|
June 22, 2010 |
|
I woke up yesterday morning on Day 1 of Wimbledon to see Fed losing? I turned on the TV at 5-5 in the fourth set and thought I was dreaming. Wow was that a surprise. The match was over after the 4th, but with a little more confidence Falla could have finished Roger off. Wouldn’t that have been the biggest upset of all time? I think so. Glad Roger made it through, best for all interested tennis fans. The grass plays slower than when I played, giving less advantage to the big servers. Soderling and Roddick can still do damage. I think Roddick could have made the final if he wasn’t matched up with Fed in the semis. Maybe he still can since Fed seems a bit slow, not moving like he usually does. Almost looked as if the #1 and #3 seeds would fall yesterday, as Federer and Djokovic both struggled. You know I think Taylor Dent may give Djokovic a match in round 2, look out for that one, considering he is one of the last few true serve and volleyers left. Interesting to see how Nadal comes out, you know how confident he is coming off clay court season where he is king. Nadal/Soderling in the quarters could make for some fun tennis, I see Nadal and Murray making it through, with Nadal reaching the finals to face Fed. Fed will win Wimbledon again this year, that has to be my prediction. On the women’s side, Clijsters and Henin in the round of 16 will be nice for the fans to see, but I have to say Venus Williams is the overall favorite. For the Aussie's, Lleyton came out slow but recovered well against Maximo Gonzalez in Round 1. Monfils is a tough third round match-up, but I think Lleyton can push through to face Djokovic or Dent in the round of 16, with a pretty good chance to make the quarters. On the Ladies side, I was surprised to see Stosur go down so early after improving so much throughout the year. Maybe she was a bit fatigued after the French. I hope my predictions do ok, enjoy the tennis over the next two weeks.
|
| |
|
October 10, 2009 |
|
Hi Everyone, Mark here blogging from Surprise, Arizona at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America Championships. Its been a great event, both on court an off. Everything started with a wii tennis challenge at the Cancer Treatment Center in Glendale, which I won in the finals beating Dr. Adam, one of the doctors at the hospital. I was very happy to win, I won an ipod shuffle which I am already using in between my matches. It was a lot of fun to meet the patients and the doctors and the facility is really impressive. As far as the tennis tournament, its been a great event so far. The facility is so amazing, the people working here are fantastic and the Arizona crowds are always great. Its extra special for me to be playing in Arizona, my career started in Scottsdale on the ATP tour where I was just 18 and played as a qualifier, beating Todd in the semis and eventually losing in the final to Jim. After that my career really took off. I’m a little disappointed that this is the final tour stop of the Outback Champions Series for 2009 but I hope to play many more events in 2010.
|
| |
|
April 26, 2009 |
|
It’s great to be playing tennis in the Cayman at such a beautiful resort. I’m in my element here, relaxing on the beach. Nothing makes me happier than to be by the water. It’s great to catch up with old friends and meet some new people. Unfortunately its been a bit windy here, but I’ve been playing some good tennis and am looking forward to my match with Pat Cash on Sunday. Will be a great crowd since there is such huge Australian support here. Till next time, Mark.
|
| |
|
October 22, 2007 |
My first Outback Champions Series tournament was great. It was a lot of fun to be amongst these guys again who I have not seen a lot of lately. It was an important week for me to see how my body would do under match stress. It was the first time that I’ve played competitive tennis since January and I'm really pleased with how my body held up. I was a little stiff after the matches which I expected, but I was happy that I had no major pain in my knee or back.
The Outback is a different experience from the ATP tour. Normally you have a lot of room service and go to bed early but this is more relaxing. I got a chance to go out to dinner with some of the guys and experience some of Dallas, which is a pretty city. Everyone I met was really nice and I definitely enjoyed the tennis so its been a great week.
Next up for me, I'm moving back from Vegas to San Diego. I’m going to focus on strengthening my legs and get match ready for the Australian Open.
|
| |
