When the entire grass-court season lasts four weeks, including just two prior to Wimbledon, there is no time for rest—not even after a Grand Slam. Among those getting right back in action following the French Open are Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Andy Murray. Nadal and Federer headline the Gerry Weber Open as the top two seeds, while Murray is looking to defend his Aegon Championships title at Queen’s Club.
AEGON Championships
Where: London, England
Surface: Grass
Prize money: 711,010 Euros
Points: 250
Top seed: Stanislas Wawrinka
Defending champion: Andy Murray
Draw analysis:As usual, Queen’s Club is one of the most loaded 250-point events of the season. The bracket is tough up and down the line, but Murray may have found himself in a slightly more difficult half. It’s a half that also plays host to Roland Garros quarterfinalist Tomas Berdych and semifinalist Ernests Gulbis, although Murray could only face one or the other—not both, as Berdych and Gulbis are in the same quarter. Gulbis, who destroyed the Czech to reach the last four in Paris, may first have to get past either Feliciano Lopez or Lleyton Hewitt. Murray’s path to the semis is likely to include Paul-Henri Mathieu, Radek Stepanek, and either Kevin Anderson or Jurgen Melzer.
Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka is the No. 1 seed, but he has cooled off dramatically since a scorching-hot start to the season. Wawrinka is never at his best on grass, so there is reason to think he will not right the ship until the U.S. Open Series. If that’s the case, guys in his quarter like Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Marin Cilic, and Jeremy Chardy may be able to capitalize. Don’t count Tsonga out of digging his way out of a slump of his own by keeping points short on grass, while Cilic has been to the final of this event each of the past two years (won famously by David Nalbandian default in 2012, then lost to Murray in 2013). The second quarter of the bracket may be the weakest. Look for either Grigor Dimitrov or Dmitry Tursunov to take advantage, although Nicolas Mahut cannot be discounted on grass and Alexandr Dolgopolov has been known to produce hot streaks from out of nowhere.
First-round upset alert: Sam Querrey over (14) Jeremy Chardy. It probably won’t happen, but Querrey will at least have a chance on grass. The 6’6’’ American has played this event six straight years and has not lost prior to the third round since his 2008 debut. He won the title in 2010 and reached the semis in 2012. Querrey also reached the last 16 at Wimbledon in 2010 and beat Milos Raonic at the All-England Club in 2012 before losing a five-set marathon in the third round to Cilic. Still, current form suggests Chardy should be able to hold him off.
Hot: Ernests Gulbis, Dominic Thiem, Blaz Rola
Cold: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Vasek Pospisil, Marcos Baghdatis, Matthew Ebden, Benoit Paire, Bernard Tomic, Somdev Devvarman
Quarterfinal predictions: Marin Cilic over Jeremy Chardy, Grigor Dimitrov over Dmitry Tursunov, Andy Murray over Jurgen Melzer, and Tomas Berdych over Feliciano Lopez
Semifinals: Cilic over Dimitrov and Murray over Berdych
Final: Murray over Cilic
[polldaddy poll=8108070]
Gerry Weber Open
Where: Halle, Germany
Surface: Grass
Prize money: 711,010 Euros
Points:250
Top seed: Rafael Nadal
Defending champion: Roger Federer
Draw analysis:Nadal won the Queen’s Club title in 2008 but otherwise has never made it past the quarterfinals in six additional appearances in the week following the French Open (Halle and Queen’s Club combined). His lifetime match record in Halle is a mere 1-2 and if he wants to end the trend of unsuccessful post-Roland Garros tournaments, the draw certainly did not help him out in those efforts. Raonic, as opposed to fellow top four seed Kei Nishikori, is in Nadal’s half. Philipp Kohlschreiber, who ousted Nadal in the 2012 Halle quarterfinals, is once again in Nadal’s quarter. So, too, is Jerzy Janowicz. The Pole showed signs of life at the French Open and is far better on grass, having reached the Wimbledon semis last summer. It’s almost more difficult to see Raonic losing prior to the semis, because his nearest seed is a less-than-100 percent Richard Gasquet.
Unlike Nadal, Federer has thrived at what is basically a home event for him. The 32-year-old Swiss is 43-5 lifetime in Halle with six titles, including last season. He has not lost prior to the final in any of his last eight appearances. His chances of reaching another title match improved when Raonic landed on the other side of the bracket, but another final berth is not a foregone conclusion. Potential quarterfinal opponents include Mikhail Youzhny (in what would be a rematch of last year’s final) and Ivo Karlovic, who is always dangerous—especially on grass. If Federer reaches the semis, his adversary will come from the most wide open section of the draw. Nishikori and Tommy Haas are injury question marks and Gael Monfils, also no stranger to physical problems, is coming off a roller-coaster of a Roland Garros campaign.
First-round upset alert: Robin Haase over (5) Richard Gasquet. Karlovic over Youzhny is obviously a distinct possibility, but based on surface and current form that cannot even be considered an upset. Because of a back injury, Gasquet said he would not have played last fortnight if it had not been a Grand Slam. The Frenchman persevered through two matches before getting blown out by Fernando Verdasco. If Haase wins, it will likely have almost everything to do with Gasquet not yet being ready for primetime. The Dutchman, who generally fares better on clay and hard courts, has not done anything on grass since reaching the Wimbledon third round in 2011.
Hot: Milos Raonic, Kei Nishikori, Philipp Kohlschreiber, Ivo Karlovic, Jan-Lennard Struff
Cold: Richard Gasquet, Tommy Haas, Jerzy Janowicz, Alejandro Falla
Quarterfinal predictions: Philipp Kohlschreiber over Rafael Nadal, Milos Raonic over Richard Gasquet, Kei Nishikori over Tommy Haas, and Roger Federer over Ivo Karlovic
Semifinals: Raonic over Kohlschreiber and Federer over Nishikori
Final: Federer over Raonic
[polldaddy poll=8108068]
Comments and your own predictions are appreciated!
Kudos to ricky for dispatching this previews on time ! will go through them after RG lol
these previews*
I agree! It was a nice surprise to see these previews up so quickly! But my attention is on the RG final. After that, then I can focus on the grass court season.
Common Roger!
When it comes to grass RAFA is no one,someone supposed to get thrashed in first rounds.
But of course he is the greatest in Clay.
Wonder why Ricky has mentioned RAFA in his Halle analysis!
Such bitterness fuels the federazzi.
A prime example of the federazzi in their natural habitat.
14 and counting.
#Afraid
#RafaGOAT
How about the year Rafa won Queen’s? Or the several finals and two titles at Wimbledon? How many other current players have that grass resume?
No one who thrashed The Fed at Wimbledon and is amongst the select few to win RG, Queens and Wimbledon back to back.
How many times has Rafa beaten Fed at RG, including the one for the loss of 4 games :-61 63 60? Roger has never beaten Rafa RG but Nadal has beaten him at Wimbledon.
I think Gulbis stays hot at Queens Club and wins it, and I like Fed, again, at halle!
“I think Gulbis stays hot at Queens Club”
Nope. (Unless you’re talking about whatever he might’ve felt he had to pawn to cover any post-RG gambling debts, since he apparently blew what he made.)
He’s out to De Schepper.
scootd hahahahahahahaha
with that kind of pick, you’d almost think he was related to me
Federer d. Raonic at Halle and Cilic d. Berdych at Queens are my picks this week. Murray has a great draw, but I think he might struggle with fatigue after a pretty bruising run at RG.
You called it bcos Murray just lost to Stepanek!
Vamos Rafa!
Honestly, I would be well pleased if Rafa gets just one win at Halle, just to get his feet “wet”, in readiness for Wimby. He is tired and needs a little rest. Unfortunately the schedule does not allow him such.
What a beautiful picture!
https://twitter.com/bbctennis/status/475761340196614145/photo/1
I wrote a post and it did not go through for some reason…I said Rafa reaching semis in Halle would be perfect just to get the feel of grass…however, I do not expect much…he must be exhausted mentally and physically…but grass game is not that demanding on the body in terms of long-rallies so Rafa may as well stick around for a while… 🙂
Vamos Rafa!
^^Mysentiments exactly! Halle will also give him an opportunity to test he knees. The last 2 bad results at Wimby have really about his troublesome knees…………
Thank goodness for the ATP Livestream! Really civilized viewing……….
They are streaming both Halle and Queen’s. Can’t wait to see Rafa on Wednesday. Pity they don’t have an all-white dress code at Halle, Rafa always looks so fetching in white….
😉
Watching on your iPad ritb?
Rafa just needs some match play at Halle to get the feel of the grass. Last year he couldn’t play there because of his knee. But Rafa has always said that he needs some preparation in a warmup tournament before Wimbledon. He doesn’t need to win. He just needs a few matches.
I will be happy with Rafa winning 1-2 matches at Halle. I have very low expectations. I also have low expectations for W so if he makes the 2nd week, it’s all good. How about a new champion at Halle? Kei or Milos would be nice…
Actually I am surprised to see Kei’s name in the Halle draw so soon after his uncomfortable 1st round exit at RG. I just feel Kei needs to take a longer break, get himself stronger, manage his schedule better so he can really fight for honours. It really is a shame to see such talent being troubled by injuries.
hmmmm good point about Kei. I forgot about his back injury. I see Jerzy already lost.
Crazy RG and Wimby are so close. An extra week between the two next year but still too close IMO.
especially for the defending champion at RG 😉 for those who lose early at RG it’s great!!
Gimeno Traver slipped and fell quite a few times while playing his match vs Hewitt in Queens…huuuh…I don’t like first rounds on grass…it is too slippery and dangerous for the players…and they have not had enough time to make a safe transition on grass..
Rafa is in Halle
https://twitter.com/TenisNot/status/476047308426330113/photo/1
Nice! …does Rafa have 2 watches on??? funny,
Yes, Rafa always wears 2 watches when he is not playing. Don’t ask me why….
Here he is aleady practicing on grass………..
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152277733911026
Rafa is simply unbelievable…already practicing on grass like he had plenty of time to rest…but what a beautiful scenery…Rafa and the green stuff under his feet… 🙂 you know, for the last two years we haven’t had a lot of opportunities to watch Rafa play on grass…I wish this year he stays long enough… 😀
Nice article it was well put and now I am definitely interested in this weeks tourneys.
In this situation I would think that Andy Murray would have the upper hand at the Queens Club and Halle because out of the group he is the best playing on grass courts. Also I’m hoping Gulbis will loose so that he breaks his racket.
“lose” ???
How can Andy have the upper hand in Halle? He is not playing there.
https://twitter.com/LuisGatTWI/statuses/476272553473101824
https://twitter.com/LuisGatTWI/statuses/476274521239199744
Oh nice! So he has extra time to recover. This is what happens when you are the tournament Star, everybody bends over backwards trying to accommodate you………..
Vamos Rafa!
nadal is not included ‘ hot’ ??!!! Ricky?!
published before FO final. All depended on that match. Will change it.
what does ‘hot’ mean? that he arrives in good shape or that he has a chance of winning Hale.. cause I think he’s (Rafa) not even thinking about it
I agree…I don’t think Rafa even cares about wining Halle…he is in Halle out of respect to the tournament directors and because he wants to get the feel on grass…anything he manages to achieve here is pure bonus…but I don’t expect him to push hard though…he is indeed likely to lose to Kohly in the qtrs…
I don’t know about you guys but this is just………………wrong. Edberg may be a paid employee of Fed’s but he IS Fed’s elder and deserves respect as such. Fed should not allow Edberg to carry his bags for him in his presence. Where I come from this is daft bad manners. I cannot imagine Rafa doing this to Roig, let alone Uncle T. I may not like BB but I saw a similar picture where he was carrying Novak’s bags and that did not sit well with me at all.
Wrong.
https://twitter.com/RF_link/status/476094653495005184/photo/1
…..Fed can afford a full-time man-servant, why doesn’t he get one?
Fed had a multitude of man servants during the weak era.
Besides, Edberg probably has a better back than Fed.
What a tosser……………Fed, I mean.
Gussie:
I was talking about an article I once read which offered an explanation for why Federer was not prone to the same injuries that plague most players – ankle, knees, hips, wrist, elbow, shoulder, muscle tears, etc. etc. He has never retired mid-match and only on very rare occasions has withdrawn from a tournament as a result of injury.
When I mentioned his back I was referring to the unspecified injury for which he was granted exemption from compulsory army service. Over the years he has only ever talked rather vaguely about a problem with his back.
http://preview.tinyurl.com/pzyl3ew
#BionicMan
It’s entirely possible that’s Stefan’s bag…right?
^^Entirely possible, yes but……………….highly unlikely.
He has an ongoing back problem, no? He has probably been advised to avoid carrying heavy bags on his back or shoulder.
All the more reason for him to hire a full-time man servant! Or if he’s so stingy, get one of his many sponsors to pony up one for him……………..
ed251137 (at 5:57 pm)
Don’t you remember you claimed lately that Fed is a healthy man?
Can you believe Marin Cilic is down a set and a break against Marinko Matosevic at Queens right now??
Now Roger’s only starting on Thursday as well:
http://www.gerryweber-open.de/News/2014/Juni/Super-Donnerstag-bei-den-22.-GERRY-WEBER-OPEN
Cilic out. Thiem out. Paire out. All in the first round.
What changing of the guards exactly.
It would surprise me greatly if Rafa gets past Kohlbi. He has three days to de-stress and to practice on grass – the main, or more likely only, reason he has come to Halle. A match with Kohlbi will provide a good work out for him before heading to Wimbledon.
Am watching Berdy v Duckworth at Queens right now (on telly, of course!). Hard to believe he was in a Wimby final once………..
This tosser, Marinko what’s-his-name, beats Marin Cilic and suddenly he things he got game?
RT @stu_fraser : “Marinko Mad Dog Matosevic won’t be employing a female coach: ‘For me, I couldn’t do it since I don’t think that highly of the women’s game.'”
there has to be a reason the ATP is attractive to some (a lot, it seems) of these bone-heads……….
Wished we lived in an era where people would just say “coach” and gender is not an issue and doesn’t merit a secondary or tertiary comment. News to rabid dog mato-whatever: Mauresmo has 2 slams. Dog has none.
Wasn’t he the jerk who deliberately kicked over Rafa’s water bottles during the changeover?
Yes, he was, ed.
Matosevic?
well, sort of
@M says
Thanks. I thought so 😉
Gussie I replied to your post re: Federer but managed to insert it in the wrong place. It’s half a dozen comments above yours @6.19pm
I’ve seen Maria supporting Grigor at Queens today…so they are back together? Or is it that commentators just can’t be trusted these days…sorry guys if I spread the wrong info…but during Maria’s matches at RG the commentator kept going on an on about Maria breaking up with Grigor and how he had a new girlfriend Bouchard…it might be that Maria was in a good mood after wining RG trophy and decided to take the Bulgarian back… 🙂
I think it’s more a case of settling the score in the SF, so the winner gets Grigor.
LOL… 😀
Stan vs Baggy today at Queens…………….can’t wait!
Maybe it’s been already distributed but this is a great great documentary made by l’equipe about Rafa – it’s mostly in French either spoken or with FR subtitles
The title: ‘Rafael Nadal, the secrets of a Giant’.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJINszVUJmI
At one point at the end they ask U. Toni if he is impressed about everything that Rafa has won and he says ‘no’ because he knows his nephew since he was born 🙂
Shireling (at 10:14 am)
I posted it in Rafael Nadal page on May 20 at 7:51 am and later (at 8:07 pm) added translation of non-English parts.
Oh, sorry Augusta08, I thought that somebody must have done it. It is a really good documentary 🙂
You have to be up very quick off the mart to beat Gussie to it……….. I’m not sure if she ever goes to sleep 🙂
Dont know what happened there.
…………..you have to be very quick off the mark……….
Lopez has just dispatched Hewitt. Mummy Murray will be pleased 🙂
Gulbis is out.
By design or accident?
^^Maybe his coach told him beforehand that he had no chance………….
The whole set up sounds a bit rum to me…………….
Presumably the Bresknick tactics are designed to pull Gulbis down a peg or to and put a stop to his bragging and boasting.
I read that Lopez fired 16 aces !
Feli’s a pretty good grass courter. I don’t think he’s a threat at Wimby but he is no slouch on the stuff………….
plus Deliciano serves and vollies…and is a lefty.
Anybody watching Baggy/Wawa? Oh, now the scoreboard is showing Wawa has won after 5 games, what happened? I hope Baggy is just taking precautions and will be ready for Wimby…..
That was a damp squib. Baggy retires against Stan after 5 games, going with serve and Andrew Castle says that that’s the first match Stan has WON at Queens. These people make me laugh.
Baggy got a WC into Wimby this year. What a waste (of a space). 🙂
The pretender formerly known as Stanford has never got past the 4th round at Wimby.
squib vs squib
Watching Kohls now at Halle, looks comfortable………..
Peter Gojomanyconsonants takes the 1st set off of Raonic. I was impressed with Peter when he played Rafa in Doha.
^^snap!
Raonic is being schooled by this Peter surname-with-only2-vowels guy in Halle……………….
I was courtside when Peter Gojo played Rafa in Doha and he was just going haywire at the beginning of the match, but Rafa contained him in the end.
Raonic is one of Ricky’s finalists in Halle.
Raonic is out, thanks to Peter whatshisname………….
Could Rusty’s pension portfolio just be heavily weighted in The Roger Fund?
https://twitter.com/alex_willis/status/476735300207927296
#Musings
#(SorryForMilos)
How did Milos manage to lose to the long surname person? I guess he was not exactly ready to move on to the green stuff…he enjoyed clay too much… 🙂
Probably put too much pressure on himself.
Maybe nadline knows.
I don’t think Milos is built for tennis. He should try basket ball. It’s hard work for him to move around a tennis court and today even his serve was misfiring. He found it very difficult to crouch and hit balls to his target, Some of the shots from any position, even on the run that’s bread and butter for the likes of Nadal, Federer, Djokovic and Murray, Raonic can only dream of.
The other thing is, he’s spent too long relying on his serve. Had he been coached earlier to have an all round game it would have helped, but to start working on movement at his age when he is so set in his ways is just too difficult. It’s difficult to turn a tanker around. He will get some breaks and take some scalps, of course, but they’ll be few and far between.
The ideal height for a tennis player is 6″1 – 6″ 3. We are talking players like Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray. Even players like Berdy and Delpo verge on being a little bit too tall. The Ferrers are a touch too small.
Delpo taller than Milos. Won USO.
Milos is seeded #8 at Wimbledon, tall drink of water or no.
His clay form has improved immensely; credit, I think, to hard work in Valencia and also with Ljubicic and that Italian coach whose name I have temporarily misplaced.
Galo Blanco (from Spain actually) who’s currently coaching 20 yr old Filip Peliwo, a Canadian junior who made it to all four junior slam finals in 2011 winning Wimbledon and US Open.
Rafa plays the Wild Man, 🙂 sorry, Wild Card, Dustin Brown tomorrow. That’s just what Rafa doesn’t need, someone who is so erratic you don’t know what he is going to do next.
We’re talking about practice man, we’re not even talking about the game… the actual game, when it matters… We’re talking about practice …
https://twitter.com/ATPWorldTour/status/476789985874411520
hawkeye63 (at 6:29 pm)
A you Fed’s promoter?
Well I just hope you don’t have a personnel file on me like the one you have on natashao, don’t you? Or do you.
#Worried
#BigBrother
hawkeye63 (at 7:05 pm),
🙄
Her and your ‘personality’ is available in The Grandstand threads for everybody!
Preserved for everyone’s enjoyment and entertainment!
#YoureWelcome
#HUM9LE
Rafa practiced in private away from GW.
That’s only fair nadline. There is no court big enough to hold all of the fans who’d queue to watch Rafa practise. Could have caused a riot.
hawkeye63 ( at 12:24 pm)
—Could have caused a riot.—
Like at Roland Garros
https://twitter.com/adel1609/status/470134470809755648/photo/1
Ricky, can you please change the name of your blog to RafaGrand, AugustaPoliceState or something more apropos?
🙂 😉 🙂 😉 🙄
Don’t stop now boys and girls – the above sequence is making my day.
what about #NineGrand?????
^^^^^Hawkeye will be cross he didn’t come up with the one,
some people are just born smarter than others
congratulations to me
and to whatever mirror i look into next
Well you’d only have to change it back again next June, no?
or #FifteenGrand after Wimbledon
yes, no?
How’s about gussiesRafaBlog then. Has a nice ring to it, no?
Careful Ricky, you’re coming awfully close to outing yourself as a Rafa fanboy……..!
Too late ritb. Ricky’s not as smart as he used to be.
Definite Rafanboy.
He might even get the Gussie Stamp of Approval.
What I want to know is if Andy meets Delicious who will Mummy Murray be cheering for?
Thank goodness Feli has let his hair grow. He looked like an army conscript with it cut so short.
“Robin Haase over (5) Richard Gasquet. Karlovic over Youzhny is obviously a distinct possibility”
Well, you called both of these, Ricky.
Alejandro Falla is through, though.
the list of matches i DIDN’T call, however, is vast…..
Well, it’s like the tournaments themselves — this is a “warmup” for you.
🙂
Tommy Haas is withdrawing from Halle, and his Wimbledon participation might be in jeopardy too
🙁
This is breaking – there isn’t an English translation available yet
http://www.gerryweber-open.de/News/2014/Juni/Tommy-Haas-sagt-verletzt-ab
there’s a whole lot more than just Wimbledon that’s in jeopardy….
Ricky, I’d suggest ‘Rafa’s Palace’.
A rough translation of an interview rafa gave yesterday to Lequipe
Rafael Nadal, how do you feel three days after Roland Garros?
Mentally happy. What happened is a positive injection of energy! But I’m tired, the final in Paris was hard physically, dehydration problems. But I’m happy to be Halle, even if everyone knows that there are concerns to acclimate to the surface. With fatigue, I can not train four hours a day … You realize the scope of a ninth title? The right side of the court, is that you can take right away when we lose a match. The bad is that if we win, we already fear the next game. But the pressure has decreased since Roland, anyway. I heard a lot of statistics as having equaled Sampras with 14 Grand Slam titles. But that is for the future. Me, I was happy to win another Roland, the most important tournament for me.
What is your state of mind after such an important season on earth, before addressing the grass: relieved, or ready for other fights?
I’ll try to do well on grass. The last two years have been difficult for me on this surface. In 2012, I quit seven months after Wimbledon last year, I do not feel ready physically or mentally. And when you feel you have problems moving, it becomes annoying. Especially for me who is not going to plant 35 aces in a match. But I love this area, I experienced a lot of nice success. And I know that to do well at Wimbledon, he will have to work hard to Halle. You will meet Thursday Dustin Brown … Not ideal for a first game! We do not know what can happen with him. He plays the inspiration, it can be very aggressive. He will not give me rhythm from the baseline. This is the tournament of the year where I most likely to be eliminated in the first round. It is a realistic option. Anyone who knows tennis knows. I’ll just do everything to avoid this option. Soon, he will be a women’s tournament in your Majorca on grass. You agree that you? course! The grass is a beautiful surface. And whatever may be the talk of Mallorca is a good idea … ”
http://www.lequipe.fr/Tennis/Actualites/Nadal-je-suis-fatigue/472940
Looks like Murray is heading out of the tourney!!! So there will be no meeting with Cilic!!
What?!! Rafa’s breakpoint conversion against Dustin is abysmal so far!
I saw Dustin play Peter Gojo in Doha, he is so unorthodox. He doesn’t have a second serve he goes for broke with every shot, sometimes they hit the backboard sometimes they work.
Not a normal player.
Rafa down triple set/break points. 🙁
I expected something like this to happen the way Brown plays.
If Rafa loses, it will be the third German to beat him in Halle.
#NoOffense
https://twitter.com/FortyDeuceTwits/status/477125265567784960
Rafa down a set and a break serving at 0-3.
Rafa should have pulled out straight away after seeing the draw.
There is a real silver lining in Rafa losing today.
#DoneAndDustined
I don’t like Rafa losing like this, but I’m not unhappy. He needs to go home and rest. This is not the best first match he could have had on grass, Straight after clay. I was not looking forward to this match.
Rafa, just go home and rest before Wimbledon.
Vamos
I’m free! I have so much I want to do now I don’t have to be tied to the TV 24/7, until Wimbledon.
My expectations for Rafa in this tournament were very low, so my disappointment level is also low. (Of course, I always want him to win, no matter what). Rafa can now go home to his beloved Mallorca and get some much needed rest before preparing for Wimbledon. Kudos to Brown. I saw his interview before the match and he described what he needed to do and he managed to do it.
It’s a day of upsets:
Muzza is out, Rafa’s out and Tsonga’ s a set and a break down to Matosevic as we speak.