Sweet, Sweet Fantasy Baby

As if Wimbledon was not already the most anticipated, and renowned, tournament on the tennis calendar, the All-England Lawn Tennis Club decided to add a component to the event that caters to every fanatic: a fantasy team.

I use the word 'team' very loosely because the players on each team created do not pool all of their respective statistics. Rather, we choose what part of a tennis stat sheet that each player will contribute to our team total, almost like a less gruesome way of pulling apart the arms, reflexes, and brains of a few tennis players to create a racquet-wielding robot of sorts. For example, the "Power" category, one (of five categories) which rewards the player's winners and deducts for unforced errors, on my team is headed by Tomas Berdych, who underperformed in the first round (he has since found a way to make up for it). However, performance is relative. Berdych cost me 300 points out of my 1,000-point budget. Ana Konjuh, on the other hand, only cost me 50 points and really gained me some useful points for the relatively low cost (and yes, she's my new favorite tennis player).

I wish I could provide more on the rules and how exactly the game works on a detailed level, but I'm still playing this thing by ear. The best I can do is give you the blow-by-blow of inward drama that is my Fantasy Wimbledon team. There will be tears when I make some cuts (once I figure out how that works...).

CATEGORIES

SERVE: Kei Nishikori
ANALYSIS: Baaaaad move. The dude cost me 200 points, but has done LITERALLY NOTHING for the team. Definitely first on the chopping block.

POWER: Tomas Berdych
ANALYSIS: Disappointing first round, especially because I paid 300 points (pounds?) for his winners, but I have faith he'll pull through in the later rounds

RETURN: Ana Konjuh
ANALYSIS: Team MVP (relatively speaking)! She's a keeper as long as she keeps winning her return points. And this is the category where you can really dig deep in the recesses of the tour to find a player who will only cost you 50 points because the amount of potential points from Return category is limited anyway, as it is dependent upon a percentage (no more than 100 points, an impossible feat).

NET PLAY: Roger Federer (wildcard)
ANALYSIS: Boooooooo you suck, Roger. I thought you were supposed to be the GOAT? Maybe I should've gotten Stakhovsky for this role. I mean, he's a serve-and-volleyer and he did "kick [your] butt" last year. Plus, I'm sure he won't cost me an arm and a leg. Sell.

MIND: Nick Kyrgios
ANALYSIS: Terrible casting by me, as he rocketed down 20+ aces in his win today and hardly had a single break opportunity. He's gonna be my first team change once I figure out how many switches I have left. I don't want to burn them all after only two days of play. He's cheap though, so no big loss.

All in all, a solid team that has gotten me solidly in the Top 10 of my league. But, as in all fantasy leagues, things can go downhill in an instant...

I will do my best to keep you abreast on our progress, any cuts I've made, and any new rules I learn. Just know I play to win. Competitors beware.

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.

City of Mights

• Arrivederci Roma, and bonjour Paris! Roland Garros draws have been released, so now we have an idea of what might happen in the City of Lights. (Forgive the formatting; lack of time and blogging from an iPad that doesn't autocorrect tennis names and terms nowhere near the same level as my phone are conflicting positions...)
  
  
  • Serena might successfully defend Roland Garros for the time in her career, something she has achieved at the other three Slams. Her road to victory could be complicated, with a scheduled third round tussle with big sis and a potential round of 16 match against the always dangerous Sabine Lisicki. However, she hasn't lost to Venus on clay since 1998 and has lost a combined four games to Lisicki in their two meetings outside of SW19. Her biggest foe in her quarter is Sam Stosur, but she is owned by Maria Sharapova, her likely fourth round opponent.
  • The second quarter of the women's draw might feature a surprise semifinalist. Anchored by Aga Radwanska and Angelique Kerber, two unreliable clay courters, bet on proven clay specialist Carla Suarez Navarro, the dramatic hometown favorite Alizé Cornet, or possibly a resurgent Francesca Schiavone to come through. Or maybe even Taylor Townsend! #merica
  • Sloane might break her second week streak at Slams. Currently at five consecutive fourth rounds or better, Sloane has been slumping going into Roland Garros, losing three of her last four matches. Recent titles by cohorts Eugenie Bouchard and Monica Puig will add unwanted additional pressure to keep pace with her results.
  • Nadal might be a five-time defending champion at a Slam, erasing one of the few accomplishments in which Roger Federer has him beat. Rafa's draw is manageable, but his hiccups this clay season means nothing is guaranteed this year. He could run into semi-proven talent Dominic Thiem in the second round and the very proven talent Grigor Dimitrov in the quarterfinals.
  • Djokovic might complete the Career Slam. He's been knocking on the door of this elusive Slam for the last three years, coming within one net violation of virtually taking the crown last year. Nole's win over Rafa in Rome should give him a ton of confidence, and he'll need every bit of it. He's due to meet Marin Cilic in the third round, French native Jo-Wilfried Tsongs in the fourth, and either Milos Raonic or Kei Nishikori in the quarters
  • Federer versus Gulbis might be really exciting. Granted, our beloved Ernie would have to get there, and he's been rather unreliable to make it past the first week of majors. Still, imagine the drama: Fed will feed off the crowd and Ernie's "boring" comments from last year, Ernie will settle into his villain role with aplomb, and the match will last five sets with darkness threatening before Roger eeks out the victory. Love it.
  So let's throw down, French Open! I might be looking forward to the second week already!

B-Squad High

The ATP has, at times, been equivocated to a high school. With a bunch of young-ish guys secluded together, cliques form, rivalries intensify, and there is a definitive cool kids table occupied by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray. But let's imagine for a second that each member of the Big 4 transferred to a prep school, where do the others fall in the hierarchy now that we're back in Europe on red clay? I have a handy guide using senior superlatives and other high school words that I haven't used in years!

Stanislas Wawrinka, Valedictorian - Stan is suffering from a bit of Senioritis post-Melbourne, but being the first person to beat both Rafa and Novak at a Slam automatically vaults you to the head of the class. Not even Roger can boast such a feat (though we'll cut the Swiss No. 2 some slack). Back on clay, his favorite surface, we should see the return of Stan's best tennis.

Cutest Couple

Tomas Berdych, Salutatorian - has been the one member of the B-squad who has been, for years, consistently present at the top of the rankings and at the latter stages of majors relative to his peers. He has beaten Roger twice at Slams, Novak on another occasion, and, if weather and certain points had gone in his favor during the 2012 US Open and 2014 Aussie Open semifinals, very well could've added Murray and Nadal to his list of scalps. Despite all of this, he's still on the hunt for his maiden Slam trophy. It all comes down to playing the biggest matches and biggest points much better than he has. It made all the difference in the world for Wawrinka.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Class Clown - Oh Jo...before the year started, I tagged you as my pick ahead of your peers in the second tier to win a major this year. Sadly, you are proving me so, so wrong. Between your blow out loss to Federer in Melbourne and your horrendous choke job to a limping Gojowczyk in the Davis Cup quarterfinals, you have had a laughable season thus far. (I hope Jo reads this paragraph, seeing as I'm speaking directly to him.)

David Ferrer, Super Senior - this category could almost be called "Senior Citizen." Daveed has tried really hard to live up to his billing as the guy who actually broke through the Top 4 rankings-wise while "Big 4" was a relevant term, but his inability to snag a victory over one of those members has held him back in a huge way. Niggling injuries and semi-puzzling losses have crept their way in and his status may continue to decline as the season progresses.

Grigor Dimitrov, Skipped a Grade - Baby Fed is nearly all grown up. Impressive performances in Melbourne and Acapulco have pretty much cemented his arrival. His March Masters swing was a bit underwhelming, winning just one match each in Indian Wells and Miami, but you can't deny how good he's been this year. Grigor heads to clay and grass soon and, with a nice bump in the rankings, should make a fair bit of noise at the two European Grand Slams. It's been an inspiration watching his development this season.

Juan Martin del Potro, Left Back - Cut down once again by his wrists, it looks more and more as if his 2009 U.S. Open victory was an outlier. Even still, putting his wrist problems aside for a moment, he has had some disappointing runs at a few majors in which he was healthy. Counting his incredible semifinal finish at last year's Wimbledon, DelPo's last four Slam results include two second-round exits and a DNP at Roland Garros.

Flying high

Ernests Gulbis, Most Improved - Ernie just might make it after all. Our beloved SeaGulbis is backing up his surprisingly positive 2013 season with some great play in the first quarter of 2014. Early losses in Miami (and now Monte Carlo) aside, it's been an impressively staid year for a such a volatile personality.

Jerzy Janowicz, Good Boy Gone Bad - speaking of volatile personalities, we're witnessing quite the implosion from Jerzy. For someone who won five matches at Wimbledon last year, he's been on the winning side only four times since the beginning of February. Male JJ may have benefited from a bit more recovery time after revealing an injured foot during the Australian Open, but has charged along through the indoor hard court swing, and he's paying the price now, suffering through a six-match losing streak.

Any other superlatives to add to the list? Leave a comment and tell me who!

Fixing Sloane Stephens

What to do with a player who has the talent, but lacks in the mental department? That's the situation with Sloane Stephens heading to red clay, arguably the surface which she's been the most consistently successful.

At a glance, Sloane's resume as one of the leading members of WTA's "Next Generation" is not too shabby. She's produced a couple of major upsets, has been a regular in the second week of Grand Slam tournaments, and hit a career high ranking of #11 back in October. However, many of those who know her talent and follow her from week to week find it hard to ignore some of the deep valleys she has found herself in. Her penchant for losing several consecutive games within a match while seemingly unable to find any sort of solution (and to lesser players) is astonishing, and alarming.

Deleting Twitter hate can't be taught, either

There is a belief within almost every sporting circle that you can teach an athlete the skills needed to play the game, but you can't teach an athlete how to perform under pressure. While "winning" can't be taught in practice, it can be learned through experience. In Charleston, Venus Williams herself said that she acquired some of her killer instinct not naturally, but by watching her sister Serena tough out close matches.

So there is hope for Sloane yet! She is a strong girl physically, but here are a few simple steps she can take towards building her heart and brain muscle that every champion needs:

1. Play smaller tournaments. She's already in the process of checking this one off since she will be playing in Bogota this week. More match play can only do good for a player who might be low on confidence. With only one other Top 50 opponent in the Bogota field, picking up momentum has never been easier.
2. Play more doubles, which she's also doing this week by pairing up with Paula Ormaechea! For someone who's known for her rocket forehand from the baseline, Sloane is surprisingly adept finishing in the forecourt. Extra reps at net may add some much-needed diversity to her gameplan in singles.
3. Play every point. While Sloane's 10-year outlook on her tennis career is correct, tennis is a sport where you're only as good as the last point you played and giving away points (or entire games) doesn't do you any favors. When Sharapova was on her double-bagel streak at the 2013 Australian Open, she was asked why she couldn't give away just one game. She replied, "That's not my style." If one wants to be successful in tennis, it shouldn't be anyone's style.

I have faith in Sloane's game and that she'll turn it around mentally. She's still very young and there is time to put all the pieces of her tennis together, but I hope she realizes time is as unrelenting an opponent as anyone she'll ever face and it won't be on her side forever.

Any other Sloane backers out there? Leave a comment and keep me company on this quickly emptying bandwagon!

All's Indian Wells That Ends Indian Wells

World Tennis Day has come and gone, but which players can use a holiday boost in the desert? Below are a few players who could benefit from a good run at the Fifth Slam:

Novak Djokovic - While he's only played 8 matches this year, it's clear that Nole has been off to an uncharacteristic start. It's the first time since 2006 that he has come into Indian Wells title-less. He took the first set of both matches he lost (and was up a break in the fifth set against Wawrinka in Melbourne), leading to many questions regarding his mental state and lacking killer instinct. Djokovic has a nice draw to the final though, being the only one of the Big 4 in his half.

Andy Murray - It's been a slow comeback for Muzz and he's traditionally struggled in California, but the courts at Indian Wells suit his game and he SHOULD do well. If we get the quarterfinal matchup between him and Rafa, we'll really get a sense as to where Andy is at compared to his Big 4 brethren.

Milos can't pull off this look

Milos Raonic - The Canadian Missile has definitely been shunted to the side by his cohorts as of late, most notably Grigor Dimitrov, winner of Acapulco and all-around cutie pie. He's had to pull out of Davis Cup and withdraw from Zagreb due to a bum ankle, but winning a potential showdown against Jerzy Janowicz in the third round can ease a lot of the pain.

Petra Kvitova - Two years after being a few points of the No. 1 ranking, Petra suddenly has a lot to prove. This year's first round loss in Australia sounded several alarms, whether it was her continued struggles in warm playing conditions or her penchant to go completely off the rails with her groundstrokes. She needs a big result at a relevant tournament to quell the questioners. A semifinal or better run at Indian Wells (or Miami) would help Kvitova's cause.

Australian coffee is her kryptonite

Sam Stosur - Sam is in a bit of a career crossroads, but with some of the top players stumbling out of the gates this season, she has the opportunity to make something of a run in the desert. If she gets through her early rounds, Sam is a dangerous opponent for any of the WTA's upper crust. Indian Wells should be a good surface for her playstyle and hopefully she's confident in her abilities after her best result in Australia in awhile, reaching the third round of Melbourne. (That sounded rude, but it's the truth.)

Sloane Stephens - Obviously (Sloane's favorite word) she has been in a funk. Although she went 0 for the Middle East yet again, Sloane can silence a bunch of critics with a deep run, and she has a draw that could break her way if she takes care of business on the front end. A decent result here can give her ranking a bolster, too, as she isn't defending any points from 2013.

Anyone else in mind that could use Indian Wells as a springboard to 2014 success? Leave a comment and tell me who! Should be a fun tournament, as always. Please God, let men's doubles have decent TV coverage in the early rounds...