Tennis News

If there’s one thing that tennis fans can argue about endlessly, it is about which era was the strongest. Inevitably, this also comes to comparing the various top players and discussing about which one was the greatest of them all. Andy Murray, who finally brought the Wimbledon title back home in 2013, is often compared to the man who achieved that feat before him, Fred Perry. The achievements are split apart by 77 years, so direct comparisons of their results are pretty hard to do, but one can nonetheless get a feeling about how things have evolved since then. This Huffington Post infographic is going to serve as the starting point for our observation.

During this career, Fred Perry amassed a record of 106 victories and 12 losses, which equals to a win percentage of roughly 90%, a truly staggering number. Andy Murray, on the other hand, was sitting at just 76% after his Wimbledon victory, with 406 wins and 128 losses. On the percentage account, one would be tempted to glorify Perry, but what the numbers show is how much busier tennis is in this era. Perry had plenty of time to prepare for the important events and matches, while Murray is playing in an age in which he has to play basically week in and week out –

This factor is also crucial if we are to compare the other numbers – Fred Perry might have won 8 Grand Slam titles, but only 14 total professional titles in total, while Andy Murray had 27, almost twice the total, to his name back in 2013 despite winning just two Grand Slams. One could say that Perry was dominating his era in a way which Murray will never be able to replicate, but the field of players he had to compete against was incredibly thinner than it is now – for example, a small dig into the history books reveals that the 1934 Australian Open, one of the Grand Slams Perry won, featured players from just two countries (!). Those are things that today’s tennis fans don’t seem to realize. Tennis bettors usually consider things like tournament situations and fitness issues these days – well, things like that didn’t really play a role back then. Another thing that needs to be taken into account and which should play into Murray’s hands is that many – and we even dare to say most – tennis players had the sport as a hobby, with other jobs filling most of their time. Can one even imagine an amateur getting into the main draw of a Grand Slam in the 21st

So, who’s the greater player of the two – Andy Murray or Fred Perry? As far as we are concerned, it has to be Andy Murray by a decent margin, especially since he still has at least a couple of good years ahead of himself. The Scot is playing in an era in which tennis is much more competitive than it was back in Perry’s days, in an era in which he has to play about 70 matches each year if he’s reasonably health, a number that was unthinkable when Perry played. The matches are longer, the demands are higher – and Grand Slam tournaments are a league of its own these days. In fact, we wouldn’t hesitate to say that reaching a Grand Slam final in this era is slightly harder than it was to win a Grand Slam title eighty years ago – and Murray, at the time of writing, already had six of those to his name.

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Back in January, arguably the biggest upset in the entire Australian Open took place in the third round of the tournament when 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer was prematurely ousted from the event by an Italian player he had never lost to prior to that, Andreas Seppi. Now, less than two months player, the two competitors will cross paths for a 12th time on the tour, with Federer leading the head to head series 10-1. Can he avenge his earlier loss this time around?

You can follow the match Live Here: Federer vs Seppi Live Streaming

The second seed at this year’s event reached the third round of the Indian Wells Masters 1000 event with a straight sets victory over Argentina’s Diego Schwartzman. He defeated his adversary 6-4, 6-2, and hit eight aces en route to the 63-minute victory. He will now move on to face Seppi, whom he is looking forward to meeting once again.

“I’m happy to play him again,” Federer said of his next opponent. “I was very disappointed with the performance I had in Australia. I know he can play well and can beat me, that’s not the problem. It was the way I was hitting the ball. I wasn’t playing very committed. I wasn’t sure exactly how I was going to hit my forehand and backhands. It was just a tough match overall and the match slipped away from me.

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The Italian reached the third round in the American desert with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Victor Hanescu. It was an impressive showing and now sets up an intriguing rematch, where all eyes will be on Seppi to see if he can duplicate his earlier efforts against the Swiss star.

“I really thought Seppi did a good job and nice job of putting the pressure on me, as well… I hope this time around it’s going to go better for me,” Federer added. “I will be prepared, there is no doubt about that. I’m happy I’m getting an opportunity to play him right away again.”

This marks the 12th time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with Federer leading the series 10-1. While he has a dominant lead in the series, he suffered a surprising loss to the Italian at this year’s Australian Open, which certainly makes this match far more interesting this time around.

Prediction: Roger Federer in Straight Sets

For the latest tennis picks, check this: Tennis Betting Tips

Seven years removed from their first and only meeting on the ATP World Tour, Rafael Nadal will once again encounter local talent Donald Young at a Masters 1000 event. Their previous meeting, one that took place in 2008, solidified a 1-0 head-to-head series lead for the Spaniard, and he will be keen to maintain that lead en route to the fourth round.

Watch the match live here: Nadal vs Young Live Stream

The third seed earned a straightforward win on Sunday afternoon to advance to the third round in the American desert. He defeated Igor Sijsling 6-4, 6-2 in a match that lasted 97 minutes, and saw the Spaniard win 96% of his first service points in the process.

“He’s an aggressive player,” Nadal said of Sijsling. “I think I played well. I think I played a solid match to be the first match. I played with not many mistakes, winning a good percentage of points with my serve. One very important thing for me are the movements, and I think I moved myself a little bit quicker tonight than what I was doing one month ago.”

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With his straight sets win on Sunday, Donald Young is through to the third round of the Masters 1000 event, which equals the best performance he has ever had at a tournament this size. He defeated Jeremy Chardy 6-4, 6-2 to secure his spot in the third round against the renowned former champion.

“I think [Young] improved a lot the last couple of years,” Nadal said. “He’s playing very well, winning a lot of matches. Could be a very tough opponent for me. After tomorrow, I hope to be ready for it.”

This marks just the second time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, and the first time in over six years. Nadal leads the series 1-0 and will look to notch another victory in their Tuesday encounter.

Prediction: Rafael Nadal in Straight Sets

For the first time since 2013, world No. 1 Serena Williams and American youngster Sloane Stephens will meet on the WTA tour to rekindle their rivalry. Stephen’s ascended to notoriety with her upset victory over Williams at the Australian Open two years ago but still rails her American counterpart 1-2 in the head-to-head series.

Follow the match Live Here: Williams vs Stephens Live Streaming

The top seed at this year’s Indian Wells event secured her spot in the fourth round of the tournament with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Zarina Diyas in a match that lasted just 53 minutes. It was much different to her first match back in 14 years where she was clearly emotional and struggled en route to victory.

“I was just trying to get there and win my match in the first round,” she said. “I ended up playing a girl who was super tricky, and I was trying to stay focused, plus all the other stuff going on. But yesterday was super relaxing. It was good to have a day off to have a chance to prepare for my next match.

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Serena’s third opponent in the American desert will be Sloane Stephens, who is playing some formidable tennis for the first time in a while. She followed up on her upset win over Germany’s Angelique Kerber with a rollercoaster three-set win over Svetlana Kuznetsova. She eventually won the match 7-6(4), 1-6, 6-4 to set up the riveting encounter with Williams.

“I’ve had some tough matches with Sloane,” Williams said. “She’s had an interesting year, but I’ve noticed she’s been playing really well. She moves well and tries to do her best for everything.”

This marks the fourth time that Williams and Stephens will cross paths on the professional tour with Williams leading the series 2-1. The two have not crossed paths in over two years, which will certainly make their upcoming encounter an interesting one. In the end, Williams should still have little trouble closing out this match.

Prediction: Serena Williams in Straight Sets

Following a long layoff due to a right shoulder injury, reigning US Open champion Marin Cilic began his 2015 season this week in Indian Wells, where suffered a premature exit in his opening match in the desert.

While the world No. 10 lost to Juan Monaco in straight sets 6-4, 6-4, he was pleased with his performance, as he didn’t have high expectations for his first match back on tour.

“I wasn’t expecting that I’m going to be playing great tennis, which is always difficult in the first couple of matches,” he said. “Some players do feel great from the beginning, but I’m the kind of player that needs a few matches to get into it.”

It was a difficult road to his return at Indian Wells, and Cilic was not afraid to admit it. He even had some lingering pain in his shoulder, which is why he was unable to serve well.

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“In these last, let’s say 20 days, you get some blisters by not playing,” Cilic admitted. “Your body is sore, shoulder is sore, wrist, things like that. It wasn’t the best, but I’m looking forward. I’m looking at this as good preparation…”

Cilic will now look forward to continuing his steady return to the ATP World Tour by playing doubles with a player who has also been bitten by the injury bug, Juan Martin del Potro.

“You know how important it is to play matches, to play official matches, and to get myself going and to feel this feeling on the court,” he said. “With the doubles, I spoke with Delpo, and he expressed desire to play and also to get back on the court, as well. He’s planning to play in Miami, so a few matches in the doubles is always helpful.”