So Blake has got a new coach and a whole new mindset for playing tennis at 30. He is a top player on his way back or is he? Last night’s defeat to Del potro has been described as a moral victory by many experts. Greg Couch at FanHouse had a more reasonable take on Blake’s loss but he stopped short of saying what we all know:

When he’s done beating himself up, if he can look at the big picture, then he’ll see he has time left. This match wasn’t the argument, but the proof.

I agree with Greg that Blake played his heart out and almost beat the U.S. Open champ Del potro. He certainly dictated a lot of points, something I hope Federer can learn from against Del potro. At the same time, Blake again choked in the final set. He has a miserable 5 setter record, and he continues on that path. Did he push a top player to limit? Didn’t he do just that to Agassi as well? But in both cases he lost. In fact, Blake has made a career out of losing close matches.

One can feel anything but sad for Blake. He is one of the better guys on the tour, and he gives his 100% to win a big one. But he has made a career out of losing heart-breakers. He can change his game and his coach. But the mental part of it will be tough to overcome.

Credit: AP

Last night’s match between Federer and Andreev was truly a nail-biter for fans of both sides. Andreev was in control for most of the match, and yet it was Federer who had the lead in most of the sets. Andreev should have led by 2 sets to 1 as Federer was reeling and facing multiple set points. But did Andreev truly choke or was Federer just lucky? After all, that’s all we have been hearing from the pundits.

In reality, Federer made his own luck. He kept the ball low and in play and waited for Andreev to run out of inspiration and energy. Both seem to have happened last night. Andreev didn’t believe he could win. He had set points, and he went away from his game plan. That’s what makes great players. Was Roger lucky? If anything, he was very unlucky serving for the third set. He was also unlucky to get Andreev in the first round. But Roger has been here before. He was down two sets to Berdych and didn’t lose it. He was struggling badly against a hot Tipsarevic a couple of years ago at Australian and didn’t collapse. If you want to beat Roger, you have to stick to your game plan and execute perfectly.

Roger can’t win with this level of play, and I suspect he’ll improve. But to suggest he was just lucky or his opponent choked is not fair. Andreev was game but just ran out of time and got too impatient. He had Roger where he wanted. So have many others in the past. Not everyone’s Nadal.

The Australian Open is finally upon us, and we are back from our long hiatus. What a better way to get a new start by getting started with our predictions for Australian Open 2010. This year is going to be very unpredictable as Federer has been shaky for the past few months, and Nadal has been ailing. Roddick has been stuttering, and Murray just can’t pull the trigger when it matters. Djokovic hasn’t been himself since 2008 either. Del Potro and Davydenko are the players to beat but one is struggling with wrist injury and the other has never done too well to reach the final of a slam. With that in mind, here are our predictions for the first grand-slam of the year:

1st Quarter: Federer. What can you expect. And he will be pushed hard by Davydenko. But he has had Davydenko’s number in long matches, and this time it won’t be different.

2nd Quarter: Djokovic. Has the easiest draw. It’d be a surprise if he doesn’t meet Federer in the semis.

3rd Quarter: Del Potro. Roddick is going to be tough. But if Del Potro shows up and his injury is not too much, he’ll reach the semis.

4th Quarter: Murray. Nadal has played great since his comeback, and he is a great competitor. But it’s Murray’s time, and this time no one will spoil Murray’s chances.

Final: Murray vs. Djokovic. I like Federer and Nadal, but their time at the top all by themselves is over. This year is going to be a great chance for Murray to win his first slam, and I’d be surprised if he doesn’t. He has Del Potro’s number and has the game to frustrate Djokovic. If he can beat Nadal, that will give him a lot of confidence. Don’t be surprised if he wins in straight sets against Djokovic.

You want to know what living a dream life means? You don’t have to look past Roger Federer. Sure, he has had his tough times in the past few months but he has now won the French and Wimbledon and has passed the legendary Pete Sampras. As much as the Bud Collins of this world want to put Pete Sampras over Roger, the fact of the matter is Roger has the best record in the game. But if you ask Roger, none of that matters now that he and Mirka are proud parents to twin girls. Talk about living a dream life.

Congrats to Roger Federer the father, the champion, and simply the legend.

What a match. Can you believe it? Roger looked down and out in the 2nd set tie-break which Andy Roddick held 4 straight set points. But Roddick dropped 3 straight service points to lose it and even though he made it tough in the 5th set, Roger finally wore him out and got the luck he needed to win it all 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14. You could argue that Andy was the better player for 3 of the 5 sets, but Roger stuck with him and finally got the favor he usually gets from Andy Roddick.

Roddick was very solid on his service games. I am not sure how Roger was not reading his serve. But Andy was brilliant in that department, except when it mattered in the tie-breaks. In the 5th set, Andy was solid and except the first game of the 5th set when Roger held a break point, Andy was very solid, that is until the last game when he started spraying the ball and giving away a game point to lose his game and match. Roger was serving first and took advantage of it to finally break Roddick’s heart.

Tough to be Andy but he was poised to move on to greater things after his match:

Roddick played the best match of his life on the wrong day. Sampras was there. Laver and Borg were there as well. It’d been all been for naught had Roger lost. But he pulled it off, and those who got to see it in person saw history being made. Is Roddick back? He needs to back it up at the U.S. Open. But one thing’s for sure. Roger is now the best player in the open era!

So you have seen Roger play Rafa at Wimbledon? You think you can make the same shots? How about playing for fun. Whatever the case, you’ve got to find a place to start. Roger may be an artist but he is better at making things look easy than actually playing tennis. You can’t just step on the court and hit those forehands nor can you make one decent shot without knowing how to grab a tennis racquet. And of course you are going to need some good equipments to get started.

Playing tennis as a hobby doesn’t have to be complicated, but you don’t want to go on the court without having the tools that not only help you play better but also protect you against injuries. With that in mind, here is a list of tools you need to get started successfully with tennis:

• Tennis Courses
• Training Videos
• Tennis Racquets
• Training Gadgets
• Tennis Games
• Tennis Bags
• Strings
• Balls
• Nets
• Books
• Magazines
• Grips

• Tactical Tennis Complete Collection: training set by Paul Annacone
  
• Nick Bollettieri’s Stroke Instruction Series: Bollettieri needs no introduction. You will learn how to play tennis with this set.
• Sports Yoga Tennis With Billy Asad: get your body in condition.
  
• Pro Tennis Lessons – Ultimate Doubles: learn how to play doubles like a pro.
  
• Pro Tennis Lessons Ultimate Forehand: learn what it takes to hit a killer forehand.
• Wimbledon – The 2008 Finals: Nadal vs. Federer: the best match ever played! Watch it and then re-watch it some more.

• How To Play Tennis: a set of instructional videos that teach you how to get started with tennis.
• Tennis Mind Game: get a handle on the mental side of things when it comes to tennis.

• Volkl BB Generation 25 Junior Tennis Racquet: if you are a beginner, this is a good place to start.
• Wilson HOPE Tennis Racket (Colors May Vary) (beginner): another beginner racket for tennis fans.
• Head Liquidmetal 8 Tennis Racquet: a more advanced racket if you have some more money to spend on equipment.
• Wilson [K] Six.Two Tennis Racquet: a racket for more advanced players.
  
• Wilson K 4 105 K Factor Tennis Racquet: chances are you have seen those K Factor ads on TV. This is the racket.
• Babolat AeroPro Drive (Cortex) Tennis Racquet: a racket for Nadal like players.
• Head MicroGel Extreme Pro New: not a fan of Babolat or Wilson, then you got to try this Head racquet.
  

• Head Liquidmetal Racquet Cover: keeps your racket protected.
  
• Wilson Pro Staff Super Six Pack Tennis Bag: carry all your rackets and accessories with you.
  
• WILSON Hope Perfect Pac Backpacks: a nice backpack for your Wilson racquets.
  
• Prince Pro Team Triple Tennis Bag: another cool bag for your racquets and tennis accessories.
  

• String Machines
  • Gamma X-2 Stringing Machine: a cool machine to string your racquets.
    
  • Eagnas Racquet Stringing Machine Flex 920: a racquet string machine for more advanced tennis players.
• Strings
  • Wilson NXT Tour Tennis String
  • Prince Synthetic Gut with Duraflex 16g White Tennis String
  • Luxilon Big Banger Tennis String
  • Prince Original Synthetic Gut Tennis String REEL

Grips may sound insignificant but they actually play a big part in your game. Here are a few you should try:

• Wilson Pro Overgrip Tennis Racquet Grip
• Wilson [K] Grip Tennis Racquet Grip
  
• Head XtremeSoft Overgrip
• Yonex Hi Soft Grap Pack of 24 Replacement Grips
• More Grips

• Balls
  • Wilson US Open Tennis Balls – Extra Duty
  • Penn Championship Extra-Duty Tennis Balls
• Machines:
  • Master I-SAM Model 1 Court Equipment Ball Throwing Machines: need a ball machine? Look no further than this machine.
    

1. The Inner Game of Tennis: learn what it takes to be a good tennis player.
2. Talent Is Overrated: don’t believe it? Read this book.
3. Winning Ugly: the world class book by a world class trainer, Brad Gilbert.

• SKLZ® Hit-A-Way Tennis Trainer: learn how to hit a tennis ball the right way.
• Gamma Hi-Rise 75 Tennis Ball Hopper: great way to store your balls.
• Brad Gilbert Wrist Assist for Tennis: one of the most popular tennis gadgets on the market.
• SKLZ PowerBase Tennis Trainer: a great way to take your game to the next level.
  
• Hit-A-Way PowerBase Tennis Trainer: similar to the previous gadget. Great way to get your game to the next level.
  
• Fence Trainer (EA): a comprehensive gadget to get your game to the next level.
  
• Toss Assist: need help with your toss? This is the accessory to own.

• MacGregor Varsity 300 Tennis Net
• Maxi Net System
• Wilson EZ Tennis Net Set
• Killerspin Aurora Table Tennis Net and Post Set

• Tennis Magazine
• Tennis Life

• EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis: a great Wii game that comes with Wii MotionPlus and is a lot of fun.
  
• Virtua Tennis 2009: not a bad way to burn some calories.
• Wii Prince Tennis Racquet: play real tennis on your Wii with this racquet.
• Wii Grand Slam Sports Pack : an awesome kit to play all kinds of sports on Wii.
• Wii 9-in-1 Sports Pack: even more complete than the previous pack.
  
• EA Sports Active: not a bad way to warm your body up and burn some calorie.

There you have it. Time to start training!

We all thought it was never going to happen. Rafa was unbeatable on clay at the French Open until he meet the surprisingly improved Robin Soderling. And we still couldn’t believe Rafa would lose even after he was down a bunch of match points. Federer on the other hand had so many close matches. Almost lost to Haas. Dropped a set to Paul Henry Mathieu. Almost lost to Del Potro. But when Roger got his chance, he didn’t blink! He blitzed Robin Soderling in the final to win his first French Open and his 14th slam title. And maybe end the greatest of all time discussion!

Whatever Roger does from this point on is a big bonus for his fans. He has already tied the magical 14 slam mark, and he is probably going to win a couple more. And when he does that, there won’t be any discussions left! And no longer Roger has to look at the French Open as the only place he didn’t win as he has done it already. One may not be enough for him but it’s certainly good enough for his legacy.

And props to a game Soderling for being gracious and classy:

Talk about the shock of the century. Nadal going out at the Roland Garros and in the 4th round nonetheless. Here is what Soderling had to say:

Nadal was as gracious as always and surprisingly calm after the defeat:

Federer’s golden chance has come. And something tells me he won’t take advantage of it.

You thought Lebron James losing last night was an upset? Think again. Rafael Nadal entered his match today knowing that he had owned Soderling just a few weeks ago on clay. And he had won 4 straight French Open titles and hadn’t lost a set since 2007! Soderling didn’t get the memo. In a performance that will go down as one of the best upset makers in the history, Soderling used his flat shots and powerful ace to dethrone Nadal in 4 sets and throw the French Open title race wide open. Murray and Federer are now the firm favorites to meet in the final in a rematch of their U.S. Open final.

The path may have become easier for Roger but much more so for Murray. He has no one he shouldn’t be able to beat. Their paths are still hard to navigate, but no one can help but wonder whether we will see Murray win his 1st Grand Slam at the French. How about Federer finally winning the French Open and becoming the best player of all time? The French Open has finally become exciting after 4 years of dominance by the mighty Nadal.

For Nadal, it’s time to recharge his batteries. This loss will hurt his confidence but he’ll get another shot at glory at Wimbledon. Can he defend his title against Murray, Federer, and Djokovic at Wimbledon? Yet another exciting story to follow.

How things can change quickly! Roger was a title-less has been who was struggling to win matches against the real top 3 players in the world. But after the beating he put down on Nadal on clay in Madrid, Roger must be in heaven. He has now won his first title of the year, and a big one in that. Federer has also halted Nadal’s streak on clay this year.

Roger truly impressed me today. He not only fought off break points like a real champion, he challenged Nadal’s serve and played more aggressive from behind. And that shaky backhand looked so solid. Rafa did look subdued and had his chances to break and level the match, but Roger served great and mixed up his game to beat Nadal in straight sets and pick up his 15th Masters title.

The chances are Nadal won’t play below his par in a French Open final. Federer has also shown that he is vulnerable against other players as well, so we may not see a Fedal final at the French Open. But it’s nice to see Roger finally beat Rafa and make it a closer rivalry again (13-7 for Rafa). Roger has now beaten Rafa twice on Rafa’s best surface. Can Nadal return the favor at Wimbledon?