grand slam Tag

It’s January of 2009, and 21 year old Novak Djokovic has just retired from his 4th Grand Slam match in only his 17th appearance. While trailing American Andy Roddick in the 4th set, Djokovic complained of sickness due to the sweltering Australian heat. Were used to this sort of thing by now. Novak is not a fighter… yet. Many fans sadistically viewed this Aussie retirement as karma after an ugly verbal incident between the two men at the previous year’s U.S. Open. Roddick had flippantly remarked that Novak was alwaysRead More

Few things are completely certain, but the exception lies in the world of tennis. Fans have become accustomed to Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal participating in every grand slam final. Well the waves of change are a flowin’. Kei Nishikori and Marin Cilic will face off in Flushing Meadows today.     Significance This 2014 US Open Final will be a landmark occasion. Since the 2005 French Open, every grand slam final has included at least one of the big 3 (Fed, Djok, Nadal). That’s 9 1/2 yearsRead More

Yesterday’s men’s quarterfinals featured unbelievable displays of physical ability by Novak Djokovic and Kei Nishikori. Djokovic notched a big win last night with his victory over Andy Murray. While earlier in the day, Nishikori defeated favorite Stanislas Wawrinka in 5 sets. But the score lines don’t explain these results very accurately. Anyone who saw last night’s match can attest to the obvious difference in physicality between Djokovic and Murray. By the fourth set, it was becoming pronounced. Murray opened his service game with a strange, 70 mph first serve usingRead More

Men’s Final Novak Djokovic entered Sunday No. 2 in the world. His opponent for the French Open title was none other than the world No. 1 Rafael Nadal. On top of being No. 1, Rafa is an 8-time French Open champion. Djokovic was looking for his first title at Roland Garros. The first set went 6-3… Djokovic. The second… 7-5 Nadal. Rafa roared back for a hard fought second set win and brought that energy right into the third set taking five straight games in the stretch. The roles reversedRead More

After the usual 5 month hiatus following the Aussie Open, springtime in Paris has arrived. But a breeze of intrigue and uncertainty has befallen this French Open. The perennial favorites are still the favorites, but where they will finish remains a mystery. Let’s examine these perennial particulars and make some fun predictions…. Roger Federer Whether the year is 2004, or 2014, Federer is always a favorite to win a tournament. If you type in ‘longevity personified,’ you will see his image next to Ron Paul and Jesus. And it isRead More