tennis gut

Is Novak Number One? Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal each entered the US Open with one slam title this year.   A victory by any one of them would make a strong argument for being #1 for the year. Djokovic nailed the title and it was enough to move him from #6 to #3 in the rankings.   It also moved him to #2 in the yearly race.   But is his record enough to consider him the year’s #1? How significant are the ITF-controlled slams in the yearly accounting?   Martina Navratilova has spoken out claiming she feels they’ve gotten too important compared to the WTA- and ATP-controlled tours that consist of the all the other tournaments at the 250 point level or higher.   In her era players often skipped the slams for more lucrative tournaments. But that was then.   Now the slams have assigned point values for the world rankings that have been relatively stable for the last 29 years.   This year Federer has won 14 matches at the slams...

US Open 2018 Men’s Preview The more things change, the more they stay the same.   The top of men’s tennis is once again dominated by Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic.   They’ve each won a slam title this year and the breakthrough of the Next Gen, while promising at lesser tournaments, has been stubbornly resisted at the slams.   Is that about to change? First Quarter Rafael Nadal seems to have a reasonably easy path to the quarterfinal.   He could face Karen Khachanov in the third round, whom he beat in the semis of Toronto in a tight two sets.   The fourth round could bring up Kyle Edmund (seeded 16) or Jack Sock (18).   Top seeds in the lower half of the quarter are Dominic Thiem (9) and Kevin Anderson (5).   Thiem has made the fourth round in three of four outings in New York but played only one match on hard courts in preparation, a loss to Tsitsipas in Toronto, so I won’t be expecting much from him.   Anderson is at a career high ...

US Open 2018 Women’s Preview It used to be easy to just pick Serena Williams as the favorite whenever she played.   But she hasn’t won a tournament since delivering a baby during last year’s US Open.   That she’s even playing and made the Wimbledon final is perhaps amazing.   But given some patchy play before and since then, it’s hard to call her the likely winner for this year’s US Open.   Her innate game and greatness are still there, and playing a major is sure to get the most of her intensity and focus.   But I have trouble believing this title will be hers. So where to look? The current slam holders are ranked top four right now and are a good place to start:   Simona Halep, Caroline Wozniacki, Sloane Stephens, and Angelique Kerber. How did their draws shake out? First Quarter Simona Halep has sailed away from the rest of the field, claiming three titles from six finals this year and a 2000 point cushion at the top of the rankings. ...