Yeah, fifth, here we go, no problem for me.’

“I’m feeling good about my chances. I was playing positive tennis, I was playing offensive. My body was reacting. I was playing way better than the first couple of rounds where I put in a lot of mental energy to stay with my opponents, figure them out, how were they going to play, how were the conditions going to be, understand the comeback, really. I’m in the tournament. I was able to focus point per point on my opponent, on the tactics. That didn’t drain me much. I felt great in the fifth, which I’m very happy about.”

Nishikori, who is ranked No. 5 but has never won a major, did attack as much as he could. He smacked his two-handed backhand as aggressively as he could, but the one-handed backhand from Federer was kissing the lines.

“You’re kind of mentally prepared for it. If I [didn’t] know Kei, ‘let me see how his backhand is,’ ” Federer said. “Every time it comes in flying really quickly with a lot of angle, a lot of pace, I would be caught. I would probably lose because I wouldn’t have expected it.

“Because I know Kei now, I’ve seen him a lot of matches, it helps. I think it’s wonderful how he can wait till the last moment to change direction, also the way he finds angle cross-court. He’s one of the few that can actually do it with power. His left hand must be very strong. He wrestles the ball there.
I tried with variation, I tried with serve and volley, or maybe not playing there so much, slice when I can. Sometimes it’s so hard that you cannot get under the ball so well. But I thought actually I hit my backhand very well tonight, which has probably won me the match for once, my backhand.”

Federer does like Australia quite a bit. In 2010, he blitzed the excellent players, whipping out Jo Tsonga and Andy Murray to win the events. However, after that, the Swiss was unable to win the tournament again. Novak Djokovic began to dominate, winning and has won six titles in Melbourne. But Novak was stunned a few days ago, the same goes with Andy Murray on Sunday.

Maybe Federer can win a major again, but it’s not easy when you are a little slow. The older you get, the slower you are.

Federer and the 14-time Grand Slam Rafa Nadal could face off in the final, but they both have a long way to go. Nadal moved another step closer, knocking out Gael Monfils in four sets Monday.

In 2014 in the semis of the Aussie Open, Rafa yanked him around and won in three sets. In 2012, the Spaniard cracked Federer in the semis in four sets. In 2009, Nadal won the event, overcoming Fed in the final, 7-5 3-6 7-6(3) 3-6 6-2.

If they meet, maybe Federer can change the tactics?

But first, he has to beat Mischa Zverev and then very likely, Stan Wawrinka.

“I felt like if Rafa and myself can be healthy, yes, you can expect that,” Federer said. “That Novak and Andy are not [left], that is a big surprise. I never thought that Mischa Zverev [who upset Murray] and [Denis] Istomin would beat those two big guys. I guess it’s good for tennis, that a lot of guys believe that the top guys are beatable, are vulnerable, especially on a faster court. It happened completely in different circumstances. But two huge surprises. No doubt about that.”