Van Sias's Articles (102)

There Are Officially No More Pun Headlines to Write Using 'Serb' or 'Serbia'

I've used "Serb"-ing Notice before, and then I thought I could go with "Youth Is Serbed," but if you Google that, it's all over the Internet!

The point being, I wanted to mention the feat by Serbia's three stars—Novak Djokovic, Ana… Continue

Added by Van Sias on June 3, 2008 at 3:30pm — 5 Comments

Serving Up Breadsticks

I'm glad that Rafael Nadal-Nicolas Almagro match ended quickly before I got the chance to write something preposterous, like "Rafa's going to have to be careful. Nic's won two titles on the dirt this year and is playing great here. He might be able to make Nadal do some work."

While I was thinking all of that up, Nadal did away with his childhood chum, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1. So, in his last two matches, he's given up six(!) games. That would… Continue

Added by Van Sias on June 3, 2008 at 10:30am — 5 Comments

One 1 won; another 1 didn't; and two 1's lost, too

Hope that wasn't too confusing! Here's the breakdown:

• The 1 who won: Roger Federer's through to the quarterfinals (and in my opinion, still on track for a final matchup with Rafael Nadal; vote here if you agree or not) by knocking off Frenchman Julien Benneteau in straight sets. Next up for R-Fed is Fernando Gonzalez, who beat Robby Ginepri (good job in getting that far, Robby), also in straights. Federer's beaten Gonzalez on every… Continue

Added by Van Sias on June 2, 2008 at 11:17am — No Comments

Should I Stay Faithful? (Or, "Oh Yeah, I Play Tennis, Too—the '08 Edition")

We've been together about seven years now, and things are good, but sometimes I can't stop thinking about what things would be like if I were to explore my options.

Of course, I'm talking about my racquet of choice!

I figured while the French Open has been deluged, I could write about an issue all of us players face, namely when to switch racquets. And is it REALLY necessary to do so? I'm taking a poll here, so feel free… Continue

Added by Van Sias on May 27, 2008 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Well, It Wasn't a Complete Wash

More than a few matches were played today, despite the rain, with my pick for the whole shebang, Roger Federer, getting a nice workout in.

His opponent today, Sam Querrey, was going to be tricky enough to let Roger get a feel for the tournament off the bat with his big serve and forehand. And with his recent attitude adjustment about playing on clay,… Continue

Added by Van Sias on May 26, 2008 at 11:00pm — No Comments

And the Winner Is ... (French Open Quarterfinalist Picks—Men)

Add me to the list of tennis fans expecting Roger Federer to pick up the title at the French Open. And if you'd like, vote here if you agree or disagree. Here's how I expect the tournament to shake out before Roger takes the title with my men's quarterfinal breakdown:…

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Added by Van Sias on May 24, 2008 at 8:44pm — No Comments

A Career Slam in the Cards? (French Open Quarterfinalist Picks—Women)

She's only won one clay-court title in her career (on Har-Tru, no less), but Maria Sharapova (above) has to be thanking the draw gods heading into the French Open this year. I'm actually picking her to come through in my quarterfinal predictions! I know Jelena Jankovic is the popular pick, but the bottom half of the draw is ridiculously difficult: the Williams sisters, Ana Ivanovic and a couple of players that have been hot over the clay-court… Continue

Added by Van Sias on May 24, 2008 at 2:00pm — No Comments

Favorite French Moment #1: FINALLY!

The countdown concludes with what is my favorite memory across all sports (and I'm a HUGE sports fan): Andre Agassi winning it in 1999, to complete the career Slam.

Everyone's familiar with the story of how, in 1997, he had slipped to 141 in the rankings and instead of deciding to pack it in, hit the Challenger… Continue

Added by Van Sias on May 24, 2008 at 8:30am — No Comments

Favorite French Moment #2: Through the Eyes of a Child

So landing in the middle of my favorite thoughts about the French involves two of the most captivating and charismatic players of the past couple of decades, Jennifer Capriati and Gustavo Kuerten, respectively, and my favorite young player—my soon-to-be 10-year-old nephew, Carlos Smith. (Remember that name!)…

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Added by Van Sias on May 23, 2008 at 12:30pm — 2 Comments

Favorite French Moment #3: Courier Delivers

There's three days left until the French Open and I decided to count down to the main event with three of my favorite French Open memories. Here's the first (or I guess third, however you want to look at!):

Two of my favorite tennis players of all time are Jim Courier and Andre Agassi. Those two are the ones I've tried to emulate most over the course of my time playing, and are guys whose career stats I know pretty much like the… Continue

Added by Van Sias on May 22, 2008 at 9:57am — No Comments

Is it REALLY a rivalry?

As Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal get ready to play their quadrillionth (actually 16th) match against each other, this time in Hamburg, something kind of came to mind: Is Rafa a true rival or just a roadblock? You're probably thinking, "Van, what are you talking about? Look, Rafa's won more than he's lost against Federer. What else do you want?" Well, let me tell you! And since I'm all about democracy, have your vote here on the… Continue

Added by Van Sias on May 18, 2008 at 12:00am — 2 Comments

Twins peaking

A step closer to history was made at the Italian Open this past weekend as the Bryan Brothers picked up their eighth different Masters shield. This got me to thinking, are they two of the greatest male players of all time? They have a wider range of major titles than almost anyone. I think so, and here's why. I'm taking a poll, too: Feel free to vote if you agree or disagree.

Added by Van Sias on May 12, 2008 at 4:30pm — 2 Comments

What the heck is going on with ... ?

It's official (and beating last year's nemesis, Willy Canas, only confirms it): Roger Federer is out of his funk.

But what about all the other slump-ridden players out there?

Whether it's caused by injuries, age, mental hang-ups or other players just figuring your game out, a slump can be a rough thing to try to get out of. Go here for a look at a few of the slump-ridden.

Added by Van Sias on May 6, 2008 at 10:30pm — No Comments

Veterans' Day

While perusing the scores of the various ATP and WTA tournaments around Europe, something very intriguing caught my eye: Namely Marat Safin and Younes El Aynaoui making the quarterfinals at the BMW Open in Munich. I have to tell you something that may be thought of as a crazy statement: Watch out for these two. You can vote here if you want to dispute this even crazier statement: I think Marat Safin will make the top 10 and be comeback player… Continue

Added by Van Sias on May 1, 2008 at 7:10pm — No Comments

Digging in the Dirt

As this week's cavalcade of clay-court contests comes close to a conclusion (how's that for alliteration?), most of the results have stayed pretty true to what could have been expected, with no major upsets. Here's what i think will happen the rest of the way. If you want, feel free to go here to vote on the match of the day, Serena vs. Maria. (I'm going with Maria):…

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Added by Van Sias on April 18, 2008 at 12:30pm — No Comments

Forget my Miami recap, it's Davis Cup time!

I know I said I'd give my final thoughts on the Sony Ericsson Open next time I posted, but we all know the champs—Serena, Nik Davydenko, the Bryan Bros. and Sugiyama/Srebotnik—so I'm moving on to my favorite time of the year: the Davis Cup! As one of the few Davis Cup fans out there, I feel sometimes, I have to do all I can to champion it. But this year's quarterfinal round should need no extra campaigning because… Continue

Added by Van Sias on April 10, 2008 at 10:30pm — No Comments

Sometimes, it's all in your head

The year was 1997. The place: Citronelle, Alabama. The setting: The annual Valentine's Day tournament, one of the stops on the non-USTA-sanctioned tour throughout Alabama that used to go on (I don't know if those tournaments are still around since I haven't lived in Bama since then). Somehow, I had scraped my way to the finals of the "A" bracket, and my opponent was none other than my doubles partner, with whom I had already clinched a berth in the finals with earlier in the day.…

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Added by Van Sias on April 2, 2008 at 9:55pm — No Comments

Payback time?

Here's my thoughts on what can only be called the match-up of the tournament so far, James Blake vs. Rafael Nadal. I want to get a post up before it kicks off, so in case it goes like I'm expecting, I can look super-smart! : ) :

Rafael Nadal (2) vs. James Blake (9):… Continue

Added by Van Sias on April 2, 2008 at 8:30am — No Comments

The most important tournament of his career?

There's been a lot of talk lately about the "slump" or "downward spiral" or however you want to describe it of Roger Federer. And make no mistake about it, there is something going on. The bad thing about this is that the timing couldn't be worse.

Every day, it seems, there are more young players nipping… Continue

Added by Van Sias on March 31, 2008 at 12:30pm — No Comments

Grab some popcorn for these

Perusing the order of play at the Sony Ericcson Open at 10:45 on a Saturday morning (What else would I be doing on a Saturday morning?), three matches in particular caught my eye that would be entertaining to watch. I'm gonna just think of these from a fun standpoint. Yesterday, I flagged some matches I thought could be "tricky" for some, and were they ever, with the underdogs winning all four. Today, these are my "Popcorn Matches of the… Continue

Added by Van Sias on March 29, 2008 at 9:28am — No Comments

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