Breaking Down Azarenka, Sharapova, and Williams’ WTA Rankings by Surface
We know certain things about the WTA top three in 2012 — Victoria Azarenka was virtually unstoppable on hard courts, Maria Sharapova was unusually great on clay, and Serena Williams was undefeated on grass.
But we can take that one step further by examining the composition of their rankings. What percentage of their total ranking points was accumulated on each surface?
Changeover Music: Sexy Boy
And now for something completely different: the first installment of Changeover Music! Here we let loose on our dream of being the stadium DJs during tennis matches. Of course, nobody will hire us. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is playing Julien Benneteau in Paris today. Hence, we have to go with a French band, right? And why not […]
Social Media Studies: 10 Favorite Stanislas Wawrinka Retweets
Stan Wawrinka is one of the best tennis players to follow on twitter. If you don’t follow him yet, please do so now. He especially shows his sense of humor through his RTs. Below are some of my favorites.
(All tweets below are real and were indeed RTed by @stanwawrinka himself. You can fact check me on that one.)
How the Match Was Lost - Valencia Final: David Ferrer def. Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-1, 3-6, 6-4
The Valencia Final started two hours after the very eventful Basel final got underway, and at the same time as the very significant women’s final in Istanbul was starting. Basel and the WTA Championships had the big names, so Valencia received very little attention. Which is unfortunate, because it ended up being quite a fascinating final.
The point I want to make with the picture above is simple: Alexandr Dolgopolov could have very well spoiled the Ferrer-Ferrero-Valencia Bromance on Sunday and ended up with the trophy. He had clear opportunities to do so, and at 3-all in the 3rd set, he was looking like the better player. The upset seemed quite plausible.
Julien Benneteau and the Curious Case of the Missing Title
You guys, Julien Benneteau is just awesome.
He’s awesome at tennis. When he’s on his game, the enigmatic Frenchmen effortlessly prances around the court, hitting winners at will.
He’s awesome at being dramatic. All Benneteau matches are like HBO mini-series. I’ve seen him shake hands with his opponent and take a bow after the second point of the match, yell at fans on the sidewalks through the fence and wind screens for being too loud, and sit on a match-time clock and refuse to move until an umpire changed a ruling.
The Federer vs. Del Potro Basel Final As Told in Animated Gifs
The final between Juan Martin del Potro and Roger Federer in Basel, as told in animated GIFs.
#NeverForget: YouTube Chronicles: David Nalbandián wreaking havoc at the 2007 Paris Masters
In order to get you excited for the upcoming Paris Masters, here is a look back at one match of probably the most random hot streak in recent history: David Nalbandián’s tear through Madrid and Paris in 2007. Not much is at play this year in Bercy, but maybe, just maybe, we’ll get something special, […]
How the Match Was Won: Serena Williams def. Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-3
The Russian followed up her impressive performance against her frequent tormentor Victoria Azarenka on Saturday by playing at a very high level today. She served well, played some incredible defense at times, and even dared to send more than a few return winners past Serena. The eventual champion even applauded one of them at 30-0, 4-3 in the second set. The forehand down-the-line missile was that good.
Sharapova never looked defeated, and always gave it everything she had. She fought like a madwoman. Yet all she had to show for her troubles was seven games. She didn’t create a single break point on Serena’s serve, and only got to deuce once.
Delpocalypse Now: Del Potro’s Comeback from The Brink
When Juan Martin del Potro retired from his match against Jurgen Melzer in Shanghai with a right wrist injury shortly after winning his first Grand Slam at the 2009 US Open, many assumed the retirement was simply a sign that he had burnt out after a long, successful summer.
But del Potro’s wrist injury worsened to the point where he was forced to have surgery, and the Argentinian has been fighting ever since to get back to the top of the ATP Tour.
The Picks for October 28, 2012
We pick the winners for the Basel final between Roger Federer and Juan Martin del Potro, the WTA Championships final between Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams, and the Valencia final between David Ferrer and Alexandr Dolgopolov.
