This is a bit of a surprise. del Potro already in the semifinals! Although Lleyton Hewitt is not quite the number 1 player he was a decade ago, he is still a guy that fights. But the one part of del Potro's game that contributed to his rise to the top 5 is also the
It's hard to recall the last time a player ranked as high as del Potro (a top 5 player) that was sideline for most of a year. del Potro played 3 tournaments in all of 2010. He reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, then lost in two first round tournaments in the Asian swing
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
The post-US Open tour, for those of you that are paying attention, can be split into two parts: the Asian swing, that heads to Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, exotic locales for the adventuresome tourists, to the more traditional Beijing and Tokyo, before heading to Shanghai. After Shanghai, the tour moves back to Europe and into
For Novak Djokovic, it was Groundhog Day, a day that kept repeating itself year after year with the same result. In 2007, Novak Djokovic had had a breakout year. He reached the semis of the French Open and Wimbledon. He rushed up the ranks and entrenched himself at number 3. Then, at the US Open,
When Nadal raised the Wimbledon trophy for a second time, he knew that there was only one achievement he needed: win the US Open. He won the Australian Open once. He won Wimbledon twice. He's won the French 5 times. Twice, he's reached the US Open semifinals. Historically, Nadal's clay court victories has meant that
These are the kinds of matches that separate the men from the boys, or at least the champions from the ones that aren't. Stan Wawrinka hadn't had such a great year, but after his four set win over Andy Murray, he had to feel good about his chances against Sam Querrey. Meanwhile, Querrey had beaten
Once you get to Labor Day, you move from the obligatory early round matches to the business end of a Slam. Those that want to seriously make a run need to get to Labor Day, when the fourth round begins. Let's begin with a quick recap of what happened so far. Among those coming in
Two weeks ago, John Isner was doubtful to play the US Open, but through treatment, he was able to play the US Open, and got through two rounds. Youzhny was going to be a tough guy. While Isner can hit good shots, his movement has always been a big suspect, partly a curse of being
What a peculiar match, with the hobbled facing the hobbled. Wawrinka earned a break in the first set to get a lead, but Murray reclaimed the break and then won in the tiebreak. In the second set, Murray twice got up a break but was broken back each time. Wawrinka would take the second set
