Nadal out of U.S Open 2012

Rafael Nadal continues to rehab his knees. Nadal, the 2010 U.S Open champion and last year’s runner-up, has withdrawn from this year's U.S Open due to his knee problem (tendinitis).

“I am very sad to announce that I am still not ready to play ad have to withdraw from this year's US Open in NYC. I am sorry since I always found great crowds and great support, but I have to continue with my recuperation and preparation to be ready to play in the right conditions. I want to say hi and thanks to all the fans in particular to the new yorkers. I'll miss you all this year at the Open!” Nadal said on his face-book page today.

Nadal first cited the problem when he withdrew from the exhibition match he was scheduled to play Djokovic on 14th July 2012, after his surprise 2nd round exit at the hands of Rosol.

“I will now work on my rehab as well as taking some short holidays to resume my practise in 15 days,'' Nadal said in a statement.

However, he could not recover in time for the Olympics and had to withdraw from the Olympics, where he was the flag-bearer for Spain. Nadal announced it on twitter on 19th July, 2012.

"I'm sorry, I can't to compete in the Olympics. This is one of the saddest moments of my career.”

Following his withdrawal from Olympics, Nadal also withdrew from the 2 masters series before the U.S Open, Rogers Cup and Cincinnati.

"I am not ready to play,I am continuing with my recup and practise" Nadal declared via his face-book page before the start of Rogers Cup, Toronto.

“I won't be playing at Cincinnati Open. I am still not ready to play. I have unforgettable moments in 2008. I am continuing with my recup” Nadal announced on 9th August, 2012 on twitter

World no.1 and Nadal's long time rival, Roger Federer, showed concern for Nadal the other day, when he said in a press conference in Cincinnati.

“I was going to write him and check on him because I can't believe he's been out that long, I thought the Olympics, okay, that's fine. That's a personal choice. I thought for sure we would see him in Toronto, but now he missed Toronto and Cincinnati.  It's very surprising, because it was nothing that we heard of prior to the injury.  He played so well on clay, and then actually seemed fine at Wimbledon. He had more time by losing earlier at Wimbledon.  So it came as big surprise now, these two pull outs for me.  Even the Olympics, too.  So I'm sad for him.  I hope he'll be back for the Open."

It is said “The Motto of Champions: If you are hurt, you can suck it up and press on. If injured, you can rebound and return bigger and better...and continue to inspire!”

The last time Nadal got back from injury, he returned back stronger and confident.  He spent 9 weeks off the tour to rest his knees after he bowed out of Roland Garros 2009 in the 4th round at the hands of Soderling. He withdrew from Wimbledon that year and lost the top spot to Federer after Wimbledon 2009. However, he returned stronger than before, as he went on to win 3 Grand Slams in 2010 starting with French Open (d. Soderling), Wimbledon (d. Berdych) and finally U.S Open (d. Djokovic).

With Nadal out of the U.S Open, it is very likely that Murray will overtake Nadal for the 3rd spot after U.S Open. Nadal has not set a return date yet as he has said that, “I will compete when my knee says I am ready to compete. I don't want to go on court with bad feeling because then it is terrible.”

He has been off tour for around 7 weeks now and since he won't be competing at U.S Open, this will mark the longest spell of his career; he has spent off tour due to injury, the previous one coming in 2009 (9 weeks).

Nadal's game style had always been considered as very exhausting and very physical and given his recurring knee problems the questions about the longevity of his career arise. He is just 26 years old and this is his second time going off tour due to the knee problem. What implications will it have on his career, remains to be seen.

Will we see another stronger and more confident Nadal when he returns from injury or will he get tired of injuries and fade away? 

Here is to the hoping that Nadal recovers quickly and returns to the tour, for the tour is not really the same without him. Let us all join our hands and keep our fingers crossed for the health of one of the best tennis players ever. Your thoughts regarding Nadal's health and wishes for his well being are welcome.

Federer vs Murray (Olympics 2012 Final Preview)

Federer defeated Delpotro in a marathon match, the longest 3 set match of open era, and the longest match in Olympic history to book his place in the gold medal match for the first time in 4th attempt. Murrray soon followed to join Federer, straight setting Djokovic. In doing so, Murray not only earned a place in gold medal match and set a re-match of the Wimbledon final a few weeks ago, but also guaranteed Federer's stay at the top spot.Murray ended up crying at the end of the Wimbledon final, while Federer was all smiles. Murray has earned himself a chance to get some revenge for the Wimbledon loss by winning a gold medal, while Federer will be keen on keeping Murray at bay to win the elusive gold medal. Both players will be hungry, but who will come out on top?

Description	Federer	Murray
Match record this year	51-6	37-10
H2H	8	8
H2H on grass	1	0

The pair is tied in their head to head, with the last 3 meetings going in Federer's way. The pair has already played twice this year, in the final of Dubai and in the final of Wimbledon. The Wimbledon loss was a heart breaker for Murray, but he has re-grouped and kept his head up for the Olympics and has played very solid tennis in making it to the finals. Federer on the other hand has played well enough to make it to the finals. 

Let us have a look at the performance of the players so far in the tournament.

Description	Federer	Murray
Aces	9	9
Double Faults	1	1
First Serve	67%	65%
Points won on first serve	76%	81%
Points won on second serve	59%	59%
Receiving points won on first serve	30%	35%
Receiving points won on second serve	53%	53%
Break points	36%	41%
Total winners	36	27
Unforced errors	22	14

The stats show that the two have been equal in almost all departments, with Murray having an edge in a few areas. The 4 critical factors will be:

- 1st serve and points won first serve: Murray has a clear edge on Federer as he has won 5% more points on his first serve as compared to the Swiss. The last time the two squared off on Centre Court Murray won only 69% of his first serves, while Federer ended up winning 76% of his first serves. Murray will have to win around 76% plus points on first serve if he wants to have chance against Federer. Federer served brilliantly in the second and third sets of his semi-final win, however, Murray is much better returner when compared to Delpotro. Federer will have to on guard on his serve.

- Points won on second serve: Both players have won 59% points on their second serves. Second serve will be very important for both players, the one who goes on to take his chances on others second serve will have more chances to come out on top.

- Receiving points won: Murray has won a whooping 5% more points as compared to Federer when returning the first serve of his opponents, however they are locked in for the points won while returning the second serve. In their past 16 clashes, the player with the aggressive ratio of more than 1 has gone on to win the match, so this factor will be very important for both players. The one willing to take calculated chances from the start will stand a better chance.

- Winners-Unforced Errors Differential :  This is one of the most important areas. Federer's W-UE differential is +14, while Murray stands at +13. It will be very crucial for Federer to keep his unforced errors under control. Both players will try not to gift free points to the other.

Another interesting thing to note, which of-course will be worrisome for Federer's fan, is that Murray has only been broken 2 times during the entire tournament, and both times occurred in his 3 sets win over Baghdatis. No other player has been able to break Murray's serve. Federer on the other hand has been broken 6 times during the tournament. Will Federer's serve hod Murray's challenge or will it be Murray's serve that will give in to Federer?

This will be the first medal for both players at Olympics. Federer is trying to complete the career golden slam (all 4 majors + Gold medal in Olympics). Murray will be trying to avenge his loss, and more importantly establish himself as a major contender and put his doubters to silence.

It will all come down to the serve of the two and the unforced errors of Federer. If Federer can keep his unforced errors under control and keep his head together for his serve, he will be tough to beat. However, if Murray finds his range and keeps up his serve, he will definitely make things tough for the Wimbledon Champion.

My heart is going Federisque, while my mind is going Murrisque. Who do you think will win the gold?

Federer def. Delpotro (Olympics 2012 Semi-Final Post Match Report)

Roger Federer walked on to the court determined to make his move and take another step towards achieving career golden slam. Delpotro had a mind of his own as he stepped onto the court to fight for a spot in the gold medal match. Federer was slow from the start, while Delpotro was brilliant from the start and after just 36 minutes Federer found himself down a set and just one set away from defeat. But we all know that Federer never gives up, and fight he did to take the second set in tie break and win the marathon 3rd set 19-17. The 3rd set alone lasted 163 minutes.

Let us have a look at the numbers behind Federer's win. How Federer was able to tough it out and how Delpotro got his heart broken.

Description	Federer	Delpotro
Aces	24	11
Double Faults	2	5
First Serve	68%	70%
Points won on first serve	75%	72%
Points won on second serve	62%	56%
Receiving points won on first serve	28%	25%
Receiving points won on second serve	44%	38%
Break points	2/13	2/7
Winners	64	51
Unforced errors	41	34

Both players played some brilliant tennis, especially when they were down. Federer broke Delpotro to move ahead 10-9 in the decider and serve for the match, but Delpotro played some of his best tennis to break Federer at love to bring the match back to serve.

The stats are clearly in favour of Federer. Federer won 3% more points than Delpotro behind his first serve, and a good 6% more points behind his second serve.

Federer was the better returner of the two, winning 3% more points as compared to Delpotro when returning the first serve and a good 6% more points when returning the second serve.

Delpotro had played a clean match for the first two sets. The winners-unforced errors differential for Delpotro for the first 2 sets was +10, while for Federer it was only +3. It was the third set where Federer made his move, Delpotro was at +7, whereas Federer was at whooping +20.

This was a great comeback win from Federer. It reminds me of another great comeback win in the semi-finals of Olympics by another player with a one handed back-hand, it was way back in 2004 Athens Olympics by Justine Henin. She was down 1-5 in the decider but went on to win 8-6 against Russian Myskina. Myskina went on to loose the bronze medal match, whereas Henin went on to win gold. Though Federer's comeback win was not of that magnitude, but it was great in that he never gave up and kept fighting. All the credit to Delpotro as well, who fought fearlessly till the very end and never gave up, but in the end it was Federer who proved too good.

Henin's story make me wonder, will Federer win the gold and will Delpotro loose the bronze medal match? Only time can tell us.

Djokovic vs Murray (Olympics 2012 Semi-Final Preview)

Olympics are nearing their end and we have only 4 players left in the draw. The mighty Fed, The Serbian Magician, The Super Scot, and the Argentine Tower.

Federer will be paying Delpotro for a spot in the final, while Djokovic will tough it out against Murray for a gold medal match spot.

Murray put up an impressive performance to topple Almagro and book a place in the medal match, Djokovic followed suit with win over dangerous Tsonga to set up a block-buster semi-final match.

Murray made it to the Wimbledon finals, while Djokovic dropped out in the semi-finals to eventual champion Federer. Murray will be keen on advancing to the gold medal match, but so will Djokovic be. Djokvic was the bronze medallist at the Beijing games in 2008, and is the only Olympic medallist left in the draw.

Description	Djokovic	Murray
Match record this year	45-7	36-10
H2H	8	5
H2H on grass	0	0

The last time the two played was in the final of Miami,  Djokovic came out on top in straight sets. Surprisingly the two have played on hard courts and on clay, but never on grass. This will be their first meeting on grass.

Murray has lost only one set so far in the tournament, while Djokovic has lost 2 sets in making it to the semi-finals.

Let us have a look at the performance of the players so far in the tournament:

Description	Djokovic	Murray
Aces	11	11
Double Faults	1	2
First Serve	68%	65%
Points won on first serve	81%	83%
Points won on second serve	53%	62%
Receiving points won on first serve	35%	37%
Receiving points won on second serve	56%	55%
Break points	50%	39%
Total winners	32	27
Unforced errors	14	14

The stats show that the match will come down to 3 things:

- First serve and points won on first serve:

 Djokovic has been serving 3% more than Murray, but Murray has won 2% more points behind his first  serve than Djokovic. The first serve will be critical for both players, especially for Murray since Djokovic is one of the best returners on tour at the moment. The player who will manage to keep his first serve up will stand a better chance.

- Points won behind second serve

  Murray has so far been very efficient on his second serves and of all the 4 players standing in the draw, he   has won the most points behind his second serve. Djokovic will have to raise his second serve winning %age, knowing that Murray has won 55% points when returning the second serves.

Break points

Both players have been very efficient on serve, Murray has face only 8 break points and has been able to save 6 of them, meaning Murray has been broken only twice in the tournament, and both times happened in his 3rd round win over Baghdatis. Djokovic on the other hand, has face 11 breakpoints and has been able to save 7 of them, being broken 4 times.

It will come down to nerves and serves. Both players know how to handle the pressure. One factor that will go in Murray's favour will be the crowd, if Djokovic lets the crowd get into his head, he will go down.

Pick: Djokovic in 3 sets

Who are you rooting for?

Federer vs Delpotro (Olympics 2012 Semi-Final Preview)

Only 4 Nations stand now, and only 3 of them will be standing on the medal podium. 3 of the 4 standing are the members of the BIG 4, while the one outsider is the none other than 2009 U.S Open champion, Delpotro.

Djokovic and Murray will be battling it out for a spot in the gold-medal match, while Federer and Delpotro will be fighting each other for a chance to play for the elusive gold.

Federer walks into the semi-final against Delpotro for a spot in the gold medal match, the last it happened was in 2000, but Federer lost in the semi-finals and ultimately fell short in the bronze medal match as well. Del Potro has made it into the semi-finals of the Olympics on his debut here and will be keen to go one step further.

Description	Federer	Delpotro
Match record this year	50-6	44-10
H2H	12	2
H2H on grass	1	0

Federer has won 12 of the pair's 14 encounters, including their lone meeting on grass in the lawns of Wimbledon in 2007 in the second round, that was the pair's first meeting and the only meeting on grass to date. However, they will meet for the second time on grass in the semi-finals.

Federer with his win over Isner completed half a century of victories during 2012. Delpotro walks into the match on the heels of his win over inspired Nishikori.

Delpotro has already been beaten 5 times by Federer this year, the most recent coming in the quarter-finals of Roland Garros, where Federer battled after loosing the first 2 sets to win the match.

Let us have a look at the performance of the players so far in the tournament.

Description	Federer	Delpotro
Aces	5	5
Double Faults	1	2
First Serve	65%	66%
Points won on first serve	76%	73%
Points won on second serve	57%	60%
Receiving points won on first serve	31%	35%
Receiving points won on second serve	58%	56%
Break points	45%	56%
Winners	29	19
Unforced errors	17	18

There is not much that separates the two if we look at the serve and return stats of the two.

Federer has won 3% more points behind his first serve, whereas Delpotro has won 3% more points behind his second serve.
Delpotro has won 4% more points while returning the first serve, while Federer has won 2% more points while returning the second serve.
Delpotro has been able to convert 56% of his break point chances as against 45% by Federer.

However, there are 2 things that do separate the two.
- Federr has been playing way cleaner matches as compared to Delpotro. Federer has a winners-unforced errors differential of +12 as compared to only +1 of Delpotro.
-  Federer so far has faced 12 break points, saving 8 of them, and being broken 4 times. However, he faced 6 of those in his first round win over Falla, and his serve was broken 3 times in his first match. He has face only 6 break points in his last 3 matches, saving 5 of them. Delpotro on the other hand has faced 20 break points and saved 15 of them, getting broken on 5 occasions, 3 of them occurring in his quarter-final win over Nishikori.

It will all come down to the players serves and nerves. Both Federer and Delpotro will be keen to win the match to have a chance at the gold medal. However, for Federer, there is more than gold medal on the line, the top spot in the world. Federer will have to go all the way to retain the top spot, if Djokovic wins his semi-final, while Federer will have to win at least silver if Djokovic fails to win his semi-final match.

Recent form combined with the fact that grass is not Delpotro's favourite surface make Federer the favourite.

Pick: Federer in 3 sets.

Who will you be rooting for and who do you think will win the match?

Murray vs Almagro (Olympics 2012 Quarter - Final Preview)

A place in the gold medal match is on the line, surprisingly all 8 quarter-finalists represent 8 different countries.
Murray and Almagro open the proceedings on Court 1, while Djokovic and Tsonga play second on the centre court, followed by Federer and Isner, while Nishikori and Del Potro play 3rd on Court 1.

Let us have a look at the Murray Almgaro match. Enjoy the Federer - Isner Preview here, and Djokovic - Tsonga preview here.

With a place in the medal match, both Murray and Almagro will be keen on walking off the court smiling.

Description	Murray	Almagro
Match record this year	35-10	49-15
H2H	2	1
H2H on grass	0	0

The pair has not met since their meeting in Indian Wells 2010, where Almagro had to retire in the second set. Almagro is one of the two players who have not lost  a set in making it to the quarter-finals.

Murray is coming off a confidence boasting win over Baghdatis in the 3rd round, where he came back after loosing the first set to win the match in 3 sets.

Let us have a look at the performance of the players so far in the tournament:

Description	Murray	Almagro
Aces	9	12
Double Faults	1	4
First Serve	62%	61%
Points won on first serve	80%	85%
Points won on second serve	63%	51%
Receiving points won on first serve	35%	27%
Receiving points won on second serve	55%	66%
Break points	34%	60%
Total winners	26	26
Unforced errors	16	13
Net points won	73%	81%

Almagro has been strong on his first serve winning 4% more points as compared to Murray. Murray on the other hand has been strong on his second serve, winning 12% more points behind his second serve as compared to his quarter-final opponent.

The pattern of serve stats is reversed in the return stats, Murray has won 8% more points as compared to Amgaro when returning the first serve, whereas Almagro has won 11% more points than Murray when returning the second serve.

The winners - unforced errors differential for Almagro is +13, while for Murray it is +10. Both Murray and Almagro have been broken twice so far in the tournament.


Grass is not Almagro's favourite surface, while Murray is at home on grass. Almgro will complete half a centry of matches if he wins this match, with the reward of playing for a medal. Murray is keen to make impact in the Olympics by bagging a medal and will be keen to march past Almagro.

If Almagro brings on his A game and keeps up his serve, he will give Murray a run for the semi-final spot, however, home crowd will definitely help Murray and Murray will be tough to beat.

Pick: Murray in 2 sets

Who are you rooting for?

Djokovic vs Tsonga (Olympics 2012 Quater-Final Preview)

The match pits the energetic Frenchman against the magical Serb. The players have met 11 times with Djokovic coming on top in 6 of those meetings. There is a lot on the line in this match. For Djokovic, the world no.1 ranking and a place in the medal match and for Tsonga, of-course a place in the medal match.

Description	Djokovic	Tsonga
Match record this year	44-7	37-13
H2H	6	5
H2H on grass	1	0

 The pair's most recent clash on in Roland Garros (Tsonga had 3 match points, if I recall it correctly), is still fresh in our memories, where Tsonga had Djokovic on the ropes. Their lone meeting on grass came in the semi-finals of Wimbledon 2011, when Djokovic topped Tsonga in 4 sets on his way to his first Wimbledon crown.

Djokovic overcame an inspired Hewitt to set up a block-buster quarter-final clash against Tsonga. Tsonga was on the better side of the record setting match in his second round triumph against Raonic, winning 25-23 in the third set.

Both Djokovic and Tsonga have trodden an almost similar path to the quarter-finals, both having lost 2 sets on their way to the quarter-finals.

Let us have a look at the performance of the players so far in the tournament:

Description	Djokovic	Tsonga
Aces	14	14
Double Faults	1	3
First Serve	65%	63%
Points won on first serve	81%	85%
Points won on second serve	54%	65%
Receiving points won on first serve	32%	24%
Receiving points won on second serve	57%	40%
Break points	62%	31%
Total winners	35	43
Unforced errors	14	20
Net points won	71%	76%

Tsonga has dominated on serve so far in the tournament as the numbers speak for themselves. He has won 9% more points behind his second serve as compared to his opponent in the quarter-final. However, we all know what a good returner Djokovic is, and Tsonga must stick to these numbers on his serve if he wants to have any chance against Djokovic.

Tsonga leads Djokovic in serve stats, but the Serbian is far ahead of the Frenchman when we look at the return stats, Djokovic has won 8% more points than Tsonga when returning the first serve and 17% more points when returning the second serve, however Tsonga can be forgiven for his poor return stats given the fact that he played Raonic in the second round.

Tsonga has a +23 Winners - unforced errors differential, while Djokovic has +21.

The match will be a close call if both players are playing well. It will come down to the serves of the players, whoever gets broken first will be in trouble. Tsonga in his last 3 matches has only been broken once, while Djokovic has been broken for 3 times in the tournament so far.

Pick: Djokovic in 3 sets

Who will come out on top, will it be French time or will the Serbian magic be too much for the French Energy? Find the Federer-Isner quarter-final preview here.

Federer vs Isner (Olympics 2012 Quarter-Final Preview)

Federer has reached the quarter-finals of Olympics for the 3rd time, and he has progressed out of the Olympics only for one time (2000). Isner has made it to the quarter-finals on his debut in Olympics and will be keen on winning  a medal for USA. Isner is one of the two players who have yet to lose a set (the other being Almagro).

Description                                      Federer        Isner
Match record this year                       49-6              33-13
H2H                                                    3                    1
H2H on grass                                      0                     0

Federer will be keen to win this match to earn a place in the medal match, while Isner will walk into the match knowing that he can win against the world no.1, having done it before as well in Davis Cup on clay this year.

Isner is 9-20 against the top 10 players, with his most recent win coming over Tipsarevic. Isner is having been having a stellar year, with wins over Feder (Davis Cup) and Djokovic (Indian Wells Semi-finals).

Let us have a look at the stats of the players so far in the tournament:

Description                                                            Federer                 Isner
Aces                                                                            6                          20
Double Faults                                                               0                           1
First Serve                                                                  66%                      75%
Points won on first serve                                              75%                     86%
Points won on second serve                                         54%                     61%
Receiving points won on first serve                               33%                     28%
Receiving points won on second serve                          65%                     43%
Break points                                                                77%                     36%
Total winners                                                               30                         36  
Unforced errors                                                           19                         15  
Net points won                                                            77%                      74%


The major factors that will be playing a part in today's match will be:

First Serve and points won behind first serve: It will be important for both players to hold the serve. Isner has been serving lights out so far in the tournament, making 75% of his first serves and winning 86% of those, while Federer has been making only 66% of first serves and has won only 75%, 11% less points as compared to Isner, behind his first serve. If Federer is to move past the Ace Machine, he will have to keep the numbers of his serve up.

Points won behind second serve: Federer has won only 54% points behind his second serve, whereas Isner has won 7% more points as compared to Federer.

Return Stats: Federer has won 5% more points when returning first serve and22% more points as compared to Isner when returning the second serve. Return of serve will be very crucial for both players.

Break Points: Winning the break points will be the deciding factor in the match, Federer has so far been broken 4 times, while Isner has not yet been broken in the tournament.


Isner has been playing cleaner matches as compared to Federer. Isner has +21 winners to unforced errors differential, while Federer has +11. Federer will have to bring out his A game to have chance against Isner, if Isner keeps on serving at the level he has been in the first 3 matches, and with no tie break in the third set, expect it to be another Isnerish match unless Federer makes his move and wins it before that.

Pick: Federer in 3 sets

Who do you think will win this match? Enjoy the Djokovic - Tsonga Quarter-Final preview here.

Olympics Tennis 2012 - Djokovic vs Hewitt (3rd round) Preview

The match features the battle of former World no.1s and former Wimbledon champions (Djokovic :2011, Hewitt: 2002). This is Hewitt's last Olympics, and he must be eager to go all the way to the medal podium, but first he will have to get past world no.2 and 2011 Wimbledon and 2008 Beijing Bronze medallist, Novak Djokovic.

Description	Djokovic	Hewitt
Match record this year	43-7	10-6
H2H	5	1
H2H on grass	3	0

The pair has met 6 times, with Djokovic winning last 5 meetings. 2 of their 3 meetings on grass have come on the same lawns of Wimbledon, but the result of all 3 meetings has been the same with Djokovic winning all three at the expense of just 2 sets. The pair's latest encounter at Australian Open 2012 also went to 4 sets.

Hewitt beat Cilic to set up a match against world no. 2 Djokovic. Djokovic was impressive in his second round showing as well, defeating Roddick in straight sets, blazing 14 aces past the 3 time Wimbledon runner-up.

Let us have a look at the performance of the players in numbers in their first 2 matches.

Description	Djokovic	Hewitt
Aces	13	5
First Serve	66%	61%
Points won on first serve	82%	78%
Points won on second serve	59%	65%
Receiving points won on first serve	36%	29%
Receiving points won on second serve	58%	48%
Break points	64%	36%
Total winners	34	21
Unforced errors	15	15
Net points won	72%	62%

Djokovic has been better than Hewitt in almost all departments, having more 1st serves in and winning more points behind his first serve. However, Hewitt has been having strong 2nd serve as compared to Djokovic. The difference will lie in the return game. Djokovic has won 7% more points while returning the first serve and 10% more points while returning the second serve as compared to his opponent in the round of 16. what is more striking is that both Hewit and Djokovic have same average unforced errors, however Djokivc leads Hewitt in the winners department by +13. It will all come down to whether Hewit's serve will hold or not and how good he will be in his movement.

Another important point to note is that Djokovic has faced only 2 break points in his last 2 matches, he saved one but was broken on the other. Hewitt, though has also been broken just once, but he faced 6 break points and saved 5 of them. Hewitt won't like to give Djokovic a sniff on that many break points.

Hewitt is nearing his retirement, and with the wonderful career he had before injuries came to halt his progress, he deserves a final run. Djokovic should take the match in straight sets, but I would love to see Hewitt make one final run to the medal podium.

Pick: Djokovic in straight sets