I'll do one preview now and maybe a modified preview once the draw is out. This preview is primarily based on how players are playing now. Let's start with the top contenders for the French Open. Favorites Rafael Nadal You have to give Rafa the nod heading into the French. Although there were some issues
It's fair to say that the Federer playing in Madrid is not the same Federer playing the last few months. But it's fair to say that this Ernests Gulbis was not the same that played Roger Federer a mere two weeks ago. Ah, the journey of Ernests Gulbis. Two years ago, many touted this man
Oh Roger, how could we doubt you? Just because you've been mishitting balls since Indian Wells, and then Miami, and then Rome, and then Estoril. You kept telling us "everything is fine--I'm having good practices", telling us not to panic. But how were we to know? If you could play like today, then what was
Ernests Gulbis. Loves. Drop shots. I mean, the man really loves them. In the 1980s, when clay court tennis meant interminably long rallies, the drop shot seemed a rarity. Few people could hit it well and some chose to almost never hit it. For every horribly awkward Lendl drop shot, there was a Mats Wilander
There's only been a handful of players that have pulled off the Nadal-Federer double, that is, to beat both at the same tournament. They include David Nalbandian, Nikolay Davydenko, Juan Martin del Potro, and Novak Djokovic. The two play such disparate styles that beating both is a task. And yet, the most shocking person that
It's been a while since Italians had a top male player. Back in the golden age of pro tennis, in the mid 1970s, the Foro Italico, site of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, once called the Italian Open, was a raucous arena filled with rowdy Italians. Whistles could sometimes lead to throwing of coins. Such was
Everyone knew this would be a tough opener for Federer, regardless of who he faced. On the one hand, he could face Marcos Baghdatis, the guy who beat him in Indian Wells. On the other, Ernests Gulbis, who everyone said could be the next great player as long as 3-4 years ago. Hard to believe
Perhaps the most anticipated of the first round match, if you can call a first round "anticipated", was a first round match between Ernests Gulbis and Marcos Baghdatis. For most players, even players that play in the main draw of a Masters 1000 event, winning a title, possibly 2 in a year, is considered a
Fernando Verdasco, who reached his first Master 1000 semis last week in Monte Carlo, continues to play well in Barcelona. Verdasco, apparently, had not planned to play Barcelona but was given a wildcard. He faced talented but erratic, Ernests Gulbis, in the quarter finals and won, 6-2, 7-6(4). Gulbis has been having a solid, if
Some would say that Gulbis winning his first ATP title was a tall order. Mostly because his opponent was 6'10", Ivo Karlovic. Hoho! Ernests Gulbis has long been touted as a talented player, someone that might come through like Djokovic or Cilic or Murray. Indeed, Gulbis trained at the same center that Djokovic did. With
