2023: The outlook for American women
American Jessica Pegula finished the year ranked No. 3, but at times she could be upset on the court. The 28-year-old finally won a huge tournament in Guadalajara dismissing Maria Sakkari in the final. But soon thereafter in the WTA Finals in Texas, she did not win against three opponents. Oh well, in 2022, she […]
Novak Djokovic vs. Casper Ruud: Who will turn on the tide?
When Novak Djokovic gets into the tiebreak, then the 21-Grand-Slam champion can settle in. Over the years, he can miss more than a few shots, but he does know that when the tensio n is there, then he can be calmer than his opponent. On Saturday, he ended Taylor Fritz maiden trip to the ATP […]
Will Stefanos Tsitsipas become No. 1?
Stefanos Tsitsipas may actually end the year at No. 1. He has had a very good year, but not phenomenal. The reason Tsitsipas could jump into the top slot is the current No. 1. Carlos Alcaraz got hurt in Paris and has stopped playing the rest of the year. Had he actually played in Turin, […]
Carlos Alcaraz: ‘I’m lucky to end the year as No. 1’
After Rafa Nadal lost couple days ago in Paris. So, in a couple weeks, it appears that Carlos Alcaraz will end the year at No. 1. He already has reached in the quarters in Paris, and win or lose, when he goes to the ATP Finals, he might be thinking that he can win it […]
Jessica Pegula finally wins a huge tournament
Who would have known five years ago that Jessica Pegula would win a tournament — any tournament. She was steady at times, but she was not blasting the ball. She had chances, yet she would back off, and she would hope that her opponent would miss it. Pegula knew that if she beat some excellent […]
ATP Finals: Novak Djokovic is flawless
Novak Djokovic is climbing. On Wednesday he crushed Andrey Rublev 6-4 6-1. In the second set, the multiple Grand Slam champion played spectacularly, with his super consistent backhand, speed, and deep returns. When Djokovic is on, it is very tough for the best players to upend him. Rublev can whack his backhand. But, if he […]
Caroline Garcia wins the WTA Finals: ‘She dashed all over the place’
Over the past 30 years, in the, only four players have won hte WTA Finals without taking a Grand Slam: Agnieszka Radwańska, Dominika Cibulková, Elina Svitolina and now, it is Caroline Garcia. The now-cool veteran Garcia was never broken and beat the powerful Aryna Sabalenka 7-6 (4), 6-4. Sabalenka, who had a terrific week in Fort […]
Weekend winners: Félix Auger-Aliassime and Daniil Medvedev
By winning in Basel Félix Auger-Aliassime has taken three crowns in a row. He has been hitting some terrific serves. Last year, when he was serving, the first serve was effective, but the second serve proved to be pretty flat and predicable. But now, he understands how to vary speed and placement. During his winning […]
The weekend winners: Auger-Aliassime, Rublev, Świątek
It has taken Felix Auger-Aliassime a while to be more consistent when playing finals. But this year, his experience and mental game has gained ground. The Canadian won the event in in Florence, beating American, J. J. Wolf, 6-4 6-4. A couple years ago watching Auger-Aliassime, he looked very decent, but there were times when […]
Novak Djokovic: ‘Put on the show’
This has been an odd year for Novak Djokovic. When he is playing, he can be dominating, with his famous backhand. His forehand has improved over the past 15 years, and his serve is not only powerful, but he can mix it around, everyday. However, he has missed a number of tournaments because he is […]