ATP Picks: Halle and Queens

Gerry Weber Open

The Gerry Weber Open is one of five grass court events on the ATP World Tour calendar, and gives players their first chance to play on the surface in the lead-up to Wimbledon. The Gerry Weber Open has crowned five German winners since the inaugural event in 1993: Michael Stich (1994), Nicolas Kiefer (1999), David Prinosil (2000), Tommy Haas (2009 & 2012) and Philipp Kohlschreiber (2011).

Lasst es brechen!

ATP Level: 250

Surface: Grass

Defending Champion: Roger Federer – Won his sixth title here in 2013 and must be chomping at the bit to swap the clay for the turf.

Nasty Floater: Dustin ‘Hash’ Brown – One of the most entertaining player on tour and faces Rafa in round 2! 

Young bloods: Milos ‘The Rocket’ Raonic – Could be devastating on grass with that serve.

Slumping: Mikhail ‘The Colonel’ Youzhny – The mad Russian like grass but gets Karlovic in round 1. 

On Fire: Rafa Nadal – Can he make the quick transition to the grass however?

My pick: Milos Raonic – If he clicks on serve, he will be tough to break

Did You Know? There have been five German winners since the inaugural event in 1993: Michael Stich (1994), Nicolas Kiefer (1999), David Prinosil (2000), Tommy Haas (2009) and Philipp Kohlschreiber (2011).

Watch: Halle Uncovered

Aegon Championships

I love the smell of fresh cut grass in the morning! The oh-so-short grass season kicks off on the venerated courts of Queen’s Club. Plenty of British interest notwithstanding Andy Murray, with James Ward, Dan Cox and Dan Evans all looking to shine in the British sun.

Good to see Marcos Baghdatis in the draw as a wildcard who has had a rough go of it this year but had a nice result on the Challenger circuit last week with his first win in 4 years.

Let’s break it down:

ATP Level: 250

Surface: Grass

Defending Champion: Andy Murray – Enlisted Amelie Mauresmo as coach during the grass court season. Looking in good shape to defend here.

Nasty Floater: Lleyton Hewitt – The 4 time champion at Queens is a grass court legend and not done yet.

Young Blood: Bernard ‘Atomic’ Tomic – Has the tools to perform well on grass. Does he have the head?

Slumping: Sam Querry – Will a change of surface help the Samurai’s form? 

On Fire: Ernests ‘Lights Out’ Gulbis – Semi finalist at Roland Garros and newly minted in the top 10. Trouble for all.

My pick: Andy Murray – Knows how to win on grass at home but will have to fight for it.

Did You Know? In 2013, Andy Murray became the first three-time British champion since Francis Gordon Lowe (1913-14, ’25).

Thanks for reading and check back next week for more tips!