2016 Australian Open- Novak Djokovic vs Roger Federer

One of the greatest rivals in tennis history is set for another encounter on thursday as 1st seed Novak Djokovic takes on 3rd seed Roger Federer in a highly anticipated encounter. This match is set to take place on the Rod Laver Arena at 19:30 Melbourne Time (08:30 UK Time) and the winner will face 13th seed Milos Raonic or 2nd seed Andy Murray in the final.

It has been a mostly comfortable road for both, though there have been some difficult clashes. Djokovic has eased past Hyeon Chung, Quentin Halys, 28th seed Andreas Seppi and 7th seed Kei Nishikori in straight sets, though played poorly as he was pushed to five sets by 14th seed Gilles Simon in the 4th round; he will probably lose if he plays like that again, but responded well against Nishikori in the quarter-finals. Federer has eased past Nikoloz Basilashvili, Alexandr Dolgopolov, 16th seed David Goffin and 6th seed Tomas Berdych but was pushed to four sets by 27th seed Grigor Dimitrov in the third round; he cannot afford any dips against Djokovic, though he has generally been consistent so far.

With both men playing very well at their best we could get an extremely close encounter. Djokovic is the better of the two at the moment, though will have to serve well and play a very solid game to give himself a good chance of winning. He certainly cannot afford to play like he did against Simon though will certainly be dialed in for this clash. Federer will need to keep up the form he has had most the tournament to give himself a good chance of winning and his serve will certainly be key against such a good returner; he is a good returner himself, so must take advantage of every second serve opportunity he gets. He must also play very well at the net, as Djokovic is arguably the best mover in the game.

The head to head is evenly tied at 22-22; another factor that makes this match so interesting. Though Federer has beaten Djokovic many times recently, the Serbian has won most of their encounters and all of their big encounters. It should be very tight, but Djokovic should have the edge.

Prediction: Djokovic in 5

2016 Australian Open- Roger Federer vs Tomas Berdych

Two veterans of the ATP tour face off in the first men’s quarter-final at the 2016 Australian Open as 3rd seed Roger Federer faces 6th seed Tomas Berdych. This match takes place on the Rod Laver Arena at around 15:00 Melbourne Time (04:00 UK Time) and the winner will face top seed Novak Djokovic or 7th seed Kei Nishikori in the semi-final; you can see my prediction for that match here.

Federer has had the more comfortable road of two to get to this stage. The former world number one eased past Nikoloz Basilashvili and the tricky Alexandr Dolgopolov in his opening round and despite dropping a set to 27th seed Grigor Dimitrov in the third round, he was in dominant form in the fourth round as he cruised past 16th seed David Goffin in just 88 minutes; the fact that Goffin didn’t played badly shows how impressive Federer was. Berdych started with comfortable wins over Yuki Bhambri and Mirza Besic, though dropped a set to 29th seed Nick Kyrgios in the third round and was pushed to five set against 24th seed Roberto Bautista Agut after that; he is not playing badly, but will need to play much better to have a chance here.

The Swiss star is the better player of the two and is in better form than Berdych; he’ll be extremely hard to beat if he continues to play like that. He will want to continue to serve well and should look to try and keep the rallies short; if he wins this, he could well face Djokovic in the semi-final and he’ll need as much energy as possible if that happens. Berdych will need to improve and should look to serve extremely well; he will also need to look at finishing the points as quickly as possible, though that is because Federer is more likely to win the rally the longer it goes on.

Federer leads the head to head 15-6 and has won the last four meetings between the two. The Swiss star is playing at a superb standard of tennis and it is hard to see him losing here; if Berdych doesn’t improve, he could win it comfortably.

Prediction: Federer in 3

 

 

2016 Australian Open- Roger Federer vs David Goffin

3rd seed Roger Federer looks to continue his progress at the Australian Open as he faces the potentially difficult 16th David Goffin the fourth round. This match is set to take place at around 21:00 Melbourne Time (10:00 UK Time) and the winner will face 24th seed Roberto Bautista Agut or 6th seed Thomas Berdych in the fourth round.

It has been a fairly comfortable road for Federer so far in Melbourne. He started with an extremely comfortable 6-2 6-1 6-1 win over Nikoloz Basilashvili and was impressive as he eased past the dangerous Alexander Dolgopolov 6-3 7-5 6-1. Things got more tricky against 27th seed Grigor Dimitrov as he lost the second set in a 6-4 3-6 6-1 6-4 victory, though he has been impressive so far and will be tough to beat. Things have been more difficult for Goffin; he has lost a set in each of his matches so far. He beat the dangerous Sergiy Stakhovsky 3-6 6-3 6-4 6-4 in his opening match and had to edge past Damir Dzumhur 6-4 0-6 6-4 6-2 in the second round. His most impressive win came in the third round, as he beat 19th seed Dominic Thiem 6-1 3-6 7-6 7-5 in a solid win; he will need to be better to have a chance here.

Federer is the strongest of the two and is better form; he is the strong favourite for this match. The 3rd seed’s main priority should be to do all the basics well (especially his serve) and should also look to take every break opportunity he gets; he will want to get off court quickly and not give Goffin any encouragement. The Belgian will need to improve his form and may be worn out after three relatively long matches, though he has the talent to do well here and has improved greatly of the past couple of years; his game will need to be extremely strong.

Federer has won all three of the previous meetings between the two, though Goffin has taken a set in two of them. The world number three should be able to win this and it could be fairly comfortable, though expect Goffin to show quite a bit of resistance in this match.

Prediction: Federer in 3

2016 Australian Open- Roger Federer vs Grigor Dimitrov

Two of the most talented players on tour face off in an interesting third round clash at the Australian Open as 3rd seed Roger Federer takes on 27th seed Grigor Dimitrov. This match is set to take place on the Rod Laver Arena at around 15:00 Melbourne Time (04:00 UK Time) and the winner will face 19th seed Dominic Thiem or 15th seed David Goffin in the fourth round.

Federer has had the more comfortable road so far. He started with an extremely comfortable win over Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round, and was also impressive as he eased past the potentially dangerous Alexandr Dolgopolov in straight sets; the latter was surprisingly comfortable for Federer- he is playing very well. It hasn’t been as comfortable for Dimitrov, though he has still played some good tennis. He started with a fairly comfortable win over Paolo Lorenzi in three sets, though had a more difficult second round match as he was pushed to four sets by qualifier Marco Trungelliti; he will probably has to improve to have a good chance here.

The two have an extremely similar playing style, hence the reason why that ‘Baby Fed’ is Dimitrov’s nickname. The Bulgarian must play an almost perfect match to have a strong chance of winning this and may also need to hope that Federer has a dip in form; he should also try to dictate points on his backhand and look to attack when Federer misses his first serve. Federer needs to just play his best as that will mean he has an extremely strong chance of winning this, though will want to serve well and dictate as many rallies as possible.

Federer leads the head to head 4-0, though their last meeting (in Brisbane a couple of weeks ago) was their tightest as Dimitrov won a set against the Swiss star for the first time, with Federer eventually winning 6-4 6-7 6-4. The world number three should be able to win this, though a resurgent Dimitrov won’t make it easy.

Prediction: Federer in 4

2016 Australian Open-Roger Federer vs Alexandr Dolgopolov

3rd seed Roger Federer doesn’t have the easiest second round match as he faces talented Ukranian Alexandr Dolgopolov.  This match takes place on the Rod Laver Arena at around 15:00 Melbourne Time (04:00 UK Time) and the winner of this clash faces either Marco Trungelliti or 27th seed Grigor Dimitrov in the the third round.

Both Dolgopolov and Federer have had a decent start to their year and also their campaign in Melbourne. Dolgopolov played as part of the Ukraine team at the Hopman Cup where he won his three group matches before losing to Nick Kyrgios in the final, and then reached the quarter-final in Sydney. He had relatively strong start in Melbourne, beating Ricardas Berankis in four sets. Federer started his season in Brisbane where he reached the final before losing to Milos Raonic, and was extremely impressive as he cruised past Nikoloz Basilashvili in the opening round here; both men are in good form, but Federer is probably playing slightly better.

Federer is the better player of the two and is in better form; it will be hard for Dolgopolov to beat him if this stays like that. The Swiss star will probably serve well and will look to attack at every opportunity, though coming into the net may not be as effective as it usually is as the Ukranian is also comfortable there. Dolgopolov certainly needs to serve well and should look to try and keep the rallies as short as possible; the longer they go one, the more likely Federer is to win them. The Ukranian should also look to attack with his forehand- his strongest shot.

Federer leads the head to head 2-0 and both wins were in straight sets, though Dolgopolov did retire in their first meeting. The Swiss star is the superior player of the two and whilst he should be able to win this, Dolgopolov won’t make it easy.

Prediction: Federer in 4

2016 Brisbane International- Roger Federer vs Milos Raonic

The 2016 Brisbane International final sees a repeat of the 2015 final, as 1st seed Roger Federer faces 4th seed Milos Raonic. This match takes place at 19:00 Brisbane Time (09:00 UK Time).

Both men have had some difficult matches on their way to the final. Federer started with a comfortable win over Tobias Kamke but then had a tough three setter against 5th seed Grigor Dimitrov, though eased past 8th seed Dominic Thiem in the semi-final. Raonic was pushed to three sets in his opening match by Ivan Dodig, though then eased past Lucas Pouille and battled past Bernard Tomic in straight sets.

Raonic’s serve is by far the biggest weapon on show in this match and if it is firing well he could cause Federer some problems. The Canadian has improved his overall game, but it probably doesn’t match up to Federer’s yet; that could be a massive disadvantage. Federer’s main aim should be to play a consistent game, and take advantage of any opportunity he gets.

Federer dominates the head to head 9-1, winning not only the Brisbane final against the Canadian last year but also in Miami after that. Whilst Raonic has the weapons to challenge Federer, the world number two should be fairly comfortable here.

Prediction: Federer in 3

 

2016 Brisbane International- Roger Federer vs Dominic Thiem

The second semi-final of the Brisbane International sees a clash of experience versus youth as top seed Roger Federer faces 8th seed Dominic Thiem. This match takes place any time after 14:00 Brisbane Time (04:00 UK Time).

Neither of the two have had a particularly easy road. Federer received a bye in the first round and cruised past Tobias Kamke in his opening match, though was pushed to three sets in a tough match against 5th seed Grigor Dimitrov. Thiem started with a tough win over James Duckworth and was then more comfortable against Denis Kudla, though had an extremely tough match against 3rd seed Marin Cilic.

Federer is obviously the class player of the two and has much more experience than Thiem, though the world number two had some poor passages of play against Dimitrov; Thiem is becoming capable of taking advantage of moments like this. However this is still a massive challenge for Thiem, and he’ll have to be at his best to have a good chance of winning. He could also be worn out after two long matches so far.

This will be the first meeting between the two and it could well be entertaining. Though Thiem has been playing well, he may be tired and Federer should have too much and could be comfortable here.

Prediction: Federer in 2

 

2016 Brisbane International- Roger Federer vs Grigor Dimitrov

A high profile match starts the night session on the Pat Rafter Arena as top seed Roger Federer takes on Grigor Dimitrov. This match is set to take place at 19:00 Brisbane Time (21:00 UK Time).

Dimitrov has recorded two strong wins so far following a disappointing 2015. He started with a straight sets win over 5th seed Gilles Simon, and continued with a tough three set win over the tricky Viktor Troicki. Federer received a bye in the first round, but cast off any injury doubts with an extremely comfortable win over Tobias Kamke.

Both men play a similar style so it could be interesting to see who is playing the better tennis. Federer has the stronger game so it is important for Dimitrov to try and finish the points off early; the Bulgarian will also have to serve very well to have a good chance of winning. Federer will need to his game to be as solid as usual, though he’ll need to pick up his level if Dimitrov is playing very well.

Federer has won all three of their previous meetings in straight sets, with last win coming at this tournament last year. It’s good to see that Dimitrov is back in good form, but based on how well Federer played today it seems unlikely the the Bulgarian will be able to do enough. Federer should win this and it could easily be quite comfortable.

Prediction: Federer in 2

ATP World Tour Finals- Player Profiles

It’s been another great year on the ATP, and the tour action finishes in London as the top eight players in the world look to finish their season on a high. Here are some fact files for each player, including what chance I think they have of being able to win the tournament.

The draw is later today, so look out for my draw prediction in the coming days!

Novak Djokovic

• Ranking: 1st
• 2015 W/L Record: 78-5
• Best Grand Slam Performance: Winner- Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open
• Titles in 2015: 10
• Opportunity to win: 9/10

Andy Murray

• Ranking: 2nd
• 2015 W/L Record: 68-12
• Best Grand Slam Performance: Runner-up- Australian Open
• Titles in 2015: 4
• Opportunity to win: 7/10

Roger Federer

• Ranking: 3rd
• 2015 W/L Record: 59-10
• Best Grand Slam Performance: Runner-up- Wimbledon and US Open
• Titles in 2015: 6
• Opportunity to win: 7.5/10

Stan Wawrinka

• Ranking: 4th
• 2015 W/L Record: 53-16
• Best Grand Slam Performance: Winner- French Open
• Titles in 2015: 4
• Opportunity to win: 6/10

Rafael Nadal

• Ranking: 5th
• 2015 W/L Record: 58-19
• Best Grand Slam Performance: Quarter-Final- Australian Open and French Open
• Titles in 2015: 3
• Opportunity to win: 5.5/10

Tomas Berdych

• Ranking: 6th
• 2015 W/L Record: 57-19
• Best Grand Slam Performance: Semi-Final- Australian Open
• Titles in 2015: 2
• Opportunity to win: 4.5/10

David Ferrer

• Ranking: 7th
• 2015 W/L Record: 55-13
• Best Grand Slam Performance: Quarter-Final- French Open
• Titles in 2015: 5
• Opportunity to win: 3.5/10

Kei Nishikori

• Ranking: 8th
• 2015 W/L Record: 53-14
• Best Grand Slam Performance: Quarter-Final- Australian Open and French Open
• Titles in 2015: 3
• Opportunity to win: 4/10

The 2015 US Open Final- Novak Djokovic vs Roger Federer

The final Grand Slam match of the year takes place today, and it sees two of the biggest names in tennis face off as top seed Novak Djokovic faces 2nd seed Novak Djokovic in a blockbuster final- here is my prediction!

Novak Djokovic has only won the US Open title once before- back in 2011- and started his campaign extremely comfortably with easy wins over Joao Souza and Andreas Haider-Maurer before beating 25th seed Andreas Seppi in a tight match, though ultimately it was a straight set victory. Things got a little more difficult after that, dropping a set to 23rd seed Roberta Bautista Agut in the 4th round and the 18th seed Feliciano Lopez in the quarter-finals, though he was in imperious form as he conceded just 3 games to defending champion Marin Cilic in the semi-finals. Djokovic has been impressive, but Federer has been even better- he hasn’t conceded a set to get to this stage. He cruised past Leonardo Mayer and Steve Darcis, before easing past 29th seed Philipp Kohlschreiber in the 3rd round, 13th seed John Isner in the 4th round, 12th seed Richard Gasquet in the quarter-finals before easing past fellow countryman and 5th seed Stan Wawrinka in the semi-finals.

Federer has played the best tennis so far and certainly has an opportunity here, though it’s important to remember he had played just as well at Wimbledon until he was rather subdued in a 4 set loss to Djokovic in the final. Federer also won their match in Cincinnati, though there is a big difference between a masters final and a major final. For Federer to have a chance it seems imperative that he is serving extremely well and is able to take Djokovic out of his comfort zone. As for Djokovic, he will need to try and nullify the threat of Federer by playing his consistent game well and will be looking for some good serves to try and stop Federer and his ‘chip and charge’.

This is certainly the final that many people will be looking for, and it could be a great match. Based on what has happened in their past few meetings and what has happened in their build up, I think it will be Djokovic who takes the title today.

Prediction: Djokovic in 4