Archives for June 2022

Wimbledon, Day 3: John Isner beats Andy Murray

June 30, 2022 by Matthew Cronin

Andy Murray was in the second round at Wimbledon. But, because the aging American John Isner put together one of his best matches ever. His hefty serves, his huge forehand, and at times, his backhand were sent deep. He had never beaten Murray before, but at Wimbledon, he played so solid, winning the match 6-4 7-6(4) 6-7(3) 6-4.Isner can show his disappointment. When he isn’t playing well enough, and after he loses, he will go into the press room and he can be almost silent. And he can become angry, too. However, he has grown up a lot. The 37-year-old can also be responsible and attentive.

“That’s really all it came down to. I guess I didn’t give him many opportunities to spin his web and get me tangled up in it,” Isner said. “If I got embroiled in too many rallies with him, it just wasn’t going to go well for me. I had an incredible serving day and I needed every single bit of it to beat him.”

Yes he did, but it is early in the fortnight. If he can reach the second week, then he can be thinking that it is possible to go very deep for the last time. He reached the semis in 2018, one of two US men to gain a Slam semi since Andy Roddick’s US Open victory. But to do that, he has to down No. 13 Jannik Sinner in the third round, and the young Italian is churning.

Two another Americans won on Wednesday. Tommy Paul beat Adrian Mannarino 6-2 6-4 6-1. This is the first time that he is seeded at a Slam. However, if the Russians were able to play at Wimbledon (uninvited due to with the war in Ukraine), then Paul would not have be seeded. But, in reality, Paul has had a good year.

Steve Johnson has been around for a long time, and he has been stuck, trying to get back into the top 50 for years. After he beat Ryan Peniston 6-3 6-2 6-4, Johnson looked more respectable, and maybe he decided to be much more aggressive. In 2016 he reached No. 21. So, if he can rise up, then perhaps he can recall what he really did on court. Being ranked No. 93 he must be irked. To beat the very fit Cameron Norrie on Friday, he is going to have to play nearly 100 percent.

Casper Ruud looked so good at Roland Garros on clay, but he just fell against Ugo Humbert in four sets. That was very surprising.

Carlos Alcaraz is still clubbing the ball. While his rise has been dynamic, the 19-year-old is still trying for a breakthrough at a major. He looked respectable when he beat Tallon Griekspoor 6-4 7-6(0) 6-3.

Reilly Opelka has been slumping, on the clay and on the grass in the last few months. He lost to Tim van Rijthoven 6-4 6-7(8) 7-6(7) 7-6(4). He must be ready to be on the hardcourts, ASAP. However, the very tall man has to return better. The same goes with Isner: they can win a lot of matches, but to win a Grand Slam, an all-court game is a requirement.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story

Wimbledon, day 1: Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu win

June 27, 2022 by Matthew Cronin

On a fun Monday, Andy Murray and Emma Raducanu were rewarded in front of the massive crowds. Both have said that in the famous first round, they were nervous at the start. But once they settled down, they locked in. They ran hard, they tried to hit the balls deeper, and also, they needed to mix it up, which they did.

Murray, who has won Wimbledon two times, believes that while he isn’t fast now because in the early 20s, the current No. 52 was quick enough and smooth. His hip surgery was serious enough for him to declare his retirement, but he has come storming back. Now he knows what to do, as long as he can stay health in the tough three out of five sets over the next 13 days. Murray will have to face the huge server John Isner in the second round.

“There’s always nerves and pressure. It’s great to get out here and get a win under my belt,” 35-year-old Murray said. “ I’m in a better place than I was last year when I played here.”

That is for sure.

The other crowd-pleasing Britain player, Emma Raducanu, had a very decent day, winning in two sets. The 2021 US Open winner has been hurt physically and mentally. The 19-year-old was confused for months.

She recently arrived at Wimbledon. At Nottingham, she only play seven games on grass before retiring. But she did practice a little bit last week, so while she is not quite there yet, she can bend close to the ground and bring it back. Then day after day, she can find focus. She hopes.

“My preparation wasn’t necessarily the greatest,” Raducanu said. “But I know that when it comes to the matches, I feel like I really switch on. I don’t feel like I need a massive amount of preparation. Of course I do to build physically. I think a lot of it is mental and I definitely went out with the belief today. I know that I can compete with anyone on the other side of the court when I really go for it.”

TennisReporters’ Wimbledon predictions

June 24, 2022 by tennisreporters

TennisReporters.net’ co-owners Matt Cronin and Ron Cioffi go on the record with their Wimbledon picks. Each one give their thoughts on which players are going into the second week and the semifinals.

Here are the 10 men and 10 women, who want to happily shake hands in the final.

THE MEN

Rafa Nadal
Once again, Nadal continues to battle and work on new strokes. He won Roland Garros, with an amazing show, along with the Australian Open. He has a shot at the calendar year Grand Slam. That’s a big ask for a player of his age. Nadal gets hurt a lot, but when he manages to go on court, he figures it out. He is just fine at Wimbledon, and if he is healthy, he can win it and have 23 Grand Slam majors. That would be something else.

Novak Djokovic
Over the past couple months, the Serb finally began to play much better, banking on his super confidence. His backhand is phenomenal, his returns is terrific, and his first serve is so patient. However, he is not perfect. If he looks very good in the second week, he can push it into the final. And then he has a very good shot at his 21^st Slam.

Matteo Berrettini
The Italian can go very deep once again. Last year, he beat Felix Auger-Aliassime and Hubert Hurkacz reading the final, before Djokovic beat him. He just won two tournaments this month, so he is ready to finally win a Slam. He likes to go down really low to hit his shot, and he also can jump up for some huge shots. He is right there, but can he really rise to the Slam challenge?

Carlos Alcaraz
The young Spaniard has had a wild, wonderful year. When the 19-year-old is feeling very good, he can leap around the court and paint the lines. He can be a little bit erratic, but he tends to go for it, anyway. He really likes the clay, but this is on the grass. So next week, he must change it up ASAP and get a clear understanding on how to preserve at Wimbledon.

Andy Murray
We all know that the three-time Grand Slam champion almost retired due to a massive injury, but he did return, and it appears that he is playing better now. The 35-year-old is unseeded. But, he knows almost everything to do to succeed on court. Now he is a little bit slower than when he won his majors. In order to reach the second week, he has to go for it early. If he cracks a bunch of winners, then the fans might think that he can win it at SW19. That would be a blast.

-MC

Stefanos Tsitsipas
The big Greek has a big game and a long fluid backhand. He is in the top tier of the best young players who haven’t grabbed a major, along with Alexander Zverev (who is injured), Berrettini, Andrey Rublev (the Russian is banned) and Felix Auger-Aliassime. It’s easy to say that it’s just a matter of time (and the retirement of the Big Three) for them to win a Slam. But, Tsitsipas has a better chance among these players because of his variety and ability to blast first serves. But, he may have to power through the unpredictable Nick Kyrgios in the third round.

Felix Auger-Aliassime
The Canadian has had a consistent assentation to No. 9. At 21, he still has a lot of time to improve. In 2022 he won Rotterdam over Tsitsipas and reached the Marseille final. But, there are too many events where he stalled in the quarterfinals. That has allowed him to rise to a career-high without having any notable momentum going into Wimbledon.

Casper Ruud
A run to the Roland Garros final was the high point of the Norwegian’s career, propelling him to No. 5 and the third seed at Wimbledon. But, he played only one match on grass and lost to No. 180 Ryan Peniston. Ruud has the big game to make a real run into the second week, especially that the only other seed in his first three matches is Sebastian Baez.

Hubert Hurkacz
Hurkacz is on fire. He took down Daniil Medvedev, Kyrgios, Auger-Aliassime and Ugo Humbert to win Halle. That gives the seventh-seed a head start on grass compared to others. His first-round contest is against the dangerous Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. He could face American Tommy Paul in the third round. Others in the bracket are has-beens Fernando Verdasco, Adrian Mannarino and Jiri Vesely.

Taylor Fritz
Fritz is seeded eleventh. That is fortunate as he has only reached one third-round match on the lawns ofWimbledon. It also doesn’t help that he is 0-2 on the grass in the two lead-up tournaments this year. His one claim to 2022 fame is downing Nadal at Indian Wells. So, why will Fritz go deep? He has the game to dominate on the grass. And, it just may be the right time for figure it out, if he can get by his possible third-round opponent: upstart Holger Rune of Denmark.

-RC

THE WOMEN

Iga Swiatek
She won Roland Garros, again, and the No. 1 hasn’t lost a match since early February. During each point, she goes for a winner quickly with her forehand and backhand, too. Obviously, she was a serious favorite on the clay, last year at Wimbledon, she lost in the fourth round. She certainly has been so much smarter now, and if that is the case, then she will continue to be brilliant.

Ons Jabeur
She has had a solid year, and gradually she has become more aggressive and better with her shot selection. On two clay court tournaments, she won in Madrid and reached the final in Rome. She just won Berlin on grass. However, she has yet to make much of an impact at Wimbledon. If she wants to achieve big-time success at Wimbledon, she has to bring a better game in the third set.

Maria Sakkari
No. 5 Greek Sakkari did have a very good last year, and this season, she did manage to reach the finals at Indian Wells. However, in the last three months, the fast hitter lost early at Roland Garros. She always loves to battle, and she rarely collapses. There is a good change that, if she reaches the final, she leap into heaven with the trophy?

Coco Gauff
She reached the final at RG. That was surprising, given that she is still very young. On the hard courts, she knows the right way to grind it, to take more time and to construct where to go. She is becoming better each months. While the grass can be odd, she will figure it out where to go.

Jelena Ostapenko
A few years ago, she won Roland Garros, crushing the ball. But, after that, she became so erratic. She is slower now, and she has not changed a few critical flaws. But now she is here again ready to crush her shots deep into the court. If she really wants to win a major again, she needs to find the motivation to hustle, really hustle.

-MC

Simona Halep
Remember 2019? Halep delivered a masterpiece with a crushing 6-2, 6-2 beatdown of Serena Williams. Sad to say she hasn’t played at Wimbledon since. As Halep has fought through injuries and questionable confidence, she still has the foot speed and consistency to battle all the top players. Getting into her way into the second week is Katrina Muchova in the first round and a possible clash with the resurgent Camila Giorgi in the third.

Petra Kvitova
I took a wild stab at predictions at the beginning of 2022 and said Kvitova would win another Slam. Which, obviously, has got to be on the fast grass of Wimbledon, where she prevailed in 2011 and 2014. She has the weapons and wide lefty serve to frustrate all comers, which showed in her straight-set defeat of Ostapenko in the Eastbourne final. She could face the fourth-seed Paula Badosa in the third round, which would be a challenge.

Karolina Pliskova
How can we do a Grand Slam prediction sheet without mentioning Pliskova. The “always a bridesmaid” label continues to stick. She can’t get deep without a possible meeting with Serena Williams. One of her two major finals was a year ago at Wimbledon. This year hasn’t been her best and she only advanced to the Roland Garros second round and lost to Gauff on grass in Berlin. She can get to the semis but holding the trophy might still elude her.

Paula Badosa
At the age of 24, Badosa doesn’t have much history at Wimbledon. She has only played twice and reached the fourth round last year. But, the Spaniard has the tools to bedevil most of the field, which is why she has risen to No. 4. She hasn’t played since Roland Garros, where she retired with a right calf injury. The lack of matches on grass could slow down her path to the second week. Still, she has the game to advance.

Serena Williams
What do you say about Serena? She still is a mighty force in women’s tennis. But, she has only played two doubles matches since her retirement in singles at 2021 Wimbledon. She is considered a threat to win her record-tying 24^th Slam. But, she arrived in England out of shape. She will make all of her opponents worry. But, she could face Pliskova in the third round. So, we mention Serena in our top group but really have no idea how far she can go.

-RC

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Andy Murray, Carlos Alvarez, coco gauff, Iga Swiatek, Maria Sakkari, Matteo Berrettini, Novak Djokovic, Ons Jabeur, rafa nadal, wimbledon

Matteo Berrettini: Will he take a big leap forward at Wimbledon?

June 21, 2022 by Matthew Cronin

Italian Matteo Berrettini can really go very deep at Wimbledon next week. There are some notable players, like Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal, but the quick-footed Berrettini really likes to smash the ball on the grass.

Last year at Wimbledon he beat Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarters and then he defeated Hubert Hurkacz in the semifinals. In the final, Djokovic was super steady and he beat Berrettini in four sets.

However, the dogged Italian likes to go down really low, and he also can jump with some huge shots. He just returned to playing after wrist surgery this year, that sidelined him for three months.

Last week, he won Stuttgart, beating the three-time Grand Slam Andy Murray in three sets. And then, exactly one year ago Berrettini won Queen’s, beating Cameron Norrie in the final.

But he can be irritable on court.

“Sometimes in order to flip the match around or the energy level and your mindset, you have to scream. You have to do something that gets into your body, into your mental mindset in that moment,” Berrettini said. “I don’t feel comfortable throwing rackets or throwing balls, it’s not something I like to do. But sometimes screaming at yourself helps.”

Now he is ranked No. 11, and the 26-year-old is an inferno, finding the lines and corking it up.

“There are so many emotions,” Berrettini said. “The last thing I expected was to come back from surgery and win two titles in a row, defend my title here at one of the most prestigious tournaments we have. I don’t want to cry. Most of the job is thanks to my team and my family. I just can’t believe it.”

He has won seven titles, which is pretty good, but it was a bit odd that he has yet to win a hard court event. However, at the 2022 Australian Open, he reached into the semis, when he pushed back Gael Monfils in five sets. But, Nadal hit him into the wall. The 6’5” guy still has to improve before next week, because the Slam winners are ready to win another title. It is up to Berrettini to leap forward.

NOTES
Murray has improved the year in the singles, but in the three-out-of-five, he might not be able to go in the distance. He has won Wimbledon two times, but we all know that he almost retired due to his injuries. He has always been a grinder, but he needs to shorten the points. If he does not, he has no chance to win it again …

Ig Reilly Opelka is hurt, then maybe he eil pull out of Wimbledon. In April, he won Houston, when the tall man was playing super ball. But after that, he has gone two wins and seven losses. Is it mental, or something else? …

In Eastbourne, there are a number of the American players. There were three wins today by Brandon Nakashima, Tommy Paul and Maxime Cressy. Ousted were Opelka, Sebastian Korda (who just pulled out at Wimbledon), Frances Tiafoe and Jenson Brooksby. Tiafoe will be seeded at the Big W. But, he has lost many matches this year. He has to go to the net more on the slick grass …

The two top men cannot play at Wimbledon: the No. 1 Daniil Medvedev. (Wimbledon banned Russians and Belarussian players due to the war.), and Alexander Zverev (who is injured). Other than Djokovic and Nadal, there are a few very good players who can rush into the second week.

Here are 10 more: Casper Ruud, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Carlos Alcaraz, Auger-Aliassime, Hurkacz, Berrettini, Cameron Norrie, Jannik Sinner , Marin Cilic, Grigor Dimitrov, Alex De Minaur and Nick Kyrgios. But of you want another one, throw in John Isner. Yes, he is aging, but his first serve is still called “Mr. Ace.”

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Felix Auger-Aliassime, Frances Tiafoe, Hubert Hurkacz Andy Murray, Mateo Berrittini, Novak Djokovic, Queen's, rafa nadal, Reilly Opelka, wimbledon

Serena Williams, 40, returns to singles at Wimbledon

June 20, 2022 by Matthew Cronin

Serena Williams will return next week, but the 23-time Grand Slam champion has not played in a year.

She gave birth to her daughter in 2017 and wanted to be around all the time, just like other people. Obviously, there are also other people who do not really care, so they can continue to work away from their kids a lot.

During 2021 Wimbledon, Serena had to retire with her leg a leg injury in the first round. She has rarely done that, so it was a shook. But, why push it? Now Williams has to be 100 percent to compete with the best on tour.

Serena has always been very thoughtful, but it took her years to trust people, on court, and off court, too. She quickly became one of the best players when she was only a teenager. And then after that, she became a dominate player, with her amazing first serve, locked-in return, gigantic forehand and backhand. She would just crack the ball on any line. She started at the WTA in 1998, and next week, when she start in Eastbourne, she is 40 year old.

Williams will play with Ons Jabeur in the doubles at Eastbourne, but not singles. Serena has won 14 Grand Slams doubles titles, along with — of course — her older sister Venus.

Is Serena lurking? Does she really believe she can grab another singles title at Wimbledon, where she has won seven times? That would be very surpriseing. Five years ago, Serena still looked like that when she was on it, she can find the solution. But the other excellent people became smarter and driven, especially Iga Swiatek, the current No. 1, who hasn’t lost a match since early February.

In 2016, Serena won it at Wimbledon over Angie Kerber. In the 2018 final, the German got her. Once again, at 2019 Wimbledon, she was in the final, but the intense Simona Halep stoned her.

Is it possible that the aging Serena can be brilliant again? Roger Federer, who won 20 majors, but he also is 40 year sold, and he hasn’t won a Slam since 2018, at the Australian Open. And just like Serena, his body broke down and now he cannot play until next year.

We all know that Serena can play some incredible points. But not every point, just like she did when she won four Grand Slams in a row. That was amazing. Now, Serena will need to excel over the long haul. It takes seven pressure-packed victories to win a major. A rusty, but still masterful Serena will have great moments at Wimbledon. But raising the Venus Rosewater Dish will probably not be one of them.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Ons Jabeur, Serena williams, Venus Williams, wimbledon

Rafa Nadal wins Roland Garros, but will he play Wimbledon?

June 10, 2022 by Matthew Cronin

Rafa Nadal reached his 14^th final at Roland Garros. And, he has won them all. On Sunday he easily won, stepping on Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0.

He lost just six games. He played almost seamless. The new comer, Ruud, could not get in and find any kind of a solution. He was battered.

Nadal was already to sprint on the clay, and he poked it to take-no-prisoners.

Nadal, who now has won 14 majors in Paris, and overall, he has 22 Grand Slams. He is the current best player ever.

The “King of Clay” is ahead of Novak Djokovic, who has 20 Slams, and also, Roger Federer has 20, too. It is possible that Djokovic can win a few more Grand Slams, and if the Swiss returns at some point, the 40-year-old Federer will have a slight chance to win again, but that would be almost impossible because he has been seriously injured a lot in the past few years.

The 36-year-old Nadal is also hurt quite a bit. He has to decide to play Wimbledon in a couple more weeks, as his foot is very sore, so much so that he couldn’t feel it. The doctor helped him, each day, and he managed to not only smack his phenomenal forehand, but his backhand is so steady. Plus, at the net, he can just put it away, and at the drop shots, too.

Will Nadal go to Wimbledon?

“If I am able to play with anti-inflammatories, yes – to play with anesthetic injections, no. I don’t want to put myself in that position again,” Nadal said. “That’s what we are gonna try. If that works, I gonna keep going. If that not works, then gonna be another story. And then I gonna ask to myself about if I am ready to do a major thing… a major surgery that don’t guarantee me to be able to be competitive again and it gonna take a long time to be back.”

If he does not play, Djokovic will be there, the favorite [who Nadal beat him in the quarters at RG]. Alexander Zverev looked terrific at RG, and then he wrenched his leg and he retired against Nadal. It would be surprising that Zverev can actually play at Wimbledon.

England announced that Russia and Belarus cannot play there, due to the terrible Russian invasion into Ukraine. So at least right now, the No. 2 Daniil Medvedev won’t be there, as well as Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov, among others.

It is early, but in a few weeks perhaps that Stefanos Tsitsipas, Carlos Alcaraz and Felix Auger-Aliassime will ready to touch on the grass.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: Alexander Zverev, Casper Ruud, Novak Djokovic, rafa nadal, roland garros

Iga Świątek cruises in Roland Garros final over Coco Gauff

June 4, 2022 by Matthew Cronin

Exactly how did Iga Świątek zoom to the top this year, winning almost everything this spring, beating the heck out of all. The Pole No. 1 snared at Roland Garros, for the second time, beating Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-3. With an aggressive game, especially with her hard returns off of both wing, she was also in command on her service games except for one break.

Really last year, she was up and down. In the last four months this year, she knew how to really play. She gets her legs very close to the ground, which is known problem, and then she would swing viciously.

Świątek extending her unbeaten run to 35 matches. That is almost a shocker.

“Two years ago, winning this title was something amazing, I wouldn’t expect it ever,” the 21-year-old said. “But this time I feel like I worked hard and did everything to get here even though it was pretty tough and the pressure was big.”

Oh, yes, the pressure was there. But before she came to Paris, she had won Doha, Indian Wells, Miami, Stuttgart and Rome. On the hardcourts and on the clay. She has lost only two sets in her streak.

The 21-year-old found the lines all the time. After she won, she was told that she passed the great Serena Williams’ winning streak, who has won 23 Grand Slams.

“I think honestly, it may seem pretty weird, but having that 35th win and kind of doing something more than Serena did, it’s something special,” Świątek said. “Because I always wanted to have some record. In tennis it’s pretty hard after Serena’s career. So basically that really hit me. Obviously winning a Grand Slam too, but this one was pretty special because I felt like I’ve done something that nobody has ever done, and maybe it’s gonna be even more.”

Świątek tied Venus Williams’ streak of 35 this century but well short of Martina Navratilova’s 74 in 1984, along with longer streaks by Steffi Graf, Chris Evert and Margaret Court.

Gauff started on the tour when she was only 15-year-old. She had played fantastic in 12 days at RG, but in the final, she did not play well at all. She rushed and looked nervous a lot.

Gauff hit 23 unforced errors. After she lost, she cried for a long time.

“Now that I have seen the level, this level of number and 35 matches, I know that’s what I have to do,” she said. “Hopefully next time. I’m sure I’m going to play her in another final and hopefully it’s a different result. I definitely feel like this helped my confidence a lot. I just think even when I was 15, 16, 17, I felt like so much pressure to make a final. Now that I made it, it feels like a relief a little bit.”

Świątek will go onto the grass, and at Wimbledon, she has never progressed further than the fourth round. Now she can turn it around on the beloved grass. If she can blast a number of aces, just like Serena and Venus Williams have done, winning Wimbledon is doable.

Rafa aimed at his fourteenth French title
Rafa Nadal is a heavy favorite to win the men’s final. He has won it at Roland Garros 13 times, and he has never lost at the final.

The 21-Grand Slam champ just had another birthday, and he is now 36 years old. He does get injured a lot – most notably his chronic foot injury – but when he gets on to the court, he plays every second.

On Sunday, he will face the 23-year-old Casper Ruud of Norway. In the semis, Nadal played three hours and didn’t finish the second set when Alexander Zverev had to retire when he seriously rolled his right ankle. It could have gone another two hours, but on Sunday, Nadal should be fresh.

“I like to play in the best stadiums of the world and feel myself, at my age, still competitive. Means a lot to me.” Nadal said. “That makes me feel in some way proud and happy about all the work that we did.”

Ruud finally rose at the majors, and he had practiced with Nadal a number of times. He is pretty quick, and he can focus. He realizes that to upset Nadal, he will have to play out of this earth. “I will need to play my best tennis ever,” said Ruud. “But I still have to believe that I can do it.”

This is the first time that they have faced iff. They have spent practicing a number of times in Spain.

“He always, pretty much, has always beaten me,” Ruud said when he smiled. “This is a special occasion for both of us. He’s playing for his 22nd; I’m playing for my first. Big contrast. I’m the underdog, and we will just enjoy the moment.”

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story

Rafa Nadal is all heart as he beats Novak Djokovic, to face Zverev

June 1, 2022 by Matthew Cronin

It was already close in the fourth set at Roland Garros because Novak Djokovic was playing terrific tennis in the quarterfinals.

But Rafa Nadal seemed to say, “I am going to play spectacular, and I will not make any errors.” Then, in the fourth set, he only did a few times and he won it. Hands down.

On the last shot, not with his great forehand, but his faithful backhand, he nailed it down the line, beating the No. 1 Djokovic 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4).

The Serb was down 0-3 in the second set, and then he was locked in. In the third set, Nadal continued to push, sprinting, moving it around. Over nearly 20 years, he was not terrific at the net but now Nadal is so effective.

Djokovic saw that and in the third set, Nadal was punching him, and he snagged it, 6-2.

You have to say that in the fourth tiebreaker, Nadal thought that when he had a real change, he could go for it. He flew.

The Spaniard has won 13 Grand Slams at Roland Garros. Can he win it again? Possibly, because at the round of 16, he was forced to edge the Canadian, beat Felix Auger-Aliassime 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in four hours, 20 minutes. Nadal played fantastic in the fifth, so many stunningly shots. He was running, twisting, almost diving, and he put it away.

But, on Friday, he will face Alexander Zverev, who took down the 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz. It looked like the young Spaniard Alcaraz was going to secure another victory. But hold on. Zverev tightened up his game. Even though Zverev nearly won the 2020 US Open, he was so close, but in the fifth set he was very good, but not perfect when he lost in a tiebreaker, 7-6(6) versus Dominic Thiem.

Now against Nadal in the semis, Zverev will crack the ball consistently from the backcourt, and he thinks he can punch the opponents. He has to face Nadal on Friday. They have played each other nine times, with Nadal won six times, and Zverev won three.

Yes, Nadal can be dominating on clay, but over the last four matches the German won three of them. In 2021, he beat him at on the high dirt. However, Nadal smacked him in Rome.

Is it even? No, but Zverev will try to kick the doors in. That should be a very wild match.

NOTES
On Wednesday, the veteran Marin Cilic survived Andrey Rublev 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 in 4 hours,10 minutes. Really, when he is on, he can be very strong with his forehand, his backhand and his serve. He was lethal. He has won 34 five-setters, which is way up there….

Leylah Fernandez went down after she was injured. However, Martina Trevisan has been on fire, winning ten straight matches. The Italian is 28 years old, and she has struggled for 10 years, but currently, she helped her mental game. “I was re-educated to eat, to make peace with my wounds,” she wrote. “To appreciate my new body, to forgive those who made mistakes and to find my time to do things. I think the importance is, who I am right now, that I’m happy on the court. I’m doing what I love. So, my past is the past, and it helped me to be in the present, to be what I am right now.”

There are three others in the semis with the huge favorite, Iga Swiatek, American Coco Gauff and Russian Daria Kasatkina. Gauff blasted Sloane Stephens in the quarters, and she is so much more consistent now. She will face against Trevisan. New ground for both of them as neither of them have reached a Grand Slam semi before. Both of them will be nervous, that is for sure…

But not Swiatek, who is almost perfect and she won RG two years ago. She will be so fast and hit it very deep. If Kasatkina has a chance, then she has to go for it quickly.

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