US Open Qualifiers

A couple of days ago I took a trip out to Flushing Meadows for the qualifiers since I wasn't going to be around for the actual US Open this year. Although I watched some nice tennis the reality is that the best word to describe the tennis is just that, "nice." The players are all good but they aren't great and for them when they play in the qualifiers there can be more pressure than playing in the actual tournament. Think about the expenses: expense number one: plane ticket, expense number two: the hotel room, expense number three: food and so on. I am sure there are many more that I wouldn't even dream of because I have never had to. Therefore for many of these players if they lose in the first round it is like they have traveled and practiced for nothing.

However, while I was there I was able to catch a couple Americans play (I am tempted to write young but sadly I don't think many of them were). Only one of the four made it to the next round (Mike Russel) while the rest loss in tight set matches. The only other American that struck me as interesting was this kid, and I mean kid named Ryan Lipman. Lipman is only 18 years old and was given a wild card entry into the tournament. Although he didn't win I think he has a lot of potential. Unlike most players on tour Lipman wasn't afraid to serve and volley, which when he gets older and stronger can allow him to break onto tour. For now he just needs to go out there and practice and bulk up.

Besides watching some tennis I also saw Gael Monfils practice on the grand stand, man is he quick. Monfils did look a little shaky and I won't be entirely surprised if he doesn't do too well at the Open for two reasons. The first reason is that he just came off a wrist injury and the second is that he is a clay specialist. His game is made for the slow red clay not the quick hard courts which will make it harder for him to run down balls and wear his opponents down.

Overall it was pretty cool to get so close to the court and I was able to get some pretty good photos like the one above.

Two

Two things are for sure, Wimbledon is in two days and Rafael Nadal, the defending Champion, and top seed has pulled out of the tournament.

However, I am a little skeptical of the whole thing. I mean, don't you find it weird that all of a sudden after losing to Soderling in the French Open Nadal starts complaining about his knees. I cannot picture Nadal as someone who would start blaming his slump on an injury but is it just me or has Uncle Toni become quite outspoken all of a sudden. After losing to Hewitt, Uncle Toni was the one who spoke to the press and said that if he were Nadal he would fly back home. So I have come up with a theory; Tennis and Family just don't mix. To all you aspiring tennis players don't allow your family to coach you because it only ends in disaster.

I think Uncle Toni is living vicariously through Rafa and notices that yes his knees are bothering him and yes he isn't playing well so he should pull out of one of the best tournaments in the world because he might not win it. Rafa is only human, everyone has slumps, what makes you great is how you deal with not playing your best and how you are able to fight through it to win. Sometimes when something isn't working you have to be smart enough to come up with another game plan.

I think Sharapova has done that. She hadn't played in a year because of her shoulder but she has figured out a way to take some pressure of her shoulder by changing her serve. And it has paid off for her, she has been surprisingly good, good enough to raise her ranking about 50 spots and get the 24 seed at Wimbledon, which many people view as a gift. But I think she has earned it, she has proven to be successful on grass in the past and has been doing well in all the pre-grass tournaments that lead up to Wimbledon. I think her injury has humbled her a little bit and she realizes she needs to prove herself.

With Nadal out, and Sharapova receiving a higher seed then expected Wimbledon will definitely be an interesting tournament to watch. I don't think many of us can remember a grand slam without Nadal, but don't be too disappointed. Instead, try and think positively, with Nadal out history could be made; Federer could surpass Samprass and win his 15th grand slam title or Murray could become the first Britt to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936. According to how the draw should play out these two should meet in the finals so sit down relax and tune in.

The End of the Beginning

No reason crying over spilled milk, or in this case the end of the French Open. Instead, as tennis fans we have much to cheer about; there are two new French Open Champions: Svetlana Kuznetsova and Roger Federer and we have Wimbledon to look forward to. Think of it this way, it isn't the beginning of the end, it is the end of the beginning.

So Roger Federer finally won the French Open, we all knew he was great but now he has the statistics to prove it. He has become one of few players to win all four grand slams and is tied with Pete Sampras for 14 career grand slam titles.

However, Federer doesn't have too much time to celebrate, with Wimbledon right around the corner, fourteen days to be exact. Although Wimbledon is usually Federer's strongest tournament and in the past he has almost been guaranteed the title, he is not the defending Champion. Instead Federer's long time rival, Rafael Nadal, who is battling tendinitis in his knee is.

With Nadal complaining about knee problems and Federer finally winning the one tournament he has never won, Wimbledon could become a very exciting stage for Men's Tennis. Many questions arise; will Nadal be healthy enough to even play? Will Federer be too mentally exhausted from his win in France (he recently pulled out of the Gerry Weber Open, which he uses as a warm-up for Wimbledon) to make a run for the title? And don't forget about Murray who will have the home court advantage and made a nice run at Wimbledon last year with the help of his fans.

I am excited for what is going to play out on Center Court, it should be an exciting stage to see how everything unfolds.

Nadal turns 23

To pay a little tribute to Nadal's 23rd birthday, I found a couple cute videos online mocking the man himself.

The first and more recent of the two is a tutorial between Brad Gilbert and Darren Cahill, where Gilbert is seen sporting the hot pink Nadal shirt and bright yellow Nadal bandanna. Although, it doesn't look half bad on Gilbert I don't think we will see him wearing it anytime soon.

The second video takes place at the end of this years Rome Masters Ceremony where Djokovic performs his famous Nadal imitation in front of Nadal himself.

Cinderella Story

Well the Cinderella story has officially ended, if you are Maria Sharapova, Andy Roddick and Andy Murray that is.

However, credit must be given where credit is due. Sharapova, who has not played for about a year and has battled through a shoulder injury was able to make it to the quarterfinals in a tournament that usually troubles her when she is healthy. Not only did she make it to the quarterfinals but she played four three set matches to get there. Do not count her out, she is a fighter and with Wimbledon coming up; the tournament where she won her first grand slam, we have much to look forward to.

With Sharapova out of the tournament the women's side looks like it could become a rematch of the Australian Open. Dinara Safina who was seeded number one in the tournament has clinched a spot in the semi-finals beating the young Victoria Azarenka 1-6, 6-4, 6-2. Her match against Azarenka was the only set she dropped throughout the entire tournament. Serena on the other side of the draw is set to play Kuznetsova who is the seventh seed. I am liking Serena's odds not only statistically but mentally as well. Serena has a lot of experience and continues to impress us whether we like it or not.

We have come to expect upsets in the women's brackets due to the inconsistency of rankings and in the WTA tour but a week ago if you were to mention that the men's quarterfinals wouldn't include Nadal we would have laughed in your face. Not only is the number one seed missing from the quarterfinals but there are only three men seeded in the top ten in the quarterfinals. Now with Murray gone, who just lost to Gonzalez we could have an interesting final developing.

The question is, which two men are going to make it to the finals. We know it is either going to be Soderling or Gonzalez but will he be joined by Federer, who everyone expected to make it and then lose to Nadal.

Although we all want Federer to win so it will no longer be such a big deal that he hasn't won all the grand slams; I know someone cry me a river it wouldn't make for an interesting final. I think that if Federer makes it to the finals this will be the time he wins. I personally, would much rather see a five set final with possibly a Frenchman; Monfils is still left, but he needs to go through Federer first. Que suspenseful music now.

Apocalypse at the French

The world is coming to an end; well only if you are a Nadal fan it is.

For all of you who said you knew it was going to happen, that Nadal was only human, you have achieved bragging rights. But lets be serious with ourselves we didn't think it was going to happen this year, not even next year. It had appeared that Nadal was unbeatable he beat Federer at the Australian Open earlier in the year on hardcourt and beat him on his own territory at Wimbledon in 2008, it was almost a given that he was going to win at Roldan Garros, where he has won for the past four years. We were only really watching the French Open to see who would give Nadal a good run for his money, maybe Murray, or Verdasco (who also lost today) but not Robin Soderling the number 23 seed.

So now what? The question on everyone's mind is who is going to win now?

If you are French then your chances are looking good with two Frenchmen left in the tournament, Monfils and Tsonga who are both looking very good on clay and have the homecourt advantage.

If you are American and/or a fan of Andy Roddick then you may be liking your chances, he has already surprised us by getting into the second week for the first time in his career. He is looking fitter and can no longer be labeled as the dumbest American player; that award goes to Blake. Unfortunately for all you fans, Roddick has to play Monfils who will definitely have the crowd behind him, but don't give up hope, maybe Roddick will surprise us again.

If you are British then Andy Murray is looking promising. He may not have been able to win at Wimbledon but I'm sure the Brits will settle for a win at Roldan Garros. He has to play Gonzalez next who has been playing quite well all year, but if Murray continues to hit the angles that he has been using all tournament, which are extremely effective on clay then we might see a British Champion.

And of course who can forget about Federer, who has been flying below the radar for the majority of the tournament. He has been winning pretty easily but we have been expecting that from him. We just assumed he would get to the finals and then lose to Nadal, which has become a trend. Now with Nadal out of the tournament this could be Federer's year to finally win at France and join that list of greats who have won every single grand slam title.

Although I don't know who is going to win I do know one thing for sure, the French Open just got a lot more interesting.

Are We Really That Surprised?

Honesty is the best policy right? So let's be honest with ourselves.

Are we really that surprised that James Blake lost...no.

Are we surprised that he lost in the first round...maybe.

That he lost in three sets...okay yes.

We didn't think he was going to win the French Open but losing in three sets and in the first round, what happened? Out of all the Americans he was probably the most promising to get the farthest, I mean the man can slide on a hard court so it shouldn't be too hard for him to figure out sliding on clay right? Of course we were proven wrong again, don't they get tired of proving us wrong in the worse way?

James Blake didn't play smart, a necessity on clay. Not only that but he gave up; the first two sets were close 8-6 in the first set tie breaker and 7-5 in the second set. However, the third set score was 6-2 not even close to the previous scores; if you are going to lose go down swinging, don't give up. Now, that really surprised me.

It is May 24th...You Know What that Means...

The French Open has officially begun!

And with the French Open comes two things that tennis fans can expect. The first being, long matches and the second, upsets.

Roland Garros is known for longer matches because the red clay surface slows down the ball, which gives players more time to track down a ball therefore causing longer points. The longer points and slower surface create a different game; a game that requires thinking not necessarily power. Therefore upsets are more likely because a lot of the big time players like to hit the ball hard and win the point immediately off of big serves and big forehands. So when Ivo Karlovic the number 26 seed played Lleyton Hewitt it is not really that big a surprise that the big man lost. The red clay surface worked against his tall frame and big serve. All Hewitt needed to do was make him run and keep the ball in play wearing Karlovic down.

Although the Karlovic-Hewitt five set match is the only match that can be really be labeled an upset, because Karlovic was seeded and Hewitt was not, there were still a lot of other close matches. For example, Sam Querrey's loss to Ernests Gulbis was in four sets and Frenchman Gilles Simon, who is seeded 7th had a tough five set match.

Simon's match strikes me as interesting because you would think that since he is French and he is playing in France he would have some home court advantage. You would also presume that since the French Open is known for its red clay surface that Simon would be a pro on the surface and have an edge over the competition, especially an American like his opponent Wayne Odesnik. Well scratch that out of your mind because if you were betting on Simon to beat Nadal and restore French tennis at the French Open then you should probably stop betting and keep your day job because you will definitely need the money. Simon did come up with some big shots but he just didn't look as comfortable as you would like him to be out there.

Simon is a talented player but I think the pressure of playing in France might be getting to him. The French fans like the English fans at Wimbledon are tough critics and they will be the first to cheer for their countrymen when they are playing well and the first to criticize them for not playing up to standard. Will the five set match in the opening round boost Simon's confidence or tear him apart; we will just have to see how the tournament plays out for him.

Don't Expect Anything

Instead of thinking about school work, I have found my mind wandering to the NCAA tournament that my college tennis team didn't make this year. Although I am disappointed that we didn't make the tournament this year I don't think it is anything to be ashamed of.

I feel that our program is slowly growing and as a team we don't have expectations to fill, we play to have fun and if we make the tournament that is great, if not there is always next year. When I am playing my dual matches I always think like this. I love being the underdog because there is no pressure to win, no expectations. Instead I think that the person who is the higher seed can have a harder time winning matches because they know that they are supposed to win. For me some of my hardest matches are the ones that I know I am supposed to win.

Expectations are a recognizable theme at any level, even with the pros. With the French Open nearing I have been wondering how Rafael Nadal is dealing with the expectations people have of him. He has won the French Open four times in a row now and therefore people are expecting him to enhance his streak to five. How is he dealing with this pressure? Is he going to fulfill these expectations or will they catch up with him? And on the red clay with all these new young guys showing up you cannot expect anything.

April Showers bring...the French Open

With the French Open nearing the question on everyone's mind is, will Federer be able to finally top Nadal? Is he ready for the red clay surface at Roland Garros, the one grand slam tournament he has yet to win?

Federer has been busy but not necessarily out on the tennis courts. Instead Federer just recently walked down the isle and married his long time girlfriend, Mirka Vavrinec. Although the wedding has caused a bit of a set back; Federer just recently lost in the third round to Stanislas Wawrinka at the Monte Carlo Masters on April 16, he isn't too concerned.

He isn't concerned by the fact that the reigning champ and newly crowned number one in the world, Rafael Nadal has enhanced his winning streak on clay to 25 matches and has won his fifth straight Monte Carlo title and Barcelona Open title. Instead he believes he is playing some of his best tennis and is ready for the upcoming month. Whether you agree with him or not I know that as tennis fans we have much to look forward in the upcoming month besides red stained clothing. The red slow clay surface can make things interesting so get ready.

Players to Look Out For in 2009

It is beginning of the year and tennis fans have much to look forward to. The Nadal-Federer rivalry may start to be dieing down as Nadal just looks to be too much for Federer to handle. However, that may just open up the tour for new rivalries to form, maybe a Roddick-Federer rivalry. Whether or not that proves to be true there are many new and old faces to keep a look out for.

Andy Roddick:

American hopeful, Andy Roddick has started the year off well with a 9-2 record. His only losses have come to Roger Federer who is number two in the world and Andy Murray who is number four. His great start has moved him up three spots in the rankings awarding him with the number six ranking.

I believe Roddick is someone to look out for this year. He has changed his coach as well as his game. He no longer relies on his powerful serve but instead he has started to mix things up by coming up to net. He still uses his serve as a weapon but now when opponents figure out how to time it he will have something to fall back on, an actual game. Roddick also looked quite knowledgeable down in Melbourne, something that people often criticize him for. Maybe he has actually grown up, he does have a fiance. Or maybe it's the new body image or even the new coach; whatever Roddick has done it is working, he actually looks like a tennis player out there.

Gilles Simon:

He's young, he's fresh, he's french. What is it about Gilles Simon that seems so promising? Is it the fact that he is a Frenchman who was able to compete on a hard court surface, or was it the fact that he never seemed to give up when playing Rafael Nadal in the Quarterfinals in Melbourne. He was in every point, he tried to out hustle the king of hustling. He never gave up, which allowed him to stay in every point. He is currently ranked eighth in the world but I don't think we have seen the last of him.

I think Roland Garros could be an interesting tournament for Simon. He will have the home court advantage and the fact that surface is red clay could be an advantage. His speed could make him a dangerous threat in the tournament.

Fernando Verdasco:

Probably one of my favorite players to watch right now, Fernando Gonzalez has developed into quite a contender. His match against Nadal was one of the longest matches in Australian Open history, proving that his conditioning will allow him to compete with some of the best.

His semi-final lost to Nadal moved him up six spots in the rankings awarding him with the number nine ranking in the world. Although he and Nadal have similar games, I think that the Open will be Verdasco's most promising tournament. Although he lost to Nadal on a hard court I think mentally Verdasco won. At the Open if the two are on the same side of the draw Verdasco will walk into the showdown knowing he has a good chance to win, while Nadal will walk in remembering how much time and effort he put in to beat him. All in all I am excited for the tennis to come from Verdasco, he is older, wiser and fitter and will push any competitor to their brink.

Tommy Haas:

I have always enjoyed watching Tommy play and although we have not heard much from him lately, especially down in Melbourne I still believe he is a guy you do not want to have on your side of the draw. He lacks consistency; he is either on or off, but when he is on watch out. Every time he plays an opponent he gives it his all.

His old age of 30 could pose a problem when he has to face those young fellows like Simon, Nadal and Verdasco but it may also prove to be just what he needs to win. Having been on the tour for over a decade Haas knows what it takes to win. I think if given a good draw we could see some huge upsets on Haas' side of the court. He may start to receive some better draws having moved up in the rankings 14 spots to claim the number 65 ranking. Although that number seems awfully low, I think that if he is able to catch a break (not playing Nadal in the third round would be nice) he will continuously climb his way up the rankings.

Jo- Wilfried Tsonga:

Although his early exit in Melbourne cost him to fall in the rankings seven spots to the number fourteen ranking I still think that Tsonga is someone to watch out for. He has nothing to be ashamed of, pushing Verdasco to four sets in the quarterfinals. Although he lost the match I still like the energy and heart that he brings to the game.

The U.S Open will definitely be the most promising tournament because he hits a hard deep ball and on a hard surface that is not something you want to see on the other end of the court. Another thing that impresses me about Tsonga is how hard he has worked over the last year. Before the Australian open the name Jo-Wilifried Tsonga would have received a response such as, "Will got fried?" However, for tennis fans the name has become widely known, mostly because of his final debut last year at Melbourne. However, Tsonga did not want to be remembered as that guy who almost Novak Djkovic. Instead he has trained hard in the past year and it has really paid off.

Fernando Gonzalez

To many Americans this name brings with it a sour taste to one's mouth. He is mostly known as that guy who cheated James Blake in the Olympics, but although his character can be questioned his tennis most certainly should not. Although he too, has moved down in the rankings as well; he dropped four spots and now claims the number 18 ranking, he is not someone you should shrug off. He has been on the tour for a decade and has started the year off nicely with some big wins down under. In Australia he pulled out some big wins against Lleyton Hewitt and Richard Gasquet. Unfortunately for Gonzalez, his run ended in the fourth round when he faced Nadal, no shame in that. If he is able to get some breaks in tournaments and get his ranking up things may really start to heat up on the tour.

The Whereabouts of Maria

With the women's draw looking so unstable you may ask yourself why hasn't Maria Sharapova tried to compete for the number one ranking; why let Serena Williams have all the fun?

Sharapova has been absent from the past two grand slam tournaments because of tough shoulder injury. Although she has reported that she is out on the court hitting and joked that had the Aussie Open been pushed back a few weeks she would be able to compete, she has mis-calculated. The Russian born, has recently dropped out of two WTA tournaments in Paris and Dubai, which are being held in mid February. Sharapova still does not believe that her shoulder is strong enough to compete at the level that is required of her.

Whether she is strong enough should not be the only question Sharapova is asking of herself. The other being, when she is ready to compete how will she measure up compared to the rest of the competition? To answer this question, if the womens draw stays the way it is now, which is no woman stepping up and holding onto the number one ranking for longer than a few months then I think Sharapova shouldn't have any problem re-joining the WTA tour. Sharapova is a strong enough competitor to give any of her oppenents a run for their money.

However, injuries can also affect your mentality and can cause athletes to change the way they play. Some pros may change their strokes for the better; getting rid of bad habbits that may have caused the injury in the first place. However, some pros may favor their injury forcing their game to change and they therefore will not be the same competitor they used to be.

Where will Maria stand? Will she be grouped together with those that are forced to retire at a young age because of an injury or will she prove that those two grand slam wins were not a fluke but rather something that proves just how strong and competative she really is? Only time will tell.

The End of Melbourne, What's Next?

For the top players their schedule revolves around the Grand Slam schedule. They practice and train according to when the next tournament is taking place. So what do the other players do, well they actually participate in the ATP tour.

Take Jo- Wilfried Tsonga who is usually compared to a younger Muhammad Ali. He did not make it to the finals of the Australian Open like he did in 2008. However, he has been able to climb the rankings to number 5 without winning a major. How is that possible? He doesn't stop playing he enters tournament after tournament grasping every opportunity given. To Tsonga the end of the Australian open only signifies the beginning of the year, where he will hope to climb the ranks even higher.

It has only been a few days since the tournament came to a close and Tsonga has already reached the second round of the SA (South Africa) Tennis Open. He is the top seed in South Africa and has an 8-2 record on the 2009 tour already. Tsonga is hoping to win his third title on the tour and raise his ranking.

It is people like Tsonga who make the ATP strong. More top players need to enter more ATP tournaments, and not just enter them when it is convenient for them. The ATP tour could have better publicity if the pros were more willing to participate. More publicity would mean more fans, which would also mean more money for the tour. Everyone wins!

To accomplish this I think that the tour should set some requirements for the pros. Make them play a certain amount of tournaments a year. Do something that will force them to participate in more tournaments.

No Surprise Down in Melbourne

In both men's and women's draws I am not surprised by the outcome. Serena's victory wasn't even a question as she seems to be dominating the WTA, awarding her the number one rank in the world. She deserves the ranking seeing that she annihilated Dinara Safina who was seeded one below her in the number three spot. However, by looking at the scores you wouldn't think that they has consecutive seeds as Serena plowed through in straight sets for an easy victory 6-0, 6-3.

The men's side, although much more interesting still was no shocker as Rafael Nadal outplayed Federer. Federer was no slouch on the court, hustling for every ball and trying to stay in every point but Nadal was just too good. It has gotten to the point that Federer has come to realize that Nadal is just better and that he has reached his peak while Nadal has many more stairs to climb. The difference in play was evident in the final fifth set as Federer appeared to run out of steam allowing the younger Rafa to win easily 6-2.

Although my money was on Rafa from the start I am surprised at his level of conditioning as he went from winning a 5 hour match with less than 48 hours of rest to winning another match in just over 4 hours.

He has really started the year off well and if he stays healthy I think that he just might be able to win all four grand slams in one year. He has proven victorious on clay at the French Open and has even been able to beat Federer at Wimbledon. The U.S Open, is now the only grand slam title that Rafa has not won. However, having a win in Melbourne under his belt should give him more confidence knowing that he can succeed on a hard surface. Wimbledon could also be a threat to ruining his hopes of winning every grand slam because although he is the defending champion you can never count Federer out when it comes to the grass surface. Federer has amazing results on grass having won five Wimbledon titles in a row.

The year of 2009 is starting to appear as a very interesting year for the men's draw. Questons arise such as, will Rafa win all four grand slams or will Federer be able to stop him? Or maybe, is there someone else out there who can threaten Nadal's dreams as going down in history, possibly Fernando Verdasco?

As for the ladies, will Serena be able to hold onto the number one ranking, or will it be tossed around like a hot potato? I cannot wait to see what the year has in tole for the tennis world.

Battle of the Spanish Lefties

Fernando Verdasco vs. Rafael Nadal, Spaniard vs. Spaniard, lefty vs. lefty, all the great parts for an epic match. Fernando Verdasco, seeded fourteen at the Australian Open did not let the difference in rankings affect how he played. He did not walk into Rod Laver Arena with the mindset that he was going to to lose to a fellow countryman, but instead he came out hitting hard and deep. This paid off giving Verdasco the edge from the beginning when he took the first set.

However, after that first set the match looked like it would be dominated by the hard hitting number one seed Rafael Nadal, but the match took a spin in the fourth set to the fans enjoyment. Verdasco pushed Nadal to a fifth set after fighting hard and winning the fourth set in a tie breaker.

As expected Nadal won the match 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4, but the momentum throughout the match took the shape of sea saw. The two hard hitting lefties went back and forth alternating winners just trying to hold onto their serve. In the end it would come down to who was able to break the others serve first, with Nadal winning that war. However, Verdasco has much to be proud of; forcing the world's number one to play one of the longest matches in tournament history.

In the end I am not sure who I am more impressed with, Verdasco who had nothing to lose and everything to gain or Nadal who gave the match his all so that he could face Roger Federer in the finals for the first time on a hard court. Either way the two have brought some new excitement to the game and possibly a new rivalry. I'm sure this will not be the last that we have heard from Verdasco.

Although, the match lasted longer than Rafa could have liked, he has now earned a spot in the final to face the second seed Roger Federer, who only needs one more win to tie Pete Sampras' 14 major titles. In what should be an intense battle the match is going to come down to who has the best conditioning. Rafael is at a disadvantage; only getting one days rest compared to Federer's two and also playing a five set match compared to Federer's three set match, however I wouldn't put it past Nadal to take home the win.

Nadal has become a much better competitor on a hard surface, something that in the past years has been a weakness of his. He has grown more experienced and a lot stronger so I am giving the victory to Nadal in four close sets.

American Hopeful; Can Roddick top the World's Best?

Andy Roddick has really impressed me with his performance down in Melbourne. He is starting the year off well; dropping fifteen pounds, and visually looks like a totally different player physically. He has advanced his game, throwing in a couple volleys instead of his usual predictable groundstrokes making it harder for top oppenents to beat him.

Roddick's recent conquest was Novak Djokovic, the defending Australian Open Champion. The change in his game wasn't the only thing that helped him but his fitness as well also served as a weapon. Roddick recently dropped fifteen pounds because he hoped that with less weight to carry around he would be able to move quicker on the court. His training paid off and because of his better conditioning he was able to outlast Novak Djokovic, seeded three. Djokovic was forced to retire in the fourth set when he was down two sets to one (7-6, 4-6, 2-6, 1-2) because of the intense weather conditions with temperatures on court as high as 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

Roddick is now scheduled to play Roger Federer, the number two seed, in the semifinals.

Federer breezed by the number eight seed, Juan Martin del Potro, 6-3, 6-0, 6-0 in a match that only took an hour and twenty minutes.

The difference between the intensity of the two quarterfinal matches that Federer and Roddick played could make a difference, but I think the world is looking at a new, fitter Andy Roddick who may actually have a chance to beat Federer for only the third time in his career.

Fitness vs. Power; What is Better in Women's Tennis?

What is going on with women's tennis? There has not been a consistent number one woman in the world in a while. It is not because of some new upcoming seventeen year old Russian beauty who is unbeatable. It is because the women on the pro tour have become so unpredictable; one day they might be playing the best tennis of their lives and then the next day and they are losing to a woman who is ranked 100 spots below them. The consistency issues are due to the lack of finesse in the women's draw. The pro women have become so one dimensional with their base line games, making them get stuck in these long base line rally points. In the end it comes down to two things; (1) fitness and (2) who can hit a bigger shot first. The downside of the latter is that with these bigger shots comes a bigger risk of creating an error. This is not how the game of tennis was originally played; it was a game that required wooden rackets and people with brains. Power was not the most important part of the game, but instead the most important part was who could out smart their openent.

The other day I was watching the second round of the 2009 Australian Open and one player, a young Belgian caught me by surprise. She was playing Jelena Jankovic, the number one seed and really struck me as someone to look out for in future Grand Slams. Her name is Kristen Flipkens and she came out motivated to beat the world's best. She played a different game then most women because she came up to net. Using a tough inside out forehand she was able to work her way up to net and put away an easy volley, throwing off Jankovic. You could see through the frustration in Jankovic's body language that Flipken's net game was throwing her off. By coming to the net Flipkens was able to cut off Jankovic's tough ground shots and put the shots that normally would be hard to put away from the baseline away. Even though Flipkens lost 4-6, 5-7 I think that the top women have much to learn from her; there is more than just strong ground strokes in tennis.