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
After being pushed to 5 sets, Roger Federer got to play Xavier Malisse, someone Roger has known since he was a teenager. Roger has generally fared very well against his generation of players, whether it be Andy Roddick or Jurgen Melzer or Lleyton Hewitt or, indeed, Xavier Malisse. Although Malisse was able to break Federer
In a surprise move, Viktor Troicki retired after losing 6-2 in the first set after an abdominal strain. I'm sure someone is likely to suggest that this might have been "arranged" so Djokovic would not tire himself early on, at least in hushed whispers. In any case, Djokovic is the first player to reach the
It was good while it lasted. As many expected, del Potro wasn't ready to win a Slam. At least, not this soon. He cleared the first hurdle, which was winning a match. In the two tournaments he played last in 2010, del Potro lost in the first round. Once to Olivier Rochus and once to
2010 seemed like just another Rafa-Roger year, and in a way, it was. The top two players in the world have dominated proceedings for so long, one forgets that the competition was hardly at its best. Let's take a look back. Karlovic was injured for half the year. Tsonga was pretty much gone after Wimbledon.
In 2008, two players rose to prominence in the summer: Juan Martin del Potro and Gilles Simon. del Potro went on to win the 2009 US Open and even beat Simon in the 2008 US Open. In 2008, Simon would meet Roger Federer twice, once in Toronto at the Rogers Cup and once again at
Only 5 matches done so far. Let's look at each in turn. Roddick d. Kunitsyn. The key, it seems, to many matches, is winning the first set. Kunitsyn beat Pole Prysiezny, who only seems to get in Slam draw due to his relative low rank. He kept even with Roddick, but once Roddick won the
In another time, another world, Yonex would be salivating at this matchup, against former top 5 players, Lleyton Hewitt and David Nalbandian. Both decked head-to-toe with Yonex clothing, both playing with a Yonex stick. It must be how Nike feels when it sees yet another Federer-Nadal final. Nearly ten years ago, the two had met
Sometimes, during a Slam, you'll see seeds do really well on the first day, then seeds struggle on the second day. Federer and Djokovic had an easy day, so clearly Murray, Nadal, and Soderling had to show them up. And they did. Both Murray and Nadal's opponents retired. Nadal was up 6-0, 5-0 when his
Nearly all the top seeds had pretty easy wins. Federer, Djokovic, Berdych, Verdasco, and Roddick, all top ten seeds won in straight sets handily. The seeds in the teens struggled. Gael Monfils had a tough first rounder against Thiemo de Bakker, needing 5 sets to win. He did win the last two sets comfortably. It's
