Roger Federer had not played a tournament since the US Open, minus a few matches for Davis Cup. Well-rested, he headed into Basel as three time defending champ, made it to the finals, where he lost in 3 sets to Novak Djokovic. Then, he came to Paris, had his first round bye, and faced mostly
So it came down to Paris. Marat Safin had finally made peace with his career, and he ended it at the tournament that he has the most success, the Paris Indoors. Fans hoping for one last hurrah got a glimmer of hope that the big Russian could take down the bigger Argentine, Juan Martin del
Roger Federer was coming into the finals having won three straight titles at Basel and hoping to win a fourth. Compared to other years, Federer lacked the match practice he would normally have. Federer hadn't played a match since the Davis Cup tie a week after the US Open, resting and practicing and presumably handling
Perhaps the match that most fans remember between Andy Murray and Fernando Verdasco was the epic quarterfinal meeting at the Australian Open. This match had a weird final score: 2-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. Murray had not been feeling well during the Australian Open, reporting that he was mostly bed-ridden. Even so, he gave Verdasco
When the weather turns cold, American fans turn to cold weather sports. Even ardent fans of tennis forget there are matches played after the US Open. It's time for college football or pro football. It's time for baseball season to go into postseason. It's time for hockey season to get started. Indeed, these sports remind
Andy Murray hadn't played since the US Open. Roger Federer hadn't played since a Davis Cup qualifying tie against Italy where he played two singles matches. Murray cited a left wrist injury which impacted his plat at the US Open. Federer cited injury and fatigue, and presumably, fatherhood. While the remaining players on tour continued
After the Asian swing, the men's tour moved to Europe. Last week, events were held in Moscow and Stockholm. This week, there were three tournaments played at the same time: St. Petersburg, Vienna, and Lyon. These are the kinds of tournaments that allow players not named Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, and Murray a chance at the
After the Asian swing of the tour which concluded in Shanghai, the men's tour made a shift to Europe where two tournaments, both ATP 250, were being held. One was held in Moscow, the other in Stockholm. Nikolay Davydenko, who beat Nadal to win Shanghai, was the top seed in Moscow, but given his victory
On the surface, this was the kind of match you'd give to Rafael Nadal. Davydenko is the kind of player that generally doesn't get his due respect. He doesn't have a big serve. He doesn't have huge shots, at least, not in the conventional way. He's never reached a Slam final and often fails to
People forget that Nikolay Davydenko used to be number 4 in the world. That means the guy can play tennis. The viewing public only cares about finalists. How important was it for Andy Roddick's reputation to make it to the finals of Wimbledon? Very important. Most players are remembered for winning multiple Slams. If not
