Commanding Respect: Sloane has Plenty to Prove and Disprove

This December, I'm going to attempt to profile a few players to watch in advance of the 2014 season. Leave a comment on any of these postmortems if there is a player you think I overlooked!

Her future is as bright as her kits

Sloane Stephens's 2013 could be described using many words with varied meanings: breakout, schizophrenic, inconsistent, lucky, tumultuous. It was a year that Sloane really made her mark on the WTA circuit as a constant headline grabber, someone you want to see succeed or fail spectacularly. In my opinion, Sloane became the most polarizing figure in women's tennis over the past year, and she managed to do so with both her play on the court and magazine interviews off of it. Here's a look at her ever-oscillating season:

The Good

If you wanna rip on Sloane's season, the one area you can't knock is her ability to get up for the Grand Slams. Along with Serena Williams and Agnieszka Radwanska, Sloane was one of three women to make the second week of each one (and very well could've won Wimbledon). She also plays well in tight moments, a key trait that many great players share. And I believe she's on her way to doing some big things in this sport. She's got the power, she's got the speed, and she's got the confidence. Most importantly, we've seen her put it together, if only for a stretch of two matches. Sloane's decision to work with Paul Annacone is really encouraging for those of us who enjoy seeing her put together.

The Bad

Her poor patches of play leave so much to be desired, particularly at tour-level events. She's made only one semifinal outside of Melbourne this year, zero outside of Australia as a whole. Sloane has lost to a lot of players that she should routinely beat (e.g. STEFANIE VOEGELE IN BACK-TO-BACK WEEKS, WHAT IS THAT). That's so not Top 15 material. Her inconsistency and lethargy match in, match out is what's keeping her away from the upper echelons of the circuit.

The Ugly

All the drama surrounding Sloane this year was...a lot. Among being "disrespected," beating Serena, Vika's MTO, blasting Serena, flatline press conferences, not being able to hold serve against Marion Bartoli, and almost losing in the first round of the U.S. Open, it's hard to pick which moment caused more angst. I wonder how all of it affected her on the court, especially because she bursted out of the gates in 2013 and noticeably cooled down post-January.

2014 Outlook

The spotlight will be very bright on Sloane as we begin a new season. Her 2013 was full of twists and turns, ups and downs, and other roller coaster terms. She will be under immediate scrutiny to defend the bulk of her points Down Under we'll quickly learn if she can handle the pressure of defending your rank in the WTA pecking order. Still, once this January has passed, there are tons of opportunity for Sloane to make a serious push to the highest tiers. If she is able to steady herself and her results, I really believe Sloane has the capacity to be a mainstay for a long time. She just has to take it one match at a time.

Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment!

Knocked Down: Jo-Willy Fighting to Get Back Up

This December, I'm going to attempt to profile a few players to watch in advance of the 2014 season. Leave a comment on any of these postmortems if there is a player you think I overlooked!

I would love to see this after a Grand Slam final

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is a modern example of French men's tennis. Can wow one point, then make you scratch your head the next. Combustible, yet huggable. Attempts unnecessarily acrobatic shots, yet seems perplexed when they don't go as planned. But unlike a Gael Monfils or a Benoit Paire, Jo is the only one of the lot that has been to a Grand Slam final and has the firepower to break the Big 4. So why did he finish 2013 a small step back from where he started? Let's take a look at his season starting with the positives:

The Good

For someone who was out due to injury for a huge chunk of the second half, Jo did well to remain in the Top 10 at the end of 2013. After missing the U.S. Open, he nearly defended his Metz title, losing to another Frenchman in Gilles Simon in the final. He made a good charge in his attempt to return to the World Tour Finals  with his semifinal run in Shanghai and came within a point and a match from outpacing Gasquet for that last berth to London. JW had a solid season pre-knee problems, helped by his title run in Marseille in February. Most notable was his monstrous French Open which included a thumping of Federer in the quarterfinals. He's also the spitting image of Muhammad Ali, which should count for something.

The Bad

Unfortunately for Jo and tennis fans alike, he continues to be snake-bitten with injuries at inopportune times. His retirement at Wimbledon was especially disappointing, since he was the one name outside of our four usual suspects that had an outside chance to potentially make the final against an out-of-gas Novak Djokovic. Tsonga isn't getting any younger either; he's older than three of the Big 4. His peak window is slowly closing and Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

The Ugly

How frustrating is it to watch Jo-Willy play, you ask? Watch this (1:18 - 1:42):

That's how frustrating. He does dumb things during the most unforgiving moments. His affinity for flair takes away from his substantial game. He let's matches slip from his grasp. The aforementioned point does not a Grand Slam champion make. He also has a habit of completely bowing to the guys ranked above him at times when you think he could pull off the upset. He drew Djokovic in the quarters of Indian Wells, with Djokovic coming off of underwhelming performances against Fabio Fognini and Grigor Dimitrov in his two previous matches, and got dusted, 1 and 3. He dismantles Federer in straights in the Roland Garros quarterfinals, only to get blown away by David Ferrer on his home court in the very next round. Opportunity seldom knocks during this Golden Era for the second tier players, but Jo is never around to answer the door when she does.

2014 Outlook

All of that being said, I really see this being a banner year to come for Tsonga. If anyone outside of the Big 4 were to win a Slam next season, he's first on my list. He has the power, he has the desire, and he has recorded big wins more recently than the other outsiders. If he could somehow be a little less French during critical points, we might see him in another Slam final very soon.

Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment!

Sugar Crash: Maria's Up, Down, Then Out 2013

This December, I'm going to attempt to profile a few players to watch in advance of the 2014 season. Leave a comment on any of these postmortems if there is a player you think I overlooked!

It's never too early to practice your "concerned WAG" face

Maria Sharapova has had another interesting, albeit less successful, year. She began 2013 crushing everyone in her path in Melbourne and ended it on an operating bed and many a red carpet. So what happened between January and October that has her with a new(er) coach, a repaired shoulder, and a correspondence gig at the Sochi Winter Olympics this coming February? Let's take a look, Good, Bad, & Ugly style:

The Good

Overall, MaSha's season, despite being pretty much M.I.A. in the second half, was actually pretty good. She showed just how dominant she can be during that ridiculously blazing start in Melbourne and her crushing of Caroline Wozniacki to win Indian Wells, one of her two titles for the year. She also showed that she isn't as far off from beating Serena as we previously thought, by taking a set in the Miami final and playing her in a very tough straight-set loss in the Roland Garros final one round after fighting through her nemesis, Victoria Azarenka, in topsy-turvy three-setter. Even though Serena owned on the red dirt, Claypova wasn't really far behind, defending her Stuttgart title and making the Madrid final.

(P.S. MaSha also officially started dating ATP heartthrob Grigor Dimitrov, and cemented their relationship status by cheering him on vociferously in his second round Wimbledon match. Respect.)

The Bad

The one burning question going into 2014 is whether Shara's shoulder is ready to go. She pulled the plug on her season after her poor loss to Sloane Stephens in Cincinnati, citing right shoulder bursitis. She had a previous surgery on her right rotator cuff causing a ten-month absence from the tour between 2008 and 2009. She has proven that she can come back stronger than ever, but will a second injury be too much for her to reach the summit once more?

The Ugly

"The Ugly" of MaSha's 2013 season is basically the 12 days after her Western & Southern Open exit and the commencement of the U.S. Open. She canned Jimmy Connors (and sent him into a spiraling alcohol-induced depression), embraced the silly, quirky, and splashy rumors of her changing her name to "Maria Sugarpova," and decided to retire her racquet for the year and attend sponsor events instead. It was confusing, and with her recent announcement of joining the NBC Winter Olympics coverage team, you wonder if she's already in a post-tennis state of mind. Sochi is MaSha's hometown, but it's still a bit ... spooky to see how much she has done in the last few months that does not concern tennis in the slightest.

2014 Outlook

For the most part, I think MaSha will be fine. I don't think we will see her revved up in full come January and is vulnerable to an early-round exit in Melbourne, but she is usually so very focused and dedicated to her tennis and I can't see that suddenly stopping, even with her shoulder issues. She had such a good 2013 prior to Wimbledon's Black Wednesday (still finished the year at No. 4) that I can't imagine her falling way off the pace of Vika and Li Na throughout the coming season. I fully expect her to be back to her sporty self going into the clay season.

Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment!

(Edit: and read this wonderfully relevant article on Sharapova by Chris Clarey.)

Serena: Then vs. Now

Le plus grand

"I can't say it's the best. I can't say it's not the best. I don't know. I really don't know."

Serena just capped off a monstrous season taking home her ELEVENTH title by battling through Li Na's fast start and reeling off the final 9 games of the finals of the Year-End Championships, winning 2-6, 6-3, 6-0. She finished the year going an (adjective) 78-4, including an (adjective) 21-2 against Top 10 opponents. She completely (verb)ed the field in such thorough fashion unseen by anyone recently on the WTA Circuit.

So why is Serena unsure whether 2013 was her greatest year? Because of the year that initiated the "Serena Slam." In 2002, Serena won all of the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open (she missed the Australian Open due to injury), beating her sister Venus in each of those finals. So was 2002 better than 2013, a season in which she won "just" two Slams? The short answer is a resounding N-O, but I'm willing to show my work. Below are a few comparisons:

2002 Serena wins best dressed

Win-Loss Record: In 2002 Serena finished the season 56-5 (91.8%). Her win percentage this season is an (adjective) 95.1%. She won 22 more matches and suffered one fewer loss. First set, 2013 Serena, and a breadstick at that.

Record against Top 10 opponents: this is one stat where 2002 Serena and 2013 Serena are relatively equal, with 2002 Serena posting an 18-2 record against Top 10 foes. If you look closer, however, her two losses were to Victoria Azarenka, the #2 player in the world and Serena's closest competitor. By contrast, she was 9-0 in 2002 against Venus Williams and Jennifer Capriati, the #2 and #3 by the end of the season, respectively (and both were #1 at certain points of the year). Her 2002 season featured three fewer wins, but was definitely more top heavy compared to 2013 should you weight them accordingly. Blame it on Bastad and the weakened Rogers Cup draw. Second set, by a hair, 2002 Serena.

2013 Serena wins best weave

Titles: the big tiebreaker for most people, and we clearly can't go just by the numbers. Serena held up eight trophies in 2002, three less than this season, but three of those were Grand Slams. Her other five titles consisted of two Tier I tournaments and three Tier II tournaments. 2013 Serena, however, bagged a YEC, FIVE "Tier I" titles, and three "Tier II" titles. (For consistency's sake, I've equated the modern Premier Mandatory and Premier 5  tournaments as "Tier I" and all the others as "Tier II.") 

Say what you want about Serena winning "only" two Slams this year, she got rather unlucky in Australia and faced the toughest grass court specialist when she was ousted from Wimbledon. Her YEC title helps make up for her missing Slam. Even if you want to put the YEC at the same level as a Tier I event, she still TRIPLES her number of titles in comparable tournaments. In my opinion, her complete dominance throughout the entire year, at every stop on the calendar, gives 2013 Serena the match.

--

Of course, Serena sees winning Slams as the be-all and end-all concerning most debates (and yes, Serena, you and a handful of people are ahead of Margaret Smith Court in the G.O.A.T. debate, no matter how many pre-Open Era Australian Opens she won...), but I hope she reads between the lines when comparing her 2013 with her 2002. Not a single person this year believed they could catch her during a lull, whether it be the clay swing or in Asia when Serena is usually vulnerable. Never has she been more dominant and feared from the very first ball of the season to the very last. That intensity, desire, and focus from January through October is what made all the difference.

Baby Daddy

"I never got the chance to play him; I'm sad already." -Grigor Dimitrov upon hearing the false news that Roger Federer is retiring.

Like father, like son

TURN THAT FROWN UPSIDE DOWN, GRIGOR.

Guys, it's happening. Papa Fed vs. Baby Fed. Today. In Basel. When I saw the draw for the Swiss Indoors, I nearly wet myself. Could their inaugural encounter have been set up any better?

That being said, it's really tough evaluating this match because each have major points going both for and against them. Dimitrov is coming off his first-ever ATP title in Stockholm (aww) and has played remarkably well in his first two rounds, beating Stepanek and Dolgopolov in easy straights. However, when will exhaustion start to creep in? After winning Stockholm on Sunday, Grigor played his first round on Wednesday evening and will have to play for the third night in a row. Federer, who hadn't played since flaming out in Shanghai, began play on Monday and has had a rest day after each of his tournament matches thus far. There really is no place like home.

Other things going right for Roger: the crowd will have his (increasingly creaky) back 100%. To the extent that the twelfth man phenomenon exists in tennis, Basel might only be second to Wimbledon when it comes to the fans cheering on their guy. You saw how much the crowd got into Fed's match versus Istomin in the previous round when Roger found himself down a set and multiple break points down in the third. Still, how much can hometown support help when you face a guy you've never played before, who's style is foreign to you (when you look outside of the mirror), and when he's on a bit of a win streak? Roger has much to think about, especially since he's not playing his best, although he did well to come back against Istomin.

Who knows how they will come out. I'm sure Roger will be feeling the pressure and will try his darnedest to postpone any torch passing from happening today. Grigor has absolutely nothing to lose when he takes the court against one of his idols and should be able to play quite freely. I believe Federer will tighten up if this becomes a closely contested match, and I think it will be nail-biter. I'm picking Dimitrov in three very tough sets.

So...who ya got? Agree or disagree with my pick? Leave a comment and tell me why I'm dead wrong! This match is going to be glorious.

Slammed Shut

Istanbul and London are right around the corner for the Top 8 women and men, but let's take a moment to look back on four tournaments that supercede the WTA Year-End Championships and the ATP World Tour Finals.

What the heck happened in Melbourne, Paris, SW 19, and New York, you ask? Well, take a seat, grab a drink, and read this recap of the Grand Slams of 2013!

Australian Open

Defending champions pre-tournament with their 2012 trophies.
New photo shoot deemed unnecessary.

What happened: see last year's Australian Open. Actually, that's a slight on Oz 2012, which was a really exciting tournament. This year's Australian was a bit of a yawn. Djokovic won for the third straight year, defeating Andy Murray in four relatively unremarkable sets, and Azarenka defended her 2012 title against Li Na. Sharapova and Serena were cruising through the early stages of the tournament when they were abruptly stopped by Li Na and Sloane Stephens (with help from an injured ankle and back) respectively. There were no real surprise losses on the men's side. As something of an anti-Nadal fan, I definitely missed his presence late in this year's Oz, especially considering how good the final weekend of last year's tournament was with him in it.

What will be remembered: for the women, the big stories of the tournament revolved around Sloane. Her beating Serena was a story that lasted the entire season with many twists and turns throughout. She was also the victim of MTO-gate when Azarenka viciously stole the match from her grasps (lol). We will also remember the rebirth of Stan Wawrinka in that epic match with Djokovic in the 4th round where Stan just ZONED, but Novak dug in and pulled it out in the end. Lastly, although she ended up getting blasted away by Li Na in the semis 2 & 2, Maria Sharapova started the tournament by winning her first TWENTY-EIGHT GAMES. What.

French Open

What happened: exactly what you expected, but you couldn't help, but be impressed by how remarkable the achievements of Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal were. Serena finally won her first Roland Garros title since 2002, the kickstarter of her eponymous "Serena Slam." For someone who had always found the clay a pain, Serena's variety was on display throughout the tournament alongside her ever-present power and she found herself cruising through most of her matches (shoutout to you, Sveta).

This also happened. Who knew protesting same-sex
marriage could make a man look so gay?

Rafa's run was a bit more complicated. He got off to a bit of a slow start in the first three rounds and collided with Djokovic in another 5-set thriller in the semifinals, recovering from a break down in the last set and eeking it out 9-7. While the final versus David Ferrer was the most assured forgone conclusion in tennis history, it was a coronation of Nadal's comeback and his cemented status as the King of Clay with his eighth French Open title (fourth in a row), becoming the winningest player at any single Grand Slam. Sorry, Roger.

What will be remembered: three of the four semifinals will be remembered for many different reasons. The airtight three-setter between Sharapova and Azarenka was one of the best matches of the tournament, Serena's demolition of 2012 finalist Sara Errani in 46 minutes was unreal even for her, and Novak's tragic net violation while up a break in the fifth set against Rafa took the air out of the remainder of his 2013 (until his recent title runs in Beijing and Shanghai).

We will also remember the run of Gael Monfils and the many pictures he inspired, Venus's wonky match with Ula Radwanska, and Andy Murray's boredom. I think we'd all benefit from Andy skipping the French Open from now on. He's probably never going to win the thing and his tweets were such a value add for the for tournament.

I would need a seat if I had blown four match points, too.

Wimbledon

The world pouted with you, Rog :(

What happened: The real question is what DIDN'T happen? Rafa went out to Steve Darcis on the very first day, then EVERYONE AND THEIR MOTHER was eliminated on Black Wednesday including Victoria Azarenka (injury), Ana Ivanovic (suckitude), Caroline Wozniacki (suckitude aided by injury), Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (injury aided by suckitude), and Marin Cilic ("injury"). Sharapova joined the fray when she went down (literally; she slipped on the grass several times) on Court 2 to fellow gruntie Michelle Larcher de Brito. However, all of those exits paled in comparison to the ousting of Roger Federer at the hands of Sergiy Stakhovsky, Fed's first loss before the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam since Roland Garros 2004 (if I could ALL CAPS numbers, I would). A truly historic day in tennis. Serena would join the upset club soon after, blowing a third set lead to Boom-Boom Lisicki in the Round of 16 on Manic Monday. Absolute madhouse of a tournament.

Oh yeah, there were winners at this year's Championships! Sir (well, almost) Andrew Barron Murray made it rain and ended a 77-year drought for a British male singles Wimbledon champion by completely outplaying Djokovic in the final. There were cheers, there were blown calls by Mohamed Lahyani, there were Djokovic meltdowns, there were pointed celebrations at the media. The match had everything. I was even inspired to write down a few thoughts on Andy here.

On the women's side, 2007 finalist Marion Bartoli made the most of the messy draw to scrap her first Slam. With the Top 3 out of the way, Marion didn't drop a set (nor played an opponent ranked above her) culminating with the blitzing of Sabine Lisicki in the final. It would be the last match win of her career. What a way to go out!

Maria's DGAF face.

What will be remembered: other than everything, you mean? Aside from the above, we will remember Jerzy Janowicz's breakthrough to the semifinals, the decimation of the bottom half of the men's draw and the complete shitshow that became of the entire women's draw, Juan Martin Del Potro re-arrival for the second time in 2013, Laura Robson's good showing, and Murray leaving the entire country on the edge of their collective seats during his comeback win versus Verdasco. Off the court, this was also the tournament where Serena and MaSha aired out their dirty laundry about each other's love lives. Tennis drama at its finest. It was phenomenal. I'm slightly embarrassed at how much I enjoyed all of it.

U.S. Open

King of ... Cement?

What happened: competing with the Australian Open for most forgettable Slam of the season. Both finals were good theater, but the finalists were all but guaranteed and the winners were pretty much called weeks before main draw matches got underway. Serena and Rafa capped off career-best seasons by downing their primary rivals and contenders for Player of the Year in Azarenka and Djokovic. So many parallels with Serena and Rafa's season. Both win the French Open, go out early at Wimbledon, and come back with a vengeance in the summer hard court swing and add to their tally of major titles and improve their arguments in their respective G.O.A.T. debates.

What will be remembered: two one-handed backhands soared while one fell away. Stan Wawrinka played another 5-setter with Novak Djokovic in the semifinal, once again going down. He wasn't playing as well as he did in Melbourne, but props for ramming through Berdych and Murray, then taking Novak the distance. Richard Gasquet finally made the quarterfinals, then got all greedy and made the SEMIFINALS. He ended up getting killed by Nadal, but good on ya, Reesh. The same can't be said for Roger Federer, who is starting a new kind of streak. He lost in the Round of 16 to Tommy Robredo in straight sets in what was a confusing match. His forehand couldn't find the court and he quickly lost his first match to Tommy Robredo on his eleventh try, denying us our first Fedal encounter at the U.S. Open. Lame.

She was a little excited.

Serena killed her competition through the semis, but her fourth round match against Sloane featured probably the most exciting set of tennis in the tournament pre-finals. The match had an edge to begin with, with all of their off-court drama and whatnot, but what struck me as incredible was how Serena was able to win with her defense. Sloane was crushing her forehand, yet Serena was there for nearly every one of them. Sloane eventually started to go for too much in the second set, which was one-way traffic for our champion.


So what's to come for the rest of the year? Can Serena remain motivated and hungry to finish the year as strongly as she started (she already won Beijing)? Will Rafa win his first World Tour Finals title? Will Djokovic or Vika (or Maria or Andy or, dare I say, Sloane Jelena?) make any dent in the confidence of the top man and woman of their respective tours? We will see what the end of the season has in store, it could mean good things in 2014 for those who make the most of it!

Bang For Zero Bucks: My U.S. Open Qualifying Experience

I love going to the final round of U.S. Open qualifying for several reasons: a) it's FREE b) the stakes are high c) and it's FREE. Here are a few things I learned on Friday:

Qualifying rounds are an inexpensive alternative to main draw play. While the stars of the tennis world are practicing or promoting various brands, the up-and-comers and the journeymen provide all of the drama and excitement all for just the cost of a roundtrip Metrocard. Though the 7 train is the slowest method of transportation other than walking, five dollars to see as much tennis as I did is an amazing deal.  I even packed my lunch, snack, and brought a plastic water bottle to refill throughout the day so I wouldn't have to spend on concessions!

It's easy to talk to your neighbors. Tennis fanaticism can be a closely knitted community, so why not open it up a bit and discuss Taylor Townsend's many weapons with the person next to you? And hey, you never know if they are willing to buy you a beer for holding their seat while they run to the bathroom. (P.S. that Heineken hit the spot.)

The tension can be cut with a knife. The atmosphere on court is one of anticipation and anxiety. Watching a teenager trying to prove their talent face a struggling veteran fighting to keep her head above water can create an almost unpleasant atmosphere. Still, you appreciate how difficult it is to remain competitive in this sport without a burning desire for the game of tennis.

The practice sessions lighten the mood. There were huge crowds for the Berdych/Isner practice match on Armstrong. I ended up taking an picture of Tomas Berdych and posting it on Instagram. Of course he went and liked it. After the big servers were done, I made my way across the hall to Grandstand where I witnessed a highly entertaining practice between Fabio Fognini and Tommy Haas. Fabio was talking to (and laughing at) himself in heavy Italian. Tommy was yelling in German. There were thrown racquets. There were unnecessary dropshots. The crowd was hysterical. Practice sessions are a great respite from the desperate mood of this day.

You can take great pictures. With the grounds being on the lighter side, you can really photographically capture the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the best way possible.

"From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life." -Arthur Ashe

Happy U.S. Open everyone!

Draw-ful: U.S. Open Men's Draw Preview

Yaaaawwwn.

Compared to the women's draw, the men's draw hardly has anything going on that will interest. Still, we press on and figure out who will lose when to Djokovic, Nadal, and Murray before we get to the juiciness of the later rounds.

Quarter 1

Novak Djokovic arguably has the toughest draw of the Top 4 seeds with Juan Martin Del Potro, one of the opening line favorites, looming on the other side. Even with Djokovic not at his best this summer, you have to assume that he will be fine through the Round of 16. Grigor Dimitrov, his potential third round opponent, may do a little more damage here than at Roland Garros, but Djokovic should be able to get past these mini-threats before a would-be-thrilling quarterfinal against DelPo. Only other interesting potential matchup is a third round clash between Benoit Paire and Fabio Fognini. I'm sure it will be difficult deciding which meltdown is more handsome.

Speaking of our beloved Tower of Tandil, his draw has a couple of players that can be troublesome, including a second round clash with the winner of Hewitt-Baker. Tommy Haas is the next seed in his section which features my favorite first rounder between David Goffin and Alexandr Dolgopolov. That will be an epic mess with beautiful ball striking and puzzling errors and shot selections. Can't wait.

Prediction: Novak Djokovic def. Juan Martin Del Potro

Quarter 2

Andy Murray should have a straightforward path to the quarters strictly because this is not the French Open. The other three seeds in his half (Nicolas Almagro, Andreas Seppi, Juan Monaco) are primarily clay courters and there are no floaters of note lurking. Moving on...

The bottom eighth is where it gets tricky for our defending champ. Tomas Berdych is anchoring the quarter. In my opinion, if New York were not under threat of a tornado during their semifinal clash last year, Andy Murray does not achieve his first major in 2012. Should be a very intriguing quarterfinal matchup, unless Stanislas Wawrinka has something to say about it. He hasn't been playing well as of late though.

Prediction: Tomas Berdych def. Andy Murray

Quarter 3

THIS SECTION OF THE DRAW IS WIDE OPEN. I'M LOOKING AT YOU ERNIE, JERZY, AND MILOS.

Seriously, the top seeds in this quarter are a surprisingly struggling David Ferrer and never-makes-a-quarterfinal Richard Gasquet. This is a BIG opportunity for a high-quality result for Milos Raonic, Jerzy Janowicz, or even Ernests Gulbis. Gulbis should easily make the third round where he faces Ferru. The winner will likely face Jerzy Janowicz in the Round of 16. Male JJ literally has no one in his section (and by "no one" I mean Janko Tipsarevic). Milos also has a very favorable draw to meet up with, and beat up on, Gasquet, who will be standing somewhere in Citi Field to return Milos's serves.

Just please, for the love of God, someone take advantage of this. Please. If Ferrer makes it out of this section, I will cry.

Prediction: Jerzy Janowicz def. Milos Raonic

Quarter 4

The infamous Fedal quarter. But Rafael Nadal has a solid draw. He owns Fernando Verdasco outside of blue clay and just beat John Isner in Cincinnati, so it should set him up to stomp all over Roger Federer in the quarterfinals. The Raging Bull has been en fuego all year outside of London, so I expect nothing less in New York.

Federer, who actually gave Nadal a match in Cincy, will want to start salvaging his year at his second favorite Grand Slam. He really should have no problems through the fourth round, even against Kei Nishikori who beat him in Madrid this year. Hey, who knows? Fed isn't feeling any pressure to beat Rafa anymore, maybe it'll help him settle down.

Prediction: Rafael Nadal def. Roger Federer

Semis

Prediction: Novak Djokovic def. Tomas Berdych

Novak should run away against Berdych. His name is name is branded on Tomas's backside right under the words "PROPERTY OF". Expect another adorably sad congratulatory tweet from the Birdman.

Prediction: Rafael Nadal def. Jerzy Janowicz

I expect Jerzy to give Rafa his first real test, but beating Rafa in a best-of-five format is one of the hardest things to do in tennis. Jerzy is still too erratic on serve to really corner Rafa too much.

Final

Prediction: Rafael Nadal def. Novak Djokovic

This will be a coronation on Rafa's season: owning the hard courts over Novak Djokovic. Nole has been struggling mentally in big moments as of late whereas Rafa has been thriving. This should be another epic. Bring the popcorn, and keep a second and third bag on standby. You will probably need to eat during what should be a 48-hour match.

(Note: I will be at Flushing Meadows Friday checking out the last  of qualifying. Come say hi!)

Draw-some: U.S. Open Women's Draw Preview

This is it. Last major of the year. Let's make it count.

Although it is Sugarpova-free, the ladies' draw is quite tasty with opportunities abound for many players. Time to dig in!

Quarter 1

Serena. That's all.

Okay fine, there are other players here. Angelique Kerber anchors the next eighth of the draw also inhabited by Venus Williams. One blockbuster to look out for is Serena's potential Aussie Open rematch with Sloane Stephens. Cannot wait for the hyperbole of that. Sloane has to get through Jamie Hampton in the third round first.

Prediction: Serena Williams def. Kaia Kanepi

Quarter 2

Aga's quarter has a couple of land mines, but most are on the other half where they will likely be stepped on way before she has to see any of them. Her side is not completely free of threats, with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Ekaterina Makarova, and Sabine Lisicki occupying various places. Out of all of them, however, I only trust Makarova to live up to her seeding where I expect Aga to out-craft the Russian southpaw.

The other half of this quarter is lead by the volatile Li Na. Luckily, her section seems clear of high levels of danger. That's bad news for Jelena Jankovic, however, who has Madison Keys and the winner of Puig-Kleybanova in the first two rounds, with Sorana Cirstea as a projected third rounder. Oh my goodness.

Prediction: Agnieszka Radwanska def. Jelena Jankovic

Quarter 3

The top seed is Errani, but this quarter is all about Caroline Wozniacki. This is it. This is her comeback draw. She's been playing much better this summer and the draw gods have granted her the easiest path any woman can ask for. I haven't forgotten my pick for Woz to win the U.S. Open this year way back in January. I don't think it will happen, but this is her best chance yet to re-announce herself as a relevant player in the upper crust of the circuit.

Oh yeah, there are players other than Caro! Most of the notable ones (Simona Halep, Donna Vekic, Svetlana Kuznetsova) are on Errani's side. Really uninteresting quarter other than Woz's wide open path to the semis.

Prediction: Caroline Wozniacki def. Simona Halep

Quarter 4

All I want in life is a Petra Kvitova-Victoria Azarenka rematch. We've been teased and taunted for two years and it hasn't happened. They are once again drawn into the same quarter. Vika is solid. She will get there. It's all up to Petra, as it usually is. Will she be able to find the court for long enough to win four consecutive matches? WHO KNOWS.

Other happenings: Andrea Petkovic could meet Petra in the second round, Sam Stosur has a pretty nice path to the Round of 16, and Christina McHale could reignite the spark with against a struggling Julia Goerges in her opener.

Prediction: Victoria Azarenka def. Petra Kvitova

Semis

Serena Williams def. Agnieszka Radwanska

We've seen this movie before. Serena should dominate if her serve is clicking and isn't ailed by a stomach bug.

Vicotoria Azarenka def. Caroline Wozniacki

I really expect this to be a tough one, but Vika is just too solid off both wings and can push just as much as Caro without giving away too much.

Final

Vicotoria Azarenka def. Serena Williams

I really think that this is the time Vika breaks through Serena at a Grand Slam. She's hungry and she has the game to challenge Serena as she has proven here last year, in Doha in February, and in Cincinnati just a few days ago. I expect another thriller.

Dopes

Seriously, ITF, go home, you're drunk.

If you have been under a tennis rock, The International Tennis Federation has suspended Serbian ATPer Viktor Troicki 18 months for violating their substance abuse policy (See the official case summary here). On April 15 of this year, a Doping Control Officer (DCO) showed up during the Monte Carlo Masters to take blood and urine samples from Troicki (who was selected at random). Here is where everything gets murky.

Troicki, who has a documented fear of needles, claims that he was very sick that day and would prefer not to give a blood sample that day, rather the day after. According to Troicki, the DCO concurred and just took a urine sample from him on that day and collected the blood sample the following day. Both samples came back clean. However, the ITF found that the DCO did not, and could not, assure him that it would be okay to take the blood sample the next day. There are rules that state that the DCO must make clear the implications of skipping a test, especially in matters involving language issues. Per Troicki's and the ITF's statements, however, it doesn't look like that clearly was the case. Once again, tennis finds itself lost in translation.

I am not trying to say that Troicki is completely innocent and does not deserve to get punished in some form. He's been a pro for awhile and should know that there can be repercussions for missing a test. But did he really "miss" it? The DCO came back the next day when Troicki felt better to administer the blood test. The same DCO who said he should be fine by writing a letter to the ITF about the delayed sample. The same ITF which rules state that those randomly selected should be tested that very day. The same ITF who sent the DCO to begin with. This screams "disconnect".

Shouldn't there be a case of extenuating circumstances, knowing that Troicki was sick, knowing that he has a phobia of needles, knowing that there was an exchange between the DCO and Troicki regarding delaying the test one day, and knowing that he was clean on both his urine and blood samples, although administered on different days? An 18-month ban with the sheer quantity of factors for the delayed blood test is beyond harsh. Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers, who basically failed his PEDs test TWICE, has only been suspended for basically less than three months. And he's being paid so much more money than any tennis player on any given year. While this says more about the MLB's very lax penalties, the ITF needs to consider the facts and the implications when they suspend a player for that long.

With PEDs becoming a major topic of sports in the U.S. this summer, even more so now that tennis may be linked to Biogenesis, it's difficult to completely stand behind any athlete and say that he is definitely clean (looking at you, Aaron Rodgers). Still, it's harsh that there are such career-changing implications that come from a break in communication.

What say you? Is the ITF too harsh? Think Troicki deserves what he got? Leave a comment and a urine sample.

Actually, don't leave a urine sample. That's gross.

Who Framed Roger Federer?

Seeing Federer at No. 5 in the ATP rankings is weird for all of us. God knows how he must be feeling about his tumble, especially because he was No. 1 this time last year.

Even weirder is his schedule this summer that has him playing Hamburg and Gstaad on CLAY, back-to-back. What? So many questions, so little answers, but Roger revealed one important detail about the remainder of his season and, possibly, his career: he has a new racquet!

One of the big critiques against the G.O.A.T. was the small frame of his racquet leaving him prone to wild errors should he not make precision-perfect contact with the ball. Of course, he was doing a lot of winning with his "subpar" 90-inch frame. But it goes to show that Roger will keep making adjustments and finding ways to stay at the top of the game. I was apprehensive about his summer schedule on Euroclay, but it looks like he wants to get a few matches in with his new magic wand close to home before showing it off in the States for the U.S. Open Series. Panic alert down to yellow, for now. It was a deep orange post Wimblegeddon Wednesday.

What do you guys make of Fed's upgrade? Long overdue? Grasping at straws? He's quickly fallen behind the other guys in the Big 4, so we'll see if this gets him back in the mix with Rafa, Nole, and Andy.

R.I.P. Fed's old racquet. We'll miss your shanks.

The People's Champion

There is a little Andy Murray in all of us.

We can point to his awkwardness, his propensity to admonish himself at his mistakes, his dull tone when he speaks, and his less-than-supermodel looks. Even when it comes to his tennis, he doesn't have the awe-inspiring, unmatchable playstyles that his Big Four contemporaries do. He's normal. He's awkward. He's human.

That's what makes him the ultimate People's Champion. He's been the runt of the top guys for years and has had to slog his way to the mountaintop by fighting for every ball, working to improve all facets of his game, and sacrificing living a normal life, even as a tennis player, to become a multiple Grand Slam winner within the span of 12 months. What better way for that to culminate at Wimbledon with a straight set victory over his primary rival of this period of the Golden Era.

His many years of heartbreak, and sometimes embarrassment, at Grand Slam finals could have broken him for good. He could have given in to the superhumans talents of Roger Federer that have dazed him on big stages in the past, or to Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, his age mates in this era who have already experienced wildly dominant periods in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Rather, he retooled his game, hired a new coach at the start of 2012, and slowly began to rewrite his history. He did this all the hard way and found success in the end, which inspires hope in everyone willing to work towards a dream.

The season is not over and his legacy is far from being carved into stone, so I am sure that achieving a seemingly ultimate achievement will not satisfy Andy for more than 24 hours. He will be back practicing for summer hard courts soon preparing to defend his U.S. Open title, something he's never had to do before. Still, you have to bet on him going forward as he has proven time after time that he belongs with the alphas of men's tennis. Except he's just a little more like you and me.

Congratulations, Andy Murray! May the name Fred Perry and the year 1936 forever rest in peace.

Baby, Remember Their Names

Oh, hey there. It's been a while, my apologies. Between my hectic job, singing with Andrea Bocelli, getting sick, and unforeseen social commitments, the time I would normally take to blog was instead used to stare blankly at Excel, interact with other humans, and sleep. However, all of the aforementioned trivial activities take a backseat to the last two rounds of Wimbledon!

We took a wild ride to the semifinals and we've lost a collection of big names, but while the four left on the men's side as a whole are not particularly surprising, but the ladies' draw has been massacred beyond belief, culminating with the ousting of Serena on Manic Monday. The major "pro" for this decimation is that we will have a brand new Slam winner on Saturday. The problem with this foursome can be summed up in a one-word question: "WHO?"

Not to worry! Here's a few ideas to turn each of these girls into a star should they take home the Venus Rosewater Dish:

Agnieszka Radwanska: clearly, in a historical context at least, the "Andy Murray" of the WTA Big Four. Crafty, clever, yet just a tick outmatched by her primary counterparts. She is THE shotmaker of the Circuit (cue highlight reel) and won the Junior Wimbledon crown in 2005. How great would it be if she could nab her first major here, too?

Marion Bartoli: the feisty, spirited competitor who doesn't back down. Her coach/advisor is former Wimbledon champ Amelie Mauresmo, who inspired her to focus on Wimbledon. She bounces and practice swings between points to get in her opponents' heads. Marion will be responsible for the wave of young tennis players skipping around behind the baseline just to piss off the other players.

Kirsten Flipkens: she couldn't even get into Wimbledon last year. Like, they legit would not let her through the gates. She was playing Challengers in Micronesia and Antarctica just to get her ranking up enough to qualify for qualifying rounds of tour-level events! She is just a consummate workhorse. (I'm pretty sure this comes close to the narrative currently out there.)

Sabine Lisicki: she's pretty, she's blonde, she cries when she wins, and she clearly has no respect for the French Open. What's not to like? She's already the oddsmakers favorite and has the title of "I Beat Serena" generating a lot of buzz for her. After all the upsets she has accomplished over the years, it would be more than fitting for her to fluke her way to a Wimbledon title without it being a fluke at all.

Personally, I would love it if Aga wins this one. It's right there in front of her and would ease a lot of the burden she would feel in her career going forward. Plus, I think she's the best player in this draw on this surface. Who do you have reaching the mountaintop? Pick one and say why by leaving a comment. No, you can't still pick Serena.

(Edit: about me picking Aga to win this tournament...but she did win best snub)

In The Baguette

Draws are out, Roger is happy, and Tatashvili may make history by being Serena's second first-round conquerer or by being blown off the court in the shortest match in history (I predict the latter)! Here are my picks for what will, yet probably won't, happen:

1. Serena Williams wins the French Open with Olympics 2012-style domination of the field. She is primed and ready to exorcise all demons from last year and should be a lock to accomplish her goal of winning a match at Roland Garros, plus an additional six more.

2. Novak Djokovic defeats Rafael Nadal in the semifinals in five grueling sets and goes on to complete his Career Slam with a win over Tomas Berdych in the finals. Nole has confidence in beating Nadal on clay once again and two surprise losses in Madrid and Rome won't break his focus for the most important tournament on his calendar this year.

3. Sloane Stephens repeats her fourth-round result. I know she is STRUGGLIN' right now, but I believe in her game and her draw is very manageable.

4. Benoit Paire pushes Nadal to his second ever five-set match at Roland Garros. Benoit is much like Gulbis with his power game. The French crowd will be behind him and should give him the push he needs to...not completely flop.

5. Stanislas Wawrinka is upset by Jerzy Janowicz in the third round. I see the stars aligning and Jerzy's game coming together to give one of the young guns a second-week breakthrough. This will be an especially impressive win given Stan's form this month.

Now that I look at it, these predictions aren't exactly groundbreaking. Oh well. I'm already anticipating an awesome third round. NADAL VS. ROSOL II.

Who do you have taking home the titles? Who do you have breaking through? Leave a comment and let me know! Enjoy Roland Garros, y'all!

Float To The Top

The G.O.A.T. of Float

Now that preparations for Roland Garros are just about over (at least they are outside of France...almost...thanks, Dusseldorf...), most tennis enthusiasts will reflect on this year's Euroclay swing and determine which players have put themselves in the best position for French Open title contention. Unfortunately for those with their eyes on the trophy, they must navigate the draw through seven matches. Eventually for some, there will be a supreme roadblock in the way, a DANGEROUS FLOATER. 

These players are ranked low enough to be anywhere in the draw, even as a first-round opponent to a top seed (Nadal vs. Isner, anyone?). While ranking determines your spot in the bracket, it never is a good measure for seeing who can bust the bracket wide open by turning on the gas and knocking out a major contender. However, said contenders are in luck! I've put together a list of four players from each tour that everyone should have their eye on once the draws are released on Friday. (Each player is ranked outside of the Top 32, a very strategic handicap that stupidly did not consider the myriad of withdrawals, but throw me a bone.)

WTA

Her booty shorts are the best

39. Svetlana Kuznetsova: We all know how capable Sveta is. She's a two-time Grand Slam champ, including Roland Garros, for goodness sake. Then again, she can crap out in round one against a complete nobody. She really is the epitome of a wildcard. Still, Svetlana does seem to get up for the big stage evidenced by her quarterfinal run from nowhere at this year's Oz. It'll be interesting to see if a big name draws her early.

40. Kaia Kanepi: Kaia has been away from the game for awhile with a leg injury, but she has been known to blast opponents off the court with her high-powered game. The former Top 15er made the quarters of last year's French Open, so you know she's competent on clay. Definitely a first-round nightmare for a finesse opponent...if she's on.

44. Simona Halep: I honestly don't know who she is or what she's about or even what her game is like (her matches were always on way too early), but she was BLITZING the Rome field, leaving behind high-ranked victims such as Aga Radwanska and Roberta Vinci. She was stopped cold by Serena, but who wasn't these last few months? Her run from qualies to semis needs to be noted.

54. Magdalena Rybarikova: I personally saw this tall Slovakian qualify for the U.S. Open in 2012. She has a sneaky big serve and an all-court game that troubled Aga in Miami in March. She can definitely surprise a seed early on.

ATP

36. Lukas Rosol: The ultimate floater. We all know what happened at SW 19 last July. He's even more relevant this Grand Slam now that he's nabbed his first title in Bucharest on clay. (Note: he may not even be floating anymore with the amount of withdrawals!)

39. Ernests Gulbis: When Ernie is relevant and annoying Rafa on court and in the media, everyone wins. His matches at Indian Wells and Rome against Nadal were so much fun. They also wound up arguably being Rafa's toughest matches on the way to both titles. And he loves talking smack, which is the main reason why I want him to back it up with a Top 10 victory in Paris NOT AGAINST TIPSAREVIC, THAT DOESN'T COUNT. How pissed off would Rafa be if both he and Rosol end up in his quarter? Ugh, the possibilities.

60. Daniel Brands: scored a Top 10 win (over Tipsarevic...) in Munich last month, but hasn't backed that up in Dusseldorf, getting run off the court in the first round. Still, this German's got a big game and that's never a bad thing.

67. Ricardas Berankis: I'm grasping at straws a little with the men because, at the rate the Big 4 are going, Stan Wawrinka could be considered a dangerous floater. But let's take a look at this former Junior #1. He's steadily making his way back from injury and made it through qualifying to challenge Andy Murray in three tight sets in the third round of the Australian Open.

So there you have it! I'm sure you have one or two or eight players you would replace with those names above, so leave a comment and your reasoning why "such-and-such" should be considered a dangerous floater, and do it fast. You only have five hours left before the draw is released.