With Rafia's win in Shanghai, some are already talking about his place in history. Is he the best men's tennis player of our time? No, No, No!
He had a great year on the ATP tennis circuit. I'll even go so far as to say he had an awesome year. He won just about every men's tennis event out there. He also has charisma, good look and is a great ambassador for his sport.
BUT....
It was one awesome year. I personally think that he needs to have a couple of great years to be considered in elite company.
He also needs to play not necessarily more events but a variety of events. Tennis seems to be nationalized. It is a given each and every year that the foreign players are going to stay in Europe and play 'at home'. They will come to the US to play those events that they are required to play. To be considered on my list of 'best men's players of our time' - he owes it to the fans of Indianapolis to play the Indy Tennis Championships at least once. Not every year, just once. In fact, the fans in Los Angeles, Delray Beach or San Jose deserve to see the world's greatest player (if he is that) at least once every 3-4 years.
So, Rafia - congratulations on an awesome year - please come play tennis in Indianapolis this summer! Our wonderful tennis fans should have the opportunity to see you play!
Gilles Simon, fresh from a run to the finals of the Madrid Masters Event, has earned himself a career-high ranking of #10 in the ATP's men's tennis rankings. Gilles is the 2008 Indianapolis Champion, where he was ranked #22 this summer.Simon also took home titles this year in Casablanca and Bucharest.
Simon lost to Andy Murray in the Madrid final, but not before defeating World #1 Rafael Nadal in the semis and notching winds over Ivo Karlovic, Robby Ginepri, James Blake, and Igor Andreev.
I've been a big fan of Simon this year and I don't see that changing anytime soon. I had the chance to speak briefly with him in July here in Indy and he was a class act. He's young and energetic, but humble and aware of his place in the game right now.The sky truly is the limit for him and I look for him to contest for a top five spot very soon.
The rest of the top ten looks like this:
1. Nadal- Duh..
2. Federer
3. Djokovic
4. A. Murray
5. Ferrer
6. Davydenko
7. Roddick
8. Nalbandian
9. Del Potro
10. Simon
First of all-my apologies to all the Tampa Bay Rays fans out there. The twelve of you will have to wait a little longer(maybe) for the maiden voyage to the World Series. The 34 inning batting practice finally came to an end last night as the Red Sox came back from down 7 runs to win the game in the bottom of the ninth on a J.D. Drew single. The following professionally made video montage sums it up best:
Cheer up, though...the odds are still in your team's favor with a 3-2 advantage going back home and with Shields going tomorrow night against the suddenly-not-so-good Josh Beckett, but if the Sox do happen to get back in this thing, you can look back at a few things last night, namely David Ortiz' 2-run homer that may have shifted momentum back Boston's way. Anyway, if things don't work out, don't feel too bad- YOU LIVE ON THE OCEAN!! Things can't be that rough, can they? 
Plus, I think Wilfred Brimley is throwing out the first pitch saturday night, but most of the Tampa Residents will be in bed by then.
Also, since I'm talking playoffs- Hey, TBS- enough already with the promos for "Frank TV". At first, I thought "Hey,this guy could be kind of funny" but 6 months and 3000 commercials later, I pretty much would rather watch "The Hills". Over and over and over and over again.
And now for some tennis:
THIS JUST IN: Andy Murray shaves, beats Monfils in Madrid. Job well done on both.
Also in Madrid- Gilles Simon rallied from down match point to defeat a determined Robby Ginepri and Ivo karlovic suprised Novak Djokovic. He was hiding around a corner waiting for Novak to walk around it and then jumped out and was like "waaarrhh!!! ha ha I really got you that time, Novak" and Djokovic was all like " aw, man...whatever, no you didn't!." Then Karlovic beat him 7-6 7-6.
In other Madrid news, Roger Federer defeated Juan Martin Del Potro in the quarterfinals and will face the now clean shaven Murray in the semis. Now let's see what can be done about Nadal's underwear problem as the ATP's "Brave New World of Hygiene" continues its mission to clean up the game.
zzzzing!
All for now. It's friday-know what time it is?
Mr. Simon, what are you doing to our Americans in Madrid?
Indianapolis Tennis Championship winner, Gilles Simon, just beat one of our favorite sons, James Blake, in Madrid, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. Simon is 12th in the world now (I think he was about #18 when he played in Indy) and took care of the ninth seed, Blake in the second round.
Gilles now faces another Indy Champion, Robby Ginepri in the third round. I'm certainly in a quandry over who to root for in this tennis matchup. Both are past champions in Indianapolis and both are great guys. If I asked either one to sign an autograph for a fan, they would do it. If I asked either one to take a break from training and shake a sponsors hand, they would do it. Great guys and great champions. Men's professional tennis need more players like Simon and Ginepri.
So, I'm going to go out on a limb and not choose. Both are playing great tennis and the best man (on Thursday) will win!
Indianapolis Tennis Championships Presented by Lilly winner Gilles Simon continues to fight through the season with another hard fought win over Igor Andreev 4-6, 6-1, 7-6, (9-7) in the ATP Masters Series Madrid. At 24 years old Simon is taking the tour on by surprise with 3 tournament wins under his belt already this season. The 5-11, 143 lbs. Frenchman also defeated another familiar face to the Indianapolis Tennis Championships Presented by Lilly 2006 Champion, James Blake in the second round at Madrid. Simon is currently ranked 12th on the ATP tour and is marching up the ladder at full speed. Best of luck in round 3, Gilles! Check below for some outstanding play by Simon while playing in Indy.
Andy Roddick was victorious over the weekend in Beijing at the 2008 China Open beating Dudi Sela 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3. Not only was this a great win for Roddick it was a true showing of the American tennis stars character.
After the contest Roddick announced that he will be donating $25,000 of his winnings to the China Tennis Association. The donated money will be used towards helping those still in need after the devastating earthquake that happened in Sichuan Province, China.
Congratulations Andy on a spectacular week of tennis and good luck throughout the rest of the year.
Having had a chance to reflect on the loss to Spain, I honestly don't think that this was a winneable tie anyway, but I do think, and perhaps more importantly, it was pivotal in the advancement of our Davis Cup team for the forseeable future. If Sam Querrey is the next star in the U.S. stable, which I believe he is, then it was time to get him in the fold and let him gain valuable experience. Injuries to James Blake and Bob Bryan forced the United States team out of its gameplan, but the time was now to take inventory of what we had and what we may need.
I'm not an expert on the Davis Cup, but as a professional tennis fan, I will say that I was extremely impressed with Sam's efforts against Nadal in the first rubber. He brought his usual composure into a match in Rafa's backyard and on his favored surface and with a rowdy crowd that was in his corner the whole way and still managed to steal a set from him in the meantime.
Sam can walk away from the experience with a great amount of confidence and Pat McEnroe can breathe easy knowing he has a guy that can play.That has to count for something.
The ATP Challenger Series is set up as a great developmental opportunity for young players. The Series is to men's professional tennis what AAA baseball is to the major leagues. If you look through the draw in Waco, you will notice many familar faces. I counted ten guys who have played in Indianapolis at one point, including Bobby Reynolds and John Isner.
Ram is definitely an Indy favorite. He first competed in the RCA Championships (now the Indianapolis Tennis Championships Presented by Lilly) in 2002. His best results were in 2005 and 2008 when he reached the round of 16.
Not only is Ram loved by the crowds here but he is loved by the volunteers and staff. He is a true gentleman and always willing to sign autographs, talk with sponsors and meet with the press.
The next stop on Ram's Texas tour is probably the Lubbock Challenge. Go Rajeev!
Sam is 21 years old and hails from California. He is one of the tallest players on the ATP Tour at 6'6". Sam started playing tennis at the age of four. He turned pro in 2006, loves playing basketball, tennis and golf.
Currently ranked 39th in the world, he has had a great run this year. He won the Las Vegas event, was a semi-finalist in Delray Beach and here at the Indianapolis Tennis Championships. He first played in Indy in 2006 where he reached the round of 32. In 2007, he was a semi-finalist losing to eventual champion, Dmitry Tursunov.
Good luck today Sam!
2007 Indianapolis Tennis Champion, Dmitry Tursunov is one of the players showcased. Also within the calendar pages are Paradorn Srichaphan, another Indy Tennis favorite as is Tommy Hass. The number one doubles team in the world, Mike and Bob Bryan represent the United States.
Each region of the world is represented and in total players from 12 countries are showcased. To check out the calendar, 2009 ATP World Calendar.
My hats off to the ATP for showcasing some of the lesser known players and a different 'side' to men's professional tennis
The reigning US Open Doubles Champs and current World #1 Doubles team will have a slightly different look two days from now as Bob Bryan will sit out this weekend's Davis Cup tie with Spain due to a shoulder injury. US Open quarterfinalist and all-around awesome guy Mardy Fish will step in in Bob's absence. Mardy was not on the original U.S. team, but has been serving as a hitting partner with the singles players.When reached for comment, Mike Bryan was quoted as saying " It'll be nice playing with Mardy for a change. I mean, sure, I love Bob and everything, but we're around each other like 20 hours a day or something. We live together, too."
Mardy Fish offered the following regarding the new pairing: " Yeah....which one are you again?Oh, right, Mike! Gotta remember that. Mike, Mike, Mike."
This weekend's tilt will be a challenge for Team USA, already working Sam Querrey into the mix after James Blake withdrew from the competition. USA faces off with Spain in Madrid, on clay, and featuring a young upstart named Rafael Nadal. This weekend's contest, along with Argentina vs. Russia should provide us Racquetheads with some outstanding professional tennis matches.
Complete information regarding both Davis Cup Semis available here
Over the weekend, Gilles Simon, beat Carlos Moya 6-3, 6-4 to take the BCR Open Romania title. What is significant about Simon's victory? Well, Gilles is the reigning Indianapolis Tennis Championships Presented by Lilly champion and has significantly boosted his chances of qualifying for the Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai event.
Simon was virtually unknown when he arrived in Indianapolis. He was Indy's number two seed but to be honest, I even had no idea who he was. Since his victory in Indy's men's professional tennis tournament, Simon has had an impressive run. The 23 year old went on to defeat Roger Federer in Toronto and advanced to the semi-finals. This has undoubtably been his best year - with three titles so far.
Simon moved up three spots and is now number 12 in the ATP race. Gilles has played more tournaments than the 11 players ranked ahead of him. There are two Masters Series event left before Shanghai so let's cheer for Indy Tennis Championships' Gilles Simon!
What an awesome opportunity for Querrey, first he got to represent the US at the Olympics and now for the Davis Cup Team.
Querrey is having a breakthrough season in just his second full year as a pro. He won his first ATP title in March and defeated then No. 9 Richard Gasquet and former French Open champion Carlos Moya on red clay en route to the quarterfinals in Monte Carlo. This summer, Querrey made his Olympic debut in Beijing and had his best finish at a major, reaching the Round of 16 at the US Open.
Querrey will be the first rookie on the U.S. team since Robby Ginepri made his debut in the 2004 First Round. Congrats Sam!
I know I should be writing about men's tennis and the Indianapolis Tennis Championships but I feel I should devote some space to Serena Williams. It seems you either love her or hate her. How can any sports fan or general fan not be able to applaud her performance at the US Open?
After five years and one month, Serena is now the number 1 ranked women's professional tennis player in the world. She beat Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 7-5 to take the US Open crown. What an achievement. Not only did she win a major, the major tennis tournament in the world but she moved into the number 1 ranking.
She has gone the longest period between the top ranking by any player since the early 70s. I don't care if you aren't a tennis fan, you have to applaud her unbelievable effort and perservance to comeback and take the US Open crown and ascend to the #1 ranking.
Go Serena!!!
Since I'm still in the dumps about my recent US Open picks, I not going to recount last night's tennis match. Roddick was not mentally prepared. Hats off to the Williams sisters, though. That has to be a tough stage to be playing your sister on the national stage for a semi-final spot at the US Open. The greatest tennis event in the world!
I want to grip about the Indianapolis Star's coverage of the US Open. I am a faithful reading of the Sports page every morning before work. This morning, I was excited to read about last night's mens tennis match, todays matches and other general comments from the US Open. Yes, the largest standalone sporting event in the world! I expected the Colts to get the front page and the US Open to be on the inside of the front page.
I read through the Colts, high school football, NFL, baseball, transactions/AP info and then finally found the US Open information. How can this huge event on the sports calendar be regulated to the back page - especially when the Indianapolis Tennis Championships feeds into the US Open. There is a men's professional tennis tournament in Indianapolis - there are fans of tennis in Indianapolis. How can the US Open, generating $200 million in revenue, be slammed to the bag page?
In further investigation, I decided to check out www.indystar.com for the lastest US Open news. After much searching, I found a blurb about US Open highlights under the National News section-at the bottom and fifth on the list. It even appears after a story about Marion Jones being released from prison early. Game, Set and Match - how can tennis compete with a convict being released from prison early.
Sorry for the delay in the updating, I am just recovering from my very first visit to the US Open! After playing tennis for 10 years, it was a dream come true to see the greatest event in tennis! It will be a memory I will never forget, stepping foot on the grounds that have shaped tennis to what is today and seeing the future of tennis firsthand. It is a priviledge to be part of the Olympus US Open Series, and to see history made...40 years of US Open Era!
Sidenote from last night's match: I am glad to see Djokovic stand up for himself. I don't think it was intentional to toast the crowd, but rather he was caught up in the press and trying to balance the pressure! I vote him to win the whole tournament regardless of what poeple are staying!
Congrats Bryan Brothers on another great victory!
In case you didn't see the Novak Djokovic's post-match tirade..er,interview last night..here it is in it's entirety.
I've always liked Novak quite a lot, not only for his obvious skill on the court, but also for his charisma and unique personality. However, last night was disappointing. There's a good read on it over on Fanhouse (a favorite of The Juice). Novak later backed off his original comments, but unfortunately you can't put the toothpaste back in the tube. I'm not sure what kind of reaction Novak was expecting from the crowd, but I'll bet it wasn't this.
Last night's match was shaping up to be one of those magic events that have taken place so many times at the open..until the fourth set with Roddick up 5-3. All the pieces were there..Djokovic dominating the first two sets, going a perfect 4 for 4 in break chances. Roddick battling back in a brilliant third set that had Novak on the ropes and looking for some quick answers.That was until late in the afore mentioned fourth set when the wheels fell off for Roddick. Djokovic seized the chance to work his way back onto the set, eventually winning the tiebreak.
I'll give Novak his due credit, albeit for a shaky third set, he was confident in his game plan and was precise in his shot selection while forcing Roddick to play out of his comfort zone.
For Djokovic, it's on to the semis for a rematch of last year's final versus Roger Federer. The winner gets either Rafa Nadal or Andy Murray in the final.
Professional Tennis On Tap today at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center:
The Brothers Bryan vs. Dlouhy/Paes for the Men's Tennis Doubles Championships- Currently 4 all in the second set with the Bryans taking the first set 7-6
Women's Semifinals
Dementieva vs. Jankovic- Soon after the doubles match
Followed by
S. Williams vs. Safina
p.s.- There's rain in the forecast all weekend in NY, tomorrow may be interesting. I don't know about you, but having to play both finals on sunday wouldn't be so bad.
Men's professional tennis is taking a dump on me. I decided to hang out on a limb and pick the men's winner of the US Open this year. I was pretty confident that some of my picks would come through. I had a couple upsets selected and then some of the tried and true favorites - Nadal, Federer etc. I went so far as to pick the Indianapolis Tennis Championship's winner, Gilles Simon.
Well, I obviously need to start taking tennis lessons or watching is more closely on television.
My original predictions for the quarters:
Nadal, Blake, Simon, Lopez, Roddick, Moya, Tursunov and Federer
Of my choices, the only men still left in the tournament are Nadal, Roddick and Federer.
I knew I should have picked a man named Fish for the "tournament of my life" award. Mardy is coming off some injuries and hasn't played a ton of tennis this summer. It is nice to see him do well in the biggest tennis event all year. Too bad he had to beat my man Blake.
Andy is now being coached by Patrick McEnroe. I met Patrick this summer as was very impressed. He is now charged with developing the young elite players for the USTA. He should do well in that role. Hopefully he can get Andy's tennis game back on track.
General observations from the Open (and now totally unqualified eye): Federer doesn't look strong, Monfils is a breadth of fresh air and Del Porto is proving his summer wasn't all luck.
First off, if you didn't watch the Roddick/Santoro match last night, you really missed something special. Let's just say that both backwalls in Arthur Ashe Stadium took a beating.Roddick easily defeated The Magician in straight sets 6-2 6-2 6-2. Santoro is one of the craftiest professional tennis players around, but was unable to withstand a constant barrage of Roddick serves.
Lindsay Davenport was also impressive as she defeated Alisa Kleybanova 7-5 6-3. Lindsay did a noce job in foiling Kleybanova's game stategy, which was to hit every..single..shot.. at Davenport as hard as possible. Linsday moves on to meet 12th seed Marion Bartoli in the third round.
Other notable results from day 3
Novak Djokovic advances to the third round with a win over Arnaud Clement in straight sets. Novak rolled his left ankle pretty good, but with the help of a professional tennis trainer and 90 feet of athletic tape, he was able to finish the match. Keep an eye on this as the week progresses.
Nikolay Davydenko won in straight sets over Israeli Dudi Sela 6-3 6-3 6-3.
Robby Ginepri beat fellow American Amer Delic. Wild Card Sam Warburg defeated Janko Tipsarevic, who retired in the 2nd set.Dmitri Tursonov beat Eduardo Schwank in 4 sets. This happened somewhere in the middle of them seeing who could smash the most racquets on court
Jelena Jankovic outlasted Sofia Arvidsson to advance to the third round. Jankovic looked shaky at best. Elena Dementieva advanced over Pauline Parmentier 6-2 6-1.
Patty Schnyder, Caroline Wozniaki, and 3 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova were also winners.
Complete men's and women's day 3 results here.
Notable matches on tap for today
Men
Juan Martin Del Potro vs. Thomaz Belluci
David Nalbandian vs.Andrey Golubev
Andy Murray vs. Michael Llodra
Stanislas Wawrinka vs. Wayne Odesnik (currently 5-5 2nd set with Wawrinka taking the first set)
Sam Querrey vs. Nicolas Devilder
Ivo Karlovic vs. Florent Serra
Gael Monfils vs. Evgeny Korolev
Women
Dinara Safina def. Roberta Vinci 6-4 6-3
Venus Williams vs. Rossana De Los Rios
Ana Ivanovic vs. Julie Coin
Tonight's primetime action-coming to you live from the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
Serena Williams vs. Elena Vesnia
Rafa Nadal vs. Ryler De Heart
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