The Curious Case of the German Tennis Championships

It is May of 2008. The setting is Hamburg, Germany. The players are Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. They are locked in a tough three-setter, with Roland Garros looming just over a week away and the match having serious implications heading into the tournament. The next year, the final takes place in July and is between Paul-Henry Mathieu and Nikolay Davydenko. The number one seed: Gilles Simon. Fast-forward two years, and the champion, is in fact, Simon. He defeated Nicolas Almagro in the final. The number one seed: Gael Monfils. What happened to the tournament? The case of the German Tennis Championships is a very interesting one, and after the jump we'll take a look at what happened and what it says about the ATP.

All Roads Lead to New York: Previewing the ATP Summer

We are less than one week away from the start of the US Open Series, and oddly enough, we are in the middle of the post-Wimbledon clay court swing, and now is a great opportunity to look at what is to come this summer. For the very top players, the summer consists of three events, Cincinnati, Canada, and the United States Open. For the rest of the ATP World Tour participants, however, the summer takes them from the red clay of Europe to the blue hard courts of North America to the Big Apple for the final major of the year. After the jump, we'll look at the US Open Series and a couple other noteworthy events.

Juan Martin del Potro's Long Road Back

Until the 2009 US Open, Argentinian Juan Martin del Potro was just another promising young player on the ATP Tour. That all changed at Flushing Meadows in 2009, where del Potro became the first ever player to defeat both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in the same Major Championship en route to the title. With this first Major under his belt, the immediate future seemed extremely bright for del Potro. The rest of 2009 was a bit of a rollercoaster for the Argentinian, with a string of retirements leading to a spot in the final at the ATP World Tour Finals, which he lost to Nikolay Davydenko.

The 2010 year would prove to be the most difficult of del Potro's life. A wrist injury led to a retirement at the AAMI Kooyong Classic, which is a lead up for the Australian Open. He entered the Australian Open with the wrist injury still ailing him, and he bowed out in the fourth round after a tough five-set loss to Marin Cilic. Del Potro then took an entire month off, hoping this rest would help heal his wrist. This did not prove to be the case, as the wrist injury continued to cripple him. After withdrawing from tournament after tournament, del Potro decided it was time to have surgery, which occurred on May 4, 2010. This was when the Argentinian was a top-5 player in the world.

Del Potro made his return to tennis at the 2010 PTT Thailand Open, which was about nine months after he had played his last competitive tennis match. Juan Martin del Potro was hoping that 2011 would be the year that he, finally healthy, would sour back in the top-10 in the world. This plan did not start out as planned, as a second round exit at the Australian Open left him as the 485th-ranked player in the world. A string of stellar performances and the determination to succeed helped the Major Champion climb back into the top-50 in the world. Del Potro's first ever Round of 16 appearance at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships earned him the World Ranking of 19.

While he will be the first to admit that it has not been easy, Juan Martin del Potro is back. Being away from the game you love for nine months is not easy by any stretch of the imagination, especially for someone whose ceiling seemed so endless. Nevertheless, del Potro's determination to return to where he thinks he belongs has been the driving force in his remarkable comeback. Now at almost full-strength, expect the Aregentinian to be a title contender once again at Flushing Meadows.

Looking at the 2011 ATP Season So Far

With the end of Wimbledon comes the end of the first half of the tennis year. The early Australian swing and brief American hard court few weeks being an ancient memory, the European clay court season being a bit fresher and the very brief English grass court "season" just concluding, it's a great time to look back at the 2011 ATP season so far and evaluate the top players, look at who disappointed, and examine a few breakout stars that began to rise this year. After the jump, we'll look at all of these, and later in the week, we'll have a preview of the  upcoming North American hard court season concluding with the US Open and beyond that.

The WTA: What's Next?

Following Petra Kvitova's stunning victory at Wimbledon, the WTA enters the hard-court season with no clear favorite. No. 1 in the world Caroline Wozniacki has yet to break through at a major, Kvitova will be playing the next few tournaments with a target on her back, and the Williams Sisters are unlikely to play in more than one or two hard-court tournaments leading up to the US Open. Even with no clear favorite, the show must go on and the next few months are sure to be filled with a lot of drama. As for one player on the WTA tour to watch on hard courts, it has to be Maria Sharapova. The 2011 Wimbledon finalist has a game that it is very well-suited on hard-courts, and Flushing Meadows always seems to bring out the best in her. I expect Sharapova and Wozniacki to be in the mix in many of the US Open Series events, which span the months of July and August.

As for the 2011 Wimbledon Champion, Petra Kvitova enters the hard-court season with all the confidence in the world, which can not be an inviting sight for the rest of the WTA. The Czech's game translates very well to the hard courts because of the pace she can put on the ball. I would not be surprised to see Kvitova contend at almost every tournament she enters for the rest of the summer. I would also consider her to be one of the early favorites for the 2011 US Open. Even with the assured parody in the WTA, this summer is sure to be filled with great tennis.

Rafa Dethroned! Novak Djokovic Wins His First Wimbledon Championship

Novak Djokovic walked onto Centre Court at Wimbledon today assured that come Monday, he would be number one on the world. He also knew that had he lost to Rafael Nadal, most observers would consider his ranking to not be an indication of the true state of the men's game. Djokovic stepped onto the court today and dethroned the two time Wimbledon champion, doing it with a relentless attack that took Nadal completely out of his game. If it weren't for that magical day in Paris when Roger Federer broke his streak, we would be looking at a potential grand slam and the best season in the history of tennis. Regardless, Djokovic is clearly number one in the world, and this performance was by far the biggest win of his career, defeating a player who had not lost at Wimbledon since 2007. It wasn't the best tennis these two have produced, but in terms of  drama and importance, this match was captivating. After the jump, we'll look at this match set by set.

Number One vs. Number Two: Previewing the Dream Final

With all due respect to the greatest player of all time, Roger Federer, most tennis pundits were looking forward to a final that pitted current world number one Rafael Nadal and future world number one as of two days from now, Novak Djokovic. This is the match many were anticipating at Roland Garros, but as we all know, Roger Federer ruined those plans. Now they will face off in a major final again, and ironically, Djokovic would probably have had a better shot to dethrone Nadal at Roland Garros. Djokovic's movement on the grass is significantly weaker than his movement on clay and hard courts. That is the main thing to look for. If Djokovic is able to track down Nadal's deep shots, then he can defeat him. If not, then it might be a long and grueling match for Djokovic. After the jump, we'll look at the match-up, stroke by stroke

Kvitova's Major Breakthrough

Petra Kvitova walked onto Centre Court Wimbledon today with absolutely nothing to lose. Playing in her first Grand Slam final, Kvitova was the healthy underdog to former Wimbledon Champion Maria Sharapova. Knowing that Sharapova was the one facing all the pressure, the 21 year-old came out firing in today's Ladies' Championship at Wimbledon. Early nerves led to Sharapova breaking Kvitova's serve in the very first game of the championship match. The Russian could not take advantage of this early break, losing her serve the very next game. This levelled the opening set at 1-1, and the rest of the match would prove to be pretty lopsided in favor of Petra Kvitova.

Kvitova was able to control almost every baseline rally in the first set, and her opponent helped her out by throwing in numerous double faults at very big spots. Kvitova was able to run Sharapova all over the court with her lefty forehand. An error by Sharapova gave Petra Kvitova the first set, 6-3. This was the first set Sharapova had lost in the entire tournament, and it definitely affected the veteran's confidence going into the must-win 2nd set. This 2nd set was an absolute roller-coaster, as the two competitors exchanged numerous breaks. The real turning point in this set was when Kvitova was serving at 4-3. Sharapova had broken Kvitova in her last two service games and knew she would need another break to stay alive. An early advantage in this game was not enough for Sharapova to convert the break, and Kvitova held. putting herself just one game away from the finish line. After an easy hold by Sharapova, Kvitova showed no signs of tensing up as she was serving for the match. This love-hold was capped off by an ace, the Czech's first of the match. There is truly no better way to win Wimbledon in your first trip to a Grand Slam Final.

Kvitova fell to her knees in celebration, no-doubt trying to sink in the entire atmosphere. The sell-out crowd at Centre Court rose to their feet, applauding the remarkable performance by the 21 year-old. With the way she performed on the game's biggest stage today, this could be the first of many Grand Slam titles for Petra Kvitova. As for Maria Sharapova, her service woes finally caught up to her. Multiple times during the match Sharapova faced break points and responded to them by throwing in a double. That just will not cut it in the final of a Major. What makes this all even more surprising is the fact that Maria was the more experienced of the two players, having played in 4 Grand Slam finals prior to Saturday's loss. On the flip side, Kvitova's lack of experience seemed to be her biggest advantage, as she came out with the mentality that she had nothing to lose.

This year's final brings up a lot of interesting questions. Will Maria Sharapova ever win another Major? Will Petra Kvitova carry over this success to Flushing Meadows in September? While no one knows the answers to these questions, we all do know that Petra Kvitova is a Major Champion!

Seven Years Later: Maria Sharapova's Return to the Sport's Biggest Stage

Not many people, men or women, have experienced the adrenaline rush of walking out on to Centre Court Wimbledon ready to play for the most prestigious championship in all of tennis. One of the few people who has felt this rush is Maria Sharapova, who played for the Wimbledon title in 2004. At the time a 17 year-old Russian who had begun to capture the hearts of people all over the world with her stunning looks, Sharapova did the impossible when she made a magical run to the Wimbledon Final as the 13th seed. Not only did she reach the final, but Maria disposed of the tournament's top seed, Serena Williams, to capture her first Grand Slam title. This Saturday marks her return to the game's biggest stage, as she will take Centre Court in search of her second Wimbledon title.

This time around, her opponent is 21 year-old Petra Kvitova, the 8th-seed in this year's tournament. This young lefty from the Czech Republic has impressed fans from all over the world with her game. Her ability to generate power off both sides is simply stunning, and her composure in key moments is unusual for someone with her in-experience. Many people believed that Kvitova's memorable run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2010 was going to be her first and last hurrah at a major. She has gone on to prove all of those doubters wrong, as she has gotten consistently better since last June, cracking the top-10 in the world. Expectations for her at this year's Wimbledon were not very high, as much of the pre-tournament hype surrounded the return of Venus and Serena Williams. Quietly, the 8th seed cruised into the second week at this year's Championships. After surviving 3-set matches against both Pironkova and Azarenka in the quarters and semis, respectively, the young Czech found herself in her first Grand Slam final. The only thing that stands in her way of making this year's Wimbledon her first Grand Slam title is.....Maria Sharapova.

This final between the 5th seed and the 8th seed is bound to be full of screams, shrieks, impressive winners, and service errors. What else is there to ask for? To get to the actual preview, the underdog Kvitova matches up well against the former champion. Both generate a lot of pace from the baseline, which will make for some very entertaining rallies throughout the match. The key for Sharapova will be to avoid the double faults, which casued her semifinal match to be a lot closer than it should have been. As for Kvitova, she has to try her best to calm the nerves early in the match, simply because she has a great chance to win if her in-experience does not get in the way. As for my prediction: this Ladies's Final will be a high-energy, three-set affair that will end with Maria Sharapova bringing home her second Wimbledon Title.

Dream Gentlemen's Final is Set: Djokovic vs. Nadal, 1 vs 2

The final is set on the Gentlemen's side of the 2011 Championships. It got there in a roundabout sort of way, but it's here. Perhaps the best player not to have been talked about during the fortnight, Novak Djokovic, defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in a captivating 4 set match. Rafael Nadal, for his sake, defeated Brit Andy Murray in a less than thrilling four-setter match to reach his second consecutive Wimbledon final. With Djokovic's win, he will become world number one on Monday when the new rankings come out. This will be the first player not named Nadal or Federer to become number one since Andy Roddick in 2003. We'll have more about that in future posts, but after the jump we'll look at each match individually.