McIntyre Tennis

Miami Rides in on the Coattails of Indian Wells

By Mike McIntyre

After a week of Masters level tennis and controversy in Indian Wells, the tennis world hopes that the focus returns to the court as the Miami Open begins first round play on Wednesday this week.

Seeded first is none other than Novak Djokovic. While Djokovic uncharacteristically made some careless comments about the prize money distribution between the men and the women his on-court performance was its usual flawless self. The only set that he lost was the opener against American qualifier Bjorn Fratangelo and he only improved as the tournament went along. Beating Rafael Nadal 7-6(5), 6-2 in the semifinals and then destroying Milos Raonic 6-2, 6-0 in the finals was an emphatic way to capture his fifth title at the event. Djokovic will begin his Miami experience against the winner between Kyle Edmund of Great Britain and Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic. A fourth round match against up and comer Dominic Thiem could test him followed by a possible encounter with seventh seed Tomas Berdych.

Also in the top half of the draw is a returning Roger Federer, the third seed, who has not played since losing the Aussie Open semifinal to Novak back in January. Sidelines with surgery on his knee, it will be interesting to see how a rusty Federer performs. Roger probably wasn't thrilled to see that he will likely open his tournament against Juan Martin Del Potro who plays the little known Guido Pella in the first round. While Del Potro has missed a ton of tennis these past few years, he has looked formidable acquiring a 4-2 record thus far in his comeback attempt. I'd put this one at 50/50 for Fed but he can't be too frustrated if it takes a little time to get back up to speed.

Also in Federer's section of the draw is Belgium's David Goffin who just made his first career Masters semifinal in Indian Wells. It is pretty cool to see the future of men's tennis starting to take shape with the successes of players like Goffin. The "big four" are not going to be at the top for an indefinite period of time and it will soon be time for the next generation to seize the moment.

Another David, Ferrer in this case, is the eight seed and also lurks in this section. Gilles Simon, who has come the closest to toppling Djokovic in 2016, (in a full match without retirement) and Marin Cilic are also among this grouping of talented players.

The bottom half is led by Andy Murray the second seed. Murray remarkably was taken out in Indian Wells by Federico Delbonis who is more known for his clay court prowess. Chalk it up to adjusting to the lack of sleep that parenthood brings with it perhaps? Murray made the finals of the Aussie Open and then took a month off to spend with his newest family member. He went undefeated in a Davis Cup tie against Japan and is now playing his next tourney after IW. Murray has a tricky draw where he will first face either the crafty Denis Istomin or the rising Borna Coric. In the third round he could face a struggling Grigor Dimitrov who you know is just waiting to turn his season around, followed potentially by the entertaining Gael Monfils in the fourth round. This is going to be a tough event for Murray and he will have to raise his game to it's highest level to make it deep in the draw here in Miami. The sixth seeded Kei Nishikori could be his quarter-final opponent and would certainly be looking to avenge his recent five set Davis Cup defeat.

The final quarter to examine has Rafael Nadal as the fifth seed and facing either Leonardo Mayer or Damir Dzumhur in his first match. An enticing third round match here has Jack Sock and Milos Raonic lined up to face one another. That is if Raonic is healthy after sustaining a leg injury in this final loss at Indian Wells against Djokovic. Raonic has been having a fantastic season so far and has been hailed by Sports Illustrated's respected Jon Wertheim as playing the "second best tennis of anyone in the world." A Raonic/Nadal fourth round match would be a juicy one for sure. Fireworks could also occur in this section of the draw if Nick Kyrgios and Stan Wawrinka make it to the fourth round where they would play one another.

Tough to imagine anyone going against Djokovic in any event he enters this year. The folks at William Hill would no doubt put the odds in his favour. The world No. 1 sits at 22-1 so far this season with only a retirement against Feliciano Lopez causing a minute blemish on his record. Look for David Goffin to continue his recent ascension with a strong tournament in Miami as well or potentially the vet David Ferrer advancing to the semis against Novak in the top half of the draw. In the bottom I would lean towards Wawrinka to make a splash and Jo-Wilfrid Tsonga as well who is in the same section as Murray.

Djokovic Tips the Scale in Rivalry With Nadal

By Tia Ko

After finishing watching Rafael Nadal get absolutely demolished by the world number one, Novak Djokovic, in straight sets 6-1 6-2 at the finals in Doha, Qatar I realized that it was one of the most dominant performances that I can remember ever watching by Djokovic. He was able to hit 30 winners and was winning more than 70% of his first and second serves compared to Nadal’s 9 winners and serving percentages in the 40’s. This win makes it the first time Djokovic has a higher number of wins in the rivalry’s head-to-head match-up with 24 versus 23.

This win also marks the 5th win in a row for Djokovic over Nadal with the Spaniard’s last victory occurring during the French Open final in 2014 where he dropped the first set but was able to win in four, 3-6 7-5 6-2 6-4. The two met four times in 2015:

The ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Monte Carlo semi-final was their first meeting of 2015. Novak Djokovic won 6-3 6-3.

Djokovic was also finally able to get a bit of revenge at Roland Garros, beating the King of Clay 7-5 6-3 6-1 in the quarterfinals in France. That win broke numerous records: he had the most sets won against Nadal at the French Open, he became the only player to beat Nadal at all four Grand Slam events, he became the first man to beat Nadal in straight sets in a best of five format match on clay, and also the only player to beat Nadal on clay six times. Despite making it to the final and getting a chance to take home his first French Open title, the world No. 1 was defeated by underdog Stan Wawrinka.

Their next meeting was in the finals of the China Open in Beijing. After creating somewhat of a comeback into better form, Nadal made it to the finals only to be beaten once again in a quick match 6-2 6-2 by the 6-time title holder and defending champion. This wasn’t the first time the two had met at the finals in Beijing, back in 2013 Novak had also won the tournament with a 6-3 6-4 victory over Nadal.

During the last tournament of the season, the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London, Djokovic and Nadal met in the semi-finals.  Djokovic won convincingly 6-3 6-3 and it was the first time he was able to level the head-to-head match up with Nadal at 23 wins a piece.

Can Nadal sink his teeth back into this gripping rivalry? Can anyone for that matter defeat Djokovic the way he is playing? It certainly looks like a demanding task for even the best of the rest on the ATP World Tour.

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 Nadal to faceoff in Basel Finals

By Tia Ko

Nadal

1^st Round: Nadal d. Rosol 1-6 7-5 7-6

2^nd Round: Nadal d. Dimitrov 6-4 4-6 6-3

Quarterfinals: Nadal d. Cilic 4-6 6-3 6-3

Semifinals: Nadal d. Gasquet 6-4 7-6

When the going got tough in Basel, Rafael Nadal was able to find an extra gear. Every match was physically and mentally demanding for the 3^rd seed who played three sets in 3 out of 4 of his matches this week. It’s a grind each time he plays but that’s just the Spaniard’s style. Early in the opening set, Nadal missed an easy overhead smash which led to a break for Gasquet to lead 2-0. Nadal was able to break back and his movement on the court was more fluid; he was moving forward every opportunity and putting pressure on Gasquet’s forehand. He went to the net 21 times. Nadal took the first set 6-4. The second set put Nadal in a bit of trouble as Gasquet was able to hit with him from the baseline and take short balls early. Gasquet broke and was serving for the second set but he ended up double faulting and giving Nadal the break back. In the tie-break, the Frenchman was also up 6-4 but Nadal came up with some amazing winners to win 9-7. With that loss, Gasquet is officially out of the run for the ATP World Tour Finals and the top eight have been determined with David Ferrer and Kei Nishikori taking the last two spots.

Federer

1^st Round: Federer d. Kukushkin 6-1 6-2

2^nd Round: Federer d. Kohlschreiber 6-4 4-6 6-4

Quarterfinals: Federer d. Goffin 6-3 3-6 6-1

Semifinals: Federer d. Sock 6-3 6-4

Federer was able to break and consolidate early in the first set 4-1. Federer had a chance to take the first set on Sock’s serve when the American was down 0-30 on his serve but after three errors and an ace, Sock was able to hold. Federer served out the first set to win 6-3. His first serve percentage was the best it was all week at 74% while winning 87% of the points on it. The Swiss also had 11 winners vs. 3 from Sock. Federer was up at the net a lot as well winning 9/9 attempts. Federer got another break in the second set to serve at 2-1. Roger used the SABR to go up 30-15 on Sock’s serve and went on to break him to go up 4-1. The unseeded Sock was able to get one of those breaks back to serve at 3-5 but still trailed 4-5. Roger would have another chance to serve out the match and this time he didn’t let it slip off his racquet; he won the second set 6-4. 

This will be the first time that Nadal and Federer have played against each other since the Australian Open semifinals back in 2014. Nadal has won 9 of the last 11 meetings and form has undoubtedly improved over the past month, as he was able to reach the finals in Beijing during the China Open and the semifinals in Shanghai. Will Roger be able to get one of those back tomorrow? He’s in his hometown of Basel and will be eyeing his eighth title before heading to Paris for the BNP Masters next week.

A Shocker of a French Open Preview

Spoiler alert - this French Open preview ends with Novak Djokovic capturing his maiden and elusive title at Roland Garros. That's right, our shocker of a preview delivers what pretty much every tennis "expert" and fan alike is already expecting to happen in two week's time. So how can we claim that this is somehow a surprise? Here's why...

With a record in Paris of 66-1, any prediction that strongly supports the notion that Rafael Nadal is not going to win the French Open must fall into the category of a shock. This man has won Roland Garros 9 of the past 10 years and I don't care one bit about the struggles he has been experiencing since he won here a year ago, he is still the man when it comes to this tournament. That being said, his reign is about to come to an end due to his recent lapses in confidence along with a world number one who is playing like a man among boys. If you're looking to bet on the French Open, Djokovic is your safest pick (and ours too!)

Here is our full-on French Open preview for you to enjoy and/or dismiss!

First Quarter

Djokovic opens against veteran Jarkko Nieminen. As a former Andre Agassi fan when I was younger I always relish seeing Nieminen lose at the French Open after the way he beat an injured Agassi in his final match at Roland Garros back in 2005. I expect a pretty quick exit for Nieminen in this match and I won't be complaining if that is the case. Djokovic should have a good first few matches with no real clay court threats in his path. Richard Gasquet is seeded 20th and could face Novak in the 4th round but Gasquet has not beaten Djokovic since 2007 so let's be honest here. Then it gets serious for Djokovic. That's because his quarter-final opponent could very well be Rafael Nadal. The match that nearly everyone would want to see in the finals is scheduled to happen two rounds sooner due to Rafa's ranking slide of late. However with the way Nadal has struggled this year, even on clay, there is no guarantee he will even be still standing by the time the quarters roll around. He has potential foes of Dolgopolov or Almagro in round two and Robredo or Dimitrov in the fourth round. Still, Nadal is 15-4 on clay this year which almost anybody else would be happy with. A meeting with Djokovic in the quarters is likely with the winner being the clear favorite moving forward.

Pick: Djokovic

Second Quarter

Andy Murray has had the best clay court season of his career and is 10-0 on red dirt so far this year. Murray was forced to withdraw in Rome due to exhaustion but has certainly overcome that and will be ready to improve on his semi-final result at Roland Garros a year ago. Murray will likely face a tough clay-court player in Joao Sousa in the second round and perhaps rising Australian star Nick Kyrgios in the third. Beyond that, American John Isner would be the highest seed to confront Murray in the fourth round and in the quarters the biggest potential threat for Murray would be the tough-as-nails David Ferrer. Ferrer already has titles on both clay and hard courts this year and while he is a step behind his usual self, he remains a player that nobody wants to face. Murray has never beaten Ferrer on clay in four previous attempts including a 2012 loss here at the French Open. This year however I would give the edge to Murray based on his streak coming in.

Pick: Murray

Third Quarter

Kei Nishikori is the 5th seed and could have a fun match in the third round against Fernando Verdasco. Feliciano Lopez, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Fabio Fognini and the always consistent Tomas Berdych are also in this quarter of the draw. With two wins over Nadal in 2015, Fognini must be feeling pretty confident. Too bad he's such a head case or he might actually have a shot at going deep here this year. Of course now that I write that he will almost certainly prove me wrong and advance to the semi-finals! Nishikori defended his Barcelona clay court title earlier this year but has never done much at Roland Garros where he has yet to advance past the fourth round. Two unseeded players who have a realistic shot of making the quarter-finals are Federico Delbonis and Juan Monaco who can both play real well on this surface. The two play one another in the first round which has 5 sets written all over it. Berdych warrants the best shot of advancing to the semi-finals here but don't expect much more from him. His last four losses this season have come to Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray - aka the "Big Four."

Pick: Berdych

Fourth Quarter

For Roger Federer fans, the excitement of having Djokovic, Murray and Nadal in the other half of the draw must seem almost too good to be true. Roger himself must be pretty pumped-up at the prospect of advancing to the finals here for the first time since 2011. Unfortunately I feel like this draw IS too good to be true especially when I notice that Fed could play Gael Monfils in the fourth round. Neither Federer nor Monfils should be stopped prior to that stage - although with Monfils I suppose you never know. Still, the Frenchman has Roger's number of late in winning three of their last five matches including the past two in-a-row on clay. Stan Wawrinka is also in this quarter as the 8th seed but Stan has been a mess since February this year and I just don't see him putting it together at the moment. 

Pick: Monfils

In two weeks time I'm expecting a Djokovic vs. Insert unpredictable (perhaps shocking) opponent in the finals. Novak will join Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer as current players who have won all four Slams and the discussion will rev-up about whether or not the Serb can catch the two more accomplished players in the race for the all-time Grand Slam count.

ATP Miami Open Draw Analysis

By Mike McIntyre

Inspired by watching a fantastic week and a half of tennis in Indian Wells, I return to write my first tennis article since the U.S. Open in August. While my passion for tennis is as strong as ever, finding time to properly devote to the sport has been a challenge since becoming a Dad a year and a half ago. It is a challenge that I happily relinquish my writing skills to with every opportunity I have to spend with my wonderful son Emmett. That being said I think I am finally ready (and able) to spend the occasional late night returning to focus on the developments on the ATP World Tour that I have so enjoyed covering for the past eight years.

Here then is my take on the upcoming Miami Open, the final hard court tournament until after Wimbledon in roughly four months.

First Quarter

Well if anyone can complete the Indian Wells/Miami double then who better than world number on Novak Djokovic. Not only did he accomplish that feat last year, but he is also fresh off his 50th career ATP title (one more than his coach Boris Becker) and his 21st Masters 1000 event. Djokovic is certainly the man to beat so far in 2015. He has two tournament victories in the four events he has appeared in and those just happen to be the two biggest draws we have had so far this year (Aussie Open and BNP Paribas Open). Novak will open against either Paolo Lorenzi or Martin Klizan after receiving an opening round bye. Smooth sailing appears to be in his forecast until the quarter-finals where he could meet 7th seeded David Ferrer or perhaps the big serving Ivo Karlovic, seeded 22nd, who beat him earlier this year in Qatar.

Other interesting names in the top quarter include Lleyton Hewitt who appears ready to call it a career after this season, the enigmatic and controversial Alexandr Dolgopolov (who claimed last week that female players have a harder time dealing with injuries than the men) and Gilles Simon who at times looks like he is indeed a top-20 player. Ferrer and Karlovic however seem to be the two most likely to advance to a quarter-final match against the Djoker.

Second Quarter

This section of the draw has "fireworks" written all over it with the likes of Milos Raonic, John Isner, Kei Nishikori, Grigor Dimitrov and the returning Juan Martin Del Potro appearing. Nishikori should be able to navigate his way to the quater-finals here, though lookout for veteran Mikhail Youzhny who he could face in the second round. Youzhny has been a shell of his former self over the past year but I would never count him out. Anyone who hits himself in the head with a racquet is a foe I'd hate to face!

In the bottom section of this quarter is where the real fun is set to unfold. Dimitrov draws the worst of the lot by having to potentially face Del Potro in the second round, Isner in the third and then Raonic in the fourth. Ouch! Del Potro is a face that tennis fans worldwide will be happy to welcome back to the sport after only playing a single tournament (Sydney in January 2015) since February 2014 due to ongoing issues with his left wrist. Del Po will have a strong test from Canadian Vasek Pospisil in the opening round. The 24 year old Canuck is on a role lately after playing hero for Canada in closing out their Davis Cup tie against Japan in the 5th and deciding rubber and then winning the Indian Wells doubles title along with Jack Sock. Pospisil is currently ranked 60th in the world but one that many would consider a top 30 talent.

Based on his play of late, another Canadian - Milos Raonic - will have to be considered the favourite to advance in this section of the draw. Raonic has been so consistent over the past year, making 8 of his last 10 Masters 1000 quarter-finals or better. A hard serving battle against Isner in the third round would be fun to watch (if you like that kind of stuff) and a re-match from Davis Cup against Nishikori in the fourth round would also capture our attention.

Third Quarter

A showdown between 3rd seeded Andy Murray and 6th seeded Stan Wawrinka is what fans will be looking for in the third quarter-final. Murray seems in-form after a semi-final showing in Indian Wells, while Wawrinka has been underachieving lately. A second round defeat last week at the hands of Robin Haase highlights the up and down nature of the Swiss No. two's game lately. He has cooled since he opened the year with two tournament victories and a 5 set semi-final loss to Djokovic at the Aussie Open. Which Wawrinka will we see in Miami this week? Anyway you look at it the stats will tell you that he has never before advanced beyond the 4th round at this event, but who do you see in his draw (Lopez, Sock) that could realistically take him down?

Fourth Quarter

Rafael Nadal takes Roger Federer's place as the 2nd seed in this event as the Swiss superstar is sitting this one out for some family time. Nadal is admittedly not yet back to his usual self and with the clay court season about to begin I can't imagine he is overly concerned with how he performs in his final hard court event for the next few months. Tomas Berdych is in this section and would be his likely quarter-final opponent. A fantastic third round match could transpire between Frenchmen Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Tsonga is making his first appearance in 2015 after being sidelined with an arm injury sustained in Davis Cup late last year. Too soon to get our hopes up with him, so I'd stick with a Berdych/Nadal quater-final in this section of the draw.

Enjoy this final hardcourt tourney before we switch to two months of red clay followed by a brief transition to grass court tennis. Djokovic appears the man to beat here as he is the defending champion and showed no signs of weakness in last week's tournament victory (minus three untimely double faults to Federer in the 2nd set breaker). I have to give Murray a shot here as well since he has won the event twice before and has a favorable draw to the semis. He might be better rested than Djokovic for this one in fact. Only time will tell.

Men's U.S. Open Preview 2014

By Mike McIntyre

I've always enjoyed the ups and downs that a year on the ATP Tour can bring us. When you have a season that lasts from January (or even the end of December) until November you are bound to have ebbs and flows and an ever changing wave of momentum that sees players rise and fall at different times in the schedule. Seemingly impervious to these ups and downs in recent years have been Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal who currently sit at number one and two in the Emirates World Rankings. Yet as the final Grand Slam of 2014 is set to begin, both of these steady talents find themselves on the outside of the list of favorites in New York - and for very different reasons at that.

It has been almost a week now since Nadal has announced what everyone suspected earlier this summer when he revealed a right wrist injury he sustained after Wimbledon. While he initially pulled-out only from Toronto and Cincinnati leaving the door open to a return at the U.S. Open, many believed that the Spaniard would be unable to make it back to the form required to compete in gruelling best-of-five set matches. The tournament will be without it's defending champion and one of its biggest stars.

Djokovic on the other hand will be participating at Flushing Meadows and seeking his second title in New York however his play this summer has not indicated that he is the front-runner by any stretch. A 2-2 hardcourt record in August and straight set losses to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Tommy Robredo do not bode well for his chances over the next two weeks. While the loss in Toronto could be attributed to some rust after not playing since Wimbledon and getting married as well, the Cincy defeat had no excuse for a world number one. Djokovic's attention and tennis game seem to be elsewhere. Djokovic's faltering game coupled with the previously mentioned loss of Nadal in the draw and suddently there are 127 other players who are just chomping at the bit to make their mark in New York this year. That being said, let's take a look at the draw and who we might be watching play for the title in two week's time.

First Quarter

While Djokovic is the top seed and may very well surprise us all by suddenly returning to form, I feel that players like John Isner, Julien Benneteau and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga could prove otherwise.

Isner has always been a threat on the hardcourts of North America and typically has success at the smaller lead-up events such as Atlanta and Washington. He did win in Atlanta this year and then was bounced early in D.C. as well as Toronto and Cincinnati. Still, Isner has the serve and the home crowd that could propell him to a round of sixteen match against the struggling Djokovic. If Tsonga and Robredo can beat the Serb, why not Isner? While Djokovic has a 5-2 career head-to-head against Isner, the two have always had close matches. Isner made the quarter-finals of the Open in 2011 and I feel he is a strong candidate to repeat that again this year.

Tsonga put together a week that most players can only dream of when he knocked off four top-ten players in Toronto (Djokovic, Murray, Dimitrov and Federer) en route to the second Masters 1000 title of his career. Then, just after he appeared invincible, he fell in his opening round match in Cincy to Mikhail Youzhny. In all fairness, Youzhny is a top-level opponent and Tsonga did not have much time to recharge in-between events. A third round match with compatriot Julien Benneteau would be a tough one and could leave either vunerable to a round of sixteen encounter with Andy Murray who has justifiably (given his play) been flying under the radar. Before we discuss Murray, let's look at Benneteau. At 32 years old this veteran has been playing some fantastic tennis this year and is currently ranked 27th in the world. He reached the semi-finals in Cincinnati recently and is a guy I feel could have an unexpectedly deep run in New York. The one knock against Benneteau is that he has only made it past the third round of a Slam three times over the course of his career. He trails Tsonga 4-5 in their career meetings but has won their only encounter this year on hard court in Indian Wells.

Now we come to Murray who by his own admission has not had a strong season. He can only use the "returning from back surgery" excuse for so long and fans are growing impatient to see some results from his partnership with coach Amelia Mauresmo. Murray has failed to reach the finals of any event on tour so far in 2014. The last year that Murray did not win a tournament was in 2005 and the last year he failed to make a final was 2004. With most of the season behind us, Murray is running out of time to keep his streak going. Could he reverse his fortunes with a deep run here at the Open? It is not out of the question, but my prediction here is on Isner to rise to the occasion and surprise a lot of people.

My Pick: Isner d Murray

Second Quarter

Could Canadian Milos Raonic make his third straight Grand Slam quarter-final at the Open? I'd put money on it if I were the betting type. Over the past four years this guy has done all the right things in terms of his learning curve as a professional tennis player. Deservingly ranked 6th in the world, this could be Raonic's best chance at his first major title. A third round match against either 10th seeded Kei Nishikori or a surging Jack Sock could test him but he has prevailed against both players in recent history. A quarter-final against Stan Wawrinka who is seeded 3rd would be fun to watch, but with Wawrinka's up and down play you just can't bank on him being there. I really think Raonic is the favorite in this part of the draw and perhaps even to make it to his first Slam final. Keep an eye out for fellow Canuck Vasek Pospisil who made the finals against Raonic in D.C. and pushed Roger Federer to three sets in Cincy recently. He could take out Wawrinka in the 3rd round.

My Pick: Raonic d. Wawrinka

Third Quarter

Things get really interesting in this section of the draw and again we could see an unpredicatble name make it into the semi-finals. David Ferrer is the 4th seed and recently made the finals in Cincinnati and made Federer work for the title by taking him to a third set. Ferrer could see Marin Cilic in the round of sixteen and Cilic is my man to advance to the semis here. Lookout for Jerzy Janowicz who performed admirably in Cincy in defeating Grigor Dimitrov and then fell in the finals of Winston-Salem this past week to Lukas Rosol. He's full of confidence and if Cilic doesn't make it through it very well could be because of JJ. I wouldn't waste much hope on 6th seeded Tomas Berdych who has been absolutely miserable since the French Open. Take a look at American Steven Johnson who is quietly becoming a force for the struggling legion of American tennis players. Johnson is a true sleeper in this draw in my opinion and a guy who has worked his ranking up from the high 100s to 51st in the world over the course of the season. 

My pick: Cilic d. Johnson

Fourth Quarter

Many are calling this quarter the home of the future 2014 U.S. Open champion - Roger Federer. It's true that this is a golden opportunity for Fed to capture his 18th Slam title, but don't think it is going to be a walk in the park. Roger's forehand is not nearly as flawless as it used to be and although he is riding a huge wave of success from this summer, things almost seem too good to be true. He's looking good until the quarter-finals but lookout for a meeting there with either Gael Monfils or Grigor Dimitrov. Either has the capability of beating Roger and while Monfils spends too much time showboating, he could focus long enough to cause an upset. Dimitrov meanwhile has made the semis at Wimbledon and the semis at the Masters 1000 in Rome andToronto in 2014 and he is itching to prove he belongs in the top-ten. He is also one of but two players (Djokovic being the other) to have won an event on clay, hard and grass this year. I'm gonna go with Dimitrov over Federer in the quarters making this U.S. Open one to truly remember. The big four are in for some challenges and we are about to find out if those obstacles are going to present themselves here at the U.S. Open.

My Pick: Dimitrov d. Federer

Semifinals:

Raonic d. Isner

Dimitrov d. Cilic

Finals:

Raonic d. Dimitrov

Rogers Cup ATP Preview

By Mike McIntyre

Once an optional blip on the screen for pro tennis players, the Rogers Cup has become perhaps the most important event outside of the four Grand Slams on the ATP World Tour. While the Emirates U.S. Open Series has already seen events in Atlanta and Washington, it is the start of the Rogers Cup that really signifies the start of the summer hardcourt swing. This is where the favourites for the upcoming U.S. Open begin to show their stuff and help build momentum towards the crowning of what is arguably the hardest Slam to win.

In Toronto this year the favourite will no-doubt be world number one Novak Djokovic. Fresh off his second career Wimbledon title, Djokovic has worked hard to re-establish himself as the premiere player on the Tour. His victory at the All-England Club sent him past Rafael Nadal in the rankings and has likely given him the confidence to continue that impressive level of play throughout the summer. The Serb has already won the event in Canada three times which is the most of any players participating in this year's draw.  (2007, 2011, 2012). For Nadal, a right wrist injury has unfortunately sidelined him for the Rogers Cup where he was to be the defending champion. Hopefully the next three weeks of rest will allow his body time to recover in time for Flushing Meadows in New York.

Here is our look at the draw for this years Rogers Cup:

Djokovic has already been on-site for several days in Toronto and participated in the draw ceremony on Friday at the Ontario Legislature. On Saturday the world number one captured the attention of teenage music fans when he hit a few balls with Niall Horan of One Direction fame.

Djokovic gets a first round bye along with the other top seven seeds at the Rogers Cup. His first match will be against the winner between Gael Monfils and Radek Stepanek. That match between "le Monf" and "the worm" will undoubtedly be one of the more entertaining pairings on deck in the opening round.The Djoker could also see Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the third round which would make for yet another challenging match.

One unexpected curve-ball in Djokovic's quarter of the draw is the presence of Andy Murray who has won the Rogers Cup twice himself. Murray has yet to reach the finals of any ATP event so far in 2014 and has seen his ranking slip to 10th in the world. He finds himself seeded 8th here in Toronto but could face Djokovic in a blockbuster quarter-final match-up. While I do see Djokovic moving through his quarter, there will be a stern test in every match for him to overcome.

In the second quarter of the draw we find Stan Wawrinka as the 3rd seed. Wawrinka now shares the spotlight among Swiss tennis players and is no longer viewed as Roger Federer's understudy. In a move that will surely generate some buzz in the doubles draw in Toronto, Wawrinka will be partnering Djokovic to help the two get a little extra hardcourt practice. Wawrinka will face either Alejandro Falla or a qualifier in the second round when he begins play. Beyond that, Stan's first real test could be in the quarter-finals against the up and coming Grigor Dmitrov who is seeded 7th.

In the third quarter, Tomas Berdych will try to improve upon his recent result at the Citi Open in Washington where as the number one seed he fell in his third round match to resurgent young Canadian Vasek Pospisil. Berdych is the 4th seed in Toronto and will open against either Yen-Hsun Lu or Marcel Granollers. He should be able to sail into the quarter-finals where he could very likely face another Canadian - Milos Raonic.

The "Maple Leaf Missile" has stepped up his game to another level this year and has proven that he belongs in the top ten. A quarter-final result at the French Open was an unexpected surprise for the hard-serving Canuck whose game is more suited to faster surfaces. He then followed that up by reaching the semi-finals of Wimbledon where he was eventually defeated by Federer. Raonic won the Citi Open in Washington on Sunday against his compatriot Pospisil in what was the first all-Canadian final of the Open Era of tennis on the ATP World Tour. In short, Canadian tennis fans have plenty to be excited about this week as the world of tennis turns its focus to their major tournament.

In the last quarter of the Rogers Cup draw, Federer is in the number two position and will face either Jerzy Janowicz or Canadian wildcard Peter Polansky in his opening match. Federer has a very agreable section of the draw to work his way into and his subsequent opponents could be Marin Cilic in round three, David Ferrer or John Isner in the quarters and then either Berdych or Raonic in the semis. Federer has to be happy with this draw and should likely find himself playing deep into the tournament.

Other players of note in the draw are the 6'11'' Ivo Karlovic who is something to behold if you are attending the event live. He opens against Bernard Tomic in the top-half of the draw and fans will have the opportunity to get up close on the Granstand Monday afternoon to see his incredible serve in action.

Australian teenage sensation Nick Kyrgios received a wildcard from Tennis Canada and faces Santiago Giraldo of Columbia in the opening round. This kid you'll remember from defeating Nadal in the fourth round of Wimbledon a few weeks ago before falling to Raonic in the quarters. This will be a good chance to see what all the hype is about and he should face Andy Murray in the second round.

Veteran Lleyton Hewitt is making his tenth appearance at the Canadian Masters 1000 event, but his first in Toronto since 2006. At 33 years old, this could very well be Hewitt's last appearance here in Toronto and a great chance for fans to see this former Grand Slam champion in action for a final time.

In terms of Canadian content, there is Milos of course who the fans will be counting on to contend for the title. He is defending finalist points this year and hopefully is not too tired from his run in Washington.

Posipisil also had enormous success last year in Montreal where he lost fo Raonic in the semi-finals. He's played a lot of tennis over the last few days with his quarter-final match in Washington being finished the same day as his three set semi-final victory against Richard Gasquet. Pospisil will be quite familiar with Gasquet by the end of the Rogers Cup as the two are slated to face one another in the opening round of both singles and doubles play. Vasek is slated to re-join doubles partner Jack Sock and see if they can continue their impressive partnership that has yielded a 10-0 record and two titles this summer including at Wimbledon.

Veteran Frank Dancevic recently cracked the top hundred in the ATP rankings for the first time in years and opens against American Donald Young. Dancevic has fallen back to 123rd in the world over the last couple of weeks however and we will see if he is fit enough to show glimpses of his 2007 form that saw him reach that quarter-finals in Montreal.

Finally there is the previously mentioned Polansky who plays Janowicz in an opening round match that is a big-ask for the 129th ranked Canadian. He has proven resilient playing in front of a home crowd however and has twice advanced past the first round at the Rogers Cup.

Keep checking back with us regularly as we will be attending the event live all week long and providing match updates and plenty of photos as well. You can check us out on Twitter as well for timely updates.

ATP Wrap Up: Brisbane, Chennai and Doha

By Mike McIntyre

It was more of the same for the start of the 2014 season on the ATP World Tour. World number one Rafael Nadal hoisted the trophy in Doha continuing his impressive return to the game following an eight month injury break that lasted from June of 2012 until February of 2013. In the 18 tournaments he has played since then, Rafa has won an astounding 11 and lost in the finals of 4 others.

In Doha, Nadal overcame his 2012 Wimbledon nemesis Lukas Rosol in the opening round, defeated a tricky Ernests Gulbis in the third round, survived a stiff challenge from Peter Gojowczyk in the semis and then finally toppled Gael Monfils in the finals, a guy who has historically had his number in this early season tournament. Nadal is simply en fuego and not likely to let-up anytime soon. The favourite at the Australian Open - you bet.

You can count world number three and four, David Ferrer and Andy Murray amongst those who found Doha to be a disappointment to the start of their seasons. Ferrer lost in the second round to German Daniel Brands while Murray also fell in his second match against another German, Florian Mayer. Ferrer should rebound quickly enough but I am a bit concerned for Murray as he recovers from back surgery late in 2013.

Gotta give the German contingent credit for their performance in Doha. Four of them made it to the quarter-finals and the rise of the previously (relatively) unknown Gojowczyk was something to see. It reminded me of the emergence of Jerzy Janowicz in Paris in 2012 or Federico Delbonis in Hamburg last summer. We'll have to wait and see if he can continue his early season success but so far he is the surprise player on the ATP Tour in 2014.

In Brisbane, Roger Federer made his first ever appearance at the event and did not disappoint by making it all the way to the finals. Still, Federer did not leave with the trophy at the level 250 event which must be largely viewed as a let-down. No Nadal, Djokovic or Murray to contend with and yet he could not secure the title.

In fairness, let's give credit to Aussie Lleyton Hewitt who was able to win his first trophy since 2010 and the 29th tourney win of his career. I can only imagine how satisfying this must be for Hewitt to do in front of his home fans and against arguably the greatest player of all-time. Could it be the last title of Hewitt's career? Not if he keeps playing this way. When you look at what 35 year old Tommy Haas has been able to do the past couple of years, there's no reason to think Hewitt can't be a level 250 and 500 contender for a little while longer.

In Chennai, Stan Wawrinka continued his string of success where he won the title for the second time in his career and in his third final there. For the second year in-a-row Wawrinka is the first Swiss player on the ATP World Tour to capture a title. Who would have thought that day would ever come? He has quietly established himself as a bona-fide top-ten player and when we talk about the next player not named Nadal, Djokovic, Murray or Federer to win a Slam, Wawrinka's name must now be mentioned as a viable option.

One more week until the first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne. Keep checking back with us at ProTennisFan as we will take a look at this week's tournaments in Sydney and Auckland. Be sure to follow us on Twitter as well for regular updates and analysis.

Rafael Nadal Withdraws From Australian Open

By Mike McIntyre

One of the most anticipated returns in men's tennis will have to wait a little longer with the announcement today that Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the upcoming Australian Open due to the effects of a stomach virus. After only a few weeks of being back on the practice courts as he continued to rehabilitate his troublesome knee, Nadal contracted the virus recently and has been unable to train during this latest ordeal. Ordered by doctors to wait at least a week until returning to the court, Nadal determined that he would not be able to compete at the necessary level one requires at a Grand Slam event. He withdrew as well from the Mubadala Tennis Championship exhibition in Abu Dhabi that is happening at the moment and also from the upcoming ATP World Tour event in Doha. His next potential tournament is in Acapulco on clay courts at the end of February.

Nadal revealed that his latest setback has nothing to do with his knee that has kept him off the professional circuit since June.

"My knee is much better and the rehabilitation process has gone well as predicted by the doctors," Nadal said in a statement today. "But this virus didn't allow me to practice this past week and therefore I am sorry to announce that I will not play in Doha and the Australian Open."

Stay tuned for more details about Nadal's return as details unfold.