 The King of the French Open Rafael Nadal looks to defend his title. (PHOTO: The Telegraph) The menacing clay courts of Roland-Garros awaits the world’s best tennis players as the French Open is slated to begin this week. All eyes will be on this Grand Slam Tournament as the cream of the crop comes out to do battle.
We don’t blame you if you think you know what is going to happen. After all, on the men’s side, the French Open has grown to be somewhat predictable. Still, things might not be as they seem for the 2013 installment. Thus, here are a few things to watch for during this year’s French Open.
Will Rafa’s dominance continue?
Seven of the last eight French Opens have belonged to Rafael Nadal, hence, the predictability in this Grand Slam tournament. There is a small glimmer of hope for fans that wish to experience a little variety this year, but you might not want to get your hopes up.
Nadal was hampered by injury throughout the 2012 season. Some players do not ever fully bounce back from these nagging injuries, and it certainly was enough to keep Nadal off the court for a prolonged period of time. He even missed this year’s Australian Open. One might argue that if there were any year Nadal was vulnerable to an upset, it would be this year.
We hate to break it to you, but since returning to the court, Nadal has won five of just eight tournaments that he participated in, indicating that he is indeed back to full strength and ready to take his rightful throne as French Open champion.
Can anyone outside of “the big four” rise up?
When it comes to Grand Slam tournaments, there just does not seem to be a lot of parity on the men’s side. You have Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray (he won’t be participating in the French Open this year) and Novak Djokovic. No one has really had much luck getting anything accomplished on the big stage like these four have.
Could this year be the one where someone else actually gives the big (three) a run for its money? There are certainly some capable players in the field. Guys like No. 5-ranked David Ferrer or clay aficionado John Isner have the tools, but need to put it together. Considering the Grand Slam results as of late, that is certainly easier said than done.
Serena or Maria?
Serene Williams comes to Roland-Garros as the top-rated female tennis player in the world. She is off to another hot start this season, which might suggest that she is a shoo-in for a French Open title.
Actually, she is anything but, especially considering that since her only French Open championship in 2002, she has been brutal on these clay courts. You might expect her to continue to find her footing and, hopefully for her, finally get the monkey off her back.
Meanwhile, No. 2-ranked Maria Sharapova has built a reputation as of late for her strong play on clay. She walked away from last year’s French Open as the champion, too. However, the women’s side has many more wild cards, illustrated by the fact that there have been six different champions in the last six years.
Tags: andy murray, australian open, clay courts, david ferrer, french open, french open champion, grand slam tournament, novak djokovic, rafael nadal, roger federer, roland garros, french open champion, grand slam tournament, novak djokovic, glimmer of hope, roger federer, roland garros, grand slam tournaments, andy murray, clay courts
Written by: Jayson Bussa
 Tiger Woods nabbed a victory at The Players Championship last week, continuing a dominant start to the year. (PHOTO: The Guardian) It seems like professional athletes have such a short shelf life these days. In most sports, once an athlete creeps into their 30s, many fans assume he or she is on their last leg.
For Tiger Woods, it was more than just a case of getting old. He also had to deal with the distractions that came with nagging injuries and the extramarital affair debacle that captured tabloid headlines for months, if not years.
Now, at the ripe old age of 37, some might have assumed that Woods was winding down his career, getting ready to fade into history as the sport’s second best player (only to Jack Nicklaus).
Then, just over a week ago, Woods captured The Players Championship, by shooting a 13-under. Sure, you could chalk this up to a fluke victory — not much of a surprise, especially considering Woods’ past brilliance. However, this win marked a far greater accomplishment.
Tiger’s Hottest Start Ever
The Tigers Woods of yesteryear has stormed back early in the season. Woods’ victory at The Players Championship marked his fourth stroke victory in his first six attempts of the season. Believe it or not, this is an unprecedented feat for Woods, which begs the question: “If he has mounted the best start of his career, will it amount to his best season?”
Yes, Woods has been dominant so far this season, but his victories just seem to lack the brilliance that came with his previous dominating seasons. Maybe it’s the bad PR, maybe he’s just not doing it in prolific enough fashion. But when you shed the biasness surrounding this now-controversial golfer, you can tell he’s certainly on par for his best year yet.
Chasing 2000
While Woods pieced together a number of brilliant seasons, nothing matches his 2000 campaign when he piled up nine PGA tournament victories. These included:
- U.S. Open
- British Open
- PGA Championship
- Mercedes Championship
- Bay Hill Invitational
- Memorial Invitational
- Bell Canadian Open
- AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-AM
- World Golf Championships – NEC Invitational
While this might seem like a magical season (and it is) that Woods simply does not have the energy to trump, the numbers would suggest otherwise. Woods is off to a better start this year than he was in 2000 in terms of victories.
Playing Less
What many fans fail to account for when looking at Woods’ body of work now is that he does not compete as much as he did when he was a young buck. When you do not compete as much, your chances of winning go down (right, match majors?). So, this suggests that not only is Woods winning, but he is also being incredibly efficient in the process.
You can negatively spin Tiger’s success all you want (if you’re not a fan), but at the end of the day, the numbers don’t lie — he is the best in the business.
Where Is The Major Win?
The one piece of ammunition detractors do have over Woods is the fact that he is in desperate need of a Major win. In 2008, Tiger won the U.S. Open. Ever since then…crickets. Does Woods melt down on the big stage, or is this simply the law of averages in effect?
If this year’s hot start isn’t enough to shut up Tiger Woods critics, then snagging a Major this season certainly would.
Tags: bay hill invitational, bell canadian open, best player, british open, jack nicklaus, mercedes championship, pga championship, pga tournament, players championship, Tiger Woods, stroke victory, jack nicklaus, tabloid headlines, unprecedented feat, life these days, tiger woods, extramarital affair, players championship, professional athletes
Written by: Jayson Bussa
 Derrick Rose opted for the bench rather than the hardwood during the playoffs this year. (PHOTO: notsportscenter.com) Ask any Chicago Bulls fan, and they likely will not have many positive things to say about their team’s superstar right now. In fact, in an effort to keep this blog post rated PG, we won’t even repeat some of the sentiments being thrown around about injured/but-not-really-injured point guard Derrick Rose.
On Monday night, the Bulls fell in another one-sided affair to the Miami Heat, dropping Chicago into a 3-1 hole in the NBA’s Eastern Conference Semifinals. This was after the Bulls squeaked out a victory on the road in game one.
It’s all but official that Rose will not return to the floor from a knee injury to try to salvage the series. Team doctors and his personal doctor, though, have cleared Rose. The decision has been completely his, thus the frustration among Bulls fans.
Still, the dilemma is not completely cut-and-dry. Here are some reasons Derrick Rose is royally failing Chicago’s fan base, but also why those same fans are being too hard on the guy.
Earn your keep
Fans have little sympathy for athletes that get paid millions of dollars to play a game. Not only does Rose haul in a bloated salary, but he also has millions upon millions wrapped up in endorsements. Eventually, you have to earn all that money.
The franchise has been good to Rose, and all it expects is for him to deliver when it matters most. The playoffs are the epitome of crunch time and despite being cleared to play, Rose is opting to play it safe at the expense of the Chicago Bulls.
Everyone else is digging deep
Injuries and illnesses have been a theme for the Bulls during the playoffs, but they overcame them in the first round. Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng have been sidelined. Joakim Noah has battled through a foot injury to play and Nate Robinson spent a game puking in a bucket on the sidelines while playing a ton of minutes and carrying his team.
Rose’s teammates are doing everything they can to stay out on the floor. He seems to be doing the minimum.
Could he have changed the complexion of the series?
If there was any time that it made sense for Rose to return, it was after his team’s stunning Game 1 road victory over the Miami Heat. The door was left cracked open for the Bulls, who are overwhelming underdogs in the series. Why Rose did not try to ride the momentum and make his return is a true mystery.
Not mentally ready
Essentially every Derrick Rose apologist points out that a player can only return from a devastating injury once they are ready mentally. One can only assume this is what is holding Rose up. And, as a Bulls fan, do you really want him out there running the show if his mind isn’t right?
Fact: Rose wouldn’t change the series
Others argue that Rose’s return would do little to increase Chicago’s odds of defeating the defending champion Heat. Miami’s one-sided victories in the series have indicated the Heat are on a crash court with NBA Finals, and probably another NBA championship.
Tags: chicago bulls, chicago bulls fan, conference semifinals, derrick, derrick rose, joakim noah, kirk hinrich, knee injury, luol deng, miami heat, nate robinson, team doctors, chicago bulls fan, joakim noah, kirk hinrich, luol deng, nate robinson, crunch time, chicago bulls, team doctors, personal doctor
Written by: Jayson Bussa
 Jose Reyes has battled an ankle injury for the Blue Jays as Toronto attempts to use its offseason acquisitions to climb out of the cellar (PHOTO: The Globe and Mail) This season is a make-or-break year for the Toronto Blue Jays — and just a couple months into the year, it’s looking like a royal bust.
The Blue Jays generated a huge buzz during the offseason by finally forking over significant money and mortgaging their future by dealing away much of the franchise’s most promising youth to acquire proven talent.
The transactions (the Blue Jays traded away 13 players) were likely met with resounding cheers from Blue Jays fans, who have constantly watched their team flounder in the ultra-competitive American League East with the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays. While nothing is guaranteed in what many consider to be the toughest division in baseball, there was still a glimmer of hope after an incredibly active offseason.
That optimism has been squashed as Toronto started off at 13-22, easily dead last in the division.
Here is a rundown of the acquisitions made by general manager Alex Anthopoulos during the offseason.
Starting rotation
The Blue Jays’ starting rotation suddenly transformed into one of the more formidable ones in all of baseball. The Jays picked up aging, yet still-crafty knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, who has proven it doesn’t matter how old you are as long as you can master the one mythical pitch. He was an all-star last year, but is carrying a bloated 5.36 ERA this season.
Toronto also added Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson into the mix of the starting rotation. Both high-profile additions to the team have ERAs north of 6.00.
The lack of production is somewhat of a head scratcher. All these pitchers are more than productive just one year ago with their respective former teams. Some might argue that thus is life in the American League East, but none of them are coming close to fulfilling their apparent potential.
The field/batting order
The biggest get for the Blue Jays during the offseason came in the form of Jose Reyes. After finishing fifth in hits last year with the Miami Marlins, the former batting champ was brought in to lead off a lineup that features power in Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion.
As seems to be the theme with these offseason moves, Reyes is almost 30 and some of his signature speed might soon be going out the door. Reyes has shown flashes of brilliance, but has only gotten to the plate 38 times due to an ankle injury. He sports a batting average of .395. Everyone else is south of .300.
Also in the field, the Blue Jays acquired Emilio Bonifacio for a utility position and Josh Thole for catching duties.
Toronto also supplemented their power with the addition of former San Francisco Giants slugger Melky Cabrera. Edwin Encarnacion is the only stud that has lived up to his billing at the plate. He has swatted 10 home runs this year. But, when he isn’t parking the ball, he isn’t getting on base with a .227 batting average.
What did the Blue Jays get for a return on their investment? The third-worst ERA in all of baseball and the fifth-worst batting average.
What moves do they make now?
Tags: all star, jose reyes, josh johnson, mark buehrle, Tampa Bay Rays, toronto blue jays, toronto blue jays, globe and mail, mark buehrle, new york yankees, tampa bay rays, glimmer of hope, boston red sox, baltimore orioles, josh johnson
Written by: Jayson Bussa
 Floyd Mayweather Jr. continues his undefeated streak by defeating Robert Guerrero on Saturday in Las Vegas (PHOTO: Sports Illustrated) Floyd Mayweather Jr. detractors no doubt cringed last night as the WBC welterweight champion easily handled Robert Guerrero at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. While Mayweather’s cocky attitude and non-stop yammering does tend to rub people the wrong way, he still stands as pound-for-pound the greatest active fighter in the sport.
Mayweather cruised to a unanimous decision against Guerrero to remain undefeated in his 44 career fights. The uneventful bout resulted in Guerrero’s only second career loss as a pro, thus further proving Mayweather’s dominance.
The key to Mayweather’s success was a stealthy defense. Most boxing pundits would agree that Mayweather has lasted so long in the sport because he knows how to not get hit. That was on display Saturday night when Guerrero was desperate to rough up the outspoken veteran, but simply failed to.
Coming off of a lackluster performance last year against Miguel Cotto, some fans might have assumed Mayweather was on the final leg of his career, especially at the age of 36. Last night showed that Mayweather still is in top form — how often he chooses to step in the ring remains to be seen.
Mayweather has already told the media that he is planning to fight again but the opponent has not been determined. Many have accused the star of selecting opponents that he is confident he can beat. These allegations were only furthered when he could not come to an agreement with Manny Pacquiao, a match-up that the entire boxing world would like to see.
If Mayweather continues to line up a schedule with cupcakes (relatively speaking) his million-dollar appeal just might lose its luster.
Few would argue, though, that Mayweather is indeed the best fighter in the sport right now, if not among the best of all time. When compiling a list of the top fighters in the world currently, you would have to throw in these names, as well:
- Manny Pacquiao: Even though he is coming off of two straight losses, Pacquiao simply must be in the conversation as a top fighter in the sport. His losses were to well-respected fighters. He still carries a 54-5-2 record and has been revered by essentially every member of the boxing and sports media.
- Timothy Bradley: Meet one of the men behind Pacquiao’s two recent losses. Bradley remains undefeated at 30-0-0 (and one no contest). He is currently the WBO Welterweight champion.
- Juan Manuel Marquez: At the age of 39, Marquez is still going strong. Since 2006, his only losses were to Pacquiao and Mayweather. With a record of 55-6-1, he has a huge bout coming up in September with Timothy Bradley. That will be a primetime fight.
- Andre Ward: Moving to super middleweight, Ward is 26-0-0 and is regarded by some as the top fighter in the sport. He claimed a Gold medal in the 2004 Summer Olympic Games.
- Canelo Alvarez: Many want to see Mayweather get in the ring with Alvarez, who is also undefeated at 31-0-1 and may be the plucky upstart (22 years old) to take Mayweather’s spot on the throne. He has 31 wins by knockout, proving he is more physical than Mayweather.
Tags: andrew ward, boxing world, canelo alvarez, floyd mayweather jr, juan manuel marquez, manny pacquiao, mgm grand, timothy bradley, wbc welterweight champion, wbc welterweight champion, floyd mayweather jr, cocky attitude, mgm grand, pound fighter, manny pacquiao, lackluster performance, undefeated streak, boxing world
Written by: Jayson Bussa
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