- With Justine and Venus out, and no Serena, is this officially Kim’s tournament to lose? Is that possible since she’s not top seed?

- Has the draw opened up enough for a Franny RG like run? If so, who might it be?

- What happened to Malisse’s fitness?

- Make sure to catch some of Milos/Iron Commander tonight. You’re likely to get your money’s worth.

- Any thoughts on who you like in a looming Sod/Muzz QF yet?

- Stan’s presser was pretty money last night. Was asked why he thought Europeans were dominating the draw, said he had no idea… and that was it.

- Now that we’re 5 days in, if you got the chance to revise your ATP or WTA choice, which one would you pick? Who would you switch it too?

Been a great opening 5 days, think we’re going to be in for some fantastic match ups come the second week.

First time a Canadian man has reached the third round of a slam since Daniel Nestor at Wimbledon in 2001? (Yes, 2001.)

OH HELL YEAH.

Milos, Gilles and I will gladly share our birthday with you.

In fact, Milos is all but exactly a year younger than I (I’m ancient, what can I say) and is starting off 2011 with a serious bang. He qualified for his first ever slam at USO last fall, losing in the first round. He then qualified for Malaysia and Tokyo, and has since, dare I say, set the world of young tennis players on fire after handing it to Llodra in straight sets to make the third round of the Aussie Open.

When I say handing it, I mean it. Milos didn’t face a break point over the first two sets and won the first set tiebreak without dropping a point on serve. Despite Llodra getting his break back in the third and playing childish mind games, (taking way too much time on Milos’ serve, fist pumping in his face, moaning to the ump) Milos kept cool and closed it out in the tiebreak, once again not dropping a point on serve. He served around (give a % point or two) 71% and won 91% of points off his first serve.

I will admit, seeing Milos play last year, I was worried about his consistency and ability to break. The serve was obviously fantastic, both with power and cutting spin to either wings, with an above average second serve to boot. However, the backhand appeared to have problems, the movement was still getting there, and there was some strange shot selections.

He’s still young, so these problems will likely come and go, but there were no traces of them against Llodra. Moving amazingly well for a 6’5 kid, hitting solid backhands, and making fantastic shot selections. I don’t recall a single time during the match where I thought “huh, not sure what he was doing there”.

In other words? Watch out. If Milos can get into a groove, he should easily be able to rock out on grass and hard courts over the summer and make a serious run in the rankings. Exciting times.

Also exciting? It’s a bit late, but because I didn’t get a chance to post about her… how about Rebecca Marino? Pushed Franny to the limits, 9-7. Oddly enough, she shares a lot of traits with Milos: 20 years old, tall (6’1), fantastic movement, and a huge forehand (instead of serve). She won three $50,000 tournies last fall and is clearly coming into her own.

I know there are some fellow Canucks out there who read this, so this is for you. Get excited. If the past 6 months continue to ring true, these results are far from a flash in a pan, and these kids are something to get seriously excited about… eh?

Breathe in, breathe out. Not going to get too excited. This is Delpo’s first slam win in a year. Breathing.

BUT FER SRS? STRAIGHT SETS?

I’m ok, promise.

It wasn’t a dominant performance against Dudi. Hell, it probably shouldn’t have been a straight sets win. But if I were to use totally arbitrary numbers, I would say that Elf’s ball striking is around 90% there (100% in terms of cracking forehands) and mentally about 50%. There were some strange, strange shot selections and he clearly wasn’t comfortable opening up and going down the line when the opportunity presented itself (though most of the time when he did, it worked well).

That being said, he hit some delicious shots off both wings from outside the doubles alley in typical Delpo style, was ripping forehands, hitting some fantastic serves are really going for some shots. It’s tough to ask for much more.

He was equally awesome in his presser.

Q. How good does it feel to be back in a Grand Slam arena after so much frustration for you?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Well, I feel good. Is nice for me be here with these players, this tournament, and of course playing a Grand Slam.

Today I play good tennis again. But I’m really enjoying this week. I met with all the players, especially the top 10 players. They support me when I was very bad. So now I face to face with them and I say thank you.

Top 10 players sent him supportive messages while he was down in the dumps about being out? I love you tennis.

Q. You talked about the support of the fellow top 10 players. How did they support you? Did they call you or send messages?

JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO: Everything. They call me and they send an emails, everything. It’s important. They have all his schedule very close, very completed. Sometimes if you got his callings, is good because they are thinking about you and about yourself. So I just want to say thank you to all of them. For me it’s good playing against them again.

Bah!

Next up? Baggy. Yikes.

It’s late. Whatever.

Top Half – Caro’s Quarter

This is a seriously difficult and tricky quarter for Caro. Trouble spots loom everywhere including Domi in the third round, Wicky/Mono in the fourth, and any one of Justine, Kuz, or Franny in the quarters.

Unlike some, I don’t think Domi beating Caro again to be that realistic. Piotr will have Caro pumped and ready to go, and slams are a different beast entirely. I think her consistency should be enough to take out Wicky or Mono on the other side.

The bottom half of this quarter is a total mess, and we’re already a round away from a third round Kuz/JuJu blockbuster. I still think Justine is battling her way through this.

Quarterfinal: Caro vs. Justine

Top Half: Venus’ Quarter

Much like the other quarter of the top half, this is a quarter filled with land mines in what I believe is an overall much, much stronger half.

Venus could be up against Petko in the third round… a match I’m not entirely convinced she can win. Kanepi, Masha, Nails and Vika are all bouncing around in this quarter as well.

Petko has been seriously impressive finishing off last year and starting off 2011. I think there might be a whole lot of Petko dances getting thrown down sooner than later…

Quarterfinal: Petko vs. Vika

Bottom Half – Kim’s Quarter

Things are generally straight forward for Kim here. Yes, a possible rematch with Nads awaits, but she’s coachless and hasn’t been feeling fantastic. Kleybs and JJ are bouncing around too but shouldn’t be much of a match.

Quarterfinal: Kim vs. JJ

Bottom Half – Vera’s Quarter

Bepa better hope she’s got her A game with her, because she’s going to be challenged in her next match against Bojangles, which should be a seriously cracking, hard hitting match. Lucie, K-Zak, Pavs… and of course Sam and Kvitova on the other side. Scary. I think forcing Bepa to find her game early is going to be a positive thing however…

Quarterfinal: Kvitova vs. Bepa

Semifinals: Justine vs. Vika, Kim vs. Bepa
Final: Justine vs. Bepa
Champion: Vera Zvonareva

Stranger things have happened, my friends. In fact, stranger things will likely happen. What do you think? Feel free to leave a comment, and hit me with your predictions!

All top 5 men of the bottom half made quite a statement to kick off the first day of action. Fed, Nole, and Dick only dropped 5 games and Berd and NandoHawk dropped 6. Impressive.

There were a few crooked scorelines, however. First off, poor Fuzzy Koala who went down to Flouride Mayer. Despite losing only taking one set, Kolya won only 10 fewer points… 3 for 13 on break points is a real stinger.

Monf just squeaked by against de Bakker after dropping the first two sets. He fought out the third 7-5 and cruised in the final two.

Crazy result of the day goes to Kubot d. Querrey in the fifth set, 8-6. Q-Man took the second to go up 2-1 and managed to eat a breadstick in the fourth. Qu’est-ce que c’est? Make of it what you will, but Sammy Q’s odd inconsistency and lack of mental toughness will likely keep him from ever making a big splash in a slam.

Rafa, Muzz, Jo, Delpo, and Nalby/Rusty all featured on day 2.

The time is nigh. A blank slate, a fresh list of serious contenders, and a whole lot of great tennis in front of us. Bring the noise.

Top Half – Rafa’s Quarter

The first seed is a coveted position for a reason, and Rafa has really reaped the benefits this time around. Possible fourth round match-ups for him could include Tree or Marin and a possible quarterfinal clash with someone like Nalby, Youz, or Ferru.

While there is definitely a solid chance that one of these guys might match Nadal’s game at some point, there’s slight chance that they will out last him (as long as Rafa is healthy). This should be pretty straight forward as far as slam quarters go.

Quarterfinal: Rafa vs. Nalby

Top Half – Sod’s Quarter

A significantly more juicy quarter than Rafa’s, this doesn’t only feature a possible Sod/Muzz throwdown, it features dark horses such as Baggy, Jo, and yes, Delpo. Jo is on Sod’s part and Baggy on Muzz’s, and I think both of those guys could be a very serious upset threat for either.

This is definitely going to be a quarter to keep an eye on for exciting matches early on for the men’s side, and what will likely be an eventual challenger for Rafa.

Quarterfinal: Sod vs. Muzz

Bottom Half: Nole’s Quarter

While this might appear to be a jam packed quarter, it’s really not entirely threatening to Nole. Berd, Kolya and Fer are all stuck in the top part of the quarter and Nole really only has Ivo, Viktor and Nico to give him trouble. That’s pretty money in terms of getting to the quarters.

As for the top half of this quarter? Well, Kolya/Fer could relive their amazing AO match of last year in the third round. Sweeeet… That, and no one really knows what bug has gotten into Berd’s head, or how to get rid of it. Huh.

Quarterfinal: Nole vs. Fuzzy Koala

Bottom Half – Fed’s Quarter

Fed has been in wicked form lately and trying to challenge him right now? Yeah, no. I’m not going to. It doesn’t hurt that his quarter is wicked easy.

Quarterfinal: Fed vs. Stan

I can’t believe I’m about to do this. It seems like a cop out. Like cheating. The easy path. But honestly? I’ve lined up draws before and come up with some seriously odd and nonsensical results, both on the ATP and WTA sides of things. But if things go as they should (which one would always moronically assume when drafting up such an arbitrary thing as this) then I really do think this is what will happen. So here we go.

Semis: Rafa vs. Sod, Fed vs. Nole
Final: Rafa vs. Fed
Champion Rafa (in 4 sets)

You may remember the incredibly popular MTR series “What’s In A Hard Court?” where I contemplate what makes up the material of hard courts, the differences, and other deep questions about life.

Well get excited about the first part in a one part series, “What’s In A Grand Slam?”!

Well, if you think you know, Rod Laver sure has something to say about it. He essentially tells us that Trix are for kids, and a real “Grand Slam” is getting all four big tournaments in a calendar year.

First off, let’s take a look at where the phrase “Grand Slam” comes from. Interestingly, Patrick McEnroe tackles this issue in his book and goes over some of the complications of it. Back in the good ole days, what we now call “slams” (we’ll call them “small s” slams) were simply called “majors”. This term gets thrown around nowadays but seems almost ancient to a new generation’s ears. That or a golf term (equally as ancient, I believe).

This means that a “Grand Slam” (we’ll say “capital S” Slam) was winning all four “majors” in the same calendar year. Thus, a “slam” is different than a “Grand Slam”. I guess what I’m saying here is that really, a “Grand Slam” is winning all of the “slams”, but in the same calendar year.

If it’s over 2 years, we just name it after your first name. For example, “the Serena Slam” or my personal favourite, “the Brodie Slam”.

So what of a Rafa slam? Is it slightly less impressive than a Grand Slam? Yes. By a hair width, I’d say. In today’s day in age, a legit Grand Slam is a hell of a lot to ask for. Proof? Mr. Goat himself has never done it.

Don’t kid yourself, a lot needs to happen for a “Rafa slam” and I think it’s a tad ridiculous to be talking about it before it even happens.

Can we all just be serious for a minute? This is the most fit Ana Ivanovic has looked in… oh, I dunno… Forever?

It was a less than ideal start to the season for Ana, who kicked off kicking ass in Hopman Cup, but unfortunately busted an ab and was forced to withdraw from the tournament as well as Sydney. The good news? Besides being in presumably solid form both physically and game-wise, she’s in the top 32 and will be seeded for AO, meaning she will avoid a brutal first couple of rounds and should be able to work her way into the tournament.

Beyond that, Ana is clearly busting some ass (thanks, Leather!) and has winning on the brain this 2011. If Melbourne doesn’t work out perfectly, that’s ok. Here’s hoping for some consistent results from Ana in 2011.

While I admit that it is a bit weird looking back to a period which I am now getting wicked excited over… January is always an exciting time, no? A fresh start, a clean slate, use whatever cliche you want. Typically players are rested, healthy, and pumped to get at it.

In hindsight, AO10 was a bit underwhelming from a purely selfish, fan point of view when compared to the other slams of last year. There was a ton of hype over the USO winners, Kim and Delpo, but both crashed out pretty early. Rafa was too hurt to defend his title. At the end of the tournament, Muzz fell to a dominant Fed (again) and comeback queen Justine fell to a confident Serena. While it seems so obvious now, it was these types of stories that people weren’t really talking about at the time.

The Good: I’m not a Justine fan, but I’ll never forget one shot she made in Brisbane. The camera jumped down to court level behind JuJu as she crept in towards the line on a second serve. She took it off the bounce instantly with a quick and effortless wrist flick that sent the ball for an inside-out, wickedly angled winner. My jaw hit the floor. Much can be said about a weak WTA… whatever. You can’t teach that. Justine’s January run was one impressive feat.

The Bad: Remember Kim’s crap loss to Nads? I don’t. Because it was like waking up after a hard night and having no idea where you are. That and I didn’t actually watch it. Sob. I was all aboard the Kim train and knew there had to be someone to stop Serena or Justine and that really busted my balls.

The Ugly: In what was slowly starting to shape into an epic meeting between Rafa and Muzz, ye old rusty knee made his appearance and Rafa nation went psycho. 2009 was tough, but starting off 2010 by not being able to defend the first slam title because of the knees? Bitch please. Mass hysteria ensued. “Rafa will never win a ton of slams because of his health/knees/style of play” “will the King of Clay get a chance to sit atop his throne?” “can these questions get more moronic?” It was a scary time and there were some pretty serious questions about Rafa’s health and chance at a consistent season. Yeah, it turned out ok, but more on that later.

The Hiarious: Little did I know that the early year would feature my most favourite player/umpire interaction. Roddick was aced by, if memory serves correctly, Berdych in Brisbane where they don’t have hawkeye. Dick walked up to the line, found a mark, and pointed at it, frowning. “It’s out… can you see the mark?” “Yes.” “So you can see that it’s out?” “Yes.” “Are you gonna get down and look at it?” “No.” “So you’re telling me that you can see the mark, and can see that it’s out, but you’re not gonna overrule it?” “No.” “This is the most ridic-”

At which point he turned and walked away.

The culprit? Cedric Diggory… er, Steve Ullrich. It was quintessential Dick. He had a bit of a case, it was a ridiculous argument, and while he was pissed, he sucked it up and stormed back to the line to take another serve. Seriously though Brisbane, get some Hawkeye.

Ever wondered? Maybe. Probably not. But maybe.

Here’s a post from Tennis Warehouse that I dug up. It’s from 2008, but the ones that I’ll list are the same today. First, the ITF classification:

Category 1 – Slow
Category 2 – Medium-Slow
Category 3 – Medium
Category 4 – Medium-Fast
Category 5 – Fast

Gerflor Taraflex (Lyon, MS Paris): 5 – Fast
Greenset (Old MS Madrid) : 3 – Medium
Plexipave (Stockholm): 3 – Medium
Rebound Ace (Former AO): 4/5 – Medium-Fast / Fast
Premier Court: (Not listed)
Plexicushion (AO): 3/4 – Medium / Medium-Fast
Decoturf (USO): 4 – Medium-Fast

With what else I’ve been able to dig up, the World Tour Finals at the O2 arena and the Shanghai Masters are also both held on DecoTurf, as is the entirety of the US Open Series. Oh, and for the record, the France/Argentina tie will be held in the Lyon arena (Gerflor Taraflex), but the actual 250 event itself has been re-located to Montpellier, held at the same time and on indoor hard courts, though I have no idea which specific type. Interestingly enough, the ITF site now has the Gerflor (Paris Masters) as a 3 (medium-fast), so I’m curious if the classification was changed later. Keep that in mind.

So what’s the difference? First, check out the ITF site. There’s a few surfaces out there, no? And don’t be confused by Decoturf (medium) and Pro Decoturf (fast). The “Pro” one is the one used at the US Open. Let’s start with Plexicushion. (There are different types of Plexicushion, manufactured by the Plexipave company. The specific one at the Australian Open, and presumably the best, is Plexicushion Prestige.)

The always reliable Wikipedia describes consisting “of a Plexicushion substrate (which is a blend of latex, rubber, and plastic particles) and the 100% acrylic Plexipave Surface. The substrate forms a layer which absorbs body shock and reduces muscle fatigue.”

The Australian Open originally used Rebound Ace (back when it was green), an Australian company. Players complained that the surface retained moisture and became dangerous when it got really hot out.

This article is down right hilarious. The chief executive of AO (also in the previous article) states how he is confused about the surface switch that cost millions of dollars.

Plexicushion was rushed onto Melbourne Park with Tennis Australia claiming the surface would reduce injuries through less heat retention while providing a faster, lower and more consistent bounce.

Evidence shows that the courts pretty well stayed the same, in terms of stickiness and heat retention (from what I read), and McNamee was likely spot on when he said injuries are “inevitable on any hard court”. People were also pissed that it was changed to an American company, not the Australian Rebound Ace, and would be closer to the Decoturf surface that had been used (and still is) at the US Open for decades. Of course the ITF has Plexicushion as a medium-fast, and Decoturf as fast, so that’s clearly not the case.

Well, guess what? Plexicushion, having the word “cushion” in its name, might have helped with better traction on the court on hotter days, fine. But cushion equals bounce, and anyone who knows anything about tennis means that’s likely going to be MORE bounce and a bit slower speed, not “providing a faster, lower and more consistent bounce” like Tennis Australia eventually called for (though the surface itself is supposed to have incredibly consistent bounces). Which makes me wonder if a match like the high flying Rafa/Fer semi of a year ago might have happened at say, the US Open. Or even on the old Rebound Ace.

Next up, Decoturf. Bring me my Wikipedia! “DecoTurf is a tennis hardcourt comprising layers of acrylic, rubber, silica, and other materials on top of an asphalt or concrete base.” Slightly different from the “latex, rubber, and plastic” of Plexicushion. Noted.

Decoturf is most definitely a reliable surface. From what I’ve read, the ball bounces slightly lower and gets slightly less traction, meaning it moves faster, hence the ITF category 4 classification. Ironically, it is now compared to the old Rebound Ace, from what I read (though it, like Plexicushion, is under medium-fast in the ITF listings).

How about Gerflor Taraflex? Here’s something interesting from the Taraflex site. “Excellent abrasion resistance compared to resins/hard courts”. The DecoTurf info page on ITF specifically notes that it is a resin, and I’m assuming Plexicushion is too (combination of plastic etc.) Which is why I originally posted the thread from 2008 up top.

In it, there’s some confusion as to whether or not the Paris tournament is carpet or not. The surface was the same from 2007 to 2008 – still Gerflor, though it did change colour. It is also classified as a fast, not medium-fast court. In other words, the court might play different from a “traditional” resin based hard court, however, isn’t quite the classic, gross ass carpet that you don’t really see any more. However, the ITF information shows that it is clearly a resin based hard court. It still seems strange, however, that it would be once listed as carpet, and the Taraflex site would say that there’s a difference between “traditional” resin based hard courts (unless that’s a different type of Gerflor product). Confusing eh? You guys might not care, but I find it interesting. If anyone has any more info on that, hit me.

Overall, the differences between hard courts remain subtle, and there are many, many other types, some of which are used in other pro tournaments. The Australian Open change to Plexicushion, and it’s difference from the US Open is what intrigues me most, however. Maybe there are other reasons beyond exhaustion and injury as to why Rafa has had more trouble at the US Open than the Australian Open. Perhaps that little added speed helped make some of the difference in Delpo/Fed between AO and USO. Minute differences, sure. But when we’re talking about the highest level of play, combined with power and ball bounces, it can make a difference. The neutral surface? I’ll let you decide.

Overall, this thing is a bit sprawling and insane, but I hope you guys learn something and find something interesting about it. Clay and grass are both “natural” surfaces, and make sense. Hard courts, however, are artificial, and therefore must have differences between types and makes. So this was my little research project on them, going into the big summer hard court swing. Feel free to comment with anything you know about them, anything I might have messed up, or any other thoughts.