TennisToday

Andy Murray Wins 2013 Wimbledon Title

Wimbledon - Men's Final

2 Andy Murray d 1 Novak Djokovic - 64 75 64

FINALLY!

The 77 year drought has come to an end.

The look of disbelief on Andy's face after match point said it all.

It was a mixture of relief and 'wake-me-I'm-dreaming' delight.

I could bore you with stats so let's just hear from Andy:

Winning Wimbledon, I think, is the pinnacle of tennis.

I still can't believe it. Can't get my head around that. I can't believe it.

This one will take a little while to sink in, I'm sure.

***

Andy just turned up the heat on the race for year-end #1.

Since 2004 the Wimby winner has finished the year top of the pile.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves.

Today's win was one for the ages. Great Scot - well done.

Novak Djokovic & Andy Murray to Meet in Wimbledon Final

Wimbledon - Men's Semifinals

1 Novak Djokovic d Juan Martin Del Potro - 75 46 76(2) 67(6) 63

2 Andy Murray d 24 Jerzy Janowicz - 67(2) 64 64 63

1 Novak Djokovic VS 2 Andy Murray - H2H: 11-7/Novak

Both great matches. Novak's an instant classic.

In fact, Novak has played in the 2 best matches of the year...

This one and his Sf loss to Rafa at the French Open.

Novak: It was one of the best matches that I've been a part of, one of the

most exciting definitely. I'm privileged to be a winner of this match.

Something tells me a 3rd greatest match of the year is in the offing Sunday.

They last met in the Aussie Open final - Novak won that one in 4.

The last time Andy beat Novak was in the US Open final last year.

Andy also beat Novak the only time they played on grass at the Olympics.

Andy: Novak is playing very well. We've only played once on grass before,

at the Olympics last year. I'll take that thought into my head on Sunday.

Ok, I'm pulling for Andy. Just to get it over with.

Novak Djokovic Thru to Quarterfinals at Wimbledon

Wimbledon - Men's Fourth Round

1 Novak Djokovic d 13 Tommy Haas - 61 64 76(4)

Novak is thru to his 25th Slam Qf (17th straight): 19-5.

Remember he is looking for a 2nd title at SW19 to add to his 2011 trophy.

He will have a tough Qf against 7 Tomas Berdych - H2H: 13-2.

That may not seem too tough but consider the 2 losses.

Their most recent was a Berdych win in Rome this year.

And the other loss was their only match on grass: Sf here at Wimby in '10.

Post match: I lost to him the only time we played on grass back in 2010.

I think that I am playing really, really good tennis at this moment.

Maybe even better than 2011, when I won this tournament.

I am confident on the court and trying to maintain this level.

I hope I will succeed.

***

Considering this has been an upset riddled Wimby - nothing is certain.

Photo: From Novak's Facebook just days before the start of Wimbledon.

Pierre -VS- Maggie May

Some London paper fun ahead of Wimbledon.

Though I think Novak's dog is cute I certainly prefer Andy's.

No contest.

Novak Djokovic & Brothers Spend a Day at the Beach

Is there a better way to get over a stinging loss like the one in Paris...

Than with your bro's on the beach? (Photo from Novak's Facebook page.)

It's weird how some players can get over a loss faster than their fans.

Hell, I'm still gutted over Monica Seles' loss at the '08 French Open!

And her '02 loss at Wimbledon.

Anyway, Nole next tournament will be Wimbledon.

He's defending a Sf at SW19 - and should easily be able to repeat that.

Unless Wimby farts up a #5 seeding for Rafa and they meet in the Qf's.

Anyway, have fun Nole - you've got some work to do in London.

Rafael Nadal Defeats Novak Djokovic in Epic 5 Set Thriller in Semifinals at the French Open

French Open - Men's Semifinal

4 Rafael Nadal d 1 Novak Djokovic - 64 36 61 67(3) 9-7

Halfway thru the 5th set this was getting classified as an instant classic.

This baby was breathtakingly contested at an unreal high level.

And it should have been the final.

Rafa is going for an 8th French Open title.

No man in tennis history has 8 titles at any one given Slam.

A win would also put his Slam total at an amazing 12.

Today he also tied the record for most match wins at the French Open: 58.

Remember: Rafa has lost ONE match in 9 years at Roland Garros.

20's: At Rome a couple weeks ago he reached 20 wins over Federer.

Today he reached the same level over Nole - H2H: 20-15.

A win in Sunday's final would put him at 20 wins over Ferrer.

Post match: You need to love the game. You [need to] appreciate what

you are doing in every moment. I learned during all my career to

enjoy suffering, and these kind of matches are very special.

You don't have the chance to play these kind of matches every day.

So when these kind of matches happen you suffer,

but I really enjoy these moments.

Rafael Nadal Thru to Semifinals at French Open

French Open - Men's Quarterfinal

3 Rafael Nadal d 9 Stanislas Wawrinka - 62 63 61

Rafa won this match on the 8th anniversary of his 1st title (above).

Rafa is into his 8th French Open Sf: 7-0.

He'll face his main rival these days, Novak Djokovic - H2H 19-15/Rafa.

On clay: 12-3/Rafa. At the French Open: 4-0/Rafa. In finals: 8-8.

However... Since 2011 their H2H is 8-3/Nole.

And they've played once this year. On clay. Monte-Carlo final. Nole won.

So I'm going to say that Rafa is a bit of an underdog in this one.

Post match: So now I am in semi-finals, three matches in a row without

losing a set. The last two matches, I only lost one [game on] serve.

That's starting to be very positive numbers. Only numbers, but most

important thing at the end is the feeling, and the feeling is

completely different.  If I was not happy five days ago about my level,

today I say I am happy that I am in semi-finals.

Novak Djokovic Thru to Semifinals at French Open

French Open - Men's Quarterfinal

1 Novak Djokovic d 12 Tommy Haas - 63 76(5) 75

Nole has stated that this is the title he wants this year.

He is 2 wins away.

And it's kind of fitting that he'll have to go thru Rafa to get it too.

Seems tragically unfiiting that it's at the semifinal stage.

Post match: Now I have a big challenge in front of me & I'm ready for it.

I have been playing well. I know that this is the biggest challenge for me

in Roland Garros, no question about it,

and I'm sure that it's going to be quite a good match.

Old Man Tommy Haas Reaches Quarterfinals at French Open

French Open - Men's Fourth Round

12 Tommy Haas d 29 Mikhail Youzhny - 61 61 63

At 35 Tommy is the oldest Qf-ist at the FO since 1971.

It also took him 12 attempts in Paris to reach his 1st Qf at the FO.

He'll get Novak next - H2H: 4-3/Novak.

Remember: Tommy just beat Novak (in straight sets) at Miami in March.

So, who knows. This Qf could be very in-ter-est-ing.

Post match: It is one of the biggest challenges in tennis,

if not the biggest one right now, playing against the No. 1 player.

[He is] somebody that's very, very eager to win this title –

[the] one that's missing in his collection.

Rafael Nadal Celebrates 27th Birthday with $th Round Win at French Open

French Open - Men's Fourth Round

3 Rafael Nadal d 13 Kei Nishikori - 64 61 63

Rafa finally got a comfortable win in his 4 matches at Roland-Garros.

Rafa: Today I played a bit better than in the previous days.

He'll still needs to improve his level if he's to bite an 8th trophy.

Anyway after the match the tourney presented him a towering cake...

As the crowd serenaded him with a French version of Happy Birthday.

He is 5-0 on his actual birthday and improves his RG record to 56-1.

Rafa'll face Wawrinka in the Qf's - Stan hasn't won a set in 9 matches.

He is on course to play Novak in a blockbuster Sf match on Friday.

Most agree that the winner of that match will likely take the title.

Few Sf's have ever been so weighty - but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Rafa and Nole still have another match to win to get us there.

But they will. Of that I have no doubt.

Novak Djokovic Thru to 4th Round at French Open as He Notches 500th ATP Match

French Open - Men's Third Round

1 Novak Djokovic d 26 Grigor Dimitrov - 62 62 63

I think everybody thought this one would be a closer contest.

Remember, Grigor beat Nole just a few weeks ago at Madrid.

In the process Nole became the 40th player to join the 500 club.

Nole certainly is looking unbeatable at this edition of RG.

But his next opponent is Philipp Kohlschreiber - H2H: 2-1/Nole.

The loss? A 3rd round straight set loss here at the French in 2009.

Yea, I'm not seeing a repeat of that on Monday.

Not happening.

Grigor Dimitrov Thru to 2nd Round at French Open

French Open - Men's First Round

26 Grigor Dimitrov d Alejandro Falla - 64 1-0 Ret.

Falla had some tummy trouble.

Grigor seems to be coming into form on the clay.

Remember he took down Djokovic at the Madrid Masters.

And he's on a 3rd round collision course with Nole here at Roland-Garros.

Could be quite interesting.

And Grigor has already matched his best result here - from last year.

He's heading one direction - UP.

Tomas Berdych Upsets Novak Djokovic in Quarterfinals at Rome Masters 1000

Rome Masters Series 1000 - Men's Quarterfinal

6 Tomas Berdych d 1 Novak Djokovic - 26 75 64

This was Tomas' 4th trip to the Qf's at Rome.

And it was nearly his 4th loss - he was down 26 25 before hotted-up.

In the process Tomas snapped an 11 match losing streak to Nole.

Post match: One day you have to break [the run] and

I am happy that it was today. It was a great game and I am happy.

I was trying to stay positive from the beginning.

He didn't give me a single chance. I was trying to stay there and

there are matches when you don't get a single chance,

but then if you get one, then you are ready. Then everything could

turn the other way and this is what happened.

Next up he plays Rafa. And he has a 12-match losing streak in this H2H.

Novak Djokovic Back to Winning Way at Rome

Rome Masters Series 1000 - Men's 2nd Round

1 Novak Djokovic d Q Albert Montanes - 62 63

Looks like Nole and his pup Pierre wil be sticking around Rome for a bit.

Unlike at Madrid where he suffered an odd early loss.

Remember, he lost the final at Rome last year to Rafael Nadal.

They are on course to meet in the Sf's this year.

The two-time Rome winner ('08 & '11) had this to say post match:

It was a good performance for a start, even though I know I can do better.

I know my game has to be better in order to win my next challenge.

But I’m heading in a good way because I didn’t have a great week in

Madrid and didn’t have much practice.

I came here very early; from Wednesday I spent a lot of hours on the

court working hard, trying to prepare myself for what’s coming up

this week and also after the tournament in Rome, two Grand Slams

in less than a month time. It’s a very important period for all of us and

I need to be physically, mentally, fresh and fit and

I think I’m on the right way to be like that.

Novak Djokovic is Waiting for the Rest of the Tour at Rome

With his early exit at Madrid Nole got to Rome sonner than expected.

He has great memories at Rome as a 2 time champ: '08 & '11.

Last year he was runner-up to Rafa in a straight set affair.

Surely there will be no early round upsets this coming week.

Look for Nole to be fresh and make a deep run.

Possibly even a trophy lift?

I'd love to see another edition of Nole/Rafa again before Roland Garros.

Grigor Dimitrov Upsets Novak Djokovic in an Epic 2nd Round Match at Madrid

Madrid Masters Series 1000 - Men's 2nd Round

Grigor Dimitrov d 1 Novak Djokovic - 76(6) 67(8) 63

Welcome to the big time G! It's been a long time coming.

His #28 ranking will already be getting a nice bump on Monday.

Maybe even a big bump if he keeps going thru the draw.

Post match: It's a great win for me. Good day at the office.

I know it's a big thing, of course. But you got to stay on the ground.

Hopefully you're going to face these guys for years.

You never know how it's going to be next time...

You got to be ready and try to work at it every day and

see it as just another test to do and something exciting to look forward.

Novak Djokovic Wins at Monte-Carlo and Ends Rafael Nadal's Eight Year Run

ATP Masters Series 1000 Monte-Carlo - Men's Final

1 Novak Djokovic d 3 Rafael Nadal - 62 76(1)

Let's just hear from a happy Nole from his Facebook right up front:

Dreamed of winning this tournament for a long time!

Dear ATP World Tour, no need to ship my trophy, it stays right here :)

Meaning, at his home in Monte-Carlo:

This is Nole's 37th ATP title and his 8th on clay.

It's also his 14th Masters 1000 title out of 24 finals.

He's now won all the current M1000 titles except for at Cincinnati.

Where he has finished runner-up on 4 occasions.

Nole also closed the H2H gap on Rafa to 15-19.

He ties Rafa with most titles on the year with 3: Aussie Open & Dubai.

We will next see Nole at Madrid and Rafa next week at Barcelona.

Interesting to note - they could meet in the Qf's at Roland Garros.

Which would suck. Wake up RG seeding committee, seed Rafa #4.

Hello.

Rafael Nadal & Novak Djokovic to Meet in 2013 Monte-Carlo Final

ATP MAsters Series 1000 Monte-Carlo - Men's Final Preview

1 Novak Djokovic vs 3 Rafael Nadal - H2H: 19-14/Rafa

Round 34 will be played on Rafa's turf. Well, Nole's turf too.

Rafa is going for a 9th straight title at MC and Nole has made MC his home.

Let's breakdown the head-to-head a little more:

Clay: 12-2/Rafa --- Finals: 8-7/Rafa --- at M-C: 2-0/Rafa

On paper it looks like Rafa's match. But he's still on the comeback trail.

It'll be a huge test. But Factor in Nole's ankle problem.

Who know's. I'd bet Rafa in a 3 set thriller. But really it's 50-50.

***

ATP Masters Series 1000 Monte-Carlo - Men's Semifinals

3 Rafael Nadal d 6 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - 63 76(3)

For the 2nd match in-a-row Rafa made a mess of the 2nd set.

Let's see... he served for it twice and had match point in 2 JW games.

Rafa will go for a 9th straight title in a tourney he calls his favorite.

It's amazing. It's unprecendented. It's historic.

***

ATP Masters Series 1000 Monte-Carlo - Men's Semifinals

1 Novak Djokovic d Fabio Fognini - 62 61

What ankle injury?

Nole is in his 3rd MC final - he lost the last 2 to RafaL '09 & '12.

He is looking for his 14th M1000 title and 37th on the ATP tour.

His main focus this year is a title at Roland Garros.

This would be a major first step in obtaining that goal.

Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray & Rafael Nadal All Advance at Monte-Carlo

ATP Masters Series 1000 Monte-Carlo - Men's Second Round

1 Novak Djokovic d Mikhail Youzhny - 46 61 64

Phew... That was a little closer than Nole might have liked.

But remember he suffered a severe ankle twist just 10 days ago.

It can't be 100% so he's lucky to be playing. Let's see how far he goes.

*** 

2 Andy Murray d Q Edouardo Roger-Vasselin - 61 64

Andy has been in M-C practicing for a week or so...

He's keen on proving himself on clay.

He's never been to a clay court final on tour.

Tho he's been to a couple Sf's here at M-C.

He got a tough draw this week so that 1st clay final may have to wait.

***

3 Rafael Nadal d Marinko Matosevic - 61 62

In the 9 years Rafa has played here he's lost ONE match.

And he's only given up EIGHT sets. These are crazy stats.

In his eight straight title runs he's not lost a set before the Sf's.

That won't change tomorrow against 16 Kohlschreiber either.

Davis Cup 2013 Quarterfinal Results

Serbia d USA: 3-1

Major props to Ilija & Nenad for that stunning upset of the Bryan Bros.

I don't think anybody saw that coming.

It's been 20+ years since a #1 has played Davis Cup on US soil.

Boise got him. And then Nole twisted his ankle in his 2nd match.

Hope he's not too hobbled to play Monte-Carlo.

Argentina d France: 3-2

This was the only tie this weekend that went to a 5th rubber.

Berlocq's epic upset of Simon turned him into the unlikely team hero.

I hope he bought up all those newspapers.

Czech Rep. d Kazakhstan: 3-1

Bleh.

Finally Lukas Rosol has something else to talk about.

Canada d Italy: 3-1

This was the other tie with an insane doubles rubber - 15-13 in the 5th set.

Canada had never advanced to the Qf's before. Why stop there?

Their Sf will pit them against Serbia - in Serbia. Hmmm.