Roger Federer knows how dangerous it can be to play Alejandro Falla. Back in 2010, Federer was pushed to the brink, nearly losing to Falla in the first round of Wimbledon. Falla plays close to the baseline, has a pretty flat style, returns well. Basically, Falla plays a bit like Federer. Federer says that he
It was shaping up to be a fairy tale ending. Xavier Malisse was the last man to beat Brian Baker in a Slam in the second round of the 2005 US Open. Stan Wawrinka beat Baker in the finals of the French Open junior title two years earlier. Had Baker gotten past Simon, he would
Rafael Nadal is the acknowledged king of clay. If tennis was clay. Nadal would be the greatest of all time. He puts more spin on the ball than any other player. He's quick, tenacious, and patient: three skills that are invaluable on clay. He's lost on clay fewer than 20 times, and most of it,
Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt go way back. Hewitt was contending for Slams nearly a decade ago winning a US Open in 2001. Roddick followed suit two years later. The two were considered rivals for the number 1 spot. All this was, of course, prior to Federer breaking out and leaving both of them in
Andy Murray started Brisbane off slowly, dropping his initial sets in the first two rounds, but when it came to potentially tough opponents, he's cranked up his play. In the previous round, he beat up on Marcos Baghdatis with a straight set win including two breaks in each set. This time around, Murray was up
Doha These four players have nearly met before. Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and Gael Monfils were all at the Abu Dhabi exhibition last week. However, Djokovic beat Monfils and Ferrer beat Tsonga, so the two Frenchman never played Federer or Nadal. This time, Federer will face his nemesis in Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who beat
Paris is the last event of the year prior to the ATP World Tour Finals in London which invites the top 8 qualifiers. This is a Masters 1000 event which offers the most points after the Slams (not including the year-end final). Deciding who has qualified in the top 8 is a bit complex, because
Of all the personalities, Novak Djokovic is the one who has most embraced his fame. Rafael Nadal does his duty, but you get the sense he's shy and prefers a quiet time. Roger Federer is friendly, but aloof. Andy Murray is moody and when he isn't, he seems kinda dull. Djokovic likes being Djokovic, and
Some early round results in Tokyo. Nadal d Soeda 63 62 Raonic d Sugita 67 63 76 Giraldo d Haase 63 76 Gulbis d Kubot 63 36 75 Ito d Sela 64 36 63 Tomic d Troicki 76 76 Ferrer d Nishikori 64 63 Bogomolov d Nieminen 64 64 A little surprise with Ito, a
Kalamazoo is maybe best known, in tennis circles, for hosting the USTA tournament for juniors. In particular, the winner of the USTA 18 and unders is often given a wildcard into the US Open. This year, that winner was Jack Sock. But back in 2005, it was Donald Young. He beat Sam Querrey in 3
