Roger Federer – Page 3 – TennisReporters.net

Men: Who will win the US Open?

August 25, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

Who will win the crazy tournament in Flushing Meadows?

There have been some wonderful contests, dozens of them, in the past 26 years that I’ve covered the US Open. At the end of August and the beginning in September, it can be super hot, or cool and windy. And rain, too. There were so many perfect days, sunny and bright. Also, at night, playing matches, in the biggest stadiums, or medium sized, the fans were thrilled.

That’s what they will do next week. On words, with the men.

The No. 1 Novak Djokovic is favored, but perhaps, slightly. He could face the rising Hubert Hurkacz, who just won Winston-Salem, pretty early, but the young players might panic at the US Open. Then Djokovic might play Stan Wawrinka, a great player, but he hasn’t played fantastic this year. Maybe he will rise up, but the Serbian will crack at his forehand and his serve in the third round.

In the quarterfinals, Djokovic must be staring at the fifth-seed Daniil Medvedev, who just won Cincinnati. He knows that Medvedev has improved a tremendous amount over the past month and a half. He is very steady, and even more powerful now. That could go five sets under the lights. Bring it on.

If Djokovic wins, then the very famous person, Roger Federer, could be in the semis. The Swiss has won 20 Grand Slams, but he hasn’t grabbed it in New York since 2009. Now it has been a relatively long time ago for Federer. Yes, he is very smart, and he can hit the balls upwards and backwards, but that doesn’t mean that the 38-year-old can seize the night. He just has to find his rhythm in the first week, and then when he gets to the second week, Federer must step on the gas.

He could face David Goffin in the fourth round, and the Belgian is confident again. Yes, he can be fast and has heavy shots from his forehand and backhand, but he has yet to reach the semis at the Slams over the past decade. Goffin just can’t do it.

There are a punch of good people who can go to the second week: Borna Coric, Milos Raonic, the Aussie Alex de Minaur, and San Diego’s Taylor Fritz. All four of them really want to upset Federer. There will be a five setter, for all of them. While Federer will win, that doesn’t mean that he will struggle for hours. Last year in Queens, Federer was sweating all night. And he lost.

On the bottom half, the No. 2 Rafa Nadal is cruising already. He doesn’t have to face Djokovic or Federer until the final, so he has to be relieved. Of course, he can beat them if he is playing 100 percent. Last year, in the semis against Juan Martin del Potro, he got hurt badly. He was angry and then he retired. This time, hopefully, his sore legs will be healthy and happy.

Nadal should crack Fernando Verdasco in the third round, and then in the fourth round, he will have to face American John Isner or Marin Cilic. Both of them hit huge serves, with Isner’s nailing his forehand and Cilic hitting dangerously from both sides. Cilic won the USO before, so he will be very excited on court. Either way, Nadal will move ahead easily.

However, in the quarters, he might face Karen Khachanov, another young Russian, who is ranked No. 9. If he gets there, Khachanov has to bash Nadal’s backhand, and return really well and into the corners.

Here are some other terrific opponent who might face the 18-Grand-Slam champion Nadal: Stefanos Tsitsipas, Andrey Rublev (who will play the Greek in the first round,) Nick Kyrgios (who won Washington), Gael Monfils, Denis Shapovalov Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alexander Zverev (who is still slumping).

Nadal’s biggest hurdle could be No. 4. Dominic Thiem, who really relives that he can win a major, somehow, someway. Thiem has reached the final at Roland Garros twice. But, on the hardcourts, he can get frustrated. When he is on, he will jump on the ball. However, I would be surprised that Thiem can reach the semis in New York, because it can be too sticky.

At the US Open, it is August and September, so it is impossible to predict about the weather. And that makes the tennis unpredictable, too.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Dominic Thiem, New York City, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, us open

Federer goes down, but Barty rises again

August 16, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

The great Roger Federer went down at Cincinnati on Thursday, losing to the up-and-coming Andrey Rublev, 6-3, 6-4. Rublev is very good, when he is on.

For the most part over the last 16 years, Federer knows how to win. He may not play well, but he still mixes it up and he changes the tactics. But not this time. The powerful Rublev kept coming, he hit it hard, and he really focused. Federer, who just started playing after he lost in the final at Wimbledon, losing 13-12 in the fifth set against Novak Djokovic. So close by Federer, but no cigar.

The Swiss will go to the US Open, and he could go deep once again. But, to win it? That is a tossup, because Federer hasn’t won it since 2008. That is 10 years ago, on the hardcourts, at the US Open, which can be hot and sticky.

However, you have to give him a shot, perhaps his last time, as he is 38 years old, and to win a major again, the 20-time Grand Slam champ has to go for winners pretty early. Because if he doesn’t, during the second week, Federer could be tired and overhit.

NOTES
It was pretty clear that Ash Barty thinks she can beat anyone when she is so confident and steady. Plus, a few years ago, she was shaky, but now she is locked in. A few days ago, she beat the former five-time champion Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-1. The American/Russian is back again, but she isn’t steady yet, and she has to find her solution. It will take her months to be 100 percent, physically. If she can continue to play, and she doesn’t gets injured again, then she will be a fantastic player. No doubt about it, but somehow she has to get healthy, period.

Naomi Osaka is lurking. She has reached to the quarters, and while she has been mentally up and down this season, the two-time Slam champ wants to prove she can beat anyone. Yes, she is No. 1 again, but she hasn’t won an event since January in Australia. It is time for her to leap up and knock everyone down.

Osaka will face against American Sofia Kenin, who down Elina Svitolina for the second time in two weeks. Kenin is getting better all the time. She isn’t quite there yet, but she is smart and intelligent…

Venus Williams woke up this week, after she lost a lot of matches over the past few months. But, when she is confident, she can dominate with her sharp first serve and her razor backhand. She will play Madison Keys, who also is finding her past form. Venus has gone deep over the past few years, but Keys can be negative, on court. It sounds like Venus has been very positive in Ohio.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Andrey Rublev, ashleigh barty, cincinnatti, maria sharapova, naomi osaka, Roger Federer, Venus Williams

Can the GOATs graze again?

July 18, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

Serena Williams has 23 Grand Slams, while Roger Federer has 20.

Last weekend, Serena lost in the Wimbledon final to Simon Halep, very quickly, 6-2, 6-2.

Federer went down, but it was very close, super close. He lost 13-12 in the fifth set against Novak Djokovic. He had two match points at 8-7 in the fifth, and he couldn’t do it.

Serena wants to tie Margaret Court at 24 Grand Slams, and over the past two-and-a-half years, she has had an opportunity, but she couldn’t convert. And if she does so, then for sure, she will be the best player ever.

The Swiss is one of the best player ever, for now, but in the next few years, Rafa Nadal (who has 18 Slams) and Djokovic (who has 16 majors) could pass or tie him. They both are still playing, and the 37-year-old Federer might retire at the end of 2020. Maybe not, but he is aging,slowly, but still aging.

Serena is also 37-year-old, and next year, she might wave goodbye. Her older sister, Venus Williams, is still playing, and maybe she will continue to play until she is 40 years old. Clearly, they love tennis, which is why they can run forever, but that doesn’t mean that their bodies are wearing down. It happens for everyone. The heart might want to play but hurt legs end careers.

Years and years ago, like it is now, the best competitors wanted to play on the tour almost forever. For some, it didn’t really matter anymore if they were winning a title; they only wanted to hit the ball, anywhere, anytime. That was their mantra.

But two of the fantastic players, Pete Sampras and Steffi Graf, decided to retire fairly early. American Sampras hadn’t won an event for two years, and then, at the 2002 US Open, the huge server won it all. Twelve months later, he called it quits. He owned 14 Grand Slams, and at that time, that was enough.

Graf did much the same thing. In 1999, she won it at Roland Garros, and three months later at San Diego, she retired because her knees were totally wrecked. She was “only” 30 years old. She had won 22 Grand Slams, but she didn’t want to continue anymore. It was time to have a baby, and to have a new life. And she did, and now she has two children, and is married to Andre Agassi, another great player.

But that was a different era.

There have been a number of Grand Slam winners who continued to play after their prime: such as Sergi Bruguera, Thomas Muster, Petr Korda, Helena Sukova, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Nathalie Tauziat, among others. They believed that they could do it again, somehow, someway, but they weren’t even close. Eventually, they had to stop.

With Federer and Serena, they both have a chance to win it a Slam next year. Oh, sure, both of them have won the US Open, but to win it again, which will start in five weeks, I cannot see it. Last year, Federer lost to John Millman in the fourth round. Serena lost in the final against the rising Naomi Osaka. Federer was upset, and Serena was extremely upset, with a now infamous meltdown.

The last time that Federer won it was in 2008, 11 years ago. Serena won it 2014, which it wasn’t so long ago.

But, both of them aren’t quite as fast as they used to be, which is why over the past two years, they still look very good, but not great-great anymore. There was a day they were winning almost everything. However, to think they will shine forever is foolhardy.

In 2020, both Federer and Serena have a real chance to win just one more time. Perhaps at the Australian Open, and Wimbledon again. But after that, at the end of the season, both of them will walk away and retire. It will be time.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: pete sampras, Roger Federer, Serena williams, steffi graf, us open, wimbledon

2019 Wimbledon final: Djokovic has slight edge over Federer

July 14, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

Novak Djokovic takes on Roger Federer, again, in a Wimbledon final.

This will be another tremendous match. The Serbian won it here last year, being so consistent and finally, secure. His backhand is truly remarkable, his return is deep and true, his forehand is very hefty, and at the net, when he gets in there, he bends down and he hits it right near on the lines.

The Swiss Federer has learned to improve over the past 16 years. He is brilliant, he is cagie, he crushed his forehand, and he loves coming into the net. He softly drops it close to the net: a jaw-dropping winner.

Djokovic and Federer have played three times in London. Novak beat him twice, while Roger won it once. This matchup is about grass, not about clay or the hard courts. There will be relatively short points, with huge serves. While they can be patient, here and there, there is no doubt when they have an opportunity, they will strike.

Djokovic leads Federer 25 to 22 — 47 matches. That is an extraordinary number of head-to-heads.

During 2015-2018, Djokovic won six matches against Federer, and the Swiss won three.

At Wimbledon in 2015 in the final, Novak beat Roger 7-6 (1), 6-7 (10), 6-4, 6-3. Then, and now, the smooth Serbian is slightly better than he is. It will be close, very, very, close, and it will go to the fifth set.

While many people fans will be screaming for joy for Federer, either on the Centre Court, or on TV, still, Djokovic will beat him again with his wonderful backhand cross-court. Then, the very strong Djokovic will have 15 Grand Slams.

Halep crushes Serena for title, stalling her march to 24

By Ron Cioffi

Saturday was the day many thought that Serena Williams would tie Margaret Court with 24 Grand Slam titles.

Simona Halep didn’t give the 37-year-old Serena a peak that the milestone.

In one of the most decisive beat downs in recent Grand Slam final history, Halep dominated the aging American and won her first Wimbledon trophy 6-2, 6-2.

There were three notable statistics that showed how one-sided the final was. Halep came out on fire rushed to a 4-0 lead in about 11 minutes. At that point, Williams had to start to wonder if she was going to find her A game.

It wasn’t until mid-second set that Williams served her first of only two aces. Another weapon dismissed.

But, the third stat was three. That’s the number of unforced errors by the Romanian. Three. In two sets. Versus the best woman player of all time.

Williams had 26, many hitting the net because she wasn’t bending for low shots or just not being in position to dent Halep’s accurate shots.

Halep called it the best match she’s ever played. I would hope so because it’s hard to see how she could play better.

Anticipating Serena’s massive serves was one of the keys to give Halep an important edge. She was often on the move as Serena’s toss was still in the air. One on serve up the T, Halep was so quick that she overran the ball.

Finally, it was quickness that slay the queen. Halep’s movement was a weapon that cut down the ferocious Williams backhand. Usually Serena can jump in and crush her cross-court backhand. But, Halep stunned the crowd by not only getting a few rockets back but hitting them for winners. Those shots had to make Williams wonder if she could ever break down Halep’s defenses. And, maybe if she can rise enough to meet Court’s record.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Serena williams, Simona Halep, wimbledon

Isner talks about Federer, Nadal and Djokovic

July 4, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

John Isner is finally back on court, this time at Wimbledon. Due to injury, the American couldn’t play on clay at all. In fact, at the end of March at Miami, he reached the final, and he lost to Roger Federer.

Right after Miami, his foot became swollen, and later, he had mono. Until a couple days ago, he hadn’t hit a ball. It was a very long time, the first time, to recover.

In the first round at Wimbledon, Isner beat Casper Ruud in straight sets, and on Thursday, he will face Mikhail Kukushkin. Isner may be a better player, but as he said, when a player returns, they can be rundown. It will take him at least a month to feel healthy again.

Isner reached the semis at Wimbledon last year, but the 33-year-old has not made it to a final at any Grand Slam. But he knows that the best players — the 30-year-old-plus competitors Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic — are way above over the rest. Once in a while you can upset them, but it is rare. When they play against Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, they can try, but that doesn’t mean that you can fool them. Because they can knock back most any shot, make them dizzy, become frustrated.

Goodbye.

Isner said that the top three are still dominating. It is early at Wimbledon, but they are the three favorites, hands down.

“It’s incredible. I mean, eventually they will slow down, maybe that’s six years from now. Who knows? But it’s absolutely remarkable, the stats that the big three have in Masters Series and Grand Slams over the last ten years, even more than that,” Isner said. “So it’s incredible. At the same time, you can consider yourself very fortunate to play in this era, just to say that you played with these guys week in and week out. But at the same time, it’s a bit unfortunate [for us].

“But, for me, I’ll take it. I have been right in the thick of it. A lot of players have had it worse than me. Look at a guy like Andy Roddick, incredible Hall of Fame player, but he ran up against Roger so many times in big finals. I think without Roger on the scene, Andy [Murray] could have eight Grand Slams.”

Murray has won three Grand Slams, twice at Wimbledon. In 2003, Federer won Wimbledon (grass) for the first time. The same with Nadal, in 2005, when he won Roland Garros (clay). In 2008, Djokovic won Australia (hard court). For 16 years, they have nearly monopolized the Grand Slam trophy case.

“It’s amazing to look at the Grand Slam stats. I mean, what has Roger won, 20?,” Isner said. “And he’s, like, he can’t even say he’s the greatest player of all time at 20 Grand Slams. It’s incredible. These guys are pushing each other. Rafa has 18 and then Djokovic is 15, not slowing down. It’s remarkable. These guys are pushing each other. I think when all’s said and done, it’s going to be arguing who’s better, Michael [Jordan] or LeBron [James]? It will impossible to tell.”

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: dominance, grand slam, John Isner, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer

Wimbledon: The top 32 men, the seeds have switched

June 27, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

On Wednesday, the All England Lawn Tennis Club pushed away from the ATP/WTA rankings for the 32 singles seeds.

There are a number of people who do not want to switch the seeds at Wimbledon. But, in reality, it makes for exciting matchups, especially on grass.

Rafa Nadal just won Roland Garros in Paris again, and he is on a roll, and he loves clay. He has been very good, too, and has two Wimbledon crowns. However, Roger Federer has won it in London eight times. It is clearly that he is the best player on grass ever.

So, Wimbledon swapped them; Federer is now seeded No. 2, and Nadal went down to No. 3.

Djokovic has won Wimbledon four times, including in 2018, so he is still No. 1 because of that. All three of them know how to win the Big W.

It is somewhat surprising that Kevin Anderson has been moved up to No. 4, even though he is ranked No. 8. That is a big jump, to leap four spots. But, he eliminated Federer and reached the final last year, so that helps.

Lately, he has been injured a lot. Anderson has only played four tournaments in 2019. While when he is heathy, he can play excellent ball, but right now, he isn’t on top of it. To knock him up to No. 4, that is a big deal.

A few more men have moved up: John Isner, from No. 12 to No. 9 (who lost 26-24 in the fifth set in the semis against Anderson), Marin Cilic from No. 18 to No. 13 (who won the Queen’s Club in 2018), Gilles Simon (who just reached the final at Queen’s Club), and Alex de Minaur, who went from No. 25 to No. 20. He won Nottingham on grass last year.

Of the top three, Federer, Djokovic and Nadal are the favorites, obviously, but there is a small chance that someone can win it for the first time. Andy Murray has won it twice, but he is not playing singles in Wimbledon, because he just came back due to a very tough hip injury. He just wants to play in doubles. Eventually I would think, sometime in the next few months, he will walk on court and play singles, because he totally loves it. But not next week.

There are a few very good young (22 and younger) men who can do deep: Alexandra Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Borna Coric, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Denis Shapovalov. They are in the top 32 seeds.

Zverev isn’t playing great, but he can turn it around quickly. Tsitsipas reached the semis at the Aussie Open, and he can crush the ball, but he is still learning to play. The teenager Auger-Aliassime is rising up quickly, showing lots of confidence. The Canadian can out-hit a lot of good players. When he locks in and focuses, he definitely can reach the second week, or even further. The other Canadian, Shapovalov, can be very powerful, but he gets frustrated at times.

But just about everyone loves Wimbledon, so all of them will battle until it ends, win or lose.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: John Isner, Kevin Anderson, Novak Djokovic, novak djokovicwimbledon, rafa nadal, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, wimbledon

Can Federer dent Nadal’s dominance?

June 7, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer will compete on Friday at Roland Garros. They are the two best players, without a doubt, and maybe someone else will pass them.

But not now, because not only are they so intelligent, on court, they are also brilliant when they decide which way they will go.

They both have a bundle of assets: their heavy serves, their smart returns, their famous forehands, how they can slide, and they put it away on the net.

But, it has been different on clay, in Paris. Nadal has beaten Fed five times at Roland Garros. The last time was in 2011, when the Spaniard knocked off the Swiss 7-5 7-6(3) 5-7 6-1. That was a good contest, because the other four matches on the dirt in Paris, Nadal beat him fairly easy.

Now, obviously Federer is much more comfortable on hardcourts, and he has beaten Nadal five times in a row from 2015-2017. At the 2017 Australian Open at the beginning, Federer had finally improved his backhand, where before, Nadal would just push him back, with a very dense topspin, and deep, and the Swiss couldn’t move forward. Federer finally would put his head down. However, on the AO, he began to leap early with his backhand, before the ball jumped up, so he could flatten it out, down the line, for a winner. Federer won 6-3 in the fifth. He was thrilled.

But that was totally different. On the hardcourt, or on grass, the Swiss is more positive. Federer is almost always confident, on every thing, which is why he was won 20 Slams. But he has never found out how to shake Nadal on clay. After all, Mr. Rafa has won 11 majors at RG. He has been the most dominant player.

Both men have lost one set, in the first five matches. Both of them have played excellent ball, overall. Federer has won this tournament once, in 2017. Can he do it again and stop Nadal on clay? It is possible, if he can push himself hard. But Nadal has beat him 23 times, and Federer has won 16 matches. Does that prove that the 17-time champion Nadal is a better player? Overall, it might be a toss-up, but on clay, Nadal locks in and he out-hits Federer. In the semis, Nadal will win in four tough sets.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Left, Lead Story Tagged With: french open, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, roland garros

Ole Madrid: Who can take on Nadal?

May 6, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

Rafa Nadal loves clay. The Spaniard has won it everything, at Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros. But, over the last couple weeks, he lost to Fabio Fognini in the semis in France, and then he went down in Spain against Dominic Thiem.

In mid-March, at Indian Wells on hardcourts, he pulled out in the semis because his right knee felt pain, and he was injured — again. On April 17, he was ready to play again, Nadal said: “I can’t pretend that I don’t have pain at all, because I never thought about that. It’s a long time ago that professional players play normally with pain, because that’s part of the sport at the highest level.”

Well, then, he will find out pretty quickly, because at the 2018 Madrid, Nadal actually lost to Thiem again in Madrid. After he lost in Barcelona, Nadal said, “After this week, my confidence is back.”

Really? But he lost twice in a row on his favorite surface. He has been dominating over 13 years, but perhaps he is getting older, so maybe he knows that he cannot win too often, or maybe he is thinking that his legs aren’t that solid.

But, remember back at 2018, Nadal won Rome over Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev, and then at RG, the Spaniard flipped Thiem in the final 6-4 6-3 6-2. Nadal knows exactly what he wants to in France, which is why he has won 11 Roland Garros titles.

The reason why is because he, Roger Federer (20 majors) and Djokovic (15 majors) are in great shape and super smart. Most importantly, they really like playing 3 of the 5 sets, rather than just 2 out of 3. In the fifth, they won’t become too tired, while others — who have yet to win a Slam — will. The 25-year-old Thiem knows he can win a major, but he really has to dig very deep.

NOTES
Three guys are missing and hurt: John Isner, Kevin Anderson and Milos Raonic. Will the tall men play at RG? Up in the air, because all of them like grass over clay. It’s about foot speed on clay and huge serves on grass.

Federer and Thiem could face off in the quarters. Nadal could go up against Kei Nishikori in the quarters, which could be a blast to watch. The frequency injured Juan Martin del Potro is finally back and will play in Madrid.

Stefanos Tsitsipas just won Estoril and now he is ranked No. 9. On hard courts, the young man looks terrific, but on clay, he is figuring how to construct points. That was a good week in Estoril, but now he has to beat a number of excellent players. In the next month, we will see how darn good Tsitsipas will be.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: French Open. stefanos tsitsipas, madrid, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, roland garros

The fantastic Mr. Federer, back on clay

April 14, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

The last time that the fantastic Roger Federer played at Roland Garros was in 2015. He went down in the quarterfinals and he seemed done at this event.

He could certainly still win on grass, or on the hardcourts, but on clay, in Paris, the 20-time Grand Slam champion has only won it once during the last 15 years, while his great rival and Spaniard Rafael Nadal has grabbed it 11 times.

The Spaniard locks in, he sprints around, he hits with a huge amount of pace and extremely heavy off the ground. Off the clay, he has also has his problems in recent years now, but on this surface he is still the man to beat.

The 17-time Grand Slam champion Nadal has bashed Federer a number of times in the 16th arrondissement, as he attacks his backhand, extends points and runs forever on the dirt.

In 2015, Federer was shocked by his good friend, Stan Wawrinka, in the quarterfinals. He’d never lost to Wawrinka on hardcourts or grass, where they had played many, many times. But that time, in Paris, on clay, Wawrinka’s monster backhand was on fire, and Federer could not control him.

Then came knee surgery in 2016, when he returned on the clay only to start having more physical problems and being forced to withdraw from Roland Garros. An incredible comeback followed in 2017 as he won the Australian Open, but he still was so cautious about clay that during the next three years, he said ‘No, I am not going to play in France, I just need to rest.’

So he waited, and he waited. But something inside him wanted to return to Paris in the springtime, to slide and sashay on a surface where he grew up. Following this year’s Australian Open, he announced that he would be playing a limited claycourt schedule — Paris, and a warm-up in Madrid.

At the beginning of April, Federer won Miami once again, and he was thrilled. But did it increase his odds to win the French Open?

He doesn’t seem to care whether it did. “I really want to go into the clay playing pressure-less, pressure-free,” Federer said. “If things don’t go well, then I can say maybe that was expected, and if they do go well, then I’m definitely excited. And then when the stakes get really important, I might be able to play some nice tennis on clay again.”

Federer will start in Madrid in a few weeks. Even if he wins it — and it’ll be his first event on clay in three years — can he still snag Roland Garros? It is possible, but he will not be the major favorite.

Nadal has been injured this year, but if he gets healthy, then he and the massive forehand he possesses will be favorite. The same goes with the No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who has won 15 Grand Slams, and three in a row: the 2018 Wimbledon, the 2018 US Open, and recently the Australian Open. He badly wants to do the Djokovic Slam again, so he can show the world that he might be the best player of all time.

Outside of those three, there are a few young players who are rising. Dominic Thiem, who won Indian Wells, is at his best on clay and the Austrian has reached the French Open final. The German Alexander Zverev is ranked No. 3, and he has won a few ATP 1000 Masters, but in the Grand Slams, he has yet to get beyond the quartefinals. But Zverev is a huge basher on both sides, and when he is confident, he can hang around in the rally for a very long time. Soon enough, he will go deep at majors.

The Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas is only 20 years old and recently cracked the top 10. Like Zverev, he can be patient, but anytime he has an opportunity, he can aim for the lines and touch them. Two other very tall youngsters are getting better all the time: Russians Karen Khachanov and Daniil Medvedev, both of whom are in the top 15. And others, like Canadian teenager Felix Auger-Aliassime, are also coming up.

Ten years ago, in 2009, the now 37-year-old Federer won the French Open. The established champ Nadal was stunned by the Swede Robin Soderling, while Federer had to come back from behind against Germany’s Tommy Haas and Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro (who is still there, but is currently injured). In the final, the smart Federer out-thought Soderling to lift the Roland Garros title for the first time and complete the career Slam. He still looks at it as one of the best wins of his career.

Ten years ago, on clay, Federer was super confident. Perhaps he still is. It is early to know exactly who he would play during two hard weeks at Roland Garros. But if Federer starts playing extremely well, then whoever goes up against him has to play at a top level to trip him up. If he does not, Federer will knock him down quickly.

After all, when he walks on the court, Mr. Roger Federer can be simply brilliant. And he likes to smile, too.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: clay, french open, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, roland garros, Stan Wawrinka

The Draws: ’19 Aussie Open men

January 12, 2019 by Matthew Cronin

Top Quarter-
The No. 1 Novak Djokovic has won this tournament many times. He tends to focus, he can be calm or a little bit angry, and he runs forever. Yes, he is the favorite, as he won 2018 Wimbledon and US Open, but he has lost a couple matches at the end of the fall, and last week, he went down in the semis against the quick Roberto Bautista Agut.

But this is the Grand Slams, this is 3 out of 5 — not 2 out of 3 — so to upset Djokovic, you have to be on top of it all the time. He could face the Canadian Denis Shapovalov in the third round. Shapovalov is pretty powerful, off both sides, and he is aggressive a lot, but he can sink. Djokovic will win. In the fourth round, he might play Daniil Medvedev or David Goffin. The Russian improved a lot during the fall, pretty quick and very intelligent. Medvedev will exhaust Goffin, but against Djokovic, he is still a little bit too inpatient.

Who will Djokovic face in the quarters? Perhaps Fabio Fognini, Philipp Kohlschreiber or Kei Nishikori. The veterans have all played very well at times, but can they actually stun Novak? I cannot see it. Djokovic moves into the semis, the main man.

2nd Quarter
It’s a big tossup: Who will to reach the semis?

Perhaps Alexander Zverev, Borna Coric, Dominic Thiem, Milos Raonic, Nick Kyrgios and Stan Wawrinka. No one is immune from an upset. Outside of the Grand Slams, Zverev has been so good, jumping on the ball or being patient. He has yet to go deep at the Slams, but thsi young player will eventually learn what to do on the court. Perhaps he can do it in the hot heat, as he has a decent draw. In the third round, he might face the smart veteran, Gilles Simon, which could take three hours, minimum. Even before that, Zverev might have to play Jeremy Chardy, another patient veteran. The German has to be swinging very hard, and deliver a bunch of aces. He will and reach the fourth round. Milos Raonic and Nick Kyrgios will face off in the first round. That is a heck of a match. They have played each other a fair amount of times, with both men hitting ace after ace. When they have to hit a second serve, there will be some fun rallies. Kyrgios lives in Australia, so at least in the first match, he will feel mentally solid and move ahead.

Can Kyrgios reach into the fourth round to face Zverev? Who knows? He is so good when he is healthy, but when he isn’t, he retires. Plus, in the second round, he has to go up against the three-time GS champion Stan Wawrinka. The Swiss is getting healthy again and if he is 100 percent, clearly he is better than Nick. However, on some points, Kyrgios will surge and begin to be more consistent. Eventually, he will reach the fourth round and play against Zverev. What a match, and it will go five sets. Zverev will survive.
Two more will reach in the fourth round: Dominic Thiem and Borna Coric. Late in the summer, the Belgian decided to whack the ball hard, which is why he reached the final at Roland Garros and lost to Rafa Nadal in three sets. At the US Open on the hard courts, he locked in and he went for the lines. Thiem lost again, but that time, he pushed himself for five sets, which was long and brutal. He can do it again, and while Coric is smarter now, Thiem will out-stroke him. Then, in the quarters, he will be patient, and he will beat Zverev, and reach the semis.

Third Quarter
It appears that the injured Andy Murray will retire this year. Very soon. Maybe next week. Read this…
http://www.tennisreporters.net/archives/15602
In the first round, the humbled Murray has to face Bautista Agut. Roberto is a grinder, who just upset Djokovic, and Murray says that he can barely run. Roberto will grind him down, and quickly. Roger Federer is looming, he should beat Denis Istomin in the first round, and could face Gael Monfils in the third round. That could be fun, but Federer will destroy his backhand. The famous Swiss will likely play either two very good, young competitors: Stefanos Tsitsipas or Nikoloz Basilashvili. The winner will play Federer on the main court and he will be fired up. There should be a couple hours, celebrating, but Federer knows what to. He will reach into the quarters. We all knew that.

Up at the top, Marin Cilic will play the Aussie Bernard Tomic in the first round. Cilic is consistent all the time, but the odd Tomic disappeared for months, in 2018, but now he is hitting again. He is ranked No. 85. Not terrible. When he is feeling good and in good shape, he can reach the top 20 again. But he is way down, so Cilic is favored, and he will bash him.

Next up, Cilic could face the talented kid, Andrey Rublev. That could be tough, and assuming he wins, then he will likely have to go up against the rising Karen Khachanov in the fourth round. There, Khachanov will hit extremely hard and grab it. Can he upset Federer in the quarters? It will be close, but still, the Russian is learning how to play. Federer will win in four tight sets.

Bottom Quarter
Rafa Nadal seems to be pretty good in the first two matches, and then maybe in the third round, he will play against the Aussie Alex de Minaur. The super young player concentrates well and can be forceful. But, can he step in and bash the ball all the time? Nadal can push people way back behind the baseline with his heavy forehand. He will win, and then in the fourth round, it is possible he will face either Kyle Edmund or Tomas Berdych. At some point, Czech Berdych will climb up again, and beat the Brit. If he reaches into the fourth round, Berdych knows that he has to be threatening, but Nadal — assuming he is healthly — will yank him around. Clearly, Nadal can reach the semis, but recall that in the fall he couldn’t play because he was injured — for at least 10 times over the years — but if his legs are not too sore, then he will move on.

What will be lively, though, is that four of the good players will try to reach the quarters: John Isner, Grigor Dimitrov, Steve Johnson and Kevin Anderson. Isner had a very good year, as did Anderson, obviously. Those two have played each other a lot, the very tall and crunch huge serves. It is tough to break them, especially on grass at Wimbledon, when Anderson edged Isner 26-24 in the semis in the fifth. A true marathon. But, does it really matter against Nadal who returns deep, on the first and second serve, while the other two can’t really return much. That is why Rafa has won 17 Grand Slams, while Anderson and Isner have won zero.

Filed Under: Featured Bottom Right, Lead Story Tagged With: Australian Open, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer