There's was a point, late in the third set of the semifinal match against Andy Murray that Djokovic played a few bad points to lose his serve, just as he had managed to break even. It just seemed like Djokovic had decided he didn't want to win anymore. If he got past Murray, his reward
It's an all-American affair just as we knew it would be. OK, so we didn't expect this final at all. Oh, the Nadal-Djokovic final? That we did expect. I'm talking doubles. The top seed were, as usual, the Bryan brothers. However, they were eliminated by another American duo: Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick. The team
On paper, Murray didn't have a chance. OK, he had a small chance. After all, he is a top 4 player who has beaten Djokovic. But clay is Murray's weakest surface. Even so, give Murray enough time and he comes up with ideas. He wasn't ready to beat the new Djokovic in Melbourne, but it's
If the Foro Italico was set in the peak of ancient Rome, perhaps Nadal would be the star gladiator. Alas, its history is a bit more recent, having been constructed under the eye of Mussolini. Even so, Nadal has shown his capacity to win this title over and over. This will be Nadal's sixth final.
It's hard to say how well Robin Soderling is playing. He started the year really well with his new coach Claudio Pistolesi. He won Brisbane, then Rotterdam, then Marseille. Since then, he hasn't fared nearly as well, though two losses come at the hands of Juan Martin del Potro who is still trying to regain
Perhaps no one knows what Gasquet's life is like as much as, oh, maybe Venus Williams. Touted as the new superstar of the projects, Venus was expected to do well even at the ripe young age of 12. France, similarly, thought Richard Gasquet would be the new French superstar. Until, that is, the fateful day
Sometimes tennis fans forget there are over 1000, nearly 2000 tennis pros. For many, if there's 2 digits in your rank, then you're not worth paying attention to. Many players with 3 digits to their names are living the dream, playing the pro tour, knowing full well they can't be a Slam winner. They hope
What's a streaking man supposed to do? When you've played as much tennis as Djokovic, you want to win and win quick, especially against a player like Lukas Kubot, and Djokovic obliged with a 6-0 first set. With the French Open around the corner, an efficient Rome will leave Djokovic fresh. Who knows how Rafa
While the top 3 were making the semifinals of Madrid last week, the conspicuous missing fourth is Andy Murray. To be sure, Murray's weakest surface is clay. Murray's flatter style often leads to more errors. His opponent's high kicking spin can give him trouble. Still, he reached the semis of Monte Carlo after a slumping
At the end of 2010, the pundits were proclaiming that we were back at the same old, same old. Federer had beaten Nadal in the finals. Everyone figure Roger was back. 2011 was going to be the Roger and Rafa show...again. This was a far cry from what the experts said after Wimbledon. Roger was
