Australian Open 2009:Federer Nadal set to rock

After much hype surrounding Murray and a few others, its the top two guns in the world tennis who will fight it out for the crown of the Grand Slam of Asia/Pacific. Federer who did not start off well has managed to reach his peak for the closing stages of the tournament. You must ask Juan Martin Del Potro on Federer's form, the Swiss master just destroyed him in a horribly one sided last 8 match. Federer was playing some unbelievable tennis and he even volleyed a ball with his head after Potro was lying on one side of the court. And against Roddick in the semis, Royal Roger turned up once again and he outclassed the American. Nadal, on the other hand had been blowing away all his opponents and was not tested till the semis where the epic semifnals against country man Verdasco which lasted nearly 6 hours ended with Verdasco double faulting. He too is in top shape and all eyes are on the finals. So will Federer avenge his French open and Wimbledon losses to Nadal last year???? wellll......I wish he does so. Can't wait to see Federer winning his 14th Slam. Come on Roger......

Australian Open 2009:Big Four on the charge

The field for the first slam of the year, Australian Open is very open. Any player in the "Big Four" of tennis can end up with the title. But the outsiders like Tsonga and Roddick can also prove a tough but to crack. Murray was labelled as the pre-tournament favourite by many but the defending champ, Djokovic did not agree with that saying one among the top 3 will win it. Federer, whose form has been poor by his standards started very ordinarily by but his stunning straight set win over Safin in the 3rd round seem to have brought the swiss great back to his best. Nadal has been merciless in the first two rounds, dipatching his opponents with his utmost ease. Murray has been having a comfortable couple of rounds while Djokovic had to dig deep to get into the 4th round match. With all four hitting form his could turn out into a great opening Grand Slam. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Federer to get his 14th slam.

Qatar Open:Murray beats Roddick, wins title

It was a battle between two Andys, Murray and Roddick in the Qatar Open final and in the end it was the Scot who got the better of Roddick with a comfortable 6-4 6-2 victory. By doing so Murray has successfully defended his Qatar Open title and this is his second title in two weeks as he won the exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi. Murray has been in great form since his loss to Federer in the finals of US open last year and has taken his form into this season. He will be high on confidence as he has defeated Nadal and Federer twice over the last few weeks and heads off to Australia, seeking his first career Grand Slam as a genuine title contender. Way to go Murray.........

Nadal disappoints Chennai!!!

Rafael Nadal's absence from Chennai Open 2009 has left not only me but also each and every tennis fan in Chennai very disappointed. Chennai has been a special place for the world number 1 as he won his very first ATP title in Chennai, but it was the doubles in which he emerged on top. And from there he has gone from strength to strength and now is sitting at the top of the world rankings. I still can't forget the semifinals of last year's edition, Rafa was up against his good friend Moya. I thought it would be a walk in the park of the then World Number 2, but Moya had other ideas and started belting his forehand and the crowd was entirely behind him. I could remember only a few children shouting for Nadal but that did not mean Nadal's point's were not cheered. And Moya took the first set in a tie break and in the second set tie break Nadal came from being knocked out to take the set and also the next set in another tie break. I was standing and watching from the last row of the stadium and it was 3.56 hrs of pure action. Three thrilling tie breakers and it was a treat for all those who came to witness the match. But it would have been even more fitting had that been the finals, which Nadal lost to Youzhny without even putting up a fight. And during the presentation Nadal said "Last year semis, this year finals, next year Winner". The crowd roared as he said those words. Though I'm a Federer fan I started liking Nadal after that tournament because he signed me an autograph, which I treasure a lot. Anyway he has opted for Qatar open this year and will be playing in a field which also has Federer. All we hope is that he comes back in 2010. But one thing is for sure, we will miss Nadal this year.