The SAP Open in San Jose should return

 

                                    (Andy Roddick at the SAP Open-Credit: Kelley L. Cox/USA TODAY Sports)

Over the weekend for CardinalSportsReport.com, I covered the Stanford men's basketball game against No. 10 Oregon at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. It was a two-game showcase called the San Jose Tip-Off that also featured Cal against No. 23 San Diego State. 

Walking around the SAP Center brought back memories of the SAP Open, which I went to many times growing up. I got to see players like Andy Roddick, Andre Agassi, Mark Philippoussis, Lleyton Hewitt, and Milos Raonic among others. It was a fun tournament that had a rich history dating all the way back to 1889, making it the second oldest ongoing tennis tournament in the United States. It had been played in various locations across the Bay Area, settling in San Jose in 1994 until its final season in 2013. 

In addition to the names I listed above, other legends of the game such as Stan Smith, Arthur Ashe, John McEnroe, Brad Gilbert, Stefan Edberg, Michael Chang, and Pete Sampras also competed in the event. It had a rich history and had a really solid venue at SAP Center. 

Part of what led to the demise of the tournament was its status as an ATP 250 event. Being the lowest level of tournaments on the main ATP Tour made it hard for it to attract good players every year. And then that in turn led to attendance issues. That being said, the final season of the tournament featured a final between world No. 13 Milos Raonic and world No. 22 Tommy Haas with Raonic winning 6-4, 6-3. No. 16 John Isner was also playing, so it was still attracting top 20 talent. 

The best match I saw was a match involving Guillermo Cañas and some higher seeded guy. It might have been Philippoussis, but I'm not positive. But it was absolutely a thrilling night of tennis. I remember Cañas lost but played with tremendous heart. I think the fact that he was wearing his hat backwards inspired me to do the same in many of my high school tennis matches and tournaments that I played in. 

Other memories include Philippoussis and Roddick hammering massive serves that reached 140 mph type speeds, Andre Agassi playing late into the night, and spending time with my family in the process. While most people associate SAP Center with watching the San Jose Sharks play, for me it's the SAP Open. It was a fun, competitive tournament that was the only major ticket in town for men's professional tennis. Given it's such a hub for tennis, it only makes sense for the Bay Area to have an ATP tour event. I hope the SAP Open returns and if it does, I'll be sure to buy a ticket and watch some amazing tennis! 

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10 things to take away from the 2017 Australian Open

With the 2017 Australian Open now behind us, it is time for me to give my list of 10 things to take away from the first Grand Slam of the year. Enjoy! 

#1. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are back! While there could only be one Grand Slam winner, both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal showed the tennis world that they are back to elite level form after both reaching the men's singles final. Roger Federer won his 18th Grand Slam title after five sets and is now hunting for #19. At the moment, I would have to consider Federer the favorite to win Wimbledon after what we saw from him in Australia. As for Rafael Nadal, he's my pick to win the French Open. Expect both Federer and Nadal to have strong 2017 seasons and continue to put more pressure on Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. 

#2. The Williams Sisters rivalry has been rejuvenated: Serena Williams captured her 23rd Grand Slam title, defeating her older sister Venus Williams in the final. Seeing Venus and Serena battle for a Grand Slam title was just as much of a joy for tennis fans to watch as it was to watch Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal square off one more time. While the rivalry never went away, it received new life after the Australian Open. I've always felt Venus has one more Grand Slam title in her and after what we saw, I think Wimbledon is looking very attainable for her. As for Serena, she's the greatest to ever play the women's game and she once again reminded us of that. 

#3. Grigor Dimitrov has finally arrived: We've been waiting for Grigor Dimitrov, a.k.a. Baby Federer, to make an impact at a Grand Slam and he certainly did in Australia by reaching the semifinals before falling to Rafael Nadal in five sets.  This was his first semifinal appearance at a Grand Slam since the 2014 Wimbledon, so it's been a while since he's gone this far. Dimitrov appears to have turned a corner of sorts in his career, so I would expect him to make more deep runs in Grand Slams going forward.  

#4. Coco Vandeweghe has arrived, too: Coco Vandeweghe reached her first Grand Slam semifinal at the 2017 Australian Open, improving her ranking to #20 in the world. Vandeweghe has always been known for being one of the hardest hitting players on the WTA Tour, but nobody was quite sure how much damage she would ever do at a Grand Slam. I think reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open answered those questions and at just 25 years of age, we should expect her to make more semifinals in the future and possibly win a Grand Slam. 

#5. Novak Djokovic had a really disappointing event: Novak Djokovic lost in the 2nd round to Denis Istomin in five sets. To say the least, that is not how the #2 player in the world expected things to go. With Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal experiencing a renaissance, Novak Djokovic has his work cut out for him this season if he is to win any Grand Slam. Djokovic fans shouldn't worry too much, though. Djokovic is still the #2 player in the world with plenty of years ahead of him. We are certainly not done seeing him win Grand Slams, but it is still disappointing for him to flame out so early. 

#6. Angelique Kerber didn't back up her #1 status: After going down in the 4th round to Coco Vandeweghe, Angelique Kerber ended up losing her #1 ranking to Serena Williams, who won the title. This was an opportunity for Kerber to show the world she's the top ranked player for a reason and she didn't deliver. Granted, she won the Australian Open and US Open in 2016, so it's not like she didn't earn that ranking, but when you come in as the top ranked player, you have to do more than go out in the 4th round. It'll be interesting to see how Kerber responds at Roland Garros. 

#7. Andy Murray likewise didn't back up his #1 status: The good news for Andy Murray is that he is still ranked #1 in the world after falling to Mischa Zverev in the 4th round. The bad news is that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal appear to be back in full force. Andy Murray absolutely earned that #1 ranking and still deserves to be recognized as such, but if you are looking to send a firm message to the rest of the ATP Tour that you are #1 in the world, going down in the 4th round at the first Grand Slam of the year doesn't accomplish that goal. 

#8. Stanislas Wawrinka quietly reminded us that he's still very dangerous: Stanislas Wawrinka has won three grand slam titles (2014 Australian Open, 2015 French Open, and 2016 US Open), but for whatever reason doesn't get treated as being in the same league as Andy Murray, who also has three Grand Slam titles (2012 US Open, 2013 Wimbledon, and 2016 Wimbledon).  By reaching the semifinals at the Australia Open, Wawrinka once again sent a message that we cannot forget about him at any Grand Slam. 

#9. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni is another player who has "arrived": If you hadn't heard of Mirjana Lucic-Baroni before the Australian Open, that's ok. But after reaching the semifinals, you better know who she is now. She improved her ranking from #79 to #30 and took out #5 Karolina Pliskova in the quarterfinals to get there. It will be interesting to see if Mirjana Lucic-Baroni can remain a fixture in the second week of Grand Slams or if these two weeks at Australia was simply the best she'll ever do. Only time will tell. 

#10. Milos Raonic missed an opportunity: With Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray both going down early, world #3 Milos Raonic missed an opportunity to win his first Grand Slam title. He should feel a little bit better knowing he fell to Rafael Nadal, but nonetheless, until he wins a Grand Slam title, he'll look back at the 2017 Australian Open as a missed opportunity. 

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2016 US Open Preview: 10 things to look for at the US Open

     The 2016 US Open gets underway today and so it is time for me to do my list of 10 things to look for going into the final grand slam of the year!

Before I do that, as a quick refresher, here are the results in singles for the Olympics: Andy Murray & Monica Puig (gold); Juan Martin Del Potro & Angelique Kerber (silver); Kei Nishikori & Petra Kvitova (bronze). Andy Murray became the first player to win two Olympic golds in singles and Monica Puig became the first Puerto Rican to ever win an Olympic gold medal.

With that now out of the way, here is my list of 10 things to look for at the 2016 US Open!

#1. Novak Djokovic needs to bounce back: Novak Djokovic went out early at Wimbledon and also got bounced in the first round at the Olympics, losing to Juan Martin Del Potro. Novak Djokovic has been dealing with some injuries and he is also fatigued from the French Open. Novak Djokovic could really benefit from a strong outing at the US Open. He doesn't necessarily need to win it, but he needs to at least reach the semifinals.

#2. Serena Williams still needs to establish herself as World #1: Serena Williams has established herself as the greatest women's tennis player ever, but funny enough, she hasn't yet clinched the world #1 ranking for the year. As a matter of fact, Angelique Kerber is only 190 points behind Serena Williams going into the US Open. If Serena Williams wants to finish the year at #1, she'll need to win the US Open and also hope that Angelique Kerber doesn't make too deep of a run.

#3. Will Andy Murray continue to roll? Andy Murray is on quite a roll right now. He won the 2016 Wimbledon title and also the 2016 Olympic gold medal in singles. With Novak Djokovic having rough outings at Wimbledon and the Olympics, Andy Murray might be the favorite to win the US Open. It'll be interesting to see if Andy Murray continues his dominance and closes out the year with two grand slam titles.

#4. Is Monica Puig a threat to win a grand slam? Monica Puig is the #34 ranked player in the world, which makes some people question whether or not her Olympic gold medal should be taken seriously in terms of her potential to win a grand slam. I personally think Monica Puig has what it takes to win a grand slam based on what we saw in Rio. Also, I don't like it when people start to second guess or diminish people's achievements. Winning an Olympic gold medal is a huge deal in any sport and it's an even bigger deal when you are the first from your country to do it. Regardless of what happens at the US Open, Monica Puig's gold medal should be celebrated and treated with respect.

#5. Is Juan Martin Del Potro ready to make some noise in a grand slam? Juan Martin Del Potro is the other player whose results were a surprise in Rio. He won the silver medal with a win over Novak Djokovic in the first round. It'll be interesting to see whether or not he is able to carry his success from Rio into the US Open.

#6. Angelique Kerber has a lot on the line: As I mentioned previously, Angelique Kerber is breathing down Serena Williams' neck in the rankings. She won the Australian Open and lost in the Wimbledon final. She also won the silver medal in Rio. If Angelique Kerber can win the US Open and finish the year as the #1 ranked player in the world, that would be huge for her as she builds momentum for 2017. She already has great momentum for 2017, but finishing the year as #1 would be huge.

#7. How much gas does Rafael Nadal have? Rafael Nadal finished 4th in Rio, just shy of earning a medal. Rafael Nadal is still playing because he believes he can win another grand slam. I personally think we are unlikely to see him win another grand slam, but I hope he proves me wrong. I would love to see Rafa in contention in the final grand slam of 2016.

#8. Don't sleep on Venus Williams: Venus Williams is #6 in the world and still playing excellent tennis. If there is any dark horse in this grand slam it is Venus Williams. She knows what it takes to win at the US Open and she loves playing in front of the American crowd.

#9. How will Milos Raonic respond to his Wimbledon run? Milos Raonic finished in second place at Wimbledon and he is hoping to build off that momentum and win the US Open. Raonic has the pieces to win the US Open due to his big serve, powerful ground strokes, and mobility. If there is any dark horse on the men's side to win, it's definitely Milos Raonic. He's bound to win a grand slam at some point, so why not the 2016 US Open?

#10. Is Madison Keys ready to make her move? Madison Keys is currently #8 in the world and appears to be on the verge of breaking through at a grand slam. Will the 2016 US Open be the place she wins her first grand slam? I don't see why not. Her game is well suited for the hard courts due to her power and aggression. Plus, she loves to play in front of the American crowd. I wouldn't at all be surprised to see her win the 2016 US Open.

Prediction:  On the men's side, I'm predicting Andy Murray to win the singles title. Murray has too much momentum on his side for me to not pick him to win. On the women's side, I'm gonna roll with Madison Keys. Look for her to break through at the 2016 US Open and win her first of many grand slam titles.

10 things to take away from the 2016 Wimbledon Championships

     Before I look ahead to the Olympics and US Open on here, I need to write my list of 10 things to take away from the championships at Wimbledon. It was a very exciting tournament with Serena Williams winning her 22nd grand slam title, tying her with Steffi Graf for the most in the Open era. On the men's side, we saw Andy Murray win his second Wimbledon title and third grand slam title overall making him the first Brit since Fred Perry to win multiple Wimbledon titles. History was made in both the gentlemen's and ladies' draws. Without further introduction, here is my list of 10 things to take way from the championships at Wimbledon. 

#1. Serena Williams is the G.O.A.T. Let me be clear that Serena Williams has been the G.O.A.T. (Greatest Of All Time) in women's tennis for at least a couple of years now, but by tying Steffi Graf for the most grand slam titles in the open era, Serena Williams made it official. She breaks the tie over Steffi because Steffi benefited from the tragic downfall of Monica Seles, whereas Serena Williams has routinely owned the top players of her era. Serena still has to win two more grand slams to pass Margaret Court, which I think she will do in time. But, for now, Serena Williams has reached the record for most grand slam titles of the Open era which should erase any doubt of as to whether or not she's the greatest women's player ever. 

#2. Andy Murray can't be taken lightly Andy Murray, at least I feel, gets overlooked too much. It's easy for him to when you compare his body of work to that of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal. But, with an Olympic gold medal and three grand slam titles under his belt, it's time we start giving him the respect that he deserves. Considering that his accomplishments have come in the most competitive era of men's tennis, one has to rank him among the games' greatest players right now. 

#3. Winning the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back is really tough Both of the 2016 French Open singles champions (Garbine Muguruza and Novak Djokovic) went out early. Muguruza went out in the second round to Jana Cepelova and Novak Djokovic went down to Sam Querrey in the third round. While one certainly has to give credit to their opponents for winning their matches, I think the early exits of both Garbine Muguruza and Novak Djokovic is a cautionary reminder of just how difficult it is to win grand slam titles on both the dirt and the grass within such a short period of time. The surfaces are very different and the clay really does wear players down. After battling so hard on the clay for two weeks, it's very difficult to find the strength to win another grand slam just a few weeks later. 

#4. Novak Djokovic is human As sort of an extension of the previous point, we learned that Novak Djokovic is human. Djokovic came into Wimbledon holding all four grand slams and I think we all just took it for granted that he would once again steamroll the competition and pick up another slam. In the end, he showed us that he too has his moments where he can't find that extra gear to win, which I think should actually make us appreciate his greatness even more. The fact that he's accomplished what he has as a human being and not a robot makes him all the more remarkable. 

#5. Venus Williams proves she's still a threat Venus Williams advanced to the semifinals before falling to Angelique Kerber.  If anybody wonders about whether or not Venus Williams has what it takes to still contend at grand slams, I think the two weeks at Wimbledon showed us that she does. So long as she's playing tennis, she'll always be a threat to win at Wimbledon, a place where she's won five of her seven grand slam titles. 

#6. Milos Raonic has arrived Even though he lost in the final, Milos Raonic showed us that he's going to be a force to be reckoned with in men's tennis for quite a while. He played a great match against Roger Federer in the semifinals and played with a lot of heart in the final. I expect big things from Milos at the US Open and in future seasons to come. 

#7. Angelique Kerber is here to stay After winning the Australian Open, Angelique Kerber made a run all the way to final before losing to Serena Williams 5-7, 3-6 in the final. With Maria Sharapova still suspended indefinitely and nobody else really challenging Serena Williams, expect Angelique Kerber to stay as the #2 player in the world and also continue being a threat to win grand slams. 

#8. Roger Federer is still dangerous, but can he win another one? Roger Federer lost in the semifinals to Milos Raonic and has since ended his season so that he can be 100% for 2017. Roger Federer is showing that he is still an elite tennis player, but can he win another grand slam is the big question. Personally, I think he has it in him to win one more grand slam, but the odds are still not in his favor. With each passing year, guys like Milos Raonic continue to get better while Federer continues to age. It's gonna be tough for Roger Federer to win a slam in 2017, but I have the faith that he can. Especially since it appears as though he's really gonna be gunning for it. 

#9. Sam Querrey gave US Men's tennis some hope The United States continues to do well in women's tennis thanks to Serena Williams and some exciting young players. But in men's tennis, the US has had a difficult time making some noise in recent years. Sam Querrey upsetting Novak Djokovic in the third round and reaching the quarterfinals gave US men's tennis a spark of hope and something to get excited about. Hopefully Sam will have a strong outing at the US Open and also inspire the other US men to pick up their game as well. 

#10. Elena Vesnina is a name to keep an eye on If you hadn't heard of Elena Vesnina before Wimbledon, that's totally fine, but after making an impressive run to the semifinals she suddenly showed that she's a name we need to know. To some extent, she benefited from a friendly draw, defeating Ekaterina Makarova in the 4th round and Dominika Cibulkova in the quarterfinals, but even so, the very fact that she won those matches and didn't let the pressure get to her is impressive.

10 things to takeaway from the 2016 Australian Open

           

    It’s been a little over two weeks since the 2016 Australian Open ended and I’m long overdue to share my 10 takeaways from the first grand slam of the year. It was an exciting two weeks of tennis and a lot to unpack, so here I go!

#1. Who can stop Novak Djokovic? Novak Djokovic won the men's singles title, dominating Andy Murray 6-1, 7-5, 7-6 in the final. Djokovic collected his 6th Australian Open title and his 11th grand slam title overall. Unless some other young phenom comes up in the next couple of years, it's hard to see Novak Djokovic not breaking Roger Federer's grand slam title record of 17. He is locked in and extremely focused right now. The only thing he is yet to accomplish is win the title at Roland Garros, but with the way he's playing, I really like his chances to do it this year. 

#2. Angelique Kerber's moment finally came: Angelique Kerber defeated Serena Williams 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in the women's final to capture her first career grand slam title. While many of us wanted to see Serena Williams give herself another shot at the calendar grand slam, it was really heart warming to see Angelique Kerber finally breakthrough and win her first grand slam. She's been knocking on the door for a while and she finally got it done. 

     There was a look of relief, excitement, and child-like joy on her face. It was really neat to see how much winning a grand slam meant to her. It'll be interesting to see whether or not Kerber can win another grand slam or not, but regardless of what the future holds for her, she will forever be in a very elite club of grand slam champions. 

     Tennis is a sport where winning one championship doesn't seem like much since there are four grand slam championships every year, but in truth, winning one is a big deal and Angelique Kerber should really enjoy this one. So few players ever get the satisfaction of winning one, let alone multiple, grand slams. 

#3. Is the end finally coming for Roger Federer? Roger Federer lost in the semifinals to Novak Djokovic and shortly after, it was revealed that he needed to undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his knee. While he will be back on the courts competing by hopefully March, one does have to wonder whether or not we will ever see Roger Federer win another grand slam title. He is still one of the top-5 players in the world without question, but the gap between Federer and Djokovic is widening and not closing.

     If Roger Federer doesn't win Wimbledon this year, I'm not sure we'll ever see him win another grand slam. Also, Roger Federer has never won an Olympic gold medal and the 2016 Olympic games in Rio will certainly be his last opportunity to do that. This is a big year for Roger Federer and I hope he'll be able to win another slam and get that Olympic gold. 

#4. Serena Williams is still the player to go through to win a grand slam: Even though she didn't win the title, Serena Williams showed us that she is still the best player in the world and the player who every woman on tour must go through in order to win a grand slam. In addition, Serena displayed great sportsmanship and appeared to be genuinely happy for Angelique Kerber. 

     I think that while Serena Williams still wants to win more slams, she knows that she has solidified her place as the greatest female tennis player ever. So at this point, every time she gets to compete in a grand slam, I think she's just grateful to be out there and still able to be the best at what she does. She isn't done winning grand slams by any means, but she is a human being and can't win them all. Look for her to make serious noise in Paris. 

#5. Hello, Johanna Konta: Until the 2016 Australian Open, the furthest that the 24 years old British/Australian had gone in a grand slam was the 4th round of the 2015 US Open. In the 2016 Australian Open, Konta had a breakthrough tournament, reaching the semifinals before losing to Angelique Kerber. What's crazy is that after her run to the semifinals, her ranking shot up to 95 in the world! Yeah, she was so low in the rankings that a semifinal run to a grand slam made her barely crack the top 100! 

     Anyways, considering her 4th round run at the US Open and her semifinal run at the Australian Open, I would say that Johanna Konta is certainly trending upward at the moment. It'll be interesting to see how she does on the clay at Roland Garros and the grass at Wimbledon before returning to the hard courts in New York. 

#6. Serena Williams seriously owns Maria Sharapova: Maria Sharapova was on a roll until she met Serena Williams in the quarterfinals. Serena won easily by a score of 6-4, 6-1. It's kind of crazy how much Serena Williams just owns Maria Sharapova. It's almost like Serena Williams has a personal vendetta against Maria Sharapova ever since she lost to her in the 2004 Wimbledon final. 

#7. Maybe Milos Raonic is on the verge of breaking through: Milos Raonic had a great two weeks in Melbourne, reaching the semifinals before losing to Andy Murray. It was just the second time he had reached a grand slam seminal (2014 Wimbledon) and what was even better was that he took Andy Murray to a 5th set. Perhaps Milos Raonic is finally scratching the surface of what he can do and we'll see him in grand slam final later this year. 

Note: For your amusement, click here to watch Milos Raonic dunk a basketball at the 2016 NBA All-Star Celebrity game in Toronto. 

#8. Victoria Azarenka is on her way back: Victoria Azarenka lost in the quarterfinals to Angelique Kerber, but the fact that she got to the quarterfinals is a huge step in the right direction for Vika. She has been successful at the Australian Open, winning the title back-to-back years in 2012 and 2013. For her to get off to a strong start in 2016 is definitely encouraging. Hopefully she can build on this and make an even deeper run at Wimbledon and the US Open. She isn't really a clay player, so an early exit at Roland Garros wouldn't be a setback for her at all. 

#9. Eugenie Bouchard has work to do: A second round exit to the 4th overall seed Agnieszka Radwanska was expected but all the same discouraging for a player who very recently appeared to be on the verge of winning a grand slam. Eugenie Bouchard has the talent to win a grand slam in future seasons, but right now, she has to get her mind right and put herself back in a position where she can compete for grand slams. She was ranked as high as #5 in the world in October of 2014, so she definitely can get back, but it will require her to buckle down and really focus. 

#10. Andy Murray can't get it done down under: Andy Murray has a lot of good things happening in his life. He's a husband and now a father in addition to a two-time grand slam champion and an Olympic gold medal winner. However, winning the Australian Open title is not one of the good things to happen in Andy Murray's life. He has now reached the Australian Open final 5 times only to lose in the final 5 times. No player in the history of tennis has been to the final of a particular grand slam more times without winning it. He's sort of the Buffalo Bills of the Australian Open. Anyways, look for Andy Murray to contend at grand slams this year, but it's possible that so long as Novak Djokovic is around, an Australian Open title will always elude the Scotsman.   

Conclusion: The 2016 Australian Open had a lot of exciting moments and interesting results. We saw Novak Djokovic continue his dominance and Angelique Kerber win her first grand slam title. In addition, we saw Johanna Konta breakthrough and Milos Raonic have a possible breakthrough of his own. It'll be interesting to see what the future grand slams hold for us this year. Look for my preview of Roland Garros to come the Friday before the tournament starts, which will be May 13.