Mardy Simpson Fish. Not your typical tennis name, but then again, Mardy Fish isn't your typical tennis player.
Mardy Fish reached his first ever ATP World Tour Final this year, at the age of 29. WTF in deed.
Tennis is a sport which can be enjoyed by players from 3 to 103, yet has the smallest of margin of time for elite players. A player's prime is usually from 20-28 years of age. Not very many champions stay that good forever. Bjorn Borg retired at 25 after two straight losses in majors to John McEnroe, who never played as good as when Borg was around. There are exceptions to this of course, Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, and even Roger Federer, but the majority of good to great tennis players flare out near 30. Not Mardy Fish. At 28 and 29, Mardy has had his best seasons ever. Although he's never been past a QF in a major, he continually steps up when he needs to. He beat Rafael Nadal earlier this year with surprising ease.
His draw at the WTF looks daunting, with a career combined record of 2-14 against Federer, Nadal and Tsonga. He's playing the "just happy to be here" card, but you know he thinks he has a chance. Ever since he moved from Minnesota to Boca Raton in the tenth grade, where he met friend Andy Roddick, Mardy Fish has known he had something special. Now he knows exactly what it is. If he plays smart, hits his backhand up the line, and stays consistent, he could pull off a big upset. He gets three matches for sure, one against each in his group, and with his recent success over Nadal, he must be feeling like he has a chance. I think Fish, if 100% healthy, can do some damage. He finally knows how to play with his game and American tennis fans are hoping he shows it.
Tune in Friday for my World Tour Finals preview and predictions.
Last Tournament: BNP Paribas Masters 1000 (Paris Masters)
Preliminary SF predictions: 2-2 (Tsonga d. Monfils, Federer d. Murray)
Preliminary F prediction: 1-0 (Federer d. Tsonga)
3rd round: 5-1 (Fish Retired against Monaco)
Semi Final: 2-0 (Federer d. Berdych, Tsonga d. Isner)
Final: 1-0 (Federer d. Tsonga)
TOTAL: 11-2
Looks like I did all right.
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