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2018 Aussie Open, the Picks, Day 14, the men’s final

January 28, 2018 by Leave a Comment

It is pretty obvious that Federer is a big favorite against versus Cilic. Yes, the Croatian did upset the Swiss in the 2014 US Open semifinal. Marin played spectacular, while Roger played below his high standard. But props to Cilic, who won the event, the first time and the only time. However, mentally, he was so focused and he swung away, anywhere he wanted to do.

But beyond that, Federer is clearly better than he is. He has beaten Cilic eight times. Last year, he crushed him in the 2017 Wimbledon final — although Cilic was physically hurt — and the Federer knocked him off in the third set during the ATP Finals in London.

At the Australian Open on Sunday, the battle is on the hard courts and, for the first time, that they will face off in Melbourne. They have played each other many time – at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000s. Federer beat him in Paris, Monte Carlo, China and Canada. So really, the tall and his huge serves can be very good, but how is Cilic going to fool him when they start to rally? That is a huge question.

Cilic does have a small opportunity, but he is going to have to be much more aggressive, hit the balls very deep and put it away whenever he gets a chance, when he goes for it.

Federer has an incredible variety as he covers the court, dominating both with his forehand and his backhand, slicing, with spin, and flatting it out. The 19-time Grand Slam Federer almost knows everything. Well, not everything, but darn close.
 
But you know what, once in a while, you can go on court and you can play like garbage. Even if you try so hard, still, your racket doesn’t want to play today, it wants to go home now. It has happened to everyone — even with the great Roger Federer.

Will that happen with the Swiss who has shown some anger and upset? I doubt it, because that has been very rare. But let us imagine that Cilic will come on court and begin to play as well as he can. And then, he wins the first set. Now he is thinking that he has a real chance to win. He can feel it. But, if Cilic loses in the first set, see ya.
 
Let’s imagine that after the first set, the Croatian was really into it. However, Federer will be composed, he will begin to improve rapidly, and then all of sudden, he was right there, kissing the lines, all the time. Federer wins the second set easily, and in the third set, it was darn close. Fed can use his sweet serve and it will beimpossible for Cilic to touch them. In the fourth set, Federer will fly away. 

Mr. Rog will win the Aussie Open again, and he will have 20 Grand Slams. Just, as many people say, ‘A-maaazing!”

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2018 Aussie Open, The Picks, Day 11

January 25, 2018 by Leave a Comment


Caro Wozniacki vs Elise Mertens
We all know who Caro is, but who is Elise? In the semis of the Aussie Open? Clearly, she is very talented and driven. She is pretty quick, stable and she focuses. As long as she is healthy, the 22-year-old will be around for another decade, moving closer into the top 10. Or the top 5. Or No. 1, someday. We don’t know yet. 

But we do know that Wozniacki has been there since the dawn of time. That is a joke, but really, she has played hundred of matches, and even when she started 10 years ago she was already so quick and her backhand was phenomenally good. Hopefully, she won’t get super nervous at the Grand Slams because she has won many important tournaments, but she hasn’t won a Slam yet. Eventually, I would think she will. But, at the AO this week, she is not the overall favorite until she finally grabs a major.

Caro will win this match against Mertens, because Wozniacki will breath and crack her first serve and her heavy backhand. Wozniacki will win in straight sets.

Simona Halep vs Angie Kerber
Two days ago, I thought that both Halep and Kerber would have have to play many hours against Karolina Pliskova and Madison Keys. But, both contests wer super short, because Simona and Angie played spectacularly good. While the other two couldn’t find the solution. 
Hopefully, later tonight, both Halep and Kerber will play extremely well and then, it will be a heck of a match. Both are very strong, fast and super consistent. They move quickly side-to-side. They hit crosscourt and down the line. Neither of them like to go to the net, and neither of them have a huge first serves, but they return so well. They move forward and jump of the balls. 

This fortnight is a huge opportunity. Still, this is a real pick-em. The two-time Grand Slam champion Kerber is totally locked in. Angie will win in three fantastic sets.

Marin Cilic vs Kyle Edmund
A toss-up? Maybe. We all know that Cilic studies hard, he mixes it up, and when his body is feeling good, he can swing away. He has a gigantic serve, a massive forehand and his backhand down the line, has improved over the year. Until last year, Edmund was up and down mentally. When he was close to winning over the good players, he would hit some crazy shots and lose. But now, not only can he hit some huge shots, he is also very steady and he could make better decisions.

The Brit has already won a few marathons against some excellent players. The former 2014 US Open champion Cilic wants to reach to the final in Melbourne — badly. He will win in four tough sets.

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2017 top players: men’s 6-10

December 16, 2017 by Leave a Comment

TennisReporters.net will review 2017’s top 30 women and men, our annual feature.

No. 6: Marin Cilic
The Serbian was extremely consistent this year, even though here and there, he gets frustrated and over-hits. Still, when he is running, the big man has become a little faster moving left and right. Obviously, he is a gigantic hitter, but he has to be more patient. He did reach the final at Wimbledon, which was progress, but Roger Federer smoked him. In the last tournament, at the ATP Finals, he lost three matches and he appeared to be pretty tired. Can he win another Slam at the 2018? Possible, if he is adds to his game.

No. 7: David Goffin
This Belgian still hasn’t won a big title yet. The veteran has become more aggressive, his first serve has become stronger, and, of course, his speed is a weapon. Yes, he couldn’t like to talk at the Grand Slams, thinking that pressure will be in his head, but he has calmed down and he doesn’t give up immediately. He did stun Federer in the semis at the ATP Finals, playing nearly perfectly. The same with at the Davis Cup final at his home. He won both matches, but they lost 3-2 against France. Not easy for Goffin. Can he win a ATP 1000 and/or a Grand Slam? Yes, he will win an ATP 1000 — somewhere —  but to win a Slam? I just can’t see it.

No. 8: Jack Sock
Who would have though that the American was about to play extremely well, match after match? There was a long stretch of six months when he couldn’t get into it, losing early, week after week. But in November, he began to turn it around. Suddenly, he won the ATP 1000 in Paris. Somehow, he made it to the ATP Finals — a shocker, as he said — and in London, he beat Goffin and Alexandr Zverev, before he lost in the final against Grigor Dimitrov. Look, he is not very young, and he isn’t very old. Right in the middle. I would think that in 2018, he will continue to lift it  — like his returning — and in the summer, he will be ranked No. 5. Pretty good, huh?

No. 9: Stan Wawrinka
After Wimbledon, the three-time Grand Slam champion was done. His body had collapsed and he was unable to play the rest of the year. But before that, he was pretty darn good, losing a classic match at the Aussie against Federer in a very fun five sets. At Roland Garros, he took down Andy Murray in the semis, but in the final, Rafa Nadal over powered him. Without a doubt, over the past three years in the Slams, he has been so exciting, displaying so many different strokes. Assuming he is healthy, he will win a Slam in 2018. Wow.

No. 10: Pablo Carrera Busta
The Spaniard has improved a good amount this season, reaching the US Open semis, the quarters at Roland Garros and the final at Rio. Plus, he won Estoril. Pretty good. Over the past decade, he has been very steady, but he decided that when he got an opportunity, he would go for it, both with his forehand and backhand. Sometimes that worked, but he still wants to be very steady, which often slows down his progress. In order to win a major, he has to rush at the net, improve his second serve and, when he is feeling good, go for his shots. Can he win a Grand Slam? I doubt it, but he can reach the final.

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2017 US Open: Can Federer and Nadal face off in semis?

August 29, 2017 by Leave a Comment

FROM THE US OPEN –It is very unusual that there are five top-10 competitors who are unable to compete at the US Open. All of them are hurt, badly hurt, so it is possible that they won’t play for the rest of the year:  Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka, Milos Raonic and Kei Nishikori. We could talk about it for hours; why are they so injured, why do they play too much, are they finally breaking down? We’ll leave that for another day, after the USO.

The First Quarter

Rafa Nadal is ranked No. 1 — which is great — but on the hard courts, he is very decent, but he is not spectacular. The Spaniard did reach the final at the Australian Open and IW, but he went to down to Roger Federer. Nadal has beaten the Swiss many times over the years, but this season, Federer’s backhand had improved a lot, so now, the lefty has to hit it harder.

Nadal should be able to reach the semis, but it will be difficult, to say the least. Remember last year in the US Open, when he was up two sets to zero versus Fabio Fognini and, all of a sudden, the Italian got hot, and in the fifth set, Nadal panicked and lost. Now, he could face Fognini again, in the round of 16. That could be a fantastic match, except that while Fognini has played some terrific ball, but he likely will have to play Tomas Berdych in the third round — who is struggling —  but a true veteran.
Whoever wins, Nadal will beat them up, and in the quarters, he will face Grigor Dimitrov or Gael Monfils. Dimitrov just won Cincy, the first time won an ATP 1000, so he is extremely confident. He will out-hit Monfils in a long match, and then go up against Nadal. The Spaniard knows that he has to crush Dimitrov’s one-handed backhand. He will, but it will be super close. Nadal wins in a delicious five setter.  

SEMIS: RAFA NADAL

The Second Quarter

Here goes Federer, who really wants to win the USO. The 19-time Grand Slam champion has played incredibly well, on the hard courts and grass. He has tremendous confidence, he can hit anything. However, just like Nadal, he has some tough draws. He might have to face the lefty, Feli Lopez, in the third round. Lopez loves to slice, he hits a big first serve and he will come to the net. But it doesn’t really matter, because Federer will figure it out, easily. In the fourth round, Federer will have to go up against Nick Kyrgios, who once again, is rising up. Assuming that he is healthy, the Aussie will be ready to rumble. He has beaten all the top players, so when he is into it, he can kiss the lines. However, in the fifth set, Federer will be patient, while the Aussie will over-anxious.

Fed will move into the quarters, and it is very difficult to find out who will play. Maybe Juan Martin del Potro, Roberto Bautista Agut or Dominic Thiem. Throw in Thiem, who can really center the ball on his racquet, but he still hasn’t learned how to play on the hard court. Federer will in straight sets.

SEMIS: ROGER FEDERER
 
The Third Quarter

This bracket is fascinating. There are three seeded American players — Sam Query, John Isner and Jack Sock — and two German brothers, Alexander and Mischa Zverev. Isner will face M. Zverev is the third round, which should be a string over very short points. Isner has finally started to play the right way for six weeks, and now he thinks he can get ever further at the USO. He has been around for many years, getting upset when he isn’t playing the right way. But now, he has improved his backhand and at the net — when he gets up there. M. Zverev is finally healthy, which is good, but he has trouble returning.

Isner will face Querrey, his old buddy, in the fourth round. Querrey is rising again, with his forehand, his serve and, now, his return. They have hit with each other in practices hundreds of time. It really is a tossup, so pick Querrey, who is mentally sound.

A. Zverev has already shown that he can beat just about anymore, upsetting Federer in the final at Montreal. He is very young, but he is a huge serve and swings so hard with his forehand and backhand. He should be able to beat Kevin Anderson and Gilles Muller. In the quarters against Querrey, it should be close, with amazing serves. The 20-year-old Zverev aces the American in the fifth set.       

SEMIS: A. ZVEREV

The Fourth Quarter

Who knows will reach the semis? Maybe the former US Open champ Marin Cilic? The former No. 5 Jo Tsonga? The new, very young Denis Shapovalov of Canada? The good Frenchman Lucas Pouille? Even though Cilic was hurt last month, he looks OK. We think.
 
SEMIS: CILIC

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Cilic to bounce back from Wimbledon tears

August 3, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Photos source: Marin Cilic via Facebook.

As Marin Cilic tried, but failed, to hold back the tears on court during the Wimbledon final, most of the viewers sympathised with his plight. The meeting with Roger Federer marked one of the biggest moments of the Croat’s career, and his inability to deliver his best game because of injury was devastating on both a personal and sporting level. Yet the drama of the tears should not divert attention from what was a terrific tournament for Cilic.

Cilic was at the top of his game for most of the tournament, carrying on the form that took him to the final at Queen’s a couple of weeks previously. He battled past Rafael Nadal’s conqueror Gilles Muller, and powered past Andy Murray’s tormentor Sam Querrey. In the final, conditions conspired against Cilic and he was unable to add a Wimbledon trophy to his US Open title from 2014. However, he will be emboldened by the knowledge that his top level is as good as anyone else’s on tour currently.

Cilic is available at odds of around 15/1 across bookmakers, marked as the leader of the pack behind the big five players. That five could become four with Novak Djokovic sparking rumours of missing the US Open due to injury, but nevertheless, the prices available suggest that a likely winner will come from the usual suspects of Murray, Nadal, Stan Wawrinka and Federer. Therefore bettors could be advised to treat the longer shot of Cilic as a risk-free punt by utilising the free bet no deposit offers detailed by Oddschecker. Yet it looks the stranglehold of the fantastic five on the sport is loosening its grip.

Whilst Federer has had an unprecedented resurgence to the peak of his game, his fitness will inevitably catch up with him soon. Nadal is a different proposition on clay courts compared to other surfaces, such as the hard courts of the US Open. Djokovic has his aforementioned physical worries, and Murray appears to be suffering from similar fatigue. As for Wawrinka, on his day he is unbeatable but his days are few and far between. Therefore the stage is set for an outsider such as Cilic to surge to glory.

Cilic has the benefit of being a Grand Slam winner already, an honour only shared by Juan Martin Del Potro outside of the game’s elite. Del Potro is a magnificent player but his fitness is always a concern. Meanwhile, the younger prospects like Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev and Lucas Pouille seem to be slightly short of the mental fortitude required to triumph at a slam. Their time may well come, but for now it looks like there is an opportunity for Cilic to add to his Grand Slam collection. If he were to meet Federer in the final at the US Open, then Cilic will not be intimidated. Federer at Wimbledon is almost legendary, but Cilic will back himself to take down any opposition at the US Open if he can turn up in top form.

Jennifer Carson is a recent sports journalism graduate and an avid follower of squash, tennis and lacrosse. She has previously written for publications including the Mansfield and Ashfield Chad and the Derby Telegraph.

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Wimbledon final: Federer is the favorite, but can Cilic shock Roger?

July 16, 2017 by Leave a Comment

How good is Marian Cilic right now? Very good? Incredibly good? Fantastically good? 

It’s very hard to tell, because in the 13 days at Wimbledon, he has been more mature, his forehand is finally consistent again, his serve is gigantic, and he is very forceful at the net.

But he can actually stun Roger Federer? He did upset the Swiss almost three years ago in the semis at the US Open. But that was it, because Federer has beat him six times, on hard courts and clay, and obviously, the 18-time Grand Slam champion can changed it inside the court and mix it up until the Croatian gets frustrated. On occasion, that can happen with Federer, but it is very rare, and even when he is not feeling the ball, he has so many different shots, which is why he has won 85 titles, and Cilic has grabbed 17 titles. That is a huge difference.

The 28-year-old Croatian says he is playing almost perfectly, and that if he plays as good as he can, he will have an opportunity to win it. Maybe, but if Federer plays great, then he will beat Cilic, hands down. 

The 35-year-old Federer might be a little older, but he has always been so quick, he can bend down so low and see everything coming at him. His forehand is better than anyone on the tour, his backhand has so much variety, and his serve is amazing. It is big, it twists and it moves to the left, to the right and down the middle to knock at his opponent’s his chest. At the net, there are times that Federer misses it, but still, he is right on top of the net and can put it away.

Look, Federer is a huge favorite. This season, he has been almost perfect. His body is just fine, he is strong and he is extremely happy. 

Cilic will try as hard as he can, but that doesn’t mean that he can out-hit him and wear him down. Federer can, and he will, take his record eighth Wimbledon title in four sets. That will be 19 Grand Slams for “Rog.” Phenomenal.

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Phenomenal Federer crushes Raonic, to face Berdych in semis

July 13, 2017 by Leave a Comment


Wimbledon, Day 11 — Roger Federer keeps on cook’n. The Swiss essentially destroyed Milos Raonic 6-4 6-2 7-6(4). Going into the match, Raonic thought he could beat him into his own game, but Federer out-thought him; he was so precise, his serve was excellent, he could mix it around or hammer it. Spin, slice, drop shots, essentially, anything he wanted to.

Once again, the 36-year-old Federer is already the clear favorite to win Wimbledon. If he wins on Sunday, he will have 19 Grand Slams. That is beyond phenomenal.

“I can’t believe it’s 100 matches. It’s a lot but I’m very happy my body has kept me going all these years,” said Federer about playing in his 100th Wimbledon match. “You have to make sure you average is as high as possible every day and I think I’m doing a great job this week.”

Raonic, who reached the final last year at SW19, said that he tried, but he couldn’t shake him.

“He kept a very high gear the whole entire time without giving many real glimpses. I think that was the most defeating thing,” the Canadian said.

On Friday in the semis, Federer has to play Tomas Berdych, who moved on after Novak Djokovic retired in the second set with an arm injury. That is a tough blow for Djokovic, who can’t find out exactly what he needs to do, and why? His body hurts, and he isn’t sure which way he should hit the ball. He has to sit down and really think about how he should approach it. Win or lose, he has to take a deep breath and think…

Good for Berdych, who was pretty slow early this year, but he is getting better and better. He did reach the final here before, so maybe the Czech has a chance to upended Federer. Yes, Berdych has beaten him few times, but not a lot (18-6 for the Swiss, 1-1 at Wimbledon). So Tomas has to change a few tactics and jump on the Swiss as fast as he can.

I am not shocked that Andy Murray lost, going down against the American, Sam Querrey, 3-6 6-4 6-7(4) 6-1 6-1. Look, we all knew that Murray was out of it this season. He has been OK, but not great, and clearly, his hip is very sore and he cannot run as he used to. If he can rest, and be patient, and feel 100 percent, then yes, eventually, he can win a Grand Slam again. But if he wants to play all the time, and he isn’t 100 percent because his body is a little bit messed up, then maybe he cannot win some huge events for a long time.

It is up to Murray.

He loves tennis, and he loves competing, but when you get older, you have to stop once in a while. Then, when you return, you can be healthy. Just like Federer…

That is a huge win by Querrey. It took him 10 years to reach a Grand Slam semi. Finally, he has improved his speed and his backhand. Plus, when he gets up to the net, he can put it away. He is a happy-go-lucky boy/man, and he smiles a lot, but tonight, he is thinking that if he can play as well as he can, he can actually reach the final.

Really, he can, because of Friday he will go up against Marin Cilic, who also is playing fantastic ball. But, the former US Open champion can go way down and fast. Querrey has to be patient and look for openings.

Cilic is the favorite because this year, he has played smart and intelligent. With these two, it’s all about who serves into the corners, and nail forehands on the lines. It’ll be smash ball tennis.

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Who to reach the semis: Murray? Federer? Nadal? Djokovic? Wawrinka? Raonic? Kyrgios?

July 3, 2017 by Leave a Comment

FROM WIMBLEDON –

1st QUARTER
Andy Murray is the top seed, but clearly, he has not been playing great this year. Yes, he definitely knows how to win Wimbledon, but he is struggling and he can be mentally confused. Can he actually grab it again? I doubt it, but the No. 1 always tries as hard as he can. 

He should reach the third round, but then he will likely face Fabio Fognini, who has played very well, but he does not love grass, and Murray will hurt him.

In the fourth round, he will have to go up against either Nick Kyrgios or Lucas Pouille. That is almost a toss-up. Pouille is getting better and better, but we all know that when the Aussie is totally on, he can blast it into the corners. Yes, Kyrgios is up and down and he gets hurt frequently, but when he is into it, he can crush it.  

Kyrgios and Murray like each other, and the Brit knows how to compose himself. However, the Aussie will hit ace after ace and stun Andy.

Who will reach the semis here? Maybe Stan Wawrinka, who just reached the final at Roland Garros, but the Swiss has never gone very deep at Wimby. Yet this time, he realizes that he has to move in, rather than going back. Wawrinka will reach the quarters, but in the fourth round, he will have to take down Jo Tsonga or Sam Querrey. It’s all about aces between those two, but this time, Wawrinka will out rally him.

2nd QUARTER
Rafa Nadal hasn’t played since Roland Garros, when he won in his tenth title. He is back — finally — and his backhand has gotten substantially better. However, clay versus grass is much different and for the Spaniard to win Wimbledon, he must be quicker and shorten the points. Over the years, Nadal’s body was exhausted after clay. But he looks pretty healthy again, so during the first week in England, he should win pretty easily. However, in the second week on Monday, he will have to face either Ivo Karlovic or Gilles Muller. Both are huge servers, and both love coming into the net. However, they can be a little bit slow, and they don’t move well enough, which is why they have not won a major before. Rafa has — 15 times, in fact. 

In the quarters, he will have to go up against either Marin Cilic or Kei Nishikori. Cilic is pretty consistent this year, and the Japanese is intelligent, but he cannot contain himself. Cilic will try to paint the lines against Nadal, but his shots be called “out” game after game.
Rafa will reach the semis.

3rd QUARTER
Roger Federer has won Wimbledon so many times it will make your head spin. He badly wants to go super deep at Wimbledon, and given that he just won Halle, he is ready to climb the mountain. 

However, in the first round, he will have to play against the tricky Alex Dolgopolov, who has tremendous variety, but deep in the fifth set, he can become nervous and fall down, which he will.

In order to reaching the semis, Federer might have to pass two very good competitors: Grigor Dimitrov, who has reached the semis at Wimbledon, and Milos Raonic, who reached the final last year. Yes, the 20-year-old Alex Zverev will win the tournament someday, but he still need to improve quite a bit. However, he is already a fine player. 

In the fourth round, Federer will face Dimitrov, which should be a classic. It will be five sets, and at the end, the 18-time champ Federer will out-think him. 

In the quarters, Fed will confront Raonic, who was so close to be winning this event last year. But he could not. Now, the Canadian will hit him as hard as he can. Raonic will jump up and down and reach the semis once again.     

4th QUARTER
Novak Djokovic is concerned that he isn’t playing as well as he can, but at least on Saturday, he won Eastbourne, which is better than nothing. As he said, now, finally, he is getting a little bit better so when he walks on to Wimbledon, he will be smiling, rather than smirking. 

If the 12-time Grand Slam Djokovic can reach the semis, then he will raise up high. But first in the third round, he will likely face Juan Martin del Potro. The Argentine knows how to play him, and at the Olympics, he bested against the Serbian with some gigantic shots. But, this is grass. While it is critical to hit big first serves, del Potro cannot hit his backhand with enough authority, while Djokovic’s backhand is incredibly well.

That’s why he will reach the semis, unless Dominic Thiem learns how to play on grass (he did thrash Djokovic at RG on clay) and/or Tomas Berdych wakes up. (The Czech reached the final here in 2010.) Either way, Djokovic will get to the semis. And then, is the question.  

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Notes on a draw sheet: Clay court season heats up

May 7, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Hola, Madrid. Serious clay courts here now.

The clay courts are really starting now. Yes, it was important in Monte Carlo and Barcelona (the guys), and Stuttgart and Prague (the girls). But coming soon are three gigantic events: Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros.

Roland Garros is in five weeks and whoever wins on clay, they will be extremely happy, even if they happen to lose early on grass and then the hard courts. You will remember who wins in Paris — forever.

This week in Spain, Madrid has already started.

In Istanbul, one-time Grand Slam champion Marin Cilic overcame Milos Raonic 7-6(3) 6-3.

In Munich, the 20-year-old Alexander Zverev beat Guido Pella 6-4, 6-3 to win his biggest title yet. Zverev is coming up big time. The 6’6” player is now ranked No. 17, and he is coming up super fast. “I’m confident. I’m playing well so hopefully I can keep going and play some great tennis in the upcoming weeks,” Zverev said.  My colleague, Ron Cioffi, predicted at least a year ago that Zverev would be No. 1 at some point in his career.

The last time that a teenager won a Grand Slam was 12 years ago, when Rafa Nadal won Roland Garros in 2005. None of the top competitors were unable to grab Slams when they were teenagers: not Roger Ferrer, not Novak Djokovic, not Andy Murray, not Stan Wawrinka. Only Nadal, who was only 19 years old. He was very young, and he had a lot of work to do, but regardless, he ran like the wind.

Zverev isn’t as fast as Nadal is, but the German crushes the ball from the backcourt, with his serve, his forehand and his backhand. Ka-boom!

Nadal won this year’s Monte-Carlo and Barcelona, but now, he might have to face Murray and/or Djokovic this week. Not Wawrinka, who looks undisciplined. The Britain and the Serbian are struggling, so the Spaniard is the favorite.

NOTES

Maria Sharapova was unable to win Stuttgart, but she did reach the semis, which was more or less OK. But now, she has to focus and disregard fans who are screaming at her. It has been a very, very trying 15 months off since she was banned. Now she is back, and hopefully, she can be super nice to everyone. But, it won’t be easy, that is for sure.

On Sunday, Sharapova beat Mirjana Lucic-Baroni 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 and will play Genie Bouchard in the second round. They have played four times, with the American/Russian winning all of them, but at least the Canadian pushed her in Roland Garros a few years ago. Sharapova is the favorite, because Bouchard had just lost six matches in a row. The former No. 5 is very strong, but her brain goes away pretty quickly. Bouchard absolutely has to calm down or Sharapova will crush her.

Three of the top US American women aren’t in Madrid: Serena Williams won’t play the rest of the year (she’s pregnant), Venus is resting, and Madison Keys lost in the first round against Doi. Keys is just coming back, so hopefully, she will get better as fast as she can. Last year, she reached the final at Rome.

The US teenager Catherine Bellis won on Sunday and she is rising very quickly. But on clay? We will find out ASAP.

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Cilic goes down, but he can turn it around

March 25, 2017 by Leave a Comment

Marin Cilic is hard to figure it out. Somedays, he can play great. Other days, he’s completely out of it.

In Miami on Friday, the vet Jeremy Chardy beat Cilic 6-4, 2-6, 6-3. There are times when Cilic can blast the ball, but the Croatian has to be patient. In this match, Cilic did not.

This year, the former 2014 US Open champion has had a poor season. He has five wins and seven losses. At least he reached the semis in Acapulco, but then Rafa Nadal crushed him 6-1, 6-2.

The 28-year-old is ranked No. 9, but soon enough, he will drop out of the top 10, unless he can figure it out.

He did win a major, and when he’s feeling it, he can beat anyone. Perhaps he can go all the way during the summer.

Perhaps.

“Now I know if I’m playing my best tennis, I’m going to be able to win a Grand Slam,” Cilic said. “Before it would always be the question, ‘If I’m playing my A game, is that going to be enough?”

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