Summer Hard Court Ramblings
July 16, 2008 by Jeremy Howard
It has been a while since I’ve posted…but that is mainly due to the fact that anything written last week would have seemed mundane after the greatest match ever played. I thought everyone could use a little break. Well, that and of course there has been a severe lack of tennis related news lately. So here are some thoughts heading into the US Open Series, Olympics and US Open.
- As much as it pains me to write, I have a feeling American men will continue to disappoint. Besides Andy Roddick’s upset of Federer way back, it has been somewhat of a down year for the American ATPers. While their results may be a bit better on their home turf and best surface, I would be hard pressed to predict a victory for any of the Masters Events (Cincinnati, Toronto) or the US Open. Of course, I still prescribe to the theory that the struggles of guys like Blake and Roddick are partly due to their extended 2007 year, when they won the Davis Cup. And as an American, I am very happy with being Davis Cup Champions, even at the sacrifice of some better 2008 results.
- Although it ultimately is a shame Justine Henin retired so young, the silver lining is that it has lead to quite a bit of parity on the WTA Tour. The three Grand Slams thus far have been won by three different players (Sharapova, Ivanovic & Venus Williams), and trying to predict what will happen in the next couple of months is nearly impossible. It used to be very easy to predict Henin, but with her out, I can see anyone of the three Grand Slam champions winning some big events, but it also wouldn’t surprise me to see a Jankovic, Serena Williams, Kuznetsova or Dementieva pull out a Tier 1 or Grand Slam victory.
- Thrown into both the Men’s & Women’s mix this year is the Olympic Games in Beijing. People seem to think that the fact that an ‘extra’ tournament is going to be a big deal for the players who compete in the Olympics. This is completely false. If they weren’t playing in the Olympics, they would most likely playing a different warm up event, like the Legg Mason in Washington DC. The real key is not when the event is, but where. Jet lag will be a major issue for some of these players. I do realize the Olympic Tennis competition ends on August 17, so even finalists will have over a week to be back to normal before the US Open. However, that week of practice is crucial for most players, and the fact is their week leading up to the final Grand Slam may not help them as much as normal. It will be very interesting to see how this plays out.
- Finally, what will happen with Nadal and Federer over the next couple months. Even before winning Wimbledon this year, Nadal had proved he could win on grass by making the finals in both 2006 and 2007. However, he still has not really proved himself on the summer hardcourts. This is probably due to the fact that his physical style of play leaves his body a little worse for the wear come the dog days of summer. And nothing is harder on your body than a hard-court match in 100 degree heat. For Federer, who seemed destined to tie if not break Sampras Grand Slam Singles Title record this year, he will attempt to salvage his 2008 with a win at the US Open and in Beijing. There are many reasons he has been number one in the world for so long, and a primary reason is confidence. And while his confidence may have been shaken a bit, it is certainly not gone.
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