Grand Slam Professional Tennis Predictions and Picks by Nick Bollettieri. US Open, French Open, Wimbledon, Australian Open

After a busy weekend in which we saw the Serbian sensations - Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic - claim their respective titles at Indian Wells, there are a lot of things to address. Foremost, I would like to congratulate Novak and Ana on their wins. Both played excellent matches and deserved the title. Once again, we see Djokovic step up to the plate when Federer and Nadal can’t. And Ivanovic has clearly shown that she is the #2 player in the world, and watch out, she may be #1 before you know it.

Here are some of Nick’s thoughts from the weekend:

Roger Federer - No one can predict the outcome, no matter what the stats and experts say. He is clearly the world’s best player, but there are some questions now that are popping up. Is he healthy? Are there off-court situations that have taken away from his normal preparation? Could a coach make a difference? Has he lost his confidence? Is he scared or unsure? Does he know his present play is not as controlling and as versatile as it once was? All of these things are racing through my mind when watching him play. Let’s see if he can rebound this week in Miami.

Mardy Fish - Let’s give some credit where credit is due. He played a great match against Federer, and gave Djokovic all he could handle. He was focused and relentless and never once did he let up with his outstanding play against Fed. He when for big forehand, backhands, and used his sonic serve to force Federer to chip his backhand return (which hurt him tremendously). Mardy has had injuries and down times, but hopefully this win can give him the confidence to be a consistent ATP player. Congrats to Mardy on a great tournament!

Rafael Nadal - I watched him play and once again was impressed by his will to never stop fighting. Here are a couple of things I noticed from his game:

1. Serve - Not a lethal weapon, but it doesn’t put him in a defensive position a majority of the time.
2. Movement - Could not be any better.
3. Backhand - Solid. He can hit it with heavy spin, he hits angles, touch shots, and he can drive the ball.
4. Volley - He does not have to be a genius at the net, because when he does come forward he only has to hit simple block volley to the open court.
5. Forehand - He can hit forehand after forehand, but because of the heavy spin it does not penetrate. This allows the opponent to not only reach the ball, but when forehands are short his opponents go for big shots and winners.

We all love watching Nadal play, but to be #1 in the world and win Grand Slam on all surfaces will not be an easy task for him.

Novak Djokoivc - I was once again throughly impressed by Djokovic. This guy can do it all and if he stays healthy he could take the #1 position sooner rather than later. His personality, plus his respect for the other player and the spectators, make him a great asset for the game of tennis.

Ana Ivanovic - Wow! She has all the tools to become the #1 player in the world. She still hasn’t broken through at a Grand Slam, but winning Indian Wells and reaching the finals of the Aussie Open is a great way to start 2008. I will be keeping my eye on her this week in Miami, because it will be interesting to see how she rebounds from this win. You have to think she is favorite this week, especially with Sharapova not playing.

Here are some highlights from the Djokovic/Fish final, in case you missed the match: