Murray Ready for Break Out at 2011 U.S. Open

Murray is fit and ready to grab his first Grand Slam title.

2011 has been pretty good to me so far, correctly predicting the winners of 2 of the last 3 slams. I picked the Djoker to snag the Aussie and Nadal to capture the French. Rafa let me down at Wimbledon, but I'm obviously hoping to go 3 for 4 by picking the man that no one is really talking about – 4th-seeded Andy Murray.

Between Rafa and the Serb, Murray is really the forgotten man at the 2011 U.S. Open and that will come back to haunt the experts. The Scot has a tough draw with arch-nemesis and former U.S. Open champ, Juan Martin Del Potro possibly looming in the quarters. Murray and Del Potro have a mean-spirited history with each other dating back to the Italian Open in 2008, but should Murray prevail, the U.S. Open is his for the taking.

Murray is in the Nadal half of the draw and has had an amazing 2011 campaign reaching the finals in Australia and the semis at both the French and Wimbledon. Make no mistake, Murray’s best surface is the hard courts and he was a finalist at the U.S. Open 2008.

Djokovic is obviously the favorite, but like it or not, Djokovic proved once again during Cincinnati in August that he's still a quitter. Murray was giving him a good thumping in the final when Novak quit before Murray could finish him off.

It's not the first time Djokovic has called it quits while losing a match. This was actually the 8th time Djokovic has quit in the middle of match that he was losing, not to mention the fact he has defaulted a total of four times during Grand Slam play.

Going back to Murray – he has a long history of being his own worst enemy – but he is the only player on the circuit right now who has what is takes to knock Djokovic off of his perch.

The drought for the U.K. has to end some time – and it will be Murray who hoists the trophy in New York when all is said and done.

Djokovic Stings Nadal with Familiar Form of Intimidation

Nadal shrinks away from the Djokovic challenge at Wimbledon

Rafael Nadal has fallen victim to the very same spell he cast over Roger Federer more than five years ago.

That was when the young Spaniard named Rafael Nadal became a splinter in the mind of the game’s most dominant player, Roger Federer. Back then, Federer was a tennis deity who firmly believed that no one alive could threaten him on any surface. Then came Nadal – And after just a few close losses, the seed of intimidation was planted deep into the psyche of Roger Federer.

From that point on, Federer forever lived in fear of Nadal. Federer was faced with an intimidation factor he never dreamed was possible and it cost him every time he stepped onto the court with Nadal. Nadal’s game played a factor in Federer’s problems, but the bottom line was, “Federer did not play like Federer against Nadal.”

Fast-forward to this year, and Rafael Nadal is writhing in the grip of his own inner demons – an intimidation factor he never thought possible, the bold and brash Novak Djokovic.

Like Federer, Nadal believed that if he was playing at 90%, he was unbeatable. But then Novak won a couple of close matches in a row and Nadal suffered what appeared to be a gradual decline in confidence. WRONG! What appeared to be a slow-moving virus is now a full-blown case of, “I’m scared of that guy!”

This is not to take anything away from the amazing brand of Djokovic tennis, but Nadal did not play like Nadal in the Wimbledon final. Nadal ran scared and instead of trying to win, he played not to lose. The Spaniard is NOW in huge trouble every time he steps of the court with the Serb.

What also makes this so interesting is the fact that Nadal had dominated Djokovic at the majors for so long. That era seems to be over. The Wimbledon final was only one match – but it is likely to set the tone for the Nadal-Djokovic rivalry for the next couple of years. Each Nadal loss against Djoko is worse than the one before, eerily similar to the decline of Federer.

Nadal played tentatively for the first time at a grand slam and it was a disaster. Without his fearlessness, Nadal is just another top three player who will win a stray grand slam here and there, more along the lines of Andy Murray.

What’s great for tennis fans is to see if Nadal can overcome it. Tennis history demonstrates that he probably can’t do it. But make no mistake, the torch has been passed.

Djokovic Grabs Top Spot, but Won’t Claim Wimbledon Title

Look for Djokovic to take the fall against Nadal

Novak Djokovic – This is his time.

When the new rankings come out next week, Djoko will be the number one player in the world according to the ATP computer. What he won’t have is the coveted cup that goes along with the 2011 Wimbledon title.

All signs point Rafael Nadal hoisting up his third Wimbledon trophy in four years.

Djokovic has enjoyed one of the easiest and luckiest grand slam draws in many years. Any time, you can cruise into the Wimbledon finals without playing a single player ranked in the top 15; you are very, very fortunate. Djokovic screamed and howled through every victory, even though he never encountered a top-ranked opponent.

Djokovic looks surprisingly mortal on the grass. His superior movement bogs down on the green stuff down and his unforced errors break into double digits.

The biggest break in the tournament for the Serb came when Roger Federer forgot to close out his QF match against Tsonga.

Tsonga was a pretender, not a contender and Djokovic ate him up on Saturday. Now he's riding high into the championship match having beaten Nadal in four straight finals. However, this is a grand slam and it's being contested on grass. Two pivotal factors that will leave Djokovic on the outside looking in.

It doesn’t matter whether Rafa is ranked 1, 2, or 102 – he is the most ferocious competitor in tennis and he is hungry to claim his third Wimbledon crown.

Rafa certainly won’t be happy to give up his number one ranking to Djokovic on Monday, but securing his eleventh grand slam title by beating him in the final will surely easy the pain.

Didn’t See that Coming – Tsonga Zaps Federer

Tsonga savors an unlikely win over Roger Federer.

It looked so routine.

Roger Federer was on cruise control with a two sets to love lead. After closing out 179 straight matches with a 2-sets to none lead – Federer sputtered, blinked and choked away a relatively easy path to the 2011 Wimbledon semis.

The Swiss star was down a break at 3-4 and 4-5 in the third set. On both occasions, he jumped to love-30 leads on the Tsonga serve and seemed poised to break back. But somehow – IT NEVER HAPPENED!

It seems that all good things must come to an end. Federer was a mere shadow of himself in the quarters breaking down with the finish line well in sight and giving Tsonga the victory.

I really don’t know what to make of Fed any more – this was his match to take. And when you watch it, he seems to have the upper hand. But he let it slip away – without question the worse loss I’ve ever seen from him. Fed actually seemed complacent - he didn't seem interested or inspired enough to close out the Frenchman.

This wasn’t Rafa on clay or DelPo/Djoko on a hard court – it was Jo-Willie on grass and Federer may never be the same. I’ve seen him out of sorts before, but never was the 16-time grand slam champ so in control and then so lost.

The killer-instinct we took for granted for so long seems to have lost its edge. After the French, I was a believer that Federer had one or two slams left in the tank – now, I’m not so sure.

Tsonga didn’t play badly, but he didn’t light up the court either. Tsonga served well, but not well enough to knock Federer off of his favorite surface. Tsonga gained confidence only because Federer fizzled out.

The irony here is that Federer, who saved the number one ranking at the French for Nadal – has now for all intents and purposes handed it to Novak Djokovic. Djokovic will batter Tsonga and claim the number one spot, even if Rafa claims the Wimbledon title.

Rafa-Federer Redux - Ready to Renew Epic Wimbledon Rivalry

The more the game changes, the more it stays the same. Carve out whatever subplot you like, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are once again on a collision course for the Wimbledon Championships. Just like the French Open – the top two seeds are also the best grass court players in the field.

Novak Djokovic lost just one match all year long and has won an astounding seven tournaments. That will be no help whatsoever on the grass courts of Wimbledon. Djoko got dumped on the clay at the French in 2011 and will be unceremoniously knocked out of Wimbledon as well.

Djokovic is playing the best grass court tennis of his life – but it’s still not enough to get him past Federer at the All England Club. If Djokovic makes it to the semis, he is likely to be cut down by the 16-time grand slam champion who is serving like his life depended on it.

British favorite, Andy Murray is rolling, but a relatively easy draw is not working in his favor. A list of easy opponents is no way to prepare for a possible meeting in the semis with the two-time defending champ, Rafa Nadal.

"Nadal is not playing his best, but no one on the grass, save Federer, is his equal."

This is Federer’s best shot in a long time to exact a little grand slam revenge upon Nadal. Federer is serving lights out, and to beat him, Nadal will have to be at his best. You can never count Nadal out, but he must right the ship against the great one to grab his third Wimbledon title and retain his number one ranking.

Recharged Henin Sets Sites on Career Slam

Henin begins comeback at the 2010 Australian Open.

Justine Henin didn’t let the suspense linger any longer; the world’s former top-ranked player will make her pro re-debut at next year’s Aussie Open in January 2010.

The rumors of Henin’s return have been swirling for weeks now. She says her primary goal is to capture the only Grand Slam title not currently on her resume – Wimbledon.

Henin’s best showing at Wimbledon was a 2007 semifinal loss to Marion Bartoli. Henin, a 7-time Grand Slam champion, left the game in May 2008 when she was the number player in the world.

At the time, she said tennis had taken too much of a physical toll on her and would not return to the game. Obviously, the 27-year-old changed her mind.

"A flame I thought was extinguished forever suddenly lit up again," Henin told a Belgian television audience on Wednesday.

Many wonder if that flame was rekindled earlier this month, when she watched countrywoman, Kim Clijsters, complete a comeback journey of her own – winning the 2009 U.S. Open Title.

Henin is slated to play multiple exhibition tournaments before trying to add another Australian Open to her resume next January.