So, we are nearing the last Slam of the year and with movement amongst the players in the world rankings it is set to be a very memorable tournament at Flushing Meadows.

Roger Federe is back to his best and is enjoying life as world number one again. The Swiss master of tennis won Wimbledon not so long ago and then enjoyed the birth of his first children immediately after the All England Club tournament. He is now the undisputed ‘greatest tennis player ever to play the game’ so what has he got left to achieve?

For a sportsman to achieve so much in their elite field at such an early age is phenomenal. The 28-year-old arguably still has four or five years at the top of the men’s game and who can stop him thinking he can win at least another four or five Grand Slam tournament wins before he retires. What motivates the man that has everything?

He is not an arrogant sportsman and he is certainly not flamboyant on the court so where does the motivation to succeed in tennis come from? Firstly, there must be a passion for the sport, which is something that would have been installed into him at an early age and then  the hunger for winning would have made an appearance in his play as soon as Roger and the people around him knew he was gifted.

When Federer first reached the highest point in his career winning a Grand Slam he must have thought he wanted to add to that achievement by adding the full set of Slams and once he had achieved global domination the great man must have thought what else there to achieve in my life and sporting career. The answer: a comeback from being number two in the world rising to the top spot again and then to get married and be the father to twin daughters all in the same year.

Gifted people have gifted opportunities around them and if Roger Federer ever wanted to achieve anything whether it be on the sporting stage or not I am sure he would be able to do it without any issues surrounding his motives. The tennis ace will surely be the man to beat at this years US Open despite the return of Rafa Nadal. Oh and another motive for Roger Federer and his unbelievable career would be to become the greatest sportsman ever. Don’t question his capabilities, he has a habit of making dreams becoming reality.

Stuart Young

Global Tennis

Roger Federer entered another part of the tennis record books on Sunday by claiming 15 Grand Slam titles in his career. Federer has won six Wimbledon Championships, five US Open titles, three Australian Open titles and a French Open title and he is still only 27-years-old. Few would bet against the great man winning a few more Grand Slams to cement his place even more as the greatest tennis player of all time.

The Swiss ace’s hunger for the game is as strong as it was when he picked up a racket all those years ago. When asked what keeps him motivated to winning he responds with the usual of “I love tennis,” but I feel it is deeper than that. Roger Federer is the most technically gifted tennis player of all time, but when he first won a Grand Slam back in 2003 and followed it up by winning Slam after Slam it became a habit of winning and for him to lose a Grand Slam at this stage of his career really does hit him hard. Just look at his reaction from losing the Wimbledon final in 2008 and also the Australian Open final earlier this year – Roger just hates losing and it seems he doesn’t know how to lose.

What Next For Roger Federer?

Roger’s wife, Mirka is expecting their first child very soon so he will obviously take time out from the rigorous tour to spend time with his newly born. The rest of 2009 will almost certainly be a right off for the World Number 1. We can expect to see him back in action for the Australian Open in early 2010 where he will be hoping to get the trophy back from Rafael Nadal, who has won the last two Oz Open’s.

We certainly have not seen the last of Federer’s domination on the world of tennis. I’m sure tennis fans all over the world will see a lot more from the great man in the future. Well done Roger on 15 Grand Slams and counting.

Global Tennis

Andy Murray looked dejected and in shock as he walked off Centre Court last Friday after just been beaten by Andy Roddick in the semi finals at Wimbledon. The 22-year-old should not be too disappointed this year after all he was beaten by an exceptional player in Andy Roddick. The eventual winner at the All England Club, Roger Federer would have been a totally different match-up than the Roddick tie if Murray had gone through, but we can only speculate on what would have been – maybe next year.

Murray will go away and sit down with his team and look at what he needs to do for next year’s Wimbledon Championships. I am sure that team Murray’ will already have some good ideas on how to make Andy an even better player than he already is. They will fine-tune the Scott so that he comes back physically stronger again and mentally stronger.

There is no doubting that the two best players at Wimbledon this year were playing each other in the final. Roger Federer had a score to settle after last year’s heartache of losing to Rafael Nadal in five sets and Andy Roddick wanted to get his hands on the trophy for the first time as he played the best tennis of his career at SW19 this year.

Murray will be there or thereabouts again next year as will Roddick and Federer with a certain Nadal fighting for the trophy once again. Wimbledon 2010 looks set to be another great spectacle of excitement and enjoyment on and off the courts.

Global Tennis

Andy Murray is determined to win this afternoon at the All England Club. The British number 1 has dreamed of making the final at Wimbledon ever since he started hitting tennis balls in his home-town of Dumblane, Scotland.

Another Andy stands in the way of the 22-year-old’s dream coming true. Andy Roddick is a former World number 1 ans has been here before, where as Murray is stepping into unknown territory later on. This match up will have everything from big Roddick serves to Murray’s masterful varied strokes. We are all looking forward to something special occurring out on Centre Court.

Murray has beaten Roddick six times in their last eight meetings, but the Scott remains respectful about his opponent.

“If I don’t bring my best game then I’m going to lose to guys like Roddick.” – Andy Murray

The World number 3 has to be at his best in terms of returning if he is to make the Wimbledon final this year. The Roddick serve is a massive weapon in the American’s game so Murray will be hoping one of his best weapons, his returning, is working well.

“I’ll obviously need to return very well.” – Andy Murray

First serves will play a major part of today’s semi final between Roddick and Murray. Both are capable of high percentages and whoever gets into the serving rhythm the quickest will have the early advantage. The weather might play a big part in the match. Basically if the roof is on it will give Murray and edge and if it remains dry and warm it will give Roddick a slight advantage. The Roddick serve will be quicker if the roof is open and slower if it is closed. The air-management system when the roof is closed will cause the air to become heavier meaning the ball will travel slower suiting Murray’s game over Roddick’s.

This is it then, the British Isles will be cheering and hoping that Murray makes it to the Wimbledon final whilst the American public will be right behind the A-Rod. It is all set to be a cracker. Enjoy!

Global Tennis

Murray v Ferrero.

The temperature on Centre Court later on this afternoon is set to reach as high as 40 degrees C, which means the players will have to prepare that little bit more for their quarter final match. Murray and Ferrero will be taking the fluids on board as I write this and I’m sure that hours from now they will still be taking on litres of water.

Andy Murray’s preparations are key to him winning today’s quarter final against Juan Carlos Ferrero. The 22-year-old Scott has a team of coaches that specialise in conditioning and training which, over the past 12 months, has begun to pay dividends in Murray’s performances on the court.

From strength work on his legs to recovering in ice-baths – the techniques that his coaching and conditioning team has given him are helping him overcome weaknesses in his game. Do you remember when Murray used to get muscle cramps in his lower legs? Well, they are a thing of the past after he worked on his leg strength and from recent pictures and video footage, you can clearly see his legs are far more muscular giving him greater power for shot making.

With all the extra training and conditioning undergone over the past 12 months we could well see Andy Murray lift the Wimbledon title this year. The physical part of his game is there now.

Good luck Andy!

Global Tennis

Global Tennis teamed up with My Tennis Fashion yesterday to compare predictions for the women’s quarter finals and the guys at MTF got all their predictions right and us at GT got three out of four with the decider being the Safina/Lisicki match, which went to three sets. Well done to My Tennis Fashion, maybe we will get the predictions right for today’s matches.

Take a look at the predictions for today and tell us if you think we are right or wrong! Click on the links to read the previews for the days matches.

Ivo Karlovic v Roger Federer – My Tennis Fashion = Federer Win

Ivo Karlovic v Roger Federer – Global Tennis = Federer Win

Tommy Haas v Novak Djokovic – My Tennis Fashion = Djokovic Win

Tommy Haas v Novak Djokovic – Global Tennis = Haas Win

Andy Murray v Juan Carlos Ferrero – My Tennis Fashion = Murray Win

Andy Murray v Juan Carlos Ferrero – Global Tennis = Murray Win

Lleyton Hewitt v Andy Roddick – My Tennis Fashion = Roddick Win

Lleyton Hewitt v Andy Roddick – Global Tennis = Hewitt Win

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Global Tennis

It is women’s quarter final day at Wimbledon today and we thought we might give you some predictions for today’s proceedings at the All England Club. We have teamed up with My Tennis Fashion to compare the predictions and it looks like we are split on only one match. Click on the links to read the predictions from My Tennis Fashion.

Safina v Lisicki – My Tennis Fashion Prediction = Safina Win

Safina v Lisicki – Global Tennis Prediction = Lisicki Win

V Williams v Radwanska – My Tennis Fashion Prediction = Venus Win

V Williams v Radwanska – Global Tennis = Venus Win

Azarenka v S Williams – My Tennis Fashion = Serena Win

Azarenka v S Williams – Global Tennis = Serena Win

Schiavone v Dementieva – My Tennis Fashion = Elena Win

Schiavone v Dementieva – Global Tennis = Elena Win

So with the Safina/Lisicki match a split prediction, it could be an interesting afternoon of tennis at the All England Club.

Global Tennis

Andy Murray v Stanislas Wawrinka

Another big game on Centre Court for Andy Murray, but so far he seems to be handling all the attention and all the pressure very well. Murray Mania’ is almost at boiling point and with the weather being so hot we are sure to have a great atmosphere this afternoon at Wimbledon.

The British number one has been in blistering form going into this fourth round match which means Wawrinka must bring his best game to Centre Court later on this afternoon. Wawrinka will be looking to reach the quarter finals for the first time at Wimbledon and if he does reach the last eight he will join fellow Swiss player, Roger Federer in the next round.

GT Prediction – This will be Murray’s toughest game so far and might require 4 sets to see off the Swiss right-hander. We are going for Murray to win though. The crowd will be as loud as ever and Murray will use that to fuel his A-game.

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Caroline Wozniacki v Sabine Lisicki

This match on court 4 has great interest because it will feature two players that have very promising futures in the women’s game. The teenagers are quickly establishing themselves on the tennis scene and whoever wins this match is sure to be a contender for reaching the semi finals.

Lisicki will be full of confidence after defeating the fifth seed, Kuznetsova in round three whilst Wozniacki will have high hopes after a convincing 6-2 6-2 win over Garrigues. Both girls have achieved their best Wimbledon run by reaching the fourth round in 2009. Who will reach the quarter finals though?

GT Prediction – Both are exciting players and have lots of raw talent, but we are going with Wozniacki to win this one. It will be tight though.

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Robin Soderling v Roger Federer

It is Robin versus Roger in today’s first match on Centre Court at Wimbledon. A French Open final rematch at Wimbledon for these two. Soderling has recently come onto the tennis scene with his powerful ground strokes and determined game. He will be looking to reach the quarter final stage of the championships for the first time in his career, but a certain Roger Federer stands in his way.

Federer is on course for his sixth Wimbledon singles title and will take a lot of stopping at this stage of the championships. Expect to see plenty of power strokes on Centre Court today.

GT Prediction – We are going with the world number 2 here. Roger will be too strong for the Swedish 24-year-old and will steam into the quarter finals.

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