Enter The Magic Box: 6 May 2012 Three Thoughts

Today marked our first day on site at the Madrid Masters in the Caja Magica and our first Masters event credentialed as official press.  I have to say, things do look different from the other side of the fence, but more about that later.  For now, as always, we're gonna focus on what you care about and that's the tennis.  Here are my three thoughts from Sunday in Madrid.

The Sunday Line, 7/24/11

Making the call on this week's ATP & WTA Singles Finals

Atlanta Tennis Championships
Atlanta, GA, USA (Hard)

John Isner

Mardy Fish

The US Open Series kicks off in Hotlanta with two Americans in a rematch of last year's final and my how things have changed since that meeting.  Fish, once a perennial also-ran is now a solid, if unspectacular, top ten player.  Isner, the 6'10" ex-golden boy, on the other hand, is here trying to arrest a slide in the rankings that has him on the verge of going into the US Open unseeded.  

Revisionist Predicting (Wimbledon's Sweet 16 - WTA)

I consider myself a pretty savvy tennis fan.  I watch tournaments, go to tournaments, read the press and generally keep up with the sport on a daily basis.  By the time I get to a major there's usually a player or two whom I've heard of, but need to see play.  I can't remember the last time we made it to the fourth round of a Wimbledon and two players are in the mix who I not only couldn't pick out of a lineup, but have frankly never heard of before.

I'm also a pretty honest guy, after the men's preview, I'm tired, so forgive me Billie Jean King and Stacey Allaster, here's a slightly truncated (but no less accurate) Wimbledon women's round of 16 preview.