Sebastian Korda – TennisReporters.net

No. 1 Novak Djokovic wins and wins

November 22, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Novak Djokovic can win so many tournaments next year. He is older, for sure, as he is 36-years-old, but in 2023, he beat everyone, especially in the fall. The young players have improved a good amount, and yes, they can upset the Serbian, but they have to jump on him, early. Or Djokovic can be patient, and really chance it up.

In the ATP Finals last week, he beat Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, in the semis and in the final, and he didn’t lose a set. He was essentially perfect.

As his coach, Goran Ivanisevic said: “I think Carlos didn’t play his best tennis. Still you need to beat him,” he said. “Nole lift his game. He came ready. He knew how to play unbelievable matches this year. Carlos already won two Grand Slams and he’s future of tennis. Jannik really step up this year. He showed the world and himself that he’s ready next year to win Grand Slams, and he’s not afraid of anybody.

I think they going to both of them practice hard. The season is over. I think next year’s going to be very, very competitive and interesting year.”

Yes, during the year, he lost some so-so matches, and he lost. But Djokovic kept moving forward, striding, and still learning. He has now won 98 singels titles, which is phenomenal, not only when he has won 23 Grand Slams, but he has won many various events, in Asia, Australia, the United States, Canada, Europe, ext. The huge hitter has also won in the hardcourts, on the clay, in the grass, outside and inside. But he is smarter on court, and perhaps, off the court.

“I knew as soon as [Novak] got into the semifinal, he’s going to win the tournament. The mentality changed,” the Croatian Ivanisevic said. “The new Novak Djokovic arrived on the court from Saturday. When real Novak Djokovic arrives on the court, then the moment is nobody that can play with him.”

When he won the Australian Open for the first time in 2008, Djokovic ran so fast, and he was super steady, but while his backhand was absurd, his forehand, his return and at the net needed to enrich. However, even though he had some difficult seasons, he still drove himself, and he added with different strokes.

“It’s very tough to improve with him (smiling). But he wants to improve,” the one-time 2001 Wimbledon champion. Ivanisevic said. “ That’s the good thing and bad thing for me as a coach and the rest of the team. He improved a lot his volleys, his game at the net, and his position at the net. Now when he comes to the net – okay, today he missed some easy volleys [against [Sinner] – but generally this week and this year he plays some amazing volleys. His position at the net is a lot better. Is very tough to pass him. Before he was very easy to pass. Now he knows what he’s doing at the net. He’s comfortable at the net. Final of U.S. Open he played two, three most important volleys in the final against [beating Daniil Medvedev]. He’s not afraid to come to the net. He’s hitting the forehands much, much harder. He’s going for the shots. Serving, second serve, sometimes he’s hitting over 200. He’s just going for it.”

Yes he did, and he still wants to be perfect, at the net. In January, Djokovic can win another Australian Open. Clearly he will be the favorite. But eventually, the older you get, it is hard to sprint very fast. However, in 2024, he could do it again. He will make a huge effort.

Will anyone win a Slam next year? Maybe. Clearly, Alcaraz is very young and he is improving, so he could win one Slam, or two. You can throw in with Sinner, who had a terrific fall, but he has yet to win Slam, so in December, he must be thinking about how to return, deeper, and also, at the tough, nets.
The American men had a solid year, overall, but no one reached into the final at the Slams. OK, maybe next year. Five of them are in the top 25 with Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, Frances Tiafoe , Ben Shelton and Sebastian Korda. They are still pretty young, so they could rise, higher, but to beat Djokovic, or the rest of the top eight players, they will have to be much deeper, about exactly what to do. Please.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Ben Shelton, Carlos Alcaraz, Frances Tiafoe, Goran Ivanisevic, Jannik Sinner, Matthew Cronin, Novak Djokovic, Sebastian Korda, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul

Grigor Dimitrov over Andrey Rublev in Shanghai semifinal

October 13, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Ten years ago in Brisbane, Australia, Grigor Dimitrov won the tournament, and he said that soon, not only can he beat anyone, but he can win a Grand Slam. He hasn’t yet, but the 32-year-old still has a chance, a small one, but something.

In Shanghai, he has reached into the semis, after beating Carlos Alcaraz and Nicolas Jarry with some powerful strokes.

In 2017, Dimitrov was locked in, at times, and he won Cincinnati 1000, as well as the ATP Finals in London. His confidence is rising, at least this week.

“I don’t think I did anything crazy in those moments, I just kept on believing in my game, kept going after my shots. I was trying to apply pressure with the hope that [Jarry] might make a few mistakes, and he did,” Dimitrov said.

However, the Bulgarian will face against Andrey Rublev on Saturday. He could win, and he travels a lot, country to country, yet when he is on, he can move it around, all over the place, but also, his return is so-so. Plus his one harder with his backhand can be terrific, but Dimitrov will miss it, and to short. But he really likes to talk, off-court, which is good.

“[Beating Alcaraz] helps confidence-wise, but also it was just another match, if you think about it,” said Dimitrov. “I didn’t have much time to overthink it, I just had a little bit of a chat with the team and tried to see what I did pretty good, what worked, what didn’t, and what I could do better in the next round. We didn’t have much time to think about that but of course I take all the positives out of it because you need to feed off this every single round.”

If he beats Rublev and he reaches the final in the ATP 1000, it will be six years since his last final appearance at that level. That is a very long time.

Dimitrov over Rublev
Rublev looks terrific when he is playing very well, with his potent forehand and his backhand, But he can also blow it. However, in April on the clay, he won Monte-Carlo. Yes, just like everyone, he wants to win a Grand Slam, but how about this, win another at the ATP 1000, and then most people would think that in 2024, he can win a major. Dimitrov will grab it 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 over Rublev.

That was an incredible match when Seb Korda beat the other American Ben Shelton 6-7(10), 6-2, 7-6(6) to reach the semis. In the breaker, in the third set, it was a toss-up, but he hit some solid, deep, shots, and he won it. The two young players will face each other for a longish time. Or not, as it depends who will go deep a lot. Sort of like Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal.

Korda will play versus Hubert Hurkacz, who has had a solid year, especially on the hard courts. At the Australian Open, in the fourth round, he lost against Korda 7-6(6) in the fifth set. What a crazy game. Now they will play each other again, on Saturday, and without a doubt, Hurkacz will hit so many aces. He can crack the ball, but the tall Polish person is is not running that fast. But two and a half years ago, he won Miami, and he did everything. However, in Shanghai, China, he will over-hit, and Korda will win it 5-7, 7-6 (3), 7-5.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Andrey Rublev, Carlos Alcaraz, Grigor Dimitrov, Hubert Hurkacz, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, Sebastian Korda, Shanghai

Sebastian Korda upsets Daniil Medvedev, Shelton over Sinner

October 11, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

At some point, each month, one of the players will climb, in front of you, and he be super consistent. How about Sebastian Korda, who upset Daniil Medvedev 7-6(8) 6-2. Then he beat Francisco Cerundolo 7-5, 7-6 (6).

He has been so close over the last few years, but he has yet to reach into the top 20. He can be steady, and he smashes his forehand, but also, Korda can trip up. But in Shanghai, when he beat the No. 3 Medvedev, it was the first time that he beat a top fiver. That was really important.

“I think one of the things that maybe disrupts him is just being an aggressive player, going to the net, slicing the ball, bringing him in. I think I do that really well, and I think it gives him a little bit of trouble,” Korda said.

He has not gone very deep at the ATP 1000s, but now it is time to do it. Not to win, but perhaps into the semis or the final, but he has to identify it.

Speaking of Ben Shelton, who reached in the semis at the US Open, he is rolling again. On Tuesday, he beat the Italian Jannik Sinner 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5), who just won Beijing, China. He was playing so much better now, after he won at Toronto, just before at the U.S. Open, and after he lost against Alexander Zverev, he re-set, and in China, last week, believe it or not, he beat Medvedev in the final. He is now ranked No. 4, and finally, on the court, he can mix it up, a lot. He is maturing, and more thoughtful, when he is returning. Against the young, strong man Shelton, he was pretty patient, but the American grabbed it in the tiebreaker, hitting some wonderful strokes. Each month, he is thinking more, on the court. Believe it or not, he will face against Korda on Thursday. That will be very close, again. It is a toss-up, but Korda will snag it 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 in the third set.

Frances Tiafoe lost again, and he may not reach into the top 8 at the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy. He is ranked No. 14, so to have any chance, he will have to go super deep in Paris, coming up. He has had an odd season, this year… Since he reached into the final at Roland Garros, then Casper Ruud fell down fast, but now it looks like he is trying to play well again. He really has to, but he lost against,losing against Fabian Marozsan 6-4 in the third set.

The American No. 12 Tommy Paul beats the 19-year-old Arthur Fils 6-4 in the third set. Paul has had the best year, ever, and he has a chance to reach into the ATP Finals, but he has to go unlimited in Shanghai, Paris and another couple of events. Here he has to go against Andrey Rublev, who is a very tough player. He will where him down in the third set. He will upset Rublev 5-7, 7-6, 7-6…

J.J. Wolf is back, and he is healthy, again. He beat Matteo Arnaldi 7-6 in the third, also a young player from France. On court, Wolf can really be angry, but he is very intense. However, he has to face against another Frenchman, Ugo Humbert. The No. 34 will trip Wolf in two, muscular sets.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Ben Shelton, Casper Ruud, daniil medvedev, J.J. Wolf, Jannik SinnerTommy Paul, Matthew Cronin, Sebastian Korda, Shanghai

Coco Gauff: ‘A weight lifted and I’m able to play more freer’

October 7, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Will Coco Gauff win match after match, as the American is so much better than she used to be. The 19-year-old might lose in China, but she did beat Veronika Kudermetova 7-6, 6-2, and the Russian was playing terrific, but in the second set, she looked tired. However, the American has improved her forehand, a lot, and she also has begun her return, much harder. The 2023 U.S. Open champion is smarter, when she is playing. She is rising, fast.

“I do think I feel more confident. I think having that win makes you more confident in these moments,” she said. “Especially the way the US Open went for me, a lot of three-set matches, a lot of tough moments. I think it’s way more pressure in the Grand Slam than a 1000, even though there’s still pressure, but it’s just less. I’m able to handle these emotions more because of that experience. Honestly, I do feel more confident stepping on court. Plus the way I kind of started on the scene, a lot of people wanted that for me and expected that from me. I feel like now it’s a little bit of a weight lifted and I’m able to play more freer, focus on the long-term and how to be able to set myself up to win even more.”

The No. 3 Gauff just beat Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-2, another very good player, which means that she is so steady. She is terrific at the net, and she is very fast, running. She hasn’t lost since Montreal, so if she can beat the former No. 1 Iga Swiatek in the semis in Beijing, China, then she will continue to be on the blaze.

How about Swiatek, who when she plays, and she is shut in, she can beat anyone, on the clay and the hardcourts. She did win Poland, in July, but after that she did not win a title, losing against Gauff in Cincinnati. She has beaten her four times, yet Gauff out-hit her at the end. Both her forehand and her backhand are so strong, and her return is very aggressive, but the No. 2 can forget what she is thinking about herself. However, off court, she is more calm.

“I just kind of played what I felt I needed to and what I felt was right at the moment. Yeah, well, for sure the confidence level got higher when I just saw that I’m in control,” she said.

The Italian Jannik Sinner won Beijing,China, beating the two Grand Slam players with Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev. Not many people can do that, but Sinner continues to remedy all around. The 22-year-old has lost to the very good players, which were close, but he couldn’t decide how to process. At the U.S. Open, he played against Alexander Zverev in the fourth round, and he was pretty close, but in the fifth set, he over hit it. However, he was not to sad, as last month, he won Toronto, the ATP 1000. He was ready to rumble, once again.

“I’m more proud about how I improved the level this year, mentally especially. I felt like or I feel that I’m much stronger,” he said. “Also physically I know that I have to work a lot, so this is an aspect where we are going to push a lot in end of the year, especially for the next year then. But I felt like I was playing really consistent tennis throughout the whole year.”

NOTES
The WTA Finals is now set with Aryna Sabalenka, Swiatek, Gauff, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Marketa Vondrousova, Ons Jabeur and Karolina Muchova. They will play in Cancun, Mexico, at the end of October.

In Shanghai, the ATP 1000, the odd Alexander Zverev lost against Roman Safiullin, who is playing well, but the German looks TIRED. Take a week off and recover…Three of the men won including Ben Shelton, Sebastian Korda and Christopher Eubanks. Will they stay during the weekend?

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Aryna Sabalenka, Ben Shelton, Christopher Eubanks, coco gauff, Iga Swiatek, Jannik Sinner, Matthew Cronin, Sebastian Korda, Veronika Kudermetova

Sofia Kenin is locked in, again

September 20, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Sofia Kenin is finally back, and she is playing substantially better, although she still has more work, during in the matches.

She almost beat the fine Czech player Barbora Krejcikova in the final at San Diego, but she did give up a few important errors. However, currently she is in Guadalajara, Mexico, and she has won twice, so she must be locked in. After she won the 2020 Australian Open, she began to slip, month after month, and eventually she was out of the top 100, losing all the time. She was frozen, and she swung way outside, almost into the fence. Yet currently, she is much more patient, not only can she crush the ball with her forehand, her backhand and first serve but will throw in an impressive drop shot.

On Monday, she will crack the top 50, or even higher, and then she could be much more consistent, and improve her return. But the 24-year-old can be fragile. She has to figure out how reshape her game.

Krejcikova had an excellent tournament and now she is ranked No. 10, again. She won 2021 Roland Garros. Can Krejcikova could grab another huge title? She can be balanced.

How about this? According with CasinoAlpha, Coco Gauff “gained 195,480 Instagram followers and 110,200 followers on TikTok following her US Open finals win.” That is a huge amount

At the Davis Cup last week, the United States could not advanced, which was surprising. They lost against Finland, 3-0, when Otto Virtanenbeat Mackenzie McDonald 7-6(5) 1-6 7-6(7), then Emil Ruusuvuori beat Tommy Paul (USA) 7-6(1) 6-4, and Harri Heliovaara/Patrick Kaukovalta took down Austin Krajicek/Rajeev Ram (USA) 6-7(6) 7-6(5) [10-8]. How that happened, we have no idea. Yes, Finland is very good, but for the Americans, maybe it was just traveling right after the US Open. Maybe.

The now No. 1 Novak Djokovic has just pulled out of Shanghai. It is hard to tell when he will play again — outside of the Laver Cup — maybe in Vienna or Basel? He will decide, one way or another. … American Sebastian Korda is in the tournament, called Huafa Properties Zhuhai, in China.

Korda said this about the No. 19 Ben Shelton, who reached the semis at the US Open against Djokovic: “I think Ben did a great job at the US Open. He just really showed the world what he’s capable of and what he can do in the near future. And he’s got a great game. (He is) powerful, entertaining (and he) loves to kind of interact with fans. I think it’s awesome. It definitely pushes all of us to do better. And obviously, it shows the way, that it is possible for someone like him, or of any age, to be out there performing like him.”

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Ben Shelton, Matthew Cronin, Novak Djokovic, Sebastian Korda, Sofia Kenin

Taylor Fritz in Atlanta: ‘He needs to be stronger, more explosive’

July 27, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

The American men are now playing the hellacious hard courts. The grass is finally finished, and while there are some other players who went back again on the clay, for the next three weeks, but many other people want to grab and go in the United States.

None of the guys have won Toronto or Montreal, or Cincinnati, or the U.S. Open. Yes, they have won some of the ATP 250s in the summer, but they could not win the ATP 1000s. Well good luck, once again.

Here they are, ready to hop again, such as Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, Sebastian Korda, the top 30 players. Fritz is playing in Atlanta this week, but they other players decided not to. However, the rising Christopher Eubanks is there, as he is ranked in the top 31. That is really good, considering that last year, he was out of the top 100. He has improved a lot.

Since Fritz reached the semis in Monte Carlo in early April, he lost against Andrey Rublev on clay, and he didn’t win hardly at all after that. On the tough grass, at Wimbledon, he lost in the second round, darn early. But while he was struggling, he knew that he needed to really train, very hard. His fine coach, Michael Russell, also played on the tour for many years. There were some tough moments, but he just kept going, and he added some new shots. Really, as Russell said, each week, you can be intense and drive, again. Here is what he said on ATPTour.com: “We’re looking to have a good hard-court season coming up. He trained really hard after Wimbledon, and I think that’s given him a lot of motivation,” Russell said.

“On the grass the margins are so fine; a few of the matches he lost were so close. It can come down to a couple of tie-breaks and a couple of shots. But in general, I feel that he’s been playing well and his fitness is getting better, which is the main thing. He needs to be stronger, more explosive.”

At least Fritz won the 2022 Indian Wells, an ATP Masters 1000, but again, in 2023 in the summer, he didn’t win enough with some key matches. At the U.S. Open, another American in the first round, against the new, young player, Brandon Holt. One was happy, and the other was sad.

Fritz will face against Wu Yibing on Thursday. Also, in Atlanta, J.J. Wolf will face against Maxime Cressy. That could be a very close match, a wild, three-set encounter.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: atlanta, Christopher Eubanks, Matthew Cronin, Sebastian Korda, Tommy Paul, With Frances Tiafoe

The picks at Wimbledon: Wednesday, July 5

July 3, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Barbora Krejcikova over Heather Watson

Over the past 13 years, the Britain has put together some nice wins. Watson can really hustle, and she can also play hour after hour, but the reason why is she has yet to reach the top 35. Maybe because her heavy strokes isn’t hard enough.

Krejcikova looks pretty darn good, and while she can play up and down, when she is concerning, she can pulp the ball. She is awesome at the net, and she can also return, pretty deep. However, from the backcourt, she can hit it too short. In a sense, though, she is pretty confident, when she won 2021 Roland Garros.

Yes, that is on clay, but on the grass, Krejcikova will be slightly confident, and she will win it in two secure sets.

Donna Vekic over Shuai Zhang
The Chinese Zhang has lost eight matches in a row, which is surprising, given that last year, she beat some very good players, but she is slipping, big time.

Vekic plays a lot, week after week, and this year, she moved forward. She can miss some odd-shots, but she can also roar with her backhand. She looked very good in Berlin, so perhaps at the Slams, she will continue to rise. At least in the first round, she will win it in two easy sets.

Sebastian Korda over Jiri Vesely

It seems like Korda is playing much better than he did it three months ago, as he was hurt, so he had to stop. However, at Queen’s, he finally looked very good, reaching the semis. He can be strong, and nail his forehand and his backhand. He is not perfect, yet, but he is getting better, year after year. The older Czech Vesely has had some terrific matches, but he is aging, and while the 6-foot-6 player has hit a number of aces, but in the backcourt, he can fall down. Korda will win it in four hard sets.

Matt’s yesterday picks

Correct: Andy Murray over Ryan Peniston

Matt’s picks from Wimbledon

1 out of 1, 100% correct

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Andy Murray, Barbora Krejcikova, Donna Vekic, Jiri Vesely, Matthew Cronin, Ryan Peniston, Sebastian Korda, Shuai Zhang, wimbledon

Novak Djokovic: the Wimbledon favorite

June 29, 2023 by Ron Cioffi

When Wimbledon starts, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will be the favorites, but it is possible that the American men Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul and Sebastian Korda can go deep into the second week.

The former champ John McEnroe said, “I think Taylor is a confident kid. He’s worked really hard on his movement and fitness, which is the reason to me he’s in the top 10,” McEnroe said. “He hits a great ball. I don’t think he’s actually that comfortable on grass. I think Tiafoe is a better volleyer and more skilled at net, athletically better. That would help him on the grass. Taylor hits a better ball and is a bigger guy. His serve is probably a little bit more dependable.”

Neither of them have reached very far at Wimbledon, although they are pretty young. They have to be more consistent and attack pretty early. In order to win point after point, they can construct their strokes. And, of course, they have to be totally locked in, all the time.

“Both of them would be in the quarters of Alcaraz or Djokovic, which would make it more difficult. I think at this time those two and maybe [Sebastian] Korda are the guys. Tommy Paul looks like he’s fallen off at the moment a little bit,” McEnroe said. “Hopefully he’ll get it back. I think there’s going to be guys soon, Americans, that are going to make the breakthrough within a year or two hopefully. I think that’s going to be big.”

Yes it will, as the U.S. men have not won a Grand Slam since 2003 at the US Open with Andy Roddick won it. It might be 20-years-ago in September that they cannot win another Slam again. But before that, in England, you can actually play longer in the rallies. They don’t have to slide all the time, and they can actually return, more. In the 1990s, there were some really quick rallies, and with millions of aces.

“The people that can add that adaptability and finish points at net successfully, like an Alcaraz, for example, who is a really good volleyer, Novak learned it, so did Rafa [Nadal],” McEnroe said. “I believe that’s why Tiafoe has a shot because he’s skilled at net. That will help you get over the hump at Wimbledon. Yes, it’s more homogenized. Yes, it’s more like hard courts. The bounce is higher, but there’s still a nuance that only a few get it.

“Look at [Casper] Ruud, for example. He’s regarding this as he’s showing up, hoping for the best. He could be out in the first round or two. [Stefanos] Tsitsipas doesn’t seem to be comfortable at all, can’t figure out how to play on the grass. There’s an opening. There’s many guys that don’t even understand it, or girls for that matter. That’s why it’s pretty narrowed down who can actually win it. That’s why Novak can afford not to play any tournament because he’s so confident, he understands what it takes, he doesn’t feel the need to play any warmup matches and he still wins it almost every year.”

Yes, he is the now 23-Grand-Slam champion. Djokovic really thinks that he can win another major once again. However, he can lose here and there, so at Wimbledon, he can become lost during a match, and he will fall down. Or maybe Alcaraz will rise, now.

As he said: “Novak is the main favorite to win Wimbledon, but I will try to play at this level to have chances to beat him or make the final. I saw a statistic that Novak has won more matches at Wimbledon than the other top 20 players (combined),” the Spaniard Alcaraz said. “What can you say about that you know? Novak is the main favorite to win Wimbledon. That’s obvious. But I will try to play at this level, to have chances to beat him or make the final at Wimbledon.”

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Carlos Alcaraz, Frances Tiafoe, Matthew Cronin, Novak Djokovic, Sebastian Korda, Taylor Fritz, Tommy Paul, wimbledon

On the grass: Will Carlos Alcaraz rise again?

June 22, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

The Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz can be totally be on fire. He is a huge hitter, as is with some strong forehands, and his phenomenal backhand. However, the very young player can be nervous, once and a while, and he knows that when he has to face against Novak Djokovic, he has to really concentrate. Unfortunately, in the semis at Roland Garros, he stopped thinking, in the third and the fourth set. He began to get hurt, and he lost, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1, and he was quickly gone. Also, his brain was collapsing.

“The tension of the match. I started match really nervous,” he said. “The tension of the first set, the second set, it was really intense two sets. Really good rallies, tough rallies, dropshots, sprints, rallies. It’s a combination of a lot of things. And I started to cramp, in my arm. At the beginning of the third set I started to cramp every part of my body, not only the legs. The arms, as well. It was really tough for me to move at the third set, and in the fourth set let’s say I had a little chance, but it was really tough.”

Alcaraz did win the 2022 U.S Open and in May, he won Barcelona and Madrid. It looked like he had a good shot, in Paris, but he fell down. Just like the other Spaniard, Rafa Nadal, when he was 20-years-old, he began rise, fast, winning RG in his first Grand Slam title. However, his forehand was amazing, but his backhand was too short, and his serve was pretty good, but not great. Of course, he worked and he worked all the time, changing his tactics, and adding to it. Now, he has won 22 Grand Slams, at RG, Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, and the Australian Open. The now 37-year-old figured it out, but it took him more many year.

The same thing goes with the No. 1 Djokovic, who won his first Slam at the Aussie Open, and while he was running so fast, and his backhand incredible, his forehand was good, but not great, and his second serve and at the net needed to grow, more. Alcaraz also needs to be more consistent.

“Is not easy to play against Novak. Of course a legend of our sport. If someone says that he get into the court with no nerves playing against Novak, he lies,” Alcaraz said. “ Yeah, next time that I’m gonna face Novak, I hope to be different, but the nerves will be there.”

NOTES
The teenager Ben Shelton lost against Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 4-6, 6-4. The Italian can look terrific, but there are times when he forgets what to do. But this week, he will try to push even harder. Shelton is ranked No. 34, so he does have a small shot to be seated at Wimbledon, but he may not, as a few people can get injured and they pull out before, but you never know.

Sebastian Korda beat Frances Tiafoe, who just won an event, but he looked tired. He has looked very good on the hardcourts, but before last week, he was struggling. This time, he was much more CONSISTENT.

The Floridian Korda has improved over the past few years, but he is still young, so he 22-year-old can miss it a lot. Yes he really goes, but also, he can mix it up. At the Cinch Championships in London, we will see how well he is playing against Cameron Norrie, a very competitor. They are very close…
Taylor Fritz looks very decent, but on the grass, he needs to really lock it in, like he did in 2022. Last year, he won Eastbourne, and then at Wimbledon, in the quarters, he was right there, but Nadal edged him 7-6(4) in the fifth set. He has to be thinking about it a lot, but he has another chance over the next month…

Where is Reilly Opelka? He is still injured but he hopes to resume in August as he is recovering from a wrist injury. Very good luck, but on the court, it will take a long time to be 100 percent again.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Also: Rafa Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Frances Tiafoe, Matt Cronin, Matthew Cronin, Sebastian Korda, Taylor Fritz

The picks at Roland Garros: Sunday, May 28

May 28, 2023 by Matthew Cronin

Roland Garros has started already, in 15 days, with a lot of competitors, 256 men and women in the singles. That is a lot. It would be impossible to walk over at the event, sit down near the chair, and match for three games, and then, go to another one, and another, and another, and another… Possibly, in Paris, you could see 24 matches, but not much. Try it out. Or words…

Match predictions were written before start of play.

John Isner over Nuno Borges
The older American has gone deep on the hardcourts and the grass, too, but he has really beaten the excellent competiteors on clay. Yes, the tall man has 14,222 aces, the most ever, but he has yet to win a Grand Slam. His forehand is huge, but his backhand is marginal. Now, he has to turn it on, and he did reach into the fourth round three times, but he could not crack into the quarters. To do it again would be surprising, as he is 38-year- old, so pretty soon, he will retire.

Borges has had a mediocre year, even though the Portugal can be consistent, and with some solid spin, but he has yet to win a match at the French Open, ever, so Isner will grab it in five, long, sets.

Sebastian Korda over Mackenzie McDonald
This is a toss-up, as Korda is just returned, and McDonald has put together a few excellent matches at the beginning of the year. He is very consistent, he is quick, running around, and he can smack his backhand. But over the past two months, he did not win hardly at all.

Korda can hit both sides, with his heavy forehand. He can really run, and he can returns pretty decent. Korda can trip up, but he wants to go into the top 20 this year, so in the first round, he will win it in three, simple sets.

Camila Giorgi over Alize Cornet
Will this be the French woman retire next year? You never know, as last year, she thought that this will be the end, but she stayed on, and because of that, she is still pretty good. She is not great, though, but she still puts together some wonderful winners. On the hardcourts, she won some wonderful matches, but she travels all the time, so when she is confused, on court, she can lose pretty early.

The same goes with Giorgi, the Italian can split the ball, and she can play with some hard shots, but she can also hit into the middle, and not deep enough. However she has had a few tournaments this year, really trying how to figure it out and really go for it when the time is right there. It will be a very close match, but Giorgi will edge Cornet in a dramatic, three sets.

Jessica Pegula over Danielle Collins
She has certainly better over the past two years, and Pegula has decided to really meld it up, and attack if she feels that she can put it on the lines. She is a true submarine, and she can also rush into the net, and put it away. There are times when she back off, and that is why that she has not gone deep at Roland Garros. Maybe she is ready to do it right now.

Collins can looks be brave, and she can slam at it almost immediately. Her forehand is big, and her backhand is pretty solid, but she will miss a lot of errors. She has had a medicare year, and they last time that they met, in Miami, Pegula beat her in two, tough, sets.

Perhaps in the second week, the No. 2 Pegula will fine reach it into the semis at Roland Garros for for the first time. As she said, “That would be another amazing result for me, especially on clay, I think to go further, I think you have to get to those points first and you have to just keep playing your game every single match. And I think that that’s what helps build confidence and takes you through the later rounds.”

This is Pegula’s time to shine and she will win in two close sets.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Alize Cornet, Camila Giorgi, french open, Jessica Pegula, John Isner, Matthew Cronin, paris, roland garros, Sebastian Korda