Roland Garros: Men's Preview

Is Nadal no longer invincible?

It has been a forgettable clay court season for the "King of clay". Not a bad run by any means, the Spaniard won the title in Madrid and reached the final in Rome. However, the once invincible clay-courter has shown some chinks in the armour.

In saying that, Nadal has shown to be almost impossible to beat over five-sets at Roland Garros. He has only lost one time to a rampaging Swede, Robin Soderling. Nadal is the most physical player we have ever seen, his immense top spin wears players out over time. It's consistent pressure that builds up over five-sets that sees his opponents implode almost every single time.

 While the 2014 clay court season has been under par for Nadal so far, he will be there during the final few days of the French Open and we know that to be beaten, players will need to play out of their skin against him.

Credit: Zimbio

Novak Djokovic has had an interrupted season due to injury, but he was at his sparkling best at Rome beating Nadal to win the title.

Roland Garros is the only grand slam title the Serb needs to add to his collection, so we have to expect he will be hungrier here than any other Grand Slam. We know he has the clay-court credentials, he was a runner-up in 2012 and is a four-time semi-finalist.

Over five sets I'm still not sure Djokovic can stay with Nadal physically but he's not far off. If there is anyone that can steal the show, it's Novak.

No one would be surprised to see Novak Djokovic raising the trophy at the end of the two weeks.

 

"I would never bet against Rafael Nadal"

 

Roger Federer and David Ferrer have to be seen as contenders. Roger Federer is definitely past his peak but another run to a grand slam title wouldn't seem out of place, but it would at his least favoured grand slam at Roland Garros.

David Ferrer is last year’s runner-up, but the Spaniards main concern is that he doesn’t have the fire power, the weapons, to win a grand slam. Ferrer winning the title would be a boil-over but the hard worker has the heart, the fitness and the mentality to win. The only question is whether he can step up and attack?

Source: Zimbio

Andy Murray and Stanislas Wawrinka are players that can beat anyone on their day. Andy Murray will go into the grand slam with an unusually low seeding at number eight. While he isn’t in the best form of his career, the Scot will go into the tournament with the belief that he can come out as the champion and that will go a long way.

Wawrinka was a shock winner at the Australian Open, but we’ve always known he has the game of a grand slam champion. For the Swiss number one, it’s about the belief, it’s about confidence. For Stan, it will also be about the consistency, he can play one good match and then terrible the next. He knows he can reach the apex now, but can he do it again?

I would never bet against Rafael Nadal.

Top 5: Following in the footsteps of Na Li

Na Li has been a phenomenon for Chinese tennis as well as tennis in general. The superstar from Wuhan is the first Chinese tennis player, male or female, to win a grand slam tournament (Roland Garros, 2011).  An audience of 330 million people world wide watched Li beat Italian Francesca Schiavone for her first major title, these numbers are unheard of, unmatched. Her influence in the game is astounding.

Just weeks ago, Li won her second grand slam tournament at the Australian Open in Melbourne. The popularity of the rebellious tennis player has sky-rocketed in her home country, garnering million dollar endorsement and inspiring even more young Chinese girls to pick up a tennis racquet.

So, it begs the question...who will follow in the foot steps of Li? China has one of the biggest  populations in the world - will we see an influx of Chinese tennis superstars?

I looked at five young female tennis players that could very well take the baton from Li some day soon.

5. Shuai Zhang

Age: 25
Rank: 51

While Zhang may not be a youngster anymore, if there is anything we have learnt from Li it's that it's never too late to start winning major tournaments. Zhang has the power and flair to match it with the best players, does that sound familiar to anyone?

Zhang needs to learn the art and the subtleties of tennis if she is to progress higher in the rankings. She has the talent and the arsenal, but does she have the drive? That will be the question that Zhang will need to answer, hard-work will see her have good results but she could also easily fade into oblivion without the mental fortitude.

Source: Zimbio

4. Fangzhou Liu

Age: 18
Rank: 307

I put Liu at number four because her results have been consistently good for a long time, without ever being outstanding. Still only aged 18, Fangzhou could have a bright future and she is definitely on my radar.

My main concern here is the lack of tournaments played outside of Asia. Lack of passion or a lack of funds? Either way, both can cripple a tennis career. Without the proper funding and support, Liu could fade away as another wasted talent. Handled correctly by the Chinese tennis federation and we could see Liu playing in grand slam tournaments in a couple of years.

3. Ziyue Sun

Age: 17
Rank: N/A

You may be asking yourself why a seventeen year old without a ranking is on this list. Simple, she has a junior ranking of 13 and some fantastic results to compliment that number. Sun made the semi-final of the Australian Open girls tournament just weeks ago, beating the number 2 seed along the way.

Ziyue has age on her side, at only seventeen years, the world is at her door step. The solid junior results will benefit her in time with wildcards and endorsements coming her way. Let's see if she can make the transition from a good junior player into a proper professional tennis player.

Source: Zimbio

2. Saisai Zheng
Age: 19
Rank: 148

It feels like Saisai has been around forever, still she is only 19 years of age. Equipped with a heavy forehand and a good tennis brain, Zheng looks like she has all the ingredients to be a great player.

In 2011, Saisai reached a career high junior ranking of seven. She has stalled a bit in the last few years, but her game will mature with time. She has a lot of variety and this skill will take a little while longer to perfect. When all of the dots connect, we should see Saisai rocket up the WTA rankings.

1. Shilin Xu
Age: 16
Rank: 550

Shilin is my number one young Chinese player to watch because the results do not lie. Not only is Shilin one of the highest ranked 16 year olds on the junior tour, she's also one of the highest ranked 16 year olds on the pro tour.

With a junior ranking of 11, Shilin has plenty of people talking her up. A tall and powerful girl for her age, there is a lot of upside... mostly being her power. Xu has the artillery to make it to the top and I'm not standing in the way of that.

Source: Zimbio

 

---

We could be seeing a wave of young Chinese players coming through soon; but I don't think we'll be seeing the full affects of Li's influence until about 10 years from now.

The tennis world should get ready...they're coming.

Hopman Cup: Preview and predictions (Day 6 - Night)

Poland [1] v. Australia [7]

Agnieszka Radwanska [Poland] versus Samantha Stosur [Australia]

Tennis is all about match ups. Stosur, who has been poor this week, goes into this match with a 3-1 record against the Pole. Not only that, Stosur's one loss to Radwanska came nearly 5 years ago. Radwanska doesn't have much power, so it give Stosur some time on the ball to really get set for that big forehand. Stosur's shots have a lot of top spin and Radwanska does not like the ball around shoulder height, that could be the difference.

My winner: Stosur in three.

Grzegorz Panfil [Poland] versus Bernard Tomic [Australia]

Bet against Panfil at your own peril. The Pole has been the giant killer of the Hopman Cup, but how long can this last? Panfil hasn't played someone like Tomic before and he may be thrown off his guard. The pressure will be off Tomic here because Australia are already out of the Hopman Cup, which could be a bad thing, there's no motivation for the one lacking motivation. His talent should get him through.

My winner: Tomic in two.

Radwanska/Panfil [Poland] versus Stosur/Tomic [Australia]

Tomic was absolutely woeful in the doubles match against Italy, no foot movement, no power on his volleys, an all around shocker. Radwanska and Panfil will have more motivation in order to move through to the final and should take this one fairly comfortably.

My winner: Poland in two.

Hopman Cup: Preview and Predictions (Day 6)

Canada [4] v. Italy [6]

Eugenie Bouchard [Canada] versus Flavia Pennetta [Italy]

The young Canadian has been mightily impressive this week, beating Stosur and almost upsetting world number 5 Radwanska. This match is evenly poised, it should be a close encounter. Bouchard will have the extra fire power and Pennetta will have a little extra craft. Pennetta has the experience as well and I think that'll be the difference at the end of a long three setter.

My winner: Pennetta in three.

Milos Raonic [Canada] versus Andreas Seppi [Italy]

Raonic was the victim to one of the biggest upsets in Hopman Cup history when he lost to Pole, Panfil. Panfil was able to rush Raonic off the ball, I can't see Seppi having this ability. Seppi's game will give Raonic a bit more time to settle and to get into a rhythm. This match should see Raonic get back into the winners circle.

My winner: Raonic in two.

Bouchard/Raonic [Canada] versus Pennetta/Seppi [Italy]

The Canadians have been hot and cold in their mixed doubles, if they're luke-warm at all the Italian's will take full advantage. Pennetta bossed the court in their mixed doubles match against Australia and she'll be looking to take control again. Both Raonic and Bouchard don't have a lot of doubles experience and whilst they have the bigger game, Italy has the craft and doubles prowess.

My winner: Italy in two.

Italy always make a good account of themselves at the Hopman Cup, but always seem to just come up short of the final.

Hopman Cup: Preview and predictions (Day 5)

USA [2] v. France [3]

Sloane Stephens [USA] versus Alize Cornet [France]

Cornet was quite impressive in her opener against Kvitova, she's definitely on the way back up after dropping from her peak rank of eleven in 2009. Stephens was too good Medina Garrigues and I think it'll be more of the same here. Cornet has more power than Medina, but does play a similar game. Expect some long, exciting rallies in this match.

My winner: Stephens in two.

John Isner [USA] versus Jo-Wilfried Tsonga [France]

Isner can keep up with any player on tour because he may as well serve out of a tree. I expect this to be the case against Tsonga, the sets will be tight, possible a couple tie breakers. Tsonga's quickness and athleticism will be the difference here, he should be able to get a lot of balls back and make the big American play one more ball.

My winner: Tsonga in two.

Stephens/Isner [USA] versus Cornet/Tsonga [France]

This match should be close, it's extremely hard to call. Both teams had good first up wins. Both girls seem fairly even in doubles, but the difference for me should be Isner. His presence alone on a doubles court is extremely intimidating. Tsonga really needs to be active and authoritative for France to have a chance. This one could go either way.

My winner: USA is three.

If USA win, it starts to look like they are favourites to get through group B.

Hopman Cup: Preview and Predictions (Day 4)

Italy [6] v. Australia [7]

Flavia Pennetta [Italy] versus Samantha Stosur [Australia]

Stosur's woes in Australia continued when she slumped to a three-set loss to Eugenie Bouchard. The news gets even worse for Stosur, her record against Pennetta is unfavourable. The crafty Italian has the experience and knowledge to know how to play against the Australian. Pennetta will attack the backhand and move her opponent around. This all adds up to an Italian victory.

My winner: Pennetta in three.

Andreas Seppi [Italy] versus Bernard Tomic [Australia]

Seppi is expected to be healthy enough to play again after withdrawing from the first tie against Poland. The winner of this match will come down to who is more motivated. Tomic will feel that he has something to prove after an abysmal effort against Raonic. Seppi's game will give the Australian enough time to use his varied arsenal.

My winner: Tomic in two.

Pennetta/Seppi [Italy] versus Stosur/Tomic [Australia]

The Aussie's combined well against the Canadians, look for them to battle hard and to be extremely motivated here. Seppi isn't aggressive enough, nor does he have the presence at the net to dominate the match. Look for the best doubles player here, Stosur, to really shine in this match.

My winner: Australia in two.

Australia should redeem themselves a little in this tie. It'll be interesting to see how well Seppi recovers from his illness or whether young Aussie Oliver Anderson will have to step in again.

Hopman Cup: Preview and Predictions (Day 3 - Night)

France [3] v. Czech Republic [5]

Alize Cornet [France] versus Petra Kvitova [Czech Republic]

Kvitova was on fire in her first match against an under-powered Medina Garrigues. The problem for Cornet here is that she plays a similar style to the Spaniard and Kvitova will be out for blood. Like most matches the Czech plays, it'll come down to whether her thunderous shots are landing in or out. The good news for Petra Kvitova, she appears to be in good form and has that winning feeling. Cornet doesn't have much to trouble her.

My winner: Kvitova in two.

Jo-Wilfied Tsonga [France] versus Radek Stepanek [Czech Republic]

While Stepanek looked good in his opening tie, the Frenchman Tsonga is a different kettle of fish. Tsonga looked good in his opening tournament in the middle east, knocking off Andy Murray. He'll be looking to continue the momentum here. Stepanek, as we know, will throw everything at Tsonga and he may even sneak a set.

My winner: Tsonga in three.

Cornet/Tsonga [France] versus Kvitova/Stepanek [Czech Republic]

The Czech's surprised me in the first tie, they gelled even better than I thought they would. Stepanek really is a great doubles player, he'll dominate the match here again. Both Tsonga and Cornet can be quite volatile, so I can see Stepanek frustrating the pair with good net play.

My winner: Czech Republic in two.

Cornet steps in for the recently retired Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli. Her retirement dissipated the chances for France to win the Hopman Cup.