Changing of the Guard in Mens Tennis?

Top level Tennis is going through a change at the moment. Roger Federer has finally overtaken Pete Sampras as the player who has won the most grand slam tournaments in the modern era. He has also welcomed twin daughters into the world in the last six weeks. Rafael Nadal is currently returning after a long spell on the sidelines with Tendonitis in his knees. His high impact style puts heavy pressure on his knees and he has a history of problems with this type of injury. It appears like both players are transitioning in the next phase of their career.

Nadal may have to adapt his devastating style in order to prolong his career. It was always said by commentators he would not have a very long career, most expect him to have to retire in his late twenties rather than into his thirties. Nadal has lost vital ranking points during his injury lay off, leaving the door open for Murray to perhaps overtake him into second spot in the world rankings. Due to his style his injury problems probably won’t ever permanently go away.

Federer may now be feeling like he has achieved all he can in Tennis with only the Olympic gold missing from his trophy cabinet. He has earned huge amounts of money and may find that with the arrival of children his focus and priorities are now permanently altered. The time where these two fantastic players battle out their amazing rivalry in grand slam finals could soon be at an end. Winning grand slams requires a single minded approach to maintain the edge. With such a good and fulfilled life now will he be able to sustain this level of performance and hard work every week?

In my mind there are four players now tightly grouped together behind the top two that are poised to challenge their recent dominance.

Juan Martin Del Potro seems the most improved player. He very nearly defeated Federer at the French Open and beat Andy Murray easily at Wimbledon. Having just recaptured the Washington Tennis title he looks to be a player no longer frustrated by the big four in men’s tennis and must be considered a legitimate candidate for a grand slam title.

Novak Djokovic looked to have lost ground on Murray during 2008 but has continued to win important matches and make finals of events to maintain his ranking. This player has all the tools to be a world number one and will surely be close to winning another grand slam title very soon. There remains a question over his ability to gut it out. In extreme heat he has been known to quit matches, perhaps playing it too safe and thinking too much about future matches. This must be eliminated from his game if he is to take his place as the world’s best player.

Andy Roddick was agonisingly close to winning Wimbledon; such a result could springboard him back to the top of the game or it could devastate him. He made the final of Washington after a short break and he could potentially have the belief to make another run at the US Open this summer. After such a close match in the final against Federer, the fans will be cheering him on to do well from now on.

Andy Murray is the current world number three with a chance to be number two after this week’s tournament. He has also taken a break also after a gruelling season so far and has battled to a level of fitness few can match. He does not play the high impact tennis of Nadal, yet has his intensity and stamina.

Strong players who attack the ball give him problems and he needs to attack these types of players more rather than wait for mistakes which do not always come. He was nearly defeated by Wawrinka at Wimbledon and Gonzalez defeated him handily at the French Open. If he makes the necessary modifications to his game he has a great chance at the US Open to go one better than his final appearance last year.

Will it be Del Potro, Roddick, Murray or Djokovic who rises to the top of the game or will Federer and Nadal remain the men to beat? Perhaps another player will emerge. Those who think Tennis is two horse race should now be urged to tune into the tournaments as the markets have just opened right up in the last two months to make Tennis one of the most competitive sports to watch at the moment.

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By Malcolm Clarke