GB back in Davis Cup World Group
Locker Room
September 16, 2013
Amazing scenes in Croatia as the local crowd noisily interrupted Andy Murray for two minutes before he served on match point against their hero Ivan Dodig. They even tried to put him off by yelling and screaming just as he was about to hit the ball during the final, tie-clinching rally. A controversial line call […]
Rafa’s The Real Number One After Fairytale In New York
Locker Room
September 10, 2013
Rafael Nadal hit new, outrageous heights to win one of the greatest US Open finals in history. And few can doubt that Nadal – not Djokovic – is currently the greatest tennis player on the planet. ‘He brings my tennis to a new level, I don’t know how I managed to beat him,’ said Rafa […]
Super Serena takes 17th Slam in three set thriller
Locker Room
September 9, 2013
Serena Williams overcame a feisty Victoria Azarenka and a rebellious dress to claim the US crown 7-5, 6-7 (6-8), 6-1 at Flushing Meadows. To tennis-lovers, this will live long in the memory as one of the great women’s showdowns. A sporting war of attrition, with neither gladiator willing to give up, even when they could […]
Wawrinka the Shrinker got Shrunk in US Open Semi
Locker Room
September 7, 2013
Farewell to Stan The Man. What a tournament he had. They’ll have to call him “Wawrinka The Shrinker” from now on. Why? He takes great players and makes them feel very small indeed. Fortunately for Novak Djokovic, Stan couldn’t keep it up. And the Serb, famous for his elasticity, found a way to grow again. […]
Serena Williams – The Greatest – deserves to win battle of the giants
Locker Room
What a display of power we can look forward to in the women’s final in New York. A clash of the big hitters, two tennis heavyweights going toe to toe for the title. It could be an exciting final…if Serena Williams doesn’t come up with one more demolition job to finish an incredible tournament in […]
Wawrinka tramples Murray in US Open Quarters
Locker Room
September 6, 2013
Stan Wawrinka in this kind of form he presents a huge problem for Novak Djokovic. I still take Novak to beat him, but it could be just the kind of gruelling clash that Novak doesn’t want before facing a probable final against Rafa Nadal. The Spaniard should have a much easier time of it against […]
Allez Gasquet! (But don’t expect Rafa to show his friend any mercy)
Locker Room
September 5, 2013
It was refreshing to see the wonderful natural talent of Richard Gasquet shine through against David Ferrer. One of those strange five-setters when none of the sets was really close. The Frenchman prevailed 6-3, 6-1, 4-6, 2-6, 6-3 to reach his first US semi-final…and now he faces his good friend Rafa Nadal. That one is going to make […]
Serena v Victoria… or can Li Na and Flavia have a say?
Locker Room
Let me say up front that I don’t see anyone stopping Serena Williams from winning the US Open this year. But nothing’s ever that certain in tennis, and there are some fascinating battles coming up. On her day Li Na can beat anyone. She probably would have won the Australian Open if they hadn’t stopped […]
Nadal’s Slow Start Makes Novak Favourite
Locker Room
September 3, 2013
When Rafa lost that first set tie-break to Philipp Kohlschreiber, I wondered what odds you could have got on neither Federer nor Nadal making the US Open quarter-final. Rafa came storming back to win in four, as we suspected he would. But the more I see of this US Open, the more I’m convinced that […]
Sad To See This Shadow Of Federer
Locker Room
People called it a shock. What shock? To regular readers of this blog it will come as no surprise that Roger Federer is out of the US Open before he reached that much-anticipated showdown with Rafa Nadal. I suggested that British number three Dan Evans might beat the Fed at Flushing Meadows. In the end […]
Miss Angry crushed by Miss Angrier
Locker Room
September 2, 2013
Did you see the way Serena Williams put away Sloane Stephens? In the big grudge match there was only ever going to be one winner. Though Stephens battled bravely, especially in the first set, she doesn’t have the inner anger possessed by Serena. The younger woman was apparently upset that Serena had ‘unfollowed her’ on […]
Too easy – and just what Novak Djokovic needs
Locker Room
No mess. No fuss. Calm, clinical, physically undemanding. When you look at Novak’s projected path to glory in New York, it was just what he needed. Djokovic sailed through his 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 dismissal of Joao Sousa in just one hour and forty minutes. Novak looks like a man on a mission, flying in under […]
Farewell Sir David Frost – Great man and tennis fan
Debenture News
Everyone will be sad to hear that Sir David Frost has passed away at the age of 74. Most people will know him for the public humbling of American president, Richard Nixon in a series of unforgettable television interviews. They were immortalised recently in the movie “Frost-Nixon.” Less than two months ago I interviewed Sir […]