Janko Tipsarevic upset third-seed Andy Murray 7-6(3) 4-6 6-4. After losing the first set, Murray rallied to win the second set, but the world no. 39 was able to hold off the current world no. 4. It is a solid victory for the third-ranked Serb, who has had a so-so year so far. The two-match streak this week brings his record this year to 4-2.

He is the second Serb to book a spot in the quarterfinals after Novak Djokovic was able to skirt trouble from another Serb, Viktor Troicki. Tipsarevic will play seventh-seed Mikhail Youzhny in the quarterfinals. The 25-year-old Serb leads Youzhny 2-1 in their head-to-head meetings.

Wednesday’s Results
Singles Second Round
2 Novak Djokovic (SRB) def. Viktor Troicki (SRB) 3-6 6-4 6-2
Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) def. 3 Andy Murray (GBR) 7-6(3) 4-6 6-4
Michael Berrer (GER) def. 4 Nikolay Davydenko (RUS) 6-3 RET. (left wrist)
Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) def. 5 WC Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) 7-5 6-3
6 Marin Cilic (CRO) def. Q Stefan Koubek (AUT) 6-2 7-6(6)
7 Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) def. Q Bjorn Phau (GER) 7-6(2) 6-4
Jurgen Melzer (AUT) def. Tommy Robredo (ESP) 6-3 7-5
Marcos Baghdatis (CYP) def. Q Somdev Devvarman (IND) 6-3 3-6 6-1

Doubles First Round
F. Lopez (ESP)/T. Robredo (ESP) def. 1 D. Nestor (CAN)/N. Zimonjic (SRB) 6-3 3-6 10-7
A. Clement (FRA)/R. Lindstedt (SWE) def. WC R. Bopanna (IND)/A. Qureshi (PAK) 5-7 7-6(5) 10-8
4 F. Cermak (CZE)/M. Mertinak (SVK) def. 4 N. Davydenko (RUS)/I. Kunitsyn (RUS) walkover (Davydenko - left wrist)

Doubles Quarterfinals
S. Aspelin (SWE)/P. Hanley (AUS) def. 3 M. Bhupathi (IND)/M. Mirnyi (BLR) 6-4 6-4

Thursday’s Order of Play

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Roger Federer took no time in taking apart Andy Murray in this straight-set snoozer. The world no. 1 triumphed over the Scotsman 6-3 6-4 7-6(13) after just 2 hours and 41 minutes of play. The win extends Federer’s grand-slam titles to 16.

Last year, Federer was inconsolable in his five-set loss to Rafael Nadal in their epic thriller. Now, Nadal is no threat with his knee issues that began last May. We now see the tennis great atop the stand with yet another trophy.

It seems that neither Murray nor Novak Djokovic -- and we can now add Nikolay Davydenko to the list -- will step up to break up the Federer monotony with the Spaniard consumed with his issues. Being peers with the Majorcan, Murray and Djokovic bring their A-game when Nadal is playing well. When Nadal is not really a threat or around, you can look forward to them being content with getting to the semifinals or playing runner-up to Federer. It is officially annoying.

In Murray’s case, he wins when it does not really matter. The Scotsman has beaten Federer, Nadal and Djokovic in Masters tournaments and has four career titles at that level. It is at the grand slams where he has yet seal the deal.

There is no reason why Murray should leave the grand slams titleless. Juan Martin del Potro was able to take care of business at the US Open last year at the tender age of 20. It is starting to look like the Scotsman is the new Andy Roddick but with more talent.

With Nadal neutralized, all the Scotsman has to do is take out Federer in the final, but that is too much to ask. You would think it would be an easier path to a grand slam title. Since Nadal’s problems began, Murray lost in the semifinals at Wimbledon to Roddick, of all people. Murray then turned around and lost to Marin Cilic in the fourth round at the US Open where he is away from the British media and the pressure.

Murray has all the physical and technical skills to win a grand slam. Everyone respects his game. The problem may lie somewhere between his ears. Luckily for the Scotsman, he is still young at 22 and can learn from these grand slam losses.

Give Federer credit. He is always consistent and always brings his A-game to the slams. His confidence is back with a vengeance with Nadal is out of the way.

On the doubles side, the Bryan brothers have successfully defended their Australian Open title. They bested second-seeds Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic 6-3 6-7(5) 6-3 on Saturday. The win is their third Aussie title. The Bryans have now won 57 career titles. Ten of those titles come from grand slams. They earned themselves a career slam in 2006.

Sunday’s Results
Singles Championship
1 Roger Federer def. 5 Andy Murray 6-3 6-4 7-6(11)

Saturday’s Results
Doubles Championship
1 B. Bryan (USA)/M. Bryan (USA) def. 2 D. Nestor (CAN)/N. Zimonjic (SRB) 6-3 6-7(5) 6-3

Friday’s Results
Singles Semifinals
1 Roger Federer def. 10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonge 6-2 6-3 6-2

Thursday’s Results
Singles Semifinals
5 Andy Murray (GBR) def. 14 Marin Cilic (CRO) 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-2

Doubles Semifinals
1 B. Bryan (USA)/M. Bryan (USA) def. M. Kohlmann (GER)/J. Nieminen (FIN) 6-1 6-4
2 D. Nestor (CAN)/N. Zimonjic (SRB) def. I. Karlovic (CRO)/D. Vemic (SRB) 6-4 6-4

(Images: AP/Rick Rycroft, AP/Andy Wong)

Marin Cilic could be problematic for Andy Murray (Times Online)

Tennis great Alastair Martin dies (UPI)

Australian up-and-comer Bernard Tomic draws fire for criticizing the scheduling at the Australian Open (Reuters)

Tomic is also in the market for a new coach. He is looking at Brad Gilbert and Darren Cahill. If there is a god, he will pick Gilbert. Gilbert has been terrorizing American television audiences for years with his crack “analysis.” I have been praying for someone to hire him for years (Tennis)

Richard Gasquet has a new coach (Tennis)

In more Tomic news, Lleyton Hewitt is not on board for his rival's bid on the Australian Davis Cup team. The rivalry continues (The Australian)

Rafael Nadal answers some rather frisky questions from his fans (Herald Sun)

It looks like Laura Robson has moved on from Marat Safin (Daily Online)

Speaking of Safin, there is a rumor of a Safin love child (Open Court)

Andy Murray took out Rafael Nadal 6-3 7-6(2) 3-0. Murray was in the lead when Nadal retired in the third set with more of his dreaded knee problems. With the retirement, Murray secured his spot in the semifinals.

Nadal will drop to the third or fourth spot in the rankings next week since he will lose points for not successfully defending his title this year. Let’s hope the former no. 1 gets better to defend the rest of his titles this year. Poor thing.

On the other side, Marin Cilic upset Andy Roddick 7-6(4) 6-3 3-6 2-6 6-3 after 3 hours and 50 minutes of play. This is the Croat’s first grand-slam semifinal appearance of his short career.
Cilic will now face Andy Murray in the first semifinal on the men’s side. Murray leads their head-to-head 3-1, but the 6’6” Croat won their last meeting at the US Open in the round of 16.

The outcome of this semifinal is not a forgone conclusion. On paper, Murray should win. He has the experience, and he has been playing well these last two weeks. The Scotsman has come up short in the grand slams, and it is beginning to look like a mental block. It is a just matter of whether Cilic can turn it up to another level and upset another top player or if Murray can overcome his grand slam jitters. It’s a toss up.

Tuesday's Results
Singles Quarterfinals
5 Andy Murray (GBR) def. 2 Rafael Nadal (ESP) 6-3 7-6(2) 3-0 RET. (right knee)
14 Marin Cilic (CRO) def. 7 Andy Roddick (USA) 7-6(4) 6-3 3-6 2-6 6-3

Doubles Third Round
I. Karlovic (CRO)/D. Vemic (SRB) def. 5 L. Kubot (POL)/O. Marach (AUT) 2-6 7-6(11) 7-6(4)

Doubles Quarterfinals
1 B. Bryan (USA)/M. Bryan (USA) def. E. Butorac (USA)/R. Ram (USA) 7-5 4-6 7-6(2)
M. Kohlmann (GER)/J. Nieminen (FIN) def. F. Gonzalez (CHI)/I. Ljubicic (CRO) 4-6 6-1 2-0 RET. (Ljubicic: right thigh)

Wednesday’s Matches
Singles Quarterfinals
1 Roger Federer (SUI) vs. 6 Nikolay Davydenko (RUS)
3 Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs. 10 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)

Doubles Quarterfinals
2 D. Nestor (CAN)/N. Zimonjic (SRB) vs. A. Clement (FRA)/J. Erlich (ISR)
3 L. Dlouhy (CZE)/L. Paes (IND) vs. I. Karlovic (CRO)/D. Vemic (SRB)

Wednesday’s Order of Play

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Rafael Nadal had the large task of meeting Ivo Karlovic, the biggest server on the tour, in the round of 16. The 6’10” Croat had already taken out Radek Stepanek and Ivan Ljubicic in earlier rounds. The Spaniard had some problems returning serve this week. These factors could have been a problematic for the returning champ.

Nadal instead turned up the heat on his serve and was able to hold serve. The Spaniard stayed with the Croat and eventually took advantage of any openings. Nadal eventually triumphed over Karlovic 6-4 4-6 6-4 6-4 after 2 hours and 36 minutes of play. Now, the world no. 2 will face Andy Murray, who beat John Isner, probably the second-best server on tour.

Nadal is currently 7-2 over the Scotsman. The two players have not played since last year in Monaco, but that was before Nadal's physical troubles. Since his return to the tour in Montreal, the Spaniard is 1-9 against top ten players. This week, Nadal has done just enough to win. Murray, on the other hand, has all the skills to win a grand slam but has yet to do so. We shall see if Nadal is ready to ratchet his play up enough to surpass the Scotsman or if Murray can finally cross the threshold to win his first grand slam.

(Image: AP/Andy Wong)

Rafael Nadal advanced after a tight first set. He beat Aussie Peter Luczak 7-6(0) 6-1 6-4 after 2 hours and 34 minutes of play. The Spaniard looked pretty good but still has room for improvement. If anyone can play their way into a tournament, it would be the Mallorcan.

Nadal could meet Andy Murray in the quarterfinals. Murray, on the other hand, was a little more efficient in his 97-minute win over South African Kevin Anderson 6-1 6-1 6-2. Nadal and Murray were fortunate as they played in Rod Laver Stadium with a roof.

Other players were not so lucky. Rain delays plagued the outer courts, and the tournament canceled 12 men's matches with 9 other matches suspended. Play resumes today for the rest of yesterday’s matches and rest of the first round action. Rain is already in the forecast, so it should be another precarious day for the tournament.

Singles First Round
2 Rafael Nadal (ESP) def. Peter Luczak (AUS) 7-6(0) 6-1 6-4
4 Juan Martin del Potro (ARG) def. Michael Russell (USA) 6-4 6-4 3-6 6-3
5 Andy Murray (GBR) def. Kevin Anderson (RSA) 6-1 6-1 6-2
7 Andy Roddick (USA) def. Thiemo de Bakker (NED) 6-1 6-4 6-4
11 Fernando Gonzalez (CHI) def. Olivier Rochus (BEL) 6-3 6-4 3-6 6-1
Ivo Karlovic (CRO) def. 13 Radek Stepanek (CZE) 2-6 7-6(5) 6-4 3-6 6-4
24 Ivan Ljubicic (CRO) def. Jason Kubler (AUS) 6-1 6-2 6-1
Bernard Tomic (AUS) def. Guillaume Rufin (FRA) 6-3 6-4 6-4
Andrey Golubev (KAZ) def. Mardy Fish (USA) 6-2 1-6 6-3 6-3
Florian Mayer (GER) def. Philipp Petzschner (GER) 0-6 2-6 6-4 6-2 6-2
Wayne Odesnik (USA) def. Blaz Kavcic (SLO) 4-6 6-1 6-4 6-2

To Finish
Matthew Ebden (AUS) even 12 Gael Monfils (FRA) 2-2
14 Marin Cilic (CRO) leads Fabrice Santoro (FRA) 7-5 4-2
27 Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) leads Horacio Zeballos (ARG) 6-1 4-3
29 Viktor Troicki (SRB) leads Nicolas Lapentti (ECU) 4-6 6-3 6-2 5-3
Jarkko Nieminen (FIN) leads Nick Lindahl (AUS) 6-2 7-5 5-4
David Guez (FRA) leads Julien Benneteau (FRA) 4-0
Marsel Ilhan (TUR) leads Sebastien Grosjean (FRA) 6-4 4-2
Igor Kunitsyn (RUS) leads Jose Acasuso (ARG) 6-1 2-6 3-2
Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) leads Teimuraz Gabashvili (RUS) 6-3 7-5 4-6 3-2

Tuesday’s Order of Play

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City: Melbourne, Australia
Surface: Outdoor Hard
Championship Points: 2000
2009 Singles Champion: Rafael Nadal
2009 Doubles Champions: Mike Bryan and Bob Bryan

It is the first grand slam of the season. This particular tournament should be an interesting affair because there are many more players who can get passed Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal this year. Rafael Nadal defends his title this year, but any of the top six could take it.

From the end of last season until the present, Nikolay Davydenko looks like the one to beat. The Russian has won four Masters titles and 16 other titles in his career but has yet to convert at the grand slam. Some players do well all year but then come up empty-handed in the grand slams. Andy Murray fits into this category as well, but Davydenko is playing more solidly at this point in the year.

Federer and Nadal are the only two, until very recently, who can consistently win on the big stage. Federer’s dominance wanes. To his credit, the Swiss master prolonged it for two years. With Nadal, we will truly see what condition he is in. If he is in back to his dominant form, then this will greatly complicate things for the others.

With more able players, the draw is even for the first time in years. No one will waltz into the semis or the final this year. It will definitely be on from the quarterfinals onward. Whoever wins this title is going to have to a long slog ahead of him. This is bad news for whomever, but good news for us.

Tournament Draw
Singles / Doubles

Tournament Evils
16 Tommy Robredo (ESP) vs. Santiago Giraldo (COL)
20 Mikhail Youzhny (RUS) vs. Richard Gasquet (FRA)
Feliciano Lopez (ESP) vs. Pablo Cuevas (URU)
Viktor Troicki (SRB) vs. Nicolas Lapentti (ECU)

(Image: Getty Images)

The Spanish Davis Cup team posed with Spanish PM Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero after recapturing the title this past weekend.

Spanish camaraderie won in the end. Plus, there are details of Ferrer’s bathroom break right after he lost the first-two sets to Radek Stepanek (NYT)

Tignor takes a harsh look at the Davis Cup final participants. He is really hard on Tomas Berdych and kind of hard on Radek Stepanek. It is a little too severe considering the fact that, on paper, the Czechs should have never made it that far, but they did. Other teams allowed the Czechs to get past them when they should have won. Spain just did what it was supposed to do (Tennis.com)

Freep this poll! Ronaldo vs. Nadal (TMZ)

Viktor Troicki beats Novak Djokovic in a Serbian exhibition 7-6. Djokovic does some impressions and talks tennis (Blic)

Andy Murray commits audio terrorism against the world. You have been now warned (The Pop Cop)

Guga will be honored by Brazil's President Lula. I will now be holding my own parade to honor the honors (ATP)

Pat Rafter wins AEGON Masters title (BL's Tennis News)

Roddick rehabs knee after injury (TSN)

The Austrian Open is dropped from the ATP calendar, and the ATP transferred the rights to Nice, France (TSN)

Roger Federer finishes the year No. 1 in singles, and the Bryan brothers finish no. 1 in doubles (ESPN)

(Image: Pedro Armestre/AFP/Getty Images)

Andy Murray celebrates his 6-3 6-2 win over Mikhail Youzhny in Valencia. It is his sixth title of the year.

(Image: Jasper Juinen/Getty Images)

Sixteenth-seed Marin Cilic upset second-seed Andy Murray 7-5 6-2 6-2. It is best grand slam showing to date and his first breakthrough win of his career. Cilic started out the year strong with titles in Chennai and Zagreb but faded this year. The Croat picked a mighty fine time to turn things around.

Cilic will now meet Juan Martin del Potro in the quarterfinals. It will be the battle of the 20 year olds on Thursday, so it should be another good matchup. At this point, del Potro and Rafael Nadal need to send the Croat some flowers for taking out the second biggest obstacle out of the tournament.

As for Murray, he is still young and has time, but there is something about the grand slams where he just flakes out. I still think he had a great opportunity at Wimbledon and this week. I am not going to pile on because the guy is going to be skewered in the British press in the coming weeks.

In other action, Fernando Gonzalez and his forehand took out Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 3-6 6-3 7-6(3) 6-3. Del Potro won the battle of the Juans by taking out Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-3 6-3 6-3. The Argentine is looking good, so I definitely can see him in the final. The tournament brackets are starting to shape up nicely and interestingly.

(Image: Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

City: New York, NY USA
Surface: Outdoor Hard
Championship Points: 2000
2008 Singles Champion: Roger Federer
2008 Doubles: Mike Bryan and Bob Bryan

This is the final grand slam of the year, and Roger Federer will go for his sixth-consecutive US Open title. Between Rafael Nadal’s rehabilitation and everyone else just flaking out, this is the first tournament in two years where I am pretty certain Roger Federer will win. Federer is the most consistent player on tour at the moment. He has also won 16 grand slam titles, so he knows he has that advantage over the others in the slams, with the exception of a top-form Nadal.

Once again, Federer has an easy quarter where he could possibly take meet Robin Soderling or Nikolay Davydenko in the quarterfinals. Davydenko had problems this week in New Haven with his wrists, so he should not really be a threat. Soderling is capable of being dangerous, but it looks like he does not know it yet.

Federer’s possible semifinal matchup could be with Novak Djokovic or Andy Roddick. We know Djokovic is still flakey, and Roddick just cannot beat the Swiss champion for a host of reasons. This quarter of the draw is also chalked full of people. Tommy Haas and Fernando Verdasco should be in the mix. Anyone of the fore-mentioned players could end up in the semifinals, so this is the hardest part of the draw.

Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray anchor the second half of the draw. Nadal has a good quarter for his predicament since he is still trying to find his original form. His first-round match is with Richard Gasquet, who is probably rustier than Nadal is, so that is a good scenario for him. In the round of 16, the Spaniard could possibly have to contend with Gael Monfils. The Musketeer has been tame this year, but he could start feeling it at any time.

The top half of his quarter is littered with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tomas Berdych and Fernando Gonzalez. These four players are going to have to duke it out for the chance to possibly play Nadal in the quarterfinals. Nadal’s trouble begins here because he has to meet one of them. The old Nadal would have no problem, but the more vulnerable Nadal could have trouble with anyone of these four.

Murray’s quarter is kind of precarious. This first part of it will be very manageable, but his possible quarterfinal meeting with Juan Martin del Potro could be a giant headache for him. Whoever is left standing will have to possibly deal with Nadal -- who could find his form at anytime -- and then head to the final. For this reason, it is probably better for Nadal that he is seated third rather than second.

At the end of the day, the tournament is really Federer’s to lose. Nadal is still nowhere near where he needs to be to be a real threat. The Spaniard probably will not be better until next season to be realistic. When he was playing in Cincinnati, the announcers pointed out that he was still gingerly moving on his forehand side.

As for Murray, he should win this tournament, but he is going to have to stop flaking out in the slams. He wins everything else, so it is time. If we are going to have to be subject to Brad Gilbert, Darren Cahill and Robbie Koening go on-and-on about him, the Scotsman better get it done this year. I still think he should have won Wimbledon this year, but he pulled a flakey-jake routine.

It would be nice if Verdasco found his Australian Open form. It would also be nice to see Andy Roddick solve his Federer riddle. It would be really nice to be pleasantly surprised about Nadal’s form. It would be really, really nice if Juan Martin del Potro took the whole enchilada. I guess a girl can dream. Let’s hope this fortnight is exciting and chalked full of surprises.

Tournament Draw
Singles / Doubles

Tournament Evils (formerly Tournament Malfeasance)
3 Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. Richard Gasquet (FRA)
4 Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs. Ivan Ljubicic (CRO)
13 Gael Monfils (FRA) vs. Jeremy Chardy (FRA)
26 Paul-Henri Mathieu (FRA) vs. Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)
Fabio Fognini (ITA) vs. Jarkko Nieminen (FIN)
Michael Llodra (FRA) vs. Nicolas Kiefer (GER)

(Image: Rob Loud/usopen.org)

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The top three have now revealed their US Open kits over the last two days. Fred Perry has done a good job with Andy Murray over the last year. The Scotsman definitely had the best kit at Wimbledon this year.

Nike always makes good kits for Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. There are no real surprises here or faux pas yet. The problem lies somewhere with Federer’s outwear and accessories where they, without fail, are always over the top.

We will not see these accoutrements until his first match. I always forget about this small detail until he walks out in some ridiculous jacket with handbag. Luckily, he has to remove them before playing, or it would be distracting for everybody involved.

It will be a small victory for everyone if he stays away from military-inspired jackets and patent leather bags this coming fortnight, but we shall see next week if he can restrain himself.

(Images: Fred Perry, Nike, Nike)

Andy Murray came back from losing the first set to beat Juan Martin del Potro 6-7(4) 7-6(3) 6-1. The Argentine played well but lost steam at the end of the second set. The win continues the top three’s monopoly of Masters titles this year. It is Murray’s fifth title of the year -- two of them being Masters titles.

Championship Sunday
Singles Final
3 Andy Murray def. 6 Juan Martin del Potro 6-7(4) 7-6(3) 6-1

Doubles Final
3 M. Bhupathi/M. Knowles def. 7 M. Mirnyi/A. Ram 6-4 6-3


(Image: AP/The Canadian Press, Paul Chiasson)

Jeremy Chardy has improved greatly over the last year. It would have been nice to see him go further in the draw, but the Frenchman had the unfortunate task of drawing third-seed Andy Murray in the second round.

Unfortunately for the Frenchman, there would be no surprises yesterday. The Scotsman triumphed over the Chardy 6-4 6-2. Murray now awaits the winner of the Monfils-Ferrero match.

(Images: Denise/tennnisfiend)

Andy Murray now heads into the semifinals. He beat Juan Carlos Ferrero 7-5 6-3 6-2. It was a much easier win compared to his fourth-round match against Stanislas Wawrinka.

Next up for Murray is Andy Roddick, who had a five-setter with Lleyton Hewitt. Murray leads 6-2 in their head-to-head matchup. He is trying to become the first Brit to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry raised the trophy 63 years ago.

For Juan Carlos Ferrero, he had a great run in the tournament. I hope he stays healthy and continues to do well this season. He agrees:

But anyway, I'm happy about the way I played today also. I think it wasn't very far the first two sets. So, you know, only want to play like this all the time in the next tournaments and be a little bit more regular than I was.

(Image: Paul Gilham/Getty Images)

Stanislas Wawrinka tested the Scotsman in a five-set thriller that ended at 10:38 PM. To avoid suspending the match, the tournament put its new roof to use by closing it and turning on the lights. It was essentially Wimbledon's first late night match.

In the end, Andy Murray prevailed 2-6 6-3 6-3 5-7 6-3 after withstanding the Swiss onslaught in just under four hours of play. The match was a good challenge for the World No. 3 and should be a good tuneup for his possible final matchup with Roger Federer. Murray will first meet Juan Carlos Ferrero in the quarterfinals.

(Image: Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Another old-school favorite has advanced into the quarterfinals. Juan Carlos Ferrero took care of Gilles Simon 7-6(4) 6-3 6-2 pretty convincingly. Both players have struggled of late, but both really began playing their way into the tournament last week.

Ferrero and Simon have similar playing styles. Both are great counterpunchers who like to play their opponents off the court. The two players also have great movement on the court. A negative for both players is that they tend to hang out on the baseline when they get into trouble. Today, Ferrero was better at all of their positive attributes and did not fall back on his heels. In fact, the 29-year-old Spaniard was pretty aggressive.

At first, Simon came out and was executing his game plan better. He managed to break Ferrero and serve for the first set, but Ferrero stepped up his game to eventually break Simon back. Like in his last match, he was able to pick apart and outplay the French Musketeer. Ferrero evened the set at 5-5 and was able to take the set to a tiebreak, where he snatched the set from Simon at 7-4. With a set under his belt, the former French Open champion sailed smoothly to the finish line.

Ferrero will have the large task of playing Andy Murray. Murray is heavily favored to meet Roger Federer in the finals. The Scotsman leads their matchup 1-0. In their only meeting, Murray beat Ferrero in the semifinal of this year’s Queen's Club tournament. We shall see if Ferrero will be able to exact revenge or if he allows the odds and history steamroll him.

(Image: AP)

City: Wimbledon, Great Britain
Surface: Outdoor Grass
Championship Points: 2000
2008 Singles Champion: Rafael Nadal
2008 Doubles Champions: Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic

Rafael Nadal will unfortunately not defend his title this year. This occurrence moves all the odds onto Roger Federer. It will be interesting to see if someone can stand in his way. If he wins this title, he will beat Pete Sampras’s record of 14 grand slams and regain the number one ranking.

Federer could see Fernando Verdasco in the quarterfinals. The Spaniard should not really be an obstacle since he has yet to live up to the hype of having some of Agassi’s former people behind him. Another obstacle for Federer could be Robin Soderling, who turned it on for the French Open but fizzled in the final against the Swissman. The question will be whether Soderling has enough gumption to exact revenge in a possible round-of-16 rematch.

James Blake and Novak Djokovic anchor the top quarter of Federer's half of the draw. Djokovic actually has a good quarter to advance into the semifinals against Federer. Let’s hope the Serb is focused, rested and confident. He should have no real pressure on him and will be under the radar this year with all of the focus being on Federer and Murray. Last year he had a lot of pressure on him because he was close to upsetting Nadal for the No. 2 spot, and Marat Safin consequentially bounced him out of the tournament in the second round. We shall see if he makes a run this year and challenges Federer in a possible semifinal showdown.

Andy Murray is Federer’s main obstacle and is on the other side of the draw. The two could meet in the final. Should this happen, it will be different for Federer because the crowd will definitely be behind Murray. Murray is trying to be the first Brit to win the trophy in 73 years since Fred Perry did it in 1936.

Murray’s main obstacle could be Stanislas Wawrinka in the round of 16 – luckily for Federer, he is not in his quarter. Simon anchors the other part of Murray’s quarter, but I doubt the Frenchman will give him any trouble due to his lackluster season. Let’s hope he proves me wrong.

The most interesting quarter is the top quarter, which is anchored by Juan Martin del Potro and Andy Roddick. We shall see if the old guard, Roddick or the new guard, del Potro gets to possibly meet Murray, but these two are the most vulnerable to being upset. Lleyton Hewitt, Nicolay Davydenko, Tomas Berdych and newcomer Grigor Dimitrov could shake up this part of the draw.

Tournament Draw
Singles / Doubles

And The Qualifiers Are . . .
Rajeev Ram (USA), Simon Greul (GER), Xavier Malisse (BEL), Roko Karanusic (CRO), Lukas Lacko (SVK), Alexander Peya (AUT), Alejandro Falla (COL), Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA), Grega Zemlja (SLO), Santiago Gonzalez (MEX), Taylor Dent (USA), Riccardo Ghedin (ITA), Adrian Mannarino (FRA), Luka Gregorc (SLO), Michael Yani (USA), Jesse Levine (USA)

Tournament Malfeasance
Mischa Zverev vs. Dmitry Tursunov
Jeremy Chardy vs. Andy Roddick
Juan Carlos Ferrero vs. Mikhail Youzhny
Evgeny Korlolev vs. Igor Andreev
Nicolas Almagro vs. Juan Monaco

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