Hours after the Wimbledon committee revealed the singles’ draws, turmoil ripped through the men and women side demonstrating that no player is a shoe in for the championship.

After losing his second exhibition match, Rafael Nadal, the top seed and reigning champion, withdrew due to knee tendonitis. That afternoon, female number one and top seed, Dinara Safina’s recovery after her meltdown in Paris was dealt a major setback. Safina was ousted in the semifinals by Tamarine Tanasugarn ranked 47th in a grass court warm-up tournament. Last year, Tanasurgan defeated Safina in the finals at this event.

Now, fifth ranked Juan Martin Del Potro replaced Nadal at the top half of the draw. Although Del Potro has been improving rapidly, more seasoned grass players such as Radek Stepanek, Lleyton Hewitt or first round opponent Arnaud Clement could be an obstruction. In addition, Del Potro could face Wimbledon finalist Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals. The extent of Roddick’s ankle injury will determine how much of a factor he will be. With a manageable draw, the prospect of Andy Murray becoming the first Brit since 1936 to raise the Wimbledon trophy looks promising. But, Murray may see Roddick or Del Potro in the semifinals. Despite Roger Federer’s multiple championships at the All England Club, with such a competitive field, other than experience, Federer has no distinct advantage. In the bottom section, Federer may need to go through the same stubborn rivals he battled in Paris to get to the quarterfinals. There, Federer could square off against Fernando Verdasco or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, both hungry competitors. Similarly to Murray, Novak Djokovic, Federer’s potential match-up in the semifinals, appears to have an easy path on paper. Yet, Tommy Haas who beat Djokovic in the finals at Halle could represent a roadblock.

Safina’s chance at redemption against Svetlana Kuznetsova may take place in the quarterfinals. Although with defending champion Venus Williams and Jelena Jankovic as possible semifinals opponents, Safina could be in the midst of a perpetuating nightmare. Venus’ performance the first couple of matches will determine whether she can prevail for a sixth time at Wimbledon. Serena Williams’ chance to avenge her Sony Ericsson lost to Victoria Azarenka could come in the quarters. However, Azarenka may need to knock off former Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova in the round of 16 before getting to Serena. With Vera Zvonareva slowly getting back from injury and Elena Dementieva’s dismal play the last few months, for players such as Dominika Cibulkova, Aleksandra Wozniak or Alize Cornet, the door is wide open to reach at least the quarters.

The Williams sisters will do double duty at a major again. Defending champion and seeded fourth, Venus and Serena will attempt to win their fourth Wimbledon doubles title. 2008 men’s doubles champion Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic, the second seed, will attempt to repeat and wrestle the number one spot away from Mike and Bob Bryan.

Ambiguity reigns at Wimbledon this year. On both the female and male side, it is truly anybody’s trophy. First serve comes this Monday.

From Paris’ red clay, the ATP moved onto London’s green grass this week. At the Aegon Championships final, Brit Andy Murray, the top seed and world number 3, conquered American James Blake 7-5, 6-4 to become the first British male since Henry Austin in 1938 to win at Queen’s club.

After each player held serve, Murray produced a break point with a backhand down the line winner. Then, when Blake’s forehand went off the court, Murray converted. However, with three successive forehand errors by Murray, Blake had double break point. The American crushed a forehand up the line winner for 2 all. A couple of times, Blake had small windows to take the lead. But, with errors, James’ chances fell by the waste side. After goading Blake into forehand errors in long rallies, Murray went on to secure a break for 6-5. Then, with a strong service game, the Brit captured the first set.

Subsequent to both players starting the second set well, serving at two all, Blake committed two forehand errors to go down 0-30. Yet, with a couple of good serves and by attacking the net, the American held for 3-2. After Murray protected service in a tricky game; leading 30-0, Blake made three backhand mistakes to gift the Brit a break point. Unable to handle a dipping return, Blake dumped another backhand volley into the net giving Murray a 4-3 edge. After easily consolidating and Blake holding, Murray closed out the championship with a love game.

By winning his first grass court title, Murray has thrown his name into the hat of challengers to Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer for the Wimbledon trophy. Nadal, last year’s victor at Queen’s, was unable to compete due to ongoing knee issues and it’s uncertain whether the Spaniard will be healthy enough to defend his Wimbledon crown. Another contender, American Andy Roddick is also a question mark for Wimbledon. Roddick was forced to retire in the semifinals against Blake after rolling over his right ankle.

The initial week of the French Open has been filled with thrilling victories as well as agonizing losses. Here is a targeted recap of what’s gone on so far and a preview of week two.

The women and men’s number one seed breezed through their matches. Surrendering only four games in three matches, Dinara Safina faces Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai in the round of 16. Despite a partisan crowd, Safina should have no problems. After a slow start in her opening match, defending champion Ana Ivanovic, also in Safina’s section of the draw, has gotten better with each round. Reigning Sony Ericsson Open champion, Victoria Azarenka is up next for Ivanovic. Undoubtedly, this will be Ana’s biggest challenge to date. Rafael Nadal continues to make mince meat of his opponents. Lleyton Hewitt, a former world number one, won only five games in their third round meeting. Nadal takes on Swede Robin Soderling in the round of 16. Although Soderling beat clay court expert David Ferrer in the prior round, it’s hard to contemplate his having any success against Nadal. Another Spaniard making waves in France is Fernando Verdasco. Verdasco has prevailed in three in all his matches and will play Russian Nikolay Davydenko. The victor of that match will have the unenviable task of trying to go through Nadal to get to the semifinals.

Roger Federer and Serena Williams, the number two seed, have had a tougher time, yet advanced to week two. Federer’s next obstacle will be German Tommy Haas and Serena’s Canadian Alesksandra Wozniak. Andy Roddick, the only American male standing, has made it past the third round for the first time. Roddick has dismissed his rivals in impressive fashion. However, Frenchman Gael Monfils, a semifinalist last year, will be Roddick’s upcoming puzzle. Should Roddick jump through that hurdle, he could meet Federer in the quarterfinals. Brit Andy Murray is another one who hasn’t sailed through. Although Croatian Marin Cilic may be a test for the Brit, with Gilles Simon out, Murray’s place in the semifinals is almost a certainty where he is likely to battle Nadal.

Saturday saw the departure of the number four seeds as Novak Djokovic fell to German Philip Kohlschreiber while Australian Samantha Stosur stopped Elena Dementieva. Along with Kohlschreiber, Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro make their debut into the round of 16. The latter two will play each other for a quarterfinal spot. With Djokovic out, for these three men as well as Spaniard Tommy Roberdo, it’s a great opportunity to reach the semifinal where Roddick or Federer may be waiting.

Jelena Jankovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova have quietly taken care of business. Kuznetsova’s next match will be tougher as she squares off against crafty Polish youngster Agnieszka Radwanska. Jankovic should have an easy pass with Romanian Sorana Cristea. Jankovic is in the golden position of avoiding a top ten seed until the semifinal where she could collide with either Serena or Svetlana. Another lucky one is former world number one now ranked 102, Maria Sharapova. Despite fumbling through, Sharapova is in the round of 16 where she will take on Na Li. Hungarian Agnes Szavay foiled Sharapova’s possible quarterfinal encounter with Venus Williams. Szavay thrashed Venus in the third round. In only her second tournament back from shoulder surgery, Sharapova has a real chance of getting to the semifinals.

Seeded fifth, Venus and Serena are alive in doubles and could impact with the number one seed Liezel Huber and Cara Black in the quarters. The top five women and men’s doubles teams are still in the mix. But, in mixed doubles, the number two seed, Cara Black and Leander Paes, was defeated in the second round.

Having set a new record for most consecutive wins at the French, can Nadal stay undefeated and seal the deal with a fifth consecutive trophy? Or will Federer finally obtain the only major that has eluded him? Will Murray, Jankovic or Safina join the elite club of major winners? Can Tsonga or Monfils make France’s dream a reality by celebrating their first major in their home country? Will Serena claim her second French title? The reply to these burning questions will come shortly.

This Monday, the most talented men and women in tennis will initiate the process of deciding who will walk away with the year’s second major. While Rafael Nadal is unequivocally the favorite on the men’s side, the women’s potential champion is much harder to predict.

Although Nadal going down to Roger Federer in Madrid added spice to the contest, the Spaniard remains the one with the target on his back. Fellow countrymen David Ferrer and Fernando Verdasco, possible fourth round and quarterfinal opponents respectively, could provide further intrigue to the plot. But, Nadal has had no trouble dealing with either man during his spectacular clay court run. The most anticipated semifinal match up could be Nadal versus Brit Andy Murray. Murray showed moments of brilliance in their semifinal meeting in Monte Carlo which he lost. Murray may need to go through Spaniard Albert Montanes, Chilean Fernando Gonzalez, pesky Czech Radek Stepanek or Marat Safin, a semifinalist in 2008. So Murray’s will have a mount to climb before getting to Nadal.

On paper, Federer should reach the quarterfinals without difficulties. However, lurking in Roger’s section are James Blake, Tomas Berdych and a couple Spaniards, any of them could serve as spoilers. In the quarters, Federer could face Andy Roddick. Yet, Roddick could have a rough time getting past his rivals since clay is not his best surface. Serb Novak Djokovic and Federer could meet in the semifinals. Having come back from a set and a break down to prevail their last two encounters, Novak will have confidence squarely in his corner. However, standing in Djokovic’s way in the preliminary rounds may be former French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero, top ten players Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro and Frenchman Jo-Wilfred Tsonga.

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Spaniard Rafael Nadal and Swiss Roger Federer, world number one and two respectively, met for the fifteenth time in a tour final. At the Mutua Madrilena Open in Madrid, transformed from a hardcourt to a clay court Masters’ event, Federer defeated Nadal 6-4, 6-4 to collect his first title this season.

Unusually, after winning the coin toss, Federer elected to receive service; perhaps, hoping this new strategy will change his luck. After Nadal had no trouble holding serve, with three forehand winners Federer got to 40-15. But, Federer misconnected on two routine forehands giving Nadal his first break point. However, with well-planted first serves, Federer got to 1 all. After Nadal held at love, Federer countered with a dropshot winner at 40-15 tying things up at 2-2. Subsequent to another love game by Rafael, Roger double faulted at game point for deuce. Then, Roger stared at a second break point because of a forehand error. But, Federer avoided calamity with an overhead and forehand winner. With Nadal serving at 4 all and 30 all, Federer hit a forehand down the line winner for his first break point. When Nadal netted a backhand, Federer took a 5-4 lead. Soon afterward, Roger’s first serve clicked helping him to carry the set with a love game.

Serving as is customary to Federer’s backhand, Nadal held at love his first two games. Roger also had triple game point but needed each and everyone to guard serve. In the fifth game, the Swiss manufactured a break point with a dropshot winner. Federer converted by provoking an error from Nadal for 3-2. Once Federer consolidated and Nadal kept pace by preserving his serve, Roger had two forehands go long leading to 0-30 deficit. Again, Federer’s serve came to the rescue allowing him to uphold a thin cushion at 5-3. Despite difficulties, the Spaniard held serve compelling Federer to serve out the match. With a deep return causing Federer to misfire and with a forehand crosscourt winner, Nadal charged to double break point. However, in the longest rally of the match, Rafael missed with a backhand up the line then with a forehand crosscourt resulting in deuce. With an ace down the middle, Federer arrived at match point. But, a sinking return by Nadal made Federer dump the volley into the net for deuce. With a good forehand, Federer obtained his second match point which he converted with an ace.

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Britain’s Andy Murray, world number four, got one step closer to substituting Serbian Novak Djokovic at number three. Murray demolished Djokovic in the finals of the Sony Ericsson Open 6-2, 7-5 for his third title this season.

It was all Andy the first set. The Brit took advantage of a myriad of backhand and forehand errors by Djokovic to go up a double break at 4-0. With Djokovic serving at 1-5, a missed forehand volley gave Murray his first set point. But, the Serbian forced a return error for deuce; eventually with a dropshot, Djokovic held serve. However, the next game, with an overhead winner, Murray rested the set.

Djokovic’s disastrous run persisted into the second set. With a double fault and two backhand errors, the Serb went down double break point. After Murray bailed him out with a failed dropshot for deuce, Djokovic’s ineffective approach shots allowed Murray several more chances to break. Andy did so with a backhand pass for 1-0. A dazed Djokovic called for the trainer. Seemingly, the hot weather and Murray’s play were taking their toll on him. After the temporary respite gave the Serb an opportunity to catch his bearings, Djokovic obtained his first break point with a crosscourt forehand winner. Novak converted with Andy’s forehand volley error. After holding serve for 2-1, the Serb pressured the Brit’s forehand side for double break point and capitalized for a 3-1 lead. The next game, with a forehand crosscourt pass, Murray arrived at break point. Yet, with a couple of backhand errors by Murray and a backhand volley winner, Djokovic stretched his mark to 4-1. After fighting off two break points in a five-deuce game, Murray held for 4-2. Serving at 5-3, with an ace down the T, Djokovic had set point.  However, with a strong return, Murray caused a backhand error for deuce. Novak secured another set point, when Andy’s lob sailed long. But again, Djokovic squandered that with a double fault. Subsequently, with consecutive forehand and backhand up the line errors by Djokovic, the players were back on serve. At 5 all, Murray connected on a backhand crosscourt pass. Then, Djokovic donated two points with volley errors giving Murray triple break point. The Brit cashed in when the Serb’s forehand volley missed its destination. A duplicate result by Djokovic on match point handed the Brit his first Sony championship.

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The Sony Ericsson Open, Florida’s most prestigious tennis tournament and the world’s “fifth major”, turns 25 this year. From March 25th thru April 5th , an A-list of competitors will descend upon the Tennis Center at Crandon Park to mark this milestone birthday.

From the ATP, Rafael Nadal, the reigning Australian Open champion, world number one and 2008 Sony Ericsson finalist, will honor South Florida with his presence. The supporting cast will include Roger Federer, world number two and dual Sony titleholder, and Serb Novak Djokovic, the 2007 Sony champion. Brit Andy Murray and American Andy Roddick who have had spectacular seasons to date will be counted on for the festivities. Russian Nikolay Davydenko, the defending champion, has been out of commission for weeks due to injury. Hopefully, Davydenko will recover in time to take a stab at a second consecutive title.

One of the hottest players on the WTA tour is the current Australian Open and 2008 Sony titlist, Serena Williams. Serena, the female number one, will attempt to win for the third time in a row and is also going for a record setting sixth Sony trophy. Serena will face fierce competition from Russian Dinara Safina, the world number two and this year’s Australian Open finalist, Jelena Jankovic, the Sony 2008 finalist and world number three, not to mention her own sister Venus Williams, who has three Sony Ericsson Open trophies to her credit. Maria Sharapova, whose shoulder has been on the mend, may also make an appearance, giving the field a run of its money.

On the doubles side, Mike and Bob Bryan have regained the top doubles ranking since winning the Australian Open and will be ready to defend their Sony title. The Bryan Brothers will be a prime target for teams such as Mark Knowles and Mahesh Bhupathi, who took second place last year, Max Mirnyi and Andy Ram as well as Brazilians Andre Sa and Marcelo Melo.

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Written on May 2, 2008

Since 2000, schedule permitting, I have been a faithful and fervent attendee at my hometown tournament in Key Biscayne, Florida. Yet, as a devout tennis fanatic, my wish has always been to make a pilgrimage to one of the shrines of the sport, a major.

In my mind, there has always been the perception that I was being deprived of an ecclesiastical experience by not going to New York, London, Paris or Melbourne. As luck would have it, in 2006 and 2007, I ascended from the category of lowly television viewer to that of obscured spectator when I was finally able to drink in the atmosphere at the U.S Open. After spending five days at the opening round matches in New York the last couple of years and a week at this year’s Sony Ericsson, I began to view the latter through a new lens. As I surveyed the familiar vista at Crandon Park, the prism through which I evaluated the tournament was suddenly lifted. Moreover, I arrived at the realization that the Sony Ericsson Open is truly a jewel in my own backyard.

Manhattan’s bright lights and vibrant streets are comparable to an impish, unruly child with the magnetic powers to draw one in with a cunning smile. A similar attraction lures one in at the U.S. Open. On the subway, I was overcome by a wave of exhilaration from the chatter of the passengers whose destination, just as mine, was the major’s site. As the train approached the tennis center and the Arthur Ashe stadium came into view, a touch of awe and anxiety intermingled as I became conscious of the magnitude of the place. These sentiments were further accentuated as the grounds crew greeted me with their megaphones shouting instructions such as, “no backpacks allowed into the stadium”. Or as I filed through the long security lines that stretch for miles and saw my precious can of juice seized since opaque containers were prohibited entry. The shear volume of people, over 700,000 attended the tournament in 2007, and the additional security measures implemented after the catastrophic incident at the Twin Towers signify that one has to be willing to tolerate these inconveniences in order to experience the U.S. Open.

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Along with the summer temperatures, the action on court is scorching at the first major of the year. Let’s review the key developments of the initial week and try to predict what could unfold the last days at the Australian Open.

The unexpected casualties in the preliminary rounds were Ana Ivanovic and Venus Williams, the fifth and sixth seeds, respectively. Venus was shocked in the second round by Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro after having the match on her racket.  Suarez Navarro, a quarterfinalist at last year’s French Open, is now in the round of 16. Ivanovic, the 2008 finalist, was eliminated in the third round by 19 year-old Russian Alisa Kleybanova.  This was not a great surprise.  Since winning the French Open, Ivanovic has yet to make it past the third round at a major. Agnieszka Radwaska, the ninth seed, fell in the first round, beaten by Kateryna Bondarenko. The biggest upset on the men’s section was David Nalbandian, the tenth seed, going down in the second round to Yen-Hsun Lu ranked 61.

As we enter the meat and potatoes part of the tournament, the top four men remain on track to collide in the semifinals. With the exception of Novak Djokovic, the defending champion, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray have looked extremely sharp. Of the two Americans left, Andy Roddick, the seventh seed, may represent the biggest headache pending on Djokovic’s side of the draw. Roddick’s recent weight lost and coaching change appear to be paying dividends. Andy has dispatched his opponents expeditiously, so an upset could be brewing. James Blake, the ninth seed, has played very well. However, Blake will meet last year’s finalist, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, in the round of 16. Vanquishing Tsonga may be too tall an assignment for the American. Nadal will face Fernando Gonzalez, the 2007 finalist. Gonzalez may not have much left in the tank after his high quality, over four hour long, five setter against Frenchman Richard Gasquet. Federer will battle Tomas Berdych. Should Roger advance, waiting will be either Juan Martin Del Potro or Marin Cilic, two tough customers. The French are assured of having at least one man in the quarterfinals with Gilles Simon and Gael Monfils playing one another next. With the leftover field competing so well, the odds maker may need to reshuffle their numbers. The favorite may have to be Nadal, Federer and Murray in that order.

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With archrival Rafael Nadal booted out of the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai by a bum knee, defending champion Roger Federer was the odds-on frontrunner for the title.  Yet, still troubled by a bad back, Federer petered out in the round robin stage.  Instead, the final was pretty much a one sided affair with Serb Novak Djokovic defeating Russian Nikolay Davydenko 6-1, 7-5.

For reigning Australian champion, Djokovic, this year has been a roller coaster. After starting out blazing, the Serb cooled off midway.  Except for ousting Nadal in the ATP masters final in Miami, Davydenko has had dismal results. Although Davydenko lost to Djokovic in round robin play, in the semifinals he convincingly beat Brit Andy Murray. Moreover, Djokovic had a tough match against Frenchman Gilles Simon. Thus, it’s a shame the Russian could not perform better in the finals. 

Two words best summarize the first set, fast and dull. Djokovic’s seemingly interminable ball bouncing extended the set more than the actual playing time.  After holding serve, Djokovic put away a forehand winner. Then, Novak drew a backhand error from Nikolay for double break point.  When the Russian netted a backhand, the Serb secured his first break for 2-0.  Djokovic broke down his opponent’s backhand to pull ahead 5-1.  While serving for the set, Novak made two unforced errors and overcooked a volley to face double break point.  However, with two good serves and a crosscourt forehand error by Davydenko, Djokovic arrived at deuce.  Subsequently, with a flaming crosscourt backhand, Djokovic forced another backhand error from the Russian and punctuated the set.

With his first serve deserting him, his backhand on early sabbatical and his stronger wing, the forehand, cracking, Davydenko really had no chance. After Nikolay got on the board in the second set, with well-angled serves, Novak put away the short balls to level things at 1-1.  Due to a double fault, Davydenko gave Djokovic another break point chance in the third game and went down 1-2 after misconnecting on a backhand volley. With movement not Davydenko’s stronger suit, Djokovic exploited that weakness, running him corner to corner. Nevertheless, despite facing numerous break points, the Russian kept his disadvantage to a single break.  As Djokovic served for the championship at 5-4, he committed two unforced errors while Davydenko came up with a timely forehand volley for double break point.  Then, thanks to a double fault, Davydenko stayed alive. After this momentary lapse, Djokovic converted a backhand crosscourt winner, duplicated it on the forehand, and then got a backhand down the line error from Davydenko for double break point.  When Davydenko made another forehand error, Djokovic was again in the driver seat at 6-5.  Subsequently, the Serb rounded out the match with a love game to take his first year-end trophy.