Taylor Dent training at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy

Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy pros Taylor Dent and Jesse Levine both played and won their first round matches at the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, Rhode Island. Dent, who received a wild card, beat Brazilian Marcos Daniel 6-2, 6-1 and will face either Fabrice Santoro or Flavio Cipolla in the second round. Levine defeated the big-serving Australian Chris Guccione 7-6(2), 7-6(2) and will take on either Philipp Petzschner or Horacio Zeballos in the next round.

Congrats to both players and good luck in the next round.

Sabine Lisicki at Wimbledon 2009

Two young Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy students, Sabine Lisicki and Michelle Larcher de Brito, continued to move up in the rankings after solid performances at Wimbledon. Lisicki, 19, reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career at Wimbledon, beating seeds Anna Chakvetadze, Svetlana Kuznetsova (2009 French Open champion) and Caroline Wozniacki. She is now ranked a career high of #26 in the world and is primed to continue advancing up throughout 2009!

Also making strides is 16-year old Portuguese sensation, Michelle Larcher de Brito. She moved up 15 spots from #91 to a career high of #76 and is the youngest player ranked in the top 100. After qualifying for the French Open, she reached the third round and beat #15 Zie Jheng along the way. She then received a wild card into Wimbledon and won her first round match against Klara Zakopalova before falling to Francesca Schiavone in two tough tiebreak sets.

Congrats to both girls and good luck in the future!

From The Independent Newspaper by Nick Bollettieri

Men’s Final

Holy cow! Another five-set final on the glorious lawns of Wimbledon and another stunning match. I find it almost unbelievable that Andy Roddick, who put up a Titanic fight, lost the title because he dropped his serve once. Once! Think about that. The kid played fantastically for the whole fortnight, goes into the final as the underdog but takes the Greatest Of All Time to five, holds his serve for 37 consecutive games in that final, but drops one, and it’s over. Ouch.

At the same time, massive respect must go to Andy for his role in the final, to the crowd who were respectful beyond words, and to the sportsmanship of the whole occasion. It was a day with multiple winners: Roddick, the Championships, even Andy Murray, whose performance in the semi-final can be viewed in even more of a flattering light now. Andy M, you have nothing too much to worry about in losing to Andy R in the form of his life.

And then there’s Roger, the GOAT in my view, as regular readers will know.

What a champion. And what a way to take the outright record for winning the most Grand Slam singles titles. He endured. He didn’t have his very best day yesterday. But it was still way, way better than most mortals can aspire to.

And he held his nerve, and he stayed the course, and his serve was as terrific as the near faultless Roddick. Yes, there were some errors in there too, but the shot selection was brilliant at times.

This was an appropriate way for Roger to win his sixth Wimbledon and his 15th Slam; with a real test against a guy playing out of his skin, with all the pressure of expectation that even a steely competitor like Roger cannot be immune to.

I mean, hell! You already had Bjorn Borg, Rod Laver and Manuel Santana, three greats, sitting in the front row of the Royal Box when the match started. So no pressure there! And then at 2-1 in the first set, in comes “Pistol” Pete Sampras!

And the crowd acknowledge him there and then. That’s pressure, and yet when the heat was on, Roger came through.

Not easily, though. He was broken mainly through his own errors in the 12th game of the first set. Andy’s awesome consistency with serve hurt Roger. Roger might also have got a bit confused out there and thought he was playing on clay – by the end it was real dirt ball.

But then in the breaker in the second set, as Andy felt the weight of the world on his shoulders to let slip a 6-2 lead, we must credit Roger’s Zen- like calm in taking advantage. Same thing in the third set, when Andy came back at him but Roger swatted the set home with crashing forehand volley.

Back came A-Rod, in the fourth, to set up the epic fifth. Something had to give and it wasn’t Roger, saving two break points in the 17th game. If Andy was serving superbly (27 aces), then Roger was beating him in numbers (50 aces! His most ever. Holy Mackerel!) if not in power. And when it mattered, in that last set, he just got cooler and cooler. I thought we might even see that roof after all, and still be playing today.

I always thought Roger would win, throughout the fortnight, as I kept writing, and through the match. But I didn’t envisage it would be so easy to get to the final and then so hard when he got there. What a spectacle. What a show. Roll on 2010.

Serena and Venus Williams were the other big weekend winners, Serena in the singles and both sisters in the doubles. Well done, girls, I’m proud to know you and you’re a credit to your family, to America and to your sport. Another of the fortnight’s winners was my boy Tommy Haas, who reached the semi-final against the odds with a spring in his step. Sabine Lisicki also did well at 19 to reach her first Slam quarter-final. The future’s so bright I gotta keep on my shades.

Every day throughout Wimbledon Nick’s Picks will bring you the latest analysis and predictions. We are also teaming up with The Independent Newspaper in London to cover the event!

Roger Federer (SUI) vs. Andy Roddick (USA)

Haas pushed Federer in the semis, but it was Federer that was able to take his game to the next level and reach the finals of Wimbledon for the seventh consecutive time. Federer didn’t face a single break point on his serve and committed just 15 unforced errors (compared to 31 from Haas). He also won close to 90% of the points on his first serve and came to the net 43 times (converting 88% of the time). Federer demonstrated why he is the most versatile player in the game.

Roddick continued his fantastic play with a dramatic four-set victory over Andy Murray in the semis. He served exceptionally well (getting in 75% of his first serves) and his movement was superb. Roddick also came into the net much more than Murray (75 times to 20 times) and this really put pressure on his opponent. This is Roddick’s third Wimbledon final and first since 2005. He is also looking for his second career Grand Slam title having not won one since the 2003 US Open.

Match-Up:

Federer is 18-2 against Roddick and has beaten him three times already this year. This is their fourth meeting at Wimbledon and their third in the finals. Federer has won all of those matches, while dropping only one set. There would be no better place for Federer to break Pete Sampras’ Grand Slam title record than at Wimbledon. When you combine Federer’s history there with the ambiance of Wimbledon, you couldn’t ask for a better situation if you are a sports fan.

This will not be an easy match for Federer with the way Roddick is playing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Roddick serve so well over a period of this many matches and he is forcing the issue as well. He’s played two very difficult matches (Hewitt and Murray) and is in the best shape of his life. There is no doubt that his coach, Larry Stefanki, will have him ready for Federer both mentally and physically. The question is, how will he handle Federer’s variety?

Watching Federer is like watching a magician. He hits shots that leave you scratching your head trying to figure out how he just did that. You saw that look from Tommy Haas a couple of times during the semis. He has only dropped one set in the entire tournament (to Kohlschreiber in the third round) and has looked very comfortable on the court. It is just amazing to watch how easy the game comes to Federer and it is simply beautiful.

I definitely feel that Roddick can put pressure on Federer enough to make this interesting. He needs to continue serving well and coming in when he can (and when Federer doesn’t expect it). There is no doubt that you have to give the edge to Federer, but don’t count Roddick totally out until the match is over!

Nick’s Pick – Federer in 4 sets

Every day throughout Wimbledon Nick’s Picks will bring you the latest analysis and predictions. We are also teaming up with The Independent Newspaper in London to cover the event!

Serena Williams (USA) vs. Venus Williams (USA)

Serena had to fight her butt off to get by Elena Dementieva in the semifinals, but she hung tough and demonstrated what a great competitor she is. Dementieva played fantastic tennis and if it was anybody else across the net from her, she probably would have won. Serena is looking for her third Wimbledon title and her first since 2003. If she wins the title she will have won three out of the last four Grand Slams!

Venus blasted Dinara Safina off the court in 51 minutes, beating the top-ranked Russian 6-1, 6-0. Venus broke Safina five times in five chances and only made one unforced error in the match! She hasn’t dropped a set at Wimbledon since the third round back in 2007 when she needed three sets to beat Akiko Morigami. If she wins it will be her third consecutive Wimbledon title and the sixth of her illustrious career.

Match-Up:

Serena and Venus are 10-10 against each other and have split the two matches they have played this year. This is the second straight year they have faced in the finals of Wimbledon, and last year Venus won 7-5, 6-4. This will also be their eighth meeting in the finals of a Grand Slam and Serena is 5-2 in their previous seven.

It is great to see two Americans facing off in the finals. It is fantastic for the sport, especially in the USA. We don’t have too many players ranked in the top 100 (currently there are 4) and without Venus and Serena we wouldn’t have any women ranked inside the top 50! They are certainly carrying the load for America right now and doing a superb job of it!

Based on the history of the last couple of years, you have to give the edge to Venus. She has played unbelievable on the grass and has won the title the last two years. On the other hand, you can never count out Serena in the finals of a Grand Slam. Both girls have big serves, great groundstrokes and are excellent movers. Both are comfortable at the net and both will fight to the bitter end. I don’t think the match Serena played against Dementieva will have any bearing on this one because when the sisters play it is different than anything else in the sport.

Having traveled with the girls and worked with them both since they were little, I just cannot choose one over the other. The one thing I can guarantee is that this is going to be an excellent match. Send in your pick and let’s see who can get closest to the actual result!

Nick’s Pick – You pick the match!

Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy student Jordan Cox

Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy student and American Jordan Cox reached the finals of the Junior Wimbledon Championships today by defeating another NBTA student and American Devin Britton. The match was an epic battle between two boys who know each other very well (they are playing doubles together there!). Cox won 6-3, 6-7(5), 16-14 in  a match that lasted over two and a half hours. Both boys played outstanding tennis and it came to Cox breaking Britton at 15-14 in the third set.

Cox will now face Russian Andrey Kuznetsov in the finals after Kuznetsov defeated another NBTA student, Bernard Tomic, 6-3, 7-6(6). This will be the first meeting between the 17-year old Cox and the 18-year old Kuznetsov. Currently, Cox is ranked #80 in the world in the junior rankings and Kuznetsov is #35.

Congratulations to Jordan for reaching the finals and also congrats to Devin and Bernard for getting to the semis!

Bernard Tomic training at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy

Three of the players left in the semis of the Boys’ Singles at Junior Wimbledon all make their home at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy. Jordan Cox, Devin Britton, and Bernard Tomic all train at the NBTA and all three have a chance to win the title in London.

Britton, who just won the NCAA Men’s Singles championship, will face Cox, while Tomic will take on Andrey Kuznetsov of Russia in the other semi. There is a real possibility that the finals of Junior Wimbledon will pit two NBTA students against each other.

Cox, 17, is currently ranked #80 in the world in the juniors and is playing in his first Junior Grand Slam semi. Britton, 18, is currently the world’s 23rd ranked junior and just completed his first semester at Ole Miss. He reached the finals of last year’s Junior US Open and he just won the junior tournament at Roehampton on grass right before Wimbledon. Finally, Tomic is the third seed in the tournament made his mark on the tennis world earlier this year by winning a round at the Australian Open. He is only 16 years old and is already ranked #354 in the ATP rankings.

Good luck to all three of them in the semifinals!

Every day throughout Wimbledon Nick’s Picks will bring you the latest analysis and predictions. We are also teaming up with The Independent Newspaper in London to cover the event!

Roger Federer (SUI) vs. Tommy Haas (GER)

Federer did what no one else has been able to do in this tournament: break Ivo Karlovic’s serve. He did it two times and didn’t face a single break point on his own serve. Federer has now reached the semis of 21 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments, which is a remarkable streak in itself. I don’t think there is anyone playing better than Mr. Federer right now and it is going to take a Herculean effort to stop him!

I couldn’t be prouder of my boy Tommy Haas for reaching the semis. He is playing unbelievable tennis right now and I am thrilled for him. This is Haas’ first appearance in the semis at Wimbledon and it’s the fourth time he has reached the semis of any Grand Slam. A win here would put him in the finals of a Grand Slam for the very first time in his career!

Match-Up:

Federer is 9-2 against Haas and just beat him in the fourth round at the French Open. That was an extremely close match tough during which Haas won the first two sets and was one point away from going up a break in the third set when Federer found his game. He came storming back to win the last two sets 6-0, 6-2. That match will give Haas confidence knowing that he can play and win this match.

One aspect of Haas’ game that has plagued him over the years is controlling his emotions. He has done a remarkable job of that at this year’s Wimbledon, which has allowed him to win big points at crucial times. He is serving really, really well and this is especially true on the second serve. He may have a lot of double faults, but it is that strategy of constantly attacking that has allowed him to reach the semis. His slice is really biting, he is hitting the one-handed backhand beautifully, and the killer forehand is right on target. Haas has also moved his position a little closer to the baseline and is coming into the net whenever he can (including when you don’t think he will!). When you put all of that together, you have a very dangerous opponent.

On the other side of the net, you have the master. Federer is on cruise control right now and handled the serve of Karlovic better than anyone. Federer’s return of serve is one of, if not, the best on tour and it is very difficult to beat him with just a serve. Federer is making quick work of all his opponents so far, but without a doubt, Haas will be the most difficult. Tommy plays a game that can give Federer fits, especially when he is constantly coming in. I will definitely agree that Federer is the favorite to win this match and the tournament, but Haas will make this close. I have so much respect for both of these guys that I just can’t pick one to win this match!

Nick’s Pick – Too close to call!

Andy Roddick (USA) vs. Andy Murray (GBR)

It was good for Murray to get an easy win after such a difficult fourth round match. It showed he is composed, mentally strong, and can handle the pressure. He is now one win away from reaching his first career Wimbledon final and his second Grand Slam final overall. There is already a two-day wait in the queue to see Murray, and they better start lining up now if they want to get a chance to see him in the finals should he win.

Roddick survived by the slimmest of margins in the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-7(10), 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-4 victory over former Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt. Roddick hasn’t been to the finals of a Grand Slam since the 2006 US Open and he hasn’t been to the semis of Wimbledon since 2005.

Match-Up:

Murray is 6-2 against Roddick and beat him earlier this year on the hard courts in Doha. Roddick served incredibly well against Hewitt, hitting a career high 43 aces and getting in 73% of his first serves. Against Murray he is going to need a similar effort because Murray is an excellent returner of serve. Roddick probably has a bigger forehand than does Murray, and his backhand has really improved. Murray is definitely the better defensive player and covers the court exceptionally well. Don’t forget about Murray’s serve as well. It has improved over the last year and he places it superbly.

With the crowd behind him, Murray is tough to beat. If Roddick doesn’t get a high percentage of first serves in and doesn’t win a lot of free points with it, he is going to be in big trouble. If the serve is working like it did against Hewitt then this match will be close. Overall, I feel Murray can do a little more with his shots and I have to give him the slight edge.

Nick’s Pick – Murray in 4 or 5 sets

Every day throughout Wimbledon Nick’s Picks will bring you the latest analysis and predictions. We are also teaming up with The Independent Newspaper in London to cover the event!

Dinara Safina (RUS) vs. Venus Williams (USA)

Safina fought very hard in her quarterfinal win over Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy student Sabine Lisicki. This is Safina’s first appearance in the semifinals of Wimbledon and her fourth consecutive Grand Slam overall where she has reached at least the semis. This is a great chance for her to prove to everyone that she is the best player in the world, because a win over Venus on grass is extremely difficult.

Venus moved on rather easily in the quarterfinals, beating Aggie Radwanska 6-1, 6-2 to advance to the semis for third straight year. Like Federer, she is looking for her sixth Wimbledon title, which would put her in a class with very few others. She has yet to drop a set and has only lost a total of 19 games in five matches!

Match-Up:

Venus is 2-1 against Safina, but the Russian won their only match this year on clay at Rome. Something tells me that is not going to happen here. Safina doesn’t have the best track record in big matches, but this time she isn’t the favorite. They may help her loosen up a bit and relax. For a #1 player, she is to tense and always seems like a volcano that is ready to blow. That has to change if she is going to be a consistent winner on the grandest of stages. Venus just seems so comfortable right now and with her wingspan and fantastic groundstrokes it is going to be very hard for anyone to beat her. I just think stroke for stroke and pound for pound, Venus has the advantage.

Nick’s Pick – V. Williams in 3 sets

Serena Williams (USA) vs. Elena Dementieva (RUS)

Like big sister Venus, Serena hasn’t dropped a set either. She didn’t have much trouble with talented youngster, Victoria Azarenka, dropping the Belarusian 6-2, 6-3. Serena is looking to get back to the finals for the second straight year and is looking for her first Wimbledon title since winning it back-to-back in 2002-2003. Serena has won two out of the last three Grand Slams and I wouldn’t be surprised to see her get another trophy!

Dementieva reached the semis here last year and has now advanced to the semis of four out of the last five Grand Slams. She hasn’t been to the finals of a Grand Slam since 2004 when she went to both the French Open and US Open finals. Like Venus and Serena, she hasn’t dropped a set either and hasn’t really been challenged at all.

Match-Up:

Serena is 5-3 against Dementieva and in their two matches this year they split. These girls have a long history and know each other well. There will be no surprises in this match and I expect it to be very competitive. Dementieva will use her superb groundies and excellent footwork to combat the great power of Serena. Although Dementieva’s serve is improved, it still isn’t a weapon against a player like Serena. Look for the American to jump on any weak serve and go for winners. Serena has been absolutely dominant in her run to the semis and has really cut down on her errors. She is doing just about everything as well as anyone can and I think she will continue that en route to the finals!

Nick’s Pick – S. Williams in 3 sets