Denis Shapovalov

Wimbledon Day Seven Picks – Jannik Sinner Is Probably The Biggest Threat To Novak Djokovic

July 8, 2023 by tennisbloggers Leave a Comment

Novak Djokovic vs. Hubert Hurkacz

Hubert Hurkacz has a history of dashing hopes of an all-time great on Centre Court at Wimbledon. In 20221, he took out Roger Federer in the quarterfinals in what was Federer’s last ever singles match of his career and his All England Club swan song. He’s not stopping the Novak Djokovic train in this round of 16 match.

Jannik Sinner vs. Daniel Galan

Jannik Sinner may be the single biggest threat to Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon in 2023. They could meet in the semifinals and probably will. Sinner will beat Galan in straight sets to get one round away from a match-up with Djokovic.

Roman Safiullin vs. Denis Shapovalov

Roman Safiullin is a new name to tennis who has reached the fourth round of a major for the first time. Denis Shapovalov is a former Wimbledon semifinalist but has struggled to regain the form that got him to the penultimate round at the All England Club since. We feel that Shapovalov will stop his run of underachieving results based on his talent and advance into the quarterfinals.

Wimbledon Day Five Picks – Will Stan Wawrinka Spoil The Novak Djokovic Grand Slam Dream?

July 6, 2023 by tennisbloggers Leave a Comment

Denis Shapovalov vs. Liam Broady

Liam Broady gave British tennis fans much to cheer with his Centre Court upset win over No. 4 seed Casper Ruud. It was the moment of Broady’s career – and he only has a little over 24 hours to savor it, comes to grips with it and prepare for another massive task in playing former Wimbledon semifinalist Denis Shapovalov. Broady will leave Wimbledon with his head held high and a lot of pride and increased confidence, but his run ends with a loss to Shapovalov.

Jessica Pegula vs. Elisabetta Cocciaretto

Jessica Pegula has never reached the fourth round of Wimbledon. She plays a relative unknown Italian in Elisabetta Cociaretto to move into the last 16 at the All England Club for the first time. She will do it, which is not much of a surprise but it will be a correct prediction.

Carlos Alcaraz vs. Alexandre Muller

Playing the world No. 1 on Centre Court is a big occasion. Muller won’t rise to it. Alcaraz in straights.

Stan Wawrinka vs. Novak Djokovic

People who dislike Novak Djokovic will be rooting hard for Stan Wawrinka to upset Novak Djokovic. Wawrnka has spoiled some big parties for Djokovic in the past at the Australian Open, French Open and the U.S. Open. However, in this first meeting between the two on grass and at Wimbledon, no Djokovic party will be spoiled. Wawrinka may sneak a set, but Djokovic wins in either three tight sets or four sets.

Day Six Roland Garros Picks – Lorenzo Musetti Is On The Rise

June 2, 2023 by tennisbloggers Leave a Comment

Cam Norrie vs. Lorenzo Musetti

Cam Norrie is seeded No. 14 and Musetti in No. 17 in this closely matched third round match. Despite being the higher seed and the slightly better career resume, Norrie’s UTR is a 15.68 while Musetti is a 15.79. The Italian has had a decent clay court season, including a win over Norrie in three sets In Rome and a celebrated win over Novak Djokovic in Monte Carlo. He is trending upwards so we will.

Carlos Alcaraz vs. Denis Shapovalov

Carlos Alcaraz is the top seed and favorite to win Roland Garros, but there are some keen observers of the game who are not 100 percent sold on Alcaraz at this event. If you are in this camp, you may want to take a flyer on Denis Shapovalov here as he Is one of the best shot-makers in tennis. However, sometimes – and more often lately – he has been misfiring, but if there is lightning in the bottle, Shapovalov has the talent to beat anyone in the world. Perhaps a win here could put some much needed confidence back to the left-handed Canadian. There is a huge discrepancy in UTRs between the two (15.82 vs. 16.31) which would predict an easy Alcaraz win, but if some of those shots connect from Shapovalov, then….you would get great odds.

Aryna Sabalenka vs. Kamilla Rakhimova

Today’s Secreteriat-To-Show pick is Aryna Sabalenka over Kamilla Rakhimova. Women’s tennis is very deep these days, but not this deep. Sabalenka is pretty quietly moving through the draw, even with the first-round handshake controversy with her Ukrainian opponent. She will move on quietly again after a win here.

Who Is Likely To Make Their ATP Top 10 Debut In 2020?

January 14, 2020 by Randy Walker Leave a Comment

by Bob Stockton

It’s typical to start a new ATP season by predicting who might be the next person to win their first Grand Slam. However, the sustained form and fitness of a certain trio of players have consistently made a mockery of those predictions. Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal look set to continue their dominance for a good few years, while you should never write off Roger Federer until the moment that he’s retired.

Rather than predicting who might win a Grand Slam this season, let’s set our sights a little lower and look at those seeking to break into the ATP top 10 for the first time in their career. These players may be eyeing up success at a Masters event this year as a more realistic objective than winning a Slam.

Felix Auger-Aliassime

Most teenagers have a clear weakness in their game that currently holds them back. This 19-year-old Canadian already looks like the complete package, comfortable on every surface. Auger-Aliassime may not head the betting markets at any of the Grand Slams this year, but it appears inevitable. Expect tipping experts like those at Betzcenter to back the Canadian at several points during the year – this may be one of the last seasons where there’s still value in getting behind him.

Auger-Aliassime reached a peak of #17 in the rankings in October 2019, but the top ten beckons. His best performance at a Slam last year came in his third-round run at Wimbledon, so there’s plenty of scope for Auger-Aliassime to rack up lots of new ranking points in 2020.

Denis Shapovalov

Auger-Aliassime’s compatriot boasts a career ranking of #14, with Shapovalov one decent tournament away from the top ten. Shapovalov made a stunning impact on the ATP Tour in 2017, beating Nadal on the way to the semi-final at the Rogers Cup. This made the Canadian the youngest male player to reach this stage at a Masters, so the top ten appeared an inevitability for this powerful hitter.

We’ve seen little reason to change that expectation in the following years, with Shapovalov going one better in 2019 and reaching his first Masters final in Paris. Shapovalov should start the new season in confident fashion, with Tennis365 reporting on his vow to reach more Masters finals this year. Already in sight of the top ten, Shapovalov will fancy his chances of overtaking the likes of David Goffin and Fabio Fognini in 2020.

Alex de Minaur

It’s probably worth giving a shout-out to someone who isn’t Canadian. De Minaur reached his career best ranking of #18 in October 2019, with the 20-year-old Australian impressing fans with his fighting spirit and on-court agility throughout the season. Those attributes stand him in good stead against the bigger hitters on tour, with many fearing that the heaviest ball strikers would overpower de Minaur.

However, the Australian has honed his offensive shots and worked on his strength – the proof is in the three ATP titles he claimed in 2019. De Minaur earned his first win against a top-1o opponent last year – Kei Nishikori at the US Open.

Those are three fairly safe predictions, so let’s end with a couple of dark horses. 18-year-old Jannik Sinner reached a career best of #78, but the Italian appears destined for big things – and soon. Andrey Rublev – career best #22 – is another player who could make a move up the rankings if one of his hot streaks coincides with a big tournament.