Here’s my Southpaw Slice recap of the Australian Open with Ben Lewis that saw Novak Djokovic continue his brilliant run capturing the past three Grand Slams and Naomi Osaka who at the age of 21 now has two majors back-to-back.
Also a look on the Tennis Canada front at how Milos and Genie did as well as a big week for Canadians Bianca Andreescu and Brayden Schnur in California.
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By Mike McIntyre
The first Grand Slam of 2019 is only a week away and tennis fans are anticipating some great tennis action this year in Melbourne at the Australian Open. Defending champion Roger Federer will have his work cut-out for him at the age of 37 although he has defied his age by winning the previous two editions of the tournament. With 20 Grand Slam titles already behind him, it shouldn't be that shocking if the Swiss legend was somehow able to pull off the feat yet again. That being said, let's look at who the main contenders and some darkhorse candidates are to unseat him this year.
Despite Federer having won the last two Aussie Opens, sportsbettingdime.com still has Djokovic as the tournament favorite. The current World No. 1 shook-off a slow start in 2018 and caught fire after winning his fourth Wimbledon title last July. The 31 year old also won the US Open as well as ATP Tour Masters 1000 events in Cincinnati and Shanghai. Djokovic only stands three major titles from tying Rafael Nadal on the all-time list with 17. Djokovic started this season by falling in the semifinals in Doha to Roberto Bautista Agut - ranked 24th on the Tour, who would proceed to win the title.
Kevin Anderson has proved over the past two seasons that he is much more than just a big serve. The 6'8'' South African is now ranked 6th in the world and has had back-to-back seasons being a finalist at a Grand Slam. Anderson started this season strong by winning the title in Pune, India over Ivo Karlovic. A super nice guy off the court, it is easy to root for Anderson to break through and capture his first Grand Slam title in 2019.
Alexander Zverev has been mentioned as a Major contender and possible heir to the Big Three whenever they do eventually retire from the sport. That being said, the 21 year old German has never made it past the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam despite the fact he has been successful at every other level of ATP play. Zverev partnered-up with 8 time major champion Ivan Lendl late last year and if anyone can appreciate taking a little extra time to win a first Slam title it would be Lendl who didn't win his first one until the age of 24.
Karen Kachanov is another young talent to keep an eye on this year. The 22 year old Russian was one of the few who was able to beat Djokovic late in 2018 as he captured his first Masters 1000 at the indoor event in Paris. Kachanov has not yet made it past the fourth round of a Slam, but it would be shocking if that did not happen this year somewhere along the line.
Finally, we have to mention Rafael Nadal despite the fact he is already dealing with a thigh injury to start his season and the fact he was practically unable in 2018 to complete or compete in any hardcourt tournaments save for the Rogers Cup that he won in Toronto in August. Nadal will be hoping he can at least participate and finish the Aussie Open on his own terms, something he could not do a year ago when he had to retire in his quarterfinal match against Marin Cilic while trailing 0-2 in the fifth set.
In terms of some darkhorse candidates let's lead off with Australian hopeful Nick Kyrgios who on any given day could upset just about anybody on the entire ATP Tour. Kyrgios' issues are mostly mental though his body has also been letting him down with increasing regularity in recent times.
Another player with loads of talent but a weakening physique is 28 year old Canadian Milos Raonic. With that booming serve, Raonic will always be dangerous on a hard court but he has seen just about every part of his body fail at one point or another the past couple of years. Raonic came into this event a year ago out of shape even by his own admission, but if he's fit to start 2019 then he will be a dangerous player to face.
Finally, another opponent that could very well contend for a Slam in 2019 is Stefanos Tsitsipas from Greece. A part of the talented NextGen group of under-21 players on the ATP Tour (he won the NextGen finals in fact to close-out 2018), Tsitsipas made his first Masters 1000 finals in Toronto last summer defeating Djokovic, Zverev and Anderson before falling to Nadal. The 20 year old has plenty of personality and flash on the court and is someone the Melbourne crowd could certainly get behind.
Lastly, don't forget about the likes of Marin Cilic, Dominic Thiem and Juan Martin Del Potro for this year's list of contenders. All three have made Slam finals before, with Cilic and Delpo each winning one at the US Open.
Check back with us throughout the two week event that begins on January 14th for full coverage and analysis of this exciting early season tennis event.
By: Mike McIntyre
Photos: Jimmie48 Tennis Photography
There were plenty of questions surrounding World No. 1 Simona Halep heading into her second round match against Canada's Genie Bouchard. She toughed out an opening round win over young Australian Destanee Aiava but suffered an ankle injury in the process.
Bouchard had ended her 6 match losing streak with her first round victory against Oceane Dodin. Halep was a big step-up from that level of competition despite the fact that the Aussie Open is the only Slam where Bouchard has performed at the best over her career.
Halep won the match 6-2, 6-2 and will next face American Lauren Davis who is ranked 76th in the world.
For Bouchard it is back to the drawing board as her career limbo continues. She has a lot of work ahead of her if she wants to maintain her status as the No. 1 Canadian woman.
U.S. Open finalist Madison Keys has advanced to the third round after her 6-0, 6-1 dismantling of Ekaterina Alexandrova.
Keys was all smiles after her match and will play Ana Bogdan in the third round.
Russia's Elena Vesnina was facing an up-and-coming player in Japan's Naomi Osaka. The 31 year old couldn't handle the game of her younger opponent on Wednesday.
The 20 year old Osaka won 7-6(4), 6-2 but will have her hands full against Australia's own Ashleigh Barty next.
One of only two players who has even been to the Australian Open final (and won it in 2016), Angie Kerber continued her impressive start to 2018 and improved to 11-0 (including the Hopman Cup) with her 6-4, 6-1 win against Donna Vekic.
Kerber's winning streak has turned her into an immediate favorite to capture her third Grand Slam title here in Melbourne this year.
The only other previous finalist and winner left in the women's draw is Maria Sharapova who avenged her U.S. Open loss to Anastasija Sevastova with a straight set win 6-1, 7-6(4). Sharapova will now provide THE match of the third round when she faces the previously mentioned Kerber.
By: Mike McIntyre
Photos: Jimmie48 Tennis Photography
Petra Kvitova was playing in her first Australian Open since 2016.
Kvitova was beaten in an epic match by Andrea Petkovic 6-3, 4-6, 10-8.
US Open finalist Madison Keys opened with a 6-1, 7-5 victory against Qiang Wang of China.
8th seeded Caroline Garcia of France with a routine 7-5, 6-3 win against Germany's Carina Witthoeft.
Garcia will next face 18 year old Marketa Vondrousova who is already ranked 62nd in the world.
The 22 year old Witthoeft is currently ranked 50th in the WTA rankings right now, hovering near her career high.
Garbine Muguruza was able to finish her first match in three tries in 2018 without injury difficulty. She advanced with a 6-4, 6-3 win against Jessika Ponchet.
Donna Vekic raises her arms following a 7-5, 6-3 win against Japan's Nao Hibino. She will face Angelique Kerber next.
Maria Sharapova was fired-up in her return to Melbourne.
Sharapova is one of two players along with Kerber who have won the Aussie Open in their careers. The two are expected to face one another in the third round.
A selfie with her fans after a 6-1, 6-4 win against Tatjana Maria.
Canada's Genie Bouchard trying to cool-off in her first round match with Oceane Dodin.
The Genie Army has stuck with their player through tough times the past few years.
It's nice to see Bouchard smiling once again on the court. We'll see how long that lasts however as she will next face World No. 1 Simona Halep.
Photographs by Jimmie48 Tennis Photography
A few shots of some Tennis stars (and one from the NBA too!) all dressed-up ahead of the official start of the 2018 Australian Open.
American Jack Sock prior to his stunning first round upset.
Karolina Pliskova with her fiancee Michal Hrdlicka
2017 French Open champ Jelena Ostapenko
Heather Watson from Great Britain
Canada's Genie Bouchard
Russia's Natalia Vikhlyantseva
Two-time Slam champ Garbine Muguruza
World No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki with her fiancee, NBA player David Lee
Two-time Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova
By: Ben Lewis
Sportscaster, Sportsnet 590 the Fan, Co-host of the Southpaw Slice tennis podcast
Photo with permission: Jimmie48 Tennis Photography
As the first tennis Grand Slam season has dawned upon us, there are a handful of compelling story-lines to peak our interest.
At age 31, Rafael Nadal arrives in Melbourne as the oldest world number 1 in the history of the tour. 36 year-old Roger Federer enters as the Australian Open defending champion, and perennial early tournament favourite, and Novak Djokovic is back following a six month layoff to his most prestigious event (6 time Aussie Open champ).
Despite an absence of Andy Murray and Kei Nishikori, the men's field is bustling with many contenders and dangerous players capable of deep runs in the tournament.
Here are five players to follow closely:
Nick Kyrgios
Ranking: 17
Country: Australia
Career titles: 4
Best Grand Slam Result: 2015 Australian Open QF, 2014 Wimbledon QF
Kyrgios is a 22 year-old, mercurial, volatile personality who can be an absolute superstar when tennis is peaking his interest. While the Australian has had lukewarm receptions from home crowds in the past, he entered the 2018 season looking exceptionally motivated, winning a hard-court title in Brisbane.
He’s in the top half of the draw, and could face a potential rematch with Grigor Dimitrov, a player he knocked-off in 3 sets just over a week ago.
Kyrgios has all the physical tools on a tennis court to become a Grand Slam champion, the bigger question is if he has the mental resilience to sustain high-level play for two weeks.
Juan Martin del Potro
Ranking: 10
Country: Argentina
Career titles: 20
Best Grand Slam Result: 2009 US Open Champion
The gentle giant from Argentina coped with a string of injury plagued years, with a pair of wrist surgeries, but after completing a mostly healthy 2017, DelPo looks poised to take things one step further.
DelPo was the only player last season to win a match over Roger Federer at a Grand Slam event, beating him in a U.S. Open quarterfinal. Once again, he’s lurking in Federer’s quarter, along with other dangerous players like David Goffin, Milos Raonic and Tomas Berdych.
Possessing one of the world’s most powerful forehands, if del Potro is striking early, he could quickly bust open a draw, and make a deep run.
Kevin Anderson
Ranking: 11
Country: South Africa
Career titles: 3
Best GS result: 2017 US Open Finalist
The South African may not get bonus points for style and flair on the court, but K-Ando is simply all business when it comes to winning tennis matches. His penchant for work ethic paid off handsomely in 2017, where he reached his first ever Grand Slam final at Flushing Meadows.
Anderson opened 2018 equally strong, winning an exhibition in Abu Dhabi at the Mubadala Classic, and reaching the finals of the Tate Open in India.
With his experience and confidence continuing to build, and his booming serve, expect Anderson to be one of the toughest outs, and a potential quarterfinalist.
Alexander Zverev
Ranking: 4
Country: Germany
Career titles: 6
Best GS result: 4th Round Wimbledon, 2017
Forget calling him one of the best young players on tour, Sascha Zverev is simply one of the world’s best, hands down. The tall, wiry German earn 5 ATP titles in 2017 including two Masters 1000s in Rome and Montreal, and he enters Australia as the fourth-ranked player.
The only thing missing from Zverev’s gaudy resume is a run at a Grand Slam, and some of that last season was bad fortune. He went toe-to-toe with Rafael Nadal in a third round, five-set loss at the Aussie last year, and he also fell to Milos Raonic in a fourth round tilt that went the distance at Wimbledon.
If the stars align (which I think they will), Novak Djokovic and Sascha Zverev could meet in the round of 16. It will be a matchup of perhaps the best two-handed backhands in tennis today, with the youngster having an opportunity to dethrone a legend at his best event.
David Goffin
Ranking: 7
Country: Belgium
Career titles: 4
Best GS result: 2017 Australian Open QF, 2016 French Open QF
David Goffin has been one of the tour’s most under the radar talents for the past couple of seasons. At 5'11, 150 pounds, his slight frame may not look intimidating on the court, but the Belgian possesses plenty of weapons to beat any of the world's best. His quick strike groundstrokes can plant opponents on their back foot easily, while his lateral movement is off the charts.
Goffin scored the best win of his career at the London ATP Finals in November, a three-set upset victory over Federer, before falling to Grigor Dimitrov for the title.
After a solid break, he should be fit, confident and poised to carry that memory to Australia. A potential rematch with Federer could be looming in the quarterfinals.
FIRST ROUND MATCHES TO WATCH
Alex de Minaur vs. Tomas Berdych
A native of Australia, 18 year-old Alex de Minaur is on a spectacular, Shapovalov-like run to open his 2018 campaign.
He opened the season with an upset victory over Milos Raonic and carried that to a semifinal appearance in Brisbane. The following week he made his first ATP final in Sydney. Come Monday his ranking will have jumped 81 spots to 127.
He gets a stern test against veteran Tomas Berdych, who opened his season with a win at the Tie Break Tens exhibition.
Prediction:
Berdych in 4 sets
David Ferrer vs. Andrey Rublev
It's a classic teacher vs. pupil matchup. A former world number three, 35 year-old David Ferrer still has the desire and work ethic to drive him to match wins, and he’s coming off a semifinal appearance in Auckland.
Andrey Rublev is a next-Gen Russian star who made a quarterfinal run at the U.S. Open last season.
Prediction:
Ferrer in 5 sets
Mischa Zverev vs. Hyeon Chung
Often over-shadowed by his younger brother, Mischa Zverev quietly had an excellent 2017 season, going old-school with his serve and volley approach. He had a stunning upset victory over Andy Murray at the tournament last season.
Hyeon Chung is another exceptional young talent, he finished 2017 with a title at the Next-Gen Finals and will look to dictate rallies from the baseline.
Prediction:
Zverev in 5 sets
By Mike McIntyre
With the 2018 season on the WTA Tour already underway, tennis fans are now eagerly awaiting the first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne. The Australian Open begins January 15th and many were wondering if the all-time greatest female player would be participating.
Photo Cred: Mike McIntyre
Everyone was hopeful that defending champion Serena Williams would make her anticipated return to the game after taking a year off while pregnant with her first child whom she delivered this past Fall. Serena played an exhibition match last week in Abu Dhabi at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship where she was defeated by 20 year old Jelena Ostapenko 6-2, 3-6, 10-5. The result seemed an impressive result considering her lengthy absence from the game. After the match Serena said, "I don't know if I am totally ready to come back on the tour yet. I know that when I come back I definitely want to be competing for championships. I am definitely looking forward to getting back out there."
Her comments gave the impression that she was not quite satisfied with where her game was and sure enough a few days later she officially announced her withdrawal from the Australian Open. Her statement shared that, “My coach and team always said ‘only go to tournaments when you are prepared to go all the way’. I can compete — but I don’t want to just compete, I want to do far better than that and to do so, I will need a little more time.”
Despite her year off from competition, Serena Williams would have certainly been considered one of the favorites to win the tournament. With her return delayed for now, there are a slew of other players who will be considered legitimate threats to walk away with the title. At BetOnline.ag Sportsbook here are some of the players to watch.
Photo Cred: Jimmy48 Tennis Photography
World No. 1 Simona Halep will attempt to finally win that elusive first major title. The Romanian is already into the finals in Brisbane and showing that she is ready to go.
Photo Cred: Mike McIntyre
Garbine Muguruza is breathing down Halep's neck to overtake the top spot in the rankings and has already won two Grand Slams in her career - the 2016 French Open and Wimbledon in 2017.
Photo Cred: Mike McIntyre
Veteran Caroline Wozniacki is now engaged to be married and had an incredible resurgence in 2017. Could she use this added emotional boost to help fuel her first Grand Slam win after losses in two previous Grand Slam finals?
Other players who have yet to win a major title but have seen their stock rise in recent times are Karolina Pliskova, Elina Svitolina and the previously mentioned Ostapenko - who won the French Open last year in shocking fashion.
Here at ProTennisFan we will keep you updated in the lead-up and duration of the first Grand Slam of 2018 so be sure to check-in with us frequently for all your Australian Open coverage.
By Mike McIntyre
As the 2017 tennis season closed on the ATP World Tour there was a sense of optimism among fans that we would see the top players in the world healthy for the start of the New Year and ready to renew the exciting battles that we have come to expect over the past decade. Last season was dominated by two players - Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer - who remarkably shared the four Grand Slams. Injuries took their toll on the other major contenders, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka who all missed the U.S. Open and the remainder of the season as they tried to mend from their respective ailments. As the 2018 season begins however, it seems like their bodies are not quite ready for competition and there is no firm indication of when they might be able to resume consistent play. Add Nadal to that list as the Spaniard is still dealing with a knee injury and you have what is shaping-up to be a very wild and unpredictable first Slam of the year in Melbourne later this month.
Andy Murray filled-in for Djokovic last week at the Mubadala World Tennis Classic in Abu Dhabi where he was beaten by Roberto Bautista Agut - a player he had never previously dropped a set to - 6-2. Murray's movement seemed limited which sparked talk of whether he would be able to play this week in Brisbane where he was the No. 2 seed. Sure enough, as the event neared, Murray withdrew citing on-going issues with his hip. In an emotional message that he shared with fans on his Instagram Account Murray revealed that surgery was a possibility - but not one that guaranteed any improvements.
"Surgery is also an option," Murray wrote, "but the chances of a successful outcome are not as I high as I would like which has made this my secondary option and my hope has been to avoid that. However this is something I may have to consider but let's hope not."
On Thursday, Murray officially pulled-out of the Australian Open that is set to begin on January 15th. Aussie Open tournament director Craig Tiley reacted by saying the following about the five-time runner-up in Melbourne, "We are fully aware that Andy has been going through a difficult period with his hip and that he's done everything possible to prepare for the Australian summer. Personally, I also know that Andy loves tennis and would do anything to play. This is a very hard decision for Andy and we totally respect it."
The 30 year-old Murray played through the pain last year until Wimbledon where he fell in five sets to American Sam Querrey in the quarter-finals. It was remarkable he was even able to achieve that result given the circumstances. It is troubling that six months later he has still not been able to make enough progress to play more than a one set exhibition match. With all the rest and rehabilitation he is still not able to perform without discomfort.
Andy Murray is one of the most well respected players on the Tour. Not only due to his incredible career accomplishments which include three Grand Slam titles and two Olympic Gold medals, but also for his leadership and willingness to speak-out against any perceived injustice he sees on the professional circuit - both men's and women's. Hopefully Murray is able to find the right solution to allow him to continue his passion of playing tennis and fans can see him back on a tennis court soon.