oh no ricky, you picked djokovic to win! he doesnt get too far when that happens :/ ;)

yep, he's pretty much done for

The Dubai draw seems to defy odds. Was it done behind closed doors? Or is Federer having a pact with the devil?

Re: your predictions, I don't know about Dubai, but in Acapulco, I would put Almagro over Verdasco and Ferrer over Almagro.
About Delray beach, if Roddick is not ill, he should win.

I'll take Fed in dubai....for sure....and i would never include Blake in ANY kind of upset alert these days. Scoot from Atl.

I'll go with :
Federer for Dubai.
Tipsarevic/Delpo for Delray Beach.
Wawrinka/Ferer for Acapulco.

I think Raonic will fail to make it to semis or final because he has played 6 three setter matches in a row(5 in 5 days) if I am not wrong.

It seems Raonic has followed up his last-minute entry with a last-minute withdrawal. Draw sheet shows he's been replaced by Munoz de la Nava.

Fed, Delpot, Amalgro.

i still say youzhny should beat simon. but the russian is playing way to much tennis now...

VAMOS NOVAK !!!!!

now what happened to tursonov! i thought he was on his way up again!!

told you Blake would dispose of Becker!

So everyone said...he can't beat Fed two times in row... on AO!!!
Hehe.... against this very well fixed draw Nole will wipe him in two sets.
If he reach the finale... don't forget cryptonit is there...and Simon is already dismantled Misha...
I really don't want to speak anymore about Fed's luck in draws... it is so obvious, from tournament to tournament, so why don't we call it with real name: shame and fixing!
So sick of it. To watch Rafa, Nole and Andy spiting blood, sweat and tears to reach QF or SF and Mr Arrogant always have walk in park.
Something is really sick on ATP tour.

Roger's succession of cup cake draws really try our credulity.

Sometimes Man proposes but God disposes. The USO draw seemed tougher for Rafa but ultimately like the red sea parted for Moses, the draw opened up for Rafa and he reached the final without getting knackered.
I suspect that at Dubai, Djoko is going to repeat AO.

"Sometimes Man proposes but God disposes"

There's another -- "Man appoints, but God disappoints."

I really don't want to speak anymore about Fed's luck in draws...
zare 2/22/11 9:32 PM

Roger's succession of cup cake draws really try our credulity.
vij 2/23/11 12:22 AM

Like the draw wasnt easy enough, Gulbis is about to lose methinks.

Fed's kryptonite might just do it failing that Nole will get him in the final.

gilles simon seems to be on the brink of victory here. does he play fed next? that match should be very interesting. i hope simon will be able to hang on to his h2h lead and lengthen it.

Federer plays Stakhovsky and Gilles Simon plays Richard Gasquet. Hope Simon wins because if Gasquet does, he is more likely to lose to Fed in the next round.

The way Simon plays in this tournament, I don't think he can trouble Fed. Unless he can pick up his game and plays like in the 3rd & 4th sets of AO, and his 2008 TMC match against Fed, I don't think he can beat Fed. Simon was so quick in that TMC match and he not only counter punched, he also attacked at the same time, catching Fed by surprise many times during that match. I loved the way Simon played during that match, hitting winners when you least expected it. If he survives Gasquet to meet Fed, I hope he can play like that TMC match.

its funny that we talk of simon being fed's kryptonite, but gasquet seems to be simon's. i remember the year when simon was in the top 10 (2009?) and everyone expected him to go far in a certain tournament. he was due to play gasquet and lost to him in straights, even though gasquet was on a decline and promptly lost in the next round in easy straights.

And Youzhny and Murray are Simon's kryptonite. Nalby is Cilic's kryptonite, Murray is Delpo's kryptonite, Cilic and Sod are Davy's kryptonite....

I sure hope Murray turns into Fed's kryptonite. He has the game but sadly not the mental toughness in GS finals to remain green (kryptonite) and turns into harmless red.
Hope he meets Fed in a GS semifinal and gains revenge for all the mind games this master of gamesmanship played on young, vulnerable Muzza. I am sure such a victory would turn Andy Murray into a permanent green kryptonite for Fed even in finals.

I hope so too to see Murray vs Fed in a slam semi or QF, just so Murray may not have that much pressure. Of course not on clay though, as I know Murray won't stand a chance against Fed on clay.

I think Simon got beaten by Gasquet when Simon's good run from mid 2008 to early 2009 came to an end. He later suffered his knee injuries and had to rest for months. After his injury, he's no longer the same player. It's until this year that he's finally back on track, still not at the same level as his 2008 yet but getting closer now.

vij, stoppit! Don't remind me, I keep seething when I think about Fed's mind games towards Andy and I'm not a seething person at all in real life ;) BTW I didn't understand about WTF places, duh, so thanx for explaining.
lucky: I know u r a Simon fan like me, but I've watched a couple of his matches and something has definitely gone out of his game, a spark of aggression or something?

Yes, something has gone missing in Simon's game. I like his game in 2008 because he is not only a good counter puncher but he can attack too. His brand of tennis is like Murray's, except that he doesn't have Murray's weapons; ie serve and great backhand. He's quick around the court and he can seize the right moment to attack. In his match against Fed at TMC Shanghai, when Fed thought he had won the point, I saw Simon suddenly rushed in and slam a cross court backhand for a winner, or a backhand down the line to win the point; there's no hesitation. I marvelled at him for beating Fed twice in that year, when his shot making was no where near Fed's. He won because of his good tactical brain and his quick action and reaction, no hesitation and seize the opportunity to go for the kill. After his injury, he's no longer as quick as before, though still quick, and he has more errors in the execution of his shots. He can still be briliant as shown in his AO match against Fed and will always be a dangerous opponent just like Murray. I know Nole feels all irritated when playing against him as Simon doesn't seem to go away and it takes a great effort to 'get rid' of him.

lucky, deuce: some time ago, ed25 posted that in a DC round (can't remember against which country), guy forget made a mess of simon; giving him some lecture on court that just about reduced simon to tears and simon has never been the same since. i wonder if that has contributed to simon's performance in addition to his injuries. i've not seen ed25 here lately or else we could ask her for more details as i never saw that incident but she posted about it a few times.

homos: Forget did the same to Paul henri mathieu when he played Davis cup and lost. Since then, PHM has been a different player and a bundle of nerves. It's sad how very damaging words can be especially when said at the wrong time. Perhaps, Forget could have gottten his message across to both guys, after the pain of the loss had subsided and he wasn't so angry.

I like Brad Gilber's humor, but he's similar to Forget with respect to berating the players. I think the two Andys would have done well under his tutelage if Brad was a bit more patient and used more kindness than his usual brusque attitude.

Well maybe what Forget did to Simon had really dampen his spirit, so much so that it affected his confidence. I'm hoping now that Simon has started to win tournament again(Sydney), he'll get back to his best form again, he's 27 now so he's still young enough to win some more tournaments and has a few more good years in the tour. He may not be in top ten again, but if he regularly stays in top 20 or even top 15, his career should be considered a good one.

congrats ricky, overall good call ;)

So everyone said...he can't beat Fed two times in row... on AO!!!
Hehe.... against this very well fixed draw Nole will wipe him in two sets.
zare , 2/22/11 9:32 PM

good call from zare too :)

Well, that was an excellent call by Ricky! And zare! I think Nole has found himself and is producing some good tennis without the histrionics and other drama that we saw in the past. I give him credit for hunkering down and being all business. It's producing great results.

I am glad younger players are stepping up to the plate. It wasn't good for tennis to have a player past his prime dominating the younger players. We must rejoice at this surge by Djokovic. I hope Murray too is able to find whatever it is he is missing to win slams. Del Potro and Dolgopolov, sort of mid-next-gen-and-the-present are great too but I don't expect either of them to win any slams this year. It is also exciting to find next-gen players like Raonic, Tomic giving seeded players a fright.
Although, I root for Rafa most of the time, 4 years later if the new generation starts beating him, I will be happy for that is the natural order of things and bodes well for the future of tennis.

vij,

I agree with you. I also happen to think that Rafa thrives on this kind of competition and challenge. It's good for the sport and the fans. It would be nice to see Murray get it together and win a slam.