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.  

Federer's Triumph and Murray's Heartbreak

Roger Federer has had a pretty good summer so far: 7 Wimbledon titles, 17 Grand Slam titles, and back to his position of the number 1 player in the world. 

I don't think I've ever been so equally excited and heartbroken after a grand slam match. On one hand I wanted Federer to win another slam—something that many people, including myself, were not sure he would ever do again—but another part of me wanted to see Andy Murray silence all his critics and finally win a grand slam title himself.

As usual, Roger outplayed Andy when it mattered most, and Federer won the title 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4. Murray played well, and I was happy that the British crowd enthusiastically cheered him on, but you knew that this loss was going to be devastating for Andy.

His post-match on-court interview was difficult to watch. Much like Federer after his loss to Nadal at the 2009 Australian Open, Murray broke down in tears and needed to take a few deep breaths before he attempted to speak again. His mother Judy could be seen crying onto a friend's shoulder, and his girlfriend Kim Sears looked on from the crowd with her hand over her mouth—tears streaming down her face.

Murray's past defeats in grand slam finals have often led to sub-par play for a few months after the tournament—many speculating that Andy had trouble mentally getting over the losses. But I hope that this time it's different. He's never had so much support from the British crowd before, and he's never taken a set off anyone in a grand slam final—until now. Perhaps this time he'll be able to take the positives from his results at Wimbledon and finally make a breakthrough at this year's US Open.

And as for Federer, I think he's made it pretty clear that he's going to go full out for the gold medal at the Olympic Games in a few short weeks from now. And since the matches are being played at Wimbledon—on the exact same surface that he just won his latest grand slam title on—I'm thinking the rest of the players should watch their backs.

The Roger Federer Song

To celebrate the upcoming Wimbledon final between Federer and Murray I now present you with "Grand Slam Man"—that delightfully catchy song about His Majesty R. Fed (written by the band Binge). You're welcome.

 

Wimbledon is Awesome: Federer vs. Murray picks

I am very excited for the men's final on Sunday. I haven't been this excited for a grand slam final for a long time. Not only did Federer beat Djokovic today (a feat in itself), but he's given himself a chance to win his 17th grand slam title and return to the number 1 spot in the ATP rankings. And to make things even better, Andy Murray will be his opponent in the final. I love Andy Murray! And Andy totally deserves to win a slam.

I'll be mainly cheering for Roger on Sunday—he's my favourite and it feels like forever since he won his last slam title. But it's nice to know that I'll be happy about the outcome either way. It would be great to see Andy win his first slam. All this "Andy's never won a slam" talk must be killing him, and I think he'll break down and cry if he wins, and I'd personally like to see that. I love myself an emotional winner. On the other hand, I feel like this might be Fed's last chance at another Wimbledon title and I want to see him tie Sampras in the Wimbledon category as well as number of weeks at number 1. And obviously Fed will also cry.

One thing is for sure: the Wimbledon crowd is going to be insane. They LOVE Roger. Like really really love him. But they're going to have to be behind Andy. I think the crowd (for once) will be pretty pro-Andy--even if that means they can't cheer as much for their beloved Fed.

I'm going with Federer beating Murray in four sets.

Can't wait.

Raonic Defeats Murray in Barcelona

Huge win for Milos Raonic as he takes out Andy Murray in straight sets in Barcelona. This has got to be one of the biggest wins of his career, and I hope he can keep it up for as long as he can (so, until he has to play Rafa). Next up for Milos will be the winner of the Feliciano Lopez/David Ferrer match. Let's hope Feliciano comes through because although he's very pretty, I think he'll be a lot easier for Milos to beat than David. 

Andy Murray Hates Ice Baths

Maybe it's just me, but it seems like Andy Murray's been making a big effort to share intimate details of his life with his facebook followers. For example, he posted the following photo to his page today...

...with the caption "Ice baths. No fun."  No argument here Andy, your ice bath does not appear to be much fun. But hey, cute shorts!



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

Andy Murray's Commercial Uncovered

Oh Andy, I just can't get enough of you and your deadpan charm.

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.

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.

Federer Loses to Murray in Shanghai Final

Yikes. I didn't get a chance to watch this match but the scoreline is fairly brutal for Federer, with Murray beating him 6-3, 6-2 in the final of the Shanghai Masters Event today. On the bright side, Roger will get his number 2 ranking back on Monday, but on the not-so-bright side he lost to Murray in a Masters Series final for the second time this fall. I guess it could be worse though, he could have lost to Jurgen Melzer.

Click here for Roger's press conference after the final, and here for Andy's.

Andy Murray Looking Hot in Burberry

Seriously, he looks really hot here

Andy and his girlfriend Kim Sears

Obviously Serena was there too

Serious fashionistas

Andy and Serena hanging out in the front row with SJP

For more hot Andy pictures click here

Andy Murray's US Open Dreams End...Again

Wow. Pretty shocked that this happened. Even while watching the match I figured Murray would find a way to come back, but obviously that did not happen. And it was a pretty decisive win, with Wawrinka defeating Murray 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-3. I'm happy for Stan—this is a huge win for him, but I'm sad for Andy, as you know the media is going to go crazy with the whole "Will Murray Ever Win a Slam?" thing.

Rafa must be pretty happy about this...all of a sudden his draw just got a hell of a lot easier, especially because Berdych was knocked out early as well. It will be interesting to see how far Stan can go now. I don't think he can beat Nadal, but I also didn't think he'd have a chance against Murray.

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.

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)

The Brothers Murray: Andy and Jamie

I have no idea why this photo was taken, but I do know that it's awesome.

Andy and Jamie Murray, Photographer: Murdo Macleod

Click here to see other (non-tennis related) photographs by Murdo Macleod.

Analyzing the US Open Men's Draw

Click here for the official men's draw for the 2010 US Open.

First Quarter (or Nadal's Quarter)

Obviously Nadal has to be the favorite to make it to the quarters, along with Verdasco, Nalbandian, and Ferrer. I wouldn't be surprised if Gulbis made it far as well, and I'd love to see him play Nadal in the quarterfinals.

Most interesting first round match:
Gulbis vs. Chardy or Ferrer vs. Dolgopolov.

Most interesting possible second round match:
Nadal vs. Istomin (and really, Nadal should kill him...but not many interesting second round matches to choose from so if you're going to watch someone you might as well watch Rafa)

Most interesting possible third round match:
Nalbandian vs. Verdasco

Most interesting possible round of 16 match:
Ferrer vs. Nalbandian (or Verdasco)

Quarterfinals prediction:
Nadal vs. Nalbandian

Second Quarter (or Murray's Quarter)

In my opinion, Murray and Berdych are the clear favorites to reach the quarterfinals in this section. Querrey and Wawrinka are capable of upsets but they'd have to beat Murray to get to the quarters, and I can't see that happening. Berdych could have some trouble with Almagro, Youzhny, or Isner (but that's only if Isner plays and if he's healthy, which at this point seems like it won't be happening), however, I'd be surprised if Berdych doesn't make it to the quarters.

Most interesting first round match:
Berdych vs. Llodra or Youzhny vs. Golubev

Most interesting possible second round match:
Stepanek vs. Robredo (I tried to find a better one, really I did)

Most interesting possible third round match:
Murray vs. Wawrinka or Almagro vs. Querrey

Most interesting possible round of 16 match:
Murray vs. Querrey or Youzhny vs. Berdych

Quarterfinals prediction:
Murray vs. Berdych

Murray the Model in Vogue

I'm not going to lie, I have a thing for Andy Murray. And this photo shoot he did for Vogue only furthers my case that Muzz is awesome...

Andy Murray in Vogue. Photo by Mario Testino

Andy Murray in Vogue. Photo by Mario Testino

Andy Murray in Vogue. Photo by Mario Testino

But seriously, he looks good right?

Rogers Cup Wrap-Up

I had such a great time at the Rogers Cup this week. I think Toronto did a great job of hosting the event and it seemed like the new players lounge was a huge success with the players and coaches. The best part of the week for me was getting to watch so many of the practice sessions, and getting to see some great matches on the outside courts. Of course the matches I got to watch on center court were amazing too, especially Federer vs. Chela, Nalbandian vs. Ferrer, Nadal vs. Wawrinka, and Soderling vs. Gulbis.

I'm also really proud of the way the Canadians played this week. Peter Polansky had a huge win over Jurgen Melzer in the first round, and although he went out to Victor Hanescu in the second round, we got a glimpse of how good Polansky can be. Frank Dancevic, arguably Canada's highest profile male singles player, wasn't so lucky and was unable to make it past Stan Wawrinka, his talented first round opponent.

The Canadian doubles team of Pospisil and Raonic had a huge win with the defeat of the much-hyped doubles team of Nadal and Djokovic in the first round. The Canadians were unable to make it past their second round opponents, but they have to be happy with their high-profile first round win over the top two singles players in the world. The best Canadian doubles player, Daniel Nestor, made it to the quarterfinals, but was defeated and unable to move onto the semis.

And huge congratulations to Andy Murray for winning the singles title. He played amazing tennis all week beating Nalbandian, Nadal, and Federer on the way to winning his second consecutive Rogers Cup championship.  Federer also played some good tennis this week beating Berdych and Djokovic on the way to the final, and the win over Djokovic also got him his number two ranking back, which will be important going into the US Open.

The men will be in Cincinatti next week with the women coming to Montreal. Lots of good tennis still to come and then we've got the US Open. Exciting!

Take Your Pick: Federer or Murray

So very happy that two of my faves are into the finals at the Rogers Cup. Federer and Murray both played amazing tennis to get to this stage in the tournament, and I think the match tomorrow will be really exciting. I never root against Roger, so I'm hoping he can pull through tomorrow, but if Fed can't do it then I'm glad it will be Andy who wins the title.

Andy played so well against Rafa in the semifinals today, and although I wasn't surprised that he won—I think Andy is the better hardcourter—it was still huge to get a straight sets win over the number one player in the world.

And as for Federer, dear god that was a stressful match. Djokovic actually played great (and didn't even call for the trainer at all!) but Roger played just a little bit better and got the win.

I think Federer will win it tomorrow, although he'll have less time to recover before the final than Murray who played the day match. I'm guessing it will be a close three set match, with both players playing well, but that Federer will be able to close it out and win the championships.

What do you guys think...Fed or Muzz?