With a 16-0 record against the other three semifinalists combined, Roger Federer is the overwhelming favourite to capture the ATP Finals. A clash between the Swiss maestro and Grigor Dimitrov could be the most interesting final. What happened to the top ten players of the 2016 season?
LONDON – The Friday night entertainment at the ATP Finals is often a robbery for the spectators. An irrelevant match usually features a player that has already booked his spot in the semifinals and a player that has already been eliminated, with the former playing carefully not to get injured and the latter almost ready for vacation. The spectators invested 70 pounds (almost 90 euro) to watch Dimitrov roll over Carreno Busta with a 6-1,6-1 scoreline and it is almost certain that most of them regretted their choice to attend a tennis event instead of another show.
The big problem for a tournament of such caliber is that the semifinals and final don’t seem to be very promising in terms of excitement and appeal. Roger Federer has a winning record of 16-0 against the other three semifinalists combined: He leads 6-0 against Goffin, 6-0 against Dimitrov and 4-0 against Sock. In all those matches, he lost only four sets: Two with the Belgian and two with the Bulgarian. At this point, it is fair to say that this tournament is Roger Federer’s to lose.
The only interesting match-up would be a final between the two Feds – the Old Fed and Baby Fed. Dimitrov hates to be called Baby Fed, a nickname that was given to him when he started his ascendancy in the pro circuit. The weight of expectations and the inevitable comparison with Roger took a toll on Grigor, whose development into becoming a top player was longer than everyone had anticipated. By reaching the semis at the ATP Finals, Dimitrov will climb to world No. 4 – his best personal ranking so far – in a season that started brilliantly for him in Australia and culminated with his first Masters 1000 victory in Cincinnati during the US Open Series.
Despite a negative head-to-head record against Jack Sock (1-3), Dimitrov’s superior talent should favor the Bulgarian in the semifinal clash against the Nebraska native. On the other hand, Jack Sock’s chances shouldn’t be underestimated, as the American showcased some great form during his crucial win against Zverev.
A crazy season
This season has been unbelievably crazy: It was the year of both revolution and restoration. None of the top ten players in 2016 managed to qualify for the knockout stages at the ATP Finals in 2017. At the end of 2016, the ten best players in the world were Murray, Djokovic, Raonic, Wawrinka, Nishikori, Cilic, Monfils, Thiem, Nadal and Berdych. It really doesn’t get any more revolutionary than that! At the same time, this year we witnessed a restoration that reinstalled Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer at the top of the world rankings.
At the end of the day, it was an extraordinary year and it will be fascinating to see what 2018 has in store. Will Murray and Djokovic be back? If so, at what level? Many seem to be quite pessimistic regarding their chances, as the injuries that sidelined the two stars haven’t completely healed.
Outside of Great Britain, the news concerning yet another separation between Murray and Lendl is not particularly shocking. Nurturing a “broken” player is not really in Ivan Lendl’s nature. Milos Raonic parted ways with his old coach too, while Angie Kerber – who finished 2016 at No. 1 but then slipped outside the top 20 in 2017 – announced that she stopped working with Torben Betz and brought Wim Fissette on board. Fissette is a very experienced coach that previously worked with Cljisters, Azarenka, Konta and Ostapenko.
While there is no news on Nishikori’s injury, among all of the stars that have been sidelined over the past six months, Wawrinka is the only player whose physical issues seem to be completely solved. Despite turning 33, the “Stanimal” seems ready to make some damage in 2018, while Rafa Nadal might struggle with his chronicle knee problems once again.
(Article translation provided by T&L Global – Translation & Language Solutions – www.t-lglobal.com )
