Best of 2010?

Hey everyone,

I've been on a bit of a Twitter/blog break...

Some of the big events that I missed: Rafa completing the Career Slam...Serbia winning the Davis Cup...and Federer and Nadal closing out the season in London at the ATP World Tour Finals...

Tiebreak Tennis will be back soon for all new info...

E-mail me and let me know what you want us to talk about. What were the best stories of 2010? Best matches? Best Slam?

E-mail: Tiebreak.Tennis@Yahoo.com

TT

New Episodes Coming Soon!

Hey everyone!

The US Open Series is heating up and the Open is right around the corner.

Brand new episodes of the Tiebreak Tennis Podcast coming soon!

TT

New Podcast!

Hey everyone,

Check out a brand new episode of the Tiebreak Tennis Podcast!

As always, it's available at the top of the blog, on Twitter, on the Podcast SITE, and on iTunes.

Don't forget to check out Tiebreak Tennis during the US Open Series!

Also, Congrats to Rafa Nadal and Serena Williams for winning Wimbledon.

Take care,

TT

2010 Wimbledon Finals Set

The 2010 Wimbledon finals are set.

Serena Williams will try and defend her title against Vera Zvonareva on Saturday.

Rafael Nadal will try and defend his 2008 title against Tomas Berdych on Sunday

For info on both finals check out Tiebreak Tennis!

The Blog

Tiebreak's Twitter- live scores and commentary

The Tiebreak Tennis Podcast- also available on iTunes

TT

2010 Wimbledon Semifinals

Hey everyone!

Check out a brand new episode of the Tiebreak Tennis Podcast as I recap the first week and a half of Wimbledon and talk all about the men's and women's semifinals.

The episode is available on the top of the blog, on the podcast SITE, and on iTunes.

TT

Isner Wins Epic Match 70-68 in the 5th.

Congrats to John Isner for winning the most epic match in the history of tennis.

Players took the court today for the 3rd straight day after having battled for 10 hours. The score was 59 all when they arrived again on Court 18.

After more than an hour of battle, John Isner finally put an end to the marathon with a backhand passing shot winner.

70-68. Do the scores of the other sets even matter?

112 aces for Isner in the match. 11 Hours and 5 minutes on court. 138 games in the 5th set.

This match will never be touched again...ever.

Congrats also to Nicolas Mahut whose name will be forever etched in the history books. He showed he may be the fittest guy in the game of tennis.

Thanks to both of them for giving me, and every tennis fan a match they will remember forever.

Wimbledon moves back into reality tomorrow as action continues with Federer, Venus, Roddick, and Novak all in action.

Check Tiebreak's Twitter for live commentary throughout the day.

TT

59 All

Hi everyone,

I hope you all got a chance to witness history today.

John Isner and Nicolas Mahut are locked at 59 All in the 5th set. No, that is not a typo. 59 all.

The match was suspended due to darkness at 0-0 in the 5th set yesterday and after 7 hours and 6 minutes of play today...play was suspended again.

They will resume play tomorrow as they are 3rd match on Court 18.

The match is already the longest match in tennis history at 10 hours.

Check out a special podcast episode with my reaction to the match.

The podcast is available on the top of the blog, the podcast SITE, and on iTunes.

Keep checking Tiebreak Tennis for all your Wimbledon 2010 info!

TT

Tiebreak Tennis: Wimbledon

Hi everyone!

The 3rd Slam of the season is here.

Wimbledon, the most historic of the Slams, starts tomorrow (June 21st).

Stay posted on all scores, stories, commentary, and much more with Tiebreak Tennis.

Tiebreak's Twitter- Live scoring and commentary.

The Blog- Stories of the tournament.

The Tiebreak Tennis Podcast- everything you need for Wimbledon 2010.

Check out a brand new episode of the Podcast where I preview Wimbledon 2010. It is available on the top of the blog, on the podcast SITE, and on iTunes!

Don't forget to subscribe!

TT

New Podcast!

Hi everyone,

Brand new Podcast is up!

Check it out as I recap the entire 2010 French Open.

Podcast is available on the top of the blog...the podcast SITE...and on iTunes!

Don't forget to subscribe...

All new Wimbledon Preview show coming this weekend.

Thanks,

TT

The King

Congrats to Rafa Nadal for winning his 5th French Open!

Rafa now has won 5 French Opens, 7 Grand Slams total, and is World No. 1 again.

Nadal dismantled Soderling 64, 6-2, 6-4.

Thanks for checking out Tiebreak Tennis during this French Open!

Full French Open recap episode of the Tiebreak Tennis Podcast coming soon!

Wimbledon is right around the corner...

Tiebreak Tennis Podcast: Men's Final Preview

Hey everyone,

Brand new episode of the Tiebreak Tennis Podcast!

Check it out as I preview the men's final.

Rafa looks to regain his No. 1 ranking and Roland Garros crown against the only player ever to beat him at the French Open, Robin Soderling.

The Podcast is available on the top of the blog, the Podcast SITE, and on iTunes.

Check out Tiebreak's Twitter for live commentary and scoring during the men's final.

Also...

Congrats to Francesca Schiavone for winning the 2010 French Open!

Amazing effort from her to beat Sammy Stosur in straight sets. With her incredible run, she brings Italy home a Grand Slam title. Much more on that match on the Roland Garros Recap Podcast coming soon!

Take care!

2010 Roland Garros Semis

The women's final is set in Paris.

Francesca Schiavone from Italy VS Samantha Stosur of Australia.

I'd like to meet whoever had that match-up before the draw came out.

Stosur took the hard road to the finals, beating Henin and Serena back to back in 3 set wars. Her semifinal match was much less complicated as she breezed through Jelena Jankovic 1 and 2. Good to see an Aussie making noise in women's tennis.

Schiavone, the hard working Italian, battled her way to the semis and then got handed a trip to the finals. Elena Dementieva, perhaps the best woman ever to not win a Slam, retired after she lost the first set in a tiebreak. Apparently, she tore a calf muscle in her 3rd round match, and just couldn't play through the pain in the semifinals.

Now, I am not going to bash Elena for retiring...but I am going to bash her for how she handled it.

How does she retire without even calling the trainer to the court? Her response: Something along the lines of that she has seen the trainer too many times and knew there was nothing else she could do.

Give me a break.

On one of the biggest stages in the game, you better call out the trainer. If she had a serious injury and felt she could not continue, I completely understand and she made the right decision.

She owed it to the fans and especially Schiavone to at least sit through an injury time-out. Elena, maybe you know that the trainer can't do anything...but why not call him out, take treatment, play a point and then call it quits.

This had a bit too much Henin in it for me. Of course we remember Henin retiring in the FINALS of a Slam to Mauresmo, yet was OK enough to stay for the trophy presentation and press conference after the match. That was one of the all-time heartless moves in sport history.

Again, I don't judge injuries and if players choose they can continue or not. All I judge is how it's handled, and when your in a Slam Semi or Final, you owe it to your opponent and the fans to over exaggerate how hard your trying to stay on the court.

No one wants to retire.

If you want to know how to handle it, watch the Rafa/Murray match from Australia. Rafa called the trainer, he looked devastated, and called it quits. No one questioned how he handled it.

I like Elena, and believe she was in a tremendous amount of pain out there.

Call the trainer, take an injury time-out, and then call it quits. If it's still too bad to continue...No mas. No one will say a word.

Tomorrow we have Soderling/Berdych and Rafa/Melzer...should be good.

Predictions:

Soderling DEF Berdych in 4 sets.

Rafa DEF Melzer in 3 sets.

Check out Tiebreak's Twitter and Podcast for more info!

Tiebreak Tennis: 2010 French Open Quarterfinals

New Podcast episode is out! Check it out on the top of the blog, on the Podcast site HERE, or on iTunes by searching "Tiebreak Tennis."

Check it out as we recap the first week of Roland Garros, and discuss all 8 of the Quarterfinal matches.

Check out LIVE coverage of the 2010 French Open on Tiebreak's Twitter.

Thanks and see you soon.

TT

French Open Rd of 16

It's time for the Rd of 16 at the 2010 French Open.

Henin/Sharapova will finish tomorrow after they were stopped at one set all today. Once there is a winner in that one, the Rd of 16's will be complete.

This is always the gritty part of a Slam. For the most part, everyone who couldn't make a real dent in the tournament is out.

To try and sort through the matches, and pick out which ones to pay close attention to...here are a few predictions.

The Men

The Lock- Rafa is always a good lock on clay. He goes up against Belucci from Brazil. Belucci is sort of a mini-Nadal with big lefty strokes. He just doesn't have enough game to take him out, but I look for him to be a threat in a few years.

The Upset- My upset pick is Almagro (19) over Verdasco (7). It's the perfect equation for an upset. Take a tired, overplayed Verdasco coming off a 5 set marathon win and mix it with a talented, dangerous, relatively fresh shot-maker with a lot of heart= an upset.

The Dud- Cilic/Soderling on paper is a blockbuster. However, I think Cilic is feeling his last match against Mayer that went 5, and Soderling is playing awesome. I think Sod is going to take care of him without many problems. I hope I'm wrong because on paper, this match could be amazing.

Closer than you think- Fed/Wawrinka. I'm not quite brave enough to make this my upset pick, but I certainly think Stan Wawrinka is going to give Fed trouble. He has beaten him once already on the dirt and usually plays well against him. I also think Fed feels some pressure against him because he is his countryman and good friend. Keep a close eye on this one.

The Women

The Lock- Dementieva/Scheepers. Admittedly, I have never seen Scheepers hit a ball...and couldn't pick her out of a lineup. I really like the way Dementieva is quietly moving through the draw and look for her to win this one easy.

The Upset- Hantuchova over Jankovic. In the battle of could-be mental cases, I think Hantuchova takes out the 4 seed.

The Dud- Venus/Petrova. I think Venus is going to roll through Nadia. Perhaps it's purely a hunch, but I think Venus is playing at an extremely high level right now.

Closer than you think- Peer/Serena. Serena seems to be under the weather and was really tested in her last match. Peer has a lot of fight in her and is a very good clay courter. I look for this one to be tight.

These next few rounds should be very interesting. Stay tuned to Tiebreak's Blog, Twitter, and Podcast for much more info on the 2010 French Open.

New Podcast coming very soon.

Full coverage tomorrow on Tiebreak's Twitter.

TT

Four Horse Race...

Today was a busy day of catch-up at the French Open.

It featured just about everyone in the draw, men and women as the 2nd Slam of the year made up a rainy Day 5.

Watching just about everyone in the draw today, it seems like this tournament is a four horse race.

2 men and 2 women seem a level above everyone else in the competition.

MEN:

Rafa- Rafa has lost 2 sets on clay this entire season. He is assaulting people on the dirt as usual, looks fit, is playing more aggressive, and the scariest thing: I think he can play better. Honestly, the way he is playing right now who can beat him best of 5?
Roger- Fed seems to have left his mini-slump. He is moving beautifully on the clay and hitting the ball really well. He is so versatile on the clay, maybe even more than any year. He is using the drop shot more, hitting the backhand more solid, and seems to be serving a high percentage.

Women:

Serena- I don't care how she grades herself, the tournament is in her hands. She is the best player and it really comes down to how bad she wants this one.
Venus- She is playing the best clay court tennis of her life. Moving and sliding very well and playing a nice blend of patient and aggressive tennis. Backhand looks awesome too.

Now, of course, things can change. One bad set can change everything in tennis, and someone else can certainly step up (think Henin, Verdasco, Novak?).

But, if your asking me through 6 days at the French...Roger and Rafa will be battling it out for the trophy, and so will Venus and Serena. It's a four horse race.

Check out the blog, Twitter page, and Podcast for full coverage of the French Open.

A Wild Night...

Just before 10 PM Paris time, Gael Monfils and Fabio Fognini ended their epic...well just until tomorrow.

There are some moments in sport that you may never see again, and today I saw tennis in the dark.

Day 4 at Roland Garros was sprinkled with Federer, Venus, Cilic, Soderling, and Tsonga all winning easily. The real tennis didn't really start until late.

The most entertaining match of the women's side was defending champ Svetlana Kuznetsova, as she battled back from a set and 4 match points down VS Petkovic to win in 3. Svet looked down and out before she loosened up and took a tough match that will give her some major momentum.

The most entertaining match on the men's side, and the tournament so far hasn't even finished yet.

Tempers, a point penalty, chanting, umpires, tournament directors, darkness, match points saved, and cramping.

Those are just some words that describe what went on. Gael Monfils, 13 seed and fan favorite, took on the talented Fabio Fognini from Italy. After 2 uneventful sets that Monfils won comfortably, the real fun started.

Monfils began to take Fabio for granted and let him sneak out the 3rd set 7-5. Everyone then thought Monfils would win in 4 after he raced to a 4-1 lead. Fognini, hardly known for his heart, fought back to win 5 games in a row and take the match into a 5Th set.

Monfils went down an early break but fought to get it back. As night fell, it got nuts.

Isner/Chiudinelli got suspended with Isner down a set. Murray/Chela got suspended with Murray up a set in a drop-shot-fest.

Every court suspended play except Chatrier where Monfils and Fognini were locked at 4 all in the 5Th. The tournament director walked out onto the court to the crowd booing and had a long discussion with Monfils, Fabio, and the ump.

Apparently, Monfils wanted to continue (he has a habit of that, think VS Roddick last year) and Fabio and his camp wanted to finish tomorrow. For some reason, the director decided to let them play on, leading to a temper tantrum from Fognini for about 6 minutes. The delay then led to the ump hitting Fabio with a point penalty.

Personally, I thought the match should have been called at 4 all when every other court stopped play, but I'm certainly OK with the drama that followed.

Fabio fought off break points on his serve to hold for 5-4. This led the director to decide there was one more game to be played. ESPN2 did a great job of coverage as they showed what the court looked like without camera enhancement...it was pitch black. Pat McEnroe was great saying it was some of the best drama he's "never seen."

Monfils was serving to send the match to tomorrow and in the darkness fell down double match point at 15-40. He saved both, of course. Then came the next piece of drama...the cramps. Monfils began cramping in his leg and hobbling around. With all guts, he held serve leaving the crowd rabid, Fognini yelling at everyone he could see, and some pretty good tennis left for Day 5.

As Fabio left the court, he yelled in the direction of the umpire and tournament director.

Great drama and the true beginning to the French Open.

Day 5 will have Roddick, Rafa, Novak, Serena, and of course the completion of Monfils. Tune in to the Tennis Channel and ESPN2 for live coverage.

You can check out a recap of Day 4 and full coverage of the entire French Open on Tiebreak's Twitter HERE.

For all the scores from the day click HERE.

Tiebreak Tennis Podcast available on iTunes!

See you tomorrow,

TT

5 Things I learned from the French Open 1st Round...

As the 1st Round of the French finished, I found myself thinking that there are 5 things that everyone should have learned...

1- Getting much better.

The Tennis Channel and ESPN2's coverage of the French Open(and all the Slams) is getting much better. I think both stations have found a comfort zone and have a good cast of commentators. They are showing better matches, more live coverage, and more features.

2- Age is a number.

Kimiko Date-Krumm, a 39 year old, took out former #1 Dinara Safina. Even though I think it was a huge statement about Safina's awful attitude, lack of mental toughness, and the fact that she was a fraud at #1...I am still impressed by Date-Krumm. There aren't too many 39-year-old athletes that can play at the top of a sport.

3- Rafa #1

If Rafa wins the tournament and Fed loses before the Semifinals...Rafa is once again the World Number 1. Incredible considering Rafa's brutal injury struggles. The King of Clay definitely looks hungry to get that top spot back, and I think he will.

4- She Was Missed...

Justine Henin was missed at the French Open, and in tennis overall. She is a great personality and has one of the most beautiful games to watch. Women's tennis should thank Justine for giving us another player worth watching.

5- American Dirt.

America hasn't been exactly been tearing up the red clay, but they've been better. Isner, Roddick, Serena, Venus, Ginepri, and Fish are all big names that survived round 1.

Stay tuned for much more coverage of the 2010 French Open on Tiebreak Tennis...

Keep checking the Blog/Twitter/Podcast/ and Facebook for full coverage!

If you want all the scores from today, click HERE.

Subscribe to the Tiebreak Tennis Podcast on iTunes!

See you soon,

TT

Tiebreak Tennis: Anthony Renna

Day 2 of the French Open saw Fed and Serena breeze through.

Djokovic struggled a bit but moves on in 4 and Murray won a 4+ hour marathon against Gasquet.

Check out the blog, Twitter, Facebook, and Podcast tomorrow for full Day 3 coverage.

ALSO: Brand new Tiebreak Tennis Podcast episode. After that 4 hour battle between Murray and Gasquet, what better time to talk about fitness than now?

Podcast available, as always, on the top of the blog, the podcast site HERE, and on iTunes.

In the new episode I interview host of the Strength Coach Podcast, and owner of his own fitness studio, Anthony Renna.

Check it out and let me know!

For every score from Day 2 at the French Open...click HERE.

TT

Live Murray/Gasquet coverage

Check out Tiebreak's Twitter now for live coverage of Murray/Gasquet!

click HERE.

5 Things to look for...

Hi everyone...

With Day 1 in the books after another Sunday start (which I'm still struggling to get used to) I thought I'd mention 5 things I am going to be looking for this French Open.

1- Is this where it ends?

Is this finally when Fed's streak of Slam semifinals is going to end? No question clay is still his worst surface and there are a handful of guys in his section that could take him out. His form has been suspect for this clay court season. BUT. At the end of the day, it's hard to ever bet against him.

2- Somebody help US(A).

Is this going to be the year when an American man breaks through and makes a run? Roddick hasn't played much dirt ball this year but is always a tough out in the Majors. Isner and Querrey are giving us some hope, but can there big bodies handle best of 5 grinding clay court matches? I predict one American man reaches week 2.

3- The Deadly Quarter

The blockbuster women's 1st quarter of the draw features Henin, Serena, Sharapova, Peer, Bartoli, and Stosur. All eyes are on Serena and #22 seed Henin...something tells me if they meet up, that result will decide the French Open champ.

4- The Wounded

Will the injury bug continue to bite at Roland Garros? Even before a ball was struck this tournament lost huge names on both sides. Clijster, Davydenko, Del Potro...just to name a few all weren't fit to play. Hopefully that's the end of injury in Paris.

5- Still the King?

Rafa has returned to domination on the clay. That being said, Slams are a different animal and I'm anxious to see how Rafa looks in his first few matches. Hopefully he can get on and off the court as quick as he can. Efficiency is going to be the key for Rafa to get his crown back.

Coverage starts at 5 AM ET tomorrow for Day 2 of the French Open on the Tennis Channel so tune in!

Don't watch it alone, I'll do my best to live tweet scores and commentary for all of you working without a TV. click HERE for the twitter page.

E-mail any questions/comments to Tiebreak.Tennis@yahoo.com

See you tomorrow,
TT

Nick Bollettieri Interview

Continuing with the Tiebreak Tennis 2010 Roland Garros coverage...check out an all new Tiebreak Tennis Podcast.

In this episode listen as I spoke with Nick Bollettieri. He is the founder of the IMG Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy and coach of 10 world number 1 players.

You can check out the interview on the top of the blog, or by going to the Podcast site HERE.

Make sure you subscribe to the Tiebreak Tennis Podcast on iTunes.

Much more to come...keep checking the blog, podcast, and twitter for full coverage of the 2010 French Open.

TT

Brad Gilbert Interview

Hi everyone!

Today I interviewed best selling author, former coach and player, and tennis analyst, Brad Gilbert.

In case you missed Brad and I previewing the 2010 French Open on WVOF 88.5 Fairfield...I posted the interview on The Tiebreak Tennis Podcast!

You can listen to the interview HERE....it's also available at the top of this page.

Don't forget to subscribe to the Tiebreak Tennis Podcast on iTunes!

Check the Podcast tomorrow for a special new episode where I interviewed the founder of the IMG Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy and coach of 10 World Number 1s...Nick Bollettieri.

Check out all the shows and feel free to comment!

E-mail Tiebreak.Tennis@yahoo.com

TT

2010 Roland Garros Coverage

Get ready for the 2nd Slam of the year.

-Tiebreak Tennis will be there for every match!

-Check out the Twitter page for live scoring updates and commentary....

-Check out the blog for analysis of matches, results, and more.

-Check out Tiebreak Tennis on the radio Sundays at 6 PM ET on WVOF.org and 88.5 FM.

-Check out the Tiebreak Tennis Podcast available at the top of the blog and on iTunes!

All new Roland Garros preview show with very special interviews available tomorrow on the Tiebreak Tennis Podcast!

Tiebreak Tennis NCAA Specials

Tune in Friday May 14Th for 2 Tiebreak Tennis Specials!

When: 1:30 pm-2:45(ET) Tiebreak Tennis NCAA Pregame Special

Where to Listen: If you are in the Connecticut area tune your radio to 88.5 FM or access the show on live web cast available HERE on WVOF.org...click "Listen to FM Studio stream" on the right side of the page!

How to talk: Call in with your questions/comments to 203 254 4111

What's On? Tune in as Tiebreak discusses Roland Garros, Madrid, Del Potro, ATP, and WTA Tennis

Also, we'll preview the Men's and Women's NCAA D1 Championships and preview the Fairfield Stags 1st Round match against Stanford!

When: 5:00 PM(ET)- LIVE coverage of Fairfield VS Stanford(women's tennis)

Where to Listen: go to WVOF.org or click HERE and go to "Listen to Web Studio Steam" on the right side of the page.

How to talk: Call 203 254 4002

What's on?: Tune in for play by play, scores, and commentary on Fairfield/Stanford.

Check out this Press release from the Fairfield University athletic web site!

HERE

2010 Australian Open Recap

Hey everyone, the first Grand Slam of 2010 is history and we learned a few things...two of the most important being that Serena and Roger still rule the tennis world.

Check out the new episode of the Tiebreak Tennis Podcast!

Nick and I recap the entire Australian Open... you can access HERE

or click the link on the top of this blog...

If you want to support the Tiebreak Tennis Podcast go to iTunes and search "Tiebreak Tennis" and subscribe!

Thanks for listening,

TT

Rd. of 16 Recap

The Rd. of 16 of the 2010 Australian Open finally had some classics on the men's side. The women...not so much.

In what has to be maybe the deepest men's draw ever, the Rd. of 16 didn't disappoint. 5 set marathons seemed to be contagious, but most of the main contenders seemed to survive.

Why mention?

Fed DEF Hewitt 2, 3, 4- Well, I wish I could say I am surprised. Hewitt could play Roger 1,000 times in a row starting tomorrow and I don't think he'd win once.

Murray DEF Isner 6, 3, 2- Although the big American did have a set point in the 1st set, this was a pretty comfortable win for the determined Scot

Novak DEF Kubot 1,2, 5- Who has Novak paid off to get this draw? Seems like he hasn't played a guy I've heard of yet.

The Battles

Rafa DEF Karlovic 6-4,4-6,6-4,6-4- It took Nadal some time to figure our Dr. Ivo's serve, but eventually he grinded him down.

Davydenko DEF Verdasco 6-2,7-5,4-6,6-7,6-3- This was an interesting match where neither guy was playing up to their capabilities. Verdasco served 20 double faults and was very erratic from the ground, but Davydenko, the normally rock solid Russian, also struggled a bit with his form. Both guys were fighting some demons out their but eventually Davydenko moved on.

The Classics

Roddick DEF Gonzalez 6-3,3-6,4-6,7-5,6-2- A gritty match from both guys. Both did battle under the lights, with Roddick finally imposing his will in the 5th.

Cilic DEF Del Potro 5-7,6-4,7-5,5-7,6-3- Maybe it was only a matter of time before Del Po went down. His wrist seemed to be bothering him the whole tournament, and after surviving for 3 rounds, he finally ran into a guy who was ready to beat him. He didn't go out quietly though, this was a slug fest of two giants.

Tsonga DEF Almagro- This was the most fun Rd of 16 match. Two guys with electric personalities and unreal shot making capabilities. Tsonga went up 2 sets to love against Almagro, who was playing with a broken left wrist. OK, so he is one handed and a righty, but still. Almagro fought back and forced Tsonga to play his first 5th set ever, Jo-Willy took it 9-7.

Stay tuned later for much more on the 2010 Australian Open.

TT

New Podcast

Hey everyone...the new podcast is posted HERE. Check it out!

You can also check it out by going to iTunes, search "Tiebreak Tennis", and subscribe!

Comment/tweet/e-mail your thoughts! Tiebreak.Tennis@yahoo.com

Aussie Sweet 16

Don't worry tennis fans, only another 9 days of staying up until 6 a.m. watching tennis.

The first Slam of 2010 is well underway in Australia and we have already seen quite a bit of stunning tennis, story-lines, and great matches.

Now we're down to 16 men and 16 women, all with dreams of hoisting up the trophy.

Tiebreak will be coming out with a podcast in a few hours recapping the first few rounds of the Aussie, as well as previewing all of the Rd. of 16 matches so be sure to check it out!

Before the podcast comes out, here are a few things we've noticed so far...

BEST MATCH:

The best match so far has to have been the Blake/Del Potro marathon. A semi-injured Del Po comes into the match against Blake, who has been dropping like a stone in the rankings. After over 4 hours of battle, Del Po raised his arms in victory, winning 10-8 in the 5th. To me, this was the best and maybe last chance for Blake to have a big win in a Slam. He was up a break early in the 5th, but once again his impatient and high-risk brand of tennis proved to be his downfall. He made a few too many errors late and leaves Australia with a big opportunity missed.

RECURRING THEME:

Retiring. It's the first Slam of the year, isn't everyone supposed to be well rested and injury free? I guess not because Baghdatis, Koubek, Youzhny, Hernandez, and Gil all had to call it quits in the first 3 rounds.

BIGGEST SURPRISE:

Kim Clijsters. Kim's mind-boggling 0 and 1 loss by Petrova certainly was unexpected. With Henin looking a bit hindered by her leg, Kim looked like the biggest threat to stop Serena from winning the Aussie. That threat ended quickly.

BEST FORM:

Serena for the women, and Davydenko for the men. Serena has dropped 9 games in 3 matches. She has been devastating so far.

Nikolay Davydenko, arguably the best player in the world since October, has been equally destructive in his first 3 matches. He has dropped only 17 games in 3 matches, and has won one set 6-0 in each of his matches. He looks to be on a collision course with Roger Federer in the quarters.

CLOSEST CALL:

Federer/Andreev 1st round. This 1st round was the first one in recent memory that Roger was tested in the opening round of a Slam. The huge forehand of Andreev gave Roger headaches for the first 3 sets of the match. At 1 set all, Andreev greatly outplayed Federer in the 3rd set having multiple set points. The Russian couldn't close out the set and let Fed escape in a tiebreak. In the 4th Andreev handed Roger the match 6-0.

We've also seen Hewitt playing good tennis, Rafa looking healthy, Novak quietly moving through the draw, and Murray moving better than ever.

Stay tuned for the Tiebreak Tennis Podcast with much more info about the Australian and previews of all Rd. of 16 matches.

You can access the podcast either on iTunes by searching "Tiebreak Tennis", on the top of this blog, or by visiting http://tiebreaktennis.podbean.com.

TT

The Top 10 Questions for 2010

2010 is upon us and with it brings so many questions as what is to come for the year ahead. Here are the ATP Tour's top ten questions for 2010:

10) Does "The Streak" continue? That is, does Roger Federer's streak of 22 consecutive grand slam finals continue? Despite his phenomenal 2009 season, several tennis analysts are doubting the streak will continue through 2010 as Roger's dominance begins to wane.

9) The U.S. of A.-Rod? Are all the hopes of the United States this year on Andy Roddick? For the past few years, the U.S. has relied on the 1-2 punch of A-Rod (no. 7) and James Blake (no. 44), but with James' precipitous drop-off in 2009 we are left wondering if A-Rod is our only hope for grand slam success. Two long shots for the U.S. are upshots Sam Querrey (no. 25) and John Isner (no. 34).

8) Comeback! So many top names have dropped out of the top rankings, so we are left wondering who will make a comeback this year. Some names we're looking for are Marcos Baghdatis (no. 42), James Blake (no. 44), Richard Gasquet (no. 52), and Mario Ancic (no. 95).

7) Who breaks through? Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have had a strangled hold on grand slam titles for most of the last five years. Juan Martin Del Potro (no. 5) unexpectedly broke through and won the U.S. Open this past september. But who will do it in 2010? Certainly, Andy Murray (no. 3) has to be a favorite given his 2009 performance and consistent performance on all surfaces. But there's a lot of guys out there that have the talent to do it - add these dark horses to your grand slam draw sheets this year: Davydenko, Soderling, Verdasco, Tsonga, and Gonzalez.

6) Does Bollettieri get into the ITF Hall of Fame? Nick is on the ballot this year for the Hall of Fame and we hope that this long overdue recognition final happens.

5) Who pops? Is this the year that Monfils breaks into the top 10? Or can Sam Querrey? Does Isner's booming serve get him into week two at Wimbledon? With this much talent on the tour, there's so many guys who can make huge waves in the rankings.

4) Who drops? The flip side of having so much talent on the tour is that nothing can be taken for granted. Nobody is protected on the tour and it's either feast or famine for rankings, pay, and endorsements - just ask James Blake who fell from being a top ten player to an unseeded underdog.

3) Reign in Spain? Could Spain pull off a three-peat - win the Davis Cup three years in a row? Their deep roster of talent makes the argument that Spain's dominance is here to stay for years to come.

2) And the winner of the Coup des Mousquetaires goes to...? Who the heck is going to win the French Open? Do Rafa's knees heel enough for him to reclaim his clay court dominance? Can Roger repeat? Or will a new name don the champion's trophy when it's all said and done?

1) Who's number 1? When the year wraps up in 2010, who will take home the year-end number one ranking? Can Roger Federer possibly do it again? He dominated the points race this year with two grand slam championships and two finals, but the competition is on his heels. Certainly, this year is going to be a horse race - grab onto your seat.