US OPEN 2011: Men's Semifinals Preview

The Fabulous Four meet again:
Djokovic (1) v Federer (3), Nadal (2) v Murray (4)

by Mad Professah, contributing writer

This year I correctly predicted 3 of 4 men's quarterfinals and 2 of 4 women's quarterfinals. Last year I correctly predicted 2 of 2 women's semifinals and 2 of 2 men's semifinals.

Here are my predictions for the men's semifinals, with the women's semifinals preview also available.


Novak Djokovic SRB (1) v. Roger Federer SUI (3). This is of course a repeat of last year's instant classic Men's semifinal won by Djokovic after saving 2 consecutive match points in the 5th set. The question is, will this year's result be the same as last year's? Arguably, Djokovic is playing much better now than he did then, but so is Federer. (But clearly Djokovic's improvement over 2010 is larger than Federer's.) Is the fact that Federer is one year older (and now over 30, playing someone who is 24) more significant than the fact that he is the only player to have beaten Djokovic in a best of 5 set match all year? Or is the Serb's juggernaut record of 62-2 for the year more salient? Amazingly, Federer and Djokovic have met during the last weekend of the US Open for the last 5 years and Federer is 3-1 so far (including one final, in 2007). In fact, the Swiss great leads their career head-to-head 14-9, but has lost three times to Djokovic on hard courts this year (including the 2011 Australian Open semifinal where Federer was defending champion). In New York, Federer has actually had the toughest draw of the Top 4 players, facing Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (11) and Marin Cilic (27). Djokovic has had a much easier time with two retirements in his first 5 rounds and a double-bagel match.  Djokovic's competition has been Nikolay Davydenko, Aleksandr Dolgopolov and an inspired Janko Tipsarevic. Interestingly, his matches have gotten tighter (in the score) as the tournament progresses, while Federer has basically played at the level he needs to win, relative to whoever is on the other side of the net. As most readers know, I am a decided Federer fan and when I started this write-up I intended to make a clear call for The Greatest Of All Time. I'm convinced he can win this match, but I am unsure as to whether he will. Doing the research for this piece has shown me that Djokovic is more likely to win this match, and the title. However, if Federer comes out early playing the kind of tennis he played against Tsonga and Juan Monaco I believe he can win in straight sets. Regardless, I doubt it will match last year's semifinal's shot-making and drama. MadProfessah's pick: Federer in 3 sets OR Djokovic in 4 or 5.

 Andy Murray GBR (4) v. Rafael Nadal ESP (2). Nadal holds a significant 12-4 career head-to-head over Murray, including a slight 4-3 edge on hard courts. However, their more recent matches on hard courts have been very close, with the most famous being their electric 3-set thriller at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London in 2010, won by Nadal. In matches at the majors, Nadal leads 5-2 but at the 2010 Australian Open Murray was beating the Spaniard like a drum in the quarters when Nadal pulled the ripcord and retired from the match. However, I think what matters most is the match-up today and how they have been playing to date in New York. Nadal has had to get through Andy Roddick (21), David Nalbandian and Gilles Muller. Murray has had to get past John Isner (28), Donald Young and Feliciano Lopez (25). Really both players have had a relatively easy path to the semifinals, although Murray had to survive a 5-set scare against talented Robin Haase in the second round. The Brit is clearly starting to cement his "Fab 4" status, by making the semifinals or better of every major played in 2011(something Djokovic has also managed for the first time this year while Nadal has only done it once, in 2008 and Federer did for five consecutive years in a row from 2005 and 2009). He is showing his consistency and letting his innate talent shine through. Murray also has confidence, being one of two players to have defeated Djokovic in 2011, something Nadal hasn't done. I believe Murray is going to do something he hasn't done before (and which a lot of people don't expect him to do), and beat Nadal in a major semifinal. MadProfessah's pick: Murray in 3 or 4 sets OR Nadal in 5.

US OPEN 2011: Men's Quarterfinals Preview

by Mad Professah, contributing writer

The first two quarterfinals have already been completed (following my predictions precisely) so on Friday during the day the second two quarterfinals will be competed, consisting of the four winners of the 4th round matches that were postponed for two days due to rain: John Isner, Andy Roddick, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal.

Last year I correctly predicted 4 of 4 men's quarterfinal matches and this year I correctly predicted 2 of 4 women's quarterfinals. Below are my predictions for the last two men's quarterfinal matches of the 2011 US Open.

John Isner USA (28) v. Andy Murray GBR (4). Interestingly, these two have only played once before, last year, at the 2010 Australian Open where Murray made it to the final, losing to Federer in straight sets. Frankly, I was surprised that Isner was able to take out Frenchman Gilles Simon in the round before. Although he has (probably) surpassed fellow American Andy Roddick as the most feared server in the world, he also shares the Roddick problem of being considered something of a "one note" wonder.  However, hard courts are definitely the 6'9" American's best surface and he has made his presence felt in 2011. It's difficult to make the quarterfinals of a major tournament without having multiple weapons, or a dollop of good luck. This is Isner's first major quarterfinal and Murray's tenth. Isner will most likely have a very partisan crowd backing him up, and Murray will delight in not having the weight of a nation's hopes weighing on his shoulders. The problem for Isnner is that he is playing Murray, who has been in 3 of  the last 7 hard court major finals (losing in all of them, but demonstrating his hard court bona fides) and is likely to reach his fourth.  PREDICTION: Murray.


Andy Roddick USA (21) v. Rafael Nadal ESP (2). Nadal holds a 6-3 career head-to-head over all but that falls to 3-all on hard courts. They have only played once in a major, back at the 2004 US Open when an 18-year-old Nadal was schooled by the defending US Open champion in three, not very competitive sets 7 years ago. I did not predict Roddick to get this far in the tournament, but I think, now that he has, he really, really wants to get further, and he believes that he can, especially in New York. The shorter the match is, the better it is for Roddick, because if the match goes into four or five sets, Nadal's superior fitness will become more and more of a factor.

However, I do think that Roddick is ready to make another move to get deep in a major, especially here in New York where he had his greatest success. Nadal is still reeling from his unprecedented five consecutive losses to Novak Djokovic earlier this year and really had an undistinguished preparation coming into the Open. He must realize that due to the weather he will be forced to play four best-of-5 set matches in four days in order to defend his title, potentially the last three being against Roddick, then Murray and then the winner of Djokovic/Federer. Even for the indefatigable Spaniard, that might make him want to say "no mas." PREDICTION: Roddick.

US OPEN 2011: Men's Quarterfinals and R16 Preview

BY MAD PROFESSAH


Due to a complete rain out of play on Tuesday September 7 the men's draw has been thrown into disarray. Because the US Open is the only major which does not have a day off between the semifinals and final, losing a day in which quarterfinals were supposed to be played complicates things dramatically.

Last year I correctly predicted 4 of 4 2010 men's quarterfinals and 4 of 4 2010 women's quarterfinals.
My predictions for the 2011 women's quarterfinals are also available. Below are my predictions for the two of the 2011 men's quarterfinals hat are set (and four of the Round of 16 matches).

The plan for today, Day 10 of the 2011 US Open, is to both finish off playing the last four round of 16 matches (which just happens to feature three American players: John Isner, Donald Young and Andy Roddick) AND the first two men's quarterfinals, on the same day.

Novak Djokovic SRB (1) v. Janko Tipsarevic SRB (20). The World #1 has only lost two matches all year long, and is having one of the all-time great seasons, with a record of 61 win, 9 tournament titles (including 2 majors). It's true that Djokovic almost lost his first set of the tournament in difficult conditions against the funky game of Aleksandr Dologopolov but that does not reflect any diminution in his powers. Tipsarevic is a player whose game Djokovic knows well, since they are from the same country and are fellow Davis Cup team members. Tipsarevic is a very smart player and knows how to be dangerous but it is very doubtful he can end Djokovic's streak in his very first major quarterfinal appearance unless Novak is having a very very bad day. PREDICTION: Djokovic.


 Roger Federer SUI (3) v. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga FRA (11). This is the best potential quarterfinal match up and should probably be the best match of this action-packed day. Federer is in his jaw-dropping 30th consecutive major quarterfinal while Tsonga is in his 6th quarterfinal of his career, and his first in New York City, a major which Federer has won more times (5) than Tsonga has been in the draw (4). Because of his injuries and absences from the sport Federer and Tsonga have only met 7 times, 4 of which have come this year, with 2 wins each. However, Tsonga has won the last two times they played, including an amazing result at Wimbledon where he came from 2-sets down to beat Roger in 5, the first time ANYONE had ever done that at a major tournament, let alone on Roger's best surface of grass (which is probably also Tsonga's best surface). So clearly Tsonga now does have the game to beat Roger and can do it if he is playing his best while Roger is not. Happily for Federer, the Swiss showed that he still has some of his best tennis left in him when he dismantled Juan Monaco 6-1 6-2 6-0 in a late-night match prior to Tuesday's deluge. Federer also enjoys a challenge, as evidenced by his glee in handling Djokovic his first loss of the year in Paris to end the Serb's undefeated season. I believe tonight's match will be very close, almost definitely 4 or 5 sets, with Federer coming through for a rematch with Djokovic in the semifinals on Saturday. PREDICTION: Federer.


The following fourth round matches are also being completed today.

Gilles Simon FRA (12) v. John Isner USA (28). For the second round in a row French counterpuncher Simon is taking on a giant, huge serving player. Simon was able to dismiss 6'6" 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro in four sets on Sunday (which I watched from the fourth row courside in Armstrong) while 6'9" John Isner was able to overcome stiff resistance from speedy Alex Bogomolov, Jr. Simon is a much better player than Bogomolov and unless Isner plays very well, he will face the same fate as Del Potro.This is the match where Isner needs to prove he is not just (in the words of Roger Federer, about another huge-serving American) "a great server" but a great player. Having also seen Isner play close up (from first row courtside in Armstrong) I would say he is not yet a great player, though he is a great competitor. That might be enough against the Frenchman, but I doubt it. PREDICTION: Simon.


Donald Young USA v. Andy Murray GBR (4). Amazingly, the young African American phenom has a win this year over a player named Andy Murray. However, that Andy Murray was recovering from his 3rd consecutive major final loss and is not the same player who handed new World #1 Novak Djokovic only his second loss of the season a few short weeks ago in Cincinnati. Young has finally lived up to his potential to reach the last 16 of a major tournament for the first time, beating 2 seeded players Juan Ignacio Chela (24) and Stanislas Wawrinka (14). By reaching the 4th round Young will receive the largest paycheck of his career. Hopefully he uses it wisely to invest in his game so that his 2011 US Open results are just the beginning of good results and not a fluke. PREDICTION: Murray.


David Ferrer ESP (5) v. Andy Roddick USA (21). This is the toughest match for me to predict in this round. I have not been that impressed with Roddick'splay and I haven't seen a single point of Ferrer's. But I know the Spaniard is always a rough customer, and against Roddick he leads their career head-to-head 5-3 including two crucial Davis Cup wins for Spain over USA (one from 2011). Presumably, Roddick will try and turn this encounter into a home court advantage Davis Cup match as well, but can his 29-year-old game match up to Ferrer's feistiness? PREDICTION: Ferrer.


Gilles Muller LUX v. Rafael Nadal ESP (2). Nadal will be interested in making a statement about his fitness after the world saw him cramping up after a press conference after his last match. Muller will be lucky to win a handful of games in each of the three sets played. PREDICTION: Nadal.

US Open Preview: Time for Federer/Nadal Showdown Or The Name ‘Djokovic’ Will Elude Them Again?

This Article was first published on 10sballs.com as : US Open Preview: Time for Federer/Nadal Showdown Or The Name ‘Djokovic’ Will Elude Them Again? Written by: ApekshaHA on 26th August 2011

The biggest GS is all set to start from Monday! And with the draws released yesterday, it promises to be one of the most entertaining events of the year.  Before we start with the preview: here are some interesting facts:

1)   In last 20 years, only 6 times, a player has won RC and US Open together in a year.

2)   In last 20 years, only 4 times a player has won Cincy and US Open together in a year.

3)  Only 3 players have won RC and Cincy in last 20 years (So not a surprise that Djokovic felt a bit tired at the end of Cincy. These back to back masters take a toll on players physically as well as mentally )

4)  In last 20 years, only two players (Pat Rafter and Andy Roddick) have won all RC, Cincy and US Open           together!

5)  Of the current lot, only 4 players have won US Open in last 8 years:Roger Federer (5), Rafael Nadal, Juan Martin Del Potro and Andy Roddick. Dominance of RF!

After watching the draws yesterday, it was no surprise that Federer/Djokovic ended in the same draw and Nadal/Murray in the other.  Such is the dominance of these 4 at present that it is hard to recognize the effort of Ferrer being No.5 or Gilles Simon climbing up from 43 to being seeded no. 12 at present in US Open. 

Novak Djokovic: He has an easy draw for US Open until SF where he can possibly meet Federer. If Nole’s shoulder is alright, he shouldn’t have much of a problem reaching SF. Berdych/Monfils might be waiting in QF but I don’t think they are still ready to take down the best player of the year so far.

Roger Federer: He has a comparatively tougher draw in the top 4 but it might be actually good for him this year. As we saw in FO SF, glimpses of old Roger, it’s a strong possibility that getting a tough draw might awaken the champion in him. Frankly speaking, after winning 16 GS, You need something extraordinary to reignite yourself and this might be the trigger to show to the whole world- What RF is all about! So Tsonga/Fish/Cilic might be there, but if I were you, I would want to put my money on RF. If he doesn’t win this one, after 2003, it will be the first year without a GS for him.

Rafael Nadal: For him, it is a perfect draw  where he can easily reach SF and must be feeling confident. His poor performances prior to US Open does not account for his competence as playing in a GS is a totally different stage. It could be a repeat of last year when he played his best tennis at US Open. He might face Ferrer against whom he has 13-4 record and not withstanding that Ferrer might still have after effects of left hand injury! So a cakewalk for Nadal if he doesn’t let his emotions get better of him and play it out tough.

Andy Murray:He looks quite upbeat after his Cincy win. He has one major threat though -Del Potro in his way. Since Soderling will be coming back from an injury, I don’t see him leaving any mark. Del Potro hasn’t been consistent this year so I would want to pick Murray till SF. Plus Murray has 5-1 record against him! Wawrinka is also there but I think this time Murray is well prepared to take him on and battle out the tough conditions in New York- Thanks to his training session in Miami at 100F!

My Semi-Final pick would be Djokovic/Federer and Nadal/Murray. Federer will be double motivated if he faces Djokovic as no one has been able to defeat Nole this year except him so he would want it to keep it that way. Although if Djokovic’s shoulder is fine by then , it will be a showdown to watch and probably the second best match of the year! (Also the most awaited match, more than Fedal or Nadal/Djokovic match). In Nadal/Murray - I will pick Nadal. Although Murray will be motivated to defeat him as already his counterpart Djokovic has done it-5 times a year- So he has a point to prove this year. But after seeing his match against Fish, at crucial moments, people will agree a touch of frustration still creeps up in his play. Although Mardy was not able to capitalize on it, Nadal is not that sort of a player to let go of this weakness easily. Wimbledon SF a perfect example!

In the end, I will go for a FEDAL final and Federer would be my pick this year to win!

I will pick Mardy Fish as my dark horse- he is the one out of all (Del Potro, Sodering/Ferrer etc) who can cause a real upset and if he does that, then I think there is no stopping Djokovic from claiming his first US Open title! Also one thing to remember- The curse of Federer is something to keep in mind: Del Potro, Tsonga & Berdych;) Need I say more!

(For exciting updates on US Open, you can follow my Facebook Page,Twitter Account or Site) 

If you have any questions- You can mail me at apekshaha@gmail.com

Also: Is Nadal ready for US Open?

Novak Djokovic's Shoulder Injury- A Window Of Opportunity For Nadal/Federer?

This Article was first published on 10sballs.com as : 

http://www.10sballs.com/2011/08/21/novak-djokovic-injury-possible-impact-on-us-open/

Written by: ApekshaHA on 21st August 2011

Novak Djokovic inspirational run (57- 1) had a sad end written to it with a shoulder injury forcing him to retire in the finals against Andy Murray in Cincinnati. He retired being down 4-6, 0-3 in the second set of the match.  Throughout the match, Djokovic looked physically exhausted and too tired from his consecutive Masters finals. At the end of the first set-Djokovic took an injury timeout but it was apparent that Djokovic was suffering from pain in the shoulder. He still tried to play but could not continue further. His serve was a mere 100MPH in the second set! It was a case of body taking control over his mind!

Djokovic said after the match on his shoulder injury: “It has been there for about 10 days. Pain was increasing.I apologize to the tournament; I apologize to the people who came here today to watch…I really tried. I just could not serve. I could not play forehands.I could have maybe played another couple of games, but what for? I cannot beat a player like Murray today with one stroke.”  (Video attached at the end of the article)

But the concern for his fans would be- US Open and his chances to play?

Good news is:  Djokovic himself is confident enough to recover before US Open and play there!

If you look at shoulder injury (medically) there are treatments available for it and it can be healed with proper rest! The advantage in US Open would be – Lighter balls and a bit less harsh conditions than Rogers Cup and Cincinnati!  So a sign of good omen for Djokovic!

The bigger question is – US Open might have just opened up in terms of strong favorites! With 11 out of 20 top players injured after Wimbledon- Djokovic’s injury might give a moral boost to his opponents! He had been 33-0 in hard court season until today but with his injury- will he be able to play as well as before? If he can take rest-maybe yes but mentally his opponents will feel more confident and raring to go out against him! Today’s injury has confirmed the belief that he is also human!

If Djokovic is fit by next week, he will be back with a strong fire burning inside him to start another chapter! But with his opponents (Federer, Nadal, Murray) now getting a boost up mentally knowing about his injury, US Open is all set to be one of the most entertaining GS of the year!

I will be back with Part II of Not Tennis Anymore, It’s Officially Battle of Minds - Djokovic, Nadal and Federer on Tuesday.
Stay tuned!(For updates, you can follow our For updates, you can follow my Facebook Page, Twitter Account or Site) 

If you have any questions- You can mail me at apekshaha@gmail.com

Also: Where There Is Djokovic/Serena, There Is A Way

Roger Cup Defeats: A boon for Federer, Nadal and Murray?

This Article was first published on 10sballs.com as : 

http://www.10sballs.com/2011/08/13/roger-cup-defeats-a-boon-for-federer-nadal-and-murray/

Written by: ApekshaHA on 13th August 2011

What an eventful week it has been so far: The top 3 out of the top 4 crumbled to their opponents in the early rounds of Rogers Cup. Pretty disheartening for their fans! Already we can see people talking about the end of era for Federer & Nadal and how Murray does not deserve to be in Top 4. So I thought that lets look at the history once again and study the trend!

And guess what? It turns out that losing in Rogers Cup might turn out to be a boon for these players.  In the past 20 years, 70 % of the time a player who has won Rogers Cup has not been able to win US Open. It’s not that surprising? Is it? Because top players take a break after Wimbledon before starting their crusade for US Open. So it’s pretty natural that they are a bit rusted and have a hangover of their past performances in French Open/Wimbledon.

Here is a table for the top 4 and their performances in Rogers Cup in past 6 years:

Rogers Cup	Djokovic	Nadal	Federer	Murray	US Open Winner
2005	NA	Winner	NA	NA	Federer
2006	NA	3rd Round	Winner	SF	Federer
2007	Winner	SF	Finalist	2nd Round	Federer
2008	QF	Winner	2nd Round	SF	Federer
2009	QF	QF	QF	Winner	Juan Martin Del Potro
2010	SF	SF	Finalist	Winner	Rafael Nadal

Federer is the only anomaly (2006) in which he won both Rogers Cup and US Open. Although Djokovic will remain to be the top favorite to win US Open irrespective of results in Rogers Cup, my point here is that all is not lost for Federer, Nadal and Murray.

Andy Murray: It might be good for Murray to lose out in first round as he said last year - by the end of US Open, he ran out of energy and had no fuel left; probably the reason why he practiced so hard In Miami in 100 F temperatures.

Rafael Nadal: Losing early and getting to know your weakness is better than losing in US Open (Grand Slam). It’s clear now to everyone and Nadal himself that he needs to win the battle of minds if he has to win US Open. And it’s better that Nadal now knows that he has a serious problem at hand and can tackle it before the Grand Slam. He still has 2 weeks; if he would have lost in US Open, he would have had to wait for another year.

Roger Federer: A lot has been already said about the champion and he himself knows that he will have to pull his socks quickly otherwise time will run out! He lost the match but let’s face it, he had his chances to win like Nadal did. We were discussing this the other day and my friend told me:

‘Life’s battle doesn’t always go to stronger or faster men; but sooner or later the man who wins is the one who thinks he can’. So for him the mantra of success would be to think he can and continue his journey. Doesn't matter what others say, it's he who has to decide what he wants to do and achieve!

If you have any questions- You can mail me at apekshaha@gmail.com

Follow ApekshaHA on Twitter for Latest Updates: http://twitter.com/#!/ApekshaHA
Also:Will Roger Federer Bounce Back And The Myth of Age 30?

The Top 4 (Djokovic/Nadal/Federer/Murray), Del Potro And The Story Of Hard Court Statistics So Far: Part II

In the first part, we had looked at the overall 2011 game statistics for the top 4. So I thought, why not now look at the hard court statistics of the major contenders of US open and try to see where they stand before the start of Rogers Cup and American Hard Court Season?

And it turns out we have some interesting stats lined up for us:

	2011			Career
Overall	Total Matches Played	Matches Won	% Win	Total Matches Played	Matches Won	%Win
Djokovic	49	48	98%	478	372	78%
Nadal	59	51	86%	632	523	83%
Federer	48	39	81%	965	782	81%
Murray	38	29	76%	399	296	74%
Del Potro	46	36	78%	259	177	68%
Hard Court
Djokovic	24	24	100%	285	225	79%
Nadal	23	19	83%	321	246	77%
Federer	27	23	85%	568	469	83%
Murray	12	8	67%	263	201	76%
Del Potro	28	21	75%	171	116	68%

Key Takeaways:

1) Novak Djokovic: He has improved dramatically this year in his game. His win % has shooted from 78 to 98 (48-1 record) which goes on to show why he is deservedly World No. 1.On Hard Court, he has won 24/24 matches this year! He seems to be the strongest contender for the US Open this year. Any doubts?

2) Rafael Nadal: If we look at his overall career win % and hard court win %, one can deduce easily that hard court is not his favorite surface ( 83% as compared to a low 77%). No wonder he has won US Open once in his career. But the good part is he has won 83% of his matches this year on hard court so there are signs of improvement. He needs to get over the mental barrier of playing against Djokovic and start believing in himself more.

3) Roger Federer: Roger Federer has been pretty much consistent in his overall and hard court performance. He is a better player on hard court as compared to Nadal with 83 % wins career wise and 85% this year. Plus the fact that he is the only player to beat Djokovic this year will further boost his confidence to go and win his first GS of the year.

4) Andy Murray and Del Potro: Here comes the most interesting part: Del Potro has been playing better than Andy Murray this year on Hard Court. Del Potro was 2009 US champion and the stats also clearly show  (75% against 67% of Murray) that he will be a bigger threat to the TOP 3 than Andy Murray in US Open. Not a good sign for Murray!(Plus he is down from 76% to 67 % wins in 2011)

People say that stats are not indicative of future performances, but I disagree as one can see where he/she stands and how much work they need to do in order to beat the best. Djokovic being a perfect example of how he has consistently improved in the last one year and his record also suggest the same!

(It’s a highly debatable topic and would love to know your viewpoint on this! So please leave your comments.)


If you have any questions- You can mail me at apekshaha@gmail.com

Follow ApekshaHA on Twitter for Latest Updates: http://twitter.com/#!/ApekshaHA
Also:The Top 4 (Djokovic/Nadal/Federer/Murray) In Tennis And The Story Of Statistics So Far

Also: Steffi Graf,Serena Williams-A Lesson To Learn From The Champions!