2020 Australian Open...ATP 2000...Melbourne, Australia

[don_budge]

As we start the new year with the first Grand Slam of the decade it might be interesting to note that we have been doing this for a long time. A very, very long time.

https://www.tennisplayer.net/bulleti...ustralian-open

https://www.tennisplayer.net/bulleti...urne-australia

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https://www.tennisplayer.net/bulleti...urne-australia

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https://www.tennisplayer.net/bulleti...urne-australia

https://www.tennisplayer.net/bulleti...lian-open-2018

https://www.tennisplayer.net/bulleti...urne-australia

So here we are and our "Once and Future King" Roger Federer is still prowling the grounds. Isn't that what he is doing actually? Prowling? The way he walks around the court as if he owns the place. Win or lose. He just acts like the moment he is on the court that it is his. Not in any sort of self glorifying way but in a way that it makes you appreciate how many times he has been there and how many times he has walked away with his dignity...win or lose. We enter the new decade with him but for sure he will not be here for the next. How many of us will be? One never knows.

https://www.atptour.com/en/scores/current/australian-open/580/draws

But here is the draw. And it is a good one. The Big Three are the top three seeds of course but none of them are granted a free pass to the semis where they are projected to on the basis of their seedings. The top seed is none other than Rafael Nadal. My question is can Nick Kyrgios hold it together to face him in the round of sixteen. You never know with Nick and you know even less when it comes to the best of five format. Nadal himself just might show another side of himself that we haven't seen before. He appears to be getting older before our very eyes. Suddenly he seems to be vulnerable. He seems to have lost a half of a step. Come on Nick! Get your shit together in that Aussie sunny weather!

Just outside of the Big Three is lurking the guy who has shown that he has a bit of disdain for all of them. Not only them but anyone that might want to get in his way. New York fans...umpires. You name it. Daniil Medvedev just wants to play and he just wants to beat people. He showed signs last year at this venue but couldn't quite get it done. He was on a tear in 2019 and he enters the new decade with some high expectations. He might be the next player other than the Big Three to hoist a Grand Slam trophy.

More tomorrow...

[klacr]

I'm excited to get tennis back up and running in the new decade. December seemed so long without it.
Draw looks pretty solid, I see the young Russian Andrey Rublev making the 2nd week of this slam.
Usual suspects still remain the favorites though. Nadal, Djokovic or Federer. Medvedev my pick outside the top 3.

Two names in the women's draw I'm following closely, well three actually. Arantxa Rus, Viktorija Golubic and Garbine Muguruza. I may explain later.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Delray Beach
SETS Consulting

[don_budge]

More tomorrow...

https://www.atptour.com/en/scores/current/australian-open/580/draws?matchtype=singles

It is tomorrow as promised. The top seeds in the bottom half of the draw are #8 Mateo Berrittini, #3 Roger Federer, #6 Stefanos Tsitsipas and #2 Novak Djokovic. How can you not see Roger out to the quarters against Berrittini or whoever. That's a pretty darned good draw for the Swiss Maestro. No such luck for the "New Kid on the Block" in Stefanos "The Greek". Like Zorba. Stefanos will have to play it one match at a time and his progress will be riddled with a land mine every step of the way. But if he keeps his nose to the grindstone it would be great to see him in a quarterfinal against Novak Djokovic. How can you not see Novak out to the quarterfinals?

So action gets under way in some hours. Lots and lots of question marks throughout the first round. I have a feeling that this is going to be a great tournament. Hope to see some of the other posters participating in this tournament. It is going to fun anyways. Let the games begin!

[don_budge]

Am I reading the weather report for Melbourne correctly...30.1 mm rain on Monday. Noah get your Ark!

[stroke]

I also feel that Nadal is looking a bit older and is only going to be a real threat at FO. Novak clearly the favorite. Medvedev in the conversation. Stefanos also. Nick a wild card like no other. If he gets to round of 16 vs Nadal(if Nadal gets there), I would pick him to win. I like Rublev's game and attitude also. Berrenttini has maybe the biggest forehand weapon out there and is obviously a guy to watch. And Fed, the easiest on the eye game forever, how could one ever count him out.

[gzhpcu]

So Federer not having played a match in a while, disposes of Steve Johnson effortlessly..

[klacr]

Shapovalov big disappointment losing to Fucsovics in 4 sets. He looked so good early on at the ATP Cup. Federer cruised through, when you have the gift it doesn't matter how long the layoff is. Although he hasn't played a tournament yet this year don't think he hasn't been playing intensely. Roger works his schedule and his periodization a bit differently. The Australian Open summer is his end of the year so for him this is the last grand slam. He will be primed and ready for all the matches coming up.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Delray Beach
SETS Consulting

[don_budge]

Shapovalov big disappointment losing to Fucsovics in 4 sets. He looked so good early on at the ATP Cup.

Kyle LaCroix USPTA
Delray Beach
SETS Consulting

Ernests Gulbis sends the other Canadian hopeful packing. Felix Auger-Aliassime had looked super impressive in some lesser venues as well. But things change when you come to the Big Game...aka Grand Slam events. Their time is coming. But how about that Ernests Gulbis...he with the swimmer forehand. The Dolphin Forehand. He has been hanging around in much lesser events for the past year but comes up with the winning hand in this match. I was looking at that matchup and even went to far to view Ernests recent activity and judging by the ascension of Felix as of late wondered if an upset was possible of the #20 seed. Turns out...it was.

I watched a bit of Stefanos Tsitsipas and I liked his look as he made short work of a lesser opponent. Just like you must if you are going to be a contender at the Big Show. Novak Djokovic looked absolutely unbeatable against Jack Struff. He virtually gave a set away to get a bit more work under a bit more pressure. Absolutely unflappable. Daniel Evans gave it the old college try and came from two sets down to advance.

I get the impression that the depth of the tournament is much, much better than we have seen in the recent past. Some of the early rounds are very intriguing. The draw is shaping up with some rather titanic showdowns looming. Wait until we get to the last sixteen. There might be a slightly different look to this tournament than we have seen in the past years with the same old, same old.

I have a date with the gym otherwise I think I would be watching a couple of these early rounds. But they are of little consequence so I must do my duty...like a good Prince would.

[don_budge]

Daniil Medvedev is now the fourth wheel of the Big Four. Can he live up to the billing?

[glacierguy]

Dan Evans came back from 2 sets down to win in 5. I only watched last 2 sets, when normal service was resumed (all court attack), so not sure what went wrong early on, but when asked in interview what he did differently to turn it round, he said "hit the ball and keep it in".

[don_budge]

Dan Evans came back from 2 sets down to win in 5. I only watched last 2 sets, when normal service was resumed (all court attack), so not sure what went wrong early on, but when asked in interview what he did differently to turn it round, he said "hit the ball and keep it in".

Watching Federer vs. Krajinovic. One of the announcers just said...on the backswing of the serve. "I like to see the hitting face down as it promotes looseness in the wrist and possibly more racquet speed on the hit."

[stroke]

Watching Federer vs. Krajinovic. One of the announcers just said...on the backswing of the serve. "I like to see the hitting face down as it promotes looseness in the wrist and possibly more racquet speed on the hit."

I like everything Fed does also. Beautiful service motion, not as good as Sampras(same height), but very good.

[don_budge]

Match of the Day...Roger Federer vs. Filip Krajinovic

Game, set and match to Roger Federer...6-1, 6-4, 6-1. Only Roger Federer can command the tennis aficionado's attention to the degree that he does. I watched Stefanos Tsitsipas the other day against a pretty decent opponent that he was routinely dispatching and he doesn't have the commanding presence that a Roger Federer does. Fed is prowling. He's almost imperceptibly snarling. The Snarlin' Darling. But he was up on it today against a guy who has a pretty darn good game...at least half a pretty darn good game. You see...he has no options. It is just back court...more backcourt and more backcourt. Nothing to take Mr. Federer out of his rhythm or out of his realm. Federer is a man for all seasons and all surfaces. All occasions. He can adapt and he can do it on a point by point basis. A shot by shot basis.

I spent an hour on the court this morning working out with my young friend and protege Gustaf. I had watched him play and lose rather decisively to the number one seed at a local tournament here in Skövde, Sweden before the New Year. He has the strokes and he has the variety of shot but he has virtually no idea how to use them. So that is what we worked on a bit today. Every shot doesn't have to be a winner. Every shot doesn't have to overwhelm your opponent. Case in point...Roger Federer. As glacierguy pointed out regarding Daniel Evans two set from behind comeback...you have to hit the ball and keep it in. Keep the ball in play.

So we marvel at the great assortment of winners and glorious shots that Roger hits during the course of any given match but what really impresses me are the five or six balls that he is willing to trade before he goes for the knockout. Whatever it takes...but no gimmes for the opponent. He makes his opponent win every single point that they win. He doesn't give anything away. Deuce court, opponent hits what looks like a clean winner up the middle on serve but here is Roger lunging and somehow getting his racquet on the ball and lobbing it up towards the ceiling and bouncing it as near to the baseline as he can. He makes the opponent play as awkward a ball as he can and he has all of the possibilities. Sometimes it is a high spinning ball landing back towards the baseline or sometimes it is a short spinny shot in the forecourt. Opponent coming to the net? He somehow gets it down at the feet...or gets them to move backwards for a well placed lob. That is if he isn't in position to land the haymaker...which he does with confidence.

So impressed with Roger's patience. So many times he worked his younger opponent around the court to get him off balance to get a slightly better swing at the ball. Many times he ran him out of the court on the forehands side and instead of going for the outright winner to the backhand he just moves him over there where he just managed to get the ball on his racquet and then here is Roger swooping in for the kill. Or prowling in for the kill. He is on the prowl now. John Millman next. Yep...the same Millman who handed Roger one of his worst defeats on the Big Stage at the U. S. Open. This is only going to work against Millman now as Roger never forgets. Now he has the opportunity to bully the Aussie on his own court and I sort of see Roger trying to put the pedal to the metal on Millman. Roger has some room in front of him now. A good look to the semis. Berrettini made a quick yet prolonged exit courtesy of Tennys Sandgren which just opens up the draw for Roger. He can see Djokovic down at the end of the tunnel. The same Djokovic who stole his thunder last year at Wimbledon. It's not nice to steal Roger's thunder. He doesn't like that. But does he have the legs for it? That will be the question.

So far, so good. He's been on the court and off the court just as quickly. Saving energy. Counting his steps. Measuring. Until he gets to the real thing then it will just be prowling, prowling and more prowling. Trying to trade the necessary balls to get the haymaker on his racquet. A lot of work to be done. But that is what he does. He doesn't let the other guy outwork him. Make no mistake...he is TALENTED. But he earns it. When he is away from the tour he is out there working.

[don_budge]

I like everything Fed does also. Beautiful service motion, not as good as Sampras(same height), but very good.

Haha...you are there and I am here. We pushed the "post reply" within one minute of each other. Didn't mean to steal your thunder. Both motions are excellent. Do you give the nod to Pete Sampras? One cannot argue with either one. Pete probably hit a heavier ball and more MPH...but the thing about these two motions is that they produce the best of placement. Lines, lines and more lines. Little bits of the line. Yeah...Sampras was reigning supreme when he was on top of his game. He was in on the net just as quick. His motion was designed to go in and that is going to produce the better motion all things being equal...I believe.

[stroke]

Great post on Roger db. I still remember an article I read one time on Fed that pointed out Fed had lost more matches than anyone where he had actually won more points in that match. At first blush, it may appear a weakness, a negative, but as the author on the article pointed out, it actually revealed the opposite. Federer does not let any games/sets go as almost all other players do. He always competes to make his opponent earn it.