38 Special

Sporting dominance, though acknowledged as it happens, is usually only truly appreciated through the lens of history. Once fans are freed from the throes of week-in, week-out competition; once the hysterical tweets have long faded from the timeline; once the cries of “Not him again!” have long since drifted on the wind.

For the last decade, since February 2005 to be exact, every single final played at a major tennis tournament featured either Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal. Let me put this in perspective, for 38 consecutive majors 128 men were in the draw, the best tennis players on the planet right now. Every single time, either Federer, Djokovic or Nadal's name was on the scoreboard during the final. There are third graders who have never in their lives witnessed a major where one of these men didn't at least play in the final. Moreover, of the 38 consecutive times the sport's ruling triumvirate took a place in the final, 34 times flashbulbs popped as one of the those three men kissed (or bit) the champion's trophy. Often there wasn't even an alternative, on a solid number of those occasions, 16 to be exact, two of them faced each other for the most coveted prizes on offer.

That unprecedented run ends Monday.

2014 Australian Open Men's Preview

Didn't we just see the confetti falling around a trophy-kissing Novak Djokovic in an indoor arena in London?  This is how it always feels when the tennis world pivots to the azure blue courts in Melbourne, but it never ceases to make you shake your head. The fleeting offseason has flown, the cash grab hit-and-giggles in far-flung outposts of the tennis world are a distant memory and all of the world's best (fit) tennis players have again converged in the stifling heat of Melbourne for one of their four annual chances at tennis immortality.

As the new season truly gets underway, we take a look at the men's singles draw of the Australian Open. We do so in a bit of a different fashion than before, but with the same end game: to prep you for two weeks of big, big tennis in the land down under.

The Truth About The Fed

Alright, we've bitten our tongue more than once on this one, but it's really obvious isn't it?   Do we even really need to say it?   Sit down; it's time to talk about Roger.  Yes, Roger the GOAT...Swiss guy, likes English grass, chocolates and Rolexes.  Well...

Roland Garros 2013 Bracket Breakdown - The Men

Apropos, no?

It's the most wonderful time of the year to be a tennis fan.  The annual European swing between Monte Carlo and Wimbledon heralds the start of the northern summer which means as many hours on court as a man can stand, not to mention on TV, two of the tennis calendar's crown jewels - Roland Garros and Wimbledon; to say nothing of the most venerable events on tour jammed into this period: Monte Carlo, Rome, Stuttgart, Queen's Club, and on and on.

With Roland Garros, aka, the French Open upon us, we take a look at the draws to find out who will leave Paris with shiny new hardware and who will leave as annoyed as a Parisian waiter who was just asked for ketchup.  First up, les hommes (the men).

For the 2013 French Open women's bracket breakdown, click here

2013 Australian Open Men's Bracket Breakdown

Tennis is officially back!  Two weeks after the tours kick off the season in real terms, all of the best players in the world (and those who love to watch them) will converge upon Melbourne for the Australian Open.  With less than 48 hours until the TV gets locked upon those azure blue courts for a fortnight, we take a look at the 2013 Australian Open Men's Draw and do all the demystification for you.  Here's your Aussie Open Men's Bracket Breakdown.

2012 US Open Men's Bracket Breakdown

The Grand Slam tennis season winds to a close with the US Open, but there's nothing to be wistful about; not yet anyway.  The two weeks when tennis' non-stop carnival decamps on our doorstep here in New York always yield some of the most dramatic, heart-pounding action of the season.  With one quarter of the men's game's Fab Four, Rafael Nadal, sidelined with a knee injury, this year's tournament is certainly down a few watts in terms of star power.  On the other hand, the Spaniard's absence is a crack in tennis' great wall that means opportunity for the rest of the field.  For the first time in a long time, the US Open has been rendered wide open.

So who will seize the day and emerge as the champion?  Almost just as importantly, what are the matches worth watching in the first few days of the Open?  Well, check out our 2012 US Open men's draw preview to find out...

2012 Wimbledon Mens Semifinal Previews & Predictions

It's almost the final four we expected: Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray.  Of the vaunted "Big Four," only Rafael Nadal failed to make the semifinals here at Wimbledon this year.  When one of them goes down, the others pick up the slack.  The last time fewer than three of the ATP Big Four made the semifinals of a major was way back at Roland Garros in 2010, when Nadal romped to the title. With three of the top four in the world in the semifinals, it seems odd that we could have a surprise champion, but we could.  Neither of the men on the bottom half of the draw, Murray and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, were truly considered championship favorites, except in particularly hopeful quarters of Great Britain or France, but one of them will be in the final and in with a chance to claim the title on Sunday.  So who'll have Breakfast at Wimbledon on Sunday?  Read on:

Wimbledon 2012 Men's Bracket Breakdown

With Wimbledon fast approaching, Blacklabel Tennis' hiatus is over.  Here is our look at the 2012 Wimbledon men's draw, the players who should emerge to take the court on the final weekend, plus twenty matches you should keep an eye out for on ESPN3 in our new "First Round Five" capsule plus just more general Wimbledon bracket busting madness.  Without further ado, let's get to it:

7, 4, 11 - Roland Garros Mens & Ladies Recap

Probably the most riveting aspect of sports is the ability of the narratives that surround them shift and flex, reverse and bend back upon themselves with an unpredictability that neither admittedly scripted, nor “reality” programming can touch.   Rafael Nadal came into Roland Garros with a head of steam.  His title runs in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome looked downright pedestrian given the beatdowns he would inflict once he reached claycourt tennis' biggest stage.  The King of Clay flat-out embarrassed some of the world's best clay court players.  To wit, the following Nadal scorelines: versus World No. 13, Juan Monaco 6-2, 6-0, 6-0; versus World No. 6, David Ferrer 6-2, 6-2, 6-1, what else ya got, his snarl seemed to chuckle as he romped through the field.  

Then suddenly, the man whose serve had been broken once all tournament was broken…and broken…and broken over and over again, seven times in all.  At one point, Nadal went from leading by 2 sets and a break to dropping eight straight games (or a set and a break) to World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.  Fitful, frustrated and feeling his grip on the match slipping away, Nadal’s old friend, the rain, intensified.  Fitful and frustrated with the turn of events, he and Djokovic left the court, for the night as it turned out.   Once they returned it took Nadal just over 50 minutes to win French Open No. 7, halt Djokovic’s bid for four majors in a row and increase his own majors tally to 11.

Maria Sharapova came to Paris with the wind at her back as well.  She had warmed up with titles in Stuttgart and Rome, things looked great for her to finally conquer Paris...except she was drawn to face a fit and focused Serena Williams if she reached the final eight.  Before the tournament even reached its stride, that specter was erased in a topsy, turvy match that left Williams a shocking 4-for-4 in poor showings (for her) at majors.  Serena's shock loss to Virginie Razzano eased Sharapova's path, while on the other side of the draw, a player who had never before advanced past the third round of a major was doing the hard yards herself.  Italy's Sara Errani knocked off two recent Roland Garros champions just to face another recent finalist for good measure in the semis.  Sara Errani wasn’t through though, she won her way all the way to the final before finally being outcompeted by a determined Sharapova.  

Nadal and Sharapova, as we predicted, are your Roland Garros champions...so what does it all mean?  Keep reading.

Semi Charmed Lives: Roland Garros Men's Semifinal Previews & Predictions

Four men left at Roland Garros and surprisingly enough, it's exactly the four we expected to see at the outset.  With all due respect to Andy Murray, the Big Three are here as well as the best player on clay outside of the top troika, No. 6 ranked David Ferrer.  There are no easy matches at this stage and no man int he draw who would not prove a worth champion of this tournament.  Roger Federer is seeking his record-extending 17th major title, but just his second at Roland Garros.  Rafael Nadal is seeking his 11th major title and his record-breaking 7th win in 8 attempts at the French Open.  Novak Djokovic is out to win his sixth major and more importantly his fourth in a row, a non-calendar year Grand Slam.  Winning in Paris would give Djokovic a sixth major and make him more importantly, the first man since Rod Laver to hold all four majors at once.  If 30 year old David Ferrer wins this tournament, he might just up and quit right there, and who could blame him.  Ferrer could become only the second man to win a major outside of the Big Three since the 2005 Australian Open.  To do it, he'll have to go through Nadal and either Federer or Djokovic.  Trust me, there's no way his career could go up from there, it's just not possible.  Who will play on the big Philippe Chatrier court on Sunday?  Here's our take:

Holy Sunday!

Alert: The Perrier supply at Roland Garros needs to be tested.  There was obviously something in the water today at Roland Garros and whatever it was, it was toxic to the top seeds.  For a heady couple of hours, the tennis galaxy of the Twittersphere was abuzz that perhaps the biggest day of upsets in the history of Grand Slam tennis could be upon us.  The seed-pocalypse that began with the fall of World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka threatened to fell Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer simultaneously on Phillipe Chatrier and Suzanne Lenglen, respectively.  Had those seismic events happened, they would have left a hole big enough in the top half of the draw for Juan Martin del Potro to walk through...or Tomas Berdych, same difference.  All three superstars (Azarenka, Djokovic and Federer) walked onto the court today heavy favorites.  All three walked off the court having faced far stiffer challenges than any of them (or us) could have imagined.  In the end, despite a trio of underdogs bringing the drama, it was only the highest seeded of them, 15th seeded Dominika Cibulkova, who finished the job.  She helped Azarenka book a ticket back to Minsk, with a surprising victory.  Here are my three thoughts from a wild and wooly day at Roland Garros.

Roland Garros Day 2 (3 Thoughts)

All The Yankee Ladies: American tennis has been dead to rites time after time, but eventually someone starts putting up results and the narrative changes.  While it would be quite early to say an American tennis renaissance is underway, there are unmistakable signs of life from the women's draw.  Youngsters Christina McHale, Lauren Davis and Sloane Stephens joined veterans Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Varvara Lepchenko and Vania King in advancing to the second round at Roland Garros today.  Rather unexpectedly, there are ten American women (including Alexa Glatch, Melanie Oudin, Irina Falconi and some player named Venus Williams who won yesterday) in the second round of the claycourt major.  Oh, plus Serena Williams and Jamie Hampton have yet to take the court.  You have to think, somewhere Billie Jean King is grinning ear to ear.  What's behind the Parisian push for the Yankee ladies?

2012 French Open Bracket Breakdown: The Men

You might be asking why we're bothering to do a Roland Garros men's draw breakdown.  We all know there's a favorite, Rafael Nadal, what else is there to say?  Well Nadal has certainly earned that mantle with his six titles in the last seven years, but it's far from a foregone conclusion that the Man from Mallorca will hoist the Coupe des Mousquetaires in two weeks time.  That's why we watch sports.  Let's be honest, who would have predicted the Brian Baker story (first ATP event since 2005 and reached the finals, for the uninitiated) even a week ago?  Hell, who even remembered the guy's name before he won the USTA's reciprocal wildcard.  No one.   Among "others," there's of course, Novak Djokovic, the winner of the last three major finals (all against Nadal) going for four majors in a row, the "Nole Slam," a feat accomplished by neither Nadal nor Roger Federer.  Federer is still not retired, in case you were wondering.  You know he's 30 right?  You also know he's still clearly no worse than the 3rd best player in the world and certainly knows how to win a major.

But picking the champ is not the only reason for the Bracket Breakdown.  We also point out the most interesting first rounders (Grounds Pass Specials), dark horses and (projected) matchups you should be watching throughout the tournament, that at least stateside is better known as the French Open.

Want to know how this year's tournament will play out?  Read on.

Viewpoint: The Djoker's Wilds

The easiest way to go from prohibitive favorite to questionable, to steal a phrase from Serena Williams, "Life."  I didn't blog about Djokovic's comments on the terre battue bleu last night, I felt the rest of the press corps had you covered there.  Reflecting on the remarks, certain things became clear to me.  The switch from red to blue clay here in Madrid may not have only represented a change to the optics of the event, but to Novak Djokovic's fortune.

Life and Crushed Brick: Monte Carlo Final Recap

Novak Djokovic versus Rafael Nadal, we've heard those words before 31 matches now.  With all due respect to Roger Federer, the clashes between Nadal and Djokovic are fast becoming the defining rivalry of this current era of men's tennis, Nadal holds a slim 17-14 lead.  Djokovic and Nadal are now the top two ranked players in the world, the winners of the last eight majors (four apiece) and their matches are pushing the very boundaries of the sport in terms of endurance and explosive shotmaking.  The history left us (and most of the tennis world) salivating at the prospect of another final between the man dubbed the King of Clay and the reigning King of Tennis.  This round would end with Nadal firmly atop his throne once more, drubbing a subpar Djokovic 6-3, 6-1 and winning his record-extending eighth Rolex Monte Carlo Masters and 20th ATP Masters 1000 title.

L'Autoroute A Roland Garros

After swings in the Middle East, Latin America and the United States the tennis world is reconvening on Europe's outdoor clay courts for L'Autoroute A Roland Garros (The Highway to Roland Garros).  While all eyes will eventually be on the famed terre battue of the French capital, before we reach the end of the highway there are cash and tradition rich events scheduled in Monte Carlo, Stuttgart, Madrid and Rome among other locales.  Here is our look at the ten most important players to keep an eye on as the dirtball, err clay court season unfolds.

Life In The Desert

Every fall there's a fair bit of hand-wringing about the tennis offseason, or lack thereof.  That mythical period between early December and New Year's Eve where the sport presumably disappears.  Given the fact that most of the Western World is engrossed in (not to mention engorged during) the winter holidays, I guess the question is "If the world is too busy to notice that a tournament isn't happening, was there an offseason after all?"

Short answer: No.

To the players, those few weeks are largely an extended weekend or so of relaxation and then a few weeks of training to prep for the Australian summer circuit.  I would counter that the offseason, perhaps more accurately penned as "off-season," kicks off the day after the players leave Melbourne.  Yes, there are Davis and Fed Cup ties, the appearance fee-rich tournaments on the Arabian peninsula, the remnants (ruins?) of the Euro winter indoor circuit, Latin America's "Golden Swing" and even a bit of home cooking for the Americans; but in a sport that's truly a 24/7/365 enterprise, the post-Australian swing is more of a swoon.  Then there's Indian Wells.

BLT February 2012 Power Rankings

Australia's over but the 2012 tennis year has really just become.  Who came out of Oz on fire and who needs a jumpstart?  Time for a round of Power Rankings.  

1. Novak Djokovic (SRB) Last Month: (2)

Is it me or is 2012 beginning to look a lot like last year?  It is for Novak Djokovic at least.  He came into this Australian swing with some legitimate question marks about his fitness and his state of mind; he left the land Down Under back on top.  Djokovic captured his fifth major and a seventh consecutive win over World No. 2 Rafael Nadal, albeit in a near six hour epic that showed the two players may be on closer terms than they seemed a year prior.  Just seven matches from the Nole Slam in Paris you have to think, wouldn't that be an interesting feather in the Serb's cap?  Federer could be the greatest ever, Nadal could be the greatest clay-courter ever and Djokovic could be the only one of the three to win four majors in a row.  You want to talk Greatest Generation?  Only seven men have captured the career grand slam and Djokovic could be the third to do it in four years...all while beating TWO of the others to get there. Why are we getting ahead of ourselves?  Djokovic beat Nadal on clay twice last year, just saying.  In any event, the next few months are on hardcourts. Djokovic has won the last three majors on the hard stuff...up next, defending the Indian Wells-Key Biscayne double.

They'll Be Back - 2012 Australian Open Finals Recap

One tough thing about being a writer is that sometimes the words just don't flow.  Well, there's certainly no writer's block on the back of this year's Australian Open and particularly finals weekend.  The matches couldn't have been more different.  Newly crowned World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka subdued 2008 champ Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-0; while defending champion Novak Djokovic found his way past 2009 champ Rafael Nadal in five lengthy, byzantine sets 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5) 7-5.  As disparate as the scorelines were, is as similar the compelling storylines were both coming into and going out of the first leg of tennis' fabled Grand Slam.  Without further ado, here's how Blacklabel Tennis looks back on the 2012 Australian Open singles championships.

Australian Open Semifinal Previews - Final Four Men

When the top four ranked men in the world tangle in the Australian Open semifinals, the one thing that won't be missing is familiarity.  Novak Djokovic has faced Andy Murray ten times in tour-level matches.  Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have seen each other across the net 26 times in tour-level matches.  To say the players know what to expect from one another is a gross understatement.  At the same time, to say the results are written in stone is just as inaccurate. What we can say without qualification though is that the four best men in our sport will take the court with a (roughly) 50/50 chance of reaching the Australian Open final.

Which of the superstars will play for the title Sunday morning?  Here's your Australian Open men's semifinals preview: