What a Week in Melbourne

By Michael Emmett Wow!  And I’m not talking aboutMayfair’s new weight loss program.  Obviously, if you’re a tennis fan you know where I’m heading – it truly was an exhilarating week of tennis inMelbournethat none of us who witnessed it will soon forget.  I am left with tennis anxiety – I got up this morning hoping to see one more brilliant match – but realized it is all over, until the red clay of Roland Garros in May takes centre stage. As a die-hard fan – this is way too long to wait.  Let’s hope the Leafs make a playoff run or my sports addiction will suffer!  I know people will want to start calling Sunday’s epic match between Djokovic and Nadal the greatest ever.  I’m not going to do that.  There are too many memorable matches in the last 5 years...

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Did we Jump the Gun on Milos?

By Michael Emmett His serving statistics are off the charts.  He holds serve almost 90 percent of the time – best on the ATP tour.  When he puts in that lethal first ball he wins almost 80 percent of the points – again, tops amongst his peers.  His second serve is as good as it gets.  Arguably, he has the best serve of all-time.  Of course, we are talking about Canadian superstar Milos Raonic.  This serving giant is a future star in the minds of several tennis aficionados across the globe. After watching him collapse, to a diminutive Australian in the third round of the  Australian championships, I question their judgment.  This match told me so much.  This young gun is a long way away from winning a major championship - let alone a top-10 ranking.  There are too many holes...

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Three-Peat Repeated?

Last year, Novak Djokovic had one of the best years in tennis history, winning 3 Grand Slams and beating Rafael Nadal 6 consecutive times – all of those in major finals. A season many considered the best of all time, especially when you factor in the competition – namely Federer, Nadal and Murray!  The question heard most often at the water coolers is “can he do it again.” In the early stages of the first slam of the year – the hot topic is centered on Djokovic and his ability to dominate like he did last year. Was it a fluke? Many of the tennis pundits are predicting a more balanced winner’s circle – similar to what we’ve seen in the last few years on the Women’s tour.  Some have suggested 4 winners instead of such domination by one player. Djokovic struggled at the...

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Can Federer Win a Major in 2012?

Written by Michael Emmett   As we get closer to the start of the 2012 tennis season – only one question needs to be answered.  Can Roger Federer win Slam #17 after going winless in 2011?  Those of you that follow my columns know that I’ve said definitely in the past 12 months the answer is a resounding NO. And after blowing two matches with a 2-sets-to-love lead (one against Tsonga atWimbledonand the other against Djokovic at the US Open) – something he had never done before in his brilliant career - my previous columns were looking pretty good! However, after watching the past 3 months – after the demoralizing loss to Djokovic in the US Open semi-finals - and hearing the news that Rafael Nadal will take time off after the Australian Open to mend an injured shoulder - I really...

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