John Isner Practicing at the Rogers Cup

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 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.  

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

Passing Shots: Safin, Navratilova, Federer and More!

Some interesting tennis news from this week...

Steve Tignor on the importance of the OOP (Order of Play) (Tennis.com)

Federer's improved backhand the key to beating Nadal? (The Fan Child's Two Cents)

Best player quotes from Indian Wells (Beyond the Baseline)

Marat Safin getting married?!? Nooooooooooooo (Open Court)

Yes, I think it's pretty clear Federer's game is up to snuff (ESPN)

Martina Navratilova on Dancing with the Stars! (LA Times)

Federer's press conference after his win over Isner (Indian Wells)

And Isner's presser after his defeat (Indian Wells)

Oh Federer, Don't Ever Change

In celebration of Federer's win against Isner in Indian Wells I've posted a photo that I think sums up the way The Fed feels about himself...

This photo cracks me up. Mostly because I imagine that Roger made it for himself and then asked someone to take a photo of him with it. Just kidding, he would never do that...would he?

Oh Rog, you are simply my favourite player ever. Don't ever change.


Photo Credit: federerfan07.com

Men's Indian Wells Final Prediction

John Isner after his huge win over Djokovic in the Indian Wells semifinals

Federer beats Nadal on an outdoor hardcourt for the first time since 2005!?!

I'm pretty excited for today's final between Federer and Isner. I want Roger to win because I always want Roger to win. But I'll also be very happy for John if he wins because he seems like a nice guy and he's also never won a Masters 1000 title before.

Winning this final will mean a lot to Federer because a) he sort of needs a big win right now, b) it will mean he has 19 Masters titles which will tie him for the most ever with Nadal, c) it's embarrassing to lose to Isner twice in a short period of time so it's a must-win situation, and d) Gavin Rossdale and Anna Wintour will be seriously depressed if he can't pull this win off.

As for Isner, winning will mean a lot to him because a) he's never won a Masters title before, b) it will move him up to 8th in the ATP rankings, and c) he can brag to his friends that he beat the greatest player of all time AND the number one player in the world in the same tournament. Oh and d) maybe Caroline Wozniacki will finally agree to go out with him (remember those amazingly flirty twitter conversations those two used to have? Isner and Wozniacki's Twitter Flirtation).

I'm going to go with Federer winning in three sets. I think Isner will win one set in a tiebreak (possibly the first set), but that he'll be nervous about winning his first big title and won't be able to take two sets off Fed. But who knows, I clearly did not think Isner could take out Djokovic, so anything is possible. Looking forward to an exciting match!

Turning Point for John Isner

So, pretty sure that huge win over Federer at the Davis Cup recently was the turning point for Isner. Apparently he now believes he can beat the top guys and this was evident in his amazing victory over Djokovic in the Indian Wells semi-final. Way to go Roger, you've unleashed the (giant) beast!

No but seriously, I'm really happy for Isner for three reasons:

1) He's been one of my favourite players for awhile now and I'm excited that he's in his first Masters 1000 final
2) I needed Isner to win because if Federer beats Nadal today (I know, I know...unlikely) I didn't want Fed to have to play Djokovic in the final, so I was partially cheering for John because I thought he'd be an easier opponent
3) I'm a little bit in love with John Isner

And with that, I leave you with some highlights from the match:

Passing Shots: Rafa, Regis, Federer Twins

Regis Philbin flirts with Rafa (All Tennis Considered)

John Isner + Caro Wozniacki = Twitter Love (Forty Deuce)

The Federer twins take a walk in Central Park (Celebrity Baby Scoop)

Jon Wertheim on who's going to replace PMac as Davis Cup Captain (SI Tennis)

Rafa's USO championship press conference (Tennis Connected)

US Open Matches to Watch: Day 7

Ana Ivanovic vs. Kim Clijsters
This one is going to be a heart breaker. How can you want either of these two women to lose? I think Kim will win the match, but Ana is finally playing better again and I at least hope that they both play well.

Rafa Nadal vs. Gilles Simon
Gilles became a father this week when his wife gave birth to their son four weeks early. Unfortunately, as it was so unexpected, he was unable to get back to France on time and he will have to wait until after the US Open to meet his baby. Obviously Rafa is the favourite in this match, but maybe Simon's excitement about becoming a dad will help him play better, or maybe he just wants to get the hell out of New York City and fly home to see his wife and child. I'm going to go with Rafa winning this one.

Sam Stosur vs. Elena Dementieva
I really don't know who I think will win this match. I'm hoping that Sam can make it through to the next round, but obviously Dementieva is a tough opponent. I think this match could go either way, but I'm going to pick Sam to win in three sets. Mostly because I feel that me predicting Sam to win will help her actually do it.

Andy Murray vs. Stan Wawrinka
Murray is the clear favourite for this match, but we all know that Wawrinka is capable of playing really good tennis. Plus, he's Swiss...which clearly means he has superior tennis genes. I'll go with Murray winning in four sets.

David Nalbandian vs. Fernando Verdasco
This will probably (hopefully) be the most exciting match of the day. Verdasco is the higher ranked player, but we all know Nalbandian has been playing well beyond his ranking all summer. I was going to write that both players have an equal chance of winning this match, but honestly I'd be surprised if Verdasco won this one. He just hasn't looked that great recently, so I'm going to have to go with Nalbandian moving on to the next round.

John Isner vs. Mikhail Youzhny
Everyone was afraid Isner would have to pull out of the US Open due to injury, but he's playing and he seems to be doing fine for now. I'm not sure there's a favourite for this match, but Isner will have the crowd support behind him and that might make all the difference. I think Isner will win in 4 sets.

Roddick, Berdych: Top Seeds at Legg Mason

The Legg Mason Tennis Classic begins this weekend in Washington, D.C, with quite a few of the top players in attendance—minus, of course, Federer and Nadal, the two players everyone has been waiting to see since Wimbledon. But although Rafa and Roger won’t be playing until next week at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, the Legg Mason Tennis Classic has the potential for some great matches.

Seeded Players and Their Chances at Legg Mason:

1. Tomas Berdych (CZE)
Tomas has had an amazing season so far with a semifinal result at Roland Garros and a final appearance at Wimbledon, where he had to beat 6-time Wimbledon winner Roger Federer along the way. Berdych hits the ball incredibly hard and he should be able to overwhelm the majority of other players at this event. If he plays the way he’s played all year then he should make the finals where he’ll likely meet Andy Roddick—the only player who will really be able to challenge him for the title.

2. Andy Roddick (USA)
Even though Andy lost early last week in Atlanta, he should make it to the finals in Washington where he has a good chance of winning the title. He’ll want to prove that the loss in Atlanta was a fluke and that he’s ready to do well for the rest of the US Open Series, and there’s no one in his half of the draw that he can’t beat.

3. Fernando Verdasco (ESP)
Verdasco should win his first two rounds fairly easily and then he’ll likely meet Ernests Gulbis or Marcos Baghdatis in the quarterfinals. Baghdatis did not look good in L.A. this week and Gulbis needs to calm down on court (ie. stop smashing multiple raquets) if he wants to win his matches, so Verdasco should make it to the semifinals where he’ll more than likely fall to Berdych.

4. Marin Cilic (CRO)
Cilic really hasn’t done much lately so it would be surprising if he went too far into the draw. To get to the quarterfinals he’ll have to go through Mardy Fish, one of the hottest players of the summer, and if Mardy is healthy I just don’t see it happening.

5. John Isner (USA)
Isner has had some decent results this summer, although he couldn’t take down Mardy Fish in the recent Atlanta finals. He should make it to the quarterfinals though, where he’ll likely lose to Berdych.

The rest of the top ten includes (6)Sam Querrey (USA), (7) Stan Wawrinka (SUI), (8) Marcos Baghdatis (CYP), (9) Ernests Gulbis (LAT), and (10) Radek Stepanek (CZE). Can’t see any of these players winning the title, although Querrey could make the semis, and at this point I’d take the number 11 seed Lleyton Hewitt, or number 15 seed Mardy Fish (as long as his injured ankle has healed) over guys like Baghdatis, Gulbis, or Stepanek.

The entire draw can be seen at the website for the Legg Mason Tennis Classic.

Results Roundup: Atlanta Tennis Championships

Singles, Second Round

Roddick defeats Ram 61 76 63

Isner defeats Muller 46 76 76

Fish defeats Ginepri 61 75

Malisse defeats Marchenko 63 63

Anderson defeats Young 75 63

Dent defeats Zeballos 46 62 60

Russell defeats Schuettler 16 62 75

Lacko defeats Hewitt 64 62

So, looks like my semifinals prediction has been ruined with the loss of Lleyton Hewitt. I'm surprised he went down so easily to Lukas Lacko--the young player from Slovakia ranked 76th in the world--although I guess you can't really expect too much from Lleyton these days. Isner, Roddick and Fish are still in the mix though so it will be interesting to see which players can get through to the finals.

Atlanta Tennis Championships Early Predictions

Obviously you've got to go with Andy Roddick as the favourite here, but there are a few other good players in the draw who have a chance at the title as well, including Lleyton Hewitt and John Isner.

Based on the draw here are my early predictions:

Quarters: Roddick vs. Malisse, Blake vs. Fish, Tipsarevic vs. Hewitt, Schuettler vs. Isner

Semis: Roddick vs. Fish, Hewitt vs. Isner

Finals: Roddick vs. Hewitt

Winner: Roddick

I would actually love to see a Roddick vs. Hewitt final. When these two play I always feel like it's 2003 again.