Best Performance of '08

Hello everyone, welcome to the last post before the new year.

The Australian is about 2 weeks away, it seems like the off-season flew by.  I can't wait to have tennis scores to check daily again.

Now for the final post of  "Tiebreak's '08"

The Best Performance in '08.

To be honest, this one is a no-brainer.  I think anyone who watched a minute of tennis this year knows that Rafael Nadal put together one of the great years in tennis history.  1 Gold Medal, his fourth straight French Open, his amazing first Wimbledon title, few Masters Series titles along the way...oh yea and he took over the 1 ranking from arguably the greatest player of all time.  He took the step this year to the next level of tennis.  

For the most part Rafa has been in the shadow of Roger Federer...until this year.  He stole Roger's thunder this year and proved that he is a lot more than a beefy grinder from Spain who can't lose on clay.  

Now for the hard part.  As amazing as his year was, just think what it's going to take to keep his No. 1 ranking.  His results at the Slams last year were Semi, Win, Win, Semi.  Rafa has no room to breathe next year, and Federer will be as hungry as ever trying to regain that spot.  It should make for some great drama during the tennis season, but the most important thing is that he stays healthy. 

Congratulations to Rafa on his incredible '08, and good luck to him next year.

Until then, I hope you all enjoy the last few weeks of your off-season.

Have a safe and happy new year.

Happy Holidays!....AND The Best Slam of '08.

Hello everyone, Happy Holidays. Whatever you celebrated, or have already celebrated, I hope it was great.


Oh, and before I forget....--->

POLL RESULTS: It seems you are undecided on whether Querrey will break into the top 20...with 42% of you saying YES and 42% saying NO.
The new year is quickly approaching, which means everyone is gearing up for competition. For college players, this is the mini-off season...which is about a 4 week period when you scramble to get into the best shape you can be in for the Spring season. For ATP pros, it is the period between the Master's Cup (for those who made it) and the Aussie Open. The pros have a short amount of time to prepare their bodies for 11 months of mental and physical punishment. It's also a time where players try and work on their games and beef up in the weight room. It's also exciting to see who is going to come out the most improved in January...

So now for my second to last installment of "Tiebreak's '08"...The Best Slam of '08.

This is tough because I think that it is widely accepted that the Rafa/Roger Wimbledon Final was the best match in '08(maybe ever)...but does that make Wimbledon the best Slam? Well Wimbledon had it's moments...Safin's miracle run to the semis...the epic final in the twilight of Centre Court...Murray's comeback moment against Gasquet...but I still don't think it was the best Slam overall.

The French also had its moments...Rafa proving to be immortal on clay with his embarrassment of Roger in the final...and Monfils electrifying the crowd.
The US Open also saw a king regain his crown and the rise of Andy Murray to his first Slam final.
There is only one Slam left...and my choice for the Slam of '08..The Australian Open.

The Aussie Open seemed to have an amazing match every time I turned on the TV.
First the main story lines....Novak Djokovic beats Fed in the semis and goes on to win his first Slam solidifying his emergence as one of the best in the world. This was also the beginning of the "he's done" talk about Fed as he looked vulnerable along the way to his semifinal loss. This was also the birth of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as a star. Tsonga made a run to the finals, and crushed Rafa in the semis.

Along with those story lines...there were also some incredible matches. Three of those come to mind right away....Janko Tipsarevic equipped with his futuristic sunglasses gave Fed all he could handle in the the third round. The match turned back and forth, ending with a gutsy 10-8 in the fifth victory for Fed.

Andy Roddick also played an incredible match with the German Kohlschreiber. Roddick wouldn't go down until the German finally put a stake in his heart ...going on to win 8-6 in the fifth.

Perhaps the most captivating match of the tournament ended at 4:33 am local time. Hewitt/Baghdatis took court late because of the Fed/Janko match and was an emotional roller coaster which saw Hewitt win the battle 6-3 in the fifth.
The Aussie Open was amazing, and was quite a way to begin '08, which was a year filled with great matches and intriguing story lines.

The 2009 Australian Open will have quite a pair of shoes to fill.

Take Care...see you soon for the finale of "Tiebreak's '08"

Who's Done.

Hi all...welcome to my third installment of "Tiebreak's '08."  

This blog is going to be fun, and I hope I get a lot of comments from you guys.  

In sports, sometimes you just don't have it anymore.  I'll try and pick out a few guys that, in my opinion, are done.  I use the word "done' loosely...for some of the names I mention, it doesn't mean they should hang up the towel for good and quit, it just means their career, as we know it(top 10, Slam winner, or a threat) is done.  

Lets get started...

My first player I'd like to declare done is Tommy Robredo.  The feisty, fit Spaniard always found himself around the top 15 for the past few years...except this one.  Tommy finished at #21 in the world this year, as yes this is an excellent ranking...BUT I think the days of Tommy being in the 4Th round at Slams or being a threat to big players are over.  Robredo relies heavily on his fitness and now at the age of 26 will start to break down.  I'd give him another year or two in the top 25 until he starts to drop like a stone, but gone are the days of thinking he has a chance to sniff a Slam semi.

Carlos Moya is done.  The beefy "big bro" of Rafa has battled shoulder injury for the past few years, and although still being able to play some pretty high quality tennis (mostly on clay) this former world No. 1 is done.  He has dropped to the 40s in the rankings and seems like the kind of guy that doesn't want to just "show up" to Slams.  Lets not forget Carlos is also in his early 30s...which means his career clock is starting to get down to the end...I look for this fan favorite to call it quits very soon, probably in the next year and a half.  

The magician is very close to done.  Fabrice Santoro, a fan favorite for his two handed ground strokes and wizardry on the court.  Sadly, Fabrice can't quite cut it anymore on a weekly basis.  He has hinted at retirement and spoke about it often, which means it's not far off.  The game will certainly miss his one-of-a-kind game.  

Ivan Ljubicic is done.  It seems like a lot longer than '06 that the big serving Croatian was number 3 in the world...A LOT LONGER.  Now standing at number 44 in the world, Ivan has fell into the group of players that doesn't make it onto TV coverage for a second the entire year.  I'm not quite sure what happened to him, but he is just not a factor anymore.  He can lose to anyone on a given day, and every player knows it.  His struggles seem to be getting worse, and at right around 30, his days may be numbered.  

Lleyton Hewitt hired a new coach to try and become a contender again, and after some mixed results got injured, ending his season early.  The thing is, even is Hewitt comes back 100%, mostly likely, he's still done.  His flat counter punching style is simply outdated.  Hewitt was the prototype for a grinder about 6 years ago, now grinders are bigger, stronger, and younger.(Rafa)  I love the guy, and hope he makes his way at least into the top 20 again...but any higher and I think it's pushing it.  

Nicolas Massu is done.  The former Gold Medalist looks more and more like that will be his one and only career bench mark (although if you can only have one...I guess it's not a bad one to have.)  Massu plummeted into the challenger ranks, before making a last minute push to break into the 70s or so.  The truth is that Massu is done.  He'll never be back at the top of the game, and although I could see him pushing top 50 (40 maybe), I don't give him very much longer.  

Tommy Haas is done.  Haas is one of the most resilient players in the game.  The problem is he is also one of the most injury prone.  Coming back from an injury is a draining process that takes patience, hard work, and drive.  Tommy has come back from so many, we can only wonder how many more can he go through.  He is now in the 80s...I doubt he can make another comeback into the top 15...but I guess there is still a slim chance.  

Last but now least...Spadea is done.  The American rapper is now approaching his mid 30s.  I don't know how much longer he is going to be out there grinding for wins...his love of the game still seems strong, but I give him another year and a half tops.  He is in the 70s which means he can still get straight into a lot of events.  Once he drops out of the 90-100 range...that might be the end of Vince.    

Rising Stars of '08.

Hello everyone...it's time for my next installment of "Tiebreak's '08."

The Rising Stars of '08

Today we'll deal with people who made their mark in '08 and seem to be ready to soar into '09 with major momentum. The last blog was all about the duds and depressing players in '08, this one should be much more happy.

Since I bashed the Americans first in the duds blog, I'll praise them first here.

Sam Querrey is my first rising star. The young American came on the scene a few years ago, but for the first time looked like he belonged as a legitimate top 50(at least) pl

ayer this year. He's now number 39 in the world, and is starting to another big American's game, Todd Martin. If he keeps getting stronger and fitter, he could become someone no one wants to get on their side of the draw.

Semi-Honorable Mention: A quick note on Donald Young (since I've gotten a few comments on him.) DY, as his fans call him, ALMOST became a rising star this year. He climbed his way into the low 70's in the rankings, and

was starting to look like the player most people thought he would become. Then we all realized something...he was 0-4 this year in Grand Slams, which shoves him back to the 140 range in the ATP. Donald had a chance to salvage his year at the Open, and become a household name by giving Blake all he could handle. Sadly, this seemed to say a lot more about Blake's game then it did D

Y. Can he still be a top 50 player? Sure, why not...he does have some talent. Will he ever sniff a Slam or get in the top 5? If there was a stronger word I could use than "Never", I would use it.

Now, back to the stars. Another huge riser this year was Gilles Simon. Simon seemingly came out of nowhere to become one of the biggest names of the year. He beat Federer twice (including once at the Master's Cup) and rocketed to number 7 in the world. It will be interesting to see how Simon handles the pressure of being a contender in Australia, but one thing that seems to be his strength is his mental game...he believes he can be out there(and beat) anyone.

Juan Martin Del Potro also became a real threat this year. The big Argentine is 9 in the world, and, in my opinion, is one big Slam result away from solidifying his place in the top 5(maybe higher.) He got quicker and stronger this year, and it paid off...(think back to his bludgeoning of Roddick last summer in Los Angeles.) I'll look for him in the top 5 at the end of '09.

Semi-Rising Star: I thought I'd mention Andy Murray in this blog, even though he cracked the top 10 last year. Murray made the jump Del Potro can make...from a top 10 player to a favorite in every tournament he enters. Murray will look to win his first Slam in '09, and I don't see anything stopping him...well except Roger at Wimbledon, and Rafa on the dirt. I think he's got a great chance to open the year with a win in Australia. One thing for sure is that Wimbledon should be really fun this year with the Brits having a top 5 player in the draw again.

Moving along...Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also burst onto the scene this year (mostly because of Australia when he reached the finals.) Tsonga is kind of like the new Baghdatis on tour...a big fun guy who seems to always be happy on the court. He has gotten tremendous fan support all year and is one of those big match players that can give anyone trouble if he is hot. However, like Baghdatis, Tsonga can also lose to anyone if he is off, which will hinder his chances of ever getting to be top 5. Nevertheless...I think he'll have a nice homecoming in Australia and will continue to be a tour favorite in '09.

Last but not least...Stan Wawrinka shocked the tennis world this year with his break into the top 10 (although short lives he now stands at 13.) The other Swiss player on tour made a name for himself this year with his gorgeous one-handed backhand and toughness on court. He sort of reminds me of Nalbandian, only a bit less gritty. I hope Stan can stay among the top in '09, but I think he'll most likely drop into a spot of 17 or 18, where I think he fits nicely.

Honorable Mention: Almagro(Tough Spaniard who doesn't take well to losing.)

Soderling( huge serving Swede who hammers the ball.)

Bolelli( Charismatic Italian with big, flat strokes.)

Gulbis(could be a future top 10 player)

Troicki(tough, crafty Serbian.)

Nishikori(Japanese sensation with a big forehand.)

Welcome Back

Hey everyone, I've missed you.

Thanks for voting...it seems unanimous that you all think Stefanki will be a good thing for Roddick.

Hope your Thanksgiving was great and you enjoyed your (hopefully) short break from the Tiebreak blog.  Of course we're all still in tennis limbo here in early December...but it's time to start to gear up for year.  This brings us to our first "Tiebreak's '08"

Biggest Duds of '08.

2008 was an amazing year of tennis...we saw so many new fresh faces and even the rebirth of some old ones that we all thought were done.  BUT...that's for another blog and another time...we had our fair share of disappointments in '08.

First I'm going to start with the Americans...Andy Roddick reached ONE quarterfinal this year at a Slam, and that was the US Open.  Of course he did have a bit of injury struggles this year, but I'd like to hope a top 8 player can prove he is in the top 8 in more than one Slam.  

Moving along to James Blake.  He also had a whopping one quarterfinal in a Slam and that was early in Australia.  The thing is, I've never been a big Blake guy.  Don't get me wrong, as a person he is unmatched, but on the court do you really think he is top 10?  I sure don't.  His results are just too inconsistent and let's face it when is he going to have his big breakthrough Slam?...sadly never it seems.

Of course the Americans aren't the only ones who tanked in '08...

David Ferrer saw his surge into the top of the game quickly disappear in '08.

By no means did he have a bad year...but he fell from 4 to 12 and usually if you make it to the top 5 and then leave...you're gone.  

Fernando Gonzalez also saw his descent continue...ever since he reached the Aussie Open Final two years ago it has been a steady decline for Gonzo.  Stefanki left him and he's going to need to do some serious damage control this off season if he wants to stay in the top 20.

Berdych, Robredo, Youzhny, and Tursunov all either had OK years, or continue to never make a move.  When is Berdych going to take his giant game into the big time?  Robredo A.K.A Mr. 4Th round of every tournament had a bit of an off year, Youzhny was too busy hitting himself in the forehead, and Tursunov went almost all of '08 without me hearing his name once.  

I like to keep my duds in the top 50...so that leaves only 1 more to mention.  I saved him for last because...well he bombed the worst this year.  Richard Gasquet...the man with every shot continued his under achieving this year, but if you ask me he took it to a new level.  After showing signs of life in '07, he single-handedly erased every piece of positive momentum he had going.

Honorable Mention: Haas, Hewitt(excused for injury), Baghdatis(excused for injury)

See you soon for the next of Tiebreak's '08...until then challengers have pretty much come to halt for the next two weeks so write me a comment on anything you'd like me to write about.