Australia’s Davis Cup selections will come down to a battle of the wills that it sounds like Pat Rafter is determined to win, refusing to let the cocky, but talented, 20 year old call the shots.
During the Australian Open Bernard Tomic sounded like a petulant child when describing his potential contribution to the Davis Cup team, essentially saying that Pat would hear from him when Bernard wanted to play. Read more
Posted in Andy Roddick, Australian Open, Bernard Tomic, Davis Cup, Pat Rafter, Roger Federer, US Open
There had been a look in Novak Djokovic’s eyes since he battle Stan Wawrinka at the Australian Open, a look that since 2011 has been a sign of his determination and an indicator of the likely outcome of the tournament. Djokovic looked, despite the enormous amount of time he spent on court, like he was hungry for a third consecutive Australian Open title.
Andy Murray, his opponent in the final, looked unusually calm – a peace, and sense of direction that seemed to descend on the Scot after winning the Olympic gold medal and the US Open last year. For the first set of their final it looked like Murray was the one keeping a calm head and as though the weary Djokovic would be frustrated by his shoes slipping and his inability to convert break points. Read more
Posted in Andy Murray, Injury, Media, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Stanislas Wawrinka, US Open
Juan Martin del Potro played an impressively aggressive match against Adrian Mannarino dismissing him 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 in just 76 minutes.
After the match Delpo was not shy about saying he feels he has regained the form that crowned him US Open champion in 2009 after a long period out with a wrist injury. Read more
Posted in Australian Open, Injury, Juan Martin Del Potro, Rafael Nadal, US Open
US Open champion Andy Murray has successfully defended his Brisbane title, claiming his first trophy of the season, beating Grigor Dimitrov 7-6, 6-4.
For his efforts Dimitrov will rise to a career high ranking of 39 in the world tomorrow.
Murray continued his gesture to the skies after winning, something that has appeared in his game over the last 6-7 months. Andy dedicated the win to a sick friend back home, signing the camera lens ‘For you…’ Read more
Posted in Andy Murray, Australian Open, Brisbane, Grigor Dimitrov, Illness, Media, Olympics, US Open, Wimbledon
It’s no secret that there is an “eye candy” component to tennis as a sport. By that we mean that there are plenty of players that even non-fans of the actual game will tune in to check out.
Often the players at the very top of the game are making huge sums of money but those lower down, even in the top thirty, can struggle to make ends meet by the time they’ve paid coaches and trainers as well as covering travel and accommodation costs. There are a huge number of lower ranked players who make most of their money through sponsorship/appearance deals of various kinds. Read more
Posted in Ana Ivanovic, Anna Kournikova, Australian Open, Daniela Hantuchova, Dominika Cibulkova, Feliciano Lopez, Fernando Verdasco, Goran Ivanisevic, Injury, Jan Michael Gambill, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Mandy Minella, Marat Safin, Maria Sharapova, Media, Rafael Nadal, Roland Garros, US Open, Vera Zvonareva, Wimbledon
To say it has not been an impressive year from Bernard Tomic is an understatement. The cocky teenager was all talk months ago about his chances of reaching the top ten and yet he has seen his ranking plummet to number 48 after a series of disappointing performances.
He started the year with legal troubles and accused police of targeting him in relation to his excessively powerful BMW (here). He then tried to have his dad ejected from his match in Miami (here). Tomic has failed to show any ability to maintain consistently good form in 2012, a challenge that many of the games elite were keen to see if Bernard would rise to. Read more
Posted in Andy Roddick, Bernard Tomic, John Tomic, Media, Miami, Mikhail Youzhny, Roland Garros, Shanghai, Stockholm, US Open
Andy Murray over came Tomas Berdych and windy conditions in New York to secure a finals spot with his 5-7, 6-2, 6-1, 7-6 win.
Play began in horrendous conditions with Berdych seemingly determined to hit through the wind while Murray used his mobility and more varied play to combat the wild gusts of air.
Murray was the first to draw blood for a 2-1. While there were some moments of good sportsmanship there were also ridiculous moments where Berdych’s ball toss would be carried so far away from him in the wind that it landed in the tram tracks. Read more
Posted in Andy Murray, David Ferrer, Match Report, Novak Djokovic, Tomas Berdych, US Open
After a four and a half hour battle one of the worlds most consistent tennis players David Ferrer had booked his place in the US Open semifinals where he will face Novak Djokovic. Ferrer eventually beat Janko Tipsarevic 6-3, 6-7, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6. Read more
Posted in David Ferrer, Janko Tipsarevic, US Open
Novak Djokovic has secured himself a semi final spot as he attempts to defend his US Open crown after beating Juan Martin del Potro 6-2, 7-6, 6-4.
The sleeping gentle giant Delpo seemed to try and force his body to wake up as he tried to battle back, down 2-4 in the first set. Djokovic, however, was already too far ahead and only too willing to rise to the occasion, closing out the first set 6-2 in 39 minutes. Read more
Posted in Juan Martin Del Potro, Match Report, Novak Djokovic, US Open
Tomas Berdych has done it again, ending the run of Roger Federer in a Grand Slam, beating him 7-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Berdych also beat Federer in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 2010 where he had his best career result as a runner up in the tournament.
Federer came unstuck due to combination of his own errors and the spectacular power and flat hitting of Tomas. Federer has seemed the favourite after securing extra rest when Mardy Fish withdrew with a health issue from their fourth round match – a walk over never seeming to impact Federer negatively before. Read more
Posted in Andy Murray, Mardy Fish, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Tomas Berdych, US Open, Wimbledon
