My debut playing the ATP Fantasy Picks game is off to a terrible start. Paire got blown out. Rosol beat Chardy. Gulbis, Mannarino, Tomic, Istomin lost.
Did anyone see that over two minute standing ovation for Federer in Basel when he was awarded the runner-up trophy? Pretty awesome.
How about this article on Dominic Thiem and his eccentric coach, who has him running at midnight, carrying logs in the forest, and showing under waterfalls. link here…
http://www.tennisfrontier.com/blogs/on-the-cherry-path-an-up-and-coming-player-and-his-unusual-coach/
I read James Blake likes Dimitrov and Raonic as the two best of the young guns. He said Janowicz is somewhat predictable. He likes Dimitrov’s all around skills, live arm, movement, serve. He said Raonic is harder to play because of his serve which is so dominant it can make you feel you are not really in the match even if the score is 3-3. I remember Blake, after losing to Karlovic, said how it didn’t even feel like playing tennis.
No mention of Tomic, Pospisil, Harrison or his buddy and former doubles partner Sock in the article by Richard Pagliaro at tennis.com.
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« Previous 1 2Scoop Malinowski · November 3, 2013 at 9:04 pm
Thanks for posting the results Gaurang. Let’s take the whole title next year )
Andrew Miller · November 3, 2013 at 9:06 pm
There’s a crucial difference between Del Potro and every other one-time slam finalist since 2004: he’s 1-0 in slam finals. He gets there again, my chips are on him. Right now, Murray’s a more credible slam threat. I omit Ferrer but you never know. Good draw, Ferrer’s in.
Mitch · November 3, 2013 at 9:07 pm
I finished in the top 10 for Shanghai. BFD
Gaurang · November 3, 2013 at 11:23 pm
Mitch, thats really a BIG F* DEAL! 7th!!! Its hard enough to come in the first 1000!
You are 400th in the circuit — you are really good at this….
We will try to upend you next year 😉
Gaurang · November 4, 2013 at 5:21 am
Bradley Klahn lost in the finals at Taralgon Challenger this week to Yuki Bhambri. I think Yuki has a lot of promise — he has been #1 in the world in the juniors, won Aus Open, and the Orange Bowl. He is climbing the pro ranking ladder very fast and is right now at #203. He has been beating players ranked close to 100 left and right, thus proving he is already playing at the level of a top 100 player.
I think he will reach top 50 within 6 months.
Andrew Miller · November 4, 2013 at 12:02 pm
Props to Klahn for heading to Australia in first place. Yuki’s rise would be big for India’s tennis.
Gaurang · November 4, 2013 at 3:17 pm
Yes — question to people who are more familiar with a life in a day of a competitor in Challenger circuit .
What kind of economics makes it viable for challenger competitors to travel internationally to compete? As I see — the prize money is not that high.
For example, Klahn is now participating in a challenger in Korea this week after Australia last week. He is seeded to reach the semi’s — in which he would make $1755 in prize money. Considering the travel, living and training expenses, he would hardly break even? Even if he goes further than Semi’s, the money is not that much — and the expenses of international travel will dent his earnings significantly — as compared to say if he would have been in the US playing AT Knoxville, TN.
Andrew Miller · November 4, 2013 at 4:21 pm
Klahn’s doing the opposite of most U.S. players, who stayed close to home last week. High risk but smart on Klahn’s part.
Dan Markowitz · November 4, 2013 at 4:40 pm
It depends if the Challenger offers housing. Many don’t and sometimes local families step up and offer to house the players. But anyway you slice it, you better be traveling solo and get to at least the semis and have frequent flyer miles to break even. Usually there is a sponsor involved for a guy like Klahn, but I knew Jeff Salzenstein and he won a number of challengers, but he said during his career with all he spent, he basically broke even. You don’t want to stay in the challengers too long or else as Vince said, you’re paying to play tennis.
Gaurang · November 4, 2013 at 5:30 pm
Ah… interesting info, Dan… “paying to play tennis” 🙂
Andrew Miller · November 4, 2013 at 6:26 pm
How about Peter Polansky? On a roll, two straight challenger finals. Finally doing well outside Canada.
Nod to DY – the new attitude is good.
“I’m close to the top 100. I’m trying to get back into the main events. The Challengers are nice, you guys are nice here, but I like playing the bigger events. I’m just working to improve every day.â€
“Young…believes Mitchell Frank definitely has what it takes to fulfill his dream of playing on the pro tour.
“I think he’ll be one of the guys who makes you beat him all the time and makes you work hard,†he said. “He’s not going to beat himself and if you don’t come to play, he’s going to get you.”
Andrew Miller · November 4, 2013 at 6:29 pm
Anyone else believe that Klahn/DY as the U.S.’ top ranked lefties are aiming to play full-time on the main tour in 2014? Their rankings together improved more than anyone else – Sock, Harrison, etc.
Scoop Malinowski · November 4, 2013 at 6:39 pm
I remember seeing Mitchell Robo Frank practice at Sarasota Challenger and Jack Sock walked by and said, “Grindin’.” Robo Frank is definitely respected. Then some local kid who was German, about sixteen, was around, he’s trying to play some pro events, he was there and set it up to hit with Robo Frank and Robo gave him a good beating 6-2 but the points were good battles. This German kid’s father was about 45 and got a WC into the main draw after a pullout and won a game off a Korean because he wasn’t used to his slower balls but the older guy quit early in the second set because he knew he had no chance.
Dan Markowitz · November 4, 2013 at 6:51 pm
Frank comes out of the same Maryland academy as Denis Kudla. I think Frank is a year younger and he had gone to public school and then took the bus in the afternoon to the academy. I like his attitude, but he’s going to really have to grind to make it into the Top 100.
I’d love to see DY and Klahn make it into the Top 50. They both have more fire and flair than Izzie and Q-ball put together. I also like Rhyne Williams who has some talent.
Andrew Miller · November 4, 2013 at 7:33 pm
Ranking stats for U.S. men’s challenger players. Analysis: someone will need to step up in 2014! It’s possible a U.S. player won’t make it out of the 1st round in January’s Australian Open.
14. Isner
47. Querrey (yep, Querrey is #2 U.S. at #47 ATP)
76. Russell
82. Smyczek ( now #4 U.S. ! )
91. Sock (up from the 70s)
97. DY
103. Harrison
109. Kudla
118. Klahn
120. Williams Rhyne
123. Ram
136. Odesnik
139. Kuznetsov
154. Blake, Retired
156. Reynolds
159. Johnson Steve
Mitch · November 4, 2013 at 8:21 pm
What’s going on with Mardy Fish? Will he be back next season, or will he drop off the radar like Soderling?
Gaurang · November 4, 2013 at 8:45 pm
I am a fan of Klahn, but I worry whether he has topped out. I am not sure he has shown me he has the ability to get into top 80. He looses to so-so players — to even tail-end top 100 players. I hope this does not happen, but I feel there’s a chance he will just continue to be in the 80-140 range for a long time.
Donald Young showed some grit in the last few challengers, and I believe he is heading to close to top 50. He has already proven he can do it once, I think he will prove he can do it twice!
I believe even Kudla and Rhyne will start sticking around 80-100 ranking this year. Not sure whether they can go further.
Smyczek showed more killer instinct than others of this bunch I would say — I think he might inch close to #60.
So here are my ranking predictions for year-end 2014:
Isner 10-20
Querrey 25-35 (unpredictable)
Russel — 115-125
Smyczek — 60-70
Sock 60-70
DY 45-55
Harrison 75-85
Kudla 80-90
Klahn 85-95
Rhyne 80-90
Johnson 120-130
[[ *FISH, FISH 80-90 *if he comes back in the middle of the season ]]
In some ways, these predictions are optimistic — if these come true, then we would have 9 players in top 100 instead of 6 right now.
Andrew Miller · November 4, 2013 at 9:25 pm
Hard to predict on the rankings. Go Smyczek!
Scoop Malinowski · November 4, 2013 at 9:37 pm
Steve Johnson has had a disappointing year after starting off so well taking ALmagro to the five set limit in Australia. Courier said this year he sees Johnson making top 50. I’d say Johnson was the biggest American disappointment along with Harrison. Smyczek is most improved.