Agassi feels Murray will dominate the World Tennis in the upcoming years

HONG KONG -- Andre Agassi says Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's domination of the men's game is coming to an end, tipping Scotsman Andy Murray as the most likely successor.

"Now we have possibly the changing of the guard. You have those top two who are now losing ground to the likes of [Novak] Djokovic and Murray and [Juan Martin] del Potro," Agassi told reporters in Hong Kong by phone from Las Vegas.

Nadal has struggled with injuries since his stunning exit in the fourth round of the French Open. Federer won the French and Wimbledon, breaking Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slams, but was beaten in the U.S. Open final by 21-year-old Argentine del Potro. It was the first Grand Slam won by a player other than Federer or Nadal since Djokovic won the 2008 Australian Open.

Agassi, who preceded Federer in winning all four grand slam tournaments over his career, believes the Swiss "still has the chance to do some more special things," but the 28-year-old's chances are diminishing with age.

Agassi, who was promoting his upcoming exhibition match against Sampras in the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau on Oct. 25, worried that Nadal's injuries may be chronic.

"If you're struggling with your knee, it tends to be recurring and not to be easy to do, so I got to believe he'll struggle with it probably for his career," Agassi said.

Agassi said the 22-year-old Murray is the man most likely to be the dominant figure the next few years. The world No. 3 is still seeking his first Grand Slam title.

"From a talent standpoint, Murray is a person who should win multiple Slams," Agassi said.

"When I look at his game compared to the other players, he has what it takes to win and to win against anybody on any surface."

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How to improve Mental strength?

You mentally go down when you feel sick, and thats the exact opposite when you physically get better.

Look at Del Potro, in 2008 he wasnt a freak but now his muscles could parallel most playing tennis if not better them, this could certainly be one reason for his improved performance.

But if you need your child to be mentally stronger, put him under a lot of test at his very childhood and explain him the more he gets the excercise and test done successfully the more the tougher he will become in the future.

For Athletes they get the assistance of mental conditioning coach like physical conditioning coach these days.

The best way to make a person stronger is to improve his will power, and best way to improve the will power is to control the inner mind which could be done by yoga and many similar exercises and martial arts.

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Del Potro to dominate the slams in 2010?

Let's excuse his form post US Open. I think that's understandable. He achieved his immediate goal - to win a slam. I think he was bound to drop off a bit after that.

Into the New Year, refreshed, I think Potty can show again the form which briefly allowed him to dominate every player on the Tour.

He has the power. He has the technique. I think he has a fantastic all court game. Unlike every other player, I don't see a weakness. But I surely do see some scary weapons - in particular that serve (which will only get better) and the forehand. His physique, which might have been slighlty suspect, seems to be rapidly improving. And his mental strength, which again some might have questioned, was surely shown to be up there with the best of them at the US Open.

He will come into the 2010 season brimming with confidence and a game to threaten them all. I can see him winning 2 slams this year. Could be any of them, although Wimbledon may be out of reach.

Year of the Potty?
credit -Sealpuppy - bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A61067919
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Tennis Davis Cup - Home and away advantage

I would like to know what everybody thinks about the assignment of the 'home and away' status given to teams prior to a Davis Cup tie. As I understand it alternates between a pairing based on their last meeting, which could be years apart, with the designated home team getting to choose both the venue and the surface.

Potentially then, a team could go through an entire season being the home team, and always have this advantage. This may be a rare occasion, but even getting it more than any other team in your group could be deemed unfair. Especially seeing as the final always employs these rules.

I am not quite sure how one could solve this problem, given that holding a tie in a neutral venue would be almost pointless, and trying to enforce a neutral surface would be near impossible.

Here are some of my ideas:

1) The home and away status applies, but it specifies that the first two singles rubbers and the doubles are played at home and the reverse singles are played away. The surface choice is made for home and away. This has obvious downfalls, but may still be viable if organized properly. Dead reverse rubbers would be almost ignored.

2) the home and away rule stays, except that the surface choice is done by having the two teams submit a request, and the ITF then chooses a surface that niether team chose. (ie: Spain picks clay, Czech Republic picks Hard, so ITF chooses grass). this would bring in some extra mind games for the captains

3) The Davis Cup is an ITF event, so why not use ITF stadia. the home and away rule applies for the surface, but a choice of clay means going to Rolland Garros, a choice of Grass means going to Wimbledon (err in december yikes!), and a choice of Hard means going to randomly US Open or Australia (if US is in match, then OZ, and vica versa)...huge travelling commitment so maybe not a good idea, but if Davis Cup final is worth it then people should make the trip.

4) The choice of country is randomly picked between the two sides, and the surface is chosen by the away team.

Please share thoughts

Technology, a cure or curse ? in Tennis

Much has been said lately about racquet design and materials, that have heralded in a new era for today's modern player and the change that has slowly metamorphosed the game into two sides of the same coin, namely, baseline hitting V defensive play from a game that included all facets of shot making including the good old Serve and Volleyers.

There seems to be also two different camps as to whether serve and volley has declined or even disappeared from the game today.

A few (myself included) have noticed a definite fading of the chip and charge, as well as an altogether unhealthy abrupt stop in the amount of serve and volleying that used to embrace the tennis courts up to a few years ago.

Now, is this because of technological advances or might it be to do with the fact that the training regimes are geared towards counter punching and the tactical play of defensive shot making, or is it a mix of both ?

As a side note, when people try to compare era's, it dawned on me that someone like Murray, who has probably never touched a wooden racquet in his life, professionally of course, would FAIL, if he was sent back to Borg's era, as the grip and shot action are completely different to players of that time, and he would not know how to get the same kind of response from that kind of racquet.

Which leads me on to the next point, coming from the wooden era to the graphite era, its seems pretty obvious that they are two incompatibles, which begs the question, if serve and volleying was a prominent part of most players itinerary from the 80's onwards and through to the late nineties, why has it suddenly become unpopular over the last 5/6 years?

Some have mentioned that its down to the racquet speed and the problem with having your serve return faster than ever before, due, arguably, to the technology at hand or its partly due to the fact that its become unfashionable to do so, given that the 1st serve is pretty much non-returnable if put in the right spot.

I, like many on here would like to see the return of the S&V, but at what cost to the players ?
Unless the organizers try to slow down the courts or make the balls slower, (why would they anyway?) I don't see how this can happen.

Of course, we could make the players resort to using wooden racquets or even the Conner's metal paddle, but they'd probably break their wrists trying to play normally.

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Winning French Open or Wimbledon more Important for Federer in 2010?

An awful lot of talk on 606 over the past weeks and months about Roger Federer going for a 7th Wimbledon and the total weeks at no 1 record. That has importance for sure, but if Federer were to wish for one thing in 2010, surely, it has to be something different: the French Open.

Here´s why:
Let´s have a look at the list of players who have won each slam twice:
Roy Emerson
Rod Laver

But now let´s exclude amateur tournaments. Who has won each slam twice in the professional era.

Here's the list:
.

Hm. No-one on it.

Now let´s look at the list of players who have defended every slam title (i.e won two years in a row). This is for the entire history of tennis, amateur, professional, 1900s, whatever.
Here´s the list:
.

Hm. No-one on that one either.

Federer has already defended the other three successfully (he had that by 2005). If Federer could not only win each slam twice but defend every slam it would be an absolutely unique achievement.

Now I´m not saying the FO this year for Fed is even half as important as last year, the first one. It isn´t. But surely more important than a 7th Wimbledon or total weeks at no 1 - because when tennis history is written many years from now the question of GOAT won't be about Sampras versus Federer. Sampras will be in the all time top 5 or the top 10 at least while Federer will be up for the no 1 spot against perhaps Bill Tilden or Rod Laver or perhaps more likely some future champion who has yet to play a professional match or hasn't even been born. And so a 2nd French has to beat a 7th Wimbledon, if you could choose one.

Now I am saying it will be great if he gets it (for his legacy). I am not saying that it will necessarily actually happen. Djokovic, Del Potro and Nadal will be gunning for a perhaps no longer peak Fed on his weakest surface. And you can even see a shock(ish) defeat in an earlier round. Haas nearly had him this year, you can´t keep repeating matches like that against lower opponents and never lose one, this year he did, but sooner a later he will lose to someone outside the top 5 in a slam. On the other hand, the man has been in every final since 2005 when he lost to Nadal in the semi so he can hardly be written off. On the whole I´d rate his chance at about 20% maybe 25% max.

But if he does do it, the no 1 record would likely follow in any case. And perhaps so would another Wimbledon, the confidence would be so high. A very big if but a very big achievement if he makes it.

The absolute ideal would be to do in a five set thriller against a fully rejuvenated Nadal in the final. Maybe I am dreaming a bit now, but you never know.

2010 slams a Record Point for Roger Federer

Fed will surely love to hold 8 Wimby and 1 FO compared to 2 FO and 7 Wimby, and to add those it could have been 9 continious if a little luck woudl have favoured him on 2008 Wimby, which everybody will gloat if Fed go on to win 8 Wimby, so yea in all terms Wimby comes first.

On the other hand Fed will to defend FO at all cost,as long as he is fit and in form I dont find a reason for him not to win the Wimdy- FO combination again.

Anycase All GS are important for Fed in 2010 why?

1]If he win AO he becomes the joint leader in Open Era to win the AO maximum number of times [4 Tied with Agassi]

2]Would love to win FO- the only he hasn't defended yet.

3]Wimbledon win would put on him on par with Samprason Grass [7th title]

4]USO win would put him at the top of the chart with 6 wins in Open era.

#Outside USO win means, he would be the first man since Rod Laver to win a calander slam [if the other three are won].

So yes all slams are important.

Every slam is important for Fed, here are the reasons for it.

Katherine Brown is Murray's New Girl friend?

Yea Like you we all heard the rumors that Kim and Murray split because Katherine want to be Murray's GF, its pity Kim had to vacate her spot for katherine, I like many hope Kim gets a better Boy Friend who understands her love.

Well Done Davydenko for winning World Tour Finals

Just like to say well done to Davy, he was the player of the tournament and deserved to win.


I was amazed at his consistency, particularly in the Federer match, he just kept going for shot after shot, I was thinking "he'll start missing those soon", but he didn't. All credit to him.

However, I also have to say, I think it's true that Federer is no longer the player he used to be. He shows glimpses of his genius, but all too often these days he looks flat. He looked flat in both the Wimbledon and US Open finals- it's a credit to his all-round credentials that these matches went to five sets. Then he plays a match like he did against Murray- in the 3rd set he looked awesome. In the match against Davy there was a moment when I thought he was going to turn the match around- remember the overhead smash he managed to hit a winner from? That was a piece of magic, but the old Federer would have finished the job.

I'm not saying he's washed up or anything, just that he's no longer the force he was (also losing the aura of invincibility). I suppose you can't stay at the top forever, but it's sad to witness this type of decline, I had to watch it happen to Stephen Hendry in the snooker, and it looks as though the same could happen here, with Del Potro, Djokovic, Murray et al taking the mantle. Time will tell.

Andy Murray Splits away from his Girl Friend Kim Sears

Tennis star Andy Murray has ended his four-year relationship with student Kim Sears.

Kim, 21, has moved out of the £5million mansion they shared in Surrey and returned home to her parents.


Her face became familiar to millions of tennis fans worldwide, especially at Wimbledon, where TV cameras picked up the emotion written on her face as she cheered him from the stands.Love lost: Friends suggest cracks began to show about the time that Kim accompanied Andy to the US Open Championships in New York in September

A friend said: ‘No one else is involved. Both Andy and Kim are saddened that the relationship is over, but they mutually felt it was time for them to part. 'They are both very young, and it is not unusual for young people to split up.’Friends suggest cracks began to show about the time that Kim accompanied Murray to the US Open Championships in New York in September.Murray’s friend said of their subsequent split: ‘There were no blazing rows, or anything like that. Kim left Andy’s house under amicable circumstances. They are still in contact with one another and remain good friends.While Murray's mother Judy watched him play in London last week, Kim was absent

‘After all, Kim has been an extremely important part of Andy’s life, and they always spent as much time together as they could.’Last week Murray, a 22-year-old multi-millionaire ranked No.4 in the world, played his first major tournament – the ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena in London – without Kim present to support him.

Murray, who shared top billing with world No.1 Roger Federer, was watched by his mother, Judy, and ‘Team Murray’ – his coaches, trainers and physiotherapist. But Kim was at her parents’ home in West Sussex.
Murray was surprisingly eliminated in the round-robin stage – and yesterday he was unwilling to comment on the sadness in his private life. ‘Both Andy and Kim are very private people,’ said his friend.Yet only this summer Murray emphasised that he placed family and friends above his career. Having seen his own parents, Judy and Will, divorce when he was a teenager, Murray stressed: ‘I work better in a relationship.

‘At the end of the day, especially if I’ve lost a match, I don’t like talking about tennis, so it’s nice to have someone to talk to about other stuff. ‘As I have got older, having gone through my parents’ divorce, it has become important to me to work hard at having a successful relationship. I found the divorce difficult.

'Tennis is important to me, but it’s not the most important thing. My family and friends are more important. The job obviously matters, but what goes on off the court is bigger.’Andy Murray crashed out of the ATP World Tour Finals this week without Kim there to support him .Kim, who is studying English at Brighton University, was Murray’s first serious girlfriend.

Her father Nigel is head of women’s tennis in Britain and has been involved in the game all his life, so Kim appreciated the demands the profession placed on Murray.

Unlike other WAGs, she refused to become famous for simply being the girlfriend of a sports star.

‘It’s not about me, it’s about Andy,’ she said, whenever asked to discuss their relationship. She happily melted into the shadows – something Murray liked.

Yet Kim was credited with having played a significant role in improving Murray’s image and appearance over the past 18 months. She encouraged him to abandon his shaggy-dog look in favour of a sharp, modern haircut.

She willingly did Murray’s laundry, and when he chose to move from his penthouse in Wandsworth to his Surrey mansion in the week before Wimbledon, she loyally helped transport his belongings so his preparation was not disturbed.

During Wimbledon, where Murray reached the semi-finals before losing to American Andy Roddick, she shared his new house with him and his mother. ‘Kim has been a great support,’ said Judy. ‘She even helped with his laundry. The best thing she did was cut his hair – he needed it.’

Murray, winner of six tournaments this year, is widely predicted to become the first British man to win a Grand Slam championship since Fred Perry over 70 years ago. In the next week, he will fly to Miami to train for the Australian Open in mid-January. He is not returning home for Christmas, opting to travel straight to Perth to take part in an exhibition tournament in the New Year.

Yesterday Kim’s mother confirmed that her daughter had split from Murray.

Asked if it was true, Leonore Sears said at the family home in Barcombe, near Lewes, West Sussex: ‘Yes, but I am not going to comment on it.’

Can Del Potro Be No.1 as early as FO 2010?

Looking at his current Ranking points at 5,985 he could add another 1300 if he wins the title today, that means 7285 RP by the end of this year. He earned 360 Ranking Points for reaching QF on AO this year, so if he takes effort to win AO 2010 ,he could end up something around 8925, which will still be short of Fed's 9350 [even if Fed lose by 1st round].

So yea DP cant become No.1 by the end of AO, but can he achieve that feat by the end of FO? where Fed is defending 2000 Pts compared to Del Potro's 720.

Interesting things ahead, nobody spoke about him till the USO win that he could be the no.1 by the year 2010, but now there you go its well within reach of DP.

But saying all that DP have to win today's match first and then AO, which is no easy task, but I guess and hope DP will do it.

Tennis World Tour Finals live stream Davydenko vs. Del Potro

Argentine Juan Martin del Potro fought back from a 2-4 deficit in the third set to edge Robin Soderling 6-7(1), 6-3, 7-6(3) and reach the final of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Saturday evening at The O2.

The 21-year-old del Potro, who failed to advance past the round-robin stage on his debut at the season finale in Shanghai last year, is the first Argentine to reach the title match since David Nalbandian lifted the trophy in 2005 – recovering from a two-set deficit to edge Roger Federer.


"It was a very, very tough match," said del Potro. "It was so close. We played unbelievable points.  We served well. The difference was just a couple of points in the tie-break in the third set."

“I think it's pretty obvious losing 7-6 in the third [set] in the semi-finals here, it's pretty disappointing,” said Soderling. “It was a very tough match. Maybe I could have played a little bit better in the important moments and taken advantage of my chances. But overall, not much I could do. I don't think I did anything wrong at the end of the match; he just played a little bit better than me.”


In the final, del Potro will face Russian Nikolay Davydenko, who earlier overturned a 0-12 record against Federer to reach the final for the second year in a row. Davydenko takes a 2-1 career lead into the clash, winning the pair’s most recent encounter in straight sets in the round-robin stage at last year’s season climax.

Davydenko takes on Federer on the 1st semifinal of World Tour Finals

Sixth seed Nikolay Davydenko booked his place in the semi-finals of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at the expense of defending champion Novak Djokovic Friday evening as he defeated Group B winner Robin Soderling 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3.

While Davydenko and Djokovic, who earlier beat Rafael Nadal, have both compiled 2-1 match records, Davydenko has the edge over the Serbian on sets won. Davydenko has a 5-3 win-loss record in sets, while Djokovic has won one set less with a 4-3 mark. Sweden’s Soderling tops the group with a 2-1 match record and a 5-2 mark in sets won and lost.

Davydenko will now take on Group A winner Roger Federer in the first semi-final, as he bids to reach the final for the second year in a row, while Soderling faces US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro on Saturday evening.

Davydenko is yet to beat 2009 ATP World Tour Champion Federer in 12 meetings with the Swiss, but believes he can overturn that tomorrow. “Each of the 12 times I played him I came in believing I could win,” said Davydenko. “It's not like I was coming into the match and already saying I'm losing.

“But I know Federer is older, I'm also older. Maybe I am starting to play better and Federer not so good. We'll see. I played great in all three matches [this week]. I would like to play the same way as I did today, and I hope I can run well tomorrow, fast, and not make any mistakes.”

Writing off Rafael Nadal is absolute crazy

Writing off Nadal is absolutely crazy. History tells us that every top sportsman goes through difficult times. Last year Federer was being written off by many, who thought he would never win another slam. We all know what happened. Djokovic had a dreadful time for the first half of this year, and all of a sudden he was being touted as a one slam wonder. Again, he has reinvigorated himself, and although he hasn't won another slam, is set up well for 2010. Even Rafa himself, endured a torrid spell for a period, prior to landing a RG and Wimbledon double.

In spite of all this evidence to the contrary, I am surprised to see how many people, particularly on this board, are quick to write Rafa's tennis obituary, with the vast majority almost gleeful in tone, at his perceived demise.

Whilst I am not a massive Nadal fan, I just can't get my head around why people would act this way. He has been nothing but gracious and charming all week, in spite of his poor performances, and really deserves a lot more respect for his achievements than he is getting right now.

Del Potro: Future Number One. But how soon?

With his recent win over Fed proving that his US Open Final victory over the same opponent was no fluke, Del Potro has put the writing on the wall. This guy is headed to the top. With a bullet.
He's like some kind of hybrid creation. A Karlovic like serve with powerful groundies like Gonzalez and courtspeed to rival Nadal at his best. This is a rare combination and seems impossible to stop. Even for the master Federer who seems to get brutalized by the power of Del Potro's game. Watching them play you almost feel sorry for Federer who seems like a helpless bystander in the wake of Del Potro's huge game. The Argentine's only recent losses before the ATP finals had been to lowly opponents which hinted at a possible dip in motivation.


Mentally he is superior to anyone in the top ten with the possible exception of Nadal. (Who could forget the way he came from a double break down in the 3rd set to down Nadal earlier in the year?)
A fit and firing Del Potro which we are now seeing at last at the Masters Finals could be a bit like Pamela: more than a handful for any man.

Yes, the writing's on the wall: you are looking at the next world number one. The only question is how soon?

Del Potro sets three-year plan to conquer grass

The new US Open Champion Juan Martin Del Potro has shown his determination to succeed on grass by committing to play at the AEGON Championships at the Queen’s Club in London for the next three years.

Del Potro, who stands 6’7” tall, will attempt to follow in the footsteps of John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker, Pete Sampras, Lleyton Hewitt and Rafael Nadal, who have all completed the grass-court double - winning titles at The Queen’s Club and at Wimbledon in the same year.

"I am very happy that I will play at the AEGON Championships at the Queen's Club,” said Del Potro.

“I am determined to do well on grass in my career and this is the perfect opportunity for me to improve my game on the surface. The AEGON Championships is a big tournament, and many players have done well at Queen's in the past and then gone on to win at Wimbledon.  I hope that this can happen for me also."

Tournament Director Chris Kermode was delighted to have secured Del Potro’s commitment to the tournament until 2012.

He said: “This is fantastic news for the AEGON Championships and British tennis fans. Juan Martin is one of the best and most exciting young tennis players in the world. He creates a buzz just by walking out on the court and he has an explosive game to match.”

Robin Soderling To Make Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Debut

Injured Roddick forced to withdraw from tournament

Big-hitting Swede Robin Soderling will make his debut at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals after an injured Andy Roddick announced his withdrawal Tuesday. Soderling, who this year became the first man to beat Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros, had been the first alternate for the world’s biggest indoor tennis tournament, which begins Sunday, 22 November, at The O2 in London.

With Soderling’s elevation, Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga becomes the tournament’s first-alternate.

Soderling, who will be the first Swede to play at the season finale since Thomas Johansson in 2002, this year finished in Top 10 of the South African Airways ATP Rankings for first time, highlighted by reaching his first Grand Slam final at Roland Garros and capturing his first ATP World Tour title on clay, on home soil in Bastad. He won nine matches in his first 10 tournaments through mid-May but then turned things around by compiling a 35-9 match record over the remainder of the season, which included runs to the Roland Garros final, Wimbledon fourth round and the US Open quarter-finals (losing to Roger Federer each time).

Roger Federer has a tough draw in London Year end masters tour final

LONDON: Roger Federer will face US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro, Andy Murray and Spain's Fernando Verdasco in the tougher of the two round
robin groups for the ATP World Tour Finals.

Group B in the end-of-season showpiece event features former wold number one Rafael Nadal, recent Paris Masters champion Novak Djokovic, Nikolay Davydenko and late-entrant Robin Soderling.

Soderling had failed to qualify for the eight-man event but was brought in following the withdrawal of Wimbledon finalist Andy Roddick, who has not played since injuring his left knee in Shanghai last month.

Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is now on standby in case of any other withdrawals.

The top two players in each of the round robin groups advance to the semi-finals of the tournament, which starts Sunday at London's O2 Arena. The final is on November 29.

Nadal back from the brink, meets Tsonga in the Quarter finals of Paris Masters

One day after saving five match points in a marathon encounter against Nicolas Almagro, Rafael Nadal was once again taken the distance as he fought to secure a place in the BNP Paribas Masters quarter-finals.


Tommy Robredo served for the match at 5-4 in the deciding set against his fellow Spaniard, but World No. 2 Nadal hit back to prevail 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 in two hours and 20 minutes Thursday at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament.

"The better new is I didn't play my best but I played much better than yesterday," said Nadal. "I felt the ball much better than yesterday. For moments, I felt I have the control of the ball. I have the chance to play big rallies without having mistakes. So that's very important for me."

Following the top-ranked Roger Federer’s shock exit to Julien Benneteau on Wednesday, Nadal could significantly close the gap on his rival at the top of the South African Airways 2009 ATP Rankings – setting the stage for a dramatic showdown at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and the battle to be crowned 2009 ATP World Tour Champion.

Coming into the BNP Paribas Masters, World No. 1 Federer led his rival by 1,495 points in the South African Airways 2009 ATP Rankings, but could see his lead cut to a mere 305 points should Nadal capture his sixth tour-level title of the season this week. An undefeated champion at the eight-player season finale, which begins 22 November in London, would gain 1,500 rankings points.

The 23-year-old Nadal is bidding to win his 16th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy, the same amount as Federer and just one less than all-time leader Andre Agassi. On his debut appearance in Paris (Bercy) two years ago, he advanced to the final where he lost to David Nalbandian. The Mallorcan is also chasing his 400th tour-level match win and currently stands on a 398-87 mark.

Nadal takes a 3-1 career lead into his quarter-final clash with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who earlier defeated French compatriot Gilles Simon in straight sets. In their most recent clash at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in February, Nadal prevailed in three close sets.

"He's playing really well," Nadal said of the Frenchman. "Sure, he's playing at home in good conditions for him - indoor, fast court, France - so probably he's gonna be the favourite tomorrow. But that's the tennis. I'm gonna try to play better, to play my match."

World No. 4 Andy Murray was less fortunate as No. 14-ranked Radek Stepanek recovered from a disastrous start to defeat the fourth seed 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.

In a 23-minute first set, Murray broke serve twice as he raced out to a 5-0 score line and swiftly wrapped up a one-set lead. Stepanek was quick to respond though, attacking Murray at every opportunity and reaping the rewards with a service break in the second game of the second set.

The Czech took the initiative early in the deciding set, breaking to lead 2-0 and again later for a 5-2 advantage. Murray was able to recoup one of the breaks as Stepanek faltered in the eighth game, but the Karvina native made no such mistake at the second time of asking and served out victory after 97 minutes.

It was Stepanek’s first victory in four meetings with Murray, and puts the right-hander into his eighth ATP World Tour quarter-final of the season. The 30 year old, who will represent his country in the Davis Cup final against Spain next month, titled at the Brisbane International (d. Verdasco) and the SAP Open (d. Fish) in San Jose at the start of the year.

The 22-year-old Murray was coming off his 14th ATP World Tour title at last week’s Valencia Open 500 (d. Youzhny), following a six-week absence from the tour with a wrist injury. The Scot will now have nine days to prepare himself for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, the elite eight-man season finale to be played at The O2 in London.

"Obviously to win a tournament after that long out was great," said Murray, reflecting on his win in Valencia. "I wanted to try and play as many matches as possible. I would have signed up for playing seven matches and winning six of them before these couple of tournaments, and it was kind of just what I needed before London. I get nine days' rest to get rid of all the niggles and stiffness. I'll be feeling good going in there, I'm sure; a lot better than I would have been if I had gone out early both weeks."

Nadal Has Not Beaten a Top 10 player over 6 months

For over half a year! after Madrid 2009 Nadal hasnt beaten a Top 10 player.

I was surprised at the way he struggled yesterday and had Almagro had a bit more composure, he would also have lost comprehensively again. So I checked the stats and the last time Nadal won a top 10 player was against Djoko in Madrid (tough match that was too).

London in 10 days time will certainly give us a better idea to where he stands amongst the top 8

Soderling keeps hopes alive to qualify for ATP World Tour finals

Ninth-seeded Swede Robin Soderling won a tense do-or-die third-round clash against sixth seed Nikolay Davydenko, a fellow Barclays ATP World Tour Finals contender, at the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris on Thursday to keep alive a five-way battle for the last two singles berths at the prestigious season climax.

Soderling avenged last month’s Proton Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur 2009 semi-final defeat against Davydenko with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 win in the pair’s fourth meeting this year. Despite hitting 11 aces and saving eight of 10 break points, Davydenko must now wait on other players results at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament if he is to qualify for the elite eight-man event at The O2 in London.

Soderling will next challenge either French wild card Arnaud Clement or ATP World Tour 2009 match-wins leader Novak Djokovic, the No. 3 seed from Serbia, in the quarter-finals.

The 25-year-old Soderling, who finished runner-up to Roger Federer at Roland Garros in June, improved to a 47-18 match record on the season. He added 90 South African Airways 2009 ATP Rankings points for 3,010 points overall and remains 290 points behind No. 8-ranked Spaniard Fernando Verdasco. Davydenko, a winner of four ATP World Tour titles this year, is currently No. 7 in the year-to-date rankings with 3,630 points.

Tsonga Verdasco tennis match on high speed train

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Fernando Verdasco, acclaimed for their speed around the court, admitted to feeling a little nervous themselves as they played a modified exhibition match while hurtling around Shanghai in one of the world's fastest commercial high-speed trains.

Billed as the "fastest tennis in the world," seventh-ranked Tsonga of France took on ninth-ranked Spaniard Verdasco on a mini-tennis court laid down in one of Shanghai's high-speed Maglev trains on Tuesday as it reached a cruising speed of 431 kph (268 mph) during the seven-minutes and 20-seconds it took to make the 30-kilometer (18.6-mile) trip from Longyard Rail Road station in Pudong to Pudong International Airport.

"The feeling is special because we are going faster than our serve and it's crazy," said Tsonga, who along with Verdasco is in Shanghai for the Shanghai ATP Masters 1000. "You are a little bit nervous when it's really fast."

While Verdasco enjoyed the train ride, he wasn't so sure about the standard of tennis on board.

"For the first time in tennis, nobody won," Verdasco joked. "For me, it was the first time to be (traveling in a train) over 400 (kph). If we don't crash I'm not afraid."

At the Shanghai Masters, Verdasco and Tsonga are vying to qualify for a berth at the year-end ATP World Tour Finals starting November 22 in London.

Verdasco, who reached the Australian Open semifinals in January, is currently in seventh place on the list of potential candidates to take the final three spots in the exclusive eight-man tournament.

Tsonga, who helped his cause last week when he won the Japan Open, is sitting in 10th place on the list.

Roger Federer confirms his participation on Estoril tournament in 2010 to defend his title

ATP World Tour No. 1 and former champion Roger Federer has confirmed he will return to compete at the Estoril Open, an ATP World Tour 250 clay-court tournament, from 1-9 May 2010.

The Swiss superstar snapped a five-month title drought by winning his 54th career ATP World Tour trophy at the Estoril Open (d. Davydenko) in May 2008, when a record 53,888 spectators visited the Estadio Nacional.

Federer is the all-time Grand Slam title-leader, having broken Pete Sampras’ record of 14 triumphs (1990-2002) at The Championships, Wimbledon, in July 2009.

WTA World Tour Finals results

Svetlana Kuznetsova beat fellow Russian Elena Dementieva at the Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha - to send Venus Williams into the semi-finals.Dementieva could have qualified from the Maroon Group with a win, but she played poorly in a 6-3 6-2 defeat. Earlier, Jelena Jankovic reached the last four with a 6-2 6-2 rout of Caroline Wozniacki in the White Group.

Denmark's Wozniacki progressed after Victoria Azarenka retired due to cramp when trailing Agnieszka Radwanska. Defending champion Venus joins her sister Serena as the two players qualified from the Maroon Group to reach Saturday's semi-finals.

Venus will face Jankovic, while Serena plays Wozniacki for a place in the final of the $US4.55m tournament with the eventual champion taking home (£944,000).

Safin Moves Closer To 16th Career Title

Two-time champion Marat Safin kept alive his chances of clinching a 16th tour-level title with a 6-0, 7-6(4) quarter-final win over Denis Istomin at the St. Petersburg Open on Friday. He progressed to his first ATP World Tour semi-final in 12 months.

“I missed an easy smash to go 4-1 up and have a double break in the second set and then I started to doubt myself a bit and got a little bit nervous,” admitted Safin. “Serving for the match I lost my serve completely, but then played a good tie-break to be able to win in straight sets. But I won a lottery basically.

“I played very well in the first set, but not so good in the second, so it was nice to win in straight sets.”

Safin, the 2000 and 2001 titlist, improved to 20-5 lifetime at the ATP World Tour 250 tournament, after hitting 12 aces past Istomin in the pair’s first meeting that lasted 83 minutes. The 29-year-old former World No. 1 has amassed an 18-20 season record.

“It’s been a long time since I was in the semi-finals, so its nice to be back playing one tomorrow and also here in Russia,” said Safin, who last reached a semi-final at the 2008 Kremlin Cup in Moscow.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal shocked by Agassi controversy

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal two of the best tennis players of our generation are shocked by the Agassi controversy.


Federer is shocked about the incident and hopes no such cases happen in the future.

Nadal extremenly unhappy with the cushion provided to Andre while others are punished,here is the quote "To me it seems terrible. Why is he saying this now that he has retired?, It's a way of damaging the sport that makes no sense. I believe our sport is clean and I am the first one that wants that."

He further said "If the ATP covered for Agassi then I think that's dreadful,If they covered for the player and punished others for doing the same kind of thing then that would seem to me to be a lack of respect for all sportsmen"

Boris Becker feels the same his view "I'm struggling to get my head around why Andre would want to confess to something so damaging as taking drugs and then getting away with it"

The thing is if ATP forgot after forgiving his mistake, Agassi should have forgotton too rather than creating a trouble to them by revealing the incident on his book just to increase sales.

People could have still forgiven him had he arranged for a press release and accepted the mistake rather than doing it for the sales of his book.

Agassi and Gasquet treated differently?

Well for most who didnt read my previous article on Agassi's confession, where I brought the news of the day, some body have reported it for no reason apart from being a die hard Agassi fan.

My point was straight forward Gasquet was made to repent for his mistake with a ban from tennis for few months, while Agassi was clever enough to tackle the questions raised on him by the ATP doctors once they have found him tested positive.

So its clear one not only has to be a good player but have to be a clever player to tackle the situations, if only Agassi would not have been clever nor a big name he would have faced the similar situation of Gasquet, but the thing is Agassi was smart to escape from the penalty in-spite of fooling ATP doctors, Agassi himself have confessed that not me, for thos who need proof of his statement pls go-trough top stories of today in yahoo.

Eventhough we can appreciate Agassi come forward with truth atleast now, ATP should make a lesson of it so no such things happen in the future.

Johny Mac Claims Wimbledon 2008 as the best match he ever viewed

"This is the greatest match I've ever seen," said John McEnroe, whose final against Jimmy Connors in 1982, had previously been the longest final.

His comments were repeated by the world's press and borne out by the huge television audience the final received.

Tennis fans caused a massive surge in electricity demand after Nadal took the Wimbledon title because they were glued to their seats during the epic match.

A 1,400 megawatt spike - equivalent to 550,000 kettles being boiled - was recorded at around 9.20pm, as the Spaniard lifted the trophy. The surge shows millions watched the match.

It was bigger than the increase in demand at half time during this year's Champions' League match when Manchester United beat Chelsea.

National Grid spokeswoman Isobel Rowley said the surge was huge because fans were so transfixed by the tennis, they could not move from the sofa to switch the lights on until the end.

Such was the rivalry between the two players, that the match also smashed betting records. Almost £10 million was staked on the match, according to initial estimates - breaking the £8 million record set just days ago when Nadal crushed Andy Murray in the quarter finals.

Scores of punters were frantically biting their nails as the match went on late into the evening. One eventually won £55,000 after backing Nadal to the tune of £10,000 a month ago - at odds of 9/2, said bookmakers William Hill.

Hills spokesman Graham Sharpe said: "What you have here are two players at the peak of their powers and popularity. "They are almost a tennis soap opera - traditional Federer appeals to the mums and dads with his cardigan, and Nadal is the modern sex symbol, appealing to kids with his sleeveless vests.

"That's why so many people put money on them."

Meanwhile, Federer admitted he was on the brink of calling for the match to be stopped and restarted the next day because the light was becoming so bad.

He said: "It would have been brutal for the fans and us to come back but it was rough on me to lose the biggest tournament in the world because of the light.

"It was not a whole lot of fun, but that's the way it is. It's over, what's the point in arguing about it?"

The five-times champion will now find his number one ranking under threat, and he added: "I wasn't able to break him in the last three sets but still I managed to push him right to the edge.

"Probably later on in life I'll go 'That was a great match.' I'm happy the way I fought. That's all I could really do."

Andre Agassi confesses on using drugs

Tennis legend Andre Agassi reveals in his forthcoming autobiography "Open" that he used crystal meth during his playing career, Paul Bogaards, a spokesman for the book's publisher, confirmed to the New York Daily News on Tuesday.

According to the Daily News, the eight-time Grand Slam champion admits using the illicit drug in 1997, the year he married Brooke Shields and went into a career slump that didn't end until 1999.

After pulling out of that slump, Agassi went on to win five Grand Slams and became only the fifth player to complete the career Slam. He has been heavily involved in charity work since retirement, opening his own charter school and championing educational reform throughout the country.

The information was first released this morning on the Twitter account of SI.com media analyst Richard Deitsch, but was subsequently removed:

"FYI: There's an off-the-charts book excerpt from Andre Agassi in the forthcoming SI: He admits to taking crystal meth during his career."

Both Sports Illustrated and People will run excerpts from the book.

Releasing this admission a week ahead of the book's release is an obvious ploy to generate interest and sell copies, and it's working. Almost all autobiographies are self-serving odes to one's own pursuit of greatness. They're rarely interesting. Agassi's could be different.

He's always been forthcoming with the press about his issues, whether it be his overbearing father, the therapy he underwent while his career was in shambles (the first time) or the true reason he cut his hair. The vulnerable, intense picture on the cover suggests more of the same is inside. (Compare it to the covers of other recent tennis autobiographies that look straight out of a Sears catalog.)

We'll reserve judgment on the drug use until we read the book excerpts, which should hit newsstands on Tuesday. The book will be released Nov. 9.

Update: (11:47 p.m. ET) The first excerpts have been released and, wow, are they explosive. Not only does Agassi admit to using crystal meth, but he describes how he evaded drug testers by lying about his useage.

In the first excerpt Agassi writes about taking the drug at home with an assistant known only as Slim:

"Slim is stressed too ... He says, You want to get high with me? On what? Gack. What the hell's gack? Crystal meth. Why do they call it gack? Because that's the sound you make when you're high ... Make you feel like Superman, dude.

"As if they're coming out of someone else's mouth, I hear these words: You know what? F*** it. Yeah. Let's get high.

"Slim dumps a small pile of powder on the coffee table. He cuts it, snorts it. He cuts it again. I snort some. I ease back on the couch and consider the Rubicon I've just crossed.

"There is a moment of regret, followed by vast sadness. Then comes a tidal wave of euphoria that sweeps away every negative thought in my head. I've never felt so alive, so hopeful - and I've never felt such energy.

"I'm seized by a desperate desire to clean. I go tearing around my house, cleaning it from top to bottom. I dust the furniture. I scour the tub. I make the beds."

Later on, Agassi writes, he received a call from ATP doctors telling him he'd tested positive for meth.

"My name, my career, everything is now on the line. Whatever I've achieved, whatever I've worked for, might soon mean nothing. Days later I sit in a hard-backed chair, a legal pad in my lap, and write a letter to the ATP. It's filled with lies interwoven with bits of truth.

"I say Slim, whom I've since fired, is a known drug user, and that he often spikes his sodas with meth - which is true. Then I come to the central lie of the letter. I say that recently I drank accidentally from one of Slim's spiked sodas, unwittingly ingesting his drugs. I ask for understanding and leniency and hastily sign it: sincerely.

"I feel ashamed, of course. I promise myself that this lie is the end of it."

The ATP accepted Agassi's version of events and he received no drug suspension.

Injury hits Soderling London bid

Robin Soderling saw his hopes of reaching the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals dealt a blow as injury forced him out of the Stockholm Open.

The world number 10 withdrew ahead of his semi-final against Marcos Baghdatis because of an elbow injury.

Soderling had an opportunity to make up ground on Fernando Verdasco by taking the title in Sweden.

The Spaniard currently occupies the eighth and final place for next month's season finale in London.

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Juan Martin del Potro and Andy Roddick have already qualified, with Nikolay Davydenko well placed to seal seventh spot.

"I felt so much pain when I played in Asia," said Soderling. "I had an MRI Tuesday and they told me that I have to rest two, three weeks to get well."

Soderling has not yet decided if he will play his remaining tournaments, in Valencia and Paris, ahead of London.

"I haven't withdrawn from any tournaments so far," he said. "I'll just wait and see and have more medical examinations."

Cuevas-Granollers Edge London Finals Contenders For Moscow Title

Third seed Pablo Cuevas and Marcel Granollers won their first ATP World Tour team title at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow on Sunday.

Cuevas and Granollers converted one of eight break point opportunities, but held their nerve in the Match tie-break to defeat top seeds Frantisek Cermak of the Czech Republic and Slovak Michal Mertinak 4-6, 7-5, 10-8 in 85 minutes.

“I am very happy, this is a great tournament and it’s nice to end on such a good note,” said Cuevas, who was appearing in his fourth doubles final (3-1) and his first on a hard-court. “Marcel and I have played together only a few times and we’ve always done well, but this is our first title together. We had a great time this week.”

It is Cuevas and Granollers’ fourth ATP World Tour tournament as a team (11-3 match record overall). They made a successful debut at in April 2008, by reaching the US Men's Clay Court Championship final in Houston.

Granollers improved to 3-1 in doubles finals and he was contesting his first non-clay-court final. This year, he won titles at the Brasil Open in Costa do Sauipe (w/Robredo) and the Copa Telmex in Buenos Aires (w/A. Martin).

Cermak and Mertinak, who won 70 per cent of service points and hit four aces, dropped to 4-2 in ATP World Tour doubles finals this year.

They captured clay-court titles at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco, the MercedesCup in Stuttgart, the ATP Studena Croatia Open in Umag and the BCR Open Romania in Bucharest. The duo also reached the Movistar Open in Vina del Mar.

Cermak was attempting to earn his 21st career ATP World Tour title (20-14 overall) and Mertinak his 11th ATP World Tour title (10-3).

The duo is No. 9 in the ATP Doubles Team Ranking and they are trying to earn a spot in the year-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London next month.

ATP World Tour Finals 2009 - Countdown

The newly named ATP World Tour Finals concluding the men's main tennis season circuit is looming, and after some successful years in Shanghai, the elite event now finds its new home in London.

Qualification to be in the top 8 ranked players in the world by season end is reaching a climax with only 2 places remaining, of which the 7th place is very nearly sealed.

Ranking and Qualification as on Sat 24th Oct 2009:
1.Roger Federer - Qualified
2.Rafael Nadal - Qualified
3.Novak Djokovic - Qualified (Defending Masters Cup Champ)
4.Andy Murray - Qualified
5.Juan Martin Del Potro - Qualified
6.Andy Roddick - Qualified
7.Nikolay Davydenko - Provisional
8.Fernando Verdasco - Provisional

With injuries, fatigue and patriotic commitments to the Davis Cup following the event, the best in the world are plagued and pressured to perform at the very highest level after the gruelling season they have been awarded a place by - and now suffer from as a result.

So for those going, or simply any fan waiting to watch, here begins a month of anticipation and excitement as we witness the final push before the greatest glatiators of Men's Tennis enter the ring of the O2 Arena.

Why do I write this now? Well I got the first half of my tickets this morning, and have been waiting for this all year since I booked my seats - so I'm terribly excited!

Do share though - are you going? Have you got your tickets yet? Which days are you planning to go? Who is the player you are most looking foward to seeing in the event, whether you are going or not? And who do you think deserves to qualify for the final two places by their performance in 2009?

Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Championships

As if this tournament wasn't unappealing enough already with most of the players out of form, Wozniacki's betting scandal etc., then the group selection is just indescribable. I'll explain more later

The players who qualified have been:

Dinara Safina
Serena Williams
Caroline Wozniacki
Elena Dementieva
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Victoria Azarenka
Venus Williams
Jelena Jankovic

Alts - Vera Zvonareva and Agnieszka Radwanska

So - the groups. For some reason, as if to add insult to the joke that has been the WTA Roadmap, the groups have been split as follows:

1st Group

Serena Williams
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Elena Dementieva
Venus Williams

2nd Group

Dinara Safina
Caroline Wozniacki
Victoria Azarenka
Jelena Jankovic

Big clap, organisers. Put the four best players in one group and the other four who have won about two matches since Wimbledon between them in the other.

Oh. My. God.

Order of 15 Greats in the Open Era Tennis

Only since Jimmy Connors

1) Federer - 15 slams and dominance
2) Borg - 11 slams in 3-slam era; Influence to the game
3) Sampras - 14 slams
4) Lendl - 8 slams only but very dominant; Near miss in Wimby
5) Connors - 8 slams and long career; Influential
6) Agassi - 8 and career make up for less prestigious 4 Aussie
7) McEnroe - 7 slams and year 1984
8) Nadal -8 slams and clay dominance; Will move up
9) Wilander - 7 slams and 3-slam 1988
10) Edberg - 6 slams but more dominant than Becker.
11) Becker - 6 slams
12) Courie - 4 slams
13) Hewitt - 2 slams only but dominant albeit in weak era
14) Kuerten - 3 slams but only in RG
15) Safin? Rafter? Kafelnikov? - Hard to decide

Impressive Davydenko outclasses Rafael Nadal

What a match it turned out to be, the finals covered for many poor results and retirements of the tournament.

Congrats Davydenko for an inspired spirited performance, the match against Djokovic would have made him realize that he cant still play a match at that high level consistently, and we witnessed what Davydenko could do if he plays his best.

Davy's Tactics:

1]Very similar one of Rafa's formula - hit to BH again and again till Rafa moonballs, and then to hit a winner

2]Hit the ball with power in Air when going for winner than letting it bounce. This really paid dividends to Davy, as he won so many points with it and completely left Nadal out of the game.

3]Go for winners down the line or curling mid- cross court.

Saying all this its very difficult to play that aggressive with control, but Davydenko did it with precision accuracy.

Only time he blinked was on 1st set leading 4-3 [with a break of serve], thats the only time he felt nerves to lose a serve.

Minus points of the match
-------------------------
1]Very Poor Officiating by line referees , to many mistakes, both players lost faith on line calls. Davydenko was the most to suffer, some of his line shots which he didn't challenge were actually clean shots.

2]Nadal taking hell lot of time in between serves, twice it was clocked to be over 40 secs, the one precision clocking was displayed was on 1st set when the score line was 4-4 30-30 Nadal serving took too many seconds to serve. No idea when the chair umpire will have the guts to penalize him.

All in all a great match, and congrats Davydenko and Nadal for the impressive show.

Del Potro stand-in man for doubtful Federer

U.S. Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro will stand in for Roger Federer at the invitational Kooyong Classic in January if the Swiss world number one decides against defending his title, organisers said on Tuesday.

Federer thrashed compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka to win the title earlier this year, but is in doubt for the Jan. 13-19 Australian Open warm-up event due to a shift in priorities having become the father of twin girls.

The 15-times grand slam champion has indicated he may scale back his tournament programme in 2010.

"If Roger decides against playing at Kooyong, or another player withdraws before January 13, Juan Martin will step into the field," tournament director Colin Stubs said in a statement.

"I am delighted that such strong back-up plans have been put in place," Stubs added of the Argentine world number five.

Apart from missing the 2008 tournament with glandular fever, Federer has been a fixture at the leafy Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club since 2004 and has used it as a springboard to three Australian Open titles.

Organisers said they would be prepared to wait until "the day before" for his confirmation at Kooyong, which guarantees all players in the eight-man field three matches on the same surface used at Melbourne Park for the Australian grand slam.

Organisers have already confirmed seven out of the eight, including Serbian world number four Novak Djokovic, and seventh-ranked Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, of France.

Best Grand Slam Final of 2009

This year has been a superb year for grand slam finals in the men´s singles.

The four finals were.
Oz: Nadal beat Federer 3-2.
FO: Federer beat Soderling 3-0.
Wimbledon: Federer beat Roddick 3-2.
USO: Del Potro beat Federer 3-2.

In terms of excitement of the actual match, FO wasn´t up there, but in terms of the history being made (Federer winning all four slams and equalling Sampras´s record) it was in a class of its own.
I would suggest we vote for the ´best´ primarily on match quality and excitement, while also taking into account the sense of occassion and atmosphere, however really it´s up to you.

So the idea is you just choose one as your favourite and I´ll come along later on when the voting dies down and add them up.

Let voting commence.
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I find it hard to understand how come AO finals was better than US Open, in AO both players didnt play to their potential and in contrast DP came from no where with amazing play on 4th set and win the 5th hands down to win the title.

The 4th set of USO was the best set of any finals, it had the shots which no other finals had [some amazing groundstrokes from DP, yet Fed found some way to break DP to take it to tie breaker], before the 4th set tiebreaker Fed was 1 point short of match point at 0-30 in DP's server, yet DP played like a GOAT and won the Game , then set and then Match.

USO - 5 Stars
Wimby -3 stars
AO - 2 stars
FO -1 star

FO wasnt bad, but Sod was just no match to Fed, if Sod would have beaten Fed from that no where position it could be up top with USO.

Last but not least people talk about Nadal's epic semi against Nando in AO, but the gap btw semis and finals was 48 hours and not less than 24 hours in case of USO, so for DP to beat Nadal and Federer in less than 48 hours was breath taking and the best performance of the year.

You cant beat The GOAT and GOAT killer in 2 successive days of a GS,if somebody does that he deserves the moment of the year.

Davis Cup World Group 2010 play off

Davis Cup 2010 World group play off

Spain* V Switzerland
Germany V France*
Russia* V India
Argentina V Sweden*
Ecosder V Croatia*
USA V Serbia*
Chile* V Iseral
Czech Republic V Belgium*

* At home

Ties are shown according to quarters

Cracking ties Rafa V Roger and Novak V Andy
Rather top heavey draw, winners of Serbia/USA will almost certianly will be favorite to go to the final

But some amazing first round ties. The Roger V Rafa tie will be amazing, I was thinking at they would have to face each other, and I'm right.

2010 slam winners: sentimental & realistic

Looking ahead to next year who would be the sentimental choice to win each slam and who would be the 'realistic' choice? Bearing in mind that now Fed has beaten Sampras and won French Open he's less of a 'sentimental choice' than before (though still may be for some!).

Australian Open: Men - sentimental choice - a 1st time slam winner, lets go for Andy Murray - otherwise, a talented older player like Nalbandian (who'll be back by then) or Gonzalez. Realistic choice - Nadal has a good chance of defending. Del Potro probably as a narrow favourite, Djokovic, Federer and Murray all in with a shout.
Women: Dementieva as sentimental choice, with her game she ought to have won a slam by now, especially on hardcourts. Realistic choice - Serena, Sharapova, Kuznetsova or one of the Belgian 'de-retired' players

French Open - Sentimental choice men - now Roger's won it, lets go for a Frenchman. Out of the French, Monfils looks the best equipped to win the home slam. He loves performing in front of a partisan home crowd, he'd be a massive hero if he pulled it off. Realistic choice - A two horse race between Del Potro and Nadal.
Women, sentimental choice - Safina, I think she's at her best on clay and it would be good to see her conquer her slam demons. Sharapova, to complete her set of slams, and also possibly Serena as she's a bit of a clay underdog.
Realistic choice - Henin, if fit.

Wimbledon - Sentimental choice, for me, not Murray, but Roddick, who's in danger of going down in history as best grasscourt player never to have won Wimbledon. The crowd would be on his side having seen his valient efforts in this year's final. I'm not even particularly a Roddick fan but he'd be a worthy Wimbledon champion. Haas would be one for the purists. Realistic choice - Federer, possibly Nadal if fit. And Roddick is a pretty realistic choice too.
Women - sentimental choice - Henin, so she's won all 4 slams. Clijsters would be another sentimental choice, and out of the new players, Wozniacki would be popular. Realistic choice - Venus, Serena or (if fit) Sharapova. Henin does have a decent shout though.

US Open - sentimental choice, Nadal. Fed would be the first to congratulate him on what would be a great achievement of winning all slams. Realistic choice - Del Potro, Federer or Murray. Djokovic a possibility too - he has been v consistent at US Open.
Women - sentimental choice, Venus, she's not won a slam away from Wimbledon for a while. Otherwise, Dementieva if she's still slamless. Realistic choice - Serena, Henin, Sharapova (if fit), possibly Azarenka.

Davis Cup - Switzerland would be a sentimental choice, give Fed a Davis Cup victory. Argentina came agonisingly close last year and it'd be nice to see them win - they have a potentially tricky opening tie in Sweden though. Realistically, its difficult to see past Spain or Russia. Argentina may have an outside chance though.

Roger Federer way better than Pete Sampras

Why Roger Federer is the best of all time or why he is called the GOAT
Lets discuss
1]16 Grandslams and counting
2]An all court and all surface player
3]237 consecutive weeks as no.1 [285 total weeks*]
4]Won 2 GS for 5 consecutive years [US Open 2004-2008* and Wimbledon -2003-2007]
5]Only the 3rd man in Open era to win all 4 slams
6]23 consecutive semifinals *
7]22 Grandslam finals *
8]World No.1 ranked player for a full period of 3 years [2005,2005 and 2007]
9]All Legends of Tennis games,media and fans accept it. *
10]Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for four consecutive years (2005–08)
11]Most complete allround player of all time
Negatives
1]Poor h2h against No.2 player Rafa of his generation [even-though most losses came only on clay courts]
Lets Discuss Pete Sampras
1]14 GrandSlam wins
2]7 Wimbledon wins
3]World No. 1 by the ATP for a record 286 weeks.
4]World No.1 for 6 consequtive year end.
Negatives
1]Losing to Jack and Jill players of claycourts in Clay tournaments
2]Never Managed to Make french-open Final let alone win it
3]One dimensional player who relied heavily on his serve to win on fast surface, but found wanted on slower surface often by ordinary players
4]Negative H2h record even agains players like who never was ranked better than top 35 at their peak ,Paul Harruis, L Peas, etc,.
5]Didnt have a great record on Australian Open either , and was thrashed by Many Champions.
So final analysis
Roger Federer holds 11 plus and 1 negatives = 10 Points, in comparision Sampras holds 4 plus and 5 negatives = -1.
Lets also remember Roger Federer lead Pete Sampras h2h by 1-0.
Thats the time Roger a teenager won a Defending Wimbledon Champion in Sampras in his best surface, shows clearly how far Roger is a better player than Sampras.
Lets hail the Best Tennis Player of all time - Roger Federer , rightly declared as GOAT.

Roger Federer fined $1500 for swearing on officials

Roger Federer has been fined $1,500 (£900) for swearing while arguing with the umpire during the US Open final.

Television microphones caught the outburst as Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro ended the world number one's five-year unbeaten run in New York.

A tournament spokesman said Federer was being docked the same amount as Vera Zvonareva of Russia and Austria's Daniel Koellerer for audible obscenity.

Serena Williams was fined $10,000 (£6,000) for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The American was also fined $500 (£300) for racquet abuse.

Canada's Daniel Nestor was docked $5,000 (£3,000) for unsportsmanlike conduct towards a fan, bringing the grand total for the tournament to $31,500 (£19,000).

Can Carolina Wozniacki win a slam?

It is good to see that Wozniacki has now got a ranking of 6. She deserves it, as Wozniacki was able to reach the finals of the US open, and has won more than 60 matches this year.

So can she continue to do well? she does cover the court well, and looks like a consistent player, but doesn't seem to have weapons that can help her to get more winners. It looks like, she depends on others to make un forced errors, and also has a habit of making double faults at crucial times.

So your views on Wozniacki.

Ivo Karlovic creates the Ace Record in tennis

Ivo Karlovic hit 78 aces, destroying his own previous record of 55 to make a new record for number of aces in a match. Well done to him - an impressive achievement to not just break the record but blow it apart.

Of course one of the most interesting things about this is that he still lost the match (16-4 to Stepanek in the 5th with the 4 first sets on tiebreaks)! As he did when he hit 55! So hmm what does this tell us about the rest of his game?

Hawkeye and Umpiring standards.

I rarely comment on the tennis board too much wumming goes on. However I was wondering if people feel that the advent of hawkeye has caused a drop in umpiring and line call standards and if the knock on effect of this is players losing confidence in the officials.

I question how acurate hawkeye actually is especially after the USO as the commentors there seemed to know that it was not that acurate. Is the technology used the same the world over or does it differ from tournament to tournament.

Too often I have seen it used in a tactical way to upset a player or to allow the challenger to regroup. Surely this is gamesmanship.

I would like to see higher standards of officials especially umpires who are assertive enough to enforce the laws.

I dislike hawkeye in cricket and I dislike it in Tennis as I feel ultimately it underminds the officials.

Del Potro Bashed Bashed and Bashed

Till the week before USO started, most die hard fans of the respective heros kept bashing DP from all corners claiming the following things

1]He cannot beat a Top 4 player
2]He is too tall to win a slam
3]He cant wear sleeve less, he looks Ugly [as if only one player is allowed to wear sleeve less]
4]Del Potro is a chocker
5]Del Potro is a Federer worshiper
6]Del Potro is a Mug
7]Talentless clown
8]Just a ball basher
9]Doesnt have a weapon

Strangely after his USO win they have change their thoughts, and started to jump to DP bandwagon, while its good to have a bigger bandwagon, its pity that players are appreciated only when then win and not when the lose after a hard fought loss.

If you ask me DP played better on FO against Fed, only to tire out in the end to lose to the champion, but still some claimed him as a chocker. The same player till the fortnight before finals was branded as a chocker, isint that ridiculous?

To be frank a true tennis fan would have spot the talent on DP a long time back atleast by the start of this year.

Winning is not everything its the only thing. so respect the players rather than bashing them or calling them as chockers, a critic is fine but bashing not.

Last but not least I wont be surprised if Soderling is hailed as a hero next year by the same guys who called him chockerling till now.

Del Potro dismisses Nadal threat

In an astonishing interview, Del Potro dismissed the threat of Rafael Nadal - not even bothering to mention the Mallorcan when questioned about the challenges ahead.

"I'm starting out but my new dream is to be number one," said the Argentine. "Roger is still a cut above the rest and Andy Murray is having a great year. I'm trying to close the gap."

Yet more evidence that the Argentine has cracked Nadal’s game and feels he no longer even deserves consideration.

Thanks to Cilic

In all fairness I have to say thanks to Cilic for bringing Murray down in the USO [I am not a Murray basher], then why I am happy? simple answer if Murray would have made QF, DP then would have had to beat the world no.2,3,1 in a row to win the title, and I am not sure it ever happened in tennis history where a seeded player beat top3 in a row to win the title.

Not only Murray being Boogey Man to DP's game, it would have taken hell lot out of DP mentally as well as physically to win Murray ,Rafa and Federer in a row.

But those who didnt see Cilic vs. DP' QF match missed some superb tennis from cilic's racket. In the first 1 1/2 set Cilic made DP look like a mere ball boy, and I for once worried whether DP will get past him, thanks to Cilic again for doubting himself in the mid of 2nd set once DP's groundstrokes came into play.

Cilic certainly looked a better talent out of two in the first set with plenty of variety and matching groundstrokes, but he was no comparison to DP' mental strength and had to bow, so its time Cilic ,for you to work on this aspect, and who knows we might have two 6'6 towers at the top2 slot in the future.

ArGaintine Firey Form

Several Del Potro fans including me having been saying this all summer "Please do not count Del Boy out", but yet his bashers were so rude to him before Rafa match and called him a chocker and some of them even thought its an easy ride for Rafa, but guess what this guy has in him to beat any player when on song, and two matches in a row was just plain evidence of his potential.

Inspite of being Del Potro fan, I myself never expected him to win the title after the 3rd set, I for once thought Roger will pull it off with his experience, but the Gentle Giant never gave up and guess what started to hit Mad Angle Winners from all parts of court.

It Indeed made Fed panic of what to do, since he would have been well aware of what happend to Rafa on the previous match who is one of the best baseliner, these kinda indecisions on what to do than thinking what he did on 1st two sets costed the match,ofcourse not to forget the Fiery passing bullet ground strokes from the Gaint.

I started to feel sorry for Federer because nobody can handle those groundstrokes and DP's movement on 4th set was shocking good.

The Key moment came When Roger lost his cool when one of his Ace was turned down on 2nd set when DP complained that he was not ready, and that made Roger a bit angry and the downfall started which otherwise could have been a straight set win for Roger. Roger then made two double faults and Potty struck a wonderfull forehand down the line passing shot the get the break back, from there on Potty was a different monster.



To conclude this win just shows how difficult it is to win a slam and Roger deserve all his accolades for the 15 titles he have, but today is the birth of new Superstar who is fearless to say the least in handling big players on big matches.

Can Del Potro be an all time Great Tennis player?

I know it's too early to make such a statement but i found this article written by rob York and i want to hear the opinion of knowledgeable tennis fans, please not childish opinions.

"DELPO certainly appears to be an evolutionary leap in the sport; at three inches taller than Boris Becker and Pancho Gonzales, he’s the tallest major champion the sport has ever seen. Also, in a game rife with Big Forehands, his may be without peer on a day like Monday.

However, he lacks the complete game that we have seen among the GOAT candidates from Federer to Sampras to Laver. Those guys had careers that spanned decades and won majors in the double-digits because they were world-class in all areas, be it the groundstrokes, the serves, the movement, and the volleys. This gave them more options and gave their games a timeless quality

Del Potro isn’t phenomenal in all these departments; it’s just that the weapons he brought to the table in this event were bigger than what had been seen before him. Players who represent evolutionary leaps, hitting and/or serving harder and/or better than those who came before them can have highly distinguished careers: Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, and Andre Agassi are all good examples.

Those who lack dedication (like Marat Safin) or who see the game evolve past them (like Andy Roddick or Jim Courier) achieve less. The quality of del Potro’s career victories from here on really depends on how bad he wants it, and whether or not there’s another evolutionary leap while he’s active.

The second factor is unknowable; regarding the first, his career progression seems a lot closer to Connors than to Safin."

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An oppurtunity to become World no.2,Nole

I just noticed an interesting thing which could happen considering Rafa's tough first round and Murray's tough draw.

Ok let me come to the point I am trying to stress, if Rafa crash out of USO in the 1st round [faces Gasquet in 1st round] and if Murray crash out of USO before quarters [Likely opponent DP on Quarters] and if Novak wins US open 2009 he will be the new no.2.

Yea its almost close to miracle to see all possibilities go his way, but will Noval capitalise if both Murray and Rafa crash out early? I still doubt he will.

This is why Murray's achivement of being no.2 in the world should be appreciated, he got a small opening when Rafa withdrew from Wimby and he made sure he grab it with both hands.

Del Potro have tools to crack Rafa Code

I heard an interesting commentary during Cincy masters on how effective Rafa's serve is to right handers on most surfaces.

Rafa's Lefty spin with wide angle generates enormous bounce and angle that troubles right handers to a great extreme, yes he doesn't have a service that could produce ace after ace but its one of the most consistent first serve as well second serve in the circuit.

DP is tall enough to handle those high bounces Rafa could generate with his serve, this gives an edge for DP to handle Rafa's serve compared to the other top 5 players in ATP rankings.

In return DP's serve is good enough to keep on him on track even though not big enough like other tall guys lik Karlovic , Isner or Querry.

So DP is up on this issue

Then comes the rally

This will be an interesting contest, long rallies against Big Groundstrokes, so it could boil down to consistency from DP and form of Rafa to decide the winner.

Where Rafa could pound the Gentle giant is by Dropping short [Dropping short with Drop shot]time and again like Murray does.

One thing is clear if DP improves his consistency and beats one of the top3 in a slam he will take the confidence from it to become a bigger force in coming years.

I hope DP exhibits his fullest of talent come US open Semi against Rafa.

Go Del Potro Go

Joe the Joker and Jokes

Mirka might have accidentally come across Joe , Jokers and his joke threads on 606 and would have laughed all day and would have just remained Roger ahead of the finals and Roger laughed at the court at the expense of Nole.

May be Mirka would have said to Roger "listen finish it quick,its your day to change the diapers".

Last but not least Roger earned the respect today for his awesome play, may be its time the wums show the respect rather than making Roger laugh again on the courts come US open.

Sorry Nole, if Roger's both backhand and forehand fire at will then there is least an opponent can do on the court.