Lleyton Hewitt: It's Not Over Till It's Over

As Lleyton Hewitt spends the evening in the quaint seaside town of Newport, south of Boston, he has every reason to smile.

In a feat rarely seen on the professional circuit, the Australian’s triumph in both the singles and doubles with fellow Aussie Chris Guccione took his career tally to an incredible 30 singles and 3 doubles titles. The feat places him alongside elite company, joining Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic as the only active players to have amassed over 30 singles titles. 

The South Australian’s 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3) win over second seed Ivo Karlovic in the Newport final will also send the top ranked Aussie to no. 41 in the world.  This feat holds even more significance when it is considered that Hewitt has long since considered his ranking irrelevant, expressing his desire to play primarily for the Majors and the Davis Cup.

Just weeks ago, after a second round exit at Wimbledon, Hewitt was once again subject to illogical calls for retirement.  “I’ve been asked that question for 5 or 6 years now”  stated Hewitt post Wimbledon.  In 2001, the gutsy Australian led the charge and the fact that he remains the No. 1 Aussie today is a testament to Hewitt’s incredible vitality and determination.

While there are extremely encouraging signs from the emerging wave of juniors, led by 19 year old Nick Kyrgios, there are no signs that Lleyton Hewitt will hang up the racquets any time soon.  

Yet when he finally does, he has rightfully earnt his place amongst the immortals of the game.

All Swiss Final In Monte Carlo

You'd have had very long odds for an all Swiss final at the Monte Carlo Country Club this year, but an all Swiss affair it will be, with both Stanislas Wawrinka and Roger Federer through to the final in the Principality of Monaco!

2014 Monte Carlo Masters Final: Stan v Roger

Ferrer v Wawrinka:

What a difference a day makes. After stunning Rafael Nadal yesterday, Ferrer was simply blown away by a rampaging Wawrinka who hit 40 winners in a 6-1, 7-6(3) win.

The 11 time ATP clay court champion Ferrer, was no match for Wawrinka's accurate firepower, despite his fairly dominant head to head record against the current Swiss No. 1.

"He started playing unbelievable," stated Ferrer. "I didn't have any option to stop him. I didn't return serve very well. In the second set, he made a few more mistakes. I played with more power on my forehand. But, anyway, Stan was better. All the time he moved the ball better than me."

After a drop in form in Indian Wells/ Miami, it seems the 'Stanimal' has returned.

Djokovic v Federer:

Chasing an unprecedented 5th consecutive Masters 1000 title, Djokovic's reign was ended overnight by the 32-year-old Federer  with a 7-5, 6-2 victory in 75 minutes.

Hampered by an injured right wrist, which was heavily strapped, Federer took full advantage of a struggling Djokovic and broke the Serb twice.

"Of course, I did see that Novak was struggling at one point," said Federer. "For me it was more just making sure that from my side I was playing a good, solid, tough match with some good defensive play sometimes, but mostly trying to stay on the offensive as much as I could. I think I was able to deliver from my side, which is key."  He lost just five points on serve in the second set.

Djokovic may be sidelined for multiple weeks following the injury, which places doubts on his return to World Number 1.

Highlights:

The semifinals wins mean it will be the first all-Swiss ATP World Tour final since 2000 Marseille.
Who will you be cheering for?

Super Saturday

Match Of The Day

Gael Monfils;  boring, uninspiring, clumsy, fragile.  These are words that are not in Gael’s dictionary. In fact, he probably doesn’t know that these words even exist. The vibrant Frenchman is an entertainer and it would be a fair bet to say there is no more dynamic a performer in men’s tennis, then this flexible showman. 

Tonight he comes up against the world number one on the biggest stage.  When asked in French if he would prefer afternoon or night, the playful Monfils answered emphatically, “le soir, le soir.” He gets his wish, prime-time under lights at Rod Laver Arena.

Men’s Round 3 Picks

Teymuraz Gabashvilli v Roger Federer [6]

Teymuraz has beaten some quality (Stakhovsky & Verdasco) on his way to a third round class with the Swiss Maestro.  But is another upset on the cards? Unlikely. Federer in 3 against the world number 79.

Milos Raonic [11] v Grigor Dimitrov [22]

Raonic is aiming to reach his fifth Grand Slam round of 16, Dimitrov his first. Every bit of experience helps. Raonic in four.

Donald Young v Kei Nishikori [16]

Nishikori in 4.

Rafael Nadal [1] v Gael Monfils [25]

Monfils can play like a rockstar, but he hasn’t got a back-up band – and Nadal is all about long solo performances. Nadal in four.

Roberto Bautista Agut v Benoit Paire [27]

After taking out Canberra's Nick Kyrgios in 5 sets, Paire is in for another marathon.

Paire in 5. 

   

Andy Murray [4] v Feliciano Lopez [26]

Murray's record against Lopez speaks for itself.

Murray in 3.

Jo-Wilfred Tsonga [10] v Gilles Simon [18]

Tsonga is playing a weary and worn-out opponent after Simon, sore ankle and all, went five sets in each of his first two rounds. Tsonga in four.

The Action So Far:

A week with heatwaves, epic 5 setters, the emergence of new Aussie stars and the ever present Henri Leconte... Melbourne is having a blast.

But it's fair to say that the weather has been a little weird…

There has also been plenty of action on the courts. Cramping has been a constant throughout the week, but Robredo thought he'd pretend to be hurt in an altogether different way...

The Big Questions for 2014 (Part 1) - A. Lark

2013 proved to be another year of high drama and scintillating tennis on the men’s tour.  The theatrics were led by a stunning return to the pinnacle of the game by the humble Majorcan, a first Wimbledon title for the feisty Scotsman, an uncharacteristically trying season for the Swiss superstar, and a brutal run of wins to close out the year by the Djoker.  But as is always the case in sport, what is done fades quickly into the annals of our collective memory and thoughts turn to what is next.  And with the Australian Open kicking off tomorrow, its time to have a look at some of the big questions that will be answered throughout the 2014 season.

Question 1: Who will prevail in the battle for world number 1?

2013 saw a two horse race for the number one position.  The dominance of Nadal and Djokovic throughout last year, coupled with injury concerns for Murray, and big questions over Federer’s form, suggests that the major battle of 2014 will again be one fought between Majorcan and the Serb.  The Djokovic-Nadal rivalry is fast becoming one of the game’s greatest, exemplified by some brutal encounters across a range of surfaces such as their epic (6hr) clash in the final of the 2012 Australian Open and their semi-final at Roland Garros last year that ended 9-7 in the fifth.  Add to that an increased aggressiveness to Nadal’s baseline play, and a greater willingness from Djokavic’s to come to net, and we’re bound to see more enthralling duels between two of the game’s greats.  So sit back and enjoy the next instalment of this battle for the supremacy in the men’s game.

Question 2: Will Federer be a force to be reckoned with in 2014?

 

It’s almost hard to believe just in October of 2012 Roger had just logged his 300^th week at number one in the world.  But what a difference a year can make, with Roger now sitting somewhat unnaturally at number 6 in the rankings.  And, after a tumultuous year by his standards many have suggested his days as a serious competitor in Grand Slams are over.  Whilst one can imaging 2013 was a hard pill to swallow for the Swiss Maestro, it remains to be seen whether the great man still maintains the drive and the physical conditioning required to return to his more familiar hunting ground at the top of the game.  However, a stronger finish to 2013, a new coach, and some more fiery rhetoric at the start of the year suggests that the Maestro isn’t ready to sit back and enjoy the glow of his 17 major trophies just yet. 

Question 3: Will Murray continue his rise?

After climbing the Wimbledon mountain in 2013, it seemed as though Murray had finally proven his worthiness as a member of the games big four.  However, just when it looked like the Scot may be gaining the ascendancy over Djokavic, injury thwarted his run, and in the process any serious chance of defending his US open crown.  Having played precious little in the way of matches since last year’s US open quarter-final loss to Wawrinka, and having undergone back surgery late last year, serious questions hover over Murray’s conditioning leading into the Australian Open.  Whilst the Australian summer will pose a significant challenge for the gritty Scot, he’ll no doubt be looking to add to his two majors by the time Wimbledon rolls around.

Stay tuned for Aus Open updates & Part 2 of The Big Questions for 2014.

And We're Off!

As fireworks bring in the New Year around the world, the new tennis season has certainly started with a bang. The Tennis Forecast reports from Australia.

With temperatures soaring in Perth on the 28th, Agnieszka Radwanska pulled off an impressive victory for Poland over Italy's Flavia Pennetta 6-2 6-2 for the first match of the 2014 Hopman Cup. As the tribe of players, agents, officials and media pour through the Perth, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne airports to escape the snow-covered northern hemisphere for an blast furnace of cloudless skies and kaleidoscope of colour in Australia - the wait for the 2014 season of tennis is over.

In perth, the Australian team of Bernard Tomic and Sam Stosur have lost both their opening ties against Italy and Canada.

Hopman Cup Predictions

Group A Winner: Poland
Group B Winner: France

Hopman Cup Results - 1/1/2014

Aussies Start Strong In Brisbane
In Brisbane, victories from Sam Groth, Ash Barty, Matt Ebden, Casey Dellaqua, Marinko Matoseivc and Lleyton Hewitt have put the Aussies in a commanding position for the second round of matches. Ash Barty (due to play Maria Sharapova in the second round) has withdrawn due to injury.

Ash Barty Press Conference


Sam Groth has followed countryman Lletyon Hewitt into the second round with a hard-fought 7-6(3) 7-6(2) victory over qualifier Ryan Harrison.

The fastest recorded server in the world hammered down 22 aces and won 90% of first serve points.

"I felt like I served really well" said Groth. "First match of the year and I've put a good off-season in and it's a good reward."

In other matches, Nicolas Mahut and Jeremy Chardy both posted wins to set-up an all-French second round clash. Top seed and world No. 6 Roger Feder made his first appearance on Pat Rafter Arena ahead of Wednesday's singles match against Jarkko Nieminen, combining with Mahut to win a doubles clash against Rojer and Tecau.

Roger Federer meets the locals in Brisbane

2nd Round Predictions: Brisbane International:

Roger Federer [1] v Nieminen
Matosevic v Querrey
Anderson [4] v Groth
Mahut v Chardy [8]
Lopez [6] v Hewitt
Copil v Simon [3]
Dimitrov [5] v Cilic
Ebden v Nishikori [2]

Sam Groth has followed countryman Lleyton Hewitt into the second round with a hard-fought 7-6(3) 7-6(2) victory over qualifier Ryan Harrison. - See more at: http://www.brisbaneinternational.com.au/2013/12/hewitt-and-groth-make-it-a-night-for-the-aussies#sthash.4SQD44mO.dpuf

Sam Groth has followed countryman Lleyton Hewitt into the second round with a hard-fought 7-6(3) 7-6(2) victory over qualifier Ryan Harrison.
Boom-server Groth hammered down 22 aces and won 90 per cent of first serves, offering his opponent just one break point in the 94-minute match.
“I felt like I served really well,” said Groth. “I felt that my serve was on and I was hitting my spots.”
“First match of the year and I’ve put a good off-season in and it’s a good reward.”
- See more at: http://www.brisbaneinternational.com.au/2013/12/hewitt-and-groth-make-it-a-night-for-the-aussies#sthash.4SQD44mO.dpuf

Sam Groth has followed countryman Lleyton Hewitt into the second round with a hard-fought 7-6(3) 7-6(2) victory over qualifier Ryan Harrison.
Boom-server Groth hammered down 22 aces and won 90 per cent of first serves, offering his opponent just one break point in the 94-minute match.
“I felt like I served really well,” said Groth. “I felt that my serve was on and I was hitting my spots.”
“First match of the year and I’ve put a good off-season in and it’s a good reward.”
- See more at: http://www.brisbaneinternational.com.au/2013/12/hewitt-and-groth-make-it-a-night-for-the-aussies#sthash.4SQD44mO.dpuf

Sam Groth has followed countryman Lleyton Hewitt into the second round with a hard-fought 7-6(3) 7-6(2) victory over qualifier Ryan Harrison.
Boom-server Groth hammered down 22 aces and won 90 per cent of first serves, offering his opponent just one break point in the 94-minute match.
“I felt like I served really well,” said Groth. “I felt that my serve was on and I was hitting my spots.”
“First match of the year and I’ve put a good off-season in and it’s a good reward.”
- See more at: http://www.brisbaneinternational.com.au/2013/12/hewitt-and-groth-make-it-a-night-for-the-aussies#sthash.4SQD44mO.dpuf

Nadal & Djokovic Undertake Glacier Challenge

The tennis world never really sleeps.
Despite it being the off season, the tours leading players have once again been on the move, launching the 2014 season with a series of exhibition matches throughout South America.

The event organized by the Argentine Ministry of Tourism held at the Perto Moreno Glacier.

 The best two players had a hit on Saturday to promote one of the most visited South American destinations, the Perto Moreno glacier in the southern Argentinian province of Rio Gallegos. Aptly named  "Tennis in the Ice Ages" the mock match took place on board a ferry which had a tennis court specially built to allow the two tennis greats the chance to show their skills.

Both players have also been involved in a series of exhibition matches used as a farewell for the tennis great David Nalbandian who retired this year.  Earlier on thursday in Buenos Aires, Nalbandian, considered one of the greatest players never to win a grand slam, defeated Nadal in straight sets in the friendly match-up.

Andy Murray (returning from surgery) has also been involved in recent charity exhibitions. Last Saturday he returned to the court on Neckar Island, owned by Richard Branson. The Virgin billionaire sponsored the exhibition matchup which saw leading players face off against other celebrities.

Federer however has yet to resurface since his ATP world tour finals semifinal loss. Skipping the South American run of exhibition matches, his plans to concentrate on his form to the 2014 season should see him pose a strong start when he returns to Australia in late December for the Brisbane International.

2013 ATP Rankings Prediction - World Tour Finals

As the 2013 calendar moves into the Asian swing and races to the season ending World Tour Finals, things are seriously heating up. 

With only the top 8 players qualifying for the ATP Emirates World Tour Finals in London, 5 spots remain to join the 3 already qualified players; Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.

Here are my predictions for the top 8 leading into the World Tour Finals:

1^st Rafael Nadal  - After returning from knee injury, Nadal has had an incredible year by any standard. Having missed the Australian Open, the Spanish gladiator swept through the clay-court season gathering 6 titles including a record 8^th French Open.  Despite a first round upset loss to Steve Darcis (ranked 135 at the time) at Wimbledon, Nadal then went on a 17 match winning streak to take out his 13^th Major at the US Open. His US open victory places him 3^rd on the all-time Majors list behind Federer (17) and Sampras (14). Nadal is undefeated on hard courts this season.  If Nadal reaches the final of the China Open in Beijing this week he will return to number one in the rankings. I predict he will take the number one spot and hold on at least until the world tour finals.

Nadal is set to make his 6th appearance at the season ending championships

2^nd Novak Djokovic – Currently clinging onto the number one ranking, Djokovic is walking the tightrope. Unless he can take out the title in Beijing this week, he will relinquish the number one spot to Rafael Nadal. That being said, Novak has had an outstanding season.  The Serbian has compiled a 52-9 win loss record and casually racked up $7.3 million in prize money alone this year (behind only Nadal’s $10.4 million).  Djokovic will not be able to hold onto the number one ranking, unless he can pull the rabbit out of the hat by winning Beijing and the last two Masters 1000 events. Novak will enter the World Tour Finals in second place.

Djokovic broke the 100 weeks at number 1 milestone this year

3^rd Andy Murray – Looking to remain unbeaten on home soil at the O2 arena in London, Andy Murray was the third to qualify for the finals this year. Unless he has problems recovering from his minor back surgery, Murray’s 1000 point lead over Ferrer should coast him in to the finals in 3^rd position. However, I predict Murray will rest over the Asian Tournament Swing in an attempt to be ready for Aus Open 2014 – he may pull out of the finals, allowing another player to take the coveted spot. The Scot has a 43-8 win loss record this season and made waves by winning Wimbledon (the first scot to do so since Fred Perry in 1936).

Murray: currently out of action

4^th David Ferrer – Runner up at the World Tour Finals in 2007, the humble Spaniard has again flown under the radar this season behind the shadow of Nadal. However, his season has been arguably his best yet.  David made his best ever grand slam result this year by reaching the final of the French Open (lost to Nadal).  Backing this up, Ferrer rounded out the year so far with a semi-final appearance at the Australian Open, and quarter final appearances at Wimbledon and the French Open. Always a fierce contender, if David can come close to replicating his Masters Paris win at the end of last year’s season he will enter the finals in fourth position.

2013 - Ferrer's best season yet

5^th Thomas Berdych – Looking to qualify for his 4^th straight year, the Czech has had another exceedingly solid year.  With a 47-18 Win-loss record this season, Thomas has just moved up into 5^th position in the rankings. I expect him to continue on in the same fashion and make a strong finish to the year holding on to his position despite an attack from Federer in 6^th.

Berdych has put in a great year yet still lacks the edge to tackle the top 3

6^th Roger Federer – This year the Swiss genius has had one of his worst years in the past decade. Yet despite this he is currently ranked 6^th in the world -justification to his status as perhaps the sport’s greatest of all time. Federer is currently 7^th in the Year to Date rankings yet I predict a decent showing at the final indoor hard-court events of the year to take him above Juan Martin del Potro.

Federer's shock year has seen him slide from world number 1

7^th Juan Martin Del Potro – A finalist at the WTF in 2009, Del Potro has the power game to challenge any of the game’s elite. However, recovery from a wrist injury has not been without problems.  Del Potro has played fewer matches this season yet wins at Rotterdam & Washington, an Indian Wells final (lost to Nadal) and a semi at Wimbledon has kept him aloft in the rankings. After some time out, spectacular results will not immediately re-emerge yet the Argentine will do enough to scrape qualification for the finals.

Del Potro lost in an epic to Hewitt in the 2nd rd of the US Open

     

8^th Milos Raonic – Jumping from a current ranking of 11^th, the Canadian will usurp Tsonga, Wawrinka and Gasquet to clinch the last spot at the O2 arena. Hoping to make his first appearance at the world tour finals, the young star has been on outstanding form of late.  The 22 year old is largely seen as the leading player of the new generation and his title win at Thailand last week with wins over Gasquet and Berdych sends him into a promising position to make an assault on the top 8. The indoor courts leading into the finals will also support the Canadian’s enormous serve.

The 22 year old has steadily been rising up the rankings