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cezero
Goldmember
So, the first tennis major of the year begins on Jan 13...just 10 short days from now. Here are some thoughts.
Men
Time to face facts. With the undeniable decline of Federer, the "big 3" in men's tennis right now are Rafa, Djokovic, and Murray. It's hard not to pencil in all 3 of them to make the semis, and set up a final between 2 of them. Outside of this big 3, nobody else has made an Aussie Open final since 2010, when Federer won it.
Federer recognized he had to make a significant change, and has wisely, I believe, taken on Stefan Edberg to coach him for at least the first couple of months of 2014. I'm not sold on how much it will help him factor in at the 2014 Aussie Open; however, it does set up an interesting dynamic, given that Murray is being coached by Lendl, and Djokovic recently added Boris Becker to his corner. For these 3 coach-player dynamic duos, we're talking about 45 majors....that's about 1/3 of all major titles won in the past 30 years.
I predict Djokovic will make the final again, regardless of whether he plays Murray in the semis or not. If Nadal draws Murray in his half, I think I'd have to put my money on Nadal winning it given Murray's extended layoff in 2013. So I'd put my money on it being a Nole/Rafa final.
Interestingly, if Murray were to somehow win it, he'd have 3 of the 4 majors under his belt, and only need the French for a career slam.
Women
It's all in Serena's hands. I'm pretty sure she'll be on a mission to permanently exorcise memories of her 2013 Aussie Open by coming in strong and focused in Melbourne next week. If she plays at or near her best the entire tournament, nobody will be able to stop her.
Serena plays Azarenka tomorrow in the Brisbane final, and I'll be surprised if Serena doesn't win that one. Vika beat Serena last week in exhibition, but exhibitions are just that.
Interestingly, Sloane Stephes has just hired Paul Annacone as her coach. We'll see if that helps her build on an impressive 2013.
Shoulderpova managed to get deep into a 2nd set with Serena yesterday, but it was more because Serena had some lapses in concentration than anything else.
Where's the next generation of young players, both for the women and men?
Please, kids, make a splash in 2014. The sport needs it. Seeing a youth insurgence at the first major of 2014 is as good a time as any.
Men
Time to face facts. With the undeniable decline of Federer, the "big 3" in men's tennis right now are Rafa, Djokovic, and Murray. It's hard not to pencil in all 3 of them to make the semis, and set up a final between 2 of them. Outside of this big 3, nobody else has made an Aussie Open final since 2010, when Federer won it.
Federer recognized he had to make a significant change, and has wisely, I believe, taken on Stefan Edberg to coach him for at least the first couple of months of 2014. I'm not sold on how much it will help him factor in at the 2014 Aussie Open; however, it does set up an interesting dynamic, given that Murray is being coached by Lendl, and Djokovic recently added Boris Becker to his corner. For these 3 coach-player dynamic duos, we're talking about 45 majors....that's about 1/3 of all major titles won in the past 30 years.
I predict Djokovic will make the final again, regardless of whether he plays Murray in the semis or not. If Nadal draws Murray in his half, I think I'd have to put my money on Nadal winning it given Murray's extended layoff in 2013. So I'd put my money on it being a Nole/Rafa final.
Interestingly, if Murray were to somehow win it, he'd have 3 of the 4 majors under his belt, and only need the French for a career slam.
Women
It's all in Serena's hands. I'm pretty sure she'll be on a mission to permanently exorcise memories of her 2013 Aussie Open by coming in strong and focused in Melbourne next week. If she plays at or near her best the entire tournament, nobody will be able to stop her.
Serena plays Azarenka tomorrow in the Brisbane final, and I'll be surprised if Serena doesn't win that one. Vika beat Serena last week in exhibition, but exhibitions are just that.
Interestingly, Sloane Stephes has just hired Paul Annacone as her coach. We'll see if that helps her build on an impressive 2013.
Shoulderpova managed to get deep into a 2nd set with Serena yesterday, but it was more because Serena had some lapses in concentration than anything else.
Where's the next generation of young players, both for the women and men?
Please, kids, make a splash in 2014. The sport needs it. Seeing a youth insurgence at the first major of 2014 is as good a time as any.