Swiss tennis star, Roger Federer has pushed back his return to tennis by a month as he continues to recover from knee surgery.
The 17-times grand slam champion underwent an operation after tearing a meniscus on the day after his Australian Open semi-final defeat to Novak Djokovic last month.
Federer had been expected to make his comeback at the Masters 1000 events in either Indian Wells or Miami next month but will instead return to action in Monte Carlo in April.
Federer wrote on his Facebook page: “As it is a long year, I don’t want to push it too hard and come back too soon. Thus, I will unfortunately not be able to make it back in time for the great event in Indian Wells but I do plan on playing in the desert next year. After consultation with my team, I have decided to enter the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.”
He assured his fans that is recovery was going to plan. He added: “The Rehab for my knee is going really well! I have now had a lot of great practices on the court and in the gym.”
The first Grand Slam of the year (Australian Open) will begin on the 18th of January 2016 . Newfanzone.com takes a look at the big wigs, fixtures and prediction of who wins the Australian Open in Melbourne.
Men’s Preview
Novak Djokovic is always the favorite going into any Grand Slam tournament in recent years. The Serb has won five titles in Melbourne and would be comfortable playing against his opponents. Novak is the defending champion and getting to the finals will be his least target.
Andy Murray had a quite fantastic season last year in which he won the Davis Cup title for Great Britain. He has never won the Australian Open though he has made it to four finals in Melbourne, the latest was in 2015 against Novak Djokovic. The Scot, who kept faith in his coach Amelie Mauresmo will hope their partnership yield a Grand Slam title this year beginning with the Australian Open.
Roger Federer will also be a favorite in Melbourne. The Swiss has struggled a bit this year coupled with him not being 100% fit. He defeated Novak 3 times on hard court in 2015 which means Roger still has what it takes to take him all the way.
Newfanzone player to watch this year Stanislas Wawrinka will definitely be in the mix when it comes to who eventually wins the title. Wawrinka won this competition in 2014(his 1st Grand Slam) defeating Novak Djokovic in the Semis and since then he has gone on to win several Master titles and another Grand Slam title in France. The Swiss has already won a title this year which is a sign of intent already.
Rafael Nadal looks to have put his injury worries behind him as he has already participated in a lot of ATP Masters tourney since coming back from injury. Nadal will push hard for this one but getting to the Semis might seem impossible for him.
Other players to watch that might cause an upset include; Tomas Berdych, Kei Nishikori, David Ferrer, Kevin Anderson,Marin Cilic & Milos Raonic.
It all looks like Novak Djokovic will retain his title at Melbourne. The Serb consistency and mental strength will push him all the way though Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka will prove to be a Banana peel for Novak.
Serena Wiliams doesn’t look 100% fit coming into this one. The world No.1 has been struggling with injuries recently and she might not be able to cope with the intensity of the competition. Though Serena can win the Grand Slam with less than a 100%,she will hope the injury doesn’t affect her all round performance in Melbourne.
Simona Halep has also struggled with injuries and the 2nd best player in the world is yet to win a Grand Slam. This is a good opportunity for Halep to win the much coveted prize taking into consideration Serena’s injury crisis.
Garbine Muguruza retired from the Brisbane Open with a left foot injury. The young Spaniard played good tennis last year and will look to replicate the form especially when it comes to the big stage. Hopefully, she would be fully fit to play in Melbourne as the top seeds have not been convincing enough recently.
Sharapova has won the event before and knows what it takes to win a Grand Slam title. Hopefully she can earn a respectable finish in Australia.
Two time Champion Victoria Azarenka is also playing with confidence this year and she looks like a dark horse for this competition.
Other Notable players that could cause an upset include; Petra Kvitova, Angelique Kerber,Venus Williams, Agnieszka Radwanska,Carla Suarez Navarro,Caroline Wozniacki & Roberta Vinci.
NOTABLE FIRST ROUND DRAWS
* Serena vs Giorgi
* Radwanska vs Konjuh
* Putintseva vs Wozniacki
* Hibino vs Sharapova
* C.S Navarro vs Vinci
* Bouchard vs Krunic
* Qualifier vs Kvitova
* Azarenka vs Uytvanck
* Kontaveit vs Muguruza
* Ivanovic vs Patterson
* Qualifier vs Halep
* Keys vs Diyas
* Venus vs Konta
NEWFANZONE VERDICT
The winner would be too tight to call with Serena struggling with injuries recently. The Newfanzone.com player to watch for 2016 Garbine Muguruza might just get to win her first Grand Slam title this year.
You can predict the winner of the Australian open by leaving a comment here or by tweeting @newfanzone and @demydemo. Remember Newfanzone comes up every saturday on City 105.1fm from 2pm
With the end of the 2015 Tennis season, we at Newfanzone.com take a look at what happened during the course of the year in Nigeria, and also at the ATP and WTA levels.
NIGERIA
Egypt’s Omar Assar and Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri during the presentation for the men’s singles final won by the Egyptian at the ITTF World Tour, Lagos Open at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium at the weekend
Unlike the amazing year we had in 2014 when it comes to Table Tennis, this year performance from our athletes was a bit below expectation.
In the Month of March, we had the ITTF World Tour (Lagos Open) at the Molade Okoya Thomas Hall where big names on the Continent such as Omar Assar, Dina Meshref, Aruna Quadri, Ojo Onaolapo, Funke Oshonaike, Shagdy Magdy, Offiong Edem, and also Portuguese Stars such as Jieni Shao, Andre & Diogo Silva participated in the tournament. It was quite a poor outing for team Nigeria, where our only win came from the Men’s double final courtesy Aruna Quadri and Makanjuola Kazeem. The Lagos Open also showed that the future of Nigeria Table Tennis is promising if our administrators manage the crop of young players in the ranks such as Hassan Nurudeen, Muibat Bello & Ayobami Animashaun.
Victorious Nigerian Men’s Table Tennis Team at the AAG
The All African games also showed that apart from Egypt, Congo has also grown as a real threat and are ready to challenge Nigeria come 2016 when it comes to playing tennis on the table with the likes of Wang Jinan, Yuheng Li & Han Xing.
Team Nigeria had a fairly good showing at the AAG, winning the men’s team event and other medals.
In Lawn tennis, we saw the return of the Governor’s cup in which 38 countries participated in. The farthest Nigeria could go in the competition was the Quarter-Finals where Chris Paul fell at the hands of South-African Lloyd Harris 6-1,6-0. The competition which took place at the Lagos lawn tennis club in Onikan was won by Antal Van Der Dium ( Male) and Conny Perrin (Female). The final also witnessed the presence of the Minister of Youths and Sports Barrister Solomon Dalong and the Governor of Lagos State Akinwunmi Ambode.
Governor Ambode presents runner up trophy of men’s singles to Zimbabwe
There were a few Positives to take home this year from Nigerian Tennis (especially Table Tennis) and with the necessary funds hopefully we would have a better 2016 when it comes to playing tennis either on the Table, Grass, Clay or Hard court.
The WTA Season
Serena Williams, French Open photo credit: Yann Caradec https:::creativecommons.org:licenses:by-sa:4.0:legalcode
The WTA season this year was quite one sided as the big players were not good enough to stop Serena Williams from winning 3 Grand Slam titles (Australian Open, Roland Garros & Wimbledon). The American lost 3 games out of 53 which further proves how consistent she has been throughout this year.
World No.2 Simona Halep was disappointing this season winning just 3 WTA titles. Halep could not even take her opportunity when Serena was beaten at the US Open and her absence during the season ending WTA finals as she was beaten by Flavia Pennetta and Agnieszka Radwanska respectively. Maybe Halep needs to change her Coach in Darren Cahill as she seem not to be getting it when it comes to the Slams.
Spaniard Garbine Muguruza has had a wonderful 2015 and she would hope she takes this sort of form next year especially during the Slams.
The 22 year old had a blissful campaign this season as she ended the year as world No.3 (Youngest Player in the top 10) behind “Miss Consistent” Serena Williams and Simona Halep.
Muguruza has emerged top pick to represent Spain in the forthcoming Olympics and she would also team up with Carla Suarez Navarro and Rafael Nadal in the doubles.
Sharapova would need to be fit if she wants to have a go at any Grand Slam title this year. The former French Open Champion is still a winner any day, but she needs to be consistent and hope to be injury free come next season.
Garbine Muguruza – The young Spaniard was very fantastic last season as she got to the final of Wimbledon which she lost to Serena Williams. Muguruza won WTA Singles title in this past season, and certainly the 22 year old would be eyeing a Grand Slam title come next season. With the epileptic form of her compatriots,apart from Serena,trust Muguruza to go all the way come next season.
Novak ruled the Men tennis in this outgoing season with fantastic displays winning three Grand Slam titles in the process, finishing the year as No.1 and ranked 5th for the all time weeks at world No.1 moving past Rafael Nadal and John McEnroe in the process.
The Serb knows how to turn up in the Slams and how to defeat the big boys when it matters most. One sad thing on Novak’s mind this season would be his loss on clay to Swiss, Stanislas Wawrinka after he had defeated “The Master Of Clay” Rafael Nadal in the Semis. Novak would no doubt put in much effort to see if he could win that much coveted Roland Garros title come next season.
British No.1 Andy Murray, had had a fairly good season ending the year as the 2nd best player in the world. Murray who helped Britain win the Davis cup title after many years would have his sights at the Olympics in Rio come next season. Andy kept his manager Amelie Mauresmo at the end of this season which shows that he was satisfied with the level of performance he showed this season. Barring any injuries,Andy would give Novak a fight come next season.
Roger Federer also had a decent season, though the Swiss would still want to win a Grand Slam title. It would be very difficult for Federer come next season with the form of the two players ahead of him in the rankings. On his day, the Swiss Master who became the 3rd player in the Open era to win 1000 Grand Slam titles, would defeat any player that come up against him.
Rafael Nadal would hope to forget this past season as injuries hampered him from competing at his peak. The Spaniard would sure look forward to his favorite surface (Clay) as a great chance to win yet another Grand Slam title come next year.
Stanislas Wawrinka photo credit: Kate https:::creativecommons.org:licenses:by-sa:2.0:legalcode.
Stanislas Wawrinka – The Swiss international just has a way of doing his business quietly and getting results. Wawrinka won Roland Garros this year and has been consistent all year long making the Semis of Grand Slam tournaments and also winning ATP titles. He would definitely be a dark horse next year in any Grand Slam competition and trust the Swiss not to disappoint.
The tennis has been fantastic this season from the local athletes to their foreign compatriots and we at Newfanzone.com believes 2016 would be a much better year where new discoveries would be made especially when it comes to Nigeria.
A total of 576 players from 119 nations contested the 2015 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas in another memorable year for the competition. Great Britain, led by Andy Murray, captured its first title in 79 years and tenth title overall by defeating Belgium 3-1 in the Final in Ghent on 27-29 November.
Davis Cup by BNP Paribas was played in 55 countries in 2015, with a total of 83 home-and-away ties and five group events held in the World Group and three regional zones: Americas, Asia/Oceania and Europe/Africa.
Over 39,000 fans attended the Final in Ghent, bringing the total attendance for Davis Cup by BNP Paribas in 2015 to over 530,000 spectators.
It was another successful year for Davis Cup by BNP Paribas on television, with the Final shown in 154 territories by 37 broadcasters. The British broadcaster BBC TV saw a peak audience of 5 million viewers and peak market share of 34 per cent on Sunday. The two Belgian rights holding broadcasters, VRT and RTBF, enjoyed peak market shares of 43 per cent and 23 per cent respectively. Throughout 2015, Davis Cup was shown in 161 territories by 58 broadcasters.
The Davis Cup websites in English and Spanish have shown a 6 per cent growth in 2015, with a record 6.9 million visits, 3.8 million unique visitors and over 30 million page views achieved by the end of the 2015 Final. The competition’s social media properties in English, Spanish and Chinese have seen a 23 per cent increase in users this year, with a total social media audience of 640,000, including 234,000 Twitter followers and 358,000 Facebook likes. The winning point between Andy Murray and David Goffin has been viewed 1.1 million times on Davis Cup Facebook, with an overall reach of 5.5 million.
It has been a strong year commercially for Davis Cup, with title sponsor BNP Paribas extending its current agreement for a further five years through 2021. The ITF signed a new international sponsorship agreement with Betway, and extended existing agreements with Rolex and Adecco. In addition beIN SPORTS became the Official Global Media Rights Partner for Davis Cup and Fed Cup in a seven-year agreement.
Andy Murray became the first player to win eight live singles rubbers in a calendar year since the introduction of the World Group in 1981, improving his Davis Cup by BNP Paribas singles win-loss record to 27-2. The world’s top five players (Novak Djokovic, Murray, Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, Rafael Nadal) have now all won the Davis Cup, having contested a total of 107 Davis Cup ties and 232 rubbers among them.
A key factor in the success of Davis Cup by BNP Paribas has been the fan-focused campaign Show Your Colours, which promotes Davis Cup and Fed Cup as the world cups of tennis and has been used by all competing nations. Building on the unique team nature of both competitions, Show Your Colours uses branding elements for promotion, in-stadium activities and all of the ITF’s website and social media activity.
ITF President David Haggerty said: “It has been another memorable year for Davis Cup by BNP Paribas, with some outstanding player performances, strong attendance, and increasing TV and online audiences. The competition continues to inspire both players and fans throughout the world in the unique atmosphere of a team environment.”
Davis Cup by BNP Paribas is the World Cup of Tennis. It is the largest annual international team competition in sport, with 119 teams taking part in 2015. The competition is 115 years old having been founded in 1900.
Defending Champion Of the Shanghai Masters and World Number three Roger Federer has been sent packing out of the Shanghai Masters by unknown Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the Second Round Of The Shanghai Masters.
The Spaniard Claimed the biggest scalp in his career so far when he beat the Former Defending champion 7-6 2-6 6-3.
Upnext for the Giant Killing World N0.70 Ramos-Vinolas is hard hitting Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in the third round and the tennis world will be watching if he’ll go on a dream run by taking out the frenchman or could it just be another flash in the pan.
The ITF has announced the final results for the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group semifinals, World Group play-offs and Zone Group ties taking place on 18-20 September.
Belgium will host the 2015 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final against Great Britain on 27-29 November, after Belgium defeated Argentina 3-2, and Great Britain defeated Australia 3-2 in the semifinals. The deadline for confirmation of the Final venue is Monday 28 September.
Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Japan, Poland, Switzerland and USA will all contest the 2016 World Group after victories in the World Group play-offs. The eight losers of the World Group play-offs, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, India, Netherlands, Russia, Slovakia and Uzbekistan, will all contest their respective Zone Group I competitions in 2016.
The Draw for the 2016 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas will be held during the ITF AGM in Santiago, Chile on Wednesday 23 September at 19:00 local time (22:00 GMT). The Draw will be streamed live on http://www.daviscup.com [Note: it may not be possible to hold all the Zone Group draws for the Americas and Europe/Africa as there are still further ties to be played in these regions.]
The seeds for the 2016 Davis Cup Draw will be announced on Monday 21 September. The top two seeds in the 2016 World Group will be the two finalists from 2015, while the remaining seeds will be based on the new Davis Cup Nations Ranking of 21 September.
GREAT BRITAIN defeated AUSTRALIA 3-2
Venue: Emirates Arena, Glasgow, GBR (hard – indoor)
Andy Murray (GBR) d. Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) 63 60 63
Bernard Tomic (AUS) d. Daniel Evans (GBR) 63 76(2) 67(4) 64
Andy Murray/Jamie Murray (GBR) d. Samuel Groth/Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) 46 63 64 67(6) 64
Andy Murray (GBR) d. Bernard Tomic (AUS) 75 63 62
Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS) d. Daniel Evans (GBR) 75 64
David Goffin (BEL) d. Federico Delbonis (ARG) 75 76(3) 63
Leonardo Mayer (ARG) d. Steve Darcis (BEL) 76(5) 76(1) 46 63
Carlos Berlocq/Leonardo Mayer (ARG) d. Ruben Bemelmans/Steve Darcis (BEL) 62 76(2) 57 76(5)
David Goffin (BEL) d. Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 63 62 61
Steve Darcis (BEL) d. Federico Delbonis (ARG) 64 26 75 76(3)
WORLD GROUP PLAY-OFFS
CZECH REPUBLIC defeated INDIA 3-1
Venue: R.K.Khanna Tennis Stadium, New Delhi, IND (hard – outdoor)
Lukas Rosol (CZE) d. Yuki Bhambri (IND) 62 61 75
Somdev Devvarman (IND) d. Jiri Vesely (CZE) 76(3) 64 63
Adam Pavlasek/Radek Stepanek (CZE) d. Rohan Bopanna/Leander Paes (IND) 75 62 62
Jiri Vesely (CZE) d. Yuki Bhambri (IND) 63 75 62
Somdev Devvarman (IND) v Lukas Rosol (CZE) – not played
Stan Wawrinka (SUI) d. Thiemo de Bakker (NED) 26 63 46 63 75
Roger Federer (SUI) d. Jesse Huta Galung (NED) 63 64 63
Thiemo de Bakker/Matwe Middelkoop (NED) d. Marco Chiudinelli/Roger Federer (SUI) 76(7) 46 46 64 61
Roger Federer (SUI) d. Thiemo de Bakker (NED) 63 62 64
Henri Laaksonen (SUI) d. Tim Van Rijthoven (NED) 76(11) 63
ITALY defeated RUSSIA 4-1
Venue: Sports Palace ‘Baikal-Arena’, Irkutsk, RUS (hard – indoor)
Teymuraz Gabashvili (RUS) d. Simone Bolelli (ITA) 76(2) 61 63
Fabio Fognini (ITA) d. Andrey Rublev (RUS) 76(8) 62 62
Simone Bolelli/Fabio Fognini (ITA) d. Evgeny Donskoy/Konstantin Kravchuk (RUS) 75 26 76(5) 76(2)
Fabio Fognini (ITA) d. Teymuraz Gabashvili (RUS) 76(4) 63 76(5)
Paolo Lorenzi (ITA) d. Konstantin Kravchuk (RUS) 64 76(3)
Denis Istomin (UZB) d. Steve Johnson (USA) 61 36 76(5) 67(3) 75
Jack Sock (USA) d. Farrukh Dustov (UZB) 75 63 62
Steve Johnson/Sam Querrey (USA) d. Farrukh Dustov/Denis Istomin (UZB) 63 62 62
Jack Sock (USA) d. Denis Istomin (UZB) 62 26 64 64
Farrukh Dustov (UZB) v Steve Johnson (USA) – not played
JAPAN defeated COLOMBIA 3-2
Venue: Club Campestre, Pereira, COL (clay – outdoor)
Santiago Giraldo (COL) d. Taro Daniel (JPN) 64 63 36 16 64
Kei Nishikori (JPN) d. Alejandro Falla (COL) 76(3) 76(1) 75
Juan-Sebastian Cabal/Robert Farah (COL) d. Yoshihito Nishioka/Yasutaka Uchiyama (JPN) 67(4) 62 63 62
Kei Nishikori (JPN) d. Santiago Giraldo (COL) 64 62 76(3)
Taro Daniel (JPN) d. Alejandro Falla (COL) 76(3) 63 62
GERMANY defeated DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 4-1
Venue: Centro Nacional De Tenis Parque Del Este, Santo Domingo, DOM (hard – outdoor)
Victor Estrella Burgos (DOM) d. Dustin Brown (GER) 64 57 76(3) 76(5)
Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) d. Jose Hernandez-Fernandez (DOM) 61 63 61
Philipp Kohlschreiber/Philipp Petzschner (GER) d. Victor Estrella Burgos/Jose Hernandez-Fernandez (DOM) 63 62 63
Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) d. Victor Estrella Burgos (DOM) 64 61 62
Benjamin Becker (GER) d. Roberto Cid (DOM) 64 76(4)
CROATIA defeated BRAZIL 3-1
Venue: Costao do Santinho Resort, Florianopolis, BRA (clay – outdoor)
Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) d. Mate Delic (CRO) 61 64 36 64
Borna Coric (CRO) d. Joao Souza (BRA) 64 76(5) 61
Ivan Dodig/Franko Skugor (CRO) d. Marcelo Melo/Bruno Soares (BRA) 60 36 76(2) 76(3)
Borna Coric (CRO) d. Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) 62 46 76(4) 40
Joao Souza (BRA) v Mate Delic (CRO) – not played
Martin Klizan (SVK) d. Michal Przysiezny (POL) 64 64 64
Jerzy Janowicz (POL) d. Norbert Gombos (SVK) 76(1) 64 67(5) 62
Lukasz Kubot/Marcin Matkowski (POL) d. Andrej Martin/Igor Zelenay (SVK) 63 64 64
Martin Klizan (SVK) d. Jerzy Janowicz (POL) 63 76(4) 63
Michal Przysiezny (POL) d. Norbert Gombos (SVK) 63 64 64
EUROPE/AFRICA ZONE GROUP I 1ST ROUND RELEGATION PLAY-OFFS
Rafael Nadal (ESP) d. Mikael Torpegaard (DEN) 64 63 62
David Ferrer (ESP) d. Frederik Nielsen (DEN) 61 75 62
Rafael Nadal/Fernando Verdasco (ESP) d. Thomas Kromann/Frederik Nielsen (DEN) 64 36 76(4) 64
Roberto Bautista Agut (ESP) d. Frederik Nielsen (DEN) 63 64
David Ferrer (ESP) d. Mikael Torpegaard (DEN) 61 63
CHINA, P.R. defeated THAILAND 5-0
Venue: The National Tennis Development Centre, Nonthaburi, THA (hard – outdoor)
Ze Zhang (CHN) d. Warit Sornbutnark (THA) 61 60 60
Di Wu (CHN) d. Pruchya Isarow (THA) 76(6) 62 62
Mao-Xin Gong/Zhe Li (CHN) d. Sanchai Ratiwatana/Sonchat Ratiwatana (THA) 76(6) 26 76(3) 10 ret.
Ze Zhang (CHN) d. Pruchya Isarow (THA) 64 61
Zhe Li (CHN) d. Warit Sornbutnark (THA) 61 60
AMERICAS ZONE GROUP I 1ST ROUND RELEGATION PLAY-OFFS
ECUADOR defeated BARBADOS 3-2
Venue: National Tennis Centre, St. Michael, BAR (hard – outdoor)
Darian King (BAR) d. Ivan Endara (ECU) 64 64 62
Emilio Gomez (ECU) d. Haydn Lewis (BAR) 61 76(1) 64
Gonzalo Escobar/Emilio Gomez (ECU) d. Darian King/Russell Moseley (BAR) 63 64 61
Darian King (BAR) d. Emilio Gomez (ECU) 75 76(3) 61
Gonzalo Escobar (ECU) d. Seanon Williams (BAR) 62 61 60
EUROPE/AFRICA ZONE GROUP II PROMOTION PLAY-OFFS
PORTUGAL defeated BELARUS 3-2
Venue: Clube de Ténis de Viana, Viana do Castelo, POR (clay – outdoor)
Egor Gerasimov (BLR) d. Joao Sousa (POR) 06 16 62 62 64
Gastao Elias (POR) d. Uladzimir Ignatik (BLR) 63 76(3) 75
Gastao Elias/Joao Sousa (POR) d. Sergey Betov/Max Mirnyi (BLR) 76(3) 46 63 67(5) 63
Joao Sousa (POR) d. Uladzimir Ignatik (BLR) 61 61 64
Egor Gerasimov (BLR) d. Rui Machado (POR) 67(3) 61 64
HUNGARY defeated BULGARIA 3-2
Venue: Bulgarian National Tennis Center, Sofia, BUL (clay – outdoor)
Peter Nagy (HUN) d. Dimitar Kutrovsky (BUL) 64 60 63
Marton Fucsovics (HUN) d. Dimitar Kuzmanov (BUL) 63 61 61
Tihomir Grozdanov/Aleksandar Lazov (BUL) d. Marton Fucsovics/Levente Godry (HUN) 26 76(3) 64 46 61
Marton Fucsovics (HUN) d. Aleksandar Lazov (BUL) 63 64 62
Dimitar Kuzmanov (BUL) d. Gabor Borsos (HUN) 62 67(2) 62
ASIA/OCEANIA ZONE GROUP II PROMOTION PLAY-OFF
PAKISTAN defeated CHINESE TAIPEI 3-2
Venue: Ulusal Tenis Egitim Merkezi Tennis Club, Izmir, TUR (hard – outdoor)
Aqeel Khan (PAK) d. Jui-Chen Hung (TPE) 57 64 61 64
Jimmy Wang (TPE) d. Samir Iftikhar (PAK) 63 62 60
Aqeel Khan/Aisam Qureshi (PAK) d. Chieh-Fu Wang/Jimmy Wang (TPE) 62 63 36 63
Chieh-Fu Wang (TPE) d. Aqeel Khan (PAK) 67(2) 62 76(5) 16 63
Aisam Qureshi (PAK) d. Jui-Chen Hung (TPE) 76(3) 46 64 63
AMERICAS ZONE GROUP II PROMOTION PLAY-OFF
CHILE defeated VENEZUELA 5-0
Venue: Club Palestino, Santiago, CHI (clay – outdoor)
Gonzalo Lama (CHI) d. Ricardo Rodriguez (VEN) 64 61 75
Hans Podlipnik-Castillo (CHI) d. Jordi Munoz-Abreu (VEN) 64 63 63
Christian Garin/Hans Podlipnik-Castillo (CHI) d. Luis David Martinez/Ricardo Rodriguez (VEN) 76(0) 64 76(2)
Juan Carlos Saez (CHI) d. Miguel Angel Este (VEN) 63 62
Gonzalo Lama (CHI) d. Jordi Munoz-Abreu (VEN) 61 63
The ITF has announced the draws for the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group semifinals, World Group play-offs and Zone Group ties taking place on 18-20 September. A total of 18 ties will be held this weekend.
The winners of the two semifinals will contest the 2015 World Group Final on 27-29 November. The winners of the eight World Group play-offs will qualify for the 2016 World Group, while the losers will contest their respective Zone Group I competition in 2016.
The Draw for the 2016 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas will be held during the ITF AGM in Santiago, Chile on Wednesday 23 September at 19:00 local time (22:00 GMT).
Live scoring will be available on the official Davis Cup website throughout the weekend. In addition, the English and Spanish versions of the website will feature a live blog, reports, photographs, audio interviews and live streaming. There will also be a fan zone showing the best social media content on http://www.daviscup.com/showyourcolours
GREAT BRITAIN v AUSTRALIA
Venue: Emirates Arena, Glasgow, GBR (hard – indoor)
Andy Murray (GBR) v Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS)
Daniel Evans (GBR) v Bernard Tomic (AUS)
Dominic Inglot/Jamie Murray (GBR) v Samuel Groth/Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)
Andy Murray (GBR) v Bernard Tomic (AUS)
Daniel Evans (GBR) v Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS)
BELGIUM v ARGENTINA
Venue: Forest National, Brussels, BEL (hard – indoor)
David Goffin (BEL) v Federico Delbonis (ARG)
Steve Darcis (BEL) v Leonardo Mayer (ARG)
Ruben Bemelmans/Kimmer Coppejans (BEL) v Carlos Berlocq/Diego Schwartzman (ARG)
David Goffin (BEL) v Leonardo Mayer (ARG)
Steve Darcis (BEL) v Federico Delbonis (ARG)
WORLD GROUP PLAY-OFFS
INDIA v CZECH REPUBLIC
Venue: R.K.Khanna Tennis Stadium, New Delhi, IND (hard – outdoor)
Yuki Bhambri (IND) v Lukas Rosol (CZE)
Somdev Devvarman (IND) v Jiri Vesely (CZE)
Rohan Bopanna/Leander Paes (IND) v Adam Pavlasek/Radek Stepanek (CZE)
Yuki Bhambri (IND) v Jiri Vesely (CZE)
Somdev Devvarman (IND) v Lukas Rosol (CZE)
SWITZERLAND v NETHERLANDS
Venue: Palexpo, Geneva, SUI (hard – indoor)
Stan Wawrinka (SUI) v Thiemo de Bakker (NED)
Roger Federer (SUI) v Jesse Huta Galung (NED)
Roger Federer/Stan Wawrinka (SUI) v Matwe Middelkoop/Tim Van Rijthoven (NED)
Roger Federer (SUI) v Thiemo de Bakker (NED)
Stan Wawrinka (SUI) v Jesse Huta Galung (NED)
RUSSIA v ITALY
Venue: Sports Palace ‘Baikal-Arena’, Irkutsk, RUS (hard – indoor)
Teymuraz Gabashvili (RUS) v Simone Bolelli (ITA)
Andrey Rublev (RUS) v Fabio Fognini (ITA)
Evgeny Donskoy/Konstantin Kravchuk (RUS) v Paolo Lorenzi/Andreas Seppi (ITA)
Teymuraz Gabashvili (RUS) v Fabio Fognini (ITA)
Andrey Rublev (RUS) v Simone Bolelli (ITA)
UZBEKISTAN v USA
Venue: Olympic Tennis School, Tashkent, UZB (clay – outdoor)
Denis Istomin (UZB) v Steve Johnson (USA)
Farrukh Dustov (UZB) v Jack Sock (USA)
Farrukh Dustov/Denis Istomin (UZB) v Steve Johnson/Sam Querrey (USA)
Denis Istomin (UZB) v Jack Sock (USA)
Farrukh Dustov (UZB) v Steve Johnson (USA)
COLOMBIA v JAPAN
Venue: Club Campestre, Pereira, COL (clay – outdoor)
Santiago Giraldo (COL) v Taro Daniel (JPN)
Alejandro Falla (COL) v Kei Nishikori (JPN)
Juan-Sebastian Cabal/Robert Farah (COL) v Yoshihito Nishioka/Yasutaka Uchiyama (JPN)
Santiago Giraldo (COL) v Kei Nishikori (JPN)
Alejandro Falla (COL) v Taro Daniel (JPN)
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC v GERMANY
Venue: Centro Nacional De Tenis Parque Del Este, Santo Domingo, DOM (hard – outdoor)
Benjamin Becker (GER) v Victor Estrella Burgos (DOM)
Jose Hernandez-Fernandez (DOM) v Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER)
Roberto Cid/Jose Olivares (DOM) v Dustin Brown/Philipp Petzschner (GER)
Victor Estrella Burgos (DOM) v Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER)
Jose Hernandez-Fernandez (DOM) v Benjamin Becker (GER)
BRAZIL v CROATIA
Venue: Costao do Santinho Resort, Florianopolis, BRA (clay – outdoor)
Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) v Mate Delic (CRO)
Joao Souza (BRA) v Borna Coric (CRO)
Marcelo Melo/Bruno Soares (BRA) v Ivan Dodig/Franko Skugor (CRO)
Thomaz Bellucci (BRA) v Borna Coric (CRO)
Joao Souza (BRA) v Mate Delic (CRO)
POLAND v SLOVAKIA
Venue: Gdynia Arena, Gdynia, POL (hard – indoor)
Michal Przysiezny (POL) v Martin Klizan (SVK)
Jerzy Janowicz (POL) v Norbert Gombos (SVK)
Lukasz Kubot/Marcin Matkowski (POL) v Andrej Martin/Igor Zelenay (SVK)
Jerzy Janowicz (POL) v Martin Klizan (SVK)
Michal Przysiezny (POL) v Norbert Gombos (SVK)
EUROPE/AFRICA ZONE GROUP I 1ST ROUND PLAY-OFF
DENMARK v SPAIN
Venue: Odense Idrætshal, DEN (hard – indoor)
Mikael Torpegaard (DEN) v Rafael Nadal (ESP)
Frederik Nielsen (DEN) v David Ferrer (ESP)
Thomas Kromann/Frederik Nielsen (DEN) v Roberto Bautista Agut/Fernando Verdasco (ESP)
Frederik Nielsen (DEN) v Rafael Nadal (ESP)
Mikael Torpegaard (DEN) v David Ferrer (ESP)
LITHUANIA v UKRAINE
Venue: Siemens Arena, Vilnius, LTU (hard – indoor)
Ricardas Berankis (LTU) v Vladyslav Manafov (UKR)
Laurynas Grigelis (LTU) v Illya Marchenko (UKR)
Lukas Mugevicius/Dovydas Sakinis (LTU) v Marat Deviatiarov/Denys Molchanov (UKR)
Ricardas Berankis (LTU) v Illya Marchenko (UKR)
Laurynas Grigelis (LTU) v Vladyslav Manafov (UKR)
ASIA/OCEANIA ZONE GROUP I RELEGATION PLAY-OFF
THAILAND v CHINA, P.R.
Venue: The National Tennis Development Centre, Nonthaburi, THA (hard – outdoor)
Warit Sornbutnark (THA) v Ze Zhang (CHN)
Pruchya Isarow (THA) v Di Wu (CHN)
Sanchai Ratiwatana/Sonchat Ratiwatana (THA) v Mao-Xin Gong/Zhe Li (CHN)
Pruchya Isarow (THA) v Ze Zhang (CHN)
Warit Sornbutnark (THA) v Di Wu (CHN)
AMERICAS ZONE GROUP I 1ST ROUND PLAY-OFF
BARBADOS v ECUADOR
Venue: National Tennis Centre, St. Michael, BAR (hard – outdoor)
Darian King (BAR) v Ivan Endara (ECU)
Haydn Lewis (BAR) v Emilio Gomez (ECU)
Darian King/Haydn Lewis (BAR) v Gonzalo Escobar/Emilio Gomez (ECU)
Darian King (BAR) v Emilio Gomez (ECU)
Haydn Lewis (BAR) v Ivan Endara (ECU)
EUROPE/AFRICA ZONE GROUP II PROMOTION PLAY-OFF
PORTUGAL v BELARUS
Venue: Clube de Ténis de Viana, Viana do Castelo, POR (clay – outdoor)
Joao Sousa (POR) v Egor Gerasimov (BLR)
Gastao Elias (POR) v Uladzimir Ignatik (BLR)
Gastao Elias/Joao Sousa (POR) v Sergey Betov/Max Mirnyi (BLR)
Joao Sousa (POR) v Uladzimir Ignatik (BLR)
Gastao Elias (POR) v Egor Gerasimov (BLR)
BULGARIA v HUNGARY
Venue: Bulgarian National Tennis Center, Sofia, BUL (clay – outdoor)
Dimitar Kutrovsky (BUL) v Peter Nagy (HUN)
Dimitar Kuzmanov (BUL) v Marton Fucsovics (HUN)
Tihomir Grozdanov/Aleksandar Lazov (BUL) v Marton Fucsovics/Levente Godry (HUN)
Dimitar Kutrovsky (BUL) v Marton Fucsovics (HUN)
Dimitar Kuzmanov (BUL) v Peter Nagy (HUN)
ASIA/OCEANIA ZONE GROUP II PROMOTION PLAY-OFF
PAKISTAN v CHINESE TAIPEI
Venue: Ulusal Tenis Egitim Merkezi Tennis Club, Izmir, TUR (hard – outdoor)
Aqeel Khan (PAK) v Jui-Chen Hung (TPE)
Samir Iftikhar (PAK) v Jimmy Wang (TPE)
Mohammad Abid Ali Khan Akbar/Aisam Qureshi (PAK) v Chieh-Fu Wang/Cheng-Yu Yu (TPE)
Aqeel Khan (PAK) v Jimmy Wang (TPE)
Samir Iftikhar (PAK) v Jui-Chen Hung (TPE)
AMERICAS ZONE GROUP II PROMOTION PLAY-OFF
CHILE v VENEZUELA
Venue: Club Palestino, Santiago, CHI (clay – outdoor)
Gonzalo Lama (CHI) v Ricardo Rodriguez (VEN)
Hans Podlipnik-Castillo (CHI) v Jordi Munoz-Abreu (VEN)
Christian Garin/Luis David Martinez (CHI) v Jordi Munoz-Abreu/Juan Carlos Saez (VEN)
Hans Podlipnik-Castillo (CHI) v Ricardo Rodriguez (VEN)
Juan Carlos Saez (CHI) v Jordi Munoz-Abreu (VEN)
The ITF has announced the official team nominations for the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group semifinals, World Group play-offs and Zone Group ties taking place on 18-20 September. A total of 18 ties will be held next week.
The winners of the two semifinals will contest the 2015 World Group Final on 27-29 November. The winners of the eight World Group play-offs will qualify for the 2016 World Group, while the losers will contest their respective Zone Group I competition in 2016.
The Draw for the 2016 Davis Cup by BNP Paribas will be held during the ITF AGM in Santiago, Chile on Wednesday 23 September at 19:00 local time (22:00 GMT).
Live scoring will be available on the official Davis Cup website throughout the weekend. In addition, the English and Spanish versions of the website will feature a live blog, reports, photographs, audio interviews and live streaming. There will also be a fan zone showing the best social media content on http://www.daviscup.com/showyourcolours
The Final Grand Slam of the year takes place at Flushing Meadows in some couple of hours away. Newfanzone.com takes a look at the chances of the big boys, possible upsets and how it will all go down at the US Open.
Novak Djokovic goes into this one as the favorite but he has lost to both Federer and Murray in the build-up to the US Open. The Serb has a very favourable draw until when he gets to the Quarter-finals where he might face Spaniard Rafael Nadal. Djokovic might not be in blazing hot form,but when it comes to the Grand Slams his mental strength takes him all the way.
World No.2 Roger Federer looks very prepared for this event as he just won the ATP competition in Cincinnati. Federer has a very tough draw where he might be facing big servers in the mode of Ivo Karlovic,John Isner,Philip Kohlschreiber,Bernard Tomic,Tomas Berdych and Richard Gasquet. Expect the Swiss to come through even though he might drop a set or two.
In the last 32 years,only Pete Sampras(2002) and Jimmy Connors (1983) have won the US Open in their 30’s. Federer(34) knows that this is another chance for him to win a Grand Slam title.
Andy Murray is also in great form going into Flushing Meadows. The Scot gets a tricky start with a game against Nick Krygios before games against the likes of Anderson, Belluci and Wawrinka. Even though he is in good form,the Scot making it to the final might be a tough one knowing he has Novak in the Semis. Murray has beaten the Serb this year but Novak just knows how to push himself in the Grand Slams and if the Serb meets Andy in the Semis, that might be end of Murray’s run at Flushing Meadows.
Rafael Nadal has has a season to forget this year but he might as well end it on a high if he wins the US Open title. The 2010,2013 Champion will Open his account against Borna Coric before meeting Novak in the Quarter-finals.
Defending Champion Marin Cilic will also see if he has able to defend his title at Flushing Meadows. Since Roger Federer no player has been able to do that and with Cilic form going into the US Open even a Semi-Final finish will be a good tournament for him.
Other players to watch include;Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori, Mon-Fils & Tomas Berdych.
NOTABLE FIRST ROUND DRAWS
N. Djokovic vs J.Souza
A.Murray vs N.Krygios
R.Federer vs L.Mayer
B.Coric vs R.Nadal
F.Mayer vs M.Klizan
S.Wawrinka vs A.Ramos-Vinolas
V.Troicki vs F.Tafoe
K.Anderson vs A.Rublev
T.Berdych vs B.Fratangelo
T.Kokkinakis vs R.Gasquet
J.Isner vs M.Jaziri
P.Kohlschreiber vs A.Zverev
R.Haase vs D.Brown
S.Querrey vs N.Mahut
B.Becker vs D.Istomin
M.Ebden vs G.Dimitrov
J.Chardy vs R.Shane
Y.Lu vs M.Kukushkin
M.Cilic vs G.Pella
J.Tsonga vs J.Nieminen
I.Marchenko vs G.Mon-Fils
K.Nishikori vs B.Paire
The U.S. Open mens’s and women’s singles tennis trophies are displayed before the U. S. Open Draw Ceremony at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
STATISTICS (MALE)
PRIZE MONEY: $38,261,760
SURFACE: Hard
VENUE: BILLIE Jean King NTC
MOST SINGLES TITLE:
Bill Larned,Bill Tilden,Richard Sears (7)
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Marin Cilic
NEWFANZONE VERDICT
Federer and Murray go into Flushing Meadows in good form which may eventually land them the title, but Novak Djokovic has to be the Favorite.
The woman to beat going into any Grand Slam competition is Serena Williams. The American has won all the three Grand Slam tournament this year and she is also the defending champion of the US Open.
If Serena wins the US Open she will tie Steffi Graph in number of Grand Slam titles(22) and also be the first woman after Steffi Graph to win all the four Grand Slams in a calendar year.
The US Open women Singles final has been sold out before the Men’s for the first time in history of the tournament which means everyone wants to see Serena make history at Flushing Meadows.
After Halep broke into the Scene in 2014, she has been inconsistent with disappointing displays in Australia, Paris and at Wimbledon.
The Romanian has had a relatively good run to Flushing Meadows where she got to the Finals of Two WTA competitions but expect her to struggle again at the US Open where her best finish has been the fourth round in 2013.
Maria Sharapova has won only two WTA titles this year. The Russian had a good start to the year with an appearance in the final of the Australian Open but she couldn’t defend her title in Paris and was knocked out by her nemesis at SW-19. Sharapova is likely to meet Serena at the Semi-Finals which means that might be where she will bow out at Flushing Meadows.
Caroline Wozniacki has also been inconsistent this year especially the Grand Slams where her best finish has been the fourth round of Wimbledon where she lost to finalist Garbine Muguruza.
The former world No1 has been a 2-time finalist at Flushing Meadows and and knowing she won’t face Serena or Sharapova before the Finals might just what Wozniacki needs to win her first ever Grand Slam title.
Former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova will still participate even with her under medical condition.
French Open Finalist Lucie Safarova might want to show that getting to the Final in Paris is not a fluke by putting her all in to this. Safarova was a Quarter-finalist at the Cincinnati masters and she may do well enough to go all the way in the competition.
Other players to watch include; Ana Ivanovic, Belinda Bencic, C.S Navarro ,Garbine Muguruza, Madison Keys, Sloane Stephens & Venus Williams.
NOTABLE FIRST ROUND DRAWS
S.Williams vs V Diatchenko
C.Vandeweghe vs S.Stephens
M.Keys vs K.Koukalova
K.Siniakova vs A.Radwanska
B.Bencic vs S.Karatantcheva
M.Puig vs V.Williams
A.Tatishvili vs Ka.Pliskova
M.Sharapova vs D.Gavrilova
E.Svitolina vs E.Kulichkova
T.Pereira vs E.Makarova
C.S.Navarro vs D.Allertova
O.Dodin vs J.Jankovic
D.Cibulkova vs A.Ivanovic
A.Petkovic vs C.Garcia
C.Witthoeft vs G.Muguruza
S.Errani vs M.Hibi
J.Loeb vs C.Wozniacki
L.Safarova vs L.Tsurenko
A.Dulgheru vs A.Kerber
T.Bacsinszky vs B.Strycova
M.Erakovic vs S.Halep
S.Rogers vs S.Vickery.
The U.S. Open mens’s and women’s singles tennis trophies are displayed before the U. S. Open Draw Ceremony at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
STATISTICS (Female)
PRIZE MONEY: $38,251,760
SURFACE: Hard
VENUE: Billie Jean King NTC
MOST SINGLES TITLE : M.B.Mallory(8)
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Serena Williams
NEWFANZONE VERDICT
Serena Williams is obviously the favorite as she looks forward to win her fourth Grand Slam of this year barring any injuries .
Rank Previous Rank Name Country Ranking Points
1 1 Novak Djokovic Serbia 14,265
2 3 Andy Murray Great Britain 8,660
3 2 Roger Federer Switzerland 8,065
4 4 Kei Nishikori Japan 6,385
5 5 Stanislas Wawrinka Switzerland 5,575
6 6 Tomas Berdych Czech Republic 5,140
7 7 David Ferrer Spain 3,695
8 9 Rafael Nadal Spain 3,680
9 8 Marin Cilic Croatia 3,505
10 10 Milos Raonic Canada 2,925
Top British Tennis Player Andy Murray as won the Rogers Cup this past week and this as helped him moved up one step from third to second. First Runner Up at the Rogers Cup Novak Djokovic still seats comfortably on top of the ATP Rankings table with a massive 14,265 points while Former World Number one Rafael Nadal as once again moved up the Rankings table as he aims to get back to the top.
Serena Williams, French Open photo credit: Yann Caradec https:::creativecommons.org:licenses:by-sa:4.0:legalcode
TENNIS:
WOMEN’S TENNIS RANKINGS
WTA Tour Rankings
Rank Previous Rank Name Country Ranking Points
1 1 Serena Williams USA 11,821
2 2 Maria Sharapova Russia 6,036
3 3 Simona Halep Romania 5,546
4 4 Petra Kvitova Czech Republic 4,995
5 5 Caroline Wozniacki Denmark 4,735
6 7 Lucie Safarova Czech Republic 3,361
7 8 Karolina Pliskova Czech Republic 3,335
9 6 Ana Ivanovic Serbia 3,311
10 10 Carla Suarez Navarro Spain 3,190
Multiple Grandslam Winner Serena Williams As opened an “unassailable” lead at the top of the WTA Rankings as she has got over a massive 5,785 points more than her closest rival Maria Sharapova Ana Ivanovic as dropped from sixth to ninth, while Lucie Safarova and Karolina Pliskova have both moved up one step each to complete of very few players who have moved this past week in the WTA Rankings
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG Petronas photo credit; Dave Wilson https:::creativecommons.org:licenses:by-nc-nd:2.0:legalcode
FORMULA1
2015 FORMULA 1 STANDINGS
DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP
# Driver
1 LEWIS HAMILTON MERCEDES 202
2 NICO ROSBERG MERCEDES 181
3 SEBASTIAN VETTEL FERRARI 160
4 VALTTERI BOTTAS WILLIAMS 77
5 KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN FERRARI 76
6 FELIPE MASSA WILLIAMS 74
7 DANIEL RICCIARDO RED BULL RACING 51
8 DANIIL KVYAT RED BULL RACING 45
9 NICO HULKENBERG FORCE INDIA 24
10 ROMAIN GROSJEAN LOTUS 23
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes AMG Petronas photo credit: Mark Kent https:::creativecommons.org:licenses:by-sa:2.0:legalcode
CONSTRUCTORS’ CHAMPIONSHIP
# Team Points
1 MERCEDES 383
2 FERRARI 236
3 WILLIAMS 151
4 RED BULL RACING 96
5 FORCE INDIA 39
6 LOTUS 35
7 TORO ROSSO 31
8 SAUBER 22
9 MCLAREN 17
10 MARUSSIA 0
Jordan Spieth has finally overtaken Rory McIlroy at the Top of the World Golf Ranking’s this week, Spieth as moved from second to first in the official Golf rankings just released today. PGA Championship winner Jason Day has moved from 5th to 3rd and he is being tipped by many Golf Buffs to take over the number position from Spieth in a short while. Justin Rose also moved up one step from sixth to fifth while Jim Furyk dropped two steps from fourth to six.
#TigerWatch
Tiger Woods as further dropped down eight steps on the Golf rankings as the one-time number one enters this week ranked at 286
This Week Last week End 2014 Ctry Name Avg Points Total Points
286 278 32 USA Tiger Woods 0.6144 24.58
WORLD GOLF RANKING’S TOP-10 16TH AUGUST 2015
This Week Last week Player Ctry Points average
1 2 Jordan Spieth USA 12.47
2 1 Rory McIlroy NIR 12.25
3 5 Jason Day AUS 9.40
4 3 Bubba Watson USA 8.25
5 6 Justin Rose ENG 7.17
6 4 Jim Furyk USA 6.90
7 8 Dustin Johnson USA 6.79
8 7 Rickie Fowler USA 6.76
9 9 Henrik Stenson SWE 6.03
10 10 Sergio Garcia ESP 5.48
The third and world most prestigious Grand Slam competition takes center stage on Monday and Newfanzone.com takes an in-depth look on the chances of the big names and possible upsets in the competition.
MEN’S PREVIEW
Obviously the favorite going into Wimbledon will have to be Novak Djokovic. The Serb who is the top seed for this competition will look to defend his title following the footstep of Swiss Great Roger Federer who is also in this competition. Novak’s mental strength will push him through again and he will make at least the Semis in this competition.
British No.1 Andy Murray had a good clay court season and just recently won at the Queens. If there is anybody who loves to play in Wimbledon it has to be the Scott Andy Murray.
Since getting married to Kim Sears the third seed has only lost to Novak Djokovic and the Wimbledon title might just be the perfect wedding gift for him.
Second seed and 7 time champion Roger Federer have not been in great form this year with a third round exit in Australia and a loss in the last eight at Roland Garros to compatriot and eventual winner Stanislas Wawrinka.
Even though the Swiss recently won at Halle, the form of Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray will be too much for the Swiss to cope and a Semi-final finish will be great for the Swiss.
Spaniard Rafael Nadal has had a bad start to 2015 which has made him slip down to tenth in the rankings. The two time Wimbledon champion recently won the Stuttgart Open but was also disappointing at the Queens.
Rafael Nadal is a big name anytime but I don’t think he has all it takes to win the title this year.
Newfanzone.com player to watch for 2015 Kei Nishikori has had a fairly good season so far by his standards with a Barcelona Open title in the bag.
The 5th seed is good technically but needs to work more on his physical abilities if he wants to win Grand slams in the future.
Other players who can upset the big names and make it to the last four in the competition include; Stanislas Wawrinka, Milos Raonic, Tomas Berdych and Kevin Anderson.
STATISTICS(Male)
PRIZE MONEY: £26,750,000
MOST TITLES: R.Federer (7)
P.Sampras (7)
W. Renshaw (7)
DEFENDING CHAMPION : N.Djokovic
SURFACE: Grass (outdoors)
NEWFANZONE VERDICT
It is going to be a tight one in Wimbledon but Andy Murray might yet win another Wimbledon title and he is our pick for the title.
WOMEN’S PREVIEW
Serena Williams looks like the woman to beat in every Grand Slam competition and going by what we have seen so far this year,there is no doubt that she is the favorite to win the title in Wimbledon even though she is not the defending champion.
Serena has not won on Grass since winning the Olympics title in 2012 in London and she has not gone Past the fourth round of Wimbledon since last winning it in 2012 but trust the American to win this one as she eyes Steffi Graf’s record of winning all four Grand Slams in a year.
World No.4 Maria Sharapova has not really played well this year despite winning titles in Brisbane and Rome.
Winning the title in Wimbledon might be a way to show the world that she is still a force to be reckoned with when it comes to the big stage in women’s tennis.
Defending Champion and second seed Petra Kvitova is one lady that can give Serena a run for her money when it comes to playing on grass.
The Czech has made the quarter-finals in her last 5 Wimbledon tournaments and it seems SW-19 is her favorite when it comes to Grand Slams competition.
French Open finalist Lucie Safarova will be one person to watch after her impressive performance at Roland Garros. The Czech No.2 might have form easy to come by and make two successive Grand Slam finals.
STATISTICS (Female)
PRIZE MONEY : £26,750,000
MOST TITLES: M.Navratilova
DEFENDING CHAMPION : P.Kvitova
SURFACE: Grass (outdoors)
NEWFANZONE VERDICT
Serena Williams looks like the woman to beat in every Grand Slam tournament and she is our pick to win her third Grand Slam title this year.
1 DJOKOVIC, Novak (SRB)
2 FEDERER, Roger (SUI)
3 MURRAY, Andy (GBR)
4 WAWRINKA, Stan (SUI)
5 NISHIKORI, Kei (JPN)
6 BERDYCH, Tomas (CZE)
7 RAONIC, Milos (CAN)
8 FERRER, David (ESP)
9 CILIC, Marin (CRO)
10 NADAL, Rafael (ESP)
Current French Open and Australian Open holder Serena Williams is seeded as number one for this year’s Wimbledon ahead of defender champion Petra Kvitova at number two followed by Simona Halep who is seeded as number three.
Williams is still in line to complete a clean sweep of all four major’s after securing the Australian And French Open.
If she can pull this off it would make her joint second with with Steffi Graf who also has 22 grand slam’s to her name.
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