Today we have the final between Japanese wunderkind Kei Nishikori (born 1989!) and the king of clay, Rafael Nadal. This has perhaps been Nishikori’s year more than anyone else so far, he has won two titles and has an amazing 22-4 win record in 2014. After Madrid Masters he rightfully moves within the top 10. But that aside, I find it difficult to believe that he has a proper chance …
Screenshot and odds taken from Bet365. My picks in offensive pink. So what to say about today’s matches? There are definitely, like in most Masters, a couple of exciting ones early on. Fognini vs Dolgopolov is definitely a real crowd-pleaser. Both have been playing well lately, but Fognini has had some mystical results which speaks of injury. But with Fognini you never know, sometimes he simply doesn’t show up. Dolgopolov …
Novak Djokovic, who had a legitimate chance of taking the number one spot away from Rafael Nadal in Madrid Masters, has pulled out of the tournament. “I am very sorry for the Madrid tournament and all the Spanish fans to have to pull out,” Djokovic said on the ATP website. “I did everything possible in order to play in Madrid, which is one of the biggest events of the year, …
What a line-up we have at Madrid Open (formerly Madrid Masters) today. We have lots of top players in action, Nadal, Federer, Murray Ferrer, Berdych, Tsonga, to name a few. The most interesting match-ups in my mind is another battle of the double-handed backhanders (yesterday we had Tommy Robredo vs Tommy Haas in a well-played match) with young hot-shot Grigor Dimitrov taking on Stanislas Wavrinka, in-form Tommy Haas playing clay-demon …
It’s been a strange couple of days in the tennis world. Yesterday I saw one of my tour favorites, Grigor Dimitrov, beat both his cramping legs and his opponent, world number 1, Novak Djokovic in a three setter: 7-6 6-7 6-3 in the second round of Madrid Masters. Djokovic was hitting the ball well but twisted his ankle after a rally in the end of the second set and that …
Novak Djokovic just wrote the a new chapter in tennis history when he beat Nadal in straight sets in the Madrid Masters 7-5 6-4. On clay! This is truly now the rivalry to watch, although Federer might still want something to say about that. For now, before Rome, we need to congratulate the Serb on an amazing performance – extending his winning streak to 32-0. He seems almost impossible to …
It takes a while to find the form for coach-less Andy Murray. In Madrid Masters he lost to Thomaz Bellucci 6-4 6-2 and it wasn’t so surprising in the end as perhaps it should have been considering he’s world #5. Can we expect more of Murray’s clay season than this? Or should the British hopes be set for Wimbledon already?
Well, it was the final we all wanted in the end, the first “Fedal” in one year. It was a good match, tight, not one of the best for sure, but entertaining. Federer looks like he has stepped up his game a level or even two since the horrible performances in Rome and Estoril. He can very well be a finalist at Roland Garros that starts on Sunday. But can …
I am happy to announce that I was right in all my quarter-final bets/semi-final picks for the Madrid Masters. Federer managed to fight back after being a set behind against Gulbis. He looks more mentally ready now and seems to have that button he can switch on and off when a slam is drawing near. He is also lucky to play Ferrer in the semi. Ferrer is of course dangerous, …
