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Why Murray belongs in the Big Four 16 Jan 2019 – Charles Friesen Talk of the Big Four has been going on for about ten years in tennis.    Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, and Murray have dominated the men’s game in the last decade.   But while Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic are into the teens in their slam title counts, Murray has three.   And there is another active player with three as well, Stan Wawrinka.   So is it exaggeration to put Murray in the Big Four and not Stan? I’m not going to try to talk about the qualitative aspects of their respective games, Murray and Wawrinka, who plays better or whose style is more robust, or even about their direct match-up which is slightly in Murray’s favour (11-8).   And by no means is this an attempt to knock Stan down a peg.   Rather I think the numbers show that Murray’s performance over the past 10 years elevates him to the level of an elite player in a way that Stan’s does not. Of course both have fac...

2019 Australian Open Women’s Draw Preview 11 Jan 2019 – Charles Friesen There are probably 25 women who could be reasonably predicted to hoist the 2019 Australian Open trophy.   This is a staggering degree of parity – more like golf than tennis.   It has made for an interesting cast of characters for fans to follow with rivalries, playing styles, and personalities to suit every taste.   But one woman stands out.   Though past the prime age of most players, though she hasn’t won a slam or any other tournament for two years, though she is ranked only #16 by the WTA computer, Serena Williams is still the favourite.   And with 23 slam titles to her credit, it’s easy to see why the bookies have her at their shortest odds of all players.   She may have lost a step, the next generation may have learned to hit with her power, but her ferocity, drive, and sheer talent make her the opponent players most fear. But with Serena’s increasing inconsistency, ot...