Madrid in many ways will be considered by many to have been a strange tournament – no Rafa, no Roger and no Djokovic. These three players have been dominating men’s tennis with an iron fist and yet all three were defeated not by each other but by lower seeds. However, looking at Andy as he lifted his second consecutive master’s title, I thought to myself, “yes this tournament has been a bit strange but the final result… perhaps it was to be expected”. Andy played brilliantly against Rafa in New York; for me, it was one of the best performances of the year and in terms of clever tennis, perhaps even the best – yes, yes he lost to Roger so very quickly in the finals but to be fair to Andy, Roger lifted his game to its supreme level for much of that match and lets give the guy a break, it was after all his first grand slam final. But the fact was the same, he beat Nadal, the player that is no doubt playing the best tennis on the men’s tour and what really struck me was how easy he made it look. In the end, considering this performance, perhaps Murray winning was to be expected… maybe it was a normal tournament after all.
Some thoughts on Andy:
Looking beyond Madrid, the top three have much to be concerned about – mainly for next year. Now it may seem a little early to talk too much about Murray’s prospects for next year but I can’t help but think of some of the possibilities. Last year Novak reached the finals of the US Open and then went on to win the Australian Open – he went into the latter with a lot more confidence and determination – this sense that he could win – moreover I’m sure he got tired of everyone saying, “you had your chances”. I believe Murray is going to make quite an impelling push at the Australian Open next year – he knows he has the game, he knows he has the fitness and more importantly he now knows that he can beat anyone in the top 10 – in fact perhaps he even thinks he’s a little smarter than everyone in the top ten. However I think it is at Wimbledon next year that I feel that his presence in the top 4 will really be felt… yes, yes, I know, perhaps I’m getting ahead of myself but Andy already showed how good he could be on grass this year and now he has the belief that he can beat Roger and Rafa – that’s right, even on grass!!! Okay, okay, I better stop there and it’s not necessarily that I believe that Andy will do any of these things next year… I mean, he is still up against one of the greatest players in history and the Wimbledon champ but my point is that if Murray keeps going on as he has this season… things can happen. Saying that, let’s all prey and hope for another Roger – Rafa match!!!!
Queries for the Future:
All in all, Madrid was great, not only because Simon showed us a few magic tricks and Andy showed that he’s here to stay but because it does raise some important questions; what impact will Murray have on the competitive dynamics of the top 3? Is Roger back in vintage form or is there still a big difference, perhaps even an enduring difference between the Federer of old and the current Fed? Is Rafa’s fantastic run since Wimbledon still going or has he fizzled a bit since the Olympics? How will Novak regain his strength and motivation going into next year, especially in respect to the defence of his Aust. Open title? Many questions, too many for me, and I think Paris and Shanghai will give us some answers.
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