US Open Preview: The Men

On to the men. Let’s jump right in.

First Quarter:

Seeded Players: Rafael Nadal (1), Philipp Kohlschreiber (29), Feliciano Lopez (23), Ivan Ljubicic (15), David Ferrer (10), Ernests Gulbis (24), David Nalbandian (31), Fernando Verdasco (8)

The biggest question going into the US Open is whether Rafael Nadal can complete his career slam at just 24 years old. Nadal’s definitely capable. He’s won the French and Wimbledon this year and won his first hard court slam in Australia in 2009. He’s proved he can do it, but I don’t think this is the year. Nadal generally burns out by the end of the season which means an early (for him) exit in New York. Nadal’s managed his schedule a little better this year, but based on his hard court season, I just don’t see him winning the USO this year. While I don’t think Rafa will win the USO, he will make the semi finals. He’s still 3,000 points ahead of Roger in the rankings and a semi final finish will maintain his points from last year which means he will end the year as number 1. The majority of the Armada is in Nadal’s quarter so he should know his opponents well. He could see countryman Feli Lopez in the 4^th round and possibly Verdasco in the quarters. Ferrer is also floating in there somewhere. One of the best stories coming in to the Open is the resurgence of David Nalbandian. He sneaks in as the last seeded player, but has had a smoking hot summer after returning from injury. My guess is he will make it past Verdasco and Gulbis and into the quarters before losing to Rafa.

Semi Finalist: Rafael Nadal

Possible Sleeper: Alexandr Dolgopolov

Best First Round Match: Ernests Gulbis vs. Jeremy Chardy

Second Quarter:

Seeded Players: Andy Murray (4), Stanislas Wawrinka (25), Sam Querrey (20), Nicolas Almagro (14), Mikhail Youzhny (12), John Isner (18), Radek Stepanek (28), Tomas Berdych (7)

This is an interesting quarter. None of these guys have ever won a Slam, but several of them look well on their way to hoisting a trophy one day. Leading the charge is Andy Murray. Players, commentators, and journalists have all touted Murray as the best player not to win a Slam and often say with certainty that he will win whatever event they’re covering. Murray has previously made the final in New York and this year he made the final of the Australian Open. Both times his quest for the title was easily stripped by Roger Federer. Murray actually has a winning record against Roger Federer, a real oddity on the tour, but can’t seem to get it together in finals. However, he did win Rogers Cup in Toronto this August, defeating Roger Federer for the first time in a tournament final. I expect Andy to get to the semi finals, but he’s got some serious competition on the way. A month ago, I would’ve said that John Isner could have had a real break out at the US Open this year, but he injured his ankle in Cincinnati and it looks very likely that he’ll pull out of the USO draw before the event begins. Tomas Berdych is the biggest threat in the draw. He beat Andy Murray convincingly at the French Open this year en route to the semi finals and made it to the Wimbledon final for the first time. This has been an amazing year for Tomas Berdych and the confidence he’s gained from these Slam results has done wonders. He’ll meet Murray in the quarters and that will be quite a match to watch.

Semi Finalist: Andy Murray

Possible Sleeper: Andrey Golubev

Best First Round Match: Michael Llodra vs. Tomas Berdych

Semi Final: Andy Murray d. Rafael Nadal

Third Quarter:

Seeded Players: Nikolay Davydenko (6), Thomaz Bellucci (26), Gael Monfils (17), Andy Roddick (9), Marcos Baghdatis (16), Mardy Fish (19), Juan Monaco (30), Novak Djokovic (3)

The universe was smiling on Andy Roddick when this draw came out. He’s seeded ninth, which means he could’ve ended up with a much less favorable opponent in the 4^th round and the quarter finals. According to the seeding, his 4^th round opponent should be Nikolay Davydenko, who he has a fairly solid winning record against. In the quarters, he is slotted to play Novak Djokovic, but I’m suggesting our first bracket buster here and I’m going to say that Mardy Fish will take out Novak Djokovic in the 4^th round. Bold move, considering Fish has never played well with expectations, but I’m working off the assumption that he’s a new man and will be able to deal with the pressure. Djokovic is easily the weakest of the top 4 players right now. He’s dealing with some health issues concerning the heat, and the first week of the US Open is likely to be hot. I think Nole’s schedule (night matches vs day) will play a big role in how far he makes it in the tournament. Mardy Fish has had an awesome summer, winning two back to back titles, and making the finals in Cincinnati. I would love to see him do well in front of the US crowd. Baghdatis also deserves a mention in this quarter. He’s had a great summer and could do some damage, but he’s played a lot of tennis and might be a bit tired. All that said, I think Andy Roddick is do some love and will make the semi finals. Unfortunately, he’s set to meet Roger Federer there. If the tennis world was a movie and Andy Roddick was the hero, Federer would be his nemesis. Without Federer, Roddick would be a 5 time Grand Slam champion instead of just one. I hate to say it, but I think Federer will stymie Roddick’s quest once again.

Semi Finalist: Andy Roddick

Possible Sleeper: Thomaz Bellucci

Best First Round Match: Janko Tipsarevic vs. Olivier Rochus

Fourth Quarter:

Seeded Players: Robin Soderling (5), Fernando Gonzalez (27), Albert Montanes (21), Marin Cilic (11), Jurgen Melzer (13), Juan Carlos Ferrero (22), Lleyton Hewitt (32), Roger Federer (2)

The final quarter includes the GOAT, Roger Federer. I don’t care if he comes in as number 1 or number 2 or even number 3. Federer should never be underestimated in a Grand Slam tournament. He has won more of them than any other player and is the owner of 5 US Open trophies. He was a finalist last year and lost an extremely close match to Juan Martin del Potro. The articles saying that Fed’s all washed up are just ridiculous. He may be 29, but he’s definitely got Slam potential left. Roger’s even put a number on it. He would like to retire with 20 Grand Slam titles. This number may sound out of reach for a normal human, but not Roger Federer. He already has 16 titles. What’s 4 more? Plus, by my calculations, he’ll be on trophy closer to his goal in a little over 2 weeks. It’s a shame that Lleyton Hewitt will face Federer in just the 3^rd round. They always put on a great match and it really should’ve been further down the line. Lleyton may have taken their last meeting at Halle, but I think Roger will certainly take this one. The biggest threat to Roger is Robin Soderling in the quarter finals. Soderling beat Federer for the first time this year at the French Open, but Roger still has a steep lead in their head to head.

Semi Finalist: Roger Federer

Possible Sleeper: Dmitry Tursunov

Best First Round Match: Dmitry Tursunov vs. Jurgen Melzer

Semi Final: Roger Federer d. Andy Roddick

Final: Roger Federer d. Andy Murray

US Open Preview: The Women

Alright, so after spending an hour or two fighting with my new printer and watching several hours of ESPN2’s coverage of the Pilot Pen tournament, I have finally come up with my draw for both the men and the women at the US Open. I know, I’m previewing the women’s draw. I’m sure you’re all shocked. What did I learned from scouring the draw? There are an awful lot of names that I neither recognize nor am able to pronounce. However, I am working on this. Currently, I’m watching the Wozniacki/Dementieva semifinal from New Haven on TV. Don’t worry, I can actually recognize both of these ladies. On a side note, I have to say that Caroline worries me a bit. I’m not sure she should have played New Haven this week. It gives her very little time to prep for the USO and she’s had a lot of medical treatment for her back. She may have clinched the US Open Series, but was that worth sacrificing the title in New York?

You’re probably not wondering about my method, but I’m going to tell you anyway. I sat down with a paper copy of both the men’s and women’s draw (sans qualifiers!) and filled in every single slot. Some of my picks are based on obvious gaps in talent, some are hunches, and some are pure wishing. I got a little help from the head to head feature on the WTA website, but that can only tell you so much. If you were dedicated enough to read this far, here is your reward: my picks for the 2010 US Open (women’s side.)

First Quarter:

Seeded Players: Caroline Wozniacki (1), Lucie Safarova (26), Aravane Rezai (18), Maria Sharapova (14), Svetlana Kuznetsova (11), Maria Kirilenko (23), Yaroslava Shvedova (30), and Li Na (8).

Poor Caroline Wozniacki has gotten a lot of flack for being the number 1 seed at this year’s US Open. It’s not her fault that Serena withdrew and it’s not her fault that she’s number 2 in the world. The points don’t lie. She’s won enough matches to be number 2 in the world, plus she’s only 20. She won her first Masters Series title in Montreal last week and has won this year’s US Open Series. She also comes in to the Open as last year’s runner up. To put it lightly, she’s no slouch. However, she did end up with a fairly unfortunate draw. Should they both make it, Caroline will face Maria Sharapova (a former USO champ) in the round of 16. Like I mentioned, I think she’s played a lot of tennis and may have tired herself out. By the time she makes it to Sharapova, she’ll likely be exhausted. Sharapova has been in good form recently and should prevail. I believe she’ll most likely face Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals. Both Sharapova and Kuznetsova have won the US Open before and Kuznetsova won a title this summer, which Sharapova did not. However, Sharapova is a USO favorite and thrives under the lights. Her serve is way more consistent than last year when she lost to Melanie Oudin. Plus, she’ll want as many opportunities as possible to show off her new dresses.

Semi Finalist: Maria Sharapova

Possible Sleeper: Anna Chakvetadze

Best First Round Match: Maria Sharapova vs. Jarmila Groth

Second Quarter:

Seeded Players: Jelena Jankovic (4), Kaia Kanepi (31), Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez (22), Yanina Wickmayer (15), Agnieszka Radwanska (9), Nadia Petrova (17), Alexandra Dulgheru (25), Vera Zvonareva (7)

The second quarter doesn’t quite have a stand out for me. Jelena Jankovic generally puts on a good show and makes it deep into the second week (my guess is she’ll bow out in the quarters,) but for someone who has been world number 1 (she’s currently 5,) she can never seem to convert. If there were any year to have a break through performance, it would be this one. Serena Williams is out of the US Open! She’s far and away the best female tennis player in the world, so her absence opens up the field quite nicely. Jelena hasn’t got a particularly difficult section of the draw. I think Kaia Kanepi had her run at Wimbledon and it’s now over. Yanina Wickmayer made the US Open semi finals last year, but I don’t think she’ll be able to repeat. I’m not entirely sure who Alexandra Dulgheru is. I’m mildly kidding here, but really who is she? The only real threat to Jelena Jankovic in this section is Vera Zvonareva. Vera has mostly been known as a bit of a head case in her time in tennis, but at the moment, she’s doing something right. She made it to the Wimbledon final in both singles and doubles. She may have lost both, but in my book losing to Serena (in the singles) is no big deal. It happens to everyone. This time Serena isn’t there to impede her progress. I think Vera’s got enough game to take out Jelena in the quarter finals and I peg her as this year’s semi finalist.

Semi Finalist: Vera Zvonareva

Possible Sleeper: Andrea Petkovic

Best First Round Match: Nadia Petrova vs. Andrea Petkovic

Semi Final: Maria Sharapova d. Vera Zvonareva

Third Quarter:

Seeded Players: Francesca Schiavone (6), Alona Bondarenko (29), Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (20), Victoria Azarenka (10), Shahar Peer (16), Flavia Pennetta (19), Tsvetana Pironkova (32), Venus Williams (3)

So there’s a Williams sister in this section. That means she should be the semi finalist, right? Wrong. Venus is now 30 years old. She hasn’t won a Slam in 2 years and she is coming into the US Open with some knee injury that kept her from playing the entire summer. If she has a chance at another Slam before retirement, it’s Wimbledon. I think her US Open days are over. Interestingly, she’ll get her chance to avenge her weird loss at Wimbledon 2010. If all goes accordingly, Venus will play Tsvetana Pironkova in the 3^rd round. I don’t think Williams will let Pironkova shock her again. Francesca Schiavone is the next highest seed in this section. I’m not even sure why people are talking about her as a contender. I know she won the French Open and that was a lovely story. But she’s 29 years old and until May has never proven to be all that good. I think she’ll lose early on and eventually we’ll stop talking about her again. So I don’t think Williams or Schiavone is in contention. My pick for section number 3 is Victoria Azarenka. She has had a wonderful summer and proven herself to be a consistent player with a big game. Several experts have chosen Vika as the champion, but I think they’re getting a bit ahead of themselves. She will make the semis though.

Semi Finalist: Victoria Azarenka

Possible Sleeper: Agnes Szavay

Best First Round Match: Alona Bondarenko vs. Vera Dushevina

Fourth Quarter:

Seeded Players: Samantha Stosur (5), Alisa Kleybanova (28), Daniela Hantuchova (24), Elena Dementieva (12), Marion Bartoli (13), Zheng Jie (21), Petra Kvitova (27), Kim Clijsters (2)

Alright, Kim Clijsters is the reigning US Open champion. She defeated Serena Williams in the semi finals last year, a match that included the infamous battle between Serena and the linesman. Kim’s comeback has been pretty impressive and her best performance has always come at the US Open. At the moment, she’s dealing with a slight hip injury. We’re not sure how serious it is because she hasn’t gotten a scan yet. Kim said regardless of what was going on with her hip, there was no way she would miss the USO so it didn’t matter. The fact that she thinks she’s got a shot at defending her title makes me believe that the injury isn’t that serious. She’s also got a pretty good section of the draw. I think she’ll probably get Marion Bartoli in the 4^th round. I’m not sure why, but I really like Marion Bartoli and would love to see her make a play here, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. Samantha Stosur would normally be a big factor, but her game is much better suited to slow courts and she’s dealing with an ongoing arm injury. I think Kleybanova may end Sam’s USO dreams in the 3^rd round. Dementieva’s always dangerous and she’s a former USO finalist, but she’s not a great closer. We saw that in tonight’s New Have semi final. I’m going out on a limb here and saying Kleybanova will make the quarters. It’s a hunch, but you never know. Clijsters will be the semi finalist. Also of note, this quarter includes former world number 1 and 2008 Roland Garros champion Ana Ivanovic. It’s been a long road from number 1 for Ivanovic. Something completely inexplicable happened after her Grand Slam win and her ranking seems to drop further every week. However, there have been some signs of hope for Ana this summer and I would love love love to see her put in a good performance here, but the foot injury she suffered in Cincinnati scares me a little. We’ll see.

Semi Finalist: Kim Clijsters

Possible Sleeper: Ana Ivanovic

Best First Round Match: Daniela Hantuchova vs. Dinara Safina

Semi Final: Kim Clijsters d. Victoria Azarenka

Final: Maria Sharapova d. Kim Clijsters

So Close, Yet So Very Very Far

Good evening everyone. I apologize for my lack of posting recently. I have finally arrived in St. Louis after 17 hours on the road. I spent a couple of hours yesterday desperately seeking a way to spend the night in Cincinnati and thus give myself the opportunity of visiting the Masters tournament that is currently underway. No dice. I wouldn't have arrived in Cincy until 11pm and would've had to hit the road around 11am.

So, I may not have been able to make it in person, but I've been keeping a pretty close eye on the Western Southern Financial Masters event this week. Let's talk Roger Federer. He's into the quarterfinals of Cincy after a finals showing last week in Toronto. I guess this is a little misleading. Roger has played a total of 7 games all week. He had a bye in the first round, Istomin retired, and Philipp Kohlschreiber pulled out of their match before it even started. Pretty good week in my book, but not great practice. He'll be up against Davydenko next, who hasn't had the best results lately and Roger has a very heavy winning percentage against Kolya, but it could be tricky. I still think Fed will come through.

Andy Murray is fresh off a Masters 1000 win in Toronto, but faces tough competition in his QF. Murray has also played a lot of tennis lately and in some pretty exhausting conditions, the poor guy has drawn mostly day matches. Anyway, Mardy Fish is ridiculously in form and has a great shot here. Murray's likely to be tired and Fish is on a roll. I'm looking for the upset here. Also, Andy played a three set match today against Ernests Gulbis and is looking a little vulnerable.

If Andy Roddick is feeling better, and that's a big if, he should be able to power past Novak Djokovic. Nole seems to have been having some serious issues with the heat lately. I haven't seen the order of play yet but my money's on Andy in a day match.

Poor Julien Benneteau had all the chances in the world today against Rafael Nadal, including match point, but couldn't convert. Nadal eeked out the win, but he's going to have to do a lot better if he plans on winning the US Open for the first time this year.

On a side note, John Isner was forced to retire from his match against David Nalbandian yesterday, after rolling his ankle. All signs were good last night when John posted on his twitter that his ankle should be fine with some rest and ice. However, Patrick McEnroe tweeted this evening that Johnny is now in doubt for US Open. This would be a big loss for the Americans. I'm not sure he was on his way to winning the title this year, but I was expecting an impressive performance and a run into the second week. My warmest recovery wishes are going out to John this week. Clearly this should do the trick.

I'm very excited for this year's US Open. No one looks invincible and it could be anyone's title. I'm doing my best to make travel reservations for Labor Day weekend, so hopefully I'll be able to give you guys some live insight.

My apologies if you find mistakes in this mess. I think I'm still delirious from the drive ;)

Rain Can't Keep Andy Murray Down

During the second rain delay in today’s Toronto final, both Federer and Murray seemed to be ready to play through the miniscule amount of precipitation. The chair umpire was adamant that the lines were to slick and play would be suspended until they could be dried. On the ESPN2 coverage, the camera zoomed in on Murray pointing to the sky and explaining to the chair umpire that what was occurring in Toronto was not rain. It’s true, Murray lives in London (where I spent 6 months earlier this year) and they definitely know rain. If he says it’s not rain, I believe him.

It doesn’t really look like rain played a huge role in today’s match. Sometimes rain delays can make or break a match. If you’ve ever seen the movie Wimbledon (don’t judge me, it’s heartwarming,) you know what I’m talking about. Yes, it’s a movie, and an exaggeration, but things like this do happen. That was not the case today. Andy Murray was in control from the very beginning of the match to the very end of the match and that is an excellent omen for his chances at the US Open.

Yesterday, Andy Murray came out guns blazing and completely blitzed Rafael Nadal in his Rogers Cup semifinal. Nadal’s no slouch (a possible understatement?,) he’s number 1 in the world, he won the French Open, he won Wimbledon and right now the odds makers have him as the front runner to win the US Open. On Friday, Murray absolutely demolished Legg Mason winner, David Nalbandian. Murray has had a spectacular week and managed to top it off with a straight sets win over Roger Federer, the greatest of all time. Yes, I said it. Federer is the greatest of all time and Murray just beat him for the first time in a final.

Murray actually has a winning record against Federer, but has never beaten him in a tournament final, including two Grand Slam finals. This is a great step forward for Andy if he plans on winning the US Open, as Roger has been his biggest obstacle on the quest for a slam. Murray lost to Federer in straight sets in the final of the Australian Open in January. Since then, Murray’s results have been lackluster in the smaller tournaments and mediocre (for him) at the Grand Slams. I witnessed his loss in the 4^th round of the French Open and his season still wasn’t looking so good. Wimbledon is always tricky for Andy because of the overwhelming pressure the UK dumps on him each year. He’s their only real chance at ending the British dry-spell (and it’s been a really long dry spell,) but the added pressure certainly doesn’t help his chances. This year, Murray equaled his best Wimbledon performance by reaching the semifinals before falling to eventual champion, Rafael Nadal.

Murray’s only 23 years old, so he has plenty of time left to win a Grand Slam, but he is clearly the best player on tour who hasn’t been able to make that final breakthrough and bring home a Slam trophy. The recently coachless Murray seems well on his way to realizing that dream if he can continue to perform like he has in his last three matches.

While I can’t give Murray enough praise for his performance in Toronto, I do have to address Federer’s side of the match. Roger came out flat today from the very beginning. All week, I feel like he’s been constantly trying to dig himself out of a hole. Today that hole was just too great. On Thursday, against Llodra, he fell down 4-1 in the first set. He is still Roger Federer and somehow managed to fight back to 6 all and win the tie-break, but it was a real nail biter. On Friday, we saw Fed win a re-match of his Wimbledon quarterfinal against Tomas Berdych. Both matches had everyone on the edge of their seats, but this time, Roger prevailed. Yesterday, I was confident that Federer would have no issues closing out a rattled Novak Djokovic after watching him run to a 6-1 first set. I’m not sure what happened after that, but the second set just slipped away from him. He started missing shots that no one would ever expect Roger Federer to miss. It was that second set version of Roger Federer that we saw today. He was netting easy forehand returns and looked miffed by the continued weather disturbances.

Federer may not have won the title, but he fought through two very difficult matches and regained his rightful position as world number 2 in the process. I’ll leave you with this. I don’t think it matters that Federer lost the title. He doesn’t need another Masters event. He’s in the hunt for more Grand Slams as he battles time and some excellent opponents. After his shock loss at Wimbledon, I think eeking out wins over Novak Djokovic, and particularly Tomas Berdych will do wonders for his confidence.

It's Friday

You know what that means, it's quarter finals day in Toronto. I feel like I just left the lovely city and all the big names were still confined to the practice courts instead of the stadiums, but that was already a week ago. A number of favorites have passed us by and we're into the meaty part of the tournament. I would argue that quarter finals day at any tournament is the biggest bang for your buck. Today is particularly good as all of the top 4 are still in action.

The day will start with what I believe to be the most interesting match-up: Andy Murray vs. David Nalbandian. Nalbandian is fresh off a title in Washington DC after returning from injury. He has played on and off all year, but has not participated in a Grand Slam even since the 2009 Australian Open. People tend to underestimate Nalbandian's abilities, but he has been to the semi finals at all four majors, including a Wimbledon final. He was also ranked a career best of number 3 in the world. His current ranking stands at 45, but is likely to rise again on Monday. Murray is 4th in the world and took home the Rogers Cup trophy just last year, so he's got lots of points to defend. While players like Nadal and Djokovic have ended up with slightly less challenging opponents in the quarter finals, Murray is in for a test. Nalbandian is absolutely on fire at the moment. To reach the quarterfinals, he took out David Ferrer, Tommy Robredo, and world number 5, Robin Soderling. Murray on the other hand, got a bye, Xavier Malisse, and Gael Monfils, who bageled him in the second set. Clearly he's not exactly in top form yet. Nalbandian already beat number 5, who's to say he can't take care of 4 too. I think Nalbandian will prevail in three.

Next up is Rafael Nadal vs. Philipp Kohschreiber. In the first round, Kohlschreiber played just four games before Janko Tipsarevic was forced to retire due to an ankle injury suffered during the match. Next, Kohlschreiber faced Viktor Troicki and Yen Hsun Lu, not exactly a draw full of superstars. So far Rafa's biggest test has been the first set tie-break against Stanislas Wawrinka, which he won 14-12. Since then it's been smooth sailing. He shouldn't have much trouble today either. My guess is Rafa in two.

The evening session will be headlined by the match we've all been waiting for, a re-match of the Wimbledon quarter final that shocked the world. Yes, we're talking Roger Federer vs. Tomas Berdych. Berdych's road to the quarters has been comprised of two bracket busters, Sergiy Stakhovsky, who took out Richard Gasquet in the first round, and Alexandr Dolgopolov, who beat Philipp Petzschner and Mikhail Youzhny. Berdych hasn't really had an issue disposing of these guys, although Dolgopolov did take him to three sets, but he also doesn't look quite as good as he did on his dream run to the Wimbledon final. So far, Federer has faced Juan Ignacio Chela and Michael Llodra. Roger gave me quite a scare yesterday against Llodra. I wasn't real pleased to see him down 4-1 in the first set, but in typical Roger fashion, he managed to fight his way back and win the first in a tie break, going on to dominate the match. It looked like Llodra must've expended most of his magic in those first few games, because the second was a bit of a walk for Fed. Although, at one point int he second set, Llodra threw in an underhand serve. This is something he, like most pros, had never done before in a tour level match. Somehow, this actually stumped Federer, who's return went wide. Apparently they both laughed at that one. Finally all was said and one and they shook hands at the net. A few minutes later, Llodra returned to the net, shirt in hand (I'm starting to think he just doesn't like wearing one) and asked Roger for an exchange. Roger complied, tugging his baby pink polo over his head and handing it over. He quickly returned to his racket bag and donned a replica. Llodra later said that Roger is a legend and the shirt would be a great gift for his kids. See, ever the other players what mementos from Federer. The guy truly stands in a league of his own. Anyway, I digress, I can't say for sure, but I think Roger will come out on top of Tomas under the lights tonight. I'm not completely sure if this prediction comes from my utter admiration for Federer or a true belief that he will win, but I said it, and I'm sticking to it.

The final match of the night is Jeremy Chardy vs. Novak Djokovic. Chardy has managed to take out some hard hitters so far, but I don't think he'll be able to get it done tonight. I know Djokovic's health was a concern in his last match, but that was a day match, in the heat. Heat is really Djokovic's big problem and that shouldn't be an obstacle tonight since his match will likely start around 9pm. I'm going with Djokovic in straights.

So, there you go, all of my predictions for the day. I'll check back tonight or tomorrow with some thoughts on the day's action and our semi finals preview. I've DVR'd today's coverage, so I might actually have some comments on the tennis this time. Look forward to it.

I Guess I Can Still Write About Toronto...

Even though I can’t be there, I’m still following the happenings at the Rogers Cup in Toronto. It’s actually been a fairly eventful couple of days. Don’t worry, all your top seeds are still in the game. The highest seeded player we’ve seen make an early exit is Fernando Verdasco (9.) All of the top 5 players in the world are still working their way towards the final. The boys in pink, Nadal and Federer, seem to be doing alright, as is Murray. Djokovic is having some of his infamous issues with his breathing in the heat. I’m not really sure what he can do to alleviate this. It doesn’t seem to be an injury or even an issue with fitness. If it was either of those, I think he would have fixed it by now. It really seems like his body just can handle being in such hot conditions and playing for a long time. That’s far worse than an injury that just needs some time to heal. Interestingly, Djokovic’s only major title was at the Australian Open, which is the hottest of all the Grand Slams. Oh well, he made it through his match today and hopefully Toronto will cool off a bit for his sake.

Soderling rounds out your top 5. He also made it through to the third round, but not without a fight. Ernests Gulbis, the young Latvian, kept up with Soderling well into the third set. Steve Tignor, one of my very favorite tennis journalists, interviewed Gulbis after his defeat and wrote an excellent piece that can be found at http://tennisworld.typepad.com/thewrap/2010/08/whatever-happens.html. Honestly, I’ve never paid that much attention to Ernests Gulbis. Every once in a while, he pops up on my radar and then disappears for a while. Apparently he’s the second coming of Marat Safin, and it’s probably not clear from my blog, but I really miss Marat. He was one of my favorite players to watch, sometimes because he was unbelievably talented, and sometimes because he was wildly unpredictable. Everyone loves a bad boy, and Marat was the quintessential tennis bad boy. He partied too much; he got in fights, and broke more rackets than anyone could count. What other player has shown up to a tournament with a black eye from a bar fight? It’s true, after watching several interviews with Ernests and seeing him in person, he does share several qualities with Safin. There are far worse players he could be compared to. People are quick to criticize, but Safin won two Grand Slams. You may say he was capable of more, but who cares? Most players would kill for what he achieved, and he managed to have a good time doing it. Who are we to scold him for it? Back to Ernests, the first thing that struck me from the interviews was that he sounds exactly like Safin. Gulbis is from Latvia and Safin is from Russia, two bordering countries, so it stands to reason that they would speak English with a similar accent. If you believe the news, Gulbis also shares Safin’s penchant for women. He was arrested in Sweden for picking up a prostitute last year. He’s only 21 years old and already an international sports star, I think we should probably cut him some slack. The other major similarity comes in the form of Ernests nonchalance. Win or lose, the guy doesn’t really seem to care. When Tignor interviewed Gulbis, he had just lost a match he really should have won. He had a ton of break points in the second set, and as Tignor says in his article, Soderling won the match because he wanted it more. He also has the same love/hate relationship with tennis that Safin so often portrayed.

I like Ernests Gulbis. He has an interesting game when he can get it to work and his casual personality makes him seem like the guy next door. If I had to choose a tennis player to hang out with, this guy would definitely be on my short list. He manages to be funny even in English, which is very difficult for the players who speak it as a second language and he doesn’t care what other people think (the pervasive opinion is that he is merely lazy.) You almost wouldn’t know he was a tennis player. At an ATP tournament, even someone who’s never watched tennis can pick out most of the players. Hint: they’re the tall, fit ones, traveling with an entourage and carrying giant racket bags. I saw Ernests on Sunday morning in Toronto and barely noticed him at all. He was sitting alone, in a chair in the hotel lobby, with a hoodie pulled all the way up and listening to his ipod. He looked exactly like any other 21 year old guy. I can’t say I’m really sure why he plays tennis at all, considering he’s from one of the wealthiest families in Latvia and doesn’t seem to like it all that much, but I’m glad he does. Maybe he’ll be discussing it with me one day.

I didn’t mean to dedicate this whole article to one player, but this guy’s been getting a lot of attention again, and I’m intrigued. In other news, the Rogers Cup has lost some fan favorites already. David Ferrer, Tommy Robredo, Feliciano Lopez, Fernando Verdasco, Gilles Simon, Janko Tipsarevic, and Sam Querrey are all out. It's worth noting that Janko Tipsarevic, who's had a pretty good few weeks, hurt his ankle and has since pulled out of Cincinnati. Hopefully he'll be alright for the US Open. I don’t think it makes much of a difference though because everyone wants to see what happens with our top 4. They’re what matters. They do have some threats though, like an in form David Nalbandian, who’s been on an absolute tear lately.

As a parting thought, I just have to mention how confused I am every time I look at the Toronto draw. Roger Federer’s name is not at the top of either half. It sits cozily in the middle of the right half. In all the time I’ve been watching tennis, Roger has occupied one of the coveted end spots. It’s completely foreign for me to have to search for it. I believe Roger will sit firmly atop one of those columns at some point in the near future, particularly with growing concerns over Djokovic’s game.

In completely unrelated news, Dmitry Tursunov, pictured above with Gulbis, was awarded a wild card entry into the Binghampton challenger event this week, but was disqualified when he arrived late for his first match. If he's looking to get back to the top 20, he's going to have to remember to actually show up for his matches. Dmitry is another guy who is quite funny to listen to and he has an excellent twitter account. He often responds directly to fans with questions or comments. You can follow him on twitter @TursunovTales.

Lost in Transit

Hi guys. This morning, while doing my usual perusal of the tennis news, I saw that Rafa and Nole lost their first match in Toronto last night as a doubles team. I guess it was exciting while it lasted. Anyway, I vaguely remembered writing something about Nadal/Djokovic doubles so I did a little rifling through my purse and found my notebook. I write all of my posts long hand so sometimes I forget about one or two and they end up slipping through the cracks. It turns out that I wrote a post about the dynamic duo while I was en route to Toronto on Friday. It may be a little outdated, considering they've already lost, but I wanted to share it with you. I've changed absolutely nothing since the plane ride. Here goes...

I've mentioned this before, but I see doubles as a truly underappreciated facet of the tennis world. Doubles matches often include incredibly talented players and entertaining, fast paced rallies. More and more often now, we're seeing prominent singles players teaming up to play doubles. It may not be their main purpose, but they can be pretty damn good. The Olympic gold for singles has always eluded Roger Federer, but he and Stanislas Wawrinka teamed up tow in a gold medal for Switzerland at Beijing in 2008, proving Roger could share the glory. My point...doubles can be just as interesting as singles...and this week things just got a lot for interesting.

Last week we saw the Bryan brothers claim their 62nd title as a team (which is the new record,) but this week, we will see world number 1, Rafael Nadal, and world number 2, Novak Djokovic, attempt to take home their first title. No, I don't expect this partnership to last past Tornot, but it should be pretty entertaining while it does last. the only team I thinhk fans would be more interested to see would be Federer/Nadal, but I don't see that ever happening outside of an exhibition or charity match. As it is, I am extremely curious to know what brought Novak Djokovic to this idea. Neither Rafa or Nole needs the money, neither needs points in the doubles rankings, and neither really needs the publicity. However, that's what it will be, excellent publicity. Somehow I think agents and tournament directors played a key role in developing this partnership. I'm sure the idea didn't just come to Nole in a dream. This is a huge coup for doubles. I would love to see two of the best players int he world team up to beat down some unsuspecting doubles specialists. Although I'm not too sure this will be the case. Some extraordinary singles players transission effortlessly to doubles, like Fed at the Olympic or the Williams sisters pretty much everywhere. We also saw singles players Philipp Petzschner and Jurgen Melzer team up this year to beat some very serious doubles teams and take the Wimbledon title. However, some singles players find it hard to share, and they fail miserably when it comes down to the teamwork. Honestly, I'm not seeing either of these scenarios being the case for Djokovic/Nadal. Both guys have successfully played doubles in the past, but at a Master event singles will be the top priority. thse guys might win a match or two, but I wouldn't be surprised if one of them pulled out to protect his chances in the singles. The weeks leading up to the US Open are packed with important tournaments and it's not a time to take risks. Like I said, look for a couple of victories before going out to a mroe seasoned doubles team or having Rafa or Nole pull the plug. I would be shocked if these guys won the whole thing. On the singles side, the prospects are looking good for either of them to take home the trophy.

Ahh, the ramblings of someone who's been sitting in the airport for several hours. Anyway, clearly I was a bit off about the whole winning part. I'm generally not much of a conspiracy theorist, but I'm calling this one a simple publicity stunt. The fact that they were playing a rookie Canadian team in Toronto and lost, was way too lucky for the tournament.

A Weekend of Tweets

I know a lot of people still don't like to use twitter. I was very reluctant to join, but it's become an excellent source of information about tennis players. I've got some followers now, but not nearly as many as read A Change of Ends. I think some of my observations from this weekend are amusing, so the following post is simply an exact recap of what I posted on twitter this weekend, so please don't pay attention to some of the misspellings, etc. Twitter isn't exactly conducive to proper grammar.

Is anyone watching Rafa do the draw? He is so fidgety! 5:27 PM Aug 6th via web
Very limited internet. Here are some fun facts from today. 6:50 PM Aug 7th via web

Rafa and Nole did practice together this morning. It was a mob scene. Sadly, I deided to stay away from the madness. 6:50 PM Aug 7th via web

Fed practiced on a court that is very difficult for spectators to see. It was still mobbed. He snuck out the back entrance at the end. 1,281,217,899,000.00 via web

FYI, Federer practiced with Robin Soderling. 1,281,217,916,000.00 via web

Spent a full hour watching sam Querrey practiced. He seems like a really nice guy. Fun fact: he hit the gym this morning with his trainer at around 10:30. 1,281,217,981,000.00 via web

I'm in love with Tommy Robredo. He's adorable. 1,281,217,997,000.00 via web

Just saw Gulbis and Davydenko chatting in the lobby before going their separate ways. 1,281,218,027,000.00 via web

I consistently end up in the evelator alone with Julien Benneteau and never actually say anything to him. I wonder if he'll start to notice. 1,281,218,067,000.00 via web

just saw Stan and Peter Lundgren jovially walking through the lobby. Those guys look happy! 1,281,219,141,000.00 via web

Stan and I are now work out buddies. He just doesn't know it. Looks like he and Peter are getting along great. Lots of laughing. 1,281,228,582,000.00 via web

Michael Llodra cleans up nice. Just saw him on his way to dinner. 1,281,228,598,000.00 via web

Feliciano Lopez is here, just saw him checking into the hotel. Had an urge to follow the bellhop up to his room, but resisted. 1,281,228,647,000.00 via web

Monfils is out with his crew. Looks like he could take some fashion advice from Llodra. 1,281,229,201,000.00 via web

Tomorrow's Legg Mason final will feature Baghdatis and Nalbandian. My money's on Nalbanian. He's been on fire this week. 1,281,229,399,000.00 via web

Robin Soderling just looked at me funny. Weird, cause I wasn't even staring at him or anything. 1,281,229,785,000.00 via web

Soderling is in the lobby with finace, Jenni, and Robert Lindstedt, the Swedish doubles player. 1,281,229,837,000.00 via web

Victor Hanescu looks kind of surly, but quite tall in person. 1,281,230,343,000.00 via web

Davydenko just walked by with a woman I assume is his wife. She was wearing a very sparkly shirt with Bugs Bunny on it. 1,281,230,503,000.00 via web

Richard Gasquet and coach just came back. I shared an elevator with them earlier today. 1,281,230,604,000.00 via web

Alright, I've got to go get some dinner myself, but I'll try get some juicy updates later. 1,281,230,745,000.00 via web

@MTFadout I'll do my best to find Ernie tomrorow. So far, I've only seen him off site, I'll try to hit up a practice tomorrow. 1,281,239,321,000.00 via web in reply to MTFadout

some incredibly androdgenous tennis player i don't recognize with the skinniest gf i've ever seen just walked in. No idea who it could be. 1,281,240,749,000.00 via web

Breakfast time in toronto! 1,281,278,047,000.00 via web

Saw Ernie sitting alone in the lobby waiting for transport. Didn't stop to bother him though.. It looked like he had a rough night. 1,281,278,082,000.00 via web

Mr androgenous was at breakfast this morning with twiggy, but I still have no idea who he is. 1,281,278,114,000.00 via web

Almost didn't notice Gilles. He seems to be breakfasting with mom and dad. How cute! Coach and son are also here. Man, that kid is lucky! 1,281,278,157,000.00 via web

Gael and Gilles had a nice catch up when they saw each other. 1,281,278,185,000.00 via web

Feli was eating alone for a while, but was eventually joined by some guy. Where was Ferenando? I thought they were inseperable. 1,281,278,244,000.00 via web

Fun Fact: Feli wears a Yankee's baseball cap with his initials embroidered in the side. 1,281,278,291,000.00 via web

Mrs Davydenko was wearing the same flashy Bugs Bunny shirt to breakfast, but no sighting of hubby. 1,281,278,355,000.00 via web

I think I used to underestimate the attractiveness of Gilles Simon. He is adorable. I love that he's here with his parents. 1,281,278,405,000.00 via web

Almost forgot, saw Robin Soderling in the gym this morning cycling. 1,281,278,477,000.00 via web

I think something about me creeps Sod out. I was just walking by the door and all of the sudden he turned around and looked at me. 1,281,278,526,000.00 via web

It's a little rainy today, so hopefully we can get in some tennis. I've got to check out fo the hotel at 12 and my flight's not til 9. 1,281,278,570,000.00 via web

Also, it is Mr. Federer's 29th birthday. So birthday wishes for Roger this morning. 1,281,279,016,000.00 via web

just got a photo with Gilles, taken by the lovely gf of Julien Benneteau. 1,281,281,713,000.00 via web

someone's coach just said hello to me in French. I wonder who it is. 1,281,281,852,000.00 via web

Mystery solved. It was one of Monfils' team. 1,281,282,264,000.00 via web

still trying to figure out who mr. androgenous is. 1,281,282,280,000.00 via web

Also, Julien Benneteau's gf was sitting next to me waiting for her car and he is super pretty. 1,281,282,384,000.00 via web

You know you go to too many of these things when you start to recognize the coaches. 1,281,282,474,000.00 via web

Unfortunately the rain cut my day at the tennis short, as in I didn't see any before I had to leave the site. Oh well, sitting in the lobby. 1,281,299,748,000.00 via web

Nikolay is right in front of me with his ipad about 24 hours ago via web

what's up with WAGS and Bugs Bunny? Andrey Golubev's gf was only wearing a Bugs Bunny t-shirt, allbeit less flashy. about 24 hours ago via web

*** This should have read "Andrey Golubev's gf was ALSO wearing a Bugs Bunny t-shirt." Let me be clear, she was also wearing pants.

@RagingBitch You solved my mystery. It was indeed Dolgopolov. about 24 hours ago via web in reply to RagingBitch

Querrey's coach is all over the place. Looks like he's on his way to the gym. about 23 hours ago via web

hoping for some fun sightings before I have to leave for the airport. about 23 hours ago via web

Forgot to mention earlier. A player was actually squeegeeing his own court. Just as it was looking pretty good, it rained again. about 23 hours ago via web

If they let me watch up close, I would've helped squeegee. about 23 hours ago via web

Gonzo is in the house. Very blue tape of his calf. about 23 hours ago via web

now it's super sunny. I hate you toronto. Why couldn't you have been sunny this morning? about 23 hours ago via web

the WAGS are almost as easy to spot as the players. They're all tall, thin, and gorgeous. Well, not all, but most. about 23 hours ago via web

The lobby in the hotel is very dark. It both hurts my eyes and makes me feel creepier than usual. about 23 hours ago via web