Well the tennis posts have been taking a little break after the Australian Open, well ok I did do one on the Davis cup last week, but I thought I'd say something about the ladies new World No.1 player, Victoria Azarenka, who triumphed at the Australian Open and since gained the top ranking as a result.
The ladies game for a while now hasn't had a dominant player in the game, which in a way has made it that bit more unpredictable and interesting, however it also perhaps isn't so good from the point of view that there is no player that has been able to really step up to the plate. But this year that might well have changed, as so far Victoria Azarenka really has stepped up her game and proved her mettle in winning 3 titles in a row, starting in Sydney then Melboune and now just there in Doha. Victoria has always been a very aggressive player and a potential grand slam winner, and this year she has emphatically proved to be just that so far. Since winning the slam, her confidence has grown and grown and her game has become razor sharp, with very few holes in it.
And this week in Doha really has been a tour de force from the Belarusian player, as she breezed her way through the tournament without dropping a set, and losing no more than six games in a single match. Although at one point in her semi final match against Agnieszka Radwanska, which proved to be the toughest match of her week, Victoria did at one point turn her ankle, which caused her to have an injury timeout. In the past Azarenka has had so many retirals, last year alone I think she had five or six, but this time her attitude as a player has really changed, as she chose too carry on with the match and fight through the pain, and she came through it in the end. And its that attitude that will establish her as a real Number 1 player, with a real shout to dominate the game just like Djokovic did last year and most likely could do this year again.
Victoria also so far in 2012 remains unbeaten with 3 titles in the bag, and she is currently 17-0 this year, which promises to be very similar to what Djokovic did if she can keep it up. So this could lead ladies tennis into a very exciting and interesting place, with a new dominant player, and it will remain to be seen who can step up to the plate and take her on. There are a few players who potentially could beat her, and Caroline Wozniacki could well be one of them, and the other is Petra Kvitova, which means we could be in for an exciting new rivalry if goes that way. But as far as things go at the moment, if Victoria carries on as she is, in comparison to the mens game, Victoria will be Djokovic and Petra will be Rafa! And Vika has in a way better chance of victory here because so far she has been more consistent, and that's one area where Kvitova lacks in, as she is either brilliant or awful in her tournaments. But when they meet in the future it should make for a very exciting encounter.
However there are couple of areas in which Caroline Wozniacki for example was a better example of a World No.1 player and that was in terms of consistency throughout the year and her fitness, which is something Victoria struggles with. Already Victoria has had to pull out of the tournament in Dubai because of her ankle injury, but with Caroline, she remained largely injury free, which was one of her strongest aspects and reasons why she held onto the No.1 spot. And this might stop Azarenaka from properly getting a foothold of the ranking, especially if she wins a title here and there and has to keep withdrawing or even retiring through the course of a match. Victoria has increased her fitness this year, but if she still falls foul of injury then it will hamper her progress, but we will see what happens.
As for the men's tennis, just a quick update on the Rotterdam final on the ATP tour, which saw Federer take on Del Potro, and Federer came through in a very convincing victory winning in 6-1, 6-4. This saw Federer bag the 71st title of his career, which is some going and he has now literally won 70% of his career finals!! Not bad eh???? However in the absence of Djokovic and Rafa, Federer easily can reign as the world's best player, but with those two other guys in the mix, it will be tough for Federer to get back to his winning ways and win more majors. But again its a new season, a new year and we shall see what happens as the year unfolds.
Anyway next up for the men will be Dubai, which will see the return of Novak and Andy to the game and they will also be joined by Tsonga, Berdych and Tipsaervic, so it promises to be a good one. And funnily enough Dubai is next up for the ladies too as the world no.1 Victoria Azarenka will have another chance to carry on her impressive winning streak, and also will see the return of Petra Kvitova as well, so exicting times ahead on the courts.
Right that's it for now.
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