Help
2010-01-15 06:55:33
This is the third of Ricky's five-part Australian Open preview series, running through Saturday.
Part 1: Top 25 contenders
Part 2: Draw preview
Part 3: Draw analysis
Part 4: Full tournament predictions
Part 5: Weekly “Approach Shots”
The Australian Open draw just came out, and everyone is already talking about the latter stages of the tournament’s second week. Federer vs. Davydenko. Djokovic vs. Soderling. Del Potro vs. Roddick. Nadal vs. Murray.
But there is far more to dissect than merely the quarterfinals. 128 players—not eight—are descending upon Melbourne in hopes of Grand Slam glory.
So let’s break it down quarter by quarter.
Federer’s quarter
While the top section of the field is not terribly difficult, it has a little bit of everything. On-fire players, injured players, rising stars, grizzled veterans, hometown heroes, former Aussie Open standouts, and more.
The good news for Roger Federer, however, is that the sum of those parts does not equally an especially taxing draw. At least not until the quarterfinals. He opens with a slumping Igor Andreev and his nearest seeded player is clay-court specialist Albert Montanes. If the seeds hold to form, Federer will face Gilles Simon in the fourth round, but a more likely opponent is either 2006 runner-up Marcos Baghdatis or Australia’s own Lleyton Hewitt.
Assuming Federer successfully navigates those relatively calm waters, recent nemesis Nikolay Davydenko looms large in the quarters. But don’t pencil in another Federer-Davydenko showdown just yet. The Russian could meet 21-year-old Latvian Ernests Gulbis in round three before a potential clash against Fernando Verdasco with a spot in the last eight at stake.
Best First-Round Matchup — (30) Juan Monaco vs. Ernests Gulbis.
A ton of qualifiers are in Federer’s quarter of the draw so plenty of first-round matchups have yet to be determined. And the ones that have been set simply aren’t that good. This one, while by no means amazing, is by far the best of the bunch. After a dismal 2009 campaign, Gulbis seems to be getting back on track and showing signs of making the most of his incredible talent. Monaco is far more consistent, but Gulbis will control the outcome of this match, just as he did in a straight-set victory over Monaco last fall in Tokyo.
Best Potential Second-Round Matchup – (15) Gilles Simon vs. Marcos Baghdatis
Best Potential Third-Round Matchup – (22) Lleyton Hewitt vs. Baghdatis
What to Watch For — It’s going to take something special in order to beat Federer and Davydenko in Melbourne. The question is whether or not anyone can do it before a seemingly inevitable quarterfinal collision between the No. 1 and No. 6 players in the world. Hewitt fares horribly against Federer and Simon is still dealing with knee problems, so Baghdatis is probably the only real threat to Federer in that eighth of the draw. Keep an eye on the Cypriot’s early-tournament form.
In the other half of this section, Verdasco and Gulbis are the only guys who are talented enough to even stay on a tennis court with Davydenko right now. Was Verdasco’s Kooyong Classic thrashing of Novak Djokovic in Kooyong an unimportant fluke? Is Gulbis ready to produce or is he still mentally lost? Those questions—and more—will be answered during week one.
Djokovic’s quarter
If you can expect the unexpected in the early stages of any section of the Australian Open draw, this is that section. Literally all eight seeds in this quarter come with question marks.
Djokovic—by far the safest pick to reach the semifinals out of this quarter—got blown out by Verdasco in Kooyong. Soderling has some kind of arm injury. Tsonga could have knee issues. Robredo beat Murray at the Hopman Cup but he lost to John Isner in Auckland and has never been a force on hard courts. Tommy Haas has been injured. Mikhail Youzhny has been a non-factor at slams for almost two full years. Nicolas Almagro is a clay-court specialist. Jeremy Chardy is in a dismal funk.
With the men’s game so top-heavy at the moment, opportunities for an unseeded floater to make a serious run at a major are few and far between. But this section has that potential, so watch out for Richard Gasquet, Taylor Dent, Janko Tipsarevic, and—thanks to a favorable draw—Robby Ginepri.
Best First-Round Matchup — (20) Mikhail Youzhny vs. Richard Gasquet
Nobody wanted to face Gasuqet in the first round. The Frenchman is unseeded mainly due to a brief cocaine-related suspension that kept him out of both the French Open and Wimbledon (and rendered him pretty much useless for the U.S. Open) last season. Gasquet, however, is rapidly regaining his form and the former Top 10 player has the talent to trouble anyone in this tournament. Youzhny enjoyed a solid 2009 campaign after a wretched year in 2008, so this match should feature extremely high-quality tennis. If it’s half as good as their most recent encounter (a 6-2, 6-3, 6-7(8), 5-7, 8-6 Youzhny victory in the 2007 Davis Cup quarterfinals), the Melbourne fans are in for a treat.
Best Potential Second-Round Matchup – Janko Tipsarevic vs. (18) Tommy Haas
Best Potential Third-Round Matchup – (10) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga vs. Tipsarevic or Haas
What to Watch For — The health of both Tsonga and Soderling is paramount. There is nobody in the top half of this section who can mount a serious challenge against Djokovic, so the Serb could march all the way to the semis if Tsonga and Soderling are struggling physically. If they are 100 percent, however, Tsonga vs. Soderling in the fourth round could be one of the best matches of the tournament and the winner vs. Djokovic is sure to be a barnburner.
Del Potro’s quarter
To say this is the most wide open section of the draw would be an understatement. In fact, it’s the only quarter in which more than three players have a legitimate chance to reach the semifinals (Federer, Davydenko, and Verdasco in the first quarter; Djokovic, Soderling, and Tsonga in the second quarter; Nadal and Murray in the fourth quarter).
In Del Potro’s quarter, the number of players who have a shot at the semis cannot be counted on one hand. Del Potro is the clear favorite, but only if his wrist problem is a total non-issue. Roddick has to be thrilled with his draw, but even though he kicked off his year with a title in Brisbane, he is still rusty after missing last fall with a knee injury.
Should Del Potro and Roddick falter, numerous contenders including Marin Cilic, Fernando Gonzalez, Tomas Berdych, and Stanislas Wawrinka, will be ready to pounce. In fact, Cilic does not even need Del Potro and Roddick to falter. He has the talent and the current form to go all the way to the final weekend no matter how his potential opponents are playing.
Best First-Round Matchup — Arnaud Clement vs. James Blake
There simply aren’t any mouth-watering matchups in what is an otherwise very interesting section of the draw. But don’t overlook this battle of 30-somethings. Blake is washed up at 30 years old, right? Well, maybe not. After all, his first-round opponent is still going strong at 32. Clement beat Tsonga on his way to the Lyon semis last fall before reaching the third round of the Paris Masters as a qualifier. Now he is in the Auckland title match. Sure Blake was awful in 2009, but he played well last week in Brisbane and his forehand remains lethal, to the extent that the American can cause problems for anyone on any given day. On this day, Clement and Blake will likely contest the most entertaining of their eight career head-to-head meetings.
Best Potential Second-Round Matchup – Blake vs. (4) Juan Martin Del Potro
Best Potential Third-Round Matchup – (21) Tomas Berdych vs. (11) Fernando Gonzalez
What to Watch For — Upsets. In addition to the fact that Del Potro and Roddick are no sure quarterfinal bets at the moment, the lower-seeded and unseeded players in this quarter are dangerous. Sam Querrey, who upset Roddick last summer in Cincinnati, is recovering from an arm injury and could be ready for a third-round rematch against his fellow American. Evgeny Korolev, Thomaz Bellucci, and Robin Haase also have the potential to surprise.
Nadal’s quarter
Nadal’s draw is not unbelievably, unimaginably hard, but he still got almost exactly what he did not want: Del Potro in his half and Murray in his quarter. His potential path to the quarterfinals and beyond also includes players (John Isner and Ivo Karlovic) who can get hot with one shot and score a monumental upset.
That said, there will most likely be little drama in the way of a Nadal-Murray showdown. The second-ranked Spaniard should be able to get past either Isner or Karlovic (or both) without too much trouble. Radek Stepanek—a potential fourth-round opponent for Nadal—is in impressive form, but he has never come up big at a Grand Slam.
Murray’s eighth of the draw, meanwhile, is incredibly soft. His only real threat, Gael Monfils, is injured and questionable to even make it through one match. Barring some kind of 70-ace barrage by Isner or Karlovic, you can pretty much go ahead and set your DVRs for Nadal vs. Murray a week from Tuesday or Wednesday.
Best First-Round Matchup — (13) Radek Stepanek vs. Ivo Karlovic
Rematch! If this one lasts as long as their previous encounter, this time in the sweltering Australian summer heat, Stepanek and Karlovic might never recover. They faced each other last fall in the Davis Cup semifinals, with Stepanek prevailing by the mind-boggling scoreline of 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-6(6), 6-7(2), 16-14 after a whopping five hours and 59 minutes.
“I feel like I was in a 10-round boxing match,” said Karlovic, who set the all-time record for aces in a match with 78. “Everything hurts.”
Karlovic will be lucky to play such a grueling match this time around. The 6’10’’ Croat lost his way a bit in 2009, whereas Stepanek is up to No. 12 in the world and coming off a recent runner-up performance in Brisbane. Still, if Karlovic serves anything like he did in their instant classic, another thriller is possible.
Best Potential Second-Round Matchup - Mardy Fish vs. (24) Ivan Ljubicic
Best Potential Third-Round Matchup - (17) David Ferrer vs. (12) Gael Monfils and John Isner vs. (2) Rafael Nadal
What to Watch For — This section of the draw should be relatively straightforward, but it is up to Monfils to prevent that from happening. The Frenchman was also a major question mark heading into Roland Garros, but what did he do? Made it to the quarterfinals. Monfils’ Australian Open draw is soft early, so if he can ease through a couple of rounds, he could get hot and provide Murray with a real fourth-round test. If Monfils gets bounced early, attention should turn to Nadal and the big boys in the bottom half of this quarter.
Overall
I thought this draw would clear things up for me. The 2010 Australian Open is without question one of the most wide-open Grand Slams in years, but I thought the draw would allow be to decipher the eventual winner.
Thought wrong.
The picture now is cloudier than ever. But I guess that’s good news, because it means the draw is balanced. It means that things could get really get crazy.
Yes, this is going to be one heck of a Happy Slam.
Tell a friend »
"one heck of a happy slam".....FOR WHOM???
NOT FOR MURRAY AND RAFAEL IM SURE!
vrael , 1/15/10 7:35 AM
for tennis fans!
RickyDimon , 1/15/10 7:37 AM
for tennis fans and nole-fed fans......this is the best shot that nole will get to win a GS.....his preffered surface....the slam he has won once....and a good draw!!!
vrael , 1/15/10 7:46 AM
vrael, why a good draw for Nole? He still has to face and beat one of Fed/Davy/Verdasco in the semi if he can get that far, and if he prevails, most likely one of Delpo/Roddick/Cilic/Rafa/Murray in the final. Not easy, I have to say; and so are the others'.
Don't worry about Rafa, if he wants to win the title, he has to beat whoever in front of him. If he can play aggressively, he will have his chances; have faith in him!
luckystar , 1/15/10 9:20 AM
by easy i mean RELATIVELY
his draw is easier than rafa's,delpo's,and roger's imho.....so it makes it the easiest...doesnt it??
vrael , 1/15/10 12:27 PM
Agree with you vreal. Djoker definitely has it a relatively easier draw till the quarters. After quarter finals, its anybody's game. Also here we are predicting that all the top 8 seeds will reach the quarters. My question is how many times has this happened in a slam? almost never....Of the top 8 and given the draw, who do you think is most suseptible to early round exits? I dont think Roddick and Soderling will reach the quarters.
atul1985 , 1/15/10 2:23 PM
I don't know why I have a feeling that Federer can be stopped by Simon. Please don't fedex fans do not throw rocks on me. But should two of them meet i think that Federer might have a big problem. Simon can make you very tired. And we do not know what is his form at the moment. The other half of the draw Andy Roddick can make it to the semifinal. Everebody seems to underestimate him.
zikili , 1/15/10 2:54 PM
Trivia question: When is the last time that Roger Federer had Andy Murray in his half of the draw?
Bonus question: What are the statistical odds of this occurring?
Answers tomorrow!
Conspirator , 1/15/10 3:15 PM
Trivia question: When is the last time that Roger Federer had Andy Murray in his half of the draw IN A GRAND SLAM (sorry)?
Bonus question: What are the statistical odds of this occurring?
Answers tomorrow!
Conspirator , 1/15/10 3:16 PM
Ricky, great analysis! "Top-heavy" is the perfect adjective to describe the men's game right now. In recent years we have seen more instances of all the top seeds making it to the later rounds in major tournaments, with big upsets becoming a rare phenomenon. Assuming this trend continues, the draw becomes less of a factor in the final outcome. No matter what, the potential finalists will face daunting rivals through most of the tournament. At the ATP site they are saying that Roger's draw is tough. Here we are saying that Rafa's draw is the toughest. Truth is, they are all tough. If you are Roger, Rafa or one of the top 12, you can't count on the draw to help you. You gotta be willing to face a will-shattering gauntlet of increasingly fierce opponents on either side. The finalists of this AO will have earned their respective spots with sweat, blood and tears. True modern gladiators! Let's enjoy!
grafight , 1/15/10 5:04 PM
"You gotta be willing to face a will-shattering gauntlet of increasingly fierce opponents."
comment of the year at Tennistalk, so far
RickyDimon , 1/15/10 5:08 PM
LOL... thanks?
grafight , 1/15/10 5:12 PM
i cant believe there isnt even a mention of the next GOAT bernard tomic.
tomic is so good that he has a qualifier in the 1st round, thats how good tomic is already.
he bageled gilles simon in the 1st set and won the match after beating ginepri and stepanek.
i think tomic can make the 2nd week if he takes this seriously and tries hard.
attackingtennisrulez , 1/15/10 5:44 PM
Tomic won three matches in an exhibition event that no other player cared about, and he went to three sets with an opponent who could barely move
Tomic will probably lose to the qualifier, but I hope he wins cause I want Cilic to give him a free lesson - and a reality check - in round 2. Will be something like 6-0, 6-3, 6-1 to Cilic.
RickyDimon , 1/15/10 5:56 PM
Ricky, I agree that the draw is very balanced, there are quite a few dangerous players lurking around all over the place that it's hard to avoid them. I can't wait for the action to start.
vrael, if Rafa didn't have Murray and Del Potro, he'll have to have Djoko and Davy, none of them a walk in the park.
Vamosssssssssssssssssss!
carrie , 1/15/10 6:09 PM
lol tomic will take cilic apart, cilic is just a ballbasher like blake.
read this, it was when future legend bernard tomic hit up with spanish prince rafael nadal last year at the aussie open.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,24914863-5002324,00. html
to dismiss tomic is foolish because aussies are great sportspeople, we play nearly all the sports in the world and dominate alot of them.
its in our culture to win at everything.
tomic can beat alot of the top 20 players. i mean just look at the guys in the top 20, they are pretty average players.
i know one thing, no one wants to face tomic at the aussie open, with the crowd behind him, he could be a real danger.
attackingtennisrulez , 1/15/10 6:26 PM
I agree with Carrie. It's not like Davydenko is a gimme anymore. And neither Murray nor Nole have looked particularly impressive in their pre-AO matches.
Federer has the Baghman, Verdasco, Davydenko and Hewitt in his QUARTER. I personally think that Baghdatis is going to be dangerous in Oz.
cherylmurray , 1/15/10 6:28 PM
There is a rumor Tomic will have a match with Djokovic today at Kooyong. I agree that Novak's form is a big question mark. He may go out before the quarters?
rfzr , 1/15/10 6:37 PM
Fed's only challenge on paper before the final is Nole but I don't think he can take the heat especially against the Fed on a big 5-set stage. Davy has been hot lately but even he admits his game doesn't translate well to 5-set matches.As far as the final goes, Fed will manage to overcome a Nadal/Murray/Delpo worn down by the other two.
I haven't looked but I'd say that the oddsmakers made Fed a even a heavier favorite based on this draw.
Conspirator , 1/15/10 7:23 PM
This isnt an easy draw for any of the top seeded players. A draw is a draw and these are players who are more or less used to playing day in, day out.
Pretty even: The first grand slam event of the season is only days away, and Roger Federer faces a challenging path to the final as he seeks to extend his record grand slam haul to 16 at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
The Swiss champion is set to face 36th ranked Russian Igor Andreev in the first round.
In their previous meeting at the 2008 US Open, Andreev took Federer to five sets, and should Federer win, he could face home favourite Lleyton Hewitt, Marcos Baghdatis or 11th-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon in the fourth round, as well as a potential quarter-final against in-form Russian world number six Nikolay Davydenko.
Rafael Nadal seems to have a smoother route to the last eight as he sets out to defend the title he won last year.
The world number two was paired with low-ranked Australian Peter Luczak but may face a third-round hurdle against big-serving American John Isner, who knocked Andy Roddick out of the US Open last year.
maxi , 1/15/10 7:31 PM
Conspirator - so now Davydenko isnt even a "challenge on paper." Thats bold.
Sure I also think Fed will routine him, but lets not blind ourselves from the truth.
Funniest thing I have seen all season, though, is the ATP website calling Fed's draw "DAUNTING."
RickyDimon , 1/15/10 7:39 PM
Agreed Ricky. Daunting wasn't the word I would have picked. Daunting. Really? CONSPIcuous maybe.. ;)
Davydenko having never made it to a GS final in his long career is therefore not really a paper challenge to the Fed this time around IMBO (in my bold opinion).
Anyone have an answer to my Trivia/Bonus questions yet???
Conspirator , 1/15/10 7:57 PM
2008 French Open maybe? It couldnt have been more recent than that.
Aside from last years US Open, there is a 50 percent chance of them landing on the same half of every Grand Slam.
RickyDimon , 1/15/10 8:23 PM
Nope, keep going back!
Conspirator , 1/15/10 8:27 PM
i think 2007 us open...murray was destined to meet roger in the 4th rnd but cdnt make it there
vamosrafa , 1/15/10 8:59 PM
Correct! Except for '09 US Open when it was not possible (thanks Ricky, I forgot that one), it was a virtual coin-flip for the other 8 GS draws. Try flipping a coin Muzz, I mean Heads 8 times in a row. The odds of this randomly happening? 1/256 or less than 1%. Intriguing...
Great articles Ricky. Always a good read throughout the year.
Conspirator , 1/15/10 9:42 PM
ur trivia question was fun and good :D waiting for the next one if u have one :p
vamosrafa , 1/15/10 9:50 PM
Fed's draw is not hard on paper but considering these players have all either beat or came close of beaten him, there are a lot of banana slips in place.
And it will worry Fed a bit meeting these tricky guys.
Whereas Nadal's draw seems hard but he plays a lot of matches against these players so at least Nadal have a good idea on what he will have to do to win.
torres9 , 1/15/10 10:02 PM
ok here is a question based on a couple of facts i read today.may b not a very good question but it is a tough one if u havenot read it
Q.what is the fastest serve roger federer has ever served?
bonus question; when and against whom did it happen
vamosrafa , 1/15/10 10:07 PM
Ricky,
This is the one I was waiting for and you didn't disappoint! I will take your advice and set my dvr for Rafa/Murray in the quarterfinals. I would love to see that matchup! I am not afraid for Rafa to meet Murray. There is no easy path to winnint this grand slam and that's as it should be. If you are afraid of meeting anyone, then you don't have the mentality of a champion.
This is the best Rafa could have gotten, given all the talent these days. Davydenko or Djokovic in his side of the draw would have been worse. But you just never know in a grand slam. Last year I was worrying about a potential Rafa/Murray semifinal match. Murray was in great form at the time, having beaten Rafa in the semis at the US Open and generally being touted as the co-favorite to win along with Fed. But look what happened! Verdasco beat Murray in the quarters. I saw the last few games of that match and Verdasco had an answer for everything Murray threw at him. That's when I got a really bad feeling. My instincts were correct. Who would have thought that Fernando Verdasco would give Rafa his toughest match of the tournament?
Whoever wins this tournament will have earned every bit of it.
Nativenewyorker , 1/15/10 10:07 PM
Fearless Forecast:
QF: Rafa over Muzz
SF: Fed over Nole (if not Soderling), Delpo over Rafa (nothing left in the tank)
F: Fed over Delpo (not enough left in the tank but you never know!)
Should be fun. Have a good weekend All.
Conspirator , 1/15/10 10:24 PM
NNY - thanks for the comment
altho i disagree that Nadal that Djoker in Nadal's half is tougher than Delpo. I think Nadal would rather have had Djoker.
RickyDimon , 1/15/10 11:10 PM
yeah, i think nole would have been better in rafa's half than delpo. delpo has nadals number now. nole can blow hot or cold depending on his mood
Sib69 , 1/15/10 11:23 PM
Ricky,
But do we really know that Delpo is in the kind of form he was in at the US Open? I don't think that injury thing was any big deal. But he hasn't shown much since he won his first grand slam. I guess the assumption is that he will be ready to go.
I guess there is some merit in your argument about Djoker possibly being the better of two tough choices. The only thing I can think of is that he can be unpredictable, and his conditioning when it's really hot can be a factor.
But I am not sure that Delpo has Rafa's number. I keep thinking that his two most recent victories against Rafa were when he was just coming back from injury and nowhere near his best form. He couldn't even serve in their US Open semifinal match because of the abdominal tear. I am not trying to sugarcoat this, only to put in some caveats. He certainly has the game and weapons to give Rafa a ton of trouble.
Does anyone here think Rafa has a chance against Delpo? Is anyone with me in being optimistic about Rafa's chances against Murray should they meet in the quarterfinals?
Ricky, I am anxious to see your predictions. My emotions get in the way with Rafa. Sometimes it's more about what I WANT to happen, rather than what WILL happen.
Nativenewyorker , 1/16/10 12:49 AM
:), i think that every single person on this forum scours the web in order to find what his/her fav player chances are for the A0. it may happen that some of the top players leave in early rounds due to a form or injury, or it may happen that some of them who haven't shown much, suddenly rediscover their forms and catch fire. only heavens know what will happen and that's the most interesting part. statistics can give some hints but it may be completely wrong. next two weeks have the answer, lets see what happens.
rfzr , 1/16/10 1:24 AM
NNY: as a fervent Andy supporter I think Rafa has an excellent chance against him, if they should meet in the quarters........unfortunately.....!
deuce , 1/16/10 8:03 AM
future great bernard tomic has thrashed world number 3 novak 'joker' djokovic.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,26595249-5018898 ,00.html
now surely this makes tomic a favourite for the aussie open title.
4 wins out of 4 for tomic.
ginepri, stepanek, simon and now djokovic.
wow.
tomic is on form and he is finally taking things seriously, no one can stop him now. hewitt better watch out talking trash to a king like tomic, hewitt will get embarrassed. the next GOAT will be tomic for sure, an all court game and only 17 years old.
a future legend.
attackingtennisrulez , 1/16/10 8:50 AM
wow..he beat the djoker!
vrael , 1/16/10 9:00 AM
there should be more hype on tomic, this kid is unbelievably good.
he is a real contender now for the aussie open title.
they should be discussing tomic on espn, SI, and many more.
tomic is the real deal
attackingtennisrulez , 1/16/10 9:00 AM
if he's lucky to meet cilic in round 2, he'll be lucky to win a set.
homos , 1/16/10 9:25 AM
cilic wont make it past the 1st round.
tomic can shred cilic to bits.
if tomic can destroy djokovic, then cilic has no hope
attackingtennisrulez , 1/16/10 9:28 AM
It would be fair to say that Novak took this match lightly and experimented with the net play, but it is also fair to say that Tomic has a great potential. In 2 years he could be in top 10.
rfzr , 1/16/10 9:39 AM
u know as good as tomic is, if rafa nadal plays like this, nadal will win all 4 slams this year for sure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikNlsRBT8-0
attackingtennisrulez , 1/16/10 9:39 AM
no wonder you know jack about tennis if you call that destroying. just like he DESTROYED statarche last year, winning 3 of 4 sets in tie breaks and winning 1 game in the second set.
and for fyi, it's john and bernard tomic who's trash talking not hewitt. bernard sledged peter luczak in chile in 08 after luczek thumped in practice. than at wimb 09, he refused ot practice with lleyton saying lleyton wasn't good enough to practice with him, a 2 time grand slam champion and former no. 1 whoeven rafa, roger and other sr players respect. but after turning down hewitt, bernard asked juan carlos ferrero if he'd practice with him, and the mosquito turned down bernard's request, his coach later indicating that bernard was so disrespectful to hewitt, that if he was spanish, he'd be 'hung from the tree by his balls and have all his funding cut'. and than bernard later lied, blaming swine flu and saying he hadn't asked ferrero, despite ferrero insiting bernard did ask him. cocky little liar. he's a very talented player but he's better watch himself and get rid of his dad! you're not his john tomic by any chance??
i wonder what excuse you'll WHEN bernard gets knocked in week 1!!!
homos , 1/16/10 9:43 AM
Defending champion Rafa Nadal has declared himself fighting fit, and the world No 2 is hopeful of rediscovering his best form at the Australian Open.
Full article and great picture of Rafa on:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/rafaelnadal/7002609/Aus tralian-Open-2010-Rafael-Nadal-ready-to-play-best-tennis.html
carrie , 1/16/10 1:08 PM
Tomic cant destroy Djokovic
he won 7-5 in the 3rd despite the fact that Djokovic didnt try the entire match!!!!
RickyDimon , 1/16/10 2:35 PM
Two days before AO... on little practice tournament.
Nole is very intelegent player... risque injury or what...
Now it's my time to say he didn't try at all...
It was all about warming up for GS in heat...2 set with Nando...3 sets with Tomic...
We shall see... Nole likes to be in peace... all media madness is again Rafa...Fed and ofcourse poor underachiver Muzza...
He is last from great 4 with xin over Davy... last time fed was beaten in his fortress... so if there is no injury he'll bee in finale. And hot and humidity... weather forecast is litle bit more mercifull to Nole this year.
His bigest enemy is he, himself.
AJDE NOLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
zare , 1/16/10 2:50 PM
*He is last from great 4 with win over Davy*...sory:-(
zare , 1/16/10 2:52 PM
ricky -
"Didn't try the entire match" - in some ways this is more troubling than trying and losing. The mental aspect has to be a cause for concern. Last year he threw in the towel because it was too hot, now he's not trying in his preparations ... can someone trying to regain slam-winning form afford to be so lackadaisical. If you ask me, djoker needs to leave political distractions like players councils and fixing the tennis calendar to the old-timers, shut out all distractions and get his eyes back on the tennis ball.
alex , 1/16/10 2:58 PM
Ricky,
could you confirm that the draw has changed? According to the draw on the ATP website now, Isner has moved from No 123 where he would have played Rafa in the 3rd round, to 105 where he would play Murray in the 3rd round.
carrie , 1/16/10 3:47 PM
I think Simon has pulled out so Ferrer has taken his place and Isner has taken Ferrer's place. Isner has been replaced by a qualifier.
carrie , 1/16/10 3:52 PM
Frenchman Simon pulls out of Australian Open
(AFP) ? 12 hours ago
MELBOURNE ? French world number 15 Gilles Simon pulled out of the Australian Open on Saturday with a knee injury that has hampered him since Roland Garros last year.
Simon, 24, travelled to Melbourne but after an exhibition match in Adelaide decided he was not fit enough to play.
"I'm not so disappointed because I knew it would be difficult to play," he said.
"I'm simply not ready. Playing would do more harm than good."
Simon has won six career titles and was a quarter-finalist here last year.
He joins David Nalbandian on the sidelines of the opening Grand Slam of the season, which gets under way on Monday.
The Argentinian withdrew last week with an abdominal tear.
carrie , 1/16/10 3:54 PM
Ferrer has now replaced Simon in Federer's Qtr.
carrie , 1/16/10 4:01 PM
all of that is correct.
Ferrer was the top of the 17-32 seeds so he moved up. Isner was the top of the unseeded players, so he moved into Ferrer's spot after Ferrer moved into Simon's.
Qualifier/LL moved into Isner's spot, which turned out to be a qualifier.
Odesnik now gets BLAZ KAVCIC instead of Isner. What luck. And Isner now has a good chance of reaching round 4, whereas if he hadnt moved he would have played Nadal R3, or if he had even been seeded originally, he would have faced any one of the Top 8 in R3.
RickyDimon , 1/16/10 5:12 PM
Thanks Ricky.
carrie , 1/16/10 5:28 PM
full tournament predictions: http://www.tennistalk.com/en/blog/Ricky_Dimon/20100116/Australian_Open _preview_part_5:_Predictions
all are welcome to do the same. Its a challenge!
RickyDimon , 1/16/10 6:18 PM
So Ricky, What are the chances of a Fed-Nadal final, in your opinion. 50% 60%?
torres9 , 1/16/10 6:35 PM
well under 50
30 maybe? Hard to say.
RickyDimon , 1/16/10 6:37 PM
Sat 20/03 17:54
Indian Wells semifinal expert picks
Thu 18/03 19:19
Indian Wells quarterfinal expert picks
Thu 11/03 05:11
Approach Shots: Federer, Nadal return in Indian Wells
Thu 04/03 03:40
Gulbis, the new Safin
Tue 02/03 21:54
Approach Shots: Davis Cup first round a calm before the storm
Mon 22/02 19:19
Approach Shots: Federer out, Ferrero eyes three straight
Mon 15/02 05:09
Approach Shots: Verdasco, Soderling, Ferrero look for more
Mon 08/02 05:19
Approach Shots: Djokovic, Davydenko return in Rotterdam
Sun 31/01 23:07
Approach Shots: Australian Open ends, wild February begins
Sun 31/01 04:10
Live blog of the Australian Open final: Federer vs. Murray
Fri 29/01 20:40
Australian Open final: Federer vs. Murray - Expert Picks
Thu 28/01 18:39
Match of the Day: Federer vs. Tsonga - Expert Picks
Wed 27/01 18:36
Match of the Day: Murray vs. Cilic - Expert Picks
Tue 26/01 20:32
Wednesday Matches of the Day, Expert Picks
Tue 26/01 04:07
Nadal vs. Murray in Australian Open quarters - Live Blog
View all posts
chr18, Mar 22, 2010 1:23 AM
tj600, Mar 22, 2010 1:19 AM
fan4tennis, Mar 21, 2010 10:59 PM
maxi, Mar 21, 2010 8:37 AM
SenorPlaid, Mar 21, 2010 3:54 AM
RickyDimon, Mar 21, 2010 11:14 PM
vamosrafa, Mar 20, 2010 7:28 PM
vamosrafa, Mar 20, 2010 7:18 PM
Contact us
/ About us
/ Cookies
/ Recommended links
/ Advertise
/ Sitemap
Tennistalk v1.5.0
Disclaimer © 2001-2010, Moneytainment Media Ltd - All rights reserved
solid analysis ricky...
seeing the draw...it will be either nole,or federer who have the most chances to win this.....
im a bit sour.....what is with the oz open....always making things difficult for rafael...last year it was the semi final scheduling..this year its even more difficult for rafa in the draw.....
muzz and del potro both can beat rafa on a hard court.....rafa has to be at his absolute best......to get to the finals....where he will face federer or nole most probably
PRAY FOR HIM RAFANS!!
vrael , 1/15/10 7:30 AM