david goffin

A Look Back At Great Britain’s Win At The 2015 Davis Cup Final

November 21, 2017 by tennisbloggers

On 29 November 2015 Great Britain won the Davis Cup for the first time since the modern era, and their first time since 1936.

Great Britain were in the World Group and drawn up against No. 7 seeds USA in the first round. They were long shots in the tennis betting world to see off the record winners of the competition.

However, Andy Murray comfortably saw off Donald Young in the first rubber, winning 6-1 6-1 4-6 6-2 before James Ward took a key second rubber with a surprise five-set victory over John Isner, 15-13 in the final set. Isner had been the world No. 20 at the time.

The multi-time Grand Slam winning brothers Bob and Mike Bryan then took five sets to see off Dominic Inglot and Jamie Murray in the doubles match to earn USA their first rubber.

However, Andy Murray would see off Isner to pull off Great Britain’s first upset victory of the competition.

The No. 1 seeds France had seen off Germany in their first round tie to set up a meeting with Leon Smith’s British squad. Everything went as expected in the opening rubber as Gilles Simon saw off James Ward in straight sets. The second rubber was expected to be a close matchup before Andy Murray saw off Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets.

Jamie Murray then teamed up with his brother to beat Nicolas Mahut and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the doubles match to put GB 2-1 ahead.

On day three Andy Murray returned to come from a set down to beat Simon in four sets and seal a 3-1 victory for Great Britain. This was the first time Britain had progressed past the quarterfinals since 1981.

Australia were the opponents in the semifinals, also unseeded themselves, eliminating the third-seeded Czech Republic in the first round and then Kazakhstan to reach the final four.

Andy Murray had no problem beating Thanasi Kokkinakis in straight sets in the first rubber, including two bagels. Bernard Tomic tied it up for Australia by beating Dan Evans in the second rubber.

The Murray brothers teamed up again to give GB a 2-1 advantage on day two with a five set victory over Sam Groth and Lleyton Hewitt.

Andy Murray came back the following day at the Commonwealth Arena in Glasgow, Great Britain to beat Bernard Tomic in straight sets to seal Team GB’s first final appearance since 1978.

Belgium were the opponents in the final. Themselves unseeded and having beat No. 2 seeds Switzerland (without Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka) 3-2 in the first round, the eighth seeds Canada 5-0 in the quarterfinals, and No. 5 seeds Argentina 3-2 in their semifinal.

Great Britain were the favourites going into the final which was played at the Flanders Expo in Ghent, Belgium. David Goffin came back from two sets down in the opening rubber to see off Kyle Edmund 3-2 and take the first rubber for Belgium.

Andy Murray levelled the scores with a straight sets win over Ruben Bemelmans. He then teamed up with brother Jamie to beat Steve Darcis and David Goffin in the doubles match.

Murray then saw off Goffin in the opening match on day three to seal a 3-1 victory and the 2015 Davis Cup trophy for Great Britain.

Belgium are back for this year’s final against France between 24-26 November. For the latest betting odds, please refer to Betfair for all the information you need.

Andy Murray at the Davis Cup Final in 2015

Grigor Dimitrov Caps Career-Best Year With Career-Best Title at Nitto ATP Finals

November 19, 2017 by tennisbloggers

He used to be called “Baby Fed” due to his similarity to Roger Federer but Grigor Dimitrov now has his own pro tennis identity.

The Bulgarian ended his best season to date of his career winning the Nitto ATP Finals in London beating David Goffin 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 to win the season-ending championships during his debut.

The prestigious title marked the fourth title for Dimitrov in 2017 – a career-high – and it is the eighth of his career. Earlier this year, he also reached the Australian Open semifinals and won the ATP Masters Series title in Cincinnati, his best career tournament win prior to his triumph in London. Dimitrov will also rise to a career-high No. 3 ranking.

“This makes me even more locked in, more excited about my work, and for what’s to come,” Dimitrov said. “It’s a great platform for me to build on for next year. It’s going to be amazing in the off-season. I know what I have to do in order to do good.”

He became the first debutant to win the Nitto ATP Finals title since Spaniard Alex Corretja in 1998. To read more about the history of the event, also formerly known as The Masters, buy or download a copy of The Bud Collins History of Tennis here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1937559386/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_x_sPHeAb8TYM0H1

The Bulgarian, who finished 5-0 this week in London, earned $2,549,000 in prize money and 1,500 Emirates ATP Rankings points.

Dimitrov benefited from the withdrawal of world No. 1 Rafael Nadal and world No. 2 Roger Federer falling to Goffin in the semifinals. Defending champion Andy Murray and four-time champion Novak Djokovic also were missing from the event due to injuries.

Suffering Too Much For Rafael Nadal In ATP World Tour Finals

November 14, 2017 by tennisbloggers

Perhaps the signature theme of the book “The Secrets of Spanish Tennis” is how the Spanish – in sports and in life – almost relish in “suffering.” As famed Spanish tennis coach said Pato Alvarez, “In order for a player to play well he or she needs to suffer.”

Rafael Nadal of Spain was doing much “suffering” in his opening round-robin match at the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals in London. However, after suffering through a 7-6, 6-7, 6-3 loss to David Goffin, Nadal decided the suffering was too much and withdrew from the competition to rest his ailing knee.

“My season is finished,” Nadal said following the loss. “I tried hard. I did the thing that I had to do to try to be ready to play, but I am really not ready to play. I really fought a lot during the match, but knew there was a big chance that it would be the last match of the season.”

Nadal’s withdrawal makes Roger Federer the overwhelming favorite to win the title, according to NetBetSport

“The good thing is that this is nothing new,” said Nadal. “Everybody on my team, we have the right experience with this thing. We hope to manage it well, to have the right rest, the right work, and try to be ready for the beginning of next season.”

The year-end ATP World Tour Finals is the one glaring omission on Nadal’s career resume. Nadal has qualified for the season-ending finals 13 years in a row, but has only actually played seven previous times, only reaching the final twice, losing to Roger Federer in 2010 and Novak Djokovic in 2013. He also lost in the semifinals three times, losing to Federer in 2006 and 2007 and Djokovic in 2015, the last time Nadal played the year-end championships. In 2009 and 2011, Nadal failed to emerge from round-robin play. Incredibly, Nadal has been injured and not able to participate in the event five times, including last year.

“This is an event I missed too many times in my career,” he said. “But at the same that’s how it works, my career. I can’t complain. I feel very lucky about all the things that are happening to me, but on the other hand it is true that I am probably the top player who has had more injuries and more troubles in the careers of anyone.

“I really believed that I didn’t deserve after this great season to spend two more days on court with these terrible feelings. Of course I am disappointed, but I am not going to cry. I had a great season. I really appreciate all the things that happened to me during the whole season.”

High Stakes For Thiem, Goffin at Roland Garros

June 2, 2016 by tennisbloggers

by Kevin Craig

@KCraig_Tennis

Dominic Thiem of Austria and David Goffin both reached their first major quarterfinal and have even higher stakes to play for when they meet up on Thursday.

In Wednesday’s fourth round action, Thiem dispatched Marcel Granollers in four sets, 6-2, 6-7(2), 6-1, 6-4, while Goffin upended Ernests Gulbis, also in four sets, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, 6-3. Both matches were completions of matches that had begun on Tuesday.

Goffin, 25-years old, and Thiem, 22-years old, will now play with the winner reaching their first semifinal in a major, as well as reaching the Top 10 of the ATP World Tour rankings for the first time in their career.

Thiem, the No. 13 seed, resumed his match at the very beginning of the third set, so he was essentially playing a best-of-three set match with Granollers. Three sets were not needed, though, as Thiem, who has been in impressive form in 2016, was able to continue his great run of play.

With three clay court titles already in his pocket, as well as having the most wins of any player on the ATP World Tour this year, Thiem raced through his first set hitting winner after winner. The rain may have been a blessing in disguise for him, though, as it slowed down the roll of Granollers who was able to take advantage of an increased error count in the second set from Thiem and rattle off the set in a tiebreak to make things more interesting.

When play resumed on Wednesday, the Austrian raced out to win the third set in less than half an hour before going on to break late in the fourth set, accentuating the win with a hold at love to close out the match.

While Thiem has played well in recent months, even he is slightly surprised with the success that he has been able to have.

“Two years ago I was here with Gulbis and he played semifinals, and back then I couldn’t really imagine that I’d go this far myself one day…it feels really good,” said Thiem.

In Goffin’s fourth round match with Gulbis, who reached the French Open semifinals in 2014 but is now ranked No. 80 in the world, the Latvian was playing with house money to begin with, as he was only able to advance to the fourth round when his third round opponent, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, retired with an injury while leading in the first set.

That “nothing to lose” mentality helped the Gulbis in the early stages as he was able to spray winners all over the court and play confidently, as he always does in these big stages.

Goffin, though, had confidence in this matchup as he had won their two previous encounters, and used that to start his comeback journey when play resumed on Wednesday.

The winners turned into errors for Gulbis allowing Goffin to capitalize on his opportunity to take the third set before easily closing out the match in the fourth, thanks, in part to a double fault from Gulbis on match point.

“It’s not easy to wait for three days for your match…the stress level if pretty high for everybody. So it takes a lot of energy in the end. I think he dealt with it better,” said Gulbis of how Goffin was able to close out the match.

Goffin and Thiem will now meet up for the eighth time in their careers, with the Belgian currently holding a 5-2 record. That record on clay courts is an even 1-1, while Goffin won the only match they played in a major, beating Thiem in four sets at the Australian Open this year.

“We practice a lot together and hang around a little bit outside the court. I think it’s going to be a very nice match,” said Thiem of his relationship with Goffin.

“That’s going to be a tough match,” said Goffin. “He can play all types of shots from the baseline…He serves really well…Physically he can play many tournaments and the big matches. He has everything it takes to play well on clay, and mentally, I have the impression he feels good.”

Up for the Cup! First-Round Davis Cup World Group Preview

February 1, 2013 by Chris Skelton

Tomas prepares to defend his first Davis Cup title as plenty of intriguing ties await.

Eight first-round Davis Cup ties unfold around the world this weekend. We discuss the key players and themes that might emerge from each of them.
Canada vs. Spain: Without any of their top three men, Davis Cup Goliath Spain finds itself at a surprising disadvantage when it travels to the western coast of North America. Had either Nadal or Ferrer participated in this tie against Canada, the visitors would remain heavy favorites even against a squad spearheaded by Milos Raonic and aging doubles star Daniel Nestor. Instead, Canada now can rely on two victories from their singles #1 against the overmatched pair of Marcel Granollers and Albert Ramos, forcing Spain to sweep the remaining three matches. Among those is a doubles rubber that pits Nestor against World Tour Finals champions Granollers and Marc Lopez, who lost three of their four Davis Cup doubles rubbers last year. If the tie reaches a live fifth rubber, as seems plausible, Spanish champion Alex Corretja might consider substituting Guillermo Garcia-Lopez for Ramos against the net-rushing Frank Dancevic. Buoyed by their home crowd, though, Canada should find a way to snatch one of the three non-Raonic rubbers and send Spain to the playoff round for the first time in recent memory.
Pick: Canada
Italy vs. Croatia: This tie should hinge on home-court advantage and the choice of ground that it entails. On a fast hard court, the formidable serves of Marin Cilic and Ivan Dodig would stifle the less imposing firepower of the Italians. But Croatia faces Andreas Seppi and Fabio Fognini on the red clay of Turin, a slow surface where the superior consistency of the hosts should lead them to victory. The visitors will face the intriguing choice of whether to substitute their singles stars on Saturday for a doubles pairing almost certainly doomed to defeat. Three straight days of best-of-five matches for Cilic, Dodig, or both would leave them even more vulnerable to the Italian war of attrition, though. At any rate, the contrast of styles between the fearless first strikes of the Croats and the patient baseline rallying of the Italians should provide entertaining viewing.
Pick: Italy
Belgium vs. Serbia: One might see Djokovic’s name on the schedule and automatically checking off the “Serbia” box, but a few flickers of doubt persist. First, the Australian Open champion may have arrived physically and mentally drained from his recent exploits, and he has struggled against Friday opponent Olivier Rochus throughout his career. Breaking from a long history of Davis Cup participation, Serbian #2 Janko Tipsarevic cannot step into the breach if Djokovic falters. That duty lies in the suspect hands of Viktor Troicki, who endured a miserable 2012, and in the aging hands of Nenad Zimonjic, well past his prime despite his many accomplishments. Serbia thus might find itself in real trouble if they played a team with a notable talent, like Canada. With just the 32-year-old Rochus and the volatile but unreliable David Goffin barring their path, however, they should advance even if their stars underperform.
Pick: Serbia
USA vs. Brazil: Tennis Grandstand will feature more detailed coverage of this tie over the weekend. For the moment, we will note that Team USA stands in promising position with two serving leviathans on an indoor hard court, complemented by the reigning Australian Open doubles champions. While Isner did not win a match in January as he struggled with a knee injury, and Querrey did not impress in Melbourne, both should steamroll the harmless Brazilian #2 Thiago Alves. In the best-case scenario for Brazil, which would feature two victories for their #1 Bellucci, their doubles duo of Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares still should fall short against the Bryans. All of these Americans have played some of their best tennis on home soil and in Davis Cup, including on less friendly surfaces, whereas Brazil has accomplished little of note in this competition recently.
Pick: USA
France vs. Israel: Across from one team that often proves less than the sum of its talents in Davis Cup stands a team that typically overperforms expectations at the national level. Whereas France will bring two members of the top 10 to this tie, Israel can claim no top-100 threat in singles. The fast indoor hard court should allow the offensive might of Tsonga to overwhelm Dudi Sela and Amir Weintraub, although the latter has developed into a more credible threat over the last several months. In a tantalizing doubles rubber, a battle of all-stars pits Jonathan Ehrlich and Andy Ram against Julien Benneteau and Michael Llodra. Underdogs in every singles rubber and arguably the doubles too, Israel can hope for an upset only if Gasquet crumbles under the pressure of playing for national pride on home soil as he has so infamously before. Otherwise, the talent gap simply looms too large.
Pick: France
Argentina vs. Germany: Perhaps the most tightly contested tie, this battle on outdoor red clay will unfold in the absence of Del Potro, who would have given the home squad a clear edge. While Argentina will field a squad of clay specialists, leading Germans Philipp Kohlschreiber and Florian Mayer have acquitted themselves well on the surafce and should not find themselves at a disadvantage parallel to Croatia in Italy. Much rests on the shoulders of Juan Monaco, tasked with avoiding the daunting 0-2 deficit after Kohlschreiber likely opens the tie by dismissing Carlos Berlocq. The top Argentine here enjoyed his best season to date last year but did not start 2013 especially well. Lurking in the shadows, as he so often does, is long-time Argentine Davis Cup hero David Nalbandian. Argentina will hope that Nalbandian’s contribution in doubles on Saturday will combine with two Monaco victories to give them the points that they need without reaching a live fifth rubber. There, one would favor Mayer to overcome both Berlocq and the Argentine crowd.
Pick: Er, Argentina?
Kazakhstan vs. Austria: In a tie without a singles star of note, the opportunity beckons for someone to seize the spotlight in a way that he could not at a major. The most likely candidate to do so would seem Austrian #1 Jurgen Melzer, the only top-100 singles player on either side. His opponents can produce better tennis than their current rankings suggest, though, and Andrey Golubev already has started the tie in promising fashion with a straight-sets victory over Andreas Haider-Maurer. The doubles edge probably belongs to Austria with the greater expertise of Alexander Peya and Julian Knowle, specialists who will allow the 31-year-old Melzer to rest for Sunday. Excluded from the initial lineup is top-ranked Kazakh Mikhail Kukushkin, whose absence will force #211 Evgeny Korolev to win a best-of-five match for the hosts to survive.
Pick: Austria
Switzerland vs. Czech Republic: While Tomas Berdych is the highest-ranked man in this clash between nearby nations, the most intriguing role goes to opposing #1 Stanislas Wawrinka. After he came far closer than anyone to toppling Djokovic at the Australian Open, the latter may suffer a hangover in a competition where he has struggled lately. Moreover, Switzerland leans on Wawrinka to win both of his singles matches and contribute to a doubles victory on the intervening day, an enormous challenge for the sternest of competitors when the last of those matches involves Berdych. The Czech Republic will not enlist the services of Radek Stepanek, a rare absentee this weekend like Tipsarevic, but singles #2 Lukas Rosol intimidates much more than anyone that Switzerland can throw at him. In the Federer/Wawrinka era, no Swiss team ever has presented the united front that the defending champions have behind Berdych. The medium-slow hard court should not trouble the broad-shouldered world #6 unduly.
Pick: Czech Republic

Wizards of Oz (I): Australian Open Day 1 Preview

January 13, 2013 by Chris Skelton

Pack lunch, dinner, and a midnight snack when this man enters Rod Laver Arena.

While some of the stars opening play in Melbourne should encounter little resistance, others might want to tread carefully. We look at some of the most notable matches on Day 1 from Rod Laver Arena to the outer courts.
Chang vs. Stosur (Rod Laver Arena): A flustered bundle of nerves on home soil, Stosur has lost six of her last seven matches in Australia and exited in the first round here last year to Sorana Cirstea. Despite her smooth game, Chang lacks Cirstea’s intimidating weapons and thus should pose a less severe test. But an 0-2 start to 2013 with losses to unheralded opponents in Brisbane and Sydney inspire little confidence in Stosur as she rebounds from an ankle injury.
Hewitt vs. Tipsarevic (RLA): Quite the contrast to Stosur, the greatest Aussie champion in recent memory typically thrives under the adoring gaze of his compatriots. In his 17^th Australian Open appearance, Hewitt thoroughly deserves this showcase setting in the first night session on Rod Laver Arena. Recent years have seen him deliver upsets over opponents like Baghdatis, Safin, and Raonic on this court, so Tipsarevic cannot take this match lightly. The second-ranked Serb looked solid but mortal while winning Chennai, and he won’t overpower Hewitt like many opponents near his ranking.
Ivanovic vs. Czink (RLA): This match may start very late indeed in the aftermath of Hewitt-Tipsarevic, possibly a bad sign for Ivanovic. A morning person, the Serb can grow weary quickly when she plays late at night, and she has struggled against lefties sporadically in her career. That said, Czink has declined since she upset Ivanovic on the much faster court of Cincinnati in 2009, and the former finalist built confidence with three decisive wins at the Hopman Cup before Medina Garrigues outlasted her in the final. She should aim to avoid a third set whenever possible, and probably will here.
Goffin vs. Verdasco (Hisense Arena): Four years after he reached the semifinals (and nearly the final) here, Verdasco has regressed back to his former incarnation in which he can win or lose to anyone on any given day. Startlingly boyish in appearance, Goffin reached the second week of Roland Garros last year and recorded fall upsets over Troicki and Isner, among others. The 22-year-old must refine his game, especially his shot selection, to rise further into the top 50, although Verdasco can teach him little in that area.
Cibulkova vs. Barty (Hisense): The Slovak pocket rocket unleashes impressive power when on a hot streak and can collapse completely when she loses her range even a little. Last week in Sydney, Cibulkova showed her best and worst in defeating three top-eight opponents before eating a double bagel from Radwanska. Which memory lingers longer in her mind may define how far she goes here, while Aussie prodigy Barty will try to gain confidence from the Hopman Cup memory of upsetting Schiavone.
Bobusic vs. Radwanska (Margaret Court Arena): For winning the Australian Open wildcard playoff, Bobusic received a berth in the main draw—against the world #4. Radwanska also happens to have won both of her tournaments this year, so the challenge looms very large for the home hope. The Pole sometimes does need time to settle into an event, though, wobbling through uneasy three-setters in the first round here before.
Youzhny vs. Ebden (MCA): Yet another Aussie faces a Russian well into the twilight of his career. Still lovely to watch with its one-handed backhand and crisp volleys, his game matches up well to the net-rushing style of Ebden. Both men feel comfortable all over the court, which should create some variety in the ways that points unfold.
Dellacqua vs. Keys (MCA): After reaching the Sydney quarterfinals, the 17-year-old American should have soared in self-belief by proving that she could compete with much more experience and accomplished opponents. She eyes a winnable match against an Aussie returning from injury, not for the first time, but with a memorable run here five years ago to inspire her.
Medina Garrigues vs. Bartoli (Show Court 3): The Spaniard enters on a somewhat hot streak from winning the Hopman Cup with Verdasco, although she defeated no notable opponent other than Ivanovic. Bartoli has dominated their head-to-head on hard courts but has suffered a series of early upsets at the Australian Open in recent years. The match will rest on her racket, for better or for worse.
Harrison vs. Giraldo (Court 8): From their last meeting at the Olympics came the regrettable temper tantrum that led to Harrison’s equally regrettable apology. He still lets his competitive fire burn too brightly at times, although a victory over Isner in Sydney may bode well for this fortnight. Not averse to emitting some sparks himself, Giraldo will fancy his chances in the best-of-five format if he can claim an early lead.
Bolelli vs. Janowicz (Court 8): The toast of Paris last fall when he reached the Bercy final, Janowicz reverted to ordinary toast this month in a sloppy loss to Brian Baker. The moribund game of Bolelli, an Italian with much more flair than power, should not trouble the huge-serving Pole as long as he stays out of his own way better than he did in Auckland.
Barthel vs. Pervak (Court 11): Reaching the fourth round here last year, Barthel recalled her strong start to 2012 when she finished runner-up in Hobart (becoming the first woman ever to lose a final to Vesnina in the process). The gawky German owns a formidable but fickle serve and can climb into double digits in aces and double faults during the same match. Russian by birth and Kazakh by passport, the lefty gunslinger Pervak upset Wozniacki in Brisbane by showing more fortitude than usual.
Benneteau vs. Dimitrov (Court 13): At Wimbledon last year, the French doubles specialist came within two points of upsetting Federer as he proved again how lethal his game can become when all of its parts coalesce. A strong server with a penetrating two-hander and excellent net skills, Benneteau held match points in the Sydney semifinal last week before his habit of losing close matches resurfaced. The bad news for him is that he faces a man who served for the first set in the Brisbane final the previous week. The good news is that Dimitrov never has brought his best game to any major, nor has he developed a habit of stringing together solid results.
Makarova vs. Larcher de Brito (Court 19): Once at the vortex of the shrieking controversy, Larcher de Brito plunged into the tennis wilderness shortly after her uniquely piercing yodels had alienated fans. She returns to the main draw of a major for the first time in years. Is she ready for her comeback? Perhaps more to the point, are we?
Bogomolov vs. Baker (Court 20): From an American perspective, this match presents a good guy vs. bad guy narrative. Fans around the world warmed to Baker when he completed an odyssey through several injury absences to rejoin the ATP with a bang last year by reaching the final at his first tournament. His results faded a little afterwards, as one would expect, so his confidence probably rose when he defeated Janowicz in Auckland. Whatever one thinks of Bogomolov’s shifting national allegiances, they did nothing to disturb his reputation as one of the players least likely to induce empathy in the ATP.
Hradecka vs. Bertens (Court 22): Half of the world’s second-ranked doubles team, the Czech with an explosive serve faces one of last spring’s most surprising headlines. Bertens became the first Dutchwoman to win a title since 2006 when she took home the hardware from Casablanca as a qualifier who never had played a main-draw match at the WTA level. Summer upsets over Safarova and Petrova consolidated that breakthrough, so she will look to take the next step forward in 2013.
Excited about these matches and others on Day 1? Join our live chat at newyorkobservertennis.com, which extends from the start of play through the Rod Laver Arena night session.

ATP Brisbane Preview: What players will shine?

December 31, 2012 by Yeshayahu Ginsburg

By Yeshayahu Ginsburg

The 2013 ATP World Tour season kicks off this week with three different events. There are 250-level tournaments in Brisbane, Doha, and Chennai. And while Doha has carried the most star power of those three tournaments in the past few years, this year that really isn’t so true. I’m not going to compare the strength of the draws, but the top players competing this week are definitely more spread out than they have been in the past few years.
Last year, Brisbane carried with it a bit of a tease. James Duckworth, a then-19-year-old Australian player, received a Wild Card into the Main Draw and really played well. He pulled off a great upset of Nicolas Mahut in the first round and really pushed Gilles Simon in the second. He followed that up with a win at the Australian Open in Melbourne but has really fallen off of form since then. He was losing to bad players in Challengers and Futures at the end of 2012 and just lost in the second qualifying round in Brisbane this year. I saw his talent last year and am still waiting for him to break through, but it won’t be in Brisbane this year.
The question, though, is what can Brisbane teach us this year? What young players can showcase the beginning of their season and what veterans can impress us moving into the Australian Open? The answer to that latter question is a bit tricky, actually. Because on some level, sometimes it’s not so good to see players exert themselves so much right before a Slam. For example, a great run by Jurgen Melzer here would not bode well for his time in Melbourne because he is playing in Auckland next week as well.
So who am I looking at? For starters, there’s a first-round match between David Goffin and Matthew Ebden. Goffin really came into form last summer (in the Northern Hemisphere) and ended with an impressive season. At the young age of 22, he looks like he can be a top 20 player or higher if he can sustain the form he brought to Wimbledon last year. Ebden, meanwhile, has been an up-and-comer so long that he is risking becoming a journeyman. He has the talent to break through and be a solid top 50 player, but will probably never really challenge for Slams. This match can tell us a lot more about Ebden than Goffin right now, but Goffin is the one to keep an eye on if you want to see someone with future Grand Slam potential.
I am also keeping an eye on Brian Baker. Baker returned to tennis from years of injury and surgeries and won his first 7 (including qualifying) tour-level matches to reach the final in Nice. Exhausted, he still took Gilles Simon to 5 sets in the second round at Roland Garros and followed that up by winning 6 matches at Wimbledon to come through qualifying and reach the fourth round. He could not equal that success the rest of the year and only won two more Main Draw matches in tournaments the rest of the year. He actually has top 10 potential and this could give us a good indication as to whether he will be able to compete at a high level when we watch Melbourne in two weeks.
There are very few of the top seeds that I am worried about seeing this week. For them, these pre-Slam tune-ups are about finding a rhythm and getting used to match play again after an extended break, and not so much about winning. It’s always nice to win, of course, but their main goal is to prepare themselves to do their best at the Australian Open. So when I’m watching the top 5 seeds here, I’m not so worried about their intensity level so much. I just want to see consistency and no major flaws in their form. I’m not so worried if players like Murray, Simon, or Nishikori lose early, even to bad players, as long as their loss comes more from disinterested play than poor play.
The one player who I want to see play as much as possible but who I just feel bad about pulling for is Lleyton Hewitt. I see Hewitt play against the top players and I just always realize that he can still compete as long as his body holds up. Once fatigue hits, though, he doesn’t stand a chance against anyone. So I want to see him work his way into form here so that he can have another miraculous run at the Australian Open. But I know that the more he plays here the more likely it is that he won’t be able to compete as long in Melbourne. The best warm-up he can have here for his Australian Open would be a tough, well-played, straight-sets loss to Andy Murray in the third round. He can’t go as deep as any of the top players anymore, but counting him out of any match is always a bad idea.