Sports Then and Now

Nikolay Davydenko could be a factor in the 2010 Australian Open.

Nikolay Davydenko has been regarded with a mixture of awe and sympathy for many years.

He announced himself as a factor in the 2005 Australian Open, after causing a minor, yet noticeable jolt to the draw by pounding Tim Henman and Guillermo Cañas in succession. In the quarters of that event, he faced Andy Roddick, who was then No. 2 in the world.

Even then it was hard not be amazed at his shots: Time and time again he spun in his first serves, rarely winning points outright with them, but forcing Roddick to cough up a ball landing at midcourt which the Russian could crush. And that’s what he did, sending a host of forehand winners past the American.

Victory was not to be his that day, as Roddick was holding serve easily, and his returns eventually started landing deep enough to prolong the rallies, which eventually contributed to mistakes on the Russian’s side. Though he lost in straight sets that day, Davydenko announced that he was one of the best pure ballstrikers in the world.

And that pure hitting allowed him to reach the top 10 that year, and stay in the top 10 ever since. In an era where the players are ever bigger and more imposing, Davydenko is 5’10” – the only man under 6 feet in the current top 10 – and perhaps generously listed at 154 pounds by the ATP Tour website. What’s more, his thinning tufts of blond hair have always reminded of a freshly hatched chick. Read the rest of this entry →

Rafael Nadal will look to repeat his Australian Open success from a year ago.

There is certainly a lot to whet the appetite in this opening Grand Slam of the year, and judging from the intense preparations of all the top players, the competition will be fierce from the word go. Even before the Christmas presents were open, most had headed to training camps or tournaments in hot climates to get used to the punishing heat of Melbourne.

But the crystal-ball is even more misty than ever, this year, for all sorts of reasons.

There are old hands who are turning head-to-head records upside down: Nikolay Davydenko, for example, has notched up two consecutive wins over Roger Federer.

There are promising new kids on the block suddenly rising to the challenge of the Grand Slams: Juan Martin Del Potro won his first at Flushing Meadows; Robin Soderling made the final in Paris.

Injury cut a swathe through the top of the rankings: first Federer took time out, then Rafael Nadal disappeared from two Grand Slams with tendinitis.

Meanwhile some oldies-but-goldies have attacked the Tour and the rankings with renewed vigor: Andy Roddick almost won Wimbledon; Tommy Haas celebrated victories over  Novak Djokovic, a semi-final at Wimbledon, and a 60-place jump in the rankings.

JA Allen (JA), Marianne Bevis (MB) and Rajat Jain (RJ), try to take all this into account in our analysis and predictions for the men’s draw.

Click here to see our women’s predictions.

Roger Federer’s First Quarter

Not an easy draw—possibly the worst of the four—for the top seed. Even the ATP home page calls it “daunting.” A first round match-up against Igor Andreev, a gnat’s whisker outside the seedings, would not be the top of any player’s list.

Another dangerous non-seed and former finalist is Marcos Baghdatis. Deeper into the draw is Aussie favorite Lleyton Hewitt and, most dangerous of all, form player of the moment, Nikolay Davydenko. He, though, might have to contend with last year’s star performer, Fernando Verdasco, to make the quarters.

Read the rest of this entry →

Serena Williams will look for a repeat of her 2009 Australian Open championship.

In recent history there has never been more compelling drama promised than that offered in the 2010 Australian Open women’s draw. Consider all the possible story lines, what with the Williams sisters fit and fully engaged and Maria Sharapova back to compete hopefully at full strength once again.

Then there is the continuing saga of the “Come-back Queens”—Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin! Add to that the potential for Dinara Safina to finally find her missing courage.

For a pinch of entertainment enhance the proceedings with the ingenues Victoria Azarenka and Caroline Wozniacki and you have all the ingredients for a first rate, blockbuster grand slam down under.

Rajat Jain (RJ), Marianne Bevis (MB), and JA Allen (JA) will present our analysis and predictions for the women’s draw—with the men’s draw to follow in short order.
Serena Williams’ First Quarter

As quarters go, Serena has almost a cake-walk to the quarterfinals unless she stumbles getting out of the gate. The rest seems fairly straightforward with the seeds progressing in order.
Best of the first-round matches

Urszula Radwanska vs. Serena Williams (1)

The two have met on the grass at Wimbledon where Serena won 6-4, 6-4 but Radwanska, seeded 190 at the time, played well. An early match against a seasoned opponent could prove dangerous for the No. 1 seed. (Unanimous choice.) Read the rest of this entry →

The 2010 Australian Open begins on Monday, January 18th.

In tennis, the offseason between the outgoing year’s World Tour Finals (or the previous other names by which the year’s final ATP tournament was called) and the upcoming year’s first tournament is never too long.

It seems even shorter in the last few years with the advent of the Internet, which meant increased participation by fans; it went like a blitz this year as the decade came to a close. Pages worth of analysis were written, and tons of best and worst lists were formed, discussed, and argued upon.

In no time, Christmas and New Year’s Eve passed by…and suddenly Nikolay Davydenko had defeated Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on back-to-back days, Robin Soderling got the 13th time luck against Federer (albeit in an exhibition match), Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters played a nerve-wracking thriller that was absent almost all of the last year in the WTA circuit, and—lo!—the draws of the year’s (rather, decade’s) first major have been released.

Australia, the Land Down Under, may be thinly populated, but it is probably the most dominant country in sports. Be it cricket, rugby, hockey, or football, they can teach the world a thing or two in each sport. In tennis, they boast of an unparalleled legacy. With legends like Rod Laver, John Newcombe, Ken Rosewall, and Roy Emerson, to name a few, they have fielded some of the finest tennis players ever to grace the game.

But despite this fine sporting history, their native Grand Slam tournament took time to establish itself. The Australian Open was constantly in a state of flux after the Aussie legends faded down the scene. Read the rest of this entry →