Hawk Eye

Tennis season is upon us! The season's first week is a deluge of matches and an abandonment of a human circadian rhythm, but it's always a fun reawakening to the sport that we love so dearly. Good thing, too, since we should get warmed up for the Australian Open right around the corner. As we become night owls for the next couple of weeks, there are a few players I will pay particularly close attention to in Melbourne:

Victoria Azarenka

The two-time Oz Open champ spent most of her 2014 on the sidelines plagued a variety of injuries and ailments that have derailed her momentum from the previous few seasons. Outside of training, her pre-Melbourne warm up will only consist of her very tough loss to Karolina Pliskova in the first round of Brisbane. 

Per @TennisReporters, Victoria Azarenka wanted but didn't get wildcard into Sydney, where she was 2012 champ. Instead, Gajdosova, Gavrilova.
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) January 9, 2015

Her lack of match fitness has been a key factor in her relatively snail-paced comeback during the grass season and summer hard courts. She'll go into the Happy Slam unseeded, a dangerous opponent for any of the top women to face early on. However, given her results the past 12 months, even a cushiony may not be enough to get her back to her winning ways.

Stan Wawrinka

With another Aircel Chennai Open trophy on his shelf, is Stanimal on his way to failing even better than last year? He's one of the most unpredictable players on tour, capable of beating everybody and losing to...well, nobodies. Fortunately for him, he's in form going into Melbourne, where he's defending his title and 2,000 precious ranking points. A repeat performance can really set himself up for another fantastic season. A first-week flop, however, can be the beginnings of a tailspin.

Agnieszka Radwanska

At last year's Australian Open, the award for Performance of the Tournament went to Aga hands down. But her murder of Vika in the quarters via carbicide only made the semifinal thrashing she received from Dominika Cibulkova more disappointing. The dark cloud of "what could have been" seemed to hang over the ninja's head for the entirety of her 2014 season, compelling me to go on Aga Ranking Watch for 2015. Hopefully her new coach, the legendary Martina Navratilova, has instilled new belief, as well as a new attacking mindset, in her as she goes into Melbourne. She should get a mental boost from her Hopman Cup performance, too, taking the title with partner Jerzy Janowicz (and giving hilarious on court interviews in the process).

Rafael Nadal

A scoreboard rout in an exhibition loss to Andy Murray is one thing, but getting beaten by Michael Berrer in his opening match in Doha is worrisome. The way he lost, winning the first set via breadstick and not being able to finish, was especially disconcerting. He may be a little competition rusty, but Nadal may be the most competitive athlete in any sport, let alone in tennis. Putting Berrer away should be an accomplishable task. Without much match play, Rafa goes into Melbourne a bit undercooked which won't suit him well. However, we'll see if his first round or two can help him round into find his form.

Caroline Wozniacki

Our favorite marathoner is coming into Melbourne with most of the momentum she built in the second half of last season where she surged from the depths of the Top 20 all the way back to No. 8. Caro seems to be a different player, going much bigger on her forehand than she has in the past. Her serve is clicking and her backhand is a legitimate weapon these days. Those boosts in power haven't sacrificed Woz's trademark speed; she'll always be the toughest wall for her opponents to break through. Still, heavy hitters like the Williams sisters, each of whom have afforded Wozniacki's last two defeats, can blast the ball past her, so it's hard for Caro to ever truly have any given match solely in her hands. A more worrying and immediate concern is her now bothersome wrist which forced her to pull out of Sydney (although it can be argued that she shouldn't have played there to begin with). It'll be interesting to see where her confidence is going into the first Slam of the year. Her fitness is renowned and she will be able to stand up against the oppressive heat radiating from the Australian summer sun. She's on the short list of favorites for the title, but if she comes up against a free-swinging floater, she could be sent packing prematurely.

Andy Murray

Official kit for the Australian Open (ausopen.com)

The runt of the Big Four has been making slow, sometimes steady strides back to where he was near the top of the game. While he finished 2014 with a strong record, his performance against his brethren have been much less than stellar, including a season-ending 0 & 1 embarrassment at the hands of Roger Federer in front of his hometown fans. Year 1 of Andy's comeback is now behind him, so it's only fair that expectations return to where they were pre-back surgery. Muzz has historically played well in Melbourne, reaching the finals on three separate occasions. Sadly, his ranking leaves him vulnerable to an undesirable quarterfinal meeting against Djokovic, Federer, or Nadal. A match against any of the Top 3 will be a must-see affair, the outcome of which will set the tone for Andy's 2015 season.

Dangerous floaters: Madison Keys, Sloane Stephens, Camila Giorgi, CoCo Vandeweghe, Victoria Azarenka, Aleksandra Krunic, Dominic Thiem, Jerzy Janowicz, Nick Kyrgios, Vasek Pospisil, Bernard Tomic, Juan Martin del Potro.

Early champion picks: Maria Sharapova and Novak Djokovic. See you on the other side, with a pot of coffee, of course.

Uncertain Certainties

Tears will fall as fast as her ranking

Only hours before Wimbledon 2014 commences! What the heck will happen you ask? Here are five things that are certain to occur:

• Sabine Lisicki will open play on Centre on Day 2, entering the stadium in tears. Marion Bartoli will watch from the stands wearing Louboutins and a smug look on her face. When Sabine catches sight of Marion looking flawless, the memories of last year's final will overwhelm her and she will be carted off the field, going down to Julia Glushko, 1-6, 0-4 RET.
• Rafael Nadal will beat Lukas Rosol in the second round in five sets, avenging his shock loss to the Czech man in 2012. The match will finish beneath a closed Centre Court roof way four hours after curfew, culminating in a 13-11 final set scoreline. Nadal will later pull out of his third round match against Ivo Karlovic, citing over-elation.
• Sorana Cirstea will reassert herself as the Queen of Romania, upending Simona Halep in the third round. She will promptly lose in the following round to Tara Moore after being paid a handsome sum by a group of British journos.
• Agnieszka Radwanska and Victoria Azarenka will produce a dog fight of a match, rife with shrieks, glares, side-eyes, come-ons, and snubs. A tearful Aga will admonish Vika's grunt during her loser's press conference, while Vika deems the confrontation "hilarious" and that she was "laughing out loud" because of it.
• Grigor Dimitrov will face Andy Murray in a highly anticipated quarterfinal. The match will be awkward for the crowd as they will want to root for the next coming of Roger Federer. Grigor will get off to a quick start in the first set, fall back to earth in the second, and lose the third and fourth sets in romp after scanning the crowd and seeing Maria Sharapova eating gummy candies and judging him.

For things that definitely won't happen, here are my abbreviated picks:

Women's semifinals: Halep def. Sharapova; Azarenka def. Wozniacki

Women's final: Azarenka def. Halep

Men's semifinals: Djokovic def. Dimitrov; Federer def. Kyrgios (why not?)

Men's final: Federer def. Djokovic

Here's to hoping Novak proves me wrong. Happy Wimbledon, everyone!

The Grass is Greener (Than Clay)

Now that I have run out of tears to cry over the result of this past French Open (we just want one title, Rafa...), I am ready to discuss Wimbledon, the possibilities, and the major players heading into the All-England Club. Who's in need of championship run, or at least a deep showing?

1. For someone who plays only two ATP 500s per year (and no 250s), Novak Djokovic has been playing the vulture for the better part of the last 18 months. He's currently the defending champion at seven tournaments, none of them being Grand Slams. And for the only of the Big Four to be a virtual lock to make it to the latter stages of every event he enters, he hasn't won a major in his last five attempts. Maybe the stars will align this Wimbledon, but doubt has taken over hope given his current results.
2. Roger Federer made his sixth final and won his second title of the year in Halle, but his peak form from the post-Australian Open hard court swing seems to have waned a bit, not a good sign heading into the place that cemented his legend. Winning a grass court tune-up (and getting a nice draw) should boost his confidence, but we've seen Roger have sniffs at matches/titles yet come up short.
3. With a new, badass coach in his corner, Andy Murray heads into Wimbledon with a renewed purpose. How can one top breaking a 77-year drought? By doing it again, this time with a Amelie Mauresmo in tow. It'll be a tough ask, but quelling the haters is great motivation.
4. Jerzy Janowicz has been in freefall since making the semifinals at SW19 last year. He went through a winless streak that lasted from the middle of February until the beginning of the French Open, including a Davis Cup loss to Borna Coric, a young up-and-comer barely ranked within the Top 300. About half of his ranking points are attributed to his stellar run last year, so a poor showing will cause him to completely plummet, possibly outside the Top 60.
5. For a player widely considered to be unbeatable, Serena Williams has been beaten quite a bit in 2014 (based on her standards, anyway). Especially disconcerting were results at the first two majors this year, particularly in Paris, where she was dusted in barely over an hour by Garbine Muguruza. Serena's getting close to 33 now, so her invincibility of the previous two years may be wearing off, but she needs to relearn how to raise her game for the Slams like she did in Brisbane, Miami, and Rome this year.
6. Agnieszka Radwanska is #5 in the Road To Singapore and has had a decent year, but she doesn't have a title to show for it. She's a player who's game doesn't automatically scream Slam champion, but Aga has had very real opportunities, at Wimbledon last year and at the Oz in January, slip through her fingers to stealthily grab her first major. With the other top players (not counting Maria Sharapova) in a bit of flux, Aga should want to capitalize on the grass that she loves.
7. Sloane Stephens used to enjoy the label of being the youngest player in her section of the rankings. She has since ceded that position to Eugenie Bouchard, a cohort who has zoomed past her this season. The other girls in her age group are also making steady, noticeable gains, but Sloane seems to be stuck in third gear, scraping by with a ranking barely inside the Top 20. Making six straight second weeks in Slams is quite impressive, but that statistic is getting stale, especially since the last three were only fourth round forays. If she can get to the semis (not an easy task), she can reinsert herself as a dangerous player for anyone to face.

Any other players you think could use a deep run? Leave a comment! Should be a fun fortnight.

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.

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)