<p>Really just hoping Nishikori is 100% for his draw from the gods.</p>
<p>^ he is certainly in the good section, though I don’t see him getting past David even if he’s 100%.</p>
<p>They have full linespeople and ballpersons in the quallies!</p>
<p>Hewitt was a great player in his time and drove just about everyone nuts with his style of play. Except for Federer. Federer knew how to dismantle his game. Federer has the smarts. Djokovic and Murray can simply outlast and outplay Hewitt.</p>
<p>Berdych is such a talented guy - his head just goes out of whack from time to time. He reminds me of Tsonga. These guys hit the ball so hard. The problem is that that’s mostly what they do all the time.</p>
<p>Djoker and Murray are the best bets. Federer is sort of inconsistent and can be outhit. I like Nishikori as well but I doubt that he’ll win. Raonic and Tomic will be fun to watch. For the women, my favorites are Justine Henin and Steffi Graf- both retired and I’m sort of bored? with the women’s game. I’m sure they could all blow me off the court, no question about it, but theres no ‘top 4’ like there is for the men- mostly Serena dominating. I hope Azarenka steps up and takes her out in the final- she was so close to winning the USO but alas :/.</p>
<p>Nishikori has a 2-1 lead on Ferrer, after just bageling him in the Olympics. <em>crosses fingers</em> Ferrer just won Auckland today so maybe he’s tired after three weeks of playing.</p>
<p>I hope Tsonga is fully healed as well.</p>
<p>I’ve never seen Ferrer tired.</p>
<p>[Tennis</a> - ATP World Tour - Form And Fitness David Ferrer](<a href=“News | ATP Tour | Tennis”>News | ATP Tour | Tennis)</p>
<p>He runs at least an hour a day for his cardio training.</p>
<p>He was breathing pretty loudly in the final today. Whatever, I have hope.</p>
<p>I don’t understand why Ferrer plays small tournaments so close to bigger ones- it seems like the top 4 really try to peak and he plays a zillion 250s.</p>
<p>^ Some players like a lot of matches under their belt.</p>
<p>Maybe for the ATP points. If the big guys don’t play, then he has a better shot at the tournament points.</p>
<p>I just think he likes to play a lot. I also don’t think playing less would help him win a slam. I have never seen David lose a match due to fatigue. Beating 3 of the big boys in a row is just too tall of a task for him.</p>
<p>It’s for the points. He’s famous for it.</p>
<p>^really? I’ve never heard that about David and I’ve been following him for about 10 years. </p>
<p>Plus, I don’t see how his playing more has, in any way, affected how he performs at the slams. In fact, he has gotten deeper into the draw the last few years then ever before. </p>
<p>Someone like Davydenko, OTOH, who plays practically every week chasing money, often lost in the slams because he had too much tennis in him.</p>
<p>His nickname is the Vulture. He’s literally /the/ biggest offender for playing small tournaments. He’s ranked 5 but can’t beat anyone above him and even those just below him.</p>
<p>^His nickname is Pics. </p>
<p>We will have to agree to disagree.</p>
<p>He has more than one.</p>
<p>Yes, but no one calls him those. 
</p>
<p>Look, if it was all about playing the small tourneys to amass ranking points he would lose at the slams earlier than his seeding would suggest. But he doesn’t. He made 2 qtrs and 2 SF last year - seeded 5th.</p>
<p>I predict that he will move up to fourth after the AO.</p>
<p>BTW he acquitted himself quite well in Davis Cup. Spain made it to the finals (lost to the Czechs with Berdych/Stepanek) without Nadal.</p>
<p>There’s no predicting he’ll go up. He will because Nadal’s not playing.</p>
<p>7 PM EST.</p>
<p>[Schedule</a> of Play - Schedule - Australian Open Tennis Championships 2013 - Official Site by IBM](<a href=“http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/scores/schedule/index.html]Schedule”>http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/scores/schedule/index.html)</p>
<p>I’ll switch between Venus and Nishikori and hopefully there’ll be time for Stosur.</p>