Adios Vancouver

Are the winter Olympics over? I heard a rumor. Perhaps now the news media will return to covering, ah, news, and regular broadcasting will resume. 

Ernests Gulbis Notches First ATP Tour Title

Is tennis prodigy Ernests Gulbis about to turn the corner and challenge the top ten? Gulbis notched his first tournament title yesterday, winning the Delray Beach championship. Winning a single, Masters 250 event is less notable than how Gulbis won: He beat the best server in tennis, 6 ft 10 in Ivo Karlovic, the tour leader in aces, by outright attacking his first serve.

I've never seen anyone do more than block back Karlovic's bombs, but Gulbis simply abused them. 

Nice to See U.S. Open Linesperson Tsurubuchi Back at Work

It was a pleasant surprise to see linesperson Shino Tsurubuchi at work when I attended the Roddick-Verdasco final at the SAP Open on Valentine's day. 

Tsurubuchi was the official that was repeatedly threatened with assault by Serena Williams during the U.S. Open. It's great to see that tennis officials haven't punished here for doing her job correctly. 

Predicting Men's Tennis in 2010

Having done a decent job of forecasting the last two grand slams (I picked Roger Federer to beat Juan Martin del Potro in both the U.S. Open and Australian Open finals, so I had three of the four finalists right and one winner), I'm getting cocky. 

Herewith, I'll stick my neck out even further, predicting the top ten rankings at year's end, the winners of the next three Grand Slam tournaments, then rank and take a closer look at some of the top contenders.

Andy Murray: Contender for Tennis Crown

If Andy Murray was from anywhere other than Great Britain, his ascension to world number two and his appearance in two Grand Slam finals would be treated reverentially, not foolishly portrayed as falling short. 

Juan Martin del Potro: Fastest Trajectory in Tennis

Watching the tall Argentine over the last two years has been a joy. I've never seen anyone improve seemingly with every tournament he played the way Juan Martin del Potro has. 

Andy Roddick: Another Grand Slam Left?

I admit that I underestimated Andy Roddick. I thought he was no longer a prime candidate to win another Grand Slam when he entered Wimbledon last year. But he not only made the finals, but basically outplayed Roger Federer over that tremendous five-hour five-set marathon, winner 37 consecutive service games before yielding one, solitary break in the entire match -- and losing a heartbreaker. 

Ernests Gulbis: Time for Tennis Prodigy to Make a Move?

Back in 2007, Ernests Gulbis, Juan Martin del Potro and Marin Cilic were the three, youngest players in the ATP top 100. Three years later, del Potro has won the U.S. Open, CIlic made the top ten, and we're still waiting for Gulbis to live up to his great potential. So far, Gulbis is languishing in the 60-90 ranking limbo, winning about half his matches. 

Update: Gulbis won his first tour title, beating Ivo Karlovic, Feb 28. Click for details. 

Ethiopian Race Gets Federer's Goat

Enjoyed the self-deprecating image from a news item on Roger Federer's Web site. During a trip to Ethiopia for his children's charity, The Fed participated in a foot race with the Ethiopian school children (in case you're not familiar, the high altitudes of Ethiopia and Kenya breed the world' top marathon runners). 

From his site:

Fernando Verdasco: Peaked or Potential for More?

I recently watched Fernando Verdasco win the SAP Open in San Jose over Andy Roddick and was impressed with his sheer power.