Pro Tennis Fan

Australian Open Just Around the Corner

By Mike McIntyre

Unlike most sports, tennis begins with one of its biggest moments of the year. A mere two weeks into the new tennis season in January and already fans are treated to a Grand Slam in Melbourne at the Australian Open. Why not cut right to the highest level of competition, right?

While some players have thrived under this early season pressure (see Andre Agassi and Novak Djokovic), other are simply not prepared that early into the new year to find the highest gear required to battle through best of five sets of pounding hard court action under the Australian sun.

Let's have a look at some of the favorites on the ATP World Tour to take home the first Slam of the season.

The conversation must start (and likely end) with world No. 1 Novak Djokovic. With five titles at the Aussie Open including four of the past five, how can anyone else be considered the heavy favorite once again this year? After completing one of the greatest seasons ever on the ATP World Tour in 2015 with a 82-6 record, Djokovic is heading into the new year as the man to beat. While repeating a three Slam season will be a demanding task, even if he does experience a slight hiccup Djokovic is still going to be the toughest man to face.

Without a Slam victory since Wimbledon in 2013, world No. 2 Andy Murray needs to grab a Major title in 2016 to justify his inclusion at the top of the men's game. Sure he was largely responsible for Great Britain winning the Davis Cup a couple of months ago and he can add that to his two Grand Slams and Olympic Gold medal making him one of the greats of his generation, but Murray is seemingly wasting his talent and potential by failing to add to his Grand Slam count. How this man has not achieved more since his U.S. Open triumph in 2012 is beyond me. With his coach Amelie Mauresmo back working with him this year I look for Murray to win at least one of the Slams in Australia, Wimbledon or Flushing Meadows.

The all-time greatest with 17 Slam titles is Roger Federer and he had a fantastic season in 2015 with two Slam finals. Turning 35 this coming year would signal the end of the road for most players but with Federer he somehow seems to continue to find ways (SABR) to stay fresh and try new things in order to compete for another big one. Hard to believe he has not won a Slam in over three years and it is true that as good as he is, the window is certainly closing on his chances to add to his impressive haul. On hard courts and on grass Federer could definitely still do it but he really has to hope that someone else can take Djokovic out of the equation as he was unable to put a dent in his armor when it counted the most in 2015.

World No. 4 Stan Wawrinka has proven that he truly belongs in the upper echelon of the men's game. His first Slam win was in 2014 in Melbourne and then last year he followed that up with a surprising victory on the clay in Paris. While he lacks the consistency of some of his peers who have been at the top for longer, Wawrinka is capable of winning any tournament that he enters. A deep run in the first Slam of the year is no longer possible, it is expected.

Rafael Nadal had an average season by his standards last year and failed to reach a Grand Slam semifinal for the first time in his career. He couldn't even hold on to Roland Garros where he had won the previous 9 of 10 prior to 2015. Nadal appears to have lost his killer instinct and does not seem as physically imposing when he plays. While the French Open will still be within his grasp, I don't think he has the belief that he can win any of the other three Slams at this point in his career. Injuries have taken their toll and I would be quite surprised if we saw Rafa among the final four in Australia.

Aside from the regular favorites mentioned above, who happen to have claimed 41 of the past 44 Grand Slams, here are a few guys who want more than anything to break into the Grand Slam champions circle:

Tomas Berdych: A Slam finalist once at Wimbledon in 2010, the 6th ranked Berdych wins one and at most two ATP tournaments a year. This method has kept him in the top ten for many years but he never seems capable of beating the big guns. Now thirty years old it seems unlikely that Berdych will ever be able to put it together to win a Slam despite his immense talent.

Kei Nishikori: At 25 years old Nishikori certainly has time on his side and has made the finals of a hard court Slam before in 2014 in New York. His record at the Aussie Open is 16-6 and he has twice before advanced to the quarter-finals.

Milos Raonic: The Canadian Missile seemed to be the most likely to have a breakthrough at the Slam level but injuries are already starting to take their toll on the big man. He has had to withdraw from playing in the International Premiere Tennis League in December with back spasms which does not bode well for his chances to be ready to compete in best of five set matches in Melbourne. If he's healthy, this is a guy that could break through the big guns and make some noise.

John Isner: Similar to Raonic due to his immense height and booming serve, Isner is an older version who at the age of thirty needs to act now if he is going to taste Slam success. It is surprising to me that he has only once before made the quarterfinals of a major with the strength of his greatest weapon. He does have two Masters Series finals appearances under his belt which shows he can get hot and beat some top-level guys at times. Could it happen this year in Melbourne?

Nick Krygios: I put Kyrgios in here to stir things up a bit but also because he represents the next wave in men's tennis. Guys like Berdych, Ferrer, Tsonga and Gasquet for example are very unlikely to see the term "Grand Slam Champion" next to their names before they retire. Look to the up and coming generation who will not have to contend with Federer, Djokovic and Nadal for the bulk of their careers. Kyrgios has the swagger and confidence to will his way to a title. Others like David Goffin, Bernard Tomic, Dominic Thiem, Grigor Dimitrov and Borna Coric are also of the right age to snag some Slams at some point in their career. One of them could be a surprise in Australia this year if they are ready to make their move at a major just as an 18 year old Rafael Nadal or a 21 year old Roger Federer once did.

IPTL Offers Fans a Unique Tennis Experience in December

By Mike McIntyre

Considering how tennis players often lament about the excruciatingly long tennis season on the ATP and WTA Tour's it may come as quite a surprise to see so many top level professionals opting to play tennis in December during their short off season. Yet here we are a mere two weeks until Christmas with superstar players like Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal  playing in the relatively new International Premier Tennis League in Asia. With a format that resembles a combination of Davis and Fed Cup with Billie Jean King's World Team Tennis there is much to excite both the casual and the hardcore tennis fan.

Only in its second season of actual play, the IPTL was lauched in Spring of 2013 but did not begin play until November of 2014. Now sponsored by Coca-Cola, the league has franchises based in India, the Philippines, Singapore, Japan and the United Arab Emirates which appeals to a fan base that is hungry for more professional tennis and does not necessarily get to see it live as often as their counterpart nations in Europe and North America. The IPTL accurately boasts that it, "brings together current champions, tennis legends and upcoming talent in a format that's never been seen before." Play consists of five sets that are broken down into one set each of men's singles, women's singles, mixed doubles, men's doubles and men's legends play. The order in which the five sets are played is determined by the host team and there are several twists that bring a unique element of strategy into play. Coaches can for example decide to substitute a player (only once) in the middle of a set. Legends players can only be substituted for another legends player to prevent having someone like Roger Federer come in and demolish an aging champion. Each set is a first to 6 games affair with a first to 7 point tiebreak (called a shootout) played if the score reaches 5-5 in games. A "super shootout" is played if tied at 5-5 in men's singles play only and the first to reach 10 points is crowned the victor. Another interesting facet of the IPTL (and one that Nadal must loathe) is the shot clock. Players have a max of 20 seconds between points, 45 seconds during changeovers and a 3 minute break between sets. Any team that goes over the time limit is docked a point. Other than that it's top level tennis wrapped up in a fun team format that appeals to players and fans alike. After a round robin format between the five teams, the top two squads advance to play each other in the finals. 

So why would tennis players sign-up to play in the IPTL after a long and physically punishing season that only ends in November? There is clearly a financial incentive to getting back on the court early which entices the big names who no-doubt are compensated at a higher level and also to second tier players who could use the extra payout to help subsidize their upcoming season on the pro tour. Another drawing card for players is that with only three weeks of tournaments in January before the first Grand Slam of the season in Melbourne the IPTL offers a jump-start on match play and a chance to shake off the rust from their brief hiatus. With most pros only entering one, perhaps two events in 2016 before the Australian Open, there are not a whole lot of matches to get fully up to speed. The only potential downfall with the IPTL is the risk of injury but this is a reality that all pros face whether it be in an exhibition match or back at home in practice. Milos Raonic just withdrew from further IPTL competition with back spasms but perhaps it is better to deal with something like this now and rehab in time for January.

Kudos must go out to the very professional manner in which the IPTL is marketing itself. Aside from big name sponsors, the league has a very sleek website and keeps a comprehensive list of statistics for any tennis junkies out there who want to keep tabs on their favorite players. I would also imagine that the ATP and WTA Tour's appreciate the free promotion of their players throughout the month of December and in an area of the world that they are seeking to increase their visibility. 

In 2014 the Indian Aces were crowned the inaugural IPTL champions. So far this season with stops already completed in Kobe (Japan), Manila (Philippines) and New Delhi (India), it is again the Aces who are on top of the league with a 6-1 record at the moment. The Aces boast a strong lineup that includes Rafa Nadal, Gael Monfils, Sam Stosur, Aga Radwanska, Sania Mirza, Ivan Dodig, Rohan Bopanna and legend/magician Fabrice Santoro.The IPTL will next move to Dubai (UAE) from December 14-16 and then wrap-up in Kallang (Singapore) from December 18-20.

While the format is competitive it also allows the players to enjoy the experience in a way that is quite different from the solitude that they normally find themselves surrounded in as they travel from city to city on the professional tour. The co-ed, team environment allows these talented athletes the chance to rediscover the fun that comes along with playing tennis and get to know their fellow peers on a more social level as well. As Federer remarked after his 6-5 loss to Nadal this past weekend in New Delhi, "...to me it is serious tennis with the fun aspect of playing for your team." For fans around the world it provides another month of checking-in on their favorite players and for those fortunate enough to live in or travel to these five remarkable cities, the ability to watch live tennis during a time that is normally devoid of such action. I can't find anything wrong with that and I'm confident most of the tennis world would say the same thing. Enjoying a sneak-peek of the upcoming ATP and WTA tennis season is a most welcome Christmas time treat.

What to Expect on the ATP Tour in 2016

By Mike McIntyre

The off season in tennis is notorious for being a short one. With the ATP World Tour finals wrapping up on November 22nd the pros don't really have much time to rest and recover before the New Year is upon them. Add to the fact that several players will be filling their down time with exhibition matches and you can see how professional tennis is really a 12 month commitment for these elite athletes.

On the men's Tour 2015 will be remembered as the year of Novak Djokovic. Although the world No. 1 has had plenty of success prior to this past season, he truly dominated his rivals with an 82-6 record that included three Grand Slam titles. The lone major that eluded him (yet again) was the French Open where he was actually the heavy favourite going up against Stan Wawrinka. The question in 2016 is whether or not Novak can sustain his incredible level and will he finally be able to follow in the footsteps of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and capture that missing Slam. Novak will turn 29 this coming May and that is two years older than Federer was when he won his first and only French Open. Federer had Nadal, the King of Clay, who prevented him from winning more at Roland Garros, but Djokovic has only his mental fortitude standing in his way towards capturing the title he wants so badly. 

Aside from the greatness that Djokovic brings to the table it will be interesting to see how the other big names can fare in 2016. Federer seems oblivious to the fact that he will be turning 35 this coming year and is somehow continuing to find ways to stay near the pinnacle of the sport. While he hasn't won a Slam since July 2012, he is still the player (after Novak) that most would rather not have to face in any given event. Federer wants more than anything to get at least one more Slam before he even thinks about retiring and would also like to grab a Gold medal at the summer Olympics in Rio. Rafael Nadal meanwhile would like to have a much more consistent season in 2016 and although he finished 5th in the ATP rankings, he was hoping for much more than that. Failing to make it to the semi-finals of all four Grand Slams for the first time in his career is something he would rather not repeat. I would say in fact that if Rafa can't find a way to seriously challenge at a Slam this coming year that perhaps he would consider retiring as he nears the age of 30. With the immense physical toll the sport has taken on his body over the years, Nadal might be prudent to save some of his health for retirement and his life after tennis. Finally we have Andy Murray who seems to have stalled in his pursuit for more Grand Slams but he did add a Davis Cup title to his list of achievements in 2015 when the Brits defeated Belgium. Murray doesn't appear to have the pressure that others might have heading into the new season and for that reason I would say he could present himself as a very dangerous opponent. I would be surprised if Murray was not at least present in the finals of a couple of Slams in 2016. That being said, even with all of his talent he has only advanced to the finals of one out of the last nine majors which has to be considered quite the disappointment for the current No. 2 player in the world.

With the above four players all approaching (or already at) the age of 30, and only one player in the top ten being under the age of 28, we must also look to players like Milos Raonic, Kei Nishikori, Grigor Dimitrov, David Goffin and others and wonder when they will make their move. There has to be a changing of the guard at some point and so far only Marin Cilic has managed to break through the big four recently at the Grand Slam level - and even he will be turning 28 in the coming year. Perhaps we are seeing another period of denial where once it was Federer and Nadal refusing to share the wealth and now it is Novak Djokovic who is doing his best job at replicating that selfish era of near solo domination. With so much excitement happening over the past twelve months, it should be interesting to see what 2016 has in store.

Federer and Edberg Part Ways Amicably After Two Years

By Mike McIntyre

It shouldn't really come as any surprise that after two years together Roger Federer and his childhood idol Stefan Edberg have decided to end their coaching arrangement. Edberg never struck me as someone who wanted to coach full-time and only initially intended for the partnership to last one season. The six time Grand Slam champ was so encouraged by their success together however that he stuck around for another 12 months. Edberg definitely had a positive impact on the 17 time Grand Slam champion despite the fact the duo did not add to his record setting totals at the majors. Edberg leaves with Federer as the third ranked player on the ATP World Tour and perhaps still the biggest threat to undisputed world No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

Federer will retain Severin Luthi as his main coach for 2016 but has added good friend and former pro Ivan Ljubicic to his coaching staff to replace Edberg. Ljubicic coached Milos Raonic up until the end of this past season. While Ljubicic does not have any Grand Slams to his resume from his days on the Tour, he did still have quite the career that saw him reach a rankings high of No. 3 in the world and he also won ten titles including the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells in 2010.

Here are some of my favourite pictures of the Edberg and Federer partnership that I took back in August of 2014 at the Rogers Cup in Toronto as Federer closes another entertaining chapter of his successful career. Enjoy!

Federer looking very much like he still idolizes Edberg.

An intense shot of the two legends side by side during practice

Comforting to know that even a guy as great as Roger could still take advice at this stage of his illustrious career.