Predictions

Three players who call the IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy their home won their first round matches at the SAP Open in San Jose. Ricardas Berankis, 19, upset former top-15 player and US Open semifinalist, Robby Ginepri, 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-3. Berankis was top junior in the world in 2007 and was also the 2007 Jr. US Open champion. He qualified to get into the event and finished the match with nine aces. He will face German, Bjorn Phau, in the second round.

This article, written by Nick Bollettieri, appeared in The Independent Newspaper in London today.

The talented young Briton must carry on working to improve his future prospects and not dwell on a defeat in which he forced Federer to produce his brilliant best

When push came to shove, Andy Murray was up against the greatest of all time when he faced Roger Federer yesterday, and his defeat was not unexpected. But let’s get a few things straight from the start.

Stay tuned to Nick’s Pick throughout the 2010 Australian Open for in-depth coverage of the tournament!

Andy Murray (GBR) vs. Roger Federer (SUI)

Murray is 6-4 against Federer, but FedEx has won the last two times they played in 2009. I’ve watched countless hours of Australian Open coverage and this final will be as interesting and thrilling as it gets. I will give you an in-depth analysis of each player’s game, breaking down every part of it and I will end with my pick.

	Roger Federer	Andy Murray
Forehand	XX	X
Backhand	XX	XXX
Serve	XXX	XX
Volley	XXX	XX
Return of Serve	XX	XXX
Movement	XX	XXX
Offense	XXX	X
Defense	XX	XXX
Mental	XX	XX
Physical	XXX	XXX

WTA
Tour	RD	Player 1	Player 2	Nick’s Pick	Result	Correct
WTA	1	Sabine Lisicki	Petra Martic	Lisicki in 3 sets	Lisicki	Yes
WTA	1	Serena Williams	Urszula Radwanska	S. Williams in 2 sets	S. Williams	Yes
WTA	1	Maria Sharapova	Maria Kirilenko	Sharapova in 3 sets	Kirilenko	No
WTA	1	Justine Henin	Kirsten Flipkens	Henin in 2 sets	Henin	Yes

…
Article source: nickstennispicks.com

Stay tuned to Nick’s Pick throughout the 2010 Australian Open for in-depth coverage of the tournament!

Serena Williams (USA) vs. Justine Henin (BEL)

It took Serena just over two hours to beat Na Li in the semis, taking her down in two tiebreak sets. On the other side, Henin was able to eliminate Jie Zheng in just under an hour and only lost one game! Since the draw came out, this is the match that everyone has been looking forward to. From the outset, the odds-makers favored these two women to reach the finals and here we are. When these two women are playing their best, they are clearly the two top women on the WTA Tour. I am extremely excited about this match and I can’t wait for it to start!

Stay tuned to Nick’s Pick throughout the 2010 Australian Open for in-depth coverage of the tournament!

Andy Murray (GBR) vs. Marin Cilic (CRO)

Murray played fantastic in the first two sets against Rafael Nadal in the quarters, and then Nadal retired midway through the third allowing Murray to advance. This is his first career appearance in the semis of the Australian Open and his third career Grand Slam semifinal. A win here would put him in the finals of a Grand Slam for the second time.

Despite falling to Serena Williams in two tiebreak sets, I was thoroughly impressed by Na Li. She is one heck of a tennis player and he groundstrokes are excellent from both sides.

Why?

1. She has a very compact swing pattern from both sides with instant backswing preparation.
2. She has a very low base and uses her strong legs for balance and power.
3. She stands very close to the baseline because of the previously mentioned items and this allows her to make early contact and puts her opponents on the defense.