Most of the top four are taking the week off. Indeed, Roger Federer said he wouldn't return until Basel, which is after Shanghai. Djokovic had said he would skip next week's event, but hasn't mentioned whether he'll play Shanghai or not. Rafael Nadal is still slated to play Tokyo where he is the defending champ.
It's been a long time since the French have won the French Open. The peculiar part is that most French players play better on fast courts than on clay. It's not that their incompetent on clay, far from it. Perhaps one day they'll do something that would be almost heretical in modern tennis: changing the
Singles tennis is a solitary sport. You play by yourself. Even if you are the product of a team. Many players that get to the very top are stubborn. People have suggested that Roger Federer play with a bigger racquet. Or that he play more patient tennis. Instead, he mostly plays like he has always
Now that the US Open is over and each of the top 4 has played in Davis Cup, let's see how the top 4 are looking for the rest of the year. Novak Djokovic Djokovic has said that his pain was bad enough to prevent him from completing his match against del Potro, but not
As everyone is worried whether the guys who used to beat Djokovic can figure out ways to beat Djokovic (namely, Federer and Nadal), there's one guy who is hoping to draw some inspiration from the Serb. That man is Andy Murray. After all, Djokovic, who broke out in 2007 by reaching the semis of the
Last year, in 2010, the current top two players of the world, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic decided to play doubles at the Rogers Cup. Djokovic had been asking Nadal and Murray if they would play doubles, just for fun. The Rogers Cup is held in Canada, and the two were paired against an unheralded
The French only had a puncher's chance. They hoped that puncher was Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. But with Nadal's withering pressure, Tsonga had no answers. Much like Gasquet, Tsonga was forced to hit winners off both sides, and missed frequently. The third set was only marginally better because his serve was helping him hold serve. Tsonga would
The Spanish team, on paper, was going to be a tough out. It's hard to beat Nadal on clay and David Ferrer is no cup of tea. If France could ever field its best team, which would be Monfils and Tsonga, they might have a good shot. Both Monfils and Tsonga have a decent chance
Rafael Nadal had just come off his sixth straight loss to Novak Djokovic, a grueling four-setter that was among the longest matches at the US Open. Rallies often exceeded 20 shots. By the time the fourth set rolled along, Nadal was spent. So, it was amazing, given all that, that Nadal would decide to play
There was a thought that maybe Nadal would discover something to beat Djokovic. With Uncle Toni being the brain trust, he and Rafa would find a way. Initially, the strategy seemed to be several fold. Be more aggressive. Change up the height and pace of the ball. Use the slice backhand and hope that Djokovic
