Category: Tennis (Page 14 of 27)

      Will Andy Roddick win the U.S. Open?

      August 30, 2009 /

      Roddick

      I hope so, but it’ll be tough to take down Roger Federer given his recent dominance and past success at Flushing Meadows. Either way, that’s not stopping some critics from predicting an upset.

      THINK! Tennis is a strategy as much as a physical thing. Don’t fall apart just because you’ve fallen behind.

      Roddick has heard these things for years, from one coach after another.

      It took this long to finally hit him that his career had peaked, and was only going to go one direction from here.

      What Wimbledon showed, what made for the converts, was that Roddick finally understood. He had started listening to the latest coach, Larry Stefanki.

      In defeat at Wimbledon, he was a guy not afraid in crunch time, a guy who had lost weight, learned a backhand, come to the net occasionally.

      He was a guy fighting to the death on the other guy’s, the king’s, favorite court, the sport’s most-hallowed ground. Roddick is going to win this Open. The draw opened up perfectly for him. Nadal, Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro will have to fight it out on the other side of the draw.

      I’ll be rooting for Roddick the entire tournament — I just don’t think his chances of winning are very high. He and Federer are in the same draw, along with Novak Djokovic, Fernando Verdasco, and Robin Soderling, who’s been impressive all year. The earliest Roddick could face Federer is in the semifinals and I still believe the Swiss would get the better of the rebounding American.

      Roddick has only one Grand Slam to his name while Federer holds the record with 15. Roddick’s victory came at the 2003 U.S. Open and ever since then he’s been stopped by Federer and Rafael Nadal. Now that Americans (and foreign tennis fans as well) have come around to Roddick, hopefully their support will give him that extra boost if he happens to meet Federer. I’m amazed at what Federer has accomplished in his career, but now it’s time to root for our own guys. Roddick’s win at the U.S. Open wouldn’t just matter for his career, but it is something American tennis desperately needs. We have the Williams sisters, but the competition is so thin on the WTA Tour it’s often grueling to watch. After Andre Agassi retired, Roddick was supposed to carry the torch as America’s dominant male tennis player and win Grand Slam after Grand Slam. While he is undoubtedly the best in the country, it would certainly help the sport in America if he could capture the U.S. Open championship this year.

      Three things that are obvious about Andy Roddick: 1) His wife, Brooklyn Decker, is a smokin’ babe; 2) He looks like Stifler from the “American Pie” movies; 3) Roger Federer always beats him in the important matches. This has been Federer’s year, but enough already! I’d like Roddick’s work ethic and drive to pay off where it counts. And what better place than in New York at the U.S. Open?

      The U.S. Open starts tomorrow and will conclude on September 13th. Early round coverage will air on ESPN2.

      Tennis

      Federer wins title in Cincinnati

      August 23, 2009 /

      Roger Federer continued his dominant season, defeating Novak Djokavic to capture his third Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati.

      The 28-year-old Federer is the fourth player to win at least three titles at the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in the Open Era (since 1968). He has now won 16 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles (16-9 overall), second only to Andre Agassi’s 17, and 61 tour-level titles during his career (61-22 lifetime).

      Federer cruised through the 33-minute first set, which included a 13-minute second game. Djokovic saved six of seven break points but Federer made the breakthrough and went on to secure a second service break in the fourth game. Federer won 16 of 19 service points, while Djokovic clinched his third service game to avoid a 6-0 set.

      The Swiss superstar has a 202-60 match record since playing his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament at the 1999 Sony Ericcson Open in Miami. He trails only Agassi (209 wins).

      Federer, who has been No. 1 in the South African Airways ATP Rankings for 244 weeks – fourth all-time behind Pete Sampras (286), Ivan Lendl (270) and Jimmy Connors (268), has captured three titles this year at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Madrid (d. Nadal), Roland Garros (d. Soderling) and Wimbledon (d. Roddick).

      Well, ladies and gents, it looks like we have a favorite going into the 2009 U.S. Open. Of course, this has already been a remarkable year for Fed, regaining his No. 1 ranking and becoming the Grand Slam record holder. That’s all well and good, but I’m hoping Federer doesn’t cruise through the U.S. Open. His loss to Rafael Nadal in the final at the Australian Open was great, as was his victory over Andy Roddick in the final at Wimbledon. Still, it’s seemed like he’s had an easy time since Nadal took some time off to nurse his knees. Thankfully, Andy Roddick has had a surprising year, giving the fans another epic Wimbledon final, nearly beating the Federer on his favorite surface.

      Hopefully, Nadal can regain his prowess and make a run at the U.S. Open, the only Grand Slam he’s never won. Federer’s secured his place in the pantheon of tennis, so now I don’t feel like a have to root for the guy in every match. I’d like to see the wealth spread a little. Where you at Roddick and Blake?

      Tennis

      Federer likely to play in Davis Cup

      August 5, 2009 /

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      After the U.S. Open, the last notable event that takes place on the ATP calendar is the Davis Cup. It looks like the Swiss team just lucked out, because now Roger Federer is considering joining them in September.

      Federer was missing due to a back injury when Switzerland lost 4-1 to the United States in the first round of the World Group in March at Birmingham, Alabama.

      The Swiss face Italy in a playoff at Genoa on Sept. 18-20 to stay in the elite 16-team group with a chance to win the 2010 title.

      Federer will be 29 when next year’s final is played, with few chances left to fulfill his ambition of winning a first Davis Cup title for Switzerland.

      Luethi, who is also part of Federer’s coaching team, said the top-ranked player told him in May and again at Wimbledon that he intended to play in Italy.

      It’s been a crazy year for Federer. First, he ties Pete Sampras in career Grand Slams at the French Open, only to break that very record the next month at Wimbledon. Then he wife gives birth to twin girls.

      Though many tennis players don’t count a win at the Davis Cup as essential, it’s possibly the only accomplishment Federer doesn’t have in his storied career. Count on Fed and teammate Stanislas Wawrinka making a case for Switzerland against Russia and Spain down the stretch.

      Tennis

      Nadal to play in Montreal

      August 4, 2009 /

      After his two month absence from tennis because of knee injuries, Rafael Nadal will attempt to defend his title at the Rogers Cup in Montreal.

      Nadal says on his Web site that he’ll arrive in Montreal on Wednesday to begin preparations for the Aug. 10-16 hardcourt event. He is the defending champion.

      Nadal has been out of action with tendinitis in both knees since losing at the French Open on May 31. He also will play in Cincinnati ahead of the U.S. Open, the only Grand Slam tournament he has never won.

      Rogers Cup spokesman Louis-Philippe Dorais says organizers expect to hear from top-ranked Roger Federer in the next few days on whether he will play.

      This is great news, especially since the U.S. Open is less than a month away. Though this year in tennis has belonged to Roger Federer, it’s been exciting to watch Andy Roddick regain some clout on the court. Since Roddick is pretty much the only male American representative tennis has, that’s the guy I’ll be rooting for. Still, the ATP needs more than two stars. Hopefully Nadal hasn’t lost a step and the Rogers Cup will be a good indication of whether or not he’ll be able to hold his ground at the U.S. Open.

      Tennis

      Rick Reilly = that annoying ”friend”

      July 17, 2009 /

      Rick Reilly puts together a top 10 list of the best sporting events to see live and I couldn’t disagree more with his top 5.

      5. Tour de France — Like trying to get to 20 Super Bowls in 23 days, but worth it. Pick a climbing stage, bring friends and a bike, ride the course in the morning before the race (you’re allowed), have lunch in a hamlet atop some exquisite Alp, watch the heart-skipping finish, have a bottle of Bordeaux, spend the night, bike down in the morning. Rinse and repeat.

      4. North Carolina vs. Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium — Fans pulling the hair of Tar Heels players as they inbound the ball; students camping out for months in K-Ville for tix; the hilarious chants from the Crazies, who once yelled at Grant Hill’s parents, “One more kid!”; public school vs. private; an electricity that makes the Final Four and its corporate crowd seem like a three-day seminar on bunions.

      3. Wimbledon — There’s nothing in America within a par-5 of it. It’s a Windsor Castle garden party with grunting. It’s queens and cobblers, cheek to cheek, over grounds so huge it would take you and your Toro a month to mow. It’s a phantasmagoria of color — greens and purples and yellows — and that’s just Bud Collins’ pants.

      2. Kentucky Derby — My life’s aspiration was to be Damon Runyon, and the Derby is as close as I’ll get. With its wooden stands, elegant barns, men in seersucker suits and women in hats you could land an F-14 on, it’s 1927 everywhere you look. Don’t miss the fillies the day before in the Kentucky Oaks or the Barnstable Brown Gala or the awful race-day breakfast at Wagner’s Pharmacy, across from Gate 3. If you hear a tip there, book it, because everyone around you is a trainer, an owner or a groom.

      1. Masters — Sneak into the clubhouse for the peach cobbler and steal into the Eisenhower Cabin, where some paintings are actually by Eisenhower. Do the par-3 tourney Wednesday and Arnie’s first tee shot Thursday; see the droop-shouldered cut players driving out Magnolia Lane Friday, Amen Corner Saturday and golf history Sunday. Because Augusta already has most of the money printed in America, it has not sold out an inch. There are no ads, just flowers. No luxury boxes, just $1.50 egg salad sandwiches. Timeless.

      You know that friend that we all have? You know the one – the guy/girl that only likes things that are not in the mainstream? All of his or her favorite bands are underground and all the movies that he or she likes are ones that nobody else enjoyed because they, “just didn’t get it.” We’re okay with these friends, but we know damn well that the only reason they like certain things is because they’re not in the mainstream.

      Yeah, that’s Reilly in this piece.

      I’ve never been to the Masters, Kentucky Derby, Wimlbedon or Tour de France, so as far as I know they’re the most thrilling events of all-time to see live. But I’m more focused on Reilly here. Was he just trying to be different with this list? Is he trying to separate himself from other top 10 lists? Because I find it incredibly odd that he left out the main four (MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL) out of his top 5.

      If he did so just to be different, I find him more annoying than every before.

      College Basketball, College Football, MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, Tennis

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