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Tuesday, November 16, 2010

BARCLAYS ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS 2010 - ROUND ROBIN

GROUP A

Tomas  Berdych will be a man on revenge against Rafael Nadal. One could see the agony on his face at the prize distribution ceremony at Wimbledon. He did not cry like Roger Federer did at Australian Open 2009, but that could point out to deeply nurtured desire for revenge. If Tomas Berdych craves to take revenge, he will play his best against Rafael Nadal.

Novak Djokovic is the other player out for revenge against Rafael Nadal, but his desire for revenge may only be normal. He is too seasoned to indulge in extremes. He does not need a burning desire to overcome any of the players.

Andy Roddick appears content with the limited success he gets on the tour. Being talked in the same breath as the other top players satiates his appetite. He no longer thinks himself capable of achieving success like the one at 2003 U.S Open, and might look satisfied with what he did at 2009 Wimbledon.

Rafael Nadal has targeted this event and has skipped Paris. He appears motivated and that can take him beyond round robin.

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic appear on course for the Semi-Finals.


GROUP B

David Ferrer has had great success this season. He may not believe that he yet belongs to the elite group. He might fancy chances against Robin Soderling, since his defence can test patience of any body. Federer has enough weapons to pierce through his defence and Andy Murray has better defence than him.

Robin Soderling has lifted his first ATP 1000 title at Paris. His scalps there did not include any of the players in his group. It does not appear that he carries any momentum into the London WTF. Andy Murray will be a difficult candidate for him playing before home crowd.

Roger Federer has motivation problems. He has achieved so much that it is difficult to predict where he will play well. His number two seeding does not appear to be in danger. He can defeat most of the players even while playing below par. His new nemesis in ATP events could be Andy Murray.

Andy Murray has to satisfy his countrymen and he could do this half way at London WTF. He is a good in both defence and offence but does not pack any overpowering weapon. He does not need it while playing against the other three in his group. He knows the formula of success against Roger and can apply it in non-Grand Slam events. He can switch between defence and attack against the other two depending on how they are playing.

Andy Murray and Roger Federer appear on course for the Semi-Finals.

Monday, November 8, 2010

BNP PARIBAS MASTERS, PARIS


Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal have one thing in common. None of them have won Paris Masters. Nadal is already out of the tournament, having withdrawn citing shoulder tendinitis. Will it be the year Roger Federer or Andy Murray scales the summit at Paris? Or will the year belong to one of the hopefuls for the remaining three slots in Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at London? The summit can be reached if they atleast clear their quarter of draw.

Andy Murray is too strong in his half. Gael Monfils could upset any body else with home support, but not Andy Murray. They play similar games, but Andy Murray plays a proactive game against Monfils. He dominates the play and is unlikely to make too many errors to be exploited by Monfils.

Federer’s march to Semi-Final will not be stopped by Gasquet or Stepanek or Ferrer. Ferrer is yet to qualify for the London finals, but even that motivation will not be sufficient to overcome Federer. Stepanek plays mind games with his opponents, but even a sub-par Federer is too strong for Stepanek. Richard Gasquet can give a tough fight in his service games, but can not break Federer.

Djokovic has tough opponents in Berdych and Davydenko. Berdych has capability to upset Djokovic, but he has to get past Davydenko which is not an easy proposition. John Isner and Sam Querrey are good on paper, but it is street fight for them even to reach the position to challenge Djokovic.

In Soderling’s quarter, Roddick has more motivation since he is yet to qualify for the London Finals. But Ljubicic is a difficult customer. Soderling, Youzhny, Gulbis are manageable. It looks likely that Andy Roddick will overcome snake bites in his path to Semi-Finals.

Monday, November 1, 2010

2010 SEASON - STILL ALIVE AND 2011 - BECKONING


Has the 2010 season ended? No, not yet. There are fierce battles still ahead. The race is more for the immediate future as well as for the long term future. It is a circular track where the four mile stones are the Grand Slams placed at equidistant points on the track. ATP masters events do confer glory, but Grand Slams separate greats from the greatests. ATP World Tour finals is the next thing after Grand Slams and players do seem motivated to get their names on it.

ATP World Tour Finals Championship is one thing missing in Rafa’s kitty. Can he win London WT Finals? Yes, he can, he is the most successful player of 2010. What is his motivation? He has not won it, just as he had not won U.S Open earlier. Roger has won it four times. Will Rafa win it? Not definite, law of averages exists, not only for him, but for everybody. One predictable thing IMO is that Roger would do every thing at his disposal to avoid a show down with Rafa in Australian Open before finals. This could be his motivation to do well in the remaining tournaments, to avoid being relegated to number three position. Andy might like to be in Rafa’s half at Australian Open, but there is little in his hands. Its going to be the fight between Roger and Djokovic, which Andy can, but watch from the sidelines.

It is also a fight between the top two and the next two for 2011. Rafa-Roger duopoly has already destroyed careers of many. Quite a few talents have perished without blossoming into greatness. Roger is more to blame ( or credit ) for this than Rafa. Quite a few talents have peaked without multiple Grand Slam titles to their names.  This had not happened in the era of Connors, Borg and McEnroe. Martina - Evert duopoly has a closer resemblance. But it appears that 2011 will turn out to be a path breaker. The next two might break out from the stranglehold of the top two.