Rogers Cup Photos: Nadal, Raonic, Del Potro, Haas

Lots of great players on the grounds yesterday at the Rogers Cup in Montreal and another fantastic day for Canadian tennis with Vasek Pospisil defeating Radek Stepanek, and Milos Raonic beating Mikhail Youzhny.

Today should be even better with Nadal vs. Janowicz first up on Center Court, followed by Murray vs. Gulbis, Del Potro vs. Raonic, and Djokovic vs. Istomin. I'll also be making my way over to the National Bank Court to watch Pospisil try to take down Berdych.

Here are some photos from the Rogers Cup so far...

First up we've got Tommy Haas stretching it out during his practice session.

Then we've got Frank Dancevic and Jerzy Janowicz in their second round match. Jerzy won in three sets.

The Final Four: Men's Olympic Tennis Semifinals

Only four men are left in the London 2012 Olympic tennis event: Federer, Djokovic, Murray, and Del Potro. All great players. All deserving of an Olympic medal. And by tomorrow evening we'll know what colour medal they'll each be fighting for.

Roger Federer vs. Juan Martin Del Potro

First up on Centre Court on Friday we'll have the winner of 17 Grand Slam titles versus the winner of just one Slam. But let's not forget who Del Potro defeated in the final to win his one and only major at the U.S. Open—Mr. Roger Federer himself. Del Potro might not be the same player he was in 2009, but he is very powerful and always dangerous, and Federer will have to play well to defeat him.

On the other hand, Federer has beaten Del Potro five times this year already, and I can't see him losing this match. He'll be playing on his favourite surface, at his favourite tournament venue, at the place where he's been most successful, and the place where he just won his seventh Wimbledon title a few weeks before. Federer wants this gold medal badly, and I think he'll take Del Potro down in straight sets.

Novak Djokovic vs. Andy Murray

Now here's where it gets interesting. Djokovic and Murray both have a lot to prove in this match. Djokovic loves competing under the Serbian flag and he seems to do his best when he's trying to win for his country. He also recently lost his number one ranking and a win here would get him one step closer to proving that he is still the best.

And then you've got Andy Murray—who gained many new fans after his heartbreaking loss to Federer in the Wimbledon final last month. The British crowd supported him at Wimbledon and they're supporting him more than ever at the Olympics. Although he is still without a Slam, Murray played really well at Wimbledon, and he should be feeling confident that he can reach the final on the same surface he did a few weeks ago. I think this will be a really exciting match, and I'm going with Murray upsetting Djokovic in three close sets. 

Men's Olympic Tennis Predictions

The first day of men's tennis action at the Olympics resulted in some not-so-surprising results (Federer, Del Potro, and Isner winning their first round matches), some sort-of-but-not-quite-surprising results (Tipsarevic defeating Nalbandian and Istomin defeating Verdasco), and some really surprising results (Berdych going down in straight sets to Steve Darcis—a player I've never even heard of). 

The Olympics have always seemed to produce unexpected tennis medalists, and while it would seem crazy to bet against a Federer/Djokovic gold medal match, we should brace ourselves for some big upsets (a la Tomas Berdych) as the event unfolds. 

First Quarter:

Roger Federer is the clear favorite in this quarter. Yes, the best two-out-of-three format might allow for an in-the-zone player to knock him out earlier than expected, but when Isner and Tipsarevic are the biggest threats you've got to think that Roger will make it out of this quarter with ease. 

Second Quarter:

This quarter is a little more up in the air. Ferrer and Del Potro seem to be the most likely to reach the semifinals, although I wouldn't be surprised to see Kohlschreiber knock Ferrer out in round two. I'll go with Del Potro and Ferrer playing in the quarterfinals with Ferrer going through to the semis. 

Third Quarter:

At first glance, Andy Murray appears to be the obvious favorite to make it out of his quarter—especially with the early exit of Tomas Berdych. But Murray was unlucky to draw Stan Wawrinka as his first round opponent, and if Wawrinka plays his best then he could be tough to beat. Murray should win this match though, and if he does then I don't see anyone stopping him from reaching the semis. 

Fourth Quarter:

This last quarter is tough. On most days Novak Djokovic could beat any of the players in this section with ease, but at the Olympics and on grass you've got to think that if they're playing well that Tsonga, Roddick, and Raonic all have a chance. As much as I want to pick someone less obvious than Novak, I just can't. I'll go with Djokovic defeating Tsonga in the quarters. 

Semifinals:

Federer defeats Ferrer

Djokovic defeats Murray

Finals:

Federer defeats Djokovic

Gold: Federer

Silver: Djokovic

Bronze: Murray

Medal Dark Horses:

Raonic, Tsonga, and Isner

Previewing the Men's Draw in Miami

To view the official men's draw at the Sony Ericsson Open click here.

Djokovic's Quarter:
I really don't see anyone in this section who will threaten Djokovic's chances of making it to the semifinals. Matches to watch in this section include possible second round clashes between Djokovic and Baghdatis, Tomic and Ferrer, and a possible fourth round match between Del Potro and Ferrer. I'm picking Djokovic and Del Potro to play in the quarterfinals with Djokovic making it through to the next round.

Federer's Quarter:
Federer should make it through his quarter pretty easily, but there are a few interesting potential match-ups to watch including Federer vs. Harrison in the second round and Federer vs. Roddick in the third round. I know I'll also be watching the first round match between Jeremy Chardy and Canadian qualifier Frank Dancevic. Come on Frank! I'm picking Roger to play in the quarterfinals against...I don't even know...maybe Mardy Fish? or Verdasco? Let's just say that I don't think Federer will have any trouble beating whichever opponent he meets there.

Murray's Quarter:
This is probably the most interesting quarter because I don't think it's a guarantee that Murray will make it through to the semis. It won't be surprising if he does, but I don't necessarily think it's going to be an easy run for Andy. Interesting matches in this section could include Berdych vs. Gonzalez and Nalbandian vs. Tipsarevic in the second round, Raonic vs. Murray in the third round, and any matches that Gonzalez is in as this is the last tournament he'll play before his retirement. I'm going to pick Murray and Berdych to make it to the quarters with Murray coming through to win that match.

Nadal's Quarter:
And last but not least we've got Rafa's quarter. Matches to watch in this section of the draw include Isner vs. Davydenko in the second round and Tsonga vs. Isner in the fourth round. I'm picking Nadal and Isner to play against each other in the quarterfinals with Nadal making it through to the semis.

Semifinal predictions: Djokovic vs. Federer, Murray vs. Nadal
Final prediction: Federer defeats Nadal


Photo Credit: Miami Tennis News

Good Try, Del Potro. See You Soon!

Juan Martin Del Potro played in his first match today since the Australian Open in January...and sadly, he lost. But, the good news is that he says his wrist is feeling perfect, so he should only get better from here. Let's hope he's back to normal by the Australian Open so he can really make a good run for the title. And by good run, I mean I hope he makes it to the final, and then Federer beats him. And yes, non-Fed fans, I still believe this could happen. And I do, in fact, realize that I have not included Nadal in this fantasy final, but it's my blog and I can do what I want. Welcome back Delpo!

Thailand Open Draw

The draw has been done for the Thailand Open, and there are a few interesting potential match-ups. Let's start with the obvious one: Del Potro vs. Rochus. It wouldn't matter who Delpo was playing, this is the match everyone is waiting to see. I hope JMDP plays well so we can see a Del Potro/Nadal quarterfinal, and then a Nadal/Gulbis or Del Potro/Gulbis semifinal (um, and that means you have to play well too Ernie...don't mess this up for me). A Nadal/Verdasco final seems likely, but there are other players in the draw like Troicki and Melzer who could pull off an upset.

I hope Delpo can magically play as well as he could before his injury and that he destroys everyone and wins the title. But sadly, I don't think that will happen.

Everybody Loves Del Potro

The entire tennis world seems to be very excited about the return of Juan Martin Del Potro. Poor Delpo has been out for almost the entire 2010 season with a wrist injury, so I'm happy to report that he will finally be back in action next week in Thailand. I'm sure it will take him a while to get back to his previous awesomeness, but that's totally expected. I'm just glad we'll get to see him play again soon.

Passing Shots

If you have not yet heard Djokovic and Murray rapping on "Autograph"—a song by the Bryan Brothers Band—please listen now.  (All Tennis Considered)

More talk on the Federer-Nadal head-to-head debate (SI Tennis)

Where's Del Potro at? (Your Volleys Suck)

Roger practices with Lindsey Vonn (GOTOTENNIS)

Rafa and Federer re-elected to ATP Player Council (ATP)