Men’s Singles - Round 1 Picks
Jesse Levine (USA) vs. Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG)
Levine comes into the tournament ranked #162 in the world. He is only 2-6 on the year, but one of those wins came in the first round of the Aussie Open. Levine has trained at the NBTA for some time now, and after one year of college he is ready to roll.
Del Potro has been talked about for some time now as one of the best young players on the ATP Tour. So far, he has yet to live up to that billing. He is ranked #66 in the world, and has only played in three matches this year. I would loved to have coached him when he was a couple of years younger, but who knows how that would have affected his game.
Match-Up:
This is quite the match-up, as we have the 6’5” Del Potro against the cockroach Levine (5’9”). For a big guy Del Potro doesn’t move that bad, but it certainly isn’t a strong point of his game. On the other hand, Levine is very quick and gets to more balls than a lot of other player. He will fight you to the bitter end, and one thing I know is that he never concedes a point until it is over. Gabe Jaramillo, Red Ayme, and I have been working with Jesse quite extensively over the past couple of months and the progress is showing!
Nick’s Pick – Levine in 3 sets
Kei Nishikori (JPN) vs. Albert Montanes (ESP)
Nishikori enters the tournament ranked a career high of #120 in the world. He surprised everyone in the world earlier this year with his title at Delray Beach where he defeated Querrey and Blake. He has trained at the NBTA for four year now, and has a tremendous support team behind him.
Montanes is a 27-year old ranked #56 in the world. He has only played in 10 singles matches this year (going 3-7) on the ATP Tour, but he has reached the finals in doubles. He has played in this event four times previously, reaching the second round twice and losing in the first round twice.
Match up:
Nishikori can no longer think of himself as a young player that will surprise his opponents. At this point, he has established himself as a threat to go deep into tournaments. He is as consistent as it gets, and plays an aggressive game. He doesn’t serve huge, and Montanes must take advantage of this. If Nishikori serves well and stays within himself he will win this match. If Montanes is able to frustrate him and take away some easy points, this match could go either way.
Nick’s Pick – Nishikori in 3 sets
Gael Monfils (FRA) vs. John Isner (USA)
Monfils comes into the tournament ranked #65 in the world and has played only two matches this year (losing both of them). This will be the fourth time he has played this tournament, and he did reach the fourth round in 2005.
Isner enters the tournament ranked #87 in the world, which is his career high. He reached the quarters at San Jose, but is playing in this tournament for the first time.
Match up:
Isner is 1-0 against Monfils in his career, with that win coming last year at Washington D.C. I have always liked Isner’s game, because not only can he serve big, but he moves very well for a tall man. He hits solid groundstrokes from both sides, and is capable to coming into the net as well. Monfils is full of promise, but has yet to deliver. He has been hurt and the last couple of years have been like a roller coaster ride for him. I love his game and he has as much talent as anyone, but he needs to put it all together to be a serious threat. I like Isner in this match, but he can’t look forward to a possible 2nd round match against Federer.
Nick’s Pick – Isner in 3 sets
Mardy Fish (USA) vs. Arnaud Clement (FRA)
Fish is coming off an incredible run to the finals at Indian Wells, where he defeated Federer in the semis before falling to Djokovic. With that tournament, he moved up 58 spots in the rankings from #98 to #50.
Clement is an established veteran who is ranked #75 in the world. He is a great doubles player, as evidenced by his run to the finals at the Australian Open earlier this year. So far this year he has a 1-3 record in singles this year, but he is always tough.
Match-Up:
These guys are 1-1 against each other in their careers, but they haven’t played since 2004. Look for Fish to use his big forehand and serve to try and control the match. If he is able to do so, he is hard to beat. Clement is tricky though, and will do his best to keep Fish off balance. Clement is comfortable around the net, and moves quite well. Fish cannot think about his run last week at Indian Wells. The past is over and he must focus on the task at hand. I don’t think Fish will, and I think he will get the win.
Nick’s Pick - Fish in 3 sets
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