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The top 32’s in 2015: Who did what, and who will rise in 2016

December 6, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Lisicki-15-Stan-TR-MALT0502

 

THE WTA WOMEN

No. 32

Sabine Lisicki

It is nearly impossible to figure out which way she is going. The German can bomb her first serves, and she loves the grass, but even though she can rake it near the baseline, she can totally disappear. Its hard to believe that such a talent is stuck at the bottom of this list.

No. 31

Irina-Camelia Begu: The Romanian was pretty quiet this season, but she didn’t back off, winning Seoul. She did manage to stun Angie Kerber in the first round of the Aussie, perhaps her best win in 2015.

No. 30

Sloane Stephens: Beginning this year, the 22-year-old said that she was ready to crack the top 10. She did play a little better than in 2014, but this year, she was a bit shaky, especially in the fall. Sloane has all the tools; the question is whether she really wants to commit to her sport.

No. 29

Kristina Mladenovic: The fairly young Frenchwoman has been a pretty decent year, in the singles, doubles and mixed. She is pretty muscular, she likes the net and she can move forward. If she can improve mentally, she can certainly crack the top 20.

THE ATP MEN

No. 32

Steve Johnson: The American keeps grinding and now he is very close to crack the top 30. Can the former USC undefeated star reach a quarterfinal at a Slam in 2016? Sure he can.

No. 31

Jeremy Chardy: The veteran Frenchman can hit the heck out of the ball, and he can be super aggressive, but he isn’t fast enough or have enough variety. He is streaky.

No. 30

Nick Kyrgios: The 20-year-old has been up and down this season, as he is thrilling on court, but he has been lost control and shows off his angry side way too often. The Aussie can smoke his first serves, his forehand and backhand. He can be patient, too. If he matures in 2016, he can go very deep.

No. 29

Andrea Seppi: The Italian shocked Roger Federer during the Australian Open with a lot of variety. The 31-year-old will never win a major, but he can mix it up and he is over due to win a title for the first time – any title.

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Djokovic, dominatrix: Novak d. Nadal in Beijing. Shanghai begins

October 13, 2015 by Leave a Comment

 

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Now what to do with Novak Djokovic? He has essentially won just about everything this season. Oh sure, he was somewhat stunned against losing against Stan Wawrinka in the final at Roland Garros, but he never looked shaken. He has won the Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Rome, Wimbledon, the US Open and now Beijing. He has won on hard courts, clay and grass. He has beaten Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal. Yes, Federer grabbed a couple matches, but Djokovic has beaten him in the most important contests, out-thinking him in the finals at Wimbledon and the US Open.

The same goes with Murray, who finally beat the Serbian for the first time in two years by upending him in Montreal. But Djokovic did essentially thrash him in the Aussie Open, plus he beat the Brit four times this season.

Djokovic has played Nadal three times this year, and he has not only been beating him, but he didn’t lose a set, winning 6-2, 6-2 in the final of Beijing. Yes, Nadal was happy to even being there, given that he has lost so many times against guys he used to be able to control. Against Djokovic, he has a long way before he can unearth him.

The incredible thing about Djokovic is that he actually likes the fall. A number of players pretty much fall apart after the US Open because they are too tired or they have checked out mentally,. Since 2011, Djokovic has been pushing hard every month. Of course, he hasn’t been able to win every single match, but when he wasn’t hurt during the fall, he has been pretty electric, winning Beijing, Shanghai, Paris/Bercy and the Barclay ATP World Tour Finals in London.

He can do just about anything now, from his intelligent serve; his much improved and forceful forehand; his never-miss backhand; and his amazing return. Right now, over the past four years, he has been the most consistent player around, and the only way someone can knock him out of the top No. 1 is to be substantially better.

Who is ready to do that? Currently, Djokovic is on fire. He can win Shanghai, Paris/Bercy and the ATP World Tour Finals. He might be a little tired, since he is always going deep, but he can do it again. He really can.

Nadal was pretty pleased by reaching the final in Beijing, knocking out Vasek Pospisil, Jack Sock and the dreaded Fabio Fognini. But in the final, the Spaniard was OK, but not even close to winning. Yes, he ran hard, and he was aggressive for the most part, but he didn’t crack enough deep balls, he couldn’t smack enough backhands and his serve is still a little weak. The 14-time champion Nadal was substantially better in 2013 when he was neck to neck with Djokovic, but now, he isn’t confident enough. Perhaps he will continue to improve over the next five weeks, but if the now No. 6 is able to do so, he will have to cut loose.

Nadal is hurt and he may pull out of Shanghai this week if he doesn’t feel better. Federer and Murray are both there, and both of them will have clean shots to go deep, especially the “Great Federer,” who won the tournament last year.

But what about the younger competitors? All of them need to end the season doing very well, or if they cannot, in 2016 they will not be able to take apart the so-called Big Four (Djokovic, Federer, Nadal and Murray) as well as the excellent Stan Wawrinka, who just won Tokyo and grabbed the French Open, owning two Slams now.

Here are some of the 24 and under which are still at Shanghai:

Milos Raonic, Dominic Thiem, David Goffin, Nikoloz Basilashvili, Borna Coric, Bernard Tomic, Nick Kyrgios and Sock.

Every singles player – including Raonic, who was able to end 2014 ranked No. 8 – could use a huge win or two. Thiem is now ranked No. 18 and could face Djokovic. The Aussie Tomic could face the Serbian in the quarters – if he gets there. The 18-year-old Coric will face the other Croatian, Marina Cilic. That will be a gigantic battle.

The Belgian Goffin has to play excellent ball during the rest of the season, as he will have to be the main man in the Davis Cup final at home against Great Britain. He could face Murray in the third round, but first things first as he could play John Isner – not an easy task.

The unknown Basilashvili from Georgia qualified and recently cracked into the top 100. It’s hard to tell how really good he is, but at least he’s rising.

Kyrgios will play against the 25-year-old Kei Nishikori, who was disappointed in losing against Benoit Paire in the semifinals.  Kyrgios has not been spectacular in Asia, but he has been very decent, currently being ranked No. 32. Even though the 20-year-old has been controversial this year, he has tremendous potential and could end the year in the top 20. In order to do so, he has to keep his head on straight. He better run and run, because that’s what the super fast Nishikori loves to do.

The American Sock is currently ranked No. 33 and he was very close against Nadal. He wasn’t patient enough at the end, but he will have a legitimate opportunity in the second round if he gets there against Tomas Berdych. The Czech has not had his best year ever in 2015, but he is still ranked No. 5 and he rarely plays poorly. Sock will have to play as well as he could to be able to upset him. Sock can hold fairly easy with a huge serve, but he is still has to work substantially to improve his return – all the kids need to.

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Kyrgios gets angry — again. Wins but obnoxious against Wawrinka

August 13, 2015 by Leave a Comment

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In Montreal, August 12  

Late at night against Stan Wawrinka in Montreal, Nick Kyrgios grew angry in the first set, screamed at a linesperson, and after he lost the tiebreak, he screaming, he threw his rackets, yelling and saying “This is f—ing bullshit!” It was, by him, all night long.

But he continued to be play fairly well. He still irritable and during the second set he said to Wawrinka, “[Thanasi] Kokkinakis banged your girlfriend, sorry to tell you that, mate.”

That was ridiculously obnoxious.

However, he went on to win the match, as Wawrinka retired down 6-7 6-3 4-0 with a back injury.

After the match was over, Kyrgios was asked why he said that about Wawrinka. “He was getting a bit lippy with me,” he told the broadcaster Sportsnet’s Arash Madani. “Kind of in the heat of the moment. I don’t know. I just said it.”

And then, Wawrinka coach, Magnus Norman, went after Kyrgios: “That was really, really low Nick Kyrgios.” Norman tweeted. “Hope for u that u have people around that will teach u a thing or 2 about life tonight. Very bad.”

After a couple of hours, Wawrinka went online, and he was furious.

“Disappointing to see a fellow athlete and colleague be so disrespectful in a way I could never even imagine. What was said I wouldn’t say to my worst enemy. To stop so low is not only unacceptable but also beyond belief…here is no need for this kind of behaviour on or off the court and I hope the governing body of this sport does not stand… for this and stands up for the integrity of this sport that we have worked so hard to build.”

Kyrgios should not have said that to Wawrinka on court, but really, so many people have disagreements about their boyfriends and girlfriends, and they will argue – it’s just off the court, not on the court.

Now, clearly he is a very good friend with Kokkinakis, so something happened with Wawrinka that upset him. Exactly why and to which girlfriend, we do not no, officially that is.

However, Nick’s mother, Nill, knows something differently, tweeting: ‘A sledge for a sledge…do your research before piping up like sheep!”

Now, the 20-year-old Kyrgios just simply cannot stop yelling and talking, but he is already a terrific player and if he can stay healthy and continue to improve, he could crack the top 10 by next year – or faster. However, he has to be much more mature or the fans are going to rip him on court every single day.

Without a doubt, his new ‘coach’ Lleyton Hewitt will talk to Kyrgios and explain to him that he cannot embarrass the top players during matches. Hewitt knows that, given that Lleyton could swear on court regularly when he was young. Kyrgios will listen, and maybe he will try, but when he is playing against the very good players, his mind has become extremely intense and all he could think about is winning his way – anyway, anytime, anywhere, against anyone.

Wawrinka confronted Kyrgios in the locker room but nothing occurred – yet. Both men have a fair amount of friends and both have a lot to say. Even if they both disagree the one thing that everyone knows is that Kyrgios has to be more respectful on court. If he doesn’t, he will have to a hard time finding the fans who cheer for him when the match is going on very long and very difficult and he won’t know where to turn. Right there, an angry man could be losing, rather than winning.

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Australian Open picks for Tuesday, January 27

January 26, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Rod Laver Arena

3-Simona Halep v 10-Ekaterina Makarova
The Russian has become so much more important, rarely losing to mediocre players and raking the ball with power. Makarova isn’t super-fast but she moves better than she used to, can rip her forehands and backhands and is very consistent at the net. She can be had and can get nervous at times, but she is more mature now. But Makarova is not as talented as Halep, especially compared to what Simona has done over the past year and a half. The Romanian is quicker, more aggressive and steadier. There are times that she loses her control, but that has been the past now. Yes, Halep has to prove that she won’t back off a little bit, but she is too aggressive and thoughtful to go away. Halep will win in three sets.

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Sharapova is looking to beat Bouchard again in a Slam.
Photo: Mal Taam/MALTphoto

2-Maria Sharapova v 7-Eugenie Bouchard
The Canadian has hit her stride again and she really believes she can take down Sharapova for the first time. They have played three times, all wins for Maria. But the now 20-year-old Bouchard was basically a rookie. Yes, last year in the Roland Garros semis, Genie was old enough at that point to win. Still, Sharapova was smarter and she never backed off, winning 6-2 in the third set. The other day, Bouchard said she didn’t play that well overall, even though she almost beat her. Oh really? Now Sharapova will have heard about it, so she will go at her super hard.

Clearly, Bouchard is ready to rumble, She is faster than Sharapova, but the Russian/American does so many other great things that against many other top players, speed really doesn’t matter. Sharapova hits as hard as she can off the baseline, inside and out. Bouchard says that she will go for it and not back off. I believe that as she has been super-solid since the start of the tournament. But that does not mean that Genie can kiss the lines at crush time. Sharapova will and take the contest in three tough sets.

3-Rafa Nadal v 7-Tomas Berdych
As the ITF notes, “Nadal going for 18th straight win over Berdych tomorrow. If he wins would be longest h2h (head-to-head) winning streak in Open Era history.” So does Tomas have a real chance? I doubt it, although sometimes, (remember Vitas Gerulatis vs. Ivan Lendl) it’s possible once or twice. However, Nadal had a tough 2014 after winning Roland Garros due to injury – again. But he has looked darnn good during the last two matches. He’s running like the wind, his forehand is phenomenal and he is returning super steady. Yes, Berdych is a huge hitter and he owns a gigantic first serve. But he is not good enough from the nets, he can’t depend on his forehand and is not much better than his backhand. There is nothing he can do unless Nadal falls apart. The Spaniard won’t and will win in four sets.

6-Andy Murray v Nick Kyrgios
Murray looked wonderful and intelligent and took down the ambitious Dimitrov. The Brit knew that the only way he was going to take down the creative Dimitrov was to change it up and that is exactly what he did.

Murray is 27 years old and loves watching his own sport, which means that he knows just about everything and exactly what he has to do. That does not mean that he is perfect, not being able to hit every shot. But against most of the guys outside of the Big 3, he knows what he can do. That means that if Murray is healthy and is playing well, the young excellent player will have a lot of trouble. Without a doubt, the teenage Aussie Kyrgios has played excellent ball. He is tall, strong, can bash his first serve and can stroke his forehand and backhand. He appears to be a big deal. However, Murray is very good on his returns, even when he has to deal with a gigantic bomb that Kyrgios has. Yes, the Aussie will be loving the thousands of fans screaming for him on Rod Laver Arena, but Murray is too good for him now. Maybe the kids will be right there with him soon, but not yet as Murray will confuse him. It will be fun, but the Brit will win in four sets.

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Australian Open picks for Sunday, January 25

January 24, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Rod Laver Arena / Day
Eugenie Bouchard v Irina Begu
The Canadian keeps chugging along, not being perfect, but smart and aggressive. She loves to go out and bang the ball, and, even though she is only 20, she doesn’t seem to get nervous at the Slams. That is highly unusual amongst the kids. Begu has looked pretty darn good, shocking Angie Kerber in the first round, but she has yet to go deep at the Slams. Bouchard wants to go against Maria Sharapova in the quarters, which is why she will crush Begu in two sets.

2-Maria Sharapova v 21-Shuai Peng
Sharapova and Peng have known each other for a long time. The Chinese has settled down mentally over the past two years and now has a different look with her volleys. She can hit hard on both sides, but Sharapova is more powerful and can mix it up more. Peng might be able to find the zone and shock Maria somewhere, but its not going to be at the AO. Sharapova will win in straight sets.

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Kevin Anderson has a tough task today.
Photo: Tom Grason

3-Rafa Nadal v 14-Kevin Anderson
Nadal almost went out in the second round due to a sour stomach and Tim Smyczek playing in the zone. But two days later, he looked much better and he crushed Dudi Sela. This time, he is going up against the huge serveing Anderson, a very tall guy who isn’t slow and has improved his speed gradually. He has a big forehand, his backhand is pretty consistent and not bad with the volley. But how can he unearth Nadal now, given that the Spaniard is ready to begin playing extremely well again? Rafa isn’t quiet there yet, ashe missed much if the second half of last year to injuries. Now, he has turned the corner. As long as he can push his balls deep, then he will yank Anderson around. If he doesn’t, the South African can push forward and hurt him. Anderson will take a set, but in the end, Nadal will grab in four sets.

Rod Laver Arena / Night
3-Simona Halep v Yanina Wickmayer
Halep is in fine form. She will be super steady and attack the ball when she can. Her backhand is wicked and her forehand is deadly. It’s hard to understand why she keeps changing coaches, but at least during the past few weeks she has looked very good. The Belgian Wickmayer once was a potential top-5, but she never got there. She can crush the ball and move fast, but she has been so erratic. Her game worked fine in the first three matches, but Halep is way too good right now and will win easily in two sets.

6-Andy Murray v 10-Grigor Dimitrov
These two have played very close over the past two years, with Dimitrov winning Acapulco and Wimbledon, and Murray winning Brisbane, Miami and Paris. While Murray is obviously more solid, Dimitrov has as much more variety than the Brit does. The Bulgarian has a beautiful one-handed backhand and mixes it up, but he can be impatient and that can hurt him. Dimitrov thinks he can take out the best of them, but he can lose control. Murray has had an easy draw in the first three rounds, but he has played very well. He struggled in 2014, but now he looks like he is ready to challenge the Slams again. Dimitrov will push him in five sets, but in the end, Murray will shine.

Margaret Court Arena
7-Tomas Berdych v Bernard Tomic
Berdych has been here, many times, both good and bad. He has a terrific first serve, his forehand and his backhand, which is good but not spectacular. He isn’t very fast but more or less OK. It’s up to the Aussie Tomic to play great and take him out without getting upset or tired. But I really have felt over the past three weeks that Tomic has been very impressive overall. Yes, he wasn’t perfect, but he was getting there. He has a lot of variety and if he stays in there, mix it up and takes big swings than he can win. I could be wrong, but Tomic will play out of his mind and win in five sets.

10-Ekaterina Makarova v Julia Goerges
Makarova has really come to play. I thought that the young Pliskova was ready to rise and take down Makarova, but the Russian was a cool customer. She is tall, can smoke the ball, can defend and go into offensive and take over the nets. Her German foe, Goerges, has improved overall. Not only can she swing as hard as she can with her famous forehand, but she has played a lot of doubles, and as a result, she is much more consistent up at the net. Goerges believes she can win, but she has yet to prove that at a Slam. Right now, Makarova is more assured and will win in straight sets.

Hisense Arena
Nick Kyrgios v Andreas Seppi
The teenage Aussie is rolling through this tournament. His back has bothered him, but his massive first serve and gigantic forehand continue to carry him. He is enthusiastic and loves a big court. At this point, if he says healthy, Kyrgios will be in the top 20 by the end of the year – or better. Seppi played his best match stunning Roger Federer, but he is a veteran guy and he is not a fantastic player. Kyrgios will out hit him and win in four sets.

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Australian Open picks for Monday, January 19

January 18, 2015 by Leave a Comment

The 2015 Australian Open is here and ready to roll. Here are our picks for the opening day.

Rod Laver Arena

3-Simona Halep v Karin Knapp

The Romanian believes she is ready now to win a Slam. She played excellent ball at the WTA Final, very aggressive, fast and full of life. She will out steady Knapp, but she cannot be conservative against the big women.

5-Ana Ivanovic v Lucie Hradecka

For the first times, you can feel Ana playing smartly and not becoming nervous. She has improved a ton overall and will be heard from during the tournament, bashing the huge server Hradecka.

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Kerber should get by Begu.

3-Rafa Nadal v Mikhail Youzhny

Who knows how well Rafa will play, saying that he isn’t right yet and still a little sore during the last half of 2014. But as he says that should he reach into the second week, then perhaps he will be competitive again. You know he will, nailing Youzhny side to side.

2-Roger Federer d Lu Yen-hsun

Here goes Roger again and in Brisbane towards the end he looks very, very good. Federer does not lose to the smaller guys in the Slams, so he will out think Yen-hsun, but Roger will have to be spot-on to win another Slam, as it’s been two-and-a-half years since his last triumph.

2-Maria Sharapova v Petra Martic

Sharapova had added a few new things, such as coming into the net more (I know, I know: it’s taken 10 years) and drop shots. She hasn’t played great in the past two years at the Aussie, but she is ready to rumble and knock the Croatian right off the court.

Margaret Court Arena

Jarmila Gajdosova v Alexandra Dulgheru

The Aussie Gajdosova looked very well in Sydney and while she can become wild, she wants the fans to see her again and take down a couple of seeds. She will begin run down Dulgheru in straight sets.

6-Andy Murray v Yuki Bhambri

Murray isn’t sure whether or not he can take out the best yet, but he doesn’t want to tell the big boys that, at least not yet. The young India Bhambri looked very good as a junior but isn’t strong enough. Murray will beat him down.

9-Angelique Kerber v Irina-Camelia Begu

Angie is all over the place. She tries super hard, but she doesn’t commit enough, which is why she can be had. But not yet, as the lefty will outlast Begu.

7-Eugenie Bouchard v Anna-Lena Friedsam

The Canadian has come a long way over the last year and wasn’t afraid to go after anyone, but she struggled the last four months in 2014. Now everyone knows who she is, which means it’s going to get even harder. Genie will hit through against Friedsam, but right now, she could be in for a fall.

Nick Kyrgios v Federico Delbonis

The Aussie Kyrgios is only 19 so he still has a long to go, but he has a gigantic serve and can crack his forehand. His back in hurting, meaning it is going to be very tough to reach very deep into the tournament. However, he could win a few rounds, like over the Argentine in four tough sets.

Hisense Arena

32-Belinda Bencic v Julia Goerges

I really like the Swiss teen overall as she is very smart and mixes it up, but she is a little up and down. The German Goerges has fallen in the singles but she can crush her forehand. How about an upset, stunning the Swiss in three long sets?

28-Sabine Lisicki v Kristina Mladenovic

I am not sure exactly where Lisicki is going (if she’s not on grass), but she will win in three long sets, as neither the German nor the French Mladenovic moves well enough.

Bernard Tomic v Tobias Kamke

The Aussie Tomic has been very good at times in Brisbane and Sydney, but he has not been able to take down the good boys. He is rising again, but he doesn’t want to get caught by a ton of up-and-coming Aussies like Sam Groth or Thanasi Kokkinakis. We don’t know yet, but Tomic will be good enough to best Kamke in straight sets.

Sam Groth v Filip Krajinovic

Speaking of which, Groth was also pretty darn good in Brisbane and Sydney. He has improved quite a bit over the past year or so. He has a massive serve and consistently charges to the net. The problem is, will he be too nervous at the AO? Perhaps, but not yet as he will edge Krajinovic in five sets.

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