Over the years, the schedule for the ATP has been revised to try and save the health of the top players and prevent injuries, including finishing off the year earlier this year to create a longer off-season.

The schedule did not anticipate a single player going eight months without losing, however.

It’s been difficult to look for the relevancy of other players this year when week after week only one man remains on the top of the podium in the biggest events. In what feels like a struggle of man vs. tour as the defeated look to find a way to overcome the unbeatable, both have collapsed under the weight of themselves.

Djokovic looked tired at the end of last week, make no doubts about it. But when you’re striking the ball so well and so cleanly, and moving nearly as well, it doesn’t much matter. Boat loads of confidence in your ability doesn’t hurt either. For me, this week was all about the collapse. Playing day after day in Montreal and then traveling to Cincinnati to try and do it all over again was simply not going to happen.

First it looked like Monfils would do it. Down a set, Djokovic was having trouble on the return and his footwork look like he had a pair of iron shoes on in comparison to the energy he’s given off in previous tournaments. Instead, Monfils once again imploded under the pressure, frustration, and passivity of his own goofball patterns of play. Next? Berdych, the big serving Czech who saw a resurgence in Montreal last week. Up 5-3 in the first set, he mentally and physically checked out as his shoulder betrayed him and he was forced to retire after losing the first 7-5 due to a bum shoulder.

Then came the final, where Djokovic, propped up only due to the failures of his previous opponents, was forced to take on a relatively fresh Murray.

Murray’s path to the final looks nearly comically similar. A recently returned Nalbandian (who I believe has now had more hip surgeries than all four of my grandparents combined), American journeyman Alex Bogomolov who defeated a worn down Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who was injured trying to defeat, you guessed it, Djokovic the week before. Beyond that, a not so healthy Gilles Simon, an equally mentally and physically exhausted Mardy Fish who was ground to a dust by Djokovic in the Montreal final, and who defeated a brain damaged Rafael Nadal (mostly thanks to Djokovic) in the Cincinnati quarterfinals.

The moral of this story? Djokovic’s presence is being felt in more places than just those who he defeats round after round. Injuries aren’t helping anyone either, and while you can’t say that Djokovic’s dominance has pushed other guys to their physical limit, it sure feels that way.

If Djokovic dominance, injuries, crazy weather and other surprises continue a week from now, it is going to be one crazy ride in Flushing Meadows.

Combined – Cincinnati (Masters 1000 & Premier 5)

Official Site: Here
Draws: Men & Women
Top Men Seeds: Nole, Rafa, Fed, Muzz, Ferrer, Monf, Fish, T-Berd
Top Women Seeds: Caro, Vera, Vika, Masha, Nails, Kvitova, Schiavone, Bartoli

Another week, another jam packed ATP draw as the top men pack it up and move to Cincinnati. Once again, all eyes are on He Who Cannot Lose, Mr. Djokovic, as he continues to improve on an already insanely great season.

The first half would set up some familiar match-ups, Djokovic/Monfils and Federer/Berdych in the quarterfinals. Federer will have to take out Delpo in the second round, however. Berdych has Pico and Nico. Djokovic is looking good to go once again, as he should be able to out last a quarter also featuring Isner, Stan, Feli and Ernie. Yup, safe to pencil him in for the final once again.

The bottom half has some immediately interesting match-ups. If everything holds up, quarters are Ferrer/Murray and Nadal/Fish. Murray has Nalbandian and then possibly Tsonga or Cilic just to possibly Ferrer, which is not a kind draw. Things are similar for Fish, who could have Davydenko and Gasquet just for the right to take on Nadal in the quarterfinals. That being said, Fish is playing the greatest tennis of his life, is extremely motivated, and has had success in Cincinnati before. Keep an eye on him.

Things look pretty similar for the WTA side of things. Big names and earlier match-ups. The top half would line up Wozniacki/Kvitova and Azarenka/Schiavone for the quarters, but there’s a lot in the way of that happening. In particular, doubles partners Ivanovic and Petkovic who may take on Wozniacki and Kvitova respectfully. Both of the latter players looked rusty and out of sorts in Toronto, and might be in for more than they bargained for early on in Cincinnati.

The bottom half is absolutely loaded, including the much talked about Williams/Stosur second round re-match of the Toronto final. Nails and Masha lurk around in that quarter. Your guess is as good as mine.
For the final quarter, we have Bartoli/PavsFlavs and Bepa/JJ if everything holds up. Dani is also hanging around, and is likely going to play Pavs Flavs in a tasty second round match-up.

All in all, things aren’t too ridiculously different compared to Toronto and Montreal. Very solid fields that are pretty evenly spread out but are far from straight forward. I’m looking forward to another great week of tennis.

Photo: Cincy Images

No Fedal semifinal in Cincinnati. Congratulate Marcos Baghdatis for that.

Not sure how many of you were looking forward to that match. I just think it would be interesting to watch because besides Masters Cup, Federer and Nadal never played each other after Wimbledon. Don’t get me wrong, I’m really happy for Marcos. He’s been playing great tennis and let’s just keep in mind that he lost in the 1st round of qualifying in Cincy last year. It’s amazing how things change.

Bags ousted Nadal in three sets. This is the 2nd time he’s in a semifinal of a Masters 1000 event (Paris 2007). He fired 18 aces to claim his first win over Rafa. I believe everything went well to the Cypriot yesterday. His serve was unbelievable (87% of 1st serve points won) and he really held his nerve in crucial times. After the match he said “I know that Rafa won’t give me the match so I had to go and take it”. That’s exactly what he did.

One thing I love about Rafa is how he praises his opponents after a loss. It shows a lot of character. Here’s what he said about Bags: “He played well. I think his serve was very good today. Just congratulate him. He’s very good person, and it’s very positive for our sport. I am happy for him. He had injuries and he came back, and now he’s playing well again.”

So, what do you get for beating the #1 player? Roger Federer. Bags has won 2 of their last 3 meetings, so fingers crossed he’ll do it again. Regardless of the outcome of this SF, it’s been a great week and hopefully things are definitely back on track for Marcos.

Welcome to the Top 20, Bags. Get yourself together for the US Open, Rafa.

Yesterday was juicy.

I didn’t get to watch the matches but managed to read people’s tweets and some articles, so my comments will be based on that.

I suppose it’s safe to say Roddick is back. He scored a three set win over Soderling. The way TB are going to Andy this year we never know if he’s going to win the matches or not. He actually had a match point in the 2nd set TB but couldn’t convert it. Not sure how this will work ranking wise for Soderling. He had no points to defend but it’s probably going to depend on Murray’s performance as well.

Although Nole beat Nalby, I’m happy he’s playing good tennis again. I’ve said this before but it’s always nice to have a competitve Top 10 instead of two or three guys that always win. That being said, a straight set win seems a very nice result to me. This also means David Nalbandian is probably going to be seeded for the US Open. How awesome is that? Dude was away for so long and now this. I believe the top guys are relieved. I would be if I were them. Never an easy 1st round to face Nalby.

Another impressive win was from Baghdatis. He ousted Berdych in two sets saving the three break points he faced. Again, not watching the matches makes it more difficult to comment, but I think Tomas has been having some physical problems and that might have played a role on the outcome of the match. Neverthless, Bags is in the QF of a Masters Series and I think he’s always a very tough opponent.

Murray came to this match with a 4-0 H2H againt Gulbis but to be honest it was a lot more difficult than expected. He eventually prevailed in the 3rd set TB. Andy will now face Mardy Fish (No, not talking about him after beating some of my favorites. Nice argument, huh?) and due to some heat troubles he asked if it was possible to play later today. Request not granted after Fish won his doubles match. Boo.

Davydenko also found some difficulties to beat Ferrer. I gotta say David is one of the most fighting players on Tour. He just never gives up and I love that about him. Anyways, I’m curious to see how things work out for Kolya from now on. He was out for a while (wrist injury) and his results since coming back haven’t been great.

And last but not least Rafael Nadal. I honestly didn’t think he would have a lot of trouble against Benneteau. I was so wrong. It took him three sets and almost three hours to take care of business. Nadal asked for a MTO but I don’t think it was that serious as he continued to play. He lost the first set and had to save a couple of match points in the 2nd. I feel bad for Julien because he really had that match in his hands, but here’s the thing, Rafa never gives up. He fights for every point like it’s MP against him. That is so frustating to his opponents. Props to Julien for testing Rafa and playing an amazing match, though. After this match people are already doubting Rafa can win the US Open (Are you surprised? I’m not.) but we can’t forget he always struggles on hard courts and already played a lot this season. Also, Rafa in five sets is not exactly the same. I’m just saying people shouldn’t rule him out so fast.

And while everyone else was playing their asses off, Mr. Federer has played a total of 40 min in the last two days. Istomin retired in the 1st set and Kohls had to withdraw due to a shoulder injury.

I’ve followed tennis for a long time now and I have to say that what happened to Lu during his match against Hewitt was completely unacceptable. His chat with the umpire was one of the most absurd things I’ve listen in a while. I was shocked.
Long story short. Lu asked for a medical timeout at 5-4 in the 1st set but was told to wait until before his service game. He kept playing and lost the next 4 games going down 0-3 in the 2nd set. I still don’t quite understand what happened there but it seems the trainer again told him to wait until before his service again. Of course this ended up leading to the following conversation between him and the umpire.

- “Why I cannot call medical timeout now? Lu asked.
- “It’s up to him,” said the umpire, referring to the trainer, who was sitting courtside. “He decide if you need it now, if it’s urgent or it can wait.”
- “But I cannot move,” said Lu. “Also then [when the previous] set finished and he say you don’t need to take a medical timeout. And he just touched me for 20 seconds.”
- “I understand. He determines if it’s an injury that can wait or if it needs immediate attention. So…”
- “So if I say I have a heart attack I can’t call a medical timeout?”
- “If it’s a heart attack, he probably won’t wait.”
- “I have an injury and he cannot let me take medical timeout. What is this? I already wait three games.”
- “I understand that. He thinks you can wait one more game and then take a medical timeout… Our priority is that you get the medical timeout before your serve.”
- “So he can decide whatever he wants?”
- “He is a professional.”
- “But the important thing is how I’m feeling.”

Play resumed but after a couple of points Lu once again said “I’m in so much pain. I already waited three games. He told me, next changeover, we’ll take medical timeout.” He eventually received treatment on his back and said to the trainer “You lied to me.”

Ater the timeout he retired and apologized to Hewitt. I’m sure this wouldn’t have happened if it was a top player. I feel awful for Lu and I hope it never happens again. Everyone should be treated the same regardless of the ranking.

Another tennis day has ended. Once again there weren’t many surprises. Apart from Youzhny, Monfils and Ljubicic, all the seeds are through the next round. I’m not going to analyze all the matches but just mention the two I was most happy with the outcome.

Starting with Richie, I was so pleased to see him win the match against Mika. From what I’ve read he’s been working really hard. Their last meeting occurred at the AO this year and ended up in with a heartbreaking loss for the Frenchie, so it was really nice to see him bounce back from a set down and win it today.

I know, I know. Nalby’s been getting a lot of love lately, but he so deserves it. We can’t forget he was out for a long time due to injury and now it feels like he has never left. I was expecting a win today but not a bagel in the 2nd set. He never ceases to amaze me. I won’t even mention his backhand. I could literally spend the entire day watching it.

So, remember when I said today’s OOP was going to be good? Well, tomorrow is even better. It’s like Holy Wednesday. Where do I start? It’s one of those days I wish I could just watch tennis.

The tournament got way less pretty. Boo.

Pico (as you know, a MTR favorite) lost to Thiemo de Bakker. He’s lacking rhythm but I’m sure things will get better in no time. Don’t get too sad, though. He said later in his twitter that he ended the match with no pain in his wrist for the first time in 6 months and is looking forward to the next tournament. Awesome news. We most definitely need Pico around.

Welcome back. And please, don’t go away ever again.

Boys moved to Cincinnati this week.

I always get confused that there’s a match on Sunday in Cincy so I end up missing it. That being said, Bags ousted Marin in straights. I wish I could say it surprised me, but it didn’t. I thought the AO had been a turning point for Cilic but he continues to be highly inconsistent. I hope he can find his way to the top somehow.

Also, I don’t know what on earth happened with the Spaniards but they dropped like flies. Nico, Feli and Tommy are all out. Even Ferrer managed to lose the 1st set to Dolgopolov. (I know, right?)

The Americans had better luck. They all won. I only watched A-Rod play and from what I saw he looked good. Of course he’s not at his best but I’m happy to see him playing. He’s not one of my favorites but I don’t like to see any players injured or ill. The serve was working and so was his backhand. Volley? Not so much. It was a solid win despite losing the 2nd set TB.

Yesterday wasn’t a great day tennis wise, but today’s OOP promises good match-ups.

First of all, let me just say tennis won this week.

I can’t put into words how happy I was to see Ana playing good tennis again. Of course the tennis gods must hate her because she ended up with a sprained ankle and it’s a race against time to be ready for the USO. Anyways, I think she might be getting back on track. Hopefully this injury won’t bring her down again. Also, Pavs had an amazing tournament. She crushed Elena and had two great wins over Peer and Wickmayer. She was only stopped by Masha, but didn’t go away without fighting. Props to her. Youngest player in the Top 25.

Back to the final. I was really excited to watch it. Two GS Champions and former #1′s. What’s not to like about it? Masha had won their three previous meetings, but they hadn’t met since Kim got back on tour.

Masha had a better start and was serving some bombs. She broke Kim twice and saved the two BP she faced. I really thought she had it. Kim’s serve was letting her down and she made a lot of unforced errors. In the 2nd set the Russian went up a break and had 3 match points, but couldn’t convert them. Then, everything changed. In the blink of an eye it went from a sunny day to darkness and pouring rain. They stopped the match with Masha leading 6-2, 5-3 (deuce).

When I got back to it, I was really surprised that not only had Kim held that crucial game but she had also broken Masha to even things up. The match eventually went to a TB that Kim won 7-6 (4). I think the rain delay somehow helped her to regroup and refocus. In the end of the 2nd set Masha called the trainer out. She had the left foot taped and it was clear that she was in pain.

You know there’s something wrong with Sharapova when she goes silent, right? That’s what happened. Huge props to her for not retiring in the 3rd set, though. You can say what you want but that girl is a fighter. She was barely moving but never gave up. Actually, when Kim was serving for the match Masha hit two return winners that blew me (and I think a lot of other tennis fans) away.

So, Kim wins the 3rd title of the year (Brisbane, Miami and Cincinnati) and is up to #4 in the rankings, the highest since her comeback.

Masha had to withdraw from Montreal due to injury. Hopefully it’s just a precautionary measure.
And last but not least, with Kim winning playing far from her best (that says a lot about her ability) and Masha crushing the ball, it’s safe to say we have two huge contenders for the US Open title, right? Bring it on.

ATP – Toronto (Masters 1000)

Official Site: Here
Draw: Here
Top Seeds: Rafa, Nole, Fed, Muzz

If you’re not super excited about this tournament, I’m frankly a tad confused as to why you read this blog. OK, maybe not super excited, but a bit at least.

Rafa and Fed are back for their first tournament since Wimbledon, and the draw is absolutely stacked outside of the top 8 seeds. And there’s still some pretty solid dudes to come out of qualifying, too.

Just as a heads up, I’m likely heading to a cottage Tuesday and Wednesday (what, blogging is exhausting!) and will be back Thursday morning. So that may mean that there’s no blogging, or even worse, I won’t catch any action. Hopefully there will be a TV and I can keep an eye out. Regardless I’ll be keeping a finger on things.

How’s this for some peeps in Toronto? @ITakeTheeTennis, @hitittennis, @SabrinaMTL, @advantagefangrl, @ratazana and @TOTennisFan. Not all of them are there all week, they’ll be there at different times obviously, but definitely worth a follow as they’ll likely be at matches on outer courts, and running around the grounds like awesome nerds. Go forth and follow!

WTA – Cincinnati (Premier 5)

Official Site: Here
Draw: Here
Top Seeds: JJ, Caro, Elena, Kim

I’ll be honest, with Toronto being a home tournament and it being on TV all week long, I might not catch a lot of these matches outside of my favourites (YES KIM IS BACK… AND SO IS SABINE ZOMGGGG). That being said, I’ll be keeping a close eye on the action to see what kind of shape players are in heading to Montreal.

As for people to follow: @HolterMedia, @bobbychin, @tisenfine. Once again, if you have other people that you know of that are going to be at either of these tournaments (or are one!) hit me up in the comments or on Twitter and I’ll update this. Really like how this is working out, we’ll definitely keep this up for at least the rest of the hard court swing!