We Need Answers Pt. 2

And here is the second installment to the preview of the upcoming US Open series and what we as fans should look out for on the main tour! After the first part of this series covered the future of Safina, del Potro, Simon, the Williams Sisters, and Azarenka, I will continue to focus on certain individuals of the sport.

5. Can Kuznetsova Regain Her Form?

Svetlana Kuznetsova is one of the WTA tour's finest players. Kuznetsova, confident and strong, stormed through Paris to win her second grand slam title. But afterwards she had a series of lackluster performances on grass, accumulating in a losing effort to hard-hitting Sabine Lisicki at Wimbledon.

Sveta is known for her lapses in play, so as she approaches the summer hard courts defending little points we wonder how high she can climb. Primarily, she is in a three way race with Venus Williams and Elena Dementieva for the third and fourth seeds at the US Open. It is very likely that Sveta might just bomb out of a few of the summer hard court tournaments only to post a great run at the US Open, but just as likely is she could reach a few finals during the summer and bomb out in the second round at the final grand slam of the year.

Overall, as Sveta proceeds through this summer I know I'm going to be paying close attention to her ranking change because if she sneaks in above Venus in the rankings she might cause a Serena-Venus QF clash at the US Open.

6. When Will It Happen?

Despite only being in his early twenties, Marin Cilic (seen right), has seemingly been called a player to watch for the entire season. But time after time he has come up short despite his 6 foot 6 frame and outstanding movement for a man so tall. When examining his game I was constantly searching for major strengths and major weaknesses yet I found nothing. That's a good and a bad sign with his game for he can still improve. Primarily he needs to get stronger and get some more miles per hour on that already spin filled serve. Additionally he could work on moving forward more since his forecourt game is currently filled with natural raw talent that can still be refined.

His major curse has been his nerves. At Wimbledon he squandered match points against Tommy Haas and thus costing him a chance to advance deep in a grand slam draw for the first time. I am constantly waiting for him to break through at a top men's event yet countless times he refuses to get that big win.

Will it finally come this summer? These summer tournaments might be his best chance all year as Roger Federer might not be competing due to the pregnancy of his wife, Mirka.

7. Where Will Roddick Go?

Clearly, Andy Roddick is at a deciding moment in his career. Coming off his Wimbledon final loss he will either shine or fade away. As he continues to age he will certainly win less and less so these upcoming years are vital. Particularly, this US Open will be a huge opportunity with Nadal hurting, Djokovic slumping, Murray faltering, and Federer awaiting the birth of his first child. His loss to Federer in the Wimbledon final could be so major that Roddick never recovers, however, and he won't be able to get over it. I pray that he realizes how it reflects his own improvement and he continues to grow in confidence because Roddick can cause serious damage to his competition this summer as his game flourishes on the hard courts.

Roddick may have withdrawn from Davis Cup because of an injury, but if his results are not top notch we will all know it's not his body that's hurting. It's essential that he overcomes the loss and uses it to help his confidence because his level during the Wimbledon final was extraordinary and if he keeps it up he should be back in a grand slam final in a few weeks at the US Open.

8. Can His Knees Last?

Once again, Rafael Nadal's knees are causing some concern. Forcing him out of Wimbledon and a chance to maintain his number one ranking, those knees are causing havoc. Hopefully the rehab of the past few weeks has been enough and he can play on the hard courts. The blue-green summer hard courts, however, are notorious for being much more damaging to knees and joints compared to the soft clay and grass courts of the previous weeks.

To be frank, the tour needs him for his personality, the media needs him to broadcast tennis, and I need him to make the ATP even more competitive. I'm sure he will be back playing again, but will his knees continue to bother him and affect his play for the rest of his career? Can he regain his number one ranking? Will these knees consistently wear out mid season, forever stopping him from winning the US Open and thus the career slam unless he makes serious changes? There are just so many questions surrounding Nadal and his knees that his first few matches when he comes back will greatly reflect things to come.


Well there you have it! Those eight things you should watch for with the upcoming summer hard court swing and the US Open on the men's and women's tours!

Textbook Tennis with Tommy Haas

Tommy Haas continues his string of upsets as he advances to his first Wimbledon semifinal

Today, as Tommy Haas fought his way past Novak Djokovic in the second set he reminded everyone present the simple components to winning a match. These components are commonly called "Textbook Tennis". And here is Tommy's clear overview of the basics.

Chapter 1: Don't Get Down on Yourself

A few moments before the tiebreaker Haas had seemingly blown the opportunity of the tournament. At 5-5 Haas played a solid game to break Djokovic and it appeared as if he was going to repeat the first set and serve out the set to win it 7-5. Yet Haas did the exact opposite. He was broken at love. Including two groundstroke errors, a double fault, and a tentative approach shot resulting in a passing shot winner from Nole. As everyone watched on we all expected Haas to have another one of his infamous explosions. Haas, however, surprised us all and held it together right at the start of the tiebreak. On the very first point he blasted a forehand return winner, sending a message to Djokovic that he would not mentally go away.

Chapter 2: Keep Your Nerve

Haas clearly held his nerve in that second set tiebreak, trailing 3-6, he fought off 3 consecutive set points. On one point, specifically, you could see why Haas perfectly illustrated "Textbook Tennis".

"Thwack". The stoic sound of Haas' technically sound one-handed backhanded reverberated through Court 1 as he blasted an up-the-line winner passing shot past Djokovic. It was a beautiful sight to see. Clearly, Haas was not afraid to finish the point, while throughout a large part of the match Djokovic waited for errors from the German.

Chapter 3: Research Your Opponent

Throughout his match against the talented Serb, Haas, wise and aging, clearly did his homework. Countless number of times Haas made some plays that were clearly more than luck. Specifically, in the second set tiebreak, Haas had just fought off three set points and it was 6-6 in the breaker. Djokovic hit a serve and Haas was there to cover it. Clearly, Tommy knew Nole's favorite deuce serve was out wide and after blocking the return Nole pushed a forehand long, setting up a chance for Tommy to gain a two set to love lead.

Chapter 4: Construct Your Points

On Tommy's first set point in the second set he illustrated the perfect way to construct a point. He set he play up with a wonderful deep topspin backhand that landed a few inches from the baseline. Knowing this would draw a short ball, Haas moved forward to attack the next ball. Viciously, Haas knifed a slice cross-court to approach the net. Finally, Haas showed his precise footwork as he knocked off a crisp backhand volley winner to finish the set.


Overall, as Tommy won in 4 sets over Novak, he taught Novak a simple lesson on how to play strategic and effective "Textbook Tennis".

Men's Quarterfinal Results:

(6) A Roddick def L Hewitt 6-3 6-7 7-6 4-6 6-4
(3) A Murray def (WC) J Carlos Ferrero 7-5 6-3 6-2

(24) T Haas def (4) N Djokovic 7-5 7-6 4-6 6-3
(2) R Federer def (22) I Karlovic 6-3 7-5 7-6

Men's Quarterfinal Preview

Ivo Karlovic is ready to continue the upsets, facing Roger Federer in the Quarterfinals of Wimbledon

After the less than stellar women's quarterfinals it's time for some of the most exciting matches of the tournament! The men's quarterfinals could be a huge bust, or a huge must see event!

1. Centre Court Match 1: (2) R Federer vs (22) Ivo Karlovic

Federer has been playing lights out tennis all Wimbledon. His forehand has been spectacular, his backhand has been solid, and his serve has been clutch. As Federer begins to look like the Federer of old, he only has one major problem between him reaching the final. And its name is Ivo Karlovic.

Karlovic has yet to be broken this entire tournament. Yes. You read correctly. The ENTIRE tournament. Dr. Ivo's serving stats have been off the charts after four matches. With 137 aces, making 72% first serves in, winning 91% of those first serves, and winning 55% of his second serves he will no doubt be difficult to break. In some ways, Karlovic has been very Sampras-esque in his performances. No, I'm not saying Ivo has the groundstrokes or volleys of Pistol Pete, but Ivo has been following a simple strategy used to describe Pete in his prime. Ivo can be ordinary throughout an entire set, serving bombs and bricking returns all the way to a tiebreak. Seemingly out of nowhere, however, Ivo can come up with a clutch forehand or volley winner to get up a mini-break in a tiebreak and finish his opponents there.

As Federer was slumping last year the main problem he was forced to deal with was his rhythm. And to be frank, no one can get a good rhythm off the ground when facing Dr. Ivo. Imagine the pressure if you are late in a set and you're forced to hit pin-point passing shots in an attempt to pass the 6'10 giant. Needless to say, no one has been able to do it enough in Ivo's first four matches this tournament. One key factor for Fed is his chip return he has that can force the Big Man to hit low slow volleys, which are very difficult to control especially in the quarterfinal round of the most prestigious tennis tournament.

Fed has won their two meetings this year, but with Dr. Ivo, no one really knows what he might bring to the table on Wednesday.

My Prediction: Roger wins in 4 sets, losing one in a tiebreak.

Centre Court Match 2: (3) A Murray vs (WC) J Carlos Ferrero

Ferrero and Murray have played once before. But that match happened to be at Queen's on grass this year. Murray prevailed in the SFs 6-2 6-4 overcoming a lackluster performance by the Spaniard.

This week, however, Ferrero has been upsetting opponent after opponent and after knocking off number 10 seed Fernando Gonzalez can Ferrero do it again?

I doubt it. Murray has too complete of a game, and can outserve, outhit, outrun, and outthink the aging Spaniard. Ferrero's only chance is if Murray collapses under the pressure of the crowd. Murray has so far thrived on the crowd and with yet another match on Centre Court with thousands of supporters, Murray will definitely be pumped for the occasion.

My Prediction: Murray wins in three respectable sets

Court 1 Match 1: (4) N Djokovic vs (24) T Haas

A rematch of Halle's final where Haas knocked off Djokovic in 6-3 6-7 6-1, but Djokovic had won the other two meetings between the two. Haas has survived a five set thrillers this Wimbledon while Djokovic has won 12 straight sets since losing his opening set in his first match.

This match is such a toss up. Both are very solid off the ground and don't really have many weaknesses. It's going to come down to whoever plays the big points better.

My Prediction: Djokovic holds on winning a 5 set thriller

Court 2 Match 2: (6) A Roddick vs L Hewitt

This match is the one I'm most looking forward too. Hewitt's resurgence this Wimbledon is remarkable and inspiring after he was seemingly going to lose early in the second round to Rafael Nadal until the Spaniard withdrew because of his injured knees. But now, the two grass court experts face off at Wimbledon for the first time. Roddick has owned Hewitt as of late and has won both matches on grass against one another. Hewitt needs to return like a madman and serve well if he wants to have a chance. I know earlier I wrote about how Hewitt was playing so well, but this has been some of the best stuff from Roddick I have seen all year.

My Prediction: Hewitt gets two sets close, but can't win a set.

Well, I was pretty close with all of my ladie's predictions so hopefully I continue the trend with the men on Wednesday!