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Grand Slam Professional Tennis Predictions and Picks by Nick Bollettieri. US Open, French Open, Wimbledon, Australian Open. Nick Bollettieri

O maior atrativo do blog: as tenistas. Brasileiros, poloneses, israelenses, franceses, italianos, todos as querem (ou pelo menos chegam aqui buscando por elas). Não tenho muito como fugir do tema, se não quiser me manter muito distante daqui, afinal de contas – como já mencionei – estou há mais de 10 dias acompanhando o primeiro Grand Slam da temporada 2008.

As partidas, nessa fase semifinal, estão começando (à noite, no horário brasileiro) a partir da meia-noite e meia, se estendendo hora do lobisomem adentro. E ainda temos as partidas que começam às 6 e meia da matina. Morfeu chora. Dormir durante a tarde, prerrogativa do vagabundo, não resolve; chegam as 2 da madrugada, já estou acabado.

Porém compensa. Bom tênis, boas garotas (que ninguém é de ferro), bons comentários (Marco Antonio Rodrigues e Paulo Cleto dominam a várzea). Do lado masculino temos um negão francês saído do nada, que hoje de manhã passou por cima do Rafael Nadal, atual número 2 do mundo, depois de ter derrotado outros 2 tenistas do top 10 da ATP, além do 14. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga é o nome dele, e provavelmente vai pegar o Federer na final, se este não perder pro sérvio Djokovic (#3) (a partida entre esses dois deve ir ao ar na manhã dessa sexta, na ESPN) .

Do lado feminino a final já está montada: Maria Sharapova (#5) e Ana Ivanovic (#4). Não consegui acompanhar com afinco as partidas da Ivanovic (nhai), mas ela eliminou a Venus Williams (#8), que é americana e por isso mereceu (na foto do site da WTA a Venus parece a Beyoncé. Mas ela não parece a Beyoncé). E a Sharapova – ah, a Sharapova… – começou destruindo e distribuindo pneus (quando um set é ganho por 6 games a 0). Com menos peso e sem lesão no ombro, ela chegou pra ganhar o Grand Slam. Prova disso foi a vitória de 2 a 0 sobre a número 1 Justine Henin, que simplesmente não jogou nada e tomou um pneu no segundo set, enquanto a Sharapova jogou pra caralho, sentando o braço e, inacreditavelmente, não sentando o braço quando não era necessário. Tá perdoada.

A final feminina, o duelo de musas, o momento em que duas pessoas estarão de viseira sem parecer (ou parecerem? careço nessas concordâncias) ridículas, rola na madrugada de sexta para sábado, acho que à 0:30.

The reason that Justine Henin is able to dominate the rankings in women’s tennis is that she’s just the best player in the world. Simple as that. She has more strengths and less weaknesses than any other player, allowing her to play with greater variety, and thus she is better equipped to deal with more match situations and on different surfaces. That’s why she is the most consistent player in the game, and a comfortable world no.1.

Henin went into yesterday’s Australian Open quarter-final against Maria Sharapova on a winning streak stretching back 32 matches to last years Wimbledon semi-final. Sharapova came into the match as world no.5, the lowest position she’s held for some time, mainly as a result of a 2007 season dogged by injury and inconsistency. Despite the fact that Sharapova has two grand slam titles, and was until recently ranked in the no.2 position, she was a comfortable second favourite for this match. And the main reason why? Everyone knows that Justine Henin is simply the better tennis player.

There are times however, when an opponent’s greater talent can be overcome by the sheer force of determination, self-belief, and will to win. Maria Sharapova has made a career out of this knowledge. Tennis purists may knock her for having a one-dimensional game, but Sharapova isn’t listening. She’s locked inside her zone, building her game around a fierce mental toughness forged during an upbringing scattered with triumphs over adversity.

Yesterday’s encounter in Melbourne was a classic example of a finely-honed talent being given a ruthless battering by a warrior-like competitor showing no respect for reputation. Sharapova gave one of the most awesome displays of single-mindedness I’ve ever witnessed in a sporting arena. Most players would have prepared some kind of plan to try and overcome Henin’s game; Sharapova’s triumph was grounded in a policy of forgetting that the world no.1 was even out there, and focussing with complete intensity on playing at the highest level she could possibly achieve.

The most impressive thing about Sharapova’s outstanding display was the fact that she sustained such a level right through to the final point. Many players would have had an attack of the wobbles when approaching the finish line against a player like Henin, but Sharapova did the exact opposite; her game only improved the nearer she got to achieving her goal.

So much did Sharapova sustain her performance that she ended up wiping Henin off the court completely in the second set. The world no.1 just does not get ‘bagelled’ (that’s losing a set 6-0, to you non-speakers of tennis lingo) in the latter stages of a grand slam. To see the greatest player in women’s tennis crumble in this way was shocking, even against an opponent as tough as the Russian star.

Sharapova definitely seems to have come to this grand slam to prove a point to the many who were doubting her future at the very top of the game after last year. She must now stand as the favourite to take the title, despite the fact that two of the other three semi-finalists are ranked higher than her. If she takes the same kind of tunnel vision into the last two matches, it’s very hard to see an opponent coming up with answers. Justine Henin after all, had none.

The semi-final line up in the women’s event has given us the chance to see tennis’ finest young talents prove their worth, having brushed aside the more experienced likes of Henin and the Williams sisters. It has also provided the photographers with a day sent from heaven, with probably the four most snapped players in the world having made it through. Along with the A-list superstar Sharapova, we have the two enormously popular young Serbs, Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic, and the Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova. All four will grace as many fashion rag covers as they will tennis publications in 2008.

It is also an all Eastern-European line up – a most significant breakthrough for what is undoubtedly the world’s major breeding ground for tennis talent at the moment. And whilst we have yet to see a player come through from Eastern Europe with the kind of talent possessed by Justine Henin, the one thing none of these players seem to lack is the self-belief to overcome the most daunting odds. It can sometimes be all you need.

Jamie.

Wow… what a match that was!! I am really loving this year’s open. Two epic matches (Roddick-Kohlschreiber  yesterday, Safin-Bhagdatis the day before) in two days and one more today.

The Melbourne rain which so disrupted play at the Australian Open could not dampen an extraordinary five-set game that saw, Roger Federer, chasing his fourth title and thirteenth Grand Slam crown, narrowly defeat 23-year-old Serbian Janko Tipsarevic.The game was decided by a brilliant final set which saw Tipsarevic, tiring visibly and beginning to grunt like Maria Sharapova, hit a succession of big serves to stay in contention. Both players displayed brilliance and tenacity, defying fatigue for sixteen nerve-shredding games until Federer finally edged in front.

Unheralded 49th seed Tipsarevic put on an incredible display. The first two sets were decided by tie-break, Tipsaravic won the first, inflicting Federer’s first opening set loss since 2006, but Federer took the second tie break with some ease.

Still Federer, who has been suffering with gastric illness, was unable to find his rhythm and made a series of unforced errors to allow the intense Dostoevsky-reading Tipsarevic to pull away, and eventually win, the third set 5-7. The sensational loss prompted Federer to call for his trainer as the game moved beyond three hours.

The strain initially told most on Tipsarevic who, still feeling the effects of a marathon first round game against Joseph Sirianni, suddenly looked leg weary. Federer took the fourth set 6-1 with commanding ease to set up a thrilling finale.

Great match and great quality of tennis. Kohlschreiber defeated Roddick in five sets,  6-4 3-6 7-6 (10-8) 6-7 (3-7) 8-6. Yesterday night’s match between Safin and Bhadatis was epic for the drama. And, tonight’s match is an epic for the quality of tennis. Both the players were solid on the serve (total 74 aces; 42 for Roddick and 32 for the German). And, only 2 breaks for the entire 5 sets. The other stats are also mind-boggling.  79 winners from Roddick and 104 winners from Kohlschreiber (WTF??).

In the next round, Kohlschreiber  will face Jarkko Nieminen. With this kind of form, Kohlschreiber should have an easy march to the quarterfinals.