While many of the top players have headed to Europe to start on the long clay season leading up to the French Open, there's still some unfinished Davis Cup business going on this week. The US is considered something of an underdog facing Serbia with number 1, Novak Djokovic, playing singles. Because Tipsarevic is injured
Sometimes, when we see players, we think of their game as fully formed. If you watch years of Jimmy Connors, his game doesn't seem that much different, though maybe he did things at 39 he didn't do at 29. But a player's game is always a work in progress, from technical changes to strategic changes.
This was a tale of three sets. Once upon a time, Murray was a talented player, but one that lacked the stamina to win 5-setters. He started to change this in late 2007, when he hired Miles Maclagan, but more importantly, Jez Green, Andy Ireland, and the rest of his team that would get his
The Cinderella story would have had aging Tommy Haas, frequently injured, getting some of his just due by beating world number 4, David Ferrer. Avid tennis fans will tell you that David Ferrer squeezes every bit of talent out of his diminutive body. Fans respect David Ferrer, but when push comes to shove, fans seem
With 2 of the "big 4" not playing Miami, and Djokovic upset by a player older than him, only Andy Murray headlines this tournament. Miami has chosen a peculiar form of night scheduling. At the US Open, they generally favor some Americans, and otherwise, top seeds. At Miami, they seem to put lower seeds, esp.
Maybe it was the comparatively cool weather. Maybe it was the low bounce of the night air. Maybe it was just one of those days. Novak Djokovic, as top champions often do, said he played poorly in his loss to the best old man in the game today, Tommy Haas, a sprightly 34 on the
In the feature match on Saturday, Andy Murray played Bernard Tomic in the second round. For Andy Murray, this event has given him trouble in the past. Indeed, following both his defeat in 2010 to Roger Federer, Murray went in a funk. While a quaterfinal loss to Robin Sodering in Indian Wells wasn't exactly horrible,
It was improbable. del Potro had just beaten Murray and Djokovic, but it took 3 sets each to do it, on back to back days. And Sunday was hot. When Nadal rushed to a 3-0 lead off high loopers and sharp angles, del Potro looked like he had nothing to repel the Spaniard's attack. Then,
Many fans must be curious how Nadal could come back so quickly. Nadal, of course, would not come back half-hearted. He's taken breaks before, and he knows what he needs to do to beat good players. In a way, he got lucky that Federer was not at his best, but in a way, Federer got
2008 was a breakout year for many players. It started with the Australian Open. Novak Djokovic won his first Slam over surprise finalist, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Djokovic's breakout year was the year before, in 2007, where he reached the semis of the French Open and Wimbledon and the finals of the US Open. Tsonga came out
