Wimbledon Second Monday Preview

I usually can't say enough good things about the Second Monday of Wimbledon. If you can only attend the tournament on one day—this is the best day to go. Instead of the usual schedule of one half of the draw playing on one day and the other half playing the next day, on the Second Monday ALL remaining men and women play. This means there are lots of great matches being played and because not all of them can be played on the show courts, you'll still get to see high level players on the outer courts even if you only have a grounds pass. It's usually the best day in tennis and it's usually glorious.

However, the Second Monday of Wimbledon 2014 is not going to be quite so glorious. Yes, it will still feature many good matches, but you won't get to see all the remaining players. In fact, you won't get to see Federer or Nadal at all. A very rainy Saturday meant that many matches got cancelled, and because there is never any play on the Middle Sunday, these cancelled matches will be played on Monday and some of the matches that would have been on Monday will now be on Tuesday. So basically we get a second rate version of a Second Monday.

It's not all bad though. There is still the potential for some pretty exciting matches. Here are my two must-see matches on Monday:

Novak Djokovic vs. Jo-Wilfrid Tsonga
This match could go one of two ways: either Djokovic blows Tsonga away in three easy sets, or Tsonga plays the kind of amazing tennis we know he can play and forces a fifth set...and Djokovic still wins. As talented as he is, Tsonga is way too inconsistent to beat Djokovic in a five set match at Wimbledon. Plus, Novak needs to atone for his lacklustre French Open final performance.
Prediction: Djokovic wins in three sets

Genie Bouchard vs. Alize Cornet
The biggest upset of the tournament so far is, without a doubt, Alize Cornet's win over Serena Williams. Knowing that she took out one of the toughest competitors in the sport has got to give Cornet a huge amount of confidence, but she'll need more than just confidence to beat Genie Bouchard. Genie has reached the semifinals in every Slam this year, and she won't want to break her streak—particularly now that she won't have to face Serena.
Prediction: Bouchard wins in three sets

Other intriguing Monday matches include Marin Cilic vs. Jeremy Chardy, Feliciano Lopez vs. John Isner, Andy Murray vs. Kevin Anderson, Maria Sharapova vs. Angelique Kerber, and the continuation of the suspended match between Ana Ivanovic and Sabine Lisicki.

Rogers Cup: Men's Predictions

I’m currently en route to Montreal, so I’ll have lots of photos, video, and stories to share once I arrive at the Rogers Cup. For now, I will leave you with my predictions for the men’s event. Please note that my first draft of this post had Djokovic, Murray, Nadal and Ferrer all making it through to the semis. But as the ATP has been a little unpredictable as of late, I decided to make some riskier predictions. Here we go!

Novak Djokovic’s Quarter

Djokovic should easily make it through to the quarterfinals—especially since his only intriguing potential match would have been against Bernard Tomic in the second round...but unfortunately the always unpredictable Bernie went down to Florian Mayer in his first match. Anyone in the bottom half of this section could make it through to the quarters, with Nishikori and Gasquet being the most likely candidates. I’ll take Djokovic and Gasquet meeting in the quarters with Djokovic destroying Gasquet to make it through to the semis.

Rafael Nadal’s Quarter

Nadal’s opening match will be against Canadian Jesse Levine—a match that Nadal should have no problem getting through. Jerzy Janowicz is an exciting third round possibility for Rafa, with Stan Wawrinka and Tommy Haas as potential quarterfinal opponents. Although Nadal is always the safer bet, I’ll take Nadal and Wawrinka meeting in the quarters, with Wawrinka making it through to face Djokovic in the semis. (And for the record, I also won’t be surprised if Jerzy takes out Nadal in the third round. Just saying.)

David Ferrer’s Quarter

Up first for Ferrer will be either Llodra or Bogomolov and then Andujar or Davydenko in the next round. None of these players should prove difficult for Ferrer, and I can’t see him running into any trouble until at least the quarters where he’ll likely play Tomas Berdych. I’m hoping that Vasek Pospisil will be able to use some of the Canadian energy to move past John Isner and then either Stepanek or Almagro, but that might be overly optimistic. I’ll take Ferrer and Berdych in the quarters with Ferrer making it through to the semis.

Andy Murray’s Quarter

Murray probably has the most interesting quarter with Del Potro, Raonic, Gulbis, Fognini and Dimitrov as possible opponents. First up for Murray will be Granollers or Dimitrov, and then Gulbis, Baghdatis or Fognini in the third round. Del Potro should easily make it through his first match and then he’ll face a potential third round clash with Canadian favourite Milos Raonic. I wish I could believe that Raonic could beat Del Po, but I just can’t, so I’ll take Del Potro overpowering Murray to make his way into the semis. 

Semifinals: Djokovic vs. Wawrinka and Ferrer vs. Del Potro

Final: Djokovic defeating Del Potro

Djokovic Practicing at Rogers Cup in Toronto

For more news, photos, and videos from the Rogers Cup click here. 

Rogers Cup Photos: Before the Rains Came

Before the rains came and washed away all the play, there were actually things happening at the Rogers Cup—like matches and practice sessions. 

 

 

Rogers Cup Photos: Djokovic and Tipsarevic Practice

Could there be a better practice session than the one that happened on Tuesday at the Rogers Cup between Novak Djokovic and a shirtless Janko Tipsarevic? Pretty sure the fans didn't think so...

Rogers Cup Photos and Recap: Qualifying Day 1

Back home from my first day of covering the Rogers Cup in Toronto. I'll be at the tournament every day this week, so check back often for photos, videos, and news. As expected, there were not many big name players on the practice courts today, as they either withdrew (Federer, Nadal, Roddick, Ferrer, Wawrinka, Almagro, and most recently Feliciano Lopez) or they're still at the Olympics (Djokovic and Murray). However, I did get a chance to see lots of great players sweating it out in the ridiculous heat of Toronto.

First up on Court 1 was Italian Fabio Fognini who defeated Canadian Pavel Krainik in the first round of qualifying.

I heard Milos was on the practice courts so I quickly ditched the Fognini match and headed over to watch everyone's favourite Canadian. He was practicing with fellow Canadian Peter Polansky.

Then Milos stated telling his coach some crazy story where he made monster-like movements with his arms.

While watching Milos on the practice courts I turned around to catch Bernard Tomic posing for photos with a bunch of fans. Made me like him a little more.  

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. 

Day 4: Olympic Tennis Matches to Watch

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. Milos Raonic
GO CANADA!!! I feel like this match is either going to be a blow-out match with Tsonga winning in straight sets, or a hard-fought three-setter with Milos winning. I wish I believed that Milos could take Tsonga out and keep Canada in the running for a singles medal, but I think the Frenchman will prevail.

Andy Roddick vs. Novak Djokovic
Brutal second round match for Andy. Just brutal. Novak is probably not loving this draw either, but you've got to think that he's going to be able to take Andy out. But who knows. Andy's had a lot of success on the Wimbledon courts in the past (not that Novak hasn't as well), so perhaps we'll see an upset. Here's hoping.

Feliciano Lopez vs. Juan Monaco
If you need to ask why this is a must-see match to watch, then clearly you haven't seen these photos before. Or these. And I guess, you know, it will also be an exciting match because Juan Monaco is on a roll and will want to continue his winning ways, and Feliciano is a pretty good grass court player and will want to make the most of his last minute Olympic entry. It will be a delightfully pretty match to watch, and I'll go with Pico winning in three sets. 

Other potentially interesting matches of the day include Gasquet vs. Baghdatis, Venus Williams vs. Aleksandra Woziak, and obviously the tag team of Federer and Wawrinka against Erlic and Ram.

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

What's Not to Love About Vasek Pospisil?

I love Vasek Pospisil. He might actually be my favourite Canadian tennis player. Vasek just always seems so happy and enthusiastic...and he rarely hides his excitement when he's played a great match.

For example, remember when Pospisil and Raonic played Djokovic and Nadal in a doubles match at the 2010 Rogers Cup? And the young Canadians (who were completely unknown at the time) actually won? Look how excited Pospisil is! 

And then the moment when he truly won me over—when he beat Chela in the first round of the 2011 Rogers Cup and celebrated like he'd just won Wimbledon...

Of course, part of his excitement after the Chela match was that his next round opponent would be none other than his idol Roger Federer. See him fanboying Goffin-style in this interview at the 3:20 mark:

And in this video around the 1:45 mark...

Which leads us to the recent tour of his Roland Garros apartment (which was actually the only video I'd planned on putting in this post, but clearly I got distracted), where Vasek is, of course, funny and charming.

Seriously, I need him to break into the top 50 as soon as possible, so I can watch him play all the time.

Nadal Wins Eighth Straight Monte Carlo Title

Rafa won his eighth straight Monte Carlo title after beating Djokovic 6–3, 6–1 in the final yesterday. Nadal hadn't won a match against Djokovic in quite a while, so this was a much needed win for him. 

Although the score suggests a fairly one-sided match, Djokovic was certainly not at his best after learning of his grandfather's death during the tournament, so I'm not sure this is necessarily an indicator of what's to come for the remainder of the clay court season. However, regardless of the situation, eight years in a row of winning the same event is pretty awesome, so good job Rafa...and I really hope Fed doesn't wind up in your half at the French. 

Clay Court Season Begins in Monte Carlo

So, the back-to-back Indian Wells and Miami events took a lot out of me—yes, I did in fact watch the tournaments from my couch—and so I needed a little tennis break before I could focus on the clay court season. Which basically means that I missed the start of the Monte Carlo tournament and am only starting to pay attention to match results now.

The most exciting thing about Monte Carlo for me is waiting to see if Nadal can win the event for the eighth time in a row. THE EIGHTH TIME IN A ROW. It's actually pretty ridiculous.

Nadal has been having knee issues as of late, so who knows what will happen, but I think it's really important for him to win this event so he has some confidence going into the rest of the clay court season. I just realized how stupid it sounds for me to say that Nadal needs confidence going into his favourite part of the year, but if he can't win all (or at least most) of these upcoming clay events then he might have some trouble at the French Open. After all, Djokovic really really wants that trophy.

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

French Open Men's Semifinal Predictions

Well, we couldn't have asked for two better semifinals: Rafa vs. Murray and Novak vs. Fed. I think it's pretty safe to say that Nadal is going to win his match against Andy, but the Djokovic/Federer much is much more intriguing. I know a lot of people are going with Djoko to beat Fed, which I totally understand, but I'm going to pick Federer. Mainly because I just really want that to be the result, but also because I think it's possible.

Rafa is Ridiculous

Nadal just won his SEVENTH straight title in Monte Carlo by defeating Ferrer in straight sets. Rafa is, in fact, ridiculous. I just wish Djokovic had been at the event so we could have seen a Rafa/Nole clay final. Not that I think that Djokovic being there would have changed the end result...but who knows, maybe it would have.

Djokovic Soon to Be Number 1?

After beating Rafa in two straight finals I'm going to have to say that the number 1 spot might not be too far off for Djoko. But let's wait until clay court season is over before we start making crazy predictions. If Rafa can win the first few clay court tournaments then the whole Djokovic love-fest is going to fade anyway. But I'm going to make a very early prediction that Novak is going to win Roland Garros (and clearly I'm back to crazy predictions).

Nice One Novak

So, Djokovic defeated Murray in straight sets to win his 2nd Australian Open title. To be honest, my interest in the whole event sort of died when Federer lost, but if Roger couldn't win I was at least hoping for Murray to win his first grand slam title. However, I do have to congratulate Novak who played amazingly well against Roger and Andy to take the title. But let's hope Andy wins one of these things soon, because if I hear anything else about how a British man hasn't won a grand slam event in 75 years I'm going to scream.

More Love for the Serbian Davis Cup Team

I don't know what's going on with me lately, but I have some serious love for the Serbian Davis Cup team. But how could I not? Look how happy they are! It melts my icy heart.

Davis Cup Update: Serbia vs. Czech Republic

Novak Djokovic was scheduled to play against Radek Stepanek in the opening day's singles match, but he was forced to withdraw due to medical reasons. Novak, who surely would have beaten Radek, was replaced by Viktor Troicki who was, unfortunately, beaten in four sets by Stepanek. It seemed like the Czechs were going to win the next match as well, as Janko Tipsarevic was scheduled to play against the world number 7 Tomas Berdych, but Tipsarevic pulled off the win to even the score at 1-1. Djokovic and Zimonjic are currently playing doubles against Berdych and Stepanek, with the Serbians winning the first set and the Czechs winning the second.

Federer, You Make My Heart Hurt

Federer was defeated today by Djokovic in an intense five setter at the US Open. Congratulations to Novak—I'm sure he'll have a great match tomorrow against Rafa. And by "great match" I mean he'll lose.

Update: Okay, it's been a few hours since the loss of R. Fed, and now I'm over it, and feel bad about my non-happiness for Novak winning. I actually like him, and think he's funny and charasmatic, but I start to intensely hate him when he's playing Federer. So, with that, I'd like to offer my apologies to Mr. Djokovic: "Congrats on your win today, Nole. I hope you play well in the finals tomorrow. But seriously, you better play really well, or Rafa's going to destroy you." Ah, good. I feel better now.