Tennis – Year in Review 2009 – Men
December 31, 2009
2009 was a year many expected to see Rafael Nadal dominate and hold onto his no. 1 ranking. People thought Roger Federer was on his way down and would struggle to win another Grand Slam tournament. Nadal started the year on 13,160 ranking points ahead of Federer on 10,610 at no. 2. Novak Djokovic was just behind on 10,590.
The Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year it was indeed Nadal who got off to a winning start as Nadal defeated Federer in five sets. With the French Open to follow it looked good for Nadal. The Australian Open scoreline was 7-5, 3-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-2.
Fast forward to the French Open and it was Robin Soderling who shocked the tennis world by handing a defeat to Nadal on the Roland Garros clay for the very first time from 32 starts. Nadal looked a bit off his game as he was bundled out in the fourth round. The score was 6-2, 6-7, 6-4, 7-6. This opened the way for Federer to win his elusive French Open Grand Slam singles crown but he still had plenty of work ahead of him.
Federer had lost three straight French Open finals to Nadal and a semi back in 2005. Once Nadal was ousted from the tournament Federer had to Tommy Haas in five sets, Gael Monfils in four, Juan Martin Del Potro in five in the semi and then he faced Nadal’s conquerer in the final. Against Soderling Federer etched his name in greatness by claiming a career Grand Slam. He won the final 6-1, 7-6, 6-4.
After the French Open loss it was bad news for Nadal as he was unable to defend his Wimbledon crown due to a knee injury. He was out of the game until August when he returned at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Canada, Montréal, Canada.
With Nadal out of the game Federer moved back to the top of the rankings on 6 July, 2009. This came thanks to his French Open win and of course another Wimbledon crown. The Wimbledon title took his career Grand Slam singles tally to 15, more than any other male player. Federer won Wimbledon after defeating Andy Roddick in a memorable final. The score was 5-7 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5) 3-6 16-14 in a match lasting four hours and 16 minutes. This was Federer’s sixth Wimbledon crown.
At the US Open Federer took his amazing record for consecutive semifinal appearances to 22. He moved on from the semi to reach his 10th consecutive Grand Slam singles final and 17th of the last 18. Amazing if you ask me. In the final Federer was going for his sixth straight US Open singles title. His opponent was Juan Martin Del Potro. Federer had a tough match against the young Argentine at the French Open however he was still favoured to win.
In the end it was Del Portro that stunned Federer with a 3-6, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2 victory. This was the first Grand Slam title for Del Potro.
In team competition the Spanish team claimed back-to-back Davis Cup titles. Nadal returned to lead his country to victory over the Czech Republic 5-0.
At the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals the top eight players from the 2009 season took to the courts in London. The players were Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Juan Martin Del Potro, Nikolay Davydenko , Fernando Verdasco and Robin Soderling. It was Davydenko who pulled off the biggest win of his career by defeating Del Potro 6-3, 6-4 in the final.
The 2009 rankings end with Roger Federer still holding the no. 1 spot with 10,550 ranking points, Nadal is second with 9,205, Djokovic third on 8,310, Andy Murray is fourth with 7,030 and Del Potro holds fifth spot with 6,785.
If you look at the top ten from the start of 2009 and compare it with the end James Blake is the biggest loser. He went from no. 10 to no. 44. Gilles Simon fell from 6 to 15.
I now look forward to the 2010 season which is just days away.
Schumacher Confirmed as Mercedes Driver for 2010 F1 Season
December 24, 2009
Yesterday I wrote about the likely return to Formula One racing for seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher. Overnight it was confirmed the Schumacher will race for the Mercedes team. This is the outfit that purchased the 2009 championship winning Brawn GP team.
The return to formula one for Schumacher will see him paired up with fellow German Nico Rosberg. He will also be reunited with Ross Brawn. He previously raced with the help of Brawn at Benetton and Ferrari and his involvement with Brawn was key to the return.
Schumacher has high expectations and will be looking for Formula One drivers championship number 8 as he competes in 2010.
“Mercedes GP Petronas represents a new challenge for me both in a sporting and a personal context,” said Schumacher. “It is a new chapter in my racing career and I am really looking forward to working with my old friend Ross Brawn and my companions from my days with the Mercedes Junior Programme.
Schumacher also said it was tough to end his association with Ferrari as he had spent a big part of his career with that team.
At BBC’s website you can see an interview with Michael Schumacher where he discusses his return to Formula One.
February 1, 2010 is the first time that Schumacher will be allowed to test the car that he will race when the Formula One season starts on March 14, 2010 in Bahrain.
In the season ahead F1 fans will get to see Schumacher go head to head with 2008 World Champion Lewis Hamilton and another young gun of F1, Sebastian Vettel. It will also be interesting to see the battle between those three drivers and defending Formula One champion Jenson Button. Button of course won his championship for Brawn GP and he has now moved to McLaren who are also powered by Mercedes.
I can’t wait for the 2010 season.
This Time Schumacher is Back?
December 23, 2009
There has been plenty of speculation that Michael Schumacher will make a return to Formula One in 2010. This time he will not be racing for Ferrari but the Mercedes team. This was Brawn GP in 2009.
It has been reported in the German newspaper Bild that Schumacher has actually put pen to paper and signed a one-year contact to drive for Mercedes in 2010.
Schumacher was almost back in F1 in 2009 after looking to fill the seat for injured Felipe Massa. Injury kept him away on that occasion as he suffered neck pain in the physical prior to a planned comeback.
Schumacher now 40 has 16 years in Formula One behind him including 91 race wins in a 16-year career. He is a seven-time Formula One driver’s champion.
There should be plenty of interest in the opening race in the 2010 Formula One season which takes place in Bahrain on March 14, 2010. We will of course see the all-Brit team of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button take to the track racing for McLaren. On top of that Fernando Alonso is in a Ferrari and we will have the Red Bull team looking to go on from their strong performance in 2009.
Bring it on!
How did the Bulls lose from 35 up?
December 23, 2009
I am still trying to get over the Chicago Bulls losing after leading the Sacramento Kings by 35 points. This took place not on the road but at home.
The comeback by the Kings was the biggest since the Utah Jazz won a game from 36 points down back in November 1996. This came against the Denver Nuggets after the Jazz trailed 70-34 in the second quarter. The final score was 107-103.
The Bulls came out on fire taking a 38-19 lead into the first quarter break. This was followed up by a 29-24 second quarter to see the Bulls leading 67-43 at the half. Contrast the first quarter with the last and you see how bad it got for the Bulls. It was 10-33 as the Kings charged homefor the 102-98 win.
The Bulls playing with basically a seven man roster just got tired and starting making mistakes. The Kings on the other hand did not give in and came storming back. They spread the minutes across 11 players. That was probably the key.
The Bulls did not have the energy to keep fighting on defence. Mistakes on offence compounded the problem. Of the five starters for the Bulls three of them played forty plus minutes and Noah was on the court for 39.
Deng top scored for the Bulls with 26 points, Rose had 24. For the Kings it was the rookie who starred with Evans scoring 23 points.
The Bulls fans now have to swallow this after the earlier disappointment of being just the second team to lose to the struggling Nets.
Can the Bulls make a comeback as they did last season or is that too much to expect?
Nick Lindahl Defeated Bernard Tomic To Grab Australian Open Wildcard
December 20, 2009
Nick Lindahl has taken out the AO Play-off to earn a wildcard into Australian Open 2010. He defeated Bernard Tomic in a five-set thriller at Melbourne Park. Lindahl saved five match points in the fourth set to overcome a determined Tomic in front of a large crowd. The final score was 6-7(6) 6-1 4-6 7-6(8) 6-3.
On the women’s side of the event it was comeback girl Casey Dellacqua who downed top seed Olivia Rogowska. Dellacqua made a name for herself in the 2008 Australian Open won the match 1-6 7-6(9) 6-3. She is making a comeback to top flight tennis after sitting out the 2009 season thanks to a shoulder injury.
Now attention turns to who will receive the discretionary wildcards which are yet to be handed out. Alicia Molik was playing in the Play-off as she continues her comeback. She fell in the quarters going out after losing to Jessica Moore. She could get in on a wildcard.
Tomic the loser in the men’s final should get in on a wildcard, apart from him it will be interesting to see who receives one.
The Australian Open tennis starts on January 18, 2010 at Melbourne Park.
EPL Scores – Man Utd Go Down, Liverpool Slump Continues
December 20, 2009
The big names crashed in the latest EPL action. Manchester United were upset by Fulham as they went down 3-0.
Just last season Liverpool were pushing for the Premier League title. This season they are a shadow of that team and their slump continued as they lost to bottom team Portsmouth 2-0.
In other matches Arsenal moved into third position after a 3-0 win over Hull City, Manchester City defeated Sunderland 4-3 in a match that was the last for Mark Hughes as manager. He got the sack after his teams recent poor form. Incoming manager Roberto Mancini watched from the stands.
Tottenham defeated Blackburn Rovers 2-0 and Aston Villa consolidated a top four spot with a 1-0 win over Stoke City.
Just before Christmas we now see Chelsea holding a three-point lead ahead of Manchester United. Chelsea on 40 points has a game in hand. Arsenal are five points back on 35 as are Aston Villa. Liverpool is eight points out of a Champions League position as they struggle in seventh spot on the EPL ladder.
Amelie Mauresmo Calls It a Day
December 7, 2009
Former world no. 1 tennis player and two-time Grand Slam champion Amelie Mauresmo has announced her retirement from tennis. Mauresmo leaves the game ranked at no. 21 and aged 30.
“I don’t want to train anymore,” Mauresmo said after shedding tears about the decision. “I had to make a decision, which became evident in the last few months and weeks. When you grew older, it’s more difficult to stay at the top.”
The Frenchwoman climbed to the top of the women’s tennis rankings on Sept. 13, 2004. She stayed there for five weeks before recapturing the top ranking on March 20, 2006. The second time around she held the top spot until Nov. 12. She held the no. 1 ranking for a total of 39 weeks during her career. She was the first person from France to hold the top spot in tennis.
Mauresmo’s first Grand Slam win came in controversial circumstances when Justine Henin defaulted the final of the Australian Open in 2006. Mauresmo was ahead 6-1, 2-0 at the time. It is interesting to note that Mauresmo also secured walkover victories in the 3rd round over Michaella Krajicek and the semis over Kim Clijsters.
After not knowing how to feel after her walkover victory at the Australian Open Mauresmo went on to claim the 2006 Wimbledon title winning 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 over Justine Henin. Many saw this win validate her as a true Grand Slam champion after the Australian Open win.
Mauresmo said there was no comeback on the cards for her. “Even if I’ve learned to never say never,” the Frenchwoman said. “The players you are thinking about stopped earlier than me before coming back.”
Former no.1′s Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin both made comebacks after retiring from the game. Clijsters of course had a mega comeback winning the US Open earlier this year.
Mauresmo says she leaves the sport of tennis with no regrets. That is what she is saying although I am sure she would have loved to have bagged a French Open trophy. The Frenchwoman was inspired to play the game after watching Yannick Noah win his French Open title at Roland Garros in 1983.
FIFA 2010 World Cup Draw Completed
December 5, 2009
The football fans of the world were earlier today treated to an entertaining event as part of the final draw for the 2010 World Cup. The fans were not watching just to be entertained, they were keen to see what group their nation would fall into.
First out of pot one which contained the seeded nations including the hosts, was in fact the host nation of South Africa. That placed them in group A. The other seeded teams were Argentina, Brazil, England, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Spain. Each of those countries were selected from pot one to fill position one in each group.
As the draw continued it was Argentina who headed group B, England group C, Germany group D, Netherlands group E, Italy group F, Brazil group G and Spain filled group H.
This process continued as teams were selected from pot two. Mexico were the lucky ones who found their way into group A along with South Africa.
For me as an Australian I had to wait to find that the Socceroos would be in group D along with Germany, Ghana and Serbia.
English fans should be happy as their team has a somewhat easy group and will face USA, Algeria and Slovenia in group C.
A vote on FIFA.com to select the most difficult group shows that group G which contains Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast and Portugal is the toughest. 48.68 per cent picked that. Group A was voted next hardest then group D. the easiest is considered to be group F which contains defending champion Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia.
Now we just have to sit back and wait 187 days and the World Cup action will kick-off with a match between host country South Africa and Mexico.
You can view all the World Cup groups at the FIFA.com site
Is Tiger Woods Still Your Golfing Hero?
December 3, 2009
What is going on recently? We had Andre Agassi coming out and admitting he tooks drugs and not only that lied about the circumstances when caught at the time. Now we have Tiger Woods being caught out playing around with other women.
In a statement on his website Tiger Woods has asked for privacy in dealing with issues which he wants left behind closed doors.
Here is part of the statement from Tiger’s website.
“I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone.”
No doubt you have heard plenty about what Tiger has been up to. Now as a sports fan how do you feel about him. Do you forgive his personal shortcomings and just worry about his deeds on the golf course or will you look down on Tiger?
Unless you have been in his shoes it is hard to pass judgement.
My point of view is that I will respect his privacy and let him deal with his family in his own time. I will continue to enjoy watching Tiger the golfer.
I know plenty of people will not see things that way. I wonder just how things might have been if the recent news had broken before he made his trip to Australia for the Masters. He was god like. Never before had I seen such hype over one individual sports person.
Love to read your comments…
