Tag:

Berdych

Wavrinka vs Nadal – Madrid Open Final

by TN May 12, 2013

written by TN

It feels like a deserving duo in the Madrid Open final. Wavrinka has played amazing tennis of late, he won Portugal Open, beating Ferrer in the final and yesterday he came back from a break down in the final set to defeat Berdych 6-3 4-6 6-4.

Nadal, well what can you say? He has played seven tournaments since his long injury time-out and he's been in seven finals. A stunning record! Now he's obviously the big-time favorite in the final.

But no matter what happens in the final, still an impressive tournament performance by Wavrinka. He's been knocking on the door of bigger things a long time now and he has the game for the top ten.

Hopefully he can keep his level of play for Rome Masters and Roland Garros.

My prediction for the Madrid Open final? 6-4 6-4 to Nadal.

May 12, 2013 0 comment

Predictions

Madrid Open 2013 – Quarterfinal picks

by TN May 10, 2013

written by TN

I don't want to be a grouch, but the above is not really the most exciting line-up for the Madrid Open Quarterfinals. The absence of Djokovic and Federer stand out as glaring holes and personally I would have liked Haas and Dimitrov to beautify the draw with their all-court games and one-handed backhands.

But enough whining. We still have some great matches to look forward to. My pick for the Madrid Open Semi-finals: Nadal, Nishikori, Murray, and Tsonga.

Some thoughts on the separate matches:

Nadal vs Ferrer. Ferru is a runner, a terrier, but how is he going to beat Nadal on clay? Sadly, a bit predictable.

Andujar vs Nishikori – blockbuster match! Nah, seriously. Andujar could with some Spanish cheering be a semi-final upset. But Nishikori is in good form so I doubt it.

Murray vs Berdych – the hottest match of the day. 4-4 H2H and a great match-up between attacker and defender. I pick Murray, but that's with my gut – nothing else. Will be three sets.

Wavrinka vs Tsonga – The shadow-Swiss is playing great, but his H2H record vs Tsonga is not great. I have a feeling the clever Frenchman will outwit the Swiss one more time.

May 10, 2013 0 comment

News Players Predictions

Fantastic Federer and Roaring Back Rafa

by TN January 24, 2012

written by TN

Two spectacular quarter-finals took place today, and they were spectacular in very different ways.

Federer‘s trashing of Del Potro was masterclass in efficient and brilliant tennis. Whatever Del Potro threw at the great Swiss, the tennis maestro had an answer to which shows in the final score 6-4 6-3 6-2. Del Potro didn't play bad at all, but today he was still a class below Federer who looks really eager to play his best in 2012. He will sure be a tough nut to crack for…

Rafael Nadal, who was really on the ropes against a Tomas Berdych playing the best tennis of his life. If Berdych can keep the kind of level of play like he showed against Rafa he should be knocking on the Murray's door very soon.

Berdych took the first set 7-6 and had a set point at 6-5 in the second set tie-break where he punched a volley long. Someone on Twitter said that it was ominous, much like Roddick's volley in the second set against Federer in the 2009 Wimbledon Final. The American had, like Berdych, the chance to get 2 sets up, but missed the volley and lost the match 16-14 in the fifth.

Berdych didn't get to the fifth set, but he played an amazing match which also shows how good Rafa is. Winning 6-7 7-6 6-4 6-3 against a top player on the top of his game is no mean feat and Rafa should, even after a 4 hour match like this one, be ready to give his best against Federer.

The “Fedal” is hard to predict, Rafa leads their H2H overall, but Federer is 5-4 on hard courts. Australian Open has slower hard courts though and this ought to favor Nadal in a way, but it still feels completely open considering how well Federer is playing. Both guys are dying to win another Grand slam – especially Federer who hasn't since 2010 – after Djokovic monster year 2011.

We can surely expect a great fight between the two, but the winner is far from certain of the title, because I would be very surprised if someone else than Novak Djokovic waits there and he's the man to beat at the moment.

No matter the outcome, we're in for some fantastic tennis action in the last few days of the Australian Open.

January 24, 2012 0 comment

Predictions

Australian Open 2012: Quarterfinals

by TN January 23, 2012

written by TN

I can't say I'm very surprised with how Australian Open has turned out so far. All the top players are still in the draw and no really major upsets have taken place. Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray are all ready for the quarters and so let's look at the opposition:

Federer vs Del Potro – Del Potro looked back to grand slam winner form against Kohlschreiber and if he can keep that up he will be dangerous for Federer who has had problems getting past the QF stage of Grand Slams of late. On the other hand, Federer looked absolutely spectacular when he crushed super-talented youngster Tomic and I think that form is going to be to difficult for Del Potro to cope with. I predict Federer in four pretty tight sets.

Fantasy scoreline Federer vs Del Potro = 7-5 4-6 6-4 6-2

Nadal vs Berdych – Tomas Berdych is playing really well right now, but he didn't exactly win the hearts of the Aussie fans when he refused to shake hands with hot-tempered Almagro after he beat the Spaniard 4-6 7-6 7-6 7-6 (Almagro did hit a ball straight at Berdych, to be fair). Fans or no fans, he won't be strong enough to beat Nadal who looks ready to prove himself and is dying for a rematch with Novak Djokovic in the semis. I think Nadal might lose a set, but the rest will be pretty straightforward.

Fantasy scoreline Nadal vs Berdych = 6-7 6-4 6-3 6-2

Murray vs Nishikori – The young Japanese talent Nishikori is playing the best tennis of his life and was very impressive in his five set win against Tsonga, but against a guy who always plays great in Australia and who seems very keen on impressive his new coach Ivan Lendl, I think the task is too tall. Kei shouldn't be used to playing this many long matches and I sadly think he will lose in three.

Fantasy scoreline Murray vs Nishikori = 6-4 6-2 6-3

Djokovic vs Ferrer – At the time of writing Djokovic has just started his match against Hewitt, but no matter how great the crowd will be for the aging native, there's no way he is going to book a place in the quarters, especially considering how ruthless Djokovic has been with his opponents and how much he loves playing in Australia.

Ferrer has also played well and is always such an inspiring fighter, but it's hard to see what anyone can do against the world number one when he's in this form. Ferrer will run everything down, but in the end I see only three sets.

Fantasy scoreline Djokovic vs Ferrer =7-5 6-4 6-1

This brings us to a mouthwatering semi-final line-up of: Federer vs Nadal and Djokovic vs Murray. The fantastic four of tennis back in action!

But maybe my crystal ball is lying?

January 23, 2012 0 comment

News Predictions

Oh, the joy! The Wimbledon Line-up Today

by TN June 27, 2011

written by TN

Here are the amazing matches to look forward to today:

Murray vs Gasquet – I think Murray is too good and Gasquet will surely get a flashback from being 2-0 sets up and serving for the match a few years ago. Gasquet has improved, but Murray looks determined to go far this Wimbledon.

Nadal vs Del Potro – Match-up of the day. Can Del Potro's ball-busting strokes knock Nadal off balance or his the defending champion too strong? If this was hard court I would place a bet on Delpo, but considering his Bambi-like movement on grass, I don't see how he can take more than a set of the Spaniard.

Llodra vs Djokovic – A very tough match for Djoko who really must be alert with his return game against very competent grass courter and net rusher, Llodra. Djokovic has already lost to the Frenchman once recently (before going on his massive streak of course) so this is a red flag match for him. Still, I think Djoko will take it in four.

Federer vs Youzhny – Youzhny is always dangerous, but Federer seems so comfortable on the green grass of home, aka Wimbledon, and I have a hard time seeing him troubled by the Russian. We might see some really beautiful rallies though.

Fish vs Berdych – This is a really potential marathon five setter. Both guys like the green stuff, hit with massive power and possess great serves. Berdych was a finalist last year, so I'll go with him.

Kubot vs Lopez – Kubot is a surprise, but Lopez has a far better game for grass and should win confidently in three.

Ferrer vs Tsonga – Ferrer is a great fighter while Tsonga is playing really well on grass this season. Might go five sets and if it does my bet is on Ferrer for physique. But this match should be a coin toss.

Let's hope for beautiful day at Wimbledon!

June 27, 2011 0 comment

Predictions

The Wimbledon Draw

by TN June 18, 2011

written by TN

I'm not going into a detailed analysis of each section of the draw and I'm not going to predict every match, but I'm going to touch on what I see could be key points in the Wimbledon Draw this year.

The Wimbledon draw threw us an interesting surprise in giving us a re-run of Mahut vs Isner. I think the hype about this match is about much, especially since I don't see how it can resemble the affair of last year. This time we might have three straights to Isner for example. But if both players serve as well and return as badly as last year, we might have another five setter, but obviously not with 138 games in the final set.

Looking at the four top guys in the draw and in my mind the likely four sem-finalists, Nadal, Djokovic, Federer and Murray, Nadal seems to have the toughest draw with Del Potro and Raonic, two big servers that might be waiting for him. The question is how comfortable Del Potro is on grass, he didn't look too good in the warm-up in Queens.

I think most Djokovic fans are tired of having Federer tripping him up in semis and this might the thing at Wimbledon as well. Federer looks to be in great form and Djokovic is happier on other surfaces. I actually believe this will be Federer's 7th Wimbledon title.

Nadal might reach the final, but he looked really irritable in Queens and he might not be feeling so good physically. If that's the case I think we can expect an upset, maybe even in the early rounds. For some reason I don't feel this is Nadal's year at Wimbledon.

Murray then? Can he win and end the title drought? Yes, this is the first year I think he can. He's not looked amazing this year so shouldn't be expecting too much. The Brits put pressure on him anyway of course, but I think he's felt it enough times to learn how to deal with it. So I think we might be heading for a Murray vs Federer final and a final where Murray has the chance to win.

The Dark Horses? Yes, there are players lurking in the dark, ready to take the chance for a big upset and a long run in the tennis grandest event. I don't see many upsets this year, but the guys capable is in my mind, Soderling, Roddick (always dangerous on grass, would love to see him win the event, though unlikely), Kohlschreiber (fresh of an impressive win in Halle), Berdych (finalist last year), Del Potro, and Raonic.

Only two days left…

June 18, 2011 0 comment

News

French Open Day 2: Federer and Djokovic Cruising

by TN May 23, 2011

written by TN

It was the first “real” day of Roland Garros and both Federer, Djokovic and dark horse Del Potro were in action and they all managed to get through their rounds although Del Potro had to concede a set against serve-demon Ivo Karlovic.

Djokovic looked light on his feat as usual, not dropping more than 6 games against Dutchman Thiemo De Bakker. It must be really tough to feel comfortable against Djokovic these days. Whatever you throw at him comes back with interest.

Federer looked casual and relaxed against Lopez who he had huge problems with in Madrid (down 2-5 in the final set tiebreak) and won 6-3 6-4 7-6.

The big upset of the day was Thomas Berdych who was up two sets to zero against qualifier #140 Stephane Robert and then went flat, lost two sets after some gutsy play from the Frenchman and then ended up losing 7-9 in the fifth. The talented Czech has a huge game, but consistency is still an issue.

Gasquet always struggled with consistency, but seems to have found it of late, making it look easy against another Czech and beating Radek Stepanek 7-5 6-3 6-0.

It was really nice to see Tommy Haas back after a long injury time-out but sadly he didn't get more than a set against Marsel Ilhan. But still good to have you back, Tommy!

Tomorrow we have the interesting encounter between John Isner and defending champ Rafael Nadal. Nadal will be hungry to show why he's the top dog on clay so my guess is that he will trash Jisner in straighs. But who knows, the big man could win a tiebreak set.

May 23, 2011 0 comment

Gear News Players

Richard Gasquet Back For Good?

by TN May 14, 2011

written by TN

It's kind of fitting, I think, to give who many used to call “Baby Federer” a Take That-inspired headline. I and hopefully and most probably a big chunk of the tennis world wants Richard Gasquet to stay in the top and keep playing well. If only for that beautiful one-handed backhand of his.

His two recent wins against Federer and Berdych in the Rome Masters, both coming after losing the first set, is an indication that Gasquet is starting to get his head back together after years of self-doubt, a cocaine-kiss scandal, and a lot of pressure from the very demanding French tennis audience.

If Gasquet can start winning these tight matches instead of tensing up and fading away like he did infamously against Murray in Wimbledon a few years ago (Gasquet was up 2-0 in sets and serving at 5-4 and still managed to lose) he's a very real threat for anyone on the tour and it would be real nice for French tennis and Gasquet himself if he could make a good run at Roland Garros.

He will have a good test for the Open coming up today against Rafael Nadal, a test he will likely fail at, but if he can keep up the level of earlier matches he could force Rafa to bring out the goods and treat the fans to an exciting match.

I always marveled at Gasquets beautiful one-handed backhand. He really gets a powerful whip and there's not one player on tour who hits more winners of that wing. It's one of those things that came natural to him from very early on and his technique is just flawless. If there is one thing an amateur player can mimic it's maybe the preparation, he always pulls back his racket early and gets in the right balanced position. This is key to master that stroke.

I have playtested the racquet that Gasquet uses, the Head Youtek IG Extreme Pro (not coincidentally also the choice of Ivan Ljubicic and Michail Youzhny, it's just a great racquet) and found it extremely spin friendly, quite light and easy to swing for a players frame, and a real beauty for taking big cuts at the ball. Now Tennis Express has an offer where the racquet is 20% off and costs $169! Check it out at the link below:

You can buy Richard Gasquet's racquet here

Then we of course wish Gasquet the best of luck in making today's Rome Masters semifinal against Rafael Nadal interesting. Allez!

May 14, 2011 0 comment

News

Today’s picks in Estoril and Munich

by TN May 3, 2010

written by TN

Today we have action starting in both Munich and Estoril. Let us have a look at the first round match-ups and I will give you my predictions.

BMW Open Munich

The odds are from Unibet. If you want to bet you can do so here.

We start with the young Frenchman Jeremy Chardy (ATP#46) who goes up against Russian Mikhail Youzhny (ATP#13). Their head-to-head (H2H) is 1-1 with two tight three-setters being played last year. Youzhny is playing much better this year so he is the favorite, but Chardy has a big game and is always dangerous. It is a tough one to pick this one. But getting almost 3 times your money on Chardy is a good deal. So I am going to put my money on Chardy.

Benjamin Becker (ATP#41) is only well-known for beating Agassi in the legend's last match on tour. Other than that he hasn't done match, but he is a competent player, especially on hardcourts. Stephane Robert (ATP#65) I have seen only once and I am curious why he is the favorite here. Maybe he is a bit more comfortable on clay? I still think Becker will win this.

Andreas Beck (ATP#83) and Dennis Istomin (ATP#83) is a tight affair in the 1986 age group. It is really impossible to predict this one. They have never played before and neither player have done anything spectacular this year. My pick is the home player, Beck.

Benneteau vs Petzschner is an interesting match. The Frenchman has a good game and has beaten Federer. Petzschner is intriguing because he has this backhand slice that he cuts like a knife. Petzschner is the odds favorite here, having had a decent year so far, but I still feel like Benneteau is the better clay court player.

Kevin Kravitz is an 18-year old German playing his first ATP match. Sadly for him he has to face really tough opposition in Berdych and I think he should be happy if he takes more than 5 games total. Berdych in two, but it is always nice to cheer for the debutant.

Estoril Open

The odds are from Unibet. If you want to bet you can do so here.

Kunitsyn vs Clement is not a match that excites. I don't really like Clement because he seems to have a pretty bad personality. At least I wasn't impressed seeing him scream at ball-boys in Indian Wells a year or two ago. Kunitsyn in this one.

Granollers vs Hernandez two competent claycourters who is going to hit the ball a gazillion times over the net. Granollers is simply better at it.

Alejandro Falla vs Juan Ignacio Chela is the best match in Estoril today. Expect some heavy hitting and nice rallies from these guys. Chela has won a title this year so he is the favorite but I actually think Falla can win this one and at 3.40 I am going to place a bet.

Tavares is a Portugese player ranked 246 in the world and Mello is a Brazilian player ranked 94. Not a very exciting match. Mello.

That sums up the first day. It will be more interesting when Federer gets into action and it starts warming up a bit.

May 3, 2010 0 comment