Nadal is just a machine on clay, but eventually the stunning loss to an outsider will come. Wonder who it will be?

Milos Raonic could be that man this week, but Raonic has to get by Ferrer today.

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What inspired you to put this book together?

Marcelo Rios was one of the most inspiring and talented players I ever saw play the sport. He had a stylish, colorful way of playing that many tennis figures admired and appreciated, people like Roger Federer, Mats Wilander, Luke Jensen, Brad Gilbert, among many others, respected Rios and the way he played, when at his best. Rios was also controversial because he was different and had a rebellious atttitude. Rios should not be forgotten, he was an important player in tennis history. One worthy of some kind of book or tribute.

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I thought Rafael Nadal played a superb match, it was a typical Nadal clay court beatdown, he seldom missed, ran down everything and even served more unreturnables than usual. He made the #1 player in the world look ordinary.

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Long day with two rain delays at the Sarasota Open. The featured 6:30 evening match between defending champ James Blake and young American Dennis Kudla gets pushed back until 8:30, after the green machine Paulo Lorenzi defeated Jan Hernych 76 63 (Lorenzi was wearing iguana green shorts and shirt).

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Djokovic and Dolgopolov will rematch their first meeting which took place on Armstrong Stadium at the US Open 2011, where they broke the record for longest tiebreak in US Open history. Djokovic edged it and then dominated the second and third sets but I detected a trace of respect from Djokovic toward the Ukrainian after, when he seemed to undercredit his adversary’s game instead complaining about the windy conditions. It seemed Djokovic wanted to minimize giving Dolgopolov credit because he viewed him as a future threat.

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The first three matches on stadium court all went the distance – to third set tiebreaks. First Tim Smyczek defeated Marinko Matosevic, saving one MP. Then Go Soeda edged Jessie Levine. The third match on the big court showcased Vasek Pospisil outlasting Robby Ginepri. Play began at 11 and at the end of the Posipisil match it was 7:30.

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I saw Donald Young’s match last week in Casablanca against Frenchman Benoit Paire and it was a devastating defeat. Young won the first set and was up 3-0 and 5-2 in the second set tiebreaker. He had a play on a Paire drop shot which he backhanded crosscourt into the netcord. Instead of 6-2 and four match points it was 5-3. Young fell apart from there and lost the second set.

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I cycle down Longboat Key the ten miles to the Longboat Key Club to the Sarasota Open. It’s a $100,000 ATP Challenger. I want to see the qualifying match, second match on court 8 – Brian Baker vs. Sekou Bangoura. Brian Baker was once a U.S. prospect, who I saw take a set off Carlos Moya at the U.S. Open on grandstand about seven or eight years ago.

Brian Baker beats Bangoura

Status: ATP World Tour TV sports commentator. Former ATP player who won five doubles titles, achieving a career high rank of #28. Reached semifinals of 1998 U.S. Open mens doubles. Also semifinalist in mixed doubles at Wimbledon and Australian Open.

Greatest Sports Moment: “Probably winning my first doubles title (with Thomas Shimada) in Kitzbuhel, Austria (2002). The first one is the one that sticks in your memory. (Who did you beat?) We beat Alex Corretja and Lucas Arnold (76 64). We hooked together for pretty much the first time in our career and it was an instant gel. I remember the best thing about it was the ride from the airport back to Munich was about an hour and a half, it was a long way. And I knew I was going to miss the flight but the check that we won was big enough that I had credit for business class. And I paid like a $1,500 bucks for the upgrade, but it didn’t matter. I was getting to go home. I was flying first class and I just won my first tournament. The best feeling ever.

Koenig's voice and commentaries enhance ATP Masters events

By John Hoffman

Twas the start of the League Season
and something was amiss
The great zen warrior, Ryan Arguelles
wasn’t about, and was sorely missed

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