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

Serena Williams Vs. Maria Kirilenko 

Maria is a super counter puncher and has one of the best slices to throw off the time of big hitters.

No reason to write too much about Serena except for her power and speed. She has flat penetrating deep groundies.

Nick’s Pick- If I was a betting man, I would bet everything I have except my 8th wife and 8 children that Williams moves on.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Vs. Richard Gasquet

Gasquet is playing the best tennis of his career and is full of confidence. Tsonga fire power. This match is two frenchman going toe to toe. Can Tsonga breakdown the super backhand of Gasquet. Tsonga is a crowd pleaser and will need this support to beat Gasquet.

Seppi Vs. Chardy

Chardy played a fantastic match, beating the favorite Del Potro. Seppi, of course he is italian, has quietly moved into the 4th round. How much of a tool did the 5 setter take out of Chardy and will he he have the leg movement to hit his huge forehand.

Milos Raonic Vs. Roger Federer 

Milos is a big boy and only 22. His game is based on fire power with a huge serve, knock you down forehand, and a very steady two handed backhand. He is a player to look out for and sure to be a top 10 player.

With his size, he must be careful not to stand too far behind the baseline making his power less effect.

No need to write and write about Roger. He is in my opinion the best player in the history of the game. He will have to break serve only a few times to win this match, he does not have the huge boom boom serve but comes up with the big, well placed serve when he needs to.

Nick’s Pick- Federer in 3, maybe 4 sets .

Posted in 2013 Australian Open

Juan Martin Del Potro Vs. Jeremy Chardy

Jeremy was in a group with Simon, Berdych, and others that have the ability to be in the top 10 but has fallen short of his goals.

When you have an aggressive serve, plus a high kick to the ad side, it gives you an advantage to win your serve. He favors his inside out forehand, his backhand is steady, and he can change the pace with his darn good slice. His backhand can be a question mark.

Del Potro is healthy and will not leave Australia until the grand slam is finished. Yes, he has what it takes to take out any of the top seeds because he is healthy again. He can hurt you with his serve, powerful forehand, and coming into the court hitting his two handed backhand very early.

Nick’s Pick- This match goes to Del Potro

Richard Gasquet Vs. Ivan Dodig

My only comment- Richard is playing the best tennis of his life and feel he will get to the next round.

Bernard Tomic Vs. Roger Federer 

Tomic is really waking up and drawing lots of attention with his dad telling the world that Bernard is ready to make his move.

Roger does all of his talking with his racket and has the ability to change the pace of the game at any time. Do not bet against Roger but I feel that Tomic will be on the top real soon.

Giles Simon Vs. Gael Monfils 

Two frenchmen going up against each other. Simon has more power but Monfils has everything including the kitchen sink. Anytime that Monfils plays it is a stage show

Victoria Azarenka Vs. Jamie Hampton

Jamie is only 24. She is a fierce competitor who is not timid about playing the big game. She has an all court game with no major weaknesses.

Azarenka plays the game with only one thought in mind- I’m going to take it to you and will not quiet it down.

Nick’s Pick- The odds favor Azarenka but who cares; Jamie can come out and compete. She has nothing to lose.

Serena Williams Vs. Ayumi Morita

Ayumi has solid groundies, plays close to the baseline, moves well, and has an average serve. Sorry, the only way Morita can win this is if Serena cant play.

Svetlana Kuznetsova Vs. Carla Suarez Navarro

It wasnt too long ago that Svetlana was ranked amongst the best in the world. Then the bottom fell out for so many reasons. She is a seasoned veteran who always fought for every point and got to every ball. Her groundies are darn good, she stands close to the baseline.

Carla is fiesty, with a one handed backhand. She will get to just about every ball and feels she can beat the best.

Nick’s pick- I pick Kuznetsova to pull off the upset.

Posted in 2013 Australian Open

Trying something new- I will give you my breakdowns on the match-ups including each players weaknesses and strengths. Post to my twitter @nickbollettieri your thoughts and predictions

Women’s  

Venus Williams Vs. Maria Sharapova 

This match will be watched so closely that many will think it is the super bowl. We are all aware that Venus has experienced very difficult times with her health, which has affected one of her strong factors in her game; movement. She played in a warmup tournament the week before and clearly showed some of her previous balance.

Maria is #2 in the world and shows no signs of letting up or her shoulder injury. Both of these girls play close to the baseline and for the most part play very aggressively. If Venus can regain her serve, move well, and attack the net the match will be something to watch.

Maria will hit hard and flat to every inch of the court, that is her style and she is tough as nails. The second serve of Sharapova must be attacked by Venus

Heather Watson Vs. Agnieszka Radwanska 

Heather- Former IMG Academy student, still comes back all the time. This is a big opportunity for Heather.

1. Very solid groundstrokes

2. Stands fairly close to to the baseline

3. Excellent movement

4. Lots of confidence in her volleys

5. Return of serve is darn good

6. Serve is a question mark

7. She must go for it, especially on big points

Agnieszka-

1. Excellent foot speed

2. Has very soft hands in executing her touch shots

3. Does not go for just winners

4. Reaches almost every ball

Julia Goerges Vs. Zheng Jie

Julia-

1. Big girl and only 24 years old

2. Good 1st serve but you can attack her 2nd serve

3. Improved her forehand

4. Shows little emotion

Zheng-

1. Both serves put her on the defense

2. She dictates play standing close to the baseline with flat groundies

3. She has a very effective slice

4. Forehand breaks down

IF YOU WERE  JULIA’S  COACH WHAT WOULD YOU DO?? ESPECIALLY WITH HER BEING A SHOT MAKER.

Li Na Vs. Sorana Cirstea

This matchup favors Li Na.

Li Na-

1. Hits the ball early with very little spin

2. Aggressive return of serve

3. Moves real well and is comfortable at the net

4. Has cut down on errors and is getting smarter

Sorana-

1. Hits the tar out of the ball

2. Backhand is strongest

3. Very emotional

4. Good 1st serve and moves her 2nd around

Ana Ivanovic Vs. Jelena Jankovic

The outcome of this match will be decided by the emotions from Jelena. She must look to herself not her coaches. She changes coaches more than I have changed wives.

Ana-

1. Big girl

2. Played top level tennis but is now too defensive

3. Techniques are a coach’s dream

4. Moves extremely well but must get more aggressive

5. Has trouble closing out matches

Jelena- 

1. One of the best movers on the tour

2. Fantastic 2 handed backhand down the line

3. Hits an aggressive forehand

4. Gets too emotional

Men’s 

Novak Djokovic Vs. Radek Stepanek

Radek lives in Bradenton and has trained at the IMG Academy Bollettieri Tennis Program for many years. He is 34 years old and does not have an extra ounce of body fat in his body. He has excellent groundstrokes from both sides. His backhand down the line is very dangerous. He prefers to serve out wide to both sides and he has darn good touch.

There is no reason to write much about Novak. Novak will move Radek around the court and try to breakdown his forehand. I dont see Radek having much of a chance from the backcourt.

He must go for winners and do all sorts of things to confuse Novak and throw off his timing.

David Ferrer Vs. Marcos Baghdatis 

David is the most underrated player on the tour and I am sure this doesnot bother him, especially being seeded #4 in the ATP. Once again, he really has no weakness but to win a grand slam he does not have that 1-2 weapon.

Marcos is Marcos and a delight to watch and he should charge a cover for the show he puts on. He has a darn good first serve but an inconsistent 2nd. He has a super backhand down the line but he makes silly mistakes.

This is not a good matchup for Marcos because David will not miss but he should know this going in. To make this a battle, Marcos must keep his temper in check and play aggressive.

Lets see if Marcos tests his rackets by banging them on the ground again.

Posted in 2013 Australian Open

There is no sure thing in life. Watching Serena play last night vs. Edina Gallovits, she was in outer space but did not miss a ball. Running wide to her forehand side, she slid onto the shot and then it happened. SHE ROLLED HER ANKLE!

The fans and all the TV audience held their breath as the trainers and doctors ran to her side. During the 10 minute delay, the trainers took minutes to unravel the mountain of tape that she had on her already weak ankle. Then they wrapped it again with enough tape to wrap an entire football team.

The match resumed and who knows how she did it, but Serena went on to win 6-0. 6-0. She will have x-rays and an MRI done today to determine if she has any serious injuries. At the post game interview she said that you must play through difficult times and plans to still play doubles with Venus.

Lets pray that the examination does not show major damage. If Serena cannot move at full speed the trophy will go in another direction.

Posted in 2013 Australian Open

It sure was a long night of tennis.  I started watching at 7:30 and stayed up till 1:30 am. Then I woke up at 5 and watched till 9.  I enjoyed every minute of it and will give you some of my thoughts on the players.

Congratulations to the IMG Academy pros who won last night including: Heather Watson, Jelena Jankovic,  Xavier Malisse, Maria Sharapova, Kei Nishikori, Venus Williams, and Ryan Harrison.

Venus Williams, who played like a young girl, has people already talking about a 3rd round match up with Maria Sharapova. This match will be special.

Both the American ladies and men had a good start, and Novak Djokovic showed that he truly is a joy to watch and a crowd pleaser.

Sam Stosur- 

1. When she is not feeling the ball, go to your very effective low slice

2. She has one of the most effective kick serves in the history of the WTA, players are now finding ways to handle it. Sam must change it around and get more first serves in.

3. Stosur is not a natural mover, especially when moving to her right side.

Steve Johnson Vs. Nicolas Almagro 

This was a long 5 set match. Steve was one of the most successful college players. He won 42 matches in a row while attending USC. He is a big boy at 6’2″ and not only is he a big serve, but takes advantage of any defensive returns hit to his best shot; his huge forehand. He likes quick points and is very comfortable at the net. H has the game to crack the top 25 but needs to play against more seasoned pros.

Lleyton Hewitt vs. Janko Tipsarevic

Yes, Janko won this match in 3 sets, but it was a battle that I truly enjoyed watching. I gained so much more respect for Lleyton if that is even possible. Lleyton has helped the game in so many ways, especially fighting and thinking he can reach every ball.

Janko is not well known to many people, but he isnow in the top 10 and he deserves to be there. Why? He has an excellent out wide serve, his forehand is very explosive and he has cut down on the errors. He has a beautiful two handed backhand.

Ryan Harrison-

Ryan gained a great deal of confidence when he and his coach trained at the IMG Academy before this tournament. His father got to spend more time with him and his new coach, this was totally productive.

We can talk all day about his match against Giraldo, but Ryan was able to win because he was in total control of his emotions after a shaky first set. Giraldo lost his cool and it was one of the main factors why he lost.

Posted in 2013 Australian Open