2015 Australian open men's singles predictions

Well its a new year for tennis as the 2015 season is already under way as the new year get's into its second week and with tournaments on the go down under just now in Sydney and Hobart, things are warming up nicely for the beginning of the Australian open, the first grand slam of the season, which begins a week today.  And with it nearing ever closer I thought I would do my predictions for the contenders of the men's singles title.  So let's delve into this un starting with the top favourite and working my down to the dark horse contenders.

1. Novak Djokovic



Well there is no getting past it that Novak is the world's best player, he has already won the Australian open four times and although he lost out last year to eventual champion Stan Wawrinka, he is a surefire favourite every time to lift another title down under and that's why he is right at the top.  There is some room for uncertainty however with Nole as he did show signs of rustiness in Doha where he suffered an upset defeat by the giant serving giant, Ivo Karlovic in three sets.  However I'm certain that Nole will use the time in between his shock defeat to iron out the creases in his game and he will find his top form when he get's to Melbourne and in the past we have seen Novak play some of his very best tennis there, which is no wonder how he has won the title there already so many times.  There were also some question marks raised over Novak now being a new dad with his wife Jelena having given birth to their first child last year, which might have affected the sharpness of his game, but so far despite one defeat, he has far from shown anything to worry about and he will be a sharp as ever come a week today.  Will he win it???  Its a relatively safe bet, but given the upset he suffered last year at the hands of Stan Wawrinka and also the surprise defeat to Kei Nishikori at the US Open last year also, it sees some new faces step into the light to threaten the World No.1.  But if anyone could win it, its this man and he's got a better chance than most.  Prediction: champion or finalist or even semi-finalist.

2. Roger Federer

 

Next is Roger Federer who over the last 12 months has rediscovered his top form ever since hiring Stefan Edberg, the former Wimbledon champion, he has sharpened his net game and his serve and become once more the formidable opponent he has been for most of his career.  And to top it off he also made a bit of history in becoming only the 3rd man in the history of he sport to win 1000 matches after he clinched the title in the final of the Brisbane International against Milos Raonic to cap off his first four figured win.  Roger time and time again he can beat just about any record and he is going for his record 18th grand slam title in Melbourne next week and given his form he sure is a top contender for the trophy.  Like Nole however, Roger does have some threatening opponents lulling around such as Kei Nishikori not to mention Milos Raonic, who really gave Roger something to think about in their Brisbane final.  Roger also has to contend with the usual suspects such as Nole and Rafa, although Rafa is pretty rusty in form just now due to his lack of matches having just come back from his apendectomy, so is Roger wants to secure his first grand slam win over Rafa in nearly 8 years, this would be the time to do it.  But before that Roger will potentially face a rematch of last year's quarter final with Andy Murray.  Given Andy had just returned from surgery last year, Roger in his rejuvenated form was the favourite to win, but this year its a bit trickier to see Roger as the outright winner as Andy has shown great promise already in his pre-slam warm up events and he is now back to full fitness.  But Roger last year showed by reaching the Wimbledon final that he still has at least one more grand slam in him somewhere and it wouldn't at all surprise me if he were to lift his first major silverware in almost three years down under.  Prediction: semi finals, finalist or champion.

3. Andy Murray



OK at Number 3 I thought I would be a bit bold and put Andy Murray in there.  Why?  Well so far in 2015 he has gotten his pre-season warm up off to a great start as he won the exhbition title (albeit by default and there is Andy holding the trophy in the pic) in Abu Dhabi and then went on to win all three of his singles matches at the Hopman cup last week, despite him and his team partner losing out in reaching the final there.  But having said that Andy is yet to lose a singles match this year in 2015 and this could be a very good omen for him at the Australian open.  OK in the grand scheme of things winning matches in exhibition events doesn't count the same as winning tour matches and certainly not in the majors.  But this year something appears to be a bit different about Andy Murray as he appears to be more relaxed and confident again out on the court and we are starting to see signs of the Andy Murray during his Ivan Lendl era emerge again.  Not only that Andy has been a three time finalist down under in Melbourne so he has a pretty decent chance of eventually cracking his nut in Oz and given the right frame of mind and great form he might just do it this year.  The only problem for Andy is of course his serve and it appears to be the one aspect of his game that has gone on unaddressed, with Andy roughly serving a woeful 50 percent first serves in on average, its simply not good enough against the top players, and his 2nd serve speed of roughly 75-80mph leaves him wide open to be attacked by his opponents.  But if Andy were to iron that out and improve his serve it would make him as good a player as Novak Djokovic is just now and the two of them would be ruling the roost together.  But such as it is Andy has still got alot of work to do in that department.  However I still think Andy has got a very good chance of doing well down under and whilst I don't see him as an outright favourite to win I do think he can go deep into the 2nd week.  The problem for Andy now is (updated 18.01) that he has been handed much the same draw as last year as he now will potentially face Roger Federer in the quarter finals again this year and a possible showdown with Rafa in the semis.  Given Rafa's lack of matchplay I can't quite see him go too deep in Melbourne but I could be wrong, but Roger is a different proposition altogether and he just happened to hand Andy in their last meeting the heaviest defeat of his career.  But Andy is a different animal this year so far as he has shown good signs already in Abu Dhabi and Perth and he is also much fitter and stronger than he was last year, so if he will meet Roger I'm sure he will be intent on getting revenge for such a brutal loss last year at the o2 in London.  But having said that given Andy's tough draw and not to mention a possible 4th round clash with Dimitrov, its hard to predict just how far Andy can go this year down under, but I think at the very least we can expect to see him in the last eight or if he plays his cards right even last four or the final.  And if he can battle past Fed then he'll give himself a good shout for the title.  Prediction: quarter finals, semi-finals or finalist.

4. Kei Nishikori

 

Next up is Kei Nishikori, last year's surprise US Open finalist, who stunned Nole enroute to the final in New York last year before being beaten himself by Marin Cilic.  Over the last 12 months, Nishikori really has proven himself to be a force to be reckoned with in the men's game and he has really stepped up to the plate and beaten three of the big four (except Rafa, who he could have done in Miami) in 2014 alone.  Last year in Melbourne Kei also did well in reaching the 4th round at the Australian open where he pushed Rafa quite hard over three tough fought sets, which showed he is a player to watch out for.  The only problem for Kei possibly lies in the fact that he doesn't have any big weapons in his game, as his serve lacks penetration and he has to rely more on his speed and court coverage to produce the points.  Kei is also in that position of never having won a major and the nerves sooner or later may kick in for him should he reach the final, he has also struggled off and on with injuries last year also, so that could also potentially derail his title bid down under should they resurface.  However Kei is still a strong contender to win the title and he sure has the talent, the game and the growing belief that he can win a major and if so he will make his own bit of history in becoming the first Japanese man to win a grand slam singles title and it might just happen this year, but it might not just happen yet in Melbourne, but reaching the final four is a decent bet.  Prediction: semi finals.

5. Stanislas Wawrinka



After Kei we have the defending champion, Stanislas Wawrinka, whom pulled off a wonderful feat last year of stunning both the then current champion, Novak Djokovic and also Rafael Nadal in the final.  Stan went on to have mixed fortunes in 2014 as after he won his first major in Melbourne, he also went on to win his first 1000 Masters series title in Monte Carlo, but after that his year took a dip and he suffered a first round exit at the French open, although faired better at Wimbledon and the US Open where he reached the quarter finals and finished it off in style by reaching the semi finals of the ATP world tour finals.  But who is to say that Stan might not recover that great form that won him the title last year as there is no doubt that this will be his favourite grand slam after last year.  Stan also has the power and the game to blow any player off the court as he has a powerful serve and just also happens to have the best single handed backhand in the game.  However despite being a major champion already, Stan still lacks the mental edge needed to keep on winning the big events, as he has folded in several matches last year and somewhere along the way the same thing could happen to him this year in Melbourne.  So will Stan defend his title???  Well to be honest I would have to say no because I think he will struggle with the expecation and the pressure of having to defend his title as the tournament progresses, but I do think he can still go quite deep into the event and he should at least reach the last eight or four before losing out to his successor.  However I could be wrong and Stan could go on and defend his title, and he already has defended his title in Chennai last week, so maybe that could be a good omen for him for Melbourne, but we'll see.  Prediction: quarter finals or semi finals.

6. David Ferrer

 

After Stan we have David Ferrer who has made a good start to his 2015 as he fought his way into the final of the Qatar Exxon Mobile open last week and beat Tomas Berdych comfortably in straight sets to claim his 22nd career title.  Ferrer had his struggles in 2014 however, which left him with a couple of early exits in the slams at Wimbledon and the US Open and he also lost out in a few finals, one of which was the Vienna open in which he was serving for the title in the 3rd set before Andy Murray fought back and claimed it himself.  But it is a new year and I'm sure Ferrer will be refreshed after his break (and has also started a new coaching partnership having split from his former coach of 15 years, Javier Piles) and his title in Doha is a great start and sees him getting back on the right track just before Melbourne starts.  Ferrer is also a former semi finalist at the Australian open so the chances of him going deep down under are pretty good.  Can he win the title there?  Unfortunately I don't think so as he has time and time again come up short against the big four in the majors and he is sure to bump into at least one of them enroute to a possible final (also with one of them!).  Regardless of that though, Ferrer is still one of the world's best players (and one of my favourites aswell!) and he has been at the top of the game for a long time and with good reason and if he will fall down under, he will go down fighting, and I think he could definitely reach the last eight or maybe four. Prediction: quarter finals or semi finals.


7. Milos Raonic




Then we get to Milos Raonic who has gotten his year off to a good start as he reached the final of the Brisbane International, where he gave Roger Federer a stern test in the final before falling in three sets to the Swiss.  Raonic also has proven over the last 12 months alone that he is rapidly improving as a player and he is now starting to add one or two extra shots to what has to be one of the game's best serves, as he is now a comptent returner and a decent volleyer.  Raonic also made his breakthrough last year in reaching his first major quarter final at the French open last year and he went one better at Wimbledon where he reached the semi finals there before losing out to Roger Federer, so Milos is starting to learn a thing or two about going deep into the majors.  However I don't see Raonic as the eventual champion down under as his game does lack that extra dimension required to take down the guys right at the top, which he would need to work on in order to do that.  So while I think Raonic can reach the 2nd week I don't quite see him progressing further than maybe the last eight, depending on who he faces enroute.  Prediction: quarter finals.

8. Grigor Dimitrov




Then we have another young gun, Grigor Dimitrov, who is surprisingly quite far down the list the time although you might ask why???  Well that's a good question as Dimi has been in very good form over the last 12 months and he has racked up some good victories, especially as he claimed his first win over Andy Murray in Acapulco enroute to winning the title there, his first ATP 500 tour title and he went on to win the title at Queens club and then toppled Andy Murray out of Wimbledon to reach the last four there.  The problem is since then something is missing from Dimitrov's game that will make him appear to be the big threat that he can be as he appears to have lost a bit of that edge towards the end of last year.  However it is the start of a new year and no doubt Dimitrov will be hugely motivated to do well in Melbourne and he did reach his first grand slam quarter final last year in Oz where he gave Rafa a stern battle before losing in four sets.  So for me Grigor remains a bit of a question mark this time round, he sure has the game and all the aspects to win a mjor, but he could well do it this year, but I'm not certain if Melbourne is the one he will do it at.  But I think Dimitrov should do pretty well and maybe reach the last eight again.  Prediction: quarter finals.

9. Rafael Nadal

 

OK just why is Rafa this far down the list??????  Well there are one or two reasons, the main one is because he is not long back from surgery after recovering from appendcitis, which has left him without much match practice and as such he is looking pretty rusty.  So if you put Rafa out on a tennis court in rusty form against some top players he could very well become the victim of a big upset and so far in 2015 he has been beaten by an in form Andy Murray and also in his first ATP tour match in Doha by a German player, Michael Berrer ranked inside the top 200.  So to say at this stage that Rafa might be a favourite to win the title is a bit of mute point as I think its safe to say he would have to seriously step up his form several gears over the next few weeks if he is to stand any chance of winning the title down under.  However that's not to say that Rafa won't give his all, as he always does in victory or defeat and the grand slams certainly bring out the best in him so there is no doubt his motivation will be very high.  So whilst I don't see Rafa as a favourite to win the title he is still one to watch out for and just maybe he could surprise us all, and I think he might just make the 2nd week maybe in the last 16 or 8 if not further. Prediction: 4th round, quarter finals.

10. Tomas Berdych


OK right at the bottom of the list although in a way I'm not quite sure how, is Tomas Berdych, who last year had a real shot at reaching the final in Melbourne as he took on Stan Wawrinka, but ended up losing to him in four tight sets.  Berdych however sure has the firepower to knock out any player's lights on the tour as he has powerful groundstrokes and a potent big serve.  But Berdych unfortunately as he has often proved in big matches, lacks the mental edge to make the final push necessary to win the big events.  And he proved this again last week in Doha as he played brilliantly to reach the final but he came undone against an in form David Ferrer and in the match he had his chances to push it to a 3rd set but he couldn't take them and in the big events players need to take their chances.  Berdych however has made an interesting change of coach as he has taken on Dani Vallverdu, Andy Murray's former assistant coach, who was a real asset to Andy during their time, as Dani would regularly be seen scouting matches and making notes on future opponents for Andy, and no doubt Dani will do the same for Berdych.  Tomas however is yet to achieve what Andy has in his career and the fact that he has lost more finals than he has won (15 lost to 10 won) doesn't inspire a great deal of confidence in Tomas lifting his first major in Melbourne.  But he is a top player and I think he will reach the 2nd week and a place in the last 16 or 8 is a safe bet.  Prediction: 4th round or quarter finals.

Rrrrrrrrright so that's it for my exhaustive look at the contenders for the Australian open title and I will be back on this blog once the action in Melbourne get's under way.

Until then bye for now!  
      

 

Top 10 men's tennis matches of 2014: 5-1

Right so now we get onto the second part of my look at the top 10 best matches of 2014 on the men's tour and this post will cover the top 5.  So let's give them a look...

5. French Open 3rd round, Andy Murray d. Philipp Kohlschreiber, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 12-10

Right so at No.5 is one of the year's most enthralling see-saw encounters, which featured the British No.1, Andy Murray who continued his way back from surgery last year and found some form at the French Open during what has been one of the toughest years of his career.  And in this match Andy could not have been more up against it as he took on the talented German player, Philipp Kohlschreiber, an aggressive player who like Andy has some nice finesse and touch to his game.  And it was the German who got off to the better start as Andy struggled on serve and Kohlschreiber broke him to nab the opening set.  In the 2nd set however Andy started to settle and he fought back as he broke Kohlschreiber and took the set and he also continued his form in the 3rd set and broke the German once more to take the two sets to one lead.  And despite being a break up in the 4th set, the Scot squandered it and let Kohlschreiber back into the match who went on to break Andy himself and he levelled the match at two sets all.  And in the decider we were treated to an exciting and nerve wracking set where momentum seem to swing to and fro and Andy even went a break down, but it wasn't long before he broke back to get himself back into the match and played went by serve until 7-7 when played had to be suspended due to bad light.  The next day played resumed again and both men played some high quality tennis for the crowd with Andy staving off several break points on his serve and ultimately he came through as he finally broke Kohlschreiber at 11-10 to win his hardest fought and longest match of the season in four hours and seven minutes, which saw him go down on the knees yelling in delight as he reached the last 16 at the French Open.  There is no doubt this was one of the best matches of the year and it was a real nerve shredding see-saw contest which you would expect nothing less from an Andy Murray classic.  It was also the first time that Andy was taken beyond 7-5 in the deciding set of a grand slam match as the final score went to 12-10.  And there is no doubt he could have made things a bit easier on himself in this match as he had the two sets to one lead and a break in the 4th before he squandered it, but Kohlschreiber also deserves credit as he played his part in this match aswell and so it sits rightly here at in the top five.

4. Rome Open quarter final, Rafael Nadal d. Andy Murray, 1-6, 6-3, 7-5.  

This match had to be one of the most anticipated encounters of the year as these two rivals hadn't played each other for the better part of three years before this incredible and thrilling contest took place.  Given the fact it was two years and seven months since Andy and Rafa had last played each other in the final of the Tokyo open back in 2011, there was much riding on this one, and it didn't disappoint.  Andy had just recently split from his coach Ivan Lendl around this time but his influence was still felt, particularly during the first set where Andy dominated Rafa and played perhaps his single best set of tennis since the Wimbledon final as he broke the Spaniard twice to take the opener.  In the 2nd set however, Rafa did what he does and fought back to break Andy and push the match into a deciding set.  And in the 3rd set both men produced some tremendous points and despite going a break down early on, Andy broke back and saved game point on Rafa's serve with an amazing backhand pass.  Andy then went on to break Rafa's serve to go 4-2 up, however he couldn't consolidate the break and let Rafa back in the door.  And at 5-5, Andy's serve finally caved in as he double faulted to hand the break to Rafa who went on to serve out one of his most memorable victories on the tour as he beat his rival for 14th time in their head to head meetings.  This was a match that had just about everything in it and it showed once again Rafa's fighting qualities come to the fore after Andy had made such a blistering start.  It also was great to see that after nearly three years their first encounter back together was a thrilling one and I'm sure Andy might rue not holding serve but in the end it boiled down to him playing against the greatest clay court player to have played the game.  Such as it is it was a great match and well deserving a place here at No.4.

3. Australian open quarter final, Stanislas Wawrinka d. Novak Djokovic, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 9-7

Next up at No.3 is a rematch of last year's Australian Open 4th round encounter between Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka, which was unquestionably the match of the year, so this one had alot to live up to.  But did it????  Well by far and large yes it certainly did as this rematch which saw a blossoming rivalry which started off last year continue in fine form this year when Nole and Stan went at it again.  But this time it was Novak that made the stronger start as he took the first set with a double break, but it was not long before Stan reasserted himself and shook off his last easy defeat to Nole the previous year at the o2 in London and showed himself to be a big match player and broke Novak to claim the 2nd set.  And in the 3rd set it was more of the same as Stan bossed Novak and took a double break lead and the two sets to one lead with it.  But in the 4th set, the defending champion was not about to surrender his title so easily and Novak went on to break Stan to go 5-3 up and he roared with delight after he staved off some resistance from Stan threatening to break back and levelled the match at two sets apiece.  And in the final set we were treated to a similarly lengthy set to that of last year, which saw Nole take an early break but Stan wrestled his way back into the set.  And play went 8-7 when Nole did the unthinkable and went 30-40 down on his own serve and played a clumsy volley which went long and with it went his title defence which saw him sustain his first defeat in four years in Melbourne as Stan pulled off the mother of all upsets and dethroned the king down under in exactly four hours.  While this match didn't quite reach the dizzying heights of its predecessor last year, it was still a highly entertaining battle and featured some tremendous points from both men.  And it was testament to Stan's fighting qualities that he was able to pull off such an upset, but then he had been threatening to do so in the previous slam meeting at the US Open last year aswell so it was no surprise in a way he would do it sooner or later and it later filled him with the belief to go on and win the title.  As for Novak well it was a real shocker in a way he lost this but it proved that even the very best can't win all of the time and he later in the season would bounce back.  And while its not quite the epic of last year its still easily one of the best matches of the year and so that's why it sits here at No.3.

2. Valencia open final, Andy Murray d. Tommy Robredo, 3-6, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (10-8)

At No.2 we have a rematch of Andy Murray's first final of the year in Shenzhen as he took on the in form Spaniard, Tommy Robredo again in the player's home soil.  Andy had to save five match points in their previous final which featured a thrilling 2nd set tiebreak and some good play form both men off and on, but it had nothing on this match, which unquestionably is one of the best and most tense and nailbiting encounters any tennis fan will likely ever see.  To recap the match in the opening set Andy struggled (as he does!) on serve and Robredo expertly showed his form as he broke to take the opener confidently.  In the 2nd set however this is when the tables turned and it was Andy's turn to nab the break, but he squandered it and play went to a tiebreak, which saw Andy have to save a match point, which Robredo brought up in spectacular fashion with a backhand pass, but Andy saved it and went on to take the set to level.  And in the 3rd set an already tense battle developed further into a nerve shredding contest with both men battling it out as hard as they could and Andy at one stage had a match point of his own at 5-4, but Robredo saved it.  And it was not long before we went into a final tiebreak, and in the breaker Andy had to save yet another four match points before he finally grabbed his 2nd match point and sealed the deal and the title with a backhand pass, which saw him collapse on the floor with sheer exhaustion after an incredible 3 hour and 20 minute gruelling battle.  Well this match just about had everything in it and to say it was dramatic was something of an understatement as Andy had to save yet another five match points against Robredo before he win the title.  Robredo again showed what a brilliant player he is and at the age of 32 he is playing some of the best tennis of his career, and in this match he had several chances to close it out, but in the end he just couldn't take them as Andy proved to be just too good in the key points.  Robredo despite his loss though did provide the match conclusion with one of the funniest moments on the tour this year as he wearily gave Andy the double finger as he greeted him at the net and the two men gave each other a hug after a real gruelling encounter.  It also continued to show Andy's improved form late on in the season as he claimed his biggest title of the year (well OK an ATP 500 isn't that big) and that his fighting champion qualities were in fine fettle, even if he yet again did it the hard way!  And at three hours and 20 minutes it holds the record of the longest final of the ATP tour this year, but its also not just the longest its also the best final of the year and it more than deserves its place right here at No.2.

1. Wimbledon final, Novak Djokovic d. Roger Federer, 6-7 (7-9), 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 5-7, 6-4

In a year which the slam finals were mainly pretty disappointing it was the Wimbledon final that made up for all that as this was a real showdown between two giants in the sport, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.  And as such it was a fitting match to end the sport's biggest tournament of the year at SW19 and it remains one of the players best contests as well as the match of the year.  Going into this match Roger was looking to secure his 8th Wimbledon title, whereas Novak was trying to win his 2nd and also gain some validation for all the recent slam finals he had lost to Rafa and also to Andy in last year's Wimbledon final.  But getting onto the match itself it started off with a tense, high quality and even pegged set which went to a tiebreak and it was Rog who took the initiative the first set.  In the 2nd set however Nole started his comeback and he broke Roger to grab the 2nd set and he also went on in the 3rd set to take it on the breaker.  In the 4th set it looked very much like Nole had the match sewn up as he broke Federer early on but Roger showed much tenacity in breaking back, before Nole managed to break again to serve for the title at 5-3, but Roger was still not done and broke yet again.  And after this Roger nabbed the next three games to push the match into a deciding 5th set, where again it was all even until 5-4, where Roger went down 15-40 and he finally capitulated on serve which saw Novak claim his 2nd Wimbledon title in a match that was just three minutes short of four hours.  Well there is no doubt this was a fitting finale to a tournament which had plenty of surprises and dramas and it saw the two best players in the world just go at it in a match of real high quality, which saw both men produce some wonderful points for the crowd.  The match is also not only one of their best encounters it is also their longest match at 3 hours and 57 minutes, its amazing to think that these guys haven't played a match longer than four hours, yet Andy and Nole have played nearly five and Rafa and Nole nearly six!  But despite that this is a terrific final and it was the first real classic the tournament had for five years since Roger's clash with Andy Roddick back in 2009.  It also proved that Nole had what it took to win more than one of the other majors at least once (other than the Australian open) which is certainly the mark of what makes a player one of the true greats in the game, which Novak without a doubt is.  As for Roger well he came so tantalisingly close to winning Wimbledon this year and even though he didn't it showed he still might have at least another major left in him and he isn't done just yet when it comes to winning majors.

Soooooo that's it for my look at the best men's matches of the year, which has been fun to do and hopefully its a fair representation of the best of what we have seen this year on the tour.

And with that I shall leave yee there.    

Top 10 men's tennis matches of 2014 Part 1: 10-6

Well the ATP tennis season is finally over for another year as it concluded the other day with the final of the Davis cup between France and Switzerland, which I will quickly mention.

Going into this tie, Switzerland were the heavy favourites, which was no surprise even though on the first day both countries took a point each, with Stan Wawrinka and Gael Monfils victorious in both their matches against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Roger Federer respectively, with Monfils particularly who played an incredible match against Roger Federer to win in straight sets 6-1, 6-4, 6-3.  On the second day the Swiss boys, Stan and Rog took a crucial lead in the doubles as they beat the French pairing of Richard Gasquet and Julienne Benneteau in straight sets 6-3, 7-5, 6-4.  And in what proved to be the final decisive rubber which was between Roger Federer and Richard Gasquet and despite some nice tennis from Gasquet it was a one horserace with Roger outclassing the Frenchman and winning the title for his country in 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.  So its a big well done to Switzerland on winning their maiden Davis cup title, which sees Roger Federer add to an already incredible trophy collection, although he insisted after the win that he had won enough in his career and it wasn't for him and "this one is for the boys".  And with this victory no doubt Roger will go confidently into 2015 with the belief that he can win another major and on that basis it would be hard to argue with that and the same also goes for Stan Wawrinka who put in a great performance as well at the tie.

Sooooo now we get onto the main purpose of this post and it will cover the best men's tennis matches of 2014 so I will split it over two posts as I will cover the top 10 matches of the year as there has been some great tennis this year, even if the year end championships ended on an anti-climax.  But despite that there is still plenty to choose from over the last 11 months, so let's get to it and have a look as I start the countdown.....

10. BNP Paribas Open Indian Wells Final, Novak Djokovic d. Roger Federer, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3)

So right at number 10 was the second clash of the season between Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, which proved to be something of a slow burner but turned into a thrilling contest as it went on.  Roger going into the final had been in scintilating form and he carried on that form in the first set as he played near perfect tennis in breaking Nole's serve and grabbing it.  In the 2nd set Novak started his fightback as he managed to get a break of serve and secured the second set to push the match into a decider.  And in the final set Nole took the early break as Roger trailed by a break but at 5-4 with Nole serving for the match, Roger played a spectacular game and broke serve and from here a tiebreak decided the match with Roger spraying some loose shots which cost him the title and it saw Novak claim his first title of 2014 in Indian Wells.  This was a highly entertaining contest between what is currently the world's two best players and it was testament again to Novak's incredible ability to fight back from any down position to go on and claim his first title of the season after what had been a very atypical slow start to his season having been denied his title defence at the Australian open only two months prior to this.  Roger probably must have been kicking himself after losing the final and he would again come close to winning another Masters final in Monte Carlo only to again come up short, but he would later on in the year have his day in Cincinnati and again in Shanghai when he claimed the Masters events there.  So overall this was an excellent final and well worth putting in here at No.10.

9. Rio Open semi final, Rafael Nadal d. Pablo Andujar, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (12-10)

In the earlier part of the season this epic contest saw Rafa take one of his fellow Spaniard's, Pablo Andujar in what proved to be a real thriller where Rafa was pushed to the absolute limit of his champion abilities before he eventually emerged victorious.  The match saw Andujar start off the stronger of the two as pummelled Rafa's second serves back at him and played a superb set of tennis to break him twice to take the opener.  In the 2nd set Rafa started to find his range and bossed Andujar from the baseline as he confidently took the match into a 3rd set.  And in the deciding set we got a thrilling contest from both men who battled it out hammers and tongs to try and reach the final and it went into an amazing epic tiebreak which saw momentum swing to and fro before Rafa emerged triumphant in the breaker winning 12-10 to end a superb match.  There is no doubt this was a great contest with both men going at it full tilt and there certainly were several moments where it looked like Rafa's fellow countryman had his number, but in the end Rafa showed his champion qualities and dug out a terrific win and he went on to win the title, providing again his status as the greatest clay court player to have played the game and so this match sits comfortably here at No.9.

8. US Open quarter final, Kei Nishikori d. Stanislas Wawrinka, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (9-7), 6-7 (7-5), 6-4

The final grand slam of the season certainly had its fair share of surprises and two rather unlikely finalists, one of them being Kei Nishikori, who played his part in this remarkable match which was probably the best match from the US Open this year.  On paper Stan probably looked the likely favourite here especially as Nishikori had played a gruelling five setter in the previous round against Milos Raonic, but the Japanese player proved to be more than up to the task to go another round as the two men went toe to toe in this lengthy contest, which featured many great baseline rallies.  Stan took the initiative early on as he broke Nishikori to take the opening set but the tables turned in the 2nd when Nishikori broke Stan to level the match after the Swiss double faulted.  In the 3rd set play went by serve and we got a tiebreak which was topsy turvey but in the end Kei took the set and two sets to one lead.  In the 4th set play again went on serve into a tiebreak but this time Stan took the initiative and got the minibreak to seal the breaker and take the match into a 5th and deciding set, which after an enthralling 4 hours and 15 minutes saw Nishikori seal the deal and his place in the last four of the US Open.  With this match Kei Nishikori really showed that he is an emerging force in the game and he also showed real grit and determination to beat Stan in what proved to be his 2nd consecutive five set match after he defeated Raonic.  Stan couldn't really have done much more here either as he played his part in what was an exhilirating match and one of the best of the tournament.

7. Wimbledon championships quarter final, Novak Djokovic d. Grigor Dimitrov, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (9-7)

Next at No.8 is this great clash which saw Novak Djokovic, the then World No.2 take on the rising Bulgarian star, Grigor Dimitrov, who had just stunned the defending champion, Andy Murray in the previous round.  And right from the get go both men were out to play as Dimi showed Nole what he had although he went down a break in the opener which saw Novak close it out.  In the 2nd set however, Dimitrov started to gain some momentum as he took advantage of a sloppy service game from Nole and he went on to level at a set all.  And in the 3rd set both men played some wondeful tennis as they kept slipping and sliding all over the place on the court and play went to a tiebreak with Nole comfortably taking it 7-2 to grab the two sets to one lead.  In the 4th set again both men went at it full tilt and there was no let up from Dimitrov who again pushed the match into a tiebreak where he gained some set points to take the match into a 5th set but ultimately let them slip as Nole proved too good again in the key moments and he sealed his place in the semi finals with a hard fought and memorable win.  This really was a highly entertaining and high quality encounter from both guys and again it shows just how good a player Novak Djokovic really is that he can overcome just about anything as Dimitrov really threw everything he had at him, showing he too could become a future slam winner and there is no doubt this match deserves to be in here.

6. ATP World Tour Finals semi final, Roger Federer d. Stanislas Wawrinka, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (8-6)

In what was a pretty disappointing tournament, the year end championships really didn't live up to expectations overall as too many matches were decided in straight sets, and easy straight sets for that matter, which must have left some of the punters in the crowd a bit disgruntled at the lack of a real contest.  However this all Swiss semi final clash more than made up for that as after Roger Federer's straight set obliteration of Andy Murray he far from had it his own way when Stan Wawrinka came out all guns blazing as he broke Roger twice in the opening set, although Rog wrestled back one of the breaks, but Stan held onto the other to take the set.  In the 2nd set Federer came under serious fire again from Stan who threatened to break Fed's serve yet again but the maestro held on and at 6-5, Rog fashioned a break of his own to level the match.  And in the 3rd set Stan went up a break early on and even was serving for the set when Roger saved three match points and broke back to level 5-5.  Play then went into a tense tiebreak where again Stan had a match point but he squandered it and before he knew it the tables were turned and Roger sealed the match on his first match point to land his place in the final after battling for 2 hours and 48 minutes.  There is no doubt this was a great encounter between two great rivals and Stan once again showed his good form after suffering a dip during the season he reminded us all again why he won the Australian open.  But in the end Stan just wasn't able to quite close the door on his good friend as Rog just would not be denied his place in the final.  There was also some controversy during the match in the final set where Stan accused Roger's wife, Mirka, in calling out during his serve and she was audibly heard on the recording of the match saying "crybaby" when Federer was getting ready to serve.  This lead to a backstage row between Rog and Stan but in the end it was all put aside and it also lead to Roger's withdrawal from the final as he sustained a back injury during the final set tiebreak.  It was a pity that such a great match had a disappointing outcome with the crowd being denied a potentially classic final between Djokovic and Federer but the match itself did make up for the lack of high quality matches that went before so it certainly deserves to be on the list.
    
Right so that's it for the first part next up is the part two and the countdown from 5 to 1. 

See you in a bit! 

2014 ATP World Tour Finals comedown and looking ahead to 2015

Right well this will be my last post of the tennis season and it will cover the events leading to the final of the ATP world tour finals, which appeared to be heading towards a Djokovic and Federer final showdown.  Did they get there????  Well let's find out...

Well as a quick recap with Roger Federer knocking out Andy Murray in the round robin stage, that meant Kei Nishikori qualified for the semi finals (in the runner up spot as Rog guarantee himself as the the winner of group B) after he beat David Ferrer, the alternate who filled in for Milos Raonic who withdrew.  And in group A, Nole qualified for the semis and also secured his spot at the top of the world rankings after dismissing Tomas Berdych in straight sets and Stan Wawrinka qualified for the runner semi final spot as he beat Marin Cilic in three sets.
  
So starting with the first semi final, as Novak Djokovic made his into the semis in a hugely impressive form as he had only dropped a mere 9 games!  However Nole took on Kei Nishikori in the last four, who given the Japanese player's form it promised to be a tough encounter.  But Nole made an imperious start as he broke Nishikori three times to ease to take the first set in just over 20 minutes.  In the 2nd set however, Nishikori picked up his level after Djokovic went up a break and then double faulted to hand Kei a lifeline, which he exploited and went on to break a distracted Nole and he did the almost unthinkable in leveling the scores at a set all.  And in the deciding set, danger lurked for Novak as he had to save two break points on his own serve, but after he did he then went on to romp his way to victory as he handed Kei a tasty bagel set as the Japanese player eventually succumb to the pressure on his own serve and ended the contest with a double fault, which saw Novak reach the final with a see-saw 6-1, 3-6, 6-0 victory.  Despite the second set dip this again saw Novak in incredible form and it also meant that he had now won his last 31 indoor hard court matches in a row, which is an amazing result in itself.  And going into the final Nole looked to be very much the favourite in everyone's eyes.

After this we had the second semi final which was a much anticipated all Swiss encounter as the Swiss No.1 and 2 took on each other, Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka.  Roger had already shown incredible form in his previous matches during the week, particularly in his straight set demolition of Andy Murray where he dropped just the one game.  But unlike Andy, Stan proved to be more than up to the task to try and pull off an upset as he bossed "the boss" in the opening set and soon took a double break lead, only to squander one of the breaks, however Stan still managed to serve for the 1st set at the second time of asking.  In the 2nd set it was a tight affair as Stan threatened yet again to break Rog's serve but it took all of Swiss maestro's tenacity to hold on and he later himself fashioned a break of his own at 6-5 to level the scores at a set all.  And in the 3rd set the audience were treated to a thrilling decider where Stan went an early break up and when he served for the match at 5-4, despite having three match points, he was unable to convert them and Roger levelled the scores breaking back at 5-5.  Play then went into a tiebreak which was topsy turvey but in the end it was Roger who made the killer move and he ended his Swiss compatriot's stern challenge with a volley to seal his place in another year end championship after a hard fought epic 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 win. 

There was no doubt this was the match of the tournament and it was a match that more than made up for what had been quite a disappointing event with too many one-sided matches on both groups leading up to the semi finals.  There was also a slight controversry during the match where Federer neglected to challenge a ball, which ultimately lead to him being broken.  And later it was rumoured that after the match Rog and Stan both had an argument backstage over something that appeared to involve Roger's wife Mirka making a comment during the match about how Stan didn't have what it takes to beat Roger, which Stan picked up on.  And its a pity for Stan that he was not able to close out the match as he had four match points on his racquet and you figure that he definitely should have taken one of them but then again he was only up against the greatest player to have played the game. 

Which leads us into the final, which promised to be a real cracker between the World No.1 and No.2, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.  But..........unfortunately it didn't happen as Roger Federer made a personal on court announcement to the crowd that he had to withdraw from the final due to a back injury he sustained during his match with Stan.  Roger said that he had tried everything he could to try and be fit enough to play the match but in the end he said that he was not "match fit" enough to play Novak, which saw the title automatically awarded to Djokovic, who claimed it for the 4th time in his career.  And there is no doubt that this was a big disappointment for the fans but ultimately Roger made the right call and health has to come first and there would have been no point in his going out on court only to have to retire 10 minutes into the match, so its understandable that he would want to pull out prior to the match.  And no doubt I'm sure Stan will be gutted with this outcome as had he taken one of those match points we would have gotten a final, although given the very one-sided nature of Stan and Nole's round robin match (with Nole winning 6-3, 6-0) it might have been more of the same. 

So in the absence of the final, the tournament organisers instead came up with some alternate entertainment as Novak Djokovic took on Andy Murray in a one set exhibition match, followed by a doubles match which would also feature Andy along with John McEnroe as his partner and Tim Henman and Pat Cash both teamed up as well.  Nole and Andy's exhibition match was a pro set, which meant the first to reach 8 games would be the winner and the match itself was quite an entertaining one and it saw Andy managed to put in a decent performance against the world no.1 before he was broken and Nole served it out to win the exhibition bout 8-5.  After the match Andy joked to Mark Petchy (one of Andy's former coaches and current Sky Sports commentator) that he had been playing Mario Kart when he got the invite to come and play and he also apologised for "pushing Roger so hard" on Thursday night!  This was followed by an enjoyable doubles match which saw Andy and Mac take on Tim and Pat as they played some typical fun exhibition stuff for the crowd, which eventually saw Andy and Mac win 8-6, which ended the night's entertainment.

And that's it for the ATP world tour finals and indeed the 2014 ATP tour season, which overall has been an excellent season although its finale in London has been overall a bit of a letdown given the number of one-sided matches and also that we were deprived of a final but well that can't be helped.  But it does certainly once again cement just how good a player Novak Djokovic is as he was able to reclaim his No.1 spot this year again after losing it last year to Rafa and it sees Nole take the top spot for the 3rd time in his career.  And as Novak finished up with 7 career titles, and among them the Wimbledon title, it shows that his game is going from strength to strength and next year he promises to get even better, which is a scary prospect as it is! 

As for Roger well its pity his ATP tour season ended the way it has with him being injured but he still does have the Davis cup final yet to play against France, which begins on Friday, but there is still a big question mark hanging over Roger and whether or not he will be able to recover in time to play.  One thing is for sure though is that if Roger doesn't play then it may seriously hurt Switzerland's chances of winning the title and that would almost automatically make France the favourites to win, especially as they are playing from home.  So for the sake of the contest and competition we will just have to hope that Roger recovers well enough in time for Friday as it maybe a bit of a daunting task for Stan Wawrinka to try and pull it off on his own, but with Roger they have a legitimate chance to win should he be fit and well.   

As for Andy well at least something good did come out of the tournament for him after his brutal dismissal last week as he was able to get back on the court and play two exhibition matches infront of the London o2 crowd.  But with his 2014 season now at a close it does leave a few question marks hanging over his head in regards to where can he go from here?  And the main question that should be asked is should he keep Amelie Mauresmo on as his coach????  Well in my opinion I don't think Andy should as I feel while she may have helped in some ways, she has not helped him to defeat any of the "big three" (i.e. Rog, Rafa and Nole) this year and that is what he needs to start doing as so far this season Andy has only managed to bag a single set off each of them and suffered nine losses combined to them.  It also doesn't reflect very well on Mauresmo that Andy finished his season with such a devastating loss and if anything it shows that she lacks the edge and effectiveness needed to help him beat the elite guys in the sport. 

And in my view if Andy stays with Mauresmo I doubt that he will be able to win another grand slam and he needs to find another coach who can help him get that aggressive edge back again that Ivan Lendl gave him.  And in that regard perhaps Andy would benefit from another male coach such as John McEnroe, if he was willing to take on Andy then there is a chance that it could prove successful for him, or it could be a complete disaster, who knows???  One thing that is for sure regarding McEnroe is that he does possess a great serve and Mac has already stated in the media how Andy needs to improve his 2nd serve speed and just maybe if they did work together perhaps that is one area that they can finally try and resolve.  Andy is said to be making the decision next month whether or not he will continue his parternship with Mauresmo into 2015, but for me personally and I'm sure many others, I would rather see Andy hire someone new so he can start the new year with a fresh perspective.  And I mean no ill feeling toward Mauresmo either as she was a great player in her own right but in terms of coaching Andy and getting his game where it needs to be, so far she has fallen short of that mark.  But at the end of the day it is of course Andy's decision and regardless of the choices that lie ahead for him, I think next year he will come back stronger and I believe he will start beating the top guys again as he is ultimately too good a player to keep down.

So that's it for now and I might be back soon with the result of the Davis cup final between France and Switzerland, with France who have the home advantage, and if Roger plays and is fit, it should be a cracker.

So until the next one bye for now.      

 

That was the year that was Murray's 2014 season

Well this is the last post to cover Andy Murray's year that has been 2014 and its been a very difficult one for him overall as he has had some tough obstacles to overcome with returning from back surgery and also splitting with his coach Ivan Lendl, who lead him to his first grand slam success.  So let's give another look at how Andy has been doing which takes us up to the end of his season at the ATP world tour finals in London. 

So starting with the BNP Paribas Masters tournament in Paris, where Andy competed to try and seal his place in the top 8 for the ATP world tour finals in London.  And the British No.1 got off to an excellent start there as he defeated the Frenchman, Julienne Benneteau in 6-3, 6-4 to put him within one match from qualifying for the o2.  And that match was on paper a very tough one as he took on Grigor Dimitrov who handed him a pretty heavy loss at Wimbledon, but Andy ended up getting his sweet revenge over the young Bulgarian as he dismissed him with one of his best performances of the year in 6-3, 6-3, which saw him qualify in 5th place for the world tour finals.  After this Andy next faced off against Novak Djokovic in their 4th meeting of the season, which given Andy's form promised to be a real cracker.  However despite a tight first set, Andy dropped his serve to give Novak the set and in the 2nd set Andy suffered lapses of concentration again and went down a double break to hand the match to the Serb who won 7-5, 6-2.  This saw Andy's lengthy six week run on the tour come to an end and gave him a much needed rest and a week off before the world tour finals would begin.

Now we get onto the ATP world tour finals itself and Andy's match started with him taking on the US Open finalist, Kei Nishikori in a promising opening clash for the tournament.  Andy had won all three of their previous encounters all with Andy winning in straight sets, and it looked to be heading that way again at the start of the first set as Andy secured a break.  However in typical fashion, Andy surrendered the break and it went to 3-3 and before we knew Andy was broken by Nishikori at 5-4 and the Japanese player took the first set.  In the 2nd set, Andy dented his chances in the tournament further as he dropped his serve early on and Kei lead with the brea, but Andy then revitalised his chances as he broke back to go 4-4.  But again Andy surrendered serve in the same way and let Nishikori grab a somewhat unexpected victory, his first over Andy with a 6-4, 6-4 win.  This certainly wasn't the start Andy was looking for in the tournament as he looked pretty flat and tired from the offset with only one or two sparks here and there, but he looked well below the man he was during his successful six week trot in Asia and Europe.  It also saw Andy's chances of staying in the tournament reduce somewhat as he would now need to win his next match to guarantee that he would stay in.

And this match was an unenviable match up with Milos Raonic, the big serving Canadian who Andy trailed in their head to head 1-3 going into this event.  But knowing what was at steak Andy raised his game and went out and played a solid match against Raonic, who's main weapon (i.e. his serve) was misfiring and he struggled to get it working, which allowed Andy to break him and take the first set.  In the 2nd set, things got a bit more competitive as Raonic went down a break but immediately broke back and he held his serve but at 5-5 he was broken again and Andy went on to serve out the match to keep his hopes alive for qualifying to reach the semis with a vital 6-3, 7-5 win.  There was no doubt this was a much better performance from Andy as for the most part he served well and he exploited Raonic's inferior return game and also the fact that his big serve wasn't working, which ultimately so the Canadian's lacklustre performance in the tournament come to an end.

Which brings me onto Andy's last round robin match and it was a must win one to stay in the tournament and reach the semis and it was with none other than Andy's old rival, Roger Federer.  At 11-11 it promised to be quite a treat, but........ it turned out to be a real nightmare instead for the British No.1, which I will get to in a bit.  Going into this match there was a revelation that Raonic had withdrawn from the tournament due to an apparent quad injury, which meant that David Ferrer would step in as his alternate.  And as a result Ferrer took Kei Nishikori on in the 3rd round robin match, which turned out to be easily the best and most entertaining match of the tournament so far and the only match to go to 3 sets, which eventually saw Ferrer fall to an in form Nishikori in 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.  This meant that Nishikori now needed Federer to either beat Andy in either straight sets or in three to seal his place in the semi final and pip Andy to the post in doing so, and Andy could only qualify by beating Federer in straight sets.

Sooo..... this leads me onto the match itself which was... well no match at all as it more just a mere warm up for Rog who after a few rusty opening points went on a rampage and destroyed Andy's chances of qualifying in one foul swoop as he dished up a bitter bagel set for Andy to chew down on.  At this point, Andy had nothing left to play for except maybe a bit of pride and dignity, but Federer barely allowed him that as Andy's dreadful serving and error-strewn performance got him in serious bother again and Rog's sublime touch was simply too much for him to handle as Andy dropped to 5-0.  But Andy somehow managed to save being totally humiliated with a double bagel as he managed to hold serve once to claim a single game before Rog completed his destruction of the British No.1 winning in the most emphatic fashion possible with a 6-0, 6-1 rout and thereby ending Andy Murray's season.

To say this wasn't the ending that Andy had hoped for would no doubt be a total understatement and it is a bitterly disappointing end to what has been a very difficult and frustrating year for him.  You could argue of course that Andy was still feeling the effects of fatigue of having played on those six weeks of the tour in succession in order to qualify but in all honesty Roger has to be credited with his performance as he simply outclassed Andy in every department and there is no doubt that indoor hard court suits Rog's game to a tee.  So its an end that leaves quite a few question marks over Andy's current form, not so much over the players that are ranked below him as he has proven that late on in this season that he can beat top 10 players, but morely on his ability to beat the top three guys, in Roger, Rafa and Novak, as this year he has failed to beat any of them in any of their meetings.  And it makes you wonder if Andy will be able to find that top form again against them?  Personally I think Andy will find that form and hopefully he will go on to have a much better 2015 where he will a have a chance to come back stronger.

So that's it for Andy's 2014 on the ATP tour and its been a really mixed season to say the least as he has played some great matches (such as epic clashes against Rafa in Rome, Grigor Dimitrov in Acapulco, Tommy Robredo in the Valencia final and Philipp Kohlschreiber at the French Open) but also played some dreadful ones as well and its a pity that he saved the worst one for last as he did not deserve for his season to end on such a low, but that's the way it goes.  The good thing is though Andy has still managed to successfully come back from his surgery with no physical complications or other issues and no doubt the recovery process was one of the toughest things he's had to endure this year.  Not only that he also had to deal with the departure of his coach Ivan Lendl after two years together, and in hiring his new coach Amelie Mauresmo, there was much speculation and doubt over how effective she could be for Andy's game. And this in itself is still an issue as no doubt Mauresmo will come under fire again for Andy's heavy defeat to Roger here as it shows that she has not made any impact on improving his game against the top three so far, especially as Andy has failed to beat any of them this year.  For now Andy has decided to continue his partnership with Mauresmo so we will wait and see how long it will last and pan out. 

But that aside Andy still has managed to do some good things this year as he managed to win three titles, two back to back with Vienna and Valencia, and he won his first title in 14 months in Shenzhen to end the drought that went back to the Wimbledon final.  Andy has also secured good wins over top 10 and former top 10 opponents such as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Marin Cilic, David Ferrer, John Isner, Grigor Dimitrov and also Milos Raonic, which despite his current poor record against the big three, he is starting to compete much better against his other rivals and it sees him to start to work his way up again.  So it may take some time for Andy to get back to that top level and hopefully he can as he started the year as No.4 in the world and dropped down to No.11, but after the exhertions leading into London, he is now successfully back in the top 10 sitting at No.6.  Andy also insisted he played so much not only to qualify for London but also more importantly to improve his seedings for the grand slams next season as being inside the top 8 will help out Andy in not facing the big guys before the quarter finals.

So that's it for now and I think despite his shortcomings and disappointments in 2014, Andy Murray still has proven that he is a vital tennis player and hopefully he can build on the late form he has shown this year and put it into better practice in 2015.  Until then I'm sure he will benefit it from a well earned break before the training starts for his 2015 season.

And with that I shall leave yee there and be back with the result of the final of the ATP world tour final finale, which let's face is most likely going to be Djokovic and Federer by the looks of it, but we will soon find out!

Bye for now!