McIntyre Tennis

Men's Wimbledon Draw Analysis

By Mike McIntyre

 A year ago at Wimbledon Novak Djokovic signaled to the tennis world that he was back in-form by capturing his first Grand Slam in over two years at the All England Club. Now he returns not only as defending champion but also as the current US Open and Australian Open champ and the World No. 1 once again. Djokovic's path towards a fifth Wimbledon title won't be easy so let's take a closer look at who he might face and other contenders at SW19 in 2019.

The Serbian defending champ starts his campaign against tricky German Philipp Kohlschreiber who is tough on any surface but in particular on grass. The pair will face one another for the fourth time this year already with Djokovic capturing the last two meetings after Kohlschreiber got the 6-4, 6-4 win in Indian Wells. These two players met once before at Wimbledon with Djokovic prevailing in the first round back in 2015 by a score of 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. This will be Kohlschreiber's 15th appearance at Wimbledon and he made the quarterfinals in 2012, his best ever showing at a major. Djokovic has fellow Serbian Dusan Lajovic, the 32nd seed, as a potential third round opponent before what would be an interesting encounter in the fourth round against rising Canadian talent Felix Auger Aliassime who is seeded 19th in just the second Grand Slam of his young career.

Auger Aliassime had never before played a professional tournament on grass until a couple of week's ago in Stuttgart where he made the finals. Then last week the 18 year old phenom defeated Grigor Dimitrov, Nick Kyrgios and Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to the semifinals in Queen's. Best of five sets will be something relatively new to Auger Aliassime but he has been in great form in the lead-up to Wimbledon.

Other tricky players in the top quarter include the aforementioned Tsitsipas - who has still been unable to beat Auger Aliassime in their pro careers. Daniil Medvedev is also present as the 11th seed along with veteran Gael Monfils who is seeded No. 16 and David Goffin - finalist in Halle - at No. 21.

Moving down the draw we have another Canadian to look out for - 2016 Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic. It has been another up and down year for Raonic due to injury issues but if he can manage to stay healthy he is an automatic top-5 threat on the grass. He'll open against Prajnesh Gunneswaran and could meet Stan Wawrinka in the third round. The pair have never played each other on grass and Wawrinka needs only a Wimbledon championship to complete his career Slam.

This quadrant of the draw also has last year's finalist, Kevin Anderson who comes in as the No. 4 seed this time around. Recently returning from an elbow injury that kept him off the ATP Tour for almost three months, Anderson has played in but one recent event where he fell in the second round to Gilles Simon at Queen's. The Wimbledon fifth set has been altered starting this year in part due to Anderson's lengthy semifinal match last year against John Isner where the South African prevailed 7-6, 6-7, 6-7, 6-4, 26-24. From now only there will be a tiebreak played once 12-12 is reached in the fifth and final set.

Other players of note in this section include the struggling 6th seed Sascha Zverev, Russia's Karen Khachanov seeded 10th and recent Queen's singles and doubles champ - Feliciano Lopez.

In the bottom half of the draw we find a potential Nadal vs Federer semifinal that would have tennis fans lose their collective minds. It's hard to believe that the duo last met at Wimbledon all the way back in their legendary final in 2008 where Nadal prevailed 9-7 in the fifth set to capture his first ever title there. The path towards the semis will not be easy for Nadal who opens against Japanese qualifier Yuichi Sugita but could face Nick Kyrgios in the second round and potentially Denis Shapovalov in the third round. 2017 Wimbledon finalist Marin Cilic could be a fourth round opponent while Dominic Thiem is the 5th seed and also in this section for a potential quarterfinal matchup. It would take quite the effort for Nadal to advance deep in the draw with that grueling list of opponents in front of him but with the Spaniard nothing can ever be considered a surprise given his unparalleled compete level and love for this tournament.

In the final quarter of the draw we have of course the 8 time champion Roger Federer. The World No. 3 is seeded 2nd due to Wimbledon's unique seeding formula - a process that has upset some who feel it unjustly bumps Nadal down a spot. Regardless of where you stand on that particular issue, Federer will open against South Africa's Lloyd Harris who is ranked No. 87 on the ATP Tour. Harris is going to have his hands full as he recently fell in the opening round of qualifying in both Halle and Eastbourne. Federer has a nice draw to settle into the tournament and shouldn't be overly challenged until a potential fourth round match against Borna Coric - someone who has a grass court win against him going back to last summer in the finals at Halle.

Beyond that point Kei Nishikori is the 8th seed and recent grass court star Matteo Berrettini is also floating around as the 17th seed in this bottom quarter. Tomas Berdych and Richard Gasquet are two veteran players with grass court skills who are unseeded and could make some noise as well.

Ultimately this event seems the most likely of all four Slams to have the big names continue their dominance. Going back to 2002 the only four players who have emerged victorious at Wimbledon are Federer (8), Djokovic (4), Nadal (2) and Murray (2). It would take a pretty big upset for that trend to change in 2019. While Murray is just making his return to the court in doubles, the other three have been their usual dominant selves leading the ATP in winning percentage through the first half of the season. Enjoy it while it lasts and check back with us later in the tournament for more Grand Slam coverage!

Southpaw Slice Aussie Open Recap

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.

https://m.soundcloud.com/southpawslice/southpaw-slice-2019-australian-open-recapnewport-beach

 

Alexander Zverev Captures the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals

By Mike McIntyre

Alexander Zverev stunned World No. 1 Novak Djokovic on Sunday with a 6-4, 6-3 victory in which he played near flawless tennis. The 21 year old served noticed (literally) that he belongs in the top of the men's game as he captured the biggest title of his young career.

Despite the fact that Djokovic had yet to drop a set all week in London including a decisive 6-4, 6-1 victory over Zverev in round robin play, it was the German who was in total control of the match that counted the most.

Zverev served regularly at the 140mph mark or higher and with incredible precision against one of the best returners that the men's game has ever seen. His ground strokes were punishing and he played with just the right amount of aggression to deny Djokovic any opportunity to control the match on his terms.

There's little that remains for the now World No. 4 to accomplish on the ATP World Tour other than to translate that success in one of the four Grand Slam events. Many expected that to happen in 2018 but instead Zverev finished in the third round of the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open and managed a quarterfinal showing at Roland Garros - the first of his career at a major.

We'll have to wait a couple of months now to see if he can take the success he has experienced in the Tour finals and turn it into something tangible at a major, but his victory could be sign that big things are soon to happen for him. Being ten years younger than Djokovic, and even more so than Nadal and Federer bodes well for Zverev's long term potential. While other talented players like Grigor Dimitrov and Milos Raonic - among others - have seen a good chunk of their professional careers overshadowed by the Big Three, Zverev and his Next Gen crew will undoubtedly play the bulk of theirs once those legends have retired. Even if Zverev does not hoist his first Slam in 2019, he has given notice that his moment is coming given his strong finish to this year. 

Djokovic vs Zverev for the Championship of the ATP World Tour Finals

By Mike McIntyre

It should likely come as no surprise that Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev are the last two men standing at the season-ending Nitto ATP World Tour Finals in London. The resurgent World No. 1 from Serbia has been on fire since capturing Wimbledon back in July while the 21 year old German represents the future of the sport and already sits at an impressive No. 5 in the rankings.

Heading into the event, Djokovic was considered the heavy favorite and for good reason. In ten previous entries, he has walked-away with the title an impressive five times. This week at the O2 Arena, he has yet to drop a set in his four victories over John Isner (6-3, 6-4), Zverev (6-4, 6-1), Marin Cilic (7-6, 6-2) and Kevin Anderson in the semifinals on Saturday by a dominating scoreline of 6-2, 6-2. 

Having a win already this week over Zverev also bodes well towards capturing his sixth title in London and Djokovic holds a 2-1 career head-to-head record against his Sunday opponent as well. They faced one another a short while ago in Shanghai with Djokovic untroubled during a quick 6-2, 6-1 semifinal win.

For Zverev to have a chance on Sunday he will have to produce a flawless performance from the service line and hope that his shots have the same impact they had in his 7-5, 7-6 semifinal victory over Roger Federer. Zverev was asked after the match who he would prefer to face in the final and his answer doesn't inspire much confidence when he replied, "I mean I played Novak a few days ago where it didn't go too well for me. I don't hope he'll lose but you know - there's a slight preference maybe in opponents. But it's the finals so I'm just happy to be here."

For someone who is viewed as one of the future heirs to the "Big Four" of Djokovic, Federer, Nadal and Murray, Alexander Zverev is going to have to elevate his game at some point to prove his critics that he indeed will take their place one day. A victory against Djokovic in London would certainly be a step in that direction.

 

Who Will Capture the 2018 US Open?

Article and Photographs by Mike McIntyre

With the final Grand Slam of 2018 fast approaching, it remains to be seen if someone unexpected can challenge for the US Open. The first three majors of the year have gone to the usual suspects - Roger Federer at the Australian Open, Rafael Nadal (comme d'habitude) at the French Open and a resurgent Novak Djokovic recently at Wimbledon. What are the chances that those all-time greats can be bested in New York?

If you're looking to play the odds, sportsbettingdime.com has a list of trustworthy betting sites you can utilize.

Let's take a look at some of the next-tier of contenders.

Alexander Zverev

The leader of the so-called "Next Gen" on the ATP World Tour, the German has yet to translate the success that has propelled him to No. 4 in the world to the Grand Slam level. A disappointing showing at the Masters 1000s in Toronto and Cincinnati don't lend to much optimism however the young talent has recently brought Ivan Le

ndl into his team. Having an eight-time major champion in one's corner can't hurt. The fact that Lendl didn't win his first Slam until the age of 24 will probably also help this partnership thrive.

Kevin Anderson

The 6'8'' South African proved at Wimbledon that his finalist showing last year at Flushing Meadows was no fluke. He has found a consistent top-ten level in his game and is a class act both in victory and defeat. His confidence is now as powerful as his booming serve and he truly believes he belongs at the top of the men's game. Anderson is an opponent that nobody relishes playing at the moment.

Marin Cilic

Let's not forget that Cilic is one of the few players outside of the "Big Four" who has one a Grand Slam in the past 15 years. The 2014 US Open champion has had decent results lately making the quarterfinals in Toronto and the semifinals in Cincinnati and clearly enjoys playing in New York. He made the finals of the Australian Open at the start of the season and should not be overlooked on the other hard court Slam of 2018.

Stan Wawrinka

It has taken the three-time Slam champion a little longer than expected to start posting favorable results since coming back from a knee injury to start the year. He missed the US Open last year but has won there in 2016 and also has semifinal showings from 2013 and 2015. He fell to Roger Federer in the quarterfinals in Cincinnati recently but put-up a brave challenge before going down 6-7, 7-6, 6-2.

Juan Martin Del Potro

There are few players who are more likeable on the ATP World Tour than the affable Del Potro. Nine years since his lone Grand Slam title here in New York, the Argentinian has rebuilt his game after multiple wrist surgeries and is back to displaying the ferocious game that we hoped he was still capable of showing us. A solid 2018 including the semifinals at Roland Garros and quarterfinals of Wimbledon are proof that he can handle the best-of-five set grind. His maiden Masters 1000 title back in March in Indian Wells was also a huge moment that reveals his prowess on the hard courts as well.

Check back with us often over the next two weeks as well for regular updates and analysis from the US Open. Whether is it Djokovic, Nadal, Federer or one of the above mentioned players, we will have you covered throughout the final Grand Slam for 2018.

Southpaw Slice Wimbledon Recap

By Mike McIntyre

Two weeks of stirring grass court Grand Slam tennis at Wimbledon has just come to a close and both Angelique Kerber and Novak Djokovic are back to being Grand Slam champions for the first time since 2016.

Kerber defeated the greatest player of all-time in the finals in Serena Williams, but it was perhaps the throng of young talent she beat along the way that was most impressive. After beating 2010 Wimbledon finalist Vera Zvonareva in the opening round she took care of youngsters Claire Liu, Naomi Osaka, Belinda Bencic, Daria Kasatkina and Jelena Ostapenko to show them that 30 is indeed the new 20.

Novak Djokovic meanwhile finally overcame both mental and physical obstacles to deliver his best two weeks of tennis since prior to his elbow surgery last summer. Too good to simply stay away from Grand Slam success, the Serb won his 13th major title and 4th at the All England Club. His semifinal win over Rafael Nadal was one of the best matches in recent memory and elevated his edge in their rivalry to 27-25 in his favour. He beat an understandably tiring Kevin Anderson in the finals 6-2, 6-2, 7-6(3) and has now re-established himself as a key threat as we begin the summer hardcourt swing. 

Check out our Southpaw Slice recap of the Wimbledon fortnight for an in-depth analysis of the fantastic tennis we have just experienced. 

Start of the Clay Court Season Means the French Open is Fast Approaching

By Mike McIntyre

Photo: Jimmie48 Tennis Photography

With the Miami Open just reaching its conclusion with John Isner and Sloane Stephens hoisting their respective winners trophies, the ATP and WTA Tour's now switch their focus from hard to clay courts. The surface transition is an exciting period of time as it means that we are fast approaching the next Grand Slam of the year at Roland Garros. With roughly a month and a half still to go this is the time for players to assert themselves as pre-tournament favorites for the French Open. With that in mind, let's take a look at who to watch out for in the men's and women's games.

Will defending champion Rafael Nadal be healthy enough to capture his 11th title in Paris? The Spaniard had a remarkable return to form in 2017 capturing both the French and US Open's but has been limited in his appearances this year due to knee issues. If at (or close to) 100% he is the heavy favorite to be the last man standing once again in June.

Photo: Bob McIntyre

The biggest challenge to Nadal might well have been the ageless Roger Federer but he has once again decided to skip the clay court season and prepare for his ultimate goal of capturing yet another Wimbledon crown. Federer raced-out to his best start to a season ever with 17 consecutive wins before he fell to Juan Martin Del Potro in the finals in Indian Wells.

Active winners at Roland Garros are few and far between due to Nadal's incredible dominance over the past decade. In fact, the only ones left on the ATP Tour aside from the previously mentioned Federer are Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka. Djokovic continues to struggle to regain his form and his confidence while Wawrinka has a very mediocre 3-4 record thus far in his limited appearances in 2018. In other words, the chances of a first-time French Open winner if Nadal falters are high.

Likely candidates who could take-down the King of Clay include Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev and the previously mentioned Del Potro. Aside from Federer, it has been Del Potro who has had a stellar 2018 with a 21-4 record that has seen him rise to No. 6 in the ATP rankings. His game works well on clay too and he has previously made the semifinals of Roland Garros in 2009 and the quarterfinals in 2012, both times falling in five set thrillers to Federer.

Thiem and Zverev meanwhile represent the future of the ATP and at the ages of 24 and 20 respectively it is only a matter of time before they achieve Grand Slam success. Thiem has gone an impressive 8-1 already this year on clay with a tournament victory in Buenos Aires. Last year he went 24-5 on clay including a run to the semifinals at Roland Garros where he lost to eventual champion Nadal. Zverev is still looking for his Grand Slam breakthrough and he routinely gets knocked for failing to yet attain a major quarterfinal. The German has not yet played on clay in 2018 but had a respectable 16-4 record on the surface in 2017. The kid is going to have his turn at the majors sooner rather than later and there's no reason why that can't happen at the next Slam of 2018.

With the women, few would have given Jelena Ostapenko a realistic shot of winning her first major title last year at Roland Garros but the 20 year old certainly cannot be underestimated this time around. While her game lay dormant to start 2018, she made the finals in Indian Wells on hardcourt and that boost in confidence should propel her into the clay court season feeling pretty solid about her game.

Photo: Jimmie48 Tennis Photography

Other active female winners in Paris include Svetlana Kuznetsova (2009), Francesca Schiavone (2010), Garbine Muguruza (2016), Maria Sharapova (2012, 2014) and, of course, Serena Williams (2002, 2013, 2015). Of that group I'd give only Muguruza - the current World No. 3 - a valid shot at taking home the trophy. Sharapova is on-again, off-again dealing with nagging injury issues, just recently parted ways with her long time coach and just doesn't seem to have it since returning to the WTA Tour following her 15 month suspension that ended last Spring. As for Serena Williams, let's give the 23 time Slam champion a little more time to shake-off the rust after her nearly 14 month layoff from competition while she was pregnant and became a first-time mother.

Legitimate female contenders in 2018 aside from Muguruza, include World No. 1 Simona Halep who was oh-so-close a year ago. The Romanian was heavily favored heading into the final vs Ostapenko last year but could not capitalize despite being up a break in the third set. Another Slam disappointment happened for Halep to start this year as she lost the Aussie Open final to Caroline Wozniacki. Halep however has maintained a positive attitude thanks in part to her own internal sense of competition but also due to the wonderful influence that her coach Darren Cahill has on her. Halep is widely considered to be the leading contender to win the French Open and finally break through the barrier to her first career major.

Photo: Jimmie48 Tennis Photography

Other noteworthy competitors who will also be in good standing to triumph in Paris among the women are rising star Elina Svitolina, former World No. 1 and 2017 semifinalist Karolina Pliskova and two time semifinalist Timea Bacsinszky if she's healthy and has some matches under her belt, as she only recently returned to the tour following a few months off due to injury. 

Aside from Rafael Nadal, the men's and women's fields are really wide open with a list of younger and more experienced contenders at this year's edition of Roland Garros. Tune-in again later in May to see how the above mentioned players have navigated the lead-up tournaments on the red dirt and who is poised to achieve Grand Slam Glory in Paris.

Five Men’s Players to follow Down Under

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

Australian Open Men's Draw Revealed

By: Mike McIntyre

The Australian Open draw was released on Thursday for both the men's and women's singles draws in Melbourne. For the men, 36 year old Roger Federer is the defending champion and will be considered the favorite among many with the match-status and conditioning of Djokovic, Nadal and Wawrinka all unknown as they return from injuries.

Let's take a look at the main contenders on the ATP side of things. Have a glance at your leisure at LeoVegas Sports as well for their take on the favorites in the first Grand Slam of the year.

Isn't it something that this year a 36 year old Roger Federer is considered the favorite for the first Grand Slam of the season. A year ago he was almost five years removed from his last major triumph. Then he went on a rampage winning in Melbourne, the two Masters 1000 titles in Indian Wells and Miami as well as Wimbledon after having skipped the entire clay court season.

This year he is the only stable one amongst the "Big Four" with Andy  Murray having withdrawn after surgery on his troublesome hip and with Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and Stan Wawrinka still having yet to prove themselves as 100% fit after injury issues.

Nadal holds the top seed and has the easiest draw of the big names mentioned above. He opens against Victor Estrella Burgos and doesn't seem to have any noticeable threats until a potential fourth round match with American John Isner and Marin Cilic as his projected quarterfinal opponent. The top quarter is really wide open aside from those players and we should see several surprising names still alive into the third round.

The second quarter gets a little more tricky with third seed Grigor Dimitrov having to likely face either Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Nick Kyrgios in the fourth round. A Dimitrov/Kyrgios affair would be a re-match of their recent semifinal at the Brisbane International that Kyrgios emerged victorious from en route to the title. Kyrgios is going to win Grand Slams at some point in his career I have almost no-doubt. With the established talents on the ATP World Tour still getting over their injuries, could this be the Slam for Kyrgios to have his breakthrough? Kevin Anderson and Jack Sock are my picks for the final quarterfinalist spot in this section of the draw but neither is expected to make-it much further. Anderson took advantage (and good for him) of a nice draw at the final Slam of 2017 in New York, but I don't see that story playing out again here for the South African.

In the third quarter of the draw, Novak Djokovic would normally be considered the overwhelming favorite to advance. However, the former World No. 1 and 12 time Slam champion has not played a competitive match since Wimbledon due to an elbow injury that shelved the rest of his season in 2017. Djokovic was back on the court this past week at the Kooyong Classic exhibition event and displayed a new service motion that clearly is the result of his recovery from surgery. How this will impact his ability to hold serve remains to be seen and he could just as easily win the tournament or bow out early due to his inactivity. Let's not forget though that the Aussie Open accounts for half of Djokovic's Grand Slam career totals.

The Serb opens against American Donald Young and has a potentially tricky second round match against Gael Monfils looming. Monfils started his 2018 campaign in the best possible way as he picked up the title in Qatar. That being said, Monfils has come up a discouraging 0-14 against Djokovic in ATP sanctioned events during his career. A fourth round match against Alexander Zverev would be fun to watch, although Zverev might first have to get past his older brother Mischa the 32nd seed. Also in this quadrant is 5th seeded Dominic Thiem - whom Djokovic just defeated in Kooyong -  as well as another former Slam winner in Melbourne, Stan Wawrinka. Currently seeded 9th due to his own injury absence from the tour since Wimbledon, Wawrinka has been very low-key in the days ahead of the tournament and it still remains to be seen whether or not he will be fit enough to play. 

Federer meanwhile is the No. 2 seed and the defending champ finds himself with a decent starting draw in the final quarter of the tournament but things will quickly get intense for the 36 year old legend. He went 4-0 in singles play and 4-0 in mixed doubles with Belinda Bencic at the Hopman Cup to start the year. The only set he lost in singles was the opener in his final match against Alexander Zverev that he recovered to win 6-7(4), 6-0, 6-2. In terms of seeded players at the Aussie Open, Federer could run into Richard Gasquet in the third round and then 2016 Wimbledon foe Milos Raonic in the fourth. Gasquet has not challenged Fed in the past 8 matches they have played and the Swiss star leads their head-to-head by a staggering margin of 16-2. While Raonic did indeed deny Federer the chance to face Andy Murray in the 2016 Wimbledon finals, the Canadian has struggled with injuries since then and did not look sharp in his opening round loss to Alex de Minaur in Brisbane a week ago. In terms of quarterfinal opposition, Federer has the likes of David Goffin, Juan Martin Del Potro and Tomas Berdych as likely candidates to challenge him. Goffin has a nice draw until the fourth round while Del Potro is likely the player Federer would least choose to face in this section given their past history. Federer narrowly leads their past nine encounters by a margin of 5-4.

Check back with us throughout the two week even that begins Monday January 15th for recaps, analysis and plenty of pictures as well. You can also follow us on Twitter for more timely updates. Regardless of who wins it is certainly an entertaining period for the sport as we get to see all the big names kick-off the first Grand Slam of the year. 

Olympic Tennis Highlights Day 2

By Mike McIntyre

If tennis fans thought that day one was exciting at the Olympic Tennis event on Saturday, they must have been absolutely blown away by the shocking results from day two on Sunday. Here are some of the key matches - including the stunning upset of a certain Serbian World No. 1.

Juan Martin Del Potro d Novak Djokovic 7-6(4), 7-6(2)

When the singles draw was released everyone in the tennis world locked eyes on the match between the World No. 1 Djokovic and the often injured Del Potro. The pair faced-off in the 2012 London Olympic Games with the Argentinian denying Djokovic a bronze medal. While Djokovic enjoyed an 11-3 head-to-head advantage coming into the match, the pair had not faced each other since 2013. Now ranked a lowly 141st in the ATP World Tour rankings due to ongoing injury struggles, Del Potro should be top 20, likely even top 10 if healthy and playing consistently. This was an epic battle that unfortunately could not be saved for later in the draw. On Sunday, Del Potro's forehand was lethal and he played with the confidence of a champion. His win makes it very difficult to assess where Djokovic's game is at the moment. A third round loss at Wimbledon followed by a tournament victory at the Rogers Cup in Toronto and now an opening round loss at the Olympics provide Novak with a real up and down summer so far. He walked off the court Sunday night with tears flowing freely to indicate just how much the Olympics meant to him. It will be very interesting to see how he bounces back in Cincinnati and at the U.S. Open later this summer. As for Del Potro, it sure looks like a trip to the semi-finals is a realistic prospect with how he just broke the draw wide open.

Thomasz Bellucci and Andre Sa d Andy Murray and Jamie Murray 7-6(6), 7-6(14)

Djokovic's loss clearly makes Andy Murray the favorite to win Olympic Gold in singles and I'm sure the folks at Bet Bind would agree on that one. In doubles however the second seeded Murray brothers surprisingly went out in the first round to Brazilians Bellucci and Sa. While Andy is not a doubles player of the same calibre of Jamie, it is a surprise that he and his brother have struggled so much as partners in the Olympic Games. They lost in the first round in London in 2012 and in the second round in Beijing back in 2008. Andy had not played a doubles match since April and had only teamed up once with his brother in 2016, back in February in Davis Cup play against Japan. The lack of practice together and overall absence of any real doubles preparation made the Murray brothers an overrated second seed in the draw, but a first round exit is clearly a disappointment. Andy is still alive in singles of course and Jamie will undoubtedly get another crack in doubles where I expect he will be playing in the mixed draw.

Rafael Nadal d Federico Delbonis 6-2, 6-1

Back in action for the first time since the French Open in May, Rafael Nadal wasted little time with his thrashing of Federico Delbonis. Having won their two previous career encounters, it was not a surprise that Nadal won. That being said, I'm not sure I expected such a run-away scoreline after two and a half months away from competition. The scary thing is that Nadal admitted after the match that he was still not playing at full capacity. “If there is not Olympic Games I will not be here competing, because the wrist needs a little bit more time to be 100 per cent recovered.” Hopefully he is not doing further damage to it by playing in Rio. Nadal gets Andreas Seppi from Italy in his next match whom he leads 6-1 in previous matches played.

Barbora Strycova and Lucie Safarova d Serena Williams and Venus Williams 6-3, 6-4

In three previous Olympic Games together, the Williams sisters had three gold medals to show for it. They won't be adding to that total in Rio after a straight set loss at the hands of the Czech Republic. Venus had been dealing with a virus that hindered her during her singles loss on Saturday to Kirsten Flipkens and that was no-doubt still holding her back from playing at 100% in doubles with her sister. Only Serena commented to the press after the loss and said, “I wouldn't say it's devastating. We had a chance to compete for our country and we did the best that we can. We had a blast out there. It was a lot of fun and we'll always remember these moments and these matches, and I think that's what matters most. We've had so many Olympic doubles golds, so many grand slam championships. It's been unbelievable." Unbelievable is exactly the word I would use to describe their opening round flop.

Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil d Marcus Daniell and Michael Venus 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(6)

Gotta mention some Canadian content here and that falls on the doubles duo of Nestor and Pospisil who represent Canada's best chance at a medal in Olympic tennis in Rio. The Canucks were surprisingly tested by the duo of Daniell and Venus from New Zealand and pushed to a third set tiebreak to win the match. With the Murray brothers ousted, Nestor and Pospisil have a good draw and an excellent shot at a medal if they play up to their potential together. As we have seen thus far in the doubles draw however, anything can, and will happen here in Rio.