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Tag: Grigor Dimitrov

Open Era Generations, Part Fourteen: Gen 12 (1989-93) – The Lost Generation, aka the Donald Young Guns

Why the Name?
Donald Young is not among the best players of this generation, but to me he exemplifies it, one of the very first of what is looking to be the weakest generation that the Open Era has seen thus far.

Aside from the clever-ish title, why Donald Young? Well, his trajectory displays the disappointment and weakness of this generation. A two-time Junior Grand Slam winner, Young finished 2007 ranked No. 100 at the age of 18, looking poised to eventually inherit the mantle of the premier American player from Andy Roddick. But he floated for several years, not reaching the Top 100 again until 2011 when he was 22 years old, no longer a tennis prodigy. And even that wasn’t the first year of a breakout; he dropped again in the rankings, failing to even qualify for the 2013 Australian Open and Wimbledon. He’s played a bit better of late, finishing 2015 at No. 57, largely due to a fourth round appearance in the US Open – his best result since 2011. But Young, no longer young at 26, is a far cry from what he was expected to be some eight years ago and is a cautionary tale of how not all highly-regarded prospects turn out. He isn’t alone among his generation, as we shall see.

I also call this the “Lost Generation” because it has a chance of being the only five-year generation—in the year spans that I’m using—that will not win a Grand Slam, in all of tennis history. Even if a player of this generation does eventually win one, it will almost certainly be a lower amount than any of the Open Era, with Ashe’s generation being the current lowest total at five.

Best Players by Birth Year
1989: Kei Nishikori (JPN), Benoit Paire (FRA), Martin Klizan (SLO), Joao Sousa (POR), Donald Young (USA), Steve Johnson (USA), Aljaz Bedene (UK)
1990: Milos Raonic (CAN), David Goffin (GER), Vasek Pospisil (CAN), Jerzy Janowicz (POL), Guido Pella (ARG), Andrey Kuznetsov (RUS), Dusan Lajovic (SERB), Evgeny Donskoy (RUS)
1991: Grigor Dimitrov (BUL), Denis Kudla (USA), Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP)
1992: Bernard Tomic (AUS), Jack Sock (USA), Diego Schwartzman (ARG), Ryan Harrison (USA), Damir Dzumhur (SERB)
1993: Dominic Thiem (AUT), Jiri Vesely (CZE)

Note that my bar for this generation is a lot lower in the list above, both because it is a weaker generation but also because it is contemporary right now, so it’s difficult to say who will end up being the best players by year.

Consider that we have still not yet seen either a Slam or a Masters title from this generation, and only a handful of ATP 500’s: six from Nishikori, and one each from Klizan, Raonic, Dimitrov, and Thiem.

Given that this group of players turned 22-26 last year, this is the generation that should be peaking right now. Consider the years that great players turned 22: 2003 for Roger Federer, 2008 for Rafael Nadal, 1993 for Pete Sampras, etc. There really has been no great player in the Open Era who was not an elite by the year they turned 22, and even lesser greats are usually pretty good by this age.

Here’s a telling statistic: if we go back every five years (2010, 2005, etc), the generation with the No. 1 player was the same age as this one, age 22-26…until 2015, when the No. 1 player was 28-years old and only one player from the 89-93 generation finished in the Top 10, a downturn from 2014 when three players finished No. 11 or better. As great as Novak is, his reign should be challenged by the younger generation and there’s simply no player that is good enough to do so. And even if Novak weren’t around, there are still plenty of players who are.

Also, consider that 2015 is equivalent age-wise to the previous generation in 2010, or 2005 for Federer’s generation. Compare the number of players in the Top 20 in 2015, compared to the previous two generations in the equivalent year:

1989-93 Gen in 2015: Nishikori No. 7, No. 14, No. 16, No. 18-20
1984-88 Gen in 2010: Nadal No. 1, No. 3-6, No. 12-15, No. 18-20
1979-83 Gen in 2005: Federer No. 1, No. 3-6, No. 8-9, No. 11, No. 13, No. 15-16, No. 18, No. 20

Part of the problem is that this generation has followed after two strong ones which include three players amassing 42 Slams and counting. This is not unlike the situation that Arthur Ashe’s generation faced after following the great 1934-38 generation that included Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Roy Emerson, and Lew Hoad, not to mention four-Slam winners like Ashley Cooper and Manuel Santana. This is further compounded by the fact that Novak Djokovic is maintaining a peak level into his late 20s, Roger Federer is still formidable in his mid-30s, and Andy Murray still remains better than any player younger than him (except for Novak, of course).

Yet we’re approaching a point where this generation may have a window of opportunity. While Djokovic and Murray remain strong, it is inevitable that both start to slip a bit at some point in the next couple years. Roger isn’t getting any younger, and even if Rafa bounces back during the upcoming clay season, it is unlikely we’ll see another 2013. The next generation, players born 1994-98, looks much stronger, but they are probably still at least a year or two away from entering their peak years, and several years from dominance.

So consider this possibility: 2016 could be the last year in which Djokovic’s generation completely dominates. In 2017, Novak and Andy will turn 30, Rafa 31, and Roger 36, not to mention players like Stan Wawrinka, Tomas Berdych, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga turning 32. Gen 12 will be turning 24-28, still prime years, while Gen 13 will be turning 19-23 – starting to come into their own, but probably not quite peak level. For a couple years, say 2017-18, all titles might be up for grabs and we could see a similar environment as we saw in the late 90s and early 00s. I would guess that we see at least one or two Slams and Masters fall to players like Nishikori, Raonic, Dimitrov, and Thiem, or even a Goffin, Sock, Tomic, Klizan, Paire, or Vesely, if the stars align correctly.

There are also glimmerings of hope. Consider that so far this year we’ve completed four ATP 500s and thirteen ATP 250s. Here is how those tournaments breakdown by generation in 2016, through the end of February:

79-83 Gen: 1 ATP 250
84-88 Gen: 2 ATP 500s, 8 ATP 250s
89-93 Gen: 2 ATP 500s, 4 ATP 250s
94-98 Gen: 1 ATP 250

Not even counting the Australian Open, the 84-88 still holds the crown, but so far this year the 89-93 generation is second, with the other generations quite a bit behind. Compare to last year at this point, when the 89-93 generation had not yet won an ATP 500 and had only won a couple ATP 250s.

It is also worth noting that the “elder statesmen” 79-83 generation has started much slower, although this is partially due to Federer’s injury and a slower start by Ferrer; that generation is pretty much dependent upon those two (although Estrella Burgos has the only title this year from that generation, repeating his Quito title). But given that generation’s age, turning 33-37 this year, it is only a matter of time before they dwindle away completely. The previous generation, born 1974-78 (e.g. Gustavo Kuerten, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, etc) was at the same point age-wise in 2011 as Federer’s is in 2016, and won only four more titles from 2011 on: an ATP 500 (Radek Stepanek at Washington in 2011) and three ATP 250s (all by Tommy Haas, in 2012 and 2013). Even the great 1969-73 generation which included Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi and was at the equivalent point in 2006, only won two more ATP 250s, both by Fabrice Santoro (Newport 2007 and 2008).

The point being, the 1979-83—which won 16 titles last year, including a Masters and six ATP 500s—is phasing out and, if nothing else, the 89-93 generation should be able to pick up some of the slack. It is probably already happening.

Underachievers and Forgotten Players
Well, all of them, which is why I still have not discussed particular players in any depth – I was saving them all for this section. OK, that’s a bit harsh, but not entirely untrue.

The player that stands out the most to me is Grigor Dimitrov, because he was the player of this generation with probably the highest upside and most expectations. He’s still only 24, so has half a decade of potentially peak years left, but his chances of being a great player have declined to the point of being nonexistent. Consider, for instance, that his 2015 is the equivalent age-wise with Federer’s 2005 or Djokovic’s 2011. I recently made the observation that “Baby Federer” looks a bit like Roger Federer on the practice court: he is smooth and elegant, but lacks the “teeth” needed to compete on the big stage.

Grigor is also in danger of being surpassed by younger, hungrier players like Dominic Thiem, Nick Kyrgios, Borna Coric, Alexander Zverev, and Taylor Fritz. He’s got time, but the field isn’t going to get less crowded. While the chances that Dimitrov will become a great player are slim at best, I still hold out hope that we’ll see a Masters title or two, maybe even a Slam. He’s got a complete game and is a good candidate to win some bigger titles once the current elites slip if he develops the necessary mindset.

Kei Nishikori also seems like an underachiever in that he is capable of truly brilliant tennis but doesn’t seem to have the fortitude to take home a big title. Still, with six ATP 500 titles – by far the most among active players without a Masters – he is the most accomplished player of this generation (so far), and it seems only a matter of time before he wins a Masters.

Among forgotten players, there are two that come to mind: Ryan Harrison and Cedrik-Marcel Stebe. A few years ago Harrison was one of two players of this generation in the Top 100, along with Bernard Tomic. But he never rose higher than No. 43 and that was almost four years ago. Stebe won several Challengers and Futures in 2009-11 and finished 2011 No. 81 at the age of 21, but then his career was derailed by injury. One more to mention is Ricardas Berankis, who won the 2007 Junior US Open and was the highest ranked player under 21 in 2010, at No. 87. Berankis pretty much stalled out at that level, his ranking never going higher than No. 67. He’s a good reminder that a Top 100 ranking at a relatively young age isn’t an automatic ticket to the Top 20.

Did You Know?
Despite the unprecedented weakness of this generation, there is one strange anomaly by which it outperformed the previous, far greater generation. The first title won by a player of this generation was in 2008 by an 18-year old Kei Nishikori, at Delray Beach. The equivalent year for the previous generation was 2003; it wasn’t until 2004 that the 84-88 generation won titles, when Rafael Nadal, Robin Soderling, and Tomas Berdych all won ATP 250s. But the title did prove to be a bit of an anomaly, as no player of this generation would win another until 2011, when Milos Raonic won San Jose.

Ten Highest Ranked Players (as of week of 2/29)
6. Kei Nishikori
13. Dominic Thiem
14. Milos Raonic
17. David Goffin
20. Bernard Tomic
22. Benoit Paire
23. Jack Sock
26. Grigor Dimitrov
28. Martin Klizan
35. Steven Johnson

The good news is that almost one-third of the Top 30 are players of this generation. The bad news is that they’re mainly clustered in the lower half. Expect this to change over the next year or two; right now, only six 89-93 players are in the Top 20—my prediction is that, by year’s end, 8-10 will be in the Top 20, and 2-3 will be in the Top 10.

Top Ten Players of the Generation (So far)
1. Kei Nishikori
2. Milos Raonic
3. Grigor Dimitrov
4. Dominic Thiem
5. Martin Klizan
6. Bernard Tomic
7. David Goffin
8. Jack Sock
9. Jiri Vesely
10. Benoit Paire

Honorable Mentions: Federico Delbonis, Vasek Pospisil, Pablo Carreno Busta, Jerzy Janowicz.

This list is mainly based upon accomplishment so far and is always changing, but right now Nishikori has the best career by a good margin. No player has won even a Masters tournament, but Nishikori has made it to a Slam final, has won 11 tournaments in all, including six ATP 500s. No other player has won more than a single ATP 500.

Milos Raonic remains a dark horse at any fast court, although the limitations of his game makes it seem unlikely that he has what it takes to get past the elites at a big tournament. But if he sticks around his time may come. At least he’ll probably have a career somewhere between Tomas Berdych and John Isner.

A few years from now this list could look quite different. When I wrote down notes for every generation of this series last fall, I used the word “dark horse” for Dominic Thiem. Now it seems inappropriate as his star is rising fast, with two titles under his belt so far this year. He is on the verge of surpassing Dimitrov, and only needs better success at Slams to be considered the more accomplished player. In fact, Thiem could be first or second on this list by year’s end.

The rest on the list could be interchangeable. Vesely and Sock are still rising, although the best case scenario looks more like Top 10 players than Top 5, and maybe more likely Top 20 types – as with Goffin and Tomic.

Grigor Dimitrov remains the dark horse of the generation. He could go the way of an Ernests Gulbis, or he could be a late-bloomer and win a Slam or three in his late 20s. While I have given up my earlier hope that he would be a great, I still find him a fascinating player to watch and think he has the talent to bring home a big trophy someday.

There is some talent in this generation, but it really is similar to the 1939-43 and 1974-78 generations, both in terms of the reduced talent from prior generations, but also the fact that it is coming at the back-end of a golden age of tennis greats. It is a hard context to play in.

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Cover Photo (Creative Commons License): stevenpisano / angelicalbite / Marianne Bevis

March 3, 2016
National Tennis Careers – Part Six: Summing Up

After surveying Open Era tennis through the five nations with the highest Slam totals, we’re left with a few questions and unexplored areas which I’ll try to tackle in this concluding segment.

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Click here to discuss National Tennis Careers – Part Six: Summing Up in the discussion forum.

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Who’s left?
The “big five” tennis nations include many, even most, of the all-time greats of the Open Era. Let’s take a look at the other nations and their players by Slam count:

Czechoslovakia/Czech Republic (12): Ivan Lendl (8), Jan Kodes (3), Petr Korda (1).
Serbia (9): Novak Djokovic (9)
Germany/West Germany (7): Boris Becker (6), Michael Stich (1)
Argentina (6): Guillermo Vilas (4), Gaston Gaudio (1), Juan Martin del Potro (1)
Russia (4): Yevgeny Kafelnikov (2), Marat Safin (2)
Brazil (3): Gustavo Kuerten (3)
Croatia (2): Goran Ivanisevic (1), Marin Cilic (1)
Romania (2): Ilie Nastase (2)
South Africa (2): Johan Kriek (2)
United Kingdom (2): Andy Murray (2)
Austria (1): Thomas Muster (1)
Ecuador (1): Andres Gomez (1)
France (1): Yannick Noah (1)
Italy (1): Adriano Panatta (1)
Netherlands (1): Richard Krajicek (1)

Before Djokovic is through, Serbia’s Slam count should surpass that of the Czechs as a whole.

Slavic Surge?
I almost titled this last part “Slavic Surge!” because it would seem that the tennis from Slavic countries has been on the rise. But it wasn’t quite as extreme as I thought. There are some strong Slavic players currently in their peaks, namely Djokovic, Berdych, Cilic, and Karlovic. There are some younger players with some upside, including Damir Dzumhur (23, No. 100), Grigor Dimitrov (24, No. 16), and Jiri Vesely (22, No. 45). But there is only one player that looks like a potential future star, and that is the 18-year-old Croatian Borna Coric, who is currently ranked No. 37. So while Slavic tennis is strong, it is hardly dominant (Novak aside).

Possible Future Slam Winning Countries
So who might the next Slam winners be? Specifically, which countries have the most possible future Slam winners? Well, that is for a future study that I’m working on. But I will say that as we’ve seen in the previous segments, there isn’t much on the horizon for Spain or Switzerland, and only really the Ymer brothers in Sweden; in the US there are a few prospects, and Australia at least has “K&K”: Kyrgios and Kokkinakis.

All in all there doesn’t seem to be a central location for tennis right now or the foreseeable future. We can sum up the Open Era by looking at early dominance by Australians, namely Ken Rosewall, Rod Laver, and John Newcombe, then the rise of Americans in Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe, and Sweden in Bjorn Borg, Mats Wilander, and Stefan Edberg. Along with German Boris Becker and Czech Ivan Lendl, Americans and Swedes dominated tennis from the mid-70s into the early 90s, with Sweden dropping off as Edberg retired, but the United States remained dominant into the 21st century, led by Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. But then the US dropped off precipitously, and Switzerland and Spain took up the rulership of men’s tennis, with Serbia playing its part.

What the future will bring, well, it is a truly global world out there. There’s no sign of any of the five great tennis nations regaining their dominance. There are some glimmerings of improvement in Australia, and a bit in the US, but nothing substantial or worthy of the term “future dominance.” We’re going to see a shared effort, it would seem.

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Cover Photo (Creative Commons License): kulitat / mirsasha / Kiu Kaffi

July 24, 2015
15 Up-and-Coming Players to Watch in 2015 / Jonathan Northrop

As the first tournaments of 2015 wrap up, it is almost shocking to think that the Australian Open is just around the corner on January 19. As always, we’ll all be watching the top players with the usual questions: How healthy will Rafael Nadal be and will it be enough to supplant Novak Djokovic at the top of the rankings? Can Novak maintain his focus? Will Father Time catch up with Roger Federer, who turns 34 later this year? Can Andy Murray find his 2012-13 form again? Will Juan Martin del Potro be healthy enough to rise again? And so on.

But what about the rest of the pack? We focus so much on the “Big Four” and a few dark-horse candidates, while there are a lot of interesting stories and players beyond the big name elite. Let’s take a look at these other players, in particular those who bear watching in 2015 for whatever reason – but mainly as players poised to rise in the rankings. Some may be knocking at the door of the elite, while others may simply be establishing themselves as players to know, while others yet might be potential future stars.

There are, of course, many other players worth watching – but I wanted to highlight these fifteen as particularly interesting, for a variety of reasons. Let’s take a look.

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Click here to discuss “15 Up-and-Coming Players to Watch in 2015” in the discussion forum.

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THE ALMOST BIG THREE
Grigor Dimitrov
Let’s start with Grigor Dimitrov, who may have been so overrated in the past in terms of expectations that he’s now being underrated (although his recent Brisbane demolishing at the hands of Federer is not exactly encouraging). Let us not forget that Grigor has improved in each year he’s been on tour; consider his year-end rankings since 2008: 493, 288, 106, 76, 48, 23, 11. Notice the trend? If Grigor keeps it up in 2015 he will possibly make it as high as the edge of the Top 5. But of course at some point he’s going to even out, and it is hard to imagine him supplanting Novak, Rafa, or even Roger. But it seems that he can beat anyone else, or at least remain competitive among the rest of the near-elites of the game. The problem with Grigor seems to be that, while he’s very good at almost every facet of the game, he doesn’t have any truly killer weapons – and seemingly lacks a killer instinct altogether.

Prediction: The book is still open for Grigor. He needs something else — a killer shot and perhaps more of a killer instinct — to fully actualize his potential, otherwise he’ll remain more of a pretty player to watch, but not a true elite. In 2015 I think we’ll see continued incremental gains as Grigor creeps into the Top 10. He’ll continue to go deeper in Slams, being relevant at Masters tournaments, with a chance of winning one late in the year (Paris?), eventually earning his way to the World Tour Finals next November.

Kei Nishikori
On one hand, we may have seen the best of Kei in 2014. On the other, he seems to keep getting better and better, and of the rest of the field seems like he has what it takes to upset one of the Big Three. Kei is now a legit candidate to win a Masters and a dark horse at the Slams. Whether he has the stamina to make it through remains to be seen; despite his strong year, it should be remembered that he still only made it to the second week once.

Prediction: Kei settles in within the second half of the Top 10. For some reason Nikolay Davydenko comes to mind – a player that never really challenged at Slams, but won a couple Masters and was always around. Perhaps Kei will have a similar peak.

Milos Raonic
At first I excluded Mighty Milos from this list but then I decided that it would be unfair. The big Yugo-Canadian is, quite frankly, a bit underrated at this point. Like Dimitrov it is hard to imagine him beating any of the Top 3 when it really counts, but he did just that versus Roger Federer at the Paris Masters. Milos continues to make small gains, as evidenced by his year-end rankings: 373, 156, 31, 13, 11, 8. If the pattern holds he’ll finish 2015 in the No. 5-6 range. At the least, though, I think Milos is a fixture to hand out in the latter half of the Top 10 for years to come, playing a similar role in the next half decade as Tsonga and Berdych have for the last half decade.

Prediction: Something good for Milos in 2015. Will it be a Masters? A Slam even? Hard to imagine, but he’s knocking at the door. I think he wins several titles in 2015, maybe even a Masters. He feels close.

DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE OTHER TWO
Jiri Vesely & Dominic Thiem
For some reason I pair these two players. Well, the reasons are pretty clear: they’re of a similar age, on the younger side of “Generation Raoshitrov”; Vesely’s advancement was steady but perhaps a bit disappointing, going from No. 85 to No. 66, while Thiem jumped 100 ranks from No. 139 to No. 39.

Prediction: I expect continued steady progress from both. Both, I think, will fully establish themselves in the Top 40, and Thiem might even challenge for the Top 20. I think we’re still a couple years away from their peaks, but both should eventually be fixtures in the Top 20 and may even challenge for the Top 10 as players like Ferrer, Berdych, Wawrinka, and Tsonga age themselves out of it. But that’s probably a couple years away.

THE BOYS ARE GROWING UP
Nick Kyrgios
The first of two up-and-comers to beat Rafael Nadal in 2014. Nick Kyrgios is a big kid (6’4”) with a big game and a big serve (14.8 ace %, good for No. 6 among the Top 50); I can’t help but think of Juan Martin del Potro when I see him out there. Ironically enough, the last time a teenager upset the world No. 1 at a Grand Slam was Rafa over Roger Federer at the 2005 French Open. Anyhow, great things are ahead for the Australian – he finished the year at No. 52 up from No. 182 in 2013, so he made quite a jump. He turns 20 years old in April, so still has some room to grow.

Prediction: Nick makes steady progress but doesn’t quite jump into the elite. That said, he fights for, and at least comes close to, a year-end Top 20 ranking. While he may play the spoiler in 2015 again, he probably won’t be in the mix for big titles until 2016.

Borna Coric
No young player has me quite as excited as Borna Coric. I just see him having the highest upside of any player currently on the radar (that is, in the Top 300 or so). We all know him for taking out Rafael Nadal at Basel, but let’s not forget that he also beat Ernests Gulbis in that tournament and lost to red-hot David Goffin in three sets. Coric is for real and his advancement should be steady from here on, although at this point we should remain patient – he did just turn 18 a couple months ago, after all.

That said, it is important to note that most truly elite players were ranked somewhere in the second half of the Top 100 or so at Coric’s age, and most jumped into the Top 20 the year after. Compare the year-end rankings for recent all-time greats at age 18 and 19:

Djokovic: 78, 16
Nadal: 51, 2
Federer: 64, 29
Sampras: 81, 5
Agassi: 3, 7

(Prior greats – starting with Agassi, but including Becker, Edberg, Wilander, etc., tended to have their break-out a year earlier, with age 17 being the first in the Top 100 and age 18 the big jump; one could speculate that perhaps we’re going ahead another year, with Nick Kyrgios’ trajectory being closer to the norm for elite players – first year in the Top 100 at age 19, big jump at age 20).

Now compare the next tier down:
Del Potro: 92, 44
Murray: 65, 17
Roddick: 156, 14
Hewitt: 25, 7
Kuerten: NA, 188
Kafelnikov: 275, 102
Courier: 43, 24

As you can see, the next tier tends to rise a bit later, or at least more slowly.

The point here is that if Coric is going to be great—as in an all-time great—then he needs to rise fast. Given the fact that players seem to be taking longer to develop these days with later peaks, I think we can go a bit easier on him and not expect a Rafa-like or Pete-like rise, but for me the benchmark would be a Top 40 or 50 ranking by year’s end. If he makes it into the upper half of the Top 100, then I think it is a sign that he has a chance to be special, even a truly great player. If he sticks around No. 100 or slips out of the Top 100, then we might need to temper our expectations a bit.

Prediction: Borna will continue to rise, with some bumps in the road, but his overall trajectory will be clear. He finishes somewhere in the No. 40-50 range, although I would be surprised if he wins anything more than maybe an ATP 250.

Alexander Zverev
The second youngest player on this list, 17-year-old Zverev finished the year ranked No. 136. That might not sound all that impressive, but consider that of the active players who have ranked in the Top 10, only Tomas Berdych (No. 103), Lleyton Hewitt (No. 100), and Rafael Nadal (No. 49) ranked higher at the end of the year they turned 17. Novak was No. 186, Roger No. 301, and many players weren’t even on tour yet. While we should be moderate in our expectations at this point, it is hard not to get excited about this kid. If Nick Kyrgios and Borna Coric are the top two candidates to be the next elite players, then Zverev is No. 3 and not far behind.

Prediction: Baby steps. Zverev doesn’t turn 18 until April, so has a lot of room to grow – both as a human body and as a player. I think he has a good shot at the Top 100 this year, but I wouldn’t expect much more than a year-end No. 80-100 ranking.

OTHERS TO KEEP AN EYE ON
Ernests Gulbis: Long viewed as an underachiever, Ernests (named after Hemingway) had his best year, challenging at one point for the Top 10. But questions remain: After an erratic career, can he maintain his current level? Can he take it a step higher? Or is he in the vein of up-and-down perennial underachievers like Alexandr Dolgopolov and Richard Gasquet? Who knows with Ernests. I suspect he’ll have more upsets like the fourth round French Open victory over Roger Federer, but not be consistent enough to break into the elite. That said, I think he’ll flirt with the Top 10 and maybe dip into it briefly, but then fall back and finish somewhere in the latter half of the Top 20. I’d prefer not to be so specific in my predictions, but for some reason No. 15-18 sounds about right.

Jack Sock: While it is hard to become too excited about a 22-year old ranked No. 42 and with no titles to his name, consider that Sock is now the fourth highest ranked American and only one of five in the Top 100. Not only that, he’s the youngest American ranked in the Top 200, just a month younger than No. 121 Denis Kudla, and a few months younger than No. 190 Ryan Harrison. But here is where there is some hope: Sock’s rise has been strong and steady – consider his year-end rankings from 2010 to the present: 878, 381, 150, 102, 42. We probably can’t expect Sock to be the next Andy Roddick, but he could be the next John Isner or Mardy Fish.

Stefan Kozlov: Stefan who? Well, a year or two from now he could be front and center in our minds. Who is Stefan Kozlov, you ask? He’s the youngest player to finish in the Top 500 this year at No. 468. No. 468?! Who cares? Well, I care – because Stefan Kozlov was born in 1998. Yes, 1998. Kozlov is 16-years old, turns 17 in February. He hasn’t done much yet, but he did play in the qualification rounds of the US Open, defeating his first round opponent, Mitchell Frank, before losing in three sets to “old man” Borna Coric. Kozlov is a long way away, but I wanted to introduce him as he’s a player worth keeping an eye on. Oh yeah, and best of all, while he’s Macedonia-born, he’s technically American (I know, it feels like cheating – but tell that to the Canadians re: Milos).

Yoshihito Nishioka: In the shadow of similarly named (at least to a Westerner) top-ranked and fellow Japanese player, Kei Nishikori, Nishioka is 19 years old and ranked No. 156, and could be a real sleeper to break into the Top 100 next year and a player to watch.

Thanasi Kokkinakis: Another member of the “Class of ’96,” which is turning out to have some talent. Kokkinakis is the third highest ranking teenager at No. 150, behind only Coric and Zverev. Another Australian to watch.

Jared Donaldson: Ranked all the way down at No. 261, 18-year-old Jared Donaldson is worth mentioning not as much because he’s the sixth highest ranking teenager, but mainly because he’s the highest ranking American teenager; actually, he’s the highest ranking American age 21 or younger, which makes him arguably America’s Great Hope to return to relevance. But let’s check in next year to see where he is.

Hyeon Chung: Korean-born, the fourth member of the Class of ’96 on this list (along with Coric, Kokkinakis, and Donaldson). I don’t know what his upside is but at No. 173 he’s the highest ranked Korean by a good margin, and well-situated on the career trajectory towards a strong career.

ADDENDUM: Another 15 to the Mix
I’d like to add a few more names to keep an eye on. Again, remember that the above list is not meant to be comprehensive, but a the same time I’d be remiss not to give at least an honorable mention to a few others.

Roberto Bautista Agut: A surprising rise from No. 58 to No. 15 in 2014, can he maintain a top 20 ranking for a few years?
David Goffin: After a disappointing 2013, Goffin had a tremendous rise in 2014, going from No. 110 to No. 22.
Jerzy Janowicz: Let’s not forget about Jerzy, but’s he fast becoming a cautionary tale, a least for those of us that got excited a year or two ago. He’s still young enough to turn it around.
Pablo Carreno Busta: It seemed that he was a cult favorite to be excited about a year ago, but after only a moderate rise in 2014–to a solid No. 49–I think expectations have cooled. Still, he’s a name to get used to as he could be a regular in the top 40 for years to come.
Dusan Lajovic: Best known for making it the 4R at Roland Garros where he lost to Rafa, but not before beating Delbonis and Sock to get there. I think he’s a sleeper to be a solid player.
Bernard Tomic: Oh Bernie, it is hard to root for you. You’re like a playboy superstar that isn’t a star. Time to grow up if you want a decent career.
Victor Estrella Burgos: In contrast to Tomic, how can we not cheer for this guy? Starting on the ATP tour at age 33-34, and he made it as high as No. 65! Who knows what’s ahead but I’m cheering him on.
Lucas Pouille: Another sleeper – seems talented.
Luke Saville: Ditto. These guys aren’t future elites, but they are probably future top 50 players.
Diego Schwartzman: At 5’7″ you’ve got our attention. Seems like another sleeper.
Elias Ymer, Christian Garin, Roman Safiullin, Andrey Rublev, Gianluigi Quinzi: More young ‘uns to keep an eye on, all born in 1996-97.

OK, that’s it. The problem with trying to be semi-comprehensive with this second list is that there is no way to draw the line. No Vasek Pospisil? Federico Delbonis? Well, I had to draw the line somewhere and it is “15 + another 15.”

January 11, 2015
Age-Related Discussion
One of my favorite topics is the relationship of age and career performance, questions such as: What are the different phases of a career? When is the most common peak range? Are players peaking later now? Etc.

For the sake of context and perhaps a taxonomy that would be useful for discussion, as I’ve written quite a few times before, I’ve posited that the historical norm has four general phases:

Developmental Phase: Age 17-21. Player rises towards peak level.
Peak Phase: Age 22-26. Player maintains highest level of career.
Plateau Phase: Age 27-31. Player remains at a very high level, but slightly below peak, with gradual decline.
Decline Phase: Age 32+. Player declines rapidly and/or retires.

Again, these are the norms, or the averages if you will. Every player is different – but historically, those are the general ranges that most players fall into, or near to.

Now what is interesting in recently years is that quite a few players seem to be peaking later, more in what would normally be their plateau phase. David Ferrer is an example, with his best years being 2012-13 when he turned 30 and 31. Despite beating Andy Murray today, Ferrer has showed signs of slowing this year, so he may be entering his decline phase – or he could simply be dropping to a plateau.

And then we have the inspiration for this thread, Feliciano Lopez, who is 33 years old and possibly having the best year of his life. While his highest ranking was achieved a couple years ago in 2012 (No. 15), he’s at No. 14 in the live rankings now and has a good chance of having his best year-end ranking (which is currently No. 20 in 2011).

And then of course there is Stan Wawrinka, who won his first Grand Slam at age 28 and is amidst his best year at age 28-29, and will probably finish the year ranked No. 4, better than last year’s career best of No. 8.

Marin Cilic is still in what is normally the Peak Phase, but he won his first Slam just before turning age 26 – on the older side.

And then we have young players like Milos Raonic and Grigor Dimitrov. Grigor is 23 years old, having his best year, but there’s also the sense from many that he’s another year or so away from his peak. Milos is also 23, turning 24 in December, and may or may not be at his peak.

One thing that strikes me is that these outliers from the career norms are all non-elite players. Roger Federer’s career follows the averages quite closely, as does Nadal’s, Djokovic’s, and Murray’s – although it is still too soon to tell if and when they’ve entered their Plateau. Certainly it seems that Rafa and Andy have; Novak had his best year in 2011 at age 23-24, but I’d have a hard time saying that he’s not still in his Peak phase (that is, best year shouldn’t be equated with Peak phase; the best year usually comes within the peak).

Those are just some examples. A few questions to consider/discuss:
- Are players really peaking later?
- If so, why?
- Is there a historical precedent for players having their best years in their 30s (e.g. Ferrer and Lopez)?
- Is it only “second tier” talents that are peaking later? (As it certainly seems like we’ve seen the best of Nadal, Djokovic and Murray)
And so forth. Any thoughts?

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Click here to discuss “Age-Related Discussion” in the discussion forum.

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Cover Photo: Kiu Kaffi, Tennis Frontier Correspondent
October 31, 2014
US Open Day 9: Order of Play & Scores

Day 9 features the rest of the men’s matches for the Round of 16, and the first two women’s quarterfinals. The unseeded Swiss Belinda Bencic will play the unseeded Shuai Peng, from China. The other quarterfinal pits Caroline Wozniacki (10) against the crafty Italian Sara Errani (13). In the day session on Ashe, Grigor Dimitrov (7), who won this event as a junior, faces the unorthodox Frenchman Gael Monfils (20). In the evening, five-time US Open champion Roger Federer (2) will play the young Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut.

The full schedule for Day 9 is listed below (Results to follow). All times are local.

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Arthur Ashe Stadium — 11:00 A.M.

Men’s Doubles – Quarterfinals
Scott Lipsky (USA) / Rajeev Ram (USA) d. Eric Butorac (USA) (12) / Raven Klaasen (RSA) (12) — 6-3, 7-6(4)

Not Before: 12:00 P.M.

Women’s Singles – Quarterfinals
Shuai Peng (CHN) d. Belinda Bencic (SUI) — 6-2, 6-1

Men’s Singles – Round 4
Gael Monfils (FRA) (20) d. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) (7) — 7-5, 7-6(6), 7-5

Not Before: 7:00 P.M.

Men’s Singles – Round 4
Roger Federer (SUI) (2) d. Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) (17) — 6-4, 6-3, 6-2

Women’s Singles – Quarterfinals
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) (10) d. Sara Errani (ITA) (13) — 6-0, 6-1

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Louis Armstrong Stadium — 12:00 P.M.

Women’s Doubles – Quarterfinals
Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) (4) / Elena Vesnina (RUS) (4) d. Venus Williams (USA) / Serena Williams (USA) — 7-6(5), 6-4

Men’s Singles – Round 4
Marin Cilic (CRO) (14) d. Gilles Simon (FRA) (26) — 5-7, 7-6(3), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3

Men’s Singles – Round 4
Tomas Berdych (CZE) (6) d. Dominic Thiem (AUT) — 6-1, 6-2, 6-4

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Grandstand — Not Before: 3:00 P.M.

Women’s Doubles – Quarterfinals
Martina Hingis (SUI) / Flavia Pennetta (ITA) d. Kveta Peschke (CZE) (5) / Katarina Srebotnik (SLO) (5) — 6-4, 6-3

Women’s Doubles – Quarterfinals
Cara Black (ZIM) (3) / Sania Mirza (IND) (3) d. Zarina Diyas (KAZ) / Yi-Fan Xu (CHN) — 6-1, 1-0 (Ret.)

Not Before: 6:00 P.M.

Men’s Doubles – Quarterfinals
Bob Bryan (USA) (1) / Mike Bryan (USA) (1) d. David Marrero (ESP) (7) / Fernando Verdasco (ESP) (7) — 6-2, 4-6, 6-4

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Cover Photo (Creative Commons License): jpellgen

September 1, 2014
Wimbledon Day 11: Men’s Semifinals – Order of Play & Scores

Day 11 of Wimbledon features the Men’s Semifinals on Centre Court. Action begins with 2011 champion and the No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic (SRB) taking on the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, the No. 11 seed. The second semifinal pits seven-time champion and No. 4 seed Roger Federer against the Canadian Milos Raonic (8).

The full schedule for Day 11 is listed below (results to follow). All times are local.

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Centre Court – 1:00 P.M.

Gentlemen’s Singles – Semi-finals
Novak Djokovic (SRB) (1) d Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) (11) — 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(2), 7-6(7)

Gentlemen’s Singles – Semi-finals
Roger Federer (SUI) (4) d Milos Raonic (CAN) (8) — 6-4, 6-4, 6-4

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No. 1 Court – 1:00 P.M.

Gentlemen’s Doubles – Semi-finals
Bob Bryan (USA) (1) / Mike Bryan (USA) (1) d Michael Llodra (FRA) (12) / Nicolas Mahut (FRA) (12) — 7-6(4), 6-3, 6-2

Mixed Doubles – Quarter-finals
Aisam Qureshi (PAK) (16) / Vera Dushevina (RUS) (16) d Neal Skupski (GBR) / Naomi Broady (GBR) — 6-4, 6-3

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No. 3 Court – 11:30 A.M.

Gentlemen’s Invitation Doubles
Jacco Eltingh (NED) / Paul Haarhuis (NED) d Greg Rusedski (GBR) / Fabrice Santoro (FRA) — 6-3, 6-4

Gentlemen’s Doubles – Semi-finals
Vasek Pospisil (CAN) / Jack Sock (USA) d Leander Paes (IND) (5) / Radek Stepanek (CZE) (5) — 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-4

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Court 12 – 11:30 A.M.

Ladies’ Doubles – Semi-finals
Sara Errani (ITA) (2) / Roberta Vinci (ITA) (2) d Andrea Hlavackova (CZE) (9) / Jie Zheng (CHN) (9) — 6-3, 6-2

Ladies’ Doubles – Semi-finals
Timea Babos (HUN) (14) / Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) (14) d Andrea Petkovic (GER) / Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) — 6-1, 6-3

Mixed Doubles – Quarter-finals
Max Mirnyi (BLR) (14) / Hao-Ching Chan (TPE) (14) d Jamie Murray (GBR) (10) / Casey Dellacqua (AUS) (10) — 6-2, 3-6, 6-3

July 3, 2014
Wimbledon Day 3: Order of Play & Scores

Third day action begins on Centre Court with 2012 women’s finalist Agnieszka Radwanska (4) playing the Australian Casey Dellacqua. The Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov (11), who just won the Wimbledon tune-up event at Queen’s Club, faces Luke Saville (AUS). Last up, the men’s No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic will meet Radek Stepanek (CZE).

No. 1 Court’s first match features last year’s men’s champion Andy Murray (3), who will play Blaz Rola (SLO). Next up is the 2011 women’s champion Petra Kvitova (6) vs. the German Mona Barthel. The final match is between the 2010 men’s finalist Tomas Berdych (6) and the Australian Bernard Tomic.

The full schedule for Day 3 is listed below (Results to follow)…

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Centre Court – 1:00 P.M.

Ladies’ Singles – Second round
Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) (4) d Casey Dellacqua (AUS) — 6-4, 6-0

Gentlemen’s Singles – Second round
Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) (11) d Luke Saville (AUS) — 6-3, 6-2, 6-4

Gentlemen’s Singles – Second round
Novak Djokovic (SRB) (1) d Radek Stepanek (CZE) — 6-4, 6-3, 6-7(5), 7-6(5)

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No.1 Court – 1:00 P.M.

Gentlemen’s Singles – Second round
Andy Murray (GBR) (3) d Blaz Rola (SLO) — 6-1, 6-1, 6-0

Ladies’ Singles – Second round
Petra Kvitova (CZE) (6) d Mona Barthel (GER) — 6-2, 6-0

Gentlemen’s Singles – Second round
Tomas Berdych (CZE) (6) d Bernard Tomic (AUS) — 4-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(3), 6-1

Ladies’ Singles – Second round
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) (16) d Naomi Broady (GBR) — 6-3, 6-2

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No. 2 Court – 11:30 A.M.

Ladies’ Singles – Second round
Na Li (CHN) (2) d Yvonne Meusburger (AUT) — 6-2, 6-2

Ladies’ Singles – First round
Vera Zvonareva (RUS) d Tara Moore (GBR) — 6-4, 6-7(3), 9-7

Gentlemen’s Singles – Second round
Andrey Kuznetsov (RUS) d David Ferrer (ESP) (7) — 6-7(5), 6-0, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2

Gentlemen’s Singles – Second round
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) (14) v Sam Querrey (USA) — To Finish 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-7(4), 6-3, 9-9

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No. 3 Court – 11:30 A.M.

Ladies’ Singles – Second round
Venus Williams (USA) (30) d Kurumi Nara (JPN) — 7-6(4), 6-1

Gentlemen’s Singles – Second round
Leonardo Mayer (ARG) d Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) — 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-1, 6-4

Ladies’ Singles – Second round
Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) d Victoria Azarenka (BLR) (8) — 6-3, 3-6, 7-5

Ladies’ Doubles – First round
Serena Williams (USA) (8) / Venus Williams (USA) (8) d Oksana Kalashnikova (GEO) / Olga Savchuk (UKR) — 5-7, 6-1, 6-4

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Court 12 – 11:30 A.M.

Gentlemen’s Singles – Second round
Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) d Ernests Gulbis (LAT) (12) — 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(5)

Ladies’ Singles – Second round
Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) (22) d Misaki Doi (JPN) — 7-5, 6-4

Gentlemen’s Singles – Second round
Marin Cilic (CRO) (26) d Andreas Haider-Maurer (AUT) — 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4

Ladies’ Singles – Second round
Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) (10) d Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL) — 3-6, 6-3, 8-6

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Court 18 – 11:30 A.M.

Gentlemen’s Singles – Second round
Kevin Anderson (RSA) (20) d Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA) — 7-6(0), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4

Gentlemen’s Singles – Second round
Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) (27) d Jan Hernych (CZE) — 7-5, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2

Ladies’ Singles – Second round
Lucie Safarova (CZE) (23) d Polona Hercog (SLO) — 7-6(7), 7-5

Ladies’ Singles – Second round
Lauren Davis (USA) d Flavia Pennetta (ITA) (12) — 6-4, 7-6(4)

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Court 8 – 11:30 A.M.

Gentlemen’s Doubles – First round
Jamie Murray (GBR) (14) / John Peers (AUS) (14) d Daniel Evans (GBR) / James Ward (GBR) — 6-2, 6-4, 6-4

Gentlemen’s Singles – Second round
Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR) (21) d Benjamin Becker (GER) — 6-7(4), 7-6(0), 6-3, 6-4

Ladies’ Singles – Second round
Caroline Garcia (FRA) d Varvara Lepchenko (USA) — 7-5, 6-3

Ladies’ Singles – Second round
Ana Konjuh (CRO) d Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) — 3-6, 6-2, 6-2

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Court 16 – 11:30 A.M.

Ladies’ Singles – Second round
Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE) d Elena Vesnina (RUS) (32) — 6-4, 6-2

Gentlemen’s Singles – Second round
Fabio Fognini (ITA) (16) d Tim Puetz (GER) — 2-6, 6-4, 7-6(6), 6-3

Gentlemen’s Singles – Second round
Gilles Simon (FRA) d Robin Haase (NED) — 7-6(1), 6-4, 6-4

Ladies’ Singles – Second round
Shuai Peng (CHN) d Maria Kirilenko (RUS) — 6-0, 6-3

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Court 17 – 11:30 A.M.

Gentlemen’s Singles – Second round
Jeremy Chardy (FRA) d Marinko Matosevic (AUS) — 6-7(5), 7-6(7), 7-6(9), 4-6, 7-5

Gentlemen’s Singles – Second round
Jimmy Wang (TPE) d Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) (17) — 7-6(1), 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3

Ladies’ Doubles – First round
Sara Errani (ITA) (2) / Roberta Vinci (ITA) (2) d Jelena Jankovic (SRB) / Alisa Kleybanova (RUS) — 6-2, 6-2

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Court 4 – 11:30 A.M.

Gentlemen’s Doubles – First round
Dustin Brown (GER) / Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) d Ken Skupski (GBR) / Neal Skupski (GBR) — 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2

Ladies’ Singles – First round
Zarina Diyas (KAZ) d Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) — 7-6(4), 6-4

Ladies’ Doubles – First round
Belinda Bencic (SUI) / Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) d Kaia Kanepi (EST) / Anna Tatishvili (USA) — 6-2, 6-4

Gentlemen’s Doubles – First round
Martin Klizan (SVK) / Dominic Thiem (AUT) d Carlos Berlocq (ARG) / Joao Sousa (POR) — 7-5, 5-7, 6-4, 5-7, 8-6

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Court 5 – 11:30 A.M.

Ladies’ Doubles – First round
Andrea Petkovic (GER) / Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) d Kveta Peschke (CZE) (3) / Katarina Srebotnik (SLO) (3) — 7-5, 6-3

Gentlemen’s Doubles – First round
Jamie Delgado (GBR) / Gilles Muller (LUX) d Yen-Hsun Lu (TPE) / Divij Sharan (IND) — 2-6, 2-6, 7-6(3), 6-3, 6-2

Ladies’ Doubles – First round
Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) / Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO) d Johanna Konta (GBR) / Tara Moore (GBR) — 6-4, 6-4

Ladies’ Doubles – First round
Zarina Diyas (KAZ) / Patricia Mayr-Achleitner (AUT) d Pauline Parmentier (FRA) / Laura Thorpe (FRA) — 6-3, 3-6, 6-3

Ladies’ Doubles – First round
Shuko Aoyama (JPN) / Renata Voracova (CZE) d Jana Cepelova (SVK) / Anna Karolina Schmiedlova (SVK) — 6-1, 7-6(3)

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Court 6 – 11:30 A.M.

Gentlemen’s Doubles – First round
Feliciano Lopez (ESP) / Jurgen Melzer (AUT) d Alex Bolt (AUS) / Andrew Whittington (AUS) — 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2

Gentlemen’s Doubles – First round
Lukasz Kubot (POL) (7) / Robert Lindstedt (SWE) (7) d Santiago Giraldo (COL) / Alejandro Gonzalez (COL) — 6-2, 6-1, 6-4

Ladies’ Doubles – First round
Ashleigh Barty (AUS) (6) / Casey Dellacqua (AUS) (6) d Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) / Heather Watson (GBR) — 6-4, 7-6(3)

Ladies’ Singles – Second round
Tereza Smitkova (CZE) d Coco Vandeweghe (USA) — 6-3, 7-6(4)

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Court 7 – 11:30 A.M.

Gentlemen’s Doubles – First round
Marcel Granollers (ESP) (6) / Marc Lopez (ESP) (6) d Marin Draganja (CRO) / Florin Mergea (ROU) — 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1

Ladies’ Doubles – First round
Klara Koukalova (CZE) / Monica Niculescu (ROU) d Sandra Klemenschits (AUT) / Raluca Olaru (ROU) — 6-1, 6-4

Ladies’ Doubles – First round
Garbine Muguruza (ESP) (16) / Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) (16) d Christina McHale (USA) / Ajla Tomljanovic (CRO) — 7-6(4), 6-3

Gentlemen’s Doubles – First round
Daniel Nestor (CAN) (3) / Nenad Zimonjic (SRB) (3) d Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) / Andreas Seppi (ITA) — 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-4

[divider]

Court 9 – 11:30 A.M.

Gentlemen’s Doubles – First round
Andre Begemann (GER) / Lukas Rosol (CZE) d Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) / Philipp Oswald (AUT) — 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-5

Ladies’ Doubles – First round
Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) (12) / Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) (12) d Marina Erakovic (NZL) / Arantxa Parra-Santonja (ESP) — 6-4, 3-6, 6-3

Ladies’ Doubles – First round
Madison Keys (USA) / Alison Riske (USA) d Petra Cetkovska (CZE) / Vania King (USA) — 7-6(5), 6-2

Ladies’ Doubles – First round
Kristina Barrois (GER) / Stefanie Voegele (SUI) d Irina Buryachok (UKR) / Elina Svitolina (UKR) — 6-0, 6-3

Ladies’ Singles – Second round
Michelle Larcher De Brito (POR) d Jarmila Gajdosova (AUS) — 6-3, 4-6, 6-3

[divider]

Court 10 – 11:30 A.M.

Ladies’ Doubles – First round
Julia Goerges (GER) (10) / Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER) (10) d Vesna Dolonc (SRB) / Daniela Seguel (CHI) — 6-2, 6-3

Gentlemen’s Doubles – First round
Teymuraz Gabashvili (RUS) / Mikhail Kukushkin (KAZ) d Andrey Golubev (KAZ) / Denis Istomin (UZB) — 7-6(6), 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(6)

Ladies’ Doubles – First round
Kimiko Date-Krumm (JPN) / Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE) d Sharon Fichman (CAN) / Donna Vekic (CRO) — 6-1, 6-2

Gentlemen’s Doubles – First round
Chris Guccione (AUS) / Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) d Alejandro Falla (COL) / Marinko Matosevic (AUS) — 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-3

[divider]

Court 11 – 11:30 A.M.

Gentlemen’s Doubles – First round
Juan-Sebastian Cabal (COL) (15) / Marcin Matkowski (POL) (15) d Marcelo Demoliner (BRA) / Purav Raja (IND) — 6-2, 6-4, 6-4

Gentlemen’s Doubles – First round
Jean-Julien Rojer (NED) (11) / Horia Tecau (ROU) (11) d Henri Kontinen (FIN) / Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) — 7-6(5), 6-4, 7-6(4)

Ladies’ Doubles – First round
Timea Babos (HUN) (14) / Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) (14) d Karolina Pliskova (CZE) / Kristyna Pliskova (CZE) — 6-3, 6-7(5), 12-10

Ladies’ Doubles – First round
Vera Dushevina (RUS) / Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) d Annika Beck (GER) / Kurumi Nara (JPN) — 6-3, 6-2

[divider]

Court 19 – 11:30 A.M.

Ladies’ Doubles – First round
Lucie Hradecka (CZE) (13) / Michaella Krajicek (NED) (13) d Gabriela Dabrowski (CAN) / Alicja Rosolska (POL) — 5-7, 6-4, 6-2

Gentlemen’s Doubles – First round
Aleksandr Nedovyesov (KAZ) / Dmitry Tursunov (RUS) d Tomasz Bednarek (POL) / Benoit Paire (FRA) — 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 7-6(2), 6-2

Gentlemen’s Doubles – First round
Eric Butorac (USA) (13) / Raven Klaasen (RSA) (13) d Ryan Harrison (USA) / Kevin King (USA) — 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4

Ladies’ Doubles – First round
Cara Black (ZIM) (4) / Sania Mirza (IND) (4) d Martina Hingis (SUI) / Vera Zvonareva (RUS) — 6-2, 6-4

[divider]

June 24, 2014
Biofile: The Grigor Dimitrov Interview

[Note: I did this Biofile with the newly crowned Queen’s Club champion Grigor Dimitrov back when he was just eighteen, moments after his 2009 US Open first-round qualifying win over Tobias Kamke (6-4, 6-4).]

Ht: 6’2″ Wt: 170

DOB: May 16, 1991 In: Haskovo, Bulgaria

First Tennis Memory: “First tennis memory…okay, I was holding my small racquet and I was on the wall. This is what I just remember. Hitting the ball. And actually that’s all I remember for my first memory [smiles]. I was three.”

Tennis Inspirations: “I have a lot actually. You know I like Roger Federer, for sure, the best. Marat Safin also when I was a kid. I really loved Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi. All these players were unbelievable for me. And I just try to do something like that.”

Nicknames: “I have a lot. I don’t know which ones to say. You’re better to ask other people, I have a lot, so. (Just a couple?) The Dynamite Kid [laughs]. (Another?) G-Force [smiles].”

Hobbies/Interests: “I like to play volleyball, all kinds of sports actually…soccer, American football mostly. (What position?) Quarterback [smiles].”

Last Book Read: “The Notebook.”

Favorite TV Show: “That’s a good one. I don’t know to tell you the truth. I like Friends.”

Favorite Movies: “I like comedy romance, action a lot also. My favorite – The Notebook.”

Favorite Meal: “Definitely steaks.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Lemon is my favorite.”

Pre-Match Feeling: “I’m basically almost every time relaxed so I have time to think for a match and whatever I can do I just go outside and play.”

Childhood Dream: “Always wanted to be a tennis player. This was always my goal. Whatever was happening I just wanted to do it.”

Greatest Sports Moment So Far: “Winning the European Championships, the under fourteen. (Why?) Because that was a key actually for my career so far. I beat in the final a Czech guy. It’s a memory that always comes to my mind.”

Most Painful Moment: “Losing against Rafa [laughs]. I lost third set against him a couple of months ago (in Rotterdam). I was very disappointed but hopefully…”

Which Match(es) Were You At Your Best: “Well, actually Wimbledon probably quarters last year. Against American guy. I was just making every shot, every shot, whatever I wanted I was making. That’s for sure.”

Favorite Tournaments: “I like really U.S. Open and Wimbledon.”

Closest Tennis Friends: “Hmm. Good question. My coach for sure. I like Feliciano Lopez is very nice.”

Funniest Player Encountered: “Oh, Tursunov, definitely [laughs].”

Toughest Competitor Encountered: “For sure, Rafa.”

Funny Tennis Memory: “Once when I was serving, I hit my partner. That was funny. Straight in the ass. Long time ago.”

Favorite Sport To Watch Outside Tennis: “Hmm, basketball.”

Favorite Athletes To Watch: “Definitely I like to watch a lot of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, all the NBA players. Tom Brady, New England quarterback. I like to play soccer but not to watch.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “I like them to be honest and to have a sense of humor, definitely.”

[Scoop’s book “Facing Hewitt” will be available at Amazon.com later this month.]

June 20, 2014
Federer Claims 7th Halle Title; Dimitrov and Ivanovic Win in England

Roger Federer won the title at the Gerry Weber Open today, defeating Alejandro Falla, 7-6(2), 7-6(3.) It was just the tune-up he would have been hoping for as he prepares for the start of Wimbledon in one week.

Ana Ivanovic won her first grass title and third of this year in Birmingham over Zahlavova-Strycova, 6-3, 6-2. And Grigor Dimitrov also won his first trophy on grass, beating Feliciano Lopez in three tight sets, 6-7(8), 7-6(1), 7-6(6).

June 15, 2014
Dimitrov Wins in Bucharest

Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria defeated Lukas Rosol of the Czech Republic 7-6(2), 6-1 to win the BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy. This is Dimitrov’s second title of the year, and third of his career. Rosol was defending the trophy. The men traded breaks in the first set, which was very competitive and decided in a tiebreak, that was less so. Rosol won only two points. Dimitrov took over the match from there, running away with the second set. When the rankings come out tomorrow, the Bulgarian will regain his previous career-high mark at No. 14.

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Cover Photo (Creative Commons License): Marianne Bevis

April 27, 2014