Everyone loves to do it, but it really doesn't make sense. Back in December, people were asked "make predictions who will win the Slams in 2011". You never know which player will come out of nowhere to make an impression. If you were to ask, at the end of 2008, who would win the Slams
Andy Murray had only played Alexandr Dolgopolov once, nearly 4 years ago, in a clay court in a Davis Cup match. Murray won this against a very young Dolgopolov. He expected a far different match from the one he had played so many years ago. Dolgopolov has a reputation for being a tricky player to
The road through up-and-comer success goes through David Ferrer and he's not letting anyone pass. In the third round, he beat Richard Berankis in a thumping. Then, he needed 4 sets to beat Milos Raonic of Canada. Raonic was able to use his power serve and groundies and good approaches to the net to take
Up until now, Murray hadn't faced a really tough opponent. He played 32nd seed, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and pummeled him. Garcia-Lopez seemed confused and unable to pressure Murray. However, Melzer was seen as a crafty lefty with more power than Garcia-Lopez. Melzer had had an indifferent career for nearly a decade, his rankings mired in the
The quickest way to rise through the rankings? Big serve. Just ask Ivo Karlovic, John Isner, Sam Querrey, and Andy Roddick. If you can hold the vast majority of the time, that's just one thing less to worry about. Few people are like David Ferrer or Rafa, who rely on speed and the power of
Most of the top ten pros played last week and gave themselves a week off to practice leading up to the Australian Open. However, some players seem to prefer playing the week before a major. In Auckland, David Ferrer beat Santiago Giraldo, 6-3, 7-5, to reach the finals where he will face David Nalbandian who
With Federer's sweep of Group B beating Robin Soderling in straight sets, Roger Federer made Andy Murray's life much easier. A victory by Andy Murray would guarantee a semifinal berth. Murray didn't even need to win. Since both Soderling and Ferrer lost their two matches in straight sets, he would finish ahead of both by
Let's start with the top seed and work our way down. Rafael Nadal Rafa's level generally never drops too low. Everyone points to how he never gives up, and while that's certainly one factor in his incredible ability to win, everyone says that about Lleyton Hewitt, and he's struggling to get in the top 20.
When Soderling and Ferrer met for the second of their three round robin matches, the two must have gotten tired of seeing each other yet again. This was their sixth match of the year. They met at Wimbledon where Soderling won in 5 sets fourth round. They went the distance in Bastad on clay which
Andy Murray, the only player in the field from Britain, knew the drill. Decked out in an argyle outfit that recalled the early years of Ivan Lendl, but using black as the background instead of white, Murray was a man on a mission. Last year, he, Roger Federer, Juan Martin del Potro and Fernando Verdasco
