Ivo Karlovic might be a one-trick pony, but oh, what a magnificent trick lies at this powerful pony’s disposal. Karlovic, the most fearsome server in all of tennis, rode 46 aces to the finish line on Friday, as the Croatian narrowly defeated France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four razor-close sets. The 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 7-5, [...]
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 [...]
For the last four years, men’s tennis has had Roger and Rafa, two giants who have transcended the rest of the sport. For the past two years, the ATP Tour featured a Big Three in which Novak Djokovic joined the studs from Switzerland and Spain. Over the past 12 months, the Big Three has allowed [...]
Andy Murray wasn’t expected to win the Rome Masters this week at the Foro Italico tennis complex. In the same breath, the Scotsman also didn’t figure to bow out in his first match at this venerable claycourt event. One bad day at the office is a fact of professional sports, but Murray’s great misfortune is [...]
Novak Djokovic hasn’t yet reached the top spot in men’s tennis, but during a meaningful week in Miami, a young man is making an attempt to restore what he so quickly lost. Djokovic battled into the semifinals of the Sony Ericsson Open with a convincing 6-3, 6-4 victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The match doesn’t quite [...]
Three dependable veterans reached the semifinals of the 2009 Australian Open, the first major tournament of the new tennis season. The fourth member of that quality quartet emerged from relative obscurity to burst into the consciousness of tennis fans around the globe. Fernando Verdasco, the No. 14 seed and a non-factor before the tournament started, [...]
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 [...]
It will be the fourth career head-to-head meeting between Nadal and Haas when the two players square off in Rod Laver Arena on Saturday. Nadal leads the head-to-head series 3-0, but Haas has played him close, especially in Cincinnati last summer. The German had plenty of chances in each set before succumbing 6-4, 7-6(0). After [...]
Who needs Rafael Nadal when you have Feliciano Lopez…and Fernando Verdasco? Going into the 2008 Davis Cup final, the question was how Spain could win without Nadal, but two days later the question is now the one above. Argentina took an improbable 2-1 lead over host Argentina on Saturday afternoon in Mar del Plata as [...]
A preview of Friday’s singles matches at the 2008 Davis Cup final between Spain and Argentina.
