Dismal Day for Andy Murray...

   Today, tennis player Andy Murray suffered another bruising defeat in the Sony Ericsson Open. Though he was not to long ago marked by tennis commentators as a player with commendable game play that could allow him to win Grand Slams, he still has yet to achieve such heights. Now a far flung number 5 player, Murray has since battled to reignite a flame that can bring spring in his game, which he bitterly lost after a defeat down under by Serbian Novak Djokovic during his quest for an Australian Open title.

   Murray's defeat today toppled another upsetting defeat which came from an American qualifier Alex Bogomolov Jr. in two sets: 6-1, 7-5. This is not the first upset the Scotsman has tasted, since last week he faced an upset by another young American player Donald Young. Though his slump is no doubt attributed to his repeated chances of a Grand Slam being chased away by tennis's greats, if Murray really wants to taste a win he needs to buckle down, play with aggression, and have an attitude to WIN.

Citation: Jenkins, Tom. Andy Murray: Semifinal Coverage Averaged 7.6m Viewers. Photograph. Guardian.co.uk. 6 July 2009. Web. 25 Mar. 2011. <http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/jul/06/andy-murray-wimbledon-semifinal-tv-ratings>.

 

BNP Paribas

  Today Indian Wells saw two finals in tennis that showed the dominant players of 2011. The two athletes who defined themselves as the ones to beat were Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, who is the current number #1 on the women's side, and Novak Djokovic of Serbia, the current #2 on the men's tour. Both athletes showed their prowess in the court through their ability to react to their opponents serve as well as covering all aspects of the court, which more often than not saved them both in their tough three set matches. Now let's not discredit nor forget the difficulty their opponents gave, since both of their opponents showed competitiveness and power throughout the match. With respect to Caro's opponent Frechwoman Marian Bartoli, Bartoli used her unorthodox two handed groundstrokes to blast Caro off the court and take rhythm off Caro's forehand, which for awhile gave the Dane quite a test. Yet, what Bartoli lacked in comparison to the number 1 player in the latter stages of the third set, is that she lacked both speed and the tenacity to turn every shot into a winning shot. 
     With respects to the men's final, let's just say it was expected that Djoker would give Nadal a run for his money. With a 17-0 winning streak going into the final against Nadal, Djoker was touted by many sports analyst as the one to beat. Coming off a third consecutive win off of Federer, Djoker played Nadal like he was the number 1 player. Though Nadal was able to get the first set through good serves and tricky body serves, Nadal's serves let him down when they counted most in the second and third set. What Djoker showed in the match was definitive groundstrokes that were strong on the baseline, good defense, and most of all STRONG SERVES.
     Overall, Indian Wells did not disappoint with a week of good tennis and competitiveness. Wozniacki and Djoker made their mark on hard courts this week, but let's see if they can take their success and transition it to the next tourney in Miami.