Rafael Nadal has won seven French Open titles and lost one match at Roland Garros. (Claude Paris/AP)

John McEnroe doesn’t think the French Open will adjust its seeding system to bump up seven-time champion Rafael Nadal. But he does believe  it’s the fair thing to do, not just for Nadal but also for his primary competitors.

Nadal, ranked fifth, is racing to secure the No. 4 seed by the time the French Open sets its seeds on May 20 after the Rome Masters. He trails Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and David Ferrer, whose opening-match loss at the Barcelona Open on Wednesday improved Nadal’s chances of overtaking the fellow Spaniard for No. 4 at Roland Garros. If Nadal isn’t among the top-four seeds, he could face any of those four players in a potential quarterfinal.

“Let me put it to you this way: I guarantee you that none of those four guys, as great as they are, want to see him in the quarters,” McEnroe told Tennis.com. “Quite honestly, I would seed him number one. … [I] think he deserves that. I think the other players deserve it.”

McEnroe said Djokovic is the only player who merits consideration to be seeded ahead of Nadal. Djokovic, who is seeking his first French Open title, defeated Nadal in Sunday’s final of the Monte Carlo Masters.

I recently debated the issue of Nadal’s French Open seeding with Ben Rothenberg of The New York Times. My take: The French tennis federation should not alter its system to boost Nadal’s ranking.

In Romania, I’d like to see veteran Victor Hanescu, a former French Open quarterfinalist, do well in his home event. Jarkko Nieminen had a great week in Monte Carlo last week, upsetting Juan Martin Del Potro en route to the quarterfinals. I think he will continue that good form, and reach the finals in Bucharest.

The complete picks:

Barcelona, Spain
QF
[1] D. Ferrer (ESP) def. [11] M. Klizan (SVK)
[4] N. Almagro (ESP) def. [10] J. Chardy (FRA)
[14] G. Dimitrov (BUL) def. [Q] E. Gulbis (LAT)
[2] R. Nadal (ESP) def. [9] J. Janowicz (POL)
SF
Ferrer def. Almagro
Nadal def. Dimitrov
F
Nadal def. Ferrer

Bucharest, Romania
QF
[1] J. Tipsarevic (SRB) def. [Q] S. Stakhovsky (UKR)
V. Hanescu (ROU) def. D. Goffin (BEL)
[3] A. Seppi (ITA) def. [8] V. Troicki (SRB)
J. Nieminen (FIN) def. [WC] G. Monfils (FRA)
SF
Tipsarevic def. Hanescu
Nieminen def. Seppi
F
Tipsarevic def. Nieminen

Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell

Surface: Clay
Points: 500
Top seed: David Ferrer
Defending champion: Rafael Nadal

Draw analysis: It’s weird seeing Ferrer at the top of the draw as the No. 1 seed in a tournament that also includes Nadal. It just is. Of course, it hardly matters because there is no advantage to be being the top seed instead of the second seed in any tournament. As for the how the chips fell during Saturday’s ceremony, neither Nadal nor Ferrer drew a short stick.

The seven-time champion will open against one of two solid clay-courters, either Carlos Berlocq or Daniel Gimeno-Traver. Nadal’s nearest seed is the mercurial Benoit Paire, while possible quarterfinal opponents include Kei Nishikori or Jerzy Janowicz. Neither Nishikori nor Janowicz is overly comfortable on the slow stuff, so it should be smooth sailing for the world No. 5 en route to the semis. At that point Nadal could run into Berdych—who admittedly hates playing the Spaniard—or Grigor Dimitrov—who took a set off Nadal in the Monte-Carlo quarters. Berdych and Dimitrov are joined in a rough eighth of the bracket that also boasts Nikolay Davydenko and Casablanca winner Tommy Robredo.

Ferrer, meanwhile, is on a collision course for the quarterfinals with Philipp Kohlschreiber and for the semis with Almagro. Kohlschreiber has endured an injury-plagued 2013, but he will have a decent chance of making some noise this week as his nearest seed is a slumping Martin Klizan. Almagro has an extremely favorable path to the last eight, although Juan Monaco is slowly finding his form so a potential Almagro-Monaco quarterfinal could be interesting. The Argentine will face a likely opener against Bernard Tomic.

First-round upset alert: Andrey Kuznetsov over Igor Sijsling. Kuznetsov was borderline dominant last season on clay at the Challenger and Futures levels, but the transition to the ATP circuit has been difficult. Sijsling has an edge in current form and he should be playing with more confidence than his opponent, but his power game is better-suited for hard courts. Because of the surface, Kuznetsov has a great chance in this one.

Second-round upset alert: Tommy Robredo over (14) Grigor Dimitrov. Dimitrov showed positive signs in 2012 of living up to the hype and he is really starting to do just that in 2013. The 21-year-old Bulgarian is coming off a quarterfinal finish in Monte-Carlo and he also reached the Brisbane final in January. If Dimitrov is fatigued, however, Robredo will be ready to pounce—especially on clay. The 30-year-old Spaniard’s Casablanca triumph shows that the veteran still has some tricks left up his sleeve in the latter stages of his career.

Hot: Rafael Nadal, Grigor Dimitrov, Pablo Carreno-Busta, Tommy Robredo

Cold: Martin Klizan, Fernando Verdasco, Thomaz Bellucci, Radek Stepanek, Nikolay Davydenko, Pablo Andujar

Quarterfinal predictions: David Ferrer over Albert Montanes, Nicolas Almagro over Juan Monaco, Tomas Berdych over Ernests Gulbis, and Rafael Nadal over Kei Nishikori

Semifinals: Nadal over Berdych and Ferrer over Almagro

Final: Nadal over Ferrer

BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy

Surface: Clay
Points: 250
Top seed: Janko Tipsarevic
Defending champion: Gilles Simon

Draw analysis: For a 250-point event competing with a 500-pointer in the immediate aftermath of a Masters 1000, the BRD Nastase Tiriac Trophy boasts a stellar draw. It includes Janko Tipsarevic, Gilles Simon, Andreas Seppi, and Mikhail Youzhny, who have first-round byes as the top four seeds. Also competing for what appears to be an up-for-grabs title are Fabio Fognini, Horacio Zeballos, Jarkko Nieminen, and Gael Monfils.

Fognini and Monfils have to face each other right off the bat in a loaded section of the bracket. Nieminen, a quarterfinalist in Monte-Carlo, could meet Simon in round two and the winner of that potential showdown would be on course to battle either Fognini or Monfils in the quarters. Seppi also finds himself in the bottom half of the draw. The Italian generally thrives at smaller events and he certainly does not have any unbeatable competition in his quarter.

Tipsarevic, who vowed to take some time off from tennis after an early exit in Monte-Carlo only to quickly change his mind, was not done too many favors at the draw ceremony as he tries to get on track this season. The top-seeded Serb will open against either Xavier Malisse or Santiago Giraldo before a potential quarterfinal clash against Horacio Zeballos. Before Sunday’s Monte-Carlo final, the Argentine was the only man to beat Nadal in 2013. The section second of the Bucharest draw should provide some entertainment, especially for the home crowd. It features Romanians Victor Hanescu and Adrian Ungur along with Youzhny, David Goffin, and 2012 champion Florian Mayer.

First-round upset alert: (WC) Gael Monfils over (6) Fabio Fognini. The only previous clay-court meeting between Monfils and Fognini won’t soon be forgotten. They played until darkness—and beyond—in the 2010 French Open second round before finishing the next day, when Fognini finally won the marathon 2-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 9-7. The Italian should be brimming with confidence after a surprise semifinal performance in Monte-Carlo and he has to be considered a big favorite in this one based on current form. However, Fognini will likely be fatigued and Monfils may have just enough matches under his belt (two in Houston, one in Monte-Carlo) to capitalize on the opportunity.

Hot: Andreas Seppi, Fabio Fognini, Marinko Matosevic, Jarkko Nieminen

Cold: Janko Tipsarevic, Florian Mayer, Viktor Troicki, Paul-Henri Mathieu, Gael Monfils

Semifinals: Horacio Zeballos over Mikhail Youzhny and Andreas Seppi over Gael Monfils

Final: Seppi over Zeballos

Comments and your own predictions are appreciated!

A man who needs little to no introduction is chasing his 9th consecutive title, in the beautiful principality of Monaco. Known for its picture perfect setting and player friendly organisation, the Monte Carlo Masters 1000 event, will kick off with a mini-tennis exhibition on 13th of April, in front of Hotel De Paris. It’s accessible to fans, and promises to deliver two top 10 players. Although the lineup will miss Roger Federer, it’s a delight to welcome the newly minted world no.2 Andy Murray to the fold. Djokovic who is getting physical therapy for his right ankle, which he twisted while giving Serbia a 3-1 lead over USA, in his Davis Cup match against Sam Querrey, promises to be fit for the tournament. Fingers crossed for him as well. David Ferrer has pulled out with a thigh injury, and hopes to play in Barcelona.Rest up Ferru! The good news is that, since Rafa is defending his crown for the ninth time, he will come in with nothing less than 100% on his favorite surface. He shut up all his critics with his historic hold at Indian Wells this spring, giving him a record 22nd Masters 1000 series title, along side his 600th match win. And before that, he sealed his comeback with a fantastic clay run during the Golden Swing, by winning 2 out of the 3 tournaments he entered.

Without a shadow of a doubt, Rafa will go in as the favourite. It’s something beyond tennis,magical, what he brings on clay! His knee has been given the green signal by Dr.Sanchez, and Rafans can rest assured, that he will do everything in his power to lift the trophy for the ninth time! Ironically, Rafa has been more successful here, than at Roland Garros, which he has won a record seven times. Who knows how deep he will go this time,but he is in it to win it!  Nike has crafted a fibreglass T-shirt for the summer kit for Rafa. It’s a gorgeous minty shade, with pewter trimming, which he will pair with darker, green shorts. Complementing this, would be a red bandanna and turq shoes. The look is as daring as the man who is sporting it Rafa updated us on Twitter, that he will be flying to Monte Carlo tomorrow (friday).

Con el equipo de mis primos! He venido a despedirme de ellos porque mañana viajo a Montecarlo.

With my cousins'… fb.me/C0uu4QDu—
Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) April 11, 2013

It’s been a delightful  journey, which began pretty much at age 8, when Rafa won the under 12 Balearic Championship title. There has been no looking back since…

Monte Carlo here he comes

Rafael Nadal hasn’t lost at the French Open since his upset to Robin Soderling in 2009. (Simon Bruty/SI)

Ben Rothenberg of The New York Times is The Toss’ guest this week to discuss a question that will be asked over and over again during the clay-court season:

Today’s Toss: Should the French Open adopt Wimbledon’s policy to allow for subjective seeding to boost Rafael Nadal’s seed?

Courtney Nguyen: Despite titles in Sao Paulo, Acapulco and Indian Wells, Nadal is still ranked No. 5. He’s 685 points behind No. 4 David Ferrer as we head into the clay season, where Nadal is defending titles in Monte Carlo, Rome and Barcelona. So barring a shocking turn of events over the next two months — Nadal would effectively have to win every lead-up tournament he plays and hope Ferrer (who pulled out of Monte Carlo with a thigh injury) suffers some early losses — the seven-time French Open champion will go into Roland Garros ranked outside the top four for the first time since his 2005 debut at age 19.

We got a glimpse of the significance of Nadal’s seeding in Indian Wells, where he was drawn into Roger Federer’s quarter as the fifth seed. The two met before the semifinals of a tournament for the first time since 2004, and let’s be honest: That’s just too early to have to bid adieu to either man. In the same vein, if Nadal’s ranking holds, we could get a Nadal-Novak Djokovic quarterfinal at the French Open. That just ain’t right.

So is there anything the French tennis federation (FFT) could do about it? Eyes have turned to Wimbledon’s subjective seeding system. The All England Club is the only Grand Slam that does not strictly adopt ATP or WTA rankings for seeding, which gives it the power to bump up players who have demonstrated particular grass-court skill. Contrary to popular belief, Wimbledon can’t just shuffle seeds willy-nilly. There is a formula used for the men, which takes into account ATP points and grass-court points from the last 12 months plus 75 percent of grass-court points from the 12 months before that.

So how about it? Should Roland Garros adopt a similar system to reward specialized clay courters when it comes to playing the one clay Slam of the year?

As tempted as I am to emphatically say “yes,” I’m not so sure. Using an alternate seeding system for Wimbledon has always made sense given the unique nature of grass-court tennis and the limited grass season of four weeks. For the Tsvetana Pironkovas of the world, that’s simply not enough to boost her ranking to be seeded every year, even if she’s a proven grass-court specialist. So the logic works for me on the green stuff.

But that rationale falls away for clay. There are clay tournaments all around the world during four months of the season, and three of the nine ATP Masters events are held on clay, as opposed to zero on grass. If you’re a clay-court beast, you have plenty of opportunities to prove that over the course of the year and inflate your ranking accordingly. These players shouldn’t need the FFT’s help to ensure that their seeding at Roland Garros reflects their clay-court skill.

WERTHEIM: What should the FFT do? What will the FFT do?

Rothenberg: Unlike The Hunger Games, a tennis tournament isn’t winner take all (sorry, ABBA). Because there is prize money, points and prestige commensurately awarded for advancing to each successive round, it is important that the draw stays as balanced as possible. To that end, seedings shouldn’t necessarily need to reflect what’s happened in the past 52 weeks, but rather should handicap the field for what is most likely to happen next in that given tournament. When a seed is undervalued or overvalued, the draw potentially becomes uneven, and one quarter can open up to anyone lucky enough to find himself there while another quarter sees the best do battle early.

I also have to disagree with your assertion that seedings at Roland Garros reflect clay-court skill sufficiently. Nadal (with a 98.1 winning percentage there) could run the table on red clay warm-ups for the second straight year and still be outside the top four. How is that accurate, when the only reason he’s outside the top four is that he missed a bunch of hard-court tournaments last summer and fall? Don’t punish Djokovic (or to a lesser extent Federer or Andy Murray) by putting Nadal in his path before he’s had a chance to live up to his top-four seeding.

There’s also the converse to consider. Take, for example, Andy Roddick, who at Roland Garros found himself seeded No. 2 (2004), No. 2 (2005), No. 5 (2006), No. 3 (2007), No. 6 (2009), No. 6 (2010) and No. 26 (2012). Not once did Roddick live up to any of those seedings. Because he was usually a very high seed, his early exits left the draw wildly lopsided. You want to criticize Victoria Azarenka for withdrawing from Miami and thus leaving the draw unbalanced? Then you also have to criticize the FFT for blindly following the rankings and seeding Roddick as though he were a clay contender, when he was always doomed to implode and leave an open pathway for a less deserving player to make a deep run.

In truth, I think that the Grand Slams should all be given power to moderately tweak the seedings as they see fit, perceived “fairness” be damned. If only because it would make the release of the seeds before each tournament an actual story, instead of the foregone conclusion it is now. What better way to create water-cooler talk the week beforehand?

Nguyen: See, I don’t have a problem with Roddick or, nowadays, Murray being seeded artificially high at the French Open, because he’s earned it. They’ve compiled the points over the course of the year, whether the surface be clay, hard or grass, to receive a cushion at the French. I don’t find that as problematic as at Wimbledon, where players simply do not have enough tournaments to raise their rankings on grass. It’s pretty hard to come into the French Open ranked high without having a decent clay season. All of the top-10 guys can grind it out on clay.

If you’re going to talk about artificially inflated clay rankings, then Nadal is actually the king of it at the moment. As much as I want to lament that he’s ranked fifth, he has just two non-clay results on his rankings sheet. Of the 18 tournaments that make up his ranking, he failed to play nine because of his knee injury (thus giving him zero points); two of them, Indian Wells and Wimbledon, were not on clay; and the remaining seven are all, except for the blue-clay fiasco that was Madrid, clay events he won. So he’s No. 5 based on just nine results, seven of which were on clay. Nadal doesn’t need any more help from the clay gods to raise his ranking.

I do think it’s an unfortunate situation for the French Open. It’s basically running a 50-50 risk that either Nadal ends up in Murray’s or Ferrer’s quarter, which wouldn’t be entirely problematic, or in Djokovic’s or Federer’s quarter, which would be tough on the tournament from both a tennis and marketing standpoint. But hey, it’s just a one-off anomaly because of Nadal’s lengthy injury break.

Should anyone really feel sorry for Nadal that he might have a tougher road to the title this year? We’re looking at a situation in which the King of Clay, after a seven-month layoff, could have to go through Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic to win his eighth Roland Garros title in nine years. It could be his greatest challenge yet. Pass the macarons!

Rothenberg: You’re right — because of surface homogenization, we have a top 10 filled with capable clay courters who have racked up points on slow hard courts. That’s not ideal, but it’s what we have. But in cases like Nadal’s, some sort of “power rankings” would be far more fair.

I disagree in that this is somehow a one-time issue. Top players are coming back from injury constantly, and often dominating quickly upon return.

For example how fair was it for Serena Williams, fresh off dominant runs in Stanford and Toronto in her second and third tournaments back, to be seeded 28th at the 2011 U.S. Open? Specifically, how fair was that to Azarenka, the No. 4 seed, to have to be steamrolled by Serena in the first week of the tournament? To have Djokovic face a similar fate in the 2013 French Open quarterfinals would be similarly unfair. Again, because tennis awards points and money based on how deep a run you make, the sport has an obligation to make the paths as even as possible.

Discretion is the better part of tennis valor. And I see no reason why tournament directors shouldn’t be able to use a little of it when making the seedings.

Daily Bagel: Women’s tennis still facing sexism?

David Ferrer last played at the Sony Open, where he lost in the final. (Alan Diaz/AP)

David Ferrer withdrew from next week’s Monte Carlo Rolex Masters, citing a thigh injury he sustained in his final loss to Andy Murray at the Sony Open in Miami. The No. 1 Spaniard tweeted his apologies and hoped to be recovered in time for the Barcelona Open, which begins April 22.

No. 4 Ferrer sits 585 points and one ranking spot ahead of Rafael Nadal as the clay season begins. His decision to skip Monte Carlo won’t threaten his position as he looks to hold off Nadal to keep the No. 4 ranking heading into the French Open. Having lost in his opening round last year to Thomaz Bellucci, Ferrer was defending a mere 10 points in Monte Carlo.

Nadal, the eight-time defending champion, is defending 1,000 points and can only lose ground to Ferrer regardless of the result. To catch Ferrer, Nadal will need to win every clay lead-up he plays — Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid and Rome — and hope Ferrer suffers a few early losses. Otherwise, Nadal will go into the French Open, a tournament he’s won seven of the last eight years, ranked outside of the top four for the first time since he first played the event in 2005.

Lamentablemente no podré estar en Montecarlo por problemas físicos. Espero estar recuperado para poder jugar el Conde Godo.—
David Ferrer (@DavidFerrer87) April 11, 2013

Post Australian Open Roger hasn’t had a very good year and by the time he was done with Indian Wells I was quite exhausted with tension and anxiety. Just like Roger, I think I too needed this time to get away from tennis and come back fresh and rejuvenated; hence the radio silence on this blog. There is still some time to go before Roger comes out of his self-imposed (and much needed) break. But I thought I’d write a post gathering bits of tennis news that have happened in the meantime. So in no particular order, here we go.

• Welcome to Miami… er… hello? Anyone there?

Apparently there was a Masters tournament right after Indian Wells – The Sony Open in Miami kicked off this year with Roger Federer missing in the line-up for the first time in 14 years. We knew this would happen when Roger announced his 2013 schedule last year but then came the double whammy of Rafa pulling out too. All of a sudden, Miami gave us the opportunity to view the ATP without Roger or Rafa – and the results weren’t pretty.

We had seen the Rogers Cup and Paris Bercy last year without these two but somehow it didn’t have the same impact because Rafa was still out injured and Roger only withdrew right before they were scheduled to start. But this year Miami felt extra empty because, well Roger had made a conscious decision in advance to axe it and Rafa, despite being back on tour, decided to sacrifice his points from last year and withdraw to rest up for his precious clay season. This loss in star power was reflected in ticket sales too which were down from last year.

To make matters worse for Miami, the reigning champion and world #1 Novak Djokovic crashed out in the QFs to an-almost 35 year old Tommy Haas. In my opinion Haas’ brilliant run made the tournament salvageable. He took out Novak and then Gilles for good measure before almost taking out eventual runner-up Ferrer. A week after losing in the SFs, he turned 35 years old and moved up the ranks to #14. That’s ahead of Raonic, Nishikori, Wawrinka, Monaco, Seppi and Querrey – let that sink in folks. I have always resented the ‘weak era’ argument put forth by some naysayers of Federer and Tommy’s extraordinary run just showed how well a #2 player in the ‘weak era’ can still play the game. Tommy won his matches through accurate serving, that magnificent single-handed backhand and his all-court game which allowed him to adapt to the conditions so much better than his younger opponents. Perhaps it was only fitting that it required a fellow thirty-something to take him out.

The final between Andy Murray and David Ferrer was tedious and littered with unforced errors and consecutive breaks of serve. Given Ferrer’s level of play it should’ve been a cakewalk for Murray except Andy seemed to try his best to make sure David didn’t feel alone in his misery out there. It was a final that Ferrer and most tennis fans would rather forget. 

One last observation about Miami before I move on: I think it is very possible that the tournament won’t see Roger or Rafa again in the future. For Roger, I believe this long break between Indian Wells and the clay season will become permanent giving him enough time to regroup for the clay season. The same reasoning could be applied to Rafa as well. This is also one of the few events where neither has fared well by their lofty standards. Roger won Miami (against Rafa) in 2005 and then again in 2006; since then however he hasn’t even made it to the finals. Rafa has been in 3 finals but amazingly never won – in fact no Spaniard ever has. Another interesting fact to note is that the Miami tournament is owned and operated by IMG. Roger and then (6 months later) Rafa both severed ties with IMG Agency and decided to go off on their own to market and manage their careers themselves. In Roger’s case there was also that fiasco with the IMG owned Mubadala exhibition in Abu Dhabi earlier this year – coincidentally, Rafa pulled out of that exho as well so neither played.

Based on the above, I think the Miami residents will have to get used to the idea of the tourney never featuring either of these two superstars in the future. It is a pity especially considering the nostalgia factor this tourney has for Fedal fans. Miami is the birthplace of this rivalry; their first two matches were played here, in 2004 and then 2005. At the end of the day though, if it means we get a fresh, healthy Roger in the clay season, I’m all for him skipping a tournament he hasn’t enjoyed for quite some time.

• Roger lost the #2 ranking and tumbled all the way down to … to…. #3

With Roger pulling out of Miami and Andy subsequently winning it, Federer dropped to #3 in the world. While that brought an end to his latest run as a top two player in the ATP, it is surely not the end of the world; #3 is nothing to laugh at, just ask the current world #1 who held that position for a long time indeed. Federer has now been in the top two of the ATP for a record total of 415 weeks, 302 of which were as #1. Not only that, but with this drop, it is the first time in 9 years, 4 months and 14 days that neither Roger nor Rafa has been in the top 2. You have to go back all the way to November 2003 when Roger first reached the #2 ranking. Just goes to show how strong the Fedal domination was, lasting almost a decade at the top.

I was saddened about the drop but not overly so. I believe Roger himself stated that his goals are to win more titles and increase his longevity rather than protect the rankings and at this stage in his career I fully support this notion. What I am more worried about is how this affects future draws. As #3 Roger will no longer be insulated against facing any of the other 3. Truth be told, at the moment I am more concerned about Rafa’s rankings than Roger’s. Rafa is currently ranked #5 but I’m wishing and praying for him to pull himself up back up to #4. If that happens we can be sure that (as #3) Roger won’t have to deal with Nadal on clay until they both reach the finals; Rafa would then become Novak or Andy’s problem first. However this depends not only on Rafa making a clean sweep of all the clay tourneys (entirely possible) but also hoping that Ferrer performs rather badly all throughout. Thus it seems unlikely that Rafa will reach #4 before Roland Garros which leads me to imagine the horror scenario of Roger having to face Rafa and Novak in the QFs and SFs. *sigh* Maybe for once the draw gods will be good to us… we can only hope.

• Mo’ Money, No Problems… The US Open hikes up its prize money

Despite being on his break Roger, as the President of the ATP Players Council, took part in the prize money negotiations via phone with the United States Tennis Association (USTA). This ultimately led to the announcement of a massive bump of the US Open prize money to $50 million by 2017. To quote the Maestro,

“The [USTA] approached our concerns with a true spirit of partnership, and as president of the ATP Player Council I am personally grateful for their support. The U.S. Open is very special, and we all look forward to great competition at Flushing Meadows later this year, and in the years yet to come.”

All in a day’s work for FedEx. This just reiterated to me that as far as tennis goes, it really is Federer’s world. Even when he’s not playing, he is somehow omnipresent one way or another – truly the sport’s biggest ambassador.

• Davis Cup semi-finalists are now in place

The most note-worthy tennis to happen post Miami was the Davis Cup QFs. Serbia and the Czech Republic met expectations and pulled through. France vs. Argentina was always going to be tight though most would’ve tipped the balance in France’s favour. Instead, it took 5 rubbers before Argentina finally came through with the surprise hero being Carlos Berlocq who defeated Gilles Simon in the deciding rubber in 4 sets. Canada vs. Italy was also fought well but Canada ultimately won led by the young and talented Milos Raonic. The most memorable match was probably the Bryan brothers losing to Nenad Zimonjic and Ilija Bozoljac which went the distance with the Serbians pulling out a win at 15-13 in the final set. The most memorable incident however was most definitely Djokovic hurting his ankle – the injury made me cringe just watching it and you could tell how worried Novak was when he broke down at a press conference later on. As of now, it is not known whether he will be fit to play in Monte Carlo. I’m not a fan of Novak but I wouldn’t wish injury on any player so sending him best wishes and positive vibes for a speedy recovery.

*******

That’s it for now; hopefully we will have more updates from Roger soon. He recently posted a facebook update after ‘a hard workout’. It was good to see him happy and smiling and back at practice – on clay! Here’s hoping the back has fully healed by now. 26 days down, 26 days left to go, we’re at the midpoint! I can finally see the light at the end of tunnel . See you in Madrid champ!

Haas played some scintillating tennis in Miami

THE GOOD - Andy Murray, Tommy Haas

Murray was seriously tested in Miami – his matches against Grigor Dimitrov, Richard Gasquet, and David Ferrer in the final all proved problematic for the Brit. A potential No. 2 ranking was in sight, so for Murray to counter the firepower of Dimitrov and Gasquet, and then break down the stern defence of Ferrer in the final is a great achievement.

Tommy Haas’s run in Miami was a joy to watch. Not only did he knock out defending champion and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, he showed the tennis world that despite being the age of 34 at the time, he can still compete at the highest level (with an expansive all court game as well). Reaching the semi finals and pushing David Ferrer to three sets proved that the victory of Novak was no fluke. Well played Tommy!

Tomic disappointed once again

THE BAD - Bernard Tomic, Juan Martin Del Potro

I’d hate to be an Australian tennis fan. Their talisman Lleyton Hewitt is surely close to retirement, Marinko Matosevic is doing well but has a fairly limited game, and Tomic? It seems he only plays well when it suits him. He was casually brushed aside by Andy Murray 6-3 6-1 – Tomic offering almost no resistance in the second set. The guy is obviously talented, possessing great control on his groundstrokes and a good tennis brain (much like Murray in fact). However, he is no longer a teenager, and I am still waiting for the performance from Tomic that makes me take notice. That performance did not come in Miami.

Del Potro was surprisingly defeated in the second round after a superb tournament in Indian Wells. You would have got good odds on Tobias Kamke dumping the Argentine out in straight sets! However, I am sure he will bounce back for the clay court season, after all, we’ve seen what Delpo is capable of, unlike the mercurial Tomic.

Hugely talented, but Dimitrov needs to sort his head out

THE UGLY - Grigor Dimitrov

Most female readers I’m sure would strongly disagree on this one, but Dimitrov’s choke when serving for the set against Andy Murray was painful to watch. The Bulgarian served three poor double faults in that game, which was in complete contrast to the quite frankly outstanding tennis he was playing before then. Dimitrov lost so much confidence, he then abbreviated his second serve motion in subsequent games, which is pretty shocking in the professional game. However, if Dimitrov can get his head together, I can see him making the top 10 in the next two years, and in all honesty I hope he does instead of the lazy Bernard Tomic.

Do you agree with my assessments, or are you for some reason a massive Tomic fan or Tommy hater? Let me know with a comment! Once again, thanks for reading!

Jacko

Andy Murray is Scotland’s number one, Great Britain’s number one and currently the second best tennis player in the world. After him though, we are left scratching the surface for Scotland’s second highest placed man. The highest placed Scots woman is ranked number six out of Great Britain’s tennis players. So let’s find out who Scotland’s top two tennis players are for both men and women.

Andy Murray (Singles ranking-2)  

Andy Murray clinches his first Grand Slam win

The Dunblane born tennis star is one of the best tennis players ever produced by our country. It seemed for a while that Murray would forever be dubbed the ‘nearly man’ as time after time he reached Grand Slam finals, only to fall at the final hurdle. However 2012 turned out to be ground-breaking year for Murray. He lost in the final of Wimbledon, with his post- match interview ensuring there was not a single dry eye in the country as he broke down in tears. He used this set back as motivation and just over a month later he returned to Centre Court to sweep aside Roger Federer and clinch a gold medal at the Olympics. Better was yet to come as he became the first Brit in 76 years to win a Grand Slam as he defeated Novak Djokovic in the US Open final. 2013 has been a mixed year for Murray as he was beaten at the start of the year by Djokovic in the Australian Open final but climbed to a career equalling second place after defeating David Ferrer in the final of the Sony Open in Miami.

Jamie Baker

Jamie Baker (Singles ranking- 235)

Baker is Great Britain’s third ranked player. Born in Glasgow the 26 year old has no notable major career wins to date. Scotland’s number two though did have the challenge of facing Andy Roddick in the first round of Wimbledon last year but lost in straight sets.  His career high ranking was 186 which he achieved in the summer of last year. He qualified for the Australian Open this year but lost in straight sets in the first round.

Elena Baltacha (Singles Ranking-208)

Baltacha reached the second round at the Olympic Games in 2012

Although born in Kiev, Ukraine, Baltacha classes herself as Scottish after moving to Perth when she was young as her father, Sergei, was a professional footballer who played for both Saint Johnstone and Inverness. She was Britain’s number one women tennis player for ten years between 2002 and 2012 until injury halted her progress. The 29 year old has now slipped down to Britain’s number six but her career high ranking was 49. Although she has no major tournament wins, she has won 10 singles titles and four doubles titles. Her highest Grand Slam finish came in 2005 when she reached the third round of the Australian Open.

Nicola Slater

Nicola Slater (Singles Ranking- 769)

The 28 year old is Britain’s 15th ranked player. The Ayr born player reached her highest ranking of 650 in 2011. Her current doubles ranking is 329. With no major appearances in Grand Slams and no notable tournament wins she has a total career prize money of $17,224.

Here is my racket.

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Question 1: Hey racket I know I haven’t used you yet this year but I was wondering what are you most looking forward to this upcoming summer?

Racket: I think that I am most looking forward to seeing how many times I am going to have to get restrung. For the first time ever I had to be restrung at Christmas and it was an awful experience. Its like surgery on a racket without the pain medication.

Question 2: Very funny racket. Let’s see what is your favorite shot that I hit out there on the court?

Racket: The last one because then I get to be done.

Question 3: hahaha very funny racket. Do you like that you are blue or would you prefer to be a different color?

Racket: I think that being blue is the best. Haven’t you heard that song about being blue? I think that they made it specifically for me. Plus all the avatars are blue too.

Question 4: Ok racket. Since you are a head racket would you prefer to be any other brand racket. Babolat like Rafa Nadal, Wilson like Roger Federer, or Prince like David Ferrer and John Isner?

Racket: Head for life. I’m comfortable as I am constructed.

Question 5: Last question racket. Who would your ideal player be to use you?

Racket: Roger Federer. When he was dominate because he would win in the quickest amount of time. Definitely not John Mcenroe or Marcos Baghdatis as you can see in the evidence below.

Murray lost the first set but managed to find his way back in a match which lasted over two hours forty five minutes.

Murray claimed the number two spot from Roger Federer after winning the final 2-6, 6-4 and 7-6. He now has his sights set on Novak Djokovic and is hopeful he can continue with this form and rise to the challenge.

The next tournament for Murray is the Monte Carlo Masters which begins on the 13th of April. With this new ranking now under his belt Murray is keen to build on his success.

Andy Murray.

In all honesty the Miami Masters of 2013 should not have been a great success for tennis. With the legends that are Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal not competing and the best player in the world Novak Djokovic crashing out in the fourth round; Andy Murray’s victory would appear to be no more than a formality. However this was far from another example of the dictator like grasp that the so called ‘Big Four’ have on the ATP Tour.

The excitement and brilliance of the spectacle that gripped Miami was enough to divert eyes away from the ever-nearing start of the French Open and even away from the remarkable undefeated run of the NBA’s Miami Heat.

Under the baking American sun, one witnessed an underdog story without the happiest of endings as Tommy Haas’ remarkable run of breath-taking tennis fell just short to the little Spanish terrier David Ferrer in the semi-finals. We witnessed moments of brilliance at regular occurrence, not least from the racquet of mercurial Frenchman Richard Gasquet and his continental rival Haas who both left crowds aghast on their way to the last four.

Few would have predicted a final four of Murray, Ferrer, Gasquet and Haas, yet no one was to be left disappointed. Unfortunately for Haas, the iron will of David Ferrer was too much for the German underdog who eventually succumbed 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 after some brilliant ball striking from the baseline in the first set.

For Gasquet, Miami was arguably a perfect illustration of a career that promises so much, but has yet to deliver. After dealing with the considerable threat of Tomas Berdych in the quarter-finals, the Frenchman outplayed Murray in the opening set of their semi-finals. It was only Murray’s belligerence that took Gasquet into a tie-break in which the very best of Gasquet’s talents were showcased with pick-ups that almost beggared belief. However within seconds of claiming the first set, the dark side of Gasquet was to re-emerge. Microphones around the court picked up Gasquet requesting that a ball boy ensure the racquet with which he had just won the set would be ready for the deciding third set. In the past, Gasquet’s mentality has been questioned but almost expecting to lose a second set after a successful first borders on the ridiculous. Unsurprisingly Gasquet’s game unravelled quickly and his relatively weak forehand was picked upon ruthlessly by the ultimate competitor that Andy Murray is becoming.

Onto a sun-backed Sunday final and Murray versus Ferrer once again served up a cracker of a spectacle. One would be hard pushed to find a Ferrer performance that matched the opening few games as the Spaniard roared into a 4-0 lead; Murray was not even playing badly. It was a performance from Ferrer which might have battered a previous version of Andy Murray into shock, frustration and ultimately anger. However the Lendl-inspired Scot is now a big game player. Although it would be a crass exaggeration to say the shouting matches with his corner are long gone, there seems to be a sense of self control about the Murray of 2013. Murray’s Djokovic-esque mannerisms on court during the final; the clutching and stretching of back and leg muscles and the forlorn looks after long points may not be the most subtle of psychological games to utilise on an opponent, but they are a step forward. Undoubtedly they are superior to the bursts of rage that were once so common during Murray’s low points. Such rages only used to spur opponents on to greater heights; Murray is now learning how to beat players mentally, and not just physically.

The evidence of such development was as clear as day in the final set, Ferrer had played some miraculous tennis and had worked a match point in the final game but this did not matter. As soon as the tie-break was called, there was an unnerving inevitability that Murray was not going to lose the match, and so it proved.

It is this new side of Murray that means, even as we head onto the red clay of Roland Garros, he must be considered a favourite to lift what would be his second Grand Slam championship. With his victory in Miami, the new world number two has given himself the opportunity of avoiding Nadal, Federer and Djokovic before the final if the draw goes his way. Add this to working alongside a clay-court master in Ivan Lendl and you will find it difficult to bet against Murray making it a remarkable fourth Grand Slam final in a row. Roll on the clay, roll on Roland Garros.

Benoit Paire vs. Michael Llodra. They almost came to blows during the first changeover and it mostly went downhill from there. Here is a loose translation of what transpired in their first-round match.

Thomaz Bellucci vs. Jerzy Janowicz. This highlight doesn’t show all of the Janowicz incidents (largely influenced by the Brazilian crowd), but it gives a great idea of the atmosphere.

Tommy Haas plants a kiss on his daughter after she watched him beat Alexandr Dolgopolov in the third round.

Haas, 34 going on 35, beats world No. 1 Novak Djokovic. In the words of Haas, “It’s just one of those days in sports….”

ESPN showed some love to tennis during the second week of the tournament. In fact, Agniezska Radwanska’s incredible shot even made No. 1 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays of the day.

David Ferrer challenges in the middle of a rally on his own championship point. Murray’s shot clips the back of the line.

Ivo Karlovic wasn’t too pleased when CBS switched to Michigan-Florida at the start of the third-set tiebreaker between Murray and Ferrer:

Ok. CBS ended tennis Miami final coverage at 6 all third set to amateur basketball. Okie dokie..

—
ivo karlovic (@ivokarlovic) March 31, 2013

Ok I deleted CBS from my tv..

—
ivo karlovic (@ivokarlovic) March 31, 2013

Karlovic wasn’t happy about the playing conditions, either:

Court and balls in Miami are too slow to play entertaining tennis. There is no winners, just unforced errors.

—
ivo karlovic (@ivokarlovic) March 31, 2013

Playing on clay this week. Finally some faster courts..

—
ivo karlovic (@ivokarlovic) March 26, 2013

You can be sure which side of the Paire-Llodra story Stanislas Wawrinka got:

@stanwawrinka j ai 2 3 choses a te raconter Stanley!!!

—
paire benoit (@benoitpaire) March 20, 2013

@benoitpaire je compte sur ça!! Mais je peux imaginer....

—
Stanislas Wawrinka (@stanwawrinka) March 20, 2013

Jarkko Nieminen after coming back from a set and two breaks down against David Nalbandian:

What a match... behind 2-6, 0-3... Lost 9 games in a row I think... Who believed? I did! Second round here I come :) #ATP #Miami

—
Jarkko Nieminen (@NieminenJarkko) March 21, 2013

Ryan Harrison’s tweet about Michigan (his pick to in it all) is pretty funny in retrospect. Needless to say, this was tweeted before the Wolverines’ win over Kansas.

@DhDurham Michigan doesn't need buzzer beaters

—
Ryan Harrison (@ryanharrison92) March 24, 2013

Probably not the right time to go out to dinner, Brad Gilbert:

I am out at dinner watching foootball and holy Toledo Tommy haas up 6-2 2-0 on Djoket how is this happening

—
Brad Gilbert (@bgtennisnation) March 27, 2013

Nicolas Almagro after watching Ferrer’s heartbreaking loss to Murray in the final:

Hoy más que nunca,y por enésima vez se merece todo mi respeto un grande @DavidFerrer87 ,lástima por el resultado,pero eres la bomba.#crack

—
Nico Almagro (@NicoAlmagro) March 31, 2013

Andy Roddick has seen it all:

I've seen everything now.... David ferrer cramping. I thought they would find Hoffa first

—
  (@andyroddick) March 31, 2013

Victoria Azarenka, who did not withdraw until after the draw was already made:
“It was really obvious what the decision was couple days ago already.”

Serena Williams, after her comeback win over Dominika Cibulkova, when asked if there are “two Serenas”:
“Yeah, I’m talking to myself inside and she’s talking back and giving me lip.  I give her a little attitude, and then I tell her she sucks and she tells me to shut up.  We get into it a little bit. Then we get along.”

James Blake, after destroying Julien Benneteau, when asked about the last time he played so well:
“I’d say two nights ago.”

Haas, after his win over Dolgopolov, when asked what it means to be playing so well at this point in his career:
“Somehow I just kept going. If you believe and you work hard, there are still a lot of things you can do.”

Djokovic after his loss to Haas:
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s definitely the worst match I have played in a long time.”

Ferrer, when asked about his championship point:
“I don’t want to think nothing.  I chose my decision in that moment.  It’s a bad moment now.  I don’t want to think anymore about that.  I want to forget, the more faster as possible.”

Serena Williams showed physical and mental fortitude in her Sony Open win. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

The Report Card hands out grades for the week in tennis. Here is a wrap-up of the Sony Open.

Serena Williams: A. In her first tournament since regaining the No. 1 ranking, Williams won her record sixth Miami title and she didn’t even have to play her best tennis to do it. She came back from a set and 4-1 down to Dominika Cibulkova in the fourth round, 5-2 down to Li Na in the second set of the quarterfinals and a set and a break down to Maria Sharapova in the final. In winning her second title of the year, Williams showed once again that her status as the best player in the women’s game is equal parts pure talent and mental fortitude. When those two aspects are clicking, she’s impossible to stop.

Andy Murray: A. The new ATP No. 2′s decision to skip any tournaments in February to train for Indian Wells and Miami paid off with his second Sony Open title, beating David Ferrer 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (1) in the final. While the rest of the ATP came in fatigued and mentally halfway to Europe, Murray was fresher both physically and mentally. That proved to be the difference in his grueling win over Ferrer.

As an interesting side note, every title that Murray has won since the Olympics has also been won by… Williams. Both were gold medalists at the London Olympics, 2012 U.S. Open champions, Brisbane champions and now Miami champions. Weird, right?

David Ferrer: B-plus. Ferrer did what he does. He made his way through the draw without having to play a member of the Big Four until the final, he fought valiantly and then he lost to … a member  of the Big Four. He’ll be regretting that failed Hawk-Eye challenge on his sole match point but should take solace in the fact that given the forehand sitter he gave Murray before he stopped the point, it’s likely Murray would have saved it anyway.

Maria Sharapova: B-plus. Losing 10 straight games after going a set and a break up in the final was rough, but that shouldn’t tarnish the fact that no one had a better March than Sharapova. She won Indian Wells and made the final of Miami without dropping a set for 11 straight matches. And for as much as everyone talks about how hard it is to complete the Indian Wells-Miami double, consider this: Sharapova has made the final of each for two years running.

Novak Djokovic admitted that he played badly in his loss to Tommy Haas. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Tommy Haas: A-plus. Haas’ one-handed backhand breathed much-needed life and suspense into the men’s tournament, which looked like it was heading, ever so predictably, toward a Novak Djokovic-Murray final. His stunning straight-set win over Djokovic in the fourth round was a highlight reel in and of itself, but he backed it up with a win over Gilles Simon and then took the first set off Ferrer in the semifinals, where he lost 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. Haas, who turns 35 this week, has cracked the top 15 (at No. 14) for the first time since January 2008. Tommy Haas for World Tour Finals? I’m starting the campaign now.

Novak Djokovic: D. The two-time defending champion was right when he described his loss to Haas as the worst he’s played in a long time. The cold conditions clearly favored Haas’ flatter game, but Djokovic was just off. His movement was sluggish, he was snatching at his forehand and he never looked comfortable. Credit Haas’ variety for keeping Djokovic off-balance, but between his loss to Juan Martin del Potro in Indian Wells and now Haas in Miami, there are a few question marks (small ones) about the state of his game going into the clay season.

Agnieszka Radwanska: A-plus. The defending champion fell to Williams 6-0, 6-3 in the semifinals. But anyone who hits this shot, which made SportsCenter‘s Top Plays and already has more than two million hits, gets top marks from me.

Let’s just watch it again, shall we?

Richard Gasquet: A. Despite the absence of Roger Federer, the one-handed backhand was represented well in Miami, with Haas and Gasquet making the semifinals. Gasquet blew Tomas Berdych off the court 6-3, 6-3 in the quarterfinals and played the most entertaining set of the tournament in the  semis, where he took the first set from Murray before fading in a 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-2 loss. Nothing summed up Gasquet’s run as well as the 103 mph backhand he cracked against Murray. Surprising, exciting and a glimpse into the talent I was so close to writing off a year ago.

Li Na: B. In her first tournament since making the Australian Open final in January, Li didn’t drop a set on her way to the quarterfinal. She then ran into the buzz saw that is Serena, losing 6-3, 7-6 (5). That’s a respectable tournament, but without more data points it’s difficult to gauge how she’ll do when the clay season arrives.

Marin Cilic: B-plus. The Croat is knocking on the door of the top 10 (at No. 11) thanks to a solid start to 2013, including a run to the Miami quarterfinals. He defeated Santiago Giraldo, John Isner and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga by winning a second-set tiebreaker in every match. That’s a very positive sign for a guy who should, in my opinion, be a solid top-10 player but hasn’t been ranked that high in three years.

Kirsten Flipkens: A. The bespectacled Belgian is doing the flag proud these days after overtaking Yanina Wickmayer as the country’s No. 1 in February. She broke into the top 25 this week after reaching the Miami quarterfinals, beating Petra Kvitova 6-0, 4-6, 6-1 along the way, and she played a highly entertaining quarterfinal against Radwanska in a match that put touch, feel and variety on full display.

If you haven’t watched Flipkens play, take a look at this highlight reel from her Radwanska match, which features some skilled shot-making.

Sam Querrey: D. Sometimes you just have one of those days where absolutely nothing goes right. Querrey had that day against Berdych in the fourth round, losing 6-1, 6-1. In his first tournament since becoming the No. 1 American, Querrey (who made the fourth round by virtue of a walkover) came out flat and couldn’t seem to get back-to-back forehands into the court.

Jelena Jankovic: A. The more Jelena Jankovic the better, I say. Her personality is just too entertaining to be stuck on the outer courts and toiling away on the edge of relevance. The former No. 1 built on the confidence gained in winning a smaller WTA tournament in Bogota at the end of February by advancing to the Sony Open semifinals. Granted, she was able to do so in large part because of Victoria Azarenka’s injury withdrawal, which left that quarter in complete disarray. But if these recent results mean Jankovic is clawing her way back into the top  15, I’m all for it.

Grigor Dimitrov: C-minus. In Indian Wells, he served for the first set against Djokovic and double-faulted four times. In Miami, he served for the first set against Murray and double-faulted three times. So … progress?

Forget speed, strength, and agility. The men’s final of the 2013 Sony Open was the epitome of a mental game. In a match that had more breaks of serve than holds, both David Ferrer and Andy Murray were barely hanging on by the end. When people say that the game of tennis is just as much mental as it is physical, they aren’t exaggerating. This match wasn’t going to be about who could outrun the other most, or who could make it to the ball faster. This match was going to come down to who could hold their composure the longest.

It started out for Murray about as un-attractively as it ended. The first set saw Andy being broken three times, winning only 50% of his first serves, and an equally awful return game. It was easily one of worst sets of tennis I’ve seen Andy Murray play in a long time. And though it looked like Ferrer was going to easily skate through, the Spaniard returned the favor and then played one of his worst sets in the second. It was one set all, and things had only just begun. The first six games of the third set saw both players exchanging breaks of serve. At one point, I seriously questioned whether the match was going to be won without either one being able to hold serve. And despite Ferrer suffering from cramps and Murray obviously suffering from exhaustion, the Scot (who plays for Great Britain) came out victorious in a tiebreak.

“It was so tough physically and mentally that you were just trying to play each point,” Murray said. ”I wasn’t thinking too much only because I was so tired and [did] not [have] too many nerves at the end of the match, either.”

Murray’s win today allows him to surpass Roger Federer as the world no. 2. And though he insists that it doesn’t change much in terms of his approach to his game, he has to feel pretty good knowing that his ranking automatically puts him at the opposite end of the draw from Novak Djokovic – a player who has proven to give him loads of trouble in the past.

Ok I deleted CBS from my tv..—
ivo karlovic (@ivokarlovic) March 31, 2013

What, have enough of Two and a Half Men, Ivo?

Actually, the ATP veteran was referring to CBS’ decision to cut away from the conclusion of the men’s final at the Sony Open on Sunday to begin its NCAA tournament coverage. The network pulled the plug on tennis just as Andy Murray and David Ferrer were about to play a decisive third-set tiebreaker. Tennis Channel aired the end of the match, which Murray won 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (1). The match began at 11:30 a.m. ET and lasted two hours and 45 minutes.

“They stayed with our match for as long as possible, forgoing their pre-NCAA tournament coverage and delaying the start of the Michigan-Florida tip-off in an attempt to complete its broadcast of the match,” Sony Open tournament director Adam Barrett said in a statement. “Although we wish the match could have been shown in its entirety, we understand that these situations do arise.”

Nevertheless, Karlovic wasn’t the only one angered by the decision. Basketball fans weren’t happy when they tuned in at 2 p.m. for the South Regional final only to see Murray and Ferrer grinding it out. Tennis fans were livid that CBS switched to basketball, especially those who don’t get Tennis Channel and were left scrambling to find an online stream quickly.

Mardy Fish and Chris Evert were among the current and former players who weighed in on the unfortunate timing.

“NO WAY,” Evert tweeted after learning about CBS’ plans to leave the tennis.

“Shame on CBS,” Mardy Fish tweeted. Later, Fish added: “CBS pays $25 million annually for the US Open. With Turner they pay $771 million annually for men’s NCAA Tournament rights. There ya go haha.”

FoxSports.com columnist Greg Couch concluded: “Embarrassing for tennis, but being real honest here: Tennis should be happy its non-major was on CBS in the 1st place.”