This looks to me more like a plan to help Federer than a draw :) But he deserves it. I would like to see Rafa vs Novak in final, but that won't be possible... Anyway I don't think Novak can keep up with this tempo and reach semis... I would like to see Murray going further to semis, but I am not so sure about that... If Federer doesn't reach final, he will probably withdraw from RG... Something is telling me that this tournament will be full of surprises.

atg- Fed would not withdraw from RG even if the earth shatters and swallows him.

I dont think Simon can beat Nole if they both reach QFs. Djokovic somehow finds the edge over Simon even at his worst so I dont think it would be different this time around. I dont know how Murray will fare on clay but his quarter looks tough. Kohlschreiber-Almagro and Hanescu-Blake can be first round upsets too and in next round Fish can upset Robredo. Im waiting for the game to make crazy picks again :D

lat's not hope for any pre RG final bet. fed and rafa..fed is some sort of terrified to lost to rafa AGAIN and rafa, for me, won't really stretched himself to the limits...he knows he needs to prepare more for RG...

Thanks for your analysis Ricky. I agree with your picks, except I think it will be Murray over Federer in the SF. And I believe there is a reasonable chance that Djokovic crashes out early because of fatigue.

Meanwhile Federer has a very easy draw over here. Actually Andy Murray could be #2 if Federer loses on or before the SF and Murray goes on to win the tournament. But that's unlikely unless Rafa is worn out.

Ricky,somehow I also think that there will be Gilles in the semis.I played draw challenge and my picks were Rafa over Gilles and Roger over Wawrinka (yes,Wawrinka).We'll see!!!

sisterofnight - It's hard to justify our picks of Simon in the semis, but I guess I just like his draw. He has to turn his game around sometime, doesn't he?

Round 1 picks:
Montanes over Melzer
Almagro over Kohlschreiber
Cilic over Granollers
Ferrer over Canas
Monaco over Lopez
Ferrero over Kunitsyn
Hernandez over Vassallo Arguello
Seppi over Schwank
Stepanek over Querrey
Tsonga over Safin
Ljubicic over Gabashvili
Mathieu over Fognini
Berdych over Garcia-Lopez
Chardy over Acasuso
Wawrinka over Crugnola
Robredo over Kiefer
Tipsarevic over Fish
Bolelli over Chela
Haas over Gulbis
Serra over Schuettler
Davydenko over Troicki
Blake over Hanescu
Karlovic over Benneteau
Soderling over Navarro

Round 2 picks:
Nadal over Montanes
Cilic over Almagro
Ferrer over Monaco
Verdasco over Ferrero
Djokovic over Hernandez
Seppi over Stepanek
Tsonga over Ljubicic
Simon over Mathieu
Del Potro over Berdych
Wawrinka over Chardy
Robredo over Tipsarevic
Murray over Bolelli
Roddick over Haas
Davydenko over Serra
Blake over Karlovic
Federer over Soderling

Round 3 picks:
Nadal over Cilic
Ferrer over Verdasco
Djokovic over Seppi
Simon over Tsonga
Del Potro over Wawrinka
Murray over Robredo
Davydenko over Roddick
Federer over Blake

Quarterfinals:
Nadal over Verdasco in 2
Simon over Djokovic in 3
Murray over Del Potro in 3
Federer over Davydenko in 2

Semifinals:
Nadal over Simon in 2
Federer over Murray in 3

Final:
Nadal over Federer in 2

Ricky....have had two differing reports.....wonder if you can clarify please?

If Murray overtakes Fed as No. 2 before wimbledon....because of the rankings system at wimby and the past champions status.....will fed still go in as No.2 irrespective of what happens between now and then? One report says he will stay No.2 as this is protected, whilst the BBC today have said that Murray could go into Wimby ranked no.2 if he wins any titles between now and wimby as Fed loses 700 points this week and murray loses only 150? Would be good to know.

Many thanks.

If so, does than mean that he could meet Rafa in the semis instead of in the finals?

I have not studied the points breakdown, but if I'm not mistaken I think Wimbledon can seed people however they want. Obviously Federer SHOULD be seeded No. 2 even if he is ranked No. 3 due to his five titles. But Wimbledon will want to give Murray as much help as possible, so they might try to claim Murray is deserving of the No. 2 seed no matter what his ranking is.

Will be VERY interesting to see.

They dont seed people however they want; they seed according to rankings and the grass results of past 2 years. Murray missed Wimby two years ago so he most probably wont be seeded 2. I dont think they will favor Murray and they didnt help him last year by seeding Berdych and Baghdatis above him who were lower in rankings.

Ricky.....just checked on the net again....apparently...whatever happens between now and Wimby and because of the past champion status...Fed will remain at No. 2.
Thanks for info anyway.

orion - they would not have had any justification for giving Murray a good seed last year. He was playing abysmal tennis heading into Wimbledon. Now, of course, they actually have a legitimate argument to do whatever they want with him

malteser - thanks for the update

Ricky- They only take into account the grass performances of the past 2 years. So how Murray was playing between January to June in 2008 wasnt taken into account and it wont be taken into account this year.

Oh, I like this...Momentum builders and Slump Busters...:-)

orion - thanks for the info

zare - glad you like it. Any suggestions for additions to this weekly blog are welcomed. Forgot to due potential surprises this week but will add it before Tuesday's play.

Ricky: Wimbledon always seeds according to the past 2 years results, irrespective of the ranking. So Federer will be #2 seed in Wimbledon no matter what Andy Murray does. I don't think Wimbledon's system is fair. It's unlike the other 3 slams.

yep, I think we have cleared that up. I think it's fair. We don't want Albert Montanes seeded at Wimbledon, that's for sure.

Round 2 picks:
Ferrer over Monaco
Verdasco over Ferrero
Djokovic over Hernandez
Tsonga over Ljubicic
Robredo over Fish
Murray over Bolelli
Roddick over Haas
Federer over Soderling

hey ricky
it's my first time commenting here, will
I don't think that simon can make it to the finals , may be someone else give's us a surprise
but not simon .
and for roger , I don't think he might make it to the finals either, though I hope he does !

Simon won't make it to the finals cause he would have to play Nadal in the semis. He can make it to the semis, though, if Djokovic is tired.

oh, thanks rick ,that what I meant , not the semis either .
and about that poor gulbis , wasted talent , or we can say , he didn't know how to benefit from his talent , may be his team , coach , who knows . till now.
I think we should forget about him till next year , he might develop by that time and free him self from being under the spot light from now . I feel sorry for him , he was judged very rapidly and highly in rolan garos , and very harshly after that
he still have his time :)

Noody - I agree. He's done for at least this season. Probably longer.

Round 2 picks:
Nadal over Melzer in 2
Cilic over Kohlschreiber in 3
Ferrer over Monaco in 3
Verdasco over Ferrero in 3
Djokovic over Hernandez in 2
Seppi over Querrey in 3
Tsonga over Ljubicic in 3
Simon over Fognini in 2
Del Potro over Berdych in 3
Wawrinka over Chardy in 2
Robredo over Fish in 3
Murray over Bolelli in 2
Roddick over Haas in 3
Davydenko over Serra in 2
Blake over Karlovic in 3
Federer over Soderling in 2

Wow! Monaco beat the crap out of David Ferrer. Unbelievable! Maybe the victory over Murray in Rome wasn't a fluke after all :)

Round 3 picks:
Nadal over P-Kohl in 2
Pico over Verdasco in 3
Djoker over Seppi in 3
Gilles over Ivan in 3
Delpo over Wawa in 3
Muzza over Tommy Gun in 3
Davydenko over Roddick in 2
Fed over Jimmy James in 2

My picks are similar to yours except I picked Wawa over Delpo in 3 and Verdasco over Monaco in 3. Let's see what transpires. Monaco messed up my bracket by beating the crap out of Ferrer. Gosh.... the cheek of the Argentinian :)

Gilles messed with my draw too.I picked him over I van (and also to be in the semis) but he chose to lose a very strange match.I hope he won't be too destroyed by this loss because the way he gave the match in the second and third sets was unbelievable.

Quarterfinal picks:
Nadal over Verdasco in 2
Djokovic over Ljubicic in 2
Murray over Doubles Specialist in 3
Federer to be 18-2 lifetime against Roddick after 2

These are my picks too, only I am hoping that AndyR would put up a fight and give us 3 exciting sets.

wow verdasco won

I hope you're right about the Rafa/Nando match Ricky! Ever since the AO, Nando gives me the creeps when he plays Rafa--lol.

yeah verdasco is a fantastic shot maker......the second best lefty in tennis right now..lolz

i hope he stays fit......he has the potential to be in the top 6

Oh oh, looks like I got my wish. AndyR is giving Roger a fight right now.

Semis:
Nadal over Djokovic in 2
Federer over Del Potro in 3

As a Rafa fan, I'd like to agree with you Ricky. But I have a feeling that it would go to a 3 close sets.

And I was right, Ricky.

I feel like crying for novak
I was cheering for rafa the whole time , at the end , at the final set tie break , I found my self with novak
it's really painful for him , he pkayed incredible match .
good luck for him in the upcoming , and Rafa , as always , id the best

get your picks in

me: Nadal 6-4, 3-6, 7-5

Rafa: 7-6 6-2

Nadal 6-4, 5-7, 6-4

in 2.5 hours by the way.

Rafa: 6-4, 6-4. First set close, second not so much.

Nadal 6-4, 6-3

RAFA 4-6, 6-4, 7-5

Well we know what happened. But about the Wimbledon issue, I personally feel Roger should be seeded 1 or 2. On grass, only Nadal can better him, and only just I feel.

My guess is same with postmatract:

Rafa 6-4 6-3

NAdal 7-5 6-2

How to make competitive prediction knowing Rafa is apparently nursing a bad knee?

*** closes eyes ***

Rafa 6-4, 7-5

My wish:
Rafa 6-0 6-0

My pick:
Rafa 7-6 6-4

homos,

May your wish be granted. :)

I think it's for rafa
even though wish it's for federer

may be 7-6 , 3-6 , 7-5 fo rafa

Hmmmm, seems that only stu got it right, score-wise.

LOL
Well predicted Stu just in the wrong guys favour.

I dont think it matters much if Fed meets Rafa in Wimby final of semis. I think if it's the semi it's better becoz less pressure for Fed. Yesterday was a sweet day for me. Vamos Roger!!!

And how in your infinite wisdom torres, do you see Fed possibly meeting Rafa in the semis of Wimby?

With all due respect to your infinite ignorance, please reas the posts above. Fan4tennis. I;m lazy to explain to lazy people.

"I dont think it matters much if Fed meets Rafa in Wimby final of semis. I think if it's the semi it's better becoz less pressure for Fed. Yesterday was a sweet day for me. Vamos Roger!!!"
torres9 , 5/18/09 4:15 AM

Fed could meet Rafa in the finals of Wimby if they both make it that far, but someone please explain to this stupid person how Roger could meet Rafa in the SEMIS of Wimby like torres says. I am assuming that Rafa and Roger will be the #1 and #2 seeds which are in different halves (unless torres thinks Roger will be ranked lower than that for Wimby).

f4t, they were discussing about Murray overtaking Fed in the above posts. If Rog is ranked #3 he can meet Nadal in the semis,no? I dont care too much about rankings coz for me Fed's game is the best ever. Sampras is the best player according to statistics and Nadal probably will end up with more tournament wins but for me when Fed is at his best, there's no rival.

"With all due respect to your infinite ignorance, please reas the posts above" torres9 , 5/18/09 6:21 AM

Maybe YOU should have read the above posts and realized that 6 days ago, that question was answered.

So? What is the issue here? If it's not possible that he meets Nadal in the semi, so be it. I am just saying it doesn't matter meeting nadal in the final or semi in WImby and Wimby2009 is not the last time Fed is gonna playing in Wimby rite? If he is no.10 next year, are u saying he's not gonna meet Nadal in the semi of QF.

f4t, you act clever but you resonate dumbness and ignorance.

LMAO, how quickly you change your tune and your words (Fed at #10 next year?) when you're proven wrong! Do you seriously think people will buy that you were talking years away when you said " I think if it's the semi it's better becoz less pressure for Fed." LMAO LMAO LMAO

Can u point out that I said Wimby2009 then? Believe what you want,f4t, nobody's forcing you to believe anything.

fan4tennis,

obviously you enjoy toying torres9 haha. Please consider that he's completing his thesis in his University ... tooooottt !!!

I do enjoy replying posts which exuberates stupidity. Raindrops, please don't be jealous of me for your limited education. Try and read a book. Start with Red Riding Hood.

" but for me when Fed is at his best, there's no rival.".....david nalbandian is almost untouchable when playing at his very bvest...altho his best rarely comes bt his best is better than the best of many players..especailly on hard and carpet...so wht does that mean then?? nalb the best ever on these courtd...when rafa is at this very best eh is ABSOLUTELY UNMATCHED on clay! to support my view point as usual i will provide evidence.....go watch the french final 08... according to torres fed is the best ever..ok may b...bt rafa when he ws at his best allowed fed 4 games out of 22 games!! i repeat 4/22!!! rafa's best on clay is matchless...fed's best on grass is ALMOST unmactched bt nadal alwasys has the tactics to do sumthing to fedex even when he is at his best...for rafa there is no stopping when he is at his best on clay...

You don't even know the way going to school torres9 ... hahaha

Why no approach shots for Kitzbühel and WTC?

orion - I've written it. Let me check why it's not up yet.

ps I have Capdeville in the final and he has already lost!!!!

orion - it's up.

Haha vamosrafa, Fed at his best beat Nadal 6-0 in Hamburg. What do you have to say about that? Nalbandian lost so many times to Fed even at his best. Those two are untouchable when they are at their best. But of course nadal is the best on clay, that's so obvious.

Raindrops, you dont even know your way to the red district where you made a name as a male prostitute who never gets hired by anyone due to your frog-like appearance... HAHAHHAH

torres avoid vague statements...learn to back up ur points wid eveidence...give xamples of mtches when nalb got easily beaten by fedex desptie david playing at his best???!! u'l hardly find any..especially on hard/carpet...hamburg case...lollz....one set of tennis doesnt make a diff..nadal did it for 3 sets ar RG!! a slam!!! where ROGER HIMSELF has been claiming sicne the past 4 years that he always plays his best at slams!!! here u go then!!!if fed ws at his best in hamburg then nadal ws quite visibly HAMPERED THT DAY...at RG FINAL..fed ws ABSOLUTELY FRESH!!! before 08 rgf he said that physically he ws feeling as good as ever!!! so beter consider a mtch where both were nt hampered by any xternal factor...result!! RAFA allowed him 4 games...fed at his best in wimby 07...barely managed to win mate,unlike the RG ginal.....u have already lost the argument here mate..as usual...no offence...lolllz

I think you vamosrafa is the one who make vague statements and your arguments are never accurate. Fed has beaten Nadal 6/0 in wimbledon too for your info. Why is 1 match a big indicator of a 20 match rivalry. You always lose your arguments to me, there's no doubt about it. You do not have any evidence that Nadal was hampered during the final of Hamburg. If you do, please put it down here. And Fed just beaten Nadal on his no.1 surface in madrid in straight sets. Nadal had never beaten Fed on grass in straight sets.

Who's the loser now? Hahahahaha...

such a loser u are..chilsish mentality...NADAL HAS NEVER EVEN PLAYED FEDERER IN A BEST OF 3 match on grass...get that??? cant u see the dif b/w best of 3 and best of 5??? ur roger always emphasizes the importance of slams thats why i mentioned RG final..and so what if roger has beaten him in strait.....rafa gave him 11 chances on clay out of which he has been able to avail ONLY 1 to prevail in strait sets!! ONLY 1/11..thats shit! give nadal these many chances on grass ...hahaahha..he gave a tough mtch in 06..almost toppled him in 07 and finally gor better and better to down him in 08!! IN A SLAM final!! get that?? nt in these ORDINARY MASTERS EVENTS?? arent u wise enuf to identify the diff b/w a slam and a TMS event?? IF u think nadal wasnt hampered in hamburg ...such a foolish person u are if u think that way..ASK THE JOURNALISTS out here....remember we were arguing beforehand aswell so i asked CHERYll abt tht mtch....she ws quick to point out rafa's limited abilities in that mtch bt roger did play a very decent mtch..no doubt....go check all out arguments..U HAVE THE HISTORY OF RUNNIGN AWAY!! simply disgressing....LOSER...hahahaaha