Right, well its been ages since I last updated this blog but I thought I would do a post on a couple of things, first up on the resurgence of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the men's game this year and also Andy Murray's struggles with being the World No.1.
So let's grab a racquet and take a closer look at these topics....
ROGER AND RAFA ARE BACK!
OK so first up I'll talk about how Roger and Rafa have made a strong comeback this year as both men struggled last year with injury and poor results, however this season we have seen flashes of the two rivals at their very best again.
First off with Roger, well he had been out with a knee injury for 6 months last season and he came back strong in Melbourne this year and he claimed his 18th major when he won the Australian open. And to back this up, Roger then went on to win what is known as the "sunshine double" which is basically the first two Masters series events of the season in Indian Wells and Miami, which really showed that Roger's victory in Melbourne was no one-off this season. So in short, Roger is back and he really means business and he is out to win more slams and big titles for sure.
Roger however had made the decision to miss out the warm up clay court tournaments this year prior to the French open although he has now confirmed that he will play at Roland Garros. So for Roger this is a mixed blessing as he will go into the second slam of the season fully fit and fresh but he will also go in with no clay court matches under his belt. However given the red hot form that Roger has been in so far in 2017, I really don't think this will be a problem for him at all, in fact I would almost go as far as to say he could possibly win his 2nd French Open title this year.
As for Rafa, well he too has been in great form, however he has struggled in a few finals earlier in the season having been beaten by Roger at both the Australian open and in Miami and this means that Roger has in fact beaten Rafa in their last four meetings. This could prove to be a bit of a mental block for Rafa should they face off each other at the French open, although given Rafa's pedigree on the surface it may well not.
And in Roger's absence, right now Rafa feels like the World No.2 instead of Novak Djokovic, as both these guys right now are the top two players in the world playing the best tennis this season unlike Andy and Novak, despite their official top two rankings, they have had their struggles so far in 2017 (but more on that soon).
Rafa also has made a great start to the clay court season where he has dominated the surface so far having won two titles back to back in Monte Carlo and Barcelona and won his last 10 matches in a row. And with two clay court Masters events coming up in Madrid and Rome, you would favourite Rafa as the strong favourite to win both of them and go unbeaten into the French open and right now for me, Rafa is the favourite to win Roland Garros this season.
Not only that after the clay court season is over, I can see both Roger and Rafa being the two main guys competing for the remaining two slams at Wimbledon and the US Open. Andy Murray however might well be in the mix for Wimbledon but given his struggles so far this season and no doubt Roger's great form, I would have to put Roger as the top favourite for winning his 8th title at the All England Club.
ANDY'S STRUGGLES AT THE TOP
Now we get on to the current World No.1, Andy Murray, who put in a monumental effort last year to climb to the top of the world rankings in the second half of the season, he was unquestionably the best player on the planet as he wrestled the No.1 spot from his friend and rival, Novak Djokovic. However this season has been far from plain sailing for Andy, who despite that he still remains in the top spot, he has had several struggles with his form so far due to an elbow injury and also illness.
For starters, Andy lost out in the Australian open as he exited in the 4th round to a serve and vollyer, Mischa Zverev (the older brother of Alexander) which was his earliest exit at the event in almost 10 years. He then went out to suffer early exits also in Indian Wells and Monte Carlo as it was revealed that he had been struggling with an elbow injury.
Andy however did manage better results in the smaller tournaments so far this year, as he reached the final in Doha where he lost out to Novak in a tight 3 setter, he won his first title in Dubai and he also put in a respectable effort in Barcelona last week by reaching the semi finals where he was defeated by one of the world's top clay courters, Dominic Thiem.
But Andy will need to be wary of his results in the forthcoming events as from hereon he will have many points to defend and if he keeps losing out early on, he will certainly lost his No.1 ranking. The signs however are a bit more encouraging given that he was able to reach the semis in Barcelona and having played at Monte Carlo, it has allowed him to play a few matches on clay to get himself used to the surface. But whether or not Andy can make an impact on the red dirt this season remains to be seen and his chances of winning his first French open title remain doubtful.
As for looking beyond the clay courts, come the grass court season, this is usually Andy's time to shine and last year he went unbeaten throughout the grass court tournaments he played at Queens and Wimbledon. However with Roger Federer now playing in great form this season, he will seriously be gunning for another Wimbledon title and he could very well spell the end for Andy's unbeaten run at SW19.
Also beyond this the US Open remains a tournament that Andy has had mixed results at over the last few years having not made it past the quarter finals for five years since he won it and claimed his maiden grand slam. And again after the US Open, Andy will have an awful lot of points to defend having won five titles on the trot last year, he stands to lose a great should he fall short in these tournaments.
So for Andy's sake, we can only hope that he can pick up his form again as the year progresses and is able to either defend his titles or reach the latter stages to keep any potential damage to keep his No.1 ranking to a minimum. Time will tell though and the good news is that he has said his elbow is better and he will try and concentrate on improving his serve over the forthcoming events (well it has to be said the serve was never the best of his game!). So things may yet turn out brighter for the World No.1 in 2017.
WILL NOVAK EVER MAKE A COMEBACK???
As for Novak Djokovic, well....he really has been struggling since his French open victory last year where he was the undisputed World No.1, having held all four grand slams at once and completing his career slam. And Novak has since said that the tumultous effort it took for him to get there was ultimately what took its toll on his game and form as he has suffered a string of disappointing losses since and lost his top spot to Andy Murrray.
And despite making a good start to the year in Doha by defeating Andy in the final, Novak was unable to maintain it as he was stunned by Denis Istomin in the 2nd round of the Australian open, a tournament he has dominated over the last six years or so. Novak also went on to suffer two losses at the hands of Nick Kyrgios, who beat the Serb in Acapulco and Indian Wells (where he was the defending champion). And Novak since has withdrawn from Miami and exited in the quarter finals at Monte Carlo to David Goffin, which again showed his signs of vulnerability, despite leading in the final set of the match.
So heading into the French open, can Novak defend his title from last year??? Well, right now its looking doubtful as he really is not playing the tennis of the level needed to defend such a title. Also given that clay is usually considered the most physically punishing of all surfaces in the sport, Novak may find it tough to grind down other in form opponents, who have already either beaten him or are confident in taking him down.
Then there is of course the question of Roger and Rafa, who have both been playing like the real World No.1 and No.2 players judging by the high standard of play they have shown this season and can Novak in his current form live with either of them on clay??? The chances are possibly not. So Novak will need to improve much more in his form if he is to stand a chance at the French open this season.
The good news however for Novak after the clay season is over he will have less points to defend as that was when his slump began last year at Wimbledon, so if he can pick up his form, he stands a fairly good chance of reclaiming the No.1 spot or at least get closer to it. And given the calibre of player Novak is, there is no doubt that one day he is sure to return to form, although right now its hard to say when. I guess we will just need to wait and see.
SIGN OFF
Right, well that's it for now and I will be back on here again shortly before the French open is due to start with my preview look at the 2nd slam of the season and who I think might be the top contenders to win the title and go deep into the event.
So, until the next one its bye for now!
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