TennisReporters.net’s top 32 in 2022: men 25-21

Diego Schwartzman, Alex De Minaur, Lorenzo Musetti, Nick Kyrgios, Roberto Bautista Agut

Nick Krygios
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

No. 25: Diego Schwartzman
The veteran had a decent year at the beginning, beating some fine players, After April, he started to slump. From May through November, he did not win many matches, losing to the very good players and some medicare players. Yes he is fast and he could be steady, but when he is out of synch, his strokes aren’t deep enough.  Perhaps he was injured, but in the fall, he fell down fast. Hopefully next year he can reset his game and make a few more critical changes.

No. 24: Alex De Minaur
The 23-year-old Aussie had some terrific wins. He works hard in his practices, but he can be erratic at times. Of course, he can really hustle, and cover the court with his long arm. In 2022, he only beat one player inside the top 20 this year. While he is pretty good, but in order to put down the super consistent players, who hit the ball really hard, he has to rush the net when he wants to. To reach the top 10, he has to improve his thinking tat in order to play much better, which is critical. He knows in Australia, the fans want to see him excell, just like Pat Rafter did, who won two Grand Slams. He needs to have a gut check.  

No. 23: Lorenzo Musetti
The Italian is only 20 year old. In October, he won Naples, beating Matteo Berrettini in the final. Even in Hamburg, he out-lasted the now No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz. When he was on, and very confident, he can punch the lines on clay. Outside of that, though, on the hardcourts and the grass, he lost early a lot. Yes, he is very young, so in order to improve, he has to practice a tremendous amount to add more solid strokes. As many young people know that if they want to improve as much as they can, they eventually need to be more solid. Plus, he needs think about exactly where he needs to do. Think, and take a chance.

No. 22: Nick Kyrgios
This has been a bizarre year, as the controversial Aussie finally played a lot, in the singles and the doubles, and he beat a number of excellent players. On court, he will scream a lot, and yell, but in certain tournaments, he can absolutely crush the ball with his phenomenal forehand. Plus, his first serve is gigantic, and he really does mix it up with some wild, great crazy shots. Over the past 10 years, he can play excellently, and then, he would play almost lousy. He did reach at the Wimbledon final, his best Grand Slam, ever, but unfortunately, he self-destructed and then Novak Djokovic out-thought him in the fourth set. Really though, in 2023, will he continue to play great all year, or will he become pissed off on court, and off court, too. Few people really know what’s his erratic head.

No. 21: Roberto Bautista Agut
In his first event in January, he made it into the final at the ATP Cup in Sydney. In Mallorca, he reached the final, upsetting Daniil Medvedev. When he is pounding the ball, up and down, side to side, he can be so harmonious. However, the Spaniard is 34-years-old. While he absolutely love to play, but he is aging. Is he just as fast than he was 15 years ago? He might say, “Yes, I can still sprint” he is slightly slower. The good thing is that he won Doha and Kitzbuhel. But to win a Grand Slam, sure, he can upset a couple pf top 10 players. However, the reason why he has yet to reached the final because he cannot hit it hard into the corners all the time. He is a very good player, but to win a Slam, that would be a shocker.

Quarterfinal picks at the 2022 US Open

Casper Ruud

Casper Ruud vs Matteo Berrettini
The 23-year-old Norwegian broke out two years ago. Clearly, he knows that if he wants to make No. 1 someday, then he has to improve his strokes. He and the Italian have played each other five times already, which is unusual, so they know each other well. In Gstaad in July, Ruud beat Berrettini to win the title, and now it is 3-2 head to head. Both of them can slap the ball, but also, they can be very patient, and can change it up. “You need to obviously guess right sometimes, and sort of see if you can try to read where he’s going,” Ruud said. Without a doubt, when they get on court, it will take hours before they finish. It really is a toss-up, but Berrettini will win it in five nutty sets.

Ons Jabeur vs Ajla Tomljanovic
The Australian eliminated Serena Williams. Now, she finally made it into the quarters at the Grand Slam. She has been around for a long time, and she has been pretty decent, but not unreal. But over the past eight days, she rose, and has shown confidence. Plus, she likes to talk with the journalists. However, Jabeur played some assortment points. She is so quick, and she has so much variety. Yes, she has won against a number of the top 10 players, but she has yet to win a major. However, this year, at least she made into the final at Wimbledon, and she lost to Elena Rybakina. This time, though, Jabeur will be ready and beat Tomljanovic in straight sets.

Nick Kyrgios vs Karen Khachanov
The Aussie has become a real force. His serve is huge, his forehand is massiv, and currently he has added rushing the net and putting away volleys. However, Khachanov is a huge swinger, and he can crack the ball. He is not the fastest, but when he is right there, then he can belt it. Khachanov would love to go very deep at the USO, but Kyrgios will hit many aces and winners, too. He will win it in four hardy sets.

Coco Gauff vs Caroline Garcia
These two have played some fantastic matches this summer. They both have gone deep, and they have beaten a number of the top players. Gauff reached into the final at Roland Garros, and a couple weeks ago, Garcia won Cincinnati. From the backcourt, they can run all day. The American who can hit winners from all over the court. Te Frenchwoman can also be patient, but finally, the veteran started to be much more gung ho. That will be a really banner match, with some wild points. In the end, the teenager will out-hit Garcia right and win it in three thrilling sets.

More coverage
Here is my story about Frances Tiafoe believing he could take down Rafa Nada at the US Open.

Sunday match predictions at the US Open

Nick Krygios
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

Daniil Medvedev vs. Nick Kyrgios
This is one of the potential fantastic match, with the Russian and the Australian facing off. Medvedev won the U.S. Open last year, and he came alive. Kyrgios has not won a Slam yet, but this year, he rose gradually, and now, he has beaten a huge number of top players. They both can throw in a number of aces, there forehands are huge, and they can really mix it up. However, Medvedev does not come into the net much, but his backhand is strong. Plus, when he is locked in, then he can hit it even harder. Kyrgios throws in a bunch of shots, and he can be very creative. He can get very ticked off, but he is more control, now, and he has said that he does have a chance to finally win a Slam. He almost did when he went into the final at Wimbledon, and he was close versus Novak Djokovic, but the Serbian finally broke him down. Kyrgios said that he is a bit tired because he has been traveling for months, but after the US Open is done, then he can go home, because he misses it. He does want to punch on with Medvedev, but he will be very patient, and in the fifth set, the Russian will brake him down.

Coco Gauff vs. Shuai Zhang
Yes, the teenager Gauff is looking very good, but so is Zhang, who had some cracking good points in the last couple months. The American is running well, and her forehand and her backhand are very real. Her serve OK, but not great yet, and at times she over-thinks about what she is going to do. When you are really young, the best solution is to simply play. The Chinese plays a lot of doubles, and she is good, at the net, but again, it took her a long time to believe that in the singles. She can be more gifted. So now, she does. Serena Williams just lost, so now it is anyone to win the event. Gauff thinks she can, so if she can play at the top of the level, then she can beat Zhang in straight sets. If not, that will be a very close three-setter. In a sense, it is a toss-up, but Gauff will hit a couple tremendous winners and move into next week.

Jannik Sinner vs. Ilya Ivashka
The Italian is blasting the ball. He is so fast, and can rush the net. He is very tall, and his first serve and his return can be wonderful. He has improved, but once again, he has yet to win a Slam. But if he continued to get fancy, he does have a chance to go even further. Ivashka can be very respectable, but the 28-year-old has yet to win a big tournament. At least last year, he did win Winston-Salem. So, he is good, but not great. Because of that, Sinner wins it in three sets.

Carolina Garcia vs. Allison Riske
Each year, there are the same old players, who are good, but not great. For years, they are OK, but to chomp down the unreal players, in general, they will lose. The Frenchwoman came out of nowhere, recently, and now the 28-year-old is on a roll. She is quick, she can swing harder, and also, in her eyes, you can tell that she finally trusted herself. The same goes with Riske, who started winning when she was young, but she could only win on the grass, in singles. But gradually, on in the hardcourts, she grew into her fine player with both of her strokes. The American Riske really wants to reach into the second week, but if you watch both of them, Garcia just won the Western & Southern Open, a gigantic week. She will do it again, in three subline sets.

Friday predictions at US Open

Matteo Berrittini
Mal Taam/MALTphoto

Matteo Berrettini  vs Andy Murray
Just before he got hurt, the Italian was feeling good, not only being very consistent snd controlled. He has yet to win a Slam, but he has gone deep, especially at the 2021 Wimbledon, when he  reached the final, and he lost to No. 1 Novak Djokovic in four sets. But he kept going, jumping in and throwing it hard. This year, he reached the semis at the Australian Open, and he won Queen’s. But guess what? In Stuttgart, Berrettini played against the three-time champion, Murray, and he beat him in three difficult sets. This time, at the U.S. Open, things can change. The Scotl looked very good in the first two matches, as he hit some wonderful strokes, especially with his first serve and his wide-eyed return. If it goes into the fifth set, then Berrettini will tire him, but it doesn’t, then Murray can decide how to fool him. That is a toss-up, but in the end, Murray will win.

Nick Kyrgios vs J.J. Wolf
The so-called ‘new’ American, Wolf, is already smiling on the courts, sprinting and bashing his forehand. This year, he played a number of challengers, and he won a lot, but the 23-year-old knew that he needed to add to his shots. At least this week, he threw in some wonderful strokes. However, Kyrgios is playing so well, almost every match, with his mind-blowing serves, his muscular forehand, and also, his with his fine net play. Of course he can yell all day, but other than that, on court, he finally learned to be more efficient. There will be some crazy rallies, but Kyrgios will win in three sets.  

Jessica Pegula vs Yue Yuan
We talked it before, but if Pegula can reach the second week, then she will finally have a terrific change to win the US Open. For so many years, she was pretty consistent, but she rarely tried to go for it, deep and close to the corners. She finally decided that if she can get into the top 20, then the world would know who she is. But even further, Pegula is ranked No. 7, which is keen. However, she has yet to reach the fourth round at Flushing Meadows, so this time, she has to knock it up.
Yuan has come out of nowhere in singles and currently she is ranked No. 142. Maybe she started to work hard with a couple of coaches, so she is now more mature. Regardless, Pegula will be patient, and when she has a chance, she can crack her shots. She will win in two sets.

Vika Azarenka vs Petra Martin
The Belarussian has won two Grand Slams. Years ago, she was one of the most aggressive strokers with her forehand and her backhand. However, her serve has been OK, but not great, and at the net, she stumbles. But the outgoing Azarenka can really return, in the lines. She would scream ‘C’MON.’ Very loud She has a child, and she has said that she is totally happy. We are sure that she is, but on court early in her matches, she can look terrific, but then, not so much. If she can manage to win fast, then she will continue to battle. However, Croatian Martin has been around for a long time. Years ago, she hit the top 15, and at the US Open, she reached the fourth round a few times. Yet she never was able to go super far. She upset Paula Badosa this week, so the 31-years-old must have been solid. Can she poke around against Azarenka? Maybe, for an hour or so, early, but  Azarenka will be intense and she will win it in two sets.

Kyrgios: ‘I don’t need someone to tell me how to play tennis’

Nick Krygios

Win or lose this week, Nick Kyrgios has finally started to play the singles he is capable of. While he can scream when he misses an easy shots, then he must begin to forget. He won’t improve his game and career if he keeps up the erratic, errant shouting at this camp that defused his shot of winning last month’s Wimbledon final. But, sure he is dangerous as he can nail so many winners.

He is playing in Washington, and maybe he can win it.

But now, where will he will be? Over the years, he has pulled out from a lot of tournaments. But when he is healthy, then the Aussie thinks he can beat anyone. But he also wants to switch it up his tactics.

“I feel like tactically when I play players I’m very switched on. I watch a lot of film,” Kyrgios said. “I know every player’s weakness and strength. I do my own research. I feel as if no one knows my game as good as myself. But I feel like there can be one little thing that my team says to me that can help me. I don’t need someone to tell me how to play tennis. I just need positive reinforcement at times to just give me feedback that I’m doing all right and I’m doing well, because I have had so much negativity in my career that sometimes I beat myself up way too much. I feel like just one little positive thing can do so much for my tennis. Tactically I’m very switched on. … I just serve big and play on instinct and play big, and it works well.”

He is ranked No. 63, and this week, he can go a bit further. But also in Toronto, and Cincinnati, and if he goes deep, maybe he will be seeded at the US Open. Maybe.

The new Kasatkina

At San Jose, Daria Kasatkina reached the 2021 final, and she went down against Danielle Collins, before she was ranked No. 31. But now, Kasatkina is No. 12 and knocked off Aryna Sabalenka 4-6 7-5 6-0 on Friday. Her consistently in the last 30 minutes was pretty surprising.

After coming out last month as gay, Katsatkina seems to be riding a new wave of freedom. As she told WTATour.com, “I’m really happy about it. As I saw, it was not just a good thing for me, also it helped other people. That’s great and I feel great. I feel happy about it and about myself and that’s most important.”

On clay, she reached the semis at Rome and Roland Garros. She was picking it up. She hasn’t won a tournament this year, and while she is one of the biggest hitters, her serve is very soft. She does not come into the net often, but she can mix it up a fair amount.

She was somewhat close to winning a Grand Slam, but she held herself back.

However, Kasatkina is so strong, with her forehand and her backhand, when she can smash the balls.

In San Jose, in the matches, she can be a little bit wild, and also, more in tune with their strengths. Every year, the players can be focused a lot. With others, they can drift off. When they walk on the court, you can tell that they are driven, or they can be space.
 
If Kasatkina gets better each week, then her confidence will return gradually. That will be a tremendous pressure. Back in 2017, she won a very important tournament in Charleston. She also reached the final at Indian Wells, a gigantic event.

The Russian is more mature. “This is the point when I have to realize that I am an adult and mature enough,” Kasatkina said. “I’m not 18 anymore.
I cannot rely that I am young and I will have time. No, I’m 25, I have to act now. I have to show everything I’ve got in these years. I think this is already the time to give more than take.”

Wimbledon champions: Novak Djokovic and Elena Rybakina

Novak Djokovic

The now 21-Grand-Slam champion Novak Djokovic decided to stay the course, even though Nick Kyrgios was serving gigantic in the Wimbledon final. The Aussie won the first set 6-4, and he was super confident, even though this was the first time that he had reached the final at a Grand Slam.

Kyrgios also really likes the slick grass, and he believed that if he could play very well, that he could punch Djokovic, who he had beaten two times.

But hold on. In the second set, the Serb decided that when the rallies began, he would change the direction and trick him. It was close, but he knew that if he served strong, and that he could bust the Australian’s backhand, then he could frustrate him.

He sure did that, and eventually won it 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3) .

Kyrgios said: ‘“He’s a bit of a god, I’m not gonna lie,” said Kyrgios. “I thought I played well. … It’s been an amazing couple of weeks for me personally.”

But he lost, so he has to go back to work and work be even harder. He yells a lot on court, as he did repeatedly and annoyingly so on Sunday. While he can attack and he can snap out of his habit, when he loses control, then he throws in too many errors.

In January, the Australian Kyrgios finally realized that he was about to click.

He won the doubles with his good friend Thanasi Kokkinakis at the Australian Open, and he realized that when he plays a lot, he can be much more solid.

“I think the doubles in Australia has really helped me at a Grand Slam level,” Kyrgios said. “I felt like just the kind of mundane, you win a match, you have a day off, you practice, you go again over a two-week period. I realized in Melbourne it’s a long time. You can’t explore, you can’t really go to the city here. You can’t enjoy your time as much as you would like to. You kind of have to stay in your house, be reserved, take your mind off things. I think in Melbourne I really realized that.”
 
Before that, he had never reached the semifinals before. It surely helped that 22-time-Grand-Slam champion Rafa Nadal pulled out with an abdominal tear, giving Kyrgios a walkover in the final.

Regardless, Kyrgios beat Stefanos Tsitsipas, Brandon Nakashima and Cristian Garin. In some matches the 27-year-old can be subdued.
 
“I just feel like I’m more mature. I think earlier in my career if I made a third, fourth or quarterfinals, I’d be on my phone a lot, I would be engaging online a lot, would be keen to go out to dinner and explore or just do things,” said Kyrgios. “I think everyone has the same goal in my team. That’s why it’s working. We all know what we’ve come here to do.”

He was close, but the the 35-year-old Djokovic is older and more mature, too. Now, going in the next two months, can Mr. Novak continue to win a lot. If he can play the US Open (the US currently bans incoming travelers who don’t have a COVID-19 vaccine – Djokovic does not), then he might get lucky and not have to face two of the tour’s best players, Alexander Zverev and Nadal, who are injured. Regardless, Djokovic will fight, during the last breath.

Rybakina’s big game take trophy
If you look at the entire year, Elena Rybakina was struggling on the court. She had some good wins, but not great ones. However, at Wimbledon, she began to push up the mountain. Over the past couple years, she would win a terrific match and then in the few days later, she would be erratic. In London, she was finally in the zone. She knocked off Zheng Qinwen, Bianca Andreescu, Simona Halep and in the final on Saturday, she out-hit Ons Jabeur 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.

Rybakina has a big first serve, a vicious return, and she can strike bigtime with her forehand and her backhands. She finally boomed.
“The last three years I think I’m top 20,” Rybakina said. “And I had very good matches, great battles, against great champions, and it was always close. In those close moments I was the one who will lose the serve or just miss. Maybe it mentally clicked (this time). I believed in myself more in this tournament and in the crucial moments I was just solid enough to win.”

And how.

Davis Cup: The heroes, the young guys and the veterans

The top 5 from the Davis Cup quarterfinals

Nick Kyrgios
The 20-year-old led Australia in beating the US, knocking out the vets John Isner and Sam Querrey. He is much more comfortable in the Davis Cup than on the ATP World Tour, being aggressive and smart. The Aussies could actually win it all this year, but they need to bring back Bernard Tomic to help them. If he is actually playing, that is.  

David Goffin
The Belgium plays Davis Cup all the time, year after year. They beat Italy 3-1 Given that Goffin has improved a lot recently, maybe they can upset Australia at home and actually reach the final. Perhaps, if he can kiss the lines in September, that is.

Viktor Troicki
Yes, Novak Djokovic won his match, but Troicki was confident in singles and doubles. They whipped Spain. If the No. 2 Djokovic decides not to play right after the US Open ends, then Serbia has no chance to win the Cup again. They do not have enough great players to prevail without him.

All the French
The top 3 men couldn’t play because of injury, so France brought in a bunch of fine competitors. France has so much depth. Four players cracked England: Lucas Pouille, Jeremy Chardy, Julien Benneteau and Nicolas Mahut.

Lleyton Hewitt
The new captain was pretty brilliant, upsetting the Americans by helping Nick Kyrgios and Jordan Thompson. They were super solid, just like Lleyton was when he played, year-in and year-out.

Wozniacki against Pliskova: Is Caro ready to win again?

Caroline Wozniacki vs Karolina Pliskova
Earlier this year, Caro and  Pliskova reached the final in Doha. Wozniacki had won the tournament before. In 2013 Miami, Woz overcame Pliskova in three sets here. The same goes, winning at 2014 Monterrey and Istanbul, also in another three sets. Pliskova was good back then, but she was very inconsistent and she grew frustrated with her game.

But in the past two years, Pliskova increased her speed. She will never be the fastest player, but this was a real improvement. But she hits the ball harder than anyone. That is why she is now ranked No. 3, and if she continued to improve, than she will become No. 1 someday. Soon.

This year, the former No. 1 Wozniacki is rising again — especially with her forehand and serve — but once she goes up against the very good women, she chokes a bit. More so, in the semis or finals against the top 10, she gets very nervous. Amazingly, Woz hasn’t won a big event since 2011, when she won Dubai, Indian Wells and Beijing. Now, it’s all in her head.

The good news is that Caro is finally getting aggressive. For sure, she is as steady as a rock and very rarely gets tired. In order to change when she was losing all the time, she need to see the light. She is on her way there, but it will be a months-long journey.

That is why Pliskova will attack immediately and go for the lines. If she is kissing the lines, she will win. If she does not, maybe Caro will break her down.

It’s a tossup, but Pliskova will out-stroke Woz at the end.
  
Roger Federer vs Tomas Berdych
The Swiss is totally locked in. It’s hard to believe that he is now nearly a reflection of his brilliant self from the mid-2000s. Players from that time must be wondering if Federer will continue to show real flashes of the player who dominated the sport a decade ago. Czech Berdych has gotten better in the past 10 days, but he still isn’t 100 percent yet. Take Federer is straight sets. 

Nick Kyrgios v Alexander Zverva 
Who would have thunk it? 

It is the quarterfinals of Miami, you know? Are the young guys ready to dance now? Perhaps they are. 

The 19-year-old Zverev is racing ahead, stunning Stan Wawrinka. The controversial but super powerful Kyrgios has played very well this month, and the 21-year-old will reach the top 10 very soon.

Two weeks ago at Indian Wells, Kyrgios beat the No. 20 Zverev 6-3 6-4. Maybe the German will change it up? Perhaps, but as good as Zverev is, he still needs to learn a lot of things. 

So does Nick, but he is a little older, and on court, smarter. Nick in straight sets.

Johanna Konta vs Venus Williams
Both women played two great contests on Wednesday:  Konta overcame Simon Halep in three dramatic — and very long —sets; Venus rushed towards the net frequently and bested the odd No. 1, Angie Kerber, in straight sets.
 
Last year, Konta beat Venus at the Aussie Open and Stanford. While Konta is in great shape now, still, she might be a big tired. If Konta goes right out of the gates, she will win in straight sets. If they go to the third set, Venus will break her down. If Konta can take down Williams, we predict she will reach the final of Miami for the first time.

Kyrgios says he can win Aussie; beat the best

Nick Kygrios’ tweet apologizing for roundly criticized, on-court remarks that Thanasi Kokkinakis had a relationship with Donna Vekic, Stan Wawrinka’ girlfriend.

Nick Krygios actually said that he can win the Australian Open.

Kyrgios knows that he is very good, but has he ever won the big show, knocking out the legends, those who have reached the finals at the Slams? The finals? No. The semifinals? No. He is a huge hitter, but not everyday. That is for sure.

But maybe its time now.

The 21-year-old Kyrgios, who crushed Gastao Elias in the first round of the Aussie Open, said that he can win the tournament.

Already?

“Well, if I didn’t think I’d win it, why would I play? I think I can win it. I’ve beaten pretty much everyone in the draw before,” he said. “So I think so.”

Kyrgios said that Roger Federer is the best ever, even though the Swiss said that the Aussie will not win the event.

The No. 13 Kyrgios won three events last year: Marseille, Atlanta and Tokyo, but he is mentally up and down. He’d play great tennis, like upsetting top-10ers Tomas Berdych, Marin Cilic and Milos Raonic. Also, he was injured and lost to against a few outside of the top 100 players.

Federer said he didn’t think that Kyrgios is not ready to win the Australian Open.

“I’m not going to, like, say anything back to him about it. Obviously it’s his opinion,” Kyrgios said. “We’ll see. I’ve done everything I can so far. What can I say? It’s Roger. I can’t really say anything to him.  … He’s the greatest of all time. I know I just want to do my own thing. I played him once, I beat him once.”

Kyrgios beat Federer 6-7, 7-6, 7-6(12) in 2015 in Madrid. That’s just one match. Kyrgios hasn’t won a major yet, while Federer has won 17 Grand Slams.

Kyrgios faces Andreas Seppi on Wednesday night. The Aussie should win in both the second and third rounds, but after that, here comes a huge challenge. He could face Wawrinka/Cilic/Tomic/Jack Sock/Jo-Wilfred Tsonga. And perhaps the No. 1, Andy Murray.  That, people, is serious pressure.

Federer says Big 4 still there; admires Lleyton Hewitt

 

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AUSTRALIAN OPEN, January 20, 2016 – Admittedly, Novak Djokovic had a tremendous year in 2015. He won 11 titles, including three majors, grabbing the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. He beat the rest of the so-called Big Boy-plus 1: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka.

Federer has won 17 Grand Slams and Nadal has won 14 majors. Djokovic ‘only’ has won 10 Grand Slams. Both Murray and Wawrinka have won two Grand Slams, which is pretty good, too. Some think that the Big 4 plus 1 might have begun to disappear because in 2015, no one could handle Djokovic for the most part.

However, Federer said that for sure Djokovic had a tremendous year, but that doesn’t mean that the other elite competitors are getting blown out all of the time. Recall that in 2004, Federer won three Slams. In 2010, Nadal won three majors that year, too. Neither of then went undefeated. So while everyone is bowing down for Djokovic, he did lose a few contests

“If you’re looking at his season, he was the most dominant player by far last year,” said Federer, who took out Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3 7-5 6-1 in the second round. “Then, if you look at just who won the Slams and the Masters 1000s, doesn’t hold truth, because Stan won the French [he beat Djokovic in the final]. Nobody else won a Slam other than him and Novak. So it completely depends on how you look at it. Who’s had the most success? The top five guys really, with Stan, Murray, myself, Novak and Rafa.

“Now the rankings are back to more normal again after Rafa’s worked his way back up. I don’t think Rafa, myself, we personally look at the rankings very much, check it out all the time, care too much, to be quite honest, after being world No. 1. I understand some people do. It’s helpful in the seedings at times. But for us to lose quarter, semis, finals, it doesn’t matter, it’s still a loss, because we’re looking at higher goals, Rafa and myself. Same as Novak. I still think the same guys are playing very well. But Novak deserves like a little star next to his name right now because he’s been doing extremely well. Same for Stan really. Hasn’t been said, he’s won Slams the last couple seasons [he won the 2014 Australian Open and the 2015 French Open] and he’s going into a third season where he’s maybe going to win a Slam.”

Federer is now 34 years old, just like the Aussie Lleyton Hewitt, who will retire after the tournament is over. They began playing each other in 1998, when they were still juniors. Within a flash, Hewitt was given a wild card in his own town, Adelaide, and he won the title. Federer and Hewitt were supposed to play doubles in the juniors at the Australian Open, but instead, Hewitt was given another wild card, this time in the pros.

“He dumped me,” Federer said with a laugh.

For the next five years, Hewitt pretty much had him, winning seven contests and losing two matches. The small yet feisty Aussie beat Federer on carpet, grass and hard courts. But, by 2004, Federer had risen. He had finally figured him out. They had yet to face off in the majors, but this time, Federer and Hewitt went at each other in the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Federer was completely in control. He understood exactly how he should play Hewitt. The Swiss beat the Aussie 15 matches in a row, until 2010, when Hewitt finally upset him on grass in Halle. In 2014, Hewitt was absolutely thrilled, upending Federer in the final in Brisbane. The only time they had played against each other in Australia was in the Davis Cup in 2003, when the two-time Grand Slam champion Hewitt came back down two sets on grass. Both of them still clearly recalls what occurred.

It would be stunning if they can meet in the http://www.cialisgeneriquefr24.com/acheter-cialis-forum/ final of the 2016 Australian Open. They are in opposite draws and Hewitt hasn’t played the singles since the US Open.

But both have said they will watch each other’s matches during the tournament. They admire each other quite well.

“We always got along well. It was sometimes feisty on the court, but it was always respectful,” Federer said. “I always admired his work ethic, his on-court fighting spirit, even though it annoyed me sometimes because in the beginning it was more crazy than now. Until I found myself as well on the court, took me a while, but it was more because of me, not because of him, I’d say. Lleyton made me figure out my game and made me definitely a better player. I enjoyed the battles with him. I wish him well here.”

NOTES

Hewitt will face David Ferrer in the second round on Rod Laver. The Aussie is the underdog, but if he is healthy, they can exchange long rallies all night long.

Federer will go up against Grigor Dimitrov in the third round. The two just played in Brisbane, with Federer playing a little smart and he won it in three tight sets. The only way that Dimitrov can win is to move forward, takes some risks and he cannot back off. The Bulgarian looks a little bit better after a tough year. Last week in Sydney, he reached the final, he held a match point versus Victor Troicki, he came up the net, he had an easy forehand down the line and he dumped it. He lost and he was crushed. Can he stun Federer? Possibly, but if he has a match-point, he cannot hesitate.

Here are two excellent third-round matches: Tomas Berdych vs. Nick Kyrgios and David Goffin vs. Dominic Thiem.