First Ball Forehand

I have to admit this is my favorite time of year! Wimbledon rolling right into summer hardcourt and culminating in the U.S. Open. There’s almost tennis every week, every day! Although I’ll focus on the U.S. hardcourt, there’s enough going on around the world to also provide early morning viewing for all of us in the U.S. What could better? I’m in the gym in the morning watching Hamburg, then after work in the evening watching Atlanta. So what are some of this season’s tennis summer hardcourt storylines? Let’s get started.

U.S. Players to Watch

Taylor Fritz – He’s having a good year, but hasn’t had the breakthrough yet in the majors. He’s proving he belongs in the top 10 week-in and week-out. He’s an excellent hardcourt player showing he can win 1000 series at Indian Wells last year. He’s off to a good start playing in Atlanta final today as of this writing. He can win in DC. He can win in Cincinnati. He can win in Toronto. He has the ability. Will he?

Jessica Pegula – I’m a big fan. She had a great year last year and is constantly down to the final 8. She’s proven she belongs top 5. Now, it’s time for a big step in the majors. But before we get there, let’s make a mark this summer. She has to do semis or better in at least one. I’d like to see her with a tournament win before the U.S. Open.

FOE – Semis at last year’s U.S. Open. Who doesn’t love Frances Tiafoe? He’s now top 10. He’s a dynamic player with a flair for brilliance. Can he take it up one more notch to challenge the best? I believe he can. I think he will. Look for a strong summer and maybe even holding a trophy before getting to the Open

Let’s do one more American. I’ve been proceeding in ranking order, so Coco would be next on the Women’s side. Ahh, let’s do two more: Coco and Madison. For Coco, just be patient. Let’s keep the pressure off her. She needs to enjoy it. She’s doing great. She’s already a perennial top 10. Fantastic! I don’t want her to burn out. These athletes work so hard from so young and sacrifice so much childhood. Keep the passion! Keep working on the forehand. For Madison, I like where she’s at. She had a great Wimbledon. She’s a first tier hardcourt player and former U.S. Open finalist. Only a few can stay with her firepower when she’s on. She can have a great summer hardcourt and make a run in Flushing.

Around the World Players to Watch

I want to see rivalries develop! Swiatek/Sabalenka and Djokovic/Alcarez are the two I want the most. Use these summer tournaments to get a couple of 1 vs 2 face-offs. In a perfect world, they’d split them and leave us all “thirsty” for more at the U.S. Open. I’m in a glass half-full kind of mood. Let’s predict the 1000 series:

In Toronto: Sabalenka beats Swiatek and Alcarez beats Medvedev(Djokovic withdrew). Then in Cincinnati – Alcarez beats Djokovic and Swiatek beats Sabalenka.

Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray – It’s hard to not be nostalgic, but there is also a real storyline here. Stan is playing well. He’s in the finals in Croatia. He showed in the third set against Djokovic at Wimbledon that he’s getting closer. Let’s see if he can progress further. He’s cracked the top 50 on the live rankings and could get into early 40s with a win today. Does he make a run at a U.S. Open seeding? For Andy, he’s even closer to a U.S. Open seeding. He’s sitting at 44. He’s got something to prove. Andy wants to go out on top. He deserves it. A good run this summer will go a long way. I still worry about back-to-back matches, but in any given set, he can still be good enough to win.

Break Out Story

So who is our break out story player for this tennis summer hardcourt season? I’m going to far out on a limb and say….NONE! There are so many young players already broken out. From Alcarez to Rune to Sinner on the men’s side, to Coco and Iga on women’s side, there are plenty of young players that are a force today. These five are all age 22 or younger and in the top 10! I don’t think any new teenager will make a mark this summer, but I’d love to be wrong.

Well, that’s a wrap. Hope you all enjoy 2023 tennis summer hardcourt season! Let me know your thoughts. You can follow it all in our Live Scores section. Come back and talk about it.