Australian Open 2017 Players Party

Some of the biggest names in tennis were missing from the weekend's 2017 Australian Open players party at Crown in Melbourne, Australia. Nevertheless it was very refreshing to see some of the most familiar faces in tennis below all dressed up in their casual outfit to the party. The tournament has officially kicked off today and we're looking forward to exciting tennis as well as upsets over the course of the next two weeks.

Garbine Muguruza

Kei Nishikori

Agnieszka Radwanska

Stanislas Wawrinka

Gael Monfils

Bryan brothers

Images via zimbio

Murray brothers' bid to dominate the year-end rankings

Andy Murray

(Image source: Julian Finney/Getty Images Europe via Zimbio)

The Murray brothers' bid to dominate the year-end rankings is still going strong.

Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares' place in the doubles semifinals at the O2 Arena was secured after  defeated Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo 6-3, 3-6, 10-6.

They might not even need to hit another ball to finish the season as the no.1 ranked doubles team, if Frenchmen Nicolas Mahut and Pierre-Hugues Herbert, who have already been eliminated, lose their final round robin match Friday.

2016 is an incredible year for the Murray brothers, with Andy cruising to win his third major at Wimbledon, retaining his Olympics title and ending Djokovic's 122-week domination at the top of the ATP singles rankings.

Jamie Murray

(Image source: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images Europe via Zimbio)

Meanwhile, Jamie and his doubles partner Soares scored two major titles in a single year - the Australian Open and the US Open doubles titles.

As for Andy, he will have a tough week ahead as he could face a winner-takes-all shootout in Sunday's final against Djokovic for the year-end no. 1 singles ranking. Before that, Andy has to take on Stanislas Wawrinka in the group match. If he can get past Wawrinka, Andy will top the group.

By winning the group match, Andy would avoid Djokovic in the semifinals, setting up the prospect of a final with the Serbian on Sunday and with the no. 1 ranking on the line.

No matter what happened, the Murray brothers have had their most amazing year in their career. Mom Judy must be really proud. You can bet on the Murray brothers from lots of different betting sites, that also offer a variety of games such a live roulette.

Stanislas Wawrinka beats Novak Djokovic to clinch maiden U.S. Open title

Image via Yahoo! Sports; Source: AP Photo/Darron Cummings

Stanislas Wawrinka became the oldest US Open men's champion in 46 years when he defeated world no. 1 Novak Djokovic to claim a third Grand Slam title. If you've followed Wawrinka's Grand Slam moment at Roland Garros against Djokovic in 2015, you'd definitely put your money on the Swiss again.

Wawrinka, 31, who has so often been in the shadow of his countryman Roger Federer, triumphed 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 in 4 sets.

Wawrinka is the oldest winner of the men's tournament since 35-year-old Ken Rosewall in 1970 and the first over 30 to take the title since Pete Sampras in 2002.

Image via Yahoo! Sports; Source: AP Photo/Darron Cummings

It was the Swiss player's first title, following his breakthrough 2014 Australian Open championship and 2015 Roland Garros crown. On both those occasions, Djokovic had been the fall-guy, losing in Melbourne in the quarterfinals and ending as runner-up in Paris. That means, after cruises to his third Grand Slam titles, Wawrinka will only need to win at Wimbledon to complete a full set of four majors.

Djokovic, the 2011 and 2015 US Open champion, had been seeking a third Slam of the year and 13th major of his career.

Via sports.ndtv.com

2015 Final Rankings - Men

When looking at last season’s performances of the top 5 on the ATP list there are some pretty clear conclusions to draw from it. This was definitely a year to remember for Nole and a year of misery and disappointment for Rafa. Murray’s season was a huge improvement compared to 2014, which he mostly spent recovering from injury. And the Swiss duo of Federer and Wawrinka played to the best of their capabilities, but didn’t warrant a top 2 position at the end of the year.

1. Novak Djokovic

This year there was a period of three months when Novak lost just once. The Serb had an absolutely brilliant season, which includes wins at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in which he only missed on the final played in Madrid and reached a record breaking 8 finals in the process.

This was complemented by a third win in his fourth final appearance at Wimbledon, and a win at the Australian Open. That win at the Australian Open was so comprehensive and dominant (he didn’t lose a set in the first five rounds) that many fans of Djokovic compared it to a dream-come-true performance.

And if you want to experience the same feelings that Nole’s fans regularly do, you don’t have to go all the way to Australia, you only need to visit Australia’s best new online casinos because this is where dreams come true.

The only negative, in an otherwise stellar season for Djokovic, was the loss in the Roland Garros final, when Stan Wawrinka prevented him from finishing off one of the greatest ever runs in a tournament, and completing a career Grand Slam. In Paris Nole didn’t drop a set in the first five rounds, beat Murray in a match that lasted for two days, and beat Nadal on his favourite surface at his favourite tournament, but still couldn’t prevail when faced with ‘Stan the Man’.

2. Andy Murray

Murray entered the 2015 season by failing to win in 36 events on clay, but all that changed with his victory in Munich over home favourite Philipp Kohlschreiber. He also entered the year with the embarrassing stat of not being in the top 4 of the rankings for a full year.

That changed when the UK native managed to get to the Australia Open Final, only to be defeated by Novak Djokovic in four sets. He also got to the semi-finals at Roland Garros, but again lost to Djokovic, this time in five sets.

This was also the year in which he joined the elite company of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal as the only players to get to at least the semi-final round in all nine of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments.

3. Roger Federer

Numbers 3 and 4 are reserved for the Swiss duo of Federer and Wawrinka. Federer managed to win in the first edition of the Istanbul Open, and the Turkish city became the 19^th place where a tournament was won by the Swiss maestro.

He also reached his forty-first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final on Rome’s clay, and by winning in Halle, he took his tally at his favourite grass court to eight titles. By doing this he became the fifth tennis player to win eight titles at a single tournament.

4. Stanislas Wawrinka

Wawrinka will probably remember this season as the year in which he managed to defeat Nadal, Federer and Djokovic on clay. This was also the second season in a row in which he reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. But when he got there he lost to Gasquet. He went one step further in the US Open where he was defeated in straight sets by Roger Federer.

However, the tournament by which Wawrinka will definitely remember this season is the French Open. On the clay courts of Paris he defeated Federer in straight sets, in what was his first win over his compatriot in a major tournament. He then outplayed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semis, earning himself a place in the final against the top seeded Djokovic. He won in four sets, and in doing so he defeated the most in-form player this season.

5. Rafael Nadal

2015 was a season to forget for Rafa. It was a year in which his confidence was shattered. He tried, but couldn’t get past his so called ‘mental injury’ and prompted many to start speculating that the best was behind the Spaniard and that his injuries have dealt the final blow.

He did recover however, and started looking like his former self. In the second part of the season by playing noticeably better he managed to take his tally of wins to 61, which when combined with the 21 losses he suffered this season, is not such a bad wins-to-games ratio.

 But we are talking of a serial winner here, and that win ratio of 75%, was his worst since 2004, and was achieved by playing part in as many matches that he could. He won most of those matches, but got eliminated when the going got tough and when he had to reach the latter rounds.

Rafa will certainly hope that 2016 will be much better for him. It surely cannot get any worse than this. Or can it? We’ll all have to wait and see whether his doubters were right, and whether his career is on a downward spiral already.

Monte Carlo Masters - Who to Watch

 by Carine06 

As the Monte Carlo Masters gets underway, the buzz is beginning to build around just who exactly will surge to dominance on the clay courts of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France, this coming week. With some first round ties already completed, the pack is already thinning and with that in mind, there is no better time than now to take a look at several stars that are likely to shine in Monte Carlo.

 by  y.caradec

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic began the year in scintillating fashion when achieving glory at the Australian Open - and the Serbian hasn't looked back since. Afforded a first round bye, 'The Djok' has undoubtedly had it easier than others in advancing to the second round, but it likely won't cause him any ring rust. Djokovic most recently moved to 6th place in the rankings for the most weeks spent atop the ATP World Tour Rankings and with a near-5000 point lead over second placed Roger Federer, he won't be dethroned any time soon. These astounding stats are paired with the fact that Djokovic won both the BNP Paribas Open and the Miami Open prior to this event, meaning he will likely want to make it a hat-trick and add to his stellar resume for 2015.

.@djokernole now 6th all-time for most weeks at No.1 in #Emirates #ATP Rankings. Tribute: http://t.co/QhuCSPpaSg pic.twitter.com/so5woJ26uy
— ATP World Tour (@ATPWorldTour) April 13, 2015

Stanislas Wawrinka

Wawrinka shocked the world when not only winning the Australian Open in 2014, but also when scalping a victory over Roger Federer to take the Monte Carlo Masters crown home with him last time out. Wawrinka played the aformentioned Djokovic through a gruelling five sets before ultimately losing out in the Australian Open this year and his form managed to remain consistent - until around two months ago it seems. Since then Wawrinka has defeated just one tennis player (Carlos Berlocq) ranked within the top 100 and it appears that this tournament could go either way for the 30-year-old. One thing is for certain though, whatever happens this tournament for Wawwrinka, all eyes will be on him.

Rafael Nadal
Rafa has slipped under the radar in recent years due to persistent injury problems, but that doesn't mean he is no longer able to punish the best of them at a moment's notice - especially on the clay courts of Monte Carlo. Nadal has won the competition as many as eight times and when you also factor in his nine French Open wins - which is also played on clay courts - there is every reason to believe he can emerge as a front-runner for success at this tournament. Leading bookmakers such as betfair have already listed the Spaniard as the favourite for success later in the year at the French Open, meaning that that Rafa's precense around clay courts is something to behold. Perhaps the 'King of Clay' can strike once again and earn himself an uprecedented ninth singles title.

Roger Federer
For an unknown reason, the Monte Carlo Masters crown has eluded Federer througout his entire career. He has reached the final as many as four times but each defeat appears to be a little more painful than the last, and that may have taken it's toll on the Swiss sensation. Such a storied career seemingly can't end without 'Fed' finally achieving glory in Monte Carlo, but in truth it all depends on whether he can maintain the composure to beat the likes of Nadal and Djokovic. He has, however, suffered on clay courts in recent seasons and this could be evidence of an ageing veteran who is slowly entering his hayday. The ATP rankings prove different however, so it will be interesting to see if Federer can pull another rabbit out of his seemingly-bottomless box of tricks. It would certainly be a fairytale story if he was to achieve glory come Sunday in France. 

So there you have it, four of the more prominent candidates touching down on the clay of Monte Carlo, but in truth, the tournament is extremely open this year, with the likes of Milos Raonic and Gregor Dimitrov looking to ascend into the higher echelons of elite tennis. Watch this space, it could really be anyone who emerges the winner at this year's Masters.

Switzerland wins first Davis Cup title

Roger Federer put his bad back and his brief difference of opinion with his Swiss team mate Stanislas Wawrinka and claimed the one prize that has always eluded him and Switzerland - the Davis Cup.

Switzerland won the Davis Cup for the first time in their history after Federer crushed France's Richard Gasquet in Lille. An inspired Federer raised his game to beat Gasquet 6-4 6-2 6-2. He collapsed in tears onto the clay at the Stade Pierre-Mauroyto after giving the Swiss a 3-1 lead.

On Saturday, Federer and Wawrinka had put Switzerland into a 2-1 lead with a straight sets defeat of Gasquet and Julien Benneteau in the doubles.

Federer was thrashed by Gael Monfils in his first singles match after struggling with a back trouble but recovered as the weekend progressed.

"I'm happy I was able to stay calm and play a good match, and I'm really happy for the guys in the team, everybody worked incredibly hard to get me match ready," Federer said. "Stan has put in so much effort over the years and played an unbelievable weekend that gave me the opportunity today. I'm very much aware of that, this one is for the boys."

It took 15 years for Federer to win the Davis Cup after making his debut in the prestigious event back in 1999.

"It's not for me, I've won enough in my career and did not need to tick any empty boxes," Federer said. "I'm just happy for everybody else. I'm happy we could live a great tennis historic moment in our country."

(Images via Facebook)

Roger Federer pulls out of ATP World Tour Finals and hands Novak Djokovic trophy

World no. 2 Roger Federer disappointed more than 17,000 fans at the O2 Arena after pulling out of the final against Novak Djokovic, citing a back injury sustained in his semifinal match against Stanislas Wawrinka.

The 33-year-old Swiss announced he was "not match-fit" as he apologised to the crowd in person.

The withdrawal resulted in Djokovic's fourth victory at the season-ending event. He also becomes the first man to win three titles in a row since Ivan Lendl back in the 80s.

No one saw that coming from Federer, who had withdrawn during tournaments on only two previous occasions - in 2008 against James Blake (Bercy) and 2012 against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Doha).

Novak Djokovic won seven ATP events in 2014, including Wimbledon.

Federer declined to speak to the media on Sunday night after his withdrawal.

On Monday Federer and Wawrinka are due to travel to Lille where, starting on Friday, they will joining the Switzerland team that tackles France in the Davis Cup. That is the only major prize in tennis that the Swiss maestro has not won.

Rafael Nadal arrives in Barcelona for Grand Gala Mundo Deportivo, treatment

Nadal and swimmer Mireia Belmonte pose with their Best Spanish Athletes of 2013 trophies

Rafael Nadal was crowned Best Spanish Athletes of 2013 as well as receiving "The Excellence in sports award" in an event held in Barcelona, Spain last night. This came in at the right time to cheer up the world no.1 player after a painful loss to Stanislas Wawrinka at the Australian Open final last month.

Nobody has predicted the results given that Nadal has never dropped a set against the Swiss. If you've been a sportbook enthusiast and never missed a single of these important matches, we hope you've been recommended to some of the top sportsbook websites.

“Sport has two sides: One is victory and the other one is defeat. In this case I had to lose and it was not in very nice circumstances,” Nadal said.

He further added, “But I am very grateful for what sport has given me, the career I have done. Last Sunday I experienced probably one of the most terrible situations in my career: getting injured while you are playing one of the most important tournaments in my life, the final of a Grand Slam.

Besides picking up his awards, Nadal has flown in to Barcelona for an important medical checkup with Dr. Angel Luiz Cotorro, where he will undergo some test on his back injury he suffered at the Australian Open. It is not sure if he will be 100% fit to play in the ATP 250 Buenos Aires clay court tournament.

On Thursday Rafael Nadal will be flying back to Manacor for a session of training. After that, the Spaniard will decide whether to play in Buenos Aires. We hope he will be fully recovered by then and start his campaign on clay court surface.

(Image via zimbio)