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

Preview: Australian Open Lead Up Events

Down under, channel 7 showed their first advertisement for the summer of tennis yesterday. Check it out.  Redfoo sure is excited.  But seriously, who could blame him.
To wet the appetite for the action ahead, we check out the Aus Open lead up events. Who, what, where, how and why.  We’ve got you covered.

                                         Channel 7 Advertisment For The Summer Of Tennis

It all kicks off in Australia, on the 28th of December at the Hyundi Hopman cup. What follows is a smorgasbord of tennis. For a summary of who is playing which event and where you can watch the action live, check out our summary table below. For information on the Kooyong classic, visit http://www.aamiclassic.com.au/

	Hyundi Hopan Cup	Brisbane International	Apia International Sydney
Dates	Dec 28 - Jan 4	Dec 29 - Jan 5	Jan 5 - Jan 11
Location	Perth Arena	Queensland Tennis Centre	Sydney Olympic Park
Drawcards	8 of the world's top 20. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Sam Stosur, Bernard Tomic, Petra Kvitova, Milos Ranonic	Roger Federer, Marin Cilic, Lleyton Hewitt, Serena Williams, Victoria Azarenka, Maria Sharapova	Juan Martin Del-Potro, Jerzy Janowicz, Nicolas Almagro, Caroline Wozniacki, Agnieszka Radwanska
Format	Each tie consists of a men’s and women’s singles match and a mixed doubles match.	Knockout format. 32 player draw.	Knockout format. 32 player draw.
Past Winners	2013 Spain: Anabel Medina Garrigues & Fernando Verdasco. 2012 Czech Republic: Tomas Berdych & Petra Kvitova	2013: Andy Murray & Serena Williams.            2012: Andy Murray & Kaia Kanepi	2013: Bernard Tomic & Agnieszka Radwanska. 2012: Jarkko Nieminem & Victoria Azarenka
TV Guide	Every session live on 7Mate	Channel 7 Network Live	Channel 7 Network Live

	Hobart International	World Tennis Challenge
Dates	Jan 5 - Jan 11	Jan 7 - Jan 9
Location	Domain Tennis Centre Hobart	Memorial Drive Adelaide
Drawcards	Sam Stosur, Venus Williams, Laura Robson,	Thanasi Kokkinakis & Pat Cash. Jeremy Chardy & Henri Leconte.       Martina Hingis.
Format	Knockout format. 32 player draw.	Teams Event with a 'Current player' and 'legend' from each country
Past Winners	2013 Elena Vesnina (RUS). 2012 Mona Barthel (GER)	N/A - Exhibition Tournament
TV Guide	Channel Ten Network	Fox Sports

All roads lead to Melbourne Park

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.

Top 3: Matches Of 2013

With the Australian summer of tennis just around the corner, we look back on the highlights of the incredible season that has just been. Here is the best of the best; the top 3 matches of 2013.

3.  Novak Djokovic Defeated Juan Martin Del-Potro 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-7(6), 6-3 - Wimbledon Semifinal

 Leading into the Wimbledon semi final of 2013, the only previous grass court encounter between these two heavyweights of tennis had been at the London 2012 Olympics. With the previous encounter going the way of the Argentine, the stage was set for a match which could go in anyone's favor.  In the longest Wimbledon semifinal in history, Djokovic won 6-3 in the fifth in four hours and 43 minutes. "It was one of the best matches that I've been a part of, one of the most exciting definitely" Djokovic said.

2. Rafael Nadal Defeats Novak Djokovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7(3), 9-7, Roland Garros Semifinals

Highlights: http://eurosport.yahoo.com/video/highlights-djokovic-v-nadal-160620584.html

With Djokovic seeking to become the first male to win the first two Grand Slams of a calendar year in over 20 years and Nadal searching for a record eighth Roland Garros title, the stakes were incredibly high for this semi-final match-up.  The match itself did not disappoint. Going toe to toe for nearly five hours, the Serbian jumped out to an early fifth set lead. Yet the will and spirit of Nadal (as well as Djokovic's net touch at a crucial moment) allowed Nadal to eventually close out the match 9-7 in the deciding set. Afterwards John McEnroe stated this was the highest quality clay court match he had ever witnessed.

1. Novak Djokovic Defeats Stanislas Wawrinka 1-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-7, 12-10 - Australian Open Fourth Round

 Considered by most as the match of the tournament, the fourth round encounter between once again Novak Djokovic and the Swiss number two Stanislas Wawrinka  even outshone the Federer v Murray match in the semifinals. Incredibly even Djokovic clinching his third Aussie Open crown provided merely the footnote to this encounter.  With blistering shot making and grueling rallies, this match had it all. Ending at 1:41am on Monday morning, the Sunday night blockbuster lasted five hours and two minutes.

“Especially I was dealing with myself all the five hours, trying to always find solutions, trying to always fight against me and against him to stay with him. At the end I was really, really close. For sure I'm really sad. But I think there is more positive than negative.” - Wawrinka reflecting on his loss to the then world number 1.