Welcome to Satchman's Tennis Blog

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Hi everyone. I'm Tom and am an avid Tennis fan, having played the game for a number of years.

This blog aims to share my experiences on Tennis - including News, Tips, Reviews, Tournaments, Players or other topics which I feel you may find interesting.

I should hopefully have something for everyone - from beginners to club players and beyond and I welcome any feedback, comments or suggestions from you readers out there.

Please click on the links below to view the topics that may be of interest to you.

Cheers!


Warmest Regards,
Tom "Satchman"


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Latest ATP & WTA Rankings - Feb 2009

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Here's the latest ATP World Tour & WTA rankings as released by the WTA and ATP Tour, as of Monday, 2 Feb 2009:


1) ATP World Tour 2009 Singles Rankings:

1. Nadal, Rafael (ESP) - 14260

2. Federer, Roger (SUI) - 11000

3. Djokovic, Novak (SRB) - 9010

4. Murray, Andy (GBR) - 7360

5. Davydenko, Nikolay (RUS) - 5030

6. Roddick, Andy (USA) - 4510

7. Del Potro, Juan Martin (ARG) - 4350

8. Simon, Gilles (FRA) - 4170

9. Fernando Verdasco (ESP) - 3480

10. David Nalbandian (ARG) - 3395


Big movers this week are:

i. Fernando Verdasco, because of his recent Australian Open semi-final exploits, moves up 6 places to world #9.

ii. Andy Roddick's recent Australian Open semi-final exploits also moves him up 3 spots to world #6.

iii. Jo-Wilfred Tsonga drops 7 places to world #14.


2) ATP World Tour 2009 Doubles Rankings:

1. Bryan/Bryan - 2250

2. Bhupathi/Knowles - 1335

3. Kubot/Marach - 720

4. Dlouhy/Paes - 720

5. Fyrstenberg/Matkowski - 450

6. Nestor/Zimonjic - 390

7. Damm/Lindstedt - 385

8. Fish/Isner - 360


3) WTA Tour Singles Rankings 2009:

1. WILLIAMS, SERENA (USA) - 9432

2. SAFINA, DINARA (RUS) - 9150

3. JANKOVIC, JELENA (SRB) - 8580

4. DEMENTIEVA, ELENA (RUS) - 8216

5. ZVONAREVA, VERA (RUS) - 6640

6. WILLIAMS, VENUS (USA) - 6144

7. KUZNETSOVA, SVETLANA (RUS) - 5510

8. IVANOVIC, ANA (SRB) - 5492

9. RADWANSKA, AGNIESZKA (POL) - 3977

10. NADIA PETROVA (RUS) - 3882


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Fed-Axed - My 2 Cents on his Loss

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Truth be told, I was never a Roger Federer fan.

His calm demeanor and inability to show any anger, frustration, happiness or any feeling whatsoever on court, just wasn't my cup of tea. It's funny because my all time idol was (and still is), Pete Sampras, who had the same temperament as Federer.

I have to admit though that watching Federer play is pure genius and magic.

His ability to take balls on the rise, smooth service action, powerful forehand and great net play, has given me the incentive to improve my own game; both in terms of play and on-court temperament.

Which is why, when Federer was speechless and even started to cry on that podium in Melbourne last Sunday night, I too felt sad for him.

Will he show he's the best player of all time by beating Sampras's 14 Slams? Will he win the career Slam (all 4 Slams on all surfaces)? This was the frustration and anguish demonstrated by Federer, as the tears rolled down his eyes.

Personally, I feel Federer's slow demise is down to a few factors which, if Federer addresses, can help him to solve his problems:


1) No Full-Time Coach:

Correct me if I'm wrong but Federer still doesn't employ a full-time coach. I do think in this modern age, everyone at the top needs some form of guidance - Beckham has one, Bryant has one, Tiger has one; even Barack Obama has a few!

I think it's a little naive, bordering on plain arrogance, to think that because you're the best in your field, you don't need help from anyone else.

Coaches can provide the following:

• Identify Your Strengths & Weaknesses - Work with you to improve your overall game and introduce new strategies & tactics.
  
  Federer didn't realise it but his slice-backhand, as well as his great serve & volley game, was getting to Nadal. Alas, he didn't have a coach to help his identify this.



• Identify Opponent's Strengths & Weaknesses - Help you review videos or obtaining inside information on your opponent's well-being, tactics, etc.
  
  Federer doesn't have the tactical know-how on how to beat Nadal or Murray.

2) Slightly Slower on Court:

At 27 years of age, I feel that Federer is no longer as quick around the court as his younger opponents like Nadal, Murray, Djokovic, etc.

This, coupled with the fact that balls are being hit even harder these days spells the beginning of the end for the "beautiful player."

Perhaps Federer needs to find ways to end points more quickly by using more of his sound net play. Or perhaps use more "junk shots" like moon balls, drop-shots, etc to stay in the game or to mix things up.

Again, a coach would help him realise this.


3) Lack of Long, 5-Set Match-Play:

Unfortunately, due to the fact that many players have already lost to Federer mentally, even before going on court means that Federer is never stretched and rarely goes to 3 or 5 sets. At most, he's only stretched to 4 sets in Slams.

Thus, I suspect although he is physically fit, Federer lacks the mental toughness to play a grinding 5-setter like the one with a Nadal, Murray or Verdasco.


Through these few steps above, I do feel that Roger Federer has what it takes to overtake the great Pistol Pete and cement his place in tennis nirvana.

Otherwise he'd better run and hide because the Spanish Armada is coming...


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Vamos Rafa!!

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I do hope all you tennis fans around the world enjoyed the Australian Open 2009 men's final, as much as I did!

The galactic final between world #1 Spaniard and 5-time Grand Slam winner, Rafael Nadal and world #2 and 13-time Grand Slam winner, Swiss maestro, Roger Federer, promised to be an epic and I'm soooo glad it lived up to that billing!

All eyes were on Nadal's fitness, especially after his record 5-hour 14 minute marathon with fellow Spaniard, Fernando Verdasco (which I was also lucky enough to watch) and more so when Nadal needed the fitness trainer to give him a massage in the 3rd set for a suspected Hamstring problem.

Fed-Ex on the other hand, was aiming to equal the great Pete Sampras's record of 14 Slams - under the watchful eyes of his idol, Rod Laver, who was in the audience to support him.

That fairy-tale was not to be though, as Rafa completed yet another 5-set victory over Roger, 7-5 3-6 7-6 3-6 6-2, in under 5 hours, to claim his 6th Grand Slam.

Having won Slams on clay, grass and now hard-courts, at the tender age of only 22, I genuinely feel that Rafael Nadal has what it takes to achieve what the great Rod Laver and Andre Agassi achieved - Grand Slam wins on ALL surfaces!

VAMOS RAFA!!!


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Latest Results - Australian Open 2009 Finals

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Here's the latest results (finals) of the Australian Open 2009 tournament in Melbourne, Australia:

Rafael Nadal - Roger Federer 7-5 3-6 7-6 3-6 6-2

Serena Williams - Dinara Safina 6-0 6-3

Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan - Mahesh Bhupathi/Mark Knowles - 2-6 7-5 6-0

Serena Williams/Venus Williams - Daniela Hantuchova/Ai Sugiyama - 6-3 6-3

Sania Mirza/Mahesh Bhupathi - Natalie Dechy/Andy Ram - 6-3 6-1


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Australian Open 2009 - Latest Results

Here's the latest results of the Australian Open 2009 in Melbourne, Australia (seedings in brackets):

1) Men's Singles 1st Round:

• Andy Murray[4] - Andrei Pavel 6-2 3-1 Ret.


• Fernando Gonzalez[13] - Lleyton Hewitt 5-7 6-2 6-2 3-6 6-3


• Gilles Simon[6] - Pablo Andular 6-4 6-1 6-1


• Jo-Wilfred Tsonga[5] - Juan Monaco 6-4 6-4 6-0


• Gael Monfils[12] - Martin Vassallo Arquello 6-1 6-3 7-5


• Richard Gasquet[24] - Diego Junqueira 6-7(5) 7-6(3) 6-3 6-4


• Fernando Verdasco[14] - Adrian Mannarino 6-0 6-2 6-2


• Jurgen Melzer[31] - Kei Nishikori 7-5 6-2 6-1


• Igor Andreev - Peter Polansky 5-7 3-6 6-4 6-3 6-4


• Nicholas Almagro - Nicholas Massu 6-4 6-4 3-6 5-7 6-3


• Ivo Karlovic[25] - Daniel Gimeno-Traver 6-3 6-4 6-4


• Dudi Sela - Rainer Schuettler[30] 1-6 6-2 6-4 6-4

2) Women's Singles 1st Round:

• Serena Williams[2] - Meng Yuan 6-3 6-2


• Elena Dementieva[4] - Kristina Barrois 7-6(4) 2-6 6-1


• Venus Williams[6] - Angelique Kerber 6-3 6-3


• Anabel Medina Garriques[21] - Isabella Holland 6-1 7-5


• Kateryna Bondarenko - - Agieszka Radwanska[9] 7-6(7) 4-6 6-1


• Amelie Mauresmo[20] - Olga Govortsova 6-4 6-3


• Patty Schnyder[14] - Kristina Mladenovic 2-6 6-4 6-2


• Alona Bondarenko[31] - Olivia Rogowska 5-7 6-3 6-2


• Jie Zheng[22] - Camille Pin 6-3 6-3


• Shuai Peng - Francesca Schiavone[28]


• Severine Bremond - Nicole Vaidisova 6-2 6-1


• Victoria Azarenka[13] - Petra Kvitova 6-2 6-1


• Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez - Tamarine Tanasugarn[32] 7-5 6-3


• Dominika Cibulkova[18] - Chanelle Scheepers 6-0 6-0


• ine Lisicki - Aleksandra Wozniak[30] 6-4 6-3

Latest Top 10 ATP & WTA Rankings:

Here's the latest ATP World Tour & WTA rankings as released by the WTA and ATP Tour, as of 19 Jan 2009:


1) ATP World Tour 2009 Singles Rankings:

1. Nadal, Rafael (ESP) - 13160

2. Federer, Roger (SUI) - 10700

3. Djokovic, Novak (SRB) - 10650

4. Murray, Andy (GBR) - 7190

5. Davydenko, Nikolay (RUS) - 5330

6. Del Potro, Juan Martin (ARG) - 4060

7. Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried (FRA) - 3995

8. Simon, Gilles (FRA) - 3960

9. Roddick, Andy (USA) - 3940

10. Blake, James (USA) - 3550


2) ATP World Tour 2009 Doubles Rankings:

1. Nestor/Zimonjic - 1064

2. Bryan/Bryan - 1045

3. Bhupathi/Knowles - 655

4. Bjorkman/Ullyett - 605

5. Erlich/Ram - 551

6. Coetzee/Moodie - 476

7. Fyrstenberg/Matkowski - 450

8. Dlouhy/Paes - 443


3) WTA Tour Singles Rankings 2009:

1. JANKOVIC, JELENA (SRB) - 9200

2. WILLIAMS, SERENA (USA) - 7932

3. SAFINA, DINARA (RUS) - 7754

4. DEMENTIEVA, ELENA (RUS) - 7596

5. IVANOVIC, ANA (SRB) - 6732

6. WILLIAMS, VENUS (USA) - 6544

7. ZVONAREVA, VERA (RUS) - 5744

8. KUZNETSOVA, SVETLANA (RUS) - 5190

9. SHARAPOVA, MARIA (RUS) - 5030

10. (10) RADWANSKA, AGNIESZKA (POL) - 4472

Latest Top 10 ATP & WTA Rankings

Here's the latest Race and Standing rankings as released by the WTA and ATP Tour on Monday:

WTA Race 2008:

1. Jelena Jankovic - 4355
2. Serena Williams - 3681
3. Dinara Safina - 3628
4. Elena Dementieva - 3040
5. Ana Ivanovic - 2952
6. Maria Sharapova - 2515
7. Svetlana Kuznetsova - 2513
8. Venus Williams - 2246
9. Vera Zvonareva - 2135
10. Agnieszka Radwanska - 2096

WTA Standings 2008:

1. Jelena Jankovic - 4230
2. Serena Williams - 4017
3. Dinara Safina - 3782
4. Elena Dementieva - 3470
5. Ana Ivanovic - 3388
6. Maria Sharapova - 3041
7. Svetlana Kuznetsova - 2920
8. Venus Williams - 2311
9. Vera Zvonareva - 2182
10. Agnieszka Radwanska - 2146

ATP Race 2008:

1. Rafael Nadal - 1265
2. Roger Federer - 921
3. Novak Djokovic - 899
4. Andrew Murray - 520
5. Nikolay Davydenko - 417
6. Andy Roddick - 354
7. David Ferrer - 337
8. James Blake - 309
9. Juan Marin Del Potro - 307
10. Stanislas Wawrinka - 286

ATP Standings 2008:

1. Rafael Nadal - 7000
2. Roger Federer - 5930
3. Novak Djokovic - 4960
4. Andrew Murray - 2995
5. Nikolay Davydenko - 2400
6. David Ferrer - 2315
7. David Nalbandian - 1975
8. Andy Roddick - 1970
9. Juan Marin Del Potro - 1685
10. Stanislas Wawrinka - 1670

Latest Results - Stuttgart, Tokyo, Japan Open

Here's the latest results (finals) of the WTA tournaments in Stuttgart and Tokyo, as well as the ATP tournament in Japan:

• Jankovic - Petrova 6-4 6-3

• Caroline Wozniacki - Kaia Kanepi 6-2, 3-6, 6-1

• Tomas Berdych - Juan Martin Del Potro 6-1 6-4

Stuttgart 2008 - Semifinal Results

Here's the latest results of the WTA tournament in Stuttgart:

• Jankovic - V. Williams 6-7 7-5 6-2

• Petrova - Azarenka 6-4 6-4

Venus on Fire!!

My word!!

The way that Venus Wiliams dismantled world #3, Dinara Safina last night clearly shows her intent to not only qualify for the season ending WTA Tour Year-end Championship in Doha in November but to win it and perhaps fight for her right to sit on the throne of women's tennis held by her sister, Serena.

Safina and Venus were clearly playing the game of who hits the hardest - each player trading baseline blows like 2 heavy-weight boxers!

What stood out for me was Venus's return of serve; clearly the best in the business! Venus's return of serve position was, on average, 1.5 meters within the baseline and ALL her returns were taken well within the baseline.

Return of serve is a major part of my own game and can fully appreciate Venus's guile in attacking both the second and first serves (Tennis Tips).

Coupled with her strong, 200kph serves, Venus easily won the match 6-4 6-2.

Hopefully she can carry this form to the finals of not only this tournament but to the Doha Finals on November 4.

"Go Venus!!"

Stuttgart 2008 - Results

Here's the latest results of the WTA tournament in Stuttgart:

• Jankovic - Zvonereva 7-6 7-6

• V. Wlliams - Safina 6-4 6-2

• Petrova - Li 6-2 6-3

• Azerenka - Dementieva 7-6 3-6 6-1

Stuttgart 2008 - Results

Here's the latest results of the WTA tournament in Stuttgart:

• Jankovic - A. Bondarenko 6-2 6-0

• V. Wlliams - K. Bondarenko 6-4 6-2

• Safina - Pironkova 6-1 7-6

• Petrova - Schnyder 6-4 6-1

China Open - Roddick vs Sela

I saw a little of the final match between Roddick and Sela at the recent China Open 2008 and boy, was it a cracker! Never under-estimate a lower ranked player such as Sela!

Dudi Sela has one of the best single-handed backhands in today's men's game and it was amazing watching his variety of shots from the backhand side - down the line, cross-court passing shots, etc.

A sight to behold in modern tennis considering the lack of good single-handers in the ATP's top ranks.

Those of you who employ a single-hander should take a look at this Israel player's backhand shot. Because of his smaller stature, he reminds me of a male version of Justine Henin.

Of course, Roddick won in the end with his consistent serve and power play but it was Sela who stood out for me.

Roddick won 6-4 6-7 (6) 6-3 to capture his third ATP title of the season.

On the women's side, Jelena Jankovic beat Russian, Svetlana Kutznetsova to win in straight-sets.

Selamat Hari Raya!!

Wishing all my Muslim buyers and friends
Selamat Hari Raya and to all other Malaysian's, Happy Holidays!


Regards,
Tom "Satchman"

Jankovic in Finals, Zheng Falls

It was the usual typical frustration I experienced when watching the semi-final match between Serbian, Jelena Jankovic and Russian, Vera Zvonareva.

On the one hand, it was not surprising to see Jankovic's suspect serve and mental fragility almost cost her the match but on the other hand, it was equally frustrating seeing her Russian opponent not taking her chances to see out the match, after winning the 2nd-set comfortably, 2-6.

I can see why Zvonareva is currently in the top 10 on the WTA Tour - smooth groundstrokes, very intelligent play and not fearful to approach the net - testament to her strong doubles play.

I can also see why Jankovic, although having reached the top of women's tennis, has not won her first Slam - she lacks diversity of play (hits hard, harder or hardest with little net play) and of course, the weak serve.

If she can can improve these 2 aspects of her game, I can see her grabbing her first Slam - but not just yet...

Jankovic's close 7-6 2-6 6-4 win over Zvonareva means that she meets another Russian in the final, Svetlana Kutznetsova who overcame a hostile crowd to beat home favourite, Zheng Jie 7-6 7-5.

I think the final will be a close encounter, with each player taking a set. But I feel Jankovic will take the match in the deciding set simply because Kutznetsova is in a transition period at the moment with her change in coach and training location.

China Open 2008 - Ivanovic Out

My mistake - Astro, Malaysia's local satellite station, was showing highlights of China Open 2008 in Beijing and I managed to catch a glimps of the match between China's Zheng Jie and reining French Open winner, Ana Ivanovic and I'm happy to say, it was a cracker!

I'm always amazed at how aggressive the pint sized, 5ft 4, Zheng Jie plays, both at the baseline and at the net. The angles she seems to find is just so amazing and she's so fast around the court!

The young Serb, Ivanovic is recovering from injury and is returning to the form that brought her first Grand Slam this year on the clay courts of Roland Garros. She's just got such a fluid forehand motion and her backhand is equally formidable.

Unfortunately, her serve was letting her down at crucial moments and she succumbed to the slightly more aggressive Zheng, 7-6 2-6 6-4.

Zheng will meet Russian, Svetlana Kutznetsova, who easily overcame 19 year old, Dominika Cibulkova, 6-2 6-4.

Joining them in the China Open semi-finals are Vera Zvonareva and Jelena Jankovic.

Action continues on Astro CH814 Eurosport (GMT+7).

China Open - Beijing - 2008

Ah, the China Open in Beijing sure brings back memories!

I was lucky enough to get tickets to see the China Open back in 2006, while I was studying Mandarin there.

My best friend's girlfriend's cousin was working with one of the main sponsors there and we got to sit in the corporate box for one of the night matches. I remember it was between Venus Williams and another player, who's name escapes me at this moment. This was followed by (the then up-and-coming) Chinese doubles pair, Zheng Jie and Yan Zi.

Unfortunately, the previous Sharapova match tickets went to the sponsor's VIP client, sigh)! Anyway, the last time I watched a "live" tennis match was when Michael Chang played in Malaysia in the early 90's in Malaysia, so, I was more than happy to to catch ANY match live at that point!

The China Open is a cosy little tournament where the stadium is small enough for fans, even in the upper tiers, to get a close view of their favourite tennis stars.

The Chinese crowd are also more vocal than European crowds (much like their US counterparts) and needless to say, they were rooting for the home-grown Chinese pair and Venus!

Both sets of players won comfortably in the end and I'm sure the crowd (and myself included) attributed this to their keen support!

It's a pity that I'm not in China to watch this match live again (and it's annoying that it's NOT being shown on Astro (Asia's satellite provider) but I'll try my best to keep you updated on the news and results from the China Open 2008.

The China Open is from 20 September till 28 September 2008 and visit the Official China Open Website for more details about the tournament.

US Open 2008 Men's & Women's Draws

The men's and women's draws were announced on Thursday, ahead of the US Open which starts on Monday, 25 August.

Here's first round encounters by the top 10 men's and women's seeds in the tournament:


Top 10 Men's Seed's, First-round Matches:

1. Rafael Nadal vs. Qualifier

2. Roger Federer vs. M Gonzalez

3. Novak Djokovic vs. Arnaud Clement

4. David Ferrer vs. M Arguello

5. Nikolay Davydenko vs D Sela

6. Andy Murray vs. S Roitman

7. David Nalbandian vs. M Daniel

8. Andy Roddick vs. Fabrice Santoro

9. James Blake vs. Donald Young

10. Stanislas Wawrinka vs. S Bolleli


Top 10 Women's Seed's, First-round Matches:

1. Ana Ivanovic vs. V Dushevina

2. Jelena Jankovic vs. C Vandeweghe

3. Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. Qualifier

4. Serena Williams vs. K Bondarenko

5. Elena Dementieva vs. A Amanmuradova

6. Dinara Safina vs. Qualifier

7. Venus Williams vs. Samantha Stosur

8. Vera Zvonareva vs. B Strykova

9. Agnieszka Radwanska vs. Qualifier

10. Anna Chakvetadze vs. E Makarova


Complete draws for both the men's and women's event can be seen at (see links below):

http://tennis.com/tournaments/2008/usopen/draws.aspx

http://tennis.com/tournaments/2008/usopen/draws_women.aspx

US Open 2008 Seedings

Just a short week after Beijing 2008, the US Open 2008 is about to begin on August 25.

For the 1st time in Rafael Nadal's career, he is seeded #1, ahead of Swiss star, Roger Federer.

On the women's side, newly crowned world number 1, Ana Ivanovic is seeded #1 ahead of fellow Serb, Jelena Jankovic.

There are no noticible absentees from the men's side but the women's side is missing former champion, Maria Sharapova, who has withdrawn due to injury.

The rest of the top 10 men's and women's seeds are as follows:

Men's Seedings:

1. Rafael Nadal

2. Roger Federer

3. Novak Djokovic

4. David Ferrer

5. Nikolay Davydenko

6. Andy Murray

7. David Nalbandian

8. Andy Roddick

9. James Blake

10. Stanislas Wawrinka

Women's Seedings:

1. Ana Ivanovic

2. Jelena Jankovic

3. Svetlana Kuznetsova

4. Serena Williams

5. Elena Dementieva

6. Dinara Safina

7. Venus Williams

8. Vera Zvonareva

9. Agnieszka Radwanska

10. Anna Chakvetadze

Singles draws will be anounced on Thursday.

For more details, visit the Official US Open website at http://www.usopen.org/en_US/index.html.