Entry #8Jonathan Newman and James Rogers are the hosts of The Body Serve Tennis Podcast. In the The Body Serve Diary, Jonathan and James write conversationally about the various happenings in the wild world of tennis.
JR: So, Jonathan, one would think that with the US Open over, the tennis news cycle would slow down a bit. But with Miss Olympia’s newly verified Instagram account, Maria’s book, and Laver Cup, it’s hard to keep up. JN: Alexis Olympia Ebony Starr Ohanian-Williams is her name as far as I’m concerned. I knew we were going to be writing about Sharapova today (again), but you caught me a bit off guard when you said you wanted to chat about the Laver Cup. We haven’t talked about that one bit privately, so I’m curious to hear your thoughts on it. Shall we start this Diary there? JR: Sure. I can’t decide if Laver Cup is a cynical cash grab, an exhibition in posh clothing, or a fun experiment with format. It might be all three. I’m always skeptical of additions to the calendar -- especially ones with huge appearance fees -- when scheduling is such a contentious issue in tennis, and when the US Open men’s draw was plagued by big-name withdrawals. JN: I take and understand all those points, but I actually think it’s one of the better additions we’ve seen to the tennis calendar. I imagine the intent of it is in line with the Ryder Cup -- and more specifically the Presidents Cup -- events in golf, two tournaments that add a lot of texture and fun to the golf calendar without relying on gimmicks to bring fans in (*cough cough - Next Gen Finals*). We get to see Nadal and Federer play on the same team, which is a win-win for the sport. JR: I hear you … the Ryder Cup is hugely successful in golf (and it's been played in my hometown of Rochester, NY!). Laver Cup is in a good spot in the calendar, when many top players would be resting and while other players are competing in 250s. I hear Fedal will be playing doubles together, as well, which obviously has appeal. The lack of stakes, though, is a hindrance to me: it’s a bunch of very rich men playing low-risk low-reward tennis, for what exactly? I will concede that the entertainment value could be huge. The barrier right now is the hilariously lopsided match-up of “Team Europe” versus “Team World,” the latter of which pulls from only the U.S., Canada, and Australia; and whose players have shockingly poor head-to-heads against Team Europe. JN: Well, del Potro was supposed to play (which would have made it four) but he hasn’t yet recovered from his U.S. Open semifinal run. For a tournament like this to take off, it needs to have the legends of the game fully invested and the big names playing; the Laver Cup meets this criteria and then some: Team Europe will be headed by Bjorn Borg and Team World captained by John McEnroe. Then, we have the man himself Rod Laver doing all the promo he can manage to sell the event, and we have Fedal making time for it as well. In Borg-McEnroe and Federer-Nadal, these are two all-time great rivalries that will bring visibility and prestige to the event. Only time will tell if it will last. JR: I like that they have foregrounded tennis history with the choice of captains and centering Rod Laver. It’s also being held in Czech Republic, one of the most storied nations in tennis and one that doesn't have a big tournament of its own. Shall we move on to Maria? JN: Yes. But, one last point about Laver Cup. With the Ryder and Presidents Cups, the strength of the competing teams goes in cycles based on how well folks are playing in the two years leading up to the event. The big difference is that, while there is a qualification points system in golf, it feels a bit arbitrary with the Laver Cup. How were these players selected? Were they chosen because others weren’t willing to make themselves available? This is something to look for in future years; will it become a firm & desirable event in the calendar? Every time we say we’re done talking about Maria, something else happens to make liars out of us, lol. Maria has been making the press rounds to promote her new book, and one of the more surprising spots she did was on Sway’s Universe, sitting down with black presenters and a presumably black audience, fielding questions about race and Serena. Where do you want to start?
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Episodes 94, 95 & 96 of The Body Serve Tennis Podcast
In a post-U.S. Open haze? Follow our journey from the draws to the finale. In our preview episode, learn what we got right (Murray's withdrawal didn't doom the tournament) and what we didn't quite anticipate (Muguruza's loss in the 4th round, Sloane Stephens' gripping performance). In our mid-tournament episode, we speak with repeat guest Rene Denfeld, German-based Tennis Twitter phenomenon and journalist. In our wrap-up episode, we praise Rafa and Sloane, drag Maria, and tie up some loose ends.
Subscribe and review The Body Serve on iTunes, and follow James and Jonathan on Twitter. PART ONE: US Open Preview: Where My Boys At? The last major of the year is here, and lots of top players are not *sob*. We're completely foregoing draw analysis this time around, instead asking broader questions and talking about players who we hope make a splash. Is it fair to call the women's tournament "wide open?" Did Andy owe it to anyone to pull out earlier? Will James ever learn not to pick Tsonga? :30 Back in Toronto! We saw Mariah & Lionel! 8:20 Where are the mens? Andy adds himself to the disabled list 14:00 What's with the pressitude about Andy's timing? 18:00 Halep & Shapovalov ... err, Sharapova will meet in the first round 22:00 Troubling the "wide open" draws discussion 24:30 Looking at the big performers at non-Slam events (Svitolina & Zverev) and how they will perform at the Open 31:00 You can lead James to water but you can't make him drink (there must be a thirst joke in here somewhere) 32:45 The players with momentum: Dimitrov, Kyrgios, Muguruza 38:45 Who do we hope to see break through? 49:50 Things we dislike: the USTA loves to talk about itself; and how will the flag-waving be received this year? 52:45 Things we like: that Nike shoot with les Canadiens! PART TWO: US Op-Ocalypse: A Mid-Major Chat Featuring Rene Denfeld Despite the missing stars, the 2017 US Open has offered no scarcity of big stories: Sharapova's return, Peak Petra defeating Muguruza, Venus' continued good form at majors, and the excitement around Denis Shapovalov. We're so excited to welcome back the insightful Rene Denfeld to the show. The Tennis Twitter-lebrity is covering the US Open for the first time as a journalist, and he shares his thoughts on Sharapova, Fognini, the draws, and what it's like to be there. :35 What a day: James just got Twitter famous, Venus won, and Maria lost 8:00 The great women's round of 16s 11:00 Unpacking Sharapova - the scheduling, the "shade," the reception; or as James calls it, "a feeling of grossness" 21:45 Roger and Rafa's rocky starts to the tournament 26:15 The wild men's bottom half - Querrey, Anderson, PCB or Schwartzman in a major final 29:00 The Shapovalov hype! 33:00 #SeeWhatHadHappenedWas Fabio does Fabio. There's a reason that fogna means sewer 38:00 The problem with "I'm only here for the handshake" 42:10 The wonderful Rene Denfeld is back on the pod, straight from Queens 50:40 Talking with Rene about the weird men's draw, Shapo, Rafa's slow starts 1:00:30 What's it like to be on camera as a reporter? (Rene gets gif-ed) 1:03:50 Did you know? Rene was responsible for Naomi Osaka's excellent 'mesothelioma' monologue 1:08:30 Rene's favorite moments so far PART THREE: Sloane Storms NY & El Decimosexto de Rafa Welcome to episode 96 and our U.S. Open recap. By now you know that Sloane Stephens and Rafael Nadal are your singles champions. It still doesn't seem real, but we try to get to the bottom of a truly inspired performance by Sloane in New York. Nadal put aside a shaky start to the tournament to find some of his best tennis, finishing with a sublime exhibition against Kevin Anderson in the final for his 16th Slam title. We revisit some of the more memorable moments and performances from the tournament, and induct our second ever member of The Body Serve Hall of Fame. We finish with another trip to the Maria well, this time to call out the racist BS from the Serena chapter of her book. 01:18 Jonathan apologizes to Venus fans and to Sloane 03:20 How exactly did Sloane do ALL THAT?!?! 11:21 Sloane evolves before our eyes, pitch perfect on and off the court 16:52 Venus and Petra are THE TRUTH; they deliver the goods again! 22:50 El Decimosexto de Rafa: proving the doubters wrong yet again 29:06 All the credit in the world to Kevin Anderson 34:33 Relitigating the start of 2013 and "I Made You" 44:36 Doubles Standards: time to up the ante 49:43 TBS Hall of Fame: Arigato, Kimiko 54:10 Parsing through the post-Open rankings 60:58 Alicia "Tornado" Black: GO FUND HER!!! 63:08 Sashay away, Tom Rinaldi! 66:54 Maria is truly unstoppable...with the MESS! We have had it. Entry #7Jonathan Newman and James Rogers are the hosts of The Body Serve Tennis Podcast. In the The Body Serve Diary, Jonathan and James write conversationally about the various happenings in the wild world of tennis.
JN: We are two days out from Nadal’s 16th Slam title and three from Sloane’s unexpected run to a maiden title, let’s have a chat about some of the moments from this year’s U.S. Open that remain fresh in our memories. What’s the first thing that comes to your mind? JR: The rich and entertaining women’s draw, without hesitation. Between the comeback stories (Petra, Sloane, Madison, Kanepi, and others) and the many high quality matches, this was a banner event in women’s tennis. It’s a damn shame that the final was so lopsided. Madison played a near classic against Svitolina, with both women showing exactly why they’re shooting toward the top of the game. JN: I’ll start with Sloane. Back-to-back semis leading into the Open was still NOT an indicator that this was in the cards. Just a month ago, she was sitting in press at the Citi Open saying that she’s going to win one of these matches eventually...ONE of these matches...she hadn’t won a match in over a year, let alone winning the whole damn U.S. Open. Would she be fit enough or match ready enough to win seven matches? Just crazy. And even more impressive is the way she went about doing it; I’ve never seen anybody look like they had as much time on court as she did. I will never in my life forget those last three games against Venus in the semis, and how poised she was during and after that final. JR: Let’s be real: Sloane was being a little dramatic when she mused that she’d eventually win a match. She had been back from a huge surgery for, what, two tournaments? But there was nothing dramatic about how she went about winning this U.S. Open. She had patience, poise, court smarts, sporadic power, just everything. I was absolutely stunned at how she played in the final. Watching her win did kind of take the sting out of the previous match against Venus; I was heartbroken for Venus, but no one can say that Sloane didn’t earn this title. JN: Nope. Venus came at her in that semifinal (not always with her best stuff), but Sloane had the improbable answers time and again at the end of that third set. We watched her evolve in real time the last fortnight. Spare a thought for Madison Keys. Prior to to the final, she was the more accomplished player; she was probably the favourite to win the title against Sloane. Yet, she could barely find any rhythm, this after playing the match of her life in the semis to blitz CoCo. Shall we talk about El Decimosexto? JR: Wow, is that how you say it? Rafa wasn’t looking too hot over the summer or indeed in his first 3 rounds here. I did not have high hopes. But starting against Dolgopolov, his confidence and his game started clicking, and it was relatively uneventful from then on. It’s remarkable that we’ve arrived here, with Rafa winning a fourth hardcourt major. Last year, he was dealing with injuries and searching high and low for that forehand. Now, even when the forehand isn’t working how he wants it to, he has the backhand crosscourt, volleying, court sense, and speed to fall back on. JN: All those things are true. The thing that impressed me most with Rafa this time around was how poised he was in the final, especially in the first few games. He had a game plan, especially on return, and stuck with it even when he didn’t get the breaks of serve right away. He didn’t allow himself to show frustration; he didn’t change course and play overly aggressively. Rafa stayed the course and played an impeccable match on serve, picked his spots to be aggressive, and thwarted everything Kevin Anderson threw his way. When Rafa is at the peak of his powers, his game is less kill shot, than it is sucker punches until you have nothing left to give. Now, he has an almost 2,000 point lead at world #1, and he still has a few more events to cap a truly remarkable season. This Week In Tennis
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ATP SINGLES DRAW
(1) Rafael Nadal
Nadal's resurgent 2017 has seen him reach the Australian Open final, win Roland Garros, and regain the world #1 ranking. For all the positives and success that Nadal has achieved this year, he enters the U.S. Open after back-to-back unimpressive losses in Montreal and Cincinnati. After a shock defeat to Shapovalov in Canada, Nadal was unable to trouble Kyrgios in a straight-sets loss at the Western & Southern Open. With Federer hot on his heels for the top ranking, Nadal will look to score his first quarterfinal in New York since winning the title in 2013.
Best Result: W - 2010, 2013
2016 Result: 4R - Pouille
(2) Andy Murray
Slated to be the second seed in New York, Murray withdrew from the event on Saturday after being unable to sufficiently rehab his ongoing hip injury Marin Cilic slides into Murray's place in the draw and will face Tennys Sandgren on Monday. The Brit hopes to return to the court as soon as possible, and does not plan (at this point) to take the rest of the season off.
Best Result: W - 2012
2016 Result: QF - Nishikori
(3) Roger Federer
Despite concerns about a back injury he sustained in the Montreal final, Federer remains the bookmaker's favourite in New York. He won his 18th and 19th Slam titles earlier this year in Australia and at Wimbledon, to go along with back-to-back Masters 1000 titles in Indian Wells and Miami; simply put, Federer has had an awesome 2017 campaign. If he is healthy, and especially with a depleted field in New York, his status as front runner is well earned. A first ever meeting with Nadal in New York looms in the semifinals, as well as the prospect of regaining the #1 ranking for the first time since November, 2012.
Best Result: W - 2004-2008
2016 Result: DNP
(4) Alex Zverev
The ATP has been in search of it's "generation next" for years and, in Zverev, the tour seems to have found its heir to the "Big Four." At only 20-years-old, Zverev has already won six ATP titles, including two Masters 1000 titles this year in Rome and Montreal. Still, Zverev is in search of a breakthrough at a Grand Slam event, having never advances past the fourth round at any of his nine previous main draw appearances. He followed his Rome win on clay with a first round exit at the French Open. All eyes will be on him this time around to see if he can announce, in full, his arrival on one of tennis' biggest stages.
Best Result: 2R - 2016
2016 Result: 2R - Evans
This Week In Tennis
Season 2, Vol 22a
Welcome to the WTA U.S. Open preview edition of "This Week in Tennis." The world #1 ranking is again up for grabs this fortnight in New York: Karolina Pliskova is in current possession of the top spot, but as many as eight other women are mathematically in with a shot at supplanting her by tournament's end. Defending champion, Angelique Kerber, arrives in Flushing Meadows everything but the favourite; Wimbledon champion, Muguruza, is the odds-maker's top pick to win and score back-to-back Slam titles.
This preview will give a rundown of the top eight seeds, players to watch, intriguing first round matches, plus a collection of tennis writing and podcasts from the past week.
This preview will give a rundown of the top eight seeds, players to watch, intriguing first round matches, plus a collection of tennis writing and podcasts from the past week.
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WTA SINGLES DRAW
(1) Karolina Pliskova
Best Result: F - 2016
2016 Result: F - Kerber
Pliskova arrives at the U.S. Open as the top seed for the first time in her career, looking to build on a career-best Slam performance last year in New York when she finished runner-up to Angelique Kerber. She'll face the typical questions asked of someone in her position: can she handle the added pressure of being #1? Is she ready to take the next step in her career and hoist a maiden Slam trophy? Can she hold off a slew of challengers for her top ranking?
(2) Simona Halep
Best Result: SF - 2015
2016 Result: QF - S. Williams
More than any other player in both draws, Simona Halep has a lot of obstacles to overcome during the next fortnight. While she has the momentum of reaching the semifinals in Toronto and the finals in Cincinnati, both tournaments ended with lopsided and lackluster losses. She also carries the baggage of failing to win her first Slam title at the French Open this year, after being a set and a break up in the final against Ostapenko. Halep could also find herself with the top ranking on her racquet for a fourth time this year with a deep run in New York. First up, though, she has the not-so-small misfortune of drawing Sharapova in the first round.
(3) Garbiñe Muguruza
Best Result: 2R - 2015, 2016
2016 Result: 2R - Sevastova
Despite a 2-4 career record in New York, and having never gone past the second round, Muguruza enters this year's tournament as the big favourite. After an indifferent first half of the season, Muguruza has come on strong since winning Wimbledon and parlaying that success into a consistent hard court swing ahead of the U.S. Open. The Spaniard made the semis in Stanford, quarterfinals in Toronto, and capped her run with a Cincinnati title that saw her beat the top two seeds (Pliskova and Halep) as well as Kuznetsova and Keys.
(4) Elina Svitolina
Best Result: 3R - 2015, 2016
2016 Result: 3R - Kvitova
Svitolina is the most accomplished 22-year-old on the WTA Tour. For someone so young, she's already won often and at some of the bigger tournaments just below the Grand Slam level. She has shown the ability to compete and beat the best players in the game; three of her WTA-leading five titles in 2017 have been at Premier events (Dubai, Rome, and Toronto). That she has made only two career Slam quarterfinals is likely a function of still being so young: the talent is there, and her quality of results suggests it is only a matter of time before she has a big Slam breakthrough. The hard courts of Flushing Meadows seem as good a place as any.
Entry #5
Jonathan Newman and James Rogers are the hosts of The Body Serve Tennis Podcast. In the The Body Serve Diary, Jonathan and James write conversationally about the various happenings in the wild world of tennis.
Check out the men's and women's singles draws.
Check out the men's and women's singles draws.
JN: In our last diary, we wrote a lot about Simona Halep and that disastrous Cincinnati final: another missed opportunity at becoming world #1, another let down in a big match, and how apologetic she was afterwards. Here we are, five days on, and she’s drawn Maria Sharapova in the first round of the U.S. Open. If you’re Simona, what are you thinking right now?
JR: I am, as they say, shooketh. I can’t pretend to ever know what Simona Halep is thinking, so I have no idea. Does she see it as an opportunity to show her stature in the game? Does she see it as terrible luck? Maybe both. I say she has a very good chance to win this match, and gain confidence from taking out Sharapova for the first time ever. Simona is in match shape and playing some of her best tennis ever, just not in finals. Maria, of course, has the x-factor and the fact that she has a lot to prove.
JN: The whole “popcorn match” thing is woefully overdone at this point, but this one fits the bill. I can only hope the organizers have the good sense to feature this at night under the Ashe lights, and not opt for some nonsense like “Sandgren making his main draw debut.” We still don’t know how healthy Sharapova is. She withdrew from Cincinnati (where she was slated to play a first round blockbuster too against Ostapenko) to be ready for this moment, so we shall see. I’m with you, this is a match Halep should win; she’s played enough quality tennis this summer to be able to pull it off without much fuss. Can we talk about Sasha Zverev, his overrated hair, and his overly friendly draw?
JR: That’s very much a child’s haircut, and he needs to usher it into 2017. The draw is cushy: he could have Isner, Sock, Khachanov, Cilic, or his own brother in the quarters. Murray is the other big seed in his half, and his health is questionable. I have to remind myself not to pick someone until they put in a great performance at a major. In a Masters or a 500 tournament, I would take Zverev over any of those players, but he needs to prove it in a major. I think this draw has given my perennial pick Jo Tsonga a good chance to go far; it’s the best chance he’s had in years.
JN: You really are a sucker for punishment, bless you. Tsonga, of course, is coming off a first round loss in Cincinnati to Karlovic, and a first round loss in Montreal to Querrey before that. It seems like forever ago, but he does have three titles thus far in 2017, and made the quarters in Australia. OK, maybe it’s not so far-fetched as I initially thought. Back to Zverev, he wants it so badly, and has the game and big stage moxy to back up that desire. I would be equally unsurprised if he wins or crashes out early like he did in the French Open first round. How many times do hard draws end up opening up, and easy draws become minefields? Seems like all the damn time.
JR: That’s the thing: often the exciting first-round match-ups are duds, or the projected tough matches never materialize later in the draw. Both men’s and women’s tennis is very deep. With the Big Four/Five’s dominance slipping a little, it’s easier to see the unexpected happening. That said, do you have any dark horses? I have Feliciano, Delpo, Kohlschreiber, and Donaldson for the men.
JN: You know what? I’m going with Kevin Anderson to maybe come through Zverev’s section if the German falters, old man Ferrer, and Kokkinakis. Isn’t it crazy how last year’s champions are pretty much all but forgotten? I doubt anybody would have picked Kerber to defend her title, and that was compounded by drawing Osaka in a brutal first round match. Stan, of course, is giving us updates from his hospital bed, and will be out for the rest of the year. This feels like the wide open Slam to cap a season of wide open Slams; anybody who tells you they know what’s going to happen is LYING! Even the two big favourites on the men’s side -- Federer and Nadal -- start the event with big, big questions surrounding their readiness to get the job done.
JR: I am, as they say, shooketh. I can’t pretend to ever know what Simona Halep is thinking, so I have no idea. Does she see it as an opportunity to show her stature in the game? Does she see it as terrible luck? Maybe both. I say she has a very good chance to win this match, and gain confidence from taking out Sharapova for the first time ever. Simona is in match shape and playing some of her best tennis ever, just not in finals. Maria, of course, has the x-factor and the fact that she has a lot to prove.
JN: The whole “popcorn match” thing is woefully overdone at this point, but this one fits the bill. I can only hope the organizers have the good sense to feature this at night under the Ashe lights, and not opt for some nonsense like “Sandgren making his main draw debut.” We still don’t know how healthy Sharapova is. She withdrew from Cincinnati (where she was slated to play a first round blockbuster too against Ostapenko) to be ready for this moment, so we shall see. I’m with you, this is a match Halep should win; she’s played enough quality tennis this summer to be able to pull it off without much fuss. Can we talk about Sasha Zverev, his overrated hair, and his overly friendly draw?
JR: That’s very much a child’s haircut, and he needs to usher it into 2017. The draw is cushy: he could have Isner, Sock, Khachanov, Cilic, or his own brother in the quarters. Murray is the other big seed in his half, and his health is questionable. I have to remind myself not to pick someone until they put in a great performance at a major. In a Masters or a 500 tournament, I would take Zverev over any of those players, but he needs to prove it in a major. I think this draw has given my perennial pick Jo Tsonga a good chance to go far; it’s the best chance he’s had in years.
JN: You really are a sucker for punishment, bless you. Tsonga, of course, is coming off a first round loss in Cincinnati to Karlovic, and a first round loss in Montreal to Querrey before that. It seems like forever ago, but he does have three titles thus far in 2017, and made the quarters in Australia. OK, maybe it’s not so far-fetched as I initially thought. Back to Zverev, he wants it so badly, and has the game and big stage moxy to back up that desire. I would be equally unsurprised if he wins or crashes out early like he did in the French Open first round. How many times do hard draws end up opening up, and easy draws become minefields? Seems like all the damn time.
JR: That’s the thing: often the exciting first-round match-ups are duds, or the projected tough matches never materialize later in the draw. Both men’s and women’s tennis is very deep. With the Big Four/Five’s dominance slipping a little, it’s easier to see the unexpected happening. That said, do you have any dark horses? I have Feliciano, Delpo, Kohlschreiber, and Donaldson for the men.
JN: You know what? I’m going with Kevin Anderson to maybe come through Zverev’s section if the German falters, old man Ferrer, and Kokkinakis. Isn’t it crazy how last year’s champions are pretty much all but forgotten? I doubt anybody would have picked Kerber to defend her title, and that was compounded by drawing Osaka in a brutal first round match. Stan, of course, is giving us updates from his hospital bed, and will be out for the rest of the year. This feels like the wide open Slam to cap a season of wide open Slams; anybody who tells you they know what’s going to happen is LYING! Even the two big favourites on the men’s side -- Federer and Nadal -- start the event with big, big questions surrounding their readiness to get the job done.
The Body Serve Tennis Podcast
Episode 93
Ash Barty in action against Venus Williams at the 2017 Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati (Photo credit: Jonathan Newman)
This is our final episode on the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. We're recording in the car again, chatting about the semis and finals, answering more listener questions, and talking through some issues around race, journalism, and access. The center of the episode, though, is our interview with Australian singles and doubles player Ash Barty, who took out Venus Williams in Cincinnati.
00:30 Hello from the car, again
03:30 White Castle *is* as bad as everyone said
06:30 Women's semis and finals in Cincinnati
16:30 Kyrgios def. Ferrer - an entertaining match
21:00 Men's final: Dimitrov's moment
24:00 Our interview with 4-time Grand Slam doubles finalist Ash Barty!
38:15 More listener mailbag: why was Sloane on court 4? How did we get into tennis?
46:30 Which players were our favorite interviews/press conferences? Some brief audio clip from our favs
58:30 More questions
1:08:00 Some thoughts about access, journalism, and getting good content
Entry #4
Jonathan Newman and James Rogers are the hosts of The Body Serve Tennis Podcast. This diary entry comes to you from the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio.
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JR: Jonathan, this week is officially over, and it’s flown by. Today, we got two finals that should have been much better on paper than they actually were. Thoughts?
JN: Definitely. The men’s final was fine: Grigor won 6-3 7-5. It had its moments, and Grigor gets his big breakthrough at long last. In other news, the women’s final was an absolute shocker. Muguruza blasts away Halep 6-1 6-0, leaving Halep apologizing to the fans for the second time in a week.
JR: I was kind of hoping that Nick would get the title, if only because he had a tougher road to the final. He took out Nadal easily and put in a great performance against the surging David Ferrer. Dimitrov, though, was clearly the fitter player. He was quick, relentless, accurate - everything was working well for him today. Nick wasn’t terrible but it looked like the week wore on his fitness a bit.
JN: You’re just going to ignore the women’s final then and pretend it didn’t happen?
JR: Ha! I can only handle one topic at a time. I’m sure Simona Halep and all of Romania would prefer to forget it. Halep didn't give Muguruza anything surprising; she tried to rally from the baseline and win with her quickness. Surely, Muguruza was excellent in every facet today, but Simona could have mixed paces, ventured to the net … basically, try something or anything to frustrate Muguruza.
JN: Simona even said in her presser that she was unable to execute the advice Cahill gave her today, presumably some of the things that you just delineated. As for why she was unable to do it? Your guess is as good as mine. She did not dismiss out of hand the possibility that it had something to do with going for number one again. Man, it was just such a big letdown up in the press room and absolutely for the fans. Every credit to Muguruza, though. She built from match-to-match and did everything well in the final.
JR: Let me just say, when I saw Muguruza deal with Madison Keys late in the third set, I *knew* she was going to win this title. I just had a feeling. Her play since Roland Garros (save for that crappy match against Strycova) has been scary. As in, a great player entering a peak phase kind of scary. She didn't agree that her mentality has changed since the French, but it sure looks like that from my perspective.
JN: Let’s get through the U.S. Open before we make any of those proclamations. She did say that it was a goal of hers to play well this hard court swing, one that she has historically not done very well at, and she has done it: semis in Stanford, quarters in Toronto, and winning here in Cincinnati. So, maybe this is, as you say, a bit of a peak phase she’s entering. She certainly has the game for it, but I’d wait to see how she fares in New York first. Let me say though that you are the Muguruza oracle at this point, having predicted her Wimbledon win and now this first title on American soil.
JR: OK! I will now predict that Serena will beat her all over 2018! Back to Cincy, it’s a shame that the women’s semis and final flopped so hard, because overall the women’s tournament was very good: obviously Svetlana-Muguruza, Kerber-Makarova, CoCo-Madison, Sloane-Makarova, Sloane-everyone, etc. Plus, we saw 6 of the 8 top seeds in the quarters.
By Jonathan Newman
Photo: Jonathan Newman/The Body Serve
Simona Halep finds herself, once more, one match away from becoming the top ranked women's tennis player in the world. If she beats Garbiñe Muguruza tomorrow in the Cincinnati final, Halep will be the 24th
woman to hold the top ranking. She would have been the 23rd woman to climb the WTA summit, but that honour went to Karolina Pliskova, after Halep squandered two prior chances earlier this year.
The first, the French Open final against Jelena Ostapenko, is one that Halep jokes still gives her nightmares. In her All Access Hour this week in Cincinnati, Halep quipped, "I was very close, winning the Grand Slam and being number one in the same day, I still have bad dreams about that (laughs), I still suffer." Tomorrow, Halep gets another chance to exorcise those demons.
Today, Halep faced a resurgent Sloane Stephens in the Cincinnati semifinals. Stephens, off the tour for more than a year after having foot surgery, made the semifinals in Toronto last week and continued that rich run of form this week. Stephens, however, was not at her physical best after playing two matches yesterday due to the rain-affected schedule on Thursday night.
"I mean, three matches in 24 hours is never easy, so gonna go with that," said Stephens. "I actually didn't think I played that badly. I think she's just a little bit fresher and just wasn't a great day."
Halep, for her part, looked every bit as fresh as Stephens described in her press conference. From the onset, the Romanian moved with purpose and was the clear aggressor of the two, dictating points throughout. After surviving a nervy finish to her quarterfinal win over Johanna Konta, where she lost five match points, Halep was in complete control a day later. If the top ranking were on her mind, she did not show it.
Prior to today's match Halep knew she needed to win the title to become No. 1, but she wasn't aware of just how close the battle was until before her semifinal: "Before the match I talked to my brother by SMS, that, 'Is it true that I am five points away if I win the match?' He said, 'Yes.' I said, 'It's unbelievable. Five points, can you believe it?'"
Halep says she is more relaxed now than she was the two previous times she played for the top ranking. When asked what is different this time, Halep said "I'm more relaxed now. So I'm not thinking about that (No.1). I know that if I keep this level, is gonna come. If not tomorrow, maybe next weeks. But I'm much better now. Hopefully I can play better."
This time she will play the current Wimbledon champion, Garbiñe Muguruza. After battling through a pair of three-set matches against Madison Keys and Svetlana Kuznetsova, Muguruza made easy work of the current world No. 1, beating Karolina Pliskova 6-3 6-2. Halep and Muguruza have played three previous times, and the Spaniard leads their head-to-head 2-1.
Halep acknowledges that winning a first Grand Slam title remains her primary goal, but also appreciates the unique opportunity she gets tomorrow: "I think it's something special to get No. 1 in the world. Only 23 players got that." Halep also knows that a handful of players are in the same position as her and is eager to grab her chance tomorrow, "everyone can get to No. 1 now. The ranking is close. So depends of anyone. But I am so close. I really want that. So we will see."
Entry #3
Jonathan Newman and James Rogers are the hosts of The Body Serve Tennis Podcast. This diary entry comes to you from the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio.
JR: Hi Jonathan - we just witnessed two clunkers in the women’s semifinals, but a tight match between John Isner and Grigor Dimitrov. Let’s talk about scheduling, though, because I don’t want to slag the losing semifinalists for things that were out of their control.
JN: Just yesterday we were marveling at how well Stephens and Pliskova did in winning two matches on the same day. However, today was when the chickens came home to roost. Both women looked lethargic, especially Sloane, who even told her coach during the match that she had no legs today. What would you have done differently with scheduling?
JR: It’s hard to say, because we’re not fully aware of the TV obligations that restrict scheduling options. Ideally, you show more respect to the world no. 1 and get her on Center Court. There is no reason that she should play with barely two hours rest in between matches. Muguruza and Halep would have always had an advantage, just because they were lucky enough to get matches in before the rain Thursday. But it should have been handed better. Another option was to start earlier; they stuck to the 11 am start yesterday, and didn’t even start play on the outer courts until 1! Wimbledonian stubbornness, in my opinion.
JN: The 1pm start for Grandstand was the real head scratcher for me yesterday. Fine, Muguruza-Sveta is the marquee women’s match, so put that on Center. But surely you start Sloane or especially Karolina at the same time on Grandstand. Such a shame that both matches were affected by the obvious fatigue of both women, the matchups and the fans deserved better.
JR: No disrespect to Simona and Garbine, the two victors. Each came with a gameplan and executed beautifully. Simona was her athletic best, whacked her backhand with authority, and covered the court like she always does. Garbine has improved with each match here. She was stunning against an inspired Kuznetsova. Today, she served well, and put constant pressure on Pliskova’s service games. Pliskova won only 25% of her own second serve points.
JN: Seriously, both women came to play today. I was especially impressed by Halep, she was relentless from the start and Sloane didn't stand a chance. Still, what a couple of weeks for Sloane after losing in the first round in her first two tournaments back from that long injury layoff. She made back-to-back semifinals, last week in Toronto and then here again in Cincinnati. Surely, she must be pleased with that run ahead of the U.S. Open. She’s already back inside the top 100 as of Monday, landing somewhere in the early 80s. If I’m her, I’m not sure playing New Haven next week is a good idea.
JR: Well, you know me, I think playing New Haven is almost always a bad idea. :)
JN: Is that the one that Wozniacki always plays before the U.S. Open? You have something to say about that every year!
JR: Yeah, Caro and Petra play it often. Onto the men: we need to talk about the Nadal-Kyrgios match last night. It was a plain awful performance by Rafa, but I’m actually more interested in the live crowd’s reaction to Nick.
Entry #2
Jonathan Newman and James Rogers are the hosts of The Body Serve Tennis Podcast. This diary entry comes to you from the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio.
JR: Hi Jonathan, did you know it’s your birthday tomorrow?
JN: Why are you louding up my business all over the place?!?!
JR: I thought you’d be happy to celebrate but I guess not. You’ll be watching tons of semifinal matches on your birthday. The men’s are allllllmost decided.
JN: As I type, Nadal has just been broken by Kyrgios to start the final men’s quarterfinal. Nadal and Kyrgios are both pulling double duty today, having both won their Round of 16 matches earlier today.
JR: Rafa took out Albert Ramos-Vinolas 7-6, 6-2; NK beat Karlovic in 3. If Nick is motivated, which he normally is against the top guys, this could be bad news for Rafael. He just held very easily to go up 2-0.
JN: Rafa hasn’t looked especially sharp in his two matches so far, so we shall see. Nick has been struggling with his hip injury for quite some time now, so conventional wisdom would dictate playing two matches in one day to be too much, but nothing with Nick is ever conventional.
JR: Earlier on Grandstand, David Ferrer upset Dominic Thiem pretty convincingly. Daveed served incredibly well, looked to finish at the net surprisingly often, and forced Dominic back on returns. He lost 9 - NINE! - points on his serve for the entire match. Thiem for his part was just so underwhelming. Lots of negative emotion out there, and a total lack of patience. Tried to crush way too many balls when it wasn’t the right time.
JN: Welp, double break 3-0 lead for Kyrgios. Back to Thiem, we talked earlier how he has quite a long way to go before he can take that next step like Zverev has, and it boils down to how much he goes for ALL the time. But, this is not news. I’m really surprised by how many players pulling double duty today got the job done.
JR: Pliskova went 3 against Giorgi, and then came back a few hours later to stun Wozniacki 6-4, 6-2. Sloane Stephens started slowly against Makarova but took her out in 3, and then got past streaking Julia Goerges to reach the semis. Oh, to be young. Sloane has now re-entered the top 100 off the strength of 4 events.
JN: Halep was the other quarterfinal on the women’s side; she beat Konta 6-4 7-6 after squandering a handful of match points before taking the tiebreak. Feels like that was a mightily important win for Halep...can you imagine if she wasn’t able to close that one out? Yikes. So, the two women’s semis are set: (1) Pliskova vs (4) Muguruza and (2) Halep vs Stephens. Not bad, right?!?! The women have been delivering the goods for a while now.
JR: I think Mugu-Pleesh will be great; both are feeling themselves lately, and Muguruza has had to fight in her last two matches. Based on those performances and her pressers, I think she feels she has something to prove at WTA events. I believe Halep will have her hands full with Sloane, especially if Simona gives her opponent chance after chance to get back into the match.
JN: I’ll leave you to the predictions game. All I’ll add is that Muguruza and Pliskova have both seemed really confident in press; I think that bodes well for them into the U.S. Open. As for the other men’s matches: Isner beat Donaldson 7-6 7-5 to set up a semi with Grigor who beat Sugita handily 6-2 6-1. The other semi will be Ferrer against either Nadal or Kyrgios, and Kyrgios just served out the first set 6-2.
JR: You know what, I was being unfair to Simona. She handled Konta, who is pounding the ball, even if it took her a few tries. Back to the men: are you saying that Isner broke serve? Omg. But you may be right in your prediction that we’ll have an American finalist; it’s even possible we’ll have an American winner. Oof. I hope that Grigor puts together a great performance, because Grigor has a beautiful game and well, you know.
JN: Isner’s been breaking serve all summer! Someone needed to call Bette Midler because this men’s draw needed some serious wind beneath its wings. I almost feel like we’re bound to have a real surprise winner, which would point to Ferrer or Isner. With all the injuries on the ATP and withdrawals, nothing should be considered a given. Nadal holds for 1-0 to start the second set.
JR: This is normally when I would predict Jo Tsonga to win, but alas, he lost long ago. With that, let’s say goodbye and get me a damn margarita.
JN: Shouldn’t you be getting ME a margarita since it’s MY birthday eve?!?!
JR: [silence]
JR: Hi Jonathan, did you know it’s your birthday tomorrow?
JN: Why are you louding up my business all over the place?!?!
JR: I thought you’d be happy to celebrate but I guess not. You’ll be watching tons of semifinal matches on your birthday. The men’s are allllllmost decided.
JN: As I type, Nadal has just been broken by Kyrgios to start the final men’s quarterfinal. Nadal and Kyrgios are both pulling double duty today, having both won their Round of 16 matches earlier today.
JR: Rafa took out Albert Ramos-Vinolas 7-6, 6-2; NK beat Karlovic in 3. If Nick is motivated, which he normally is against the top guys, this could be bad news for Rafael. He just held very easily to go up 2-0.
JN: Rafa hasn’t looked especially sharp in his two matches so far, so we shall see. Nick has been struggling with his hip injury for quite some time now, so conventional wisdom would dictate playing two matches in one day to be too much, but nothing with Nick is ever conventional.
JR: Earlier on Grandstand, David Ferrer upset Dominic Thiem pretty convincingly. Daveed served incredibly well, looked to finish at the net surprisingly often, and forced Dominic back on returns. He lost 9 - NINE! - points on his serve for the entire match. Thiem for his part was just so underwhelming. Lots of negative emotion out there, and a total lack of patience. Tried to crush way too many balls when it wasn’t the right time.
JN: Welp, double break 3-0 lead for Kyrgios. Back to Thiem, we talked earlier how he has quite a long way to go before he can take that next step like Zverev has, and it boils down to how much he goes for ALL the time. But, this is not news. I’m really surprised by how many players pulling double duty today got the job done.
JR: Pliskova went 3 against Giorgi, and then came back a few hours later to stun Wozniacki 6-4, 6-2. Sloane Stephens started slowly against Makarova but took her out in 3, and then got past streaking Julia Goerges to reach the semis. Oh, to be young. Sloane has now re-entered the top 100 off the strength of 4 events.
JN: Halep was the other quarterfinal on the women’s side; she beat Konta 6-4 7-6 after squandering a handful of match points before taking the tiebreak. Feels like that was a mightily important win for Halep...can you imagine if she wasn’t able to close that one out? Yikes. So, the two women’s semis are set: (1) Pliskova vs (4) Muguruza and (2) Halep vs Stephens. Not bad, right?!?! The women have been delivering the goods for a while now.
JR: I think Mugu-Pleesh will be great; both are feeling themselves lately, and Muguruza has had to fight in her last two matches. Based on those performances and her pressers, I think she feels she has something to prove at WTA events. I believe Halep will have her hands full with Sloane, especially if Simona gives her opponent chance after chance to get back into the match.
JN: I’ll leave you to the predictions game. All I’ll add is that Muguruza and Pliskova have both seemed really confident in press; I think that bodes well for them into the U.S. Open. As for the other men’s matches: Isner beat Donaldson 7-6 7-5 to set up a semi with Grigor who beat Sugita handily 6-2 6-1. The other semi will be Ferrer against either Nadal or Kyrgios, and Kyrgios just served out the first set 6-2.
JR: You know what, I was being unfair to Simona. She handled Konta, who is pounding the ball, even if it took her a few tries. Back to the men: are you saying that Isner broke serve? Omg. But you may be right in your prediction that we’ll have an American finalist; it’s even possible we’ll have an American winner. Oof. I hope that Grigor puts together a great performance, because Grigor has a beautiful game and well, you know.
JN: Isner’s been breaking serve all summer! Someone needed to call Bette Midler because this men’s draw needed some serious wind beneath its wings. I almost feel like we’re bound to have a real surprise winner, which would point to Ferrer or Isner. With all the injuries on the ATP and withdrawals, nothing should be considered a given. Nadal holds for 1-0 to start the second set.
JR: This is normally when I would predict Jo Tsonga to win, but alas, he lost long ago. With that, let’s say goodbye and get me a damn margarita.
JN: Shouldn’t you be getting ME a margarita since it’s MY birthday eve?!?!
JR: [silence]
Entry #1
Jonathan Newman and James Rogers are the hosts of The Body Serve Tennis Podcast. This diary entry comes to you from the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio.
JN: Hey, Mr. Rogers.
JR: Oh hi! Not like you’re sitting right near me or anything.
JN: No need to spoil the mystery/give away all our secrets!
JR: We’re here watching Sveta and Mugu on Center - the Wimbledon champ is racing to the finish line, it seems. Such incredible hitting from her, court positioning, everything looks good today.
JN: You just told me this morning that you think she’s going to win the whole tournament. I think you’re just a Garbiñe convert at this point; she mesmerized you in her All Access Hour and that was that!
JR: She’s very charismatic, there’s no denying that. I was right about Garbi winning Wimbledon, and with Venus and Madison out in Cincinnati, I don’t feel so guilty predicting a victory here. I love Svetlana, but it doesn’t look like it’s going her way today.
JN: Ahhhhh, as of right now we’re on track to have seven of the eight top seeds on the women’s side make the quarters, no reason why Konta, Svitolina, or even Halep can’t take her out eventually. AND, I didn’t even mention Pliskova or Woz; Caro’s bound to win one eventually, no?
JR: That’s true. Sure, I would say that once you reach six finals in a year, you’re likely to win one. Of course, Pliskova is defending champion here, and as she mentioned in press, has learned to bend her knees ever so slightly more than last year! I am most looking forward to Konta-Halep, the first night session match Friday, a rematch of their incredible Wimbledon quarterfinal. Which upcoming matches are you excited about?
JN: I was hoping that Garbiñe and Sveta would be far more competitive - Muguruza is up 6-2 3-2 with a break as we type. I think Thiem vs Ferrer could be quite good to kick things off tonight on the Grandstand; Ferrer looks like he’s back to playing well again. The lowkey match of the day -- "lowkey" based on how the scheduling was done anyway -- is Pliskova vs Wozniacki, provided Karolina can win her first match of the day against Giorgi. Other than that, Nadal vs Kyrgios tonight could be dynamite if, like Pliskova, they win their first of two matches today. But, you are right, Halep vs Konta should be top stuff too.
JR: Unfortunately Thiem-Ferrer will be played at the same time as Konta-Halep. Ferrer sure is having a great stretch, having beaten countryman PCB here, and Sock and Edmund in Canada. Thiem still works a bit too hard out there for my liking; I think he often makes things too difficult. I hope that he looks to shorten points rather than grind with David.
JN: So, today will be great. But, what have been some of the more exciting moments of the tournament for you so far? For me, the answer is easily the back end of that third set with Kerber and Makarova. The match wasn’t anything special up until that point, but a 13-11 tiebreak finish with all those squandered match points by Makarova sure brought the drama. Not sure I’d ever seen anything like that in person before, so that was pretty special.
JR: I enjoyed CoCo-Madison and Mugu-Madison, which is a big reason I chose to write about those matches. I have to admit that I am transfixed by all-out aggression and power. The way Keys and Muguruza especially hit the ball is unearthly to watch in person. I’m also becoming a Carla Suarez Navarro fan! She lost to Kuznetsova on Court 10, but that match was a perfect storm of aesthetics: jocky and colorful kits on both players, an intimate and sunken court, Carla’s strong and cheeky backhand, and Sveta’s everything.
JN: Agreed 100% on Carla. We saw her in Toronto last week against Petra, and it almost didn’t even matter whether she was winning or not, if that makes sense? There’s an inherent beauty to the way she plays and how she strikes the ball, that I don’t think comes across at all on TV. We’ve talked a lot about Court 9 at Cincinnati the last couple of years, and it’s now Court 10! The tournament added another court (a new Court 5) which then pushed back the other courts by one digit.
JR: Changing the subject, what is something about the Cincinnati tournament that you think people should know?
JN: While the cocktails are a bit pricy, the margaritas here are da bomb (and I don’t even normally drink margaritas!). Nice and concise response, eh? Meanwhile, Muguruza called for Sumyk while she was still up a break in the middle of this second set, and Sveta’s just been unstoppable since. Muguruza now has to serve to stay in the set at 4-5. How quickly things can change!
JR: Yaasss Don Julio margaritas - and these bartenders make them strong. I think the organizers spend a lot of time thinking about the fan experience. There’s tons of seating, water is free (imagine!), there is a huge variety of food, and there's beer and cocktails everywhere you turn. As long as you can dodge the clueless drunk rich people, you’re set.
JN: I’m going to take this opportunity to do a bit of plugging for our next episode of The Body Serve: we’ve got an interview with Francoise Abanda coming your way! I have to say, she was delightful and can’t wait for y’all to hear it.
JR: It was wonderful talking with her - she felt like a real person and answered questions thoughtfully. This Kuznetsova-Muguruza match is getting really good now; Sveta just won the second set, gotta go. Check out the rest of our writing on this site, and stay tuned for the podcast. Til next time. (Ha! I got to say it this time!)
JR: Oh hi! Not like you’re sitting right near me or anything.
JN: No need to spoil the mystery/give away all our secrets!
JR: We’re here watching Sveta and Mugu on Center - the Wimbledon champ is racing to the finish line, it seems. Such incredible hitting from her, court positioning, everything looks good today.
JN: You just told me this morning that you think she’s going to win the whole tournament. I think you’re just a Garbiñe convert at this point; she mesmerized you in her All Access Hour and that was that!
JR: She’s very charismatic, there’s no denying that. I was right about Garbi winning Wimbledon, and with Venus and Madison out in Cincinnati, I don’t feel so guilty predicting a victory here. I love Svetlana, but it doesn’t look like it’s going her way today.
JN: Ahhhhh, as of right now we’re on track to have seven of the eight top seeds on the women’s side make the quarters, no reason why Konta, Svitolina, or even Halep can’t take her out eventually. AND, I didn’t even mention Pliskova or Woz; Caro’s bound to win one eventually, no?
JR: That’s true. Sure, I would say that once you reach six finals in a year, you’re likely to win one. Of course, Pliskova is defending champion here, and as she mentioned in press, has learned to bend her knees ever so slightly more than last year! I am most looking forward to Konta-Halep, the first night session match Friday, a rematch of their incredible Wimbledon quarterfinal. Which upcoming matches are you excited about?
JN: I was hoping that Garbiñe and Sveta would be far more competitive - Muguruza is up 6-2 3-2 with a break as we type. I think Thiem vs Ferrer could be quite good to kick things off tonight on the Grandstand; Ferrer looks like he’s back to playing well again. The lowkey match of the day -- "lowkey" based on how the scheduling was done anyway -- is Pliskova vs Wozniacki, provided Karolina can win her first match of the day against Giorgi. Other than that, Nadal vs Kyrgios tonight could be dynamite if, like Pliskova, they win their first of two matches today. But, you are right, Halep vs Konta should be top stuff too.
JR: Unfortunately Thiem-Ferrer will be played at the same time as Konta-Halep. Ferrer sure is having a great stretch, having beaten countryman PCB here, and Sock and Edmund in Canada. Thiem still works a bit too hard out there for my liking; I think he often makes things too difficult. I hope that he looks to shorten points rather than grind with David.
JN: So, today will be great. But, what have been some of the more exciting moments of the tournament for you so far? For me, the answer is easily the back end of that third set with Kerber and Makarova. The match wasn’t anything special up until that point, but a 13-11 tiebreak finish with all those squandered match points by Makarova sure brought the drama. Not sure I’d ever seen anything like that in person before, so that was pretty special.
JR: I enjoyed CoCo-Madison and Mugu-Madison, which is a big reason I chose to write about those matches. I have to admit that I am transfixed by all-out aggression and power. The way Keys and Muguruza especially hit the ball is unearthly to watch in person. I’m also becoming a Carla Suarez Navarro fan! She lost to Kuznetsova on Court 10, but that match was a perfect storm of aesthetics: jocky and colorful kits on both players, an intimate and sunken court, Carla’s strong and cheeky backhand, and Sveta’s everything.
JN: Agreed 100% on Carla. We saw her in Toronto last week against Petra, and it almost didn’t even matter whether she was winning or not, if that makes sense? There’s an inherent beauty to the way she plays and how she strikes the ball, that I don’t think comes across at all on TV. We’ve talked a lot about Court 9 at Cincinnati the last couple of years, and it’s now Court 10! The tournament added another court (a new Court 5) which then pushed back the other courts by one digit.
JR: Changing the subject, what is something about the Cincinnati tournament that you think people should know?
JN: While the cocktails are a bit pricy, the margaritas here are da bomb (and I don’t even normally drink margaritas!). Nice and concise response, eh? Meanwhile, Muguruza called for Sumyk while she was still up a break in the middle of this second set, and Sveta’s just been unstoppable since. Muguruza now has to serve to stay in the set at 4-5. How quickly things can change!
JR: Yaasss Don Julio margaritas - and these bartenders make them strong. I think the organizers spend a lot of time thinking about the fan experience. There’s tons of seating, water is free (imagine!), there is a huge variety of food, and there's beer and cocktails everywhere you turn. As long as you can dodge the clueless drunk rich people, you’re set.
JN: I’m going to take this opportunity to do a bit of plugging for our next episode of The Body Serve: we’ve got an interview with Francoise Abanda coming your way! I have to say, she was delightful and can’t wait for y’all to hear it.
JR: It was wonderful talking with her - she felt like a real person and answered questions thoughtfully. This Kuznetsova-Muguruza match is getting really good now; Sveta just won the second set, gotta go. Check out the rest of our writing on this site, and stay tuned for the podcast. Til next time. (Ha! I got to say it this time!)
The Body Serve Tennis Podcast
Episode 92
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We're excited to bring you a sit-down chat with the first Canadian player on our podcast, up and coming Montrealer Francoise Abanda. We also answer some of the questions you all were so generous to ask us, with the help of friend and listener Chad. The rest is just us: recapping the stunning Muguruza-Kuznetsova quarterfinal, the perplexing men's draw, Querrey's rudeness, and more happenings from on-site.
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2:00 Muguruza-Kuznetsova insta-classic
8:00 The odd men's draw: Rafa the only superstar left
9:20 Odds and ends - Giorgi's no handshake, Sam Querrey's abominable behavior, Makarova-Kerber epic
15:00 Thiem - our analysis of Thiem proved to portentous (lost to Ferrer after we taped)
18:00 Our sit-down with Francoise Abanda, our first Canadian player on the pod!
32:20 Our listener mailbag, with the silky Southern stylings of Chad (@ccsmooth13)
36:30 Most importantly, what's good to eat here?
45:30 Question from @AnnaMarseille: have any players changed your impression of them after speaking with them in person?
8:00 The odd men's draw: Rafa the only superstar left
9:20 Odds and ends - Giorgi's no handshake, Sam Querrey's abominable behavior, Makarova-Kerber epic
15:00 Thiem - our analysis of Thiem proved to portentous (lost to Ferrer after we taped)
18:00 Our sit-down with Francoise Abanda, our first Canadian player on the pod!
32:20 Our listener mailbag, with the silky Southern stylings of Chad (@ccsmooth13)
36:30 Most importantly, what's good to eat here?
45:30 Question from @AnnaMarseille: have any players changed your impression of them after speaking with them in person?
By James Rogers
Photo credits: Jonathan Newman
Photo credits: Jonathan Newman
It wasn’t always pretty, but Garbiñe Muguruza powered through Madison Keys’ sustained aggression, a 2-hour rain delay, and three match points against her to win a third-set tiebreaker against the in-form American. The Spaniard survived a tough test in Cincinnati on Thursday afternoon, handling unpredictable conditions and an opponent whom she had never beaten. Keys had won their previous three meetings: here in 2012, in Rome on her way to the final in 2016, and in Stanford just two weeks ago.
Keys got off to a fast start, punctuated by a dazzling down the line forehand to secure the early break and 2-0 lead. Muguruza, unnerved, broke right back in the next game, the trade of early breaks setting the tone for the rest of the match. The serving struggles were in no small part due to the wind -- a portent of the wild thunderstorm to come -- which wreaked havoc on both players from the onset. But, it was Keys’ ball toss that seemed to be the most affected.
Still, Keys inched ahead on serve to 4-3, before Muguruza left the court for treatment on a lower back problem. When she returned, her thigh taped, the Spaniard took control of the first set and sped to the finish line: she held serve, broke Keys, and served it out with little fanfare. In their previous three meetings, the loser of the first set went on to lose the match; would this match prove different?
After six straight service holds to start the second set, Keys broke to go up 5-3. Serving for the set, the American handled a tough shoelace volley, and launched a deft lob to reach set point. She then bagged the set with a trademark wide serve and inside-out forehand combination, one that she used effectively throughout the match.
With the match in the balance at 2-2 in the third set, the Mason skies produced an almighty storm, delaying the proceedings for two hours. When the thunder and lightning abated, Keys sprinted away with a 4-2 lead in the decider; but, in what was the story of this third set, her untimely errors squandered the multiple leads and chances she held. Still, Keys kept coming, breaking again with a barrage of winners to serve for the match at 6-5.
With the match on her racquet and a 40-15 lead, Keys failed to convert three match points, undone mostly by the unpredictability of her backhand. While Keys was erratic in the key moments, Muguruza remained steadfast, returning with extreme aggression and drawing costly mistakes from Keys.
Muguruza credited her experience in getting her through tough moments: “I knew that no matter what, I’m there and I have my options as well . . . sooner or later I’m going to have a chance.”
That chance came in the third-set tiebreaker. The Spaniard’s sustained aggression finally wore down Keys. After failing to serve out the match and squandering three match points, Keys doubled down with error after error in the tiebreak, thanks in no small part to Muguruza’s brilliant stretch of hitting from the backcourt. A final backhand error sealed the win for Muguruza after 2 hours and 18 minutes.
The Body Serve Tennis Podcast
Episode 91
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Join us for Round 2 of player pressers - you'll hear good stuff from no. 1 Pliskova, Kerber, Domi Thiem, Wozniacki, Halep, and Svitolina. But first, we catch you up with what's been going on in Cincinnati in our own words: Venus blazing through her first match, Fabio-Dominic play a strange one, the heat, and balancing the packed schedule despite of the withdrawals. |
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1:00 What we've been up to in Cincinnati today
6:00 The men's draw was already a huge mess - and then Fabio barfed on court
9:15 Venus plays an efficient, powerful match against Alison Riske
14:30 Watching Ash Barty in singles and doubles (Venus' next opponent)
20:50 Meeting tons of Tennis Twitter folks in Cincinnati
25:45 What is going on with the famous Applebee's?
27:00 Getting into the player interview snippets
32:00 Simona on another level no passengers on her plane ....
40:00 Elina Svitolina talks about her steady rise
44:30 Mega Thiem talks about why he recaps his matches on Facebook
46:26 Angie Kerber brings the honesty
51:00 Karolina Pliskova is funny!
54:45 A few words from Caroline Wozniacki
By Jonathan Newman
Photo: Jonathan Newman/The Body Serve
Venus Williams, donning an atypical white baseball cap, led from start to finish as she blitzed past Alison Riske 6-2 6-0 in her opening match in Cincinnati. Williams served with intent from the first ball. The four points she won to take the opening game came on first serves clocking 109, 110, 105, and the last a 108 mph ace out wide to Riske's backhand. Despite Venus' quick 2-0 lead, Riske was playing well, and fought back to tie the match at two games apiece. Game on.
Or so we thought. The pivotal moment of the match came with Riske facing break point at 2-3; after a prolonged, intense rally, Riske seemed to wrest control of the point when she lured Venus into the net with a stealthy drop shot. Instead, Venus sprinted forward and with one last audible thud of her right foot, pelted a cross court forehand winner to seal the decisive break. The crowd roared as Venus made her way back to the service line with a 4-2 lead. Riske would not win another game.
Yes, Venus Williams is 37 years old. But, like she did in making the finals of both the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year, Venus showed that she still cuts a fierce and intimidating figure as weekly contender, regardless of age. At 2-5, and having played well to that point, Riske called her coach to the court; what could she possibly do to stem the Venus tide? Her main failure to that point was to protect her second serve: up to 2-5 and 30-all, Riske had yet to win a point when made to serve twice. Venus would go on to win the first set 6-2 and win eight of nine points on Riske's second serve.
The last glimmer of an opening for Riske came in the third game of the second set with Venus serving at 2-0, 15-30. But, Venus summoned another of her seven aces to stifle that opportunity, and her subsequent break for 4-0 sealed it shut. All told, Williams broke Riske six times, while losing her own serve just once. Her first serve, of which she lost only four points, was the fortress that kept Riske at bay.
With the match at just a touch over an hour, Venus fired one final forehand winner to seal the win 6-2 6-0. It was, in short, one of the cleanest and most efficient performances you will see from Venus Williams, her serve and groundstrokes working together like a well-oiled machine. She improves her record against Riske to 3-0, all straight-set victories in the last 18 months. Up next, Williams will face Ashleigh Barty, 21, in their first ever meeting. Barty, a qualifier ranked 48th in the world, defeated Varvara Lepchenko 6-4 6-4 on Tuesday.
By James Rogers
This match was always going to be decided on the serve; it just wasn’t clear whose serve that would be. Madison Keys and CoCo Vandeweghe -- a study in similarities on court and contrasts off -- traded momentum shifts and the rare service break in a 1 hour 56 minute first-round match at Cincinnati on Monday. The Americans, who dictate with first serves and huge returns, are arguably the most likely Americans under 30 to win a Slam; they are also both prone to wild swings in concentration and accuracy.
In this rematch of the Stanford final -- which Keys won in two tight sets -- it was easy to appreciate both players’ intensity and power off the ground. Keys came out of the gate strong, pounding returns to earn a break in the third game. At one point in the first set, 14 straight points were won by the server (two holds at love for Keys, one for Vandeweghe). Both players protected their serves with ease after Madison’s early break, but Keys and her ground game drew sloppy errors from CoCo to decide the set.
Vandeweghe pounced to a 3-0 lead in the second set after breaking Keys’ serve. CoCo did a good job to stay tight to the baseline, her aggression forcing Madison to produce a rash of errors. Serving for the set at 5-3, Vandeweghe scrambled to return an overhead smash by Keys and finished the point with a brilliant pass. She won the set with a 117 mph unreturnable serve.
In this rematch of the Stanford final -- which Keys won in two tight sets -- it was easy to appreciate both players’ intensity and power off the ground. Keys came out of the gate strong, pounding returns to earn a break in the third game. At one point in the first set, 14 straight points were won by the server (two holds at love for Keys, one for Vandeweghe). Both players protected their serves with ease after Madison’s early break, but Keys and her ground game drew sloppy errors from CoCo to decide the set.
Vandeweghe pounced to a 3-0 lead in the second set after breaking Keys’ serve. CoCo did a good job to stay tight to the baseline, her aggression forcing Madison to produce a rash of errors. Serving for the set at 5-3, Vandeweghe scrambled to return an overhead smash by Keys and finished the point with a brilliant pass. She won the set with a 117 mph unreturnable serve.
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The third set saw Madison race to a 3-0 lead, aided by a few poorly timed double faults from this year’s Australian Open semifinalist. At that point, Madison couldn’t miss; even her mishits clipped the lines. Despite CoCo’s comeback to tie the set at three games apiece, it was Keys’ serve that would ultimately decide the match.
At 5-3, CoCo saved three straight match points, but Madison closed her out 6-3 to bring their head-to-head to 2-0. After the match Madison noted, “It’s never easy to play a friend.” The two shared a warm embrace at net after the match, like they did two weeks ago in Stanford, and it was Keys who was again the victor.
Keys’ serve guided her through the tensest moments of the third set. It got her out of trouble when Vandeweghe erased Keys’ 3-0 lead: “In my head I was just thinking, you’re back on serve. It’s back even, and just focus on your serve and see if you get any chances in return games. And luckily I did.”
That game plan can be exciting in its simplicity. There is a terrible beauty to 115 mph serves, to Madison’s graceful ball toss with her palm raised toward the heavens, to CoCo’s menacing forward motion. Women’s tennis must always defend itself on many fronts, from style to athleticism to economics. But, Keys and Vandeweghe led the night session in a tournament marred by withdrawals, reminding fans that American women’s tennis is thriving. There was magic tonight in two women facing off, thumping the stitching out of the ball, sounding their yawps over the rooftops of American tennis.
The third set saw Madison race to a 3-0 lead, aided by a few poorly timed double faults from this year’s Australian Open semifinalist. At that point, Madison couldn’t miss; even her mishits clipped the lines. Despite CoCo’s comeback to tie the set at three games apiece, it was Keys’ serve that would ultimately decide the match.
At 5-3, CoCo saved three straight match points, but Madison closed her out 6-3 to bring their head-to-head to 2-0. After the match Madison noted, “It’s never easy to play a friend.” The two shared a warm embrace at net after the match, like they did two weeks ago in Stanford, and it was Keys who was again the victor.
Keys’ serve guided her through the tensest moments of the third set. It got her out of trouble when Vandeweghe erased Keys’ 3-0 lead: “In my head I was just thinking, you’re back on serve. It’s back even, and just focus on your serve and see if you get any chances in return games. And luckily I did.”
That game plan can be exciting in its simplicity. There is a terrible beauty to 115 mph serves, to Madison’s graceful ball toss with her palm raised toward the heavens, to CoCo’s menacing forward motion. Women’s tennis must always defend itself on many fronts, from style to athleticism to economics. But, Keys and Vandeweghe led the night session in a tournament marred by withdrawals, reminding fans that American women’s tennis is thriving. There was magic tonight in two women facing off, thumping the stitching out of the ball, sounding their yawps over the rooftops of American tennis.
The Body Serve Tennis Podcast
Episode 90
Welcome to our second episode from the 2017 Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. We are again recording in our car, but this time we've also got outtakes from Monday's player roundtables. On this episode, you'll hear from Muguruza, Nadal, Kuznetsova, and Konta ahead of their opening matches. Nadal dishes on today's news that he will officially regain the world #1 ranking after Cincinnati, a thoughtful Muguruza reflects on her career as a two-time Slam winner, while Kuznetsova and Konta provide a whole lot of levity to the proceedings. Stay tuned to our upcoming episodes this week for more player outtakes from Monday's roundtables.
02:00 James gives his thoughts on his first ever player roundtable interviews
11:20 Muguruza reflects on being a two-time Slam champion
13:36 Garbiñe gives insight into learning how to keep things closer to the vest, navigate media
16:26 "I like that I like to be in those situations" - Muguruza on embracing the big stages
20:45 Reflecting on her emotional French Open press conference
26:22 Nadal responds to news of reclaiming world #1 ranking
31:35 Sveta for President?
34:29 Who Sveta texts with most, and a BIG BIG laugh
35:36 Konta commits to fun and games, segues to Wimby reflections
40:29 How Jo deals with the trolls: block block block block
44:59 Jo's take on some of the funniest players on the WTA
The Body Serve Tennis Podcast
Episode 89
We're on the road to Cincinnati, Ohio from Toronto, basking in Dr Peppers & American junk food. This is our first totally unedited podcast, recorded and uploaded straight from the car. We're catching up on the summer hardcourt season: seeing Venus, Ostapenko, and Kvitova in Toronto; Rafa-Shapovalov in Montreal; Sloane's return and Madison's win in Stanford. We also preview the blockbuster first rounds in Cincy: Madison-Coco and Sharapova-Ostapenko.
00:30 What we really sound like, without edits!
05:00 Opening Monday at the Rogers Cup Toronto
07:30 Ostapenko loses to Lepchenko but shows how great she can be
13:45 Petra's back!
15:30 Venus takes the long way, but beats Begu at 11 pm
18:10 A bit of kvetching about annoying fans
26:00 Young Canadian Shapovalov beats Nadal in MTL
30:15 Is it Fedal the rest of the way in 2017? Who else? Zverev.
35:50 Madison Keys is here! And other US hardcourt news
38:00 Previewing the Cincinnati Masters, big first round match-ups
46:00 What we're personally looking forward to in Cincy
This Week In Tennis
Season 2, Vol 21
#ThisWeekInTennis recaps the tennis happenings of the last week via news reports, social media, featured articles, rankings, and podcasts.
Photo credit: Linda Carlsson/Swedish Open
"This Week In Tennis is brought to you by The Body Serve Tennis Podcast: "featuring casual, semi-respectable conversations about the ATP & WTA." Subscribe on iTunes and follow the podcast on Twitter and Instagram.
RUNDOWN
- David Ferrer won his first ATP title in two years -- and 27th overall for his career -- when he beat Dolgopolov in the Bastad final.
- John Isner won for the third time in Newport, the 11th overall ATP title of his career.
- Kim Clijsters and Andy Roddick were among the new Tennis Hall of Fame inductees in Newport over the weekend.
- Andrey Rublev went from lucky loser to first time ATP titlist all at the same tournament in Umag.
- Irina Camelia Begu won on home soil in Bucharest for the fourth title of her career. Like Kiki Bertens in Gstaad, Begu won both singles and doubles at the same tournament. Begu is up to #38 (+20) in the rankings, while Bertens rises to #36 (+9).
- Julia Goerges had a few choice words for the Romanian crowd during her runner-up speech in Bucharest.
- Denis Shapovalov won his second ATP Challenger title of the year. With the win, Shapovalov moves 31 spots closer to the top 100 at #130.
- Novak Djokovic is unlikely to play the 2017 U.S. Open due to the elbow injury that forced his retirement in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon.
- Rajeev Ram announced he will no longer compete in singles, and dedicate his remaining time on tour to his doubles exploits.
- The Ferrer-Verdasco semifinal in Bastad was interrupted by a man who walked on court performing the Nazi salute.
- The ITF issued its decision on the Ilie Nastase case: the Romanian is to be banned from Fed Cup and Davis Cup until 2019.
- Three Wimbledon matches may have been fixed.
- Alex Zverev hired Juan Carlos Ferrero as his new coach.
- A weekend of WTA weddings: Aga Radwanska, Andrea Hlavackova, and Yanina Wickmayer all said "I do" over the weekend.
This Week In Tennis
Season 2, Vol 20
#ThisWeekInTennis recaps the tennis happenings of the last week via news reports, social media, featured articles, rankings, and podcasts. This edition takes a look back at championship weekend at the 2017 Wimbledon.
"This Week In Tennis" is brought to you by The Body Serve Tennis Podcast. Listen to the Wimbledon recap episode below.
RUNDOWN
- Roger Federer captured a men's record eighth singles title at Wimbledon over the weekend. Federer extends his all-time Slam tally lead to 19, and rises to #3 in the new ATP rankings.
- Garbine Muguruza beat Venus Williams in the Wimbledon final to win her second career Slam title. With the win, the Spaniard jumps 10 ranking spots to #5.
- Venus Williams, in her second Slam final of 2017, once more fell two sets short of adding an eighth Slam singles title to her resume. She re-enters the WTA top 10 at #9 and rises to #4 in the Road To Singapore standings.
- Marin Cilic, struggling with a blister on his foot, lost in straight sets to Federer in his second career Slam final. The Croat holds steady at #6 in the ATP rankings.
- Tomas Berdych matched his semifinal performance from one year ago, but was unable to score a set off Federer despite pushing the eventual champion to tiebreaks in the first two sets.
- Johanna Konta provided ample entertainment for her home crowd at Wimbledon, winning multiple three-set matches on her way to a second career Slam semifinal. She reaches a new career high ranking of #4.
- Magdalena Rybarikova continued her meteoric rise up the rankings in 2017 after reaching her first ever career Slam semifinal. She rises 54 spots to #33, two shy of her career best ranking from 2013.
- Sam Querrey, vanquisher of Novak Djokovic at last year's Wimbledon on his way to the quarterfinals, beat Andy Murray this time around to reach a career-best semifinal.
- The doubles team of Makarova/Vesnina scored a double bagel win in a lopsided final to win their third Slam title together. Only an Australian Open win remains for the duo to claim a career golden slam.
- Other doubles winners: Kubot/Melo (Men's Doubles), Hingis/Murray (Mixed Doubles). Martina Hingis won the 23rd combined Slam title of her career. The only Slam title missing from her resume is French Open singles (two-time finalist).
- Victoria Azarenka vaults a whopping 482 spots in the rankings to #201 after reaching the fourth round in her first Slam event since her return to the WTA Tour.
Episode 85 of The Body Serve Tennis Podcast
Wimbledon Preview: Who's Coming for the No. 1 Spots?
Wimbledon Preview: Who's Coming for the No. 1 Spots?
Subscribe to The Body Serve on iTunes and follow James and Jonathan on Twitter.
Join The Body Serve for some Wimbledon draw analysis, some bold predictions, and some tea. Five women and four men can potentially grab the no. 1 ranking after the tournament is over - who has the nerve? We'll chat about the three comeback queens (Petra, Vika, Sloane), the tough men's bottom half, and why 'wide open' may not be the best desriptor for the women's draw.
2:55 So many trolls, so little time
7:30 Men's draw - local gentleman Andrew Murray leads the draw
11:00 Wimbledon seeding formula hits Stan hard
13:30 Nadal's quarter: some big hitters and a few grass specialists
18:10 Raonic, Inc., Federer, Dimitrov, and Sascha
23:45 Djokovic's path is lined with tricky opponents
32:00 Interesting things are going on in women's tennis!
35:40 5 women could become no. 1, but some of the biggest favorites are out of the top 10
38:50 Women's top half: Kerber's been done no favours
43:10 Is Pliskova the one to win it all?
46:15 VENUS, Ostapenko, and some huge top 8 question marks53:45 Comeback queens Kvitova & Azarenka in the Halep/Konta quarter
57:00 More Evans & a potential Wimbledon drinking game
Join The Body Serve for some Wimbledon draw analysis, some bold predictions, and some tea. Five women and four men can potentially grab the no. 1 ranking after the tournament is over - who has the nerve? We'll chat about the three comeback queens (Petra, Vika, Sloane), the tough men's bottom half, and why 'wide open' may not be the best desriptor for the women's draw.
2:55 So many trolls, so little time
7:30 Men's draw - local gentleman Andrew Murray leads the draw
11:00 Wimbledon seeding formula hits Stan hard
13:30 Nadal's quarter: some big hitters and a few grass specialists
18:10 Raonic, Inc., Federer, Dimitrov, and Sascha
23:45 Djokovic's path is lined with tricky opponents
32:00 Interesting things are going on in women's tennis!
35:40 5 women could become no. 1, but some of the biggest favorites are out of the top 10
38:50 Women's top half: Kerber's been done no favours
43:10 Is Pliskova the one to win it all?
46:15 VENUS, Ostapenko, and some huge top 8 question marks53:45 Comeback queens Kvitova & Azarenka in the Halep/Konta quarter
57:00 More Evans & a potential Wimbledon drinking game
This Week In Tennis
Season 2, Vol 19b
Welcome to the ATP Wimbledon preview edition of "This Week in Tennis." Below you will be given a rundown of the top eight seeds, players to watch, and suggested some intriguing first round matches at SW19. This preview also features a collection of tennis writing and podcasts from the past week.
The 2017 edition of The Championships at Wimbledon features myriad storylines to watch over the next fortnight of tennis: can Andy Murray defend his title and/or hold off Nadal, Djokovic, and Wawrinka for the number one ranking? Will Milos Raonic build on his finals appearance last year and capture his first major title? What can we expect from Rafael Nadal on grass this season, especially after winning a 10th French Open weeks ago? Is a 19th Slam title in the cards for Federer, or will this be the first Wimbledon since 2002 to be won by someone other than the "Big Four?"
Click here for the WTA Wimbledon preview
The 2017 edition of The Championships at Wimbledon features myriad storylines to watch over the next fortnight of tennis: can Andy Murray defend his title and/or hold off Nadal, Djokovic, and Wawrinka for the number one ranking? Will Milos Raonic build on his finals appearance last year and capture his first major title? What can we expect from Rafael Nadal on grass this season, especially after winning a 10th French Open weeks ago? Is a 19th Slam title in the cards for Federer, or will this be the first Wimbledon since 2002 to be won by someone other than the "Big Four?"
Click here for the WTA Wimbledon preview
Photo credit: Associated Press
ATP SINGLES DRAW
(1) Andy Murray
Best Result: W - 2013, 2016
2016 Result: W
A semifinal run in Paris seemed to quell concerns over Murray's inconsistent form in 2017. However, he will begin his title defence at the AELTC with only one match on grass, an opening loss to Jordan Thompson at Queens. His number one ranking is also up for grabs this fortnight with Nadal, Djokovic, and Wawrinka all defending few points from one year ago. A current hip injury is potentially another hindrance to his title defence.
(2) Novak Djokovic
Best Result: W - 2011, 2014, 2015
2016 Result: 3R
The good news for Djokovic: he has only second round points to defend from one year ago, putting him in position to potentially reclaim the world #1 rankings at the end of Wimbledon. He is also, as of this writing, slated to face Monfils in the Eastbourne final, a potentially last-minute boost of confidence heading into the tournament. The bad news: he is still nowhere near the player he was one year ago, and his last appearance at a Slam saw him lose in straight sets to Dominic Thiem, including a third set bagel.
(3) Roger Federer
Best Result: W - 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
2016 Result: SF
After taking the clay season off, Federer returned to the tour in Stuttgart with a surprising loss to Tommy Haas in his opening match. He recovered on the familiar lawns in Halle to claim his ninth title there, positioning him as a top favourite for an eighth Wimbledon crown. Ranked fifth in the world, Federer enters as the third seed due to Wimbledon's unique seeding formula.
(4) Rafael Nadal
Best Result: W - 2008, 2010
2016 Result: DNP
Nadal enters Wimbledon on the heels of a monumental clay court season, having won his tenth title at Roland Garros and rising again to the #2 world ranking. However, whatever confidence the Spaniard may carry with him into Wimbledon is mitigated by the fact he hasn't advanced past the fourth round at the AELTC since 2011. Still, he enters Wimbledon the healthiest he has been in years and is a two-time former champion and five-time finalist.
(1) Andy Murray
Best Result: W - 2013, 2016
2016 Result: W
A semifinal run in Paris seemed to quell concerns over Murray's inconsistent form in 2017. However, he will begin his title defence at the AELTC with only one match on grass, an opening loss to Jordan Thompson at Queens. His number one ranking is also up for grabs this fortnight with Nadal, Djokovic, and Wawrinka all defending few points from one year ago. A current hip injury is potentially another hindrance to his title defence.
(2) Novak Djokovic
Best Result: W - 2011, 2014, 2015
2016 Result: 3R
The good news for Djokovic: he has only second round points to defend from one year ago, putting him in position to potentially reclaim the world #1 rankings at the end of Wimbledon. He is also, as of this writing, slated to face Monfils in the Eastbourne final, a potentially last-minute boost of confidence heading into the tournament. The bad news: he is still nowhere near the player he was one year ago, and his last appearance at a Slam saw him lose in straight sets to Dominic Thiem, including a third set bagel.
(3) Roger Federer
Best Result: W - 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
2016 Result: SF
After taking the clay season off, Federer returned to the tour in Stuttgart with a surprising loss to Tommy Haas in his opening match. He recovered on the familiar lawns in Halle to claim his ninth title there, positioning him as a top favourite for an eighth Wimbledon crown. Ranked fifth in the world, Federer enters as the third seed due to Wimbledon's unique seeding formula.
(4) Rafael Nadal
Best Result: W - 2008, 2010
2016 Result: DNP
Nadal enters Wimbledon on the heels of a monumental clay court season, having won his tenth title at Roland Garros and rising again to the #2 world ranking. However, whatever confidence the Spaniard may carry with him into Wimbledon is mitigated by the fact he hasn't advanced past the fourth round at the AELTC since 2011. Still, he enters Wimbledon the healthiest he has been in years and is a two-time former champion and five-time finalist.
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