The Open 13 in Marseilles, France, an ATP 250 event played on indoor hardcourts, has completed most of its 14 first-round matches. The tournament field was supposed to include Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro, but the two stars pulled out of the event for different reasons (and, for that matter, with different levels [...]
When Roger Federer won his fourteenth Grand Slam singles title a few weeks ago in Paris, the number one storyline for the 2009 Wimbledon Championships became etched in stone. But as the world’s most prestigious tennis tournament gets set to start in suburban London, the gentlemen’s singles competition now owns a second supreme theme: Life’s [...]
There were no major surprises this year as the All England Club released the seeds for the 2009 Wimbledon tournament. Both the men’s and women’s lists almost mirror the top 16 ATP world rankings as Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray top the men’s seeds respectively. There were suggestions that 5 times winner Federer [...]
Top seed Andy Murray kept his challenge for a first Queen’s title on course with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Spain’s Guillermo Garcia-Lopez. The world number three had enjoyed a comfortable win over Andreas Seppi in his previous match and looked good again as he battled past Garcia-Lopez in straight sets to set up a [...]
Andy Murray, who always feels at home on the hardcourts of the United States, did well to reach the quarterfinals of the 2009 French Open. However, when the world No. 3 cracked the round of 8 for the first time at Roland Garros, there was little he could do against a man with a golden gun. Fernando Gonzalez shot [...]
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic faced difficult draws on Friday in the quarterfinals of the Rome Masters, but these two members of the ATP Tour’s “Big Four” managed to dismiss opponents seeded sixth and fifth, respectively. Nadal eased past Fernando Verdasco, 6-3, 6-3, while Djokovic clocked Juan Martin del Potro, 6-3, 6-4. After dueling for [...]
Wednesday shook up the Rome Masters tennis tournament, but Thursday’s action calmed the stormy seas at the rain-plagued event. As a result, the locals in Italy’s magnificent capital have two tremendous quarterfinals to look forward to. When the sun rises on Friday, lucky ticketholders at the Foro Italico will be treated to a pair of [...]
As the claycourt season begins on the ATP Tour, Rafael Nadal can be relied on to deliver the goods. Outside of the King of Clay, however, the world of men’s tennis faces numerous uncertainties on the red dirt of Europe, and the early rounds of the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 event showed why. Two talented [...]
It will be the 19th career meeting between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer when the top two players in the world square off in a dream final on Sunday night at the Australian Open. Nadal is dominating the head-to-head series 12-6, but eight of those wins have come on clay, Nadal’s favorite surface and Federer’s [...]
Rafael Nadal and Fernando Verdasco set up an Australian Open semifinal clash between friends, compatriots, and Davis Cup teammates by winning their respective quarterfinal matches on Wednesday in Melbourne. Verdasco turned back 2008 Australian Open runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets, while Nadal dispatched Gilles Simon in three sets. It was not a routine three [...]
